January 2014

SOUTHEAST ASIA

JANUARY 2014

100

ESSENTIAL CHINA

WAYS TO TRAVEL BETTER THIS YEAR

NEED-TO-KNOW TIPS FOR HONG KONG, SHANGHAI AND BEIJING

OUR GLOBAL

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

Beach Finder

Volume 08 / Issue 01

Contents

January 2014 Features 72

Essential China An insider’s guide to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. Plus tips on where to visit next from our network of locals.

IAN ALLEN

82 Dream Beaches Warm sun. Crystalline surf.

Kooky tropical drinks.

From the quiet, clear waters of Palawan to the

powdery white shores of French Polynesia, we’ve got you covered. edit ed by jacqu elin e giffor d

88 Asian Vintages When it comes to wine in Asia, women are leading the way, bringing fuller bodied blends and new varietals to the region— but how do these compare to the world’s better

established vineyards? by m er r it t gu r le y . gu ide page 95 96 The Soul of Sri Lanka a atish taseer finds new hotels, artists , writers, and a growing sense of hope in this nation recovering from years of civil war. pho t ogr a phed by i a n a llen . m a p a n d gu ide page 104

106 Helsinki Modern he at her smit h m acisa ac

looks at how the Finnish aesthetic tradition is influencing Helsinki’s recent wave of innovative thinkers and avant-garde landmarks. pho t ogr a phed by a dr i a n gau t . m a p a n d gu ide page 111

Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka, page 96.

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Contents

dest i nat ions

26 Eat, Pray, Shop Ubud, Bali’s original hippie haven, is sporting a new, sophisticated shine. by i a n lloy d n e u bau er

31

Darjeeling Unlimited leslie patr ick stops by this charming escape in India’s Lesser Himalayas.

44 100 Ways to Travel Better in 2014 Our definitive cheat sheet for smoother, smarter, stress-free trips.

Plus Vacationing like royalty; a restaurant with a conscience in

Battambang; an Indonesian designer shares his inspirations; and more.

Point of View

53 Fare Games chr is k uc way explores the idiosyncrasies of taxi drivers and how they mirror the cities they attempt to navigate.

Trip Doctor

56 The Fix How to save on a ski vacation, and the etiquette of tipping.

58 Your Guide to Cruising ja n e wooldr ige shares the latest tips, ships and trips.

68 Deals A Southeast Asia sojourn; a romantic Thai island escape; a stylish Singapore stay; and more.

Decoder 112 Rio de Janeiro All eyes are on the Cidade Maravilhosa—host of this year’s World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games—where a citywide rejuvenation effort has infused Rio’s neighborhoods with newfound energy. colin ba r r aclough discovers a city reborn. pho t ogr a phed

Departments 14 16 … i n b o x 18

e d i t o r ’s n o t e

contr ibu tors

Radar 23 Sky-High Spas What’s it like to get rubbed down way up in the clouds? j en in n e lee - st . joh n says, Heavenly.

12 …

On the Cover At Pangulasian Island, an El Nido Resort, in Palawan, Philippines.

Photographer: Francisco Guerrero. Stylist: Guada Reyes.

Model: Nadine Lima.

by dav id n icol as

Last Look

118 Penang City-sanctioned guerrilla street-art brings new life to Georgetown’s historic streets. pho t ogr a phed by k it ch a n

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

At The Chedi Club Ubud, Bali, page 38.

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Destinations

January 2014 106

HELSINKI

123

BE IJ I N G

82

72

M AU I

106 82

82

PA N G U L AS I A N

TE TI A ROA 112

RIO DE JA N E I RO

DESTINATION

PAGE

WHEN TO GO

WHAT US$5 BUYS

WHO TO FOLLOW

Beijing

72

Winter can be bitter; choose spring or autumn for warmer days and clearer skies so you can wander the city’s hutongs.

A bowl of hand-pulled noodles with braised beef at Noodle Bar.

@thebeijinger

Helsinki

106

Winters are cold but the city heats up indoors —a chance to meet the locals. June and July are best for the great outdoors.

A cup of coffee and a pastry at the Market Square.

@HelsinkiTourism

Maui

82

May and June, and September through November, to avoid the peak seasons for travelers from Japan and the U.S. mainland.

Juevos Rancheros at Maui Tacos.

@MAUImag

Pangulasian

82

November to May is the dry season, though there are occasional storms early on during that period. Avoid wet June to August.

Two early-morning lattes in El Nido town as you plan your day out on the water.

@Palawan_Tours

Rio De Janeiro

112

September and October have the best weather; Christmas through Carnaval are the most fun.

A monthly pass to use the Bike Rio shared bicycles scattered throughout the city.

@Rio2016_en

Tetiaroa

82

May, June, September and October—during the dry season but avoiding the French and local vacation months of July and August.

A cotton pareu, or wraparound sarong.

@TahitiTourism

Long Weekend

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Beach

Active

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Food+Drink

Shopping

Arts+Culture

The beginning of any year provides us the perfect chance to get you excited about not only where to go next but how to make the most of any trip. So, if you’d like to know where hotel prices are falling, pick the brains of airline experts, snag a better seat on your next longhaul, or get a room upgrade, give “100 Ways to Travel Better 2013” a close read (page 44).

This compendium of tips is, for the practical traveler, a goldmine.

Likewise, our detail-packed look at “Essential China” (page 72) is a treasure trove for Sinophiles. Whether you’re looking for made-to-order cheongsam in Hong Kong, a Belgian beer on the streets of Shanghai, or where in-the-know locals are heading these days in Beijing, our guide will point you in the right direction. This urban trio tends to set the pace in much of cuttingedge Asia, so every visit you make will leave you both yearning for more and wondering about the country’s up-and-coming hotspots. That’s why the story also explains how the new frontier for travelers to the Middle Kingdom includes some seriously old sites.

Another country still trying to find the balance between entering the modern day and remembering its past is Sri Lanka (“The Soul of Sri Lanka,” page 96). This teardrop-shaped island definitely belongs on your to-visit list whether you’ve never been or have journeyed there often.

Speaking of repeat visits, we’re well aware that there are cruise junkies and beach lovers among you. Don’t miss our guide to cruises (“Bon Voyage,” page 58)— with Lombok and Rangoon ports to watch in the coming year—and our global beach finder (“Dream Beaches,” page 82), which features everywhere from the pristine shores of Palawan to the golden sands of Maui to the urban oasis that is Bondi. In the case of either story, your biggest concern each day will be little more than where to lounge.

A new year also brings an opportunity for you, our readers, to let us know what your favorites are with our World’s Best Awards (page 42). This month we highlight 54 newcomers to the list, and direct you to our online voting.—chr istopher k ucway

Where to find me chrisk@mediatransasia.com @CKucway on Twitter

Our Next Stops

Phuket Tokyo Maldives Paris

The T+L Code 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.

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N A P AT R A V E E W AT

Editor’s Note

Kit Chan

Heather Smith Lara MacIsaac Dunston Writer “Helsinki Modern” (page 106).

Writer “Battambang Bada Boom” (page 41).

Leslie Patrick

Lim Sio Hui

georgetown street art The murals bring many tourists in, and increase business opportunities for locals.

They brought the quiet streets of Penang back to their bustling heyday. do people get confused by the mixed media?

At peak tourist times, when there are so many people taking pictures around and on top of the art, it’s a bit confusing to understand who’s posing for pictures—if it’s the portrait, or the tourist! creative penang Penang has a rich history of traditional arts, from the many festivals my island is famous for...

Chinese lion dance and opera, the religious rice drawings that Indians etch before Thaipusam and Deepavali. The street art adds modern flavor to older traditions.

finnish touches Helsinki was more exotic than I anticipated, and more Slavic than Nordic.

The architectural details are idiosyncratic and often folkloric. I was also struck by how articulate people are there. Everyone had an intelligent reply, and their attitude was one of “of course I will help you.” the perfect day there involves...

Being on a bike, starting at the port-side farmers’ market and zigzagging all over the city. where to eat Stop by Eat & Joy, in the Kluuvi shopping center. The staff can put together a picnic of local specialties. if you weren’t a writer, you’d be... A designer. I’m launching Asher Studio, an interior design studio, with my partner, Eve Ashcraft.

battambang is…

Home to Cambodia’s largest performing arts school, which gave birth to the quirky-cool Phare Cambodian Circus, and some of the country’s best musicians, actors, artists and designers. why else visit? The kooky Bamboo “Train” is a platform that hurtles you through rice paddies along old railway tracks.

It’s actually more fun than it sounds. doing good, eating well The food at Jaan Bai is fantastic. There are some fiery David Thompson dishes on the menu; I also love head chef Mohm’s chicken with basil, lemongrass, garlic and chili. Plus, good hospitality training for the kids of Cambodia Children’s Trust ensures they can work anywhere in the future.

what does darjeeling feel like?

Because of its Himalayan foothills location, Darjeeling is one of my favorite cities in India.

The gravity defying, tea-strewn hills and cool weather are a welcome change from the furnaces of Kolkata and Delhi. where should we eat there and what should we order? It’s all about the cheap chai and brilliant street samosas. And don’t forget a delicious cake for dessert—there are bakeries on every corner. next stops I’m currently melting in tropical Darwin, Australia, and next I’ll be heading to Ubud, Bali.

Other towns on my 2014 bucket list are Brighton, England, and San Miguel De Allende, Mexico.

what was it like chatting with upscale interior designer jaya ibrahim? He was very down-to-earth, and came across as soft-spoken and passionate. It wasn’t what I expected, what with him being the son of a Javanese princess and a diplomat father! how do you think his personality comes through in his work?

I toured Singapore’s Capella resort with him, and you can really see his understated yet meticulous approach, which manages to be both simple and luxurious. next big adventure Moving to Spain and having my first baby in my husband’s hometown, Las Palmas. Definitely going to miss Asian food!

Photographer “Last Look: Penang” (page 118).

Writer “Darjeeling Unlimited” (page 31).

Writer “All the Trappings” (page 36).

‘The gravity defying, tea-strewn hills and cool weather of Darjeeling are a welcome change from the furnaces of Kolkata and Delhi.’

—LESLIE PATRICK

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F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F K I T C H A N ; C O U R T E S Y O F H E AT H E R S M I T H M A C I S A A C ; T E R E N C E C A R T E R ; C O U R T E S Y O F L E S L I E P AT R I C K ; C O U R T E S Y O F L I M S I O H U I

Contributors

Inbox

Planning Ahead I seriously loved your December issue. The playful cover made me smile as soon as I saw it. From the mouthwatering bagels [Australia] and the funky Luna2studios pool [Indonesia] in The Best of 2013 to all the gorgeous land-, seaand cityscapes in 25 Weekend Getaways, I have my work cut out for me paring down the list of where to go this year.

Lucy Palmer

rangoon

Helping Hands

Q: Wacky, Wonderful Bali

@TravLeisureAsia Where to for the camel rides and snow rooms? @allimclayton

My family tradition in the U.S. was to spend every Thanksgiving in a soup kitchen. We always thought it was the best way of expressing our thanks for all that we had. Now that I live in Cambodia, there seems to be so much more we could do, so many more people to help, the options can seem paralyzing. Thank you for paring down the choices, and for telling some truly inspirational stories in “Paying It Forward” [October]. I would also like to mention that the Human Rights and Development Foundation does great work with Burmese labor migrants and is worthy of any support people can provide.

Carol Synnott phnom penh

A: Thanks for the shout-out, Alli. Our feature “Through the Looking Glass” (November 2013) leads you to Grand Nikko Bali for camel rides, and The Mulia Spa for its psychotropic snow room. Also see our Facebook album “T+L Top 10 Picks: Bali” at http://fb. me/25ZB8uCkS.

SALA Samui Resort & Spa Choengmon Beach, Samui Telephone: (66) 77 245 888 info@salasamui.com - www.salasamui.com

CONTACT INFO

Correction

In our November issue, the T+L Guide for “Through the Looking Glass” stated double occupancy at Hu’u Villas in Bali was Rp359,000. The starting rate is US$359. We regret the error.

tleditor@mediatransasia.com, travelandleisureasia.com, f facebook.com/ TravelLeisureAsia or @TravLeisureAsia.

Got something to say? Tell us at

Comments may be edited for clarity and space.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ART DIRECTOR FEATURES EDITORS DESIGNER ASSISTANT EDITOR—DIGITAL ASSISTANT EDITOR

Christopher Kucway Wannapha Nawayon Merritt Gurley Jeninne Lee-St. John Chotika Sopitarchasak Wasinee Chantakorn Diana Hubbell

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS / PHOTOGRAPHERS Cedric Arnold, Jeff Chu, Helen Dalley, Robyn Eckhardt, Philipp Engelhorn, David Hagerman, Lauryn Ishak, Mark Lean, Melanie Lee, Naomi Lindt, Brent Madison, Ian Neubauer, Aaron Joel Santos, Adam Skolnick, Darren Soh, Stephanie Zubiri

CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

PUBLISHER DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION GROUP CIRCULATION MANAGER CIRCULATION ASSISTANT

J.S. Uberoi Egasith Chotpakditrakul Rasina Uberoi-Bajaj

Robert Fernhout Pichayanee Kitsanayothin Joey Kukielka Domenica Agostino Justin Williams Gaurav Kumar Kanda Thanakornwongskul Supalak Krewsasaen Porames Sirivejabandhu Yupadee Saebea

AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR, INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL

Ed Kelly Mark V. Stanich Paul B. Francis Nancy Novogrod Mark Orwoll Thomas D. Storms

TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA VOL. 8, ISSUE 1 Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia is published monthly by Media Transasia Limited, Room 1205-06, 12/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2851-6963; Fax: +852 2851-1933; under license from American Express Publishing Corporation, 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Produced and distributed by Media Transasia Thailand Ltd., 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, 75/8 Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: +66 2 204-2370. Printed by Comform Co., Ltd. (+66 2 368-2942–7). Color separation by Classic Scan Co., Ltd. (+66 2 291-7575). While the editors do their utmost to verify information published, they do not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy.

This edition is published by permission of AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036 United States of America Tel. +1 212 382 5600 Online: www.amexpub.com Reproduction in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright owner is prohibited.

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VOTE FOR YOUR 2014 FAVORITES www.tlworldsbest.com/intl

VOTE NOW!

For your favorite hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines, travel companies and destinations you love—in the only truly global travel survey that matters!

Dear Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia readers, We trust you. We trust your judgement. That’s why we want you to rate our global travel experiences for us, in the 2014 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards, now through April 1, 2014. These awards are recognized as travel’s highest honor, so it’s time to give back to those hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, cruise lines, travel companies and destinations you love the most. Readers of all global editions of Travel + Leisure will participate in the awards, so this is your chance for Southeast Asia’s voice to be heard.

So visit www.tlworldsbest.com/intl and tell us exactly what you think. The full global results will be published in our August issue.

Christopher Kucway Editor-in-Chief

Radar On Our

Wildflower Hall, Shimla in the Himalayas, an Oberoi Resort.

COURTESY OF OBEROI HOTELS & RESORTS

News. Finds. Opinions. Obsessions.

india

s pa s

SKY-HIGH SPAS What’s it like to get rubbed down way up in the clouds? Jeninne Lee-St. John says, Heavenly.

Oberoi Spa Wildflower Hall, Shimla in the Himalayas

Hike Everest? Wouldn’t it be more fun to get a hot herbal poultice massage in the Himalayas? With sound and vibration therapies, the Journey to Tibet treatment

takes place 2,500 meters above sea level among the planet’s highest peaks. The hotel was the château of Lord Kitchener, who ran the British army in India a century ago, but the spa’s roots are more local and even older. And there’s that timeless view. Himachal Pradesh; 91-17/7264-8585; oberoihotels.com; Journey to Tibet treatment Rs7,400. ➔

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australia

singapore

Views don’t get much more pristine than due south to Antarctica. High on a ridge, the Southern Spa has a panoramic view of Hanson Bay and the white-capped blue yonder, as well as its green surrounds at the confluence of Flinders Chase, Kelly Hill and Cape Bouguer protected parks. At this refuge on Kangaroo Island, southwest of Adelaide, not only is the air pure, but so are the practices: all spa therapists are trained

by Aboriginal teachers to make best use of the local natural resources and indigenous culture.

Kangaroo Island via Kingscote, South Australia; 61-2/9918-4355; southernoceanlodge.com.au; massages from A$180.

Bamboo is naturally one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth, but it took human ingenuity to build a bamboo garden 55 stories in the sky.

The Tree of Life is the running theme throughout this vast spa in Marina Bay Sands (itself resembling post-modern arbor), and you’re sure to feel revitalized by the Asia-Pacific-inspired treatments from the likes of China, Hawaii, India, Java and Thailand—as well as the sweeping scene of Singapore from 200 meters. 55F, 10 Bayfront Ave., Tower 1, Singapore; 65/6688-8825; banyantreespa.com; massages from S$120.

Southern Spa Southern Ocean Lodge

From top: Dusk falls outside the relaxation room of Six Senses Spa, Bangkok; the bamboo forest of Banyan Tree Spa, Singapore; 116 floors above Hong Kong at The Ritz-Carlton Spa

by ESPA; due south toward Antarctica from the Southern Spa, Kangaroo Island.

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hong kong

The Ritz-Carlton Spa

by ESPA The Ritz-Carlton

Way up on the 116th floor of the tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong is the tallest hotel spa in the world. The RitzCarlton Spa by ESPA capitalizes on its perch in the clouds with floor-to-ceiling windows opening you up to Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island and making the city’s teeming humanity feel worlds away. The equally ambient pool is two flights up on the building’s top floor, so you can survey that famous skyline under the glittering sun or twinkling night lights. On that rare clear day, you’ll feel eye-level with Victoria Peak. Talk about ethereal. International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Rd. West, Kowloon; 852/22632040; ritzcarlton.com; massages from HK$1,500.

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Banyan Tree Spa Marina Bay Sands

thailand

Six Senses Spa Pacific City Club

Let’s be honest: few “relaxation” rooms are actually very relaxing. Zen music in a windowless room is more like an invitation to escape. Not so at the brandnew Six Senses Spa on the top floor of the recently redone Pacific City Club, which ensconces you in the vibrant vista that is Bangkok. Book a treatment in the late afternoon; by dusk your therapist will escort you to the den of relaxation, where the chaise lounges face out over the city’s big parks and toward a sprawling skyline. Chill in your bathrobe over ginger tea and dried mango as night falls and the towers and traffic light up. You’ll be sitting pretty above the fray and among the angels from which Krung Thep gets its name. 30F, Two Pacific Place, 142 Sukhumvit, Bangkok; 662/653-2450; sixsenses.com; massages from Bt1,400. ✚

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

Radar

luxurious comfort

A TOUCH OF TRADITIONAL BALINESE WARM HOSPITALITY COMBINED WITH REFINED SERVICE IS THE KEY TO A SERENE GETAWAY. PAMPER YOURSELF IN OUR LUXURY PRIVATE VILLAS WITH 24 HOUR BUTLER SERVICE AND COMPLETE ACCESS TO THE VILLA LOUNGE AND NIKKO CLUB LOUNGE. WE'LL MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY UNFORGETTABLE...

For futher information and reservations, please contact: GRAND NIKKO BALI Jalan Raya Nusa Dua Selatan, PO BOX 18, Nusa Dua, Bali - 80363, Indonesia Tel: +62-361-773-377 Fax: +62-361-774-060 E-mail: sales@grandnikkobali.com URL: http://www.grandnikkobali.com

Radar on the map

Eat, Pray, Shop

A one-time haven for hippies, the village of Ubud in Bali’s southern highlands now caters to more sophisticated travelers too. Story and photos by Ian Lloyd Neubauer 1 Four Seasons Sayan

Entrances don’t get much more dramatic than this: from the driveway a footbridge suspended 25 meters above a velvet-green gorge connects to an elliptical lotus pond set on the rooftop of the resort and descends into the 180-degree-view lobby. The curved two-tiered pool along the river is fit for a rock star, while the new riverside villas designed by Japanese interior maestro Yasuhiro Koichi scream colonial cool. Jln. Raya Sayan; 62-36/197-7577; fourseasons.com/sayan; villas from Rp7,586,000.

2 Mozaic

One of the most lauded restaurants in the Indonesian archipelago, Mozaic marries the seasonal organic ingredients of Bali with French and molecular culinary techniques to create a gastronomical journey writ large. Dinner is served in a tropical garden with four different degustation menus, each sommelier-matched with wines. Jln. Raya Sanggingan; 62-36/197-5768; mozaic-bali. com; six-course menu Rp700,000, including wine.

3 Murni’s Lounge Bar

Set above a gentle bend in the Agung River, Murni’s Warung holds the estimable title of being the village’s 26

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first real restaurant. Like something out of a Rudyard Kipling novel, the Lounge Bar on the second floor is crammed with museumquality antiques, including a 400-year-old plate of armor and a Sumatran sarcophagus. Soft jazz music, old-fashioned cocktails and the sounds of the jungle lurking outside make this Ubud’s most haunting watering hole. Jln. Raya; 62-36/197-5233; murnis. com; spirits from Rp65,000.

4 Ubud Central Market

Featured in the Julia Roberts film Eat Pray Love, this ever-changing labyrinth of alleyways jammed with hawkers of souvenirs, trinkets, jewelry, leatherwear and arts and crafts is a feast for the senses. Check out the basement level, where old women sell fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and meat strung on hooks. Jln. Raya, impossible to miss.

5 Water Lotus Temple

Rising like a phoenix over Ubud, Pura Taman Saraswati, as it’s known to the locals, was built by Ubud’s royal family in the 19th century. Fronted by two Zen-like pools of tire-size lily pads and pink and white lotus flowers, its main shrine is covered with carvings of Hindu deities and demons. Jln. Raya.

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6 Warung Schnitzel

7 Casa Luna

As the name implies, this café-style eatery run by a fiery Filipino specializes in crumbed meat: beef fillet, pork tenderloin and chicken breast fried to perfection and served with mash and a triumvirate of sauces: homemade gravy, rich coconut and mushroom, and sweet and sour chili. Jln. Sriwedari 2; 62-36/197-0744; mains Rp60,000.

The laboratory of Janet DeNeefe, the Australianborn voice of Bali: The Food of My Island Home, Casa Luna offers visiting gastronomes insight into Balinese culture and customs through learning about its food. Jln. Bisma; 62-36/197-3282; casalunabali. com; half-day classes with lunch and wine Rp350,000. ✚

Lily pads lead the way to the Lotus Temple.

Inset: Frosty drink from Warung Schnitzel.

Cooking School

Clockwise from far left: Plates piled high at Murni’s; haggling at Ubud Central Market; offerings at the market; made in the shade at the Four Seasons Sayan; statues decorate the Lotus Temple.

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Radar

Penang: The best of Asia on a plate.

Dining and Dashing James Oseland tells Diana Hubbell about his new book, an anthology of food and travel yarns, along with a few tidbits about his own history of eating and exploring in Southeast Asia.

As a food editor, judge on Top Chef Masters, and author of the James Beard-winning Southeast Asian cookbook Cradle of Flavor, James Oseland knows a thing or two about the intersection of food and travel. His latest project is A Fork in the Road: Tales of Food, Pleasure & Discovery, a compilation of culinary adventures by chefs, food writers and restaurant critics from around the world.

How did you choose which writers to include in the book?

It was a complete joy choosing a global banquet of folks to contribute, like Frances Mayes from the U.S.; Sandi Tan, a Singaporean-born author; and Giles Coren, a London-based TV host and newspaper restaurant critic. I knew all 34 of them would provide amazing, funny and moving stories.

You first traveled to Southeast Asia when you were 19. What was your first impression and why do you keep coming back?

My impression as an American who had barely traveled was, ‘Wow, Indonesia is a seriously hot, loud, insane place… when can I go back to California?’ But the place grew on me.

Actually, more—it helped transform me into the globally minded person I am today. And in the process it became my beloved second home. I never feel I’m fully me until I’m in Indonesia.

What’s your top foodie destination?

Easy answer: As amazing as the food is in Asia, for me Penang, Malaysia, wins 28

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out. The island boasts what is probably the Earth’s most diverse cuisine, from incredible Malaysian-Chinese char kuey teow to Indian-style super-spicy nasi kandar curry offerings. Penang is like the best of Asia on a plate.

What is the most memorable meal you’ve had in Southeast Asia?

The one meal that always comes to mind is a selamatan (a sort of celebratory potluck) I participated in Jakarta many years ago. Laid out in front of me was a seemingly endless array of pan-Indonesian dishes, including rendang (Sumatran dry beef curry), urap (a Javanese salad with a market’s worth of lemon basil), gulai ayam (chicken curry spiced with cinnamon and lemongrass), and opor (tender, young jackfruit and coconut stew). After that meal, I knew I’d found my new food home.

Aside from guidebooks—and magazines, of course—how do you find the best places to eat?

My finely tuned “foodar,” of course.

Which, when you boil it down, is a rather prosaic and unscientific process of elimination: I tend to look for the places that seem the most crowded and the least tricked up. I have a special allergy towards establishments that are supposed to be “the” place to eat… but I always adore discovering the sort of out-of-the-way gems that usually only have very small menus offering a few local specialties, prepared to perfection. ✚

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 T O D D C O L E M A N ; R I C H A R D I 'A N S O N / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; C O U R T E S Y O F L O N E LY P L A N E T

Q& A

trending

Cool Cats

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P : © T H O N G C H A I K O LY U T S A K U L ; © C H O T I K A S O P I TA R C H A S A K ( 2 ) ; I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y Z Ö E M O R E O ’ F E R R A L L

Move over Starbucks, there’s a new slew of cat cafés opening where you can take your caffeine with a side of feline.

If you can’t have a house cat, what’s the next best thing? How about spending time with an in-house cat at a cat café?

In many high-rise cities across Asia where many buildings forbid pets, a new litter of animal houses will let you get your furry fix for a low hourly rate, usually between US$5 and US$10.

These spots often offer snacks and coffee, and impose common sense rules such as: don’t wake a sleeping cat, don’t use your flash when taking pictures, don’t let a cat drink your coffee, and don’t pull their whiskers, no matter how tempting.

It all started in Taipei back in 1998 with the Cat Flower Garden; there are now blogs like Taipei Cat Cafes (taipeicatcafes.wordpress.com) dedicated to following all the new openings—Minimal café (Taishun St., Da-an District, Taipei) in particular is getting good press for taking in strays and turning their café into a charitable enterprise. Bangkok’s Cataholic Café (66-84/269-7945; 2F Ozono, 307 Sukumvit Soi 39) gives “catddicts” a

Cats, chats and snacks inside Cataholic Café.

place to congregate, with a variety of purebred and mixed breeds daintily prancing through the 12 steps. Cute touches like their signature Catch Me if You Can buttered toast with Milo paw prints will have cat lovers cooing.

Don’t care about breed? Niko No Newa (catcafe.com.sg), Singapore’s first cat café, only houses rescue cats, preferring personality over pedigree.

Over in Hanoi, Ailu Cat Café (4, Alley Xuong Phim, Thuy Khue St., Tay Ho district; 84-16/990-8538) stays so packed you have to book in advance, while Seoul’s Café Gio Cat (geocat.com, information available in English on

visitkorea.or.kr), an oldie but a goodie, sports light wood décor and a climbing tree that doubles as a statement piece.

Japan has more than 100 cat cafés so it can be hard to choose the purrfect place—two popular choices to get you started are Calico (catcafe.jp) and Nekorobi (nekorobi.jp). But it’s not just Asia that’s caught the feline fever: there’s Café Katzentempel (cafekatzentempel.de) in Germany; Cat Café (catcafe.hu) in Hungary; and the first cat café in London, Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium (ladydinahs.com), funded entirely by crowd sourcing, is set to open soon.—david ngo

t u to r i a l

How to Eat Peking Duck Chef Li Dong, of the Opposite House’s Jing Yaa Tang restaurant (theoppositehouse.com), in Beijing, breaks it down.

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One Peking duck will feed four very hungry diners.

The best places will carve it tableside— separating the meat from the crispy skin.

Start by eating a piece of skin dipped in sugar—a savorysweet taste of what’s to come.

Use chopsticks to place a bing (crêpe) on your plate.

Dunk chopsticks in tian mian jiang (a sweet bean sauce) and spread it on top sparingly, lest the crêpe fall apart.

Place meat and skin, then slivers of cucumber, spring onions and daikon in the center of the pancake. Among close friends? Pile on fried garlic.

Use chopsticks to fold one side over the filling. Repeat for all sides.

Raise the folded parcel to your mouth with chopsticks or your hands. Enjoy!

—jennifer chen

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Radar Studded leather clutch,

by Valentino Garavani.

Pony-hair shoes, Pretty Loafers.

Silk blend scarf, Christopher Fischer.

Retro sunglasses, Prism.

Printed calf-hair tote, Michael Kors.

st yle

Camo Craze

Now you see them, now you don’t: this autumn, camouflage accessories stand out in the urban jungle. By Mimi Lombardo 30

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Photographed by Victor Prado

PROP ST YLING BY RICHIE OWINGS FOR HALLEY RESOURCES

Calf-hair wallet, C. Wonder.

Radar why go

Darjeeling Unlimited

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: S T E V E N M O O R E ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F G L E N B U R N T E A E S TAT E ; S AT YA K I B A S U / G E T T Y I M A G E S

This charming town in India’s Himalayas has natural beauty, amazing teas and historical cachet in spades. Leslie Patrick lays out the five top reasons to visit.

The snow-capped Himalayas.

Darling Darjeeling.

All aboard the Toy Train.

A sunny afternoon at Glenburn Tea Estate.

Magical mornings

Riding the rails

High tea

Classic cocktails

The royal treatment

Make the early morning trek to Tiger Hill to watch the sun rise over India’s highest mountain, Kanchenjunga. Keep warm with a piping hot chai for Rs10 as the first rays light the jagged, snowy landscape. Look on a clear day and you might see the top of Mt. Everest. Arrange your taxi in advance for around Rs500 per person, roundtrip.

One of only two lines in the world named a unesco World Heritage Site, the Darjeeling

Darjeeling is best known for its strong, aromatic tea, and the picturesque plantations dotting its misty hills. Oldest and best known of these is Happy Valley Tea Estate—it’s been supplying Harrods of London for more than a century. Take a tour, enjoy a tasting and you’ll know why this fragrant tea is considered black gold.

18 Lebong Cart Rd.; darjeeling.gov.in/ darj-tour.html; free.

Navigate the labyrinth of alleys clinging to the mountainside to find Joey’s Pub—a relic reminiscent of an English country cottage. The bar staff serve up a mean gin and tonic, while regaling patrons with colorful local stories.

If you’re lucky, you’ll hear Joey strumming a tune on his guitar between slinging cocktails. 2 S.M. Das Rd.; 91-354/225-8216; drinks for two Rs300.

Fit for a Raja, the

Himalayan Railway

is affectionately known as the “Toy Train.” This narrowgauge railway runs daily from Darjeeling up to Ghum—India’s highest in elevation station—but it doesn’t make the hour-long journey for less than 10 passengers. dhrs. org; tickets Rs360.

Glenburn Tea Estate and Boutique Hotel

is a colonial gem on the outskirts of Darjeeling. Relax in elaborately decorated rooms and enjoy elegant touches like made-to-order picnic lunches or locally harvested tea served on the veranda as the rising sun strikes distant mountain peaks. Kambal Tea Garden; glenburn teaestate.com; doubles from Rs26,500. ✚

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CANDY LANDS

Our editors cut—and occasionally cracked— their teeth on these sweets. Can you identify each confection’s country of origin?

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1 Made with plant and fruit extracts— violet, lemon, blueberry—Leone pastilles make la vita even more dolce.

2 Even wealthy oil sheiks can have halitosis; Batook gum freshens their breath.

3 These fruit toffees are called Marco Polos—a

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

heck of a lot easier to pronounce than Ljubljana.

4 Corn-husk-wrapped doces de leite are made with calorie-rich sweetened condensed milk (we bet Gisele doesn’t eat them).

5 Satisfyingly crunchy caramels are the perfect palate cleanser after a garlicky gyro.

6 Haw Flakes get their sweet tang from the hawthorn berry—a digestive aid, according to this country’s traditional medicine.

7 Worried about altitude sickness on the Inca Trail? Locals swear these coca-leaf treats are the cure.

8 On Lördagsgodis— Candy Saturdays— children indulge in a smorgasbord of hearts, fish and other gummy confections.

9 As colorful as a pachinko game, konpeitŌ rock-sugar arrived here via 16th-century Portuguese traders.

—jennifer flowers

A N S W E R S 1 I TA LY 2 S A U D I A R A B I A 3 S L O V E N I A 4 B R A Z I L 5 G R E E C E 6 C H I N A 7 P E R U 8 S W E D E N 9 J A P A N

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TOM SCHIERLITZ

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Radar From left: The Dalai Lama talks spa therapy at the Global Spa & Wellness Summit; yoga at Ananda Spa.

wellness

Meditative Massage

If getting a massage feels overly indulgent, you can stow that guilt for good because you’ve got the Dalai Lama in your corner. At the recent Global Spa & Wellness Summit (globalspaandwellnesssummit.org), held in India, his holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, spoke about the impact of the multi-billion dollar industry on modern day wellbeing.

His holiness kicked off the talk by whispering to his translator, “What does it mean, spa?”—a tongue-in-cheek start to his headlining role at a summit dedicated to exactly that. After a few chuckles from the crowd, he continued to explain that while the world of spas is relatively new to him, wellness is a concept he knows plenty about, setting the tone for the many parallels drawn throughout his speech.

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“A happy mind, a peaceful mind, is the key factor for a healthy body,” the Dalai Lama said, advocating relaxation through mental detox. “Medical scientists are actually telling me hatred, anger, fear—these emotions are eating our immune systems. Relaxing does not mean just on a yoga mat, lie down full of anger, full of fear.

Relaxation means the mind is calm.”

India is renowned for its ashrams and yoga retreats, and Shreyas Retreat (shreyasretreat.com; doubles from US$1,590) outside Bangalore uses yoga to connect the mind with the body.

The Dalai Lama personally finds soaking in hot springs quite enjoyable.

Hot springs cleanse, detox and heal the body, the mind and the psyche through minerals, tranquility and nature.

The Hot Spring Therme & Spa

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(hotelhotspring.com; from US$62 per night) in Shimla, India, for example, is worth dipping into. But his holiness also prescribes compassion, bodily cleansing and mental calm.

The Indian philosophy of Vedanta fits snugly into this worldview. Made up of veda (life) and anta (end), the word roughly translates to “goal of life” and promotes such ideals as enduring happiness and peace. At Ananda Spa (anandaspa.com; Himalayan Bliss from US$960 per couple per night for three nights), in the foothills of the Himalayas, Vedanta classes are free additions to the many retreats on offer.

“Everyone wants a happy life, but are too stressed [to achieve it],” the Dalai Lama said. But with his stamp of approval on your spa day, that’s one stress eliminated.—catharine nicol ✚

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

In an age when stress seems unavoidable, none other than the Dalai Lama speaks out on the importance of finding peace through meditation and even a few spa treatments.

From left: India Mahdavi; Adrère Amella, in Egypt.

goods

TAG—THESE ARE IT Lose that old ribbon and let a real luggage tag do the talking.

— b r o o k e p o r t e r k at z

q& a

Global by Design For more than a decade, India Mahdavi’s signature style—vivid colors; graphic patterns; playful theatricality—has enlivened hotels around the world, from Mexico City’s Condesa DF to the Hôtel Thoumieux in Paris, her home city. The Iranian-born designer also showcases her finds at a Left Bank shop, Petits Objets (india-mahdavi.com). Fresh off two projects in France—Hôtel du Cloître (hotel-cloitre.com), in Arles, and L’Apogée Courchevel (lapogee​courchevel. com)—Mahdavi reveals a few useful discoveries.

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

Tables Tomahawk Chop

Clockwise from top left: Printed leather tag by Jonathan Adler; rubber tag by Flight 001 (also available: WTF; LOL); customizable leather label from Owen & Fred; tear-proof Tyvek tag by Herb Lester (other options: Sea, Land, Air).

Confessions of a Parking Valet

A car attendant at a high-end Miami hotel and restaurant reveals what actually happens after you hand over the keys.

I’ve parked tons of celebrities’ cars, and it’s shocking how cheap they are.

Most never bother to tip. Maybe I’ll get a “thank you.”

Yes: we do take your cars out for joyrides— and sometimes crash them.

My buddy once totaled a Corvette Z06, and I dented a Range Rover belonging to a friend of a famous boxer.

Let’s just say I’m lucky he didn’t find out.

People are such slobs—they leave their stuff all over. I’ve seen everything from thongs to sex toys just sitting out on the floor.

What is your travel philosophy?

“I need to remove myself from everything, really disconnect. Twice a year I visit the eco-lodge Adrère Amellal (adrereamellal. net), in Egypt’s Siwa oasis, which has no electricity. Hotel Budir (hotelbudir.is), in Iceland, is all about the feel of grand space and a deep connection to the sky.”

Do you eat like a local? “I tried yak in Mongolia. It has a strong taste, but you get used to it. Divan (98-21/2265-3853), in Tehran, Iran, is the first restaurant to apply nouvelle cuisine principles to Persian food. The jujeh (chicken) kebab with saffron rice is one of my favorite dishes.”

Flea markets or couture? “Put me in a bazaar and I go crazy; I love the markets in Istanbul. Abdulla (abdulla.com), in the heart of the Grand Bazaar, is the place for peshtemals, or hammam towels, handwoven and tinted with natural dyes.”

You never travel without… “My Sony Cyber-shot camera. It’s compact, and photographers love it. And I always try to read a bit of literature while on the road.”

—shane mitchell

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Radar spotlight

All the Trappings Jaya Ibrahim, the Indonesian interior designer behind the luxury resorts of Aman, Capella, Chedi and The Nam Hai shares the inspiration behind his new furniture collection. By Lim Sio Hui

↑ Venetian beauty His favorite city? Venice, where so many iconic historical styles come together: Romanesque, Gothic, Neo Classical and Renaissance. “You just cannot take away even one building in Venice without destroying the sense of all those that are left to stand.”

← Song and dance Modern Javanese dance opens a door to another world with its unimaginable grace, Ibrahim says. “The movements are so beautifully articulated.

To me it seems like a piece of furniture, how the arm of a sofa, for example, turns and transforms into the leg, which continues down to the floor, all in a fluid motion.”

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↑ That’s the spirit Authenticity for Ibrahim means resources, colors and textures that are rooted in the regions of each hotel project. “To me, it’s very important to contribute character to a hotel,” he says. “At the end of the day, the guests like pieces that have a voice.”

↓ East meets West The Jaya Classics collection—Ibrahim’s first line of globally inspired, signature works—is available exclusively at Space Furniture (spacefurniture.com.sg). The contemporary designs have a definite European edge, with flourishes like the undulating apron line in the Nahm Chaise Lounge, yet the Javanese influence also shines through.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P R I G H T: C O U R T E S Y O F J AYA I B R A H I M ( 3 ) ; P A U L P I E B I N G A / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; © E V G E N I YA M O R O Z / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M , M I D D L E : C O U R T E S Y O F J AYA I B R A H I M

↓ Natural artistry For Ibrahim, nothing beats natural materials for their beautiful patina: “It’s the human touch that makes them valuable.” This line weds ebony, shagreen and bronze.

Radar

hotels

Home Sweet Hotel

Ever dreamed of hitting the sack under the roof of a world leader?

David Ngo checks in with a few hotels that were once home to some of the most powerful families in history.

Victorian touches at The Bishop’s Suites.

Villa Maly

The Villa Maly in Luang Prabang was home to the grandson of Laotian King Kham Souk Zakarine and a nephew to King Sisavong.

Built in 1938 in an enclave populated by Lao’s well-todo, the house remained in the family until 1994. In 2001, the property was transformed into a small hotel, but it wasn’t until 2007 that it became the 33-room Villa Maly, a boutique resort made up of five colonial-style buildings, with the majestic royal family residence sitting at its heart. BP 78, Luang Prabang, Laos; villa-maly.com; superior king from US$210.

The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah

In the early 1980’s Hendra Hadiprana, one of Indonesia’s foremost 38

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F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F P R AYA P A L A Z Z O ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F T H E B I S H O P ' S S U I T E S

Praya Palazzo’s transformation since 1923.

Most hotels come online as fully fledged hotels. Their restaurants are purposebuilt and gleaming with stainless steel from the get-go. Their pools are spacious enough to accommodate groups of guests. And the fitness centers, well, they’re marvels of technology, whirring with spinning wheels, and decorated with television screens angled for optimum viewing.

Then there are the hotels that started off as homes first—resorts that were built as lavish dwellings for kings, bishops, famous architects and royal families many years ago.

Now travelers can get a taste of the intimate luxury enjoyed by the reigning class in days gone by, if only for a night or two.

architects, built a private retreat on the outskirts of Ubud. After more than 20 years as a holiday home, it was converted into a 20-villa resort by GHM. The personal retreat vibe remains, as does Hadiprana’s influence.

More than 100 paintings and sculptures from his private collection can be found throughout the sprawling grounds. Jln. Goa Gajah, Tengkulak Kaja Ubud, Bali; ghmhotels. com; suites from US$390.

Sculptures liven up The Chedi Club.

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 T H E C H E D I C L U B TA N A H G A J A H ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F P R AYA P A L A Z Z O ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F V I L L A M A LY ( 2 )

Praya Palazzo

The former home of one of King Rama V’s closest business associates lives on as the Praya Palazzo, a 17-room retreat that was restored to its Siam-era glory in 2009 by a local architect who could no longer bear to watch the mansion crumble along the banks of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River. The building’s Palladio look stems from the original resident’s preference for Italian art and design. 757/1 Somdej Prakinklao Soi 2, Bangyeekhan, Bangkok; prayapalazzo.com; from Bt3,500 per night.

Hadiprana Villa at The Chedi Club.

Praya Palazzo’s original owner.

Villa Maly was home to Laotian royalty.

The Bishop’s Suites

This 8-hectare estate with five expansive suites was once home to the first Bishop of Nelson, the town where it’s located. At the core of the property is a Victorian style homestead, built in 1925 and restored by the owners two years ago.

Guests join together each night for a decadent five-course meal.

Bishopdale Estate, 221-223 Waimea Rd., Nelson, New Zealand; bishopssuites.co. nz; suites from NZ$1,500. ✚

Local specialties at Villa Maly.

Italian design influences at Praya Palazzo.

Radar

Honeycomb of skylights inside Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport.

Shiny New Shenzhen

The much-anticipated Terminal 3 in Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport lived up to the hype in its recently unveiling. Designed by the lauded Italian studio Fuksas, its avant-garde shape mimics the body of an eagle ray.

A honeycomb motif is woven through the structure, most noticeable in the

web of skylights, which flood the interior with light while minimizing energy consumption. Conservation was a primary objective for the design, with a 10-megawatt solar power plant providing energy. A five-star hotel and a subway connecting to the city center are still in the works. szairport.com.

c u lt u r e

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

In this season’s hottest film releases, the settings nearly upstage the stars.

By Lindsey Olander and Josh Rottenberg

The Movie

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Inside Llewyn Davis

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Headliners

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

Idris Elba, Naomie Harris

Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake

Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott

Backdrop

Another dystopian tournament, another paradisiacal setting (this time it’s Hawaii).

The biopic, which features Elba (The Wire) in the title role, was filmed on location throughout South Africa.

Joel and Ethan Coen evoke Greenwich Village in the 1960’s through the story of a folksinger’s struggles.

Stiller directs a remake of the 1947 classic about a hapless dreamer who realizes his life of adventure in Iceland.

Scene Stealer

Katniss and her rivals battle it out by Kawela Bay, on Oahu’s North Shore.

Idyllic KwaZulu-Natal, where the activist’s wedding to Winnie Madikizela was shot.

NYC’s landmark Caffe Reggio (caffereggio.com) stands in for a Chicago club.

The star skateboards at breakneck speed in the lunar Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Inspired?

Stay where the cast reportedly did: Turtle Bay Resort (turtlebayresort.com).

Visit Robben Island (robben-​island.org.za), where Mandela spent 18 years.

Go on a downtown bar-hop on the Greenwich Village Rock Tour (nytours.us).

Walk on glaciers with Overseas Adventure Travel (oattravel.com).

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t r av e l e s e Obli • cation (n.): A trip that sounds like fun but—because it involves your in-laws, your office mates or your third cousin’s third wedding—feels more like work.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P : © A R C H I V I O F U K S A S ; C O U R T E S Y O F T W E N T I E T H C E N T U R Y F O X F I L M C O R P O R AT I O N ; A L I S O N R O S A / C O U R T E S Y O F C B S F I L M S ; C O U R T E S Y O F T H E W E I N S T E I N C O M P A N Y; C O U R T E S Y O F L I O N S G AT E

airports

Radar debut

Battambang Bada Boom

A hot new restaurant is shaking up this quiet riverside town in Cambodia. By Lara Dunston Battambang is not known for its nightlife. The busiest time of day is post-sunset rush hour when the dusty streets come alive with locals whizzing home on their motorbikes. The closest thing to a gridlock occurs outside central Psar Nat Market, as people pull up at the smoky stalls to buy chicken or fish for dinner.

Soon after the narrow streets go dark and a hush falls on this sleepy town.

All that is changing now that a buzzy new restaurant, bar and gallery is giving locals a reason to stay out late. One block from the market, the lights of Jaan Bai, which means “rice bowl” in Khmer, glow deep into the night. The name comes from Battambang’s fame as an agricultural producer for the region. The rich land churns out fine rice, juicy coconuts and sweet mangoes, to name a few, so it only makes sense that the ingredients used at this farm-to-table restaurant are purchased from the market down the road and the nearby gardens of the NGO Cambodian Children’s Trust.

The enthusiastic service of the young Cambodian waiters doesn’t give it away, but Jaan Bai is actually a training restaurant, conceived by Tara Winkler, the Australian founder of the trust, to teach

Fresh veggies at the local market.

The Jaan Bai team.

Fresh shrimp with fruit and coconut.

Outside Jaan Bai.

hospitality skills and provide jobs for unemployed young people. The restaurant was funded by the Australian company Vittoria Coffee, which is also establishing a barista school in the area, and the design was developed with the help of John Fink, owner of one of Australia’s best restaurants, Quay in Sydney. It is a bright, colorful space, with murals by local artists covering the walls—one diner told me,

Photographed by Terence Carter

“It’s like a little bit of Melbourne in Battambang.”

Bangkok chef David Thompson of Nahm helped create the concise menu, based on fresh local produce, featuring Thai favorites such as his fiery jungle curry, along with Cambodian dishes like chicken with basil and chili, a specialty of Jaan Bai ’ s head chef Mohm Meah.

Crowded tables of diners and drinkers fill the minimalist space in this

renovated colonial shophouse, sipping cocktails as they graze on pan-Asian sharing plates like pulledpork buns to a pumping soundtrack that includes everyone from The Cure to Nina Simone. The scene could be plucked from a hip urban metropolis, yet not far away the surrounds hum with nothing more than the calm of rural Cambodia.

Jaan Bai, Rd. 2, Battambang; 855-78/263-144; cambodian childrenstrust.org. ✚

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ASIA Burma r a ngoon

China b eiji ng

Governor’s Residence 88.64 35 Taw Win Rd.; 95-1/229860; governorsresidence.com. $$$$

Cambodia si em re a p

Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa 88.25 84-8/6290-9720; victoriahotels.asia. $$

Westin Beijing Financial Street 89.40 9B Financial St., XiCheng; 86-10/6606-8866; westin.com. $$

gu i l i n

Shangri-La Hotel 88.95 111 Huan Cheng Bei Er Rd.; 86-77/3269-8888; shangri-la.com. $$

l iji a ng

Banyan Tree 89.90 86-88/8533-1111; banyantree.com. $$$$

India gu rgaon

The Oberoi 93.33 443 Udyog Vihar; 91-12/4245-1234; oberoihotels.com. $$

Japan tok yo

Ritz-Carlton 90.40 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku; 81-3/3423-8000; ritzcarlton.com. $$$

Philippines bor acay

Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa 89.92 63-36/2884988; shangri-la.com. $$$$

Vietnam hue

La Résidence Hue Hôtel & Spa 88.46 5 Lê Loi St., Vĩnh Ninh; 84-54/383-7475; la-residence-hue.com. $

UNITED STATES California n a pa / sonom a

Farmhouse Inn 94.09 Forestville; 1-707/968-5441; farmhouseinn.com. $$$

Florida ba l h a r bou r

St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort 88.14 1-305/9933300; stregis.com. $$$$

de l r ay b e ac h

Vintage Inn 88.37 Yountville; 1-707/944-1112; vintageinn.com. $$$

Seagate Hotel & Spa 89.79 1-561/661-4800; theseagatehotel.com. $$

sa n di ego

m a rco isl a n d

Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort & Spa 89.46 17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr.; 1-858/675-8400; ranchobernardoinn.com. $$

sa n fr a nc isco

Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square 90.59 900 N. Point St.; 1-415/7725000; fairmont.com. $$$

sa n jose

Hotel Valencia Santana Row 88.00 355 Santana Row; 1-408/551-0010; hotelvalencia-santanarow.com. $$

sa n ta ba r ba r a

Canary Hotel, a Kimpton Hotel 87.67 31 W. Carrillo St.; 1-805/884-0300; kimptonhotels.com. $$

Marco Beach Ocean Resort 91.73 1-239/393-1400; marcoresort.com. $$$

mi a mi a r e a

Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach 90.50 Sunny Isles Beach; 1-305/918-8000; acqualina.com. $$$$

Hawaii m au i

Honua Kai Resort & Spa 88.80 Lahaina 1-808/3592700; honuakai.com. $$

Illinois c h icago

The Blackstone 88.36 636 S. Michigan Ave.; 1-312/447-0955; blackstonerenaissance.com. $

+

500 T L

THE WORLD’S BEST HOTELS

→

NEW TO THE LIST

42

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C O U R T E S Y O F S H A N G R I - L A B O R A C AY

In our annual World’s Best Awards survey, Travel + Leisure readers determine the top hotels and resorts in the world. For full listings of all T+L 500 properties, go to travelandleisure.com/tl500.

Highlighted here are the 54 properties that made the list for the first time, from a colonial-style mansion in Burma, to to a riverside boutique in Vietnam.

Great Value (US$250 or less)

Michigan g r a n d r a pi ds

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel 88.00 1-616/774-2000; amwaygrand.com. $

New Mexico sa n ta fe

Inn & Spa at Loretto 90.63 1-505/988-5531; innatloretto.com. $

New York coop e rstow n

Hotel Hershey 87.85 1-717/533-2171; thehotelhershey.com. $$

Rhode Island w est e rly

Weekapaug Inn 91.60 weekapauginn.com. $$$

South Carolina c h a rl eston

French Quarter Inn 90.74 166 Church St.; 1-843/7221400; fqicharleston.com. $

Otesaga Resort Hotel 88.20 1-607/547-9931; otesaga.com. $$$$

n e w pa lt z

Mohonk Mountain House 88.00; mohonk.com; all-inclusive. $$$$

n e w yor k c i t y

Andaz Wall Street 88.67 75 Wall St.; 1-212/590-1234; andaz.com. $ NoMad Hotel 88.80 1170 Broadway; 1-212/796-1500; thenomadhotel.com. $$

Oregon p or t l a n d

Pennsylvania h e rsh e y

Hotel Monaco 89.81 506 S.W. Washington St.; 1-503/222-0001; monaco-portland.com. $$

Virginia m e a dows of da n

Primland 93.63 1-276/2223800; primland.com. $$

Washington k i rk l a n d

Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa 89.00; 1-425/822-3700; thewoodmark.com. $

Wisconsin elkhart lake

Osthoff Resort 90.22 1-920/876-3366; osthoff.com. $$

Wyoming t e ton v i l l ag e

Four Seasons Resort & Residences Jackson Hole 89.11 1-307/732-5000; fourseasons.com. $$$$

CANADA British Columbia va ncou v e r

Spain ba rc e lon a

Quebec mon t r e a l

MEXICO ca bo sa n lucas

Turks and Caicos p rov i denc i a l es

ca nc ú n

Seven Stars Resort 90.75 649/941-7777; sevenstarsgracebay.com. $$$

Fairmont Pacific Rim 92.36 1038 Canada Place; 1-604/695-5300; fairmont. com. $$

Auberge du Vieux-Port 89.20 97 Rue de la Commune East; 1-514/876-0084; aubergeduvieuxport.com. $

EUROPE Czech Republic p r agu e

The Augustine 93.33 12/33 Letenska; 42-02/6611-2233; theaugustine.com. $$$

England lon don

Corinthia Hotel 92.24 Whitehall Place; 44-20/79308181; corinthia.com. $$$$ Rubens at the Palace 90.10 44-20/7834-6600; rubenshotel.com. $$

France pa ris

InterContinental ParisLe Grand 87.67 2 Rue Scribe; 33-1/4007-3232; ihg.com. $$$

Italy c asol e d ’ e l sa

Castello di Casolea Timbers Resort 96.18 castellodicasole.com. $$$

flor enc e

Hotel Brunelleschi 91.20 39-055/27370; hotelbrunelleschi.it. $$

Mandarin Oriental 88.73 38 Passeig de Gràcia; 34-93/151-8888; mandarinoriental.com. $$$

Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos Resort 88.30; 52-624/1429797; pueblobonito-loscabos. com; all-inclusive. $$$ Excellence Playa Mujeres 90.17 Quintana Roo; 52-988/872-8579; excellence-resorts.com; all-inclusive. $$$

THE CARIBBEAN Antigua st. joh n ’ s

Galley Bay Resort & Spa 91.33 1-954/949-2142; galleybayresort.com; all-inclusive. $$$$

Key West Luxury Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos 89.65; beaches.com. $$$$

Somerset on Grace Bay 89.33 649/946-5900; thesomerset.com. $$$$

m a z at l á n

Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay Resort & Spa 91.83 52-669/989-8900; pueblobonitoemeraldbay.com; all-inclusive. $$$ Pueblo Bonito Mazatlán Resort 92.94 52-669/9898900; pueblobonito-mazatlan. com; all-inclusive. $$$

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA Argentina m en doz a

Cavas Wine Lodge 94.80 54-261/410-927; cavaswinelodge.com. $$$$

Costa Rica m a n u e l a n ton io

Arenas del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort 90.67 arenasdelmar.com. $$

VOTE NOW! The 2014 World’s Best Awards survey is live. Vote for your favorite hotels and you’ll be entered to win a US$10,000 dream trip, in addition to other prizes. For all of the details go to TLWorldsBest.com/ Intl.

Get all 500 hotel listings at travelandleisure. com/tl500.

Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa.

hotels $ Less than US$200 $$ US$200 to US$350 $$$ US$350 to US$500 $$$$ US$500 to US$1,000 $$$$$ More than US$1,000

ys a W

er t t Be l e rav T to

Hidden fees, endless security lines, jet lag, middle seats— think they’re the necessary evils of travel? Think again.

From finding the lowest airfare to securing a room upgrade, Travel + Leisure’s news team has culled our best tips and tricks to bring you the definitive cheat sheet for smoother, smarter, stress-free trips. PLUS We teamed up with CNN to tap their network of roving iReporters; you’ll get some of their best advice here.

EDITED BY BROOKE PORTER, NIKKI EKSTEIN, AMY FARLEY AND JENNIFER FLOWERS WITH REPORTING BY PETER SCHLESINGER AND BREE SPOSATO 44

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Photographed by Phil Toledano

P R O P A N D W A R D R O B E S T Y L I S T: D O N S U M A D A . H A I R A N D M A K E U P : G R E G G H U B B A R D . M O D E L S : B R I A N N A N I E M A N N / W I L H E L M I N A A N D J A Z G O O D R E A U

0 0 1 2014

Nos.

14–17

FIND THE BEST AIRFARE. Four sites that help you save on flights.

GetGoing This blind-booking site nets up to 40 percent off flights if you let it pick between two destinations.

Nos.

1–3

SAVE ON YOUR HOTEL. CONSULT THE ALGORITHM.

New website TheSuitest has a Hotel Time Machine that predicts the average room rate in a destination six months out, making it easy to see when rooms will be at their most affordable.

No.

4

No.

5

EAVESDROP ON RELY ON AN THE AIRLINE ADVISOR. Even on short and EXPERTS. simple trips, a top-​ Full of opinions and insights from serious road warriors, the Flyertalk online forums are invaluable.

Use them to size up airlines, loyalty programs and even travel gadgets.

No.

6

PICK A CARD.

notch travel agent can secure upgrades, late check-in and checkout, and on-site credits and amenities at hotels and on cruises. Your advisor will also have your back if your flight is canceled or delayed.

If you want to stockpile airline miles and hotel points, finding the right travel-rewards credit card is key. Compare your options on the websites Nerdwallet and Cardhub. Both offer comprehensive card comparisons and sound advice on maximizing benefits.

I L L U S T R AT I O N S , F R O M L E F T: T O M B A C H T E L L , B E N W I S E M A N (4)

TRACK THE RATE.

Book with online service Tingo, which will automatically rebook you at the lower price if your room rate drops.

BEIJING ↓ 8% to $228

BUNDLE YOUR ROOM WITH AIRFARE.

Hotels drop rates when they can disguise them in travel packages offered by websites such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz.

Nos.

7–13

SINGAPORE ↓ 8% to $380 JAKARTA ↓ 7% to $127

FIND THE VALUES.

We asked hotels.com to hunt down cities where the average nightly rates for four and five-star hotels have dropped in price over the past year, so you can get a better deal on luxury accommodations.

*Prices throughout are listed in U.S. dollars.

SEOUL ↓ 19% to $153 HONG KONG ↓ 11% to $274

TripWatcher Sign up to receive instant e-mail alerts when fares for a particular route drop.

w Airfarewatchdog The site’s analysts comb airline websites and other sources for the best deals, which appear in a daily e-mail newsletter.

BALI ↓ 15% to $321 MELBOURNE ↓ 6% to $302

Refund.me If you think you might be owed money for a delayed or canceled European flight, it’ll help you file a claim.

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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22–25

CATCH A ONE-WAY REPOSITIONING CRUISE.

HIT THE CRUISING SWEET SPOTS.

No.

18

When it comes to saving money on a cruise, timing is everything.

SNAG AN AWARD SEAT.

PLAN AHEAD.

Early-booking discounts are released up to a year in advance and may be as significant as 20 percent off.

Some airlines make it easier than others to cash in miles for a ticket. According to the annual Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Survey, this year’s standouts include Singapore Airlines for long distance flights, (94 percent), followed by AirAsia (90 percent), Qantas Group (86 percent) and Air China ( 79 percent) .

TRAVEL DURING SHOULDER SEASON.

For Europe (both river and ocean cruises), that means April and October.

For Australia it is June and for most of Asia, it’s October and February. In Antarctica, it’s November.

KNOW THE CARIBBEAN LULLS.

Fares are lowest just before and after the holidays—the first two weeks of December and mid-​ January.

Nos.

19–21

per year) keeps tabs on cabin seat inventory and will alert you when elusive blocks of up to four seats open up.

MANAGE YOUR ITINERARY.

BEST FOR ROAD WARRIORS

Three apps that keep track of your airline, hotel and car-rental reservations—and then some.

BEST FOR BUSINESS

Worldmate ($9.99) integrates with your calendar and LinkedIn, making it easy to network while on the road.

The more trips you log using Traxo (free), the more perks from partner companies you receive: car-rental vouchers, free travel insurance and even free flights.

BEST FOR FAMILIES

The Seat Tracker from TripIt Pro ($49

46

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No.

iReports from

No.

27

No.

26

BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE EARLY.

Get it before any big storms are officially named; otherwise you won’t be eligible for coverage if your trip is delayed or canceled.

No.

28

30

Matthew Colver “Be patient and don’t cash in your miles to fly domestically— save them for the big-​ ticket international airfare.”

Quia Querisma “When packing, choose your shoes first, and then the clothes that work with them. Look for neutral and flexible colors for the greatest versatility.”

David McTier “Buy tickets to major sights online before you go. You can skip the long ticket lines when you get there.”

You can get as much as 40 percent off the regular per-​day fare for sailings on vessels that are shifting from one part of the world to another. In the spring, look for ships moving from the Caribbean to either Europe or Alaska; from Asia to the U.S.; and from Latin America to Europe. In the fall, they’ll move back in the other direction.

No.

29

Vince Wong “For complicated trips, I like flight-research startup site Flightfox, where experts compete to help you reduce the total cost of your ticket by fare hunting and tapping regional budget carriers.”

A I R P L A N E : N O U B I G H A L I /A L A M Y

Nos.

100 Ways to Travel Better

Nos.

31–34

STAY IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HOUSE.

Our favorite services for finding a house or apartment rental.

FOR URBANITES

Airbnb has 500,000 listings in some 33,000 cities, from Parisian pieds-à-terre to gleaming Bangkok skyrises.

FOR HOLIDAY RENTALS

HomeAway and VRBO both have great selections in popular second-home destinations, including ski resorts and beach retreats.

FOR SOPHISTICATES

Onefinestay lists only high-quality apartments in London, New York and Paris—all

stocked with extra amenities, including loaner iPhones.

No.

FOR HANDS-ON SERVICE

35

SIMPLIFY YOUR PACKING.

House-rental clubs, such as Portico and Inspirato, have hefty membership fees, but offer concierge services and travelplanning help for people needing extra care.

Keep a go bag with toiletries, cords, converters and travel extras (neck pillows; eye masks) all in one place and at the ready.

visit); No. 1 Traveller (no1traveller.com; $45 per visit) and Servisair (executive​lounges.com; $28 per visit) have lounges throughout the U.K; while in the United States Airspace (airspace​lounge.com) has a small network of lounges, which American Express Platinum card members can access for free.

Services such as Lounge Pass (lounge​pass.com; from $35 per visit) and Priority Pass (priority​ pass.com; $27 per visit, plus $99 annually) partner with airlines and independent companies to offer access to locations worldwide.

Nos.

36–38

I L L U S T R AT I O N : T O M B A C H T E L L

SPEED THROUGH THE AIRPORT.

Expedited security programs can allow passengers to breeze through lines. Here, three programs to consider joining.

SMART ENTRY SERVICE.

This program uses the biometric information of pre-approved travelers to reduce the immigration time to an average of 12 seconds. ses.go.kr.

GLOBAL ENTRY.

Join through one of its trusted traveler programs, such as Australia's SmartGate, which allows you to self-process passport control. globalentry.gov; $100 for five years.

TSA PRECHECK

If you are traveling to the United States, this security program will get you through 100 domestic airports, or you can join through the frequent flier program of one of its parnter airlines. tsa. gov; $85 for five years.

No.

39

BEAT JET LAG.

The trick is to get on the right schedule while in transit. Sign up for a personalized plan with the website Stopjetlag, which will give you an hour-by-hour schedule for meals, rest time and even sunlight exposure, based on your travel itinerary.

Nos.

40–42

WAIT IN COMFORT.

You don’t need a business-class ticket to get in to the lounge.

BUY A DAY PASS.

All the legacy carriers sell them for their lounges in most countries for about $50.

FIND AN INDEPENDENT LOUNGE.

In Asia and Canada, look for spaces from Plaza Premium (plazanetwork.com; $49 per

CHOOSE THE RIGHT CARD.

For an annual fee, some credit cards—including American Express Platinum ($450) and Chase’s United MileagePlus Club Card ($395)—offer complimentary access to both airline and independent lounges.

American Express also runs the Centurion Lounge (thecenturion​ lounge.com) in Delhi.

Access is free for travelers with Centurion Cards, and $50 for all other American Express cardholders.

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Nos.

43–46

WEAR THE RIGHT FABRICS. Nos.

47–49

STAY WARM.

DON’T LOSE YOUR LUGGAGE.

Cashmere wraps and sweaters are lightweight, but perfect for chilly planes.

A few tips if you must check your bag.

Plant it with the palm-​ size Trakdot (trakdot.​ com; $50, plus $13 annual fee). The small box automatically transmits its location using a GSM chip, allowing you to follow your bag’s route via SMS, e-mail or the Trakdot app and website.

STRETCH OUT.

Lycra jeans move with you but maintain their shape. The best contain at least 10 percent Lycra.

BE BOLD.

Making sure your bag stands out from the crowd can help ensure a fellow traveler doesn't make off with it by mistake. The new Samsonite Firelite (samsonite.com.sg; from $565) line comes in flashy colors like hot chili red and cobalt blue. Or you

KEEP IT CRISP.

Look for wrinklefree twill shirts and pants from brands such as L.L.Bean and Brooks Brothers.

CONSIDER COMFORT.

No.

50

FIND A BETTER SANDWICH.

The GateGuru app has detailed terminal maps ​and restaurant reviews for more than 100 airports around the world.

Knit blazers are more pliable for ease of movement and less creasing.

48

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Nos.

51–53

GET A BETTER SEAT.

FIND THE BEST PLANE.

Not all aircraft are created equal. Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner features higher humidity and lower pressure (to minimize jet lag) and smart-glass windows that dim on command. The carriers flying the new aircraft: British Airways, LAN and Japan Airlines.

If cabin design is

important, you can also look to SeatGuru and Routehappy, which both have flight-search functions that let you prioritize legroom, Wi-Fi connectivity and seatback entertainment over, say, price and flight time.

TIME YOUR REQUEST.

Ask for a new seat 24 hours before a flight.

That’s when airlines start upgrading their elite fliers, opening up the “preferred” seats in economy that had

can jazz up the luggage you already have with the cheeky polka dot or striped luggage IDs by Luggage Huggers (myluggagehugger.com; $12.95).

SHIP YOUR BAGS.

Consider sending your bags straight to the hotel (or golf course, or cruise ship) through a service such as Luggage Forward (luggage​forward.com) or Luggage Free (luggage​free​economy. com). Luggage Forward ships between more than 200 different countries.

Shipping bags within Asia starts at $119 for an 11-kilo bag and goes up with weight.

previously been assigned to those travelers. Repeat your request at the check-in desk and gate.

LOOK INTO PREMIUM ECONOMY.

Though they won’t give you all the plush comforts of business class, these seats are often worth the extra money for the added 10 to 13 centimeters of legroom alone. Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, China Southern and EVA Air stand out here.

SANDWICH: ©BERT FOLSOM/DRE AMSTIME.COM. I L L U S T R AT I O N S : B E N W I S E M A N

SPY ON YOUR SUITCASE.

100 Ways to Travel Better No.

Nos.

54–57

AVOID EXTRA CAR-RENTAL FEES.

LEAVE THE AIRPORT.

Off-airport locations usually have lower rates, and don’t tack on airport surcharges and fees.

Kayak has handy car-rental maps that let you find rental locations in your destination.

DON’T GET UPSOLD.

If an agent tries to sell you an upgrade, first ask if the class of car you reserved is available. If it’s not, the agent is obligated to give you a next-level car at the price of your original booking.

BE WARY OF INSURANCE.

Most rental companies offer a loss damage waiver, which is likely already covered by your credit card. In addition, some of their supplemental policies may overlap with your auto and homeowner’s insurance. Do your homework.

TRACK RATES EVEN AFTER YOU BOOK.

Most companies don’t take your credit card information at the time

of booking, so if the price drops, you can cancel and rebook up to the day of pickup. If you reserve through AutoSlash, the site will automatically rebook you if the rate drops.

No.

58

GO STRAIGHT TO YOUR MEETING.

Tired of waiting around at the baggage carousel?

Some airports will deliver your luggage to your hotel for you, so you can head directly to your destination. Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (narita-airport. jp) and Hong Kong International Airport (hongkongairport.com) are leading the charge.

iReports from

60

No.

Heather R. Helline, “I keep a pair of socks in my carry-on. I slip them on so I don’t have to touch the ground where thousands of other travelers’ feet have been.”

62–63

61

No.

Stefanie Kronemeyer, “Ask at the ticket counter if you can buy an upgrade. Depending on availability, some airlines let you do it at a heavily discounted price.”

64–65

Nos.

Nos.

TAKE A CALCULATED GAMBLE.

Mi-Fi hot spots—such as Verizon’s Novatel devices, D-Link Dir, Huawei E5, Option Globesurfer 3+ and ZTE MF—provide a set amount that can be shared among several devices. Boingo Wireless (boingo.com) offers access to more than 700,000 hot spots worldwide for as little as $7.95 a month.

PLAN YOUR SPONTANEITY.

C A R R E N TA L : © S TA N G O T/ D R E A M S T I M E . C O M .

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59

Sharon LeMaster, “The website Rome2Rio makes transportation decisions easy by comparing the travel time and cost of flying, driving and taking the train between two destinations.”

HotelTonight, the pioneer of same-day mobile bookings, partners with select hotels in each destination so it can guarantee availability.

Check the app leading up to your trip to get a sense of what will be on offer in your destination. Then be quick on the draw the day of: deals go up at noon each day.

AVOID HOTEL WI-FI FEES.

LOOK FOR UNSOLD ROOMS.

Don’t want to cut it so close? Hipmunk’s new last-minute deal aggregator compiles rock-​bottom prices for unsold rooms up to 72 hours ahead of arrival.

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Nos.

66–72 SHOW YOUR LOYALTY.

75

No.

DON’T GET CAUGHT WITHOUT A RIDE.

Sign up for your hotel brand’s free loyalty program and reap the benefits immediately.

Here’s what our favorite programs offer members.

The Uber app lets you make reservations with car services in 48 cities around the world with just the tap of a button.

OMNI SELECT GUEST

Free Wi-Fi, shoeshine, daily coffee delivery, last-minute discounts PREFERRED IPREFER

Free Wi-Fi, late checkout, space-available upgrade Nos.

76–80

TIP LIKE A PRO.

Free Wi-Fi, loaner BMW bikes, newspaper delivery, spa discounts

AT THE AIRPORT

Worried you’ll get hit with excess weight charges on your luggage? Use a skycap at the curb and tip well—you may receive some leniency.

IHG REWARDS CLUB

Free Wi-Fi, newspaper delivery CLUB CARLSON

Free Wi-Fi, restaurant discounts

AT THE HOTEL

Change your bills into smaller denominations right as you check in.

That way you won’t be left empty-​handed when the bellman arrives with your bags.

KIMPTON INTOUCH

Free Wi-Fi, newspaper delivery, mini-bar and hotel bar vouchers, spa credits SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD

Automatic upgrade, breakfast for two after one stay

AT A RESTAURANT

Hosts and maître d’s appreciate a good tip, but it’s better form to give it on the way out rather than on the way in.

IN A BAR

PENANG TORONTO

$2.8 $4.7 $7.4

ISTANBUL

WEST SHANGHAI

SYDNEY

50

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73

NOTE WATER COSTS.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts shared the cost of bottled water in their hotel minibars in five cities.

$8.2

$9

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

74

No.

SPEAK UP.

For better or for worse, Twitter has become a de facto customerservice line for travel companies. We don’t endorse it for venting your frustrations.

But if you need urgent information or attention, a quick tweet to a company’s handle will often yield quick results.

If it’s particularly crowded, tip handsomely for your initial round of drinks. You’ll be first served all night.

ON THE ROAD

Bring a stash of small bills with you.

Don't bother exchanging small amounts of unused currency when leaving a country, it might come in handy for tips on your next trip.

Nos.

81–85

GET A ROOM UPGRADE.

Five ways to a better room.

BE NICE.

Front desk agents are usually empowered to change a guest’s room at their discretion.

A little smile can go a long way.

STAY AT A NEW HOTEL.

Recently opened properties may not be as full­, and have an added incentive to court return guests.

BE A REGULAR.

Hotels prioritize guests who are frequent visitors. If you are often in the city, be sure to let them know.

CHECK IN LATER IN THE DAY.

Hotel managers have a better sense of their open inventory as the day goes on, and will be more amenable to a spontaneous upgrade.

SAY “THANK YOU.”

If you had a great stay, let the hotel know in writing or via social media. The compliment may be repaid on your next visit.

TA X I : © V O N O R A / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M

FAIRMONT’S PRESIDENTS CLUB

100 Ways to Travel Better

Nos.

86–90

HAVE A DIGITAL TOOLBOX. Five handy apps.

hand.

XE Currency For international exchange rates.

Nos.

91–92

FIND A LOST PHONE.

IOS

Apple’s Find My iPhone app will not only locate your device (iPad and Mac included) on a map and track where it’s been but will also allow you to lock your phone remotely, send a message to the home screen with a contact number, and—worstcase scenario—delete all your data and personal information.

ANDROID

MPassport Helps you find accredited doctors around the globe.

B A G : © V I C T O R R U S T L E / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M . I L L U S T R AT I O N S : B E N W I S E M A N

Lonely Planet Fast Talk You can search by situation or look up specific words and phrases.

Spotify Any soundtrack you want, anywhere in the world.

Viber Call and text globally over Wi-Fi and avoid pricey roaming charges.

The Avast Free Mobile Security app, which includes antivirus protection, will let you locate, lock and wipe your phone remotely. If your phone is stolen, you can use the app to spy on the thieves— tracking calls and texts from your phone and even listening in on its surroundings.

No.

Nos.

SECURE A LAST-MINUTE TABLE.

94

No.

GET A REFUND. Dozens of countries throughout Asia, Europe and beyond now offer nonresidents rebates for sales tax that targets locals, called the ValueAdded Tax (VAT) or the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Have the store you’re shopping in fill out the appropriate forms and then bring them, along with your receipts and the items you purchased, to the airport customs officials as you leave.

93

CALL IN THE AFTERNOON.

Around 3 p.m. restaurants start confirming that evening’s reservations.

You might catch a newly canceled seat.

WALK IN.

Popular restaurants often save a handful of tables for drop-ins.

GET THE APP.

Across Asia new mobile tools are launching that will find and book open restaurant tables for you. Reserveit.sg covers Singapore; in Malaysia the go-to tool is tableapp.com; while chope.com.sg covers both Singapore and Hong Kong and may expand further.

No.

NAVIGATE FOR FREE.

Finding mobile maps is easy—the challenge is making sure they don’t require expensive data roaming when you’re traveling internationally. Enter the City Maps 2Go Offline Maps apps, available for both Android and iPhone.

Covering big cities and small towns, their 6,700 interactive maps include points of interest (restaurants; stores; sights) and allow you to track and search around your location using GPS.

95–97

iReports from No.

99

Tausha Cowan “Follow the crowd to the best restaurants. I discovered the best shu mai dumplings in Hong Kong by choosing a place that was overflowing with locals.”

98

Fareesa Abbasi “Keep essential medicines— Benadryl, Cipro, Imodium, and motion-sickness medicine such as Dramamine—on hand. I’ve saved both myself and my travel companions from a ruined vacation.”

No.

100

Amelia Jo Hruby “Use the bookmark feature on Yelp to map the things you’re interested in checking out, so you’re not running across town all day.”

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Point of View

Fare Games

Taxi drivers, the good, the bad and the directionless, can be a great barometer of the cities they attempt to navigate. By Christopher Kucway

I

live on a one-way street in Bangkok.

It’s much the same as many roads in the sprawling city, but when I flag down any one of the rainbowcolored taxis—not a difficult prospect given that the roads often resemble stagnant parking lots—more often than not the driver will have zero idea about how to get where I want to go. This, dear reader, has nothing to do with my limited Thai-language skills nor the drivers’ television-inspired English. In the first few minutes of rolling and stopping that defines most cab rides in the Thai capital, we’ll have covered where I’m from; how long I’ve lived in Thailand; the sorry state of local politics; the sorry state of

Canadian politics; Thai wives; the spiciness of street food; Thai mistresses; the weather; Thai girlfriends; traffic jams; the weather again; and last night’s football scores.

By this point, we’ll have covered about 300 meters with even odds that we’re headed in the right direction.

This cross-cultural impasse, as boggling as the traffic snarls throughout the sprawling city, plays perfectly into a theory of mine. For all their pop psychology and driving skills, taxi drivers the world over mirror their cities better than any guidebook or tourism board ever could.

Everyone knows that London cabbies possess the Knowledge, an intricate

mental GPS of the best route between any two points in the British capital.

Call it the stiff upper lip of cab mentality—it takes place in a city where you’re more likely to get lost in the back seat of an enormous cab than the driver would, say, between Marble Arch and Covent Garden.

So I wasn’t surprised when, in a global survey by hotels.com, London cabs topped the ranks, receiving more than double the votes of runner-up New York City and its fleet of yellow transport that honks its way around Manhattan and the outer boroughs.

Tokyo’s taxis came in at third place, while Bangkok rated eighth overall, largely because they’re good value for ➔

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Point of View money (read: cheap). Then again, you do get what you pay for. Provided the meter is working. Yes, Bangkok is a city steered by taxi drivers who—the often-used phrase “Amazing Thailand” coming into play here—are not actually from the capital. By and large, they don’t know Bangkok’s hodgepodge of streets and intertwined sois and, worse, have no interest in learning them. It’s true that any accurate map of the city looks more like a plate of pad Thai noodles than a lesson in urban planning but you’d think the sequentially numbered streets would simplify things.

If you tire of trying to explain directions, don’t think going mum will offer any reprieve. That silence will inevitably have the driver turn on his radio to ear-bleeding volumes of mor lam music, traditional tunes from the Thai countryside that dwell on the difficulty of life there, though I’m convinced there must be a song about being a Bangkok taxi driver in there somewhere. Long gone are the days where seatback pockets were bulging with fliers, advertising clubs that— how to put this?—couldn’t really be marketed anywhere else. Now, the opposite is true, at least on first glance at the window decals illustrating what I hope are tongue-in-cheek warnings of what is not allowed in the passenger seats. These circle-with-a-slash stickers feature everything from two stick figures procreating to a water buffalo to a machine gun. The more I think about these warnings while mired in traffic, the more I know they should be taken with a dash of fish sauce because I can report the bullet holes on taxis are merely decorous add ons not caught-in-the-crossfire near misses from last week’s near coup.

With Bangkok in the rearview mirror for a moment, these days when I arrive at a new destination, the first thing I do—aside from bypassing the tourism desk and shunning the guidebook racks—is head straight for the taxi queue. It’s here I find a dose of local logic, conversations that show the 54

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The genial grandfather explained in Singlish why I shouldn’t have taken the MRT: ‘Oh, it’s too squishy.’ In the time it took me to figure out what he meant, the meter ticked over 10 dollars lay of the land. Need efficiency? Head to Japan. In Tokyo or Osaka, there’s no need to reach for the passenger door, which opens and closes automatically.

Want friendly drivers? Taipei, where my minimal Mandarin skills and one or two hand gestures have always managed to get me around town on time, does the trick.

That said, be forewarned: no two drivers of Chinese origin are the same.

In pricey Singapore, I told a driver that the previous night I opted to head to dinner via the city’s efficient MRT. The genial grandfather behind the wheel explained in perfect Singlish why I should never have done that: “Oh, it’s too squishy.” In the time it took me to figure out what he meant, I think the meter ticked over a dollar or 10.

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Counter this with the practicality of his Cantonese counterpart behind the wheel in Hong Kong. Mired in traffic just outside of Central, one grumbled to me about the gridlock. Testing just how dumb a gweilo I was, he asked if I knew Hong Kong’s real problem. I told him, “Obviously, the place has too many cars.” Sighing at my stupidity, he put the taxi in park, turned towards me and exclaimed: “Too many cars? No, not enough roads!” Aiya, indeed.

Maybe it’s me, but that deathly glance from a driver is a common theme and isn’t limited to the big city.

Down under in Darwin, doubling up as a tour guide, one cabbie pointed out “a really good restaurant” in the town’s tallest building, so I asked what kind of food was served there. Mimicking his

distant Hong Kong cousin, he stopped the car. He turned to face me. Very slowly, he told me, “Really. Good.

Food.” Fearing the worst about his fare, he didn’t speak to me again, but I left the taxi thinking of what he would tell his wife when she asked how his day went. I was embarrassed but didn’t really know why.

Of course, I realize the joke is on me.

Where would I be without these encounters with taxi drivers? Walking down a squishy street underneath a tropical sun is but one answer. What is still the best tale of the taxi I’ve ever heard belongs to two friends. On their first ever visit to India, they decided to head to Gujarat. That they were in Kolkata, on the other side of the country, was less of a problem than the fact they had had a few too many gin and tonics on their flight. Undeterred, they stumbled off to a train at Howrah.

Fast-forward 48 hours and a few painkillers later. Knowing little of Gujarat, the intrepid, hung-over duo exited the train station and asked a cabbie if he could take them to a particular hotel. Confident head wag and the words “no problem”—a standard reply in every corner of the subcontinent regardless of the situation—meant my friends were on their way. After 100 meters, give or take the length of an Ambassador taxi, the all-knowing man behind the wheel announced that they had arrived at the doorstep of their hotel. Being British, accustomed to cabbies with the Knowledge, they also had a healthy sense of humor and weren’t above a big tip for their grinning driver. They got where they wanted to go with minimal fuss and a taste of local life. And in the end, isn’t that what you should expect from any taxi ride? ✚

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Trip Doctor gu i de t o cru isi ng now

Q: HOW CAN I SAVE MONEY ON A SKI VACATION?

—carolyn kenna

A: I’ve been skiing since I was four and have no intention of giving it up, especially as my family grows. But even I will admit that my loyalty is tested by the everrising prices of lift tickets and airfare.

With advance planning and flexibility, however, there are ways to make it more affordable. Here’s a look.

Airfare

When it comes to saving money on flights, booking early is essential—especially since many ski areas are accessible via mountain airports that accept only a small number of flights each day. Once you’ve selected your destination, put in a fare-warning at pricescanning website such as Hipmunk and keep an eye open for bargains.

Another helpful rule of thumb: skip the smaller airports and look for mountains connected to or within reasonable driving distance of major transportation hubs.

Hop a bus or a train from bustling Seoul, for example, and head to either Muju Ski Resort, which features a 6.1 kilometer run a vertigoinducing 1,520 meters above sea level, or at High 1, which sprawls over 21 kilometers. In Japan, Chitose International Airport will put you in range of the powdery slopes of Rusutsu, Sahoro, Kiroro and Furano ski resorts in Hokkaido. Even Toyko’s Narita is only a four-hour train ride from Myoko Kogen Ski Resort. The charming lodge boasts nearby onsen and quiet, supremely snowy surrounds—in peak season they can get up to 4

de a ls

What’s Your Problem?

I MISSED MY FLIGHT!

Do...

Be prepared to pay a rebooking fee.

For most classes of ticket, you’ll be charged to get on another flight.

Make a run for it, if you’re already checked in and only have a carryon. At some airports, gates close as late as 15 minutes before departure.

Don’t...

Wait to alert your airline.

The sooner you call, the more likely they’ll be able to get you on the next flight— if there’s space.

Expect to be rebooked on a different carrier.

For that, you’ll have to purchase an entirely new ticket.

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meters of pure powder.

Meanwhile, over in China, Nanshan Ski Resort is an easy drive from Beijing’s international airport.

If you’re willing to go farther afield, New Zealand offers some truly spectacular skiing a reasonable distance from both Queenstown and Christchurch.

Lodging

Ski resorts are full of vacation properties, many of which are available for rent at cut-rate prices. Another bonus: having a built-in kitchen helps save money on meals. Rent-byowner sites VRBO and HomeAway have more than 95,000 ski properties between them, including residences that are attached to major resorts.

Airbnb, which has a growing number of ski listings, is particularly good when it comes to smaller or more offbeat properties. Both HomeAway and Airbnb have helpful mapping functions that allow you to see if a place you’re considering is slopeside—or a long walk (in ski boots) from the mountain. If you really want to save, though, consider renting a car and looking for properties that are outside major resort areas. While this may seem less convenient, there’s something to be said for escaping the mountain crowds for a cozier setting.

If you do plan on booking a room at a hotel, ask what sort of lift-ticket-and-lodging offers it has available. Most give discounts if you bundle.

Lift tickets

With day-of lift passes well over the US$100 mark for many

I L L U S T R AT I O N S , F R O M L E F T: J A V I E R J A É N ; B E N W I S E M A N (4)

your travel dilemmas solved ➔ t + l ’ s

by Diana Hubbell and Amy Farley

resorts, buying a ticket at the window is simply a fool’s game.

The good news is that many mountains are experimenting with dynamic pricing online, enticing skiers with advancepurchase deals (to lock in an early commitment) and even last-minute sales when it looks like a slow weekend is ahead.

Begin by looking for multiday passes on a resort’s own website, which can yield up to 40 percent off window prices. If you haven’t settled on a resort yet, try a country-specific website such as SkiJapan.com, which offers ski packages and substantial last-minute savings at some of the country’s top resorts, including Niseko, Rusutsu, Sahoro, Furano and Kiroro. Package Korea, while not exclusively dedicated to winter sports, offers impressive deals at places such as Konjiam, Alpensia, Yongpyong and High 1. For deals all over the region, including China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia, check out Snowscene. The site offers everything from familyoriented promotions to heliskiing packages for the more ambitious.

Some general things to keep in mind: Book as early as possible. Preseason sales are

generally the best. And stay flexible with your dates. Lift tickets are usually lower midweek and during quieter times. Avoid major holidays, especially Chinese New Year.

Plan on spending more than a long weekend on the slopes?

Consider investing in a multi-mountain pass. Ninja Ski Japan offers customizable passes valid at nine ski slopes around the Hakuba region, giving you access to a wide range of altitudes and terrain.

The best part about the site is that it allows you to tailor almost everything to your budget, meaning you can opt out of sleeping in one of the more extravagant resorts.

Packages start at ¥17,400 per adult for a three-day pass, which includes your accommodation.

Finally, if you’re traveling with children, look for a resort or ski area that will help you out with the cost of lift tickets.

Many let kids ages five and under ski free if you spend two or more nights at a resortowned property. At Mt. Hutt, near Christchurch, New Zealand, kids under 10 receive complimentary lift passes for the 2014 season, as well as discounts when staying in the local town of Methven.

the final say

Q: CAN I USE PRECHECK FOR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS?

FAST FACT Last year, Finnish company Snow Secure stockpiled some 19,800 cubic meters in insulated mounds on the Caucasus Mountains— a backup plan for an unseasonably warm Sochi Olympics.

A: Good news if you’re traveling from the U.S.: the TSA’s expedited security program has expanded to include international flights departing from the States on eight of the agency’s partner airlines.

Bear in mind, if you booked a ticket through a TSA partner airline but your flight is actually operated by a foreign alliance carrier, you are not eligible for PreCheck.

Traveling from Asia?

Check out Global Entry (globalentry.gov) and Smart Entry Service

(ses.go.kr). See “100 Ways to Travel Better” (page 144) for more tips and tricks for speeding through airports.

Q: IS IT IMPOLITE NOT TO TIP A BELLMAN IF I DON’T HAVE CHANGE? A: In many countries, especially in this part of the world, tipping is by and large not expected at every

interaction. So if you don’t have the right change, you won’t break your bellman’s heart. That said, it is a good idea to travel with a stash of American dollars, as handing out a few singles is also acceptable; it’s a nice gesture of thanks and in some countries—like Cambodia, Laos and Burma—U.S. dollars are as welcome as local currency. If you have no change and your bellman did a top-notch job, it’s worth seeking him or her out at the end of your stay to deliver a tip. If you’d prefer to act right away, don’t be shy about asking a bellman to break a larger bill. “These people are working for cash, so they have cash on hand,” says one bellman at a New York City hotel. Otherwise, get your porter’s name and leave a tip with the concierge before you check out.

30 by the numbers

The average number of firearms confiscated each week in 2012 via TSA carry-on searches; most were claimed to have been packed unwittingly.

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Bon Voyage Photographed on board Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2. Coat by Valentino; shoes, Carlo Pazolini; bag, Mark Cross; sunglasses, Selima Optique.

Suit by Marc Jacobs; shirt, Manuel Racim; shoes, Jack Erwin; tie, Robert Talbott. Suitcase

by Globe-Trotter.

Your Guide to Cruising Now

There’s never been a better time to take to the seas. Jane Wooldridge charts the reasons why.

Plus Smart tips, the latest ships and ports, 24 hours onboard and more.

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Photographed by Emiliano Granado. Styled by Mimi Lombardo

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

Strategies

F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F S E A B O U R N ; E M I L I A N O G R A N A D O ( 3 )

Clockwise from top left: The Seabourn Odyssey, in Venice; the Norwegian Breakaway; ready to cruise on the Queen Mary 2 (dress and jacket

by Oscar de la Renta); the Breakaway.

Because the new ships are seriously cool.

Launching in November, Royal Caribbean International’s 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas is so high-tech that industry insiders are calling it truly revolutionary. On board? A glass viewing capsule that rises 90 meters above the sea on a mechanical arm. (For more on the ship, see page 63.) You will find a laser-shooting range on the new Regal Princess and, on the Norwegian Getaway, a “plank” for guests to walk that juts over the water. (Don’t worry, you’ll be harnessed in.) River ships are breaking new ground (er, waters), too: with Scenic Cruises, your cabin’s balcony becomes a sunroom on cool days; Tauck River Cruising’s new ships have 22 suites with some 90 square meters of space—larger than any other staterooms on European rivers. Starting this spring, Emerald Waterways will offer

European itineraries on two ships equipped with heated pools and movie theaters. Scenic Cruises, A-ROSA Cruises, Tauck River Cruising, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection and Viking Cruises are among the other lines with new vessels this year. Amenities include butler service, free Wi-Fi and floor-to-ceiling views.

Because the food rivals what you’ll find on land. Immersive culinary experiences are now so much a part of cruising that you can try some of the top city restaurants at sea. Geoffrey Zakarian—chef at Manhattan hot spot the Lambs Club—has restaurants on the Norwegian T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

*Prices throughout are listed in U.S. dollars.

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Strategies

Breakaway and the Norwegian Getaway. You’ll find outposts from Michael Schwartz of Miami’s Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink on Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Don’t miss the molecular and ice bars on Celebrity and Carnival—they’re as chic as any urban boîte.

Because going digital has never been easier at sea. Most mega-ships now have digital directional signs, language apps and culture guides with GPS mapping. Crystal Cruises provides live streaming of TV news and movies in all cabins. Regent Seven Seas Cruises is making the Wi-Fi experience so much better: double the satellite bandwidth, greater speed and even free service for guests in concierge-level and higher suites. Robots are on board, too: a remote camera on Lindblad Expeditions’ new National Geographic Orion lets you see down under, while Quark Expeditions’ Antarctic ships have drones with GoPro cameras that give you a view from above. On Quantum, interior staterooms offer real-time ocean views on their virtual balconies.

Because you may just learn something.

Among the guest lecturers on board ships this year? Retired archbishop Desmond Tutu (on the March 28 Holland America sailing along the coast of South Africa); former CIA operative Tony Mendez—whose Iran hostage rescue inspired the movie Argo—on Seabourn Sojourn’s 116-day world cruise, departing Los Angeles January 4; and, on select Quark Expeditions polar itineraries, Jonathan Shackleton, co-author of Shackleton: An Irishman in Antarctica (and cousin of Ernest Shackleton).

4 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do on a Cruise Ship Make Your Own Movie Judd Apatow and George Lucas attended USC— why not you? On Crystal Cruises, take an iPad iMovie video course with USC film professors.

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Learn to Play the Ukulele Reprise South Pacific’s “Happy Talk” on this Polynesian instrument aboard Paul Gauguin Cruises’ Tahitian sailings.

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Go “Skurfing’’ On small-ship line Un-Cruise Adventures, you can stand on a paddleboard, grab a towrope, and “skurf’’ behind a speeding launch (like waterskiing).

Free Fall Put on a jumpsuit, goggles, and helmet to “skydive” in a glass, 7-meter-high wind chamber atop Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas.

E M I L I A N O G R A N A D O . I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y T H O M A S P O R O S T O C K Y

Because you’ll have exclusive, insider-only experiences. In Europe and the Americas, cruisers will mix visits to much-loved cities and heritage sites with VIP adventures, behind-thescenes access, and events including the World Cup, the British Open and the Grand Prix of Monaco (all of which tend to make booking hotel stays on land a challenge). Guests of Celebrity can spend a day driving a Ferrari through villages around Nice, France, while with Seabourn, you can walk through penguin colonies on the Antarctic ice before slipping into the spa back on board for a Thai herbal-poultice massage.

The Queen Mary 2.

CRUISING NOW

24 Hours at Sea How do the 1,255 crew members on the Celebrity Reflection prepare for their 3,046 guests?

Very, very carefully.

T+L goes behind the scenes.

The pastry chef and her team begin baking 1,700 croissants, 1,500 Danishes, 200 loaves of bread and 2,250 desserts for the day.*

5:00 am 3:00 am

It’s time to prep for dinner in Opus, the main restaurant, where 3,000 dishes will be served in four hours (some 4,000 on formal nights).

The captain arrives on the bridge to give his daily orders and review all that has taken place during the night.

11:00 am

6:00 am 7:00 am

The chief housekeeper meets with his team of 225 people to begin turning over 1,500 rooms in two hours.

All 11 bars and clubs are buzzing. Though the cruise line offers more than 64 international craft beers, the most-opened bottle is Heineken, with 5,200-plus served on each cruise.

4:00 pm noon

Lunch prep is beginning in the galleys. More than 1,300 kilos of beef, 2,200 kilos of chicken and 2,600 kilos of vegetables are consumed per day.

5:00 pm

9:00 pm

Aerialists warm up in the theater for their evening performance.

On Deck 15, the greens keeper trims, fertilizes and waters the grass lawn (on every Solsticeclass ship).

*each icon equals 50 units

Illustrations by Thomas Porostocky

Ports to Watch This year, cruise lines will be calling on newsworthy ports worldwide.

Here, a few not to miss.

California Wine Country.

RUSSIA’S HISTORIC HOT SPOT Port Sochi, Russia Excursion Long before this city was chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, the region was a favorite retreat of Joseph Stalin. Tour the dictator’s austere 1937 dacha, still filled with his personal possessions. The day ends in the 12-hectare subtropical Dendrary Botanical Garden (mind the roaming ostriches!).

Voyage Celebrity Constellation, to and from Istanbul. October 14; celebrity cruises.com; 11 nights from $2,499.

TEMPLES OF BURMA Port Rangoon, Burma Excursion This two-day jaunt is worth the quick flight to Bagan: you’ll see a few of the 2,000 pagodas and temples from a traditional horse cart, with stops at a lacquerware workshop. Includes an overnight stay in a local hotel.

Voyage Seabourn Odyssey, to and from Singapore. November 9; seabourn.com; 14 nights from $6,999.

Sochi, Russia.

Rangoon, Burma.

Santa Marta, Colombia.

Lombok, Indonesia.

Lombok, Indonesia.

CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY Port San Francisco Excursion Take a three-hour ride through Napa Valley on a restored 1915 train—passing wineries such as Far Niente (established in 1885), Robert Mondavi and Opus One. Bonus: thanks to a conductor turned designated driver, feel free to enjoy the tasting bar, replete with some 50 local bottles at any given time.

Voyage Azamara Quest, from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. February 10; azamaraclubcruises.com; eight nights from $1,499.

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COLONIAL COLOMBIA Port Santa Marta, Colombia Excursion In Colombia’s oldest city, you’ll see artifacts of the Kogi and Arhuaco peoples in the Gold Museum— and tour the final home of 19th-century liberator Simón Bolívar.

Voyage Oceania’s Regatta, from Miami to Los Angeles. December 5; oceaniacruises.com; 15 nights from $3,499.

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

INDONESIA’S ART ISLAND Port Lombok, Indonesia Excursion Visit nearby villages to see locals dye fabrics using ikat techniques and mold decorative pots, then stop at the Sayang Sayang art market to shop for intricate rattan baskets and wooden boxes inlaid with pearl and filigree panels.

Voyage Crystal Symphony, from Sydney to Bali.

February 16; crystalcruises.com; 12 nights from $4,055.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: A L E X F A R N U M ; © P H O T O B U L B / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; © K A M P E E P AT I S E N A / D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ; B R U N O M O R A N D I / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; © I L D I P A P P/ D R E A M S T I M E . C O M

Strategies

CRUISING NOW

The adults-only Solarium pool is whisper-quiet.

Rise 90 meters in the air in the glass North Star viewing capsule for a 360-degree panorama.

RipCord by iFly, the first skydiving experience at sea.

In the theater?

A Broadway-licensed performance of Mamma Mia.

The Music Hall is the spot for partying; DJ’s spin into the wee hours.

You’ll find the first-ever bumper cars, circus school, roller-skating rink and food truck (!) on a cruise ship in the SeaPlex area.

Suites designed

by HGTV star Genevieve Gorder.

The Game Changer

I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y T H O M A S P O R O S T O C K Y

Get excited: Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas is coming this fall. T+L charts its many points of distinction.

For families: connecting staterooms.

Two70°, a multilevel hangout spot with a 270-degree panorama.

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Strategies

Cruise Deals From Italy to Vietnam, with these voyages, you’ll save big.

SOUTH PACIFIC Dreams of Tahiti, with seven nights in Tahiti and the Society Islands, from Windstar Cruises (windstarcruises.com). The Deal Seven nights in a Category B stateroom on the Wind Spirit, including meals, round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Papeete, round-trip airport transfers, an overnight pre-cruise stay at Le Méridien Tahiti and use of a hotel room during the day at the end of the sailing. Cost From

$4,798 ($685 per night) per person, double, airfare included; book by February 28. Details Mention code TLPPT to receive a $100-per-cabin shipboard credit; valid for departures from May 2 to November 7. Savings 36 percent.

MEDITERRANEAN Echoes of Ancient Civilizations, departing from Istanbul and anchoring in KuŞadasi, Turkey; Mykonos, Greece; and Taormina, Sorrento, and Rome, Italy, from Crystal Cruises (crystalcruises. com). The Deal 12 nights in a Category C3 room on the Crystal Serenity, including all meals and beverages at two-for-one fares plus an additional $1,000 savings. Cost $4,680 ($390 per night) per person, double, all-inclusive; book by February 28. Details Valid for June 22 departure. Savings 58 percent.

SCANDINAVIA Yachting the Norwegian Fjords, departing Copenhagen with

Bora-Bora, fringed by its lagoons and motus.

stops in such ports as Marstrand, Sweden, and Oslo, Flåm, and Bergen, Norway, from SeaDream Yacht Club (seadream.com).

The Deal 10 nights in a Deck 2 Yacht Club stateroom with an ocean view aboard the SeaDream I, including meals and beverages, a $200-percabin spa credit and a tour of Hadeland Glassverk, a 1762 glassworks located on the banks of Lake Randsfjorden. Cost $6,500 ($650 per night) per person, double, all-inclusive; book by February 28. Details Mention code TLNOR; valid for July 16 departure. Savings 50 percent.

ITALY Venice & Northern Gems of Italy itinerary, round-trip from Venice with stops in Bologna, Padua and Verona, from Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection (uniworld. com). The Deal Seven nights in an outside cabin aboard the River Countess, including meals, beverages, transfers and shore excursions such as an afterhours visit to St. Mark’s Basilica; a $100 onboard credit.

Cost $2,449 ($350 per night) per person, double, all-inclusive; book by February 28. Details Mention code SBPOTLM04; valid for June, July and August departures. Savings 32 percent.

ALL ABOARD

A few of the most notable new ships plying the waters in 2014.

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American Empress

Norwegian Getaway

Regal Princess

Viking Longship Buri

Costa Diadema

launching April 2014 capacity 223

launching This month capacity 4,000

launching May 2014 capacity 3,560

launching March 2014 capacity 190

launching October 2014 capacity 4,947

America’s largest riverboat west of the Mississippi will soon sail the Snake River in the Pacific Northwest. americanqueen​ steamboatcompany. com.

The sister ship to the New York–themed Breakaway takes cues from its home port, Miami. Don’t miss the ceviche de camarón in the Tropicana Room. ncl.com.

Highlights: balconies on all outside staterooms and one of the line’s largest pools, complete with a water and light show and movies under the stars. princess.com.

With a putting green and an herb garden, this Viking Longship—​one of 14 to debut this year— might be mistaken for a mega-liner. vikingcruises.com.

Named after the Italian word for tiara, this is pure glitz, from the Bar Bollicine Prosecco to the thalassotherapy pool in the spa. costacruise.com.

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P : © H E L 0 8 0 8 0 8/ D R E A M S T I M E .C O M ; C O U R T E S Y O F C O S TA C R U I S E S ; C O U R T E S Y O F V I K I N G C R U I S E S ; C O U R T E S Y O F P R I N C E S S C R U I S E S ; C O U R T E S Y O F N O R W E G I A N C R U I S E L I N E ; C O U R T E S Y O F A M E R I C A N Q U E E N S T E A M B O AT C O M PA N Y

ASIA AND RUSSIA Special Savings Discount promotion from Viking Cruises (vikingcruises.com), which is launching 14 new ships this year.

The Deal Two-for-one sailings to China, Russia, Ukraine, Cambodia and Vietnam, including meals, beverages and shore excursions.

Cost From $3,092 ($238 per night) per person, double, all-inclusive; book by January 31.

Details Mention the Special Savings Discount promotion.

Savings 50 percent.

CRUISING NOW

What’s the World’s Best Cruise for You? T+L’s annual World’s Best Awards survey revealed the top cruise lines for food, itineraries, romance and family. Embark here to find out which one is for you.

Beach time, thatched-roof cabanas, and a teensy umbrella in my mai tai.

Your ideal trip…

A Pirates of the Caribbean vibe...without the pirates (Johnny Depp types can stay).

An exotic metropolis: think Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo...or all three.

So you’re looking for an adventure?

You’re most excited about...

Nice. Want to swim with dolphins?

Aye, aye, cap’n.

The more rain-forest hiking, the better.

Meh. I’d rather spot them from the ship’s glass-bottom boardwalk.

Yeah! But kayaking nearby would be just as fun.

I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y T H O M A S P O R O S T O C K Y

My better (er, best) half. Bring on the couples massages!

Any company?

It’s just me, myself, and my freshly rolled sushi.

ITINERARIES

The top-deck wine tasting, where we can split a bottle of Bordeaux grand cru.

The multistory slide at the aqua park (with or without the kids).

The markets.

Nothing like haggling with locals over spices.

ROMANCE

Post-film, we’ll find you...

Taking full advantage of my specialty dining package.

Our kids...and their Twitter followers, who will be joining remotely.

One I can watch at the outdoor movie theater.

FOOD

Inspired— and playing pirate with the fam.

FAMILY

• Celebrity Cruises celebritycruises.com

• Celebrity Cruises celebritycruises.com

• Celebrity Cruises celebritycruises.com

• Disney Cruise Line disneycruise.disney.go.com

• Azamara Club Cruises azamaraclubcruises.com

• Crystal Cruises crystalcruises.com

• Crystal Cruises crystalcruises.com

• Royal Caribbean International royalcaribbean.com

• Lindblad Expeditions expeditions.com

• SeaDream Yacht Club seadream.com

• SeaDream Yacht Club seadream.com

• Paul Gauguin Cruises pgcruises.com

• Tauck River Cruising tauck.com

• Tauck River Cruising tauck.com

• Tauck River Cruising tauck.com

• Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection uniworld.com

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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Deals

Thailand

Bt7,999 per night

An Ocean Front Pool villa at Le Méridien Koh Samui.

THAILAND

Family

What Romance + Relax at Le Méridien Koh Samui (starwoodhotels.com). Details Three nights in a Plunge Pool suite. Highlights One 60-minute massage for two; a three-course dinner; daily breakfast; late check-out until 3 p.m.; and roses, chocolates and sparkling wine upon arrival. Cost From Bt23,997 (Bt7,999 per night), double, through December 23. Savings 62 percent.

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MACAU

What The Dreamworks package at Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central (sandscotaicentral.com/ holiday-inn-macao). Details A stay in a King Superior room.

Highlight “Shrekfast,” a breakfast buffet with character shows, for two. Children under 12 can stay and enjoy the breakfast for an additional HK$150 each.

Cost From HK$1,298, double, through February 28. Savings 35 percent.

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

INDONESIA

What Free Waterbom Entrance at Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa (nusaduahotel.com). Details Two nights in a Deluxe room.

Highlights Daily American breakfast buffet, return airport transfers, complimentary car with driver for eight hours, and free entrance to Waterbom Bali theme park for two people. Cost From US$630 (US$315 per night), double, through March 31.

Savings 35 percent.

SINGAPORE

What Opening Promotion at Village Hotel Katong (stayfareast. com). Details A stay in a Deluxe King Bed room. Highlights Complimentary daily breakfast for two, one complimentary round of mini-bar refreshments, and free Wi-Fi. Cost From S$178, double, through February 9. Savings 25 percent.

COURTESY OF LE MÉRIDIEN KOH SAMUI

Spa

Discovery SOUTHEAST ASIA

What Family Tour of Southeast Asia from Artisans of Leisure (artisansofleisure.com). Details A 13-day trip with stays at five-star properties in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap and Hong Kong. Highlights Privately guided excursions through each city, including cycling through the temples of Angkor Wat and cruising through Hong Kong's harbor. Cost From US$13,560 (US$1,130 per night), per person, through February 28. Savings 33 percent.

Beach THAILAND

What Advance Purchase Saver at Moevenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket (moevenpickhotels.com). Details A stay in a Garden View room.

Highlights Complimentary daily breakfast and Wi-Fi. Cost From US$190, double, through March 31. Savings 25 percent.

VIETNAM

What Extended Stay at Anantara Mui Ne (anantara.com). Details Eight nights in a Deluxe room.

Highlights Complimentary daily breakfast. Cost From US$776 (US$97 per night), double, through September 30. Savings 25 percent.

SINGAPORE

City CHINA

complimentary daily breakfast for two, and late checkout until 4 p.m. Cost From RMB3,088, double, through June 30.

Savings 32 percent.

What Shanghai Jaunt at Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund (banyantree.com). Details A stay in a Riverside Retreat room.

Highlights One complimentary 60-minute spa session for two per day, RMB500 worth of credits at hotel dining outlets per stay,

What Opening Promotion at AMOY Singapore (stayfareast. com). Details Oriental design with personalized service.

Highlights Continental breakfast, light in-room refreshments, private airport transfer, free Wi-Fi. Cost From S$268, double, through February 10. Savings 40 percent.

INDIA

What Delhi 3.0 at Vivanta by Taj, Surajkand (vivantabytaj.com).

Details Two nights in a Deluxe Delight room. Highlight A morning trek to the ruins at Tuglaqabad Fort. Cost US$510 (US$255 per night), double, through March 31. Savings 39 percent.

Romance THAILAND

What Heavenly Honeymoon at Paresa Resort, Phuket (paresaresorts.com). Details Three nights in a Talay suite.

Highlights A romantic cliff-top dinner for two, flowers upon arrival, one 60-minute massage for two, daily en suite villa breakfast and roundtrip airport transfers by luxury SUV. Cost From Bt50,440 (Bt16,813 per night), double, through April 30.

Savings Up to 30 percent.

C O U R T E S Y O F B A N YA N T R E E

SINGAPORE

What Valentine’s Day Room package at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore (ritzcarlton. com). Details A stay in a Club Deluxe room. Highlights A complimentary bottle of champagne served with fresh strawberries, and a butler-drawn bath. Cost From S$690, double, February 14 through 16.

Savings 24 percent.

Pudong's sci-fi skyline as seen from a suite in Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund.

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com

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January 2014

C O U R T E S Y O F AY T H AYA W I N E

In This Issue 72 China 82 Beach Finder 88 Asian Vineyards 96 Sri Lanka 106 Helsinki

Wine garden pavilion in Burma, page 88.

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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f the ide to three o u g s r’ e id s in An ities t dynamic c s o m ’s d rl o w our network with tips from w locals. of in-the-kno

ijing e B + i a h g n a Sh Hong Kong +

Jennifer Chen reported by edited by ifford Jacqueline Gowers r Fl ife nn Je d an

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T I L M A N T H Ü R M E R / C O U R T E S Y O F C O O R D I N AT I O N A S I A

e on the at will soon b th s n o ti a in st g de plus Emergin

The Shanghai Film Museum, in the Xuhui district.

2

M O N T H 2 01 3

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CHINA

g n o K g n o H ESSENTIAL

g cultura A burgeonin

ced city. this fast-pa to n o si n e ing a new dim l scene is giv

Art Walks

Four noteworthy galleries and neighborhoods to explore.

WONG CHUK HANG

Cutting-edge art spaces are colonizing the former industrial zone. Veteran gallerist Dominique Perregaux opened the 465-squaremeter, loft-style Art Statements (artstatements. com), bringing in international artists such as Australian painter Dale Frank.

ABERDEEN

Newcomer Yallay Space (yallay.net) showcases up-and-comers from Asia and the Middle East; this month spotlights Hong Kong artists Gavin Au and Vivian Ho. SAI YING PUN

Indie-minded 2P Contemporary Art Gallery (2p-gallery.com) is devoted to experimental indigenous talent, such as performance artist Morgan Wong.

WANCHAI

Five-year-old Red Elation Gallery (redelation.com) represents emerging and established international names, with an emphasis on the contemporary landscape in Asia.

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T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

Star Street

With its well-curated, globally minded boutiques, this area in the Wanchai district is Hong Kong’s of-the-moment shopping destination.

Kapok

Owner Arnault Castel sources street-smart looks and accessories from Hong Kong designers as well as from his native France. ka-pok.com.

Dee Poon: My Hong Kong

The creator of bespoke PYE men’s-wear line and daughter of Harvey Nichols owner Dickson Poon shares her hometown spots.

Works by Singaporean artist Herman Chong at Yallay Space, in Aberdeen.

[tenfeettall.com.hk; 50-minutes from HK$265].”

HIDDEN GEM “Visit the Flower Market [Flower Market Rd., Kowloon] to see more flower and plant species than you can imagine, from orchids to bonsai trees and bamboo.”

ACCESSORIES FIX “If you’re looking for something super special, drop

by Yewn Heritage Jeweler [Shop 303, level three, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Rd., Central; 852/2868-3890], the flagship store of local jeweler Dickson Yewn.

It’s rare to see such beautiful work—each piece has a story and an auspicious meaning behind it in the Chinese tradition.”

SOLE SOOTHER “Everyone in Hong Kong is obsessed with foot massages.

There are places all over the city, but two of my favorites are Happy Foot [happyfoot.hk; 50-minutes from HK$200] and Ten Feet Tall

DAY TRIP “Hong Kong has lots of great islands, including Lantau; take the 30-minute ferry and spend the day visiting the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery.”

TRENDING NOW

PRIVATE KITCHENS

A wave of talented chefs is elevating the city’s underground restaurants.

Model turned restaurateur Esther Sham serves refined tasting menus (duck à la cocotte; sea-urchin-infused pasta) at TA PANTRY (ta-pantry.com; from HK$750), which has moved to a stunning new space in a converted warehouse.

Eddy Leung tends his own organic garden on the balcony of CHEF STUDIO

BY EDDY (40 Wong Chuk Hang Rd.; 852/3104-4464; from HK$860). Recent seasonal offerings include salmon confit with wood-smoked cherry tomato.

At FA ZU JIE (20A D’Aguilar St., Central; 852/3487-1715; from HK$600), Paul Hui marries French techniques with flavors from his native Shanghai—think wontons stuffed with slow-cooked beef.

Tsuchiya Bag

Sturdy leather satchels, totes and wallets hand­crafted by Japanese artisans are displayed on stark-white shelves at this minimalist space. 6 Sun St.; 852/2745-6821.

Russell Street

Opened by a group of fashion insiders, Russell Street is known for its bright dresses and one-of-a-kind pieces by indie brands from Australia, the U.S. and Europe. russell-street.com.

The Principal

This light-filled restaurant offers modern European dishes including arroz caldoso (saffron-infused rice with artichokes). theprincipal. com.hk; 10-course degustation HK$1,080.

You only get the door code to the 20-seat TBLS KITCHEN STUDIO (tbls-kitchenstudio. com; from HK$800) after you book. Once there, watch Que Vinh Dang and his team prepare signature plates such as braised octopus with squid ink rice.

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 D E E P O O N ; C O U R T E S Y O F D I C K S O N Y E W N ; A DA M F R I E D B E R G ; P H I L I P P E N G E L H O R N (3). O P P O S I T E : P H I L I P P E N G E L H O R N

MADE TO ORDER “For standout cheongsams, head to Barney Cheng [Worldwide Commercial Bldg., 12F, 34 Wyndham St., Central; 852/2530-2829]. He’s able to combine an old-world sensibility with a modern aesthetic.”

ESSENTIAL

CHINA

i a h g n Sha museum Avant-garde

ts and s, restauran

bou

efining this tiques are d

metropolis. history-rich

The City’s Unique Museums Housed in a former cinema studio in Xuhui, the six-month-old SHANGHAI FILM MUSEUM (595 Caoxi Bei Rd.; 86-21/64268666) has interactive installations that spotlight the city’s rich moviemaking history.

With its enameled glass façade, the Baoshan district’s SHANGHAI MUSEUM OF GLASS (shmog.org) shines like a beacon amid its gritty industrial surroundings; inside are exhibits detailing glass techniques from the ancient world to the present day.

Xintiandi’s SHIKUMEN WULIXIANG OPEN HOUSE (xintiandi.com) painstakingly re-creates life during the 1930’s in a restored lane house.

At the SHANGHAI MUSEUM OF ARTS & CRAFTS (79 Fenyang Rd.; 86-21/6437-2509), set in a French-colonial mansion in Xuhui, traditional artisans show off their skills in lanternmaking, embroidery, paper-cutting and more.

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“The teas at Song Fang Maison de Thé come in pretty robin’s-egg-blue tins—they make great gifts.” songfangtea.com.

Bring It Back

Blogger Sandy Chu of Shanghai Style has the inside track on the city’s shopping scene. Here’s what’s on her lust list.

“I love Lawless’s luxe leather evening bags—they’re gorgeous and eye-catching.” lawlessaccessories.com.

T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

“William the BeeKeeper stocks independent brands as well as vintage threads.

My pick: the sexy frocks from proprietor Cairn Wu’s own label, Kaileeni.” williamthebeekeeper.com.

see buyer ’ s guide, page 194

CHANG

L E R D.

Xin Dau Ji

SPOTLIGHT

The French Concession

Fuxing Park

The best of Shanghai’s most famous historic district.

The Public

FU

XIN

GR

D.

Alter M A DA NG RD

Franck

.

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

Back Room

Art Labor Among N TA I A

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HU

A

HA

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.

N

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A

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Le Café des Stagiaires 0

WHERE TO EAT Near Xiangyang Park, Xin Dau Ji (47 Xinle Rd.; 86-21/5403-5777; dinner for two RMB500) serves dim sum in a lacqueraccented dining room. American classics (chicken and waffles; sweet potato fries) are paired with molecular cocktails at the Public (174 Xiangyang Nan Rd.; dinner for two RMB600).

Nearby, Le Café des Stagiaires (cafedes​stagiaires.com) has a warm atmosphere and lots of Belgian beers.

WHERE TO SHOP Homegrown shoemaker UT.Lab’s striking

(144 Fumin Rd.; no phone), opened by fashion editor Tang Shuang.

We love the delicate tea sets.

designs are splashed across the sneakers and suede ballet flats at Among (36-2 Taian Rd.; no phone).

A DJ spins electronic tracks at Alter (alterstyle.com), which sells international labels such as House of Holland. Dip into Shanghai’s red-hot vintage scene at the Back Room

A CHEF’S TOUR

Paul Pairet of Ultraviolet, Shanghai’s hottest table, takes us on an after-hours crawl.

7:30 p.m.

“Fortify yourself in Xintiandi, where Crystal Jade (crystal​ jade.com; dinner for two RMB450), a Singapore chain, is famous for Cantonese standards as well as Shanghai’s signature xiao long bao.”

9:30 p.m.

“Unico (unico.cn.com; sets from RMB234), Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco’s tapas lounge, has terrific cocktails—my favorite is the passion-fruitand-cayenne pisco sour. Don’t miss the snapper ceviche.”

12:30 a.m.

“Hit the dance floor at Bar Rouge (bar-rouge-shanghai. com), a favorite of the beautiful people.

Order the Burning Glass Tower—Kahlúa, Baileys, vodka and Grand Marnier served on fire.”

2 a.m.

“Join night owls at my French restaurant, Mr. and Mrs. BundModern Eatery (mmbund.com; dinner for two RMB1,200), which stays open until 4 a.m. End the evening with a candied ‘lemon & lemon’ tart.”

WHAT TO DO Sycamore-shaded Fuxing Park is where residents practice tai chi and ballroom dancing. For a taste of the city’s art world, head to Art Labor (artlabor​gallery.com), known for its glamorous openings. Stroll relaxed Ferguson Lane (ferguson​lane.com. cn), a pedestrian complex with cafés and restaurants including the Frenchbistro-inspired Franck (franck.com.cn; dinner for two RMB1,000).

0.5 K M

ESSENTIAL

CHINA

g n i j i e B

traditions. takes on old w e n h it w e g its gam ital is uppin China’s cap

Expert Takes The city’s tastemakers open their little black books—and reveal where the locals go.

Vega Zaishi Wang Fashion designer

“I love my friend Liu Ke’s quirky shop Mega Mega Vintage, in Dongcheng.

He’s always bringing back unique pieces—retro T-shirts; costume jewelry—from his travels.” 241 Gulou Dong Dajie; 86-10/8404-5637.

Philip Tinari Director, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art

“Fodder Factory is a restaurant in the Caochangdi arts district that doubles as a furniture store. The food is great, but go to see young artists.” 123 Caochangdi; 86-10/64319580; dinner for two RMB80.

Warren Pang Co-owner, Janes & Hooch Bar

“Choshuriki, a 10-seat yakitori place in Chaoyang that’s filled with photos of Japanese baseball players, has got real character. Order some chicken-liver skewers and sake.”

32 Xiaoyun Rd.; 86-133/9177-2936.

Sophie Guo Event planner

“D Lounge, in the Sanlitun entertainment district, is where you’ll find Beijing’s trendsetters.

The cocktails are terrific; try the Campari mojito at the mod white bar.” Gongti Bei Rd., Chaoyang; 86-10/6593-7710.

The best markets for souvenirs—arm yourself with endless patience and a willingness to bargain.

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+ Bypass the stalls packed with Cultural Revolution kitsch, cheap electronics

and knockoff handbags, and head straight for the trusted jewelry merchants on the fourth floor of Hongqiao Pearl Market (8 Tiantan Rd., Chongwen). Ling Ling (Shop 4334; 86-10/6713-6900) sells gorgeous strands and is beloved by the expat crowd. + Mingle with locals picking out fresh blooms on the first floor of the Laitai Flower Market (9 Maizidian Rd., Chaoyang). The basement is a maze of shops

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JASPER JAMES

Shop Right

Tastes of China

With its crowded subway cars, scarce taxis and language barrier, Beijing can be hard to get around. Spare yourself the hassle by hiring a car and driver.

Tour operator Bespoke Beijing (bespoke-beijing. com) has a reliable roster on call; budget extra time for the traffic jams, and RMB1,140 per eight-hour day (RMB700 for four hours). If you do take a taxi, ask your hotel concierge to write down your destination in Chinese.

KARAIYA SPICE HOUSE

Food from Hunan is famously fiery, so it’s no surprise that chili-spiked dishes rule at this Sanlitun restaurant from Chinese-American restaurateur Alan Wong.

Order the tender pork ribs topped with spices and peanuts. Building 8, Tai Koo Li South, 19 Sanlitun Rd., Chaoyang; 86-10/6415-3535; dinner for two RMB400.

TRANSIT

Expect a subtler side to the ma-la (hot and numbing) flavors from Sichuan. Dan dan mian— wheat noodles in a red-chili sauce—have a lemony tang. Reservations are essential. N4-36, Tai Koo Li, 11 Sanlitun Rd., Chaoyang; 86-10/6417-9090; dinner for two RMB450.

LOST HEAVEN

Carved wooden chairs and hill-tribe textiles set the stage for the delicacies of Yunnan.

Try refined versions of marinated beef salad (above), wild-vegetable pancakes, and tea-leaf salad (thanks to Yunnan’s shared border with Burma). lostheaven.com.cn; dinner for two RMB600.

NANJING IMPRESSIONS

Decked out with rough-hewn tables and paper lanterns, this lively restaurant celebrates the duck-obsessed cuisine of the southern city of Nanjing. The duck dumplings are wildly popular, but it’s the slow-braised chicken that steals the show. Shimao Department Store, 13 Gongti Bei Rd., Chaoyang; 86-10/8405-9777; dinner for two RMB400.

Based near the Forbidden City, Bike Beijing (bikebeijing.com) has bikes for rent from RMB98 per day. If you’re concerned about smog, the U.S. State Department has a Twitter feed, @BeijingAir, that provides pollution updates.

selling ceramics and glassware; pop by Karolina Lehman (86-10/8454-0387) for teapots, cups and saucers with hand-painted designs that play off of traditional motifs. + Go with a Mandarin speaker to Maliandao Market (6 Maliandao Rd., Xicheng), where tea-growing families from all over China display their leaves. A top vendor?

Hong Zhi Cha Zhuang (10 Maliandao Rd., Xicheng; 86-10/6328-6015), which sells cult favorite Monkey Chief, from Taiping Lake.

READING LIST

Great books set in the capital city.

Beijing Coma

by Ma Jian In this powerful novel, a student wakes up 10 years after being shot during the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square.

The Last Days of Old Beijing

by Michael Meyer An elegiac look at the city’s ancient (and disappearing) hutong neighborhoods.

Midnight in Peking

by Paul French Into mysteries?

Pick up this true-crime thriller about the murder of a young British woman in 1937.

FROM TOP: JASPER JA MES (2); M A L L E Y PRIEBE

HOW TO NAVIGATE THE CITY

Thanks to the latest crop of restaurants, you can sample diverse regional cuisine in sleek surroundings.

r e i t n o r F w e N e Th ESSENTIAL

CHINA

hlight ecialists hig T+L’s top sp

where to go

next.

Jiayuguan

Huangshan Yushu

Jiayuguan and Dunhuang Gansu Province Gerald Hatherly China specialist, Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.com) BEST FOR Great Wall and Chinese-history buffs.

HIGHLIGHTS

+ Marking the western end of the Great Wall, the 14th-century Jiayu Pass is a well-preserved military fortress. + The Wei-Jin Dynasty Tombs, 20 kilometers northeast of Jiayuguan, were built between the third and fifth centuries.

Only one, that of a low-level official, is open to the public, but the murals’ depictions of everyday life are incredible. + Dunhuang is famous for the Mogao Caves (above), a series of Buddhist temples, the oldest of which dates back to the fourth century; the intricate wall paintings deserve half a day.

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Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Qinghai Province

Shaxi Yunnan Province

Mei Zhang Founder, WildChina (wildchina.com)

Sarah Keenlyside Founder, Bespoke Beijing (bespoke-beijing.com)

BEST FOR Adventurous types interested in Tibetan traditions.

BEST FOR Culture lovers who want a glimpse of old China.

Huangshan Anhui Province Guy Rubin Managing partner, Imperial Tours (imperialtours.net) BEST FOR Hikers and naturalists.

HIGHLIGHTS

HIGHLIGHTS

HIGHLIGHTS

+ Twenty kilometers from Yushu City, the prayer-flag-enshrouded Princess Wengcheng Temple offers stunning views of the nearby Leba Gorge.

+ Shaxi is one of the most intact caravan towns on the ancient tea route. Walk Sideng Square (above), where native Yi and Bai farmers in colorful dress sell their handicrafts.

+ The Huangshan mountain range—a unesco World Heritage site—has served as the inspiration for many a classical Chinese painting. If you’re experienced, climb the precipitous Western Steps for the best views. The less ambitious can be ferried up by cable car or, for a throwback, via sedan chair.

+ Gyanak Mani Temple (above), five kilometers from Yushu City, has the region’s largest collection of mani (hand-carved prayer stones). + More than 10,000 people gather in July for the Qinghai Yushu Horse Racing Festival, a weeklong spectacle where nomads show off their equestrian skills. WildChina can arrange for a luxury camping experience during the events.

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+ Ten kilometers from Shaxi lies Shibaoshan, a nature reserve filled with ancient Buddhist temples and grottoes. Don’t miss Baoxiang Temple, which has a dramatic cliffside setting. + Feast on hearty Bai dishes such as fried goat cheese at the family-run Old Theatre Inn (oldtheatreinn.com; lunch for two RMB60), in the nearby village of Duan.

+ The surrounding region is known for its beautiful time-capsule like villages.

Among the best: Huangcun and Hongcun, which appeared in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

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

Shaxi

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DRE BE

Who doesn’t love a beach? (And if you don’t, get off our chaise!) Warm sun. Crystalline surf. Kooky tropical drinks. From the quiet, clear waters of Palawan to the powdery white shores of French Polynesia, we’ve got you covered. Grab a suit and dive in.

Edited by Jacqueline Gifford

Illustrated by Holly Wales 82

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french polynesia

Tetiaroa Who Will Go Castawayfantasy seekers with a willingness to splurge.

The Details Just 48 kilometers northeast of Tahiti, the atoll of Tetiaroa has 12 motus (islets) so gorgeous they were once a retreat for Polynesian royalty. And then came Hollywood: Marlon Brando filmed Mutiny on the Bounty there in the 1960’s, fell in love, and bought every last bit of sand. Privacy is still the priority on pristine, 78-hectare Onetahi, which is now the setting for the Brando resort (thebrando. com; €3,000 per night all-inclusive, three-night minimum), slated to open July 1. In keeping with the actor’s wishes, the 35-villa property will also focus on conservation, with an EcoStation, sustainable energy systems and an organic orchard. Charter a sailboat to explore the 5-kilometer-wide lagoon— then strand yourselves for a few hours on one of the 11 uninhabited islets.

— shane mitchell

AM ACHES

Pangulasian Island

Who Goes Island collectors and next-great-resort hunters in search of peace, quiet and startlingly clear water.

The Details In the Palawan archipelago, an hour’s flight from Manila, the tiny private island of Pangulasian is home to the newest and most luxurious entry in the respected El Nido Resorts collection (elnidoresorts.com; doubles from P30,500). Forty-two airy, thatched-roof villas are just steps from a ribbon of soft white sand. Behind you lies a thrumming canopy of green. And before you is limpid blue Bacuit Bay, where outriggers ply the glasslike waters. The bay is part of a unesco biosphere reserve; swim just 20 meters out and you’ll be floating with turtles and parrot fish above a pristine coral reef. Or kayak to one of several nearby islands and claim your own sun-drenched empty shore. Back at the resort, fresh coconuts await (watch staffers climb 9-meter trees to retrieve them) along with traditional hilot massages at the spa, for all of US$35 an hour. —peter jon lindberg

F R A N C I S C O G U E R R E R O . M O D E L : N A D I N E L I M A . S T Y L I S T: G U A D A R E Y E S . C O V E R - U P B Y T W O C H IC M A N IL A . P R E VIOUS PAG E: C OU R T ESY O F T H E B R A N DO

T+L 2014

pa l awan, philippines

nicar agua

Little Corn Island

Who Goes Bohemians looking to disconnect.

The Details The fresh lobster is cheap; the hammocks, plentiful; the pace, blissfully slow.

This snack-bite-size island (it’s just over 2.5 square kilometers) located 90 kilometers off Nicaragua’s coast is easily walkable or bikeable by trail, making it a breeze to get to snorkeling beaches such as Cocal. The new Yemaya Island Hideaway & Spa (littlecornhotel.com; doubles from US$300) offers 16 ocean-facing cabanas sandwiched between two stretches of sand, and a.m. yoga sessions...if you’re up. —ja s o n h a r p e r

anguill a

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

Meads Bay Who Goes A-list actresses (Sofia Vergara; Sandra Bullock, with son Louis in tow).

The Details Facing west, 2½-kilometer-long Meads Bay is ringed by some of the island’s best casual restaurants. Simply brush the sand from your bare feet before entering Straw Hat (strawhat. com; dinner for two US$100) to order the grilled local crawfish with sweet plantains. On a panoramic bluff above the bay, Malliouhana (malliouhana.com) is getting a glamorous top-to-bottom makeover from Auberge Resorts, with a new sunset bar, tiered pool and intimate spa; the 55-room classic reopens this spring. We’ll see if it lures stars away from the nearby Viceroy (viceroyhotelsandresorts.com; doubles from US$800), a high-profile hit with its Kelly Wearstler–designed rooms. — s h a n e m i t c h e l l

TAN-O-METER Our highly unscientific scale for beach bronzing potential.

Ogunquit, Maine Luskentyre Beach, Scotland

Santorini, Greece

Clifton, South Africa Sai Kung, Hong Kong

Santa Cruz, California

Bondi Beach, Australia Bali, Indonesia

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MYKONOS maui, h awaii

Mokapu Beach Who Goes Americans and stylish honeymooners after a sleek alternative to the larger resorts of Wailea.

The Details The property off Mokapu’s dazzling, 7-kilometer stretch of golden sand lay shuttered for years: enter the Andaz Maui at Wailea (andaz.com; doubles from US$569), which has revitalized this 6-hectare spot. From the sand garden in the open-air lobby to the whitewashed guest rooms, the design sensibility is modern-luxe Hawaiian beach house. What to do? Along with stand-up paddleboarding, there’s lounging by the four-tiered pool and sharing sushi at the on-site Morimoto Maui. Hanging loose never felt so chic. — gail simmons

VS.

ST.-TROPEZ We weigh the fabulousness of these two European destinations.

MYKONOS, GREECE

ST.-TROPEZ, FRANCE

The Regulars Greeks on holiday; celebs; A-list gays from Europe and beyond.

Old-money European families; Brazilians and Hollywood types arriving by yacht.

The Buzzy Beach Psarou.

Book a table at Nammos (nammos.gr; dinner for two US$100) taverna and club.

Plage de Pampelonne, where you can spot stars such as Bono at the legendary Club 55 (club55.fr).

The Insider’s Beach Agios Ioannis, for glasses of rosé at Hippie Fish (hippiefishmykonos.com).

Andaz Maui at Wailea

La Plage des Salins. Dine at the casual seaside restaurant Les Salins (lessalins. com).

Hôtel de Paris Saint-Tropez (hoteldeparissainttropez.com; doubles from €260).

Uniform of Choice Ladies in barely-there bikinis cover up in caftans; men go formal in white linen.

drink

THE CARIBBEAN’S BEST BEACH BARS A few of our favorite places to kick back with a cocktail. → Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke, BVI Thirsty patrons who swim ashore from anchored yachts show up with damp currency, but the bartenders gladly accept their bills. House drink The dark-rumbased Painkiller. soggydollar.com. → Pelican Bar, Jamaica At this driftwood platform in Parottee Bay, local fishermen play dominoes while owner Floyd Forbes serves lobster. House drink A Red Stripe beer.

No phone. → Le Petibonum, Martinique Chef Guy Ferdinand surprises diners with inventive Creole dishes. House drink A ti’ punch: white rum with lime and cane syrup. 596-596/780-434. → Sunshines, Nevis All-night dance parties add to the outstanding view of Pinney’s Beach. House drink A Killer Bee. The recipe’s a secret, but rum is involved. sunshinesnevis.com. —shane mitchell

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Guys wear pastel button-downs and Be-Shorts; women slip on Les Tropéziennes sandals and flowy dresses.

—heidi mitchell

F R O M TO P : S U S A N S E U B E R T (2); © K M I T U/ D R E A M S T I M E .C O M . O P P O S I T E : T R U J I L L O PAU M I E R

Where to Stay Belvedere Hotel (belvederehotel. com; doubles from €170).

puerto escondido, me xico

Playa Carrizalillo Who goes Surfers from all over the world; families and snowbirds from the United States and Canada.

The Details Pro riders arrive in this town along the Oaxacan coast and make a beeline for Playa Zicatela, a.k.a. the Mexican Pipeline. But Playa Carrizalillo, a quiet cove accessible via a 150-step stairway, has waters gentle enough for the rest of us; take a dip, snorkel, then down oysters from one of the handful of beach shacks.

In recent years, Puerto (as the locals call it) has been upping its hip factor: case in point, the just-opened Hotel Escondido (hotelescondido.com; doubles from US$300), a 16-room, oceanfront oasis from the cult-favorite Grupo Habita brand.  —j e f f s p u r r i e r

Asian

WHEN IT COMES TO WINE IN ASIA, WOMEN ARE LEADING THE WAY, BRINGING FULLER BODIED BLENDS AND NEW VARIETALS TO THE REGION—BUT HOW DO THESE COMPARE TO THE WORLD’S BETTER ESTABLISHED VINEYARDS?

BY M E R R I T T G U R L E Y

C O U R T E S Y O F G R A N M O N T E A S O K E V A L L E Y V I N E YA R D . O P P O S I T E : G R A C E W I N E R Y

Vintages

Seasonal harvest at Grace Winery in Japan. Opposite: Clusters of GranMonte’s potent grapes.

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few years ago I stumbled upon a regional wine festival in Thailand.

Curiosity piqued, I signed up for a tasting. I had braved my fair share of boxed wines, so I felt prepared for whatever was in store but, much like a ripe grape during harvest, that confidence was quickly squashed. It was like an episode of Fear Factor—each plastic cup of swill was worse than the one before it. I knocked all 10 tasters back with the urgency of a shot, grimacing at the aftertaste, steeling myself for the next. The reward for my persistence? The mother of all hangovers. The next morning I felt like I’d fallen down a flight of stairs headfirst, which just hammered home my conviction that Thai wines were not my cup of, well, wine.

But a lot has changed since then. In 2009, GranMonte Asoke Valley, just outside of Khao Yai National Park, rolled out its first label, the Sakuna Syrah Rosé, which dodged the sweetness of other local cuvées. The vintner was a young Thai woman trained in Australia, Nikki Visootha Lohitnavy, who runs arguably the most advanced production facility in the country— and whose wines are so good that the Six Senses group has an exclusive arrangement selling the labels at their upscale, locavore resorts in Thailand. In her crusade to create superlative wines in the country, she helped found the Thai Wine Association, which sets specific rules such as banning the addition of sugar to raise the alcohol level.

Nikki was the first female vintner in Thailand. And she’s one of a handful of women in this part of the world making a mark. There are, for example, two different Grace wineries— one in Japan and one in China—though they have no affiliation with one another, just the same name, and coincidentally, two female oenophiles managing production. Three young women at the helm of three burgeoning wineries spread across Asia? Each took over their family businesses, vineyards that are now worth a visit for both the vistas and the vino. I decided to get to the bottom of this juicy trend and, hopefully, a few decent bottles while I was at it.

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winery in the tropics, let alone Thailand: First, fungus is the grape’s arch nemesis and the entire lifecycle is altered by the heat. When there is no winter to stop the vine’s metabolic activity, grapes just keep growing year round, which doesn’t always lead to drinkable wines. Even the grapes that can hack it in the heat take extra work to yield.

Second, there’s the issue of teaching taste. “People have the idea that you need a light, low-alcohol fruity, sweet wine,” Nikki says, “something simple to balance the spice of Thai food”—a misconception that has left the country’s industry open to ridicule. Finally, in Thailand advertising for wine is banned, and the tax on wine is 360 percent for domestic producers. The industry in Thailand is young by international standards so the wines simply haven’t hit the ideal maturation, and yet can cost as much or more than an equivalent from abroad, a raw deal for local wineries.

You’d imagine this would be enough to scare off most aspiring oenologists but Nikki found herself drawn to wines as a child when her dad started planting vines as a hobby 14 years ago. It snowballed into a business, growing grapes for other wineries. When it came time for college Nikki chose the University of Adelaide for its esteemed program in oenology and viticulture, in which she was the first Thai student to enroll. When she returned home she transformed their vineyard into a full-fledged, top-of-theline production facility. “I graduated in 2008 and when I got back all of this equipment was waiting for me, stacked in shipping containers, ready for me to unpack,” she says with a laugh. “It was like, ‘You got your degree, now get to work.’”

And work she did, bringing what she’d learned in Adelaide—not to mention stints at vineyards in Portugal, South Africa, Brazil and France—to the role. When I met her, Nikki had on her work clothes, fresh from a day in the fields. She took me on a tour of the 16-hectare vineyard—a tidy maze of vines backed by the proud hills of Khao Yai National Park. The landscape was lush and calm, every bit as quaint as its counterparts in Europe, though the smattering of limestone karsts added an air of the exotic and the grassy lanes were a tad more sunbaked. As we wove between the vines Nikki pointed out the rows of different varietals: Syrah, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, Durif, Grenache and Muscat, noting that the grapes are smaller in size and more potent than those that grow in cooler climates. In an experimental section, they test cuttings from 30 other types of grapes, to see what will thrive in the Thai weather. “You find more than 90 percent of the wine regions in the world in the temperate climate,” Nikki explains. “Here in the tropical wine regions, we have to prune the vines twice a year just to get one harvest and we have to cool the winery, whereas in some regions in Europe they have to heat it.”

Over the past four years, both the winery and its offerings—which now include four fermentation tanks, and a high-tech sorting machine—have grown. Last year, it

O P P O S I T E , 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 G R A N M O N T E A S O K E V A L L E Y V I N E YA R D ; C O U R T E S Y O F G R A C E V I N E YA R D ; C O U R T E S Y O F G R A N M O N T E A S O K E V A L L E Y V I N E YA R D

A note on the universal challenges of running a

Clockwise from top left: Nikki Visootha Lohitnavy at GranMonte Asoke Valley Vineyard in Khao Yai, Thailand; a 2008 Symphony wine from Grace Vineyard, China; grapes go into more than just the wine at GranMonte.

Clockwise from top left: Ayana Misawa, head vintner of Grace Winery, Japan; the ruby bounty at Grace Winery, Japan; Judy Leissner, head vintner of Grace Vineyard, China, in her element; barrel-aged wines at Grace Vineyard, China.

O P P O S I T E , 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 AYA N A M I S A W A ; C O U R T E S Y O F G R A C E W I N E R Y; C O U R T E S Y O F J U D Y L E I S S N E R ; C O U R T E S Y O F G R A C E V I N E YA R D

introduced new sparkling wines and this year presented the first locally grown Viogner to Thailand. The GranMonte reds are full bodied and spicy, with aromas of clove and black pepper, and hints of tamarind and jasmine in the bouquet: flavors that seep into the grapes naturally from the soil. “The Thai qualities show in the wine,” Nikki says—and that has proven a good thing. Demand for GranMonte’s product line is outpacing their current output of 90,000 bottles a year.

Still, Nikki’s looking to do more than just sell Thai wine.

She wants to put the country on the viniculture map.

“Complex dry wines with crisp acidity can actually bring out the flavor [of Thai food] even better than the sweet wines, in my opinion,” Nikki says, but “we’re still looking for a style to define this region.” I ask her if there’s a country in Asia that already has its own style. “Japan,” she replies. “Japan appreciates wine.”

Ayana Misawa, whose family has been running

a vineyard in Japan since 1923, is quick to agree. “Japanese wines are elegant,” she says, and she would know—she was born on a vineyard, and is a third generation vintner, following in the footsteps of both her father and grandfather. Her home prefecture of Yamanashi, about a two-hour drive west of Tokyo, produces a third of the country’s wine and, unlike Thailand, this region already has a signature varietal. “Koshu is pure, delicate and classy,” says Ayana. Her father, Shigekazu Misawa, pioneered the grape’s cultivation on their pastoral valley vineyard, where harvests thrive in long hours of sunshine.

Yet in a land known for sake and beer, wine has to be distinctive to earn its spot on the menu. Though it looks like a Pinot Gris, with pink-purple skins, Koshu has a taste all its own. “It has aromas of citrus, yuzu, Japanese white peach and white flower,” she says. “This is incomparable to other varietals, especially in its delicateness.”

Ayana is 32 years old yet she’s already been involved in making wine at some of the world’s best-known wineries— Cape Point Vineyards in South Africa; Catena Zapata in Mendoza; Errazuriz in Chile; Mountford in New Zealand; Margaret River in Australia; Burgundy in France. She’s traveled the world, but says she thinks Japanese wines are where it’s at. “The Japanese work ethic sets the Grace Winery wines apart,” she says. “We always try to make the most elegant wines at an international level, with our touch of Japanese precision.”

Of course bringing that level of care to every harvest is no easy feat. “It is actually very physical work,” says Ayana, who isn’t above working around the clock. The tasks are all the more challenging for a small-framed woman like Ayana and despite the fact that she has been churning out successful vintages for almost a decade now, she’s often met with incredulity.

But the confusion softens when people taste her product. Over the past few years Grace Winery has started exporting their wines, but the main base remains

Japanese. “The Japanese market is changing,” Ayana says. “Wines used to be all about brand status and 10 years ago people drank mostly Grand cru Bordeaux, but nowadays people are starting to appreciate white and rosé as well.” As the Japanese taste for wine evolves, she says she intends to lead Grace Winery towards even bolder vintages. “I want to focus more on Koshu, and make not only fresh fruity wines,” she says, “but also serious Koshu which can be aged.”

One player the industry is taking very

seriously is Judy Leissner, who was named Asian Wine Personality of the Year in 2012. Her father, Chun Keung Chan, partnered with Sylvain Javier, a French friend of his, back in 1997 to start a vineyard in Shanxi, China. In 2004 at age 24, Judy left her position at Goldman Sachs and stepped into the role of manager of the 200-hectare vineyard. She has been driving its reputation as China’s finest winery ever since.

She credits her father for refusing to coddle her.

“The first day I showed up at work, my dad simply told me that we had a winery and we were about to launch our first vintage and I was supposed to lead it,” Judy says. “When I asked my dad for advice and guidance, he told me to use my brain and think on my own, so I felt I was alone in a big ocean.” Luckily it didn’t take her long to find her sea legs.

Today she’s managing both the vineyard and its on-site bed and breakfast, designed with European touches like red-tile roofing and wrought iron railings, while inside granite, marble, stone and wood lend an earthy elegance to the décor. Their rooms have a distinctly modern feel with TV and Wi-Fi, but if guests want to step back in time they can venture to the neighboring town—the 200-year-old village looks like akung fu movie set, complete with wispy willows, ponds, pagodas, an apricot orchard and tiny streets that open out into beautiful piazzas.

A throwback influence rings through in the wines as well. From the outset Judy’s family knew they wanted to do old world Bordeauxstyle wines, a variety that Judy loves. Their cheeky entry-level white wine, The People’s Chardonnay, is aged in metal barrels so it is fresh, mineral and extremely pleasant, while their red, The People’s Cabernet, is rich and robust, with none of the jammy sweet quality sometimes associated with Asian wines. “Many people think that Chinese like sweet and lighter wines, but if you see the tea that we like, which is tannic and strong, you may agree with me that T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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From left: Snow blankets the vineyard during winter at Grace Winery, Japan; a sunnier scene at Aythaya Vineyard in Burma.

liking sweet and light wine is just an initial phase,” says Judy. “Ultimately, Chinese will prefer stronger and more complex wines.”

Judy is also experimenting with sparkling wines, Petrus-style Merlots, Rieslings and Muscats, which she says are all promising. The Muscat has a nice floral, stone fruit nose, but is crisp and dry on the palate, perfect for sipping in the summer. This high standard is seeing Chinese wines pop up at restaurants across the globe. There are more than 600 wine producers in China, so there is plenty of diversity for discerning drinkers to sample. “Consumers are getting more sophisticated,” Judy says, “so it only makes sense for producers in China to make better quality wines.”

Whether it’s on the sunburnt hills of

Thailand, in the bucolic valleys of Japan or in a 90-year-old vineyard in China, change is afoot in Asian winemaking. We’re at a fork in the road

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and, in a way, it makes sense that it’s a generation of young women, who came of age expecting parity and whose parents didn’t gender stereotype, that is using innovation and ambition to wrest Asian wines out of their traditional rut and into the realm of real respectability.

No, it isn’t always easy. “To be a winemaker at all is still rare in Japan,” Ayana says, “and this job is still considered to be a man’s job.” In fact, Judy recalls that, when she became head of her family’s business, “people believed I was there temporarily. Many thought my brother would ultimately take over,” she says. “It was tough for me at the age of 24 to manage a team with the average age being 45.”

Now, though, she’s seeing more and more females entering the wine business, both in trade and production.

Still, a rare winemaker is like, one hopes, a rare vintage: memorable. “As there are so few women running a winery, it’s easy for people to remember me,” Judy says, “and remember Grace Vineyard.” I guess it is fair to say I like my emerging vintners like Judy likes her wines—strong and complex. w ith a dditiona l r eporting by l a r a du nston , chr istopher k uc way a nd steph a nie zu bir i . ✚

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

The landscape was lush and calm, every bit as the limestone karsts added an air of the exotic

Right: A new generation steps into leadership at Prasat Phnom Banan Winery, Cambodia.

quaint as its counterparts in Europe, though and the grassy lanes were a tad more sunbaked +

T L Guide GranMonte Asoke Valley Vineyard, Thailand 52/2 Moo 9 Phayayen Pakchong, Nakornrachasima, Thailand; 66-44/009-543; granmonte.com; doubles from Bt4,200; bottle of 2012 Heritage Syrah Bt840.

Grace Winery, Japan 173 Todoroki Katsunuma-cho, Koshu-Shi, Yamanashi, Japan; 81-55/344-1230; grace-wine. com; bottle of Koshu ¥2,000.

Grace Vineyard, China Dongjia, RenCunl, Taigu, Shanxi, Zhejiang province, China; 86-137/5344-6069; gracevineyard.com; doubles from RMB1,120; bottle of The People’s Cabernet from RMB99.

Continue the tasting tour at…

Prasat Phnom Banan Winery, Cambodia This charming vineyard, a mix of thriving vines and swaying palms, just 12 kilometers south of Battambang, also has a strong woman running the show.

Leng Chan Tol and her husband Chan Thai Chhoung planted their first grapes in 1999 and bottled their first wine in 2004. They currently offer just one variety of wine, called simply Red, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blend, produced on their 15-hectare vineyard. Though this has been their sole offering since 2004, they have ambitions to introduce Chenin Blanc soon.

This is Cambodia’s only winery and the quality is still not at the level of Japan, China or Thailand, but it has potential, and a strong local following.

“Our wines are popular with Cambodians, wealthy Cambodians from Phnom Penh,” says Leng Chan. “They love our wine.” Banan Rd., 72 Bot Sala Village, Banan Dist., Cambodia; 855-12/665-236; US$2 for entrance to the vineyard; bottle of Red wine US$15.

Aythaya Wine, Burma On the western slopes of Taunggyi, in Burma’s Shan State, this vineyard has been growing grapes since 1998, producing wines since 2004 and exporting since 2008. Cabarnet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Dornfelder, Tempranillo, Moscato and Sauvignon Blanc all thrive on the lush landscape, leading to a varied cuvée for the brand. The relative calm in Burma for the past few years has helped further bolster the confidence of the vineyard’s management.

“The permanent risk of operating under a fragile legal system was replaced by a feeling that serious efforts are now underway to safeguard the investment, but also to sincerely improve the well-being of the people,” says founder Bert Morsbach. Given the current state of affairs, Bert is feeling very optimistic about the future for the region. “In Germany alone we have 20,000 vintners, while in Myanmar we have two, so I know there will be many, many more soon,” he says. “I dare to predict that Myanmar will become known for its excellent white wines.” myanmar-vineyard.com; doubles from US$150 per night; bottle of Aythaya Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, US$12.

THE SOUL OF SRI LANKA

The pool at the Ulagalla hotel, outside Anuradhapura, in central Sri Lanka.

Opposite: The Ruwanwelisaya Stupa, in Anuradhapura.

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There is a seductive, melancholy beauty about Sri Lanka, a nation recovering from years of civil war. From Colombo to Galle to Kandy and beyond, Aatish Taseer finds new hotels, opinionated artists and writers, and a growing sense of hope. photographed by ian allen T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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“The beauty and the horror,” the Sri Lankan–Canadian writer Shyam Selvadurai said to me in Jaffna. “Both things must be there. Otherwise, it’s not Sri Lanka.”

We sat in a busy restaurant in a city ravaged by war.

I was at the end of a journey north across this island country and the writer’s remark felt now almost like shared knowledge. But it was something that had come to me slowly, this awareness of the Sri Lankan duality, of the creeping horror. Because, 12 days before, when I had first landed in Colombo, there had been no trace of it. Then there had been only the beauty.

The land even from the air had made a beguiling impression. Of red earth, of glossy tropical greenery, of tiled roofs blackening in the sea air. A sea that was much bluer and more hypnotic than any I had seen in India, from where I had flown in that morning. It appeared suddenly, in the full glitter of the afternoon sun, as we drove down Galle Face Road. I had just arrived, but I was already late. I was meeting Chandraguptha Thenuwara, a conceptual artist whose work during the war had earned him an international reputation.

The war had been a fixture of my childhood. My mother, a reporter in Delhi, where I grew up, had covered it for the Indian papers. I had memories of her returning from Colombo with cameras and transistor radios, which, though widely available in Sri Lanka, were denied us in Socialist India. Sri Lanka then, with its excellent position in the Indian Ocean, had dreamed of being a second Singapore. But the war, which long outlasted my mother’s career as a reporter, derailed those ambitions. And it was only the other day, it seemed—in 2009—that Sri Lanka, after what 98

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Clockwise from top left: A doorman on the patio at the Galle Face Hotel, in Colombo; the pool at Amangalla, in the Galle Fort neighborhood; on the street near Pettah Market, in Colombo.

Right: A wild elephant in Minneriya National Park, near Polonnaruwa.

Below: A guest room at the Sun House, in Galle.

Sigiriya rock fortress.

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was among the longest and bloodiest conflicts in modern memory, and after the devastation of the 2004 tsunami, groped its way out into the light again. For the first time in three decades, it was a country at peace. It was this that I had come to see: the Sri Lankan peace, and what measure of light and shade it contained.

The effects of postwar development were real and tangible—the city was full of a new optimism. Places that had been decaying and falling apart, like the old racecourse building, were freshly painted and now housed restaurants; in the area around the Dutch Hospital, which during the war had been a no-man’s-land of barriers and soldiers, there were elegant shops and restaurants, including the delicious Ministry of Crab. There were glamorous new boutique hotels like the Tintagel, once the prime minister’s house.

And in the old office of the great Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, there was the Gallery Café, a place of long drinks and slow-wheeling fans painted black, which, with its nouvelle cuisine, felt like a tropical version of the Costes in Paris. Colombo’s revival was visible enough.

But to some, beautification was a dirty word.

“Postwar color wash!” Thenuwara spat. He was heavyset, with an impish face, and unruly whitening sideburns that gave him the air of a figure from fable. He had become famous in the war years for his “barrelism,” a project that made artistic use of the barrels that had turned the city into a fortress. The barrels were gone now, and Colombo, for the first time in decades, felt safer than Delhi. But Thenuwara was not impressed. He spoke of Colombo’s revival as if it were the achievement of a fascistic enterprise, one that could do little more than make the trains run on time.

“Beautification,” he said to me as we sat on the terrace of the Galle Face Hotel, overlooking the sea, “is erasing memories. Whether we like them or not, we must keep the memories.”

He was the first person I spoke seriously to in Sri Lanka, and though at times I felt he was being alarmist, our conversation gave me an atmospheric sense of something that would remain with me throughout my trip: that this was a place where one could not trust one’s first

impressions. His distrust of the Sri Lankan peace colored my view of the city. It gave a charcoal outline to what until then had been an enchanting scene of boutiques and bungalows, of gabled colonial buildings with deep verandas and pretty eaves, of flowering trees and clubs with evocative names. It was a city enveloped in a permanent feeling of afternoon, where now, it felt, the briny breath of the sea merged easily with a hint of menace.

That night I saw Colombo through the eyes of an architect. Channa Daswatte had been a student and protégé of Bawa, who pioneered the island’s “tropical modernism” in the late 1950’s, an architectural style that was at once deeply local and very modern. Bawa’s influence was immense, and it made Sri Lanka one of the few postcolonial countries that had excellent modern architecture, always so telling an indication of a culture’s morale.

We drove through the spongy darkness of night in the tropics. Daswatte, with his architect’s feeling for public spaces, showed me the places in and around Independence Avenue and Police Park where the walls had been torn down. So long as they stood, they had turned the streets into trenches and Colombo into a city without vistas. Their coming down was a deeply emotional and symbolic thing; it had unstitched the city. “It was an urban gesture,” Daswatte said, pointing to an attractive esplanade of public buildings, “that seemed to say: we have not just brought peace, but demonstrated that there is peace.”

And peace there certainly was. But it had come at a great price. Had it been Pyrrhic?

Daswatte, like many Sri Lankans, could not help feeling that no price was too steep; that that war had gone on far too long and that it had to end. But he, like Thenuwara, was worried about the character of the peace; worried about tensions in the north; worried about a growing authoritarianism in the country; and worried, most of all, about an attack on dissent, which had manifested itself as a stifling of press freedoms. That night in his house, itself a triumph of the Bawa aesthetic, I saw a painting by the Tamil artist T. Shanaathanan that was a reminder of the other side of the Sri Lankan

SOON WE WERE AMONG THE HAUNTING RUINS OF SRI LANKA’S ANCIENT CAPITALS, THE ROCK CITADEL OF SIGIRIYA T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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peace. It was a painting of two male figures and a kiss. In the swirling background, Daswatte pointed to a rooster and murmured, “Peter.” But he need hardly have said it: for, even to my visitor’s eye, it was clear the kiss was a Judas kiss, and the theme of the painting betrayal.

Sri Lanka is a majority Buddhist country, and my flight from India had been full of pilgrims: cloudy-eyed women in yellow caps, returning from visiting the Buddhist sites in India. Indian culture and religion had, for centuries, seeped into this place. But modern India was no preparation for Sri Lanka. It was not just that the sea was bluer, the country cleaner and more well-ordered; it was that the people, a dizzying mixture of Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims, whose places of worship lined the road in from

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the airport, had, in the incubating context of an island, formed relations to one another—and, more important, lines of division—that were something apart from what I had known in India.

Of these none had been tenser than the one between the Tamils of the north and east, and the Sinhalese majority in the rest of the country. This was the line along which the war of three decades had been fought. But it was not the only line. In the seaside town of Galle, we encountered another, newer, and more volatile fault line. We ran smack into a protest led by the Bodu Bala Sena, an extremist Buddhist outfit. It was a Friday afternoon, and a group of saffron-clad monks, with peach fuzz and bad skin, led a small band of civilians along the edge of the Galle Fort. They were protesting what they claimed was a Muslim wish to impose

halal and sharia on Sri Lanka. The protest, they were at pains to point out—they were Buddhists monks after all!— was nonviolent.

But it was a Friday afternoon—a Muslim time of prayer— and in the Fort, which was largely Muslim, many regarded the protest as hostile. Tariq, of Dairy King, which sold delicious homemade ice cream, said: “The Muslims are very calm, very quiet, but there are ruthless sections among us. And these people,” he said, gesturing ominously to the protesters, “they don’t know what they’re doing. The Tamils, they hit and ran.

The Muslims will not run. They’ll stay and fight.”

It was an odd thing to hear, odd in its note of threat, especially in Galle, where Europeans had set up a small and incestuous community of expats known as the “Galle Set.” But it was a reminder of how, under the seeming placidity of the visitor’s Sri Lanka, a different Sri Lanka simmered away.

No sooner had it appeared, this darker element, than it was gone; and I was back among the tittle-tattle of the Galle Set, drinking an arrack sour on the veranda of the Amangalla on a Saturday night. It was too rainy to be at the festive Wijaya Beach Club, or the chic Sun House hotel. Here, among the fanoos lanterns and planters chairs, one might hear— for these people were poisonous gossips!—of the handsome man who’d just walked in: “Oh, that’s P—. Such a lovely guy. Don’t know why his mother-in-law hates him so much.

Just doesn’t think he’s good enough, I suppose.”

Throughout my trip, I had felt the draw of the north. I think I sensed that it was the source of the darker element I had encountered only in snatches so far.

The north began after Kandy. I spent a night at the Kandy House, a jewel box of a hotel—with tuna so fresh you could still taste the sea in it—and the next day we entered a heavily forested country. Elephant country. We drove up along narrow highways full of butterflies, edged with electrified wire to keep the elephants in their corridors. Soon we were

THE LAND, THOUGH IT WAS RAVAGED AND OVERGROWN, WAS ALSO WILD AND BEAUTIFUL, A LAND OF LAGOONS AND LOTUS PONDS

Left: A sitting area at Kandy House, in Kandy.

Above: Fishermen on the shores of Galle.

Opposite, clockwise from top left: Inside the Geoffrey Bawa Residence, in Colombo; the pool at Tintagel, in Colombo; a tea plantation in Nuwara Eliya, south of Kandy.

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Daswatte, on the night when he showed me those places where the walls had come down, had, in describing the Sri Lankan duality, quoted a Blake poem. Later, when I asked him what it was (it was “The Sick Rose”) he had written: “It evokes those dark days when the utter beauty of my country only hid the invisible worm of death.” And this, I could see now, was the source of all that had been unnerving about Sri Lanka. It was a country that made you suspicious of beauty. For it was under the cover of its great beauty that its terrible past had occurred.

We left at dawn the next day. On our drive south to Colombo I received a text message from Selvadurai. He was worried he had not been helpful. When I reminded him of his excellent phrase— “the beauty and the horror”—which seemed to perfectly encapsulate the twin energies of this island country, he made an interesting qualification. “But the trick,” he wrote, “the hard part 4 me as a writer is to let them simply sit side by side not even in juxtaposition.

Then I know I have Sri Lanka.” ✚

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rehabilitated. And yet—it had to be said— the place I visited was still suffering the effects of war and migration.

“There is a feeling of melancholia,” T. Shanaathanan told me one rainy morning in Jaffna. “We lost something but we do not know what.” It was his painting of betrayal that I had seen in Daswatte’s house. I had sought him out, in part because I had liked the painting, in part because I had wanted to gain some sense of what the mood was like among the people of the north.

And though there was little comfort in what he said, that night, in keeping with the shape-shifting quality of this strange journey in Sri Lanka, I found myself once again surrounded by beauty: An old ancestral house, set deep in that pastoral countryside of lagoons and paddy fields. It belonged to Daswatte’s assistant, a bright, ebullient woman named Ajantha, who was converting it into a hotel. It was impossible not to be affected by the hopefulness of her endeavor. It was an intimation—final and memorable— of what the north could be.

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among the haunting ruins of Sri Lanka’s ancient capitals at Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, and the spectacular fifth-century frescoes in the rock citadel of Sigiriya—places that still retained something of the sylvan mist of their 19th-century rediscovery. And then, almost as if the ruins were merging with the natural world, we were in a forest of decapitated Palmyra palms. The scene of the last battle.

We went up to Jaffna along the same route the Sri Lankan army had taken in 2009. All around us were the relics of war: graveyards of vehicles rotting in the moist air; bullet-scarred houses whose roofs were open to sky; and an abandoned ship in whose rusting port-side a gaping hole gave onto blue sea. Looking at this overgrown country, my guide said: “It feels like a desert.”

Such a strange thing to say, for the land was so lush! But I knew exactly what he meant. He was referring to the feeling of desolation. And the land, though it was ravaged and overgrown, was also wild and beautiful, a land of lagoons and lotus ponds. In the towns we drove through, there was evidence of shattered communities creeping back to life. There were volleyball games in the yards of abandoned temples and candlelit services in dark corrugated steel sheds used as churches. The sight of these things, as evening fell, was deeply affecting: a testament to both the fragility and resilience of life. By nightfall, we were in Jaffna.

It had been on the road to Jaffna that my mother first lost her nerve for war reporting. But the Jaffna I found myself in, as perhaps with the capitals of so many past insurgencies—Diyarbakir, Srinagar, Grozny—was just a sleepy small town. Battered, but seductive.

The surrounding peninsula was full of old Dutch churches and castles, of lagoons teeming with crabs, of decaying Malay-style houses, of nuns on bicycles, of an untouched and poetic countryside.

There were only a handful of basic hotels, but things were changing fast. In Colombo I had met many people on their way to Jaffna, now for an art fair, now for a cultural festival. It would not be long, perhaps, before the north was

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T L Guide STAY Amangalla 10 Church St., Galle; amanresorts.com; doubles from US$525.

Galle Face Hotel 2 Galle Rd., Colombo; gallefacehotel.com; doubles from US$125.

Kandy House Amunugama Walauwa, Gunnepara, Kandy; thekandyhouse.com/ pg; doubles from US$215.

Sun House 18 Upper Dickson Rd., Galle; thesunhouse.com; doubles from US$175.

Tintagel 65 Rosmead Place, Colombo; paradiseroadhotels.com; doubles from US$250.

EAT Gallery Café 2 Alfred House Rd., Colombo; paradiseroad.lk; dinner for two Rs1,500.

Ministry of Crab Old Dutch Hospital, Colombo; ministryofcrab.com; halfkilogram of crabs Rs3,000.

Wijaya Beach Club Dalawella Unawatuna, Galle; wijayabeach.com; dinner for two Rs1,500.

DO Geoffrey Bawa Residence 11, 33rd Lane, Colombo; geoffreybawa.com.

TOUR OPERATORS Poe Travel T+L A-List agent Ellison Poe specializes in Sri Lanka. epoe@poetravel.com.

SUBSCRIBE NOW TO OUR DIGITAL EDITION Available at www.zinio.com 1 year / 12 issues for US$29.99.

The Kamppi Chapel, in central Helsinki’s Kamppi neighborhood.

HEL SINKI MOD ERN

A thoughtful, democratic approach to style and design has historically been at the heart of Finnish culture. h e at her sm it h

macisaac looks at how this aesthetic tradition is influencing Helsinki’s recent wave of innovative thinkers and avant-garde landmarks. pho t ogr a phed by a dr i a n gau t

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Rock, paper, scissors. Aalto, Iittala, Marimekko. Rock, paper, scissors. Aalto, Iittala, Marimekko. Such was the refrain looping in my head in anticipation of a trip to Finland.

It would all be there: rocky shores and handsome granite buildings, forever forests of pine and birch and their blond furniture offspring. Alvar Aalto’s iconic Savoy vase, as clear and wavy as lake water; Tapio Wirkkala’s glassware for Iittala, as icy as a frozen waterfall; and Marimekko’s Kaivo print, rippling like a tidal current. Oh, and of course Fiskars scissors, those orange-handled precision instruments that plant the Finnish flag in households worldwide.

Those iconic pieces date back to the 1930’s and 60’s. So where had Finnish design been lately? I was hard-pressed to think of a single contemporary name, one that rolled off the tongue like Aalto’s. Klaus Haapaniemi was scarcely known outside Finland, other than by design cognoscenti.

And much as I found his recent illustrative work for Iittala delightfully folkloric, it was surface decoration applied to a dishware line called Taika—remarkably similar to the famous Teema line, created in 1952.

Plain, monochromatic Teema mugs and plates turned up wherever I went in Helsinki. They were there during breakfast at the buzzy Klaus K Hotel; they popped up at coffee bars and museum cafés. And they showed up in stacks at the Stockmann department store and in piles at the Arabia outlet (sadly, at scarcely a discount). So ubiquitous was the use of this 61-year-old style that it smacked of government issue. Anywhere else this might seem offputting, but in Finland it simply drove home the idea that if design has no lasting contribution, it is of no value.

Design was everywhere—inclusive, accessible and without ego. It appeared along the Esplanadi Park, where heavy hitters such as Artek and Marimekko have a major presence, and on Uudenmaankatu and Erottajankatu streets, in the heart of the Design District, both a neighborhood and an association of galleries, shops and museums. (Design Forum Finland, a store and showroom on Erottajankatu, was an especially worthwhile stop.) Tracking the subtler places—the lone artisans on less-​ trafficked streets and the small collectives tucked into corners—required more work. Stringing together these scattershot locations as well as the classic sights, while 108

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riding a bike borrowed from my hotel, became a thrilling game of catch and release.

My favorite element of Aalto’s landmark Academic Bookstore, on the Pohjoisesplanadi, was not the jagged skylights, but the sinuous door handles, a bronze cascade of three linked loops, with the lowest inviting even the youngest hands to enter. All three were rubbed bright from use. Among the many delicate details of Eliel Saarinen’s Helsinki Central Railway Station was one that he was not responsible for but that still seemed absolutely at home: a low play table with a train on a track, all wood, no junk, placed in the ticket hall. The gesture benefited every traveler by entertaining children. Over at Taidehalli, a contemporary art museum as plain and magnificent as Timo Sarpaneva’s cast-iron pot from 1960, an installation

by Argentine artist Tomás Saraceno similarly served all ages. A facsimile of a black widow spider’s web, exploded in scale, filled a room. Clad in striped tees, a young family shed their shoes and crawled under, around, and behind the intricate web of string with joyful, kinetic energy and near silent appreciation.

For a metropolis of a million people, Helsinki is actually a quiet place. I never heard a siren. Not even a car horn.

There hardly seemed to be the need for a refuge in the heart of the city—and yet there is an extraordinary new one. The Kamppi Chapel, by K2S Architects, sits in a corner of Narinkkatori Square like a high-sided salad bowl on a granite kitchen counter. Inside, a halo of daylight washed curved walls of alder, creating a womblike environment.

“So long as no one’s moment of silence is disturbed, anything goes,” an attendant said. The city’s social services department has partnered with the Helsinki Parish Union (religious services are held three times a week) to man the chapel and provide counsel in an adjoining space.

If the rounded form of Kamppi Chapel was as smooth and soothing as a river rock, the WDC Helsinki 2012 Pavilion, a temporary structure built to celebrate Helsinki’s designation as last year’s World Design Capital, was an assemblage of plywood puzzle pieces as dynamic as the activities it hosted.

The ingenious and inviting open-sided structure hummed like an efficient hive. I was astonished that such an accomplished work was by a 24-year-old. Pyry-Pekka Kantonen produced the winning scheme for a studio class at Aalto University’s Wood Program; fellow students joined him in executing its construction. “In creating a public living room, it was crucial to have many people bring their touch and feeling to the space,” Kantonen said. “The most important thing for me in design is cooperation.” And Helsinki-based Henrik Enbom and Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom, the couple behind TrashDesign and Dodo, companies dedicated to conscious consumption, are seeing to it that every last bit of the pavilion is repurposed; the result was presented at the city’s Habitare fair this fall.

Slowly I was discovering a new generation, composed not so much of designers as of thinkers who focus on design’s intent and effect. Nature and nurture had always dovetailed in Finnish design; now so too were the past, present and future linked. In 1925, Aalto wrote about building a “cultural

Clockwise from top left: The Neoclassical-style Helsinki Cathedral, which defines the city’s skyline. Lokal, a concept store in Helsinki’s Design District. Sculptor Emil Wikström’s granite giants carrying globe lamps, at the entrance to the Helsinki Central Railway Station.

Helsinki restaurateur Antto Melasniemi, shopping for produce at the farmers’ market in Teurastamo.

Puukko knives on display at Marttiini’s new store in Helsinki. Pelago Bicycles, a store in downtown Helsinki.

Boulevard Social

sauna, a national monument, the first of its kind in the budding Finnish civilization.” It took nearly 90 years but it finally happened, thanks to the dogged efforts of architect Tuomas Toivonen and artist Nene Tsuboi, partners at architecture firm NOW, whose mission it is to “make the city and world around us more interesting and enjoyable.” Last May, Kulttuurisauna, the first public sauna to open in decades, made its debut on the Helsinki waterfront. With a minimized carbon footprint and sturdy tree-trunk columns, the building is nothing short of a spare, primitive temple to communal bathing.

Altruism abounded, and what would pass back home for naive (or faux-naive) statements actually led to results. Eat & Joy, a basement-level market, is the unlikeliest of tenants in the central Kluuvi shopping center, home to fast food and fast fashion. Pink-cheeked and enthusiastic employees helped customers grind grain, buy sausage and select fish (smoked in-house on Tuesdays and Fridays). The space, with its emphasis on natural materials—wooden display tables, wicker baskets—swung wide of antiseptic supermarket interiors. Reindeer skins draped the shopping carts, and an antique rocker and a classic modern birch high chair flanked the bread oven, which turned out some of the best rye loaves in the city. For a survey of the ingredients feeding the New Nordic cuisine movement—from smoked fish to wild reindeer to Arctic honey—there was no better source.

Reindeer surfaced again, in stacks of full hides at the marketplace by the port, and in skins trimmed to round seat pads at Marttiini, a new shop on Senate Square at the foot of

the Helsinki Cathedral. To showcase the 200 different iterations of the traditional puukko knife, which Marttiini has been producing in Lapland since 1928, design firm Suunnittelutoimisto Amerikka “carved” a wall of wood tiles, each supporting one or two models via magnets. Pockets made from the same rawhide used for the sheaths displayed even more styles. Elevating this traditional tool to a design object proved to be a solid business move; in the first few months the store was open, sales dramatically increased.

“Serve the purpose. Firmitas, utilitas, venustas.”

(Strength, function, beauty.) The motto could have been Marttiini’s, but in fact belonged to Pelago Bicycles, a company launched by young brothers Mikko and Timo Hyppönen. Of the 10 models they sell, the upright Brooklyn, a classic bike for city use, was one of their first and is still incredibly popular. I suppose it was inevitable, in an environment where a new appreciation for the old ways was simul-​surfacing around town, that I would be reminded of home—Brooklyn, that is, absent the irony.

Along with Teema dinnerware, I saw Aalto’s Artek Stool 60, mostly in spiffy new condition, its painted disk of a seat as bright as an M&M. But at Artek 2nd Cycle & Vintage, older models were celebrated. Since 1933, when the stool was introduced, some 8 million have been sold, many to schools, libraries and restaurants. The call to value the beauty of long life and signs of age, rather than put out to pasture an old piece, reflects a fresh view of what it means to be modern.

Aalto once said, “Nothing is ever reborn, but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been, will

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→ Chefs Antto Melasniemi and Heikki Purhonen change the menu every week at their laid-back, 26-seat restaurant Kuurna, but always deliver hearty cooking (fried chicken hearts; spinach crêpes with mushroom sauce). kuurna.fi; dinner for two €78. → If you can’t get into Noma, in Copenhagen, go to Olo in Helsinki. You won’t be settling.

Splurge on the multicourse “journey” with wine pairings and

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T L Guide Getting There Finnair (finnair.com) flies to an array of Asian cities, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Hanoi, Seoul, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Beijing and Shanghai.

Getting Around Biking is a popular mode of transportation here; borrow or rent one from your hotel. The public transit system (hsl.fi) is excellent.

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prepare for fresh, seasonal dishes such as cauliflower with Finnish caviar and lamb with beetroot. olo-ravintola.fi; dinner for two €128.

→ Among the treats of a “simple” dinner at Spis: an amuse-​bouche of cucumber and dill; a main course of cod with broccoli, fennel and tomato. spis.fi; dinner for two €140.

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In the sphere of New Nordic cuisine, Finland hasn’t received the amount of attention that Denmark and Sweden have, but its chefs and foragers are every bit as active and adventurous.

→ Spurred on by the global “food for all” movement and as a rebellion against excessive regulation, Helsinkians gave birth to Restaurant Day two years ago; it has now spread to 35 countries around the globe. On four weekends a year, anyone can set up a “restaurant”—meaning anything from a basket lowered out of a window to a car trunk or a park bench. restaurantday.org.

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Helsinki’s Restaurant Scene: Where to Eat Now → Boulevard Social serves Mediterranean family-style tapas in an interior that may be steampunk’s first landing in Helsinki. The cocktails are some of the most accomplished in town; the lemon pie, not to be missed. boulevardsocial.fi; tasting menu for two €78.

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always reappear in a new form.” Such was the case for a former drugstore that is now Arelalizza, a shop selling textile designer Maija Arela’s line of luxurious knitwear. I swooned over the intimate interior, seemingly untouched since the 1950’s. Arela’s sweaters, in colors as bold as the tiles of the checkerboard floor, were sensational.

Repurposing turned up in sizes jumbo to tiny. Helsinki’s Old Customs House, a robust brick example of the National Romantic style, came back to life in 2010 after lying dormant for 40 years. Its cavernous interior has been an atmospheric host to Helsinki Design Week events and to a pop-up branch of the Finnish Design Shop. Over at Lokal, a concept store run by photographer Katja Hagelstam, the merchandise also spoke volumes about the waste-not, want-not, look-back-tosee-ahead sensibility coursing through the culture. Driven by pure irritation at the amount of waste a family produces, textile artist Outi Martikainen collected white plastic bread-bag fasteners and wove them into iconic Finnish forms traditionally made of birch-bark fiber—a basket, a horn, a bast shoe. “I admire Outi’s innovative approach to new materials, and the fact that she sees the value in traditional things,” Hagelstam explained.

With a grounded and forward-thinking ethos in place, Helsinki is poised to stay a leader in mindful urban living.

The values the city espouses—collaboration, openness, continuity—seem not political but simply correct. And though the approach may be shifting, as old-school becomes new again, design itself remains as highly valued and democratic as when renowned industrial designer Hannu Kähönen was a student in the 1970’s. “One of our mottoes was, ‘Everyone needs a more beautiful everyday.’ ” As for being on the cutting edge, Finland seems happy to leave that to Fiskars. ✚

Pâté de foie gras with thyme and cherry jam at Boulevard Social.

→ Once a slaughterhouse, the Teurastamo complex is now home to pop-up restaurants, a cooking school, a bakery, and a butcher. There’s even a communal grill in the open-air courtyard. teurastamo.com.

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STAY Hotel Haven This 77-room gem overlooking the harbor lives up to its name. 17 Unioninkatu; hotelhaven.fi; doubles from €209.

Klaus K Hotel A landmark decorated around themes from the Kalevala, an epic Finnish poem. 2-4 Bulevardi; klauskhotel. com; doubles from €165.

DO Central Railway Station 1 Kaivokatu.

Helsinki Cathedral 29 Unioninkatu; helsinginseurakunnat.fi.

Kamppi Chapel 7 Simonkatu; helsinginkirkot.fi.

Kulttuurisauna 17 Hakaniemenranta; kulttuurisauna.fi.

Old Customs House 5 Katajanokanlaituri.

Taidehalli 3 Nervanderinkatu; taidehalli.fi.

SHOP Academic Bookstore 39 Pohohjoisesplanadi; akateeminen.com.

Arelalizza 1 Kruunuvuorenkatu; arelalizza.com.

Artek 2nd Cycle & Vintage 4-6 Pieni Roobertinkatu; artek.fi.

Design Forum Finland 7 Erottajankatu; designforum.fi.

Eat & Joy 9 Aleksanterinkatu; eatandjoy.fi.

Iittala 25 Pohjoisesplanadi; iittala.fi.

Lokal 19 Annankatu; lokalhelsinki.com.

Marimekko 33 Pohjoisesplanadi; marimekko.com.

Marttiini 28 Aleksanterinkatu; marttiini.fi.

Pelago Bicycles 32 Kalevankatu; pelagobicycles.com.

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Our Definitive Guide to

A football match at Maracan達 Stadium, 5 kilometers from downtown Rio.

All eyes are on the Cidade Maravilhosa—host of this year’s World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games—where a citywide rejuvenation effort has infused Rio’s neighborhoods with newfound energy. Colin Barraclough discovers a Rio reborn. Photographed by David Nicolas T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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From left: The Loft Suite at Rio’s Hotel Santa Teresa; the open terrace off the lobby of Casa Mosquito.

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Lay of the Land Botafogo Come here for Rio’s designer boutiques, art galleries and views of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Centro Colonial-era structures and glass-and-steel office buildings fill the city’s commercial heart.

Copacabana With its world-famous beach and raucous nightclubs, Copacabana is Rio’s touristy epicenter.

Ipanema This trendy district draws crowds but is calmer than Copacabana. Outdoor cafés line the leafy avenues.

Jardim Botânico The elegant Jardim Botânico edges the botanical gardens and hums with buzzy restaurants.

Santa Teresa Artists flock to this hilly area for its bohemian bars and Guanabara Bay views.

Safety & Getting Around Be wary of pickpockets, especially near major tourist sites. We recommend traveling by taxis, which can be hailed on the street.

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Stay Rio’s stylish new hotels—and classics we love.

CASA MOSQUITO Opened in 2011 on a hill above Ipanema, this 1940’s retreat is a mise-en-scène of tropical languor: palminspired print pillows; polished parquet; orchids everywhere.

Sliding doors in the lobby open up to a sun-dappled patio that looks out over Copacabana’s rooftops; upstairs, the four rooms are decorated with paintings by local artists and have wide, private terraces. casa mosquito.com; R$695.

COPACABANA PALACE Rio’s Neoclassical grande dame has lost none of her stateliness since the 1920’s glory days. Fresh off a US$20

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million makeover, the 145 contemporary rooms are done up in French fabrics and vibrant Brazilian artwork. Food is a highlight: the property’s six-seat chef’s table at Cipriani Restaurant is one of the hottest spots in town, while the Sunday brunch at Pérgula is perennially packed. copacabana palace.com.br; R$1,330.

HOTEL FASANO RIO DE JANEIRO The second branch of restaurateur Rogério Fasano’s understatedly chic brand appeals to both fashionable São Paulo senhoras and European hipsters.

Philippe Starck– designed rooms have billowing silk curtains

and 1960’s Sergio Rodrigues chairs; at the ground-floor Fasano al Mare restaurant, chef Paolo Lavezzini prepares scallop risotto and an outstanding rock lobster with broccoli soufflé. What we love most: the rooftop pool, with its knockout views of Ipanema’s crescentshaped beach. fasano. com.br; R$820.

HOTEL SANTA TERESA If you’re looking for an intimate hideaway in sprawling Rio, this is it.

There’s a lush garden with swooping, colorful birds; a mosaic-tiled eco-spa; and a quiet hilltop location in charming Santa Teresa.

Rooms incorporate indigenous handicrafts

from Minas Gerais and floors of glossy ipe hardwood. Ask about staff-led tours of the on-site art collection, which includes sculptures by such notable artists as Rock Lane. santa-teresahotel.com; R$1,012.

MAMA RUISA Set in a colonialstyle town house, the seven-bedroom Mama Ruisa is a study in quiet refinement: cedar shutters; French doors; illustrations by Jean Cocteau. The colonnaded veranda is the perfect place for a breakfast of fresh Brazilian fruit and gourmet cheeses, with the Guanabara Bay as backdrop. mama ruisa.com; R$600.

Hotel prices are starting rates for double occupancy.

Shop

Standout boutiques with Carioca flair.

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Ausländer Local designer Ricardo Bräutigam creates street clothes with serious attitude— semitransparent black-silk vests; T-shirts emblazoned with rebellious slogans—that are a hit among Rio’s young and stylish set. auslander.com.br.

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Maz With pop-up stores across the city and flash promotions around the world, designer and entrepreneur Juliana Hemerly Silva’s line has developed a cult following with its zany, colorful sneakers, made of foldable nylon and completely customizable. mazbrasil.com.

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Toca do Vinicius Bossa nova aficionados will love this tiny Ipanema store—a temple to Brazil’s jazz-samba culture—packed with CD’s, vinyl, sheet music and multilingual books that draw musicians of every skill level. The shop also hosts in-house concerts once a month, featuring leading bossa nova acts. tocadovinicius.com.br.

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Gilson Martins High-end-souvenir seekers won’t want to miss Gilson Martins’s namesake flagship in Ipanema. The Rio-born designer uses the city’s landmarks (Christ the Redeemer; the Lapa arches) as inspiration for the stylized patterns on his inimitable satchels, wallets, and handbags. His items are so iconic, they’ve been shown at the Louvre and Milan Design Week. gilsonmartins.com.br.

From top: Inside Ausländer; the Gilson Martins storefront in Ipanema.

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See Do CASA DAROS Zurich-based art collector Ruth Schmidheiny just unveiled her 1,200-piece Latin American art collection in Botafogo following a six-year renovation of the 1866 building. Inside are works from more than 100 talents, including native sculptor Iole de Freitas and Argentine kinetic artist Julio Le Parc. casadaros.net.

MARACANÃ STADIUM

No Title, 1955,

by Hélio Oiticica, at the Museu de Arte do Rio.

Few activities in Rio can rival the thrill of watching a match at Brazil’s national soccer stadium—a symbol of the country’s futebol-centric culture—which reopened in June after a US$500 million refurbishment.

Five essential stops for soaking up Brazilian culture.

Originally built for the 1950 World Cup, the Maracanã will host the tournament’s championship game for the second time this year. Guided tours are available on non– game days. suderj.rj.gov.br.

MUSEU DE ARTE DO RIO Rio’s newest art museum is the anchor of the Port district revitalization project.

Eight exhibition halls in the 20th-century palace feature rotating shows—watercolors of Sugarloaf Mountain; a colorful brick model of Rio’s favelas—that celebrate the city’s scenery and diversity, while art workshops are held in the glass-walled annex. museudeartedorio.org.br.

SÃO BENTO MONASTERY Behind the 17th-century monastery’s austere façade, you’ll find such treasures as colonial-era panels, massive silver chandeliers and an intricately carved, gold-plated altar. Don’t miss the Sunday morning Mass, when resident monks sing Gregorian chants. osb.org.br.

TELEFÉRICO DO COMPLEXO DO ALEMÃO Take a cable car ride at dusk to see Rio’s curiously picturesque shantytowns, with their flickering lanterns and gas lamps. gondola project.com.

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From far left: The communal dining table at Roberta Sudbrack; marinated heart of palm with shrimp and free-range eggs at Roberta Sudbrack; lunch hour at Bar do Mineiro.

Eat

Live Lapa Sounds

Here’s where to eat in Rio now, from authentic Brazilian restaurants to temples of experimental fusion cuisine.

BAR DO MINEIRO Santa Teresa residents fill this rustic lunchtime favorite to feast on home-style comfort food such as pork-andblack-bean feijoada and chicken-and-okra stew—hearty recipes from the nearby mining state of Minas Gerais.

If the dining room is packed, order a caipirinha, set yourself up at a sidewalk table, and take in the area’s artsy scene. bardo mineiro.net; R$100.

OLYMPE Following in the culinary footsteps of his father (who led the nouvelle cuisine movement in 1970’s France), Burgundy-born chef Claude Troisgros

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decamped for Rio, where he built a fourrestaurant empire famous for combining French cooking with local ingredients. At his first outpost, Troisgros whips up innovative dishes that pack a flavorful punch: duck magret with passion fruit; stuffed quail with onion-and-raisin manioc farofa. claude troisgros.com.br; degustation menus from R$260.

old-world (Art Deco chairs; ornate ironwork) with the kitsch (disco balls; fiberglass tables).

The small, shareable portions are equally creative—tilapia with quinoa and olives; prawns with heart of pupunha (peach palm)—and pair well with any of the international wines. restauranteouioui.com. br; R$100.

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Self-taught chef Roberta Sudbrack cooked at Brazil’s presidential palace for seven years before striking out on her own, opening her namesake restaurant in charming Jardim Botânico. The

After Roberta Ciasca’s restaurant Miam Miam put Botafogo on the foodie map, the Cordon Bleu–trained chef pointed her talents toward Oui Oui, a tapas place that mixes the

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ever-changing menu focuses on seasonal ingredients sourced from local purveyors; options may include slow-cooked lamb with chervil and potatoes or panqueca de doce de leite. robertasudbrack. com.br; R$220.

SATYRICON You’ll be hard-pressed to find better (or fresher) seafood than at Ipanema’s Italianinfluenced Satyricon.

Choose from the tank’s stock of live lobster and crayfish, or opt for delicacies such as the just-caught sea bream, baked in a rock-salt crust and served by waiters displaying the ideal degree of gravitas. satyricon.com.br; R$220.

Once-derelict Lapa reverberates far into the night with samba’s percussive beat. Three places to immerse yourself.

1 Rio Scenarium Amid a scenic clutter of esoteric objects and art, the former antiques gallery turned landmark rocks out every night to five-act musical extravaganzas. rioscenarium.com.br.

2 Carioca da Gema The pioneering hot spot regularly scoops awards for note-perfect samba and jazz shows performed in a two-story town house. barcariocadagema.com.br.

3 Circo Voador Bands from all over the world come to play at this cultural center; the energy on the dance floor is uniquely Brazilian. circovoador.com.br.

Restaurant prices are approximate rates for dinner for two, unless otherwise noted.

From left: Pork “carrots” with pepper jelly at Armazém São Thiago; Parque Lage; décor on display at the Novo Desenho shop in MAM Rio.

Local Take Three natives share their favorite city locales.

RODRIGO NATACHA FINK

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Chef, Espirito Santa

Architect, House in Rio

Furniture designer

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“The village of Santa Teresa, with its winding streets and crumbling mansions, has a bohemian spirit unlike the rest of Rio. I love to visit the atelier of Brazilian painter Carlos Vergara (carlosvergara.art.br; by appointment), who now exhibits all over the world. You can always catch an authentic music performance at Parque das Ruínas (169 Rua Murtinho Nobre; 55-21/2215-0621), an open-air cultural center with amazing views of Sugarloaf. For drinks, don’t miss Armazém São Thiago (armazemsao thiago.com.br), a neighborhood favorite known by locals as Bar do Gomes.”

Trips Out of Town

Sitio Roberto Burle Marx Thousands of rare plant species fill the gardens at the farmhouse estate and studio of Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, who laid out Copacabana’s two-tone beachside promenade.

RODRIGUES

“On weekends, I like to wander the tree-lined streets in Jardim Botânico and Gávea. Stop at the Instituto Moreira Salles (ims.uol.com.br) to see photography by both Brazilian and international artists. Hipódromo (55-21/2270-9720; R$20) is a beloved lunch spot packed with young Cariocas; order the picanha beef steak.

Afterward, stroll through nearby Parque Lage. Oro Restaurante (ororestaurante.com; four-course tasting from R$180) is great for dinner—try the multicourse tasting menu, made with fresh ingredients and avant-garde cooking techniques.”

Petrópolis Former emperor Pedro II’s mountainside retreat draws summer weekenders with its 19th-century Crystal Palace and verdant hiking trails inside Serra dos Órgãos National Park.

“The district of Botafogo, where my studio is located, has become a gastronomic hub. My go-to place for modern Brazilian cuisine is Irajá Gastrô (irajagastro.com.br; R$150), run by chef Pedro de Artagão; get the pirarucu fish with sautéed banana.

For experimental art exhibits, check out MAM Rio (mamrio.org.br), in Flamengo; the museum’s Novo Desenho shop sells beautiful jewelry and housewares. After browsing the contemporary furniture at Ipanema’s Arquivo Contemporâneo (arquivo contemporaneo.com.br), head to Arpoador beach and watch the sunset.”

Niterói Explore the UFO-shaped, Oscar Niemeyer– designed Museu de Arte Contemporânea (macniteroi. com.br), Santa Cruz da Barra fort, and unspoiled beaches of this city, a 15-minute ferry ride from downtown Rio.

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Last Look

Photographed by Kit Chan

Penang Swing kids The street-art trend in George Town started in 2012, when Lithuanian Ernest Zacharevic painted kids at play on the walls of the historic area.

But don’t go looking for these two

by Lou Gan on Step by Step Lane; the sign is part of the installation.

“The real Bruce Lee would never do this” That’s the title—and probably safe assumption—of this mural by the collective Artists for Stray Animals, on Ah Quee Street. Neither curiosity nor kung fu may kill the cat, but the eco-friendly paint with which he was created will fade in about two years.

Mousing away

Hoop dreams A brother and sister play basketball on Gat Lebuh Chulia’s wall, forever suspended between the waters of the Malacca Strait on one side and the travelers’ enclave, Chulia Street.

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A black mouse tries to stay under the radar in one of Armenian Street’s side lanes. Why? There’s a giant feline (painting) lurking right around the corner.