The best places for summer sun in our 16-page supplement

Miavana, Madagascar ▲

Opening December

This promises to be a game-changer for the African nation’s tourism industry – a super-luxury private island retreat that will allow it to rival the Seychelles and Maldives for the first time. Miavana, which will cater for a maximum of 44 guests, occupies NosyAnkao, the largest of five islands in an archipelago off Madagascar’s northeast coast.Guests will arrive by helicopter and spend their time on “blue safaris” – snorkelling, scuba diving and turtle-, whaleand dolphin-watching – as well as enjoying the spa.The resort comes with a pedigree – the owners also created the celebrated North Island in the Seychelles – and a price tag to match. $2,500 per person per night, or $100,000 per night for exclusive use of the island; timeandtideafrica.com

Soneva Jani, Maldives ▲

Opening October

The “over-water villa” has become a standard feature of Maldivian resorts, but the Soneva group’s latest property takes the concept to new extremes. Its 24 villas, suspended over a lagoon off the island of Medhufaru, all have their own swimming pool and roofs which retract at the touch of the button so guests can lie in bed and watch the stars. Some have swing seats that hang above the lagoon, others have slides from the top deck straight into the water. Villas for two from $1,870 per night; soneva.com

THE NEW WAVE

Lap up luxury in sublime waterfront settings: Tom Robbins checks out the latest additions to the hotel scene

Santo Maris Oia, Greece ▲

Opened April

The whitewashed houses of the village of Oia are scattered along the northern edge of the volcanic caldera that forms the island of Santorini. Just outside the village, and close to the cliffs where visitors gather to watch what locals claim is the best sunset in the world, the Santo Maris is built in traditional style, with 44 suites. Suites for two from €285 per night; santomaris.gr

Coes Faen, Wales ▲

Opened February

ThisVictorian lodge sits beside the Mawddach Estuary and on the edge of Snowdonia national park. Built to accommodate the domestic staff for a grand house nearby, it has been converted into a slick hotel. Its six bedrooms have “spa bathrooms” with features such as steam rooms or wooden baths for two. Doubles from £145 per night; coesfaen.co.uk

Six Senses, Zil Pasyon ▼

Seychelles Opening October

The latest in the Six Senses chain of resorts is currently taking shape on Félicité, a pristine island in the Seychelles fringed by whitesand beaches.A former coconut plantation, it will have 30 villas, six restaurants and bars, a big spa and a “kids’ camp”.As well as water-based activities, guests can hike on trails that crisscross the island, or take a boat over to neighbouring La Digue to go cycling. Villas for two from €1,200 per night; sixsenses.com

Il Sereno, Italy ▲

Opening August

It’s not on the sea but Il Sereno does have a private beach and two classic Riva boats on hand to whisk guests across the water.The hotel sits on the shore of Lake Como and all 30 rooms have large balconies with views over the lake. Unlike the faux renaissance and neoclassic architecture that dominates the area, Il Sereno is unashamedly modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows and an infinity pool suspended over the lake. Suites for two from €800 per night; ilsereno.com

O L Y M P I C B E A C H E S

GOLDENSHORES

After the crowds and commotion of the Rio games, the wild sands and remote villages of Brazil’s Costa do Descobrimento are the perfect place to unwind. By Claire Wrathall

Several people had told me that the best food in Brazil is to be found in Bahia, and that the best food in the south of the state is what Sylvinha serves on the otherwise empty beach at Espelho, 18km south of Trancoso.A thousand kilometres north-east of Rio de Janeiro, this part of the coast – the Costa do Descobrimento (it means “discovery”) – is a Unesco-protected littoral that runs south from Porto Seguro, where the first Portuguese settlers are believed to have made landfall when they arrived in Brazil in 1500. It could not feel further from the crowds, the noise, the energy, the edginess of Ipanema and Copacabana. That much nearer the equator, even the sea temperature is appreciably warmer.

The challenge, however, is getting a reservation. There are just three picnic tables on the two terraces of Sylvinha’s barraca (hut) – though by pushing them together she can squeeze in a party of 14 – and she cooks only at lunchtime.To get a table, advised Paul Irvine, co-founder of the specialist Rio-based travel agency which she charges R$100 (about £20) a head, excluding caipirinhas, cans of Bohemia beer or water.

The first course was a crisp flatbread served with something between hummus and tahini. There followed a tableful of bowls of varying sizes, the largest of which contained steaks of amberjack, the firm-fleshed fish known here as olho de boi, cooked with orange, ginger, soy and coriander. To accompany it was a stir-fry of peppers, beans

Dehouche (who had arranged my trip), “You need to leave a message on her phone.” There’s no signal where Sylvinha lives but “at about 10pm each evening she goes to find one, collects her voicemails and calls you back.” He adds: “It is well worth wading across the river for.” We asked the concierge at our hotel to ring her; unexpectedly, she picked up and fortuitously had a table for 1pm.

“Espelho” means mirror, though the green Atlantic was not what you’d call glassy that day. Nor was the journey to get there exactly smooth. For this you need a boat or a four-wheel drive and an ear sufficiently attuned to Brazilian Portuguese to comprehend the instructions of the man who guards the chain gate at the entrance to the rutted track that leads to the beach.

Sylvinha’s full name is Maria Sylvia Esteves Calazans Luz, though like so many Brazilian celebrities she is known by a single diminutive. An artist as well as a chef, she first came here from São Paulo in 1974 and never went back, painting in the mornings and then preparing a three-course, no-choice meal for

TO REACH CARAIVA, YOU ARE FERRIED ACROSS THE ESTUARY IN A BRIGHTLY PAINTED PUNT-LIKE BOAT

TY ET ;G NI UCO OL CLI I; FERNANDOLOMBARD andcauliflower; aheapofsteamed barley;puréesofplantainand cassava;passion-fruitandmango chutneys.Everythingwasintensely seasoned with combinations ofstaranise,cloves, coriander, cardamomandcinnamon,aswas thearomatic,almostfrozen custard –basedon arecipeofSylvinha’s grandmother’s –whichcame with athermosof coffee brewed withwaterin whichcinnamon quillshadbeensimmered.Itwas allutterlydelicious.We were glad we’dswumfirst.Nowwe needed to walkofflunch.

Whicheverdirection youopt for, thewild coastatEspelhois scalloped withlittle coves,backed by lowsandstonecliffsanddivided by flatboulders overwhichitiseasy to clamber.Walk northand there are ahandfulofsimple pousadas tuckedamongtheseaalmondtrees beyondthe beach.Turnsouthand thesandunderfootchanges colour andtexture –therearestretches whereit’spaleand powdery, others whereit’salmostblackandglitters withwhatI took to bemica.

We walkedfor hours,passing scarcely asoul.Itwasonly therealisationthatsunset wouldbeuponusbysix o’clock thatmadeusturnback.

Afurther10kmorsodown thebeach(or22km by unpaved road)fromEspelhoand youcome

DETAILS

Dehouchecanarrangesimilar itineraries(dehouche.com). Uxua hasdouble roomsfrom£300per night(uxua.com).Flightsfrom RiodeJaneirotoPortoSeguro onGOL(voegol.com.br) take an hourand45minutes; Trancoso isabout 80 minutes’ drive from theairport. To book atableat Sylvinha’s call:+557399854157

Clockwisefrom

main Espelhobeach with,ontheleft, Sylvinha’s restaurant andtheriverthat dinersmust wade throughto reach it;barandsurfers in Trancoso;the poolat Uxuahotel; playing footballnear Trancoso’s church

toCaraíva, asleepyvillageof some300people,where mules andcartsare theonly meansof transport andwheretherewas no electricitybefore2008.To reachit youareferriedacrossthe estuaryoftheCaraívariverina brightlypaintedpunt-likeboat.

Tenminuteslaterand yourfeet areinsandagain:thereare no roads here,onlysandylanes.Andthough thereareperhaps adozensimple, inexpensive places to stay, you canfind yourselfaloneonawild beach withinminutesif youhead southalong astretchofsandthat runsunbrokenfor8km,backed by theimmenserainforest-cloaked Monte PascoalNationalPark.

Backinthe village,it’s worth pausingatBotecodoPará,close to thequayand celebrated forits pastelsdearraia,little crescent-shapedparcelsofdeepfriedpastryfilled witharraia (akindofskate)and tomato.

Withtheir terracottaroofsand colourfulfacades,thesingle-storey fishermen’sdwellings at Caraíva recallthe 50orsothatsurroundthe Quadrado,thegrassycar-freemain squareinTrancoso,the loveliest resortinBahia.Indeed,untila decadeortwoago,whenitbegan to morphintothe bohocelebrity hangoutitis now, itprobably felt alotlike Caraívaremains.

Unless youcrave realseclusion, however,Trancosoistheobvious placetobase yourself, notleast becauseithasanexceptional hotel inUxua, acollectionof11 houses, fourofthemhistoricstructureson theQuadrado,therest newlybuilt fromtimberinthecultivatedjungle ofitsgrounds.Here,capuchin monkeyscavortonyourroofinthe early morning,andlittlemarmosets forageforfruitinthe trees by the iridescent, aventurine-quartz-lined pool.Inshort,Uxuaoffersthebest ofboth worlds:thesensethatyou aresequestered away amidsubtly restrainedjungle yetalso within fiveminutes’walkof alively village andahandfulof terrificrestaurants. Mytips wouldbeCapimSanto andAkiSushi,though youcould do alot worsethaneatin:Uxua’s moqueca –grouperandgiantshrimp in coconutmilkandpalmoil, topped withspiced toastedmanioc flour –inparticularisoutstanding.

Betteryet, asuccessionofgreat beachesareaccessible without needfor acar.(Thereare horsesif youwant to explorethefurthest ofthem.)Trancosoitselfstands on acliff,andnotfarfromthe edgeisahandsome18th-century Jesuitchurch.Besideit, acobbled pathdescends to astretchof mangrove,throughwhicha rickety woodenbridgeleads to thesea.

Forsofas,bossa novaandUxua’s beachclub,turnleft towardsthe stretchofsandknownasBarrado RioTrancoso.Forsolitude,turn rightand,pastthecoconutpalms andbeachbarsofPraiadosNativos, astringof covesrevealsitself: firstCoqueiros withitstidalpools andcoralsand; nextRioVerde(a backdropofluxuriant vegetation givesititsname);thenon to even moresecludedItapororoca, Patimirimand–onceyousee thestandofcashewtreesand perhaps afewsurfers –Itaquena.

Youmay be withinwalking distance ofcivilisationofthemost sophisticatedkind,butthisremains apristinelandscapeandstill very much acoast to discover. 6

PUTTING ON THE BIARRITZ

From top the Hôtel du Palais; the cliff-top Villa Belza overlooking the town; Biarritz’s beach

C L A S S I C B E A C H E S

EversinceNapoleon III builta villafor hiswife here,thismajesticcity hasbeena glamorous getaway forroyalty, film starsand,latterly, shaggy-hairedsurfers. ByRebeccaRose

When Victor Hugo visited Biarritz in 1843, it was still a fishing village. But with its craggy cliffs, splendid arc of sand and effervescent surf, he quickly noted its potential for gentrification. “I do not know a place more charming and magnificent,” he wrote. “I only have one fear: that it will become fashionable.” A little more than 10 years later, the empress Eugénie fell for the spot too; her husband Napoleon III promptly built her an enormous Belle Epoque villa in the shape of an E, overlooking the sweeping grande plage below.And that was that. Biarritz was on the map.

The villa became the luxurious Hôtel du Palais in 1883, graced by royalty from around the globe and, later, the likes of Coco Chanel, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Today, it still dominates the mishmash architecture of the seafront, and receives a regular clientele of well-heeled French, Spanish, Americans and Brits, who return year after year. The decor is remarkably unchanged – the hotel’s chandeliered dining room, all heavy curtains and ironed tablecloths, is a glamorous relic from an era when continental travel was reserved for the lucky few.

The rest of Biarritz has long moved on, however. It became the surf capital of France in the 1960s (legend has it that Peter Viertel, Deborah Kerr’s husband, was the first to ride its waves in 1957) and, for many decades now, visiting European gentry have happily rubbed along with the perennial influx of flipflopping, shaggy-haired surfers.

That lively duality still drives the place today. On the sunny terrace of l’Hôtel du Palais, I watch a Russian family with two identical and immaculately dressed young boys stroll across the lawn to the curvaceous heated pool. On the beach below, surf-school students, boards in the air, head out to the waves like a line of ants carrying leaves. It’s a grey day but the sea is a pearlescent green, the surf frothing invitingly over the fine sand.

Behind it, the parade of shops and cafés along the promenade is a blur of surf labels – Quiksilver, Rip Curl, Reef – that clearly caters to the neoprene set. A couple of streets back, a window cleaner is busy polishing the already sparkling vitrines of Longchamp and Hermès, while the sales assistant looks out patiently. Further away from the seafront, things liven up a bit. A constant stream of customers files in and out of Pare Gabia, purveyor of classic Basque espadrilles since 1935, its shop front ablaze with canvas and jute.After a lengthy consultation, I purchase a pair in canary yellow – toe-crunchingly small, but I am assured that they will give within half an hour of wear.

Just up the road, I stumble upon a hive of local activity around Biarritz’s fragrant covered daily market, Les Halles. White asparagus and strawberries are in season, alongside regional staples such as Bayonne ham and gâteau basque. In the next street isArostéguy, a delicatessen that has been in business for five generations. Inside, dark wood panelling reminiscent of an old apothecary showcases beautifully packaged jars of piment d’Espelette, tins of Spanish Ortiz tuna and frosted bottles of Provençal rosé.

Food is, of course, taken seriously across all of France but the Côte Basque is a particularly gastronomic corner, its cuisine infused with heat from across the border with Spain.At the top of the sloping rue Gambetta, you could be

D E TA I L S

Rebecca Rose was a guest of SJ Villas (sjvillas.co.uk). One week at Ocean View costs from €8,000 for up to 12 people. For more on Biarritz see tourisme.biarritz.fr

in the trendy 9th arrondissement of Paris if it weren’t for the warm salty air and pristine pavements. A young crowd is filling up the terraces of three new eateries: Saline, a ceviche restaurant; an artisanal burger joint; and La Cabane à Huitres. Saline and La Cabane have made it into Le Fooding, France’s online bible for hipster dining – no small feat.The chef at La Cabane is from San Sebastián, the elegant Spanish seaside town half an hour from Biarritz that glitters with Michelin stars – a heritage reflected here in the delicious small plates of chipirones (cuttlefish) and gambas a la plancha (grilled shrimp) and the laid-back Iberian vibe.This kind of eating is a far cry from the brasserie fare of the traditional French seaside resort – silvertiered platters of fruits de mer, îles flottantes – and even further from the starched pyramidal napkins and creamy sauces of the Hôtel du Palais.And all the better for it.

After this fruitful reconnaissance mission in Biarritz, I’m quite happy to spend the next few days wearing in my espadrilles around our villa in Bidart, a cliff-top enclave just ▶

Right Ocean View, a six-bedroomed villa in Bidart, built in the local Basque style Below the panoramic view that gives the villa its name

◀ to the south of the city. Ocean View is a fabulous six-bedroom house in the local Basque architectural style.With its dramatic chalet-style sloping roof, whitewashed walls and deep-red timber, it has a definite Pyrenean feel unsurprising given the foothills can be seen from the east-facing windows.To the west is the staggering view the villa is named for, which looks over rolling surf and the curved headland down to Spain.

Like an increasing number of the traditional Basque houses in the area, it has recently been restored and reinvented as a glamorous holiday home.This one is the beachside bolthole of the Goring family, hoteliers by royal appointment and owners of the Goring Hotel in London. (Guests at the coronation of GeorgeVI and the Queen stayed there, the late Queen Mother ate at the restaurant, and it’s where Kate Middleton spent the night before her wedding to PrinceWilliam.)

The villa’s interior is a fitting mix of stalwart British quality –John Lewis crockery, Burlington taps – and local Basque linen and wicker furniture. Its airy extension, with its giant island kitchen and glass-walled TV snug, was finished a couple of years ago, and only recently the family started to rent out the property with luxury travel company SJ Villas.

Bidart and neighbouring village Guéthary are home to some of the most exclusive villas in the Basque region – enormous detached houses owned by wealthy French, English and Russian families that sometimes remain shuttered for most of the year. OceanView is part of a growing trend among owners to open up their houses for rental during the shoulder seasons, when the weather is balmy and, particularly in September and October, the sea reliably warm.The Gorings are professed surf-lovers, and both Bidart and Guéthary boast some of the top surf spots in the region. Guéthary even has its own wave, the Parliamentia, a right-handed reef break that draws surfers from all over the globe.

I was too timid to venture into the waves – especially after having seen a rescue helicopter hovering – and preferred to bask by the villa’s small heated swimming pool, set at a pleasant 26C yearround.Watching the surfers in action, however, is strangely mesmerising, I discover. From the villa’s top balcony – an ideal spot for an early-evening aperitif – you have an almost aerial view.And long after the sun has set and the waves are tinged with gold, they are still out there, bobbing around, waiting for that perfect swell.

Back in London, Jeremy Goring, the fourth generation of his family to run the hotel, tells me he first went to the Côte Basque on a school rugby tour. He ate oysters straight from a fishing boat at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, fell for the region and is now a keen surfer, going as often as he can get away. That is becoming easier – British Airways launched direct flights to Biarritz from Heathrow last month, and there are now non-stop services from Geneva, Madrid, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Southampton and many more cities. “It’s more connected than ever,” Goring tells me. “The area is very definitely on the move… Everybody hopes it won’t go too far.”The spirit ofVictor Hugo lives on. 6

BIDART AND GUETHARY ARE HOME TO SOME OF THE MOST EXCLUSIVE VILLAS IN THE BASQUE REGION

C L A S S I C C O A S T A L G R A N D E S D A M E S

Grand Hotel Heiligendamm Heiligendamm, Germany

Founded in 1793 by Duke Friedrich Franz of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, whose doctor prescribed sea bathing, this is the oldest purposebuilt seaside resort in Europe, a cluster of majestic neoclassical and gothic buildings. Even in summer the Baltic here rarely warms above 20C, but there’s a heated indoor pool and first-rate spa, and the beach has Strandkörbe – wicker seats with awnings – to keep off sun and wind. From €220 per night; grandhotelheiligendamm.de

Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea Taormina, Sicily

Given the scarcity of great beaches in Italy, its grand hotels tend not to be noted for the sand out front. Belmond’s Villa Sant’Andrea in Taormina is a rare exception, a handsome mansion built in 1830 directly above its own stretch of sand on the Bay of Mazzarò, where it has sunbeds, a beach bar and six private cabanas (from €495 a day), each with its own sofa, table, tented veranda, loungers, minibar and WiFi. Guests at venerable sister property the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo can also use its beach. From €1,101 per night; belmond.com

Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc Antibes

Little raises the spirits like a first glimpse of the “flushed facade” of, in F Scott Fitzgerald’s description, this “summer resort of notable and fashionable people”, the most splendid, most cosseting seaside hotel in France. The beach – nothing more than some rocks with ladders down to the sea – is not the point. Instead, the beau monde gather by the huge saltwater infinity pool, dynamited out of the headland in 1914 when the hotel was used as a Red Cross hospital and the manager noted that the nurses liked to swim. From €1,100 per night; hotel-du-capeden-roc.com Claire Wrathall

Right Martello Tower on Aldeburgh beach, Suffolk Below Blackpool Mill Cottage, Devon

◀ out to create a calm, minimalist space in harmony with the surroundings. Soak up the view from the outdoor bathtub (and perhaps spot puffins or whales), go for long walks on the white beaches or, if you’re feeling energetic, climb nearby Ben Hope, Scotland’s most northerly Munro. Sleeps two, from £1,500 per week; croft103.com

Pagham Beach House Pagham, West Sussex

Modern architecture fans will be seduced by the sleek good looks of this single-storey pavilion on Pagham Beach.The glass walls fold back to allow unobstructed views of the shingle and sea beyond, and a series of small courtyards further blurs the boundaries between inside and out.The RSPB Pagham Harbour nature reserve is just a 10-minute walk away and the South Downs National Park a short drive. Sleeps six, from £1,975 per week; paghambeachhouse.co.uk

The Cabin near St Ives, Cornwall

This lofty seaside retreat for two combines the best of both worlds – a secluded position yet within easy reach of the popularCornish harbour town of St Ives.Accessible only by foot, it clings to the cliffs above the gorgeous sands of Porthkidney. Inside, all is shipshape, with porthole windows, nautical knick-knacks and a snug mezzanine sleeping area with sea views. Sleeps two; from £879 per week; boutique-retreats.co.uk

Blackpool Mill Cottage Hartland, Devon

If this clifftop cottage looks familiar, it’s because it appeared in the recent TV serialisation of John Le Carré’s The Night Manager. It dates back to the 15th century, and its rustic charm and dramatic setting have made it popular with location scouts and holidaymakers alike. Take a walk along the South West Coast Path, which passes in front of the cottage, a cream tea at Hartland Abbey (the cottage is part of the abbey estate) or a boat trip to Lundy Island from nearby Clovelly. The path down to the nearest beach is steep but the reward is that you will most likely have it to yourself. Sleeps eight, from £1,175 per week; hartlandabbey.com

Martello Tower Aldeburgh, Suffolk

Built in the early 19th century to protect English shores from Napoleon, this imposing fortress is enjoying a new lease of life as one of the UK’s most unusual holiday homes, thanks to the efforts of the LandmarkTrust, which saved it from dereliction. Cross the wooden bridge into the sturdy circular tower to find lofty, vaulted ceilings, teak floors, antique furniture and your very own rooftop battery – the perfect spot to settle down with some of Aldeburgh’s famous fish and chips and admire the views across the Orford Ness peninsula and out to sea. Sleeps four, from £1,673 per week; landmarktrust.org.uk

The Cable Hut Abermawr, Pembrokeshire

Built to house the first telephone lines being laid across the Atlantic, this charming little cabin has been rescued from ruin by its owners and converted into a romantic bolthole for two. Small it may be but it packs a big design punch, with crisp red-and-white colour scheme, quirky industrial objects and luxuries such as a king-size cast-iron bed, slipper bath with sea views and underfloor heating to keep things cosy year-round. The beaches of Abermawr and Aberbach are a pebble’s throw away, as is the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Sleeps two, from £1,250 per week; uniquehomestays.com 6

When packing your suitcase this summer, take inspiration from Andre de Dienes’ 1949 shoot of the then relatively unknown Marilyn Monroe parading on Santa Monica beach in a ruched, halterneck white swimsuit. Flirty, 1950s shapes are in, and this season’s swimwear is both flattering and feminine. From LA-based brand Marysia (1) come one-shoulder swimsuits and bikini crop tops with sweet scalloped edges and high-waisted briefs. Lisa Marie Fernandez’s on-theme one-pieces have a nautical rope-belt fastening, while Norma Kamali’s bandage-wrap costumes come with cutesy cut-out waists, and Heidi Klein’s are strapless with a sweetheart neckline, recalling Monroe’s in an array of vivid shades. This summer’s key styles are brightly coloured and mono-shaded – great for offsetting a tan. A wide-brim hat with a floppy peak will ward off the sun’s rays: brands such as Filù (which crafts its styles in the Italian Alps using centuries-old methods) and Sensi Studio (whose ribbontied Panama hats are inspired by traditional 4 Ecuadorian techniques) have a great selection. Handmade beach bags from British brand Rae Feather (2) are big enough to fill with all the essentials. The dolce-vita trend follows through to cover-ups: crisp, cotton dresses and separates in feminine, 1950s shapes are this season’s must-pack staple, as they work for both beach and bar. Look for off-the-shoulder tops or pretty, tiered slips with ribbons and bows.

Lisa Marie Fernandez’s

(3) flouncy dresses are cute yet classic – seersucker stripes with a flamenco frill, or the button-up gingham outfit that’s her interpretation of the traditional school dress. Men have an easier task. Simple, tailored swim shorts from brands such as Orlebar Brown (4), Onia and Saturdays NYC are fail-safe. The ideal length is around the mid-thigh, and in shades of navy, chambray or olive they are smart enough for the bar. For something more casual, French brand Officine Générale offers a grey swim short that looks great with a white T-shirt. And if you insist on a beach accessory, try Frescobol Carioca’s (5) beach bats in polished Brazilian wood. Grace Cook

W H AT T O W E A R O N T H E B E A C H T H I S S U M M E R

5 1

3 2

JAN MORRIS A TALE OF TWO BEACHES

WhereWaikiki is full of rock ’n’ roll dazzle, Cricieth inWales has rather more modest charms. But, says the renowned travel writer, there are reasons to love them both

Iam by no means a beach person, preferring mountains, meadows and even city streets to sand and sun lotion.Two beaches in particular, though, are permanently lodged in my memory and my affections, so disparate yet so connected that I venture to call this little contribution a Tale ofTwo Beaches.

One is a modest enough example, ratherVictorian in style. It is a small pebble beach at Cricieth in north Wales, which I prefer to spell in the ET TY Welsh rather way (with one c in the than two) because it is middle an AL AMY ; G altogether coming of Welsh sort of place.The the railway, in the 1860s, turned it from a fishing village into a resort popular with English visitors, but it is handsomely overlooked at its western end by the castle thatWelsh rulers built, nearly eight centuries ago, on a commanding rocky height. At the other end of the beach, to maintain balance, there is a smart café in the 1930s moderne style, and between the two, above the pebbly shoreline, a promenade is popular with saunterers, lovers young and old, and dog-walkers.

It is not a thrilling beach, nor a smart beach, but it is a family sort of beach, and I love it for two reasons: first, because through all the centuries it has been so loyal to its roots; and second, because just up the road from the promenade is my own house, so I can be home in a few minutes for my morning mail, Welsh fruit cake and instant coffee.

But, oh, how different is the second of my two beaches! On the other side of the world, across two western oceans, is that celebrated icon of popular Americanism, the Hawaiian suburb ofWaikiki. Bang next door is its much statelier mother-city of Honolulu, with its ancient traditions and cultural richness, but it isWaikiki that the world chiefly knows, for its whole-hog, full-blast Americanism, all rock ’n’ roll and dazzle, grand hotels and tourist trash.Well, on the shore ofWaikiki, within sight of the skyscrapers, is the second beach of my affections. Gray’s Beach is a small sandy pleasure-strand looking out across the limitless Pacific. It is named for the boarding

The all-American glamour and Pacific warmth of Waikiki (above) and the pebbly shoreline of Cricieth, with its hilltop castle house that, many years ago, stood beside it, but it is owned now by a successor that can claim to be one of the most luxurious hotels in the whole world, the Halekulani.

Here’s why I have cherished Gray’s little beach down the years. I have loved going there for a bathe in the evening twilight, swim-time in the comforting Pacific – warm water, gentle tides, hints of phosphorescence in the gathering dusk: and when I have luxuriated there enough, and have dried the salt off me, I like to walk back off the sand into the grounds of the hotel behind.There beneath the assembled stars, to the gentle music perhaps of a Hawaiian combo somewhere, I lie on a chaise longue sipping that old essence of Polynesia, a Mai Tai (rum, lime juice, curaçao liqueur), served by some infinitely courteous waiter from the Halekulani hotel.

And the chances are that I dream there, while the music plays on, of the pebble beach at Cricieth (one c),Welsh fruit cake, instant coffee and home. 6

D E TA I L S

For information on where to stay in Cricieth, visit the town’s website, criccieth.co.uk; visitwales.com has more general information. The Halekulani Hotel (halekulani.com) has double rooms from around $575 per night; see also gohawaii.com

France #002

◀ Submission, Houellebecq’s most recent novel, imaginesFrance electinganIslamistpresident.The day the book appeared, January 7 2015, terrorists shotupthe officesofthe CharlieHebdonewspaper in Paris. Houellebecq says, “Enormous numbers of Europeans are now afraid of Islam – and they aren’t wrongtobe afraid.Enormous numbersofArabs are also afraid of Islam, because they were used to a liveable Islam.” He speaks without obvious anger, or indeed any energy at all.

We pour ourselves more wine.

If he despairs of France, as Submission suggests, why stay here? “Because I’m too old to move. It’s too tiring. I ask myself why I returned to France [in 2012, after living in Ireland], and the first idea that came to me was that it was to write Submission. When I left France [in 1999], nobody was talking about Islam. When I returned, people were talking only about that. So, obviously, it struck me.

“Now that the book’s written, I could leave again. This is a bizarre country. Liberty of expression is very restricted. And yet there are always things that emerge.”

What kind of things? “Let’s say Eric Zemmour.” Zemmour is a best-selling far-right polemicist who laments immigration and French decline. Does Houellebecq admire him? “That’s not really my sentiment, butlet’ssay he hassucceededinexisting despite frenetic opposition to him.”

By this point Houellebecq is mumbling almost inaudibly. Yetheseemsquitehappy to keepanswering questions. He gives the impression of having nosenseofa schedule,ora busyworldoutside.Now that he is here, in this empty room, with his bottle of wine, talking about his work, he seems to have abandoned all thought of ever leaving.

More than perhaps any other serious European novelist, Houellebecq reaches a broad public. Submission sold 345,000 copies in France alone in its first 12 days after publication. “Public acclaim”, he says, “has real pertinence. Typically,the public’s judgement of a novel is an emotional judgement ofaffectionorhatredforthe characters:‘Idon’tlike Esther,’ ‘Chloé disgusts me,’ that sort of thing. It’s a way of reacting to novels that I find very just.”

But public acclaim also disgusts him. He recites some lyricsfromthe AmericansingerIggyPop (with whom he has a mutual admiration society):

You can convince the world

That you’re some kind of superstar

When an asshole is what you are.

“I’m a little bit a star, and I perfectly recognise myselfinthosewords,” he says.“Ifind that a perfect text. Inside oneself, one knows one is overrated. Still, rather me than someone else.The other writers who take themselves for superstars are actually less good than me. So why not me? Even so, it’s a bit ridiculous.”

I start saying, “Are there no writers today who you…” and Houellebecq interrupts : “No, I am the best.” He then hastens to limit his claim: “I am not the best in general: in the past there were others better than me. But, currently, I am the best.”

I fumble for a retort. Finally, I come up with, “How about Philip Roth?”

“Look, we won’t speak badly of Philip Roth in the interview, thereis no purposeinthat, but Ifind that he repeats himself. It’s often the same book, in my view.”

If Houellebecq is the best, how can public and critics overrate him?

“They overrate me because they lack culture. There are always exceptions but in France most people who exercise the function of literary critic have readCéline, a bit of Proust,Camus, Sartre, but they barely know the 19th century. Next to Balzac I am little, tout petit. What I envy in him is this ubiquity that allows him to get into the skin of a labourer, a concierge, a banker. For me that’s the greatest thing.”

Leader Price

Houellebecq is a connoisseur of supermarkets – a “modern paradise”, he has called them. In the exhibition catalogue he says that “hard discount” (an English marketing phrase that delights him) “comes from an advanced stage of civilisation, because it doesn’t exist among people who just have small businesses and then nature”.

This photograph depicts what he believes will be a surviving monument of our civilisation. Millennia from now, he says, this Leader Price supermarket in France’s rural Auvergne region still won’t have returned to nature.

He says part of the impact of the photo comes from the English words, “Leader Price”. “The English language goes well with the brutal message. It’s an advantage in rock music, the brutality of the language.” Perhaps, he reflects, French – as a more abstract language – tends to be “more euphemistic”.

AsI probeforparallelsbetweenHouellebecq and Balzac, Houellebecq says: “He mostly appeared as an essential witness of his era towards the end, and especially after his death. I have become famous earlier in my life than Balzac did.” But Houellebecq grants that he, too, is a significant witness of his era: “I am recognised for that, and rightly so.”

Occasionally as he talks, his eyes slowly slide shut. I worry he will soon be asleep.

What will he write about next? “I’d like to devote myselfa bittothe ultra-rich.I feeltheyhave become a central subject.” However: “The fact is that I don’t know the rich. I don’t know how they live.And as a little disciple of the immense Balzac, I’d like to know this world that is closed to me. I’d have to go and see people.And now people distrust me. When they meetme, they know they risk serving as the model for a character. But I’d like to meet the rich. Maybe this article will help.”

I ask whether writers peak and then decline like athletes. Houellebecq replies, “I’m still at a good age. In general, one does best at 60. I believe I can still do one great book. Not two.”

Rumours of his death that flourished in 2011 (after he forgot to show up for a book tour through the Low Countries) were premature. One day, though, the collapse will be complete.Together we examine a photograph of a skull framed by CocaCola cans, above a plaque that reads, “Michel HOUELLEBECQ 1958-2037.”

Houellebecq explains: “It’s a present I received by post, a real little mausoleum. An author I don’t know sent it to me, as a sort of homage. I took it as an act of love. I really liked this sculpture, and as I wasthe onlyone to like it,I putitinthe exhibition. I don’t know who the author is, I’ve lost his details. I hopehewillmake himself knownonthe occasion of the exhibition.” 6 “Rester vivant”, Palais deTokyo, Paris 75016, June 23-September 11