WINTER 2022/23-ILTM-Utratravel.com

A FAMILY STORY

Yasmin and Amber Le Bon wear ASHOKA

OF UNRIVALLED EXPERIENCES

UNRIVALLED SPACE AT SEA™

The luxury of personal space is central to the promise of An Unrivalled Experience™ with Regent Seven Seas Cruises® It provides the extravagant freedom guests need to explore and relax to the fullest. As the pre-eminent luxury cruise line on the ocean, we pride ourselves in o ering some of the largest balconies and most spacious suites at sea. Our wide range of speciality restaurants, al fresco and in-suite dining options, exquisite lounges, bars and expansive spaces are perfect to rest and celebrate in, knowing there is never a queue or a crowd and that every detail is taken care of and every amenity is included.

TO LEARN MORE AND START YOUR JOURNEY, SCAN THE QR CODE | VISIT RSSC.COM/ULTRA-TRAVEL OR CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL ADVISOR

11 • Welcome Letter

By ILTM Events portfolio director Alison Gilmore

13 • Hotel

Confidential

Thanks to investment and innovation, many GHA partner hotels have a new pep in their step. By Lauren Ho

20 • Souvenir Supreme

All presents correct: a raft of gift ideas for everyone.

By the Ultratravel editors

22 • Bar Necessities

Raising a glass (or several) to marvellous malts, sensational sake, and a lot more. By the Ultratravel editors

THE JOY OF DISCOVERY

IN THIS ISSUE

26 •  The Ultratravel Forum and ULTRAs

Agenda-setting panels, and celebrating the industry’s best

32 • Artfully Crafted

Qatar Airways ups the business-class ante. By Nick Perry

34 • Residences with Benefits

Serviced apartments with added luxe are proving a big draw for the over-65s. By Jen Murphy

40 • Treasure of the Sea

Why sturgeon caviar, the ultimate delicacy, is now more easy to come by. By Farhad Heydari

44 • Slopeside

Update

What’s new on piste, powder and plate. By Felice Hardy

WINTER 2022/23

50 • Voyage into the Super-Natural

Cruising the astonishing Galápagos Islands. By Bruce Wallin

56 • Driving Japan

An enthralling road trip in the Asian gem. By Farhad Heydari

64 • North Star of Amsterdam

The revitalised area of the Dutch capital that’s attracting a creative crowd. By Rodney Bolt

68 • Racing Form McLaren’s new supercar, the Artura, is electric. By Will Hersey

Rodney

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Farhad Heydari Farhad@ultratravel.com @MrFarhadHeydari

SENIOR EDITOR Vicki Reeve

CHAIRMAN Nick Perry Nick@ultratravel.com @MrNickPerry

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Andrew Cowan

CONTRIBUTORS

COVER PHOTO: KEMPINSKI PALACE ENGELBERG @Ultratravel ultratravel.com

© 2022 Published by PGP Media Limited on behalf of UHC Cayman Holdings Limited, Northside House, Mount Pleasant, Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN4 9EE, England, UK. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork submitted. The information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or UHC Cayman Holdings Limited. Ultratravel is a registered trademark.

Alison Gilmore PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR ILTM Events

The ILTM portfolio of events covers the world and consists of the global flagship events of Cannes and Asia Pacific, ILTM Arabia, ILTM Latin America and ILTM North America, as well as ILTM Africa. They are all part of RX (Reed Exhibitions).

A Force for Good

Welcome to ILTM 2022!

We are delighted to be partnering once again with and to bring you this special edition of the magazine, with a first look at what’s new and what has changed in the world of luxury travel since we last met.

Our industry has continued to evolve as luxury travel itineraries and client demands consider the changes that have affected our world over the past three years.

Across the board, the luxury brands that take part in ILTM are putting inclusivity, diversity and sustainability at

the top of their priority lists, and so too are their clients.

We are now all aware of the benefits tourism has – including improving the wellbeing of local communities – so as you turn each page, we hope that the irresistible contents herein will inspire you as you think about where in the world you want to spend your well-deserved leisure time over the next 12 months and beyond, and how you too can make a positive impact wherever you choose to go.

We wish you the most festive of holidays and a prosperous new year to come.

We hope the irresistible contents herein will inspire you as you think about where you want to spend your welldeserved leisure time

AMSTERDAM IN FOCUS

The EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands’ capital city

Experience SUITE MOMENTS

LONDON | BUDAPEST | ST PETERSBURG | LISBON | MALTA | PRAGUE | KHARTOUM | TRIPOLI FUTURE OPENINGS: NEW YORK | ROME | BRUSSELS | BUCHAREST | MALTA | DOHA

HOTEL CONFIDENTIAL

The pandemic years have not been easy for anyone, not least those in the hospitality sector. All the more reason to applaud the intrepid hotels, spas and restaurants – some new, some renovated and some rebranded – spotlit here, each of which emerged from lockdown with admirable brio, leaping far ahead of the pack. By every metric, these are exciting times, especially for indecisive travellers who are now tormented by the delightful conundrum of which Global Hotel Alliance property – never mind which part of the world – to favour for their next vacation.

Should one, for instance, decamp to Mexico, where Grand Hotel Cancún managed by Kempinski (kempinski.com) – a handy 90-minute drive from the ancient Mayan city of Tulum – is putting the finishing touches to its reopening with front-row seats to the Caribbean, a children’s club and a 400m (1,300ft) stretch of beach? Or perhaps prep for the 2023 opening of Viceroy at Ombria Resort Algarve (viceroyhotelsandresorts.com) where southern Portugal’s fabled landscape of cork and oak forests, fig trees, citrus groves and ancient cobble-street villages is the dreamy setting for a handsome resort framed by a rolling 18-hole golf course?

Halfway around the world, the Capella (capellahotels.com) is making its Australian debut in 2023 in sunlit Sydney in a golden-stoned Edwardian Baroque pile which Make Architects has transformed into a 192-room pleasure dome clad in marble, walnut and stone, Frette linen and soothing green walls.

Above: Grand Hotel Cancún, managed by Kempinski

WIZARD OF OZ

Left: Capella Sydney in the Sandstone Precinct

With renewed vim and vigour, investment and innovation, GHA partner hotels are upping the ante on accommodations and accoutrements by leaps and bounds. Lauren Ho has some of the highlights

MEXICAN MAGIC

A delightful conundrum: which GHA property to favour for the next vacation?

The freshly minted Portrait Milano (lungarnocollection.com) is another tantalising possibility – a stunning boutique hotel with just 73 suites ensconced within the old walls of the 16th-century former Archiepiscopal Seminary, one of Europe’s oldest. A bonus for fashionistas is that the hotel opens straight onto the old Piazza del Quadrilatero, the largest public square in Milan’s fashion district.

For beach-based relaxation come the autumn of 2023, Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Muscat (nikkibeach.com) will have all the bases covered for a sublime time-out. If the sea doesn’t tempt, then perhaps one of the resort’s three pools might – or perhaps one of the mega yachts moored in the marina might also do.

For some properties, the devotion to rejuvenation extends beyond a guest’s wellbeing. It’s worth, in other words, keeping an eye out in the coming months and year as a swathe of newly renovated or rebranded hotels and resorts return online.

For instance, the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, an Amsterdam landmark for more than 155 years, has been reimagined as the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky (anantara.com), the revitalised grande dame rolling out one surprise after the other, including private canal cruises in a restored, vintage saloon boat, and a bespoke dining experience in the middle of a tulip field.

In central Dublin, The Westbury (doylecollection.com) has recently emerged from a tip-to-toe refurbishment inspired by the 1930s ‘Grande Hotel’ Art Deco style, which includes new guest rooms and suites on the fifth floor. Special treats include the Luxury Terrace Suites, which pair views over Dublin city with Italian marble; the mirrored cocktail bar – and a conviction that this is a life well led.

Looking equally smart in its new drapery is The Dupont Circle

For some properties, the devotion to rejuvenation extends beyond a guest’s wellbeing

IRISH CHARM In central Dublin, The Westbury hotel has had a recent refurb

MAKING A SPLASH

The vaulted pool and relaxation room at Portrait Milano

GRANDE DAME

Left: the revitalised Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam

MUSCAT MARVEL Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Muscat is due to open in the autumn

BACK TO LIFE

Right: Martin Brudnizki brings new vibrancy to The Dupont Circle in Washington, DC

(doylecollection.com), where legendary designer Martin Brudnizki has breathed new life into this Washington, DC stalwart with a 1950s aesthetic of bold colours, leafy terraces and artwork by the Irish sculptor John Behan and actorturned-photographer Dennis Hopper.

Of course, what’s a holiday without great food? This is, after all, not the time to be on a diet. On that front, a number of A-lister hotels don’t pull their punches.

Exhibit A is the recent appointment of Reto Brändli who brings his twoMichelin-star shine to his new role as head chef at Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, the flagship restaurant of the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin (kempinski.com) Here, the food is as sophisticated and visually delightful as its mood-lit dining room – think organic Landes duck liver paired with lobster, orange and basil; Breton wild caught turbot, and Tandoori South African spiny lobster.

Over at St Lucia’s fabulous Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort (viceroy hotelsandresorts.com), the resort’s two restaurants have been renovated and their menus completely reimagined. At Bonté, Creole flavours reign with jerk spiced chicken and shrimp tacos paired with a commanding beachfront

TASTE AND ELEGANCE

Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, the fine-dining restaurant at Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

Reto Brändli brings his two-Michelinstar shine to his new role as head chef at Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, the flagship restaurant of the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

SWEET AS PIE Bonté restaurant at Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort celebrates the Caribbean

PRECISION PLATING Head chef Reto Brändli at Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

location and sunsets. Meanwhile, Saltwood lures with oysters, Tomahawk and wagyu steaks, plus rum cocktails and majestic views of the Pitons.

On the subject of cocktails, The Bar at 15 Stamford at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore (kempinski.com) has rolled out a heady new cocktail menu whose notes are drawn from the Austronesian Islands, the unusual drinks spiked with everything from sugarcane juice syrup, mezcal and edible glitter to banana liqueur and jasmine tea.

And should there be just a little tinge of regret at all that enthusiastic retoxing, the voluptuous spa with its bracing views of the Swiss Alps at the Kempinski Palace Engelberg (kempinski.com) is exactly what the doctor ordered for your detoxing regimen. Needless to say, the quality of the facilities and botanical-based treatments is beyond reproach, from a full-body dry brush, massage or facial to the bio sauna and Himalayan salt-stone fireplace.

The spa at the Kempinski Palace Engelberg is exactly what the doctor ordered for your detoxing regimen

CALLED TO THE BAR

The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore’s Bar at 15 Stamford

THE WARMEST WELCOME Kempinski Palace Engelberg in the Swiss Alps

SOUVENIR SUPREME

THE WRITE STUFF

Montblanc pays homage to the genius and artistry of the music legend who rocked the world with his electric guitar with its latest Great Characters edition, a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. montblanc.com

THE SPECIALIST

A fêted companion to audiophiles and road warriors alike, the latest iteration of Bang & Olufsen’s popular Beoplay HX provides a powerful and authentic signature sound experience with digital ANC, up to 35 hours of play time and elevated comfort. bang-olufsen.com

OPEN AND SHUT CASE

British heritage brand Connolly celebrates its most famous secret agent with the 007 Watch Case, fashioned from the same Connolly Vaumol leather that has graced the interior of James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DB5 since Goldfinger in 1964. connollyengland.com

PRECIOUS METALS

Incorporating the double-B motif that pays homage to the Boodles brand name, the new Be Bold Collection is fashioned from polished gold and lends both its pendant and bracelet derivations to be everyday, multiwear pieces that provide a sense of wearable modernity. boodles.com

Give the gift of transport, transcendence and timelessness to the special ones in your life this season

UP, UP AND AWAY

When it launches in 2024, the MS Voyager will become the world’s first floating spaceport and the waterborne launchpad for travellers lifting off into the stratosphere aboard Space Perspective’s Spaceship Neptune spaceperspective.com

PAGE TURNER

With transportive photography and prose, photographer David De Vleeschauwer and journalist Debbie Pappyn take readers on an extraordinary tour of a dozen adventures from north to south. taschen.com

NATURAL SELECTION

Inspired by New Zealand’s unique landscape, KAEĀ brings together powerful, performance-led botanical skincare and an enduring commitment to conservation and biodiversity protection in its restorative range of products. kaeaskincare.com

A SCENT OF IDENTITY

French haute parfumerie Henry Jacques has teamed up with tennis superstar Rafael Nadal and his wife, Maria Perello, to launch a special collection entitled In All Intimacy, comprising two scents that have particular redolence for a couple whose love story began almost two decades ago. parfumshenryjacques.com

EXTREME HOROLOGY

Crafted from RLX titanium, and equipped with a helium escape valve and the Ringlock system, the Deepsea Challenge by Rolex represents a new milestone in watchmaking: a timepiece that is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 11,000 metres (36,090ft). rolex.com

Bar Necessities

A rare 54-year-old single malt scotch whisky to toast the season and ring in the new year

Loch Lomond

Presented in a striking handmade Glencairn lead crystal decanter and packaged in a tactile, multilayered oak box, handcrafted to represent the contours around its namesake loch, this is the rarest expression from the distillery’s unique straight-neck pot stills. Just 55 bottles have been produced, making this the oldest single malt to have been released by the distillery to date: a liquid originally matured in a refill American oak barrel before being recasked into a refill European oak sherry hogshead in 1994. The resulting elixir features notes of crème caramel, fresh vanilla pods, melted brown sugar and toasted oak, orange peel and marmalade on the nose, giving way to vibrant fruit, tart pineapple and lemon citrus with a honey and dried-fruit sweetness on the palate, all of which creates a smooth, silk-like mouthfeel. The finish is sublime and complements the flavour, with long, mouthwatering green fruit and floral notes, kiwi and elderflower followed by waves of warming oak spice, aniseed and cinnamon. lochlomondwhiskies.com

Hibiki Blossom Harmony

A limited-edition blend featuring whiskies finished in Sakura casks, it captures the essence of the trees that inspire the Japanese to appreciate life as it blooms. whisky.suntory.com

RELEASES OF RENOWN

More top tipples that raise the bar

The Macallan: A Night on Earth in Scotland

Commemorating Hogmanay, the renowned New Year’s Eve festivities of its homeland, this release is, by tradition, meant to be savoured with shortbread on the side. themacallan.com

Teeling 32 Year Old Single Malt Purple Muscat Finish

Distilled in 1990, matured in bourbon barrels for 28 years and finished in a single Portuguese Purple Muscat French oak cask for four more years, this single malt Irish is a standout. teelingwhiskey.com

Royal Salute Forces of Nature by Kate MccGwire

Collaborating with some of today’s most critically acclaimed artists, the master of exceptionally aged Scotch whisky has invited the celebrated British sculptor – who specialises in the medium of feathers – to create this ultra-rare expression. royalsalute.com

Never Say Die Bourbon

Distilled in Kentucky and ocean-aged on a six-week trip across the Atlantic to ripen in barrels in the Derbyshire peaks, this is Britain’s first-ever bourbon, inspired by the legendary namesake racehorse which ultimately played a part in shaping the destiny of The Beatles.  neversaydiebourbon.com

THAT’S THE SPIRIT

Fettercairn Warehouse 2 Batch No 004

The much anticipated fourth release of its hugely popular and sought-after Warehouse Collection has been matured in handpicked first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, alongside re-charred Hungarian wine oak casks. fettercairnwhisky.com

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Mexico’s first luxury spirits brand Clase Azul has launched a new Día de Muertos Limited Edition Colores decanter, the second in a series of tequilas and decanters dedicated to highlighting the elements that make Día de Muertos a unique celebration. Meanwhile, The King of Soho has crowned a new vodka, titled Copacetic, which is lovingly crafted in small batches in the heart of England using copacetic English wheat. From the Land of The Rising Sun comes Sake Hundred: its balanced sakes include Byakko Bespoke, made from the ‘king of sake rice’ Yamadanishiki at the Tatenokawa Brewery in Yamagata, Japan, which is known for high polish ratios and for making Junmai Daiginjo, the highest sake grade designation. Cheers!

Bushmills The Causeway Collection 1997 Rum Cask

Having been aged in selected American oak casks that previously housed Caribbean rum, this expression celebrates the historical connection between the Caribbean and Bushmills’ homeland in Northern Ireland with aplomb. bushmills.com

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

ANANTARA VILAMOURA ALGARVE RESORT

ANANTARA NEW YORK PALACE BUDAPEST HOTEL

ANANTARA VILLA PADIERNA PALACE BENAHAVIS MARBELLA RESORT

The 2022 Ultratravel Forum

After a three-year hiatus, the great and good of the travel and luxury industries converged on the UK for the Ultratravel Forum and The ULTRAs, held at London’s Pan Pacific hotel on 31 October.

The Ultratravel Forum was, as always, an agenda-setting series of talks and panels, which was kicked off by Ultratravel chairman Nick Perry’s welcome and a presentation by Explora Journeys’ Chris Austin, previewing the newest entry into the world of luxury cruising.

The executive editor of The Economist, Daniel Franklin, then provided a thoughtprovoking presentation on the opportunities and challenges in the year to come for the sector and the world writ large before handing to Mark Barton, ex-anchor at Bloomberg Television to moderate a panel on sustainability.

Headlined by the likes of senior executives such as Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotel Group; Michael Ungerer, CEO Explora Journeys; Diana Verde Nieto, co-founder and co-CEO of Positive Luxury, and Clive Jackson, chairman and founder of Fly Victor, the panel explored how the industry can make meaningful changes for a better world.

The day concluded with a candid news-making conversation between journalist John Arlidge of The Sunday Times and Sir Tim Clark, KBE, president of Emirates Airline, who opined about the state of the industry and his own carrier – and entranced the audience in doing so.

Nick Perry

Founder and chairman of Ultratravel opens proceedings

The Ultratravel Forum was, as always, an agendasetting series of talks and panels, kicked off by chairman Nick Perry

Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotel Group, and moderator Mark Barton

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates

Daniel Franklin, executive editor of The Economist

Attendees listening intently to panellists discussing sustainability in luxury travel

Ultratravel editor Farhad Heydari, Gemma Greenwood and Andrea Krenn

Images by Steve Dunlop Photography

Stephen Dunk, Nina Gardiner and Andrew Wall

Chris Hartley, GHA, and Mark Griffiths, Viceroy Hotels

Michael Ungerer, CEO of Explora Journeys

Chris Austin, Explora Journeys, addresses the Ultratravel Forum

Diana Verde Nieto, co-CEO of Positive Luxury

The ULTRAs waiting to be presented

ULTRAs 2022 winners & runners-up

BEST LUXURY CRUISE LINE

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Runners-up Celebrity Cruises

Ponant Seabourn Silversea

SUSTAINABLE HOTEL OF THE YEAR

PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore

Runners-up

Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort Castaway Island, Fiji

BEST NEW HOTEL

The David Kempinski, Tel Aviv

Runners-up Capella Bangkok Pan Pacific London

BEST RESORT HOTEL

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, St Lucia

Runners-up Capella Ubud

The Leela Palace Udaipur

BEST CITY HOTEL

Corinthia London

Runners-up Çirağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul The Murray, Hong Kong

BEST HOTEL IN MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

The Royal Livingstone by Anantara, Victoria Falls

Runners-up

Marsa Malaz Kempinski, Doha, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Abu Dhabi

BEST HOTEL IN THE INDIA OCEAN

Patina Maldives, Fari Islands

Runners-up

Niyama Private Island Maldives

The Residence Zanzibar

ULTRATRAVEL COLLECTION HOTEL OF THE YEAR

Capella Singapore

Runners-up

Portrait Roma

The Westbury, Dublin

BEST BUSINESS CLASS

Qsuite by Qatar Airways

Runners-up

American Airlines

British Airways Emirates Virgin Atlantic

BEST AIRLINE IN NORTH AMERICA

American Airlines

Runners-up Air Canada Delta Air Lines JetBlue United Airlines

BEST AIRLINE IN ASIA/PACIFIC

Singapore Airlines

Runners-up ANA Cathay Pacific

BEST AIRLINE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Emirates

Runners-up

Etihad Airways Oman Air Qatar Airways

BEST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD Emirates

Runners-up

Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines

BEST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD

Changi, Singapore

Runners-up

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Hamad International, Doha Dubai International

FAVOURITE COUNTRY FOR A HOLIDAY Thailand

Runners-up Italy

Maldives

United Arab Emirates

The 2022 ULTRAs

It was the long-overdue return of The Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards (The ULTRAs), the most respected and valued in the industry, which were presented by Kirsty Gallacher and Gethin Jones. Guests sipped an unending supply of Nyetimber Brut Reserve, cocktails fashioned with Dangerous Don Mezcal and nibbled on canapés and hors d’oeuvres prepared by the capable team at the Pan Pacific Hotel, all in benefit for a charity close to this magazine’s heart: Hope and Homes for Children.

Above: Ultratravel editor Farhad Heydari, Dillip Rajakarier and Nick Perry, chairman of Ultratravel

Chris Hartley, GHA

Gabby Wickham, Mark Allvey and Jayne Alexander

Kirsty Gallacher and Angharad McKenzie, Hope and Homes for Children

Left: Lysbeth Fox, Farhad Heydari, John Arlidge, Jean-Luc Naret and Nick Perry

Michael Ungerer and Sir Tim Clark

Host hotel Pan Pacific London

Gethin Jones, Nick Perry, Kirsty Gallacher, Sarah-Jane Mee, Dr Ranj Singh

Left: Sarah-Jane Mee, Sky News

Jean Joseph, Mike Bonner, Sue Wheatley, Alison Wheatley and Diana Banks

Artfully Crafted

In their efforts to prevent an airline seat from becoming a commodity, and to justify the increasingly hefty price differential between business class and economy – or, if they offer it, premium economy – fares, some business cabins have become so good they are making first class as a proposition entirely obsolete.

Flat beds are now de rigueur and an industry standard. And some airlines have been genuinely creative – both with their seat design and layout but also with the overall onboard product, as well as smoothing the experience at both ends of the journey.

Qatar Airways (qatarairways.com), which was just voted by Ultratravel’s learned readers as offering the best long-haul business-class product in the sky, is an exemplar, and its award is recognition for genuine creativity aloft but also in the service it offers on terra firma – at check-in, in transit and on arrival.

The centrepiece is the Qsuite on board its new aircraft: exclusive enclaves sheathed behind sliding doors (complete with a “Do Not Disturb” indicator for those wishing to sleep in privacy) and replete with plush pillows and quilted mattresses, The White Company sleepwear and the requisite amenity kits. But the Qsuite isn’t just a space for relaxation: with the ability for the central forward- and rear-facing seats to be configured as a social space for four people, facing each other for meals or meetings, it’s also a space that’s made for conviviality and productivity.

The innovations also extend to the airport experience. Dedicated check-in areas and the airline’s Premium Lounges – such as the new facility recently reopened at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 as well as in Bangkok – include a buffet, bars and a high-quality à la carte restaurant.

On arrival at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, the airline offers its passengers access to pre-bookable Al Maha meet-andgreet services (complimentary for its elite frequent flyers), whereby travellers are either sped through all arrival formalities or, for those in transit, spirited into the huge Al Mourjan lounge where they may avail themselves of the superlative space, service and fare before being ushered to their onward flight. With a business class like this, who needs first?

Not all business classes are made the same, says Nick Perry

FLIGHTS OF FANCY

With innovative solutions, a trio of airlines are upping their premium products in the air.

By Farhad Heydari

LUFTHANSA

Sheathed behind “nearly ceilinghigh walls that can be closed for privacy” in a soothing palate of blues and wooden accents, the new First Class by the German flag carrier is a game-changer for the airline, featuring among other accoutrements, a viewing screen that extends across the entirety of the enclosed enclave, capably designed by PriestmanGoode. lufthansa.com

AMERICAN AIRLINES

With direct aisle access, a privacy door and fully flat seats that can be converted into a chaise longue, all of it created by design powerhouse Teague, the new Flagship Suite lavishes passengers with acres of storage and surface space as well as innovative lighting to counter and fight jet lag. aa.com

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

It has long been recognised as a game-changing product and now, the latest generation of Upper Class is set to up the ante with 30 new seats, a ‘social space’ dubbed as The Retreat Suite and another mixed space called The Loft on its hotly anticipated Airbus A330neo aircraft. Expect a rollicking time aloft. virginatlantic.com

Some business cabins have become so good they are making first class as a proposition entirely obsolete

High-luxury

apartments and communities are revolutionising later life for the over-65s. Jen Murphy reports

The global population is ageing faster and living longer than ever before. In 2006, almost 500 million people worldwide were 65 and older. By 2030, that total is predicted to increase to one billion – or one in every eight people on the planet. Coming-of-age baby boomers and the soon-to-be elderly no longer view retirement as their final chapter but, rather, the beginning of a new one. Luckily, a growing number of companies – such as Auriens, a luxury community for the 65-plus crowd in London, and Coterie Hudson Yards, a high-end senior living complex in New York City – recognised the lack of living options for this market and have reinvented the concept of the retirement home. Depending on the facility, amenities may include fine-dining restaurants, spas and salons, on-site cinemas, plus healthcare services and resortworthy perks such as transportation and housekeeping. Here are some of the game-changing residences and communities that are redefining later living with swank apartments, five-star service and resort-worthy amenities to satisfy the silver tsunami.

AURIENS, LONDON

A pioneering private residency in Chelsea for the over-65 set features resort-worthy amenities such as a speakeasy bar, cinema and a restaurant helmed by the former head chef of The Savoy. Run by hoteliers with resumés that include The Connaught and Claridge’s, Auriens features a collection of 56 private unfurnished apartments available to lease. Downsizing can be daunting, but an inhouse design team is on hand to visit residents in their homes and help them decide which pieces would work best in their new space. Independent living is made easy thanks to on-call housekeeping, engineers who can help with everything from an internet reboot to a light-bulb change, and a chauffeured

house Range Rover for errands around town. Residents also have access to the best medical experts, caregivers and fitness coaches in their respective fields. Partners include lauded in-home care provider Draycott Nursing & Care and fitness gurus Kyros Project, whose team includes Ben Williams, head of human performance for the British America’s Cup team. auriens.com

COTERIE HUDSON YARDS, NEW YORK CITY

new luxury senior-living complex from Related Companies and Atria Senior Living is located in the bustling city within the Hudson Yards development. Highly walkable, filled with green spaces, and packed with cultural attractions, it’s the perfect location for older New Yorkers. Coterie offers 126 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments for independent and assisted-living residents, plus studios designed specifically for memory care. Hospitality-driven, 24/7 amenities include housekeeping, local transportation,

PHOTO: ISTOCK, SIM-CANETTY-CLARKE

LUXE LATER-LIFE LIVING IN LONDON

A stylish apartment at Auriens Chelsea

RESIDENCES WITH BENEFITS

dedicated tech staff and even pet care to assist with dog walking. Dining options at Coterie range from an upscale restaurant with a chef’s counter and a classic piano bar with city views, and rival the acclaimed dining venues in Hudson Yards. A partnership with Sollis Health provides unlimited physician visits and telemedicine consultations, plus routine lab testing and diagnostic imaging, and active ageing is promoted with personal training and other wellness services created in partnership with the Mayo Clinic. coterieseniorliving.com

THE ROSE BY MORAN, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

Located on Sydney’s North Shore, this luxury retirement village is set on the site of Rosemorran, a stately heritage home. Part of the Moran brand – a high-end independent living venture by Provectus Care CEO and managing director and leading aged-care expert Dr Shane Moran – The Rose has next-level amenities including a temperature-controlled wine cellar with lockable wine storage for residents and a tasting area. Each of the 34 two- and three-bedroom modern residences has been designed by renowned firm Coco Republic, and is fitted out with high-end touches such as quartz and chrome finishes on furnishings and appliances from top-notch brands including Miele and Fisher & Paykel. If you want to socialise, you’ll find plenty of options, from movie nights in the state-of-the-art cinema to a music room that hosts recitals. rosebymoran.com.au

ARDOR GARDENS, SHANGHAI

This new luxury retirement community on the banks of Dianshan Lake has been likened to a Club Med for seniors, complete with themed clubhouses, handicraft rooms and a diverse roster of courses and activities such as wellness seminars, dance classes, wine tastings and yoga classes. Luxury-hotel-trained staff provide 24-hour concierge service to the 800 one- to three-bedroom furnished apartments. Surrounded by nature, the facility sets a new bar for laterlife living in China, with a world-class gym, pool, spa, and a clinic with access to premier health and wellness services. lendlease.com

In Conversation With…

Rupert Spurgeon

What was the genesis of Auriens?

The mother of one of the original co-founders of the company used to say that when her husband died, she was going to move into Claridge’s. After a bit of research, he realised there was no truly five-star later-living accommodation, yet there was a market of like-minded individuals who were used to the best – whether in their own homes or the hotels they stayed in.

Why Chelsea versus someplace more bucolic like the Cotswolds?

One of our residents said she’d always lived in cities and had no desire for a country cottage with roses around the door. She had lived in Chelsea for many years and wanted to stay near her family in the part of London she knew and loved. I think that’s true for a lot of people.

Who is your target market in terms of demographic and psychographic?

With Auriens Chelsea, more than 80 per cent of our residents and prospective residents are from within a mile of the property. While the legal requirement is for the primary resident to be 65 or over, the majority of our residents tend to be 75 and over.

How does Auriens approach wellness?

Everything is individualised to address the underlying causes of any issues rather than just treating symptoms. We have partnered with the Kyros Project, a team of highly respected experts in the fields of fitness, nutrition and physiology in order to champion active ageing.

How is care integrated?

Care is available 24 hours a day from Draycott Nursing & Care, a highly respected care agency which is now a partner of Auriens Group.

AURIENS ON HOW THE PIONEERING PRIVATE RETIREMENT RESIDENCY IN LONDON IS SHAKING UP THE FUTURE FOR THE OVER-65 SET

From pools to nature-filled surroundings, luxury residences are tailored to older occupants

FOREVER YOURS

Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts Bintan | Maldives | Marrakech | Mauritius | Tunis | Zanzibar

When time stands still, the mind wanders ee.

Treasure of the Sea

Spanning continents, cultures and cuisines, sturgeon caviar is one of the world’s foremost delicacies. And thanks to new harvesting techniques, the gastronome’s favourite roe is now more widely available than ever before, says Farhad Heydari

It’s the unique by-product of a 250-million-year-old fish that roamed the nutrient-rich freshwaters of the Caspian Sea until it was driven to near-extinction by overfishing and poaching as well as water pollution and damming. The fish, of course, is the ‘living fossil’ known as the sturgeon: a prehistoric, scale-less, elongated species that can weigh upwards of 454kg and whose unfertilised roe is made into caviar, resulting in the delicacy for which most of us go cuckoo.

And since 2006, it has been illegal to harvest any of the remaining wild stocks of the 27 biologically vulnerable species in the Acipenseridae family. Enter farmed sturgeon – a lucrative but time-consuming undertaking carried out in rivers, lakes and tanks that requires an enormous foundation of infrastructure and investment. And, with any given female requiring anywhere between seven and 14 years to reach sexual maturity and therefore carry eggs, it also requires huge patience for those who take on the enterprise.

SILVER SPOON

Sturgeon caviar often finds a place on Christian Jürgens’ menu at Althoff Seehotel Überfahrt at the Tegernsee near Munich

PHOTO: MARTIN KREUZER

Undeterred, as of 2017, the last year for which data was available, there were 2,329 commercial sturgeon farms around the world – a number that the Global Aquaculture Alliance predicted would double by 2020. Today, one can pinball anywhere from Uruguay, a country that doesn’t even have a local fish presence, to Vietnam, Belgium and beyond and find superlative supplies of ‘black pearls’ for a growing global clientele.

But the lion’s share of annual global production still comes courtesy of a triad of countries: China with nearly 70 tonnes; Italy with nearly 40 tonnes; and France with 25 tonnes. The latter, of course, has long had an association with the superlative roe – in some quarters, Paris-based and New York-sited Petrossian (petrossian.fr) is a household name and its third-generation custodian, Mikaël Petrossian, is bullish about the future.

“Over the past few years, the caviar market has been steadily growing: restaurants are experimenting with new ingredients, customers are being more adventurous in their food choices and the image of caviar has been demystified, making it more accessible,” he says. According to Petrossian, his firm works with a few farms around the world, with which it has developed longstanding relationships. “We get the best-possible raw material, whether it is from France, Bulgaria, Madagascar or China,” he explains, after which the in-house artisans, or

The leader in

trinity at the apex of global

China, is changing the matrix by leaps and bounds. On the mountain-fringed, 579sq km Qiandao Lake, 354km south of Shanghai in Zhejiang province, lies Kaluga Queen (kalugaqueen.com ), the largest caviar maker in the world, responsible for around one-third of global production. With no fewer than 14 varieties and with plans to go public next year at a valuation of around £600m, its caviar has graced many a chef’s table, including

a constellation of three-Michelin-star restaurants, among them Per Se and French Laundry.

At the other end of the spectrum is bijou newcomer Rova Caviar (rova-caviar.com ) from Madagascar. With an annual harvest of roughly five tonnes in 2019 from the waters of Lake Mantasoa, the island nation is now Africa’s foremost producer. But it certainly won’t be the last, as other reputable and detail-oriented farms are determined to join the fray to take advantage of the burgeoning market.

Even in the Old World, where entities like Hamburg’s Dieckmann & Hansen (dieckmann-hansen.com ), Europe’s longest-operating caviar-trading company, dating back to 1869, have invested in spring-fed fisheries of their own, there are newbies. Situated outside the medieval German village of Jessen, in the eastern part of Saxony-Anhalt, Attilus Caviar’s (attiluscaviar.co.uk) sturgeon-rearing process benefits from water sourced from a natural

‘The caviar market has been steadily growing … and the image of caviar has been demystified, making it more accessible’

“caviarologists”, work to develop all of its subtleties.

this

production,

underground aquifer 50 metres below terra firma.

Meanwhile, in the northeast Polish region of Warmia, known as the ‘green lungs’ of the country as it borders the Napiwodzko-Ramucka Forest, Antonius (antoniuscaviar. com ) is another operator harvesting Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) and Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii), this time from the crystalline waters of the Łyna River.

Water, as it unsurprisingly turns out, coupled with sustenance and time, is one of the determining factors in the successful harvest of good-quality caviar. In Calvisano, a town in the Po Valley of the Italian province of Brescia rich in fresh spring water, Calvisius (calvisius.com ) has been purveying its rarefied beluga for the past 45 years, extracting it from the Huso huso sturgeon that, in addition to the Black, Caspian and Azov Seas, was also present in the Adriatic, the Ionian and their tributaries before its extinction. Even the United Kingdom is getting in on the

BLACK PEARL FARMING

Left and bottom far left: Rova Caviar is harvested from Lake Mantasoa in Madagascar. Middle left: a serving of Browne Trading Company caviar.

Below left: ‘Malossol’ (lightly salted) Royal Siberian Caviar from Attilus. Below right: Antonius Caviar, farmed in Warmia, northeast Poland

act. The farm at Exmoor Caviar (exmoorcaviar.com ), located in southwest England, is fed by some 40m litres of fresh Devonshire water daily – water that is naturally filtered through slate, shale and sandstone courtesy of Exmoor National Park.

Sturgeon aquaculture is also thriving over the pond in the US, across which there runs a river of the steel-grey to obsidian-black delicacy on offer. In North Carolina, Marshallberg Farm (marshallbergfarm.com ) produces responsibly farmed and ecologically friendly Osetra, while Sturgeon Aquafarms in the panhandle of Florida markets its products under the Marky’s (markys.com ) label, and Sterling (sterlingcaviar.com ) in California’s Sacramento Valley pioneered land-based farming of California’s white sturgeon. And that’s just three of many.

The thorny issues of fish welfare and conservation have always been sidestepped by purveyors and producers alike (sturgeons are usually killed in order to extract their valuable eggs), but there are some sustainable innovations that are being tested and rolled out. Paramount among these is the California Caviar Company’s (californiacaviar. com ) proprietary process, invented by marine biologist Angela Köhler, which allows caviar extraction without the need to slaughter the sturgeon.

Köhler’s method, which founder and CEO Deborah Keane says has been licensed to a handful of European brands, could be the next great chapter for the livelihood of this unique Triassic fish.

As Keane told The Wall Street Journal, “Köhler has mastered the art of truly sustainable caviar.” For the sake of its priceless catch, we certainly all hope so.

‘Köhler has mastered the art of truly sustainable caviar’

PHOTO: MARTIN KREUZER

ON THE UP Mount Werner in the Colorado ski resort of Steamboat, which has undergone a $200 million transformation

SLOPESIDE UPDATE

From the Rocky Mountains to the Alps, a round-up of the latest winter-wonderland developments.

By Felice Hardy

ch) connecting Zermatt in Switzerland with Cervinia in Italy reaches completion. The final cable-car ride takes just four minutes to link the 3,883m (12,740ft) Matterhorn Glacier Paradise lift station on the Klein Matterhorn with Plateau Rosa, above Cervinia. In Chamonix (chamonix.com) a new gondola with 10-seater cabins in Le Tour ski area at the northern end of town opens this season, and the new Mer de Glace cable-car opens in December 2023. Over in the States, Vail (vail.com) is marking its 60th anniversary by opening two new lifts to increase access to the Back Bowls freeride area. The resort is also creating two new ice bars as a tribute to the original one built for the opening of the 1963 season. And Vail has purchased a controlling interest in the iconic Swiss resort of Andermatt (andermatt.ch), which makes the Andermatt-Sedrun ski area the first resort in Europe to be part of the Epic Pass, giving holders unlimited access (epicpass.com). With a US$200 million investment, the multiyear transformation of Steamboat (steamboat.com) includes a new beginner area called Greenhorn Ranch served by the Wild Blue Gondola, a beginner lift and two magic carpets. The resort is focusing on a 10 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and plastic waste reduction. And it’s got to be time to do away with plastic credit-card-style lift tickets – one environmentally friendly option is the eco-friendly wooden ski pass by Alto.Ski (alto.ski)

PAR FOR THE COURSE?

Each winter ushers in another exciting season on the slopes, where destinations not only unveil new enhancements, developments and infrastructure but also new adrenaline-inducing schemes – think snow golf, ice-swimming, speed-beating zip-wire or dangling on a giant swing. At the same time, ski resorts are working to up their eco-friendly credentials with an emphasis on train travel, wood-pellet boilers, rainwater harvesting, solar, wind and hydroelectric renewable sources – even nonplastic ski passes. Herewith a cheat sheet of everything that’s new, novel and noteworthy for this winter’s thrill seekers.

BUILDING BLOCKS

An 80-year-old dream will be realised in 2023 when the £88 million Matterhorn Alpine Crossing (matterhornparadise.

ON THE MOUNTAIN

Glacier 3000 (glacier3000.ch) in the Villars-Gstaad area adds a black run from Cabane to Pillon. Skiers set off down a 41° slope – one of the steepest in the Alps – through a tunnel 265 metres long and 2.5m wide (870ft x 8ft). From steepness to solitude, follow the introductory ski-touring trail in Méribel (meribel.net) – it’s the best way to discover the sport in safety next to the ski area, while not using a lift. At the top of the Chalets gondola, you don your ‘skins’ and set off on a 2km walk (1.25 miles) with a 370m (1,214ft) climb towards the Chalet du Lac. Steep rather than wild, Winter Park (winterparkresort. com) in Colorado is opening previously unused terrain in The Cirque Territory – to be known as Jelly Roll because of its rolling steep pitch and its ability to hold fluffy snow for days after a storm. Also in Colorado, Purgatory (skipurg. com) has made a $1.25 million investment in snowmaking to boost snow production by 25 per cent, providing better earlyseason conditions and a more consistent base through the

PHOTO: ZERMATT BERGBAHNEN

MIND THE GAP

The Matterhorn Alpine Crossing will be complete in 2023

La Rosière will host a snowgolf tournament next year

year. Serre Chevalier (serre-chevalier.com) in France is in the spotlight with two new hydroelectric turbines aiming to generate 30 per cent of the resort’s energy from solar, wind and hydroelectric renewable sources. But the dream of many a skier is to be the first down a pristine piste, and this winter the Aletsch Arena (aletscharena.ch) is offering a First Track service from the Bettmerhorn mountain to Bettmeralp in Switzerland. At 08.15, before the ski area opens to the public, the gondola takes you up to enjoy the view, followed by a run down the freshly groomed pistes with an instructor. The experience is rounded off with a high-altitude breakfast.

PISTE PLEASURES

Adventure and environment are two of the non-skiing themes this winter. The four-storey Silvretta Spa (silvrettatherme.at/ en) in Ischgl is in keeping with the resort’s move from latenight après to another, healthier, one. The building curves like a cloud and is spectacular inside with its 300sq m (3,230sq ft) rooftop pool and an ice rink that spans the entire circumference of the upper floor. Add-ons include a medical spa, fitness centre, bistro and pizzeria. The whole set-up runs on green electricity and is heated mainly by geothermal energy and ground-water pumps. From relaxation to exhilaration, a giant XXL swing for three is at the top of the Jaillet gondola overlooking Megève (megeve-toursime.fr) on one side and Mont Blanc on the other. The high-flying experience is for thrill-seekers aged eight and up who must climb 16 metres (52ft) before setting off and reaching speeds of 20km/h (12mph). An ultra-adrenaline experience is the zip-wire in Verbier (verbier.ch) – it’s the longest and fastest in the Alps, starting from the top of the Mont-Fort cable-car at 3,300m (10,827ft) and descending 1,400m (4,593ft) at an astounding 130km/h (81mph). A growing activity for experienced swimmers takes place during the forthcoming World Ice Swimming Championships (internationaliceswimming.com) in the Lac aux Dames at Samoëns. The competitors – 600 swimmers from 33 countries – will race in the icy lake, with neoprene wetsuits banned in the tradition of ice swimming. Warmer and drier is La Rosière’s first snow-golf tournament (larosiere.net) in March 2023. Open to pros, semi-pros and amateurs, the tournament will see teams of two face off on a three-hole course.

PERIPATETIC GASTRONOME

L’Accordéon (+33 4 50 89 94 20) bistro canteen in the centre of Samoëns provides an alternative to ordinary apéritifs with fine wines, local beers, fruit juices and allday snacks in a space where events and concerts are held. In the same resort, Fabio Épicerie et Café (+33 4 50 21 28 36) is a friendly place for tapas, good wines and local beer.  Restaurant L’Atelier (lateliermegeve.fr) in Megève is enthused by the ocean and introduces an exotic ambience to the typical mountain restaurant; platters of oysters can be accompanied by a suggestion from the Parisian brasserie menu. Partâjo gourmet eatery inside the P&V L’Hévana residence (pierreetvacances.com) in Méribel has dishes inspired by Corsica, Burgundy and Savoy, with a wine cellar of 350 fine wines; the delicatessen and restaurant are run by chef Charles Erik Hostier. Paradis (larosiere.net/restaurant/ paradis) mountain restaurant on La Rosière’s nine-hole golf course is the only high-altitude edifice that uses a woodpellet boiler to heat the water and the building, and there is also a rainwater harvesting system which will keep the golf

course green in summer. On the menu are dishes that marry traditional recipes with creative flair. Over in Austria, Zuma restaurant (zumarestaurant.com/locations/kitzbuhel) opens in the delectable 700-year-old town of Kitzbühel. Signature dishes include miso marinated black cod and spicy beef tenderloin; and there are award-winning cocktails and wellknown DJs.

ALL FONDUE, ALL THE TIME

No skiing pilgrimage can be complete without the cheesy mainstay, which is now being served in all sorts of unusual places. Take Saas-Fee (saas-fee.ch), for example, where one offbeat dining option includes a fondue in a gondola, enjoyed with superb Valais wines (toys are provided for children’s

HIGH TEA

A cheese fondue in a gondola at Saas-Fee

GOOD TASTE

In Méribel, Pierre & Vacances L’Hévana is home to Partâjo restaurant

No skiing pilgrimage can be complete without a fondue, which is now being served in all sorts of unusual places

PHOTO:

amusement). Over in Bettmeralp, a weekly fondue evening is held in the Bettmerhorn gondola (aletscharena.ch), where fondues for four can be eaten during ascent and descent. And at Fondueland Gstaad (gstaad.ch) you feast on melted cheese in oversized fondue pots at two specially equipped huts; all ingredients are packed into a rucksack to take uphill.

GEAR GUIDE

A new smartphone for skiing trips – OPPO Reno8 Pro (oppo.com) features a camera tailor-made for the lowlight photography of winter. It features super-speedy charging and all-day battery life. For those with shorter battery life, Méribel (meribel.net) has invested in free smartphone charging points across the ski area: at the foot of Mont Vallon, at the top of the Plan des Mains and Plattières lifts, at the start of the Bouquetin lift and in the Open Area snowpark. Just leave your phone in a closed locker with your chosen PIN and off you go. Bollé (bolle.com) has a new eco collection of helmets and goggles, and you can avoid scratched lenses with CoolMasc (coolcasc.co.uk) goggle covers made from recycled plastic bottles. Keep your spine from harm with Komperdell’s (uk.komperdell.com) spine protector for adults and children; it gives 360-degree protection – the highest impact protection on the market. Olympic gold medallist Ted Ligety has joined with Carv (getcarv.com) to offer a digital coaching system called ‘Train with an Olympian.’ It works via sensors in your ski boots.

ON THE RAILS

A green ski ticket in the Montafon-Brandnertal area of Austria boosts environmentally friendly travel; it includes trains, buses and a oneday ski pass, and is valid for journeys from all over the Vorarlberg (vorarlberg-alpenregion. at). A 15 per cent ski-pass discount is offered to visitors travelling by rail to La Rosière, France (larosiere.ski). In Switzerland, the 115km (71.5 mile) GoldenPass Express Line  (gpx.swiss) links French-speaking Montreux with Germanspeaking Interlaken, a project first mooted back in 1873. Now you can travel by train from the shore of Lake Geneva to the Bernese Oberland in three hours and 15 minutes, with 23 panoramic carriages that include Prestige-class carriages with heated forward-facing seats and a 40cm (15.75in) raised viewing platform.

KEEP IT GREEN

Above left: Alto.Ski’s eco-friendly wooden ski pass. Above: Paradis restaurant in La Rosière

CARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE

The GoldenPass Express Line connects Montreux and Interlaken

Paradis restaurant in La Rosière uses a wood-pellet boiler to heat the water and building; a rainwater harvesting system keeps the golf course green in summer

PHOTO: JULIETTE REBOUR

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EVOLUTIONARY CRUISING

Ecoventura’s Theory is a great base for exploring the Galápagos Islands

Voyage into the Super-Natural

A Galápagos cruise is a trip to a prelapsarian wonderland for everyone on board, writes Bruce Wallin

In the Galápagos Islands, every new encounter with nature brings out a childlike curiosity in travellers. At such times, it’s convenient to have Jeffo Marquez, aka the Human Google, on hand to answer the inquiries that inevitably follow.

How long does a sea-lion pup nurse? Why is the sand on this beach green? How long can a Galápagos tortoise live? Do sharks eat their young?

Marquez, a guide for the Galápagos expedition company Ecoventura (ecoventura.com ), fielded several such questions on a recent seven-night cruise through the Ecuadorian archipelago’s central and southern islands. The questions came from me, my nine- and 20-year-old daughters, a retired attorney, an oral surgeon and each of the seven other passengers on a wild adventure that was enlightening – and invigorating – for answer-seekers of all ages.

Questions and curiosity – specifically those of the 19th-century explorer and evolutionist Charles Darwin – helped make the Galápagos one of the world’s iconic wildlife destinations. But, unlike the more passive, vehicle-based wildlife experiences common elsewhere, a cruise through these famously abundant islands is a roller-coaster ride of activity and immersion. Each time you flip yourself off a panga into the Pacific Ocean, you submerge into a thriving ecosystem of pirouetting sea lions, rainbow-coloured reef fish, gliding green turtles and countless other creatures large and small. On land, walks along a powder-white sand beach – or, perhaps, olive green (the result of olivine crystals from the erosion of basalt lava flows, said Marquez) – might lead to a black volcanic trail where a pair of blue-footed boobies perform a courtship song and dance while Godzilla-like marine iguanas navigate the crashing surf offshore.

The thrills and interactivity of a Galápagos cruise make it an ideal adventure for families –and one with an increasing number of options to satisfy every member of the clan. Our base was Ecoventura’s exquisite 10-cabin Theory, one of two identical Relais & Châteaux–member yachts operated by the Ecuadorian-owned outfitter. The company is launching a third yacht, Evolve, in

WINGING IT

The flightless cormorant seabird is an endemic species to Galápagos

January 2023, by which time it will share the islands with several other new high-end vessels. Aqua Expeditions ( aquaexpeditions.com ), known for its river cruises on the Mekong and Amazon, debuted its 16-passenger Aqua Mare in the Galápagos in May. In February, Silversea (silversea.com ) unveiled a new ship, Silver Origin, designed specifically to navigate the archipelago. Lindblad Expeditions (world.expeditions.com ) launched the 48-passenger National Geographic Islander II in August, and Abercrombie & Kent ( abercrombiekent.co.uk) is introducing new ships and itineraries in the months ahead.

The increased interest in the Galápagos coincides with a renewed focus on conservation in the region. In contrast to many wildlife destinations, where a decline in tourism decimated conservation programmes, the Galápagos has expanded protection efforts throughout the course of the pandemic. Earlier this year, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso signed a law to preserve 60,000sq km (23,166sq miles) of ocean around the islands, increasing the Galápagos Marine Reserve by nearly 50 per cent. The park now extends to the waters of Costa Rica, conserving a critical migration route for whales, sharks, turtles, rays and other species.

Seeing such animals firsthand, of course, brings to life many of the fun facts you learn along the way. Prompted by Marquez, we attempted to guess a tortoise’s age (they can live for more than 150 years) based on the size of its shell. In a far more adrenaline-inducing moment, we nearly confirmed that, yes, sharks do eat their young, when we witnessed a frenzied blacktip reef shark chase a baby blacktip onto a beach, where it flopped around gasping for breath but clinging to life.

As for the sea-lion pups – whose grace underwater belies an adorable awkwardness on land – we learned that they nurse for as long as they possibly can. Marquez shared a tale about a dominant male in the islands who had reigned over his colony for far longer than any sea

THEORY IN PRACTICE

This image and below: scenes on- and off-board the 20-passenger mega yacht Theory

UNDERWATER LOVE

Sea turtles are often sighted during snorkelling and boat trips in Galápagos

PHOTO: HARRY SKEGGS, RENATO GRANIERI, MARTIN TYTCHL, YOLANDA ESCOBAR

lion before him. His secret? Every few weeks he would sneak off to another colony where his mother lived – and where he could nurse in peace.

There were moments, of course, when stories and questions became untenable or unnecessary. While snorkelling in a cove teeming with olive ridley turtles, my oldest daughter followed an octopus for 45 minutes, fascinated by the camouflaged creature as it hunted and hid its way along the reef. The next day, prompted by an announcement from the captain, every guest and crew member rushed to the Theory’s bow. We arrived to find hundreds of dolphins swimming beside us, escorting the boat in a ballet of dips, tucks, jumps and twirls. After a period of delighted shrieks and laughter, we settled into a state of silence, connected to the wonder before us and inspired to protect it for the children in us all.

ON THE HORIZON

Sweeping views from Theory’s main lounge

ANIMAL MAGIC Spotted in the Galápagos: sea lions and (left) a land iguana

In contrast to many wildlife destinations, the Galápagos has expanded protection efforts throughout the course of the pandemic

FERTILE GROUND Shiroyama viewpoint offers spectacular views over Kagoshima Bay, downtown Kagoshima and Sakurajima

DRIVING JAPAN

A fortnight-long road trip showcases the extraordinary delights of the country, from natural wonders and exquisite cuisine to traditional ryokan and onsen.

Farhad Heydari takes us along on the ride

PHOTO: HIROSHI-ARAKI

There were more than a few raised eyebrows and quizzical looks from naysaying friends and acquaintances when, on the run-up to a road trip my wife and I had meticulously planned and plotted, we were met with sceptical comments such as “Are you out of your minds?” or “I’ve never heard of anyone doing that.” After all, it is almost unheard of to journey to Japan and then sidestep what is arguably the most efficient, reliable, punctual and well-connected railway network in the world – not to mention one of the fastest and most comfortable. “I really can’t see the point” was one of the more memorable remarks.

But having driven in the country more than half a dozen times before, and with a fortnight set aside to discover its hinterlands, we weren’t dissuaded in the least. In fact, as regular Nipponophiles who have visited many of the major urban centres on numerous occasions over the years, we wanted to go off-piste, so to speak, and explore areas of historical significance, under-the-radar destinations and natural attractions that are often inaccessible or, at the very best, more time-consuming to tackle by train. Plus, nowadays, with the advent and assistance of translation and GPS apps, undertaking what we were about to wouldn’t be that daunting. And so we boarded a flight from Tokyo and arrived in the southern city of Kagoshima, at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyūshū, where we picked up our car.

Our 1,600km-long (994-mile) odyssey would be a curated whistle-stop tour that would enable us to pinball around unfettered but also one that would allow time for some much-needed rest and rumination and to avail ourselves, more crucially, of the healing properties and the centuriesold ritual of bathing in onsen, or hot springs, as we went along. Thus, our first layover was in the minuscule hot-spring village of Myoken Onsen alongside the Amorigawa River, just 15 minutes from the airport, where moss-covered thatchedroof cottages comprising various ryokans allow the weary to soak away their cares in a simplified settlement that feels a world away from everything.

WELL CONNECTED

Left: the hot-spring village of Myoken Onsen

KUROKAWA ONSEN

Below: Kurokawa Onsen has boutiques and restaurants as well as hot spring waters

SWEATING IT OUT

Bottom: taking a sand bath in Ibusuki

Kyūshū, as we would

contrast

forests. But it is also volcanically lively (hence all those hot springs), with no fewer than nine active craters, including Sakurajima, which frequently deposits ash on Kagoshima (where students travelling to and from elementary school wear helmets) and with which we came face-to-face the next morning. It’s a huge peak that sits on its own peninsula and dominates the landscape with regular plumes, and we skirted around it on the coast road heading south toward Ibusuki, craning our necks trying to take in its enormous size.

The same geothermal energy in Kagoshima also fuels a unique phenomenon in Ibusuki, a seaside town 45km (28 miles) farther south: sand baths. It’s all courtesy of an onsen

later discover, is a breathtakingly beautiful

of palm trees and sandy beaches juxtaposed with pine-studded hills and bamboo

Kyūshū is breathtakingly beautiful. But it is also volcanically lively, with no fewer than nine active craters, including Sakurajima, with which we came face-to-face

located beneath the waters of Kagoshima Bay that heats the sandy terroir in a few coastal spots where devotees come to get covered by the hot sand and sweat out the toxins. More than a gimmick, the healthful benefits associated with a long hot soak, and the exchange of heat and minerals, are said to be many and can be availed at a myriad of properties, all of which make the most of the area’s rich volcanic activity with hot-springs bathing complexes with numerous pools, plunges, steam rooms and saunas.

Those who wish to take to the waters should allow for a couple of days here, as we did, after which we began our voyage north to the heart of Kyūshū. The drive on Route 226 from Ibusuki is an eye-catching one: a coastal road overlooking the East China Sea that passes a multitude of islets including Okiakime Island, which featured in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and leads via Route 20 to the very scenic Kyūshū Expressway, passing hedgerow farms, paddy fields and bamboo forests. As the name suggests, this is the main north-south artery and, as such, cuts through the spine of the island: a dual carriageway that recalls Alpine motorways with stretches of tunnels that lead onto bridges and repeat hypnotically for kilometres, all of it through a forested landscape with volcanoes in the distance. Our destination would be one of those volcanoes, Aso-san.

Aso, as it happens, is one of the world’s largest volcanic calderas, with a total circumference of a staggering 128km (80 miles), all of it ringed by a series of vertiginous roads. In the collapsed and fertile core are now towns, villages and farmland encircled above by five smaller peaks, including Naka-dake, one of Japan’s most active. Until recently, visitors could peek into the crater with a short cable-car ride but in recent years, Naka-dake has become too active, with authorities no longer running the service.

Over the course of the next couple of days we would circumnavigate Aso and its surrounds, but not before heading to our next bolthole, the charming riverside hamlet of Kurokawa Onsen, located 20km (12.5 miles) north of the caldera’s edge in a forested valley that’s home to more than a dozen hot-spring inns, where we bedded down for a few nights.

Kurokawa is both bijou and beautiful, with boutiques and restaurants but, most importantly the hot spring waters, which are accessible through one of the traditional inns or in the public bathhouses, which encourage guests to go onsen hopping in nothing more than light cotton yukatas and geta sandals, which is a must. Come evening time, we would relax with a long soporific soak and then be treated to drinks and memorable multicourse kaiseki meals at preset times that were the very embodiment of omotenashi, or wholehearted and boundless Japanese hospitality.

BREAKFAST IS SERVED

Above left: a traditional Japanese breakfast, served at many countryside ryokans

ON THE ROAD

This picture: the Oita Expressway in Kyūshū

SHORE THING

Bewitching coastal views are part of the lure of the journey

The charms of the region were many, and we could easily have spent many days discovering them, but it was time to make our way farther north still and cross into Honshu, the country’s largest and most populous island. Our destination was Itsukushima, an islet in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, which is home to Miyajima, a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s holiest Shinto shrines. Accessible by ferry, the shrine is almost as famous for its giant orange torii, or gate, which appears to float during high tides, and its tame Sika deer, which compete for the attention of worshippers and tourists alike in those allimportant selfies, as it is for its famous grilled oysters, which are stunning and seasoned with everything from butter to soy sauce and sold at roadside stalls.

Itsukushima is also on the doorstep of what would be our next waypoint, Hiroshima. With so much written, reported and documented about this infamous city, my wife

and I didn’t know what kind of metropolis to expect and were pleasantly surprised by our time there. Of course, we headed immediately to the sobering and reflective Atomic Bomb Dome, which forms one very sombre and tangible element of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. But beyond the many interactive displays, artefacts, historical documents and commemorations throughout, which provided much-needed context to the sheer size and scope of what transpired here 77 years ago, we found this city of nearly two million to be a bustling and buoyant conurbation, with outstanding shopping, restaurants, wine bars and much more.

We dined at the unassuming, unimpeachable Sushitei Hikarimachi (+81 82 568 6500; try the omakase) and departed not with melancholy but optimism in the betterment of humanity, dropping in at one of those aforementioned oyster stalls to enjoy bivalves that have been harvested in these parts for over four centuries, before continuing on.

PHOTO: KEISUGIMOTO

PHOTO: YOSHIHIDE OSA

We would relax with a long soporific soak and then be treated to drinks and memorable multicourse kaiseki meals that were the embodiment of omotenashi: boundless Japanese hospitality

Ashort pit stop in the tiny hamlet of Onomichi afforded us an opportunity to stroll its covered shopping passage, where local wares, crafts and a few restaurants beckoned as well as a handful of independent guesthouses. We, however, had designs on denim and beelined it to the ancient town of Kurashiki. With its willow-lined canals that date back to the Edo Period and warehouses that have since been converted into shops, boutiques and restau rants, the Bikan quarter is as atmospheric as any in Japan.

In fact, this prefecture, Okayama, has been at the very heart of the cotton and canvas industry going as far back as the 19th century. Today, dozens of vitrines purvey artisanal denim using decades-old shuttle looms and historical methods of dyeing to create cultish specimens that are sold from Brooklyn to Tokyo. Outfitters such as Napron (napron. jp), ALAPAAP (alapaap-web.com), Eritto (eritate.com) and JOBU ( jo-bu.jp) will all put a healthy dent in the credit card but then again, you are taking home a pair of premiumquality jeans or canvas (or hanpu in Japanese) from where it was first dreamed up.

It was time to leave – not only Kurashiki but also the Seto Inland Sea, which we had been following northeastward (having previously been to the well-known islands of Naoshima and Shōdoshima). Our journey would now take us due north, towards another body of water, this one the Sea of Japan. We joined Route 312 and were very quickly into the mountains, with a noticeable drop in air temperature as we began our ascent through a successive series of

tunnels which would emerge in high plateaus of arable land and paddy fields.

By dusk we had arrived at yet another exquisite retreat, and the penultimate stop on our epic circuit, the eye-catching, fairy-tale alpine village of Kinosaki Onsen. With its canals lined by mature willows, gift shops, restaurants abuzz with patrons and with everything lit up warmly with atmospheric fairy lights and paper lanterns, this seaside settlement is yet another archetypal place to take to the waters – and, as we did in Kurokawa Onsen, here too you can avail yourself of public baths or those in ryokan.

And here too you are encouraged to go onsen hopping in the traditional outfit.

We spent the next few days enjoying the rarefied and relaxing air of this bijou bolthole, all the while bingeing on a delicacy that is only available from November to the end of March: matsuba, or snow crab, which is heralded across this country and even finds its way into the local sake.

We gorged on crustaceans, reposed in a meditative, recuperative state and, over the course of the fortnight before arriving in Kyoto, where we ended our journey, had not come across another Westerner – just bewitchingly friendly and helpful locals, who aided us in fuelling up our car when we couldn’t make sense of the characters on the pump and assisted us in ascertaining the right way to use an unmanned tollbooth; plus all the wonderful and helpful servers and staff in the many restaurants where nary an English-language menu would be proffered.

We had one amazing final drive along the rather moody Sea of Japan and its wild coast on a beautiful and winding stretch of tarmac toward Tottori (home to Japan’s only sand dune complex) before heading east for the final stretch of our expedition to join the rest of the tourists in visiting Kyoto’s much-heralded sites, including Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari-taisha. Somewhere before the city limits, I recalled the less-than-magnanimous remarks my friend had made, when a smile came across my face. I turned to my wife and said, “I guess that was exactly the point, right?” She nodded silently in agreement.

With its canals lined by mature willows… and everything lit up warmly with fairy lights and paper lanterns, Kinosaki Onsen is another archetypal place to take to the waters

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THE NORTH STAR OF AMSTERDAM

DUTCH PERSPECTIVE

Sweeping views of Amsterdam are on offer from the 21-storey A’dam Toren (far right) with its gigantic swing on the roof

Inspiring architecture, culture and communities with an eye to the future await visitors to Amsterdam Noord. Rodney Bolt is our guide

Just a three-minute flit across the water behind Amsterdam’s Central Station, a ferry drops its drawbridge and releases a surge of cyclists and pedestrians – and a crackle of expectation. Amsterdam has woken up to an exciting new city quarter right on its doorstep. The revamped dockland and industrial terrain of Amsterdam Noord (Amsterdam North) now bristles with new museums, cafés and clubs. Hundreds of artists have studios in a former shipyard, and future-focused communities are sprouting, offering new models for living.

Two buildings vie for your attention even before you make the crossing. The crystal-white aerodynamic zigzag of the EYE Filmmuseum (eyefilm.nl) houses one of the world’s foremost film collections. Movies run on four screens, the curators come up with adventurous temporary exhibitions, and in the basement you can catch snippets from the collection – the first ever Mickey Mouse cartoon, perhaps, or hand-coloured silent movies. “Best place in town on a rainy day!” says visitor George, whose kids are making flipbooks and filming mini-scenes before a green screen, while his wife watches a Marlene Dietrich movie in a private pod.

Next door, the 21-storey A’dam Toren (adamtoren.nl) was once a Shell research facility. Today, it sports Madam (madamamsterdam.nl), a sky bar with the finest bird’s-eye view of the city, a brutalist Berlin-style dance club in the cellar called Shelter (shelteramsterdam.nl), music studios, and much else. A giant swing on the roof sways couples out into thin air and back, amidst exhilarated screams.

Old Amsterdam gets a look-in, too. The Tolhuis (‘Toll House’), just past the ferry dock, dates back to before the 17th century and now hosts indie bands, world music and club nights. And in summer, notes from an oud or a sitar float through the surrounding garden from an outdoor stage (tolhuistuin.nl)

A walk on past the garden takes you into the Van der Pekbuurt, a 1920s neighbourhood that is taking on a hip new lease of life, but which retains its traditional market (Van der Pekstraat; Weds, Fri and Sat) with banks of flowers, mounds of fruit and cheeses, and a comforting aroma of smoked sausage, sliced through by the crisp smell of fresh frites. Solo-owners with a dream are opening speciality businesses in the shops alongside: Colourful Goodies (colourfulgoodies.nl) for dolls of colour and dolls that reflect people of different abilities and genetic conditions; Treasure Depot (treasuredepot.nl) for vintage costume jewellery and ceramics; and a haircut, beard trim, coffee and vintage fashion from Ferry Seksie ( ferryseksiebarbier.com). “There’s a strong community feeling, like a village, but then the nightlife makes it a different world,”

CINEMATIC QUALITY

The monolithic EYE Filmmuseum building on Amsterdam’s IJ harbour

‘There’s a strong community feeling, like a village, but then the nightlife makes it a different world’

PHOTO: JAN DER RIDDER

PHOTO: WWW.RALPHRICTER.COM

THE ART PART

THE HIGH LIFE A view of the city from inside A’dam Toren

says Aldo Arce, who recently opened Pekky (bar-pekky.nl), a colourful little bar which crowds out for cocktails, live music and stand-up. “Noord is cosy, but at the same time raw,” says his partner Myrthe Delgado.

That rawness can be experienced heading west from EYE Filmmuseum, through an area swinging with overhead cranes and rattling with drills, as edgy new apartment blocks sprout like cacti on steroids. On past Nxt (nxtmuseum.com), a museum devoted to immersive installations of new media art – all VR headsets, AI miracles and startling imagery. Then to NDSM Wharf (served by its own ferry from Central Station), once one of the biggest shipyards in the world, derelict after bankruptcy in the 1980s, and now a magnet for artists and fellow free spirits. The gigantic NDSM shipbuilding shed now houses some 200 creatives of all sorts, in two tiers of studios meandering through the cavern. As you wander through you glimpse the mounds of clutter, splashes of paint, pieces of scrap metal and (increasingly) computer screens that are the stuff of contemporary creation. Makers sit quietly at work or in earnest conversation, some unassailable, others open to a chat about their work.

Down at the waterfront, everyone converges on Pllek (pllek.nl), a huge space made from converted shipping containers and serving good grub (vegetable tagine, coconut and Jerusalem artichoke curry) from sustainable sources. Pllek pulsates with party sounds at night, and screens outdoor movies in the summer.

Buildings through the entire NDSM quarter are adorned with bright graffiti and street art. “Ten or so years ago, all the derelict buildings meant this was one of the few places in Amsterdam that was still raw,” says heritage professional and graffiti expert Robin Vermeulen. “It became a place for young graffiti artists to test their work.” What began with New York-style letter graffiti led to more image-based street art. As some of the artists achieved status, their work remained, rather than being covered over. “But it is all still evolving,” says Vermeulen. “Free spaces like this are important for a city. They give it vibrancy.” STRAAT (straatmuseum.com), a museum of street art and graffiti opened in October 2020 in a giant shipping shed, with work from around the world.

The open space was also a blank canvas for people looking for new ways of living, such as the residents of Schoonschip (schoonschipamsterdam.org), a floating, entirely sustainable community of villas that has achieved world renown, and De Ceuvel (deceuvel.nl), a collection of refurbished houseboats that now serve as studios. “Things can be different,” says designer Wendy Rommers, who occupies one of the studios, summing up the mood of Amsterdam Noord. “The future is not later. It is starting right now.” .

LUXURIATING IN WINTER

An Amsterdam landmark, the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky (anantara. com) has completed an extensive makeover as part of its transition to the Anantara brand. The Krasnapolsky occupies a prime site on the Dam in the very heart of town, directly opposite the Royal Palace. The grand old lady dates back to the 19th century, but has been given a vigorous rejuvenation. Bygone style remains intact in the Wintergarden, and the stuccoed magnificence of The White Room finedining restaurant, but the refurbished rooms cushion you with tactile fabrics in a warm contemporary style, and a brand-new spa brings gentle Thai techniques to Amsterdam. Across town, a landmark of a different sort is also offering seasonal spa treatments to ward off winter woes. The Conservatorium Hotel (conservatoriumhotel.com), just a frosty breath away from the Van Gogh Museum, was once a leading music conservatory, but is now an urbane, sleekly designed hotel. Its Akasha spa is one of the most sumptuous in town, and this winter is introducing two special festive treatments, including comforting chill-banishing aroma therapies, plus fruit platters and champagne.

PHOTO: JAN DER RIDDER

STREET STYLE Straat, the museum for street art and graffiti

Racing Form

There’s an electric atmosphere around the new McLaren supercar. Will Hersey gets behind the wheel

After a fairly rocky few years, during which the launch of this all-new £190k Artura was itself delayed, McLaren has something to shout about again. The British marque has once more been able to focus on what it does best – engineering an outrageously fast and phenomenally capable supercar. For McLaren, it’s also one that features a number of genuine firsts.

Starting with the name: it’s the first time an actual word, albeit made up, has been used on one of its regular production cars. True, it has a familiar faux-exotic ring beloved of supercar marketeers, but it’s still a welcome change from the sometimes baffling combination of numbers and letters which it has used in the past. Far more importantly, the car itself has been developed from the ground up, including a brand-new carbon tub that, for the first time, has been developed in-house.

But the biggest headline of all, of course, is that this car is –at least partially – electric. McLaren has employed an electric motor in combination with a three-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo, in a move that marks a generational shift that will likely be rolled out across all its new models from here.

This electric motor is geared more towards enhancing performance than reducing the car’s reliance on fossil fuels, but it is possible to drive the Artura purely on electric power, for a reported 30.5km (19 miles), and the battery is recharged by the engine on the move. There’s no regenerative braking, though; it was considered but rejected as a rather un-McLaren driving experience.

The two power sources combine for a total 671hp, achieving a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of three seconds and a top speed of 330km/h (205mph). While we didn’t reach the outer limits of these figures on our own road trip in Surrey, its abilities were still very clear; and achieved in the laser-focused and fuss-free manner we have come to expect from a McLaren.

On a clear road, the superb chassis, hydraulic steering and sensational traction combine to serious effect. Surprisingly, despite the extra weight associated with electric cars, the Artura still tips the scales at a lighter weight than several of its competitors – another McLaren hallmark, and an attribute which again translates directly to how it feels on the road.

Inside, the two-seat cabin has had a makeover too, retaining the same driver-focused arrangement but with a little more luxury and convenience on show. Past niggles, such as seat controls which required the touch of a neurosurgeon, have been resolved. Apple CarPlay is easy to set up and use, while there are decent nooks and crannies in which to empty the contents of your pockets when you swing the gullwing door shut behind you.

Once strapped in, there can be few cars you’d rather be in with a road trip ahead of you. The longer the better, in fact –although, like most modern supercars, the Artura is just as happy on a short hop to the shops. In electric mode, you can do these quick trips stealthily too, without the attention-grabbing low-gear roar of the old V8.

Despite all these advancements under the skin, you wouldn’t know it from the outside. It looks good, sure, but the Artura’s design is hard to distinguish from the existing McLaren range. Given this car in many ways marks a new era, it’s perhaps a bit of a surprise that the opportunity wasn’t taken to represent this visually too. One step at a time, perhaps. With a new boss, a new plan and the new Artura as a line in the sand, let’s hope McLaren finds more things it can shout about in the years to come.

( cars.mclaren.com )