The Cultured Traveller, December 2021-February 2022 Issue 36

➤ I S S U E

36

DECEMBER 2021 – FEBRUARY 2022 UK £10

EU €10

London THE CHARISMATIC CAPITAL OF THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

S H E LT E R I S L A N D YOSEMITE

➤ THE LONDONER

➤ C H A M PA L I M A U D

GLENMORANGIE

➤ DAME JOAN COLLINS

➤ JACQUES AZAGURY

➤ C H R I ST M A S G I FT G U I D E

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ISSUE 36

DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

ISSUE 36 ➤ DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

highlights

4 6 T H E S E AT O F B R I TA I N ’ S L O N G E ST - R E I G N I N G M O N A R C H One of most historic and buzzy capitals on the planet, LONDON’s ability to continuously evolve and move with the times makes it one of the world’s most visited cities, since there is always something new to see. Nicholas Chrisostomou gives us the lowdown on his hometown.

8 2 THE UNAPOLOGETIC DIARIES OF JOAN COLLINS Having recently unleashed her devilish memoirs, which lift the lid on more than a decade of her showbiz past, the 88-year-old Golden Globe-winning British actress talks Alexis, Boris and Trump to The Cultured Traveller.

13 4 R H O D E S ’ N E W G A ST R O N O M I C STA R Nicholas Chrisostomou visits the historic village of Lindos and discovers that new standout restaurant AKRES skilfully merges traditional Rhodian cuisine with 21st century culinary techniques.

4 2 P O R T O F I N O ’ S N E W H O S P I TA L I T Y J E W E L Thanks to Elizabeth Taylor, Dolce & Gabbana et al, Portofino is now known around the world. Inspired by its golden days, when Hollywood’s most glitzy film stars graced the picturesque village, luxe boutique hotel SPLENDIDO MARE reopened earlier this year sporting a chic new look. The Cultured Traveller has a gander.

44 WIN AN ALL-INCLUSIVE GREEK ISLAND WEEKEND Spend three blissful days and nights in a junior sea view suite at spectacular, all-inclusive adults only LINDOS VILLAGE RESORT & SPA on the beautiful Greek

IMAGE: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID

island of Rhodes.

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CONTENTS 8 CONTRIBUTORS 1 0 E D I T O R’ S L E T T E R 12 NEWSFLASH

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Every day, around the world, a traditional festival or fascinating cultural event is most likely happening somewhere. In NewsFlash, browse The Cultured Traveller’s round-up of global experiences occurring in the coming months, including north east India’s HORNBILL FESTIVAL which sees the coming together of seventeen Naga tribes; the dazzling display of street and architectural illuminations that annually transform the French city of Lyon during FÊTE DES LUMIÈRES; the decades-old Brighton tradition of BURNING THE CLOCKS, which brings together the British seaside city to mark the Winter Solstice; the CARTAGENA MUSIC FESTIVAL, held in Colombia’s historic walled city, and the world’s oldest and grandest carnival of all in VENICE. 2 6 R E S T YO U R H E A D

In issue 36 of The Cultured

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Traveller, the team checks-out a dozen standout new or revamped hotels, including the hospitality brainchild of Grammy Award-winning musician Pharrell Williams and Miami nightlife impresario David Grutman, THE GOODTIME HOTEL in Miami; extraordinary KISAWA SANCTUARY, which just opened occupying a 300-hectare beachfront site on Benguerra Island in Mozambique; SIX SENSES SHAHARUT, set within the untouched, lunar-like lands of the Arava Valley in the south of the Negev Desert; the playful, reimagined TRIBUNE hotel, positioned in the heart of Rome in Ludovisi, and the new spa-led FAIRMONT WINDSOR PARK, located an hour from London on the edge of Windsor Great Park.

84 SUITE ENVY

Set alone at the very top of the British capital’s newest hospitality offering, commanding sweeping views across London’s rooftops towards the city’s most iconic monuments, Nicholas Chrisostomou checks into a showstopping penthouse suite at THE

121 134 LONDONER and revels in the rock star chicness of it all.

94 HOTEL DESIGN

Known internationally for its hospitality design work, most notably the restoration and reinvigoration of Raffles Singapore, The Cultured Traveller sits down with the founder and creative spirit behind her eponymous firm, CHAMPALIMAUD DESIGN, and takes a look at some of its standout projects.

Finland’s most well-known and highly respected culinary talents, at a Finnish gastronomic institution whose historic interiors share centre stage with its delectable cuisine.

1 2 9 TA S T E & S I P E X P E R I E N C E

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Joe Mortimer visits GLENMORANGIE’s innovative new LIGHTHOUSE DISTILLERY in Tain, Scotland, which is a game-changer for single malt Scotch whisky.

138 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

102 SPOTLIGHT

Tucked between the north and south forks of Long Island, on America’s eastern Seaboard, Alex Benasuli enjoys the unassuming sophistication of the Hamptons’ hidden holiday gem, SHELTER ISLAND.

From a wind-up toy Porsche tractor to gorgeous rings made from recycled gold and hand collected gemstones, The Cultured Traveller team has done the hard work for you this Christmas, with its hand-picked selection of cool gifts.

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147 LITTLE BLACK BOOK 1 1 2 T R AV E L L E R L O W D O W N

Samantha Henderson explores the majestic peaks, pristine lakes, steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools of America’s vast, volcanic national park, YELLOWSTONE. 1 2 4 TA S T E & S I P R E V I E W

Not be missed by any serious gourmand, Nicholas Chrisostomou feasts on a meal prepared by one of

Web addresses for everywhere featured in issue 36 of The Cultured Traveller magazine.

1 4 8 T R AV E L T I P S F R O M THE TOP

The creator of spectacular gowns for Princess Diana, Helen Mirren, Elizabeth McGovern and Sheridan Smith, JACQUES AZAGURY shares his tips for flying through the sky in style.

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JOE MORTIMER ➤ TASTE & SIP EXPERIENCE A UK-based travel writer and editor who specialises in luxury travel and high-end hospitality, and former editor of Destinations of the World News in Dubai, Joe has contributed to titles including National Geographic Traveler, Robb Report and Jetsetter, as well as a collection of prestigious inflight and hotel magazines.

E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F

N I C H O L AS C H R I S O STO M O U C O C O L AT T É STUART CROWHURST E D I TO R I A L J E M I M A T H O M P S O N P I CT U R E S S T E L L A A L E V I Z A K I PUBLISHER

DESIGN

T H I S I S S U E ’ S C O N T R I B U TO R S

Joe Mortimer, Jackie Needleman, Alex Benasuli, Samantha Henderson W I T H T H A N KS TO

Dame Zandra Rhodes, Jori White Sarah Sackfield, Lisa Preece

CONTRIBUTORS

The Cultured Traveller magazine is published by Coco Latté

JACKIE NEEDLEMAN ➤ CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE An established, London-based fashion consultant, Jackie has been at the cutting-edge of high street retail for years. Her career has taken her to almost every continent and countless countries, where she enjoys shopping for designer brands and vintage pieces as much as she relishes uncovering rare finds in flea markets.

Advertising and sponsorship enquiries: ads@theculturedtraveller.com Editorial enquiries words@the culturedtraveller.com Subscription enquiries subscribe@theculturedtraveller.com

T H E C U LT U R E D T R AV E L L E R ➤ ISSUE 36 © 2021 Coco Latté. All rights reserved Reproduction in part or in whole of any part of this magazine is prohibited. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

The views expressed in The Cultured Traveller are those of its respective contributors and writers and are not necessarily shared by The Cultured Traveller Ltd. or its staff.

The Cultured Traveller always welcomes new contributions, but assumes no responsibility for unsolicited emails, articles, photographs or other materials submitted.

Read and download the digital version of issue 36 of The Cultured Traveller magazine at

➤ www.issuu.com/theculturedtraveller/docs/36 Follow The Cultured Traveller on

ALEX BENASULI ➤ SPOTLIGHT London-based Alex has been globetrotting his whole life. He has explored Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as North and South America intimately. As passionate on a highbrow urban cultural break as he is on an offthe-beaten-track adventure, Alex uses travel to explore his love of history, design, nature and wellness.

@theculturedtraveller @culturedtraveller T HE CULT UR E D T R AVELLE R COCO L AT T É 5 ME RCHAN T SQUAR E LON D ON W 2 1AY UK FRONT COVER IMAGE: © VISITLONDON.COM/ANTOINE BUCHET

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ISSUE 36

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to right: FromFrom left toleft right: One & OnlyEstefan; Desaru Coast; Gloria Zürich; The Johri at Lal Haveli; Lake Como; Lošinj Island Adam Cowie; Riga

EO D I ’T ’T S LR ETTER E R L E T ED DIIT TO R ’S SO LR ET TE E R

BEING AN AVID traveller, needing little persuasion to jump on a plane at a moment’s notice and tag country after country onto a trip to continue globe-trotting for as long as possible, prepandemic, I must admit that I didn’t really understand the concept of a staycation. I mean, who would ever want to holiday close to where one lives, when the worldEUROPE awaits visitors and WITH ABOUT SPRING IS gems A TIME OF for fresh cultural are ripe to re-open its borders to renewed energy, fresh goals discovery?! neighbouring nations on and, most fun of all,struck, booking Butcontinent, then Covid-19 the and the UK making it more summer holidays.

With thetravel by air, thus testing but stillgreen-lighting possible to increasingly silly season all but a distant pushing increasingly people to plump additional countriesmore for leisure memory, atdestinations the first signwithin of for vacation a car or train travel, our world is slowly daffodils’ slim green blades ride from home.

I wasn’t one of these converts but surely coming back to appearing in March, I’m Iall until very recently, when spent a week staying life. Consequently, more planning my mid-year atabout hotels in my hometown of London, and and more of us are making trips and looking ahead some to subsequently plans to get discovered away and it’s notwonderful new the warmer months.

Yet, places that I never knew existed, before time! For I suspect that in the heart of something I’ve onlyborn, learntraised and thought the city pretty-much where I was being grounded in the past few years: I knew the2020 backhas of one my hand. Some feature since like March been doesn’t necessarily have to onunbearable the pages of this issue, the for most readers cover of which far totobethe immersed in a istravel dedicated charismatic who, British capital. of The Cultured Traveller rather special experience.

Indeed, our insider guide like me, essentially live to to London travel. is one of visiting the Croatian island of Lošinj TheUntil Cultured Traveller’s most thorough city – For someone who has a phobia of needles in the central northern Adriatic, just a stone’s features to date, andtoincludes half a dozen cool and is disinclined be vaccinated against throwtofrom Italy – Ibig didn’t realise (pagethat 61),such not least places stay in the smoke anything, the prospect of getting a Covid-19 near-pristine natural beauty could be whose enjoyed the sophisticated new Londoner hotel, jab wasn’t something I jumped at. But it within just a penthouse few hours’ suite flight Ifrom London. showstopping am protected lucky enough quickly dawned on me that being And until relatively recently, Zürich was (page 84). toagainst road-test the virus would make it much commonly associated with business and semieasier and safer to travel. And when I was secretive banking rather than being an exciting I’M THRILLED THAT PERMANENTLY vaccinated, it felt like THE the most positive thing I city break destination.

Both are in this glamourous age-defying Joanfeatured Collins finds had done inand ages, not to mention a step in the issue, as Dawn Gibson discovers that around time in her of hectic schedule to chatI about direction really living again. think her you get every cobbled corner, is much to intrigue (pagethere 82), and Alexandra devilish new book the message! a seasoned globetrotter Switzerland’s Champalimaud speaks toinThe Cultured largest city (p50), while I jump off a boat intothe clear Traveller about transforming some IN THIS, OUR 34TH ISSUE, we of check world’s turquoise waters off the coast of uninhabited most hotels, including Raffles Singapore intoiconic a dozen brand new hotels which have islands (page 94). in the Lošinj archipelago (p122). swung open their glamorous doors during the As he’s speeding across the waters of pandemic (p30), and take a deep breath at Lake Como, Alex Benasuli rediscovers that some of Europe›s finest spas, any one of which old school Italian glamour never goes out of is ideal for a restorative stay (p74). fashion (page130); Ashlee Starratt gets her singer, I S S U E 3 6 We D Echat C E M with R 2the 0 2 1celebrated - FEBRUAR 2 0 2 2pianist fingers dirtyB Efeasting on fresh SriY Lankan and music revivalist Michael Feinstein (p102) mud crab at one of Asia’s 50 best restaurants and handsome London-born model Adam (p142) and, from humble markets to the lofty

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NOW THAT AMERICA has re-opened to tourism and Brits are once again welcome in its 50 states, Sam Henderson explores the otherworldly landscapes of Yellowstone National Park, complete with its steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools (page 112), while Alex Benasuli enjoys the unassuming sophistication , while Pam Ann Cowie (p92) heights of Michelin stardom, of laidback Shelter gives us her tips for flying Island Joe Mortimer discovers(page the theskies Hamptons throughinthe in her secrets of Barcelona’s enticing 102). Meanwhile, dedicated foodie Joe Mortimer inimitable style (p152). food scene (p152).new distillery visits Glenmorangie’s innovative Liz Bingham visits an A titan of industry and in Scotland, which appears tothe be changing the award-winning British one of the greatest designers goal posts when it comes to producing fine single vineyard producing fine we look back at the . of all time, malts (page 129)English sparkling wines career of Karl Lagerfeld – a (p136), Emily Millett finds true UPON fashionUS legend (p171), AS CHRISTMAS AND THE thatISthe Latvian capital and we sit down with the situation across Europe appears to be of Riga is emerging as ain a state original Latin pop icon, Gloria of flux, it is difficult not to beof affected European hub art, by the Estefan, to chat about being habitually changing travel. However, (p52), cultureface andofinnovation a hotelier and her incredible from first-handand experience I can tell you Jackie Needleman hasthat career travelling today is still (p158). a hugely rewarding put together a capsule Withyou’re Switzerland, Spain, experience. So collection whether a Londoner of fashion staples to the Maldives, Panama, rediscovering your like I. do in this see you through thishometown summer (p121) Thailand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and many issue, or you have regained your travel mojo more countries visited in this issue, The use and are planning to getaway on a plane, ALTHOUGH THE SUMMER OF 2021 will Cultured Traveller the to world’s this seasonshowcases to plan a trip a place be farholiday from normal, hopefully many of us will travel hotspots so you can spend more time that excites you, for Christmas is a time get away and see a new part of the world for or, at planning your next exciting excursion.

Ithings hope fun and least, excitement, and there areonfew the very soak up some rays a blissful that you find a destination in thisofissue to more exciting the prospect discovering beach.

It feels athan little like the start of a new persuade you to book your next trip and have somewhereso new. beginning, let’s live for the moment and get something colourful in your 2020 diary to look out and enjoy our new-found freedoms. forward to.

Nicholas Chrisostomou Editor-in-Chief

From left to right: Shelter Island; St. Paul’s, London; Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring; Joan Collins

news

G L O B A L F E S T I VA L S A N D C U LT U R A L EVENTS IN THE COMING MONTHS

ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH SINCE FIRST LAUNCHING in 2002, Art Basel Miami Beach has created such an art-drenched ecosystem full of diversity, that today there’s something for just about everyone at this five-day artistic spectacle which completely takes over the famous beachfront Floridian city.

While the fair’s epicentre is the Miami Beach Convention Center, there are literally dozens of offshoots and offbeat exhibitions, films, performances and shows throughout the city.

This year, more than one hundred of the world’s leading international modern and contemporary art galleries will be displaying works by thousands of artists, including paintings, sculptures, installations and photographs, not to mention museum-calibre masterpieces of the highest quality.

Meanwhile, editioned pieces by the current generation of emerging young artists will also be showcased, many of which are infinitely more

HORNBILL FESTIVAL

affordable than the works on sale by big named artists! The first two days of Art Basel Miami Beach are by invitation only.

30 November - 4 December 2021

NORTH EAST INDIA IS

of Nagaland, to celebrate their unique cultural

unique in that it is home to

heritage, supported by local organisations and

a number of differing

councils.

tribes, each having its

Village in Kisama, near Kohima, and partake in

Largely covered by forests and mountains that

a variety of activities. There’s everything from

render it pretty isolated from the rest of the

craft events, sculpture displays, food markets

world, more than half of the region’s population

and stalls selling herbal products to traditional

is heavily dependent upon agriculture.

music, sporting events, fashion shows, tribal

Hornbill – named after the bird – is something

ceremonies and arousing performances. Locals

of the ultimate Indian festival, for it sees

even crown Miss Nagaland in a beauty pageant.

the coming together of all seventeen of the

1-10 December 2021

neighbouring Naga tribes, in the Indian state

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The tribes spend ten days in Naga Heritage

own cultural celebration or agricultural festival.

ISSUE 36

www.hornbillfestival.com

DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

www.artbasel.com

NEWSFLASH

FRANKFURT CHRISTMAS MARKET WHILST MANY GERMAN cities and towns have a scenic backdrop of historic houses and beautiful squares for their Weihnachtsmärkte, dating back to 1393, Frankfurt’s Christmas market is one of the oldest in the country and the scenery and atmosphere is utterly enchanting.

Officially opened by the city’s mayor on 22 November, the elaborate and lavish decorations, the scenic surroundings of the Römerberg and St. Paul’s Square and the huge Christmas tree in front of the Römer all combine to make Frankfurt’s Weihnachtsmärkt one of Germany’s most beautiful, stretching from the Zeil shopping mall to the Römerberg and down to the River Main.

SOMERSET HOUSE SKATING

With more than two hundred beautifully decorated stalls vying for attention and the scent of roast chestnuts, mulled wine and grilled

A STYLISH, SEASONAL

sausages permeating the air, it’s impossible to

London tradition for

with kids and parents of all ages on the ice and

resist sipping on hot apple wine with cinnamon

more than two decades,

National Ice Skating Association instructors

and cloves, or treating yourself to some

skating has thankfully

running a skate school.

Skating by day is a veritable family affair,

Bethmännchen almond candies.

returned to Somerset House this year, in

Until 22 December 2021

partnership with Moët & Chandon, surely

UNIQLO feature evening takeovers from the

making Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court one

likes of Foundation FM, BBC Radio 1 DJ and

of Europe’s most chic locations to skate.

presenter Jaguar and Clyde Built Radio.

www.frankfurt-tourismus.de

No matter how advanced or amateur

After sunset, Skate Lates with

Après skate, skaters can feast on decadent

your skills, it’s well worth donning your

winter treats courtesy of Hotel Chocolat

finest winter togs to trip the ice fantastic

and all-day festive fare courtesy of pop-up

at this fabulous outdoor rink, where you

legend Jimmy Garcia.

will look the very picture of glamour in

Until 16 January 2022

your social media posts!

www.somersethouse.org.uk

T H E C U LT U R E D T R A V E L L E R

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NEWSFLASH

BILLABONG PIPELINE MASTERS The last stop on the annual men’s championship tour, the Pipeline Masters attracts only the world’s very best surfers who are brave enough to ride one of the ten most deadly waves in the world, Hawaii’s Banzai Pipeline, which is famous for its heavy swells that can reach up to ten metres.

8-20 December 2021

T H E C U LT U R E D T R A V E L L E R

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KRAMPUSNACHT IN THE AUSTRIAN TOWN of Klagenfurt – which is the capital of the southern province of Carinthia, on the eastern shore of Lake Wörthersee – Krampusnacht unfolds for one night every year, quite literally brimming with ghastly demons everywhere.

Described in Bavarian folklore as a horned, anthropomorphic half-goat half-demon which haunts the central European mountainous region that supposedly birthed the creature, and derived from the German word krampen which means “claw”, Austria’s Krampus spreads preChristmas terror throughout the town, which is anything but merry!

The highlight of Krampusnacht is essentially an alcohol f eled Krampuslauf race which winds through the town centre, complete with a multitude of jogging contestants dressed as scary, child-napping, horned and furry devils.

So terrifyingly demonic are some Krampus costumes, that a constant debate rages throughout the country, fuelled by a number of prominent psychologists who want the creature completely banned because it terrifies children.

5 December 2021

www.austria.info/en

MEVLÂNA FESTIVAL FEW PEOPLE HAVEN’T

Konya, which is an hour by plane from Istanbul.

heard of Turkey’s famous

Throughout the festival, the mevlevi – dressed

whirling dervishes. The stuff

in white robes with voluminous skirts – dance

of legends and famous the

as if they are in a trance, under the observance

world over, their dancing commemorates the

of their seyh (master). These performances can

death of the 13th century Sufi poet, Mevlâna

best be described as both mesmerising and

Celaleddin Rumi, who was one of the world’s great

mystifying, the ecstatic spinning accompanied by

mystic philosophers. Rumi’s work in poetry and

orchestral music and chanting making for a truly

religious writings are amongst the most

spellbinding spectacle.

cherished in Islam and beyond. Also known as

the entranced dervishes spin furiously to

States, with legions of loyal fans.

commemorate Rumi’s wedding night.

Mevlâna annually attracts visitors from all corners of the world to the Anatolian city of

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The festival’s highlight is the last night, when

Mevlâna, he is still a best-selling poet in the United

7-17 December 2021 www.goturkeytourism.com

NEWSFLASH

FÊTE DES LUMIÈRES TEN OF THOUSANDS OF people

Today, this extravagant urban affair comprises a

religiously flock annually to the

multitude of professionally run light performances

French city of Lyon, to be

spread over a four-night programme. Each evening is

dazzled by an incredible

dominated by a different theme complete with video,

display of street and architectural illuminations that

music and sound effects to compliment the dynamic

transform the cityscape into a sparkling wonderland.

imagery seen throughout the city, including in its

Fête des Lumières originally sprang from an age-

rivers and parks. And whilst professional lighting

old tradition dating back to 1643. Essentially, this

designers, hailing from all corners of the planet,

festival of lights extends the traditional 8th December

share their imaginative installations, local city folk

festival, when Lyon’s residents celebrate the Virgin

also get involved by burning candles on their

Mary. Watching over the city, her statue still stands

windowsills and balconies, further enhancing

on Fourvière Hill, which was the first part of Lyon to be

the overall spectacle.

settled and developed.

8-11 December 2021

www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr

BURNING THE CLOCKS A BRIGHTON TRADITION

yet dramatic rebellion against the modern-day

for more than twenty-five

excesses of Christmastime commercialism.

years, Burning the Clocks is a

Brighton locals make beautiful paper and willow

unique community event that

star lanterns, and after the procession that slowly

brings together the entire south coast seaside city

snakes through the city, they put them into a

to mark the Winter Solstice.

blazing bonfire on Brighton beach to mark the

Created in 1994 by the award-winning community arts charity Same Sky, as a way to celebrate the

end of the year.

While the main event is free to attend, buying

holiday spirit regardless of people’s religious beliefs,

a VIP wristband provides the very best vantage

thousands of spectators now routinely turn out to

point of the fire show and fireworks, right on

watch the massive street parade and participate

the beachfront.

in this unique event, which is essentially a peaceful

21 December 2021

https://samesky.co.uk

HARBIN ICE FESTIVAL HARBIN’S WORLD-FAMOUS

While the sculpture festival doesn’t open until

ice and snow festival is usually

the first week of January, two huge exhibition

the largest of its kind on

areas – Sun Island and Ice & Snow World – open

the planet. Working

just before Christmas, offering eager visitors

painstakingly for weeks, cutting over one hundred

everything from ice slides and Yabuli alpine skiing

thousand cubic metres of ice blocks from Songhua

to snowmobile driving and winter-swimming in

River’s frozen surface, it takes fifteen thousand ice

the Songhua River.

sculptors and artisans to create the breathtaking,

An array of slightly more conservative winter

illuminated ice sculptures and statues that make-up

attractions can be found dotted throughout the city,

China’s annual “Ice City”. Featuring numerous full-size

including a delightful ice lantern exhibition in Zhaolin

buildings and figures, the incredible spectacle

Garden in central Harbin.

unsurprisingly attracts masses of winter tourists.

23 December 2021 - 8 February 2022

T H E C U LT U R E D T R A V E L L E R

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JUNKANOO A dance troupe prepares to parade down Nassau’s main artery of Bay Street during the Bahamas’ annual festival of colour and sound, which traces its roots back to the late 18th century music and dance spectacles of West Africa, and is one of the oldest surviving street festivals in the Caribbean.

26 December 2021 + 1 January 2022

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NEWSFLASH

T H E C U LT U R E D T R A V E L L E R

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CARTAGENA MUSIC FESTIVAL FOR ONE WEEK EVERY January, the historic Colombian walled city of Cartagena opens to the public some of its most charming, colonial indoor and outdoor spaces for its annual Festival Internacional de Music Performances by classical musicians from around the planet quite literally fill Cartagena with song, including the beautiful Teatro Heredia and Plaza San Pedro Claver, as well as the divine chapels of Santa Teresa, Iglesia de Santo Toribio and hotel Santa Clara.

2022’s festival is titled The Color of Sound:

HOGMANAY

The Chamber Music of the 19th Century, and is devoted to the European masters of chamber

ATI-ATIHAN

music from Austria, Germany, France, Italy and Russia. Classic works by composers such as REPEATEDLY NAME-

Weber, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann,

BELIEVED TO BE THE

checked as one of the top

Brahms, Franck and Dvorak will be presented by

oldest festival in the

one hundred things to do

different international ensembles, representative

country whose roots can

before you die, three days

of the different technical and stylistic European schools of music. The festival will also showcase

settlers in Borneo, Ati-Atihan is the most

crowds from every corner of the globe annually

chamber music written by 20th and 19th century

spectacular of the Philippines’ annual

come together in Edinburgh for one of the world’s

Colombian composers.

celebrations.

biggest and best New Year’s Eve celebrations.

7-15 January 2022

See Shetland Vikings bearing fire-lit

www.cartagenamusicfestival.com

While Filipinos are known worldwide for their gracious hospitality and friendly nature, this

torches, hear beautiful choral singing in St.

particular feast festival allows visitors a glimpse

Giles’ Cathedral, enjoy birling to traditional

of their wild, colourful and playful side, a facet of

Scottish music in the Old Town and watch

these devout and thoughtful people rarely seen

incredible fireworks from Princes Street

in public.

Gardens. In years gone by, 150,000 revellers

Held annually in January in honour of Santo

from over 70 countries have even been known

Niño (the Infant Jesus), Ati-Atihan is a festival

to join hands for the world’s biggest rendition of

of constant movement, drumming and feasting.

Auld Lang Syne!

It is essentially a non-stop riot of exhibitionism,

Whilst this year’s programme has yet to be finalised, it will undoubtedly include a torchlight

costume, music and dance.

Soot black-painted faces, feather headdresses

procession, live music concerts, family events

and animal bones create a show-stopping visual

and a massive street party. At the end of 2019,

treat throughout the proceedings, and after

Grammy and Oscar award-winner Mark Ronson

days of relentless drumming and festivities, it’s

brought in the new year, so expect a similarly

nigh on impossible for even the most reluctant

big-name DJ to be presiding over 31st December

and restrained traveller not to get stuck-in and

2021 in Edinburgh.

participate in the raucous and romping all-night

29 December 2021 - 1 January 2022

masquerade closing ball.

www.edinburghshogmanay.com

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be traced back to early

of spectacular events, big bands and electrified

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11-18 January 2022

NEWSFLASH

VINTERJAZZ SPANNING THE GAMUT from electronic to experimental, funk to free and mainstream to modern, Denmark’s world-renowned winter jazz festival has been thawing the Scandinavian chill with smoking tunes for almost twenty years. Having gradually grown into one of the biggest European gatherings of the musical genre, the festival’s main aim is to unify music-loving audiences, professional organisers, local enthusiasts and hard-working musicians.

Taking place over three weeks, there are hundreds of concerts to experience at dozens of different venues across Denmark. International stars on tour, new award-winning productions and different concert themes drop anchor in numerous of the country’s cities and suburbs.

Hence, Vinterjazz very much kick-starts the season for the country’s clubs and helps keep the music playing throughout the year.

Headlining the festival’s 22nd outing in 2022 is the DR Big Band joined by multi award-winning Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, who is renowned for her strong stage presence and unique voice. (pictured) 3-27 February 2022

www.jazz.dk

THE BPM FESTIVAL SET ON THE

that draws thousands of people from all over

gorgeous white sand

the globe who descend on Costa Rica to soak

beaches of Tamarindo,

up the tropical sun, drawn by a roster of some

which are some of the

of the world’s most popular dance music

most beautiful in Costa Rica and perfect for surfing, sportfishing, diving and sunning,

artists and DJs. Aside from dozens upon dozens of

since its inception relatively recently in 2008,

official events, divided into day and night

BPM has rapidly grown into a destination

shows hosted by record labels and promoters,

EDM festival to rival the summer scene on

revelers are also drawn by numerous

the Spanish party island of Ibiza.

unofficial events, parties and funky musical

BPM’s humble beginnings as a hospitality

happenings which pop-up throughout

industry event to bring together bartenders,

the festival.

promoters and musicians (hence “BPM”), is a

12-18 January 2022

far cry from today’s sprawling music gathering

www.thebpmfestival.com

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LANTERN FESTIVAL Marking the arrival of spring in the Yancheng District of the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan, thousands of lanterns take to the skies, while locals eat rice dumplings, in a festival which dates back decades.

1-28 February 2022

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NEWSFLASH

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SUPER BOWL 56 THE MOST IMPORTANT day of the professional American football season, when millions of fans who can’t make it to the stadium are glued to the couch for the duration of what is often the most watched US television program of the year, Super Bowl LIV will be the 56th Super Bowl and the 52nd modern-era National Football League championship game. It will be played at the Raymond James Stadium in Inglewood, California and decide the league champions for the 2021 NFL season.

Super Bowl’s halftime show has always attrac ed major talent. Janet Jackson had her infamous wardrobe malfunction in 2004. Previous headliners have included Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. It is organised by the NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation – a production company owned by Jay-Z. This time round, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem will perform the coveted half-time show, together with Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar, in a performance likely to draw tens of millions of viewers. The five music stars have 43 Grammys between them. The show will also mark a reunion for hip-hop legend Dr Dre with Eminem and Snoop Dogg, whose dazzling careers he launched.

13 February 2022

VENICE CARNIVAL THE WORLD’S OLDEST

in front of the colonnaded porticos and the

and grandest carnival of

domed basilica to be photographed.

all has led revellers through the ancient backstreets and canals of this wonderfully

decadent atmosphere of it all. By night, steer

beautiful and vibrant Italian city for

clear of San Marco’s busy streets and head to

generations, revealing hidden parties,

the areas of Cannaregio and Dorsoduro.

exclusive costume balls and multitudinous secret rendezvous.

At its centre, in the city’s beating heart

Not to be missed is the carnival’s spectacular official ball, held in the splendid Renaissance rooms of the majestic Ca’

of Piazza San Marco, people dressed in

Vendramin Calergi Palace overlooking

magnificent 18th century costumes and

Venice’s Grand Canal.

beautifully ornate masks for Carnevale di

12 February – 1 March 2022

Venezia, parade around the square and stop

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By day, it’s fun to just wander the streets of Venice and take in the sheer glamorous and

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www.carnevale.venezia.it/en

DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

www.nfl.com/super-bowl

NEWSFLASH

RIO CARNIVAL IN NORMAL TIMES attracting more than a million people onto the streets of the famous Brazilian city every day, Rio is considered the world’s biggest and most glittering carnival and the party of a lifetime for many, with those who attend prepared to samba the day and night away for five days straight.

Beginning with the crowning of King Momo (the Fat King), who is presented with an over-sized

BARRANQUILLA CARNIVAL

silver and gold key by Rio’s mayor, street bands, dancers and party folk take over the squares and the streets as the festivities get underway, led by

THE START OF A NEW

Carnival Queen, and the reading of the Lectura

traditional samba schools hailing from the city’s

year is not just about fresh

del Bando, which serves as a call for citizens to

favelas.

goals and aspirations for

begin celebrating.

While the main parade at the Sambodromo

the people of Colombia, it

The Carnival Queen leads the first day’s

might be the most iconic in the world, the real

also marks the beginning of carnival season. This

festivities with the main event, the Batalla de

festivities happen in and around Rio’s streets,

vibrant, four-day extravaganza (the biggest in the

Flores, as spectators in fancy dress fill the

with hundreds of parties taking place across the

world after Rio) may kick-in in late February, but

streets and cheer the passing floats.

city before and after carnival weekend, bringing

the party atmosphere starts weeks earlier, when

the huge metropolis to a colourful and loud

enthusiastic participants adding finishing

multi-coloured mass of flamboyant characters

standstill.

The Grand Parade on day two features a

touches to elaborate floats, and rehearsing

bedecked in lavish costumes, all vying for a

Be sure to catch a Bloco, sometimes called

dancers can be seen on Barranquilla’s streets.

place in next year’s main event.

bandas, which are free street parties that take

Pre-carnival events include the crowning of

place throughout the city, plus at least one

King Momo (the leader of carnivals) and the

26 February - 1 March 2022 www.carnavaldebarranquilla.org

outrageous costume party.

21-25 February 2022

www.rio-carnival.net

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MI AMI U N I T E D S TAT E S

rest your

THE GOODTIME HOTEL THE HOSPITALITY BRAINCHILD OF GRAMMY AWARD-

Ken Fulk, pastel colours and wicker furniture playfully clash with hand-

winning musician Pharrell Williams and Miami

painted murals, leopard-print fabrics and pinstriped couches to create a

nightlife impresario David Grutman, The Goodtime Hotel in located in a central, historic section of South Beach on Washington Avenue, two

Guest rooms are not especially spacious but are thoughtfully designed,

blocks west of Ocean Drive; was conceived to reflect the famed art deco

function well and are sprinkled with cute, retro touches. King suites and

architecture of the local area and offers fun, high-energy experiences in

double queen rooms offer the most space to spread out your partywear.

keeping with its name. This is the début collaborative hotel from the two

Channeling classic Caribbean and Central American resort towns

business partners, following their first joint venture, the Miami Design

that were popular in the mid-twentieth century, the hotel›s destination

District eatery and bar, Swan, which has become something of a celebrity

restaurant and pool club, Strawberry Moon is a happening hive of activity

hangout.

day and night, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and a funky

Conceived as a collection of intimate spaces, the 266-room lifestyle property and its sprawling playgrounds occupy a large site

soundtrack.

Staying at The Goodtime means meeting new, energetic people and

roughly equivalent to a New York City block, with the sands of Miami

having way too much fun without leaving the property, making it the

Beach just a five-minute walk away. Evoking an escapist atmosphere

perfect place for a playful weekend in Florida’s most buzzy city. And with

throughout the hotel via a clean and fresh Art Deco aesthetic, The

room rates a fraction of the price of the lavish resorts on Collins Avenue,

Goodtime Hotel is a place to dine on fine fare, people watch and party.

sipping craft cocktails and enjoying poolside beats at The Goodtime won’t

Then crash upstairs.

break the bank!

Throughout the hotel’s public spaces, created by American designer

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fun and spirited vibe.

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www.thegoodtimehotel.com

head

T H E C U LT U R E D T R AV E L L E R C H E C K S O U T T W E LV E O F T H E N E W E S T H O S P I TA L I T Y OFFERINGS IN EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

➤ M I A M I ➤ N A P L E S ➤ PA R I S ➤ B E N G U E R R A I S L A N D ➤ M O U N TA I N V I E W ➤ S H A H A R U T ➤ ST A N D R E W S ➤ R O M E ➤ N E W O R L E A N S ➤ W I N D S O R ➤ I B I Z A ➤ P O R TO F I N O

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NAPLE S I TA LY

ATELIER INÈS. ARTS & SUITES OVERLOOKED BY MOUNT VESUVIUS, NAPLES IS AN extraordinarily storied and vibrant seaside city of magnificent art, Baroque excess, indulgent cuisine and superb museums.

Close to three of the city’s most important museums – the Archaeological Museum, the Museo di Capodimonte and the Museum of

The hotel is contained within the very same building which was

Contemporary Art – the Neapolitan neighbourhood of Borgo dei Vergini

formerly Oste’s art studio, where he designed and hand-made every

exudes extraordinary archaeological and historical richness and contains

piece of his work for thirty years, most of which are now scattered

the fabulous Hellenistic necropolis of Neopoli, the Roman-built Serino

around the world in hotels, art galleries, public spaces and private

Aqueduct and the breathtaking basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità.

collections. Today, the building is both a gallery dedicated to the Oste

Beyond these ancient riches of the past, tradition and multiculturalism

family and a base for art and culture lovers to discover and

come together in Vergini, creating a lively and warm neighbourhood that

experience Vergini.

continues to live at its own pace. A veritable kingdom of small traders,

and suites are each completely different and decorated with one-off

somewhat miraculously retained a honest, human dimension and a deep

pieces crafted by Annibale Oste and his son, Vincenzo.

sense of hospitality.

Set in the heart of Vergini’s old town, boutique art hotel Atelier Inès.

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Upstairs, six individually designed and supremely comfortable rooms

with famous Vergini market at its heart, to this day, the district has

It’s worth noting that in addition to being close to a number of the city’s best museums, Atelier Inès. Arts & Suites is literally just around the

Arts & Suites opened in the summer of 2021. Inspired by the philosophy

corner from two of Naples’ most renowned gastronomic experiences:

of Italian contemporary artist and sculptor Annibale Oste, the property is

Ciro Oliva, a famous one Michelin-starred pizzeria, and Pasticceria

essentially a living art workshop featuring many of Oste’s creations, from

Poppella, owned by Ciro Poppella, the internationally recognised

home accessories and interior design pieces to unique art installations.

pastry chef.

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www.atelierinesgallery.com

Memorable Moments

BOOKINGS ON

and Stories.. that Stay!

mgallery.accor.com

Athens Capital Center Hotel - MGallery Collection 4, Eleftheriou Venizelou Avenue & 2, Kriezotou Street, 106 71 Syntagma Square, Athens - Greece Phone: (+30) 214 444 2000 | Fax: (+30) 214 444 2003 | E-mail: HB3X8-RE@accor.com

athenscapitalhotel-mgallery.gr | instagram.com/athenscapitalhotel

PARI S FRA N C E

KIMPTON ST HONORÉ PARIS EXTENDING FROM THE OPERA GARNIER IN THE SOUTH TO the foot of Montmartre in the north and renowned for its Belle

Conveniently located a short walk from Opera, Faubourg St Honoré and

Epoque beauty, elegant department stores, shopping galleries, large

the Tuileries Gardens, the hotel’s 123 rooms and 26 suites draw inspiration

theatres and hilly residential streets, Paris’ glamorous 9th arrondissement

from Parisian apartments and feature floor-to-ceiling windows and

is a stately area of wide avenues and grand boulevards. Not without

original works of art. Many rooms also boast balconies, which is

its bohemian charms and jammed with secret museums and quirky

something of a rarity for a Parisian hotel.

galleries, the 9th arrondissement is popular with young households and hence boasts a trendy micro neighbourhood where creative juices flow.

In the heart of Opera district on Boulevard des Capucines, the

Offering a contemporary take on a relaxed brasserie and showcasing cuisine from America’s Pacific West Coast, the hotel’s Californiainspired Montecito Restaurant and Bar was designed by renowned

American Kimpton brand debuted in France a few months ago with the

Monaco-based architecture and design duo Humbert & Poyet, who have

opening of its new hotel, the Kimpton St Honoré Paris.

created interiors for restaurants, hotels and high-end residences around

The first boutique hotel and restaurant company in the States, founded three decades ago by Bill Kimpton in San Francisco, Kimpton’s new Paris

the world.

The hotel also has an indoor heated swimming pool, a fitness centre

property occupies a beautiful 1917 Art Nouveau building which was

and a serene spa with treatment rooms by luxury French brand Codage,

formerly a Samaritaine department store. Over the past few years, it was

which creates custom-made skincare according to your skin’s needs.

carefully transformed into a luxury hotel by celebrated French architect

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main staircase and wooden elevator – were meticulously restored.

Crowning the property on the 10th floor is rooftop bar and garden,

and interior designer Charles Zana, whilst retaining the spirit of the 1930s

Sequoia, also designed by Charles Zana, which offers panoramic vistas

art deco scene. Many of the building’s original features – including the

across the rooftops of Paris.

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https://kimptonsthonoreparis.com

B E NG UE RRA I SLA ND

KISAWA SANCTUARY LOCATED IN THE SOUTH OF MOZAMBIQUE, BENGUERRA Island is situated 14 kilometres off Mozambique, on the

of privacy and togetherness.

Located in the heart of a WWF national marine park, Kisawa Sanctuary

Eastern coast of Africa. Part of the Bazaruto Archipelago, the island is

not only offers guests the utmost privacy, but also enables them to

home to some of the richest yet least explored subtropical ecosystems

support marine research and conservation via its own and Africa’s

in the Indian Ocean. More than 150 bird species, including flamingos

first permanent ocean observatory, Bazaruto Center for Scientific

and parrots, as well as the rare dugong, Nile crocodiles and samango

Studies. The parallel and harmonious operations of the sanctuary and

monkeys call this island home. Humpback whales, orca, several species

the scientific research centre have together created an authentic, new

of rays and sharks, five species of sea turtles, marlin, tuna, groupers and

and symbiotic business model, whereby for-profit hospitality contributes

an assortment of dolphins are also either regular visitors or permanent

directly to non-profit marine research. In light of the state of the world

residents.

today, this is surely a shining environmental light for the rest of the

Underpinned by environmental conservation and designed to

hospitality industry to learn from.

https://kisawasanctuary.com

showcase and celebrate the culture, craft and heritage of Mozambique through every facet, extraordinary Kisawa Sanctuary opened last

M O ZA MB I QUE

month occupying a 300-hectare beachfront site on Benguerra Island, including vast areas of coastal forest and five kilometres of private Indian Ocean coastline.

Divided into a dozen residential compounds, each boasting its own acre of beachfront, forest and private swimming pool, 22 spacious bungalows reflect Kisawa Sanctuary’s philosophy of forming a bond between people and place. Some bungalows are situated on the calmer, cove side of the island, while others shelter in the dunes on the ocean side. All sleep two people each and are carefully positioned within their own secluded plot, offering maximum privacy and the optimum ability to fully appreciation the stunning, natural surroundings. Some bungalows stand alone, while others are positioned in groups so that small groups can enjoy a balance

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MOUNTAI N V I E W U N I T E D STATES

THE AMESWELL HOTEL NAMED FOR ITS MOUNTAIN VIEWS AND NESTLED BETWEEN the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco Bay, Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley and is the location of many high technology companies, including the headquarters of Google and NASA. With a population of less than 100,000, Mountain View is a small but beautiful city with big ideas and outwardly reflects the ideals and innovative spirit of Silicon Valley in every way.

Browsing the incredible collection of computing artefacts in the city’s Computer History Museum is a fascinating way to spend an afternoon and remind ourselves that, less than half a century ago, computers didn’t exist!

Inspired by the backdrop of California’s untamed wilderness and legacy of unconventional thinking, and taking inspiration from the NASA Ames Research Center nearby, modern, relaxed luxury 255-room Ameswell Hotel was thoughtfully designed by BAMO studio, which is the same awardwinning team behind the Four Seasons in Madrid and The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago.

Industrial public spaces, with polished concrete floors and purposefully unfinished ceilings, punctuated with accents of California poppy orange and rich black walnut, exude a casual West Coast vibe throughout the property.

Part of the larger, mixed-use Ameswell Mountain View Park, The Ameswell Hotel’s sprawling, resort-like grounds include an outdoor swimming pool, extensive fitness center and wellness wing, together with a beer garden and fire pits, an event lawn, a recreational field for games and access to the private Stevens Creek Trail for hiking and biking.

One of the most natural creeks in the San Francisco Bay Area, Stevens Creek begins on the flanks of Black Mountain in the Santa Cruz Mountains and flows through Stevens Canyon and Cupertino, Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Mountain View on its way to join the San Francisco Bay. It’s a stunning area of natural beauty and The Ameswell Hotel is the perfect base from which to explore this beautiful part of California. www.theameswellhotel.com

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SHAHARUT

SIX SENSES SHAHARUT ROUGHLY TRIANGULAR IN SHAPE, THE NEGEV DESERT IS AN arid region of southern Israel that occupies almost half of Palestine, west of the Jordan River. With the city of Beer Sheva at its northern tip and the resort town of Eilat at the southern end, the Negev is

I S RA E L

fascinating, enchanting and biblical in equal proportions and is home to the bohemian city of Be’er Sheva; a peak rumoured to be the real Mount Sinai; a plethora of amber canyons and concealed valleys that make for amazing hikes, and nomadic Bedouins who have lived in the region for centuries.

The desert is also home to a diverse array of wildlife, including the desert Hyrax and the Nubian Ibex. Littered with fascinating archaeological sites,

boundless views by day and incredible sunsets at dusk, when the sun melds

historical ruins and rich cultural treasures, the Negev is the epitome of

into the orange dunes and becomes an inky, almost-supernatural

authentic desert landscapes.

sky scattered with stardust.

Set within the untouched, lunar-like lands of the Arava Valley in the south

The interior decor of the guest accommodations draws inspiration from

of the Negev, hotly anticipated retreat Six Senses Shaharut opened a few

patterns and textures lining the ancient spice route, which stretched from

months ago offering idyllic escapes from the stresses of the changed

the Mediterranean across the Levant to India and beyond. Using natural

world in which we all now live, less than four hours’ drive from Tel Aviv or

stone, wood and copper, furniture and fittings were sourced from local Israeli

three hours from Jordan. New Ramon International Airport, close to Eilat, is

artisans to complement the unique rock formations outside, and interior

45-minutes from the resort by car.

doors were custom made from centuries old reclaimed teak,

Inspired by the nomadic structures found in the Negev and reminiscent of the Nabataean communities that occupied the area more than 2,000

which was rescued from disused boats, houses and footbridges locally.

Home to camel stables, surprisingly lush gardens, an open-air

years ago, the purpose-built resort’s 60 suites and villas are neatly nestled

amphitheatre, a variety of places to dine onsite, an indulgent full-service spa

into a dramatic cliff face and were designed to take advantage of the area’s

with six treatment rooms and two swimming pools, including a freshwater

immense natural beauty while minimising the impact on their surroundings.

infinity pool with desert views, Six Senses Shaharut offers dozens of reasons

Combined with a range of sustainable processes and technologies, the property almost blends into its desert environment and offers guests

for guests to reside within the resort for their entire stay. www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/shaharut

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ST ANDRE W S

RUSACKS ST ANDREWS ANCESTRAL HOME OF NUMEROUS SCOTTISH MONARCHS,

top-to-bottom makeover, complete with the addition of a modern new

world famous for its golf links and boasting some of

wing, designed by Scottish firm WCP Architects, which has increased the

Scotland’s finest scenery, Fife is a proud and historic region with its own distinct identity and landscapes that vary from gentle hills in the rural hinterlands to windswept cliffs, rocky bays and sandy beaches.

Located on Scotland’s magnificent east coast, five-hours by train from

Taking design inspiration from the property’s coastal position, the area’s rich golfing heritage and local stories of old, Rusacks today evokes a classic and comforting feel throughout its public areas, punctuated by

S C O T LA N D

London, the historic seaside town of St Andrews is not only the place

timeless touches, whimsical nods and discreet detailing. In the hotel’s

where Prince William and Kate Middleton first met, but is also where the

inviting reception lobby, three paintings by local, storied artist Joe

opening scenes of classic movie Chariots of Fire were filmed, and is

Austen hang over a huge, lovingly restored original fireplace. Close-by

home to the ruins of a medieval cathedral and castle.

hang portraits of the hotel’s first owner, Johann Kristof Wilhelm Rusack

Set in the heart of St Andrews – directly opposite the world’s oldest

and St Andrews golfing legend, Old Tom Morris. Traditional Scottish

golf course and breathtaking West Sands beach just beyond – Rusacks

patterns throughout the building create a sense of locality. And timeless

St Andrews is quite literally located in the middle of everything that this

materials linked to golf – including mahogany, brass, velvet, marble

elegant town has to offer, yet it is still within easy reach of pristine natural

and leather – were liberally utilised in the property’s 21st century re-

countryside and adorable Scottish hamlets.

imagination.

First opened in 1887, Rusacks has recently emerged from a complete

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hotel’s inventory to 120 rooms.

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Upstairs, guest rooms and suites continue the narrative of Scottish

beauty and golfing history via a traditional yet sophisticated combination of textures and materials that link them to the revered sport and the striking panoramas beyond their walls. Beds are laid with luxe velvet throws, large windows are bedecked in decadent curtains and spacious bathrooms feature deep soaking tubs and large walk-in showers.

Helmed by one of Scotland’s most renowned chefs, Derek Johnstone, a number of onsite dining options provide guests and locals alike with a variety of gastronomic experiences, ranging from a Scottish underground pub to a sprawling rooftop bar and restaurant overlooking the 1st and 18th holes of St Andrews’ famed Old Course. On the ground floor of Rusacks, The Bridge is a casual and welcoming all-day affair, which continues Johnstone’s food and beverage drive to champion Scottish produce.

Skillfully weaving centuries of golfing history into warm detailing throughout its historic and modern walls, Rusacks is the perfect base from which to explore the gorgeous town of St Andrews and the stunning surrounding countryside. https://marineandlawn.com

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ROME

THE TRIBUNE ONE OF ROME’S MOST ELEGANT NEIGHBOURHOODS, LUDOVISI IS the city’s 16th rione or historic district. It is the place to unpack if you enjoy staying in luxury hotels and strolling the famous, upscale shopping street of Via Veneto, made famous by Hollywood stars and jetsetters of the 1950s and ‘60s, not to mention Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. While Via Veneto’s retro glamour

I TALY

may have waned slightly in recent years, it is still lined with embassies, banks and chic cafés and Ludovisi’s very central location – within walking distance of many of Rome’s attractions – makes it an excellent area for visitors to be based.

Located just off Via Veneto, opposite the Villa Borghese and close to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, and just freshly renovated from top to bottom, The Tribune Hotel is a playful, revamped boutique property occupying a modern building perfectly positioned in the heart of Ludovisi.

Thoughtfully designed to cater to the needs of free-spirited guests seeking vibrant and socially inclusive stays, and now part of JdV by Hyatt, The Tribune’s 52 contemporary guest rooms and junior suites are slick, colourful and eclectic, and offer every convenience to today’s travellers.

A bijou gym offers a good selection of high-quality fitness equipment for guests to stay fit onsite or unwind after a busy day exploring the Eternal City. And crowning the hotel, rooftop Terrazza Borghese offers stunning views over Villa Borghese and beyond, together with a selection of delicious artisanal Italian fare and excellent, handcrafted cocktails.

A more personal and welcoming place to rest one’s head than one of the much larger, luxury properties Ludovisi is renowned for, The Tribune Hotel strikes just the right balance between comfort, design and functionality, making it a smart choice when visiting Rome. www.hyatt.com

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NE W ORLE A NS

VIRGIN HOTELS NEW ORLEANS PUNCTUATED BY CONVERTED BRICK WAREHOUSES

full vanity, make-up desk with illuminated mirror, an extra-large shower

housing innovative restaurants, trendy coffee shops, eclectic

and a wardrobe for two. Central to The Lounge is the brand’s patented,

boutiques and BBQ joints, New Orleans’ Warehouse District is the

ergonomically designed lounge bed, alongside a mini-fridge stocked with

city’s newest and most happening cultural hub. Often called the Arts

street-priced treats, a big HD TV, a worktable and built-in window seating

District of New Orleans, this hive of creative activity is located in the heart

offering city views.

of the city’s downtown area and is a bustling neighbourhood brimming

U N I T E D S TATE S

The Pool Club rooftop pool, restaurant and cocktail lounge, complete with

some rather excellent restaurants. Beautiful architectural detailing gives

DJs providing a fun and funky soundtrack.

the Warehouse District a distinct personality and the district is anchored

A vibrant and colourful new addition to New Orleans’ huge hospitality

by the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and Riverwalk along the

scene, Virgin Hotels New Orleans is undoubtedly a fun and buzzy place to

Mississippi River, near the start of Canal Street.

stay in the heart of the Big Easy.

Located in the epicentre of the Warehouse District, Virgin Hotels’ newest property embraces the spirit of New Orleans, offering visitors and locals alike a vibrant hospitality experience complete with multiple dining venues helmed by celebrated chef Alex Harrell, who has become a star fixture on New Orleans’ culinary scene since arriving in the city more than twenty years ago.

Ranging in size from an entry-level “Chamber Queen” to “Richard’s Penthouse Flat”, the hotel’s 238 rooms and suites feature local art, historical detailing and Art Deco-inspired elements woven throughout, which together evoke a sense of old-world meets modern luxury. Every chamber comprises Virgin Hotels’ signature layout of two distinct spaces: The Dressing Room and The Lounge. The former includes a

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Topping the hotel on the building’s 13th floor are Dreamboat bar and

with art galleries, performance spaces, museums, bars and hotels, plus

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www.virginhotels.com/new-orleans

W I NDSOR UNITED KINGDOM

FAIRMONT WINDSOR PARK LOCATED WEST OF LONDON ON THE RIVER THAMES IN southeast England, the regal town of Windsor is rich in history and royal tradition, has a distinctly calm feel and is home to the world’s oldest and largest inhabited castle. One of the residences of the British

Just out of town, Windsor Great Park covers an impressive 4,800 acres

royal family, the imposing stone fortress of Windsor Castle was built by

and was once a popular hunting ground of kings. Today, the park is home to

William The Conqueror in the 11th century and has since been the home of

500 free-roaming red deer as well as a lake, an abundance of walking tracks

39 monarchs.

and stunning gardens.

A charming destination for an elegant weekend break, Windsor’s

A collaboration between hotel group Accor and private property

Peascod Street, Windsor Royal Station and King Edward Court feature a

development company Arora Group, new hotel Fairmont Windsor Park

variety of independent shops and boutiques, while the area of Berkshire, in

will open its doors on the first day of the new year, located on the edge of

which the town is nestled, offers some of the nation’s best restaurants, not

Windsor Great Park adjacent to Savill Gardens, within an hour from London.

least of which, The Waterside Inn on the banks of the Thames in Bray, was opened in 1972 by culinary legends Michel and Albert Roux.

Set in 40 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and focusing on health and wellness, this luxe property will resemble an English countryside sanctuary, carefully blending modern elegance with mindful design. Each of its 200 guest rooms and suites will be furnished in a combination of natural stone and soft textures, with many offering sweeping views of the surrounding parkland.

Directed by the former chair of the UK Spa Association, Lisa Barden and designed to bridge the gap between a traditional spa and a wellbeing clinic, the hotel’s massive spa will boast indoor and outdoor pools, a cryotherapy chamber, Himalayan salt relaxation room, hamman, Japanese foot spa, dry flotation room, IV infusion space, complementary therapy room and colon hydrotherapy suite, as well as 18 treatment rooms and a VIP Spa Suite. An outdoor hydrotherapy space will complete the spa’s extensive facilities, which will cater to guests’ every wellness, fitness and aesthetic need. www.fairmont-windsorpark.com

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IBIZA S PA I N

PETUNIA IBIZA ONE OF AN INCREASING NUMBER OF UNDER-THE-RADAR BOUTIQUE hotels on the famous Spanish island which was formerly mostly renowned world-wide for partying, Petunia Ibiza overlooks magical Es Vedrà.

A small, legendary rock off the south western seaboard of Ibiza, which majestically rises out of the Mediterranean Sea to a height of around 400 metres, Es Vedrà almost transmits a feeling of peace and serenity and hence is a year-round draw for people who practice meditation. Rumour has it that this monolithic limestone rock formation is the third most magnetic place in the world.

Overlooking this spiritual wonder and just a stone’s throw from the sparkling shores of Cala Carbó, Petunia Ibiza reopened earlier this year following extensive renovations and a variety of new additions. Charming residents and visitors alike with its rustic, laid-back style combined with chic design touches throughout its guest rooms and public spaces, such is the special setting of Petunia Ibiza that a sense of breezy relaxation literally emanates from every pore of the property.

The hotel’s room inventory now includes the Es Vedra Junior Suite, which provides its lucky occupants with four, completely private rooftop terraces to enjoy exclusively. In addition to 14 deluxe one-bedroom suites – each boasting a sea view of private garden complete with living room, small kitchen and outdoor shower – there are also three, two-bedroom suites which have been completely refurbished and are perfect for sharing.

An intimate, adults-only retreat offering unspoilt views of rural Ibiza and its dazzling shores, staying at Petunia Ibiza is all about dreamy sunsets and delectable cocktails enjoyed amongst lush gardens or lounging by the side of its sparkling swimming pool. Yet, while Petunia’s guests may feel like they’re a world away, charming San José village, set in in the foothills of Sa Talaia in the west of Ibiza, is just a short 10-minute drive from the property. www.petuniaibiza.com

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PORTOF I NO I TA LY

SPLENDIDO MARE, A BELMOND HOTEL NESTLED IN GREEN HEADLAND, WITH ITS TALL, COLOURFUL houses arranged in a semi-circle around its famous piazetta, thanks to Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna and Dolce & Gabbana, the picturesque Mediterranean seaside village of Portofino is now known around the world and routinely attracts artists, A-listers, politicians, global celebrities and the international jet-set.

The crown jewel of the Italian Riviera, located close to Genova in Liguria, Portofino lies between two gulfs, creating a beautiful hamlet embedded in a nature reserve. Many heritage sites of cultural and artistic importance are also close-by and the whole area is surrounded by stunning, unspoilt natural landscapes.

Inspired by the golden days, when Hollywood’s most glamourous film stars graced Portofino, luxe boutique Splendido Mare hotel reopened in May of this year sporting a chic new 1950s look courtesy of Parisian architectural studio Festen, which completely restored the historic property.

Positioned at the top of the village’s pretty and buzzing piazetta, overlooking Portofino’s harbour, with front-row views of the port and the gorgeous Tigullio Gulf beyond, the new interiors of the Splendido Mare were inspired by its history and feature a wealth of antiques and vintage furniture as well as an extensive art collection. Comprising more than one hundred works, including specially commissioned pieces by Italian painter Gabriele Cappelli, the collection also features cinematic photography and abstract pieces by local artists. Fruitwood armchairs by Paolo Buffa and Gio Ponti, walnut armchairs by Ulrich Guglielmo and table lamps by Oscar Torlasco abound in the elegant, vintage style property, which is grand yet inviting.

Neutral shades, natural materials, polished timber and subtle coral and amber accents in the hotel’s 14 warm and sunny guest rooms are in tune with Splendido Mare’s location in the heart of a fishing village (albeit a super-glam fishing village), and residents can enjoy the extensive facilities of Splendido Mare’s sister hotel, the iconic Belmond Splendido, which is just a short ride up the hill.

Hailing from Bergamo’s three Michelin-starred restaurant Da Vittorio, Splendido Mare’s onsite restaurant, DaV Mare is helmed by brothers Enrico and Roberto Cerea who focus on seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

Overlooking the port, DaV Mare is the perfect place to sip an aperitivo, lunch and people watch.

www.belmond.com

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WIN a three-night all-

revamped lindos

S P E N D T H R E E B L I S S F U L D AY S A N D N I G H T S I N A J U N I O R S E A V I E W S U I T E AT S P E C TA C U L A R , A L L - I N C LU S I V E A D U LT S O N LY L I N D O S V I L L A G E R E S O R T & S PA ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF RHODES DELUXE, ALL-INCLUSIVE ADULTS

Asian street food to contemporary Greek fare

only Lindos Village Resort & Spa is an

and Mediterranean classics. As well as all meals,

authentic and intimate Greek island experience,

the resort’s all-inclusive offering includes an

perched on a cliff edge overlooking the Aegean

unlimited choice of tantalising sweet treats,

Sea, bordering the enchanting cove of Vlycha Bay

traditional Greek coffee, healthy juices, soft

on the eastern coast of Rhodes.

drinks, cocktails, premium spirits and local wines.

Shaded by Cypress and lemon trees, the

www.lindos-village.gr

resort’s traditionally whitewashed, sugar-cube like architecture – complete with courtyards, open-air terraces, sunset lounges and a serene swimming pool – recreates the feel of a secluded Greek paradise and exudes an intensely relaxing yet sophisticated atmosphere throughout.

Guests accommodated in the resort’s 190 ocean view rooms and suites enjoy an incredible level of personal service and feast on an array of superb cuisine courtesy of six onsite restaurants, serving a vast variety of dishes ranging from

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TO E N TE R

Email your contact details to ➤ win@theculturedtraveller.com The draw will take place after 1 March 2022 and the winner will be notified via email. This prize can be used any time between 1 May – 31 October 2022 subject to availability when booking. Some blackout dates may apply. This prize is not transferable to another person. The Cultured Traveller will not share your details with third parties. Multiple entries will be disqualified and excluded from the draw. All entrants may be added to The Cultured Traveller’s mailing list.

DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

P R I Z E D R AW

inclusive stay at newly village resort & spa

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T H E S E AT O F T H E W O R L D ’ S LONGEST LIVING MONARCH

L

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D O N CRAMMED WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST ICONIC LANDMARKS, FOR L O N D O N E R N I C H O L A S C H R I S O ST O M O U , T H E C H A R I S M A T I C C A P I T A L O F T H E B R I T I S H C O M M O N W E A LT H N E V E R FA I L S T O D E L I V E R O N E V E R Y

IMAGE: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID

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A

CITY OF OPPORTUNITY, commerce, drama, technology, entertainment, culture, love and romance, there isn’t much, if anything, that the great British capital hasn’t been witness to or doesn’t today afford those who live within its boundaries or arrive on its lands.

Boasting a unique allure, brimming with culture and theatrics in every facet of its being and constantly moving forwards and adapting to the ever changing planet, London is without doubt one of the world’s greatest cities, not least because there is always something new and exciting to see, do or get involved in, whether you’re a resident or a visitor.

WHILST THE AREA WAS ORIGINALLY SETTLED by early hunter gatherers around 6,000 BC and archaeologists have found evidence of Bronze Age bridges and Iron Age forts near the River Thames, it was the Romans who founded the city of London in the fourth century and gave it the name of Londinium.

Derived from the Celtic word Londinios, which means the place of the bold one, it was just north of the marshy valley of the River Thames, where two low hills were located, that the Romans built a bridge providing access from land to the south. They also built a major port, because the water was deep enough for ocean-going ships and was far enough inland to be safe from raiders.

Since then, the river has been a waterway, an economic resource and a supply of water and food to Londoners, to name just a few of its functions over the years. Almost two millennia later, the Thames is still the lifeblood of London, with every stretch telling a tale from its former days and palaces, docks, cathedrals, theatres, museums and skyscrapers all now jostling for attention along its banks.

Indeed, no other city in the world is built on a river which is so thick with history. Yet the Thames today is still as animated as ever, making London’s majestic waterway the only place to start a visit to the British capital.

UNIQUELY POSITIONED IN THE VERY HEART OF London – by County Hall and Westminster Bridge on the south bank of the river directly opposite the Houses of Parliament – the London Eye provides its passengers with incredible 360-degree vistas across the capital, making it the foremost first stop for a newbie visitor. Ride this giant observation wheel for just half an hour and you will get the bearings you need to better understand London’s layout, and the different boroughs emanating from the centre of the city.

After your flight, have a mooch around the South Bank, for it is a cultural hub filled with interesting buildings and mainly state-funded arts and entertainment venues. One of the few areas of the city which is as popular with Londoners as it is with visitors, the South Bank is a cool place to hang out, grab a morning coffee, see an exhibition or check out a market.

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The London Millenium Footbridge and the Tate Modern

IMAGE: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON IMAGE: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REIDREID

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Trafalgar Square

EVEN IF YOU JUST SEE IT FROM THE OUTSIDE, don’t miss Denys Lasdun’s concrete National Theatre – one of London’s best-known and most divisive brutalist buildings.

You’ll either love it or hate it. ➤ www.nationaltheatre.org.uk Take in an exhibition at the Tate Modern and its newest building, Switch House, with its eye-catching exterior of latticed brickwork and folded surfaces. Rooted in the building’s cylindrical underground tanks – each measuring more than 30 metres across and providing the world’s first museum spaces dedicated to live art, installation and film – Switch House was designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron, who also conceived the original conversion of Bankside Power Station in 2000. Switch House was the most important new cultural building to open in Britain for almost 20 years. ➤ www.tate.org.uk Also on the South Bank, you’ll find the British Film Institute’s four-screen cinema showing a range of films, and a faithful reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, Shakespeare’s Globe. ➤ https://southbanklondon.com

BEING SUCH A WALKABLE CITY, WITH MUCH OF ITS centre pretty much level, you can see a lot in London and get a real feel for its incredible history in just a carefully planned day or two. If the London Eye didn’t give you a good enough perspective, hop-on a sightseeing bus and stay onboard for the duration to see, on street level, many of the different sites you will later visit on foot. Buy the most basic ticket and don’t be tempted to get off the bus until the end of the tour! ➤ https://city-sightseeing.com/en FROM THE SOUTH BANK, TAKE YOURSELF ACROSS the Thames to Westminster, where you’ll see striking Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster. A Victorian Gothic masterpiece designed by Sir Charles Barry and A.W. Pugin to replace medieval parliament buildings, the Houses of Parliament (as the palace is more commonly known) is where the Commons and Lords meet in their respective chambers to debate. At the north-western end of the palace is its famous Clock Tower, which houses a huge clock known as the Great Clock of Westminster, as

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Clockwise from left: Somerset House; Buckingham Palace; Horseguards Parade

well as five bells, the largest and most famous of which is named Big Ben. In advance of your visit to London, get a free, 45-minute virtual guided tour of the Palace online, to see inside all of the rooms and chambers inaccessible to the public. ➤ https://ukparliament.seetickets.com FROM PARLIAMENT, HEAD ALONG WHITEHALL towards Trafalgar Square. Home to much of the British civil service and numerous government offices, you will walk past 10 Downing Street, where the incumbent British Prime Minister lives.

Named after Britain's victory in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, when Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was killed during the battle on his ship, after which Nelson›s Column is named, Trafalgar Square is a centre of national democracy and protest,

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with rallies and demonstrations frequently held within its confines. Surrounded by museums, galleries and storied buildings, Trafalgar is also something of a cultural square, from which you can stroll up The Mall via Admiralty Arch towards Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the longest reigning Monarch on the planet, Queen Elizabeth II. Alternatively, head north from the square up Shaftesbury Avenue towards the entertainment heart of London, east along the Strand to Somerset House, or west to find yourself on Piccadilly.

HOUSED WITHIN A LARGE NEOCLASSICAL COMPLEX on the south side of the Strand, overlooking the River Thames, Somerset House is often overlooked in favour of

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London’s more well-known cultural attractions, but is well worth visiting to experience a different take on art and its creation. Set around a handsome 18th century courtyard, Somerset House is a working arts centre, home to the country’s largest creative community and stages a raft of cutting-edge exhibitions and events as part of a busy year-round cultural programme. Renowned for its superb collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, not least Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Somerset House also houses the Courtauld Gallery, which is currently closed for renovation but due to reopen in the Spring of 2021. ➤ www.somersethouse.org.uk AT THIS POINT YOU’LL BE NEEDING A BREAK, AND

what better way to pit-stop in style than taking traditional afternoon tea, complete with finger sandwiches, bite-sized cakes, scones, jam and clotted cream. A meal in itself, you’ll not need to eat again until dinner time! The Savoy on the Strand may be the traditional choice, but The Wolseley on Piccadilly also serves a very good afternoon tea in stylish, much less touristy surroundings. After tea, walk via Piccadilly Circus to Soho, London’s edgy, creative heart.

WHILE SOHO’S ENERGETIC STREETS TODAY offer a variety of dining, nightlife and shopping options on the edge of London’s Theatreland, the area was originally fashionable with the aristocracy, and for much of 20th century was the epicentre of the British sex

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IMAGE: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID

Clockwise from left: Piccadilly Circus; River Thames; Theatreland

industry. Following considerable gentrification over the past three decades, bohemian Soho is now home to London’s gay community as well as a plethora of private members’ clubs and top-notch restaurants. Of the members’ clubs, if you can get into the Groucho Club on Dean Street, you’ll rub shoulders with local arts, literature and media folk in their natural habitat. ➤ www.thegrouchoclub.com If you must choose one Soho restaurant to have dinner, make it L’Escargot, set within a Georgian townhouse on Greek Street. Having been at the epicentre of London life for almost a century, L’Escargot is one of the city’s oldest restaurants and a Soho institution. Today the restaurant is helmed by charismatic bon viveur Brian Clivaz, who can often be seen chatting with customers accompanied by his faithful British Bulldog, Doris. Ordering a dozen of the restaurant’s escargots

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and dunking your crusty bread in the garlic and parsley sauce is an absolute must when in London! ➤ www.lescargot.co.uk FAMOUS FOR BEING HOME TO DOZENS OF THE city’s theatres in close proximity to each other and an area steeped in a dramatic history all of its own, London’s Theatreland is a go-to destination for visitors wanting to take in a show. Most start at around 7:30pm and finish by 10pm, making it possible to have a swift pre-theatre dinner in Soho before taking your seat for a performance of an altogether different kind. ➤ www.london-theatreland.co.uk It’s obviously advisable to reserve the best seats in advance, but if seeing a show is a last-minute decision, you can often buy tickets on the day at TKTS in Leicester Square. ➤ https://officiallondontheatre.com

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POST THEATRE, LONDON BOASTS AN ARRAY OF nightlife to suit all tastes and pockets, from full-on, pumping nightclubs to chic cabaret bars and hidden drinking dens.

Anything and everything is possible in the British capital and it’s not difficult to find places to imbibe and party ‘til dawn.

In Covent Garden, Adam Handling’s basement Eve Bar is a moody lounge where you can sip an imaginative, quality cocktail in a hip late-night hideaway. ➤ www.evebar.co.uk Meanwhile across town close to Old Street, but well worth the twenty quid taxi ride, Nightjar is a perennial favourite of Londoners, where you can enjoy an innovative cocktail married with live music until the early hours. ➤ https://barnightjar.com If you have the late-night munchies, within a short walk of Nightjar, Brick Lane’s famous 24-hour bagel shop has

been serving delicious and fresh Jewish-style filled bagels for decades, and you may find yourself waiting in line with policemen, fashion designers and clubbers. Mine’s a salt beef sandwich on rye! ➤ https://bricklanebeigel.co.uk 18TH CENTURY ENGLISH WRITER SAMUEL JOHNSON really wasn’t wrong when he said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford”. Still very much holding its own amongst the world’s greatest metropolises, there is something for everyone in the charismatic British capital, the food, arts and culture scenes are constantly evolving, and more indelible memories are made on London’s historic streets than any other city in the world. After all, life is all about making memories.

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TOWER OF LONDON DESPITE ITS GRIM reputation as a place of torture and death, within the walls of the imposing Fortress of the Tower of London, which is officially one of the Queen’s royal palaces, you will uncover the fascinating history of a building which has served as the royal mint, a menagerie, a records office, an armoury and a barracks for troops during its 950-year history, as well as a castle, fortress and royal residence.

Whilst the tower is famous for holding everyone from deposed monarchs to common criminals as prisoners, not least Lady Jane Grey, young princes Edward and Richard and Guy Fawkes, the latter being tortured for days before finally being executed, today the stone fortress is renowned for the crown jewels that is holds, which include the priceless pieces worn by the monarch at coronations and the state opening of Parliament.

To visit the treasury and see the crown jewels exhibition before the building opens to the general public, book a private morning tour in the company of the tower’s Yeoman warders (nicknamed ‘Beefeaters’), who have been guarding the tower since Tudor times. www.hrp.org.uk

TERRIBLE THAMES TIRELESS AND ETERNAL, THE RIVER THAMES IS THE lifeblood of London, an uninterrupted conduit that has transported people and goods across this great city since time immemorial. Some of London’s greatest buildings are built along her banks, and some of the history’s great mysteries lay buried in her depths. Brought to you by the people behind Horrible Histories, the award-winning kids’ series that makes history class infinitely more interesting via gruesome stories, Terrible Thames is a 45-minute journey of discovery down this mighty waterway that will leave you informed and repulsed in equal measure. Told through the live-action perspective of a history teacher and mischievous pupil (played by Horrible Histories actors), the journey starts from London Bridge Quay, a fitting introduction to the horrors of ancient London. The stories come thick and fast as the boat – which seats up to 120 guests in a comfortable indoor lounge and open-air upper deck – cruises down the Thames, passing the Tower of London, Blackfriars Bridge and Houses of Parliament before making an about turn to explore the historical attractions downstream.

Although it’s aimed at kids, there’s plenty to enjoy for adult guests, including topical political snubs and satirical observations such as the fact that the original London Bridge was sold in 1968 to American entrepreneur Robert P McCulloch for USD 2.5 million. www.terriblethames.com

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W H AT YO U S I M P LY M U S T S E E I N T H E G R E AT B R I T I S H CA P I TA L

THE LONDON EYE DOMINATING THE South Bank of the River Thames, The London Eye has been a London landmark for more than two decades and was, for a time, the world’s tallest Ferris wheel. Indeed, The London Eye is often credited with sparking a worldwide revival of giant Ferris wheel construction.

Offering unsurpassed panoramic vistas across London and beyond, from more than 135 metres up, there really is nowhere in London which offers such breathtaking 360-degree views, making The London Eye the quintessential first stop when visiting the British capital for the first time. For the ultimate experience, book a pod for the private use of up to a dozen guests, be fast-tracked straight onto the wheel without queuing and take in London while sipping a glass of champagne. This is what The Cultured Traveller calls flying The London Eye in style! www.londoneye.com

ELTHAM PALACE ONE OF LONDON’S BEST KEPT SECRETS, LOCATED WITHIN THE ROYAL BOROUGH of Greenwich and amongst the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in England, Eltham Palace was initially a moated manor house with vast, surrounding parklands. It was acquired by the future Edward II in 1305, who subsequently passed it on to his queen, Isabella.

Some two centuries later, it became the childhood home of Henry VIII. Since then, the southeast London palace has seen a variety of lavish entertaining, from minstrels playing for royalty to millionaires hosting sumptuous parties. Today, the palace is a striking estate, having been transformed (with no expense spared) by eccentric millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld.

Their supremely stylish, state-of-the-art home is filled with beautiful furniture and decorated with gorgeous artworks. The entrance hall, panelled dining room and magnificent medieval great hall are just some of Eltham’s highlights. Outside, 19 acres of award-winning gardens blend 1930s and medieval features, including London’s oldest working bridge over a moat. www.english-heritage.org.uk

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FASHION & TEXTILE MUSEUM UNBEKNOWN TO MANY LONDONERS and tucked away on an unpretentious street in village-like Bermondsey in southeast London, a stone’s throw from Tower Bridge, the Fashion and Textile Museum is the only museum in the UK which is dedicated to showcasing contemporary fashion and textile design. Founded in 2003 by national treasure and icon of British design, Dame Zandra Rhodes, who was involved in every element of its creation, the museum is housed in a distinctive, orange-coloured building designed by renowned Mexican architect, Ricardo Legorreta and is operated by Newham College.

Committed to presenting varied, creative and engaging exhibitions alongside a range of educational courses, talks, events and workshops, in place of a permanent collection, the museum features a diverse programme of temporary exhibitions covering a broad range of fashion and textile subjects from around the world.

Not to be missed, the museum’s immersive current exhibition, Beautiful People: The Boutique in 1960s Counterculture explores how a handful of Chelsea boutiques sparked a fashion revolution in the mid-1960s. www.ftmlondon.org

CAMDEN PASSAGE TAKING ITS NAME FROM BEING A pedestrian thoroughfare located in Camden and established for more than six decades, Camden Passage is a quaint collection of stalls and shops along a narrow stretch of 250 yards, mostly tucked away off Upper Street in Islington, a few minutes from Angel tube station. Aside from the main Wednesday and Saturday antique market days when it’s busiest, the passage bustles through most of the week and is lined with a mix of antique, vintage, retro and contemporary shops selling everything from clothes and jewellery to paintings and furniture. A handful of cafés and eateries are also scattered along its length. Frederick’s restaurant was established by Lou Segal in 1969 and is situated in the heart of Camden Passage.

An Islington institution, Frederick’s serves excellent modern European cuisine to the area’s most well-heeled www.fredericks.co.uk. For a break from haggling with market traders, drop into Katsute 100 Japanese tearoom, which occupies the historic premises that were the market’s first antique shop. Boasting an impressive range of teas, sakes and handmade ceramics, Katsute 100 also offers a superb selection of delicious cakes, all hand-baked on the premises www.katsute100.com.

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SEE LITTLE VENICE LOCATED ON THE BORDER OF PADDINGTON and Maida Vale and about 15 minutes’ walk from Paddington Central, the picturesque neighbourhood of Little Venice is where the Grand Union Canal and Regent’s Canal meet and form a small intersection of waterways. Some say that Little Venice was given its name by Victorian poet and playwright Robert Browning, who lived in the area for more than 25 years. Others say that it was Lord Byron’s likening of the canals to those in Venice that gave one of London’s hidden gems its name. Either way, Little Venice has been a magnet for writers, celebrities and artists since the 19th century and is something of a secret to all but those in-theknow, who frequent its waterside cafes and charming restaurants overlooking canals lined with narrowboats.

Having emerged relatively unscathed after the World War II bombings, a number of grand, Georgian buildings line Little Venice’s leafy streets, making it an enchanting place to wander and pit stop for a pint in a cosy pub.

Every year during the first weekend of May, Little Venice becomes home to London’s biggest waterways festival, the IWA Canalway Cavalcade, which sees more than 100 colourfully decorated barges come together on the water https://waterways.org.uk.

KEW GARDENS THE PERFECT AFTERNOON escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and London’s largest UNESCO world heritage site, Kew Gardens in southwest London is 500 acres of unadulterated botanical bliss, established for more than 260 years. Home to almost 17,000 unique plant species, Kew boasts the most diverse collection of living flora at a single-site botanic garden and is also a world-leading scientific research centre. Being the largest living plant collection on the planet and a simply beautiful place to enjoy, Kew attracts visitors year-round. The Palm House (pictured) was the first glasshouse built at Kew. Constructed in 1844 by Richard Turner according to Decimus Burton’s designs, today it is a remarkable indoor rainforest with tropical plants from some of the most threatened environments in the world. Whether you walk around its themed gardens, go high and tread the treetop walkway or explore its stunning glasshouses, Kew is a great place to recharge and enjoy Mother Nature, just 30 minutes from central London. www.kew.org

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C I T Y

F O C U S

S TAY W H E R E T O R E S T YO U R H E A D I N T H E B R I T I S H C A P I TA L

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THE GUARDSMAN T H E D I L LY T H E P R I N C E A K AT O K I MIDDLE EIGHT ANDAZ LONDON L I V E R P O O L ST R E E T

Palace of Westminster, London

THE GUARDSMAN TUCKED AWAY IN A QUIET CORNER OF

garb, a tribute perhaps to the Wellington Barracks,

Westminster behind a discrete facade, The

one street away.

Guardsman keeps a low profile. This boutique

London and thoughtful touches like under-bed

and a short walk from the Houses of Parliament and

luggage storage maximise the space available. The

Westminster Abbey – sits at the heart of London’s

wall between the bedroom and the marble and gold-

political landscape. Check in at the weekend

accented bathroom can be retracted to create an

though and you’ll have the whole neighbourhood to

open-plan feel – handy if you want to watch the HD

yourself, as the suited legions flee the city for their

flatscreen while soaking in the tub – and the décor

country piles.

is pared back and stylish. Underfloor heating in the

Stepping through an inconspicuous entrance at 1 Vandon Street, new arrivals are ushered through

A golden spiral staircase leads down to the Dining Room, a residents-only bar and restaurant

room in a private home: an elegantly eclectic space

that operates an anytime/anywhere policy and

known as the Drawing Room. Design is celebratory

serves a seasonal menu of British fare. The intimate

but restrained, with dark blue wood panelling and

bar, lined with gleaming London Underground tiles

marble walls contrasting with bright golden lamps,

in emerald green and plush leather bar stools in

blood orange sofas and other colourful accents,

mustard yellow, occupies one corner of the space,

and a black fireplace with hardwood surround that

which opens up into a spacious dining room with

wouldn’t look out of place in a country estate.

a colourful art wall that feels like a long-curated

wooden sofa, deep buttoned in navy blue velvet, is

private collection.

Private, intimate and managed by a small team

an exact replica of the one chosen for the music

of attentive but discrete staff, The Guardsman is

room of The White House by Jacqueline Kennedy,

exactly what an urban boutique hotel should be.

and the collection of artworks in the cosy Library

JOE MORTIMER

includes knights in armour and a rhino in military

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bathroom is an ingenious touch in colder weather.

the intimate reception area to what feels like a living

Beneath a shimmering chandelier, a hand-carved

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The Guardsman Rooms are a good size for

hideaway – a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace

DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

www.guardsmanhotel.com

S TAY

THE DILLY ORIGINATING FROM A 17TH CENTURY FRILLED

detailing and bedecked in flowers, is quite the

modern-day London whilst retaining many of the

collar named a “piccadil”, Piccadilly has been at

welcome, particularly when the weather outside

property’s beautiful period features, The Dilly is a

the very heart of London life for centuries. One of

is inclement. As is the case with many great

cool and funky yet history-filled place to stay in the

London’s widest and most famous thoroughfares,

London hotels, the concierge team shines from

happening centre of town, providing its guests with

leading for about a mile from the Haymarket and

the moment The Cultured Traveller checks-in

more time to enjoy everything that the great British

the top of Regent Street westward to Hyde Park

and this sets the tone for the stay. A hotel fixture

capital has to offer. NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU

Corner, in 1692 it was known as Portugal Street,

for 35 years, an opportunity to chat with head

named in honour of Catherine of Braganza,

concierge Paul Whittle is not to be missed.

the queen consort of King Charles II. By the mid

While the hotel’s listed façade remains, the

1700s, the street was known as Piccadilly. At

historical features of the original building have

Piccadilly’s junction with Regent Street, Piccadilly

been considerately embraced and married with

Circus was created in 1819.

contemporary additions in The Dilly’s 28 suites

Purpose built in 1908 to be one of London›s most

and 255 rooms. Though all are spacious for

luxurious hotels, The Piccadilly Hotel was designed

central London, those rooms on the first floor,

by celebrated British architect Richard Norman

facing Piccadilly, benefit from tall windows and

Shaw in a Neo-Baroque style, based on 17th

lots of light. Indeed, The Dilly’s rooms outsize

century English Palladian architecture. When the

many hotel suites in the area.

hotel opened, it drew more attention to the area,

Downstairs, a variety of restaurants and bars,

particularly the redevelopment of Regent Street

plus a range of leisure facilities cater to hotel

which was happening at the time. Today, more than

guests and locals alike. These include a superb,

a century later, the same hotel at no. 21 Piccadilly is

sprawling gym and almost certainly the largest

known as The Dilly, having been refreshed and

hotel swimming pool in central London, together

rebranded to reopen in May 2021 with a new name

with a notable Indian restaurant, Madhu’s at The

for a new era of hospitality.

Dilly, which serves superb Punjabi cuisine with a

To stay at The Dilly is to wake-up in the middle of the action with the West End, Jermyn Street, Theatreland, Mayfair, London’s best shopping and

Kenyan twist in theatrical, original Grade II-listed surroundings.

Breakfast and afternoon tea are served

a number of the capital’s finest restaurants literally

at the Terrace at The Dilly. A dramatic, light-

on your doorstep. And despite being a heritage

drenched conservatory-like space, the restaurant

property, an inspired renovation of the building has

includes an outdoor balcony, overlooking

created a modern yet authentic hotel with a sense

Piccadilly, that was the scene of many a party

of style and a distinctly British vibe.

in the 1920s and 30s.

An impressive lobby, brimming with architectural

https://thedillylondon.com

Skillfully capturing the current spirit of

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THE PRINCE AKATOKI THE DISTRICT NORTH OF MARBLE ARCH IS

five-star property, The Prince Akatoki is

fireplace provides a focal point, surrounded

something of a grey area of central London

positioned in a well-chosen location at the end

by inviting seating – TOKii restaurant serves

to most overseas visitors. But for those in the

of Great Cumberland Place, a few streets back

superb Japanese-inspired cuisine in chic, relaxed

know, it’s one of the best places to base oneself

from Marble Arch. Feeling like something of a

surroundings. Focusing on sushi, sashimi, seafood

when visiting the British capital for a city break.

secret, entering the property is to immediately

and premium meats cooked on the robata,

Located directly behind one of the London’s most

leave behind London’s hustle and bustle and be

TOKii’s fare is all about making the best use of

recognisable monuments in the cosmopolitan

immersed in a sophisticated, sanctuary-like space

fresh international ingredients and serving it

neighbourhood of Marylebone, and within a

of Japanese minimalism, where the hotel’s divine,

efficiently without the theatrics of its Mayfair

short walk of Selfridges, staying in Marble Arch

sweet-smelling signature scent pervades and a

contemporaries. In this vain, the restaurant

makes Park Lane, Hyde Park and Serpentine Lake

warm welcome and genuine hospitality are the

succeeds, and its laid-back feel makes it ideal for

easily accessible on foot, Mayfair and Soho

name of the game. With just 82 rooms including

dining alone or having a quiet meal with friends.

15-minutes’ walk away on a clear day and Notting

a variety of suites, the friendly front desk team

www.tokii.co.uk

Hill and Knightsbridge 15 minutes in a cab, traffic

knows who you are before you check-in and the

permitting. The area is also incredibly well-served

personalised service just gets better from there.

moody corridor on the ground floor, the wood-

by public transport.

At The Prince Akatoki, everyone is treated as a

panelled Malt Bar and Lounge is a small and calm

guest rather than a reservation number.

yet cool and clubby space for a drama-free, hand-

Refined and understated, occupying a row of beautiful, well-maintained Georgian townhouses yet offering all the facilities of a much larger

Just off the lobby cum relaxation lounge – which abounds with orchids and a striking

A few steps from TOKii, a short way down a

crafted cocktail or nightcap.

Upstairs, guest rooms and suites are airy, bright and well-equipped, furnished in blond woods and convey a clutter-free minimalism throughout.

Large Georgian windows allow in plenty of light.

Well laid out and functional, everything is hidden in Japanese-style cabinetry leaving ample space to spread out, unencumbered by the plethora of toot that usually litters a hotel room! Bathrooms are modern, marble-lined, feature inset TVs at the end of the bath and TOTO toilets with heated seats and are stocked with Malin + Goetz products. Traditional Yukata robes are provided for all guests and Japanese style pyjamas are added at turndown.

With its warm approach, chic Asian aesthetic and affable and helpful staff, staying and sleeping at The Prince Akatoki is an intensely pleasant and relaxing experience, which is a welcome respite after a night on the town, or a busy day treading London’s pavements. NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.theprinceakatokilondon.com

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MIDDLE EIGHT LIKE MANY OTHER NEIGHBOURHOODS OF THE

Eight into its sprawling, double-height lobby, first

cosmopolitan British capital, London’s Covent

impressions immediately set a stylish tone

Garden has experienced various stages in

that is continued throughout the hotel with

its life. From humble beginnings in the early

contemporary design and natural hues skillfully

1500s as the vegetable garden of the monks of

juxtaposed to create a vibrant yet warm

Westminster Abbey, it has moved through various

ambiance.

guises over the centuries, including a home

Upstairs, a bright and airy feel is

to the aristocracy and the main centre of London

palpable throughout the hotel’s 168 rooms, all of

theatrical life. At one point, it was the largest

which effortlessly combine style with peerless

produce market in the world. On this colourful

comfort. In addition, a dozen individually

journey, both rich and poor have moulded Covent

designed suites feature spacious lounges and

Garden’s history, in an area once renowned for

super-luxe bathrooms, plus either an indoor

rather debauched behaviour.

garden or a private outside space.

Thanks to Covent Garden’s strong community

Beneath Covent Garden›s bustling streets

spirit, after the physical market moved across

and built upon the foundations of iconic music

the river to Nine Elms in the early 1970s, the

venue Kingsway Hall close-by, Middle Eight’s

village feel and beautiful old buildings of the area

sultry, late-night bar, QT, is a vibrant take on the

were preserved for their historical value and

classic speakeasy. Currently open on Fridays

cultural importance. So, when Covent Garden

and Saturdays with two shows per night helmed

reopened as a major tourist and shopping

by legendary saxophonist Leo Green, this sexy,

destination in 1980, the future of this important

subterranean space regularly hosts an array

40-acre site, in the very center of London, was

of supremely talented singers and musicians,

assured.

each putting their unique spin on jazz, blues, funk

Taking its name from the type of musical interlude or bridge that differs in character from a song’s melody and is used to

and soul classics to entertain London locals and hotel guests alike.

Whether it is the bespoke furniture,

inject variety into a piece of music through a

sumptuous Egyptian cotton bedding or

change of key or tempo, slick Middle Eight hotel

the extensive use of natural renewable

sits in the very heart of Covent Garden, with

materials, nothing has been overlooked at Middle

both the British Museum and Royal Opera House

Eight to create the ultimate deluxe base from

just five minutes away on foot.

which to explore energetic Covent Garden and

With cool and sophisticated interiors fashioned by award-winning London design studio Tonik Associates, on arriving at Middle

flamboyant Soho beyond.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.middleeight.com

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ANDAZ LONDON LIVERPOOL STREET

BRIGHT, BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL, ANDAZ LONDON Liverpool Street instantly captures the spirit of its East London location with a vibrancy that clearly appeals to road warriors and weekend partygoers alike. The red brick building was once home to the Great Eastern Hotel, built in 1884 for commuters travelling into London, and now provides a home away from home for anyone heading into Shoreditch or other East London hotspots.

The guest journey begins in the Andaz Lounge, a buzzy lobby area that serves as hotel reception, bar and social hangout, furnished in plush sofas, velvet curtains and modern artwork. Laptop wielding digital nomads and well-dressed party folk criss-cross this colourful threshold day and night, transiting to the hotel’s collection of dining venues or stopping off for a glass at the daily wine hour from 6-7pm. The affable front desk team are faultlessly helpful, providing umbrellas, taxis and pre-departure beverages at the drop of a hat, and can be reached via WhatsApp from anywhere in the city to make or amend bookings.

Rooms are big: The Cultured Traveller’s, a corner room, looks down Bishopsgate towards the Gherkin and the Thames to the south, and remains blissfully quiet despite three doubleheight windows overlooking the busy streets below. The space is decked out in dark contrasting

and a good selection of sake; Rake’s Café Bar

colours, with a wing-backed armchair, a 50s style

and Lady Abercorn’s Pub & Kitchen are casual

photographer’s lamp and an enormous bed with

spots for pre- or post-dinner beverages, and late

tan-leather headboards that’s hard to leave.

weekend breakfasts and brunches at Eastway

A complimentary mini bar stocked with non-

Brasserie are a good place to start (or continue)

alcoholic drinks is a nice touch, and the very cool

the party.

black and white bathroom is a calming sight after a day in the UK’s hectic capital.

Like East London itself, the wining and dining

atrium of this historic building, embellished with

options are eclectic: low-key Japanese restaurant

Oscar Wilde quotes espousing the virtues of this

Miyako is surely one of the city’s best-kept

unique corner of London. JOE MORTIMER

secrets, serving outstanding sushi and sashimi

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Special mention should also be made of the artfilled, maze-like corridors and the soaring spiral

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www.hyatt.com

DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

TA S T E T H E L O N D O N R E S TAU R A N T S W H E R E YO U W I L L A LWAYS H AV E A M E M O R A B L E M E A L

BRASSERIE OF LIGHT THANKS TO A SEPARATE ENTRANCE on Duke Street and set in the heart of Selfridges, Brasserie of Light offers early morning, all-day and after-hours dining for guests and shoppers alike, outside of the store’s opening times.

Designed by renowned hospitality architect Martin Brudnizki (who was also behind the chic renovation of Annabel’s), atrium-like Brasserie of Light features bold, colourful and elegant interiors heavily influenced by Art Deco, all of which are bathed in masses of natural light courtesy of massive east-facing windows. At night, the vast space takes on a buzzy feel thanks to the liberal use of mirrors throughout and a funky musical soundtrack. But the dazzling centerpiece of Brasserie of Light is undoubtedly a 24ft-high, crystal-encrusted statue of Pegasus, created especially for the venue by famed artist Damien Hirst, which soars over diners' heads. The show-stopping artwork is Hirst’s largest-scale artwork in London to date and complements the restaurant’s eclectic mix of British and internationally inspired dishes executed with finesse and served by efficient and friendly staff for whom nothing is too much trouble.

An impressive private dining room, adjacent to the main restaurant, is available for parties and special occasions.

Order the Eggs Royale and a Bloody Mary for the perfect breakfast before a busy day of shopping!

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.brasserie-of-light.co.uk

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THE IVY MARKET GRILL LOCATED AT 1 HENRIETTA STREET on a prominent corner in the heart of bustling Covent Garden, The Ivy Market Grill is spread over two warm and inviting floors, its restaurant and private rooms of faded grandeur gently nodding to the late 19th century industrial age courtesy of mosaic floor tiles, antique brass chandeliers, distressed paintwork, wooden panelling and marble table tops. An orange and pewter bar acts as a theatrical centerpiece inside, while an enclosed terrace out front provides an ideal setting to people watch while dining al fresco.

The extensive, finely tuned menu covers everything from prawn cocktail and The Ivy’s classic shepherd's pie to duck curry and shoulder of lamb. Every dish is well turned-out and of a good size – you won’t go hungry in any of The Ivy’s many offshoots across the country.

Cocktails are quaffable and the decent wine list is well priced for central London. Visit The Ivy Market Grill for a lazy Friday afternoon lunch or a quality pit stop mid-way through a day of sightseeing.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU https://theivymarketgrill.com

ESTIATORIO MILOS COSTAS SPILIADIS OPENED HIS FIRST ESTIATORIO MILOS restaurant on Park Avenue in Montreal more than forty years ago. The simple formula back then still rings true today: 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. Today there are Milos restaurants in seven locations around the world, including two in New York, and a new Milos hotel is about to open in Athens.

London’s Milos occupies the imposing Grade II-listed building at 1 Regent Street St. James’s that was previously British Columbia House. An area with an exclusive members-only air and home to high-end antique markets and boundary-pushing galleries, Milos fits into this classic and prestigious neighbourhood perfectly.

Once through the huge castle-like wooden doors, everywhere is light, white and calm. A long marble bar offers views across the entire ground floor dining room and into the open kitchen while a large iced display shows off the day’s fresh fish. 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 grey mullet, which is caught in Greek lagoons.

Everything at Milos is presented modestly yet tastes exquisite. Beware that your planned one-hour lunch may turn into three, for everything you eat at Milos will be utterly delicious and the staff are quite simply the most attentive and accommodating in London. NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.estiatoriomilos.com

NOVIKOV RUSSIAN RESTAURATEUR ARKADY NOVIKOV’S MEGA MULTI-CUISINE London outpost has been rocking non-stop since it opened in 2011 and is this year celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Located at the Green Park end of Mayfair’s ritzy Berkeley Street, directly opposite Nobu and a stone’s throw from The Ritz, Novikov boasts more than 500 seats on three floors, including a pan-Asian restaurant on street level, a classical Italian eatery one floor down and a buzzing nightspot in its bowels.

By London standards, the venue is a monster, but it works incredibly well and is always busy with a well turned out mix of upscale locals, media types, creatives and glitterati. The atmosphere is charged pretty much every night.

Fridays are the best for people watching.

Delivered within minutes of arriving, Novikov’s expertly handcrafted cocktails taste superb. Just off the main entrance, the bustling Asian restaurant is understatedly dark, slick and well-appointed. An open kitchen runs the full width of the back wall, fronted by an impressive display of fresh seafood on ice, evoking the atmosphere of a market. Behind, more than a dozen chefs work furiously and are an impressive sight to behold, as are the waiters and floor managers weaving between guest tables. A funky soundtrack skillfully fuses classic and new vocal house.

Down a flight of stairs, the charming Italian Room is a much brighter and warmer affair with high ceilings, lots of greenery and a long counter displaying the freshest produce. An intensely inviting space, it’s perfect for a long dinner with friends. Plates are designed to share and whatever you eat will be beyond scrumptious with incredible service to match.

Kick-off your night with a few glasses of Taittinger rosé and you will almost certainly end up in Novikov’s sophisticated club-like bar and lounge in the basement, where the service is still first class and the music is infectious. At Novikov, it’s not difficult to eat for hours then dance for hours, so be sure to have nothing planned the following morning. NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.novikovrestaurant.co.uk

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A SOHO INSTITUTION Since 1927

48 Greek Street Soho, London W1D 4EF Tel +44 (0) 20 7439 7474

info@lescargot.co.uk

TA S T E

LPM RESTAURANT AND BAR ALMOST CERTAINLY LONDON’S CHICEST GASTRONOMIC HIDEAWAY, LPM Restaurant and Bar is tucked away on Brook's Mews in Mayfair, a mere hop, skip and a jump behind Claridge’s.

Super chic yet utterly relaxed in the same breath, La Petite Maison (to give the brand its full name) started out as a little bistro in Nice more than three decades ago. Its original owner, Nicole Rubi, counted the French Riviera’s most glamorous holidaymakers as her regular patrons. One particular customer, Bob Ramchand, was so taken by the bistro and its simple but delicious fare, that he and his partner Arjun Waney (the Indian-born, Londonbased businessman behind Zuma, Roka and Coya) acquired the rights to open LPM restaurants anywhere in the world except France. LPM has since opened in London, Dubai, Beirut, Istanbul, Miami and Abu Dhabi.

First and foremost ingredients-led, LPM succeeds because it sources the best fish, meat and vegetables that it can possibly get, at whatever the cost and from wherever it must come from. For instance, scallops hail from Norway while the Irish rib-eye is dry-aged for 21 days. In London, the result is an extensive menu of inspired yet simple and delicious French Mediterranean and Niçoise cuisine, served in an inviting dining room with lots of windows by super-efficient staff. Tables are laid in gorgeous white linen with large bottles of olive oil and fresh lemons and tomatoes adding splashes of Mediterranean colour.

Light, bright and beautifully presented, a variety of hors d'oeuvres are designed to share and deliver the fresh taste of the Mediterranean on even the most ghastly of London days, weather-wise. The grilled veal chop is a thing of beauty and perfectly cooked – order it with sautéed broccoli and the divine baked gratinated potatoes and you’ll unlikely have room for dessert.

But if you do, the cheesecake is seriously moreish.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU https://lpmrestaurants.com/london

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PIAZZA ITALIANA HOUSED IN A GORGEOUS GRADE II LISTED BUILDING IN THE HEART of the City of London on historic Threadneedle Street, Piazza Italiana opened just a few months ago yet has already garnered a loyal following for its top notch traditional Italian fare served by affable staff in palatial surroundings.

The brainchild of seasoned restaurateur Victor Ravdive and his RestoRātors brand, Piazza Italiana’s menu was created by Sicilian-born chef Remo Mazzucato who has decades of experience in the kitchen. Based on authentic, classic Italian recipes, the delicate and refined dishes prepared

by Mazzucato’s team make the most of the wealth of fresh produce and seasonal ingredients available in London, and are complemented by an extensive wine list presided over by knowledgeable sommelier Daniele Arcangeli who is informative without being condescending.

Start with Piazza Italiana’s divine Vitello Tonnato (by which all good Italian restaurants are measured) and follow with ox cheek slow cooked in red wine with creamy polenta. Allow Arcangeli to select an artisan wine for you – dozens of which are available by the glass – to elevate your meal to another level.

Best enjoyed for dinner, reservations are essential at Piazza Italiana to bag a table in the magnificent main dining room bedecked with columns and dine under its triple-height, stunningly ornate ceiling.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.piazzaitaliana.co.uk

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TA S T E THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND MODERN ITALIAN DINING, SCANDI-INSPIRED interiors and a name that pays homage to the former basement bar at 62 Seymour Street, The Italian Greyhound is a neighbourhood bistro that exceeds expectations.

The latest venture from Bernardi brothers Marcello and Gabriel is an instant modern classic, where thoughtful dishes are served up in a svelte setting with wooded floors and brushed concrete walls accented with gold and black light fixtures, teal curtains and leafy foliage. Downstairs, what was once The Dog House at Bernardi’s has been turned into a private dining room and events space.

The menu promises autumnal flavours and it certainly delivers. Burrata with roasted pumpkin and a pistachio and pesto drizzle sets the tone with an earthy, autumnal take on a classic Italian starter; and the lightly charred grilled sardines are salty and delicious, balanced with pickled Tropea onion, earthy pine nuts and raisins. Two pasta dishes are delectably al dente: pansotti with wild greens, ricotta and walnut sauce provide a reminder that winter is on its way, and slow-cooked beef brisket paccheri lends an intoxicating sweetness to proceedings.

Special mention goes to the yellow peach, prosciutto, ricotta and basil pizzette, for which I will return to The Italian Greyhound next time I have the chance, and the remarkable pistachio tiramisu.

JOE MORTIMER www.theitaliangreyhound.co.uk

BERNERS TAVERN A PERENNIAL FAVOURITE WITH LONDONERS YET relatively hidden in plain sight just off the shoddy end of Oxford Street, Jason Atherton’s all-day restaurant, Berners Tavern, never ceases to impress with its magnificent dining room and expertly executed British fare to match.

Quietly located within Ian Schrager’s London EDITION hotel, it’s not until you’re through the door that the space wows with its artworkfilled walls, triple-height ceilings, intricate stucco plasterwork and mammoth chandeliers. On terra firma, the restaurant is anchored by an inordinately long cocktail bar along one side, where it’s simply rude not to partake of a pre-meal G&T to get the party started. Yet, despite all the visual theatrics, Berners is a warm, spacious and understated place where one can just as easily have a quick breakfast as a louche OTT lunch complete with the finest wines.

The food makes the most of fresh local produce in a range of truly British dishes with Mediterranean touches. lamb literally falls off the bone, the meat so tender it is hard not to keep eating. Served with a pearl barley risotto and roasted root vegetables, we conclude that it must surely be one of the most impressive British dishes to share in London, until the pistachio and honey flaming Alaska is flambéed at the table and we settle in for a three-hour lunch. If you enjoy a bit of a decadence and theatre with your food, inimitable Berners never fails to deliver.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.bernerstavern.com

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IMAGES: JOE HOWARD/NIKOLAS KOENIG

Our 8-hour slow-cooked Cumbrian Herdwick shoulder of

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SKY GARDEN LOCATED IN THE VERY HEART of London’s throbbing financial center, Sky Garden bar and its multiple eateries take drinking and dining to stylish new heights. Sky Garden is perched 155 metres above the City’s narrow streets, atop celebrated Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly's landmark building at 20 Fenchurch Street, which is more commonly known by its nickname of the Walkie-Talkie due to its unique shape. Although visits must be booked in advance and everyone must pass through street level airport-style security, access to London’s highest public garden is essentially free of charge. Sitting right in the centre of the City of London, quite on its own and uncrowded by tall neighbours, the views from Sky Garden's vast main 35th floor bar space, towards The Shard, are quite magnificent, making it well worth stopping by to sip a hand-crafted cocktail amongst the greenery and trees.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU https://skygarden.london

LOS MOCHIS A FEW STEPS FROM NOTTING HILL GATE TUBE STATION, ON THE corner of a quiet residential street, Los Mochis isn’t your typical neighbourhood bar and restaurant. For behind the white townhouse façade and its colourful murals, this new addition to West London’s drinking and dining scene melds two of the world’s favourite food cultures, bringing a heady blend of Mexican and Japanese flavours to one of the British capital’s most discerning areas.

Los Mochis’ creative cocktail list pushes unusual flavour combinations to their glorious limits, all fuelled by the native spirits of either nation: punchy tequila and smoky mescal from Mexico, and the elegant, delicate aromas of sake from Japan.

“Tommy’s” is the house signature: a classic margarita with agave nectar, lime juice and reposado tequila finished with a Japanese and Mexican spice rim. In contrast, “Terra Incognita” pays homage to Japanese ingredients, with lemongrass, sake, apple and chilly blended with Tanqueray gin and citrus foam. Both are delectable and worth venturing to West London for. Other cocktails borrow from the eclectic larders of both countries to create unique flavour combinations and creative garnishes – finely sliced slivers of chipotle, known in Mexico as ‘chili whiskers’, smoky Tajin spice mix and fragrant watermelon ice cubes, to name a few – and there’s an extensive list of sake, tequila and mescal, including several labels you won’t find anywhere else in London.

JOE MORTIMER www.losmochis.co.uk

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SIP T H E C U LT U R E D T R AV E L L E R ’ S

FAVO U R I T E V E N U E S I N T H E B R I T I S H CA P I TA L F O R A T I P P L E O R T WO

THE CORAL ROOM NAMED AFTER ITS VIVID CORAL pink coloured walls and located in the heart of London’s Bloomsbury district, a stone’s throw from Tottenham Court Road and five minutes’ walk from Covent Garden, The Coral Room was designed by Martin Brudnizki to echo the unique heritage of the beautiful, original Sir Edwin Lutyens building in which it is located. Blending original architectural detailing with Murano glass chandeliers, exquisite furniture and muted tones with geometric motifs, the result is a theatrical, bold and bright space which also feels warm, welcoming and intimate. A stylish place to stop at the end of a day of sightseeing or shopping, The Coral Bar’s English-themed cocktail menu takes guests on a veritable tour of the country via the moors, meadows, seas and spires of England, with each carefully hand-crafted concoction combining a variety of quintessentially British ingredients, such as Bramley apples, violets, rhubarb and rosehips. The Cultured Traveller rather enjoys a “London Calling”, which skillfully unites Casamigos Blanco tequila, Muyu Vetiver Gris and Cocchi Americano with pink grapefruit shrub, lime juice and a pomelo and pink pepper tonic in a sophisticated drink designed to sip and savour. NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.thecoralroom.co.uk

CALLOOH CALLAY FEATURED MULTIPLE TIMES ON THE WORLD’S 50 BEST BARS LIST and something of a London cocktail scene trailblazer, when this vibrant bar and hidden speakeasy within opened in November 2008, there were far fewer bars in Shoreditch. Since then, while the area has exploded into a trendy hive of eateries and drinking dens that particularly come alive at the weekends, multi award-winning Callooh Callay has remained as popular as ever, most likely due to its wonderfully friendly and affable staff, who not only make superb cocktails but also ensure that every guest is warmly and unpretentiously looked after. Taking its name from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem Jabberwocky, the design of Callooh Callay draws on the world of Alice in Wonderland and hidden behind a wardrobe door, the secret JubJub bar is where the real fun happens and the most cocktails are consumed to a backdrop of chilled yet funky music. Order a “Hongi” made with 42 Below Vodka, Oxley Gin, Martini Fiero Vermouth, Galliano and Amaro Montenegro and you’ll unlikely stop at one!

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.calloohcallaybar.com

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LSQ ROOFTOP SOMETHING OF A SECRET IN THE HEART OF LONDON'S West End, you won’t find LSQ Rooftop unless you know where to look! Once you have found the slightly inconspicuous entrance to Hotel Indigo at no. 1 Leicester Square, take the lift to the top floor where you will be treated to the most spectacular, panoramic vistas of London's skyline, featuring an array of the city’s most wellknown landmarks, including the London Eye, Nelson’s Column, Houses of Parliament and The Shard. On a fine day you can sit outside on the venue’s wraparound balcony. When you tire of the showstopping views, the cocktails are also pretty good and the service is unpretentious and efficient. Many named after the iconic landmarks within direct view of the venue, LSQ's signature cocktails are hand-crafted and generous.

"The Rooftop” made with Edgerton Pink Gin, fresh raspberry purée, sugar syrup and lime juice, and topped with Prosecco, is a favourite of The Cultured Traveller team. NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.lsqrooftop.com

FARZI CAFÉ AT THIS VERY MOMENT, IN A basement laboratory below Farzi Café, a young man called Engji Shala is performing elaborate experiments on cocktails using high-tech scientific equipment. Beneath rows of jars containing encyclopedic ingredients sit centrifugal spinners and serious looking machines that blast their contents with sound waves to disrupt particles and evenly distribute them to create what Engji calls “homogenised spirits”. It’s mind-blowing stuff. More mindblowing are the gorgeous concoctions born from his work: potent, perfumed flavour enigmas, beautifully dressed and served with precisioncut ice cubes resembling giant jewels. Beverage manger Din Jusufi runs the front of house, which is packed with well-dressed theatre goers on a Friday night, in on the secret that Farzi Café’s modern Indian cuisine is far from typical.

Elegant sharing plates sit perfectly alongside the dazzling cocktails: a well-presented C.T.M. (chicken tikka masala) illustrating the experience of this talented kitchen; butter chicken bao and dal-chawal arancini demonstrating its playfulness and dynamism. The entire production, from arrival to departure is a masterclass in excellence. Bravo and encore.

JOE MORTIMER www.farzilondon.com

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SIP

JOSHUA’S TAVERN NAMED AFTER A PORTRAITURE ARTIST WHO lived close by and located in the heart of London’s theatreland on the corner of St Martin’s Street and Orange Street, Joshua’s Tavern has the feel of an intimate, neighbourhood drinking den while specialising in sophisticated, terroir-led gin and tonic combinations. Part of the slick, new Londoner hotel, which has taken the British hospitality scene by storm since opening in September 2021, Joshua’s Tavern is helmed by talented mixologist Pierpaolo Schirru, who has lovingly put together a menu of regionally sourced gins, with each going through a careful matching process before making the cut. Alone worthy of visiting the bar, each of Schirru's precisely composed “gintonicas" includes a combination of bespoke garnishes, house-infused bitters and tonics to harmonise, elevate and compliment the gins' botanicals, led by the nuance of the spirits’ terroir. A relaxed and cosy gastro bar for locals and visitors alike, the space is enclosed by cool murals by New York City-based artists Diego Castaño and Chandler Noah of En Viu which are worth seeing. The Cultured Traveller is rather partial to a Mirabelle Rosé G&T combo, with some scrummy Philly cheesesteak bites on the side.

NICHOLAS CHRISOSTOMOU www.thelondoner.com

THE WINDMILLL SOHO IF WALLS COULD TALK, THOSE OF THE WINDMILL THEATRE IN SOHO WOULD PROBABLY have more to say than most. Built on the site of the original windmill that gave the street its name, the building started life as a cinema, the Palais de Luxe, before being turned into a small theatre in 1931. Since then, The Windmill has been through several incarnations reflecting the rise and fall (and now rebirth) of this once-edgy neighbourhood, from a nude art and variety show playhouse and a cinema showing foreign films, to a burlesque theatre and table-dancing club. Today, after a £10 million refit, The Windmill Soho has reopened as a supper-club and cabaret. Behind the red neon lights of the exterior, diners find a dark and sultry atmosphere designed for indulgence. The best seats are right in front of the stage, where a revolving line-up of cabaret acts including the venue’s legendary Windmill Girls dance and whirl the night away. There’s a wonderful solo vocal artist, a bawdy musical-comic troupe and some impressive acrobatics, all presided over by an outrageous drag host who keeps the audience revved up with non-stop banter. The menu, designed by Andrew McLeish of Chapter One in Kent, is designed for sharing and service from an impeccably dressed team of floor staff is attentive and crisp. But the cocktails are the real hit: tempting, theatrical and delightfully flamboyant: precisely the sort of values they appreciate at this Soho institution. JOE MORTIMER www.thewindmillsoho.com

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S PEN D T H E B E S T P L AC E S T O S H O P I N L O N D O N

SELFRIDGES VOTED THE BEST DEPARTMENT store in the world more than once, London’s Selfridges is an incredible six storey retail mecca where shoppers can literally bag everything under one huge and glamorous roof. The second largest shop in the country (after Harrods), Selfridges has reigned supreme in its flagship Oxford Street location for more than a century, having been founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge back in 1909. Today, the store’s vast range of concessions and departments spanning literally every retail genre, combined with a number of excellent bars and eateries and one of the best food halls in London, make shopping at this retail legend an exciting, theatrical and delicious experience. The ground floor champagne and oyster bar by Caviar House & Prunier is the perfect place to pit stop for a glass of bubbly during a busy day of buying gifts.

Meanwhile, the Wonder Room, also on the ground floor, is where you’ll find all the luxury watch and precious jewellery brands in one glitzy place. www.selfridges.com

MARYLEBONE A SHORT WAY NORTH OF SELFRIDGES, MARYLEBONE IS rich in character and boasts some excellent shopping, yet most tourists haven’t found it yet. Home to the rather wonderful Wallace Collection – which is displayed in the former townhouse of the Seymour family in Manchester Square – and the infamous party scene at Chiltern Firehouse, Marylebone has always drawn a smart London set, with Selfridges’ food halls serving as their local supermarket. Brimming with design stores, The Conran Shop fills multiple shopfronts on Marylebone High Street and showcases a host of pieces by mid-century masters as well as up-andcoming talents www.conranshop.co.uk. A concept store devoted to unique and exclusive finds from across the globe, Mouki Mou on Chiltern Street is a wellcurated treasure trove of jewellery, art and one-of-a-kind fashion pieces https://moukimou.com. And V V Rouleaux is one of the best places in London to purchase beautiful ribbons, trimmings and braids to finish your gifts in style www.vvrouleaux.com.

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NEAL’S YARD + COVENT GARDEN FOUNDED FOUR DECADES ago, Neal’s Yard Remedies has been working with nature to make awardwinning ethical health and beauty products for 40 years, by harnessing the power of the finest organic and ethically sourced herbs, botanicals and essential oils www.nealsyardremedies. com. Part of Covent Garden, Neal’s Yard itself is a micro-village tucked away in a compact courtyard, down a tiny side street in Seven Dials. Brimming with independent shops, bijou eateries, funky bars and cute cafés, Neal’s Yard is the perfect place to start a shopping spree in Covent Garden, which started life as the vegetable garden of the monks of Westminster Abbey in the 1500s. Today of course, anchored by the Royal Opera House, the entire area is a charismatic hive of activity day and night, complete with a regular arts and crafts market in the piazza and designer shopping in cobbled Floral Street, where Paul Smith’s first ever London store is still located www.paulsmith.com. Also worth checking-out is one of Joanna Lumley’s favourite shops in London, Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop. Pollock’s was established in Covent Garden in the 1880s and specialises in creative, educational and theatrical toys that nurture storytelling https://pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk. www.coventgarden.london

FORTNUM & MASON IN 1705, ENTREPRENEUR WILLIAM FORTNUM MET Hugh Mason in the spare room of Mason’s house, which was a stone’s throw from his small store in St. James’ Market, and the rest, as they say, is retail history. Being the entrepreneur he was, one of Fortnum & Mason’s first lines was second-hand wax, which was essentially pilfered from the Royal household by Fortnum, who was a part-time footman at the time.

Inventors of the world’s first Scotch Egg in 1738, Fortnum’s was also the first UK store to sell tins of Heinz baked beans in 1886, after purchasing the entire stock when it arrived from America.

Today, Fortnum’s grand home on Piccadilly, where it has sold groceries for more than three centuries, is an inimitably regal retail experience, bedecked with heritage and art on every floor.

To this day, there is still something magical about stepping off busy Piccadilly and walking up the red carpet-lined stairs to the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon for afternoon tea, to a backdrop of a pianist tinkling the ivories. Opened by the Queen herself in 2012, taking afternoon tea in this splendid room is probably as British as it gets and is a must for a first-time visitor to London. www.fortnumandmason.com

SPEND SHOREDITCH THE HEART OF EAST LONDON AND HOME TO COUNTLESS British designers and their studios, not to mention some of London’s best restaurants, there is so much to see, do and spend your cash on in Shoreditch that you’d be advised to set aside an entire day to do it justice. Alive and kicking with creative energy, gently start a day in Shoreditch at the fascinating Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye), which explores British home life from 1600 to the present day, before taking in the superb street art which fills the surrounding streets www. museumofthehome.org.uk. After taking your pick of the hip pubs, funky bars and trendy cafés to grab some lunch, either peruse the contemporary artwork on display in the edgy galleries, or head to historic Spitalfields Market, which houses both a community of life-long traders and a variety of hot new brands www.spitalfields.co.uk. Renowned for ripping up the interiors rulebook, visit House of Hackney on Shoreditch High Street for striking wallpapers, fabrics and home accessories www.houseofhackney.com. And don’t miss Browns East for a one-stop-shop that showcases the best in East London fashion design. A bold, bright and eclectic emporium, Browns East is a wonderful place to shop for a key fashion piece, infused with Shoreditch style, to take home www.brownsfashion.com.

COAL DROPS YARD DESIGNED BY THOMAS HEATHERWICK’S STUDIO AND

shopping, Coal Drops Yard is a delightful place to hang out for a few hours,

unveiled to Londoners just over three years ago, Coal Drops

absorb London’s unique character and people watch. If you are shopping, you

Yard delivers something very different to the British capital’s shopping and

must pay a visit to the Earl of East lifestyle emporium, where you can purchase

dining scene. Not least, the area is housed within a pair of heritage railway

pieces by independent designers, grab a coffee and even make a candle in

buildings dating back to the 1850s, which were radically reimagined to provide

the store’s onsite pouring room www.earlofeast.com. Tracey Neuls’ shoe shop

a cool new retail district and wonderful, architecture-led public spaces.

is also worth popping into for its wonderful collection of individual, atelier-

Today, the area is home to a wide range of established and emerging brands,

quality, craftsman-made footwear and accessories https://traceyneuls.com.

alongside a good selection of restaurants, bars and cafés. Even if you’re not

www.coaldropsyard.com

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H A V I N G R E C E N T LY U N L E A S H E D HER DEVILISH MEMOIRS, WHICH LIFT THE LID ON MORE THAN A D E C A D E O F H E R S H O W B I Z PA S T, T H E 8 8 -Y E A R - O L D G O L D E N G L O B E W I N N I N G B R I T I S H A C T R E S S TA L K S ALEXIS, BORIS AND TRUMP TO

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MINUTES WITH

dame joan collins You have had an incredible career to date, beginning with film roles while still in your teens and more than seventy credits since. What’s been your favourite role to date?

Without a doubt, Alexis in Dynasty is my favorite role to date. One develops a certain fondness after having inhabited a character for nine years!

Please treat our readers to an anecdote about Dynasty?

In my first scene, in the courtroom, I felt like the new child in school being judged. It didn’t help that the scene required the entire cast to face me as I sat in the witness box sporting various expressions of confusion (“who is this woman?”), shock (“why is she here?”) and hatred (“what does she think she’s

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doing?”)

During the proceedings, John James, who played Jeff Colby, shot me a wink which helped so much.

Did you talk into your Dictaphone almost nightly between 1989 and 2006 with a view to eventually publishing your diaries?

I did it when I felt like it, when something truly notable occurred or if I felt happy, sad or downright angry!

Did returning to the 1990s and the turn of the millennium bring back lots of good or not-so-good memories predominantly?

I didn’t have any particular feelings about it since they were done in real time. I was mostly surprised that I had strong feelings about people or events which I no longer have or have mellowed with the passage of time.

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Claridge’s

If you had to pick a favourite chapter of My Unapologetic Diaries, which would it be?

With husband Percy

The section about meeting Percy and our early romance certainly brought back wonderfully warm memories.

You’re not particularly complimentary in the book about Donald Trump or Boris Johnson?

Who is?! But I’m quite fond of Boris, actually. And Trump is like any businessman – his feelings about people are reigned by what he needs or wants at any given moment.

What would you say was Hollywood’s Golden Age?

The 1930s to the late 1940s.

“Miss Perpetual Motion”. When we were all locked-down, I wrote another set of diaries which, for now, I call my Covid diaries.

Do you miss the glamour of those times?

I never miss anything – I only miss people.

My Unapologetic Diaries is your eighteenth book. What is it about writing that you most enjoy?

What’s your favourite hotel in the world?

I simply adore the process of writing.

I love waking up very early in the morning in the South of France, before anyone else is up and the day is just dawning, making myself a coffee and losing myself in my writing for a few hours. I generally manage two or three thousand words before my guests wake up. Sometimes my pen goes so fast that I can’t even decipher what I’ve written!

Hands down Claridge’s is the best, although I do wish they’d stop their building work!

Were the lockdowns productive times for you and what did you get up to?

Yes, they were. I’m always doing something which I consider to be productive. My mother nicknamed me

You are renowned for being resolutely age defiant and you’re still making movies, writing books and giving interviews. What drives you daily and gives you energy?

I’m not driven, really. I just have a ton of energy and enjoy and appreciate life.

I always wake up with excitement and grand plans for the day.

Tell about the day you were made a Dame?

It was the best day of my life. All of my children and my husband accompanied me to Buckingham Palace for the investiture. Then we had lunch at The Wolseley. And, that evening, as Noel Coward said, “I went to a marvelous party”, thrown by my husband.

As Alexis in Dynasty

There’s talk of a BBC documentary about your life?

It’s all very top secret.

Being made a dame in 2015

And you’re working on a biographical TV series called “Joan & Jackie” about you and your sister?

Yes, I am, and that’s even more top secret!

Any words of advice for budding Hollywood sirens and aspiring actresses?

Don’t do it unless you are completely dedicated, utterly disciplined and are able to shoulder more rejection than you’ve ever received in your life without having a nervous breakdown.

Do not aspire to ‘stardom’ as it hardly ever happens and, even if it does, you will not be immune to more rejection. Read my diaries, they are a cautionary tale of the elusiveness of so-called ‘success’.

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IMAGES: ANDREW BEASLEY, ADRIAN HOUSTON

rock star chic above london’s theatre district

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S E T A L O N E AT T H E V E RY T O P O F T H E B R I T I S H C A P I T A L’ S N E W E S T H O S P I TA L I T Y O F F E R I N G , COMMANDING SWEEPING VIEWS ACROSS LONDON’S ROOFTOPS T O WA R D S T H E C I T Y ’ S M O S T ICONIC MONUMENTS, NICHOLAS C H R I S O ST O M O U C H E C K S I N T O A

SHOWSTOPPING PENTHOUSE SUITE AT THE LONDONER

suite envy T H E

P E N T H O U S E

S U I T E ➤

T H E

L O N D O N E R ,

L O N D O N ,

U N I T E D

K I N G D O M

M

UCH OF LONDON’S THEATRE district and the surrounding areas have played many roles in their time. Soho used to be the nation’s undisputed capital of sleaze. Today it’s a happening hive of culture and style and the porn has all but disappeared. Carnaby Street was once the location of London’s first ‘pesthouse’, built to house plague victims in the mid 1600s. Today the area is a vibrant hub of creativity in London’s West End. Covent Garden was once the vegetable garden of the monks of Westminster Abbey. Half a millennium later, it is a major tourist and shopping destination anchored by the Royal Opera House. And Chinatown – which occupies the streets between Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Soho – has only been a focal point for Chinese businesses

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for six decades, since London’s original Chinatown, in the Limehouse area of the East End, was severely bombed during the Blitz. In the middle of all of these colourful central London districts lies controversial Leicester Square.

TAKING ITS NAME FROM THE SECOND EARL OF Leicester, Robert Sidney, who in 1635 built a large house on four undeveloped acres north of Westminster, Leicester Square has always courted controversy and never garnered particularly good media coverage. Indeed, for many Londoners, the square was and still is a mucky thoroughfare best avoided. But things are changing in this last pocket of London’s West End which is ripe for rebirth, thanks in large part to Edwardian Hotels Group and its new hospitality baby, The Londoner, which is positioned on almost certainly the best corner of the square, roughly behind The National Gallery.

Conceived as a deluxe vertical urban resort over a period of almost a decade, from conception to the hotel’s opening just a few months ago, The Londoner has been skillfully and sensitively integrated into the historic urban fabric of the famous entertainment district in which it is located, and has already begun to transform Leicester Square’s tainted tourist trap reputation and propel this corner of the West End into a bright new era.

THE HOTTEST HOTEL LAUNCH IN THE UK THIS YEAR (and no doubt also the most costly, at half a billion Pounds), the much-anticipated début of The Londoner marked the culmination of a mammoth construction project, based around the creation of the deepest, habitable-grade commercial building basement in London. For when the hotel’s designers couldn’t go up due to planning constraints, they had no option but to go down and dig deep to accommodate the property’s wealth of facilities. At thirty metres down and with six levels below ground, the hotel’s basement is amongst the deepest in the world, with enough London clay excavated prior to construction to fill 26 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

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You have to stay here at least once in your lifetime.

Situated on a private quay uniquely poised between Cape Town’s vibrant V&A Waterfront and the tranquil yacht marina, Cape Grace is the ideal retreat from where to enjoy the splendor of the Mother City’s natural and cultural beauty, as well as the warmth of our people.

Cape Grace Hotel info@capegrace.com V & A W a t e r f r o n t , C a p e To w n , S o u t h A f r i c a

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PURPOSE-BUILT TO CAPTURE LONDON’S PEERLESS character – complete with an array of nods to British humour at every turn, plus an impressive, expertly curated art collection – The Londoner was designed to appeal to both discerning Londoners as well as seasoned, international globetrotters. This it achieves from the get-go, courtesy of its unique wraparound façade which combines Portland stone with bronze-framed windows and rich blue architectural faience tiles, each of which was individually hand-made by Darwen Terracotta’s traditional artisans, making the building something of a public work of art, which was a condition of the hotel’s planning approval. Conceived and designed by New York-born artist Ian Monroe and numbering more than 15,000, during the

day, these tiles reflect the sky’s natural light. But come the evening, they mirror the dynamism of the area and its plethora of lights and bestow a distinctive and fashionable glow to The Londoner which continues inside the building.

Designed in collaboration with world-renowned interior designers Yabu Pushelberg, global architects Woods Bagot, engineers Arup Associates and artist Ian Monroe, and funded by the UK’s largest family-owned hotel group, the vast property boasts 350 rooms including 35 suites, six restaurants, a 24-hour members’ club-style private residents’ area, a variety of meeting and event spaces, a two-screen cinema and 1,000-capacity ballroom, plus an entire floor dedicated to health and wellness. Working in creative and visual harmony,

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the hotel’s rooms, leisure and entertainment offerings take guests through the subterranean and street levels towards The Londoner’s rooftop, which is crowned by Izakaya Lounge offering magnificent panoramas of the British capital, and restaurant 8 at The Londoner which serves contemporary Japanese cuisine.

LOCATED ON STREET LEVEL AND JUST ONE OF HALF a dozen eateries and bars in the building, The Londoner’s signature restaurant, Whitcomb’s, offers Mediterranean fare all day and night. Here, diners enjoy petit déjeuner, a prix fixé lunch, a swift pre-theatre meal or a leisurely à la carte dinner, all of which evoke the true essence of contemporary French cooking via small plates to share and a variety of tasty mains.

But it is deep down in the clay bowels of London, many floors underground, that The Londoner’s facilities most impress.

An entire subterranean floor dedicated to wellness, fitness and nutrition, located four storeys down and inaccessible to everyone except residents, The Retreat is a veritable oasis in the epicentre of the British capital, anchored by a gorgeous, beautifully lit swimming pool. Surrounded by private cabanas and expansive daybeds, the pool is somewhat incredibly bathed in natural light from above. The hotel’s gym is huge and

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extremely well-equipped. A hydro pool, saunas and steam rooms complement a spa which offers a range of tension dissolving Tibetan treatments and rejuvenating facials to cleanse, exfoliate and make guests red carpet ready for a movie premiere across the road. And a refined juice bar serves therapeutic refreshments for a final boost. If the beckoning bright lights of London’s West End weren’t literally metres away and I wasn’t spending the next few days in The Londoner’s top suite, it would be very easy to spend an entire day in The Retreat.

ACCESSED VIA THE EIGHTH FLOOR, ALONE AT THE very top of the building and contained within the uppermost part of the cornerstone tower facing into Leicester Square towards the famed Odeon which has hosted hundreds of movie premieres, The Penthouse Suite at The Londoner is a truly opulent duplex space for entertaining in style and chilling in supreme comfort.

AN UNDERSTATED, SINGLE, GLOSSY LACQUERED mustard door, with a Murano glass handle at its center, opens from the real world into an elite enclave of calm and tranquility designed in the style of a chic, residential pied-à-terre. Gracefully rising upwards from the suite’s entrance vestibule, a dramatic

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wooden staircase is lit from above by a massive sky light and hung with artworks by Marc Quinn, Magnus Klackenstam and Carolina Mizrahi. A small powder room halfway up is within easy reach of guests and a minimal neutral palette throughout allows the suite’s “wow” elements to shine, not least the suite’s showstopping curved lounge cum dining room, which is dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows onto Leicester Square. I am greeted by the hotel’s head of housekeeping and the personal 24-hour service I receive from hereon in is probably unsurpassed in London.

At one end of the room, a massive Calacatta Tucci marble bar doubles-up as a high-top dining table, adjacent to a butler’s kitchen complete with ice machine. Mirrored walls, assorted designer sofas and low-level tables laden with books fill the rest of the space, which has been deftly designed by Yabu Pushelberg to make the most of the suite’s commanding position above central London.

Directly off the lounge via a concealed door, the master bedroom suite is a restrained series of serene rooms designed to cosset its occupants and embrace them in luxury. From the king-sized bed with its handmade mattress, laid in 400 thread count Irish linen, the Houses of Parliament, London Eye and the City of London beyond are visible via a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. At one end of the room, a large swivel armchair is thoughtfully placed to enjoy the best of the spectacular vistas, complete with opera binoculars to have a closer look.

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Off the bedroom and also accessible from the staircase, a spacious wardrobe and dressing area leads to a marble-lined bathroom dominated by a huge egg-shaped Apaiser tub-fortwo. A skylight in the centre of the walk-in shower throws natural light into the space and provides an extraordinary focal point when getting ready to go out at night, with London’s stars twinkling above, reminding me that I am showering at the very top of the building, in one of London’s most exclusive suites.

NOTHING SHORT OF A BATMAN-LIKE SEARCHLIGHT in the sky, to signal that London is back at the top of the hospitality game and showing the world how it should be done, with stunning interiors by Yabu Pushelberg married with such a vast array of facilities, The Londoner offers an extraordinary guest experience led by incredible service and is wholly deserving of its self-proclaimed “super-boutique hotel” moniker. And located Mary Poppins-like above the rooftops of central London and topping the property in inimitable style, The Penthouse Suite at The Londoner is undoubtedly one of the most splendid places to stay in the heart of the British capital.

A night in The Penthouse Suite at The Londoner costs GBP 20,000 inclusive of breakfast, taxes, private chauffeured transfers and a host of other amenities. ➤ www.thelondoner.com

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KNOWN I N T E R N A T I O N A L LY F O R I T S H O S P I TA L I T Y DESIGN WORK, M O S T N O T A B LY THE RESTORATION AND REINVIGORATION OF RAFFLES SINGAPORE,

T H E C U LT U R E D T R AV E L L E R C H AT S WITH THE FOUNDER AND CREATIVE SPIRIT BEHIND HER EPONYMOUS F I R M , C H A M PA L I M A U D D E S I G N , A N D TA K E S A LOOK AT S OME O F I T S S TA N D O U T PROJECTS

IN CONVERSATION WITH

alexandra champalimaud 94

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H OT E L DESIGN

T

HE DORCHESTER, THE BEVERLY HILLS Hotel and New York’s famed Plaza are just a few of the iconic hotels that Champalimaud Design has been tasked to redesign in recent years.

Established for forty years and renowned in the hospitality industry for its expertise in working with historic properties, Champalimaud is the global go-to design studio to not only preserve these monumental buildings but also understand their cultural heritage and reimagine them to create timeless hotels for generations to come.

INDEED, AS A FIRM, CHAMPALIMAUD HAS COURTED its reputation for breathing new life into big, old hotels. “We believe that it’s important to keep the essence of the original building alive” says Alexandra Champalimaud, the firm’s founder and driving force. “Our design direction is focused on enhancing what already exists and letting the building, and its treasured history, drive the narrative. I’ve been working within the hospitality sector since my first design project at the age of 19. I have a soft spot for big old hotels and have built a

Having a rich background in the history of art and architecture gives me a lot of room to be creative reputation for knowing how to thoughtfully design within these spaces. To this day, our studio is sought out for these kinds of projects, but also for our ability to transfer the same kind of thoughtfulness into new build and residential projects also.”

CHAMPALIMAUD WAS BORN IN THE CHARISMATIC Portuguese capital of Lisbon, so it’s natural to ask whether her homeland influences her work today, “The creativity and sensibility of Portuguese culture – honouring craftsmen, in particular – is something that has stayed with me. You can see this influence in my projects, particularly how I value craftsmanship and texture. I grew up in Cascais, which is a beautiful part of Portugal known for its light and landscapes.

My upbringing in such exquisite surroundings, daily exposure to beauty and quite simply understanding what beauty is, first sparked my love for design. My very first design project was the Vilalara in the Algarve.”

Raffles Singapore

ONE OF CHAMPALIMAUD DESIGN’S MOST WELLknown hotel projects was the painstaking six-year renovation and updating of iconic Raffles Singapore. A splendid colonialstyle property, Raffles was established in 1887 by the Sarkies brothers, who hailed from Isfahan in Persia and became the East’s foremost hoteliers of the time.

Anyone who’s familiar with Raffles Singapore knows that its magic lies within its walls and the stories that fill them.

Renovating such a renowned and storied building, boasting such a wealth of immaterial value embroidered within its makeup, must have been a humbling experience for any designer.

Of the property, Champalimaud says, “Raffles Singapore still needed to be recognisable to its loyalists, but elevated and enticing to new audiences. Our studio creatively and meticulously preserves not only the history of such hotels, but the emotional resonance that lives within its walls, maintaining its sense of place and the ambience.”

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Raffles Singapore

And the most difficult part of the project? “Raffles Singapore had to be preserved but it had to also be innovated.

We attempt to do this in a subliminal way and make a hotel more current, cleaner and more functional, not to mention more socially interactive, so that the public areas are much more energised. At Raffles Singapore, we successfully retained its historic presence and a lot of the original details remain.

But there’s a lot of subtle creativity in there too!”

BUILT IN A SPANISH COLONIAL STYLE, HIGH UP in the Los Angeles canyons so as to stand apart from the rest of the city, the landmark Hotel Bel-Air opened in 1946. Since then, its residents have included Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant, amongst many other star-studded guests, and the hotel remains as popular today as it was in Hollywood’s heyday.

When the Dorchester Collection acquired Hotel Bel-Air in 2008, it decided to embark upon a top-to-bottom makeover of the storied property and Champalimaud Design was hired.

After two years of renovations and new construction steered

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Our design direction is focused on enhancing what already exists and letting the building, and its treasured history, drive the narrative

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by Champalimaud and American architect David Rockwell, the hotel reopened sporting a glamourous fresh look, as well as a new spa by La Prairie, a restaurant helmed by Wolfgang Puck and 15 new guest rooms, a dozen of which were built into the canyon hillside.

Courtesy of Champalimaud, the hotel’s opulent individuality was maintained via skilled interior design that merged subtle references to the 1930s, 40s and 50s with modern fixtures and finishes. Every interior of the iconic property was refreshed with themes inspired by the hotel’s famed gardens, reinforcing a connection to the outdoors, while texture, pattern and colour create continuity throughout the estate. The hotel’s renowned oval swimming pool – a beloved element of Hotel Bel-Air for more than 65 years – remains a fixture of the modernised, super luxe urban getaway today.

Hotel Bel-Air

WHEN ASKED HOW SHE SO SKILLFULLY INTERLACES the old and classic with the new and modern in a hotel, Champalimaud says, “With a new project, we’ll know the goals, take in its parameters and get a clear sense of what the end

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Both images: The Plaza

product needs to be. Then I develop a relevant personality, in other words, a design that is rooted in history and a sense of place. We don’t design around trends – our designs move beyond fleeting design moments. We create spaces that evoke an emotional response. We’re anthropologists and sympathetic curators of space. Our approach is thoughtful, considering the context first and then carefully building on the story that existed. We honour the traditions of classic design but infuse a contemporary personality, creating timeless spaces and experiences that are respectful of the property, its location and the people that once visited. As a firm, we believe that it’s important to keep the essence of the original building alive.”

OPENED IN 1907 OVERLOOKING FIFTH AVENUE AND Central Park and designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in the style of a French château, The Plaza is the only hotel in New York City to ever be named a National Historic Landmark. The favoured haunt of F. Scott Fitzgerald, who set some of The Great Gatsby within its hallowed walls, the hotel has appeared in a number of movies, making its film debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 spy thriller, North by Northwest.

The most important hospitality jewels of this storied hotel’s crown, Champalimaud was chosen to refurbish The Plaza’s 29 Legacy Suites, which have been part of the building’s history for more than one hundred years. Amongst

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We create spaces that evoke an emotional response

From stunning natural islands and cool turquoise waters, to golden deserts and modern skyscrapers; this is an exciting city with a thousand stories to tell.

Book now at etihad.com T H E C U LT U R E D T R A V E L L E R

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Photo by Marwan Al Marzouqi

Both images: Monkey Island Estate

them, the stunning, one-bedroom duplex penthouse offers 1,500 sq. ft. of living space on two levels including a beautifully furnished terrace boasting spectacular views. Meanwhile, the magnificent Vanderbilt Fifth Avenue suite is a three-bedroom affair complete with two lounges, a dining room and views of the original Vanderbilt Mansion, as well as Fifth Avenue and iconic department store Bergdorf Goodman.

All of The Plaza’s Legacy Suites were transformed by Champalimaud via her deft understanding of how to combine bespoke pieces with a subtle sense of architecture to create a composition grounded in timeless design with a modern edge, while telling a story that honours the longevity of the property. Each akin to a chic Upper East Side apartment, “The residential style of our Legacy Suites makes them the perfect escape for a quick getaway or an extended stay” says George Cozonis, managing director of The Plaza.

A HISTORIC RETREAT SINCE THE 1100S TURNED boutique hotel, set on a car-free private island on the River Thames, an hour outside London in Bray, Monkey Island Estate is another storied property which has been given the Champalimaud treatment.

Enjoying an intriguing history, Monkey Island’s exotic moniker is believed to be linked to the Church’s early

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The Ocean View Club

As a firm, we believe that it’s important to keep the essence of the original building alive ownership of the place, due to the fact that in the late 12th century, monks attached to Merton Priory settled nearby and built fishponds close to the island. It is believed that it was they who christened the island Monks Eyot, “eyot” meaning island.

Whatever the true source of its name, Champalimaud’s renovation of the property is a celebration of and a tribute to its fascinating past, with the studio looking to the two original, Grade I listed structures on the island as inspiration for a design vocabulary. The result is beautifully thoughtful and sophisticated, with an emphasis on comfort and modernity whilst retaining its quintessential Britishness. “It’s so incredibly English I can’t tell you!” Champalimaud says.

HAVING FOUNDED HER BUSINESS FORTY YEARS ago, some four decades later, what inspires Champalimaud creatively and makes her as relevant today? “Having a rich background in the history of art and architecture gives me a lot of room to be creative. My life has taken me around the world; I’ve had projects on every continent, and it always comes down to how I intuitively feel about a space, especially the proportion, scale and symmetry. When those are in place, I’m able to extract the personality of the site.”

THE HOSPITALITY AND LEISURE INDUSTRIES WERE some of the first to feel the extreme effects of COVID-19, with decisions taken to shutter hotels or close-down properties completely, not to mention the pandemic’s disruptive effect on the entire travel ecosystem and its impact on worldwide tourism. Have the needs of Champalimaud’s clients becoming more demanding since the pandemic?

“I would not say that they have become more demanding.

The pandemic has caused us all to think differently about how we work, and opened up new opportunities. We spend a lot of time in the studio researching and crafting an inspired narrative for each project, that informs what is designed.

In light of the pandemic, this has become more important than ever.“ FINALLY, WHEN CHAMPALIMAUD IS NOT DESIGNING hotels and creating incredible interiors for guests to enjoy, where does she kick-back and relax? “The Ocean View Club at Harbour Island in the Bahamas is one of my favorites, because of its sunny relaxed atmosphere, bright comfortable rooms, soft pink sand and beautiful turquoise waters which I could spend all day in.”

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TUCKED BETWEEN THE NORTH AND SOUTH FORKS OF LONG ISLAND ON A M E R I C A’ S E A S T E R N S E A B O A R D , ALEX BENASULI ENJOYS THE

UNAS SUMING S OPHISTICATION O F T H I S U N I Q U E VA C AT I O N H AV E N

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HE HAMPTONS ARE WELL KNOWN around the world as the weekend and summer playground of New York City’s elite.

What fewer people know, is that the Hamptons is not just one place, but a collection of distinct hamlets that stretch for some thirty miles on the south fork of the eastern end of Long Island, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Peconic Bay on the other.

Beginning with old establishment Southampton – located some eighty miles from New York City on the south fork of Long Island – and ending with the surfer’s paradise of Montauk at the east end of the peninsula, the Hamptons also include Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor and East Hampton. The entire area is nothing short of gorgeous.

Sandy beaches go on forever. Town centers date back to preAmerican revolutionary times. Thick woods and manicured gardens are abundant in equal measure. Yet, while the displays of wealth have become more obvious in recent years (think fancier cars, more upscale restaurants, larger houses and more designer shopping), there still exist pockets of the

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laidback and unfussy rural nature of the area that made it so popular decades ago. For those wanting to experience the best of the Hamptons without the bling, Shelter Island is its understated and somewhat hidden holiday gem.

GETTING TO SHELTER ISLAND NECESSITATES boarding a ferry that crosses Peconic Bay from Long Island’s south and north forks. Whilst the journey time is just ten minutes, the effect it has is immeasurable, because the small degree of separation makes Shelter Island a very special place. Both literally and figuratively, visitors are that much more removed from the real world. ➤ www.northferry.com ➤ www.southferry.com If the Hamptons are New York’s playground, then Shelter Island is the Hamptons’ secret and understated garden.

From one end of the island to the other is just over three

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miles. At its widest it’s just five miles. However, the island’s highly irregular shape gives way to an abundance of usable waterfront, salt marshes, bay beaches, coves, marinas and creek beds, all of which are ripe for discovery, complete with two tiny hamlets of restaurants and shops.

WITH ONE THIRD OF THE ISLAND OCCUPIED BY THE Mashomack Preserve – a vast tract of unspoiled forested and coastal land, brimming with hiking trails – Shelter Island first timers are often surprised at how green and wooded the place is. It is in the natural wilds of this sanctuary that one can only imagine what awaited one of its founding father, Nathaniel Sylvester, who, together with three partners, purchased the island in 1653 from local Manhasset Indians.

His family seat, Sylvester Manor on Gardiners Creek, still exists today as a private residence and educational farm.

IT WASN’T UNTIL THE LATE 1800S AND EARLY 1900S that Shelter Island began to take off as a summer retreat.

Shelter Island Heights – a historic district on the northern side of the island – is dotted with Victorian and Queen Anne-style wood and shingle cottages, replete with tidy front gardens, decorative window trimmings and screened porches.

They are the epitome of cute and charming.

Slap bang in the middle of the Heights and first built as a religious retreat in 1872, is The Chequit. A veritable island institution, the property was transformed into a high-society getaway in the 1940s and consequently visited by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Completely made over by its latest owners, hoteliers Kevin O’Shea and David Bowd (the same guys behind Provincetown’s beautiful Salt House Inn), this boutique refuge of 37 minimal and whitewashed rooms – all bathed in natural light and

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S H E LT E R I S L A N D dotted with characterful touches – is perfect for dreamy jaunts and lazy afternoons on the generous second-floor porch, gazing over the town and harbour beyond. ➤ www.thechequit.com JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM THE CHEQUIT IS Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy, housed in a bijou gothic revival building which first opened its doors in the 1920s, complete with a soda fountain and old-fashioned lunch counter open every day except Christmas. ➤ https://shelterislandpharmacy.com A little further on is gourmet food store and café Marie Eiffel. Here you can find everything from made-to-order sandwiches to exquisite French pastries produced by its onsite Parisian pâtissier. Posh but low-key summer residents visit Marie Eiffel for morning coffee and newspapers. Position yourself on the porch out back and enjoy the mesmerising views across the water. The bulletin boards by the entrance to Marie Eiffel are a hive of local insider information about yoga, pilates, yard sales and other island activities. ➤ www.marieeiffelmarket.com SHELTER ISLAND IS ESSENTIALLY A SUMMER BEACH resort – a place to kick off your shoes and shove your toes in the sand. The bay waters make it ideal for safe swimming, boating and fishing and the characterful beaches are dotted

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with shells, pebbles and sea grasses. On Shelter Island, there is always something to see, absorb, enjoy or eat.

All easily reachable, Shelter Island boasts a variety of quality dining options.

Relaxed, country-chic Vine Street Café is arguably one the island’s best eateries, renowned for its bouillabaisse, linecaught local swordfish, homemade pastas and excellent wine list. ➤ www.vinestreetcafe.com Meanwhile, Ram’s Head Inn – connected to the island by a scenic causeway – serves New American cuisine in a handsome period building facing a private cove. ➤ www.ramsheadinn.com Of course, you can always visit the local fish market and bag locally landed lobster, flounder and muscles, and then pit stop at one of the island’s numerous roadside farm stands for sweetcorn and fresh veggies to conjure-up your own feast.

IF YOU’RE AFTER A SLIGHTLY MORE UPSCALE, VIBEY and sandy vacation experience, Sunset Beach is undoubtedly the answer. Owned by international hotelier André Balazs – the same man behind Chateau Marmont in LA, the Mercer in NYC and London’s Chiltern Firehouse – Sunset Beach is one of Shelter Island’s perennial hotspots, renowned for its buzzy and fashionable bar and restaurant.

Spiritually, Sunset Beach is more St. Tropez than American Eastern Seaboard. Its restaurant is spread across two floors in a series of indoor and partially outdoor spaces, directly facing one of the island’s longer sandy beaches. Here is one of the best spots on the island to watch the sunset. The food is Mediterranean-inspired and complimented by a raw bar serving local shellfish and lobster. In the dappled light, filtering through artfully positioned lanterns and torches, listening to groovy beats, looking out to boats bobbing on the

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bay and mingling with the party set, you really feel like you’re somewhere a little more exotic. Only on such an intimate island could so smooth a vibe be pulled off so perfectly.

Sunset Beach’s accommodation is located within a cleverly reimagined 1960s motel. All twenty simply, yet tastefully decorated rooms face the water. There is an outdoor games area with ping pong tables and pétanque. Kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding and tennis are also on hand. Or the beach concierge can set you up for a day on the sand.

Between the scenery, people watching, beach activities and one of the most happening bars and restaurants on the island, guests staying at Sunset Beach generally want for nothing, transitioning from barefoot beach to evening cocktails by simply throwing on a shirt and some accessories. ➤ https://sunsetbeach.fun SINCE SHELTER ISLAND IS THE DOWN-TO-EARTH antidote to hectic New York lifestyles and the antithesis of the

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more-showy Hamptons, most visitors don’t feel the need to venture off the isle. Here, life kicks down a few gears, moves into the slow lane and revolves around a multitude of activities that take advantage of the island’s beautiful scenery.

By day, Shelter Island is the kind of place you can slip into a bathing suit and flip-flops and stay that way as long as you like. Sitting on the beach, enjoying the gentle sea breezes and watching a sailing regatta in the distance is just part of what make the place so special.

At night, particularly when the moon is full, people return to the beach to build small bonfires and nibble on impromptu picnics. Don’t be afraid to join in. Shelter Island is a place to disconnect and recharge and so everyone’s mood is friendly, chilled and celebratory. It’s all about simple pleasures and enjoying the company of those nearest and dearest, and this is the way that Shelter Islanders plan to keep it.

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america’s vast, volcanic national park SAMANTHA HENDERSON

EXPLORES THE MAJESTIC PEAKS, PRISTINE LAKES, STEAMING GEYSERS AND BUBBLING MUD P O O L S O F A M E R I C A’ S L A R G E S T N A T I O N A L PA R K

S

ITUATED ATOP A VOLCANIC HOT SPOT and covering many thousands of kilometres from the northwest corner of Wyoming into the edges of Idaho and Montana, Yellowstone is an enormous, unmissable geological wonder. Hence, visiting America’s largest national park is unsurprisingly on pretty much every outdoor lover’s bucket list.

Established in 1872, this UNESCO World Heritage Site contains over half of the world’s known geothermal features, the largest concentration of geysers on the planet (numbering more than three hundred), vast swathes of unspoilt alpine scenery, breathtaking canyons and an abundance of wildlife including bears, wolves, elk, bison and dozens of other mammal species.

WHEN TO VISIT YELLOWSTONE IS A QUESTION often asked, for unpredictability characterises the park’s weather. Every month of the year, visitors can expect huge temperature changes, rain or snow.

The best times to visit are undoubtedly from late April to May and September through early October. In May, the park is particularly full of life, with newborn bison and elk calves and an abundance of blooming wildflowers. Rest

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assured however, that whenever you visit, despite the fact that Yellowstone attracts millions of visitors annually in normal times, chances are that unless you spend your entire time at Old Faithful, you won’t bump into many others, such is the vastness of this colossal park.

BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE PARK, DOWNLOAD AND set-up the free NPS Yellowstone Park app. ➤ www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/app.htm As you might expect of such a huge and wild space, mobile coverage within the park can be a little patchy, so it’s best to familiarise oneself with the app in advance of arriving.

Once inside, there are wi-fi hotspots at the park’s many visitor centres. Here you can glean up-to-date information on active wildlife spots and the times of predicted eruptions for six of Yellowstone’s geysers.

WHETHER YOU TAKE AN ORGANISED TOUR OR self-drive, stay onsite or offsite, your most important consideration is geographically how you want to see

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Yellowstone, including which entrance and exit gates and the areas you’re most keen to focus on. With more than one thousand miles of hiking paths, even with your best boots on, you will never see all of it!

FAMOUS FOR ITS FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES, western hospitality and proximity to Yellowstone, we spend the previous night in Cody, Wyoming and enter the park the following morning via Fishing Bridge near the Yellowstone River.

When in Cody, don’t miss the fascinating museum dedicated to William F. ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, The Buffalo Bill Center of the West. ➤ https://centerofthewest.org For themed lodgings, take a step back in time and stay at Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill in 1902 and named after his daughter. The tasty fare served in the hotel’s restaurant is moreish. And be sure to have a nightcap in the hotel bar, Silver Saddle Saloon. ➤ www.irmahotel.com If you do approach Yellowstone from the east, don’t miss eating at Bubbas Bar-B-Que, which serves ribs, smoked

meats, sandwiches and comfort sides in snug surroundings. ➤ www.bubbasbar-b-que.com There’s a Walmart in Cody to stock-up on park essentials – walking gear, picnic food and the like. Yellowstone in spring or autumn is a tad cooler than you might expect, so you may also need gloves, hats and some extra layers. Cody also has some good outdoor stores and funky thrift shops.

AFTER ENTERING THE PARK VIA THE FISHING Bridge entrance, stop at Yellowstone Lake for a picnic and soak in the spectacular views across the largest body of water in the park. Then have a quick look around Fishing Bridge Museum and Visitor Center and chat to some park rangers.

Our ranger is amazing. Like many, he had been a high-flyer in a previous life and retired to Yellowstone. We tell him our abilities and aspirations and he recommends some specific routes. There are so many hikes in Yellowstone that it really is worth taking time to discuss with experts the best routes suited to your abilities.

Whoever designed Yellowstone’s road and path systems

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knew exactly what they were doing! They crisscross breathtaking plateaus, rise above deep valleys, wind through mountain passes and around every corner there’s a delightful view. Akin to being on safari, Yellowstone’s roads allow you to peer into the wilderness and give everyone a good chance of spotting a variety of wildlife.

THERE IS A HUGE VARIETY OF ACCOMMODATION options in and around Yellowstone, from campgrounds and log cabins, to chalets and a range of hotels including a number of luxury properties, not least a plush Four Seasons in Jackson Hole. Yellowstone National Park Lodges conveniently runs all of the accommodation, dining and tours throughout the park. ➤ www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com Spending five days in Yellowstone will give you an opportunity to see the cream of the park. Avoid the summer if you can, because it’s the busiest season, although rising early will get you in when the traffic is lightest, and you can finish up before the traffic builds again. Coach trips and guided tours tend to start early to allow for this, so if you are staying inside the park, you’ll have a head start. Visiting Yellowstone during winter is only for the brave, since most of its roads are closed November through May. IT’S SIMPLY AWE-INSPIRING TO SEE YELLOWSTONE from above, so we drive to Mount Washburn for a moderate yet refreshing hike. It takes about three hours up and an hour and a half to descend. We make use of an indoor rest area at the summit to enjoy a picnic and take in the incredible views.

From the top, we can see almost all sides of the massive caldera that is Yellowstone, fringed by snow-capped mountain ranges in the spring and autumn. We make our way back via Canyon Village to take in the Upper and Lower Falls drives, ending our day by watching the sunset at the rim of The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. At some twenty miles miles long, seeing the canyon at dusk is a breathtaking sight.

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ON DAY THREE WE HEAD TO THE NORTH OF THE park at Mammoth. Our ranger suggests a two-hour hike through woods and across wild lavender meadows, which brings 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 Yellowstone must-see. There are a number of walkways from which to safely view all of the thermal activity and plenty of educational signage for younger visitors.

ON OUR FOURTH DAY IN THE PARK WE OPT FOR 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.

We walk a section of one of the vast expanses of the park – Lamar Valley – on a five-hour trail called Hellroaring. It

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takes us across a bridge and above a ravine, with the fastflowing Yellowstone River roaring menacingly underneath and signage warning us not to risk swimming there. Crossing a wide-open plain, we see skeletons of herd animals everywhere and are told that this is coyote and wolf hunting ground.

After finding an idyllic (and safe!) spot to lunch, we catch up with the ranger running the tour, who shows us some more animal skeletons and explains their part in the evolution of the park: scientists have found that bones on Yellowstone’s landscapes provide detailed accounts of how animal populations have changed over the last few decades.

The skeletons of long-dead animals also provide critical insights into scientists’ understanding of the park’s ecosystem history.

DAY FIVE IS DEVOTED TO THE PARK’S MAIN volcanic features, which are neatly concentrated on the road towards the most impressive timekeeper on the planet, the geyser, Old Faithful. Yellowstone has 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 will need to reserve about thirty minutes in advance. The scenery is almost other-worldly. Be sure to explore the surrounding area afterwards, since there are many other geysers close-by.

After Old Faithful, we drive south over the Great

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Continental Divide. On one side of this mountain range, rivers flow to the Pacific. On the other they flow towards the Atlantic. Driving out via this route and exiting via the park’s south entrance provides an opportunity to see the thermal activity at West Thumb – a mini caldera, within greater Yellowstone, located on the shores of Yellowstone Lake.

FINALLY, A WORD ABOUT THE PARK’S WILDLIFE. Home to infamous, picnic-stealing Yogi Bear, Yellowstone is renowned for its illusive, smarter-than-average bears. So, protect your food and drinks from all wildlife when stopping at viewpoints and open picnic spots. The park’s garbage cans are even locked and chained like Fort Knox!

If you are out to spot grizzly and black bears who call Yellowstone their home, you will need luck and a good pair of binoculars. The park rents bear spray for hikers. It’s powerful stuff, so should only be used when absolutely necessary, to

frighten a bear at very close quarters. The park recommends hiking in small groups and making as much noise as possible to avoid taking a bear by surprise. In any event, most bears will avoid visitors, especially in groups.

During our five days in the park, we don’t see a bear or wolf, although many visitors do. We do however delight in seeing herds of majestic elk, antelope and buffalo; cantankerous bison blocking our paths to mud pools and waterfalls; sleek and beautiful coyote feeding on roadkill; cheeky chipmunks at every turn, and numerous wild birds.

THERE REALLY IS NO PLACE ON EARTH LIKE Yellowstone. Teeming with wildlife, incredible scenery and non-stop volcanic hotspots, visiting this vast national park is like journeying on an alpine safari to Middleearth and is most definitely a once in a lifetime experience. ➤ www.nps.gov/yell

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WESTMINSTER, LONDON’S MOST ICONIC ADDRESS

The most personal of hotels in the grandest of neighbourhoods A location that’s fit for kings and queens. Service that is tailored to you and yours. A team that is discrete and attentive.

A commitment to know what makes your stay special, and a desire to make you feel completely pampered.

Come and enjoy London’s most iconic neighbourhood from its most personal hotel, The Guardsman.

1 Vandon Street, London SW1H 0AH T: 0207 309 9200 I reservations@guardsmanhotel.com

guardsmanhotel.com

IN ISSUE 36 OF

T H E C U LT U R E D T R AV E L L E R , O U R FOODIES EAT AND DRINK IN HELSINKI, RHODES AND BONNIE SCOTLAND

S AV O Y ➤ HELSINKI, FINLAND

GLENMORANGIE ➤ TA I N , S C O T L A N D

AKRES ➤ RHODES, GREECE

Savoy, Helsinki

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R E VIEW N I C H O L A S C H R I S O ST O M O U D I N E S A T A F I N N I S H C U L I N A R Y

I N S T I T U T I O N W H O S E H I S T O R I C I N T E R I O R S S H A R E C E N T R E S TA G E W I T H D E L E C TA B L E C U I S I N E

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Vendace roe from Oulujärvi, smoked sour cream, sweet rye

known and highly respected culinary talents in the country today.

S AV O Y ➤ H E L S I N K I , FINLAND

FOOD ATMOSPHERE

IN RECENT YEARS, THANKS IN large part to a generation of hands-on chef patrons and food entrepreneurs who are making gastronomic waves in Finland, Helsinki has very much become a regional leader in the culinary stakes, giving established, local foodie hubs, such as Copenhagen, a run for their money.

With a short but intense light-drenched summer boosting the flavours of homegrown Finnish produce ranging from herbs and berries to wild mushrooms, combined with Finland’s pure air, fresh water and pristine nature, budding Finnish chefs have been spoilt since childhood by a wealth of wild plants and high-quality ingredients from which they can forge careers, devise creative dishes and hone their culinary talents. One such chef is Helena Puolakka, who is almost certainly one of Finland’s most well-

POST-GRADUATION, PUOLAKKA relocated to France where she worked for Pierre Gagnaire at his eponymous restaurant at Hotel Balzac in Paris.

Thereafter, following a brief, British baptism of fire in the kitchen of Gordon Ramsey, Puolakka landed the position of Chef de Cuisine at celebrated three Michelin-starred London restaurant La Tante Clare, labouring under the watchful eye of renowned master chef, Pierre Koffmann. At La Tante Clare, Puolakka learnt much and had an opportunity to develop her culinary skills.

Other London restaurants followed, where Puolakka was Head Chef, including Harvey Nichols’ Fifth Floor, Skylon and Aster. Puolakka also helmed Company of Cooks, whose catering

Helena Puolakka

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Vorschmack pelmeni, borsch consommé, lovage oil

portfolio included Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House, the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Academy. It is this wide breadth of experience which placed Puolakka in pole position to leave London in 2019 and return to her native Finland to assume the role of Chef Patron at one of the nation’s most important culinary institutions: Savoy. Indeed, Puolakka’s involvement in Savoy marked a turning point in the venue’s fortunes, which have set it on a design-led culinary trajectory to new gastronomic heights.

SAVOY OPENED ON 3RD JUNE 1937, occupying the top two floors of the historic Ahlström building, designed by architect brothers Walter and Bertel Jung and located on the corner of Eteläesplanadi and Kasarmikatu in the heart of Helsinki.

The pride of Savoy has always been its interiors, designed by one of the most important proponents of Scandinavian design and a key figure of mid-century modernism, Alvar Aalto.

Perhaps Finland’s most celebrated architect, Aalto was a pioneer of modern architecture and design, especially in his use of organic, naturally derived

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materials. Hence, the interior of Savoy – which Alvar lovingly designed with his wife, Aino – is a warming hospitality haven of gorgeous woodwork, effortless fluidity and aesthetically pleasing rooms.

The Aaltos also created several new furniture pieces, light fittings and interior elements exclusive to Savoy, which were specially manufactured for the restaurant by now cult furniture brand, Artek.

IN 1930S FINLAND, THE CHARMING and welcoming restaurant quickly became the hottest ticket in Helsinki, developed a loyal following and became one of the city’s most loved cultural hotpots, as famed for its devoted guests as it was for its fine food and splendid interiors.

The most famous of the restaurant’s patrons was undoubtedly Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finland’s most illustrious military leader and the country’s sixth president. Mannerheim first dined at Savoy two days after it opened and thereafter frequented the venue regularly, always sitting at the same corner table, next to the kitchen, which boasts a bird’s eye view of the

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Since taking charge in the kitchen and working closely with Crawford on Savoy’s interiors, Puolakka has undeniably elevated the restaurant to the pinnacle of Helsinki’s dining scene main dining room. At some point a telephone line was installed so that he could take calls without leaving his table.

Another famous Savoy guest was James Bond actor, Roger Moore.

When Moore arrived at the restaurant, he made a point of telling the staff that

TA S T E & S I P REVIEW

Caramelia mousse, almonds, sea buckthorn caramel

he wanted to dine incognito, without anyone recognising him. Unfortunately, no one told the restaurant’s pianist, who started playing the James Bond theme tune when Moore entered the room!

The result is a slick yet warm restaurant, where dining is an occasion and the most exquisite of foods and the most palatable of wines are gracefully served in inimitable surroundings.

DESPITE SOME CHANGES IN ownership over the years, Savoy’s unique interiors remained virtually unchanged for more than eight decades, until Financier Group purchased the venue in 2019, promising to restore the restaurant and private dining rooms to their former glory. In this vain, the group enlisted the talents of celebrated British interior and furniture designer, Ilse Crawford.

In tandem with Financier Group and Crawford, upon returning to her homeland, Puolakka’s vision for Savoy was to carefully balance the rich history of the venue with subtle, modern-day influences.

Executed with a deep understanding and reverence for the Aaltos’ legacy, in coordination with the Helsinki City Museum, the Alvar Aalto Foundation, Artek and the Ahlströms (Savoy’s landlords), Savoy’s renovation was completed in 2020 courtesy of dozens of devoted conservators and carpenters.

THANKS TO THE VENUE’S history, Savoy’s cuisine has always been a combination of the Finnish and the French with some Russian influences.

Having grown up in Finland – foraging, fishing and living off the land – Puolakka has a strong connection to her homeland and an ingrained love for Finnish produce and honest, homecooked fare. Hence, Puolakka’s clean and seasonal cooking, with its fresh and feminine touch, is the perfect fit for Savoy. And since taking charge in the kitchen and working closely with Crawford on Savoy’s interiors, Puolakka has undeniably elevated the restaurant to the pinnacle of Helsinki’s dining scene, not least by way of her inventive food.

THE INTERIOR OF SAVOY’S restaurant still follows the Aaltos’ plan, which divides the place into a large, atmospheric dining room, surrounded by terraces on three sides. So, we begin

the evening by enjoying the mid-summer sun and a glass of bubbly outside, while nibbling on amuse-bouches of crispy morel puffs with a tarragon cream. There is something special about summer in Helsinki, none of which is lost at Savoy, where the scent of the venue’s sprawling herb garden fills the fresh air as we enjoy our pre-dinner apéritifs.

WE MOVE INTO SAVOY’S MAIN dining room and take our seats at Mannerheim’s famous corner table, from which the entire space is visible and the people watching is optimal. A photo of Mannerheim and a commemorative plaque hang on the wall behind the table and the original black telephone installed for him remains in the corner.

At that moment, we are reminded that at literally every turn, Savoy is soaked in history and bedecked in treasured items, each of which has a story to tell. Then we embark upon Puolakka’s signature “Grande” menu, which conveys a distinctive gastronomic story.

KNOWN AS A PITKÄ MENU IN Finnish, Puolakka’s tasting offering consists of just six courses, making

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The result is a slick yet warm restaurant, where dining is an occasion and the most exquisite of foods and the most palatable of wines are gracefully served in inimitable surroundings Savoy’s premium dining experience not an unwieldy or drawn-out affair. Each course is paired with a wine selected by head sommelier Aleksi Mehtonen, who has the luxury of drawing upon one of the largest cellars in Finland, of which he is very proud.

A FIRST COURSE OF COLD SMOKED salmon from the Faroe Islands, with dillpickled cucumber, a nutty Ratte potato salad, vendace roe from Oulujärvi and a gribiche sauce is fresh, unpretentious and quintessentially Finnish. The lovely balanced acidity of a 2006 Martin Müllen Riesling, served by Mehtonen to accompany the starter, is the perfect accompaniment.

A highlight of the meal, the butterpoached lobster course, served with green asparagus from Åland and a wild garlic cream, is delicate yet tasty, every mouthful oozing flavours. The creamy nose and earthy notes of a superb 2017 Francois Mikulski Meursault marry wonderfully with the lobster.

The meal continues at the same high standard, every plate exuding grace, precision and elegance. And Puolakka’s skill for creating inspired dishes, whilst allowing premium ingredients to shine and hence be properly appreciated, is evident throughout.

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The Mannerheim table

A warm quenelle of smoked Lapinlahti bream, served with Carelian caviar from Varkaus and a champagne sauce, is a decadent and flavourful course, brimming with a richness that entertains my tastebuds.

The meaty quality and red fruit notes of a delectable 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin, made from Pinot Noir grapes in the Bourgogne region of France, is the perfect pairing for Anjou pigeon with local vegetables.

Literally meaning a “floating island”, an île flottante of strawberries from Suonenjoki, with a lemon verbena crème anglaise, is lively and tasty without being weighty and is lifted by a lush German dessert Riesling from Dorsheim in Nahe.

We end the meal impressed, satiated and satisfied, without feeling “stuffed”.

Not feeling like you’ve eaten too much is one of the hallmarks of a perfect tasting menu.

ASIDE FROM MAINTAINING Savoy’s culinary heritage and delicately reinventing the restaurant’s signature dishes, Puolakka’s Savoy celebrates Finnish food culture and northern European produce in her elegant, light and flawless modern cooking. A veritable occasion whether dining at Savoy for lunch or dinner, the opportunity to enjoy a meal prepared at the hands of Puolakka, whilst being embraced by the Aaltos’ historic interiors, should not be missed by any serious gourmand.

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SAVOY FOOD ATMOSPHERE CHEF PATRON: Helena Puolakka ADDRESS: Eteläesplanadi 14, 00130 Helsinki, Finland TELEPHONE: +358 (0)9 6128 5300 EMAIL: savoy@savoyhelsinki.fi WEBSITE: www.savoyhelsinki.fi CUISINE: Finnish-French-Russian OPENING HOURS: Lunch Wednesday - Friday; Dinner Wednesday - Saturday; Closed Mondays & Tuesdays LUNCH PRICE: Set lunch EUR 67 for 3 courses or EUR 87 for 4 courses DINNER PRICE: À la carte EUR 93 for 3 courses IDEAL MEAL: Chef’s tasting menu EUR 114 (excluding wine pairing) RESERVATIONS: Essential WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes CHILDREN: Highchairs available.

Kids menu available CREDIT CARDS: All major PARKING: Local parking available TCT REVIEWER: Nicholas Chrisostomou for dinner Star ratings out of five reflect the reviewer’s feedback about the food and service and, separately, the atmosphere in the dining room

JOE MORTIMER VISITS

GLENMORANGIE’S N E W I N N O VAT I V E LIGHTHOUSE D I S T I L L E R Y, W H I C H I S A GAME-CHANGER FOR S I N G L E M A LT S COTCH WHISKY

GLENMORANGIE ➤ T A I N ,

SCOTLAND

SINGLE MALT Scotch is the Holy Grail of whisky: a humble trio of malted barley, water and yeast that’s transformed into a life-affirming ambrosia through the application of heat, time and oak. But in a deep-rooted industry that protects its craft with a strict set of rules, how does a company stand out and make whiskies that are innovative, playful and unique? Highland distillery Glenmorangie has a few ideas.

Spread out along the banks of Dornoch Firth a few miles north of Inverness, the 175-year-old stone stillhouses of the original distillery – home to the company’s twelve, gleaming copper stills, each as tall as a giraffe – and the black-roofed barrel warehouses are typical of Scotland’s centuries-old whisky making tradition.

BUT TODAY, GLENMORANGIE cuts a more contemporary figure after unveiling the Lighthouse, a 20-metre-tall innovation distillery, where the company’s whisky creation

Manish Mehrotra

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team, fondly known as ‘The Distillers of Tain’, can unleash their creativity using some of the most advanced whisky making technology in the world.

Designed by French architectural firm Barthélémy Griño and built using glass, steel and wood from reclaimed whisky barrels, the Lighthouse marks the start of a new era for Glenmorangie, which has undergone a major transformation since being taken over by French luxury house LVMH in 2004.

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EXPERIENCE

IF THE NEW DISTILLERY IS a Lighthouse, Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden is its keeper: a man followed by an ever-growing trail of accolades, including the fact that he’s been named International Whisky Competition Master Distiller of the Year more times than anyone else in the business. Dr. Bill has been at the forefront of the company’s renaissance for the last 26 years, guiding it from plodding mediocrity when he joined in the mid-1990s, to the powerhouse it is today.

TH E L IMITATIO NS O F INNOVATIO N GLENMORANGIE WAS A PIONEER in wood-ageing whisky in oak barrels.

To date, ‘finishing’ distilled spirit in barrels used to age wines and spirits is what gives single malt Scotch its unique flavours; that and the distinct nutty, spicy and fruity aromas that come from malted barley and water. (Every drop of Glenmorangie that finds its way into your glass originated from the Tarlogie Springs, a natural water source that

bubbles to the surface in a protected woodland near the distillery.)

After being aged for 10 years in bourbon barrels made with wood from the Ozark Mountains, a portion of Glenmorangie is further aged in different casks for another few years, allowing the residual flavours and deep tannin textures of the oak to work their magic. From Burgundy and Bordeaux barrels to casks used for aging port and Pedro Ximénez, the whisky creation team have dabbled with all manner of oak over the years,

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giving birth to the variety of styles seen throughout the range.

SO WHAT EXACTLY CAN YOU do differently in an experimental distillery? “Anything and everything: nothing’s off the table,” says Dr Bill as we walk out onto the top-floor viewing deck of the Lighthouse, sampling a dram of the limited-edition Lighthouse whisky that was finished in the sherry casks used in the building’s construction. Take maturation and wood-ageing out of the equation, he explains, and every other part of the process – malting, mashing, milling, fermentation and distillation – is open for experimentation. And that’s where the Lighthouse comes in.

Behind the 20-metre glass façade of the new stillhouse, one of the two gleaming copper stills is fitted with a host of modifications including a water-cooled collar, giving Dr Bill the flexibility to create a heavier whisky closer in style to those made at Glenmorangie’s sister company, Ardbeg, or an even lighter, fruitier spirit; decisions that will be made in the top-floor sensory laboratory where we’re currently standing, overlooking the sublime landscape of Dornoch Firth and the Scottish Highlands.

TH E PERPETU AL EXPERIMEN TER INNOVATION IS NOTHING NEW at Glenmorangie. Dr Bill, who holds a PhD in biochemistry, has been experimenting with flavours and textures for years: dabbling with different strains of yeast, including the wild variety found on barley grown at Glenmorangie’s own Cadbol Estate; and with different types of malted barley including the rare Maris Otter, which gave birth to Glenmorangie Tùsail, part of the company’s Private Edition collection. Other recent creations include Glenmorangie: A Tale of Cake, finished in Tokaji dessert wine barrels and designed to enjoy with an actual slice of cake; and X by Glenmorangie, created with sweeter characteristics that makes it ideal for cocktails.

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BUT IN THE PAST, INNOVATION was extracurricular; something the whisky creation team could play with when the main job of creating world-class whisky was done. Today, with the opening of the Lighthouse, it has become part of the company’s mandate.

It’s all part of what Glenmorangie President and CEO Thomas Moradpour refers to as “taking the long view”, a sentiment which is reflected in other investments across the business: from the recent refurbishment of Glenmorangie House – a boutique hotel 10 miles away on the Moray Firth – to a raft of new

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sustainable innovations including an anaerobic digestor that uses biowaste to power the distillery, and an oyster propagation programme in the Dornoch Firth.

WHEN HE VISITED THE Glenmorangie Distillery in the 1880s, legendary whisky writer Alfred Barnard said that it was “certainly the most ancient and primitive we have seen”.

Today, that statement couldn’t be further from the truth, as the Lighthouse ushers in a new chapter for the company; one that will have a significant influence on the future of Scotland’s finest export. ➤ www.glenmorangie.com

You recently collaborated with Japanese floral artist Azuma Makoto. How useful is it to collaborate with people from different fields?

THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER GLENMORANGIE DIRECTOR OF WHISKY C R E AT I O N , D R . B I L L L U M S D E N TA L K S T O T H E

C U LT U R E D T R A V E L L E R A B O U T I N S P I R A T I O N , C O L L A B O R A T I O N A N D L I F E U N D E R LV M H Tell us about this place, Tain – there’s some sort of magic here.

I remember the first time I ever came here. Believe it or not, I had never come this far north in Scotland until I rolled up for my second of three interviews for the job of Glenmorangie distillery manager. I lived in Elgin at the time, not that far away. I remember when I got north of Inverness thinking “am I ever going to reach this place?” I felt like I was going to the ends of the earth.

The name Glenmorangie is a Gaelic derivation meaning ‘valley of tranquillity’. Apart from the occasional Tornado bomber screaming overhead, it is always a very peaceful, tranquil place, which makes it perfect to get creative and think about things.

Do you believe in the idea of terroir when it comes to whisky?

I certainly do. Our raw material for making single malt Scotch whisky is 100% malted barley and of course it has a big contribution to the flavour of the product. Even today, with the advances in science, we don’t really understand how that comes through. That’s one of the things I’m very interested in. I’ve used

different barley varieties over the years, and it is my feeling that I am getting differences in spirit quality, so I do believe terroir matters.

What exactly happens in the Lighthouse experimental distillery?

Anything and everything, nothing’s off the table. Again, I’m not being 100% specific here, but if you think of primary production – putting maturation and wood technology to one side – so malting, mashing, milling, fermentation and distillation; all of these things are there to be tried and we can maybe do something different.

Where do your ideas come from and where do you find inspiration?

All sorts of different areas. I haven’t done this for a little while, but I’ve got a notebook that nobody has access to. I have a vivid imagination and I dream almost every night. If I have a particularly stirring dream, then I will scribble down the details and often I get inspiration from that. In normal times, I get a lot of inspiration from doing lots of international travel, meeting different people and trying different foods and drinks.

Very much so. I was tasked by the brand team to introduce Makotosan to Glenmorangie 18 Years Old and one of the things I have always loved about this whisky is its very perfumed bouquet. It’s as if different flavours are dancing about on your palate. When I’m judging whiskies, I’m never just looking at aroma and taste, I’m looking at texture and feeling. I explained this to Makotosan and he used it as inspiration to include the dancing flowers in his sculpture. I’ve got a transcript of all the different flowers he used in his work and there’s no question that I am targeting one or two things from that collaboration to help drive some new product ideas.

With what other creative fields, outside of the drinks business, would you like to collaborate?

I’ve always been interested in fashion and fabric, which is why I’m obsessed with visiting Loro Piana and Biella in Italy. I like the fact that different cloths have different colours and different textures and I often envisage my whiskies not just as flavours, but as colours and aromas as well.

How has life/business changed since LVMH took over?

Back when we were family-owned, getting investment for things was a bit of a challenge. Let’s just say that I have occasionally got blood out of a stone. But we kept things going. I’ll be quite frank here: LVMH rescued the Glenmorangie brand. It was going nowhere. There’s no question that the Scotsman in me was a little bit sad that another independent Scottish company was in foreign ownership, but it’s been the best 15 years of my career and the company has absolutely invested in our brands, invested in the distilleries and brought true global distribution to Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, so, overall, it has absolutely changed for the better.

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N I C H O L A S C H R I S O ST O M O U D I S C O V E R S A N E W S T A N D O U T R E S T A U R A N T,

HIDDEN AMONGST THE COBBLED LANES OF A GREEK ISLAND VILLAGE

AKRES ➤ R H O D E S ,

GREECE

AS WITH ALMOST all of Greece’s gorgeous islands, Rhodes has a rich gastronomic scene. You just need to know where to look!

From the delicate flavours of freshly caught fish to hearty and filling meat dishes, Rhodes is an island where fine dining restaurants, happening beach clubs and fashionable eateries sit alongside traditional tavernas, pavement cafés and street food stalls.

And Rhodes has always managed to blend cosmopolitan influences with local Rhodian culinary traditions to great effect, to treat its visitors to a varied and delicious array of foodie offerings.

donkeys and car-free narrow streets pebbled in black-and-white chochlaki.

Unfortunately, the center of Lindos is very commercial. But in the heart of Lindos village – unpretentiously sitting amongst the tacky shops and tourist bars – is a new standout restaurant which wouldn’t be out of place in Athens’ most upmarket neighbourhood of Kolonaki.

AKRES IS THE BRAINCHILD OF husband and wife team Ilias Marinakis and Nektaria Lampi, under the watchful eye of characterful patriarch, Filimonas Ioannidis who ran a restaurant and bar in the very same building for decades, before it was recently transformed into

something very different.

Erected in 1906, owned by the Ioannidis family since it was built and first operated as a coffee shop, the building stands out in Lindos village for its authenticity and sympathetic restoration, which I’m informed cost hundreds of thousands of Euro and took a little longer than anticipated.

It was worth the wait and every cent, for the result is an impressive piece of architecture which skillfully merges the old and traditional with the new and modern whilst honouring the history of the building.

A RAISED TERRACE OUT FRONT, seating a few more than a dozen, is a cool

ALMOST CERTAINLY ONE OF THE island’s archeological stars, Lindos and its acropolis are one of the most important cities of ancient Greece, dating back centuries before the fabled Acropolis of Athens was built.

Combining a wealth of fascinating history with some of the best beaches on Rhodes, a visit to Lindos is not to missed for any globetrotter, even if only for a day to bathe in its turquoise waters and explore its atmospheric village.

SITTING AT THE FOOT OF THE ruins of its ancient acropolis, the charming village of Lindos invariably captures the hearts of every visitor with its whitewashed houses, ambling

O M E R Manish Mehrotra

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limited access, it cannot have been an easy project to plan and execute. Yet the attention to detail and fine finishing throughout the bar area – where I pull-up a stall – immediately impress.

George Laoudikos

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ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BAR, one of Ioannidis’ smartly turned-out sons lovingly crafts a cocktail for me. To my right is the kitchen – partially glazed and

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visible from the bar area – where head chef George Laoudikos toils with just a few assistants, one of which is Ioannidis’ wife, Ioanna, who handmakes the best giaprakia stuffed vine leaves I’ve tasted anywhere. I kid you not.

Barely thirty years old, Laoudikos studied at Le Monde hospitality and tourism school in Moschato, Greece before working for a

number of top Greek chefs, including contemporary Cretan chef George Stylianoudakis and Panagiotis Diamantis at Rodos Palace Hotel. Clearly their skills have rubbed off on him.

AFTER MOVING UPSTAIRS TO THE roof of AKRES on a balmy September evening and taking a seat on the alfresco terrace in the shadow of Lindos’ spectacularly lit acropolis, I begin my meal with some fresh, hand-caught razor clams. Topped with fish roe, they are sweet, delicate and cooked to perfection and I realise that a bevy of gastronomic treats are on the way.

AS DELECTABLE DISH UPON DISH arrive at my table and I make my way

through a tailor-made tasting menu, it is obvious that Laoudikos is an incredibly skilled chef and somewhat accomplished for his age.

The Lindian baby shrimps are beyond moreish and I simply cannot get enough.

The stuffed vine leaves (mentioned earlier) are divine, bursting with traditional Dodecanese flavours in every mouthful. And the squid ink cuttlefish risotto, or soupiorizo, is a culinary highlight.

Despite eating way too much, I make space for a few spoonfuls of mantinades filled with a heavenly galaktoboureko cream and garnished with mastic, a paste of dried nuts, yogurt chips and Greek coffee. To end a good meal with something sweet – even if only a solitary

chocolate –completes the proceedings for me, and I am upset that I can’t finish the scrumptious dessert in-front of me. But everything which preceded it was just so good.

IT’S NOT HARD TO FIND GOOD food on Rhodes but it is hard to find good food on Rhodes which is imbued with local tradition, prepared with love and served in such stunning, intimate surroundings, in the shadow of one of Greece’s most important ancient temples, no less. Hence, family run and owned AKRES is unmissable for a serious foodie visiting Rhodes. Just ask for Filimonas when you arrive and mention that you’re a cultured traveller! ➤ https://akreslindos.com/en

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SHOPPING

christmas gift guide S H O P P E R S A R E B A C K I N E U R O P E ’ S ST R E E T S , S O C H R I ST M A S T H I S Y E A R W I L L B E V E RY D I F F E R E N T TO 2 0 2 0 , W H E N M A N Y O F U S W E R E R E ST R I CT E D I N O N E WAY O R A N O T H E R .

F R O M A W I N D - U P T O Y P O R S C H E T R A CT O R T O G O R G E O U S R I N G S M A D E F R O M R E C Y C L E D G O L D A N D H A N D C O L L E CT E D G E M ST O N E S , T H E C U LT U R E D T R AV E L L E R T E A M H A S D O N E T H E H A R D W O R K F O R Y O U W I T H T H I S C A P S U L E C O L L E CT I O N O F C O O L C H R I ST M A S G I FT S .

R I N G S BY S I A N E VA N S FASCINATED BY artisan skills, awardwinning British jeweller Sian Evans routinely employs old fashioned techniques, that wouldn’t be unfamiliar to goldsmiths from antiquity and the Middle Ages, to fashion her beautiful pieces from precious hand-collected stones, reworked gems and recycled gold. Hand fabricating every piece herself, Evans’ handmade rings in gold and bronze especially possess a rare and special quality, with distinctive textures and unusual markings making them perfect 21st century heirlooms or a very personal gift for a loved one.

From GBP 1,380 ➤ www.sejewellery.com

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C A R A N D ’A C H E E C R I D O R STA R P E N FOUNDED MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO, Caran d’Ache remains Switzerland’s only manufacturer of high-quality writing instruments.

Designed, developed and manufactured in ThônexGeneva, the brand has become well known for its range of gold and jewelled pens, as well as lifestyle accessories, all executed with panache using the finest materials. This limited edition Ecridor Star pen unites two guillochage techniques – diamond and milled – to recreate the magic of a tree’s branches in a special pen. The result is a stunningly timeless writing instrument that will surely be treasured for years by the lucky person who receives it.

GBP 190 ➤ www.carandache.com

B R I T I S H B OX E R S P YJ A M A S F O R H I M THESE SUPER COSY TARTAN PYJAMAS ARE made by British Boxers using luxuriously soft, brushed cotton and are the perfect apparel in which to lounge year-round. The beautifully finished jacket has a useful top pocket and the trousers are softly elasticated at the back with a hidden button on the fly.

GBP 89 ➤ https://british-boxers.com

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SHOPPING A PORTRAIT OF THE TREE A COLLECTION OF stunning portraits by photographer Adrian Houston of iconic trees around Great Britain, A Portrait of the Tree is both a love letter to the nation’s glorious countryside and a splendid record of the trees’ majesty. A must-read for nature lovers, in his book, Houston has photographed each tree (many nominated by celebrities) looking utterly glorious, whether spot lit by night, bathed in morning sunshine, wreathed in delicate mist or blazing with autumn colour.

GBP 30 ➤ www.waterstones.com

C L A U D E TT E J O S E P H SHIRT + JACKET FORMAL YET STYLISH WITH A RUNWAY attitude, Claudette Joseph designs for the professional woman who wants to dress with individuality, femininity and most importantly practicality. This gorgeous ensemble will work as well for a high-powered business meeting as it will for a cocktail party. The pussy bow shirt is made of soft eyelet cotton with Vanners silk twill at the neck and wrists and shell buttons to complete the look. The jacket is unstructured and comfortable to wear, made from soft new wool.

Shirt GBP 135 jacket GBP 255 ➤ www.claudettejoseph.co.uk

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KNOCKOUT UNDIES & NIGHTWEAR www.british-boxers.com

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SHOPPING J I N G F LOW E R I N G TEA SET THIS DELIGHTFUL GIFT SET from JING is guaranteed to impress any tea aficionado.

Comprising four floral JING bulbs, which are made from spring-fresh Fujian green tea and hand-tied with sweet jasmine blossoms and soft lily petals, each blooms into a showstopping display when added to hot water. A JING two-cup “tea-iere” and a pair of glass cups and saucers are also included.

GBP 60 ➤ https://jingtea.com

KO VA P T O Y PORSCHE T R A CT O R

L A R Q B O TT L E LARQ BOTTLES UTILISE A UNIQUE UV-C technology to eradicate 99.9999% of harmful and odour-causing germs and bio contaminants at the touch of a button, delivering purified, pristine water for on-the-go hydration.

This limited-edition bottle, in a nature-inspired Eucalyptus Green colourway, is the perfect gift for travelling eco worshippers, plant-parents, treehuggers and wildlife enthusiasts.

GBP 95 ➤ www.livelarq.com

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NO CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE IS complete without a few boys’ toys and those of the wind-up variety don’t come much better than this. A faithful 1/25 scale model of the legendary early 1960s Porsche Diesel Master 419 tractor, this toy has a fullyfunctioning gearbox with three different forward speeds plus a reverse gear.

Handmade in the Czech Republic by Kovap, a company with a 70 year history of making quality metal toys, the tractor is finished in Porsche Red, naturally.

GBP69 ➤ www.thorstenvanelten.com

THE SIDECAR GIN GLASS SET TAKING INSPIRATION FROM The Westbury hotel’s stylish cocktail bar in Dublin, these elegant, crystal Art Deco-inspired balloons have been designed with a wide, deep bowl to enhance the aroma of your chosen gin’s botanicals. The perfect gift for a G&T lover, they come as a pair in a presentation box ready to give.

GBP 35 ➤ https://shop.doylecollection.com

PA N T H E R E L L A CASHMERE SOCKS MADE IN ENGLAND FOR BRITISH Boxers using the finest cashmere yarn in a classic fair isle design, these gorgeous socks combine heritage style and functionality with luxurious warmth and Pantherella’s signature smooth toe seam for comfort. A perfect gift for the modern man.

GBP 44 ➤ https://british-boxers.com

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SHOPPING

N Ê Ô S E P H I R I FA C I A L O I L MEANING “A SECRET GIFT” IN TSWANA, THE language spoken on the South African farm where it is made, Nêô Sephiri is a highly nutritious cosmetic facial oil, produced from the seeds of the Kalahari melon plant, which is packed with essential fatty acids and vitamins, including more vitamin E than any other plant oil and 70% linoleic acid.

Promoting improved moisture balance and quicker skin cell recovery when used regularly, Nêô Sephiri will also give your face a healthy boost after a late night on the town during the silly season!

GBP 85 ➤ www.neosephiri.com

EQUIANO RUM NAMED AFTER FREEDOM FIGHTER OLAUDAH EQUIANO, WHO played a pivotal part in the abolition movement, the world’s first Afro-Caribbean rum is the delicious result of a collaboration between two superb distilleries, marrying liquid from Barbados’ Foursquare and Gray’s Distillery of Mauritius. The rum from Foursquare is aged in American white oak, while the liquid from Gray’s is aged in French limousin oak and Cognac casks.

It’s then blended in ex-bourbon casks to create a delicious and entirely natural dark rum. Serve it neat on the rocks alongside the Christmas pudding. From GBP 34.50 ➤ www.equianorum.com

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MAX C H O C O L AT I E R M I X M A X B OX CHRISTMAS ISN’T Christmas without chocolate and Max Chocolatier in Switzerland makes some of the best on the planet, using topquality, 100% natural ingredients and the world’s finest Grand Cru cocoas. The delicious treats in this winter themed MixMax selection box include a variety of dark and creamy truffles together with delicate Grand Cru Schoggi Plättli, delicious Caramel Plättli and wonderful passion fruit and hazelnut dragées. Available in three different sizes, this chic box of sweet treats can be purchased online and shipped to literally anywhere in the world.

From CHF 49.90 ➤ www.maxchocolatier.com

PA L O M A H O M E C U S H I O N PACKED WITH PLAYFUL PRINTS, SINGER-SONGWRITER Paloma Faith launched her affordable interiors brand earlier this year. Since Faith is renowned for her retro and eccentric style, its perhaps unsurprising that Paloma Home encapsulates the rebellious maximalism of her personal style. The intricate design of this Vintage Botanicals cushion fuses the key references that she finds herself continually drawn to: nostalgia, free-spirited femininity and a touch of the bohemian. Since Christmas is all about maximalism, a few of these scattered on the sofa would surely be appropriate on the big day.

GBP 25 ➤ www.palomahome.com

FORTNUM ’S COUNTESS GREY T R AV E L C A N D L E FORTNUM AND MASON’S HISTORY OF MAKING candles and producing fine teas combine to make this handy travel candle which is an ideal stocking filler for the modern globetrotter. Merging the scents of Fortnum’s Countess Grey and Ceylon Orange Pekoe teas with fragrant bergamot and zesty orange, this soy wax candle will burn for more than twenty hours.

GBP 15 ➤ www.fortnumandmason.com

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SHOPPING THE F E L LOW S H I P G I FT S E T THE BRAINCHILD OF male model Andrew Cooper and established marketeer Duncan Morris, men’s high-performance grooming brand The Fellowship is anchored by using a blend of natural ingredients and vitamin-rich formulas, featuring nourishing oils and fresh botanical extracts, to stimulate, hydrate and nourish the skin. This signature gift set comprises 50ml of the brand’s very good advanced moisturiser for the face, plus 300ml of toning body moisturiser for firmer skin, presented in a quality, leatherlook Nuhide wash bag lined in a smart pinstripe fabric.

GBP 60 ➤ https://the-fellowship.co.uk

B O U Q U E T I È R E VA S E

BY J E A N RO G E R FOUNDED IN 1947 AND VERY MUCH A FAMILY BUSINESS, Maison Jean Roger is celebrated worldwide for its exquisite, original ceramics produced by three generations of the same family. Handmade in France and a contemporary interpretation of the pineapple, this gorgeous Bouquetière Vase was first produced in 1950. The current version is made from white earthenware and coated in cracked yellow enamel. Bespoke colours are also available to order, to coordinate with a particular room setting.

GBP 258 ➤ www.theinvisiblecollection.com

Y E L LOW P O P X K E I T H H A R I N G KEITH HARING’S DRIVE TO CREATE ART THAT’S ACCESSIBLE TO all aligns with Yellowpop’s mission to bring inspiration and creativity into the world with its custom LED neon signs and artist-designed pieces that pop. Yellowpop’s latest artist collaboration brings Haring’s iconic and playful symbols to life in a cool, new way via a limited range of exclusive LED neon signs bearing symbology that’s reminiscent of Haring’s signature pop art and murals. Synonymous with the mischievous and dynamic spirit of New York City in the 1980s and 1990s, these fun pieces are affordable to own and pay homage to Haring’s vibrancy and messages in a unique way.

From GBP 250 ➤ www.yellowpop.co.uk

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INDEX

L I T T L E B L AC K B O O K W E B A D D R E S S E S F O R E V E R Y H O T E L , R E S T A U R A N T, B A R , S T O R E A N D P E R S O N A L I T Y F E A T U R E D I N I S S U E 3 6 O F T H E C U LT U R E D T R AV E L L E R

A

AKRES, LINDOS ➤ https://akreslindos.com/en ANDAZ LONDON LIVERPOOL STREET ➤ www.hyatt.com ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH ➤ www.artbasel.com ATELIER INÈS. ARTS & SUITES ➤ www.atelierinesgallery.com

B

BARRANQUILLA CARNIVAL ➤ www.carnavaldebarranquilla.org BENJAMIN POLLOCK’S TOYSHOP ➤ https://pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk BERNERS TAVERN ➤ www.bernerstavern.com BRICK LANE BAGELS ➤ https://bricklanebeigel.co.uk BRITISH BOXERS ➤ https://british-boxers.com BRASSERIE OF LIGHT ➤ www.brasserie-of-light.co.uk BROWNS EAST ➤ www.brownsfashion.com BURNING THE CLOCKS ➤ https://samesky.co.uk

C

CALLOOH CALLAY ➤ www.calloohcallaybar.com CAMDEN PASSAGE ➤ www.angel.london CARTAGENA MUSIC FESTIVAL ➤ www.cartagenamusicfestival.com CHAMPALIMAUD DESIGN ➤ www.champalimaud.design COAL DROPS YARD ➤ www.coaldropsyard.com

E

EARL OF EAST ➤ www.earlofeast.com ELTHAM PALACE ➤ www.english-heritage.org.uk ESTIATORIO MILOS ➤ www.estiatoriomilos.com EVE BAR ➤ www.evebar.co.uk

F

FAIRMONT WINDSOR PARK ➤ www.fairmont-windsorpark.com FARZI CAFÉ ➤ www.farzilondon.com FASHION & TEXTILE MUSEUM ➤ www.ftmlondon.org FÊTE DES LUMIÈRES ➤ www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr

FORTNUM & MASON

LSQ ROOFTOP

➤ www.fortnumandmason.com

➤ www.lsqrooftop.com

FRANKFURT CHRISTMAS MARKET ➤ www.frankfurt-tourismus.de FREDERICK’S ➤ www.fredericks.co.uk

M

G

GLENMORANGIE ➤ www.glenmorangie.com GROUCHO CLUB ➤ www.thegrouchoclub.com

H

HOGMANAY ➤ www.edinburghshogmanay.com HORNBILL FESTIVAL ➤ www.hornbillfestival.com HOUSE OF HACKNEY ➤ www.houseofhackney.com

I

IWA CANALWAY CAVALCADE ➤ https://waterways.org.uk

J

JACQUES AZAGURY ➤ https://jacquesazagury.com JOAN COLLINS ➤ www.joancollins.com JOSHUA’S TAVERN ➤ www.thelondoner.com

K

KATSUTE 100 ➤ www.katsute100.com KEW GARDENS ➤ www.kew.org KIMPTON ST HONORÉ PARIS ➤ https://kimptonsthonoreparis.com KISAWA SANCTUARY ➤ https://kisawasanctuary.com KRAMPUSNACHT ➤ www.austria.info/en

L

L’ESCARGOT ➤ www.lescargot.co.uk LINDOS VILLAGE RESORT & SPA ➤ www.lindos-village.gr LONDON SIGHTSEEING TOUR ➤ https://city-sightseeing.com/en LONDON’S THEATRELAND ➤ www.london-theatreland.co.uk LOS MOCHIS ➤ www.losmochis.co.uk LPM RESTAURANT AND BAR ➤ https://lpmrestaurants.com/london

MIDDLE EIGHT ➤ www.middleeight.com MOUKI MOU ➤ https://moukimou.com MUSEUM OF THE HOME ➤ www.museumofthehome.org.uk

N

NATIONAL THEATRE ➤ www.nationaltheatre.org.uk NEAL’S YARD REMEDIES ➤ www.nealsyardremedies.com NÊÔ SEPHIRI ➤ www.neosephiri.com NIGHTJAR ➤ NOVIKOV ➤ www.novikovrestaurant.co.uk

P

PALACE OF WESTMINSTER ➤ https://ukparliament.seetickets. com PAUL SMITH ➤ www.paulsmith.com PETUNIA IBIZA ➤ www.petuniaibiza.com PIAZZA ITALIANA ➤ www.piazzaitaliana.co.uk

R

RIO CARNIVAL ➤ www.rio-carnival.net RUSACKS ST ANDREWS ➤ https://marineandlawn.com

S

SAVOY, HELSINKI ➤ https://savoyhelsinki.fi SELFRIDGES ➤ www.selfridges.com SIAN EVANS ➤ www.sejewellery.com SIX SENSES SHAHARUT ➤ www.sixsenses.com SKY GARDEN ➤ https://skygarden.london SOMERSET HOUSE ➤ www.somersethouse.org.uk SOUTH BANK ➤ https://southbanklondon.com SPITALFIELDS MARKET ➤ www.spitalfields.co.uk SPLENDIDO MARE, A BELMOND HOTEL ➤ www.belmond.com SUNSET BEACH ➤ https://sunsetbeach.fun SUPER BOWL 56 ➤ www.nfl.com/super-bowl

T

TATE MODERN ➤ www.tate.org.uk TERRIBLE THAMES

➤ www.terriblethames.com THE AMESWELL HOTEL

➤ www.theameswellhotel.com THE BPM FESTIVAL

➤ www.thebpmfestival.com THE CHEQUIT

➤ www.thechequit.com THE CONRAN SHOP

➤ www.conranshop.co.uk THE CORAL ROOM

➤ www.thecoralroom.co.uk THE DILLY

➤ https://thedillylondon.com THE GOODTIME HOTEL

➤ www.thegoodtimehotel.com THE GUARDSMAN

➤ www.guardsmanhotel.com THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND

➤ www.theitaliangreyhound.co.uk THE IVY MARKET GRILL

➤ https://theivymarketgrill.com THE LONDONER

➤ www.thelondoner.com THE LONDON EYE

➤ www.londoneye.com THE PRINCE AKATOKI ➤ www. theprinceakatokilondon.com THE TRIBUNE, ROME

➤ www.hyatt.com THE WINDMILLL SOHO

➤ www.thewindmillsoho.com TKTS LEICESTER SQUARE

➤ https://officiallondontheatre.com TOWER OF LONDON

➤ www.hrp.org.uk TRACEY NEUL

➤ https://traceyneuls.com

V

VENICE CARNIVAL

➤ www.carnevale.venezia.it/en VINE STREET CAFÉ

➤ www.vinestreetcafe.com VINTERJAZZ ➤ www.jazz.dk VIRGIN HOTELS NEW ORLEANS

➤ www.virginhotels.com V V ROULEAUX

➤ www.vvrouleaux.com

Y

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

➤ www.nps.gov/yell

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T R AV E L T I P S F R O M T H E TO P

jacques azagury T H E C R E A T O R O F S P E C TA C U L A R G O W N S F O R PRINCESS DIANA, HELEN MIRREN, ELIZABETH M C G OV E R N A N D S H E R I DA N S M I T H , JACQUES A Z A G U RY S H A R E S H I S T I P S F O R F LY I N G

T H R O U G H T H E S KY I N C O M F O RT A N D S T Y L E LUGGAGE For years I have been partial

to Eastpak luggage, especially its newest Trans4 four-wheeled range. Having two completely separate zip-up compartments is the perfect companion for my type of adventurous travel, where one minute I’m in a palace-like hotel suite and the next I’m sleeping on the floor of a tent in the middle of the desert. My Eastpak luggage was really useful on my last trip to Colombia, when I had to split the suitcase into summer and winter for the same threeweek trip, since we trekked in freezing temperatures 3,000 metres but finished the trip in soaring temperatures on the coast.

on the plane, set up my bed and take a sleeping pill which, when it works, usually erases six hours of the flight. The rest of the time I tend to get lost in films. In the summer, of course, I will wear a t-shirt, shorts, trainers and a light cashmere sweater, since some flights have the air conditioning on full blast!

FOOD & DRINK I tend not to drink on flights and don’t eat before sleeping. Well, perhaps a light snack.

STAYING HYDR ATED I’m not

READING MATTER

really a ‘products’ person but I do moisturise when flying long distances to stop my face from feeling dry. Out of all the male products I have tried, I have now settled on Boots No7 for men. The eye surround serum is the best and the night moisturiser is excellent, both of which are completely invisible when applied.

Usually every Christmas, I catch up with the latest Patricia Cornwell book, whose characters have become family.

CLOTHING I always travel

wearing a tracksuit, trainers and lightweight down jacket. I tend to schedule my long-haul flights for night-times, so that I can get

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used for several years now.

Since I tend to lose things at airports, I take just one carry-on bag which holds my travel documents in the outer pockets and my iPad, iPhone, Apple AirPods and Kindle inside. I also have a carryon sized bottle of Azagury signature fragrance with me, which always makes me feel so alive!

DECEMBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

GADGETS I have a great

Prada messenger bag with many different pockets and zips which I have

NIBBLES I always travel with

one bar of Green and Blacks organic dark 85% cocoa chocolate. That’s as demanding as I get!

PRE-ARRIVAL Twenty minutes before

landing, I start to freshen-up, tidy myself and collect my belongings, making sure I don’t leave anything on the plane. I also change into fresh, white Hanes cotton t-shirt.

dine with us. stay with us

nobuhotelmiamibeach.com

ENJOY WINTER, HELSINKI STYLE.

Löyly, an architectural sauna and restaurant in the heart of Helsinki, was named one of the World’s 100 Greatest Places by Time Magazine.

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