the best styles & Designs for 2012
SoutheaSt aSia
March 2012
Secret Beaches
5
little-known gems, from the philippines to brazil
Asian Cool
top tips from five hip tastemakers
TravelandLeisureAsia.com
Singapore S$7.90 ● Hong Kong HK$43 THailand THB175 ● indoneSia idr50,000 MalaySia Myr17 ● VieTnaM Vnd85,000 Macau Mop44 ● pHilippineS pHp240 BurMa MMK35 ● caMBodia KHr22,000 Brunei Bnd7.90 ● laoS laK52,000
made in manila unearthing the city’s creative vibe
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contents march 2012 volume 06 : issue 03
102
artist anton lopez and friends at his exhibit TBC Manila.
features 102 Breaking the mold
francisco guerrero
in manila The capital of the Philippines is chaotic and crowded, but it’s also a haven for a growing creative culture, writes lara day, as long as you look in
the right places. photographed by francisco guerrero. guide 111
118 seattle state of mind
112 Undiscovered Beaches These five hideaways, from Brazil to the Philippines, are—at least for now—under the radar. photographed by dave lauridsen
literary ambience and culinary
Yes, it rains in Seattle. gary shteyngart soaks up the delights, its late-night characters and early-morning coffee shops. And then the sun comes out. photographed by jake stangel. guide and map 125
travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 7
contents
march 2012 volume 06 : issue 03
t+l southeast asia
the best styles & Designs for 2012
style & design special / manila / 2012 design awards / hanoi / undiscovered beaches / seattle / rangoon
SoutheaSt aSia
March 2012
Secret Beaches
5
little-known gems, from the philippines to brazil
Asian Cool
top tips from five hip tastemakers
m a rc h 2 012
TravelandLeisureAsia.com
Singapore S$7.90 ● Hong Kong HK$43 THailand THB175 ● indoneSia idr50,000 MalaySia Myr17 ● VieTnaM Vnd85,000 Macau Mop44 ● pHilippineS pHp240 BurMa MMK35 ● caMBodia KHr22,000 Brunei Bnd7.90 ● laoS laK52,000
made in manila unearthing the city’s creative vibe
03Cover FINAL CKv3.indd 1
10/02/2012 17:53
On the cOver
near Panglao in the Philippines, one of five of our undiscovered beaches (see page 112). Photographed by Francisco Guerrero.
special section 92 t+l design awards 2012 Thoughtful design makes travel better, and for T+L’s annual competition, our distinguished jury chose the best of the year. PLUS T+L’s annual salute to our Design Champion.
92 42
newsflash 29 Luxury furniture, art in Asia, Singapore dining deals and more.
37 restaUrants From Latin fare to charming local spots, the culinary options in Phnom Penh are getting more enticing by the minute. by naomi lindt 42 hotels Bangkok’s new designdriven hotels offer plenty of style without the premium prices. by liang xinyi
37
44 cafes An artisanal coffee wave is underway in Singapore. Here’s where to drop in for craft cuppas. by liang xinyi 48 eXPerts Lifestyle aficionados offer their own takes on what to eat, buy and do in five Asian cities.
8 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
c lo c kw i s e f r o m to p : n i c l e h o ux ; c e d r i c a r n o l d ( 2 )
insider
contents
march 2012 volume 06 : issue 03
79 56 after dark New Hanoi bars are enticing patrons up to the city’s rooftops. by karryn miller. 60 citY gUide Germany’s cultural capital of Berlin has a polished new edge. by maria shollenbarger
stylish traveler 67 icon Whether hitting Hong Kong or strolling in Hanoi, add a splash of color to your wardrobe with these smart soles. 68 Uniform For handbag designer Christina Yu, frequent travel involves equal parts style and comfort. by karryn miller
sarah rooney heads out in search of some answers. photographed by cedric arnold 86 drinks Oregon’s Willamette Valley has long reveled in its status as the anti-Napa. Now its boutique vineyards have been joined by a luxurious new hotel and a crop of ambitious chefs. bruce schoenfeld visits an unspoiled region of America, one that’s ripe for discovery. photographed by steve kepple
departments 14 editor’s note 21 contriBUtors 22 mail 24 Best deals 26 ask t+l 72 strategies 76 smart traveler 126 last look
67
70 sPotlight Designer and Project Runway Judge Michael Kors tells mimi lombardo about the South African trip that influenced his new collection.
journal 79 Preservation Rangoon’s rich collection of colonial architecture is worn down, so what happens to it now that the country is opening up to the outside world?
10 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
60
c lo c kw i s e f r o m to p l e f t: st e v e k e p p l e ; c e d r i c a r n o l d ; p e t e r r i g ua d ; l e v i b r ow n
86
in this issue
Berlin 60
seattle 118
Phnom Penh 37 manila 102 rangoon 79
trIp IDeAS
DeStInAtIOnS SOutheASt ASIA Bali 30, 126 Bangkok 30, 42, 48, 72 Burma 26 hanoi 56, 72 hong Kong 32, 48 Jakarta 24, 48 Kuala lumpur 48 malaysia 72 maldives 32 manila 72, 102 Philippines 112 Phnom Penh 37 Phuket 30, 72 rangoon 79 samui 24 singapore 24, 32, 44, 72 taipei 24, 48 thailand 24, 29 vietnam 26
eurOpe Berlin 60 France 112 hamburg 92 Paris 92 reykjavik 92 the AmerIcAS Brazil 112 california 112 new York 92 oregon 86 seattle 118
architecture
79, 92
arts + culture
32, 48, 60
Beaches
24, 112
Books
48, 118
city
24, 79, 102, 118
design
29, 32, 48, 92, 102
Fashion
32, 48, 67, 68, 70
Food + Wine
32, 37, 44, 48
hotels + resorts
24, 32, 42, 60, 72, 92
nightlife
56
shopping
30, 48
travel tips
74, 76
AfrIcA AnD the mIDDle eASt abu dhabi 92 istanbul 92 south africa 70 tel aviv 92
Featured destination
Seattle
if you’re into urban kayaking, don’t worry about the emerald city’s weather: light rain is ideal for the sport. march sees the start of the kayak season at the Paddle club on Portage Bay, located between lakes union and Washington, which offer views of the space needle or Foster island, home to migratory birds. For lunch, try the club’s agua verde café. (For more on seattle, see page 118).
12 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
j a k e s ta n g e l ( 3 )
travel tip
ASIA Beijing 72 china 24 mumbai 72 tokyo 32
AuStrAlIA, new ZeAlAnD AnD the pAcIfIc lord howe island 112 new Zealand 92
editor’s note where to find me )) chrisk@mediatransasia.com )) @CKucway on Twitter
vOte, nOte AnD check-In
Anyone who loves to travel knows that cutting -edge style and d esign—everything from must-have gadgets to jaw-dropping architecture—plays an integral role in our journeys. We globe-trot to explore and to experience all that is new, so design is key. As in years past, our 2012 Design Awards (page 92) present a global take on what’s avant-garde and, hopefully, helpful on our travels. On a more local level is an inside look at the stylish side of Asia through the eyes of five creative types in different settings (“The Cool Hunters,” page 48). Don’t miss their inside take on everywhere from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta. One city not mentioned is the Philippine capital, though we do tour its evolving style scene in “Breaking the Mold in Manila” (page 102). Manila? Yes, it’s true. Often the best side of any city is the one that goes beyond the guidebook, ventures outside of the shopping mall and explores what locals love best about their home. The underbelly. That’s true in Manila. Think guerilla dinners; a warehouse full of hip entrepreneurs and their creations; and soothing, difficult-to-find eateries.
Yet design doesn’t always have to be flashy and new to turn heads. I, for one, relish visiting places like Rangoon, where the colonial-era buildings that line city streets should be read like a history book—not always an easy premise in a closed society like Burma. The history in such dilapidation tells its own tale, so this month we take a look at some reasons to preserve this forgotten city’s crumbling architecture (“Legacy in Limbo,” page 79). Where some of us see great beauty in an old building, others need little more than a secluded strip of sand. If you count yourself among that crowd—and who doesn’t?—then look no further than “Undiscovered Beaches” (page 112), a glimpse of five hideaways around the world, including stops in the Philippines and Australia. There are quite a few more scattered around Southeast Asia, we know, and we’ll be sharing them with you in the coming months. For now, just get out and explore.— c h r i s t o p h e r ku c way
world’s Best remember to vote for your favorite hotels and resorts at www.tlworldsBest. com/intl until the end of this month. a sense of Place Keep an eye peeled for the book Pondicherry, a visual exploration of the seaside city by contributing photographer sebastian cortés. he gets beyond the merely public spaces he shoots and into the private world to tell his stories. made in china new to china is the Westin Xian, with 329 guest rooms and suites designed to reflect the city’s history. the hotel exterior, for starters, takes its cues from the ninth century tang dynasty, the golden age of the city. there’s also a museum, home to more than 2,000 artifacts from the surrounding area. westin.com/xian; 86-29/6568-6568.
travel + leisure 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 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
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The KiTano new yorK
with a 4G smartphone and a theater ticket I came home with a Yankees hat and a passion for Grimaldi’s pies Real travel changes us. New places and new experiences reveal new ways of looking at the world. Summit Hotels & Resorts is like your own global concierge, offering real travelers unique access to the luxury and adventure of culture. Visit SummitHotels.com/TLSEA and begin to see
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T O P, F R O M L E F T : d O u g L a s c h O i ; F R a n c i s c O g u E R R E R O ; c O u R T E s y O F K a R R y n M i L L E R ; J a K E s Ta n g E L ; F R a n c i s c O g u E R R E R O ; a a R O n J O E L s a n TO s
contributors
gary shteyngart writer
karryn miller writer
Assignment “Seattle State of Mind” (page 118). thing to do in seAttle Go down to Georgetown and just let something gritty happen to you. Eventually, it will. the city is... So damn cheap. It’s the cheapest place I think I’ve ever been to for Travel + Leisure, Berlin included. how do yoU docUment yoUr trAvel experiences? In both a flimsy little notebook and on a series of napkins that take days to decode. essentiAl trAvel items Everything I need I steal from business class. Books or e-reAders? I don’t know how to use an e-reader, but I do know how to turn on a book.
Assignment Wrote “Night Views” (page 56). Biggest chAnge in hAnoi The traffic. Cyclos, bikes and mopeds are slowly being replaced by cars. Hanoi’s streets can’t handle more wheels, driving here is madness. in hAnoi, do not miss... People watching while drinking Vietnamese coffee, whether from one of the makeshift street stalls or from a café. If you sit in a place long enough you’ll find that Hanoi comes to you. mUst eAt in vietnAm Pho cuon, rice paper spring rolls. Their thicker, softer skin makes them more delicious than most. hAnoi or sAigon? Hanoi, but I love both cities. Saigon is great for a weekend getaway (especially during Hanoi’s dreary winter) but the capital has more charm in its architecture and to me feels more Vietnamese. next Big AdventUre Mumbai! After two years in Vietnam it’s time to tackle India.
francisco guerrero photographer Assignment “Brand Manila” (page 102). UnderrAted mAnilA The creative vibe you feel everywhere. There are galleries, bars and coffee shops sprouting up and that vibe just infuses these places. FAve getAwAy in the city The Collective. You end up meeting the owners of the stores and the regulars. It’s a great place to sit down and chat about anything from art to environmental issues. Oh, and the burgers are good. Best mAnilA designs The random chaos of street markets in Quiapo. don’t Forget to BUy A T-shirt from Team Manila. FAvorite getAwAy A two-hour drive south to Batangas for its beaches and dive sites. Along the way you can stop in Tagaytay for some great food and a cool breeze.
mail letter of the month tIme fOr SOme teA?
As much as I enjoyed your picks for a dozen places to go this year [“12 for 2012,” January 2012], I really can’t see myself heading to Mozambique in the near future, intriguing as it sounds. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is a place I’ve been fascinated with ever since I read Michael Ondaatje’s memoir Running in the Family nearly twenty years ago. You should cover the island nation in more detail. It seems like everyone is talking about it now, and I hear it’s a gem of a place for a vacation. —mary walters, hong kong
OrgAnIc OutreAch
It would be nice if hotels like the Four Seasons [“Natural Groceries,” January 2012] did more to promote the use of organic ingredients outside their properties, in communities at large. Maybe through some kind of outreach program? Local knowledge of plants and herbs seems to be disappearing so fast. Even in local markets the variety of fruits and vegetables isn’t what it was 30 years ago. It’s in the hospitality industry’s interest to preserve the aspects of northern Thailand that make it special. —phichit souvannavong, bangkok khmer flAIr
Bravo to the young artists, photographers and gallery owners who are revitalizing Cambodia’s art scene, and bravo to Naomi Lindt for uncovering the trend ["Generation C," January 2012]. I love art, I live only
three hundred kilometers from Phnom Penh and I had no idea that there was such a wealth of artistic energy there. People forget how vibrant “New Khmer” music was before the war, partly because so much of what was cutting-edge has been lost. It’s so heartening to see the Khmer flair for personal expression reassert itself. This is why I subscribe to your magazine—thank you. —margaret mckibben, siem reap DynAmIc DISh h
That is the most beautiful plate of food I’ve ever seen! [Sydney’s Next Great Neighborhood,” January 2012] I guess “biodynamic” means “almost too perfect to eat.” —shara murphy, penang
e-mAIl t+l send your letters to editor@travelandleisuresea.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.
bestdeals
budget-friendly tips for your travel planning
affordable asian trips
deal of the month s n a P
intercontinental samui Baan taling ngam resort, thailand.
w taipei, taiwan.
BY THE BEACH
shangri-la hotel, guilin, china.
URBAN STAYS
thAIlAnD Opening Offer at InterContInental SamuI Baan talIng ngam reSort (66-77/429-100; intercontinental.com/ samui). What’S InCluded A stay in a
InDOneSIA Enjoy Jakarta package at mandarIn orIental, JaKarta (62-21/29938800; mandarinoriental.com/jakarta). What’S InCluded A stay in Superior room with free
Beachfront Pool villa; welcome cocktails; breakfast at Amber restaurant; use of water sports facilities; and Wi-Fi Internet. CoSt From Bt17,195 per night, double, through March 31. SavIngS 20 percent.
room upgrade (if available) and extra bed for children under 12; daily breakfast at Cinnamon restaurant; a one-hour traditional Indonesian massage at Fitness and Wellness; and in-room Internet. CoSt From US$253 per night, double, through March 31. SavIngS Up to 30 percent.
InDOneSIA Six Senses package at Bali’s ayana reSort and Spa (62-361/702-222; ayanaresort.com). What’S InCluded A stay
in Resort View room with free room upgrade (when available); round-trip airport transfers; daily breakfast; a perfume making workshop; one Balinese massage; a yoga session; and one dinner with traditional dance performances. CoSt From US$337 per night, double, fournight minimum, through December 24. SavIngS Up to 40 percent.
SCENIC ESCAPE
chInA Spa package at ShangrI-la hotel, guIlIn (86-773/269-8888; shangri-la.com). What’S InCluded A stay in a Deluxe room;
round-trip airport transfers; daily breakfast; one 60-minute massage; and Internet. CoSt From RMB1,580 per night, two-night minimum, double, through March 31. SavIngS 30 percent. 24 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
tAIwAn Detox & Refuel package at W taIpeI (886-2/7703-8888; wtaipei.com). What’S InCluded A two-night stay in a
Wonderful room; four meals (two breakfasts and two lunches); fruit juices and smoothies; two massages at Away Spa; in-room aromatherapy; and morning exercises at Sweat gym. CoSt NT$45,600 (NT$22,800 per night), double, through August 23. SavIngS 58 percent.
thaIland Ramayana Indulgence package at ramayana Koh Chang resort & Spa (66-39/551033; ramayana.co.th). What’s Included A twonight stay in a Hanuman Deluxe room; daily breakfast; two set dinners; one snorkeling trip; one aromatherapy or massage; one kayaking trip; and free shuttle to Klong Plu Waterfall and White Sand Beach. Cost From Bt9,000 (Bt4,500 per night), double, through March 31. Savings 31 percent.
SIngApOre Jet Set package at movenpICK herItage hotel SentoSa (65/6818-3388; moevenpick-sentosa.com). What’S InCluded
A stay in a Deluxe room; welcome bottle of champagne; daily breakfast; late check-out (when available); and one-way limousine service from the hotel to airport. CoSt From S$388 per night, through June 30. SavIngS 47 percent.
ramayana Koh chang resort & spa, thailand.
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 i n t e r c o n t i n e n ta l s a m u i B a a n ta l i n G n G a m r e s o r t ; c o u r t e s Y o F W t a i P e i ; c o u r t e s Y o F s h a n G r i - l a h o t e l ; c o u r t e s Y o F r a m aY a n a K o h c h a n G r e s o r t & s P a
i t
A private paradise that knows no bounds
Chic industrial minimalism meets unabashed opulence. Bold light falling on richly textured surfaces. A family’s storied past colliding with ultra-modern design. Indigo Pearl now offers seven exclusive Pool Villas. A secluded haven at Phuket’s most daring destination resort. Luxury to crave.
www.indigo-pearl.com
i’m going to burma with my fiancée. any ideas for something special to do?
—marcel serrato, hong kong
there are few more memorable places in the world to watch the sun set than from a perch on the ledge of a 700-year-old pagoda at the Bagan archeological Park. as the sky turns the same ocher hue as the ground below it, even the dust can feel romantic, in its hazy otherworldliness. But there’s another, perhaps more impressive way to take in the ancient city’s nearly 2,500 temples. Balloons over Bagan (951/652-809; easternsafaris.com; standard service US$310 per person) offers safe, professional hot-air balloon rides that include a champagne breakfast. Because the balloons are breeze-powered, their flight path is dependent on the direction of the wind. every tour is different, every route a surprise. in the best spirit of travel, you never know where you’ll end up.
Paul greenberg’s Four Fish.
Q: are there anY crUises that focUs on vietnam? —marY ng, singapore A: As it happens, orion expedition cruises
(orionexpeditions.com) has announced three tours that take in some of Vietnam’s most compelling sites. Departures on March 12 and 21 (from US$5,387 per person, twin share) call in Saigon, Nha Trang, Danang, Hue, Hoi An, Halong Bay and Hanoi aboard the Orion II, which is small enough to navigate the waterways of the Vietnamese coast on a 10-day cruise. On March 30, Orion has a special photography expedition (from US$6,730 per person, twin share) that explores the country’s backwaters and unesco World Heritage Sites accompanied by a professional photographer. Q: how do i know that what i’m eating is ethicallY soUrced? —adriene wielens, denpasar A: It’s not easy to navigate the waters of
ethical dining—long-held traditions often hold more sway over what’s on the plate than considerations of dwindling fish populations, for instance. In November, however, The Peninsula Hotels removed shark fin from the menu at their restaurants, making them the first luxury hotel brand to do so. In January, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts followed suit and even went one step further, announcing that they will phase out Chilean sea bass and blue-fin tuna within the year at all 72 of their properties worldwide. For a deeper look at our complicated relationship with the ocean’s bounty, check out Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food, by Paul Greenberg (Penguin). what’s YoUr travel qUestion?
above ananda Pahto, in Bagan.
26 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
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(Questions may be edited for clarity and space.)
c l o c k w i s e f r o m to p l e f t: o r i o n e x p e d i t i o n s . c o m ; f o u r f i s h . o r g ; e a s t e r n s a fa r i s . c o m
askt+l
the Orion II.
The Ultimate Experience...
Serenity, Relaxation
& Nature
At Pimalai Resort & Spa, the only sounds you will hear are the waves gently washing on the shore, the sigh of the breeze in the trees,the rustle of the palm fronds. The only sights you’ll see are the luminous pink and orange of the tropical sunset, the spectacular limestone islands which dot the sea and the smiles of our staff. The only tastes you will taste are the heavenly cocktails at our beach bar, the exotic flavors of authentic Thai cuisine and the myriad choices on our international menu. Dream on your daybed, relax on your villa deck, swim in the stunning infinity pool or the ocean, explore the rainforest and the fabulous tropical gardens, indulge yourself at our spa… or do nothing at all.
www.pimalai.com
Koh Lanta • Krabi • Thailand e: reservation@pimalai.com t: +66 2 320 5500 f: +66 2 320 5503
WoRlD’S BEST AWARDS
2012 world's best awards survey vote for your 2012 favorites www.TLWorldsBest.com/intl
For your FavoriTe hoTeLs, spas, airLines, cruise Lines, TraveL companies and The desTinaTions you Love—in The onLy TruLy GLoBaL TraveL survey ThaT maTTers! vote now!
Dear Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia readers, We trust you. We trust your judgment. That’s why we want you to rate your global travel experiences for us, in the 2012 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. These awards are recognized as travel’s highest honor, so it’s time to give back to those hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines, travel companies and destinations you love. Readers of all global editions of Travel + Leisure will participate in the awards. So visit www.TLWorldsBest.com/intl and tell us exactly what you think. The full global results will be published in our August edition. Christopher Kucway Editor-in-Chief Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia
newsflash courtesY oF aleXander lamont
your global guide to what’s happening right now...
A gold leaf–covered mirror. Designer Alex Lamont, below; one of his bronze vase creations.
Furniture
PRECIoUS PIECES
With a relaunch, furniture designer Alex Lamont presents a more personal and sophisticated collection. b y m r i g a a s e t h i Alex Lamont’s workshop on the outskirts of Bangkok crafts luxury furniture, lighting and objets made with time-honored techniques—both Asian and European—and precious materials such as bronze, gold leaf and shagreen. This year, the company became known as Alexander Lamont, a move that seeks to “refresh and re-imagine the next ten years,” according to its namesake. Drawing inspiration from a moment in a film, the architecture of jewelry and elsewhere, the new collection, like his earlier work, feels both contemporary and antique, perhaps because Lamont’s intention “is to make things that will be considered beautiful now and that will be worthy of looking after”. Pieces include an eight-leg shagreen credenza that weighs more than 30 kilograms and tables reminiscent of Monet’s water lilies. 66-2/913-8218; alexanderlamont.com. travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 29
newflash
dESIgNER maSSagES Clockwise from above: The cocoon-like room at The Nest; watery and well-lit at The edge in Bali; a modern look at the Elemis Spa at the St. Regis Bangkok.
SpaS
The Design TreaTmenT With a “treatment nest” and a smaller “shower nest” both hanging from a 100-year-old banyan tree, The Nest at Indigo Pearl Phuket’s Coqoon Spa (indigo-pearl. com; traditional Thai massage Bt2,400), by Thai-based designer Bill Bensley, is a contrast to the resort’s industrialchic look. Influenced by the spherical home of the weaver bird, synthetic fibers wrapped around a steel frame create porous walls that seem to breathe, enveloping you as if you were a baby bird.
The urban Elemis Spa at the St. Regis Bangkok (starwoodhotels.com/stregis/ bangkok; traditional Thai massage Bt3,000) designed by Kate and Paul Greenwood of studioaria, elevates every element to luxurious effect: lavish white leather adorns the reception and corridor columns while sand-colored carpet with double underlay gives sensuously underfoot. The changing room becomes a place to linger with a duplex of pools and waterfall, relaxation pods, hydrotherapy and individually lit dressing tables. Spacious treatment rooms incoporate Rasul chambers, where guests can bathe in heat, steam and clay.
The edge in Bali’s Uluwatu district (the-edgebali.com; The Edge Massage US$65) offers a contrasting sense of sanctuary with cocooning, curving walls on one side and a bird’s eye panorama of the Indian Ocean on the other, in its single-room Spa. Dreamed up by Adria Lake of A.W.LAKE Spa Design & Concept, the spa’s short trip from the relaxation lounger to the treatment bed involves getting your feet wet: the floor of the treatment space is a shallow pool, bringing the feeling of the ocean inside and delightfully waking up all of your senses before the therapist has even started.—c a t h a r i n e n i c o l
Shop
Timing is everyThing in an era of mass-produced gadgets, there is a certain pride in knowing that a single swiss artisan produced your watch by hand. Case in point: the 18-karat white-gold and alligator Cartier Calibre Multiple Time Zone. with the ability to track the time in 24 cities and a face that displays the hour in two places at once, this is the ultimate accessory for jet-setters. price upon request; cartier.com.—Mimi lombardo 30 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
c l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p : c o u r t e s Y o f t h e n e s t at i n d i g o p e a r l p h u k e t ; c o u r t e s Y o f e l e m i s s pa at t h e s t. r e g i s B a n g k o k ; c o u r t e s Y o f t h e e d g e s pa B a l i ; c o u r t e s Y o f c a r t i e r
There’s more to Asia’s newest spas than the massages
newsflash An artful plate of fig and Parma ham salad, part of the Palate plan.
opening
A REfINED PAlATE Singapore epicureans have a new way to save on dining and drinks in the Lion City with the January launch of Palate (palate.sg; annual fee starting at S$428), a rewards program from American Express. With almost 60 participating bars and restaurants throughout the city, the program offers savings at such upscale establishments as celebrity chef Susur Lee’s Chinois at Resorts World Sentosa; the re-launched Brasserie Wolf at Robertson Quay; and Keystone Restaurant, whose “progressive European” cuisine was one of last year’s most heralded new additions to the Central Business District’s dining scene. Designed so that one diner always eats free, Palate offers members discounts ranging from 50 percent off for two people dining to 20 percent off for groups of five or more. There’s also the option of 15 percent off drinks at several bars, including Post Bar at the iconic Fullerton Hotel and Bartini on Club Street, and 10 percent off purchases at gourmet food retailer Culina. Palate members will also receive vouchers for up to S$1,500 and have access to a number of exclusive events throughout the year, including tasting menus and wine-pairing dinners. —richard
hermes
32 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
new to the Maldives the dusit thani makes its mark on the maldives with the opening of the thai-inspired 100-villa dusit thani maldives. a 35-minute seaplane ride from malé, the resort is located on mudhdhoo island in Baa atoll, minutes away from the unesco World Biosphere reserve–designated hanifara huraa and surrounded by a coral reef. in addition to the signature
devarana spa—six treetop treatment pods overlooking a coconut grove— the highlight is the 750-square-meter infinity pool. the resort emphasizes sustainable dining and offers detox breakfasts and fine dining on the beach where the cooking is done alfresco, right on the edge of the indian ocean. dusit.com; opening rates from US$788.— m s
CuLture
ARTS IN ASIA
From top: Limited edition stool by Adrien De Melo, to be featured at Design Days Dubai; the musical Perhaps Love.
This month, take your pick from design, film and fashion. March 18-21 sees the launch of the first ever design days dubai (designdaysdubai. ae), a high-end art fair of design pieces and limited-edition collectibles. The event brings together galleries and collectors from London, Beirut, Seoul and elsewhere, and will take place in the basement of the Burj Khalif. Concurrently, mercedes-Benz fashion Week tokyo (March 18-23; www.jfw.jp/en) unveils the Autumn/Winter 2012 collections of Japanese designers like Eri Matsui, who is as noted for her mathematically-inspired designs as she is for her wedding dresses, and Ato Matsumoto, whose sartorial street wear juxtaposes a neutral palette with bright accents and rippling fabrics. A little later in the month, the hong Kong International film festival (March 21-April 5; hkiff.org/hk), a longstanding platform for Asian cinema, kicks off with 330 titles, seminars by filmmakers and exhibitions. This year will feature a special tribute to Hong Kong’s own Peter Ho-Sun Chan, with the screening of 12 of his films, including Alan & Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye (1991) and Comrades, Almost A Love Story (1996).— m s
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 e n o i r - u n d e r t h e Pa l at e P r o G r a m m e ; c o u r t e s Y o F dusit thani maldives; courtesY oF Galerie Bsl; Photo12.com - collection cinema / Photo12
rewardS
SPECIAL PROMOTION
DO THE ART WALK Few things in life go better together than internationally renowned art and top-flight wines. That’s why Marina Bay Sands has gone to great lengths to combine the two. The iconic facility is home to 10 individual art installations that create shapes and moods designed to provide the public with a chance to experience large-scale artwork in one locale. Follow the art path and in the hotel’s atrium in Tower 1 you’ll encounter Antony Gormley’s Drift, a massive, 40-meter-long stainless-steel sculpture of more than 16,000 rods and more than 8,000 nodes that hangs between levels 5 and 12. Also in the atrium is Rising Forest by Chongbin Zheng, a ceramic sculpture composed of 83 vessels, each holding a tree. This, in turn, creates an indoor canopy that extends to Singapore’s tropical outdoors. Each piece was made in Yixing, China in a kiln the size of a small building. Next on the list is James Carpenter’s work, which
is a little less obvious. A series of glass and metal fins are suspended in front of a 112- by 17-meter reflective metal façade in front of The Shoppes and accentuate the serpentine quality of the façade in a piece that changes constantly depending upon the time of day. Wind Arbor, by Ned Kahn, is a sculpture of 260,000 aluminum flappers that reflect light and move with the wind on the west end of the complex, while Rain Oculus creates a whirlpool amid the retail mall, one that is two stories high. Also using water as a theme is Kahn’s Tipping Wall, which involves 7,000 channels that run down a reinforced concrete wall. Sol LeWitt has two wall-drawing installations, one at the hotel reception and a second in the pedestrian network connecting Marina Bay Sands to the property’s MRT station. At the Garden Bay Bridge, Zhan Wang offers up two artificial rocks, sculptures inspired by The Scholar’s Rock. To top off the Art Path
are two islands, one made of glass, the other of stone, an installation by Israel Hadany called Motion recently installed in the hotel’s atrium. They aim to introduce nature into the architectural beauty that Marina Bay Sands has become. Warhol in Singapore Of course, not all great art is as new as those found along the Art Path. To mark the 25th anniversary of Andy Warhol’s death, ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands is staging a collection of his works from March 17 until August 12. Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal features more than 260 of the artist’s paintings, drawings, sculptures, films and videos. Enhancing the exhibit is an interactive timeline and rich supply of archival materials that no Warhol fan should miss. This artistic journey will traverse four stages of the artist’s life, including his early influences, the Factory Years of the 1960s
E V E R Y
M O M E N T
R E W A R D E D
this page left: Sky On 57 SunSet COCktail; Chef Guy SavOy; Guy SavOy interiOr; OppOsite page tOp: riSinG fOreSt at the MBS lOBBy; anthOny GOrMely - Drift; anDy WarhOl Self-POrtrait, 1963-1964.
when many of his iconic painting were made, the 1970s when Polaroid shots of celebrities were the medium of choice, and finally his ventures into television towards the end of his life. Singapore marks the first of five stops in Asia for the exhibit. Portraits of Young Artists A more local take on the art scene 20 Singaporean artists joined forces at Marina Bay Sands to exhibit their works in January. The event was part of the Sovereign Asian Art Prize Singapore 2012 and raised more than S$300,000 for Singapore’s Art Outreach program. At 22, Denise Tan was the youngest artist to be featured, her portraits standing alongside the Chinese ink work of Quek Kiat Seng. Exclusively French Once your appetite for Warhol and Singapore’s local art scene has been sated,
it’s time for some culinary delights. So why not escape to Paris without leaving Singapore? Bites & Bubbles at Guy Savoy now offers tasting portions of signature items from the flagship Parisian restaurant. Choose between two and four items, among these New Zealand scampi, beef tartare with “pommes dauphines” and Iberico de Bellotta ham. The intimate setting is also a perfect place for a glass or two of Champagne or the finest in French wines. Using only the freshest ingredients, Chef Savoy is attuned to what makes a dining experience truly exceptional—the proof is in his three Michelin stars in Paris. Sky High For a bar with a view, you can’t do much better than Sky on 57 and its Outdoor Terrace. It’s the perfect place to chill out cocktail in hand surrounded by a spectacular night sky. If you’re feeling
peckish, a key element here is the Oyster Bar, the city’s best selection of hand-picked oysters. All of this comes with its own soundtrack, one that travels well with Champagne, oysters or cigars—the choice is all yours. FOR MORE ART INFORMATION: http://www.marinabaysands.com
WIN
2 night stay, a voucher for 2 guests to enjoy Bubbles & Bites at Guy Savoy and 2 tickets to Warhol at the ArtScience Museum. http://contest.TravelandLeisureAsia.com/mbs
4–7 JUNE 2012_SHANGHAI
ENTER A WORLD OF UNIQUE POSSIBILITIES IMMERSE YOUR SENSES IN A WORLD OF THE MOST EXCLUSIVE LUXURY TRAVEL EXPERTS
ILTM Asia, the leading ‘by invitation only’ event, showcases the world’s most sought after destinations and ultra-unique travel experiences to the most discerning luxury travel buyers from across the Asia Pacific. www.iltm.net/asia
insider
destinations trends restaurants + More
the OlD wIth the new clockwise
from left: seafood salpicon in an avocado cream, with banana chips at tepui; the antique-heavy dĂŠcor at tepui; tuscan chef manuelo Pintore at do Forni restaurant, sofitel Phnom Penh.
NEw flAvoRS. from homemade
latin fare to charming local spots in historic buildings, the culinarY options in phnom penh are getting more enticing bY the minute. BY naomi lindt
Photographed by Cedric Arnold
travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 37
insider restaurants
SOfItel phOkeethrA phnOm penh
flAvOrS fOr All
From left: the dining room at la coupole, one of four new restaurants at sofitel Phokeethra Phnom Penh; preparing a seafood dish at the hotel.
tepuI At chIneSe hOuSe
Since opening in late 2008 as the Chinese House, this lovingly restored mustard-yellow villa across from the container port has become one of the Phnom Penh's most memorable spots to spend an evening, thanks in no small part to the 1903 structure’s swoon-worthy SinoFrench architecture. Previously, though the drinks and exhibits were good, the food was an afterthought. That all changed last March, when young Venezuelan duo Gisela Salazar Golding and Antonio Lopez de Haro revamped the building’s interior and opened tepui, a stylish restaurant and bar serving Latin-MediterraneanAsian dishes. Seated in antique wooden chairs at white and purple–clad tables and surrounded by contemporary regional art, guests linger for hours over dishes like homemade terrine de foie gras with green mango chutney, pan-seared red snapper with potato and chorizo mash, and duck in tamarind sauce served with couscous. Newly opened gastrobar Botanico is the pair’s latest venture, which serves tapas in a verdant tropical garden. 45 Sisowath Quay; 855-23/991-514; tepui.asia; dinner for two US$50; Gastrobar Botanico; 9b St. 29; 855-17/873-101.
38 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
When the Sofitel Phokeethra Phnom Penh debuted in early 2011, it became the first fivestar hotel to open in the capital city since the 1990s. And with this sophisticated arrival has come a bevy of enticing dining options, offering dedicated spaces to Italian, Chinese, Japanese and French-inspired fare. River-facing la coupole has become Phnom Penh’s most decadent spot for Sunday brunch with its imported oysters, caviar, sashimi and hand-carved meats, not to mention the chocolate-fountain at the dessert buffet (US$90 for two). Intimate, modern Chinese restaurant fu lu Zu boasts the city’s largest array of weekend dim sum, with options like pork and shrimp shu mai and barbecued pork buns; weekdays it serves a Cantonese menu with specialties like crispy pork (dim sum US$40 for two). A Tuscan chef is responsible for the magic at do forni (US$60 for two), which delivers a mouthwatering tuna carpaccio, an array of Italy-sourced salami and meats and crispy pizzas from a stone oven that proudly stands in full view of the dining room. Finally, there’s top-grade sushi and Kobe beef— delicacies hard to come by in Cambodia—in moody, zen-like hachi (US$74 for two). 26 Old August Site, Sothearos Blvd.; 855-23/999-200; sofitel.com. mAngOSteen
Over the last few years, Street 282 in the expat neighborhood of Boeung Keng Kang has morphed from a dark, uninspiring thoroughfare into a welcoming strip with some of Phnom Penh’s most reliable food and drink options. »
insider restaurants
trOpIcAl DInIng
From left: Fancooled seating at mangosteen; a passionfruit dessert at the sofitel Phokeethra Phnom Penh.
latin quarter occupies the building’s ground floor and fan-cooled terrace, a sprawling space with mismatched wooden tables and couches for enjoying the selection of Cuban cigars and fine Argentine and Spanish wines. All the classic bets are winners here—manchego cheese croquettes, bread with garlic mayonnaise, gambas with garlic and chili, grilled red pepper, anchovy and eggplant salad—along with an interesting selection of daily specials marked on a blackboard by the bar, which might include hearty meatballs or risotto with spinach and tiger prawns. Even if you’re not craving tapas, it’s worth stopping by to check out the regular live music and salsa dancing. 28 Preah Ang Makhak Vann (St. 178); 855-93/319-081; tapas for two US$30. lA cItA renDeZ-vOuS
mangosteen is the latest arrival, offering a
stylish, comfortable venue to sample dishes from Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Cambodia. Plates like hearty, potato- and peanut-accented Khmer chicken curries, crispy prawn cakes with tangy mango dipping sauce, fresh goi cuon spring rolls stuffed with rice noodles and fresh shrimp, and spicy-sour fish soups are shared in the breezy, red-and-white dining room. There’s also an atmospheric bar area, where you can sip a cold, locally brewed Kingdom beer or a signature cocktail—try the gin, lemongrass and lime martini—while seated amid exposed brick and redsilk lighting. 1c St. 282; 855-23/216-416; dinner for two US$25. lAtIn QuArter
The latest restaurant offering from the group that was behind the now-closed Pacharan is all Latin charm. Of course, much of that charm comes from the setting, a grand colonial villa at the corner of streets 19 and 178, near the National Museum. 40 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
Finding adequate, well-prepared Central and South American flavors in Asia can be a challenging affair. And though Phnom Penh has its fair share of salsa- and taco-producing locales, they pale in comparison to year-old la cita rendez-vous, opened by Chilean Richard Rojas. Grab a seat outside in the basic open-air dining area (let’s just say the décor is not the draw here) and watch Rojas and his staff chop fresh tomatoes, onions and chilies for addictive pico de gallo and sweat over sizzling pans of sauteed peppers, onions and charbroiled chicken or top sirloin steak. Top choices include the lomo saltado—a Peruvian dish made with strips of beef, chilis, and French fries—and the soft tacos, which can be filled with a choice of five types of meat, including chorizo or slow-cooked shredded pork, and a selection of delicious salsas, ranging from mild to spicy. Other noteworthy options include burritos, quesadillas filled with peppers, onions and cheese, and steaks served with cassava and fresh guacamole. Because everything is handmade—even the corn chips come warm out of the oven—expect to wait, but it’s well worth it. 13 St. 282; 855-92/388-123; dinner for two US$20. ✚
insider hotels
BANgkok BY DESIgN.
new design-driven hotels offer stYle without premium prices in the thai capital. t+l picks five striking debuts. BY liang XinYi
hOtel muSe Housed in a cupola-topped building, Hotel Muse has become one of the city’s luxe-boutique retreats. Thai design firm PIA references a blend of fin de siècle France and Thailand’s Rama V era, styling the darkened lobby with wrought-iron lattice walls and arching ceilings. The 174 rooms and suites—named after the Buddhist cosmic levels of Jatu, Dowadueng, Yama, Dusid, Nimman and Paranim—have stuccoed ceilings and faux vintage suitcase drawers. Basement-level eatery Medici features solid Italian fare in a space that feels like a renovated wine cellar. t+l tiP The Jatu Deluxe and Dowadeung Corner Deluxe rooms have our favorite bathroom designs: claw-foot baths, hand-painted basins and mirrors etched with scenes from an old-time Siam. 55/555 Langsuan Rd.; 66-2/630-4000; hotelmusebangkok. com; doubles from Bt5,500.
tOp Of the wOrlD
From top: at the speakeasy bar atop hotel muse; a lit hotel guest room.
42 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
lIt hOtel Just 300 meters away from the discount shopper–thronged MBK, the aluminum-wrapped façade of Lit Hotel was the brainchild of Bangkok-based VaSLab, which has filled the L-shaped seven-story edifice with fluid composition throughout: grass-clad concrete steps lead up to the alfresco tapas bar; a spiral stairwell connects the amber-swathed Kiriya Spa to the sleek lounge pool and bistro. The Different Degree rooms feature elongated bathrooms running » parallel Photographed by Cedric Arnold
to the bedrooms, and in the Extra Radiance rooms the soaking tub is the pièce de résistance, with soft indigo and red rays beaming down from the rain shower. t+l tiP Traveling as a trio? Opt for the Triple Luxe suite, which has amenities (wash basins, wardrobes and work desks) for three. 36/1 Soi Kasemsan 1, Rama 1 Rd.; 66-2/612-3456; litbangkok.com; doubles from Bt7,000. SOfItel SO In the frenetic financial district, Sofitel So is for artsy types as much as business travelers with check-ins via iPads and in-room tech amenities powered by Apple Mac mini. The 30-story, curvy exterior was designed by Smith Obayawat, and the country’s top creative brains were hired to do the interiors based on the five elements. Among the 238 guest rooms, the Metal rooms stand out with minimalist, stark white interiors, while the Earth rooms juxtapose Thai primeval murals and cobalt blue tones with black-andwhite-tiled bathrooms. Plus, fashion maverick Christian Lacroix put his flamboyant touches on the Tree of Life hotel emblem. t+l tiP Partially cantilevered on the 29th floor, Park Society & Hi-So is the perfect roost to take in 360-degree views of the adjacent Lumpini Park. 2 N. Sathorn Rd.; 66-2/624-0000; sofitel.com; doubles from Bt5,100.
AlOft BAngkOk - SukhumvIt 11 The younger—but equally style-conscious—sister of the W brand, Aloft Bangkok - Sukhumvit 11 has an energetic vibe, as befits its location in the buzzing Nana precinct. Aloft’s penchant for linear prints and bright accents are found throughout the property, with whimsical accents dreamed up by leading design firm Hassell. The 296-room hotel features only two room types—Chic and Urban—but both have high-ceilinged interiors with enormous windows and cushions in eye-popping colors, alongside more modern trappings such as free Wi-Fi, an iPod dock and a 42-inch TV. t+l tiP Don’t miss a visit to the neighboring Bed Supperclub, one of the city’s hippest hangouts, as access is free for Aloft guests. 35 Sukhumvit Soi 11; 66-2/207-7000; alofthotels.com/bangkoksukhumvit11; doubles from Bt2,111. ✚
thAI cApItAl StyleS
clockwise from above: details at hotel muse; sofitel so’s ninth-floor lobby; christian lacroix uniform at the sofitel so. top: the style-concious bar at aloft.
AetAS lumpInI A glass-and-concrete outpost on busy Rama IV Road, the 27-story Aetas Lumpini has an earnest, understated charm. In its 203 guest rooms and suites, neutral earth tones are offset by Mondrian-inspired paintings and sketches of Bangkok’s historic landmarks. Common areas play up the quirky-chic appeal—teal-green sofas accent brown corduroy seats in the lobby and an all-white ceramic chandelier hangs near the entryway. Launched last month, the One-80 Wine Bar on the 27th floor has great views. t+l tiP If you’re looking for romance, opt for the 70-square-meter Premier suite—the bathroom door slides open to a sunken bathtub enclosed by Bangkok vistas. 1030/4 Rama IV Rd.; 66-2/6189555; aetashotels.com; doubles from Bt4,250. travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 43
insider cafes
wHAT’S BREwINg.
an artisanal coffee wave is underwaY in singapore, spearheaded bY a new crop of homegrown specialtY shops and a few passionate caffeine addicts. here’s where to drop in to get Your own craft cuppas. BY liang XinYi Thanks to owner Keith Loh, one of the city’s most respected baristas, this four-month-old outpost has quickly become a favorite among the coffee-drinking set. The three-story shop house café offers a great merchandise lineup (siphon coffee makers, steam thermometers), in addition to an onsite roasting room and a “lab” facility for experimenting with different blends. While the focus is on craft drinks like piccolo latte and flat white, the café also pays homage to Singapore’s traditional kopitiam (coffee shop) culture with nostalgic bric-a-brac—1970’s Guinness glasses, tungsten light bulbs and porcelain tableware—and a snacks menu featuring local classics such as tau sar piah (mung bean pastry) and kaya (pandanus jam) toast. Not only does Oriole supply its locally roasted beans to other cafés, it also conducts training classes for baristas-to-be, so this is definitely the place for coffee enthusiasts to pick up tools of the trade—check out its Facebook page for the latest updates. 10/10A Jiak Chuan Rd.; 65/6224-9131; oriolecoffee. com; coffee and snacks for two S$18. n Jewel cOffee
cOffee culture From top: the light-filled interior of Jewel
coffee; named after a 19th-century Frenchman, loysel’s toy serves up craft brews; baristas toiling away at maison ikkoku.
44 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
Occupying a brightly lit storefront in the Raffles Place CBD, Jewel Coffee has become a daily go-to for the area’s executives since it arrived on the scene last June. Former corporate banker turned café founder Adrian Khong decorated the 84-squaremeter space with blackboards bearing explanatory sketches and a blonde-wood counter crowned with a cherry-red COFFEE sign. Barista Shin Hao operates the small arsenal of high-end gadgetry— the manual La Marzocco Strada espresso machine and the precision-brewing Marco Über Boiler—to deliver exquisite cups of joe like the Chemex (a light, filtered brew) and Gibraltar (a double-shot espresso with just a touch of milk). On offer are single-origin beans from locations as diverse as Brazil’s Fazenda Samambaia, Lintong in »
f r o m to p : co u r t e sY o f j e w e l co f f e e ; co u r t e sY o f loYs e l ' s toY; co u r t e sY o f m a i s o n i k ko k u
n OrIOle cOffee rOASterS
insider cafes signature Terra Firma blend, this store also offers filtered sets like Brewed Otherwise, a singleorigin coffee of the day brewed using a siphon and French press, for the purists. To best enjoy the laid-back charm, sit in the leafy courtyard and order the tasty scrambled eggs and toast to accompany your coffee. 66 Kampong Bugis, Ture, #01-01; 65/6292-2306; loyselstoy.com; coffee and brunch for two S$30.
Sumatra and Colombia’s Huila. One Shenton Way, #01-07; 65/6636-9452; coffee and lunch for two S$30. n lOySel’S tOy
BIStrO BuZZ From top: outside oriole coffee roasters in chinatown; outdoor seats at loysel’s toy are surrounded by lush greenery; the coffee bar at open door Policy.
Younger sister to cult roaster Papa Palheta, Loysel’s Toy—named after a 19th century Frenchman who invented the commercial espresso machine—is quirky but serious about its beans. Its obscure location in a renovated warehouse, a 10-minute walk from the nearest MRT station, hasn’t deterred a loyal following—ranging from iPhone-toting hipsters to moms with strollers—from arriving in droves for their caffeine fix. The high-ceilinged interior is outfitted with a gleaming Synesso Cyncra espresso machine, an elegant gold-and-black roaster and paper bags stuffed with house-roasted beans for sale. Besides espresso drinks made from its
46 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
A trio of Singapore’s food and wine stalwarts—Spa Esprit Group founder Cynthia Chua, Tippling Club’s chef Ryan Clift and 40 Hands’ owner Harry Grover—front this new addition to the increasingly hip quarter of Tiong Bahru. In the rustic-chic space, with exposed brick walls, mismatched steel chairs, teakwood-planked floors and a glassed-in show kitchen, the Asian-European fare shines (mushroom risotto with truffle crumbs; pork belly with braised quinoa). But what makes this buzzing bistro a cut above the rest is its specialty coffee bar—run by Grover and the skilled baristas at 40 Hands, just across the street, doing fresh brews from single-origin beans sourced mainly from a selected group of Australian roasters. Perch at the coffee bar and watch the barista work his magic to conjure up a Cold Drip—coffee brewed and chilled drop-by-drop over a 12-hour cycle—served in a Pyrex flask. 19 Yong Siak St.; 65/6221-9307; odpsingapore.com; dinner and coffee for two S$70. n mAISOn IkkOku
Inspired by Tokyo’s hybrid spaces, two stylesavvy couples—Janice Ong and Thomas Song; Shanie Teoh and Franz Chua—set up this café cum fashion boutique last September, naming it after the Japanese manga Maison Ikkoku. The charming tri-level shop house packs a lot of style within its 370 square meters, ranging from whitewashed brick walls festooned with polished copper pipes and pre-loved wooden dressers to the collection of Japanese menswear labels. Head barista Muhammad Rizuan is often behind the Nuova Simonelli machine on the ground-floor café, crafting coffee embellished with intricate latte art. After 6 p.m., saunter up to the rooftop bar for another round of drinks—this time alcoholic— and soak in the views of the gold-domed Sultan Mosque next door. 20 Kandahar St.; 65/6294-0078; maison-ikkoku.net; coffee and snacks for two S$26.✚
f r o m to p : co u r t e sY o f o r i o l e co f f e e r oa st e r s ; co u r t e sY o f loYs e l ' s toY; co u r t e sY o f o p e n d o o r p o l i c Y
n Open DOOr pOlIcy
insider experts
THE Cool HUNTERS. designers and lifestYle aficionados offer their own takes on what to eat, buY, see and do in five asian cities
citY on the slow
citY: honG KonG gUide: KoBe ho, BooKshoP manaGer If your image of Hong Kong is that of a relentlessly fast-paced city, you should talk to Kobe Ho. “There are so many places in Hong Kong to go and live another kind of lifestyle,” says the 30-year-old manager of ACO, the city’s best-curated— and most relaxed—bookstore-café. Organic farms, quiet island villages, upstairs coffee shops, family-run businesses—these are the defining characteristics of a Hong Kong being rediscovered by a new generation of urbanites like Ho. In a city increasingly dominated by luxury brands and shopping malls, it’s not a mainstream way of living, and that’s exactly the point. “It’s small and intimate, the kind of life where you grow your own vegetables,” says Ho. Below, some of her top spots to experience another kind of Hong Kong.—c h r i s t o p h e r d e w o l f
slow food, smart reads housed in the Foo tak Building, a vertical artists’ village, aco (1/F, 365 Hennessy Rd., Wan Chai; 852/2893-4808; aco.hk) has an eclectic array of literature and books on social science, philosophy and history. “i don’t look for balance, i look for variety,” says ho. Grab something to read—the selection is mainly in english—and take a seat next to the front window, where you can nosh on dishes made with locally grown organic ingredients.
nAturAl hIghS
clockwise from top: bookworm Kobe ho; fresh produce at mapopo community Farm; hit the road café; noodles at sun Kee; view of Peng chau.
hong kong taste after nearly dying out in the 80’s and 90’s, local farming is making a comeback. mapopo community farm (Ma Shi Po Village, Fanling; 852/6121-8961; mapopo. wordpress.com) grows everything from crunchy choi sum to sweet tomatoes. visit on Wednesday and sunday to buy fresh fruit and vegetables; there are also regular tours and farming workshops. UPstairs escaPe high above the teeming streets of causeway Bay, hit the road café (15/F, 26 Leighton Rd., Causeway Bay; 852/2882-9522; dinner for two HK$200) describes
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itself as “the slowest café in hong Kong.” the design is subdued, the conversation relaxed and the menu wellstocked with comfort food— try the apple crumble. cart noodles it's easy to find a shop selling che jai mien, or cart noodles, where you can build your own soup with a choice of ingredients like egg noodles, beef brisket, pig intestines and plenty of others. But finding one like sun kee (49B Tang Lung St., Causeway Bay; 852/25735438; lunch for two HK$80) is another matter altogether. “With most cart noodles, it’s cheap stuff to fill up your stomach, but the ingredients at sun Kee are much better quality,” says ho. island escaPe ho lives on Peng chau (Central Ferry Pier 6; roundtrip journey HK$53.60) where a century-old fishing community is now home to people looking for a more laid-back life. “the ferry from the city is a calmingdown process,” says ho. she recommends wandering the car-free lanes, chilling out by the water and indulging in some fresh seafood. “it’s only 30 minutes from central, but the island is like another world.”
Photographed by Christopher DeWolf
Pioneering commUnitY
citY: BanGKoK gUide: somraK sila, GallerY oWner In a place where supermalls and innocuous, state-sponsored performance reign supreme, Somrak Sila is galvanizing independent community art. When she returned from an arts administration program in London six years ago, she struggled to generate funding in her hometown. And then she thought, “I’m going to do it myself.” And she has. After the April 2010 opening of her renovated shop house wtf gallery and café (wtfbangkok.com), where the eclectic exhibitions—and the cocktails and Iberian-style small plates—pack the house, she launched opposite (oppositebangkok.com), an event space that hosts dance parties, poetry readings and pop-up restaurants. But there’s plenty else to love about Bangkok, according to Sila. To her, Chatuchak, the disorganized but well-stocked weekend market, in particular, embodies the city: “That is Thailand—creativity and entrepreneurship.” But comparing her ventures to Chatuchak, she makes one important distinction. Whereas the market vendors tailor their offerings to customer trends, Sila goes the other way. “I think: This is good. Maybe my audience will follow me.” Here are some of her favorite spots in the city.— m r i g a a s e t h i
getting fresh While not the cheapest wet market in Bangkok, or tor kor (Kamphaengphet Rd., opposite Chatuchak market) is the cleanest and has some of the freshest produce. and if you don’t cook, sila says, “even the ready-to-eat meals there are delicious.”
InDIe cIty clockwise from above: vintage wares at was v were v will; a poetry reading at opposite; the mistmatched tables at gastro 1/6; tortilla with serrano ham at gastro 1/6. top: somrak sila.
dÉcor insPiration the huge and precariously stacked furniture store Papaya (Lad Phrao Soi 55/2; 66-2/933-0661) stocks everything from 1970’s plastic chairs to louis Xiv reproductions. “they make their money from rentals to television shows, so if you want to buy, they throw out a ridiculous price,” sila warns. “But come back, and the price may be totally different.” artfUl BrUnch “i’m always tempted to have a glass of wine there,” sila says about gastro 1/6 (RMA Institute, Soi Sainamthip 2, Sukhumvit Soi 22; 66-80/603-6421;
Photographed by Christopher Wise
brunch for two Bt1,000), an outdoor, foliage-filled café and art gallery. it’s a rare place in the city for quality poached eggs and spanish tortilla. go-to gallerY With a name that means “mosquito’s butt,” toot Yung gallery (19 Prachathipathai Rd.; 6684/914-5499) is neither commercial nor academic. “they just opened it for the community, as a place to hang out,” sila says. “the art work tends to be quite controversial and different.” it also has a café, a library and live music. vintage wardroBe “there’s a row of cool shops near happy monday bar,” sila says. she’s referring to (Un)fashion, was v were v will and vtg, three second-hand stores that stock old edition, brand name boots, bags and clothes. “they’re well-curated and in good condition. it feels like you’re in Williamsburg.” Corner of Ekamai Soi 10.
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insider experts retro caPital
citY: Kuala lumPur gUide: JosePh Foo, desiGn consultant Creative director Joseph Foo is a passionate preserver of the arts. As well as his day job at design consultancy 3nity, he has judged at international advertising competitions like the Cannes Lion in France and Denmark’s Creative Circle Awards, while his cultural pursuits all sport a clear esoteric element. He has been involved in art installations and exhibitions like Art4Soul and Man&God, both of which span culture and religion by utilizing thought-provoking design as a catalyst for spiritual and social renewal. Up next: Foo’s most ambitious endeavor to date—the transformation of a 75-yearold printing press situated in a heritage building on Malacca’s antique storelined Jonker Street. “It’s a piece of Malaysia’s history, one that still operates the oldest printing methods, the letterpress. We are reviving the trade, and transforming the space into a living museum,” he says. Below, he shares his top Kuala Lumpur picks for arts, culture and more.—m a r k l e a n
Breakfast nook Foo often drops by Plan B (G5, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village 1, Jln. Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru; 60-3/22872630; brunch for two RM60) for the gourmet coffees and aussie-style big breakfasts. as the café is often packed, grab a table early in the morning.
artY getawaY the kuala lumpur Performing arts centre (Jln. Strachan, Sentul; 603/4047-9000; klpac.org) is a spot to appreciate greenery and shade offered by the trees. Foo says, “my kids love the wide expanses—it’s a quick getaway from the city.”
working lUnches For informal work meetings, Foo frequents the 84-year-old Yut kee restaurant (35, Jln. Dang Wangi; 60-3/2698-8108; breakfast for two RM10), a hainanese coffee shop renowned for its buttered toast bread and kaya, a traditional jam made from eggs, coconut milk and caramelized sugar. don’t miss the roti babi, a delicacy made with deepfried white bread stuffed with sautéed onions and thin shreds of pork.
Pagoda tees in chinatown, if you venture from the tourist spots, there are quaint provision stores selling white Pagoda t-shirts, worn by chinese storekeepers. “they’re ideal for lounging,” says Foo, “and look best when matched with Japanese selvage denim—mixing old and new.”
green AnD Arty
From top: designer Joseph Foo; leafy surroundings at the KlPac; the rooftop garden at the actors studio; a full house at restaurant Plan B.
acting alfresco the actors studio (50 Jln. Sultan Ismail; 60-3/21442009; theactorsstudio. com.my) impresses with its dazzling rooftop garden setting. Foo is a fan of the studio’s new location in the heart of the city, which allows more people to access the theater scene.
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Photographed by Kevin Miller
insider experts Better living BY design
citY: taiPei gUide: Grace WanG, liFestYle doYenne Grace Wang got her start as an interior designer before taking over leisure and lifestyle brand VVG more than a decade ago. Known for combining tasteful interiors and tasty cuisine, Wang’s discerning palate has made VVG outlets destination eateries for locals and travelers alike. “Good living is not one dimensional,” Grace says, and so VVG has evolved from its beginnings as a bistro to include fine dining, cafés, bakeries, and urban bed-and-breakfast locations. While Grace takes inspiration from designers and chefs around the world when outfitting the properties she oversees, she loves to witness innovation in her hometown. “The people of Taipei are the city’s most valuable resource. There is a kind-heartedness here that makes it easy to connect, and the people are passionate about extending hospitality.” Here are some design-driven locations Grace recommends in Taipei.—j o h n m u r n
deeP sPaces Famed hotel designer ray chen has curated the Palais de chine hotel (3 Section 1, Chengde Rd.; 886-2/2181-9999; palaisdechinehotel.com), blending modern French and asian motifs. From the lobbies to the dining rooms to the executive salon, the hotel is a patchwork of secluded enclaves. soak it UP Built around a volcanic geothermal hot spring, villa 32 (32 Zhongshan Rd., Beitou; 886-2/66118888; villa32.com) draws heavily on its natural environment to create open, invigorating spaces in the busy northern district of Beitou. For the complete relaxation experience, indulge in a full range of spa offerings— from chinese meridian therapy to mother-to-be treatments. don’t miss guest appearances in the restaurant by michelin star-winning chefs. UrBan retreat shi-Yang (7, Lane 350, Sec 3, Xi Wan Rd., XiZhi City; 886-2/2646-2266; shi-yang.com) has one of taipei’s best afternoon tea experiences. nestled among the forests of Xizhi, shi-Yang serves seasonal high mountain teas and the serenity of a mountainside
haven. minimalist, Japanese-influenced design keeps tables secluded, encouraging a commune with nature via the sweeping views of the valley below.
cASuAl chIc From top: grace wang; the modern facade at villa 32; clothes at undercover; the dining room at Palais de chine hotel.
evolved design What started as a design studio has grown to include a magazine, a café, a clothing line and stationery. the hand-dyed textiles and heavy canvas bags at Booday (18-1, Lane 25, Nanjing W. Rd.; 886-2/2552-5552 ext.11; mogu.com.tw) are crafted using environmentally considerate techniques and materials that encourage durability and use, giving them a sturdy, handmade look and feel. total shoPPing With black chandeliers and crystal fittings contrasted by walls made from the weathered doors of buildings that suffered the fate of chai (to pull down or dismantle) during the modernization old shanghai, the feeling at Undercover (No. 40, Lane 181, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd.; 886-2/2775-3669) is equal parts modern and classic. a flagship store of the tuan tuan group, the boutique features designer clothing labels while the café serves hardy noodles and earthy coffees.
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Photographed by Garett M. Clarke
insider experts for the YoUng at heart
citY: JaKarta, indonesia gUide: ciPta croFt-cusWorth, toYmaKer Cipta Croft-Cusworth knows how to have fun. The 33-year-old creator of Mall Wars (facebook.com/mallwars), a Nerf combat game played in its namesake, and the owner of two toy shops in Jakarta, he has done his share of “research” on the Indonesian capital’s best playgrounds. Croft-Cusworth has also become something of an idol among fun-loving Jakartan youths. At Master&Blaster (Kampoeng Mainan, Blok M level 3A) he customizes Nerf blasters, glorified space-age guns that shoot foam projectiles. His current favorite is the Recon CS-6, because “it’s the easiest to modify.” Akin to the more diabolical, Johnny Depp version of Willy Wonka, Croft-Cusworth also designed theme parks for Trans Studio in Makassar and Bandung and created GoodGuysNeverWin (goodguysneverwin.com), a toy label that sells what he describes as “cute-looking war machines.” He’s received criticism for promoting games that mimic warfare, but he shakes it off. “It’s just an excuse to dress up.” Here, we speak to him on his reflections on Jakarta as an urban Toyland.—s a r a h s c h o n h a r d t
Places to PlaY “there are really no parks in the city,” says croftcusworth, “so when i have visitors i like to go to monas (Indonesian National Monument, Merdeka Square).” there are bicycles for rent, nightly light shows and a small deer enclosure. croft-cusworth also likes kampoeng mainan, toy village (Blok M Square, level 3A). “they have slot-car and remotecontrolled race tracks and videogame stations.” they also hold twicemonthly toy auctions that include everything from plastic figurines to us$100 collectors’ items.
JAkArtA JIve clockwise from
above: near monas; latte as art at the droids cafe; a shirt from Pasar senen; shopping at Pasar senen.
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Best in malls “i’m a mall rat. You can just go to hang out at the mall, and this is a hangout culture. We even have a special word for it, nongkrong. croft-cusworth favors Pondok indah mall (Jln. Metro Pondok Indah) and grand indonesia (Jln. M. H. Thamrin No. 1), the latter offering video game arcades and amusement park rides as well.
fun tImeS
above: cipta croft-cusworth. Below: a food court at grand indonesia.
PlaYing dress UP at the second-hand shops at Pasar senen (third-floor booths near the Senen bus terminal), you can find “anything, right down to ski suits and uggs.” croftcusworth recommends either doing it “rag tag, or you can buy fabric and design your own costume.” geek energY the droids cafe (Jln. Bangka Raya 5D, Kemang; 62-21/718-2356) is where the Transformers community hangs out, and it’s full of action figures. Star Wars fans can chow on mandalorian Grilled chicken or the acolyte, avocado stuffed pancakes. Panoramas “Find a rooftop and enjoy the city skyline, which is like no other in the world,” says croft-cusworth. shanties huddle close to modern towers, and cranes sit perched on new structures like steeland-wire origami in the distance. check out Bank mega Building, the sahid Jaya hotel, or the top floor of the grand hyatt.
Photographed by Chris Kerrigan
insider after dark
BIrD’S eye vIewS
From top: hanoi’s old Quarter traffic as seen from avalon sky garden; west lake panorama at summit lounge.
NIgHT vIEwS. the streets of hanoi are filled with makeshift beer gardens, but a handful of new bars is enticing patrons upstairs to the rooftops and terraces. BY karrYn miller
5:00 p.m. Sit six floors above Hanoi’s
6:30 p.m. Head to Hanoi’s largest lake, West Lake, to shuck some oysters at don’s tay ho (16/27 Xuan Dieu St., Tay Ho; 84-4/3719-2828; donsbistro.com; dinner and drinks for two VND1,000,000). The four-story restaurant/bakery/bar has an open-air veranda up top where you can order the imported seafood—though at a premium. » 56 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
Photographed by Aaron Joel Santos
b ot to m : k a r rY n m i l l e r
iconic Hoan Kiem lake, at avalon’s Sky Garden (73 Can Go St., Hoan Kiem; 84-4/3926-0801; avaloncafelounge.com; drinks for two VND240,000), and look down on the tangle of mopeds and taxis that make up the after-work rush. Sip a Wild Grass cocktail of vodka, lime, finely sliced lemongrass and lemon leaf. The garden-like setting includes a central gazebo sheltering rocking chairs. A white trellis wrapped in vines acts as a makeshift dividing wall from neighboring rooftops, which pale in aesthetic comparison to Avalon’s handsome wood and wicker patio furniture.
insider after dark
high up hangouts
Clockwise from left: Rooftop bar at Pacific Place; oysters on the rooftop at Don's Tay Ho in the West Lake district of Hanoi; customers at Bar Betta.
and retro red plastic egg chairs. The view, though, is the main attraction—with a near 360-degree outlook from the floor to ceiling windows, or from the outdoor terrace. Order a mojito with passionfruit foam, and embrace your inner 80’s child as the weekend DJ spins tunes from the era for a crowd of expats and hip young Vietnamese.
10:00 p.m. Next stop: bar betta (34C Cao Ba Quat St., Ba Dinh; 84-4/3734-9134; drinks for two VND360,000), a drinking spot with 60’s counterculture decor. Rabbit-ear TV sets, dusty vintage metal desk fans and rotary phones mingle with an aging medley of chairs and couches. Audrey, Elvis and Marilyn peer down from moss green walls that are also adorned with Soviet vinyl records. Even the ceilings are a mismatch, one with a chandelier, another featuring a hanging sculpture, like a child’s mobile, made with dozens of 40-ounce bottles. The rooftop is more subdued— just a bar with empties bordering its exterior and snug seats amid foliage. There isn’t much of a view, but it’s a laid-back place to enjoy a Tom Collins and mingle with Hanoi’s avant-garde types.
The Canadian- and French-grown oysters start at VND110,000 each. For something more filling, the varied menu includes excellent wood-fired pizzas and some local specialties like pho noodles.
8:30 p.m. Get even higher views of West Lake and beyond at Summit Lounge (1 Thanh Nien Rd., Ba Dinh; 84-4/3823-8888; drinks for two VND400,000). The Sofitel Plaza’s 20th-floor bar was set to be a penthouse before it became a lounge. The place has kept the high-end abode theme with entry by a cozy private elevator, waitresses dressed as French maids with pink wigs 58 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
A mojito with passionfruit foam at Summit Lounge.
11:00 p.m. A five-minute cab ride away is the ultra-modern and aptly named Rooftop (Pacific Place, 19th floor, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet St., Hoan Kiem; 84-4/3946-1901; drinks for two VND600,000) which offers patrons a clear view of the city's rapidly changing skyline. It’s a magnet for Hanoi’s nouveau riche who crowd the small dance floor on weekends. There are seating options for those who are not there to dance: crimson-colored booths, wicker chairs or the dimly lit VIP room with its cigar lounge vibe. Service can be a bit hit-ormiss, and two Russian Standards can set you back VND300,000, but you’re here for the view, which is priceless. ✚
insider city guide A view of the Fernsehturm from the Contemporary Fine Arts, in Mitte.
BERLIN CALLING. germany’s cultural capital has a polished
P
oor but sexy” is how Mayor Klaus Wowereit described Berlin five years ago. Today he might add “grown-up”; the once achingly hip Mitte is now borderline bourgeois, full of modern hotels and gastronome temples, while the city’s artistic hub has migrated to a formerly rough-
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around-the-edges stretch of Potsdamer Strasse. Kreuzberg—with its pint-size cafés, one-off boutiques and designer-stroller brigade—has taken over from Prenzlauer Berg as the elite’s stomping ground of choice. And just a little farther south, Neukölln is newly on the map thanks to the quirky, albeit stylish, Hüttenpalast B&B.
peter riguad
new edge. maria shollenbarger takes a closer look.
c l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p : p e t e r r i g u a d ( 2 ) ; c o u r t e s y o f g e s ta lt e n ; c o u r t e s y o f s ü p e r s t o r e
Inside Andreas Murkudis. Left: Creative director Herbert Hofmann (left) and owner Yasin Müjdeci at Voo Store.
shop
five new (and über-stylish) boutiques that are worth a visit.
1
Voo store makes a sehr Berliner first impression with a near-invisible entrance off a gritty Kreuzberg courtyard. But inside is 280 square meters of emerging labels— along with vintage vinyl and a lovely tearoom. 24 Oranienstrasse; 4930/6165-1119.
2
The one-room süper store, on the Landwehr Canal, stocks Genovese soaps, handblown glass vases and more—all arranged on Midcentury tables. 92E Planufer; no phone.
3
A three-level fantasy of every art, architecture and design tool imaginable, modulor sells exquisite papers and textiles, paint palettes and pen sets. It also has an extensive library of art magazines and books. 85 Prinzenstrasse; 49-30/690-360.
4
Driesvan Noten capelets. Hammeredmetal espresso makers. Pink shearling toddler’s gloves. Berlin style maven
flawless eye for the wellmade product is now present across 1,100 square meters. 81E Potsdamer Strasse; 49-30/680-798-306.
5
Berlin’s fashionforward set heads to happy shop for Christopher Kane stilettos, teeny cocktail blazers from Maison Kitsuné and gold sunglasses by local stylist Mykita. 67 Torstrasse; 49-1577/847-3620. »
andreas murkudis
recently upgraded his namesake boutique—and his
Lemon squeezersi from Süper Store.
before you go before you go lisTen berlin stories american expat novelist anna Winger’s clever ongoing radio series for nPr gives travelers an insider’s look into Berlin life. berlinstories. org. WaTCh The Lives of Others a brilliant cold War–era story of an east Berlin stasi agent’s emotional attachment to a couple he spies on. • Run Lola Run tom tykwer’s adrenaline rush of a film makes a protagonist of mitte’s gritty, fantastically cinematic open streets. reaD The Beauty of Transgression: A Berlin Memoir danielle de Picciotto, an american artist, shares vivid memories of the vibrant creative capital in its post-punk years of the 1980’s.
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insider city guide see+Do
t+l’s six-stop art itinerary.
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oN DISPLAy Clockwise from top right: Work by Berlin’s Tobias Rehberger; Neues Museum and Alte Nationalgalerie at Museumsinse; the Orangerie at Sanssouci Park, in Potsdam.
sTay
the best of berlin’s latest hotel openings. soho hoUse berlin
The warehouselike property, with reclaimed 20th-century furniture and brass light fixtures, has seriously spacious rooms and a top-notch restaurant, House Kitchen, which specializes in comfort dishes. besT for Creative types who disdain ties but obsess over the cuffs on their selvage denim. 1 Torstrasse; 49-30/4050-4400; sohohouseberlin.com; doubles from €130. greaT ValUe
A repurposed-trailer Heartbreaker room at Hüttenpalast, above. Below: A guest room at Soho House Berlin.
hoTel mani greaT ValUe Cognac leather settees, polished macassar, black glass and
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green marble accent the stylish and centrally located Hotel Mani. There are laptops and iPads for rent— and, of course, bikes (this is Berlin). besT for Jet-setters and Berlin regulars who love highdesign hotels. 136 Torstrasse; 49-30/5302-8080; hotel-mani. com; doubles from €115. WalDorf-asToria
Housed on 25 floors of the gleaming Zoofenster Building, the soon-to-open Waldorf will have a Pierre Gagnaire restaurant and Germany’s only Guerlain spa. besT for Travelers who are happy to explore
“emerging” neighborhoods— as long as they can repair to luxury later. 28 Hardenbergstrasse; 49-30/8140000; waldorfastoria.com; doubles from €300. hÜTTenpalasT greaT ValUe Choose from a refurbished “caravan,” a cozy-chic cabin or a regular room (with eiderdownswathed beds) at this tongue-in-cheek homage to trailer parks. besT for Value-conscious globetrotters with an eye for stylish bargains. 66 Hobrechtstrasse; 49-30/37305806; huettenpalast.de; doubles from €66.
f r o m to p : c h r i st i a n g l a e s e r /co u rt e sy o f b l a i n /s o u t h e r n ; © m k r b e r l i n / d r e a m st i m e .co m ; g e r h a r d w e s t r i c h / l a i f/ r e d u x ; p e t e r r i g a u d ; c o u r t e sy o f s o h o h o u s e b e r l i n
dam
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in Potsdam, a 30-minute drive southwest, the 300th anniversary of former king of Prussia Frederick the Great is being celebrated all year long at sanssouci (Sanssouci Park; 49-331/969-4200), the rococo residence he commissioned in 1745; “Friederisiko,” a retrospective of his life, opens april 28.
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sse stra Wilhelm
Plan your day around the most in-demand contemporary art experience in town: a private tour of the 1 boros Collection (sammlung-boros.de; by appointment only), housed in a World War II railway bunker restored by Polish-born Christian Boros to hold works by Wolfgang Tillmans, Olafur Eliasson, Elizabeth Peyton and others. Next, swing by Potsdamer Strasse, where local gallerists such as 2 martin Klosterfelde (93 Potsdamer Strasse; 49-30/2835305) and international names like London’s 3 blain/southern (77-87 Potsdamer Strasse; 49-30/644-931-510) have cropped up over the past two years. The able guides at 4 goart! berlin (goart-berlin.de; from 70 per hour for half-day tours) lead look-ins and intimate studio visits in the area. Don’t miss Mies van der Rohe’s 5 neue nationalgalerie (50 Potsdamer Strasse; 4930/266-424-242), which is showing “Gerhard Richter Panorama” through May 13. Finally, take a quick cab ride to Museum Island to view architect David Chipperfield’s renovation of the 6 neues museum (1-3 Bodestrasse; 49-30/266-424-242).
C
ontrary to popular belief, you don’t always dream, in black and white.
Some of the most picture-postcard perfect scenery on earth can be found twelve nautical miles south of Phuket, on the Andaman island of Racha Yai.
For a getaway that’s nothing short of dreamy, you know where to look. www.theracha.com
X O
P R I VAT E
All villas come luxuriously appointed with every modern convenience - including apple ipod with bose sound dock.
Here, an azure sea teeming with marine life, pristine white-sand beaches and verdant tropical grounds surround the world-renowned luxury island resort, The Racha. Eco-chic minimalist whitewashed structures dot the twenty-acre grounds. Eighty-five meticulously designed villas with luxe furnishings provide for every creature comfort.
A menber of Small Luxury Hotels of the World
85 luxurious villas • 3 ozonated pools (excluding private ones) • 3 signature dining establishments & Bar • world-acclaimed anumba spa • club del mar for chilling personalized sea and land experiences • to-die-for-views complimentary. tel: 66 76 355 455 fax: 66 76 355 637 email: reservation@theracha.com
www.theracha.com
insider city guide Taking orders at Alpenstueck.
LocAL tAke
KeVin aVery of LittLe otik new york–raised avery and partner Jeffrey sfire opened Little otik (71 Graefestrasse; 49-30/5036-2301; dinner for two €46) last year in the Kreuzberg neighborhood, hoping to reinterpret american food for a new audience. now it’s one of the most sought-after tables in town. my typical customer is... nonexistent, really. on any given night you could have college kids, businessmen, a young family or older people who have lived here their whole lives. that’s why we love Kreuzberg. Where i shop to jazz up my... apartment urbanstrasse, near the restaurant; the road is lined with little antiqueand vintage-furniture shops. try antik galerie (No. 126) and adler antik (No. 124).
berlin’s hot new restaurants cater to any craving. for oVer-The-Top inDUlgenCe restaurant Tim raue serves an Asian-
influenced tasting menu—caviar with wild herbs and wasabi; jamón with parsley and choy sum; Peking duck three ways—flavors from his first venture, Ma, at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski. 26 Rudi Dutschke Strasse; 49-30/2593-7930; dinner for two €180. for “yeah , We aTe There” CaCheT
Ring the buzzer of an unmarked door under an S-Bahn bridge to find the Japanese-Iberian Tausend backroom Cantina. Chefs Duc The Ngo and Masao Watari serve miso cod and skewered anticuchos inside the industrial, steel-gray space. 11 Schiffbauerdamm; 49-30/27582070; dinner for two €50. 64 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
for melT-in-yoUr moUTh Tapas
A graffiti-embellished façade on Görlitzer Park gives way to the unpretentious dining room and casual-style seats of bar raval. The small plates, such as Ibérico ham and patatas bravas, and all-Iberian wine list are surprisingly refined. 1 Lübbener Strasse; 49-30/ 5316-7954; dinner for two €25. for some alpine gemÜTliChKeiT alpenstueck, in Mitte, is awash in charm,
from the rustic beech walls to the sublime Alpine/Bavarian fare—hearty spaetzle and rabbit, pumpkin-and beet ravioli, and potato-and-cucumber salad are the next best thing to an actual mountain getaway. 9 Gartenstrasse; 49-30/2175-1646; dinner for two €70. ✚
...kitchen Kochlust (85D Prinzenstrasse; 49-30/22196095; kochlust-berlin.de), a modern kitchen store with a lovely café (and a cookbook). Where i go to escape the botanic garden (Freie Universität Berlin, 6-8 Königin-Luise-Strasse; 49-30/8385-0100; bgbm. org), in dahlem, which has more than 20,000 kinds of plants. or the muggelsee— the biggest lake in Berlin. it’s only a half-hour train ride east from the city center, but you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. Maria Shollenbarger is the deputy editor of How to Spend It at the Financial Times.
peter riguad
eaT
...closet our favorite clothing shop in Kreuzberg is akeef (18 Wienerstrasse; 4930/6290-1475). it carries great menswear labels, including Folk from london and Baracuta.
Welcome to the premier life速 Enrich your travel experience with BEST WESTERN PREMIER throughout Asia, a collection of distinctive hotels as unique and authentic as the destinations in which they are located. Each place offers a voyage for those who live for discovery. BEST WESTERN PREMIER locations in Asia: China | India | Indonesia | Japan | Malaysia | Philippines | South Korea | Thailand | Vietnam Visit bestwesternasia.com or call toll free +800 0013 1779
Nagasaki, Japan
Seoul, South Korea
Manila, Philippines
stylish traveler
[st ]
fashion
SPRING IN YOUR STEP
Whether hittinG the streets oF honG KonG or strollinG in hanoi, add a sPlash oF color to your WardroBe With these smart soles. toP row from left: suede moccasin, by hush Puppies; suede driving shoe, rockport; nylon mesh loafer, swims; Pvc flat, nine West; suede slip-on, ivanka trump. SecoND row Patent-leather loafer, by stuart Weitzman; nubuck leather driving shoe, cole haan; patent-leather flat, G.h. Bass & co.; patent-leather loafer, aquatalia by marvin K.; suede moccasin, Geox. thIrD row suede moccasin, by Geox; nubuck driving shoe, cole haan; leather loafer, naturalizer; leather slip-on, hunter Boot; patent-leather loafer, aquatalia by marvin K. bottom row leather
slip-on, by hunter Boot; nylon mesh loafer, swims; nubuck lace-up, tsubo; suede moccasin, Guess; tumbled leather moccasin, Geox.
Photographed by Levi Brown. Styled by Mimi Lombardo
travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 67
[st] uniform
COMFY COUTURE For handBaG desiGner christina yu, Frequent travel involves equal Parts style and creature comForts.
PAckINg PIckS
“I tend to go for a smart casual look verging on the comfort side,” says Christina Yu, former lawyer turned founder of the boutique handbag brand Ipa-Nima. With her wares sold throughout Asia, Europe and America, Saigon-based Yu is often on the road. Onboard, Yu opts for a long-sleeved shirt, usually with a colorful print like the one pictured here from Spanish brand Custo—“Planes are often too cold for me.” She travels with only one pair of jeans, either worn or in her luggage, such as her high-waisted Diesels, which are “comfortable but not too tight.” These are paired with her chunky ash clogs—“They give me some height and are easy to slip on and off.” Of course the designer is never short on bags and travels with her Ipa-Nima aretha and bessie styles due to their large size and multiple compartments. Into her carry-on she slips in a pashmina or cashmere wrap, for some added warmth, along with a small keepsake: “A friend of mine bought me a set of blessed rosary beads from the Vatican years ago and they have not left my bag since.”—k a r ry n m i l l e r
68 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
hyDraTion “i like to bring along elizabeth arden eight hour cream as it’s multipurpose. i can use it on my hands, face and lips. i also pack la roche-Posay thermal spring Water spray.” gaDgeTry “i have a canon ixy digital in Bright Pink that’s in my bag. i have used different brands before but i think canon is still the best in terms of clarity and compactness. along with my Blackberry and Fujitsu laptop i carry a casio travel calculator. i use it even when i’m not travelling as the vietnamese dong has too many zeros.” shaDes “i have a couple of different pairs i travel with. at the moment i take my tom Ford sunglasses with big round rims.” ComforTs “if i’m on a long haul i bring a back pillow. Given all the stuff that i carry you can understand why! i also like to bring a cashmere blanket for those unpredictable temperatures onboard.”
Photographed by Aaron Joel Santos
[st] spotlight
SaFaRI STYlE
designer and project runwayi judge michael kors tellsi mimi lombarDo about thei south african trip thati influenced his new collectioni
miChael Kors’s paCKing lisT 1 “i wore my patagonia Down sweater Vest (patagonia.com) every day; it compacts well in your bag and keeps you warm.”
sleep ChiC “singita lebombo lodge (Singita Kruger National Park; singita.com; from US$2,980 per night) was like a modern tree house—with hippos wading in the river beyond.”
2 “i love the panasonic lumix camera because it takes incredibly sharp pictures but is super easy to use.”
3 “bushnell binoculars (bushnell.com) are the perfect size and have amazing magnifying abilities.”
looKing baCK “africa awakens your senses. the landscape reminds you to notice the small things in life— the shift of light in the sky, the simple beauty of trees.”
(CaT)WalK This Way “the wildlife, terrain and tangerine sunsets all colored my spring 2012 runway collection.”
4 “For this trip, i used my canvas T. anthony rolling duffel—it’s soft, but it has wheels and fits a lot.”
c l o c k w i s e f r o m to p l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f m i c h a e l ko r s ( 3 ) ; c o u r t e s y o f pata g o n i a ; c o u r t e s y o f l u m i x ; c o u r t e s y o f b u s h n e l l ; c o u r t e s y o f t. a n t h o n y ; g a m m a - r a p h o v i a g e t t y i m a g e s ; c o u r t e s y o f m i c h a e l k o r s ; c o u r t e s y o f s i n g i ta l e b o m b o l o d g e ; c e n t e r : l a r s k l o v e
WhaT To Wear “on a safari, it’s important to stay away from red and orange clothes because it frightens the animals. a neutral palette works as well as camouflage.”
momenT of aWe “having a herd of elephants pass by my husband and me—enormous ones and small babies—took our breath away. they’re prehistoric yet majestic.”
strategies readers' poll
WoRLd’s BEst VALuE 2012
Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, in Bangkok.
72 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
c o u r t e s y o f r o ya l o r c h i d s h e r a t o n h o t e l & t o w e r s
Of the thousands of hotels and travel companies on T+L’s World’s Best Awards survey, there’s a select group that delivers excellence for less. Here’s the latest crop of winners.
UlTimaTe sTeals Top 10 hoTels for ValUe oVerall STARTINg RATeS OF US$150 A NIgHT OR LeSS
1. royal orchid sheraton hotel & Towers Bangkok 92.00 (us$143) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 6. 8. 9. 10. 10.
Kempinski hotel Corvinus Budapest 88.24 (us$135) hotel monaco chicago 88.00 (us$149) banyan Tree Bangkok 87.50 (us$150) sanderling resort & spa duck, north carolina 86.96 (us$129) hyatt regency Coconut point resort & spa Bonita springs, Florida 86.67 (us$139) The Westin cape town 86.67 (us$150) hotel eisenhut rothenburg ob der tauber, Germany 85.39 (us$135) hilton istanbul 85.33 (us$144) brown hotel louisville, Kentucky 85.00 (us$129) green Valley ranch resort & spa las vegas 85.00 (us$90)
Top 10 hoTels for ValUe oVerall
toP IN towN AND couNtry From top: At the Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa in Australia; the storied lobby at Sofitel Legend Metropole, Hanoi; time for a few laps at the indoor swimming pool at Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street.
STARTINg RATeS OF US$300 A NIgHT OR LeSS
1. ritz-Carlton beijing, financial street 93.75 (us$295) 2. four seasons resort carmelo, uruguay 92.00 (us$245) 2. royal orchid sheraton hotel & Towers Bangkok 92.00 (us$143) 4. sofitel legend metropole hanoi, vietnam 91.59 (us$225) 5. serengeti sopa lodge serengeti national Park, tanzania 91.43 (us$225) 6. Dusit Thani laguna Phuket, thailand 90.67 (us$200) 7. omni bedford springs resort Bedford, Pennsylvania 90.59 (us$229) 8. eliot hotel Boston 89.47 (us$255) 9. Tides inn irvington, virginia 89.33 (us$225) f r o m to p : c o u r t e s y o f l i l i a n f e l s b l u e m o u n ta i n s r e s o r t & s pa ; c o u r t e s y o f s o f i t e l l e g e n d m e t r o p o l e ; c o u r t e s y o f r i t z - c a r lt o n b e i j i n g , f i n a n c i a l s t r e e t
10. Waldorf astoria orlando, Florida 88.97 (us$159)
asia 1. ritz-Carlton beijing, financial street 93.75 (us$295) 2. royal orchid sheraton hotel & Towers Bangkok 92.00 (us$143) 3. sofitel legend metropole hanoi, vietnam 91.59 (us$225) 4. Dusit Thani laguna Phuket, thailand 90.67 (us$200) 5. makati shangri-la manila 88.15 (us$262) 6. JW marriott phuket resort & spa thailand 88.00 (us$184) 7. banyan Tree Bangkok 87.50 (us$150) 7. pangkor laut resort Pangkor laut island, malaysia 87.50 (us$243) 9. The oberoi mumbai 87.27 (us$240) 10. mandarin oriental singapore 86.96 (us$299)
aUsTralia, neW ZealanD anD The soUTh paCifiC 1. lilianfels blue mountains resort & spa australia 84.00 (us$295) 2. The langham melbourne 82.73 (us$275) 3. sofitel Queenstown hotel & spa new Zealand 82.67 (us$299) 4. sydney harbour marriott hotel at Circular Quay 82.22 (us$249) 5. reef house resort & spa Palm cove, australia 80.00 (us$259) meThoDology scores are indexed averages of survey respondents’ votes for the characteristic “value.” in the case of a tie, properties share the same ranking. hotels must have
a starting rate of us$300 or less to be included. Prices represent the starting rate or the rack rate. For the complete methodology, go to travelandleisure.com/WorldsBest.
travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 73
digitaltraveler
Trend of the month
Out nOw
available at www.zinio.com
(home) movIe StArS Chances are, during your last getaway with the family, you shot a lot of video. Most likely it was taken using a smart phone, but it was never edited before it was shared. The recent explosion in video-sharing apps—which promise to do for short clips what picture-sharing apps like Instagram and Path did for still images—means there’s no longer any excuse. These apps let you shoot videos and customize them with a variety of filters to change the overall look and feel of your clips. They also allow for one-touch sharing to popular social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
t+L PIckS: reSourceS for the roAD
1 the photojojo macro Cell lens band (photojojo. com; fits any cell phone) straps onto phones to improve the crispness of close-up snapshots.
2 sync your online files— from Google docs, Flickr, youtube and instagram— together via socialfolders (socialfolders.me) to access and edit files offline.
3 4 using your photosynth iPhone 4s GPs (photosynth.net), navigation lets you take a while driving? series of photos easily mount on your iPhone, it to nearly any and creates surface with 360-degree this sleek panoramas to Quad lock share with friends (quadlockcase.com). at home.
www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com Illustrated by Leif Parsons
f r o m l e f t: co u rt e sy o f p h otoj oj o ; co u rt e sy o f s o c i a l fo l d e r s ; co u rt e sy o f a n n e x p r o d u c ts ; co u rt e sy o f p h oto sy n t h
Digital eDition
With more than 3 million downloads so far, socialcam has the largest community and lets you follow and be followed, Twitter-style, by both close friends and complete strangers, depending on your privacy settings. It also allows for unlimited video length and storage. The widest variety of filters and features are available on Vlix, which has everything from stop- and reverse-motion to Super-8 1970-style; Vibop (specializes in flashy intros and downloadable effects à la Hipstamatic); and Viddy (lets you add Muppets characters to that New Orleans street). Can’t decide between a picture or a video of you in front of the Trevi Fountain? With glmps, you can have it both ways: the app captures the first five seconds just before a photo is taken, and lets you share it as a movie. Oh, and don’t forget: make sure to share those files via Wi-Fi when roaming abroad, or there could be a feature-length-size cell phone bill waiting for you when you get home. —tom samiljan
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smarttraveler
the ins and outs of modern travel
cArry oN cArryINg oN
as airline fees for baggage climb, how do you stay stylish with only a carry-on? we turned to fashion insiders for tips. by Jennifer Chen Are you willing to pay US$450 for a checked bag? That’s what American Airlines is charging for checked bags weighing between 32 and 45 kilos on its Asia flights, according to one recent survey. While most major Asian airlines still have reasonable fees on overweight and extra baggage, regional budget carriers such as AirAsia follow the American model. And as if extra fees weren’t incentive enough to stick to a carry-on, long wait times at baggage claims should cure most chronic overpackers. During a recent trip to Kathmandu, I observed a scene at the single, functioning baggage belt in the airport that was basically a slow-motion melée. (All of this, after an hour-and-a-half queue at immigration.) Packing light doesn’t have to mean wearing nothing but frumpy anoraks and quick-dry 76 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
trousers. We turned to a couple of Asia’s leading fashion designers for their advice on how to stay stylish on the road: weAr your SmArteSt cLotheS. That’s the advice from Ellis Krueger and Alex Daye of Moustache in Hong Kong. For men, they advise going with a nice jacket, a proper dress shirt and your best pair of shoes. “These usually take the most room in your luggage anyway, so you save the real estate by wearing them,” they say. Plus, you might get the added bonus of an upgrade with a more dapper look. Worried about crumpling? Their quick, sure-fire solution is to hang the clothes in the bathroom, near the shower; while you wash off the travel grime, the steam smoothes out wrinkles. Illustration by Wasinee Chantakorn
orgANIze, orgANIze, orgANIze. Save space by cordoning off sections of your suitcase for specific items, says Jirawat “Bote” Benchakarn, an up-and-coming Thai designer who specializes in clean, preppy looks. Ziploc bags make cheap travel pouches, but Jirawat recommends United Arrows, a Japanese clothing brand that makes durable pouches in ethnic prints. “They’re a great accent to my wardrobe,” he adds. And don’t forget shoes “are the suitcase inside the suitcase,” say Kreuger and Daye.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF LUXURY
StIck to the bASIcS. Ladies, rethink bringing
that leopard skin–print top that doesn’t go with anything else. Instead, choose a couple of neutral basics that are easy to mix-and-match. Add a few pieces in bright colors to dress up a pair of black leggings or a basic blazer. Going to the beach? All you really need besides your bathing suit are a sarong, a few T-shirts, a pair of shorts, a floaty dress and a pair of sandals. A pared-down wardrobe can even get you through an urban getaway: a jacket, a cardigan, a nice pair of jeans or black trousers, two T-shirts and a pashmina, which can also serve as a travel blanket. Save the statementmaking for your accessories, and for shoes, all you need are flats, sandals and one pair of heels. Kreuger and Daye offer even more radical advice for men. “Take less clothes than you see on the outside—jackets, shirts, trousers—and much more of what not so many see on the inside—socks, T-shirts, vests, underwear,” they say. “No one will see a repeated outfit when you are traveling. But you will feel so much better if you change your underwear and socks at least twice a day.” Sick of wearing the same clothes day in and day out? Spritz your clothes with your favorite cologne or perfume—it will make a tired outfit feel fresh. Jirawat favors The Laundress’s Fabric Fresh Classic scent: “Your clothes will smell like fresh laundry all through the trip.” StArt PAckINg eArLy. Nothing is more
conducive to overpacking than leaving things to the last minute. Lay everything out at least the day before your trip, come back after a few hours, and then edit down to the essentials. geT The gUiDe For more ideas and recommendations on travelinG around southeast asia, Go to travelandleisureasia.com
Winding through the jungle-covered hills, breathtaking rainforests and delightful villages of South-East Asia, the Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury train experience unlike any other in the world. Lavishly appointed cabins, with impeccable detailing, have been designed to meet the highly individual tastes of the most discerning traveller; while refined touches, such as personal 24-hour steward service and dramatic open-air observation deck, all add to the feeling of glamour and style. Your romantic adventure continues with fine dining in our restaurant car, before you retire to the legendary piano bar to share enchanting tales of trishaw riding in Penang and cruising the Kwai Yai River – all unique memories to last a lifetime. Experience the golden age of travel aboard one of our Classic Journeys. Our opulent 2 and 3 night excursions between Singapore and Bangkok offer unforgettable adventures that will sustain a lifetime’s conversation For more information or to make a booking please contact our reservations centre directly on +65 6395 0678, or email us at oereservations.singapore@orient-express.com quoting code ‘TL’. Singapore – Malaysia – Thailand – Laos orient-express.com/e&o ‘Like’ us on Facebook and stay up to date www.facebook.com/easternorientalexpress
Thailand
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Bali
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india
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maURiTiUs
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The maldiVes
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The PhiliPPines
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VieTnam
T h a iland g iv es yo u ev e ryT h i n g . We giv e yo u T h a il a n d. Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel company with a variety of 4-and 5-star resorts. With 5 distinct brands and properties in city centre locations, key beachside destinations, on tropical islands and areas of outstanding natural beauty there’s a Centara experience for everyone. No matter what your preferred holiday style is, we have it covered. Being a luxurious grand hotel, romantic hideaway, adult focuses fun for all the family or chic boutique. When you come to Thailand, come to Centara.
CENTARA HOTELS & RESORTS 999/99 Rama 1, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand T : +66 (0) 2 101 1234 • F : +66 (0) 2 101 1235 • E : reservations@chr.co.th •www.cenTaRahoTelsResoRTs.com
journal
travel toPics in dePth, vivid visuals and more
The former Accountant general’s office on Strand Rd.
legacy in limbo
ranGoon’s rich collection oF colonial architecture is Worn doWn. What haPPens to it noW that the country is oPeninG uP? sarah rooney heads oFF in search oF ansWers. phoTographeD by CeDriC arnolD
travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 79
journal preservation
seasoned stalwarts
Above: Language teacher U Tint Lwin has had an office in Sofaer’s Building for nearly four decades. Right: The Strand Hotel.
s
troll down Rangoon’s Pansodan Street and you’ll come upon Sofaer’s Building at the corner of Merchant Road. Like Burma itself, it’s seen better days. During the building’s heyday in the 1910’s, however, it was an emporium of marvels. Residents of Rangoon came here for Egyptian cigarettes and fine European liqueurs. The Vienna Café, a royally appointed bakery and confectionary, catered lavish garden parties for the British governor of Burma. At the Reuters office, telegrams rang in news of the latest events from around the world. Designed by Isaac Sofaer, a Jewish émigré from Baghdad, the building drew on a variety of aesthetic influences. Its opulent façade was accented with Italianate flourishes. The floor tiles—a mosaic pattern of green, gold, burnt sienna and lapis lazuli—were shipped from Manchester, England. If visitors weren’t brave enough to enter one of the city’s first electronic lifts, they could ascend sweeping staircases carved from premium teak felled in the jungles of Upper Burma.
80 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
Today, however, the building is severely dilapidated. Those floor tiles are cracked and faded. The lift shaft fell silent long ago, its wrought iron swirls now used for drying clothes. There’s a carpet of dust and grime on the upper floors, and the teakwood stairs are rotting away. The central courtyard has become a fetid rubbish dump that is the exclusive domain of scrap collectors and hungry crows. Sofaer’s Building is just one of scores of colonial-era buildings surviving in downtown Rangoon in varying stages of decline. Protected by the country’s isolation and stagnant economy over nearly half a century of military rule, the biggest danger to these structures has been neglect and gradual decay. Now, they face a more urgent threat. With political changes afoot, Burma is on the verge of opening up for international investment; as property developers seek out prime plots in the former capital’s central business district, the scant legislation that exists for heritage protection may not be enough to save these buildings. Aware of this looming problem, local architects are keen to promote Rangoon’s unique heritage. The sheer density of surviving colonial-era structures—from rows of humble
shop houses to the once-grand edifices of Empire—is unparalleled in Southeast Asia and represents what academics have cited as the best remaining example of a “colonial core” in the region. In downtown Rangoon, it is possible to walk along Strand Road and the lower block of Pansodan Street without encountering a single modern structure. To stroll these streets is, quite literally, to step back in time through chapters of Burmese history.
W
faded grandeur Above: The
facade of Sofaer’s Building. Below: The former headquarters of Bulloch Brothers & Co. is now the city’s Central Post Office.
ithin a few short decades of the British conquest of Rangoon in 1852, it was transformed from a riverside village to one of the busiest ports in the British Empire. Trading firms amassed great fortunes from the so-called “trinity” of Burma’s natural resources—paddy, oil and teak. As Strand Road ran parallel to the river and the jetties, it became a premium address for leading merchant houses and, though the firms themselves are long gone, a number of their offices remain. The large maroon building at the corner of Bo Aung Kyaw Street was the headquarters of Bulloch Brothers & Co., which was established in Burma in the mid-19th century by two Scottish brothers from Glasgow and became one of the most successful rice-milling firms in the country. Now used as the Central Post Office, its more affluent origins are visible in its Beaux Arts portico and rows of Lancet-arched windows—a neo-Moorish touch inspired by Indian Mughal design, common in the architecture of the British Raj. Next door stands an elegant white building that wouldn’t look out of place in London. Constructed in 1900 as the premises of Graham & Co., a major shipping and insurance company, it is now pristinely restored and houses the British embassy. Further along the Strand is the former office of the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, a powerful timber firm that played a critical role in the fate of Burma; it was a dispute between this company and Burma’s last monarch, King Thibaw, which led to the third Anglo-Burmese War and the final British annexation of Upper Burma in the 1880’s. Unsurprisingly, this was one of the first properties seized by the Burmese government after independence from Britain in 1948. It was stripped bare of any »
despite the association with colonial rule, few Burmese hold any grudge against this architectural legacy
travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 81
journal preservation
remAINS of the rAj
Right: The lobby of the Strand Hotel, originally built in 1901. Below: The Custom House, also on Strand Rd.
‘it’s our history and we can’t obliterate it. instead, we should enable the younger generation to learn from it’
82 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
architectural significance and today serves as a Myanmar Airways office. Despite the obvious association with the oppressive and rapacious side of colonial rule, few Burmese hold any grudge against this architectural legacy. As Burmese architect Daw Thynn Thynn Aye points out, “It’s our history and we can’t obliterate it. Instead, we should enable the younger generation to learn from it and invite visitors to our country to learn from it, too.” Administrative colonial architecture was marked by a formidable grandeur designed, no doubt, to attribute a sense of might and glory to the British Empire. The magnificent Port Authority building is located on the eastern corner of Pansodan Street and features a distinctive square tower, wave-inspired stucco work and sculpted reliefs of various ships. Across Pansodan is the old Accountant General’s office and Currency Department. Clerks in the building once oversaw the collection of colonial government revenue that came from opium (importation and legal sales), salt, custom duties, railways, post offices, telegraphs and major irrigation works. During World War II, a bomb destroyed an entire wing of this building and it was never properly repaired. Today, the ruined brickwork, laced with weeds, remains an evocative memorial to the fierce battles fought over Rangoon. Further along the Strand are the Custom House and the imposing Police Commissioner’s building, a massive structure that encompasses an entire block and required 2,700 tons of steel for its framework. Around the corner on Sule Pagoda Road is the sprawling complex of the Supreme Court that served as the highest seat of justice in the land during colonial times. Walking through this neighborhood is like stepping into a larger-than-life museum in which each building is a work of art in itself. Take, for instance, the building constructed »
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journal preservation
Monks at breakfast behind the Port Authority building.
for the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (today known as Standard Chartered). Completed to cutting-edge designs by Hong Kong architects on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Rangoon in World War II, it is still a striking structure; the hulking pagoda-inspired entrance tower is made of cut stone and looms above Pansodan Street. Opposite the bank building is the former office of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, once the country’s primary provider of river transportation. By World War II, the company was operating 600 vessels that transported a staggering eight million passengers and nearly a quarter million tons of cargo per year. Most of those boats were deliberately sunk during the war as part of a “scorched earth” campaign to deny the invading Japanese army any useful resources. After independence, the building was taken over by the Burmese government’s Inland Waterways Department but the words “Irrawaddy Chambers” remain, a nostalgic echo, engraved above the entrance archways. Many of these buildings are on the market; most are 84 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
owned by the state and were left abandoned or only partially occupied after the government established a new capital in Naypyidaw. Burmese architects and urban planners are currently lobbying the government to pedestrianize this lower block of Pansodan Street and invite investors to repurpose the buildings into hotels, restaurants, shops, museums and theaters. “We should make a feature of this area,” says U Win Myint, a patron of the Association of Myanmar Architects. “Now, when tourists visit the city, there’s not so much for
With many of these stateowned structures now up for sale, this neighborhood is on the cusp of change
them to do—they visit the Shwedagon and Sule pagodas, do some shopping at Scott Market and then they are done. If we develop this area it could become a major tourist attraction, generating income for the developers as well as for local residents and small businesses in the area.” It’s a worthy aspiration but there are plenty of challenges ahead. The biggest hurdle is, quite simply, money. With hardly any government or municipal budget dedicated to heritage preservation, funds must be raised privately. But once renovation works are added to the high cost of land in Rangoon, the final price tag for restoring a single building becomes exorbitant. It costs less to demolish and start anew. The Strand Hotel is one of a scant handful of professionally restored buildings in Burma. Built in 1901 by the legendary Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies brothers, the renowned hotel managed to stay open after being nationalized in the 1960’s during Burma’s socialist period, though all hints of luxury were duly excised. By the time Tony Wheeler, the founder of Lonely Planet guidebooks, stayed here in the 1970’s, the hotel was much deteriorated. Wheeler wrote, “By 11 p.m. you are likely to be feeling pretty lonely in the lounge area [with] just the occasional Strand rat scampering across the floor to keep you company.” Then, in 1990, an enterprising joint venture between the Burmese government and Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha set out to restore the hotel. Three years and more than US$16 million later, it reopened with 32 fully renovated rooms and remains Burma’s most famous hotel. Finances aside, other imminent threats to these buildings include the planned expansion of Strand Road into an eight-lane highway to accommodate increased traffic to and from the ports. Indeed, as these stateowned buildings may soon be sold off, there is no doubt that this neighborhood is on the cusp of change. In a landscape where time has effectively stood still for so many decades, the people who inhabit these buildings may be ill-prepared for what lies ahead. U Tint Lwin, an elderly English teacher who has worked in a partitioned corner of Sofaer’s Building since the mid1970’s, is seemingly unaware of the potential danger of the wrecking ball that may come with a new wave of development. “They are a unique example of a grand vista such as you no longer see elsewhere,” he says of the colonial-era buildings along Pansodan Street. “I have to say, though, not much has changed here in the past 35 years—only I have gotten older.” ✚ Sarah Rooney is the author of 30 Heritage Buildings of Yangon: The City that Captured Time (Association of Myanmar Architects), to be published in May.
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journal drinks
vintage northwest oreGon’s Willamette valley has lonG reveled in its status as the anti-naPa. noW its Boutique vineyards have Been joined By a luxurious neW hotel and a croP oF amBitious cheFs. brUCe sChoenfelD visits an unsPoiled reGion riPe For discovery. phoTographeD by sTeVe Kepple
t
his isn’t Napa Valley.” Fifteen years later, I can still hear the words told to me by the manager of one of Oregon’s best wineries. I’d asked, innocently enough, why he didn’t allow visitors. His response was shorthand for all the ways in which the Willamette Valley, a bucolic stretch of rolling farmland that begins some 225 kilometers southwest of Portland, wanted to distance itself from America’s most successful wine region. Napa had given itself over to wine tourism, lock, stock and new oak barrels, but grapes are merely one of 225 cash crops in the Willamette. Here, combines and
86 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
harvesters far outnumber tour buses. Vineyards aren’t vast but small and irregularly shaped, threaded between strawberry patches and fields of ryegrass. Wineries are owned by fledgling grape farmers and self-taught enologists who came here looking for a quiet, comfortable life. To them, Napa was a four-letter word. As for tourism, they didn’t really care if you came to see them or didn’t. They certainly didn’t want to sell you a corkscrew. But I cared. I wanted to drink the wines, and the ones I liked best weren’t sold in my local wine shops, or anywhere I traveled. The Willamette Valley didn’t have a single producer that could be called large. (Even today, the average annual output of an Oregon winery is just 4,600
couNtry LIvINg From above: A classic truck displays some local spirit at eyrie Vineyards, in McMinnville; a rabbit dish at Farm to Fork, in Dundee. Opposite from left: Owners eric Ferguson and Carmen Peirano at Nick’s Italian Café, in McMinnville; fall foliage at Domaine Drouhin Oregon, in Dundee.
12-bottle cases, which means that California’s Gallo, for example, sells more than the entire state.) The best wines were—and continue to be—produced in such tiny quantities that they’re seldom seen outside the state. Really, you have to visit to get them. So I kept coming. I’d eat at the same handful of restaurants each time and take long walks through vineyards without seeing another soul. I couldn’t find a hotel or B&B worth staying in more than once, so I eventually resorted to staying at Portland’s Heathman Hotel, which would be an eminently desirable option if it weren’t an hour’s drive away. The wines made it all worthwhile. Burgundy is the benchmark for Pinot Noir, but I actually found the Willamette’s Pinots more consistently impressive. My favorites stimulated not just my taste buds but also my imagination, like friends who are far more than merely pleasant company. And as time went on, I came to appreciate all that made the Willamette different from everywhere else. More and more wine regions were becoming facsimiles of Napa, and touring them sometimes felt like visiting an enological theme park, with tasting rooms instead of rides. The authenticity of the Willamette as an agricultural area appealed to me. So did its resolute determination not to squander all that made it special in pursuit of something bigger, grander, more profitable. Not Napa? That suited me fine. A few years ago, just as the original generation of Willamette winery owners began passing control to their sons and daughters, I started hearing rumblings of change. Developers had applied for permits and were challenging the strict land-use laws, I was told. There was talk of
corporate investment in wineries, even blueprints for luxury hotels. And when one of those, the Allison Inn & Spa, broke ground, I feared the worst. Yet I was also intrigued—especially after I learned, once the Allison opened, that many of the old-time winery owners who’d vociferously opposed the luxury hotel had become regulars. They’d sip wine at the bar, get massages in the spa, eat dinner there every week. Even more surprising, friends would actually praise the impact it was having on life in the valley. So I flew in to investigate. I drove past manicured gardens and walked into a sun-drenched lobby. There was no corporate anonymity, just understated hospitality. I still had visions of the Willamette starting down a one-way road toward being just another wine-country destination. But I wasn’t going to miss that long drive back to the Heathman.
t
he Allison is the first hotel in the history of the Willamette in which the phrase “thread count” comes into play. There are fireplaces and tangerine bath salts in the guest rooms, cascading water and kinesis machines in the fitness center, boutique Steven Smith teas in the lobby. The level of service is remarkable, especially in an agricultural community where a hospitality culture needed to be conjured up from scratch. Drop off an envelope and your boarding pass is delivered to your room. Ask for winery visits and you’ll get a personalized itinerary. After two false starts, the food at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Jory, has come into focus in the hands of » travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 87
journal drinks
‘We’re a backwoods, sleepy kind of place, and i like that. But we do have to figure out how to make a living’
fIrSt cruSh From left: A Highland calf roams the grounds at de Lancellotti Family Vineyards, in Newberg; Pinot Noir grapes await the crush at Domaine Drouhin Oregon.
Sunny Jin, a South Korea native whose brief but wildly impressive professional history includes Napa’s French Laundry, Sydney’s Tetsuya’s and Spain’s El Bulli, arguably the most influential restaurants on each of three continents. And after spending a few days in the valley, I had to admit that the effect of the hotel has been profound. Not only can sizable groups now plan outings to the area—one recent stay by Texas collectors resulted in the purchase of 650 bottles from area vintners—but anyone who visits the region will reap some benefits, even if they don’t set foot on the property. Perhaps they’ll eat the bread of Portland’s renowned Pearl Bakery, which had steadfastly refused to export to the Willamette until a full-court press by Allison executives, and now sends a truck through each morning. Or they’ll enjoy the fresh fish from the Oregon coast that 88 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
hadn’t been brought into the valley until recently. “The Allison deserves so much of the credit,” says Paul Bachand, who serves the bread and the fish at his six-month-old American bistro, Recipe. Most of all, the Allison has attracted the kind of traveler that the Willamette sees as its future. Not the tour-busriding, wine-swilling lout that author Rex Pickett has parodied in Vertical, the follow-up to Sideways that he based in the Willamette, but one who appreciates the painstakingly chosen local artwork on the hotel’s walls. “I’m not usually open to visitors unless they’re on our mailing list,” said Maggie Harrison, who makes the wine and runs the business at tiny Antica Terra, a winery in the northwest
Eola-Amity Hills that has developed a cult following. “But if the Allison calls and says, ‘I have four people,’ I say, ‘Absolutely.’ They’re exactly who I want.” But Harrison is New Wave, a California émigré without roots in the region, running a winery funded by investment bankers. One afternoon I drove to see Merrilee Buchanan Benson at Tyee Wine Cellars, an under-the-radar property founded by her parents, who first planted grapes in the valley back in 1974. We sat under 400-year-old oaks, ate a picnic lunch and drank a 1999 Pinot Noir. It was salmoncolored, typical of light-bodied Pinots with some age, and unobtrusive. Yet each time I took a sip, it had gained richness and body and character, as great Burgundies characteristically do. I know people who’d fly across the Atlantic to taste just such a wine, but they overlook the Willamette because bottles like that one never reach their doorstep. And besides wine professionals, the only person I know who has ever visited Tyee, a good 20 minutes from the bulk of the valley’s wineries, is... me. Now 37, Buchanan Benson became the winemaker in 2006, after two decades at Tyee. She’d studied enology and had her own ideas, so she stopped using oak for the Chardonnay to help the fruit shine through, and started harvesting Pinot Noir in three passes to make sure all the berries were ripe. She cut production nearly in half because she didn’t want any grapes that weren’t grown on her family’s property. “I come from this farm,” she said, “and I’m excited about having people experience it.” But the experience she can offer is tightly proscribed. On-site restaurants, which help make wineries profitable from Pauillac to Perth, are all but banned by zoning laws. Her tasting room is a hut. And making 18,000 bottles a year is hardly financially sustainable. “For a long time, everyone here was trying to prevent us from becoming the next California,” Buchanan Benson told me. “It’s left us as kind of a backwoods, sleepy, rural kind of place, and I like that. I want to preserve it—we’d really benefit from keeping that pace as part of our culture. But we do have to figure out how to make a living.” As we finished lunch, I imagined how jarring it would feel if a tour group marched past us through the meadow. Then I let myself consider what would happen if the Buchanan family, which has owned the farmstead since 1885, were forced to sell it, and how I’d feel if I could never drink a bottle of Tyee again. I still wasn’t certain how I felt about the first vision, but I knew I didn’t like the second.
a
nother sea change has been brought about by a cadre of young chefs, led by Recipe’s Bachand and Thistle’s Eric Bechard, who have decided that the Willamette Valley is the best new place to open a restaurant. It helps that the area is in the orbit of Portland, one of
America’s best food cities, and that its bounty of crops has helped attract dedicated farm-to-table practitioners who want to be near farms. “You can’t do this in too many wine regions,” said Bechard of his relentlessly locavore, 45-seat restaurant. “Only 1.4 percent of the crops grown here are grapes. That leaves a lot to work with.” Thistle lists its ever-changing menu on a chalkboard, along with the names of its purveyors. Its seasonality is so strict that it won’t serve Bloody Marys “until tomatoes are in season,” as Bechard recently told a guest. At Farm to Fork, »
fiVe WillameTTe Valley Wines To seeK oUT adelsheim Vineyard 2009 Quarter mile lane pinot noir most wine from this 37-year-old vineyard is designated for adelsheim’s elizabeth’s reserve, but winemaker dave Paige pulls out between 50 and 100 cases and bottles them as a separate cuvée. the ’09 version balances the ripeness and high alcohol of that warm vintage with an intoxicating perfume, and a bramble-in-athicket complexity that defies easy description. 1-503/538-3652; adelsheim.com; US$105. antica Terra estate grown pinot noir eola-amity hills 2009 Planted on a foot or so of topsoil sitting on a prehistoric sheet of rock, the vines on this windswept hillside make wine of uncommon minerality. this release, winemaker maggie harrison’s best achievement to date, has an intensity that propels the stoniness and dark blue fruit toward a lingering finish. 1-503/2441748; anticaterra.com; US$100. 2009 seufert Winery Johan Vineyard pinot noir this little-known winery in downtown dayton consists of a small room with barrels, equipment and a rudimentary tasting
greaT ValUe
table, but its modestly priced wines are more accomplished each year. the understated ’09 johan, made from grapes grown in a certified biodynamic vineyard, has a delicious freshness that compels the next sip and the structure to keep improving with age. 1-503/864-2946; seufertwinery.com; US$30. Trisaetum ribbon ridge Vineyard Dry riesling 2010 james Frey, formerly a healthcare marketer and now a prolific painter and winemaker, has succeeded in the unlikely medium of oregon riesling. the ’10 ribbon ridge, all tangy lime and grapefruit, bristles with an electric energy that will make you wonder why more of the state’s winemakers haven’t embraced the grape for their cool-climate sites. 1-503/538-9898; trisaetum.com; US$24.
greaT ValUe
2008 Winderlea ana pinot noir From a stellar vintage in the Willamette, this limited-production wine lifts the candied, cherryred flavors typical of the dundee hills to the next level with its delicacy and grace. it feels like Burgundy in the mouth, but tastes like nothing but oregon. winderlea.com; 1-503/554-5900; US$48.
greaT ValUe
travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 89
journal drinks at the Inn at Red Hills, in Dundee, the menu emphasizes French comfort foods: terrines and rillettes calculated to match the earthiness of the local Pinots. Even Nick’s Italian Café, in McMinnville, which has fed the local wine community for two decades, is evolving. That’s where I met Ben Casteel, who several years ago replaced his father as the winemaker at Bethel Heights. Ben, 34, appreciates that the idyllic Willamette of his childhood may not be sustainable. “I’m not an economist,” he said, “but I know that change is coming.” Actually, he acknowledged, it’s already here. Sitting in a banquette at Nick’s, Casteel scanned the The Allison Inn & Spa, ever-changing options. “This is the first in Newberg, Oregon. time I’ve seen sea urchin on Nick’s menu,” he said to me. Then a man stood to announce that his wife was The courses emerged from the kitchen like clockwork celebrating a birthday. Immediately, the stillness was and were complicated, ambitious and remarkably good—a broken. A robust rendition of “Happy Birthday” began, halibut crudo with oranges, microgreens and baby radish; picked up steam and filled the room. It was as if the old followed up by a spicy bean soup with squid. We drank one Nick’s had come back to life to temporarily reclaim the of Casteel’s single-vineyard Pinots, which is made in a space. I was happy to learn that Nick’s is still the kind of different style than Tyee’s, with broader shoulders and place where a roomful of diners will set aside their deeper flavors: to my palate, it was more basso profundo microgreens to mark the birthday of a random diner a few than tenor. It made me again appreciate the capabilities of tables away. And I was happier still when dinner ended, and a region that can turn out such varied wines from the same I headed up the road toward my waiting bed, overlooking type of grape, each immediately recognizable as Oregonian an Oregon vineyard. ✚ in origin.
gUiDe To oregon’s WillameTTe Valley
newberg
N
portland
Dundee
willamette river
mcminnville salem Corvallis eugene
oreGon
5
0
and summer. one of america’s oldest and best-run wine events, the international pinot noir Celebration (ipnc.org) takes place each july. sTay allison inn & spa 2525 allison lane, newberg; 1-503/554-2525; theallison. com; doubles from us$310; dinner for two us$125. inn at red hills the Willamette’s first boutique hotel opened in 2009 between a busy road and a parking lot. But the rooms are gorgeous, and farm to fork has some of the region’s best food. 1410 n.W. hwy. 99W, dundee; 1-503/ 538-7666; innatred-hills.com; doubles from us$139; dinner for two us$75. greaT ValUe
74 km
hoW To say iT it ’s willamette, dammit! the t-shirts proclaim. Pronouncing the name correctly (wil-lam-it) is the first step toward gaining the trust and appreciation of locals.
90 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
When To go Western oregon’s rainy season usually starts in october and continues into june. the valley can be breathtaking in the mist, but most travelers will prefer the sunshine of late spring
eaT nick’s italian Café 521 n.e. third st., mcminnville; 1-503/ 434-4471; dinner for two us$80. recipe 115 n. Washington st., newberg; 1-503/4876853; dinner for two us$50. Thistle 228 n.e. evans st., mcminnville; 1-503/4729623; dinner for two us$70. TasTe bethel heights Vineyard 6060 Bethel heights rd. n.W., salem; 1-503/5812262; bethelheights.com. elk Cove Vineyards 27751 n.W. olson rd., Gaston; 1-503/ 985-7760; elkcove.com. Tyee Wine Cellars 26335 Greenberry rd., corvallis; 1-541/753-8754; tyeewine.com.
LUXURY VILLAS IN THAILAND From THB 65 Million
W: kohsamuiresidences.com E: richard@amburaya.com T: +66 (0) 77 425 080
Amburaya Residences (Koh Samui) Co., Ltd. Registered and paid up capital Baht 1,000,000. Registered address: 4/1 Moo 1, Tambol Maenam, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84320. Site location: on title deed numbers: 12757, 13188, 13529, 13530, 13531, 13614 and 13691. Project area: 26 Rai 3 Ngan 19.7 Sq. Wah. Presently mortgaged with Siam Commercial Bank Plc. Customers will pay the expense of the common areas according to the Sale and Purchase Agreement and/or regulations of the project. Bangkok contact: Tel. (0)2 253 4300 Fax. (0)2 254 2441. Samui contact: Tel. (0)7 724 5133 Fax. (0)7 742 7524. An Amburaya Residences (Koh Samui) Co., Ltd. project. The Residences at W Retreat Koh Samui are not owned, developed or sold by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., W International, Inc. or their affiliates. Amburaya Properties (Koh Samui) Co., Ltd. uses the W 速 trademarks and trade names under a license from W International, Inc.
t+ L De S I g N Aw A r D S 201 2 A stunning concert hall; an innovative airplane seat; a brilliant hotel, restaurant, suitcase and more—thoughtful design makes travel better, and for T+L’s annual competition, our distinguished jury chose the best of the year. plUs T+L’s annual salute to our Design Champion.
BeST PeRFORMANCe S PAC e harpa reykjavík Concert hall & Conference Center, reykjavík, iceland designed by henning larsen architects
The centerpiece of this complex on Reykjavík’s eastern harbor is an 1,800-seat concert hall, but the standout feature is the southern façade, designed collaboratively by the architects, engineers and Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. Composed of 12-sided glass-and-steel “quasi-bricks”—developed in Eliasson’s studio—the structure, illuminated at night, acts like a massive kaleidoscope mixing light from many sources and reflections of the city to spectacular effect. 2 Austurbakki; 354/528-5050; en.harpa.is.
HONORABLe MeNTION new World Center, miami beach designed by Gehry Partners. 500 17th St.; 1-305/673-3331; nws.edu.
niC lehoUx
From the jury
‘ harpa evokes water in all of its grandeur—the prismatic quality of the glass reflecting ice and clouds’ —miChele oKa Doner, arTisT
De S I g N AwA r D S 2 01 2
THIS YeAR’S jURY
DeSIgN chAmPIoN
BILLIe TSIeN
PAU L PRIeSTMAN
Cofounder of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects; the firm’s work includes the American Folk Art Museum, in New York, and the new home for the Barnes Foundation, in Philadelphia.
The founding director of Priestmangoode, a multidisciplinary design group whose clients include airlines, train companies and hotels.
DeRek LAM
MURIeL B R A N DOLI N I
Award-winning fashion designer who launched his own label in 2003; he has been the creative director for Tod’s since 2006.
An interior designer who has been widely published; her first book, The World of Muriel Brandolini: Interiors, was recently released by Rizzoli.
MICHeLe OkA DO N e R
ROBeRT HAMMOND
An artist widely recognized for her public installations; her work has been acquired by museums including New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cofounder of Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit group that created and now maintains the groundbreaking public park on Manhattan’s west side.
94 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
This is an exhilarating design moment in Abu Dhabi, where spectacular buildings by an all-star roster of architects—from Frank Gehry to Zaha Hadid—are currently taking shape. The moving force behind the city’s transformation has been this year’s Design Champion, H. E. Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi, of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and the Tourism Development and Investment Company. He has spearheaded efforts to grow the city in a thoughtful and sustainable fashion and, more fundamentally, to invest in art and design as the touchstones of its expanding tourism business. Major art museums and cultural institutions, including branches of the Louvre and the Guggenheim, are in the works. The daring cosmopolitanism of Abu Dhabi has opened a window to a new “it” destination: a cultural and design capital in the making.
JUry moDeraTeD by chee Pearlman TexT by Karrie jacobs eDiTeD by luke Barr reporTeD by nina Fedrizzi, with jessie
Bandy, Briana Fasone, stirling Kelso, mimi lombardo, lindsey mather, mario r. mercado, Phil Patton, josh Pramis and tom samiljan.
j u ry p h oto g r a p h e d by t h e o m o r r i s o n ; co u rt e sy o f a b u d h a b i to u r i s m au t h o r i t y
h. e. muBaraK hamad al muhairi
BeST MUSeUM
a m i t g e r o n / c o u r t e s y o f t e l av i v m u s e u m o f a r t
herta & paul amir building, Tel aviv museum of art designed by Preston scott cohen
Wedged into a tight, triangular site within the city’s central cultural complex, this piece of architectural origami uses a soaring, twisting, 26.5-meter-tall atrium, called Lightfall, to link a series of refreshingly uncomplicated galleries. In contrast to many dramatically shaped new art museums, it succeeds in being at once breathtaking and deferential to the art on display. 27 Shaul Hamelech Blvd.; 972-3/ 607-7020; tamuseum.com. HONORABLe MeNTION Clyfford still museum, Denver designed by allied Works architecture 1250 Bannock St.; 1-720/354-4880; clyffordstillmuseum.org.
From the jury
‘the tel Aviv museum is quite a piece of sculpture, but it is a sculpture that accepts art’ —BILLIe TSIeN, ARCHITeCT
De S I g N AwA r D S 2 01 2
BeST SMALL HOTeL endémico resguardo silvestre, Valle de guadalupe, baja California, mexico designed by jorge Gracia
The concept at Endémico Resguardo Silvestre is “luxury camping”—20 pristine cabins, crisply modern, are poised on a hillside overlooking Mexican wine country. The 40-hectare site also includes a swimming pool, a winery and a restaurant. But the highlight is the cabins, each with its own terrace warmed by an adobe fireplace, with views of the rugged valley. grupohabita.mx; doubles from US$200. HONORABLe MeNTION The singular patagonia, puerto bories, Chile designed by enrique concha. 56-2/954-0480; thesingular.com; doubles from US$660.
B e S T P U B L I C S PAC e
In a completely unexpected pairing, a richly detailed carousel (1922) and a see-through minimalist shed (2011) jointly occupy a dramatic waterfront site in the shadow of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The carousel is open to the public, and after sunset, the pavilion’s acrylic walls are illuminated, creating a light show visible across the river and from the bridges above. Brooklyn Bridge Park; janescarousel.org.
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f r o m t o p : l u i s g a r c i a ; d av i d a l e x a n d e r a r n o l d
Jane’s Carousel pavilion, brooklyn, new york designed by atelier jean nouvel
B e S T R e TA I L S P A C e freitag store, new york City designed by Freitag
The downtown New York Freitag store’s décor consists almost entirely of an ingenious wall-length storage system containing boxes filled with 1,000 of the Swiss company’s brightly colored messenger bags. The bags themselves are manufactured from recycled truck tarps, and the storage system is also made from recycled plastic. At the Freitag store, form, function, philosophy and branding are one and the same. 1 Prince St.; 1-212/334-0928; freitag.ch. HONORABLe MeNTION aēsop nolita, new york City designed by jeremy Barbour, tacklebox ny 232 Elizabeth St.; 1-212/ 431-4411; aesop.com.
f r o m t o p : d av i d a l e x a n d e r a r n o l d ; c o u r t e s y o f z a h a h a d i d
B e S T B R I Dg e sheikh Zayed bridge, abu Dhabi, United arab emirates designed by Zaha hadid architects
About 800 meters long, this bridge connects Abu Dhabi Island to the mainland. The shape is a sine wave, a series of undulating curves that soar almost 65 meters above the water. From the perspective of motorists on the structure’s eight-lane highway, the massive steel waves form a parade of spectacular monuments. From shore, the bridge looks like a futuristic roller coaster, all speed and drama.
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De S I g N AwA r D S 2 01 2
BeST CAR
BeST PeRSONAL gADgeT
BeST LU g gAg e
fiat 500 fiatusa.com
Zipbuds zipbuds.com
fendi & maserati luggage Collection fendi.com
BeST CAMeRA
B e S T T R AV e L ACCe SSO RY
B e ST TeCH ACCe SSO RY
BeST MeN’S T R AV e L FA S H I O N
grace Carter zip-on rain boot gracecarter.com
Joby gorillapod micro 250 tripod joby.com
1964 by scott James blazer scottjamesonline.com
BeST WOMeN ’S T R AV e L FA S H I O N
B e ST OUTDOO R ACCe SSO RY
issey miyake origami folding clothing isseymiyake.com
neue galerie’s r. horn Viennese picnic set neuegalerie.org
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s t i l l s : j o h n l aw to n ; c o u r t e s y o f f i at
leica D-lux 5 Titanium set us.leica-camera.com
From the jury
‘the restaurant Sur Mesure is transporting—it feels like an airplane cabin’ —MURIeL BRANDOLINI, INTeRIOR DeSIgNeR
B e S T R e S TAU R A N T
c o u r t e s y o f m a n d a r i n o r i e n ta l , pa r i s
sur mesure par Thierry marx and restaurant Camélia at mandarin oriental, paris designed by Patrick jouin & sanjit manku
Conceived as “the restaurants of tomorrow,” this matched set of dining environments uses an ultra-restrained palette—white on white— as a neutral backdrop for chef Thierry Marx’s surreal cuisine. The main restaurant (pictured) is essentially a work of fabric art, a soft dining cocoon, the walls and ceiling layered in a collage of cream-colored cloth. At the more casual Camélia, an extension of the hotel’s garden, diners are surrounded by giant petals that evoke the eponymous flower. 251 Rue St.-Honoré, First Arr.; 33-1/70-98-78-88; dinner for two from €137.
From the jury
‘the hotel is cozy—it speaks of Hamburg, and the vernacular of the larger city’ —DeRek LAM, FASHION DeSIgNeR
BeST L ARge HOTeL 25hours hotel hafenCity, hamburg, germany designed by Böge lindner K2 architects
HONORABLe MeNTION hotel sofitel Vienna stephansdom designed by atelier jean nouvel 1 Praterstrasse; 43-1/ 906-160; sofitel.com; doubles from €247.
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christian KerBer
The first hotel in Hamburg’s newly redeveloped harbor district, 25hours invokes a tongue-in-cheek nautical style. The 170 rooms are cozy, with dark oak wood and work areas made from what look to be old steamer trunks. The hotel has abundant common areas, including a Vinyl Room with records and turntables and a no-frills Finnish sauna. The Heimat Küche & Bar, with its shippingcontainer décor, serves locally sourced cuisine. 5 Überseeallee; 49-40/2577770; 25hours-hotels.com; doubles from €103.
De S I g N AwA r D S 2 01 2
BeST T R A N S P O R TAT I O N air new Zealand skyCouch family experience designed by air new Zealand
f r o m t o p : c o u r t e s y o f a i r n e w z e a l a n d ; k e n h ay d e n / c o u r t e s y o f e s p a i s ta n b u l
To create a better long-haul economy-class flight experience for young families, Air New Zealand transformed the standard row of three coach seats on its newest jets into a sofa. The key element is a cushioned leg rest that can be raised flush with the seats, forming an extended surface where children (and adults) can sprawl. airnewzealand.com.
B e S T S PA espa at istanbul edition designed by hirsch Bedner associates
With embossed bronze floors and walls upholstered in horsehair or covered with marble, this opulent, 1,860square-meter hotel spa draws its inspiration from the traditional Turkish hammam. While the dĂŠcor evokes the romance of Istanbul, it never comes across as kitschy or fake. Most impressive is a cold room that appears to be full of real snow. Istanbul Edition, 136 Buyukdere Cad., Levent; 90-212/317-7700; editionhotels.com; doubles from â‚Ź241.
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Breaking the Mold in
Manila
Yes, the capital of the philippines is chaotic and crowded, but it’s also a haven for a growing creative culture, writes lara daY, as long as You look in the right places. photographed bY francisco guerrero
At the quirky Van Gogh is Bipolar. Opposite: The wonderfully named Department of AvantGarde ClichĂŠs.
The Collective, a focal point for creative Manila.
lost and alone in a giant asian city, Wandering inside a dimly lit parking lot, is not how most would choose to spend a Thursday night. But I’m here by choice, lured by the kind of invitation I find irresistible: “Kain Tayo!”—helpfully subtitled in English, “Come Eat with Us!” It’s the battle cry of Pinoy Eats World, a collective of in-the-know locals united by their love of Philippine food culture. The group hosts food tours at home and overseas from Hong Kong to Turkey; themed evenings that pair cuisine with art (their official, irreverent name: “{f}art” dinners); and so-called guerilla dinners—free-form, creative culinary adventures that take place in secret locations around the capital. I’ve signed up for one of the latter, and have been told to meet outside a Franciscan chapel in Makati, from which 20-odd strangers and I will travel to a multicourse feast prepared by chefs J.J. Yulo and Namee Jorolan, both of whom boast solid culinary credentials—Namee’s background includes a stint at Chez Panisse in California. With the help of the collective’s directions transmitted by rapidfire SMS, I finally find the group, and together we make our way by private car to the expansive poolside patio of a family house in Forbes Park. Sitting down at one of four round tables, I meet my fellow diners, each of whom embodies Manila’s dynamic creative class: a Pratt Institute–trained graphic designer, a magazine editor transplanted from New York, a successful local screenwriter, an architect who moonlights as a jewelry designer. The food that follows lives up to the company. Each course is evocatively named, without giving too much away: “Redford White” comprises succulent
corned beef in a savory, flavorful broth whose color profile is enshrined in the name of the beloved Filipino comedian; “Porky Pops” is melt-in-yourmouth Cebu lechon, with skin so crisp it snaps with a crackle. And, because the feast is in honor of Christmas, all proceeds go to charity. But that’s not all. Early in the meal, a dozen or so seemingly random diners rise up one by one and begin to sing carols. It turns out that a singing group, Hangad, has been planted among the guests, and as the evening progresses even the members of the host family join in, until finally the whole patio erupts into a joyful, impromptu, pitch-perfect rendition of “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent. Everyone at the dinner knows the lyrics. In all, it’s an unforgettable night of food, community, music, celebration; an experience that couldn’t be more Pinoy. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Pinoy Eats World, it may come as a surprise that Manila is a haven for the creatively inclined. On any given weekend, you’ll find a host of unexpected offerings: open-mic sessions; poetry readings; arthouse movie screenings; indie-music battles; live performances by graffiti artists; quiz nights to gratify the most perfervid of pop-culture fiends. But while the capital is booming with fresh ideas, it’s the litany of stale complaints that still makes it to the outside world: poverty, pollution, traffic, corruption. It doesn’t help that the Philippines’ Department of Tourism has long struggled to brand the country for tourism purposes—botched » travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 105
lens of the initiated. And though none of those adjectives are part of the country’s latest slogan, “it’s more fun in the philippines,” it does leave room for creative interpretation. Take the delightfully witty online riff, “chasing tail: more fun in the philippines,” featuring a picture of a scuba diver swimming alongside a whale shark.
until recentlY, shopping in Manila was synonymous with strip malls, the Shoemart-led trend of mercantile efficiency that, for better or worse, revolutionized the Philippines’ retail sector. No longer: to glimpse its most contemporary incarnation today, head straight to The Collective, the focal point for the capital’s creative moment. If Manila’s malls are the air-conditioned opiate of the masses, The Collective is the stimulant of choice for the quirky, the offbeat, the self-declaredly individual. Converted from a defunct Makati car warehouse, it plays host to a swathe of creative entrepreneurs who occupy its low-rent spaces and share a central atrium. I walk around and take in the universal signs of hipster culture. A fixie bike is parked outside Wabi-Sabi, a noodle house and vegetarian grocery that serves banh-mi and shoyu ramen with veggie crackling. A purple neon arrow points to a slickly graffiti-filled corridor that leads to Vinyl on Vinyl, a shop selling street art and vinyl toys. Ritual, a minimalist general store, purveys locally sourced personal and home products as well as unbleached cotton shirts and bags. B-Side, a 106 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
funky nightspot, hosts international acts like London’s electronic-blip-heavy Gold Panda as well as hip-hop nights and, for those who love dreadlocks, a weekly reggae- and dub-themed Sunday afternoon barbecue. I stop in to see Clara Balaguer, founder of the Office of Culture & Design, a platform for art and design projects that come with a social dimension. The “office” is in fact an airy gallery space turned work studio decked out with mismatched vintage furniture sourced from Manila’s Evangelista Street. “The name comes from a joke,” she says. “We have no department or ministry of culture, no grantgiving body catering to the cultural needs of the country. The creative sector is very small, so it’s up to the private sector to do what they can.” Born in Manila to Spanish and Filipino parents, and with an advertising background honed in Barcelona, Balaguer flits effortlessly between Tagalog, English and Spanish, and embodies the cosmopolitanism of a new generation. “I’m forging an international cooperation between different cultures and the Philippines,” she says. “The idea is to bring people here. It’s more normal for us to go abroad, to the U.S., to Europe, and to work there. It’s time we started bringing people back here. Let’s turn it around.” The projects span artist residencies that benefit local children and events whose proceeds go towards funding social enterprises. In particular, Balaguer uses her international connections to »
More than just a meal with Pinoy eats World. Opposite page, from left: B-Side hosts reggae-themed barbecues on Sunday afternoons; creative cuisine at Van gogh is Bipolar; at the Office of Culture & Design.
Anton Lopez at TBC Manila with his pint-sized posse. Opposite from left: The sleek U26, home to a trio of architects; a toy at Vinyl on Vinyl; at the minimalist general store, Ritual.
for themselves with ultra-modern projects that draw from traditional Filipino roots. The office of post-production studio PostManila, for instance, is modern with bold graphics and vibrant splashes of color, but has rooms inspired by old Manila streets (the mixing room, Recto, takes after a street lined with movie theaters). There’s also Ninoy Aquino Memorial Park, a project set to commemorate the 1986 EDSA Revolution with a sculptural tree whose branches end in letters of correspondence instead of leaves, “because so many people have had the experience of someone who’s gone away,” says Stephanie Sy, U26’s interior designer. Sy, who grew up in nearby Hong Kong and then studied and worked in North America before moving to Manila, embraces all the creative possibilities that the Philippine capital now affords. “Because this is a developing country, people aren’t limited in terms of the way they think,” she explains. “In Hong Kong everyone wants what they see in magazines—it’s a status thing. Here people are more open to creativity, and the sorts of clients we get want to push us to do more, not to imitate what someone else already has. They really want to do something modern and different.”
are You consuming culture, or is culture consuming you?” asks Poklong Anading at
Pablo Gallery in Cubao X, a shoe expo turned artsoriented enclave in the depths of Quezon City. Today, you can find Midcentury furniture, vintage curio emporiums, designer furniture stores and edgy repurposed fashion sitting side by side with ancient-looking barber shops and discount shoe outlets. All together, it stands as the prototype for The Collective. Anading, a conceptual artist who trained under Roberto Chabet at the University of the Philippines, is helping to paint the wall white, preparing for a new exhibition with long, sure strokes of a brush. His work draws from the city around him—a recent project featured Manila’s ubiquitous, multicolored round cleaning rags fashioned into sculptural, abstract installations that twist upwards from the floor or hang suspended from a wall. “History, art history, is all about recycling, taking what already exists and putting it back together,” he says. “In history we were exploited, colonized. This is what’s been done to us. But repackaging makes us question what’s ours. It stops the greed and makes us think.” Critical thought is definitely at the heart of the Department of Avant-Garde Clichés, a gallery run by artist Manuel Ocampo. Almost hidden to casual passersby—a deliberately ragged vinyl sign points to the gallery’s entrance behind a row of indus- »
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art is not just
a
CoMModity; it’s a Cultural effeCt because it encapsulates local culture it becomes about empowerment.” Flores cautions that the local art scene is still young, and local artists need to be aware of their relationship to the marketplace. “With the international influence, and galleries coming here, let’s make sure we’re creating the products we want and not just feeding the market,” he says. “You have to dictate the market also. Let’s say a curator from abroad comes here; can we also send a Filipino curator overseas? It has to be equitable. Unfortunately there’s a disparity of economic power. Until everything is the same, it’s very hard to negotiate.” Over in Intramuros, Manila’s walled historic center and the seat of Spanish power during that colonial period, disparities are being bridged by unconventional means. An exhibition, TBC Manila, is on show in the atmospheric white-washed Plaza San Luis, curated by artist turned curator Anton Lopez. Featuring seven young, up-and-coming artists from around the world, the exhibition draws directly from the immediate environment: found ceramics painted with geometric patterns by Brooklyn-based Julia Chiang; a room filled with striking blown-up pictures of street children in suits and yellow-tinted shades by Japan-based KoreanAmerican artist Suitman, aka Young Kim; a giant, painterly sculpture pieced together with wooden debris from nearby, by Lopez himself. “I wanted this show to be informal,” says Lopez, who trained as an artist but worked for Diesel in Italy and Nike in Hong Kong before moving to the Philippines to be closer to his parents. “Usually there’s a lot of separation between art and the everyday life. I wanted to bring the outside in. The reaction was automatic. It happened organically.
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“The idea was to bring in the great artists I know, and show them what Manila is,” Lopez tells me. “I knew if they came here, they’d talk about it. They flew in from Tokyo, Hong Kong and New York, and they loved it. And everything that we wanted to happen happened.” Historically, Intramuros has leaned dangerously close to stagnation in a logjam of bureaucracy. So the exhibition comes as a happy surprise, and Lopez has been working with the Intramuros Administration to stage further exhibitions through the rest of this year. What’s more, a stone’s throw away is a sign of further positive change: the opening of the Bayleaf Intramuros, a design-oriented hotel within Intramuros’ walls. I finish up my trip with a visit to Van Gogh is Bipolar, a restaurant as eccentric and artfully delicious as its name. It’s also difficult to get to, buried deep within Quezon City. I end up woefully miscalculating my travel time, and thanks to Fridaynight traffic, I end up arriving 90 minutes late for my reservation. Thankfully, the charismatic owner, Jetro Rafael, is a charming, placating host, wearing a Van Gogh is Bipolar T-shirt and sporting a helmet with two feathers in it. He looks like a cross between an angel and Asterix. He also has just the ticket to soothe my frayed nerves: the menu was designed to help him manage a condition he was born with, a debilitating bipolar disorder. Doctors tried antidepressants, and Rafael read as much as he could about his condition. Now, he manages it completely through his lifestyle and what he eats. His restaurant, he tells me, “is my sanctuary.” Everything from my drink (Courtney Love’s Potion, a calmative blend of fresh fruit, mint and local honey) to the main course (melt-in-your mouth Norwegian salmon, said to have moodenhancing properties) to the environment (situated somewhere along the low-lit intersection between ProvenÇal and Pinoy) is decidedly soothing, and I’m glad I braved the traffic to come. Before I leave, Rafael pulls me to one side. “There’s no good or bad, there’s only experience,” he says, smiling serenely. I
gUiDe To manila ShoP The Collective 7274 malugay st., san antonio village, makati. Cubao expo Gen. romulo st., araneta center, cubao, quezon city.
See The Department of avant-garde ClichĂŠs 2289 Pasong tamo extension, uPrc iii Building, makati; 63-2/817-2042; dagcgallery.com. TbC manila Plaza san luis, intramuros. tbcmanila.org.
eAt & DrINk pinoy eats World e-mail info@ pinoyeatsworld.com for details on future guerrilla dinners, food tours and events; prices depend on event.
Dining alfresco at Van gogh is Bipolar.
Van gogh is bipolar 154 maginhawa st., sikatuna village, quezon city;
~UNDISCOVERED BEACHES~ These five hideaways, from Brazil to the Philippines, are understated, unexpected and—at least for now— under the radar. P H O T O G R A P H E D By D AV E L AU R I D S E N
A private patio at Pousada Patacho, in Porto de Pedras, in northeastern Brazil. Opposite: Beachside at kenoa - exclusive Beach Spa & Resort, in Barra de S達o Miguel, also in Alagoas.
SecLuDeD SANDS From left:
A thatched-roof cottage at Ananyana Beach Resort & Spa, on Panglao Island, in the Philippines; hammocks at the resort; in Brazil, kenoa Resort’s beachfront pool.
~ PANGLAO ISLAND Philippines ~ An hour-long flight from Manila to Bohol Island followed by a 25-minute drive across a 19th-century causeway brings you to this secluded Central Visayas isle, where the petite greaT ValUe ananyana beach resort & spa (Doljo Beach; 63-38/502-8101; ananyana.com; doubles from P9,500) occupies a prime spot on a two kilometer–long stretch of sand. The 12 luxe thatched-roof huts have bamboo-framed king-size beds; the alfresco restaurant turns out Filipino-Mediterranean dishes such as penne with pork adobo; and the lounge is outfitted with regionally made rattan and abaca furniture. Hop a resort boat for dolphin watching, diving amid the drop-offs of Balicasag Island, or, for the ultimate castaway fantasy, a sunset dinner on deserted Puntod Island. Another option is to visit the bohol bee farm (Dao, Dauis, Panglao Island; 63-38/502-2288; lunch for two P1,500), which serves dishes with organic ingredients grown on site. The treat of choice: housemade ube (purple yam) ice cream. You can also head back to Bohol Island to check out the Chocolate Hills—a surreal natural wonder of 1,776 dome-shaped hills formed from limestone covered in grass. —l a r a d ay
~ LORD HOWE ISLAND Australia ~ A close-kept secret among Sydney cognoscenti, this tiny Pacific Ocean island—where tourists are capped at 400, streetlights are a rarity and most people get around on bicycles—is an easy two-hour flight from the city. Born from a volcanic eruption 7 million years ago, the verdant unesco World Heritage site is home to brooding basalt-stack mountains that plunge directly into the sea; guide Jack Shick (lordhoweislandtours.net) leads challenging climbs up the 875-meter Mount Gower for jaw-dropping views. Down 114 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
below, snorkelers have the run of a long and vibrant coralreef lagoon. At Ned’s Beach, you can hand-feed kingfish—the Lord Howe specialty—while at Old Settlement Beach, turtles are known to laze on the sand. Book a room at the chic, nine-room Capella lodge (61-2/9918-4355; doubles from A$640 per person, all-inclusive), which sits atop Lover’s Bay. Owned by James and Hayley Baillie, whose other property is Kangaroo Island’s celebrated Southern Ocean Lodge, it’s known for its spa. For a room with a bit of history, check in to the low-key pinetrees lodge (61-2/9262-6585; pinetrees.com.au; from A$286 per person, all-inclusive), which has been run by the same family since 1848. — s u e g o u g h h e n ly
~ ALAGOAS Brazil ~ Brazil may be blessed with more than 7,400 kilometers of coastline—but finding untouched sands is harder than it seems. Yet a few rustic beach towns in the northeastern state of Alagoas remain relatively unknown. Once considered a backwater and long overshadowed by Bahia to the south, this small, laid-back region is finally on the map. In Barra de São Miguel, Kenoa–exclusive beach spa & resort (55-82/32721285; kenoaresort.com; doubles from R$1,080) is a high-design retreat that blends seamlessly into the landscape. Portuguese owner Pedro Marques brought his eco-conscious vision to life by enlisting the help of local architect Osvaldo Tenório. Rooms are adorned with contemporary art; faucets are »
The lobby of the rustic-chic Pousada do Toque, in S達o Miguel dos Milagres.
~ A few rustic beach towns in northeastern Brazil remain relatively unknown ~
Pousada Patacho at dusk. Opposite from left: kenoa Resort’s jacobi Villa; the sandbank off Puntod Island, a 15-minute boat ride from Ananyana Beach Resort & Spa.
refashioned from old iron pipes; and recycled railway trestles are used as coffee tables. You may just want to gaze at the turquoise sea from your villa’s floor-to-ceiling windows, but there’s plenty to keep you busy, from sampling Portuguese cataplanas (rich seafood stews served in traditional copper pots) at the hotel’s restaurant to visiting the nearby oysterfarming community of Vila Palateia, where you can try bivalves plucked straight from the mangrove lagoon. One hundred and twelve kilometers to the north, the white-sand beaches around São Miguel dos Milagres are just as secluded and are dotted with crystalline tide pools. A handful of forward-thinking pousada owners invested here over the past decade—and sophisticated travelers are finally taking notice. At the stylish pousada do Toque (Povoado do Toque; 55-82/3295-1127; pousadadotoque.com.br; doubles from R$660), imbuia-wood chairs from Brazilian Modernist Sergio Rodrigues and daybeds by Carlos Motta help set the scene in the spacious lounge, while the 17 bungalows have bathrooms with Japanese-style tubs looking out onto private gardens. In nearby Porto de Pedras, the light-filled greaT ValUe pousada patacho (Praia do Patacho; 55-82/3298-1253; pousadapatacho.com.br; doubles from R$335) has five intimate, whitewashed rooms surrounded by towering coconut palms and vine-draped terraces. — k e v i n r au b
~ PyLA-SUR-MER France ~ Across the bay from buzzy Cap Ferret, on the southern Côte d’Argent, stands the 110-meter Dune of Pyla, a draw for avid hikers and beach lovers. Now there’s another reason to go: Philippe Starck’s la Co(o)rniche (46 Ave. Louis Gaume; 33-5/ 56-22-72-11; lacoorniche-pyla.com; doubles from €270), a renovated hunting lodge with 12 white-on-white rooms, all but one of which face the ocean. At night, crowds gather on the hotel’s breezy restaurant terrace for seafood dishes such as cod in a coconut-and-lime emulsion and scallops with
glazed beets; there’s also a lively bar that whips up Catalaninspired tapas and mango mojitos. If you prefer oyster platters and heaping plates of moules frites, take the ferry to Chez hortense (Ave. Sémaphore; 33-5/56-60-62-56), in the historic Quartier Ostréicole on the southern end of Cap Ferret. — a l e x a n d r a m a r s h a l l
~ CAyUCOS California ~ Locals call this tiny surf town 340 kilometers north of Los Angeles Cayucos-by-the-Sea. It’s a refreshingly underdeveloped beach retreat dotted with 19th-century Western buildings, vintage shops selling Americana and folk art and a pier that stretches nearly 300 meters into the ocean. Check in to the restored 1867 greaT ValUe Cass house inn & restaurant (222 N. Ocean Ave.; 1-805/995-3669; casshouseinn.com; doubles from US$165), with views of the Pacific and a stellar farm-to-table restaurant serving four-course dinners. For something humbler, there’s the fish fry at no-frills sea shanty (296 S. Ocean Ave.; 1-805/995-3272; lunch for two US$25), just a short walk away. Antiques lovers can stroll Ocean Avenue, chockablock with treasure-filled boutiques such as rich man poor man (146 N. Ocean Ave.; 1-805/9953631) and remember When (152 N. Ocean Ave.; 1-805/9951232), then grab a bourbon shortbread cookie at brown butter Cookie Company (250 N. Ocean Ave.; 1-805/995-2076; cookies for two US$2.40). Cayucos is the perfect jumping-off point for those looking to explore the Central Coast, including the nearby wine region of Paso Robles, Hearst Castle and the artsy village of Cambria, a 20-minute car trip up the shore. — d av i d a . k e e p s ✚ travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 117
seattle state of mind yes, it’s true—it oFten rains in seattle. Gary shteynGart soaKs uP the city’s literary amBience and culinary deliGhts, its late-niGht characters and early-morninG coFFee shoPs. and then the sun comes out. p h o T o g r a p h e D b y J a K e s Ta n g e l
Christopher Frizzelle and Bethany jean Clement of The Stranger newspaper at the Sorrento Hotel, in downtown Seattle. Opposite: The Bainbridge Island Ferry.
a
s the plane begins its descent into Seattle’s international airport I write on the inside cover of my notebook: “New take on Seattle necessary for article. Avoid all weather clichés and weather by-products. No rain, no melancholy, no coffee, no flannel, no grunge.” It’s not going to be easy. As we cut through the melancholy, leaden sky, the new Boeings parked on the tarmac of Boeing Field like so many late-model cars, our airplane shakes from the crosswind on approach, pelted by the Northwest’s machine-gun fire of rain, the remains of my coffee spilling onto my flannel shirt and the chorus of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” queuing up in the Wurlitzer of my mind. “Hello, hello, hello, how low.” Welcome to Seattle. Always different. Always the same. I write fiction for a living, so I go to Seattle a lot. Perhaps because of homegrown amazon.com, perhaps in spite of it, Seattle (and its smaller cousin Portland, Oregon) are the last places in America where books are still a dominant part of the culture, consumed, discussed, pondered and critiqued with gusto. But let’s hold off on the literary for a moment.
Seattle is a frame of mind. Nature surely wasn’t on sabbatical when she conjured up this landscape of hills and water. Even the world’s most distracted person will find room for serious meditation and introspection here, a place for the mind to power down into a deep regenerative sleep as a fresh drizzle plays against the windowpane. I’m on the life-affirming ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island, the city’s rather quaint steel-and-glass skyline receding behind me, nature rushing in to tickle the eye with aquatic sparkles of sun, the green, hibernating islands strung out across the horizon like outstretched arms. A big, bearded man choking on his loneliness tells me the story of his life, which concludes with the line “I was too stressed out working at the Hilton, so now I just take the ferry back and forth.” This seems to me to sum up some greater Pacific Northwestern wisdom. Cue the melancholy—this is not a city that chooses to turn its back on sadness. There are many things to do in Seattle but after a while, with a sense of resignation, one just may take the ferry back and forth. These days Seattle is hovering on the edge of greatness. If and when a comprehensive light-rail system is finally built, easing the city’s Bangkok-grade traffic jams, that “world » travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 119
city” effect may well be achieved. But not everyone may be pleased. More than just about any other city in America, Seattle is a city of fierce neighborhood patriots, all attached to their particular hills like the Romans. My friend Christopher Frizzelle is one such patriot of a particular hill, in his case Capitol Hill, perched commandingly over downtown, one of the world’s great full-service neighborhoods, awash in everything from Seattle-style Indian thali to salted-caramel ice cream. Chris works at America’s strangest and clearly best alternative newspaper, named, appropriately enough, The Stranger. How strange is The Stranger? It recently ran an article on Seattle’s six sexiest trees. The paper gave rise to the acerbic and hilarious Dan Savage and is the only media outlet I can think of that has promoted its book critic to the role of editor-inchief. That, again, would be Chris Frizzelle, who describes his tenure as “the best job on the West Coast.” His reaction to the Occupy Seattle movement: “I will say this: The homeless have become a lot more attractive.” Any visitor could tell you that Seattle is on the whole a welcoming, unpretentious city, but it is best to harness the town’s quirky (read: insane) residents to expose its nooks and crannies, not to mention sexiest trees. So for an entire week I handed myself over to Chris and Bethany Jean Clement, 120 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
The Stranger’s managing editor and food critic, and to a small group of Seattle friends. We ate, we drank, we drank and ate, we scrambled all over town in a series of increasingly contentious cab rides, we read books, we looked at fish and clouds and did some other things that I can’t remember.
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ut did I mention that we read books? Seattle is home to the Elliott Bay Book Company, a legendary fixture of downtown’s Pioneer Square that recently relocated to Capitol Hill. The Book Company has hosted readings by anybody who’s anybody, from Seattle resident Sherman Alexie to gadfly Ralph Nader. But the best reading series in Seattle may not involve any writers at all. These are Chris’s regular readings held at the historic Sorrento Hotel. No bearded poets mounting the podium here. People simply gather with their books and read. Kind of like your college library, except it is held in the Sorrento’s gorgeous Fireside Room, replete with plush banquettes, an original fireplace, and, very much unlike your college library, an excellent selection of liquor. Passing through the sweet reverential quiet of people turning the pages of books and taking the occasional slurp of single-malt, I spot Moby Dick, Mary Karr and Vladimir Nabokov, a heady selection, consumed by about 60 people from young women
The elliott Bay Book Company, on Capitol Hill. Opposite from left: The Unicorn Bar, on Capitol Hill; Vietnamese duck salad at green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant.
in dreadlocks to walrus-mustached Kindle warriors. The hush, the gentle communion, along with the flicker of intent conversation, permeates the alcoholic glow of the room. These are some of the most attractive people I’ve seen in Seattle, and their noses are buried in books and booze. An intense young man flipping through a volume called Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America tells me, “I got it from the library!” The Seattle Central Library of which he speaks is itself a wonder, one of the first significant buildings in the United States by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. After a roll down First Hill from the Sorrento Hotel, I see Koolhaas’s library sparkling in the middle of the dull downtown core like a dark crystal. Set within the business district’s no-frills street grid, the library’s angled sheaths of glass skin conceal a chartreuse dream world of tomes, escalators and reading spaces, the blue slivers of Elliott Bay peeking between the city’s towers. Looking out upon the water with a book in hand, one feels present inside a giant hive mind, a perfect balance of the interior and exterior life that defines Seattle. The next day, Chris and Bethany and I head to lunch at Café Presse, on Capitol Hill. Every neighborhood in the world should have a replica of the Presse. The décor is minimal Northwestern, and Seattle’s cool kids are actually
more like cool adults. The crowd here skews older than you would find in Brooklyn or in San Francisco’s Mission. The Caffé Vita brand café au lait is masterful. The sweet saffronand-garlic soup is possibly as creamy as the aforementioned café au lait. “It’s one of my favorite things,” Bethany says of Café Presse’s signature dish of two eggs broiled with ham and Gruyère. This is high praise from a foodie who described a side dish of fried green tomatoes at an overblown new downtown restaurant as “tasting like sand.” Bethany spent her formative years away from her hometown—Swarthmore, San Francisco twice, Prague. But she will always come back. As she puts it: “Two mountain ranges; two bodies of water; »
these are the most attractive PeoPle i’ve seen, and their noses are Buried in BooKs and BooZe travelandleisureasia.com | march 2012 121
on a sunny day, it’s the most beautiful city in the world.” Café Presse is effortlessly cosmopolitan. It’s one of the few places in the neighborhood where you can watch soccer games and, should the inexplicable urge strike you, score fresh copies of Le Nouvel Observateur and Le Monde Diplomatique. Under Bethany’s direction, I head for Seattle’s relatively tiny International District (née Chinatown) to check out a Vietnamese joint with the soothing name of Green Leaf. The restaurant’s interior is functional, but the duck-and-cabbage salad is a revelation, a magic mountain of cilantro, fresh and flavorful cabbage, and ginger sauce, all crowned with fatty ribbons of duck and pinches of fried onion and mint. The banh xeo crêpe filled with shrimp, pork and the freshest of bean sprouts—each taste vying for crazy supremacy—is wrapped in a lettuce leaf and dipped into a tangy fish sauce. It’s a dish that could dissolve into a cesspool of grease, but instead has strong flavor and good karma, not to mention a dessert-like sweetness that reminds me of Macau’s famous custard cakes. For dinner, I join friends in Seattle’s current grungy (forgive me) neighborhood of the moment, the industrially deformed, airport-adjacent Georgetown. Out here we find ourselves cut off from Capitol Hill’s fine selection of French newspapers, but beneath a freeway we encounter another unlikely jewel, the charming Corson Building, a restaurant by the owner of Capitol Hill’s beloved Sitka & Spruce. This former Italian stonemason’s house delights with a lion-faced fireplace, rustic communal tables and the softest autumnal candlelight. The food is creatively spectacular, marching right off the day’s menu and into your waiting mouth. On our visit we go ape over an elastic, complex geoduck, cured pork loin with green almonds still in their furry green skins, buttery morels and Dungeness crab so fresh and true that, as far as I’m concerned, this dish alone makes living in the Pacific Northwest worthwhile. We walk out of the restaurant’s fine vegetable garden, as bucolic as you can get for being practically under a freeway, and into the strange, diesel-scented Georgetown night. Here the freight trains still thunder by the 9lb Hammer bar, which has been drawing vast crowds into its high-ceilinged, dimly lit industrial space, formerly used as cold storage but now suffused with deep, boozy warmth.
The darkened, red-lit bordello effect is big in Seattle’s other nightspots too. Back on the Hill (as in Capitol Hill), I visit the barely-one-year-old Unicorn Bar, which fearlessly combines 19 different aesthetics, including taxidermy and zebra stripes. It’s a familiar scene: creatively ambitious sexy people eating upscale themed snacks, in this case circusbasket food including fried cornichons with whipped dill cream cheese, elephant ears and the “original corn dog hand-dipped with love.” The young bouncer wearing 7 kilograms of metal sits down, shirking his bouncing duties, and, for reasons I can no longer recall, regales me with tales of his hobo days. “Been train hoppin’ since I was fourteen. Went as far as Philadelphia. Tunnels are a problem.” With this many unique characters someone should write a novel about Seattle. Not me, though. The next morning my notes look like they fell out of a vat of cider. Apparently we went to the Capitol Hill fixture Linda’s Tavern, reputedly the last place Kurt Cobain was seen alive. At Pony, a raucous gay bar within striking distance, I noted that the punk bouncer was deep into Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. After that, nothing really makes sense. The best place to recover from a Seattle night out is Gas Works Park. I sit on the sun-warmed grass and stare at the post-industrial wonderland that once was the Seattle Gas Light Company’s gasification plant, its rusted structures abutting Lake Union like the skeleton of a particularly dear mammoth. Seaplanes are landing, athletes rowing, the skyline glittering, the college kids are getting high. When the sun is out everything feels possible. Seattle is your Dungeness oyster, a land of unfettered blue and green.
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haven’t had a perfect day in an American city in ages, so I feel the need to shout out about this one. It did not take place in any post-Cobain hipster utopia. Instead, Chris and I spend a day in Ballard, which began life as a Scandinavian fishing village about a half-hour’s drive northwest of downtown. The term village is both out of date and fits precisely. Easygoing, nature-blessed Ballard cuts the concept of urbanity into thin, tasty apple slices. It helps that we set out on a day as lovely as any and that everyone we encounter is buoyed by the sun. For breakfast we get into a Soviet-long line at the infamous Café »
seaPlanes are landinG, athletes roWinG, the sKyline GlitterinG, the colleGe Kids are GettinG hiGh. When the sun is out everythinG Feels PossiBle. seattle is your dunGeness oyster, a land oF unFettered Blue and Green 122 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
Salmon Waves, by Paul Sorey, at the Ballard Locks. The Seattle Central Library, designed by Rem Koolhaas, left. Above: Gas Works Park, on Lake Union, in central Seattle.
Breakfast at Café Presse, on Capitol Hill.
Besalu, but the results are well worth it: a seductive cardamom pretzel; an expletive of an asparagus, Manchego and ham quiche; a Russian tea cookie snowdrifted in sugar; an orange-glazed brioche that lands like a warm, moist patch on the tongue. With excellent coffee in our bellies, we feel awake and ready to hit Ballard’s aquatic landscape. The edges of the fishing village are lined with boatyards, and we walk with a caffeinated step along the sunlit train tracks that skirt the yards, running into the most authentic hobo camp I’ve ever seen, seemingly lifted straight out of the New Deal era. We spend an inordinate amount of time hanging out by the Ballard Locks, watching the boats lifted and lowered into place with a kind of innocent fascination, as if this were some gentle running of the bulls. There’s a drama to the locks, the spray of greenish water, the taut lines tying the boats together, the boat captains preparing their craft, the anticipation of entry and departure. The heavy moss coating the locks reminds me that Seattle is one of the most fertile cities out there. To accentuate that fact we head to the Ballard Locks Fish Ladder, built to allow fish to go around the man-made objects on the way to their spawning grounds. Seeing the fish drift out to sea is beautiful. In the darkened viewing room we watch sweet-looking juvenile salmon get pulled out of the Lake Washington watershed on their way to the Pacific. 124 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
‘you have to leave it to love it,’ a Waitress said oF the emerald city, and sayinG FareWell is touGh My finest Ballard discovery of this trip is a Spanish tapas bar named Ocho that is slightly off the tourist strip of Ballard Avenue, attached like a little mole to the side of an Azteca chain restaurant and a divorce lawyer’s office. A snug place that feels like it has been there since the Inquisition, it features copper, tin and gilded mirrors, and about 30 people crammed into heaven. All it needs to match a real Spanish tapas bar are some spent napkins on the floor. We chug unremarkable Estrella lager to capture the authentic Spanishness, and match it with thick, olive-soaked jamón serrano, salty anchovies exuding pepper and brine, a toothpick banderilla holding together chorizo, apple marmalade and Valdeón blue cheese, then more courses of cold, smooth
asparagus gazpacho, flaky lamb meatballs slathered in wine, and a deviled egg with caviar, soft and spicy, like the Platonic ideal of a deviled egg. Ocho is one of the best, most authentic and happiest restaurants I have visited in years. The New York tapas bar scene, highly evolved by North American standards, feels crude by comparison. Two guys, probably with the combined age of 42, work the kitchen, and US$53 pays for a full drunken meal for two. I love Seattle.
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ou have to leave it to love it,” a waitress said of the Emerald City, and saying farewell is tough. I end my visit at the Six Seven Lounge at the Edgewater Hotel by Seattle’s waterfront, not far from Pike Place Market. This area—and nearby Belltown— has seen much development in recent years, including the
opening of the Olympic Sculpture Park and a new Four Seasons hotel. With a last stiff drink of the week, I soak in one of the most beautiful views in Seattle: pleasant Alki Beach Park across the way, the Olympic Range crowning the horizon like a crew of white-haired giants, a lone kayaker rolling across the water. Filled to the brim with tourists, Edgewater is not the edgiest place in town, but when the sun begins to set, it may well be the most cathartic. The ferries plying their way majestically through the bay remind me of impending travel, and of that lonely, bearded former Hilton employee who spends his days taking the ferry back and forth. I raise this final glass to him and to others like him. Sometimes, in the right city, at the right time in your life, and with the right book and the right drink by your side, it’s okay to be alone. ✚
gUiDe To seaTTle N
ballarD
Bainbridge Island
Gas Works Park u ke La nio
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CapiTol hill
DoWnToWn firsT hill
Lake washington
ChinaToWninTernaTional DisTriCT
elliott Bay
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StAy edgewater hotel Pine wood furnishings and homey river-rock fireplaces accent this cozy little lodge-style property right on elliott Bay. 2411 alaskan Way, Pier 67; 1-206/728-7000; edgewaterhotel.com; doubles from us$269.
eAt AND DrINk Café besalu 5909 24th ave. n.W., Ballard; 1-206/789-1463; breakfast for two us$16.
luly yang Couture the homegrown designer offers couture evening and wedding gowns. 1218 Fourth ave.; 1-206/6238200; lulyyang.com.
Café presse 1117 12th ave.; 1-206/709-7674; lunch for two us$46. Corson building 5609 corson ave. s.; 1-206/762-3330; prix fixe for two us$180.
linda’s Tavern 707 e. Pine st.; 1-206/325-1220; drinks for two us$12.
georgeToWn
the city’s link light rail system offers trains that run every 15 minutes from sea-tac airport to several stations in downtown seattle. visit soundtransit.org.
elliott bay book Company 1521 10th ave.; 1-206/624-6600; elliottbaybook.com.
green leaf Vietnamese restaurant 418 eighth ave. s.; 1-206/340-1388; lunch for two us$30.
Alki Beach Park
gettINg there
greaT ValUe sorrento hotel the 1909 hotel’s 76 guest rooms are decorated with carved wood moldings, victorian furniture and italian marble. 900 madison st.; 1-206/622-6400; hotelsorrento. com; doubles from us$175.
1.6 km
four seasons hotel seattle this 147-room property near Pike Place market features bay views and a terraced pool. 99 union st.; 1-206/749-7000; fourseasons. com; doubles from us$265. greaT ValUe hotel 1000 Futuristic-feeling, the hotel is ideal for business travelers and located within walking distance of Pike Place market and Pioneer square. 1000 First ave.; 1-206/957-1000; hotel1000 seattle.com; doubles from us$249.
9lb hammer bar 6009 airport Way s.; 1-206/762-3373; drinks for two us$12. ocho 2325 market st. n.W., Ballard; 1-206/784-0699; dinner for two us$30. pony 1221 e. madison st.; 1-206/ 324-2854; drinks for two us$10.
graypants sculptural furniture is displayed at this cutting-edge design studio. 3220 First ave. s.; 1-206/420-3912; graypants.com.
See AND Do Chihuly garden & glass vibrant glass sculptures and installations by renowned Washington artist dale chihuly. seattle center, 305 harrison st.; no phone; chihuly gardenandglass.com. olympic sculpture park the former industrial facility hosts works by mark di suvero and louise Bourgeois. 2901 Western ave.; 1-206/654-3100; seattleartmuseum.org. seattle art museum the “Gauguin and Polynesia: an elusive Paradise” (showing until april 29) exhibition showcases 50 of the artist’s pieces. 1300 First ave.; 1-206/654-3100; seattleartmuseum.org; admission from us$23.
Unicorn bar 1118 e. Pike st.; 1-206/ 325-6492; drinks for two us$16.
seattle Central library 1000 Fourth ave.; 1-206/386-4636; spl.org.
ShoP butter home a trendy homedécor and artisan gift shop inside capitol hill’s melrose market. 1531 melrose ave.; 1-206/623-2626; butterhomeseattle.com.
seattle symphony the energetic ludovic morlot, spearheads its acclaimed contemporary music program. Benaroya hall, 200 university st.; 1-206/215-4747; seattlesymphony.org.
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lastlook
ubuD, bALI “I took this photograph at Bambu Indah (which means “beautiful bamboo” in Balinese) in Ubud. The resort consists of four 150-year-old teak houses—each, apparently, the former residence of a Javanese nobleman—relocated to the site on the Sayan Ridge, surrounded by rice paddies that line the edge of the Ayung River. I shot it just before 8 a.m. as the bright Balinese sun crested the horizon and burst through the palm trees behind Minangkabau (the Minang House), a common area for yoga, dining and celebration, constructed from black bamboo from the forests of Java. The angle of the sun significantly affects the warmth, contrast and texture in a photograph, so I am always looking to shoot in the warm ‘golden hours’ of early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky. In this case, I was waiting for the sun to rise and filter through the swaying palm trees, straight into my camera. I like the effect of shooting directly into the sun and allowing the light to flare in my lens.” ✚ ph o t o g r a p he r s c o t t a . wo o dwar d • i n tervi ew ed by r i char d her mes 126 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com