Kanoo World Traveller September

THE MIDDLE EAST’S BIGGEST TRAVEL MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 2010

BAJAN BLISS

Kicking back in Barbados

The Gulf’s most

mind-blowing hotel rooms (including first-look pics of the new Yas Hotel suite!)

ON THE PROWL

Produced in International Media Production Zone

Indian tiger safaris

Great American road trips TOTAL GUIDE

Fire-breathing in Jakarta Cosmopolitan

Cardiff

From cruising and schmoozing in LA to rollin’ with the cowboys in Texas, the US is best explored by car – so hop in, fill up and hit the freeway

PLUS! WIN A WEEKEND STAY FOR TWO AT THE COVE ROTANA RESORT – TURN TO P71 TO FIND OUT HOW

KANOO WORLD TRAVELLER SEPTEMBER 2010

CONTENTS TRAVEL BITES

FEATURES

07 AGENDA

66 CITY GUIDE: JAKARTA

21 ESSENTIAL SELECTION

Everything you need to know about travel this month

You’ll love it or hate it but never forget it

From the sublime to the (slightly) ridiculous: we show

12 ASK THE EXPERT

68 CITY GUIDE: CARDIFF

you around the Gulf’s most incredible hotel rooms.

Your travel questions answered

Castle-spotting in the Principality

28 TROPIC OF CONVERSATION

14 DRIVE TIME

70 DETAILS

Balmy Barbados, away from the glitzy resorts

France in the autumn – it doesn’t get much better

Find your nearest Kanoo outlet

37 TOTAL GUIDE: ROAD TRIP USA

16 PICTURE THIS

71 COMPETITION

Want to drive through America? Here’s the lowdown

Daydream with these incredible travel photos

Win a stay at the Cove Rotana Resort

on where to go (and where to sleep along the way)

65 THIRTY-SECOND CONCIERGE

72 SUITE DREAMS

58 EASY TIGER

Watch turtles hatch in the Seychelles

The most luxurious cave you’ll ever sleep in

Searching for the big cats on an Indian safari

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48 On the cover: ‘Golden Gate Bridge Above Mist’, shot by Ed Pritchard, courtesy of Getty Images.

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Managing Director: Victoria Hazell-Thatcher

Editor: Ele Cooper

Designer: Matthew McBriar

Publishing Director: John Thatcher

ele@hotmediapublishing.com

matt@hotmediapublishing.com

Advertisement Director: Chris Capstick

+971 4 375 7617

Production manager: Haneef Abdul

chris@hotmediapublishing.com

Art Editor: Jenni Dennis

haneef@hotmediapublishing.com

+971 4 369 0917

jenni@hotmediapublishing.com

+971 4 369 0918

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. All prices mentioned are correct at time of press but may change. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in Kanoo World Traveller.

‘Tropic of conversation’, ‘Total guide: USA road trips’ and ‘Easy tiger’ reprinted with the permission of Sunday Times Travel magazine.

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Jan-June 2010 22,620 BPA Consumer Audit Produced by: HOT Media Publishing FZ LLC

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 5

AGENDA Be informed, be inspired, be there

BOOK IT NOW

IBN BATTUTA GATE Residents of Dubai will be familiar with the sight of the magnificent, 60m-high, Moroccan-style gate next to Ibn Battuta Mall – and the hotel it leads onto is finally opening on October 1. The five-star property has 396 bedrooms decked out in Moroccan style, while its suites are themed around the countries visited by its namesake, the famous Arabian adventurer.

The four restaurants also reflect Ibn Battuta’s travels (apparently Chinese was his favourite) and we reckon he’d have been pretty impressed with the rooftop swimming pool, too. www.moevenpick-hotels.com

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 7

Suite deal If you’ve got a luxury-loving brood, One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius could be the ideal destination for your next holiday: book a five-night stay there before September 30 (to be taken before February 28, 2011) and you’ll get a complimentary room upgrade, half board, kids stay free in parents’ room, 50 per cent off an additional children’s room, free food for the youngsters, one free babysitting session and complimentary membership of the KidsOnly club. It’s one of the best in the world, coming with its own pool, dining areas and sandpit – perfect for tots who demand nothing but the most exclusive care. www.oneandonlyresorts.com

BASE QATAR Next time you’re staying in the Qatari capital check out the newly opened Oryx Rotana: it’s the closest hotel to Doha airport, making it perfect for short stays, but the Jazz Club, opulent pool and city-sleek décor are sure to make you want to extend your trip. www.rotana.com

ONE-MINUTE MASTERCLASS: ITALIAN Hello, my name is… Salve, mi chiamo… I’d like the cheese and tomato pizza please… Vorrei la pizza margherita per favore… I don’t speak Italian very well… Non parlo molto bene italiano… Do you mind if I smoke? Ti dà fastidio se fumo?

GLOBAL GOURMET Celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, who recently opened new restaurant Rhodes Twenty10 at Dubai’s Le Royal Meridien (www. leroyalmeridien-dubai.com), tells us where he’d choose to dine when in his home city of London.

‘I’d either head to Le Gavroche or La Chapelle. The former is a culinary institution, opened by the godfathers of the industry – the Roux brothers – and it’s also run by Michel Roux Jr, 8

Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

who’s a good friend of mine. I’d order the Tournedos et Tranche de Foie Gras Poeles, Gratin de Macaronis, Ragout de Legumes Rotis – Scotch fillet of beef and foie gras, port sauce and truffled macaroni cheese. La Chapelle, meanwhile, is set in a beautiful old building and has a relaxed atmosphere.

It’s a great place to take friends if you want to impress; I love the red mullet soup with gruyère and croutons, and also the Supreme of Landaise chicken.’ www.le-gavroche.co.uk, www.galvinrestaurants.com

AGENDA | NEWS COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Cairo conundrum

A boutique hotel in the suburbs or a city-centre newcomer? You decide…

Kempinski Nile Hotel

Villa Belle Époque

BRITISH BROLLIES LOCATION Maadi, 12km from the city centre

Corniche, Garden City

SIZE 13 bedrooms

191 bedrooms

DÉCOR Draws on the building’s colonial past, with a period feel and modern Egyptian art

Soothing neutrals livened up with the odd feature wall of patterned wallpaper

HIGHLIGHTS The pool, surrounded by lemon, mango, olive, guava and palm trees

Floor 10, a ‘destination floor full of surprises’ which includes exquisite local cuisine

DETAILS From $265; www.villabelleepoque.com

From $240; www.kempinski.com

Abu Dhabi’s Yas Hotel (www.theyashotel. com) opens its new ESPA, featuring a contemporary hammam, on September 1 – plus turn to p26 for an exclusive peek inside the incredible Presidential Suite, also being unveiled this month.

Leaving the sunny GCC for rainier climes this autumn? Then snap up one of these über-cool umbrellas, available online at www. londonundercover.co.uk for $75 – they offer worldwide shipping.

We love this fish and chips brolly, complete with newspaper wrapping.

Guilt-free getaway Love indulgent holidays, hate the resultant weight gain?

Brown’s Hotel in London (www. brownshotel.com) has the solution: tea-tox. It’s a healthy take on their award-winning traditional afternoon tea, with delectable options like dark rye bread with smoked salmon and low-fat crème fraîche, and blueberries and low-fat lemon cream served in a sugar-free chocolate cup. As if that wasn’t enough to alleviate your guilt, the in-house fitness specialist has devised bespoke sightseeing jogging routes, and you can also request an in-room fit kit complete with workout routines.

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 9

How important is it to get a good night’s sleep?

It’s vital: if you don’t get seven to nine hours each night you will become irritable, anxious and less in control of your reactions. Your concentration will also suffer, which is bad news on business trips.

Dream on

Getting to sleep in a foreign hotel can be a nightmare before you even close your eyes. We quizzed the International Modern Hospital’s sleep expert Dr Tania Tayah, who consults for Crowne Plaza hotels, on how to escape to the land of Zs.

So what can we do to make sure we get our requisite seven hours in?

Going to bed should have certain rituals associated with it, as this will create memory associations which trigger the release of sleep-related hormones. Have a warm bath or eat a sleep-inducing snack like walnuts, yoghurt or warm milk. Avoid caffeine for at least six hours before bedtime. While

exercise is very good for giving you a better night’s sleep, make sure you do it at least three hours before sleeping.

Set your room temperature to 18-21°C and practise some simple breathing exercises to relax yourself. Don’t lie there watching the clock; just wait for sleep to come.

Should you really count sheep, or is that a myth?

Doing anything boring will help: read a boring book, watch a boring movie; don’t lie in bed using your phone as this is associated with work, and therefore stress. Also, ensure you have the right pillow for you, which should be based on your sleeping position. www.ichotelsgroup.com

If you travel to India a lot, register with Etihad’s new loyalty programme at www.etihadindiaconnect.com to enjoy a host of frequent flier benefits, including exclusive member discounts on hotels and restaurants.

Did you know that, shortly before he died, Michael Jackson lived in a converted cowshed in rural Ireland with his three children?

Nope, us neither, but it turns out the megastar headed for Grouse Lodge, in County Westmeath, just after his infamous Bahrain sojourn. The owners managed to keep Jackson’s presence secret for several months, and when word did eventually get out – the singer had been spotted in the nearby village of Moate – locals became so protective of him that one farmer was even reported to have threatened to empty slurry over a lurking paparazzo.

Jackson ended up staying for the rest of the year – and now you can follow in his footsteps and find out exactly why he fell in love with the lush green area. Grouse Lodge is a Georgian house-turned-residential recording studio complex and, as well as the occasional resident celebrity (REM and Shirley Bassey have also stayed), it offers a 15m indoor pool, cross-country quad-biking and archery. If it was good enough for the King of Pop… www.grouselodge.com 10

Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

BOOK IT NOW

Kanoo Travel has come up trumps this month with four incredible reader offers: Three nights’ B&B at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, for $999pp Three nights’ B&B at Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat, for $639pp Six nights’ B&B at ShangriLa’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives, for $2,759pp Six nights’ B&B at the Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona, Spain, for $949pp To book, call your nearest Kanoo office – see p70 for contact details. All packages subject to terms and conditions.

Images: iStockphoto; One and Only Resorts; Rotana; Le Royal Meridien; The Yas Hotel; Villa Belle Époque; Kempinski; Brown’s Hotel; www.londonundercover.co.uk; Grouse Lodge.

King o’ Pop

AGENDA | CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER The most exciting events in the world this month.

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INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF KITES AND AIR CREATIONS Bristol, UK Unsurprisingly, this is a celebration of all things kite-shaped: this year, serpents, shoals of fish, a 3D monkey and appliqué specialist Kelvin Woods’ ‘celebrity tribute edo kites’.

No, we’re not sure what that means either, but you can rest assured that it will be a spectacularly colourful (not to mention jolly) affair. www.kite-festival.org.uk

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5

5

22-25

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this annual component of the Venice Biennale will draw the world’s

situated in the stunning mountainous town of Canmore, just east of

which draws an average of 4,000 strawberrylocked types each year

innovations in the luxury boating world, admiring $1.25bn worth of

you’ve got a celebrity chef showing you the ropes. From September

top critics, screening approximately 20

Banff National Park, it features piping and

with redhead fashion shows, photo shoots,

superyachts – including 40 previously unseen

23-27, Cyrus Todiwala, of London’s Café Spice

international films.

Some will be judged in competitions while

drumming, highland dance, sheep dogs and the caber toss – where

picnics, and even lectures on the background of red hair. (But if you’re in

models – while you’re at it. Not only is the event super-glam, but

Namaste, will be cooking up a storm for guests, but on the 26th he’ll be

others – including those exploring new trends in

strong types toss 80kg wooden poles around.

a mixed-hair couple, don’t worry: all are

it’s also carbon neutral, which will go somewhere

showing you how to do it yourself. Unmissable.

cinema – are there solely for your enjoyment. www.labiennale.org

Bizarre but impressive. www.canmorehighland games.ca

welcome. Roodharigen doesn’t discriminate.) www.roodharigen.nl

towards alleviating longhaul flight guilt… www. monacoyachtshow.com

Email jbasrestaurants@ jumeirah.com to book your place.

Image: © Bristol Kite Festival 2009.

VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Venice, Italy The 67th instalment of

CANMORE HIGHLAND GAMES Alberta, Canada Don your tartans for this Celtic festival:

ROODHARIGEN Breda, Netherlands Ginger and proud? Make a beeline for the official Coebergh Redhead Day,

MONACO YACHT SHOW Port Hercules, Monaco Join Europe’s super-rich and check out the latest

MAGIC OF MASALA Jumeirah Bab Al Shams, UAE Learning how to cook is so much better when

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 11

AGENDA | TRAVEL Q&A

Q: I would love to do a safari in Africa for my 50th birthday but, while my family loves camping, I’m not the roughing-it type. Are there any options that will satisfy both tastes?

Posh safari camping, in-the-know eco resorts and flying with kids? No problem, say our panellists.

The panel JESSICA HUDSON cofounded The Chic Collection’s travel advisory, and is tasked with sampling endless luxury hotels...

TIM WOODS, the go-to man for all things green, is an international project leader for the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.

RACHEL HAMILTON is a full-time writer and the mother of two young children whom she travels frequently with.

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Q: Do you have any tips for handling toddlers during a long-haul flight?

A: The key to easing in-flight boredom is variety. Take a number of small, individually wrapped gifts to whip out when your toddler starts fidgeting – consider sticker books, crayons and colouring pads, an MP3 player complete with audio books, an Etch A Sketch, and other small toys – avoiding those with tiny pieces or irritating sound effects. It’s also worth including a few healthy snacks (raisins, pretzels, bread sticks), as in-flight meals rarely turn up when you need them. If you don’t have faith in your airline’s entertainment system, invest in a portable DVD player – but don’t forget plenty of high-capacity batteries. Also pack headphones that fit comfortably on your child’s head.

Really, though, the easiest toddler to handle on a long flight is a sleeping toddler. So, even if you’re not flying overnight, pack your child’s favourite cuddly toy and bedtime story. Changing children into their pyjamas can also help create a calmer, sleepier environment.

Who knows, you might even be able to catch the end credits of your favourite movie!

Rachel Hamilton

Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

Q: My love of eco resorts is rivalled only by my wife’s passion for hotels that impress her friends. Where will tick both boxes?

A: I would suggest Venezuela: it’s blessed with diverse landscapes, including Caribbean coastline, Amazonian rainforest, the northern peaks of the Andes, and the dramatic Angel Falls – the world’s highest at 979m.

Venezuela has an excellent network of eco lodges from which to admire these stunning natural wonders.

The Coral Lagoon Lodge, near Ocumare de la Costa (around 100km west of Caracas), is located right on the coast – and only accessible by sea, making it a wonderfully secluded place to unwind – and has solid eco credentials: it’s partly powered by solar energy, the chefs use locally sourced food and the fresh water supply comes from collected rainfall. You can dive and snorkel in sparkling blue waters by day, then relax in a hammock in the evenings as your wife decides which of the day’s photos will make her friends green with envy.

Tim Woods

Got a question for our panel? Email editorial@hotmediapublishing.com.

Image: Singita Sabora Tented Camp.

Ask the expert

A: Forget sleeping bags: huge beds, fine linen and en-suite bathrooms are the order of the day at Ol Seki Mara Camp in Kenya (www.olseki.com). With six beautiful tents and two family suites, Ol Seki provides a traditional safari experience without forcing you to sacrifice on creature comforts.

Each tent has panoramic views over the Masai Mara Game Reserve, and while there you can experience bush picnics, night game drives, hot air ballooning and tribal village visits.

Singita’s Sabora Tented Camp (www.singita.com, pictured), on the plains of the Tanzanian Serengeti, is another personal favourite of mine for camping in luxury.

Its tents are decorated in 1920s, colonial style, with antique mahogany travel chests, Persian rugs, four-poster beds and outdoor showers. Sabora is set in a private 340,000-acre game reserve bordering the Serengeti National Park and sits in the path of the great wildebeest migration. It’s unfenced, so animals can wander around the camp – meaning you can safari from your tent! As well as game drives, you can play tennis, take a dip in the pool and enjoy drives in vintage cars. The best times to visit are the dry seasons, which run between July and October and January and February.

Jessica Hudson

AGENDA | ROAD TRIP

READY, STEADY, GO

DRIVE TIME: THE GERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE QUIETEST ROADS IN FRANCE AND PUSH YOUR ENGINE TO THE MAX

Rolling hills and woodland kissed by the fiery hues of autumn make The Gers perfect for those seeking a days-gone-by trip through rural France. Located in the Midi-Pyrénées, this is farmer’s country, with ducks and geese fussing around dusty yards before meeting their fate as the tasty pâtés and foie gras the southwesterly region is famous for.

Spend your days cruising near-deserted roads – this is the least densely populated départment in France – and around every corner, a breathtaking surprise awaits: magnificent châteaux, glassy lakes flanked by sandy beaches, or a long, straight path like this one, just begging you to test the power of your engine.

Image: Photolibrary

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Kanoo KANOOWorld WORLD Traveller TRAVELLER September XXXX2010 2010

Picture this

ULURU

CENTRAL AUSTRALIA You’ll probably recognise this – after all, it’s one of Australia’s most famous landmarks – but its official name may come as a surprise if you know it as Ayers Rock.

The sandstone formation, which rises like a flame-licked phoenix from the flat land surrounding it, has been officially known as Uluru, its Aboriginal moniker, since 2002. Explore its periphery and you’ll find springs, caves and ancient paintings, all of which add to the deep sense of mystery at what is one of the oldest rocks on Earth.

Image: Photolibrary

Picture this

ROCK ISLANDS PALAU, MICRONESIA

Palau may be an insanely peaceful spot now but the broccoli-like islands haven’t always been so still: they originally existed as coral formations, until violent tremors shook them above the surface of the Pacific Ocean several millennia ago. A particularly spectacular feature of modern-day Palau is to be found at Jellyfish Lake, on Eil Malk island. Its millions of golden-bodied inhabitants are stingless and spend their days floating through the water in ghoulish horizontal swathes. Join them for a once-in-a-lifetime snorkelling experience.

Image: Photolibrary

ESSENTIAL SELECTION | AMAZING STAYS

ESSENTIAL SELECTION

From rotating four-posters to stingrays floating past your bath, these beautiful spaces will make your next weekend away infinitely more special.

Words by Ele Cooper.

THE MONARCH DUBAI: FLOORS 32 & 33 The USP: The Monarch Suite has its own 10-seater cinema as well as a swimming pool which extends from an indoor stretch out to the private terrace which, incidentally, offers spectacular views of the Dubai skyline.

The damage: From $11,430 per night. www.themonarchdubai.com September August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 21

ESSENTIAL SELECTION | AMAZING STAYS

Most expensive SIX SENSES HIDEAWAY ZIGHY BAY: PRIVATE RESERVE The USP: Comprising three villas, the complex has a 14m infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Oman as well as an exquisite copper bathtub, private quarters for your security staff and a live-in chef.

The damage: From $15,000 per night. www.sixsenses.com

ATLANTIS THE PALM: ROOM 2464 The USP: The Poseidon Suite’s floor-to-ceiling window walls look straight onto the Ambassador Lagoon, a huge aquarium housing eels, stingrays and sharks – exceptionally relaxing (and very cool).

The damage: From $8,000 per night. www.atlantisthepalm.com

Most exclusive location ARMANI HOTEL DUBAI: ROOM 812 The USP: The only hotel in the world’s tallest building had to offer something more than simple luxury – so they got Giorgio Armani to personally design it. The Armani Suite’s minimalist look perfectly complements the magnificent Dubai Fountain, which it overlooks.

The damage: From $1,360 per night. www.dubai.armanihotels.com Clockwise from left: Armani Suite; Zighy Bay; Atlantis The Palm; Burj Al Arab.

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ESSENTIAL SELECTION | AMAZING STAYS

BURJ AL ARAB: ROOM 2501 The USP: Book the Royal Suite in Dubai’s most famous landmark and you’ll have a rotating four-poster bed as well as a marble-and-gold staircase, complimentary access to Wild Wadi and Assawan Spa, private library, cinema and elevator.

The damage: From $12,400 per night. www.jumeirah.com

September August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 23

ESSENTIAL SELECTION | AMAZING STAYS

RITZ-CARLTON BAHRAIN: VILLA 20 The USP: Surrounded by grass and with direct beach access, this three-bedroom Manama hideaway has its own shaded inďŹ nity pool overlooking the azure waters of the Gulf of Bahrain and a private butler attending to your every need.

The damage: From $3,130 per night. www.ritzcarlton.com

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Kanoo World Traveller September August 20102010

ESSENTIAL SELECTION | AMAZING STAYS

AL MAHA: PRESIDENTIAL SUITE The USP: Its total privacy – the Presidential Suite is over half a kilometre from the rest of the already-exclusive resort – is likely to have something to do with the fact that it was the favoured retreat of the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The spectacular villa sits atop a sand dune overlooking a pristine wildlife reserve in the heart of the Arabian Desert.

The damage: From $8,205 per night. www.emirateshotelsresorts.com September August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 25

ESSENTIAL SELECTION | AMAZING STAYS

THE YAS HOTEL: YAS PRESIDENTIAL SUITE The USP: At 2,531 sq m and with a whopping 28 bedrooms, this is the Gulf’s largest and newest suite (it opens this month) – book it and you’ll be able to watch top-level motor-racing from the privacy of your own room, as the windows look right onto Yas Marina Circuit.

The damage: From $5,450 per night. www.theyashotel.com

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Kanoo World Traveller September August 20102010

ESSENTIAL SELECTION | AMAZING STAYS

Most eccentric W DOHA: ROOM 1501 The USP: Where else could you watch a movie on an Aquavision TV from a hexagonal bathtub before going to bed, safe in the knowledge that you’re being watched over by a life-sized model of a horse?

The damage: From $9,000 per night. www.whoteldoha.com

AL FAISALIAH: ROOM 716 The USP: Al Faisaliah’s Royal Suite has an opulent sunken Jacuzzi, steam showers, dramatic views over Riyadh and a dedicated butler’s pantry – perfect for midnight feasts.

The damage: From $6,400 per night. www.alfaisaliahhotel.com

Most novel KEMPINSKI MALL OF THE EMIRATES: ROOM 216 The USP: The Grand Ski Chalet may have been around for a few years but it’s still impossible not to get a certain childish thrill at staying in a desert-based hotel room which offers ski slope views.

The damage: From $6,000 per night. www.kempinski.com Clockwise from left: Yas Hotel; W Doha; Al Faisaliah; Kempinski Mall of the Emirates.

September August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 27

Tropic of conversation

Bendy palms, white sand, clear water‌ Barbados is a textbook Caribbean paradise, but the real talking points are the people. Nick Redman gets chatting.

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Y

ou happen abruptly upon Fisher Pond, in the green heart of St Thomas parish: a blur of cottages on the drive from the coast, pink villages, a bumpy track. Then the Great House, a weathered plantation property, materialises among the cane fields. It’s a slab of sepia-tinted Caribbean, stately-home-familiar to the British, yet exotic against branches of red African tulips.

Shutters are open to the Barbados January sun, a pianoplink comes from within, and white-bearded owner John Chandler shows you to one of a dozen garden tables, covered in psychedelic bougainvillea, busy with chattering guests. A woman gets a tablecloth caught to her as she rises. Is she about to perform some El Stupendo whip-it-away magic act? It wouldn’t surprise me; ‘camp’ is too tame a term for this place. There are pink parasols in the drinks that John’s wife, Rain, is dispensing. Tablecloths are resplendent with Swisscheese-plant motifs. Betty, eightysomething, is on the

condensed milk, leaving room (just) for the guava bread pudding, an old Bajan recipe. We fill our bellies, indulging in the classic Barbados holiday pursuit: people-watching.

‘The older lady, two to your left,’ I say quietly, pointing with my eyes. ‘Wallis Simpson?’

‘Definitely more Marge Simpson.’

Both of us are loving Barbados. For the sun and the sands and the sheer unadulterated indolence, sure, but more than anything for the characters. Sit around for a while and tune in – it’s like a soap opera but, tragically, not weekly. John Chandler has the most intoxicating lilt to his voice, somewhere between Bob Marley and Pam Ayres. I could listen to the Bajan accent all day.

We’re almost too heavy to stand by the time John offers us a whizz around his antiques, including a pair of 18th-century hurricane lantern shades owned by Anthony Eden, Britain’s former prime minister. They’d look lovely in our apartment but are too big to smuggle out subtly.

John’s family arrived from Scotland to grow tobacco in 1638. He used to run a hotel where Princess Margaret lodged (‘She stayed up too late’). Once at Fisher Pond

baby grand, playing beside a superb-looking homecooked buffet. She launches into ‘La Vie en Rose’, and I glance at my partner. What have we let ourselves in for?

Graham Norton’s 50th? Carry on up the Caribbean?

We’re light years from the demure Barbados of brochure clichés. A macaw screeches, putting me in mind

he scolded Prince Harry for smoking. And he’s sorry he lost Helen Mirren’s number when she visited: ‘I wanted to invite her to stay. If you’re reading this, Helen…’

Home for us is Coral Reef Club. It’s set on the same stretch of coast as the Sandy Lane hotel, yet it’s the antithesis of that gigantic glitz-fest – family-run, friendly,

of Maria Callas. (Not so much the vocal impression; just that I read somewhere about the opera singer holidaying

a love story. Budge O’Hara came to manage the place in the ’50s, bringing his wife, Cynthia – their honeymoon

on the island with her pet marmoset.) Jewel-coloured glasses are filled, the lunch grows longer, drowsier, and Fisher Pond Great House blooms into Barbados past, like

was the rocky cargo-ship passage over. Budge passed away in the ’90s, but silver-haired Cynthia, with her two sons and their wives, still presides, like an elegant British

a lost Noel Coward play. The cooking is all done by Rain – and what cooking. Based on classic recipes from across

forerunner to Miss Ellie in Dallas.

This clutch of coral-stone cottages and suites is

the West Indies, there’s curried green banana from St Lucia; from Martinique, a caramelly flan made with

another Caribbean classic, the kind you daydream about at your desk: mental blotting paper. Chunky novels

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 29

rest unopened on thighs, owners gazing mindlessly out to sea. At breakfast, pairs of chairs are scraped back simultaneously as Mr and Mrs leave for a day of nothingmuchness around their plunge pool.

Birds staccato-hop for crumbs – so many, it’s as if Alfred Hitchcock is still directing from on high, and so pushy. They’ll be cadging my Marlboros next. Now all heads swivel at a sudden commotion: ‘Joan. Joan. JOAN.’ An American has given up trying to signal discreetly to a stick-like septuagenarian, picking her way along the beach with the head-nodding concentration of a stork.

Joan, I’m not surprised to observe when her breakfast arrives, barely pecks at her muffin, so she’ll be an even bigger hit with the finches.

Next day, we motor north along the ‘platinum’ west coast, past coves of sand so fine you could sieve it onto a donut. Gingerbread homes flit by, and theatrical mansions lurk like stars in ’shades behind curly gates.

We turn inland at Speightstown and the sea now glints in the rear-view mirror, disappearing as horizons of sugar cane hog the frame. In Barbados, it somehow doesn’t feel as if we’ve flown across the Atlantic – it’s more as if we’ve taken an exotic exit off an English motorway and our cottage is somewhere beyond the flinty manor house that’s materialising ahead, among a shock of palms.

In the verdant wilds of St Philip Parish, towards the Atlantic Coast, there’s a sign to Sunbury Plantation House. It’s a proper Scarlett O’Hara set, guarded by a

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Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

‘Gingerbread homes flit by, and theatrical mansions lurk like stars in ’shades behind curly gates’

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bearded fig tree, and if it weren’t for the occasional ‘Please do not sit…’ signs you’d think the place was still lived in. Built by an Irish/ English planter in 1660, it’s a splendid window on bygone Barbados, stuffed with spooky, lifeless-eyed dolls in the children’s room, a wince-inducing ladies’ manicure set and old photos on the walls. But again, it’s the people that make the moment: ‘Is that snow?’ asks a lady out loud, studying the white drive in a monochrome 1905 picture. ‘No,’ I feel qualified to answer.

Between reading tabloid interviews with Tina Turner and Paul Daniels at Coral Reef Club, my partner is now officially addicted to people-watching. There’s the blonde X-ray in Lycra pants, endlessly heading off on manic runs, as if she’s always left the iron on. There are well-kept men who clearly work out between the boardroom sessions back home, only a crêpe-like midriff leatheriness betraying their middle age. And there was some fine resort dancing last night, to band covers of Joni Mitchell and Frank Sinatra. Girls twirled and we guys let what was left of our hair down.

One evening, we heard that Naomi Campbell and David Walliams had recently been spotted in fashionable restaurant Daphne’s.

Out we went, under a torch-beam moon. Fashionable? Yes, in a Previous page: Bottom Bay. Opposite from left: Luxury Plantation Suite at Coral Reef Club; Luxury Cottage at same hotel. This page, clockwise from top left (all Coral Reef Club): Warleigh terrace; Breakfast by the beach; Seared peppercrusted tuna; Stoking the barbecue.

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 31

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Next morning, the sky, ominous before a shower an hour ago, was now bright blue, with canyons of puffy white clouds. The sea was spearmint-clear. Barbados-beyond beckoned. We took off with a

Images: Photolibrary, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, iStockphoto, Essential Details, Elegant Hotels.

The brief

small group led by the chuckly Duane. He was quite a character, even if his microphone was turned up too loud, causing all in the vehicle to jump each time he cleared his throat to point out an unusual sight.

But inland, Barbados unravelled beautifully – untouristy, untouched – passing down avenues of palms and tunnels of overhanging mahogany, black-belly sheep grazing the waysides.

Animal Flower Cave, on the northern tip, was a shivery moment: a staired descent to a mysterious, drip-drip, coral-limestone hollow, where anemones pulsed in rock pools. A huge scallop shell in the ceiling, embedded, then exposed by time, looked just like a hand with

Where to stay Coral Reef Club (www. coralreefbarbados.com) has

Where to eat Fisher Pond Great House (www. chandelierweddingsbarbados.net)

rooms from $420 B&B. On the Atlantic coast at Tent Bay,

has a Caribbean buffet Sunday lunch (served from 1pm) for $50pp.

video here in the ’80s,’ Duane explained, almost wistfully, I thought.

As we chugged over Cherry Tree Hill, the island fell away dramatically to the east, down to the Atlantic Coast at Bathsheba,

near Bathsheba, The Atlantis (www.atlantishotelbarbados. com) reopened this year after an

Daphne’s (www.daphnesbarbados. com) has mains for around $40.

each headland nudging further out, fading into mists. The longing for what was never home: I’m not sure why it exists, but I know that it

extensive refurb; rooms from $255 B&B. Or try Sea-U Guest House

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does. I felt it myself as the day closed and Duane dropped me off at the prettily lit Coral Reef Club, for some people-watching from a soft sofa, over a big cold drink.

(www.seaubarbados.com; from $129 B&B), an informal, cosy little east-coast retreat.

barbadosgreathouse.com), St Philip; 9.30am-5pm. Animal Flower Cave, St Lucy; 9am-5pm.

Clockwise from top left: Room at the refurbed Atlantis; St James beach; Daphne’s – the place to see and be seen; Plumeria thrives in Barbados’ tropical climate.

gnawed nails. Through a gaping aperture crashed the mad Atlantic, which brought us neatly on to Billy Ocean, the singer. ‘He filmed a

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 33

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TOTAL GUIDE | USA ROAD TRIP

TOTAL GUIDE

USA ROAD TRIPS Hot Tarmac, cool breeze, and 50 states to see: if you want to tour America, better get motoring…

P38 THE WHEEL THING Drive yourself to distraction on America’s most scenic journeys. From Fifth Avenue to Route 66, there’s a road for every kind of rider. P44 INTO THE WILD The crowds in Yellowstone National Park? Sure, they can be a bit grizzly – but arrive in an RV and you’ll bear-ly see another tourist. P48 BEDS AND BURGERS Find your perfect pit stop for an all-American highway adventure: roadside diners, time-warped motels and kitsch crash pads. P52 LOST IN TRANSMISSION On a driving tour of La-La Land, truth and hype collide. See Bel Air, Hollywood, Beverly Hills – and enough silicone to fill the valley. P56 KEEP ROLLING Seen the movie? Now live the dream… Retrace the routes in these cult classics and you’re guaranteed a good time.

Your total guide to USA 2010with Kanoo World Traveller 37 road trips, September in association

The wheel thing

From Route 66 to the Rio Grande, the greatest American drives start here. Buckle up and hit the road. By Stanley Stewart.

A WEEK: TOWARDS THE RIO GRANDE This road trip takes you across Texas to Big Bend National Park, and one of the West’s best-kept secrets. Only an hour or so out of New Orleans and you’re in Louisiana back country, which is still inhabited by Frenchspeaking Cajuns (stop here for zydeco music and juicy crawfish). Sign up for one of the swamp tours in Henderson to go head to head with ’gators. Then head west to Texas, bypass Houston, and spend a night in music-centric Austin, where you might catch tomorrow’s rock stars playing for tips. Head west again into the Hill Country, jink south to San Antonio

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and the Alamo, then take Highway 90 through long stretches of Big Sky country to Big Bend.

In the small towns there’s a real old-west feel; in the parks (www.nps.gov/bibe) there’s hiking, rafting, and glider rides. Don’t miss Highway 70, which climbs spectacular desert buttes, for views of the Rio Grande.

old Indian trail. Detour to Hyannis (summer home of the Kennedys) to visit the JFK Museum and pay homage at the statue of the Wampanoag Indian chieftain who sold Cape Cod for $30 and two pairs of trousers. Finish in Provincetown, where the Pilgrim Fathers first stepped ashore in 1620.

ONE DAY: CAPE COD

FOUR DAYS: BLUES HIGHWAY

Start in Plymouth, checking out the Pilgrim Fathers’ first settlement, before crossing the bridge into the Moby Dick world of Cape Cod. Forego the big mid-Cape Highway for the coastal road 6A, which winds along an

To discover America’s musical taproot, head to the Mississippi Delta. The blues was born along its back roads, and all the great artists – Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker – came from the Delta, an area smaller than

TOTAL GUIDE | USA ROAD TRIP

Clockwise from far left: Believe it or not, it can be hard catching a cab on Fifth Avenue; Altogether quieter scene in Provincetown, Cape Cod; The open road in Big Bend National Park; Blue Ridge Highway is stunning in autumn.

Wales. Highway 61 is the key route but detour down Highways 49 and 1: you’ll see towns like Indianola, where BB King used to play on street corners (he returns every year for a homecoming concert), and Greenville, which hosts the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival every September. Clarksdale, where Muddy Waters caught the train to Chicago, is Blues Central. Don’t miss Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero, a great blues lounge there. The route ends in Memphis, home to the man who took the blues to the world.

TWO DAYS: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY Known as America’s Favourite Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway sweeps along the crest of the Appalachians, from Virginia to Tennessee’s Great Smokies. The Parkway is that rare thing

in America – a pristine road. No billboards, no motels, no gas stations; just lay-bys, a few visitor centres and uninterrupted views of forest-clad mountains. For some Appalachian culture, and to hear bluegrass music, take the side roads into local towns – Asheville is home to the annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (www.folkheritage.org).

ONE HOUR IN A TAXI, DEPENDING ON TRAFFIC: FIFTH AVENUE Running down the centre of Manhattan, Fifth Avenue revels in its reputation as the most expensive street in the world. But a cruise along it is a journey through the many faces of New York. Hop in a cab at its northern end on the Harlem River and head south, passing venues where the great jazzmen discovered be-bop. Off to the left, between 115th St and 111th St, is Spanish Harlem, where samba rules.

With a sudden shift of gear, you’re cruising

past Central Park, on a stretch once known as Millionaire’s Row. From 105th St to 82nd St, it’s Museum Mile; next up is Midtown, with the Rockefeller Centre, the Empire State and the Flatiron building. Dangerously upmarket stores begin to loom – Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany & Co – but your final destination is Second Ave Deli (156 Second Ave), one of New York’s greatest foodie joints.

In the know It’s easy to rent a car in America – specialists such as Hertz (www.hertz.com) are dotted throughout the country. Or consider a driveaway car – an agency enlists you to deliver a client’s vehicle to a specific destination and you just pay the gas (see www.autodriveaway. com). And why not save money by checking www.gasbuddy.com? It lists gas stations selling the cheapest petrol from state to state.

Your total guide to USA September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 39 road trips, in association with

FIVE HOURS: LA TO LAS VEGAS The worst way to land in this city is off a transcontinental flight; Vegas can be just too bizarre for people suffering from jet lag. Instead, arrive by road – at night. Have a late lunch on Venice Beach in LA and then head out; there are some fine mountains to cross during the afternoon, as well as vast stretches of desert.

Watch the sun set on a horizon flat as a ruled line, then drive on, through a chiaroscuro world

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of headlights and undiluted night. The white lines begin to hypnotise; the landscape is a dark nothing beneath a vault of stars. And then, suddenly, as you crest a desert ridge, Vegas appears, a spectacular blaze of light, a surreal apparition, floating in the desert like an alien space station. The last stage of the drive is the cruise up The Strip past the Eiffel Tower, the Venetian gondolas, the Pyramids and the Roman palaces. Welcome to Vegas.

‘As you crest a ridge, Vegas appears, a surreal apparition’

TOTAL GUIDE | USA ROAD TRIP

TWO WEEKS: ROUTE 66 Route 66 ain’t what it used to be. The Interstates have robbed it of its traffic and its importance, and the old highway has been replaced and diverted in many places. But you can still follow it, and along the way find the two-lane dream on which America was born.

Route 66 has always been an integral part of the country’s great western migration. The Okies took to the road to escape dust-bowl depression; soda-fountain girls followed it to Hollywood and Chuck Berry made it famous. It starts in Chicago, drops down into Illinois and

Missouri, and runs across the Texas Panhandle before heading west through New Mexico, Arizona and California to LA. The kitsch and the weird loom large on Route 66, from the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, where 10 cars have been ‘planted’ hood first in the ground, to the quirky Baghdad Café, where the 1988 film of the same name was shot. The best stretch is in Arizona, where 600km of the old blacktop runs through timeless towns like Kingman, Oatman and Winslow with their ageing motels and classic diners. Check out www.national66. com and www.historic66.com.

‘The kitsch and the weird loom large on Route 66’

XXXXX September 2010 KANOO 2010 Kanoo WORLD World TRAVELLER Traveller 41

A WEEK: PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY This iconic road trip links the cheesy glamour of LA with the funky bohemia of San Francisco.

Unravelling along the ocean in a series of West Coast clichés – surfers’ beaches, orange groves and giant redwoods – this highway makes California Dreamin’ a reality. After a few days taking in the insanity of LA, pop in the Beach Boys and motor out past beach houses, palm trees and the big Pacific surf: Santa Barbara is just a couple of sunny hours away. The next day, cross the Santa Ynez Mountains into big-sky, ranch country. An hour later, you’re in Steinbeck’s California: vegetable and fruit

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territory. Another hour and you’ll be back on the coast at Pismo, where surfers ride big waves and Baywatch extras play volleyball on an endless beach. Just past San Simeon, stop to see Hearst Castle, the former home of William Randolph Hearst, immortalised

by Orson Welles as Citizen Kane. You’re now entering Big Sur, 145km of spectacular coastline. From the viewpoints, spot blue and humpback whales in the summer, or grey whales during the winter. When the forests push down to the coast, get out of the car and take a hike in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (www. parks.ca.gov), deep among the redwoods,

where rivers pool in sunstruck swimming holes. Next it’s all windows open for a leisurely cruise through Monterey Peninsula. Carmel is now as famous for electing Clint Eastwood as mayor as it is for its boutiques, galleries and twee teashops. For contrast, spend the night in Santa Cruz, a wonderful mix of surfers, skaters, yuppies and ageing hippies. Cross the Santa Cruz Mountains to Interstate 280, which whisks you into San Francisco. Highway 84 is a great end to a great drive – but once you’re in town, ditch the car: San Fran is a lefty, eco-conscious sort of place, so keep quiet about the road trip and the gas-guzzling convertible.

TOTAL GUIDE | USA ROAD TRIP

FOUR DAYS: THE FOUR CORNERS Stunning desert and canyon landscapes combined with a rich Navajo culture make the Four Corners – where Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico meet – one of America’s most fascinating junctions. This is archetypal drive country: long straight roads sweeping through jaw-dropping scenery. Start at the Grand Canyon, north side, then head south on Highway 89 and east on 160 to Monument Valley where the West was born (thanks to John Ford westerns). The stark sandstone buttes and strange pinnacles of rock rising from a bleak red desert are as familiar to movie-goers as the Hollywood sign. This is

where the stagecoach ran into trouble in Stagecoach, where Wyatt Earp drove his cattle on the way to his gunfight at the OK Corral and where that irritating bird escapes his deserved demise in Roadrunner cartoons. Beyond the Valley, a looping clockwise itinerary dips into Colorado, turning into Utah before returning to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. En route, it takes in some of the region’s most fascinating landmarks: the haunting Mesa Verde plateau, with the ruins of ancient Indian settlements, and the Canyon de Chelly, sacred to the Navajo. This is RV land, the ideal place to ‘carry it all on your back’ with a motorhome – and to park up at night under a wilderness of stars.

‘Long, straight roads make this archetypal drive country’

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 43

Into the wild

The best road trips involve getting out of the car. Brian Schofield gets close – possibly too close – to nature in Yellowstone National Park.

I

t’s cheaper than reconstructive surgery,’ leered the elderly shop owner, placing $30-worth of highly pressurised cayenne pepper on the counter with the confidence of a man whose sales pitch hadn’t failed him in years. A blood-spattered face stared dolefully out from the side of the canister – ‘Designed by a genuine bear-attack survivor!

Effective at 10m!’ I thought of my mother at my graveside and opened my wallet, then drove on through the thickening woods to the entry gates. A can of bear spray on the way into Yellowstone Park – it might be the best $30 you’ll ever spend… or it might be the last.

But I was determined this road trip through grizzly country was not going to be a carwindow adventure. I wanted to drive, sure, but then I wanted to park my RV and get out there. That’s the real joy of a road trip, after all: opening the door to a new destination every time you turn off the engine. And if I’m honest, I was pretty safe.

Greater Yellowstone – a towering patch of mountains, forests and sulphurous volcanic activity in the northwestern hinterland of the USA, with the world’s oldest national park at its heart – has witnessed only nine fatal bear attacks in the past 100 years, and the majority of those lost souls had made quite considerable strides towards deserving their fates. In 1907, a tourist to the park chased two bear cubs up a tree and proceeded to stand poking them with his umbrella until mummy bear arrived on his blind side and taught him a lesson his terrified, watching companions never forgot.

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On two other poetically just occasions, poachers have trapped grizzlies in grotesque steel foot-clamps and approached them, skinning knife poised, only to discover that there is something more deadly than a wounded tiger. One amateur wildlife photographer decided that, to get the perfect shot, he needed to get within five metres of a bear, a distance an adult grizzly can travel in less than half a second. And, most famously, in 1972 a young backpacker left food and unwashed dishes lying around his camp site, and fatally attracted a hungry beast.

His parents sued the park for not making it crystal clear that bear country might possibly be a dangerous place in which to slob out.

Thus statistically emboldened, I drove into Yellowstone’s timber and meadowland interior with a light heart, only for spirits to plummet with the realisation that the most likely explanation for the park’s relative safety is that bears don’t like traffic. The greatest peril ahead seemed certain to be a Chevy van veering unpredictably into my path in pursuit of the perfect view of a family of elk.

Yellowstone, you see, holds a special place in both American and worldwide hearts, as its unique flora and fauna inspired the very idea of preserving wild places as national parks, and it thus attracts three million visitors a year. As the overwhelming majority bring a car along for the ride, there’s a considerable risk of the landscape being loved to death.

Commuter rush hours are established by the timetables for likely geyser eruptions, as the massed ranks hurry for the best vista, while roadside animal encounters, of which there are many, produce chaotic temporary

TOTAL GUIDE | USA ROAD TRIP

‘The bear silently hung a left, moved on over the river and followed his nose west’

Your total guide to USA 2010with Kanoo World Traveller 45 road trips, September in association

car parks of zoom-lens-wielding naturalists, crowding for the perfect image of a bison scratching its bottom on a tree stump. And, all the time, the park rangers in their HannaBarbera hats patiently spend their days pointing out that: ‘Ma’am, that’s a 900-kilo wild animal you’re standing a metre away from/trying to pet/placing your child on top of. Please reconsider.’

Thankfully, this maelstrom is easily escaped. Three strategies, one soon learns, reveal the best of Yellowstone and shield you from the worst. The first is to avoid the perilously expensive park hotels and plump for the campsites, where from your RV or tent you can enjoy half-whispered conversations with equally peace-seeking neighbours, and wander down to rivers and lakesides for quiet communion with the fly-fishermen, elk and moose that populate the shorelines.

Second, dusk and dawn must be enjoyed to the full: that’s when the animals are at their most active, and when you’ll be sharing the road with the serious nature lovers, wielding interstellar binoculars in the hunt for the rarer sights on the Yellowstone spotter’s list – doughty long-horn sheep, beavers, otters and, most elusive of all, wolves. One twilight, I tracked a pair of wolves who were ominously, relentlessly shadowing a family of elk across the open flood plain of the Yellowstone River. The end of the epic was out of sight but inevitable – a favoured lupine tactic is to slowly, methodically walk their prey to death.

Third, and most important, park, backpack up and do some hiking. Even half a kilometre from the road, the crowds all but disappear and Yellowstone recovers its magic. I had set my heart on seeing the Pelican Creek Valley, a wide treeless basin away from any human presence, with thick forest on three sides and jagged mountains on the fourth — so I did what any keen hiker must do and consulted the ranger station.

‘Yip, that’s grizzly country in there, and it’s pretty active. If you stay on the low ground,

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you should be OK. They’re in the trees on the high slopes right now, eating the pine cones – that’s how ravenous they are. Got spray? Good. And make a lot of noise!’ Hiking in Yellowstone is not a peaceful activity. A surprised bear is a moody one, so I set off over the low ridge into Pelican Creek valderi-ing and val-dera-ing for all I was worth, slapping my walking stick on every log on the path while trying not to slip into a jaunty whistle (which apparently makes you sound too much like prey).

After a cacophonous kilometre, the forest cleared to reveal Pelican Creek, aimlessly winding its way through the tan grass of the perfect widescreen valley floor, with those off-limits high forests rolling away to a clear horizon, and the alpine peaks to the east wearing the first snowfall of autumn. The scene was perfected with my own personal herd of bison, a caravan of dust, hair and haunch strolling along the riverbank. I climbed a rise and found a smaller clan a few metres from the path, grazing noiselessly.

It’s easy to see why so many visitors to Yellowstone cannot compute that bison might be dangerous – they have the physiques of comic-book superheroes, with their vast shoulders tapering to a cluster of dainty, tottering feet. The leader of this family left me under no illusions, though, delivering a snort and a toss of his horns that I interpreted, Dolittle-style, to mean: ‘I’m as dumb as a heifer, as mean as a wasp and as fast as a steeplechaser, and you’re standing too close.’

After a wide diversion, the river was reached and lunch was served, with the additional thrill of watching a rogue male bison and the caravan’s leader brutally clashing horns in the far distance.

The problem with binoculars, though, is that they distract from the unmagnified world around you. The bear was no more than 35m away when I shot to my feet with a flurry, hand wobbling over the bear spray like a novice gunfighter. Jet black, but with

the distinctive hunchback of a grizzly, it was strolling towards the river, nose down for dinner. My stumbling signalled that there was company, he looked up, and our gazes met.

For an unforgettable instant, I stared into those eyes, two unfathomable, pristine black pools, awash with… well, with complete and utter indifference. With boredom, in fact, at yet another scrawny, meat-free hiker making a racket and scaring away the real food. The bear silently hung a left, moved on over the river and followed his nose west, never giving me another thought. I watched for half an hour as he patrolled the valley floor, then he disappeared into the forest.

At that point it started to snow, a thick, spinning blizzard that settled first on the bisons’ backs, then on the pine branches and, finally, into a perfectly pressed sheet lying across the valley floor, only the steam from the hot springs breaking through the whiteness. Before they named it Yellowstone National Park, it was known as Wonderland.

Previous page: You won’t be the only one wandering around Yellowstone National Park. Opposite, clockwise from top left: Bison drink at river edge; Lower Yellowstone Falls; Grizzly bear; Hot springs; Rainbow at Yellowstone; An elk stalks through the park; Geyser quietly simmering.

The brief Getting there The closest airport is Jackson Hole, 90km away.

Where to stay The Grand Teton Lodge Company (www.gtlc. com) has four lodges in and around Jackson Hole, starting from $224 per night. Try Xanterra (www.travelyellowstone.com) for accommodation within the park including campsites (from $15 per night).

Getting around Cruise America (www.cruiseamerica.com) has RVs for hire from $1,450 per week inclusive, from Jackson Hole. For park information, see www.nps.gov/yell. Entry costs $25 for a private vehicle and $12 on foot.

TOTAL GUIDE | USA ROAD TRIP

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 47

Beds and burgers It’s not a road trip without classic diners and crazy motels – pull in for the best on the block.

THE SHADY DELL BISBEE, ARIZONA Just a half-hour trundle from the Mexican border is Shady Dell – a perfect introduction to the weird world of the American trailer park. There are plenty of grassy plots, of course, just crying out for dusty RVs. But why take your own when you can pick from the collection of shiny silver Airstreams glinting in the sunshine? (They’re the still-futuristiclooking, spaceship-shaped motorhomes first built in the ’50s.) Or you might prefer the sky-blue-and-white Tiki bus, or the 12m yacht.

All with absolutely no mod cons – expect black-and-white TVs, cassette players, and blonde-wood interiors. Dinner (and breakfast and lunch) is at Dot’s Diner – housed in a 1957 railroad car. There are just 10 stools squeezed around the gleaming aluminium counter, so rise for breakfast early. From $55 for a small towing caravan to $80 for an Airstream.

Shady Dell RV Park, 1 Old Douglas Road, Bisbee, Arizona (www.theshadydell.com).

66 DINER ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO Not many roads have had a TV series named after them. But then Route 66 is not just any old road. Built in 1937, the road eventually joined up to stretch from Chicago to Santa Monica, and before the ’60s series Route 66 was aired it had already seen Henry Fonda hitchhiking his way along in The Grapes of Wrath. More recently, Disney animation Cars was based on real people and places along the iconic 3,940km stretch. Your automobile isn’t the only one that will need a decent refuelling stop en route, and the Green Chile Cheeseburgers at 66 Diner should get you going. Road-weary travellers sit under pink fluoro lights on stainless-steel swivel stools

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Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

glugging chocolate peanut-butter milkshakes and shovelling down mammoth plates of huevos rancheros and creamy chicken potpie.

Come up for air between mouthfuls to select Buddy Holly tracks on the jukebox, or to flash a glance at the life-size model of Marilyn by the turquoise booth seats. Burgers from $6.99. 1405 Central Avenue NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico (www.66diner.com).

MOVIE COLONY HOTEL PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA A motel’s not a motel without its own legend – and if the gossip along the Palm Springs boulevards is to be believed, Jim Morrison once leapt from the balcony of Movie Colony Hotel into the pool. Forty years later and the same pool is breast-stroked by media types from LA (it’s just two hours away). And Movie Colony is a fabulous motel to catch zeds in – the rooms are California cool with seagrass floors, retro monochrome bathrooms and sunny terraces. The hotel was originally built in 1935, designed by Modernist superstar Albert Frey, and has all those photogenic features nostalgic travellers crave – low-rise living, in particular. Crucially, it’s a great pit stop for road-trippers on the highway from LA to Phoenix, or for those on the classic Las Vegas-LA-San Diego circuit. From $99 B&B. 726 North Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California (www.moviecolonyhotel.com).

KATE’S LAZY MEADOW MOTEL MOUNT TREMPER, NEW YORK STATE Set among expanses of rolling pastures next to the Esopus creek is Kate’s Lazy Meadow Motel, a peaceful red-and-green cabin.

Peaceful, that is, until starlet Mandy Moore’s tour bus rumbles up (she took over the motel for three nights during her tour a couple of

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‘Road-weary travellers sit under pink fluoro lights on stainless-steel swivel stools, eating creamy chicken pie’

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years ago). Truth be told, with or without Ms Moore, there’s a bit of a riot going on inside B-52 singer Kate Pierson’s motel in the Catskill mountains. The place is crammed with orange daisy-print bedspreads, coloured gobstopper-studded spiral staircases, retro lamps and ceramic dogs. Artists Phillip Maberry and Scott Walker lent a hand with the décor (their house was the set for the ‘Love Shack’ video, so you get the picture).

The lounge in Room Four features a river scene mural studded with real branches and gnomes bobbing downstream in rubber rings. From $130 room only. 5191 Rt 28 Mount Tremper, New York (www.lazymeadow.com).

OLE WEST BEAN’N’BURGER ATHENS, TEXAS You may have devoured the occasional mammoth fry-up in your home country – but it’s a mere drop in an ocean of saturated fat compared with what’s on offer at the Ole West Bean’n’Burger in Athens, Texas. Its double-meat half-pounder approaches the dimensions of a small African dictatorship next to armband-sized onion rings and hefty chips. And it’s not just Texas big, it’s also mighty fine beef from the state’s sprawling pastures. The Ole West is a pleasant enough mix of check tablecloths and wood, but in-the-know citizens have voted its burgers the best in town. And they should know: Clockwise from top left: Movie Colony Hotel; The Shady Dell; Kate’s Lazy Meadow Motel; You can’t beat an American burger; Madonna Inn; Service with a smile is standard in diners (just make sure you tip accordingly).

Athens claims to be the maternity ward of the modern American burger – the place where, in the late 1880s, café owner ‘Uncle’ Fletch Davis first put a meat patty between slices of bread. You’re not just mainlining calories, you’re scoffing history. Double-meat halfpounder $7. 1500 E Tyler Street, Athens, Texas (+1 903 675 8100).

‘Mangrove Mama’s tangy key lime pie will sustain you for the final hop down to Key West’

MANGROVE MAMA’S SUGARLOAF KEY, FLORIDA Mangrove Mama’s is a ramshackle roadside eatery down the Florida Keys – a string of islands that skips south from Miami, connected, join-the-dots-style, by the overseas highway. The friendly pit stop is so casual that it might have been washed up with the tide. Littered with driftwood and shaded by banana trees and palm fronds, it has no-fuss concrete floors, mismatched chairs and a brick fireplace (an incongruous addition, given the balmy climate). Despite the humble surrounds, the menu is great: stuffed lobster and freshly grilled fish, washed down with mocktails served in salt-rimmed jam jars. It’s the tangy key lime pie that draws a loyal following, though; savour it outside in the tropical garden. A Florida favourite, it’s served super-chilled, and delivers a sugary boost that’ll sustain you for the final hop down to Key West, the end-of-the-road island that marks the most southerly point in the US. Key lime pie costs $5 a slice. Mile marker 20, Sugarloaf Key, Florida (+1 305 745 3030).

MCDONALD’S #1 STORE MUSEUM

mascot, Speedee, is original, as are some of the utensils on show – milkshake mixers, fryers from the days when the all-male staff (now replaced by waxy mannequins) actually hand-cut the chips. There are no real burgers served any more, but there is a working McDonald’s across the road, where you can order supersize portions among glass-cased exhibits and displays of ties worn by the first staff. McDonald’s #1 Store Museum, 400 N Lee Street, Des Plaines, Illinois (open from May to September; www.mcdonalds.com).

MADONNA INN SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA Kitsch. Extremely kitsch. Liberace cut with Hansel and Gretel, and a dash of the Flintstones thrown in for good measure kitsch. Madonna Inn, halfway between LA and ’Frisco in San Luis Obispo, is a retina-searing riot of pink and gold, camped up with boulder waterfalls and bizarrely themed rooms. Take your pick from the rose-splattered walls and bedspread of ‘American Beauty’; the red ceiling of ‘Madonna’ (a nice juxtaposition to its

DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS Fancy sinking your teeth into a Big Mac under

waterfall sink and rock walls); or the bouldercoated cocoon of ‘Caveman’ with its leopardprint bedspread. Not staying? Book dinner

Sweet talk: be sure to learn some American diner slang before you order. ‘Deadeye’ is a

the original golden arches? Following uproar when the world’s first McDonald’s was torn

amid the bordello chic of the Gold Rush steak house, or try a creamy Black Forest gâteau

poached egg; ‘keep off the grass’ means no lettuce; ‘axle grease’ is butter; ‘first lady’ is an order of spare ribs; while a ‘blonde with sand’

down in the early ’80s, the building rose again (based on the chain’s original 1955 blueprints), Phoenix-like, and was turned

in the Alpine-style bakery – perfect for the blistering California sun outside. From $140 room only. 100 Madonna Road, San Luis

is coffee with cream and sugar.

into a museum. The road sign of the first

Obispo, California (www.madonnainn.com).

Learn the lingo

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Lost in transmission To discover all there is to know about LA, says John Arlidge, get behind the wheel.

N

ew York may be the city that never sleeps but LA is a metropolis on the move. It’s midnight and I’m standing on the terrace of producer Rob Reiner’s home. In front of me, lava streaks of SUVs speed west on Santa Monica Boulevard. To my left, skyscrapers glow red and white, caught in the lights of thousands of stop-start cars. To the right, the beams of Ocean Avenue convertibles pick out Pacific Coast Highway 1 and the ocean beyond.

LA can be one big traffic jam, but choose your moments, and it is also the greatest driving city in America. Take to the wheel of a large automobile and you’ll find out everything you need to know about the place.

Just ask Anne Block, who runs the city’s first drive tour, ‘To Live and Drive in LA’ (www.

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takemymotherplease.com). We meet in the car park of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Block is sitting behind the wheel of her 1998 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. ‘Welcome to LA,’ she smiles, as she steps out and hands me the key to a clunky-looking hybrid – half-electric, halfpetrol – Ford Escape. ‘You have to drive the car of the moment and, right now, that means a hybrid. We’ve gone green overnight.’

First, though, I need to get my bearings.

‘We don’t do maps in LA, we have something better,’ says Anne. ‘Come see.’ Half an hour later, I ease into the car park at the Getty Center art museum, high in the Hollywood hills, and walk past the Monets and Rembrandts on to the terrace to admire the best picture of all.

Stretched out before me like a giant tableau is LA. To the right are the coastal districts of Santa

Monica, Malibu and Venice. In front are Beverly Hills and Century City. Below is Hollywood.

Left, rising through the grey fog and haze, is Downtown and, behind it, South Central.

‘Now, you need a little history,’ says Anne.

We head downtown on the 10 Freeway and pull over at a sign that reads ‘Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway’. ‘Dry Creek Road’ may not sound like much, but this is where every road trip should start: ‘This is the first freeway in America, built in the 1940s,’ Anne explains. ‘It’s the road that convinced Americans that freedom is only a drive away. It has shaped everything in LA.’ As we rumble over the freeway, I realise it’s true. LA is a city more about cars and motion (pictures) than anything static. There are few skyscrapers because when the city grew – thanks to roads – it expanded ouwards,

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not upwards. In a town that is bigger than most island nations, pedestrians are an endangered species. And what you drive tells the world who you are or, at least, who you want to be.

Everything hangs in a hubcap’s balance.

So, before we start cruising, we need to make sure we look good. ‘Twenty dollars for the wash and wax, please,’ says Maurice Aguillera, head valet at La Cienega car wash on La Cienega Boulevard. ‘You want cherry soda?’ No thanks. ‘How about lemon lime?’ No, really, I’m not thirsty. Anne laughs. ‘It’s not for you. Give the car a new smell.’ I opt for ‘New Car’.

‘Where do you want to cruise first?’ asks Anne. A light blings on in my head. ‘South Central.’ If my car really is the right ride, the place to pose will be the home of the lowrider, ‘tricked out’ with chrome wheels and vanity licence plates: the ghetto. On Crenshaw Boulevard I meet Mario Don, who runs the Magic Shears Afro Hair Salon, and drives a black Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. ‘Sweet ride,’ he says, admiring my car. But being green isn’t enough. ‘This is LA,’ he says. ‘People care about your character but they care more about what you got. If I were you, I’d get a second car, to impress. A Ferrari – you know what I’m saying?’

A $930,000 Ferrari Enzo stands on the forecourt of Black on Black Motor Sports in

Law-abiding citizen Don’t cruise up and down Sunset Boulevard at night – it’s been made illegal to reduce noise and racing. Tip valet parkers $5-$10. Don’t have an accident in Beverly Hills: you won’t find a hospital in that part of the city, ‘because nobody ever gets ill in Beverly Hills’. Always stop dead at a Stop sign. Even slowly rolling past one, when the road ahead is clear, can mean a $195 fine.

Motorways are called freeways. The speed limit on Californian freeways is 65mph (100kph); on other roads it’s 25mph (40kph). LA roads can be up to 40km long, so don’t use street numbers to navigate: ask for the ‘cross street’ – which crosses the main road – nearest your destination.

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Beverly Hills, half an hour from South Central.

Manager Rick Black says he has a full order book for the next 12 months, ‘but some customers change cars every month, so I’ll get a few back in.’ Every month? ‘They get bored.

Or the ashtrays get full.’ He’s only half joking.

Where can I see the people who change their cars more often than their therapist, I

‘Seeing the car, the security guards figure we’re anything but no one’

ask Anne? It’s a short run, via the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard, to

Later, Anne takes me to Miyagi’s restaurant.

It has a giant raised car park and a driveway

palm-lined Rodeo Drive. ‘On this street, how you arrive is more important than what you wear,’ says Anne. Right on cue, a woman who’s had so much cosmetic surgery she surely no longer remembers what she originally looked like, arrives in a canary-yellow Hummer. She checks in her two cocker spaniels – pets are accessories, after all – at the Beverly Wilshire hotel and totters towards Prada.

‘Hey lady, what war are you fighting?’ a passer-by shouts, pointing at her giant military vehicle. The environmental lobby may have

that leads right up to the best tables. There’s a new Bentley Azure on the driveway. It’s time to tackle those great taste-makers of California car culture: valet parkers. Does my Escape have enough ‘pull’ to park out front within ogling distance of the best tables? I give the head valet parker my best ‘out front’ look. He barks: ‘Move the Bentley. The Escape is coming in.’

Why? ‘The biggest tippers are driving them funny new electrics these days,’ he replies.

After feasting on sushi and snippets of conversation between Hollywood actors and

made it to Beverly Hills but the surgery queen is unimpressed. She raises a drawn-on eyebrow and shouts, ‘The planet is so O-V-E-R’.

I need some fresh air. Pacific Coast Highway

their leather-skinned agents, Anne and I drive into the hills to catch the last of the sun from Mulholland Drive. I pull over, turn off the engine and listen to the cicadas. The soundtrack is

1 runs north to San Francisco – after Route 66, it’s the most famous stretch of Tarmac in America. We soon leave the smog behind and enjoy the spume-flecked breeze as we head for

pure Tuscany, but staring down at the twinkling tail-lights like a billion stars, I could only be in the most car-centric city in the world.

Then it’s off to Rob Reiner’s home: tonight’s

Duke’s Barefoot Lounge in Malibu, a restaurant set up by Duke Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian who brought surfing to the USA. Maybe it’s the Huli Huli sandwich, maybe the sun has fried our brains, but after lunch I wish we could throw caution – not to mention taste – to the wind and head north, singing soft rock classics all the way to Santa Barbara. But this is an LA story, so instead we head back down the coast and pull onto Sunset Boulevard. It’s 40km long and runs from the Pacific to Downtown, passing through Brentwood, Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Hollywood.

party venue for exclusive London club Soho House. On the way, we speed through a tunnel negotiated by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise in Collateral. The basso thump of the engine as it bounces off the tiles is movie poetry. When we arrive, the Escape does it again. The security steakheads don’t let just anyone in but, seeing the car, they figure Anne and I are anything but anyone. We walk in past Leonardo DiCaprio and Sharon Stone, enjoying our new-found status.

As we stare out from the terrace over the city, I realise that we’ve travelled more than 240km, taken in hilltop roads, palm-lined boulevards, the ocean, and finished where we started.

‘We’ve gone nowhere – and everywhere. That’s weird,’ I tell Anne. ‘That,’ she smiles, ‘is LA.’

Clockwise from top left: Santa Monica Pier; Lifeguards patrol the beaches; In Los Angeles what matters is not what you wear but what you drive; Queensway Bay.

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Keep rolling

Telephone poles stretching into infinity; wailing A-trains; blinking motel signs. So evocative is the American road movie that it’s tough not to book your flights to the US while the credits are still rolling. Here are four classics, plus the crucial crib notes to recreate the trip.

EASY RIDER (Dennis Hopper, 1969) This is the film that launched a thousand bike trips, as the laidback Wyatt, played by Peter Fonda, and Billy (Dennis Hopper), his uncool sidekick, rev their way from Mexico to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Easy Rider features road-movie motifs galore: striated pink and purple sunsets, neon-lit motels, desert gas stations, and a classic soundtrack by Steppenwolf, Hendrix and Dylan. On their way to New Orleans, they pass through numerous clashing Americas, from a hippie commune already going to seed, to the ultimately lethal redneck territories of the Deep South. Even the non-speaking characters stand out: a moustachioed café proprietress in gingham smirking as her bigoted regulars taunt the duo off the premises, or the black farming family, who simply wave as they pass. This is a picture

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of an America that’s deeply uneasy with itself, whose lingering divisions resonate even today.

THE ROUTE: Interstate 10, from El Paso in Texas, on the Mexican border, to New Orleans.

That’s almost 2,000km across two states so you’ll need a week.

RELIVE THE MOMENT: The famous scene in the redneck café, featuring genuine locals, takes place in the village of Morganza, northwest of New Orleans, off Highway 61.

MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: ‘What you represent to them is freedom… Talking about it and being it, that’s two different things.’

BADLANDS (Terrence Malick, 1973) ‘Little did I realise that what began in the alleys and backways of this quiet town would end in the badlands of Montana.’

So says 15-year-old

Holly (Sissy Spacek) who watches her life degenerate from a straightforward acrossthe-tracks teen romance into a bloodbath, as Kit (Martin Sheen) hones his shooting skills on Spacek’s dismal father, and is soon applying them liberally across two states. It’s a bleak introduction to Badlands National Park, yet the movie still pulls fans across the Atlantic.

It’s down to Badlands’ haunting but irresistible portrait of the Midwest: craggy, Stetsoned old men; small-time school ma’ams; and petrol pump attendants standing solitary among sunflaked Pepsi-Cola murals.

THE ROUTE: Interstate 90, from South Dakota through Wyoming to Montana – roughly 600km, which you could do in a long weekend.

RELIVE THE MOMENT: For details on South Dakota’s Badlands National Park, visit www. allblackhills.com/badlands.

MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: ‘Through desert and mesa, across endless miles of open range we made our headlong way, steering by the telephone lines towards Montana.’

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Images: Photolibrary; iStockphoto; LA Photo Tour; US Fish & Wildlife Service; Butter; Tom Meinhold for the Madonna Inn; Shady Dell; Movie Colony Hotel.

THELMA & LOUISE (Ridley Scott, 1991) Sixties America didn’t hold much for the country girl. Take Thelma. She has no car, no money and barely leaves the house for fear of a beating from her brutish husband. Thelma does, however, have Louise. And together, without telling a soul, Thelma, played by Geena Davis, and Louise (Susan Sarandon) embark on a journey that takes them to one of the most memorable film endings ever made. Slipping off the shackles of suburban living, the girls speed off for a weekend in the mountains in their iconic 1966 green Thunderbird – but after stopping at a roadside café, their plans soon head downhill when Louise shoots a man dead.

With the law hot on their heels, so begins the infamous road trip that makes this film the showpiece of a repressed feminine era. Taking Top: Thelma and Louise knew how to have fun during a pitstop. Opposite: The bleak landscapes of Badlands.

on the men of America, they shoot their way towards Mexico.

THE ROUTE: From Oklahoma suburbia to Mexico, purposely avoiding Texas (look at a map and you’ll appreciate how difficult that is). We suggest you just do the New Mexico to Grand Canyon bit, which measures about 1,200km (roughly two days).

RELIVE THE MOMENT: Look out for Court House Towers in Arches National Park, Utah, for the memorable scene where the policeman was locked in his trunk.

MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: ‘You shoot off a guy’s head, believe me, Texas ain’t the place you want to get caught.’

PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders, 1984) A bearded man picks his solitary way across the blinding emptiness of America’s southern desert. Soon he has been rescued by his brother

and the road trip begins, up through Texas, all the way to LA and back down again. Along the way, Harry Dean Stanton’s mute Travis regains first his speech, then his memory and his life, journeying with his son in a beaten-up truck in search of the boy’s mother – a peroxided Nastassja Kinski. With the help of a melancholy soundtrack by Ry Cooder, the endless scrub takes on the look of a lunar landscape – this is archetypal road trip territory. Here, away from the mainstream cities, lies another hidden America, like the life beneath a rock.

THE ROUTE: The section of Interstate 10 that runs from Texas through New Mexico to Los Angeles – about 2,500km. You’ll need a week.

RELIVE THE MOMENT: The dramatic desert landscapes in the opening scenes of the film are in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Take Interstate 90 to Marathon, then drive 110km south to the park’s headquarters.

MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: A sign on the wall of a forgotten desert diner says: ‘The dust has come to stay. You may stay or pass on through or whatever.’

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EASY TIG R It’s all effortless ‘rustic-luxe’ in the safari camps of India, finds Josephine Davies. But hunting the big cats is still a challenge – especially when they’re hunting you too…

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INDIA | TIGER SAFARI

K

artikeya is not happy with me. Moustache twitching, he squints in the buttery early morning light, scanning the landscape for a suitable spot. ‘There.’ He points to a small, straggly bush just off the dusty track. ‘But be quick, stay alert and don’t wander off.’ As loo breaks go, this must be the scariest I’ve ever experienced. I sheepishly climb down from the Jeep and make a mental note to decline the pre-safari masala chai (sweet Indian tea) next time.

the trail as sunlight slices through the trees in dazzling tiger-like stripes.

Just three days ago, we had arrived in the sun-baked state of Madhya Pradesh, India’s dry and dusty heartland (there’s a monument here marking the very middle of the sub-continent). Tuk-tuks buzzed like angry hornets as we pulled away from Nagpur Airport, while ladies riding sidesaddle on scooters weaved deftly among the

It’s just after dawn in India’s Bandhavgarh National Park, home to one of the highest densities of tigers in the world – and I have broken one of our guide’s golden rules: never get out of your vehicle. Hurrying back to the safety of our olive-green, open-top Jeep,

traffic, their saris billowing out behind them like gaudy streamers. It was a colourful urban scene typical of any city in India, streets filled with the scents of ghee and spices, and the clamour and clatter of hawkers. But just an hour and a half’s drive later, we were deep in tiger country. Here, the monsoon was still months away, the landscape painted in an autumnal palette of gold and brown beneath a cloudless cobalt sky.

India’s elusive, endangered felines once

the stillness is suddenly pierced by a highpitched ‘whoop-whoop’ noise. Kartikeya jumps up, fixing his binoculars on the dense tangle of forest right behind the bush I have

roamed freely across this enormous state (one of the country’s largest, but seldom visited by tourists). Now a network of national parks provides the beasts with

just emerged from. ‘Alarm calls from spotted deer – quick, get in. There’s a predator close by,’ he whispers urgently. We watch and wait, hearts thudding like drums. Suddenly, two peacocks burst out noisily from the undergrowth, shimmying and shaking their emerald-blue tails like Vegas showgirls.

Kartikeya flashes us a Colgate-white grin and we continue onwards, bumping gently along

safe(ish) pockets of protected jungle, although illegal poaching means numbers are still dwindling. To see one in the wild is a privileged experience – future generations may not be so lucky – and for the best chance of spotting one, we had decided to take in not one, but three nature reserves: Pench, Panna and Bandhavgarh. The first stop on our week-long wildlife circuit is

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Clockwise from below left: Spotted deer drink at a jungle watering hole; Looking for tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park; Ready for dinner at the Baghvan safari camp. Opposite: Bandhavgarh National Park is Shere Khan territory.

‘Pench is a wilderness of shadowy forests and rushing streams straight out of The Jungle Book’ Pench, an unspoiled wilderness of shadowy teak forests and rushing streams straight out of The Jungle Book. In fact, it was the inspiration for Kipling’s famous work. ‘Shere Khan is lurking in there somewhere,’ said my husband dramatically as he gazed into the impenetrable vegetation beyond. My thoughts, however, were firmly focused on the more material comforts that awaited us: a cool drink and a long shower to wash away the red dust that clung to my skin.

Baghvan is one of a handful of supremely stylish safari camps dotted around Madhya Pradesh, and oozes rustic-luxe from every corner. Our suite comes with an open-air shower that faces the brooding forest beyond (the hotel lies right on the edge of Pench reserve). As butterflies dance in the rising steam, I rinse the shampoo from my hair while keeping a careful eye on the rustling vegetation – just in case.

The next day, we clamber into the poshest Jeep I’ve ever seen and sit on raised, thronelike seats while Karun, our enthusiastic guide,

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takes us deep into the park. He is incredibly adept at multi-tasking, steering us along the rough tracks while simultaneously swivelling his head around like an owl to chat and point out interesting fauna.

We learn to tell the difference between Bambi-cute spotted deer and their sturdier, darker cousins, Sambar deer. We spot jewelbright bee-eaters and kingfishers, crested serpent eagles and tiny owlets huddled in tree hollows like feather dusters. We watch anxiously as a hungry jackal chases a fawn – and sigh with relief when it bounds away unharmed. We spend hours watching muddy watering holes, where black-faced langur monkeys sit on dead tree trunks like old men on park benches, cradling their furry white bellies. We even become accustomed to the blood-curling screams of tourists being eaten alive (the sounds are, in fact, the mating calls of spotted deer).

We don’t see any tigers. They, however, are watching us. Fresh paw marks the size of dinner plates are imprinted deep in the

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‘There’s nothing like the sight of 300 kilos of fur and fangs approaching to wake you up’ sandy paths. Freddy Krueger-like claw marks scar teak trees, etched deep into the bark five metres up. We start to realise the awesome size of this predator, and suddenly the Jeep feels rather exposed. We quiz Karun about close encounters (he has had plenty) and ask him if he ever gets scared. He laughs. ‘If they wanted to, they could jump in and eat us, but they don’t.’ I shiver despite the warm breeze and another chorus of alarm calls lets us know that we are not alone.

Go on safari in Africa and you simply view the wildlife. In India, you must track it – which is at once frustrating and immensely more exciting. It takes patience: at Panna – another immodestly beautiful park riddled with deep gorges and wide rivers where plump crocs wallow expectantly – we search in vain. But tigers or no tigers, the landscape here is a scene-stealer, and we leave awed by a wild side of India we never knew existed.

It’s back to business at Bandhavgarh, however. This park, we are told, is our best shot – home to 50-odd felines, with sightings reported just days before our arrival. If Pench feels remote, this vast reserve – 448sq km of open grasslands and knotted jungle – feels

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even more so. The nearest town is the sleepy backwater of Umaria, best reached by light aircraft (unless you fancy a serious overland slog). As we touched down on the airstrip, kids scrambled to the rooftops, jumping up and down and waving madly. Tumbling out onto the hot tarmac, we were met by the smiling manager of Mahua Kothi, another handsome hideaway, made of mud-walled huts that hide sumptuous rooms with sink-in beds and deep tubs.

Gitandra (or ‘Geet’ as he prefers to be called) had never seen a tiger before he was posted to Mahua Kothi. But his first encounter required little effort. ‘It was over there,’ he says, gesturing at a small watering hole just a few hundred metres from our room. ‘It was dusk, and I glanced up – he was lapping water and watching me.’ I decided right then to take up his offer of sending over a chaperone to our hut for the moonlit walk to dinner later that evening.

Beneath the shade of a giant Banyan tree, we clink glasses with other khaki-clad guests, feasting on delicately spiced dhal and deliciously rich curries as the jungle hums with nocturnal life. I’m still groggy when we’re woken at 4.30am the next morning with

Images: Photolibrary; iStockphoto; Taj Safaris.

INDIA | TIGER SAFARI

sweet tea and flapjacks. Mist hangs low over the grassy meadows; the breezeless air is damp and cool. Shivering, we hug the hot-water bottles and blankets laid out in the Jeep, and doze gratefully during the short ride to the park entrance.

I’m still half-asleep when we see the tiger stalking silently towards us. But there’s nothing like the sight of 300 kilos of fur and fangs approaching to wake you up. After days of watching and waiting, we forget to take pictures or even reach for our binoculars (he’s so close, there’s no need). I barely remember to breathe as he pads through the long grass, russet stripes blending with the dappled vegetation.

Then he looks up and fixes me with a serial-killer stare that says, ‘I could have you for breakfast.’

Instead of proving his point, however, he nonchalantly sprawls across the path, thick folds of velvety fur spilling around his neck, and throws back his head in a yawn, giving us a superb view of his fierce dentistry. There’s an unsettling awareness that we have rejoined the food chain. The machine-gun fire of camera shutters signals the arrival of other Jeeps, and with a flick of his tail the tiger – a young male, Kartikeya tells us – slopes back into the shadows.

A few hours later, we get the chance to get even closer to him.

He’s been seen sunning himself on a rocky escarpment – too steep for Jeeps to get near. So we switch to an elephant, swaying as it crashes through the foliage. ‘Won’t he, um, hear us coming?’ asks my

Opposite: You never know who’s watching from afar. This page, clockwise from top left: Mahua Kothi at dusk; Bedroom suite at same hotel; Luxurious bathing at Mahua Kothi; My, what big teeth you have; Safari at Pench National Park.

husband. And the tiger has indeed gone; straining into the distance, we see no sign of it. I’m disappointed, but feel fortunate to have had our brief encounter earlier.

Suddenly the mahout yelps and tries frantically to hit reverse (the elephant is having none of it). Just a few metres below our dangling flip-flops lies the snarling tiger, teeth bared and understandably disgruntled at having his nap interrupted. We are so close I can count his whiskers. It’s thrilling, terrifying and utterly mesmerising – so much so that I completely forget my desperate need to pee.

The brief Where to stay Baghvan, in Pench National Park, and Mahua Kothi, in Bandhavgarh National Park, are both luxurious Taj safari lodges. Each property offers accommodation from $685 per night. www.tajhotels.com

When to go Avoid monsoon season (June to September) when parks are closed due to rain and flooding. Visit between November and February as April and May are too hot, with temperatures reaching up to 40ºC.

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 63

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Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

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FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS, CONTACT: Dammam, Saudi Arabia:ƫŐƫĊććƫăƫĉăĆĆćąĂƫĥƫćăĂƫĥƫĉăĆĆćąĆƫƫ Riyadh, Saudi Arabia :ƫƫŐĊććƫāąć㹹ƹĥĂĊăăĈąĀĥąćĆĂĉăąƫƫ Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:ƫŐĊććƫĂƫĂćăĂĉĈĆƫĥƫĂćăăĀąĀƫƫƫ Mahooz, Bahrain:ƫƫŐĊĈăƫāĈƫĉĂĉƫĉĀāƫĥƫĉĂĉƫĈĊĂƫĥƫĉĂĉƫĈĊăƫƫ Doha, Qatar:ƫƫŐĊĈąƫąąĉăĈĈĈƫĥƫąąĉăĈĀąƫƫƫ Dubai, UAE: ƫŐĊĈāƫąƫăăąāąąąƫ Abu Dhabi, UAE:ƫƫŐĊĈāƫĂƫćăāăĊĀĀƫƫƫ Muscat, Oman:ƫƫŐĊćĉƫĂąĈĀĀĂąĊƫĥƫĂąĈĀĀĂĈĊ

CONCIERGE Seychelles | Jakarta | Cardiff | Matera

THE 30-SECOND CONCIERGE

AVI PARAHOO, HEAD VILLA HOST, DESROCHES ISLAND Is there much to see and do on the island?

Absolutely – the Seychelles location makes it perfect for conservation walks (which are turtle and bird-focused), and you can check out the baby turtle hatchery, feed giant tortoises, cycle through the coconut plantations, go for picnics, play tennis, have a go at sea-kayaking, visit the local Creole village, or simply chill out in the spa and sample our new Dr. Hauschka facials.

What makes Desroches unique?

Where do I start? Firstly, we have an all-inclusive concept, meaning you don’t need to worry about additional costs. Then there are our gorgeous four-bedroom family villas, deep-sea fishing, and diving opportunities

(Desroches has some of the world’s best scuba sites). We offer private island living, with just a handful of villas and suites on the island and no other hotels in sight: ours is the only one in the Amirantes Islands. We’ve also just opened the Castaway Centre, the biggest of its kind in the Seychelles, which provides state-of-the-art diving and sailing equipment – all guests need to bring is their diving licence.

What can I eat on Desroches?

Fresh fish and seafood, spicy Creole cuisine, fresh salads and wood-fired pizza – we had oyster platters last night (delish!). Le Veloutier, the main restaurant, overlooks the infinity pool and the beach – it’s beautiful. www.desroches-island.com

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller

65

Indonesia

VISIT JAKARTA

Fire-breathing displays, contemporary art exhibitions and designer shopping are all in a day’s work when you visit southeast Asia’s largest city – just make sure you plan around the traffic.

J

akarta is not a city anyone forgets in a hurry. Its nickname, ‘The Big Durian’, perfectly sums up the Indonesian capital’s divisive nature: just like the pungent fruit, you’ll either love it or hate it. The poverty gap is unabashedly visible, the city is so sprawling that walking is not an option (make sure you know which district you’re heading for before getting in a taxi) and the smog is horrendous – but few places are as intoxicating.

No matter the hour, the streets throb with life – hawkers flog handicrafts and everywhere you look are people who’ve followed the bright lights and are determined to make their fortune where countless others have failed. Alongside this warts-’n’-all scene, mall culture has well and truly hit, and if you’re on the hunt for designer goods and air-conditioned environs you’ll be spoilt for choice. Come nightfall, sample the high-end lounges of Plaza Indonesia’s EX Annex, or, for a more alternative experience, check out the world-class underground music scene.

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Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

JAKARTA MUST-DOS The Dutch architecture in Fatahillah Square, Kota (the old town), is slightly out of place but is a fascinating reminder of the city’s colonial past. Head here on a Friday or Saturday night to see fire-breathers and glass-eaters.

Want to shop but can’t shake the feeling that you ought to be doing something more cultural? Alleviate the guilt by making Grand Indonesia (Jalan Mohammad, Husni Thamrin; www. grand-indonesia.com) your mall of choice – its basement was turned into modern gallery space Jakarta Art District earlier this year.

Alternatively, you can pick up anything from traditional Javanese masks to vintage records at Jalan Surabaya, an authentic, open-air

antiques market in the Menteng neighbourhood. It’s quiet, shady and a manageable size.

In the mood for haggling and street food? Glodok (Chinatown) is the place for you, just hold onto your handbag.

There’s no denying that National Museum (12 Jl Medan Merdeka Barat, Gambir 10110, +62 21 386 8172, open Tue-Sun 9am3pm) could do with modernising, if only for the sake of A/C – but its collections of ancient Indonesian artefacts make the heat worth it.

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country, so it’s only fitting that it has a suitably impressive mosque – cue the Masjid Istiqlal (Jalan Taman Wijaya Kusuma), with five floors and room for up to 250,000 worshippers at a time.

CONCIERGE | JAKARTA

Opposite: You couldn’t get much more central than the Mandarin Oriental. This page, clockwise from top left: Travel in style in a bajaj; Luxury at the Mandarin Oriental; The Kemang Icon’s swimming pool; Executive suite at same hotel; Tasty Indonesian satay.

WHERE TO EAT

no

Grand Indonesia

yoto Wiyo

er

Jalan I Gusti Ngurah Rai

al

Tesate

u r Wi

Mandarin Oriental

Jalan Tol Insiny

JAKARTA nd

onto its walls, this new satay restaurant is seriously upmarket.

Cashews, rather than peanuts, are used in the signature sauce, making for a smooth, decadent flavour. Mains from $15.

Masjid Istiqlal National Museum

Je

sleek and contemporary – think cool neutrals complemented by splashes of scarlet or turquoise – and bathrooms feature huge bath tubs and dark wood units. From $160 room only.

Mada

Tesate Plaza Senayan, 4th floor, Jl Asia Afrika, www.tesate.com Accessed via a corridor with Javanese script light-projected

Gajah

Mandarin Oriental Jakarta Jl MH Thamrin, www.mandarinoriental.com The recently refurbished bedrooms at the Mandarin Oriental are

Glodok

l To

setting means Payon is always buzzing, and its spicy rice dishes ensure it has plenty of repeat customers – so be sure to book ahead. Mains from $8.

out of water and even up trees in quest of food.

Jalan

south Jakarta sits above two floors of exclusive shops. It has überslinky, individually designed rooms and a divine rooftop infinity pool.

From $185 room only.

ARGY BAJAJY: In a hurry? Swerve around the traffic in a bajaj, the bright-orange Indonesian answer to Thai tuk-tuks. FISH OUT OF WATER: Indonesia is home to the walking catfish, which can wriggle

lan

Payon Jl Kemang Raya 17, Kemang, +62 21 719 4826 The atmospheric outdoor pagoda

Ja

Images: Mandarin Oriental; Alia Hotels; iStockphto.

WHERE TO STAY Kemang Icon by Alila Jl Kemang Raya 1, www.alilahotels.com This all-suite, boutique hotel in

Payon

Jalan Kolonel Soegiono

Kemang Icon

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 67

Wales

VISIT CARDIFF From epic rugby matches to fairytale castles, Cardiff is the city that has it all.

C

ardiff is one of the most affordable cities in the UK and yet also one of the nicest. Huge green spaces, a gorgeous castle in the city centre and excellent shopping make it a popular tourist destination, and investment in the older areas – most notably the now-swanky Cardiff Bay, which provides the set for much of the Doctor Who television series – has attracted young, wealthy professionals whose presence only enhances the cosmopolitan buzz.

The Welsh are a notoriously patriotic bunch and never is this more obvious than on match days for the national sport: rugby. But while they may roar with pride for their national team, the locals are generally garrulous and friendly, welcoming visitors with open arms (and more often than not, an invitation to join them for a drink). Many of Cardiff’s buildings were either built or revamped in the 19th century by then-richest man in the world John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, third Marquess of Bute, whose tastes veered towards the fairytale-esque, though cutting-edge design is also evident nowadays in the modern developments.

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Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

CONCIERGE | CARDIFF

The Armless Dragon No rth Rd

Lincoln House Ca

th

Bute Park

e

dr al Rd

Opposite, clockwise from left: Cardiff Castle; Castell Coch; Rugby – the national sport; Cardiff Bay. This page, clockwise from below: Wales Millennium Centre; Arcade shopping; Master suite at St David’s Hotel & Spa.

Cast

le S

Arcades

t

St David’s The Thai House Cardiff Castle

Millennium Stadium Ce n t ra

rt

h

Rd

k

na

l Lin

Clare St Pe

CARDIFF Co

rp

or

at

ion

Rd

Millennium Centre Ba Orient St David’s Hotel & Spa Cardiff Bay

CARDIFF MUST-DOS Explore the city centre, first taking in the Arcades – a network of Victorian shopping complexes laced with one-off boutiques – and then St David’s (www. stdavidscardiff.com), a huge new mall offering myriad British

Images: Visit Britain; Castell Coch; Welsh Assembly Government (Crown Copyright); St David’s Hotel & Spa.

favourites, from department stores like John Lewis and Marks & Spencer to smaller home-grown specialists including accessories shop Ollie & Nic and Karen Millen for frocks.

castle surrounded by forest. Then, back in the city, stroll around Cardiff Castle (www.cardiffcastle. com), which was built on the foundations of a Roman fort and decorated in painstaking detail.

Watch the sun set over Cardiff Bay before sampling the city’s finest mocktails and dim-sum at the chic Ba Orient (www.baorient. com) – then take in a performance by the Welsh National Opera at the stunning Millennium Centre (www.wmc.org.uk).

Catch a rugby match at the Millennium Stadium (www. millenniumstadium.com), the 74,200-capacity venue that hosted the FA Cup Final while Wembley was being redeveloped.

The atmosphere is indescribable.

Have a picnic in Bute Park, a glorious (and huge) green space in the city centre that’s flanked

by Cardiff Castle, the River Taff, Sophia Gardens and Pontcanna Fields. The mature parkland is home to a wide array of wildlife as

If no one’s playing, it’s still well worth booking yourself onto a tour of the enormous grounds.

well as ornamental and rare trees – a true joy to visit.

Escape the hustle and bustle with a riverside bike ride along the pretty Taff Trail to the gorgeous Castell Coch, a fairytale-style

Do a day trip to the Gower peninsula, about 90 minutes’ drive from the city. Its expanses of rugged coastline and deserted beaches are simply breathtaking.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH: If you get time, head north to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, if only to be photographed by the welcome sign for what is the longestnamed town in Europe. YOU SAY TOMATO… AND SO DO THEY: Only 20 per cent of Wales’s population is fluent in Welsh – English is far more widely spoken, so you can leave the phrasebook at home.

WHERE TO STAY

WHERE TO EAT

St David’s Hotel & Spa Havannah Street,

The Thai House Guildford Crescent, Churchill

www.thestdavidshotel.com The light-flooded rooms at this high-end hotel feature Cardiff Bay views and cool décor (we love the fur throws) – plus the Marine Spa has been voted one of the world’s best. From $250 room only.

Way, www.thaihouse.biz Launched by its Thai/Welsh owners in 1985, this awardwinning restaurant dishes up exquisite fare: the prawns with coconut and kaffir lime are a must-try. Mains from $14.

Lincoln House

The Armless Dragon

Cathedral Road, www.lincolnhotel.co.uk The owners of this intimate Victorian townhouse have retained its period features – tiled floors, intricate cornicing – and, as well as sumptuous four-posters,

Wyeverne Road, Cathays, www.armlessdragon.co.uk Head here for Welsh food with a contemporary twist – think cockle and laverbread cakes with leek fondue and truffle oil – served in what feels like someone’s home

added modern touches including animal prints. From $135 B&B.

(it could only happen in Cardiff).

Mains from $20.

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 69

Feeling excited about your holiday? Check through our list of the most popular Kanoo Travel offices, find one near you and head down or call up to turn your getaway dreams into reality...

BAHRAIN Abu Obeidah Avenue Wroad No. 302 Manama Tel. 17 576950 Air Canada/Austrian Airlines/Polish Olympic Airways/Sudan Airways/ Sas/Swiss Int’l/Tunis Mahooz Tel. 17 828770 Air India Manama Tel. 17 220788 Airport Office Bahrain Tel. 17 321325 Al Moayd Tower Manama Tel. 17 220220 Awali Branch Sitrah Avenue Road No. 4522 Tel. 17 756487 British Airways Manama Tel. 17 220701 Cyprus Airways Manama Tel. 17 220849 Egypt Air Manama Tel. 17 220747 Kanoo Holidays Mahooz Tel.17 828802 Kanoo Travel Refinery Tel. 17 755012 Lufthansa Mahooz Tel. 17 828763 Mahooz Tel. 17 828754 Qantas/Jetabout Manama Tel. 17220743 Thai International Mahooz Tel. 17 828771

70

EGYPT Alexandria Booz Allen 1 Youssef El-Shazly Street Roushdy, Alexandria Tel. 002 03 5459265

1 Wahib Doss Str. Office No 9, Maadi Tel. 002 02 27513930

Kanoo Travel Rabigh Tel. 02 423 2785

Srilankan Airlines Jeddah Tel. 02 263 2959

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FRANCE Bureau de Change Kanoo Printemps Dept. Store 64 Boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris Tel. +33 1 4282 4181

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Foreign Exchange 11 Rue Scribe Paris 75009 Tel. +33 1 5300 9897

Air Canada Jeddah Tel. 02 263 2996, Ext. 190

Cairo C/O Halliburton Overseas Ltd Kilometer No 10, Land No 30 Ein Sokhna Road North Kattamia, Cairo Tel. 002 02 27591690

Foreign Exchange 11 Cours de I’Intendance Bordeaux 33000 Tel. +33 5 5600 6336

Air India Jeddah Tel. 02 668 0303/669 6571

Dr. Kamal Hussin Heliopolis, Cairo Tel. 002 02 26251307 El Areesh C/O Mfo, Northern Sinai Tel. 002 068 3502868 Heliopolis Business Travel Centre 33 Nabil Elwakkad St Heliopolis, Cairo Tel. 002 02 4130375/6

OMAN Kanoo Travel LLC PO Box 75 114 Jibroo, Muscat Tel. +968 24700249 QATAR Museum Street Corporate Centre Al Hithmi, Doha Tel. 448 3777 Old Al Salatta, Doha Tel. 441 3441

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Ras Laffan Commercial Complex Ras Laffan Tel. 474 8772/4

Luxor Winter Palace Hotel Tel. 002 095 2378333

Salam Tower West Bay, Doha Tel. 483 7826/483 7297

Nile Hilton Down Town, Cairo Tel. 002 02 25785001 C/O Schlumberger Zeiny Tower 25 Misr Helwan Road Maadi Tel. 002 02 7684700 Ext. 1014 C/O U.N.D.P 4th Floor, World Trade Center 1191 Cornich El Nil Tel. 002 02 25804491

Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

SAUDI ARABIA WESTERN PROVINCE Kanoo Centre Medina Road, Jeddah Tel. 02 661 4950

Aboobacker Al Siddiq Street, Medina Tel. 04 823 9120

Albishar Commercial Centre King Abdulaziz Street Al Bahar, Yanbu Tel. 04 322 1087 Al Nawa Commercial Centre Al Sinnaiyat, Yanbu Tel. 04 321 3607 Bab Makkah Jeddah Tel. 02 644 9030 Bamaroof Centre Hail Street, Jeddah Tel. 02 653 0541 Gulf Air Jeddah Tel. 02 668 0303/669 Kenyan Airways Jeddah Tel.02 263 2959 Ext. 108 Khamis Abha Main Road Khamis Mushayat Tel. 07 222 3624 Philippine Airways Jeddah Tel. 02 263 2959 Ext. 100/122

City Centre Al Mahoob Buidling Hufuf Tel. 03 586 3823 Dhahran Street Damman Tel. 03 833 7694

United Airlines Jeddah Tel. 02 263 3021/2959 Ext. 196/197

Gulf Air Khobar Tel. 03 896 8496/ 9393/8493

EASTERN PROVINCE Kanoo Building Corniche Road Jubail Tel. 03 362 2340

Gulf Air Dammam Tel.03 835 4194/4917/ 4952

Kanoo Holidays Retail Airline Centre, Khobar Tel. 03 882 2206/2601/2249 Kanoo Holidays Wholesale Airline Centre Khobar Tel. 03 8821626/1851/ 8820161 Kanoo Tower King Saud Street, Damman Tel. 03 833 9793

Gulf Air Qatif Tel. 03 852 9384/ 854 5240 Gulf Air Rastanura Tel. 03 667 8041/7972 Gulf Air Hofuf Tel. 03 585 3358/ 4080/2252 Gulf Air Jubail Tel. 03 363 0982/84

Airport Office Dammam Tel. 03 883 2660/2660

Hertz Khobar Tel. 03 882 2005/5597

Air India Khobar Tel. 03 882 2478

King Khalid Street Khobar Tel. 03 864 7471

Air India Jubail Tel. 03 362 3454

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Srilankan Airlines Khobar Tel. 03 882 2789/2675/2792

Kanoo Travel Medinah Tel. 02 263 3040

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British Airways Dammam Tel. 03 835 5714

Kanoo Travel Sharafiya Tel. 02 643 9426

Singapore Airlines Jeddah Tel. 02 657 9898

British Airways Jubail Tel. 03 362 1069

United Airlines/Air Canada/Singapore Airlines/Swissair/ Austrian Airlines Tel. 03 882 1518/2962/ 2602/03 882 4477/4442

CONCIERGE | BOOK YOUR TRIP

WIN A TWO-NIGHT STAY AT THE COVE ROTANA RESORT Situated in the quiet emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the Cove Rotana Resort (www.rotana. com) is the ideal place for escaping the stresses of everyday life. Nestling around a natural inlet on the placid Gulf coastline, the village-like complex draws on Arabic design principles to offer rooms and villas decked out with soothing colours and fabrics. There are six dining options and the swimming pools, spa, private beach and nearby golf courses will keep you entertained for the duration of your stay.

THE PRIZE We’ve got a two-night stay including breakfast and a 30-minute massage for two to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, simply answer the following question and email your answer to easywin@hotmediapublishing.com.

Q. How many dining options does the Cove Rotana Resort offer? a) b) c)

Three Six Fifty

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Entries must be submitted on or before September 30, 2010. Prize cannot be transferred to a third party or exchanged for cash. Prize must be used before March 31, 2011.

47th Street Rahima Tel. 03 667 0388 CENTRAL PROVINCE Kanoo Tower King Abdul Aziz Road Riyadh Tel. 01 477 2228 Kanoo Travel Naseem Tel. 01 232 8519 Airport Road Hail Tel. 06 543 0430

Main Street Al Khamseen Wadi Ad Dawasir Tel. 01 784 6500

Kanoo Building Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street, Bur Dubai Tel. 04 507 2242

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Philippine Airlines Kanoo Tower Riyadh Tel. 01 477 2228 Ext. 237/238

Kanoo Building Al Orouba Street, Sharjah Tel. 06 561 6058

UK Birmingham American Express Bank House 8 Cherry Street Tel. 0121 644 5514/ 0121 644 5560

Qantas Kanoo Tower Riyadh Tel. 01 477 2228 Ext. 288/305

Air India Kanoo Tower, Riyadh Tel. 01 477 2228

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Air India Buraidah Tel. 06 324 6514/325 0888

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Gulf Air Olaya, Riyadh Tel. 01 461 0589/462 4902 Gulf Air Hail Tel. 06 532 0280

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Kanoo Travel – American Express Hermitage Building Al Karama Tel. 04 334 9219 Kanoo Travel Corniche, Abu Dhabi Tel. 02 631 3900/631 8187 Airport Office Dubai Tel. 04 393 1963 Deira City Centre Dubai Tel. 04 294 1481 Dubai Internet City Building 12 Tel. 04 390 1992 Green Community Jebel Ali Road Dubai Tel. 04 885 3321 Jebel Ali LOB 16, Ground Floor Jebel Ali Free Zone Tel. 04 881 5050 Karama Al Fathooi Centre, Dubai Tel. 04 334 1222 Marine Travel Services Dubai Tel. 04 335 1314

Bournemouth American Express 95A Old Christchurch Road Tel. 07872 600528/ 01202 780 752 Brighton Amex House Implant American Express Ground Floor Amex House Edward Street Tel. 01273 525 041/040

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London American Express 1 Savoy Court, The Strand Tel. 0207 240 1521

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September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 71

CONCIERGE | MATERA

SUITE DREAMS LE GROTTE DELLA CIVITA, ITALY

Ever slept in a cave before? Neither had we, until we discovered this fascinating project, which has seen part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the stone city of Matera – converted into 18 extraordinary hotel rooms. The grottoes have been lived in since prehistoric times, and we suspect the original inhabitants might have been pretty jealous if they’d seen the luxury their humble dwellings were destined to be steeped in several millennia later. Owners Margareta Berg and Daniele Kihlgren have restored the caves with meticulous attention to detail, preserving all traces of the site’s history, from the centuries-old wood used for the furniture to the iron rings in the walls, which working animals were tethered to. It’s not all dim lighting and mystery, though – venture out to the gardens and you’ll be blasted with panoramic vistas across the Murgia Park river valley. www.sassidimatera.com

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Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

T H E R E ’ S M O R E TO EX P E R I E N C E W HEN YOU H AV E 2 DAYS F R EE.

Wherever you travel this summer, experience more with InterContinental. For every seven consecutive nights you stay at a participating hotel in the Middle East and Africa, two of the nights will be complimentary. Spend the extra time exploring your destination with our local knowledge to guide you, and create memories that last a lifetime.

Do you live an InterContinental life?

For more details or to make a reservation, please call us at UAE 800 4642 Saudi Arabia 800 8 971 465 or visit intercontinental.com/7for5 Offer valid from 4th May – 15th September.

Terms & conditions apply. See website for details.

Bahrain 800 00 880 | Egypt 0800 44 333 22 | Jordan 0800 22 666 | Kuwait 2473 2100 Ext.6233 | Lebanon (01) 426 801 (ask for 866 866 7556) Oman 800 77 999 | Qatar 0800 971 234 | Saudi Arabia 800 8 971 465 | South Africa 0800 999 136 | UAE 800 4642