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ultratravelYOUR GUIDE TO HEAVEN ON EARTH AUTUMN 2014

TheDaily Telegraph

CASTLES IN THE SAND

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© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2013. Published by TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT, and printed by Polestar UK Limited.

Colour reproduction by groupfmg.com. Not to be sold separately from The Daily Telegraph. Ultratravel is a registered trademark licensed to The Daily Telegraph by PGP Media Limited

Sailing in volcano country

Si Datu Bua, a traditional

phinisi, in the waters around

Komodo National Park (page 44)

Features34 Golden age Today the Balearics attract high-spending travellers who want

style, privacy – and outstanding places to stay. We review eight of our favourites

44 Journey into the unknown Lisa Grainger sails by luxury phinisi to explore

the mysterious Komodo Islands, on an underwater and over-water safari

51 Capital places to stay London, Paris and New York have long battled to

be the hotel centre of the world. Claire Wrathall evaluates the best of the old

grande dames and the high-tech newcomers in all three cities

81 Enjoy the best holidays in the world Bid on 21 lots, from a golfing trip

in Gleneagles to a cruise on Cunard’s Queen Victoria, in our silent auction

86 Rising in the East Vietnam is now Asia’s hottest luxury destination.

E Jane Dickson taps into its riches, from hip hotels to ancient culture

94 Best bet The Kentucky Derby is known as America’s “most exciting two

minutes in sport”. It is also, as Max Davidson discovers, a riotously good party.

We also select five of the best race meetings around the world

Regulars11 Editor’s letter Charles Starmer-Smith on the rebirth of the Balearics

14 The Next Big Thing John O’Ceallaigh reports on new superyachts, missions to

the moon, an ethically-designed zoo, and the best hotels for a good night’s sleep

19 Little extras Ultratravel experts select the hottest cocktail dresses, explorers’

watches, light gadgets, and the pick from a glittering Parisian jewellery show

30 Up Front John Simpson on the most charming people in the world: the Iranians

33 Mr & Mrs Celia Walden and Piers Morgan live out their fantasies at Hôtel Byblos

101 Intelligence Ferruccio Ferragamo’s Tuscan hideaway, a masterclass in caviar,

the hottest hotel app, and arts and crafts splendour in the Cotswolds

106 Travelling life Actress Naomie Harris on her love of family beach holidays,

Australian boutique hotels, and Italian and Jamaican food

CONTENTS

ULTRA EXPERIENCESwith Abercrombie & Kent

z Life and soul To see a truly great festival,

you have to go India. Ultratravel picks the best

ones to visit, while photographer Don McCullin

and historian William Dalrymple reflect on

what makes an Indian celebration tick

z Top that Machu Picchu in Peru is

an unforgettable sight, especially if, like

Adrian Bridge, you wake up to it in the morning

z Feline attraction Why do big cats in

the wild hold such a special fascination, and

where are the best places to see them?

Richard Madden talks to five experts on lion,

cheetah, tiger, leopard and jaguar

z Win a trip to Myanmar Go on a new river

cruise, courtesy of Sanctuary and Qatar Airways

26PAGEGUIDE

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little restaurant tucked down the back streets that does the most authentic cuisine and must-do

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EDITOR’S LETTER

THE BALEARICS TAKES SOME BEATING

It was the summer of 1995. The year that Nelson Mandela donned the famous Springbok

rugby jersey at the World Cup in South Africa, OJ Simpson was found not guilty in

America and Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest in Myanmar. I had opted

for the delights of Magaluf for my first holiday with friends. As we found our seafront

apartment, I remember wincing at the Union Jack-festooned balconies, the pie-and-

mash pubs and the Sambuca-fuelled bar crawls. But I was a teenager and relishing this

new-found freedom. Fast forward a few hours and I stepped out of a bar midway down

Magaluf’s now infamous strip and was suddenly surrounded. Beneath the neon lights

I caught a glimpse of the purple shirts of Aston Villa – or was it West Ham? I had no time

to check as the blows started raining down. I woke up in the gutter a few hours later beaten,

bloody and bruised. My wallet, watch and sunglasses were gone – even the shirt on my back.

To cap it all one of my eyebrows had been shaved off – a fact I would not discover until I

looked in the mirror the next morning. There were to be no holiday romances on that trip.

If someone had told me then that Majorca would feature in the pages of Europe’s most

widely-read luxury travel magazine I would have laughed. But the fact is that, a decade on,

there are few better bets for September sun than the Balearic Islands. Not only because at

this time of the year the nightclubs have closed, the children have gone back to school and

the sea is at its warmest, but also because a raft of sleek villas and hotels has transformed

the islands. Combine that with Michelin-star restaurants, Philippe Starck-designed marinas,

and swanky beach clubs, and my experience of Magaluf seems a distant memory.

In this issue we bring you news of Vietnam’s emergence at travel’s top table, of how you

can scale the heights at Machu Picchu in style, watch the greatest horse races on earth and

discover the otherworldliness of Indonesia’s Komodo Islands. Add to that a journey around

India’s finest festivals with Don McCullin and William Dalrymple and a glimpse into leading

wildlife experts’ own big cat diaries – as part of a 26-page special with those fine folk at

Abercrombie & Kent – and you have an Autumn travel issue that takes some beating.

Naomie Harris

The Cambridge-educated

British actress – whom,

she admits, is “the worst

packer in the world” –

spends her life traversing

the globe making films,

from epic James Bond

thrillers to the biopic

of Nelson Mandela.

The one suitcase she

never checks in, though,

is a hand-made, Italian

leather bag by Moncrief.

“It’s way too precious.”

Editor

Photographer Joe Plimmer

Shot on the rooftop of Cap Rocat,

Majorca. Helicopter from Sloane

Mallorca (sloanemallorca.com)

Paul Slater

The RCA-trained painter

has been illustrating

stories for more than 35

years. His latest, for our

hotel feature on page 47,

will be one of the most

recent at his retrospective

on September 27 at the

1830 gallery in Halifax.

William Dalrymple

Writing about his Jaipur

Literature Festival, “the

Woodstock of the book

world”, the prolific writer

and historian muses about

its many highlights,

including “an abnormally

large number of beautiful

women”.

E. Jane Dickson

What surprised this

Londoner about Vietnam

(page 54), “was the sense

of a society on fast-

forward. I knew it would be

beautiful, but I wasn’t

expecting full-on, five star

glamour and fabulous,

new-wave cuisine.”

Don McCullin

After years photographing

wars, capturing the beauty

of India, which we feature

in our Festivals special, is

“tremendously healing”

says the great Indiaphile.

“Even in the middle of

nowhere, people find time

for incredible kindness.”

ultratravelEditor Charles Starmer-Smith Creative director Johnny Morris Deputy editor Lisa Grainger

Designer Alex McFadyen Sub-editor Kate Quill Photography editor Joe Plimmer Contributing editor John O’Ceallaigh

Executive publisher for Ultratravel Limited Nick Perry Publisher Toby Moore

Advertising inquiries Nick Perry (07768 106322) Andrew Wiltshire (020 7931 3239)

Ultratravel, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT Twitter @TeleLuxTravel

CONTRIBUTORS

High style White jumpsuit,

£1,550, by Roland Mouret

(rolandmouret.com).

Sunglasses, £475, by Linda

Farrow (lindafarrow.com)

Bronze cuff, £755, by

Annelise Michelson

(annelisemichelson.com)

FOR THE

LATEST IN

LUXURY TRAVEL

telegraph.co.uk/

luxurytravel

Bossa Nova – Coming Soon

THE ORIGINAL – THE LUGGAGE WITH THE GROOVES

BOSSA NOVA – travel in style and do goodOut of solidarity with Brazil, this extraordinary range is only being manufactured in the Brazilian factory. And there is another special feature: RIMOWA is donating a proportion of the sales proceeds to the organization Saúde e Alegria, in order to support projects in the Amazon region.

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What’s coming up in luxury travel, from eye-opening superyacht designs and trips to the moon to the science of sleep

If there is a luxury-travel hierarchy, then chartering a superyacht

easily comes out on top for extravagance. This month, for

example, you could choose between spending a week aboard

the 250ft Reborn for £390,000 (through luxury yacht charter

company Edmiston) or, say, buying a house.

With so much revenue at stake, shipbuilders and designers

are putting plans in place to ensure the world’s richest continue to

employ them in the years to come. To that end, Pastrovich Studio,

a Monaco-based yacht designer, has unveiled its plans for

a superyacht that should attract astonished glances wherever it

goes. Ensuring absolute privacy, the 250ft X R-Evolution will hold

a number of vessels that could be deployed should those chartering

the yacht want to be separated from the crew, their guests or, as

the firm’s publicity material suggests, their children. Each

New waves Top: Blohm+Voss

and Zaha Hadid have designed

a yacht enclosed in a mesh-like

skeleton. Above left: the

X R-Evolution will have

separate vessels that could be

deployed to serve as floating

gardens or sundecks.

Above: Lujac Desautel’s

intriguing Glass superyacht

design, inspired by Lego

the NEXTBIGTHINGBY JOHN O’CEALLAIGH

customised vessel could contain different facilities, serving perhaps

as a floating garden or beach.

Glass, a design proposal by Lujac Desautel, is a similarly cuboid

superyacht modelled on an unexpected source: Lego. The versatility

of the toy bricks inspired the emerging architect to conceive a

modular structure with each floor stacked upon the other like

building blocks.

Not to be outdone, the established shipbuilder Blohm+Voss has

partnered with Zaha Hadid to revise its approach to superyachts.

Her initial design, a 420ft “mothership” enmeshed in a lattice-like

exoskeleton, forms the basis for five distinct 295ft “Unique Circle

Yachts”. Each can be tailored to future buyers’ tastes, but Hadid’s

unmistakable, sinuous framework will ensure her footprint remains

whatever finessed form they ultimately take.

z MARINE MARVELS

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Raffles opens in Istanbul this month.

Located in the newly developed Zorlu

Center, a retail and commercial zone, the

hotel features the city’s biggest spa and

its staff includes a dedicated art

concierge who will offer insider

information about the ever-changing

local cultural scene.

Also opening in September, but in a

far less frenetic setting, is Anantara’s

Banana Island Resort in Doha. It

makes an instant impression – guests

reach it by yacht or helicopter. Balmy

days lounging in the expansive spa or

swimming in the 330ft pool should do

the body good, as will the island’s

prohibition of the sale of alcohol.

Cape Weligama, which opens near

Galle in Sri Lanka in October, will be

similarly laid-back. Many of the 40

clifftop villas will have Indian Ocean

views, with butler and in-room spa

services available.

From November, guests will be able to

combine their visit with a stay at Suján

Rajmahal Palace in Jaipur, India’s “pink

city”. This former royal residence, which

stands in large landscaped gardens, still

has plenty of original features; the 20-

bedroom hotel also has two restaurants.

z NEW HOTELS

It now seems de rigueur for luxury

hotel rooms to hold enough electronica

to launch a tech start-up, but if guests

don’t get a decent night’s sleep then their

stay has been a failure and those expensive

accoutrements count for nothing.

The Corinthia Hotel in London is

ensuring it meets this fundamental

requirement. Its recently launched

Sumptuous Sleep Retreat was developed in

collaboration with the renowned sleep

expert Dr Guy Meadows, and takes a holistic

approach to sleeping soundly. A “sleep

menu” features restorative dishes rich in

tryptophan – an amino acid that forms the

sleep hormone melatonin – and its spa

offers sleep-inducing treatments that go a

step beyond the expected. “Polarity balance

bodywork”, for example, counteracts the

negative effects of constant mobile phone

or computer use. At night, guests sink into

handmade Hypnos mattresses.

The Savoy in London takes its beds

seriously, too. The most sensitive sleepers

should stay in one of the 38 rooms with

Savoir beds. Each bed is handcrafted in

Britain; their mattresses are stuffed with

Latin American horse tail, lambswool or,

in the Savoy’s Royal Suite, Mongolian

cashmere. Guests can buy their own

Savoir bed through the hotel, with prices

from £10,800.

Customers of Four Seasons Hotels

and Resorts are also set for a comfortable

night’s sleep. The company has launched

a new range of mattress toppers that

change the beds’ levels of firmness. Guests’

preferences will be recorded so they can

expect the same level of comfort next time

they stay in a Four Seasons hotel.

Those who still suffer from fitful sleep

might find solace in the Alpine village of

Leogang in Austria. The simple but chic

Forsthofalm hotel is made almost entirely

of “moon timber” – wood that is felled

between November and January, when

trees do not produce sap. The hotel cites

medical evidence that shows resting in an

all-wood environment slows the heart rate

and induces deep and relaxing sleep.

ONtrend

the NEXTBIGTHING

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z ANIMAL HOUSE

Is the traditional zoo under threat of extinction?

Givskud Zoo in Denmark and the Danish architects Big

have unveiled their plans to develop Zootopia, a new

kind of zoo that addresses concerns about animals

being kept in cramped environments.

They intend to keep visitors, rather than animals,

penned in, enclosed in a central plaza that is encircled

by wildlife-rich biospheres. To explore these

surrounding environments, guests will enter small

motorised, mirrored globes that can sail on water or

be attached to ski lifts. The result will be an ostensibly

barrier-free terrain where animals have greater

freedom to roam and disturbance from man is kept

to a minimum (givskudzoo.dk).

THE HOTEL SLEEP DOCTOR

z PRIVATE MISSION

While Virgin Galactic staggers towards its inaugural flight, Space

Adventures is quietly getting on with business. The only company to

have sent private individuals into space – seven people since 2001 – it is

now preparing to launch the world’s first private mission to the moon.

In 2018, two paying passengers and a Russian cosmonaut will travel

around the moon and back, flying within 62 miles of its surface and

witnessing Earth rise over the horizon. It will be the first time humans

have travelled beyond low-Earth orbit in more than 40 years.

Space Adventures has yet to confirm the price of this package but it

will, of course, be expensive – previous trips have cost tens of millions

of pounds (spaceadventures.com).

z ULTIMATE BOY’S TOY: THE MILLION-POUND SUB

An unexpected adventure awaits at Laucala Island in Fiji. Beginning this month,

guests at the luxury resort can explore the surrounding seascapes in a DeepFlight

Super Falcon Mark II. The 21ft-long, electricity-powered vessel glides through

water silently and ecologically and is among the most advanced submersibles on the

market today – as one might assume given its £1million price tag. For less

intrepid guests there’s always the island’s 18-hole championship golf course or the

organic spa, where treatment ingredients are grown and pressed on site.

The original ‘Grand Hotel’ has been delighting her guests since 1865. She exudes a timeless elegance,

blending a sense of the past with the style of today. She is a legendary hostess that captivates your senses

with her engaging fnesse that bears the hallmarks of a rich heritage that spans three centuries.

She will conjure memories that will be talked of for time to come.

Discover The Langham, London: langhamlondon.com

1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London, W1B 1JA T 44 (0) 20 7965 0191

Style.Elevated.

LCKI8KI8M<C���

Exotic territoryDesigners this season have

taken inspiration from tribal

embellishments around the world,

decorating pieces with ethnic

embroidery, neon tassels and bold

local prints. These trans-continental

creations will fit in whichever part

of the world you’re in. Pack a fabulous

but functional shift for day (right),

and a dazzling cocktail dress with a

simple clutch for evening (overleaf).

Then go forth and sparkle Arabella Boyce

Knee-length dress in

burgundy wool crepe

with sequin embellishments,

£1,790, Peter Pilotto

(00800 7895 3267; stylebop.com)

Antigona small bag in

oxblood-red grained leather,

from £1,190, Givenchy by

Riccardo Tisci (givenchy.com).

Sunglasses, £175, Markus

Lupfer at Linda Farrow

(020 7499 6336; lindafarrow.com).

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

JOE PLIMMER

ULTRAfashion

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ULTRAfashion

Dress in silk with sequin

embellishment, £9,720, Mary

Katrantzou (020 3393 3021;

marykatrantzou.com).

Wing earrings in 18-carat rose

gold, mother of pearl and

diamonds, £13,275, Noor Fares

(0330 022 5701; net-a-porter.com).

Intrecciato clutch in knotted

snakeskin and satin, £1,070,

Bottega Veneta (020 7838 9394;

bottegaveneta.com).

Aztec pony sandal in fuschia,

£395, Sophia Webster

(sophiawebster.co.uk).

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Rolex Explorer, £4,300 (020 7493 2716; rolex.com)

When Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person

to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29 1953,

he was wearing a Rolex Oyster wrist-watch. To mark

the achievement, Rolex launched the Reference 6350,

the first watch to carry the name “Explorer” on the dial.

The Explorer has been a Rolex stalwart ever since.

The International Geophysical Year of 1958 saw 67

nations set aside their Cold War differences to do experiments

all over the globe in geophysiological fields from glaciology

to solar activity. The same year, the Swiss watchmaker

Jaeger-LeCoultre made its Geophysic watch, designed to be

one of the toughest timepieces on the market, its hand-wound

movements protected from magnetic fields by an inner-case

of soft iron. A limited edition of 800 of this collectors’ classic

have just been reissued, this time using 21st-century materials

and engineering that make them even more ‘exploration

ready’ than the 1958 version

Simon de Burton

Let’s get geophysical

THREE MORE WATCHES FOR EXPLORERS

ULTRAwatches

Zenith El Primero

Stratos Flyback Tribute to

Felix Baumgartner, £6,100

(zenith-watches.com)

Two years ago the Austrian

daredevil Felix Baumgartner

jumped from a balloon at

a height of 128,000ft and

reached the record speed

for a free-falling human of

834mph, before parachuting

to safety in the New Mexico

desert. Strapped around

his safety suit was a Zenith

El Primero Stratos

chronograph; this stainless

steel model is the latest

“Baumgartner” edition.

2 The simple, uncluttered dial of the

watch makes it easily readable in

difficult weather conditions. A highly

luminous coating on the hands and

on the dots beside each hour marker

also makes it legible in gloomy

surroundings – and even under water.

1 The case of the new Geophysic watch

measures 38.5mm in diameter (slightly larger

than the 35mm of the original), making it

more appealing to contemporary tastes.

It still features an inner core of soft iron

to provide the movement with a high level

of protection from magnetism.

3 Although the original watch

contained Jaeger-LeCoultre’s

military-specification, hand-wound

478B movement, the new version

contains the brand’s in-house

Calibre 898/1 mechanism, which

is self-winding. It features

a “stop seconds” function that

allows exact time setting..

5 Every Geophysic watch must

pass its “1,000 hours control”

tests, during which the cased

movements are tested

continuously for a period of six

weeks to ensure they remain

accurate in different positions,

at different temperatures, at

various degrees of atmospheric

pressure and shock levels, and

under extremes of magnetism.

4 The back is screwed down

tightly to ensure it remains

watertight to a depth of 328ft.

The original watch was supplied

to various scientists, including

those aboard the atomic

submarine USS Nautilus, which

on August 1 1958 went beneath

the North Pole. A globe design

engraved on the back recalls

that of the original 1958 model.

Geophysic Chronometer, £6,350 (steel); £13,900 (red gold); £21,700 (platinum), Jaeger-LeCoultre (020 7491 6970; jaeger-lecoultre.com)

Victorinox Inox, £329

(020 7647 9070;

victorinoxwatches.com)

Victorinox marks 25 years

in the watch business with

the Inox – a truly tough

timepiece. Prototypes have

allegedly survived being run

over by tanks, falling on to

concrete from a great height

and being left in sandstorms.

The quartz-powered watch

is also waterproof down to

656ft, capable of operating

in temperatures from -51C

to 71C and is damage-

resistant to most regular

solvents and chemicals.

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Piaget Having developed gold-working

techniques for its watches, in the Fifties

the Swiss watchmaker expanded into the

realms of fine jewellery. By the Seventies,

it had become a firm favourite of the jet set:

a period it revisits here with this 18-carat pink-

gold necklace with diamonds and turquoise

beads. POA (020 3364 0800; piaget.co.uk).

Boucheron Since it became

the first jewellery house to open

in the Place Vendôme in 1893,

Boucheron has been enticing

maharajahs, Russian princes and

Egyptian princesses through its

doors. Today, the workshop still

turns seemingly impossible ideas

into beautiful realities, such as

this white-gold, diamond, mother-

of-pearl and sapphire water-lily

ring. POA (020 7514 9170;

boucheron.com).

There is never a bad time to go to Paris but this

coming week will be particularly rewarding for jewellery

lovers; the city’s Grand Palais is hosting the Biennale

Des Antiquaires exhibition of collectibles. The show will

include designs from 14 of the world’s finest jewellers,

from Parisian favourites to such international stars as

Alexandre Reza. Yes, we will always have Paris, but

just not in such sparkling formCaragh McKay

Alexandre Reza Born in Moscow in 1922,

Alexandre Reza grew up in Paris and in 1940 took

over the family’s precious-stone business, which

his son Oliver now runs. The family’s bold, opulent

pieces include these “Farandole” earrings in pink

gold with 18 spinels and brilliant-cut diamonds.

POA (00331 4261 5121; alexandrereza.com).

City of dazzling light

Dior Victoire de Castellane always shines

at the Biennale with her fantastical creations.

Here she reinterprets Christian Dior’s Fifties

cinched-waist Bar jacket as a white-gold bracelet

with diamonds, pink sapphires, emeralds,

garnets, sapphires, garnets and spinels.

POA (020 7172 0172; dior.com).

Wallace Chan The Hong Kong

designer trained initially as

a sculptor, and his jewels are

extraordinarily exotic creations

that showcase what fine jewellers

can achieve today. Although this

“Gleams of Waves” shoulder

brooch, with yellow diamonds,

rubies and pink sapphires, is

somewhat large (4in x 7in),

it is made of titanium and

is wondrously light to wear.

POA (00852 2523 2788;

wallace-chan.com).

ULTRAjewels

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ULTRAtech

1 Earin earphones £79 (earin.se). These wireless ear buds, which weigh just 5g each, work with any Bluetooth smartphone or audio device and come in a recharging capsule. 2 Senz Smart S Windproof Folding

Umbrella €25/about £20 (0031 15 285 5022; senzumbrellas.com). This foldable version of Senz’s aerodynamic umbrella can withstand 35mph winds without turning inside out, and measures 23.5in when folded.

3 PonoPlayer music player $399/about £235 (ponomusic.com). The Pono – designed by musician Neil Young to improve the sound quality of digital music – has enough storage for 5,000 uncompressed songs

downloaded from the PonoMusic store. 4 Mod from $250 (mod.thisisground.com). This ingenious leather organiser can be adapted with optional pockets and tags that snap into its magnetic spine. The various holders

can carry charging cables, phones and small tablet computers. 5 Leica T £1,350, body only (0207 629 1351; uk.leica-camera.com). Leica’s first compact system camera has a 3.2in touchscreen, a 16.3MP sensor and

16GB of memory. 6 Persol PO 714 SM £240 (persol.com/uk). These folding sunglasses, made famous by Steve McQueen in the late Sixties, have been reissued in three colours; the light “Havana” frame features the

classic blue lenses. 7 Nokia Treasure Tag £30 (nokia.com). Attach this fob to important items such as keys or luggage, and it will notify your Windows, iOS or Android phone when you’ve left them behind.

8 Brooks Dalston Knapsack Medium €175 (0121 565 2992; brooksengland.com). This attractive waterproof bag has a sleeve for a 15in laptop, plus three inner pockets, two external pockets and a bottle pouch.

Mark Wilson, Ultratravel’s gear and gadgets guru, chooses the most innovative compact kit for travellers

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DAVID LINLEY FURNITURE DESIGNERHorse-riding in Argentina and Russia, driving an Aston Martin through Italy, and New York libraries all inspire the royal adventurer

After leaving Bedales school, David

Linley had no doubt about his

future career: he wanted to craft

wood. Having studied at Parnham

House under the tutelage of John

Makepeace, he began his eponymous business

in 1985 with the aim, he says, “of designing and

manufacturing furniture of the highest quality”. Today,

the Queen’s nephew is one of the world’s most

sought-after cabinet-makers, whose clients, such as

Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren and David Tang, turn to

him for games tables, jewellery boxes and interiors

for private yachts and jets.

Travel, he says, is in his blood; the car and

motorcycle fan has driven himself around much of

the world, sometimes in his father, Lord Snowdon’s

Aston Martin, and he has ridden horses and fished

in some of the world’s most remote places. In 2011,

he sold a majority shareholding of Linley (davidlinley.

com), although he remains chairman; he is also

chairman of Christie’s UK. The designer lives between

London, Gloucestershire and France with his wife

Serena, a sculptor, and their two teenage children.

His latest project is to make wine cases for Penfold’s

winery (penfolds.com).

Interview by Lisa Grainger

I’ve driven round the world, but one of the most fun trips was with

my sister in my father’s Aston Martin (left), driving north from

Rome through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.The motorbike trips I do every year in north Normandy with some male friends

are also memorable, mainly because it is almost always raining and

a bike always breaks down.

The best meat I ever ate was in Argentina.

I rode horses with an old school friend across

the deserts and forests there, carrying a side

of a cow that we would cut up and cook on

the campfire at night. We also had rods tied

on to the horses so we could fish.

One of the simplest places in which I’ve stayed was a ryokan (above) in

Hakone at the foot of Mount Fuji, whose walls were made of rice paper

and whose beds were mats. Totally uncomplicated – unlike the

fiendishly difficult puzzle boxes made by the local craftsmen nearby.

The wildest place I’ve ever been

was Tuva in Russia. We arrived

by military helicopter and were

there, in theory, to catch

enormous fish using rats on the

end of a line. We didn’t fish in the

end, but instead rode out on

horses, looking for bears in

a landscape that felt prehistoric:

glacier-blue water flowing out of

cliffs past cauldrons of fire in the

earth that had been burning for

thousands of years. Extraordinary.

It was pretty chilly, though.

Unless you wore thick down

over-trousers, your legs froze.

Some of my most memorable meals

have been the simplest: like those

in a little wooden hut up a mountain that

overlooks the whole of the Luberon

in France. At the top, you can

watch the sunset to the clanking

of goats’ bells – and a rather

heady goaty smell – before settling

down to a rustic dinner.

For classical architecture,

Venice, Rome and Florence

are unbeatable, but for

Modernist architecture,

you have to go to Chicago.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s house

(left) is particularly amazing

because he designed

everything in it, from the

building to the furniture.

Often the most wonderful gems in cities are hidden away, such as the Morgan Library (themorgan.org) in New York. I was there recently and found some incredibly beautiful 5,000-year-old seals (below) from Mesopotamia. I could imagine their designs inlaid on boxes.

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their visits there. Of course, there’s

a definite delight in shocking the

neighbours, who have only been to Bali.

But after the general intake of breath at

the drinks party, yours will be a genuinely

fascinating story.

What always strikes me in Iran is the

normality of it. If you wandered down the

street in Tehran – say Dr Fatemi Avenue,

where the old and much-loved hotel, the

Laleh, stands – you would find it

suspended between West and East,

between the modern and something

altogether older and more attractive: the

Persian past. This is not Saudi Arabia:

women drive cars, run businesses and

often forget to cover their hair as they’re

supposed to do. The systems of control

exist, but they’re usually discreet. A

westerner wouldn’t come into contact with

the nastier side of Iranian coercion, as long

as he or she behaved and dressed sensibly.

What you would encounter is a genuine

delight to see you: a distinctly old-

fashioned affection for westerners, who

have vanished from everyday life in Iran.

Eating in a Tehran restaurant can

sometimes be a trial: so many people want

to greet you and indeed pay for your meal.

I first became aware of this affection in

the Eighties, when I ventured out to cover

an anti-British demonstration in the city.

I was a lot younger then, and accompanied

by a charming, fatherly cameraman.

The crowd pushed and shoved, and

shouted “Marg bar Tacher” – “death to

Thatcher”. I asked the cameraman to stand

on a low wall and film me as I walked

through the angry demonstrators. “I really

don’t think you should do this, John,” he

said, with a troubled look at the mob. But

I’d seen it done before, by an American

correspondent. I weaved my way through

the crowd, smiling and explaining that

I was a Brit, and they opened up a pathway

for me, shaking hands and bowing.

I finally reached the ringmaster,

a professional demonstrator who was

beating his chest, the spittle shooting from

his mouth in his anti-British fervour.

“Welcome, welcome to Iran, sir,” he said,

and actually kissed my hand. It went down

well on the news that night, I promise you.

All right, you’re saying, that was

decades ago. But, you see, Iran has been

cut off from the West for so long since then

that the longing for contact with westerners

has actually grown. If you spend an

evening wandering round Isfahan, the

incomparable city of Shah Abbas on the

Zayandeh River, with the distant foothills

of the Zagros purple in the fading light,

your main problem will be saying no to the

kindly people picnicking in the parks and

gardens who beg you to join them.

“Esfahan nesf-e jahan” the Persians

say. “Isfahan is half of the world.” And

when you’re there, perhaps drinking

a little glass of tea in the courtyard of the

Abbasi Hotel, I think you might agree it’s

the finer half. You’re probably thinking

I’ve been paid by the Iran Tourism Board

(if such a thing exists) for saying this.

Persians, with their habitual joy in

conspiracy theories, certainly would. But

I’ve been banned from Iran for five years

now, and don’t know if I’ll ever be allowed

back. Believe me, the loss is mine.

All right, so I’m a travel extremist

when it comes to holidays. Don’t

come to me with your tales

of fortnights in Dubai or the Maldives:

it’s Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea

that I’m interested in. The first thing I

think of, when I hear of trouble in Egypt,

is the Valley of the Kings emptying out

and being able at long last to get a decent

look at Tutankhamen’s belongings.

This being the case, though, please

don’t simply disregard the country I want

to suggest to you for a strenuous but

immensely rewarding holiday: Iran. OK,

now you’re thinking of seething crowds of

angry men and black-wrapped women

screaming “Death to” whoever it is this

week. Stonings. Glowering ayatollahs.

These things exist, just as the danger of

being hijacked in South Africa exists, or

being randomly shot in America. But they

aren’t the norm. They’re just what people

like me put in our news reports.

So let’s start again, with a clean sheet.

Think of a country, largely cut off from the

outside world, with a lovely dry climate,

sophisticated and charming people, superb

archaeological monuments, mountains,

deserts, the Caspian Sea. If recent history

had been different, it would be the India

of the travel business, only without the

beggars and the chaos. Iran is, quite

simply, the most charming country I know.

Until recently, it has been a complete

secret. But in the past year or so it has

opened up a little. I’ve started reading

patronising little mentions of it in travel

editors’ diaries. A few discerning people

are coming back quite starry-eyed from

Iran, our globetrotter says, is the most charming country on earth, with kind, sophisticated people. It’s just a pity he can’t go back

In Tehran, you will encounter

a genuine delight to see you:

a distinctly old-fashioned affection

for westerners, who have

vanished from everyday life

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While he is happiest chewing the fat in Saint-Tropez, she derives her pleasures from decadent daydreams on the Hôtel Byblos yacht

Piers Morgan and Celia Walden were guests

of Hôtel Byblos, Saint-Tropez (above). A double room

starts at €340 per night, based on two sharing

(0033 4 9456 6800; byblos.com).

Isometimes wish I’d married Brigitte Bardot. What’s

not to love about a woman who said: “I am greatly

misunderstood by politically correct idiots” and “They

may call me a sinner, but I am at peace with myself”?

But then I recalled her withering assessment of the finer

things in life: “I absolutely loathe luxury; it’s the one thing

I cannot stand.” And I realised it would never have worked

(well, that and the fact she hates men and lives with 300 dogs).

Because I absolutely love luxury. And for me, Hôtel Byblos in

Saint-Tropez is a towering monument to the fantastical

excess that I crave.

Ironically, it was built for Bardot. Jean-Prosper Gay-Para,

a Lebanese billionaire, was infatuated with the screen goddess

and resolved to create a palace worthy of her name in the

town she made famous. Bardot put aside her aversion to

luxury to attend the launch in 1967 – and a legend was born.

Byblos is an exotic cluster of buildings resembling a

Mediterranean fishing village. The 94 rooms are of varying

degrees of sumptuousness, the best of which overlook the

glamorous pool scene, where your wealth appears to be

directly connected to the size of your female companion’s

heels. It’s here that celebrities, models, tycoons and playboys

mingle in the very epicentre of Riviera jet-set life.

Christophe Chauvin, the elegant and attentive gentleman

who runs Byblos, understands it’s the little details that make

all the difference. When I booked lunch at Le Club 55, the

iconic beachside restaurant three miles away, he looked

appalled when I suggested getting there by taxi. “You

must take our yacht, Mr Morgan,” he declared.

“Your… yacht?” I repeated, slowly.

“Yes, Algandra. It is very nice.”

I took his word for it, and an hour later, we boarded a 65ft,

34-knot ocean vessel so gorgeously sleek that Celia emitted

an involuntary squeal of joy. We sailed round to Le Club 55.

And then sailed back again after lashings of rosé and moules

marinière. Christophe was right – it is the only way to travel.

That night, we dined in Rivea, the hotel’s new Alain

Ducasse restaurant. It was an assault on the senses so

insanely gratifying that my body began to spasm with

pleasure. My favourite of the endless little dishes that arrived

was a sliced white substance that looked like pure fat.

“Yes, sir,” confirmed the waitress. “It is lard.”

Celia recoiled in horror. I sighed with delight. I’d finally

found my gastronomic utopia.

As we stumbled back up past the entrance to the Byblos

nightclub Les Caves de Roy, my eyes alighted on the drinks

menu thoughtfully displayed by the door. A Methuselah

(equivalent to eight bottles) of vintage Dom Perignon was

€150,000. Perhaps Bardot was right. Luxury is loathsome –

when you can’t afford it.

‘Yes, sir, it is lard,’ confirmed the waitress. Celia recoiled in horror. I sighed with delight. I’d finally found my

gastronomic utopia -PIERS

SHE SAYS

It’s at moments like this that I wonder if there is such

a thing as too much pleasure. I’m lying on a large

expanse of macchiato-coloured towelling on the back

of the Hôtel Byblos’s yacht, the Algandra (left), watching

the faded ochre buildings around the port recede into the

distance. Just visible on the west bank is Brigitte Bardot’s

waterside home, shaded beneath poplar trees.

The Algandra picks up speed and two perfect frills

of glittering surf mark our path in the otherwise still

Mediterranean – and as the lazy, trance-inducing first few

bars of Francis Lai’s Un Homme et Une Femme start up,

I feel a deep nostalgia for times I’ve never lived through,

experiences I’ve never had. “What in God’s name are you

doing with your left hand?” foghorns my husband, shattering

my daydreams. We both turn to stare at the offending body

part. Caught in the volupté of our surroundings, my hand

has been stroking the boat’s lacquered wooden console

rather sensuously. Hazily, I decide that there is such

a thing as too much pleasure.

Saint-Tropez and the Byblos in particular have a special

place in my heart. When I visited the world’s most

ostentatious fishing village as a teen, I remember being told

off by the car valets outside the Byblos as my best friend and

I took pictures of one another leaning against the Maseratis

and Lamborghinis parked there. I remember us daring each

other to walk through the hallowed arch of the legendary

hotel’s entrance to catch a glimpse of the Speedo-clad

playboys and lithe-limbed supermodels by the pool.

And I remember being shown the exit by a staff member who

doubtless mistook us – in our Pretty Woman-inspired Topshop

micro-skirts – for working girls. It wasn’t until I was married

and pregnant that I finally became a bona fide guest.

This time, however, feels different. Lounging on the

hotel’s preposterously luxurious yacht, fresh from my

“Phyto-Svelt Global” body treatment at the Byblos spa, at last

I feel like I belong. “Is it rosé o’clock, yet?” I murmur to Piers,

who’s still yapping away behind me. He stops for a brief

moment to inform me that it’s 11.30am, and there’s a burst

of laughter from the crew as he makes some joke about

having married Gérard Depardieu. “Don’t worry – we’ll get

you a Methuselah at Club 55 if you can hold out for half

an hour,” he chuckles.

As it turns out, two bottles of iced Château Minuty,

followed by a fine burgundy at the hotel’s Alain Ducasse

restaurant that night just about hit the spot. Of course, I could

still have followed up the day’s drinking with a Methuselah

chaser at Les Caves du Roy, but having glanced – and

blanched – at the drinks menu by the door on our way home,

Piers muttered something about having eaten too much lard

and went straight to bed.

MR&MRS MORGAN

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THE ULTRATRAVEL GUIDE

CASTLES IN THE SANDOnce the Balearics were just places for bargain breaks. Today, says Annie Bennett, Spain’s golden isles are

among Europe’s most glamorous holiday hotspots, with Michelin-starred restaurants, superyacht marinas and

glorious places to stay. Ultratravel checks into eight of the finest pads, from high-tech villas to converted citadels

Golden hour The courtyard

of the Cap Rocat hotel,

converted in 2010 from

a cannon-bedecked fort into

a calm Majorcan hotel

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Adecade ago, the Balearics were best known for the relentless

beat of their clubs. But that’s history. Today, the Spanish islands

throng with well-heeled travellers, many with second homes,

others flitting in to take advantage of the long hours of sunshine

and numerous hip hotels, sleek villas and world-class

restaurants. In the past few years, several of the world’s five-star

hotel chains have invested in Balearic properties – most recently Meliá Hotels,

which recently opened ME Mallorca and ME Ibiza. The world’s most expensive

set-price meal was just launched in Ibiza (€1,500, or £1,190 a head, concocted

by Michelin-starred Paco Roncero). The property market has never been more

active, with a quarter of Spanish property sales last year taking place in the

Balearics – a third costing more than €5million – and prices achieved for villa

rentals have reached record highs, some reaching more than €100,000 a month.

To cope with increasingly wealthy visitors, berths in marinas have been

enlarged – more than half at Marina Ibiza now accommodate boats of more

than 65ft, and there is space for 300ft vessels – and marinas such as Port

Adriano have been redesigned by starry names such as Philippe Starck. Hotels

have also added to their services a range of super-luxe transportation; guests

at the ME hotel in Ibiza, for instance, can be flown there by private jet, as can

guests at the Jumeirah Port Soller, from London, Dubai or Moscow.

The islands, as one resident put it, are “the new Côte d’Azur, but with more

variety, more privacy and more fun”. Autumn, when the party crowd has left,

school holidays are over and waters are still warm, is a blissful time to visit.

But with such choice, where to stay? Here, we select a few of our favourites.

C A L L 0 8 0 0 0 4 6 3 3 6 2 C A P T A I N S C H O I C E . C O . U K

THE WONDERS OF INDOCHINA

Explore the bustling streets of Hanoi ·

Cruise on the stunning World-Heritage

listed Ha Long Bay · Visit Saigon and

the Chu Chi Tunnels · Enjoy a 7 night

cruise along the Mekong · Visit the

Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh · Watch

the sun rise over Angkor Wat.

Prices from £9,055pp twin share.

CAPE TOWN TO PETRA

Watch Africa unfold before your eyes

on Rovos Rail between Cape Town and

Pretoria · Visit the impressive Victoria

Falls · Go on Safari amidst the teeming

wildlife of the Masai Mara · Visit the

ultra-modern city of Doha · Explore the

ancient site of Petra, the rose-red city.

Prices from £16,085pp twin share.

LEGENDS OF THE ANDES

Explore Santiago, the Chilean capital

city · Discover Ecuador’s historic

capital, Quito · See the magnificent

Cotopaxi Volcano · Ride the gravity

defying Devil’s Nose Railway · Enjoy a

cruise on Lake Titicaca, the highest

navigable lake in the world.

Prices from £10,635pp twin share.

BURMA: A STEP BACK IN TIME

Experience the magic of Mandalay ·

Discover the incomparable city of

Bagan with its 2,000 temples · Visit the

monastery of Mt Popa built atop an

extinct volcano · Cruise the Irrawaddy

and see the legendary leg-rowing

fishermen and stilt houses of Inle Lake.

Prices from £11,830pp twin share.

S I M P L Y T H E F I N E S T W A Y T O S E E T H E W O R L D

TR AV E L W I T H U S TO T H E W O R L D’ S M O S T

E XOT I C D E S T I N AT I O N S

Captain’s Choice is the acknowledged leader in luxury touring around the world. Travelling with us, in unparalleled style, you will

discover the most inspiring, iconic and remote places on earth. You will stay in the finest available accommodation, dine on

superb locally-inspired cuisine, and be taken care of throughout by a dedicated, experienced team which even includes a doctor.

To find out more and to see our full range of tours, please call us for our brand new brochure.

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It must have been quite a feat to dig a fortress into

a cliff in the 19th century. In 2010, it was astoundingly

ambitious on the part of Majorcan architect Antonio

Obrador to turn it into an extraordinary hotel.

At the eastern end of the sweeping Bay of Palma,

Cap Rocat sprawls along the coast for more than a mile

but is invisible from both land and sea. Crossing

a bridge spanning the trench around the structure, you

enter a secret citadel enclosed by ramparts and turrets

(pictured above). Although 15 minutes from Palma’s

centre, it feels very private and remote, surrounded by

a nature reserve that chimes with bird song.

There are two rooms and 23 suites, most of which

are individual structures of golden stone that were

originally cannon emplacements. Now, four-poster

beds, local fabrics in cool blue and black-and-white

photographs of Majorca create a grand yet calm

environment. Toiletries, in square carafes with cork

stoppers, are made from local almonds and honey.

Breakfast, on demand, arrives in hampers and is

set up on the terrace or beside daybeds on the cliff

so guests can gaze across the bay as they feast.

At lunchtime, most drift down to the buzzy Sea Club,

overlooking a turquoise cove, for a lunch of Majorcan

prawns and salt-baked seabass at chef Víctor García’s

smart Mediterranean restaurant, then for dinner head

to his inventive Fortaleza in the dramatic courtyard.

During the day, guests ride bikes, relax on white

leather sunbeds by the saltwater infinity pool (pictured

below) or dive off the rocks. Yoga and pilates are

available, as are treatments using Majorcan almonds.

Staff, in linen tunics, manage always to be close by

when a gin and tonic is required without constantly

hovering around. They are a mine of great local

tips, too, for those who fancy exploring the island

in one of the hotel’s classic cars (0034 971 747 878;

caprocat.com; suites from £350, b&b).

CAP ROCAT MajorcaThe historic hotel

Albert Adrià let slip earlier this year

that he and his super-chef brother

Ferran were negotiating with the Casino de

Ibiza about opening a new venture there

next year. This would put the Ibiza Gran Hotel

(on the same site and also owned by the

Santandreu family) even more in the media

glare than it already is.

Until now, the hotel has been the place

where DJs and other movers and shakers

have chosen to stay when they wanted to

get a good night’s sleep but still be in the

middle of the action. Located in the same

complex as hip places such as the Cipriani

restaurant, and handy for the ever-buzzy

Cavalli restaurant in Marina Ibiza, it has

become the fashionable but tranquil

central-Ibiza retreat.

Although it has the feel of a boutique

hotel, it is far from it. There are 157 suites –

the smallest is 480sq ft – two pools, a first-

class spa and several bars and restaurants.

The reason all those well-travelled,

hotel-weary people stay here is because

everything just works. The suites, in natural

tones with original artworks and teak

terraces, are not over-designed but sleek

and extremely comfortable. All have views

across the marina to the Dalt Vila, the

old part of Ibiza town.

Although the food is fresh and inventive

in all restaurants, the breakfast buffet is

particularly appetising, with the chef creating

something unexpected every morning, such

as fresh handmade chocolates at breakfast

– not a bad way to start the day. Lunch is

often taken by the pool, or on private

terraces attached to the knockout suites

and, later, cocktails such as fresh melon

mojitos are sipped in the La Gaia (surrounded

by hip Seventies photographs) and Gee

Lounge bars before a night on the town.

Pachà is just around the corner, so virtually

a local for many guests staying here

(0034 971 806 777; ibizagranhotel.com;

suites from £235, b&b).

The post-party crash pad IBIZA GRAN HOTEL Ibiza

Cocktail capital Private terrace at the

Ibiza Gran Hotel (top), where drinks often

feature local spices and ingredients (above)

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The private island TAGOMAGO Off Ibiza

With but a handful of islands strewn like

giant boulders in the Mediterranean, the

Balearics aren’t the first place that comes to mind

for those considering a private island getaway. But

just off the coast of Ibiza, a 100-acre landmass, covered

with brushwoods and native scrub, has been

quietly developed as an exclusive European hideaway

unlike any other.

Tagomago is the brainchild of real-estate mogul

Matthias Kühn, who has recast the once-forlorn,

solitary, Seventies-style dwelling into a rousing

whitewashed villa with no fewer than five modernist

en-suite bedrooms. It is decorated with designer

accoutrements (think furnishings by Erda; lighting by

Ingo Maurer; TVs by Bang & Olufsen) and original

artworks in vivid reds, blues and yellows, courtesy

of designer Olga Ferrer. The airy villa, which also

features a large dining and sitting room as well as

a gym, sits adjacent to an arrestingly beautiful

blacked-out pool and forms the heart of this parched,

vertiginous isle.

Guests naturally make the most of the pool or can

explore one of the many walking trails to a century-old

lighthouse at the island’s other end. Or they can head

for the turquoise waters of its sheltered cove, where

they can take a dip and where yachts may moor.

Whatever they choose to do on the island, disruptions,

interlopers and trespassers won’t figure in this idyllic

equation. This level of solitude does come with

a six-figure price per week, but as Kühn says: “You

can’t put a price on Tagomago; it’s like a Picasso”.

(0034 691 858 553; tagomago-island.com; from

€100,000 a week). Farhad Heydari

Away from the clubbing

crowds Tagomago, on

which guests land in the

island’s own helicopter

(top left). Views of Ibiza

from a beachside veranda

(above) and a secluded

outdoor dining area (left)

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Built into the hillside overlooking the

curving bay of Port Sóller on the

northwest coast of Majorca, framed by the

Tramuntana mountains, the Jumeirah has an

extraordinary location. Had it not been built

on the site of a previously failed project,

there is no way this two-year-old property

would have been given planning permission

– particularly since the Tramuntana coast

was awarded Unesco World Heritage status

three years ago.

The hotel snakes along the cliff edge for

about a mile, its 120 rooms making up a

string of interlinked buildings on different

levels. Some have wet rooms with panoramic

windows so guests can take in the views as

they shower, as well as beds facing the sea.

Paintings by Majorcan artists soften the

classic style, which emphasises comfort

rather than designer gimmickry.

The two-level Lighthouse Suite occupies

a watchtower-like structure and has a huge

terrace with a Jacuzzi, while the 1,700sq ft

Observatory Suite has private access and is

equipped with a telescope for a spot of

stargazing. The infinity pool right at the top of

the complex (above right) is where couples

meet for cocktails, while the lower-level

Sa Talaia pool is where families congregate.

The spa also has an outdoor Jacuzzi in which

to loll in bubbles following a relaxing Natura

Bissé spa treatment.

The restaurants serve up remarkably

good local food given they are in an

international hotel. The new chef, Jenö Friedl,

who previously worked in Hong Kong and

Shenzhen, has introduced Asian dishes

alongside the tapas in Es Fanals, the less

formal restaurant by the infinity pool. It

may seem an odd mix, but the produce is

local, which is all that most diners seem

concerned with as they dig into their famous

Sóller prawns alongside their croquetas.

Both the bright lights of Palma and the

airport are only around half an hour’s drive

away, while Deià and a string of tiny coves

are a short drive around the coast. Taking a

boat is far more relaxing than driving there,

and something that the hotel can, of course,

organise (0034 971 637 888; jumeirah.com;

doubles from £320, b&b).

The luxe resort JUMEIRAH PORT SOLLER Majorca

In the southwest of the island, overlooking

the pretty cliftfop village of Es Cubells,

El Horizonte (pictured above) has sweeping

views across the Mediterranean and the

coastline. Built a decade ago, the white,

Modernist villa is all space and light.

A reclining Buddha languishes by the 80ft

infinity pool on the main terrace, one of

many Eastern artworks in the property. Steps

lead through the trees to a shaded dining

area, perfect for a long paella lunch. There

are sunbeds and chillout areas right across

the front of the villa, so guests can break off

into small groups with their own space.

Inside, there are seven bedrooms, three

of which face the sea. Two are in a lower

section of the building and are suitable for

nannies as well as guests, although, with its

precipitous cliff-garden, El Horizonte is better

suited to older children or a group of friends.

The open-plan living area has a Balinese

acacia dining table that is long enough to

seat everyone staying at the villa as well as a

few guests. With its white furniture, concrete

floors and striking artworks adorning the

walls, the villa feels a bit like a gallery –

although, given the views, eyes are inevitably

drawn to the dramatic scenery outside.

This is a villa in which there is plenty to do.

In the evenings, guests can watch movies on

a drop-down screen, if the television just

isn’t big enough. A personal trainer will show

up every day (if requested) to help guests

work out in the outdoor gym – and the best

yoga and pilates instructors on the island are

a phone call away, as are massage and

beauty therapists, who set up their tables by

the pool. Most guests request a chef and the

kitchen is well equipped, and has a hidden

prepping area, so any culinary messiness

doesn’t spoil the view.

While it feels very rural, the house is

just 15 minutes from the airport and 20

minutes from Ibiza town. Es Cubells beach

is a couple of miles down the road and some

of the most beautiful coves on the island –

such as Cala d’Hort, Cala Conta, Cala Bassa

and Cala Tarida – are just a short drive

away. Guests can take their pick of the

beachside fish restaurants nearby or just

ask the chef to pick up the catch of the day

from the market and serve it under the trees

(01799 516971; internationalvillas.net;

weekly rental from £25,300).

The knockout villa EL HORIZONTE Ibiza

Some hotels sit so naturally in their neighbourhood

that you just assume they have been there for

years. This is certainly the impression given at

Can Alomar in Palma (above), which opened in May

and is already one of the smartest addresses in town.

Chic locals meet for evening drinks at the terrace bar,

and tables at De Tokio a Lima, this season’s hot new

restaurant, have to be booked well in advance.

The Passeig del Born boulevard is becoming

Palma’s premier shopping street and Can Alomar

occupies a prime spot on the corner with San Feliu,

a lane lined with galleries and boutiques.

This is the third hotel in Palma opened by

entrepreneur Miguel Conde Moragues and his architect

wife Cristina, following Can Cera and Calatrava. The

elegant 19th-century building now has 16 large rooms

and suites with cool, pared-down decor in shades of

the palest grey, green and taupe with striking paintings

and sculptures; the couple are keen art collectors and

each of their hotels feels like a gallery.

Up on the roof, with views of the cathedral and

the Mediterranean, there is a small pool and

sunbathing area, as well as a turret, which is a lovely

spot for a glass of cava before dinner. The menu at

De Tokio a Lima is a zingy fusion of Majorcan, Japanese

and Peruvian influences, with dishes such as

scallop, octopus and seaweed ceviche. Breakfast

is a buffet with a small but well-chosen selection,

with eggs cooked to order and excellent just-brewed,

full-flavoured coffee.

Restaurant reservations, sailing, vineyard visits

and curated shopping can all be arranged prior to

arrival, so guests can make the most of their time

on the island from the moment they arrive

(0034 871 592 002; luxuryboutiquehotelcanalomar.com;

doubles from £172, b&b).

The converted palaceHOTEL CAN ALOMARMajorca

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In Majorca, treehouses are not just for

children. The one just constructed at Son

Net, a grand pink 17th-century mansion

above the village of Puigpunyent in the

Tramuntana hills (above), is a very grown-up

affair – and, thankfully, accessed via a spiral

staircase rather than a ladder. As romantic

dinner locations go, it takes some beating,

although it’s a sublime spot for cocktails, too.

This is a hotel that does things differently,

though. Each of the 31 individually designed

rooms and suites is sumptuously furnished,

with four-poster beds, antiques and refined

upholstery beneath beamed ceilings, and

fresh citrus-fragranced Antica Farmacista

and L’Occitane products in the vast marble

bathrooms. Despite the odd suit of armour,

the overall feel is neither old-fashioned nor

stuffy, with contemporary furniture in the

sprawling lounges, liberal use of Majorcan

fabrics and vibrant art on walls, including

works by Frank Stella and David Hockney.

Lying by the 100ft pool in the privacy of

bottle-green canvas cabanas, guests might

feel as if they are staying in an art-collector’s

country home rather than a hotel. A stroll

around the hillside reveals a helipad as well

as a vineyard and vegetable garden, which

provide much of the produce for chef Sergio

Olmedo’s Oleum Restaurant. Lunch on

El Gazebo restaurant’s terrace might be

a lobster and avocado salad, or ibérico ham,

patatas bravas and a cold beer.

This isn’t a place for posing around a pool.

Guests generally find small spaces in which

to relax around the property, in shorts and

flip flops or floaty dresses. There are enough

spa treatments to keep most guests amused

for at least a week, and several top golf

courses and a handful of beaches within

easy reach. With Palma and the airport only

20 minutes away, Son Net is the perfect base

for a lengthy, and leisurely, stay in the

Balearics (0034 971 147 000; sonnet.es;

doubles from £125, b&b).

The boutique retreat SON NET Majorca

IBIZA

British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com)

flies from Heathrow to Ibiza four times

a week from March until late October,

from £272 return in Club Europe. It also

flies from Gatwick and London City.

MAJORCA

BA has Club Europe seats on flights

departing from Heathrow and London

City to Palma. Charter companies offering

private jets to the islands include Private

Fly (01747 642 777; privatefly.com; from

£8,262 return, for four, in a Citation

Mustang from London Luton to Palma).

Departures from other airports can be

arranged, flight times are flexible, pets

can travel in the cabin, and passengers

can arrive 15 minutes before departure.

Jet ME (0034 971 330 051; me-by-melia.

com) offers six-night private-jet packages

to ME Ibiza, staying in suites, with private

chefs, yacht trips and speedboat

transfers, from £25,000 per person for

six nights. Sloane Helicopters in Majorca

(0034 971 794 132; sloanemallorca.com)

offers sightseeing and heli-dining tours,

from €549 (about £430) for 30 minutes.

Money £1 = €1.26

More information ibiza.travel/en;

seemallorca.com; majorca-mallorca.co.uk

ULTRA BASICS HOW TO GET TO THE BALEARICS IN STYLE

It doesn’t take long to feel relaxed at Torralbenc.

No sooner have most guests sunk into a linen

armchair and breathed in the scents of rosemary

and lavender than they have drifted off. Others might

take a massage with herbal potions to help them

on their way.

In spite of being just 10 minutes’ drive from the

airport and 20 minutes from the capital Mahón, in the

south-east of the island, Torralbenc is very rural,

surrounded by countryside and with tremendous views

of the Mediterranean from its hill-top position.

Traditional Menorcan dry-stone walls and olive trees

enclose a former farmhouse and outbuildings,

transformed last year by architect Antonio Esteva into

22 airy rooms with beamed ceilings, chestnut furniture

and sandstone floors. For those who want a bit more

privacy, there’s a cottage with its own pool; for

everyone else, there is an 80ft pool, alongside

treatment rooms and a small gym where yoga and

pilates classes take place.

Paco Morales (below), one of Spain’s most

interesting young chefs, oversees the kitchen and is

present on a regular basis, despite being busy setting

up his own place, Noor, which opens in Córdoba next

year. Guests can choose between his innovative

cuisine – for which he gained a Michelin star at his

previous restaurant – or opt for something simple but

delicious, such as just-picked salad with local fish. The

à la carte breakfast is either served on the restaurant

terrace or delivered in baskets on to guests’ terraces.

The proprietors also own the renowned Rioja winery

Remírez de Ganuza, so it is not so surprising that

vineyards have been planted around the hotel. While

it will be a few years yet before guests can drink from

Torralbenc’s own bottles, they can go down to the

cellar and taste wines on the excellent list (0034 971

377 211; torralbenc.com; doubles from £144, b&b).

TORRALBENC MenorcaThe foodie hotel

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The Komodo Islands in Indonesia are renowned for their terrifying

giant lizards, but their volcanic landscapes and underwater wildlife are as

fascinating and strange as any real-life ‘dragon’. Lisa Grainger travels by

luxury phinisi around islands that remain in prehistory

BEAUTY& THEBEASTS

ULTRA ADVENTURE

There be dragons Si Datu Bua,

a traditional Indonesian yacht,

sailing in the waters around the

Komodo Islands

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n the walls of the

admissions office in Loh Buaya, on Rinca Island, splatters

of blood on a wall attest to the ferocity of the creatures

that have put Komodo and its neighbouring Indonesian

islands on the map.

“Dragons can smell blood from three miles away,”

says our guide Suleiman Oman, a disconcertingly delicate

man armed only with a forked stick that he claims will

repel a charging carnivorous creature.

“Not so long ago, a big dragon came into our office and

attacked our warden’s leg. He managed to climb up to the

window and escape, but it was a very bad bite. He was

lucky; a few years ago a nine-year-old boy from our

village was killed. The dragons took his guts out.”

Looking at five of the prehistoric-looking beasts

basking just inside the entrance to the national park, their

scaled faces lifting occasionally to eyeball us as we cluster

nervously behind Suleiman, none of us doubts the

ferocity of the Komodo dragon. The world’s largest lizard

can grow as long as 10ft, from its prominent nostrils to

the end of its long muscular tail, and weigh up to 150lb.

Its leathery skin is made up of grey chainmail-like scales.

From each of its toes extends a long curved claw. And its

tongue is the stuff of horror stories: long, pink and yellow,

forked and extended vigorously every few minutes to test

the air for blood. Watching them, it becomes perfectly

understandable why Steven Spielberg came to these

islands to find inspiration for his film Jurassic Park, or why

the story of King Kong has its origins here. These beasts

are a living link with the Jurassic age, the very

embodiment of fear.

But then nothing in this strange environment is like

anywhere else on earth. Komodo is one of Indonesia’s

17,508 islands that spread from west to east over 700,000sq

miles: an extensive necklace of land-blobs that separate

the Indian Ocean in the south to the Pacific in the north.

Geologically, the country is extraordinary, too. It’s here,

miles below the earth’s surface, that three of the planet’s

eight tectonic plates meet, their collision creating seabed

fissures more than four miles deep, as well as causing

extreme volcanic activity. The area’s 167 active volcanoes

often spew hot lava into the air, filling the equatorial skies

with clouds of grey ash; once, apparently, in 1815, the

clouds from the biggest eruption known to man, of Mount

Tambora, caused red skies all over the world and in

Europe the legendary “year without summer”.

Flying east from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta (a

destination that, this month, will be much easier to reach

thanks to Garuda’s new non-stop flights from London) to

the island of Flores, the scenery is almost as spectacular

from the skies as it is on the ground. Looking down,

emerald forests stretch to the horizon. Tiny islands dot the

seas — little blobs of green surrounded by white sand and

turquoise seas. Volcanoes spew smoke into the skies, or

lie dormant like brown corpuscles on a skin of grey, ash-

Dragon boat

A menacing Komodo dragon on

the prowl for meat, top.

Far left: the sumptuous deck of

Si Datu Bua, and left, Gede, the

ship’s ever-smiling butler, with a

tray of fresh juices

strewn earth. And as we head east, the drier savannah

islands appear: their once-molten, smooth surfaces now

carpeted with a layer of dry golden grass.

In the waters surrounding the island of Flores, just off

the little fishing town of Labuan Bajo, my friends and I join

the boat that is to be our home, and our transport, for the

next four nights. Si Datu Bua – or “Beloved Princess” — is

a wooden phinisi: one of the traditional south-east Asian

schooners that for centuries carried spices between Africa,

India, the Middle East and China.

Except, unlike those workhorse cargo ships, Si Datu

Bua is a luxury vessel, built locally two years ago by Patti

Seery, an American textiles enthusiast who fell in love not

just with the Indonesian islands, but also with their

people, and wanted to help resuscitate their boat-building

industry by constructing one of the most beautiful vessels

the country had ever seen.

Having spent four nights on it, and sailed alongside its

larger, older sister ship, Silolona, I cannot believe there is

another phinisi anywhere that is as elegant or

comfortable. There certainly isn’t one whose creation can

have been conceived with such love. Seery has chartered

boats most of her adult life, and studied their make-up, so

she knew precisely what she wanted from this sailing

princess: a wide girth to ensure a comfortable voyage, a

strong body made from Indonesia’s most beautiful trees,

and décor and comforts that couldn’t fail to seduce.

The 130ft-long boat is crafted from the finest local

hardwoods, from dark ironwood to golden teak, polished

like fine furniture and embedded in her prow and stern

with gold and diamonds. (“She’s a woman and in these

islands that’s what female ships demand,” Seery

explains.) The guest accommodation consists of three

capacious, air-conditioned double cabins, with proper

bathrooms, king-sized beds made up with super-soft

cotton-bamboo sheets and walls hung with exquisite

antique fabrics, maps and indigenous objects.

Up on deck, loungers and banquettes are strewn with

cushions for sunbathing, while shaded sofas and dining

tables are ideal for poring over Seery’s collection of books

and antique maps (including one showing Sir Francis

Drake’s voyages into this area). And in smart uniforms are

13 crew – more than two per passenger – who are always

there, smiling and ready the minute you need them, and

otherwise invisible, off creating lobster feasts and beach

barbecues, preparing cold lemongrass-infused towels and

fresh-pressed tropical juices, washing your dive gear and

preparing the double-masted schooner to set sail on its

seven rust-coloured sails or its 450hp engine.

The beauty of this ship – and Seery’s other phinisi

IT IS NO SURPRISE STEVEN SPIELBERG

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Silolona, which sleeps 12, and has hosted guests such as

Gwyneth Paltrow, Tony Blair and a Saudi princess who left

the crew a $30,000 tip – is that they can go pretty much

where you want, when you want, for as long as you want.

Many guests, apparently, come for 19 days; some taking

the small ship, some the large, others both, to sail around

Thailand, Malaysia, the Andaman Islands or Raja Ampat

Islands in West Papua from October to March; the rest of

the year, they cruise around Komodo where, particularly

in March, April, September and October, seas and winds

are relatively calm.

What we wanted was both an underwater and an over-

water safari that would allow us not only to understand

why great 19th-century naturalists such as Alfred Wallace

had sailed to these islands, but also to explore the richest

marine environment on earth: waters that hold more than

a third of the world’s sea life. This area forms part of the

“Wallace Line”, where cool currents from the south meet

the warmer ones from the north, resulting in species from

both Australasia and Melanesia, from manta rays and

whale sharks below the water to cockatoos and Komodo

dragons above it. “Just when you think you’ve seen the

most incredible creature you’ve ever imagined,” says

Seery, “another one comes along. We’ve had all sorts of

marine experts on these ships who’ve found things no

one’s ever seen before.”

Sailing for four days around the protected

islands and seas of the Komodo National Park,

stopping to anchor at night in sheltered bays,

we saw extraordinary creatures in abundance.

It made perfect sense why Sir David Attenborough came

here so early in his career – in 1956 — for his Zoo Quest

series. In fact, having seen smoking volcanoes oozing

molten lava, dinosaur-like lizards and swirling flocks of

bats flooding the skies at night, it was hard not to believe

we, too, were on a film set or had been transported into a

Joseph Conrad book. If we were on earth, it was not the

planet we knew, but some place more exotic, more

ancient, and infinitely more primeval.

Everywhere we stopped there was something strange

and wonderful to see. One morning, kayaking beside

mangroves in a calm bay just off Komodo Island, clouds

of flying foxes suddenly erupted into the air, screeching

and soaring on their rust-coloured wings before coming

to hang from branches just above our heads. Another day,

walking in a rare forested area, we spotted cockatoos,

golden orioles and luminescent emerald doves. We saw a

pair of sea eagles hunting for fish in the evening light,

“hopping” sea fish that could both lie on rocks and then

leap into the water, and pods of dozens of dolphins that

played in the boat’s wake as we sailed.

If, on our over-water safari, the creatures appeared to

be remnants of a prehistoric age, on our underwater

expeditions they were like circus performers — clad in

striped, spotted and frilled costumes, painted in the most

lurid iridescent shades imaginable, and given ludicrously

inventive masks, some with oversized eyes or lips, others

with fringes of tentacles.

Wherever we looked in this great sea of creativity,

a performance was taking place. Above our heads, balletic

manta rays flitted in the sunlight like giant acrobats,

alongside a corps de ballet of thousands of synchronised

yellow-striped fish. Below, weird performers – the

transparent ghost pipefish; the fluttering but deadly

lionfish; the frilled yellow-and-purple nudibranch; the

terrifyingly over-familiar blue sea snake – flittered and

fluttered by. And on seafloors and rock walls, fan-shapes

and brain-shapes and mushrooms of luminous,

multicoloured coral gleamed and glowed in the clear

water, as yet untouched by global warming or the

devastating hand of man.

Having to ascend when our air ran out was always a

disappointment – apart from the fact that we knew that

the minute we stepped on board there would be a

smiling man waiting, with fresh towels and hot chocolate,

and the promise of yet another surprise. One night it was

cocktails on a sandbank; on another a beach barbecue

with a guitarist; the final night the whole crew serenaded

us on board under the moon.

There were tears from guests on several occasions on

this trip, all of joy. It wasn’t just the islands’ beauty that

overwhelmed us, or the sweet nature of the people, but

the warmth of Seery, who has spent 10 years creating

these ships and dreaming up bespoke journeys for

travellers of all kinds, from families to serious divers.

Having spent decades exploring the islands herself,

she knows all the best spots: the most sheltered beaches

for barbecues (Banta Island, where we stopped to roast

lobsters in the moonlight); waters where manta rays come

to be cleaned (near Bugis); beaches where the sand is

pink with shredded coral and littered with head-sized

shells (Padar Island). As a textiles expert, she knows

which tribes make the most exquisite batik and ikat

fabrics, and which island is particularly well-known for its

beautiful women (Savu). She’s known on these islands as

“Ibu”, or mother, welcomed wherever she goes, and

clearly adored by her crew. Sailing with her on her dream

ships, it’s not hard to see why.

Original Diving (020 7978 0505; originaldiving.com) offers

tailor-made sailing and scuba-diving trips to the Komodo

National Park from £6,600 per person, including six nights

on Si Data Bua in a shared cabin; one night stop-over in Bali

staying at Karma Kandara; international and domestic

flights with Garuda Indonesia and transfers. For private

charter, Si Datu Bua accommodates up to six guests in three

cabins from £7,800 per day, fully inclusive, excluding alcohol.

WHEREVER WE LOOKED IN THIS SEA

OF CREATIVITY, A PERFORMANCE WAS

TAKING PLACE

Beautiful creatures Swimming with whale sharks, above, and below, from left, clown fish, a comatula starfish on coral, and diving in clear water

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MAUR IT IUS REUNION MALD IVES CH INA U .A . E (2016) | LUXRESORTS.COM

The Team Members of LUX* help people to celebrate life with

the most simple, fresh and sensory hospitality in the world.

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GAME OF THRONES

he past decade has seen an unprecedented number of grand hotel

openings in London, New York and Paris – the latter being arguably

the global capital of grande-dame establishments. As recently as 2005,

there were just six self-styled “palace hotels” in the French capital.

But then France’s Competition Authority accused them of exchanging

confidential information that they used to keep their rack rates

artificially high. Each was fined. Since then their woes have been

compounded by the opening of a succession of newcomers, each

aspiring to palatial status – the loosely defined qualifications for which

were a historic setting, opulent decor, a gastronomic restaurant worthy

of a Michelin star and lead-in rates of around €1,000 a night – and

threatening to eat their lunch.

Nine years on the Crillon is closed, pending its transformation into a

Rosewood: the Hong Kong Chinese-owned, Texas-based management

company that owns, among other properties, New York’s venerable

Carlyle, as well as the new Rosewood in London. The Ritz is closed too,

for the first time in its 116-year history, while it undergoes a root-and-

branch refurbishment and expansion scheduled for completion next

Easter. Le Meurice’s sister hotel, the Plaza Athénée has just reopened.

Meanwhile, the peerless Bristol has undergone a gradual programme of

improvements over the past few years: a new restaurant, a splendid new

La Prairie spa with a banya to keep its Russian guests happy, as well as

some new signature suites, notably an enfilade of rooms tucked under

the hotel’s mansard roof with seven balconies, Eiffel Tower views and

auspiciously numbered 888, the better to appeal to Chinese visitors.

The reasons for this rush to improve are obvious. Of course, none of

the old guard wants to look shabby or tired in comparison with the

newcomers – let us call them belles filles, even if some of them are

ULTRA TREND

As Paris, London and New York compete to be hotel capital of the world, the grandes dames establishments are being

challenged by new properties with an emphasis on cutting-edge design and innovative service, says Claire Wrathall

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NEW YORK1 French-inspired design at the

Baccarat in Midtown

2 The Park Hyatt, the city’s

tallest residential tower

3 The SLS Hotel Park Avenue,

designed by Philippe Starck

4 Clubby comfort at The Carlyle

in the Upper East Side

5 The ornate Pierre, also in

the Upper East Side

6 Classic elegance at the New

York Palace in Midtown

dressed like dowagers – especially those that had their

pride pricked further by the introduction in 2011 of an

officially sanctioned better-than-five-star “palace”

distinction. This deliberately excluded the Ritz, the

Crillon and the Four Seasons George V (since

promoted) in its first announcement, but accorded the

honour to the all-American (and excellent) Park Hyatt.

Worse, the palace distinction has been swiftly

bestowed on many of the newcomers, not least the huge

Hong Kong-based brand Shangri-La Paris. Next came

Le Royal Monceau, operated by the Singapore-based

Raffles group; then the Mandarin Oriental. Rosewood

and the Ritz will be praying the honour is swiftly

forthcoming once they reopen. Especially as they will

be facing stern competition from Peninsula, another

superlative Hong Kong brand, which finally opened in

August. Aside from its Cantonese restaurant LiLi, the

hotel’s look and feel is essentially European art deco,

in keeping with the heritage of the hotel.

Where the old guard retain their edge is in their

location. Traditionally, the concentration of prime hotels

has straddled the first and eighth arrondissements, an

area delineated to the north by the Ritz, the west by the

Four Seasons George V, the east by Le Meurice and the

south by the just reopened and refurbished Plaza

Athénée. The new kids have had to strike out further

from the centre. The Peninsula is out in the 16th on

Avenue Kléber, three blocks west of the Champs-Elysées

in what was the Majestic, the first Parisian hotel to offer

ensuite bathrooms. The Shangri-La is yet a further

half-mile south, on the right side of the Seine but only

just and rather too close to the Trocadéro. Mon dieu!

Admittedly, its Eiffel Tower views are terrific, but there’s

not much else to recommend the neighbourhood.

The building, though, is very splendid indeed: the

former Palais d’Iéna, built by Prince Roland Bonaparte,

a grand-nephew of Napoleon. Shangri-La spent four

years and €180million restoring it to its dazzling former

glory, and you can see where the money was spent.

Its Grand Salon is almost worthy of Versailles, a

Galerie des Glaces writ small.

These new hotels are also raising the game in terms

of thoughtful extras. Thank you, Mandarin Oriental,

not just for the Lesage-embroidered bedheads in the

suites, but for clothes steamers stored in the wardrobes:

so much less arduous than ironing, so much faster than

calling housekeeping. At The Peninsula you’ll find

touchscreen tablets for controlling the air conditioning,

blinds and televisions, as well as panels on the walls

that gauge the outside temperature, control the

thermostat, or summon your valet (butlers are old hat).

A similar story is unfolding in London, where

The Lanesborough on Hyde Park Corner is shut while

a redesign by the Paris-based Alberto Pinto studio

reworks its interiors in readiness for Peninsula’s

eagerly awaited London debut practically next door at

1-5 Grosvenor Place.

Historically, however, the preferred hub for London’s

best hotels has tended to be Mayfair, a trend set by

Brown’s, the oldest in London, when it opened on

Albemarle Street in 1837, and cemented by Claridge’s

when it morphed from a lodging house into a hotel

on Upper Brook Street in 1854, and later by The

Connaught. The trend continues to this day. When the

modish London restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy

King open their first hotel, the Beaumont, next month,

it will be on Brown Hart Gardens, just off Duke Street.

But lately a prodigious number of openings combined

with a shortage of suitable real estate has, as in Paris,

prompted some diversification. Take London’s Shangri-

La, which peers down on London Bridge station from its

eyrie in the Shard. Not simply an outlier when it comes

to location, its décor marks a turning point, too. For just

as the wine list in its Ting restaurant features Chinese

wines to complement its “modern European” cooking,

LONDON1 The Shangri-La in the Shard

2 Berners Tavern at Edition, in a

previously unfashionable area

near Oxford Street

3 The Mondrian on the

revamped South Bank

4 Ham Yard Hotel in buzzy Soho

5 Brown’s, the oldest city hotel

6 Claridge’s, in Mayfair

7 The elegant bar at The

Connaught, also in Mayfair

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so its rather plain rooms might as well be in Pudong.

No prizes for guessing which market it has in its sights.

At least if you’ve paid the premium for a room on the

front, the views are unmistakably London – and great.

If you’ve opted for one at the £450 lead-in rate, however,

you may find yourself looking across the unlovely roof

of Guy’s Hospital towards Brockwell and Dulwich.

Whether the world’s premium-hotel dwellers are ready

to trade Mayfair for Bermondsey remains to be seen.

The Marriott-managed Edition has ventured further

north than some would countenance, to the dreary

wrong side of Oxford Street, though its Yabu

Pushelberg-designed rooms go some way to

compensate. And Fitzrovia is tipped as the next

Marylebone, site of the hysterically over-subscribed

André Balazs-owned Chiltern Firehouse.

The forthcoming Mondrian – the first European

outpost of Morgans hotels and, like the Edition, another

design-led US brand created by Ian Schrager – occupies

the former headquarters of Sea Containers House on

the Thames. The downside is it’s in Southwark, handy

for Tate Modern and the Festival Hall, but not much

else. Whether or not Firmdale’s latest offering, Ham

Yard, improves an insalubrious part of southern Soho

also remains to be seen, but the brand has a fan base

for whom its whimsical interiors, residents-only roof

terrace and basement bowling alley will be a draw.

Meanwhile, Rosewood London is having an impact

on hitherto unlovely High Holborn. Its £85-million

restoration of the former headquarters of Pearl

Assurance has transformed it into the lodgings of

choice for American A-listers and actors, not least

because of its courtyard entrance, which means the

paparazzi and teenage fans can be kept at bay.

There have been calls, not least by Boris Johnson, to

rebrand this part of London Midtown, sitting as it does

midway between the West End and the City, and

echoing the name applied to the stretch of Manhattan

running south from 59th Street to about 30th. Certainly,

the higher reaches of New York’s Midtown have long

played host to such hotels as the recently revamped

St Regis and glitzy 900-room New York Palace, even if

the real grandes dames – The Carlyle, The Surrey and

The Mark – are clustered on the Upper East Side.

And the competition is set to intensify now that Park

Hyatt has opened its first Manhattan property in the

90-storey One57 building, the tallest residential tower

in the city. Too bad its 210 rooms, designed by the

tireless Yabu Pushelberg, occupy the bottom 25 floors.

Later this year Baccarat, the French crystal and glass

company founded by Louis XV, opens its first hotel,

again in Midtown, this time opposite the Museum of

Modern Art on 53rd and Fifth in a 45-storey tower

designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Patrick Gilles

and Dorothée Boissier, the Parisian husband-and-wife

design team, are keeping details of its décor firmly

under wraps, but the smart money suggests it will be

understated, beautiful and quintessentially French.

Hot on its heels will come the 190-room SLS Hotel

Park Avenue (at no 444), a part of Midtown now being

marketed as NoMad (for North of Madison Square

Park), but a property worth keeping tabs on, because it

will be designed by Philippe Starck, his first New York

hotel project since he revamped the Paramount (for

Ian Schrager) in 1990, and in so doing more or less

created the “design hotel”.

All of which may yet presage unease in the

competition: perhaps it’s not enough now simply to

have your property renovated. It needs to be the work

of a French designer or, at least, in light of Alexandra

Champalimaud’s recent $140million makeover of the

New York Palace, one with a French name. For though

Paris’s hotel scene may have undergone something of

an upheaval lately, its grandest grand hotels continue to

set the standard to which the rest of the world aspires.

PARIS 1 The bar at Le Royal Monceau

2 The view from the Shangri-La

3 An Eastern vibe at the

Mandarin Oriental

4 The Four Seasons Georges V

5 A suite at the Ritz

6 The restaurant at Le Meurice

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OFF-ROAD DRIVING THROUGH MOROCCO.. .

There are few other desert roads that traverse such magnificent

scenery as the one from Marrakesh to Essaouira - and few more

thrilling ways to explore it than in a convoy of Land Rover

Discovery 4x4 vehicles. The distinctive colours and variety of the rural

landscapes along the road from the Moroccan city are justly celebrated.

The Atlas Mountains, which separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic

coastlines in North Africa from the Sahara Desert, are a corridor of

ranges covered in forests and punctuated with dramatic, fertile valleys

– and alongside them lies some thrilling terrain to explore, including

mountain passes and desert dunes.

A new adventurous overland tour explores the countryside, with

detours into the Atlas Mountains, accompanied by guides who can help

travellers to get the best out of these high-performance vehicles – from

mastering the challenging off-road conditions to navigating the tangle

of Marrakesh’s streets. Although it is an ideal break for experienced

off-road drivers, the range of terrain means drivers of all abilities can

have a go behind the wheel. Accommodation includes Sir Richard

Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot – a palatial Moorish-style hotel set among

landscaped gardens in the foothills of the Atlas.

. . .OR BIKING IN NEW ZEALAND?

the NEXT BIGLAND ADVENTURE

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A six-day, self-drive itinerary

with Land Rover instruction

and guided visits to Marrakesh,

the High Atlas and Essaouira,

costs from £3,995 per person,

excluding flights, through

Abercrombie & Kent (0845 415

4757; abercrombiekent.co.uk).

Land Rover adventures are

available in 2015 in Iceland,

Botswana, Morocco, Tanzania

and the United States. Two wheels can sometimes beat four, especially in a country like

New Zealand, which has superb terrain for cyclists of all abilities.

A two-week trip, taking in the North and South Islands, incorporates

mountain biking in giant redwood trees and the wine country of

Napier and Blenheim. This is a food-lover’s holiday, with tastings

of some of the country’s notable produce, and stays at gourmet-

food retreats, including The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.

A 15-day A&K tour costs from £9,945 per person, including flights.

�

Float on airYour spacious Club World seat gives you your own private space

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To make a reservation or fnd out more,

call Abercrombie & Kent on 0845 485 1215

or email info@abercrombiekent.co.uk

CRUISING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE.. .

Sailing through the Northwest Passage is one of the world’s great

sea journeys. For centuries explorers and traders sought a navigable

path that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the

inhospitable Arctic archipelagos. The freezing environment was so

treacherous that a route was not navigated successfully until 1906 by the

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.

Next August, travellers can retrace part of Amundsen’s route on a

20-night expedition cruise from western Greenland to Russia’s eastern

coast. The voyage will pass several impressive fjords and glaciers en route,

including the huge, Unesco-protected Ilulissat Icefjord, one of the most

active glaciers in the world, which calves around 22 cubic miles of ice

a year. Zodiac trips, accompanied by lecturers, are offered throughout the

voyage; particularly moving are those around Beechey Island, Somerset

Island and Gjoa Haven, where Arctic explorers took refuge in freezing

conditions to wait – sometimes for two years – for conditions to improve.

There is exceptional wildlife viewing throughout the cruise, from 100

species of bird, and grizzly, black and polar bears, to one of the largest

populations of beluga whale, which spend much of the year in the the

fog-bound Beaufort Sea.

. . .OR CHARTERING A SUPERYACHT?

the NEXT BIGSEA ADVENTURE

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The 22-day Northwest

Passage expedition on board

the luxury, all-balcony Le Boreal

takes place from August 20 to

September 12 2015. It costs

from £19,680 per person, based

on two sharing, excluding

international flights, through

Abercrombie & Kent (0845 482

0707; abercrombiekent.co.uk).

The exclusive Australian island of Orpheus is just across the water

from Townsville in Queensland. Flit across by helicopter, and take over

a beach-front villa, before chartering the private, fully crewed 130ft

Flying Fish yacht (with its own helipad and helicopter, and berths for

eight) to view islands, wildlife and the blue expanse of the Pacific.

A 14-night A&K trip, including 10 nights on Orpheus Island and

private charter of the Flying Fish superyacht for four nights, costs

from £21,200 per person, all-inclusive, including flights.

�

Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 1 Day 2

*Price is based on two people travelling, sharing a double room, 9 days 8 nights, 5* plus wilderness lodges. Price includes Economy international flights, transfers, select activities, all meals and local drinks at Siwash Lake Ranch and Sonora Resort. Price

excludes bear viewing and wilderness activites at Sonora, meals in Vancouver. Credit card fees may apply at time of booking. Valid for travel from 02 Jun 15 – 25 Jun 15. Offer is subject to availability and can change without notification due to fluctuations in

charges and currency. ABTA 72314. Price correct at time of going to print. For more information, please call Abercrombie & Kent on 0845 322 0429, email info@abercrombiekent.co.uk or visit www.abercrombiekent.co.uk

www.abercrombiekent.co.uk/ultracanada8 nights. Terms & conditions apply. Email info@abercrombiekent.co.uk for more information.

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We met a lovely couple today on our travels.

FLYING BY PRIVATE JET TO THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS SIGHTS.. .

Aprivate jet, chartered to fly to long-haul destinations, makes air

travel thrilling again, rather than merely exhausting. That’s

especially the case when the aircraft has seats that recline into

fully flat beds. From next September, travellers can take a round-the-

world tour on board a luxury private Boeing 757 with 50 fully reclining

seats that each have more than 6.5ft of leg room. The trip, which lasts

24 days, is a whirlwind tour of some of the world’s most memorable

sights. It begins in Peru with a visit to Machu Picchu, before flying on to

Easter Island in Polynesia to see the enormous stone moai: mysterious,

monolithic figures that were abandoned before completion. The flight

goes on to Samoa, followed by a stop in Sydney (with dinner and a

private performance in Sydney Opera House) and then to Siem Reap

in Cambodia to see the largest religious monument in the world, the

great Khmer temples of Angkor Wat, which date from the 9th century.

From there, the flight heads west to India to visit the Taj Mahal at Agra.

Private tours of Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern in

Istanbul, followed by a night camping under the stars in the Sahara

Desert and a tour of Marrakesh in Morocco, complete a journey packed

with celebrated sights. Best not forget the camera for this one.

. . .OR HELI-TOURING IN CANADA?

the NEXT BIGAIR ADVENTURE

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A 24-day Wonders of the

World by Private Jet tour,

departing on September 17 2015,

costs from £67,500 per person,

double occupancy, through

Abercrombie & Kent

(0845 485 1518;

abercrombiekent.co.uk).

Private Jet Journeys are offered

to destinations around the

world, from the Amazon

and Africa to India. Time-poor adventure junkies can hop in a helicopter to tour the

wilderness of British Columbia, Canada, in just four days. The trip goes

across glaciers, forest, lakes and remote hot springs, and stops for

activities such as rafting, fishing and wildlife watching. Gourmet meals

are served at a chalet resort, where soaks in outdoor hot tubs help

the body to unwind at the end of a satisfyingly exhausting day.

The four-day A&K tour costs from £6,965 per person, including flights,

transfers and three nights at Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort.

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FESTIVAL FEVERNo country on earth enjoys showing off its culture as

joyfully or colourfully as India. In a celebration of seven

of its greatest festivals, the acclaimed photographer

Don McCullin reflects on his life-long love affair with

the subcontinent, while the historian William Dalrymple

explores the rewards of setting up a festival from scratch

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U LTRATRAVEL + AB ERCRO M B I E & KENT

INDIA IS AT ITS MOST BEAUTIFUL WHEN IT IS WAKING UP AND GOING TO SLEEP. THE LIGHT IS LIKE A MONET

Don McCullin celebrates 40 years of

visiting Indian festivals, during which he’s

photographed camel-markets, lepers –

and Mark Shand arriving by elephant

The thing I possibly love most about

India is that it’s always joyful. It’s

impossible not to have your spirit

lifted there, or to be moved. Of all

the countries in the world I’ve visited

– and there have been many, given

that I’ve been travelling since I was five years old, when

I was evacuated from London – it is India that has stolen

my heart. It’s not just the landscapes and colour, but the

people. They have such soul, and they’re curious; they

always want to learn. Also, if you’re cross with them, they

will always forgive you and make out that it’s their fault,

which is very charming.

They’re incredibly patient, too; at festivals like the

camel fair at Pushkar there are now more tourists than

camels, and yet, even when dozens of people are pushing

cameras in the traders’ faces, they always remain placid,

selling their animals and getting on with business.

In England we’d tell people to get out of our away, but

they don’t lose their cool.

I spent so many years as a war photographer – as

people like to call me, which I don’t particularly like as it’s

like being called an executioner or hangman – capturing

people’s pain. Whereas, India is all about healing. It’s not

about war or famines or revolution or death; it’s about life

and beauty. Going to a festival, I’m instantly on a high,

happy to be among the nicest people on earth.

I first went to the Sonepur Mela, the great elephant fair,

in 1987 with my [late] friend Mark Shand, and Tara, the

elephant he crossed 600 miles of the country on. I joined

him on the last 60 miles, and when we got to the Mela,

we put up tents in a little enclosure made of colourful

Indian drapes that became our little fiefdom. To me,

having my own tent was very luxurious. I am a real

traveller, and can sleep anywhere on earth; I could sleep

on broken glass if I had to – not that I want to now.

I’m 78 and my legs aren’t as strong as they were.

In the past four decades that I’ve been travelling to

India, I’ve been to three festivals, several times: Sonepur

Mela, the elephant and animal fair; Pushkar, the camel

fair; and Kumbh Mela, at Allahabad on the Ganges, which

I went to last year with one of my sons, and in 1965 with

the travel writer Eric Newby. The scenes are almost

Biblical: millions of Indians in white dhotis crossing the

Gandak River, and then setting up camp.

In this sea of humanity, not every person can take the

smells of elephant dung and human excrement and food,

and smoke from a million fires. But it’s full of such spirit

and life that you can’t help but be swept up in it all: the

masses doing their pujas [ritual prayers] in the river; the

mahouts bathing their elephants and scrubbing them with

a pumice stone which the creatures love; the medieval-

looking people. Every part of society is there: men in

beautiful turbans, farmers, sadhus, lepers being pushed

around in carts, cooks stirring soup in vats the size of cars.

It would be difficult to take a bad picture first thing in

the morning, even if you were blindfolded. The light is like

a Monet. Once the sun comes up, and music starts to blast

out of speakers, it’s impossible to sleep, so you have to get

up. Life starts early here, with pilgrims burning the one-

rupee of straw they’ve bought to sleep on, to try to get some

warmth into their bones, and then cooking and bathing.

India is at its most beautiful when it’s waking up and

going to sleep: seeing people in golden light taking their

animals to drink, in a sea of smoke, which softens

everything. Sometimes on prints, these images seem

slightly chocolate-boxy, but actually being there and

seeing them with your own eyes is magical. I’ve tried to

take each of my sons on a trip to India; I hate the word

Morning rituals Photograph

taken in the Eighties by Don

McCullin of a dawn scene in

which festival-goers bathe with

an elephant and its mahout

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desperate to catch a glimpse of thigh that there are huge

crowds, pushing and trying to get near; the girls have to

perform behind barbed wire to protect themselves.

India has changed enormously in the time I’ve been

visiting it. There’s more noise now, and plastic, and

western dress. But festivals are still places to see its

beauty, its traditions: at Pushkar, the handsome

Rajasthanis with their Sinbad trousers, pointed shoes,

cummerbunds, turbans and glorious big moustaches,

or the Gujaratis in their colourful saris. Or the sadhus,

who come to be fed and housed and looked after.

In India, I love going to bed in winter and finding

a hot-water bottle and being woken with bed-tea. Even

at festivals, in the middle of nowhere, people find time for

such kindnesses. I don’t idolise many people, but I do

idolise the Indians.

Interview by Lisa Grainger

bonding, but I want them to create a lasting memory and

India is a place you can’t forget. Last year I took my eldest

son to the Pushkar Camel Fair and the Kartika Purnima,

which is the night of the full moon. It’s a bit touristy now,

and camels are the most unpleasant animals, as I

discovered by travelling on them when I covered the

Eritrean war. They suffer from syphilis, and the foam from

their mouth gets all over your clothes.

Elephants, by comparison, are wonderful creatures.

People really worship them; they are the physical

representation of the god Ganesha, and to get near one is

hugely exciting. When I went with Mark, we were the only

westerners and there were about 120 elephants; last year,

sadly, there were only about 20, as elephants are now very

expensive to keep. But there’s still a lively market for

horses and cows, and a theatrical event, where girls dance

with bits of their clothing removed. The men are often so

JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL

JANUARY 21-25 2015

The historian and writer William Dalrymple on the birth of his annual Indian book celebration: now the biggest free literary festival in the world

In 2004, 10 days after I moved my family to a new life in

India, I gave a reading at a small palace on the edge of

Jaipur. Fourteen people turned up, of whom 10 were

Japanese tourists who had got lost. The next year,

I helped organise a modest literary programme of 18

authors. Two failed to show up, but with the aid of my

co-director, Namita Gokhale, we gathered a respectable

audience of nearly 100 people.

Festivals, like children, have their own lives. As a

festival director, you do all you can to make your offspring

flourish: choose the best location and time of year, plan

the food and the drink and the lighting, design beautiful

tents, fill them with the bright, the brilliant and the

beautiful from across the world. But at a certain point you

have to let go, and look on with hope as your baby makes

its own way into the world. I have, and eight years later,

the Jaipur Literature Festival (jaipurliteraturefestival.org)

has become the largest free lit-fest in the world. Today my

colleagues have to wrestle with staggering logistics. Last

year, they cooked 14,700 hot meals, booked 1,800 hotel

nights for 240 participants, sold 10,000 books and hosted

75,000 people a day, adding up to around quarter of a

million punters in all. And that’s not counting the evening

music programme which gathered similar-sized crowds.

One reason for our success is Jaipur itself, one of the

world’s most beautiful cities, and one that has a rich

literary and cultural tradition of its own, as well as the

most wonderfully benign late-January climate. My heart

always lifts as I leave fog-bound Delhi and hit the Jaipur

highway. Within a couple of hours you find yourself amid

sunlit mustard fields, camel-carts and Rajasthani turbans

of bright, primary colours. By the end, you are driving past

the bastions of the Amber Fort and city walls improbably

running near-vertically up the Aravalli mountains.

One of the joys of the festival is that it is a properly

festive festival. The buildings are festooned with bunting,

there are hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts milling

around (including an abnormally large number of

students and beautiful women), we let off fireworks at

night and after 6.30pm the writers have to shut up and

give the stages over to music and dancing. My favourite

review last year was from Time Out: “It’s settled. Jaipur

is officially the Woodstock and Live 8 of world literature.

Frankfurt and the Booker are like watching the Pope sleep

compared to an ambience that can best be described as

James Joyce meets Monsoon Wedding...”

One thing we have always insisted on is that the

festival is completely free and open to all. Anyone can

turn up – we are completely egalitarian.

WHERE TO STAY The Jai Mahal Palace (tajhotels.com/

jaimahalpalace) was once the home of the Prime Minister of Jaipur

and is set in 18 acres of Mughal gardens.

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CONSTANCE EPHÉLIA

Nestled between two of the best beaches on Mahé, Constance Ephélia has something for all. For families there are activities galore including: zip-lining, climbing walls, tortoise park and

endless water-sports. For honeymooners, the privacy of the Spa and Hillside Villas is unbeatable. For everyone else, there

are two fantastic beaches to choose from, the largest spa in the Indian Ocean, world-class food and wine, plus a variety of

suites and villas to suit dif erent budgets.

DENIS PRIVATE ISLAND

On the northern edge of the Seychelles lagoon lies this tiny jewel of an island, 375 acres of lush vegetation hugged by pristine beaches

and surrounded by crystal clear waters. Boasting only 25 guest cottages, here you can be certain to leave the outside world far

behind. T is stunning retreat of ers an authentic island experience; a world of exploration, world class f shing, diving and so much more.

‘Experience Denis Private Island…Experience barefoot Luxury’.

CONSTANCE LÉMURIA

Welcome to paradise and a ‘Leading Hotel of the World’! Set on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (fact!),

Anse Georgette, Constance Lemuria, Seychelles, of ers luxurious suite and villa accommodation, the only 18-hole

golf course in the Seychelles, f ne-dining, and divine beaches, not forgetting the award winning Shiseido spa.

To make a reservation or to f nd out more, call Abercrombie & Kent

on 0845 322 0432 or email info@abercrombiekent.co.uk

FLY EMIRATES FROM A CHOICE OF 6 UK AIRPORTS TO THE SEYCHELLES. ENJOY

WORLD-CLASS SERVICE, MULTI-COURSE GOURMET CUISINE AND UP TO 1,800

CHANNELS OF THE LATEST AWARD-WINNING ENTERTAINMENT.

THE SEYCHELLES. PARADISE FOUND.

3° 48’ 19.1844’’ S

55° 40’ 3.2736’’ E

4° 39’ 20.4840’’ S

55° 24’ 17.816’’ E

4° 17’ 57.5808’’ S

55° 40’ 45.019’’ E

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U LTRATRAVEL + AB ERCRO M B I E & KENT

NAGAUR WORLD SUFI

SPIRIT FESTIVAL

FEBRUARY 9-12 2015

PUSHKAR MELA OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 6 2014

Ladakh, India’s so-called “Little Tibet”, is a

hauntingly beautiful Himalayan region watered

by the Indus River. Among its craggy mountains and

myriad valleys veined with hiking trails stand

picturesque villages and hill-hugging Buddhist

monasteries. As the summer tourist season winds

down in mid-September, the government-organised

Ladakh Festival lends Leh, the Ladakhi “capital”,

a final flourish of colour.

Partly because much of the region’s cultural life

normally occurs in winter, it promotes aspects of

Ladakhi culture that visitors might not otherwise see.

Amid clashing cymbals and thudding drums, bleating

flutes and honking horns, it starts with processions of

various regional and ethnic groups in traditional

clothes. Many women come adorned with eye-

catching peraks – headdresses encrusted with

chunks of turquoise – brocade cloaks and felt shoes

with up-turned pointy toes.

Apart from music, folk dancing and archery

competitions, one of the festival’s main attractions are

polo matches played in a dusty ground framed by the

former royal palace and stark rocky ridges. Teams like

the “Ladakh Scouts” and “Animal Husbandry”

compete for the Ladakh Festival Cup – up here it’s a

rougher game thanks to the locals’ gung-ho attitude.

But for most, elaborate cham dances are the

highlight of the festival. Monks sporting lavish

multicoloured robes and fearsome masks depicting

demons and spirits turn and twirl, duck and wheel

about as if possessed. For Ladakhis it’s a form of

meditation and spiritual instruction. For tourists it’s a

great spectacle. And for both it’s great entertainment.

WHERE TO STAY The Golden Dragon hotel

(thegranddragonladakh.com), Leh, sits in a

spectacular location with views of the Himalayas.

AMAR GROVER

Fantastic chaos – of colour, crowds,

noise, processions, artistry – pervades

Bengal at the start of autumn with Durga

Puja. Dedicated to the great mother

goddess Durga who protects mankind and

destroys evil, the festival reaches the zenith

of flamboyance in Calcutta, where it takes

place over five days.

The high-octane jamboree is celebrated

with so much energy that it often leaves

visitors with sensory overload. At least

2,000 elaborate pop-up temples, or

pandals, are devised across the city, each

of which contains images of Durga – who

traditionally has a divine eye in her forehead

and many arms to signify might, dexterity

and protective qualities. Amid much beating

of large dhak drums, the images are revered

in the pandals for several days and then

carried away in vibrant processions to be

immersed in the Hooghly River.

Although the festival is devoted to Durga,

over the past couple of decades it has

become as much about the pandals

themselves, and most visitors go “pandal-

hopping” to admire the creations, which

range from traditional-looking temples of

bamboo and jute cloth to wonders

modelled out of Styrofoam. Highlights of

this colourful display of spirit and artistry

include an exhibition at a mini Pompidou

Centre with all artworks, of course,

featuring the goddess Durga.

WHERE TO STAY The Oberoi Grand

Calcutta (oberoihotels.com), a heritage

hotel in the heart of the city that fuses

Victorian and traditional Indian styles.

HARRIET O’BRIEN

This annual festival, held since 2008 in the absurdly

romantic setting of Ahhichatragarh Fort, is a

serious music festival. It embraces every genre of Sufi

music, poetry and dance, from the hypnotic rhythms

of Pakistani qawwali to dreamy Persian ghazal love

songs, Punjabi kafi poetry, the haunting harmonies of

itinerant Bengali Bauls, the Andalusian Arabic

instrumentals of Moroccan Nubas and the

mesmerising twirling of whirling dervishes.

Performances start early in the morning and go on

until very late at night, and are held at different

locations around the vast grounds of the magnificent

hilltop fort; you will hear music in ornate garden

pavilions, on open-air stages under the moonlight and

within intimate candlelit courtyards.

It’s a strictly residents-only affair, and thus has

the friendly atmosphere of a private party, with meals

included and a mobile cocktail bar set up each night

in a different part of the fort. Guests can choose

between an Indian version of glamping in the

luxurious Royal Camp in the castle grounds, or the

even more glamorous Ranvas Nagaur.

WHERE TO STAY Ranvas Nagaur (ranvasnagaur.

com) is a restored former Mughal residence of the

Queens of Jodphur, set in Ahhichatragarh Fort.

CHRIS CALDICOTT

Once every year, the hamlet of Pushkar – a

remote collection of cobalt blue buildings,

edged with whitewashed temples that fringe the

shore of a tranquil lake in the Thar Desert of

Rajasthan – erupts into a cacophonous frenzy of

colour, music, prayer, incense, magic and

madness. By the night of the full moon of Kartika

Purnima (October/November) a quarter of a

million semi-nomadic Rajput camel and cattle

herders have set up camps in the desert around

the oasis, with all their herds around them. For

five days and nights this is the biggest livestock

fair in India, attracting snake-charmers,

storytellers, acrobats, conjurers, mystics, snake-

oil sellers, tourists and traders of paraphernalia

to do with camels. Wandering minstrels sing for

their supper as they move between the

thousands of camp fires. There is a funfair with

giant ferris wheels, camel races, food stalls,

moustache-twisting and turban-tying contests

and live bands. The mela reaches a crescendo

when, under the rising full moon, the chanting

pilgrims launch butter-lamps on tiny leaf-boats

into the sacred lake, then take a ritual dip in the

waters to cleanse themselves of sin.

WHERE TO STAY Green House Resort

(thegreenhouseresort.com), an eco-retreat ten

minutes’ drive from Pushkar, is an idyllic base

from which to explore this holy city.

CHRIS CALDICOTT

Come sundown, the typical fortress in Rajasthan –

and there are plenty – is cleared of visitors by

guards and watchmen. Bats return to roost in their

arched pavilions; quaint cupolas and near empty

citadels stand as compelling monuments to another

martial age.

Yet for a few days in autumn during the brightest

full moon, Jodhpur’s huge Mehrangarh Fort, which

looms over the city on a stark hillside, embraces a

unique event starting just before dawn and continuing

well into the night. Backed by the Maharajah of

Jodhpur, the Rajasthan International Folk Festival

(RIFF) showcases singers and musicians drawn mainly

from Rajasthan and elsewhere in India. Some are

well-known on India’s music scene; others have rarely

performed outside their own communities and, in this

respect, RIFF is helping to reinvigorate a centuries-old

yet long-faded tradition of artistic patronage.

It’s not just an Indian groove. An international

dimension is lent by a range of foreign artists – for

example a Nordic folk trio, Anglo-Caribbean

electronica or a Spanish flamenco troupe. Last year’s

high-profile guest was Manu Chao. RIFF deliberately

blurs musical boundaries: expect fusion, impromptu

multi-ethnic jams and late-night clubby sets in a

medieval courtyard beside the royal gardens.

WHERE TO STAY Raas Jodphur (raasjodhpur.com),

Jodphur’s first boutique hotel, has spectacular views

of Mehrangarh Fort.

AMAR GROVER

RIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 8-12 2014

DURGA PUJA SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 4 2014

LADAKH FESTIVAL

SEPTEMBER 20-26 2014

Abercrombie & Kent (0845 485 4752;

abercrombiekent.co.uk) can tailor-make tours

incorporating these festivals. Itineraries include

a 14-night trip to India, taking in Jaipur, Delhi,

Agra, Udaipur, and both the RIFF festival and

Pushkar Camel Festival in Rajasthan, from £4,395

per person, with British Airways flights, local

transfers, and b&b accommodation.

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U LTRATRAVEL + AB ERCRO M B I E & KENT

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The haunting, spiritual beauty of the ruined city of

Machu Picchu seduces even the most seasoned traveller.

Adrian Bridge discovers the most inspiring way to experience

the highs of this 15th-century Inca city, from arriving by

Pullman train to seeing the site from a private pool

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Natural mystic Machu Picchu,

which sits 7,970ft above sea

level, held a profound religious

significance for the Incas. It was

mysteriously abandoned in the

16th century, only 100 years

after construction

The gods of the mountains keeping watch over Machu Picchu

have such a delicious sense of humour.

Take the case of Mick Jagger. The perennial rocker

wanted to see the sacred site without the attentions of the

paparazzi, or the distractions of hoi polloi. And the gods – or

the apus as they are known in these parts – granted this long-standing

fan of Peru his wish, allowing him the very rare privilege of private

access to the wonders over which they are custodians. But at the

appointed hour of the viewing – so legend has it – the heavens opened

and those magical, mystical ruins were obscured by cloud.

Poor old Sir Mick. Some people just can’t get no satisfaction.

I was reminded of this tale as I lay awake in bed listening to the

wind and the frequent flurries of rain in the night preceding what I had

hoped was to be the indescribably uplifting experience of watching the

sun rise over Machu Picchu.

A great deal of time, trouble and expenditure had been involved in

the build-up to this moment. My wife, celebrating a significant birthday

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U LTRATRAVEL + AB ERCRO M B I E & KENT

MIST ENVELOPED US; THEN, THRILLINGLY, A GAP APPEARED, AND WE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF THE SACRED STONES

4C

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(I wouldn’t dream of revealing which one), had been

harbouring a deep desire to go to Machu Picchu ever

since it had been the subject of a project at her primary

school; I, too – like many – counted it among the

handful of sights that simply had to be seen.

It looked as though our moment of magic, too, was

going to be a damp squib. But then something rather

wonderful happened. As dawn drew close, the rain

became less insistent and the magnificent mountains

slowly regained their contours.

It got better. As we entered the site on the dot of 6am

(the earliest anyone – other than very, very important

people – can get in), it felt as though we were walking in

the midst of clouds. Mist surrounded us, weaving its way

playfully up the fern-filled hillsides. Then, thrillingly, a

little gap would appear, revealing the beautifully jagged

tops of the mountains in the distance; finally, there were

flashes of the sacred stones themselves; intimations of

that cluster of buildings and temples and terraces that,

for their architectural genius and the aesthetic beauty

of their setting, have rightly come to be viewed as one of

the true wonders of the modern world. It may have been

a little drizzly, but there was something mesmerising

about this now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t game that

was being played. Our imaginations were free to run

wild; it was… indescribably uplifting.

Having decided that this was a trip of a lifetime, we

certainly weren’t going to risk all on the randomness of

what the weather would be like on any one particular

day – or indeed afternoon, the time allotted to the many

who travel here on a day-trip excursion from the ancient

Inca capital of Cusco. We were also thankful that we’d

made the trip when we did, given that the governor of

Cusco is considering opening the site until 8pm, which

will allow double the number of visitors to visit.

We had waited a long time for this – and wanted to

treat ourselves to the luxury of time to enjoy it: time to

savour it from many different angles and perspectives

and times of the day. We wanted to be transported back

to the 15th century when Inca power was at its zenith

and to be able to absorb some of the facts – and myths –

about the people who lived and worked here. We wanted

to be able to marvel at the exquisite precision of the

brickwork and a drainage system that is still perfectly

functional. We wanted time to stop and take stock. We

wanted time, too, to be able to leave the site when we felt

we’d had enough and return later, refreshed.

We also wanted to do it in style (after all you don’t

turn 29 every day), spending one night in the Belmond

(formerly Orient Express) Sanctuary Lodge Machu

Picchu, the only hotel located right beside the entrance

to the site, and two nights in the Inkaterra Machu

Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Aguas Calientes, the small

settlement on the Urubamba River about six miles below

the ruins and a great spot in which to immerse yourself

in the flora and fauna of the cloud forest. We also

decided that, tempting though a four-day hike along the

fabled Inca Trail sounded, our own pilgrimage to Machu

Picchu would be by the Belmond Hiram Bingham – the

luxuriously appointed train named after the American

explorer who, in June 1911, discovered the site –

untouched since it was abandoned mysteriously by the

Incas at some point in the mid 16th century.

That first sighting of Machu Picchu (“old mountain”

in the Quechua language) did not disappoint. It was a

brilliantly sunny afternoon (we had spent the morning

travelling from Cusco in the splendour of an art-deco,

polished-wood Pullman carriage and had been wined,

dined, serenaded and pisco-soured splendidly along the

Sacred Valley); the hillsides were a vivid green; llamas

roamed freely. Yes, there were lots of other tourists, but

it’s a big site and when we finally turned a corner and set

eyes on the citadel, framed by the unmistakable form of

Huayna Picchu, the “young mountain” behind it, my wife

had to ask the guide to spare us the history for a few

Journey to the interior The Hiram Bingham Pullman train,

top, winds its way through the Sacred Valley. Above: a vividly

coloured Andean cock-of-the-rock. Below: a bedroom

at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu

moments as we took in the magnitude of the scene before

us. There are some world-famous sites that don’t quite

live up to the hype. Machu Picchu is not one of them.

As we walked, we were given a potted history of how

this extraordinary settlement came into being. It had

been built in the 15th century during the reign of the

greatest of all Inca emperors, Pachacuti, by teams of

labourers drawn from all parts of an empire that, at its

peak, stretched from Ecuador in the north to Argentina

in the south. It had a practical function – the protected

terraces were for the cultivation of crops – and a deeply

spiritual one, as seen in buildings such as the Temple of

the Sun and the Sacred Plaza. Although inhabited for

just a few decades, it was reserved for the elite of Inca

society: royals, intellectuals and astronomers, some of

whom would have been entitled to the attentions of the

“Virgins of the Sun”, the women who, from a young age,

were set aside to serve as concubines to the powerful

and even, in some cases, to be sacrificed to the gods.

We reflected on all this later with Marc Yeterian, the

genial Frenchman who manages Belmond Sanctuary

Lodge and who took us on a tour of the orchid garden

behind the lodge, the hot pool (with partial views of the

citadel) and the matted area overlooking the mountains,

which must be the most inspirational place in the world

from which to practise yoga.

“In addition to enjoying the luxury of being right

next to the site, we want people to appreciate the

incredible natural environment here,” said Marc.

“We want them to tap into its spiritual energy.”

In a previous incarnation, Marc was employed in

Aguas Calientes in the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo

Hotel, the place to which we retreated after our second

day of exploration of the site. That was a mist-filled,

cloud-swept day, which, in its own way, proved equally

magical and included a climb to the top of Huayna

Picchu (steep, slippery and sensational) and a stroll up to

the Sun Gate, the point at which those who have trekked

the Inca Trail get their first sighting of the citadel.

After such exertions, the Inkaterra Machu Picchu

Pueblo Hotel was a perfect place in which to unwind –

and to wake to the sound of humming birds.

Set in 22 acres of lush cloud forest, this pioneering

eco-chic lodge offers nature walks (there are 372 types

of orchid in its grounds), an encounter with the Andean

spectacled bear and a twilight walk to learn about

ancient myths and gaze at the stars of the Southern

Cross. Here, too, you can enjoy massages involving

Andean hot stones and eat quinoa pancakes and

eucalyptus ice cream for breakfast.

Mick Jagger stayed here during that fateful, rain-

soaked private visit to Machu Picchu in 2011. Gimme

Shelter, he must have pleaded, and again his prayers

were answered.

WHERE TO STAY

Belmond Sanctuary Lodge

The only hotel right next to Machu

Picchu, Sanctuary Lodge offers direct

access to the site, enabling you to be

among the first to enter at 6am. The hotel

is nothing special to look at, but the

location is unbeatable and it comes

into its own once the day trippers have

left (belmond.com).

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

This pioneering eco-tourist venture has

85 whitewashed casitas in the lush

surroundings of the cloud forest. Take

a leaf out of Mick Jagger’s book and treat

yourself to a stay in the Inkaterra Villa:

two beautiful adjoining suites, each with

a plunge pool and butler (inkaterra.com).

HOW TO GET THERE

The Belmond Hiram Bingham train

Although, at just 57 miles, the journey

by train from Cusco to Machu Picchu

(or Aguas Calientes) is hardly epic, it

does involve going through spectacular

landscape – gorges, rivers and forests –

against rugged mountain backdrops.

Enjoy the view over cocktails and a three-

course lunch. A three-piece band plays

popular classics – not the most stylish

experience, but fun (belmond.com).

Luxury tip To get to Machu Picchu

you will probably fly into Lima. Instead

of heading straight to Cusco, check into

the funky Hotel B boutique arts hotel

(hotelb.pe) in the bohemian district of

Barranco. Soak up the art and sign up

for a foodie tour with chef Penelope

Alzamora and learn how to make the

finest ceviche in Lima.

Abercrombie & Kent (0845 485 4752;

abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers an eight-

day journey to Peru including all flights,

b&b accommodation, train tickets and

private guided tours of Machu Picchu

and Cusco from £3,800 per person.

ULTRA GUIDE TO SEEING MACHU PICCHU IN STYLE

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U LTRATRAVEL + AB ERCRO M B I E & KENT

There is no creature more thrilling to see in the wild than a big cat. Richard Madden speaks to five leading wildlife experts

to find out what makes the lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah and jaguar so compelling to watch – and where best to see them

TOP CATS

Mane event A lion prowls close

to a safari vehicle. Male lions live short,

violent, intense lives, while their female

counterparts can live around six years longer

PHOTOGRAPH Dana Allen/Wilderness Safaris

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LION JONATHAN SCOTT is a zoologist, wildlife writer and photographer, and presenter of the BBC’s Big Cat Diary

“Lions are not just a symbol of Africa. For

centuries flags have been emblazoned

with them – the very flags that have led people

into battle. And for good reason, as lions are the

ultimate warriors. You only have to watch a male

lion sniffing the air and gazing out over its

kingdom with its mane blowing in the wind to

see it and feel it.

But what most people don’t realise is what

a short, intense life a male lion often lives. They

may be the king of the beasts, terrorising almost

anything, even elephants, and armed to the

teeth. But life for lions is ruled by the threat of

violence or exercising violence. There’s a lot

of roaring, threatening and cuffing without their

claws completely out, but they will fight to the

death over access to territory with a group of

females they can control. If you don’t breed

you’re nothing in lion society. It’s a brutal world.

And once dominant, a lion has to fight

constantly to stay dominant. Just one breeding

cycle, and three years as a resident male in

a pride, is a good run. A male lion that reaches

12 years old is an absolute star, whereas females

can often reach 18 years.

But for my wife, Angie, the best thing about

lions is that they’re the only truly sociable big

cats. If you find one in the wild, you’ll probably

find 10 or even 20 in the rest of the pride.

The Marsh pride, for example, in the Maasai

Mara, which I have followed since 1977, is now

made up of three different groups of females in

different stages of their life. You can watch a

pride of lions for hour after hour and never get

bored. There’s always something going on.”

Where to stay Sanctuary Olonana, Kenya

is a luxury tented camp on the banks of the

Mara River and a superb place to see lions, as

are camps in the Okavango Delta and other

camps in the Moremi Game Reserve.

An eight-day Kenyan safari, with three

nights at Sanctuary Olonana, watching

Mara lions, costs from £3,475 per person,

through Abercrombie & Kent.

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U LTRATRAVEL + AB ERCRO M B I E & KENT

�

‘THE TIGER IS THE LARGEST BIG CAT AND THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’

Burning bright Dinner is served,

top, by the pool at Sher Bagh, near

Ranthambore National Park in

India, one of the best places to see

tigers, left. Sher Bagh offers

colonial-style decor and personal

service, right, in its peaceful,

spacious tented accommodationCO

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“For me, tigers are the most mesmerising

of all the world’s mammals. When you see

them out in the open they are outrageously

patterned and coloured, almost flaming, but when

they reach the jungle their camouflage is so good

they simply vanish.

They are the largest of the big cats and the

ultimate predators. To survive they need to be

supremely fit as they can’t depend on a pride, like

lions, but are very solitary and secretive. Their

favourite prey are wild boar and deer and they

spend hours stalking. Even so, only about one in

10 pursuits ends in a kill, so it’s hard work.

When they mate, a male can smell a tigress is in

oestrus and grabs her by the neck and their mating

is very noisy and looks very aggressive. Then they

will mate constantly for a few days, many, many

times. Tigresses mate with more than one partner

so all the competing males think her cubs are his

and then won’t kill them.

Tigers breed well if they have enough space and

a good source of food and water. But they also

need protection or they will not survive in the wild

as they’ve now become walking cash registers for

organised wildlife criminals who bribe villagers to

give them information on a tiger’s location.

Half of the world’s remaining tigers live in India

(around 1,500). But they are very elusive creatures

and the best places to see them are where they

are most used to tourist vehicles, like Ranthambore

National Park. For a more private viewing I would

suggest the mangrove forests of Sunderbans Tiger

Reserve in West Bengal or Bandhavgarh National

Park in Madhya Pradesh.”

Where to stay Oberoi Vanyavilas

or Sher Bagh, both of which offer luxury tented

accommodation and are on the borders of

Ranthambore National Park.

A 14-day Rajasthan trip, with three nights

at Sher Bagh and guiding with a tiger

specialist, costs from £3,840 per person

through Abercrombie & Kent.

TIGER BELINDA WRIGHT is the director and founder of the Wildlife

Protection Society of India (wpsi-india.org), which focuses on anti-poaching

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U LTRATRAVEL + AB ERCRO M B I E & KENT

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“The contrast between the cheetah’s

fragility and efficiency and its ‘tender

killer’ aura is what fascinates us most. Their

speed sets them aside, but also their habit of

climbing up large termite mounts or fallen

trees to get a better vantage point. This

means that, as a photographer, you can

‘read’ them when they’re on the move and

have a better chance of getting into position

for a great image.

One key factor about cheetah is that they

are small. They have spots, not rosettes like

leopards. But most notably they have these

black teardrop-shaped facial markings. They

evolved these marks to confuse prey that

might want to stab at their eyes with horns

or with a kick, so when the cheetah closes

its eye, a black line hides its position.

They don’t have fully retractable claws like

other cats, so when they are in full chase

their claws perform the same function as a

sprinter’s spikes. This is particularly important

when chasing after prey that is running in

zigzags, making the cheetah turn as well.

Bigger cats often lose their prey when an

animal does this.

Cheetah prefer open grasslands. The

Maasai Mara in Kenya is superb for viewing,

but private conservancies such as Olare

Motorogi, where there are fewer vehicles,

are even better and the cheetah density is

higher. The Serengeti is also amazing in

Feburary when the grass is short. Big cats

are not just symbols; they are also the glue

that holds the fabric of ecosystems together.

If you want to understand Africa, you have

to understand the big cats. They’re in real

trouble – we’ve lost 95 per cent of them in

50 years. Cheetah now number under 8,000

and we’re really worried about them.”

Where to stay Tswalu Kalahari (above)

in South Africa’s Kalahari, or Sanctuary

Kusini in Tanzania, which has a Serengeti

Cheetah Project.

A 12-day safari through Tanzania,

including three nights at Sanctuary

Kusini, costs from £5,195 per person

through Abercrombie & Kent.

“Watching wild leopards is like

watching poetry in motion. They’re

incredibly self-sufficient, powerful and

majestic, and a real thrill to watch. Probably

their most noticeable characteristic is the

way their eyes appear to see right through

you. But they’re also very solitary animals and

highly adaptable, so you can see them in

many different habitats. It’s finding them in

the wild that’s the tricky part; it’s really up to

them whether they choose to be seen or not.

Their incredible agility when they’re in

trees is unique among the big cats. They can

lift two-thirds of their own body weight into

the highest of branches if necessary, and

their hunting technique is explosive and very

exciting to watch. Their adaptability gives

them a vast range of prey – from small

rodents all the way up to a nyala [large

antelope], which a large male leopard is quite

capable of taking down. I would say their

favourite prey species would be impala.

They’re very solitary creatures and prefer

hunting under cover of darkness. Having said

that, I have seen them hunt during the

middle of the day, taking opportunities as

they arise. One of my most memorable

sightings was a young leopardess catching

an impala by dropping out of the branches of

a marula tree.

It’s always wonderful to see them in the

open savannah or resting in the branches of

an ebony tree in the Sabi Sand Game

Reserve, for example, but I would also

recommend Luangwa National Park in

Zambia. Zarafa Camp in Botswana has some

wonderfully special sightings and our own

Londolozi Game Reserve is one of the best

areas to view leopards in the world. However,

there are no guarantees of seeing these

elusive cats and the best sightings are when

the animals are relaxed and have learnt to be

at ease around safari vehicles.”

Where to stay Nsefu Camp, started

by Zambian guide Robin Pope in the

Luangwa, or Zarafa Camp in the Selinda

Reserve in Botswana.

A nine-night safari to Botswana and

Zambia, including four nights at Zarafa,

costs from £7,995 per person through

Abercrombie & Kent.

“The jaguar is the ‘Tiger of the Americas’ and the

third-largest of the big cats. It’s actually not very

fast, but it keeps low to the ground and is massive and

stocky like a sumo wrestler. It’s a stalk-and-ambush

predator that can grab and crush its prey. While other

big cats go for the neck, jaguars kill their prey with

a crushing blow to the spine or the skull.

But even though it’s such a fearsome killing

machine, I call the jaguar the ‘reluctant warrior’ of the

cat family because it’s the least aggressive. Lions, tigers

and leopards have been responsible for thousands of

human deaths, but jaguars never attack humans. In

some communities in South America people live

alongside 500lb jaguars; no one is frightened of them.

They can survive in numerous different habitats

from the Sonoran Desert in Mexico to the pampas of

northern Argentina, but they thrive best in wet jungle

and rainforest and have an affinity for water. They’re

amazing swimmers and can cross major rivers. The

size of their territory varies depending on the size and

availability of their prey. If the prey species are large,

like in the Pantanal in South America, a jaguar’s

territory can be up to 60sq miles, whereas in Belize,

where they hunt smaller prey like armadillo, it’s more

like 10-30sq miles.

Although they are still endangered, jaguars are doing

better than all the other big cats, but they are

mysterious and secretive animals. However, the

Pantanal in Brazil during the latter half of the dry

season (August to October) is the one place where you

are almost guaranteed a sighting. The fishermen on the

Cuiabá River don’t hunt them and when you are

watching them from a boat, they don’t run away. Then,

at night, you can follow them with a spotlight and even

see them hunting. And that’s an incredible sight.”

Where to stay Pousada do Rio Mutum, an

eco-lodge, or the simpler Porto Jofre, where guests

almost always see jaguar.

A 13-night Brazil trip, with five nights at Porto

Jofre, and an expert jaguar guide in the

Pantanal, costs from £5,995 per person through

Abercrombie & Kent.

LEOPARD DAVE VARTY is a conservationist and the owner of Londolozi Game Reserve

(londolozi.com) beside Kruger National Park in South Africa, which specialises in leopard viewing

JAGUAR ALAN RABINOWITZ is head

of Panthera (panthera.org), which

campaigns for endangered big cats. He

set up a jaguar sanctuary in Belize

CHEETAH DERECK and BEVERLY JOUBERT are award-winning film-makers (wildlifefilms.co) who

have dedicated their lives to saving big cats. They are both National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence

All trips can be tailor-made by Abercrombie

& Kent (0845 485 1576; abercrombiekent.

co.uk) and are inclusive of flights and

private guiding.

Walk on the wild side …Deep within Africa’s fnest game reserve, Four Seasons Safari Lodge,

Serengeti offers sanctuary of comfort. Get up close and intimate

with wildlife and Maasai culture, yet always feel safe and pampered.

With refreshing Four Seasons care, our Safari Lodge promises a

luxurious respite amid your Africa adventures.

To make a reservation or fnd out more, call Abercrombie & Kent

at 0845 485 1282 or email info@abercrombiekent.co.uk

Photo by Nick Garbutt

THE PRIZE

Abercrombie & Kent is offering a seven-night itinerary in Myanmar

on the luxurious river yacht Sanctuary Ananda. Custom-built by local

shipbuilders, the riverboat has been designed specially with a shallow

draft so that it can cruise both the Upper and Lower Ayeryarwady and

Chindwin rivers, and access remote villages and temples. Inside, the

boat is far from traditional, featuring 20 spacious cabins with five-star

comforts such as monsoon showers and air-conditioning; elegant

dining rooms with Burmese and international cuisine; and on-board

facilities such as a pool and spa. The river yacht – which launches this

November – is by far the most comfortable way to explore the

country’s beautiful temples, rich culture and welcoming population;

the seven-day itineraries are from Mandalay to Bagan, or Bagan to

Mandalay, return, and include on-board musical performances,

lectures and cultural demonstrations, and Qatar Airways flights.

ABOUT MYANMAR

Myanmar – formerly known as Burma – is a fast-evolving Eastern

destination, offering glorious landscapes, a Buddhist culture in which

music, arts and craftsmanship thrive, and towns unspoilt by modern

tourism. Once a final frontier of adventure travel, the country has

flourished under the gradual influx of tourists; visitors come for the

culture and architecture, but their memories are usually of its

graceful, warm people, verdant landscapes and vibrant towns.

Buddhist temples abound – with Bagan’s 4,000 stupas a rival to many

of the world’s most famous religious sites – and much of its

population still wears traditional dress. It also has an abundance of

ancient sites to visit, from temples dotted across hundreds of miles of

countryside to a “Golden Rock” which teeters at the edge of a chasm.

WIN A LUXURY RIVER CRUISE IN MYANMARCourtesy of Abercrombie & Kent, Sanctuary Retreats and Qatar Airways

New way to see Burma The Sanctuary Ananda (centre) has been

built to transport guests in great comfort; on-board extras include

a pool and a spa (above). Top: Monks walk amid golden stupas

AP

��

THE DETAILS

The prize is a seven-night cruise

for two people sharing a suite,

and includes international flights

with Qatar Airways, private

transfers, excursions, meals

and selected drinks. The prize

is valid from January 10

to December 15 2015 (excluding

the April 4 departure) and

is subject to availability.

HOW TO ENTER

Simply go to telegraph.co.uk/

myanmar. You will need to leave

your name, address, telephone

number and a valid email

address. All entries must

be received by midnight on

October 9 2014. For full

terms and conditions see

telegraph.co.uk/myanmar.

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For more information about a tailor-made trip to Chile, please call:

Abercrombie & Kent on 0845 485 1137 or email info@abercrombiekent.co.uk

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“When I was invited to speak

at the Ultratravel 100 awards

in London, I was thrilled.

Not only was the event a wonderful

celebration of travel, but it also gave me

a chance to talk about an exciting

international development agency that

this year will benefit from the awards’

annual silent auction, in which we hope

you will bid.

Restless Development, one of the most

incredible global development agencies to

emerge in recent times, is unlike any

other organisation because it is led

entirely by young people on the ground.

It specialises in training young people in

all sorts of fields so they can first help

themselves, and then use their skills to

transform their communities. The work

they do changes not just a few lives, but

that of hundreds of thousands of children

and young people around the world.

Whether leading post-conflict

development in my home country of Sierra

Leone, tackling HIV in Zambia or training

thousands of unemployed young people in

Uganda so they can find work, Restless

Development creates opportunities for

young people so they can create change.

In the past 28 years these young people

have developed into a network of 17,000

young adults, who have reached out and

helped more than seven million children

BID FOR A LIFE-CHANGING HOLIDAYAt our Ultratravel 100 awards in May, John Sankoh received a standing ovation after an inspiring speech about his

work with young people in Sierra Leone. Here, he explains why bidding for a luxury holiday in our Silent Auction could

not just enhance your own life next year, but transform the lives of children and youths around the world for ever

Working for change John Sankoh at the awards;

editor Charles Starmer-Smith with Alex Polizzi;

Restless Development volunteers in Sierra Leone

and youths in Africa and Asia. Growing up

in Sierra Leone, I have seen the good that

they do first-hand. When I was a child,

the country was being devastated by

conflict. For 10 years my family had to

run and take shelter wherever we could.

When, finally, in 2002, one of the most

vicious wars that Africa has ever seen

came to an end, I was 16. Only then could

I at last believe that things might be a bit

more “normal”: that I wouldn’t have to

sleep under my bed every night, or at bus

stops, as I did during the times we had to

keep moving for fear of being killed.

While many charities failed to listen

to young people, Restless Development

did, working with us and empowering

us to lead the peace process and the

development of our own country. Together

we have created extraordinary change.

Today, though, we are up against yet

another challenge. The country is

dealing with something we’ve never had

to face before: the worst Ebola outbreak

in history. Restless Development is being

called on to support the communities

that have been affected, and lead the

response to try and stem this terrible

disease. At the moment our work is not

only life-changing but life-saving.

You can help to raise funds for our

work by bidding for a holiday. So please

bid generously. Thanks and good luck.”

HOW TO BID

We are inviting you, our readers, to bid for the

21 lots listed on the following page, erring, please,

on the generous side. To take part, send your bid,

stating clearly which prize and lot number you are

bidding for, how much you are bidding, and your

name, address, email address and telephone

number, to ultrabids@restlessdevelopment.org

The winning bid for each lot will be the highest

received by Restless Development by midnight

on Sunday October 19 2014. The highest bidder

for each lot will be contacted and asked to send

payment within two weeks. On receipt of the

cheque, each winner will be sent the prize

vouchers by registered post. Rooms and flights

are subject to availability and, unless otherwise

stated, all flights are economy class. Each holiday

is for two, and is subject to separate terms and

conditions, in addition to those published

overleaf; these are available at telegraph.co.uk/

auction or by emailing conditions@

restlessdevelopment.org

For more about Restless Development,

please see restlessdevelopment.org

LOT

15

���LCKI8KI8M<C�

Lot 1 A week in the

Best Hotel in the World

Donated by Jumeirah Hotels

& Resorts and Emirates

Five nights’ b&b, for two, in

a one-bedroom Duplex Suite

at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai –

voted by Ultratravel readers

as the best hotel in the world –

and Business Class flights

from the UK.

Minimum bid £8,000

Lot 2 A seven-night

Mediterranean cruise

Donated by Cunard

Seven nights, for two, in a

Brittania Balcony Stateroom

on board Cunard’s Queen

Victoria. The prize includes all

on-board meals, entertainment

and use of the spa. The cruise

departs from Venice, Athens

or Rome. Return UK flights

are included.

Minimum bid £3,000

Lot 3 A safari at

Victoria Falls

Donated by Victoria Falls

Safari Lodge

Four nights’ b&b, for six, in a

three-bedroomed Safari Suite at

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in

Zimbabwe – including a dinner

at The Boma, one Vulture

Culture Lunch at MaKuwa-Kuwa

Restaurant, and airport

transfers from Victoria Falls.

Minimum bid £2,000

Lot 4 A stay in the

Best Hotel in Europe

Donated by Four Seasons

Hotels and Resorts

Two nights’ b&b, for two, in

a Deluxe Room at the Four

Seasons Hotel George V, Paris –

voted by Ultratravel readers as

the best hotel in Europe.

Minimum bid £500

Lot 5 A stay in the Best

Hotel in the Americas

Donated by Four Seasons

Hotels and Resorts

Two nights’ b&b over a

weekend for two in a City-View

Deluxe king room, in the Four

Seasons Hotel New York, voted

by Ultratravel readers as the

best hotel in the Americas.

Minimum bid £500

Lot 6 A stay in the Best

New Hotel in the World

Donated by Rosewood

London

Two nights’ b&b for two in a

Premier Suite at Rosewood

London, voted by Ultratravel

readers as the best new hotel

in the world.

Minimum bid £500

Lot 7 A stay in Bangkok

Donated by Kempinski

Three nights’ b&b for two in

an Executive Suite at the Siam

Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.

Minimum bid £800

Lot 8 A stay in Abu Dhabi

Donated by Kempinski

Three nights’ b&b for two in

a Khaleej Suite at the Emirates

Palace Abu Dhabi.

Minimum bid £800

Lot 9 A stay in Berlin

Donated by Kempinski

Three nights’ b&b for two in

a Suite at the Hotel Adlon

Kempinski in Berlin.

Minimum bid £800

Lot 10 A stay in Vienna

Donated by Kempinski

Three nights’ b&b for two in

a Palais Suite at the Palais

Hansen Kempinski Vienna.

Minimum bid £800

Lot 11 A stay in St Moritz

Donated by Kempinski

Three nights’ b&b for two in

a Suite at the Kempinski Grand

Hotel des Bains St Moritz.

Minimum bid £800

Lot 12 A stay in Istanbul

Donated by Kempinski

Three nights’ b&b for two in

a One Bedroom Suite at the

Ciragan Palace Kempinski

Istanbul.

Minimum bid £800

Lot 13 A stay in the

Maldives

Donated by Banyan Tree

Hotels & Resorts

Five nights, full board for two,

in an Oceanview Villa at Banyan

Tree Vabbinfaru, including

airport transfers in the Maldives

– a 20-minute speedboat ride

from Malé International Airport.

Minimum bid £2,000

Lot 14 A golfing holiday

in Scotland

Donated by Gleneagles

Two nights for two at

Gleneagles – the home of the

2014 Ryder Cup – including

breakfast, gourmet dinner

and two rounds of golf for

each guest.

Minimum bid £600

Lot 15 A stay at Sir

Richard Branson’s safari

camp in Kenya

Donated by Virgin Limited

Edition

Four nights for two at Mahali

Mzuri safari camp, including all

meals, drinks, daily game drives

and return road transfers from

Mara North Airstrip.

Minimum bid £2,000

Lot 16 A week in St Lucia

Donated by Anse Chastanet

Resort

Seven nights’ half-board for two

in a Premium room at Anse

Chastanet Resort on the

Caribbean island of St Lucia.

Minimum bid £1,500

Lot 17 A stay in a luxury

villa in the Maldives

Donated by Park Hyatt

Maldives Hadahaa

Five nights’ half-board for two

in a Park Villa at Park Hyatt

Maldives Hadahaa.

Minimum bid £1,500

Lot 18 A stay at Huvafen

Fushi Maldives

Donated by Per Aquum

Resorts and Spas

Two nights’ b&b for two in

a Bungalow with plunge pool

at Huvafen Fushi Maldives,

including return transfers

to the island from Malé

International Airport by

speedboat.

Minimum bid £500

Lot 19 A stay at Niyama

Maldives

Donated by Per Aquum

Resorts and Spas

Two nights’ b&b for two in

a Beach Studio at Niyama

Maldives.

Minimum bid £400

Lot 20 A stay in Dubai

Donated by Per Aquum

Resorts and Spas

One night’s b&b for two in

a Palm Deluxe Room at the

Desert Palm Dubai.

Minimum bid £250

Lot 21 A stay in Provence

Donated by Hotel Crillon

le Brave

Three nights for two in a Deluxe

room at Hotel Crillon le Brave in

Provence, including breakfast,

a bottle of Billecart-Salmon

champagne, a picnic for two

and use of the hotel’s tandem.

Minimum bid £500

THE LOTS ON OFFER

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1 All lots are subject to their own separate terms and conditions. Please familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions for each lot, which will be posted at ultra.travel/auction. 2 This auction is open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands and

Isle of Man aged 18 years or over, except employees of Restless Development, Ultratravel and Telegraph Media Group Limited, their families, agents or anyone else professionally associated with the auction. 3 Details of how to participate form part of the terms and conditions.

By submitting a bid in this auction, participants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. 4 The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 5 Bidders may bid for more than one lot, but may make only one bid for each lot. Once submitted,

bids may not be withdrawn and you acknowledge that once the Promoter has confirmed you are the highest bidder, you have entered into a legally binding contract to buy the lot you have bid for from the Promoter. 6 Bids must be above the reserve listed for the lot being

bid for; in pounds sterling; and received by the Promoter by midnight on Sunday October 19 2014. 7 Successful bidders will be notified within seven days of the closing date of the auction. 8 Late, illegible, incomplete, defaced or corrupt bids, and bids below the reserve for the

lot being bid for, will not be accepted. 9 The successful bid for any one lot will be the highest received by the closing date. If two or more bids equal the highest bid, the lot shall be awarded to the bid received first. 10 Successful bidders must remit their payment for the

relevant lot within 14 days of notification. 11 If the Promoter is unable to contact a winning bidder within seven days of the closing of the auction, or if the payment is not received within 14 days of a winning bidder being notified, the Promoter reserves the right to award the

lot to the next highest bidder. Should there be two or more bids equalling the next highest bid, the lot shall be awarded in accordance with Condition 9, above. The Promoter reserves the right to carry on awarding the lot to the next highest bidder until the reserve is reached.

12 If the Promoter is not able to award a lot for any reason, the Promoter reserves the right to withdraw the lot from the auction. 13 The lots as described are available on the date of publication and are subject to availability. 14 Lots are not transferable and there are no cash

alternatives. 15 All holiday vouchers must be used within one year of the successful bidders being notified and are subject to their own separate terms and conditions available at telegraph.co.uk/auction. 16 Events may occur that render the auction impossible due to reasons

beyond the control of the Promoter; accordingly, the Promoter may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the auction and the entrant agrees no liability shall attach to the Promoter as a result. 17 Ultratravel is responsible for the publication of this auction. All aspects

connected with the provision of the lots are the responsibility of the Promoter: Restless Development, 7 Wootton Street, London SE1 8TG. Registered charity No 1127488. For full details of the Promoter’s terms and conditions, please email conditions@restlessdevelopment.com

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Call us today on 020 7752 0000 for your copy of our brochure.

SMALL SHIPS – BIG EXPERIENCES WITH NOBLE CALEDONIA

One of the many beautiful islands

we visit is Aldabra, the world’s

largest coral atoll and a World

Heritage site. Totally untouched

by the modern world, Aldabra has been

described by Jacques Cousteau as ‘the last

unprofaned sanctuary on this planet’. Being

one of the most diffcult places in the world

to access and a lack of freshwater has saved

Aldabra from any tourism development.

There is no landing strip and the only viable

means of reaching this untouched region is

by ship and the MS Island Sky is one of only

a handful of vessels allowed to call at this

unique atoll. Aldabra is the last breeding

ground of the giant tortoise and in addition

to seeing some of these endearing creatures

you should encounter dolphins, turtles and

whales as well as countless birds including

the fightless rail, the last fightless bird in the

Indian Ocean.

Leaving the Seychelles we will make for the

Comoros and the French island of Nzwani

and then on to Mozambique, one of the

world’s best kept travel secrets. Sailing north

along the African coast, we shall then reach

Tanzania. Both countries offer exceptional

national parks along their coastlines. The

last island on our odyssey will be Zanzibar

where we will explore its labyrinth of

serpentine alleyways lined with charming

Arabic dwellings and flled with the treasures

of the East that established its fame; cloves,

cinnamon and vanilla. We have many years

of experience in operating the vessel in the

region which combined with the expertise of

our onboard expedition team will result in a

truly memorable voyage.

The Itinerary in briefDay 1 - London to Male, Maldives. Fly by

scheduled indirect fight.

Day 2 - Male, Maldives. Arrive this afternoon

and transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 3 - Male, Maldives. Enjoy a relaxing

morning using the hotel facilities either

enjoying the beach or pool area. This

afternoon we will transfer to the MS Island Sky.

Days 4 to 7 - Maldives. We spend four days

exploring the beauty of the archipelago.

This vast area of ocean is scattered with

staggeringly beautiful dots of land

surrounded by a cerulean sea. It offers some

of the fnest lagoons, beaches and coral

reefs in the world. Our day to day schedule

will be left in the capable hands of the

Captain and Expedition Leader, but we

hope to include visits to Meemu, Gaafu and

Kaafu Atolls. Our onboard expedition team

will be on hand to lead guided walking tours

to explore the birds and wildlife on land

whilst our snorkel master will take us to

some exceptional reefs.

Days 8 to 10 - At sea. Three days at sea to

relax onboard as we cross the Indian Ocean

to the glorious islands of the Seychelles.

Attend the daily lectures and a host of other

activities which will be arranged onboard.

Day 11 - Mahe, Seychelles. After breakfast

join the island drive to the nation’s capital of

Victoria with its own ‘Big Ben’, the Botanic

Gardens and the ruins of a Capuchin mission.

Day 12 - Aride & La Digue, Seychelles. Sail

at frst light to the islands to the north of

Mahe. Our frst call will be at Aride one of the

fnest and most important seabird islands in

the Indian Ocean. Over one million seabirds

breed on the island including tropical

shearwater and roseate tern and also fve

species unique to the Seychelles such as the

Seychelles warbler and Seychelles magpie

robin. We will enjoy a walk on the island

amongst the native woodland. Sail during

lunch to nearby La Digue. There is a hint of

Henry Moore in the huge granite boulders

that lie like giant sculptures on the brilliant

white beaches of the island. Tour the forested

nature reserve and the L’Union Estate, a

superbly restored 19th century colonial house.

Day 13 - Praslin & Curieuse, Seychelles.

Spend the morning on Praslin. We will explore

the ‘Vallee de Mai’, the last remnant of the

original high-canopied Seychelles palm forest

and home to the coco de mer. We will walk its

paths looking out for the rare black parrot and

enjoying its natural beauty which so

overpowered General Gordon. Sail over lunch

to Curieuse a rugged island which is an

important nesting site for Hawksbill turtles.

Day 14 - St Joseph, Seychelles. We will

spend the day exploring the island of St

Joseph, an ideal spot for some

beachcombing, nature walks and bird

watching. In the island’s lagoon there is a

huge population of stingrays, healthy

numbers of turtles and giant blue mud crabs.

Day 15 - Alphonse, Seychelles. Wake up on

Christmas morning in the Alphonse group of

islands located directly south of the

Amirantes. We will call into Alphonse

regarded by many as one of the most

beautiful of all the 115 islands in the

Seychelles. Its circular lagoon offers perfect

Islands of the Indian OceanExplore the Maldives and undiscovered islands of the Indian Ocean including Aldabra aboard the MS Island Sky 11th December 2015 to 5th January 2016

Escape the British winter and enjoy the warmth and beauty of the Indian Ocean aboard the MS Island Sky as

she undertakes exactly the type of itinerary that suits her many talents best,

exploring the islands and atolls of the Maldives and Seychelles, two of the

world’s most pristine and picturesque archipelagos.

With our purpose built Zodiacs we will land on otherwise inaccessible

beaches, explore vast lagoons and coral reefs and encounter some of the most

extraordinarily beautiful tropical scenery to be found anywhere in the world. To many

travellers this region is without equal, having remained largely free from the ravages of mass

tourism. Obviously, such beauty and serenity is best enjoyed with a small number of travelling

companions. After all, it would be disappointing to fnd yourself in the company of hundreds on what

was a deserted beach. The MS Island Sky is the ideal vessel, and with a maximum of 114 passengers she offers

all the comforts of a larger vessel, but with the added luxury of a small number of passengers.

Alternatively view or request online at www.noble-caledonia.co.uk

BOOK EARLY AND SAVE £500 PER PERSON

snorkelling and on an island walk we hope to

spot the extremely rare magpie robin.

Day 16 - Farquhar. We spend the day anchoring

off Farquhar where we will use our Zodiacs to

explore the sparkling lagoon of this remote

atoll ringed island of coconut and casuarina

trees. The island is a haven for many species of

migratory birds providing us with a delightful

afternoon of bird watching or snorkelling.

Day 17 - Cosmoledo, Seychelles. Arrive this

morning at Cosmoledo where a huge ring of

twelve islands circle a lagoon. Many of the

atolls are still to be surveyed and we shall

explore some of them by Zodiac. This is an

important bird area with all three species of

booby found in the Seychelles, sooty tern and

great frigatebirds. We may also spot the

green turtles, skinks and the Madagascar

banded lizard.

Day 18 - Aldabra, Seychelles. Go ashore to

the islands referred to by Sir Julian Huxley as

“One of nature’s treasures and should belong

to the whole world”. Aldabra is unique and

we are privileged visitors by kind permission

of the Seychelles government. Every time we

call at what is believed to be the world’s

largest atoll we fnd something new of

interest. Sightings have been made of the

extremely rare Whitethroated rail, and indeed

whilst exploring by Zodiac it is diffcult to

know in which direction to look. The clear

blue seas abound with colourful life, the skies

are alive with varied birdlife and ashore giant

land tortoises forage.

Day 19 - Assumption, Seychelles. Close to

Aldabra is the island of Assumption. Early in

the 20th century the island was ruthlessly

plundered for its vast deposits of guano.

Happily, peace has returned to the islands and

the wildlife of rare birds and green turtles are

once again in abundance.

Day 20 - Anjouan, Comoros. This afternoon

fnds us in Nzwani, better known by its French

name of Anjouan. It is an incredibly

picturesque island with forested hillsides and

rivers tumbling down to the sea. An island

drive will include some beauty spots.

Day 21 - Pemba, Mozambique. This afternoon

we will reach Africa and the coastline of

Mozambique. We will arrive at Pemba which is

located on an enormous turquoise bay ringed

by groves of Africa’s botanical icon, the baobab

tree. Enjoy a stroll in town with its Portuguese

history. Tonight we will welcome in the New

Year as we cruise the Mozambique Coast.

Day 22 - Quirimbas Archipelago,

Mozambique. Travelling north along the coast

we enjoy a day in the Quirimbas National Park,

a coastal park set aside recently with

assistance from the World Wildlife Fund and

one of Mozambique’s most biologically diverse

regions. We hope to make an expedition stop

to view extensive reef and islet complexes

offering outstanding snorkelling amidst 400

species of fsh. We may also visit Ibo, a former

Portuguese island of once-elegant palatial

mansions. The colony owed its wealth to

18th-century slave and ivory trading. The

battlements of the pentagonal main fortress

house renowned silversmiths today. Local

guides will escort us around the fort and for

the ‘birders’ a separate walk will be arranged.

Day 23 - At sea. A fnal day of leisure and

time to relax onboard as we sail to our

penultimate port of call, Zanzibar.

Day 24 - Zanzibar, Tanzania. Here the

colourful harbour will be crowded with dhows,

very much setting the scene for our visit to the

Arab style city with its long narrow streets,

bazaars, houses with overhanging balconies

and intricately carved doorways. On a

morning tour soak up the timeless

atmosphere of Stone Town. The afternoon is

free to relax and explore independently or

join an optional tour to a spice farm.

Day 25 - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to London.

Disembark after breakfast and return to

London by scheduled indirect fight.

Prices and InclusionsSpecial offer prices per person based on double occupancy range from £10495 for a standard

forward suite to £12195 for an owner’s balcony suite. Suites for sole use from £14695.

Price Includes: Economy class scheduled air travel, overnight hotel accommodation in Male on breakfast

only basis, 22 nights aboard the MS Island Sky on a full board basis including wine, beer and soft drinks with

lunch and dinner onboard, shore excursions, expedition team, transfers, port taxes, gratuities onboard and

whilst on excursions.

Not Included: Travel Insurance, visas, optional excursion in Zanzibar.

NB. Ports and itinerary subject to change. Flight schedules have not been released at the time of going to

print and therefore the itinerary is subject to change on their release. All special offers are subject to availability.

Our current booking conditions apply to all reservations.

MS Island SkyThe MS Island Sky is one of the fnest small ships in the world. With a maximum passenger

capacity of only 114, the all-suite vessel has the beneft of unusually large accommodation,

public areas and spacious outside decks. All suites feature a sitting room area and some

have a private balcony. The feeling of luxury is enhanced by the wood panelling and brass,

which predominates throughout the vessel conveying the atmosphere of a private yacht.

The spacious and fnely decorated public rooms include a lounge, elegant bar, library and

a single seating dining room. Outside there is a rear sun deck where meals are served in

warm weather under shade, a bar and comfortable deck furniture. On the top deck there

is a further observation and sun deck. The atmosphere onboard is akin to a private yacht

or country hotel. A little music in the lounge or bar after dinner, talks from the onboard

speakers, informative port briefngs from our Expedition Leader and of course good food

which may be enjoyed leisurely in the attractive dining room, all contribute to making any

voyage aboard the MS Island Sky a memorable experience. After a day ashore you will

return to the comfort and peace of a well-run and exceedingly comfortable ship.

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As well as a rich indigenous culture and glorious landscapes, Vietnam today has gourmet restaurants and boutique hotels as

Urban high The hip Chill Sky Bar

overlooking Ho Chi Minh City

Photographs by Aaron Joel Santos

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lavish as any other country in the East. E Jane Dickson travels with local experts to get under the skin of Asia’s new luxury hotspot

METROPOLISNOW

LCKI8KI8M<C���

team rising from vast kettles of pho, the fragrant noodle

broth that fuels Vietnam, gives a wavy, hallucinatory edge

to street life in Hanoi. Pavement cafés are no-frills affairs

– a scatter of plastic stools no higher than an upturned

bucket. Crouched, knees to chin, I am doing my best to

convey noodles, slippery as elvers, from bowl to mouth

with chopsticks.

“What age are you?” asks the café proprietor, a

grandmother who stirs soup, semaphores to customers

and ushers children out of the way in one graceful

movement. Clearly, she thinks she has a giant baby on her

hands and kindly takes time to demonstrate the rapid stir-

and-schloop technique required for safe ingestion of pho.

The scene swirling about me in the Vietnamese capital

is so various, so densely packed with incident, that it

seems the life of five cities has been squeezed into a

single, jaw-dropping spectacle. Scooters, impossibly laden

with great cantilevered piles of produce, choke the narrow

streets in a solid, honking stream. A farmer sputters past

on his way to market with a pig carcass riding pillion. A

coffin wobbles on the back of a trishaw. There’s a hawker

staggering under the weight of a shoulder pole hung with

votives for ancestor worship. And then, as if choreographed

by Rodgers and Hammerstein, a blur of moving foamy

pink blossom forms into a phalanx of schoolchildren

bearing peach trees to celebrate the lunar new year.

Although it’s just 50 years since “the American War”

brought Vietnam to its knees, its recovery has been

spectacular. The liberalising effects of doi moi, the

economic reforms implemented in 1986 to create

a “socialist-oriented market economy”, are everywhere

apparent. And while it is a funny kind of socialism

– there is, for example, no free education – free-market

competition is joyously embraced. (A shop front

advertising “High Class Laundry” is trumped by its

neighbour: “High, High Class Laundry”.)

I’m privileged to spend a morning at the granite

acropolis where the communist revolutionary leader

Ho Chi Minh has lain in state since his death in 1969

with Dr Nguyen Huu Ngoc, a distinguished historian who

fought French colonialists and American aggressors

alongside “Uncle Ho” and later became his official

translator. “Ho Chi Minh,” Dr Nguyen tells me, “was

essentially a nationalist, a man of the people. But he

Eastern elegance Clockwise

from top left: the Hotel Metropole;

Fusion Maia in Danang; crab in

chantilly cream at Hanoi’s La Verticale;

Hanoi’s old quarter

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didn’t believe in class struggle. And he would have hated

that mausoleum.”

What Uncle Ho — whose army marched on flip flops

made from motor tyres – would make of the queues

outside the Hanoi branches of Gucci and Christian

Louboutin is anybody’s guess. Vietnam has effectively

transformed from a centuries-old agrarian economy to a

service-based economy in the space of a generation. This

rapid social and economic change – per capita GDP has

doubled in four years – has created an elite hungry for

luxury. Owners of Bentleys and BMWs are proud to sit

calmly behind their wheels in the sea of scooters. Bridal

parties, shiny with hope and hand-sewn sequins, arrange

themselves for wedding pictures on the marble steps of

western-style shopping malls. And, significantly, the new

spirit of openness has sparked a radical overhaul of

tourism; the lifting of “movement regulations” in 1997

allowed visitors to travel freely within the country and,

more recently, the ministry for tourism has concentrated

investment in the “lavish sector”.

Once the preserve of gap-year backpackers and

specialist trips for US Army “vets”, Vietnam

now boasts five-star hotels and resorts to

rival the most luxurious destinations in

Thailand or Malaysia. Infrastructure in

less visited parts of the country is still rudimentary,

but a growing number of bespoke travel services have

opened up Vietnam’s 1,900 miles of coastline, unspoiled

tropical jungle and ancient heritage to a new wave of

upmarket travellers.

China Beach in Danang, capital of the South Central

region, was once the preserve of US troops on R&R. Now

it’s planted with parasols and boasts a Colin Montgomerie

golf course, a Michel Roux restaurant (La Maison 1888 at

the Intercontinental), and flop-and-relax resorts. Spas

offer guests “VIP suites” and caviar facials. Along the

streets, hawkers sell handbags with faux European luxury

labels and price tags that are a fraction of the real things.

Not all of the coastline, thankfully, is as international

as Danang. Just 40 minutes’ drive away, in Quang Nam

Province, is a world in which water buffalo pull

geometrical plough-lines through lime green paddies,

and where life goes on as it did 100 years ago. Here, at the

celebrated Red Bridge Restaurant, on an inlet of the Thu

Bon River, I join a Vietnamese cookery class. It’s

something of an eye opener to see the skill and dexterity

that goes into fashioning the humble spring roll. Our

tutor, Thanh, cuts no corners – we are required to make

our own rice paper, steaming thin layers of batter on

stretched muslin – but he cheerfully accepts the

limitations of his fumbling students. “One Vietnamese

minute,” he says, tapping his watch, “that would be about

two hours in European time.”

Rising, dreamlike, from the waterlands, the former

trading port of Hoi An was effectively marooned in the

19th century by the silting of the Thu Bon River. Now a

Unesco World Heritage Site, the town is a perfectly

preserved architectural cache of pagodas, temples and

merchant dwellings strung along the estuary. Immaculate

shop fronts and pedestrianised streets seem almost

Disneyfied after the chaos of Hanoi; an extravagantly

moustached shopkeeper shrugs charmingly when I find

him sprinkling the dust of ages on “antique” ceramics.

Only yards from the main drag, however, life goes on as it

has for centuries. In the 17th-century Fujian Assembly

Hall, a shy couple prays before the goddess of fertility and

her 12 midwives. Traditional meeting houses are filled

with the distinctive click and swipe of mah-jong tiles.

Hoi An is famed for its express tailoring and punters

are sized up, literally, at a glance. Before I can say, “Let

me think about it”, I’m pinned and pleated into

shimmering silk. The workmanship is superb and the

finished garment can be collected the same day, although

it might be a good idea to bring along a favourite piece as

a template; local style works a flouncy, Eighties vibe.

The South Central Coast’s most secluded and exclusive

beach strip is Lang Co, a six-mile curve of pink-gold sand

at the base of the Truong Son mountains. For anyone

harbouring a From Here to Eternity fantasy of rolling surf

and misty peaks, this is the place to indulge it. In the

neighbouring village of Cu Du, a fisherman sculls me

across a smooth, jade lagoon in a wicker coracle to inspect

the venerable mangrove that is said to ensnare souls in its

woody tentacles.

By mid-afternoon clouds are boiling up the valley like

steam from a giant wok; I’m driven up the aptly named

Sea Cloud mountain, slamming around hairpin bends to

Hai Van, Vietnam’s highest pass. An immense, faded

billboard showing proletarian heroics and crumbling,

bullet-pocked pill boxes are reminders that this was the

official frontier between communist North Vietnam and

the American-controlled South. At the summit, Vietnamese

visitors take me for an American. Ho Chi Minh, they tell

me, always said that ordinary US citizens were opposed

to the “American war”. They seem to believe it.

If the political border between North and South

Vietnam has been effaced, cultural differences remain

distinct. Travelling south, the food is hotter, the mindset

more laid-back. And the weather is incomparably better.

Ninh Thuan Province, the region with the least rainfall

and most sunny days in Vietnam, is also the least

developed, but the broad corniche along its spectacular,

rugged shoreline suggests it’s gearing up to be the

Vietnamese Riviera. For the moment its wildness is part of

the attraction – jaguars can still be spotted in Nui Chua

National Park and green sea turtles appear almost

luminous in the clear waters of the adjoining marine

reserve. At Po Klong Garai, a pilgrimage site for the Cham

people, the salt breeze has softened the edges of

fantastical sandstone towers. A few miles down the road,

I stop at a Buddhist pagoda under construction, where

prefabricated concrete dragons have flashing electric

eyes. Workmen, untroubled by health and safety, allow me

to climb to the top of the unfinished building where I

share Buddha’s view of the countryside, a patchwork of

paddies, salt pans and shining carpets of dried shrimp

(the main ingredient for the region’s famous fish sauce).

In contrast to this hard-hacked region, the Mekong

Delta is a kind of tropical Eden, an allegorical illustration

of fecundity. Swapping the river boat for a bike, I explore

a lacework of tributaries bordered by orchards where

unfeasibly large jackfruit hang across my path.

Ho Chi Minh City (old Saigon) is the exclamation mark

at the end of my odyssey, a sky-scraping city crackling

with entrepreneurial energy. There are eight million

people and four million motorbikes; all of which, it seems,

turn out for the nightly “fast living”, a kind of petrolhead

passeggiata, where the young and the restless zoom round

the boulevards, just because they can. Crossing the road

feels like a senseless act of bravado (the trick is to walk

out and trust they’ll drive round you; dither and you’re

dead). Far more fun to tour the city on the back of a Vespa.

With a thrilling rev and a small yelp, I join the strobing

slipstream of red tail lights. Vietnam right now is having

the ride of its life. It’d be a shame to miss the action.

A nine-day all-inclusive journey with Brown & Hudson

(0203 358 0110; brownandhudson.com) exploring the length

of Vietnam, staying in luxury hotels (see overleaf), costs

from £15,300 per person, including business-class flights,

transfers, activities and specialist guides in each destination.

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fine food at Le Beaulieu restaurant in Hanoi;

rice terraces in North Vietnam; the exclusive

54 Traditions gallery in Hanoi

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HANOI

WHERE TO STAY

Sofitel Legend Metropole

(0084 4 3826 6919; sofitel-legend.com;

doubles from £111). An independent

state of orderly luxury in the chaos of

Hanoi. Charlie Chaplin honeymooned

here, and Joan Baez sang through

1972’s “Christmas Bombing” in its

underground bunker. It has offered

colonial high luxury since 1907, with

immaculate service and imaginative

extras, such as a chocolate buffet

showcasing Vietnam’s “grand cru”

chocolate varieties.

WHAT TO DO

Temple of Literature Quoc Tu Giam

St, Dong Da District. A well-preserved

11th-century Confucian university

– the country’s first – which honours

Vietnam’s finest scholars and literary

greats. The pagodas, which seem to

float amid incense, are surrounded

by ponds and gardens fragrant

with frangipani.

Thanh Chuong Viet Palace (0084 4

2991 2970; http://thanhchuongartist.

com.vn). Vernacular buildings brought

stone by stone from across Vietnam

and set in beautifully planted gardens

by artist-curator Thanh Chuong.

The water-puppet theatre is a great

hit with children.

WHERE TO SHOP

54 Traditions (0084 4 3175 0194;

54traditions.com.vn). This boutique

sells museum-quality antiques and

indigenous crafts from Vietnam’s

54 ethnic groups. They’re pricey, but

profits help to support development

in rural communities.

Art Vietnam (0084 4 3862 3184;

artvietnamgallery.com; by appointment

only). Art dealer Suzanne Lecht has

turned her home into a stunning

exhibition space for Hanoi’s flourishing

THE ULTRA GUIDE TO VIETNAM

A new light Lamps in

Fusion Maia Danang, top.

Far left: Chef Don Berger,

of Don’s Bistro in Hanoi.

Left: the pool at Amanoi

contemporary art scene. Photography,

paintings and sculpture, frequently with

a political edge.

WHERE TO EAT

La Verticale (0084 4 3944 6317;

verticale-hanoi.com). Didier Corlou,

former head chef at the Metropole,

celebrates Hanoi’s French influences in

an extraordinary fusion of Vietnamese

flavours and Gallic savoir faire. An

11-course tasting menu includes foie

gras with lemongrass, lobster with

green rhubarb and vanilla sauce, and

black sesame ice cream.

Don’s Bistro (0084 4 3719 2828;

dons-bistro.com). Laid-back brasserie

with award-winning food on the

shores of the West Lake. Enjoy

jazz and Cuban cigars on the

rooftop terrace.

Bun Bo Nam Bo (67 Hang Dieu).

By popular consent, the best street

food in town. Try the sinus-clearing

noodle broth with beef, peanuts,

fresh mint and lime.

THE CENTRAL COAST

WHERE TO STAY

Banyan Tree, Lang Co (0084 54 369

5888; banyantree.com; doubles from

£470). Brand new beach resort with

a commitment to “sustainable luxury”.

Fabulously romantic at night, and an

emphasis on privacy by day. Beach

pavilions have timber decking with

pools, hot tubs and canopied day-beds.

Fusion Maia Danang (0084 511 396

7999; maiadanang.fusion-resorts.com;

doubles from £280). Clean lines and a

serene atmosphere at this small spa

resort. First-rate massages, a holistic

philosophy and a restaurant bursting

with healthy options make pampering

feel oddly virtuous.

WHERE TO EAT

Red Bridge Restaurant and

Cookery School, Hoi An (0084

510 393 3222; visithoian.com).

Light, fragrant local food with produce

sourced from its organic garden.

La Maison 1888, Intercontinental

Sun Peninsula, Danang (0084 511

393 8888; danang.intercontinental.

com). Michel Roux’s new, classic

French restaurant is run by head chef

Stéphane Colliet, formerly sous chef

of the Waterside Inn. It’s set in a

colonial-style house overlooking the

sea; open for dinner only.

THE SOUTH

WHERE TO STAY

Amanoi, Vinh Hy (0084 68 377 0777;

amanresorts.com; doubles from £537).

For now, Amanoi feels like a pioneer on

Vietnam’s wild frontier. Curved grey

roofs of enormous pavilions disappear

into the granite-strewn landscape;

swimming pools sit within natural rock

formations. A sleek little beach club

has kayaks for exploring sea caves.

Park Hyatt, Ho Chi Minh City

(0084 8 3824 1234; saigon.park.hyatt.

com; doubles from £158). Traditional

deep comfort in the city’s best location.

A female-only floor is popular with

women travelling alone.

WHAT TO DO

Vietnam Vespa Adventures,

Ho Chi Minh City (0084 122 299

3585; vietnamvespaadventures.com).

A knowledgeable guide to whizz you

around the city’s points of historical

interest, including Gustave Eiffel’s

soaring Post Office and the moving

memorial to Thich Quang Duc, the

Buddhist monk whose self-immolation

shocked the world in 1963.

Chill Sky Bar, Ho Chi Minh City

(0084 8 3827 2372; chillsaigon.com).

Twenty-seven floors up, Saigon’s

hippest cocktail bar offers unbeatable

views across the city at sunset.

WHERE TO EAT

Blanchy Street, Ho Chi Minh City

(0084 8 3823 8793; blanchystreet.com).

Chef Martin Brito, formerly of Nobu,

London, has his own distinctive take

on Japanese cuisine. The wagyu beef

with truffle teriyaki is terrific; the sushi

is the best in Saigon.

���LCKI8KI8M<C�

Unbridled passion

The racecourse at the

Kentucky Derby, right.

Elaborate hats and

brightly coloured dresses

are de rigueur for

women, far right

LCKI8KI8M<C���

THE RACIEST PLACE IN AMERICAThe Kentucky Derby is more than just one of the world’s great race meetings – it is a joyous, life-affirming

party and a celebration of southern American hospitality. Max Davidson declares it a winner

Long before the horses canter down to the starting gates for the 140th Kentucky Derby,

roared on by thousands in the grandstands, the excitement has been mounting. The build-up

to America’s most famous horse race is so protracted that it seems to affect everyone

and everything. Even our flight to Kentucky from Chicago has been delayed, and for the most bizarre

reason: so many Derby-bound women are clutching so many hat boxes that there is no room for

them in the overhead lockers.

Horses’ faces stare out from every newspaper and television screen. In the hotels, in the bars,

on the streets, the conversation is of little else. Will the pre-race favourite, California Chrome, live up to

its billing? Or is there an equine superstar lurking among the outsiders? Dance with Fate, perhaps? Or

Vicar’s In Trouble?

Americans call the Derby “the most exciting two minutes in sport” and, if you are lucky enough to

have a ringside seat, you can see why. It is like Royal Ascot and the Grand National rolled into one. Royal

Ascot because everyone gets out their glad rags; the Grand National because half the country has a bet

on it, even if it is the only bet they place all year. But there the similarities stop. The razzmatazz and the

hoopla surrounding the race have no parallel in the UK. Only the Melbourne Cup in Australia – “the

race that stops a nation” – is fit to be mentioned in the same breath.

The Derby is run at Churchill Downs, on the outskirts of Louisville, on the first Saturday in May, and

for Kentuckians and non-Kentuckians alike, is the focus of attention for days, if not weeks, beforehand.

Kentuckians, as a rule, are a modest breed. They prize common sense above extravagance and will tell

you that Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky, embodied the no-nonsense values

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LCKI8KI8M<C���

of his home state. “We love rivers, mountains, old people, pretty horses

and fast women” jokes a poster in a café window in Frankfort, the state

capital. It is a beguiling little town, full of quirky craft shops and gracious

tree-lined streets, and by the time we have had a sumptuous supper at

Serafini, a chic new Italian restaurant, we are starting to get a taste of

Kentucky hospitality that goes way beyond fried chicken.

For anyone wanting to combine a visit to the Derby with a fly-drive

holiday in the area, there is no shortage of options. Julian Unthank and

his wife, from Hampshire, whom we meet in a café in Frankfort, are

going to the Derby, but not before they have visited a few bourbon

distilleries, another of the state’s top tourist attractions.

“We drink a lot of bourbon at home, so it is fascinating to explore

the history of Jim Beam and the other famous brands,” says Unthank.

About 90 per cent of the world’s bourbon comes from the state, and

the rickety old distilleries, tucked away down side roads like guilty

secrets, form an entire sub-culture. For connoisseurs, there is a special

Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which sounds like a glorified pub crawl, but

actually showcases a rich slice of

American heritage.

The Bluegrass State – as Kentucky is

known because of the richness of its

pastures – is the horse capital of the

America, a place where pedigree counts

and tradition is everything. It is not one of

the biggest American states, but it feels

big. Generous highways sweep past areas

of dense woodland, before winding up into

the mountains or crossing big rivers such as the Tennessee and Ohio,

which border Kentucky. But you don’t have to drive far before seeing a

horse out of the car window.

In the central belt, around Lexington, you pass horse farm after horse

farm, with the thoroughbreds of the future cavorting around fields

demarcated by white picket fences. One of the most prestigious

establishments, Gainsborough, is owned by Sheikh Mohammed, the

prime minister of Dubai, and when you start totting up the cost of all the

horse flesh on display – stud fees are well in excess of $500,000 – your

head starts to spin at the unbridled extravagance of the sport of kings.

But the beauty of the Derby, like all the world’s premier sporting events,

is that it transcends class and wealth. This really is the people’s race,

watched live by nearly 170,000 spectators and by millions on television.

High and low alike get swept up in the party atmosphere, from the

celebrities attending eve-of-Derby gala balls, posing for photographs on

the red carpet, to the ordinary punters holding impromptu picnics in

the sprawling car parks that seem to cover half of Louisville. Our own

never-to-be-forgotten day at the races – on the Governor’s special Derby

Train from Frankfort – couldn’t be more luxurious. From the comfort of

our Pullman car, sipping mint juleps, we watch the Kentucky countryside

glide past: clapboard farmhouses, buckled with age; cows grazing beside

a stream; a man in blue dungarees on a tractor, with his dog beside him;

golf courses; cemeteries; neatly trimmed lawns; a tiny Baptist church,

brilliant in the sun.

Behind us in the observation car, there is a band playing bluegrass

music, each song cheesier than the last. “I knew I was lucky, ’cos I was

born in Kentucky…” But we wouldn’t want Bach or Beethoven. This is

America at its folksy best, one of the most heart-warming places on the

planet. Every twang of the banjo is a joy.

Louisville is the biggest city in Kentucky and probably best known as

the home of Muhammad Ali, the Louisville Lip. The downtown, a maze

of skyscrapers, could be any busy American conurbation. But the outlying

suburbs, with their detached houses, spruce lawns and spreading

magnolias, have the elegance of an earlier age.

Our train deposits us half a mile from

the course, and we catch a bus to our final

destination, Millionaires Row, a

grandstand packed to bursting with

hospitality suites, each more exclusive

than the last, and each offering superb

views of the course. Who is that down in

the paddock, shiny pate gleaming?

Rupert Murdoch, no less, chatting to

Rand Paul, a Kentucky senator and rising

star of the Republican Party. Where better to combine business and

pleasure than at this party of parties? Purely as a fashion parade, it takes

some beating. The women’s hats alone – from simple fascinators to pink-

and-black creations that look like elaborate sculptures – are worth the

price of admission.

A day at the races in Kentucky is far more leisurely than any British

equivalent. There is a full hour between each race, which gives us time

to linger over one of those epic American lunches that do so much harm

to the waistline. Next to us at the lunch table is Jason Dufner from

Alabama, one of America’s top golfers, and his fashion-model wife,

looking ridiculously beautiful in an electric blue dress and matching hat.

“What d’yall fancy in this race?” asks Jason. I plump for Midnight

Lucky, on the rigorously scientific principle that it rhymes with Kentucky.

It wins! In the next race, I go for Global View because that’s what I like

American presidents to have. It also wins! Jason and his wife look at me

as if I am Einstein.

The betting system is slightly different from that in England. You back

Horse play Frankfort,

the gracious capital of Kentucky,

above left. This year’s winner,

California Chrome, ridden by

Victor Espinoza, top, and

celebratory cocktails, above

IT’S AMERICA AT ITS FOLKY BEST, ONE OF THE MOST HEART-WARMING PLACES

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PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE, PARIS

October 4-5 2014

British racegoers flock to Paris for

Arc weekend (below right), which is

highlighted by Europe’s most prestigious

and valuable race, the Prix de l’Arc de

Triomphe. As well as the Arc there are

seven other Group 1 races on Arc Sunday.

Horse Racing Abroad (01244 355 580;

horseracingabroad.com) offers three

nights at the Four Seasons Hotel George V

in a deluxe room, including return tickets

on Eurostar from King’s Cross St Pancras,

from £2,569 per person. The price includes

a four-course lunch in a private room

on Arc day and a grandstand seat in the

HRA Pavilion.

BREEDERS’ CUP, CALIFORNIA

October 31-November 1 2014

The finale to the flat season, the Breeders’

Cup brings together some of the best of

the world’s thoroughbred horses from

America, Europe, UK and the Middle East

for 14 races over two days — Saturday

is the big day. The event began in 1984

and horses run on turf and dirt for prize

money in excess of £15million. The Cup

moves around American racetracks, but

this year will take place at Santa Anita Park

in Arcadia, California, for the third year

running. With big bets being placed, this is

a place to show off.

Horse Racing Abroad (01244 355 580;

horseracingabroad.com) has five nights at

the Westin Pasadena with British Airways

flights from Heathrow, from £2,450 per

person. The price includes club house

seats and lunch in Sirona’s restaurant at

Santa Anita Park.

MELBOURNE CUP

November 1-4 2014

The Melbourne Cup is the most famous

and richest handicap race in the world,

run over a gruelling two miles. It takes

place on the first Tuesday of November

and has long been referred to as “the

race that stops the nation”. Melbourne

becomes a carnival city and the

Australians party as only they know how.

The event has become a four-day festival

(starting on November 1) of horse racing,

entertainment, fashion and culture.

Bridge & Wickers (020 3411 0711;

bridgeandwickers.co.uk) can tailor-make

a Melbourne Cup package from £2,289

per person. The price includes an eight-

night stay in a club deluxe room at the

Park Hyatt (15 minutes’ drive from the

course), Qantas flights from Heathrow

and transfers.

DUBAI WORLD CUP

March 28 2015

The Dubai World Cup has established itself

as a premier day of international racing

with the richest races in the world; total

prize money is more than £17million,

including the Dubai World Cup, which is

worth nearly £6million. Meydan

Racecourse (above), which has a capacity

of 60,000, was built for the event. As

you would expect, race day is super-glitzy.

Emirates (01625 445 200; emirates.com)

can arrange flights to Dubai and four

nights b&b at the Address Downtown

Dubai from £1,445 per person.

L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE,

CAPE TOWN

January 10 2015

South Africa’s answer to Royal Ascot is a

swish affair held at Kenilworth Race Course

in Cape Town. The dress code for men and

women is strictly blue and white, with

prizes given for the best outfit. The race is

sponsored by Anthonij Rupert Wines,

whose L’Ormarins wine estate gives its

name to the race, although it was first run

in 1861 in honour of Queen Victoria. Enjoy

a day of top racing and people watching –

this is a glam, sun-bronzed crowd.

L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate (0027 71 100

5329; lqp.co.za) offers a Chef’s Table day

for R2,500 (£138) which includes exclusive

dining near the rail, private tote and

bar facilities, and access to the Style

Lounge Village post-race party.

SIMON HORSFORD

Packages in VIP grandstands

are the only way to avoid

queues and crowds; they

offer guaranteed tickets, food,

drink and shelter from the

sun and rain.

HOW TO BOOK

Derby Experiences (001 888

384 7088; derbyexperiences.

com) and America As You

Like It (0208 742 8299;

americaasyoulikeit.com) offer

packages, from day excursions

at £470 to three-day packages

from £9,145 per person, with

entertainment, tickets to

Millionaires Row, Kentucky Oaks

and Derby, business-class

flights with Delta to Louisville

and five nights at the Galt

House Hotel in Louisville,

including soft drinks and

gourmet food buffet, VIP Fast

Access Pass, and tour of two

bourbon distilleries.

WHERE TO STAY

The 21c Museum Hotel,

Louisville (001 502 217 6300;

21cmuseumhotels.com;

doubles from $239/£140).

A 90-room boutique hotel

incorporating a contemporary

art museum, award-winning

restaurant and cultural civic

centre; the best room is the

Rooftop Apartment.

The Brown Hotel, Louisville

(001 502 583 1234; brownhotel.

com; doubles from $279).

Originally built in 1923 in an

English Renaissance style, a

Muhammad Ali Suite,

containing signed Ali

memorabilia. Three-night

packages over the Derby start

at $4,800 for deluxe doubles.

WHERE TO EAT

610 Magnolia (001 502 636

0783; 610.magnolia.com) is

the most prestigious Louisville

restaurant for Derby weekend

dinner. The six-course dinner

menu costs $95.

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

on West Main Street (001 513

784 1200; jeffruby.com) is

where the beautiful people

eat the juiciest steaks in stylish

surroundings. Dinner from

about $100 per person.

Corbett’s (001 502 327 5058;

corbettsrestaurant.com) offers

elegant dining in an historic

Louisville mansion. The five-

course dinner menu is $65,

exclusive of wine.

GETTING ROUND IN STYLE

R & R Limousine (001 502 458

1862; rrlimo.com) offers luxury

transport, from private jets to

stretch limousines. Mint Julep

Tours (001 502 583 1433;

mintjuleptours.com) offers

tours of the state, from bourbon

country and Kentucky’s horse

farms to the buildings of

historic Louisville.

ULTRA GUIDE THE WORLD’S TOP 5 RACE DAYS

HOW TO DO THE KENTUCKY DERBY IN STYLE

a horse for a win, a place (first or second) or to show (first,

second or third). And the race track itself – dirt rather

than grass – takes a bit of getting used to. After one race,

we go down to the paddock and take snaps of the

returning jockeys, in their bright silks, their goggles

splattered with sand.

And now it is nearly 6pm, and the Derby itself,

scheduled for 6.24pm, is nearly upon us. As the horses

appear from the bowels of the grandstand, to roars you

could hear in Chicago, everyone stands to sing My Old

Kentucky Home, another great Derby Day tradition.

“Weep no more, my lady…Oh, weep no more today…

We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home…. for the

old Kentucky home far away…”

Why are there tears welling in my eyes? My home is

nowhere near Kentucky. I am a stranger in these parts.

Because that’s what sport, and the rituals of sport, do to

you. The newspapers the next day will record that the

favourite, California Chrome, romped to victory, powering

past the field in the home straight like an equine Ferrari.

But they won’t convey the pent-up excitement, the yells of

encouragement, the fist-pumping, the tsunami of emotion.

After the race, in yet another tradition, the winning

horse is draped with a blanket of red roses, while the

winning owner is presented with a trophy of solid gold.

More hoopla, more cheering, more flashing cameras.

Then, finally, the Derby is over for another year.

There are still two more races on the card, but the vast

crowds start to filter away, tired but happy. I have never

seen so many smiles in one place – and that is before we

board our train back to Frankfort and yet another round

of mint juleps and dancing and back-slapping.

The day after the Derby, we find ourselves in Bardstown,

Kentucky, one of the prettiest small towns in America,

every street immaculate, every house a picture. When

Stephen Foster, often called the father of American music,

wrote My Old Kentucky Home, it was Bardstown he had in

mind. The handsome 19th-century mansion where he

lived, now a museum, could be a backdrop for Gone With

the Wind, flanked by tall trees swaying in the breeze.

After the mayhem at Churchill Downs, Bardstown is an

oasis of tranquillity, with people pottering around craft

shops. But a little of the excitement still lingers. Outside

one shop, there is a handwritten sign that sums up the

charm of America’s greatest horse race. “Trot on in,” it

reads. And, underneath: “364 days to the Derby”.

THE PAPERS CAN’T

CONVEY THE PENT-UP

EXCITEMENT, THE

TSUNAMI OF EMOTION

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When the Italian fashion magnate Ferruccio Ferragamo – son of the

famous shoemaker Salvatore – discovered Il Borro in 1985 while

hunting in Tuscany, he had no intention of buying a medieval

hamlet. The hillside village, once owned by the Savoy dynasty, was

in a severe state of disrepair and, in spite of being surrounded by

fertile land, its inhabitants were struggling to make a living.

“I fell in love with the landscape; and the village, which dates back to 1039, is utterly

charming,” he explains. In 1993 he bought not just the semi-derelict medieval hamlet,

but its neighbouring grand villa that had been half-destroyed during the Second World

War and 1,730 acres of estate. In the past decade he has spent much of his life

restoring it, and last year he opened the entire property as a Relais & Chateaux hotel.

Il Borro is unlike any other hotel, though. For a start, its rooms are not in one block,

but spread throughout the estate. For families, or those who want privacy, there are

three villas (one is the grand manor house, sleeping 10, with its own pool and

Italianate gardens) and five farmhouses, surrounded by vineyards. The other 25 suites

are housed in the medieval village on top of a hill – linked to the estate by a stone

bridge – which has been restored piece by piece by local craftsmen. Walls have been

rebuilt in stone and fine brick; floors laid in oak and terracotta; ceilings created using

enormous beams; windows shaded by wooden shutters. There are even eight shops

housing artisans – from a shoemaker to a jeweller – and a church, presided over by

the same priest since 1941, who is now busier than ever, conducting weddings.

While the village’s exteriors look authentically medieval, Ferragamo has gutted the

interiors to provide the sort of 21st-century luxuries that visitors expect of a high-end

property. As well as handsome Italian antique furnishings, rooms have air-

conditioning, mini-kitchens with espresso-makers and fridges, and mosaic-walled

bathrooms with standalone baths and Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries.

Best of all, the town has two restaurants, run by one local chef, Andrea Campani,

whose Osteria del Borro (osteriadelborro.it) has already become a gastro-destination,

serving such sensational local dishes as smoked rabbit pappardelle, pea-and-goat’s-

cheese soup and espresso brûlée, accompanied by the “Super Tuscan” Il Borro red

wine. The estate also offers horse-riding, golf, tennis, mountain-biking and cultural

excursions (Florence, Siena and Arezzo are less than an hour away).

Il Borro, San Giustino Valdarno, Italy (0039 055 977 053; ilborro.it) has rooms from

€320 (£256) per night, and villas from €1,500 per night, breakfast included.

A LITTLE PLACE I KNOW Il Borro, San Giustino Valdarno, Italy

EDITED BY LISA GRAINGER

Ageing beauty The infinity pool

at Il Borro, top. Clockwise from

left: the restored hamlet; chef

Andrea Campani and his team;

the grand entrance to the

neighbouring villa and estate

ıntellıgenceULTRA

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LUXURY TRAVEL

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Picture galleries, a full list of

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TRAVEL BY NUMBERS

Noble solesIn the 1800s, the Scheer family were

made shoemakers to the Hapsburg

court, in charge of cladding the feet of

Austrian and German emperors and

European kings. Today, the seventh-

generation shoemaker Markus Scheer

has Hollywood, as well as politicians,

coming into his wood-panelled

boutique to have lasts made, from

which he crafts shoes with leather from

stingray to buffed Austrian cowhide.

Pairs cost from £3,000; parents in

search of gifts for children might

consider the shop’s ingenious gold

shoe polish (scheer.at).

The Moscow-born food writer Anya von

Bremzen is the author of the acclaimed

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking

What is caviar?

Unfertilised salt-cured fish eggs from sturgeon

— some 26 species. No other fish qualifies.

Where does the best caviar come from?

Historically, from the Caspian Sea (either Russia

or Iran), but much of the sturgeon fishing there

is no longer sustainable, so one has to look

elsewhere. Galilee Caviar from Israel is highly

prized, and California also produces great stuff.

What is the difference between the

different varieties?

Size, colour, mouth-feel and salt level. Beluga

is the most expensive and prized, but I love the

greyer nuttier, milder ossetra. Sevruga tends

to be cheaper and brinier.

Why is some so much more expensive?

It depends on the exact sturgeon species and

its availability, as well as the curing, aging and

fish maturity. The best eggs are large, glossy,

buttery, smooth-tasting, but also complex. The

cheaper stuff tends to be darker and saltier.

Caviar is now farmed in the UK – will it be

any different from Russian?

Much of the Russian caviar I’ve had recently

was of a poor quality, so I’d try domestic farmed

varieties, such as Britain’s Exmoor Caviar.

Is there any difference between farmed

and wild caviar?

Because of overfishing and the various bans, I’d

only recommend sustainable, farmed varieties.

The best way to eat it?

We Russians eat it on good white bread with a

bit of butter or on blini and use mother-of-pearl

or glass spoons, nothing metallic. And no onion,

lemon juice or trimmings that mask the taste.

What drinks best go with it and why?

Champagne is traditional, but I’d recommend a

clean-tasting, high-grade chilled vodka, such as

Beluga. Again, nothing that masks the taste.

Restaurants famous for caviar?

The Caviar Bar at Grand Hotel Europe in St

Petersburg has wonderful caviars from trusted

suppliers, with sumptuous interiors to match.

The best places to buy it online?

London Fine Foods (londonfinefoods.co.uk)

and Imperial Caviar (imperialcaviar.co.uk).

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking:

A Memoir of Food, Family and Longing is

published by Black Swan, £8.99.

LESSONS FROM

GLOBAL EXPERTS

CAVIAR

OAK SUITE, FOXHILL MANOR,

Broadway, Worcestershire (01386 852711;

foxhillmanor.com)

FROM £3,500 per night, b&b, for the house,

plus £1,500 on food and drink for 2-16 guests.

USP The 753sq ft Oak Suite is without doubt the

most romantic of the eight capacious rooms in

Foxhill Manor in the Cotswolds, which has

glorious views of forest and countryside and

the quaint town of Broadway from its hilltop

position. The imposing Arts and Crafts Grade

I-listed house was built in 1908 for the Maudslay

family, whose son Henry was one of the pilots

killed in the Dambuster raid during the Second

World War. Its current Danish owners, the

Sorensen family, have spent more than

£2million converting it from estate offices into a

grand villa, with a ballroom big enough to seat

80 people, pretty Japanese gardens, and

attentive staff, including a housekeeper and

a charming butler. Courses in yoga, painting and

history are offered on the surrounding estate,

and can be arranged privately in the house.

THE DETAILS Situated on the ground floor, the

Oak Suite doesn’t have the views of those

upstairs, but overlooks pretty formal gardens

and is enormous, with its own dressing room

lined in dark oak and floored with antique

parquet. The focal point of the living space –

with open fireplace – is the king-sized

four-poster, covered in a quilted white cotton

throw and piled high with big puffy pillows clad

in rich cotton. But it’s the baths that are the

knockout feature: a pair positioned just in front

of the original leaded windows with a table

between them set with an iced silver

champagne bucket and glasses, and aromatic

Temple Spa toiletries.

There is also a tray set with jars of rich biscuits,

a Nespresso coffee machine; a tablet loaded

with local information and maps; a Ruark radio;

free Wi-Fi; and a pantry on the landing filled

with snacks and drinks made in local villages.

Elsewhere in the manor is a ballroom, dining

room seating 20 and a lively, bright media room

piled high with games, high-tech gadgetry and

numerous beanbags to lounge upon.

Foxhill Manor’s sister property, Dormy

House, is a few minutes’ drive away, and the

Manor’s guests have access to its slick,

spacious spa, with infinity pool, sauna and

steam rooms, and Veuve Clicquot nailbar,

where fizz is dispensed to help dispel boredom

during pedicures. Rising-star chef Jon Ingram

oversees the neighbouring Garden Room

restaurant, where locals regularly return for

such specialities as light-as-air rhubarb soufflé.

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aomie Harris, 38,

was educated at Cambridge University and the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She played

Winnie Mandela in the film adaptation of Nelson

Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom to great

acclaim, and was the first black actress to take

the role of Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond

film Skyfall. Other well-received performances

have included Tia Dalma in Pirates of the

Caribbean and Selena in 28 Days Later. Next

year she will star opposite Ewan McGregor in

Our Kind Of Traitor, based on the novel

by John le Carré.

How many holidays do you take a year?

For a long time, I didn’t take holidays abroad.

Because I travel so much for work, a holiday

to me meant having time at home in London,

pottering about the house and visiting friends.

Now I have proper holidays about three or four

times a year. I particularly love going to Italy;

its food is so delicious.

Where next?

Hopefully Thailand, as I’ve heard the Thais are

gentle and kind, the food is great, and it’s so

beautiful and peaceful.

Do you travel light?

No, I am the worst packer in the world. Given

how much I travel, I should be a pro, but it takes

me a whole day to pack. I always want to take

everything just in case. I’m always the person

at check-in paying for excess baggage.

Any specific luggage?

One of my friends, Caroline Evans, owns a

luggage company, Moncrief, that I’m obsessed

with. Each bag is handmade by artisans in Italy

and takes a month to make. They’re so gorgeous

that I only ever take them as hand luggage; they

are way too precious to put in the hold.

Your favourite city for a weekend away?

I’d rather be in the English countryside than

abroad for a weekend. There are so many

gorgeous places to visit within a couple of

hours of London – and that saves all the hassle

of flying. But there are a couple of places I love

in Europe, like Barcelona for its architecture and

museums, and Ibiza for its year-round sun,

nightlife and tranquillity, as well as beautiful sea.

Favourite restaurants abroad?

Without a doubt The Test Kitchen (thetestkitchen.

co.za) in Cape Town. Its eight-course tasting menu

was the best meal of my life. Because it is one of

the top 50 restaurants in the world there’s a long

waiting list, but I got lucky and had a seat at the

counter, where I could watch the chef, Luke Dale-

Roberts, prepare my food and chat to him about

what inspires him. An unforgettable experience.

If you could have supper anywhere in the

world where would it be?

Jamaica. I love the humid heat, the smells that

remind me of my childhood trips there and the

food, which nourishes my soul and connects me

to my roots.

What’s your idea of a perfect break?

A good book, sun, beach, massages on tap and

my family and a bunch of friends in tow.

Favourite holiday spots?

I went to Australia recently, and stayed at Byron

At Byron. It is a gorgeous boutique hotel

(thebyronatbyron.com.au), with some of the

warmest service I’ve ever experienced.

The most romantic hotel you’ve been to?

I am sure that heaven won’t look that dissimilar

to Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali (alilahotels.com/

uluwatu). It’s perched on the edge of a cliff, has

an incredible infinity pool and the staff wander

around in white and make your life impossibly

easy and relaxed. I cried when I had to leave.

Luxurious things you love?

I adore being pampered, so for me no holiday is

complete without a trip to the spa for a shiatsu

massage and reflexology.

Simple things you love?

Great food that hasn’t been fussed with too much,

which is why I love the fresh, pure tastes of Italian

cuisine. A restaurant I recommend is Osteria della

Brughiera in Bergamo. You start dinner in the wine

cellar tasting exquisitely smoked hams and wines

(although I don’t drink, so I skip the wine). Then

you are taken into a charming courtyard covered

with fairy lights and antique rugs. The owners treat

you like family and bring out plate after plate of

gorgeous food.

The most glamorous room you have stayed?

For the Dubai International Film Festival my family

was given a luxury villa at the Madinat Jumeirah

(jumeirah.com), with our own private pool, butler

and rooms the size of football pitches.

The most remote place you’ve travelled to?

A basic lodge in Kenya called the Masai Lodge,

where we stayed while filming The First Grader.

There were baboons outside my window and one

of our crew couldn’t leave his hut for a few hours

as a leopard had been spotted on his roof.

Do you like adventure holidays?

I’m more of a beach person. But, while I was

filming Long Walk to Freedom in South Africa,

I went on safari to the Black Rhino Game Lodge

(blackrhinogamelodge.com). I loved the incredible

sunrises and sunsets.

The roughest way you’ve ever travelled?

A journey across Ghana on a camel’s back.

It was the most uncomfortable way to travel.

Favourite things you have brought abroad?

Shopping is my least favourite activity, which is

tough on my family as they never get souvenirs.

The best airline in the world?

Emirates, which is the most glamorous and

luxurious way to travel.

The best places to stay in the UK?

Champneys Tring, the spa in Hertfordshire

(champneys.com). Whenever I need a break

I head there and spend a few days in a fluffy

bathrobe, having treatments and wandering

around the grounds, and I’m renewed.

Interview by Lisa Grainger

TRAVELLING LIFE Naomie HarrisThe British actress on her love of beaches, pampering, simple Italian food and why she cried when leaving Bali

PA

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‘I love Jamaica’s humid heat,

its smells that remind me of my

childhood, and the food that

nourishes my soul’

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