THE MIDDLE EAST’S BIGGEST TRAVEL MAGAZINE
JULY 2012
Eat your way around magical Madeira
Vietnam
Entering the caves of Halong Bay Produced in International Media Production Zone
A journey of discovery along the Inca Trail...
Summer Lovin’
Seasonal staycations in the Middle East
WIN
A break in the Big Smoke at ME London
California On the open road in the USA’s Golden State
CHOOSE YOUR OWN FLAVOUR
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OPENING RATE FOR A LIMITED TIME STAY FROM 1ST OF JUNE TO 20TH AUGUST (LAST DEPARTURE)
Four entirely unique five star boutique hotels now open within the exciting, vibrant Souq Waqif, Doha’s favourite leisure destination. Come and experience authentic Qatari hospitality and choose your own flavour.
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FOR A CORAL ROOM IN ANY OF OUR HOTELS
AL JASRA AL NAJADA ARUMAILA AL MIRQAB MUSHEIREB AL BIDDA
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G N O K G N HO
Presents
R A L U C A T C E P S R E . M E C M A L P SU L O O C . S T t n to visi o s a e r r anothe . Shop, cheer, s i t n e v y hot e e – 31 August r e v E ! ed un 're invitectacular, 22 J u o y d n a p rld cit y ng Summer S o w 's a i o s K mer in Aol during Hong nce at: m u s ’s t I o vengea ital of c K o ng g the cap d rock with a n o H e ng n dulgenc nival f ea t uri e 8th IDBF Club par t y a n I g n i p r Shop a t Ca , Lee Kum Ke rFest o o g B a s n i o ee ag ces • V ong Dr ragon Boat Ra San Miguel B K g n o d • H tional D hips an Interna rld Champions sic Fest 2012 u o 2 Crew W ong Beer & M ong 201 K F g i n a o H Kw Live in • Lan – p o P mer • Sum
N E V E HOT
STAY IN STYle ThIS Summer Stay 3 nights & enjoy Dubai Ice Rink or Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo + SEGA Republic Stay 4 nights & enjoy Dubai Ice Rink or Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo + SEGA Republic + KidZania速 Stay 5 nights & enjoy Dubai Ice Rink or Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo + SEGA Republic + KidZania速 + At the Top, Burj Khalifa
For further information on the Armani Hotel Dubai please contact our Reservations Office on +971 4 888 3999 or your local travel agent. For bookings please visit: www.dubai.armanihotels.com | Terms and Conditions apply
KANOO WORLD TRAVELLER JULY 2012
CONTENTS TRAVEL BITES 09 CHECK IN
Hot stories, top products and essential tips from the travel scene this month.
15 COMPETITION
Win a three-night break at ME London: the UK capital’s newest chic digs.
17 WHERE TO STAY
40
In the historic heart of Europe, Amsterdam is the perfect city break.
18 PICTURE THIS
Take a peek at the ancient city of Baalbek, a stone’s throw from Beirut.
21 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Staying put for the summer? Take advantage of these top GCC deals.
82 VISIT: DOHA
Qatar’s thriving capital is a city of contrasts: here’s how to see them all.
84 VISIT: PARIS
From quirky museums to Montmartre, this fabulous French city is unmissable.
88 SUITE DREAMS
Check in to the floral frescoed Gallery Suite at the Four Seasons Firenze...
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66
FEATURES 34 PORTUGAL From rustic dishes to haute cuisine, there’s something to satisfy every palette on the island of Madeira.
40 USA
Head north from San Francisco along Highway 1 and you’re in for a treat – this overlooked route is a real adventure.
60 PERU
You can still find solitude on the Inca Trail – as well as some sumptuous suites...
66 THE BALKANS
City hopping and sightseeing by rail through this beautiful, troubled land.
74 VIETNAM
The waters of Halong Bay are full of legends – Mark Harris sticks his oar in. Sailboats at the Golden Gate Bridge; James Forte, Corbis / Arabian Eye.
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74
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Jun-Dec 2011 23,120 BPA Consumer Audit Produced by: HOT Media Publishing FZ LLC
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 7
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BE INFORMED, BE INSPIRED, BE THERE
SPAIN
BEST OF BARCELONA You can now jet straight into Spain’s cultural capital with Emirates, but what to do when you touch down? KWT reveals the top 10 things you won’t find in the tourist guides…
1
Discover a hidden treasure… in Pedralbes Park. If you’ve been to Barcelona before, this secluded gem is a picturesque alternative to the touristy avenues of Gaudí’s Park Güell. Here you’ll find quaint ponds, flower gardens and Palau Reial de Pedralbes – the one-time royal residence of King Alfonso XIII. Spend an afternoon wandering around the quirky ceramics and textiles museums nearby.
2
Follow the footsteps of Woody Allen... on a Vicky Cristina Barcelona tour. The 2008 film put the city on the Hollywood map – and movie buffs can see all the location highlights up-close with trips around key featured sites, including staple attractions such as La Sagrada Família, Parc Güell and Casa Milà. For tailor-made days out, see barcelonamovie.com.
3
Eat Michelin-starred fare… at modernist eatery Tickets (ticketsbar.es). Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region – and the feted Adrià brothers are its culinary kings. Their celebrated El Bulli restaurant may now be closed, but their latest enterprise Tickets is serving up Catalan treats with a joyful twist: think ice cream carts, candy floss machines and a 33-course tasting menu. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 9
4
Get a fresh look at old favourites… on an Architecture Walk. Devised by city design gurus Miel Architects (mielarquitectos. com), these tours give real insight into the city’s signature style; you’ll get the lowdown on everything from Gaudí’s technicolour creations to the modern vision of Jean Nouvel.
5
Hunt out a bargain… on the fashionable streets of El Raval. Those cool cobbled avenues are home to countless vintage treasure troves – from emporiums brimming with 1950s dresses to dinky basement shops specialising in designer hand-me-downs. You can’t go wrong with HoLaLa Plaza (+34 971 316 537) and Argot (+34 933 296 058).
6
Drink-in the city sights… from Hotel Pulitzer (hotelpulitzer.es), Barcelona’s rooftop lounge. The twinkling skyscape is truly enchanting, and the clientele is pretty dazzling too – this is the place to see and be seen, and a seat at the central island table is the perfect place for celebrity spotting.
7
Hammer out flamenco rhythms… in a privately-tutored lesson. Barcelona Flamenco (barcelonaflamenco.es) is the place to head for dance, cajón (Spanish percussion), guitar, singing and castanets sessions. When you’ve learnt the ropes, head to El Tablao de Carmen (tablaodecarmen. com) for raucous recitals of dance and song.
8
Take the plunge in one of the city’s best infinity pools… at Grand Hotel Central (grandhotelcentral.com). With sweeping views over the trendy Born district, there’s no finer place to splash than this stylish pool club – and it serves lunchtime snacks too.
9
Chow on a Spanish delicacy… at the delightfully-retro Flash Flash tortilleria (flashflashbarcelona.com). The tortilla, or omelette, is a national treasure and here you can pick from a menu of 60 varieties, served by an army of Catalans in sharp white suits.
10
Find a modern masterpiece… at the Barcelona Showcase, which features fine local and international art and design. In Gaudí’s spectacular Casa Batlló, the exhibition will fall on July 14 this year. All the artwork is available to buy, and can be shipped to your home. barcelonashowcase.com 10 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
Previous page: clockwise from top: Grand Hotel Central’s rooftop pool; Torre Agbar, designed by Jean Nouvel; Hotel Pulitzer’s rooftop bar. This page, clockwise from top: Casa Batlló; The dining area at Tickets; Taking an al fresco flamenco lesson; A scene from Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Tortilla tapas; The Adrià brothers’ ‘Air Baguette’.
The ultimate guide
NEW ZEALAND
Stars in your eyes
Whether you’re headed for the bright lights of Tokyo or the hot springs of Hokkaido, there’s no finer way to travel around Japan than by train. This new guide features the country’s most picturesque routes, plus tips for venturing off the rails. $25, trailblazer-guides.com
SUMMER SENSATIONS New Zealand’s Mt. Cook National Park has been awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status, making it one of the best spots on the planet to stargaze – but where to pitch your telescope for the night? The Hermitage Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand Surrounded by nothing but the Southern Alps’ glacial peaks, this South Island retreat is a haven of fresh air and wild countryside. When night falls, it’s just you and the stars – with no light pollution, the view is spectacular. Astronomy is a key part of the
Best of the rest... &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia The savannah around this isolated lodge is Africa’s only International Dark Sky Reserve. The residence boasts a 12-inch telescope, observatory and even a resident astronomer. andbeyondafrica.com Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide, Tenerife The skies of Tenerife’s Teide National Park are renowned for their clarity, and at 2,000 metres above sea level this luxurious Parador 12 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
hotel’s heritage: the local Maoris have long used the night sky to navigate, and ‘outdoor lighting controls’ have long been in place to preserve the view’s clarity – making the Dark Sky Reserve award a final stamp of approval. Take in the view from the balcony of a luxury chalet or head out on a guided Big Sky Stargazing tour. hermitage.co.nz is perfectly-placed for star-spotting. Don’t miss the two state-of-the-art telescopes and free sky-watching sessions with professional astronomers. parador.es La Pause, Marrakech, Morocco This eco-friendly hotel on the edge of the Sahara Desert enjoys clear starry nights all year round. Accommodation is in sumptuous Bedouin-style tents, with low-key lighting from candles and cosy camp fires – pull up an over-sized cushion and gaze skywards… lapause-marrakech.com
The season’s festivals you won’t want to miss on your travels… Celebrate Brooklyn (JulyAugust) fills Prospect Park with al fresco beats, dance and theatre performances every weekend for the next two months – take a picnic and enjoy the sights. Festival Jazz des Continents (17-25 July) unleashes the sounds of international musicians in Le Silo, a former 1920s grain store that’s now an impressively revamped 2,000-seater concert hall. Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls festival (6-14 July), celebrates the Spanish pastime with bulls let loose through the streets – you’ve been warned! Taste of Edinburgh (July 6-8) will delight foodies with its three-day tasting extravaganza that brings together the best of the Scottish city’s chefs and restaurants to reel off mouthwatering menus – best eaten in the sun.
CHECK IN | NEWS
That’s Life Nature at its most spectacular is what you’ll be fawning over if you buy a copy of LIFE, a photographic look at Earth’s most weird and wonderful life forms. Each eye-widening image comes from Frans Lanting – dubbed one of the best nature photographers of our time – who globetrotted his way from the Amazon to ice-clad Antarctica, snapping everything from lush jungle life to jellyfish and microscopic species. And while you can set off on your own photographic journey, perusing his works in Paris, New York, Madrid and Tokyo’s top museums – to name a few – this collection you can take home for keeps. Available at taschen.com
Something old, something new…
July brings new hotel openings and no-expense-spared makeovers – KWT puts two of the grandest examples head to head…
Grand reveals More made-over gems to be unveiled this month...
vs The Beverly Hills Hotel Palacio Nazarenas, Peru palacionazarenas.com Style: Soothing yet super-luxurious: expect beautiful stone walls, curved archways, neutral hues and the prettiest of courtyards. Location: High-end Cuzco in downtown Peru where you’ll be set between the city’s central square and the hip neighbourhood of San Blas – where the young and trendy hang out. Rooms: 55 in total, the most outlandish of which are its two master suites, complete with bare stone walls and four-poster beds. Dining: Peruvian food is the cuisine of the moment which makes its signature restaurant Senzo a winner: headed by Virgilo Martinez, it fuses local ingredients to delicious effect.
Hotel Alfonso XIII, Spain starwoodhotels.com Style: All-out extravagance thanks to a $25million refurbishment of its 1929 building; cue Renaissance-style décor in abundance. Location: Calle San Fernando in Seville’s historic heart, where the hotel has long been an architectural landmark. Rooms: 151, the largest of which is the Royal Suite – its 10-person table is great for entertaining beneath a hand-painted ceiling, flanked by mint-green walls draped in silk. Dining: Of its four eateries, the saffron and rouge-hued Bodega Alfonso is the place to go for authentic tapas – the marinated fish and Manchego cheese are our must-tries.
An Old Hollywood haunt, the hotel’s signature pink façade will remain intact, while its guest rooms, pool and cabanas will all sport a new 21st-century look.
Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo Revisit Monte Carlo’s favoured haunt and you’ll find public spaces revamped by Karl Lagerfeld and Michelin-star chef Joël Robuchon’s eatery coming soon...
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 13
LET THE GAMES BEGIN The London 2012 Olympics is the global event of the year and grips the capital from July 27 – August 12. KWT spotlights five must-try venues for when you’re not glued to the games…
1. EAT Noma Pop-up, Claridge’s Hotel Officially the world’s best restaurant, Noma will appear at Claridge’s ballroom as a pop-up eatery headed by the world’s most-coveted chef, René Redzepi – both can usually be found in Copenhagen (along with an arm-length reservation list). Head to Claridge’s between July 28 and August 6, though, and you’ll find Redzepi in the kitchen creating fivecourse menus. claridges. co.uk/atasteofnoma 14 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
2. SLEEP The Ampersand Hotel, South Kensington Open in August, The Ampersand will take you back to the 18th century – it was one of London’s original Victorian boutique hotels. Today its Victorian features (you can’t ignore the gargoyles on the ceiling) merge with modern English charm (colourful touches are everywhere). Retreat to its new ground floor patisserie for artisanal coffee or dine beneath its vaulted ceiling. ampersandhotel.com
3. SHOP Harrods, Knightsbridge If you’re not in town to catch the end of the famous Harrods sale (its 50% discounts end on July 14), the good news is that you will be there to catch the exciting summer launch of one of Britain’s most famed designers, Stella McCartney. Be sure to snag the best threads in store by using their personal shopping service By Appointment – you’ll feel every inch the celeb if you do. harrods.com/services
4. SEE Nikki Beach Pop-up, Trinity Buoy Wharf Nikki Beach is turning up the heat throughout the games when it leaves its usual surrounds of Miami and St Barts behind for the Thames-side setting of Trinity Buoy Wharf. Its signature white décor and day beds will be in place (whatever the weather) and you can steady yourself for a fashionable riot of fashion, art, music and entertainment, plus an ultra-glam redthemed closing party. nikkibeachlondon.com
5. DO Selfridges Big Rooftop Tea and Golf Party, Oxford Street Selfridges is turning its rooftop (as it once did in the 1930s) into a nine-hole crazy golf course with a wonderfully wacky design: the course looks like a display of humungous sugary cakes, with each hole posing as a fairytale version of a London landmark. Plus, with Daylesford Café on site you can eat cakes and sup tea after you tee off. selfridges.com/ bigbritishbang
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HOT OFFERS
WIN three nights at ME London
THE PRIZE Three nights in an Aura room for two people. To enter, email easywin@hotmediapublishing. com with your answer before July 30, 2012. Q. What is the name of the river that runs through the heart of London? a) The Thames b) The Seine c) The Danube TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Valid from 24th September for 12 months. (Subject to availability).Prize is non-transferable, and is not exchangeable for cash.
Come rain or shine KWT spotlights Burberry’s latest travel essentials, so you can brave the UK’s unreliable elements in style
BURBERRY TRENCH COAT Perched on The Strand, on the southern stretch of Covent Garden, you’ll find London’s newest resident: ME London, opening July 15 – just in time for the Olympics. This is one of the capital’s hottest districts, bursting with art galleries, leading museums and British style icons, placing ME London right in the heart of the action. Step inside for über-cool interiors – think lighting sculptures, luxe furnishings and a sumptuous palette of creamy hues – and fabulous views of the city skyline and River
While you’re there… 1. Go to Somerset House, ME London’s most famous neighbour on The Strand plays host to exhibitions, concerts and events all year round – in August you can watch a movie beneath the stars in its stunning courtyard. 2. Have breakfast at ME London’s rooftop lounge. Vistas stretch all the way across the Thames; what a way to start the day. 3. Scour Covent
Thames. As you’d expect from the worldfamous Meliá brand’s funky line of hotels, a stay at ME London comes with a heady dose of opulence: check in to an Aura room for Egyptian cotton linens, spa-style rain shower and a VIP treatment to cater to your every whim. Relax at the spa and gym – or indulge in a treatment in the privacy of your room. Come nightfall, you’ll find fine dining right on your doorstep – head to the rooftop bar for spectacular vistas or STK Steakhouse for top-notch grills.
Garden’s street markets – it’s been trading since 1845 and the Apple Market is our pick for handmade British arts, crafts and antiques. 4. Take a Thames Water Taxi for a more leisurely way to absorb the city sights and skip the busy tube. 5. Take in a show – the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is London’s oldest and if you have kids in tow they’ll be thrilled to see its current show, Shrek the Musical.
EYEWEAR IN PALE GOLD
BLACK CHECK UMBRELLA
KINGFISHER SANDALS
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 15
“EID HOLIDAY OFFERS” MALAYSIA
4Nights / 5Days – starting from $ 980
MALDIVES AND SRI LANKA
6Nights / 7Days – starting from $ 915
BANGKOK
3Nights / 4 Days – starting from $472
MOROCCO
5Nights / 6 Days - Staring from $ 1100
Dammam: +966 3 8355642 / 632 / 8355645 Riyadh: +966 1 4634454 / 2933740 / 4652834 Jeddah: +966 2 2632875 / 2633040 Mahooz, Bahrain: +973 17 828801 / 792 / 793 Doha, Qatar: +974 4483704 Dubai, UAE: +971 4 3653270 Abu Dhabi: +971 2 6780400 Muscat, Oman: +968 24700249 / 24700279 Email: holidays@kanoo.ae
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WHERE TO STAY...
AMSTERDAM
From boutique boltholes with secret gardens to centuries-old regal residences, The Netherlands’ capital has digs for any city-break style
START
Style
High brow
OR OR
Low key
OR
Location
Waterfront
OR
Bilderberg Hotel Jan Luyken
Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam
bilderberghoteljanluyken.com
pulitzeramsterdam.com
Tucked away in the cultural heart of the city, the newlyrenovated Bilderberg boasts chic bedrooms, a dinky spa and a delightfully-leafy garden – perfect for a quiet drink after a day exploring the nearby Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and P.C. Hooftstraat.
Tasting menu
InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam amsterdamintercontinental.com
This palatial pad is a city style icon, and its Michelin-starred Le Rive (try its degustation menu) is a real show-stopper.
Dry land
OR
This Amsterdam favourite has been perched on the canalside since the 17th century, and enjoys views of the water and gardens from all of its sumptuous rooms. Stay put and dine downstairs at Keizersgracht 238 for cuisine with a view to remember.
Spa menu
Grand Hotel Amrâth amrathamsterdam.com
Need some R&R after all that gallery-hopping? The spa menu here is one of the longest in the city, and includes products by top organic brand BABOR.
Fresh face
Conservatorium Hotel Amsterdam conservatoriumhotel.com
Created by Italian architect Piero Lissoni, this is one of ’Dam’s newest and hippest digs – and each room is individually styled.
OR
Old favourite
De L’Europe leurope.nl
Dubbed the “Royal Palace”, and with original Dutch Masters paintings adorning its walls, De L’Europe has hosted the rich and famous since 1896. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 17
PICTURE THIS
BAALBEK Lebanon
As the light streams through the quartzite columns of Baalbek, it’s easy to forget you’re just a 90-minute drive from heaving Beirut. But this ancient city was here long before the modern capital; it was founded in the 4th century BC by the Greeks, named Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. As the Roman Empire gathered momentum, it enveloped the site – and at the height of Julius Caesar’s rein the city was transformed into a thriving centre of commerce. An estimated 100,000 slaves constructed the area, but it was abandoned at the Empire’s fall. Invading factions and natural disasters have left the ancient city in ruins, but a wander through those crumbling cavernous atriums still has the power to transport you right to the city’s ancient heart. Image: Corbis / Arabian Eye
SPECIAL PROMOTION
H O M E for the
H O L I D A Y S With standout summer offers across the GCC, why leave? KWT brings you the best of the bunch‌
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 21
SOUQ WAQIF BOUTIQUE HOTEL, DOHA hotelsouqwaqif.com Boutique hotel-lovers will be spoilt for choice with Qatar’s newest sextet of hotels: six stylish boltholes that encircle Doha’s Souq Waqif, an authentic shopping spot where the history of the region still lives and breathes. The hotels’ imaginative designs present something for everyone, from the hip Arumaila (it has an equally trendy sister, The Adria, in London), to the 1920s-style Al Najada (it merges three traditional Arabic homes to create one luxe residence), to the family-friendly environs of Musheireb, home to just 10 rooms and four suites. And that’s just a taster… For adults: Head to the vibrant souk where you can haggle your socks off for all manners of treasures. For kids: Treat little ones to a visit to Al Biddah’s bakery – it serves up fresh bread, pastries and cakes daily which taste even better than they smell. Irresistible. The summer special: Book one of Al Mirqab, Arumaila, Al Najada and Musheireb hotels until August 19 at a special introductory rate from $137. Plus, from July 20 to August 19, enjoy Iftars for $33 per person at Al Mattam, Al Mirqab, Al Najada and Arumaila. 22 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
SPECIAL PROMOTION
RADISSON BLU HOTEL, ABU DHABI YAS ISLAND radissonblu.com/hotel-abudhabi Those seeking an ‘island retreat’ closer to home should look to Abu Dhabi’s famous Yas Island. And we can think of few slicker spots in which to spend the night than Radisson Blu’s beachfront outpost. Here, all 397 rooms and suites exude a contemporary yet comfy style, and bestow brilliant views of the gulf’s sun-drenched waters and Yas Links golf course. Elsewhere in the hotel, make the most of several dining spots – Italian food-lovers will adore the blue and copper-hued Filini. But to achieve that real ‘holiday’ feel our advice is to make for the palm-peppered swimming pool, which comes flanked by spacious, shaded cabanas. For adults: Sporting enthusiasts can easily get their fix on Yas Island: go karting on its Formula 1 track, Yas Marina Circuit, or tee off on the greens of Yas Links golf course. For kids: Mini thrill-seekers will love the Ferrari World theme park – home to the world’s fastest rollercoaster. The summer special: Couples can enjoy the Romance Package and spend one night, including breakfast and romantic goodies, for $137. Golfers, meanwhile, will love the Golf Package: One round on one of three courses, overnight stay and buffet breakfast for $178. Want to relax? Treat yourself to the Relaxation Package with an overnight stay, massage and breakfast for $180. See hotel website for details.
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 23
SHANGRI-LA, DUBAI shangri-la.com/dubai Set off Sheikh Zayed Road, the Shangri-La, Dubai places you in a prime position to enjoy a five-star city break. Check in to your room, though, and it’s not all sky-high towers; you can drink in vistas that stretch across the sparkling Arabian Sea. If it’s sheer luxury you covet, the hotel’s Presidential Suite is the way to go – it comes with a butler able to answer your every beck and call. For adults: Book a soothing stint in the hotel’s spa, the ultimate way to unwind. Plus, if you book a facial during Ramadan you’ll receive an aroma vitality massage for free. For kids: Take the whole family to the beautiful Al Bader ballroom for a traditional Iftar with a spread fit for a king. SHANGRI-LA QARYAT AL BERI, ABU DHABI shangri-la.com/abudhabi There are few finer ways to escape the city than here; the palatial residence is a show of Arabic-inspired archways and regal pillars, sat on over eight hectares of manicured gardens. Take your pick from some 161 residences and six private villas (perfect for families) and, if you can bear to tear yourself away from its luxe interiors, make for the hotel’s private beach – a beautiful spot for rest and relaxation… For adults: Make a date at Pearls & Caviar, one of the hotel’s nine restaurants, where you can sink into slick seating and enjoy waterfront views and fresh seafood. For kids: Offspring of any age will enjoy jumping aboard a traditional abra which sails along the waterways to a nearby souk, where they can spend their pocket money on all manners of souvenirs.
SHANGRI-LA, BARRA AL JISSAH RESORT & SPA, MUSCAT shangri-la.com/muscat An arrival at this ‘oasis in the desert’ could well take your breath away; you’ll find it nestled before rugged Omani mountains, deep blue pools and date palms – while a terrace in every room means you can admire the scenery whenever you please. Not only that, but the sprawling resort is made up of not one but three hotels – find Dhofari architecture at Al Waha, stellar eateries at Al Bandar and palatial style at Al Husn. For adults: Set out with the resort’s PADI instructor and swim among the Omani turtles and tropical fish. For kids: Al Waha is a great pick for little ones – the Little Turtles Children’s Club and plethora of pools will keep them occupied for hours on end… 24 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
THE SUMMER SPECIAL: Get 50% off the best available rate at these Shangri-La properties, including breakfast. Just quote ‘summer escape’ when booking. Kids in tow? Enquire about the hotels’ fantastic Family Eid Break offer.
THE MEYDAN, DUBAI meydanhotels.com It may not be horse-racing season in Dubai, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening at The Meydan Hotel. Set on the edge of the world-famous Meydan Race Course, the 285-room hotel is a hotbed of sporting activities and first-rate eateries. In fact, there’s something to do from sun-rise to set, from yoga on the rooftop’s lawn to Blokart sailing or, for a more gentle pace, a dip in the hotel’s mammoth infinity pool or a tranquil spell in its standout spa. Round off the day with a hearty steak in the hotel’s Prime Steakhouse. Succulent cuts guaranteed. For adults: If you think it’s too hot for golf, tee off with a night game at The Track, Meydan Golf, where games start at 6.30pm and go on until dusk. For kids: Treat kids to a family meal at Farriers where a stream of live cooking stations means budding chefs can watch the pros at work before tucking in. The summer special: Book a Grand Deluxe Balcony Room from $143 until August 19 and receive a free shuttle service to The Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, free access to Kids Zone, plus an abundance of free family activities, including a session at the Shooting Simulator and a Falcon Centre visit. See hotel website for more details.
26 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
The Meydan Hotel raises the bar for service, style and sheer indulgence and a visit to this iconic Dubai landmark will leave you breathless. Luxurious accommodation, several sensational restaurants and plenty of horse racing action make The Meydan Hotel the perfect weekend getaway.
A decision so difficult, trying both is the only option.
Situated in the heart of the Dubai desert, nestled between majestic dunes and clear blue skies, lies an exclusive traditional resort. Renowned for its traditional Arabic hospitality and unique setting, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa is the ultimate luxury getaway.
For more information call +971 4 381 3231 or email info@meydanhotels.com Please contact your preferred travel partner for further details and bookings.
ATLANTIS, THE PALM, DUBAI atlantisthepalm.com You would need to have your head in the sand not to notice the almighty Atlantis, the Palm. Long the crowning glory of the Palm Jumeirah, its magnificent club-shaped archway is world-famous – step inside and the extravagance continues, taking you into an aquatic-themed world where gold shells and sea creatures cling to the ceilings. You can even see reallife sharks and colourful flurries of fish dart by during a walk through the labyrinthine Lost Chambers Aquarium; when dining in the James Bond-like environs of Ossiano; or with a stay in an Underwater Suite – its floor-to-ceiling windows peer straight into the Ambassador Lagoon. For adults: With 17 restaurants onsite, you’ll be spoilt for choice on where to spend a romantic dinner for two. Our tip is Nobu, one of Dubai’s finest Japanese eateries – order the coveted black cod, it’s sublime. For kids: Children will love bobbing down lazy rivers and whooshing down chutes at Aquaventure water park, while Dolphin Bay brings a rare chance to swim with dolphins. The summer special: Until September 30, 2012, rooms start at $270 per night, including unlimited free access to Aquaventure and The Lost Chambers, plus preferential rates at Dolphin Bay.
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SPECIAL PROMOTION
THE ADDRESS DUBAI MARINA theaddress.com If you can’t choose between a city or beach break, this hotel will place you in the heart of the city and beside the yachttopped waters of Dubai Marina. Shopping enthusiasts can pop next door to the Dubai Marina Mall, home to high street shops, cafés and a luxurious cinema for movie buffs. While one of the finest ways to absorb the sights is from the hotel’s fabulous spa where treatment rooms face the rippling waters – and the organic products smell and feel divine. For adults: Take advantage of the spa’s seasonal offers, including the Summer Sojourn: a Nepalese Tea Exfoliation (great for banishing impurities), aromatherapy massage and booster facial – you’ll leave looking like new. For kids: Water babies will love the hotel’s fourth-floor infinity pool, after which you can whisk them to the adjoining mall to hop aboard the kiddies’ train which snakes its way playfully around the shops. The summer special: Book three nights and enjoy free access to the Dubai Ice Rink or Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and SEGA Republic. Add one extra night and you can add the use of KidZania to the list, while five nights will give you all of the above, plus a visit to At the Top, Burj Khalifa.
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HATTA FORT HOTEL, UAE hattaforthotel.com If it’s a change of scenery you crave, Hatta Fort Hotel will place you at the foot of the spellbinding Hajar Mountains. Settle into its serene surrounds (it has some 80 acres of groomed gardens) before retreating to spice-hued, chaletinspired rooms – families should also check out its larger suites and villas. Whichever accommodation you choose, you won’t miss the rolling panoramas thanks to balconies and terraces, each of which afford stellar views (so don’t forget your camera). But the best place to relax has to be the hotel’s two standout pools – sink into the rock pool and let its waterfall rush over you. For adults: Take a pew on the sunset terrace, where you can sink into a sea of scatter cushions and watch the sun dip behind the mountains… For kids: There are activities aplenty for both tots and teens. Let older kids try a hand at mini golf and archery, while little ones have bags of fun with crayon drawing and face painting. The summer special: Book a room, including Suhoor or breakfast and an Iftar, starting from $95 per person, per night. Planning a July getaway? Take a look at the All Inclusive Mountain Getaway too.
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Be the first to discover Dubai’s only 4-star beachfront family hotel.
www.oceanviewthewalk.com
DANAT AL AIN RESORT, ABU DHABI Renowned for its lush greenery and sprawling mountain ranges, Danat Al Ain is an idyllic place to flock to. (Arrive here and you’ll see it’s dubbed ‘Garden City of the Gulf’ for good reason.) You’re a stone’s throw from Al Ain town centre too, so those prone to the fidgets can explore the local sights. Back at base be sure to take advantage of not one but three fabulous swimming pools – just dive straight in… For adults: Whet your appetite in one of the resort’s superb nine restaurants. Tanjore is our pick for Indianlovers; its classic Tandoor dishes come straight from a clay oven. For kids: With a children’s play area and crèche, kids can be kept entertained all day long or don their water wings and splash around in the family pool amid rock formations and waterfalls.
SANDS HOTEL, ABU DHABI Make a beeline for the emirates’ capital and you’ll discover this sophisticated hotel in the heart of the action. Once you’ve checked into one of its elegantly-decorated rooms, get to grips with all of the fab facilities: take a dip in the rooftop pool, head to the spa for a massage, or dine in one of its modern eateries – those craving British ‘pub grub’ will love Harvesters. For adults: Flex your credit card and shop til you drop at nearby Al Wahda and Abu Dhabi Malls – a free shuttle service will whisk you to the foot of some 200 shops. For kids: Let kids run riot in the Abu Dhabi Mall’s play zone Kidoos, where arcades and a climbing wall will keep the fullof-beans busy.
THE SUMMER SPECIAL: Stay at any of the Danat Hotels & Resorts at special summer rates, from as low as $90, including a buffet breakfast. See website for full details. danathotels.com
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ULTIMATE SUMMER ESCAPES For family favourite holidays this summer Danat Hotels & Resorts invites you to kick back and experience the standout beaches, salty breezes and freshly caught seafood that Abu Dhabi has to offer. Al Raha Beach Hotel
Danat Jebel Dhanna Resort
Advance purchase Dhs.399*
Weekends Dhs.499*
Weekends & Weekdays Dhs.555*
Weekdays Dhs.799*
For further information, call 02 508 0555
For further information, call 02 801 2211
Danat Al Ain Resort
Tilal Liwa Hotel
Weekends Dhs.349*
Weekends Dhs.399*
Weekdays Dhs.349*
Weekdays Dhs.499*
For further information, call 03 704 6000
For further information, call 02 894 6111
Sands Hotel
Dhafra Beach Hotel
Weekends Dhs.333*
Weekends Dhs.349*
Weekdays Dhs.333*
Weekdays Dhs.549*
For further information, call 02 615 6666
For further information, call 02 801 2000
Book now at www.danathotels.com Terms & conditions: *Rates shown are starting rates for single or double occupancy. Rates are subject to 10% service charge and 6% tourism fee. Valid from 16th May 2012 till end of Ramadan. Rates are inclusive of buffet breakfast. Two children under 12 years sharing parents room stay free of charge. Advance purchase rates must be booked five (5) days prior to arrival with no refund. Check with your hotel for additional discounts on restaurants, laundry and recreation facilities. Weekend rates are only applicable on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Offer valid for UAE/GCC residents only. Activities and facilities are hotel specific. Payment by cash or credit card only. Rooms are subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply for each hotel.
Danat Hotels & Resorts is a division of National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels (NCT&H) PO Box 6942, Abu Dhabi, UAE | T. +971 2 409 9999 | F. +971 2 409 9990 | E. info@ncth.ae | www.danathotels.com
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MADEIRA ON THE MENU | PORTUGAL
Madeira on the menu Whether you hunger for rustic dishes or prefer high-end gastronomy, this Portuguese island offers something for every taste
S
taring up from its slab in the art deco Mercado dos Lavradores, Funchal’s main produce market, was one of the ugliest edible fish I have ever seen. With massive eye sockets, jagged teeth and a long, slimy, dustbin-grey body, the espada has all the charm of a dinosaur. But Benoît Sinthon, Madeira’s top chef, was in rhapsodies about this unlikely creature. It’s almost unique to Madeira, whose steep volcanic slopes are matched by astoundingly deep waters. “By day, they live more than a kilometre below the surface,” said Sinthon, “but at night, they rise at least 400 metres to feed and that’s when the fishermen catch them. You can see the lights of their boats from the shore.” “So is this the fish that’s often served with banana?” asked chef Christian Petz of the Badeschiff in Vienna. “It is,” said Hans Neuner, an Austrian-born chef who cooks up miracles at Ocean on the Algarve. “And the flavour?” asked Nigel Haworth of Northcote Manor near Blackburn.“Delicate, with a beautiful, soft texture,” said Sinthon, leading us upstairs to the fruit market. Madeira is known for its hybrid tropical fruit, which the stallholders set out in kaleidoscope-like displays. Among the oddities are passion fruit which
variously look like bananas, smell like pineapples, taste like sweet limes and melt in your mouth like mangoes. My rather special meet-the-chefs market tour formed part of the 2012 Rota das Estrelas, a Portugal-wide food festival. In the past, Portugal was better known for rustic fish and bean stews than for fine dining; even now, it has only 12 Michelin-starred restaurants to its name (Spain has more than 130). But change is in the air. I was staying at Madeira’s gastronomic epicentre, The Cliff Bay Hotel. Its restaurant, Sinthon’s Il Gallo d’Oro, is the holder of one of those precious stars. The restaurant’s main role in the festival was to hold a series of gala dinners prepared by Sinthon and 11 guest chefs from all over Europe, a team which could boast 14 stars between them. “It’s so refreshing to spend time with these guys,” said Sinthon. “Something always comes out of it – whether it’s a new way of looking at a familiar ingredient, or a different way of presenting it.” The charm clearly works both ways: all the chefs who fly out to Madeira as Sinthon’s guests do so for expenses only. Sinthon’s reputation alone is enough to draw pan-European crowds; his menus change with the seasons, making Il Gallo d’Oro an indulgent choice at any time of year. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 35
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MADEIRA ON THE MENU | PORTUGAL
‘Saunter along the coast to Reid’s Palace, the elegant old hotel which once hosted Sir George Bernard Shaw and Sir Winston Churchill…’ July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 37
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Images: Corbis / Arabian Eye; Supplied
Opening page: Sunset at Ponta do Sol on the south coast. Second page: Reid’s Palace hotel from above. This page, clockwise from top left: Tea terrace, Reid’s Palace; Fishing boats in the harbour of Camara de Lobos; Tomato passion fruits at Mercado dos Lavradores; A lamb speciality at Il Gallo d’Oro, Bay Cliff Hotel. Opposite page: Mercado dos Lavradores.
MADEIRA ON THE MENU | PORTUGAL
Those who are in the mood for something more traditional saunter along the coast to Reid’s Palace, the elegant old hotel which once hosted Sir George Bernard Shaw and Sir Winston Churchill (though not at the same time). A colonial-style atmosphere lingers in its panelled rooms, a legacy of the days when British travellers making the long voyage by ocean liner from Cape Town to Southampton would break their journey here. Afternoon tea on the terrace is a delight, with sandwiches, macaroons and tiny portions of bolo de mel, the Madeirans’ favourite cake. Beyond the balustrade are glorious sea views that augment every mouthful. Having sampled a little of Madeira’s sophisticated side, I was keen to delve into its peasant heritage. Some feel that a wave of stylised, mainland-influenced cuisine could erode the locals’ appetite for fearsome-looking fish, bananas and sweet, dark wine. To find out what I’d been missing, I travelled west to Câmara de Lobos harbour to feast on fish that arrived whole and practically gasping
on the plate, and up into the hills behind, where waiters loaded our table with espetadas, skewered kebabs seasoned with garlic and wild laurel from the mountains. Superbly fresh, everything was simple, fragrant, delicious. Meanwhile, in Funchal’s old town, the small, traditional restaurants were buzzing. The old town took a beating in 2010 when landslides and floods tore through several parts of the city centre. But now, thanks to an imaginative regeneration programme, the restaurants have offbeat galleries and street-long art installations for neighbours, and the bars have a younger, hipper clientele. It’s become cool for Madeiran twentysomethings to come here at weekends and sip poncha, the sugar-cane hooch their grandmothers used to make, mixed with passionfruit juice and ice. Walking through this low-key but lively quarter close to midnight on a Friday, I heard nothing but local voices. Clearly the pan-European crowd have yet to catch on. But it’s only a matter of time. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 39
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CALIFORNIA CRUISIN’ | USA
’ n i s i u r C a i n r o f i l Ca
e is th er o cisc s Rog 1… n a ay ay Fr an rth, s ighw S andnue no tive H A a i L en t cont altern e w bet d – bu nd an e t rou legen ou’ll fi e h T ff of nd y stu mas, a Tho
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 41
Y
ou’re in San Francisco on a flydrive holiday. You drive north over the Golden Gate Bridge – a Californian rite of passage – park up, take a few pictures, then head back south following the equally iconic Highway 1 coast road to Los Angeles along Big Sur. Big mistake. You’re better off heading north along the ‘other’ Highway 1. This is the northward continuation of State Route 1, as the Californian thoroughfare is officially known. It begins just south of Los Angeles and continues for a couple of hundred miles beyond the Golden Gate into gutsy Northern California, where the grass is greener (quite literally), the trees are taller and the towns still have a woodsy whiff of frontier authenticity. This may not apply to Mill Valley, my first stop. It’s where affluent San Franciscans hang out in hot-tub heaven, with chi-chi shops and ex-lumber workers’ homes that come with Manhattan price tags. But I quite liked it, not least for its forested setting at the foot of Mount Tamalpais, a shrine worshipped as the birthplace of mountain biking and the Gary Fisher bike. The corkscrew road took me over the mountain to Stinson Beach – massive and eerily empty, given the proximity to teeming San Francisco – and on to Bolinas. You’ll have to trust the map (or satnav) to find this place. It is a ramshackle, reclusive settlement that wants to be left alone. Locals have repeatedly torn down the sign to it from Highway 1 since the Sixties counterculture, when Bolinas was a commune of poets, rock stars, writers and artists. The vibe still hangs on in there, unlike gone-to-seed, slightly sad Haight-Ashbury back in San Francisco. Then came the cruisin’. Some say Northern California is a mix of Ireland, Scotland and Portugal. It’s a bit like that, with rugged
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CALIFORNIA CRUISIN’ | USA
‘Locals have repeatedly torn down the sign to Bolinas since the Sixties counterculture, when it was a commune of poets, rock stars, writers and artists’
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 43
windy headlands, virgin beaches and misty mountains. But there’s no heather or Celtic whimsy, and precious little sun. I drove through cowboy-style coastal prairie with wispy grass and picket fences on roads perfumed by pulped eucalyptus leaves, past peeling, wobbly wharves and lobster shacks, through dots on the map populated by one man and his dog, and along some of the loveliest coastal scenery I’ve ever encountered, which went on and on and on, a loop in some surreal American pastoral movie.
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Like the American pioneers, this is a tough, elemental, no-nonsense landscape, a long way from the balm and fairy dust of Southern California. It’s alive and invigorating, a place where you wear a parka, not a T-shirt. On the beach, you light driftwood fires rather than go surfing. I washed up in Jenner on the mouth of Russian River. The waterway is named after the Siberian fur-trappers who explored the area in the 19th century and founded the stockade of Fort Ross, now a State Historic
Park, 10 miles to the north. Jenner, like most places in these parts, is no more than a village, humbled by an imperious coastline – in this case the Goat Rock State Park, accessible by a white-knuckle switchback road, thankfully paved, that at one stage seems on the point of plunging into the steely, chilly Pacific. Onwards and upwards. Highway 1 took me through more sparsely-settled countryside to the thriving metropolis of Timber Cove (population 164), then on to Anchor Bay, described in one guidebook as Northern
CALIFORNIA CRUISIN’ | USA
‘I drove through cowboy-style coastal prairie with wispy grass and picket fences on roads perfumed by pulped eucalyptus leaves…’
Opening page: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. Previous page, clockwise from top left: Driving on Mount Tamalpais; San Simeon State Park sign; Hiking on the beach. This page, clockwise from left: Tioga Pass; A glimpse of California’s unspoilt countryside; Night camping.
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 45
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CALIFORNIA CRUISIN’ | USA
Images: Corbis / Arabian Eye; Supplied Text: Roger Thomas / The Independent / Interview People
This page: Highway 1 stretches over Bixby bridge at Big Sur.
California’s “best-kept secret for its secluded beach”, an accolade with added weight on a coastline studded with obscure, hidden gems at almost every turn. Earlier in my travels I’d seen a life-sized horse made entirely from driftwood. The sculptor Matt Torrens probably spends half his life on Manchester State Beach, a treasure trove of tangled driftwood, polished smooth by the Pacific. Driftwood is scattered across the beach at Mendocino, too. This is the artsy-craftsy town of grey, yellow and red clapboard houses – New England transplanted to the West Coast – that’s the nearest thing Northern California has to anything vaguely touristy. Mendocino’s annual film festival took place on the first three days of June this year: low key, earnest and unashamedly grassroots, it is the perfect antidote to Oscar overload and Hollywood hype. If pushed, I have to admit that I much prefer Fort Bragg just up the coast. It’s a proper town with a logging pedigree that gives it a
few rough edges. I detect, though, that the blow-ins from San Francisco and other cities are bringing a metropolitan sophistication to its blue-collar blocks, notwithstanding the crazy hippy in Safeways who was beaming – dangerously for him – at the good ol’ boys in pick-up trucks. There’s the funky Headlands café where the Allen Ginsberg and Captain Beefheart lookalikes sip lattes, play chess and listen to the music; a rusty harbour with seals and cheap seafood shacks; and a microbrewery where you can sample six big thimbles of hops with your fish and chips at The Taproom & Grill. Better yet, the fantastic Union Lumber Company Store lives on as a restaurant, cycle shop, cookie emporium and gourmet kitchen. Best of all, there’s Glass Beach, the former town dump reclaimed by the sea. Among the sand you’ll find tiny jewels of blue, green and white glass, the remnants of bottles scoured by the all-powerful, untamed Pacific. The ocean is still boss up here. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 47
48 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
ADVERTORIAL | INTERCONTINENTAL
Eid Escapes
Book a stay with the InterContinental Hotel Group for a summer sojourn to remember… As temperatures soar, it’s time for a great getaway. Whether you plan to stay in the UAE or head further afield, IHG’s far-reaching hotels will present a destination that’s sure to tickle your travel fancy. The UAE has all the makings of a glamorous city break; surrounded by the bright lights of Dubai or the emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi, foodies have a whole host of first-rate restaurants at their fingertips (Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and Pierre Gagnaire have all opened restaurants here, to name a few), not to mention world-class shopping at the likes of The Dubai Mall. If tradition and history appeal to your senses, though, Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Medinah is perfect. Pick from two hotels on the piazza of the Holy Prophet’s Mosque, within easy reach of three of Islam’s oldest mosques, and a stone’s throw from the historical sites of Ohud Mountain and Madain Salah tombs. Nature lovers should look to Qatar and browse its wilderness of sights, such as the Khor El Daid (‘The Inland Sea’), a Unesco world heritage site. Though it’s not all gentle strolls. The region’s gigantic honey-hued sand dunes are well worth a guided tour too, while shopaholics can loosen their purse strings at Souq Waqif where charms and souvenirs virtually spill out from its many stands, and an oriental spice market means you can take a taste of the region home. Capital adventures can also be had in Oman’s charming Muscat, where must-see sights include the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (its domed architecture is simply breathtaking) and the Muttrah Souk where you can shop for anything from handmade jewellery to the region’s Frankincense (be prepared to barter.) Night owls, meanwhile, should take flight to bustling Beirut. Lebanon’s capital is a hive of activity, with non-stop night life and vibrant street café culture (see Maarad Street), while elsewhere the city’s French architecture forms an idyllic backdrop for sun-licked strolls in the Downtown area. What’s more, a short drive out of the city can land you on some of the country’s most beautiful beaches – what more could you want for an Eid break? Whichever location has you reaching for your passport, IHG’s bevy of hotels will ensure a stellar stay. Turn the page for help on where to spend the coming Eid vacation...
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 49
UAE
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InterContinental Dubai Festival City Stays at the sail-shaped InterContinental Dubai Festival City make for a luxurious experience: its gargantuan lobby is a show of pristine marble and each turn reveals another fantastic feature from the five-star hotel: note elegant, neutral-hued rooms upstairs (reserve a suite for the best panoramas), four superstylish restaurants (one from Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire), two sleek lounges (Vista is so-called for its stunning views), while outside you can slip into a 25-metre pool for leisurely, sun-licked lengths. By day: If you can stand the heat, make for the hotel’s Al Badia Golf Club where you can swing for each of its 18-holes, before taking a break at its award-winning club house. By night: Reserve a table at one of Dubai’s best restaurants, Reflets Par Pierre Gagnaire. Opened by the Godfather of Gastronomy himself, its decadent décor (pink chandeliers, damask velvet pews…) is a treat in itself, but the fine French cuisine is even better.
ADVERTORIAL | INTERCONTINENTAL
InterContinental Abu Dhabi If you’re planning a city break, you may be surprised to find yourself perched on the powder-white sands of a private beach at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi – and just a short drive from bustling Downtown. The best of both worlds? We think so. Inside, choose from 390 rooms, the crème de la crème of which
has to be the cream-hued Presidential Suite (we love its crystal chandeliers). By day: Treat yourself to some time out in the hotel’s Health and Fitness centre where you can indulge in anything from a soothing massage to a bubbling Jacuzzi, steaming sauna or cold plunge pool. You’ll leave feeling fighting fit.
By night: Take yourself to Brazil and back with a dinner at InterContinental Abu Dhabi’s Chamas Churrascaria eatery – a Latin band sets the tone with feverish beats, while all you have to do is tuck into tasty barbecued meats. Feel like fish? The hotel’s Fishmarket serves up fresh daily seafood with a view of the beach – delicious in more ways than one.
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KSA
InterContinental Madinah-Dar Al Iman This luxury hotel is on the piazza of the Holy Prophet’s Mosque, within walking distance of Al Haram. You’re perfectly-placed for leisure attractions too: the city’s shopping districts are just a short distance away – and a fitness centre and on-site restaurants mean you don’t 52 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
have to venture far for five-star relaxation. By day: You’ll be spoiled for choice in the malls and boutiques, and the Central Dates Market – a bustling trading area where you’ll find the Middle Eastern delicacy in abundance – is great for exploring too. Immerse yourself in history at the nearby ancient mosques of Masjid al-Qiblatai and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi.
By night: Dine on Arabian and international cuisine at the Rotuna restaurant, or retire to the Al Hud coffee lounge for a lowkey evening. The views of the illuminated Prophet’s Mosque are truly breathtaking; you’re right in the centre of the plaza, perfect for soaking up the history and majesty of this holy area.
ADVERTORIAL | INTERCONTINENTAL
InterContinental Dar Al Hijra Madinah This boutique hotel in Saudi’s second holiest city is just 800 feet from the Prophet’s Mosque. Rooms and suites enjoy views of the piazza and Ohud Mountain, as well as tranquil on-site amenities. Top-notch service is paramount here, leaving you free to explore the sacred surrounds. By day: Madinah is the home of three of Saudi’s most important mosques: Masjid al-Qiblatai, AlMasjid al-Nabawi and Quba. For more ancient sites, the tombs of Madain Salah and the Jannatul Baki graveyard are must-sees, and Ohud Mountain is a day-trip away. In need of some retail therapy? Take advantage of your prime location by visiting the nearby shopping district and fantastic malls. By night: Al Safa restaurant, located in the hotel itself, is a prime spot for continental and Middle Eastern cuisine – and regular themed buffets and events make for entertaining evenings. From here you can admire The Prophet’s Mosque which is lit up at night, making for spectacular vistas.
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OMAN
InterContinental Muscat You’ll be immersed in natural beauty from the minute you arrive at the InterContinental Muscat. Splendidly stranded between the Hajar Mountains and the region’s sandy beaches (not to mention the hotel’s lush gardens), it’s a real oasis in the city. Bask by the pool on the hotel grounds or head to The Palm Beach Club – flanked by swaying palm trees, its path leads you down to the beach. Alternatively, explore Muscat’s tourist sights – the Amouage Perfume Factory and Muttrah Souk with its lotions, potions and spices, will delight the senses. By day: Work up an appetite by the pool before quenching your thirst at Tomato – right by the pool, the hotel’s eatery serves up pretty garden views, along with ice-cold fresh fruit juices and lunchtime bites. By night: Get your glad rags on and spend the night at Senor Pico (you’ll find it on the lower lobby) where Latino tunes fill the air and authentic bites give you a real taste of South America.
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ADVERTORIAL | INTERCONTINENTAL
ON LEBAN InterContinental Le Vendôme Beirut On Beirut’s thriving corniche, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, sits this majestic hotel. Pride of Lebanon’s capital, and in a prime spot from which to explore the city, it’s no wonder this sumptuous bolthole has hosted a number of celebrity and royal guests. The style here is classic and elegant, and the beautiful rooms and suites are tranquil retreats from the bustle of Beirut – perfect after a day’s sightseeing. By day: You’re just a quick walk away from the National Museum of Beirut, city centre, and retail therapy favourites Hamra and Verdun streets. Even closer to home, the wide promenade has stunning sea views, and is the place for fresh seafood lunches overlooking the Mediterranean. By night: Sydney, the on-site lounge and restaurant, is a true Beirut favourite. Perched on the top of the hotel, here you’ll find guests and locals enjoying informal dining and show-stopping sea views. Of course, the nightlife of the city centre is just a few minutes away – so if you do decide to venture out, you won’t have far to go.
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InterContinental Doha The City In the fashionable district of West Bay, a stone’s throw from Doha’s financial district, this exclusive hotel epitomises sleek city style. The tower houses both rooms and apartments, chic abodes with modern finishings throughout, and form the perfect base for exploring the city. Afterwards, head back to make use of its luxe leisure facilities.
By day: Go to the Doha Golf Club for a round on the greens, venture to Souq Waqif and Katara Cultural Village for a taste of ‘Old Doha’, or relax with a treatment at the newlyrenovated health centre. If you’re looking to splash some cash, you can’t go wrong with City Center Mall, just opposite the hotel – it’s the largest mall in Qatar, packed with highend boutiques and high-street favourites.
By night: The hotel’s Strata Restaurant and Lounge, on the 55th and 56th floors, is Doha’s highest dining destination – sup on seafood and Japanese specialties while overlooking the twinkling West Bay skyline. Lebanese restaurant Nai is set to open soon, as is contemporary grill destination Prime. Those with a sweet tooth, meanwhile, won’t want to miss Criollo, a specialist chocolatier.
QATAR
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ADVERTORIAL | INTERCONTINENTAL
InterContinental Doha An oasis of tranquility in the centre of Doha, this elegant hotel enjoys first-rate access to city attractions and a lively beach scene. You’ll have all the city’s attractions at your fingertips, but with the vast array of dining options, amenities and leisure facilities on site, we’ll forgive you for not venturing further than the lobby…
By day: With lush gardens, a stunning swimming pool and recreational facilities galore (a 24-hour gym, tennis and squash courts, sailing academy and health club), you can be as active as you like. For a more relaxed stay, book a massage or recline on the 500-metre private beach – it’s the longest in Doha. The massive City Center Mall is just five minutes away, as is Doha Golf Club.
By night: With eight restaurants and lounges serving up everything from Greek mezze to Mexican tex mex, the onsite dining options are second to none. For stand-out cuisine head to The Fish Market for seafood specialities, served up with views of the Doha skyline. The charming Belgian Café is also perfect for laidback evenings – tuck into steaming mussels while overlooking the Gulf Sea. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 57
N JORDA
InterContinental Aqaba Resort Perched on the edge of the Gulf of Aqaba, with tranquil gardens and a beautiful beach resort, this family-friendly hotel is perfect for an active city break. The atmosphere is low-key and welcoming, with fine finishing touches and superior service, and the city centre is only a short distance away – there you’ll find historical ruins and a wealth of shopping and tourist attractions, so you can choose between city sights and sea-side R&R. By day: The Gulf of Aqaba is renowned for water sports and coral reef 58 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
diving, and the hotel boasts its own sports courts and recreation areas, so there’s plenty to keep adventurous types occupied. Laid-back guests can kick back on the beachfront or poolside cabanas (and graze on snacks and mocktails), or enjoy a treatment in the well-equipped spa. By night: Look no further than Burj Al Hamam restaurant for fine Arabic-style cuisine with spectacular sea views, and Cote d’Or for excellent grills. After dinner, Martini’s Lounge is the place to head for drinks and entertainment – or start the night here for sundowners on the terrace.
ADVERTORIAL | INTERCONTINENTAL
Crowne Plaza Dead Sea Set against rugged desert cliffs, on the shore of the Dead Sea, this is a seaside resort with a difference. A private beach and vast freshwater pool wait, as well as a luxurious on-site spa and health centre (set aside a whole day for truly decadent pampering). The hotel is just two hours from Ben Gurion International Airport, but it couldn’t feel more secluded – perfect for shaking off the stresses of daily life. By day: Make a beeline for the spa, where you’ll be pummelled, massaged and wrapped in therapeutic minerals – guaranteed to rejuvenate you. The heated saltwater, sulphur and freshwater pools are perfect for less messy relaxation, and kids will love Freckles Club for its fun activities. Ask the concierge to arrange day trips to lush Ein Gedi, or a cable car ride to Masada’s clifftop fortress. By night: There are dining options aplenty here: try Sato Bistro’s Asian-Arabic fusion cuisine, or head to Rosemarin for tasty international spreads overlooking the pools. Sit outside and enjoy clear skies for stargazing, or look out over the waters of the beautiful Black Sea. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 59
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OUT OF THIS WORLD | PERU
Out of this World It’s at the top of many a traveller’s bucket list, but Alex Stewart finds that there’s still enough solitude on the Inca Trail for him to play Indiana Jones
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s the sun’s last rays arrowed through clefts in the mountains around me and blushed the snows, glaciers and cornices that crowned the summits, the first few stars of the southern constellations began to stud the vast skies overhead. I peered at them through a curtain of steam that rose from a Jacuzzi at the luxury lodge next to the plain where I was camping. The short swim in a glacial tarn that I’d taken earlier didn’t compare at all favourably with the relaxing soak that guests can enjoy at the attractive alpine-style lodge. I was on one of the alternative Inca routes to Machu Picchu. Although people frequently refer to the Inca Trail in the singular, there are, in fact, many interconnected paths, underpinning the expansion of the Inca empire and linking ceremonial centres such as Machu Picchu. I first came to Peru in the mid-1990s with a couple of friends, my head full of stories of lost cities fuelled by repeats of Raiders of the Lost Ark, during the opening sequence of which Harrison Ford braves a booby-trapped temple hidden in the Peruvian jungle to steal a solid
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Opening page: Machu Picchu. This page, from top: Quechua Indian woman in traditional dress; A woman feeds her llama; Wall paintings on the Temple of the Moon. Opposite page: Winay Wayna on the Inca Trail.
gold idol. At that time, Machu Picchu, the archetypal lost city dating from the mid-15th century and symbolising the might and ambition of the Incas, was already popular. Yet you could still trek the traditional Inca Trail to the ruins independently, without the support of guides, porters and camp crew. Armed with nothing but a poorly printed sketch map from the South American Explorers Club, we set off from Km88, a stop without even a station on the Cusco to Aguas Calientes rail line, surrounded by mountains that reared up left, right and centre. As we started up the Cusichaca Valley, we encountered our first Inca ruin, Llactapata, a series of vast terraces strung along the hillsides like high tide marks on a beach. At Huayllabamba, the hamlet halfway up the valley, we took on the locals in an ill-advised game of high-altitude football. Run ragged by powerful legs and acclimatised lungs, we toasted the champions with chicha, the ‘Champagne of the Incas’, which we had to sieve through our teeth to filter the fermented maize. Beyond this last settlement, we wild-camped where the mood took us, alongside spectacular Inca ruins, on top of high passes, and even at the entrance to Machu Picchu itself. The site, straddling the saddle of a high mountain thick with rainforest and wreathed in clouds, had an enormous impact on me. Ahead, the rhino-horn peak of Huayna Picchu punched through the swirling mist and the Urubamba River roared through a hairpin bend hundreds of metres below. I have returned repeatedly since to explore the sculpted stones and surrounding area. In the interim, Machu Picchu’s popularity has increased dramatically. The distinctive image of the ruins now pervades the imagination to such an extent that the site is synonymous with Peru. It is hard to believe that just over a century ago Machu Picchu was unknown to all but a tiny handful of farmers and traders.
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OUT OF THIS WORLD | PERU
‘The classic Inca Trail that my friend and I first took is rightly considered one of the great walks of the world’ Abandoned around the time of the Spanish conquest, it was subsumed by the fast-growing jungle. Although conquistadors overran the Inca empire, they failed to find the city, and Machu Picchu’s mountainside scatter of stone buildings and neat terraces lay hidden, forgotten for more than 400 years. Until 1911, the site escaped the attentions of adventurers and academics just as it had evaded the conquistadors. But in July of that year, the colourful American explorer Hiram Bingham, the original inspiration for Indiana Jones, followed a recently cleared trail through these mountains. A local farmer then led him to Machu Picchu, and they arrived at the site on 24 July, 100 years ago last year. Since its ‘rediscovery’, huge numbers of visitors have descended. This, and the frequency with which Machu Picchu’s image has since been broadcast, has not led to the ruins being well understood. On the contrary, the site is now so familiar that we no longer realise how little we know about it. What is sure is that there was no previous settlement
on the site; it was built to a masterplan; some constructions were unfinished; it was never a centre for Chosen Women or Virgins of the Sun and spacemen weren’t involved in any way. In response to the increase in visitor numbers, the Peruvian government restricted access to the Inca Trail in 2001 and began to promote alternative routes to the ruins. The classic Inca Trail that my friend and I first took remains the most popular and is rightly considered one of the great walks of the world. However, these days it is highly regulated, tightly managed and necessarily a far cry from the isolated experience we were fortunate enough to enjoy. Happily, alternatives still exist. The Santa Teresa or Salkantay Trek is sometimes referred to as the backdoor route to the ruins. Less heavily regulated, it also allows you, should you choose, to avoid reliving childhood memories of cold, uncomfortable nights under canvas by staying in lodges with heated rooms and warm water. The greatest luxury on this route, though, is July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 63
Opposite page: Endemic bromeliad, Machu Picchu.
to escape the crowds that frequently constitute half the view on the classic trail. The path begins in the village of Mollepata, a short drive from Cusco, the picturesque, historic capital of the Incas, and from there eases into the mountains. A short walk brought me and my wife, Katie, to a campsite at Soraypampa, next to the lodge with the Jacuzzi. The hot tub in front of this thatched, adobe-walled hotel is not just popular because of its pampering properties; it also has unparalleled views of the perfect pyramidal peak of Mount Salkantay, the sacred ‘Savage Mountain’ of the Incas. Local staff refer to notable features in the landscape as tirakuna, ‘the ones who watch over us’. The snow peaks they call apus, and revere as deities. As evening temperatures dropped and we wrestled our tent up, we couldn’t help but feel a tad envious of the cosseted trekkers in the lodge. It’s run by Mountain Lodges of Peru, a boutique franchise of smart, rural hotels, whose guests would be treated as Inca nobility. Each of the lodges offers a level of comfort out of keeping with its harsh surroundings. Simply but comfortably furnished, it also offers a retreat from the cold. While we dined on pasta and tuna, the lodge’s guests would be tucking into squash soup, stuffed trout and cherimoya (custard apple) mousse, washed down with pisco sours. But I have always enjoyed the simplicity of being somewhere wild. Living in tents doesn’t have to involve discomfort. These days, with groups required to take a guide and porters or arrieros (muleteers) to wrangle the pack animals for you, trekking to Machu Picchu doesn’t mean roughing it. Tea and warm bowls of water are brought to you at dawn, and cocktail times are keenly observed. I suppose this is what people mean when they accuse the Inca Trail and treks to Machu Picchu of being over-commercialised. The irony is that the Inca Trail was never intended to be a wilderness experience but was designed as a pilgrimage route, an elaborately paved pathway 64 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
along which the Sapa Inca himself could be conveyed on a litter. What’s more, no amount of pampering can conceal that the routes are tough treks given the terrain, altitude and remoteness. The next morning, a strenuous climb up a series of serpentine switchbacks ensured we started the day caked in a muck-sweat, with our blood pounding in our ears. As we crested the 4,600m Apacheta pass, the altitude had us lurching like drunks. From here, the views of Salkantay’s intimidating south face reared above and took away the last of our breath. Descending from the pass we soon dropped through pampa, puna and pasture into las Cejas de la Selva, the Eyebrows of the Jungle, those fringes of the cloud forest that swarm up the slopes. The days ahead showcased the flora and birdlife of the different altitudes. Hummingbirds and butterflies fussed around flowering spikes of agaves, orchids, and bromeliads. On the last day, we finally glimpsed our reason for making the journey: Machu Picchu, on a ridge right in front of us. It sprawled, ethereal in the hazy light, in harmony with its setting. From here you can’t see the ugly scribble of road that climbs up from Aguas Calientes and greets trekkers stepping off the classic Inca Trail. You can appreciate the untarnished splendour of the site: the sheer scale of the place; the stones arranged with mathematical precision standing on a spur of rock; the muddle of gorges and spires that surround it. In a trek full of literal and metaphorical high points, Machu Picchu is the last in a succession of breathtaking views. And it is a site worth walking all the way to see. With the advent of portered groups and even the arrival of lodges along the trails, the landscape has been tamed. Yet its drama remains undiminished and the final view retains its power to silence you. However you get there, your aching feet and bursting lungs will convince you that you’ve earned this privilege.
Images: Corbis / Arabian Eye; Shutterstock Text: Alex Stewart / The Independent / The Interview People
‘Hummingbirds and butterflies fussed around flowering spikes of agaves, orchids, and bromeliads’
OUT OF THIS WORLD | PERU
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Romance on the Rails Adrian Phillips falls in love with the Balkans on a honeymoon train journey through the former Yugoslavia
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ROMANCE ON THE RAILS | THE BALKANS
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‘Bosnia’s capital is stimulating and romantic, its heart conjoined twins of distinct cultural flavours’
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ROMANCE ON THE RAILS | THE BALKANS
H
e chatted hard, the taxi man, as he drove us from the station to our Belgrade hotel. “I have never left Serbia. I learn English from magazines – I practise, practise.” I watched the back of his head while he practised now, a swirl of grey hair bouncing with every gesture as he careered from one broken story to the next. Finally he paused to look at us in the mirror. “You married? I been married 27 years; I very old – first was God, then I born.” Monika and I were indeed married, although we’d been man and wife for a rather shorter time – just two days in fact. Bridesmaids had raised shapely eyebrows at our decision to honeymoon on a train trip through the Balkans rather than on a beach in Barbados. But everybody knows romance rides the railway: hadn’t they seen Brief Encounter? And so we’d boarded at Budapest with a bag of pastries and an itinerary taking us through the former Yugoslavia, and settled back as a ribbon of red tractors and rural steeples rolled by. Next morning we joined our Serbian guide, Srdjan Ristic, for a tour of the capital. You couldn’t call Belgrade a pretty city – its buildings have a greyness that lingers even when the sun comes out – but there was no shortage of colour. Street performers juggled on the old town’s thoroughfare, Knez Mihailova, while restaurants with quirky names such as ‘My Hat’ and ‘Two Deer’ buzzed with customers on Skadarska Street. The nightlife has been voted the best on earth, Srdjan informed us. “You can get a four-course meal at 6am!” It was good to know.
But of course Slobodan Milosevic cast the blackest of shadows, and Serbia became the pariah of Europe in the 1990s Balkans war. “This is where I first experienced tear gas, protesting against the crazy tyrant,” said Srdjan as we stood in Republic Square. We left the centre and climbed up to Belgrade Fortress, spread among chestnut trees on its high bluff above the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. This is where young lovers stroll. However, the name of the surrounding Kalemegdan Park (from Turkish slang for 'battlefield') points to a pricklier past. On average, Belgrade has experienced conflict every 35 years and the walls of the fort have seen their share of action. Srdjan picked his way through a hotchpotch of archaeology before stopping at a particular pile of stumpy foundations. These, he said, were the stones of the medieval castle, and reminders of a period preMilosevic to make a Belgrader proud. Raised in 1403, the battlements were the last barrier to northward expansion of the Ottoman empire – beyond were the tame plains that led to Europe’s midriff. For more than a century the city held out, surviving a six-month siege by 100,000 Turkish soldiers in 1456 that to this day is commemorated with the ringing of noon bells. Our three-carriage train for the nine-hour international journey to Sarajevo left at 8.15am. A steady stream of students trickled to the corridor outside our compartment to drop the windows and ignore the no-smoking signs. Outside, crows flew above never-ending July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 69
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ROMANCE ON THE RAILS | NEWS
Opening page: Countryside along the Mostar to Sarajevo train line. Previous page, clockwise from top left: Café in Belgrade; Sebilj Fountain in Bascarsija Square, Sarajevo; Handicraft shop, Sarajevo; Kalemegdan, Belgrade.
cornfields and a man scanned the furrows with what looked like a metal detector. “Sarajevo: the city of contrasts!” We’d rolled our eyes at the brochures’ puffs but on arrival late that afternoon we had to admit there was clout behind the clichés. Alleys of the Turkish quarter, the Ottoman centre between the 15th and 19th centuries, tapped to the tune of coppersmiths’ hammers. Little shops were hung with handwoven carpets. Locals sucked strong coffee through lumps of sugar in the courtyard of a former caravanserai. And yet, a short walk brought us to the broad steps of a cathedral and the grand shapes of neoclassical apartments. It was as if we’d crossed from Marrakech to Vienna in the space of three minutes. Bosnia’s capital is stimulating and romantic, its heart conjoined twins of distinct cultural flavours. But brooding in the background, camped at the edges of the city, are the silent hills that hid Serb tanks during the longest siege in modern European history. Between 1992 and 1996, 11,000 people died as Milosevic tried to cow the population and assimilate the country into a Greater Serbia. Follow a steep road from the centre and you’ll look down on a cheerful canvas of terracotta roofs and turquoise-domed mosques, on cemeteries with headstones like rows of skewered chalk – and on a pitifully vulnerable city. The 'Tunnel of Hope' was the citizens’ only lifeline during those 1,400 days of siege. Dug with makeshift tools by the Bosnian army, it opened July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 71
‘The 125km route through the Dinaric Alps from Sarajevo to Mostar is said to be one of the prettiest rail journeys in Europe’
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Images: Gallo Images; Corbis / Arabian Eye
ROMANCE ON THE RAILS | THE BALKANS
beneath an unremarkable house in the tatty suburb of Butmir, snaked under the runway of the UN-controlled airport, and emerged in the kitchen of another unremarkable house in Dobrinja. Today, the Kolar family runs a memorial museum from its Butmir home, preserving a short stretch of the tunnel that led from the garage. As we ducked to enter, I hit my forehead on a timber beam; it was gloomy and damp and uncomfortably cramped. Thousands passed through this waterlogged passage, creeping for nearly a kilometre with bent backs and heavy packs. Bullets and petrol were carried inches from oil lamps strung along the walls, while all around the shells fell. The wooden props and underfoot planking might have come straight from the trenches of the First World War, yet this was a tunnel used just 20 years ago. Afterwards we watched grainy footage of grandma Kolar feeding cups of water to skinny soldiers climbing blinking from the darkness. I rubbed my forehead and glanced across at Monika; her face was streaked with tears. The next stage took us from the capital of Bosnia to the capital of Herzegovina. The 125km route south-west through the Dinaric Alps from Sarajevo to Mostar is said to be one of the prettiest rail journeys in Europe. But a strike by train workers meant that we had to cover the distance by road. It wound through hamlets set in thick forest, and past sheep turning on spits at roadside ovens. The Neretva River opened into an emerald-coloured lake, and then we reached a notch in the mountains and passed through the gateway to Herzegovina. Mostar is synonymous with the Stari Most – the bridge at its core. The town’s very name comes from the word mostari or ‘bridge keepers’. When we arrived, the modern-day keepers seemed to be a pair of chunky locals in bulging Speedos. A crowd formed as the keepers lifted themselves on to the side of the bridge, paused to pick their spots on the surface below and then plunged into the river with a silvery splash. They swam lazily to the bank, luxuriating in the tourists’ applause. It’s a dangerous sport – each year bones are broken when divers collide with rubble lurking on the river bed. Stari Most – 24 metres high and 30 metres long – seems to defy the laws of physics, tapering towards the middle like a pinched rainbow as it arcs across the Neretva. For more than 400 years the Ottoman bridge was the hub around which Mostar gathered: mosques sprung up near it; traders traded around it and artists took it for their muse. Images of its graceful shape caught in the web of a brutal conflict filled television sets across the globe. The bridge proved more resilient than it looked, surviving the impact of 63 tank shells, but when the 64th hit and the arch came crashing down, the news tore a hole in a nation’s soul. We followed the story at the Old Bridge Museum. The Bosnian Croats coveted Mostar as the capital of their longed-for autonomous zone. For 11 months in 1993 they pounded the Muslim stronghold on the eastern bank. An exhibition showed photos of children posing with rifles and women carrying water through streets reduced to ruins. But most affecting of all was film of the moments after the bridge fell. As the dust settled and space gaped above the river, it was as though the town had lost its front teeth. The bridge rose again. The replacement was the original’s doppelgänger, pieced together from stones recovered from the river. When Prince Charles cut the ribbon in 2004, the reopening symbolised a renewed link between the two halves of an ethnically
Previous page, clockwise from top left: Stari Most bridge in Mostar; Snorkelling off the coast of Lokrum; Cafés of Dubrovnik. Opposite page: Sveti Stefan, Montenegro.
divided town. Tensions remain, but as we visited the Cejvan Cehaj Mosque with its prayer niche painted with garlands, as we browsed stalls in twisting streets and listened to church bells playing Ave Maria, we struggled to reconcile the Mostar of today with the corpse of a town in the photos. From Mostar, the railway leads down as far as Ploce in Croatia, where we hopped in a car for a final left turn along the Adriatic shore to the old Yugoslavia’s greatest glory: Dubrovnik. It is big and bold, laid with acres of polished paving and wrapped inside fat walls. We walked the fortifications around an orange cascade of tightly-packed rooftops and ducked into the cool cloisters of a Franciscan monastery. A boat took us to the nearby island of Lokrum, a nature reserve with strutting peacocks and a quiet cove where we saw a man snorkelling naked, buttocks in the air. Dubrovnik fits the classic honeymoon mould. But we’d found romance too in the other stage posts on our Balkan journey: not frilly, chocolate-box prettiness but the hardier stuff of Shakespeare, tales of spirit forged in adversity’s fire. As we spooned desserts seated by the harbour on the last evening of our trip, we chatted to an elderly man at an adjoining table. “I lived here through the terrible war,” he said with sadness. Squadrons of swifts swooped in a frenzy of acrobatic dogfights around us before wheeling away out of sight. Our companion watched them go and smiled. “But we move on.” July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 73
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ENTER THE DRAGON | VIETNAM
ENTER THE DRAGON
On a kayaking trip to Vietnam, Mark Harris paddles past the pearls and caves of magical Halong Bay‌
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ENTER THE DRAGON | VIETNAM Opening page: Fishing junks. This page, from top: Exploring rock formations by boat; Sun-lit cave in Halong Bay; The pick of the crop on a local fruit boat.
V
ietnam has had to put up with more than its fair share of intruders: the US, of course, and the French and Japanese before them. But peer back into history and this beleaguered country was repelling enemies when dragons still roamed the earth. The legend goes that on the eve of a naval attack from China, the god-like Jade Emperor dispatched a family of dragons to protect Vietnam. Spitting countless pearls into the path of the invading fleet, the dragons caused the Chinese boats to founder. It was these same pearls – now transformed into towering limestone islands – that I found myself gliding amongst as the tropical sun slid into the mist. An eagle soared overhead, the only sign of life in an eerily silent scene. Emerald-green waters lapped lazily into innumerable caves and grottoes, shaded by trees and shrubs clinging to the vertical walls. I was exploring Halong Bay in north-east Vietnam, a Unesco World Heritage site since 1994 – and a kayaker’s dream. Halong means ‘Descending Dragon’, and no one can agree quite how many of the dragon’s ‘pearls’ dot Halong Bay – estimates vary from 1,600 islands (according to Unesco) to 1,969 (patriotically, the year of Ho Chi Minh’s death), upwards to about 2,500. But each one seems to be able to raise a gasp as it emerges from the haze, boasting an elegant arch, a dashing curve, intriguing inlets, a green-topped peak or delicate fingers of rock. The French did their best to name every island during their century-long occupation. Their names include the obvious (Le Dragon, Le Boomerang), the fantastic (Le Pierrot, L’Etoile) and the downright wistful, for sailors stuck at the edge of an empire: La Cathédrale and Les Mamelles (island of breasts). The core islands lie about 30 miles from the nearest port, separated from it by busy shipping lanes that are no place for dawdling
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kayaks. The easiest way to access the islands was to join one of the overnight tourist boats that leave from Halong town every afternoon. I was lucky enough to be sailing on the Emeraude, a replica paddle steamer oozing colonial style from every inch of polished teak railing and gleaming brass fixture. The Emeraude carries several two-person open kayaks on board, which allowed me to slip away while more well-heeled passengers were seeking bargains at a floating pearl farm. The water was as smooth as a pond, the sky utterly clear and – away from the boat – the nearby islands seemed to be nudging each other aside to welcome my paddle. 78 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
These limestone islands are the result of geological activity that has seen mountains rise up and be worn back down again by millennia of rain and seawater. The current limestone formations have been around only for the past 20,000 years or so, and are still slowly eroding. Real adventurers can arrange climbing expeditions to tackle overhanging cliffs, dropping safely into the water from the top. (Tour operators in Halong town or Cat Ba island can help with this.) Clattering through cool, dark caves at the shoreline is great fun, but spotting the decaying wrecks of two small boats delivers a frisson of fear. Rightly so. While my excursion
This page: Fishing junks on Halong Bay. Opposite page: Limestone mountains.
ENTER THE DRAGON | VIETNAM
Images: Corbis / Arabian Eye; Shutterstock Text: Mark Harris / The Independent / The Interview People
‘Each [island] seems to be able to raise a gasp as it emerges from the haze, boasting an elegant arch, a dashing curve, intriguing inlets, a green-topped peak or delicate fingers of rock’ felt completely safe, there have been reports of extremely strong currents at some of the larger caves in Halong Bay. Returning to the Emeraude, there was time for a brisk swim in the surprisingly chilly waters before the captain weighed anchor. Most Halong tours feature a stop to look at impressive (but somewhat touristy) caves or to climb upwards for a panoramic view of the bay. This can be a great excuse to stretch your legs or just to jump back in the kayak for another paddle. Either way, by the time your boat stops for the night, you’ll be ready for a cold drink. As the rumble of the Emeraude engines faded away, a higher pitched note started up and the Emeraude’s tender sped off into the dusk. Twenty minutes later, it returned and almost immediately the passengers were summoned below for the freshest of seafood dinners, its ingredients sourced from a floating fishing village tucked around the headland. The prawns were an explosion of lemongrass and butter; an unnamed white fish melted in the mouth, and a typically French tarte au chocolat sealed the deal. All that remained was to select a chair on the upper deck, sit back, and watch the moon ascend from behind Le Crapaud (The Toad) and cast its silvery light on La Limace (The Slug). Something told me that Halong’s colonial cartographers were rather more immune to the bay’s charms than its modernday visitors. With fish splashing in the night and the lights of tiny fishing boats flashing in the distance, I reflected on the periodical sightings of sea monsters in the area. It is rumoured that the great dragons that formed Halong Bay found it too beautiful to leave, making their home permanently in its placid waters. Nervous kayakers should take note. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 79
Pearl of the Orient 2 nights/3 days
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CONCIERGE | OPENER
CONCIERGE GALWAY | DOHA | PARIS | FLORENCE
THE 30-SECOND CONCIERGE
ADRIAN HOGAN, THE G HOTEL, GALWAY
KWT gets the inside scoop on the best spots to see and be seen when staying at Ireland’s Philip Treacy-designed hotel, with a little help from its head concierge... The room to reserve for outlandish design style... has to be the Linda Evangelista Suite. Named after the supermodel, it’s 120 square metres of pure unadulterated luxury: a sitting room, a master bedroom (with a super king-sized bed and en suite with standalone Villeroy & Boch tub) and terrace. The place to head for a day out... is the Cliffs of Moher or Connemara with a private driver with a wonderful knowledge of these areas, places of interest and their local history. For the finest feeds in town... try restaurant gigi’s at The g Hotel; it was recently awarded 2 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence. I recommend the signature dish, a variation of Irish duck with candied orange and cranberry
baby scones, carrot dust and gastrique. I’d also suggest trying O’Grady’s on the Pier, Cava, Rouge and Kai Café to get a true taste of the West of Ireland. The best shopping in Galway... can be had at Brown Thomas, the most exclusive department store. But you can also buy beautiful art, crafts and jewellery at Treasure Chest, the Kilkenny Shop and Cobwebs, to name a few. A local event not to miss... is the Galway Arts Festival which takes place every July and the Galway Races Summer Festival in late July/early August. My insider tip for guests is... to take a walk out to Galway’s famous promenade (‘The Prom’) to meet locals and soak up the atmosphere. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 81
VISIT
DOHA
A vision of skyscrapers and souks, this gutsy Gulf capital is where old and new Arabia collide
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utting out from the mainland shores of the Middle East, Qatar has long been at the heart of Arabian commerce, a stronghold for fishermen, traders and modern-day businessmen alike. Against a cloudless azure sky, Doha’s skyscrapers sparkle in the sun – a glassy geometric forest of dazzling proportions. This is one of the world’s richest cities, but you’ll be hard-pushed to find a more humbling foil than the warren-like souks of the old town. Now’s the time to visit the city: the 2022 Fifa World Cup will thrust this oft-overlooked state onto the global stage, but in the meantime it remains a mesmerising
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mix of fast-paced city living and traditional streets – with a colourful jumble of expat cultures inspiring dining and entertainment options galore. Local history hasn’t been forgotten, though: an afternoon meandering around the vast Museum of Islamic Arts reveals the breadth of Qatari and Middle Eastern heritage, and homegrown performers can often be found at the bustling Katara Cultural Village. Revel in the vast malls and glamorous international hotels, but don’t overlook the charms of this ancient trading post – seek them out while you still can…
DOHA | QATAR
Images: Gallo Images; Shutterstock
MUST-DOS The Corniche (1), a waterfront promenade that spans Doha Bay, affords fabulous views of the sea and the city’s famous skyscrapers to the north. Weave your way between the cyclists and dog walkers – this is the city’s favourite outdoorsy hangout – to sip karak (local tea) in one of the cafés and watch the old pearling ships bob past. City Center Doha (2) (ccdworldwide. com) is the biggest mall in Qatar, and rivals those of Abu Dhabi and Dubai in both size and range – no mean feat. Here you’ll find countless fast food joints, an ice rink, international restaurants, cinemas, bowling alleys and climbing walls – as well as designer brands from all over the world, of course. Souk Waqif (3), a newly made-over marketplace on the site of a centuries-old trading hub, offers some less orderly retail delights. Seen by many as a taste of ‘Old Doha’, this labyrinth of shops and stalls is the place to head for spices, perfumes and curios – as well as antiques (of varying degrees of authenticity) from dusty lantern-lit emporiums. Perfect for picking up one-off souvenirs, or for stocking kitchen cupboards with exotic flavours… Animal & Bird Market (4) is brimming with equally-lively ingredients – or potential pets. Tucked behind the colourful wholesale market (head there for fruit and vegetables), this rowdy souk has a cacophonous crowd of guinea fowl, parakeets, finches, goats, sheep and rainbow-dyed chicks, and is always jam-packed with traders and shoppers – all jostling for a bargain, and tonight’s freshlypicked dinner. Museum of Islamic Arts (5) (mia.org.qa), designed by renowned ChineseAmerican architect IM Pei, is a fortress-inspired complex of
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DOHA’S BEST... DAY TRIPS
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Al Khor Al Khuwair
Doha
8 Al Rumaila East
4
5
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Doha Port
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In the north of Qatar, roughly one hour from Doha, Al Khor City is brimming with traditional boat builders. Venture off the beaten track to find deserted Qatari villages and the thriving Thakhira Mangrove Swamp, home to a plethora of plant and bird life.
Dhow cruise
Opening page from top: Doha skyline; Loose spices sold by weight in Souq Waqif; Souvenirs at Souq Waqif; A traditional Arab dhow; This page: Doha Souk at dusk.
contemporary exhibition halls, galleries and libraries next to Doha Port. It is home to the largest collection of Islamic arts in the world, and tells the history of the Middle East through well-preserved and restored scripts, ceramics, textiles and paintings. Katara Cultural Village (6) (katara.net) boasts a vast programme of cultural entertainment throughout the year. Expect to catch the likes of classical symphony recitals, arty workshops and a selection of alternative films; performers hail from Qatar, the nearby Gulf states, and all over the world.
WHERE TO STAY InterContinental Doha The City (7) (ichotelsgroup.com), in the bustling West Bay, is a tower of glass amid the financial district,
close to City Center Doha, Souq Waqif and Katara Cultural Village. With six acclaimed restaurants and a sky-high lounge, this is one of the city’s hottest destinations. Sharq Village & Spa (8) (sharqvillage.com) sits on the edge of the Gulf, amid 350 metres of pristine private coastline. Traditional architecture is blended with international amenities – perfect for a taste of Arabia in unbridled luxury. Don’t miss its traditional souk and six sumptuous restaurants.
WHERE TO EAT Spice Market (9) (+974 4 453 5000) at W Doha Hotel & Residences is resplendent with gold leaf trims and Arabic lanterns at every turn. Don’t miss the menu of Southeast Asian
You’ll find plenty of tours in traditional Qatari Dhows from Doha Port – hop on board a vessel headed for Al Safliya Island (roughly half an hour away) for an up-close glimpse of the Gulf.
Safari tour Dune bashing is a popular hobby round these parts – buckle up for an exhilarating (or, for some, terrifying) ride into the desert in a fleet of 4x4s. Fancy something more sedate? Bedouin-style barbecues and camel rides can be organised through all major hotels.
treats devised by Chef JeanGeorges Vongerichten. Gordon Ramsay (10) (+974 4 446 0105) at The St. Regis Doha is one of two restaurants headed by the critically-acclaimed chef. With an ‘avant-garde’ menu created by a Michelin-starred chef de cuisine, it’s sure to be a dinner date to remember. July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 83
VISIT
PARIS
It’s one of the world’s greatest cities, but how to get the most out of a mini break to this fine French fancy? Hazel Plush finds out…
B
aguette-wielding bikers and vociferous van drivers; romantic rooftop vistas over 18th-century skylines; manicured poodles in their own haute couture threads… There’s no getting away from it: Paris lives up to its every stereotype. Brimming with gritty charm and a street style straight from the pages of Vogue, the capital earns the string of superlatives oft-placed around its bejewelled décolletage: it’s the fastest, the prettiest, the liveliest – and, of course, the most romantic of Gallic destinations. The icons – Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum – are unmissable in every sense, and there’s a cultural menu to suit every taste. Venture
84 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
out on a shoestring, armed with the Paris Pass (parispass.com) for free museum entry and discounted tour guides, or hang out with the haute société in the city’s new crop of five-star hotels and restaurants. Got some Euros to splurge? Head to Rue Saint-Honoré for diamonds, Saint-Germain for designer brands, or Montmartre for vintage treasures galore. When night falls, the city glitters – take a seat in the spectacular Palais Garnier for a banquet of ballet and opera, put on your dancing shoes for a spin in the Latin Quarter, or people-watch under the Eiffel Tower’s searchlight. Paris knows how to put on a jolly good show – and, for once, you can believe the hype.
PARIS | FRANCE
MUST-DOS Musée de l’Orangerie (1) (musee-orangerie.fr) serves up some of the best works of the French masters – perfect if you haven’t got the stamina to tackle the Louvre. The collection includes daubings by Renoir, Matisse and Monet. Galeries Lafayette (2) (galerieslafayette. com), with designer offerings from all over the world, is a top spot for style-savvy visitors. Browse at your leisure, or book a seat at a free Friday fashion show to lust over the latest designs. The River Seine (3) runs through the heart of the city, and a cruise will take you past all of Paris’s must-sees. There are countless hop-on-hop-off and touring vessels, but Bateaux Mouches is a firm favourite; dine on fine French fare as you float past the Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay and St-Jacques Tower. Montparnasse Tower (4) boasts sky-high views over the city, with a super-speedy elevator that puts the Eiffel Tower to shame. Venture up in the early evening for spectacular sunset views and dinner overlooking each of Paris’s districts – on a clear day you can see for up to 40km, all the way to Orly Airport. Opera National de Paris (5) (operadeparis. fr), the city’s much-acclaimed ensemble, performs regularly in the neo-baroque Palais Garnier. Performances are feasts for the senses – this year’s programme includes Georges Bizet’s Carmen
2 10 Champs-Elysées
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1
Paris
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Folie-Méricourt
Tour Eiffel - Parc du Champ-de-Mars
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4
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Opposite page, clockwise from top left: The Louvre Museum’s iconic Pyramid; Tournelle Bridge over the River Seine; One of Montmartre’s busy streets; Galeries Lafayette department store.
and many of Richard Wagner’s greats – and the gilded and marbled palace provides a truly magnificent setting. L’Ecole Le Cordon Bleu Paris (6) (lcbparis. com) is a world-famous culinary institute, the alma mater of many a celebrated chef. Its day-long courses deliver a slice of that sought-after expertise – learn how to make faultless flaky pastry or whip up a fail-safe béchamel. Parc des Buttes (7) (butteschaumont.free. fr), dubbed Europe’s most romantic park, is a masterpiece of reinvention. It was built on industrial land, and has provided Parisians with an urban retreat of waterfalls, arboretums and ornate follies since 1864. Palace of Versailles (8), an ornate 17thcentury residence built for Louis
PARIS’S BEST… QUIRKY MUSEUMS Le Musée des Égouts de Paris Images: Corbis / Arabian Eye
7
8
Venture beneath the city for a tour of its sewers. It’s not as bad as you think – the smell is dank (not disgusting), and the feat of engineering is truly impressive.
XIII, sits 20km away from the centre of Paris – an easy hop if you fancy a break from the city. Its interiors are a vision of gold leaf and delicate frescos, and sunny days are best spent in the beautiful landscaped gardens.
WHERE TO STAY Le Meurice (9) (lemeurice.com) has been hosting the crème de la crème of guests since 1898 – notable visitors include Salvador Dalí, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Check in to a Philippe Starck-redesigned bolthole, and enjoy views over the city from the rooftop garden. W Paris – Opera (10) (wparisopera.com) is the first French hotel of the glitzy W chain. Nestled between Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps, it’s
at one of the most fashionable addresses in town – and boasts signature restaurant Arola, headed by Michelin-starred chef Sergi Arola.
WHERE TO EAT Le Stella (11) (+33 1 56 90 56 00) is one of the last remaining independent brasseries in the capital. Head here for a hearty menu of Gallic staples such as sole meunière, steak tartare and soupe de l’oignon – served up with true savoir faire. Huitrerie Regis (12) (+33 1 44 41 10 07) is one of Paris’s finest destinations for juicy seafood. Its handful of tables is always in high demand, but with simplyserved oysters and a jovial shucking crowd this little eatery has buckets of charm.
Musée Air & Espace
Museum of the Arts and Invention
You’ll find everything a would-be pilot, astronaut or aeronautical engineer could ever dream of right here. Think static aircraft displays, hands-on experiments and everything from engines to ailerons laid bare…
This is home to a staggering 3,000 inventions, including early examples of Pascal’s calculator and Foucault’s pendulum. Don’t miss the vintage cars and flying machines, all of which are suspended from the roof.
July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller 85
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SUITE DREAMS
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL FIRENZE, FLORENCE
Florence is one of Europe’s leafiest cities, dotted with ornamental gardens and dappled avenues, but this luxury pad may be the most vibrant destination of them all. Adorned with foliage frescoes, spectacular flower arrangements and the chicest of bloom-themed touches (we love the antique rose-patterned writing chair), the Gallery Suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze is a sweet-scented masterpiece. Lie back on that sumptuous bed and admire the 88 July 2012 Kanoo World Traveller
original Renaissance sculptured reliefs on the ceiling – painstakingly handcrafted and unique to the room – or step outside for views of the sweeping lawns and shaded pathways. The attention to detail is breathtaking, whether in the gilded ceiling panels or crumbling garden sculptures. You’re in the heart of the city, a 15-minute stroll from the Duomo and Uffizi Gallery, but we wouldn’t blame you if you never left this petal-strewn palace... fourseasons.com/florence