Ultratravel magazine Summer 2023

SAVOURING THE SEAS

HOROLOGY REDEFINED CULTURE ON THE MAP

SINGAPORE SWINGS

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THE JOY OF DISCOVERY

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GREEN HOTELS

PADEL POWER

EASY GLIDER

LIGHT AND SPACE IN ULURU

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DISCOVER AUTHENTIC LUXURY

Immerse the senses and the soul in journeys of art, culture, flavour and wellbeing in leading destinations across Europe and beyond.

ANANTARA PALAZZO NAIADI ROME HOTEL

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ANANTARA NEW YORK PALACE BUDAPEST HOTEL

VILLA PADIERNA PALACE BENAHAVIS MARBELLA

13 • Editor’s Letter

Treading lightly this summer. By Farhad Heydari

16 • Being Green

Global Hotel Alliance unveils its new Green Collection, featuring 200 sustainability-led properties that encourage responsible travel and respect for the planet. By Julie Alpine

22 • The Shortlist

Stylish seasonal diversions, from Richard Mille’s inaugural vintage yacht race to new golf attire. By Ultratravel editors

24 • High Spirits

Bottles of distinction for your back bar, next barbecue or toes-in-the-sand beach getaway. By FH

Darafshian

THE JOY OF DISCOVERY

26 • Leading Lights

The London tennis court revived with a little help from Roger Federer and Mercedes-Benz. By Coco Georgiou

IN THIS ISSUE

27 • Browsing Around

Beauty essentials to know about, from pocket-sized perfumes to oh-so-chic candles. By Ultratravel editors

28 • Out There

A magical drone and laser light show is putting the sacred Australian site of Uluru centre stage. By Jon Burbage

33 • For Your Eyes Only

The Canadian private island rewriting the rule book on eco-friendly design – and adventure. By Julie Alpine

36 • Mustering an Appetite

Thought the best thing about cruise cuisine was the port calls? Think again. By Gary Buchanan

41 • Dial It Up

Designed to turn heads, today’s timepieces are turning up the volume in ever-more daring ways. By Chris Hall

SUMMER 2023

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Farhad Heydari

Farhad@ultratravel.com @MrFarhadHeydari

SENIOR EDITOR

Julie Alpine

CHAIRMAN

Nick Perry Nick@ultratravel.com @MrNickPerry

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Andrew Cowan

CONTRIBUTORS

46 • Artscapes

Overwhelmed by the array of new cultural hotspot openings? From neoclassical landmarks to robot museums, your itinerary starts here. By Mark Jones

51 • Eastern Promise

Softening its famous skyscraper-studded skyline with cascades of foliage, Singapore is enjoying a green revolution, with far-reaching benefits. By Christian Barker

56 • Padel,

Anyone?

Promising a serious workout and a whole lot of fun, padel is taking the world by storm. From learning the rules to finding a court, we’ve got the lowdown. By Jen Murphy

60 •

Future Proof

Electric tech has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, as evidenced by the unveiling of Audi’s latest e-tron, the Q8. Here’s why you’ll love it. By Will Hersey

Christian Barker, Gary Buchanan, Jon Burbage, FH Darafshian, Coco Georgiou, Chris Hall, Will Hersey, Mark Jones, Jen Murphy

@Ultratravel ultratravel.com

COVER PHOTO: PARKROYAL COLLECTION PICKERING, SINGAPORE

RENDER BY MINMUD

YOUR DAY, elevated.

Treading lightly

When it comes to sustainability, everyone nowadays is trying to do their part. From multinationals with corporate responsibility doctrines to mid-size eco-friendly firms right down to mindful individuals who are keen to use fewer resources in their own households — all have an impact on their communities and on the world. Being on the right side of Mother Earth isn’t just an of-the-moment trend but increasingly a permanent moral position.

And it’s a position of care and compassion that is finding its way into, among other places, the world of hospitality. On all seven continents and the high seas, moves are being made to reduce the dependence on seemingly minute details such as single-use plastic straws or plastic water bottles (by furnishing guests, for example, with stylish reusable flasks that can be taken off-property) to eliminating unnecessarily excessive packaging.

Then there are properties that are thinking larger-scale, with focuses on solar electricity generation, water recycling, building with a minimal footprint or using local resources and materials in an effort to reduce the environmental damage that we can inflict on our increasingly sensitive environs. They are all small steps on a global scale, but, taken together, they contribute to a larger and eminently worthwhile cause, around which we can all rally.

As you’ll discover in this summer edition of , we highlight a few initiatives that can hopefully move the needle in the right direction – from a citystate that’s at the vanguard of going green (often quite literally) and a carbon-neutral, self-sustaining private island refuge off the Canadian coast to the highly commendable work of the Global Hotel Alliance, where widespread changes to protect people and the planet are afoot. Enjoy the issue.

on the right side of Mother Earth

Being

isn’t just an of-the-moment trend but increasingly a permanent moral position

Farhad Heydari EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ultratravel

LOOKING AHEAD Green credentials are an all-important factor for today’s mindful traveller

BeingGreen

When it comes to intertwining luxury experiences with a deep commitment to protecting and future-proofing our planet, GHA is leading the charge with its new Green Collection an extraordinary compilation of properties that promise guests both unparalleled comfort and a clean conscience. Julie Alpine reports

It’s not easy being green,” laments Kermit the Frog, in his 1974 song of the same name. Fast forward to summer 2023 and, following the recent launch of its pioneering Green Collection, the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands would beg to disagree. Bringing under one umbrella nearly 200 hotels, resorts and palaces operated by Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) hotel brands that are demonstrating their commitment to protecting people and the planet, Green Collection is hitting all the right notes with today’s discerning travellers – those who are increasingly seeking not just an escape but a haven that aligns with their values and provides the peace of mind that comes with knowing they are contributing to a better world for future generations.

“Across GHA’s 800 properties from 40 brands, located in more than 100 countries around the globe, there are some world-class examples of practices and initiatives with a positive environmental and social impact,” says GHA CEO Chris Hartley, a man who is confident that the paperwork is in place across participating properties to ensure guests sleep easy. Every Green Collection member has attained at least one certification from a globally recognised environmental organisation, with EarthCheck, Green Growth 2050, Green Globe and Green Key among the 15 leading bodies represented. Many GHA brands have already achieved certification for every property in their portfolio or are close to doing so, among them Capella Hotels & Resorts, Elewana Collection, GLO Hotels, JA Resorts & Hotels, Kempinski Hotels and Outrigger Resorts.

“It helps travellers, including the 24 million members of our GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme, to make more informed travel decisions based on their personal values and priorities, which today include hotel sustainability credentials and treading as lightly as possible in the destinations they visit,” says Hartley.

This growing desire to tread lightly is evidenced by industry research. While few savvy travellers would turn down the offer of a cool mai tai on arrival at their accommodation

of choice, enjoyed barefoot on the powder-soft sand, perhaps, or while gazing across a glittering skyline hitherto seen only on screen, long gone are the days when they’d welcome it being served in single-use plastic. According to a recent World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report, 69% of travellers are actively seeking sustainable options in 2023. In 2022, GHA DISCOVERY members demonstrated their preference for hotels included in the new collection, contributing to 49% in total revenue: Green Collection speaks eloquently to this demand.

Accounting for nearly one-quarter of the prestigious portfolio and representing half of its brands, from mid-scale to high-end, encompassing urban sanctuaries, coastal retreats and everything in between, Green Collection reiterates GHA’s alignment to the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals, which guide the evolution of the hospitality industry for a more sustainable future.

Taking action in line with Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria guidelines – addressing the implementation of effective sustainable planning, maximising social and economic benefits for local communities, enhancing the cultural heritage of destinations where they operate and reducing negative environmental impact – every Green Collection getaway showcases inspiring achievements in the realm of responsible tourism.

DREAM TEAM

Above: Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea’s Green Team celebrate receiving EarthCheck’s Bronze Benchmark certification

LUNGS

FORCE OF NATURE

Below: a family tent at Elewana Collection’s Tortilis Camp in Kenya

And what does this look like on the ground?

At the BCA Green Mark Gold certificate-awarded PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore, a contemporary central business district landmark, sustainability takes the form of the country’s first “garden-in-a-hotel”. Home to 2,400 naturally air-purifying trees and shrubs, 210 solar panels, an urban farm that supplies the hotel’s spa and restaurants, in-room filtered water system and double-glazed glass roof, the property has made significant waste and energyreduction gains. Sister hotel PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, also in Singapore, designed by renowned architects WOHA, runs with the same verdant urban garden concept, incorporating energy-saving features and cuttingedge technologies throughout. Having picked up the World’s Leading Green City Hotel award at the World Travel Awards, the building cements the city-state’s position as a global leader of green high-rise developments.

The Anantara group has also been busy, with more than 36 of its properties globally having been awarded Green Growth 2050 certification. Marine conservation takes centre stage at Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, which is preserving the coral reefs protecting its pristine beaches and the sea life in the island’s dazzling lagoon by initiating the Coral Adoption Programme, with guests encouraged to take part by planting coral in a reef nursery.

Then, there’s Jordan’s Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea, recently awarded EarthCheck’s Bronze Benchmark certification, where more than 98% of electricity is generated by solar panels. The irrigation system employed in the property’s much-lauded gardens uses recycled water, in-hotel drinking fountains reduce the use of plastic and communityminded initiatives include the donation of clothing, soap and a portion of each guest’s bill to local charities.

Another trailblazer, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts was the first hospitality company in the state of Hawaii to commit

to earning Green Seal sustainability certification for its hotels and resorts. The group has implemented sciencebased standards at properties including Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, Castaway Island, Fiji and Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort.

Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites and Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai Hotel, meanwhile, have both received Green Growth 2050 certification for their eco-friendly practices, with Avani Palm View Dubai attaining Green Growth’s Platinum certification in recognition of its water and energyconservation programmes, aluminium-can, glass and cooking oil recycling, tree planting initiatives and emissions-reducing public transport awareness campaign.

GREEN BY DESIGN

Left: poolside at Singapore’s PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering

“Singapore’s first ‘gardenin-a-hotel’ is home to 2,400 airpurifying trees and shrubs”

With these examples representing just a fraction of the future-facing initiatives in motion across the Green Collection portfolio, the old traveller’s adage, “take only photographs, leave only footprints”, resonates with Hartley. “Social awareness and environmental sustainability are core values that GHA has embraced since its inception. Our overarching philosophy is to treat people and the planet with the utmost respect, creating a more resilient, equal and sustainable global ecosystem, and the efforts of our Green Collection properties are a testament to this.”

For more information or to join the programme for free, visit ghadiscovery.com or download the GHA DISCOVERY mobile app.

BREATH OF FRESH AIR PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore

TURNING THE TIDE Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort

What’s hot, what to buy and what to know, as compiled by Ultratravel editors

THE WRITE STUFF

THE SHORTLIST

Pushing the limits of technical expertise and creativity to transform a functional object into a precious work of art isn’t easy. But that’s exactly what Montblanc has achieved with a series of limited-edition High Artistry métiers d’art writing instruments celebrating the Orient Express, including this one. An ode to Mata Hari, one of the more mysterious passengers who frequented the legendary train, a window in the barrel opens to reveal a delicate miniature painting of this famous dancer. montblanc.com

INSTRUMENT OF CHANGE

Having shaped the last century with its enduring designs, Bang & Olufsen has mined its celebrated past and taken inspiration from the soft organic curves and natural materials of its Beolit radio series from the 1960s to create the new Beosound A5, which blends nostalgia with state-of-the-art connectivity for a speaker that will delight users for a lifetime – and beyond. bang-olufsen.com

SHORTLIST

CHARTING A NEW COURSE

Already at the vanguard of horology, Richard Mille’s latest venture, a brand-new vintage yacht race, has sailed into history. The inaugural Richard Mille Cup featured 11 classic yachts, all built before 1939, as well as 200 crew members, who sailed between Great Britain and France from Falmouth to Cowes via Dartmouth along the south coast of the UK, before crossing the English Channel to the final finish line in Le Havre in a series of inshore and offshore races. “These early 20th-century sailboats were designed and built for nothing but speed, and it’s that extreme quality I appreciate,” says Mille. “Their beauty and efficiency contribute to their formidable personalities. Whether you look at their lines, sails or masts – everything is gorgeous,” he continues. Even the weather. richardmille.com

MATERIAL WORLD

The significance of the colour green in golf is indisputable – which is why the latest release from Scottish specialist Glenmuir is a pleasing palate of the hue, in everything from the jacquard knit shirt to the marine green accented hat and more. glenmuir.com

Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival

This year’s 11-Year-Old lightly peated single malt has been finished for 12 months in white port casks, for a fruity, fragrant and spicy finish. glenscotia.com

Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Jodhpur Polo Edition

The fifth release in the renowned Polo Collection is housed in Royal Salute’s signature flagon, coloured vibrantly to recall a magical night in Jodhpur. royalsalute.com

HIGH SPIRITS

Kilchoman Cognac Cask Matured

A first for the distillery, the Cognac Cask Matured offers rich, herbaceous sweet spice, coupled with maritime peat smoke lent by Kilchoman’s coastal location. kilchomandistillery.com

Tantalising elixirs of distinction, from new tequilas and must-have whiskeys to one very special gin.

By FH Darafshian

Bushmills 30-Year-Old Single Malt

This latest expression comes courtesy of the world’s most extensive reserve of aged Irish single malt whiskeys, the distillery’s rarest, small-batch release to date. bushmills.eu

Talisker Wilder Seas

The distillery’s first 100% recycled glass bottle, made from biofuel and designed with a ceramic decoration to reduce labelling, is finished in French Oak XO cognac casks. malts.com

Nobu Rare 2008 Reserve Tequila

A collaboration with QUI Tequila, this limited-edition, small-batch aged elixir has passed the taste test of world-renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa. quitequila.com

Ben

Lomond Gin

London dry in style with a Scottish twist, this gin boasts notes of sweet berries, zingy citrus, floral rose and spicy Szechuan pepper. benlomondgin.com

818 Tequila Añejo

Named after founder Kendall Jenner’s Calabasas, California area code, this release is aged in French and American oak for 14 months and features a rich, full-bodied finish with crisp herbal notes. drink818.com

Tequila Komos

Fashioned from hand-harvested Blue Weber agave, the Añejo Reserva expression is aged for a minimum of 12 months in French oak, American bourbon and sherry casks. komos.com

Maestro Dobel 50 1970 Extra Añejo

A celebration of 11 generations of tequila mastery and innovation, this ultra-rare, aged specimen is sourced and selected from the brand founder’s personal collection. maestrodobel.com

A NEW LEAF

Destination hotel and spa The Grove unveils the final phase of its epic refurbishment

As birthday celebrations go, this is one you won’t want to miss. Nestled in the Hertfordshire countryside, just 18 miles from London, luxurious five-star retreat The Grove is celebrating its 20th year in high style, with the unveiling of the final phase of an extensive three-year refurbishment. Artfully blending the property’s 18th-century heritage with contemporary élan, the transformation heralds in new-look suites, a revamped Sequoia Spa and an array of cutting-edge upgrades guaranteed to wow golfers and diners alike.

Enjoy views over The Grove’s 300-acre grounds from the comfort of one of 12 reimagined mansion suites brought to life by the team at Martin Hulbert Design. Featuring wooden flooring, marble bathrooms and working fireplaces, they come in three colour palettes: terracotta, blue and green. Furnishings are all made in the UK, and are all – other than the thoughtfully curated antiques – bespoke.

For those whose top priority is relaxation, the first port of call should be the fully refurbed Sequoia Spa, where a black mosaic-tiled pool and therapeutic heat experience rooms await. A new partnership with Bamford showcases the natural, sustainable body and skincare brand’s signature rituals, massages and facials, all overseen by The Grove’s standout team of wellness practitioners.

The Grove, which hosted the British Masters in 2016, has also made a host of investments across its already impressive golf experience, including enhancements to the much-loved Stables Bar, terrace and courtyard, Locker Rooms and Halfway House. Plus, on standby is a shiny new fleet of high-spec Club Car golf buggies, complete with Bluetooth speakers.

Visiting between 14 July and 3 September? Make a beeline to The Grove’s popup Everyman Secret Garden cinema in partnership with Discovery. In the Walled Garden, also home to an outdoor pool, beach and kitchen garden, special screenings will include a 10-piece gospel choir performing the music of Harry Styles before a screening of Don’t Worry Darling, an Elton John-themed fireworks display following Rocketman, and more fireworks to round off a screening of Top Gun: Maverick. The partnership with Discovery will also see special activities running throughout the summer, including hot-air balloon rides, family den-building sessions, foraging workshops and tree-climbing adventures – in addition to The Grove’s usual array of activities, from archery and axe throwing to biking on woodland trails.

Hotel Manager Joanna Barnett says, “We look back at the last 20 years fondly and ahead to all the unforgettable memories we can’t wait to create for our guests, in this 20th year and all the years to come.” We’ll raise a glass to that. (thegrove.co.uk)

THE GRAND REVEAL Escape to Hertfordshire to unwind in The Grove’s upgraded Sequoia Spa or poolside in the Walled Garden, then kick back in one of 12 new mansion suites

LEADING LIGHTS

Neon Legacy, founded by Roger Federer and Mercedes-Benz, opens its London street art tennis court designed to promote public tennis to huge applause, reports Coco Georgiou STRAIGHT

Twenty grand slams; 310 weeks atop the tennis world rankings; five Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards... Roger Federer is used to seeing his name in lights. But on retiring from active sport last year, the tennis legend wanted to spotlight tomorrow’s players and inspire them to reach for the stars. In London’s reopened, street art-rich Bostall Gardens, he’s delivered an ace. The multi-faceted community space – the flagship project of Neon Legacy, founded by Federer and Mercedes-Benz – is an urban work of art that’s not only sympathetic to its historic Greenwich surroundings, but also serves its intended purpose, with tennis courts as its centrepiece (no membership necessary to play), a spacious calisthenics training area, basketball court and rainbow-hued children’s playground.

The renovation of the courts evolved from the auctioning of one knockout vehicle: a head-turning, tennis ball-yellow Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 63 S E Performance adorned with Federer’s personal signet. And, while the car’s specs are enough to set any petrolhead’s pulse racing, its best feature is that its sale has enabled a worthy cause: refurbishing tennis courts to be enjoyed by all.

“What a fantastic idea: a sports court as a canvas and an identity-creating meeting place for the local community,” said Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Communications & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz AG, echoing the thoughts of many in attendance for the launch. “If, together with Roger and our initiative Neon Legacy, we have managed to give something back to society and promote tennis at the same time, then the effort and passion we have put into this heartfelt project has been very worthwhile,” she continued.

That seems to be the consensus – and the artistic element of the court is one reason: painted together with the local community, it was led by Berlin-based street art duo Low Bros, aka Christoph and Florin Schmidt, whose trademark retro-futuristic style has earned the pair legions of fans, and whose work explores contradictions in the digital age surrounding personal identity. Flower power reigns supreme, with floral motifs inspired by the facility’s name blooming alongside 3D elements of the court designed to evoke open windows on a computer desktop.

And what does Federer make of the makeover? He’s all smiles. “It has always been my goal to give something back to the next generation of tennis players. I am very grateful to be a partner with Mercedes-Benz and the Neon Legacy project, which not only renovated this tennis facility, but transformed it into a bright and happy place for everyone to enjoy.”

(mercedes-benz.com)

Roger Federer and Bettina Fetzer of Mercedes-Benz step onto the new court with the street art duo behind its design, Low Bros – Christoph and Florin Schmidt

BRIGHT IDEA

The brilliant Bostall Gardens

BROWSING AROUND

For him, her and the home

SKIN SCIENCE

Swiss cosmetic brand Cellcosmet has debuted three new body care products, bringing its expertise to bridge the gap in this oftenforgotten category. The Cellular Body Gel-Cream ensures long-lasting hydration for skin, the CellBust-XT intensely revitalises the décolleté, and the Hand Cream pampers and soothes the overworked epidermis. cellcosmet-cellmen.com

SOJOURNING SCENT

Perfect for a fragrant on-the-go hit, these D.S. & Durga pocket perfumes are 10ml rollerball specimens that come in luxurious glass cylinders, packaged in fun, brightly coloured boxes. dsanddurga.com

AROMA THERAPY

Working at the intersection of fashion, design, art and perfumery, Italian entrepreneurs and brothers Stefano and Andrea Aschieri’s niche brand of unisex eaux de parfum, candles and room fragrances, Rhizome, is an olfactory revelation. rhizomescents.it

ETERNAL FLAME

For its 380th anniversary (you read that correctly), French heritage candlemaker Trudon has launched a new collection as an homage to the rose, Marie-Antoinette’s favourite flower. Dubbed Tuileries, for the palace to which she and King Louis XVI repaired to in the early months of the French Revolution, the floral and fruity chypre is available in four candle sizes and a diffuser and hints back at the range’s French heritage and the countless stories it holds. trudon.com

FRAGRANT FEW

Wanderlust-inducing book publisher Assouline has launched a series of travel collection candles, created by renowned perfumer Jérôme Epinette, which transport sybarites from Mykonos and Marrakech to as far as the moon. assouline.com

OUT THERE

Indigenous mythology comes to life at a spectacular drone and laser light show in the sacred Central Australian desert, writes

Jon Burbage

In 2019, a long-promised ban on climbing Australia’s most famous rock formation, Uluru, came into force. The site, also known as Ayers Rock, is a sacred place for the Anangu people, who have inhabited the area for at least 30,000 years. There was ultimately little opposition to the ban – it had become a dangerous as well as sacrilegious activity. But there was plenty of lingering anxiety about the long-term effect it would have on tourism in the area.

The response: what’s claimed to be the world’s biggest drone and laser light show. Wintjiri Wiru (ayersrockresort.com.au), meaning “beautiful view out to the horizon” in the Pitjantjatjara language, is a newly launched 20-minute journey through ancient myth told through 21st-century technology.

Guests of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, which runs the permanent resorts on the edge of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, can choose between two packages: one standing, with drinks included, the other seated in an outdoor amphitheatre, with a gourmet picnic hamper provided. The victuals are good, but it’s the spectacle that makes Wintjiri Wiru one of 2023’s big additions to the global traveller’s wish list.

Canadian-born, Australia-based “media architect” Bruce Ramos cut his teeth working at the Oscars ceremony and on stadium shows for U2 and Green Day. This was a different kind of client. He spent six years learning about the origin myths of the Anangu. Together, they constructed a narrative set against the stars above the dark, low mass of Uluru. Spectral Mala wallabies pick around the desert oaks at your feet. In the skies, trees the size of skyscrapers form and reform, before the drones shapeshift into the giant devil-dog of Anangu myth.

An altogether more peaceful experience is Tali Wiru, a sunset dinner overlooking the national park. Both experiences are worth making reservations for. But the star of the show appears for free: the great inselberg itself – Uluru.

THE VICTUALS ARE GOOD BUT IT’S THE SPECTACLE THAT PUTS WINTJURI WIRU ON THE GLOBAL TRAVEL WISH LIST

CASTAWAY ISLAND FIJI TAKES GREAT CARE IN ITS STEWARDSHIP

A founding member of MES Fiji (Mamanuca Environment Society) and a leading advocate of environmental sustainability in tourism development, Castaway’s collective actions include coral planting, beach and underwater clean-up, fish house making and coastal tree planting, in addition to back-of-house goals such as reducing energy, water and waste while working alongside like-minded local non-profit organizations.

HAWAI‘I FIJI MAURITIUS THAILAND MALDIVES I Outrigger.com

Left: made from boulders and rock, the bath house propels you into nature

Right top: Earth House’s nine buildings are each made from a unique material

Right middle: Bjarke Ingels

Right bottom: local vegetation will embed the house into the island

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Like a space-age Bond lair, if Bond lairs were carbon-neutral, the self-sustaining Vollebak Island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, is blurring the boundaries between inside and out.

By Julie Alpine

It’s a futuristic vision that only a collaboration between disruptor clothing brand Vollebak and starchitects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) could have dreamed up: an 11-acre island off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, fully powered by carbon neutral energy.

It’s not every clothing company that gets the chance to work on a residential property with Bjarke Ingels. But for those familiar with the way the maverick, London’s King’s Cross-based label operates, the move is perhaps only mildly unexpected.

Ingels, the visionary founder and creative director of BIG, says of the partnership, “Vollebak is using technology and material innovation to create clothes that are as sustainable and resilient as they are beautiful. In other words, the fashion equivalent of our architectural philosophy of ‘Hedonistic Sustainability’.”

Vollebak Island is situated one-quarter of a mile off the mainland in the spectacular Jeddore Harbour, whose deep, inky waters are relatively unknown to residents outside of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore. At the heart of the off-grid compound is a radically simple design: the central Earth House – a cluster of nine interlinked buildings that appear to emerge organically from the ground – and, on the eastern shore, Wood House – a bunker-like annexe constructed, as the name suggests, entirely from trees grown on the island.

“We make clothes from the future, and Bjarke creates the architecture of the future. So we wanted to join forces to create something truly unique—a vision of the world as we see it. Vollebak Island is a blueprint for how we can build a more sustainable future,” says Steve Tidball, Co-founder and CEO of Vollebak.

Residents will be able to cook, eat and kick back around a six-metre Viking fire pit, before unwinding in a Japanese-style bath house with soaking tubs cut from the stone bedrock, or slipping into a ringside seat to view the galaxy from the sunken stargazing room.

“For Vollebak Island, we incorporate local tradition elevated by global innovation in a self-sustained man-made ecosystem,” says Ingels. Something that any resident adventurer will appreciate, Bond villain or otherwise. (vollebak.com)

NATURAL BEAUTY

JEWEL IN THE CROWN

Aerial view of the nine main structures, including the vegetable and plant house, made from emerald-coloured glass bricks

BUON APPETITO!

Expedition ship Scenic Eclipse II’s Italian-leaning Elements restaurant, home to the invitationonly 10-seater Chef’s Table

Put away the tongs and step away from the buffet. The hitherto culinary moshpit that was once the preserve of every seaborne conveyance of distinction has now largely been replaced by gustatory experiences that rival those of famed restaurants back on terra firma.

Nowadays, in partnership with esteemed chefs, cruise lines are not only eschewing the aforementioned standby but also shunning half-baked fads (think: overly garnished plates topped with foam). Instead, they are opting for menus that aren’t dripping in pretension and where passengers get to not only savour Michelin-quality cuisine but also have the opportunity to make gastro discoveries of their own.

Take Oceania Cruises (oceaniacruises.com) as an example: it is renowned for its culinary oeuvre and has the highest percentage of personnel devoted to fine dining at sea. To ensure the impeccable quality of each dish, there’s one chef for every 10 guests; in fact, half of the onboard crew is dedicated to the cooking or serving of food. Gastrocruisers can sign up for wine-paired lunches featuring Krug Brut and caviar, as well as Dom Pérignon Experience dinners served in Salon Privée.

It’s a more experimental, terroir-based epicurean offering on Silversea Cruises (silversea.com), where, in collaboration with James Beard Award-winning food journalist Adam Sachs, they’ve created “culinary enrichment programme” S.A.L.T. It encompasses land-based food market trips, winery visits and creative local dining experiences, coupled with food and wine tastings with renowned hosts, cookery workshops and lectures by guest chefs.

For its part, Crystal Cruises (crystalcruises.com) has set a course for the culinary firmament and boasts restaurants helmed by the most revered exponents of Michelin-level cuisine. Its venerable lodestars Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, which will shortly debut with A&K Travel Group, will offer aesthetes impeccable Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine and supreme sushi at UMI UMA by Nobu Matsuhisa. Another culinary odyssey at sea awaits on board Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent (celebritycruises.com), which will grace the Caribbean from December. This latest smoking-hot behemoth to attest that maritime architectural zeal knows no bounds will feature Le Voyage, an intimate 50-seat restaurant by French-born, New York-based chef

Daniel Boulud, who relishes his role as Global Culinary Ambassador for the cruise line.

Revelling in the genre of boutique superyachts, Windstar Cruises (windstarcruises.com) has appointed Anthony Sasso to create the menus at Cuadro 44 aboard Star Legend. The chef, whose flagship New York restaurant Casa Mono held a Michelin star for 10 years when he wore the toque, has envisaged a menu showcasing inventive cuisine from coastal regions of the Iberian Peninsula.

With their sleek, stealth-wealth superstructure, Scenic’s (scenic.co.uk) Scenic Eclipse I and II underscore that charting the sea lanes less travelled is no impediment to peerless cuisine. Aboard these expedition ships, the Chef’s Table @ Elements is an invitation-only molecular cuisine dining experience, offering 10 guests a multi-course tasting menu plus wine pairing. Contemporary French fine dining is showcased in Lumière, where dégustation menus are the order of the day.

Esteemed chefs aboard cruise ships shun halfbaked fads and scorn serving up overly garnished hype on a plate

PHOTO: LUCIA GRIGGI

LIVING LEGEND Windstar Cruises’ Star Legend, aboard which diners can look forward to Michelin-quality menus by Anthony Sasso

LOCAL HEROES

A Silversea Cruises food tour in the Philippines

In a similar vein, Regent’s (rssc.com) Seven Seas Grandeur will take guilty pleasures to the next level following its launch in November. Within the refined temple to epicurean art that is Compass Rose, a canopy of crystal and woodedge illuminated trees gives the impression of dining in an enchanted forest. The gastronomic tour de force continues at the luscious Chartreuse, which takes its design cues from 1925 Paris; as well as at the urbane Prime 7 steakhouse, which flaunts the romance of fin de siècle New York.

Acclaimed chef Thomas Keller, owner of the French Laundry in California’s Napa Valley, places the emphasis firmly on farm-to-table cuisine in The Grill by Thomas Keller on each of Seabourn’s (seabourn.com) classic ships, as well as its two expedition vessels: Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit. And gourmands will likewise be in their element aboard EXPLORA’s (explorajourneys.com) brandnew EXPLORA I, which will boast nine distinct culinary experiences, including French-inspired Fil Rouge and Marble & Co. Grill, not to mention Med Yacht Club, which will specialise in plates to share that are created from plant-based ingredients, when it debuts on 17 July. When it does, this much-anticipated new cruise line is on course to serve up a coup de cuisine.

CLEAN PLATES

Above: refined farm-tofork cuisine is on the menu at The Grill by Thomas Keller, aboard each of Seabourn’s classic vessels and its two expedition ships

CARTE BLANCHE

Right: the elegant Compass Rose on Regent’s Seven Seas Grandeur, whose November launch is giving gourmands much to look forward to

DECISIONS, DECISIONS Fil Rouge, one of nine delectable dining destinations aboard the new EXPLORA I

Cruise lines are opting for menus that aren’t dripping in pretension, and allowing diners to savour Michelinquality cuisine on board

CHANGE OF SCENE

Scenic Eclipse I sets off from Lisbon, Portugal

IT UP DIAL

Advances in manufacturing technology combined with a desire for unfettered self-expression are colouring the design of a bold new breed of watches. Chris Hall reports

The watch you wear has always sent out a statement, whether consciously crafted or subliminal. Sometimes, it’s communicating minimalist sophistication; sometimes, an easily overlooked signifier of rare taste, picked up only by those in the know. And sometimes, we want a watch that’s loud and clear about its intentions. It might be a simple matter of fitting in with the rest of your personal style: if you’re bounding out of a Lamborghini in head-to-toe Gucci, a plain black dive watch probably isn’t your vibe. Maybe you’re just in love with the avantgarde watchmaking on offer at Switzerland’s more contemporary indie brands.

Whatever it may be, there has never been a better time to invest in a head-turning timepiece. Even the more conservative brands are discovering hitherto unimaginable levels of playfulness: at the global trade fair Watches and Wonders in April, Rolex (rolex.com ) was centre of attention not for a new dive watch or chronograph but because it had, seemingly out of nowhere, produced an Oyster Perpetual whose dial was covered in multicoloured bubbles. Available in 36mm or 41mm versions, it recalled a mini-collection of five block-coloured Oyster Perpetuals that debuted in 2020, bringing all five colours together in one. As brand after brand has embraced the rainbow in recent years, other well-known designs have also been reborn with wildly more expressive personalities than ever previously imagined.

To mark the company’s partnership with Aston Martin, Girard-Perregaux (girard-perregaux.com ) reinterpreted its 1970s icon, the Laureato, in a British racing green ceramic. The end result – smooth, slinky bracelet links and a smartly faceted case, all with the depth of colour that only ceramic (coloured all the way through the material rather than surface-treated) can provide – is one of the most impressive recent additions to the crowded market for Seventies-inspired designs.

The ability to be so bold is facilitated by advances in manufacturing technology: unbound by the constraints of working in just steel or gold, watchmakers are able to dream brighter than ever before. Case in point: Hublot’s

New versions of Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual feature euphoric bubbles of different sizes fringed with black

TRUE COLOURS

RACING THE CLOCK

Below: the Laureato Aston Martin by Girard-Perregaux

INTO THE BLUE Left: synthetic sapphire transforms Hublot’s Big Bang Tourbillon Full Sapphire Blue into a wearable work of art

POLE POSITION

Above: Richard Mille’s RM 72-01

Le Mans Classic has been developed with an unyielding focus on performance, with its release celebrating the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

(hublot.com) Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Sapphire, which, as the name implies, is cased entirely in the synthetic gemstone, coloured a vibrant shade of royal blue. The tourbillon movement within is visible from every angle, and a reminder of Hublot’s undeniable mastery of high-end movement production, but it’s the case and bracelet that will have people talking.

It’s a formula familiar to Richard Mille (richardmille.com) followers: the company that epitomises 21st-century horological innovation and adventurous design was the first to commercialise a full-sapphire watch, and has since moved on to mastering ultra-lightweight polymers like Quartz TPT, which forms the case of the RM 72-01 Le Mans Classic, a flyback chronograph decked out in white, green and orange to celebrate the historic race. Limited to 150 pieces, it’s instantly recognisable thanks to the brand’s signature “tonneau”, or barrel-shaped case design. Retaining the connection to classic racing but relying on an even more adventurous silhouette is indie

contemporary MB&F (mbandf.com), which this June released an update to its “driver’s watch”, in the form of the HM8 Mk 2. Time is displayed vertically, thanks to a clever set of prisms that make the watch legible even while you cruise through the Riviera in your hypercar – which, in its carbon polymer construction and “double-bubble” shape, this timepiece closely resembles.

Of course, if you are aiming to turn heads, it helps if you’re starting with one of the best-known watch shapes of all time; a factor that also applies to the Audemars Piguet (audemarspiguet.com ) Royal Oak Offshore and TAG Heuer’s (tagheuer.com) Monaco. Both have been the beneficiaries of out-of-the-box makeovers this year; the former gaining a half-rainbow gem-set bezel and Mykonos-ready blue dial and strap, the latter, a skeletonised dial and moody, technical aesthetic that’s more Tron-meets-Blade Runner Both show the ease with which big Swiss maisons are revitalising established designs for an audience that, more than ever, wants its wristwear to be noticed.

BLUE-SKY THINKING

Right: affectionately referred to by watch lovers as “The Beast”, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore has been reconfigured with vibrant gemstones

Right: the skeletonised dial of TAG Heuer’s cool blue Monaco showcases its unique combination of red and white highlights

MAKING TRACKS

THE TABLE BAY HOTEL

Luxury and a warm African welcome await

“Our guests tell us that it is the small gestures, the little things we do di erently, and the warmth of our sta that define their experience of staying with us. We create special moments that will become treasured memories. We treat our guests like family, and this is what sets us apart and why they return.”

Joanne Selby, General Manager: The Table Bay hotel.

Experience Cape Town with a stay at the best address in the city, The Table Bay hotel. Style, elegance and luxury all converge at this Sun International five-star property on the water’s edge in South Africa’s oldest working harbour, the vibrant V&A Waterfront.

Since former president Nelson Mandela o cially opened its doors in 1997, this magnificent property has embraced international service standards with a defining local twist.

Surrounded by views of mountains, sea and city, the hotel’s 329 elegantly furnished rooms, including two

presidential suites, o er panoramic views of the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain on one side, and the ocean and Robben Island on the other.

With easy and convenient access to Cape Town’s central business district and an array of tourist attractions across the city and the peninsula, including wine tastings at internationally-acclaimed estates, and adventure tourism such as helicopter flips or mountain biking, business travellers and tourists will both have their needs met.

ACTIVITIES

Visitors have a wide selection of activities to choose from when deciding what to see or do while in the Mother City. The V&A Waterfront has a diverse o ering, from unique artisanal goods to international brands, and guarantees something for everyone visiting Cape Town. For a picturesque view of life under the sea and of the diverse marine life of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, visit the nearby Two Oceans Aquarium. Within walking distance is the internationally acclaimed Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), or you can simply relax on a sunset cruise with a bottle of bubbly, at the hotel pool deck or pamper yourself with a spa treatment at the hotel’s in-house Camelot spa.

DINING

Tuck into a feast of breakfast treats to suit all tastes, from seasonal fruits to justbaked pastries and breads. Not forgetting the traditional serving of eggs, the possibilities are endless and the choice all yours. Indulge in the decadent High Teas served in The Lounge or savour the finest drinks, expertly crafted by our skilled bartenders in the nautically themed Union Bar.

SIBA THE RESTAURANT

Make sure to visit SIBA The Restaurant for an exciting evening of experiential dining. An authentic celebration of South African flavours served with a contemporary flair, enjoy the best of the Cape Town food culture curated through the eyes of internationallyrenowned celebrity chef, Siba Mtongana.

Whether it is for business or leisure travel, The Table Bay is the ideal place from which to wake up and start your day.

The Table Bay is situated at the southern tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet in an area of incredible diversity of marine life. Here we have the opportunity to connect our visitors to the ocean and proudly contribute to the conservation and collaboration of animal welfare on our shores. Sun International supports a sustainability vision to protect our environment for the future.

ARTSCAPES

Are we living in a golden age of public art and architecture? New and recent openings of performance arts, science and other cultural spaces would suggest that we are. That age started with the 1997 opening of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum (guggenheim-bilbao.eus), which put the industrial northern Spanish town of Bilbao on the world’s cultural itinerary. Since then, civic leaders around the world have been seeking their own “Bilbao effect”.

A good example is the Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Art Centre (zaha-hadid.com) in southern China. Zhuhai is part of the emerging megapolis, the Greater Bay Area, but, overshadowed by nearby Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, wanted its own special architectural statement. It called, as many do, for Zaha Hadid architects. The new centre is designed like a migrating bird, making it both Instagrammable and memorable.

Over in Taiwan, the creative hub that is the Taipei Performing Arts Centre (TPAC) (tpac-taipei.org) offers more evidence that the island has become a big power in the arts world. There’s national as well as regional pride at stake here. The new building, which prosaic types might compare to a golf ball stuck in a bunker, follows the example set by the country’s largest port city, Kaohsiung, which completed its own arts campus in 2018.

You can’t separate these grand public buildings with wider political and social trends – and especially the current debate over objects acquired by western collections during colonial times.

ATHENIAN LEADER

The Acropolis Museum opened in Athens in 2009 to global acclaim

Mark Jones reveals the hot-ticket cultural landmarks that are raising national pride –and, in some cases, eyebrows – around the world

OMA PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS STOWERS. ACROPOLIS MUSEUM NIKOS DANIILIDIS

For years, the heirs of those collectors argued that, regretfully, the host countries lacked the infrastructure and know-how to display and preserve these priceless artefacts. The Acropolis Museum (theacropolismuseum.gr) in Athens in 2009 put paid to that line. Next up comes the grandest statement of intent yet by a modern land hosting an ancient civilisation: the hotly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) (grandegyptianmuseum.org) under construction next to the pyramids in Giza.

Beyond the glitzy openings and architecture prize shortlists, there are more profound intellectual currents running through the class of 2023. Take the forthcoming Pan African Heritage Museum (pahmuseum.org), located amid lush coastal forest in Pomadze Hills, west of Accra. Its stated ambition is to curate and tell the story of Africa using African voices, tools and culture. It’s situated close to the Door of No Return, which has become the symbolic (if historically disputed) site from which millions of Africans left their land for a life of slavery.

Reopenings also offer an opportunity for reinterpretation. One of the strangest examples in Europe is the Pyramid (piramida.edu.al), a work of monumental brutalism in the Albanian capital of Tirana. It was opened in 1988 as a museum devoted to the life of the long-term dictator Enver Hoxha. After the collapse of Communism in Europe, it became a NATO HQ. Having subsequently been threatened with demolition, the storied building has now been reborn as a state-of-the-art IT and media centre.

POWERHOUSE Left: the Taipei Performing Arts Centre (TPAC) is emblematic of Taiwan’s growing might on the cultural stage

LIVING LEGACY Right: Antwerp’s reopened – and revitalised – Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA)

ZHUHAI JINWAN CIVIC ARTS CENTRE_RENDER BY MINMUD

KARIN BORGHOUTS

FLYING HIGH

Designed by Zaha Hadid architects, the futuristic Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Arts Centre in southern China, takes the form of a bird in flight

The great legacy museums, meanwhile, have been rebuilding and rethinking, sometimes to the dismay of their traditional supporters. The reopening of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA) (kmska.be) in Antwerp got a fine old art debate going when curators hung a painting of a tavern scene at a drunken angle and installed a model of a luminous green cat in a room full of old masters.

In Washington DC, the grand Library of Congress (loc.gov) wants, in the words of the Washington Post, to “throw open the doors of America’s palace of knowledge and invite ordinary citizens to join scholars in exploring its treasures”. One whistleblower objected to a plan to remove a soaring tower in the reading room’s centre desk and replace it with a window in the floor. Not everyone, it seems, wants to let the light in.

Maybe the future and the far-distant past are safer areas to explore. That said, the new Robot & AI Museum (RAIM) (melikealtinisik.com) in Seoul picks up on perhaps the most discussed topic of 2023. It’s a good place, then, to get informed about the present as well as the future of technology. And New York City finally got the scientific world’s answer to MOMA with the $500 million redesign of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation (amnh.org). Its organic shape, like a network of eroded caves and canyons, makes a gentle-on-the-eye addition to the harsh verticals of its home city.

On that theme, look out for Jean Nouvel’s new hotel built into the ancient rock formations of AlUla (experiencealula.com), Saudi Arabia. AlUla is the centrepiece of the country’s new tourism drive. The mirrored Maraya concert and events hall is one of the most beautiful, as well as one of the newest, desert buildings anywhere. And while we are dreaming of remote and sublime places, look out for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (rubinobservatory.org) being constructed in the Chilean province of Elqui. The telescope will map the heavens, and thus the distant past, of our own universe in more detail than ever before. Only a select few will get to visit.

The same can be said for Michael Heizer’s epic outdoor sculpture project City (tripleaughtfoundation.org), in the Nevada desert – started in 1970 and completed in 2022 – which has finally opened, in a very controlled and limited way, to visitors. Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), said, “Over the years, I would sometimes compare Michael Heizer’s City project to some of the most important ancient monuments and cities. But now I only compare it to itself.”

The designers, curators and architects unveiling these grand designs can be forgiven for focusing on the immediate reaction. But the best of them, such as Heizer, have their gaze firmly fixed on posterity.

Beyond the glitzy openings and architecture prize shortlists, there are more profound intellectual currents running through the class of 2023

TOMORROW’S WORLD Seoul’s futuristic new landmark, the Robot & AI Museum (RAIM)

SANDS OF TIME

Michael Heizer’s sculpture project, City, rises from the Nevada desert

LOOKING

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory rests atop the Cerro Pachón ridge in the Chilean province of Elqui

MAKING A SPLASH

The neoclassical home of Antwerp’s Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA)

AN OPEN BOOK

Above: the Library of Congress in Washington DC, aka America’s “palace of knowledge”

KMSKA, (C)KARINBORGHOUTS

(C) MICHAEL HEIZER TRIPLE AUGHT FOUNDATION 2018 PHOTO BEN BLACKWELL

EASTERN PROMISE

Nature plays a starring role on Singapore’s contemporary stage, but the compact tropical city-state also has a host of cultural and culinary offerings worth making a detour for, says longtime resident Christian Barker

It is one of the most crowded countries on Earth, its population density exceeded only by Macau and Monaco. Yet even visitors savvy to this fact find it a bit of a surprise to arrive in the city-state and discover vast swathes of unspoilt nature spread across Singapore’s scanty 728 square kilometre landmass, and expanses of green space in even the busiest areas of the central business district.

The country’s leafiness is a result of its famously efficient government’s ongoing initiatives to shape a “city in a garden”. Intended to provide cleaner air and make life generally more pleasant for Singaporean citizens, the Garden City policy was first introduced in 1967 by the republic’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, and has been continued and expanded upon by his successors.

Today, Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, which regulates building in the city, operates a niftily named programme – Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises, or LUSH for short – dictating the replacement of greenery lost to construction, and incentivising the integration of lofty urban farms and “sky gardens”. As a result, Singapore

PERFECT PAIRINGS

Marguerite restaurant

is beloved locally for its seven-course tasting menu

has become a global leader in not merely eco-friendly, but very literally green urban development.

The Singapore-based architecture firm WOHA is responsible for some of the city’s most striking naturecentric structures. Perhaps its best-known to date is the hotel PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering. Situated in the heart of the CBD, this futuristic high-rise with cascading terraces of plant life has won numerous awards for design innovation and sustainability, while also becoming one of Singapore’s most popular social media snapshot backdrops.

The architects look set to repeat both feats with the PARKROYAL’s newly opened sibling property, Pan Pacific Orchard. Positioned among the exclusive real estate of Claymore Road, off Singapore’s bustling shopping hub of Orchard Road, the 350-room property seamlessly integrates nature with the inclusion of four generously landscaped al fresco terraces, with further greenery extending across each of the building’s 23 storeys. The hotel’s pool area is designed to resemble a tropical beach, while the lobby floor emulates a rainforest – contrasting with the modern highrise skyline view. Foliage occupies a space equal to more than double the property’s land area, with some 14,000 square metres of vegetation and water features.

Nature-loving Singapore visitors drawn to either of the aforementioned hotels will also want to put a visit to Gardens by the Bay high up on their to-do list. Brimming with exotic plant life, this space-age nature park is home to the world’s largest glass greenhouse, a sci-fi-style structure dubbed the “Flower Dome”.

Here, in addition to abundant flora, you’ll find one of Singapore’s best restaurants: Marguerite. Retaining this year the Michelin star it first won in 2022, just months after its late-2021 opening, Marguerite highlights the best in seasonal cuisine, integrating influences from across the

JUNGLE BOOGIE

Above: lush vegetation abounds at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering

SINGAPORE HAS BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER IN NOT

LOFTY IDEALS

Left: the sky-high National Gallery of Singapore

Lower: works on display at the inaugural ART SG fair

RIDING THE WAVE

Below: artist Otis Hope Carey’s hypnotic, surfinspired mural at Capella Singapore, Sentosa island

globe within its seven-course tasting menus and remarkably cosmopolitan wine pairings. (Expect surprises from recherche regions such as Morocco, Israel and Syria.)

Chef-patron Michael Wilson was born and raised in Melbourne, and the city’s strong Greek and Lebanese cultures are reflected in his cooking.

Another Australian making his mark on Singapore recently was artist Otis Hope Carey, who completed an epic mural flanking the ballrooms at Sentosa island’s iconic Capella Singapore. A full-time professional surfer before he took up the paintbrush, Carey says his work reflects his moves when he’s riding a wave. The parallels become immediately apparent with a glance at the undulating lines of the large-scale painting Carey executed at Capella. The hypnotic work draws inspiration from the ocean, which is held sacred by Carey’s clan, the Gumbaynggirr people.

Celebrating and honouring Aboriginal Australian people figures large at the National Gallery of Singapore where, last year, a major exhibition dedicated to Australian Indigenous art was held. “Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia” featured works by more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, with many of the pieces selected from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia. The exhibition was seen as an acknowledgement of the two countries’ shared colonial history, and of

Singapore’s growing engagement with the larger region, competing with Hong Kong for the title of Asia-Pacific’s art capital. (An effort boosted by the success of the firstever ART SG fair in January of this year, which attracted participation from 164 galleries and attendance from more than 43,000 people over the course of four days.)

The National Gallery’s permanent collection features works by many of Asia’s greatest artists – including, of course, outstanding examples of work by seminal Singaporean painters such as Georgette Chen and Liu Kang. Increasing appreciation locally for the work of homegrown talents such as these is reflected in rising valuations for their work. Case in point? The recent Sotheby’s Singapore 2023 Modern & Contemporary Art auction, where Chen’s 1940s painting Lychees and Peaches far exceeded its pre-sale estimate of US$890,000, achieving a price of US$1.5 million. Liu’s 1953 work Pounding Rice similarly performed well, going under the hammer for US$516,000.

A visit to the National Gallery of Singapore offers the opportunity for pleasures not only of the aesthetic, but also, the culinary kind. There are a number of superb restaurants on site, however for the visitor to Singapore, the outstanding view will likely tip the scales in favour of Michelin-starred Art di Daniele Sperindio. Overlooking the most distinctive elements of the glittering Singapore skyline, this modern fine-dining establishment traffics in elevated takes on classic Italian specialities.

Back across at the Capella Sentosa, chef Mauro Colagreco is similarly engaged in refining the dishes of his Italian DNA. Occupying a light, airy space created by Hong Kong’s hospitality design doyen André Fu, Colagreco’s Fiamma restaurant promises a memorable meal. We recommend you start by ordering every single appetiser, particularly the crudo di gambero rosso di Mazara (a luscious dish of raw Mediterranean prawns). Say you’re utterly sated with Singapore’s wonderful, abundant local hawker fare and exquisite fine dining, and simply fancy a terrific pizza… This is your spot. Colagreco’s pie? Now that’s a true work of art.

A Mauro Colagreco creation at Fiamma

ROOM WITH A VIEW

Elevated Italian classics delight at the Michelin-starred Art di Daniele Sperindio

START BY ORDERING EVERY SINGLE APPETISER, PARTICULARLY THE CRUDO DI GAMBERO ROSSO DI MAZARA – LUSCIOUS, RAW MEDITERRANEAN PRAWNS

CLOUD NINE

Singapore Airlines takes onboard dining to dazzling new heights

Succulent Lobster Thermidor served on Wedgwood crockery at 30,000 feet? Not for nothing is Singapore Airlines (SIA) the world’s most awarded airline. Offering a restaurant setting in the sky, the airline takes travellers on a gastronomic odyssey designed to give them a heightened appreciation for the art of fine dining in the air.

At the forefront of SIA’s culinary prowess lies its renowned Book the Cook service, which allows all passengers in Suites, First and Business Class to curate their own dining experience to savour in the sky. Simply peruse the menu between 15 days and 24 hours prior to departure, make your selections, and prepare to feast on expertly prepared signature dishes such as Singaporean chicken satay, tender beef fillet, and a laksa so authentic – packed with fresh seafood and bouncy noodles – that it rivals those found in the airline’s home base.

The superlative cuisine and service is perhaps less surprising when you consider the kitchen titans behind it. While the world’s best airline operates one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the sky, the combined experience of its International Culinary Panel packs a serious punch. Comprising seven renowned chefs, including France’s Georges Blanc and Japan’s Yoshihiro Murata, the collective demonstrates an unwavering commitment to excellence. Every bite is a testament to the artistry and innovation that epitomises SIA’s inflight dining experience.

Oenophiles aren’t left out, either. Each year, Singapore Airlines invites three of the world’s leading wine experts to taste more than 1,000 labels – New World, Old

Established in 1989, SIA’s Wine Panel consists of three world-renowned wine experts – Oz Clarke, one of the world’s most celebrated and colourful wine authorities; Jeannie Cho Lee, the first Asian Master of Wine; and Michael Hill-Smith, Australia’s first Master of Wine

World, red and white – so you can rest assured that the vintages you’ll be enjoying en route have stood up to two of the harshest tests out there: cabin pressure and wine critics. SIA is an Approved Programme Provider for the UK’s Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s Intermediate and Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits. Selected crew with the necessary certification may go on to become Singapore Airlines Air Sommeliers, providing professional wine service to customers and promoting wine knowledge among fellow crew members.

And, as you sip a flute of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, you can stay connected with Singapore Airlines’ complimentary inflight WiFi. Whether you choose to catch up on emails or send messages to friends and family back home, you’ll remain seamlessly connected throughout your flight.

Ready to embark on a culinary journey to Singapore and beyond from London Heathrow or Manchester? Be sure to arrive hungry. (singaporeair.com/WelcomeGB)

Seven world-renowned chefs form the SIA International Culinary Panel (ICP), constantly creating new dishes for passengers

Padel, anyone?

While Americans obsess over pickleball, the rest of the world has become infatuated with a sport called padel. Both racquet games were developed in the 1960s and have quickly eclipsed tennis in global popularity.

A hybrid of tennis, ping pong, and badminton, pickleball was devised by three friends in Washington state who named the game after pickle boats, a rowing term used to describe the last boat to finish in a race. It’s played with a slow-moving, plastic, perforated ball and a rectangular paddle half the length of a tennis racquet, in a space between the service lines of your standard tennis courts.

Padel was created a few years later by Enrique Corcuera. The Mexican billionaire didn’t have enough space in the grounds of his Acapulco holiday home for a tennis court so he adapted his squash court and started playing a fast-paced combination of tennis and squash. Players use solid, perforated paddles to smash a depressurised tennis ball over a net, but the back wall is in play, as long as the ball only bounces on the ground once.

When Spanish prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe-Langenburg visited Corcuera in 1974, he loved the game so much that he introduced it to his private club in Marbella. The game has since exploded across Latin America, Europe, the UK and the Middle East. With over 25 million participants globally compared to pickleball’s 8.9 million players, padel is widely considered to be the world’s fastest-growing sport.

Enclosed padel courts, also known as pitches, made of glass and mesh, spanning 20 metres long and 10 metres wide (roughly three-quarters the size of a tennis court), have become the new home status symbol. Football stars including Argentine Lionel Messi and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane have built padel pitches in their home gardens.

Another big fan, former tennis player-turned-billionaire businessman Wayne Boich erected a padel pitch at his waterfront Miami mansion in 2014, which doubles as an exclusive clubhouse hosting exhibitions and pop-up events for celebrity players such as Leonardo DiCaprio. Boich is dead set on bringing the padel craze to the US. In 2022, he helped launch the inaugural Miami Padel Open, an extravagant six-day event chaired by Miami Heat basketball star Jimmy Butler, with VIP boxes and post-game performances by Ludacris and Rick Ross.

The new darling of racquet sports is now all the rage. Jen Murphy gives us the lowdown

Athletes are particularly obsessed with the game as it requires strategy as well as skill. Loyalists say it is far more sociable and fun than pickleball, and also makes for a better workout. Jürgen Klopp, football manager of Premier League club Liverpool, has even had courts installed at his team’s training facilities.

Pickleball’s smaller court size can make the game feel static as swings are more compact. But it also requires more fast-twitch reactions and abrupt changes in pace. The game can be played doubles or singles and many newbies complain the rules are too complicated. Padel, on the other hand, is typically

played doubles. The game feels more dynamic as players must constantly react to different spins off the glass. Scoring is the same as with tennis.

Tempted to pick up a paddle and see what all the fuss is about? You’re in luck. Fancy courts and padel centres have become a hot investment. There are currently 100 courts in Britain, but the Lawn Tennis Association, the governing body for padel in the UK, has forecast 400% growth in their number by 2023. Those include three permanent courts at Westfield London shopping centre built by Game4Padel, which counts tennis great Andy Murray among its investors.

Throughout the UAE, meanwhile, there are now more than 250 padel facilities and some 900 courts. Most are located in Dubai, including a wild new floating padel court in Jumeirah Lake Towers. The US Padel Association’s ambition is to have 30,000 courts by 2030. Miami is America’s current padel epicentre, but New York City is catching on and debuted its first membership club, Padel Haus, last year.

And, if you’re going on holiday, you’ll likely see padel on all the best activities calendars, as top hotels and resorts around the world are rushing to design glitzy courts to impress their most discerning guests.

GAME, SET AND MATCH

Whether you are an amateur or athlete, padel offers a blistering, but fun, workout

Tempted to pick up a paddle and see what all the fuss is about? You’re in luck. Fancy courts and padel centres have become a hot investment

FREEPIK

FUTURE PROOF

Coasting. It’s normally a word with negative undertones but not from the driver’s seat of the Audi Q8 e-tron. Spacious, sturdy and serene, its high, well-glazed and noise-insulated cabin makes progress feel effortless. Power is always there when you need it, yet the mood is calm and unhurried. Missed a turning? Don’t sweat it. It’ll all work out in the end.

This is Audi’s new flagship electric all-rounder, an update on its original e-tron, which launched as something of a pioneer back in 2018 when the EV world was new. Suffice to say that electric tech has come on a bit in the five years since and this version makes use of advances in batteries, motors and efficiency gains. It’s mixing it with the BMW iX, Mercedes EQS and, soon, the Polestar 3 in the luxe electric allrounder battlefield, all of them hoping to point the way towards our driving futures.

The Audi scores pretty well on the looks front, especially in the more saloon-shaped Sportback form (it’s also available as a more conventional SUV). Sleek and stealthy, there are plenty of details intended to signal its futuristic prowess – remodelled grille, next-generation alloys and even a new version of the famous Audi four rings badge, a simple flat black and white design, on display here for the first time. What could be considered gimmicky, generally comes off as well-considered.

Having mastered the virtual wing mirrors, the cabin of Audi’s updated electric flagship, the Q8 e-tron, is a place you’re going to want to spend some serious time in, says Will Hersey

Except, perhaps, for its virtual wing mirrors. For the uninitiated, Audi has done away with conventional wing mirrors on the outside and replaced them with little cameras, whose feed is then played inside on screens at the top of the doors. It’s a weird adjustment that, at times, even felt a little dangerous. You look for the mirror image you want but it’s not there, so your eyes need to drop to the screen, which, on the driver’s side, is also at an awkward angle. The idea is that they reduce drag so improving range but in practice it feels like an idea that should have stayed in the brainstorm meeting.

There’s a quoted range of 330 miles on the larger battery model, though once you’ve played with the aircon, turned the music up and enjoyed a few inevitable bursts of acceleration, that number on the dash can slide faster than the price of some crypto coins if you’re not careful.

Thanks to a very capable – and imperceptible –0-62mph time of 5.6 seconds, you have to be aware of your speed on open, straight roads. It’s all too easy to find yourself doing numbers that would make a magistrate flinch. It will be interesting to see what a pepped-up S model coming later in the year can do. On smaller country lanes, it cruises along happily, those big windows displaying the passing scenery in brilliant technicolor.

Despite its acceleration, don’t expect a sporty experience. Yes, it’s well-balanced and grips nicely, but weighing in at 2.5 tonnes, this is not a car to throw around tight bends with your driving shoes on and a lap time to beat. That’s not what it’s about. Instead, put something soaring and instrumental on the Bang & Olufsen sound system, adjust the seats to your personal settings and let the world, and its problems, glide by.

“POWER IS ALWAYS THERE WHEN YOU NEED IT, YET THE MOOD IS CALM AND UNHURRIED. MISSED A TURNING? DON’T SWEAT IT. IT’LL ALL WORK OUT IN THE END”

A Racing Machine On The Wrist