DIVING INTO UNDER - EXPLORED PALAU , CHASING WATERFALLS IN ICELAND AND TOURING TUNISIA WITH A FEMALE GUIDE, PLUS THE LAVISH RAFFLES LONDON AT THE OWO , OUTBACK ADVENTURES AT BULLO RIVER STATION & A PHOTO ESSAY ON CARTAGENA Ode to Paris A FRENCH EXPERT'S GUIDE TO THE 'CITY OF LIGHT'
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The Luxury Travel Gold List Awards from Luxury Travel magazine is the benchmark for travel accolades in Australia and across the globe, recognising the unique and dynamic nature of the luxury traveller seeking to explore the world responsibly and sustainably.
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story reveals why the French capital never goes out of style, and is more desirable than ever thanks to the 2024 Olympic Games
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BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO DWELL FOR THE DESIGN DILETTANTE
120 A Rich Reservation
Checking in to the freshly minted Ra es London at the OWO, occupying a heritage building with a rich history
128 Promised Land
A stay at the Northern Territory’s remote, and conservation-driven, Bullo River Station
140 Suite Life
Art rules at Bowie House in Fort Worth, Texas
146 Suite Life Kimpton Margot Sydney turns up the design stakes in its heritage home
150 Design Notes
A striking example of modern hotel design
A MENU OF INDULGENT GOURMET & WELLNESS EXPERIENCES
158 e Heart of Japan Fine dining and onsen soaking unite on a nature-based hike through Japan
166 e Disconnect E ect
Taking time out, with a few well-deserved treats, at Gold Coast hinterland wellness retreat Gwinganna
174 Ray of Light
Vietnam’s TIA Wellness Resort is a leader in the country’s pursuit of happiness
180 Passion on a Plate e South African restaurant winning awards for its African-Japanese avours
186 Rendez-vous
A beautiful place to gather and dine
188 Quiet Contemplation
A Q&A with contemporary Stoic philosopher Ryan Holiday
©
“What a pleasure it has been to work more closely with the inspiring people that make up the travel industry over the last six months.”
And just like that, reader voting opens for the 2024 Luxury Travel Gold List Awards! I’ve been watching from the sidelines over the last six months as our team has been busy with preparations for our second GLA program under Indesign Media, and it’s clear it’s going to be a memorable one. Be sure to cast your vote by the 29 August cut-o to ensure your say counts, and pick up a copy of our summer issue, on stands in December, to discover the winners.
Alongside all of this awards activity, our digital team has been working around the clock on the huge, 12-month-long project that is the redesign and relaunch of luxurytravelmag.com.au. If you haven’t signed up for our weekly newsletter or connected with us on social media, be sure to do so – we will be revealing our gorgeous new website on our channels very soon.
Speaking of social media, the Indesign Media team has also been working on some exciting digital projects this year
thanks to our engagement of social media agency, Character Digital. Be sure to connect with us on Instagram (@luxurytravelau), Facebook (@luxurytravelmagazine), LinkedIn (/luxury-travel-magazine) and Pinterest (@luxurytravelau) to keep up to date with our inspirational content.
Lastly, on a personal note, I want to express what a pleasure it has been to work more closely with the inspiring people that make up the travel industry over the last six months. I recently held two networking events in Melbourne and Sydney for women in travel and design –my two great passions – to connect, catch up and collaborate.
I am constantly in awe of the women I see every day doing incredible things – both personally and professionally – all amid the immense demands of modern life.
As always, I hope you enjoy this latest issue of Luxury Travel I could be biased, but I think it’s a knockout.
KAVITA LALA PUBLISHER
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Visit www.abercrombiekent.com.au, call Abercrombie & Kent on 1300 589 717 or talk to your travel advisor.
“This issue, I embrace the thrilling adventures of the Northern Territory courtesy of a very special luxury homestead where 4WDs and helicopters are the preferred modes of transport…”
Although I try to avoid clichés at all costs, it is without apology that I make this statement: there is a certain je ne sais quoi about Paris. Even if you’re not a Francophile like me, you can’t deny there is something special about the French capital –something that causes the city to transcend eeting travel trends and ‘What’s Hot’ destination lists year in, year out. As Paris welcomes the 2024 Olympic Games, there is no better time for French expert and part-time French resident, Susan Gough Henly, to articulate why the ‘City of Light’ never goes out of style. “If you take the time to look around, you’ll discover a rich lode of culture and beauty – and the simple art de vivre – hiding in plain sight. is is the luxury of Paris,” Susan writes.
Just as experiencing Paris is not just about casting your eyes on the Ei el Tower and Arc de Triomphe, experiencing any destination authentically is about scratching beneath the surface and getting to know its people, lifestyle and culture. is issue, we do that as we catch a glimpse of life in the northern African country of Tunisia through the eyes of a female tour guide, try our hand at the ancient Japanese ritual of onsen bathing, and embrace the thrilling adventures of the Northern Territory courtesy of an outback homestead where 4WDs and helicopters are the preferred modes of transport.
As always, though, we prove that you don’t have to sacri ce luxury to travel authentically. From the opulent new Ra es London at e OWO and the maximalist feast for the senses that is New York City’s Warren Street Hotel, to the enviable luxury of the Four Seasons Explorer in little-explored Palau, there is a covetable collection of lodgings to be found within these pages.
Shifting gears, excitement is mounting in the Indesign Media o ce, with reader voting now open for the 2024 Luxury Travel Gold List Awards. is is your opportunity to have your say, so head to luxurytravelmag.com.au/the-gold-list to cast your vote from our list of jury-nominated nalists, with the esteemed winners revealed in our next issue.
Finally, I am absolutely thrilled (and relieved, for our web developers’ sake) to announce our brand-new website will soon be live and kicking on luxurytravelmag.com.au is sleek digital destination will bring the ultra-premium feel of our print magazine to your screens, and I can’t wait to see what you all think. Hopefully, like this issue, it inspires you to explore this beautiful planet of ours, authentically and in style.
MADELIN TOMELTY EDITOR
Luxury Travel Team
Publisher Kavita Lala kavita@luxurytravelmag.com.au
Editor Madelin Tomelty madelin@luxurytravelmag.com.au
Creative Director Sylvia Weimer sylvia@spacelabdesign.com
Brand + Partnerships Manager Richard Bunting richard@luxurytravelmag.com.au
General Enquiries media@luxurytravelmag.com.au
Production + Distribution Manager Anna Carmody production@luxurytravelmag.com.au
Assistant Editor + Sub Editor
Natasha Dragun
Contributors
Belinda Craigie, Rajni George, Susan Gough Henly, Ute Junker, Tatyana Leonov, Jocelyn Pride, Susan Skelly, Kate Symons
Events Manager Nadia Adelstein nadia@indesign.com.au
Accounts Vivia Felice vivia@indesign.com.au
Indesign Media Executive Team
CEO Raj Nandan raj@indesign.com.au
Group Operations Manager Sheree Bryant sheree@indesign.com.au
Online Manager
Radu Enache radu@indesign.com.au
Head O ce 98 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra NSW 2025 luxurytravelmag.com.au
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work and recognise their continued custodianship and connection to the land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their Elders past, present and emerging.
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Cover image e drama of Paris’ La basilique du SacréCœur, just one of the monuments that will star in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games © Sami Sert/iStock
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Some of the talented writers whose inspiring stories feature in this issue
From being helicoptered into an exclusive seaside resort on the Turkish coast and glamping in Greenland to the Icelandic president preparing her meals, Tatyana appreciates the term ‘true luxury’. She pens feature stories for prestigious publications such as The Sydney Morning Herald, Sunday Life, BBC Travel, and of course Luxury Travel, and jets o to far- ung destinations as often as she can, all in the name of research. Read her stories on Rotterdam (page 74) and southern Iceland (page 102).
Jocelyn Pride is a multiaward-winning travel writer and photographer who enjoys seeking out the paths less trodden. Travelling from Antarctica to the Arctic, and numerous places in between, Jocelyn’s insightful stories have been published across a range of Australian and international magazines and newspapers. Jocelyn is an outdoorsy type, with a passion for wildlife, history, adventure and cultural experiences. Read her story on hiking through Japan on page 158.
Sydney-based journalist and award-winning magazine editor Susan Skelly specialises in arts, science and travel. Her fascinating website, excessallareas.com.au, is a celebration of all that’s fabulous. e former editor of the Qantas in- ight magazine, Susan is never happier than when plotting her next story and reporting on new trends that inspire the way we travel and where we go. Her resolution for 2024 is to travel light and linger longer. Read her story on Canada on page 82.
Kate Symons is a travel and lifestyle writer with a particular interest in meeting the people that make the place. It’s about connection. In this issue of Luxury Travel, Kate’s work will take you to Vietnam and Texas, destinations with seemingly few similarities, yet both exuding a wonderfully on-brand welcome; the kind that invites you to stay a while. Read her stories on Houston’s luxe hotel Bowie House (page 140) and Vietnam’s transformative TIA Wellness Resort (page 174).
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Peeking from jewel-toned jungle where the forested mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental meet the Pacific Ocean, the One&Only Mandarina is arguably Mexico’s hottest postcode. Some say it’s North America’s – in the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels awards in 2023, it snatched the top spot on the continent, and eighth place globally. It’s not hard to see why. A stay here is like paying homage to Mother Nature, your backdrop a dreamy union of soaring mountain peaks, sandy shores, rolling green flatlands and that lush tropical rainforest. e architect-designed villas and treehouses are barefoot luxe at its finest, which means you can check in to drop-dead-gorgeous spaces (each with a private plunge pool) and sleep soundly knowing the team has worked hard to preserve the area’s rich biodiversity and Indigenous heritage (many rock carvings by the local Cora and Huichol cultures are present across the property). We wouldn’t blame you for spending days hopping between garden-to-plate restaurants, bars offering mezcal tastings and indulgent spa treatments. But if you do manage to tear yourself away, snorkelling, whalewatching and beach horse-riding await.
oneandonlyresorts.com
Some 30 years in the making, the rst Soneva Secret resort has opened in the Maldives, setting a new standard in intuitive, personalised service. Each private villa (there are only 14) is surrounded by untouched nature and attended by a dedicated team of three, which includes a ‘Barefoot Guardian’ and private chef. e unique lagoon villas and the Castaway – the Maldives’ rst oating villa – will also be available to reserve later in the year. e rst resort in the Makunudhoo Atoll, Soneva Secret comes with nifty design features including bedrooms with retractable roofs for stargazing, a zipline to the elevated wine cellar terrace and a resident astronomer to help navigate the skies.
soneva.com
Ahidden entrance leads guests up the winding driveway of Okoro Villa, which recently opened on the outskirts of Nelson on New Zealand’s South Island. e pared-back property comes with space to sleep eight across three suites and a luxury treehouse, with other niceties including bespoke meals crafted with regional produce by the resident chef, a heated in nity pool and multiple outdoor dining and relaxation spaces. Perched at the ledge of a small plateau, the villa’s design intertwines its contemporary and natural details to bring luxe modernity to the iconic landscape, o ering sweeping views of Tasman Bay and Abel Tasman National Park’s coastline.
okorovilla.com
Red Carnation Hotels has long been known for its opulent aesthetic when it comes to design. And now the brand has a new o ering in its portfolio – its rst in Scotland. Welcome to Edinburgh’s 100 Princes Street, inspired by the adventures of Scottish explorers who once frequented the building, formerly the headquarters of the Royal Overseas League. Styled after a chic private members’ club, the heritage building has been remodelled with 30 rooms and suites, each kitted out in lush jewel tones and replete with custom-made furnishings, fabrics and commissioned artworks by local creatives, including ve tartans by revered Scottish designer Araminta Campbell. ere’s also a standout restaurant, e Wallace, which comes with Edinburgh Castle views and cuisine by South African chef, Willhelm Maree. Don’t miss the chance to try the hotel’s collection of rare Scottish whiskeys.
100princes-street.com
Japan’s luxury hotel scene has been given a style injection with the opening of Six Senses Kyoto, drawing design inspiration from the Heian period (794-1185), when the city was the capital of the country. Step into the lobby and you’re greeted by a jaw-dropping folding screen featuring 504 hand-crafted Rakuyaki tiles symbolising the silhouette of sacred Mount Kurama; other touches throughout the property include use of wood and natural materials and meandering paths through inner Zen gardens. Like all Six Senses hotels, wellness is a focus: there are sleep consultants on call, health screenings that analyse your biomarkers, watsu spa treatments and multi-day retreats to help you detox. We love the fact that the Six Senses Kyoto’s dedicated Sustainability Fund sees a per centage of the hotel’s revenue allotted to Biotope Network Kyoto and Council for Kyoto Traditional Forest Culture.
sixsenses.com
Once the cherished home of the noble Bonci-Casuccini family, this regal estate has undergone a two-year transformation that sees its grand buildings restored to their former glory, while adding everything you’d expect of a luxe Italian escape. Backdropped by vineyards outside Montepulciano, the heritage site is a beguiling union of frescoes and antiques, with carved travertine, terracotta oors, handmade brick vaults and exposed chestnut beams. Taste your way around Tuscany (with Asian overtones) at La Via Della Seta restaurant, then head to the bar to sip cocktails that pay homage to Marco Polo’s experiences along the Silk Road. You’re in the neighbourhood of Florence, the Chianti wine region and Pisa. But with grounds like this, why would you want to leave?
precisehotels.com
