Mr Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC

We are hugely grateful to Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, who kicks off our first Travel focus with a brief overview on the Maldives and answers some of the questions we should be aware of before travelling to this marvellous and much-loved destination. (Don’t miss our Maldives focus p34).

What are the biggest misconceptions travellers have before visiting The Maldives?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that the Maldives is purely a luxury honeymoon destination. Indeed, the Maldives is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious and luxurious honeymoon destinations in the world. However, the Maldives is a destination that offers so much more than that. Travellers arriving in the Maldives have an option to stay at a resort, guesthouse, liveaboard or hotel. Resorts offer an unparalleled level of luxury while guesthouses allow travellers to immerse themselves in an authentic Maldivian experience. Travellers who dream about voyaging across the ocean can stay aboard a liveaboard whilst those interested in the heart and bustle of Maldivian society can stay at a hotel. There is so much more to the Maldives, one must come and see for themselves.

What should travellers prepare for when travelling to The Maldives?

The Maldives reopened borders for international travellers on 15th July 2020. All tourists arriving in the Maldives are granted a free 30-day visa with a confirmed booking for a stay at any registered tourist facility and there is no mandatory quarantine on arrival.

Tourists are required to fill an online health declaration form within 24 hours prior to their departure, as well as have a negative PCR test result, conducted 96 hours prior to their departure. The procedure applies to all travellers including those who have completed the prescribed dose(s) of the COVID-19 vaccine. The guideline does not apply to children below 1 years of age. For a complete and up-to-date requirement for entry, visit https://imuga.immigration. gov.mv/ethd or check with your travel agent.

When’s the best time to travel to The Maldives?

The Maldives weather has two distinct seasons, we call them Iruvai Monsoon (dry season) and Hulhangu Monsoon (wet season). The best time to visit the Maldives is from November to April (dry season). However, it is important to keep in mind that the Maldives is sunny and warm year-round, and we only experience little precipitation even during the wet season.

For those wanting to get to know the islands what excursions do you recommend?

There are a variety of ways travellers can experience the local islands in the Maldives. Resort islands regularly offer island hopping to nearby islands where travellers can experience an authentic Maldivian lifestyle for a holiday. However, keep in mind that this might not be offered during the pandemic due to the travel guidelines and restrictions.

Undoubtedly, the best way to experience the local islands is by staying at a guesthouse or a liveaboard. Staying at a guesthouse immerses you in the heart of Maldivian lifestyle and you can truly connect deeply with the Maldivian people.

On the other hand, a liveaboard allows you to voyage across the Maldivian ocean, visiting biodiversity hotspots and exploring the uniqueness of each and every individual island.

top Gdansk bottom Cluj

British Airways adds new short-haul destinations to network

For those looking to venture nearer to home, British Airways has announced four new short-haul routes to Wroclaw and Gdansk in Poland, Riga in Latvia and Cluj-Napoca in Romania.

These will operate from the beginning of July and run throughout the summer. All flights will be served from Heathrow, with Wroclaw operating twice a week, and Gdansk, Riga and Cluj-Napoca operating three times a week. Flights operate on days that work perfectly for those visiting friends and relatives for a long weekend as well as those in search of an exciting city break

Return fares start from £83 to Wroclaw, £85 to Gdansk, £94 to Riga, and £95 to Cluj, and customers can book via the British Airways website. Customers benefit from British Airways’ flexible booking policy, offering customers no change fees or a voucher exchange for bookings made for travel before the end of April 2022, giving customers a large variety of options should their plans change.

ba.com Manchester International Festival Announces Programme for 2021

images by Louis Reynolds

The Manchester International Festival (MIF) returns from 1-18 July with a vibrant programme of original new work from across the spectrum of visual and performing arts and music by artists from over 20 countries.

These include Angélique Kidjo, Akram Khan, Arlo Parks, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Boris Charmatz, Cerys Matthews, Christine Sun Kim, Cillian Murphy, Deborah Warner, Forensic Architecture, Ibrahim Mahama, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Laure Prouvost, Marta Minujín, Lemn Sissay and Patti Smith.

Events will take place safely in indoor and outdoor locations across Greater Manchester, including the first ever work on the construction site of The Factory, the landmark cultural space that will be MIF’s future home.

Tickets will be on sale from Thursday 20 May and can be purchased from the Manchester International Festival website.

mif.co.uk

Visitor in front of Georg Baselitz at Michael Werner Gallery during Mayfair Art Weekend 2020. Image © Dan Weill

Mayfair Art Weekend celebrates the worldfamous gallery district 25-27 June

The Mayfair Art Weekend is an annual celebration of the world’s internationally renowned gallery district and will take place this summer from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June.

The extended programme launches with the second Mayfair Sculpture Trail, a Mayfair Art Weekend collaboration with Art in Mayfair, 2-27 June. The celebrated Gallery HOP! will take place on Friday 25 June with galleries staying open until 8pm, followed by a full weekend of free talks, tours, performances and family activities.

mayfairartweekend.com Rick Stein Is Back at The Goring This Summer for a Week of Spectacular Seafood

The Goring has announced their second partnership with one of the UK’s best-loved chefs, Rick Stein, for a one-week pop up culinary extravaganza from 14-20 June. Renowned across the country for his exquisite seafood cookery, Rick and his team will unleash iconic Rick Stein dishes bursting with lobster, crab and the freshest fish imaginable for guests over a series of lunch and dinners in the sunny veranda overlooking The Goring’s majestic, secluded garden.

As well as an utterly luxurious overnight stay (with a guaranteed upgrade), guests will choose a three-course lunch or dinner of exquisite fish and seafood, created by the supremely talented Stein family. A Rick Stein book will be included as a memento for guests to take home.

The Goring’s Rick Stein Overnight Stay is priced from £690 per night and includes full English breakfast, a guaranteed upgrade, lunch or dinner for two in the Rick Stein pop-up on The Veranda, and Rick Stein’s book.

reservations@thegoring.com | thegoring.com

(left) drink Aloe Be Thy Name from the Mosaico bar (right) lobby area

Hotel Indigo Miami Brickell Opens

Brutalist architecture fans will love this new offering from boutique lifestyle brand Hotel Indigo. Set in the bustling Brickell district and nestled south of the Miami River, the Hotel Indigo Miami Brickell tells the stories of the neighbourhood. Architect and fashion designer Angel Sanchez of Sanchez + Coleman Studio uses dramatic, contemporary designs, Venezuelan heritage and is renowned throughout Latin America. The hotel has 140 guest rooms that showcase local artwork and circular rugs inspired by the ancient Miami Circle archaeological site unearthed close to the hotel.

Guests will check-in surrounded by stunning custom tilework, evoking the mosaic of influences and cultures that thrive and collaborate in Brickell. Lobby photography depicts trailblazers Mary Brickell and Julia Tuttle (famed for helping to bring the railroad to Miami in the 1890s, resulting in the incorporation and eventual development and growth of the city) overlaid with a modern photograph of Brickell, gesturing to the old and new fused so effortlessly in this community. On the sixth floor, guests can bathe in Miami’s 248 days of sunshine at the outdoor pool with a sun terrace. Next to the pool, guests working out in the 24-hour indoor fitness centre, equipped with the latest fitness cardio equipment, weight machines and free-weights, will appreciate floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the poolside views across downtown to the ocean beyond.

Mosaico Kitchen and Bar hosts a unique restaurant offering in Miami, with pan-Latin Miami flavours influenced by the many Latinx communities across the city. Breakfast, dinner, great coffee and local craft beers are served in both the casual indoor space and outdoor terrace garden. Executive Chef Manuel Sulbaran hails from Merida, Venezuela and brings with him more than twenty years of international and local experience. Passionate about local farms and ranches and their teams and always looking for ways to incorporate seasonal and local ingredients into menus, his approach aligns perfectly with the brand’s ideals. Drinks can be enjoyed in the restaurant or lounge and include seasonal cocktails and spirits that nod to Miami past and present.

Patina Maldives, Fari Islands

Set to open in May 2021, Patina Maldives, Fari Islands will be the inaugural flagship resort from Patina Hotels & Resorts, a sophisticated new lifestyle brand by Capella Hotel Group. Patina Maldives is situated in the heart of the Fari Islands archipelago, located in the North Male Atoll – an elevated new Maldivian destination that celebrates nature, craft and connection. The resort will offer guests the freedom to explore the Fari Islands, choose from privacy and seclusion, or embrace a vibrant social scene on the Fari Marina Village and Beach Club. Patina Maldives is a radical new example of biophilic design from renowned Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan, founder of international award-winning Studio MK27, inspired by the beauty and metaphorical significance of the island landscape.

(left) Patina Maldives, Fari Islands, Fari Beach Club aerial view

Image credit : @Pascal Pronnier

Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes will reopen on 12 May

After an absence of over six months the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes is now ready to reopen.

With measures in place to ensure the health and safety of guests and staff the five-star Hotel on the Croisette is working to ensure that every stay with us is both carefree and teeming with unique experiences that will provide guests with myriad and long-lasting smiles and memories.

With new General Manager, Charles Richez at the helm, a sense of renewal will be at the fore upon its opening.

Le Majestic has mobilised all of its creative forces, including designer Chantal Peyrat. A regular contributor to 10, La Croisette (she has already created a range of different decors for the hotel over the past few years, such as the Cinémathèque Diane and the Michelle Morgan suite), Chantal has designed three brand-new Signature Suites. Inspired by the themes of travel and the Mediterranean, these three large apartments, each with a floor space of 280m², have been named Escale, Horizon and Balancine respectively. And each is the perfect complement to the Hotel’s VIP facilities - seven extraordinary suites, including the Majestic and Christian Dior penthouses and the Riviera suite, each unique in their own right, which continue to meet the aspirations of a clientele in search of space, luxury and a true sense of pleasure.

The hotels restaurants have adapted to provide hotel guests with practical gourmet solutions while they await the reopening of our outdoor terraces on 19 May. For example, both the Bar de la Piscine and Mademoiselle Gray, the Hôtel Le Gray d’Albion’s beach venue, will be offering guests several gourmet take-away options. The room service menu will also be expanded to include a few recipes from Le Fouquet’s Cannes which guests can enjoy on their room terrace with views of the Mediterranean. And for those who prefer not to eat in their room, Le Majestic has also created special dining rooms (guestrooms and suites overlooking the sea) specifically designed to seat up to six guests for meals (150 euros per service).

As soon as it is allowed, Le Majestic’s fine dining restaurants will take over, where guests can rediscover the unparalleled flavours of its culinary experts. Everything is ready to go! Even if Paradiso Nicole et Pierre will be the last to open its doors, in June, curfew rules permitting, Nicole Rubi, the queen of Southern cuisine, and Pierre Gagnaire, have already revisited the menu of their very own gastronomic Eden. Their fine-dining venture, which is as intimate as it is refined, will shine the light on Italy and its overwhelmingly array of mouthwatering products: San Daniele ham, bresaola, pecorino, colatura (an anchovy sauce from southern Italy), Cremone mustard, mascarpone etc. However, this gastronomic journey to the other side of the Alps will also take a short detour via the Côte d’Azur thanks to the Niçois-inspired touch of Nicole Rubi, including, among other delicacies, her famous farcis niçois. Pierre Gagnaire has also refreshed the menu at Le Fouquet’s Cannes. Without betraying the restaurant’s brasserie spirit, Gagnaire, who is considered one of the world’s most renowned chefs, continues to explore new horizons from around the Mediterranean and Asia. A further exotic touch is provided by a third huge talent: namely Mauro Colagreco, another leading light in international gastronomy. Colagreco is the mentor at BFire, the restaurant at La Plage Barrière Le Majestic, where he takes guests on a journey to his native Argentina, making full use of his unique wood fire cooking method. Whether cooking over a flame grill or hot embers, his meat, fish and their garnishes are infused with flavours that are quite simply out of this world - an experience that can be savoured at lunchtime and, for the first time this year, for dinner from July onwards.

groupebarriere.com

We are hugely grateful to Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, who kicks off our first Travel focus with a brief overview on the Maldives and answers some of the questions we should be aware of before travelling to this marvellous and much-loved destination. (Don’t miss our Maldives focus p34).

Manchester International Festival Announces Programme for 2021