World Traveller - October'20

INSPIRED BY

ISSUE 145 | OCTOBER 2020 | DHS10

CROATIA EGYPT READER OFFERS STAYCATIONS

Home Comforts Produced in Dubai Production City

Splash out for the UAE's best pool villas

The Indian Ocean resorts we're flying in for

JAresorts.com JAresorts.com /Manafaru /Manafaru @JAManafaru_Maldives @JAManafaru_Maldives

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For bookings For bookings or more information, or more information, visit JAresorts.com visit JAresorts.com or email reservations.manafaru@jaresorts.com or email reservations.manafaru@jaresorts.com

Welcome note

Hands up who’s drafted a revised bucket list of destinations during this pandemic? You’re not alone. In the wake of grounded flights and closed borders, the thought of prolonged travel restrictions saw many of us give thought to the places

Managing Director Victoria Thatcher Chief Creative Officer John Thatcher General Manager David Wade Content & Social Editor Hayley Kadrou Deputy Editor Sophia Dyer Art Director Kerri Bennett Digital Media Manager Muthu Kumar

we so desperately want to visit, lest we’re locked down or locked out again. And that’s why we’ve written this issue while kicking back on the sun-kissed veranda of an overwater villa in the Maldives, dolphins sporadically leaping into view on the horizon.

Or so we wished.

Now very much open for business, the Maldives is, however, back on our travel radar, along with fellow Indian Ocean islands, the Seychelles. So, if, like us, you're dreaming of paradise, now's the time to make it a reality. To help you plan the perfect stay, our in-the-know team of travellers has pulled together their preferred picks of island resorts (p18).

Elsewhere in the issue, we feature bucket-list destinations Egypt (p36), Japan (42), and Croatia (p48), while home comforts come in the form of the best hotel villas in the UAE, ripe for a super staycation.

The only question to ask yourself is, 'Should I stay or I should I go?'

The World Traveller Team

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED THIS ISSUE: 1

Tiny Thanda Island in Tanzania (below) only accommodates one (lucky) group of guests at a time - housed in a five-suite villa. p13

2

As of this month, Soneva Fushi in the Maldives boasts the world's largest 1- and 2-bedroom overwater villas. Room for us all, then. p28

3

The remains of Ramses IV entered the afterlife with two small onions in his eye sockets. Must have made his eyes water. p37

4

On a visit to Kyoto's Shodenji Temple, the late David Bowie was moved to tears by its serenity. p47

5

In Dalmatia, the locals say they experience 'fjaka', a sublime state of mind that detaches them from the routine of everyday life. We'll have some of that. p53 INSPIRED BY

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HOT Media does not accept liability for omissions or errors in World Traveller.

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COVER IMAGE One of Soneva Fushi's new Water Retreats, supplied

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Photo Credit Adam Lynk

Contents October 2020 Hotel Château du Grand-LucÊ

Camp Sakira by Amangiri

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GLOBETROTTER

regulars 05

13

GLOBETROTTER

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DIVE IN

64

The destinations topping our list of go-to places include stunning Santorini and historic St. Petersberg.

Social distance at an exclusive private island; the travel must-haves you need to pack; and how Guy in Dubai likes to explore.

Expect nothing less than secluded luxury inside this dreamy selection of suites and villas with private pools across the UAE.

We head to Portugal's Douro Valley for a sneak peak inside a jawdropping duplex at the sublime Six Senses resort.

OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO

SUITE DREAMS

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CONTENTS

features

18

36

42

48

A mere four-hour flight separates us from the Maldives and Seychelles. So what are you waiting for?

To see the land of the pharaohs in five-star style needn’t cost a king’s ransom. Nick Redman knows how...

Sushi, shrines, karaoke sessions and snowy peaks — how to hit Japan's highlights in just two weeks.

The Dalmatian coast and its isles move slowly. Perfect — more time to soak in all its lazy loveliness.

HOP TO PARADISE

48 CROATIA

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NILE HIGH

ORIENT EXPRESS

EASY DOES IT

Connoisseur of Rare and Boutique Experiences The St. Regis Abu Dhabi merges the authentic Arabian hospitality with more than a hundred years of bespoke St. Regis tradition and is ideally located at the lavish coastline of West Corniche. Situated between the 33rd and 49th floors, each of the hotel’s 228 guestrooms and 55 suites enchant with the finest materials and magnificent views of the Arabian Gulf and the UAE capital, while it offers the signature St. Regis Butler service to all guests. The hotel is home to the world’s highest suspended suite located 220 metres above sea level, a beach club of 200 metre private sandy beach and a spacious swimming pool, a children’s club, one of the UAE’s largest spas, as well as six distinctive restaurants and lounges catering to all tastes.

©2020 Marriott International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All names, marks and logos are the trademarks of Marriott International, Inc., or its affiliates.

The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates t. +971 2 694 4444 stregisabudhabi.com

Stay exquisite at more than 40 St. Regis hotels and resorts worldwide. @stregishotels

OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO Emily Williams, dnata Travel’s resident globetrotter, reveals the places to add to your must-go list

Masai Mara, Kenya

Travel is opening up to one of Africa’s top destinations to experience an incredible safari, right in the midst of its migration season. The best time to visit Kenya is during its dry months from late-June to October, also renowned as its best period for wildlife spotting. The wildebeest migration usually reaches the iconic Masai Mara National Park in August and remains until October, when the herds move back to the Serengeti in Tanzania. Travel in to Nairobi, the bustling capital city, on to the Masai Mara for an unforgettable experience searching for the famous ‘Big Five’. Many of the adjoining safari camps, luxury hotels, lodges and resorts provide access to daily game drives with an expert guide.

Highlights 1 Get a bird’s eye view of the expansive Mara plains during a once-in-a-lifetime hot air balloon ride, where you’ll enjoy breakfast as you take in the wildlife below. 2 Make like an old school explorer by travelling on saddle during a horseback safari where you’ll gallop among zebras, giraffes and perhaps migrating elephants. 3 Pay a visit to the Maasai community who will gladly show you around their manyattas (mud and stick huts) while explaining their ancient traditions.

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WISH LIST DESTINATIONS

Santorini, Greece

Travel is picking up to beautiful Greece as it opens up to international tourists. Here, expect to be spellbound by beautiful, ancient cities and charming, picture-perfect islands. Travel in to Athens, the heart of Ancient Greece and a popular gateway for Greek island-hopping. With a striking coastline home to a staggering 6,000 islands, there are many destinations to choose from. One of our top picks is magical Santorini. Its rugged cliffs were moulded by a historic volcanic eruption, and are now dotted with iconic blue and white buildings overlooking the sea.

With dazzling sunset panoramas, this Insta-worthy setting is home to some of the world’s most romantic resorts.

Highlights 1 Take to the sea on a highspeed jet ski tour to get a better vantage point of the island’s volcano. 2 Explore the island’s ancient history with a trip to the Akrotíri Archaeological Site, where you can stroll around the debris of a Minoan settlement. 3 Catch the sun on its descent from the village of Oia – the spot to watch one of the most beautiful sunsets on earth.

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St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia was one of dnata Travel’s most visited destinations in 2019 and we predict this to be an ongoing trend as travel resumes, including to lesser-discovered cities outside of its largest and most popular, Moscow. St. Petersburg, its second largest city, is a must-visit for its charm, beauty and lesser crowds. Russia on the whole is an accessible, affordable option, both to travel to and to stay in opulent 5-star accommodation. Built around a canal system, take a stroll around St. Petersburg and drink-in its stunning architecture (even some of the metro stations are grand) including the Hermitage Museum, a truly impressive building and the second-largest art museum in the world.

Highlights 1 Discover the intricate architecture and ornate design of the St. Petersburg metro system where some of the stations literally look like palaces. 2 Attend a ballet at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, this month – their 188th season – opens with Léo Delibes’ Coppélia. 3 Known as the city of bridges, a trip here would not be complete without seeing the iconic drawbridges open up during a night boat tour.

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WISH LIST DESTINATIONS

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

It’s time to visit Ras Al Khaimah, voted the most sought-after emirate for domestic travel in a recent World Traveller/ dnata Travel poll. The perfect escape to the great outdoors from the hustle and bustle of its neighbouring cities, the UAE’s northernmost emirate never fails to surprise its guests with miles of unspoiled beaches, mangrove forests, terracotta desert landscapes, historic landmarks and epic mountains. Jebel Jais, the country’s highest peak, offers some of the best hiking in the Middle East, high-altitude dining, and what is a must for thrill-seekers; the new Jais Adventure Peak, home to the longest zipline in the world.

Highlights 1 Get up close to lions, panthers and Arabian wolves as you stroll along the sandy paths of RAK Zoo. 2 Take a dip in the naturally occurring, thermal baths of Khatt Springs which are thought to have healing properties. 3 Paddle along the mangroves during a kayak excursion where you’ll learn about their important role in the coastal system..

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RARE, INDIGE NOU S, CAP T I VAT I NG Experience the alluring, golden desert landscape, the captivating silence of nature, the free-roaming wildlife in the reserve, all enjoyed from your private suite and pool. Indulge in a luxurious desert adventure with camel treks, horseback riding, falconry, archery, dune drives and more.

HOTELS THAT DEFINE THE DESTINATION

FOR RESERVATIONS, PLEASE CALL +971 4 832 9900 OR VISIT AL-MAHA.COM

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OCTOBER

Globetrotter Be informed, be inspired, be there

SPLENDIDISOLATION ISOLATION SPENDID With lockdown now lifted in Tanzania, Thanda Island has reopened its doors . The private island resort stretches 20-acres and accommodates just one group at a time – of up to 18 people – within its five-suite villa and beach fronted Bandas. What's more, this month sees whale sharks populate the island's surrounding waters (where they'll be until March) so guests will have the opportunity to swim alongside the world's largest fish. Ensuring minimal contact, you’ll land on the island by private helicopter or small plane via Mafia Island before settling into five-star island living.

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OUR TRAVEL SURVIVAL KIT

Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa, India

Hotel Château du Grand-Lucé

As we begin to prep our bags for holidays again, in the spirit of the ‘new normal’ we’re ramping up the self-care with these products:

Crew only Take social distancing to the next level and book out the entire hotel. Here’s three of the best European properties that allow you to do just that 1

2

Hotel Château du GrandLucé, Le Grand-Lucé, France Nestled within the Loire Valley is a restored 18th century château that once belonged to Baron Jacques Pineau de Viennay. Spread across 45,000 square feet, the neoclassical build boasts 17 rooms and suites. While here guests are invited to explore the natural beauty of the valley, stroll the gardens and indulge in French fare at Le Lucé – the château’s signature restaurant.

EUR16,000-28,000 (USD18,691-32,710) per night (season dependent).

Palazzo Margherita, Bernalda, Italy A hidden gem in the south of Italy, this intimate nine suite resort was built in 1892 before being restored in 2004. The cosy property boasts a swimming pool, quaint gardens and a cinema – with a film menu curated by the property’s owner Francis Ford Coppola.

On offer is a customisable experience when you buyout, including the Coppola Curriculum, which teaches children sustainability lessons. EUR8,500 (USD9,907) per night, with a minimum of four nights.

3 Links House at Royal Dornoch, Highlands, Scotland A truly Scottish experience is guaranteed here with tartan aplenty, rolling green vistas, country sports and roaring fires to sit beside as you sip on a wee dram.

The 15-bedroom boutique hotel – which is split into 3 cottages – can be rented in its entirety, or per cottage.

Its remote location lands you on the doorstep of Dunrobin Castle, and offers social distancing activities such as golf, hiking and fishing.

GBP4,675 (USD5,948) for entire buyout per night.

2020 VISION As the world came to a dystopian stand still earlier in the year, photographers across the globe took the opportunity to snap some breathtaking images. Cities of Silence, Extraordinary Views of a Shutdown World is a collection of photos from over 60 deserted cities during the lockdown period – capturing a moment in history where the world appeared almost dreamlike. The absence of humans gives new perspective on some of the world’s most famous sites and places. teneues.com 14 worldtravellerme.com

Hygiene essentials We’re not taking off without tech-luggage company Samsara’s Essentials Kit which contains all the safety supplies you’ll need. The sleek bag contains a reusable mask, sanitizing gel, disinfectant pads and three pairs of disposable gloves. samsaraluggage.com SPF The latest SPF from the French pharmacy favourite, La Roche Posay Anthelios Invisible Spray SPF50 has been designed with the sunsensitive in mind.

The unique new formula offers ultra UVA protection. Plus, the non-greasy, water, sweat and sand resistant formula means it's practical, too. noon.com Skin Savior While medical facemasks might compromise our inflight beauty routine, these masks are set to restore the skin upon landing instead.

The Patchology Getaway Plan Kit, comes complete with two sheet masks and brightening eye patches, so you can fast-track your holiday glow from your hotel room. ounass.ae

GLOBETROTTER

HOW I TRAVEL THE FIRST PLACE ON MY POST-PANDEMIC TRAVEL LIST IS… either France or Saudi Arabia, both radically different places but with unlimited beauty.

THE THING I LOVE ABOUT TRAVELLING MOST IS… meeting the locals, I find that hearing of their stories, the lives they live, and learning about the place I'm in through their perspective is really an education on its own.

THE THING I’VE MISSED MOST ABOUT TRAVELLING IS… disconnecting from my daily routine, meeting new people, trying new foods and seeing different places.

I KEEP MYSELF ENTERTAINED WHILE TRAVELLING BY… taking on the biggest adventures found locally. I always spend a good amount of time researching what crazy local traditions or pasttimes they have, or what sports and activities are unique to that country.

MY FAVOURITE LOCAL HOTEL FOR A STAYCATION IS… the InterContinental in Fujairah – it's within the country but far enough away to feel like you are abroad with a completely different scenery. It's a great place for scuba diving.

IF I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE BEACH, I’D… choose the city. Even though I'm not really a city person and prefer the country,

From top to bottom: Dublin, Ireland; St. Moritz, Switzerland; Blausee, Switzerland

PARIS NORRISS, adventure-travel TV host from Guy in Dubai (@guyindubai) shares his vision for future voyages and advice for those wanting to follow suit

I can't sit still long enough to enjoy a beach on its own.

THE STAMP IN MY PASSPORT I’M MOST PROUD OF IS… Saudi Arabia. I was among the first people to enter on a tourist visa when they first opened their borders in 2019.

THE TRIP THAT CHANGED MY LIFE WAS… my gap year. I was young and, like a rockstar without talent, full of bad behaviour and antics. I lived in Paris and worked as a barman and as a chef, then my best friends and I travelled to Asia until the money ran out.

THE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE I WISH I’D HAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER IS… a ski trip to the Alps.

I was always jealous when I was younger of other families going skiing.

I went on my first ski trip this year to Switzerland and it's made me think that I will continue to ski for the rest of my life.

FOR THOSE WANTING TO DO MORE ADVENTURE TRAVEL, I’D ADVISE THEM TO… get qualified in some adventure skills at home first, whether it's scuba diving, paragliding, skiing, captaining boats etc. You’ll

have something amazing to do when you travel and get to see countries from – quite literally – new perspectives.

I DECIDED TO MAKE A CAREER IN TRAVEL BECAUSE… it didn't make sense to me to work 11 months a year to travel just one of them, when I could make travel part of my career and enjoy my work so much that I want to invest all my energy into it. That's what I've done. worldtravellerme.com 15

WORLD TRAVELLER X ANANTARA THE PALM DUBAI RESORT

A taste of Thai in Dubai Soak up that tropical holiday feeling with this Exclusive UAE Resident Staycation Special at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort

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T

hough we might not be able to jet off to Thailand this year, Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort is promising a taste of Thai hospitality for UAE residents. Welcoming you to bask in the temperate winter climate we’re blessed with, the private 400-metre beach resort beckons with its no-flight-needed guarantee of white sands and blue water. Residents can book a night’s bed-and-breakfast from Dhs585 (dependent on the room) which includes 25% off of restaurants, select activities, and spa treatments when you use the code ‘locals’.

Known for its luxurious water-centric setting, the hotel – which is nestled on the worldfamous Palm Jumeirah – features the country’s only overwater villas. Snaking around a lagoon, each of the rooms offer serene aquatic views, with some giving you direct access to swim, and others opening out onto the beach. For the ultimate answer to island living, opt for an Over Water Villa that gives you a peek into the aquatic life below through a glass panel on the floor of the room.

Whisking you away on a gastronomical journey, the resort offers an expansive array of award-winning cuisine. Serving up a true taste of Thailand is popular restaurant Mekong, cooking up a range of Asian fare which can be served to quirky rickshaw tables on the terrace.

For laid-back sea-side dining, The Beach House cooks up fresh pastas, burgers and grilled fish, with a daily happy hour from 4-6pm. While The Lotus Lounge – an island-style terrace – is your go-to for breathtaking views and light bites set to a soundtrack of chilled DJ beats. For those looking to go the extra mile during their staycation, the Dining By Design experience invites you to dream up a bespoke menu to enjoy with your loved one under the stars.

By way of leisure activities, Anantara The Palm have a monopoly on all things aquatic.

The line-up of sea-based activities is simply dripping with fun – think wakeboarding, paddle boarding, kayaking and fishing. But the 50m infinity pool is a real drawcard here, with its iconic Thai architecture and coastline views, your Instagram feed is in for a real treat.

For those who are seeking a sense of inner bliss, your stay should include a visit to the spa.

There’s a variety of unique facilities such as a gemstone steam room, salt inhalation space, ice grotto, Turkish hammam and a holistic cocoon room. The renowned spa harnesses on the power of Thalasso wellness treatments to leave you with that post-holiday, inner and outer glow. worldtravellerme.com 17

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN Kanuhura

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IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

Hop to Paradise A mere four-hour flight separates us from the cotton-soft sands and glassy seas of the Indian Ocean’s big-hitter islands of the Maldives and Seychelles.

We’ve rounded up the pick of the hotels on each island – from those with dreamy above-the-ocean villas to remote escapes chockful of castaway appeal. So, what are you waiting for?

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IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN Baros

Maldives F

rom above, the Maldives looks more like a work of abstract art than points on a map — its 1,192 islands, stretching from the southern tip of Sri Lanka to a smidge below the equator, are nothing but pinpricks of gold and green against endless sea. There simply isn’t anywhere else like it on Earth at ground level (which incidentally rises a maximum of 2.4 metres above the water’s level, making this the lowest lying country in the world).

There are no bad beaches, nor ugly islands, and there’s plenty of marine life — but that doesn’t mean the Maldives is one-dimensional. Many of the coral reefs around the South Malé atoll have been damaged by a combination of a worldwide bleaching that began in 2014, coupled with a growth in huge construction projects around the capital Malé. This area is still great if you want a quick boat transfer from the airport and are happy just to loll on a beach, unperturbed by a bit of sea traffic and the lights of nearby resorts.

But if you’re looking for the kind of splendid isolation and marine life that the Maldives is

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famous for, splash out the extra on a return seaplane transfer further afield. Popular choices include the Baa atoll, a UNESCO-protected biosphere, and the Raa atoll. Alternatively, the Lhivayani and Shaviyani atolls are less developed, with coral that came through the bleaching trauma almost unscathed. Noonu, in the north, is where the jet-setters head to, while the south has larger islands and is known for its marine species — it can also be reached by normal flights if you don’t fancy the seaplane. Wherever you decide to go, expect to find some of the besttrained staff and highest service standards in the world, with enough to do to keep even the most active visitor entertained. All-inclusive packages have become more widespread and could be the way to go in a country where almost everything has to be imported. Just be sure to check exactly what’s covered before you book: the best deals throw in watersports, fitness classes and experiences as well as food and drink. If you’re looking for gold-standard flyand-flop relaxation, you will love the Maldives.

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

Baros This long-established all-villa resort on a tiny private island in the North Malé Atoll is a hop from the international airport. The diving centre has PADI instructors and marine biologists, and it sorts free snapshots of your underwater explorations. The food is hitand-miss, but the sea views from the finedining Lighthouse Restaurant make for an unforgettable experience.

Amilla Fushi

Amilla Fushi

Hip vibes and Saint-Tropez-ish design have attracted the likes of Kate Winslet and Kate Moss to Amilla Fushi’s shores.

Choose from three villa types — beach, overwater or ‘treehouses’ with raised pools. The surrounding Baa Atoll is home to more than 1,200 species of fish and top dive sites, but its UNESCOprotected status has made it very busy.

Even so, it’s home to a flourishing reef, with a mini ‘blue hole’ — an underwater cavern — to swim into.

Anantara Dhigu

Value is hard to come by in the Maldives, but Dighu does it in spades.

A 35-minute speedboat trip from the airport, it’s the cheapest of three conjoined resorts, and you can use the facilities of the other two, too — often for free — though the beach, spa and main pool are nicer here than at the neighbours. If you’re booking as a couple, they’ll try to upsell you next door because that’s ‘adults only’, but Dighu is big enough that it never gets crowded with hordes of children, so decline and spend your saving in the non-buffet restaurants instead. worldtravellerme.com 21

Three Bedroom Beach Pool Residence

Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas After undergoing a lavish renovation, the residence options at this private island resort redefine luxury. An invitation for those who require secluded rejuvenation, the Beach Pool and Overwater Pool residences offer exclusivity of the highest kind. Combining luxury and bespoke services, each of the accommodation choices is equipped with the latest technology, a Bose sound system, in-villa wine cellar and a Villa Host – on call 24-hours a day – to attend to your every whim.

This Baa Atoll resort, situated in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, confirms that to enjoy Mother Nature you need to get wet — here, by Hanifaru Bay, you’ll brag about snorkelling alongside the Indian Ocean’s healthiest populations of whale sharks and manta rays. Watery thrills are the name of the game in-resort, too: try wine-tasting in the underwater SEA restaurant (the cellar has over 450 labels); soak in your glass-bottomed bath and stargaze through the Maldives' biggest telescope at SKY – the only overwater observatory in the country.

Plus, now with even more gastronomical choice – and an expansive spa menu – the island is a superior option for those who crave visceral pleasure. A culinary journey awaits your senses: there is a Teppanyaki grill restaurant named FIRE to whisk you to Japan, while SPICE offers a fiery taste of Asia along with spectacular views over the vast Indian Ocean. You’re sure to leave well-rested here as the award-winning Anantara overwater spa boasts world-class treatments that have been infused with the healing properties of indigenous plants. With an option to take your relaxation a step further, there’s an authentic Ayurvedic head massage called Shirodhara on offer here, which is sure to leave your mind, body and soul feeling anew.

Inside the Overwater villa

Underwater dining at SEA restaurant

Stargazing at SKY bar

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IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

Cheval Blanc Randheli

Como Maalifushi

The fashionista’s resort of choice, Cheval Blanc is an haute-couture paradise. Designed by starchitect JeanMichel Gathy, restaurants double as art galleries, pools double as catwalks and the wine cellar doubles as a museum. For anyone found wanting in the wardrobe department, an in-villa show of kaftans and accessories from Pucci and Melissa Odabash can be organised, or else there’s the island’s boutique to browse in. Villas, of which there are 45, are cathedral-like temples of chic, where even the air is designer: customscented by Dior’s master perfumer, François Demachy, no less.

If you’ve dreamt of swimming with whale sharks, Como Maalifushi is for you. Staff hand over a pager and bleep you the minute these gentle giants appear in the vicinity — even at night.

While on standby, swan around your spacious, white and bleachedwood villa (Demi Moore prefers the overwater pool variety); go deep — spiritually — at the spa or mingle at the sociable bar and restaurant (stick to the green juices, rather than booze, if you’re waiting for the call to flipper-up).

W Maldives The Maldives isn’t known for its party scene, but W Maldives is an exception.

One of the country’s most upbeat resorts, it boasts pool-party charm, with the chance to dine ankle-deep in water or rock out at DJ nights. It’s perfect for the athleisure generation, who spend days detoxing with coconut water and nights downing cocktails at beachfront lounge bar Sip. The resort has another island, Gaathafushi, which you can reserve exclusively for a desert-island experience.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Spanning two Alif Dhaal Atoll islands and connected by a bridge, the resort’s remote geography means that guests can dip in and out of daily life without sacrificing personal privacy.

Golf buggies whizz around between the 150 all-overwater villas and 12 award-winning restaurants and bars, overwater spa, pools and beach. For enthusiastic spa goers the dedicated Spa Retreat complex is also home to a clutch of utopian villas, each with their own spa room. While for those seeking ultimate isolation, there’s THE MURAKA, a first-of-its-kind, two-level residence with a master bedroom submerged over 16 feet below sea level.

Constance Moofushi

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Spa by Sisley Paris

Heart Reef, in the Great Barrier Reef

W Maldives

This eco-minded all-inclusive hits the sweet spot between indulgence and affordability. The moment you’re off the seaplane, staff encourage you to swap shoes for flip-flops, and many guests go barefoot throughout their stay (restaurant floors are sand). Join a winetasting knee-deep in surf, sipping while (harmless) baby sharks swirl above your toes; cosy up with popcorn at an outdoor movie night; or join a sunset cruise in search of dolphins. Food is largely buffet-style, but tasty (lobster and Champagne included), and while entry-level beach villas are on the dark side, they have outdoor bathrooms and direct access to a quiet, pretty beach.

Dhigali This design resort in the undeveloped Raa Atoll is well-placed for flits to local islands — perfect for those seeking some Maldivian culture. Parents will appreciate the huge kids’ club, which worldtravellerme.com 23

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

has a water park and complimentary ice cream. Corbusier-cool villas work for couples, too, though, with their sleek white-on-white interiors.

Honeymooners will love the drama of the Haali bar, which is shaped like an upturned bird’s nest and turns up the dial on romance with its cocktails.

Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru

Equator Village If you think that the Maldives can’t be done on a budget, think again.

With B&B rooms for less than $100 a night, and all-inclusive rates less than $150, Equator Village lacks the gloss of newer resorts, but nevertheless it has simple charm: white wicker chairs dot public areas, while pretty English gardens, tennis courts and a pool feature. Set on a buzzy island in the southerly Addu Atoll, it’s a prime place to get a taste of Maldivian culture, with cookery classes or village visits.

Nearby dive sites are top-quality.

Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi On the island of Sirru Fen Fushi at the edge of the Shaviyani Atoll — where the islands are mostly undeveloped — this place sees virtually no sea traffic and barely any light pollution. Such isolation encourages visitors to get creative with their fun — art classes, photography or trail walks. Don’t miss a swim in the semi-submerged, intertidal art gallery: a steely structure near the shore, with sculptures and corals.

Finolhu An Austin Powers perkiness pervades every element of this resort, perfect for fun-loving families: reception is renamed Mission Control, for example, while a pink Kombi van lists daily ‘Mojo Magic’ (activities). Villas are retroquirky, too, with rattan chairs and Bakelite phones with a ‘Press for Champagne’ button. Finolhu is serious about its food, though: it has some of the Maldives’s best dining, with a North African spot serving tagines, and the Crab Shack, set on a sand spit.

Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru This family-friendly resort occupies a spacious island in the manta-rayteeming Baa Atoll, and is home to 24 worldtravellerme.com

Gili Lankanfushi

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

Hurawlhi

stroll on. The look matches up: dreamy pale-wood villas are open to the breeze, and each has its own rooftop terrace (ask your butler to make it up for sleeping under the stars) and hidden slice of sea for skinny-dipping. There’s a lot of seaplane traffic overhead, but relaaax — the island’s pandanus jungle swallows make most of the noise.

Hurawalhi

some of the most covetable villas in the Maldives. They are all big, exceptionally private (cloaked in greenery) and come with pools, whether beachside or overwater. The quality of the food is not quite as strong, but it’s hard to knock the personable staff, the marinelife centre (with rescued turtles) and the generous beach. The Ayurvedic spa is a worthy splurge: get a free, half-hour Ayurvedic consultation first to make the most of it.

Gili Lankanfushi Gili invented ‘No news, no shoes’, and they actually bag up your footwear on arrival because here it’s barefoot informality all the way. Fine, since these are some of the softest sands in the Maldives and, with every villa overwater, there’s plenty of beach to

Turquoise and zesty lemon tones brighten the decor at this youthful-minded resort. Hurawalhi has bombshell beaches, a colourful house reef (healthier than most) and a fantastic all-inclusive offering (more generous than most, including round-the-clock drinks and a free sunset dolphin-spotting tour). Not included — but worth the splurge — is a seven-course dinner at Hurawalhi’s spectacular 5.8 undersea restaurant.

Book the 6pm seating to see the ocean transform from day to night.

Huvafen Fushi Label-loving couples snap selfies at its underwater spa, draping themselves on oversized daybeds to watch fish go by. The appeal pervades in minimalist rooms, and yet more Insta opportunities await at its mindblowing Lonu Veyo flotation pool, so salty it’s like zero gravity. The magic is cranked up

further with dinner in romantic Vinum, a wine cellar adorned with suspended sculptures. It’s dressy, so pack heels, but not wetsuits — nearby dive sites have suffered a lot of coral bleaching.

Joali It’s rare for a relative newcomer (it turns two this month) to boast such sophistication, but this toddler is smart way beyond its years. Conceptual art dotted round the island, curated book collections in the bedrooms, Art Deco interiors and inventive architectural lines everywhere — Joali is an island for aesthetes. Its natural beauty is just as impressive — the lush greenery and curving sandbank are the envy of its high-end rivals — and it attracts some accordingly beautiful guests, so you’ll want to pack your poshest kaftan and suck your tummy in. Until, of course, you retreat to the privacy of your vast, but elegant, villa and private pool…

Kandolhu It’s the Indian Ocean dream: a palmfeathered island, wrapped with a wide ribbon of ridiculously white sand, so tiny you can walk around it in 10 minutes. Suites number just 30, with thoughtful touches such as GoPro cameras. Children over six can stay, but this is mainly a serene sanctuary for couples. worldtravellerme.com 25

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

Kanuhura Upending the ‘marooned in paradise’ concept, Kanuhura’s beach bungalows stand just a few metres apart, lending a friendlier feel than most others. Occupying a large island in the Lhaviyani Atoll, it has over two kilometres of shoreline to comb, plus two nearby islands for desert-island hijinks. Families are welcome and up to two under-12s can stay free (sharing with parents) and babies get complimentary passage on seaplane transfers to and from the airport.

Activities, including a free weekly ‘Maldivian warrior workout’, are a sure-fire way to get generations bonding.

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IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

Kudadoo Maldives

Lily Beach Resort & Spa

Here’s an all-inclusive with intimacy: just 15 zen-cool overwater villas — all with proper eco-cred — ringed by a healthy reef. At twice the price of other top-end resorts, Kudadoo’s not cheap, but this jet-setter-level resort includes everything in the rate: Ruinart Champagne, award-worthy meals, unlimited watersports, plus personal fitness gurus and mini-bars stuffed with your favourite spirits, as well as spa rituals and excursions. If you’re travelling with a group — say, for a wedding — you can buy out the whole thing.

While most resorts favour the driftwood look, this all-inclusive has a cosmopolitan edginess that attracts young couples. Rooms are almost spiritual havens, with four posters and party-sized tubs; public areas shimmer with statement chandeliers; and there’s always someone taking a selfie by the floating hammock platform. Dining is excellent and with four restaurants and four bars there’s plenty of choice.

The beach is a disappointingly narrow strip and it’s difficult to find a private corner, but the vast infinity pool more than compensates.

Kuramathi Maldives It has 360 rooms, but fear not, it’s a large island, with plenty of room to escape.

Explore the rambling exotic gardens, walk the kilometre-long sandbank, or take to the waters (some of the country’s best snorkelling awaits right off the beach). Kuramathi is perfect for families, with a winning summer-camp vibe, first-rate kids’ club and dedicated family pool. The most coveted rooms are in the minimalist two-bedroom beach houses (sleeping six) with floorto-ceiling sea views from comfy beds.

JA Manafaru

LUX* North Malé Atoll No, it’s not South Beach, but the glam, white-and-windows villas at this resort look like they’ve been lifted straight from Miami Vice. The LUX* brand is known for quirkiness and this place delivers: think grind-your-own peanut butter at brekkie; on-site coffee and ice-cream shops; and a London-style phone booth with free international calls. Most villas are overwater and all have private pools and rooftop sundecks, perfect for privacy-seeking

couples (ask for one on the sunset side of the island). Food is topdrawer, service standout, but quality snorkelling (plentiful turtles and healthy reefs) requires an hour’s boat ride.

JA Manafaru A teeny tiny island that’s big on familyfriendly facilities, this chic hideaway is home to just 84 spacious villas and suites, each with private pool and outdoor space. Live large in the two-storey, three-bedroom Royal Island Suite (with its own spa facilities, barbecue area and ornamental pond) or make the resort your leisure playground with beach volleyball, a futsal pitch, games room with mahjong, infinity pool, and more. Parents can escape to the Calm Spa while kids have the dedicated Coolzone and Chillzone, plus there’s a full menu of watersports.

Meeru Island Resort & Spa Meeru rocks the quintessential ‘no news, no shoes’ Maldives vibe, with sandfloor bars and alfresco restaurants.

It’s large enough to fit in 286 rooms — making the $35 investment for a week’s bike hire worthwhile — but thanks to clever design it still feels intimate (dedicated adults-only areas help). Highlights include a candlelit beach dinner and sundowners at the overwater Asian Wok restaurant and bar, watching reef sharks circle. There are plenty of distractions beyond the wildlife, too, including a museum, spa and tennis, badminton and golf.

Milaidhoo In the Maldives’ ongoing ‘arms race’ to see which castaway resort can be the most castaway, Milaidhoo is way out there. Isolated a seaplane ride away, in the Baa Atoll, with no other islands in your eye line, it keeps the peace by banning under-9s (and drones!). Villas have such huge decks and delectable pools, you’ll never need to leave them, and for those who want to go the full Crusoe, there’s the option not just to dine on a private sandbank, but to sleep there, too. Otherwise, simply eat on board the docked dhoni boats of Ba’theli restaurant — and imagine casting off… worldtravellerme.com 27

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN One&Only Reethu Rah

Niyama Private islands It’s not the beaches — it’s the bonkers extravagances the kids will talk about when you get back home. There’s a simulator room and underwater Seabob scooter to zip you across the lagoon like Captain Nemo, a treetop restaurant and a sub-aqua alternative decked out with starfish-shaped spotlights. There’s one resort, but two sprawling, bridge-connected islands to pick from: Chill for honeymooners and the family-oriented Play. Villas are slightly disappointing in contrast to the activities on tap: go for a beach house, rather than a pricier overwater suite.

One&Only Reethi Rah Beloved of moneyed Russians and American investment bankers, this is one of the Maldives’ most overtly glitzy resorts. But don’t let that put you off. One&Only has sublime food (don’t miss tropical-forest-coddled Botanica), ridiculously on-it butler service and room to explore (the island is so large, it takes 10 minutes to cross by bike or golf cart). Glam villas are private (even the entry-level beach Six Senses Laamu Here, you may see washboardones); an adults-only infinity pool chested Kelly Slaters barrelling is film-set slick; and a rambling spa comes with a yoga pavilion and barber. towards the beach. The wave they’re riding is Yin Yang, a renowned surf Ozen by Atmosphere break, and it’s turned this ecoMany all-inclusives add sneaky sensitive resort into a paradise for charges for snorkelling equipment, cash-rich surfers from Bondi to Brazil. premium drinks or the chance to dine Happy hours at sunken poolside anywhere other than the buffet. Ozen bar Sip Sip increase the boozyby Atmosphere is a notable exception. Bali vibe, and there’s a full list of The deal includes one meal at its fancy dusk-to-dawn activities, including underwater restaurant, M6m, at no sea-kayaking and night-diving. extra cost, and all the Moët you can Soneva Fushi drink. Dark wood villas, split between beach and overwater, are big and work Nailing the ‘barefoot luxury’ vibe, natural woods fill eco-sensitive well for families or couples — vast thatched villas, where space outdoor bathrooms are a highlight. and privacy promise an air of Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Robinson Crusoe (butler service A by-the-sea take on the glamorous means you’ll have your own Mr Singapore heritage hotel, but with or Ms Friday, too). Scores of added palm trees and moreish visiting Michelin-starred chefs, a Maldives Slings. The marine life help-yourself ice-cream parlour in this part of the island nation and handmade chocolate room, is supersized — whale sharks are superb kids’ club and the (new as wide as mini-buses — and a this month) world’s largest 1- and bounty of unchartered reefs makes 2-bedroom overwater villas make it a prime choice for divers. this island a genuine treasure.

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Taj Exotica Resort & Spa With the airport located a mere 20-minute boat ride from the ivory shores of Emboodhu Finolhu Island, the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa is ideal for those looking for a quick and accessible break. Lagoon villas with wraparound sundecks afford sea views for miles, while beachfront rooms boast plunge pools and private courtyards.

The Residence Maldives Dhigurah The simple teak-and-thatch design isn’t going to win awards, but few hotels beat this location: in the gorgeous Gaafu Alifu Atoll, skirting the equator.

Here, islands are larger and Dhigurah stretches for over two kilometres, with another kilometre-long wooden bridge linking it to a sister resort.

Cycle over for brekkie and bring an appetite: this all-inclusive doesn’t skimp. Don’t upgrade: even standard rooms come with private pools.

The St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Contrary to appearances, thatch isn’t

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

compulsory in the Indian Ocean and if you want an island paradise with a more urban aesthetic, Vommuli’s for you. Slick interiors draw a stylish crowd and the food and drink are as sophisticated as any city’s. The spa is similarly sexy — it’s called Iridium, which gives you an idea of the Bond-villain-lair look — but the big surprise is how offspring-friendly St Regis is: fun all-family activities and a ton of clan-sized rooms.

Velaa This is where the European elite go to bronze their pins, and the mood is refreshingly un-smoochy. There’s an array of hi-tech toys to play with and with a staff/guest ratio of 8:1, zero waiting time for scuba gear. Villas are nature-inspired, with shimmers of mother-of-pearl and live orchids dangling from the rafters, but — look away eco-warriors — as with many Maldives resorts, it takes loads of water to keep the island

looking lush (much of it soaked up by a nine-hole golf course).

Velassaru This is honeymoon central, with in-house wedding photographers constantly snapping couples at the infinity pool or laid-back beach bars.

It’s not all gooey — free sunrise cruises and a weekly outdoor cinema keep the feel nicely communal.

Villas have an urban sleekness, while the proximity to Malé is both a plus (you’re in resort 30 minutes after touchdown) and a minus (sea views are marred by cargo ships).

The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort An enviable location within the Baa Atoll Unesco World Biosphere Reserve forms the backdrop for upscale downtime from the second you step off the boat onto the arrival jetty with its visually arresting shellshaped canopy. The resort architecture

Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa Picture postcard tranquility beckons a mere 20 minutes by boat from Malé airport making this standout resort an all-round winner. A hospitality icon on North Malé Atoll, it’s packed with first-class facilities yet has ample space to ensure that sought-after sense of seclusion. The cosy pool cottages are great for couples or those with small children, while the overwater bungalows charm from every angle. The spa is also a sight to behold – housed on its own island, its dotted with private pavilions in lush gardens.

Six Senese Laamu

Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

Soneva Fushi

is a modern twist on island cliché with talking points such as the ‘floating’ lily pad daybeds in the main pool. Westin signature Heavenly beds, outdoor rain showers and guaranteed jawdropping views come as standard in your choice of one to three-bedroom pool, overwater or garden villa.

The St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

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The Seychelles

B

etter-looking than Mauritius and a lot livelier than the Maldives, the Seychelles is the natural beauty that’s got a personality, too. Its beaches — often bookended by dramatic granite boulders and backed by pretty, palm-strewn jungle — are the screensaver-sexy equal of those in the Maldives. Meanwhile, travellers who venture further than the foreshore will find hikes, waterfalls, giant tortoises, a local music scene, creole food, public beaches, public transport and a raffish island life that’s just as refreshingly real as Mauritius’. Along with that goes a similarly broad range of overnight options — from $15,000 a night down to $120 a night for a perfectly liveable little room still only steps from one of those exquisite beaches. The Seychelles is self-caterable, too, which makes it a smart choice for price-conscious paradise-seekers.

You’ll keep costs down further by sticking to the

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main island. Mahé (and its capital, Victoria) has all you need for a first visit: national parks, botanic gardens, honking markets, a couple of decent museums and those beaches, complete with truly world-class diving and snorkelling. (Our favourite strands include Anse Soleil, Petite Anse, Anse a la Mouche and Port Launay Beach.) Switching to a smaller island — Praslin and La Digue are both served by cheap, frequent ferries and flights — means a slower pace of life; and there are tiny, semi-private resort islands, too. These you’ll usually reach by helicopter and, while they certainly feel more exclusive, only one or two have the castaway appeal of the top Maldivian joints. That’s partly because there are no overwater villas here (back to the Maldives for that stuff), and partly because here you’re holidaying in a vibrant, living country rather than a pixel-perfect production number. It’s just a different kind of paradise…

Anse Soleil and Petite Anse Mahe Island Seychelles Coastline

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Anse Soleil Beachcomber Remember how the Seychelles was 25 years ago? No need, because you can still experience it on lovely Anse Soleil on Mahé’s west coast. It’s a set of 14 plain white rooms and self-catering chalets, and there’s no pool, spa or distractions from the jewel-box beach and snorkelling. Ask for room Nos. 3, 5 or 10 (the quietest) and wind back to 1995.

Augerine If you’re looking for a beach with a buzz, you want Beau Vallon: the biggest hotels are here — as are bars, cafes, jet-ski rentals and the rest. It’s where the capital, Victoria, comes to let its hair down, too, on the longest scoop of sand in the country. What’s amazing is that, just steps from the action, you can retreat to a peaceful little hotel with 15 breezy rooms, authentic Creole food served in a sandfloored restaurant and a secret garden that leads straight to the beach.

Avani Barbarons

Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island

So laid-back, it’s almost horizontal, Avani has a loungey vibe that’s irresistibly relaxing. Alone on a long west-coast beach, it’s pretty peaceful, too (request room Nos. 170-184 to be sure). It also carries off its rough edges (it needs a refurb in places and there are some tough corally patches on the beach and in the sea) with rakish charm, thanks largely to its looks: cool, Insta-appropriate colour schemes and sloping palms on that empty beach.

Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island For real seclusion, take the 40-minute propjet hop to Desroches. This glorious 6km slip of an island has a few chic little villas and restaurants at one end and absolutely nothing at the other.

The daily routine: grab your snorkel (the underwater world is off-the-charts good), pack a posh picnic from the deli, pedal off on your villa’s bikes to whichever entirely empty cove sings to you, and head back for sushi and sundowners come evening (or, come afternoon, pool and spa). And repeat. worldtravellerme.com 31

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN North Island

North Island What did Wills and Kate get for their honeymoon here? Privacy fit for a princess. Each of the 11 villas hides in its own hectare or two of discreetly screening jungle, and with 2.5km of perfect beach fringing the isle, you’ll never have to share sand space. Villas themselves are a little old-school (dark wood and no private pools), but food, drink, service, activities, spa and childcare are tailored to your taste.

Bord Mer Villas

North Island

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In the crazy-beautiful world of the Seychelles, the fact that this place is a full three minutes’ walk from the beach (and has no pool) means it can’t charge more than roughly $120 a night. For that, you get stately, spacious villas grouped around lush gardens and (in lieu of a restaurant) a terrific fresh-fruit-and-roti breakfast brought to your veranda every day. A kitchenette and nearby supermarket

mean you can live for peanuts, but here’s the punchline: you’ll be glad of that three-minute distance because Beau Vallon beach can get boisterous at weekends (at least by Seychellois standards).

Carana Beach Set by one of Mahé’s prettiest sandy bays, just a half-hour drive from the airport, this spot is all about the beach.

All of its simple chalets have sea views; alfresco massages take place in view of the surf; generous deck day beds are steps from the sand. A dozen villas have private pools, too, for less than you’ll pay at most other hotels. Produce for dishes is sourced from the hotel’s family farm.

Constance Ephelia Easily bored? You won’t be. This big, bubbly resort in Mahé’s northwest corner has a main beach kept lively by local kids, loads of dining options and

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN Constance Ephelia

plenty of activities — from zip-lining through the jungle to feeding giant tortoises. For the still-antsy, there are kayakable mangrove swamps and pleasant cafes all within walking distance of Ephelia’s front gate, and you can get a bus into the capital, so you’ll never have cabin fever.

lazare Picault

Six Sense Zil Pasyon

Whitewashed walls, wooden beams, rattan chairs: there’s a lovely simplicity at work here that puts the focus where it should be — on the views over beautiful Baie Lazare. The bay is a perfect shell of Listerine-blue waters and sugar sands in Mahé’s quiet southwest, and the hotel ranges up a hill (sunset views for everyone!). Airy rooms come with kitchenettes, but there’s a decent restaurant, too — and, at the foot of the hill, another one, run by the same family, that is perhaps the area’s best. Other than that, there’s not much here. Which is just how the regular guests like it.

Six Senses Zil Pasyon Only a couple of years old and still the

cool kid on the block, Zil Pasyon rocks the sharpest look in the Seychelles, with a playful streak. The fun starts en route — you pitch up to this private island by chopper or speedboat — and carries on through the chic restaurants and helpyourself rum bar. The beaches aren’t the best, but all villas have infinity pools.

Even the spa is kick-ass: like the villas, it’s built Batcave-style among boulders, complete with rope-bridge entrance.

Le Chevalier Bay Guest House Sometimes, monopolies work. The Chevalier Bay is the only hotel on Praslin island’s Anse Lazio, which means that for an hour or two in the early morning and late afternoon you might get the beach to yourself. Not bad, considering it’s often voted one of the best in the Seychelles (and thus, by default, the world). You’re something of a captive without a car — and the guesthouse restaurant isn’t making it onto any ‘world’s best’ lists — but if your vacation is all about location, you’ll overlook the ordinary bits and lack of a pool.

Six Sense Zil Pasyon

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H IT DED W LU

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ESCAPE

P SF TOAN

TO THE

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Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt

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Postcards Stories from journeys far and wide

EGYPT p36 JAPAN p42 CROATIA p48

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EGYPT

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EGYPT

NILE

To see the land of the pharaohs in five-star style needn’t cost a king’s ransom.

Nick Redman knows the shipshape way to Egypt’s extraordinary secrets

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EGYPT

xcept for a few old stiffs, the Royal Mummies Room at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo was full of life, with an upbeat swirl of tourists from around the world.

If I’d thought there’d be a gloom over the capital and the country following years of political upset and the plague of terrorism, the diversity of visitors was as reassuring as it was overwhelming.

I crossed paths with couples from Taiwan, a group from Greece, a bunch of travelling friends from Brazil and a party of 20 from India, all maximising the opportunity to experience Egypt without the crowds that used to flood in.

Good to know that the global star power of the pharaohs is as strong as ever.

There was even something alive about the dead among us — or at least something a little undead. I could quite imagine those mummies creaking out of their cases once the doors were shut at night and hopping about to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. If you only saw one room in the museum, I’d make it this.

King Tuthmosis III (ruler circa 14791425BC) seemed frozen in an awkward mid-karate chop. On her withered face Queen Nudjmer (1070-1044BC) had ceremonial eyebrows of real hair. The great Hatshepsut (circa 1497-1458BC) extended a thumbnail at us, as long and pale as a jackal’s tooth. Finally, I found the remains of Ramses IV (11521145BC), who, the signage explained, hit the afterlife with a skull full of resin, an abdomen stuffed with lichen and two small onions for eyes. I like to think it’s what he would have wanted.

The lunatic magnificence of mysterious lives, belief systems and incomprehensible rituals enacted millennia before our own brief sojourn on Earth — that’s the shiver-inducing spectacle of Egypt, as if some remote civilisation were trying to signal to us across the gulf of galaxies. It should be compulsory to visit. To see it all — Cairo and the major attractions along the Nile — you’re going to need a week or so.

On a tour-operator-organised journey you’ll likely fly into Cairo for a two- or three-day whirlwind circuit of the city sights first. But it’s possible, if you’d rather, to transit straight on to Luxor 38 worldtravellerme.com

or Aswan, the cities that bookend the standard cruise. Then you could wind up in the capital before flying home.

I’ve travelled to Cairo before with people who’ve quickly been overwhelmed by the heat, the fume-spewing sluggish traffic and the characterless, claycoloured high-rises ricocheting off for miles. In places it looks like Miss Havisham’s take on Los Angeles, with those endless, dust-grey highways and grim, coiling flyovers apparently strangling whole neighbourhoods like gigantic vines. Despite it all I’ve never been less than exhilarated, and you can dodge the mayhem with, say, a hookah pipe on the balmy lawns of the Ritz-Carlton, or drinks Nileside after dark in the chi-chi Zamalek district.

Be sure to contemplate the Pyramids from far off before you pay a visit.

Their size, strangely, is less apparent the closer you get. They’re 5km out in Giza, blurring with Cairo’s sprawl, and glimpsing them distantly rising from a smoggy horizon, dwarfing the outskirts, you fully appreciate their dimensions.

Upper-floor rooms of the Four Seasons Hotel at The First Residence have great views, as I recall. The Sphinx is awesome up close, saddled with some apocryphal stories. (Was the nose really shot off during Napoleon’s campaign? Oh, stop it.)

Cairo done, you’ll fly south for a couple of hours, to Luxor or, further south still, to Aswan. (You can set off from either, or sail both ways, which spaces out the sightseeing and helps to reduce daily temple overload.) I strongly advise Aswan as a departure point, as you can follow in the slipper-steps of Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie with a stay at the Old Cataract hotel.

Sipping a drink on the terrace, above a bend in the river, where willow-masted feluccas drift like angelfish in the silver dusk light, you’ll agree it’s one of the world’s underrated grandes dames, lovely, lonely and lost in time. You may even recognise it from its bit part in the 1978 film Death on the Nile, vying for screen space with Mia Farrow, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith and Peter Ustinov among the key players. All in all, unmissable.

Cruisers, which cover the monuments concentrated between both towns in three, five or sometimes seven days, come in all shapes and sizes, from multi-storey gin palaces to small vessels modelled on the dahabiya, the type with masts and sails that tourists took in the 19th century. Lack of demand in recent times has meant the mothballing of many ships. They made for a dispiriting sight — lifeless and massed by the riverbanks — as we headed out of Aswan, realising the impact that low traveller numbers has had on already fragile livelihoods.

More optimistically, Sanctuary Sun Boat III, on which we’d be sailing to Luxor, put paid to any preconceptions of cruising as uncool. Reclining in the

Opening pages, from left to right: hieroglyphs; pyramids of Giza These pages, clockwise from above: boats sailing on the Nile; Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor; Goddesses on a wall of the Kom Ombo temple; Great Sphinx of Giza

EGYPT

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This page: pillars of the Great EGYPT Hypostyle Hall

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Credit: Nick Redman / The Times / News Licensing

EGYPT Wadi Rum rattan Opposite: chairs on its shady back deck, we This page: Peeking through to the been Treasury in Petra could have suave Agatha Christie detectives as we sipped rosé. Communal rooms radiated elegant nostalgia in old chests, ablution ewers and a trumpetspeakered gramophone among other antiques from Cairo auctions. I was happy to be aboard a mid-size, upmarket ship; too big (and cheap) is a false economy, as you’ll soon realise, jostling with the masses for every attraction and cold drink. (We even had exclusive mooring times for attractions.) Besides, with the exchange rate, Sanctuary’s prices are pretty good value (for an adventure so once-in-a-lifetime — superb food, excursions and guiding included.

In October, the heat was about 25C as we visited our first temple: Philae, just beyond Aswan. There, George, our guide, gave us a crash course in hieroglyphics (which became a recurring game), pointing out what looked like two kings, an egg and a falcon. It spelt Isis, name of the original Philae goddess. ‘Iz-eeez, please,’ George enunciated. ‘Not Isis.’

A point not lost on us, mindful of the destructive reach of the Islamic State — although it was, in fact, early Christians who obliterated the old Isis cult at Philae to create a place of worship, carving crosses and erasing faces on columns.

We began the gentle thrum to Luxor, 180km or so north. The top deck was perfect for the idle hours between temples, for tanning on sunloungers.

The horizons sprouted palm thickets and electricity pylons, desert-yellow hills and low-rise villages the liver-pink colour of hippos. We heard the lowing of cattle, the whoops of kids and the incantations from small mosques. Egyptian beers were served by Zezo, the friendly waiter, in glasses white with freezer ice, between dips in the oasis-shaped plunge pool. A Nile cruise, it’s important to underline, is as much about indolence and indulgence as it is about date-littered history. But those rays were powerful and I’d think twice about June, July and August, when temperatures can reach 40C. If you’re bent on a bargain, though, the price does drop in summer — the converse of rates in the popular balmy winter months.

Lunch was served under the breezeruffled awnings of the back deck: barbecued chicken skewers, tagine-cooked pumpkin pud as sweet as treacle tart;

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THE SHIVER-INDUCING SPECTACLE OF EGYPT, AS IF SOME REMOTE CIVILISATION WERE TRYING TO SIGNAL TO US ACROSS THE GULF OF GALAXIES.

then coffee, as the skeletal temple of Kom Ombo materialised among palms to the east under a cloudless sky. All 30 or so guests negotiated the gangplank, to find ourselves the only tourists on shore — delightful for us, if not for the vendors of shawls and statuettes. I’m pleased I had handfuls of small notes to exchange for a bagful or two of mementos to offer nieces and others back home.

Kom Ombo may not be the biggest of the bunch — Karnak and Luxor temples dwarf it in both size and complexity. But it’s magnificent to contemplate alone (for which, simply hang back as the guide leads the group onwards and in a minute or two you’ll be plunged into silence). It’s a double (mirror-image) structure to Sobek, the Crocodile God, and Haroeris, a deity of the sky in falcon form. ‘A temple to good and evil,’ said George. With a knowledgable leader, we gained crucial insights into Pharaonic zoolatry — the belief that gods disguised themselves in animal form to see off danger, from which the cults of creature worship evolved. Sobek, jawed Lord of the Waters, was revered as a predictor of the river’s annual inundation level — crocs built nests above the flood’s reach — ergo crop fertility. Revered, but also feared; in a gallery, mummified reptiles leered eerily at me from behind glass.

That night, like all the others, the black Nile seduced us gently onwards.

Over dinner at the stern, the air carried scents of burning wood, almost vanillasweet. Once or twice a public ferry — a commotion of white-lit, crowded decks — crossed ahead, then faded to tranquillity, the sky powdered with stars and the neon-pink flash of a far-off minaret. On Bedouin cushions in the boudoir Sahara Room, new friends joked over drinks as —

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wallflowers, you have been warned — staff urged us to don camp, complimentary djellabas (those traditional unisex robes).

In Luxor, the final stop, you have some of the most celebrated sights in the country — the world — to immerse yourself in. Karnak is a sensation, particularly late in the day, as shadows creep up the cinnamon flanks of this hulking complex. With origins some 4,000 years old and dedicated to AmunRa, it is the largest temple in Egypt.

I’d make for the Great Hypostyle Hall, a space reminiscent of a Star Trek set, all towering columns like vertiginous mushrooms. Were their carved capitals levered into place? Dragged up ramps of sand? Who knows? But they’re huge and a hell of a long way up.

For me, the Temple of Luxor offered more of the same — something to note if you’re getting pharaoh fatigue. But the Valley of the Kings, lying opposite on the sunset side of the Nile, is the drumroll finale to your cruise and the reason you should take the voyage in this direction: for the wide, columned Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, facing you like a deathly Joker’s grin from the unsparing rockface as you near; but most of all for the tombs of the greats.

Deep inside one, I met Tutankhamun, the mummy, unrecognisable from the face on the golden mask I’d seen at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The nose had been eroded by millennia. The eye sockets looked like the insides of old conker husks. But he was still a shining star, undimmed by time. Just like the sights we’d seen and the Egyptians we’d met on our journey to get here. Just like the extraordinary land in which he lay.

To book a future trip, call 800 DNATA or visit dnatatravel.com worldtravellerme.com 41

JAPAN These pages: a fisherman hopes for a morning catch on Lake ShĹ?ji, with Mount Fuji in the background

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JAPAN

Sushi, shrines, karaoke sessions and snowy peaks — hit all the highlights in just two weeks with Japan expert Alicia Miller

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Rain pattered outside, slicking the carefully raked stones of the rock garden, tickling the copper leaves of the maples. Shadows danced past the gauze-thin washi (paper) windows that lined our small, square room.

Kneeling before me on straw tatami mats, the tea master worked in silence, spooning emerald matcha powder into a glistening tea bowl, ladling hot water over it with a bamboo cup.

By the time the elaborate ritual was complete, I had made up my mind: Japan was my favourite place on Earth.

It wasn’t really the tea ceremony that clinched it — though this exacting sequence of measured gestures in historic Kyoto tea shop Bikouen was undoubtedly entrancing. Rather, it was the sheer, mind-boggling diversity of this unique country.

Only a few days earlier, I’d been munching gyoza dumplings in a packed izakaya pub and the next minute bowing in an abandoned ancient temple. Japan is equal parts meditative and frenetic. Early morning, you’ll explore bamboo forests or hike past Mount Fuji; by night, you’ll revel in allyou-can-drink karaoke in a skyscraper.

Tradition and modernity; nature and construct; peace and revelry — it’s all here, living harmoniously side by side.

It’s exactly these contrasts that keep Japanophiles like me hooked. As with sweet and salty, hot and cold, mint and chocolate chip, it’s a combination that leaves you craving more. I speak from experience: altogether I’ve spent more than a year of my life in this country, but I’ve still not had my fill.

The good news is that you don’t need months to get it right.

Whirlwind though it may be, two weeks is enough for a taste of Japan.

You’ve just got to plan smart.

My journeys always begin in Tokyo, the heart of modern Japan. You start engulfed by the big, brash, so-now city, then slowly work your way into the past. I’ll never get over the thrill of standing on the famed Shibuya Crossing, where J-Pop tunes blare from loudspeakers, schoolkids dart into shopping malls, and waves of suits rush to backstreet ramen bars.

Between trips I pine for the neon lights of Shinjuku, the all-hours 44 worldtravellerme.com

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J-POP TUNES BLARE FROM LOUDSPEAKERS, SCHOOLKIDS DART INTO SHOPPING MALLS, AND WAVES OF SUITS RUSH TO BACKSTREET RAMEN BARS

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nightlife area, and the ordered streets of Ginza, where designer shops and grand old department stores rule.

My current hotel crush? The Palace Hotel Tokyo — it’s right by Tokyo station and overlooks the Imperial Palace grounds, which are almost entirely closed to the public. It’s also one of the few Tokyo hotels with outdoor space — and nearly every room has a balcony. There are historic bits of the capital — Asakusa, with its grand temple, say. There are also parks, should you visit in peak cherry-blossom season: late March/ early April. Personally, I prefer early March – you’ll see the equally pretty plum blossom, prices are low and the weather’s mild. But neither history nor parks are the main reasons you come to Tokyo. You come to get lost in the maze of sushi shops, pachinko parlours, and ubiquitous conbini (convenience stores). You come for unbridled hedonism — and then you escape to the country.

Many of these outings are best tackled as day-trips. In fact, I usually spend nearly half of any fortnight-long trip based in Tokyo, with a few days out and the occasional overnighter to mix things up. Some trips, I’ll rise early to ride the Odakyu Romancecar train from Shinjuku; 80 minutes later I’m deposited in Hakone, home to a steaming volcano, Mount Fuji views and a glassy lake. Not to mention numerous onsen, those famously therapeutic Japanese hot springs.

First-time visitors can get shy about them, but the etiquette is easily summed up: clothes not allowed (sexes are separated) and washing

JAPAN

This page, clockwise from top left: Shibuya crossing in Tokyo; traditional Japanese sencha green tea; Great Torii Gate at Itsukushima Shrine; bamboo forest in Kyoto; nigiri and sushi platter; Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima

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JAPAN

Credit: The Sunday Times Travel Magazine / News Licensing

This page: maiko girls (apprentice geisha)

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Credit: The Sunday Times Travel Magazine

JAPAN

(thoroughly, before you bathe) compulsory, at the taps provided.

In warm weather — Japanese summers are generally hot and sticky — I prefer Kamakura, home to a giant bronze Buddha; or hikes

by Lake Kawaguchiko at the base of Mount Fuji. Or Nikko: tucked away in mountains north of Tokyo, it’s home to the country’s most elaborate, gold-laced shrine, Toshogu. Spot monkeys roaming the streets, eat yuba (tofu skin) at an onsen hotel (try KAI Nikko), and nibble a Nikko ‘cheese egg’ (actually a small cake – for some inexplicable reason, nearly every town in Japan seems to have its own signature sweet).

Self-driving in Japan is do-able, but there’s no point. This country’s train system is the world’s envy, both extensive and punctual, while buses are reliable and easy to use in the few tourist hotspots where trains are scarce (say, the Japanese Alps, home to picturesque mountain towns such as Takayama and Matsumoto Castle).

Train costs mount up, however, so a Japan Rail Pass (japanrail pass. net) is essential. You must buy it before you travel, online or from your tour operator; it includes the most popular train lines as well as the capital’s Yamanote metro line.

Kyoto, another Japanese pinup, comes next. If Tokyo is all towering buildings, neon billboards and raucous bars, Kyoto is quiet lanes, creaky, tiled-roof houses, and serene, multi-course kaiseki dinners served by ladies in kimonos.

Tourists flock here for the historic temples, for the chance to spot geishas (traditional performers), and to join a tea ceremony. Kyoto is the Japan of postcards, full of culture and mystery, and it’s here that you should base yourself for the second chunk of your trip.

This ancient hub is easy to get wrong, mind. Too many visitors rush through, staying only long enough to tick off the biggest, flashiest temples – Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji and Higashiyama Jishoji – before wandering through the photogenic red torii gates of the Fushimi Inari shrine and hitting

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IF TOKYO IS ALL TOWERING BUILDINGS, NEON BILLBOARDS AND RAUCOUS BARS, KYOTO IS QUIET LANES, CREAKY, TILED-ROOF HOUSES, AND SERENE, MULTICOURSE KAISEKI DINNERS

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historic Gion district to spot geishas.

But there’s no need to stick to the crowd-pleasers: there are thousands of temples and shrines in Kyoto. Pluck almost any one off Google Maps – the smaller or more remote the better – and you’ll be delighted. Because the real pleasure in these places is their serenity — catching a quiet moment alone among the wafts of incense, stone statues and ringing gongs is a uniquely Japanese pleasure.

In the city’s far west, Shodenji Temple entranced me with its cloak of bamboo forest. An old lady let me into its tatami-lined rooms, filled with precious Japanese old-master paintings close enough to touch.

The small rock garden was beautiful in its simplicity and I gazed out to snow-capped mountains. On the March day I visited, I was the only one there. It was so peaceful that I could see why David Bowie was moved to tears when he visited.

Kyoto hotels aren’t cheap, but here a swish stay is worth the cash. First, there’s the added atmosphere: there’s no better place to try a traditional ryokan (inn), preferably in Gion, so you can explore in early morning before the crowds hit. With original wood walls and tatami rooms, luxurious Sowaka has all the old-world vibes, but with essential modernities (proper heating, a great restaurant). Just as important, you’ll have the contacts: if you want to meet a geisha or try a tea ceremony, Kyoto’s luxury hotels know all the right people (the former is almost impossible to book direct). At the secluded Aman, for example, such exclusive experiences are available at a finger-snap.

Two or three days is enough to ‘see’ Kyoto; then, as with Tokyo, take advantage of the day-trips on your doorstep. Temple lovers will adore

nearby Nara – older than Kyoto and more compact, with roaming deer. A 15-minute bullet-train ride away, the gritty city of Osaka has the best street-food scene – roll up hungry for fried octopus balls (takoyaki), then shop for ceramics on Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shotengai, aka ‘kitchen street’. Uji is famous for tea plantations and gardens; further afield, Iga is fun if you’ve got kids in tow – it’s the home of ninja culture.

Reserve your final days for one last stop: Hiroshima. Nothing quite prepared me for the tragic, but unmissable, Peace Memorial Museum, filled with remnants from the atomicbomb blast. From here you can hop to Itsukushima Island and visit its shrine, the Instagrammers’ favourite, its red torii gate mirrored in ripples. It’s as spectacular in reality as it is in pictures.

If you’d rather end your trip with a dash of on-trend Japan, there is an alternative. Naoshima Island, west of Kyoto, has been turned into an art hub, with alfresco Yayoi Kusama pumpkin statues, installations in village homes, world-class galleries and a Bond-villainworthy design hotel, Benesse House.

Spend a day or two here, and another on one of the quiet Seto islands next door.

After that, it’s back to Tokyo by rail: mission complete. I say complete, but in Japan, that’s never really the case.

With more time on your hands, you could visit the ski resorts in Hokkaido; the white-sand beaches of tropical Okinawa; the forest-clouded rope bridges on Kyushu; the secret alpine towns of Gifu; the creaking shrines in Kusinaki…But don’t fret – there’s time for all that. Because, if you’re anything like me, you’ll fall in love with Japan. And you’ll be back.

To book a future trip, call 800 DNATA or visit dnatatravel.com worldtravellerme.com 47

CROATIA These pages: Split bay

The Dalmatian coast and its isles move sloooowly. Perfect, says James Stewart — more time to soak in its lazy loveliness

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CROATIA

e’re chatting to the barman at Sipan Island’s Caffe Bar Aramis, when the conversation takes a philosophical turn. He asks how long we’re staying. We aren’t sure, we reply; our plan for an overnighter before heading to Dubrovnik already seems too fleeting.

An endearingly retro passenger ferry had deposited us on Sipan earlier in the afternoon. Boarding the rickety public bus waiting at the harbour, we’d pootled through allotments to reach the village of Sipanska Luka, wrapped around a glassy bay. It has palm trees along the wharf, stone houses the colour of old ivory, and a small shingle beach. After 20 minutes we’d ‘done’ the sights, but local life is far more entertaining anyway: the fisherman selling mackerel from his boat, the harbourmaster in Aviators keeping an eye on yachties, the workman painting, and old folk on benches, sunning themselves like cats.

No, we’ve no plans, my partner says.

We may stay longer than a night. The barman nods. ‘Pomalo,’ he says. Pomalo is a uniquely Dalmatian concept, he explains. It translates roughly as living slowly, free from strict ideas of time.

I’m sure he’s right, but it’s hard for holiday-makers to pull it off here, as the region holds so many of Croatia’s top attractions, all clamouring for a spot on your itinerary. This tapering slice of the country contains the listtopping beauties of Dubrovnik, Hvar Town, and Brač’s Zlatni Rat Beach, star of countless tourism campaigns.

As such, it’s become fashionable to view the region as self-consciously swanky. But even were that true (it isn’t), I’d still adore Dalmatia. It is Croatia at its most vivid: sunbaked and wild, perfumed by pines and herbs, silvered by olive trees and contoured by vineyards. Blasted by the light and heat of centuries, it’s a land of living poetry written by the empires of Greece, Rome and Venice.

Its character is all Balkan heart and Italian dolce vita. Other Croatians call Dalmatians tovari (donkeys) for their slowness, but that’s the point. They have elevated easy living into an art. worldtravellerme.com 49

CROATIA

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VIS WAS AS IT WAS 15 YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST FELL FOR THE ROBINSON CRUSOE ROMANCE OF CROATIA’S MOST DISTANT ISLAND

Organising our trip months earlier, we’d decided on a voyage through Dalmatia’s islands. We would start in Split and end in Dubrovnik. Everything in between was up for grabs — nothing says holiday freedom (or even pomalo) like making plans on a whim.

Helping to keep things loose were the local agents offering homestays (sobe), and the comprehensive ferry service.

Three weeks would’ve been ideal for four stops, but — slaves to annual leave — we were doing it in two. That at least meant we could pack light, which was handy, because on previous trips, I’d learnt a valuable lesson: ditch the car. I’d tried island-hopping with a set of wheels, but costs had spiralled and my holiday days had slipped away as car-ferry routes forced me to sidetrack to the mainland for onward connections. That’s assuming I got aboard — demand often exceeds supply in summer. Car-free, we would be guaranteed a spot on the car ferries (jadrolinija.hr) and be able to take passenger-only ferries, such as Kapetan Luka’s (krilo.hr), from smaller ports.

Our second bit of insider wisdom was to get our city fix in Split. Although Instagram and Game of Thrones have made Dubrovnik Croatia’s tourism honeypot, give me Split any day. It is a Croatian Rome to Dubrovnik’s Venice: lived-in and slightly chaotic, where World Heritage-listed architecture is a backdrop for your visit, not its purpose.

On its sultry Peristil Square, we sit at Luxor café, boxed in on one side by the portico on which Emperor Diocletian once stood as a living god before prostrate visitors. On the other is his mausoleum, repurposed as the cathedral (God’s joke on the scourge of the early Christian church).

The cost of such beauty? Two coffees.

In Split’s cat’s-cradle of alleys, we stumble upon improbable shops: chocolatier Nadalina sells playable chocolate records. In silversmith Filigran, 79-year-old Viktor shows me the filigree cufflinks he creates from Venetian Renaissance designs.

Gorgeous by day, Split by night casts a spell of romance. Following music down a backstreet, we find a bar full

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of books and candlelight, a jazz trio riffing in one corner. This is Marvlvs Library Jazz Bar. The building? Oh, just the former home of a celebrated 16th-century poet, Marko Marulić.

It’s quite the start to a holiday. But pomalo it is not. So it’s on to the port, past queues of cars (suckers!) to board our ferry. After two hours on a sea like beaten silver, an island humps on the horizon: Vis. It was 15 years ago that I first fell for the Robinson Crusoe romance of Croatia’s most distant island, and much of its allure remains. There are still no large hotels. Old boys still slug rakija in the harbour bars of Vis Town, and the interior remains largely vineyards and hills falling to wild coves. Now, though, castaways can live like kings.

Chic agency VisVillas housed the stars of Mamma Mia!’s 2018 sequel during filming here. Or you could sling your suitcase at my early-Noughties favourite, Hotel San Giorgio — nothing fancy, but you’ll sleep to the sound of the sea.

This time, we’re in a homestay sourced through local agency Navigator. It feels like a gamble as we knock on an unmarked door in the harbour district of Kut, but it opens to reveal a 70-something woman with grey hair and twinkly eyes. Ivana shows us our room (granny decor, perfectly comfy) and hands over a key. Will fresh bread, homemade jam, island cheeses, local figs and eggs be OK for breakfast? It most certainly will.

With narrow lanes and nicely dilapidated palaces, Kut is Vis at its boho best. But no car doesn’t mean we’re staying put. We rent a scooter to visit Stiniva Beach, lying on smooth pebbles almost ringed by cliffs (get

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This page, clockwise from top left: Roman emperor Diocletian's Palace and peristyle square; traditional peka stew; morning sunrise in Split

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CROATIA

These pages: KomiĹža town on Vis

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Palm trees line the beach at Labengki Island in Sulawesi

Credit: The Sunday Times Travel Magazine / News Licensing

BLASTED BY THE LIGHT AND HEAT OF CENTURIES, DALMATIA IS A LAND OF LIVING POETRY WRITTEN BY THE EMPIRES OF GREECE, ROME AND VENICE

there early — day-trippers arrive by noon). Then to Komiža village, where stone houses jostle around a harbour and a bay winks ‘Come on in’.

What we do most is eat, feasting on ingredients from the Adriatic’s cleanest waters. Konoba Stončica, beside Stončica Beach, consists of a few picnic tables, the morning’s catch sizzling over embers. At Pojoda in Kut, chef Zoran Brajčić tries but fails to hide the virtuosity he brings to island recipes such as pasta and bean brudet (fish stew). Lola, also in Kut, serves tapas in a courtyard shimmering in candlelight.

I would stay here a month, but we should move on — back to Split, for the $20 voyage to Korčula, only possible on a passenger ferry. The cool kids disembark partway, in Hvar Town — beautiful, but too many thrumming beach clubs for our taste — leaving us to glide on to a wedding-cake image of green-shuttered palaces, girdled by walls and topped by a campanile like a candle. This is Korčula Town, a Lilliputian Dubrovnik kept sleepy by its pipsqueak harbour, far too small for cruise ships.

Days settle into a pleasingly groundhoggish routine. Each morning I meet an old woman during my daily swim in a rocky cove. We say our ‘Dobar dan’s, then slip into still water, she to breaststroke elegantly across the bay, me to float beneath a flawless sky.

After breakfast we visit Korčula Town, ambered in the faded glory of the Venetian Republic and ribbed by marble streets. It is somewhere you can circle in 30 minutes, yet you’ll discover new details day after day: the plaque of a long-dead aristocrat here, a tiny stall serving black-cherry gelato there.

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For a change of scene, my partner suggests a cycle to Lumbarda for its rare sandy beaches. It’s also famous for its grk, a grape variety introduced by ancient Greeks and now cultivated by nine family vineyards. My favourite is Ivan and Marko Batistić-Zure’s place, where they pour crisp, quaffable white and rosé well before our usual drinking hours. The sun shines. Another bottle is opened. Our schedule slips.

Korčula feels decades from Dubrovnik, but actually it’s less than two hours by ferry. We sail the next day, disembarking onto a wharf thronged by tour groups. That’s when the jitters start. Crowds? No more lazy, salty-haired days? As if on cue, my partner spots the dinky ’50s ferry destined for the Elafiti island of Sipan.

Which is how we come to spend our last four days in the Dalmatian bolthole of dreams. Hotel Božica has views of islands beyond the infinity pool, massages in the garden, and a private ‘beach’ (a concrete wharf with loungers). It even offers transfers to Dubrovnik airport. What a find!

We are now pomalo experts.

On our penultimate day, we idle at Bowa restaurant, drifting between loungers and dining tables in driftwood cabanas. It’s heavenly. The ideal place for fjaka, the waitress says. This, she explains, is a sublime state of mind, a mental detachment from the helterskelter of everyday life, the art of luxuriating in the pleasure of now.

Fjaka, she adds, is 100% Dalmatian.

Next year, we’ll be back to get to grips with the F-word. For now, until we leave, we’re content with pomalo.

To book a future trip, call 800 DNATA or visit dnatatravel.com worldtravellerme.com 53

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN

Dive in

Expect nothing less than secluded luxury inside these suites and villas with private pools across the UAE

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e've always been fans of idyllic staycations, but as international travel still works through the challenges that Covid-19 sprung upon it, we need them now more than ever. Right here in the UAE, hotels and resorts are ready to welcome guests and transport them away from their daily stresses, and even make them feel like they've been whisked away to a new exotic location altogether. But right now, it's the ones that come complete with private 54 worldtravellerme.com

pools for guests to indulge in that have won us over.

Bulgari Resort Dubai If it’s designed by Bulgari – the Italian brand renowned for creating beautiful things – then you know it’s going to be good. And this Dubai resort doesn’t disappoint. With sandy beaches before you and the city skyline behind, it offers the best of both worlds. Whatever your needs are with your next staycation, Bulgari Resort Dubai will readily tailor-make your weekend package – for activity

enthusiasts, spa seekers or couples looking for a private escape. Families, however, should opt for the B. Family staycation series, which offers guests a stay in a stunning villa complete with a private pool and special kids’ amenities. Opt for a one- or twobedroom Beach View Villa or the two or three-bedroom city view option.

Want to go all out? Then it’s the Bulgari Villa you need. The largest the resort has to offer, it comes complete with a spectacular oval pool, an additional 500 square-metre garden, and a private home cinema.

UAE STAYCATIONS

Nikki Beach

The Oberoi Beach Resort Al Zorah, Ajman When it comes to UAE staycations, The Oberoi Beach Resort Al Zorah certainly puts Ajman on the map.

This escape allows guests to embrace nature and wander pristine shorelines, all while soaking up the lavish luxury that Oberoi Al Zorah guarantees. Framed by protected mangroves and frequented by almost sixty species of bird, Al Zorah is a secret hideaway that delivers in its sophisticated design details and provides the secluded serenity needed to switch-off from everyday stresses. Offering spacious villas with private pools and private dining options, this is a retreat that promises personalised and remote extravagance.

Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai

Bulgari Resort Dubai

The original Jumeirah hotel which first opened in 1997, this luxury resort in the heart of Dubai is perfect for a weekend family break that offers island-like accommodation with easy access to the bustling city. Refurbished in late 2018, the iconic resort now has a fresh look to compete with the never-ending newcomers. And if dipping into a private pool is high on the agenda, then be sure to book your sleeps at the Beit al Bahar Villas. Guests can roam around the private terrace with its very own plunge pool, call upon the private butler service and enjoy access to a two-kilometre stretch of private beach. As for the villa itself, expect a hybrid of traditional Middle Eastern design with contemporary decor. Added bonus; the resort is home to numerous top-notch restaurants offering cuisines from all over the world.

The Cove Rotana Resort, Ras Al Khaimah Nestled in a peaceful inlet in Ras Al Khaimah, The Cove Rotana Resort offers a waterside escape with distinctive Nubian influences and 78 private villas, some of which have worldtravellerme.com 55

IDYLLIC INDIAN OCEAN Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Al Maha Desert Resort

The Ritz-Carlton, Al Wadi

their own private pools. Looking out over the Arabian Gulf, this shoreline resort blends beach bars with fine-dining experiences and a host of water sports that will keep the whole family entertained. As for the public pools for all the guests to dive into, there are separate infinity pools for adults and for families to enjoy. From One-Bedroom Villas that sit on the hills of the resort to spacious Two- and Three-Bedroom Villas, this is a hotel that makes cocooning in your own company luxuriously easy.

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai Soak up a taste of true Dubai luxury with a vacation to Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, as this hotel perfects Arabian opulence throughout. Not only famed for its distinctive style, it's also known locally and across the region for its uber-luxe spa. Expect 56 worldtravellerme.com

all the usuals such as skin cleansing facials and ache-melting massages as well as added joys such as snow rooms and Hammam treatments. If you're a family looking for the space to accommodate all your needs, opt for the Five-Bedroom Villa that comes complete with its very own pool. With the resort itself located on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, it's perfectly secluded.

The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert If you are searching for an escape that fuses UAE culture with luxe adventure, the Bedouin-inspired private pool villas at The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert, will more than impress. Sitting on a 1,235acre protected preserve and boasting a rainforest spa, this hidden retreat takes the idea of high-end glamping and transforms it into a luxury resort offering an experience like no other

UAE STAYCATIONS

in Ras Al Khaimah. Whether you yearn for a private desert trek or want a horseback ride through the golden dunes, The Ritz Carlton, Al Wadi Desert is well-versed in fusing adventure with the finer things in life.

Expect blissful tranquillity to underpin everything about this personalised staycation.

Captions xixooozo

The Ritz-Carlton, Al Hamra Beach

Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai When Nikki Beach Resort & Spa opened its doors on Pearl Jumeirah Island in Dubai, it quickly became one of the city’s hottest hangouts.

From its party vibes at Nikki Beach Club to the serenity of its exclusive spa, the ultra-trendy beachfront resort oozes Mediterranean vibes from its panoramic coastline location off the shores of Dubai. The resort’s contemporary rooms and suites are known to many, but the Nikki Beach Pool Villas are a hidden delight that offer far-away island vibes. Expect beach-chic interiors, alongside an outdoor terrace with a green patio and private pool. To take things up a notch, groups can book the Ultimate Villa that comes with a private chef.

Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai An oasis nestled among palm groves and rolling sand dunes, Al Maha is the kind of hotel where anything less than having your own temperaturecontrolled private pool is simply not good enough. With its 42 hideaway suites, guests can choose between Bedouin, Royal, Emirates and Presidential Suites, all of which deliver on handcrafted furnishings and scenic desert views. Located in the Anantara The Palm

Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, Al Maha blends Eastern and Western influences to create a city escape that will leave you feeling rested and relaxed after a night under the starry Arabian sky.

Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort Home to the only overwater villas in the country, Anantara The Palm Dubai is the destination for an exotic escape right here in the UAE. With Thai-inspired design (and delicious Thai cuisine throughout the beautiful resort) the 2013-opened hotel is surrounded by blue and gold with 400 meters of private shoreline and surrounding views of the Arabian Gulf.

So, even without your very own pool to plunge in day or night, it makes for a blissful staycation. But if you do opt for either a One- or Two-Bedroom Beach Pool Villa, you’ll be able to dip into the sizable private pool just about long enough to get a few lengths in.

The Ritz-Carlton, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach Beautiful gulf beaches, historic wonders and a picturesque mountainous landscape; there are plenty of reasons to visit Ras Al Khaimah. But in case you needed another one, how about the beautiful The Ritz-Carlton, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach hotel? Guests can enjoy bountiful outdoor adventure activities, zen-inducing treatments at the seafront spa, bespoke dining experiences and easy access to many of the emirate’s best attractions, such as the 'Ghost Town' Al Jazirah Al Hamra, the National Museum and Dhayah Fort. But, in our opinion, the 32 luxury villas that line the beachfront and come included with guests’ very own pool are the stars of the show. worldtravellerme.com 57

WORLD TRAVELLER X NIKKI BEACH RESORT & SPA

STAYCATION

Nikki Beach Resort & Spa For a truly unique beach-meets-city ambience that stands unrivalled in Dubai THE ROOMS & SUITES Futuristic finishing and beachside teak combine to create a unique style-print in the rooms here. Luxury is a given – think a free-standing bathtub, mood lighting and dreamy king-sized bed.

But the real drawcard lays behind the curtains. Whether you choose to sight the twinkling city lights or the blue gradients of the Gulf, a room with a view will be the defining characteristic of your stay.

THE FOOD Priding themselves on creating light and healthy meals, the coastal ambience is reflected in the resort’s fare. Café Nikki offers casual poolside dining with an air of chic sophistication. Their Friday brunch is a favourite, with its worldly dishes crafted to perfection. While for those looking to celebrate life over dinner with friends, Nikki Beach Club & Restaurant is reopening this month.

THE ACTIVITIES Rejuvenation is a running theme at this five-star property. Nikki Spa invites guests to immerse themselves within its bright white walls to refresh and revive – pre and post party. Their Drifter treatment sees an expert therapist craft a bespoke 110-minute service for you.

And for adventure seekers, there are a number of watersport activities to enjoy, including jet skiing and surfing.

To find out more, call +971 4 376 6000 or visit dubai.nikkibeach.com 58 worldtravellerme.com

D ESI G N ED F OR TH OS E W H O S E T TH E TR E N D Ope n-m i nd e d s pa ce s w i th a cho i c e o f p o o l v i l l a s, s u n de c k s a n d b e a c h - c h i c v i b e s.

NIKKI BEACH RESORT & SPA DUBAI

PEARL JUMEIRA

NIKKIBEACH.COM

NIKKIBEACHHOTELDUBAI

+971 4 376 6000

WORLD TRAVELLER X LE MÉRIDIEN AL AQAH BEACH RESORT

STAYCATION

Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort Scenic natural beauty meets wholesome family-fun at this Fujairah based hotel THE ROOMS & SUITES With the resort set to a backdrop of the Hajar Mountains and floor-toceiling windows exhibiting impressive Indian Ocean views, a stay here is a reconnection with nature. If a balcony is desirable, the Superior Room is a sound choice, or if you’re after an exclusive experience a Royal Club room or suite comes with express check-in, and access to the Royal Club Lounge.

THE FOOD With eight restaurants and bars to choose from, variety is the spice of a staycation here. Taste offers up the flavours of Thailand served in a stylish environment, while the Gonu Bar & Grill is your go-to for grilled meats and alfresco ocean-side dining. Italian dishes and ambiance are on the menu at Sapore, with Baywatch Beach Bar cooks up fresh Mediterranean dishes on the sand.

THE ACTIVITIES Al Aqah beach calls with its various ocean-based activities; those with a PADI Certification can explore a wreck close by and meet the local marine life. Or get even closer to the fish – including tuna and barracuda with a Fly-Fishing experience. Those looking to recharge should head to Spa Al Aqah for an extensive rejuvenation experience including Ayurvedic treatments.

To find out more, call +971 9 244 9000 or visit marriott.com 60 worldtravellerme.com

Book the ultimate getaway to Fujairah’s iconic resort. Soak up the panoramic views of the Indian Ocean from your spacious sea facing room, dive into the largest pool on the East coast, dine at a choice of seven distinct restaurants, or re-energize with adrenalin fueled water-sports.

Offering one of the best beach resort experiences in the region, Le Méridien Al Aqah is the ideal location for intimate getaways, special occasions, weekend breaks and family holidays.

For more information or to book your stay, call + 971 9 244 9000 or visit our website www.lemeridien-alaqah.com

N 25° 30’ E 56° 21’ DESTINATION UNLOCKED

1 INSPIRED BY

Reader offers Great deals to get you packing

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FOUR FANTASTIC HOLIDAYS SEYCHELLES

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Includes: Stay 3 nights in a Partial Ocean view Pool villa with breakfast and return airport and ferry transfers Offer: 40% savings on stay Valid: Until 31 October, 2o20

Includes: Stay 4 nights in a Deluxe Lagoon Villa with Pool Offer: Includes daily breakfast and dinner; transfers, and PCR test in resort Valid Until 31 October 2020

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62 worldtravellerme.com

4 nights from USD 1615 per person

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Includes: Stay 2 nights in a Deluxe Garden View Room with breakfast & dinner daily Valid: Until 31 October 2020

DNATA TRAVEL OFFERS

WEEKEND ESCAPES UAE

ANDAZ DUBAI THE PALM 1 night starting from USD 123 per person Includes: Stay 1 night in a Standard Room Sea View with breakfast & dinner Offer: Savings on stay, kids stay & eat free Valid: Until 31 October 2020 ATLANTIS THE PALM 1 night starting from USD 261 per person Includes: Stay 1 night in an Ocean Room with breakfast & dinner Offer: Savings on stay, kids stay & eat free Valid: Until 31 October 2020 THE ABU DHABI EDITION 1 night starting from USD 123 per person Includes: Stay 1 night in a Deluxe Room with breakfast Offer: Savings on stay Valid: Until 31 October 2020 AL WATHBA, A LUXURY COLLECTION DESERT RESORT & SPA 1 night starting from USD 191 per person Includes: Stay 1 night in a Superior Room with breakfast & dinner Offer: Savings on stay, complimentary upgrade to half board Valid: Until 31 October 2020

Andaz Dubai The Palm

WALDORF ASTORIA RAS AL KHAIMAH 1 night starting from USD 178 per person Includes: Stay 1 night in a Classic Room with breakfast & dinner Offer: Savings on stay, kids stay & eat free Valid: Until 31 October 2020 THE RITZ CARLTON RAS AL KHAIMAH, AL WADI DESERT 1 night starting from USD 325 per person Includes: Stay 1 night in the Al Remal Pool Villa with breakfast Offer: Savings on stay Valid: Until 31 October 2020 INTERCONTINENTAL FUJAIRAH RESORT 1 night starting from USD 229 per person Includes: Stay 3 nights in a Classic Room Garden View with breakfast Offer: Savings on stay, kids stay & eat free Valid: Until 31 October 2020

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LE MERIDIEN AL AQAH BEACH RESORT 3 nights starting from USD 315 per person Includes: Stay 1 night in a Classic Room with breakfast Offer: Savings on stay Valid: Until 31 October 2020

Le Meridien Al Aqah

How to book

By calling dnata on 800 DNATA

By stepping into a dnata outlet or by visiting dnatatravel.com

On the website you can also sign up to the dnata newsletter and receive more offers direct to your inbox. T&Cs apply.

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Suite dreams Our monthly finish with a flourish, delving into a suite that has a character and style all of its own

QUINTA DUPLEX SUITE Six Senses Douro Valley

Situated in the serene Douro Valley of Portugal, the Six Senses lands you in the centre of rolling, vine-covered hills. Inviting you to sequester yourself away with your loved one, this spacious two-storey suite in the hotel's tower affords spellbinding views of that emerald-green landscape.

And once you've explored the 19th-century manor house and its pretty gardens, the historic town of Porto – and its UNESCO World Heritage centre – is just over an hour's drive away.

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Inspiration. Expertly crafted.

Comprising of two iconic towers, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai is centrally located beside the Dubai Water Canal and offers a spectrum of facilities and services for a memorable experience.

The hotel offers 1,608 elegant guest rooms and suites, over 10 award-winning restaurants and lounges, Saray Spa featuring traditional hammams and a state-of-the-art health club.

JW MarriottÂŽ MarquisÂŽ Hotel Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road, Business Bay, PO Box 121000, Dubai, UAE | T +971.4.414.0000 | jwmarriottmarquisdubai.com