THE REGION’S BIGGEST LU XURY TR AV EL M AGAZINE
June 2014
Complimentary Copy
Issue Seventy Four
adventure lands
NEW ZEALAND How best to enjoy the great outdoors
THE NORTH POLE Feel the chill on a summer cruise
MEXICO
Produced in International Media Production Zone
Make like Indiana Jones in Yucatán
Almaty Copenhagen Avignon Sardinia Adelaide
A ND YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD ONLY STAY W ITH US IN CITIES?
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June // 2014
Editor’s Note Issue Seventy Four, June 2014
Crack an egg on your car bonnet and I’m pretty sure it’ll fry in Dubai right now. Yes, it’s that time of the year where the mercury rises to over 40 degrees Celsius and people like me moan. Moan about the weather, moan about the humidity and moan about their al fresco-living lifestyle being confined to the great indoors. So to keep my grumblings at bay, the team at WT has pulled together an issue brimful of inspiring destinations to see me (and you) through the start of summer. First up is Provence. Our writer Anthony Peregrine heads to Arles and Avignon for Europe’s biggest (and rather bizarre) theatre event, before a pregnant Liz Edwards grows up for good and before ‘two’s company’ becomes ‘three’s a crowd finds her Neverland in Mexico. Active readers should turn to page 44 and follow WT on a bicycle tour around some of New Zealand’s breathtaking landscape, while for something closer to home check out our Weekends section, which is packed with shorthaul ideas and essentials. As for me, you’ll find me indoors, next to the fan, wishing it were winter already. Enjoy the issue! 2
Managing Director
Victoria Thatcher Editorial Director
John Thatcher Business Development Director
Jason Brown Editor
Tracey Scott Deputy Editor
Richard Jenkins Features Editor
Lara Brunt Senior Designer
Adam Sneade Designer & Illustrator
Andy Knappett Production Manager
Chalitha Fernando To contact any of the above people, email firstname@hotmediapublishing.com
Jun-Dec 2013 | 23,167 | BPA Consumer Audit 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 World Traveller. Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494
Tracey Scott tracey@hotmediapublishing.com
@WT_Magazine
Cover: Annandale, South Island, New Zealand.
June // 2014
CHECK IN 6-27
The Essentials Hotel openings, school holiday ideas, city-break guides and plenty more to boot, including why the luxurious Metropole Hanoi has its fair share of secrets.
50
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
44
29
Body Block Our guide to this season’s mustdon sun lotions and three city hotels for serious shoppers.
FEATURES 32
My Copenhagen The head chef at the world’s best restaurant, Noma, reveals his city highlights.
38
Double Act Arles and Avignon might be neighbours geographically, but the two cities couldn’t be further apart in attitude.
44
On Your Bike Follow Christopher Walking on a mountainous tour around New Zealand – on a bicycle.
50
Discovery Island There’s much to explore on the stunning island of Sardinia.
60
Baby on Board Can our seven-month-pregnant writer deal with Mexico’s lofty peaks? You bet she can.
WEEKENDS 67-80 4
Contents
32
Short-haul escapes Inspiring ideas for enjoying the GCC and beyond, including our favourite half-dozen hotel suites and how best to spend a weekend in Almaty.
June // 2014
Check In
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The Essentials
World Traveller
June // 2014
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Gather for a new Iftar experience at Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates Hotel Iftar at Sanabel Enjoy the best of Arabic cuisine with our signature roasted lamb ouzi and traditional Ramadan drinks. Extend your evening at Vantage Terrace with a shisha and live coverage of the World Cup. For younger guests a dedicated kids’ corner with Wii and PlayStation awaits. Ouzi to go Celebrate Iftar with friends and family and let us do the cooking for you, with our signature roasted lamb ouzi and traditional accompaniments to go.
Adults AED 135 Kids from 6-12 years old AED 67 Kids below 6 years old complimentary Special group prices upon request Shisha starting from AED 60 Sunset until 2 am
For 6 to 8 kg of ouzi AED 895 From 29th June to 31st of July, 2014 Please place your order 48 hours in advance
For more information, reservations and orders please call +971 4 377 2353 e – 03889.sanabel@sheraton.com or visit sheraton.com/dubaimalloftheemirates
©2013 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, Sheraton and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates. For full terms and conditions, visit sheraton.com/dubaimalloftheemirates
June // 2014
World Traveller Worldwide
CHILD’S PLAY London
A Bulgari Banquet
Summertime means school holidays. Keep your little ones entertained at these terrific attractions from around the globe.
London’s ultraluxe hotel reveals Rivea, its glamorous eatery. ii Ì i Ãi Ã>Ì Ã v Ì> Þ and Provence in the heart of Vi ÌÀ> ` ] >Ã Ì i Õ }>À Ìi E ,ià `i Vià >Þv> À open the doors of their ÃÕ «ÌÕ Õà iÜ ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> Ì] , Ûi>° 7 Ì i Õà VÕÀ>Ìi` LÞ Ƃ > ÕV>ÃÃi½Ã «À Ìj}j
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ONE TO WATCH
Our pick of offthe-radar travel experiences
TETIAROA, FRENCH POLYNESIA
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June // 2014
London
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Check In
Welcome to The Residence by Etihad Check in to the most exclusive address in the sky: the world’s first three-room private cabin on-board our new A380, designed for up to two guests. Relax in the living room of The Residence, freshen up in the ensuite shower room or rest in your own bedroom while having your every need catered to by a personal Butler and an inflight Chef. Only one airline could have created this remarkable travel experience. Introducing the A380 – Reimagined by Etihad
Flying Abu Dhabi to London, starting December 2014. etihad.com/theresidence
Winner Middle East’s Leading Airline 2014
June // 2014
World Traveller
Himalayas
A dashing adventure
The Himalayan Dash revs its engines this month Racing off the starting grid in New Delhi on June 21, the Himalayan Dash will see a convoy of cars travel through half a dozen mountain towns before finishing in Srinagar
on July 1. The 11-night expedition has been running annually since 2010, and is now partnered with several luxury hotels and camping sites along the route – our
personal pick being the Wildflower Hall, nestled high among the evergreen trees of Shimla. For more information on joining the party, visit cougarmotorsport.in
TRAVEL CALENDAR
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Abu Dhabi’s ‘Summer Season’ begins, with three full months jam-packed with theatre, ballet, music concerts and more.
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The FIFA World Cup kicks off in Brazil, and sees the host nation take on Croatia.
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Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Best enjoyed outdoors.
I WANT TO...
Inspiring ideas for your bucket list
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... SET FOOT ON THE NORTH POLE When most travel destinations are packed with other likeminded souls, a truly isolated experience is hard to come by. On top of the world at the North Pole, that’s a worry you won’t have. The Arctic summer comes at the same time as Europe’s, and cruises to the Arctic are running now that the ice has melted far back enough to allow ships though. Polar bears, walrus and arctic hares will give you a thrilling taste of wildlife, but wrap up - it’ll still be sub-zero.
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The month of sport continues as The Wimbledon Championships begin in London. Strawberries and cream at the ready.
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June // 2014
TRAVEL DOWNLOAD
All the media you need, whatever your journey APPS
FILM
WeatherPro Need to check the weather anywhere in the world? WeatherPro probably has you covered, as it will give you data on no less than two million geographical locations worldwide.
Jetlag Genie One for frequent travellers, this clever clock will help overcome the fatigue of jetlag by telling you exactly when and for how long you should be sleeping.
HERCULES Dwayne Johnson dominates this sword-and-sandals i« V ÃiÌ > V i Ì ÀiiVi > Ì Õ} Ì Ü>Ã w i`
in equally stunning Hungary and Croatia). Playing the fearless warrior, Johnson must take down an evil warlord - our money’s on The Rock to win.
Sunscreen Perfect for summer holidays – just input your location, skin type and SPF choice and this app will let you know when you need to reapply sunblock to keep out harmful UV rays.
Three strangers come together to stop a crazed lunatic from destroying thousands of innocent lives. King’s latest is a masterclass in suspense with one of his most memorable villains.
Onavo Banish dataroaming excess with this clever app that smartly cuts down your data usage by only loading the bare minimum you need on websites, emails and more.
Stumbled upon any useful travel apps recently? Let us know...
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@WT_Magazine
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MUSIC
MR. MERCEDES Stephen King
BOOKS HARD CHOICES Hillary Clinton After losing out in the 2008 presidential run, Hillary Clinton was asked to serve as Barack Obama’s Secretary of State. This account chronicles the extraordinary four years of that tenure.
LANA DEL REY
Ultraviolence Del Rey’s sophomore effort will have to go a long way to replicate the success of her debut smash, Born to Die. Sultry vocals and epic videos abound. JACK WHITE
Lazaretto The erstwhile White Stripes and Raconteurs frontman releases his
second solo effort, with carefully crafted blues and rock the cornerstones. ED SHEERAN
x More tuneful exuberance from the mop-topped singersongwriter, and plenty of cool collaborations as well.
World Traveller
June // 2014
Graphic language
Saint Petersburg DURING WWII
LENINGRAD (AS IT WAS THEN KNOWN)
Peter & Paul Fortress
From June 11 to July 2 the sun never sinks below the horizon, so day or night the city never gets fully dark. This is known as the ‘White Nights’ phenomenon, common to Northern Europe.
900 withstood a
Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, this imposing structure was originally used as a prison. Since 1924 it’s found a new life as a museum, housing several important Russian artworks and artefacts.
Moskovsky
DAY SIEGE AT THE COST OF
2.2 MILLION SOLDIERS
&
CIVILIANS LIVES Petrogradsky
Primorsky
Krasnogvardeysky
93 There are
180
140
SAINT PETERSBURG
100 80 60 17
40
Shanghai
Rome
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Berlin
300KM AMOUNTS TO
120
New York
WHOSE TOTAL LENGTH
NO. OF MUSEUMS BY CITY
160
RIVERS AND CANALS IN
Saint Petersburg resident Dmitri Mendleyev was the ÃV i Ì ÃÌ Ü wÀÃÌ > ` ÕÌ the Periodic Table as we now know it. He also helped found ,ÕÃà >½Ã wÀÃÌ Àiw iÀÞ°
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Saint Petersburg
Other famed sons of the city include Fyodor Dostoevsky, composer Igor Stravinsky and the great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin.
World Traveller
June // 2014
Spotlight On
ADELAIDE
The alternative capital of Australia has some exciting attractions
Venues
Victoria Square/Tarntanyannga
The newly renovated Victoria Square is the cultural centre of the famous Adelaide Fringe Festival. As revellers bounce from show to show, they are always drawn back to this hub of entertainment – which features dancers and other wild entertainers every night. adelaidefringe.com/au
Adelaide Oval
Hailed as “the world’s prettiest cricket ground” even before its recent redevelopment, the Adelaide Oval hosts cricket matches between interstate and international teams, as well as “Aussie Rules” (a cross between rugby and Gaelic football) matches in winter. adelaideoval.com/au
Adelaide Festival Theatre
Found inside the city’s Festival Centre, the theatre is the largest proscenium arch (the bit that surrounds the stage opening) in Adelaide. Hosting any live artistic function you could mention, the theatre is the heart of Adelaide’s alternative entertainment scene. adelaidefestival. com/au
Sights
Adelaide Botanic Garden The lush southern part of Australia is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. The Botanic Garden houses the mighty Bicentennial Conservatory, which recreates a tropical rainforest.
Central Market
Some 250 stalls line the streets of the Central Market, with foodstuffs from around the world vying for the attention of your taste buds. Open all year round, it’s a culinary treat for any visitor keen to expand their palate.
The German Club
Founded in 1886, the German Club is an important part of South Australia – 10 per cent of the population is of German descent, after all. The club promotes a friendly German atmosphere and helps encourage the language and social activities of the Bavarians – with Oktoberfest being an annual highlight. thegermanclub. com/au
North Terrace
The best place to soak up Adelaide’s history is along the North Terrace, a milelong avenue which holds several historical buildings, including a remodelled 1920s railway station and one of Australia’s oldest churches.
West Terrace Cemetery
Far from being a maudlin or morbid tourist attraction, the Cemetery has been a part of Ƃ`i > `i à Vi Ì Ü>à wÀÃÌ > ` out in 1837. Now the marble and slate memorials tell the story of Adelaide’s past, alongside several peaceful walking trails.
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The Insider...
Siddhartha Kaul from InterContinental Adelaide on the city’s three best restaurants. Chloe’s is located in a restored villa and features a diverse collection of antiques, paintings and silverware. Owner Nick Papazahariakis brings his wealth of knowledge to create an inspiring dining experience.
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A short walk from the hotel, Auge Ristorante offers a memorable Italian inspired evening. The restaurant has recently been renovated. Located on Level One of InterContinental Adelaide, award-magnet Shiki has risen to the heights of culinary success.
June // 2014
brought to you by
Switzerland Warwick Geneva 4 nights from USD725 per person. Special offer: Savings of up to 20% on room rates*. Includes: Stay in a Classic Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: July 1-July 31 2014* *Minimum stay 4 nights
World Traveller Holiday Offers
A wonderfully located property in the centre of the vibrant yet compact city of Geneva, here you can walk to everything you would wish to see and do around the >} wVi Ì > i°
USA The Peninsula Beverly Hills 2 nights from USD710 per person. Special Offer: Family Offer – 50% discount on adjoining children’s room. Includes: Stay in a Deluxe Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: July 1–September 15, 2014. If you want to be a star then what better place to stay in the city of the stars, lounge by the pool or stroll to the designer stores on Rodeo Drive. Here the world is waiting for you.
Seychelles How to Book 20
You can book these offers by calling dnata on +971 4 316 6666 or by visiting dnatatravel.com. Terms and conditions apply. On the same site you can also sign up to dnata’s newsletter and receive more offers direct to your inbox.
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Sainte Anne Resort & Spa 3 nights from USD1,310 per person. Special offer: Savings of up to 25% on room rates for bookings made 30 days in advance. Includes: Stay in a Garden Villa with breakfast daily and return airport transfers.
Validity: July 1–September 30, 2014. If you ever need to escape then this is the place to come to; hidden away amongst the lush forests yet right on the beach, this is the perfect island paradise.
World Traveller
June // 2014
Thailand The Westin Siray Bay Resort and Spa Phuket 3 nights from USD245 per person. Special offer: Reduced Rates by 20% plus two children up to 12 years stay and eat free when sharing with adults. Includes: Stay in a Superior Sea View Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: Now ‘til October 31, 2014. Whether you wish to explore and use energy or you wish to recharge and relax, all of this is offered at the Westin Siray Bay. Large rooms and great facilities make it a true retreat.
Singapore Mandarin Oriental Singapore 3 nights from USD780 per person. Special offer: Stay 3 nights and receive an additional night free. Includes: Stay in a Premier Harbour Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: June 27-August 31, 2014. A true favourite of ours, LÕ Ì Þi>ÀÃ v wÀÃÌ V >ÃÃ service, amazing rooms and great facilities. The Mandarin Oriental is a haven from the hustle and bustle of Singapore.
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June // 2014
Rob Arrow
Why Melbourne presents the perfect summer getaway
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With the heat set to rise in the region, and with the summer holiday around the corner, now is the time to plan a trip to cooler climes - starting with a trip to Melbourne. Often overlooked in favour of its more showy sister city Sydney, Melbourne is in fact alive with cool cafés, some of the best dining experiences to be had in the Southern hemisphere and an abundance of independently-owned boutique stores. This Australian city really is a fun, vibrant and happening city. From the glittering towers in the central business district crossing over the mystical Yarra River to the restaurantlined Southbank area, there’s much to Ãii ÃÕV > Ã > >Ài>° Ƃ iÞÜ>ÞÃ w i` with kitsch eating establishments or the latest coffee shops, you can spend hours hopping from one to another. Of course there are the great tourist attractions, too, such as Skydeck 88 at Eureka Tower with its glass cube observation deck, which projects three metres out from the building. Then there’s the city’s many museums, such as the Immigration Museum and the Old Melbourne Gaol. What really brings Melbourne into its own are the cute districts around the central area, from the high-end designer boutiques in Toorak and South Yarra to the urban art world of Fitzory and the authentic Lygon Street in Melbourne’s Little Italy, there’s more to Melbourne than meets the eye. On a cold winter’s morning sip coffee in Proud Mary café just off Smith Street. From there, head down to St Kilda, a suburb in Melbourne, and take a brisk walk along the beach, stopping for lunch at one of the many independent restaurants. Then spend the afternoon Ài >Ý } LÞ > wÀi] V >ÌÌ } Ü Ì vÀ i `Ã this chilled city. If you want to experience a true winter scene, then head north of Melbourne to the winter ski area of Mount Hotham. Go by plane and you’ll be back in Melbourne for dinner and a show in one of the many theatres that same evening. To book a holiday to Melbourne or to explore more of Australia, please contact dnata. I have also picked some wonderful deals to enjoy over the summer months.
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Maldives
LUX* Maldives 4 nights from USD935 per person. Special offer: Stay for 3 nights and receive an additional night free, plus one child under 12 years stays free. Includes: Stay in a Beach Pavilion room with breakfast daily and ÀiÌÕÀ ÌÀ> ÃviÀÃ ` iÃÌ V y } ÌÃ + speedboat). Validity: 01 June – 11 July 2014 We love LUX* at dnata, the laidback, fun yet relaxing concept of the resort, makes it a unique place to stay in the Maldives. From the most beautifully designed rooms and suites, to the most relaxing of spas, the hideaway feeling is felt throughout.
Cyprus
InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort 4 nights from USD665 per person. Special offer: dnata exclusive - stay 3 nights and receive an additional night free. Includes: Stay in a Deluxe Room Garden or Pool View breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: 01 May 2014 – 13 July 2014* * Blackout period 18 May - 01 June 2014 The Aphrodite Hills resort is no ordinary resort, it is a luxurious holiday haven on the sun-kissed island of Cyprus, set amongst pine forests and vast green swathes of golf course. The large rooms with wonderful garden views or open views to the pool are perfect for a family, and with all the activities available at the resort you will not be short of things to do over four nights.
Malaysia
Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur 3 nights from USD345 per person. Special Offer: Reduced rates by 10%.
LUX* Maldives
Includes: Stay in a Grand Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: Now ‘til 31 July, 2014. A new addition to the Kuala Lumpur hotel scene, the property is unique in the city. The ‘wow’ factor starts on check in; high up above the city Ü Ì y À Ì Vi } Ü ` ÜÃ overlooking the Petronas Towers and the centre of KL. In fact The Grand Hyatt has considered everything in making this the must-stay hotel in the city.
Qatar
W Doha Hotel & Residences 1 night from USD150 per person Special Offer: Guaranteed complimentary upgrade to a suite, 10% discount on food & beverage and 15 additional minutes free when booking any massage. Includes: Stay in a Spectacular Room with breakfast daily. Validity: Now ‘til September 13, 2014. This is still the only W hotel in the Gulf region and it makes it a fun local getaway. The rooms are a mixture of Arabic chic with cool colourful fabrics, while The Market restaurant has such fantastic food you’d think you were in the latest bistro in London or New York. Do, however, always make time for the aptly named Bliss Spa.
W Doha Hotel & Residences
World Traveller
June // 2014
Come Fly With Me Jet off with Singapore Airlines to Asia and beyond this summer and experience the height of luxury
Singapore
St Regis Singapore 3 nights from USD605 per person* Includes: Stay in Executive Deluxe Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfer. Validity: Now ‘til-September 1, 2014. *book by June 30.
Singapore
Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
Concorde Hotel 3 nights from USD315 per person. Includes: Stay in Deluxe Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: Now ‘til-September 30, 2014.
Thailand
The Peninsula Bangkok 3 nights from USD295 per person Special Offer: Stay 2 nights and receive an extra night free . Includes: Stay in a Deluxe Room with breakfast daily. Validity: Now ‘til -October 31, 2014.
About Singapore Airlines
InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort
Experience the comfort of our spacious Economy Class cabin with our all-inclusive fare from USD 620 to Singapore. Snuggle up in our Givenchy`ià } i` v>LÀ V Ãi>Ì V ÛiÀ > ` Ü Ì > Ü>À Ûi V Þ yiiVi L > iÌ° 7>ÌV your favourite programmes on KrisWorld’s entertainment options with nearly 100 television shows, more than 180 music CDs and over 55 exciting video games. Complementing these features are the tantalising menus specially created by our International Culinary Panel of renowned chefs, iÝµÕ Ã Ìi > `« V i` Ü iÃ] > ` Ì i y } Ì ÃiÀÛ Vi iÛi Ì iÀ > À ià Ì> about. CTA: Subject to availability. For air fares please contact 00971 4 316 6666 or visit dnatatravel.com
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Historic Hotel #12
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If you’re putting the word ‘legend’ in your title, you’d better be able to back it up with some seriously historic VÀi`i Ì > ð ÕV Þ] Ì i - wÌi Legend Metropole Hanoi is one of the few hotels in the world with the stories to back up the name. Established in 1901, the hotel’s centuryplus of entertaining has seen ambassadors, celebrities and even royalty through its French colonial doors. The list makes for fascinating reading: Somerset Maugham wrote The
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MOMENTOUS METROPOLE
This Hanoi hotel comes steeped in stories Gentleman in the Parlour while on a stay there; when Charlie Chaplin married Paulette Goddard in 1936, they spent their honeymoon there; Graham Green’s most famous novel, The Quiet American, was written in one of its suites.
These luminaries were drawn in by the hotel’s stellar location, moments away from the Hanoi Opera House, deep in the city’s French quarter. The luxurious décor inside wouldn’t have hurt either – opulent Asian styling is tucked indoors behind
grand French wrought-iron details on the exterior. Le Spa du Metropole mixes French elegance with ancient Asian rituals in sumptuously relaxing spa treatment rooms, while some of the city’s most exciting restaurants are found on the Õ««iÀ y Àð >À i >« may have been one of the greatest clowns ever born – but the Metropole Hanoi is nothing to joke about – it proudly boasts the title of ‘Best Hotel in Vietnam’ for a reason. UQƂVGN EQO
Our Sun
OUTSHINES THE REST
Rooms and service beyond expectation. Food and beverage beyond imagination. Welcome to a new breed of deluxe hospitality. Welcome to Southern Sun Abu Dhabi.
Al Mina Street, Tourist Club Area, PO Box 51997, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates T: +971 2 818-4888 E: reservations.abudhabi@tsogosun.com
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Summer LOVE Four luxury hotels we can’t wait to open this summertime
Park Hyatt, New York
When staying in the Big Apple, the ultra-glamorous Park Hyatt New York pushes city luxury to jaw-dropping new heights. Huge rooms offering breathtaking views of Central Park are yours for the taking, along with a Midtown location that puts you within walking distance of the park, Carnegie Hall and Seventh Avenue.
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Peninsula, Paris
Six years in the making, the Peninsula Paris will truly have been worth the wait when it opens its doors in August. À> Vi½Ã w iÃÌ >ÀÌ Ã> Ã Û } Þ restored a late 19th Century classic French building, which stands moments away from the Arc de Triomphe, to put the Peninsula brand’s stamp on the City of Light.
Archer Hotel, New York Cool, suave and sophisticated – that’s the eponymous Archer, who invites you to stay at his sleek Midtown Manhattan residence. A little bit quirky, a little bit boutique and a whole lot of luxury, the Archer Hotel (and its rooftop bar) is going to be one of New York’s hottest spots when reservations open on June 10.
Sea Sentosa, Bali
Poised to add more luxury to Bali’s stunning coastline when it opens at the end of June, the Sea Sentosa resort puts emphasis on design, making a home in Canggu, on Bali’s west coast. The lagoon-style swimming pool makes the entire Àià ÀÌ i ̽à y >Ì } water – what could be more relaxing?
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Live the ultimate water adventure Book tickets online now at yaswaterworld.com Open daily from 10AM / +971 2 414 2000
June // 2014
World Traveller
&
Style Wellness BODY BLOCK
Too often, ladies leave the house without the appropriate protection, and in this part of the world – where mercury rises to plus-40 this month and next – the damage is irrevocable. Check out WT’s pick of products to protect your skin from the Middle East’s powerful UV rays…
THE SPA EXPERIENCE
,i >Ý Ì i Ü À `½Ã wÀÃÌ underwater spa
HUVAFEN FUSHI MALDIVES
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Want to drink in the views even when you’re having a massage? You can at ] Ì i Ü À `½Ã wÀÃÌ Õ `iÀÜ>ÌiÀ ë>° While the two glass-walled treatment rooms below the sea may sound gimmicky, LIME backs it up with some of the best bespoke treatments in the Maldives, using Anne Semonin products. The resort itself boasts 43 over-thewater bungalows, plus six restaurants and bars, including a unique cellar restaurant eight metres under the ocean.
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When it comes to skincare, Clarins is a connoisseur. And this summer the beauty brand has launched its Sun Care Oil Spray, a dry oil for the hair and body with SPF30 sun protection. A must buy.
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WT is a huge fan of beauty products that offer a three-in-one solution, and Guerlain’s hydrating BB balm scores a hat-trick when it comes to combining the importance of sunscreen with the effects of moisturizing.
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Look out for Clinique’s CC cream, a multitasking formula that promises colour correction, complete coverage and sunscreen protection in one step.
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RETAIL ROOM SERVICE Find yourself in a new city without the appropriate wardrobe? Then you’d better hope that you’ve checked in to i v Ì iÃi wÛi ÃÌ>À Ìi Ão New York
Net-A-Porter has partnered with new midtown Manhattan boutique hotel WestHouse to provide guests with bespoke shopping services. westhousehotelnewyork.com
Abu Dhabi
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers will bring items directly from the neighbouring luxury shopping mall, Avenue at Etihad Towers, to your room. Jumeirah.com
London
Staying at the St James’s? Then Augustus Couture will build a wardrobe around your budget, style and occasion. All that’s required of you is some cash and a short Q&A. stjameshotelandclub.com
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Spa La La Keen to refresh both mind and body this summer? Then head to the hills... Over in Mallorca one hotel is taking the wellness concept very seriously indeed. This summer, the Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa, located high in the cliff tops on the northwest coast of the island, is pairing its spa menu with a speciallyprepared food menu. Inspired by local produce and seasonal fruits, each month the hotel will pick an ingredient, tailor a spa treatment around said food (using its natural oils and extracts during the treatment) and prepare a lunch to complement the treatment. Upcoming themes include oranges in June, Rosemary in July, thyme in August, grapes in September and olives in October. To the cliff top we go.
World Traveller
June // 2014
Thrilling Villas
World Traveller Promotion *Subject to 10% municipality fee and 10% service charge
Save on Dubai’s only Over Water Villas this summer
For more information or to make a reservation, please call +971 4 567 8888 or email resdubaipalm@anantara.com
By the time the middle of the year rolls around, most people are ready for a holiday – but a long-haul trip with plane journeys is not everyone’s cup of tea. Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa has got just the answer for a luxurious stay with a local feel. This summer, from July 1-29, the resort is offering its elegant over water villas for just AED1,999* per night, including breakfast for two people. If you have ever daydreamed about Thailand or the Maldives’ gorgeous residences built over the sea, Anantara’s plush Over Water Villas provide the same feeling of peace and tranquillity, without leaving the UAE. Shoals of shimmering fish will flit past the villa’s glass floor as you recline in the comfortable sofas, drinking in the stunning coastline beyond the private deck. When the sun gets too hot, simply dive into the Arabian Gulf ’s crystalclear waters to cool down. As well as access to some of the most beautifully appointed Over Water Villas in the world, a stay at Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa has plenty more to recharge your batteries. The Anantara Spa is hidden away in a luxurious Asian inspired sanctuary that contains 17 treatment rooms, couples suites, an outdoor spa terrace and whirlpool and enough types of treatments to keep you relaxed during your stay. From the tips of your toes up to a Sundari Shirodhara Head Massage, the team of experts at the spa have got magic in their hands to soothe away any stresses. To put a cap on your memorable time at the resort, dine in one of its four sensational restaurants – Crescendo’s international buffet will satisfy any craving; Mekong’s haute Asian cuisine would impress the world’s best chefs; The Beach House’s Mediterranean cuisine is set to a backdrop of the stunning sea and Bushman’s Restaurant and Bar reflects the Australian otutback with a variety of meat and seafood. Beat those mid-year blues at Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa – the memories will last a lifetime.
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June // 2014
My COPENHAGEN René Redzepi, chef at the world’s best restaurant, Noma, shares his tips on where to eat and what to see in the Danish capital
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i v Ì i ÃÌ >} wVi Ì Ì }à >L ÕÌ Ì i V ÌÞ Ã Ì >Ì iÛi Ì Õ} > «i « i Ûi iÀi] Ì vii à like a small town. " i v Þ v>Û ÕÀ Ìi Ì }Ã Ì ÀiV i ` Ã Ì Ì> i > > à À ÃÌ > Ƃ `iÀÃi Ì ÕÀ v Ì i ` Ì Ü ] ÌiÀ> Þ v Ü } à v ÌÃÌi«Ã V «i >}i Ü> ðV ®° 9 Õ½ Ãii > Ì v ÕÀ Li>ÕÌ vÕ ` LÕ ` }à > ` Ì V iVÌÃ Þ Õ Ì Ì i V ÌÞ > ëiV > Ü>Þ° Ƃ Ì iÀ vÕ Ì } Ì ` Ã Ì Û Ã Ì Ì i vÀiiÌ Ü v À ÃÌ > >° Ì Ã ÌÀÕ Þ Õ µÕi q > > ÌiÀ >Ì Ûi à V iÌÞ Ü Ì Ã V iÌÞ° 7> `iÀ
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>Ü>Þ vÀ *Õà iÀ -ÌÀiiÌ > ` Ü>ÌV Ì i « >Vi Õ v `° ̽à > L Ì i`}Þ] ÞiÃ] LÕÌ Ì >à }Ài>Ì i iÀ}Þ q « ÕÃ Ì iÞ ` } ` v> >vi ð v Þ Õ½Ài } v À > `>Þ ÌÀ « ÕÌà `i Ì i V ÌÞ] ÀiV i ` À>}à >ÃÌ i <i> > ` q ̽à >} wVi Ì° Ûi LiÌÌiÀ] ëi ` > } Ì Ì iÀi° / i V } Ì i ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> Ì Ã Ûi}iÌ>L i L>Ãi` > ` ̽à }Ài>Ì° "À Ì> i > Óä ÕÌi y } Ì Ì Ì i à > ` v À L À ° v ®° / iÀi½Ã > > >â } ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> Ì Ì iÀi LÞ Ì i Li>V ] >`i>Õ] Ü V «i Ã Þ Ì i ÃÕ iÀ >`i>Õ°` ®° > à Ûi } } Ì Ì i
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Õ Ã > > ÕÃiÕ v `iÀ ƂÀÌ° v ̽à ÃÌ ÀÞ Þ Õ >Ài >vÌiÀ] Ì i Þ Õ ÕÃÌ Û Ã Ì Ì i V ÌÞ v , à `i] > 1 iÃV 7 À ` iÀ Ì>}i - Ìi <i> > ` Û Ã ÌÀ à `i°` ®° ÕÃiÕ Ì iÀi] Ì ° 7 «i >}i V Ì Õi Ì }À Ü >à > }>ÃÌÀ V `iÃÌ >Ì ¶ ̽à > Þ Õ } V ÌÞ > ` Ì V Ì ÕiÃ Ì >ÌÌÀ>VÌ }Ài>Ì Ì> i Ì] Ì ÕÃÌ vÀ i >À LÕÌ > ÛiÀ Ì i Ü À `° 7i ÕÃi` Ì w} Ì ÛiÀ Ì i Ã> i Óää «i « i Ü Ü Õ ` ` i ÕÀ ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> Ìà q Ì Ü° *i « i >Ài yÞ } vÀ > ÛiÀ Ì i Ü À ` Ì i>Ì «i >}i ] Ü V i>Ûià Õà > ÌÌ i L>vyi`] LÕÌ ÛiÀÞ >««Þ°
World Traveller
June // 2014
REDZEPI’S
TOP PLACES TO EAT
Amass The new chef in town is American-born Matt Orlando. Full disclosure: he was my head chef for five years, but he is building something special. Go there now, because in six or seven years you probably won’t be able to get a table. amassrestaurant.com
Bror Probably the most affordable (by Danish standards) creative cooking there is in town can be had here. It has just opened, and best friends Sam and Victor are trying really hard, with great results. restaurantbror.dk
Relae This restaurant is one of my favourites. It is pushing the limits constantly with its food, which might not be for everyone, but when the chef is on, it’s one of the best meals in the world. restaurant-relae.dk
Atelier September For breakfast and coffee, this is one of the best places in Copenhagen, with dishes such as rye bread with avocado topped with chilli, chives and salt. They also do a vegetarian lunch that changes daily, which is worth the trip. atelierseptember.dk
Toldbod Bodega The food here might not always be life-changing, but the setting is like stepping back 70 years. It’s a little time capsule of a restaurant that’s definitely worth a visit. Order a beer or schnapps and some cold cuts for lunch, or one of the classic pork servings for dinner, and take in the atmosphere. toldbod-bodega.dk
Fiskebaren Fiskebaren is one of the few places that juggles feeding hundreds of guests and maintaining high quality. Weekends are particularly fun, as it turns into a real scene for the Copenhageners. Then it’s one of the few restaurants in town that’s a genuine fish restaurant. fiskebaren.dk
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REDZEPI’S
TOP PLACES TO STAY
Babette Guldsmeden Just opened in February, this stylish hotel in central Copenhagen has 98 rooms. Great brunches are available and there is a bistro serving simple meals such as tapas, and steak and chips. The pièce de résistance will be the rooftop spa, which opens this summer. guldsmedenhotels.com
Kokkedal Castle Built in 1746 as a country manor, Kokkedal Castle, a short drive north of Copenhagen, is now an impressive hotel. Rooms are decorated in period style, with the more expensive ones in the castle. A new spa opened in February so don’t leave without booking a treatment. kokkedalslotcopenhagen.dk
SP34 New to the Latin quarter and within walking distance of the Tivoli Gardens is SP34. The 118 Scandi-style rooms are modern and minimalist, with 40-inch flat-screen televisions and free Wi-Fi. There are two restaurants and a great Spanish-style bar, as well as a roof terrace. hotels.dk
Nimb Hotel You’d be forgiven for thinking you were staying in the wrong country from the exterior of this hotel — built in 1909 as a Moorish-styled palace, it has a striking marble façade. Facing the Tivoli Gardens, it has 17 rooms, all with fourposters, log fires, art and Bang&Olufsen technology. The food is great too. slh.com
Andersen Hotel
René Redzepi was talking to Fiona Sims
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Just 200m from the station and in the Vesterbro neighbourhood, this modern hotel is less sleek Scandi and more colourful contemporary. It’s also next door to sushi restaurant Bento, and you can get orders delivered to the lobby. bespokehotels.com
D’Angleterre For a really luxurious stay, try D’Angleterre, in the heart of the city, which has just had a two-year renovation, leaving its 90 rooms elegant and muted. Be sure to sample its Michelinstarred restaurant. dangleterre.dk
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DOUBLE ACT Arles is a crazy carnival of bullrunners and bonkers genius. Its neighbour, Avignon, is the straight man - all papal palaces and art. Put them together on the same holiday bill and boy what a show, says Anthony Peregrine
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young chap lurched through the Avignon crowd. He had thickrimmed glasses and a face that needed slapping. “I come over as the stupidest man on Earth,” he said. “I’m on at 6.30.” Further along, the titchy Rue des Teinturiers was tight with over-spilling terraces, bubbling bars and ponytailed blokes selling rubbish from the Orient. A pretty young woman accosted me. She wished to talk of Medea. You bet. Discussing a beautiful murderess with an attractive woman would have to be disturbing – in a good way. We never got started. The passing press of summer-dress strollers – spiced with centurions, witches and a bunch kittedout like the SAS – proved too intense. “We’re performing Anouilh’s version,” cried the beauty. “We’re on at 10.30.” But I was already being swept away by a band of Italians with flags. My strategy was falling apart. I had gone to Avignon for the serious stuff: the old stones, the papal past, medieval art – the things that require you to raise your game a little, before lowering it for lunch. The idea was then to move down the Rhône to Arles to join bulls and cowboys from the Camargue, vivid people shouting in bars and the clash of colours that Van Gogh invented and Arlésiens have since pirated. Thus, within 45 minutes of each other, we’d have the contrasting poles of Provençal urban culture – classical through brazen. What’s more, I’d arrived in Avignon for the Theatre Festival – it spreads throughout July – which was bound to add gravitas to the place. Mainstream French theatre weighs a ton. The French consider Molière funny and Racine digestible, and communicate with phrases such as ‘taking on a question of fragmentation, fragility and coherence’. Festival literature reels out similar blurb by the metre. So I emerged from Avignon’s underground car park with expectations of the highbrow. The heat was pre-roasting the pigeons. Across the square, the Palais des Papes – home to 14th-century pontiffs and perhaps the greatest Gothic palace in Europe – still looked capable of bending
June // 2014
This page: French bull fighting in the Roman amphitheatre at Arles. Next spread clockwise from top left: Street Performance During Festival d’Avignon; Papal Palace; An audience waits in the Cour D’Honneur for a performance as part of the Festival D’Avignon at the Palais des Papes; Festival d’Avignon Performance on Place du Palais; raw and cooked beetrot with sanguine orange and ginger.
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Christendom to its will. Next door, the cathedral was topped by the tallest, shiniest-possible Virgin, the Church as ever arguing that the message of humility required grandeur and gold leaf. Trimmed with other buildings of past power, this was a square to subdue normal humans. Right now, though, normal humans – and a number of abnormal ones – were fighting back. A couple of clowns performed an athletic routine on the Papal Palace steps. Nearby, breakdancers brokedanced brilliantly. (You try spinning on your head, on concrete.) Jugglers juggled and a smokey-voiced chanteuse fronting a jazz quartet purred through Bye Bye Birdie. I had, in short, come dreading the main Avignon Festival – and plunged directly into its Fringe. It would have been difficult not to. While the official festival takes over the posh venues with 57 shades of tedium, the Fringe (Le Off in French) colonises the entire city for the month. It
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is mainland Europe’s biggest theatre event. I have rarely seen a place so invigorated. A cacophony of posters (‘Godot est arrivé!’, ‘Romeo Hates Juliet’) flapped from ancient walls, railings and lampposts offering everything it is conceivable to offer on stage, slapstick through musicals, the stupidest man on Earth and Anouilh, Shakespeare and Flemish absurdists. Crowds milled. Through them wove a ceaseless stream of costumed performers drumming up custom for their shows – of which there were 1,161 every single festival day. There never was a more densely hopeful city. In front of the theatre, young fellows acted out a swordfight from The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Another chap tried to interest me in La Boutique de l’Orfèvre by Karol Wojtyla. (“You may have heard of him. He was a pope.”) Usually, one must go to the theatre. Here, the theatre was coming to me. And, unlike the brain-freezing guff written about the official festival, its pitch had to be fast and grabbing, or be overcome in the hullabaloo. Within minutes, I’d gathered my own weight in flyers. The buzz of purpose was palpable – as it must have been when the papacy was headquartered in Avignon. Back in its 14th-century prime, Avignon was a world centre of politics, diplomacy, culture, artists, commerce, skulduggery, crooks, harlots and, of course, pontiffs who, as someone wrote, ‘moved to Avignon to forget they were popes’. Now it was simply the world centre of actors attempting to seduce thousands of the acted-upon – across café terraces, squares and city-centre streets. But there was still a sense of something big going on. Predictably, one of the few spots immune was the Papal Palace itself – Avignon’s No. 1 attraction by a mile. The palace’s scale overwhelmed, as it had always had to, to stamp authority on rumbustious medieval Christianity. In truth, it looked as if it had once been even huger, and then squashed up. Aweinspiring, obviously, but you can only keep awe going so long. Inside, the place was vast, essentially empty and – how might I put this diplomatically? – as boring as hell. Through these chambers had flowed the most powerful forces of the 14th century – the politicking, praying and drinking that shaped the world. Yet the audio-guide and displays remained bogged down in building techniques and administrative organisation. How one longed for some of those young Fringe performers to storm in and stage an uncensored historical reenactment. Or juggle. Or breakdance. Anything at all to demolish the French contention that history is best told as a lifeless drone. Across the way, the Petit Palais – once base to cardinals, now to Italian Medieval and Renaissance art – proved infinitely
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Some of the world’s greatest artists called Provence home. Vincent Van Gogh lived in Arles from 1888 to 1889, before moving to Saint-Remy for a another year. Henri Matisse, meanwhile, first visited St Tropez in 1904 before settling in Nice in 1917, moving on to Vence and Cimiez in the years that followed. For Pablo Picasso, the Côte d’Azur was the place of choice each summer, before he settled in Vallauris and then Mougins, where he spent his final years. Other notable artists who picked this stunning province in south-eastern France include Claude Monet, Edvard Munch and Pierre Deval.
more rewarding, though one had to wonder whether Italians ever tired of painting the Virgin and Child; had to wonder, too, why anybody else bothered after Botticelli had done his version. It’s in Room XI with a Virgin of such human and fragile beauty (there’s a suggestion of Emmanuelle Béart about her) as to change one’s perception of the story. Later, I bobbed into a couple more decent museums, then up the Rocherdes-Doms, the rock upon which Avignon started. It’s now a park dominating the Rhône, and the only vantage point you need over the pont d’, the world’s most celebrated fifth-of-a-bridge. The other four-fifths were swept away by floods centuries ago. Once you have seen it from here, nothing is gained by paying to walk, let alone dance, along the bridge. (Dancing was, anyway sous, not sur le pont. The song got it wrong.) Then I was subsumed back into the Fringe. You couldn’t not be. It spilled out onto every street and square. There was a band round every corner. Gaiety spread from the centre, coursing through zones a little dowdy in normal times. Theatre venues, 117 of them, slotted in wherever there was an open door. I bought the last ticket for an 80-seater to see Wurre Wurre, two blokes from Belgium who have refined being bonkers to deadpan art. Better still was Julien Cottereau, a mime artist and clown – terms that generally strike terror into the hearts of entertainment seekers. But this young Frenchman created his own world with extraordinary skill and wit. That was two down, 1,159 to go. At midnight, Avignon was still warm and effervescent. As I took a beer, a chap joined me, urging attendance the next day at his troupe’s performance of a harrowing Yukio Mishima text. (‘The venue has air-conditioning.’) Nearby, danseuses in
The Fringe colonises the entire city for the month. Every street and square
pumps danced en pointe to Adele. Folk walked, talked, danced and sipped on terraces. The southern night just got more and more seductive until I had to go to bed or risk arrest for smiling too much. If Avignon had sabotaged my bi-polar strategy (Avignon: classical; Arles: brazen) by being so damned buoyant, Arles put it back on track. The town was as lively as predicted – mostly, anyway. It’s half the size of Avignon and far less cosmopolitan. There’s no difficulty finding bar-owners who don’t speak English – or, indeed, at all, should you be so daft as to criticise
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WHERE TO STAY
Text by: Anthony Peregrine Photography supplied by: Corbis / Arabian Eye
If you’re going en famille, or simply want a refuge from the festive hurlyburly, try Le Domaine de Bourgeac, an apartment village tucked away in the tiny hamlet of Le Paradou. It’s an easy 16km from Arles, 36km from Avignon, is practical, well-run and has plenty of stuff for kids to do. Meanwhile, the efficient, welcoming Mercure Cité des Papes is bang in the heart of Avignon.
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bull-fighting. They’ll more likely shout. Provençal roots give shoots both festive and inflammatory. I roamed old streets apparently too narrow to contain the southern turmoil. Locals hailed one another from bars. I turned a corner – and bumped into a Turkish trio playing exquisitely mournful music for an alleyfull of listeners. No-one had told me that Les Suds à Arles Festival was on. This week-long July jamboree brings world musicians mainly, but not exclusively, from the Mediterranean basin, and parks them on stages around town. In between concerts, they play for free wherever there’s space. It’s not as hectic as Avignon, but it doesn’t half cheer up a stroll. Down by the river, on Place Nina Berberova, there’s music every festival lunchtime, with free drinks for all (at least, I assumed they were for all). Sipping Pastis under a tree, I don’t believe I’ve ever been happier listening to a Berber band. Over in the gardens of the Van Gogh Centre, a chorale of cracking mature women did a polyphonic thing. The garden, and surrounding arcaded building, had been restored brilliantly to the way they were in Van Gogh’s Le Jardin de la Maison de Santé. In the 1880s, this had all been the local asylum to which the artist committed himself after the earlopping episode. Now, high colours and pure voices melded entrancingly. Ah yes: Van Gogh. As everyone knows, he spent his most tumultuous 15 months in Arles but, beyond the Centre, there’s not much evidence. No originals remain in town (though you may stock up on a lifetime’s supply of Sunflower tablemats) and the Yellow House, which he shared so disastrously with Gauguin, was bombed out during the last war. You might, though, as I now did, walk the broad swathe of river where he painted Starry Night Over the Rhône, candles
Opposite page: Arles, Roman amphitheatre. This page from top: Sidewalk cafe on Rue des Teinturiers in Avignon; Aerial view of the Arles Roman amphitheatre.
on his hat-brim providing the light. The Don McLean ditty sprang to mind and, surprisingly, enhanced the experience. And so onwards... Any tour of Arles must, at some stage, swing you to the Roman heart of town. There seems to be a law of physics involved. For generations, Arles was the Roman capital of the region. It retains a splendid antique theatre, which you can examine adequately through the railings. There’s no need to pay to go in. Nearby rises one of the finest Roman arenas anywhere. Centuries have shorn it of its third level of arches, yet it still packs a monumental punch from the great days of live entertainment. On my visit, it was to host an evening show of Camargue bull-running. I clambered over the stone tiers and was struck by just how perfectly the oval shape and stacked seating suited the spectacular. Atmosphere and excitement would be both generated and magnified. That would assume, though, that the place was full. This evening, it was 80 per cent empty. The show was also several frissons short of spectacular. Bull-running involves lithe young men dressed in whites attempting to grab strings strung between the bulls’ horns. The bulls don’t get killed, but do get angry, so the lads occasionally get clattered. Once you’ve understood that, the show is very much more of exactly the same thing. Frankly, it lacked lions. Proper bull-fighting, also available in Arles arena, has a far greater impact, if you can stand the carnage and the ethical dubiety. I’d swap it all for the swirl of Provençal culture that whirls around them: the bars, the bands, the high-octane colour and conversation. I left the arena early and ended up on Place Paul Doumer, where cheaper cafés congregate. I took a seat and a Pastis and listened as two Jordanian fellows and a Frenchman – the Trio Safar – filled the evening with Franco-Oriental enchantment. A glass or two later, I’d ditched the old strategy and devised a brilliant new one. Trouble is that, what with the night warmth, the music and the thrum of happiness, I’m damned if I can remember what it was.
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ON YOUR BIKE
Christopher Walking enjoys an epic mountain adventure in New Zealand
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New Zealand
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he secret to back-flipping your bicycle over a 72ft canyon is to do it slowly. You need enough speed on the ramp, but pull back too quickly, as you would for a normal 30ft backflip (still with me?), and you’ll overrotate. You don’t want to do that. I learned this valuable advice first hand in New Zealand. Not first hand as in upside down over a canyon, but over a pan-roasted fillet of tarakihi in a superb seafood restaurant called Fishbone. Fishbone is in Queenstown, as is New Zealand’s most watched cyclist, Kelly McGarry. Kelly turned out to be a modest and thoughtful guy. Between mouthfuls of clam chowder he explained that the best bit about his now famous back-flip was that it gave him time to think and look around. “Like cycling in general,” he said. “Only, you know, upside down.” New Zealand is a great country to witness by bicycle. If you’ve not been before, your idea of what it’s like may reflect Peter Jackson’s take on The Lord of the Rings, an image the country plays up to: land in Wellington, the capital, and you’re greeted by a sign saying “Welcome to the Middle of Middle Earth”. But whereas the Orcs, Wizards and Hobbits owe a debt to digital trickery, the landscape they journey through is for real. The government wants you to ride there. At a cost of more than NZ$75m it recently completed Nga Haerenga, or the New Zealand Cycle Trail. Nga Haerenga comprises some 22 ‘Great Rides’ across both the North and South Islands. These trails are largely off-road. Sections cater to all abilities. Together they take in some of the planet’s most jaw-dropping scenery, but unless you’ve unlimited time you’ll have to pick a route. I started out in Marlborough, home of the Queen Charlotte Track, which curls up through the Marlborough Sounds, a breathtaking series of flooded valleys so higgledy-piggledy that they apparently comprise a fifth of New Zealand’s 15,000km coastline. I would have loved to explore the full length of the track from Ship Cove to Anakiwa, but time was tight. Determined to investigate as many different kinds of cycling as possible in New Zealand, I had booked myself on to a road-cycling event called the Marlborough Grape Ride. Great Ride. Grape Ride. Sound similar, the difference being wine? Sort of, yes, but in my jet lag-addled state it took me a while to realise that although the ride would loop through New Zealand’s biggest wine-producing region the loop in question was less a stop-and-sip tour and more of a race. Before I knew it I was in BikeFit in nearby Blenheim being fitted– aptly enough – for a bike. Brent, the shop’s owner, was also doing the ride. I noticed his shaved legs and was interested to hear New Zealand
I would have loved to explore the full length of the track from Ship Cove to Anakiwa
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Opening page: Test your stamina in a road-cycling event. This page: Biking alongside Lake Wakatipu, South Island. Next page, clockwise from top: Panoramic views make the effort worthwhile; The town of Lake Wakatipu; The Tour of New Zealand race.
Must-do outdoor pursuits in New Zealand SKIING The best place to hit the slopes is in Treble Cone – the largest ski area in Queenstown and Wanaka. The area gets more snow than any other ski area in New Zealand – around 5.5 metres per season – and is home to the longest ski and snowboard runs in the area.
HORSE RIDING Reconnect with nature on a horse ride around Glenorchy, 45km from Queenstown. About 20km from here, there’s an area known simply as Paradise – the location for scenes in The Lords of The Rings movie trilogy, and an area worth galloping around.
FISHING Glenorchy is often referred to as every trout fisherman’s dream. Here, you’ll catch some magnificent scenery while you angle for this freshwater fish. Expect crystal-clear waters, plenty of fresh air and enough fish to hone your angling skills.
that he hoped to complete the 101km in about two-and-a-half hours. The bike he loaned me didn’t go quite as fast as his. In the interests of the story I went at a pace that allowed me to take in the sights and smells: ripening grapes on the plain, honeyed Manuka pine trees in the hills. When I finished I lay in a heap on the sun-dappled lawn at Forrest Estate and watched a hundred or so women who had also completed the race leap into a vat of grapes. It’s traditional, apparently, like pain after violent exercise. Having pedalled hard around roads I was keen to do the opposite, so I headed south to Queenstown, where I’d heard a new outfit called ChargeAbout would rent me an electric mountain bike. Actually, I was a bit suspicious. A charge-up mountain bike? Presumably I’d potter around town on it? But as Campbell Read, who started renting the bikes out three months ago, was keen to emphasise, the French-made Moustache e-mountain bikes are pretty capable. He proved it, too, haring off ahead of me along the Kelvin Heights trail to Jack’s Point. On the flat the bike felt more or less normal, but hit an incline, pedal hard, and the hills melt. With the Remarkables mountain range rearing up darkly to one
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New Zealand
There are around 300km of mountain biking trails immediately accessible in and around Wellington
around the capital. Having spent a few days using electricity, a gondola and a helicopter to get to the top of things, it felt right to do a bit of cycling up as well as down. In slanted rain we headed up to Makara Peak. Normally, Ash explained, we would have seen Wellington Harbour and the Central Business District from up here. But if the weather obscured our view, it didn’t diminish the huge fun we had bombing down through the berms and rollers, between dripping ferns and pines. There are around 300km of mountain biking trails immediately accessible in and around Wellington. Again, they’ve largely
been built by enthusiasts like Ash. From the glimpse I saw I’d say the pride evident in Bike Wellington’s slogan – this is our city, these are our trails – is justified. The irony of the trip is that while the pace and reach of cycling allowed me to enjoy the parts of New Zealand I visited, ultimately it convinced me I’d only seen enough to know I’d seen too little. I’ll have to go back. There are other road races, including a Tour of New Zealand, in which riders race from the top of the North Island and bottom of the South Island to meet in the middle. There are also all the Nga Haerenga Great Rides I didn’t do. And there’s my back-flip to perfect. Slowly.
Text by: Christopher Walking Photography supplied by: Corbis / Arabian Eye; Supplied
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side, and the surface of Lake Wakatipu calm and burnished on the other, I sped along the trails feeling pretty bionic. The bikes have a range of between 30km and 60km depending on how hard you assist the assistance by pedalling, and ChargeAbout has recharging points dotted about the region. We headed through woods studded with quince, kiwi and lemon trees to Provisions Café in Arrowtown. Campbell showed me where I could plug in and drink a flat white. There’s a lot of biking to be done from Queenstown (indeed, there’s an annual bike festival there). As well as the 100km Queenstown Trail through the Wakatipu basin (another of the Nga Haerenga ‘Great Rides’) there are more technical mountain biking options in the hills. Tim Ceci from Vertigo Bikes showed me Queenstown Bike Park, accessed by gondola from the middle of town. The park opened in 2012 and has 30km of green to double-black runs. We spent a morning swooping through the pine trees, the lake flashing down below, roots and rocks and jumps and drops blurring past within a serrated, Gandalf ’s hat-style skyline. Enthusiasts – Tim included – built most of these trails well before the official park opened. “It would have been rude not to,” he explained. “Just look at this place.” Vertigo also runs mountain-biking trips from the top of the Remarkables, accessed by helicopter. The following morning, beneath a glittery sky, I helped stack the bikes onto specially-made racks before the flight. Southern Lakes Helicopters, which took us to the summit, does filming as well (including aerial shots of Hobbits when required). We landed at Ben Cruachan. The clunky familiarity of half the place names in New Zealand (Belfast, New Brighton, Aviemore) is invigorated by the Maori other half (Waimakariri, Taupo, Paraparaumu). The helicopter left us above a slope of grey schist and we set off to make the 18km descent. Our guide, Jonny Congreve, brought up the rear. He also brought a backpack full of biscuits and inner tubes, both of which we consumed on the way down. We cut down the back of the mountain, moving from open scree to winding single-track. The scrubland was dotted with razorlike Spaniard grass. I paused to inspect a cut on my shin and noticed that, us aside, there were no buildings, no people, not even any sheep, just jagged slopes softening into rumpled hills, all the way to the blue-rinsed horizon. You don’t have to go far from anywhere in New Zealand to be within striking distance of excellent cycling. In the capital, Wellington, I met up with Ash Burgess. She started the Revolve Cycling Club for women a few years ago and now runs Bike Wellington, organising skills courses and guided rides in the hills
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WHERE TO STAY Along the shores of Lake Wanaka (the fourth largest lake in New Zealand) you’ ll find the Whare Kea Lodge & Chalet, a luxury retreat offering optimum privacy in tranquil surrounds. With two master suites and four deluxe rooms, the super chalet sleeps up to 12 people comfortably. Breathtaking mountain and lake views can also be found at Peppers Beacon in Queenstown, the ‘Adventure Capital’ of New Zealand. With six luxury accommodation types on offer (including studios, apartments and suites), it’s time to get booking.
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ucked deep into the jagged fjords of Sardinia’s north-eastern tip lies some of the most expensive real estate in the Mediterranean, the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast). In high season, threestorey yachts putter around pools shimmering a kaleidoscope of azure hues, oligarchs occupy faux Arabian villas, and trophy wives glide from boutique to boutique. The result is a pseudo-idealised Mediterranean village, the artificiality of which allows scarcely a bougainvillea out of place. This Moorish-kasbah-meetsMykonos wonderland is the island’s most famous attraction. Yet it has almost nothing to do with the rest of Sardinia. According to Sardinian legend, after God created the Earth, he gathered all the leftover pieces from everywhere else, threw them in the sea and stepped on them to create Sardinia – or, as the Greeks called it, Ichnusa, meaning “footprint”. Since then, the island has been walked on by anyone who has ever sailed through the
Discovery
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Italy’s least “Italian” region, Sardinia, pulsates with an undiscovered and unscripted spirit that the mainland lost long ago, says Eliot Stein
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Mediterranean. Invaded in name but never conquered in spirit, Sardinia has managed the clever trick of absorbing a cultural buffet of influences while holding its head high with independent pride. Lying 178km from the nearest mainland, slightly closer to Tunisia than Italy, no other island is as marooned in the Mediterranean as Sardinia – a fact that has shaped the island’s character and brought a history of guests with the changing tides. While the Sardinians, or Sardi, have adopted the Italian tongue of their latest landlords, they cling fiercely to Sardo, their native language, and are recognised as a distinct ethnic group from their mainland counterparts. In effect, Sardinia is a sort of Italian Hawaii. It boasts the Romanesque churches, tile mosaics, medieval castles and fine wines associated with Italy, but also pulsates with an undiscovered and unscripted spirit that the mainland lost long ago. Foreigners usually find it difficult to move beyond the 2,000km of Mediterranean coastline – and for
good reason. The island is ringed by a shimmering shoreline of jaw-dropping beauty. But to limit your visit to the beaches is to miss the essence of an island whose people have traditionally turned their backs to the sea, fearful of those coming to exploit them. Instead, many Sardinians have long sought refuge in the interior, a landscape of deep chasms, impressive massifs and impenetrable macchia (maquis) brush that nurtures the Sardinians’ defiant character and hides the most compelling evidence of their secret history: more than 7,000 nuraghi stone towers and prehistoric villages built by one of the world’s most advanced and mysterious Bronze Age societies. The best of these are Santu Antine in Torralba, the UNESCO-protected site of Su Nuraxi in Barumini, Losa in Abbasanta and Arrubiu in Orroli, all of which are available to the public without a guide. Italy’s least “Italian” region is an enchanting recipe of striking beauty and rugged brawn – one that secluded Sardinia has guarded fiercely until recently.
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Exploring the Barbagia Sardinia’s rebellious character springs from its interior, a rugged collection of villages hemmed in by the Gennargentu and Supramonte mountain massifs. Despite nearly 3,000 years’ worth of invaders, this region has only ever been conquered in name. The Romans raided it 15 times before giving up and dubbing it “Barbarie” after the barbarian-like ferocity and customs of its inhabitants. While the age-old traditions of kidnapping, banditry, and vendettas associated with the region have subsided, the name Barbagia has stuck. The Supramonte’s most famous site is the Villaggio Nuragico di Tiscali. The site is reached by climbing a loosely laid rocky trail up the side of Monte Tiscali with breathtaking views of vertical limestone dolomites dyed rust-red by erosion, and the Lanaittu valley below. After nearly three hours, you descend into a fissure to find the scant remains of an ancient village hidden inside the depths of a giant sinkhole that has partially caved in.
The island is ringed by a shimmering shoreline of jaw-dropping beauty
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For a close look at Sardinia’s mysterious past, visit the nearby nuraghic village, Sa Sedda’ e Sos Carros. The village must have been the height of Bronze Age urban sophistication: dozens of bronzetti statues have been recovered here and the whole place benefitted from a plumbing system that fed water from a cistern in the site’s centre via conduits into each stone hut. The site’s jewel, however, is the world’s earliest constructed fountain, built using five different coloured stones. A few miles away, Orgosolo has long held the distinguished title of bandit capital of Sardinia. Yet since the 1960s the shepherding community has softened its image and its cinder-block buildings are now dressed with roughly 120 politically charged murals. Most are found along Corso Repubblica and its side streets, and reflect a wide range of international events, from the condemnation of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, to the extermination of Native Americans by white settlers.
Cagliari & Alghero Sardinia’s capital and largest city, Cagliari, is an urbane beacon. Set on the southern coast, the city boasts the island’s most vibrant nightlife and best museum, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in the Cittadella dei Musei. Italy
Like Rome, Cagliari is spread across seven hills. Of the capital’s four historic districts, its gem is undoubtedly Castello, the castle district. Standing guard over the port and surrounding city from its highest perch atop a limestone bluff, it is a fetching medieval maze of narrow streets. After ascending the 42m Torre dell’ Elefante in Piazza San Giuseppe continue to Piazza Palazzo and you’ll see the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, or Duomo, which was built in the 1250s. Afterwards, follow the cobbled streets towards the sea to Cagliari’s most recognisable landmark, the Bastione di San Remy. The terrace’s two neoclassic promenades carved into a rock sit as a two-tiered balcony overlooking the city below. Clear skies offer sweeping views across the Gulf of Cagliari to the Capoterra mountains. Suitably, Sardinia’s most touristy town is also its most attractive: Alghero. Colourful campaniles (bell towers) and sandstone palazzi preside over cobbled streets inside its medieval walls, while the Mediterranean breaks against its seaside bastions on the west side. Yet Alghero
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WHERE TO STAY For an opulent stay that even Italy-lover George Clooney would approve of, try the Grand Hotel Ma & Ma, located in the archipelago of La Maddalena. The island is an oasis of beauty with dozens of unspoiled beaches. Sardinia’s first boutique hotel was the La Coluccia, found in the exclusive bay of Conca Verde on Sardinia’s northern coast. There’s no better place in Sardinia to soak up the island’s unique atmosphere.
Main image: The village from the harbour of Castelsardo. Clockwise from left: Homemade gnochheti sardi; the Temo river estuary; Tempio Pausaina; The city of Alghero; The Sassari Province.
developed as a Catalan colony and is arguably the island’s least “Sardinian” town. Here, you can peruse the Catalaninscribed street signs of “Little Barcelona”, marvel at Iberian-Gothic architecture, and bite into paella. Alghero’s religious landmark is the Cattedrale di Santa Maria in the Piazza Duomo – a medley of Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic styles with four oversized Doric columns that nearly cover its façade. The campanile and portal are from the original 1552 construction and modelled after the cathedral in Barcelona. Duck into the nearby Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra in the Piazza Duomo to see Spanish jewels, a marble statue of the Madonna della Misericordia, and a collection of stamped lithographs of Sardinian Romanesque churches. Join the locals for an evening passeggiata (walk) through Via Carlo Alberto and Via Roma – the main shopping arteries. Where the roads meet the sea is where you’ll find Sardinia’s most romantic promenade, the Lungomare.
Cruising the Golfo di Orosei Sardinia’s most spectacular coastline is only accessible by boat. The Golfo di Orosei stretches for 70km, dipping to form a crescent moon along Sardinia’s eastern seaboard between Punta Nera in the north and Capo Monte Santu in the south. The 40km stretch south of Cala Gonone is devoid of civilisation and characterised by
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vertical limestone cliffs plunging into deep grottoes and hidden beaches. From May to October tour boats cruise the gulf daily, leaving from Cala Gonone and Santa Maria Navarrese. Most run from morning until evening, with lunch on board. The boats get crowded in peak season – avoid the less expensive ferry services that pack up to 200 people aboard (your best bet is with Fuori Rotta Baunei). South of Cala Gonone, the first stop is the M-shaped double-arched entrance to the Grotte del Bue Marino, named after one of the planet’s most endangered mammals, the monk seal, which used to live in the cave’s environs but has all but disappeared since the 1980s. The coast’s best-known beach, Cala Luna, is a short sail south. While you could easily pass a day lounging on its pebbly shoreline and exploring its six caverns, the beach’s most striking aspect is behind the shore, where flowering oleander bushes shelter a stream forming a tranquil escape from the throngs of sun worshippers. Look for one of the last nesting spots of the elusive Eleonora falcon between Cala Luna and Cala Sisine, backed by mountain walls and holm oak. Arguably the gulf ’s most gorgeous beach, Cala Mariolu is divided in two by a rocky outcrop that doubles as a high dive platform. Polished limestone pebbles meet limpid, sapphire water here. Don’t leave without swimming into the cave and feeling the silky smooth limestone walls. Cala Goloritze is the gulf ’s southernmost beach, where a sharp 140-metre rock soars like a totem pole above a natural limestone arch stepping into the sea.
Eat like a local Sardinia’s isolation has worked to preserve the most distinct regional cuisine in Italy. Highlights include paper-thin “music sheet” bread, saffron-hinted dumplings and a digestif made from myrtle berries, to name a few. For a hint of the island’s rustic cooking in Cagliari, head to Sa Domu Sarda, where the culurgiones (ravioli dumplings laced with olive oil and crushed walnuts) and the fregola pasta with porcini mushrooms are sensational. On the western coast, Oristano presides over Europe’s largest marsh and the island’s gold: bottarga (mullet roe). Nowhere is it better than at Trattoria Gino, where it is served atop angel-hair pasta. Don’t leave without sampling the sea urchin. Alghero reveals its Catalan roots at Al Refettorio, whose paella algherese is made with fregola pasta, and at Al Tuguri, where seafood is served Catalan-style.
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Text by: Eliot Stein Photography supplied by: Corbis / Arabian Eye
Boats anchored off the Maddelana Archipelago.
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Iconic
NORT HER N ENGL A N D
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Since spreading its wings in Gateshead in 1998 Antony Gormley’s The Angel of the North has been a talking point for tourists and art fans alike. Standing at 66-feet-tall, with a wingspan of 177-feet across, it’s little surprise that this contemporary art sculpture is one of the most recognisable landmarks in England. Occupying a sizable plot on a hill near Low Fell, the concept behind its construction centres around recognition (for the area’s coal miners), transition (the North’s shift from industrial to information age), and evolution (of the area’s hopes and fears).
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Sprawled across 885 square miles, The Lake District is a stunning mountainous region in North West England. Designated a National Park in 1951, visitors can wander around the many lakes, through the lush forests and over the rugged mountains for days on end. Grab your map and go.
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Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest single drop overground waterfall can be found in a wooded ravine in the Yorkshire Dales. Hardraw Force has been a tourist draw for decades, with Hollywood featuring it in Robin Hood: Price of Thieves. United Kingdom
Quaint cottages and winding streets are a common sight across Yorkshire, from York (the starting point for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tour de France) to small seaside ports such as Staithes in Scarborough (pictured).
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Spanning parts of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire, the Peak District, an upland area in central and northern England, is swarming with moors and dales, rivers, springs, and caverns. With the majority of the area being in excess of 1,000 feet above sea level, brisk walks and picnics are a must for anyone who visits. Just remember to pack your camera.
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Mexico
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Baby on board
With a new arrival just weeks away, yearning for an exotic (and easy) last hurrah, Liz Edwards and husband head to the Yucatán. It’s from here to maternity...
f Indiana Jones were here, he’d have leapt up the pyramid’s limestone blocks three at a time. Lara Croft might have swung in on a jungle creeper. Me? I just kept both hands and feet in contact with the stones as much as possible, trying not to look down, or sideways, at the narrowing ledge. Less dramatic, maybe, but I made it to the top – at 42m, the height of a 14-storey building – of the tallest of the Yucatán Peninsula’s Mayan pyramids. And the view was a bonus. As if I were on the prow of a great limestone ship sailing the oceans green, all I could see was horizon-filling jungle – glossy-leafed sapodillas, bristling acacias, starbursty chit palms – tufted with occasional wisps of smoke. But really my reason for tackling Nohoch Mul, the region’s only pyramid still open to clamberers, was because I’d been warned not to. I’m a stubborn old bird.
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Picking Mexico had been one of those landmarkholiday decisions – like choosing a honeymoon – that was a careful process of elimination. We couldn’t just stick a pin in the usual wish list. This holiday had to count, because it would be our last hurrah before ‘two’s company’ became ‘three’s a crowd’. About to grow up for good, we needed to find Neverland. We fancied somewhere less familiar, more ‘travelly’. Adding his hankering for a drop of ancient culture and my nostalgia for carefree backpacking days, we whittled the world down to one place: the Yucatán. Perfect for the pregnant, but pretty damn good for anyone who wants exotic. Flying into Cancún with fellow passengers who’ve determinedly drunk the plane dry is almost enough to make us wonder if we’ve done the right thing. But no, our driver reassures us, we’re OK. High-rise Cancún is where the party people come; Playa del Carmen is the place for 2,000-room family-friendly all-inclusives. Further south again, Tulum – our destination – is a different kettle of tropical fish, a long stretch of Caribbean-washed sand that until 20 years ago was the preserve of road-tripping US hippies. It’s still on a small scale. Zamas, the first hotel of three we’ve booked, is a 20-room number; our beach bungalow a short, wheelie-bag-defying walk across the sand. Colourful rugs, cool tiled floors and palmthatched, ceiling-fanned roof recall backpacking days of yore (admittedly, then I’d have thought ‘lap of luxury!’; now I think ‘beautifully simple’). Satin waters demand a quick dip before blackness descends, and all is well... Until we’re woken by wind, rain, waves and traffic, tangled in one elemental roar. We had failed to factor weather into our whittling; we’ve hit stormy season. We wait for a moment when there’s less fury in the sky, less drench in the roomto-restaurant dash, and then breakfast saves the day. Huevos rancheros – a heroic pile of crunchy tortillas, black beans, fried eggs, tomato salsa and creamy avocado – is as colourful as it is fortifying; juice of pineapple and chaya (the local leaves go in everything) a virtuous treat. We’re eased into the rhythms of relaxation – lounging, snoozing, wandering, debating where next to eat, all shot through with lashings of
A type of sweat lodge common with indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica, this dome-shaped hut was used for an assortment of rituals. Made using natural materials – namely volcanic rock and cement – rituals included steam baths, purification following a battle, birthing pods for pregnant women, and huts to help heal the sick. They continue to be used across Mexico and Central America today.
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carpe diem (we don’t expect much opportunity to chill out like this once junior shows up). Carpe-ing the next diem requires a little beyondTulum action, we decide, which is what takes us to Coba and Nohoch Mul, its towering centrepiece. Chichén Itzá is the Yucatán’s more famous Mayan site, but we prefer the sound of 2,000-year-old Coba, set in forest, beset by fewer visitors and just an hour away. Our guide, Miguel – salt-and-pepper mullet, safari-ish waistcoat, brolly for drawing ‘explanatory’ runes in the dirt – ushers us round monuments and past temples, explaining Mayan traditions, Mayan ball games, Mayan calendars (that 2012 end-of-theworld thing was all a misunderstanding, he says). This is crowd-free culture in comfort; we take ‘Mayan limos’ (cycle rickshaws – Miguel’s little joke) through cork trees and creepers to see hieroglyphicengraved stone slabs – the Grupo Macanxoc. Archaeologist Eric Thompson named them in the 1930s, having asked his Mayan guide what they said. Thompson didn’t realise, Miguel tells us, that ‘Macanxoc’ was Mayan for ‘I can’t read’.
Clockwise from top: Nohoch Muul Temple; Papaya Playa beach club; chicken tacos; Casa Palapa.
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Back in Tulum, we check out of Zamas and into Encantada, a couple of kilometres down the beach. This hotel’s a mere eight-roomer, its thatched, modern buildings peering out at the sea from palms and soft-sand grounds. What we lose in backpacker
What we lose in backpacker nostalgia we gain in grown-up sophistication 63
nostalgia we gain in grown-up sophistication - Mayan foot-desanding water bowls at doorways, heavy hand-carpentered chairs, sandproof windows, Mayan fabrics and DKNY pillows. It’s gorgeous; just the kind of place we won’t be bringing a baby. One pineapple-chaya juice later, we’re in the sea, jumping waves and enjoying the first real sunshine we’ve seen. I scoff at the naysayers who told me
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Mexico wasn’t for the expectant, chuffed that I tested my limits summiting that pyramid. But we all know what pride cues up. Along comes a surprise superwave that tips me head over heels. Oof. Time for a nice, safe stroll. We wander along the beach, skittering crabs before us, wide-berthing roped-off turtle nesting sites and nosing at other low-rise, laid-back hotels with their various combinations of hammocks, daybeds, loungers. We play hippy bingo with the hotel signs – full house if one promises yoga, cleansing, organics and t’ai chi. Too lazy to visit the Sian Ka’an nature reserve just south of Tulum, we stick to nonprofessional birdwatching (no binoculars, no books, limited knowledge), ticking off pterodactyl-like frigate birds, pelicans cruising in to gulp up fish and sandpipers trundling along the shoreline. We spot one proper hippy encampment (dreadlocks, campfire, juggling – the works) but other than that, it’s more tidy than tie-dye, more boho than hobo; artsy trinket shops selling expensive-at-half-the-price Frida Kahlo bags and wafty kaftans dot the beach road. Encantada’s breezy restaurant stops us straying far at first, as smiley Carlos brings Yucatán-Mayan dishes Mexico
– tender pibil (slow-roasted) pork, tikin xic (fish in spicy sauce) – on colourful, chunky ceramics. But man cannot live on tikinxic and hippy chic alone. We leave the bubble for Tulum Pueblo, a couple of kilometres inland, where restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and real-life businesses cluster the main Cancún-Belize road. Like many a non-looker, the pueblo is blessed with personality. Multi-generation local families stroll and kids tear round in front of the council hall as tourists browse leather bags, Mexican-wrestler masks and painted wooden toys. It’s not Mexico at its grittiest, but it feels like a living, breathing town – just the sort of vanilla adventure we’re after. We pull up plastic stools in the thick, fan-stirred air of Antojitos la Chiapaneca, duck to avoid blocking the Mexico vs Honduras game on the telly, and tuck in. Plastic platefuls of crazy-cheap tostadas, empanadas and tacos – little mouthfuls of chicken or grilled lamb on corny bases – come piled with salads and wicked-hot sauces. It’s a joyful mess - the napkin dispenser is well-used. Hotel No.3 is back up the beach, just north of Zamas – Papaya Playa, a groovy mix of cheap,
Above: El Castillo, the clifftop castle ruins at Tulum
World Traveller
June // 2014
shared-bath cabañas and slightly more mod-conned huts that we think may give us a shot at last-hurrah, Ibiza-ish partying. There is indeed a DJ booth and glitterballed dance-floor by the beach, but sitting over now-obligatory pineapple-chayas in the bleachedwood restaurant, we confess to relief that the clientele looks no wilder than we do; it’s only the waiter who’s keeping his shades on indoors. Tulum has its own Mayan ruins – the clifftop city of a thousand postcards – which we’ve saved for our time at Papaya Playa, a half-hour walk away. Everyone’s advice is to get there for 8am, before the coach tours - which we don’t manage, despite the lack of Ibiza-style partying. Even so, the Cancún hotel gaggles can’t take away from the splendour of the spot, the grey bulk of 14th-century temples against blue sky, guarded by metre-long iguanas menacing trespassers off the grass. It’s not like Coba – wheelbarrowed, Flymo-ed gardeners keep it almost too manicured to be real – but it’s hard to quibble when you can take a mid-sightseeing dip in Listerine-blue waters. The Mayans chose their site as a convenient port, facing the sunrise (it was known as City of Dawn) and handy for a spot of Venus worship. But we are just as impressed with their Phil-and-Kirstie-ish eye for a gorgeous view and a cooling breeze. As our week marches on, so our desire picks up to cram in more seeing and doing. As well as the glitterballs and too-cool-for-school waiters, Papaya Playa has Pablo, a Roman-nosed, shavenheaded Argentinian diving instructor who’s lived in Tulum since it was all thatched huts, and has a soft
All I could see was horizon-filling jungle – bristling acacias, starbursty chit palms
spot for the hotel cat. Diving’s off-menu for mothersin-waiting, but Pablo promises us snorkel-friendly turtles galore. And delivers – first just outside Tulum in a cenote. There are 6,000 of these freshwater-filled limestone sinkholes riddling the peninsula; divers love the eerie depths that Mayans believed were entrances to the underworld. Snorkelling the surface, we see little turtles paddling among goby fish and submerged tree roots, and glimpse caves plunging into darkness. Pablo also drives us north of Tulum to Akumal, a resort town with a seagrass-filled bay that provides an irresistible all-you-can-eat-buffet for footstool-sized green turtles. We see half a dozen in an hour, floating just above them as they flipper-sweep the grass for the juiciest shoots. Back at Papaya Playa, I reckon my vaguely hippy yearnings could do with a final fix. Cue Gaby, serene spa-manager supreme, and her shaman husband, Fabian, who taps into Tulum’s ‘powerful nature’ with his temazcals. These traditional Mayan sweat-lodge sessions – several hours in a darkened, 40-degreesteamy mud-brick igloo among the trees – are best left to the non-pregnant. But I get a spiritual hit just from Fabian’s way of describing them. “The temazcal is a memory that’s been preserved for humanity,” he says. It uses “Mother Earth’s female energy” for physical and emotional healing – he was
WHERE TO STAY Nested in the jungle, near Mayan ruins of Tulum and Coba, you’ ll find Zamas. Here an assortment of colourful rooms await. Check in to a beachfront room where swaying in a hammock to the sound of crashing waves is a prerequisite. Encantada, a small eco-friendly beachfront hotel along the Mayan Riveria, offers rustic rooms with luxury touches.
conceived after his sceptical mother agreed to try a temazcal as a last-ditch fertility treatment. “I’ve been blessed to see miracles of catharsis – it’s about giving yourself permission to move on. Holding on to the past poisons your dreams, body and relationships. Come with openness of heart; it’s a powerful medicine.” Normally my eyes would be rolling like cue balls, but something about his calming manner silences my inner cynic; maybe he has a point when he says: “Tulum shifts the rhythm you bring – many people come here looking for the vibration.” I settle for a good-vibrations Mayan pregnancy massage. Which turns out to be fairly similar to an AngloSaxon pregnancy massage: a soothingly vigorous rub of back, limbs and head, though all the more pleasant here for the live oceanfront soundtrack of waves crashing, lizards chirruping and palm leaves clacking. If it was important to make this holiday count, our last morning is crunch time. But somehow, we play a blinder. We wake up to blue skies and bounce down to the beach, past a sandy crater and telltale tracks (go, little turtles!), for a last swim. Breakfast down the road at Zamas – those huevos rancheros are unbeatable – and back for a final hammock swing before the heavens open, obligingly, as our car pulls away from the hotel. I try to fix these images in my mind – when the sleepless nappy-nights strike, the memory-bank coffers should see me through. So, here we go – back to Earth with a bump...
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Summer breaks made with you in mind
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June // 2014
Weekends Everything you need to know about short-haul escapes
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Explore the red-rose city of Petra
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Where to watch the FIFA World Cup
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Check-in to the best suites in the GCC
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June // 2014
HOTEL in NUMBERS Opened in 2008, Atlantis, The Palm has quickly become one of the symbols of Dubai. From underwater suites to a sprawling waterpark, this mega resort has pretty much got it all. Let’s crunch some numbers… / i Õ LiÀ v >À i > > à at the resort, including ÃÌ }À>ÞÃ] À>Þ ii Ã] wà and zebra sharks.
65,000 27
/ i Õ LiÀ v ÕÝÕÀÞ ÌÀi>Ì i Ì À Ã >Ì Ì i Atlantis spa, ShuiQi.
18
Aquaventure features over 18 ÌÀià v fresh water in its pools, rapids, and waterslides.
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MIDDLE EAST MUST DO… 68
Weekends
... See Petra at sunset Ì } Ài> Þ «Ài«>ÀiÃ Þ Õ v À Þ ÕÀ wÀÃÌ } «Ãi v Ì i Treasury, carved into the rose-gold rock thousands of years >} ] >Ã Þ Õ i iÀ}i vÀ Ì i iÌÀi } Ã Ì V> Þ >Ì *iÌÀ>° >L Ìi` à Vi «Ài ÃÌ À V Ì iÃ] Ì Ã >L>Ì>i> V ÌÞ lay forgotten for centuries, until it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer in 1812. *iÌÀ> à > ëÀ>Ü } à Ìi] Ü Ì À V VÕÌ Ì LÃ] Õ i Ìà > ` >ÀV >i } V> Ài > à v > V ÌÞ Ì >Ì Ü>à Vi i Ì 30,000 people, so consider staying in a hotel in the nearby town of Wadi Musa rather than trying to see it all in one `>Þ° ƂÀÀ Ûi >Ì Î« Ì Li>Ì Ì i ``>Þ i>Ì > ` Ì i ÃÌ V >À Õ ` Ì Ü>ÌV Ì i ÃÕ ÃiÌ\ Ì i >Ìi >vÌiÀ } Ì > ià the sandstone glow. Once the sun goes down, you can also experience Petra by the light of 1,800 glowing candles.
Chefs serve over 15,000 i> Ã «iÀ `>Þ vÀ Ì i resort’s 20 restaurants and lounges.
58,000 / i i }Ì ] iÌÀiÃ] of steel bars used in the construction of Atlantis. That’s ÛiÀ i Ì iÃ Ì i i }Ì v the Great Wall of China.
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June // 2014
Where to stay InterContinental Almaty (ihg.com) Located opposite the Presidential Palace, this modern hotel has four restaurants and fantastic views of the Tian Shan Mountains. The Ritz-Carlton Almaty (ritzcarlton.com) Opened last year, this 145-room hotel near the Esentai Mall features striking contemporary design and two restaurants.
48 hours in...
ALM ATY
Ask a Concierge
at Bellagio, where Puglia-born head chef Pierro Palmigiani produces accomplished Italian fare. Or try Uzbek-styled Alasha restaurant, which serves some of the city’s best plov (a rice and lamb dish) accompanied by lively singing and dancing.
Alima Assembek, from the InterContinental Almaty, on the best outdoor escapes
Text by: Lara Brunt Photography by: Corbis / Arabian Eye
Medeo Surrounded by mountains, the world’s highest speedskating ice rink is nestled in a picturesque valley just 15km from Almaty. There’s ice skating, along with basketball, volleyball, soccer, roller-skating, and cycling in summer. Shymbulak This renowned ski resort, 25km from the city, has snow cover from December to April and a good mix of runs to suit all levels. In summer, try the world’s highest rope park, an obstacle course made of ropes, logs, and zip-lines. Lake Issyk Located 60km east of Almaty at 1,780m above sea level, this alpine lake changes colour with the weather, ÀiyiVÌ } Ì i `>À }ÀiÞ v rain clouds or the clear blue of sunny skies.
Saturday Morning
Friday Morning
Almaty may no longer be the capital of oil-rich Kazakhstan, but it remains its largest city. The mighty Tian Shan Mountains, snow-capped for much of the year, provide a beautiful backdrop to Ì i à ÕÌ ° -Ì>ÀÌ Þ ÕÀ `>Þ *> w Û *>À ] i Ì Zenkov Cathedral, one of Almaty’s few surviving tsarist-era buildings and made entirely of wood.
Afternoon
For lunch, head to nearby Green Bazaar, a colourful produce market selling dried fruits and nuts, cheese, and honey. For a real glimpse of Kazakh culture, spend the afternoon soaking and steaming at Arasan Banya. Built in the 1970s, this sauna complex has Russian, Finnish and Turkish baths, plus a wood-panelled steam room.
Evening
Follow in the footsteps of Bill Clinton and dine
Take the cable car up to KökTöbe (Green Hill) on the city’s southeastern edge. At the top Þ Õ½ w ` V>vjà > ` à ÕÛi À shops, as well as plenty of places to stop and admire the view. Enjoy a pleasant walk back down to the city.
Afternoon
A 30-minute drive leads to Ile-Alatau National Park. The wild and beautiful landscape is made for hiking (or strolling), plus there’s a charming resort with swimming pools, spa, sauna, and good restaurants. Close to the entrance of the park is the Sunkar Falcon Centre, which has daily birds of prey displays in summer.
Evening
A cultural evening awaits at the Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet House, a beautiful neoclassical building. The venue stages a number of performances each week, with classics like Swan Lake, La Bohème and Carmen performed alongside a programme of Kazakh operas.
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So Spa at Sofitel The Palm
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Dubai is well known as one of the busiest, most bustling cities on the planet – great for urban go-getters, but sometimes it can take its toll on your body and soul. Smart professionals know that keeping your batteries regularly recharged is the best way to stay on top of any situation, and the award-winning So Spa at Sofitel The Palm, Dubai is the most indulgent place in the city to plug in. Nestled in a prime spot on Dubai’s iconic Palm Jumeirah, the fresh French Polynesian island theme at this stunning resort will energise you as soon as you take your first steps into the property, and by the time you reach the spa the scents of relaxing oils will tease your senses. Promotion
Set over 2,500 square metres, Sofitel’s So Spa is comprised of 28 peaceful spa rooms, state-of-the-art saunas and steam rooms, and four outdoor cabanas set aside for traditional Tahitian spa treatments. Personalised treatments range from relaxing deep-tissue Polynesian massages to organic seaweed baths and traditional hammam experiences, as well as a host of other wellness options to leave your body shining like new. Over Dubai’s hot summer season, the So Spa is offering fantastic offers to help residents and tourists alike beat the heat and remain relaxed all summer long. Each day of the week has a fun theme, like Tahitian Tuesday – where you’ll receive
a 50 per cent discount on a 90-minute Polynesian “Taurumi” massage. Not to mention that when you book any spa treatment, you gain complimentary access to the world-class So Spa fitness centre, indoor hydrotherapy pools and elegant outdoor infinity pool, with endless views over the shimmering blue Arabian Gulf. Whether you’re visiting Dubai for a day or a month, a visit to So Spa is the perfect antidote to any worries or concerns – you’ll find yourself wishing you never had to leave. Maybe you should just book one more treatment… For more information, visit www.sofitel.com or call +971 4455 5433.
World Traveller Promotion
Let your cares drift away at this ultra-luxurious retreat
World Traveller
June // 2014
GO WITH THE FLOW
Is your hotel in Dubai?
The FIFA World Cup kicks off in Brazil on June 12. Here’s where to watch it in the UAE
no
yes
no
Looking for authentic Brazilian food and drink?
yes
Want to be part of a big crowd?
And stick to soft drinks?
La Playa Lounge, Dubai This new outdoor cinema at The Beach at JBR promises a relaxed, yet lively atmosphere. The alcohol-free venue is equipped with a huge LED cinema screen so you can chill ÕÌ Ü Ì > y>Û ÕÀi` Ã Ã > and cheer your country to victory. laplayalounge.com
yes
Fairmont The Palm, Dubai Frevo Brazilian churrascaria will show live matches on the big screen from 8pm ‘til 3am, with meaty snacks and fruity concoctions to keep your energy levels up. There’s an outdoor terrace and a minimum spend of Dhs150pp. fairmont.com
yes
yes
So you’ll be in Abu Dhabi?
no Emirates Golf Club, Dubai As well as showing all the live games across 21 TVs and two huge screens, the World Cup Theatre will have plenty of activities to keep you entertained, from a PlayStation tournament to a giant Adidas ‘Brazuca’ ball. Open daily from 5pm. dubaigolf.com
Will you be in the heart of town?
no Yas Viceroy, Abu Dhabi RUSH nightclub will be broadcasting every game, goal and penalty live on a super-sized screen from sunset until 2am. There’ll be Brazilian-themed snacks, as well as plenty of promotions, such as a free drink if your national team wins its match. viceroyhotelsandresorts.com
yes InterContinental, Abu Dhabi Watch all the live action at perennial favourite The Belgian Café, or head into the InterContinental’s Sahaara Tent overlooking the marina, which will have two big screens. Chamas restaurant offers juicy Brazilian churrasco if you’re feeling peckish. intercontinental.com
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Charmoula
This versatile Moroccan sauce, y>Û ÕÀi` Ü Ì paprika, saffron, onion, and coriander, is a popular marinade for wà vÌi > ÕÀ Ì i Arabian Gulf). Sample it at O’Bleu Mogador in Essaouira.
The Great Escape
Shangri-La Bar Al Jissah Resort & Spa
Try before [QW ƃ[
Morocco comes alive this month with world music festivals in Essaouira, Fes and Rabat. Bruno Cerdan, executive chef at Tagine restaurant at the One&Only Royal Mirage Dubai, suggests three dishes to whet your appetite…
The name’s a bit of a mouthful. Big place, is it? It’s actually three places. The entire resort is comprised of three hotels – Al Waha, hiding behind a man-made tunnel through the mountain next to the Sea of Oman; Al Bandar, which is the resort’s focal « Ì] > ` w > Þ Ì i « Ã } Al Husn.
Chicken tagine with olives
This ubiquitous tagine, often served at weddings, is made with preserved lemon, saffron, olives and coriander. Try it for yourself at Dar , Õ > > ià `>ÀÀ Õ > >° com).
Harira fassia
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A traditional Moroccan favourite, this hearty soup is made with chickpeas, lamb, lentils, tomato, and y>Û ÕÀi` Ü Ì coriander. Order it at Tajine wa Tanjia in Rabat.
Weekends
WIN!
We’re giving you the chance to enjoy all this wonderful hotel has to offer with a three-night stay up for grabs. A Deluxe Seaview room in Al Bandar Hotel is your prize, where you’ll also enjoy breakfast daily, gazing out to spectacular surrounds. To be in with a chance of winning, we want you to tell us how many hotels there are within Shangri-La Bar Al Jissah Resort & Spa. Is it… A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 Email your answer to easywin@ hotmediapublishing.com before June 30. Terms and conditions apply on prize.
Al Husn… doesn’t that mean..? It means exactly what its name suggests – castle. The Al Husn Hotel is an exclusive castlelike retreat with rooms and suites among the biggest to be found anywhere in Oman. +VoU FGƂPKVGN[ IQQF GPQWIJ for me. Tell me more about the spa. The hotels share one ultraluxurious spa, known as CHI. Found between the Al Waha and Al Bandar hotels, this soothing oasis guarantees personal peace. I prefer to relax lying down. And eat that way, too. What’s on the menu? Almost anything you can think of. No less than 11 restaurants grace the premises. Our pick is the Capri Court, which offers a modern Italian experience in the heart of the Omani countryside.
THE LUXURY OF A HOTEL WITH THE COMFORTS OF HOME Enjoy panoramic views over the sparkling coastline and stunning cityscape at Fraser Suites Dubai. With award-winning service and extensive gold-standard facilities including swimming pools, steam & sauna, Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club, tennis & squash courts, conference rooms that can cater to 200 delegates; relaxed dinning in Aqua Cafe and the exclusive Awazen Spa, Fraser Suites Dubai has it all.
FRASER SUITES DUBAI - Sheikh Zayed Road, Media City, Dubai, UAE Reservations: +971 4 440 1400 Email: reservations.dubai@frasershospitality.com
June // 2014
brought to you by
World Traveller Weekend Offers Seychelles
Double Tree by Hilton Seychelles – Allamanda Resort & Spa 4 nights from USD630 per person. Special offer: Stay for 2 nights and receive 2 additional nights free. Includes: Stay in a Garden Villa with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: Now ‘til July 21, 2014.
Lebanon
Le Royal Beirut 2 nights from USD355 per person.
Special offer: Receive a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe Sea View Room. Includes: Stay in a Standard Sea View Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers. Validity: Now ‘til June 30, 2014.
Turkey
W Istanbul Hotel 3 nights from USD370 per person. Special offer: Stay 2 nights and receive an additional night free Includes: Stay in a Wonderful Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers Validity: 28 June – 31 July 2014*
How to Book You can book these offers by calling dnata on +971 4 316 6666 or by visiting dnatatravel. com. Terms and conditions apply. On the same site you can also sign up to dnata’s newsletter and receive more offers direct to your inbox.
W Istanbul Hotel
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Double Tree by Hilton Seychelles – Allamanda Resort & Spa
Weekends
World Traveller
June // 2014
UAE
Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa 4 nights from AED1,735 per person. Special offer: Book 7 days prior to arrival and receive 20% rate reduction plus free upgrade to Half Board. Includes: Stay in a Premier Lagoon View Room with breakfast. Validity: Now â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til September 30, 2014. Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel 3 nights from USD455 per person. Special Offer: Stay 2 nights and receive an additional night free, plus 20% Spa discount and 20% F&B discount and complimentary Wi-Fi. Includes: Stay in a Junior Suite with breakfast daily, 2 children under 12 years stay for free when sharing with the adults, plus Club Lounge access. Validity: Now â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til August 31, 2014. The St. Regis Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Doubletree Al Barsha 1 night from USD60 per person.
Special Offer: Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;wĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x201C;i` connecting rooms for up to 4 adults and 2 children. Includes: Stay in 2 interconnecting Guest Rooms on room only basis Validity: Now â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til September 15, 2014. The St. Regis Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi 1 night from USD115 per person. Special Offer: Complimentary upgrade to half board. Includes: Stay in a Superior Room with breakfast daily. Validity: Now â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til September 15, 2014.
Oman
Hilton Salalah Resort, Salalah 2 nights from USD175 per person. Special Offer: Complimentary upgrade to Half Board plus 10% discount on massages and treatments. Includes: Stay in a Standard Room with breakfast daily. Validity: June 27-July 27, 2014.
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CALL: 8004770 800701 Dubai & Northern Emirates Abu Dhabi & Al Ain
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June // 2014
SIX of the BEST…
SUITES IN THE GCC
From mountain-top retreats to designer party pads, here are six of the region’s most stunning suites
Best for… couples
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Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, UAE Opened earlier this year, this retreat on the eastern crescent of the Palm marks the upmarket brand’s debut in Dubai. Home to 319 rooms and suites decorated in subtle shades of ivory and soft turquoise, the signature 160sqm suite has an open-plan living room, marble bathroom, and majestic views of the Arabian Gulf from the private balcony. While the resort welcome families, it has some special treats in store for V Õ« iÃ] vÀ Ì i >`Õ ÌÃ Þ w ÌÞ « and private spa suites to date-night dining at Social by Heinz Beck. waldorfastoria3.hilton.com
Weekends
World Traveller
June // 2014
Best for… families
Salalah Rotana Resort, Oman Thanks to the khareef (monsoon) season, Salalah remains blissfully cool all summer long. Set beside the Indian Ocean, this resort has 400 rooms and suites overlooking a network of man-made canals. The 143sqm two-bedroom family suites are just a few steps from the pool and include a large living room, two bathrooms, and private terrace. There are two family-friendly restaurants and Flipper’s Kids’ Club, with supervised activities for 3 to 12-year-olds > ` L>LÞà ÌÌ }] « Õà > <i ë>] wÌ iÃà centre, and tennis courts for the grown-ups. rotana.com
Best for… design fans
W Doha Hotel, Qatar / i 7½Ã wÀÃÌ `` i >ÃÌiÀ «À «iÀÌÞ is cutting-edge cool with vivid interiors > ` « vÕÀ à }ð / i ÝÌÀi i 7"7 penthouse suite is the pick of the 445 À ð V>Ìi` Ì i £xÌ y À] Ì i 320sqm party pad has its own fully-stocked bar, pool table, aquarium, and state-of-theart Bang & Olufsen entertainment system with surround sound. There’s also a huge king-sized bed, fully-equipped kitchen, ÃÜ Ã L>Ì À Ü Ì iÝ>} > ÌÕL] > ` massage room. With a handful of W Hotel’s `Õi Ì «i Ì i Ài} ÛiÀ Ì i iÝÌ Ì Àii Þi>ÀÃ] `ià } >wV >` Ã Ü Ã Li spoilt for choice. whoteldoha.com
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Best forâ&#x20AC;Ś blowing the budget
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, UAE As one of Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most iconic Li>VÂ&#x2026;vĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x153;ÂŤiĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x192;] Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2026;>` /Â&#x153;Ă&#x153;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192; vi>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192; wĂ&#x203A;i Ă&#x192;Â&#x17D;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x192;VĂ&#x20AC;>ÂŤiĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;] Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;VÂ?Ă&#x2022;`Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} > Ă&#x201C;näÂ&#x2021;Â&#x201C;iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;iÂ&#x2021;Ă&#x152;>Â?Â? Â?Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E; Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x152;iÂ? LĂ&#x17E; Ă&#x2022;Â&#x201C;iÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x2026;° All of the 382 rooms and suites have yÂ&#x153;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2021;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Â&#x2021;ViÂ&#x2C6;Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;`Â&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x192; Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC;Â?Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Gulf, however, the jewel in the crown is Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i ,Â&#x153;Ă&#x17E;>Â? Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2026;>` -Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;i° -ÂŤ>Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} >Â&#x2DC; iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;i yÂ&#x153;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC; Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; iĂ&#x203A;iÂ? Ă&#x2C6;ä] Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Â&#x2122;näĂ&#x192;ÂľÂ&#x201C; Ă&#x192;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;i vi>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192; four bedrooms, each with a marble en suite and dressing room, and 360-degree views from the vast living areas. From the iPad-controlled curtains to your very own butler, this suite is about as woo as it gets. jumeirah.com
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Weekends
World Traveller
June // 2014
Best forâ&#x20AC;Ś stressed out souls
Fairmont The Palm Dubai, UAE If you need a break from city life, the Fairmontâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1,600sqm Willow Stream Spa is the perfect place to reenergise. There are 13 Â?Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152;Â&#x201C;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x192;] Ă&#x152;Ă&#x153;Â&#x153; Â&#x2026;>Â&#x201C;Â&#x201C;>Â&#x201C;Ă&#x192;] aroma steam and sauna, and a rasul suite vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC; `iĂ&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152;Â&#x201C;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192;° "Â&#x2DC;Vi Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;½Ă&#x20AC;i Ă&#x192;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;>LÂ?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x20AC;iÂ?>Ă?i`] Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x20AC;i >Ă&#x20AC;i Ă&#x17D;nÂŁ VÂ&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;iÂ&#x201C;ÂŤÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E; rooms and suites to retire to, including our favourite: the 780sqm Signature Terrace suite that comes with an on-call butler. The suites features plush furnishings, loads of living space (including a dining room that seats 10), marble bathroom with jetted tub and rain shower, plus a stunning terrace Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026; Ć&#x201A;Ă&#x20AC;>LÂ&#x2C6;VÂ&#x2021;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;i` `iĂ&#x192;Â&#x2C6;}Â&#x2DC; yÂ&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x192; >Â&#x2DC;` 180-degree views. fairmont.com/palm-dubai
Best forâ&#x20AC;Ś nature lovers
Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman
Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x201C;>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;V>Â?Â?Ă&#x17E; ÂŤiĂ&#x20AC;VÂ&#x2026;i` >Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;ÂŤ >L>Â? Ć&#x201A;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2026;`>Ă&#x20AC; ÂÂź/Â&#x2026;i Ă&#x20AC;iiÂ&#x2DC; Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;>Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;½Ž] Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022; V>Â&#x2DC;½Ă&#x152; Â&#x2026;iÂ?ÂŤ LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x152; be awed by your surroundings at this ecofriendly resort. Opened last month, you can iĂ?ÂŤÂ?Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;i Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x2022;}}i` Â?>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x192;V>ÂŤiĂ&#x192;] Ă&#x203A;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152; Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;V forts, and escape the heat (temperatures >Ă&#x20AC;i >Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;` ÂŁx `i}Ă&#x20AC;iiĂ&#x192; VÂ&#x153;Â&#x153;Â?iĂ&#x20AC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;>Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;V>Ă&#x152;Ž° The 78 suites and villas feature balconies and terraces for sunsets and stargazing, Ă&#x153;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Â?i Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;wÂ&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x17E; ÂŤÂ&#x153;Â&#x153;Â? Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x152;VÂ&#x2026;iĂ&#x192; Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x152; Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i }Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;}i° 7i Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;i Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Ă&#x192;ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;>Ă&#x153;Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2C6;ÂŁĂ&#x192;ÂľÂ&#x201C; >L>Â? Villa, with two bedrooms, spacious living and dining rooms, a kitchenette, master L>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x201C; Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026; Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;i>Â&#x201C; Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x201C; >Â&#x2DC;` >VĂ&#x2022;ââÂ&#x2C6;] >Â&#x2DC;` your own private pool. alilahotels.com
79
June // 2014
Suite Dreams Pangkor Laut resort
Pangkor Laut Island
80
What:
Sea villa
Where:
Pangkor Laut island, off the west coast of Malaysia
Weekends
About:
Linked by wooden walkways, Pangkor Laut Resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature villas hover serenely over the sea and enjoy unspoilt views of the Straits of Malacca. Each airy bungalow features traditional
Malay design, with a king-size bed, spacious balcony, and oversized tub overlooking the sea, while the resort itself includes a sensational spa and a handful of quality restaurants. The 300-acre, privately owned island is
covered by rainforest so expect to see macaques and monitor lizards during your afternoon strolls, or just stick to waterborne activities such as snorkelling, sailing, and waterskiing. pangkorlautresort.com
JW MARRIOT T® MARQUIS DUBAI
Taking luxury to new heights. Located near some of Dubai’s best attractions, the JW Marriott ǡ ơ Ǥ 1,608 LUXURIOUS GUEST ROOMS 8 INCREDIBLE RESTAURANTS AND 6 BARS AND LOUNGES SUBLIME SARAY SPA AND HEALTH CLUB OVER 8,000 SQM OF INDOOR AND OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE Book your next stay now on jwmarriottmarquisdubai.com or call +971 4 414 0000
Sheikh Zayed Road, Business Bay, PO Box 121000, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, T +971 4 414 0000, F +971 4 414 0001 jwmarriottmarquisdubai.com, jwmarquis.dubai@marriott.com
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