August 2008

TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA

AUGUST 2008

Singapore • Hong Kong • Thailand • Indonesia • Malaysia • Vietnam • Macau • Philippines • Burma • Cambodia • Brunei • Laos

THE EUROPE ISSUE

Vienna

21 inspiring ideas for your next trip

Money-saving tips, dream itineraries, great restaurants

Spain Sensational cuisine and culture in San Sebastián

AUGUST 20 08

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VIETNAM CAMBODIA MACAU MALAYSIA INDONESIA

(Destinations)08.08 Berlin 31, 41, 50, 78

London 31, 38, 50, 71, 90

Krak贸w 44

Vienna 51, 120

Sarajevo 85 San Sebasti谩n 108

Montenegro 130

World Weather This Month -40oF -20oF -40oC

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Issue Index Stockholm 40 St. Petersburg 41 Tenerife 40 United Kingdom 76 Vienna 51, 120

Italy 31, 38, 41, 50, 65, 71 Krak贸w 44 London 31, 38, 50, 71, 90 Montenegro 130 Munich 33 Paris 31, 41, 51, 67 Prague 40 San Sebasti谩n 108 Sarajevo 85 Spain 31, 50, 66

EUROPE Amsterdam 32 Berlin 31, 41, 50, 78 Dublin 42 France 38, 40, 71, 74 Germany 52 Helsinki 31

AFRICA Kenya 24 Marrakesh 71 Tanzania 24

Currency Converter Singapore Hong Kong Thailand Indonesia Malaysia Vietnam Macau Philippines Burma Cambodia Brunei Laos US ($1)

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1.36

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45.4

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4,143

1.36

8,638

Source: www.xe.com (exchange rates at press time).

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AU GUS T 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

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Thailand 24, 26, 41 Vietnam 26, 54, 81,142

SOUTHEAST ASIA Bali 26, 41 Cambodia 96 Hong Kong 70 Jakarta 40, 56 Laos 24, 26 Macau 22, 41, 58 Malacca 48 Malaysia 60 Singapore 38

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(Contents)08.08

>96 Monks at Angkor, in Cambodia.

96

Khmer Deluxe Taking in Cambodia’s most famous sights in unparalleled style. By PAUL EHRLICH. Photographed by CEDRIC ARNOLD. GUIDE AND MAP 106

108 Heaven and a Beach In the Spanish coastal town of San 10

Sebastián, LUKE BARR takes in stylish hotels and the essential pleasures of real tradition.

Photographed by JAVIER SALAS. GUIDE AND MAP 119 120 Vienna Wakes Up Layered with history, Vienna looks to the future, remaking itself as the center of an expanding Europe. By MICHAEL GROSS. Photographed

by ADAM FRIEDBERG. GUIDE AND MAP 127

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130 Magic Mountains Exploring the soaring peaks of Montenegro, CHARLES MACLEAN uncovers one of Europe’s best-kept secrets.

Photographed by MISCHA RICHTER. GUIDE AND MAP 140 Special

● Affordable Europe > 73 We’ve mapped out three trips in France, England and Germany that won’t break the bank.

CEDRIC ARNOLD

95-130 Features

(Contents)08.08 Departments 14 18 22 24 26 28 142

Editor’s Note Contributors Letters Ask T+L Best Deals Strategies My Favorite Place

> 50

54 Eat Hanoi’s restaurants serve up something special. BY SONIA KOLESNIKOV-JESSOP 56 Preservation Landmark Hotel Indonesia gets a modern makeover. BY JENNIFER CHEN 58 First Look High-flying Cirque du Soleil swings into Macau. BY JEN LIN-LIU 60 Room Report Peace and seclusion at an idyllic Malaysian beach resort. BY NAPAMON ROONGWITOO

AUGUST 2008

THE EUROPE ISSUE

Vienna

21 inspiring ideas for your next trip

Money-saving tips, dream itineraries, great restaurants

Spain Sensational cuisine and culture in San Sebastián

+

VIETNAM CAMBODIA MACAU MALAYSIA INDONESIA

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Cover At Masseria Torre Coccaro, in Savelletri di Fasano, Puglia, Italy. Photographed by Martin Morrell. Styled by Daniella Agnelli. Dress by Prada.

Sunglasses by Gucci.

Model: Ekaterina/Storm.

> 85

37–60 Insider 38 NewsFlash Hidden Europe, Batavia’s best, hot new hotels and more.

42 Check-in Four fabulous places to stay in Dublin.

BY MARIA SHOLLENBARGER 44 Night Out Bohemian Kraków attracts the crowds.

BY DAVID STERN 48 Bring It Back Beautiful, traditional beaded slippers link to Malaysia’s colorful past.

BY CHRISTOPHER R. COX 50 Classics From Berlin to Madrid: Europe’s best sandwiches. BY ANYA VON BREMZEN 52 Where Next Reinvented: the new face of BadenBaden. BY RALF MARTIN 12

63 Still Life Oversized sunglasses keep you looking cool for the big occasion.

64 Fashion Making a splash along Europe’s coast with some glamorous swimwear.

68 Icon Hermés: wrap yourself in an enduring symbol of chic.

70 Spotlight Traveling pleasures with two British design mavens. > 64

81-90 T+L Journal 81 Golf The game is finding a new respectability in Vietnam.

ERIC GOODMAN tees off at the Dalat Palace Golf Course, the country’s finest.

85 Dispatch More than a decade after the Yugoslav wars came to an end, a once-besieged city finds its way into the future.

BY SEAN ROCHA 90 Restaurants Veteran food critic PAUL LEVY checks out 10 restaurants in the British capital that are worth every shilling.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M FA R L E F T : J A S P E R J A M E S ; B L A S I U S E R L I N G E R ; A R T H U R B E L E B E A U

63-70 Stylish Traveler

(Editor’s Note) 08.08

I

F YOU’RE PLANNING A TRIP TO EUROPE THIS YEAR, or are starting to

plan next year’s long-haul vacation, then this special issue should prove an indispensable all-you-need-to-know guide. It has also led me to recall my fledgling travel experiences in Europe. Of course, this was Europe “then,” back in the 1980’s, when the geopolitical landscape was much different, and my travels were a little more mundane than those described in these pages. At age 11, I took my first overseas trip—and my first time on an airplane—to Majorca with my parents, Majorca being the place to go for cheap package holidays in the sun. I loved it. I loved finding geckos in tumbledown rock walls; I loved staying in a proper hotel as opposed to a bucolic farm stay or a blustery beachside rental on the south coast of England; and I simply adored all-day access to a warm swimming pool in the blazing sun. Later on, I underwent a school-organized exchange program, staying with a French family in a town called Saint-Lô for a week and having their son stay with us for a week, which was a mixed experience for everyone involved. As I got older, I went with a friend to the Netherlands for a week, and one memorable weekend, saw a popular rock band play live in a muddy field in Belgium.

All of which is pretty tame stuff, as it precedes the rise of the “new” Europe, in

which travelers regularly visit places like Poland (“Krakow After Dark,” page 44); Montenegro (“Magic Mountains,” page 130); and even Sarajevo (“Sarajevo Moves On,” page 85). Much of this new Europe is a result of not just political upheaval, but also of cultural integration and the development of a truly European identity, which I think is reflected in these and our other stories. Also, in a nod to rising prices, we present budget-busting tips for traveling to Europe, both in Strategies Europe experiences you’d like to share with us, please do e-mail!—MATT LEPPARD TRAVEL + L EISURE EDITORS, WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE THE INDUSTRY’S MOST RELIABLE SOURCES. WHILE ON ASSIGNMENT, THEY TRAVEL INCOGNITO WHENEVER POSSIBLE AND DO NOT TAKE PRESS TRIPS OR ACCEPT FREE TRAVEL OF ANY KIND. 14

AU GUS T 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

C H E N P O VA N O N T

(page 28) and in our Affordable Europe section (page 73). And if you have any

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITOR-AT-LARGE ART DIRECTOR FEATURES EDITORS SENIOR DESIGNER DESIGNER ASSISTANT EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Matt Leppard Paul Ehrlich Fah Sakharet Jennifer Chen Phil Macdonald Ellie Brannan Wannapha Nawayon Napamon Roongwitoo Wasinee Chantakorn

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS / PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Wong, Joe Yogerst, Adam Skolnick, Robyn Eckhardt, Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, Cedric Arnold, Lara Day, Steve McCurry, Peter Steinhauer, Graham Uden, Josef Polleross

CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

PUBLISHER VICE PRESIDENT / ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS CONSULTANT, HONG KONG/MACAU INTERN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION GROUP CIRCULATION MANAGER

J.S. Uberoi Egasith Chotpakditrakul Rasina Uberoi-Bajaj

Robert Fernhout Lucas W. Krump Michael K. Hirsch Kin Kamarulzaman Shea Stanley Katherine Pitt Gaurav Kumar Kanda Thanakornwongskul Supalak Krewsasaen Porames Chinwongs

AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR VICE PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC INSIGHTS, MARKETING & SALES EXECUTIVE EDITOR, INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE, INTERNATIONAL

Ed Kelly Mark V. Stanich Paul B. Francis Nancy Novogrod Jean-Paul Kyrillos Cara S. David Mark Orwoll Thomas D. Storms Lawrence Chesler

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www.incredibleindia.org

The beach at Sveti Stefan.

Below: Charles Maclean.

(Contributors) 08.08

Javier Salas “San Sebastián (“Heaven and a

Beach,” page 108) is in Basque country, and beyond its physical beauty—clear waters, distant mountains—it has a distinct culture, both in and out of the kitchen,” says Salas. “Chefs in San Sebastián elevate cooking to an art form. Their version of traditional Spanish tapas is called pintxos: decorative snacks of fresh fish, warm breads and light sauces.”

Salas’s photos can also be seen in GQ and Elle.

harles Maclean Although the Scotlandbased contributing editor spends his summers at a beach house on the Adriatic Sea (just 120 kilometers from Montenegro’s border), he hadn’t visited the tiny country since 1960. While reporting for the feature “Magic Mountains” (page 130), Maclean found the destination almost exactly how he had left it. “I was at the top of a mountain that overlooks the Sveti Stefan hotel, with beaches on either side, and it was magical.

Somehow, even through conflict, Montenegro has remained completely unspoiled.” Maclean’s thriller Home Before Dark (Hodder & Stoughton) was published in the U.K. in June.

C

18

but surely not the last,” says U.S.-based journalist and novelist Eric Goodman, who took to the Dalat Palace Golf course in “Fond of Fairways” (page 81).

Goodman has been writing about the region since 1985, and was one of the first to do a feature on Phuket for American readers. More recently, he has contributed to Travel + Leisure Golf. He is currently hard at work finishing his fifth novel, Identity Thief.

Mischa Richter The London-based lensman relished the opportunity to photograph Montenegro (“Magic Mountains” page 130) just as the country was seeing a new wave of tourism. “People there endured war and corruption under Yugoslavia’s Socialist Federal Republic, but somehow they have remained hospitable. Locals invite you into their homes and share stories of their nation’s heroes,” he says. Richter has also shot for Vogue and I.D.

Cedric Arnold Prior to shooting “Khmer Deluxe”

(page 96), Arnold had not been to Cambodia since the late 1990’s and was amazed by the changes in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. “There was a bit of nostalgia for the ‘old days’ involved, but I’m happy to finally witness and document upward mobility in Cambodia,” he says. Arnold has been based in Bangkok since 2001. His work has appeared in Marie Claire, GQ and the Wall Street Journal.

AU GUS T 2 0 0 8 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

L E F T CO LU M N , F RO M TO P : M I S C H A R I C H T E R ; CO U RT ESY O F C H A R L ES M AC L E A N . R I G H T CO LU M N , F RO M TO P : C O U R T E S Y O F J AV I E R S A L A S ; C O U R T E S Y O F E R I C G O O D M A N ; C O U R T E S Y O F M I S C H A R I C H T E R ; C O U R T E S Y O F C E D R I C A R N O L D

Eric Goodman “This was my first visit to Vietnam,

Special Promotion

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F R O M L E F T T O R I G H T : © R O N S U M N E R S / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; © E L E N A K O U P T S O VA - VA S I C / DREAMSTIME.COM; © SAI.CHAN / DREAMSTIME.COM

Celebrating 850 years of culture and history, this European destination is a must-visit city on any itinerary njoy great art? Culinary delights at a beer garden?

Shopping? Basking in greenery? Munich—which in 2008 celebrates its 850th birthday—has everything a visitor could want for a perfect stay: outstanding infrastructure, with more than 45,500 hotel beds in all categories, 5,000 restaurants and bars, good travel connections, excellent local public transportation, as well as famous orchestras, spectacular museums and collections, castles and churches, expansive parks and gardens, popular festivals and attractive opportunities for shopping. In fact, the favorite activities of all tourists, taking in culture and shopping, can be wonderfully combined in Munich as in hardly any other city.

E

Culturally, Munich has something for everyone, be they opera and classical music buffs, or fans of Munich’s own top artists. Friends of the theater will have to make a painful choice every evening, while at the same time rejoicing over the big names among directors. The three “Pinakotheken”—literally, picture galleries—offer art-lovers the highest level of satisfaction. Weary museum visitors can restore their strength with coffee and cake in the garden of the Municipal Gallery at the Lenbachhaus, for example, or in the romantic inner courtyard of the Glyptothek.

The city boasts a plethora of Bavarian inns, pleasant cafés, saloons of every sort, gourmet restaurants, cool bars, trendy lounges, trashy discos, hot clubs, after-work venues and chillout locales.

What do visitors love so much about Munich? It is that incomparable mix of tradition and cosmopolitanism, of earthiness and innovation that draws tourists to the city from the world over. The motto for the people of Munich is: “live and let live.” And both locals and visitors enjoy the outcome.

And don’t forget that between September 20 and October 5, locals and visitors alike can enjoy one of the world’s biggest parties at the Oktoberfest. With the traditional “Ozapft is” (the barrel is tapped), the Lord Mayor opens the world’s largest funfair at 12 noon. Highlights of the Oktoberfest are the entry of the Oktoberfest landlords and breweries on September 20 and the Costumes and Marksmen’s Procession on Sunday on September 21.

For more information, visit www.muenchen-tourist.de

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(Letters)08.08 LETTER OF THE MONTH t+l journal | reflections

Continental

Drift

MAY 2008

SOUTHEAST ASIA

JUNE 2008

VIETNAM

16 Dream trips

The Style and Design Issue

Where to get away from it all

*

BALI CAMBODIA THAILAND AFRICA SPAIN SICILY

Haute Hanoi

23

Beat that budget Great deals in Thailand, China and Hong Kong

HOTELS O FASHION ARCHITECTURE O ART ICONS O TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE O AWARDS

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JULY 2008

VIETNAM

INSIDE HO CHI MINH CITY’S MOST FAMOUS HOTEL

Singapore Coolest clubs, best bars, divine dining

AFFORDABLE BEACH BREAKS AROUND THE WORLD

I

T WAS HARDLY THE FINEST

hotel in Ho Chi Minh City— not in 1998, not by a long stretch. It had been once, back when Frenchwomen with silk parasols bustled through the lobby and Ho Chi Minh was working as a busboy in Boston. By the time I got to it, the Continental seemed—well, a lot deader than Ho Chi Minh, whose publicly displayed corpse at least received regular maintenance.

Hardly anything worked: the clocks in the lobby, telling the wrong time in Paris and Moscow; the brass light switches, labeled ouvert and fermé, that turned on nothing. The laundry The Hotel Continental in Ho Chi Minh City in 2007 and in 1925 (inset). forms had check boxes for waistcoat and tuxedo. No one in Vietnam had girlfriend followed, I resolved to abandon New York—for six worn those in 60 years. months, a year, whatever it took—and move to Ho Chi I adored the place anyway. It still looked fabulous, at least from the street, where that iconic neon sign and 1880 vintage Minh City. façade stood out like a lady in a hoopskirt. The courtyard, At that time foreigners in Vietnam paid 10 times what a with its carp pond, century-old frangipani trees and cascades local would for rent. Expats leapt through burning hoops of of bougainvillea, was as peaceful a spot as you could find in bureaucracy just to obtain a phone line. Moving into a the noisy heart of Ho Chi Minh City. (purportedly) full-service hotel seemed a smart alternative.

And the location was unbeatable—right on Dong Khoi, And the Asian financial crisis had caused rates to plummet. the tree-lined boulevard the French called Rue Catinat, and So I rang the Continental to see about booking a room. The just 20 meters from Q Bar, which for a brief spurt in the late reservations manager, Mr. Tin, spoke heavily accented but 1990’s was the greatest bar in Asia. I’d stayed at the enthusiastic English.

Continental on my first visit to Ho Chi Minh City and fallen ME: I expect to stay at least six months, so I wonder if we hopelessly, irrationally in love, as you might with a threemight work out a discount. legged poodle.

MR. TIN: Long-term guest, special rate—one-hundredI’d also fallen hard for Vietnam. I was frankly miserable sixty-five dollar per night. back in Manhattan, and found myself obsessing over how I ME: Mmm. I was thinking more like 30. might return. I intended to write a novel, and to set it in Brief pause, sound of shuffling paper.

Vietnam. The next year, when my lease ran out and my MR. TIN: Special rate, 30 dollar per night.

Las Vegas Your must-read guide to 26 glamorous experiences

PHILIPPINE CUISINE

ICONIC DISHES TO TICKLE 5 YOUR TASTEBUDS

7 stunning style ideas for spring

Airport Survival Guide

Trends, maps, shopping: what you need to know

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ITALIAN MUST-VISITS from Milan to Rome

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Ko Chang

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From desert island to deluxe destination

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— RO S E

MARTIN WESTLAKE

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Six months at Ho Chi Minh City’s most famous hotel, and loving it.

By PETER JON LINDBERG

J U LY 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

Journal of Substance

I have to admit to being a fan of the Journal section of T+L, with its excellent coverage of contentious travel issues and offbeat stories. “Paradise Rebuilt” (May 2008) about post-tsunami Khao Lak in Thailand; and “Traveler’s Dilemma” (March 2008), with its arguments against travel to Burma, are two examples.

As far as offbeat goes, nothing comes better than Peter Jon Lindberg’s yarn on his stay at the Hotel Continental in Ho Chi Minh City (“Continental Drift,” July 2008). Well done.

—PETE

M A R S H A L L , H O N G KO N G

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...then fill in the online survey (which should take you no more than 10–15 minutes) and give us your details so we can send you three free issues of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia* and enter you into our prize draw for a three-night stay at The Sukhothai hotel in a superior room with breakfast. *The “three free issues” offer only applies to non-subscribers and paid subscribers, although entry to the prize draw of a threenight stay in a superior room at The Sukhothai applies to all entrants. Existing subscribers will have their subscription extended by three months. Your personal details will not be passed on to any third-party companies.

Not Always a Gamble With all the column centimeters in newspapers and magazines lately given over to Macau’s rise as the “Las Vegas of the East,” with its mounting toll of bigger, glitzier and garish casinos, it was refreshing to read your feature on the

✉

enclave’s UNESCO World Heritage status (“A Living History,” June 2008). For those of us who know and love Macau, wandering the cobblestone streets and taking in the beautiful colonial and Baroque architecture of the Inner Harbor are its greatest pleasures, not laying down stacks of chips in those monstrosities of mammon that blight this unique and charming city.

O RT I G A S , M A N I L A

Are You Shore?

Although I enjoyed your feature “Affordable Beach Resorts” (July 2008), in which you list beachside hotels around the world that can be had for less than US$250 a night, I am still having a problem reconciling the words “affordable” and “US$250” in the same context. Call me destitute, but US$250 a night is certainly out of my league, especially when I am planning a beach holiday of more than a few days. Besides, in Southeast Asia, with its world-class beaches and fine collection of hotels, if you can’t find a luxury resort for under US$125 a night (even less in the off-season), you’re not looking too hard.

— H E N RY

H A RT U N G , K UA L A LU M P U R

There Goes the Bride Thanks for your article on weddings in exotic locations (“9 Hints for Getting Hitched,” June 2008). I’ve always wanted to have a wedding on the beach, but my fiancé had other ideas— until I showed him the article! We’ve already started planning our wedding in Bali, and we’re definitely keeping in mind your useful tips.

— E M I LY

TA N G , S I N G A P O R E

E-MAIL T+L SEND YOUR LETTERS TO TLEDITOR @ MEDIATRANSASIA.COM AND LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON RECENT STORIES OR NEW PLACES TO VISIT. LETTERS CHOSEN MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY AND SPACE. THE LETTER OF THE MONTH RECEIVES A FREE ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO TRAVEL + LEISURE ( SOUTHEAST ASIA ONLY). READER OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN LETTERS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF TRAVEL + LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA, MEDIA TRANSASIA LTD., OR AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING.

Q:

(Ask T+L)08.08 see lions, elephants and rhinos. Micato Safaris (1-800/642-2861; micato.com; —STEPHANIE SMITH, HONG KONG seven-day safaris from US$6,000 per person, The best food in Asia is usually found on double) arranges a Masai village tour and a stay at the renovated Fairmont Mara the street, and eating alfresco is an Safari Club. Also consider Tanzania’s integral experience in this generally 44,000-square-kilometer Selous Game food-obsessed region. Having survived Reserve, one of the largest in Africa. our fair share of stomach-roiling encounters, we’ve developed a few easy- Journeys by Design (1-212/568-7639; to-remember rules when it comes to journeysbydesign.co.uk; seven-day safaris from street food: (1) Head for the busiest stall. US$6,000 per person, double) creates tailorPopularity is not only a good sign taste- made itineraries for the region, including walking safaris along the hippo- and wise, it also means ingredients aren’t sitting around for too long. (2) Look for crocodile-inhabited Rufiji River. water. Hygiene-conscious street stall owners constantly wash dishes and I want to learn how to dive in Southeast Asia. Where are the best utensils, and wipe down tables. (3) Pick places to do a course for an dishes that are cooked to order. Heat kills bacteria. (4) Patronize stalls that put international dive certificate?

—SAM MACFARLANE, HONG KONG their meat on ice to prevent spoilage.

(5) Avoid seafood unless you know it’s The most convenient place to gain an really, really fresh. (6) Think about internationally recognized PADI dive where you are. If you’re in a developed certificate in Southeast Asia is Thailand. city such as Singapore, Bangkok or For excellent dive sites with easy Kuala Lumpur (places where the water accessibility—where you don’t have to is also safe), just follow these rules. Think pay through the nose—then the waters twice, though, before pulling up a stool around Ko Tao in the Gulf of Thailand in Cambodia, Laos or Indonesia. are your best bet. The dozens of shallow reefs in clean, clear water off Ko Tao are ideal for novice divers and the glut I’ve never been on an African safari.

Where am I most likely to spot the Big of PADI-accredited dive schools (36, Five in game? according to padi.com) on this small island keeps the cost of courses among —NATALIE DANIELS, NEW YORK the lowest in Southeast Asia. The other The East African countries of Kenya bonus is you get to spend your time and Tanzania are a perfect entryway, says T+L A-List agent and safari expert between dives on a beautiful tropical Norman Pieters. Despite recent political island. Padi.com lists all the dive schools unrest, Kenya continues to be a popular on Ko Tao (and everywhere else in the safari destination. Visit the Masai Mara world, for that matter), contact details National Reserve, where you are sure to and what courses they offer.

How can you tell which street food

I’M GOING TO LAOS AND WAS WONDERING WHERE BESIDES VIENTIANE AND LUANG PRABANG SHOULD I VISIT?—CYNTHIA LIM, SINGAPORE

A:

One of the joys of traveling in Laos is how relatively untouched it is. But its pristine nature also means infrastructure is underdeveloped, so it takes longer to get from A to B. With that in mind, we suggest that you stick to northern Laos, where Luang Prabang is located, and add one more destination. If you’re looking for relaxation, consider Vang Vieng, famed for its stunning limestone karsts (take them in by floating down the Nam Song River in an inner tube). Or if you’re feeling more adventurous, fly from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan, the town closest to the mysterious Plain of Jars.

24

✉

E-MAIL T+L SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO TLEDITOR @ MEDIATRANSASIA.COM. QUESTIONS CHOSEN FOR PUBLICATION MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY AND SPACE .

AU GUS T 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

I L L U S T R AT E D BY WA S I N E E C H A N TA KO R N

stalls are safe to eat at?

(Best Deals) 08.08 Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort.

Here, six great escapes in the region where you can unwind ■ VIETNAM Relaxation package at the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa (84-510/927-040; victoriahotels-asia.com). What’s Included Twonight stay; round-trip airport transfers; daily breakfast; a welcome lunch; a candlelit dinner; a 60-minute massage; daily fruit basket; 10 percent discount on food, drinks and spa treatments; and early check-in and late checkout upon availability. Cost From US$282 per person, through September 30. Savings Up to 30 percent.

■ INDONESIA Romantic Rhythm package at The Gangsa in Bali (62-361/270-260; gangsa.com). What’s Included Three-night stay in a one-bedroom villa; a bottle of wine; a candlelit dinner at your villa; a three-hour spa treatment; a milk bath on arrival; one-way airport transfer; a 15-minute head massage; daily breakfast; complimentary minibar and cookies; daily fruit basket; 24-hour butler service; and transportation to Sanur and Kuta. Cost US$950, double, through October 31.

Savings Up to 38 percent.

26

■ THAILAND Weekend package at X2 Kui Buri, near Pranburi (66-3/260-1412; x2resorts.com).

What’s Included Two-night stay in a pool villa (check-in Friday at 6 P.M.); dinner and breakfast; use of kayak; use of mountain bikes; and a massage for two. Cost Bt8,500, through October 31. Savings Up to 44 percent.

Summer Splendor package at The Peninsula Bangkok (66-2/861-2888; peninsula.com).

What’s Included One-way airport transfer; barbecue dinner for two at the River Café & Terrace; and upgrade to next available room category. Cost From Bt9,800 per night, double, two-night minimum stay, through September 14. Savings Up to 25 percent.

■ LAOS Mekong Explored package at La Residence Phou Vao in Luang Prabang (856-71/212194; residencephouvao.com). What’s Included A tour of Pak Ou Caves with a picnic lunch for two; a dinner; and round-trip airport transfers. Cost US$226 per night, double, through September 30. Savings Up to 50 percent.

AU GUS T 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

THAILAND Romantic Escape package at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai (66-53/888-929; mandarinoriental.com).

What’s Included Two-night stay in a deluxe colonial suite; daily breakfast; round-trip airport transfers; an in-suite candlelit dinner for two; an 80-minute massage for two; a bottle of wine, fruit and flowers on arrival; and a gift at turndown service. Cost Bt39,088, double, through October 31. Savings Up to 45 percent.

The Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi.

F R O M T O P : C O U R T E SY O F V I C T O R I A H O T E L S & R E S O R T S ; C O U R T E SY O F M A N D A R I N O R I E N TA L D H A R A D H E V I

DEAL OF THE MONTH

(Strategies) 08.08 LATELY, TRAVELING IN EUROPE

could wind up costing you more than you’d bargained for. Asian currencies have strengthened against the U.S. dollar, but they haven’t fared well against the euro. At press time, the Thai baht, for instance, had fallen to Bt51 against the euro, and Bt65 against the British pound. In a recent report, investment bank Goldman Sachs said Asian currencies were about 25 percent undervalued against the euro.

Fortunately, even in the most expensive countries, it’s possible to avoid feeling the pinch. (Prices here are given in U.S. dollars for simplicity’s sake. Keep in mind that regional currencies are still holding up against the greenback.)

1

CHOOSE A CRUISE

Europe for Less Asian currencies might have fallen against the euro, but there are still plenty of ways to save money. Here, four tips to help make your next trip abroad a reality.

By WING SZE TANG 28

AU GUS T 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

“Cruises are still the best value for your money,” says Mary Jean Tully, CEO of the Toronto, Ontario–based Cruise Professionals.

“To stay at a top hotel in many countries in Europe right now, you’re looking at—and this is no exaggeration—a minimum of about 550 euros, or US$800, a night.”

Cruises, however, are immune to seesawing exchange rates as they’re set a year or more in advance, which means there are no surprises. “You know up front what you’re spending, and you pay before you go,” Tully adds, noting that all-inclusive daily rates can range from US$250 to »

Illustrated by GUY BILLOUT

strategies | currencies into and out of secondary airports, where many of these airlines are located. Baggage allowances are often skimpy, so check the fine print for any extra luggage surcharges, which can significantly inflate the total fare. Most budget carriers sell directly to travelers online; check Flycheapo.com for a comprehensive list of airlines and routes. And keep an eye on airline websites for sales, when ticket prices can be reduced by up to 90 percent. Earlier this year, one-way Ryanair tickets from London Stansted to 21 European cities, including Barcelona and St.-Tropez, started at just £5 (US$10)— including taxes and fees.

LOW-COST CARRIER VS. TRADITIONAL AIRLINE

US$600 per person and often cover everything from onboard entertainment to meals and cocktails.

Fortunately for travelers, the competition is strong among cruise lines in Europe—so despite inflation in recent years, cruise rates have remained stable.

CRUISE VS. LAND-BASED TRIP

By Sea Part of the luxury line’s Value Collection, Crystal Cruises’ 13-day Epicurean Odyssey sails from Athens to London, with stops in Sicily, Málaga, Seville, Lisbon, Oporto and Bordeaux.

COST US$4,995 per person for a 19-square-meter Deluxe Stateroom E, which includes meals, onboard entertainment and nonalcoholic beverages (1-888/722-0021; crystalcruises.com).

By Land Creating a comparable 13-day itinerary would mean booking seven hotels, each offering the same five-star luxury as Crystal Cruises.

COST Luxury hotels in the region covered by Crystal’s Epicurean Odyssey start in the US$400-anight range and can easily cost twice that. You would also need to pay for food, flights between cities and ground transportation, thus far exceeding Crystal’s average price of US$385 a day, all-inclusive.

2

FLY WITHOUT FRILLS

The number of flights in Europe hit an alltime high last year—nearly 10 million— with the growth driven mainly by the 60 low-cost carriers operating in the region. “You can fly at ridiculously low prices if you’re willing to make a few modifications to your itinerary,” says F. Peter Herff II, chairman of the San Antonio, Texas–based Herff Travel, a T+L A-List travel agent. There are a few drawbacks to no-frills flights: travelers need to factor in more time when flying

30

AUGUS T 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

Ryanair From London Stansted to Montpellier, France, departing August 20 and returning August 27.

COST US$227 for one round-trip seat, including taxes and fees.

Air France From London Heathrow to Montpellier (via Paris), departing August 20 and returning August 27.

COST US$361 for one round-trip economy seat, including taxes and fees.

3

OPT FOR AN APARTMENT

Fueled by high demand, Europe’s already steep hotel-room rates rose an average of 5.3 percent last year, with even bigger increases in cities like Moscow (14.9 percent) and London (9.5 percent), according to the latest HotelBenchmark Survey by Deloitte. Vacation apartment rentals may not offer all the amenities of a hotel, but they’re cost-effective, especially for groups or families planning to stay in one place for at least a week (the standard minimum). “The more people you are traveling with, the more it makes sense to rent rather than stay in a hotel,” says Suzanne Pidduck, founder of the Ventura, California–based Rentvillas, which specializes in villas and apartments throughout Europe. “Another advantage: you have a kitchen, so you don’t have to go out for every meal,” Pidduck says. “That’s a huge cost saver.” Janine Safer Whitney, a travel consultant with the New York–based Altour International, pinpoints London as particularly good for rentals. It’s the third most expensive city in Europe for hotels, but because it is a major financial hub, there are plenty of apartments geared toward business travelers, at a wide range of prices. “Ask for an apartment-hotel, where you can get some of

F R O M L E F T: © E DY TA PAW L O W S K A / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; © J A R N O G Z / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M

A tram in Lisbon, Portugal. Right: The Cathedral of Seville and La Giralda Tower.

BY TH E NUMBERS: WHAT IT COSTS IN . . . .

CAPPUCCINO

11/2 LITERS OF EVIAN

MARTINI

3-KM TAXI RIDE

SUBWAY RIDE

ROOM AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL*

BERLIN

US$4.85 Café Einstein

US$2.20

US$22.84 Hotel Adlon Kempinski

US$11.63

Single: US$3.08 1 day: US$8.82

US$296

HELSINKI

US$5.26 Café Ekberg

US$1.95

US$17.68 Hotel Kämp

US$12.37

Single: US$3.00 1 day: US$9.02

US$343 (Hilton Helsinki Strand)

LONDON

US$3.98 Café Troubadour

US$2.91

US$20.47 The Milestone Hotel

US$9.43

Single: US$8.00 1 day: US$10.61

US$632

MADRID

US$7.20 Café Gijón

US$1.32

US$22.10 Westin Palace

US$7.82

Single: US$1.47 1 day: US$5.88

US$440

PARIS

US$7.66 Le Rouquet

US$1.61

US$30.95 Hotel Le Bristol

US$9.23

Single: US$2.20 1 day: US$12.50

US$700

ROME

US$4.41 Bar della Pace

US$2.20

US$25.05 Hotel de Russie

US$8.46

Single: US$1.47 1 day: US$5.88

US$729

*Rack rate for a standard double in August

— K AV E R I M A RAT H E

the services of a hotel,” advises Safer, who recommends the Athenaeum (44-20/7499-3464; athenaeumhotel.com; apartments from US$1,200), a row of Edwardian town houses connected to a hotel with 33 one- or two-bedroom luxury apartments, in the heart of London’s West End.

F R O M L E F T : © K M I R A G AYA / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; © E R I C K N G U Y E N / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M

APARTMENT VS. HOTEL IN PARIS

Apartment Van Gogh A 54-square-meter onebedroom apartment in Paris’s Latin Quarter, accommodating up to four, with modern, all-white décor, a queen-size bed, a fully equipped kitchen, high-speed Internet and cable (Paris Luxe Apartments; 1-800/708-7659; parisluxeapt.com).

COST US$2,900 a week.

Victoria Palace Hotel A 45-square-meter suite in the Sixth Arrondissement, with Louis XVI–style furnishings, a queen-size bed, a courtyard view and high-speed Internet (33-1/45-49-70-00; victoriapalace.com).

COST Up to US$950 a night.

4

ASK FOR A BETTER EXCHANGE RATE

Take advantage of Asian currencies’ strength against the greenback: buy U.S. dollars and then look for deals offering fixed dollar rates. “When there’s any downturn in travel demand, one strategy for some hotels has been to offer Americans fixed U.S. dollar rates,” Herff from Herff Travel says. “You can book and confirm certain hotels and fix the price at the time

of booking.” Such deals are sometimes nonrefundable: “If you don’t show up, you might end up eating that price,” Herff says, “but you can get a significant discount.” Dollar-based promotions are currently offered by select members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and at nine Warwick International properties. These deals tend to be unadvertised, so inquire directly with the hotels.

Paris by night.

Left: A view of Big Ben with the London Eye in the background.

EURO RATES VS. FIXED U.S. DOLLAR RATES

The Destination The Merrion, in Dublin, a centrally located 143-room hotel converted from four 18th-century Georgian town houses.

COST In July and August, the hotel is offering a matching dollar-to-euro rate (1-800/628-8929; merrionhotel.com; doubles from US$575)—a savings of 35 percent off the rack rate. ✚

T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A

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C O M| A U G U S T

2008

31

strategies

| airport navigator

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Europe’s fourth-largest airport has gone high gloss with a world-class art museum, new boutiques and surprisingly good restaurants. By XANDER KAPLAN WHAT TO DO

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Score a between-flights sugar fix at Multivlaai (6). The Dutch café serves more than 40 types of Limburgse vlaaien (buttery, flan-like pastries).

Strawberry and rice pudding are the biggest crowd-pleasers. For another local favorite, pick up an oliebol, a Dutch doughnut sold at one of the small wooden carts in Schiphol Plaza (7). Or head to Per Tutti! (8), a Mediterranean delicatessen serving everything from fresh croissants to tiger-prawn tapas. Longer layovers are better spent sipping a glass of champagne at Bubbles (9), a modern lounge with a saltwater aquarium centerpiece and an impressive raw bar. Near pier D, you’ll find the woodpaneled Grand Café Het Paleis (10).

With its tall ceilings and Art Nouveau flourishes, the bistro is reminiscent of a bustling Amsterdam tavern. Don’t miss the moules frites.

Rijksmuseum Annex (1), conveniently

located between piers E and F, is the first airport initiative of its kind. The space has a permanent collection of 10 paintings by Dutch masters such as Jan Steen and Jacob van Ruisdael, plus temporary exhibitions (admission is free). For a less lofty pursuit, try your luck at a game of blackjack or the slots at the Holland Casino (2) (there are two outposts). If jet lag has you beat, get cozy in one of the airport’s 400 black reclining “snooze chairs” or—better yet—sneak in a quick Back to Life (3) massage (10 minutes for US$24). Aviflora (4) and Fleurtiek (5) flower shops are a welcome break for harried travelers looking to take a garden stroll.

1. Rijksmuseum Annex 13. Kappe Perfumes

12. Suit Supply

E

4. Aviflora

2. Holland Casino

5. Fleurtiek

WHERE TO SHOP Schiphol Plaza, located before passport control, houses the majority of the airport’s shops: a Nike (11) store sells the brand’s latest sneakers, and Suit Supply (12) specializes in same-day tailoring. Beyond security are the standard duty-free outlets, including three Kappe Perfumes (13) locations, glistening one-stop shops for luxury cosmetics. A tip for shopaholics: If you spend at least 20 euros at any airport store during a layover, you can leave your purchases at the shop; they will tell you where to pick them up when you pass through Schiphol on your return trip. schiphol.nl.

13. Kappe Perfumes

D

8. Per Tutti!

3. Back to Life

F

10. Grand Café Het Paleis

2. Holland Casino

CO U RT ESY O F S C H I P O L A I R P O RT

G-H

9. Bubbles

M 11. Nike

6. Multivlaai

7. Schiphol Plaza

B-C

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7. Aran

8. Seafood Sylt 3. Metropolitan Pharmacy

12. Jeans & Dreams

LEVEL 05 Gate H 2. Prayer room 11. Checkout 4. Lounge 11. Checkout

10. Multitronics 8. Seafood Sylt

LEVEL 04 GATE G

13. Fabriano

1. Gesunde Impulse 10. Multitronics 11. Checkout 9. Dallmayr Shop

11. Checkout

3. Metropolitan Pharmacy

6. Dallmayr Bistro To Munich Airport Center and 5. Airbräu

Munich Airport International

C O U R T E SY O F M U N I C H A I R P O R T I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Germany’s second-largest hub is a soaring glass-and-steel complex dotted with self-service coffee stations, shops and a skywalk with views of the runway.

Here, the highlights of busy international Terminal 2. By HANNAH WALLACE WHAT TO DO There’s nothing like a short rubdown at Gesunde Impulse (1) to get the kinks out after a transatlantic flight (US$1.50 per minute). The tiny Zen-like prayer room (2) with blond-fir floors, illuminated Plexiglass walls and a 130year-old oak tree is stocked with prayer rugs, Bibles (in several languages) and the Koran; it’s also the perfect place to meditate. Metropolitan Pharmacy (3) (two locations) is worth a visit, even if your toiletries weren’t confiscated by security. In addition to well-known European beauty lines such as Weleda, Dr. Hauschka and Caudalíe, you’ll find German homeopathic remedies and wellness CD’s. Regroup at the sunlit lounge (4) on Level 5, with its oversize red-leather sofas.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK If you have a few hours to kill, venture into the public Munich Airport Center, between terminals 1 and 2, where you’ll find Airbräu (5), a brewery with an outdoor biergarten. After your meal, you’ll need to pass through security to reenter the terminal. If you have less time, stop by Dallmayr Bistro (6) for a weisswurst mit brezen (sausage with pretzel) or a generous portion of apple strudel. At Aran (7), a bakery–café with communal tables, strike up a conversation with a fellow traveler over cappucino and panini. Seafood Sylt (8) (two locations) serves fresh shrimp salad, grilled calamari and paella perfumed with saffron.

WHERE TO SHOP This terminal feels like a luxury minimall, with outposts of Hermès, Bulgari and La Perla. Dallmayr Shop (9), the famous Bavarian delicatessen, sells its signature coffee, homemade mustard and venison pâté. Forgot your adapter?

Multitronics (10) (two locations) has high-tech gadgets and accessories, from the latest iPod incarnation to CD’s.

You’ll find magazines and books at Checkout (11) (four locations), which also proffers German tchotchkes such as steins and cuckoo clocks. Jeans & Dreams (12) often has sales on Lacoste shirts and Tommy Hilfiger undies.

The venerable Italian papermaker Fabriano (13) carries handcrafted cards and photo albums, leather wallets and passport holders, and exquisite journals. www.munich-airport.de

T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A

.

C O M | A U G U S T

2008

33

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What’s for lunch?

Our guide to the best sandwiches in Europe <(page 50)

Time in the sun.

Indulge in a private retreat in Malaysia <(page 60)

Irish hospitality.

Where to stay now in Dublin (page 42) >

+

• Hanoi’s most stylish restaurants • A historic hotel in Jakarta, resurrected • Inside Singapore’s Rochester Park

(Insider) Photo credit by tktktk

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : R E B E C C A L E W I S ; M A R T I N M O R R E L L ; C O U R T E S Y O F B E R J AYA R E D A N G B E A C H R E S O R T ; P E T E R S T E I N H A U E R ; P H I L I P S I N D E N

One night in Kraków: Checking out Poland’s second city <(page 44)

Where to GoWhat to EatWhere to StayWhat to Buy

FEB MROUNATRHY 2 0 0 7 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E . C O M

000

insider

| newsflash TOURS

Singapore Rochester Park is the latest heritage site in the city that’s been transformed into a dining destination. Here, four venues where you can enjoy the tranquil surroundings.

By SONIA KOLESNIKOV-JESSOP

2. Cassis

ON THE MAP

Hidden Europe There’s nothing like an expert to open closed doors. By LESLEY SAVAGE

ealth Ave monw

Vi sta R

d

Dov er Ris

e

Com

Villa Farnese, in Italy.

3 e ch Ro

4

k ar rP ste

2

N

Bu

a on

1 Do ver C

lose E

3. Graze

For a unique alfresco experience, swing by this chic spot. At night, old Hollywood classics are shown on the outdoor screen. The menu features barbecued seafood and meat as well as fusion dishes. Try the braised Wagyu beef shin served on a taro cake and the salad of toasted coconut, cucumber and chili. 4 Rochester Park; 65/6775-9000; dinner for two with wine S$240.

38

4. Twelve+One

The strawberry ice cream–pink floor of this recently opened bakery instantly puts you into the mood for its delectable pastries. Upstairs, both adults and children can enjoy cookery lessons. The pavilion, cantilevered above the ground level, serves as a great retreat for breakfast or tea.

6 Rochester Park; 65/6872-9366.

AU GUS T 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M

Q SHOPPING IN ENGLAND On the Urban Gentry tour of London, you’ll stop at several top boutiques, including little-known gems in Mayfair.

Perfect for Trendsetting fashionistas.

Highlights A local journalist acts as your guide, taking you to Beyond the Valley, stocked with kimonoinspired tops and pewter-toned pleated leather wallets. Details 4420/8149-6253; urbangentry.com; from US$317 for a half-day.

Q FOOD IN FRANCE Discover the culinary traditions of Alsace with chef Barbara Lynch from Boston’s acclaimed No. 9 Park restaurant.

Perfect for Francophiles and oenophiles. Highlights Beyond tasting tarte flambée, guests learn to make specialties such as choucroute garnie, sauerkraut and kugelhof — a sweet bread flavored with kirsch and raisins — from the region’s top chefs.

Details 1-617/742-9991; no9park.com; from US$3,400 a week.

Q GARDENS IN ITALY Explore some of the 100-plus lesser-known green spaces in Rome, Lazio or Umbria with Secret Gardens Italy. Perfect for Curious green thumbs. Highlights Gain exclusive access to Napoleon’s 18th-century garden in Rome with Alejandro Capriles (an accredited judge of the American Orchid Society); he’ll walk you through a garden of Italy. Details 1-310/492-5110; secretgardensitaly.com; from US$268 per person for a half-day.

L E F T C O L U M N F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F P I N C H O S ; C O U R T E S Y O F C A S S I S ; C O U R T E S Y O F T W E LV E + O N E ; C O U R T E S Y O F G R A Z E .

RIGHT COLUMN: LISA FINERTY

1. Pinchos - Gastro Bar

Cozily rustic, this spot features burgundy walls covered with African art and dark brown furniture. On the menu are Spanish-inspired offerings such as deepfried Manchego and calamari with lime-spiked aïoli. The main draw, however, is the walk-in wine cellar. 8 Rochester Park; 65/6872-9366; dinner for two S$56.

Dramatic black-and-white interiors set the stage for the contemporary French cuisine of executive chef Eric Guilbert, who earned a Michelin star at El Lido restaurant in Marbella, Spain. Try the thick, juicy grilled tenderloin with celery purée and Bordelaise sauce.

Outdoors is more low-key, with lotus ponds and sunken seating. 7 Rochester Park; 65/6872-9366; dinner for two S$220.

insider

| newsflash

Chic Stays in Europe HOTELS

Five Continental hotels where you can sleep in style.

By DANIELLE PERGAMENT and JENNIFER WELBEL PRAGUE HILTON OLD TOWN

FIVEMINUTE EXPERT

Designer Alexandra Champalimaud introduced a contemporary vibe to the 305 rooms, while David Collins used a graphic motif inspired by Czech Modernist art in the public spaces. And the man responsible for the hotel’s Maze restaurant: Gordon Ramsay. 1-800/445-8667; hiltonpragueoldtown.com; doubles from US$300.

STOCKHOLM CLARION HOTEL SIGN

Jakarta-based poet and food writer Laksmi Pamuntjak shares her favorites.

By K ENNY S ANTANA SPLURGE “Have lunch at Emilie (39 Jln. Senopati Raya; 62-21/521-3626) for its impeccable service and sunny disposition, for the eloquence of some of its fish dishes, and for its hale and hearty soups despite its sophisticated presentation. You can’t fault the Le Potiron, butternut squash soup or the French onion soup.”

El-Wahj (112 Jln. Wahid Hasyim; 6221/315-0424) and Maroush (Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jln. Gatot Subroto Kav. 2–3; 62-21/9290-1313). “Maroush’s mezze platter can hold its own anywhere in the world, while El-Wahj’s pear chicken is an event.”

SNACK “I go to Koi (2 Jln. Mahakam I; 62-21/722-2864) because of its range from Belgian to pan-Asian and their modern sensibilities, rendering almost every dish interesting rather than merely standard. Desserts here are also in a league of their own.”

DISCOVER “Tang’s (Pusat Makan Taman Sari, Lippo Karawaci; 62-21/5472216) serves homey but beautifully inventive food. And don’t miss Warong Selera Acil Inun’s (57 Jln. Pakubuwono VI; 62-21/724-5813) for its mind-bogglingly stylish food ... Try the spicy sambal prawns or squid studded with pete (pungent beans).”

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VERSAILLES TRIANON PALACE

This 100-year-old palace abutting the Château de Versailles recently got a US$30 million facelift.

The 199-room hotel retains all of the grandeur of its heyday, thanks to the crystal chandeliers, Roman arches and Italian marble floors. The muted palette of olive, taupe and beige and a stellar spa are welcome updates. 33-1/3084-5000; westin.com/ trianonpalace; doubles from US$460.

BORDEAUX REGENT

For its renovation of the 232-year-old historic palace, across from the National Opera, Regent tapped Jacques Garcia to revamp the 150 rooms. The whole place verges on the ornate, with 19th-century French furniture, richly colored brocade fabrics and vast marble bathrooms. 1-800/545-4000; regenthotels.com; doubles from US$608.

TENERIFE ABAMA

At this 478-room Ritz-Carlton resort on a cliff high above the Atlantic, canopied beds are framed by dark wood headboards, and wooden huts dot the 160-hectacre property. There’s also plenty of star power: the restaurant is helmed by Martín Berasategui. 34-922/126-000; ritzcarlton.com; doubles from US$500.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : C O U R T E S Y O F L A K S M I P A M U N TJ A K ; C O U R T E S Y O F H I LT O N P R A G U E O L D T O W N ; C O U R T E S Y O F C L A R I O N H OT E L S I G N ; V I N C E N T L E RO U X ; CO U RT E SY O F R EG E N T H OT E L S & R E S O RTS ; CO U RT E SY O F A BA M A G O L F & S PA

Batavia’s Best

The country behind Ikea is now bringing a similarly streamlined aesthetic to the affordable hotel chain, Clarion. The 558 rooms have the work of Scandinavia’s top 20th-century furniture designers, such as Bruno Mathsson and Hans Wegner. And Scandinavian star Marcus Samuelsson, the chef at New York’s Aquavit, has opened a location here.

46-8/676-9800; clarionsign.com; doubles from US$262.

LANGUAGE

Europe’s Hottest New Restaurants T+L contributor Anya von Bremzen shares her latest European discoveries Q PARIS On the second floor of the Eiffel

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: A L L H A N D H E L D S . C O M ; F L O R I A N B O L K ; C O U R T E SY O F R E S T D E TA I L H O T E L ; C O U R T E SY O F H O T E L G U L D S M E D E N ; C O U R T E SY O F F O U R S E AS O N S M ACAO ; CO U RT ESY O F U C H I A N G M A I

Tower is Alain Ducasse’s new Le Jules Verne (Ave. Gustave-Eiffel, Seventh Arr.; 33-

LOST IN TRANSLATION If you’re headed for the Olympic Games this month in Beijing and a little shaky in your Mandarin skills, there’s now help just a phone call away. ChinaONEcall (chinaonecall.com; one-hour package US$79) is a 24-hour hotline manned by professional Englishspeaking translators.

FOOD

1/45-55-61-44; dinner for two US$390).

Everything about the restaurant is thrilling, from the minimalist Patrick Jouin design to classic dishes such as fricassee of Bresse chicken.

Q BERLIN The city has had its share of splashy openings lately, but the real winner is Hartmanns (31 Fichtestrasse; 4930/6120-1003; dinner for two US$120), in Kreuzberg. Chef Stefan Hartmann adds a Mediterranean twist to New German flavors (think seared foie gras with Hartmanns restaurant, beetroot and caramelized apples). in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district.

Q ROME Italian pizza aficionados rejoiced when star pie-maker Gabriele Bonci helped open Bir & Fud (23 Via Benedetta; 3906/589-4016; dinner for two US$55), a no-frills trattoria in the Trastevere district.

The menu showcases Bonci’s signature crusts, made with natural leavening.

Q ST. PETERSBURG A welcome antidote to the usual glitzy oligarchs’ hangouts, the intimate Chekhov (4 Petropavlovskaya Ul.; 7-812/234-4511; dinner for two US$80) faithfully recreates the cooking of a 19th-century Russian country estate. Dark antique furniture sets the scene for such dacha staples as crunchy pickles and dainty piroshki (savory pastries).

Where to Stay Next in Asia By JENNIFER CHEN

ON THE RADAR

HOTEL

THE SCENE

THE ROOMS

BONUS POINT

THAILAND

MACAU

BALI

THAILAND

U Chiang Mai 70 Rachadamnoen Rd.; 66-53/327-000; uhotelsresorts.com; doubles from Bt3,700

Four Seasons Macao Cotai Strip, Taipa; 853/28818888; fourseasons.com/ macau; doubles from MOP3,100

Villa Villa Capung Sebali Banjar Sebali, Desa Kliki; hotelguldsmeden.com; suites from 325 euros

Rest Detail Hotel 19/199 Hua Hin Soi 19; 6632/547-733; restdetailhotel. com; doubles from Bt7,500

In the Old City, a short walk to Thapae Gate, this new hotel embodies flashpacker with its mix of modern and traditional

Opening this month, the 360room property will add a touch of class to Macau’s glitziest address

About a 10-minute drive from Ubud, this secluded spot — which has 10 villas and six suites — is set amid rice terraces and jungle

This intimate four-month-old 52-room resort (which also has four villas) lures young, wealthy Bangkokians looking for a relaxing weekend

The décor in the 41 rooms reflects the city’s Lanna heritage: jewel-colored fabrics, dark woods and Buddhist-inspired murals

Lavish but low-key, with its muted gold and burgundy tones and ample use of velvet and brocades

The resort features the work of some of Denmark’s most famous designers such as Arne Jacobsen (the hotel’s owners are Danish)

Airy and pale-hued, SinoPortuguese–inspired touches such as floral-patterned tiles in the bath and chairs with Chinese latticework

When you book, the hotel asks for your preferences in pillows, music (for the inroom iPod), teas and soaps

Need a place to spend your winnings? On-site are three floors of luxury boutiques — Prada, Louis Vuitton — all duty-free

The owners, who have several hotels in Denmark, are passionate about organic food. So dig into breakfast — it’s good for you

Book a rest horizon room and enjoy a soak in the outdoor Jacuzzi on your private terrace

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insider | check-in

Hotel-Hopping in Dublin. There are over 300 hotels in the Celtic capital, so where should you stay? Here, T+L takes a look at four properties making news. By MARIA SHOLLENBARGER ■ DYLAN Location The stately, red-brick Victorian is situated on an elm-lined lane in the exclusive Dublin 4 neighborhood. Those two-story brick row houses across the street go for 2 million euros a pop.

Details Its public spaces are definitely angling for the year’s “Most Designed Hotel” award—if you’re not a fan of black-and-red faux Fortuny wallpaper, avoid the bar. But rooms are spacious and contemporary, and come in shades of cream, brown and deep red. Flat LCD screens and iPod docks are standard, while closets are stocked to the gills: hair dryers, irons, shoehorns, robes, extra down pillows.

Sore Spot Is it us, or is the house music in the reception area a tad too loud? (Perhaps it’s a matter of preference—or of age; the average here appears to be about 28.)

Trump Card A wide terrace dotted with deep armchairs, low tables and glass lanterns—ideal for pre-dinner drinks. Eastmoreland Place; 3531/660-3000; dylan.ie; doubles from US$586.

IRELAND

The New Look of Dublin From top: A guest room at the Dylan; the Palladian-style Ritz-Carlton, on an 18th-century estate; inside the Ritz-Carlton; the ultra-stylish lobby at the Radisson SAS Royal.

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■ NUMBER 31 Location A small compound set behind an ivydraped wall, just off Leeson Street in the city center; a brass bell engraved with NUMBER 31 serves as the only sign. The hotel is a two-block stroll from St. Stephen’s Green.

Details The first impression is of a groovy Irish uncle’s bachelor pad, especially when Noel Comer, the charismatic owner, is on hand to offer an effusive welcome. The hotel consists of two converted coach houses and a listing Georgian terrace; the latter was completely renovated in 2007 with burnt-juniper paint and Regency-style sofas and chairs upholstered in Technicolor nubby wools. The coach houses, meanwhile, proudly wear their original 50’s redo; note the sunken “conversation pit” common room—it’s still chic after five decades.

Sore Spot Historic buildings are rarely Photographed by PHILIP SINDEN

soundproof. If you’re in the terrace house, expect to hear the comings and goings of your neighbors.

Trump Card The gourmet breakfast prepared

by Comer—who’s no slouch in the kitchen— and his staff. Organic mushroom omelette?

Coming right up. Fresh pot of French-press coffee? On your table before you think to ask.

31 Leeson Close; 353-1/676-5011; number31.ie; doubles from US$356, breakfast included.

■ RADISSON SAS ROYAL HOTEL

Location Right between St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Temple Bar—on paper, ideal; in reality, a ho-hum stretch of Golden Lane. But it’s what’s inside this hotel that counts.

Details The public spaces are cool to the nth degree (no surprise here: the property is part of Radisson’s new, high-style “Royal” division).

The open-plan reception, lounge and bar are lined in high-finish woods and marble; the central staircase is wrapped in glass etched with text from the Irish Constitution. Rooms at first glance are business hotel as usual, but closer scrutiny reveals that the standard-issue gray carpet is shot through with streaks of fuchsia; the champagne-colored curtains glitter with iridescence under the spotlights. There’s some stealth luxury in the bathrooms, too; even standard doubles have separate tubs and huge rain showers.

Sore Spot Do people really take meetings under deep-purple mood lighting, to a background track of Saint Etienne and Joy Division? You may want to conduct your business someplace a bit more…business-like.

Trump Card The design factor and the value for your money: this is an affordable, full-service business hotel, in the center of one of Europe’s most expensive cities. Golden Lane; 353-1/8982900; sas.radisson.com; doubles from US$250.

An Irish Fling From top: Dublin’s Temple Bar area; the entrance of the Dylan; the sunroom dining area at Number 31.

GREAT VALUE

minute walk from Powerscourt’s 18 hectares of formal gardens.

Details Luxury-chain lovers laud the arrival of this palatial structure, which opened in October 2007. The 200 guest rooms feature eiderdownswathed beds and massive, marble-clad bathrooms with heated floors and Bulgari bath products. There’s a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, a pub, an Espa-run spa with 22 treatment rooms and access to the Powerscourt Golf Club.

Sore Spot The hotel’s helicopter pad, which is visible from the Sugar Loaf Lounge. Some jetsetting guests might consider it glamorous; others might have preferred an uncorrupted view of the majestic Wicklow Mountains.

Trump Card The enthusiastic multinational staff, knowledgeable about both hotel amenities and the attractions in the rolling, church- and castle-dotted hills of County Wicklow.

Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry; 1-800/241-3333 or 353-1/274-8888; ritzcarlton.com; doubles from US$744. ✚

■ RITZ-CARLTON POWERSCOURT,

COUNTY WICKLOW Location On the 18th-century Powerscourt Estate, a 30-minute cab ride from central Dublin. The hotel’s main building is a fiveT R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A

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| night out

Kraków After Dark. With electrifying lounges, restaurants and clubs, this bohemian city has become the nighthawk’s destination of choice. T+L takes you on a tour. By DAVID STERN ■ 6:00 P.M. Warmly lit and

7:00 P.M.

housed in two former apartments, Massolit Books & Café (4/2 Ul. Felicjanek; 4812/432-4150; massolit.com) is the epicenter of Kraków’s creative culture—and one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Owners David Miller and Karen Underhill, two American transplants, draw the who’s who of Polish and expat artists to their wood-paneled haven. Start with a shot of espresso, then browse the out-ofprint book collection before experiencing the city’s rich nightlife. It’s so rich, in fact, that Underhill—a six-year veteran of the city—admits to knowing a mere third of the town’s venues.

■ 7:00 P.M. Stroll past the Planty gardens, where medieval fortifications once stood, and the 15th-century Collegium Maius of Jagiellonian University—the second oldest college in Central Europe—to Stare Miasto, Kraków’s well-preserved Old Town. By day, tourist battalions patrol the area. At dusk, Krakowians take over the grand Rynek Glówny, Europe’s largest medieval square. »

8:00 P.M. POLAND

Eastern Nights Clockwise from top: The Rynek Glówny square, in Kraków’s Old Town, at night; Pauza club; Magda Próchnicka, a patron at Pauza; dinner at Copernicus restaurant.

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10:00 P.M. Photographed by REBECCA LEWIS

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| night out

12:00 A.M.

Kraków Lights Up Clockwise from left: Zblizenia lounge, in Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter; Moment Café’s wall clocks; Klub Kulturalny, one of Kraków’s many cellar bars.

■ 8:00 P.M. Kraków is chockablock with Polish restaurants that dish up the classics: kielbasa and sauerkraut and doughy knedle (potato dumplings stuffed with plums).

But dinner at Copernicus (16 Ul. Kanonicza; 48-12/424-3421; hotel. com.pl; dinner for two US$60), a restored medieval manor turned hotel, tops our list. The intimate 16-table dining room, reminiscent of a hunting lodge, serves buttery sweetbreads in wild mushroom sauce and braised rabbit–fi lled pierogi. Top off the meal with a glass of Wyborowa vodka.

■ 10:00 P.M. Don’t be deterred by the shabby 19th-century tenement-house exterior—Pauza (18/3 Ul. Florianska; 48-60/2637833; pauza.pl) is the spot preferred by Kraków’s cognoscenti. You could spend an entire evening wandering from the Modern art and photo gallery to the basement nightclub to the lounge, which overlooks the onetime route for royal processions and the city’s skyline.

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If you’re daring, order a Wsciekly Pies (vodka, raspberry juice and Tabasco).

■ 11:00 P.M. Before your next stop, take in the view of the hilltop Wawel Castle. It was the seat of Polish royalty from the 11th century to the 16th.

■ 11:30 P.M. This is the hour when night owls head to one of the city’s signature cellar bars.

Our favorite: Klub Kulturalny (25 Ul. Szewska; 48-12/4296739), down a short cobblestoned alleyway. Here, Krakowians gather to sip flavored vodkas—cherry, honey or herb. With bare stone walls and candlelit tables, the place is like an underground grotto, albeit one that has undergone a minimalist renovation.

■ 12:00 A.M. Kosher bakeries, delicatessens and butchers once lined the narrow streets of Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter. Today it’s the site of the city’s most distinctive bars and cafés. (Be warned—it’s also a partying hotspot for British lads on bachelor getaways.) Three

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11:30 P.M.

HOW TO GET AROUND Kraków is a walker’s city.

Most bars and restaurants are clustered around the Stare Miasto (Old Town), or in Kazimierz, just a 10-minute walk away. Taxis are relatively inexpensive and efficient.

WHEN TO GO

venues that manage to evade the stag parties: Zblizenia (7½ Pl. Nowy; 48-12/430-0138), a brightly lit lounge decorated with potted plants and low-slung couches; the funky Singer Café (20 Ul. Estery; 48-12/292-0622), where candles sit on top of oldfashioned sewing-machine tables; and the Moment Café (34 Ul. Józefa; 48-66/803-4000), with a collection of 19th-century clocks covering the walls. Grab a Polish Zywiec beer and settle in.

As one local explains, your night may just be beginning: “In Kraków we have young souls.” ✚

The best times to visit are fall and spring. Avoid the summer months, when throngs of tourists and partying Europeans invade the city.

insider

| bring it back

Beaded Beauties. These handmade traditional slippers serve as a direct link to Malaysia’s colorfully multiethnic past.

By CHRISTOPHER R. COX. Photographed by AUN KOH HE HISTORIC SEAPORT of Malacca (or Melaka), Malaysia’s oldest city, is famed for its multicultural heritage. That fusion extends to footwear, with numerous shops selling hand-beaded slippers, sandals and heels that meld styles and motifs from Europe and Malacca’s Sino-Malay, or Peranakan, community. Most stores are found in the old Straits Chinese quarter along the west bank of the Malacca River, but Heeren Beaded Attire Shop is one of the few still handmaking the striking shoes. Customers come from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to have their feet measured by master cobbler Lim Chiang Huat, and then select from one of 50 geometric, leaf or floral cross-stitch patterns.

Lim employs 10 local women to sew on pip-sized Matsuno glass beads, and stitches their handiwork to leather-and-crepe soles in an open-air workshop filled with lasts—the wooden forms used to shape a shoe— behind his showroom. Prices range from US$30 to nearly US$500, the price tag on a pair of ruby-colored slippers glittering with bits of diamond. Depending on the design and bead size, production takes from three days to a week. Lim also uses tiny lasts to make bound-foot shoes, but only for display. Fashion doesn’t need more victims. Heeren Beaded Attire Shop, Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren) Street, Malacca; 60-6/2830957; from US$30. ✚

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Lunchtime Staple Left: A classic jambon-and–Cantal cheese sandwich, at Le Petit Vendôme in the Second Arrondissement.

Below: The lightfilled dining room at St. John’s.

Europe’s Best Sandwiches. T+L travels from Berlin to Madrid to deliver the Continent’s quintessential bites. By ANYA VON BREMZEN The Place A veritable Disneyland of

comestibles, the sixth floor of the KaDeWe department store showcases all the latest food trends and ingredients. At its 30-plus dining bars, one can taste anything from bratwurst to bouillabaisse, but the best among them might be the cool, nameless herring nook—it’s right next to the fish section—manned by a chef who constructs fanciful smoked-fish platters and Fischbrötchen (fish sandwiches) with the brio of a sushi maestro.

The Sandwich Try the buttery matjes herring fi llets packed into a big roll with a brittle crust and minimally accessorized with white onion, lettuce and a tart pickle slice.

T+L Tip Claim a window stool, order a glass of Riesling, and look out onto Berlin’s moody gray sky and the urban 50

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jumble below. 21–24 Tauentzienstrasse; 49-30/2121-2700; sandwiches for two US$7.

■ LONDON ST. JOHN BREAD & WINE The Place A casual offshoot of Fergus Henderson’s offal-centric St. John, this combination bakery, café and wine shop, with spare white walls and wooden tables, is an olive’s toss from Spitalfields market.

The Sandwich Can a lowly bacon butty be true to its greasy-spoon roots yet exalted? The answer is yes if, as here, it combines smoky slices of grilled Gloucestershire Old Spot bacon and a smear of house-made ketchup between cushiony slices of organic sandwich bread.

T+L Tip Served strictly for breakfast from 9 to 11 A.M., the bacon sandwich

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is worth every minute of the lengthy commute to East London. 94–96 Commercial St.; 44-20/7251-0848; sandwiches for two US$15.

■ MADRID PANINOTECA D’E The Place With a menu conceived by rock-star chef Sergi Arola, this minichain takes Spain’s beloved bocadillo into the 21st century. Decked out in sleek grays and metallics, the newest location, in the barrio of Salamanca, is popular with stylish young couples and matrons in Loewe scarves.

The Sandwich It’s traumatic to have to choose between some two dozen themed creations on offer—not to mention the outrageously good ItaloCatalan cocapizzas with paper-thin crust—so conduct a contest between the poached quail egg, Camembert cream and potato chips dressed with

MARTIN MORRELL; JASPER JAMES

■ BERLIN KADEWE

classics | insider

Breaking Bread From left: Le Petit Vendôme’s busy lunch hour; Paninoteca d’E’s quail egg–andtruffle bocadillo, in Madrid; the bacon sandwich at St. John Bread & Wine, in East London.

truffle oil inside a chapata roll, and the airy mollete bun fi lled with foie gras pâté, chicory and mango chutney.

T+L Tip For dessert, select a tart fi lled with chocolate “caviar” from the adjacent bakery, run by celebrity pâtissier Paco Torreblanca, and it will be brought to your table. 12 Calle Juan Bravo; 34/91-577-1662; sandwiches for two US$28.

F R O M L E F T : M A R T I N M O R R E L L ; J AV I E R S A L A S ; J A S P E R J A M E S

■ PARIS LE PETIT VENDÔME The Place Clued-in locals and famous food critics (Le Figaro’s François Simon is a fan) swear by this tatty Auvergnate bistro de quartier right off the Place Vendôme. It’s hard not to love the petits three-dollar kir cocktails and hearty dishes such as grilled pig’s feet, yet the lines spilling out onto the sidewalk are actually for the sandwiches, on buttered, jaw-challengingly chewy baguettes from boulangerie Julien (the “it” bread of Paris).

The Sandwich Less is more when it comes to a great baguette sandwich: Trimmings? Jamais! Make yours a classic jambon-fromage with nutty Cantal cheese and cured ham from the Auvergne.

T+L Tip Tote your lunch to the

Tuileries gardens and eat while gazing out on the Louvre. The Mona Lisa can wait. 8 Rue des Capucines, Second Arr.; 33-1/42-61-05-88; sandwiches for two US$14.

■ ROME IL FORNO ROSCIOLI The Place Pierluigi Roscioli bakes the greatest pizza bianca in Rome at his traditional family bakery. Leavened with a 20-year-old yeast starter and baked in an 1824 oven, the slim slabs of untopped pizza dough have a springy crumb and a bubbly top that’s moistened with olive oil and speckled with grains of coarse salt. Just as famous are the apple-packed torta di mele and rustic pane di Lariano studded with raisins and walnuts.

The Sandwich The men at the counter will construct a perfect panino for you if you buy some pizza bianca and a few milky-pink slices of their handcrafted mortadella from Pasquini, Bologna’s greatest producer.

T+L Tip Eat your panino while strolling the nearby Campo de Fiori market, and admire the colorful riot of fruit, flowers and greens. 34 Via dei Chiavari; 39-06/686-4045; sandwiches for two US$14.

■ VIENNA ZUM SCHWARZEN KAMEEL The Place Dating back to 1618 and remodeled at the turn of the last century with extravagant Jugendstil flourishes—turquoise tiles, sculpted reliefs—this bar and sandwich shop is attached to a landmark restaurant.

Dropping in for a pre-lunch drink and a canapé around its weathered vintagewood counter is something of a sacrament among the old-school Viennese elite.

The Sandwich A separate station dispenses a dizzying array of dainty canapés and white-bread tramezzini, but the house pride is the Schwarzbrot open sandwich piled with moist, rosy, handcarved Beinschinken (boiled ham) and freshly grated horseradish.

T+L Tip Try the range of Austrian wines by the glass, especially the fragrant Gelber Muskateller, then pick up some boutique schnapps and jars of Wachau Valley apricot jam to bring home. 5 Bognergasse; 43-1/533-8125; sandwiches for two US$3. ✚

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| where to go next Baden-Baden’s Trinkhalle, where visitors can sip the spa town’s famous waters Right: Baden-Baden.

STAY Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa 49-72/219-000; brenners.com; doubles from 335 euros.

GERMANY

DO Casino 1 Kaiserallee; 4972/213-0240; casinobaden-baden.de.

Friedrichsbad and Caracalla Springs 1 Römerplatz; 49-72/2127-5920.

A German Resort, Reinvented.

Baden-Baden is showing a brandnew face. By RALPH MARTIN

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images of monocled aristocrats taking the cure, but these days a distinctly younger, globe-trotting set walks the tree-lined boulevards of this Black Forest town in southwestern Germany. Known since Roman times for its natural hot springs (most notably the ancient Friedrichsbad and Caracalla, which are open to the public), Baden-Baden has always thrived as a spa village. Now, a wave of renovations is taking place. With the recently opened Frieder Burda Museum, designed

by Richard Meier, a trio of refurbished hotels and a resurging nightlife, Baden-Baden is poised to become a hedonist’s retreat for health, culture and late-night antics.

The wellness tradition continues at the spa from Kanebo in the 19th-century Brenner’s Park Hotel, a palatial compound of classical buildings. At night, well-heeled Germans and Russians flock to the opulent Casino, a James Bond–worthy cocktail club complete with gilt ceilings, 11 roulette tables and an outdoor baccarat terrace. And at the 2,000-square-meter Frieder Burda, a dazzling collection of German Expressionist and Gerhard Richter masterworks is placing the town on the European art map. ✚

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HE NAME MAY EVOKE

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LEFT: © LULLABI / DREAMSTIME.COM. RIGHT: © STEVEN PHRANER / ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

SEE Frieder Burda Museum 8b Lichtentaler Allee; 49-72/21398980; sammlungfrieder-burda.de.

insider

| eat

More than Pho Left: Outside Didier Courlou’s La Verticale restaurant, in Hanoi. Below: The mango ravioli with foie gras at La Verticale.

VIETNAM

Hanoi’s New Wave. Ambiance and style are getting their due in the dining rooms of the city. Here, four restaurants that strive to look as good as the food they serve. By SONIA KOLESNIKOV-JESSOP LA VERTICALE The Look A classic establishment located in a four-story 1930’s French townhouse, this restaurant features a spice shop on the ground floor that’s been set up to look like an apothecary, with jars of sea salt and peppercorns, huge quills of cinnamon, and bowls of star anise. Upstairs, the restaurant maintains its old-fashioned sensibility with starched white tablecloths and simple décor. The building’s original walls and tile floors have been left intact, creating a series of intimate 54

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spaces for diners. The open-air roof terrace offers comfortable armchairs for lounging.

The Taste The food is unquestionably the main draw here. Owner and chef Didier Courlou, a Frenchman who built up a loyal following during his days at the Sofitel Metropole, fervently believes in seasonality and regularly changes his menu to take advantage of the freshest farm produce. Don’t miss the addictively good Dalat artichoke leaves served with clams and Ha Long curry sauce or the ravioli stuffed with

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mango and foie gras dressed in a light, lotus tea infused sauce. 19 Ngo Van So; 84-4/944-6317; verticale-hanoi.com; dinner for two US$52.

MILAN-SAIGON The Look Occupying the entire mezzanine level of the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake, this latest entry into the city’s fine dining scene features a two-for-one concept, as its name would suggest. Diners can choose between two very different dining rooms—modern European Photographed by PETER STEINHAUER

with orange chairs, dark wood and a pizza oven, or Asian rustic with more muted gray tones. When it comes to ordering, however, there’s no need to make a decision: diners can mix-andmatch from both the Italian and panAsian menus.

The Taste Sample the Asian fare, which riffs off familiar dishes. We would definitely go back for the succulent stir-fried Wagyu beef in black pepper sauce and the chocolate cream with the Sichuan pepper foam. 1A Nghi Tam; 84-4/270-8888; ichotelsgroup.com; dinner for two US$70.

WILD LOTUS The Look Serene and low-key. For the full effect, go at night, when dozens of candles light your way up the flight of stairs at the entrance. Inside, Buddha images greet you at every turn, while the gentle whiff of incense hangs in the air. And in honor of the eatery’s namesake, lotus flowers—a sacred symbol in both Hinduism and Buddhism—are a recurring motif, showing up embossed on the front door, embroidered on the tablecloths

and painted on the silk curtains.

The Taste While the menu represents a cross-section of Asian cuisines, Wild Lotus mainly focuses on modernized Vietnamese cuisine. Order the panfried Nha Trang sea bass served with a salad of mango, cherry tomatoes and glass noodles as your main, but make sure you save room for the black sticky rice with custard and coconut ice cream. 55A Nguyen Du St.; 84-4/9439342; dinner for two US$36.

RESTAURANT BOBBY CHINN The Look Swathed in silk, this perennial favorite among locals and tourists—located right next to Hoan Kiem Lake—conjures up a private pleasure palace with its booths sequestered behind long red drapes and a lounge in the back (the front holds a few simple tables by the window). Heightening the restaurant’s theatricality, dozens of fresh roses are strewn across the tables, or threaded together and hung from the ceiling.

The New Zealand–born owner Bobby Chinn (now a TV fi xture) rotates artwork from his personal collection,

including paintings by talented Vietnamese artist Le Quang Ha. The Taste Fusion (like the Egyptian– Chinese chef himself) but expertly done and truly creative. Standouts from the quirky menu include the playfully titled “Non-H5N1” rice paper–wrapped foie gras with ginger sauce and an appetizer of perfectly seared fresh scallops served on a bed of edamame. Each dish is artfully presented, with swirls of sauce enlivening the plate. 1 Ba Trieu; 844/934-8577; bobbychinn.com; dinner for two US$78. ✚

Perfect Plates Left: A selection of spring rolls at MilanSaigon restaurant. Below: The dining room at Wild Lotus restaurant. Right: A waitress at Restaurant Bobby Chinn.

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| preservation

Back to the Past. Once Jakarta’s grandest address, Hotel Indonesia recaptures some of its former luster with a new look. By JENNIFER CHEN

INDONESIA

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how Australian writer Christopher Koch describes Hotel Indonesia in his novel The Year of Living Dangerously. Initially a symbol of the country’s push towards modernization, this landmark hotel later became a bulwark amid political turmoil—all the more set apart by its streamlined International design and spacious grounds. For years, it was where the foreign press corps preferred to stay, watching protests from their balconies by day, and by night, talking shop in the ground-floor Wayang Bar, a scene immortalized in Koch’s tale (and later, Peter Weir’s film adaptation).

But by the 1990’s, the government-run hotel had gone into decline, overtaken by luxury competitors and seemingly headed for demolition.

It’s now about to be reborn: after a four-year renovation (the cost of which the owners refuse to reveal), the property—renamed Hotel Indonesia Kempinski—will start welcoming guests again this month. Don’t expect a faithful restoration, however.

While the façade has been left intact, previous renovations emptied the hotel of its Mid-century furniture. Gone, too, was the journalists’ beloved hangout. “I would have loved to been able to do something with [the Wayang Bar],” says Ian Carr, the principal at design firm Hirsch Bedner

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WORLD COMPLETE”—that’s

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Associates, which was hired to create the hotel’s interiors. Carr and his team scoured archival material to get an idea of what the hotel looked like in its 1960’s heyday, though they were also keen to update it. “It’s not a museum piece, it has to reflect the new state of the country,” says Carr.

The result is a flashier Hotel Indonesia: in the lobby, marbled floors and floor-to-ceiling windows, while the 289 guest rooms are kitted out in purple and gray, and boast all the amenities now expected of a luxury stay: 42-inch TV’s, rain shower, highspeed Internet connection. Still, the designers tried to keep the original spirit alive by importing 1960’s Knoll chairs from the United States and showcasing the hotel’s impressive collection of Indonesian art.

Not everyone, though, is happy, especially when it comes to the ambitious development built around the property: a 58-story apartment building, a 56story office tower and a 250,000-square-meter mall that all but dwarf the hotel. “With the new buildings, Hotel Indonesia now looks like a hut,” laments Adolf Heuken, a Dutch historian who’s made Jakarta his home for the past five decades.

Budding foreign correspondents, at least, can toast the changes at the hotel’s new Ramayana Pavilion & Bar. 1 Jl. MH Thamrin; 62-21/2358-3800; kempinski-jakarta.com; doubles from US$280. ✚

CO U RT ESY O F H OT E L I N D O N ES I A K E M P I N S K I

Hotel Indonesia today.

insider

| first look Trapeze artists in Cirque du Soleil’s Macau show. Below: Another scene from the spectacle.

Under the Big Top. Cirque du Soleil unveils its first show in Asia, proving there’s more here than baccarat. By JEN LIN-LIU as the Vegas of the East, Macau can soon boast about having Vegas-style entertainment.

At the end of this month, Cirque du Soleil will debut its first permanent show in Asia in a 1,800-seat theater housed in the gigantic Venetian Resort Hotel on the Cotai Strip (both the show and theater cost more than US$150 million). Audiences should expect the Montreal-based troupe’s trademark mix of artistry and extravagance in the 90minute spectacle, Zaia, which follows the story of a young girl who embarks on a trip into space. The 76-strong cast of acrobats,

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LREADY KNOWN

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dancers and clowns hails from a United Nations–like assortment of countries, including Brazil, Romania, Canada, New Zealand and, of course, China.

The cavernous, purpose-built theater— which has a special effects team of more than 100 technicians—is itself a huge draw.

Made to look like a spaceship, it features a sky dotted with 3,000 sparkling stars. During the show, a massive sphere—onto which three-dimensional images are projected— floats above the audience.

Though Cirque du Soleil has met with huge success in the United States (Las Vegas has six permanent shows) and Europe, there were some concerns about bringing the act to Macau. The hardest part, says Neilson Vignola, the creative director, is that Cirque du Soleil isn’t particularly well known in Asia (a second show will open in Tokyo this fall).

Other challenges also presented themselves: the company ran into problems obtaining visas for some of its cast, including the mainland Chinese performers, who needed a special visa to enter Macau. It also wrestled with whether or not to tailor the show to a Chinese audience. China, after all, has its own centuries-old traditions in acrobatics.

But the troupe decided to keep its distinct Québécois tone and feel—as Vignola puts it, “we’re not going to China to show them how to do acrobatics.” The Venetian Macao Resort and Hotel; Estrada da Baía de N. Senhora da Esperança (better known as the Cotai Strip), Taipa; venetianmacao.com; tickets from US$48. ✚

CO U RT ESY O F C I RQ U E D U S O L E I L

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insider

| room report

Splendid Isolation. Berjaya Redang Beach Resort offers peace and discretion amid beautiful surroundings.

By NAPAMON ROONGWITOO

Berjaya Redang Beach Resort is one of the few world-class properties on Redang Island, a popular diving destination known for its beautiful coral.

The resort’s 266 rooms and suites are spread over a series of buildings, including individual chalets for added privacy. All the rooms feature contemporary décor and up-to-the-minute comforts, and a new, all-suite wing was recently completed.

60-9/630-8866; berjayahotelsresorts.com; doubles from US$343.

MALAYSIA

Native Beauty Above: A chalet at the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort.

Above right: A beachside swimming pool.

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THE AREA Only five minutes away from Redang Airport, but far from everything else. There’s little reason to venture away from the

grounds, which include a spa, tennis courts, two restaurants, a lounge and even a karaoke bar.

Take advantage of the property’s idyllic setting amid tropical rain forest and the azure waters of the South China Sea. THE DESIGN The resort taps into tradition with its Malay-style chalets featuring dark wood, peaked roofs and carved eaves. The rooms and newer suites, however, are housed in more anonymous-looking modern blocks. Inside, though, the furnishings are far from bland.

Well-known Filipino interior designer Antonio “Budji” Layug has created tasteful yet warm spaces by using indigenous materials. The décor also

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includes elaborate wood carvings done by the resort’s own staff.

THE SERVICE Quick and courteous, the Berjaya’s staff works hard to meet your every whim, be it a candlelit dinner or a massage on the beach. We were also impressed by the thorough housekeeping staff, who thoughtfully folded our clothes scattered on the floor, though we wished they were less insistent about hand-delivering the daily fresh fruit platter and cookies (which meant overly enthusiastic doorbell-ringing).

THE PREMIER SUITE Capacious at 100 square meters, the suite boasts enviable sea views (which you can take in

C O U R T E S Y O F B E R J AYA R E D A N G B E A C H R E S O R T ( 2 )

THE OVERVIEW Occupying prime beachfront,

C O U R T E S Y O F B E R J AYA R E D A N G B E A C H R E S O R T

from your private balcony), gleaming hardwood floors and natural-chic furnishings. Inroom amenities include two 29inch LCD TV’s, a DVD player, retro-style ceiling fan and coffee amenities. But the real draw is the stand-alone Jacuzzi by the window, which allows you to soak while contemplating the lovely vistas. One concern: our air conditioner creaked and groaned throughout the night, shattering the overall illusion of serenity.

THE BATHROOM Everything is designed for couples at the resort, a popular honeymoon spot. And nowhere is that more evident than in the bathroom. The glass shower stall comes with two showerheads, and there are two marbled sinks, with a rattan tray stocked with

Aigner toiletries (though no toothbrush) poised between them. There’s no soaking tub, but given the Jacuzzi, we’re not quibbling over that point.

THE AMENITIES If you’re staying in a suite, the resort does its utmost to ensure privacy: private check-in area, private gymnasium and even a

private breakfast area. Other perks include free Wi-Fi throughout the resort. The one area where the Berjaya falls short is food. The breakfast choices are limited to American and Continental, and dining at the resort’s two restaurants is an underwhelming experience (though the views almost make up for the lackluster offerings). ✚

A spacious guest room at the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort.

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One company leading the way with new developments of private pool and spa accommodations is Thailand’s own Centara Hotels & Resorts. This company offers both four- and five-star resort experiences in all major vacation destinations. Currently offering 13 properties around the country with another two to be opened within a year, Villa accommodations range from the sheer self indulgent to the type of tremendous value 4-star villa properties only found in Thailand.

For sheer luxury, try any of the 5-star resort-style Centara Grand properties. Located in beautiful Krabi, the paradise island of Samui and the Royal Resort of Hua Hin, they are Grand in every sense of the word.

Krabi and Hua Hin offer a choice of Villas many with their own pools or Jacuzzi Spas. Guests staying in Villas receive the full benefits of Club membership, giving them access to the exclusive Club Lounge with 5 daily complimentary servings of meals and snacks including breakfast and evening cocktails with canapés and hors d’oeuvres, as well as internet and laundry advantages, Spa discounts and other privileges.

For 5 m x 3 m pools and virtual 5-star service standards at great value prices, try the 4-star Centara Karon Resort or Centara Villas in Phuket, or the Centara Villas in Samui and enjoy additional Villa benefits including nightly cocktails of your choice served with canapes at your poolside.

For a luxury break or a value for money private holiday with the family, Centara Hotels & Resorts has just the right range of choices to suit your needs.

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FASHION

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ICON

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SPOTLIGHT

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StylishTraveler Fendi

Dolce & Gabbana

SHADES OF RETRO

Stella McCartney

Forget the 1980’s revival and don some oversized, plastic frames that bring back the 70’s (think Superfl y) in a big way.

Here, some of our favorite funkadelic picks from this season.

Photographed by

Louis Vuitton

Tom Ford

Christian Dior

SITTIPUN CHAITERDSIRI. Styled by ATINAN NITISUNTHONKUL Alexander McQueen

STOCKISTS AlexanderMcQueen alexandermcqueen.com; Dolce & Gabbana www.dolcegabbana.com; Louis Vuitton louisvuitton.com; Fendi fendi.com; Stella McCartney stellamccartney.com; Tom Ford tomford.com; Christian Dior christiandior.com

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stylish traveler

| fashion

Ripple Effect Jersey swimsuit, Hermès (hermes.com); 18-karat-gold pendant, watch and bracelet, Cartier (cartier.com); sunglasses, Yves Saint Laurent (ysl.com).

SCENE STEALERS Looking to make a splash this summer? Here, what to wear (and where to go) in three of Europe’s most glamorous coastal towns. Photographed by ARTHUR BELEBEAU. Styled by MIMI LOMBARDO

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Portofino This small fishing port on the Italian Riviera draws the big names — and the big boats — of the beau monde.

O GETTING AROUND The best beaches are accessible only by sea, but if you won’t be chartering your own yacht, take a half-hour ferry ride or a two-hour clifftop walk north to the bay of San Fruttuoso. There, a stunning 1,000-year-old Benedictine abbey sits on a stretch of golden sand.

O STAY More than a few VIP’s (the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Catherine Deneuve) have signed the visitors’ book at Hotel Splendido (16 Salita Baratta; 1-800/223-6800 or 390185/267-801; hotelsplendido.com; doubles from US$1,229, including breakfast), a 16th-century monastery situated on a cliff over Portofino Bay. O EAT For handmade pappardelle with pesto and prime people-watching, reserve an outdoor table at Ristorante Puny (5 Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta; 39-0185/269-037; dinner for two US$230), in the main square.

O AFTER DARK Head to the terrace at Splendido Mare’s Chuflay Bar Restaurant (2 Via Roma; 39-0185/267-802) for a cocktail under the stars.—CHRISTINE AJUDUA

Her swimsuit, Sundek (sundek.it); hat, LOLA for Tomas Maier (tomasmaier.com); white-gold and mother-of-pearl earrings and ring, Asha by ADM (ashabyadm.com); enamel bracelet, Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel (leeangel.com). His waterproof stainless steel watch, Seiko (seiko.com).

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Ibiza A thriving club scene only camouflages the wild, craggy Spanish island’s raisons d’être: private azure coves, sleepy inland villages and one-of-a-kind shopping.

O GETTING AROUND Rent a car to best enjoy the haute-hippie pleasures that attract regulars like Elle MacPherson and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Stop at Cala d’en Serra, a rocky inlet dotted with sunbathers, and Las Dalias (Km 12, Crta. San Carlos; 34/97-132-6825; lasdalias.es), an outdoor market with vintage jewelry and boho-chic beach linens.

O STAY A restored farmhouse on a traditional estate, Can Curreu (Km 12, Crta. Sant Carles; 34/97-133-5280; cancurreu.com; doubles from US$337) has 12 cottages as well as endless orange, pear and apple groves.

O EAT The seafood is excellent and the setting romantic at Restaurante Plaza del Sol (7 Plaça del Sol; 34/97-139-0773; dinner for two US$150), on a hidden stone terrace in the Old Town.

O AFTER DARK Go bar-hopping near the port; don’t miss the sangria at Rock Bar (14 Calle Cipriano Garijo; 34/97-131-0129).

—CATESBY HOLMES Bikini, Becca by Rebecca Virtue (beccaswim.com); head scarf, Becca Etc. by Rebecca Virtue; beaded cotton canvas satchel, Stella McCartney (stellamccartney.com); 18-karat-gold ring with quartz and diamonds, H.Stern (hstern.net); 18karat-gold bracelet, Diane von Furstenberg by H. Stern; enamel bangles and thread-wrapped crystal earrings, Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel; 14-karat-gold vermeil necklace, Asha by ADM.

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M O D E L S : M A R T I N A G O R D O N / F O R D ; S I M O N W H E E L D O N / D N A M O D E L M A N A G E M E N T. H A I R : K E V I N W O O N /J E D R O O T. M A K E U P : K I YO S H I / M A C P R O AT J U DY C A S E Y, I N C .

P R O P S T Y L I S T: E T H A N T O B M A N /A R T M I X . P R O P S : S W I M L I N E , PA R P O O L A N D S PA , P O O L R A F T S . C O M . S H O T AT T H E M A N D A R I N O R I E N TA L , N E W YO R K

ˆIle de R´e Well-heeled Parisians spend their summers barefoot on this idyllic Atlantic island, which is called the Hamptons of France.

O GETTING AROUND 100 kilometers of hollyhock-studded bike paths crisscross poppy fields, vineyards and oyster farms. Ride to Relais Thalasso (Port Notre-Dame, Ste.-Marie-de-Ré 33-5/ 46-30-22-44; relaisthalasso.com) for seawater treatments.

Or go swimming at a duned beach off the south shore village of Le Bois Plage-en-Ré.

O STAY A smart base is L’Hotel de Toiras (1 Quai Job Foran; 33-5/46-35-40-32; hotel-de-toiras.com; doubles from US$380), a typical whitewashed, low-slung 17th-century house turned hotel in St.-Martin-de-Ré, on the north coast.

O EAT For regional seafood dishes, try Le Chat Botté (20 Rue de la Mairie, St.-Clément; 33-5/46-29-42-09; dinner for two US$125).—C.A. Swimsuit, Milly (millyny.com); reversible cotton hat, Hat Attack (hatattack.com); canvas tote, Ame & Lulu (ameandlulu.com); 18-karatgold-plated cuff, Iman; chronographic watch with ceramic-link strap, Chanel (chanel.com); thread bangles, Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel.

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stylish traveler

| icon

FRENCH TWIST

Introduced more than 70 years ago, the Hermès scarf has become an enduring symbol of effortless chic. Photographed by SITIPUN CHAITERDSIRI. Styled by ATINAN NITISUNTHONKUL after its founding in 1837, Hermès focused on making exquisite leather goods for Europe’s royalty, aristocracy and the generally well-to-do. But as automobiles eclipsed carriages, the company began branching out into couture, and in 1937, it unveiled its fi rst carré, or scarf. Since then, Hermès scarves have become synonymous with French je ne sais quoi, adorning the likes of Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Grace Kelly, who famously used it as a sling for a broken arm in the late 50’s. Though no longer the purview of only the privileged, the steps that go into making a scarf remain unchanged. Measuring 90 centimeters by 90 centimeters and weighing 65 grams, each scarf requires 250 mulberry moth cocoons; and each distinctive design requires 2½ years from conception to production. With all this effort, it’s little wonder these scarves have achieved the status of instant heirlooms.—JENNIFER CHEN

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P U R S E BY H E R M È S

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OR NEARLY A CENTURY

We have been perfecting our art for over 600 years. Come and find out for yourself.

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stylish traveler

| spotlight

ALEXANDER WANG

SOLE SISTERS Two of Britain’s hottest accessories designers share their travel essentials and secrets with T+L

BEATRIX ONG PROFESSION: SHOE DESIGNER EATRIX ONG is often hailed as the heir to Jimmy Choo—a fitting description given her apprenticeship with the Malaysian-born shoe legend. In 2002, the designer, who also served a stint at Lulu Guinness, launched her own line of exquisite footwear, quickly gaining the attention and adoration of London fashionistas (her fans include Kate Moss and Sienna Miller). Since then, she’s collaborated with acclaimed illustrator Natasha Law and Singaporeanborn designer Ashley Isham (another darling in the London fashion world), and last year unveiled a boutique in Mayfair’s historic Burlington Arcade. Not one to rest on her laurels, Ong now also designs bags and will introduce a men’s collection next month.

Despite her hectic schedule, Ong still carves out the time to visit Hong Kong, where she was raised, and explore the world. Recent stops include the Dominican Republic, Lugano, near Switzerland’s border with Italy, and Le Beauvallon in the Cote d’Azur. But her all-time favorite destination is Costa Rica. “I’d never seen such lush natural beauty before—the first morning I was there two bright red parrots flew past my window,” says Ong. “All I did was surf and practice yoga and I made some wonderful friends.”

On the horizon is a trip to the Middle East. “I generally like to go somewhere new each time,” says Ong, “so I would quite like to visit Dubai this year—one of our stockists Villa Moda (Boulevard Emirates Towers Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Rd.; 971-4/330-4555) is there, so I can maybe justify it as a work trip!”

All this travel means Ong has packing down to a science, especially when it comes to footwear. Her essentials include her Glare shoes (delicate, Mary-Jane heels) and Reve slippers fashioned out of blue velvet, with LET’S SLEEP embroidered on them. “Our luxury slippers make me feel at home wherever I go,” she says.—JENNIFER CHEN

ONG’S TOP HK TIPS THE CHINA CLUB 13th–15th floors, The Old Bank of China Building, Bank St., Central; 852/2521-8888.

A BOAT TRIP TO THE OUTLYING ISLANDS “I love the part of the trip out of the harbor where it gets choppy.”

ELECTRONICS SHOPPING “I like seeing what new things have been developed.” T+L Tip: Try Sai Yee Street, Fa Yuen Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mongkok.

From top: Beatrix Ong; Ong’s Vicky clutch bag; a beach in Costa Rica; Naomi red patent heel, Beatrix Ong; Reve slippers, Beatrix Ong.

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F R O M T O P : C O U R T E SY O F B E AT R I X O N G ( 2 ) ; © M T I L G H M A / I S T O C K P H O T O . C O M ; C O U R T E SY O F B E AT R I X O N G ( 2 )

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C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : D AV I E S + S TA R R ( 3 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F G I L L I A N E D E L S T E I N ; D AV I E S + S TA R R ( 2 ) ; © PA S C 0 6 / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; D AV I E S + S TA R R ( 1 )

Clockwise from left: Ross sandal, Anya Hindmarch; Pablo bag, Anya Hindmarch; Oliver People’s Ilsa sunglasses; Luce leather wallet, Anya Hindmarch; caftan, Anya Hindmarch; a view of Cap Ferrat.

Anya at home in London. Below left: Aesop Fabulous Face Oil.

HINDMARCH’S TOP SPOTS

ANYA HINDMARCH PROFESSION: ACCESSORIES DESIGNER

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ONDON-BASED ACCESSORIES DESIGNER Anya Hindmarch made headlines last

year when she introduced an eco-friendly tote emblazoned with the message I’M NOT A PLASTIC BAG. It sold out everywhere and brought attention to the impact shopping can have on the world. Hindmarch, who also creates first-class amenity bags for British Airways, has always had a global point of view, in part because her parents regularly took her on vacation to far-flung destinations. “We were such exotic travelers; it was an incredible education,” she says of her childhood jaunts to Africa, the West Indies—and all over the United States. “Arizona was quite foreign for a child raised in England.” These days, she’s still jetting across the globe—from Belgium to Bahrain—to open 10 stores in the next few months alone. Given her own frenzied travel schedule, it’s little wonder she decided to design products to help ease the journey. “My Luce wallet is great for organizing currency and receipts—and it doubles as an evening purse,” she says. “And my Pablo luggage holds loads, but looks small.” Her other travel essentials include her Cadia caftan (“a smart cover-up”), her Ross sandals (“incredibly comfortable”), Moleskine Cahier sketchbooks, Oliver Peoples sunglasses, Aesop facial oil and a trusty Leica digital camera. “Travel gives me awareness of how to design for people—it feeds me.”— RIMA SUQI

LONDON CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN “They incorporate the healing properties of plants in the teas on the menu.” 66 Royal Hospital Rd.; 44-20/7352-5646; chelseaphysicgarden. co.uk.

CAP FERRAT, FRANCE K. JACQUES “One of my favorite souvenirs is a pair of handmade Tropezienne sandals.” 16 Rue Seillon; 33-4/94-97-41-50.

VENTIMIGLIA, ITALY FRIDAY MARKET “I go early in the morning to this huge open-air market to buy lovely linens.”

MARRAKESH LE YACOUT “Winding alleyways lead to the restaurant’s courtyard, strewn with petals.” 79 Sidi Ahmed Soussi; 212-24/382-900; dinner for two US$190.

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F R O M L E F T : © E L E N A E L I S S E E VA / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; J A M E S W A D D E L L ; W H I T N E Y L A W S O N

Three Affordable European Itineraries. What’s the best way to find great value abroad? It’s a matter of knowing where to look.

We’ve mapped out three trips in France, England and Germany that fit the bill.

St.-Tropez at sunset.

English gardens in Barnsley.

Berlin’s Museum Island.

1 2 3 BEACH

URBAN ADVENTURE

COUNTRYSIDE

Côte d’Azur

Cotswolds

Berlin

Fishing villages, seaside retreats, a monastery hotel, open-air markets and cocktails with a view + The Dalmatian Coast

Gastropubs, luxury B&B’s, 19th-century antiques, classic English gardens, organic cheeses and charming villages + London hotels for less

Innovative architecture, design boutiques, modern museums, German beer and schnitzel + Potsdam

EDITED BY SA R A H K A N T R OW I TZ , J O H N N E W TO N A N D CLARA O. SEDLAK

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[Côte d’Azur]

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is a premier resort destination for good reason: it has clear water bordered by stretches of white-sand beaches, rocky cliffs and hidden coves—and it’s only a 90minute fl ight from Paris. The bustling city of Nice, the legendary waterfront town of Cannes and the once-sleepy village of St.-Tropez are the main attractions. T+L’s fi ve-day trip covers all this and more.

HE FRENCH RIVIERA

FROM NICE TO ST.-TROPEZ DAYS 1-2

Nice is the gateway to the Riviera, home to the coast’s main airport and a hub for many car-rental companies (Avis and Hertz are both located at the terminal).

Start in Nice’s Old Town and check into the 16-room Hôtel Villa la Tour (4 Rue de la Tour; 33-4/93-80-08-15; villa-la-tour.com; doubles from US$105), set in a converted convent. While there, public transportation is also an option; the No. 22 bus runs from Place Masséna to the Musée Matisse (164 Ave. des Arènes; 33-4/93-8108-08; musee-matisse-nice.org; admission US$6), a museum in the neighborhood of Cimiez, where the artist spent his later years. Back in town, a local favorite is Chez Thérésa (Cours Saleya; 33-4/93-8574

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00-04; lunch for two US$9), a stand in a bustling marketplace, known for its socca (chickpea pancakes). Or stop by Nissa Socca (5 Rue Ste.-Réparate; 33-4/93-8018-35; dinner for two US$20), which serves ratatouille and a version of socca late into the evening. For dessert, order homemade rosemary and vanilla pink-pepper ice cream at Fenocchio (2 Place Rossetti; 33-4/93-80-72-52; ice cream for two US$6) to eat during a walk along the 8-kilometer Promenade des Anglais, the road fronting the Baie des Anges. Looking for a historic side trip? Drive 10 kilometers east to St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (33-4/93-01-3309; villa-ephrussi.com), a 20th-century manor with grand gardens and bay views.

F R O M FA R L E F T : © U L R I K E H A M M E R I C H / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; © M I R O S L AVA A R N A U D O VA / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; M A R T I N M O R R E L L

Coastal Charm Right: An alley in St.-Tropez. Center: St.-Tropez bay. Far right: The Les Palmiers’ entrance, just a two-minute walk from the Mediterranean.

TRANSPORTATION TIP

DAY 3 Take the seaside route west (it be-

MARTIN MORRELL (2)

gins at the Promenade des Anglais) to the sands of Cap d’Antibes. Check into the Val des Roses (6 Chemin des Lauriers, Cap d’Antibes; 33-6/85-06-06-29; val-des-roses. com; doubles from US$265, including breakfast), an Art Deco villa turned hotel run by two Flemish brothers. Its pool and gardens are just 140 meters from Salis beach. In the evening, follow Antibes’s fortified walls to Le Comptoir (1 Rue de la Tourraque; 33-4/93-95-24-86; dinner for two US$60), a bistro serving updated Mediterranean fare such as cod ravioli in a light butter sauce.

DAY 4 Cannes, a 13-kilometer drive from Antibes, is renowned for its film festival in May (when prices soar and hotel rooms are scarce) and for the popular beaches that line the coast. Picnic treats (olive breads and pizza with sautéed onions) are for sale at the colorful Forville Market (Place du Marché Forville), and a 20minute passenger-ferry ride will take you to the protected shores of Île St.-

Honorat. The island’s 30-room, 11thcentury Abbaye de Lérins (33-4/92-99-54-20; abbayedelerins.com; singles from US$50, including meals) is a remote Riviera getaway—if you don’t mind communal meals and friendly monks.

DAY 5 Continue west into the heart of St.-Tropez and settle in at the three-story Les Palmiers (2426 Blvd. Vasserot; 334/94-97-01-61; hotel-les-palmiers.com; doubles from US$165). Morning coffee is served on the hotel’s garden terrace. Stop at La Table du Marché (36 Rue Georges Clemenceau; 33-4/94-97-85-20; christopheleroy.com; lunch for two US$62) for a threecourse lunch (including an excellent endive and lardon salad, roasted chicken and a glass of wine). At dusk, the jet set enjoys pre-dinner cocktails aboard yachts docked in St.-Tropez, but you can get the same view at port-side café Le Gorille (Quai Suffren; 33-4/94-97-03-93; drinks for two US$15). The colorful olive-oil soaps at the Place des Lices market make fragrant souvenirs. —C L A I R E D O W N E Y »

Beyond the Beach From far left: Room 24 at Les Palmiers, in St.-Tropez; an insuite balcony at Val des Roses, in Antibes.

Ligne d’azur (lignedazur.com) operates public buses and tramways within 24 towns on the Côte d’Azur. Tickets are US$1.50 per ride and free parking is available at select stations.

ANOTHER SEASIDE ESCAPE Looking for more options?

Try Zadar, on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast — a direct flight from Paris to Zagreb.

The port city of Zadar is 193 kilometers from Zagreb and has medieval architecture and Roman ruins that are still unknown to many. But the cobblestoned streets won’t be empty for long: three Brits have opened the Garden (Bedemi Zadarski; 385-23/250631; thegardenzadar.com), an outdoor club that hosts a music festival every July.

Book an apartment through the travel agency Adriatic. hr (385-21/456-456; adriatic. hr; studio apartments from US$400 a week). Or charter a gulet, a two-masted wooden sailboat that accommodates 8–16 passengers (Feral Tours, 6 Trg Kneza V¯sˇeslava, Zadar; 385-23/312-425; exclusivetravelcroatia.com; rentals from US$900 a week).

At Kornati National Park (zadar.hr; tours from US$55, including lunch), you can explore coves and almost 100 sun-drenched islands.—C.D.

THE BOTTOM LINE Approximate cost of this five-day itinerary: US$1,500 for two, including hotels, local transportation (not airfare), food and a few extras.

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TRANSPORTATION TIP

Through the end of the year, British car-rental company 1car1 (1car1.us) offers weeklong rentals to travelers for for prices as low as US$199.

[Cotswolds]

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and rolling farmland of the Cotswolds are just a two-hour drive from central London or a two-hour train ride from Paddington Station. The area’s upmarket mix of designer boutiques, quaint cottages and exceptional restaurants attracts weekenders who want an easy-to-reach rural retreat.

HE COUNTRY VILLAGES

LONDON FOR LESS A stopover in the U.K. capital can be easier (and more reasonable) than you think.

Here, a trio of stylish options.

Base2stay This white-stucco town house near Earl’s Court has 67 rooms with kitchenettes; some come with garden terraces. 25 Courtfield Gardens; 1-800/511-9821; base2stay.com; doubles from US$210.

Hoxton Hotel An urban lodge in east London with homey touches: brick walls, fireplaces and artwork by notable locals like Ben Allen. 81 Great Eastern St.; 44-20/7550-1000; hoxtonhotels.com; doubles from US$120.

The Rockwell The 40 elegant rooms on a quiet South Kensington street have updated English décor, including Egyptian-cotton sheets, merino wool blankets and bespoke oak furnishings — plus Philippe Starck–designed bathrooms.

181 Cromwell Rd.; 1-800/3374685; designhotels.com/the rockwell; doubles from US$325.—KAVERI S. MARATHE

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Northern Exposure From top: Libs Lewis at Sharland & Lewis, an antiques store in Tetbury; inside Daylesford Organic; riders in Minchinhampton Common.

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FROM CHELTENHAM TO BLEDINGTON

DAY 1 The Cotswolds region is small enough to make any town your base, but because trains arrive in Cheltenham every half-hour, it’s the perfect starting point.

(Buy your train ticket online at nationalrail. co.uk before arriving in England, and pay US$72 less for your trip north. Keep in mind the deal is invalid if you pick the ticket up at the station, so be sure to arrange to have it sent to your hotel.) Styleconscious urbanites will love the Big Sleep (Wellington St., Cheltenham; 44-1242/696999; thebigsleephotel.com; doubles from US$172), an alternative to pricier spots like the Cotswold House and Cowley Manor. The rooms have whimsical accents such as Panton chairs and Orla Kiely–patterned wallpaper. Take the afternoon to drive west, past the pretty village of Bibury, to check out the Village Pub (Barnsley; 441285/740-421; thevillage pub.co.uk; doubles from US$181), a B&B that doubles as a gastropub and is adorned with a mishmash of old wooden chairs and large Oriental rugs. It’s laid-back and understated, except for the food: expect imaginative dishes such as grilled John Dory with braised octopus, chickpeas, tomato and oregano.

DAYS 2–3 Head southwest to the market town of Tetbury and check into the familyfriendly Priory Inn (London Rd., Tetbury; 441666/502-251; theprioryinn.co.uk; doubles from US$219), with modern touches, like simple American black walnut desks, in its 14 mocha-hued rooms. A few steps away, Michael and Sarah Bedford run the nofrills Chef’s Table (49 Long St., Tetbury; 441666/504-466; thechefstable.co.uk; lunch for two US$70). From its open kitchen come

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Country Living Clockwise from far left: The Village Pub, in Barnsley; a Highland steer, bred in the Cotswolds; one of seven guest rooms at the Village Pub; a Village Pub sampling.

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classic dishes such as moules marinières and pork belly with mustard mashed potatoes; stock up for a picnic at the restaurant’s ground-floor deli, known for its vegetables from Duchy Home Farm, house-made sourdough bread and fresh pastas. In Tetbury, don’t miss Long Street, unofficially considered Antiques Alley: there’s Sharland & Lewis (52 Long St.; 441666/500-354), a cheerful shop brimming with 19th-century quilts, distressed wooden chests, enamelware, vintage French and English ticking, and reupholstered linen chairs from the 1940’s. At Lorfords Antiques (30 Long St.; 44-1666/505-111), stone garden statues are showcased outside, while English wing chairs and blue-and-white porcelain plates and crockery fill the shop. For a change of pace, there’s the town’s 243-hectare Westonbirt Arboretum (Tetbury; 441666/880-220; forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt; admission US$14), started by the Holford family in the 1820’s and now home to more than 3,000 types of trees, including maples, magnolias and oaks.

DAYS 4–5 Farther north, overlooking the Bledington village green, the Kings Head Inn (The Green, Bledington; 44-1608/658365; kingsheadinn.net; doubles from US$142) has 12 eclectic rooms with beds that are

plumped to perfection. Downstairs, the cozy bar and restaurant are a tribute to Cotswolds style: chunky wooden tables on a flagstone floor, and chef Charlie Loader serves Aberdeen Angus beef, from cattle raised on the landlord’s family farm, and apple crumble. Nearby are the glorious northern Cotswolds villages of Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh—just follow the walking maps you’ll find in your room or ask a staff member at the front desk about the Cotswold Way, a 160-kilometer trail that stretches from the northern border of the region to Bath. Nature lovers and history buffs will want to spend an afternoon at the 15th-century Sudeley Castle (Winchcombe; 44-1242/602-308; sudeleycastle.co.uk; admission US$14.50). The grounds include an English rose garden.

For foodies, a trip to Daylesford Organic (Daylesford; 44-1608/731-700; daylesfordorganic.com) is a must. It’s one of the poshest farm shops in the world, selling artisanal organic cheese and meat products from its herd of free-roaming cattle, deer and chickens. A horticulture store, spa and organic café are housed in restored barns, where shoppers snack on Eccles cakes— Britain’s traditional puff pastry—paired with tea.—A L I S O N T Y L E R »

THE BOTTOM LINE Approximate cost of this five-day itinerary: US$1,700 for two, including hotels, local transportation (not airfare), food and a few extras.

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[ Berlin]

TRANSPORTATION TIP

DAY 1 Stay in the fashionable Mitte (“middle”) district, since it’s convenient to major sites including the Reichstag and Potsdamer Platz. The boutique hotel Lux 11 (9–13 Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse; 49-30/9362800; lux-eleven.com; doubles from US$250) is an option, with 72 minimalist rooms, or there’s the newly expanded Schoenhouse Apartments (185 Schönhauser Allee; 4930/4737-3970; schoenhouse.de; doubles from US$115), which is set around a secluded courtyard and has a modern café to match its 50 studios and apartments. Have lunch at nearby Leo Bettini (33 Mulackstrasse; 4930/6050-7494; leobettini.de; lunch for two US$24), and order the signature Knödel (German dumplings) before browsing Mitte’s many boutiques, including Bioladen, the organic-food store found throughout the city. This is where shoppers stock up on Weleda and Dr. Hauschka body products— about 30 percent cheaper in Germany. At night, check out the lively pub Schwarzwaldstuben (48 Tucholskystrasse; 4930/2809-8084; dinner for two US$37), filled with mismatched furniture.

City Sites From far left: Brandenburg Gate in Berlin after sunrise; Alte Nationalgalerie; a deluxe XL room at the Schoenhouse Apartments.

DAY 2 Begin at the city’s 220-hectare park, the Tiergarten, in the city center,

walking along the shaded paths to wind up at the Brandenburg Gate; then turn right for New York architect Peter Eisenman’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a haunting field of concrete pillars.

For a bite to eat, try Clärchens Ballhaus

(24 Auguststrasse; 49-30/282-9295; ballhaus. de; dinner for two US$30), a nearby pizza restaurant popular with couples who come for the ballroom dancing.

DAY 3 Spend the day viewing art and artifacts: See the 2,200-year-old Pergamon Altar at the Pergamon Museum (5 Am Kupfergraben; 49-30/2090-5555; admission US$6) or the Impressionist collection at the Alte Nationalgalerie (1–3 Bodestrasse; 4930/2090-5577; admission US$12). Later, join the fashion and arts crowds at the city’s current “it” restaurant, Grill Royal (105B Friedrichstrasse; 49-30/2887-9288; grillroyalberlin.de; dinner for two US$152), overlooking the Spree River, or just order a glass of Krug at the bar and take it all in. —A R I C C H E N ✚

THE BOTTOM LINE Approximate cost of this three-day itinerary: US$775 for two, including hotels, local transportation (not airfare), food and a few extras.

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A BERLIN DETOUR Set on the Havel River, Potsdam, the former Prussian royal seat, is only a half-hour (and a US$4) ride from Berlin on the Regional Express and S7 trains. After exploring the 18thcentury Schloss Sanssouci (Park Sanssouci; 49-331/9694202; admission US$12) and Neues Palais (Park Sanssouci; 49-331/969-4255; admission US$7), commissioned by Frederick the Great, splurge on truffled pasta at Ristorante Villa Kellermann (34–36 Mangerstrasse; 49-331/291- 572; villa-kellermann.de; dinner for two US$112), housed in a waterfront mansion. Another mustsee is the Einstein Tower (Albert-Einstein-Strasse), architect Erich Mendelsohn’s 1921 masterpiece. If you’re staying the night, check in at the 143room NH Voltaire (88 Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse; 49331/23170; nh-hotels.com; doubles from US$106), where a Baroque façade disguises the modern interiors. —A.C.

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ERLIN HAS COLD-WAR MYSTIQUE, ambitious contemporary architecture, and booming gallery and restaurant scenes.

With its cosmopolitan, east-meets-west edginess, it’s no wonder the city has become the cultural capital of central Europe; a destination that continues to attract creative types and in-the-know travelers.

The Berlin WelcomeCard (btm.de) gets you unlimited public transit as well as discounts at many museums and restaurants.

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The Independence Monument by night.

Right: workers demolish the Council of Ministers.

VIETNAM

Fond of Fairways Golf is finding a new respectability among Communist officials in Vietnam, with the government seeing it as yet another way to attract tourists. ERIC GOODMAN tees off at the Dalat Palace Golf Club, the country’s finest.

Photographed by JOSEF POLLEROSS

A hilltop view of Dalat. Inset: On the greens at the Dalat Palace Golf Club.

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OANG, MY CADDY, and I stand on the tee box of the signature sixth hole at the Dalat Palace Golf Club. My first thought is, “You’ve got to be kidding.” The entire left side of the long par five is bordered by water. As it’s the rainy season in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, there’s lots of water—and crystalline skies each morning and a thunderstorm every afternoon, when mist shrouds the hills and the twin peaks of Mt. Longbian, 12 kilometers distant. But right now in the morning sun, the intense blues and greens of the course are eye candy, as are the enormous hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs that edge the fairways (Dalat’s largest industry is producing cut flowers for export around Southeast Asia). It’s not just the visual beauty that distracts me. In addition to the watery left, a low fence marking out of bounds on the right presses in close.

I glance at Hoang, an attractive young lady, cute as a button, really. She’s 23, originally from the north of Vietnam, drawn to Dalat by the promise of a well-paying job. She smiles and hands me a driver. I tee it up, and my ball soars down the middle through Dalat’s thin air—the jewel of the Central Highlands is located at 1,500 meters—and we set out after it, Hoang pulling my cart.

O, brave new world and all the fairways in it!

Of course, Dalat isn’t new, just relatively undiscovered by contemporary foreign tourists. Golf in Vietnam isn’t new either, it’s simply been out of fashion, one might even say frowned upon, for several decades. But that is changing.

Dalat’s fate has always been linked to outsiders. The area was discovered as a place to be developed in 1893 by Dr. Alexandre Yersin, a protégé of Louis Pasteur. Appreciating the temperate climate, the French colonial administration established Dalat as a 1920’s resort by creating Xuan Huong Lake at its very center and, according to the fashion of the day, by building a grand hotel in Position A, overlooking the lake. The sumptuous and lavishly restored hotel is now the Sofitel Dalat Palace, with an Art Deco exterior married to a post-Victorian interior.

Saigon’s wealthy elite sent their children to be educated in Dalat’s private academies and built second homes here; more than 2,000 French-colonial villas were constructed by the 1940’s, most of which still stand.

Bao Dai, Vietnam’s last emperor, erected a palace in Dalat and in 1922, having conceived a fondness for the Grand Old Game while in France, commissioned a six-hole course.

In 1956, it was expanded to 18 holes. During the American War, Dalat was largely untouched, some say, by tacit

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During the American WAR, Dalat was largely untouched, some say, by TACIT agreement between the warring sides

Green Views From top: On the green at the Dalat Palace Golf Club; a doorman at the Sofitel Dalat Palace; a view of the town from the golf course.

golf | t+l journal agreement between the warring sides, both of which occupied the elegant villas. After the war, the city remained largely ignored and impoverished until 1994, when Larry Hillblom (the co-founding H in DHL) fell in love with the area and invested US$45 million of his own money to purchase both the hotel and golf course, which underwent extensive renovations. The course was completely redone by prominent design firm IMG. Much like Thai silk magnate Jim Thompson, who disappeared without a trace in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967, Hillblom went down in a small plane in 1995 and his body was never recovered. The difference in the stories is that after Hillblom’s disappearance, a number of young women came forward with potential heirs to his US$500 million estate; after an extremely messy paternity fight, four were confirmed as heirs. After these affairs were sorted out, ownership of the golf course eventually shifted to Indochina Land Holdings, one of the prime movers in the attempt to develop Vietnam as a regional golfing destination.

And make no mistake, it is developing. The Dalat Palace course is remarkable, both beautiful and challenging, the only course in Southeast Asia with bent grass fairways and greens. Golf Digest rates it as the top course in Vietnam and one of the most beautiful in Southeast Asia. Well-integrated lakes come into play on 10 of 18 holes, often necessitating a long second shot over water. Although the course is yet to

receive an overwhelming number of players, aspiring Korean professionals have discovered it and use it as a place to train (Song Lee spent several weeks at Dalat in before gaining her first LPGA victory in 2007).

Indochina Land owns another championship layout, Ocean Dunes in Phan Thiet, which is a four-hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City. Like the Dalat course it has an American PGA club pro. There are several clubs now open in the environs of Hanoi, four more (with others on the way) near Ho Chi Minh City, and last year government officials began allowing a group of Americans to market these courses as the “Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail.” Since the name of “Ho Chi Minh” is reserved for services or products that benefit the Vietnamese people, this amounts to an official endorsement of golf and is one more indication of Vietnam’s transformation from a Communist-run state that frowned upon bourgeois pursuits, to one that encourages foreign investment in new courses and five-star resorts, and also appreciates old-style luxury.

Nowhere in Vietnam is this dialectic more evident than in Dalat, where much of the appeal is a rose-colored glance at colonial glories. I’m billeted at the Evason Ana Mandara Villas and Six Senses Spa, a new luxury resort occupying a hillside compound on the outskirts of town. Fifteen fabulous colonial villas, complete with fireplaces, wooden shutters, period furniture and dark hardwood floors, have been »

Crossing a water hazard at the Dalat Palace Golf Club.

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completely restored. Each comes with a butler and private meals can be arranged in your villa’s dining room. There’s a full spa, a dark tile-lined lap pool and, after checking in, I was conveyed to my villa in a 1938 white Citroën Traction convertible, also available for day hire to the many tourist sites in and around the city.

SOFITEL DALAT PALACE, across town from the Ana Mandara, recently underwent yet another upgrade to its furnishings: Italian silk brocade curtains for the 6-meter-high windows in its main dining room. There’s high tea every afternoon, while in Larry’s Bar, a casual dark-wood emporium named for the departed Hillblom, expats gather nightly.

One afternoon, I stopped in for a late lunch in the Café de la Poste, a moderately priced bistro around the corner from the Sofitel Palace. While recordings of Edith Piaf and other 1940’s and 50’s French cabaret singers gently played, a Vietnamese waitress clad in a flared mid-20th century French bistro dress, served an excellent threecourse prix fixe meal, which ended with gratin de baies rouges, warm local strawberries and raspberries in a vanilla crème, topped with a sweetened soufflé layer. A bit strange and unexpected? Yes. Charming? Very.

Although most of the other (relatively few) golfers on the

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course are in carts, Hoang and I have chosen to walk. She speaks some English, much of it golf-related, and is eager to impress, not only for herself, but for the future of the golf course. I speak a bit of Vietnamese and we’ve been having a fine time, once I adjusted to walking up and down the course’s hills (a cart might have been a good idea, after all).

On the uphill par five 18th hole, I put my third shot 4 meters from the pin and I’m lining up what I hope will be my second birdie of the day. Hoang and I, with our snatches of each other’s language, have shared quite a bit about each other. She knows I have a son and daughter just about her age, that this is my first trip to Dalat and that I hope to return soon. I know she’s recently been married, that her parents came down from the north for the wedding and that, in a sign of the rising tide in Vietnam’s economic development, she commutes to work on a new moped.

Hoang pulls the flag, assesses the break, and announces, “Two balls left.” I strike the putt, but haven’t followed Hoang’s advice precisely enough; my ball slides just past the hole. Hoang smiles and shakes her head. I tap in for a par, and glance down the dramatic, flower-lined fairway, grateful that I was close enough to have a real chance at the birdie. Grateful, too, that I am here now in this time and beautiful place ahead of the crowds that will surely follow.

Some aspiring KOREAN professionals have discovered it and use it as a place to train

GUIDE TO DALAT

WHERE TO STAY Ana Mandara Villas Dalat 17 restored colonial villas, including several by renowned Indochina architect Paul Veysseyre. Dark-tile lap pool and spa with well-trained therapists make this a distinctive, relaxing destination.

Le Lai St.; 84-63/555-888; sixsenses.com; doubles from US$149.

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Sofitel Dalat Palace Opened in 1922, enlarged in 1941, now completely restored, including new Delft tile and bathtubs specially cast in England. 12 Tran Phu St.; 84-63/825444; sofitel.com; doubles from US$191.

feeds four. 7 Tran Hung Dao St.; 84-63/813816; dinner for two US$50.

Nine Lai Street The absolute wow is a classic Vietnamese seafood hotpot, traditionally served at Vietnamese weddings, prepared tableside by your waiter. Ana Mandara Villas Dalat; 84-63/555-888; dinner for two US$60.

Rabelais Fine dining featuring live piano jazz and French food with white glove service.

Sofitel Dalat Palace; 84-63/825-444; dinner for two US$100.

GOLF Dalat Palace Golf Club 18 holes US$95, unlimited play after 2:30 P.M. US$55, includes a caddy; vietnamgolfresorts.com.

WHEN TO GO If you want to experience really cool nights, come during the dry season, from December to March, when you’ll understand why some rooms include fireplaces. Year-round, bring a warm jacket or pullover.

WHERE TO EAT Café de la Poste Daily three-course prix fixe lunch and dinner menus are a steal. 12 Tran Phu St.; 84-63/825-777; dinner for two US$20.

WHAT TO SEE Cremaillere Station A cog railway linked Dalat to the outside world from 1928–1964, when it was halted due to Viet Cong attacks.

The 1920’s architecture is lovely, and you can ride the train 8 kilometers to a nearby village.

GETTING THERE Vietnam Airlines flies daily to Dalat’s Linh Khuong Airport from Ho Chi Minh City and

Ming Dynasty Elegant food and royal Chinese architecture with a great view over Xuan Huong Lake. Peking duck is superb and

Dalat Flower Gardens Impressive displays of orchids, fuchsias and ferns. Next to Xuan Huong Lake.

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several times a week from Hanoi. If you’re combining Dalat with a visit to the beach at Nha Tranh, there’s a recently completed road carved through the mountains (a 3–4 hour drive) that will take your breath away.

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HEN THE FOG THAT CLINGS to the hills around Sarajevo finally lifts one warm spring day, scarcely a table is to be had at the long line of cafés that stretches out from the Catholic cathedral in Centar, the Austro-Hungarian quarter. The chairs are set eight or 10 across, taking over the street as one establishment runs into the next. Friends arrive in twos or threes, but since Sarajevo is a small town without anonymity, they gradually gather new arrivals, and soon the division between one table and another is lost as well. The young men linger; the women parade by as if on their way somewhere, then circle back in case they weren’t noticed. In late afternoon, the passeggiata begins and the entire town, or so it seems, joins the procession down the pedestrians-only Ferhadija Street, licking ice cream cones from Vatra or Egipat and greeting neighbors.

The view from one of those tables near the cathedral looks a lot like Trieste or Lisbon, except for the black soot still visible above the windows of bombed-out buildings throughout the city.

In 1992, as Communist Yugoslavia disintegrated into war, the Serbs set up positions in the hills surrounding Sarajevo and laid siege to the city for almost four years, inextricably linking it in »

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Sarajevo Moves On More than a decade after the Yugoslav wars came to an end, the once-besieged city finds its way into the future. SEAN ROCHA reports.

Photographed by BLASIUS ERLINGER

A giant chess game in downtown Sarajevo.

Left: The famous bridge at Mostar, reconstructed after the war.

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my mind to bodies crumpled by sniper fire and marketplaces obliterated by artillery shells. Since the peace (still militarily enforced by the European Union)—and thanks to foreign aid—Sarajevo has been repairing the damage at a rapid pace; but for one unaccustomed to visiting a city so recently torn by war, the more striking thing is how much evidence remains. Almost every wall exposed to the hills is pockmarked with sniper fire, and fan-shaped impact craters scar sidewalks all over town. In time, I imagine, the eyes adjust so that the damage becomes mere background and the scaffolding can be mistaken for routine maintenance.

For four centuries this Ottoman city lay at the frontier of the Islamic empire in Europe, its very name—from the Turkish word saraj, suggesting a governor’s palace or court— reflecting its privileged position on old trade routes connecting East and West. Sarajevo became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 19th century and was under Communist rule for much of the 20th century. The historic heart of Sarajevo lies a few blocks east of the cathedral at the Sebilj, a carved-wood Turkish-style fountain at the top of a sloping triangular plaza leading into Bas˘c˘ar˘sija, the Ottoman bazaar. I wandered Bas˘c˘ar˘sija almost every day I was in Sarajevo: the swoop-necked coffee pots, hammered copper trays and embroidered slippers in the shop windows reminded me of Cairo; the broad-domed white mosques, of Istanbul. I could hear Fez in the call to prayer echoing from the surrounding hills and smell Amman in the deliciously sweet spiced walnuts roasting at a small shop called Badem Butik. But little things suggest this is still Europe: the alleys do not meander but unfold as wide, straight lanes that intersect at right angles, and the shops withdraw under Spanish tiled roofs with overhanging eaves that offer shelter from the rain. The many centuriesold mosques are no more active than a rural French cathedral without tourists—and a good deal less busy than the mosques that have sprung up over the past few decades in Paris, Hamburg and London. Plus, in Sarajevo no one seems to mind (or even notice) the old men drinking beer at the cafés abutting the mosque walls, or the young couples kissing wildly at the table next to them.

“I am Muslim,” Mustafa tells me, his brilliant blue eyes set off by silver hair, as we stand near the small stone Latin Bridge crossing the Miljacka River, where the AustroHungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in 1914, triggering the start of World War I. “But even now, those of us who were born and bred in Sarajevo don’t want

The women parade by as if on their way somewhere, then CIRCLE back in case they weren’t noticed

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Sarajevo Streets Clockwise from left: Gazi HusrevBey Mosque; a café on ˘trosmajerova S Street, near the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; Ferhadija, the city’s main pedestrian walkway; a community center in “New Sarajevo.”

to live in an Islamic city. This used to be called the European Jerusalem and it was a better city then. My friends were Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic. This is what gives richness to life. Now…” His voice trails off as he looks out at a city changed by the population shifts of the war. Because so many Serb residents left when the last cease-fire took effect— and so many Bosniaks, as the Muslims are more commonly called, moved in from villages that were attacked—Sarajevo is probably more Muslim than it has ever been in its history.

But to describe the changes this way is to accept the language of the war, which made the differences between the groups sound bigger than they are. Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks are all

Slavs: they speak essentially the same language and, up to the war, lived peacefully in the same towns or villages—in Sarajevo, often in the same buildings, occasionally even married into the same families. The primary differences are religious (Bosnian Serbs, generally, are Orthodox Christians and Croats are Catholic) and any grievances that welled up from divergent myths and memories were held in check by the government under President Tito’s long rule. In the power vacuum created by the collapse of Communism in the early 1990’s, extremist politicians in Bosnia—egged on by their co-religionists in the neighboring republics of Serbia and Croatia—used virulent propaganda, massacres and fear of reprisals to turn these slight differences into something palpable. This tactic produced the brutal war that I’d watched on television, the war that gave us the phrase ethnic cleansing. But in some ways ethnic hatred was also a cover, a kind of high canopy under which other forces were at work, unnoticed by the outside world: class prejudice, rural villagers’ resentment of the cosmopolitans in the cities and competition for a place at the trough as the state-run economy was being shifted to private hands.

Still, Mustafa’s refusal to accept the logic of the extremists—who insisted that he had more kinship with a Bosniak from a village than with the Serb or Croat neighbor he’d grown up with—struck me as quietly heroic. It was a sentiment I would hear time and time again in Sarajevo and at first I disbelieved it: how could there not be anger toward the Serbs after all that had happened? But almost every Sarajevan I met had a story about Serbs who remained in the city through the war or risked their lives to help them and I realized that they remembered what I had forgotten: only the extremists believed all Serbs should be on one side.

As Nadim, a young Bosniak who lived in the frontline neighborhood of Grbavica during the war, put it, “The Serbs who attacked us were, for the most part, not from Sarajevo. They were from the villages, and they had a different mentality. My friends who were Serbs, they stayed here with us during the war. They were Sarajevan first, you could say, and then they were Serb.”

SPECIALLY IN THE EVENING, the Austro-Hungarian quarter shows the cool, modern side of Sarajevo— despite, or perhaps because of, the derelict state of some of its buildings. Near the elegant National Theater stands a building that in any other city would probably be condemned as a public hazard; here, the shattered concrete façade hides a hip Bosnian music venue called Mash Eat Club. And then there is Klub Sloga. “Sarajevo before the war” is how it is usually described; Soviet cultural underground is what it felt like to me. A raw, open industrial space with DJ’s pumping out aggressive electronic music and décor that looks like it was slapped up straight from a foundry. Sloga is the very definition of old school. The »

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crowd is almost disturbingly well behaved—many of the girls sip soda through straws in bottles, lest the boys think ill of them for drinking alcohol—and as the music slowly climbs to a fever pitch, they dance and laugh as if war were inconceivable.

During the siege, from 1992 to 1996, some Sarajevan friends published the tongue-in-cheek Sarajevo Survival Guide, which provided the following gallows-humor advice under the heading GOING OUT OF TOWN: “Officially, there is no such thing as going out of town.” There was a clandestine

City Views From top: Owner Dinovic´ Nedim (right) and friend outside his meat pie shop; near the Vis˘egradska Kapija front line, in the hills overlooking Sarajevo; a view of ˘uta Tabija, a fortress the city from Z above the Ottoman bazaar.

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way, which involved a perilous journey to the western edge of the city, past the notorious “sniper alley” and ravaged Holiday Inn, and into the suburb of Dobrinja. Here was the unmarked entrance of the tunnel that was dug by hand in four months in 1993—a kilometer long, one meter wide, just over 1.5 meters high—and ran under the airport runway, exiting on the far side of the forward Serb positions, in the backyard of the Kolar family house in Butmir. For the rest of the siege, this narrow passageway was the main artery into and out of the city for people and goods, and the Kolars have now opened the small War Tunnel Museum here. The opportunity to walk through the last 20 meters of the tunnel—cramped and harrowingly claustrophobic, even for this short distance—gives a bitter sense of how difficult it once was to leave Sarajevo.

It is a good deal easier to leave town today. I drove 265 kilometers south to Dubrovnik, in Croatia, and then on to Kotor, in Montenegro (which, during the war, had been united with Serbia), crossing the borders of the former warring states with little more difficulty than I would encounter driving to France from Switzerland. I then circled back to Mostar, capital of the Herzegovina region—roughly the southern slice of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)—and a place I knew mainly for the famous Ottoman bridge that gave the town its name (which means “keeper of the bridge”) and was destroyed during the war. The bridge has been meticulously reconstructed using the same locally quarried white stone and medieval techniques. The results are breathtaking: a soft curve that arcs over the Neretva River, making a perfect circle that frames the air and water below.

Each side of the bridge is anchored by a trail of quaint workshops selling souvenirs.

From steep riverbanks thick with trees peek the terraces of Mostar’s many restaurants are serving fresh-caught fish. Far below, the blue-green river swirls where it intersects with another fork and forms a wide, liquid plateau that gives the town an air of tranquility.

It’s an impression that belies Mostar’s past. In Sarajevo the Bosniaks and Croats were allies, but in Mostar, after an initial Serb attack in 1992, local Croat extremists betrayed their fellow Bosniaks and reduced the mostly Muslim east bank of the town to rubble. These Croats, too, had a vision of an ethnically cleansed state—to be called Herzeg Bosna—and a walk along the Bulevar, the old front line, shows just how intimate and vicious the fighting was compared with the impersonal siege-from-the-hills of Sarajevo.

The buildings here are mere skeletons; small trees now grow through the glassless windows and every stone is riddled with bullets. A few blocks east, the historic Old Town has been lovingly rebuilt, and the tourists who bus in on day trips from Dubrovnik can see the war damage only in pictures on display near the bridge. But walking west, into what is now mostly a Croat area, the graffiti changes from

football teams to swastikas and the fascist Croat “u,” symbol of the Ustas˘e. Clearly, the tensions that led to war have not disappeared entirely. for my final night in BiH, I went to dinner at Park Princ˘eva, a restaurant high in the hills with a long outdoor terrace that hangs over the city. Sarajevo sparkled in the darkness, looking vulnerable from this sniper’s vantage point. And it occurred to me that it is possible to be in Sarajevo a very long time without realizing that the Republika Srpska, or RS, as it’s called, exists. This is the other official “entity” of BiH, given to the Bosnian Serbs as part of the agreement to end the war. It occupies 49 percent of the country, most of it rural and of little interest to visitors, and its sinuous boundary cuts through the grim outskirts of Sarajevo. There is no border control between the two—I passed through the RS without knowing it on the way back from the War Tunnel Museum—only the stubborn sulking of an unhappy marriage: separate bus networks, education systems and police forces, among other things.

In Sarajevo, the ethnic tensions have faded and even Kosovo’s recent bid for independence was greeted with a shrug. “People here have gone through so much, and are still going through difficulties, that they do not easily get excited, which is both good and bad,” says Professor Lamija Tanovic´, president of the Liberal Democratic Party in BiH. In the RS, however, Kosovo’s independence triggered angry protests and burning of the BiH flag. Since the RS is as close as the extremist Serbs came to getting their ethnically cleansed state, I stop a waiter to ask where it is, exactly.

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ETURNING TO SARAJEVO

“Over there,” he says, waving vaguely away. Then he reconsiders, and takes me to the railing of the terrace.

“Right there,” he says, pointing at the hills in the northeast. I say it looks the same. “It is the same,” he answers emphatically. “It is one country. We are one people.” He pauses, shrugs his shoulders, and sighs. “But they want war.”

I looked out on the city again and thought of my visit to Sarajevo’s Old Temple synagogue, its mournful interior now serving as a Jewish Museum. If Bosniak, Serb and Croat are the city’s three nationalities and, as Nadim would say, “Sarajevan” is the fourth, then Jewish should have been the fifth. Sephardic Jews migrated to Sarajevo after their expulsion from Spain in 1492 and thrived here until the World War II, when an earlier, even more vicious spasm of anti-cosmopolitan fervor took hold in Europe. Now the Jews of Sarajevo are almost gone.

The war in the 1990’s could have gone differently: the extremists could have won a total victory. Looking out from Park Princ˘eva, I was grateful that the city had survived the siege, but even more that the idea of Sarajevo had survived because, like Jerusalem or Beirut, it is a cosmopolitan city of multiple faiths, which makes it resonant far beyond its small size. In war, Sarajevo was a measure of mankind’s intolerance and shamed us all. In peace, even if the city is no longer quite a European Jerusalem—meaning the symbolic “Jerusalem,” sacred to many peoples—it is a good thing, for all of us, that there are so many Sarajevans who still believe it was a better city when that was true.

Sean Rocha is a writer and photographer whose work has also appeared in The New York Times, Le Monde d’Hermès and Italian Elle.

GUIDE TO SARAJEVO

WHEN TO GO Sarajevo’s weather is best from May to late September, when daytime temperatures range between 18 and 26 degrees.

GETTING THERE Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines fly into Sarajevo’s Butmir International Airport via Vienna and Munich.

WHERE TO STAY Halvat Guest House A sweet family-run hostelry. 5 Kasima Efendije Dobrac ˘e; 387-33/237-714; halvat.com.ba; doubles from US$105, including breakfast.

Holiday Inn Sarajevo Built for the 1984 Olympic Games, and the wartime headquarters for foreign press. 4 Zmaja Od Bosne; 387-33/288-000; holiday-inn. com; doubles from US$148.

Villa Orient Located in the center of town, this boutique hotel has a fitness center, café and restaurant. 6 Oprkanj; 38733/232-702; hotel-villa-orient. com; doubles from US$175.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK Badem Butik 12 Abadziluk; 387-33/533-135.

Klub Sloga 20 Mehmeda Spahe; 387-33/617-632; drinks for two US$4.

Mash Eat Club 20/1 Branilaca Sarajeva; 387-33/521-179; drinks for two US$5.

Park Princ˘eva 7 Iza Hrida; 387-61/222-708; dinner for two US$55.

WHAT TO DO Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 2 Trg Fra Grge Martica; 387-33/210-281.

National Theater 9 Obala Kulina Bana; 387-33/221-682.

Old Temple Velika Avlija; 38733/535-688.

Sebilj You’ll find it on the main square in Bas˘cs˘ars˘ija.

War Tunnel Museum 1 Tuneli; 387-33/628-591.

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The iconic 12-meter raw bar at Scott’s.

Right: A squid-and-mackerel burger at Arbutus, in London’s Soho district.

Where to Eat in

London Now

Veteran food critic PAUL LEVY finds 10 restaurants in the British capital that are worth every shilling. Photographed by TIM EVAN-COOK O ANYONE OLD ENOUGH to remember the Coronation, “Swinging London” or even the Beatles before they split up, the idea of London as the center of the foodie universe seems ludicrous, if not perverse. I’ve been eating out in London since 1962, and professionally (as one of the people who first noticed and labeled “foodies”) since 1977. I’ve had objects on my plate that you wouldn’t care to look at, let alone put in your mouth—from gristly pork pie in tooth-resistant pastry and thickly battered grayish fish, to salads consisting of bruised butterhead lettuce and slices of unpeeled cucumber and pickled beet, all dribbled with sweet, white “salad cream.”

Yet by the time I became the food critic for this magazine in the 1990’s, London was the good-food, good-news story. Of course there were mad excesses. I remember in 1972 that first inkling Londoners had of the French nouvelle cuisine: scallops served with a raspberry coulis.

Now what happens on London plates is noteworthy not for its nastiness, but because the trend will soon turn up on a table near you. Though let’s hope one factor does not cross the ocean: the exorbitant cost of eating out in London. The city is now so expensive that even Londoners paid in sterling

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are shocked at the cost of taxis, restaurants and a pint in a pub. A more welcome aspect of the evolution of eating out in London is a happy trend toward simplicity. Once-proud towers of food are flattening, as the picture on the plate goes from 3-D to something that looks more like dinner.

The British are becoming more alert to seasonal foods: asparagus, strawberries, oysters and especially game.

Alongside this awareness is a revived interest in British food itself. Regional food traditions are feeble compared to those of France or Italy. But a few old dishes are being rediscovered, as chefs follow the lead of Fergus Henderson at his St. John Bar and Restaurant and use the whole animal, nose to tail. Often these are robust comfort foods, more at home in the pub than in fancier surroundings. Probably the most impressive sign of London’s foodie ascendancy is the huge number of gastropubs (a term that would once have contained an internal contradiction) now in evidence.

Big-name chefs seem to think London is now the gastronomic capital of the world. Alongside the homegrown Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White, the French contingent regards it as de rigueur to have a go at cracking the London culinary nut. The Pourcel twins have tried and

Beyond Fish and Chips Clockwise from left: Inside Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill; oysters on the half shell at Scott’s in Mayfair; the exterior of Scott’s; tentaclestuffed squid bonbons with crisp green vegetables at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.

failed: their hyper-lavish W’Sens is now Divo, a hilarious bad-taste Ukrainian mess hall for too-rich Russians. Joël Robuchon opened an example of his Atelier formula in 2006, and Pierre Gagnaire’s breathtakingly expensive Sketch has survived since 2002.

THE OLD GUARD Two revamped fish places are glistening examples of the keep-it-simple creed. Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, near Piccadilly Circus, is handy for theatergoers; Scott’s, in Mayfair (around the corner from the Connaught, which reopened in December after major renovations), is more in upscale-shopping territory. Bentley’s Irish chef and owner, Richard Corrigan, can occasionally be seen sitting at one of the red leather-upholstered stools at the sumptuous, marbletopped, wood-paneled ground-floor bar. Exquisite, plump, briny British native oysters are US$37 for six and rock oysters a good deal less. The clubby feeling is maintained in the upstairs restaurant with blue and white William Morris fabric on the walls and blue leather chairs; and the menu is simplicity itself. I lunched on oysters followed by the freshest steamed haddock, filleted at the table, served with a green salad and thick, crisp french fries.

At Scott’s, the oyster bar in the center of the oak-paneled space has a 3-meter-long display of crustacea, and the room is hung with some choice contemporary paintings. The menu, now overseen by Kevin Gratton, has many of the virtues of Bentley’s: great oysters and starters of superb

Salamanca ham, smoked mackerel or asparagus. Personally, I eschew the more elaborately prepared dishes and follow on with beautifully fresh fish, lobster or a roast game bird when in season, and skip dessert in favor of a “savory,” such as soft roe (herring milt, to be technical, which comes from boy herrings, as opposed to the actual roe of the girls) on toast.

Add a glass of champagne and you’ve got a recipe for bliss.

THE NEW GUARD A recent opening that shows the same passion for British ingredients as the old guard is Rowley Leigh’s Le Café Anglais. What sets it apart is its classic French bourgeois cooking and—not least—a carpeted floor. Noise-shocked Londoners, as well as New York veterans of, for example, Babbo, will want to murmur hosannas for this encouraging trend that makes it possible again to have a conversation while eating. The enormous 175-seat room is enchantingly comfortable, made up of leather banquettes, booths that can squeeze four and decently spaced tables for larger parties. In one respect Le Café Anglais is revolutionary. It is in a strange part of West London, next door to (but culturally adrift from) Notting Hill, on the second floor of the vast Whiteleys shopping mall. It was formerly one of London’s largest McDonald’s. We have no difficulty forgetting its McHistory, thanks to the new entrance with its dedicated elevator, the sexy bar area and the two colossal rotisseries on which rotate, boasted Leigh, everything edible that flies (and is legal to shoot) in Britain, along with really superb big chickens and » T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A

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At Le Café Anglais From above: Prepping in the kitchen; pike boudin, served by Daisy Leigh, the chef’s daughter; the modern brasserie’s Parmesan custard and rabbit terrine.

Once-proud towers of FOOD are flattening, as the picture on the plate goes from 3-D to something that looks like DINNER

great joints of meat. The menu is the best document of its sort I’ve ever read—exciting ingredients, simply listed, from the gently priced, generously portioned hors d’oeuvres (mackerel teriyaki with ribbons of cucumber; Parmesan custard with anchovy toast; fresh sardine escabeche, fried then marinated), through the first courses of oysters, pike boudin or beef carpaccio with white truffles.

Leigh and his longtime head chef, Colin Westal, formerly worked at a London institution, Kensington Place. Theo Randall was head chef and co-owner at the landmark River Café. The menu at his namesake restaurant at the InterContinental hotel, steps from Hyde Park, is refined, sophisticated seasonal Italian. In Theo Randall’s soothing, buff-colored dining room, best bets are the unfussy Devon crab salad with Amalfi-lemon mayo, the carpaccio of Angus beef, any of the elegant, straightforward pastas (in proper small servings, so you can eat one as a primo), the woodroasted pigeon, the plate-filling char-grilled Limousin veal chop, a simple frittata made moist with ricotta, the Meyerlemon tart and the intensely flavored blood-orange sorbet.

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PERFECT FOR PRETHEATER Chris Corbin and Jeremy King (formerly of the Caprice, the Ivy and J. Sheekey), proprietors of the Wolseley, bring their perfectionist standards of service to bear on St. Alban, on Lower Regent Street. The restaurant has widely spaced tables, with startlingly fuchsia-colored banquettes, in a style that reminds me of the 1950’s but that others find very 70’s—the main feature of which is superlative etchings and line drawings (by Irish conceptual artist Michael CraigMartin) of ordinary household objects, such as a pepper mill, a bunch of keys, a wineglass, a light bulb—all the same size, so weirdly out of scale. On the Mediterranean menu are a couple of minimally manipulated dishes, such as the crazily named “octopus salami au torchon,” a rectangle of barely opaque thin slices of tender tentacles with a slick of paprika-infused dressing, and the Iberian Jabugo ham with a selection of homemade pickles. These, and the uncomplicated desserts, are the best dishes in a place that’s not really about food but about watching the passing scene while having a good evening out.

Arbutus is easy to love. On Frith Street near Soho Square, chef Anthony Demetre and front-of-house Will Smith dish up ingredient-driven, hearty fare. The simple place settings, rich wood floor and absence of Muzak all contribute to a feeling of well-being, as do starters involving beetroot and dandelion and the squid-and-mackerel burger with sea purslane, the English asparagus with fried duck’s egg and the butch braised pig’s head. Bavette, the chewy but flavorful cut

of steak the butcher keeps for himself, is frequently on the daily changing menu, but it all depends on what’s in the market—shin of veal, Elwy Valley lamb, rabbit. A similar menu is served at their new Wild Honey, near the shops and galleries of Bond Street.

NEIGHBORHOOD HAUNTS In the warren of small Chelsea streets, Tom’s Kitchen is chef Tom Aikens’s (with his twin brother, Robert) second place, done up like a fantasy Edwardian country-house kitchen.

The food is plain, simple and delicious—like the enormous wooden slab of charcuterie: pork terrine, chicken liver parfait, almost transparent slices of ham, smoked duck breast, slices of salami, toasted pain Poilâne and a couple of pots of chutney. Or the best burger in London, the beef coarsely chopped by hand; the big pot of moules marinières; or house-made vanilla yogurt with churros, a stunning dessert even if, like me, you suffer from vanilla fatigue.

Aikens has in common with Gordon Ramsay a bad-boy image and now, at Ramsay’s new gastropub, The Narrow, a style of eclectically British eating. In an old dockmaster’s house on a bend in the Thames (with a vast terrace and plenty of tables for sunny days), Ramsay offers potted Cromer crab, chunky country pâté with turmeric-yellow piccalilli (chopped spiced vegetables), firm grilled Dorset mackerel (an underfished, underpriced and absolutely delicious species) with potato salad, soft herring roe on toast, deviled lamb’s kidneys, savory braised Gloucester pig’s cheeks and a fantastic beer list with some bargain prices as low as the amazingly reasonable cost of the food.

THE GRAND FINALE, AS PROMISED...

Alain Ducasse was unlucky: he rolled out Spoon in the Sanderson Hotel in 2000. Its mix-and-match formula never really caught on, and it is now the Malaysian Suka, run by New York chef Zak Pelaccio. But Ducasse has treated himself to a second bite of the apple and opened, in a historic room, a restaurant with obvious aspirations to live up to his Monte Carlo and Paris flagships.

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester inhabits the space where in the 1980’s a young Swiss chef named Anton Mosimann shook well-heeled London diners to the core of their Manolo Blahniks by introducing French nouvelle cuisine. We’d never seen such Japanese-y presentation before—indeed, we expected silver service by bored waiters, and weren’t used to the chef plating our food at all, especially not when the portions were smaller, the ingredients fresher and the sauces flour-free. Except for the odd bar mitzvah, the Terrace room, where Mosimann launched Britain’s food revolution, had remained more or less dormant until Ducasse’s expensive refit this past November. Two walls are covered in clusters of thousands of green silk buttons that echo the trees and shrubbery just beyond the windows, which look out over

Park Lane and Hyde Park. Far-apart tables are set with napery, cutlery and china that whisper luxury. There’s a sculptural fiber-optic curtain of light where the diminutive dance floor used to be. And if you can get to see the kitchen ... it’s a thing of beauty.

Still, the food, presided over by Jocelyn Herland, who has come from Ducasse’s Paris restaurant at the Plaza Athénée, manages to take precedence over the surroundings.

Ducasse’s self-confident menu does offer the elaborate freebies we’ve come to expect, but I especially liked the Iwant-to-eat-it-all bread and small plate of crunchy baby crudités with a runny riff on anchovy paste. What follows is blissfully restrained, contemporary French cuisine, with a relish for good British ingredients. Among the beneficiaries of this approach are the squid bonbons with crisp green vegetables—thumb-size portions of pearly squid encompassing a deeply satisfying stuffing that includes its tiny tentacles; a perfectly poached breast of Landes chicken in spectacular sauce Albufera, which gets its smoky note from the incorporation of foie gras; and his famous dessert star of fresh raspberries, edible silver and chocolate. Ducasse is serious money, a minimum US$150 for three courses—but there is a US$70 prix fixe lunch, and if he happens to be in the kitchen himself (a rare occurence—after all, the man’s got 14 Michelin stars to look after), you might think it worth taking out that second mortgage to pay for your dinner. ✚ Paul Levy has been writing about food for the past 30 years. He is based in Oxfordshire and London.

ADDRESS BOOK LE CAFÉ ANGLAIS Whiteleys, 8 Porchester Gardens; 44-20/ 7221-1415; dinner for two US$182.

THE NARROW 44 Narrow St.; 44-20/7592-7950; dinner for two US$143.

ST. ALBAN 4–12 Lower Regent St.; 44-20/7499-8558; dinner for two US$150.

Arbutus’s exterior.

ALAIN DUCASSE AT THE DORCHESTER Park Lane; 44-20/7629-8866; dinner for two US$300.

ARBUTUS 63–64 Frith St.; 44-20/7734-4545; dinner for two US$130.

BENTLEY’S OYSTER BAR & GRILL 11–15 Swallow St.; 4420/7734-4756; dinner for two US$150.

SCOTT’S 20 Mount St., Mayfair; 44-20/7495-7309; dinner for two US$248.

THEO RANDALL InterContinental, 1 Hamilton Place, Park Lane; 44-20/73188747; dinner for two US$160.

TOM’S KITCHEN 27 Cale St., Chelsea; 44-20/7349-0202; dinner for two US$139.

WILD HONEY 12 St. George St.; 44-20/7758-9160; dinner for two US$150.

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SAN SEBASTIÁN. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JAVIER SALAS

Living the luxe life in CAMBODIA SAN SEBASTIÁN: Basque bliss VIENNA waltzes onto the world stage Mountain highs in MONTENEGRO 95

K H M E R D E L U X E TAKING IN CAMBODIA’S MOST FAMOUS SIGHTS AT AN UNTROUBLED PACE AND IN UNPARALLELED STYLE, PAUL EHRLICH JOINS THE ULTIMATE FOUR-DAY GUIDED JOURNEY. PHOTOGRAPHED BY CEDRIC ARNOLD

Two novice monks at the Royal Palace, in Phnom Penh. Opposite: The expansive swimming pool at the Grand Hotel dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Angkor, in Siem Reap.

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DAY 1 SIEM REAP Grace and Grandeur

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of Southeast Asia and its popularity is spreading faster than tour buses can carry the crowds through Siem Reap’s magnificent Angkor temple complex—and the country is gearing up for the visitor influx.

Our two-hour SilkAir flight from Singapore arrives at Siem Reap’s new, modern and well-managed airport (a far cry from the ramshackle, chaotic place of just a few years ago, where impatient, sweating crowds shoved US$20 bills at immigration officers for visa stamps). The 15-minute drive to our hotel reveals Siem Reap as no longer a sleepy backwater—now, top hotels, spas and restaurants compete for those who like to travel well. New hotels—some finished, some still being constructed—line the route into town. Last year, about 2 million tourists visited Siem Reap—a decade ago less than 20,000 visited. The welcoming signs in Korean, Chinese and Japanese point to the demographics of the new arrivals. But thankfully, despite the tourist boom, the pace is more bicycle than big car: Siem Reap’s laid-back charm still holds true.

Our hotel, the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, recreates the colonial elegance of the Far East, with its antique wrought-iron lift in the lobby, cream-colored hallways, black-and-white marble floors, slow-twirling ceiling fans, and antique Khmer furniture and artifacts. After a buffet lunch at the hotel’s Angkor Café, we head off for our first view of the Angkor’s fabulous temples. Tip: Get Dawn Rooney’s excellent book, Angkor: Cambodia’s Wondrous Khmer Temples (sold in the hotel), which offers descriptions and history of the Khmer temples we’ll be exploring over the next two days.

On the short ride to the temple complex, our Cambodian guide peppers us with information and the sights not to be missed. But it will be impossible to see all of Angkor in the two days we are in Siem Reap, such is its vastness—the 70 temple sites sprawl over 300 square kilometers.

We will be covering the must-see temples: among these in today’s tour are Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom.

The last capital of the Khmer » AMBODIA IS THE RISING STAR

Cambodia Journey Left: The long causeway leading to Angkor Wat. Opposite, clockwise from top left: A waiter at the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor; a private villa at the hotel; an executive chef briefs kitchen staff in the Crystal Room at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, in Phnom Penh; S-21 prison, in Phnom Penh; waitresses at the hotel’s Elephant Bar; a waiter lights candles for a poolside dinner at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal; a teenager leaps into the Tonle Sap River, in Phnom Penh; Ta Phrom Temple at the Angkor complex.

Center: A deckhand aboard a cruise on the Tonle Sap River.

Galleries at the magnificent Angkor Wat. Opposite, from left: A guest room at the The Quay hotel in Phnom Penh; an antique elevator at the Raffles Grand Hotel dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Angkor that was imported from Paris.

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empire, 12th-century Angkor Thom still amazes with its grandeur. Fifty-four stone gods and fierce-looking demons holding giant snakes (nagas) flank each side of Southern Gate’s entrance, and inside the “Great City”—which includes the Bayon temple, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King and other monuments—more than 200 huge serene faces (thought to be carved images of Khmer king Jayarvarman VII) look out in every direction from stone towers. After a one-hour tour, it’s a short drive to Ta Phrom, one of Angkor’s most-photographed monuments.

Intentionally left to nature’s devices to show what damage can be caused if temples are not tended, the stupas and walls, covered in emerald-green moss, are caught in the tentaclelike roots of the jungle’s towering foliage.

We are back at the hotel by 5:30 P.M., and with a pre-dawn start tomorrow, we take an early dinner. But first, there is time for a pre-dinner drink and canapés in the hotel’s famed Elephant Bar, with its comfy chairs and sofas, and enormous photographs of Angkor’s temples on its walls. Tip: Try an Airavata (named after the multi-headed white elephant who carries Lord Indra in Hindu mythology), the bar’s signature cocktail: rum, lime juice, coconut, crème de banana and pineapple. Tonight’s dinner is a four-course Khmer meal in the hotel’s elegant Restaurant Le Grand.

DAY 2 ANGKOR WAT A Royal Realm Revealed

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in the lobby at 5:30 A.M. Such an early start to the day has a purpose. It is to witness something truly spectacular: the sun rising behind Angkor Wat, Angkor’s magnificent centerpiece. The morning mist rises from the temple’s surrounding moat as we walk into the grainy light along a 250-meter-long causeway— built of huge sandstone blocks—towards the darkened shapes of Angkor Wat’s five towers. Standing by a pond of lotus flowers, we watch the first deep orange flames of the sun spread across the sky, and Angkor begins to reveal its timeless beauty, harmony and splendor. It is hard not to feel “being caught up into the heavens” as Helen Churchill Candee wrote in her book, Angkor the Magnificent, when she visited in the 1920’s. We enjoy a picnic breakfast before exploring the temple. Nothing can prepare you for your first visit to Angkor Wat and the experience of discovering its shadow-laced chambers, intricate galleries and exceptional carvings. » UR GUIDE MEETS US

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Sunrise at Angkor Wat. Opposite: An apsara dancer at Wat Atvea.

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Standing by a pond of lotus flowers, we watch the first deep orange flames of the sun spread across the sky and ANGKOR reveals its timeless beauty 103

Bayon Temple at Angkor.

From left: The elegant Restaurant Le Royal at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, in Phnom Penh; an elderly gentleman in Phnom Penh’s Wat Phnom Park; the hotel’s swimming pool, seen from one of the guest room balconies.

It’s back to the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor by 10 A.M. for a swim (or a nap) before a buffet lunch. With the afternoon free, I opt for a treatment at the hotel’s Amrita Spa; a foot massage does wonders for tired feet after all that traipsing around the temples. Others in the group head off for a spa treatment or a drive into Siem Reap to Le Artisan, a workshop and retail outlet that provides young people from surrounding villages free training in traditional Khmer techniques used for silk painting, lacquering, and stone and wood carving. You can visit the workshops and then browse the boutique that sells finished products, as well as other highquality artworks, clothing, handicrafts and paintings.

In the evening, journey guests enjoy a gala dinner at one of the nearby temples—Wat Atvea. Feeling akin to Khmer royalty, we walk along a candlelit path to the sounds of traditional Khmer music played by musicians in royal court dress.

The dining tables sit under canopies and are set between the two stone stupas that look mystical and dream-like in the soft floodlights. We dine on specially prepared Cambodian and Western dishes, while classical apsara dancers appear from the darkness to entertain with scenes from Khmer mythology as well as cultural performances.

DAY 3 PHNOM PENH A City Reawakens

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at the hotel’s Café d’Angkor before heading off to the airport and a 45-minute flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Tip: Take an aisle seat on the right-hand side and, within five minutes after takeoff, you look down over the largest lake in Southeast Asia, Tonle Sap. Further into the flight, mud-colored rivers meander through forests and farms before the first glimpse of the sprawling capital of 2 million people comes into view.

After the relatively laid-back pace and ancient settings of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh is a jolt to the senses. It is a city in the fast lane. Over the past few years, dozens of new buildings, bars and restaurants have sprung up. Even the traffic jams have gone upscale, with more and more Mercedes-Benz and Land Cruisers joining the fray.

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At 12:30 P.M. we check into the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, calmed by the lovely scent of lemongrass wafting through the lobby. The hotel originally opened in 1929 and was refurbished by Raffles Hotels & Resorts in the late 1990’s. Like its sister hotel in Siem Reap, the Raffles Hotel Le Royal has retained many of its original details. Guests over the years have included Jacqueline Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, Somerset Maugham and André Malraux, all of whom now have suites named after them.

After a buffet lunch in the hotel’s Café Monivong, we are joined by our guide for a tour of the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and National Museum of Cambodia.

Built in 1919, the charming, russet-colored Khmer-designed National Museum houses a fine collection of sculptures and bronzes. Don’t worry about museum fatigue—the whole exhibition can be seen at a leisurely pace within 45 minutes.

Especially impressive is an 11th-century reclining bronze statue of the Hindu god Vishnu. Only the head and two arms survive—originally measuring about 6 meters, making it one of the largest Southeast Asian bronzes ever wrought. Also, pause in the room filled with Buddhist statues from the 16th to 18th century. Nearby is the ornate Royal Palace, with high-

lights including the Throne Hall—for coronations and ceremonies—and the Silver Pagoda (also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha), with a floor laid with more than 5,000 silver tiles and a Baccarat crystal Buddha. There is also a Buddha image covered in 9,584 diamonds—dazzling is putting it mildly.

A relaxing end to the day is a boat trip while being served cold drinks and snacks. As we chug slowly along, we pass slender wooden boats transporting people and goods, while fishermen along the riverbank unfurl their nets like large circular fans. As the river widens to the confluence where the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassak rivers meet, it’s tempting to just keep sailing deeper into the countryside. But an hour later it’s time to return to the hotel. The riverside drive back to the Raffles Hotel Le Royal passes one of the most lively areas in the city, with colonial buildings converted into restaurants, cafés and bars. Tonight, it’s a poolside dinner of barbecued lamb, chicken, beef, sausages, and salads and drinks. After dinner, it’s a nightcap and live piano at the hotel’s Elephant Bar. Tip: This time order the Femme Fatale, commemorating Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1967 visit; a mixture of Champagne, Crème De Fraise Sauvage and a dash of Cognac. »

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DAY 4 PHNOM PENH

GUIDE TO CAMBODIA thequayhotel.com; doubles from US$140.

Amanjaya 1 Sisowath Quay, Street 154; 855-23/219-579; amanjaya.com; doubles from US$220.

Lingering Impressions

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CAMBODIA starts with a buffet breakfast in the Raffles Hotel Le Royal’s café before meeting our guide for two decidedly contrasting experiences. The first is a tour of Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields—two testaments to the horrifying legacy of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975 to 1979. The Killing Fields, about a half-hour drive west of the city, has some 8,000 skulls visible in a glass-paneled memorial. Nearby, are some of the unearthed pits in which executed men, women and children were dumped. Notice boards to the right of the entrance explain in detail what happened here. But ultimately words fail. One board states: “It cannot be described fully and clearly because the killing method was strangely so cruel … they [the Khmer Rouge] have human form but their hearts are demon’s hearts.”

Back in Phnom Penh is Tuol Sleng Museum, a high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a torture center and prison. This place is not for everyone; the insane horror that took place here makes for a depressing experience. Known as S-21, three main buildings include room after room of torture devices, hundreds of black-and-white headshots of Cambodians the Khmer Rouge systematically photographed before killing, narrow cells and, finally, paintings of what one of the very few survivors, Vann Nath, witnessed. Tip: Though Tuol Sleng defies human capacity of understanding, hire a guide for US$2 for the stories behind what is displayed.

We then move on for a different experience: the Russian Market. This covered bazaar sells just about everything, from power drills to precious stones; there’s silverware, jewelry, carvings, questionable antiques, tailored shirts (they make them while you wait) and much more lining narrow aisles of the market.

For lunch, some of the journey group head to the nearby French restaurant, Topaz, for escargots or foie gras, followed by roasted rack of lamb or sautéed sea bass fillet. Others decide to return to the hotel for a buffet lunch.

The rest of the afternoon was open to options: lounging at the hotel pool; a taxi to the river and browsing the shops and bustling side streets; or a visit Wat Phnom, just a five-minute walk from the hotel. Set on top of a small hill in the middle of a circular park, Wat Phnom is popular among devotees, who set sparrows free to earn merit.

At 4 P.M. it’s time to depart for the flight back to Singapore.

We leave Cambodia with far more than our luggage. Indeed, it has been four days full of memories that will continue to last a lifetime.

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CAMBODIA JOURNEY This Platinum Journey is organized by American Express. Platinum Journeys are available exclusively to American Express Platinum Card members. For booking and enquiries on upcoming Platinum Journeys, please contact The Platinum Card Service® on 1800/392-1177 (option 1).

WHEN TO GO The best weather (and high season for hotel rates) is from October to March, though the sites of Cambodia attract visitors year-round. June to September can be hot and humid, with rain, though mornings and mid-afternoons are generally fine.

GETTING THERE SilkAir flies to Siem Reap from Singapore, while Bangkok Airways flies there from Bangkok. A number of major airlines and budget carriers in Southeast Asia fly to Phnom Penh.

WHERE TO STAY SIEM REAP Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor 1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle; 855-63/963-888; siemreap.raffles.com; doubles from US$360.

Amansara Road to Angkor; 855-63/760-333; amanresorts.com; doubles from US$750.

PHNOM PENH Raffles Hotel Le Royal 92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh; 855-23/981-888; phnompenh. raffles.com; doubles from US$300.

The Quay 277 Sisowath Quay; 855-23/224-894;

WHERE TO EAT SIEM REAP Restaurant Le Grand Raffles Hotel Le Grand (see above).

Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor The Temple Dinner is ideal for small groups. siemreap.raffles.com/z879/ concierge_recommendations_ 04.html.

AHA Old Market Area; 85563/965-501.

PHNOM PENH Topaz 182 Norodom Blvd.; 855-23/221-622.

Foreign Correspondents Club 363 Sisowath Quay; 855-23/724-014.

Le Duo No. 17, Street 228; 855-23/991-906.

Malis 136 Norodom Blvd.; 855-23/221-022.

WHAT TO DO SIEM REAP Angkor temples You will need a tourist pass (US$20 for one day, 2–3 days US$40), purchased at the entrance to the complex.

Angkor National Museum Corner of Charles de Gaulle and Stadium Road; 85563/966-601; angkor nationalmuseum.com; open 9 A.M.–8 P.M. daily; US$12 for adults, half price for children.

PHNOM PENH Wat Phnom Corner of Street 96 and Norodom Blvd.; US$1.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Corner of Street 113 and Street 350; open 8 A.M.– 11:30 A.M. and 2 P.M.–5:30 P.M. daily; US$2.

The Killing Fields Choeung Ek; open 7:30 A.M.–5:30 P.M. daily; US$2.

Sunset cruise boats Take your pick from numerous boats along the waterfront offering this service. About US$8 an hour.

National Museum Corner of Street 178 and Street 13; 85523/211-753; open 8 A.M.–11 A.M. and 2 P.M.–5 P.M. daily; US$3.

Russian Market Streets 450 and 163; open daily.

Evening on the bay from Barr Al Jissah.

Nuns take care of one of the small shrines inside Angkor Wat.

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Heaven and a Beach In the coastal town of San Sebastián—a resort for Spanish royals in the 19th century, now ruled by kings and queens of the new Basque cuisine— LUKE BARR takes in stylish hotels, extravagant tasting menus and the essential pleasures of real tradition. Photographed by JAVIER SALAS

The Jardines de Alderi Eder, by City Hall, in the center of San Sebastiรกn. Opposite: Waders and swimmers at Playa de la Concha.

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HE VERY FIRST THING I put in my mouth

exploded. There was a series of explosions, in fact, disorienting and strangely delicious, taking place as I swallowed a melon ball filled with sheep’s-milk cheese and … Pop Rocks? Smiling—actually amused by my “amuse-bouche”—I surveyed the room at Arzak, in San Sebastián, where the lunchtime crowd in the small, square space was buzzing in anticipation, ordering wine, waiting for the show to begin. And then came the lobster with powdered olive oil, re-liquefied with onion broth poured by the waiter, and the translucent, luminescent plate (battery-powered, maybe?) of roasted figs and pomegranate seeds, and the poached egg on top of an intensely flavorful square of crisp chicken skin and covered with a thin sheet of freeze-dried egg yolk, and a beautiful piece of tuna in bright-green cucumber sauce, and so on and so forth, through 11 courses, and after a while the mind boggles. Or mine did, helped along by a few glasses of Rioja Alta. Soon I was in a state of mild delirium, high on food and in awe of the wily ingenuity of the chefs, so eager to please and yet also to provoke, comforting you with rich, traditional Basque flavors while smacking you upside the head with some remarkable new texture or combination or foam-bubble extravaganza, and then stopping you cold with the most perfect and subtle and delicate fish or quail imaginable.

Trace elements of theater can be found in many a restaurant experience, but this was a full-blown opera buffa, all dramatic extravagance and outsize gestures and cosmic, libidinous pleasure. By the time we got to dessert—cold, soft marbles of liquid chocolate, roasted pineapple with corn ice cream, a glass of overflowing pineapple bubbles (something out of Roald Dahl)—bliss had descended on our table. I’ve never had a more entertainingly delicious meal.

At some point during lunch I noticed several Scandinavians at a nearby table taking loving snapshots of their plates, recording the meal for posterity. Arzak is that kind of restaurant—visited from afar, » Waterfront Wonders From top: The pool at Hotel Iturregi, in Getaria; Pablo Carrington, the managing director of the Hotel Iturregi; the Centro Kursaal, designed by Rafael Moneo.

Opposite: A view of the Bahía de la Concha, with the isle of Santa Clara, from Hotel Monte Igueldo.

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SAN SEBASTIÁN is the sort of town that seems built for lingering outside, on the way to the beach, on the way to lunch, or on the way to nowhere at all

celebrated by connoisseurs. Not that I’m a connoisseur, exactly: no food photography for me. But I did come to eat. San Sebastián (or Donostia, in Basque) has long been known for its seafood and for the produce grown on lush, hilly farmland and, more recently, as an epicenter of Spain’s new-wave cuisine, of molecular gastronomy, of Michelin-starred restaurants. Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli is 560 kilometers away on the Mediterranean, but it was here in Basque country, on the Atlantic coast not far from the French border, that the first incarnation of the so-called nueva cocina vasca appeared in the 1980’s.

There is a strong sense of optimism in the city, that after a rocky transition to democracy in the post-Franco era (the general died in 1975) and an extended struggle with the violent Basque separatist group ETA (which has called off the 2006 ceasefire but is generally considered a waning force in contemporary Spain), San Sebastián’s time has come. The small, wealthy city is in quiet transition, recapturing its glory days as the preferred summer resort of the Spanish aristocracy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and of Franco in the 1950’s and 60’s. Today, it has been reawakened by the creativity and global, mediagenic appeal of its chefs and its astonishing food.

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Y WIFE HAS LONGTIME, globally circuitous connections to San Sebastián: Yumi is Japanese and grew up in Tokyo attending an international school run by Spanish nuns; she spent summer after summer here as a kid and teenager, staying with the family of one or another of the sisters, reading Jane Austen novels, and going to the beach and perfecting her Spanish. We would meet many of her family friends on this trip—nuns and brothers and cousins and friends of nuns—all warm and welcoming, and eager to dote on our young daughter, Sachi, sitting outside at various cafés along the central Avenida de la Libertad or under the arcades around the Plaza de Guipúzcoa, or at a bar for a glass of wine and pintxos (Basque for tapas) among the pedestrian-only streets of the Parte Vieja (Old Town).

And San Sebastián is indeed the sort of town that seems custom-built for lingering outside, on the way to the beach or on the way to lunch, or on the way to nowhere at all. It’s a small city—population under 200,000—with an ambling, cosmopolitan air about it, a low-key sophistication that belies its size. The place is small and walkable, built at the mouth of the Río Urumea (traversed by a series of pretty bridges) and concentrated around the Bahía de la Concha and the broad and sandy beach that rings it. It is here in 1888 that King Alfonso XII »

A table at restaurant Arzak. Opposite: Hotel María Cristina, on the Plaza de Okendo.

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built the Palacio de Miramar, for years the summer residence of the royal family.

We’ve rented a small apartment in the former French consulate, one of the prettiest 19th-century buildings on the river. Friends from Zürich have come to visit and we all wander along the tree-lined streets of the Centro, an area of town reminiscent of Haussmann’s Paris, with its Belle Époque architecture and many cafés and a grand neo-Gothic cathedral. In the medieval Parte Vieja, by contrast—only a 10-minute walk away—the streets are mazelike, with thick-walled buildings pressing up against stoic Romanesque churches and small bars and pintxos places all over.

We make our way to the beach on one of those summer mornings you look forward to all year long, crisp and glowing, promising a hot day but no humidity, freshness in the air. It takes a while to get there— we stop to buy beach towels and peruse the many shop windows and to study an astounding variety of women’s shoes in great detail (not that I’m complaining). The shoe and clothing stores are large, modern places (mostly Spanish and Italian brands) set in grand old buildings, but every so often we pass a shop with nothing modern about it at all, like the one called Almacenes Arenzana, where we buy a few beautiful pale wooden cooking spoons and spatulas. It’s a high-ceilinged, oldworld place that specializes in utensils, rope and string—the single room is filled with spools of all sizes and smells faintly and pleasantly of twine. It feels as if it hasn’t changed in a century, immensely charming but not at all quaint.

Around the corner is a place that has changed, my wife points out, and lost a bit of its character—the Mercado de San Martín. Once the site of a vast and sprawling food bazaar with dozens of vendors set up in stalls, the building was renovated in 2005 and is now a supermarket with an attached shopping mall, and a few specialty food shops with gleaming display cases. We decide to stop on the way back for provisions.

Mid-morning, we arrive at the Playa de la Concha. It’s crowded: the beach in San Sebastián is fully integrated into the life of the city—everyone is here, all ages, locals and vacationers, families and couples, and buff middle-aged men strolling through the surf reading newspapers, oblivious to the streaking kids and beach balls all around them.

The water is warm, perfect for swimming and for twirling three-yearolds by their hands in circles and splashing them into the waves. Around one o’clock the beach begins to empty out as people go home or retreat to restaurants up on the boardwalk for their long midday meals.

And this is how the days will go by: making cloudy, rich coffee in » Port City From top: Getaria’s port; at Arzak restaurant, “the squid as a star” plate; relaxing on the dock.

Opposite: Father-anddaughter chefs Juan Mari and Elena Arzak at their restaurant.

It’s a sparkling day, and WE WANDER ACROSS stone and iron pieces, statements of Basque identity

an unreliable stovetop espresso pot, eating fruit and bread and ham and cheese for breakfast. Reading the newspaper and attaching kids’ sandals to their feet, readying them for the beach.

One evening we wander through the Parte Vieja, stopping at pintxos places like A Fuego Negro and La Cepa, popping morsels of fresh shrimp and marinated anchovy and crunchy fried salt cod in our mouths, our exhausted kids lolling about underfoot while we order more wine.

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T ARZAK, AFTER OUR SPECTACULAR LUNCH, Elena Arzak—right hand to her chef father, Juan Mari Arzak, who trained in France with Paul Bocuse, among others—agreed to show me the restaurant’s test kitchen, where the menu’s pyrotechnics are invented and developed. She leads me up a narrow staircase to an apartment in the rear of the building. It’s calm and quiet, sunlight streaming in through an open window. This is where all the kitchen-as-chem-lab equipment can be found: a freeze-drier, a thermal immersion circulator for sous-vide cooking, a food dehydrator, an industrial-strength steamer, an aromatizer, a precision cutter and other imposing devices. The lone, casually dressed chef in the kitchen is poking around at an orange-colored sauce, trying to come up with a new oyster preparation. He shakes his head ruefully—it’s not happening.

“You have to work a lot to get only a few results,” says Elena, “just like anything. There’s a limit to the technology—it’s only an aid.” She’s in her 30’s, warm and down-to-earth, a far cry from the severe intellectual you’d expect to find making such highly engineered food. But the real secret to Arzak’s recipes isn’t the technology, she says, it’s the restaurant’s “flavor collection.” We head down the hall to a humidity-controlled room, where 1,500 herbs, spices and preserved ingredients from all over the world are stored in small, transparent drawers. They’re catalogued by flavor on a computer. She hands me an Iranian lemon, dried until black in ground coffee for days—a traditional preservation method there. “Smell this,” she says. “This is a bank of ideas.”

We soon find ourselves eating at another of the renowned restaurants in San Sebastián, the Michelin three-starred Martín Berasategui—named for its chef—on the outskirts of town in Lasarte-Oria. It has views of green hills and farmland from a large stone terrace, where we repair periodically for breaks during the meal.

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The lunch is a marathon: it lasts for hours. Our tasting menu presents itself as a “best of ” compilation and each item is listed proudly with the year it debuted. The “mille-feuille of smoked eel, foie gras, spring onions and green apple” from 1995. The “green-tomato jelly with gray mullet roe, lemon and basil sherbet with olive juice and ginger and citric air” from 2007. The “roast Araiz pigeon with cream of apple, lime and basil” is also from 2007. It’s one knockout plate after another, though far more subdued—and less playful—than the meal at Arzak. And so is the atmosphere generally: the restaurant is hushed and there are too many waiters standing around. Perhaps it is just a slow day, but the mood in the place is lugubrious, and it occurs to me that this elaborate, high-tech cooking—deconstructed, freeze-dried and decorated with foam—can pretty easily go from brilliantly fresh to grandiose.

When I stop by Villa Soro, a stylish 25-room hotel opened in 2003 in a 19th-century estate not far from the center of town, the young American-Spaniard who runs it, Pablo Carrington, makes it clear that restaurants are driving his business. “Most of the guests were Spaniards when Villa Soro first opened,” he says. “Now—some nights we have 70 percent foreign guests, and we’re sending nine tables to Arzak.” As a result, Carrington is expanding: last year he opened the small Hotel Iturregi in nearby Getaria, and he has plans for another in Pamplona.

What’s going to happen, I wonder aloud to Carrington, when the hype about avant-garde Spanish cooking inevitably dies down? Will the renewed liveliness of the town fade away? But that’s not the problem as he sees it—just the opposite, in fact.

If anything, the proliferation of stellar restaurants (San Sebastián alone has three three-star establishments, compared with nine for the whole of Germany) and global luxury brands is what threatens the character of the place. He’s uneasy, he says, about the chic-ification of the old food markets, and the disappearance of some of the smaller traditional restaurants.

“And what about Almacenes Arenzana?”—the wooden spoon and rope store we loved. “Will it still be here in 10 years? Or instead be replaced by a Williams-Sonoma?”

It’s the old global homogenization phenomenon. A few days later I meet with the head of the San Sebastián Film Festival, Mikel Olaciregui, a bearded and jovial man who makes the related point that these days “every city has a film festival—and they’re all following the same movies.” San Sebastián, like Cannes and Venice, has been hosting a festival for more than

the sloping lawn among the in their own abstract way

50 years, since 1999 in a striking Rafael Moneo–designed building on the waterfront downtown, a theater and event hall with shops and restaurants that’s lit up at night. Martín Berasategui has a satellite restaurant there. Around town, meanwhile, palm trees have been planted—universal symbols of the beach, but not native to San Sebastián.

Still, in spite of the inevitable modernizing forces, in spite of luxurious renovations and brand-name architects and a lot of very fancy cooking, San Sebastián’s traditional identity is strong, connected to the land and the sea. The region has long been a “privileged milieu” when it comes to ingredients, Berasategui says, “because of all the local producers—fishermen, ranchers, farmers,” and the older culinary traditions are still practiced in pintxos places, grills, cider houses and traditional country restaurants. “Basque Country has no borders, but the cooking has roots,” he adds. “Our cuisine has sensitive, refined taste.”

T

WO DAYS LATER, WE RENT A CAR and drive toward Getaria,

a tiny fishing village 25 kilometers away. We are joined by old family friends, including a nun who spent most of her life in Tokyo but has now retired to San Sebastián, and her nephew, and they take us to the Museo Chillida-Leku, an outdoor sculpture park devoted to the work of the artist Eduardo Chillida.

It’s a sparkling day, and we wander across the sloping lawn among the imposing stone and iron pieces, statements of Basque identity in their own abstract way. (The most famous of the artist’s sculptures is a semicircular work set in the rocks at the far end of the Concha beach, and you see its shape reproduced all over, as an emblem of the town.) Back in our cars, we continue out of town and down the coast and are soon passing through fertile farmland, and then driving along the coast at the foot of rocky cliffs, rounding curves to find abrupt changes in scenery—bays, islands, fishing towns, lighthouses.

Our hotel—Carrington’s just-opened Iturregi—is set in the hilly vineyards outside Getaria and has only eight rooms. We can see the ocean in the distance from our window. It’s lunchtime, and because Iturregi does not have a full-service restaurant, the staff points us to San Prudencio, an old-style family place just down the road. It is here, outside on the terrace, that we have what may be the best meal of the entire trip—a perfectly timed antidote to three-star-cooking overload. The tomatoes in the tomato salad are from the garden out back, and they are ripe and perfect. We have langoustines roasted on a skewer and »

Eduardo Chillida sculptures at the Museo Chillida-Leku.

Above: Tapas at Bar Ganbara. Below: The rope and string store Almacenes Arenzana, in San Sebastián.

Bideluze café and bar, on Plaza de Guipúzcoa.

magnificent, tender squid in its own ink, crusty ham croquettes, and, for our main course, roasted turbot. The white wine—a Txacoli, the local specialty—is from grapes grown right here.

It’s ever so slightly effervescent. There’s nothing fancy about San Prudencio, and yet it’s a wonder of simple, traditional methods and local ingredients.

Getaria’s dock is active, full of fishing boats and overlooking it are numerous fish restaurants, which all have large outdoor grills where the catch is cooked in oblong metal baskets over the white-hot coals. That evening, the steep, tiny roads down to the sea are crowded with locals talking loudly, drinking wine and eating pintxos; kids riding bikes and skateboards; grandparents keeping an eye on things. We’re on our way to dinner at Kaipe, one of three famous fish places run by the same family.

It’s eight o’clock, and the sun is setting.

On a whim, we push open the heavy door of the town’s 15thcentury church, grand and simple at the same time, which straddles a few of the narrow streets. It’s dark inside, but a choir is singing. The church is empty and obviously they’re practicing: every so often the singing pauses and a soloist will retry a section. We can’t see any of them—they’re in the choir loft just above us—but we can see the conductor’s arms giving time to the music, large shadows before us on the walls of the church.

It’s a magical moment and we sit in the pews quietly for a long time, listening. There’s a model ship hanging from the ceiling, another sign of the closeness and elemental role of the ocean here. Soon, we’ll be eating roasted squid and sea bream, but now we close our eyes.

Luke Barr is news director for Travel + Leisure (U.S.).

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Hotel María Cristina A luxury hotel not far from the Centro Kursaal. 4 Paseo República Argentina; 34/94-343-7600;

GETTING THERE You can connect to San Sebastián through Barcelona or Madrid on Spanair or Iberia.

San Prudencio Getaria; 34/94314-0627; dinner for two US$91.

Hotel Monte Igueldo A 125room hostelry overlooking the town and bay. 134 Paseo del Faro; 34/94-321-0211; monteigueldo.com; doubles from US$266.

WHAT TO DO Centro Kursaal 1 Avda. de Zurriola; 34/94-300-3000; kursaal.org.

Villa Soro 61 Avda. Ategorrieta; 34/94-329-7970; villasoro.com; doubles from US$258.

WHERE TO EAT A Fuego Negro Contemporary pintxos (tapas) bar in the Parte Vieja. 31 Calle 31 de Agosto; 34/65-013-5373; light meal for two US$25.

Arzak 273 Avda. Alcalde Elosegui; 34/94-327-8465; tasting menu for two US$450.

Bar Ganbara The place to go for perretxikos (wild mushrooms). 21 Calle de San Jerónimo; 34/94-342-2575; light meal for two US$18.

Bideluze 14 Plaza de Guipúzcoa; 34/94-342-2880; light meal for two US$15.

WHERE TO STAY Friendly Rentals A Barcelonabased agency with a good selection of properties in San Sebastián. friendlyrentals.com; apartments from US$210, twonight minimum.

Hotel Iturregi Barrio Azkizu, Getaria; 34/94-389-6134; hoteliturregi.com; doubles from

starwoodhotels.com; doubles from US$737.

The Igeldo room, at Hotel Iturregi.

Roasted red mullet at the restaurant Martín Berasategui.

Museo Chillida-Leku 66B Calle Jáuregui, Hernani; 34/94-3336006; museochillidaleku.com.

Kaipe 4 Calle General Arnao, Getaria; 34/94-314-0500; dinner for two US$137.

WHERE TO SHOP Almacenes Arenzana 14 Calle Guetaria; 34/94-342-2527.

La Cepa A 70-year-old pintxos bar specializing in Jabugo ham.

7 Calle 31 de Agosto; 34/94-3426394; light meal for two US$36.

Ayestarán Stylish leather shoes. 27 Avda. de la Libertad; 34/94-342-7000.

Martín Berasategui 4 Calle Loidi, Lasarte-Oria; 34/94336-6471; tasting menu for two US$444.

Noventa Grados This “concept store” is a design shop and hair salon that also sells clothing, books, and cosmetics. 3 Calle Mayor; 34/94-342-0760.

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V

IENNA

wakes up

Layered with historyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from Hapsburg splendor to Art Nouveauâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Vienna looks to the future, remaking itself as the center of a dynamic and expanding Europe.

By Michael Goss.

Photographed by Adam Friedberg 120

The café at Vienna’s Hotel Sacher.

Vienna was always a meeting point,” Dr. Erhard Suess was saying. “Now we are a gateway.”

Suess, the fiancé of a close friend, was having a coffee in the Onyx Bar at the Do & Co Hotel, which occupies the top floors of Haas Haus, a cylindrical, concrete-and-mirrored-glass postmodern landmark dropped into the heart of the centuriesold former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by the Pritzker Prize–winning architect Hans Hollein. The sixth-floor space has windows about 10 meters high looking straight across Stephansplatz at the tiled roof and towers of the Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The clean-lined, hard-edged interior of the bar, with its bird’s-eye view back through the centuries and international clientele, is a metaphor for the new Vienna, a place where old and new and East and West are mixed into a potent post-national energy shake.

Suess, a psychiatrist and neurologist on the faculty of the medical school at the University of Vienna, is just the man to analyze the disparate forces reshaping his city. “During the monarchy, people from all the crown countries moved to the capital and influenced its cultural life with everything from Czech cooking to Romanian literature,” he says. But after World War II, Vienna was pushed to the far eastern limit of Europe, its back against the Iron Curtain. Later, during perestroika, Austrians were active investors in economic and infrastructural developments in Eastern European markets and local companies did very well. “The roads, the buses, the banks— everything was either built or owned by Austrians,” said Suess, exaggerating slightly. Still, Vienna, so long on the sidelines of Western Europe, found itself at the Continent’s center of gravity again, and in recent years it’s been reshaped by the currents of capital and expertise flowing from all directions, especially from the former Soviet Bloc. “We are not NATO, we are not Eastern Bloc,” says Suess, pointing out the advantages of political neutrality. “A lot of foreign people are coming here to exchange ideas,” says art dealer Georg Kargl, of Galerie Georg Kargl. The city has regained its multicultural dimension. The Do & Co Hotel, for instance, is owned by Attila Dogudan, a Turkish–Austrian. Another new hotel, the Levante Parliament, incorporates a gallery exhibiting glasswork by Romanian artist Ioan Nemto. A third, the ultra-luxe Palais Coburg, was built by an East German–Austrian money manager, Peter Pühringer.

Vienna is a world city again.

Vienna is, to be sure, still the city of Freud and Wittgenstein, Mozart, Schubert, Strauss, the Boys’ Choir and the Lipizzaner » 122

The Museum Moderner Kunst (center), in the MuseumsQuartier courtyard.

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Vienna Style Left: Do & Co Hotel’s Onyx Bar. Center: The Albertina Museum, on Albertinaplatz. Far right: An Egon Schiele drawing at Do & Co Albertina restaurant.

stallions of the Spanish Riding School. The ubiquitous imperial insignias and red-coated, white-wigged concert touts throughout the city ensure that you never forget it. But now, as Vienna’s 21st-century renaissance takes hold, its contemporary scene is as much of a draw as its favorite adopted son, Wolfgang Amadeus. Perhaps even more so, for it offers up novelty—even to the Viennese, some of whom still remember, as one resident put it, “a gray, dirty, boring city where you couldn’t get a beer after midnight.”

The local government has deliberately nudged its glorious past into a discourse with the present, aiming to “fill this

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historical stage with young life,” says Norbert Kettner, former managing director of Departure, a five-year-old economic development agency that supports creative businesses.

“We want to change the state of mind.” With the opening of the East, Kettner says, jobs began migrating away from most Western European cities. And when Austria joined the European Union, it had to liberalize its immigration laws and economic policies. “This all could have caused decline,” he says. “But the city was smart enough to ask what do we do with this new situation? You take your heritage not as a burden but as a basis upon which to build.”

The city has been developing as a center of applied design for more than a decade, handing out public housing commissions to developers who hire creative young architects and successfully encouraging the private sector to do the same.

This has caused a riveting fusion reaction, releasing new energy from the two distinct periods of Vienna’s past— Baroque imperial Vienna and the revolutionary Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau, of Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt, and the Wiener Werkstätte of Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser.

What gives the city its palpable excitement is the way the periods juxtapose: clashing, communicating, coexisting. “It’s

necessary to fight tradition, as it’s so present, so evident,” says Dietmar Steiner, director of Architekturzentrum Wien, the city’s architecture museum. “You have to fight history to create something interesting, but believe in it, too.”

The newest hotels and restaurants reflect Vienna’s regilded cosmopolitanism. The menu at Österreicher im MAK— the new home of Austria’s star chef, Helmut Österreicher, inside the MAK design museum—serves Wiener schnitzel alongside sesame tuna over couscous, and its garden tables are set under “sun squares,” an abstract system of canvas sails designed by Gerald Wurz. Design is omnipresent in »

Classical and Modern Far left: The Palais Coburg hotel at night. Center: A suite in the Do & Co Hotel. Far right: A local woman, Lisa Walde, in the MuseumsQuartier.

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Sixteenth-century city walls, preserved at the Coburg.

these places: Indochine 21 serves up highly refined French– Vietnamese food in a room punctuated by red umbrellas. At Fabio’s, just off Graben—the pedestrian-only main drag that links the Hofburg Palace area with Stephansplatz—an award-winning steel-and-glass façade is cantilevered onto the street. The restaurant more than lives up to its motto (Eat. Drink. Man. Woman) and fashionable reputation, with its leather bar and walnut wood paneling. The Do & Co Albertina restaurant has a wide terrace with a view of the Hofburg Palace complex and an interior decorated with leather banquettes, a marble bar and floors, and walls hung with huge blowups of Schiele paintings.

In the neighborhood known as the Gürtel—a former redlight district—bars and clubs are now tucked into arches beneath an elevated railway track. Traditional Vienna, meanwhile, is going strong: The classic Austrian restaurant Julius Meinl am Graben, in the gourmet shop that is Vienna’s version of Fauchon, is always full.

Palais Coburg’s owner, Pühringer, who moved to Austria because of its attractive tax laws, went looking for a building for his foundation and ended up buying the former summer residence of Ferdinand von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, built atop the old walls of Vienna in the 1840’s. After three years of planning, three more of refurbishing and an expenditure of

US$125 million, it opened as a hotel in 2003. To the side of the modern lobby, a staircase leads down to an excavated section of the 16th-century city walls, on display in situ.

The more intimate and modern Do & Co Hotel opened in spring 2006 and features rooms and suites with dramatic curved walls. “This is the new Vienna opposite the old,” says Dogudan, who also owns Demel, a traditional pastry shop.

“The city has well-preserved history alongside modern art and young people. Great classical music and famous DJ’s. It’s a good balance. Young people like it. Old people like it.”

At lunch at Milo, Wolfgang Waldner, director of the MuseumsQuartier, or MQ, the city’s new, self-contained museum district, explains the similar social balancing act on display in one of the arms of his complex, Quartier 21. It houses an ever-changing group of 50 tenants—fashion, media, Internet, video, art, performance and publishing companies—all with renewable two-year leases. “The idea is a counterweight to permanence,” Waldner says. Government support isn’t limited to new projects. In the past 10 years, the Austrian government has invested US$13.7 billion to upgrade Vienna’s world-class roster of existing museums as well. Private interests are putting up money too.

Even the Hapsburgs have gotten in on the act—or rather, the German baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza »

GUIDE TO VIENNA Bakery Demel 14 Kohlmarkt; 43-1/535-1717, ext. 1.

Do & Co Albertina 1 Albertinaplatz; 43-1/532-9669; dinner for two US$137.

Fabio’s 6 Tuchlauben; 43-1/5322222; dinner for two US$180.

Indochine 21 18 Stubenring; 43-1/513-7660; dinner for two US$180.

Meinl am Graben 19 Am Graben; 43-1/532-3334; dinner for two US$213. Österreicher im MAK 5 Stubenring; 43-1/714-0121; dinner for two US$100.

GETTING THERE Austrian Airlines flies from Hong Kong and Bangkok to Vienna. Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways also fly to Vienna from their respective hubs.

WHERE TO STAY Altstadt Vienna 41 Kirchengasse; 43-1/5226666; altstadt.at; doubles from US$259.

Do & Co Hotel 12 Stephansplatz; 43-1/24188; doco.com; doubles from US$471.

Hotel Sacher Wien 4 Philharmonikerstrasse; 43-1/5145-6555; sacher.com; doubles from US$684.

Levante Parliament 9 Auerspergstrasse; 43-1/228280; thelevante.com; doubles from US$435.

Palais Coburg 4 Coburgbastei; 43-1/518-180; palais-coburg.com; doubles from US$747.

WHERE TO EAT Court Confectionary

WHAT TO SEE Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Includes Hieronymus Bosch’s The Last Judgment triptych.

3 Schillerplatz; 43-1/588-160; akbild.ac.at.

Albertina 1 Albertinaplatz; 43-1/534-830; albertina.at.

Belvedere Numerous works

by Klimt (including his masterpiece, The Kiss), Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka.

27 Prinz-Eugen-Strasse; 43-1/795-570; belvedere.at.

Imperial Furniture Collection Many possessions of the

Hapsburgs, as well as period rooms from two centuries of Austrian design. 7 Andreasgasse; 43-1/524-3357; hofmobiliendepot.at.

Liechtenstein Museum Full of Raphaels, Van Dycks, and Brueghels. 1 Fürstengasse; 43-1/3195-7670; liechtenstein museum.at.

Museum of Fine Arts Vienna Maria-Theresien-Platz; 43-1/ 525-240; khm.at.

MuseumsQuartier The complex includes the Architekturzentrum Wien; the Leopold Museum; the Museum Moderner Kunst; the Kunsthalle Wien; and more. See mqw.at for detailed information.

Natural History Museum 7 Burgring; 43-1/52177; nhm-wien.at.

Schönbrunn Palace The Hapsburgs’ former summer residence. Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse; 43-1/8111-3239; schoenbrunn.ac.at.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Francesca von Habsburg’s exhibition space.

13 Himmelpfortgasse; 43-1/5139856; tba21.org.

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“Austria is a success story–we are catching up with our glorious past”

Kohlmarkt, in central Vienna, including the Demel bakery, at right.

von Habsburg, wife of Karl Thomas-Lothringen of Austria.

She would be in line to be empress and queen if the Hapsburgs still ruled, but as it is, her Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary collection and T-B A21 foundation are at the forefront of the local digital and video art scenes. In 2006, she commissioned a video installation by the Turkish artist Kutlug Ataman, who sailed up the Danube from the Black Sea to Vienna on a barge following the route of the Turkish invasion of Austria 500 years earlier, presenting the work at six cities along the way. Its peaceful message was offered up in a region known for ethnic strife— the piece was subtitled “Küba! Journey Against the Current.”

“The Hapsburg Empire was a multi-people, multi-language state,” Waldner says. Central Europe is now being reorganized, he continues, so “many peoples can live together in relative peace. The European Union is a model and Austria is one of its success stories. We are catching up with our glorious past.”

This city has long known the value of branding. Certainly, the MQ’s ubiquitous, Target-like red-and-white logo has helped establish it as the magnetic new open-late center of Viennese energy, with three museum buildings—the Kunsthalle Wien, for temporary exhibitions; MUMOK (short for Museum Moderner Kunst), for modern and contemporary art; and the Leopold Museum, whose collection of Austrian works includes the largest group of Schiele paintings and drawings in the world— plunked down on the site of the old imperial stables. Behind it is the up-and-coming Seventh District, a charming neighborhood of cobblestone streets lined with restaurants, art and architecture studios, and shops. In front of it is the cultural heart of old Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz, flanked by the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, and beyond, the sprawling Hofburg Palace complex.

Having lunch outside at Halle, a restaurant in the MQ quadrangle, can be either orienting or disorienting, depending upon your point of view. Ours took in the former emperor’s loge of the winter riding hall, the gray basalt façade of MUMOK, the old red-tile roof of the stables, and the web-like, modern steelwork of a grand outdoor staircase and elevator enclosure—every brand of modern Vienna, in a single vista.

Michael Gross is a T+L contributing editor.

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Exploring the dramatic coastline and soaring peaks of Montenegro, CHARLES MACLEAN uncovers one of Europe’s best-kept secrets—treacherous roads and all. Photographed by MISCHA RICHTER

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The mausoleum of Petar II Petrovic´ NjegosË&#x2021;, a 19th-century prince-bishop of Montenegro, atop Mount Lovcen, near the Adriatic Sea.

T

HE FEELING YOU GET as you cross the border into Montenegro

is that this is the last wild place in Europe and that anything can happen here. The name itself, Italian for “black mountain” (or Crna Gora in Montenegrin), has long conjured images of a remote mountain kingdom: proud, indomitable people; the promise of intrigue and romance. Even today, on the verge of becoming Europe’s next big destination, the nation that was until recently part of Serbia—and, before that, Yugoslavia— has lost none of its allure.

On the coastal road at noon, in the melting heat of late July, we are driving around the fjord-like Bay of Kotor, its steep hillsides littered with Greek, Roman and Illyrian ruins, and dilapidated Venetian Gothic buildings, with the sparkling blue Adriatic close enough to jump into from an open car window.

Fortunate to have been brought here as a child in the 1960’s, I’m reminded at every turn why I wanted to come back with my own family.

Montenegro has always been a frontier between East and West. This is the land of the freedom fighter—forged out of adversity over five centuries of holding back the forces of Islam—who later provided heroic resistance to the Axis powers during World War II. There’s also a historic family connection. In 1943, my father, Fitzroy Maclean, was in Yugoslavia leading the British wartime mission to assist Tito and the partisans. His adventures helped fuel rumors that he was the model for Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Now, after 40 years of Communist rule and a decade of Balkan strife, Europe’s lost Shangri-la is re-entering the modern world.

In contrast to the growing prosperity of neighboring Croatia, the roadside villages I drive through with my wife and two daughters have a down-at-the-heels look, as if progress has been put on hold for the past 20 years. The lack of development has helped keep Montenegro’s natural beauty mostly untouched, its tradition of friendliness toward visitors uncorrupted and the culture of an ancient civilization intact. But now that its huge potential for tourist-related 132

development is about to be realized and hotel companies are throwing up new buildings and renovating old ones, the country faces issues that are both philosophical and practical.

At the southern end of the former Yugoslavia, this newly sovereign state (in the spring of 2006, Montenegrins voted for independence from Serbia) is not hard to reach. To drive in from Croatia, we turn left instead of right out of Dubrovnik airport, and half an hour later we’re at the border. Ten kilometers further on, near the sleepy village of Morinj, we are sitting outdoors under linen canopies, having a lunch of black ´ atovic´a risotto, gulf shrimp and cold local Sauvignon at the C Mlini. The old mill has been converted into a fine restaurant that has won a reputation for its cooking and the warm hospitality of Lazar, whose family has owned the building for 200 years.

Driving on around the Bay of Kotor, we stop to look at Perast, a tiny UNESCO-protected maritime town dating back to the pre-Christian era. Illyrian tribes once held sway in the region; Perast was later rebuilt by seafaring Venetians as a strategic harbor. There’s a magnificent Baroque church, St. Nikola’s, with a lofty belfry dedicated to the defeat of the Turks in 1654, and many balconied waterfront mansions.

Apart from an ice-cream stand and some boys playing soccer, the dusty piazza is deserted, and some of the backstreets are overgrown with vines, fig trees and oleander, though they probably won’t be for much longer. All along the coast, foreigners, most notably investors from Germany and the United Kingdom, are snapping up derelict but oncegrand stone houses.

A few meters offshore lie the twin islets of St. George (Sveti Djordje) and Our Lady of the Rock (Gospa od Sˇkrpjela). The former is the cypress-shaded home of a Benedictine monastery, which recalls Arnold Böcklin’s haunting Island of the Dead series, which he began in 1880. The latter, a man-made reef of sunken ships on which locals built a votive chapel and a blue-domed church to the Virgin Mary, seems to float magically on the calm waters of the gulf. A keeper’s lodge has been turned into a museum filled with touchingly grateful memorials to deliverance from perils at sea.

Sitting on the bay, the walled city of Kotor has been an important Mediterranean port since Roman times. As I wander the narrow pedestrian streets and emerge unexpectedly into empty, marble-flagged squares lined with medieval and Renaissance buildings, I am reminded of Dubrovnik (another once independent city–republic) before it was discovered by tourists. In the heat of the day, when every sensible person is enjoying a siesta, we have the old city and its architectural riches—the Pima and Drago palaces, the clock tower and the Cathedral of St. Tryphon, a twin-towered Romanesque beauty consecrated in 1166—all to ourselves. Behind the cathedral, the defensive walls—almost 5 kilometers long »

Church and State Clockwise from left: Moracˇa Monastery, near Kolasˇin; a local fisherman from Perast; Budva’s old town; the church of St. Nikola, in Perast, on the Bay of Kotor in southwest Montenegro; the beach at Sveti Stefan, on the southern coast.

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The WAHIBA dunes extend for thousands of square kilometers; bedouins are said to inhabit them, subsisting on what, I have no idea

The mountains plunge down through ancient groves to what Lord Byron described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most beautiful meeting of land and seaâ&#x20AC;?

Ada Bojana Beach, in southern Montenegro. Above: A mountain town in Durmitor.

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and, in places, 15 meters thick—snake up the steep rocky hillside to the ruined 14th-century fortress of St. Ivan.

Earthquakes have struck here with devastating effect, but the walls somehow always survived; Kotor also prides itself on never having been taken by force.

It’s not all time warp. Around the central Square of Weapons (Trg od Oruzja), there are cafés, discos and restaurants, even an Irish-themed pub; designer stores sit next to real estate offices and boutique hotels are being fixed up for the discerning. In the harbor, the yachts of wealthy visitors are a sign of things to come.

We leave Kotor on the “Old Road,” which follows a zigzag mule track known as the Ladder of Cattaro (previously the only way into central Montenegro) and climbs into the mountains with a series of alarming hairpin bends. There’s barely enough room for two cars to pass, and often no safety barrier.

I try to ignore gasps from the backseat as the road becomes insanely precipitous. We halt at the top to take in the views of the Bay of Kotor, a spill of quicksilver far below us. The roadside is carpeted with wildflowers and everywhere butterflies float up on thermals.

Cresting a rugged escarpment, we feel like we’ve reached the roof of the world before winding slowly down into the valley where Cetinje, the former royal capital of Montenegro, lies in a green bowl among the rocky peaks. The road snakes through the tiny Alpine hamlet of Njegusˇi, birthplace of the two great Montenegrin princes of the Petrovic´ dynasty, Njegosˇ and Danilo, but it’s no less famous for producing the finest cheese and smoked ham in the land, served in village taverns with Vranac, a local red wine.

OMEWHERE ON THE OUTSKIRTS of Cetinje, I take a wrong turn and my inner escapist comes back to earth with a bump. Looking for the Grand Hotel, we find ourselves instead in a war-zone landscape of abandoned factories and graffiti-covered apartment blocks; streets full of weeds, broken glass and mounds of uncollected garbage.

Although there was no fighting on Montenegrin soil, recovery from the economic damage done by the last Balkan conflict in the 1990’s has been slow. Jobs are scarce here, the old factories have closed down and money is in short supply. “This isn’t much of a royal city,” my wife observes, but then I hang a right and soon we’re on a wide, tree-lined boulevard, admiring the faded grandeur of 19th-century palaces and government buildings.

We are almost the only guests at the Grand Hotel, a concrete-and-glass throwback from the Communist days with an odd charm all its own. Exploring its many common rooms, I stumble on a chess tournament in silent progress and a ghostly ballroom that’s straight out of The Shining. We briefly lose a daughter on the elevators, but Diana is soon restored to us by a kind member of the staff. As we discover, Montenegro is a country where children are universally loved and can still

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rely on adults for protection. We have dinner with Svetislav “Pule” Vujovic´, a retired ambassador and a friend of a Montenegrin we know in the United Kingdom, who grew up here and has offered to be our guide. From Pule (a nickname meaning “little one,” though he’s well over 1.8 meters tall), we learn that in 2000—when it was feared Milosˇevic´ might attack Cetinje—the Grand Hotel was used as a fortified barracks by volunteers ready to defend their city to the last. The attack never came, Pule believes, partly because no one had forgotten that after World War II, the citizens of Cetinje were awarded the order of National Hero for personal courage in battle.

That night the children sleep through an earsplitting thunderstorm, only to be awakened by strangely musical plumbing noises and dogs under the windows howling like wolves—or maybe they are wolves—but our affection for the Grand grows.

The next morning Pule takes me on a whirlwind tour, starting with the State Museum in the former palace of King Nicholas I, the last sovereign of Montenegro, who died in 1921. The modest, suffocating salons of his palace recall the comic-opera atmosphere of the type of court that inspired Franz Lehár to write The Merry Widow. I notice a tapestry of Verdi that was a gift from George Bernard Shaw to the king’s piano-playing daughter, Princess Jelena. The late Steven Runciman, Britain’s preeminent Byzantine historian, knew the Petrovic´ princesses and once described them to me as “delightful, but hirsute.” I study their faces in the melancholy sepia photographs on the walls of their parents’ bedroom— not a mustache among them.

The Biljarda is an earlier palace, built in 1838 as the residence of the prince-bishop Petar II Petrovic´ Njegosˇ and named affectionately after the billiard table he imported from Italy. In addition to writing some of the finest poetry in Serbian, Njegosˇ brought together Montenegro’s warring clans and laid the foundations for centralized power. An imposing figure, almost 2.1 meters tall (Montenegrins are among the tallest people in the world), he died of tuberculosis at 38 and is venerated as the wise and saintly father of his country.

The time I’ve allotted runs out abruptly during a visit to the Art Museum of Cetinje, where I linger too long over the Madonna of Philermos, a Greek icon believed to date from the ninth century, and I have to sprint to my interview with the current president of Montenegro, Filip Vujanovic´.

Accompanied by Pule, I climb the red-carpeted steps of the presidential palace, which are flanked by soldiers with drawn sabers in magnificent scarlet tunics.

After a short wait, an aide leads us into a grand reception room, where we shake hands with the president. In his early 50’s, tall, handsome and, with a hint of Kennedy dash, he launches into an infectiously enthusiastic riff about the future of his country. » 135

Although he spends most of the year in the administrative capital, Podgorica, the president has a soft spot for Cetinje, which he hopes to restore to its former glory. He talks about attracting foreign investment and making Cetinje a world tourism center, bringing visitors up from Kotor by cable car—the Austrians, it seems, are doing a feasibility study. I can’t help thinking about the rough outskirts of town, but before I can ask about plans to improve the infrastructure, the president jumps up and suggests we continue the conversation over lunch.

The terrace of the Belveder restaurant, 2.4 kilometers outside of Cetinje, has a stage-set view of the mountains that once made it a favorite picnic spot of King Nicholas.

Although the best table has been reserved for the presidential party—now expanded to include my wife and children, whom Pule and I collected from the hotel—there are regular customers eating on the terrace too, and all seem pleased—if unsurprised—to be sharing the space with their president.

A six-course banquet has been laid out and features the traditional dish of lamb baked in a pot buried under hot coals. The meat is succulent and tender. During a lull in the sometimes-stilted conversation, our 14-year-old daughter, Charlotte, turns to President Vujanovic´ and comments on the

when the cloistering effect of the terrain means that thunderclaps follow lightning bolts almost immediately, and the Lovc´en experience can be truly awe-inspiring, according to Pule.

Montenegrins are naturally affectionate. In Podgorica, I ask a young and beautiful woman for directions to a store and am startled when she takes my hand and leads me there, a delightfully innocent yet memorable gesture. The way Pule acts with our children when they’re being difficult, walking and talking with them until the mood passes, is no less endearing. A man notices that I’m looking for a parking place and crosses the street to hold one without being asked or having any thought of reward. It’s little incidents like these that predispose one to fall under a country’s spell.

We return to the coast near the medieval port of Budva, where the mountains plunge down through ancient groves of olive, cypress and wild pomegranate to what Lord Byron described as “the most beautiful meeting of land and sea” on the planet. It still dazzles, but slow-crawling traffic welcomes you now to the Budva Riviera—18 kilometers of rocky coves and former fishing villages. It is in this part of the country that the revival of the region is most evident, as hotels, casinos, café–bars and restaurants are being opened or upgraded.

In its heyday, during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, Sveti Stefan attracted a stream of celebrities way her glass, no matter how much she drinks, is always full (the waiters are invisibly attentive). She makes a reference to a magic goblet in one of the Harry Potter books, and the ice is broken. The afternoon becomes a lively Balkan party, until duty calls and the president’s aides whisk him away. or on the moon?” George Bernard Shaw wondered a century ago on reaching the summit of Lovc´en, the mountain that rises above Cetinje and is held sacred by all Montenegrins. After driving up the serpentine road through Lovc´en National Park, we work off lunch puffing up 461 steps to the top of Jezerski, one of the mountain’s twin peaks, where the mausoleum of Njegosˇ sits poised on a ridge like a hunched stone eagle. It’s worth the effort for the art alone. A pair of 4.25-meter granite caryatids guards the entrance to the hero’s tomb, and a colossal statue of him by the great Croatian sculptor Ivan Mesˇtrovic´ looms in the antechamber.

From a windswept platform reached by a precarious footpath, you can see the whole of Montenegro. Many claim that the view, as you turn from the shining Adriatic to the frozen seas of jagged peaks, has a spiritual dimension. Venture up here during a thunderstorm (a frequent event in summer),

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Heading south along the coastal road, we get tantalizing glimpses of Sveti Stefan and the sea far below. The famously picturesque hotel–village, a cluster of 15th-century fishermen’s cottages atop a rocky outcrop and tethered to the mainland by a white stone causeway, will be home for the next few days.

A magical, sunstruck place surrounded by the clearest, bluest water, it has changed little since I came here with my parents in 1962, soon after the hotel had opened, and the cottage suites, set among palm trees and hanging gardens, were considered a novelty as well as the last word in luxury. I recall spending all day in the warm sea, then eating under the stars on a restaurant terrace that was like the deck of a great ocean liner. At every meal, platters of golden french fries held aloft by skillful waiters arrived at our table without being ordered.

The terrace remains the same, golden fries are still on the menu (which delights my own children) and they reach the table in the same grand manner. In other ways, however, the hotel is showing its age. Tour groups wander through its intimate alleys, while stocky Russian-mafia types in dark glasses talk into mobile phones and ignore their bored blond companions. In its heyday, during the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, »

By the Seashore Clockwise from left: The Bianca Resort & Spa, in Kolasˇin; a pier on Lake Scutari, in the south of Montenegro; the owner of a fish shack on Ada Bojana, also in the south; frescoes in the Moracˇa Monastery, near Kolasˇin; a house in the Durmitor region.

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Lake Biogradska, near KolasË&#x2021;in.

Above: The beach at Sveti Stefan.

Sveti Stefan attracted a stream of celebrities—Orson Welles, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and other A-listers—whose glamorous patronage was an early casualty of the Milosˇevic´ war years. “The Pearl of the Adriatic” may have lost some of its luster—spotty plumbing, faded fabrics—but it’s about to be restored. In January 2007, Amanresorts took out a 30-year lease on Sveti Stefan from the Montenegrin government (along with one for the Hotel Milocˇer, a former royal palace in the next bay that had also seen better days). After multimillion-dollar face-lifts, both hotels will reopen as the Aman Sveti Stefan, and no one doubts that the movie stars will be back.

Midas touch of modernization has yet to reach, you’d think you were in another country.

The classical Venetian influence that dominates the coastal towns is replaced by the strong Slavic culture found among the small communities huddled in the mountains.

From Sveti Stefan, our island sanctuary, we make day trips into the interior to visit the Orthodox monasteries of Moracˇa and Ostrog. Although promoted as tourist attractions—for the sublimeness of the buildings, for the medieval and Baroque frescoes that cover the interior walls, for their role as repositories of icons, manuscripts and liturgical treasures— monasteries in Montenegro remain active places of worship and devout pilgrimage. Many are self-sustaining communities of monks and nuns; the tidy whitewashed enclave at Moracˇa, with its orchards and beehives and rose-covered cloisters, bears witness to a private peace, despite the many visitors.

The atmosphere at Ostrog, a vertical complex of cavechurches and monasteries carved out of the face of a cliff high above the River Zeta, is more intense. Pilgrims come from all over the world to this spectacular shrine, which has a reputation for miraculous cures. Joining a line that snakes through narrow tunnels and up spiral stone stairs, I find myself in a candlelit sepulchre bowing low over a red velvet cloth that is briefly raised by a black-robed monk to allow a glimpse of the bones of the monastery’s 17th-century founder, St. Basil of Ostrog. Backing away toward the exit as a mark of respect, I hit my head on the roof of the cavern and emerge into the sunlight, stunned, on a high windy ledge overlooking the valley 610 meters below.

On the drive back down the almost perpendicular mountainside, I reassure my passengers that according to local folklore no one has ever had an accident on the winding road to or from Ostrog. If this is true, then it’s a remarkable exception in a country where the highways are mostly poor, the terrain challenging (landslides and deep potholes are frequent obstacles) and collisions common. Montenegrins love to drive fast and regard passing the car in front of them as not only their moral duty, but an extreme sport. It’s not a death wish that motivates them, but more a proud refusal to be held in thrall by mere mortality.

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NLAND, WHERE THE

Near Ada Bojana at the southernmost point in the country, we stop at the former pirate stronghold of Ulcinj, hoping to explore its reputedly exotic greenmarket, only to discover we have come on the wrong day. The ancient seaport (where Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, was believed to be imprisoned by the Turks and supposedly found the inspiration for his Dulcinea) belonged to the Ottoman Empire until 1880. With its crowded, bazaar-like shopping streets and the stunning Pasha Mosque, it has retained a strong Muslim character. Most of the people are ethnic Albanians, but you get a sense here of the hard-won peaceable coexistence of Islam and Christianity. Farther south, the land flattens into salt pans and marshes teeming with wildlife, and before lunch we swim in the sea off Velika Plazˇa, a 12-kilometer stretch of shimmering, mineral-rich sand soon to become—according to the “Tourism Masterplan,” whose German author I met by chance over breakfast at the Grand Hotel in Cetinje—the site of future “volume” hotels.

Returning back up the coast, we make a detour to look at Stari Bar, a walled city of romantic ruins dating from the ninth century (though recent archaeological finds show the site was occupied in 800 B.C.). As we enter the fortified gates, not another tourist in sight, my children decide they’ve had enough of trudging around ancient monuments. We compromise with a brief wander through the visible layers of civilizations laid bare by wars, earthquakes and excavation before heading home to Sveti Stefan and mounds of golden fries.

DURMITOR, A HIGH mountain range in northern Montenegro that is bordered by two deep canyons, feels far from the Adriatic coast and presents a different side of the country. Crumbling, curving roads, sometimes single-lane, take us up through steep-sided green valleys and alpine meadows covered in wildflowers. Far below, glacial lakes, or “mountain eyes,” as the Montenegrins call them, stare up at us. After a morning walk to the nearby Black Lake (Crno Jezero), I head back to the Planinka resort, a Communist-era hotel in the town of Zˇabljak. On the way I meet a posse of snowboarders in beach clothes heading for the Debeli Namet snowfield; and gypsies selling wild strawberries and honey from the trunk of a broken-down Lada. I feel ambivalent when I’m told that the hotel will soon be demolished and rebuilt by an Italian developer.

It’s up here in the pristine, ecologically sensitive Durmitor— with its abundant flora (more than 1,300 plant species, many of them rare or endemic or both) and wide variety of fauna (including lynx, bear and wolf)—that the impact of tourism seems potentially most destructive. Yet since at least 1878, Montenegrins have had a keen awareness that unspoiled nature is the country’s most valuable resource; in that year, King Nicholas created the Biogradska Gora National Park, now one of the last virgin forests in Europe.

In 1991, again ahead of its time, the Montenegrin »

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government declared that it was adopting an environmentally responsible stewardship of nature as a state policy, calling upon “all the people to show wisdom and prevent an impending ecological catastrophe.”

Montenegro’s “Wild Beauty” campaign certainly sounds as if it’s aimed at the green traveler. But no one is under any illusions about the difficulties of implementing such a pledge.

In Sveti Stefan, I talk to Predrag Nenezic´, the young minister of Tourism and the Environment, about the politics of managing development: a balancing act between increasing tourist numbers, raising living standards—which can’t be done without foreign investment and eventual EU membership— and preserving the unique qualities of Montenegro as an ecological destination.

“The average income here is US$450 a month,” Nenezic´ says. “If we want to achieve our goals we need to carry the people with us, which means improving their lives through education, jobs and prosperity. We can’t afford to get it wrong, and we don’t have unlimited time.”

There is a perception that Montenegro is the next Croatia, and I suggest to Nenezic´ that there are already signs that the race to buy up businesses and property may end up ruining the coast. He dismisses tales of illegal building and wellknown fears of the Russians taking over.

He agrees that the country is largely not ready for high-end tourists—with the exception of Sveti Stefan, parts of the Budva Riviera and the Bianca Resort, an upmarket ski lodge in Kolasˇin. We discuss the infrastructure problems, the water shortages, frequent power cuts, nerve-wracking roads and other inconveniences, but then, disarmingly, he suggests that for the adventurous traveler who would most appreciate the real Montenegro, now is the perfect time to visit.

I don’t want to say, yes, I’ll be advising readers to go before

it’s too late. But to some extent it is what I think. On the other hand, there’s plenty of hope, determination and goodwill here; and an awareness of how important it is for Montenegro to achieve that difficult, if not impossible, balance.

Montenegrins, I feel, may just pull it off.

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E SPEND OUR LAST day white-water rafting on the

Tara River. We’re all novices, but Dusko, our guide, hands us helmets and life vests with a cheerful “No worry” as we scramble aboard the inflatable boat; soon, we’re gliding silently downstream over the clear green water. Rocks and other submerged hazards come up with little warning and are only avoided by Dusko’s shouting out “left” or “right”—instructing those on one side of the boat to paddle harder than those on the other.

Before long we’re rocketing over rapids that may be tamer than they look, but are thrilling enough to get our adrenaline going and leave us soaking wet. When we enter a long, peaceful stretch, there’s time to look up the soaring sides of Tara Canyon—the deepest in Europe—to a narrow strip of blue sky above. After passing a solitary monastery sitting in a terraced meadow, we pause for a rest on a sandy spit, disembarking to admire a tributary waterfall. Dusko points out the foundations of a bridge built by the Romans.

You can travel like this for up to three days, camping at night on the banks of the Tara. It’s an expedition I’d like to come back and do another year, but for now we return to our base upriver by Jeep, and eat a lunch of river trout and cold lamb and tomatoes in olive oil.

As I reflect on our Montenegrin adventure, it strikes me that I haven’t been anywhere that has made me feel so alive, or glad to be alive, in a long time—and that surely has to be the highest possible recommendation.

GUIDE TO MONTENEGRO want to experience the country’s natural beauty, architecture and historic sights with fewer tourists, spring and fall are the best times to visit.

WHEN TO GO During the summer high season, it’s possible to climb the peaks of the Dinaric Alps and swim in the Adriatic off the Budva Riviera on the same day. But for those who

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GETTING THERE Montenegro Airlines flies from certain European hubs (including Frankfurt and Paris) to the country’s two international airports (Tivat, on the coast, and Podgorica, inland). Alternatively, you can fly to Dubrovnik’s Cˇilipi airport, 20 kilometers from the Croatia–Montenegro border.

WHERE TO STAY Bianca Resort & Spa Kolasˇin; 382-81/863-000; biancaresort. com; doubles from US$213.

Hotel Grand Cetinje; 382-86/242-400; hotel-grand.tripod.com; doubles from US$96.

GREAT VALUE

Hotel Milocer Scheduled to reopen sometime in 2008 as part of the Aman Sveti Stefan. King’s Beach, Budva; vetistefan@amanresorts.com; telephone and rates not available at press time.

Planinka Hotel Z ˇabljak, Durmitor National Park; 382-89/361-344; doubles from US$70, including breakfast.

GREAT VALUE

Sveti Stefan Scheduled to reopen in summer 2009 as the Aman Sveti Stefan. svetistefan@

amanresorts.com; telephone and rates not available at press time.

WHAT TO EAT Belveder Cetinje; 382-86/235282; lunch for two from US$36. ´atovic´a Mlini Morinj; 382C 82/373-030; lunch for two from US$44.

WHAT TO READ Montenegro: The Bradt Travel Guide Annalisa Rellie’s book is the best guide to the country.

Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro A comprehensive look at the history of Montenegro, by Elizabeth Roberts. Cornell University Press.

Selling wild berries at a farm stand near Black Lake, in Durmitor National Park.

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(My Favorite Place)

VIETNAM

Motorbikes throng in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, near Hoan Kiem Lake.

In his latest book, The Open Road, Pico Iyer covers 34 years of travels with the Dalai Lama. Here, he tells PAUL EHRLICH why Hanoi fits his mood colonial villas speak for a tempo contradicted at every turn cyclo drivers in berets making by the swerving, rushing motorbikes. Hanoi seems somehow their way past tiny shops adorned with coasters to be looking backwards and forwards at the same time, as it showing Che Guevara. Elegant boutiques with injects sleek cool into dusty traditions. names like “Seduire” bringing the sensual languor The finest food I’ve ever tasted; a proud and indomitable of an idealized France into the same sentence as Uncle Ho’s sense of its own dignity and history; an industrious, quick austerity. How can I not turn to Hanoi when I’m looking for and determined people who (thanks to the centuries) exude a mixture of softness and rigor, a sense of romance blended weathered chic without even trying. Hanoi is a monument with an unbending and sharp-eyed sense of real life? to inner resources.

Whenever I return to the misty and rusty Ho Chi Minh City to the south is too old capital of Vietnam, what hits me is its driven by pell-mell energy and restlessness. steely sweetness, its mix of invigoration and The countries all around have exceptional calm; the streets of the Old Quarter are charm, but not always a sense of the famously buzzing with life. The lake at the struggles behind them. Hanoi is the cultured center of town, Hoan Kiem, is gray and matron who invites you into her house for a rainy every time I’ve visited, but that is what concert on an ancient stringed instrument— draws to it poets and painters who traffic in and then stays up all night to take care of textures and all that’s lost in tropical glare.

Pico Iyer in front of her accounts. ✚ Along the tamarind-lined streets, the French the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi.

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