World Traveller May'14

THE REGION’S BIGGEST LU XURY TR AV EL M AGAZINE

May 2014

Complimentary Copy

Issue Seventy Three

HIDDEN GEMS Produced in International Media Production Zone

The best short-haul hideaway hotels

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NORWAY SPAIN RIO

Beirut Canada Berlin San Francisco Cannes

A ND YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD ONLY STAY W ITH US IN CITIES?

For more information or to make a reservation, please call 800 4642 (UAE) or 800 897 1465 (KSA) or visit intercontinental.com InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort Š 2014 IHG. All Rights Reserved. Most hotels are independently owned and operated.

Introducing our new generation of luxury resorts.

Destinations such as our Resort in Vietnam’s Danang Son Tra Peninsula. Sat in luxurious privacy, amid WURSLFDO PRXQWDLQV \RX FDQ HQMR\ ÀQH ORFDO GHOLFDFLHV while gazing across the South China sea. Wherever you stay, we ensure you experience the very best our locations have to offer.

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May // 2014

Editor’s Note Issue Seventy Three, May 2014

There’s a bunch of reasons why people go on holiday each year – to relax, top up their tan, visit family, escape from the monotony of every day life. Here at WT we travel for a sense of adventure; for a chance to experience and embrace whatever place we find ourselves in. This issue, we’ve taken this notion and turned it into a carefully selected roster of features.

Starting in Europe, we take on wildest Norway with some little people in tow (page 41). Over in Spain, Liz Edwards loosens her belt buckle and eats her way along the northern coast (page 54). Moving further afield and we give you Queensland – on a surf board (page 66). Well, if it’s good enough for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then it’s good enough for us.

Returning to the Middle East, and we highlight a handful of luxury breaks each reachable in under five hours from the UAE, and share our pick of unmissable experiences in the region.

One last thing, fancy a chance to experience one of Dubai’s newest beachside resorts? Turn to page 76 and check out this month’s competition.

All you’ve got to do is tweet us your answer @WT_Magazine.

Enjoy the issue!

4

Tracey Scott tracey@hotmediapublishing.com

@WT_Magazine

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

Cover: Huvafen Fushi, Maldives.

May // 2014

Contents 54 41

27 Check In

Destinations

Weekends

8

41

73

11

48

83

27

54

84

36

66

88

The Essentials Tennis sensation Andy Murray opens the doors at Cromlix, his luxury Scottish hotel.

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84

Travel round-up New hotels, must-do activities, city guides and more.

Historic hotel Take a look inside Southern Canada’s “Castle in the Rockies”.

Click and capture A new exhibition is set to fuel your travelling dreams when it opens in London this month.

Norse Code Jonathan Lorie retraces his Viking roots on a whirlwind tour of Norway.

Rio’s art reaches fever pitch There’s more to Rio de Janeiro than football and samba.

Spanish mains Liz Edwards embarks on a moveable feast around the Basque Country and beyond.

Golden wonders beyond the reef It’s time to be captivated by Queensland, says Tom Peck.

The Essentials Everything you need to know about shorthaul destinations.

48hrs in… À ->w 6 >}i Ì ÞL Ã] Ì iÀi½Ã ÕV Ì do in Beirut.

Six of the best Escape to WT’s pick of hotel hideaways – all Ài>V >L i Õ `iÀ wÛi ÕÀð

Suite dreams Soak up the views from Paris’ Le Royal Vi>Õ ,>vyið

SLEEP.

OUR MOST POPULAR DESTINATION. Do not disturb. Stretched out on a fully-flat bed. The sumptuous soft mattress and bedtime drink beginning to take effect.

About to touch down on a cotton-wool cloud. From gentle ambient cabin lighting, to soothing pillow mist aromas, see how far we’re going to bring you some well-deserved sleep at etihad.com/comfortzone Welcome to a more comfortable world.

May // 2014

Check In The Essentials

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World Traveller

May // 2014

Ì Ã>Ì Ãwi` Ü Ì Li } Ì i LiÃÌ À Ì Ã Ìi à « >ÞiÀ v à }i iÀ>Ì ] Ƃ `Þ ÕÀÀ>Þ >à > à ÌÕÀ i` à > ` Ì Li } > ÕÝÕÀÞ Ìi iÀ° À Ý] V Ãi Ì ÕÀÀ>޽à iÌ Ü v

Õ L > i] >à Lii ÀivÕÀL à i` > ` Ã Ì i wÛi ÃÌ>À `iÃÌ >Ì v V Vi v À } v v> à > i>` v Ì i Óä£{ ,Þ`iÀ Õ«] Ü V Ì> ià « >Vi >Ì i>ÀLÞ i i>} ið - v Þ Õ V> ½Ì > i Ì Ì 7 L i` Ì Ã Þi>À] > } Ì À ÌÜ >Ì Ƃ `޽à Ìi } Ì ÕÃÌ Li Ì i iÝÌ LiÃÌ Ì }°

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LIFE HAS A NEW PLAYGROUND

Explore a glamorous destination full of unforgettable experiences. Relish a world of flavours at 11 dining venues and lounges.

Relax in 2 rooftop pools or at a luxurious spa. Pump up the adrenaline at exciting island attractions including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld. Immerse your soul in true exhilaration, with 5-star service at the iconic Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi.

For reservations call +97 1 2 656 0700, email yas.reservations@viceroyhotelsandresorts.com or visit our website www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/abudhabi facebook.com/yasviceroy

twitter.com/yasviceroy

instagram.com/yasviceroy

May // 2014

World Traveller

Florence

FASHION HOUSES The Ferragamoowned hotel group is taking Italy by storm The Lungarno Collection may already have luxury properties all over the country, but that hasn’t stopped them setting their sights on total Italian domination. The hotel group’s fourth property in Florence is the Portrait Firenze, which opens this month. Portrait Firenze is a lavish “home” with 34 suites, designed to offer unparalleled views of the city and specifically the famous Ponte Vecchio. Designed by local architect Michele Bonan, the property’s lavish style is designed to evoke a historic experience for travellers. According to Bonan, the watchword for the project was “aristocratic”, and the stunning penthouse floor features the very highest-grade Italian luxuries.

ONE TO WATCH

Our pick of offthe-radar travel experiences

MUSTANG MONUMENT NEVADA, USA

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A symbol of American power since frontier times, the mustang horse is an icon of the United States.

Mustang Monument in rural Nevada aims to celebrate and conserve them, while also providing ÕÝÕÀÞ ÃÌ>Þà wÛi ÃÌ>À Ì « à v À ÌÃ Û Ã Ì Àð "«i } in June, by day you’ll be trekking the mountains of Nevada and by starry nights under the western à iÃ] V Õ > wÀiÃ Ü Li Ì i L>V `À « Ì Ì> ià of American history. The reservation is spread over a mighty 900 square miles, and it’s rare to see a blend of luxury and outdoor ruggedness quite like it. Each stay helps the conservation of wild mustangs, whose population has dwindled from over two million in 1914 to fewer than 30,000 now. Take the chance to get up close and personal while you still can.

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Glamping Extras With your tipi or treehouse booked, don’t forget your accessories…

1. Diesel, diesel.com

2. Chloé, chloe.com

3. Topshop, topshop.com

Milan

The day always starts well if I drink a cappuccino and I suggest Caffè Cova, one of Milan’s oldest coffeehouses. If I had only 24 hours to explore the city I would go up on the roof of the Duomo and soak up the views. From there, stop

by Milan’s historic library Pinacoeca Ambrosiana and the Pinacoteca di Brera (the city’s main public gallery for paintings). Fall in love with Italian design by visiting the Triennale Design Museum, and then experience the city’s classical architecture

My City

Matteo Nunziati, an interior designer from Milan, shares his insider tips

4. Alexander McQueen, alexandermcqueen.com

5.Hunter, hunterboot.com

at La Scala Theatre. For peace and quiet, head to the Parco Sempione and stretch out on the lawn ­Þ Õ½ w ` }Ài>Ì Û iÜÃ v Ì i ƂÀV v *i>Vi®° - Ü off by shopping at Via Montenapoleone, one of Milan’s most elegant and fashionable streets. Clink glasses at Gattopardo Cafè, the best club in town, before resting your head at the Armani Hotel Milan or the Park Hyatt Milan.

London

Royal treatment awaits at London’s Kensington Hotel V>Ìi` Ì i i i}> Ì ÃÕÀÀ Õ ` }à v ` ½Ã " ` À «Ì , >` (also known as Museum road, due to its proximity to the famous Science, Victoria & Albert and Natural History Museums), The Kensington Hotel has ÃiÀÛi` Ì i V Õ ÌÀ޽à w iÃÌ v À }i iÀ>Ì Ã° Ü Ì½Ã > } Ì ÃiÀÛi Ì i Ü À `½Ã i Ìi Ü Ì / i i à }Ì -Õ Ìi] > £nä õÕ>Ài iÌÀi ë>Vi Õ i any other suite in the capital. Almost a separate luxury apartment within the hotel, the suite comprises three bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as two separate living areas complete with dressing rooms, balconies and all Ì i ` V Ã Þ Õ½` iÝ«iVÌ > ÕÝÕÀÞ `Üi }° iÀi v ÌÃÌi«Ã >Ü>Þ vÀ } > À Õà } ÌÃLÀ `}i «ÕÌÃ Ì Ã ÃÕ Ìi wÀ Þ Ì i à «> Vý >«°

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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

SUITES AT ATLANTIS Live the luxury. Love the value

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BOOK NOW: atlantisthepalm.com or call +971 4 426 1000

May // 2014

World Traveller

Barcelona

The trains in Spain

TRAVEL CALENDAR

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The world’s biggest Buddhist temple in Java is the spot to celebrate Waisak, Buddhism’s seminal holiday.

Eurostar now runs train services directly from London to Barcelona Spain has been something of a desert as far as rail travel is concerned. In 1844, the leaders of the country decided on a unique gauge track (six Castillian feet wide), isolating it from the rest of Europe who used standard sized tracks. Now,

however, thanks to decades of work between Eurostar, French and Spanish rail authorities, and a host of train experts, the bridges have been gapped and it is now possible to ride one Eurostar train from Kings Cross St. Pancras in London,

all the way through Paris and onwards to southern Spain, disembarking in Barcelona.

The journey takes some 10 hours and shuttles you past miles and miles of gorgeous French and Spanish countryside. All aboard for non-stop adventure.

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The Versailles Festival takes over the Chateau de Versailles from May 23 to July 12. Expect music, theatre and art in abundance.

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The UEFA Champions’ League Final takes place in Lisbon, Portugal. 65,647 football lovers will pack the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e i wV>°

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Celebrate Britain’s eccentric side at Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling festival in Gloucester, England.

Don’t forget your crackers.

I WANT TO...

Inspiring ideas for your bucket list

... GO WILD IN AFRICA An African safari is on most travellers’ to-do lists, even if they’ve been already. One thing most people struggle with, however, is taking the right photographs. If you’re

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sick of seeing a lion just exiting the frame there’s someone who can help.

His name is Alan Root, and he will guide you through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – shooting your very own personal wildlife documentary as you go. Born in Britain, Root grew up in Kenya and knows the continent as well as any man alive. He’ll take you up to the skies in a helicopter and show you the Big 5 and more. David Attenborough has vouched for the expert, and if he’s ok with David, he’s ok with us.

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May // 2014

TRAVEL DOWNLOAD

All the media you need, whatever your journey FILM

APPS SkyChartsPro ,iVi Ì Þ >`i vÀii] - Þ >ÀÌÃ*À iÌÃ Þ Õ Ãii y } Ì v À >Ì v À airports all over the world to help you navigate the à ið Ü >` i Ì Ài >«Ã Ì your device to use >Ì Þ ÕÀ i ÃÕÀi°

Videolicious

THE TRIP TO ITALY Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon take their peculiar double act on a driving tour of Italy, stopping at the

w iÃÌ ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> ÌÃ Ì i V Õ ÌÀÞ° / i À L>V > ` forth is just as delightful as the gorgeous shots of Ì i Ì> > V Õ ÌÀÞÃ `i°

Airhelp

MUSIC

THINK LIKE A FREAK Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner Ài> VÃ changed the way we looked at chance and predictability, using snappy anecdotes, and Ü iÛ ÌÌ > ` Dubner show you how to see the world the way they ` °

BOOKS SAM SMITH

In The Lonely Hour / i Õ« > ` V } Brit follows ubiquitous à >à iÞ " Þ ` Ü Ì Ã `iLÕÌ > LÕ ] L i ` } i > V V `> Vi ÌÕ iÃ Ü Ì i« V V >L À>Ì Ã°

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LILY ALLEN

Sheezus Despite describing the à } ià vÀ - iiâÕÃ Ì Õà v>À >à º i` VÀi

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pop rubbish”, Allen V > Ã Ì i LiÃÌ Ã ÞiÌ Ì V i vÀ Ì i * >vÌiÀ ÌÃ Ài i>Ãi° KELIS

Food Kelis has been busy since her last release in Óä£ä q Ì i ÌV i ° i>À } Ì V >à yÕi Vi` iÀ >ÌiÃÌ > LÕ ] > äà yÕi Vi` Ý v i iVÌÀ ] ,½ ½ > ` `> Vi°

Stitch together your videos with ÕÃ V > ` « Ì Ã to create the Õ Ì >Ìi ÌÀ>Ûi ` >ÀÞ° ÝÌÀi i Þ sophisticated video production v À > Ã >ÀÌ« i >««°

THE LONGEST RIDE Nicholas Sparks / i >ÃÌiÀ v À > Vi ÌÃ Ì i Ã> i ë Ìà i ` ` / i ÌiL in his new novel about two couples whose lives cross by chance, leaving profound V ÃiµÕi Við

v Þ ÕÀ y } Ì gets delayed or cancelled, you could be due V «i Ã>Ì – Airhelp takes the pain out of the process by handling the paperwork (for a Óx «iÀ Vi Ì VÕÌ®°

AroundMe ÃÌ i «vÕ v Þ Õ½Ûi } Ì > generous data À > } «>V >}i] Ì i ƂÀ Õ ` i >«« lets you search for restaurants, V>à >V iÃ] parking lots and countless other conveniences in Õ v> >À V Ì ið -ÌÕ L i` Õ« any useful travel apps recently? iÌ Õà ܰ°° J7/Ú >}>â i

World Traveller

May // 2014

Graphic language

Cannes PALME D’OR WINNING DIRECTORS BY NATIONALITY*

DELBERT MANN’s

1955

b (1)

a (2)

Founded in 1946, Cannes Film Festival has been held annually apart from 1948 and 1950, when it was temporarily cancelled due to lack of funds. This year it takes place from May 14-25.

UK/DENMARK (3) USA (12)

FILM

‘MARTY’

ITALY (5)

1 of 2 IS

FRANCE (7)

TO WIN THE

PALM D’OR & ACADEMY AWARD

*The Palme D’Or was awarded from 1955-1963 and again from 1975-present.

FOR BEST PICTURE

“The Man in the Iron Mask” spent 11 years isolated in prison on the island fortress Île Sainte-Marguerite, a 15-minute ferry ride off Cannes’ coast.

a : GERMANY, JAPAN, POLAND, GREECE, YUGOSLAVIA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM b : RUSSIA, MEXICO, BRAZIL, ALGERIA, TURKEY, CHINA, TUNISIA, THAILAND, NEW ZEALAND, IRAN, JAPAN, ROMANIA

Californie Pezou

La Croix Des Gardes Le Suquet

“ ”

The name Cannes is thought to derive from Canna, a type of reed found on the water where the town was settled.

You hear people saying, ‘Oh I’m so tired, I’ve had enough of Cannes’.

How can you have enough of Cannes? It’s just the best place to be, like a fairy tale.

MARJANE SATRAPI (Author/Director)

BOULEVARD DE LA CROISETTE Stretching for two kilometres along the Mediterranean shore, La Croisette is Cannes’ most prominent road.

Restaurants, luxury hotels and high-end stores like Chanel and Martinez line the tree-studded street.

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Enjoy the Pullman Experience in the Midde-East.

Pullman Al Hamra Hotel

JEDDAH

Pullman Dubai Deira City Center Pullman Jumeirah Lakes Towers

DUBAI

DUBAI Opening Soon

Pullman ZamZam Makkah

MAKKAH

Photographer: Nick Meek.

Book now at pullmanhotels.com

Paris . Sao Paulo . London . Shanghai . Dubai . Bangkok . Sydney . Berlin . Bali . Barcelona J OI N O UR GL O B A L L OYALT Y P RO GR A M AT ACCO R H OT E L S .COM

World Traveller

May // 2014

Spotlight On

BERLIN

Ƃà >ÀÌ Ãi>à V à vv Ì i iÀ > V>« Ì> Ì Ã Ì 7/ VÕÀ>ÌiÃ Ì i « V v Ì i V Ì޽à >ÌÌÀ>VÌ Ã

Art galleries

Galerie Guido W. Baudach "À } > Þ v Õ `i` > v À iÀ ÌÌ } v>VÌ ÀÞ >ÃÌ iÀ ] >Õ`>V Ûi` Ì Ì i Û>ÃÌ />}iÃë i V « iÝ * ÌÃ`> iÀÃÌÀ>ÃÃi >ÃÌ Þi>À° "«i } > iÀÞ 7ii i `] Ü V Ãiià xä «À Û>Ìi }> iÀ ià «i Ì i À ` Àà vÀ >Þ Ó {] à > iÜ iÝ L Ì ] "ÀL Ìà v } 6i V ÌÞ -Ì>ÀÃ] vÀ iÀ > >ÀÌ ÃÌ À > i ° guidowbaudach.com Sights

Sprüth Magers

Reichstag

/ à }> iÀÞ Ài«ÀiÃi Ìà i iÀ} } > ` iÃÌ>L à i` artists from >VÀ ÃÃ Ì i } Li° V>Ìi` ÌÌi½Ã "À> i LÕÀ}iÀ -ÌÀ>ÃÃi] Ì Ü iÝ L Ì 1- « Ì }À>« iÀ * « ÀV> ` ÀV >½Ã ÃiÀ iÃ] ÕÃÌ iÀÃ] `ÕÀ } > iÀÞ 7ii i `° spruethmagers.com

The seat of the German *>À > i Ì Ü>à LÕ Ì £n {] `iÃÌÀ Þi` `ÕÀ } 77 ] > ` ÀiLÕ Ì Ì i Èäà > ` Çäð /Ü `iV>`ià >ÌiÀ] >ÀV ÌiVÌ À > ÃÌiÀ >``i` Ì i ` ÃÌ VÌ Ûi } >Ãà ` i°

Berlin Wall iÜ Ài > ÌÃ v Ì i 7> Ì >Ì Ãi«>À>Ìi` >ÃÌ > ` 7iÃÌ iÀ `ÕÀ } Ì i Õ ÃÌ «iÀ ` Ài > ° i>` Ì Ì i >ÃÌ - `i > iÀÞ] > £°Î iÌÀi } Ãi} i Ì «> Ìi` Ü Ì V ÕÀvÕ murals.

Contemporary Fine Arts

Ƃ >à Lii «ÀiÃi Ì } >Û> Ì }>À`i >ÀÌ v À ÛiÀ Óä Þi>Àð V>Ìi` ` ÀiVÌ Þ >VÀ Ãà vÀ ÕÃiÕ Ã > `] Ì i }> iÀÞ >à > ` ÛiÀÃi À ÃÌiÀ v ÌiÀ >Ì > >ÀÌ ÃÌð Ƃ iÜ }À Õ« iÝ L Ì >Ý > à «i Ã Ì Ã Ì Ü Ì Ü À à LÞ , ÃÞ iÞÃiÀ] -> ÞiÀ > ` ->V >i iÞ° cfa-berlin.de

Brandenburg Gate / Ã £nÌ Vi ÌÕÀÞ Ã> `ÃÌ i V ÌÞ }>Ìi ÕÃi` Ì Ài«ÀiÃi Ì Ì i Ãi«>À>Ì v Ì i V ÌÞ° ÜiÛiÀ] Ã Vi Ì i 7> V> i ` Ü £ n ] Ì i }>Ìi >Ã Ü V i Ì ÃÞ L Ãi iÀ > Õ ÌÞ°

Johann König

Unter den Linden

> } à Ài}>À`i` >à i v Ì i i>` } } Ìà iÀ ½Ã }> iÀÞ ÃVi i° V>Ìi` > v À iÀ `ÕÃÌÀ > LÕ ` } i>À Ì i iÜ >Ì > > iÀÞ] Ì Ã Ü Ìi Ü> i` ë>Vi VÕÀÀi Ì Þ Ài«ÀiÃi Ìà Óä Þ Õ } i iÀ} } > ` iÃÌ>L à i` >ÀÌ ÃÌð johannkoenig.de

iÀ ½Ã ÃÌ Li>ÕÌ vÕ L Õ iÛ>À` ÃÌÀiÌV ià vÀ Ì i À> `i LÕÀ} >Ìi Ì Ì i -V ÃÃLÀØV i LÀ `}i > ` à i Ì «ÀiÃÌ } Õà ÃÌ ÌÕÌ Ã V Õ` } Õ L `Ì 1 ÛiÀà ÌÞ > ` Ì i -Ì>Ìi "«iÀ>°

The Insider...

Mario Weihrich from ÌiÀ Ì i Ì> iÀ Ü iÀi Ì ` i Ì i V ÌÞ Tim Raue `à ÌÜ V i ÃÌ>Àà > ` V L iÃ Õ `iÀÃÌ>Ìi i Ì Ü Ì VÕ >ÀÞ } } Ìà yÕi Vi` LÞ > Û>À iÌÞ v Ƃà > VÕ Ã ià > ` > Ü V>ÀL >««À >V ° Õ} à Restaurant Ì i £{Ì y À

v ÕÀ Ìi >à iÝÌÀ> À` >ÀÞ v ` }>À à i` Ü Ì ÃÌÕ } V ÌÞ Û iÜð V i ÃÌ>À V iv / >à > i iÀ Ü Ì Þ ÃÌ Õ >Ìi Þ ÕÀ Ãi Ãi v Ì>ÃÌi LÕÌ > à ÌÀi>Ì Þ ÕÀ iÞið /Õ}À> Restaurant has recipes from the `i L v Ì i -Õ Ì> > ` Ü Ì> i Þ Õ > À i Ì> ÕÀ iÞ vÀ Ì i i>ÀÌ v Ì i German capital.

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May // 2014

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Anahita Mauritius, The Resort 4 nights from USD660 per person.

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World Traveller

May // 2014

Maldives One&Only Reethi Rah Maldives 4 nights from USD1,710 per person.

Special Offer: Stay 3 nights and receive an additional night free plus a complimentary upgrade to Half Board and return speedboat transfers.

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Validity: May 10-Sep 26, 2014.

An icon of the Maldives, One&Only Reethi Rah truly is one of our most loved resorts in the Maldives.

Hong Kong Novotel Hong Kong Nathan Road 3 nights from USD340 per person.

Includes: Stay in a Superior Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers.

Validity: May 1-September 10, 2014.

Perfectly located in Nathan Road, this hotel is great for a break in a 24-hour city.

Malaysia The Westin Kuala Lumpur 3 nights from USD360 per person Includes: Stay in a Deluxe City View Room with breakfast daily and return airport transfers.

Validity: May 1-September 30, 2014.

Set in downtown KL, this hotel boasts the only kids’ club in the centre of the city.

We think that’s a great bonus.

23

May // 2014

Thailand

Rob Arrow

Why the Cook Islands are well worth the trip

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In the current world of modern >Ă›Âˆ>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜ ÂˆĂŒ Ă€i>Â?Â?Ăž ÂˆĂƒ `ˆvwVĂ•Â?ĂŒ ĂŒÂœ }iĂŒ off the beaten track these days.

You only need to stand in front of the departure and arrival boards at Dubai or Abu Dhabi Ć&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;ÂŤÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; Ă&#x192;ii Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i >Â&#x201C;>âÂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} `iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022; V>Â&#x2DC; yĂ&#x17E; `Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;iVĂ&#x152;Â?Ă&#x17E; to from here now. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often fun to see what or where is Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;iÂ&#x2DC;`Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} > Â?Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x152;Â?i vĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x20AC; >wiÂ?`] and what I have found is the Cook Islands. Only a further 4hrs on from the already wonderful `iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; Â&#x153;v iĂ&#x153; <i>Â?>Â&#x2DC;`] Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i

Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x17D; Ă&#x192;Â?>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x192; >Ă&#x20AC;i Ă&#x20AC;i>Â?Â?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} to take off.

->Ă&#x152; wĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x201C;Â?Ă&#x17E; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Ă&#x153;>Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x201C; Ă&#x153;>Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192; Â&#x153;v Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i *>VÂ&#x2C6;wV] Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i wĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152; ÂŤÂ?>Vi Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â? iĂ?ÂŤÂ?Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;i Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â?>Â&#x2DC;` Â&#x153;v ,>Ă&#x20AC;>Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;}>] LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x152; > Ă&#x192;Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152; journey on from here you will come across the most beautiful >Â&#x2DC;` Ă&#x192;Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x153;Â?Ă&#x17E; `iĂ&#x203A;iÂ?Â&#x153;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â?>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x192; Â&#x153;v Aitutaki and Atiu. These islands >Ă&#x20AC;i Â&#x2DC;Â&#x153;Ă&#x152; LÂ&#x2C6;} LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x17E; Â&#x153;vviĂ&#x20AC; Ă&#x192;Â&#x153; much unspoilt natural beauty you will never notice. The water Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x192;Â&#x153; VÂ?i>Ă&#x20AC; >Â&#x2DC;` VÂ?i>Â&#x2DC; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152; }Â?i>Â&#x201C;Ă&#x192;] and the sand is so pure and white. Here you can swim and dive to your heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s content.

The abundance of reefs and VÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;>Â?Ă&#x192; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; LĂ&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x152;>Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}] >Â&#x2DC;` Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026; > ÂŤÂ&#x153;ÂŤĂ&#x2022;Â?>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; Â&#x153;v Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Â?Ă&#x17E; ÂŁĂ&#x17D;]äää] so much of the Cook Islands is untouched. /Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x201C; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; `iĂ&#x203A;iÂ?Â&#x153;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} sustainably here and there is >Â?Ă&#x20AC;i>`Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;i }Â&#x153;Â&#x153;` ÂľĂ&#x2022;>Â?Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x17E; >VVÂ&#x153;Â&#x201C;Â&#x201C;Â&#x153;`>Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;] LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x152; >Ă&#x192; vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC; now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rustic chic. Most of the accommodation is in private Ă&#x203A;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â?>Ă&#x192;] iÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x20AC; Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Li>VÂ&#x2026; with direct access to the sea or with the ocean just a short stroll away. My favourite spot is Ć&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x152;>Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6; >}Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; ,iĂ&#x192;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152; E -ÂŤ>° Ć&#x201A; }Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152; Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152; v>Ă&#x20AC;] v>Ă&#x20AC; >Ă&#x153;>Ă&#x17E;° To book a trip to Cook Islands VÂ&#x153;Â&#x201C;i >Â&#x2DC;` Ă&#x203A;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x153;Ă&#x153;] >Â&#x2DC;` Â&#x2C6;v Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x153;>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x203A;i > Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;ÂľĂ&#x2022;i hideaway experience but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t viiÂ? Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x17D;i iÂ&#x2DC;`Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i yĂ&#x17E;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;i] Â&#x2026;>Ă&#x203A;i Â&#x2026;>Â&#x2DC;`Â&#x2021;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;VÂ&#x17D;i` Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;i wonderful deals much closer to home.

Check In

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui 3 nights from USD925 per person.

Special Offer: Reduced rate by 35%.

Includes: Stay in a One Bedroom Villa with breakfast daily and return airport transfers.

Validity: >Ă&#x17E; ÂŁÂ&#x2021;-iÂŤĂ&#x152;iÂ&#x201C;LiĂ&#x20AC; Ă&#x17D;ä] Ă&#x201C;ä£{° -Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;iĂ&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;iĂ&#x192; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x152;>Â&#x17D;iĂ&#x192; > Â?Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x152;Â?i Â?Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;}iĂ&#x20AC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; Ă&#x20AC;i>VÂ&#x2026; ÂŤ>Ă&#x20AC;>`Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;i] LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x153;Â&#x2026;iÂ&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022; do it is completely worth it and at the Four Seasons Koh Samui this is exactly how you will feel Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; >Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x203A;>Â?° Ć&#x201A;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192; >Â&#x2DC; >Â?Â?Â&#x2021;Ă&#x203A;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â?> Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â? }iĂ&#x152; Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; viiÂ? Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x17D;i you really are alone and at one with nature and peace on an Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â?>Â&#x2DC;` Â&#x153;v Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x2DC;ÂľĂ&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â?Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x17E;° Â&#x153;Ă&#x153;iĂ&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC;] Â&#x201C;>Â&#x17D;i Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;i >Â&#x2DC;` Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x201C; Ă&#x152;Â&#x153; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x2022;Â?}i Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i iĂ?ÂľĂ&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;i /Â&#x2026;>Â&#x2C6; VĂ&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;i] Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC; iÂ&#x2DC;Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x17E; > /Â&#x2026;>Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;i` Â&#x201C;>Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192;>}i Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i v>LĂ&#x2022;Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192; Ă&#x192;ÂŤ>° Ć&#x201A; }Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152; }iĂ&#x152;>Ă&#x153;>Ă&#x17E; vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC; LÂ&#x153;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026; VÂ&#x153;Ă&#x2022;ÂŤÂ?iĂ&#x192; >Â&#x2DC;` v>Â&#x201C;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x192;] Ă&#x17E;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC; Â&#x2026;Â&#x153;Â?Â&#x2C6;`>Ă&#x17E; Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x20AC;i Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â? be a memorable one.

Al Maha Desert Resort

Maldives

Four Seasons Kuda Huraa & Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru 8 nights from USD3,665 per person Special Offer: -Ă&#x152;>Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17D; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;}Â&#x2026;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC; each resort and receive two >``Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;>Â? Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;}Â&#x2026;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192; vĂ&#x20AC;ii ÂŤÂ?Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192; complimentary return seaplane transfers for 2 people.

Includes: Stay in a Sunset Beach Pavilion with private pool at Kuda Huraa and in a Beach Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;}>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x203A;>Ă&#x152;i ÂŤÂ&#x153;Â&#x153;Â? >Ă&#x152; Landaa Giraavaru with breakfast `>Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x17E; >Â&#x2DC;` Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;iÂ&#x2021;Ă&#x153;>Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x192;ÂŤii`LÂ&#x153;>Ă&#x152; transfers from Male to Kuda Huraa.

Validity: >Ă&#x17E; ÂŁÂŁÂ&#x2021;-iÂŤĂ&#x152;iÂ&#x201C;LiĂ&#x20AC; Ă&#x17D;ä] Ă&#x201C;ä£{°I IĂ&#x192;Ă&#x2022;ÂŤÂŤÂ?iÂ&#x201C;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192; >ÂŤÂŤÂ?Ă&#x17E; vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;>Ă&#x203A;iÂ?

LiĂ&#x152;Ă&#x153;iiÂ&#x2DC; Ă&#x2022;Â?Ă&#x17E; ÂŁĂ&#x17D;Â&#x2021;Ć&#x201A;Ă&#x2022;}Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152; ÂŁ{] Ă&#x201C;ä£{° Today there are so many wonderful resorts in the Maldives but there are always one or two that stand out >Â&#x2DC;`] LiÂ?Â&#x2C6;iĂ&#x203A;i Â&#x201C;i] Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;i Ă&#x152;Ă&#x153;Â&#x153; Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC; Seasons resorts truly do. Many would say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;why stay at the Ă&#x152;Ă&#x153;Â&#x153;œ½ LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x152; Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x17E; >Ă&#x20AC;i Ă&#x192;Â&#x153; Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;ÂľĂ&#x2022;i in their own way. Spend time Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC; Ă&#x2022;`> Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;>>] Ă&#x20AC;iÂ?>Ă?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} >Â&#x2DC;` Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;`Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}] Ă&#x152;>Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;} >`Ă&#x203A;>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;>}i of the intimacy afforded. No stay here is complete without a trip to the spa. After you feel revived you will be ready for

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru

World Traveller

May // 2014

Landaa Giraavaru, set on a much larger island. Each guest has a bike with personalised plate to explore all corners of the island, with hidden gems to be discovered daily. Combining the two resorts will give you the ultimate Maldives experience.

Monaco

Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo 2 nights from USD830 per person.

Special offer: EUR100 MonteCarlo invitation card (1 card per room) valid on presentation at the following: 4 Palaces, 3 Spas, 5 Casinos, 33 bars, restaurants and boutiques.

Includes: Stay in an Exclusive Sea View Room with Breakfast daily and return airport transfers.

Validity: August 1–September 30, 2014.* *book by June 30, 2014.

Set in the heart of Monaco, but nestled just off the main square, the Hermitage offers a stunning hideaway and has so much to offer, from the most wonderful and comfortable bedrooms to an intimate lounge and superb restaurant - breakfast alone is an experience not to be missed.

One of the best things about a stay at Hermitage is the Cercle card, which allows access to a raft of Monaco attractions and three amazing spas. A long weekend in Monaco is a chic treat to impress the most demanding of souls.

UAE

Al Maha Desert Resort 3 nights from USD1,055 per person.

Special Offer: Stay 2 nights and receive an additional night free.

Includes: Stay in a Bedouin Suite with breakfast, lunch and dinner daily plus 2 on-site activities per person per day.

Validity: May 22-August 31, 2014.

Set amidst rolling dunes, hidden away from the bright lights of Dubai but only 40 minutes away, here you can fully escape the buzz of the city and truly experience a getaway. Once you arrive at Al Maha, your personal butler will take care of all needs.

In your tented villa with pool you can cocoon yourself away and relax, or if you wish to get active you can ask your allocated guide to arrange activities - from camel rides to nature drives.

School’s Out For Summer

7 iÌ iÀ Þ Õ½Ûi ÕÃÌ ÃÕÀÛ Ûi` Þ ÕÀ wÀÃÌ Ãi iÃÌiÀ À Þ Õ½Ài }i>À } Õ« v À }À>` ÃV ] Ì > ià ÃÌÕ`i Ì ÌÀ>Ûi > LÀ> iÀ° /À>Ûi } Ü Ì Ì Ã > }Ài>Ì «« ÀÌÕ ÌÞ Ì ÕÃÌ Ì Ãii Ì i Ü À ` LÕÌ Ì Ãii > Ü À ` v « Ãà L Ì ið vi½Ã >L ÕÌ > } iÛiÀÞ i Ì V Õ Ì° - Ü >Ì >Ài Þ Õ Ü> Ì } v À¶

LA to the Bay

11-day tour from USD1,975 Overview: From LA to the Bay, we’ve got you covered.

Starting in LA, the city known for its temperate climate and awesome beaches, you’ll have a chance to admire the Grand Canyon, gallivant around the Las Vegas strip, delight in the natural beauty of Bass Lake and Yosemite National Park and w à ¼Ì i V ÌÞ LÞ Ì i L>Þ½] -> Francisco.

Includes: 10 nights’ accommodation (6 nights in twin-share hotels, 2 nights in a twin-share cabin & 2 nights Special Stay experience); 12 meals (7 breakfasts, 5 dinners); and transportation in a modern, air-conditioned coach with sightseeing tours of all major cities with professional tour manager and driver team, plus local taxes and service charges.

Departs: Weekly.

Validity: Now ‘til Nov 26, 2014.

Vietnam Highlights

10-day tour starting from USD1,395 Overview: Vietnam Highlights is the perfect way for a taste of Vietnam’s best in a short amount of time. Experience the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, relax and soak up the rays on a beach in Nha Trang, hit Hoi An by bike and chill out in the amazing scenery of Hue. Later, sit back and discover the limestone formations of Halong Bay aboard a traditional junk boat as you indulge in Vietnam’s coolest spots.

Includes: 9 nights’ accommodation (8 nights in 3-star hotels, 1 overnight cruise); 9 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 ` iÀÃÆ Î ` iÃÌ V y } ÌÃ « ÕÃ transport and sightseeing tours with a professional tour manager and local English-speaking guides, plus local taxes and service charges.

Departs: Weekly Validity: Now ‘til Sep 30, 2015.

Scotland

6-day tour starting from USD 1,080 Overview: Scotland is famous for its haggis, bagpipes, an elusive lake monster and men who wear kilts. Taste, try, buy and search for all of the above on this 6-day getaway to Scotland. You’ll travel from Edinburgh to the Highlands and back to Glasgow, see Britain’s highest mountain, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and visit the famed Loch Ness, home of the creature they affectionately call Nessie.

Includes: 5 nights twin-share hotel accommodation with 5 continental breakfasts, 2 threecourse dinners and transport in a modern air-conditioned coach.

Sightseeing tours of all major cities by an experienced and professional tour manager and driver, plus hotel tips, local taxes and service charges.

Departs: Weekly Validity: Now ‘til Oct 13, 2014.

Students save 5% on all trips - use promo code: PPSB05. Book by emailing nonairgsa@dnata.com or by calling +971 4 316 6671.

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185254

World Traveller

May // 2014

27

Historic Hotel #11

ROCKY STAR

The Fairmont Banff Springs is a Canadian icon

Check In

May // 2014

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Check In

World Traveller

May // 2014

n an area as wild as Southern Canada, it’s nice to treat yourself to a bit of luxury now and again.

Nestled inside Banff’s National Park is “The Castle in the Rockies”, also known as the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel.

It opened in 1888, with the famous refrain of Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, who quipped: “If we can’t export the scenery, we’ll import the tourists” – and once the tourists started coming, they never stopped.

The hotel has several USPs. Firstly, due to Canada’s wildly varied seasonal weather, in the winter the area is perfect for skiing and when summer comes back around, it offers a championship golf course.

Secondly, the hotel itself is immaculately presented and the hoteliers rightly take pride in their customer service and good old-fashioned Canadian hospitality – the Fairmont Gold concierge experience is tailored to each customer. Third is the hotel’s rich history. It’s been in service for over 125 years and is recognised as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is Banff National Park.

The National Park itself is a rugged yet beautiful paradise with more mountains, crystalblue lakes and evergreen trees than you could ever tire of, and most of the Fairmont’s rooms offer stunning views of the natural landscape. The town of Banff itself is charming and quaint, with numerous galleries, museums and upscale shopping destinations.

Even though the hotel is venerable, the interiors are all the latest in state-of-the-art luxury. The newly renovated Royal Suite sits imperiously on top of the castle, and is the best place to enjoy the view while keeping warm. The Willow Stream Spa evokes memories of the hot springs that travellers enjoyed in frontier times, and has been voted one of the best spas in Canada. As far as we’re concerned, everyone should take William Van Horne’s view and export themselves there as soon as they can.

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World Traveller

May // 2014

Alp & about

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to swap the skis for your sandals as WT reveals its top luxury retreats for an Alpine summer break

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World Traveller

May // 2014

The Peak, Val d’Isère France

In the Rhone-Alpes region of south-eastern France you’ll w ` / i *i> ] > v ÕÀ ÃÌ ÀiÞ] «i « > V > iÌ wÌ v À > Ì i family. Here, guests can choose from eight spacious suites – all designed using traditional local materials – and a raft of luxurious amenities, such as a wellness centre, chalet chef and private concierge. During the day, head out into Europe’s longest mountain range for a cycle, hike or picnic; then when the sun sets, pile into the large living room and gather around Ì i } wÀi° À µÕ iÌ Ì i] `À « the children off at the private crèche before heading to the chalet’s on-site Elemis spa, where you’ll have a sauna, steam room and outdoor hot tub at Þ ÕÀ w }iÀÌ «Ã°

Chalet N, Lech Austria

This super-chalet has set a new standard for private alpine retreats. Located high above the glamorous village of Oberlech, Chalet N has long been a magnet for the Alpine-loving elite – Tom Cruise and various royal families have visited the resort. With enough room for 22 people (and 20 staff), visitors >Ûi > À>vÌ v wÛi ÃÌ>À v>V Ì ià on site: sauna, plunge pools, V i >] wÌ iÃà À ] ÕÌ` À ice bar, Jacuzzis and direct elevator access to the piste (while you might not need it during the summer months, it’s nice to have the option). Then there’s said staff: a chauffeur, chef, hair stylist, beauty therapist and personal masseur.

And for the kids? They’ve got the entire penthouse suite dedicated to them. Chalet N is available for long-term bookings, one-month or longer.

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May // 2014

34

Check In

World Traveller

May // 2014

The Lodge, Verbier Switzerland *iÀV i` } Ì i -Ü Ãà Ƃ «Ã] this mountain hideaway – one v - À , V >À` À> à ½Ã Ìi` Edition properties – is the perfect place to retreat for the summer. Of a similar luxurious ilk as the billionaire’s other destinations – Necker Island in the Caribbean and Mahali Mzuri in Kenya, to name two – this wÛi ÃÌ>À Ã> VÌÕ>ÀÞ vviÀà i rooms and suites, and sleeps up to 18 adults, with the option to accommodate an additional six children in the ‘kid’s bunkroom’. " à Ìi Þ Õ½ w ` « i ÌÞ v Ü>Þà to unwind – from the indoor pool and hammam room to the spa treatment room and outdoor Jacuzzi. The children are catered for, too, with a party room, cinema, games rooms and private ice rink to keep them occupied.

The Lodge is open for the summer season June until -i«Ìi LiÀ°

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Click & 1. Lone polar bear in Svalbard.

2. A hunter on the plains of Western Mongolia.

3. A Bengal tiger waiting to be fed in a pond at Singapore Zoo. 4. The Vumbi pride of lions near an unnamed kopje (rock outcropping).

5. The Great Wildebeest Migration, which takes place in Kenya in July each year.

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Mind-blowing, moving and memorable: the Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition is sure to fuel your travelling dreams when it opens at London’s Somerset House this month.

Running May 1-18, this annual showcase will display a shortlist of the finest contemporary photography in the world – from landscape to nature, still life to travel.

Here are our favourite snaps from the list…

1. Wilfred Berthelsen. ©, Norway, Finalist in the Travel Professional category for the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards.

CAP TURE

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2. Simon Morris Š, UK, Shortlist in the Open Travel category for the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards.

3. Jameel Hamidou Š, Singapore, Shortlist in the Open Nature & Wildlife category for the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards.

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4. Michael Nichols Š, USA, Finalist in the Nature & Wildlife Professional category for the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards.

5. Bonnie Cheung Š, China, Shortlist in the Open Nature & Wildlife category for the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards.

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4.

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NORSE CODE

Striking timber churches.

Skeletons of princesses.

Strange, staring statues...

Jonathan Lorie and kids unravel the secrets of their Viking roots, in wildest Norway

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Opening page: Seven Sisters Falls, Western Fjordlands. This page, clockwise from top left: Fishing hut; Viking ship; Sognefjorden in Oslo; Fjordland.

he black ship rears above us, its carved prow coiling into the head of a snake, the curved hull ready for a crew of warriors.

Along its thousand-yearold flanks are dozens of slots in which the Vikings would have hung their battle shields. “It could have attacked our village,” whispers 11-year-old Sarah in some alarm. 12-yearold Ben is just as skittish in the long ship’s shadow, not at all reassured when he reads about a Viking princess once buried within it (her skeleton sits in a ghoulish case nearby). Clearly my reason for taking the kids to Oslo’s Ship Museum hasn’t fully registered – it’s not the vulnerable villagers my children should feel akin to, but the looting and pillaging Vikings.

Little do they know that, due to our heritage, we are the bad guys.

My family has Nordic roots. My grandfather was Swedish, born in the days when Sweden and Norway were one country, and I’ve often wondered what his world was like. I’ve never brought the children to Scandinavia, so we’re starting a journey into deepest Norway, following the Viking trail. It’s little known that these fearsome raiders were also farmers and traders. They sailed to Cairo and Constantinople, discovered Newfoundland, and established colonies that eventually became Russia. The timing of our trip is serendipitous – this spring, the British Museum is holding

Our journey is one of Europe’s most spectacular train rides

its blockbuster Viking exhibition, which will include the longest Viking ship ever found, a warship of King Canute. It’ll be a great reminder of our trip for the children.

Meanwhile, back in Oslo’s Ship Museum, my wife and I move on to inspect a wooden cart, richly carved with human figures. We stare into the faces of Norsemen. They have high cheekbones, carefully combed hair, slightly wild eyes.

One, with a splendid moustache and beard, looks just like my Uncle Chris.

The Norsemen’s seafaring culture was forged by a landscape where mountains and fjords made sailing essential. So our next stop is the jagged fjordlands on Norway’s western coast, from where they sailed to conquer Scotland, Greenland and England itself. Our journey is one of Europe’s most spectacular train rides: the 500-kilometre Oslo-Bergen line. It begins amid cornfields, where yellow houses hide among orchards, but soon we’re climbing through birch woods and up to mountain

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Norway

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The most popular winter sport in the world, skiing, is thought to have originated in Norway.

In fact, the word “ski” is literally translated as “piece of wood” in Norwegian. Rock drawings dating back to 4000BC have been found in Norway depicting a man on skis holding a stick - strikingly close to the equipment still used today. Norse mythology refers to skis, too: The god Ullr and goddess Skaði hunted on skis in folk tales.

pastures, where blackened farmhouses with turf roofs huddle beside grey tarns.

On a high plateau we glimpse snowfields and mountain peaks as the train crosses a landscape of granite and ice, mist swirling around crags, streams falling from cliffs.

Ben laughs: “No wonder the Vikings left.” At the remote station of Myrdal, we transfer to the pretty wood-panelled carriages of the world’s steepest railway track. The Flåm Railway drops nearly 900 metres in 20 kilometres. Between its 20 mountain tunnels we glimpse tumbling valleys slashed by waterfalls, where redplanked houses lurk among fir trees. The children are thrilled.

We step out into a different Norway.

Behind us, a wall of mountains. In front, Europe’s longest fjord, the Sognefjord, the green waters of which run between epic cliffs out to the North Sea. But the children are tired of my superlatives, so I shepherd them onto a waiting ferry and we chug off towards our base for the night, the village of Solvorn.

It is just as I had hoped. A cluster of old white clapboard houses lines a cove, sandy paths lead to boat huts and jetties, while picket fences surround gardens of fruit trees and flowers. Across the water is a hamlet, where we can see a pine church dating from the Viking era. Sarah is enchanted. She’s even more pleased when we check into the Walaker Hotel. Here since 1640, it’s the oldest in Norway – and looks it. A lawn set with wicker chairs leads to a pillared veranda. I can almost

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see my grandfather sitting there. Inside, it’s a classic country house of 17th-century Scandinavia: beamed rooms painted applegreen or flame-red, rugs on floorboards polished by time, Baroque sideboards with candles gleaming in gilt mirrors.

We are welcomed by Ole Nitter Walaker, the ninth generation of his family to own the hotel. He explains the village’s time-warp feel: “In the days when it was easier to get around by boat than by road, Solvorn was the trading place for the farms. Then the car came in the ‘50s, and they built a new road that did not stop at the village. Nothing has changed here since.” That surely includes the cuisine served in his lovely old dining room. Tonight it’s a delicious menu of

Reflections of chalets, jetties, trees and mountain ridges shimmer on the waters

fresh mushrooms from the woods, halibut from the sea and a parfait of local ‘brown cheese’. It’s the kind of food that’s been eaten around here since time immemorial, and the room is full of happy diners.

In the morning we’re up early to explore.

We hike a forest path above the village to a glade overlooking the fjord. Reflections of chalets, jetties, trees and mountain ridges shimmer on the waters. “Our ancestors might have lived in a place like this,” I tell the kids. They look jealous.

To get a little closer to the wild, we’ve booked a kayaking trip with Paul Fransen of Fjordseal. We find him in a rickety old tobacco-drying shed that’s lined with yellow kayaks. He lifts down a couple of

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Norway

Main image: Walaker Hotel, Solvorn.

Clockwise from top right: Solvorn Harbour, Lusterfjord; Fried halibut fillet on risotto; Ice cave inside Nigardsbreen Glacier; View from a railway car. Next page: Briksdalbreen glacier.

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two-person crafts for us. They crunch on the gravel of the shore as we nervously squeeze inside. Paul gives a shove and out we go, spinning and laughing helplessly.

It’s a hilarious lesson in how to work and steer together en famille and Paul is impressively patient. Suddenly, out in midstream, we hear a cough and look around to see a seal, three metres away, watching us with curious eyes. “You can’t get closer to a fjord than in a kayak,” says Paul. We paddle on, mesmerised by the view and our new companion. At the far end is the glint of a glacier: the Jostedalsbreen, the largest in mainland Europe. “Norwegians are close to nature,” Paul muses. “That’s why they care so much about it.” The Jostedalsbreen looks very tempting and next day we set off to find it. All morning we drive up winding mountain roads. A river skitters alongside, its waters white with glacial melt. The children are restless in the back seat as we lose our way among scattered hamlets.

We stop to ask an old man for help, but he doesn’t speak English so we’re left none the wiser. Finally, we spot the glacier, a vast crust of ice pouring between 1,200-metre high cliffs and crumbling above a turquoise lake. “It’s like a huge meringue,” says Sarah, who can’t take her eyes off the ice caves beneath. They gleam and glisten, like the halls of the mountain kings. We clamber onto the surface and head for a guide’s tent, where we’ll be roped together for a hike. Ben is thrilled to get steel crampons for his boots, but disappointed not to have an ice-axe.

Soon we’re tottering onto a glacier trail.

It crunches underfoot. Electric blues glow from hollows underneath. An hour later, we pause, high above the lake, to look down on an elemental landscape: granite, water, trees, snow. Everything looks simple from here – a view unchanged for 10,000 years.

Simple, too, is our base for the night.

On the edge of Solvorn is a tiny farm called Eplet, renting budget whitewashed rooms with box beds and pine floorboards.

Ben and I help the owner, Trond Henrik, to gather raspberries in his orchard, while Sarah pets the sheep. “I turned the farm into a hostel because I wanted to show visitors that they can do things close to nature,” says Trond. “I wanted to make it as simple as possible – everything here comes from the trees, from the earth, using my own hands.” We sit outside his kitchen door, watching the pale moon rise over the village, and it feels like home.

Our final journey into the Nordic heartland starts next morning. A 10-minute boat ride takes us to a tiny hamlet across the fjord. There we stroll uphill past apple trees and grassy mounds where Norsemen are buried. The children skip in the sun. At the top of the track

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WHERE TO STAY The Thief is one of Oslo’s coolest hotels and comes in shades of mustard, navy and chocolate; even some standard rooms have water views. Also in Oslo is the equally cool Comfort Hotel Grand Central, an eco-friendly hotel in the heart of the city.

The picture-postcard Walaker Hotel in Solvorn, meanwhile, is an idyllic spot perfect for the whole family.

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is Urnes: a scattering of houses around a white stone block once used in pagan sacrifices. And there we find the Viking church.

For a thousand years this little wooden building has stood here, guarding the fjord community with its promise of faith in a hard, cold land. It is the oldest church in Norway, almost the oldest wooden church in the world. Its plain walls of timber planks and roofs of wooden shingle are simple, sturdy and handsome, and they have stood the test of time.

We step inside and we are back in the Viking age, standing on the floorboards our ancestors trod. On the tiny altar is a bronze candleholder shaped like a long ship. Nearby there’s some graffiti of a man’s name in Norse runes and a carving of a warrior that could have come straight from the Bayeux Tapestry. The Normans, as the name suggests, were Norsemen.

I point this out to Ben, who smiles and wanders outside to play swordfights with Sarah. I follow. On a wall beside them is a fabulous carving of serpents and dragons entwined in battle. It dates from 1070, just after the Battle of Hastings. “Here comes the Viking,” shouts Ben, as he lunges at his sister.

Then my two blond-headed children trot off down the orchard path towards the shining fjord, giggling and eating freshly picked raspberries – oblivious to their heritage, but living it every moment.

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RIOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ART REACHES FEVER PITCH

As Brazil counts down the weeks to the World Cup, its arts capital, Rio de Janeiro, is staging a cultural revival to match the best on-field action, says Doug Gray

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he World Cup might be approaching fast, but soaring investment and interest in the arts means that there is considerably more to Rio de Janeiro’s cultural map in 2014 than just football and samba. Last year brought the opening of the Museu de Arte do Rio, the city’s first new public museum since the Museu de Arte Moderna in 1948. This is the first stage in an elaborate plan to transform the once-forgotten Port Zone into Rio’s version of London’s South Bank. The former Bhering chocolate factory nearby was spared demolition in 2012, and the building has become part of the city’s official cultural heritage, in the process preserving a burgeoning hub of contemporary arts. Elsewhere, the streets of historic Centro and neighbouring Santa Teresa bristle with cultural centres and exhibitions which, if not always the most avant-garde, are never less than enchanting. In the throes of a cultural reawakening, Rio is beginning to reveal previously hidden depths.

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Opening page: Museu d Arte Contemporanea.

Left: Bondinho Old Tram; Aerial view of The Jockey Club; Armazem Sao Thiago bar. Right: Jardim Botanico.

Brazilian painter. The ground floor also houses a clothes shop and furniture store. fabricabhering.com; free.

INSTITUTO MOREIR A SALLES

This is Gávea’s cultural high point. The home of the Moreira Salles Institute is a modernist delight, housing key items from the former banker’s vast collection of photographs and books. It also features entertaining exhibitions of celluloidrelated pioneers and mavericks. A 10-minute walk from the bus stop up into the leafy, residential neighbourhood, the institute is in an envious setting. Every Saturday at 5pm a free concert, dance performance or art workshop is held for children, and the cinema is regularly given over to retrospectives of great names from the world of film. The café does a good line in sandwiches and refreshments, best taken on a table outside by the suitably modernist pool. ims.uol.com.br; free.

JARDIM BOTÂNICO

CENTRO CULTUR AL BANCO DO BR ASIL

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The former headquarters of the Banco do Brasil is popularly known simply as the CCBB. On the top floor is a museum dedicated to the pecuniary history of Brazil’s national bank, even preserving the boss’s old office in all its leathery grandeur.

The first three floors host the most popular exhibitions in the city, ranging from famous Brazilian sculptors and painters to international retrospectives and in-depth histories of specific art forms – the CCBB is the one Rio museum where I check the programming each month. The building is also a joy to behold and although the café is disappointing, there is a decent shop on the ground floor selling books and CDs. culturabancodobrasil.com; free.

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FABRICA BHERING

As part of the region’s vast redevelopment project, this spectacular former chocolate factory had a compulsory purchase order slapped on it. But a successful petition meant that Bhering and its community of more than 50 artists and businesses lived to fight another day. Now a listed building, it has helped Santo Cristo become something of a hub for the creative industries, with its studios occupied by some of the most dynamic young artists in the city. The building is open to the wandering public, but some artists will invariably be more approachable than others. However, few are unwilling to at least quickly show their latest works, and there remains the possibility of picking up something by the next great

The city already had the mountains, the beaches and the forest, but apparently Prince Dom João VI and his son Pedro didn’t think that was enough natural beauty, so a royal plant nursery became one of the world’s great botanical gardens.

Soaring imperial palms line the path from the less-than-enchanting entrance off the booming main road, but it doesn’t take long to leave the city far behind. More than 9,000 different plant species fill the 340-hectare garden, where monkeys and the occasional toucan are to be found enjoying the calming oasis. Cacti, orchids and bromelia receive special attention; a decent, regularly cleaned children’s playground and café can be found within; and the shop sells some refreshingly attractive souvenirs. jbrj.gov.br; Dhs3, free for all visitors on Wednesdays.

JOCKEY CLUB

Gávea’s Twenties racetrack is one of the more incongruous sights for anyone gazing down on the city from Corcovado mountain. Next to the Lagoa and in the middle of some of the most expensive real estate in the country, the Jockey Club hosts regular meetings during the week

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Opposite page: Selaron Steps, Lapa. Below: Art in Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil; Fruit in storefront marketplace in Santa Teresa.

regardless of the fact that hardly anybody goes. It may have fallen out of fashion among Cariocas, but for tourists looking for a wet-weather plan, it’s a grand day out. Wear trousers and closed footwear (trainers are fine) to get free entrance into the smarter of the two main stands in line with the finishing post. jcb.com.br; free.

RIO ART MUSEUM Leading the way in the historic Port Zone’s ambitious revamp, the Museu de Arte do Rio (Rio Art Museum) is the city’s first public museum in almost 70 years. Half a former palace of Emperor Dom João VI and half a modernist art school, the building neatly encapsulates the urban project’s link between the old and the new. Joining the two are the elegant waves of a roof carved by expert carnival float-builders from a nearby samba school. Inside, visitors are taken through a rapid-fire and engaging chronological history of the city, as portrayed by the world’s artists over the past five centuries. museudeartedorio.org.br; Dhs12, free for all visitors on Tuesdays.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

One of the more imposing buildings in the city, Rio’s stern-looking Museu de Arte Moderna (Museum of Modern Art) somehow manages to fit seamlessly into its green surroundings on the edge of Guanabara Bay. The museum was one of

There remains the possibility of picking up something by the next great Brazilian painter

several private initiatives that flourished in Brazil’s cultural diversification following WWII, and in the Sixties it was at the centre of several important shows that culminated in the famous Tropicália movement. A fire destroyed most of the collection in 1978, but in its place came the permanent collection that today provides a fine overview of Brazilian modern art by the likes of Hélio Oiticica and Tarsila Amaral. World-renowned exhibitions consistently come and go, and the restaurants and shops may encourage you to prolong your visit. mamrio.org.br; Dhs18, free on Wednesdays from 3pm.

MAR ACANÃ

The undisputed home of Brazilian football, the bowl-shaped Maracanã stadium was also the site of its greatest on-field disaster: defeat to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final. Revamped to host the 2014 World Cup, the onceimposing concrete cauldron of emotion

is now very much in the model of the modern, FIFA-standardised international stadium. The view of the pitch remains wonderfully unobstructed, and two local teams, Flamengo and Fluminense, play their home matches here, meaning that from March to December there are league games most weeks. The cheapest tickets are affordable compared with English Premier League prices. For most games, tickets can be bought at the ground shortly before kick-off, though buying in advance is recommended (however, some seats are cash-only). Failing that, a guided tour of the facilities offers a glimpse of the famous Maracanã madness. Great non-footballers such as Sinatra, McCartney and Madonna have performed here, too, and the historyladen venue will also host the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games. maracana.com; guided tour: Dhs46, match tickets from Dhs92.

SANTA TERESA

Thanks to two nuns who set up a convent devoted to St Teresa of Avila in 1750, and a cholera epidemic that forced the city’s well-to-do citizens into the hills to escape the disease, Santa Teresa today is one of the most beguiling of all Rio’s neighbourhoods. Its rickety tram was taken out of service in 2011 after a tragic accident, leaving frustrated locals without their main mode of transport and tourists without a slice of bygone Rio. Come for its walkable and charming leafy streets, the wildly eclectic architecture, unusual restaurants and classic bars. A cinema, tram museum and boutiques can be found around the main square, Largo do Guimaraes, and don’t miss the Amazoninspired food of Espírito Santa or the locals’ drinking hole, Bar do Gomez. informasanta.com; free.

SITIO BURLE MAR X

Intimately tied with the look and feel of much of Rio, Roberto Burle Marx was the last century’s foremost landscape artist in Brazil, responsible for creating the tropical splendour of Flamengo Park and the iconic, swirled promenade of Copacabana. His home in Guaratiba was a former banana plantation that slowly became a plant nursery and beautiful gardens, in which shades of green were preferred to the seasonal nature of flowers.

The simple house where Marx loved to entertain remains perched in the middle, his prolific art on plentiful display and his uncomfortable looking bedroom preserved as it was on the day he died. A hearty, two-hour tour takes in idyllic ponds and vast trees, as well as a workshop converted into a gallery space. It’s a peaceful break from the Rio norm, best followed by a trip to nearby Prainha beach. sitioburlemarx. blogspot.com.br; Dhs15.

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Spanish

mains

The sceneryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stunning and the welcome warm - but the food wins the day on Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northern coast. Liz Edwards and her husband enjoy a moveable feast

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very road trip needs its fuel. Fear & Loathing had pharmaceuticals.

On the Road had beatnik jazz; Easy Rider, counter-cultural discovery. We’re not quite so rock’n’roll, though, my other half, Les, and I; less Thelma & Louise, more Billy and Bessie Bunter.

Food is what will power our (middle of the) road trip along Spain’s north coast.

Unctuous tortilla, oily-garlicky prawns, paprika-red chorizo, local ciders and wines, field-fresh peppers, just-harvested clams... Yes, northern Spain is bright with the twinkle of Michelin stars, but we’re more revved up by its fabulous ingredients and everyday cooking. We want to loosen our belts, not tighten them for the sake of one stratospheric seven-courser.

Our plan is to drive east to west, munching our way like a pair of Pacmen through the big foodie tickets of the Basque Country, to the fishing villages and cider country of Asturias, then on to the shellfish-stuffed waters of Galicia’s fjordish rías. (It doesn’t hurt that this lesser-known part of the peninsula is also blessed with an unspoilt coastline and postcard-ready mountain scenery.) Our decision to leave the west till last gets an in-flight endorsement from our fellow passenger, Maria, en route to visit her family in Bilbao. “I thought we Basques had good seafood. Then I went to Galicia and I was, like, ‘wow! You’re going to love it’.” We’ve been to Bilbao and San Sebastián before; the seafood there is delicate, juicy and cooked with the knowhow of generations. I can’t imagine how much better it can get, but we’ll have fun finding out.

Because I’m a terrible pedant, and Les occasionally humours me, we start our west-bound odyssey by emerging from Bilbao airport and driving east some 100 kilometres, so we can start at the very beginning: Hondarribia, a pretty rivermouth border town. But our real goal for the day is San Sebastián. The view-laden approach from Hondarribia is the plusside to my pedantry – high above the sea, through a shrubby, livestocky landscape that might be what Exmoor would look like if it tried harder.

San Sebastián is an elegant resort town, all Belle Epoque architecture, sweeping sands and board-friendly surf.

More importantly for us, it’s the stuff of culinary legend – the name itself enough to make a food-lover drool. It doesn’t just have restaurants. It has three tripleMichelin-starred restaurants (the whole of England has just four), plus cider houses, so many pintxo (tapas) bars that betweenmeal snacking is practically a civic duty, and private societies where men go to experiment with recipes their wives won’t let them try at home. (‘Recipes’ is not a euphemism – these people are actually food-crazed.) Last time we visited, our pot-luck pintxo bar-crawl took us to some Spain

corkers (it’s hard to eat badly round here), but this time we want the inside track.

Cue Eli, our smiling guide from local tour company San Sebastián Food. Born and raised here, she knows the locals, she knows the best bars and, crucially, she knows when to turn up. “If you don’t get here early and reserve a slice of the 8pm tortilla, you’ll miss out,” she says at Bar Nestor. “You want prawns? It has to be Bar Goiz Argi.” She’s right. They’re the

Between-meal snacking is practically a civic duty

lip-smacking business. “Modern classics?

The chef I know at Borda Berri worked at El Bulli when it got three stars.” The slowcooked veal cheek and sweetbread ravioli are eye-rollingly good. “Something sweet?

La Viña’s cheesecakes are so popular, they make four at a time...” Our romp through the Old Town shows us that the best places don’t look anything special. Like tapas bars the peninsula over, there are drifts of napkins on the floor, countertop piles of order-me-now bites, old geezers perched on stools, corner TVs. There are a few Basque peculiarities – the distinctive

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Clockwise from left: Stuffed razor clams; Basque countryside; Playa de Bikinis, Santander; Balenciaga Museum in Getaria; The fishermenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarter La Marina, Hondarribia; local life in Oviedo.

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Spain’s Basque country is unique for more than just its culinary and political history - it also has several of its own letters, known as the ‘Euskara’ typeface. First used in the Middle Ages, the typeface went out of fashion for several centuries before a renaissance in the 1930s. Today’s Basque Country uses it widely, even on road signs. The characters are Roman in design, and its thick serifs stem from the fact that early countrymen’s work was mainly completed in thick wood and stone.

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chunky-spiky typeface, the wide glasses (“big enough for Basque noses”, says Eli), the high-poured cider and naturally carbonated white txakoli wine that’s perfect for light summer glugging. But nothing hints at the stupendous cooking, which somehow makes it more sublime.

Next day we move west, to Getaria, a tiny port town proud of its famous sons: explorer Elcano, the world’s first circumnavigator, is remembered with several statues, while designer Balenciaga has his own museum. We come for the restaurants’ open-air parrilla grills – we’re lured like Bisto kids by the smell of sizzling fish – and for the txakoli produced in the hills behind. Eli takes us to meet José Luis, one of the producers giving the local plonk a better name. From his cloudwreathed vineyard, we can just see down to Getaria’s boats. “They land thousands of anchovies every day,” he says, handing us a plateful. We’ve had a few already – San Sebastián’s signature pintxo, the Gilda, combines the fish with olives and guindilla peppers – but now, partnered only with a glass of his fresh, summery wine, they shine in their own limelight.

On we go along the astonishing coastline – immense bare rock strata lean like books on a half-filled shelf. We zoom through Bilbao’s industrial outskirts, bypassing the Guggenheimy Old Town – been there, done that – and stay overnight in Cantabria’s capital, the port city of Santander. One morning diversion to the fantastic double-decker Esperanza market – fish downstairs, everything else squeezed in upstairs – then we hightail it.

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So far, so rainy. Yes, in Spain it’s green up north, and the lush eucalyptus and pine forest has to be watered somehow. And yes, our greedy game plan means we’ve been happy to explore the great indoors.

But there’s no denying the boost we get as we cross the border from Cantabria to Asturias, and the sun puts his hat on.

Our windscreen-wiper-accustomed eyes are recharged by the blue skies, gentle clouds, green peaks. Houses are smaller, more typically Spanish than the big chalet-style Basque buildings. Roadside bars – sidrerías – look diddier. The road itself shrinks from multi-lane motorway to modest highway. Or perhaps everything is just dwarfed by the Picos de Europa, real daddy-bear mountains just inland.

Lunchtime brings us to Llanes, one of many pretty fishing towns punctuating the Asturian coast. We eat al fresco in the 13th-century Old Town to reassuringly summery sounds: gulls calling, the convivial chat and clatter of good food.

Beautifully tender hake might have jumped that morning from the boats moored below us. Contentment surges as we wander the narrow streets. We

Immense bare rock strata lean like books on a half-filled shelf

This page: Galicia, La Coruna, Torre de Hercules

browse food shops rafter-packed with local goodies: venison chorizo, veiny Cabrales cheese, hazelnut macaroons. We stroll the grassy seafront Paseo de San Pedro, enjoying the viewpoints used centuries ago for whale-spotting, and paddle along the Blue Flag beach occupied only by a young couple in wetsuits and an old couple in deckchairs. We stop at a harbourside café for a glass of the dry-as-you-like Asturian cider, served by a waiter who puts on an impressively nonchalant show of pouring it the traditional way, from the bottle above his head, into a glass held down by his thigh. Life is good. We’re also delighted by the cove we find just along the coast.

Les, the grown-up, loves that it’s deserted and beautiful. I’m tickled because it’s a beach called Poo. Our gluttony drives us on, though – to an organic farm and hotel in a seemingly forgotten corner of Europe. Way off the main road, through Medieval-looking villages of barking dogs and raised stone granaries called hórreos, the Posada del Valle has astounding views of snowy crags, verdant slopes and wispy clouds rolling up the valley below. The soundtrack is birdsong and rushing stream, the menu largely home-grown and -reared (though even here, there are two Michelinstarred restaurants on the doorstep).

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Owners Nigel and Joann Burch looked all over Spain before settling here in 1995. “It’s special because the mountains are so close to the coast, and it has such biodiversity,” says Nigel. “Asturias was simply the most beautiful place we saw.”

We fill a magical few days here with jaunts back down to the coast, up into the cheese-producing mountains, to the delis and mouth-watering market in the Asturian capital, Oviedo, and through the countryside around the posada. Just as nature provides Asturias with food from forest, sea and fields, so it provides some calf-challengingly steep hills to help walk it all off, and soul-soothing scenery to look at while you’re doing it.

Off we go again – to Galicia now, Spain

sticking as close to the coast as we can.

Which makes for a long, wiggly drive, but leads us to lunch on fat razor clams at Bares, Spain’s northernmost point, and brings us to party town A Coruña in time for its biggest fiesta of the year, San Juan.

As dusk falls, bonfires light up the great long city beach, which fills with people drumming, grilling sardines, drinking flaming aguardiente-based, aniseedy queimada, and jumping through bonfires for luck. It’s like the opening scene for a Casualty season-finale, but it’s brilliant, good-natured fun.

We stay another day to climb up the 2nd-century Torre de Hercules, the world’s oldest working lighthouse, and to explore the network of bars selling tapas

and the larger versions, raciones. Tender paprika’d octopus, garlicky bites of pork raxo and juicy little clams put smiles on our faces, but the town’s got a hangover – and it’s time to get closer to the source of all this seafood.

A tip-off from a San Juan reveller takes us beyond A Coruña to the Costa da Morte. This is the wild west, full of foxgloves, boulders and gorse, but no people – and with a shipwrecking-rugged coast (hence the deathly name). And Roncudo, our partying friend tells us, is where percebes – gooseneck barnacles – are best. They look like dragon claws but they’re an expensive delicacy – the percebeiros who fling themselves into the pounding surf to hack them off rocks

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have to earn their danger money. Roncudo itself is a half-deserted hamlet so we stick to nearby Corme. It’s eerily empty, all mussel-growing rafts out on the water and murals about barnacle-and urchin-fishing.

And, hurrah, the one populated bar we find has percebes. Twenty euros gets us a tangled pile; we hold the claws, twist off the neopreneish skin and swallow the flesh, juicy little mouthfuls, not unlike mussels, that are surprisingly sweet for something so ugly.

Our fruits de mer-athon lasts days as we drive on to far-west Cape Finisterre (pedantry satisfied) and further south along a coastline that gives us super-fresh shellfish and white-sand, shell-carpeted beaches. We scoff plump mussels, sweet zamburinas (mini scallops), chunky lobster paella, tiny briny clams. Our plane-mate Maria was right: it’s superlative. At one typically unassuming beach bar, I spy a little boy letting his lolly melt so he can concentrate on slurping cockles straight from the shell.

And we do, finally, succumb to a Michelin-star blow-out. Amid agricultural hills northwest of Santiago, Santa Comba doesn’t look like the kind of town worth stopping in, but family-run O Retiro da Costiña provides reason enough. The ingredients – anchovies, scallops, sea bass, 60-day-hung beef – are local, the cooking inventively accomplished. And the Costiñas are amazing – a mix-up with the booking means we arrive to a closed restaurant, but they not only scramble troops to open up for us, they pull an

Text by: Liz Edwards Photography supplied by: Corbis / Arabian Eye; Supplied

Tender paprika’d octopus and juicy little clams put smiles on our faces

eight-course stunner out of the hat. Add in the fruity Albariños and smooth Mencias in their bottle-stuffed cellar, and the clubby post-prandial lounge, and I think I want to move in.

Home for our last few days in Galicia is, in fact, a gorgeous converted farmhouse, tucked behind a church above the MurosNoia ría. And because we’re self-catering, we’re no longer confined to merely window-shopping at markets. We spend a bag-filling morning in Noia: salt-cod empanadas, ooh-missus tetilla cheese, mop-top lettuces, shiny peppers, cherries – all for a song. Half a dozen langoustines and two whole mackerel are destined for the villa’s super-duper flashy barbecue.

Inevitably, it’s too super-duper flashy for us; on goes the oven. But it doesn’t matter.

It’ll take us days to get through that lot.

Time to give those car keys a rest.

May // 2014

Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Spanish percibes; Lobster; Octopus; Clams. This page: Terrace in Oviedo; A hiking boot in Cape Finisterre; The Old Harbour in Llanes.

WHERE TO STAY Before setting off on your food pilgrimage, spend a night in Bilbao and stay at the Carlton Hotel, a fabulous hotel with friendly and helpful staff. In San Sebastián, the 102room movie-themed Astoria7 is a great choice. Or the Hotel Maria Cristina, which opened in San Sebastián in 1912, offers lavish Belle Époque interior and world-class cuisine.

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Possibly one of the most photographed suspension bridges in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge is an icon of San Francisco.

Almost 3 kilometres long and 27 metres wide, the bridge, which opened in 1937, is listed as one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

United States of America

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Iconic

SA N FR A NCISCO

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The city is home to some of the steepest hills on the planet, namely the famous Seven Hills – a cluster of roads which typically refers to Telegraph Hill, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Rincon Hill, Mount Sutro, Twin Peaks and Mount Davidson. Filbert Street – one of the steepest navigable streets in the Western Hemisphere – can be found in San Francisco.

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United States of America

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Said to be the world’s last manually-operated cable car system, San Francisco’s has been an iconic mode of transport for the city since its emergence in 1873.

Today, the colourful cable car system ferries seven million passengers around the city annually via its three (of an original 23) remaining routes – two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, and a third route along California Street.

Located 1.5 miles off the coast of San Francisco is Alcatraz Island, or ‘The Rock’, a former lighthouse, military fortification, military prison, federal prison and protest ground (in that order). Present day, this National Historic Landmark (as designated by the US government in 1986) is a must-see for any tourist to the city.

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This page: Surfing near Stradbroke Island.

Next page from left to right: Apartments overlooking Surfers Paradise; A koala; The Whitsunday Islands; A humpback whale and calf.

Queensland

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GOLDEN WONDERS BEYOND THE REEF From Surfers Paradise to a koala sanctuary and the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest sand island, Tom Peck is captivated by Queensland

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In a country that so loves to live outdoors, there is no better place to immerse yourself than its natural backyard, a great hunk of rugged outback, glittering coastline and pristine rainforest in the tropical north-east: the sunshine state of Queensland. Scores of tropical paradise islands are dotted against the coast, as it stretches more than 2,000 miles from Brisbane in the south and on past Cairns.

Charting its course in almost exact parallel is the natural marvel of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s among the key sights that most tourists come to see – but unsurprisingly, there is another side to a state the size of Sudan.

Surfers Paradise is an hour to the south of central Brisbane, the suburban centre of 35 miles of sand that make up the Gold Coast. It is Australia’s Miami Beach; the name was changed from the rather more pedestrian Elston in the 1930s in an attempt to lure more holidaymakers to its hotels, nightclubs, long miles of crashing waves and spotless sand. It was here, in 1965, that the “meter maids” were born. Goldbikini-clad women were paid for by businesses and deployed to abate anger at the introduction of parking charges.

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Queensland

From a distance, Surfers Paradise looks like some mushrooming mega city. One of its many skyscrapers is Australia’s tallest building, the 1,058ft-high Q1 tower. But this is no centre of high finance. The towers are all residential, for the most part hotels and holiday homes.

There is still much to like. I stayed at the QT hotel, a boutique hotel where kitsch meets chic.

Lemons to make your own lemon juice are delivered on your arrival, and the concierge staff dress in what look to be Thunderbirds outfits. Though the near limitless options at the morning buffet made this the finest breakfast that I have ever consumed, it was a curious preparation for my first attempt at that most Australian of pastimes: surfing.

“Looking cool is important,” was the main instruction from Hamish, my Gold Coast surf teacher. The holy grail of Lesson One was simply to achieve verticality, for however short a time.

I managed this for about a nanosecond, looking marginally less cool than the Hunchback of Notre Dame. “The kids round here start learning at age seven,” explained Hamish. “By the time they’re 10, they’re pros.” It was pretty demoralising when a chap half a decade away from picking up his first

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razor zipped past on the curl of a big breaker, while I splashed forlornly about in the shallows like a walrus rejected by its harem.

Not far from Surfers is the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, known since the 1950s as the place to feed huge flocks of free-flying wild rainbow lorikeets.

At night it hosts performances of native Australian dancing, with Aboriginal cuisine, and the chance to feed the kangaroos and have your picture taken holding a koala and a baby saltwater crocodile. As far as getting up close and personal with wildlife goes, it

This is no centre of high finance. The towers are all residential, for the most part hotels and holiday homes could hardly be less authentic, but the koalas – with their impossibly soft fur – are adorable.

Australia’s traditional wine country is well to the south, among the luscious landscapes of the Hunter Valley, McLaren Vale and Margaret River. But Queensland is vying for attention. Returning north from Surfers in the direction of the hippie seaside town of Noosa, I stopped for lunch at the Flame Hill vineyard at Montville, a pretty one-road town of shops and cafés a quarter-mile above sea level, and a reminder of something else Australians take very seriously: eating. Off the restaurant terrace, guinea fowl and chickens were roaming among the vines, the view descending towards bread-loaf-shaped mountains, and beyond them, inevitably, the ocean.

In Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, trendy boutiques and superb restaurants run all the way down Hastings

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Koalas aren’t actually bears, they’re marsupials - more closely related to kangaroos than grizzlies. They don’t take much nutritional goodness from the eucalyptus leaves that make up most of their diet, and sleep for up to 20 hours a day - probably for the best, as they proportionally have one of the smallest brains of any mammal. While the tree-dwelling mammal is a symbol of Australia, they are only to be found on the eastern side of the country.

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Street, parallel to yet more perfect beach. In this case the beach faces north, a rarity on the east coast, which means it basks in the sun all day. To the east is Noosa National Park, where on the untouched headland the air smells of eucalyptus, koalas lollop in the canopy and paddle-boarders splash around off yet more white-sand beaches that stretch on and on. On a warm Sunday morning stroll, just off the pathway, I saw the six-inch-thick diamond-marked midriff of a sizeable carpet python, five-feet-long at least.

From Noosa I drove north for 120 miles, past road signs offering trivia questions to keep drivers alert.

Here lies Hervey Bay, the jumping-off point for one of Australia’s great natural wonders, Fraser Island – and the jumping-out point of something utterly spectacular. Thousands of humpback whales migrate up the coast every year to escape the Antarctic winter.

The whales hang out about an hour’s speedboat ride out into the bay. From July to October you are pretty much guaranteed to see them. “These are humpback whales up here,” the captain told us. “Sometimes we see minke whales too. If you head further south, you’ll see New South Wales.” A well-tested gag, but a good one.

On our trip, a blowhole noisily evacuating itself in the far distance was the first sign of them. Then we saw a pair of giant black shadows underneath the boat. They flashed white as the whales rolled over, revealing their underside.

We were encouraged by our captain to wave, shout and jump to get the whales’ attention. “Whales enjoy people watching just as much as we enjoy whale watching,” we were told. Eventually they emerged for a good look at us, their black bodies covered in barnacles like ageing Soviet submarines. At one point two emerged head first, in perfect unison, their lined white bellies like a cheap lino floor. As they resubmerged, the tail fin of one flicked vertical in Queensland

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WHERE TO STAY

Previous page: Aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef. This page: Interiors and food at the QT Hotel.

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Queensland

the air, indicating a deep dive – the sign, the captain pointed out, of something spectacular still to come.

Sure enough, about a minute later, a single animal – 10 elephants’ worth of whale – fired clear of the water, twisted in mid-air and then smacked against the surface with an enormous splash.

From Hervey Bay, it’s about an hour’s ferry crossing to Fraser Island: the largest sand island in the world.

It is not hard to see why the Aboriginal people that lived there for 5,000 years (before logging stations in the 19th century displaced them) called it K’Gari, meaning “paradise”. There are no roads, as such.

Instead, the 75-mile-long beach is an official gazetted highway.

On an organised sightseeing tour, I was driven inland along sandy roadways, our 4x4 ex-army truck rocking and jolting like a flight simulator. I swam in Lake McKenzie, a shimmering freshwater lake, surrounded by powder-soft sand where tiny turtles live. Naturally occurring fungi produce nutrients

deep in the dunes, which mean that Fraser Island is the only place in the world where rainforest grows in sand. Paperbark and scribbly gum trees (so called because patterns on their bark give them the appearance of having been graffitied by a toddler) conceal packs of dingos, and many species of deadly snakes.

I took a scenic flight in a tiny propeller plane and saw hidden heart-shaped lakes and the thick rainforest canopy spread out like a head of broccoli.

Later, I dined at the Kingfisher Bay Resort, with a superb restaurant serving emu, crocodile and kangaroo, and a sunset bar on wooden stilts over the beach. But camping is more popular on Fraser Island, especially among backpackers.

Paradise, or K’Gari, doesn’t come cheap anymore, neither at Fraser Island nor elsewhere, thanks to the soaring Australian dollar. But whatever happens in the money markets, a visit to Australia remains priceless.

Text by: Tom Peck Photography supplied by: Getty Images; Corbis / Arabian Eye; Shutterstock

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge visited the trendy South Bank area on their recent trip to Queensland - The Mantra Hotel is a popular spot. The QT, meanwhile, offers an urbane yet luxurious stay - truly fit for royalty.

May // 2014

7 À ` /À>Ûi iÀ

Weekends Everything you need to know about short-haul escapes 74

Check in for a night at Dubai’s sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, and size up the stats of the world’s tallest hotel

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Top tips for experiencing the best of Beirut in 48 hours

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Hotel getaways all reachable Õ `iÀ wÛi ÕÀÃ

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Title xx

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Middle East Must Do…

A night at the Burj Al Arab We’ve all heard of the Burj Al Arab but few have had the privilege of staying at this all-suite hotel. Accessed by reservation only, the ‘Burj experience’ starts as soon as your car door swings open outside the lobby – or, for the more discerning traveller, as soon as your helicopter lands on the hotel’s helipad. There are 202 duplex suites to choose from – ranging from a 1,830-square-feet deluxe suite up to the hotel’s 8,400-square-feet royal suite. Aside from the suites, you’ve got four swimming pools, a spa, and nine restaurants and bars all equally deserving of your time and taste buds’ attention. For the best views, head up to the 27th floor and sip a signature cocktail at Skyview Bar. Then, head down to ground and dine at Al Mahara – where award-winning cuisine is served around a floor-to-ceiling aquarium. All that is required of you is to sit back and wallow in holiday bliss.

HOTEL IN NUMBERS Since swinging open its doors last year, the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai has gone on to dominate the city’s skyline. Its quirky exterior – inspired by the indigenous desert plant, the date palm – is enough to make any visitor stop, stare and check in. Equally captivating is what’s going on inside. It’s time to number crunch...

355

3

At 355 metres, the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai is the tallest hotel in the world. It is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

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It requires three tonnes of Dead Sea salt to service the hotel’s indulgent Saray Spa and its signature Dead Sea y >Ì>Ì pool.

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1,608

4

The number of rooms and suites: 882 king-size rooms, 486 double rooms, 236 club suites, four royal two-level suites.

2,743 5,000

Q4 this year will see the vwV > launch of the hotel’s second tower.

The number of people the hotel’s 14 food and beverage outlets can seat per sitting.

If you combine all the knives, forks and crockery in the hotel, it would stretch across this many Rolls-Royce limousines.

World Traveller

May // 2014

The Don of Dubai

Text by: Richard Jenkins

Don Alfonso opens his first restaurant in the Middle East For a chef based in the heart of Italy’s Li>ÕÌ vÕ Ƃ > w V >ÃÌ] Ƃ v à Iaccarino certainly has a strange preference when it comes to holiday destinations. “If I was a rich man,” he says, punctuating the air with a meaty w }iÀ] º Ü Õ ` ëi ` Ì i Ã Ý Ì Ã v winter in Scotland.” It turns out that it isn’t sub-zero temperatures and drizzle that drives him to the highlands, more the local sports. “I like the shooting and hunting,” he says. “When there’s no wind and it’s not too cold, the forest is beautiful.”

For the rest of the year, when he’s not dreaming of Scotland’s pleasures, Alfonso runs Don Alfonso 1890, a twoMichelin-starred restaurant in Sant’Agata, Sorrento. The 1890 in the name refers Ì Ì i Þi>À Ì i v> ޽à wÀÃÌ ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> Ì Ü>à «i i`] > ` Ì i ÃÌÞ i à wiÀVi Þ local, with a fevered reverence for local ingredients, grown on site.

The Don Alfonso 1890 brand has grown to such prominence that branches >Ûi Li}Õ VÀii« } ÛiÀÃi>Ã q wÀÃÌ Ì Macau, then more recently Marrakesh

and Rome. The latest in this still-exclusive list of openings is Don Alfonso 1890 Dubai, found inside the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai. The restaurant itself is beautifully appointed and modern, although perhaps you would expect it to be a little more rustic, given its heritage. While you eat, a dark-eyed Italian girl, imported directly from Sorrento, sings softly and seductively into a microphone in the far corner of the restaurant.

Don Alfonso’s three guiding principles when cooking are the Mediterranean character, the quality of materials, and modernity. If he could add a fourth, what would it be? “The passion,” Alfonso asserts, “the passion for our guests.” This is borne out by the way the front-ofhouse staff guide you smoothly to your seats on arrival, and are always on hand to make sure your signature cocktail (more on these later) is well refreshed.

However, passion for the customer would have some way to go to beat the passion put into the food. The Dubai restaurant’s head chef is Christian de Nadai, who learned his way around the

kitchen from Don Alfonso himself. À la carte or degustation menus are brimming with food steeped in Italian history – ââ>Ài > Ã Õvyj] i >`i } VV ] pan-fried wild sea bass. There’s also a few international nods with a hearty Wagyu beef dish and, most thrillingly, the “Wind of the Desert” – what appears to be a mystery dessert turns out to be a triumph of spice, a sweet dish you could Þ w ` ÕL> ° 7>Ã i` ` Ü Ü Ì Ì i aforementioned signature cocktail, built around the restaurant’s home-produced limoncello (although, it must be noted, the Dubai restaurant doesn’t have any of the precious home-made liqueur yet – the lemons used to produce it aren’t quite ready), a meal at Don Alfonso 1890 Dubai is something your taste buds will be forever grateful for – and you’ll always be welcomed by The Don.

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The Great Escape

Fairmont The Palm Paulista soup

A traditional homemade soup made with beef, various vegetables and herbs. The best place in Rio to try this hearty dish is Bar Veloso in Leblon. barveloso. com.br

Try before [QW ƃ[ Heading to Rio de Janeiro next month for the FIFA World Cup? Fernando Lima, chef de cuisine at Dubai’s Brazilian restaurant Frevo, recommends three dishes to try before you head out…

Pao de queijo

Brazil’s version of cheese bread. This common w }iÀ v ` Ã best enjoyed fresh from the neighborhood bakery. Head to Zona Zen in Sao Con Conrado.

Bahia moqueca

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This seafood stew from the Bahia region has been popular amongst Brazilians for over 300 years. Often served with rice and fried plantains, order a plate of moquecas (soup) at Degrau Restaurant in Leblon. restaurantedegrau.com.br

Weekends

Dubai’s got loads of hotels.

What’s so special about this one?

Not all of them are on the iconic Palm Jumeirah. At Fairmont The Palm, there’s 381 guest rooms and suites to choose from, including two Presidential Suites and the Fairmont Gold Lounge rooms – an exclusive lifestyle hotel experience where your life is easier from the moment you check in.

What about the facilities? " Ã Ìi] Þ Õ½ w ` > `ii« and welcoming pool, the 17,200-square-foot Willow Stream Spa, a handful of delectable restaurants, and a host of activities for the children. Non-hotel guests, too, can experience this luxury beachside resort by purchasing a day pass.

I hear Dubai is gaining a reputation for dining excellence, too?

Fairmont The Palm does its bit with a repertoire of international cuisine, from Brazilian eatery Frevo, to the contemporary Chinese ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ> Ì ń À Ãi>v ` sensation Seagrill on 25° Restaurant & Lounge. Then there’s The Cigar Lounge, the perfect place to unwind after a hearty meal.

WIN!

To experience this hotel’s charm and wÛi ÃÌ>À ë Ì> ÌÞ Ì Ì i vÕ ] Üi½Ài giving you the chance to win a night’s stay with your choice of brunch (soft drink option). To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is tweet us at @WT_Magazine before May 31 with the answer to this question: how big is the Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont The Palm?

A) 1,200sq ft B) 10,200sq ft C) 17,2000sq ft Terms and conditions: Subject to availability, and valid for stays until August 31, 2014. It does not include the Dhs20 per bedroom per day cost according to the new UAE Tourism Dirham law as of March 31 2014; or travel costs to the area.

World Traveller

May // 2014

GO WITH THE FLOW

Adrenaline junkie?

Want to get wet this weekend? Here’s how to decide which waterpark is for you

yes

no

Got friends to impress?

no no

Got toddlers in tow?

Like your rides old-school?

yes

yes

Want to swim with dolphins too?

yes

Wild Wadi, Dubai There are still plenty of thrills – the revamped Jumeirah Sceirah speedslide is genuinely terrifying – but this smaller park in front of the Burj Al Arab is a great option for those looking to kick back without as many queues. jumeirah.com

yes

no

no

Aquaventure, Dubai If you’ve got visitors in town, this is the place to wow them.

Highlights include the Leap of Faith speedslide (which catapults riders through a Perspex tube surrounded by sharks), lazy river rapids, and the chance to frolick with dolphins. atlantisthepalm.com

Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi The UAE’s newest waterpark has 43 rides and slides divided into four ‘thrill levels’, including the Liwa Loop, the Middle East’s only looping waterslide, and the 238-metre-long Dawwama, vwV > Þ Ì i Ü À `½Ã }iÃÌ waterslide. yaswaterworld.com

Iceland, Ras Al Khaimah This (slightly bizarre) polarthemed waterpark has plenty to keep the brood entertained.

Kids’ Cove has mini slides, shallow pools, and a sandpit for little ones, while waterslides like Mount Attack and Mount Tempest offer downhill action. icelandwaterpark.com

Want to camp overnight?

yes

Dreamland, Umm Al Quwain Another great option for families, Dreamland has tamer rides (although there are a few wilder slides to get your blood pumping) and a great Aqua Play area. Make a weekend of it by camping overnight in tents or wooden cabanas. dreamlanduae.com

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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, Kid’s Club, tennis & squash courts, conference rooms that can cater up to 200 delegates; relaxed dining in Aqua Café 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

World Traveller

May // 2014

This expertly dressed table for two, housed within a hand-carved gazebo mere feet from the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge, is the postcard-perfect setting for a romantic meal at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait - an ideal getaway laden with luxury trappings.

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BIG SHOT Captivating images from around the region

Weekends

May // 2014

Oman brought to you by

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UAE

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Weekends

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May // 2014

48 hours in...

BEIRUT Where to stay InterContinental Phoenicia (phoeniciabeirut.com) Steeped in history and grandeur, this elegant hotel overlooks the Med and is close to the vibrant Downtown area.

Le Gray (legray.com) This chic hotel is a stone’s throw from Gemmayze and has a fantastic rooftop pool overlooking Martyrs’ Square.

Debs for contemporary homewears and Starch for clothing and jewellery from up-and-coming Lebanese designers.

Evening

As the sun sets, join the locals strolling along the seaside Corniche. Continue east towards Zaitunay Bay, home to the city’s shiny marina and a clutch of waterfront restaurants, including Cro Magnon, a classy seafood and steakhouse. If you’re keen to kick on, dress to impress and hit one of Beirut’s fabled clubs, such as SKYBAR or B018.

Saturday Morning

Friday

Text by: Lara Brunt Photography by: Glen Pearson; Supplied

Morning

Get to know Beirut on foot: set off from Martyrs’ Square, dominated by the blue-domed Mohammed al-Amin Mosque, then visit the Cathedral of St George next door. Walk past the Parliament building and old clock tower in Place de l’Etoile. Continue on to Downtown, where warravaged French mandate-era buildings have been reconstructed and now house luxury boutiques.

Afternoon

Stop for a French-inspired lunch at The Garden Café & Restaurant in Beirut Souks, an openair mall built on the site of the city’s traditional market, then wander around the independent L ÕÌ µÕià v -> w 6 >}i] > ÌÀi `Þ >ÀÌà µÕ>ÀÌiÀ just off Martyrs’ Square. Top picks include Nada

Weekends

Head Downtown to Souk El Tayeb, an open-air farmers’ market with seasonal produce from all over Lebanon. Then hit Tawlet in Mar Mikhael for lunch, which sees a different village cook prepare rustic regional specialities each day.

Afternoon

Chill out poolside at one of the city’s beach clubs, such as the achingly trendy Riviera Beach Lounge, affectionately known as ‘silicone beach’, or Saint-Georges Yacht Club, the playground of the international jet set in the 60s > ` Çäà > ` > wÀ V> v>Û ÕÀ Ìi°

Evening

Enjoy a slap-up Mediterranean meal at Indigo on the Roof at Le Gray hotel. Then sample your last drops of Beirut’s legendary nightlife in the buzzing neighbourhoods of Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael, Liv Ài ÃiÌÌ } Þ ÕÀ > >À v À Ì ÀÀ ܽà y } Ì home.

Ask a Concierge Bruno Chaptini, from the InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut, on the must-see historical sights Byblos Said to be the world’s oldest continuously inhabited town, highlights include a 12th-century Crusader castle. Don’t leave without lunching at Pepe Abed’s famous seaside restaurant.

Baalbek Located 85kms from Beirut in the Bekaa 6> iÞ] >> Li à i Ì some of the largest and bestpreserved Roman ruins in the world. Make sure you visit the nearby Roman quarry, which has one of the largest monoliths cut by man.

Jeita Grotto Take a boat ride along the river running through these two separate but interconnected karstic limestone caves, which span nearly 9kms.

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1. Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Abu Dhabi

Sited in the legendary Liwa Desert, one of the largest uninterrupted sand deserts in the world, this sizeable resort combines the hallmarks of a luxury hideaway with the leisure facilities usually associated with a centrally located hotel.

Holidaymakers looking for the former can relax in their private pool villa overlooking the desert (depending on your room choice), or book a treatment at the Anantara Spa. Visitors looking for a slice of action, meanwhile, should tighten their laces and join the hotel on a desert walk and camel trek. Don’t leave without experiencing the resort’s ‘Dining

by Design’ concept – a series of tailor-made culinary experiences (pictured). qasralsarab.anantara. com

SIX of the BEST…

HOTEL HIDEAWAYS...

Need a break? Check in to one of these luxury hotels – i>V Ài>V >L i Õ `iÀ wÛi ÕÀÃ

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World Traveller

May // 2014

2. Desroches Island, Seychelles

When it comes to privacy, it doesn’t get more secluded than Desroches Island. A refuge for romance, adventure and relaxation, this private island (found in the Amirante Archipelago) is considered to be one of the most pristine and untouched islands still around today. By day, explore one v Ì i £n V >Ãà wi` ` Ûi à Ìià nearby, or simply relax in your beach villa with picture-postcard views. Then by night, allow the resort to create a tailor-made culinary experience for you and your family. Paradise found. desroches-island.com

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3. Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Located in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, this intimate isle has white sand beaches and swaying coconut palms, plus 14 overwater villas with private pools in which to laze the day away with your other half, each with a dedicated host and 24-hour dining. If you do decide to leave your Ûi iÃÌ] Ì iÀi½Ã Ü À ` V >Ãà ` Û } > ` à À i }] ` « ë ÌÌ } VÀÕ ÃiÃ] > ` Û > V } V >ÃÃiÃ] > ` ÃÕ ÃiÌ wà } ÌÀ «Ã >L >À` > traditional dhoni. Ramp up the romance with dinner á deux on a secluded stretch of beach prepared by your very own chef, a picnic on a deserted island, or a pampering spa treatment for two. maldives.hadahaa.park.hyatt.com

May // 2014

4. Huvafen Fushi Spa Resort, Maldives

Looking to combine a weekend break with some R&R? Look no further than the Huvafen Fushi Spa Resort. Offering the world’s wÀÃÌ Õ `iÀÜ>ÌiÀ ë>] Û Ã Ì Àà can drink in the spectacular Maldivian views even when they’re having a massage. While 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 in the Kaafu Atoll has 43 over-the-water bungalows and beachside pavilions, plus six restaurants and lounges, including a unique cellar restaurant eight metres under the ocean. Explore above and below the waves with the resident marine biologist, and head out scuba diving, sailing or `ii« Ãi> wà }° "À ÕÃÌ L another facial. huvafenfushi. peraquum.coma

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May // 2014

6. Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman

Sheltered by the dramatic Oman mountains on one side and the crystal-clear waters of Zighy Bay on the other, this Six Senses resort is the ultimate in luxurious iÃV>« Ã ° i ` } wÛi ÃÌ>À decadence with the region’s rugged charms, Zighy Bay offers relaxation as well as adventure.

While close enough to Oman’s main shopping hubs to be convenient, the resort’s most impressive feat is the sense of freedom from the pressures of everyday life – a week here will drain stress away and replenish your lust for life. With gorgeous dining venues like Sense on the Edge, cut directly into the mountain face, a stay at this hideaway resort will do the body good as well as the soul. sixsenses.com

5. Shangri-La Lhasa, Himalayas

Encircled by mountains, glaciers and desert-like landscape, this newly-opened urban retreat knocks spots off any Himalayan hideaway we’ve seen. Located in Tibet’s administrative capital Lhasa, one of the highest cities in the world at 3,490 metres above sea level, the 289-room resort pays homage to its local surrounds in its décor and design. Upon stepping through the hotel’s Tibetan gate, visitors are given an authentic (yet luxurious) insight into local culture and hospitality – from the welcome hada (a traditional ceremonial white silk scarf) through to the Tibetan artwork, room design and restaurants.

Spend a night here and you’ll never want to leave. shangri-la. com/lhasa

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