February

REVEALED: ASIA’S TOP SPAS, RETREATS, MORE!
TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA
SOUTHEAST ASIA FEBRUARY 2010
EXCLUSIVE
Discover
Spa special • Malaysia • New Zealand • Cambodia • Goa • Manila dining • Dream trips • Australia • South Korea
Paradise Save!
Best Asian
Join us as we peek
inside Malaysia’s travel deals
spectacular new spa
New MANILA
FREESTYLE
Zealand DELVE INTO A
BRAND-NEW
Why go now: your 16 WAY TO DINE
essential addresses
+
CAMBODIA
* 30
KOREA Romantic
THAILAND dream trips
AUSTRALIA
FEBRUARY 20 10
GOA HIPPIE HANGOUT

TURNS STYLE HOTSPOT
Tra v e l a n d L e i s u r e A s i a . c o m
SINGAPORE SG$7.90 ● HONG KONG HK$43
THAILAND THB175 ● INDONESIA IDR50,000
Plus: Must-keep airlines guide

MALAYSIA MYR17● VIETNAM VND85,000
MACAU MOP44 ● PHILIPPINES PHP240
BURMA MMK35 ● CAMBODIA KHR22,000
BRUNEI BND7.90 ● LAOS LAK52,000
Privilege knows no boundaries.
Carried by the Global Elite,

the world over.
By invitation only.
For expression of interest, please call
Singapore: + (65) 6295 6293
Hong Kong: + (852) 2277 2233
Thailand: + (66) 2273 5445
EXCLUSIVELY FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS®
PLATINUM CARDMEMBERS
Th
The
The Su
he Sukho
Sukho
othai
tha
haai Bang
h a kok
an kokk Par
arkk Hyyat
a t t Sh
at han
haaannggha
gh
hai
ha Fo
Fou
Fo
ouur Se
Seea
eas
aaso
onn Re
ons Ressor
so
o
orrt Hau
aaul
ullalaai
ENJOY BENEFITS WORTH OVER US$550* AT THE WORLD’S FINEST HOTELS
The 2010 annual FINE HOTELS & RESORTS PROGRAM

showcases properties that extend EXCLUSIVE benefits for
American Express Platinum Cardmembers.
With some 600 extraordinary properties around the world –

like Amanresorts, Mandarin Oriental, Orient-Express Hotels,
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, The
Peninsula, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Park Hyatt – the FINE
HOTELS & RESORTS PROGRAM offers Cardmembers a variety
of memorable experiences and a suite of benefits worth over
US$550* for a two-night stay. Raf
afffl
flees Beij
eeiiijjing
ing
ng Ama
m nusa Bal
alii
EXCLUSIVE benefits include:

• Room upgrade upon check-in (subject to availability)
• Daily continental breakfast for two
• 4pm late check-out
• An ADDITIONAL PRIVILEGE unique to each property, such as
a DINNER FOR TWO, SIGNATURE MASSAGE, and more!
And from now until March 31, 2010, enjoy a complimentary

THIRD NIGHT accommodation offered by selected properties
such as The Ritz-Carlton Krabi, Napasai Samui, Mandarin
Oriental Hotel Group, The Gramercy Park New York and more.
For details, please visit americanexpress.com.sg/platinumfhr or
contact The Platinum Card® Service. The Pe
Pennni
nin
in
inssul
suula
ula T
ul Toky
okkkyyo
oky
o Maan
Man
M annd
dar
da
dar
darin
a in
i OOrri
Ori
rient
enntal
al Sa
San
San
anya
ya
*Based on double occupancy. The actual value might be lower than stated, depending on the property, room category, availability of benefits, the length and date of stay.
Terms and conditions apply. In order to receive Fine Hotels & Resorts program amenities and rates, reservations must be made through The Platinum Card® Service and payment must be made using
The Platinum Card® in the Platinum Cardmember’s name. Room upgrade at check-in is based on availability. One special program amenity per room, per stay. Not combinable with corporate or group
contracted rates. Participating partners and program benefits are subject to change without notice. Program valid for stay by December 31, 2010.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE EXCLUSIVE OFFERS

OR TO MAKE A BOOKING, CALL THE PLATINUM CARD® SERVICE:
SINGAPORE: +(65) 6392 1177 (option 1) HONG KONG: +(852) 2277 2233 THAILAND: +(66) 2 273 5599
(Destinations)02.10
Provence 130
Hawaii 74
Thailand 34, 40, 86
India 34,
40, 50, 116
Namibia 78
New Zealand 96
World Weather This Month

-40oF -20oF 0 oF 20oF 40oF 50oF 65oF 75oF 90oF
-40oC -25oC -10oC 0 oC 5oC 10oC 15oC 20oC 30oC 40o+C
Issue Index
SOUTHEAST ASIA Phnom Penh 42 Maldives 40 AFRICA
Bali 116 Phuket 40 Nepal 35 Namibia 78
Bangkok 40 Singapore 32, 33, 40 Shanghai 40
Hong Kong 32, 40 Thailand 34, 40, 86 South Korea 69 EUROPE
Jakarta 40 Provence 130
Kuala Lumpur 44 ASIA AUSTRALIA AND
Macau 40 Goa 106 NEW ZEALAND THE AMERICAS
Malaysia 40, 56 India 34, 40, 50, 116 New Zealand 96 Hawaii 74
Manila 48 Kyoto 116 Tasmania 116 New York City 34
M A P BY E T H A N CO R N E L L
Currency Converter
Singapore Hong Kong Thailand Indonesia Malaysia Vietnam Macau Philippines Burma Cambodia Brunei Laos
(SGD) (HKD) (BT) (RP) (RM) (VND) (MOP) (P) (MMK) (KHR) (BND) (LAK)
US
($1)
1.40 7.75 33.2 9,230 3.38 18,470 7.99 45.8 6.41 4,153 1.40 8,480
Source: www.xe.com (exchange rates at press time).
4 F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M | V O L 0 4 | I S S U E 0 2
(Contents)02.10
>106 India’s western coastline near Goa.
86-116 96 Welcome to New Zealand

Sand dunes, surf towns and a
beaches, Portuguese-inspired
architecture and impeccable
Features growing circle of friends, ADAM

SACHS tours New Zealand, where
hideaways. Photographed by
ANDERS OVERGAARD.
86 Reset Your Life the oysters are plentiful, the road is GUIDE AND MAP 114
Lose weight, reduce stress, improve wide open, and everyone you’ll meet
your diet or just bliss out for a has a story to share. Photographed 116 30 Romantic Dream Trips
few days: here are four exclusive by MARK ROPER. From a beach resort in Zanzibar
destination spas in Thailand GUIDE AND MAP 105 and a Costa Rican tree house to
ANDERS OVERGAARD
that can help you get your life your own apartment in Rome, T+L
back on track, writes CHAMI 106 Goa scanned the globe for experiences
JOTISALIKORN. Photographed In the glamorous part of India’s that will put you in the mood.
by BRENT T. MADISON. west coast, ALEXANDRA Edited by JENNIFER FLOWERS
GUIDE 94 MARSHALL discovers rugged and CLARK MITCHELL
FUNNY HOW THE GREATEST MEMORIES
ARE OFTEN BUILT ON THE SIMPLEST MOMENTS.
The gasp of a turquoise wave on a warm, sunny day. A moonlit dinner in
the mountains. A museum itinerary prepared specially for you. No one
knows how to turn a moment into a memory better than The Ritz-Carlton.
And whether you are exploring a new city or enjoying our resort desti-
nations around the world, our Reconnect ® packages will enhance your
stay with hotel and resort credits that you can use for a host of activities,
such as spa, dining and shopping. Even if you’re here for only a few
days, you’ll find your vacation with us will last a lifetime. For reserva-
EN JOY A tions or more information, please contact your travel

HOTEL OR R ESORT C REDIT professional, call The Ritz-Carlton or visit us at
ritzcarlton.com/reconnect.
Call The Ritz-Carlton toll-free from: Indonesia 011 803 657 794 • Malaysia 00 800 241 33333
• Singapore 011 800 241 33333 • Hong Kong 001 800 241 33333 • Nor ther n China 10 800 650 0229
• Souther n China 10 800 265 0229 • Australia 0011 800 241 33333 • New Zealand 00 800 241 33333.
Rates are valid per room/per night, based on single or double occupancy, exclusive of taxes, gratuities, fees and other charges; do not apply to groups; cannot be combined with any other offer. Advanced reser-
vations are required. Offer valid through April 30, 2010, subject to availability. Some hotels may require a weekend stay and/or a minimum length of stay. Credit may not be applied toward room rate, has no cash
value and must be used during the dates of the reservation. ©2010 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.
(Contents)02.10
FEBRUARY 2010
EXCLUSIVE
Discover
Paradise Save!
Best Asian
Join us as we peek
spectacular new spa
New MANILA
FREESTYLE
BRAND-NEW
essential addresses
+CAMBODIA
KOREA Romantic
dream trips
30
THAILAND
AUSTRALIA
GOA HIPPIE HANGOUT
Departments
TURNS STYLE HOTSPOT
SINGAPORE SG$7.90 O HONG KONG HK$43
THAILAND THB175 OINDONESIA IDR50,000

MALAYSIA MYR17O VIETNAM VND85,000
MACAU MOP44 O PHILIPPINES PHP240
BURMA MMK35 O CAMBODIA KHR22,000
BRUNEI BND7.90 O LAOS LAK52,000
10 Editor’s Note
14 Contributors
Cover
C
The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat,
16 Letters Malaysia. Photographed by Nat
18 Best Deals Prakobsantisuk. Model: Pamela
Lima/Mode. Styling by Weechee.
21 Strategies Make-up by Geraldine Loy. Hair
130 My Favorite Place by David Shaw. Assistant: Ekarat
> 55 Ubonsri. Bikini by Rosa Cha.
> 48
> 74
48 Eat
Chefs in Manila are playing fast and
loose with the rules. BY LARA DAY
50 City Scene
In India, one man is creating the green
city of the future. BY KARRIE JACOBS
55-56
C L O C K W I S E F R O M FA R L E F T : L A R A D AY ; N I G E L C O X ; J E S S I C A S C H W A R T Z B E R G ; N AT P R A K O B S A N T I S U K
Stylish Traveler
31-50 55 Icon 69-78
Insider Brooks Brothers’ wrinkle-free classic.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY NIGEL COX
T+L Journal
32 Newsflash 56 Fashion 69 Preservation
Singapore’s latest happening ‘hood, Sultry styles at the Banjaran Hotsprings Traditional Korean homes are
luxury trains in India, two new Retreat in Malaysia’s pristine rain forest. being resurrected as comfortable
retreats in Thailand and more. restaurants, relaxing teahouses
36 Spas > 56 and intimate inns, reports
T+L’s annual poll of the world’s best NICOLAI HARTVIG
spas, plus exclusive packages. 74 Hotels
40 Trends Two historic Hawaiian hotels
From tea rituals to sleep analysis, are fresh from renovations
T+L brings you the latest trends in that have restored them to
Asian spas. their former glory. BY MARIA
42 Address Book SHOLLENBARGER
A new breed of luxury spas is popping 78 Adventure
up in Phnom Penh. BY NAOMI LINDT Namibia’s desert is the backdrop
44 Classics for a growing number of stylish
A tour of Kuala Lumpur’s old-time hideaways, all in unforgettable
and unforgettable Chinese eateries. southern African locales. BY
BY ROBYN ECKHARDT RICHARD ALLEMAN
8
(Editor’s Note) 02.10
I T WAS LAST AUGUST THAT I FIRST SAW A FEW, EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS
of the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in Malaysia. I felt privy to something very rare:
a resort that really does effortlessly blend into, and more importantly utilize, its rich
natural resources to complement its range of wellness programs. At that early stage,
I immediately saw a Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia cover and fashion shoot, and
I’m absolutely stunned by the results (“Natural Wonder,” page 56). Full credit goes
to our regular cover photographer Nat Prakobsantisuk and his team for bringing
the vivid landscape to life, catching the early-morning mist from the natural hot
springs, and other visual treats. This is one of my favorite T+L SEA covers; I do
hope you agree, but as always, please do let me know via e-mail if you don’t.
Actually, this whole issue has a spa and wellness thread running through it, led by
T+L’s annual World’s Best Spas reader poll (page 36), as well as a glimpse at Asia’s
spa trends (“Trend Watch,” page 40). I certainly fancy the idea of racing across
India on a luxury train in a customized wellness carriage. The last word on our spa
content this issue—and our last spa story—is a look at the wellness industry in
Thailand (“Reset Your Life,” page 86), which is still vigorous, healthy and in great
shape. Maybe the industry collectively went to a nice spa...
Elsewhere in the magazine, we open up New Zealand (“Welcome to New
Zealand,” page 96) as a feature for the first time in T+L SEA. This beautiful
country, with its own range of natural wonders, may be overlooked due to its
relatively remote location and temperate climate, but is definitely worth
considering for a special vacation experience. Last but not least, voting for the 2010
World’s Best Awards is now officially under way. See page 20 for details of how to
enter, or simply visit www.travelandleisure.com/intl. As with previous years, all our
readers can enter, so let us (and the world!) know your favorites.—MATT LEPPARD
C H E N P O VA N O N T
TRAVEL + L EISURE EDITORS, WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE THE INDUSTRY’S

MOST RELIABLE SOURCES. WHILE ON ASSIGNMENT, THEY TRAVEL INCOGNITO WHENEVER
POSSIBLE AND DO NOT TAKE PRESS TRIPS OR ACCEPT FREE TRAVEL OF ANY KIND.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Matt Leppard
CREATIVE CONSULTANT Fah Sakharet
FEATURES EDITORS Jennifer Chen
Chris Kucway
SENIOR DESIGNER Wannapha Nawayon
DESIGNER Sirirat Prajakthip
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Wasinee Chantakorn
INTERN Monsicha Hoonsuwan
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS / PHOTOGRAPHERS

Paul Ehrlich (editor-at-large), Brent Madison, Adam Skolnick, Robyn Eckhardt,
Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, Lara Day, Naomi Lindt, Cedric Arnold, Steve McCurry, Peter Steinhauer,
Nat Prakobsantisuk, Graham Uden, Darren Soh
CHAIRMAN J.S. Uberoi

PRESIDENT Egasith Chotpakditrakul
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Rasina Uberoi-Bajaj
PUBLISHER Robert Fernhout

DIRECTOR SINGAPORE / ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Lucas W. Krump
DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Pichayanee Kitsanayothin
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS Michael K. Hirsch
Kin Kamarulzaman
CONSULTANT, HONG KONG/MACAU Shea Stanley
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Gaurav Kumar
PRODUCTION MANAGER Kanda Thanakornwongskul
PRODUCTION Supalak Krewsasaen
GROUP CIRCULATION MANAGER Porames Chinwongs
AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION
PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Ed Kelly

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Mark V. Stanich
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Paul B. Francis
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nancy Novogrod
VICE PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Jean-Paul Kyrillos
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC INSIGHTS,
MARKETING & SALES Cara S. David
EXECUTIVE EDITOR, INTERNATIONAL Mark Orwoll
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL Thomas D. Storms
DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING Madelyn A. Roberts
DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER Marc Abdeldaim
TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA

VOL. 4, ISSUE 2
Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia is published monthly by Media Transasia Limited, Room 1205-06, 12/F, Hollywood
Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2851-6963; Fax: +852 2851-1933; under license
from American Express Publishing Corporation, 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, United States of
America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in
writing from the Publisher. Produced and distributed by Media Transasia Thailand Ltd., 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, 75/8
Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: +66 2 204-2370. Printed by
Comform Co., Ltd. (+66 2 368-2942–7). Color separation by Classic Scan Co., Ltd. (+66 2 291-7575). While the editors
do their utmost to verify information published, they do not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy.
This edition is published by permission of

AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION
1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, United States of America.
Reproduction in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright owner is prohibited.
© Media Transasia Thailand Ltd. in respect of the published edition.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscription enquiries: www.travelandleisuresea.com/subscribe
ADVERTISING
Advertising enquiries: e-mail advertising@mediatransasia.com
Xochicalco Archeological Site PROMOTION
Special Promotion
THE MAGICAL STATE OF

MORELOS, MEXICO
CENTRAL MEXICO
Central México is one of the country’s richest regions in culture and natural beauty. The
central region offers beautiful colonial cities with gorgeous buildings, and numerous
forest, waterfalls, lakes, springs and caverns which are ideal for ecotourism activities.
In the Mexican heartland, you can visit México City, the nation’s capital and
many other colonial cities famous for their architecture, fairs, history and culture.
Examples of these cities are: Puebla, the City of Angels. The historic downtown
area of the city is home to 2,169 historic monuments and was declared a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. In Aguascalientes, you can experience traditional fairs such as
the Festival of Skulls or the San Marcos National Fair, one of the best and oldest
The Nativity Temple, Tepoztlán showcases of regional cultural and folklore. Queretaro’s monumental aqueduct
located in the State of Queretaro and Morelia’s baroque cathedral, located in the
State of Michoacán, are both impressive constructions and were declared UNESCO
World Heritage sites.
LOVELY MORELOS. The State of Morelos is also located in the central region of
México, and is blessed with warm tropical climate and nice weather all year round.
ATTRACTIONS IN THE STATE OF MORELOS:

◗ Ajusco-Chichinautzin Biological Corredor is an ideal spot for ecotourism outings
◗ Swimming resort Las Estacas, with crystalline springs, is surrounded by nature.
◗ The Zempoala Natural Park consists of seven beautiful lagoons of volcanic origin.
◗ Visit the charming city of Tepoztlán where you can climb the Tepozteco mountain.
On the top stands a white washed pyramid, an emblematic indigenous place
of worship.
◗ The Xochicalco archaeological zone, is a UNESCO declared World Heritage Site.
CUERNAVACA, THE CITY OF ETERNAL SPRING: Cuernavaca, the city of eternal spring
and the state capital, offers excellent hotels, crystalline springs surrounded by some of
the state’s most beautiful natural scenery and marvelous historic buildings. Cuernavaca
is located near México City, 89 kilometers (55 miles). The city has a pleasant climate,
Chinelo Dancer, with an average year-round temperature of 23° Celsius (73° Fahrenheit). Cuernavaca is
Tepoztlán Carnival an excellent place to relax, enjoy nature and be impressed by beautiful buildings.
ACTIVITIES TO DO IN CUERNAVACA:
◗ Visit its luxurious spas, which offer all kinds of massages and relaxation therapies.
◗ Take a stroll through the city and marvel at the magnificent historic buildings:
the Convento del la Asuncion (Convent of The Assumption), la Capilla de San Jose
(San Jose Chapel), the Palacio de Cortes (Palace of Cortez), the oldest viceregal
civic construction, which houses Diego Rivera murals, or the Jardin Borda (Borda
Garden), an important city symbol due to its rich history and natural beauty.
Tepoznieves/Traditional ice cream shop Aquatic Park, Ex Hacienda de Temixco
02MEXICO-SEA.indd 2 1/11/10 2:27:29 PM

(Contributors) 02.10
CHAMI JOTISALIKORN | WRITER
THE ASSIGNMENT Checked into Thailand’s new generation of wellness
resorts (“Reset Your Life,” page 86). TREATMENT NOT TO BE MISSED Hot
stone massage—a full body oil massage using heated stones to knead tense
muscles. You won’t want to wake up. MOST RELAXING SPOT IN
THAILAND The stillness within yourself, no matter where you are. Inner
peace, baby, inner peace! YOGA OR PILATES? Yoga. If you can do yoga,
you can do anything. WEIRDEST TREATMENT A Brie cheese body wrap in
Bangkok. The aroma made me ravenous and want to bite myself.
ROBYN ECKHART | WRITER

THE ASSIGNMENT Covered Kuala Lumpur’s classic Chinese kitchens
(“The Real Thing, page 44). TASTES BETTER THAN IT LOOKS Stuffed
pork trotter at Sek Yuen—unmistakably an appendage, but the first taste
banishes any doubts. FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN KL Honestly and truly,
Sek Yuen. It’s like a second home—I’m there at least once a week. NEXT
GREAT EATING CITY Taipei. As China-focused foodies fuss over Shanghai,
L E F T T O R I G H T, F R O M T O P : B R E N T T. M A D I S O N ; C O U R T E S Y O F C H A M I J O T I S A L I K O R N ; C O U R T E S Y O F R O B Y N E C K H A R T ; D AV I D H A G E R M A N ; V I N C E N T S U N G ;
this city has been kicking out delicious eats. FUTURE TRIP PLANS Luang
Prabang, Taipei (to eat, of course) and Turkey—a road trip to the Black Sea.
CO U RT ESY O F N I CO L A I H A RT V I G ; CO U RT ESY O F A L E X A N D RA M A R S H A L L ; A N D E R S OV E RGA A R D ( 2 ) ; CO U RT ESY O F A N D E R S OV E RGA A R D

NICOLAI HARTVIG | WRITER
THE ASSIGNMENT Reported on the revival of traditional Korean houses,
hanoks (“Heritage Homes,” page 69). GET INTO THE HANOK SPIRIT Take
off your shoes, drink omija tea and listen to the wind. WE y SEOUL That this
erstwhile “ugly duckling” city is beginning to grow more than a few swan
feathers. DISHES TO TRY Samgyetang chicken soup with ginger at Tosokchon,
soy-marinated crab in Insadong and hanwoo beef barbecue. DON’T MISS
Buckhon’s main street, nighttime lanterns at Jogyesa temple and the 11 A.M.
bell-ringing parade at Jonggak for the changing of the palace guards.
ALEXANDRA MARSHALL | T+L CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

THE ASSIGNMENT Wrote about one of India’s most glamorous coastlines
(“Goa,” page 106). EXPLORE The region’s rivers. FOOD YOU’D FLY BACK
FOR Fish curry rice is the standard plate, which every chef cooks differently.
At Elsewhere hotel, it was exceptional. UNPREDICTABLE INDIA Goa is very
Christian. It’s remarkable to see so many roadside shrines dedicated to Jesus
instead of Sai Baba. GOAN GOODS A bottle of well-aged feni, or cashew
brandy. TRAVEL TIP Be patient. Nothing moves quickly here. NEXT GREAT
PLACE Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The vibe of Tangier is also changing a lot.
ANDERS OVERGAARD | PHOTOGRAPHER

THE ASSIGNMENT Photographed “Goa” in India’s smallest state. ONLY IN
GOA... Greater India is crowded and overwhelming, but here there’s an
emphasis on what’s small and intimate, from 12-seater restaurants to
boutique hotels. TUNE IN The musicians who play during the evening
markets are excellent and have a forward-thinking take on traditional Indian
sounds. DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT Renting a motorbike and riding through
the coastal mountains. GET READY TO... Relax. You won’t have a choice.
NEXT GREAT PLACE Croatia. It’s accessible but still off the general radar.
(Letters)02.10
that roll out the same tired clichés when
LETTER OF THE MONTH writing about Pattaya. I have been a
regular visitor for more than 30 years
(Strategies) 11.09 and the city has changed tremendously
in that time. The “old” tacky version
TIP 1 TRY A DAYTIME FLASH
If you’re taking portraits in the
sun, turn the flash on. Not only
will this brighten any shadowy
has been pushed aside and a
areas, but it will also make
the subject pop in the frame.
Professional photographers
often use this trick at the beach. sophisticated destination is taking
shape. It’s also a favored family holiday
place for my Thai friends and those
from abroad. I urge all readers to take
a look at the new Pattaya.
— M A RU T N U I C H A N , BA N G KO K
Point and Click. There’s no better way to remember
a trip than through pictures. Here, Travel +Leisure (U.S.) photo editors
N AT P R A K O B S A N T I S U K
offer six easy tips to better travel photos. PLUS We test-drive the latest
digital cameras for different skill levels and preview four hands-on
photography tours around the globe. Happy shooting! Laos Uncovered
Thanks for running Andrew Burke’s
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E S E A . C O M| N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 9 27
fascinating story on Laos [“Off the

In Sharp Focus Map,” December 2009]. It seems we
I loved your November 2009 issue. live in a smaller and smaller world
Not only were there cool travel where once off-the-beaten track
updates and the latest on hotels, destinations turn into Khao San Road
dining and the hippest shopping, overnight. How refreshing it was to
but it also had one of my favorite learn of a corner in Southeast Asia
topics: travel photography [“Point that’s truly untouched by tourism, and
and Click”]. I’ve had a passion for how inspiring, too. My worry, though,
photography since I was a is that by writing about it, you might
teenager. I love to explore places open the floodgates. Whatever ethical
by photographing them. Your conflicts there might be, I enjoy reading
article gave me lots of helpful tips, these sorts of adventure stories.
as well as comparisons between the —RALPH S M I T S , H O N G KO N G
latest and coolest shooting gadgets.

— C A RO L I N E L . AQU I N O , TAC L O BA N
Continental Drift
CITY, PHILIPPINES
January’s issue seemed to be focused on
Europe: British pubs, Italian food and
Provence. While I don’t object to the
Beyond Clichés occasional piece about destinations in
I must congratulate you on the Pattaya the West, I personally buy T+L
article in your most recent issue [“City Southeast Asia to find out about what’s
of Extremes,” November 2009], which going on in this region and greater Asia
underlines what the resort town has to as well. Going forward, can you please
offer. Again, Travel + Leisure Southeast be less Euro-centric?
Asia is ahead of other travel magazines —CEDRIC SO, SINGAPORE
✉ E-MAIL T+L SEND YOUR LETTERS TO EDITOR @ TRAVELANDLEISURESEA.COM AND

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON RECENT STORIES OR NEW PLACES TO VISIT.
LETTERS CHOSEN MAY BE EDITED FOR CLARITY AND SPACE. THE LETTER OF THE MONTH
RECEIVES A FREE ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO TRAVEL + LEISURE ( SOUTHEAST ASIA ONLY).
READER OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN LETTERS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF TRAVEL
+ LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA, MEDIA TRANSASIA LTD., OR AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING.
(Best Deals) 02.10
DEAL OF THE MONTH
Life Culinary Package

at AKA Resorts Hua
Hin (66-32/618-900;
akaresorts.com).
What’s Included A
A room at
one-night stay in a
The Majestic
Malacca.
one-bedroom deluxe
pool villa; a visit to
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with these an organic farm; a
degustation dinner for
romantic getaways two with wine; a visit
■ CHINA ■ SINGAPORE to the Cha-Am Seafood
Mr. & Mrs. G Package at Hotel G Beijing Exclusive to T+L Southeast Asia readers the market; and a Thai
(86-10/6552-3600; hotel-g.com). What’s Ritz-Carlton Getaway at the Ritz-Carlton,
Included A one-night stay in a Great Room; a Millenia Singapore (65/6337-8888; cooking workshop.
one-hour massage for two; sparkling wine and ritzcarlton.com). What’s Included A one-night Cost Bt14,000,
chocolate-covered strawberries upon arrival; stay in a Deluxe Marina Bay View room;
F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F T H E M A J EST I C M A L ACCA ; CO U RT ESY O F A K A R ES O RTS H UA H I N

breakfast; complimentary soft drinks from the breakfast; S$50 dining credit for a one-night through March 31.
mini-bar; and free Wi-Fi. Cost RMB1,288, stay and S$75 dining credit for a two-night Savings 66 percent.
through March 31. Savings 40 percent. stay; and a bubble bath. Cost S$498 per night,
reserve from now until March 31 for stays
■ INDONESIA through May 31. Savings Up to 48 percent.
A pool villa at AKA Resorts Hua Hin.
Exclusive to T+L Southeast Asia readers a free
upgrade at the Alila Jakarta (62-21/231- ■ THAILAND
6008; alilahotels.com/jakarta). What’s Included Classy Creature Comforts package at the
A two-night stay in an executive room; Pathumwan Princess (66-2/216-3700; dusit.
breakfast; free Wi-Fi; access to the executive com) in Bangkok. What’s Included
lounge; and free evening cocktails. Cost Accommodation in a superior room; breakfast;
US$105 per night, through March 31; cite T+L a dinner; 15 percent off F&B; 15 percent off
Southeast Asia. Savings 40 percent. at the spa; and use of the Club Lounge. Cost
Bt4,800 per night, two-night minimum,
■ MALAYSIA through March 31. Savings 35 percent.
A Taste of Nostalgia package at The Majestic
Malacca (60-3/2783-1000; majesticmalacca.com). Sneak Away package at the Sheraton Hua
What’s Included Accommodation in a deluxe Hin Resort & Spa (66-32/708-000; sheraton.
room; a complimentary Peranakan high tea for com). What’s included A two-night stay in a
two; and a walk with the hotel’s resident Garden View Room; breakfast; and late check-
historian. Cost RM500 per night, through out at 3 P.M. (upon availability). Cost Bt8,400,
March 31. Savings 42 percent. through March 31. Savings 59 percent.
Slug:Location (T+L Journal)
2010 World’s
Best Awards
VOTE NOW AT
www.travelandleisure.com/intl
For your favorite hotels, spas, airlines,
cruise lines, travel companies and the
destinations you love—in the only truly
GLOBAL travel survey that matters!
Dear Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia readers,
We trust you. We trust your judgment. That’s why we want

you to rate your global travel experiences for us, in the 2010
Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. These awards are
recognized as travel’s highest honor, so it’s time to give back
to those hotels, spas, airlines, cruise lines, travel companies
and destinations you loved in 2009. And this year is a very
special year, with readers of all eight global editions of Travel
+ Leisure now able to participate in the awards.
So visit www.travelandleisure.com/intl and tell us exactly

what you think. The full global results will be published in
our August edition.
Matt Leppard
Editor-in-Chief
Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia
HOW TO ENTER: Log onto www.travelandleisure.com/intl and fill in a few simple

details, then vote! No purchase is necessary. Closing date: March 31, 2010.
PHOTO CREDIT TK
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E . C O M| M O N T H 2007 00
(Strategies) 02.10
I L L U S T R AT E D BY WA S I N E E C H A N TA KO R N
The Future of Air Travel in Asia

With low-cost carriers expanding across the region and airlines upping their games,
savvy travelers only stand to gain, reports NAOMI LINDT. PLUS: An in-depth guide on
how to score the best fares, budget airlines, new routes and perks, and more
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M| F E B RUA RY 2010 21
strategies | airlines
Dispatch: What to Expect in 2010

While airlines’ annus horriblis may well be over, they still have a long way to go
towards recovery. For passengers, the good times should continue to roll
HE GLOBAL RECESSION, RISING OIL PRICES, SWINE Budget carriers are also moving aggressively into medium-
T flu, climate change—all told, 2009 was not a good

year for the airline industry. As passenger traffic
declined, routes were eliminated while business
and first-class seats—traditional cash cows—sat empty,
inflicting a huge impact on the bottom line. The
and long-haul routes, markets long dominated by the major
airlines. Last year saw AirAsia and its cohorts flying to
London, Chengdu and Guilin in China, and destinations in
India and Sri Lanka—with further incursions within Asia
and to the Middle East, Australia and, possibly, the United
International Air Transport Association, or IATA, has States, to come.
predicted that the region’s major airlines last year lost There’s definitely room for them to grow. Currently,
US$3.4 billion, accounting for more than a quarter of the discount carriers account for roughly 12 percent of the Asian
forecast US$11 billion in global losses. market—compared to 37 percent in Europe and 30 percent
Bad times for airlines, however, have been a boon for in the United States—and, by most accounts, they’re eager
travelers with an eye for bargains. “Currently, and generally, for a bigger piece of the pie. “The low-cost carriers are
consumers are benefiting from lower plundering the low-end of the
fares as airlines compete for market despite extensive
customers in the prevailing economic protectionism,” says Peter Harbison,
climate,” says Kris Lim, associate executive chairman of the Centre
director of the Pacific Asia Travel for Asia Pacific Aviation. “And once
Association’s Strategic Intelligence credit starts to ease, there will be
Centre. Recent data released by more [low-cost] entrants.”
travel website Expedia.com shows a For travelers, the continual rise of
25 percent decline in ticket prices low-cost carriers in Asia is helping to
within Asia, while premium seats are offset an expected rise in airfares.
being discounted more than ever Globally speaking, IATA doesn’t
before, sometimes by as much as 17 expect the industry as a whole to
percent, according to 2009 Bad times for return to profitability until 2011,
IATA figures. airlines, however but because Asia’s private sector is
Add to this the steady growth of
low-cost carriers in the region and
have been a boon for less hampered by debt and bad
assets than European and North
there are some great deals out there travelers with an eye American companies, most experts
for the taking—a trend analysts say
will continue this year. “While
for BARGAINS. are predicting a quicker and
stronger recovery here. And that
many network carriers struggled translates into good news for Asian
with declining traffic and losses, a airlines; indeed, recent numbers
number of established LCC’s [low- show them already outperforming
cost carriers], particularly in Southeast Asia, continued to their counterparts in other regions. IATA is forecasting that
record strong traffic, add capacity [and] frequency, launch Asia’s carriers will see losses of only US$700 million in
new routes and at the same time remained profitable,” Lim 2010—compared to the US$2 billion in losses expected
comments. The proof is in the profits: Malaysia’s AirAsia among North American airlines or US$2.5 billion in Europe.
witnessed an 18 percent rise in its group revenues in 2009, A recovery, however, means higher prices: fares within Asia
with an expected 25 million passengers—an enviable jump will likely increase by 3 to 8 percent (and 1 to 6 percent for
of 21 percent. Filipino carrier Cebu Pacific saw traffic international business travel), depending on oil prices. But
volume in the first half of 2009 soar by 38 percent, resulting with the expansion of budget networks and new ways to
in revenue growth of 21 percent, while Jetstar, which score deals through social networking sites like Twitter and
operates hubs in Australia and Singapore, posted a before- Facebook, the bargains are still out there. You just need to
tax profit of A$137 million in the 2008–2009 fiscal year. know where to look. »
How to Score Deals. From social networking

A BETTER WAY
TO FLY
and websites to travel agents, here are five essential
tips on how to save money the next time you fly
Plan on doing some regional
1
city-hopping? Consider an air
CHECK YOUR SOURCES and 4 P.M. Singapore time, when you’ll
pass, a system of pre-paid, To get an idea of fares, start with a find tickets going for as little as S$15
one-way coupons on major search engine like zuji.com or kayak. each way. Travelzoo.com, meanwhile,
carriers that can take the com, which list various fares by carrier. which runs individual sites in several
pressure off your wallet. Each
pass has its own restrictions, so
Before snapping up a ticket on a Asian countries, releases its “Top 20”
make sure to check the fine print particular flight, always check the ticket airfare deals of the week every Tuesday.
carefully when trip planning. price on the airline’s own site, making
5
Malaysia Airlines’ Asean Pass sure to compare totals (including any GO OLD SCHOOL
Introduced last year, this pass taxes or service fees). You’ll sometimes In countries with less saturated
offers travelers a set of four
pre-paid, one-way tickets for
find the same—if not better—fares and less Internet-savvy markets
travel within Malaysia or from through the airline itself along with like Laos and Cambodia, check in with a
Kuala Lumpur to destinations more choices in departure times. Cathay travel agent. They’ll often have access to
in Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Korean better deals than you’ll find on your own.
Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam
and Burma, and Singapore at
Air regularly list deals on their websites
6
a cost of US$229 for economy that you won’t find elsewhere. START WITH THE END
class and US$729 for business. Some regional airports are getting
Tickets are valid for six months.
2
GET SOCIAL in on the action of selling airfares,
Discovery Airpass Minimum Airlines—from the region’s sometimes promoting deals directly on
of three and maximum of six
one-way routes on Bangkok
traditional heavyweights to its their websites. Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi
Airways, Vietnam Airlines and youngest entrants—and travel sites are Airport (airportsuvarnabhumi.com) hosts a
Lao Airlines, whose combined latching onto the social networking search engine that checks sites like
networks span Cambodia, Laos, movement to spread the word about mobissimotravel.com and asiatravel.com,
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam,
Hong Kong and Burma, including
news and special deals. By following while Singapore’s Changi (changiairport.
smaller destinations like Pakse in them on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll be com) links to deals from viasingapore.
Laos and Thailand’s Sukhothai. the first to know about special com. Through Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan
Most domestic flights cost promotions and discounted fares. Cathay Son Nhat Airport site (hochiminhcityairport.
US$60; international routes,
US$100. Tickets are valid for two
Pacific, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, com), you can search for fares on several
months, dates can be selected Cebu Pacific, AirAsia and zuji.com are budget airlines.
while on the road and no route just a few of the companies that tweet or
may be repeated in the same post bargains.
direction. Not available for
purchase in Thailand.
3
BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE
Cathay Pacific’s All-Asia Pass
Cathay Pacific offers its popular You might be inclined to tick “no,
air pass to residents of Southeast thanks” on e-mail alerts or
Asia, with a minimum of four newsletters, but you’ll be missing out on
routes and a maximum of eight.
having deals land right in your inbox.
Destinations include cities in
Japan, China, Sri Lanka and E-alerts sent out by carriers like Malaysia
Pakistan. You can’t travel via Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay
your country of origin, though Pacific and Jetstar are a sure way to snap
stopovers, except Hong Kong, are
up the latest promotions.
permitted (only one is allowed on
the final return journey). Tickets
4
are valid for one month. Prices KNOW THE SCHEDULE
depend on which country you’re Note the days and times of the
flying out of: from Singapore, a
seven-city pass costs S$1,268,
week when the best deals are
while the same pass costs launched: Jetstar, for example, holds a
US$788 out of Jakarta. Fare Frenzy every Friday between 2 P.M.
Frills Included Clockwise
from right: Korean Air jets;
on-board Cathay Pacific;
Malaysia Airlines; crew
members at JAL; business
class on Singapore Airlines.
The Friendly Skies. Already legendary for their in-flight service,

Asian airlines are adding perks to make flying even more enjoyable
F R O M T O P R I G H T : C O U R T E S Y O F C AT H AY P A C I F I C ; C O U R T E S Y O F M A L AY S I A A I R L I N E S ; C O U R T E S Y O F J A P A N A I R L I N E S ;
>>CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS (cathaypacific.com) is while the business seats recline further and incorporate a
redesigning all classes, with 82 aircraft to feature the new 15-inch personal TV. The airline has also expanded its
look by 2012. First-class suites offer one of the largest beds popular premium economy sections, which feature 20
on any commercial airline at 80 inches long by 35.4 inches percent legroom and a shell-shaped frame that limits
wide, while business class travel sees the arrival of flat disturbance to passengers behind you.
ergonomic beds. Economy seats maximize knee and shin >>SINGAPORE AIRLINES (singaporeair.com) is refurbishing
clearance and allow passengers to recline without affecting its B777’s with upgraded seats and entertainment systems,
those behind them. Power supplies will be installed in every which service cities including Sydney, Dubai and Shanghai.
seat, while some 100 movies, 350 TV shows and 70 video The new package will see the sky’s largest beds in first class
games will be available on-demand. Cathay has already and leather flat seats in business. The airline has also
rolled-out an application for iPhones, BlackBerries and released applications for mobile phones that include
Windows Mobile devices. check- in and seat selection options and an SMS system that
CO U RT ESY O F S I N GA P O R E A I R L I N ES ; CO U RT ESY O F KO R E A N A I R
>>KOREAN AIR (koreanair.com) is investing US$200 million allows customers anywhere in the world to text message a
in installing its new premium seats on 96 planes over the representative and receive a call-back within 30 minutes.
next few years, which include flat beds in both first and >>MALAYSIA AIRLINES (malaysiaairlines.com) is the first
Prestige classes and ergonomically designed seats in regional carrier to offer in-flight mobile connectivity that
economy. All classes will be equipped with larger individual allows customers to use mobile devices, PDA’s and mobile
screens to try out the faster, higher resolution entertainment phones throughout the flight, while passengers on its B747’s
system. Organic food has also been added to menus. and B777’s can get online anytime during the flight.
>>JAPAN AIRLINES (jal.com) has introduced new suites >>THAI AIRWAYS (thaiairways.com) expects this year to
and seats in first and business on its Tokyo to New York, San receive five new A330-300’s, which will feature eight more
Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles routes. First-class inches of leg room for Royal Silk passengers. Economy
leather-upholstered suites boast 20 percent more room, passengers can enjoy improved in-flight entertainment. »
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M|F E B RUA RY 2010 25

Flight Paths. Getting

from one destination to
Beijiing
another is easier than ever
now as Asian airlines Seoul
expand their networks.
Tokyo
Here, a look at new, Nagoya
notable routes
Osaka
Chengdu Shanghai
Guangzhou Taipei
Hong Kong*
Hanoi Haiku
AIRLINE ROUTES
AIR ASIA (airasia.com)

Bangkok Not on map: To and from Kuala Lumpur:
Kolkata, Kochi, Trivandrum, Abu Dhabi, London
Siem Reap and Colombo. Ones to watch in 2010: Chennai,
Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Yangon,
Phnom Penh Siargao Sydney, Seoul and Paris.
Ho Chi Minh City CEBU PACIFIC
Sihanoukville
Cebu GARUDA INDONESIA (garuda-indonesia.com)
Phuket Not on map: To and from Jakarta: Sydney,
Melbourne and Amsterdam (starting June 1).
Penang SHANGHAI AIRLINES (shanghai-air.com)
Kota THAI AIRWAYS
Kinabalu
Kuala Lumpur Flights from Bangkok to Johannesburg to start
in mid-2010.
CAMBODIA ANGKOR AIR Flights from Phnom
Singapore Penh to Sihanoukville start in summer 2010.
JAL
DRAGONAIR (dragonair.com)
TIGER AIRWAYS (tigerairways.com)
Not on map: To and from Singapore: Krabi, Hat
Yai and Langkawi.
SILKAIR (silkair.com)
Not on map: To and from Singapore: Hyderabad.
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
VIETNAM AIRLINES (vietnamairlines.com
Jakarta JETSTAR (jetstar.com)
* CATHAY PACIFIC
Flights from Hong Kong to Milan start
Bali on March 28.
No-Frills on Land
Co-founded by AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, no-frills hotel chain Tune Hotels.com
(60-3/7962-5888; tunehotels.com) wants to revolutionize budget stays in Southeast Asia.
The Malaysia-based company, which now runs seven properties in Bali and across
Malaysia, models itself after low-cost carriers by doing away with amenities like pools,
mini-bars and business centers. Thankfully, they haven’t sacrificed comforts like queen-
Check-in at a Tune Hotel in KL.
sized beds topped with 250 thread-count cotton duvets and en-suite power showers.
Guests, meanwhile, pay RM5 to rent towels and RM12 for 24 hours of Wi-Fi access,
while the air-conditioning operates on a pay-as-you-go system—measures that adhere
to the chain’s pledge to be green by minimizing water and electricity use. Modeled on
budget airlines’ demand-based pricing booking system—whereby the earlier you book,
the better the deal, rooms at Tune Hotels start at RM9.99; recent promotions have seen
rooms go for as little at 10 sen. Look out for more locations, including India and Phuket;
future plans include additional properties in Thailand, Bangladesh, the Philippines,
One of the guest rooms at Tune. Indonesia, and possibly London and Melbourne.
Low-Cost Carrier Lowdown. With the budget airline boom,

T+L takes a closer look at what you get on Asia’s biggest no-frills airlines
AIRLINE AIR ASIA JETSTAR TIGER AIRWAYS CEBU PACIFIC
(Asia and Australia)
THE FLEET • 86 A320’s with • 10 A320’s with • 2 A319’s with • 11 A320’s

29-inch pitch 28-inch pitch 28-inch pitch • 10 A319’s
• Nine A330’s with • 32 A320’s with • 15 A320’s with
31-inch pitch 30-inch pitch 29-inch pitch
• Two A340’s with • Five A321’s with
32.5-inch pitch 30-inch pitch
• Seven A330’s with
30-inch pitch
ON-BOARD • Iced tea, US$1.50 • Beer, US$5.50 • Apple juice, S$3 • Water, US$1
AMENITIES
• Snickers bar, US$1.50 • Byron Bay cookie, • Mixed nuts, S$3 • Chips, US$1
• Chicken satay, US$4 US$3 • Tom Yam Cup of • Ham-and-cheese
(pre-booking food • Sandwich, US$5.50 Noodles, S$5 croissant, US$2
saves 20 percent) • Blanket, S$12 • Sleep kit, US$4
• Blanket, pillow and eye
mask, US$10
EXTRA FEES FOR • Standard seat • Standard seat • Standard seat • Standard seat
PRE BOOKING selection, US$1.50 selection, free selection, S$3 selection, US$2
• Extra leg room, US$7 • Extra leg room, S$20 • Extra leg room, S$10 • Extra leg room,
• Bags up to: for short haul, S$30 • Bags up to: US$4
15 kg, US$3; for long haul 15 kg, S$12.50; • Free up to 15 kg;
CO U RT ESY O F T U N E H OT E L S.CO M ( 2 )
up to 20 kg, US$15; • US$20–US$40 per up to 20 kg, S$15; longer-haul free up

up to 25kg, US$25 bag, up to 20 kg up to 25 kg, S$35 to 30kg (until June)
COOL PERK Freshly baked Krispy The website’s Low Passengers traveling in After booking,
Kreme doughnuts are Fares Finder allows Singapore can purchase passengers can offset
now served on-board travelers to search for tickets at island-wide their carbon emissions
the best tickets over 24-hour AXS Stations with a donation to a
30 days WWF climate program
Brave Green Indulge Yourself.
World. Our annual poll
Reinventing of the world’s
cities in India best spas
<(page 50) <(page 36)
Classic Chinese.
Divine Dishes. The best
Chefs in old-fashioned
Manila concoct fare in Kuala
creative menus Lumpur
(page 48)> <(page 44)
C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T : C O U R T E S Y O F L AVA S A ; B L A S I U S E R L I N G E R ; D AV I D H A G E R M A N ; C O U R T E S Y O F B A N YA N T R E E ; L A R A D AY
+ • Luxury train travel in India

• News and trends from Asia’s spa scene
• Two new retreats in Khao Yai
(Insider)
Photo credit by tktktk
Where to GoWhat to EatWhere to StayWhat to Buy

MROUNATRHY 2 0 0 7 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E . C O M
FEB 000
insider | newsflash
Crown Jewels
The Mughals weren’t known for moderation. During their
three-century rule, India’s Muslim emperors reveled in opulent
baubles, some of which are on rich display at “Treasury of the
World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals,” on
view from February 12 to June 27 at Singapore’s Asian
Civilisations Museum (1 Empress Place; 65/6332-7798; acm.org.
sg; admission S$8). The dazzling show provides a glimpse into the
Mughal empire’s penchant for excess; among the more than 400
SHOP objects on display are armbands, necklaces, cameos and turban
ornaments, and more practical objects like furniture, drinking
vessels and armor—but all dazzlingly bejewelled. One golden
Experience, in a Box dagger and its accompanying scabbard are encrusted with no
What do you give to someone who has it fewer than 1,685 rubies, in addition to a panoply of diamonds,
all? Hong Kong-based VIPbox (vipbox. emeralds and agate. Not to be missed.—L A R A DAY
com.hk; from HK$400–HK$28,000) has the
answer. Standing for “very individual
ART
present,” the recently launched company
offers a range of 120 pre-paid gift
experiences culled from the best the city
has to offer. Grouped in four
C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E SY O F V I P B OX ; C O U R T E SY O F A S I A N C I V I L I S AT I O N S M U S E U M ( 3 ) ; C O U R T E SY O F M A N H O N G KO N G
collections—Thrill, Discover, Pamper
and Escape—the experiences range from
a two-hour surf lesson to a three-hour
jam session in a professional recording
studio to belly dance classes. As
inveterate travelers who’ve always
wondered what life is like in the cockpit,
we’re secretly angling for the 60-minute
session in a 737-800 flight simulator.
—H U I FA N G
Literary Feast
BOOKS
Mark your calendars: next month, Hong Kong will host the 10th
Clockwise from
left: Junot Díaz; M Hong Kong International Literary Festival (various venues;
Man
Louis de Bernières; festival.org.hk; March 11–19; tickets from HK$120). Luminaries at
André Brink.
this year’s event include international heavyweights such as
I N T E R N AT I O N A L L I T E R A R Y F E S T I VA L ( 3 )
Alexander McCall Smith of the Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

series and Junot Díaz, author of The Brief and Wondrous Life of
Oscar Wao, while Asian talents such as Tash Aw, Janice Lee and
Ouyang Yu join discussions tackling everything from poetry to time
travel. China hand Peter Hessler will weigh in on the world’s most
populous nation. Don’t fret if you miss a gathering: many of the
same names are also taking part in the Shanghai Literary
Festival, hosted by M on the Bund, which runs until March 21.
Bukit Timah, Singapore
This posh residential enclave is turning into
one of the city’s premier culinary haunts.
By EVELYN CHEN
1 GELATERIA VENEZIA
This shop right off the main drag could
well be the neighborhood’s best-kept
secret. If you’re looking for something
substantial, there’s a menu of light
meals, including smoked ham and
melted cheese on multigrain toast. Or
head straight to one of the 24 gelati,
including gianduia, dark chocolate
and even durian. #01-01 Guthrie
House, 1 Fifth Ave.; 65/6468-3656;
gelati for two S$6.60.
2 CHIHARU
Hotelier–restaurateur Loh Lik Peng
ventures into Japanese dining with
this atmospheric restaurant kitted up
with wooden tables and a petite sake
bar. Try authentic offerings such as
yaki hamaguri (grilled giant clam), or
simply order the omakase and place
yourself in the hands of master chef
Patrick Tan. 779 Bukit Timah Rd;
65/6769-1929; chiharu.com.sg; dinner
for two S$150.00.
1
Sixth Avenue
Fifth Avenue
ON
2 3 4
F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F G E L A T E R I A V E N E Z I A ; C O U R T E S Y O F C H I H A R U ; C O U R T E S Y O F T R A T T O R I A L’ A N C O R A ;
THE
Bukit Timah Road MAP
3 TRATTORIA L’ANCORA
For a rustic Italian meal that’s also
easy on the wallet, consider this
trattoria. Here, the focus is centered
on southern Italian comfort food.
Standouts include homemade
pappardelle paired with braised wild
boar, red wine and taleggio cheese;
and the rocket-crowned L’Ancora pizza
with beef carpaccio. 789 Bukit Timah
Rd.; 65/6467-3778; dinner for two
S$100.00.
C O U R T E SY O F Y E S H A N G H A I C U I S I N E R E S TA U R A N T
4 YE SHANGHAI CUISINE
RESTAURANT
Belonging to the category of chic
Chinese eateries, this dark wood–
swathed restaurant draws a crowd
with its affordably priced
Shanghainese fare. Order the pan-fried
dumplings and sautéed crabs coated
with salted eggs and butter. #01-01, 791
Bukit Timah Rd.; 65/6463-2989; dinner
for two S$60.00.
insider | newsflash
BACK TO NATURE
The cool, mountainous area complex of three traditional
around Khao Yai National Park villas features 15 spacious,
has become the weekend antique-filled rooms, many with
destination for Bangkokians in their own balcony overlooking an
FA S H I ON the know, with small, idyllic stream. The seven-room,
character-rich stays springing up safari-chic Sala Khao Yai (99
in recent months. Just a 1-1/2 Moo 11, Wangkatha, Pakchong;
hours’ drive from Bangkok, the 66-44/760-500 or
recently opened Ndol Villas (191 66/898-460-500; salaresorts.
Moo 1, Muaklek Rd., Muaklek; com; doubles from Bt5,000)
66/818-998-780, boasts sweeping views of the
66/846-584-447 or countryside from its hillside
66-36/344-892; ndolvillas.com; perch. Book one of the pool villa
doubles from Bt5,000) feels light suites, equipped with two
The Mighty years away from the capital’s fireplaces and a rooftop deck to
Hermès mayhem. This century-old better survey the land.
Fans of the venerable R E T R E AT S
Hermès label have
reason to celebrate:
C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P : D AV I E S + S TA R R ; C O U R T E S Y O F N D O L V I L L A S ; C O U R T E S Y O F S A L A R E S O R T S ; C O U R T E S Y O F C O X & K I N G ’ S
this month, the
173-year-old brand
opens its first boutique
exclusively for men in
New York (691
Madison Ave.;
1-212/308-3585;
hermes.com). The
TRAINS
India on Track
four-story space will
sell everything for the
style-savvy traveler:
custom-made suits,
shirts, sweaters, and,
of course, the classic
neckerchief. Also look
Luxury train travel is booming worldwide, and two of the most exciting debuts are in
out for new boutiques India. Rolling out last month, the Maharajas’ Express (91-22/6690-4747; rirtl.com; six
in Hong Kong’s nights from US$11,200 for two, all-inclusive; September–April) travels four cross-country routes
Elements mall and in an early 20th-century train that mixes timeless details such as wood-paneled dining
Macau’s new One cars and 24-hour butler service with modern technology. On the Royal Rajasthan on
Wheels (royal-rajasthan-on-wheels.com; seven nights from US$8,260 for two, all-inclusive;
Central.—M I M I September–April), you’ll journey through the northwestern state aboard a 38-cabin train
LOMBARDO with large panoramic windows, perfect for viewing the Thar Desert.—JAIME GROSS
Janet Hsieh
T+L catches up with the Texas-born host of Discovery Travel
& Living’s travel show, Fun Taiwan
TV host Janet
Hsieh shows her
climbing mettle.
Q+A
■ Favorite spots in Asia

“For mountains and landscape, I’ll choose Taiwan
and Nepal; some of the most beautiful mountains
I’ve ever seen are there, as well as some of the best
hiking and biking. For nights, lights and landscape
I’ll have to choose Hong Kong. I think Hong Kong
has some of the most amazing and awe-inspiring
lights that I’ve ever seen. For culture and food I’ll
probably say India and Taiwan, that’s just because
in such a small area you can have so many different
types of foods.”
■ Favorite eats in Asia
“It’s impossible to choose one. For example in India,
I love masala dosa. I also like butter chicken and
palak paneer. … In Taiwan I like spicy hotpot, stinky
tofu and oyster pancakes. Right now in Mazu, I like
the old wine thin noodles.”
■ Taiwan today
“For me coming to Taiwan was a big culture shock
because I always assumed that I spoke Taiwanese
growing up and everybody would just automatically
F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F JA N E T H S I E H
assume that I was Taiwanese. But arriving in

Taiwan, having only heard my parents’ stories of
what Taiwan was like 50 years ago, I was really
surprised to find that Taiwanese was spoken mostly
by people down south and not really our generation
… And just what Taipei and Taiwan are like, with
all the big buildings.”—K E I T I N G
insider | spas
WORLD’S BEST
SPAS
An alfresco massage
at Florida’s Hawks Cay
Resort & Marina, voted
the No. 1 hotel spa in
the U.S. and Canada by
T+L readers.
When it comes to a great spa experience, attentive service,

inventive treatments and, of course, value are top priorities.
BLASIUS ERLINGER
Here, the winning retreats in Travel + Leisure’s annual readers’ poll,

plus wellness news, trends and deals. It’s time to relax.
Edited by CHRISTINE AJUDUA and SARAH KANTROWITZ
Serenity Now From left: The geothermal pool at Solage Calistoga, the No. 2 hotel spa in the continental U.S. and Canada; a ritual foot bath at
Hawks Cay Resort & Marina in Duck Key, Florida, the top hotel spa in the region; the Fairmont Scottsdale, ranked No. 3 in the U.S. and Canada.
Top Hotel Spas by Region DISPATCH
Stress Management
UNITED STATES AND CANADA HAWKS CAY RESORT & MARINA Duck Key, Florida 95.00 Four new programs designed to
HAWAII FOUR SEASONS RESORT HUALALAI Hawaii 90.43 help you unwind
THE CARIBBEAN, BERMUDA AND THE BAHAMAS COUPLES SANS SOUCI Ocho Rios,
■ At Parrot Cay’s Como Shambhala
Jamaica 94.54
Retreat (parrotcay.como.bz; from
MEXICO AND CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA ESPERANZA, AN AUBERGE RESORT
Los Cabos, Mexico 95.80 US$2,232 for three nights), in the Turks
EUROPE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V Paris 88.35 and Caicos, Dr. Swati—resident
AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC THE LANGHAM Melbourne, ayurvedic doctor and Reiki master—
Australia 85.00 focuses on “releasing negative
ASIA ANANTARA KOH SAMUI RESORT & SPA Thailand 95.07 emotions.” That could mean a
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST TWELVE APOSTLES HOTEL & SPA Cape Town 95.40 change of diet, beachside yoga or
a daily deep-tissue massage.
■ After an initial consultation,
Top 25 Hotel Spas an on-staff physician prescribes
Continental U.S. and Canada everything from mental coaching
to muscle-soothing techniques
1. HAWKS CAY RESORT & MARINA 15. CAMELBACK INN, A JW MARRIOTT
for the eight-day Burnout
Duck Key, Florida 95.00 RESORT & SPA Scottsdale, Arizona 87.06
Prevention package at Design
2. SOLAGE CALISTOGA California 92.55 16. AUBERGE DU SOLEIL
Hotels’ new Life Medicine Resort
3. FAIRMONT SCOTTSDALE Arizona 91.41 Rutherford, California 86.85
(lifemedicineresort.com; from US$3,860),
4. RITZ-CARLTON, BACHELOR GULCH 17. THE GROVE PARK INN RESORT & SPA
in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria.
Avon, Colorado 91.04 Asheville, North Carolina 86.54
■ For the program at One & Only
5. THE GREENBRIER 18. THE BREAKERS PALM BEACH
Palmilla (Mexico; oneandonlyresorts.com;
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia 90.73 Florida 86.52
19. WYNN LAS VEGAS 86.40
US$3,503 for three nights), therapists
6. AMERICAN CLUB Kohler, Wisconsin 89.35
7. RITZ-CARLTON, NAPLES Florida 88.83 20. ST. REGIS MONARCH BEACH
counteract anxiety with special
B L A S I U S E R L I N G E R ; C O U R T E SY O F FA I R M O N T H O T E L S
8. MOHONK MOUNTAIN HOUSE Dana Point, California 85.80

vitamin regimens, palapa-shaded
yoga and obsidian-rock massages. ■
F RO M L E F T: CO U RT ESY O F S O L AG E CA L I STO GA ;
New Paltz, New York 88.66 21. JW MARRIOTT DESERT RIDGE

9. RITZ-CARLTON, LAGUNA NIGUEL RESORT & SPA Phoenix 85.78 The De-Stress and Energize
California 87.96 22. RITZ-CARLTON, HALF MOON BAY Life Passage at Six Senses Phuket
10. TOPNOTCH RESORT & SPA California 85.52 (Thailand; sixsenses.com; from
Stowe, Vermont 87.89 23. RITZ-CARLTON, AMELIA ISLAND US$2,433 for three nights) can involve
11. CALISTOGA RANCH California 87.87 Florida 84.56 unique meditation techniques
12. MONTAGE LAGUNA BEACH California 87.67 24. FOUR SEASONS RESORT SCOTTSDALE (practiced, say, on a raft in the
13. THE PHOENICIAN Scottsdale, Arizona 87.65 AT TROON NORTH Arizona 84.49 Andaman Sea) to restore mind-
14. THE FAIRMONT SONOMA 25. THE HOTEL HERSHEY body balance. — R I M A S U Q I
MISSION INN & SPA California 87.50 Pennsylvania 84.47
Denotes Great Value (a 60-minute massage for US$100 or less).
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M | F E B RUA RY 2010 37
insider | spas
Anantara Koh Samui Resort & Spa, in

Thailand, The No. 1 Top 10 Hotel Spas in
Asia. Right: A Swedish massage at the
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, the top
hotel spa in Hawaii. Below: Four Seasons
Resort Hualalai.
Top 10 Hotel Spas Top 10 Hotel Spas
Asia Mexico and Central and

1. ANANTARA KOH SAMUI RESORT & SPA Thailand 95.07
2. FOUR SEASONS RESORT Chiang Mai, Thailand 94.96 South America
1. ESPERANZA, AN AUBERGE RESORT Los Cabos, Mexico 95.80
3. THE PENINSULA Hong Kong 94.69
4. MANDARIN ORIENTAL Bangkok 94.61 2. PUEBLO BONITO SUNSET BEACH RESORT & SPA Los Cabos, Mexico 88.09
5. ANANTARA HUA HIN RESORT & SPA Thailand 94.21 3. RITZ-CARLTON Cancún, Mexico 85.69
6. MANDARIN ORIENTAL DHARA DHEVI, CHIANG MAI Thailand 92.19 4. JW MARRIOTT CANCÚN RESORT & SPA Mexico 85.47
7. SHANGRI-LA HOTEL Bangkok 91.80 5. FOUR SEASONS RESORT COSTA RICA AT PENINSULA PAPAGAYO 85.34
6. TABACÓN GRAND SPA THERMAL RESORT Costa Rica 84.04
8. SHANGRI-LA’S RASA SAYANG RESORT & SPA Penang, Malaysia 91.52
7. ONE & ONLY PALMILLA Los Cabos, Mexico 83.98
9. SHANGRI-LA’S TANJUNG ARU RESORT & SPA Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 91.15
8. LAS VENTANAS AL PARAÍSO Los Cabos, Mexico 83.78
10. THE PENINSULA Bangkok 90.63
9. ALVEAR PALACE HOTEL Buenos Aires 82.59
10. DREAMS CANCUN RESORT & SPA Mexico 82.43
Top 10 Hotel Spas
F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F A N A N TA R A K O H S A M U I R E S O R T & S P A ; R AY M O N D P AT R I C K ;
The Caribbean, Bermuda
and the Bahamas
1. COUPLES SANS SOUCI Ocho Rios, Jamaica 94.54
2. COUPLES NEGRIL Jamaica 93.15
3. COUPLES SWEPT AWAY Negril, Jamaica 92.23
4. JADE MOUNTAIN St. Lucia 91.32
5. PETER ISLAND RESORT British Virgin Islands 90.18
CO U RT ESY O F FO U R S E AS O N S R ES O RT H UA L A L A I
6. ROSEWOOD LITTLE DIX BAY Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands 90.03
7. ANSE CHASTANET RESORT St. Lucia 89.67
8. REGENT PALMS Turks and Caicos 88.28
9. HALF MOON Rose Hall, Jamaica 87.50
10. ROYAL PLANTATION Ocho Rios, Jamaica 86.61
Top 5 Hotel Spas
Hawaii
1. FOUR SEASONS RESORT HUALALAI 90.43
2. GRAND WAILEA, THE WALDORF ASTORIA COLLECTION 87.92
3. FOUR SEASONS RESORT MAUI AT WAILEA 85.94
4. GRAND HYATT KAUAI RESORT & SPA 83.26
5. WESTIN MAUI RESORT & SPA 83.20
38 F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M Denotes Great Value.

The indoor pool at Mii Amo, a
Destination Spa at Enchantment,
in Sedona, Arizona, the No. 1
destination spa. Right: Mii Amo’s
adobe spa treatment rooms and
individual wood massage wickiups.
BEAUTY NEWS
Custom Treatments
These personalized services allow you to extend your
spa experience
■ Stella Gray, “spa elder” at Half Moon resort’s Fern
Tree (halfmoon.com), in Jamaica, picks the herbs for your
bath soak (US$55), scrub (US$130), or massage oil
(US$115) from her garden; you’ll walk away with a
sample—and the recipe. ■ At the apothecary in Hawaii’s
Top 10 Destination Spas Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Spa (fourseasons.com), a spa
concierge mixes indigenous ingredients (sea salts; volcanic
1. MII AMO, A DESTINATION SPA AT ENCHANTMENT Sedona, Arizona 89.59 clay) to personalize your scrub or wrap (from US$170).
2. MAYA TULUM WELLNESS RETREAT & SPA Mexico 88.16 ■ For the aromatherapy massage (from US$135) at the
3. MIRAVAL, ARIZONA RESORT & SPA Tucson 87.73 sleek new Sè Spa, in the Sè San Diego Hotel (sesandiego.
4. CANYON RANCH IN LENOX Massachusetts 83.93 com), therapists blend a range of essential oils to relieve
5. LAKE AUSTIN SPA RESORT Austin, Texas 83.28 tension and give you a 88-milliliter bottle to take with you.
6. RANCHO LA PUERTA Tecate, Mexico 83.21 ■ Before he became creative director at Shibui Spa, in
7. CANYON RANCH IN TUCSON Arizona 82.59 New York’s Greenwich Hotel (thegreenwichhotel.com), Thuyen
8. GOLDEN DOOR Escondido, California 82.43 Nguyen developed a following for his custom-made beauty
9. THE OAKS AT OJAI California 82.34 products; you can leave with the mask he creates for your
10. THE LODGE AT WOODLOCH Hawley, Pennsylvania 78.55 facial (US$325). —R . S .
SPA SPECIAL: Exclusive Deals for T+L Southeast Asia Readers

■ SONEVA KIRI ■ SHANGRI-LA’S TANJUNG ■ SHANGRI-LA’S RASA ■ GRAND HYATT
Ko Kood, Thailand ARU RESORT AND SPA SAYANG RESORT AND SPA Singapore
REJUVENATE IN THAILAND’S Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Penang, Malaysia BALANCE PACKAGE
LAST FRONTIER PACKAGE BORNEO PARADISE PACKAGE SPA SENSATION PACKAGE What’s Included Breakfast; S$100
F RO M L E F T: CO U RT ESY O F M I I A M O ( 2 )
What’s Included A three-night What’s Included Three nights in What’s Included Accommodation credit at Damai spa; exclusive to
stay at the best available rate in a Tanjung Seaview room; in a deluxe sea-view room in the T+L SEA readers, a 30-minute
the villa of your choice; breakfast; breakfast; a dinner at Coco-Joe’s; garden wing; breakfast; a reflexology treatment; and late
a Jungle Escape Spa Journey for a 60-minute massage for two; free signature therapy and a head and check-out at 2 P.M. from Sunday–
two, including: a herbal scrub and mini-bar; and complimentary shoulder massage for one; 10 Thursday and 4 P.M. Friday–
massage; a 60-minute facial for broadband. Savings 30 percent. percent off additional spa Saturday. Savings Up to 49
two; and a daily group activity at shangri-la.com; RM3,500, double, treatments; and free broadband. percent. hyatt.com; price changes, rates
the spa. Savings 28 percent. February 1–December 31. Savings 23 percent. shangri-la.com; in February start at S$500 per night,
sixsenses.com; from US$3,576, double, RM739 per night, double, minimum double, minimum two-night stay;
April 1–December 19. four-night stay, February 1–June 22. February 1–May 30; cite T+L SEA.
Denotes Great Value. T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M | F E B RUA RY 2010 39

insider | trends
Saving Face From top right: An
outdoor bath at The Regent Maldives;
the Crystal Energizing Facial at
the Pudong Shangri-La; pampering
at Devarana Spa; a sunken bath
at the Banyan Tree Phuket.
Beyond Backrubs. From sleep analysis

to serious workouts, spas in Asia are now
offering much more than rubdowns.
Here, five emerging trends in the region
■ SLEEP then prescribed a holistic regimen of
A solid night’s sleep is key to good massages, facial treatments, and yoga
F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F T H E R EG E N T M A L D I V ES ; CO U RT ESY O F P U D O N G
health—a fact that spas are latching and Pilates classes. Need a quick
onto. If you’re suffering from ailments recharge? Try the three-hour Power S H A N G R I - L A ; C O U R T E S Y O F D U S I T ; C O U R T E S Y O F B A N YA N T R E E
such as insomnia or sleep apnea, Nap Program offered by Devarana Spa

consider a sleep counseling session at in Bangkok’s Dusit Thani hotel (946
Singapore’s Medical Sleep Spa (Level Rama IV Rd.; 66-2/636-3596;
20, Paragon, 290 Orchard Rd.; devaranaspa.com; Bt4,900 per treatment).
65/6887-1299; medicalsleepspa.com; Clients are lulled with a lavender body
sessions from S$68), where Dr. Kenny scrub, a hot milk bath and a Swedish
Pang will do a nasal endoscopy and a massage before 30 minutes of sweet
detailed sleep assessment. Depending slumber. There’s even a lullaby CD for
on your diagnosis, the medical you to bring home.—M E L A N I E L E E
treatment may involve minimally
invasive tonsil removal, palate ■ TEA
expansion or tongue suture operations Tea’s medicinal qualities are
using surgery techniques pioneered by well-known, but imbibing isn’t the only
Pang himself. Afterwards, patients are way to reap its benefits. Soak in a tub
of this soothing, anti-aging brew before
your spa treatment at the Spa Village
in Cameron Highlands Resort (Tanah
Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang Darul
Makmur; 60-5/491-1100;
cameronhighlandsresort.com; treatments from
RM200)—a ritual that pays tribute to
the property’s tea plantation past. In
Jakarta, Q Day Spa (No. 9 Jln.
Gunawarman; 62-21/725-0114; treatments
from Rp650,000) takes the antioxidant-
packed leaves further by offering a wide therapists apply semi-precious stones
range of tea-based treatments such as a such as jade and lapis lazuli onto your
herbal tea body scrub, a hot stone chakra points and then buff your skin
massage using tea essential oils, and a with a body polish made with diamond
green tea scalp treatment and hair spa. dust and micronized iron. In Shanghai,
With purported hydrating properties, the Chi spa at the Pudong Shangri-La
white tea is also gaining popularity: in hotel (33 Fu Cheng Lu, Pudong;
Singapore, Body Contours’ White Tea 86-21/6882-8888; shangri-la.com;
Spa Ritual treatment (#01-03, 30 Hill treatment RMB1,280) deploys Biodroga’s
St.; 65/6334-6198; bodycontours.com.sg; Royal Aquamarine products,
S$200 per treatment) starts with a full containing powdered aquamarine, in
body cleansing with tea, followed by a its Crystal Energizing Facial. The Pearl
white tea–and-honey polish and a of the Orient package at the
white tea wrap with lemongrass and InterContinental Hong Kong (18
grapefruit extracts.—M.L. Salisbury Rd., Kowloon; 852/2721-1211;
hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com; treatment
■ TRAINS HK$2,500) uses a nourishing emulsion
Pampering goes on the move as new blended with pearl powder to give your The tea bag eye treatment at the Spa
luxury trains in Asia debut with spa body a luminous glow.—S O N I A Village in Cameron Highlands Resort,
left. Rock climbing near the Anantara
cars. India’s Golden Chariot KO L E S N I KOV - J E S S O P ✚ Si Kao Resort & Spa, right.
(91-11/4686-8686; goldenchariottrain.com;
US$2,450 per person for a seven-night
journey) offers Ayurvedic massages in
their massage rooms—a restorative GET FIT. PAMPERING IS FOR LIGHTWEIGHTS—THESE HOTEL SPAS
COMBINE INDULGENCE WITH FITNESS FOR TOTAL WELL-BEING
accompaniment to the passing scenery
F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F CA M E RO N H I G H L A N DS R ES O RT; S O M P O R N S U E B H A I T
of charming Karnataka. Next year, the Banyan Tree Phuket banyantree.com; programs Changlang Rd., Maifad;
long-awaited Tangula Luxury Trains Until the end of March, the from US$1,830 per couple. 66-75/205-888; sikao.
resort is offering four anantara.com; courses from
(86-10/5809-5333; tangulaluxurytrains. personalized programs Anantara Si Kao Resort Bt14,000.
com; US$3,300 per person for a three-night called Retreat for the & Spa, Trang
journey) will provide customized Senses. The three-day From half-day workshops to SNEAK PEAK The Regent
exclusives combine three-day journeys, Maldives
treatments using organic Ila products indulgence with a range of Anantara’s new rock Opening this spring, Thaa
as you traverse across the remote activities, including Aerobox climbing courses give Atoll’s highly anticipated
Thai Boxing, ATV Quad participants an opportunity resort will boast a spa that
Western regions of China.—M.L. Biking and Nordic Walking. to experience Sikao’s brings together health,
The Sense of Bliss program majestic limestone cliffs. beauty and fitness. Morning
■ PRECIOUS GEMS includes a snorkeling trip to Beginners and advanced swims in the ocean-view
the Khai Islands; according climbers benefit from Vitality Pool and private tai
Diamonds are a spa-goer’s best friend: to the spa experts, improved strength, stamina chi, yoga or Pilates
hotel spas are utilizing gemstones in underwater time helps and willpower. Afterwards, instruction in a pavilion
treatments. During the two-hour relieve muscle tension, venture into the area’s virgin overlooking a lagoon are
increase circulation and rainforests and mangrove followed by a massage and
Diamond Magnetic Jewel ritual at the clear up acne. 33, 33/27 Moo reserves — the humid organic cuisine. 960/678
Four Seasons Macau (Estrada da Baía de 4, Srisoonthorn Rd.; environment keeps skin 0088; regenthotels.com;
Cherngtalay, Amphur moist and young. 198–199 prices unavailable as of
N. Senhora da Esperança; 853/2881-8888; Talang; 66-76/324-374; Moo 5 Had Pak Meng, press time.—L IL I TA N
fourseasons.com; treatment MOP1,700),
insider | address book
CAMBODIA
NAGA WORLD
Though most visitors come for the baccarat,
this newly opened casino-hotel also boasts
one of the city’s prettiest spas. Modeled on
the temples of Angkor, the sprawling space
features pillared doorways and giant Buddha
images; the sound of running water puts
guests in the right state of repose. Foot rubs
(US$25) take place on soft leather chaises
hidden behind a bubbling fountain, while
traditional Khmer massages and body scrubs
are executed in huge private rooms equipped
with a steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi and
queen-sized bed for post rub-down
relaxation. Many of the treatments, like the
90-minute herbal hot compress massage
(US$25), incorporate indigenous natural
ingredients like cinnamon, clove, and coffee
from Ratanakiri province. Hun Sen Park;
855-23/228-822; nagaworld.com.
AMARA SPA
The first high-end day spa to open up along
Phnom Penh’s riverfront, Amara offers a full
menu of relaxation in simple, elegant
surroundings. Malaysian owner Patricia Tan
chose subdued black, white, gray and
metallic hues for the dimly lit, three-story
space, creating a welcome respite from the
bustle outside. Inside the 20 treatment
Pampering in Phnom Penh. New rooms, connected by stone pathways
openings have ramped up the Cambodian illuminated by floor-to-ceiling silk lamps,
guests can choose treatments ranging from
capital’s spa scene. By NAOMI LINDT an anti-aging facial (US$58) to Amara’s
signature hot-stone, four-hand massage
(US$55). Traveling with friends? Then book
one of the rooftop rooms, which each boast
a Jacuzzi with views of the Tonle Sap River.
Corner of Sisowath Quay and Street 110;
855-23/998-730; amaraspa.hotelcara.com.
DE GRAN
The reception Early last year, Japanese businessman Jun
at Naga World, Kikuchi opened the first foreign outpost of
one of Phnom
Penh’s new his minimalist, Tokyo-based line of salons in
generation Phnom Penh. After constructing a strikingly
of spas, left.
Aromatic oils at Modernist building flanked by reflective
the ready pools in the expat area of Boeung Keng
at Naga
World, above. Kang, Kukichi brought over stylists, beauty
42 F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M Photographed by NICOLAS AXELROD

products and even furniture, like the elegant
white leather swivel chairs used in the hair
salon. The city’s fashionable set line up for
expert facials (US$20), make-up applications
(US$7) and manicures (US$7) as well as
basic cuts (US$15). The attentive,
black-and-white clad staff includes
translators fluent in English, Japanese and
Khmer. 19 Street 352; 855-23/999-707;
de-gran.co.jp.
COMING SOON
DERMA-CARE SKIN CLINIC Siem Reap’s trendy
In search of a perfect complexion? This Bodia Spa is coming
brightly lit, white-and–baby-blue clinic to Phnom Penh this
spring. Using the
focuses on all things dermatological. After acclaimed Caudalíe
being greeted by the white lab coat–wearing skincare line from
France as well as its
staff, visitors are ushered into the office of
own range of
Bangkok-trained dermatologist Dr. Em handmade organic
Samok, who peers through a large products, Bodia will
offer a full spa menu,
magnifying glass to identify and suggest including traditional
solutions for flaws in one’s visage. Using Khmer rubdowns and
Derma-Rx products, concentrated natural aromatherapy
treatments, brown
vitamin extracts and rejuvenating masks, the sugar body scrubs
clinic promises to hydrate, purify and soothe and free-radical
fighting facials.
your skin, whatever its needs may be (facials Corner of Sothearos
from US$35). Intensive procedures like and Street 178; no
Botox injections (US$12) and chemical peels phone as of press
time; bodia-spa.com.
(US$50) are available for those wanting to
get serious; pedicures (US$10) and waxes
(from US$10) are on offer, too. 161B Norodom
Blvd.; 855-23/217-092; dermacareskinclinic.info.
ROYAL RUBDOWNS IN SIEM REAP

Acclaimed resort La Résidence d’Angkor is
buffing its image with a recently completed Spa Scene
From top: Inside
US$3 million upgrade that includes new Amara Spa;
suites and an exclusive day spa, called Kong the Modernist-
inspired building
Kea. The spa’s six treatment rooms are that houses De
spread over a verdant 475-square-meter area Gran; a treatment
room at Amara
themed on water (kong kea means “water for Spa; happy feet
at Derma-Care
the king” in Khmer), with illuminated water Skin Clinic.
walls, an aquarium and an indoor dipping
pool. Treatments like body scrubs, facials
and massage (from US$35) incorporate
handmade, organic products that can also be
purchased in the spa’s boutique, along with
an exclusive line of naturally dyed dresses
and scarves designed by Wanderlust’s
Elizabeth Kiester. River Rd.; 55-63/
963-390; residencedangkor.com. ✚
insider | classics
Perennial Favorites Clockwise from below: Fried noodles at Yut

Kee, a popular kopitiam; sweet buns from Setapak Teochew
Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur; one of the seasoned chefs at Sek Yuen.
MALAYSIA
The Real Thing. They’re not fancy or fusion, but these old-time
Chinese eateries in Kuala Lumpur dish up reliably tasty eats. Catch
them before they disappear. By ROBYN ECKHARDT
■ SEK YUEN
Back in the day, Sek Yuen’s gramophone-serenaded
dining room was the setting for KL’s swankiest
wedding banquets. These days, its kitchen—staffed
by a coterie of cooks with more than 250 collective
years of experience and fueled entirely by wood—
draws boisterous multi-generational families and
hipsters rediscovering the charms of the city’s
old-fashioned joints. The menu, dominated by
Cantonese classics, exists only in the heads of its
owners, but you can’t go wrong with anything
porcine: tender trotters stuffed with gingko nuts,
lotus seeds and black mushrooms or slices of belly
layered with yam, seasoned with fermented bean
44 F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 0 | T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M Photographed by DAVID HAGERMAN

Keeping It Real Clockwise from far left:
The dining room at Sek Yuen; deep-fried
crab balls at Hong Ngek; deep-fried tofu
with chicken feet at Sek Yuen; Yut Kee’s
owner Jack Lee and his son Mervyn.
curd and then steamed. Another must is the

“shark’s fin” (rest easy: it’s actually squid) stir-fried
with egg and crab meat and eaten wrapped in
lettuce with a drizzle of black vinegar. The whole
sweet-and-sour fish, encased in barely there batter
and resting in a pool of tart, lustrous crimson sauce,
does justice to a hackneyed standard; roast duck,
bronzed and imbued with wood smoke, is simply
awe-inspiring. In the hands of Sek Yuen, even a
dish as simple as baby gailan—singed in spots,
napped in a light garlicky glaze—rises to dizzying
heights. 313 Jln. Pudu; 60-3/9222-9457; lunch or
dinner for two RM60.
■ HONG NGEK
In a neighbourhood of Indian and Malay eateries
that change hands almost yearly, Hong Ngek stands
out for its Chinese menu and its staying power.
Opened in the 1940’s by an immigrant from
Fujian, this casual joint still packs in lunchtime
crowds with show-off specialties such as “two-way”
pomfret—a whole fish shorn of one fillet, then
steamed and served with its missing half, stir-fried displaying an attention to detail that’s as evident at
with sweet peppers, celery and black pepper—and the table as it is at the front of the house. 50 Jln.
simpler bites like niangao, chewy rice cakes with Tun H.S. Lee; 60-3/2078-7852; lunch for two RM45.
pork, shrimp and cabbage. This is the spot for the
city’s most deliciously wok hei–infused Hokkien mee ■ YUT KEE
(stir-fried thick noodles and pork seasoned with Occupying the same corner in downtown KL since
black soy sauce) and a blast from the culinary past the 1920’s, this kopitiam is legendary for its coffee,
in the form “salad chicken”—half a bird boned, charcoal-grilled toast and kaya. Tables watched
pressed, stuffed with ham, deep-fried, and served over by a wall-mounted portrait of its Hainanese
alongside chunks of fresh pineapple dressed with founder (whose son and grandson now run the
salad cream. Eat here once and owner Liew Hing place) sport bottles of Lee & Perrins and soy sauce.
Ling will recognize you next time, even if it’s three The former are meant to season chops (lamb, pork
years later. “I don’t forget faces,” she smiles, or chicken, served with roast potatoes, peas and »
insider | classics
carrots) and roti babi, deep-fried toast filled with
melting pulled pork and onions; the latter to spike
solidly Chinese dishes like congee, fried rice and
beef noodles. If you can be here on Friday or
Sunday at noon, do: Yut Kee recently debuted a
wonderous pistachio and sage-filled rolled pork
roast that invabiably sells out within thirty minutes
of being pulled from the oven. 35 Jln. Dang Wangi;
60-3/2698-8108; lunch for two RM25.
■ SETAPAK TEOCHEW RESTAURANT

It’s worth braving the occasionally crusty service at
Setapak Teochew Restaurant for its fish balls. More
often than not, fish balls have the taste and
consistency of a squash ball, but here, they’re
ethereally light, tender and redolent of the ocean.
They’re not the only piscine draw at this
97-year-old eatery. Look out for crackly skinned,
deep-fried fish cake served with piquant housemade
chili sauce and silver pomfret steamed with
preserved mustard, ginger, tomatoes and sour
plums. Beehoon is another specialty, wok-charred No Frills From top: A bowl of beef noodle
with sliced fish cake, cabbage, minced pork and soup at Yut Kee; sweet-and-sour fish at
Sek Yuen; Yut Kee is often packed.
cracklings or fried crisp as a bed for squid, petite
prawns and choy sum in a gingery gravy shot
through with egg threads. And leave room for
sweets: the restaurant began as a bakery and its
flaky mooncakes (available year-round—choose
from red bean, mung bean, or bean-and-preserved
vegetable) are justifiably popular. 283–5 Jln. Pahang;
60-3/4023-8706; lunch for two RM30. ✚
insider | eat
Different Dishes Clockwise from left: A

private function room at 21; sitting down to
a meal at Purple Feet; chef Marco Legasto
serves up a dish from his open kitchen at
Purple Feet; chef Ed Quimson with Katrina
Ponce Enrile in the dining room of 21.
PHILIPPINES
Menu on Demand. Maverick chefs

in Manila are puting a brand new spin on
eating out. Story and photographs by LARA DAY
T’S A CROSS BETWEEN A CHEF’S wonton soup. These days, he’s the tomato sofrito. Quimson is happy to
I table and an episode of Top Chef.

In Manila, a handful of high-end
establishments are offering gourmands
executive chef of upscale carinderia
Petra & Pilar and the gastronomic
muscle behind its reservations-only
take directions, or alternatively, to let
his creative juices’ flow. Whatever you
choose, remember not to skip dessert—
“freestyle” dining, an interactive, private dining room 21. Quimson’s sticky toffee pudding, also
gastronomic free-for-all where diners Seating up to 21 people (hence its served in Petra & Pilar, is ambrosial.
say what they’re in the mood for, and name), this private function room— Petra & Pilar, ground floor, JAKA Center
chefs rustle up a meal from whatever complete with bar and butler—is Building, Export Ave. (corner of 2111 Chino
ingredients are on hand. available for everything from family Roces Ave.), Makati; 63-2/887-5168;
An ideal antidote to jaded palates, repasts to romantic dinners for two dinner for 21, 400 pesos per person; dinner for
this adventurous way of dining also (though the smaller the headcount, the two, P3,000 per person.
gives chefs a chance to show off. Don’t higher the price). “This room gives
expect any PR on these eateries, which diners complete freedom,” explains ■ PURPLE FEET
rely purely on word-of-mouth, and proprietor Katrina Ponce Enrile. Concealed within a wine store and
don’t be afraid of getting creative. Of Under Quimson’s supervision, we deliberately lacking any signage, this
course, if you’d like something that’s supped on flat rice noodles with whimsically named spot—a nod to its
wildly off-carte, be sure to make that black-bean sauce, enlivened with garlic, grape-steeped location—feels like a
clear when booking (reservations are parmesan and tomatoes served three modern-day speakeasy for foodies.
essential). Here are T+L’s top picks. ways (chopped, whole and pureed) in a “Anything goes, so long as it’s legal,”
kind of fusion tagliatelle. We also bon-vivant chef–proprietor Marco
■ 21 enjoyed his white wine–poached Legasto says half-jokingly as he sips one
Chef Ed Quimson made his name garoupa, emerging atop potatoes of the venue’s house pours.
with Filipino-crossover dishes such as layered in a creamy soup and Blackboards list the seafood, meat
beef-caldereta paella and blue-cheese accompanied with a zingy, basil-infused and poultry du jour; resist the à la carte
Tailored Tastes
Clockwise from left:
Chef Bruce Lim’s
blue-crab and pomelo
salad at Chef’s Table;
tiramisu at Purple
Feet; a busy Lim in
the kitchen.
dishes—they exist for the uninspired. Wine pairings are easy: all bottles Phoning well in advance, we asked
Better yet, when one of the chefs from the shop are available, without a for a meal that was “fresh, fun and
comes out to greet you, ask what’s fresh corkage charge. Cheers to that. 217 zesty.” Lim didn’t disappoint, regaling
from the market, and talk you through Nicanor Garcia St. (formerly Reposo St.), us with a dazzling array of courses. All
the possibilities. Make sure you’re Bel-Air, Makati; 63-2/897-3220; dinner the dishes, made using ingredients
hungry: Legasto deploys generous for two P5,000. hand-picked by Lim at his local market,
lashings of butter and cream, the were prepared and served in ingenious
dishes are often large enough to share. ■ CHEF’S TABLE combinations: chilled carrot soup
During our visit, we gave the Cordon Bleu–trained TV chef Bruce spiked with ginger and a scallop
kitchen free rein, and were rewarded Lim prides himself on never making ceviche; rocket salad with pomelo,
with pan-fried duck breast with a the same dish twice—that is, unless cashews and crabmeat drizzled with
shoyu–tamari jus, served with someone asks for it specifically. A Ilocos vinaigrette; glass noodles topped
baby-spinach salad dressed with passionate advocate of Filipino cuisine, with soy-marinated short ribs,
raspberry-and-macadamia-nut-oil he creates bespoke menus at his private garnished with apple, grapes,
vinaigrette. We found the duck was a studio–kitchen, a setting familiar to cucumber, radish, coriander and black
tad dry but tasty, while the salad had a those who’ve seen his popular sesame; cinnamon-inflected mango
satisfying depth. Another diner Tablescapes program on the Asian Food strudel encased in light, delicately crisp
demanded nouvelle Filipino—a request Channel. Don’t be dazzled by his TV phyllo. In fact, next time we visit, we’re
that produced a traditional tamarind- credentials. Lim, who is Filipino- tempted to ask for the whole thing all
based sinigang stew enlivened with Chinese but grew up in San Francisco, over again—but then, as Lim might say
lemon zest and truffle oil. Desserts is a warmly welcoming host as well as a himself, where’s the fun in that? 1238
were more conventional, with classic remarkable talent in the kitchen. “I love Emilio Jacinto St. (corner of Kalayaan Ave.),
rib-sticking dishes like tiramisu and twisting a dish inside out to make Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati; 63/918-887-
bread-and-butter pudding. something completely new,” he says. 1277; dinner for two P4,000. ✚
insider | city scene
INDIA
Urban Utopias. In Lavasa, India—not too far
from Mumbai—one man is creating what may be
the green city of the future. By KARRIE JACOBS
NDIAN INDUSTRIALIST AJIT GULABCHAND our population would be in walking distance
I has spent the past eight years developing

a hill station, a leafy mountain retreat of
the sort that India hasn’t built since the
from one another.”
Strange that a developer from India would
look to the United States to achieve
British departed in 1947. An imposing man population density, something you’d think his
with a full head of gray hair, Gulabchand— own country had pretty much invented. But
whose Hindustan Construction Company is Gulabchand points out that the new sections
best known for the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, a of Indian cities such as Delhi tend to sprawl.
5.6-kilometer-long bridge joining Mumbai And while travelers go to India to immerse
to its western suburbs—habitually talks themselves in a culture that’s thousands of
about the fledgling city, Lavasa, in the jargon years old, India’s increasingly educated,
of New Urbanism, a planning movement prosperous young people—Gulabchand’s
C O U R T E S Y O F L AVA S A
A view of Warasgaon that has its roots in 1980’s Florida. “The target audience—tend to want livability and
Lake, in Lavasa, idea is a Transect model, where it’s very high comfort. “So the question becomes, How do
India, 210 kilometers
southeast of Mumbai, density,” he explains, using a term coined by we innovate, so that prosperity can come
above. Opposite: Miami-based architect (and New Urbanist with much less carbon?” Gulabchand is
Waterfront apartments
in the newly built town. icon) Andrés Duany. “Seventy percent of creating India’s city of the future.
He’s turned to HOK, a U.S.-based owned by the French hotel group Accor. A
architecture firm, and a string of American 60-room branch of the Indian Fortune Park FOUR MORE NEW
ECO-CITIES
consultants to conjure up a city of 200,000 Hotels chain has opened its doors, and the
near Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, first of Lavasa’s four enclaves—Dasve, a MASDAR CITY ABU DHABI,
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
that will embody pretty much every au multicolored string of Portofino-influenced
MASTER PLAN: FOSTER &
courant strategy intended to undo the bad apartments and cafés along a lakefront PARTNERS | A US$22 billion,
habits of the late 20th century. Lavasa’s promenade—nears completion. 6-square-kilometer, car-free,
carbon-neutral city and a test of
design will be based not just on the The Ekaant, a rustic 20-room lodge whether alternative energy
principles of New Urbanism but also on located in the hills above the town center, sources like solar and wind power
biomimicry, in which man-made things are is now accepting guests; the town also has — and lots of shade — can keep a
desert city cool. masdarcity.ae.
shaped using nature’s methods. a NASA-themed space camp, academy, Scheduled completion date of
Lavasa’s site, largely deforested, has been and mall in the works, as well as a branch phase one: 2013.
replanted with nearly a million trees, meant of the MGM Studios theme park with SONGDO INTERNATIONAL
to naturally replenish and maintain the both Hollywood- and Bollywood-related BUSINESS DISTRICT SOUTH
area’s water table and create the kind of attractions. “Without Bollywood it would KOREA MASTER PLAN: KOHN
PEDERSEN FOX | This 607-hectare,
shady outpost the British once cherished. It not work,” Gulabchand notes. A watersports energy-efficient waterfront
will be built with low energy consumption center will be on the banks of Lavasa’s business and residential district will
eliminate the need for garbage
and water conservation in mind. The Warasgaon Lake, with a Nick Faldo– trucks with a pneumatic
architecture will be of mixed provenance: branded golf course nearby. Apollo, an waste-transfer system and feature
the breezy vernacular of India’s Malabar Asian hospital chain, is opening a a Paris-inspired bike-lending
system. songdo.com. Scheduled
Coast, Mumbai’s social housing, and even 200-bed facility to serve the needs of completion date: 2017.
Mediterranean style. “Nothing will be a residents, plus a special clinic designed to
TREASURE ISLAND SAN
copy,” Gulabchand stresses. “It has to be an cater to medical tourists.
FRANCISCO
inspiration. Copies can look like Disneyland.” What will likely be a popular weekend MASTER PLAN: SKIDMORE,
To lure the permanent residents necessary escape for upscale Mumbai residents may OWINGS & MERRILL | The
mixed-use plan for an island in San
for a real city, Lavasa has made room for also turn out to be a draw for those of us Francisco Bay includes futuristic
educational institutions, including an outpost who live much farther away. Gulabchand high-rise towers, low-rise
of the Swiss hospitality school École suggests that Lavasa’s location makes it an residential districts, solar and wind
power, and a 8-hectare organic
Hôtelière de Lausanne and Saïd Business attractive jumping-off point into the farm. som.com. Scheduled
School, a branch of the University of ecologically significant Western Ghats completion date: within 20 years.
Oxford. Among other things, Gulabchand mountain range. Perhaps even more CHANGXINDIAN LOW CARBON
wants Lavasa to be an educational hive like important, Lavasa stands as a model for a COMMUNITY CHINA
Cambridge, Massachusetts. new kind of international city, rooted in MASTER PLAN: ARUP AND THE
BEIJING URBAN PLANNING &
But he’d also like to draw some 2 million place and local culture, but at the same time DESIGN INSTITUTE | Arup, the
tourists a year, primarily from nearby plugged into global currents of green design global engineering firm, has
mapped out several Chinese
Mumbai and Pune. By the end of 2010 the and upward mobility. ✚ eco-cities, including the
development will feature a variety of hotels, 500-hectare project in Fengtai,
including a Novotel and a Mercure, both Karrie Jacobs is a T+L (U.S.) contributing editor. near Beijing, where an
eco-industrial park is part of the
mix. arup.com. Scheduled
completion date: unknown,
pending approval.
51
F A S H I O N . . . 5 6
StylishTraveler
W
Men’s non-iron
cotton shirts by HEN IT COMES TO
Brooks Brothers.
defining the
quintessential
travel staple,
nothing beats a crisp oxford shirt.
Enter 192-year-old Brooks Brothers,
no stranger to men and women on
the go, having outfitted everyone
from Presidents Lincoln, Kennedy
and Obama to the cast of Mad Men.
After introducing a cotton-blend
version more than half a century
ago, the venerable American
institution went one better in 1997
by pioneering the wrinkle-resistant
button-down. There’s the classic
men’s Ainsley, with its two-ply
cotton, pucker-free seams, and
single-needle tailoring and an
equally versatile slim-fit women’s
style with added stretch. Wear it
with a smart blazer or untucked
over your favorite pair of jeans;
either way, you’ll look as chic at
takeoff as you will having a nightcap
in the hotel bar. —J A M E S J U N G
THE WRINKLE-FREE SHIRT

No matter how many time zones you’ve crossed, this Brooks Brothers
classic goes the distance. Photographed by NIGEL COX
stylish traveler | fashion
Natural
WONDER
The Banjaran
j H
Hotsprings
i R
Retreat in
i
Malaysia provides a pristine backdrop
for this stunning fashion shoot.
Photographed by NAT PRAKOBSANTISUK.
Styled by WEECHEE
Silk crêpe halter
dress, Miu Miu.
S
pas and wellness centers
often offer nurturing
treatments in natural
settings, but few are as
stunning as the Banjaran
Hostprings Retreat. This
five-star resort, with a
wide variety of treatments from Thailand,
Malaysia and India, is located in a 7-hect-
are valley surrounded by limestone karsts,
geothermal hot springs and natural caves,
all of which are used in harmony with the
retreat’s philosophy of natural healing.
Short- and long-term treatment programs
are offered, and the resort boasts 16 Garden
Villas set in their own tropical gardens and
nine Water Villas resting on the banks of
the hot springs, with balconies overlooking
the water. No. 1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 3,
Ipoh; 60-5/210-7777; thebanjaran.com;
three-day packages from US$900
US$900.
Cotton anorak, Mike & Chris;
bikini, Rosa Cha; fisherman’s
hat, stylist’s own.
Opposite: Halter maillot and

organdie cotton coat, Hermès.
Crêpe jumpsuit, Paul & Joe;
pony-skin sandals, Jimmy Choo.
Opposite: Pleated dress and

cloth garland necklace, T-bags;
pony-skin sandals, Jimmy Choo.
Bikini, Rosa Cha.
Opposite: Sculpted
crêpe dress, RM by
Roland Mouret.
Halter maillot, Hèrmes;
bangles, Janna Conner.
Opposite:
Silk safari shirt dress and
studded belt, Gap; maillot,
American Apparel;
bracelets, CC Skye;
sunglasses, Prada.
64
Model: Pamela Lima / Mode
Make-up: Geraldine Loy
Hair: David Shaw
Assistant: Ekkarat Ubonsri
STOCKISTS
American Apparel americanapparel.net
CC Skye ccskye.com
Gap gap.com
Hermès hermes.com
Janna Conner jannerconner.com
Jimmy Choo jimmychoo.com
Mike & Chris mikeandchris.com
Miu Miu miumiu.com
Paul & Joe paulandjoe.com
Prada prada.com
Rosa Cha rosacha.com
T-bags tbagslosangeles.com
Halter Maillot, Hermes

(hermes.com); bangles,
Janna Conner
(jannerconner.com).
65
Subscribe Now! E BEIJING’S BEST
9SSINGAPORE PATTAYA THE NEW VIB
15 COOL IDEAS 23
TOP ART FINDS IN
T MUST-VISITS Every month, more than 5
million people worldwide read
Travel + Leisure, the world’s
leading travel magazine.
NOVEMBER 2009
SOUTHEAST ASIA Travel + Leisure Southeast
*
YORK
NEWULT
YOUR IMATE Asia inspires its readers to
18
Style insider ’s travel
DOWNTOWN GUIDE
experience the world. In each
FLORES
OREE THE
EXPLOR issue, readers can find stunning
LAND OF HOBBITSS
tips • Beijing • Bali •
AND DRAGON adventures, cutting-edge style

O -KN
TO
NE ED -TO OW
K NO W HONG KONG
WHERE TO FIND and fashion, sensational hotels,
TIP S FO R TR AV EL
Singap
THE HIPPEST
PH OT OG RA PH Y THREADS innovative restaurants and
ore • Hong Kong • Flores
the lavish spas that everyone

is talking about.
• Pattaya • New York
The magazine is an
• Rioja
NIKOI
indispensible guide to
ISLAND: Southeast Asia. And with other
Quick break guiddee
Q
award-winning features
NOVE MBER 2009
+
travelan dleisure sea.com
SINGAPORE SG$6.90
O HONG KONG HK$39
THAILAND THB160 OINDONES

O
MALAYSIA MYR15 O VIETNAM

IA IDR45,000
VND80,000
PHILIPPINES PHP220
covering destinations right
EL DEALS
MACAU MOP40 IA KHR20,000
BURMA MMK32 CAMBOD
O
C USIVE ASIA TRAV

LAK48,000
BRUNEI BND6.90 LAOS
O
EXCL across the globe, from Paris to

Patagonia, it is the must-read
for today’s cosmopolitan and
19 NEED TO KNOW NOW BORNEO
CHICAGO FINDS YOU ANTHONY BOURDAIN
CRUISING INTO
sophisticated Asian traveler.

THE HEART OF
THE JUNGLE REVEALS SINGAPORE FOOD FAVORITES
SOUTHEAST ASIA SEPTEMBER 2009

LHNMA>:LM:LB: OCTOBER 2009
Eco Green
17*
Bali
travelSPECIAL
City Guide
How four urban
centers shape up
Six of the best!
Hot new clubs,
shops, dining
100+ TIPS AND TRIPS
TO MAKE YOUR
TRAVEL GREENER
Hong Kong Rajasthan WELLNESS
In search of
Stay in these stylish ancient rhythms TIPS AND
Ko Samui city hotels for less TRIPS
23 reasons why paradise LIVE LIKE AROUND
needn’t cost the earth A CHEF! ASIA
GREEN FASHION
Macau T+L’S TOP
FOOD FINDS
FINDS IN BANGKOK, 33 must-know IN BANGKOK
TOKYO, BEIJING ideas for your
+ AUSTRALIA
next vacation
+
BEIJING
PHILIPPINES
MOSCOW AUSTRALIA
SINGAPORE CORSICA
ALASKA SHANGHAI A MEDIA TRANSASIA PUBLICATION
UNDER LICENSE FROM AMERICAN
travelandleisuresea.com travelandleisuresea.com
SINGAPORE SG$6.90 ● HONG KONG HK$39 SINGAPORE SG$6.90 O HONG KONG HK$39
THAILAND THB160 ● INDONESIA IDR45,000 THAILAND THB160 OINDONESIA IDR45,000
EXCLUSIVE: THE BEST TRAVEL DEALS ACROSS ASIA MALAYSIA MYR15 O VIETNAM VND80,000
Plus: Save with our exclusive deals

MALAYSIA MYR15 ● VIETNAM VND80,000
MACAU MOP40 ● PHILIPPINES PHP220 MACAU MOP40 O PHILIPPINES PHP220
BURMA MMK32 ● CAMBODIA KHR20,000 BURMA MMK32 O CAMBODIA KHR20,000
EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION.

BRUNEI BND6.90 ● LAOS LAK48,000 BRUNEI BND6.90 OLAOS LAK48,000
To subscribe, visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com
To subscribe visit www.TravelandLeisureAsia.com For more information e-mail info@travelandleisuresea.com Contact us at

Circulation Department, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Media Transasia (Thailand) Ltd., 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, 75/8
Soi Sukhumvit 19, Klong Toey Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
FEBRUARY 2010
EXCLUSIVE
Discover
Paradise Save!
Best Asian
Join us as we peek
spectacular new spa
New MANILA
FREESTYLE
BRAND-NEW
essential addresses
+
CAMBODIA
KOREA
30
Romantic
dream trips
THAILAND
AUSTRALIA
GOA HIPPIE HANGOUT
TURNS STYLE HOTSPOT
SINGAPORE SG$7.90 O HONG KONG HK$43
THAILAND THB175 OINDONESIA IDR50,000

MALAYSIA MYR17O VIETNAM VND85,000
MACAU MOP44 O PHILIPPINES PHP240
BURMA MMK35 O CAMBODIA KHR22,000
BRUNEI BND7.90 O LAOS LAK52,000
SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR
45% OFF
THE COVER PRICE
USING YOUR
AMERICAN EXPRESS
THE COVER CARDYOUR
PRICE USING
20% off for other cards
AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD 20% off for other cards
~ T R E N D S , C U L T U R E , F O O D A N D M O R E ~
T+L Journal
HOTELS 74
ADVENTURE 78
KOREA
Heritage
Homes
In and around Seoul,
traditional Korean
homes, hanoks, have
been resurrected as
restaurants, teahouses
and intimate inns, a
move that has
preserved a bit of the
Korean past in the
process. By NICOLAI
HARTVIG.
Photographed by
VINCENT SUNG
Rakkojae, a guest house in

Seoul that’s located in a
traditional building. Inset:
Rakkojae’s entrance.
t+l journal | preservation
ALK THE WINDING ALLEYS OF SEOUL’S
W Bukchon area and you follow in the

footsteps of the Chosun dynasty’s elite.
Today, hundreds of years later, their
hanoks—traditional Korean homes—still define this north
village on the slopes of Mount Baegak, nestled between the
imposing Gyeongbok and Changdeok palaces. Their tiled
roofs, with striking, curling eaves, roll downhill in a
residential wave.
More than ever, the historical sites of spiritual alignment
and natural harmony have become a symbol of the clash
between South Korea’s values of the present and the past.
After decades of neglect, hanoks are being rediscovered as
havens where time has slowed. Restaurants, teahouses, even
a dental clinic and a barbershop have set up in Bukchon’s
hanoks. But the driving force has been guesthouses and hotels,
preserving a heritage that has often slipped away in 50 years
of breakneck progress.
130-YEAR-OLD
R AKKOJAE IS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL SET IN
structures that were formerly Korea’s first history
academy. That was before it was closed by the Japanese
occupation forces in the mid-1930’s and split into four
separate family homes for the next half century.
Owner Ahn Young-hwan snatched the hanoks away from
developers in the late 1990’s and spent three years
disassembling them, salvaging what he could and enlisting
master hanok carpenter Young Jin-chung to rebuild them.
After years of organizing hanok stays in Andong and
Gyeongju, south of Seoul, Ahn now plans to play a more
direct role when helping others experience Korean heritage.
Within its gates, Rakkojae immediately shuts out the
cacophony of modern Seoul. Only the wind whistling
through the courtyard’s bamboo and the soothing music of
traditional Buddhist strings and drums breaks the silence.
Sometimes that wind carries the faint laughter of children
playing at the local elementary school or the ringing of a
lone bell—a garlic seller announcing his trade as he pushes
Inside the central
his wooden cart through the alleys. courtyard of Rakkojae.
At night, guests gather for traditional musical Right: Traditional pots
used to store kimchi.
performances and tea ceremonies, sitting cross-legged at low
hardwood tables on porches or around a solid stone wheel
used to mash beans. Flames lick the sides of the ondol, the
ancient Korean system that transfers heat from a central
wood-fired oven through underground tunnels into the
Within its gates, Rakkojae
manages to immediately
shut out the cacophony of
modern SEOUL
Rakkojae’s six rooms. The scent of therapeutic herbs seeps

out from a cave-like sauna and its heated clay.
Guests sleep the old-fashioned way: on the floor. “When
you slept in the traditional ondol room in winter, you almost
got burns on your body but you had ice on your nose,” says
Ahn, laughing. He has coupled his ondol with wall heaters for
the chilly months and an air conditioner for the sweltering
summer. Each room also has its own en-suite bathroom.
Bukchon’s revival has sent house prices skyrocketing in
tandem with increased government subsidies for preserving
the traditional houses. The neighborhood was decreed out
of bounds for developers in the 1970’s, but with little support
for the costly maintenance of its historic hanoks, the area
deteriorated into slums. When development was allowed in
the 1980’s, thousands of homes were demolished as South
Korean authorities trumpeted construction to boost the
country’s economy.
“The Korean people were so poor, we had nothing,” Ahn
says. “After Japanese colonial times came the Korean War
and everything was destroyed. For forty or fifty years, all
Koreans thought about was how to get away from poverty
and feed their family. There was no room to think about
culture or design, but now it’s much better than before. Now
people realize that our traditional buildings are important.”
By the time Seoul launched support programs for those
remodeling or rebuilding hanoks in the 1990’s, modern »

t+l journal | preservation
Keeping Traditions Alive Clockwise from

left: Seoul’s Bukchon neighborhood, where
you’ll find many hanoks; a well-preserved
hanok in Bukchon; a street in Bukchon.
‘We try not to

overcome
NATURE, we
just borrow from it’ apartment living had become a
symbol of modern prosperity. Even
today, South Koreans will proudly
drop the brand of their
apartment—typically Samsung,
Hyundai or Doosan—into conversation. The rudimentary
hanoks, usually with separate outdoor bathrooms, were seen
as humiliating relics. Hanoks were traditionally custom-built
by highly skilled carpenters who inherited the craft from
their fathers or apprenticeships with masters, but along with
the fading image of the hanok, their numbers have dwindled.
“No one was building traditional houses, so the only way
carpenters could survive was to build a temple. There
weren’t many carpenters around and the labor cost was very
high,” Ahn says as the sound of a drill pierces the quiet from
the property next door, a reminder that outside Rakkojae’s
walls, South Korea is still largely under construction.
Nowadays, there are several private schools teaching hanok-
building. Modern materials have extended the hanok lifespan
beyond its typical 100 years, with better roof tiles protecting
against summer monsoon rains and the winter freeze. At
Rakkojae, the old tiles now sit decoratively on the wall
surrounding the garden, beside large clay pots traditionally
used to store kimchi.
Ahn says he’d like to start a hanok school himself and if the
students produce materials that are 95 percent finished, he
can hire a master carpenter for the final touches and reduce
overall costs by about a third. Ahn argues that the lower cost
would encourage more people to build in the old style.
KTX, A HIGH-SPEED TRAIN, ROARS THROUGH A in Seoul, only she returned to live with her parents at
T HE
landscape of verdant rolling hills and bright yellow
cornfields on its way from Seoul to the southeastern historic
Sundosanbang, caring for them to fulfill a traditional family
obligation in Korean society.
city of Gyeongju, the seat of the Shilla dynasty for more The guesthouse allows Ryong to get a taste of the world,
than a thousand years. It’s now a vast open-air collection of mainly Europe, from which most of her guests hail. Her
Buddhist temples and royal burial mounds. Elderly men and 13-year-old son dreams of studying in the United States and
women work the fields or tend to small cabbage patches her daughter has just traveled the Silk Road, across India
outside their hanoks—some dilapidated, some liberally and Tibet, to broaden her understanding of Buddhist
modernized with bricks and blue and orange-tiled roofs. painting. It has been more difficult for 60-year-old Ryong,
Many hanoks appear to be abandoned cattle farms, torn who grew up in South Korea’s post-war poverty. “Our
asunder by time and the elements. In the distance, the generation was not free to go out into the world,” she says.
ubiquitous concrete apartment blocks spring out of nowhere. “It’s still not easy. But I keep this home and everyone instead
South Korea’s only five-star hanok retreat, Ragung, sits at comes to me.”
the edge of a purpose-built resort valley at the Bomun Lake Outside, a path winds past a koi pond, a little pagoda and
outside Gyeongju, where the preservation of Korean dozens of plants and flowers that draw butterflies and bees in
heritage has openly met the profit margins of the modern the afternoon sun. The garden was imagined by Ryong’s late
corporation. The construction and development of its 16 father and designed by her eldest brother, an architect.
expansive rooms in 2007 brought together 80 carpenters and “We try not to overcome nature, we just borrow from it,”
other professionals for the largest hanok project since the explains Ahn, Rakkojae’s owner, in Seoul. “The Chinese will
restoration of Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. put a big mountain or a big pond in the garden. The
The Ragung developers were also, arguably, the first to do Japanese will use miniatures. We still have a way of doing it,
what Rakkojae’s owner Ahn is also contemplating—using it’s not just wild, but we don’t do too much. We don’t want to
generic, instead of custom-made, wood beams and other fight with nature. Lower the walls so you can see the
materials to cut costs and construction time, to the disdain of mountains and the river, that’s our gardening.”
hanok purists. It made for a hotel that’s more consistently Ryong’s father and brother were stern traditionalists so
aesthetic, but also unabashedly modern, with large glass Sundosanbang has been preserved, with some difficulty,
windows stretching from the floor to it’s 10-meter high using only traditional materials. A certain familiar rustic
ceilings. Its hot spring spa is clad in luxurious marble. odor of old, dark wood pervades each room. Bathrooms are
Unlike most traditional guesthouses, Ragung’s rooms are separate from the house, with modern tiling and showers—
furnished with ornate beds. Most are in a L-shaped building and the few meters’ walk becomes difficult on cold winter
that overlooks a valley and opens onto a pond, which is fed nights, Ryong says. Her family split the guesthouse from a
by a vanishing horizon stream that trickles from Ragung. neighboring property, where another hanok in disrepair is
Three brown-and-white hanoks are set nearby on the slope of beyond the garden wall.
Mount Unjesan, against a concert of crickets and streams “We have to recognize that we have something good and
flowing through mountainside reeds. then keep it,” Ryong says of the dwindling number of hanoks
in South Korea and the heritage lost. “I know that through
EAR THE OUTER EDGE OF MODERN-DAY GYEONGJU, my father and mother.” ✚
N roses crown a green gate that’s always open to visitors
to Sundosanbang. Artist Park Seo-jin waters the plants on
the porch of the hanok guesthouse while his wife, Lee Ryong, GUIDE TO KOREA’S HANOKS
ensures that all the rice-paper windows are open, as is
WHERE TO STAY A guest room in Rakkojae.
customary during the day, through all four seasons. Rakkojae Book the Master
The 100-year-old Sundosanbang has been the home of Bedroom 1, which boasts a
natural jade floor. 98 Gye-dong,
Lee’s family for the past 50 years in the ragtag residential Jongno-gu, Seoul; 82-10/7387-
neighborhood of old two-story prefab buildings and red- 4004; rkj.co.kr; doubles from
bricks. Ryong’s grown daughter practices Buddhist art and KRW250,000.
her intricate paintings—along with the thick, black strokes of Ragung Book a Royal Suite.
Seo-jin’s calligraphy—adorn the walls of the three guest 719-70 Shinpyeong-dong,
Gyeongju City,
rooms. A folk painting in one room depicts turtles and deer
Gyeongsangbuk-do;
serene on a mountain, a wish for long life that Ryong painted 82-54/778-2000; smpark.co.kr;
for her 90-year-old mother, who also shares the home. doubles from KRW300,000. Seonggeon-dong, Gyeongju City,
Gyeongsangbuk-do;
Ryong is a woman with soft features, a calm voice and Sundosanbang Book the 82-54/772-3123; sundosanbang.
dignified gray hair. Among seven siblings who went to study An-bang room. 193 com; doubles from KRW40,000.

t+l journal | hotels
The Royal
Hawaiian hotel,
on Waikiki
U.S.A. Beach, below.
Inset: A vintage
postcard of the
“Pink Palace.”
Hawaii, Revisited
Two historic hotels—the Big Island’s Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the Royal
Hawaiian, on Waikiki Beach—are fresh from extensive, yet subtle renovations that
promise to return them to their former glory and attract a new generation of high
flyers. By MARIA SHOLLENBARGER. Photographed by JESSICA SCHWARTZBERG
Big Island Revival Clockwise from top left: The Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill–designed Mauna Kea Beach Hotel; misoyaki butterfish with gobo, bok
choy and beurre fondu at the hotel’s Manta restaurant; inside the property; the pool; a Mauna Kea guest room; Lee Updike, a hotel lifeguard.
MAUNA KEA BEACH HOTEL | Kohala Coast, Big Island Skidmore, Owings & Merrill—who erected in 1965 a series
When I was growing up in Los Angeles, my parents would of dynamic horizontal spaces, stacked one atop the other,
regularly decamp, sans kids, to the Mauna Kea. It was the almost entirely unencumbered by walls to fully exploit views
first place they’d saved pennies to stay at as newlyweds, and it of the opalescent Pacific. To this buzz-generating building
hosted them for much-needed escapes in the following Rockefeller bequeathed a museum-quality collection of
decades. They’d come back sun-burnished, rejuvenated and Oceanic and Asian art, ranging from wooden Melanesian
bearing the hotel’s signature navy-and-white yukata for my sculptures to life-size gilded images of Buddha, which were
brother and me to wear as bathrobes. By the time I was 13, I scattered about in the open-air, tiled corridors.
had ascribed to the place an enormous mystique: What was Cut to 2005: the Mauna Kea had lost much of its
this magical hotel that returned my mom and dad to me cachet—aged to a comfortable, but not chic, family resort.
looking, without fail, just a little bit like movie stars? Prince Resorts, which acquired the hotel in the 80’s, wasn’t
They weren’t the only people in the 1970’s on whom the oblivious to the hotel’s faded interiors, and when an
magic rubbed off; the Mauna Kea was then the ne plus ultra earthquake damaged the property in October 2006,
of Hawaiian glamour and one of the top hotels in the world. management took advantage of the closure to stage a
Laurance Rockefeller, the founder of RockResorts, 15-month, US$150 million renovation.
handpicked the site, overlooking the ivory crescent of The results are subtle, and near pitch-perfect. The original
Kaunaoa Beach on the then-pristine Kohala Coast; and he 310 rooms and suites in the main building have been
handpicked the architect—one Edward Charles Bassett of reduced to 258, layouts revised and enlarged. »
t+l journal | hotels
Waikiki Legend Clockwise from top left: A view of Waikiki Beach from the Royal Hawaiian hotel; cocktail hour at the hotel’s Mai Tai Bar; the
restored Coconut Lanai; a guest room; looking onto the pool; veal cheek ravioli with foie gras and quail egg from Azure restaurant.
Understatement prevails—there are white-tile floors, white locally influenced menu that’s heavy on excellent raw-bar
ceramic lamps and light fixtures, abstract and ethnic fabrics offerings (with attendant prices); but its outdoor tables are
that reference Rockefeller’s collections, and teak headboards. positioned, as ever, for prime viewing of the mantas that feed
The rooms also have ingenious compartmentalized teak wall at night below the terrace. And the beachside Hau Tree bar
units that slide closed to conceal 42-inch flat-screen TV’s (a still serves the Ovaltine Froth milk shake—the singular
concession to old-timers scandalized by the addition of deliciousness of which merits 45 years on a menu. Mauna Kea
televisions after all these years; the slick iPod alarm clocks Beach Hotel, Kohala Coast; 1-808/882-7222; maunakeabeachhotel.
and digital phones can’t have pleased them much, either). com; doubles from US$450.
Ocean-facing doubles acquired extra lanais, which are
allocated to their bathrooms—white-on-white havens with ROYAL HAWAIIAN | Waikiki Beach, Oahu
deep soaking tubs and open rain showers. What could read “It’s little,” says the girl playing in the sand next to me,
as generic décor on first viewing soon reveals itself to be of studying the rosy dimensions of the six-story Royal
exceptional quality (materials are all top-of-the-line and Hawaiian. Well, not really—it has 529 rooms, two
formidably expensive)—and, in its aggregate aesthetic, to restaurants, a spa and a lobby shopping arcade that could
make subtle nods to both the building’s Midcentury heritage accommodate a soccer match—but I see what she means:
and the hotel’s Asian-influenced ethos. viewed from the beach, the Pink Palace, as it’s also called, is
A small but lovely spa, managed by Bali-based Mandara, so dwarfed by the towering forest of glass and steel bristling
has been built in the former members’ club room. The up around it as to evoke a generalized nostalgia for some
restaurant, Manta, has a new display kitchen and a refined, Gilded Era of Waikiki Beach Past.
Lush Life Grilled chicken salad with a Fredrico’s cocktail — which consists of rum, Jack Daniel’s and fruit juice — from Mauna Kea’s Hau Tree
restaurant, above left. Right: An outrigger canoe awaits the adventurous and physically fit on Waikiki Beach near the Royal Hawaiian hotel.
The Royal Hawaiian was constructed in 1927, 32 years The rooms strike a balance of traditional island-ethnic
before Hawaii achieved statehood, and has a guest roster and modern references without sliding into either kitsch or
that reads like a roll call of America’s rich, famous, and blandness. The regular appearance of a metallic pineapple
Pennsylvania Avenue–dwelling. It’s the home of the mai tai print on a poppy-pink background (on the walls and as
(first perfected at the hotel bar of the same name) and sits on upholstery), admittedly dubious-sounding on paper, is in the
the prime stretch of America’s most famous beach: wide, event a quite charming, David Hicks–ian conceit. Some
quiet, perfect for outrigger and longboard approaches. junior suites are hampered by small bathrooms, a holdover
But Honolulu has grown up, and as the Kahala and the from original construction—how did Henry Ford/Douglas
Halekulani and even the sleek new Trump International Fairbanks/the Shah of Iran countenance such cramped
Hotel Beach Walk arrived, it became increasingly clear that quarters?—though the designers have done an admirable job
the green shag in the guest rooms wasn’t cutting it. So of dressing them up with modern marble touches and
Starwood hotels (whose Luxury Collection division reflagged state-of-the-art fixtures.
the Royal Hawaiian in January) set itself the task of recasting Then there’s the knockout restaurant, Azure, which merits
all that venerable history in a vibrant 21st-century light. a visit regardless of where in town you stay—preferably after
The shag has disappeared; the sleeked-up Mai Tai Bar now dark, when the enormous suspended Moroccan lanterns are
serves a killer ahi sashimi salad. The building’s lit, their light flickering off the coffered white ceilings. The
Spanish-Moorish good looks (that hibiscus-pink paint job says room is well and truly chic (not just chic “for Hawaii”), and
aloha, but the vernacular is pure Rodeo Drive) have been chef Jon Matsubara has a masterful hand with the seafood,
exploited to their best effect. The wide lanai facing the storied which comes straight from the fish auction building at Pier
Coconut Grove, sectioned off from the main lobby decades 38. If your tastes hew more toward pig, order the sublime
ago, has been refurbished and reopened to the building. Now, baby back ribs in a Kona coffee marinade. They’re the
guests are welcomed with an unbroken view from the hotel’s familiar, made sophisticated and satisfying with a studied twist
porte cochère entrance past massive pink columns all the way of good taste. The new Hawaii, really. Royal Hawaiian, a
to those sun-dappled coconut palms, which you can see from Luxury Collection Resort; 2259 Kalakaua Ave.; 1-808/923-7311;
the polished koa check-in desks. Around the corner from the royal-hawaiian.com; doubles from US$560.
grove, billowing white cabanas set among gardens house the
new Abhasa Spa’s alfresco massage suites. Maria Shollenbarger is the T+L (U.S.) Europe and U.K. editor. ✚
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M| F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 0 77
t+l journal | adventure
The lodge and cottages at
Little Kulala, a retreat in
the Namib Desert.
NAMIBIA
Desert Lodges
Namibia’s wilderness—a land of volcanic mountains and epic dunes—it’s also the
backdrop for a growing number of stylish hideaways. By RICHARD ALLEMAN
adventure-travel company Wilderness Safaris acquired a
N
AMIBIA OFFICIALLY CAME ON THE RADAR A
few years ago, when Angelina Jolie and 36,000-hectare spread adjacent to the colossal Sossusvlei
Brad Pitt stayed at a beach resort here sand dunes to create the Kulala Wilderness Reserve. Today,
while awaiting the birth of their third this private park contains three small lodges. The newest is
child. But this southern African country the Little Kulala (wilderness-safaris.com; doubles from US$900,
has been quietly coming into its own for more than a decade all-inclusive), with 11 distinctive cement, wood and glass
now. In addition to spectacular landscapes—vast deserts with thatched-roof villas. Each has a grand deck with a plunge
300-meter sand dunes and a coastline strewn with bleached pool; a rooftop terrace with “sky beds” for stargazing; and a
whale bones and ancient shipwrecks—Namibia has some of minimalist studio with a platform bed, bleached plank floors,
the biggest yet least known game parks in Africa. It also has and leather shag throw rugs.
one of the continent’s smallest populations, highest literacy Bouncing across the sand on one of the guided desert
rates and most stable democracies. Tourism here is low-key: drives, you’ll encounter giant dragonflies, springbok, spotted
the emphasis is on small, well-designed, environmentally hyena, gemsbok with long elegant horns and camel thorn
sensitive lodges in remote areas of the country. From a trees hung with the monster nests of the sociable weaver
tented resort in the desert to a casbah-style fort on a (these avian apartment buildings can hold several hundred
zebra-filled reserve, these seven places are worth the trek. birds and last for up to a hundred years). Equally intriguing
DANA ALLEN
are the mysterious circles of grass, some as large as 10 meters

NAMIB DESERT The Namib runs for 1,900 kilometers in diameter; there are many theories as to their origins, from
along the entire Atlantic coast of the country. A decade ago, termites to static electricity. »
Desert Style From top: A private plunge pool at Little Ongava, a luxurious lodge in northern Namibia’s 23,300-square-kilometer Etosha National
Park that’s home to zebras and rhinos; a table is set for dinner at Little Ongava, which is decorated with art and artifacts from across Africa.
F R O M T O P : D A N A A L L E N ; C O U R T E S Y O F L I T T L E O N G AVA
Out of Africa From above: A view from Serra Cafema Camp of the Kunene River, which divides Namibia and Angola — the region is home to the
nomadic Himba people; inside one of the 11 villas at Little Kulala, each of which has a plunge pool and rooftop terrace for the sweeping views.
FROM TOP: DANA ALLEN; MIKE MYERS
One of the private decks in a chalet at Serra Cafema.
The main attractions, however, are the great Sossusvlei

dunes, with their distinctive salmon color and sharp
edges; they resemble colossal pyramids. Of the hundreds
of dunes, a few are standouts, like Big Daddy, which
measures almost 300 meters, and Number 45, where
climbing up (and body-sliding down) are permitted.
KAOKOLAND Greener than the Namib, Kaokoland, in

Namibia’s northwest corner, is a tableau of dales framed
by volcanic mountains. The region is home to many
Himba, a nomadic people numbering 12,000 who are
scattered throughout northwestern Namibia and
southern Angola. The women are especially striking, with
elaborately braided dreadlocks and glistening red skin (a
special paste protects them from the sun). At the Serra
Cafema Camp (wilderness-safaris.com; doubles from US$813,
all-inclusive), the main lodge sits on stilts in an oasis of
green albida trees above the Kunene River, which
separates Namibia and Angola. The eight loft-like chalets
are filled with carved Nguni furniture, and in the
bathrooms, copper basins are mounted on log pedestals.
The food is sophisticated—especially the candlelit
dinners, which might include fish en papillote followed by a
decadently rich chocolate mousse. Take a hike with
Franco Morao, who will point out goliath herons and
fresh sets of long, smooth crocodile tracks. He’s also good
at spotting small creatures, such as pairs of toktokkie
beetles, the males piggybacking on the females to shade
them while they forage for food.
NAMIBRAND NATURE RESERVE About a

half-hour’s flight south of the Sossusvlei dunes is the
180,000-hectare NamibRand Nature Reserve, another
private conservation project, begun in the 1980’s by
DANA ALLEN (2)
Namibian environmentalist Albi Bruckner, who

transformed this area of low rolling dunes and tall
grass from sheep farms into a group of small lodges »
A pool and cabana with a spectacular view at Little Ongava, left. A glimpse inside one of Little Ongava’s well-appointed cottages, right.
known as the Wolwedans Collection. The Dunes Lodge inclusive) opened on the southern edge of Etosha National
(264-61/230-616; wolwedans-namibia.com; doubles from US$750, Park. This exotic structure—tall, thick walls; massive
all-inclusive) is a string of 10 wood-and-canvas cottages linked studded doors; multiple patios; secret staircases—sits on the
by walkways; the pool is shaded by a sailcloth awning. For edge of a large watering hole. The Fort is the latest addition
minimal impact on the environment, the entire camp was to the Onguma Safari Camps, a collection of lodges in the
designed using only wood and canvas. Wolwedans is known private 20,000-hectare slice of Etosha known as the
for the quality of its restaurants: the chefs are locals who Onguma Game Reserve.
have been trained at the company’s culinary school in the The rustic cottages at The Fort exude casbah-cool: North
capital, Windhoek. The biggest news in this part of the African chandeliers, tadlakt floors and brass-tray bedside
desert is Wolwedans’s Boulders Safari Camp (wolwedans- tables. The bathrooms are housed in octagonal towers with
namibia.com; doubles from US$950, all-inclusive), a remote high ceilings, Philippe Starck and Oxo fixtures, and tall
compound of four luxury tents set between gigantic granite freestanding mirrors in distressed frames.
boulders. Days here are spent hiking or on scenic drives; at In addition to game drives in the private reserve, the Fort
sunset, cocktails are served atop the highest ridge. takes guests to the main Etosha game park. The toll-plaza
entrance and private cars are a bit of a disappointment, but
ONGAVA GAME RESERVE This 30,000-hectare private the game is another story. On a four-hour excursion, you can
enclave comprises the south-central edge of northern expect to see giraffes, elephants, wildebeests, steenbok,
Namibia’s 23,300-square-kilometer Etosha National Park. leopard tortoises, monitor lizards and the occasional lion.
Here, one of the country’s most luxurious compounds, the Evenings back at The Fort are magical, with the deck lit by
three-cottage Little Ongava (wilderness-safaris.com; doubles from Moroccan lanterns and sconces. Out at the floodlit watering
US$1,996, all-inclusive), sits on a hillside of pockmarked hole, you can watch zebra assemble at sunset. Onguma, it
boulders and giant cacti. The infinity pools almost make the turns out, means “the place you don’t want to leave.” ✚
property seem too glamorous for its setting. The interior
design has made extensive use of African artists’ work: masks
from Burkina Faso; wooden bowls from Zambia; Ethiopian
GETTING THERE
trays; Congolese wall hangings; and Namibian paintings. Etosha National ANGOLA All of the lodges mentioned
The ultimate prize of Little Ongava, however, lies out in KAOKOLAND Park N in the story will help you
Onguma Game
Reserve arrange air transfers from
the bush, where you are likely to see herds of zebra grazing
Na
Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako

mi
Ongava Game Reserve

bD
peacefully and packs of surprisingly shy 3,600-kilogram International Airport.

e
NAMIBIA
se
white rhinos. If you’re lucky, your guide will be Rosie, a Alternatively, book your trip
rt
Windhoek
through a seasoned travel
jocular Namibian who’s the country’s first female big-game Kulala Wilderness BOTSWANA agent. Trusted outfitters such
Reserve
guide. Little Ongava’s sister property, the nearby 14-room NamibRand
Nature
as U.S.–based Uncharted
Sou
Reserve Outposts (unchartedoutposts.

Ongava Lodge (wilderness-safaris.com; doubles from US$1,022,
th
com), South Africa–based

At
all-inclusive), is a less expensive alternative.

DANA ALLEN (2)
Rhino Africa Safaris

la
nt
(rhinoafrica.com) and
ic
Oc
ea
n
SOUTH Abercrombie & Kent
ONGUMA RESERVE In 2007, The Fort at Fisher’s Pan AFRICA (abercrombiekent.com) can
0 241 km
(264-61/232-009; onguma.com; doubles from US$780, all- also help arrange your itinerary.
(T+L)02.10
UNCOVERING THE ROMANTIC SIDE TO SOHO. PHOTOGRAPHED BY PAUL COSTELLO
86 Four THAI spas to revive your life

96 TAKE the open road to New Zealand
106 Going for the GLAM on a visit to Goa
116 30 dream trips to rekindle ROMANCE
85
If you’ve heard any of these
remote Thai islands, you’re one
step ahead of the sun-seeking
crowd, writes STUART MCDONALD.
Better still, there’s likely a secluded
spot for you on the beach
Inside Chiva-Som, a famed
health resort in Hua Hin.
Opposite: The sun sets
along the pier at Six Senses
Destination Spa Phuket.
“UNPLUG
NOW. UNPLUG
FROM THE
OUTSIDE.”
So comes the murmur from massage therapist Victor
Quemuel as he drops a heated towel on my forehead.
Victor exudes the comforting air of a father crooning his
baby to sleep. Eyes closed, cocooned under a fluffy layer of
thick white toweling, all I can sense is the lilting melody of
Indian flute music in the cool, darkened room that shuts
out the blazing island sun. I’m having the Maharlika treat-
ment, a therapy unique to the Six Senses Destination Spa
Phuket on Naka Island. Victor is unplugging my pores with
a piece of string using a special technique that derives from
ancient Filipino helot healing traditions. On a deeper level,
his instruction to unplug myself is a guidance to detach my
mind from the worries, thoughts and emotional tensions
that normally occupy a person’s head. A vigorous reflexol-
ogy massage on neck, shoulders, arms and hands relieves
knotted muscles tense from long hours—no, make that
years—hunched over a computer.
Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket is the latest offering
in a spate of award-winning destination healing resorts that
are putting Thailand on the map as the place for wellness
seekers in search of a health holiday. Already known as a
medical tourism hub where travelers can easily combine
surgery, check-ups or dental work during their holiday,
Thailand is drawing a new type of wellness traveler looking
for more alternative and preventative holidays.
While the word “spa” evokes flowery images of massages
and facials, a destination spa goes far beyond body pam-
pering; massages are only one aspect of the total holistic
overhaul that one undergoes in the course of a wellness
retreat. Call them destination spas, wellness sanctuaries,
health resorts or holistic retreats, these establishments aim
specifically to provide a totally integrated holistic experi-
ence designed to achieve rejuvenation of the mind and
body. The core of a destination wellness experience is the
holistic health program that is custom-tailored for each »
Healthy Living Clockwise from

top left: A guest room at Six
Senses; bicycles are available
for guests at Six Senses; healthy
fare at Kamalaya resort, on
Samui; a pool at Kamalaya;
Chiva-Som’s spa rooms; Chiva-
Som’s restaurant.
88
WHILE THE WORD ‘SPA’ EVOKES FLOWERY IMAGES OF MASSAGES AND
FACIALS, A DESTINATION SPA GOES FAR BEYOND BODY PAMPERING
guest based on their individual needs, with the on-site well- “Often successful people lose the connection to other humans
ness center being the nucleus of operations. Each stay starts because everyone is their subordinate. At Kamalaya we
with a detailed health and lifestyle questionnaire that’s sev- sometimes have celebrity guests, but here everyone can be
eral pages long, which is then used to design an individually their normal human self. People can connect to each other as
tailored program consisting of health consultations, daily humans without the façade, so they relax and can reconnect
massages, nutritional counseling, detox cuisine, exercise, to others as well as themselves as individuals.”
personal trainers, physiotherapists, naturopathy, ayurvedic A relaxed camaraderie is evident among the guests, staff
doctors, traditional Chinese medicine doctors, acupuncture, and spa therapists. A sense of common goals creates a power-
energy healing, and spiritual and emotional counseling—all ful community spirit that doesn’t exist on a normal resort hol-
set on a beautiful beach or in a lush garden. The objective iday. Seventy percent of Kamalaya’s guests come alone, away
is to heal the whole being from the inside out, not through from distracting partners and family members, choosing one
medical treatment or body pampering. of the many one- to three-week wellness programs on offer,
“In this age, more than ever, people have access to more but find themselves bonding easily over shared experiences
money, more toys, gadgets, entertainment, movies, every- and common goals. At the cliff-top plunge pool overlooking
thing all at once,” says Marc-Antoine Cornaz, managing the sea, a couple of bond traders from London exchange tales
director of Kamalaya Koh Samui, an acclaimed wellness of career burnout with an exhausted airline pilot. They’re
resort. “Everything is so easily and instantly accessible now, clearly at the start of their stay. At the other end of the spec-
especially material goods. More people have all these things, trum, I am enjoying my delicious dinner of baked snow fish
then wonder why they still aren’t happy.” Cornaz goes on to and watercress while listening to two ladies share their expe-
say that most of the guests who stay at Kamalaya are looking riences of meditation and past-life regression over herbal tea
for something more meaningful. “They just want to de-stress sweetened with stevia, a herbal sugar substitute. Clad in float-
or get healthy—but in the process they stumble across some- ing white tunics, the kind worn in ashrams, these are clearly
thing deeper.” retreat veterans. The next day I’m bemused to discover that
Good Vibes From left: That “something deeper” often both ladies are international investment bankers, one from
The beach at Six Senses; a
hearty salad at Kamalaya; marks the initial baby steps that Hong Kong, the other from Sydney, who are much happier
the pagodas at the lead people on a longer journey here under the coconut trees than in their black power suits
Mandarin Oriental Dhara
Dhevi, in Chiang Mai. of self-awareness. “In daily life conducting conference calls. One of them keeps extending
Opposite: A path through what people miss these days is the her stay and is even considering a career move from finance
the rice fields at the
Mandarin Oriental. human connection,” says Cornaz. to the wellness industry. »
90
The ornate décor at the
Mandarin Oriental Dhara
Dhevi. Clockwise from right:
Good-for-you offerings at the
Mandarin Oriental; outside
Chiva-Som; a staff member
at Six Senses; a sauna room
at Chiva-Som; soothing
sounds at Chiva-Som.
NORTHERN THAILAND, THE
I
N THE SERENE HILLS OF
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, though not an
actual destination spa, features magnificent spa
facilities including an ayurvedic wing, a temple-
like watsu pavilion, Turkish hammam and rassoul steam
rooms, and a building housing luxury spa suite accommo-
dations, all contained within a majestic complex modeled
after the royal palace of Mandalay. To make the most of
its stunning facilities, the resort offers a series of intensive
week-long wellness programs, with varying themes such as
yoga, life coaching and holistic workshops.
While yoga and health food are to be expected, what is
surprising is the level of emotional healing that can result
from these retreats. Among the Mandarin Oriental Chiang
Mai’s spa offerings is the award-winning Inner Flow
Therapy, a gentle water treatment created by resident spe-
cialist Raphael Sadowski that is practiced in warm water
using the combined techniques of watsu, water dance, heal-
ing dance and yoga. My own experience with this resulted
in a burst of uncontrollable sobbing, which Raphael
explained were repressed emotions being released due to a
state of complete relaxation; often, back pain is the physical
manifestation of feelings of fear and sadness that we hold
in by tensing the lower back. By relaxing the spine, this
treatment allows the body’s energy to flow naturally, thus
releasing trapped emotions. Other guests have experienced
tears or states of extreme euphoria after this treatment. The
program includes spiritual exercises in the resort’s temple,
and basic reflexology classes teaching simple techniques
guests can practice at home.
At world-renowned Chiva-Som International Health
Resort, located at the beach resort of Hua Hin, “the most
popular programs here are weight loss and detox,” says
wellness director Jeff Nieuwenhuizen, “because they offer
the most immediate and practical goal. Our most popular
activities are sessions with personal trainers and aqua aero-
bics class.” The longer guests stay, sometimes for months,
the more they explore other holistic classes. “This leads to
changes in both their habits and attitudes about how they
approach wellness.”
With its fame as a world-class resort and celebrity health
center—Elle McPherson, Elizabeth Hurley, David and
Victoria Beckham are some of the famous who come
here—occupancy is always high but you would never
know it from the hushed stillness of its deserted grounds.
Even on the sunniest days the swimming pool is deserted.
Everybody is sequestered inside the spa, a labyrinth of »
93
AT SIX SENSES, A HILLTOP RESTAURANT SERVES NUTRITIOUS,
HIGH-ENERGY RAW FOOD ALONG WITH THE RESORT'S SEA VIEW
air-conditioned treatment rooms stretching underground. Jungle Gym, set in a beachside banana grove using rocks
It’s only at mealtimes that you come face-to-face with other and tree trunks for strength training. The sprawling spa
guests at the buffet serving fat-free, oil-free, butterless, sug- complex is cleverly divided into Thai, Chinese, Indian and
arless salads and soups. Portions are miniscule, intended to Indonesian sections spread across a garden traversed by
make you lose weight, whether you want to or not. picturesque stepping stones, wooden walkways, lotus ponds
Most guests want to. I’m enjoying Hua Hin’s pinky- and bamboo groves. A hilltop restaurant serves nutritious,
blue sunset on Chiva-Som’s beach terrace while chugging high-energy raw food along with the sea view, while the
lattes with Abdul Aziz Al Zabin, a cheerful businessman beachside restaurant serves crystal-infused healing water.
from Kuwait who combines his latte with inhalations of Menus outline calorie counts while signs around the prop-
Marlboro Reds. He enjoys life too much, which is why he’s erty indicate the calories used to walk from one point to
here to work it off. He’s already lost 12 kilos in three weeks another. Every guest is supplied with a bicycle for both
and has another month and many more kilos to go. “I’ve transportation and exercise.
been taking photos of myself every week,” he says, patting Judging from a scan of the pool, many of the Six Senses
his ample tummy. “I’m thinking of starting a website show- guests seem rather healthy regardless of their age. I’m
ing my progress for my family and friends, what do you examining a large wooden sign displaying a coconut bra
think?” He’s also trying hypnotherapy to stop smoking. forbidding topless sunbathing when an English lady in her
Another guest from Italy is staying three months, on his late 50’s walks by in a pink bikini. She looks amazingly fit
second stay here. On his first stay of two months he shed 24 for someone who’s no stranger to childbirth—she’s travel-
kilos but gained 27 kilos after returning home. This time ing with her 34-year-old daughter. Clearly destination spas
he’s brought his personal chef and masseuse and sent them aren’t just for those in a crisis.
to learn low-fat cooking and massage at the Chiva-Som At their best, wellness retreats can trigger a whole new
Academy in Bangkok while he’s working the weight off approach to life. “I came to Kamalaya for three nights
again. Guests often find they struggle to keep their weight expecting a hotel with some massages and yoga,” says Bob
down once they return home. It’s also worth noting that Peters, a party-loving London executive whose typical
many doctors advise against rapid weight loss, which can holiday involves extreme adventure, like the jungle survival
lead to a host of medical problems. course he’s doing in South America the following month.
“But I’m completely amazed by the personalized health
SENSES DESTINATION SPA PHUKET ENCOURAGES assessments and the level of counseling I’m getting here.
S

IX
guests to take a self-empowering approach to It’s not just technical fitness and exercise. They give you
health. “Our key focus is that we get people to take the freedom to open up about your emotions too. It’s about
responsibility for their own well-being,” says Bryan total well-being.”
Hoare, the spa’s director of wellness. “When guests arrive Would he come back again?
we ask them to define their wellness goals and sign a con- “Definitely! I wish I were staying longer.” ✚
tract with themselves, so that they are actually making a
commitment to themselves, rather than making their well-
ness someone else’s responsibility.” A typical contract might
outline a desire to lose weight or stop smoking or exercise
daily. “At the same time,” says Hoare, “guests aren’t forced GUIDE TO WELLNESS IN THAILAND
to do anything they don’t want to do. They can just have a Chiva-Som International Mandarin Oriental Dhara
relaxing beach holiday. But there is an entire support sys- Health Resort 73/4 Dhevi 51/4 Chiang Mai-
Petchkasem Rd., Hua Hin; Sankampaeng Rd., Chiang
tem here to encourage them.” 66-32/536-536; chivasom. Mai; 66-53/888-888; manda-
Launched just a year ago, Six Senses Destination com; doubles from Bt17,000 per rinoriental.com; doubles from
Spa’s holistic offerings have yet to reach the range and person per night for a minimum Bt15,499.
three-night stay.
depth available at older establishments like Chiva-Som Six Senses Destination
or Kamalaya. But the foundation is well in place, with Kamalaya Koh Samui 102/9 Spa Phuket 32 Moo 5, Tambol
Moo 3, Laem Set Rd., Ko Samui; Paklok, Naka Island, Phuket;
a creative approach to wellness adding a quirky charm. 66-77/429-800; kamalaya.com; 66-76/371-400; sixsenses.com;
Personal training sessions take place at the Jurassic-style doubles from Bt7,900. doubles from Bt37,800.
94
Getting a
traditional Thai
massage at
Kamalaya.
WELCOME TO
NEWZESand dunes, surf towns and an ever-expanding circle of fast friends:

oysters are plentiful, the road is wide open and everyone has a story
96
From far left: Rue Lavaud, in the town of Akaroa; Te Matuku oysters at Martin Bosley’s Restaurant, in Wellington; a
view of the harbor on the way to Akaroa, a former French settlement on New Zealand’s South Island.
ALAND
ADAM SACHS tours the far reaches of New Zealand, where the
to share. Photographed by MARK ROPER
97
“You can get tuatuas here,”
Anne Moore says, brightly.
“A tuatua,” she adds by way of explanation, “is like a pipi Looking to explore these connections, I devised a kind of
but not as big as a toheroa.” travel challenge for myself, an experiment in serendipitous
I have no idea what she’s talking about but the sound of the social networking. What would become of me if I arrived in
words makes me happy. Tuatuas and pipis and toheroas, Anne Auckland knowing nobody and let myself be guided only by
explains, are types of mollusks. the introductions of people I met along the way? There
You dig them up at the beach as snacks. would be rules: I couldn’t just ask someone to recommend a
Anne points out a sign by the road that says HOT HANGI. place they’d heard or read about.
That’s a Maori stew, she says, cooked in the ground. They had to hand me off to friends or colleagues, people
“Have you ever seen a kumara?” Anne asks. It’s a purplish they actually knew. And I would keep moving. Landing in
sweet potato grown around here. And where is here? I’m Auckland, I’d head roughly south with every suggestion to
trying to remember. see how far down the length of the country I could get.
Anne is a new friend. We met the week before, at another To hedge my bets, I needed a traveling companion and a
pal’s wedding on the island of Waiheke, near Auckland. Now starter pool of Kiwis. My first bit of good luck arrived in the
she’s our guide on a road trip somewhere far north of there, form of my girlfriend, Evyn, whose best friend happened to
driving with the sunroof open across the very top of New be getting married on Waiheke. The bride, Anna Weinberg,
Zealand. From the backseat of her silver-blue BMW jalopy, grew up on the island, a wind-slapped half-hour’s ferry ride
I watch the dreamy place-names pass by. Opononi. Kerikeri. from Auckland. She now lives in San Francisco, where she
Pakaraka. Kawakawa. I repeat these words to myself and runs South, an antipodean-themed wine bar and restaurant.
lose track of where we are on the map. Outside, it’s all lush One of her partners is the Australian celebrity chef Luke
greens and sparkling blues. There is a warmth, a pacific— Mangan. Anna’s parents make wine in Hawke’s Bay. There
lower- and uppercase—quality to the light in the north of the would be guests from the New Zealand food, wine and fash-
North Island. ion industries. If any place was going to give us a shot at
At Russell, on the Bay of Islands, a little seagull follows us meeting people who could set us off on an interesting jour-
around. He waddles behind the car as we drive out of town ney, Anna and James’s wedding promised to be it.
with a look that seems to say, “What’s your rush?” Sorry, So after a series of flights we landed in Auckland and
little bird. Nothing personal. Except that in New Zealand, made our way by ferry across the emerald Hauraki Gulf to
everything has a way of feeling personal, intimate, connect- Waiheke. There we fell into the rhythm of things with the
ed. The country’s image handlers have done a great job aid of great quantities of the local rosé. The island has a
positioning the place as a kind of holy land for extreme- Nantucket-ish vibe by way of California surf-town cool. A
sports seekers, as well as for those who seek extreme place, as one resident put it, where “billionaires cohabit with
pamperedness at grand pleasure palaces known as super hippies and a few of us in between.”
lodges. But what pulls me back is something more essential, We sailed a catamaran around the coves. We played
a feeling I get from the people here. They’re friendly and cricket (badly) in the surf at Oneroa Beach. By the day of the
open, but more than that there is this sense of an entire wedding ceremony at Mudbrick Vineyard, we’d acclimated
country where everyone seems to know one another, a sense to island life. Finally, it was time to go off on our own.
of community you don’t get in bigger countries. Aotearoa— Anne Moore, an old friend of Evyn’s, wanted us to see
the country’s Maori name, meaning Land of the Long Hokianga, where she’d grown up. Anne is a quarter Maori,
White Cloud—has an area slightly larger than the United tall and striking, with big, dark eyes that suggest she is going
Kingdom but one-fifteenth the population. Nearly a third of to do what she wants to do. This is our first lesson in social
the 4.2 million Kiwis live in Auckland. Outside the city it’s a traveling: Some people aren’t willing to just point you in the
big-sky, small-world place. right direction; they want to take you there themselves. »
98
Island Country Clockwise from top left: A drawing of a New Zealand pigeon at Otahuna Lodge, near Christchurch; the tranquil Clyde Quay
Marina, in Wellington’s harbor ; owners Bruce and Carol Hyland at Maison de la Mer, their inn in Akaroa; an antler chandelier at Black Barn
Vineyards, in Hawke’s Bay; a guest room at Maison de la Mer; finding local crustaceans on Stone Beach, in Akaroa.
99
The veranda at Otahuna Lodge.
00 M O N TH 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E . C O M
Which is how we end up in Anne’s car driving 4½ hours cottage beside a towering fan palm. And we fall for Kim and
north of Auckland through rolling dairy farms and kumara his wife, Bronwynne, who is making a fragrant pot of fig
country, cowboy towns and Maori land. chutney from Digby Law’s Pickle & Chutney Cookbook: A New
Arriving at Hokianga, you climb a steep hill and come to Zealand Classic when we arrive at their contemporary art–
a remarkable vista: on the left is the Tasman Sea, to the right and sculpture-filled house for a visit. And all this love brings
a river winding inland, and, in front of you, rising from the us to the second tricky issue with this exercise in constant
mouth of the harbor, a giant golden sand dune. motion: the stubborn desire to never leave a place.
Anne’s friend who runs the boat-tour concession takes us Black Barn is many things: winery, summer concert
across to the dunes. The full poetic name, he says, is Te venue, modern Kiwi art gallery, restaurant, local farmers’
Hokianga-nui-a-Kupe. “The returning place of Kupe, the market and lodging. What makes it all work is that it feels
Polynesian explorer who discovered New Zealand.” like a personal project, a kind of curated lifestyle, tastefully
This is Anne’s returning place, too, and it pleases her to conceived and stylishly executed by Kim and Bronwynne
share it. Growing up here, she’d somehow never gotten and their partners. “We honestly just based things on what
around to hiking the dune. Over the top we find a scene new we like,” Kim says. The people are the brand—a slogan you
to all of us, invisible from shore and boat: rocky red canyons, might apply, without too much of a stretch, to New Zealand
hidden forests and undisturbed white beaches far below. as a whole.
This feels and looks like what it is—the start of a country at Leaving Hawke’s Bay and heading south through the
the end of the world. North Island to Wellington, we stop for lunch at Elephant
We are again on the road, heading from Hokianga back Hill Estate & Winery on the coast. “It’s the newest thing on
to Auckland to meet friends who will steer us to our next the horizon,” Kim tells us. “It’s sort of outrageous: a bright
destination. At Orongo Bay we pull off the road at a big blue blue-green copper shoe box owned by a German couple who
sign that reads oysters open and find Clive, a giant with a have no history of wine.” The view alone is worth the detour:
yellow beard like the back of an unshorn sheep. He shucks us outdoor tables overlook a glassy pool, down past the rows of
two dozen wild-spatch oysters pulled straight from the bay, grapevines, and out to a thin ribbon of blue sea. It feels like
and we eat them on the hood of the car with a bottle of the a hybrid of Thailand and Provence. Fearing we’d be left
local hot sauce, Kaitaia Fire. without anyone to recommend a place to stay, in the rush to
Somewhere near Elliots Bay a rainbow reveals itself over make Wellington by dark, we had taken Kim’s suggestion
the ocean, so we stop again for a quick look. The hills are and booked a room online at Ohtel, a self-consciously designy
lime green and velvety soft. Surfers are in the water. Pipis boutique around the corner from Martin Bosley’s Restaurant.
and tuatuas are there for the digging. Behind us, on a little “Go see Martin,” Kim directed us. “his food’s exquisite. Be
rise above the road, a cow is chewing grass and taking in the sure to say you’re a vegetarian and don’t like fish.”
same view, looking as amazed as we are. The whole thing is
so ridiculously pretty that we all just sort of shake our heads “Did Kim tell you to say that?” Martin asks
in the warm breeze and whistle, glad we ended up here, when we deliver the fake news about our eating habits. “Well,
wherever here is. the answer to your next question—‘What do you do for peo-
ple like us?’—is, ‘Drown you to put you out of your misery.’”
“We reckon we’ve got one degree of separation Martin has a goatee and a winking, genial gruffness. His
in New Zealand,” Simon Woolley says. restaurant occupies the glass-walled dining room of a
Short-cropped gray hair, 53, fitted T-shirt, kind eyes 126-year-old yacht club. The room is tidy but unpretentious,
behind artsy spectacles, Simon is an old friend of the bride’s. dominated by views of swaying sailboats and old sheds once
He’s a cofounder of one of the country’s big mineral-water used by the American navy. The focus, however, is on what’s
brands, Antipodes. We’re back in Auckland to see off the on the plate, which mostly comes out of the waters around
wedding party and receive our marching orders. New Zealand.
One of Simon’s partners in the Antipodes water venture is “So personal recommendations—just don’t screw it up?”
his old mate, Kim Thorp, an advertising man who started a Martin says to clarify.
winery and villa rental complex in the Hawke’s Bay wine Amazing how pawning off decision-making responsibili-
region called Black Barn Vineyards. ties on someone else can reduce your stress. I switch from
Simon finds Kim on his mobile to make the introduction. Antipodes water to a Seresin Sauvignon Blanc from
We’re in luck: there’s one house available for the night. Marlborough and look out at the clear sky.
“Rush Cottage, my favorite,” says Simon. “You’re going to “OK, I’ll go make some calls and see if we can get something
love it.” happening. In the meantime, you guys need some oysters.”
And so we do. We fall rather helplessly and immediately in Bluff oysters are not like other oysters. Available only for a
love with the very English-feeling two-bedroom shepherd’s brief season and only from the wild, cold, violent »
101
New Zealand is big and varied, in its way.
Sandy beaches in the subtropical north,
glaciers and alpine skiing in the south
Kiwi Nation Clockwise from top left: St. Patrick’s Catholic church, in Akaroa; the delectable goat-cheese ravioli with pancetta and
asparagus at Otahuna Lodge; the streamlined dining room at the Elephant Hill Estate & Winery, in Hawke’s Bay; boxus, viburnum and
Chilean cranberry plants at Otahuna Lodge; the entrance at Black Barn Retreat; cows grazing near Hawke’s Bay.
102
waters around Bluff, at the very bottom of the South Island, Pebbles and Frankie and their caretakers, Bob
they are gritless, pure-tasting, intensely briny. The shells and Anne, lead Evyn and me to a pair of Adirondack chairs
look like ragged fossils, with orange and pink and gray at the edge of the lawn. Below us is Tasman Bay and the
deposits. There is, it seems, something alive on one of my curving coast of the South Island. We take a bottle from the
shells. I poke it with my finger. The something bites back. well-stocked kitchen and watch the sky as it turns from pink-
“Hey, you’ve got clams living on your oyster!” Martin says, streaked blue to quavering purple to starry black.
walking by to observe the action. The dogs are back to say hello in the morning. Stay, they
It’s hard to feel any stress in sunny wine country, but in say, flopping around on the lawn. Stay and pat our bellies
Marlborough I manage it. This is where things fall apart a and enjoy this place you’ve come so far to see. Bob is more
little and then come back together. Some of Martin’s sugges- direct. “This is craziness!” he advises us when we say we
tions don’t work out, places are booked on short notice, calls really do need to get moving. The dogs were right, of course.
go unanswered. One of the reasons we wander is for the It was a shame to go before we took Bob’s advice about the
artificial highs and lows we feel along the way. Like Finns hiking trails in Abel Tasman National Park and before we
jumping from freezing pool to steaming sauna, we hop head- could finish all the cookies Anne had stashed in the kitchen
long into the good and bad, dull and delightful parts of a cupboard. But rules are rules, even self-imposed ones, so
journey, and it makes our heart race. we’re off, cutting southeast down the middle of the island.
From Wellington we take a ferry across to Picton, at the New Zealand is big and varied, in its way. Sandy beaches
top of the South Island. Martin had directed us to a B&B in the subtropical north, glaciers and alpine skiing in the
run by a very friendly couple who give us wine when we south. We didn’t know what we’d see of it until we met the
arrive and a lovely home-cooked breakfast in the morning. people who would send us there. We pass through rolling
There is nothing wrong with the place at all, but we have the farmland, and in the endless interior, ominous-looking
sinking feeling we’ve landed in a kind of pretty nowhere, a craggy ranges. The radio cuts out for kilometers at a stretch.
scrubbed suburb near beautiful wine country. Nearing Canterbury, the rocky terrain gives way to a
Here is another lesson: Live by the recommendation, die sweeter, softer-again English country landscape. Nearing
by it, too. Christchurch we turn to Tai Taupo, and just as the light is
After some fumbling calls and scratched ideas, the nice faltering find our way to Otahuna Lodge.
couple mention that they are friendly with Therese Herzog Full disclosure—I cheated a bit here. I wanted to spend at
of the Herzog Estate in Blenheim, not far away. Driving least a night at one of the great lodges. I could see from the
through sunny Marlborough wine country, we’ve got a good map that the recently refurbished Otahuna was a day’s drive
feeling about Therese, who doesn’t even know we’re headed south of Ruby Bay. So I dropped a hint: Did Bob and Anne
to find her but who we hope will save our trip. And she does. by any chance know anybody at Otahuna? Wouldn’t that be
A handsome Swiss import, Therese doesn’t have time for a fine recommendation—for variety’s sake? They admitted
the halting, ginger politesse of her Anglo neighbors. I start they knew some folks there but not the owners. From
my rehearsed speech about what we’re looking for: not just a Clifftops I called Otahuna preemptively and talked to Miles
guidebook listing, somewhere you yourself would go… Refo and Hall Cannon, the American gentlemen who own
“Okay, hold on,” Therese says, leaving me mid-spiel. She and run the stately home. They agreed to let us come on
returns with a postcard she appears to have been keeping for shorter notice than is generally required. Rules are rules, but
just this purpose, ready to present like a prebaked cake on a sometimes it’s okay to bend them, especially when it means
TV cooking show. a visit to a Queen Anne mansion with a tennis court.
“This is the secret sight to see,” she says, musically. “This The lodge was built in 1895, and has since served as a
is the golden bay, the million-dollar view. This is where we monastery, commune and hotel. We change and are served
go to escape.” dinner in a private room off the drawing room. Prawn cevi-
Sold. Check, please. We call the number on Therese’s che with a soup of green, yellow and red tomatoes. Locally
postcard and, against the odds, the cottage at Clifftops raised duck, served rare. There is an almost comic formality
Retreat is available. to it, following yesterday’s dinner at an outdoor fish shack
So we are back on course. Over the mountain passes to and our manic all-day road trip. But the food is good and
Nelson, through the city and out to the seaside hamlets and we’re happy to take our glasses of port to our plush room just
hill towns that line the road up and around to Ruby Bay vil- up the stairs.
lage. After a few wrong turns, we find the tree-lined path to
Clifftops cottage and a sign on the gate: “Welcome Evyn After a morning of misty tennis we join Hall
and Adam. Please turn the key on your left and zoom up to for breakfast in the airy kitchen. “I’ve traveled the way
the house. Looking forward to meeting you. Pebbles and you’re traveling,” Hall says. “This is an easy country to do it
Frankie might also appear to say hello—woof woof.” in.” When he and Miles, formerly New York City real »
103
Black Angus sirloin on rosemary mashed
potatoes at Elephant Hill Estate & Winery.
M A P B Y YA N I L TA C T U K
146
estate and marketing types, were looking to change their museum relic of what a Gallic New Zealand might have
lives and find a grand project in looked like. Apparently it would have been unspeakably
New Zealand, they drove around the country for three cute. Imagine if the French took over Devon and trans-
months, taking advice and direction from those they met planted it to the Pacific. Again, we find ourselves somewhere
along the way. we’d never heard of the day before, buoyed along by good
“A lot of folks come here with intricate itineraries, with advice, unburdened by advance planning, never sure which
multiple flights, helicopters and dolphin watches. The irony New Zealand we’d see today. We’re only halfway down the
is that traveling on your own in New Zealand is about the South Island, but we’ve come a long way from Anne Moore’s
safest, easiest thing you can do. I’m probably shooting myself Maori returning place at the top of the country.
in the foot here, but if you’re coming here and you’re staying From his office at Otahuna, Hall had called Carol Hyland
only in the so-called super lodges, you might be doing your- and told her he had some friends he wanted to send over to
self a bit of a disservice.” Maison de la Mer, the bed-and-breakfast she runs with her
The pair have mastered the handle-anything calm of sea- husband, Bruce. Our room has a nautical theme. There are
soned hoteliers. Hall and Miles are accustomed to complex cookies in the cupboard and a large round window looking
guest needs, so my request barely registers as a challenge. out over the boats in the bay. That evening, the Hylands ply
We’re in your hands for a night, I explain. Send us some- us and their other guests with wine and tell stories about
where nice to stay with people you like. decades spent raising their children on a sailboat traveling
“Akaroa,” Hall says, not missing a beat. “It’s the only French the world. We excuse ourselves after a couple of glasses, as
settlement in New Zealand. The street names are in French, we’ve got one final recommendation to pursue. Akaroa is
little cafés, a charming bay, an amazingly scenic drive.” said to have one of the best fish-and-chip shops in New
After an hour of hairpin turns we descend to the harbor Zealand. You can find it if you go. Just ask around.
from which the French planned to secure a colony in
Australasia. The British beat them to it, leaving Akaroa as a Adam Sachs is a T+L (U.S.) contributing editor.
GUIDE TO NEW ZEALAND

ways.com) also fly there. With GREAT Maison de la Mer 1 Rue Island; 64-9/372-5889; dinner
scenic shoreline drives and VALUE
Benoit, Akaroa; for two NZ$140.
mountain passes , the country is 64-3/304-8907; maisondelamer. Elephant Hill Estate & Winery
a road-tripper’s dream. Highways co.nz; doubles from NZ$325, 86 Clifton Rd., Te Awanga;
are well marked, and getting including breakfast. 64-6/873-0400; lunch for two
around is easy. There are short NZ$105.
Mollies A 13-suite hotel in a
flights across the Cook Strait
Victorian house not far from Herzog Estate 81 Jeffries Rd.,
between the North and South
Ponsonby. 6 Tweed St., Blenheim; 64-3/572-8770; lunch
Islands, and ferries operate regu-
Auckland; 64-9/376-3489; mol- for two NZ$112; dinner for two
larly between Wellington and
lies.co.nz; doubles from NZ$545. NZ$195.
Picton. Keep in mind that you
will have to switch rental cars Ohtel 66 Oriental Parade, Martin Bosley’s Restaurant 103
when you cross the strait. Wellington; 64-4/803-0600; Oriental Parade, Wellington;
ohtel.com; doubles from NZ$495. 64-4/920-8302; dinner for two
WHERE TO STAY Otahuna Lodge 224 Rhodes Rd., NZ$205.
GREAT Black Barn Vineyards Tai Tapu; 64-3/329-6333; otahu- Mudbrick Vineyard &
WHEN TO GO VALUE
Black Barn Rd., Havelock na.co.nz; doubles from NZ$1,500, Restaurant Vegetables grown
The climate is generally mild, but North; 64-6/877-7985; blackbarn. all inclusive, except lunch. on-site, and a great view of the
you’ll find some variation com; cottages from NZ$350.
GREAT Westin Auckland Hauraki Gulf. 126 Church Bay
between the subtropical north VALUE
Clifftops Retreat 1452 State Lighter Quay The hotel Rd., Waiheke Island; 64-9/372-
and the glacier-dotted south. The
Hwy. 60, Ruby Bay; 64-3/540- seems to float over the water 9050; dinner for two NZ$170.
warmest months are between
2767; clifftops-retreat.co.nz; cot- like one of the yachts in the har- Pegasus Bay Fine Pinot Noir
January and March, and it’s cool-
tage from NZ$550, all-inclusive. bor. 21 Viaduct Harbour Ave., wine and super-fresh, locally
est in July.
Eagles Nest Five modern villas — Auckland; 800/228-3000; wes- sourced food in an idyllic garden
GETTING THERE AND most with private pools. 60 tin.com; doubles from NZ$300. setting. 263 Stockgrove Rd.,
AROUND Tapeka Rd., Russell; 64-9/403- Waipara; 64-3/314-6869; lunch
Qantas (qantas.com) and Air 8333; eaglesnest.co.nz; villas WHERE TO EAT & DRINK for two NZ$140.
M A P B Y YA N I L TA C T U K
New Zealand (airnewzealand. from NZ$1,595. Black Barn Bistro Black Barn Terrôir Craggy Range Winery’s
com) are the main carriers serv- Rd., Havelock North; 64-6/877- restaurant has a wood-fired
GREAT Hotel d’Urville A good
ing New Zealand, though Cathay VALUE
base for wine-country 7985; lunch for two NZ$120. oven turning out great roasted
Pacific (cathaypacific.com), explorations. 52 Queen St., Cable Bay Vineyards A modern meats. 253 Waimarama Rd.,
Singapore Airlines (singaporeair. Blenheim; 64-3/577-9945; dur- restaurant with sweeping vistas. Havelock North; 64-6/873-0143;
com) and Thai Airways (thaiair- ville.com; doubles from NZ$335. 12 Nick Johnstone Dr., Waiheke lunch for two NZ$112.
105
Waiter Broncy Barreto at South Goa’s renovated
Vivenda dos Palhaços hotel. Opposite page: Vagator
Beach, in North Goa, as seen from Thalassa restaurant.
On India’s west coast, travelers can find rugged beaches, Portuguese-inspired
architecture and a handful of impeccable hideaways. Alexandra Marshall
uncovers Goa’s glamorous side. Photographed by Anders Overgaard
00
Feast for the Senses From left:
Loulou Van Damme, the owner of
Panchavatti, a hotel on the Goan
island of Corjuem; spices from the
Anjuna Flea Market, in North Goa;
Panjim’s Fontainhas neighborhood.
108
Van Damme, a spry, sixty-something hotelier and interior de- teakwood Indian antiques, groupings of club chairs, and
signer of Belgian descent, done up like Auntie Mame-Sahib stacks of art books; an infinity pool ringed with shaggy green-
in a flowing kurta and knuckle-dusting rings. We were enrap- ery; and a wide veranda, where we were sitting after dinner,
tured by a beige, golf ball–size frog poised regally on the drinking enthusiastic amounts of Grover Vineyards La
showerhead in one of the vast en suite bathrooms at Pancha- Réserve Cabernet-Shiraz (bottled outside Bangalore). In ad-
vatti, Van Damme’s guesthouse on North Goa’s Mapusa dition to the other guests—a graphic designer, an editor from
River. Though not even a ribbit was forthcoming, the frog’s Vogue India and a couple in the foreign service—joining
demeanor fit in nicely with the black-and-white maharajah Danelle, my high school friend, and me were Van Damme’s
portraits that decorated the room. Uninvited wildlife would four rangy dogs, hundreds of crickets and clusters of enor-
send most proprietors into an embarrassed pique, but on this mous striped moths, like one big interspecies family. Van
night in late October, the atmosphere at the four-suite inn was Damme’s approach to hospitality isn’t radically juxtaposed
like a swinging slumber party. Van Damme is particular about with Goa’s let-it-all-hang-out reputation—one that has at-
her guests, as socializing is the thing here: the common areas tracted Indian and foreign tourists alike, especially since the
include a soaring open kitchen; a broad living room filled with 1970’s and 80’s. But there is a crucial difference: all else »
109
The Macassar room at Casa Palacio
Siolim House, a boutique hotel on the
left bank of the Chapora River, in Goa.
214
00 M O N TH 2 0 0 8| T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E . C O M
around us that night—the 10 hectares of Panchavatti’s speculators. Anjuna, once a hippie HQ just north of Cando-
grounds, the jungly river and the Western Ghat mountain lim, is now as built-up as its neighbors.
chain—was at perfect, pitch-black repose. Even in India, Granted, the coastal area isn’t all sad. I got over my crowd
whose countryside is some of the most densely populated on aversion at the Anjuna Flea Market—a riot of jewelry, spices,
the planet, we felt as if we were the only people around. wandering cows, Gujarati tribeswomen and, yes, tourists—
Could such luxurious stillness really be Goa? Most of what because the shopping was so good. And one brilliant excep-
I knew about India’s smallest state before I got there was that tion to the beachside-hotel rule is Elsewhere, a protected is-
it was the unruliest vacation spot this side of Amsterdam, land owned by Goan fashion photographer Denzil Sequeira,
overrun with raver dreadlocks and aggressively drugged-out in still-quiet Asvem at the northern edge of the state. But its
mountainside trance parties. It turns out that picture is almost 13 rooms (including three tents) are booked months in ad-
as aged as Van Damme’s maharajah portraits. Indian and vance. And not everyone who can get a room can find it. The
English tabloids still love to treat the state like a patchouli- hotel obliges by sending an envoy to meet you at the airport.
scented den of iniquity, and you can certainly still find a trance Meanwhile, down in the south, below the Zuari River, the
party if you’d like, but Goa has become the place to be for prettier white-sand beaches have been almost entirely colo-
young Indian urbanites looking to escape the rest of the coun- nized by luxury mega-resorts.
try’s social conservatism, for glamorous Indian designers (Ma- There is hope for change. Overdevelopment has caused
lini Ramani and Wendell Rodricks), Hollywood stars chilling controversy and a push for preservation from environmental
out with their families (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), arty am- groups with campaigns such as Save Goa. Last year the local
ateurs of the good life (Jay McInerney) and royalty (the U.K.’s government began to institute environmental measures to
Princess Eugenie on her gap year); and for not-so-famous slow down the development of the interior as well. And the
Europeans in search of a profoundly slow-paced taste of In- Indian government, aided by the Asian Development Bank, is
dia, a country that can overwhelm the uninitiated with noise now spearheading a reef-and dune-building initiative to be
and pollution. implemented up and down the state’s beaches by 2010.
For two solid years, friends—from an Indian-American ac- Staying off the beach is, in fact, a far better way to get a
cessories designer and a Texan socialite to the Indian wife of taste of traditional Goan hospitality—albeit of an upscale
a real estate mogul and several girlfriends working in the kind. Casa Palacio Siolim House, which Kate Moss, Sadie
French fashion industry—had encouraged me to go. The Goa Frost and their entourage took over for two weeks a few years
they knew and loved was all about seclusion, gentility and ago, is on an outlet of the Chapora about 10 minutes inland.
grown-up relaxation, and that’s exactly what I found at Pan- One of the original indie establishments that have set a mi-
chavatti and a handful of other tranquil boutique manor crotrend for heritage hotels, it’s a study in lazy manor living.
houses on inland rivers away from the beach, mostly in the The hotel was recognized by UNESCO in 2001 for owner Varun
northern part of the state, and at one low-key shoreline villa. Sood’s letter-perfect restoration of the 17th-century gover-
The important thing about planning a trip here is to pick nor’s mansion. With old Portuguese tiles, formal sitting rooms
wisely where you go, and when. and an enormous pool, it feels more like a villa than a hotel.
As to the where, my friend Binith Shah, of the boutique For someone like me, used to European luxuries, the thin mat-
accessory company Rickard Shah, instructed, “The best stuff tresses and towels were a little jarring surrounded by all that
is all up on the rivers.” But it’s the 105-kilometer beach run- stately grandeur. But within a day of floating in the sunlit
ning the length of Goa’s western shore that’s most famous, pool, drinking fresh lime and soda, and eating a home-cooked
and where Goa most closely conforms to its unsavory reputa- fish thali, we gave ourselves over to it. The lack of a television
tion, especially during its high season in December and Janu- was just what we needed, with the music of the frogs to keep
ary, when charter flights deposit hordes of package tourists us entertained at night. The vibe was similar at Casa Britona,
from Sweden and Russia. The main road that connects the an old riverside warehouse in the inland village of Britona
better-known northern towns of Candolim, Calangute and that in 2003 turned into a 10-room property with brightly
Baga is lined with cheap mini mall–style architecture, thanks painted walls and lovely antiques. We were the only guests,
to the local government’s policy in the early 1990’s to open the owing to our arrival early in the season, and we were doted on
coastline to whomever wanted to develop it. That and the with warm familiarity by the staff. Some of these historic ho-
uptick in the Indian economy has made Goa a hot spot for tels (also Panjim Inn, in the capital Panjim, also known as »
Goa has become the place to be for

young Indian urbanites looking to escape
111
Tropical Colors From left: The entrance to one of the houses at the 13-room Elsewhere, near Asvem; a shopper as colorful as her surroundings
at the Anjuna market; Thalassa restaurant’s mixed grill, featuring both beef kebabs and chicken; the 17th-century Church of Our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception, in the center of Panjim; the lived-in feel of Panchavatti’s drawing room, which opens onto the hotel’s garden and pool.
Panaji, and the lovely Vivenda dos Palhaços, in the south) independence 14 years after the rest of India. Goa didn’t be-
would have made great Merchant Ivory film sets. “Goa re- come an official Indian state until 1987, almost 40 years after
tains a great simplicity,” said interior designer Jivi Sethi, a greater India coalesced, which helps to explain Goan cultural
Delhi native whose house in the mountain village of Assagao exceptionalism. Most locals refer to themselves and their tra-
has graced the pages of Vogue India. ditions as “Goan,” and people from the rest of the country as
Inland is where Goa relaxes best and most alluringly. When “Indian.” Perhaps most tellingly, only in Goa do teenagers
Vasco da Gama first arrived just to the south of the state in shun cricket, the national Indian pastime, in favor of football.
1498 “seeking Christians and spices,” there was already a
bustling trade in livestock (and, yes, spices) in the Muslim- WE HAD TIMED OUR VISIT FOR THE TAIL END OF MONSOON
controlled city of Gove, on the Mandovi River. Further Por- season, in mid to late October, which brings with it dramatic
tuguese conquest established the towns of Panjim and Old rainstorms and a sultry landscape, so as to avoid the tourist
Goa, a few kilometers in from the coast, as administrative and onslaught of high season. It so happened that our visit coin-
religious capitals, and the Portuguese influence is everywhere cided with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which takes
in the architecture and the religion. (Da Gama didn’t find any place during the new moon that falls between late October
Christians, but he and his compatriots made plenty—Goa is and early November. A celebration of the evil demon Rava-
30 percent Catholic.) All of Goa’s churches, most built be- na’s defeat at the hands of the heroic Lord Rama, with its
tween the 16th and 17th centuries, are now UNESCO World tales of hand-to-hand combat between shirtless heroes and
Heritage sites. And along any winding back road, hidden be- damsel-snatching villains, Diwali is a macho holiday and a
hind the banana and coconut trees, are colonial mansions teenage pyromaniac’s dream. Villages erect elaborate papier-
and villas, painted in vivid primary colors, with bright-red mâché demons (some equipped with moving heads and tape-
tiled roofs and lacy wooden trim. The designer Jean-Paul looped guttural roars), parade them through town and light
Gaultier has found inspiration for whole collections in that them on fire. (“Oooh, that’s a good one!” Danelle and I would
latticework, unique to this part of the country. Portuguese in- shout as we meandered along back road after back road, ad-
fluence in the area lasted until 1961, when the Goans achieved miring the handiwork of neighborhood kids.) During Diwali,
Colonial mansions and villas are painted in

112
doorways are strung with even more Christmas-tree lights and jewel in the neighborhood’s Latin-style crown, planted atop a
marigold garlands than usual, and firecrackers go off every- hill where the sun kicks off its blinding whitewashed exterior
where after dark. like a faithful torch. Panjim is tidy and sedate compared with
We decided to spend Diwali night inland at Mapusa, the other Indian cities, and spending a few afternoons there was
biggest modern city in Goa, where we had heard the best effi- like a vacation-within-a-vacation. Panjim is where Danelle
gy-burnings would be. There we checked out an endless array and I shopped for elaborate Indian gold jewelry, where we
of local boys, each commandeering a demon more aggressive meandered aimlessly without interference or questions, and
than the last. (One was done up in a black vest and a giant belt where we ate one of our best Goan meals, at Mum’s Kitchen.
buckle that said ROCK ON!) A talent show taking place in a vast As much an archive of home recipes as a popular spot serv-
parking lot by the bus depot featured 10-year-old girls lip-syn- ing up crab fritters and prawns caldin (a green-chile-and-co-
ching and gyrating to Hindi pop like cast members of Grade conut stew), Mum’s is another proud preserver of Goan tradi-
School Musical. Families were everywhere, with their babies out tion that takes a stand against the encroachment of fusionism
way past their bedtime, and they were as enchanted by the that is seen at so many other restaurants in the state. Where
lights and the noise as we were. The firecrackers and singing Western taste is indulged in loungey cocktail bars and Euro-
and parading and torching went on till dawn. flavored beach restaurants like La Plage and Sublime, the
food at Mum’s, Siolim House, Elsewhere and chef Urbano de
ONE OF THE MOST VISUALLY STRIKING AREAS IN GOA, WHERE THE Rego’s Beach House restaurant at the Taj Holiday Village is
local and colonial aesthetics are most keenly felt, is in Panjim. much more authentic. Goan food is southern Indian (think
Anyone who has spent time in conquest towns in Brazil or coconut milk, fish, fresh herbs, and tamarind), but it’s unique-
Mexico will find the winding, narrow lanes of the old Fon- ly Portuguese-influenced, as Chef Rego, as he is called, ex-
tainhas neighborhood, which is Panjim’s atmospheric draw, plained during a discussion of piri-piri, a base for many Goan
deeply familiar. Wood-framed row houses in saturated hues sauces made of toddy vinegar and chile peppers. Chef Rego
and neat little shops predominate, but the 17th-century was the first to bring Goan food to the world’s attention, hav-
Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is the ing cooked for the elder President Bush and at the World »
vivid primary colors, with red-tiled roofs

113
Economic Forum. “Our food takes time,” he said. “Time to Despite Goa’s pride in its cultural identity, there’s worry
marinate, time to simmer.” We tasted his pork piri-piri at the about cultural dilution. (The tagline at Mum’s Kitchen is “A
Taj, and then four other varieties at O’Papagaio. (Be sure to Move to Save Goan Cuisine.”) The state’s Hindu and Muslim
have your hotel call ahead, give thorough directions to a driv- populations are growing, and native Goans often leave to seek
er, and bring along the restaurant’s phone number, just in their fortunes in the Gulf states or Canada. There are strong
case.) On the menu that night were porcupine, venison, wild non-Goan elements in the evolving cultural mix: the frenetic
boar and frog’s legs, and all were boiled, then curried, to sur- hustler’s pace of the Delhi and Mumbai natives who have set
prisingly subtle effect. Since we were the only guests in what is up shop here; the squajillionaires like Kingfisher chairman
basically the large front room of a house, we popped back into Vijay Mallya, who throws the party of the year in his enor-
the kitchen, watched the owner add endless pinches of dozens mous Sinquerim beach house each December; the Europeans
of spice powders, tasted some of the venison before he cur- in their Speedos, in search of a tan; the just-furloughed Is-
ried it. It was a fitting tribute. The porcupine was delicious, raeli soldiers looking for the party. The Indian government is
like unusually delicate lamb fed on lavender flowers. As devel- enthusiastically bureaucratic, and protecting one of the coun-
opment eats away at the remaining stretches of forest, hunt- try’s most distinct regional cultures is not its highest priority.
ing is becoming more challenging, so the porcupine’s days as For the moment, that’s left up to the Goans themselves, whose
a blue plate special could be numbered. At least we knew the live-and-let-live shrug is not the best weapon with which to
same would never be true for plentiful frog, which translates battle the onslaught. Pitted against the forces of rampant cap-
from the local Konkani language as “jumping chicken.” italism, it’s not clear who will come out ahead.
GUIDE TO GOA
awaits inside. Wadi, Siolim; 91- setting at chef Urbano de Rego’s Barefoot Sophisticated
832/227-2138; siolimhouse.com; traditional Goan restaurant is housewares and clothing. 1/26
doubles from R5,500. not to be missed. Sinquerim; 31 January Rd., Panjim; 91-
Elsewhere Near Asvem; 91-832/664-5858; dinner for 832/243-6815.
GREAT
VALUE 91-982/003-7387; two R2,800. Bombay Bazar A swap-meet-
aseascape.com; doubles from La Plage This beach-shack style market for spices and
R56,000 per week. restaurant is perfect for sunset people-watching. 18 June Rd.,
drinks. On the beach just south of Panjim; 91-832/223-2044.
Lazy Days in Goa A British-run Asvem; 91-982/212-1712; drinks
rental agency with numerous Fabindia Traditional clothing and
for two R460. linens in block-printed cottons.
houses in North Goa. Ask for a
condo at Coco Shambhala, Lila Café The place for brunch or Opposite Canara Bank, Murrod
decorated by Panchavatti’s coffee. Near the Baga River, Vaddo, Candolim; 91-832/248-
Loulou Van Damme; the author Arpora-Baga; 91-832/227-9843; 9143; fabindia.com.
Frank Simoes’s quirky former brunch for two R460. Sainath Jewellers Filigreed
T+L TIP Prebooking hotels with Mum’s Kitchen Martins Building,
home Rockheart; or Kiranpani, in Indian gold and gemstones at
a credit card can sometimes be a DB Marg, Panjim; 91/982-217-
Mandrem, a fashion-shoot fave. great prices. No haggling
problem in India, and local 5559; dinner for two R1,170.
44-1202/484-257; lazydays.co.uk; required. Shop 2, Rizvi Chamber,
airlines don’t always accept
rentals from R97,500 per week. O’Papagaio Across from St. Panjim; 91-832/242-2293.
foreign charges, so using a travel
agent can be a huge help. Panchavatti Island of Corjuem, Anthony’s Church, Siodem,
Siolim; 91-832/227-2310; dinner WHAT TO DO
SAFETY Aldona; 91-832/325-2946;
for two R1,400. Calizz A heritage-house
Roads in Goa are unmarked and islaingoa.com; doubles from
museum with a lovely restaurant.
traffic is kamikaze-style. As taxis R9,990. Thalassa Ordering lettuce is not
Bammon Vaddo, Candolim; 91-
are surprisingly expensive, the always advisable in India, but it’s
GREAT Panjim Inn 212 31 832/325-0000; calizz.com.
best option is to book a driver VALUE
safe to try Greek salads and juicy
January Rd., Fontainhas, souvlaki here. On the cliff above Nine Bar If you want to check
through your hotel. Avoid Panjim; 91-832/222-8136; Little Vagator Beach, down the out the Goa music scene, this
beaches after nightfall, when the panjiminn.com; doubles from road from Nine Bar; 91-985/003- dusty, open-air disco is a reliable
crowds can get a little unsavory. R2,000. 3537; lunch for two R900. spot. The cliffs above Little
Vagator Beach.
WHERE TO STAY GREAT Vivenda dos Palhaços Zeebop Opposite Kenilworth
GREAT Casa Britona Near VALUE An oasis of eccentric Beach Resort, Utorda Beach, just Shiro Beach The posh dance
VALUE
Charmanos Badem, refinement in the charm-starved north of Majorda; 91-832/275- club of the moment for Indian
Salvador-do-Mundo, Bardez; 91- south. Costa Vaddo, Majorda; 5333; dinner for two R1,800. urbanites. Marquis Beach Resort,
M A P BY M A R I A E B B E TS
832/241-6737; 91-832/322-1119; vivendagoa.com; Candolim; 91-832/665-3366;

casaboutiquehotels.com; doubles doubles from R5,200. drinks for two R460.
WHERE TO SHOP
from R6,955. Anjuna Flea Market Anjuna Utorda Beach A white-sand
GREAT Casa Palacio Siolim WHERE TO EAT & DRINK Beach; open Wednesdays, beach with clear, warm water
VALUE House The road leading Beach House at Taj Holiday 9 A.M. to sundown, from that hasn’t been overrun. North
here is a bit scrubby, but a treat Village The open-air, waterside October to April. of Majorda.
114
The riverside hotel
Casa Britona, 20
minutes from the
beaches of North Goa.
T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E . C O M |MO NT H 2008 00
mood. Read on for 30 great ideas
From a beach resort in Zanzibar to a Costa
range of experiences that will put you in the

heart of Rome, T+L scanned the globe for a
ROMANTIC
DREAM TRIPS
Rican tree house to your own apartment in the

C O U R T E S Y O F K I L I N D I . O P P O S I T E P A G E : P A U L C O S T E L L O . S T Y L E D B Y M I M I L O M B A R D O . F E M A L E M O D E L : N I C O L E P E T T Y/ N E X T . M A L E M O D E L : M A T T L O M B A R D O /
W I L H E L M I N A . H A I R & M A K E U P : S A R A J O H N S O N / S A R A H L A I R D . H E R T R E N C H B Y B A N A N A R E P U B L I C ; D R E S S , D I O R ; S H O E S , F R A T E L L I R O S E T T I ; B A G , S A LVA T O R E
F E R R A G A M O . H I S R A I N C O AT B Y M I C H A E L B A S T I A N ; S H I R T, R O B E R T TA L B O T T ; J E A N S , K I T O N ; S H O E S , K E N N E T H C O L E ; B E LT, B R I O N I
Outside the Crosby Street Hotel in New
York City. Opposite: A view from the Indian
Ocean of Kilindi, in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
BAREFOOT LUXURY A LOW-COUNTRY DRIVE
U.S. Islamorada, Florida South Carolina
A MANHATTAN MOMENT Even after serving as the backdrop for There’s something particularly roman-
New York City countless fashion-magazine photo tic about South Carolina’s low country:
London’s Firmdale Group brings the shoots, the Moorings Village & Spa—18 roads lined with moss-draped trees lead
spirit of Soho to a cobblestoned lane in brightly accented cottages connected to to tiny coastal towns, where there are
the other SoHo. The new 86-room the beach by wooden walkways on a plenty of places to try the region’s
Crosby Street Hotel feels very much a former coconut plantation in the famed oysters. From Charleston, head
part of its vibrant, intimately scaled Florida Keys—still seems like your own north for 64 kilometers on Highway 17
neighborhood: the restaurant-bar has secret discovery. Lush, almost jungle-like to the fishing village of McClellanville,
become a local favorite, and the salon- landscaping gives way to a private stopping at T.W. Graham & Co. Seafood
like lobby is filled from morning to white-sand beach with swaying ham- Restaurant (810 Pinckney St.;
midnight. Kit Kemp’s bold interiors mocks and a thatched-roof dock. Book 1-843/887-4342; lunch for two US$35)
manage to challenge and soothe the a snorkeling trip à deux with Bay and for a lunch of fried oysters. And in
eye all at once: austere charcoal-gray Reef Co. (1-305/393-0994; bayandreef. Georgetown, the Rice Paddy Restau-
wall coverings set off pastel head- com; tours from US$250) to view a multi- rant (732 Front St.; 1-843/546-2021; din-
boards; soft silk curtains frame steel colored swirl of marine life and the ner for two US$92) is known for its oyster
warehouse windows; gritty brick 136-year-old lighthouse; then return to pies. Thirty-two kilometers north is
façades background a lush rooftop your porch to feast on succulent stone Murrells Inlet, where bivalves come
garden. 79 Crosby St.; 1-212/226-6400; crab. 123 Beach Rd.; 1-305/664-4708; steamed or on the half shell at the Inlet
crosbystreethotel.com; doubles from US$495. themooringsvillage.com; cottages from US$275. Crab House Restaurant & Raw Bar
(3572 Business 17; 843/651-8452; dinner
for two US$61).
SKI IN, SKI OUT

Taos, New Mexico
In winter, this snug town appeals for its
art galleries, tequila cantinas, challeng-
ing black diamond trails at Kachina
Peak and sunny climate. At the base of
Lift 4, halfway up the mountain, »
CO U RT E SY O F F I R M DA L E ( 2 ) . O P P O S I T E PAG E : PAU L CO ST E L LO
118
A guest room at the Crosby Street Hotel.
Opposite, from left: A sitting room at the
hotel; the Crosby Bar, on the ground floor.
The Hoshinoya Kyoto ryokan, on the Hozu River in Kyoto,
Japan. Opposite, from left: A view from Heidelberg Suites; a
cabana at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa.
schuss into the Bavarian Lodge & Res-
taurant to warm up by a traditional
Kachelofen tile stove. The four Alpine-chic
chalets—designed by Alexandra Cham-
palimaud—are done up with organic
linens, stainless-steel fireplaces, and re-
productions of 1950’s ski posters on the
walls. 100 Kachina Rd.; 1-575/776-8020; Liz Lambert has created the ultimate sourced sheepskin rugs and handcrafted
thebavarian.net; doubles from US$335, chalets retreat for couples looking to get away Midcentury furniture give the seeming-
from US$750. from it all—El Cosmico, a collection of ly spare six cabins an alluring warmth,
five expertly restored vintage travel trail- while Bang & Olufsen stereos and flat-
STARGAZING ers (including two Spartans and a screen TV’s lend the 15 rooms in the
Maui, Hawaii Vagabond). Each has a mini-kitchen, main house a modern edge. Lärbro; 46-
Thanks to its latitude, Hawaii is a celes- glossy birch-veneer walls and beds 498/223-040; furillen.nu; doubles from
tial mecca (it’s one of the only states topped with Bolivian wool blankets. For SEK1,950, including breakfast.
with views of both the North Star and a dose of culture, visit the neighboring
the Southern Cross). At the Hyatt Chinati Foundation (artist Donald STORYBOOK TOWN
T H I S PAG E , F RO M L E F T: CO U RT E SY O F H E I D E L B E RG S U I T E S ; CO U RT E SY O F
H YAT T R E S O R T & S P A . O P P O S I T E P A G E : C O U R T E S Y O F H O S H I N O YA K Y O T O
Regency Maui Resort & Spa, director Judd’s military fort turned 137-hectare Heidelberg, Germany
of astronomy Eddie Mahoney ushers art museum). 802 S. Highland Ave.; The pedestrian Hauptstrasse in Heidel-
couples to the rooftop, where a 16-inch 1-432/729-1950; elcosmico.com; doubles berg, is lined with classic cafés—Schaf-
reflector telescope is set up next to from US$75. heutle, Rossi and Knoesel—that
strawberries and champagne. Ask Ma- overlook the Neckar River, serve up
honey to point out your astrological first-rate Milchkaffee and luscious choco-
constellations, then head downstairs to EUROPE late tortes and offer the best vantage
Kaanapali Beach to watch biolumines- A SCANDINAVIAN CABIN point for people-watching. Stay at the
cent creatures light up the waves. 200 Furillen, Sweden Heidelberg Suites, a converted 19th-
Nohea Kai Dr., Lahaina; 1-808/661-1234; The pleasures are simple on the tiny century villa across the Karl Theodor
hyatt.com; doubles from US$311; Romance islet of Furillen, off Sweden’s Gotland bridge, where 26 rooms are done up
Tour of the Stars package US$70 for two. Island: clear blue skies, deserted beaches with heroic busts, deer antlers and
and fresh seafood. Here you’ll find Fab- etched mirrors; most have views of the
ARTISTS’ RETREAT riken Furillen, a former limestone quar- city’s medieval castle. 12 Neuenheimer
Marfa, Texas ry transformed into Sweden’s Landstrasse; 49-622/165-5650; heidelberg-
On a 7-hectare plot here, hotelier farthest-flung design hotel. Locally suites.com; doubles from €255. »
121
COOKING IN FRANCE well-heeled locals. Manni can also ar- in oversize robes and slip past the glass
Paris range a Roman Holiday–esque tour by doors to the relaxation room, where
Amateur cooks now have access to the vintage Piaggio. 70 Via di Pietra; 39- you’ll find lychee juice, the latest glossies
culinary secrets of Paris’s top chefs at 06/9727-4787; casamanni.com; daily and plenty of champagne. Park Lane;
the nine-month-old École de Cuisine rentals from €530, two-night minimum. 44-207/319-7109; treatments from £55.
Alain Ducasse. On a quiet residential
block in the 16th Arrondissement, A VENETIAN PALAZZO A LIGHTHOUSE HOTEL
Romain Corbière, former head chef at Venice Devon, England
Ducasse’s Le Relais du Parc, leads small Beyond the crowded Rialto, this city is Set high on a 2-kilometer-long head-
classes with the help of such topflight more than gondolas and Gorgonzola. land with sweeping views of the
toques as Christophe Moret, from Alain In the serene Accademia neighbor- Channel, the 1863 Start Point
Ducasse au Plaza Athénée. A day might hood, just beyond the Campo San Ste- Lighthouse is flanked by keepers’ quar-
start with a trip to a farmers’ market to fano, the 22-room Palazzina Grassi has ters, which were recently transformed
pick up ingredients for a soupe au pistou, a superb collection of Modernist glass into two charming cottages. Inside
followed by a hands-on demonstration from Murano masters in a sparkling you’ll find modern kitchens, fireplaces
of dishes like blanquette de veau. 64 Rue du space designed by Philippe Starck. The and a basket filled with tea and freshly
Ranelagh; 33-1/44-90-91-00; bar is molto romantico for Prosecco cock- baked bread. Don’t miss the spectacular
ecolecuisine-alainducasse.com; classes from tails and the canal-side restaurant turns walk along a stretch of the adjacent
€280 per day. out a perfect raviolo. San Marco 3247; South West Coast Path trail. Start Point,
39-041/528-4644; designhotels.com; dou- near Hallsands Kingsbridge; 44-1386/701-
PERFUME MIXING bles from €290. 177; ruralretreats.co.uk; doubles from £377,
Montpellier, France two-night minimum.
Lavender, geranium and mint are some SKIING BY MOONLIGHT
of the scents that may inspire you dur- St. Moritz, Switzerland THE CARIBBEAN,
ing GoLearnTo.com’s weekend perfum- For a truly otherworldly trip down the BERMUDA AND
ery course in France’s verdant slopes, nothing beats full-moon skiing THE BAHAMAS
Languedoc region. In a sprawling 18th- at Diavolezza, the most spectacular of PURE PRIVACY
century farmhouse near Montpellier, St. Moritz’s five ski areas. Once a Antigua
study base and top notes and concoct month, a tram drops night-owl skiers Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort, situ-
your own signature scent. In the eve- off at the craggy peak’s nearly ated on a private 121-hectare island 10
ning, meals—spit-roasted pork paired 3,048-meter summit, which affords minutes by boat from Antigua, is still
with wine from nearby vineyards—are jaw-dropping views of the glacial Ber- the standard-bearer of Caribbean lux-
served before guests retreat to the an- nina Range. The 914-meter vertical ury. Following a US$28 million recon-
tique-filled rooms. You get to take your trail is blanketed in soft blue light. Af- struction, 28 new suites have ocean
bespoke creation home in a carry-on ter a few runs, take the lift back to the views and outdoor bathtubs in lush pri-
container that meets airlines’ requisite top for a traditional Swiss dinner of vate courtyards. But the most exciting
88-milliliter limit. Domaine de Alabrena, Bündnerfleisch, Rösti potatoes and addition is the property’s first-ever spa,
Laval de Nize, Lunas; 44-845/625-0445; cheese fondue at the Berghaus Dia- Sense, an open-air facility with a gar-
golearnto.com; four-day courses from £379, volezza restaurant. 30 Via San Gian; 41- den just 15 meters from the beach;
including lodging and meals. 81/830-0001; engadin.stmoritz.ch; lift book the Sense Hammock Massage
tickets from 50 Swiss francs. treatment for two. St. John’s; 268/462-
YOUR OWN ROMAN HOLIDAY 6000; jumbybayresort.com; doubles from
Rome A DAY OF PAMPERING US$1,350, all-inclusive.
The olive-oil maker Armando Manni’s London
one-bedroom Casa Manni Roma is an Decadence abounds inside London’s ISLAND-HOPPING MADE EASY
Adam Tihany–designed space over- new Dorchester Spa, an ivory-and-cor- Eastern Caribbean
looking the Piazza Colonna. The real al-colored subterranean paradise with Regent Seven Seas Cruises has
draw here is access to Manni’s black cream chiffon curtains and a chandelier perfected the island escape with a new
book: request a private agnolotti-making made from 72,000 South Pacific pearls. eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Seven
ANNIE SCHLECHTERV
class with Oretta Zanini de Vita, Italy’s Seasoned aesthetician Vaishaly has de- Seas Navigator. The cruise begins in Fort
mistress of handmade pasta, or a deca- veloped a menu of facials, administered Lauderdale and continues on to classic
dent four-handed Thai couples’ mas- in enormous, mood-lit double treat- ports of call on St. Bart’s, St. Maarten
sage at Acanto, a spa favored by ment suites. Afterward, wrap yourselves and Virgin Gorda. On a special stop »
122
The Adam Tihany–designed living room at Casa Manni Roma,
in Rome. Clockwise from above: A Harley-Davidson motorcycle
on Rome’s Via di Pietra; a view of the centro storico from
the terrace at Casa Manni Roma; the apartment’s dining area.
123
The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran
Bay. Opposite, from left: One of the suite
terraces at Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa in
Bermuda; the resort’s palm court.
in Princess Cays, a private island in the Point Hotel & Spa is the first luxury re- Mansion, overlooking the posh Recole-
Bahamas, you’ll be treated to beach sort to open on Bermuda in almost four ta neighborhood’s French-colonial
barbecues and Jet Skiing; in the decades. Situated on 81 hectares over- buildings, is the perfect spot for a sun-
Dominican Republic, guided excur- looking Castle Harbour, the hotel’s 88 set tango (arrange a lesson through the
sions lead you through mangrove guest rooms come with everything you hotel). This Belle Époque gem has just
swamps in Los Haitises National Park. could hope for in an old-world Carib- 10 suites, each with cavernous
But why leave the ship at all? Thanks to bean retreat: mahogany beds, deep limestone-and-marble bathrooms and
a recent renovation, all 245 cabins now soaking tubs and balconies. The white- ebony floors; most have views of the
have ocean views, and many have pri- tablecloth Point Restaurant & Terrace hotel’s central atrium and its two-story
vate decks—an ideal vantage point showcases local ingredients and is waterfall. The spa offers organic, wine-
when you’re arriving in Puerto Rico adorned with large murals depicting inspired treatments, a rewarding end
and San Juan’s imposing fortress 19th-century clipper ships. 60 Tucker’s to a day spent exploring the colorful
emerges on the horizon. 1-877/505- Point Dr.; 1-866/604-3764; tuckerspoint. cityscape. 1647 Montevideo St.; 54-11/
5370; rssc.com; 10-night Eastern Caribbean com; doubles from US$340. 3530-7777; algodonmansion.com; doubles
Cruise from US$5,065 per person round trip, from US$400.
including airfare from select cities. MEXICO AND
CENTRAL AND SOUTH A TREE-HOUSE ESCAPE
NEW OLD-WORLD CHARM AMERICA Punta Uva, Costa Rica
Bermuda AN ARGENTINEAN MANOR Adventurous couples can live out their
Inspired by an era of horse-drawn car- Buenos Aires Tarzan-and-Jane fantasies at Tree
riages and cricket matches, Tucker’s The rooftop of the six-story Algodon House Lodge, a secluded spot in the
rain forest on Costa Rica’s southern
Caribbean shore. The four individual
bungalows, with wide-open canopy
views, are made from fallen tropical
hardwoods. The most dramatic of
these—the eponymous Tree House—is
a bi-level cottage built around the trunk
of a rare sangrillo tree. Inside, a whimsi-
cal bamboo-walled shower and an ele-
T H I S PAG E : CO U RT E SY O F T U C K E R ’S P O I N T H OT E L & S PA ( 2 ) . O P P O S I T E PAG E : CO U RT E SY O F FO U R S E A S O N S
vated master bedroom (reached via »
125
palm-thatched suspension bridge) are
perfect for watching howler monkeys
rustle in the treetops. 506/2750-0706;
costaricatreehouse.com; doubles from US$200.
DINING IN THE DESERT

San José del Cabo, Mexico 36-hectare plot since 1996 with his son inspired tapas, while jazz music plays
At One&Only Palmilla, on Mexico’s John, will walk you through the har- and the sunset blazes across the Indian
Baja Peninsula, splurge on dinner in a vest, pointing out varieties that grow Ocean. Fortunately, lingering is
hidden Sonoran canyon. You’ll be improbably tall at this altitude (2,743 strongly encouraged. Jimbaran, Denpas-
chauffeured in the resort’s own- meters) . Handpick your favorites—a fi- ar; 62-361/701-010; fourseasons.com; dou-
Hummer to this high-desert feast, ery Lina or an organic Flaming Pale bles from US$680; dinner for two US$250.
where a table for two is illuminated by Pink—and the bouquet will be waiting
a bonfire and flickering candles. Share for you when you return home. Km 3, HORSEBACK RIDING IN RAJASTHAN
T H I S PAG E , F RO M L E F T: CO U RT E SY O F M I H I R G A R H ; CO U RT E SY O F FO U R S E A S O N S .
chilled champagne and dine on grilled Crta. Mulalillo; 59-3/3227-6100; India
meats and fresh salads, then take turns nevadoecuador.com; tours from US$25. On the wild plains of Rajasthan—just
at the telescope set up to spot celestial an hour south of Jodhpur—the Mihir
bodies above the Pacific. Km 7.5, Crta. Garh is a palatial fortress hotel with an
Transpeninsular; 1-954/809-2726; ASIA impressive stable of indigenous
O P P O S I T E PAG E : CO U RT E SY O F RO S E W O O D H OT E L S & R E S O RTS
oneandonlyresorts.com; doubles from A GLAMOROUS BEACH SCENE Marwari steeds. Take one on a
US$675; dinner for two US$1,210. Bali, Indonesia maharajah-worthy journey through
The just-renovated Four Seasons the desert or on a staff-guided picnic
GARDENER’S PARADISE Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay sits on a safari to a picturesque Bishnoi tribal
Salcedo, Ecuador crescent of soft sand that’s alluring village. Then come home to one of the
Between the central Cotopaxi and enough by day—and now even lovelier nine enormous guest suites (each is
Tungurahua volcanoes 200 kilometers after dark, thanks to the resort’s new over 158 square meters), which are
south of Quito lies Nevado Roses—the Beds on the Beach nights. Every done up in colorful Rajasthani textiles
antithesis of your grandmother’s flower Tuesday and Saturday evening, dozens and rich fabrics that will put the final
garden. More than 3 million rosebush- of votives are set alight in the sand, sur- touches on your storybook adventure.
es bloom in tidy rows, wafting their rounding 20 canopied lounge beds Knandi, Rohet, Pali; 91-9/636-169-665;
heady fragrance into the air. Roberto swathed in colorful silk. Barefoot wait- mihirgarh.com; doubles from R14,500,
Nevado, who has co-owned this staff bring cocktails and Asian- including meals.
126
A hammock awaits at Jumby Bay in Antigua.
Opposite, from left: In Rajasthan, the palatial
Mihir Garh; at the Four Seasons Resort Bali.
Tasmania’s Quamby Estate, a serene setting. Opposite
page: In Tanzania, Kilindi is within earshot of the surf.
A MODERN RYOKAN the centerpiece of an 1820’s ranch. AN AFRICAN BEACH GETAWAY
Kyoto, Japan Now set within serene English gardens, Zanzibar, Tanzania
The Arashiyama neighborhood of the sprawling, contemporary-style This island is famous for its aromatic
Kyoto, full of bamboo groves and Zen homestead has been renovated into 10 spices, Swahili culture, and most of all,
temples, is the site of the city’s new- spacious suites with colonial antiques its isolated beaches. At Kilindi, on a
est—and most exquisite—ryokan, or and views of the surrounding farmland. sun-bleached crescent opposite Tum-
traditional inn. Hoshinoya Kyoto has 1145 Westwood Rd., Hagley; 61-3/6392- batu Island, 15 domed limestone pavil-
25 guest rooms along the banks of the 2211; quambyestate.com; doubles from A$300. ions are tucked along a tidal bay where
Hozu River, each with Japanese fu- wooden dhows still ply the aquamarine
tons, yellow cedar bathtubs and deli- A NEW BLUE LAGOON waters. Here, luxury comes with a light
cate rice-paper screens. In the Cook Islands footprint—rainwater collected on the
morning, you can have a Japanese In the South Pacific, 644 kilometers roofs of the cottages is used to water the
breakfast delivered to your room—nabe southwest of Tahiti, you’ll find the less- lush gardens. The white-on-white
hot pot served with tofu and local vege- er-known Cook Islands, an ideal play- rooms are within earshot of the surf.
tables—and sit by the window, against ground for snorkeling, kayaking and 255-24/223-1954; kilindi.com; doubles
a backdrop of maple and cherry trees. motu walking (the local pastime of wad- from US$900, including all meals.
11-2 Genrokuzan-cho, Arashiyama, Nishi- ing in the shallow waters between islets).
kyo-ku; 81-75/871-0001; kyoto.hoshinoya. Rising from one of these white-sand
com; doubles from Y59,000. motu is Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & ANTARCTICA
Spa—which has the island chain’s only THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
AUSTRALIA overwater bungalows as well as the new Argentina, Falkland Islands, Antarctica
AND THE Villa Te Arau, a mod-Maori haven with Following in the footsteps of explorers
SOUTH PACIFIC black-pearl-shell inlays, woven-panda- Captain James Cook and Ernest
NAPA DOWN UNDER nus walls and a private pool. This is the Shackleton, Silversea Cruises’
Tasmania, Australia place to spend days learning to pluck a 17-day Explorer’s Antarctica has all the
This region’s highlight is the winery- ukulele or dozing in the double-wide adventure of an expedition with a mini-
filled Tamar Valley. At the Ninth Island hammock. Akitua Island; 682/31203; mal amount of roughing it. The
Vineyard, reserve a table at Daniel Alps aitutakilagoonresort.com; doubles from 132-passenger Prince Albert II embarks
at Strathlynn (95 Rosevears Dr., Rose- NZ$395, villas from NZ$1,875. from Ushuaia, Argentina, and heads to-
vears; 61-3/6330-2388; lunch for two ward the Falkland Islands. You’ll get
A$148), for fresh regional dishes such as 360-degree views of hulking glaciers,
Spring Bay scallops in a leek-and- AFRICA blue icebergs and snowcapped peaks
thyme butter sauce. The restored THE BEST OF WINE COUNTRY from the two top-deck, glass-enclosed
Quamby Estate —a 28-kilometer drive South Africa whirlpools. For up-close encounters
from the city of Launceston—was once Few views are as stage-set for romance with wildlife (southern fur seals; alba-
as the one over Stellenbosch Valley and tross; chinstrap penguins), book a natu-
the Western Cape Winelands, with ralist-guided tour on one of eight
C O U R T E SY O F K I L I N D I . O P P O S I T E PA G E : C O U R T E SY O F Q U A M BY E S TAT E
hectares of vineyards, white Cape Zodiacs. This takes the phrase “getting
Dutch houses and dramatic moun- away from it all” to a new level.
tains. Now there’s a prime spot from 1-877/215-9986; silversea.com; 17-day
which to take it all in: the newly reno- itinerary from US$7,926 per person.
vated Delaire Graff Estate. The prop-
erty’s contemporary-art collection is a EDITED BY Jennifer Flowers AND Clark
carefully edited selection of some of Mitchell. REPORTED BY Tom Austin,
South Africa’s finest working artists. Lisa Cheng, Christine Ciarmello,
Take an extravagant wine tutorial in Anthony Dennis, Claire Downey, Irene
the state-of-the-art tasting lounge, with Edwards, Rachel Felder, Jaime Gross,
flights of Delaire reds and whites and Catesby Holmes, James Jung, Sandy
organic food pairings. R310, Helschoog- Lang, Peter Jon Lindberg, Carolina A.
te, Banhock Valley, Stellenbosch; 27- Miranda, Shane Mitchell, Kathryn
21/885-8160; delaire.co.za; lunch for two O’Shea-Evans, Maria Shollenbarger
594 South African rand (US$80). AND Amy Traverso.
129
(My Favorite Place)
Avignon in Provence, France. Inset: Actor Jean Reno.
FRANCE
All the world’s a stage—you just need to get out and discover it for
yourself, famed French thespian Jean Reno tells LARA DAY
IRST, I SHOULD SAY IT’S DIFFICULT FOR ME TO beginning I thought it was closed, but in fact it’s open. Look
F name my favorite place. I was born in Casablanca,

when Morocco was under the French
administration. My parents are from Andalusia, in
the south of Spain. I went to do my military service in
Germany, to become a French citizen, and then I went to the
at the youth in Hong Kong. The kids here are just like in
America, full of colors, wearing different clothes.
When you travel for cinema, everything is taken care of
for you. You don’t have to remember anything—it’s both
good and bad at the same time. Take Beijing. I was there for
States for my career. So you see, the world is mine—the the film festival, and it was great. But I didn’t have time to
world belongs to everyone. You just need to have the courage visit the Great Wall of China. I want to go back and take
to get out and do something. black-and-white photographs. I want to go back to F R O M L E F T: A F P/G E T T Y; © M A N U W E / I S T O C K P H O T O . C O M
Honestly, my ideal vacation is on a boat. There are no Shanghai, too. I was there for the film festival, and the Park
paparazzi, and you can take your whole family along. The Hyatt is really extraordinary, especially the breakfast. It has
sea is perfect because it’s open. I especially love the everything: fantastic pastries, a beautiful buffet … every day
Mediterranean, where you have everything: Corsica, Greece, I woke up and ran straight to breakfast. Just ask my wife.
Italy, Spain, France. I have a holiday house in Provence, When you’re young, you can never imagine what
surrounded by olive trees—it’s close to Avignon, where will happen to you: the places you’ll go, the people you’ll
there’s a theater festival, and Arles, where there are meet. Your life is the biggest adventure, the biggest
bullfights. I’m looking for something else now, a bit bigger, journey. It’s like a card game—every person has a card for
still in southern Europe, maybe in the south of Spain. you. That’s my philosophy in life. My goal isn’t to be on
I find Asia very appealing for its diversity, and the kindness some beach by myself, but to be among people. Wherever
of the people. You learn a lot just from people in the street. you go, if you know how to look at people, the travel will
The biggest surprise to me here has been China. At the be fantastic. ✚
SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Only in Oz!
60 UNIQ U E LY AU SSIE EXPE
RIENC ES
+
•
•
Drift off over the Great Barrier Reef
Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge
• Dine under the stars at Ayers Rock IN ASSOCIATION WITH
• Go city ballooning in Canberra
and much, much more!
Plus: Win a trip to Australia!

ONLY IN OZ... THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE
Australia is a destination with strong ties to Southeast Asia; many of my Thai friends have family
“down under,” or have studied there, and they retain a strong bond with this amazing antipodean
country. No wonder: there are numerous attractions in Australia, or “Oz” as it’s fondly known, not
least the warm, welcoming people, the star-studded Outback night sky, and the most popular
beaches in the world. It’s also a cosmopolitan country, oozing style and sophistication.
But there’s much more to Australia than the TV clichés — which is where we come in. When
Tourism Australia approached Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia about doing an
extended promotional section, I had some trepidation, as these can sometimes veer quite far away
from readers’ interests and needs. But I’m proud to say that this is a true
collaboration for this special section; both T+L SEA and Tourism Australia selected 60 experiences
you can have in Australia — and only in Australia! — with a strong idea of what we wanted to achieve,
which is also to show a different side to Australia: that there are exciting and memorable adventures
all around the country.
I do hope you enjoy it as much as we did preparing it and that it inspires you to look southwards
and plan your next trip!
Matt Leppard, Editor-in-Chief

KEY
Arts
Nature
Wildlife
D E S I G N : W W W. FA H S A K H A R E T. C O M / C O V E R P H O T O C O U R T E SY O F AY E R S R O C K R E S O R T
Romantic
Lifestyle
Food & Wine
City
Adventure
Educational
$ <$100
$$ $100–500
$$$ $500–1,000
$$$$ >$1,000
Price range in AUD
WIN A TRIP TO OZ!

Tell us what you think of this feature in our survey at www.travelandleisuresea.com/australia
and stand to win a trip for two to Australia! See full details plus terms and conditions online.
For more information, as well as contacts and booking details, about all the activities
and experiences listed, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
While the editors, publisher and commercial partner believe all information to be correct at time of publication, they cannot guarantee its absolute accuracy.
2 IN TRO D UC T I O N
WALES
SOUTH
NEW
This state—population nearly
7 million—boasts a wealth
of world-famous attractions
suitable for all travelers. From
the Sydney Harbour Bridge
to the Opera House, iconic
images known worldwide are
found here. Elsewhere, you
can adopt a koala, ride the
world’s steepest railway and
more! This highly cosmo-
politan city is also famous for
its welcoming multicultural
attitude towards life.
1. CLASSIC CLIMB Australian melting pot of a Where: Sydney
Jervis Bay
Climb the iconic Sydney city. It opened in 1932 and When: All year round, except
Harbour Bridge measures more than 100 Christmas and Easter
meters from water For: All ages
to top, affording spectacular How much: $$
Where: Sydney views of the city and the Why: If you’re heading to
When: All year round, except harbor. And at almost 1,150 Sydney, then a visit to the
Christmas and Easter meters long, it’s the fifth longest Opera House is a must. Not
For: Adults and children aged such bridge in the world. A only is this fabulous structure
10 years and above must for any visit to New visually sumptuous, it is also
How much: $$ South Wales and Sydney. the world’s busiest performing
Why: Sydney’s famous Harbour arts complex. Theater, ballet,
Bridge is, next to the Sydney 2. STAR PERFORMANCE pop music, symphonies, For: All ages
Opera House (also visible from Experience the famous comedies and loads of How much: It’s free to walk
the bridge), arguably the most Sydney
y y Opera House activities for the kids put it on the beach, but specialist
iconic and well-known symbol high on any list of things to do tours, such as whale-watching,
of this quintessentially in Australia. And if you’re may cost
there mid-May to mid-June, Why The Guinness Book of
The Sydney Opera House don’t miss out on “Luminous,” Records states that Hyams
an event that has the Opera Beach at Jervis Bay on
House bathed in dramatic the south coast of New
lighting. To see the House in a South Wales has the whitest
different light, why not take an sand in the world—although
“Experience Package” tour? there are, of course, many
other beaches close by that are
3. WHITEST SHADE OF PALE almost as good. There are
Glide barefoot over the usually no crowds so you
whitest sand in the world may well find that you have
this beautiful beach all to
yourself ! Jervis Bay is also
Where: Jervis Bay, South Coast, where you can enjoy whale-
3 hours’ drive from Sydney and dolphin-watch cruises.
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
The Sydney Opera House’s distinctive design is not based on shells, but on sections of a hemisphere.
For more information on all the activities listed and details of how to book, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
NEW SOUT H WA LE S 3
Koala cuddling rescue and treat sick and 6. INCLINED TOWARDS structure in the world. While
Koala cuddling.
injured koalas, as well as INCLINES? most of it is under water, it’s
preserve their natural ...then ride the world’s one of the few places in
habitat. An ideal gift for steepest
p railway! Australia where you can
any animal-lover! regularly see A-list celebs like
Nicole Kidman and Russell
5. SWINGERS ONLY Where: K
Wh Katoomba, Blue Crowe. It’s also a great spot to
Engineering in action Mountains, 1.5 hour’s drive stop at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels
at Darling Harbour from Sydney for a “pie floater,” another
When: All year round Australian legend: a traditional
For: All ages Australian meat pie tipped
Where: Darling Harbour, How much: $ upside down in a plate of
Sydney Why: It’s the steepest railway thick pea soup and covered
When: All year round; the in the world! If you need more with tomato sauce (costs
bridge opens at 10:30am, 12 reasons, the Katoomba Scenic around A$5). Delicious!
noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm Railway boasts a maximum
4. OWN A FURRY FRIEND For: All ages gradient of 52 degrees and
Adopt your very own How much: Free goes through a tunnel before ELSEWHERE
cute and cuddly koala Why: Having lunch at one descending into an ancient IN AUSTRALIA
of Darling Harbour’s many rain forest. The perfect scenic 8. SUITED AND BOOTED
top restaurants? There’s a trip—with a dash of roller- Shop for Aussie
Where: Port Macquarie, 4 good chance you might coaster thrill—for nature- designer
g fashions
hours’ drive from Sydney catch an example of great lovers, couples and families.
When: All year round Australian engineering in
For: All ages action. Pyrmont Bridge in 7. WOOD WALK
How much: $ Darling Harbour is an Spot stars on the world’s
Why: Koalas are cute, cuddly opening swing bridge largest wooden structure
and unarguably one of (which means it allows tall
Australia’s most-loved natural vessels to pass underneath)
treasures. More to the point, and the world’s oldest Where: Woolloomooloo,
they are listed as a surviving electrical span East Sydney
“vulnerable” species. So why bridge, built when most swing For: All ages
not adopt a wild koala at The bridges were operated simply How much: Free
Koala Hospital—the world’s with basic mechanics. It was Why: Another Australian
only hospital dedicated to the powered by the then Ultimo superlative, Woolloomooloo
care of koalas—and help the Power House, now converted Wharf is a Guinness record-
animals out? Adoptions help to to the Powerhouse Museum. holder as the largest wooden Where: Various locations
in major cities
For: Adults
When: All year round
How much: From $
Why: Australian cities are
well-known as shop-till-
you-drop destinations,
and there are many
world-renowned
Australian designer labels
such as Collette Dinnigan,
Akira Isogawa, Lisa Ho
and Sass & Bide to put on
your shopping list.
Australian bush and
outback clothing (e.g.,
RM Williams) also has
a reputation for excellent
quality, while street- and
beach-wear designed for
the relaxed Aussie
lifestyle is famous
Woolloomoolo Wharf around the world.
4 N E W S O UTH W A L ES
CTORIA
VI
Victoria is Australia’s second-most populated When: All year round
How much: $
state, with the majority of its citizens living in Why: Phillip Island is one of
Melbourne, which is set around the shores of Port the only nine islands in
Australia where you can
Phillip Bay. It also has a thriving bohemian culture, encounter a breeding colony
heavily inclined towards the arts, and, as such, is of Australian fur seals.
Experience this spectacular
one of the events capitals of the country. 2-hour cruise while witnessing
one of Australia’s largest wild
fur-seal colonies situated on
Seal Rocks, lying 2 kilometers
off the rugged, impressive
south-west coast of Phillip
Island. The boat drifts
within meters of thousands
of seals, enabling you to
witness their natural
environment first-hand.
12. BABY WADDLERS

Parade with Little
Penguins
9. A NEW DAWN closed from Easter 2010 till stop, revelers swap carriages
Witness the birthplace late 2011 for redevelopment, to listen to a new band. Where: Phillip Island, 2 hours’
of authentic Australian during which the Southern This award-winning drive from Melbourne
multiculturalism Cross flag will be exhibited at experience is so frequently For: All ages
the Art Gallery of Ballarat. sold out, that for all potential When: All year round
passengers, it is advisable to How much: $
Where: Ballarat, 1.5 hours’ 10. BAND ON BOARD book as early as you can to Why: At sunset each day,
drive from Melbourne Shake, rattle and roll on secure a seat or two! groups of Little Penguins
For: All ages a one-of-a-kind train —the world’s smallest
When: All year round 11. FUR IS FOR SEALS penguins, native to
How much: $ Up-close encounter with Australia—emerge from the
Why: On November 30, 1854, Where: Queenscliff, 1.5 hours’ Australian fur seals sea after a day’s fishing and
a historic event, the Eureka drive from Melbourne waddle ashore to their
Stockade, saw immigrants For: Ages 18 and above only sand-dune burrows.
from 16 nations come When: August to May, Where: Cowes, Phillip Island, 2 Elevated boardwalks and
together under a non-British Saturday nights only hours’ drive from Melbourne viewing stands allow you to
flag—the Southern Cross— How much: $ For: All ages enjoy all the penguin action.
heralding the start of Why: The world’s one and
democracy and the notion of only Blues Train leaves the Penguin-watching
a “fair go” that underpins the historic bayside town of
nation today. Learn about the Queenscliff and runs along
event at the Eureka Centre. the old Geelong train line
Nearby—down the road, in offering a highly unique
fact—is Sovereign Hill, an musical meal and show.
open-air museum that is a Guests can buy their
replica of a real 1850’s drinks before boarding
goldfields town where you and enjoy a hearty meal,
can really pan for gold! while they listen to the
The Eureka Centre will be bands on board. At each
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
In 1956, Melbourne became the first city in Oz to host the Olympic Games — the first time that athletes
entered the closing ceremony en masse. For full details of all listings, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
VICT ORI A 5
A Melbourne tram indigenous snow gum For: Adults inner-city laneways of
trees—or Eucalyptus When: All year round Australia’s second-largest
pauciflora—appear simply How much: From $$ with city are a treasure chest of
everywhere you look. Snowy accommodation unique shops, cosmopolitan
Mountains, 5 hours’ drive Why: Join guided walking open-air cafés and chic
from Sydney in New South tours or drive at your own fashion catering for all tastes
Wales, is another location leisure down the Great and budgets. The best way
to enjoy the Aussie Ocean Road, which stretches to explore them is to get
alpine experience. approximately 260 kilometers lost in the maze—you’ll
from Allansford, Victoria to always find your way out again.
14. STATION TO STATION Belmont, Geelong. Soldiers For authentic insider tips,
Ride on the world’s returning from battle in Hidden Secrets Tours offers a
biggest tram network World War I were 2- to 3-hour intimate walking
commissioned to build the tour—with a guide to show you
road as a tribute to their fallen the best places to shop—for
Where: Melbourne comrades. The project gave A$115 per person including
For: All ages the soldiers much-needed morning tea, lunch and a
13. SLOPE STYLE When: All year round jobs during the Great special goodie bag!
Ski among snow gums How much: $ Depression and created a
Why: Linking Melbourne’s tourist route came to be known
wonderful and storied past for its views of the iconic ELSEWHERE
Where: Mount Buller, with its unarguably vibrant Twelve Apostles rock IN AUSTRALIA
3 hours’ drive from future, trams were first formations. 18. TUCK IN TO
Melbourne introduced to the city in TRADITION
For: All ages 1865. Today, Melbourne 16. STUMPED FOR IDEAS? Sample real Aussie
When: June–September has the biggest tram network See how cricket bats are “bush tucker”
How much: From $$ in the world with actually made
with accommodation approximately 250 kilometers
Why: Where else in the of double track. There area,
world can you ski or a staggering 1,770 tram stops Where: Shepherds Flat, 1.5
snowboard down a run across the network. Getting hours’ drive from Melbourne
called the Wombat? Mt. on the City Circle Tram is a For: All ages
Buller offers a variety of great way for a quick and When: All year round
slopes to entice beginners easy (and free) city tour. How much: $
and challenge more advanced Why: Aussies love cricket, Where: Various locations
skiers. Even non-skiers can 15. A ROAD TO REMEMBER and nowhere else in the in the outback and in
enjoy a bit of fun in the snow Drive (or even walk) the world (even England) but at major cities
with the sensational snow Great Ocean Road Cricket Willow can you see the For: All ages
tubing and tobogganing entire process of making a When: All year round
facilities that are available here. cricket bat, from planting to How much: From $
And you know you are Where: Apollo Bay, 3 hours’ harvesting to shaping and Why: “Bush tucker”
in Australia when the drive from Melbourne processing, in one place—and —the traditional diet of
even have your own cricket bat Australian Aborigines—
The Great Ocean Road and Twelve Apostles made. Twenty-seven of the top is made up of native
40 batsmen around the world ingredients that can
use these bats, all made in all be found in the
the sleepy hollow of wild. Sample it at
Shepherds Flat. numerous restaurants
in any of the major
17. GET LOST! cities in the country—
Explore the chic laneways from kangaroo steak
of Melbourne and “yabbies” (lake
prawns) to regular food
flavored with lemon
Where: Melbourne myrtle, wattleseed and
For: Adults quandong (wild peach)
When: All year round —or join bush food
How much: Free (exclusive tours at the Sydney
of the cost of your designer and Adelaide botanic
shopping, of course!) gardens.
Why: The twisting
6 VI C TO RI A
TRALIA
RN AUS
E
WEST
Western Australia occupies
the entire western side of
the country, facing the Indian
Ocean. With a pleasant cli-
mate that could be compared
with the Mediterranean, WA’s
southern coast is among the
world’s top nine habitats for
Wave Rock
terrestrial biodiversity, as well
as one of the top six regions 19. FLOWER POWER How much: $$
for marine biodiversity. Take in the world’s Why: Wave Rock is a huge,
largest wildflower stunning 2,500-year-old
collection granite cliff shaped exactly like
a wave. Stand under it, and
you can almost feel the years
Where: Throughout Western pressing down on you! This
Australia, including natural wonder has to be
Pemberton, Albany, experienced first-hand and in
Margaret River and Kings the bowl of the “wave.” This
Park in Perth, among others natural wonder has to be
When: June–November experienced first-hand and in
For: All ages the bowl of the “wave” to fully
How much: Prices vary by comprehend its magnificence.
location and tour, or do it
at your own leisure for free 21. GOLDEN WONDER
Why: Banksias, grevilleas, See the world’s largest
kangaroo paws, milkmaids, gold bar exhibition
honeypots, mountain bells...
Witness rugged landscapes
or lush green fields come Where: Perth
alive with a blaze of brilliant When: All year round
colors and fresh scents in For: All ages
Western Australia—home to How much: $
more than 12,000 species of Why: Gold has been a
wildflowers, the largest common currency since
collection of wild blooms in the beginning of historical
the world. More than 60% of records; it is perhaps the most
these species can be found only alluring commodity, full of
in WA, and you can enjoy romance and mystery. In
different ones at various Perth itself, you can visit one
times and locations of the world’s oldest currency
throughout the state. mints—the Perth Mint—and
find out your weight in gold,
20. ROCK AND ROLL! plus engrave your own
Surf a granite wave personal medallion—as well
as see a gold bar worth
$225,000 being poured!
Where: Wave Rock, Hyden, Elsewhere in Western
less than 4 hours’ drive Australia, the famous
from Perth Kalgoorlie Goldfields is the
When: All year round richest gold mining area in
For: All ages the world.
W EST ERN AUST R A LI A 7
22. BIG FISH shark—the largest fish in the Park in size by almost 1 square
Swim with whale sharks sea—which grows up to 16 kilometer.
at the world’s most meters long.
accessible reef 24. JEWEL IN THE CROWN
23. SPREAD YOUR See the largest “calcite
MAT HERE straw” stalactite open
Where: Ningaloo Reef, Picnic in the world’s to the public
offshore from Exmouth largest inner-city
and Coral Bay, about 14 green space
hours’ drive from Perth, or Where: Jewel Cave,
under 3 hours’ flight Margaret River, 3 hours’
When: All year round Where: Perth drive from Perth
For: Adults When: All year round When: All year round
How much: $$ For: All ages For: All ages
Why: Ningaloo Reef in How much: Free How much: $ ELSEWHERE
Western Australia, one of Why: If a picnic in the park Why: Deep inside the dazzling IN AUSTRALIA
the most biodiverse reefs in is your thing, you might as Jewel Cave hangs the largest 25. VINTAGE VINO
the world, is the only large well choose one where straw stalactite of any cave Drink great wine
coral reef in the world found there’s lots and lots of space. open to the public, measuring harvested from the
so close to land, making it Not only is it located a staggering 5.4 meters long. world’s
wo d oldest vines
easily accessible from the slap-bang in the middle of The cave complex itself
shore. It’s home to a myriad a city, the Kings Park and descends to 42 meters and is
of marine life, so slip on your Botanic Garden is more 1.9 kilometers long in total, Where: Hunter Valley,
snorkel or diving gear and than 4 square kilometers with the main chamber New South Wales;
swim with graceful manta in size and boasts amazing measuring in at 90 meters long Barossa and McLaren
rays, sea turtles and schools of views over the Swan River, and 30 meters high. But these Vale, South Australia;
brightly colored fish in the as well as the spectacular are just numbers and words— Yarra Valley, Victoria;
clearest turquoise water Perth city skyline. A this is something you need to Margaret River,
imaginable. You can also swim dramatic experience that see up close and to explore, for Western Australia
with the majestic whale beats New York’s Central a mind-blowing experience. For: Adults
How much: $–$$
Why: Grapevines arrived
in Australia from Europe
with the early settlers and
the first plantings were
made in the fertile flood
plains of the Hunter
Valley around 1830.
Victoria, South Australia
and Western Australia
followed not long after.
Contrary to belief,
Australia and not Europe
lays claim to the world’s
oldest vines (believed to
produce better-quality
yields), because from
the 1860’s, the grape
root louse Phylloxera
wiped out European
vineyards. Australia
wasn’t entirely immune
but the Hunter, South
Australia and Western
Snorkeling with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef Australia were spared.
8
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
Western Australia’s capital, Perth, is almost as close to Singapore and KL than it is to the country’s capital,
Canberra. For more details on this and other activities listed, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
W E S TE RN A US TR ALI A
SLAND
N
QUEE
Not only is Queensland
Australia’s second-biggest state,
it is also home to some of the
country’s—and the world’s—
most impressive natural
wonders, like the Great Barrier
Reef and the contrasting,
challenging outback. Boast-
ing world-class beaches and
with 7,400 kilometers of coast-
line, including the Gold Coast,
Queensland is a must-visit for
all outdoors fans! The climate is
warm but not hot (summers
average at about 25 degrees),
and the state basks in more
winter sunshine than many
other states.
26. TOWERING VIEWS the observation deck of 28. SIP NATURE, DISTILLED botanicals, such as
Enjoy the scenery Q1, the world’s Sample native Australian eucalyptus and lemon
from the world’s tallest tallest residential tower botanical liqueurs myrtle at Mt. Tamborine
residential tower at 322.5 meters high, Distillery. One of very few
where the view stretches such distilleries in Australia,
from coast to hinterland. Where: Mount Tamborine, this small, independently
Where: Surfers Paradise, It also has the world’s 45 minutes’ drive from the run distillery has won nearly
Gold Coast fastest elevator, from ground Gold Coast a hundred prestigious
For: All ages to Level 77 in 42.7 seconds. For: Adults international awards for its
When: All year round That’s the equivalent of When: All year round very high-quality liqueurs,
How much: $ 1,331 steps from ground How much: Free schnapps, vodkas, absinthe
Why: Savor the opportunity level, hence the need for a Why: Taste the unique flavors and bitters.
to enjoy spectacular thousand kilometers of of liqueurs and vodkas that
360-degree views from QDeck, lift cabling! use native Australian 29. GET (OUT)BACK
Enjoy an urban
outback experience
ELSEWHERE IN OZ white humpback whale has headed for
27. HAVE A WHALE OF A TIME warmer waters with thousands of fellow
Wave at the world’s only humpbacks as they take a break from Where: Gold Coast
trulyy white whale Antarctica and travel the east coast of For: All ages
Australia. Migaloo’s claim to fame is that he is When: All year round,
the world’s only known white whale, and if except Christmas Day
Where: Byron Bay, New South Wales; you are lucky you might spot him as he heads How much: $
Hervey Bay, Queensland; and Sydney north in Autumn each year, and back home Why: The vast Australian
beachside suburbs again in Spring. Even if you don’t spot outback is famous for its
For: All ages Migaloo, Australia is one of the best places in wilderness beauty. But you
When: May–October the world to go whale spotting. Hervey Bay is can skip the wilderness
How much: $–$$ known as the whale-watching capital of and still enjoy a piece of the
Why: Every year since 1991 Migaloo the giant Australia, and you may spot dolphins too! outback in the city with
Australian Outback
QUEENSLA ND 9
Spectacular, an action-packed, When: April–January are
feast-for-the-senses the best times
performance capturing the How much: From $$
grandeur of life in the Why: After a day snorkeling
Australian outback, complete in the pristine waters,
with stampeding horses and a you can spend the night
talented cast of Jackaroos and on a floating pontoon
Jillaroos (stockmen and 50 nautical miles from
women)! Complete your the mainland on the edge
experience with a proper of the Great Barrier Reef.
Aussie Outback dinner of This is just one of the
steak, Australian Damper many experiences offered
(outback-baked bread) and by numerous operators
Bush Billy Tea. promoting the Great
Barrier Reef, one of the
30. REEF SLEEPOVER seven wonders of the
Drift off over the world’s natural world, spanning
largest
g coral reef more than 2,000 kilometers
in length along the
Queensland coastline.
Where: Great Barrier Reef,
about 2 hours’ boat ride from 32. NATURAL REJUVENATION
Cairns Relax in one of the
For: Adults world’s oldest rain forests
Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa

ELSEWHERE Where: Daintree National
IN AUSTRALIA Park, 1.5 hours from Cairns
31. DRIVE OF YOUR LIFE For: Adults Walbul-Walbul body 33. FEEDING TIME!
Travel around an When: All year round treatment, designed in Feed wild dolphins
entire continent How much: $$ consultation with the local
Why: At the award-winning KuKu Yalanji people.
Daintree Eco Lodge and Southwards, the Healing Where: Moreton Island, 75
Wh
Where: All of Australia Spa you can indulge in a Waters Spa at Silky Oaks minutes by catamaran from
For: Adults treatment that uses Aboriginal Lodge offers treatments using Brisbane (also possible at
When: All year round massage techniques and mineral-laden waters of the Tin Can Bay, Fraser Coast
How much: Cost varies indigenous products, while nearby Mossman River, and in Queensland; Monkey
Why: As the largest island relaxing in the heart of the floral essences from the Mia, Shark Bay in
and smallest continent on rain forest. Try the special Daintree rain forest. Western Australia)
the planet, Australia is
the only continent that Great Barrier Reef
you can circumnavigate
completely on one
continuous highway.
Highway 1 is the world’s
longest at more than
20,000 kilometers.
Certain indigenous-
owned parts of Arnhem
Land require special
permission, and you’ll
need to put the car onto
the Spirit of Tasmania ferry
to complete the most
southerly part of your
trip. For something less
ambitious, you can
choose to drive any of
Tourism Australia’s 17
recommended routes.
10 QUE E N S L A N D
For: All ages Dolphin feeding Four-wheel-drive tour buses
When: All year round travel the island, while the ELSEWHERE
How much: $–$$ Fraser Island Great Walk IN AUSTRALIA
Why: There are very few allows you to explore the 36. STAGGERING
places in the world where island on foot. SCULPTURES
wild dolphins choose to Admire unique
regularly swim to shore to 35. GINGER, MAN! installations at the
truly interact with people. Try 65 different ginger world’s largest
Australia boasts three drive from Brisbane ice-cream flavors outdoor art show
places where you can For: All ages
witness this, and even When: All year round
get the unique chance to How much: $$ Where: Yandina, Sunshine Where: Bondi Beach,
legally hand-feed these Why: Freshwater lakes, Coast, 2 hours’ drive from Sydney; Cottesloe
dolphins, with expert colored sand cliffs, Brisbane Beach, Perth
supervision, so as not to rain forests growing in sand, For: All ages For: All ages
endanger these delightful crystal-clear creeks and When: All year round, When: October/
mammals. At the long white beaches—the except Christmas Day November in Sydney;
Tangalooma Wild Dolphin World Heritage–listed How much: $ March in Perth
Resort on Moreton Island, Fraser Island, stretching Treat yourself to this delicious How much: Free
you get to hand-feed wild over 123 kilometers in experience at The Ginger Why: The “Sculpture by
bottlenose dolphins that length and 22 kilometers Factory—the world’s largest the Sea” exhibitions in
come at dusk. at its widest point—has —where you can find ginger Sydney and Perth are the
them all. With an area of food and products of every world’s largest free
34. SUN, SEA AND BIG SAND 184,000 hectares, it is also kind, including no less than 65 outdoor art exhibitions.
Walk on the largest sand the world’s largest sand island, different flavors of ginger ice Initiated in 1996 at
island in the world and the only place in the cream. Of course, no visit Bondi Beach, featuring
world where you can see would be complete without sculptures made by
dingoes (native dogs) eating at least one gingerbread both Australian and
Where: Fraser Island, 4 hours’
Wh frolicking on the beach. man in the ginger café. overseas artists, it has
become an annual event
Fraser Island and has expanded to
Cottesloe Beach in
Western Australia since
2005. In June 2009,
Aarhus in Denmark
hosted the first
“Sculpture by the Sea”
exhibition outside of
Australia. But why not
take the chance to see it
where it first started?
FA R R I G H T : G O R D A N A K E Z I
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
The Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing that can be seen from space. Yet despite its size, it’s “only”
half a million years old. For more information on this and other activities, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
QUEENSLA ND 11
STRALIA
TH AU
SOU
Located in—as the name
suggests—the southern central
part of Australia, South
Australia borders all the other
Australian states except the
Australian Capital Territory
and Tasmania. Because of
its location, the more south
you go in the state, the more
temperate the climate becomes,
reaching about 29 degrees,
while the north can bake in
temperatures that have been
known to reach 50!
37. GOING UNDERGROUND most famous for its unique or 7 hours’ drive from Adelaide valuable and famous fish, the
Walk into the world style of cool underground For: All ages mighty blue fin tuna.
beneath your feet at living. You can stay in four-star When: All year round,
Coober Pedy comfort at the Desert Cave except Christmas Day 39. BLEND FINE WINE
Hotel, the world’s only How much: $ Bottle your own
underground hotel, drink at Why: This world-first Australian vino
Where: Coober Pedy, 2 hours’ an underground bar, visit an experience promises to excite,
flight from Adelaide underground art gallery and thrill and entertain all
For: All ages check out the underground adventure lovers! The Swim Where: Barossa, 1.5 hours’
When: April–October homes of the locals (if you with the Tuna tour has been drive from Adelaide
How much: Prices vary make friends with them!). described as “the most exciting For: Adults
between tours and activities and unexpected underwater When: All year round,
Why: Apart from being the 38. THE BIG BLUE experience anywhere.” Here in except Christmas Day
place where almost all of the Swim with Australia’s Port Lincoln, you can enjoy How much: $
world’s precious opals are famous blue fin tuna hand-feeding the fish from the Why: The Barossa is home to
mined and where movies like platform, seeing the fish from Australia’s most famous wine
Mad Max, starring Mel the underwater glass viewing labels, including the world-
Gibson and Tina Turner, Where: Port Lincoln, Eyre area or even swimming with renowned Penfolds. At the
were filmed, Coober Pedy is Peninsula, a 50-minute flight one of Australia’s most Penfolds Winery cellar door,
you can blend your own
Coober Pedy delicious drop of Aussie wine
to take home. Stop at nearby
Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop—
Maggie Beer is one of
Australia’s favorite cooks—for
some fine local produce to go
with your wine.
40. BITE A FROG’S HEAD

Sample the famous
Balfours Frog Cakes
Where: Adelaide
For: All ages
12 S O UTH A US T RA L I A
How much: $ of the 800-million-year-old Kangaroo Island
Why: Frog Cakes are one of quartzite and limestone
South Australia’s most quirky outcrop that is the Flinders
food icons. The famous Ranges lies Wilpena Pound.
confectionery comes in the Wilpena Pound is a
shape of a frog’s head, magnificent natural
composed of sponge cake and amphitheater 17 kilometers
cream, covered with fondant. long and 7 kilometers wide,
It was created by the Adelaide- and is the centerpiece of the
based Balfours bakery in 1922, Flinders Ranges National Park.
and soon became a popular Shaped like a giant cupped
treat in South Australia. hand by the weathering and
Originally, Frog Cakes were uplifting of land over time, it is
available exclusively in green, ringed by saw-tooth peaks
but later brown and pink were visible from 30 kilometers away
added to the range. The Frog and holds strong significance to
Cake has been called the indigenous
“uniquely South Australian” Adnyamathanha people.
and has been employed in The best way to appreciate its
promoting the state. magnificence is to take a scenic
flight over it.
41. FLIGHT OF FANTASY
Fly over one of 42. SLEEPY SEA LIONS
Australia’s magical Walk among these How much: $ is the only place in the world
natural wonders aquatic furry giants Why: World-famous Kangaroo where you can walk among a
Island is a microcosm of colony of Australian sea lions
different landscapes and as they doze in the sun after
Where: Wil
Wilpena Pound, Where: Kangaroo Island, a environments: stunning fishing in the Southern Ocean.
Flinders Ranges, 5 hours’ 30-minute flight or 2.5 hours’ beaches, forests, desert dunes Various tours are available at
drive from Adelaide drive plus a ferry ride from and farmland. As one of the hugely popular Seal Bay
For: All ages Adelaide Australia’s National Conservation Park.
When: All year round For: All ages Landscapes, it is the place to
How much: $$ When: All year round, go see amazing native wildlife 43. REAL HORSEPOWER
Why: Amid the vibrant colors except Christmas Day in its natural habitat. In fact, it Ride a horse-drawn
tram across waters
Wilpena Pound
Where: Victor Harbour,

Fleurieu Peninsula
For: All ages
How much: $
Why: From Victor Harbor, take
the historic double-decker
horse-drawn tram over to the
nearby Granite Island via a
630-meter wooden causeway.
It is one of the very few
horse-drawn tram routes
remaining in public transit
service anywhere in the world,
and provides service every day
throughout the year. It is
the only horse-drawn tram
route in the world that
brings you across waters to
a separate island.
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
Of Coober Pedy’s approximately 4,000 residents, about half live underground, a necessity given the area’s
scorching climate. For more information on all the activities listed, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
SOUT H AUST R A LI A 13
ITORY
TERR
RTHERN
NO
The least-populated state in
Australia, the Northern
Territory extends deep into Uluru, or Ayers Rock
the center of the country.
With Darwin as its capital, 44. WORLD OF ROCK bulk below the surface. World
See the world’s biggest Heritage–listed Uluru-Kata
the state boasts one of the and most famous rock Tjuta National Park is a
most famous sights in the world-class visitor destination
and a key part of Australia’s
world: Uluru. Surprisingly, Where: Uluru-Kata Tjuta iconic Red Centre.
most of the population does National Park, Uluru,
4.5 hours’ drive from 46. A FISHY TALE
not live close to the coastal Alice Springs Hook yourself a
boundary, but further inland, For: All ages barramundi
including in Alice Springs How much: $
—famous for its immortal- Why: It’s the quintessentially Where: Darwin
ization in A Town Like Alice. Oz experience! Nothing
prepares you for the first time
For: Adults
you see Uluru. The How much: $$
overwhelming enormity of the Why: The barramundi is
monolith, coupled with a widely regarded as Australia’s
strong sense of spirituality, premier native sport fish, and
ensures that a visit to Uluru the magnificent Top End
will stay with you long after waters, rivers and estuaries are
you’ve left it. Australia’s most the perfect place to hook your
recognizable natural icon own “barra.” Take a fishing
stands 348 meters high and, charter from Darwin and live
like an iceberg, has most of its on board the Reefmaster.
ELSEWHERE surf lifesavers on patrol,

IN AUSTRALIA wearing their signature
45. SURF’S UP! red-and-yellow caps. If you
Cheer on an Aussie have the chance to catch an
surf lifesaver ocean sport competition
between the various
life-saving clubs, you would
Where: All major beaches have experienced a part of
around the country true Australia.
For: All ages
When: November–March
How much: Free
Why: Australia has more
than 10,000 beaches. In fact,
it is home to some of the
world’s best beaches and, in
summer, all around the
coastline you will see
Australia’s iconic volunteer
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, actually changes color throughout the day, as the minerals in the rock
reflect the changing sunlight. For more information on the activities listed, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
14 NO RT H E RN T E RR I TO R Y
Experienced guides in more than 50,000 years, the
big-game fishing will take you Aboriginal people of Kakadu ELSEWHERE
along the river system fishing and Arnhem Land have lived IN AUSTRALIA
for barramundi and thread fin in harmony with nature. Their 51. FORE IN FOUR DAYS
salmon. Fish the reefs of the history is intrinsically linked Tee off on the
Perron Islands for black with the land, and their world’s longest
jewfish, coral trout, golden stories, told on rock canvasses, golf course
snapper, cod, Spanish endure. Kakadu is home to
mackerel, red emperor, one of the oldest and largest
Robinsons deep sea bream and collections of Aboriginal rock Where: Ceduna, South
other mixed-reef species. art in the world. Australia to Kalgoorlie,
Western Australia
47. RIVERS RUN DRY 50. SIPPING UNDER For: Adults
Join a dry river regatta STELLAR SKIES When: September–
Henley-on-Todd Regatta
‘Table under the stars, February (best times)
sir’? Of course! How much: $$$$
Where: Alice Springs Australian fish species such as Why: This is definitely
For: All ages barramundi, saratoga and something you can
When: Around late August/ stingrays, plus freshwater Where: Uluru-Kata Tjuta brag to your friends
early September crocodiles and turtles. National Park, Uluru, 4.5 about having done.
How much: Free hours’ drive from Alice Springs Covering a staggering
Why: Todd River is dry almost 49. LIVING HISTORY For: Adults and children aged total distance of 1,365
365 days a year, making this a See the oldest living 10 years and above kilometers, the Nullarbor
boat race with a real culture and artworks on When: All year round Links is an 18-hole
difference—it’s done on the the p
planet How much: $-$$ cross-country golf course
dry sands of the Todd River. Why: At the Sounds of Silence that spans two states,
The Henley-on-Todd Regatta experience, you can dine under with holes at remote
is a day of fun where teams Where: KKakadu
k National Park, the canopy of the desert night, golf courses, towns,
and individuals race “boats,” in 3 hours’ drive from Darwin while your very own story- sheep stations, wheat
the dry bed of the Todd River For: All ages teller—armed with a giant farms, goldmines and
in outback Alice Springs. Have When: All year round telescope—shares tales as told roadhouses along
fun and enjoy the hilarity as How much: $ by the stars. Entered into the the way. The entire
you watch seemingly sane Why: Beyond its majestic Australian Tourism Hall of course takes four days
people race in bottomless beauty, Kakadu National Park Fame, Sounds of Silence offers to play and the best way
“eights,” “oxford tubs,” “bath is teeming with wildlife and the best of the Red Centre to do it is to join a
tubs” and “yachts” through the bursting with Aboriginal distilled into four hours of good hassle-free golf tour—
deep, coarse sand. culture and art. Visit a place food, fine wine and magical nice tourist distractions
where time stands still and an stories in an evening of dining included!
48. MONSTER CROC ancient culture lives on. For under the outback sky.
Get up close to the
world’s largest reptile Kakadu National Park
Where: Darwin
For: All ages
How much: $
Why: Ever wanted to get up
close and personal with the
largest reptile in the world?
Crocosaurus Cove offers you
this chance with clear
underwater viewing of these
enormous “salties,” or
saltwater crocodiles. There is
also a “World of Crocodiles”
exhibit and turtle sanctuary,
plus a “touch and feel” reptile
activities center. A two-story,
200,000-liter freshwater
aquarium displays North
NORT HERN T ERRIT ORY 15
L TERRITORY
RALIAN CAPITA
AUST
While tiny by comparison to other states, the Australian Capital Territory,
which lies southwest of Sydney and northeast of Melbourne, contains the
country’s capital, Canberra, famous for its leafy lanes and relaxed pace of
life. Canberra also houses a host of historical and contemporary attractions.
52. BALLOONS OVER Where: Canberra
BUILDINGS When: All year round, ELSEWHERE Luhrmann) movie starring
Experience ballooning in except Christmas Day IN AUSTRALIA Hugh Jackman and
the heart of the capital For: All ages 55. CATTLE PROD Nicole Kidman), a
cityy
ci How much: Free Learn to be a Jackaroo Jackaroo is the name for
Why: Nowhere else tells the ((or Jillaroo)
J an Australian cattle drover.
Where: Canberra fascinating stories of Some cattle stations in
When: All year round Australia’s land, nation, Australia offer holiday-
For: All ages people and cultures better Where: Various locations in makers courses that will
How much: $$ than the National Museum the outback teach you how to ride
Why: A rare opportunity to of Australia. With more than For: Adults and show a horse; muster
ride a hot-air balloon in a city, 200,000 objects, the museum When: All year round cattle; crack a whip and
and not in any ordinary city: profiles 50,000 years of How much: $$$ throw a lasso while
this is Australia’s storied capital indigenous heritage, Why: Made famous in spending the nights under
city, Canberra, historically settlement since 1788 and Australia (the Baz the “big sky.”
famous for its town planning key events.
and pleasant, green spaces.
And the views are well worth 54. MOON IN A DISH When: All year round actually tracking spacecraft.
it: see the historical Parliament See the satellite dish that For: All ages As well as checking out the
House and other city icons. relayed Neil Armstrong’s How much: Free facilities, including the dish
There’s also a balloon festival famous moon walk Why: As part of NASA’s that captured Neil Armstrong’s
where you can see many Deep Space Network, first moon walk, visitors can
colored balloons in the air, the Canberra Deep Space also see a piece of moon rock
while enjoying great music, Where: Tidbinbilla, a Communication Complex is that is more than 3 million
food and entertainment on 45-minute drive from one of only three facilities in years old—ideal for families
the ground. Canberra the world responsible for with curious kids!.
53. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER Hot-air ballooning over Canberra

Find out all there is to
know about Australia
National Museum
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
Canberra replaced Melbourne as the capital of Australia in 1908, ending the debate on whether Sydney or Mel-
bourne should be the capital. For more information on the activities listed, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
16 A US T RA L I A N C AP I TAL TER R I TO R Y
SMANIA
TA How much: $$ Sheffield
Uniquely in Australia, Tasmania Why: Where else in the world
can you sample the finest local
is an island—the 26th largest in produce and cool-climate
the world. Tasmania is known wines in a location that looks
as the “island of inspiration,” like a wineglass? The
spectacular Wineglass Bay—so
due to its outstanding natural named for its shape—is
beauty: Some 37 percent of the Tasmania’s most famous
beach, voted among the top 10 59. WRITING ON THE WALL
island’s nature is protected. beaches of the world, and Vote for your favorite
renowned for its pure, clear mural at Australia’s
turquoise waters. The Town of Murals
Wineglass to Wine Glass tour
offers great views, insights into
the local flora, fauna and Where: Sheffield, 1 hour’s drive
heritage, rounded off with a from Launceston
meal of fresh local produce For: All ages
and fine wines. When: All year round
How much: Free
58. SWEET TEMPTATION Why: Stroll through Sheffield
Taste Tasmania’s unique —Australia’s Town of Murals
leatherwood honey —and admire the 40+ murals
painted on beautiful old
buildings throughout the town,
Where: Chudleigh, 1 hour’s telling the region’s history.
drive from Launceston Sheffield also hosts the unique
For: All ages International Mural Fest,
When: All year round whereby the public gets to pick
How much: Free the winning mural artists in a
Why: Bees love the flowers of live poem-inspired “paint-off.”
leatherwood trees, which are
endemic to Tasmania, and it is 60. GORGE YOURSELF!
56. WHERE THE WILD THINGS national park in a four- only here that leatherwood Ride the world’s longest
REALLY ARE! wheel-drive bus. This is honey is made. For a taste or to single-span
g chairlift
Spot Australian wildlife your chance to see wombats, see how it is farmed, or
in its natural habitat eastern quolls, possums, to buy food and beauty
wallabies and Tasmanian products made from it, head Where: Cataract Gorge, a
devils face-to-face. to The Honey Farm in 15-minute walk from
Where: Cradle Mountain, Chudleigh. To see the trees, Launceston
Cradle Mountain-Lake St 57. FROM WINEGLASS TO visit Tahune Forest Reserve, For: All ages
Clair National Park, 2.5 hours’ WINE GLASS south of Hobart. When: All year round
drive from Launceston Enjoy great views and How much: $
For: All ages fine wines Wineglass Bay Why: This 456-meter chairlift is
When: All year round located at Launceston’s
How much: $ magnificent Cataract Gorge,
Why: It isn’t always easy to see Where: Freycinet National just 15 minutes by foot from
Australian wildlife in its natural Park, Coles Bay, 2.5 hours’ the city center. The central
habitat because most of the drive from Launceston span of 308 meters is believed
animals are nocturnal. Better or Hobart to be the longest single chairlift
your chances by joining a For: Adults span in the world. Take the
wildlife tour that takes you When: September–June (best chairlift to appreciate the
slowly into the Cradle times), Wednesday-Sunday beautiful scenery and the
Mountain-Lake St Clair (weather permitting) gorge across the basin.
?
DID
YOU
KNOW
The Tasmanian devil, inspiration for the cartoon character Taz, is only found in Tasmania, and is the world’s
only carnivorous marsupial. For more information on the activities listed, visit www.australia.com/onlyinoz.
T ASM A NI A 17

February

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

February

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

February

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

REVEALED: ASIA’S TOP SPAS, RETREATS, MORE!

TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA

SOUTHEAST ASIA FEBRUARY 2010

GOA HIPPIE HANGOUT

Plus: Must-keep airlines guide

Carried by the Global Elite,

ENJOY BENEFITS WORTH OVER US$550* AT THE WORLD’S FINEST HOTELS

The 2010 annual FINE HOTELS & RESORTS PROGRAM

With some 600 extraordinary properties around the world –

EXCLUSIVE beneﬁts include:

And from now until March 31, 2010, enjoy a complimentary

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE EXCLUSIVE OFFERS

World Weather This Month

-40oC -25oC -10oC 0 oC 5oC 10oC 15oC 20oC 30oC 40o+C

86-116 96 Welcome to New Zealand

Features growing circle of friends, ADAM

EN JOY A tions or more information, please contact your travel

Plus: Must-keep airlines guide

I T WAS LAST AUGUST THAT I FIRST SAW A FEW, EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS

TRAVEL + L EISURE EDITORS, WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE THE INDUSTRY’S

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS / PHOTOGRAPHERS

CHAIRMAN J.S. Uberoi

PUBLISHER Robert Fernhout

AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CORPORATION

PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Ed Kelly

TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA

This edition is published by permission of

THE MAGICAL STATE OF

ATTRACTIONS IN THE STATE OF MORELOS:

Tepoznieves/Traditional ice cream shop Aquatic Park, Ex Hacienda de Temixco

02MEXICO-SEA.indd 2 1/11/10 2:27:29 PM

ROBYN ECKHART | WRITER

CO U RT ESY O F N I CO L A I H A RT V I G ; CO U RT ESY O F A L E X A N D RA M A R S H A L L ; A N D E R S OV E RGA A R D ( 2 ) ; CO U RT ESY O F A N D E R S OV E RGA A R D

ALEXANDRA MARSHALL | T+L CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

ANDERS OVERGAARD | PHOTOGRAPHER

fascinating story on Laos [“Off the

latest and coolest shooting gadgets.

✉ E-MAIL T+L SEND YOUR LETTERS TO EDITOR @ TRAVELANDLEISURESEA.COM AND

Life Culinary Package

F RO M TO P : CO U RT ESY O F T H E M A J EST I C M A L ACCA ; CO U RT ESY O F A K A R ES O RTS H UA H I N

Dear Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia readers,

We trust you. We trust your judgment. That’s why we want

So visit www.travelandleisure.com/intl and tell us exactly

HOW TO ENTER: Log onto www.travelandleisure.com/intl and ﬁll in a few simple

The Future of Air Travel in Asia

Dispatch: What to Expect in 2010

T ﬂu, climate change—all told, 2009 was not a good

How to Score Deals. From social networking

The Friendly Skies. Already legendary for their in-ﬂight service,

T R A V E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M|F E B RUA RY 2010 25

Flight Paths. Getting

AIR ASIA (airasia.com)

Low-Cost Carrier Lowdown. With the budget airline boom,

THE FLEET • 86 A320’s with • 10 A320’s with • 2 A319’s with • 11 A320’s

up to 20 kg, US$15; • US$20–US$40 per up to 20 kg, S$15; longer-haul free up

+ • Luxury train travel in India

Where to GoWhat to EatWhere to StayWhat to Buy

Alexander McCall Smith of the Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

■ Favorite spots in Asia