The Cultured Traveller, April-May 2017 Issue 16

ISSUE 16 APR-MAY 2017

HAMBURG VILLINGILI ISLAND • THE SAVOY SUITE DEVONSHIRE CLUB • AMARONE • YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Live the holidays you’ve always dreamed of , under the shadow of Holy Mount Athos, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument in Greece… …welcome to Avaton Luxury Villas Resort!

Halkidiki, Greece

www.avaton.com

HIGHLIGHTS APR-MAY 2017

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HANDSOME HAMBURG

Following the long awaited early 2017 opening of the Elbphilharmonie (pictured left) - HAMBURG’s spectacular new Herzog & de Meuron-designed concert hall - unprecedented but well deserved international attention is being lavished on Germany's handsome second city. Spending a week in the prosperous metropolitan centre left Alex Benasuli smitten with its understated yet obvious charms.

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HELLENIC CULINARY CLASSIC

Costas Spiliadis opened his first ESTIATORIO MILOS restaurant in Montreal almost forty years ago. To him the reason seemed obvious - a basic need to elevate the sophistication of Greek cuisine abroad. Since then Milos outposts have opened in NYC, Athens, Las Vegas and Miami. The most recent Estiatorio Milos to open is in London, occupying the Grade II-listed building that was previously British Columbia House.

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BOUTIQUE BEIRUT

At the epicentre of the vibrant “Paris of the Middle East” is award-winning hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray’s über-stylish 87-room hotel, LE GRAY. Standing proud on the corner of Martyrs’ Square, on the edge of Beirut’s restored upmarket downtown area, this boutique hospitality gem is one of the Lebanese capital's best addresses to rest your head.

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PRIZED PERFUME

Renowned for working with the world’s finest quality ingredients without compromise or regard to cost, British master perfumer ROJA DOVE’s experience, passion and creativity can be found within every one of his scents. One of The Cultured Traveller’s lucky readers will win a private hour-long fragrance consultation at the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie at Harrods in London, worth GBP 2,500.

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ELBPHILHARMONIE

04 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

SKY BRIEF

Don’t miss The Cultured Traveller's round up of air travel news, including the transformation of modernist architect Eero Saarinen's masterpiece 1960s TWA terminal at New York's JFK into a new 500-room hotel, Dubai-based carrier Emirates' nifty free laptop handling service for US-bound flights, and Jet Airways joining forces with Uber so its passengers can pre-book a car and avoid the airport arrival scrum in 29 Indian cities.

SAVO R EXQ UISIT E M ED I TERRA N EA N CUISIN E Bask in the uninterrupted views of the Acropolis and the city of Athens, while enjoying an inspired selection of Mediterranean flavors, especially created by the Chef de cuisine, Asterios Koustoudis, at the GB Roof Garden Restaurant.

ΜΗ.Τ.Ε.: 0206K015A0021500

operating hours: Lunch 13:00 - 18:00 | Dinner 18:00 - 01:15 (last order) For reservations, please call 210 3330 766 or visit: gbROOFGARDEN.gr

hotel grande bretagne a luxury collection hotel, athens Syntagma Square 105 64 Athens, Greece

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CONTENTS

86 08 EDITOR’S LETTER 16

12 NEWSFLASH The Cultured Traveller’s rounds-up the seasonal happenings, must see events and unmissable festivals taking place around the globe in April and May 2017, including South Africa’s CAPE TOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL, California’s answer to Glastonbury COACHELLA, Mexican holiday CINCO DE MAYO, the 37th Virgin Money LONDON MARATHON, and Turkey’s multi-disciplinary cultural three-day CAPPADOX fest held in the dramatic landscape of Monks Valley.

16 REST YOUR HEAD 76 10

Hotels featured in this issue include THE RESTORATION boutique hotel in the heart of historic Charleston, British tour operator Thomas Cook’s new Grecian sanctuary CASA COOK on the Dodecanese island of Rhodes, unique TOSCANA RESORT CASTELFALFI Italian retreat based around an 800-year old estate 60km from Florence, and VIVANTA BY TAJ - BEKAL nestled in a sleepy nook of Northern Kerala at the edge of the Arabian Sea.

76 SUITE ENVY 82

Few hotels in the world are as historic at The Savoy and every cultured

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06 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

traveller on the planet has almost certainly heard of the iconic London landmark. Incorporating one of the rooms where Monet himself once stayed, THE SAVOY SUITE encompasses all of the hotel’s great artistic traditions, striking a skillful balance between luxury modern conveniences, classic finishing and utter comfort.

82 BOARDING PASS Airbus' A380 two-storey flying phenomenon was an aeronautical marvel when it first took to the sky in October 2007. But ten years on the future of the A380 is in doubt and shrouded in uncertainty, not least due to the unsteady economic climate in the Middle East that has greatly affected Emirates of Dubai, Etihad of Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways of Doha and Turkish Airlines of Istanbul. TCT investigates.

86 NO SHOES REQUIRED When travelling to the Maldives for a desert island getaway, flying to the nation’s capital, Malé, is more often than not just half the journey.

Nicholas Chrisostomou discovers that the introduction of SriLankan Airlines’ new route to Gan Island opens up the tropical destination to long weekenders, and spends a luxe short

104

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114 break at Shangri-La’s divine paradise VILLINGILI ISLAND resort.

94 SPOTLIGHT London's private members’ clubs have been around since the late 17th century, but in recent years a new guard has ushered in a fresh über-stylish breed of privileged meeting places. Brainchild of members’ clubs guru, Brian Clivaz, DEVONSHIRE CLUB was one of the most talked-about London hospitality openings of 2016 and continues to make social waves in the capital’s beating financial heart.

104 TRAVELLER LOWDOWN Atop a volcanic hot spot YELLOWSTONE is an unmissable geological wonder. The UNESCO World Heritage Site contains over half the world's known geothermal features, its largest concentration of geysers, unspoilt alpine scenery, deep river canyons and a multitude of wildlife including more than 60 different mammal species. Sam Henderson gives us her lowdown on the world’s first national park.

114 TASTE & SIP REVIEW Rotterdam is not a European city that te with one would immediately associate

fine dining, but this is rapidly changing, along with a number of other rusty stereotypes that dog Netherlands’ historic and charismatic seaport metropolis. Dawn Gibson reviews contemporary French restaurant, AMARONE, which won its Michelin star a mere 15 months after opening in 2006.

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122 MUSIC & NIGHT LIFE Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in 1963 to an English dancer and a Greek Cypriot restaurateur, GEORGE MICHAEL is a name known around the world.

The singer led a fascinating - though at times turbulent - life that came to an abrupt end on Christmas Day 2016.

The Cultured Traveller charts how the North London boy went from busking on the London Underground to becoming a global superstar.

130 STYLISH GLOBETROTTER We're ready to embrace the year’s biggest fashion trends and need colour to brighten soulless airplane cabins.

This summer deconstructed shirts, 80s party wear and slogan t-shirts will be your new wardrobe essentials. Don’t miss The Cultured Traveller’s Spring-Summer 2017 fashion round-up, including plenty of jungle prints for her and tropical prints for him to keep the worl world’s golden sands busy!

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Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 07

EDITOR’S LETTER The summer holiday season is on the horizon, everyone’s dreaming about where to spend their prized vacation time, and then Donald Trump's administration (swiftly followed by the U.K.) introduces a ban on electronics larger than a smartphone in aircraft cabins taking off from 10 airports mostly in the Middle East. The move introduced on 25th March is the biggest clampdown on airline security since the 2006 liquids ban (which is still in force more than a decade later), and is likely to cause further tension between the U.S.A. and its allies, compounding the problems caused

by Trump’s Muslim-focused travel ban. Initially one couldn’t help wondering whether the new TSA-led security measures were a rebuttal for the huge subsidies from which many Gulf carriers flying to the States benefit significantly. This was almost certainly the view of most travel commentators initially. Laptop restrictions greatly threaten the appeal to lucrative business travellers of hub routes flown by the likes of Qatar Airways and Emirates. I fly via the Gulf every month and the laptop ban is almost certainly on my mind, since I use my quiet time in the sky to catch-up on work without being interrupted by phones ringing. But perhaps there is a silver lining, and I’m not just talking about our skies being a little safer.

Back in the Golden Age of flying, namely the glory years of Pan Am and TWA in the 1950s and 1960s, before the rise of the jumbo jet and air travel became cheap, we managed to get by without the in-flight entertainments we all today take for granted, let alone laptops. Newspapers, books, playing cards and even interacting with the kids helped pass the time, not to mention swilling cocktails and socialising with fellow passengers. Concorde never had in-flight entertainment throughout its life and the world’s most affluent passengers managed to get by. So maybe the absence of laptops and tablets from a fair proportion of the thousands of flights which take-off every day around the globe will add a little more human ELBPHILHARMONIE communication and joviality into the largely soul-less cabins that cross our skies.

MALDIVES

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

You will see that Hamburg’s spectacular new EUR 800 million concert hall features prominently on the cover of our spring 2017 issue. Elbphilharmonie’s extraordinary design concept is perhaps the most ambitious, risky and decadent that the performing arts in Europe have ever seen, and Alex Benasuli was lucky enough to have a personal tour.

Read about Elphi and the handsome city of Hamburg in Alex’s City Focus cover story (p42). I managed to squeeze in a blissful long weekend on Villingili Island in the Maldives, via SriLankan’s new route to Gan Island that has slashed the journey time to the Indian Ocean paradise destination (p86). Sam Henderson visits Yellowstone and gives us her lowdown on how to tackle the 9,000 km2 national park in five days (p104). Now that the pop legend has finally been laid to rest, we chart the incredible career of George Michael in a Music & Night Life special feature (p122). You can enter a prize draw to win a private consultation at master perfumer Roja Dove’s decadent Harrods fragrance boudoir and leave with your own signature scent (p10). Finally don’t miss our Spring-Summer 2017 Stylish Globetrotter fashion round-up if you fancy adding a dash of colour to your vacation wardrobe (p130). Once again The Cultured Traveller brings together travel, culture, music and fashion in one concise read.

Nicholas Chrisostomou Editor-in-Chief

FACEBOOK FACEBOOK.COM/THECULTUREDTRAVELLER • SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIBE @ THECULTUREDTRAVELLER.COM • WEB PORTAL WWW.THECULTUREDTRAVELLER.COM ISSUU ISSUU.COM/THECULTUREDTRAVELLER/DOCS • ADVERTISING ADS @THECULTUREDTRAVELLER.COM • EDITORIAL WORDS @THECULTUREDTRAVELLER.COM 08 The Cultured Traveller Feb-Mar 2017

CONTRIBUTORS Alex Benasuli City Focus

Alex has been traveling the world his whole life. Growing up in New York City, he would accompany his family every summer on visits to relatives in Spain, France and Germany. A successful two-decade career in finance often took him to Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Russia, India, Indonesia and all over the Far East.

Today, as an avid yoga practitioner and part-time teacher, Alex has a keen appreciation for combining luxury highbrow urban travels with off the beaten track alternative destinations and experiences.

Dawn Gibson

Taste & Sip Review Dawn Gibson is a multi-tasking journalist who is passionate about travel, fashion, food, culture and the arts. Never happier than when about to board a plane en route to a far-flung part of the globe, she is also a keen scuba diver always in search of the perfect coral reef. Dawn has worked as a senior news reporter for a leading city daily newspaper in Australia and as editor for a glossy lifestyle magazine in the Middle East.

Her work has appeared in numerous international print and online publications, including Qatar Airways’ first class magazine Oryx Premium.

Ashlee Starratt Rest Your Head

Ashlee Starratt is a Canadian editor and journalist based out of Doha, Qatar. With a passion for story-telling, if it’s lifestyle, wellness, travel or food, she’s probably written about it. With a background in print media and television across Canada and the Middle East, Ashlee has worked as Editorial Director for Qatar Happening and ABODE magazines, as a reporter, videographer and host for www.haligonia.ca, and as a producer for Pink Dog Productions out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She can be found on her travels, collecting stamps in her passport, in search of stories that need to be told.

Sam Henderson Traveller Lowdown

Travelling is a passion, hobby and way of life for born globetrotter Sam Henderson. She has lived in and travelled throughout Germany, Ukraine and Japan, can speak their mother tongues, and is a pro at setting-up home in foreign climes. In 2006 she ventured round the world to Canada, the States, Western Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa with her husband and two children. Right now Sam is again on the road, this time for a year with her three kids (aged 9, 11 and 13) driving across the USA from coast to coast, then on to various Asia Pacific destinations.

Dilraz Kunnummal Rest Your Head

Journalist, public speaker, dancer, explorer and mum to a cheeky one year-old, Dilraz has a decade of experience working in the media industry across India and the Middle East. Her portfolio includes being the editor for a women’s magazine, heading a business publication’s editorial team, running a corporate newspaper and producing radio shows for a channel with 45 stations across India.

A lifelong expat, Dilraz enjoys learning more about different cultures and so can be usually spotted at museums and exhibitions - when she is not eating out or spending time with her family.

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 09

WIN A PRIVATE HOUR-LONG FRAGRAN THE ROJA DOVE HAUTE PARFUMERIE A Roja Dove Semi-Bespoke Perfumes are created using the world’s finest natural raw materials regardless of their cost or scarcity. The lucky winner of this prize will have a personal and private hour-long fragrance consultation with Benjamin Paul Mabbett, Maître de Consultation, at the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie at Harrods in London, to discover his or her perfect signature fragrance. During the consultation you will discover the fragrant keys that unlock your perfume personality through Roja’s unique Odour Profiling© technique. You will then be presented with 100ml of a special Roja Dove semi-bespoke perfume creation, especially for you, to take home.

British master perfumer Roja Dove’s experience, passion and creative flair can be found within every one of his scents. Renowned for working with the world’s finest quality ingredients, without compromise or regard to cost, Roja’s fragrances are sold around the world in only the very best stores.

Situated in the Salon De Parfums on the sixth floor of Harrods in Knightsbridge – undoubtedly the world’s most famous department store – is the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie, a unique destination where fragrances which have been handpicked by Roja himself dazzle in sumptuous surroundings, presided over by fragrance experts who have an unsurpassed passion and knowledge of scent. These beguiling fragrances are some of the finest the world has to offer, and consequently the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie at Harrods in London is both a lavish shrine to creativity and uncompromising opulence, and a true sensory haven.

WWW.ROJADOVE.COM • WWW.ROJADOVEHAUTEPARFUMERIE.COM

To enter this prize draw, email your contact details (name, city email and mobile number) to WIN@THECULTUREDTRAVELLER.COM All prize draw entrants will be added as subscribers to The Cultured Traveller's mailing list. The draw will take place after 31st May 2017 and the lucky winner will be notified via email. This prize can be used until 30th November 2017, is not transferable and is subject to the availability of an appointment at the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie on the sixth floor of Harrods in London.

The Cultured Traveller will not share your contact details with third parties.

10 The Cultured Traveller Feb-Mar 2017

RO

PRIZE DRAW

NCE CONSULTATION AT AT HARRODS, LONDON

OJA DOVE

PRIZE WORT GBP 2, H 500

ROJA DOVE HAUTE PARFUMERIE

SNOWBOMBING AUSTRIA

Frequently referred to as the Glastonbury of mountain gatherings, the world’s biggest festival in the snow takes place over a fun-packed week in the Tyrolean resort of Mayrhofen in Austria, towards the end of the traditional annual ski season.

Days are spent skiing, boarding, enjoying music in mountain top locales, feasting on vast food spreads or relaxing in luxury hotel saunas and spas. Nights deliver cutting-edge performances in unique alpine venues, from pool parties and sky-high igloos to enchanted forest clearings and mountain stage sets. This year’s line-up includes American 80s hip hop trio De La Soul, groundbreaking

CAPE TOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL

SOUTH AFRICA th

Now in it’s 18 year, the Mother City’s annual award-winning celebration of jazz will once again take over the Cape Town International Convention Centre for two full days, featuring every type of live performer from legends to festival newcomers, musical storytellers and up-tempo high-energy acts for younger attendees. More than forty

local and international artists will perform on five stages, including world famous female RnB group En Vogue (pictured), which has sold more than 20 million records, plus Durban-born multiple SAMA, KORA and Metro music-award winning guitarist Ernie Smith.

31 March–1 April 2017 www.capetownjazzfest.com 12 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

NAGHOL LAND DIVING VANUATU This ancient ritual sees brave men and boys of the Sa tribe (near Tansip on Pentecost Island in a remote part of the South Pacific) hurtle towards the ground head first from a 90ft wooden tower with nothing but vines tied around their ankles. Tribal members on terra firma sing and dance to help the divers be brave. The vines act as bungee cords and each diver is invited to build their own platform and select their own vine so no one else can be blamed for a fatal accident. If the vine is too short the jumper will crash back into the tower.

If it’s too long he will almost certainly break bones or possibly even perish.

Click here to watch National

Geographic’s YouTube video about Vanuatu’s famous land divers.

April–May 2017 www.everfest.com

DANCE OPEN RUSSIA One of the most important events in the international ballet calendar, lovers of the dance genre from all over the world are attracted to St. Petersburg by a series of pristine shows, master classes and the much coveted Dance Open Awards. The awards celebrate the greatest personal achievements of ballet soloists, including their technique and artistry, regardless of

styles, genres and performance trends.

Shows are performed in the historic Alexandrinsky Theatre, considered the birthplace of the Russian ballet 260 years ago, with The Snow Queen opening this year’s festival, performed by the renowned 100-year old Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theatre of Yekaterinburg. The closing night two-hour Dance Open Star Gala on 24th April, comprising various styles including classical and modern, promises to be a night ballet aficionados may never forget.

13-24 April 2017 www.danceopen.com

SONGKRAN

THAILAND

DJ Grandmaster Flash, The Courteeners, Groove Armada and Roni Size, plus popular British electronic music production duo Chase & Status.

3-8 April 2017 www.snowbombing.com

COACHELLA USA California’s glossy, glam, dry and heated answer to the wet and mud of Glastonbury, held at the Empire Polo Club in the Colorado Desert over two consecutive weekends, Coachella is the first major international music event in the annual festival calendar. Essentially a massive well-organised cultural playground hosting up to 100,000 people at any one time, Coachella is attended by sweaty fashionistas, designer-hippies and musical trendsetters. Known for its show-stopping all-star line-up and breathtaking large-scale art installations, the 2017 line-up for this

Also known as Thai New Year or Thailand Water Festival, Songkran was originally a way for Thai people to sprinkle water on their family members and elders to bring good fortune, as well as pay their respects to images of the beloved Buddha. Today the festival has transitioned into three days of fun-filled water-fights and non-stop revelry, soaking locals and visitors alike with buckets of water, hoses and super soakers as they gather in the teeming streets. Previously held on dates that were dependent upon the Thai lunar calendar, Songkran is now commemorated on the same three days veritable global gathering is no exception, headlined by none other than pop megastar Lady Gaga plus Radiohead and Lorde. Meanwhile big name DJs spinning include Steve Angello, Sasha plus at least fifty others.

14-23 April 2017 www.coachella.com

every year, however the celebration typically begins before and ends several days after the official holiday.

13-15 April 2017 www.songkranday.com

LONDON MARATHON UK When 6,747 people were accepted to run the inaugural London marathon on 29th March 1981, and 6,255 crossed the finish line on Constitution Hill, a sporting phenomenon was born. The 37th Virgin Money London Marathon (to give the race it’s full title) is now televised in 150 countries, and more than 130,000 runners applied for the 10,000 places on this year’s event.

Five-time Great British Olympian Jo Pavey will be part of the race’s elite women’s field, whilst Kenenisa Bekele tops the list of world-class contenders confirmed for the elite men’s field.

Even if you’re not running it’s worth

SANTA CLARITA COWBOY FESTIVAL USA

The Californian city of Santa Clarita, about 30 minutes north of Los Angeles, is home to one of the world’s biggest annual cowboy gatherings. Founded in 1994, the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival celebrates California’s Western heritage and the city’s love of the Western film genre. This action-packed happening routinely attracts more than

10,000 attendees for its live music, authentic western activities, trick ropers, gun spinners, magicians and more, as well as living history exhibits, fine Western gear, and Dutch oven peach cobbler so good it’s earned a reputation of its own. This year’s festival features four different stages of cowboy, folk and bluegrass music courtesy of a host of performers, including Grammy nominated songster, historian, author, songwriter andaccomplished guitarist, Don Edwards. Plus singer-songwriter, Kristyn Harris, who in 2014 became the youngest person in history to win the Western Music Association Female Performer of the Year.

19-23 April 2017 www.cowboyfestival.org

making the effort to get into the British capital to soak up the atmosphere on London’s streets. Live music, food and entertainment line the 26 miles and 385 yards, as well as thousands of spectators cheering on the runners, many of whom, running for charity, are dressed in zany costumes.

23 April 2017 www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 13

THRISSUR POORAM ELEPHANT FESTIVAL INDIA

Known as the cultural capital of the Indian state of Kerala, its name literally translating to “the city of the Sacred Siva”, Thrissur is rich in history, brimming in cultural heritage and wealthy in archaeological treasures. If you have a weakness for colourful Indian festivals that both delight and assault the senses at the same time, then this is the one for you, complete with fireworks, folk dancing, revelry and plenty of drumming. The elephants are of course the main attraction; decorated with gleaming golden headdresses, ornamental bells, palm leaves, peacock feathers and beautiful intricate paintings. Ornate parasols carried by the elephant riders on tall bamboo poles - add to the stunning overall visual feast of it all.

5 May 2017 www.thrissurpooramfestival.com

CINCO DE MAYO MEXICO In the States Cinco de Mayo has become an excuse to eat Mexican food and drink margaritas. But in Mexico it’s celebrated a little bit differently. The holiday actually commemorates a military victory, when, despite being

vastly outnumbered by the French, the Mexican army was triumphant on 5th May 1862. Instead of being celebrated across Mexico, the only place that really celebrates the holiday is Puebla, where the battle actually took place. From historical reenactments and parades to mouthwatering meals, you’ll see a vibrant and colourful celebration featuring arts spectacles, costumed paraders, Mexican dancers, mariachi bands, parties and dancing in the streets. Meanwhile festivalgoers eat, drink and cheerfully carouse.

5 May 2017 www.everfest.com 14 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

RHEIN IN FLAMES GERMANY A dramatic, annual series of elaborate firework displays in five locations along the picturesque River Rhine in Germany, Rhein In Flammen kicks-off with the Bonn extravaganza on the first Saturday of May. Taking place at the Rheinauen Park, thousands of red fluorescent Bengal fires light the way downstream, for a fleet of more than 60 decorated and illuminated ships along a 26km stretch - the longest stretch of any Rhine in Flames spectacle. There are plenty of places to watch the fireworks along the promenade in Bonn, while many board ships to see the displays from the water and feel more immersed in the incredible pageant. Meanwhile, on the

river’s banks, wine festivals attract thousands of visitors and keep them merry late into the night, long after most of the fires have gone out!

6 May 2017 www.rhein-in-flammen.com

BRIGHTON FESTIVAL UK Previous guest directors of London-By-The-Sea’s critically acclaimed mixed arts festival have included Vanessa Redgrave (2012) and Anish Kapoor (2009).

Guest director for the 2017 incarnation of the UK’s biggest and boldest arts

festival is acclaimed recording artist, playwright and novelist Kate Tempest (pictured), described by the Guardian as ‘one of the brightest British talents around’. Most importantly, Tempest intends to ‘invite people into spaces they don’t know’ and make Brighton Festival 2017 ‘a safe space for people to experiment’. A veritable creative cornucopia of world-class art and entertainment events across the city, including debates, musical concerts and theatrical performances - many of the festival’s events are specially commissioned and will have their first public airings during these three weeks in May 2017.

6-28 May 2017 www.brightonfestival.org

GIRONA FLOWER FESTIVAL SPAIN The historic Spanish city of Girona - located in the country’s northeastern Catalonia region, beside the River Onyar - is best known for its medieval

CAPPADOX

BEIRUT BOAT

A progressive multi-disciplinary cultural festival that brings together a host of international and local contemporary art, music, nature and outdoor experiences, Cappadox is held in Cappadocia, a region in central Turkey full of marvelous natural sites, not least Monks Valley’s tall cone-shaped rock formations known as the “fairy chimneys”. This dramatic landscape sets the scene for a three-day festival like no other, nestled amongst the ancient rocks. Cappadox is a celebration of eclectic music, food, arts and culture, inspired by the unique geography and history of the area, including a range of performances which make the most of the festival’s incredible location and intense beauty.

18-21 May 2017 www.cappadox.com

To mark it’s 10th anniversary, Beirut Boat 2017 is staging a one-of-a-kind show over the course of five days, blending supreme luxury with exhilarating escapades. Not only will this year’s

TURKEY

architecture, walled Old Quarter and the Roman remains of the Força Vella fortress. But for ten days every year Girona's buildings, courtyards, monuments, patios and gardens are adorned with more than sixty spectacular individual floral displays, arrangements and art installations, staged alongside a programme of traditional Spanish events and culinary happenings. The wonderful ensembles of striking colours and penetrating aromas that accompany the cultural heritage of this beautiful Catalan city make this stunning part of Europe a must visit Spring destination.

13-21 May 2017 www.gironatempsdeflors.cat

LEBANON

show be an opportunity to see some of the world’s most extravagant super yachts and talk all things nautical with luxury yachting companies, brokerage houses and ultimate pleasure craft designers, but it will also give visitors an opportunity to be immersed in couture fashion, exquisite jewellery and rare supercars, extending the event’s luxurious allure. As one would expect of the jet set party capital of the Arab world - affectionately known as the Paris of the Middle East – the Beirut boat show will be complemented by a range of live music events, exclusive parties and fashion shows.

20-24 May 2017 www.beirutboat.com

HAY FESTIVAL WALES

Celebrating it’s 30th anniversary this year, for ten days annually from the end of May until early June, when the playful British weather is most likely to be bright and sunny, thousands of literary buffs descend upon Hay-on-Wye in Wales‘ beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park, sit down on the grass or in a deckchair, and read books. Hay celebrates great writing from poets and scientists, lyricists and comedians, novelists and environmentalists, the power of great ideas to transform peoples’ way of thinking, and gives everyone from children to professors the opportunity to enjoy the energy of the written word. One of this year’s headline events is Tracey Emin in conversation with Dylan Jones (pictured), talking about art, on Sunday 28th May. 25 May–4 June 2017 www.hayfestival.com/wales Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 15

Rest Your Head Beirut, Tuscany, Charleston, Bekal, Tokoriki Island, Franschhoek Rhodes, Thimphu, Manama, Lanai, Tintagel, Beijing

LE GRAY, BEIRUT, LEBANON

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 17

BEIRUT, LEBANON LE GRAY “The Paris of the Middle East” is quite honestly one of my favourite places in the world to spend downtime. Any excuse to drop anchor in Beirut for a few nights and I’m there. Little more than two decades after civil war blew the Lebanese capital to rubble, the city centre boasts immaculately rebuilt streets lined with Gucci and Prada stores. Bold new architecture is emerging everywhere. The city’s unique juxtaposition between vibrant metropolis, 24/7 nightlife, ancient history, restaurant hotspot, shopping oasis, seaside joie de vivre and warm party-friendly people unite to make Beirut one of the world’s greatest capitals.

At the epicentre of this happening mélange is award-winning hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray’s über-stylish boutique hotel, Le Gray. Standing proud on the corner of Martyrs’ Square, on the edge of Beirut’s restored upmarket downtown area, Le Gray is undoubtedly one of the city’s best addresses. Within walking distance are galleries, boutiques, eateries, bars and clubs, not to mention Zaitunay Bay, where gorgeous young Beirutis stroll along the teak boardwalks, while couples sip on cocktails looking out across shiny super-yachts in a scene that could just as easily be lifted straight from Monaco or Cannes.

Like the opening of a new W Hotel attracts hip aspirational travellers to destinations they may never have visited previously, so Le Gray is a veritable magnet for the region’s most stylish and discerning travellers, for whom the room rate is less important than the service they receive and the sense of understated exclusivity which is afforded to each and every one of the hotel’s patrons.

Whether staying in one of Le Gray’s 87 rooms and suites, lunching in fashionable street level Gordon’s Café, dining in Indigo on the Roof (which boasts 180-degree views across the cityscape), puffing on a Cohiba in the 6th floor cigar lounge, sipping a hand-crafted cocktail at Cherry, or taking a dip in the hotel’s transparent rooftop glass-walled infinity pool, every guest at Le Gray is made to feel special in some way. Yet whilst Le Gray is quite possibly the most chic hotel in the city, it is also the most understated in Beirut, possibly the entire Gulf. This is not a hotel screaming for attention, lacquered in gilt and begging to be noticed like so many are in the Middle East. You won’t see a gold-plated tap anywhere in Le Gray. What you will see is art at almost every turn, because Scottish-born Campbell Gray has utilised the wide corridors and bright spaces that surround the hotel’s dramatic seven-storey curved central atrium, to fill the gallery-like building with contemporary European and Middle Eastern works. A bank of glass lifts whisk guests up and down the building at lightning speed. In fact there is light or visual stimulation pretty much everywhere, making staying at Le Gray such an intensely pleasurable experience that you may be hard-pushed to remove yourself from your super luxe lodgings.

On one particular spring Sunday afternoon, as I lay on my bed listening to Vivaldi, to a backdrop of church bells ringing and Islamic calls to prayer drifting across the multicultural city beyond the floaty white drapes of my suite dancing in the breeze, I thought for a moment that I was in urban hospitality heaven. And I most certainly did not want to leave.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.campbellgrayhotels.com

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 19

TOSCANA RESORT CASTELFALFI Glass green hills shelter ancient olive groves; sunsets paint the sky in luscious hues of pink, orange and gold; medieval castles are ringed in dynastic sagas and precarious cobblestoned paths. With its beguiling mix of centuries-old traditions and breathtaking natural beauty, Tuscany has a place in the heart of the cultured traveller like nowhere else.

Beyond the historic and artistic riches of Florence and Siena, the countryside has an unrivalled allure. It is nature at its most seductive, encouraging the traveller to slow down and enjoy the moment, to admire the woodlands, the elegant rows of cypress trees and the enormous skies, perhaps while sipping one of the rather excellent local vintages.

Nestled in the heart of this stunning landscape is Toscana Resort CastelfalďŹ , a unique retreat based around an 800-year old estate once owned by the Medici family, 60km from Florence. Overlooking a valley, the estate encompasses a medieval village and castle, with picturesque views in every direction across its 2,700 acres of woodlands, lakes, vineyards and olive groves, in what amounts to a feast for the eyes and a balm for the soul.

The development of the resort, and the subsequent restoration of the village and its castle, began a decade ago. The latest stage opened in March: a ďŹ ve-star hotel designed to blend in with the landscape, built using traditional materials and

TUSCANY, ITALY

sustainable building principles. The Il Castelfalfi - Tui Blue Selection features 120 rooms decorated in an earthy palette, including suites with private balconies and terraces to take advantage of the staggering views. Other accommodation options include the boutique Hotel La Tabaccaia - a rustic former tobacco factory with olive-wood parquet floors and wood-beamed ceilings - as well as refurbished apartments in the village and a selection of exclusive villas.

There is much to keep guests occupied. A lavish new day spa has just been unveiled, while other amenities include the largest golf course in Tuscany, a swimming ‘oasis’ and wellness centre, wine tasting (the estate produces five varieties), cooking classes, and truffle hunting in the private wildlife reserve. Restaurants range from casual chic to fine dining. Not to be missed is La Rocca in the old castle, where Michelin-starred chef, Michele Rinaldi, produces top-notch traditional regional cuisine.

Despite numerous facilities and so many possibilities, often the simplest pleasures are the best – namely strolling with no real destination, gazing at the vistas and drinking in the bliss of lazy days under the Tuscan sun.

DAWN GIBSON www.castelfalfi.com Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 21

CHARLESTON, U.S.A.

THE RESTORATION To step out in Charleston is to step back in time.

Southern hospitality in antebellum America is alive and well in the city that still throws as many debutante balls as it serves mint juleps. From the musical roots of its Gullah community – descendants of early African slaves whose geechee dances would spawn its namesake dance craze that defined a nation in the 1920s – to the genteel remnants of the colonial plantations standing sentinel over the cotton fields, apparatuses of grief for those indentured, Charleston is home to some of the most pivotal events in U.S. history. The first shot of the American Civil War was fired here in 1861, and today its streets continue to reflect the colonial heritage and roots of a time long past, yet still ever present. To experience Charleston authentically is to let the city envelope you. Forgoing standard hotel accommodation for a boutique experience is a choice well made, and can best be found at The Restoration.

Nestled along the city’s famed King Street shopping district, this 54-room boutique hotel completed its extensive renovations in March. Across its five buildings arrowed through the heart of historic Charleston, visitors can indulge in one of the property’s 16 suites – which are essentially self-contained apartments – luxuriate in its new spa, peruse the library, or sip a sunset libation at the city’s highest rooftop bar – The Watch.

With the oldest of the property’s buildings dating back to 1863, Southern comfort is what you’ll find in The Restoration’s high level of service. While there’s no in-house bar or restaurant, the hotel boasts room service delivery from four local restaurants, picnic breakfasts delivered to your suite, evening wine and cheese receptions, and more hydrating glasses of Southern sweet tea than you can handle.

For long stay guests partaking of the hotel’s one and two-bedroom suites, each comes equipped with a full kitchen, ample walk-in closet space, and warm wood and exposed brick décor. Meanwhile items such as stand-alone carved cathedral mirrors and pineapple lanterns (emblematic of the city), hearken back to Charleston’s roots.

Given The Restoration’s prime location, visitors can grab one of the trolley carriages outside on King Street for a city tour, make the walk from the Battery down to the iconic French Quarter, or explore the historic Boone Hall Plantation with its groves of mossy oaks. You’ll leave your heart in Charleston, but you’ll rest your head at The Restoration.

ASHLEE STARRATT www.therestorationhotel.com Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 23

VIVANTA BY TAJ - BEKAL, KERALA As you traverse through the bylanes of the small village town of Bekal, you get a strong sense of lasting relationships, and of generations of families - of different ethnicities and religions living in harmony. It is home to the renowned Mukhyaprana Temple of Hanuman, plus one of the oldest mosques in South India. The large and imposing Bekal Fort, constructed in 1650 AD, has witnessed numerous political upheavals and dynasty changes during the past three centuries, and is testament to the community’s unbreakable spirit.

A hospitality picture postcard in God’s own country, the Vivanta By Taj in Bekal is one of the region’s best-kept secrets.

Nested in a sleepy nook of Northern Kerala, at the edge of the Arabian Sea, lies a hotel that literally calms and awakens your senses in one place. This unique resort hotel is set in 26 delightfully sprawling acres, amidst some of Kasargod’s meandering backwaters, in a stimulating natural environment caressed by the River Kappil. Here Australian architect and designer Nick Juniper, from Grounds Kent Architects, has realised a fusion of North Keralan and Balinese architecture which gives the property a rustic old world charm dashed with contemporary touches.

Embodying Kettuvallam houseboat influences and chitra-pothi art, the resort’s 66 deluxe rooms and villas afford visitors a unique and memorable vacation experience. Those with a little more cash to splurge should book a fully loaded Premium Temptation Villa, complete with private plunge pool, large secluded courtyard and outdoor showers.

The resort’s crowning glory is its 165,000 sq. ft. Jiva Grande Spa, which features signature therapies rooted in indigenous Indian traditions. Designed to help guests arrive at a state of absolute balance and self-awareness, via gentle soothing and careful invigorating, the spa absolutely embodies the calm of its secluded surroundings with minimalist décor and re-energizing spaces.

To complement the restorative and therapeutic treatments available onsite, Vivanta By Taj in Bekal also offers an array of activities to stimulate and invigorate guests. From yoga to archery, and stargazing to river kayaking, there is a pastime for everyone at this unique property. Meanwhile for gastronomes there are multiple culinary options to choose from, including elephant-themed Ivory Bar, reputedly one of Bekal’s best lounges, presided over by the hotel’s resident mixologist, Vishnu, who will happily craft a bespoke cocktail upon request.

A marriage of modernity and nature, lush greenery and azure waters, a stay at Vivanta By Taj in Bekal will be de-stressing and invigorating, peaceful and stimulating, all at the same time.

DILRAZ KUNNUMMAL www.vivanta.tajhotels.com 24 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

BEKAL, INDIA

TOKORIKI ISLAND, FIJI

TOKORIKI ISLAND RESORT With its palm-fringed beaches and lush greenery, Fiji is the epitome of what a luxury beach holiday destination should resemble. Each of its islands is a sliver of sun-soaked paradise, where days are satisfyingly long and leisurely, punctuated by ocean swims and hammock naps.

Among more than 300 islands that make up the archipelago is Tokoriki, upon which Tokoriki Island Resort is one of only two properties on the isle. This stylish adults-only retreat was recently named 2016 TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Winner of Fiji’s top hotel.

Arriving at the resort is an adventure in itself. After landing at Fiji’s Nadi International Airport - a 10-hour flight from the west coast of the States or three and a half hours from Australia’s east coast - travellers must take a 12-minute helicopter ride or a one-hour speedboat journey to reach Tokoriki Island. However, once there, any traces of travel weariness will soon dissipate faced with the genuinely warm welcome of the Fijian people and the picture perfect surroundings.

There are just 36 freestanding ‘bures’ (a luxurious interpretation of a traditional Fijian hut) and villas dotted around tranquil tropical gardens, each fronting the pool or the beach. Opt for a roomy ‘sunset pool villa’ and the facilities include a separate living area, a private deck and a personal infinity pool, a mini version of the resort’s opulent central infinity pool.

Diving and snorkeling are highly recommended: Tokoriki has a world-class five-star dive centre and some of the most pristine waters you will ever explore, home to beautiful coral gardens, turtles, giant clams and more than 1,000 species of fish.

Guests can take a day trip to nearby Monuriki where the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away was filmed, or dine on Asian and South Pacific-themed fare under palm trees on the main deck.

Despite the effort required to get to Tokoriki, there are simply very few spots left on earth that are quite so perfect. Guests leave vowing to revisit as soon as possible, and, unsurprisingly, many return year after year.

DAWN GIBSON www.tokoriki.com 24 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 26 Dec-Jan 2016-17 2017

LEEU ESTATES The youngest son of Bhai Mohan Singh, founder of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy Laboratories, Analjit Singh inherited a small company in the 80s called Max India and built it into the multi-billion dollar Max Group, with interests in healthcare, insurance and packaging. A smart investment in India's telecom sector made Singh a pile of cash when he sold his stake, and in recent years he has been investing in South Africa, where his growing real estate and hospitality interests include a vineyard and two boutique resort hotels.

Singh’s latest hospitality offering and his Leeu Collection's flagship property in South Africa’s wine country, Leeu Estates, is a beautifully landscaped 17-room gem of a country house retreat and winery which has very much raised the local bar. A no-expense-spared refurbishment of a 19th century Cape Dutch manor house into a grand 21st century boutique hideaway, Leeu Estates is set in the heart of Franschhoek valley, perched on the slopes of the Dassenberg, amidst 168 acres of vineyards and glorious mountain vistas. A series of serene gardens created by fêted local landscape artist Franchesca Watson transform the act of wandering around the estate into something of a meditative experience, with two magnificent swimming pools flawlessly embedded into the landscape, themselves divine works of aquatic art.

Designed in accordance with traditional Hindu vastu shastra architectural principles render a general sense of wellbeing and

FRANSCHHOEK, SOUTH AFRICA

calm throughout the rooms and grounds of Leeu Estates. There are six rooms and suites in the manor house, with a further two located above the adjacent wellness spa, that is staffed entirely by ladies specially selected for their uniquely healing hands.

The hotel's remaining rooms are located in six individual and somewhat secluded cottages. Guest accommodations are dressed in a palette of grey, mushroom, chocolate and taupe, elegantly furnished with contemporary classic pieces and dressed in natural, luxurious fabrics - think linen curtains, thick sisal carpets and silky cotton sheets. Dashes of colour and interesting accents are provided by eye-catching artworks and lush green views. Oversized marble bathrooms feature Victorian-inspired fittings, large rain showers and double vanities.

Lavish breakfasts verge on fine dining occasions and evening meals prepared by executive chef Oliver Cattermole are gastronomic marvels. For an extra special culinary treat, travel three minutes away to The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (also owned by Singh) under the helm of award-winning Margot Janse, which is regularly listed as one of the world’s 50 best restaurants (www.leeucollection.com/lqf/the-tasting-room).

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.leeucollection.com/leeu-estates/ Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 29

RHODES, GREECE

CASA COOK It could be said that the Greek islands are more jewels than landmass. Scattered across the Aegean like a string of broken pearls sprinkled by Aphrodite, of the 6,000 total islands only 227 are inhabited, and many serve as sun-washed playgrounds for locals and tourists that throng to their shores, basking in the food, history and culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations.

Rhodes holds pride of place as the historic capital of the Dodecanese islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Closer to the Anatolian coast of Turkey than to the shores of peninsular Greece, Rhodes was once known as ‘The Island of the Knights’ after it was conquered in 1306 by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem. Alexander the Great once claimed the island and its walled city as part of his expanding empire, and its iconic Colossus of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Today Rhodes swells with tourists and is a hotspot for history buffs, culture vultures and the spring break Ibiza crowd seeking a hedonistic transplant of locale to indulge their vices. But those in search of respite and relaxation in the arms of ancient Greece will find it on the island’s eastern shore as Casa Cook, the first property of British tour operator Thomas Cook’s new hotel brand.

This adults-only haven, set against the rugged backdrop of Tsambika Mountain, has pegged itself as a ‘bohemian lifestyle hotel’, with traditional Greek architecture, low-lying white buildings, sapphire pools, and groves of olive trees accentuating the surroundings. The interior décor - realized by Berlin-based Lambs and Lions - is a blend of barefoot luxury, Mediterranean frills and earthy, iconoclastic elements.

Casa Cook’s 90 rooms all offer pool access, with private verandas offering exceptional seclusion and interiors that feature handpicked accessories and organic amenities by KORRES. Some swim-up rooms are also available.

Foodies can indulge in the property’s funky Kitchen Club which promises ‘bites, beats, and breezy beach style’ in a sundowners setting. Think health-first, fresh and nourishing fare.

Yogis can get their ‘Ohm’ on at the hotel’s small but well-equipped fitness facility, or opt to enjoy the fresh air on a 200-metre trek up Tsambika Mountain to the ancient monastery that sits atop its crown.

If it’s a centred retreat you’re seeking, you’ll almost certainly find your bliss amidst Casa Cook’s Grecian sanctuary.

ASHLEE STARRATT www.casacook.com 30 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

THIMPHU, BHUTAN

TAJ TASHI In a world where mystery and magic are in short supply, the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is a wondrous place.

Known as the Last Shangri La, but called Druk Yul or the Land of the Thunder Dragon by its inhabitants, this tiny country, sandwiched between the great powers of India and China, has only been open to foreign visitors since the 1970s. While its remoteness has kept it off the radar for most travellers, those intrepid enough to venture to Bhutan are rewarded with a rich experience that combines intense spirituality and some of the most astounding scenery on the planet. Framed by the snow-topped crests of the Himalayas, it is a kingdom of high altitude trails and timeless forests, magnificent monasteries and impressive fortresses; a land deeply steeped in Buddhist traditions. It is not hard to see why The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were so entranced during an official visit in April 2016.

Harmonising with this almost mythical landscape, the Taj Tashi hotel, in the capital of Thimphu, incorporates a remarkable blend of the country’s traditional Dzong architecture and modern, contemporary design. Magnificent mountain views are naturally one of the most important aspects of each of the 66 spacious rooms and suites, but it is the little touches that also captivate the senses: the hand-drawn Buddhist murals, the high ceilings and classic wooden lattice work, walls graced with mandalas, and comfy daybeds from which to gaze out at the eternal views.

There are four restaurants - each themed around a different aspect of Bhutanese culture - including Chig-Ja-Gye, where visitors can sample specialties such as ema datshi, the national dish of melted cheese and grated chili (a word of warning: chili is ubiquitous in the cuisine).

One of Taj Tashi’s unmissable experiences is relaxing around the sunken fire pit, in the splendid outdoor courtyard, while traditional dancers mesmerise onlookers. It is a magical way to spend an evening, in a truly enchanting environment.

DAWN GIBSON www.tajhotels.com

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 33

MANAMA, BAHRAIN

HOTEL SOFITEL BAHRAIN ZALLAQ THALASSA SEA & SPA A stroll through the heavens, under endless azure skies, with waters enveloping you as far as the eye can see, is how it feels to walk along the pier at Hotel Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa. Located between the village of Zallaq and some royal palaces on the central-west coast of the Gulf state of Bahrain – just a 30-minute drive from the airport – this self-contained family resort is one of the only fully-fledged leisure hotels on the island with access to a natural beach.

Arabic in style with some added French colonial touches mainly in the furniture and lighting, the hotel’s architecture is reminiscent of bygone Bahrain, skillfully and gently blending the ethos of Sofitel’s continental roots with the local styles, customs and traditions of the hotel’s Middle Eastern location. Managing to pull-off both grand and homely at the same time, each of the Sofitel’s 262 charming rooms boasts sea views and balconies or terraces with views over the resort and beach.

The resort is also home to the GCC’s only thalassotherapy spa, where the benefits of traditional massages, scrubs and wraps are combined with hydrotherapy and a variety of relaxing, medically substantiated treatments. The spa is extensive, and features two hydrotherapy pools plus two floors of treatment rooms with state-of-the art thalassotherapy machines. Add to this a hair salon, large gym, watersports including jet skis, tennis and squash courts and you have the makings of a complete destination leisure resort.

Nine restaurants, bars and lounges amply cater to guests’ culinary and beverage needs, with alcohol freely available. La Mer is the hotel’s smartest venue, renowned for its fresh seafood, whilst The Wok serves delectable Asian fusion cuisine. And the hotel’s main restaurant, Saraya, serves a rather good Friday brunch.

Thanks to the professionalism of its staff, the quality of the cuisine, the variety of restaurants and facilities on offer, and the affordability of spa treatments, Hotel Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa is well worth a visit for those seeking a value-for-money self-contained Arabian retreat.

DILRAZ KUNNUMMAL www.sofitel.com

24 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 34 Dec-Jan 2016-17 2017

LANAI, HAWAII

36 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

FOUR SEASONS RESORT LANAI Just nine miles off of the coast of Maui, for the most part Lanai is 141 square miles of rocky coasts and barren scrub. To many, Hawaii’s smallest inhabited island seems otherworldly, a throwback to how the Central Pacific archipelago looked and felt ages ago.

Locally known as Pineapple Island, because it once was home to a plantation that produced 75% of the world's supply, there are only 30 miles of roads and not a single traffic light on sparsely populated Lanai.

According to local Hawaiian legend, the island was once ruled by the god of nightmares for thousands of years. This was obviously not a deterrent for Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who in 2012 bought a 98% stake in Lanai (for a reported USD 300 million) and took over pretty much everything, including small local businesses restaurants, shops, galleries and markets - two golf courses, the community swimming pool, the water company and even a cemetery. For the past five years Ellison has also owned the two five-star Four Seasons resort hotels on the island, where those seeking peace, tranquility and an escape from the hectic pace of everyday 21st century life seek solace in the serenity offered by Lanai.

After being closed for eight months and having 75 million dollars of renovations lavished upon it courtesy of Ellison, the former Four Seasons Lanai at Manele Bay was reborn a year ago as Four Seasons Resort Lanai, with more than a quarter of the hotel's 217 rooms upgraded to suites. Every floor and walkway was resurfaced in rich timbers, slate or stone, and all the gardens were replanted with lush botanicals and tropical Hawaiian plants beside streams and ponds.

An 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course, Peter Burwash international tennis facility, multiple swimming pools and an adults-only retreat were also added.

In the guest rooms the interior makeover included the installation of teak and zebra wood walling, hand-woven wool rugs adding a splash of sand and white across mahogany floors, and 75-inch platinum bezel wall-mounted screens. The hotel has also radically transformed the overall island experience by curating every aspect of visitors’ trips instead of relying on third-party operators, thus ensuring guests enjoy an incredibly high level of service throughout their stay, even when they stray from the resort into Lanai’s red dirt and desert-like interior.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.fourseasons.com/lanai

CAMELOT CASTLE HOTEL With a history that stretches back to the time of the Romans and romantic links to the legend of King Arthur, Tintagel on the Cornish coast is a place wreathed in legend and myth. Perched on tumbling cliffs on a dramatic headland with magnificent sea views, the ruins of the old castle have inspired writers and artists across the centuries. Tintagel was first linked to the story of Arthur back in the 12th century, when Geoffrey of Monmouth named it as the place of the great king’s conception. Victorian poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson, added to the myth when he used Tintagel as a setting for the Arthurian sagas in his poem, Idylls of the King. To the modern visitor the castle has lost none of its magic. While its buildings are barely intact, the location alone is enough to cast a powerful spell on the most jaded of travellers. Stroll along the paths among the scattered walls to drink in the beauty of one of England’s most stunning coastlines, explore what was once a Great Hall built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, or investigate the remains of a Dark Ages trading settlement. Venture beyond the ruins to discover wonderfully isolated coastal walks that will take you along the tops of ragged cliffs, overlooking hidden coves and perfect pockets of sandy beach.

While there are a number of accommodation options in Tintagel, the most distinctive is Camelot Castle Hotel, a stately Victorian pile which grandly overlooks the sea and the ancient castle ruins. Opened in 1899, Camelot was a firm favourite with well-heeled wanderers in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and has been used as the backdrop for several movies, including Knights of the Round Table featuring Ava Gardner, and Dracula starring Sir Laurence Olivier. These days, Camelot is owned by John Mappin of the Mappin & Webb jewellery dynasty, and is still used as a family home as well as a hotel. For the most memorable stay experience, insist on one of the four-poster bedded rooms with views over the Atlantic and the fabled ruins.

DAWN GIBSON www.camelotcastle.com

TINTAGEL, U.K.

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 39

BEIJING, CHINA

PENINSULA BEIJING First opened almost three decades ago on Wangfuijing, in the upmarket central business and shopping district of the Chinese mega capital, just a short stroll from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Peninsula Beijing is now a draw for much more than its location after an extensive year-long top-to-bottom renovation reputed to have cost more than USD 150 million.

The extensive remodelling has reduced the hotel's inventory by more than half from 525 to 230 rooms and suites, resulting in Peninsula Beijing offering the largest entry level luxury accommodation in the city. The smallest 65m2 Superior Rooms are basically suites, since they include the ability to separate the bedroom from the living area via sliding doors. The smart yet soothing new look interior décor scheme nods to both China’s storied past and its tech-forward present. Think pearl white and greys, subtle geometric prints, China-blue soft furnishings and calligraphic art, ample dressing rooms and capacious marble bathrooms. All guest rooms boast 007-style technology, with tablets, phones, displays and lighting controls instantly converting to the language of choice. Infrared technology awakens the main control tablet when approached, returning it to where it was left off. There is even a speakerphone system by the bathtub so conference calls can still be conducted while a guest is relishing a good soak.

Downstairs, gone is the austere claret, gold and black colour scheme and dated escalators, replaced with a traditional Chinese style entry gate, a beautiful contemporary backlit white marble staircase leading up to the second level, shimmering ivory walls and creamy marble floors. Low ceilings have been elevated and artistic eye-candy comes in the form of an exhibition-worthy collection of sculpture, paintings and photography bespoke curated for the hotel by the director of Beijing's Museum of Contemporary Art. Traditional hotel-style check-in, guest relations and concierge counters have gone, replaced with delightful and engaging turbo tablet-trained staff who provide concierge, check-in and check-out services hyper-efficiently and super warmly, basically handling whatever is needed all at once.

Another welcome addition is a new policy allowing guests to arrive at any time of the day or night and stay for 24-hour blocks at no extra cost. Add to all this a new high-tech gym, luxury shopping arcade, a world-class spa with the emphasis on traditional Chinese wellness philosophies, a large new indoor swimming pool, and a multitude of high-end onsite culinary options (including completely modernised international restaurant, Jing) and it's not hard to see why Peninsula Paris is now one of the Chinese capital's best hospitality addresses.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.peninsula.com

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 41

HAMBURG ALEX BENASULI IS SMITTEN WITH GERMANY’S HANDSOME AND PROSPEROUS SECOND CITY

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 43

ELBPHILHARMONIE

T T

o say that Hamburg is having a moment would not do justice to its impressive past as one of Europe’s most ju successful cities for more than a millennium. su Hamburg is very much having a moment. Following Howe However, the long awaited early 2017 opening of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg’s truly spectacular new Herzog & de Meuron-designed concert hall - unprecedented but well deserved international attention is being lavished on this handsome and prosperous city. The Elbphilharmonie is one of the most important global architectural unveilings of recent years, and is helping to spawn record visitor numbers to this urban powerhouse of industry, culture and history. Hamburg is Germany’s second largest city and the third largest in the German-speaking world after Berlin and Vienna. There are

more billionaires and millionaires living in Hamburg than in any other German metropolis. As the richest metropolitan centre, in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, Hamburg understandably oozes a sense of confidence and success. At the same time it is down to earth, discreet and practical.

There is a profound sense of civic pride and identity here, but no boastfulness or haughtiness. Six days in Hamburg left me deeply impressed with its understated yet obvious charms; its attractive cityscape incorporating period and contemporary buildings and monuments; its low rise architecture pierced by soaring church spires; the industriousness of its inner city port; the juxtaposition of colourful gentrified working class neighbourhoods with posh elegant residential districts; and the connection to nature from the harbour views to the lakes,

As the richest metropolitan centre, in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, Hamburg understandably oozes a sense of confidence and success. At the same time it is down to earth, discreet and practical BINNENALSTER

canals, parks and trees that crisscross the city. The combination of a charming city centre, world-class shopping, global relevance and easy access to the outdoors make Hamburg an enviously desirable place to live and visit. More than anything, however, the impression is of a city that seamlessly integrates heritage, commerce and livability.

Hamburg is thriving and it shows.

Way before the Elbphilharmonie, German reunification in 1989, WWII and the original unification of Germany under Bismarck in 1871, Hamburg existed for centuries as an independent city state, mostly unburdened by the meddlesome interference of kings, emperors and popes. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg - as the city is officially

known - was part of a Northern European group of market towns known as the Hanseatic League. The League was based on free trade and dominated the commercial activity of the North and Baltic Seas. Its members stretched from the present day Netherlands, Germany and Poland, to the Baltic States and even parts of Scandinavia and Russia. Hamburg was one of its most important members. Then and now, as Germany’s largest port with its access to the North Sea and the heart of central Europe via the Elbe River, Hamburg capitalized prodigiously from its trading links and grew rich.

As a free and independent city, it cultivated its own government institutions and policies. This self-sufficient civic spirit and sense of enterprise has carried through to today.

Hamburg’s trading history has meant that the city’s fortunes Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 45

have always been tied to the greater world, and this has fostered an outward and cosmopolitan outlook. Even now, Hamburg is referred to as Germany’s gateway to the world. With one hundred foreign consulates in the city, Hamburg trails only New York and Geneva in consular representation, globally.

Hamburg’s economic might has evolved over centuries and continues unabated. It is the second largest port in Europe and is a leading global centre for shipping, shipbuilding and trade logistics. As Germany’s traditional nexus for the publishing, media and advertising industries, Hamburg is also a substantial creative hub.

Nowhere is the commercially successful past and present of Hamburg, as well as its aesthetic charms, better appreciated than in the areas at the base of Hamburg’s Binnenalster (its inner city lake), the Jungfernstieg (the city’s well-to-do lakeside boulevard), and the adjacent Rathaus (City Hall). Lined on all sides by elegant and stately buildings, the area around Binnenalster comprises some of Hamburg’s best views and its most exclusive shopping streets. Looking out as a first time visitor onto the shimmering Binnenalster, towards the grandest of Hamburg’s period buildings, I kept thinking what a truly beautiful aspect this part of the city possesses and what a hidden gem Hamburg is. To the left of Binnenalster lies the distinctive white façade and oxidized green copper roof of the famous Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, whose outdoor lakeside terrace offers one of the most classic vantage points over the city and certainly one of its smartest.

To the right, the beautiful headquarters of shipping giant Happag-Llpoyd stands proud.

This is traditional old money Hamburg at its finest. From the Jungfernsteig, hour-long scenic boat tours depart multiple times per day that take in the Binnenalster and the even bigger Alster Lake to which it is connected.

This is an excellent way to spend and hour and revel in the beauty of the city.

They say that there are more canals and bridges in Hamburg than in Amsterdam, Stockholm and Venice combined. It is one of 46 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

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The combination of a charming city centre, world-class shopping, global relevance and easy access to the outdoors make Hamburg an enviously desirable place to live and visit

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the attributes that make Hamburg a visually interesting city and such a pleasure to stroll around. Just behind the Jungfernstieg, along the canals that line Neuer Wall and Alsterarkaden, are the streets that make up Hamburg’s upscale shopping district. All the major luxury brands are well represented, including German favourites like Hugo Boss and Escada, and Hamburg-born Jil Sander and Karl Lagerfeld. It’s a charming and impressive shopping experience, one of the best in Germany, enhanced in warm weather by canal side outdoor cafés and wine bars. For a city that was nearly destroyed twice - once as a result of a great fire in 1842 and again as a result of intense bombing towards the end of WWII - Hamburg is astonishingly attractive. The old centre was painstakingly rebuilt with care and consideration, so Hamburg retains all the architectural charms of a typical North European city, straddling the late Middle Ages through to the 18th century intellectual Enlightenment movement, the Art Nouveau period and the present day.

One building that was not destroyed during the war is the Rathaus, Hamburg’s stunning City Hall. Occupying a beautiful central square, just behind the Jungfernstieg, and dating from the late 1800s, the Rathaus is a testament to the city’s civic identity and is a reflection of its commerce-generated prosperity. The various trade guilds, merchant organisations and worker associations that made Hamburg so successful are all represented artistically both inside and outside the structure. Built in a Neo-Renaissance style, it is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. From the Rathaus it is but a short walk to St Michael’s Church, Hamburg’s other main historical landmark. First erected in 1669, it is widely considered to

ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 49

CONTAINER PORT

be one of the finest examples of Hanseatic Baroque architecture. For most visitors, the main draw of St Michael’s is the viewing platform, more than 100 metres above the ground, close to the top of the church’s spire. A truly remarkable panoramic view of the entire city awaits those who climb to the top. To the north and west, the historical cityscape unfolds, taking in the Rathaus, the city’s other prominent churches and the leafy areas surrounding the Binnenalster and Alster. Meanwhile to the south and east, Hamburg’s Elbe River, the container port and the riverside neighbourhoods of St. Pauli and Altona dominate. From no other single vantage point can one gain such a comprehensive perspective of the scale of this remarkable city.

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It would be impossible to appreciate Hamburg without immersing oneself in its mercantile and maritime identities.

Separated from the Altstadt and intersected by canals is the Speicherstadt warehouse district. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, this literal “city of warehouses” was built in the late 1800s as a free zone to house and trade goods without paying duties, as greater Hamburg relinquished its independent city state status when it joined the German empire for the first time. The Speicherstadt quickly emerged as one of the largest and most important warehouse trading centres in the world. The area’s gothic revival building style - with its dark red brick multi-storey structures, narrow windows, little towers, turrets and alcoves - is hauntingly beautiful. There is a host of small specialty

Hamburg’s trading history has meant that the city’s fortunes have always been tied to the greater world, and this has fostered an outward and cosmopolitan outlook

SPEICHERSTADT

museums that give clues as to what the warehouses might have been used for in their prime, including the only spice museum in the world. Even today, the Speicherstadt is the world’s largest wholesale centre for oriental carpets and is a major trading post for cocoa, coffee and tea. With its imposing late 19th century industrial architecture, traversed by bridges and waterways, the Speicherstadt is an alluring attraction utterly unique to Hamburg and is visually stunning by day or night at anytime of the year.

The renovation of the Speicherstadt was part of the overall regeneration of Hamburg’s old waterfront port area. Known as HafenCity, the district has been the largest inner city regeneration project in Europe for over a decade. HafenCity is

a model the world over for a successful post-industrial urban revitalization that skillfully unites residential, commercial, cultural and entertainment components. The area also serves as a leading example for sustainability and ecology in urban development. The area is brimming with restaurants, cafés, exhibition spaces and waterfront open spaces for locals and visitors alike to enjoy. It was the advent of container shipping in the 1950s and 1960s that left Hamburg’s traditional port area obsolete and eventually primed for redevelopment decades later. When the warehouses and shipping berths for smaller ships were no longer needed, the action moved just a few kilometers to the east and south, where facilities specific to container shipping and shipbuilding were purpose built.

Unlike cities that turn their back on their industrial lifeblood,

Hamburg has embraced it. Watching the near constant flow of container ships and other vessels navigating the Elbe is practically a local pastime. The container terminals - with their distinctive stacks of containers and loading cranes along with extensive dry dock facilities - are as much beloved landmarks as any in the city, and part of what makes the Hamburg skyline distinctively its own. Many harbour tours leave from Landungsbrücken, a stone’s throw from St. Michael’s Church and the St. Pauli Fish Market. Try to get on a boat small enough to navigate the canals as well as the more open water.

Of course Hamburg is much more than its history and industry. The heart and soul of the city lies in the patchwork of varied and vibrant neighborhoods that emanate from the centre. Along the river, St. Pauli and more genteel Altona combine working class and aspiring with a prime riverfront setting, attractive period buildings and a healthy dose of grit. In the summer months, numerous “beach” cafés pop-up along the Elbe, often with live music, creating a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere. No port city would be complete without its seedy side and Hamburg is no exception. The Reeperbahn area of St. Pauli is one of the most well known red light districts in the world. Amidst the sex clubs, fetish stores and prostitution areas are the music clubs in which the Beatles played before the group took off. North of St. Pauli lies Sternschanze, an up-and-coming residential neighbourhood filled with bohemian and buzzy restaurants and bars.

Sternschanze, Karolinenviertel and particularly Marktstraße boast a number of innovative and independent boutiques focused on fashion and design. To the west of the city, near the Hauptbahnhof main train station is St. Georg, one of the first of Hamburg’s traditionally working class neigbourhoods to be gentrified. It too offers numerous cafés and restaurants that are relaxed, fun and offer a high level of service.

St. Georg is close to Hamburger Kunsthalle, the city’s leading art museum, known as having one of the most important permanent collections in Germany. Upmarket Hamburg

Unlike cities that turn their back on their industrial lifeblood, Hamburg has embraced it. Watching the near constant flow of container ships and other vessels navigating the Elbe is practically a local pastime

ALSTERARKADEN

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 53

Terms & conditions apply. Hyatt ™ and Grand Hyatt ™ names, designs and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. ©2017 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.

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lies to the north, in the areas that surround the Alster. Bucolic, tree filled, lakefront and canal dissected districts like Eppendorf, Winterhude and Rotherbaum are traditional villages that were incorporated into the city over a century ago. Eppendorf, in particular, oozes charm and civility.

Ambling down Eppendorfer Baum Straße and Eppendorfer Weg is to experience Hamburg‘s affluent side in the most appealing of ways. In fact, whether on foot, bike, canal boat or metro, Hamburg is a compact easy-to-navigate city.

Walking the entire circumference of the Alster takes seventy minutes. On a bicycle from the city center to Eppendorf along the Alster - past beautiful villas, boating clubs, lakeside cafés and sprawling parkland – will take you twenty minutes.

Hamburg has so much going for it. Economically prosperous with a strong sense of purpose and identity, the city is

forward thinking and practical. Ruggedly handsome with classic features, Hamburg is a visual feast that reflects its roots, industry and natural setting. The city is second to none in presenting a highly successful 21st century experience that seamlessly integrates the old and new with healthy doses of culture and nature to soften its hardworking, earnest nature.

Hamburg feels authentic and grounded yet attractive and grand. Overshadowed within Germany by Berlin and Munich and regionally by Amsterdam and Copenhagen, discreet and modest Hamburg has flown below the tourist radar screen for too long. But this is now changing. With the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, with its enormous reflective glass panel facades mirroring the water and harbour on all sides, and its dramatically undulating roof evoking ships and waves, Hamburg has a new landmark worthy of its multifaceted identity, positively beckoning visitors to come take a look.

ALSTER LAKE Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 55

STAY FAIRMONT HOTEL VIER JAHRESZEITEN Since it opened in 1897, the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten has been Hamburg’s most exclusive hospitality address and has consistently been voted one of Germany’s best. Conceived as a grand hotel in the classic European tradition, the property exudes elegance, heritage and luxury. Occupying a prime spot right on Hamburg’s inner city Binnenalster Lake, the Vier Jahreszeiten - with its distinctive white façade and oxidized green copper roof - is a city landmark, situated amongst numerous other iconic buildings in the city’s most prestigious district. The views from its front facing rooms and outdoor Jahreszeiten Terrace are amongst the best in the city. Upon entering, the atmosphere is one of an elegant gentlemen’s club, complete with acres of marble flooring, rich wood paneling, luxe fabrics and beautifully upholstered furniture amply filling the main spaces. The tone throughout is hushed and calm.

Under its roof, the Vier Jahreszeiten hosts some of Hamburg’s most well known restaurants, most notably, Haerlin, an exquisite two Michelin-starred offering by Christoph Rüffers, whose Mediterranean and Francophone cuisine is known throughout the country. Jarhreszeiten Grill, just off the lobby, sports many of its original Art Déco features and serves hanseatic cuisine. The restaurant is considered by many to be a local treasure, and its dining room a favourite amongst Hamburg’s movers and shakers.

Meanwhile, the recently opened NIKKEI NINE serves Japanese and Peruvian fusion cuisine in a sumptuous gold and bronze setting, with DJs adding a hip edge Thursday through Saturday to the otherwise somewhat buttoned-down Vier Jahreszeiten.

All of the hotel’s 156 guestrooms have recently been renovated to the highest standards, and offer lighter tones of white and cream with added gold, green, red and purple accents. No two rooms are identical, adding a personal experience to staying at Vier Jahreszeiten. On the top floor there are separate wings for the spa and fitness areas. The generous use of natural materials and bleached timbers, as well as nods to the romantic side of maritime adventure, combine to create a sense of escape and fantasy. Atop the spa, a roof terrace is open in warmer months, which offers a truly amazing view over the Binnenalster. With so much style, facilities and luxury, it comes as little surprise that Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten has been spoiling locals and guests with the highest levels of service for over a century. www.fairmont.com/vierjahreszeiten-hamburg 56 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

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STAY PARK HYATT HAMBURG Housed in a magnificently refurbished former warehouse in the heart of the city, Park Hyatt Hamburg offers a top-notch five-star hospitality experience, with the emphasis on convenience and comfort. The location really is superb - a stone’s throw from Mönckebergstraße, one of Hamburg’s principal shopping streets. The Park Hyatt is also close to the Hauptbahnhof, the Rathaus and provides easy access to the Speicherstadt warehouse district, HafenCity and the Elbphilharmonie. Despite having more than 250 rooms and suites and often running at close to capacity, the hotel is a veritable oasis of calm.

The lobby is run efficiently. Checking-in and departing are slick and painless and can be done in advance online. Apples Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, focusing on farm-to-table regional cuisine. A large restaurant with an open kitchen, Apples has a warm, lively and inviting atmosphere. There are also quiet alcoves and private dining spaces, as well as an outdoor terrace for the warmer months. Apples Bar is a fun meeting place for a tipple. Its regular cocktail making courses routinely sell out. Meanwhile the Park Lounge offers high tea in the afternoons. Numerous sitting and lounge areas make the hotel ideal for both formal meetings and impromptu get-togethers.

Upstairs, rooms are surprisingly spacious and supremely comfortable, decorated with cherrywood and earthy tones. Spa-inspired bathrooms include wet areas that pay homage to Japan’s bathing culture. Recently renovated, the hotel’s spa and fitness club boasts everything needed for a thorough and complete work out, including a 20-metre indoor pool. It’s easy to see why Park Hyatt Hamburg remains a perennial favourite amongst business and leisure travellers alike. Service standards, facilities and ample creature comforts are at the level one expects from Hyatt’s premium brand. Though Park Hyatt Hamburg might lack the individual charms of an independent hotel, there is little to fault and much to praise about this well run property. https://hamburg.park.hyatt.com

STAY THE GEORGE HOTEL HAMBURG The George is a hip boutique hotel located close to the Alster on the edge of Hamburg’s characterful St. Georg neighbourhood. It is ideally positioned to take advantage of the eating, drinking and shopping options that make St. Georg such a desirable district, as well as the al fresco lifestyle so popular by the lake. As a member of Design Hotels - which handpicks design driven boutique luxury hotels around the world - The George exudes a suave and fashionable air. With nods to British sensibilities throughout (think Chesterfield leather sofas), The George feels a little like a cool private members’ club buzzing with creative types, and their friends looking to let their hair down a bit. Low lighting, dark colour schemes and ambient music set the stage for an all round sexy, moody and fun experience.

Restaurant DaCaio serving refined Italian fare, and Bar DaCaio famous for its legendary Martinis, are packed almost every night of the week, a testament to the loyalty of hotel guests and trendy locals who know a good thing when they see it. During the summer, the rooftop Campari Lounge offers stunning views across the Alster. Watching the sunset from the Campari Lounge has become a Hamburg must for the young and fashionable.

The 125 guest rooms and suites have a funky quality to them, with shag carpets and groovy wallpaper. Many rooms on the upper floors boast lake views. Comfortable and cozy, all guest accommodations have something of the feel of a 1970s lake house but in the best possible way. Insider city guides in each room, about where to eat, shop and drink in Hamburg, really help to link The George to the city as a stylish and happening place to rest one’s head. A fleet of bicycles is made available to guests to zip around the Alster and Hamburg’s centre. And a compact but full service boutique spa on the top floor completes The George guest experience. www.thegeorge-hotel.de

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SEE ELBPHILHARMONIE Years behind schedule and costing EUR 750 million, ten times over the original budget, the Elbphilharmonie is actually a priceless addition to Hamburg and will likely prove to be similar to the Sydney Opera house and the Guggenheim Museum in terms of attracting visitors and growing the reputation of the host city. More than a million people have visited the Elbphilharmonie since it opened in January 2017.

Designed by world-renowned Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, the same firm that designed the Birds Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, the iconic look of the Elbphilharmonie is evokes Hamburg’s maritime identity and resembles a set of hoisted sails or undulating waves. While the exterior design is obviously striking - with its vast mirrored windows reflecting the container port, canals, harbour and passing ships of Hamburg’s HafenCity - the interiors are also breathtaking. Comprising two concert halls, various viewing platforms offering some of the best views in Hamburg and a 5-star Westin Hotel, the Elbphilharmonie is so much more than just a music hall. Entrance to the viewing platforms is free. www.elbphilharmonie.de ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH Known in German as St Michaelis, this church is one of Hamburg’s defining landmarks. Its spire can be seen from almost everywhere in city, together with the other four main Lutheran churches that are so associated with Hamburg’s skyline. Its distinctive copper roof was for centuries a beacon for sailors arriving or returning to Hamburg after months at sea.

Originally built in 1669, it was struck by lightening in 1750, rebuilt in the 1780s and again after WWII. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of Hanseatic Protestant baroque architecture in the country. While the exterior of the church is impressive, if a bit stern, its all white with gold leaf interior is special. The basement crypts are also of notable interest.

However, it is the viewing platform 453 steps most of the way up the church’s 132-metre tower (or an elevator ride) that attracts most foreign visitors, offering a 180-degree ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH

panoramic view across Hamburg. www.st-michaelis.de ALSTER BOAT TRIPS Seeing Hamburg by boat is a must. There is no better way to appreciate the beauty and history of the city than by getting on the water. From the Jungfernsteig, at the base of the Binnenalster, the Alster Cruise is an hour long trip, which happens many times each day, and takes in the entirety of the Binnenalster and the much larger Alster adjacent. As the boat passes by some of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Hamburg and in Germany, interspersed by rowing and sailing clubs, bike paths, lake side cafes and picnic areas, you will be hard pressed not to fall in love with the city, its supreme pleasantness really sinking in when one’s on its waters. The Waterways Trip lasts two hours and tours the canals and harbour around the Speicherstadt warehouse district, HafenCity and the city’s jewel in the crown, the Elbphilharmonie. Timings and frequencies increase greatly in summer months. www.alstertouristik.de

ELBEPHILHARMONIE

HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE

HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE Hamburg’s Kunsthalle has one of the most important permanent art collections in Germany and in Northern Europe. The collection spans over 700 years and is one of only a handful of museums that offers visitors are truly retrospective experience from the Middle Ages to the present. The strength of the museum is the excellent curation that helps the visitor to understand the transitions in art movements from the Old Masters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to the Classicism, Romanticism and Impressionism of the nineteenth century through to Expressionism and Modernism of the twentieth century. Although the museum has a number of important works by many famous artists, there is a particular emphasis on German and Northern European artists for each period such as Phillip Otto Runge, Max Lieberman, Max Beckmann and many others. The main building of the museum dates back to 1869. A new wing was completed in 1997 that houses the contemporary permanent collection and also has space for world class visiting exhibitions.

The Hamburger Kunsthalle is large enough to Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 63

feel comprehensive yet small enough to tackle in one visit. www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de INTERNATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM Hamburg is filled with specialty niche museums. Among them, the international maritime museum warrants particular attention. One of the largest of its kind in the world, occupying a heritage building in HafenCity, this museum covers 3,000 years of maritime history and science. From the earliest recorded sea voyages through to the present day, the permanent collection covers cartography, navigational technology (from the origins of the compass to GPS) and shipbuilding, and transitions from the simple dug out canoe to sailing vessels, steam-powered boats and beyond. There are sections on naval history as well as passenger and container shipping. The collection of ship models is also impressive. After visiting this museum, you’ll likely have a new and profound respect for man’s relationship with the sea. A popular café and restaurant with an outdoor terrace allows visitors to appreciate the scale and fruits of the HafenCity regeneration project. www.imm-hamburg.de

INTERNATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM

MINIATUR WUNDERLAND In one of the restored neo gothic buildings that make up the Speicherstadt warehouse district, you will find Miniatur Wunderland, the world’s largest working model train set and one of the country’s most popular attractions. Although it arguably has the ambience of lowbrow fun fair, Miniatur Wunderland is impressive and generally wins over even the most cynical of visitors. There are sections replicating almost all the regions of Germany and a mini Hamburg as well as the South Western USA (including Las Vegas), Scandinavia, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. There is even a working airport with planes taking off and landing. Future plans include Great Britain and Africa. The detailing is extraordinary. After spending some time amidst the model trains, emergency vehicles, boats and planes in the real world takes on new meaning! www.miniatur-wunderland.de MINIATUR WUNDERLAND Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 65

TASTE JARHRESZEITEN GRILL One of Hamburg’s most classic dining experiences, located within the city’s most traditional hotel, Jahreszeiten Grill exudes elegance and old world charm. A master class in original Art Déco design, many consider Jahreszeiten Grill to be one of the most beautiful restaurants in Germany. With dark wood paneling, a diamond two-tone parquet floor, stunning chandeliers and large windows looking out onto the Binnenalster, the atmosphere is clubby and warm. The cuisine is focused on full flavoured Hanseatic and continental fare. Jahreszeiten Grill has been welcoming local denizens and refined global travelers for generations. Open for lunch and dinner. Unsurprisingly the dress code is smart casual. www.fairmont.com/vier-jahreszeiten-hamburg/dining/jahreszeitengrill CAFÉ PARIS A Hamburg dining institution located in the heart of the Altstadt near the Rathaus, and in between the city’s two main shopping districts, Café Paris is a no nonsense French style bistro serving semi refined home cooking. The main dining room is housed on the ground floor of an 1882 building with tiled walls and a striking domed soaring ceiling. Daily specials, vegetarian options and homemade desserts complement classics like steak tartare, shellfish and salads. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it also is one of the best places in the city to have Sunday brunch. Always popular and brimming with energy, Café Paris is a great choice for a pit stop or to absorb the local pulse. www.cafeparis.net 66 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

JAHRESZEITEN GRILL

LE CANARD

TRIFIC Centrally located on a canal half way in between the Rathaus and the Elbphilharmonie and near the Speicherstadt, Trific serves up market fresh regional and continental fare with innovative and exotic twists. In addition to a à la carte menu, there are daily specials and three and four-course prix fixe menus that change monthly. Trific’s location is pole position amongst Hamburg’s leading sites - its canal side position and scrumptious fare striking just the right balance between straightforward and fussy are reason alone to visit. Owner and head chef Oliver Trific is usually on hand to welcome guests, and is a wealth of knowledge regarding Hamburg. Open for lunch and dinner. Closed on Sundays. www.trific.de NILS Nils is a very popular brasserie near the bohemian, up-and-coming Sternschanze neigbourhood just north of St. Pauli, specializing in inventive home cooking with options ranging from organ meat to fish and pasta. Located in a quiet corner off of a main street, Nils feels very much like a beloved neighbourhood restaurant. Set over three intimate floors but connected to each other via loft spaces and platforms, the quirky space is warm and welcoming. An excellent wine list compliments the food selection. Set menus change monthly and there is some added seasonality to the à la carte menu also. Nils is a place to enjoy good food and wine in a relaxed setting, and dining here is like hanging out with an old friend. Reservations essential. www.restaurant-nil.de

TRIFIC

LE CANARD Near the Elbe River in the historic riverside district of Altona, Le Canard has been a Hamburg fine dining favourite for years.

Sunny and bring rooms open out onto an outdoor terrace filled with lime trees. Le Canard offers wonderful views over the Elbe. The décor is simple yet elegant. Only the best cuts of meat, the freshest fish and local produce are used to arrange a menu that is classic as well as creative. There is a popular prix fixe business lunch and a set tasting dinner menu as well as à la carte options. Two smart private dining rooms can seat up to 33. Le Canard is fine dining at its best – superior food and service in a unique and unstuffy environment. Reservations essential. www.lecanard-hamburg.de ATLANTIK FISCH Tucked away in a wholesale fish warehouse by the river in Altona, Atlantik Fisch operates a basic but tasty restaurant as part of its wholesale business. The place is packed with locals and those in the know, a testament to the authentic, fresh, and delicious seafood served. Fish, lobster and shellfish are all highly recommended. If the tables are full, order a Backfisch sandwich to go. Don’t think stylish, beautiful and ambient. Think amazing seafood and go. www.atlantik-fisch.de 68 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

SIP LE LION BAR DE PARIS This classic bar is rated as one of the best in city, Germany, and some say the world. It is dark, sophisticated and sexy, yet welcoming and unpretentious. Owned by top bartender, mixologist and libation journalist, Jörg Meyer, Le Lion sets the bar high in delivering an exceptional speakeasy-style cocktail bar. The team at Le Lion combines the best of German precision with a passion for their craft in both serving classic cocktails and creating their own.

A giant gold lion statue behind the bar presides over the regal surroundings. Open until 3am Monday through Saturday and until 1am on Sundays. www.lelion.net CLOUDS Clouds’ website welcomes viewers with “Welcome to Heaven” and that pretty much sums up the experience. Located on the top floor of one of Hamburg’s only skyscrapers, on the edge of St. Pauli’s infamous Reeperbahn red light district, Clouds offers incredible views over the whole city and a smart, vibrant ambience.

Wide plank wood floors and a long sleek polished solid timber bar add a rustic touch to this otherwise chic and happening drinking spot.

During the warmer months the outdoor terrace adds a truly al fresco experience. The 46-page drinks menu is divided into “starters, main courses and desserts”. Light bar bites are available, and there is a full restaurant as well.

Dress code is described as “upscale casual”.

Sportswear is frowned upon here. www.clouds-hamburg.de RABBIT HOLE Bohemian and welcoming, Rabbit Hole is a relative newcomer to the Hamburg bar scene.

Situated is in the heart of St. Pauli, north of the Reeperbahn, Rabbit Hole serves excellent cocktails and offers a good selection of whiskeys. Thanks to its welcoming staff Rabbit Hole has a legion of fans. This is very much a smoker’s bar and consequently there is an excellent cigar selection. For sure there are slicker, smarter drinking options in Hamburg. But for slow poured handcrafted cocktails with an 70 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

CLOUDS

innovative twist, served in an authentic friendly setting, in a boisterous part of town, Rabbit Hole is a good bet. www.facebook.com/therabbithole.de/ CAMPARI LOUNGE The rooftop terrace at The George, arguably Hamburg’s hippest hotel in the desirable St. Georg district, buzzes with excitement during the warmer months. The lounge set-up includes modern sofa seating and funky oversized light fixtures. However, the star of the show is the bucolic views over the Alster and city’s rooftops.

This is one of the best places to watch the sun set in Hamburg. Open during the week for a post-work crowd from 5pm until 11pm and, from lunchtime at the weekends, Campari Lounge usually fills up fast. If it’s at capacity or closing time head downstairs to Bar Da Caio to be shoulder-to-shoulder with Hamburg’s youthful, trendy and creative set. www.thegeorge-hotel.de BOBBY REICH Circumventing the Alster by bicycle or on foot during the warmer weather months is one of Hamburg’s great pleasures. Although there are a number of lakeside cafes at which to stop and relax for a while, there is only one Bobby Reich.

It is situated at the very northern tip of the teardrop shaped Alster, amidst canals, bridges and a beautiful leafy residential area. The large outdoor terrace commands stunning views south over the lake towards the city centre, with the distant outlines of Hamburg’s grandest buildings, punctuated by church steeples, all in full view. www.bobbyreich.de STRAND PAULI When summer arrives Hamburg residents move outside en mass. Although the idea of having a riverfront urban beach club with views over the port might not seem like everyone’s idea of paradise, in Hamburg it works brilliantly. Built on a man made island on the Elbe, Strandpauli is a beach bar, lounge area and restaurant complex all rolled into one, where daytime can easily slip into night. Real sand, fake palm trees and tiki torches help to set the backdrop for this funky, fun, alternative hangout spot that is loved by all segments of Hamburg society as well as tourists. www.strandpauli.de 72 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

LE LION BAR DE PARIS

STRAND PAULI

CAMPARI LOUNGE

MAI BAR

TATE BAR

APROPOS THE CONCEPT STORE

SPEND APROPOS THE CONCEPT STORE With a separate store for men and women flanking either side of Hotel Vierjahreszeiten on Neue Jungfernsteig on the bank of the Binnensalster, Apropos is an incredibly chic and well-curated concept store that primarily focuses on fashion, but also retails home décor goods, accessories and small gifts. Although mostly featuring well recognized international fashion houses, Apropos also regularly showcases a variety up-and-coming designers. From classic to sporty, Apropos keeps things elegant but playful. www.apropos-thestore.com JIL SANDER Native of Hamburg, Jill Sander has her flagship store in the heart of Hamburg’s luxury shopping district on Neuer Wall. Jil Sander is loved the world over for designing comfortable clothes with clean lines and sharp yet flattering tailoring. Her signature stylish and minimalistic look has been successful for decades. Her designed invariably helped to define fashion for today’s modern woman. At Jil Sander’s Hamburg flagship, womenswear and menswear are housed under one roof. The store’s design is the perfect complement to her clothes – modern, restrained and beautiful. www.jilsander.com ALSTERHAUS Taking it name from Hamburg’s iconic inner city lake, Alsterhaus has been one of Germany’s leading full service luxury department stores since 1912. Occupying a beautiful stone fronted building on Jungfernsteig, at the base on the Binnenalster, Alsterhaus is as much a landmark in the city as any other. Spread across five sprawling floors, including departments dedicated of luxury fashions and home furnishings, Alsterhaus’ foodhall and Veuve Cliquot champagne bar alone are worth visiting, whilst the store’s restaurant boasts some of best views in Hamburg. www.alsterhaus.de MARKTSTRAßE Marktstraße is a street in the hipster Karolinenviertel part of the Sternschanze neighbourhood, which is home to a small but

STILWERK

MANUFACTUM

alluring group of independent designer boutiques. Founded by Ullinca Schroeder and Kathrin Mueller, Garment is a fashion line of fun, well-tailored smart casual clothing for men and women, that straddles professional and sports wear www.garment-online.de. Across the street women’s designer Annette Rufeger focuses on stylish and playful ready-to-wear creations www.annetterufeger.de. Both designers are ideal for women who want to express a bit more individuality in their workplace attire choices. Also on Marktstraße, Bluesleeve is a boutique that specialises in high quality, hard to find new and vintage pieces by leading Japanese designers like Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake. Bluesleeve also showcases a selection of exquisite Japanese ceramics www.bluesleeve.de.

STILWERK Stilwerk is Hamburg’s premier destination for design. With 28 stores representing close to 400 global and regional design brands, Stilwerk is a veritable design candy store. From the classic to the avant-garde, even the most expert design buffs will find inspiration at Stilwerk. Housed in a stunning red brick former warehouse on the Elbe in between Altona and St. Pauli, Stilwerk is another example of how much money there is in Hamburg. There is a stylish bar, restaurant and café within the Stilwerk showroom that make it somewhat of a destination, even without the design showrooms. www.stilwerk.de/hamburg MANUFACTUM This German lifestyle brand appeals to the more down to earth and practical side of the nations shoppers. Laid out in the style of a general store, Manufactum’s wares range from wine and food to household items, fashion, garden supplies and camping gear. Throughout the focus is on quality, reliability and timeless classics. There is literally something for everyone at Manufactum. The brand’s Hamburg outlet is located in the landmark Chilehaus building in the Altstadt, on the way to the Speicherstadt. www.manufactum.de Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 75

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The Savoy Suite

The Savoy, London

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ew hotels in the world are as historic at The Savoy, and every cultured traveller on the planet has almost certainly heard of the iconic London hospitality landmark.

Back in the mid 1200s, a stretch of land between The Strand and the River Thames was presented by King Henry III to Peter, Count of Savoy, who was uncle and consort to the king’s wife. Peter built his Savoy Palace on the river, and the name has been associated with the site ever since.

More than 600 years later, the English theatrical impresario, Richard D’Oyly Carte, chose the same location for a new theatre he built in 1881 specifically to stage a series of famous operettas written by his friends, dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. Carte's Savoy Theatre was the first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity, and Gilbert & Sullivan's productions were known henceforth as the Savoy Operas. Every night to this very day, immediately adjacent to The Savoy's entrance, theatregoers still pour in and out of the Grade II listed Savoy Theatre, which shares privately-owned Savoy Court (road) with the hotel.

So impressed was Carte by new American hotels such as

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The Peabody in Memphis which opened in 1869, that he set about building his own back in London. Designed by Thomas E. Colcutt, one of the most important late-Victorian and Edwardian architects of the time, The Savoy took five years to build and opened on 6th August 1889, immediately setting new standards for technology, comfort and luxury. For all intents and purposes, The Savoy was London's first real deluxe hotel, and, amongst other facilities, was the first to feature electric lifts (known as “ascending rooms”), and guest rooms connected by speaking tubes to the valet, maid and floor waiter. Carte persuaded famed Swiss hotelier César Ritz, and French “Chef of Kings and The King of Chefs” Auguste Escoffier to join his new London hospitality landmark. The hotel positively thrived throughout the 1900s, which were high-spirited years of extravagance in the capital. The Savoy’s parties and balls were legendary. By 1904 the hotel was such an immense success, that the blocks on the Strand were added offering a grand new entrance and reception.

The hotel remained unscathed during WWI, and post-war years brought a determination to welcome the newest and most innovative developments of the time with open arms. Not least, during the 1920s, The Savoy

embraced the Art Deco movement, leading to the installation of the iconic Sir Howard Robertson-designed Savoy sign over Savoy Court that still remains today.

From its earliest days countless stars of stage and screen frequented The Savoy. Vivien Leigh was first introduced to her future husband Laurence Olivier in the hotel. Everyone from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the Beatles and Bob Dylan and Coco Chanel and Christian Dior all stayed at The Savoy. Claude Monet famously spent six months during 1900 and 1901 painting landscapes of the River Thames from his rooms at The Savoy. Fortified by two English breakfasts daily (which I can personally attest to being one of the best hotel breakfasts I have ever had the pleasure of eating on a London morning), the artist would spend the early hours painting the sun rising over Waterloo and Charing Cross Bridges, often with more than 50 canvases on the go at the same time.

The Savoy entered its second century with the same class and zest that typified its first. A couple of years later, for the first time in its 118-year history, The Savoy closed its doors and work began on a vast and far-reaching refurbishment and restoration program. Much of the hotel’s original antique furnishings and fixtures were

restored and retained, and over 400 pieces of furniture were refurbished and reinstalled. A team of over 1,000 craftsmen and artists worked to create the interiors, the project took three years (almost a year and a half longer than planned), and The Savoy reopened at 10.10am on 10th October 2010 after a GBP 220million revamp of the entire property, from the entrance hall and bars to the 268 bedrooms and suites. No expense was spared on what was one of the world's most lavish and much publicised hotel refurbishments, echoing in a glamorous new lease of life for the global hospitality icon.

Understated yet regal double doors mark the entrance to The Savoy's second largest hotel suite, completed and unveiled just ten months ago, and fashioned by award-winning interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon together with ReardonSmith Architects. Once through the entrance foyer, untypical of much of the hotel's grandiose accommodation, The Savoy Suite strikes a skillful balance between Deco detailing, contemporary furnishings, classic finishing and modern-day conveniences, without feeling at all stuffy or unwelcoming. On the contrary, The Savoy Suite beckons you to sit, lounge, gaze, soak, relax and enjoy every beautifully lavish nook and cranny. What’s Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 79

more, The Savoy Suite deftly encompasses all of the hotel’s great artistic traditions, even incorporating one of the rooms on the sixth floor where Monet himself once stayed.

A dividing wall was removed to create a vast and impressive double-length living and dining room that makes the most of the incredible 180-degree unrivalled views up and down the River Thames, punctuated by so many iconic London landmarks. Edwardian influences have been combined with a luxe colour palette of creams, ivories and gloss blacks, in keeping with the 30s era feel which runs through key areas of the hotel.

Contrasting cinnamon tones provide warmth to complement the floors laid with solid dark mahogany half-metre squares. Doors and pillars are covered in smooth soft cream padded leather, and door trims are of solid brushed brass. The TV in the sitting area is completely concealed behind a panel that blends into the wall around it. At the touch of an iPad button the panel recesses, glides upwards out of view, and the screen slowly moves forwards into position. I dislike rooms where a TV dominates so found this feature to be most agreeable. A large square coffee table, supported by a mirrored Deco base, could be hydraulically raised for use as a dining table capable of comfortably seating 8.

Tasteful brushed gold wall light sconces adorn the paneled walls. A Japanese-style frieze beautifies the wall behind the handsome cocktail bar facing the river, which can be accessed directly from the outside corridor, and comes complete with a pantry-style kitchen for concealed food and drinks preparation. Tasteful oversized fresh orchids tumble out of vases aside the overly generous sofas, atop the bar and in the guest cloakroom and master bath.

Around the master suite doors glide open at the slightest touch. The high bed (which almost needs some steps to climb onto) is dressed with Hermès cushions and blankets. Bedroom windows have 80 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

blackouts, French blinds and conventional curtains - all electrically controlled - so you can choose the amount of light that comes in, or whether to gaze out from atop the plush bed coverings towards the London Eye and Houses of Parliament.

The vast en-suite bathroom boasts a room-like walk-in shower and huge solid marble standalone tub, and from the bath one can look out across the bedroom towards the river.

My single complaint about the entire suite was that the show-stopping backlit onyx fireplace, which stretched for a good few metres, did not have a working fire in it, or even an imitation flame-effect number. Instead some cheap electronic candles were sitting in the central opening, which really didn’t do justice to such a pivotal and stunning feature of the suite’s main entertaining space.

It would be a travesty to write this review and not mention the hotel's 24-hour butler service, presided over by department head, Sean Davoren, who was everything I expected from The Savoy and more. In fact it wouldn't be an overstatement to say that this gentleman and his dedicated team made my Savoy experience utterly memorable, and without him my stay would have been rather lacking. I never thought I would ever say this about a butler, because in the past I have always found them to be either insipid or over-intrusive, but Davoren struck an absolutely perfect balance between attention to detail, caring for his guest, personal service and joviality. In fact, after I left The Savoy, I actually missed the chap. At times Davoren’s company and conversation were more appealing than those of some of my friends!

Nicholas Chrisostomou stayed in The Savoy Suite in February 2017 The Savoy Suite is GBP 6,500 per night including VAT The rate is higher if the second bedroom is incorporated www.fairmont.com/savoy Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 81

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR THE WORLD'S LARGEST JET? Just ten years after Singapore Airlines launched the first passenger service of the world’s biggest airliner, the future of the Airbus A380 looks shrouded in uncertainty. The A380 made its first flight on 27 April 2005 and entered commercial service in 25th October 2007. But Singapore Airlines - the A380's launch airline - decided last year not to renew the lease on its first A380 when it expires later this year. The plane made its maiden passenger flight from Singapore to Sydney in October 2007. In a few months time it will be returned to Airbus. Many aviation strategists are not that surprised to see Singapore Airlines return these ‘first off the production line’ examples of the superjumbo. But ten years on, the future of the A380 is in doubt and shrouded in

SINGAPORE AIRLINES A380

uncertainty, not least due to the very tough operating conditions in the Middle East that have greatly affected Emirates of Dubai, Etihad of Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways of Doha and Turkish Airlines of Istanbul. The recent introduction of a U.S. ban on many carry-on electronics aboard flights from the Middle East has added yet another powerful headwind for the once high-flying club of Gulf airlines - a group that relies more than most on the laptop-toting business traveller.

Airbus' A380 was something of an aeronautical marvel when it first took to the sky. Produced by European planemaker 82 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

Airbus, the veritable two-storey flying super bus is capable of carrying almost 600 passengers distributed over two 50-metre decks. Ten years ago the phenomenal aircraft both captured the mood of flying aficionados and fed the growing demand for air travel. Whilst the A380 could only land at a limited number of airports when it was first launched, some countries and airlines saw the cost benefits in transporting so many passengers in one plane, and so a number of the world's busiest airports adapted their facilities to accommodate the huge aircraft. An A380 cannot simply land at any airport, since whilst (despite its size and weight) the A380 does not put any extra strain on airport runways and aprons as its landing gear is designed to spread the load over a large area, multiple air

EMIRATES A380 TERM

bridges are required to simultaneously board and disembark passengers from both decks.

Last year, amid a tough sales climate for commercial jets, Airbus breathed a sigh of relief as airlines placed fresh orders for its A380, ending a three-year drought. But the two orders Airbus received in 2016 were offset by two cancellations. The A380 didn't sell much better in 2015 either, bringing in a grand total of two net orders. Before this, there had been such a lack of demand for the A380 that there was speculation in the industry that it might be scrapped. So what is the future for the world's largest jet?

Until just a few months ago, the world’s largest operator of the superjumbo, Dubai-based mega-airline, Emirates, was appealing for Airbus to continue developing the A380 programme, and launch a new version of the aircraft, known as the A380neo (new engine option). Since all of the Gulf carriers have greatly suffered from falling oil prices, a strong U.S. dollar, international terrorism and new upstart competitors taking chunks out of their market share, Emirates, Airbus's biggest superjumbo A380 customer, was looking for an upgrade of the double-decker to make the aircraft more fuel efficient in difficult trading conditions.

While Emirates has had notable success with the A380,

MINAL @ DXB AIRPORT

weakening demand has forced the airline to slash its fares to keep its planes full, which in turn has affected the airline's keenness to buy new A380 jets. And many airlines are going in the opposite direction (to Emirates) by opening up new point-to-point routes, with Boeing's revolutionary 787 Dreamliner playing a big role in this process. The Dreamliner can fly as far as a jumbo jet with comparable unit costs but is dramatically smaller. To make matters worse, Boeing's new 777-9X will give airlines even less reason to operate the A380. The 777-9X model will hold more than 400 passengers in a three-class configuration, putting it in the low end of the jumbo jet segment. And with

state-of-the-art engine technology, it is likely to be far more fuel-efficient than the Airbus A380. With a wingspan of just over 71 metres (so big the hinged 12ft wingtips have to be folded up so it can fit into most airports), the 777-9X is Boeing’s biggest plane yet, boasting a super-wide cabin and larger, higher windows. Emirates has already given the 777-9X its seal of approval by ordering 150 the aircraft from Boeing. In the coming years, even Emirates – the only big fan of the A380 – could find that the 777-9X is big enough for its purposes. So Airbus is on the hunt for new buyers in China and Japan, places where runways are most congested and the need for larger planes is most acute (the firm originally gave the A380 its name because eight is

BOEING 777-9X

considered lucky in some Asian countries).

To date Chinese airlines have only bought five A380 aircraft, but the hope is they might buy more now that the country’s aviation regulator (a noted super-jumbo skeptic) retired recently. If Chinese airlines are not willing to step up – as Emirates did in 2013 with its last big order which rescued the A380 programme – the A380 is unlikely to rebound from its current order slump and Airbus may be forced to kill it off within the next decade. So plane-spotters will have even more reason to cherish their sightings of the mighty double-decker superjumbo.

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NEW TWA HOTEL AT JFK AIRPORT Modernist architect Eero Saarinen's masterpiece of jet age luxury, the Trans World Airlines terminal at New York's JFK airport, first opened in 1962. But the stunning building - designed to look like a bird with outstretched wings - has lain empty since 2001 after TWA went bust.

Now plans are afoot to restore the national landmark to its former glory, by transforming it into the airport's first onsite hotel, including restoring iconic interiors by Charles Eames, Raymond Loewy and Warren Platner. As well as more than 500 guest rooms, there will be a public observation deck, bars, restaurants, a museum, events and meeting space. There will even be a fleet of classic 1966 Chrysler Newport cars to ferry passengers to and from the terminals. www.twahotel.com

EMIRATES' LAPTOP SERVICE FOR US FLIGHTS In light of the new security directive

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issued in March 2017 by the American TSA, forbidding passengers travelling on non-stop flights to the US from Dubai (and a host of other Gulf cities) from carrying any electronic device larger than a smartphone into the aircraft cabin, Emirates has introduced a clever free service enabling its customers to use their laptops and tablets until the last possible moment just before boarding their flights to the States.

Emirates customers travelling to the US via Dubai can also use their devices on the first part of their journeys, and during transit in DXB, before handing them to security staff at the gate (just before US-bound flights) where they are carefully packed into boxes and loaded into the hold. The boxes are prioritised and returned to customers at the other end, before checked-in baggage. www.emirates.com

airport can be an assault on the sens number of taxi drivers clamoring for a unlicensed) can unsettle even the mo deprived or jet-lagged. So Jet Airways transportation network Uber is somet currently operates in India, Jet Airway when booking an air ticket using the user, create a new account and get IN promo code JETUBER while booking.

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WITH UBER INDIA Landing in an Indian

ses, especially for the uninitiated. The sheer airport transfer business (many of whom are ost seasoned travellers, especially if sleep s new strategic association with online thing of a godsend. In the 29 cities where Uber ys’ passengers can now request an Uber car Jet Airways app. And if you're a first time Uber NR 50 off your first three rides by using the www.jetairways.com

QATAR AIRWAYS' WORLD'S LONGEST FLIGHT On 6th February 2017, the world’s longest commercial flight landed in Auckland, New Zealand after a 9,032-mile (14,535km) flight from Doha. The long-range Qatar Airways Boeing 777-200LR spent 16 hours 23 minutes in the sky, crossing ten time zones on its marathon journey. On board QR920, 15 cabin crew served more than 1,000 hot drinks, 2,000 cold drinks and 1,000 meals. But other airlines are also adding ultra long haul flights to their schedules.

Travellers will soon be able to fly from Australia to Europe without stopping after Qantas announced the first direct passenger route between Perth and London, and Singapore Airlines is planning to resume its Singapore New York in 2018. Analysts expect that one will be hard to beat! www.qatarairways.com

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No Shoes Required AT

SHANGRI LA’S VILLINGILI ISLAND RESORT & SPA NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU discovers that the introduction of SriLankan Airlines’ new route to Gan Island opens up the magnificent Maldives to long weekenders

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any of us know the story. When travelling to the Maldives for an island getaway, flying to Malé - capital of the Indian Ocean island nation - is more often than not just half the journey. From Malé connections are obligatory via seaplane, single-engine prop or boat, or a combination of the above, to reach one’s final destination. This can be exhausting and makes visiting the Maldives for anything less than a week a little ridiculous. But not any more. The introduction of SriLankan's new route to Gan Island opens up the Maldives to long weekenders flying via Colombo from Gulf and Asian hubs. Gan airport receives SriLankan flights four

times a week, and from here the journey time to a selection of secluded resorts is a matter of minutes. Fly from Dubai or Doha on SriLankan, and you will be sitting in your Maldivian oasis just eight hours later, making this paradise destination accessible for long weekend breaks.

Landing at Gan International was one of the most painless and slick arrival experiences ever. Originally built by the Brits as a staging post for the RAF during WWII, the simple airport was handed over to the Maldivian Government 40 years ago. I was out of the terminal complete with baggage a quarter of an hour after touching down, and five minutes later sitting

rather comfortably in Shangri-La's private high speed twin-engine speedboat winging my way to Villingili Island on the southern most tip of Addu Atoll. Seven minutes later I was welcomed to what felt like my own private castaway paradise, such is the size of Villingili.

The largest single-resort island in the archipelago, at almost 3km long, Villingili is enormous by typical Maldivian standards. The entire 12 hectares are occupied by Shangri La's sprawling tropical estate of 132 villas, including 60 on stilts suspended over the calm jewel-coloured waters, plus two considerable presidential pads. The rest of the villas are scattered around the island like hidden gems, either secretly

nestling amongst the lush vegetation, or fronting the beach with direct access to pristine white sands. Villingili even operates in its own time zone, an hour ahead of MalĂŠ, so guests feel truly disconnected from the rest of the world.

Still sipping on my coconut water welcome drink, farmed from one of the island's 17,000 indigenous coconut palms, I was whisked by buggy through natural forests and soaring Banyan trees to my abode for the next ďŹ ve days, an Ocean View Tree House Villa, on the east side of Villingili directly facing the roaring ocean. I speciďŹ cally requested to stay in these lodgings because everyone has seen a Maldivian over-water villa, Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 89

although Shangri-La boasts some of the largest in the Maldives at 166m2 each, hovering over three placid lagoons to the west side of the island.

Once through a pair of traditionally styled entrance doors on terra firma, and after ascending maybe thirty-odd steps, I found myself in more than 230m2 of rambling deluxe tree house, perched on stilts amongst the treetops, completely surrounded by dense forest, all manner of flora and fauna and towering creeper-covered trunks. Expansive timber decking led to a stand-alone pool house cum day TV room (complete with Bose surround system), a long private infinity pool (which was so much more than a plunge pool) and the main accommodation building comprising a large sleeping space, walk through wardrobes, and spacious bathroom presided over by a huge oval freestanding bathtub at its center, complete with indoor and open-air showers.

Not to mention the obligatory his and hers sinks and vanities one expects of a villa of this size.

Off to one side of the pool house, a short boardwalk led down to a private viewing platform laid with a double day bed, pillows and triangular cushions directly facing the ocean. This tranquil, secluded space was equally perfect for a morning yoga session. With the entire villa complex thatched in dried palm leaves, the overall feel was one of jungle retreat meets private island hideaway. Think Robinson Crusoe meets Swiss Family Robinson and you’ll get the picture.

No sooner was I unpacked and installed that I realised I really didn't need to move anywhere for the duration. From atop my bed I could gaze across the sparkling pool directly at the tempestuous Indian Ocean. Plush surroundings aside, the sound alone of waves crashing 100-metres away was incredible. And when the tide was out, I could gaze down from my deck at a living marine canvas of hermit crabs darting from rock to rock, and giant sea snails chomping at plant life temporarily exposed by the receded waters.

Fringed by coral reefs and blessed with white sand beaches and immense forests render Villingili the classic sultry island escape. But aside from the usual water sports, scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities one typically associates with a holiday in the Maldives, to say that Villingili has much more to offer would be a serious understatement. Shangri-La's high-end resort is the envy of many of its neighbours due to one key luxury it uniquely possesses - that of space. Villingili has so much space that it boasts the nation's only nine-hole golf course, which is completely private and accessible only to residents of the resort. No amount of money will allow you to tee off on Villingili unless you are a resort guest of Shangri-La. The island also has a tennis facility with multiple

OCEAN VIEW TREE HOUSE VILLA

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courts presided over by former world no. 1 professional tennis player Jim Courier; an extensive Ayurvedic spa with several couples suites and spacious individual treatment villas, and a variety of dining options at different restaurants dotted around the island. There is even a beach club with a DJ providing a funky soundtrack at weekends. Not to mention a dive centre complete with training pool, fully equipped gym, beachfront infinity pool, private 21-metre luxury yacht, glass bottom boat, kids club and ecological centre. Everything is linked by an army of chauffeur-driven golf carts that whisk guests around at lightening speed for those who don’t wish to make use of the bicycles parked outside every room. Guests 92 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

can also sign up for nature trails, guided walks, bike tours, cookery classes, all manner of aerobic activities and even a boot camp for those on a mission to get super fit.

Refreshingly, the resort also offers a number of excursions and tours that are complimentary, including talks about marine life, sea turtles and biodiversity, and even feeding Tilapia freshwater fish.

During my all-too-brief time on Villingili, I saw spinners jumping, flipping and twisting above the surface of the water on a dolphin cruise, learnt how to snorkel and overcame a childhood fear of being in open water by snorkeling 30kms

offshore for a good hour (loving every minute of it), and was transported to a place of personal peace via the resort’s signature Kandu Boli Ritual at CHI, the island’s secluded spa sanctuary.

Every single meal I ate on Villingili was impeccably presented and delicious. This included in-villa dining – al fresco on my private deck overlooking the ocean. And the panoramic sunset vistas that unfolded in front of me when I dined at Fashala - the resort's premium fine dining restaurant - were astonishing. I simply could not fault any part of my time at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, apart from the length of

my stay that was nowhere near long enough. All of the facilities were first class, service was universally polite and efficient, and there was so much space that I rarely bumped into another guest let alone feel in any way crowded. For those looking for an untypical Maldivian holiday experience, with plenty to do besides the norm, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa is most probably your one and only option. www.shangri-la.com/male/villingiliresort Nicholas Chrisostomou was a guest of SriLankan Airlines and Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa in February 2017 and flew to Gan Island on SriLankan Airlines via Colombo. SriLankan makes the 2-hour flight to Gan Island four times per week direct from Colombo. www.srilankan.com Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 93

SPOTLIGHT ON

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DC SUITE

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he London members’ club landscape has hotted up considerably in recent years, and pretty much every venue has either had to up their game or regroup. It’s no longer sufficient to lease a rickety Georgian house in a bohemian corner of the capital, paint everything black, be snooty about who’s allowed in, serve second-rate food and pour wine in tumblers. Those days are long gone. Now it’s all about gourmet cuisine served in swish settings by handsome educated staff, complete with gardens, spas and gyms, private spaces for secret rendezvous and a place to crash after last orders. And herein lies the rub. Bedrooms.

The need for somewhere convenient to sleep has seen floors of bedrooms added to luxury stalwarts, and legends of the

members’ club scene rejuvenated with decadent new interiors. It really has been do or die in the London members’ club scene as they have all had to adapt and morph into high-end one-stop shops for successful media, creative, financial and entrepreneurial types who like to eat, work, socialise, play and rest in the same location, preferably without moving from the one address. The venues that have delivered all of the above have become established hotspots (and cash cows), with a loyal following of high-spending members complete with their affluent friends and aspirational guests. In a capital city renowned for the transient loyalty of people with Sterling to splash, achieving just the right formula for a members’ club has become the holy grail of hospitality and something many aspire to achieve.

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A few London members’ clubs jumped on the bedroom bandwagon a little while back, offering lodgings for their weary members to crash after a boozy dinner. Until recently these offerings ranged from self-proclaimed “Tiny” rooms at Shoreditch House (which whilst are indeed tiny, for GBP 150/night give non-members the run of all the club’s facilities), to the 16 divine rooms at Mayfair’s Arts Club, the least expensive of which is GBP 600/night. But when Devonshire Club opened last year (with little fanfare and much understated class), in the heart of London’s beating financial EC2 heart surrounded by gleaming skyscrapers, it was a members’ club game changer.

Backed by billionaire Tory peer Lord Ashcroft, the creation of Devonshire Club was the first time a full service 68-room boutique hotel was combined with a sumptuous, sprawling multi-level members’ club in the centre of the British capital. And in the City of London no less, within a stone’s throw of the hip East End, awash with countless upwardly mobile high-flying professionals, keen to impress clients over lunch or host international visitors in style.

And my word is Devonshire Club sumptuous. Rather than being some gritty, painfully trendy “mixed-media hub” where the staff deign to speak to guests, Devonshire Club oozes class and sophistication from every colourfully-glazed nook and lavishly upholstered cranny, and is presided over by a beaming team who couldn’t be more affable unless they were staff at Dignitas.

One should hardly be surprised that Devonshire Club has been so exquisitely and exactingly realised. The brainchild of Brian Clivaz – one of the most influential figures on the London members’ club scene – he has presided over some of the capital’s most successful private haunts (including the Arts Club and Home House), exudes bonhomie from every pore and is positively brimming with fascinating tidbits. If you were to get stuck in a lift with Clivaz you'd almost certainly emerge laughing. Unlike many London

BRIAN CLIVAZ

CHAMPAGNE BAR

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BRASSERIE

members’ clubs that are offhand and lack personality, Clivaz and Doris (Clivaz’s immaculately groomed English Bulldog), are at the heart and soul of Devonshire Club, adored by staff and patrons alike. And their character, joie de vivre and warmth have rubbed-off on the entire team, which really does make a difference in this day and age.

Costing GBP 25million and comprising an entire seven-floor block of two Grade II listed buildings, Devonshire Club can best be described as a refined and stylish yet glamorous and welcoming sanctuary from the cut and thrust of the fast-paced City outside. Although the club’s brick-faced exterior is traditional and unassuming, the interior is opulent with a feminine edge. Armchairs beg to be sat in, stools

perched on and banquette booths dined in. The finishing throughout is impeccable, verging on meticulous, and the overall feel is of timeless elegance. This appears to have been achieved through the careful layering of mid-century 50s and early 60s influences via the club’s furnishings, fabrics, décor and artworks.

A mix of bespoke and vintage furniture is laden with Nattier-designed cushions. Exquisite Seguso Italian glass panels, rich teak and golden walnut timber, various magnificent marbles, brushed brass fittings, Connolly leather, handmade rugs and monochrome detailing abound throughout the club’s two floors of bars, lounges, restaurants and meeting rooms. Not to mention the delightful garden room, exquisitely executed brasserie and peaceful private Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 101

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garden. Yet, while each space is unique, with its own character and feel, all are subtly and skillfully connected to each other making the club flow beautifully. Moving around Devonshire Club is easy and pleasurable, especially when you come down in the lift from your bedroom into the epicenter of the building.

DORIS

The four floors of hotel rooms, directly above the club, offer a variety of categories, ranging from compact club ideal for an overnight work stay, to interconnecting rooms for families, through to smart suites providing space to entertain, relax and spread out. Suites boast massive bathrooms slathered with Carrara marble. All guest rooms are furnished with handcrafted and vintage pieces and Hypnos beds; enjoy high-speed Wi-Fi, large flat screens and Apple TV; and offer complimentary soft drinks and nibbles replenished daily. The in-room dining menu is reasonably priced and breakfasts a lavish affair with all the trimmings. In fact the food served throughout Devonshire Club is of an exceptionally high standard.

From snacks to room service, brunch to dinner, it’s clear that Clivaz is a food and beverage pro and his attention to detail thorough. It helps that the culinary side of the club is overseen by executive chef Oliver Lesnik, who at one time worked at The Connaught under Michel Bourdin, famous for his century-old Escoffier-style and classic French cuisine.

Street-wise Londoners are quick to latch on to a good thing, especially tasty honest food served in plush surroundings, so Clivaz’s splendid, fashion-infused City haven is destined to be a winner. Hotel rooms are already routinely sold out midweek and the brasserie often filled with discerning, well-attired diners, so if you fancy becoming a member you’d better move fast. But be sure to include a marrowbone with your application, because it’s rumoured that Doris, Clivaz’s trusty canine companion, heads-up the membership committee.

LIBRARY BAR

www.devonshire.club

TRAVELLER LOWDOWN SAM HENDERSON spent five days in stunning Yellowstone, America's first and largest national park, with its steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools Atop a volcanic hot spot and covering nearly 9,000 km2, Yellowstone's vast natural forest is an unmissable geological wonder. Established in 1872, the UNESCO World Heritage Site contains over half the world's known geothermal features, more than 300 geysers (the largest concentration on the planet – basically more than two thirds), miles of unspoilt alpine scenery, breathtaking deep river canyons and a multitude of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves and bison, plus more than 60 other species of mammal.

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Essential watching before you visit is the BBC documentary mini-series Yellowstone, filmed over the course of a year and available from Amazon. It will give you a general feel for how life flows in the park, help you decide which season to visit and what to expect. And before you arrive at the park, download and set up the Yellowstone Park app. As you'd expect of such a huge and wild space, mobile coverage within the park is a bit hit and miss, so make sure you have familiarised yourself with the app and the park in advance of your arrival. Once inside, there are Wi-Fi hotspots at all the visitor centres. Here you can get up-to-date information on active wildlife spots, geyser predictions, road closures and more.

We visited Yellowstone as part of a self-drive tour across America and entered the park at Fishing Bridge, from the east, having spent the previous night in a comfy hotel in fashionably cowboy Cody, Wyoming, just an hour away.

About 96% of Yellowstone lies in Wyoming, 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho. When in Cody don’t miss the fascinating museum dedicated to William F. ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, The Buffalo Bill Center of the West (www.centerofthewest.org).

Step back in time and stay at original Wild West lodgings, Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill in 1902 and named after his daughter. The tasty fare served in Irma Hotel’s restaurant is superb. Be sure to have a nightcap in hotel bar, Silver Saddle Saloon (www.irmahotel.com).

Whether you take an organised tour or self-drive, stay onsite or offsite, your most important consideration is geographically how you want to see Yellowstone, including which entrance and exit gates, and the areas you’re keen to focus on. With over 1,000 miles of hiking paths, even with your best boots on you will never see all of it!

If you do approach Yellowstone from the east, you must also eat at Bubbas Bar-B-Que, which was honestly the best barbequed feasted we enjoyed in the entire U.S.A. (www.bubbasbar-b-que.com). There’s a Walmart nearby so you can stock up on essentials for the park – walking gear, picnic food etc. Alpine Yellowstone in spring or autumn is a tad colder than you'd expect so you may need gloves, hats Feb-Mar 2017 The Cultured Traveller 107

and extra layers. Cody has some good outdoor stores and funky thrift shops. And yes, in Cody, there are real cowboys – belts, boots, hats and all – everywhere!

Whoever designed the road system in Yellowstone knew exactly what they were doing. They crisscross breath-taking plateaus, rise above deep valleys, wind through mountain passes and around every corner there’s a view to delight. Like being on safari, Yellowstone’s roads allow you to peer into the wilderness, and with binoculars you have a good chance of spotting a range of wildlife.

We entered the park via an awesome mountain pass and the Fishing Bridge entrance on a rainy afternoon, so we stopped at Yellowstone Lake for a picnic, enjoying Your most important consideration is spectacular views 2 In any season, a across the 350 km geographically how you want to see five-day visit isn't largest body of water Yellowstone, including which entrance and enough, but it will in Yellowstone exits and the areas you’re keen to focus on give you the National Park. We opportunity to see then spent a couple the cream of the park. Spring and autumn are probably the of hours at Fishing Bridge Museum and Visitor Center talking to park rangers. Ours was amazing. Like many, he had been a best in terms of weather, access and availability. Summer is the busiest, but early rising will get you in when the traffic is professional high-flyer (a CFO for Oracle no less) and retired lightest, and you can finish up before the traffic builds again. to Yellowstone. We told him our abilities and aspirations and Coach trips and guided tours tend to start early to allow for he recommended some specific routes. There are so many this, so if you are staying inside the park you’ll have a head hikes in Yellowstone that it really is worth taking time to start. Visiting Yellowstone during winter is only for the brave, discuss with experts the best suited to your abilities.

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You can book excellent hotels, chalets and log cabins through Yellowstone National Park Lodges, which conveniently runs all the accommodation, dining and tours throughout the park

since most of its roads are closed November through May. We stayed off-site in West Yellowstone, Montana, just six miles from the park entrance, in a KOA camping cabin, which was authentic and clean with good facilities (www.koa.com).

You can also book excellent hotels, chalets and log cabins through Yellowstone National Park Lodges, which conveniently runs all the accommodation, dining and tours throughout the park (www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com).

One awe-inspiring way to see Yellowstone is from above. So, on day two we drove to Mount Washburn for a moderate, refreshing hike. It took about 3 hours up and 1½ hours down, with an indoor rest area at the summit to enjoy a picnic and take in the views. From the top, we could see almost all sides of the massive caldera that is Yellowstone, fringed by snow-capped mountain ranges in spring and autumn. We then drove back via Canyon Village, to take in the Upper and Lower Falls drives, ending our day with a perfect sunset at the rim of The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. At 20 miles long, seeing the canyon at dusk was a breathtaking sight.

On day three we headed to the north of the park at Mammoth. Our ranger suggested a superb 2-hour hike through woods and across wild lavender meadows, which brought us to the back of the famous Mammoth Hot Springs on a hill of travertine terraces. A series of colourful limestone, silica, sulphur and hot mud and water formations bubbling and spurting merrily, Mammoth Hot Springs are a must-see feature of Yellowstone. The park has many convenient walkways from which to safely view all the thermal activity and lots of educational signage.

On day four we ventured on a moderate walking tour, along the same tracks as one of the many official guided tours included in the park entrance fee, which incidentally is cheaper the more days you stay. Tours leave from visitor centres early morning and afternoon with the aim to enlightening and enriching visitors’ Yellowstone experiences (www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/rangerprog.htm). We walked a section of one of the vast expanses of the park Lamar Valley, on a 5-hour trail called Hell's Roaring. It took us across a bridge and above a ravine with the Yellowstone Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 109

River roared menacingly underneath and signboards warned not to risk your life swimming there. Crossing a wide-open plain, we saw skeletons of herd animals everywhere. We were told this was coyote and wolf hunting ground and kept a look out for them. After finding an idyllic, safe spot next to the fast-flowing Yellowstone River to lunch, we caught up with the ranger running the tour who showed us more animal skeletons, explaining their part in the evolution of the park. Since we had started early that day, on the way to Hell's Roaring we had time to visit the smaller but no less impressive Norris Geyser Basin (the hottest, oldest and most dynamic of Yellowstone's thermal areas), Monument Geyser Basin and the colourful Artists Paint Pots.

Day five we devoted to the main volcanic features, which are neatly concentrated on the road to the most impressive timekeeper on the planet - the geyser Old Faithful. Yellowstone have made exploring the Lower, Mid and Upper Geyser Basins enjoyable and easy. The first geyser in the park to receive a name in 1870, Old Faithful is a North American institution. Arrive at the modern visitor centre and you'll know the time of the next eruption immediately. There is seating, which you need to reserve about 30 minutes in advance. The scenery is stunning. Do explore the surrounding area afterwards, since there are many other geysers close-by. After Old Faithful, we drove south over the Great Continental Divide. On one side of this mountain range, rivers flow to the Pacific, and on the other towards the Atlantic. Driving out via this route gives you the advantage of seeing the thermal activity at West Thumb, a mini caldera within greater Yellowstone, located on the shores of Yellowstone Lake.

We exited via Yellowstone’s South Entrance, into the equally stunning Grand Teton National Park, and drove to Jackson Hole where there’s a range of accommodation from comfy hostels to deluxe five-star hotels, including a very good Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com/jacksonhole/). Meanwhile Snake River Lodge and (www.snakeriverlodge.com) and Teton Mountain Lodge (www.tetonlodge.com) offer alpine-style lodgings.

Finally, a word about wildlife! Home of infamous picnic-stealing Yogi Bear, Yellowstone is famous for its illusive, smarter than average bears. You are advised to protect your food and drink from all wildlife when stopping at viewpoints and open picnic spots. The 110 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

There are so many hikes in Yellowstone that it really is worth taking time to discuss with expert rangers the best routes suited to your abilities

making as much noise as possible, to avoid taking a bear by park’s garbage cans have locks and chains like Fort Knox! If surprise. Our ranger told us that in the previous 10 years, there you are out to spot grizzly and black bears who make their had been no attacks on people in groups of 4 or more. Despite home in Yellowstone, you will need a bit of luck, crowd-spotting skills (since crowds form at the side of the road our best efforts and a hefty family reward, we didn't see a bear or wolf at Yellowstone, though many visitors do. We did see at the first whiff of a bear) and a good pair of binoculars. The herds of majestic elk, antelope and buffalo, cantankerous bison park rents bear spray for USD 10 to those planning to hike on blocking our paths to the trails. It’s certainly mud pools and not worth buying at waterfalls, sleek and USD 50 a can. The Like being on safari, Yellowstone’s roads beautiful coyote spray is powerful allow you to peer into the wilderness, feeding on road kill, stuff, so should only and with binoculars you have a good cheeky chipmunks at be used when chance of spotting a range of wildlife every turn and absolutely necessary, numerous wild birds. to frighten a bear at very close quarters.

There really is no place on earth like Yellowstone. Teeming How effective is it? While we were at Yellowstone, one of the with wildlife, incredible scenery and non-stop volcanic local stores had a delivery of bear spray. One of the boxes was hotspots, visiting this vast national park is like journeying dropped during the delivery and a can exploded in the store, on an alpine safari to Middle-earth, and most definitely a filling it with spray and shutting it down for 2 weeks. That was once in a lifetime experience. just one can. Most bears will avoid you as soon as they see you, so the park recommend hiking in small groups and Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 113

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TASTE &SIP REVIEW

AMARONE ROTTERDAM Food Atmosphere

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otterdam is not a European city that one would immediately associate with fine dining, but this is rapidly changing, along with a lot of other rusty stereotypes that dog Netherlands’ historic seaport. Rotterdam is a spacious metropolis of funky contemporary architecture that literally wows as you pass by; a pretty city with a dedication to the arts that is appealingly evident on every street corner as well as in its world-class galleries; and a place of friendly locals and a lively clubbing scene. Overall Rotterdam is rapidly gaining a reputation as a rather fine city break destination. It is still the largest seaport in Europe, a gateway to the continent, but the working docks now live cheek to jowl with fashionable bars, upmarket eateries, boutique hotels and fancy shops. It will never be a world city on the scale of Amsterdam, but then, Rotterdam also has the blessing of not being besieged by millions of hedonistic twenty-somethings seeking spiritual nirvana in red light hash bars every summer!

From a gourmand’s point of view, what Rotterdam lacks in big city chutzpah, it makes up for in sophisticated cuisine. This has not gone unnoticed. Ten years ago, the city had less than a

handful of top table restaurants. Today, there are seven with Michelin stars, and the buzz in restaurant circles is that several more may join this elite list within the next few years. Amongst the seven is Amarone, a bijou establishment known for its French-focused cuisine and extensive wine list, situated in The Meent shopping street in the heart of Rotterdam. Founded in 2006 by Harrie Baas and executive chef Gert Blom (Baas has since amicably left the partnership), it was open a mere 15 months before winning its coveted Michelin star. This could have been a curse, resulting in a complacency leading to gradual ruin. However, you get the impression that Blom would rather be flipping burgers in the nearest greasy spoon than go down that path, so hands-on is he.

On the occasion of my visit, I hadn’t been seated for more than a few minutes before Blom emerged from the open kitchen to greet me warmly. Throughout the evening, he divides his time between the kitchen and the dining area, chatting with regulars, presenting plates with a practiced flourish, grating truffle over the top of dishes (he’s a huge truffle fan), before returning to the kitchen to supervise head chef Jan van Dobben and the rest of the culinary crew. The

trend towards open kitchens has made watching food preparation part of the experience at many restaurants these days, but Amarone’s team show a mixture of dedication, concentration and artistry that elevate cuisine theatre to another level. But I am jumping ahead! First, the ambience. I strolled to Amarone along The Meent from my hotel nearby, a walk of about 15 minutes, giving me ample time to admire the on-trend apparel in the windows of the upmarket boutiques en route, as well as beautiful young Dutch folk spilling out of assorted lounge bars. The restaurant fits seamlessly into this stylish streetscape. The interior is long, but wide enough to avoid a claustrophobic train carriage feeling. An airy, well-lit space of black, grey and white décor with big windows, it is laden with comfy upholstered chairs and banquettes, classic white-clothed tables and artfully arranged mirrors. I am seated near the back, giving me a bird’s eye view of both the kitchen and fellow diners, but also of the striking back wall, which has been transformed into a walk-in temperature controlled wine room for over 500 different vintages from around the world.

GERT BLOM AND JAN VAN DOBBEN

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surrealist exhibition at one of the country’s most important cultural institutions, Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Quite a coup for a wee amuse bouche.

Next I dive into a couple of dishes that Amarone is famous for: scallops and a truffle risotto. The scallops arrive as a flat disc and remind me a little of the Latin American seafood favourite, ceviche, but are served with crunchy, crumbly baked Parmesan and a Parmesan ice cream. Blom promptly arrives at the table to shave a generous serving of black truffle over the top of this creation, the flavour perfectly blending but not overwhelming the delicate seafood. The risotto is the most

PAN-FRIED DUTCH LAMB WITH A CRUST OF MACADAMIA NUTS AND PARSLEY, GLAZED LAMB NECK, POTATO COOKED IN GOOSE FAT, ESCHALLOTS COMPOTE AND ITS OWN GRAVY

Despite the huge wine list, there is something to suit all tastes and most budgets. King amongst them is, naturally, Amarone, the rich, full-bodied dry red of the Veneto region of northern Italy, from which the restaurant takes its name. The wine is produced by way of a unique painstaking process, using grapes which are first dried for about five months. Whilst Amarone is his favourite tipple, Blom considers the wine to be the perfect metaphor for a restaurant he wants diners to associate with character and quality.

popular dish on Amarone’s menu, and, while simple in its execution, there is good reason for its stellar reputation.

Served with a poached farm egg, it is prepared with truffle juice, finely chopped truffle and truffle shavings (of course), giving it a satisfyingly warm earthy flavour and delightfully creamy texture that makes it akin to gourmet comfort food. I notice several plates of risotto whizz past me during the course of the evening and half wished I had not devoured my serve so swiftly.

I am first presented with a glass of champagne and several beautifully arranged amuse-bouches: savoury madeleines and moreish caramelized pecans, miniature croissants topped with truffle, and, the stand-out, a meaty mouthful of pork belly with smoked eel and shallots, given a Japanese kick with miso and the citrus zest of ponzu sauce. The latter is a winning combination, and I later find out that this particular morsel will be served during VIP receptions as part of a major

For something a little different I am presented with a course of Anjou pigeon breast. It is served with a momo (Nepalese-style dumpling) stuffed with pigeon meat, various preparations of carrot and a small saucepan of pigeon stock gravy, delivered to the table, for anointing the bird at one’s leisure. While the meat was lovely and gamey, and I appreciated the work that had gone into its immaculate presentation, I was more excited to be enjoying a glass of 2012 Monte Zovo Amarone as an

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accompaniment. The wine happily lived up to my expectations; its rich, beautifully bold and fruity body the perfect companion to the pigeon.

It is Blom’s absolute passion for food and wine, coupled with a real dedication to pleasing his regular clientele that are pivotal to Amarone’s success. Speaking to the genial chef after my meal, his face becomes increasingly animated as he describes how he uses classical French cooking as a base, but with a lighter touch and the delicate addition of elements of various world cuisines. It seems that Blom is always learning and experimenting: “I learned a lot in the years I worked with great

Dutch chefs, and since I have owned Amarone, I have learnt more and more every day,” he enthuses. Describing his cuisine as ‘modern French’ he is inspired every time he travels, and particularly loves the flavours of Japan and China as well as drawing influences from city food culture in metropolises such as London and Copenhagen. He graciously credits the long hours put in by his young team as a key factor behind the restaurant’s growing reputation: “Aside from my family, my team is the most important thing in my life”. We enjoy a coffee together and I somewhat reluctantly leave the cheery restaurant, walking back out into the Rotterdam night. I float on a sort of foodie euphoria all the way back to the hotel, my feet lightly tripping along the pavement as my head remains full of light-as-air soufflé and heavenly truffle risotto. It is genuinely one of the best restaurant meals I have ever had in my life – and I have been fortunate enough to dine in quality establishments from London to New York, Delhi to Bangkok.

There is definitely something special at Amarone, well beyond that painstakingly produced wine.

BEEF TENDERLOIN POACHED IN OXTAIL BROTH, PAN-FRIED FOIE GRAS, GREEN ASPARAGUS, LEGUME, TRUFFLE

AMARONE Food: Atmosphere: Executive chef: Gert Blom Head chef: Jan van Dobben Address: Meent 72a, 3011 JN Rotterdam, Netherlands Telephone: +31 10 414 84 87 Email: info@restaurantamarone.nl Website: www.restaurantamarone.nl Cuisine: French International Opening hours: 12:00 - 14.00, 18:00 – 21:30 (7 days) p.m.

Reservations: Essential

Lunch price: EUR 37.50 for 3 courses Dinner price: 4 courses EUR 65.00, 5 courses EUR 75.00, 6 courses EUR 85.00 Ideal meal: Luxe Voyage Menu EUR 155.00 for six courses inc. cheese Wheelchair access: No Children: Welcome. No high chairs. Kids menu available Credit cards: All major Parking: In close proximity. No valet parking Reviewed by: Dawn Gibson, March 6th 2017.

Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the reviewer’s feedback about the food and service, and separately the atmosphere in the dining room.

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TASTE &SIP

NEWCOMER ESTIATORIO MILOS LONDON

Costas Spiliadis opened his first Estiatorio Milos restaurant on Park Avenue in Montreal almost forty years ago in December 1979. To him the reason seemed obvious - a basic need to elevate the sophistication of Greek cuisine abroad, far away from what most people perceived to be stereotypical of the country's cuisine. The formula back then (and still is today) was simple: fresh fish cooked classically, served simply and delivered to the table in relaxed, unstuffy and airy surroundings, by affable, informed and polite staff.

Milos focuses on finding the purest Mediterranean products and cooking with the freshest ingredients, and, via years of research, has managed to build lasting relationships and reliable supply chains with growers and fisheries in Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, Tunisia and Portugal, flying-in its fish and seafood daily.

As a small restaurant the first Estiatorio Milos gained the trust of Montrealers very quickly. Soon the restaurant got the attention of the media and food critics around the world. In 1997 Estiatorio Milos opened in NYC, followed by Athens in 2004, Las Vegas in 2010 and Miami Beach five years ago.

Soon Spiliadis became widely recognised amongst culinary circles as pioneering and uplifting North America’s Hellenic 120 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

food scene. And for good reason. Spiliadis hasn’t deviated from his original, successful tried and tested formula.

The most recent Estiatorio Milos to open is in London, occupying the imposing Grade II-listed building that was previously British Columbia House, at 1 Regent Street in St. James's, an area with an exclusive members-only air, and home to grand terraces, high-end antique markets and boundary-pushing galleries, defined by four corners - St James’s Palace, The Ritz, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.

Coupled with St. James's proximity to the oldest Royal Park of London makes the neighbourhood classic and prestigious.

It's therefore somewhat fitting that Spiliadis’ classic Greek restaurant should open in such an iconic part of the British capital, in the very heart of London's hustle and bustle.

British Columbia House was an edifice so daunting and austere, its interior such a rabbit warren, that it lay empty for many years before Spiliadis took an interest in the place. It reputedly took four years from the beginning of negotiations for a lease with The Crown Estate to the opening of Milos London, injecting overnight new life into a grand old

building that was no longer attractive for retail or office use.

Designed jointly with Spiliadis and architect Alain Carle, huge imposing castle-like heavy wooden doors lead the way into Milos London, lending the entrance the feel of a stage set. It’s one of the grandest yet warm restaurant arrivals I've experienced, and once inside, everywhere is light, white and calm. The greeters are warm and welcoming with no sign of pomposity - the complete antithesis to almost every other high-end restaurant in St. James's. For me it's all about first impressions and Milos London has nailed it perfectly. A long bar offers views across the entire 100-seater ground floor dining room and into the open kitchen. In fact the sightlines are good so that the activity generated by the waiting staff, the smoke from the grills and the lights shining on to the restaurant’s colourful fish market arrangement of the day’s catch, is obvious to all. White Pentelikon marble - sourced from the Penteli Mountains in Attica just outside Athens – is evident everywhere and makes a striking contrast against the blue mosaic glass backdrop of the open kitchen. The mezzanine level above (crucial for a central London restaurant's profitability) accommodates a further 80 guests,

and includes a raw seafood bar, private dining room seating up to 20, wine cellar and cheese counter which showcases a large display of the best artisan cheeses hailing from Greece.

The extensive menu ranges from Greek oysters to traditional Cretan wild greens, Greek ceviche and avgotaraho –a delicacy of cured fish roe produced primarily from the flathead mullet caught in Greek lagoons. Everything is presented modestly yet exquisitely and every dish begs to be devoured. A planned one-hour lunch easily turned into three, accompanied by just one bottle of wine and a couple of Mastika’s to round-off the meal.

In offering Londoners a range of the very best fish and shellfish in a style that the capital’s older and more cramped fish restaurants (such as J Sheekey and Scott’s) cannot match, Spiliadis has given the capital's cosmopolitan high-spending individuals an opportunity to spend well on the kind of relatively simple food most believe will do them good, in a fresh, bright and inviting environment. If you visit just one fish restaurant in central London make it Milos.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.milos.ca/restaurants/london

GEORGE MICHAEL

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music& NIGHT LIFE

THE NAME GEORGE MICHAEL IS KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD. THE SINGER LED A FASCINATING THOUGH AT TIMES TURBULENT - LIFE THAT CAME TO AN ABRUPT END ON 25TH DECEMBER 2016. THE CULTURED TRAVELLER CHARTS HOW A GREEK BOY FROM NORTH LONDON WENT FROM BUSKING ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND, TO BECOMING A GLOBAL SUPERSTAR WHO SOLD OVER 100 MILLION RECORDS WORLDWIDE IN A CAREER SPANNING FOUR DECADES

Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou was born in London’s East Finchley on 25th June 1963 to an English dancer, Lesley Angold (née Harrison) and a Greek Cypriot restaurateur, Kyriacos Panayiotou who moved to England in the 1950s from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It was in Radlett, Hertfordshire, where young George went to school, that he met Andrew Ridgeley with whom he officially formed Wham! in 1981.

The British pop duo released their debut studio album “Fantastic” on 9th July 1983 and it soon reached number 1 in the UK album charts, spawning a series of top 10 hit singles, including “Bad Boys”, “Young Guns”, “Wham Rap!” and “Club Tropicana”, the latter two of which were co-written with Ridgeley. After releasing their second album “Make It Big” in 1984 - which went to no. 1 in both the UK and USA - Wham! released one of the most beloved holiday songs of the post-MTV era, “Last Christmas”, which was part of a double A-side single with “Everything She Wants”.

In May 1984 “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (from Make It Big) went to number one in the British singles chart. A few months later (while still a member of Wham!), Michael released his first solo track, “Careless Whisper”, which was also co-written with Ridgeley when they were just 17-years-old. Featuring one of the most famous sax solos in popular music, the single topped the charts in more than two dozen countries, including the UK and America’s Billboard Hot 100, and was credited to ‘Wham! Featuring George Michael’ in the USA. In April 1985 Wham! became the first popular Western music act to ever visit and perform in China, garnering worldwide media coverage. Before the duo‘s groundbreaking performance, many kinds of music were forbidden in China, but many dignitaries including members of the Chinese Government watched Wham! perform. Around the same time Michael began his long but mostly undocumented commitment to charity work, with a performance on Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, and by donating all Wham! royalties from their “Last Christmas/Everything She Wants” single to Ethiopian famine relief.

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On 13th July 1985 Michael performed at Wembley Stadium at Live Aid, a worldwide effort organised by Bob Geldof to raise money for the relief of famine-stricken Africans. Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially opened Live Aid at 12:00 noon British Summer Time, and the 16-hour “superconcert” continued at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and other arenas around the world, globally linked by satellite to more than a billion viewers in 110 nations. During the concert Michael joined Elton John to perform “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me”. Live Aid raised more than USD 125 million for famine relief for Africa.

Michael and Ridgeley officially announced the breakup of Wham! in the spring of 1986, before playing a series of farewell gigs culminating with “The Final” sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium on 28th June 1986 attended by 85,000 adoring fans (including TCT’s Editor-in-Chief!)

Late 1987 saw Michael release “Faith”, his multi-platinum debut solo album, on which he wrote, performed and produced almost all of his own material.

Ranked no. 472 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, “Faith” generated six top-five singles. While on tour promoting the album in the States, multiple Grammy winner and “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin joined Michael on stage in Michigan in 1988.

On 3rd September 1990, Michael released his second solo studio album, the starkly personal “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1”, which continued his blend of old-school R&B, rock and pop that began on “Faith”, only this time the sound was much more organic, authentic even. The album was awarded Best British Album at the 1991 BRIT Awards, but unfortunately performed disappointingly, leading to Michael's much-documented legal battles with Sony Music, in which he accused the corporation of not properly supporting him as an artist.

In October 1990 Michael’s “Freedom! '90” single was released, reaching the top 10 of the US charts. The singer does not appear in the video (directed by David Fincher), which instead featured supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz and Christy Turlington - all lip-synching along to George’s voice.

Michael was among the acts to perform at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, in honour 126 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

of the incomparable late Queen frontman, on 20th April 1992.

Michael performed “Somebody To Love” and (along with Lisa Stansfield) “These Are The Days Of Our Lives” with the remaining members of Queen. A recording of the performance was released on the Five Live EP the following year.

In October 1992 Michael began court proceedings against Sony Music, which he unfortunately lost in June 1994 when a British judge rejected his bid to be freed from his long-term recording contract.

On 22nd April 1996 “Fastlove” - the second single drawn from “Older” - was released, and became Michael’s second UK no. 1 in a row, as well as reaching the top 10 in the US. On 13th May 1996, Michael released his third solo album, “Older”, on Virgin records, which included “Jesus to a Child” by way of a tribute to his late lover, Anselmo Feleppa, who died in 1993 from an Aids-related brain hemorrhage.

“Older” produced six top-three singles.

On 10th April 1997 Michael performed “Living for the City” with Stevie Wonder at the 4th annual VH1 Honors in Universal City, California.

Despite the controversial video for “I Want Your Sex” (the first single released from Michael's “Faith” album), which saw Michael romping with his supposed girlfriend at the time, Kathy Jeung, and led to the track being banned by the BBC, questions about his sexuality persisted throughout his career.

It would take Michael exposing himself in a lewd act with a police officer in a public Beverly Hills restroom in 1998 for him to finally confirm what the world more or less knew already. On 19th October 1998, as the lead single from his greatest hits album “Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael”, he released the song “Outside” as a humorous response to his arrest earlier that year. The satirical video features a police helicopter hovering over LA and shadowing a variety of people, both gay and straight, kissing in public.

Michael performed with the famous Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti and Annie Lennox (of Eurythmics fame) during the Pavarotti & Friends concert in Modena on 6th June 2000. A few months later, Michael dueted with Whitney Houston on a new version of “If I Told You That”, recorded for a compilation of her greatest hits.

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 127

2003 saw Michael re-sign with Sony, and a year later release his fifth studio album, “Patience”, which was one of the UK's fastest selling albums of all time. More than 275,000 copies were snapped up in the first week of its release.

By now comfortable and public about his homosexuality, Michael was often seen out and about with his long-term partner, Kenny Goss. They spent 13 years together before announcing their split in 2011. Later Michael spoke of how both had struggled with addiction.

Michael appeared on Parkinson in April 2006, telling the famous chat show host that he had never felt better, was to tour with his own songs for the first time in 18 years and was to register his partnership with Goss. This was just weeks after Michael had been arrested for possession of Class C drugs. Later that year, Michael gave an interview to Melvyn Bragg in which he discussed his career, sexuality, life, work and marijuana.

A second greatest hits album “Twenty Five” came in 2006 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michael’s music career. It went straight to no.1. The multi leg 25 Live tour, celebrating Michael's 25-year career, saw the singer perform 106 shows in 29 countries.

In 2010, Michael hit the headlines after he was accused of driving under the influence and crashing his Range Rover into a branch of Snappy Snaps photo shop in Hampstead.

Michael began his Symphonica Tour - in preparation for his sixth UK solo album - in August 2011, but had to cancel concert dates from November onwards after becoming ill with pneumonia while in Vienna, Austria.

In June 2012, Michael celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of “Wham Rap” with new single “White Light”, and performed it at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

On 14th March 2014 Michael released “Symphonica”, his sixth album, first in a decade and the only live record released during his lifetime. The album debuted at number 1 in the UK charts and sold almost 50,000 copies in its first week. Sadly it was to be his last album.

In early 2016 Michael announced that a documentary commissioned by Channel 4 was being made about his life. The release of “Freedom: George Michael” has been given the go-ahead by his estate in discussions following George Michael’s death. His passing on Christmas Day 2016, at his Oxfordshire mansion aged just 53, brought a mass outpouring of grief from fans around the world. The cause of death of the by then largely reclusive singer was concluded to have been heart failure.

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 129

DOLCE & GABBANA PINEAPPLE SWIM SHORTS

When you have spent an exorbitant amount of time working your biceps, chiseling that chest and perfecting a six pack for beach season, you really shouldn't stop there! These slim-cut Dolce & Gabbana swim shorts, crafted in Italy from quick-drying shell, are printed with monochrome pineapples. They will make a lively yet sophisticated addition to your essential beach kit this summer, and are a distinguished choice whether you're headed to the tropics or not.

GBP 275 WWW.MRPORTER.COM

MAISON MICHEL PIERRE HAT Couture millinery Maison Michel is renownedd for its handcrafted approach to hat design and production. oduction.

Founded in 1936 and now owned by Chanel,l, this beloved French label offers a stunning rangee of headwear and accessories, including this hand-dyed beige Pierre paper straw fedora.

Traditionally hand-woven, it features a rope-like band of leather shoelaces in an array of colours, wrapped around the crown to contrast the base colour and add a vibrant flash.

EUR 510 WWW.MICHEL-PARIS.COM

QUAY IN CROWD SUNGLASSES STATE OF ESCAPE BAG With no prior experience in fashion design and drawing inspiration for their carryall tote from a single piece of neoprene, it took less than two years for Sydney duo Brigitte MacGowan and Desley Maidment to create their Escape Bag that is now adorning the arms of celebrities.

What sets the bag apart is its unique design. Made of lightweight, stretchy and machine washable wetsuit fabric, sailing rope is used as framework for the bag giving it both strength and structure to carry a heavy load.

Linda and Allen Hammond founded Quay Australia, the notoriously cool sunglasses brand, whilst on the festival circuit more than a decade ago. Quay’s signature oversized frames, playful yet edgy range of designs and affordable pricepoint i t makes owning multiple pairs part and parcel of daily wardrobe styling. These In Crowd sunnies, with classic round reflective metal frames and polycarbonate lenses, make a bold statement and will almost certainly keep you in the limelight this summer.

AUD 299 WWW.STATEOFESCAPE.COM

GBP 40 WWW.QUAYAUSTRALIA.CO.UK

GUCCI TIGER-APPLIQUÉ SHORTS Appointed creative director of Gucci in January 2015, Italian fashion designer Alessandro Michele is responsible for all of Gucci’s clothing lines and global brand image, and the tiger has become something of an icon of many of his collections. These navy cotton-gabardine shorts are designed in a typically eye-catching warm-weather style. In a slim straight-leg fit, they feature a roaring tiger-head appliqué and two white-canvas stripes across one leg.

GBP 480 WWW.GUCCI.COM 130 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

GLOBETROTTER SPRING-SUMMER 2017 Move along winter! We're totally over our monochrome wardrobe, and we want to embrace the biggest fashion trends of 2017. Not least, we all need a dash of colour to brighten those soulless in-flight airplane cabins. This summer deconstructed shirts, 80s party wear and slogan t-shirts will be your new go-to wardrobe essentials. Gucci’s tiger motif also still features. And there are plenty of jungle prints for her and tropical prints for him to keep the world’s golden sands looking busy!

RHODE RESORT ELLA DRESS Rhode Resort’s light-brown jungle print version of its popular Ella dress, is imbued with the adventurous spirit that led founders Phoebe Vickers and Purna Khatau to create their label that embodies a modern bohemian spirit. The godet-panel fluted hem lends the lightweight cotton style a feminine air, and the plaited waist tie allows for a personalised fit. Slip it on with rustic leather sandals for a fresh vacation look.

USD 365 WWW.RHODERESORT.COM

VINCE PRINTED CABANA SHIRT

Founded in 2002, Vince is a leading luxury contemporary brand known for modern, effortless style and everyday fashion-forward essentials. Vince offers a broad range of women's and men's ready-to-wear, including its signature cashmere sweaters, leather jackets, luxe leggings, dresses, silk and woven tops, denim, and shoes. This lightweight relaxed-fit tropical leaf print cabana shirt, crafted in viscose rayon imported from Italy, is suitably versatile to wear over a pair of shorts on the beach, or style-up for an al fresco dinner.

USD 225 WWW.VINCE.COM

MARNI EMBELLISHED SANDALS Since its launch by Consuelo Castiglioni in 1994, Italian label Marni has become known for its bold, sophisticated silhouettes, eclectic prints and lighthearted designs, often with an artsy-cool spin. Crafted from smooth tan and yellow calfskin, offset with purple patent leather triangles and embellished with black faceted jewels in a brasstone setting, these versatile open toe sandals are one of this summer season’s female footwear staples.

GBP 319 WWW.NET-A-PORTER.COM Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 131

PALM ANGELS SKATE T-SHIRT Los Angeles, the City of Angels, is reputedly home to the world’s largest concentration of wannabe actors, plus funky skate meets prep style menswear brand, Palm Angels. Fabricated to exacting standards, this cotton print t-shirt has been crafted from the finest cotton, and features a round neck, short sleeves and a large metallic gold-tone and monochrome skate image printed across the front.

GBP 165 WWW.FARFETCH.COM

MARCELO BURLON ANNY POOL SLIDERS Designer, DJ, Argentinian-born Milan resident and cultural impresario, Marcelo Burlon, launched his County of Milan line in 2012 – a multi-cultural blender of fashion, music, nightlife and a complete range of clothing – creating a global phenomenon. Drawing in iconographic elements from different cultures, Marcelo creates his very own symbology and celebrates diversity. These Anny pool sliders from the S/S2017 collection are made in Italy of rubber and feature an eyecatching frontal print.

GBP 103 WWW.MARCELOBURLON.EU

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SUNGLASSES Alexander McQueen's Piercing Shield Sunglasses are crafted in Italy from smooth matte black acetate and silver-tone metal. The aviator-style frames flatter the cheekbones and contour the face beautifully. Featuring a thin bar piercing through the front, mirrored gunmetal lenses, spike stud hinge detailing and an engraved signature on the temples, these sunglasses will look luxuriously cool both in the heart of the city and on a slick luxe vacation.

GBP 276 WWW.HARVEYNICHOLS.COM

L/UNIFORM NO.41 BAG

The ultimate chic yet versatile summer beach bag lives and dies on being durable, low-maintenance and cute with a dash of colour. L/Uniform in Paris has just what you need in its artisanal No. 41 canvas bag, inspired by the holders into which five-star hotels slip guests' morning papers and hang on the handles of room doors. Tall, light and supple, this bag can handle just about anything, and then be slung over your shoulder as you head to the sand. The weaving of the canvas and stitching of the bags is done by artisans in Carcassonne, a historic French centre for textile production.

EUR 225 WWW.LUNIFORM.COM

MARYSIA BROADWAY BIKINI Former ballet dancer and surfing enthusiast, Polish-born designer Marysia Dobrzanska Reeves, launched her luxury swimwear brand in 2009. Epitomizing poolside style, the line eschews trendy prints and typical cuts for perfectly executed silhouettes in premium fabrics. Here, the classic triangular bikini receives a contemporary update a la Marysia with the label's famous scallop trim, complete with tie closures for personalised comfort.

USD 296 WWW.MARYSIASWIM.COM 132 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

M AY FA I R CHIC MEETS EAST LONDON STYLE

London’s newest and most glamourous hotel lies within the Devonshire Club – London’s refreshingly distinctive Private Members’ Club.

Book directly with us and mention The Cultured Traveller to receive our lowest available rate. T&Cs apply.

Contact stay@devonshire.club or 0203 750 4545 for enquiries and bookings.

4+5 DEVONSHIRE SQUARE, LONDON, EC2M 4YD

170123_DC_CT_Ad_225x290mm_02.indd 1

INFO@DEVONSHIRE.CLUB +44 (0)20 3750 4545

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ALSTER BOAT TRIPS www.alstertouristik.de

FAIRMONT HOTEL VIER JAHRESZEITEN www.fairmont.com/vierjahreszeiten-hamburg

ALSTERHAUS www.alsterhaus.de AMARONE www.restaurantamarone.nl

FOUR SEASONS JACKSON HOTEL www.fourseasons.com/jacksonhole/

APROPOS THE CONCEPT STORE www.apropos-thestore.com

FOUR SEASONS RESORT LANAI www.fourseasons.com/lanai

ATLANTIK FISCH www.atlantik-fisch.de

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BOBBY REICH www.bobbyreich.de BUBBAS BAR-B-QUE www.bubbasbar-b-que.com

C CAFÉ PARIS www.cafeparis.net

HAMURGER KUNSTHALLE www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de HOTEL SOFITEL BAHRAIN ZALLAQ THALASSA SEA & SPA www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6722-sofitel-bahrain-zallaqthalassa-sea-spa/index.shtml

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CAMELOT CASTLE HOTEL www.camelotcastle.com

IINTERNATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM www.imm-hamburg.de

CAMPARI LOUNGE www.thegeorge-hotel.de

IRMA HOTEL www.irmahotel.com

CASA COOK www.casacook.com CLOUDS www.clouds-hamburg.de

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JARHRESZEITEN GRILL www.fairmont.com/vier-jahreszeiten-hamburg/dining/j ahreszeitengrill

DEVONSHIRE CLUB www.devonshire.club

JIL SANDER www.jilsander.com

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ELBPHILHARMONIE www.elbphilharmonie.de

KOA www.koa.com

134 The Cultured Traveller Apr-May 2017

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ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH www.st-michaelis.de

LE CANARD www.lecanard-hamburg.de

STILWERK www.stilwerk.de/hamburg

LE GRAY www.campbellgrayhotels.com/le-gray/home/

STRAND PAULI www.strandpauli.de

LE LION BAR DE PARIS www.lelion.net

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LEEU ESTATES www.leeucollection.com/leeu-estates/

TAJ TASHI www.taj.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj-tashi TETON MOUNTAIN LODGE www.tetonlodge.com

M MANUFACTUM www.manufactum.de MARKTSTRAßE www.bluesleeve.de MINIATUR WUNDERLAND www.miniatur-wunderland.de

THE BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST www.centerofthewest.org THE GEORGE HOTEL HAMBURG www.thegeorge-hotel.de THE RESTORATION www.therestorationhotel.com

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THE SAVOY www.fairmont.com/savoy

NILS www.restaurant-nil.de

TOKORIKI ISLAND RESORT www.tokoriki.com

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TOSCANA RESORT CASTELFALFI www.castelfalfi.com TRIFIC www.trific.de

PARK HYATT HAMBURG www.hamburg.park.hyatt.com PENINSULA BEIJING www.beijing.peninsula.com

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VIVANTA BY TAJ - BEKAL, KERALA www.vivanta.tajhotels.com/en-in/bekal-kerala/

RABBIT HOLE www.facebook.com/therabbithole.de/

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK LODGES www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com

SHANGRI LA’S VILLINGILI ISLAND RESORT & SPA www.shangri-la.com/male/villingiliresort SNAKE RIVER LODGE www.snakeriverlodge.com

Apr-May 2017 The Cultured Traveller 135