Kanoo World Traveller September

THE MIDDLE EAST’S BIGGEST TRAVEL MAGAZINE September 2010
Bajan bliss
Kicking back
in Barbados
The Gulf’s most

mind-blowing
hotel rooms
(including first-look pics of
the new Yas Hotel suite!)
On the
Produced in International
Media Production Zone
prowl
Indian tiger
safaris
Great American
total guide
Fire-breathing
in Jakarta road trips
From cruising and schmoozing in LA to rollin’
with the cowboys in Texas, the US is best explored
Cosmopolitan by car – so hop in, fill up and hit the freeway
Cardiff
Plus! Win a weekend stay for two at the Cove Rotana Resort – turn to p71 to find out how
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Kanoo World Traveller september 2010
CONTENTS
Travel bites features
07 Agenda 66 City guide: jakarta 21 essential selection
Everything you need to know about travel this month You’ll love it or hate it but never forget it From the sublime to the (slightly) ridiculous: we show
12 Ask the expert 68 City guide: cardiff you around the Gulf’s most incredible hotel rooms.
Your travel questions answered Castle-spotting in the Principality 28 tropic of conversation
14 Drive time 70 Details Balmy Barbados, away from the glitzy resorts
France in the autumn – it doesn’t get much better Find your nearest Kanoo outlet 37 total guide: road trip usa
16 Picture this 71 Competition Want to drive through America? Here’s the lowdown
Daydream with these incredible travel photos Win a stay at the Cove Rotana Resort on where to go (and where to sleep along the way)
65 Thirty-second concierge 72 Suite dreams 58 easy tiger

Watch turtles hatch in the Seychelles The most luxurious cave you’ll ever sleep in Searching for the big cats on an Indian safari
28 48 39 22 63 69
On the cover: Managing Director: Victoria Hazell-Thatcher Editor: Ele Cooper Designer: Matthew McBriar
‘Golden Publishing Director: John Thatcher ele@hotmediapublishing.com matt@hotmediapublishing.com
Gate Bridge
Above Mist’, Advertisement Director: Chris Capstick +971 4 375 7617 Production manager: Haneef Abdul
shot by Ed chris@hotmediapublishing.com Art Editor: Jenni Dennis haneef@hotmediapublishing.com
Pritchard, +971 4 369 0917 jenni@hotmediapublishing.com +971 4 369 0918
courtesy
Jan-June 2010
of Getty 22,620 BPA
Images. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. All prices mentioned are
Consumer Audit
correct at time of press but may change. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in Kanoo World Traveller.
‘Tropic of conversation’, ‘Total guide: USA road trips’ and ‘Easy tiger’ reprinted with the permission of Sunday Times Travel magazine. Produced by: HOT Media Publishing FZ LLC
September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 5
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AGENDA
Be informed, be inspired, be there
Book it now
Ibn Battuta Gate

Residents of Dubai will be familiar with the sight of the
magnificent, 60m-high, Moroccan-style gate next to
Ibn Battuta Mall – and the hotel it leads onto is finally
opening on October 1. The five-star property has
396 bedrooms decked out in Moroccan style, while
its suites are themed around the countries visited
by its namesake, the famous Arabian adventurer.
The four restaurants also reflect Ibn Battuta’s travels
(apparently Chinese was his favourite) and we reckon
he’d have been pretty impressed with the rooftop
swimming pool, too. www.moevenpick-hotels.com
September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 7 Ju
KWT Agenda opener September.indd 7 8/30/2010 9:50:46 AM

Suite deal
If you’ve got a luxury-loving brood, One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius could
be the ideal destination for your next holiday: book a five-night stay there before
September 30 (to be taken before February 28, 2011) and you’ll get a complimentary
room upgrade, half board, kids stay free in parents’ room, 50 per cent off an
additional children’s room, free food for the youngsters, one free babysitting session
and complimentary membership of the KidsOnly club. It’s one of the best in the
world, coming with its own pool, dining areas and sandpit – perfect for tots who
demand nothing but the most exclusive care. www.oneandonlyresorts.com
Base Qatar
Next time you’re
staying in the Qatari
capital check out
the newly opened
Oryx Rotana: it’s
the closest hotel to
Doha airport, making
it perfect for short
stays, but the Jazz
Club, opulent pool
and city-sleek décor
are sure to make you
want to extend your
trip. www.rotana.com
ONE-MINUTE MASTERCLASS: Italian Hello, my name is… Salve, mi

chiamo… I’d like the cheese and tomato pizza please… Vorrei la pizza
margherita per favore… I don’t speak Italian very well… Non parlo
molto bene italiano… Do you mind if I smoke? Ti dà fastidio se fumo?
Global Gourmet
Celebrity chef Gary who’s a good friend of mine. I’d order
Rhodes, who recently the Tournedos et Tranche de Foie Gras
opened new restaurant Poeles, Gratin de Macaronis, Ragout
Rhodes Twenty10 de Legumes Rotis – Scotch fillet of
at Dubai’s Le Royal beef and foie gras, port sauce and
Meridien (www. truffled macaroni cheese. La Chapelle,
leroyalmeridien-dubai.com), tells us meanwhile, is set in a beautiful old
where he’d choose to dine when in his building and has a relaxed atmosphere.
home city of London. It’s a great place to take friends if you
‘I’d either head to Le Gavroche or want to impress; I love the red mullet
La Chapelle. The former is a culinary soup with gruyère and croutons, and
institution, opened by the godfathers also the Supreme of Landaise chicken.’
of the industry – the Roux brothers www.le-gavroche.co.uk,
– and it’s also run by Michel Roux Jr, www.galvinrestaurants.com
8 Kanoo World Traveller September 2010
KWT Agenda September.indd 8 8/30/2010 10:05:13 AM

agenda | news
compare and contrast
Cairo conundrum
A boutique hotel in the suburbs or a city-centre newcomer? You decide…
Villa Belle Époque Kempinski Nile Hotel
British brollies
location Leaving the sunny GCC for
Maadi, 12km from the city centre Corniche, Garden City
size rainier climes this autumn? Then
13 bedrooms 191 bedrooms
snap up one of these über-cool
Décor
Draws on the building’s colonial past, with Soothing neutrals livened up with the odd umbrellas, available online at www.
a period feel and modern Egyptian art feature wall of patterned wallpaper
londonundercover.co.uk for $75
Highlights
The pool, surrounded by lemon, mango, Floor 10, a ‘destination floor full of surprises’ – they offer worldwide shipping.
olive, guava and palm trees which includes exquisite local cuisine
We love this fish and chips brolly,
Details
From $265; www.villabelleepoque.com From $240; www.kempinski.com complete with newspaper wrapping.
Guilt-free getaway
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Hotel (www.theyashotel. Love indulgent holidays, hate
com) opens its new ESPA, featuring a the resultant weight gain?
contemporary hammam, on September Brown’s Hotel in London (www.
1 – plus turn to p26 for an exclusive peek brownshotel.com) has the
inside the incredible Presidential Suite, solution: tea-tox. It’s a healthy
also being unveiled this month. take on their award-winning
traditional afternoon tea, with
delectable options like dark
rye bread with smoked salmon
and low-fat crème fraîche, and
blueberries and low-fat lemon
cream served in a sugar-free
chocolate cup. As if that wasn’t
enough to alleviate your guilt,
the in-house fitness specialist
has devised bespoke sightseeing
jogging routes, and you can
also request an in-room fit kit
complete with workout routines.

How important is it to get a exercise is very good for giving
good night’s sleep? you a better night’s sleep,
It’s vital: if you don’t get seven make sure you do it at least
to nine hours each night you three hours before sleeping.
will become irritable, anxious Set your room temperature
and less in control of your to 18-21°C and practise some
reactions. Your concentration simple breathing exercises to
will also suffer, which is bad relax yourself. Don’t lie there
news on business trips. watching the clock; just wait
for sleep to come.
So what can we do to make
sure we get our requisite seven Should you really count sheep,
hours in? or is that a myth?
Going to bed should have Doing anything boring will
certain rituals associated with help: read a boring book, watch
it, as this will create memory a boring movie; don’t lie in
associations which trigger bed using your phone as this
Dream on the release of sleep-related is associated with work, and
Getting to sleep in a foreign hotel can be a hormones. Have a warm bath therefore stress. Also, ensure
nightmare before you even close your eyes. We or eat a sleep-inducing snack you have the right pillow for
quizzed the International Modern Hospital’s sleep like walnuts, yoghurt or warm you, which should be based
expert Dr Tania Tayah, who consults for Crowne milk. Avoid caffeine for at least on your sleeping position.
Plaza hotels, on how to escape to the land of Zs. six hours before bedtime. While www.ichotelsgroup.com
If you travel to India a lot, register with Etihad’s new loyalty programme at www.etihadindiaconnect.com
to enjoy a host of frequent flier benefits, including exclusive member discounts on hotels and restaurants.
book it now
King o’ Pop Kanoo Travel has come up
Did you know that, shortly before he died, Michael Jackson lived trumps this month with four
in a converted cowshed in rural Ireland with his three children? incredible reader offers:
Nope, us neither, but it turns out the megastar headed for Grouse Lodge, in County Westmeath, Three nights’ B&B at the
Images: iStockphoto; One and Only Resorts; Rotana; Le Royal Meridien; The Yas Hotel; Villa
Belle Époque; Kempinski; Brown’s Hotel; www.londonundercover.co.uk; Grouse Lodge.
just after his infamous Bahrain sojourn. The owners managed to keep Jackson’s presence secret Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai,
for several months, and when word did eventually get out – the singer had been spotted in the for $999pp
nearby village of Moate – locals became so protective of him that one farmer was even reported Three nights’ B&B at
to have threatened to empty slurry over a Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah
lurking paparazzo. Resort & Spa, Muscat, for
Jackson ended up staying for the rest of $639pp
the year – and now you can follow in his Six nights’ B&B at Shangri-
footsteps and find out exactly why he fell in La’s Villingili Resort & Spa,
love with the lush green area. Grouse Lodge Maldives, for $2,759pp
is a Georgian house-turned-residential Six nights’ B&B at the
recording studio complex and, as well as Kempinski Hotel Bahía
the occasional resident celebrity (REM and Estepona, Spain, for $949pp
Shirley Bassey have also stayed), it offers a To book, call your nearest Kanoo
15m indoor pool, cross-country quad-biking office – see p70 for contact
and archery. If it was good enough for the details. All packages subject
King of Pop… www.grouselodge.com to terms and conditions.

agenda | calendar
September
The most exciting events in the world this month.
4
International
Festival of Kites
and Air Creations
Bristol, UK
Unsurprisingly, this is a
celebration of all things
kite-shaped: this year,
serpents, shoals of fish, a
3D monkey and appliqué
specialist Kelvin Woods’
‘celebrity tribute edo kites’.
No, we’re not sure what
that means either, but
you can rest assured that
it will be a spectacularly
colourful (not to mention
jolly) affair.
www.kite-festival.org.uk
1-11 5 5 22-25 26
Venice Canmore Highland Roodharigen Monaco Yacht Magic of Masala
International Games Breda, Netherlands Show Jumeirah Bab Al
Film Festival Alberta, Canada Ginger and proud? Make Port Hercules, Monaco Shams, UAE
Venice, Italy Don your tartans for a beeline for the official Join Europe’s super-rich Learning how to cook
The 67th instalment of this Celtic festival: Coebergh Redhead Day, and check out the latest is so much better when
this annual component situated in the stunning which draws an average innovations in the luxury you’ve got a celebrity
of the Venice Biennale mountainous town of of 4,000 strawberry- boating world, admiring chef showing you the
will draw the world’s Canmore, just east of locked types each year $1.25bn worth of ropes. From September
top critics, screening Banff National Park, with redhead fashion superyachts – including 23-27, Cyrus Todiwala,
approximately 20 it features piping and shows, photo shoots, 40 previously unseen of London’s Café Spice
international films. drumming, highland picnics, and even lectures models – while you’re Namaste, will be cooking
Some will be judged dance, sheep dogs and on the background of at it. Not only is the up a storm for guests,
Image: © Bristol Kite Festival 2009.
in competitions while the caber toss – where red hair. (But if you’re in event super-glam, but but on the 26th he’ll be
others – including those strong types toss 80kg a mixed-hair couple, it’s also carbon neutral, showing you how to do
exploring new trends in wooden poles around. don’t worry: all are which will go somewhere it yourself. Unmissable.
cinema – are there solely Bizarre but impressive. welcome. Roodharigen towards alleviating long- Email jbasrestaurants@
for your enjoyment. www.canmorehighland doesn’t discriminate.) haul flight guilt… www. jumeirah.com to book
www.labiennale.org games.ca www.roodharigen.nl monacoyachtshow.com your place.
KWT Calendar September.indd 11 8/30/2010 10:13:52 AM

Agenda | travel q&a
Q: I would love to do a safari in Africa for

my 50th birthday but, while my family loves
camping, I’m not the roughing-it type. Are
there any options that will satisfy both tastes?
A: Forget sleeping bags: huge beds, fine linen and en-suite
bathrooms are the order of the day at Ol Seki Mara Camp in
Kenya (www.olseki.com). With six beautiful tents and two
family suites, Ol Seki provides a traditional safari experience
without forcing you to sacrifice on creature comforts.
Each tent has panoramic views over the Masai Mara Game
Reserve, and while there you can experience bush picnics,
night game drives, hot air ballooning and tribal village visits.
Singita’s Sabora Tented Camp (www.singita.com,
pictured), on the plains of the Tanzanian Serengeti, is
another personal favourite of mine for camping in luxury.
Its tents are decorated in 1920s, colonial style, with antique
mahogany travel chests, Persian rugs, four-poster beds and
outdoor showers. Sabora is set in a private 340,000-acre
game reserve bordering the Serengeti National Park and sits
Ask the expert

in the path of the great wildebeest migration. It’s unfenced,
so animals can wander around the camp – meaning you can
safari from your tent! As well as game drives, you can play
tennis, take a dip in the pool and enjoy drives in vintage
Posh safari camping, in-the-know eco resorts and cars. The best times to visit are the dry seasons, which run
flying with kids? No problem, say our panellists. between July and October and January and February.
Jessica Hudson
Q: Do you have any tips for handling Q: My love of eco resorts is rivalled only by
The panel toddlers during a long-haul flight? my wife’s passion for hotels that impress
A: The key to easing in-flight boredom is variety. Take a her friends. Where will tick both boxes?
Jessica
Hudson co-
number of small, individually wrapped gifts to whip out A: I would suggest Venezuela: it’s blessed with diverse
founded The Chic when your toddler starts fidgeting – consider sticker landscapes, including Caribbean coastline, Amazonian
Collection’s travel books, crayons and colouring pads, an MP3 player rainforest, the northern peaks of the Andes, and the
advisory, and is
tasked with
complete with audio books, an Etch A Sketch, and other dramatic Angel Falls – the world’s highest at 979m.
sampling endless small toys – avoiding those with tiny pieces or irritating Venezuela has an excellent network of eco lodges
luxury hotels... sound effects. It’s also worth including a few healthy from which to admire these stunning natural wonders.
Tim Woods, the
snacks (raisins, pretzels, bread sticks), as in-flight meals The Coral Lagoon Lodge, near Ocumare de la Costa
go-to man for all rarely turn up when you need them. If you don’t have (around 100km west of Caracas), is located right on
things green, is faith in your airline’s entertainment system, invest in the coast – and only accessible by sea, making it a
an international
project leader for
a portable DVD player – but don’t forget plenty of wonderfully secluded place to unwind – and has solid
the British Trust high-capacity batteries. Also pack headphones that fit eco credentials: it’s partly powered by solar energy,
for Conservation comfortably on your child’s head. the chefs use locally sourced food and the fresh water
Volunteers.
Really, though, the easiest toddler to handle on a supply comes from collected rainfall. You can dive and
Image: Singita Sabora Tented Camp.
Rachel long flight is a sleeping toddler. So, even if you’re not snorkel in sparkling blue waters by day, then relax in a
Hamilton is a
flying overnight, pack your child’s favourite cuddly toy hammock in the evenings as your wife decides which of
full-time writer
and the mother and bedtime story. Changing children into their pyjamas the day’s photos will make her friends green with envy.
of two young can also help create a calmer, sleepier environment. Tim Woods
children whom
Who knows, you might even be able to catch the end
she travels
frequently with. credits of your favourite movie! Got a question for our panel? Email
Rachel Hamilton editorial@hotmediapublishing.com.
KWT Ask the expert September.indd 12 8/30/2010 10:22:38 AM

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Agenda | Road trip
Ready, steady, go
Drive time: THE GERS

Take advantage of the quietest roads in
France and push your engine to the max
Rolling hills and woodland kissed by the fiery hues of autumn
make The Gers perfect for those seeking a days-gone-by trip
through rural France. Located in the Midi-Pyrénées, this is
farmer’s country, with ducks and geese fussing around dusty
yards before meeting their fate as the tasty pâtés and foie gras
the southwesterly region is famous for.
Spend your days cruising near-deserted roads – this is the
least densely populated départment in France – and around
every corner, a breathtaking surprise awaits: magnificent
châteaux, glassy lakes flanked by sandy beaches, or a long,
straight path like this one, just begging you to test the power
of your engine.
Image: Photolibrary
14 Kanoo
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KWT Drivetime September.indd 14 8/26/2010 11:44:34 AM

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Picture this
uluru
central australia
You’ll probably recognise this – after all, it’s one of

Australia’s most famous landmarks – but its official name
may come as a surprise if you know it as Ayers Rock.
The sandstone formation, which rises like a flame-licked
phoenix from the flat land surrounding it, has been
officially known as Uluru, its Aboriginal moniker, since
2002. Explore its periphery and you’ll find springs, caves
and ancient paintings, all of which add to the deep sense
of mystery at what is one of the oldest rocks on Earth.
Image: Photolibrary
KWT Picture this Sept.indd 16 8/26/2010 11:56:53 AM

Picture this
rock islands
palau, micronesia
Palau may be an insanely peaceful spot now but the

broccoli-like islands haven’t always been so still: they
originally existed as coral formations, until violent
tremors shook them above the surface of the Pacific
Ocean several millennia ago. A particularly spectacular
feature of modern-day Palau is to be found at Jellyfish
Lake, on Eil Malk island. Its millions of golden-bodied
inhabitants are stingless and spend their days floating
through the water in ghoulish horizontal swathes. Join
them for a once-in-a-lifetime snorkelling experience.
Image: Photolibrary

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Essential selection | Amazing stays
essential selection
From rotating four-posters to stingrays floating

past your bath, these beautiful spaces will make
your next weekend away infinitely more special.
Words by Ele Cooper.
The Monarch Dubai: Floors 32 & 33

The USP: The Monarch Suite has its own
10-seater cinema as well as a swimming pool
which extends from an indoor stretch out to
the private terrace which, incidentally, offers
spectacular views of the Dubai skyline.
The damage: From $11,430 per night.
www.themonarchdubai.com
August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 21

September
KWT Essential selection September.indd 21 8/30/2010 10:28:10 AM

Most expensive
six senses hideaway Zighy Bay: Private Reserve
The USP: Comprising three villas, the complex has a 14m infinity
pool overlooking the Gulf of Oman as well as an exquisite copper
bathtub, private quarters for your security staff and a live-in chef.
www.sixsenses.com
Atlantis The Palm: Room 2464

The USP: The Poseidon Suite’s floor-to-ceiling window walls look
straight onto the Ambassador Lagoon, a huge aquarium housing
eels, stingrays and sharks – exceptionally relaxing (and very cool).
www.atlantisthepalm.com
Most exclusive location

Armani Hotel Dubai: Room 812
The USP: The only hotel in the world’s tallest building had to offer
something more than simple luxury – so they got Giorgio Armani
to personally design it. The Armani Suite’s minimalist look perfectly
complements the magnificent Dubai Fountain, which it overlooks.
www.dubai.armanihotels.com
Clockwise from left: Armani Suite; Zighy

Bay; Atlantis The Palm; Burj Al Arab.
Kanoo
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Traveller
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August 2010
2010

Burj Al Arab: Room 2501

The USP: Book the Royal Suite in Dubai’s most famous
landmark and you’ll have a rotating four-poster bed as well as
a marble-and-gold staircase, complimentary access to Wild
Wadi and Assawan Spa, private library, cinema and elevator.
www.jumeirah.com

September

Ritz-Carlton Bahrain: Villa 20

The USP: Surrounded by grass and with direct beach access,
this three-bedroom Manama hideaway has its own shaded
infinity pool overlooking the azure waters of the Gulf of
Bahrain and a private butler attending to your every need.
www.ritzcarlton.com
24 Kanoo World Traveller September

August 20102010

Al Maha: Presidential Suite

The USP: Its total privacy – the Presidential Suite is over half
a kilometre from the rest of the already-exclusive resort – is
likely to have something to do with the fact that it was the
favoured retreat of the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid
Al Maktoum. The spectacular villa sits atop a sand dune
overlooking a pristine wildlife reserve in the heart of the
Arabian Desert.
www.emirateshotelsresorts.com

September

The Yas Hotel: Yas Presidential Suite

The USP: At 2,531 sq m and with a whopping 28 bedrooms,
this is the Gulf’s largest and newest suite (it opens this month)
– book it and you’ll be able to watch top-level motor-racing
from the privacy of your own room, as the windows look right
onto Yas Marina Circuit.
www.theyashotel.com
26 Kanoo World Traveller September

August 20102010

Most eccentric
W Doha: Room 1501
The USP: Where else could you watch a movie on an Aquavision
TV from a hexagonal bathtub before going to bed, safe in the
knowledge that you’re being watched over by a life-sized model
of a horse?
www.whoteldoha.com
Al Faisaliah: Room 716

The USP: Al Faisaliah’s Royal Suite has an opulent sunken
Jacuzzi, steam showers, dramatic views over Riyadh and
a dedicated butler’s pantry – perfect for midnight feasts.
www.alfaisaliahhotel.com
Most novel
Kempinski Mall of the Emirates: Room 216
The USP: The Grand Ski Chalet may have been around for a few
years but it’s still impossible not to get a certain childish thrill at
staying in a desert-based hotel room which offers ski slope views.
www.kempinski.com
Clockwise from left: Yas Hotel; W Doha;

Al Faisaliah; Kempinski Mall of the Emirates.
September

Tropic of
conversation
Bendy palms, white sand, clear water… Barbados is
a textbook Caribbean paradise, but the real talking
points are the people. Nick Redman gets chatting.
KWT Barbados September.indd 28 8/26/2010 11:41:39 AM

xxxxxx | xxxxxxxxx
Y
ou happen abruptly upon Fisher Pond, condensed milk, leaving room (just) for the guava bread
in the green heart of St Thomas parish: pudding, an old Bajan recipe. We fill our bellies, indulging
a blur of cottages on the drive from the in the classic Barbados holiday pursuit: people-watching.
coast, pink villages, a bumpy track. Then ‘The older lady, two to your left,’ I say quietly, pointing
the Great House, a weathered plantation property, with my eyes. ‘Wallis Simpson?’
materialises among the cane fields. It’s a slab of ‘Definitely more Marge Simpson.’
sepia-tinted Caribbean, stately-home-familiar Both of us are loving Barbados. For the sun and the
to the British, yet exotic against branches of red sands and the sheer unadulterated indolence, sure, but
African tulips. more than anything for the characters. Sit around for a
while and tune in – it’s like a soap opera but, tragically,
Shutters are open to the Barbados January sun, a piano- not weekly. John Chandler has the most intoxicating lilt
plink comes from within, and white-bearded owner to his voice, somewhere between Bob Marley and Pam
John Chandler shows you to one of a dozen garden Ayres. I could listen to the Bajan accent all day.
tables, covered in psychedelic bougainvillea, busy with We’re almost too heavy to stand by the time John
chattering guests. A woman gets a tablecloth caught offers us a whizz around his antiques, including a pair of
to her as she rises. Is she about to perform some El 18th-century hurricane lantern shades owned by Anthony
Stupendo whip-it-away magic act? It wouldn’t surprise Eden, Britain’s former prime minister. They’d look lovely
me; ‘camp’ is too tame a term for this place. There are in our apartment but are too big to smuggle out subtly.
pink parasols in the drinks that John’s wife, Rain, is John’s family arrived from Scotland to grow tobacco in
dispensing. Tablecloths are resplendent with Swiss- 1638. He used to run a hotel where Princess Margaret
cheese-plant motifs. Betty, eightysomething, is on the lodged (‘She stayed up too late’). Once at Fisher Pond
baby grand, playing beside a superb-looking home- he scolded Prince Harry for smoking. And he’s sorry he
cooked buffet. She launches into ‘La Vie en Rose’, and I lost Helen Mirren’s number when she visited: ‘I wanted to
glance at my partner. What have we let ourselves in for? invite her to stay. If you’re reading this, Helen…’
Graham Norton’s 50th? Carry on up the Caribbean? Home for us is Coral Reef Club. It’s set on the same
We’re light years from the demure Barbados of stretch of coast as the Sandy Lane hotel, yet it’s the
brochure clichés. A macaw screeches, putting me in mind antithesis of that gigantic glitz-fest – family-run, friendly,
of Maria Callas. (Not so much the vocal impression; just a love story. Budge O’Hara came to manage the place in
that I read somewhere about the opera singer holidaying the ’50s, bringing his wife, Cynthia – their honeymoon
on the island with her pet marmoset.) Jewel-coloured was the rocky cargo-ship passage over. Budge passed
glasses are filled, the lunch grows longer, drowsier, and away in the ’90s, but silver-haired Cynthia, with her two
Fisher Pond Great House blooms into Barbados past, like sons and their wives, still presides, like an elegant British
a lost Noel Coward play. The cooking is all done by Rain forerunner to Miss Ellie in Dallas.
– and what cooking. Based on classic recipes from across This clutch of coral-stone cottages and suites is
the West Indies, there’s curried green banana from another Caribbean classic, the kind you daydream about
St Lucia; from Martinique, a caramelly flan made with at your desk: mental blotting paper. Chunky novels

‘Gingerbread homes
rest unopened on thighs, owners gazing mindlessly out
to sea. At breakfast, pairs of chairs are scraped back
flit by, and theatrical

simultaneously as Mr and Mrs leave for a day of nothing-
muchness around their plunge pool.
mansions lurk like

Birds staccato-hop for crumbs – so many, it’s as if
Alfred Hitchcock is still directing from on high, and so
stars in ’shades
pushy. They’ll be cadging my Marlboros next. Now all
heads swivel at a sudden commotion: ‘Joan. Joan. JOAN.’
behind curly gates’

An American has given up trying to signal discreetly to
a stick-like septuagenarian, picking her way along the
beach with the head-nodding concentration of a stork.
Joan, I’m not surprised to observe when her breakfast
arrives, barely pecks at her muffin, so she’ll be an even
bigger hit with the finches.
Next day, we motor north along the ‘platinum’ west
coast, past coves of sand so fine you could sieve it
onto a donut. Gingerbread homes flit by, and theatrical
mansions lurk like stars in ’shades behind curly gates.
We turn inland at Speightstown and the sea now glints
in the rear-view mirror, disappearing as horizons of sugar
cane hog the frame. In Barbados, it somehow doesn’t
feel as if we’ve flown across the Atlantic – it’s more as if
we’ve taken an exotic exit off an English motorway and
our cottage is somewhere beyond the flinty manor house
that’s materialising ahead, among a shock of palms.
In the verdant wilds of St Philip Parish, towards the
Atlantic Coast, there’s a sign to Sunbury Plantation
House. It’s a proper Scarlett O’Hara set, guarded by a

xxxxxx | xxxxxxxxx
bearded fig tree, and if it weren’t for the occasional ‘Please do not
sit…’ signs you’d think the place was still lived in. Built by an Irish/
English planter in 1660, it’s a splendid window on bygone Barbados,
stuffed with spooky, lifeless-eyed dolls in the children’s room, a
wince-inducing ladies’ manicure set and old photos on the walls. But
again, it’s the people that make the moment: ‘Is that snow?’ asks
a lady out loud, studying the white drive in a monochrome 1905
picture. ‘No,’ I feel qualified to answer.
Between reading tabloid interviews with Tina Turner and Paul
Daniels at Coral Reef Club, my partner is now officially addicted to
people-watching. There’s the blonde X-ray in Lycra pants, endlessly
heading off on manic runs, as if she’s always left the iron on. There
are well-kept men who clearly work out between the boardroom
sessions back home, only a crêpe-like midriff leatheriness betraying
their middle age. And there was some fine resort dancing last night,
to band covers of Joni Mitchell and Frank Sinatra. Girls twirled and we
guys let what was left of our hair down.
One evening, we heard that Naomi Campbell and David Walliams
had recently been spotted in fashionable restaurant Daphne’s.
Out we went, under a torch-beam moon. Fashionable? Yes, in a
Previous page: Bottom Bay. Opposite from left: Luxury Plantation Suite at Coral
Reef Club; Luxury Cottage at same hotel. This page, clockwise from top left (all
Coral Reef Club): Warleigh terrace; Breakfast by the beach; Seared pepper-
crusted tuna; Stoking the barbecue.

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xxxxxx | xxxxxxxxx
darkwood way. Celebrities? No – just a berk in a short-sleeved small group led by the chuckly Duane. He was quite a character, even
Burberry shirt, forcing the staff to sell a double espresso for the price if his microphone was turned up too loud, causing all in the vehicle
of a single. ‘You know, and I know,’ he hissed, ‘it’s just a little more hot to jump each time he cleared his throat to point out an unusual sight.
water.’ The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie… But inland, Barbados unravelled beautifully – untouristy, untouched
Next morning, the sky, ominous before a shower an hour ago, was – passing down avenues of palms and tunnels of overhanging
now bright blue, with canyons of puffy white clouds. The sea was mahogany, black-belly sheep grazing the waysides.
spearmint-clear. Barbados-beyond beckoned. We took off with a Animal Flower Cave, on the northern tip, was a shivery moment:
a staired descent to a mysterious, drip-drip, coral-limestone hollow,
where anemones pulsed in rock pools. A huge scallop shell in the
The brief
ceiling, embedded, then exposed by time, looked just like a hand with
Where to stay Where to eat gnawed nails. Through a gaping aperture crashed the mad Atlantic,
Coral Reef Club (www. Fisher Pond Great House (www. which brought us neatly on to Billy Ocean, the singer. ‘He filmed a
coralreefbarbados.com) has chandelierweddingsbarbados.net) video here in the ’80s,’ Duane explained, almost wistfully, I thought.
Images: Photolibrary, Small Luxury Hotels of the World,
rooms from $420 B&B. On has a Caribbean buffet Sunday As we chugged over Cherry Tree Hill, the island fell away
the Atlantic coast at Tent Bay, lunch (served from 1pm) for $50pp. dramatically to the east, down to the Atlantic Coast at Bathsheba,
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near Bathsheba, The Atlantis Daphne’s (www.daphnesbarbados. each headland nudging further out, fading into mists. The longing for
(www.atlantishotelbarbados. com) has mains for around $40. what was never home: I’m not sure why it exists, but I know that it
com) reopened this year after an does. I felt it myself as the day closed and Duane dropped me off at
extensive refurb; rooms from $255 Sightseeing the prettily lit Coral Reef Club, for some people-watching from a soft
B&B. Or try Sea-U Guest House Sunbury Plantation House (www. sofa, over a big cold drink.
(www.seaubarbados.com; from barbadosgreathouse.com), St
$129 B&B), an informal, cosy little Philip; 9.30am-5pm. Animal Clockwise from top left: Room at the refurbed Atlantis; St James beach; Daphne’s
east-coast retreat. Flower Cave, St Lucy; 9am-5pm. – the place to see and be seen; Plumeria thrives in Barbados’ tropical climate.

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total guide | USA ROAD TRip
TOTAL GUIDE
USA road trips

Hot Tarmac, cool breeze, and 50 states to see: if
you want to tour America, better get motoring…
P38 THE WHEEL THING Drive yourself to distraction on America’s most

scenic journeys. From Fifth Avenue to Route 66, there’s a road for every
kind of rider. P44 INTO THE WILD The crowds in Yellowstone National
Park? Sure, they can be a bit grizzly – but arrive in an RV and you’ll bear-ly
see another tourist. P48 BEDS AND BURGERS Find your perfect pit stop
for an all-American highway adventure: roadside diners, time-warped
motels and kitsch crash pads. P52 LOST IN TRANSMISSION On a driving
tour of La-La Land, truth and hype collide. See Bel Air, Hollywood, Beverly
Hills – and enough silicone to fill the valley. P56 KEEP ROLLING Seen the
movie? Now live the dream… Retrace the routes in these cult classics and
you’re guaranteed a good time.
Your total guide to USA

road trips, September Kanoo World Traveller 37
2010with
in association
KWT Total guide September.indd 37 8/30/2010 11:13:54 AM

The wheel thing
From Route 66 to the Rio Grande, the greatest American drives
start here. Buckle up and hit the road. By Stanley Stewart.
A week: Towards the Rio Grande and the Alamo, then take Highway 90 through old Indian trail. Detour to Hyannis (summer
This road trip takes you across Texas to Big long stretches of Big Sky country to Big Bend. home of the Kennedys) to visit the JFK
Bend National Park, and one of the West’s In the small towns there’s a real old-west feel; Museum and pay homage at the statue of the
best-kept secrets. Only an hour or so out of in the parks (www.nps.gov/bibe) there’s hiking, Wampanoag Indian chieftain who sold Cape
New Orleans and you’re in Louisiana back rafting, and glider rides. Don’t miss Highway Cod for $30 and two pairs of trousers. Finish in
country, which is still inhabited by French- 70, which climbs spectacular desert buttes, for Provincetown, where the Pilgrim Fathers first
speaking Cajuns (stop here for zydeco music views of the Rio Grande. stepped ashore in 1620.
and juicy crawfish). Sign up for one of the
swamp tours in Henderson to go head to head One day: Cape Cod Four days: Blues Highway
with ’gators. Then head west to Texas, bypass Start in Plymouth, checking out the Pilgrim To discover America’s musical taproot, head
Houston, and spend a night in music-centric Fathers’ first settlement, before crossing the to the Mississippi Delta. The blues was born
Austin, where you might catch tomorrow’s bridge into the Moby Dick world of Cape along its back roads, and all the great artists –
rock stars playing for tips. Head west again Cod. Forego the big mid-Cape Highway for Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker
into the Hill Country, jink south to San Antonio the coastal road 6A, which winds along an – came from the Delta, an area smaller than
KWT Total guide September.indd 38 8/26/2010 4:33:34 PM

TRIP
Clockwise from far left: Believe it or not, it can be hard in America – a pristine road. No billboards, no past Central Park, on a stretch once known as
catching a cab on Fifth Avenue; Altogether quieter scene
in Provincetown, Cape Cod; The open road in Big Bend motels, no gas stations; just lay-bys, a few Millionaire’s Row. From 105th St to 82nd St,
National Park; Blue Ridge Highway is stunning in autumn.
visitor centres and uninterrupted views of it’s Museum Mile; next up is Midtown, with the
Wales. Highway 61 is the key route but detour forest-clad mountains. For some Appalachian Rockefeller Centre, the Empire State and the
down Highways 49 and 1: you’ll see towns culture, and to hear bluegrass music, take Flatiron building. Dangerously upmarket stores
like Indianola, where BB King used to play the side roads into local towns – Asheville is begin to loom – Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany
on street corners (he returns every year for a home to the annual Mountain Dance and Folk & Co – but your final destination is Second
homecoming concert), and Greenville, which Festival (www.folkheritage.org). Ave Deli (156 Second Ave), one of New York’s
hosts the Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage greatest foodie joints.
Festival every September. Clarksdale, where One hour in a taxi, depending
Muddy Waters caught the train to Chicago, is on traffic: Fifth Avenue
In the know
Blues Central. Don’t miss Morgan Freeman’s Running down the centre of Manhattan, Fifth
Ground Zero, a great blues lounge there. The Avenue revels in its reputation as the most It’s easy to rent a car in America – specialists
route ends in Memphis, home to the man who expensive street in the world. But a cruise such as Hertz (www.hertz.com) are dotted
took the blues to the world. along it is a journey through the many faces throughout the country. Or consider a drive-
of New York. Hop in a cab at its northern end away car – an agency enlists you to deliver a
Two days: Blue Ridge Parkway on the Harlem River and head south, passing client’s vehicle to a specific destination and you
Known as America’s Favourite Drive, the Blue venues where the great jazzmen discovered just pay the gas (see www.autodriveaway.
Ridge Parkway sweeps along the crest of the be-bop. Off to the left, between 115th St and com). And why not save money by checking
Appalachians, from Virginia to Tennessee’s 111th St, is Spanish Harlem, where samba rules. www.gasbuddy.com? It lists gas stations
Great Smokies. The Parkway is that rare thing With a sudden shift of gear, you’re cruising selling the cheapest petrol from state to state.

road trips, in association with

Five hours: La to Las Vegas
The worst way to land in this city is off a trans-
of headlights and undiluted night. The white
lines begin to hypnotise; the landscape is a
‘As you crest a ridge,
continental flight; Vegas can be just too bizarre
for people suffering from jet lag. Instead,
dark nothing beneath a vault of stars. And
then, suddenly, as you crest a desert ridge,
Vegas appears, a
arrive by road – at night. Have a late lunch on Vegas appears, a spectacular blaze of light, a surreal apparition’
Venice Beach in LA and then head out; there surreal apparition, floating in the desert like an
are some fine mountains to cross during the alien space station. The last stage of the drive
afternoon, as well as vast stretches of desert. is the cruise up The Strip past the Eiffel Tower,
Watch the sun set on a horizon flat as a ruled the Venetian gondolas, the Pyramids and the
line, then drive on, through a chiaroscuro world Roman palaces. Welcome to Vegas.

total guide | USA ROAD TRIP
TRip
Two weeks: Route 66

Route 66 ain’t what it used to be. The
Missouri, and runs across the Texas Panhandle
before heading west through New Mexico,
‘The kitsch and the
Interstates have robbed it of its traffic and its
importance, and the old highway has been
Arizona and California to LA. The kitsch and
the weird loom large on Route 66, from the
weird loom large on
replaced and diverted in many places. But you Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, where 10 cars Route 66’
can still follow it, and along the way find the have been ‘planted’ hood first in the ground, to
two-lane dream on which America was born. the quirky Baghdad Café, where the 1988 film
Route 66 has always been an integral part of of the same name was shot. The best stretch is
the country’s great western migration. The in Arizona, where 600km of the old blacktop
Okies took to the road to escape dust-bowl runs through timeless towns like Kingman,
depression; soda-fountain girls followed it to Oatman and Winslow with their ageing motels
Hollywood and Chuck Berry made it famous. It and classic diners. Check out www.national66.
starts in Chicago, drops down into Illinois and com and www.historic66.com.
xxxxx 2010 Kanoo

September 2010 Kanoo
WorldWorld
Traveller
Traveller 41

a week: Pacific Coast Highway territory. Another hour and you’ll be back on where rivers pool in sunstruck swimming
This iconic road trip links the cheesy glamour the coast at Pismo, where surfers ride big holes. Next it’s all windows open for a leisurely
of LA with the funky bohemia of San Francisco. waves and Baywatch extras play volleyball cruise through Monterey Peninsula. Carmel is
Unravelling along the ocean in a series of West on an endless beach. Just past San Simeon, now as famous for electing Clint Eastwood as
Coast clichés – surfers’ beaches, orange groves stop to see Hearst Castle, the former home mayor as it is for its boutiques, galleries and
and giant redwoods – this highway makes of William Randolph Hearst, immortalised twee teashops. For contrast, spend the night in
California Dreamin’ a reality. After a few days by Orson Welles as Citizen Kane. You’re Santa Cruz, a wonderful mix of surfers, skaters,
taking in the insanity of LA, pop in the Beach now entering Big Sur, 145km of spectacular yuppies and ageing hippies. Cross the Santa
Boys and motor out past beach houses, palm coastline. From the viewpoints, spot blue and Cruz Mountains to Interstate 280, which whisks
trees and the big Pacific surf: Santa Barbara humpback whales in the summer, or grey you into San Francisco. Highway 84 is a great
is just a couple of sunny hours away. The next whales during the winter. When the forests end to a great drive – but once you’re in town,
day, cross the Santa Ynez Mountains into push down to the coast, get out of the car and ditch the car: San Fran is a lefty, eco-conscious
big-sky, ranch country. An hour later, you’re take a hike in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (www. sort of place, so keep quiet about the road trip
in Steinbeck’s California: vegetable and fruit parks.ca.gov), deep among the redwoods, and the gas-guzzling convertible.

Four days: The Four Corners

Stunning desert and canyon landscapes
where the stagecoach ran into trouble in
Stagecoach, where Wyatt Earp drove his cattle
‘Long, straight roads
combined with a rich Navajo culture make the
Four Corners – where Arizona, Utah, Colorado
on the way to his gunfight at the OK Corral and
where that irritating bird escapes his deserved
make this archetypal
and New Mexico meet – one of America’s demise in Roadrunner cartoons. Beyond the drive country’
most fascinating junctions. This is archetypal Valley, a looping clockwise itinerary dips into
drive country: long straight roads sweeping Colorado, turning into Utah before returning
through jaw-dropping scenery. Start at the to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. En route, it
Grand Canyon, north side, then head south takes in some of the region’s most fascinating
on Highway 89 and east on 160 to Monument landmarks: the haunting Mesa Verde plateau,
Valley where the West was born (thanks to with the ruins of ancient Indian settlements,
John Ford westerns). The stark sandstone and the Canyon de Chelly, sacred to the
buttes and strange pinnacles of rock rising Navajo. This is RV land, the ideal place to ‘carry
from a bleak red desert are as familiar to it all on your back’ with a motorhome – and to
movie-goers as the Hollywood sign. This is park up at night under a wilderness of stars.

Into the wild
The best road trips involve getting out of the car. Brian
Schofield gets close – possibly too close – to nature in
Yellowstone National Park.
I t’s cheaper than reconstructive surgery,’

leered the elderly shop owner, placing
$30-worth of highly pressurised cayenne
On two other poetically just occasions,
poachers have trapped grizzlies in grotesque
steel foot-clamps and approached them,
pepper on the counter with the confidence skinning knife poised, only to discover
of a man whose sales pitch hadn’t failed that there is something more deadly than
him in years. A blood-spattered face stared a wounded tiger. One amateur wildlife
dolefully out from the side of the canister – photographer decided that, to get the perfect
‘Designed by a genuine bear-attack survivor! shot, he needed to get within five metres of a
Effective at 10m!’ I thought of my mother at bear, a distance an adult grizzly can travel in
my graveside and opened my wallet, then less than half a second. And, most famously,
drove on through the thickening woods to in 1972 a young backpacker left food and
the entry gates. A can of bear spray on the unwashed dishes lying around his camp
way into Yellowstone Park – it might be the site, and fatally attracted a hungry beast.
best $30 you’ll ever spend… or it might be His parents sued the park for not making it
the last. crystal clear that bear country might possibly
be a dangerous place in which to slob out.
But I was determined this road trip through Thus statistically emboldened, I drove
grizzly country was not going to be a car- into Yellowstone’s timber and meadowland
window adventure. I wanted to drive, sure, interior with a light heart, only for spirits to
but then I wanted to park my RV and get out plummet with the realisation that the most
there. That’s the real joy of a road trip, after likely explanation for the park’s relative safety
all: opening the door to a new destination is that bears don’t like traffic. The greatest
every time you turn off the engine. And if I’m peril ahead seemed certain to be a Chevy van
honest, I was pretty safe. veering unpredictably into my path in pursuit
Greater Yellowstone – a towering patch of of the perfect view of a family of elk.
mountains, forests and sulphurous volcanic Yellowstone, you see, holds a special place
activity in the northwestern hinterland of the in both American and worldwide hearts, as its
USA, with the world’s oldest national park unique flora and fauna inspired the very idea
at its heart – has witnessed only nine fatal of preserving wild places as national parks,
bear attacks in the past 100 years, and the and it thus attracts three million visitors a
majority of those lost souls had made quite year. As the overwhelming majority bring a
considerable strides towards deserving their car along for the ride, there’s a considerable
fates. In 1907, a tourist to the park chased two risk of the landscape being loved to death.
bear cubs up a tree and proceeded to stand Commuter rush hours are established by the
poking them with his umbrella until mummy timetables for likely geyser eruptions, as the
bear arrived on his blind side and taught him massed ranks hurry for the best vista, while
a lesson his terrified, watching companions roadside animal encounters, of which there
never forgot. are many, produce chaotic temporary

TRIP
‘The bear silently hung

a left, moved on over
the river and followed
his nose west’

2010with
in association

car parks of zoom-lens-wielding naturalists, you should be OK. They’re in the trees on the distinctive hunchback of a grizzly, it was
crowding for the perfect image of a bison the high slopes right now, eating the pine strolling towards the river, nose down for
scratching its bottom on a tree stump. And, cones – that’s how ravenous they are. Got dinner. My stumbling signalled that there was
all the time, the park rangers in their Hanna- spray? Good. And make a lot of noise!’ Hiking company, he looked up, and our gazes met.
Barbera hats patiently spend their days in Yellowstone is not a peaceful activity. A For an unforgettable instant, I stared into
pointing out that: ‘Ma’am, that’s a 900-kilo surprised bear is a moody one, so I set off those eyes, two unfathomable, pristine black
wild animal you’re standing a metre away over the low ridge into Pelican Creek val- pools, awash with… well, with complete and
from/trying to pet/placing your child on top deri-ing and val-dera-ing for all I was worth, utter indifference. With boredom, in fact, at
of. Please reconsider.’ slapping my walking stick on every log on yet another scrawny, meat-free hiker making
Thankfully, this maelstrom is easily the path while trying not to slip into a jaunty a racket and scaring away the real food. The
escaped. Three strategies, one soon learns, whistle (which apparently makes you sound bear silently hung a left, moved on over the
reveal the best of Yellowstone and shield too much like prey). river and followed his nose west, never giving
you from the worst. The first is to avoid the After a cacophonous kilometre, the forest me another thought. I watched for half an
perilously expensive park hotels and plump cleared to reveal Pelican Creek, aimlessly hour as he patrolled the valley floor, then he
for the campsites, where from your RV or tent winding its way through the tan grass of the disappeared into the forest.
you can enjoy half-whispered conversations perfect widescreen valley floor, with those At that point it started to snow, a thick,
with equally peace-seeking neighbours, and off-limits high forests rolling away to a clear spinning blizzard that settled first on the
wander down to rivers and lakesides for quiet horizon, and the alpine peaks to the east bisons’ backs, then on the pine branches
communion with the fly-fishermen, elk and wearing the first snowfall of autumn. The and, finally, into a perfectly pressed sheet
moose that populate the shorelines. scene was perfected with my own personal lying across the valley floor, only the steam
Second, dusk and dawn must be enjoyed herd of bison, a caravan of dust, hair and from the hot springs breaking through the
to the full: that’s when the animals are at their haunch strolling along the riverbank. I whiteness. Before they named it Yellowstone
most active, and when you’ll be sharing the climbed a rise and found a smaller clan a few National Park, it was known as Wonderland.
road with the serious nature lovers, wielding metres from the path, grazing noiselessly. Previous page: You won’t be the only one wandering
interstellar binoculars in the hunt for the It’s easy to see why so many visitors to around Yellowstone National Park. Opposite, clockwise
from top left: Bison drink at river edge; Lower Yellowstone
rarer sights on the Yellowstone spotter’s list Yellowstone cannot compute that bison might Falls; Grizzly bear; Hot springs; Rainbow at Yellowstone;
An elk stalks through the park; Geyser quietly simmering.
– doughty long-horn sheep, beavers, otters be dangerous – they have the physiques
and, most elusive of all, wolves. One twilight, I of comic-book superheroes, with their vast
The brief
tracked a pair of wolves who were ominously, shoulders tapering to a cluster of dainty,
relentlessly shadowing a family of elk across tottering feet. The leader of this family left Getting there
the open flood plain of the Yellowstone me under no illusions, though, delivering a The closest airport is Jackson Hole, 90km away.
River. The end of the epic was out of sight snort and a toss of his horns that I interpreted,
but inevitable – a favoured lupine tactic is to Dolittle-style, to mean: ‘I’m as dumb as a Where to stay
slowly, methodically walk their prey to death. heifer, as mean as a wasp and as fast as a The Grand Teton Lodge Company (www.gtlc.
Third, and most important, park, backpack steeplechaser, and you’re standing too close.’ com) has four lodges in and around Jackson
up and do some hiking. Even half a kilometre After a wide diversion, the river was reached Hole, starting from $224 per night. Try
from the road, the crowds all but disappear and lunch was served, with the additional Xanterra (www.travelyellowstone.com) for
and Yellowstone recovers its magic. I had set thrill of watching a rogue male bison and the accommodation within the park including
my heart on seeing the Pelican Creek Valley, caravan’s leader brutally clashing horns in the campsites (from $15 per night).
a wide treeless basin away from any human far distance.
presence, with thick forest on three sides and The problem with binoculars, though, Getting around
jagged mountains on the fourth — so I did is that they distract from the unmagnified Cruise America (www.cruiseamerica.com) has
what any keen hiker must do and consulted world around you. The bear was no more RVs for hire from $1,450 per week inclusive,
the ranger station. than 35m away when I shot to my feet with from Jackson Hole. For park information, see
‘Yip, that’s grizzly country in there, and it’s a flurry, hand wobbling over the bear spray www.nps.gov/yell. Entry costs $25 for a private
pretty active. If you stay on the low ground, like a novice gunfighter. Jet black, but with vehicle and $12 on foot.

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Beds and burgers
It’s not a road trip without classic diners and crazy
motels – pull in for the best on the block.
The Shady Dell glugging chocolate peanut-butter milkshakes

Bisbee, Arizona and shovelling down mammoth plates of
Just a half-hour trundle from the Mexican huevos rancheros and creamy chicken potpie.
border is Shady Dell – a perfect introduction Come up for air between mouthfuls to select
to the weird world of the American trailer Buddy Holly tracks on the jukebox, or to flash
park. There are plenty of grassy plots, of a glance at the life-size model of Marilyn
course, just crying out for dusty RVs. But why by the turquoise booth seats. Burgers from
take your own when you can pick from the $6.99. 1405 Central Avenue NE, Albuquerque,
collection of shiny silver Airstreams glinting New Mexico (www.66diner.com).
in the sunshine? (They’re the still-futuristic-
looking, spaceship-shaped motorhomes first Movie Colony Hotel
built in the ’50s.) Or you might prefer the Palm Springs, California
sky-blue-and-white Tiki bus, or the 12m yacht. A motel’s not a motel without its own legend
All with absolutely no mod cons – expect – and if the gossip along the Palm Springs
black-and-white TVs, cassette players, and boulevards is to be believed, Jim Morrison
blonde-wood interiors. Dinner (and breakfast once leapt from the balcony of Movie Colony
and lunch) is at Dot’s Diner – housed in a 1957 Hotel into the pool. Forty years later and the
railroad car. There are just 10 stools squeezed same pool is breast-stroked by media types
around the gleaming aluminium counter, so from LA (it’s just two hours away). And Movie
rise for breakfast early. From $55 for a small Colony is a fabulous motel to catch zeds in –
towing caravan to $80 for an Airstream. the rooms are California cool with seagrass
Shady Dell RV Park, 1 Old Douglas Road, floors, retro monochrome bathrooms and
Bisbee, Arizona (www.theshadydell.com). sunny terraces. The hotel was originally built
in 1935, designed by Modernist superstar
66 diner Albert Frey, and has all those photogenic
Albuquerque, New Mexico features nostalgic travellers crave – low-rise
Not many roads have had a TV series named living, in particular. Crucially, it’s a great pit
after them. But then Route 66 is not just any stop for road-trippers on the highway from
old road. Built in 1937, the road eventually LA to Phoenix, or for those on the classic Las
joined up to stretch from Chicago to Santa Vegas-LA-San Diego circuit. From $99 B&B.
Monica, and before the ’60s series Route 66 726 North Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs,
was aired it had already seen Henry Fonda California (www.moviecolonyhotel.com).
hitchhiking his way along in The Grapes of
Wrath. More recently, Disney animation Cars Kate’s Lazy Meadow motel
was based on real people and places along Mount Tremper, New York state
the iconic 3,940km stretch. Your automobile Set among expanses of rolling pastures next
isn’t the only one that will need a decent to the Esopus creek is Kate’s Lazy Meadow
refuelling stop en route, and the Green Chile Motel, a peaceful red-and-green cabin.
Cheeseburgers at 66 Diner should get you Peaceful, that is, until starlet Mandy Moore’s
going. Road-weary travellers sit under pink tour bus rumbles up (she took over the motel
fluoro lights on stainless-steel swivel stools for three nights during her tour a couple of

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‘Road-weary travellers sit

under pink fluoro lights on
stainless-steel swivel stools,
eating creamy chicken pie’

2010with
in association


years ago). Truth be told, with or without

Ms Moore, there’s a bit of a riot going on
Athens claims to be the maternity ward of the
modern American burger – the place where,
‘Mangrove Mama’s
inside B-52 singer Kate Pierson’s motel in the
Catskill mountains. The place is crammed
in the late 1880s, café owner ‘Uncle’ Fletch
Davis first put a meat patty between slices
tangy key lime pie
with orange daisy-print bedspreads, coloured of bread. You’re not just mainlining calories, will sustain you for
gobstopper-studded spiral staircases, retro you’re scoffing history. Double-meat half-
lamps and ceramic dogs. Artists Phillip pounder $7. 1500 E Tyler Street, Athens, Texas the final hop down
to Key West’
Maberry and Scott Walker lent a hand with (+1 903 675 8100).
the décor (their house was the set for the
‘Love Shack’ video, so you get the picture). Mangrove Mama’s
The lounge in Room Four features a river Sugarloaf Key, Florida mascot, Speedee, is original, as are some
scene mural studded with real branches and Mangrove Mama’s is a ramshackle roadside of the utensils on show – milkshake mixers,
gnomes bobbing downstream in rubber eatery down the Florida Keys – a string fryers from the days when the all-male staff
rings. From $130 room only. 5191 Rt 28 Mount of islands that skips south from Miami, (now replaced by waxy mannequins) actually
Tremper, New York (www.lazymeadow.com). connected, join-the-dots-style, by the hand-cut the chips. There are no real burgers
overseas highway. The friendly pit stop is so served any more, but there is a working
Ole West Bean’n’Burger casual that it might have been washed up McDonald’s across the road, where you can
Athens, Texas with the tide. Littered with driftwood and order supersize portions among glass-cased
You may have devoured the occasional shaded by banana trees and palm fronds, exhibits and displays of ties worn by the first
mammoth fry-up in your home country – but it has no-fuss concrete floors, mismatched staff. McDonald’s #1 Store Museum, 400 N
it’s a mere drop in an ocean of saturated fat chairs and a brick fireplace (an incongruous Lee Street, Des Plaines, Illinois (open from
compared with what’s on offer at the Ole addition, given the balmy climate). Despite May to September; www.mcdonalds.com).
West Bean’n’Burger in Athens, Texas. Its the humble surrounds, the menu is great:
double-meat half-pounder approaches the stuffed lobster and freshly grilled fish, washed Madonna Inn
dimensions of a small African dictatorship down with mocktails served in salt-rimmed San Luis Obispo, California
next to armband-sized onion rings and hefty jam jars. It’s the tangy key lime pie that draws Kitsch. Extremely kitsch. Liberace cut
chips. And it’s not just Texas big, it’s also a loyal following, though; savour it outside in with Hansel and Gretel, and a dash of the
mighty fine beef from the state’s sprawling the tropical garden. A Florida favourite, it’s Flintstones thrown in for good measure
pastures. The Ole West is a pleasant enough served super-chilled, and delivers a sugary kitsch. Madonna Inn, halfway between LA and
mix of check tablecloths and wood, but boost that’ll sustain you for the final hop ’Frisco in San Luis Obispo, is a retina-searing
in-the-know citizens have voted its burgers down to Key West, the end-of-the-road island riot of pink and gold, camped up with boulder
the best in town. And they should know: that marks the most southerly point in the US. waterfalls and bizarrely themed rooms. Take
Key lime pie costs $5 a slice. Mile marker 20, your pick from the rose-splattered walls and
Clockwise from top left: Movie Colony Hotel; The Shady
Dell; Kate’s Lazy Meadow Motel; You can’t beat an Sugarloaf Key, Florida (+1 305 745 3030). bedspread of ‘American Beauty’; the red
American burger; Madonna Inn; Service with a smile is
standard in diners (just make sure you tip accordingly). ceiling of ‘Madonna’ (a nice juxtaposition to its
McDonald’s #1 Store Museum waterfall sink and rock walls); or the boulder-
Learn the lingo Des Plaines, Illinois coated cocoon of ‘Caveman’ with its leopard-
Fancy sinking your teeth into a Big Mac under print bedspread. Not staying? Book dinner
Sweet talk: be sure to learn some American the original golden arches? Following uproar amid the bordello chic of the Gold Rush steak
diner slang before you order. ‘Deadeye’ is a when the world’s first McDonald’s was torn house, or try a creamy Black Forest gâteau
poached egg; ‘keep off the grass’ means no down in the early ’80s, the building rose in the Alpine-style bakery – perfect for the
lettuce; ‘axle grease’ is butter; ‘first lady’ is an again (based on the chain’s original 1955 blistering California sun outside. From $140
order of spare ribs; while a ‘blonde with sand’ blueprints), Phoenix-like, and was turned room only. 100 Madonna Road, San Luis
is coffee with cream and sugar. into a museum. The road sign of the first Obispo, California (www.madonnainn.com).

Lost in transmission
To discover all there is to know about LA, says John Arlidge,
get behind the wheel.
N ew York may be the city that never sleeps

but LA is a metropolis on the move. It’s
midnight and I’m standing on the terrace of
takemymotherplease.com). We meet in the car
park of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Block is sitting behind the wheel of her 1998
Monica, Malibu and Venice. In front are Beverly
Hills and Century City. Below is Hollywood.
Left, rising through the grey fog and haze, is
producer Rob Reiner’s home. In front of me, Cadillac Sedan DeVille. ‘Welcome to LA,’ she Downtown and, behind it, South Central.
lava streaks of SUVs speed west on Santa smiles, as she steps out and hands me the key ‘Now, you need a little history,’ says Anne.
Monica Boulevard. To my left, skyscrapers to a clunky-looking hybrid – half-electric, half- We head downtown on the 10 Freeway and pull
glow red and white, caught in the lights of petrol – Ford Escape. ‘You have to drive the car over at a sign that reads ‘Historic Arroyo Seco
thousands of stop-start cars. To the right, the of the moment and, right now, that means a Parkway’. ‘Dry Creek Road’ may not sound like
beams of Ocean Avenue convertibles pick out hybrid. We’ve gone green overnight.’ much, but this is where every road trip should
Pacific Coast Highway 1 and the ocean beyond. First, though, I need to get my bearings. start: ‘This is the first freeway in America, built
‘We don’t do maps in LA, we have something in the 1940s,’ Anne explains. ‘It’s the road that
LA can be one big traffic jam, but choose better,’ says Anne. ‘Come see.’ Half an hour convinced Americans that freedom is only a
your moments, and it is also the greatest later, I ease into the car park at the Getty drive away. It has shaped everything in LA.’
driving city in America. Take to the wheel Center art museum, high in the Hollywood hills, As we rumble over the freeway, I realise it’s
of a large automobile and you’ll find out and walk past the Monets and Rembrandts on true. LA is a city more about cars and motion
everything you need to know about the place. to the terrace to admire the best picture of all. (pictures) than anything static. There are few
Just ask Anne Block, who runs the city’s first Stretched out before me like a giant tableau is skyscrapers because when the city grew –
drive tour, ‘To Live and Drive in LA’ (www. LA. To the right are the coastal districts of Santa thanks to roads – it expanded ouwards,

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not upwards. In a town that is bigger than most
island nations, pedestrians are an endangered
species. And what you drive tells the world
who you are or, at least, who you want to be.
Everything hangs in a hubcap’s balance.
So, before we start cruising, we need to
make sure we look good. ‘Twenty dollars for the
wash and wax, please,’ says Maurice Aguillera,
head valet at La Cienega car wash on La
Cienega Boulevard. ‘You want cherry soda?’ No
thanks. ‘How about lemon lime?’ No, really, I’m
not thirsty. Anne laughs. ‘It’s not for you. Give
the car a new smell.’ I opt for ‘New Car’.
‘Where do you want to cruise first?’ asks
Anne. A light blings on in my head. ‘South
Central.’ If my car really is the right ride, the
place to pose will be the home of the low-
rider, ‘tricked out’ with chrome wheels and
vanity licence plates: the ghetto. On Crenshaw
Boulevard I meet Mario Don, who runs the
Magic Shears Afro Hair Salon, and drives a
black Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. ‘Sweet ride,’
he says, admiring my car. But being green isn’t
enough. ‘This is LA,’ he says. ‘People care about
your character but they care more about what
you got. If I were you, I’d get a second car, to
impress. A Ferrari – you know what I’m saying?’
A $930,000 Ferrari Enzo stands on the
forecourt of Black on Black Motor Sports in
Law-abiding citizen
Don’t cruise up and down Sunset Boulevard
at night – it’s been made illegal to reduce noise
and racing. Tip valet parkers $5-$10. Don’t have
an accident in Beverly Hills: you won’t find a
hospital in that part of the city, ‘because nobody
ever gets ill in Beverly Hills’. Always stop dead at
a Stop sign. Even slowly rolling past one, when
the road ahead is clear, can mean a $195 fine.
Motorways are called freeways. The speed limit
on Californian freeways is 65mph (100kph); on
other roads it’s 25mph (40kph). LA roads can be
up to 40km long, so don’t use street numbers
to navigate: ask for the ‘cross street’ – which
crosses the main road – nearest your destination.

Beverly Hills, half an hour from South Central.

Manager Rick Black says he has a full order
‘Seeing the car, the
book for the next 12 months, ‘but some
customers change cars every month, so I’ll get
security guards
a few back in.’ Every month? ‘They get bored. figure we’re anything
Or the ashtrays get full.’ He’s only half joking.
Where can I see the people who change but no one’
their cars more often than their therapist, I
ask Anne? It’s a short run, via the Petersen Later, Anne takes me to Miyagi’s restaurant.
Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard, to It has a giant raised car park and a driveway
palm-lined Rodeo Drive. ‘On this street, how that leads right up to the best tables. There’s
you arrive is more important than what you a new Bentley Azure on the driveway. It’s time
wear,’ says Anne. Right on cue, a woman who’s to tackle those great taste-makers of California
had so much cosmetic surgery she surely no car culture: valet parkers. Does my Escape have
longer remembers what she originally looked enough ‘pull’ to park out front within ogling
like, arrives in a canary-yellow Hummer. She distance of the best tables? I give the head
checks in her two cocker spaniels – pets are valet parker my best ‘out front’ look. He barks:
accessories, after all – at the Beverly Wilshire ‘Move the Bentley. The Escape is coming in.’
hotel and totters towards Prada. Why? ‘The biggest tippers are driving them
‘Hey lady, what war are you fighting?’ a funny new electrics these days,’ he replies.
passer-by shouts, pointing at her giant military After feasting on sushi and snippets of
vehicle. The environmental lobby may have conversation between Hollywood actors and
made it to Beverly Hills but the surgery queen their leather-skinned agents, Anne and I drive
is unimpressed. She raises a drawn-on eyebrow into the hills to catch the last of the sun from
and shouts, ‘The planet is so O-V-E-R’. Mulholland Drive. I pull over, turn off the engine
I need some fresh air. Pacific Coast Highway and listen to the cicadas. The soundtrack is
1 runs north to San Francisco – after Route pure Tuscany, but staring down at the twinkling
66, it’s the most famous stretch of Tarmac in tail-lights like a billion stars, I could only be in
America. We soon leave the smog behind and the most car-centric city in the world.
enjoy the spume-flecked breeze as we head for Then it’s off to Rob Reiner’s home: tonight’s
Duke’s Barefoot Lounge in Malibu, a restaurant party venue for exclusive London club Soho
set up by Duke Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian who House. On the way, we speed through a tunnel
brought surfing to the USA. negotiated by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise in
Maybe it’s the Huli Huli sandwich, maybe the Collateral. The basso thump of the engine as it
sun has fried our brains, but after lunch I wish bounces off the tiles is movie poetry. When we
we could throw caution – not to mention taste arrive, the Escape does it again. The security
– to the wind and head north, singing soft rock steakheads don’t let just anyone in but, seeing
classics all the way to Santa Barbara. But this is the car, they figure Anne and I are anything but
an LA story, so instead we head back down the anyone. We walk in past Leonardo DiCaprio and
coast and pull onto Sunset Boulevard. It’s 40km Sharon Stone, enjoying our new-found status.
long and runs from the Pacific to Downtown, As we stare out from the terrace over the city,
passing through Brentwood, Bel Air, Beverly I realise that we’ve travelled more than 240km,
Hills and Hollywood. taken in hilltop roads, palm-lined boulevards,
the ocean, and finished where we started.
Clockwise from top left: Santa Monica Pier; Lifeguards ‘We’ve gone nowhere – and everywhere. That’s
patrol the beaches; In Los Angeles what matters is not
what you wear but what you drive; Queensway Bay. weird,’ I tell Anne. ‘That,’ she smiles, ‘is LA.’

Keep rolling
Telephone poles stretching into infinity; wailing A-trains; blinking motel signs. So evocative
is the American road movie that it’s tough not to book your flights to the US while the credits
are still rolling. Here are four classics, plus the crucial crib notes to recreate the trip.
Easy Rider of an America that’s deeply uneasy with itself, Holly (Sissy Spacek) who watches her life
(Dennis Hopper, 1969) whose lingering divisions resonate even today. degenerate from a straightforward across-
This is the film that THE ROUTE: Interstate 10, from El Paso in the-tracks teen romance into a bloodbath, as
launched a thousand Texas, on the Mexican border, to New Orleans. Kit (Martin Sheen) hones his shooting skills on
bike trips, as the laid- That’s almost 2,000km across two states so Spacek’s dismal father, and is soon applying
back Wyatt, played by you’ll need a week. them liberally across two states. It’s a bleak
Peter Fonda, and Billy RELIVE THE MOMENT: The famous scene introduction to Badlands National Park, yet
(Dennis Hopper), his in the redneck café, featuring genuine locals, the movie still pulls fans across the Atlantic.
uncool sidekick, rev their way from Mexico takes place in the village of Morganza, It’s down to Badlands’ haunting but irresistible
to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Easy Rider northwest of New Orleans, off Highway 61. portrait of the Midwest: craggy, Stetsoned old
features road-movie motifs galore: striated MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: ‘What you men; small-time school ma’ams; and petrol
pink and purple sunsets, neon-lit motels, represent to them is freedom… Talking about pump attendants standing solitary among sun-
desert gas stations, and a classic soundtrack by it and being it, that’s two different things.’ flaked Pepsi-Cola murals.
Steppenwolf, Hendrix and Dylan. On their way THE ROUTE: Interstate 90, from South Dakota
to New Orleans, they pass through numerous Badlands through Wyoming to Montana – roughly
clashing Americas, from a hippie commune (Terrence Malick, 1973) 600km, which you could do in a long weekend.
already going to seed, to the ultimately lethal ‘Little did I realise that RELIVE THE MOMENT: For details on South
redneck territories of the Deep South. Even what began in the Dakota’s Badlands National Park, visit www.
the non-speaking characters stand out: a alleys and backways allblackhills.com/badlands.
moustachioed café proprietress in gingham of this quiet town MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: ‘Through
smirking as her bigoted regulars taunt the duo would end in the desert and mesa, across endless miles of open
off the premises, or the black farming family, badlands of Montana.’ range we made our headlong way, steering by
who simply wave as they pass. This is a picture So says 15-year-old the telephone lines towards Montana.’

Thelma & Louise on the men of America, they shoot their way and the road trip begins, up through Texas, all
(Ridley Scott, 1991) towards Mexico. the way to LA and back down again. Along the
Sixties America didn’t THE ROUTE: From Oklahoma suburbia to way, Harry Dean Stanton’s mute Travis regains
hold much for the Mexico, purposely avoiding Texas (look at a first his speech, then his memory and his life,
country girl. Take map and you’ll appreciate how difficult that journeying with his son in a beaten-up truck
Thelma. She has no car, is). We suggest you just do the New Mexico in search of the boy’s mother – a peroxided
no money and barely to Grand Canyon bit, which measures about Nastassja Kinski. With the help of a melancholy
leaves the house for fear 1,200km (roughly two days). soundtrack by Ry Cooder, the endless scrub
of a beating from her brutish husband. Thelma RELIVE THE MOMENT: Look out for Court takes on the look of a lunar landscape – this
does, however, have Louise. And together, House Towers in Arches National Park, Utah, for is archetypal road trip territory. Here, away
Images: Photolibrary; iStockphoto; LA Photo Tour; US Fish & Wildlife Service;
Butter; Tom Meinhold for the Madonna Inn; Shady Dell; Movie Colony Hotel.
without telling a soul, Thelma, played by Geena the memorable scene where the policeman was from the mainstream cities, lies another hidden
Davis, and Louise (Susan Sarandon) embark on locked in his trunk. America, like the life beneath a rock.
a journey that takes them to one of the most MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: ‘You shoot off THE ROUTE: The section of Interstate 10 that
memorable film endings ever made. Slipping a guy’s head, believe me, Texas ain’t the place runs from Texas through New Mexico to Los
off the shackles of suburban living, the girls you want to get caught.’ Angeles – about 2,500km. You’ll need a week.
speed off for a weekend in the mountains in RELIVE THE MOMENT: The dramatic desert
their iconic 1966 green Thunderbird – but after Paris, Texas landscapes in the opening scenes of the film
stopping at a roadside café, their plans soon (Wim Wenders, 1984) are in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Take
head downhill when Louise shoots a man dead. A bearded man picks Interstate 90 to Marathon, then drive 110km
With the law hot on their heels, so begins the his solitary way across south to the park’s headquarters.
infamous road trip that makes this film the the blinding emptiness MOST ROADWORTHY QUOTE: A sign on
showpiece of a repressed feminine era. Taking of America’s southern the wall of a forgotten desert diner says: ‘The
desert. Soon he has been dust has come to stay. You may stay or pass
Top: Thelma and Louise knew how to have fun during
a pitstop. Opposite: The bleak landscapes of Badlands. rescued by his brother on through or whatever.’

road trips, in association with

EASY TIG R It’s all effortless ‘rustic-luxe’ in the safari camps of India,
finds Josephine Davies. But hunting the big cats is still
a challenge – especially when they’re hunting you too…
KWT Easy Tiger India September.indd 58 8/26/2010 11:48:24 AM

india | tiger safari
K
artikeya is not happy the trail as sunlight slices through the trees
with me. Moustache in dazzling tiger-like stripes.
twitching, he squints in Just three days ago, we had arrived in
the buttery early morning the sun-baked state of Madhya Pradesh,
light, scanning the landscape for a India’s dry and dusty heartland (there’s a
suitable spot. ‘There.’ He points to a monument here marking the very middle
small, straggly bush just off the dusty of the sub-continent). Tuk-tuks buzzed
track. ‘But be quick, stay alert and don’t like angry hornets as we pulled away from
wander off.’ As loo breaks go, this must Nagpur Airport, while ladies riding side-
be the scariest I’ve ever experienced. I saddle on scooters weaved deftly among the
sheepishly climb down from the Jeep traffic, their saris billowing out behind them
and make a mental note to decline the like gaudy streamers. It was a colourful urban
pre-safari masala chai (sweet Indian scene typical of any city in India, streets filled
tea) next time. with the scents of ghee and spices, and the
clamour and clatter of hawkers. But just an
It’s just after dawn in India’s Bandhavgarh hour and a half’s drive later, we were deep
National Park, home to one of the highest in tiger country. Here, the monsoon was still
densities of tigers in the world – and I have months away, the landscape painted in an
broken one of our guide’s golden rules: never autumnal palette of gold and brown beneath
get out of your vehicle. Hurrying back to the a cloudless cobalt sky.
safety of our olive-green, open-top Jeep, India’s elusive, endangered felines once
the stillness is suddenly pierced by a high- roamed freely across this enormous state
pitched ‘whoop-whoop’ noise. Kartikeya (one of the country’s largest, but seldom
jumps up, fixing his binoculars on the dense visited by tourists). Now a network of
tangle of forest right behind the bush I have national parks provides the beasts with
just emerged from. ‘Alarm calls from spotted safe(ish) pockets of protected jungle,
deer – quick, get in. There’s a predator close although illegal poaching means numbers
by,’ he whispers urgently. We watch and are still dwindling. To see one in the wild is
wait, hearts thudding like drums. Suddenly, a privileged experience – future generations
two peacocks burst out noisily from the may not be so lucky – and for the best
undergrowth, shimmying and shaking their chance of spotting one, we had decided to
emerald-blue tails like Vegas showgirls. take in not one, but three nature reserves:
Kartikeya flashes us a Colgate-white grin and Pench, Panna and Bandhavgarh. The first
we continue onwards, bumping gently along stop on our week-long wildlife circuit is

Clockwise from below left: Spotted deer drink
at a jungle watering hole; Looking for tigers in
Bandhavgarh National Park; Ready for dinner at
the Baghvan safari camp. Opposite: Bandhavgarh
National Park is Shere Khan territory.
‘Pench is a wilderness of shadowy forests and

rushing streams straight out of The Jungle Book’
Pench, an unspoiled wilderness of shadowy takes us deep into the park. He is incredibly
teak forests and rushing streams straight adept at multi-tasking, steering us along the
out of The Jungle Book. In fact, it was the rough tracks while simultaneously swivelling
inspiration for Kipling’s famous work. ‘Shere his head around like an owl to chat and point
Khan is lurking in there somewhere,’ said out interesting fauna.
my husband dramatically as he gazed into We learn to tell the difference between
the impenetrable vegetation beyond. My Bambi-cute spotted deer and their sturdier,
thoughts, however, were firmly focused on darker cousins, Sambar deer. We spot jewel-
the more material comforts that awaited us: bright bee-eaters and kingfishers, crested
a cool drink and a long shower to wash away serpent eagles and tiny owlets huddled in
the red dust that clung to my skin. tree hollows like feather dusters. We watch
Baghvan is one of a handful of supremely anxiously as a hungry jackal chases a fawn
stylish safari camps dotted around Madhya – and sigh with relief when it bounds away
Pradesh, and oozes rustic-luxe from every unharmed. We spend hours watching muddy
corner. Our suite comes with an open-air watering holes, where black-faced langur
shower that faces the brooding forest monkeys sit on dead tree trunks like old
beyond (the hotel lies right on the edge men on park benches, cradling their furry
of Pench reserve). As butterflies dance in white bellies. We even become accustomed
the rising steam, I rinse the shampoo from to the blood-curling screams of tourists
my hair while keeping a careful eye on the being eaten alive (the sounds are, in fact, the
rustling vegetation – just in case. mating calls of spotted deer).
The next day, we clamber into the poshest We don’t see any tigers. They, however,
Jeep I’ve ever seen and sit on raised, throne- are watching us. Fresh paw marks the size
like seats while Karun, our enthusiastic guide, of dinner plates are imprinted deep in the


‘There’s nothing like the sight of 300 kilos
of fur and fangs approaching to wake you up’
sandy paths. Freddy Krueger-like claw marks scar teak trees, etched even more so. The nearest town is the sleepy backwater of Umaria,
deep into the bark five metres up. We start to realise the awesome best reached by light aircraft (unless you fancy a serious overland
size of this predator, and suddenly the Jeep feels rather exposed. We slog). As we touched down on the airstrip, kids scrambled to the
quiz Karun about close encounters (he has had plenty) and ask him rooftops, jumping up and down and waving madly. Tumbling out
if he ever gets scared. He laughs. ‘If they wanted to, they could jump onto the hot tarmac, we were met by the smiling manager of Mahua
in and eat us, but they don’t.’ I shiver despite the warm breeze and Kothi, another handsome hideaway, made of mud-walled huts that
another chorus of alarm calls lets us know that we are not alone. hide sumptuous rooms with sink-in beds and deep tubs.
Go on safari in Africa and you simply view the wildlife. In India, Gitandra (or ‘Geet’ as he prefers to be called) had never seen a
you must track it – which is at once frustrating and immensely more tiger before he was posted to Mahua Kothi. But his first encounter
exciting. It takes patience: at Panna – another immodestly beautiful required little effort. ‘It was over there,’ he says, gesturing at a small
park riddled with deep gorges and wide rivers where plump crocs watering hole just a few hundred metres from our room. ‘It was dusk,
wallow expectantly – we search in vain. But tigers or no tigers, the and I glanced up – he was lapping water and watching me.’ I decided
landscape here is a scene-stealer, and we leave awed by a wild side right then to take up his offer of sending over a chaperone to our hut
of India we never knew existed. for the moonlit walk to dinner later that evening.
It’s back to business at Bandhavgarh, however. This park, we Beneath the shade of a giant Banyan tree, we clink glasses with
are told, is our best shot – home to 50-odd felines, with sightings other khaki-clad guests, feasting on delicately spiced dhal and
reported just days before our arrival. If Pench feels remote, this vast deliciously rich curries as the jungle hums with nocturnal life. I’m
reserve – 448sq km of open grasslands and knotted jungle – feels still groggy when we’re woken at 4.30am the next morning with

sweet tea and flapjacks. Mist hangs low over the grassy meadows; Opposite: You never know who’s watching from afar. This page, clockwise from
the breezeless air is damp and cool. Shivering, we hug the hot-water top left: Mahua Kothi at dusk; Bedroom suite at same hotel; Luxurious bathing
at Mahua Kothi; My, what big teeth you have; Safari at Pench National Park.
bottles and blankets laid out in the Jeep, and doze gratefully during
the short ride to the park entrance.
I’m still half-asleep when we see the tiger stalking silently towards husband. And the tiger has indeed gone; straining into the distance,
us. But there’s nothing like the sight of 300 kilos of fur and fangs we see no sign of it. I’m disappointed, but feel fortunate to have had
approaching to wake you up. After days of watching and waiting, we our brief encounter earlier.
forget to take pictures or even reach for our binoculars (he’s so close, Suddenly the mahout yelps and tries frantically to hit reverse (the
there’s no need). I barely remember to breathe as he pads through elephant is having none of it). Just a few metres below our dangling
the long grass, russet stripes blending with the dappled vegetation. flip-flops lies the snarling tiger, teeth bared and understandably
Then he looks up and fixes me with a serial-killer stare that says, ‘I disgruntled at having his nap interrupted. We are so close I can count
could have you for breakfast.’ his whiskers. It’s thrilling, terrifying and utterly mesmerising – so
Instead of proving his point, however, he nonchalantly sprawls much so that I completely forget my desperate need to pee.
across the path, thick folds of velvety fur spilling around his neck, and
throws back his head in a yawn, giving us a superb view of his fierce
Images: Photolibrary; iStockphoto; Taj Safaris.
The brief
dentistry. There’s an unsettling awareness that we have rejoined
the food chain. The machine-gun fire of camera shutters signals the Where to stay When to go
arrival of other Jeeps, and with a flick of his tail the tiger – a young Baghvan, in Pench National Park, Avoid monsoon season (June to
male, Kartikeya tells us – slopes back into the shadows. and Mahua Kothi, in Bandhavgarh September) when parks are closed
A few hours later, we get the chance to get even closer to him. National Park, are both luxurious due to rain and flooding. Visit
He’s been seen sunning himself on a rocky escarpment – too steep Taj safari lodges. Each property between November and February
for Jeeps to get near. So we switch to an elephant, swaying as it offers accommodation from $685 as April and May are too hot, with
crashes through the foliage. ‘Won’t he, um, hear us coming?’ asks my per night. www.tajhotels.com temperatures reaching up to 40ºC.

Malaysian
Grand Prix 2010 (08 – 10 October 2010)
1 PERSON 2 PERSONS & ABOVE EXTENSION STAY
HOTEL
*price is per person Single Traveller Single Occupancy Twin Share Single Occupancy Twin Share
[Per person per package] [Per person per package] [Per person per package] [Per person per package] [Per person per package]
Hotel Sentral (3*) USD 360 USD 237 USD 183 USD 53 USD 27
Hotel Coronade (4*) USD 440 USD 314 USD 223 USD 92 USD 46
Hotel Istana (5*) USD 476 USD 360 USD 246 USD 116 USD 58
The above package prices are Remarks For more information and reservations,
inclusive of the following: • Package valid for the period of 8 – 10 contact:
• 2 nights accommodation at your October, 2010 only. Dammam, Saudi Arabia: + 966 3 8355642 / 632 / 8355645
selected hotel from 8 – 10 October, 2010 • Package rate is based on minimum 2 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia : +966 14634454/2933740/4652834
• Daily breakfast persons per confirmed booking. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: +966 2 2632875 / 2633040
• Return airport transfer on Day 1 & Day 3 • 50% surcharge is applicable for transfer Mahooz, Bahrain: +973 17 828 801 / 828 792 / 828 793
(KLIA/KL CITY HOTEL/KLIA) between 2300 hrs – 0600 hrs. Doha, Qatar: +974 4483777 / 4483704
• Return transfer on 9th October • Prices are subject to change without Dubai, UAE: +971 4 3341444
between hotel and Sepang International prior notice, Kanoo terms and Abu Dhabi, UAE: +971 2 6313900
Circuit on private basis conditions apply to all booking. Muscat, Oman: +968 24700249 / 24700279
• Mobile phone sim card
KWT Kanoo advert September.indd 12 8/30/2010 11:23:39 AM

Concierge
Seychelles | Jakarta | Cardiff | Matera
The 30-second concierge
Avi Parahoo, head villa host, Desroches Island

Is there much to see and do on the island? (Desroches has some of the world’s best scuba sites). We offer private
Absolutely – the Seychelles location makes it perfect for conservation island living, with just a handful of villas and suites on the island and no
walks (which are turtle and bird-focused), and you can check out the other hotels in sight: ours is the only one in the Amirantes Islands. We’ve
baby turtle hatchery, feed giant tortoises, cycle through the coconut also just opened the Castaway Centre, the biggest of its kind in the
plantations, go for picnics, play tennis, have a go at sea-kayaking, visit the Seychelles, which provides state-of-the-art diving and sailing equipment –
local Creole village, or simply chill out in the spa and sample our new Dr. all guests need to bring is their diving licence.
Hauschka facials.
What can I eat on Desroches?
What makes Desroches unique? Fresh fish and seafood, spicy Creole cuisine, fresh salads and wood-fired
Where do I start? Firstly, we have an all-inclusive concept, meaning you pizza – we had oyster platters last night (delish!). Le Veloutier, the main
don’t need to worry about additional costs. Then there are our gorgeous restaurant, overlooks the infinity pool and the beach – it’s beautiful.
four-bedroom family villas, deep-sea fishing, and diving opportunities www.desroches-island.com
KWT Concierge opener September.indd 65 8/30/2010 11:26:19 AM

Indonesia
Visit Jakarta
Fire-breathing displays, contemporary art exhibitions and designer shopping are all in a day’s
work when you visit southeast Asia’s largest city – just make sure you plan around the traffic.
J akarta is not a city anyone forgets in a hurry. Its

nickname, ‘The Big Durian’, perfectly sums up the
Indonesian capital’s divisive nature: just like the pungent
JAKARTA MUST-DOS
The Dutch architecture in
Fatahillah Square, Kota (the old
antiques market in the Menteng
neighbourhood. It’s quiet, shady
and a manageable size.
town), is slightly out of place but In the mood for haggling and
fruit, you’ll either love it or hate it. The poverty gap is
is a fascinating reminder of the street food? Glodok (Chinatown)
unabashedly visible, the city is so sprawling that walking city’s colonial past. Head here on is the place for you, just hold onto
is not an option (make sure you know which district a Friday or Saturday night to see your handbag.
you’re heading for before getting in a taxi) and the fire-breathers and glass-eaters. There’s no denying that
smog is horrendous – but few places are as intoxicating. Want to shop but can’t shake National Museum (12 Jl Medan
the feeling that you ought Merdeka Barat, Gambir 10110, +62
No matter the hour, the streets throb with life –
to be doing something more 21 386 8172, open Tue-Sun 9am-
hawkers flog handicrafts and everywhere you look
cultural? Alleviate the guilt by 3pm) could do with modernising,
are people who’ve followed the bright lights and are making Grand Indonesia (Jalan if only for the sake of A/C – but its
determined to make their fortune where countless Mohammad, Husni Thamrin; www. collections of ancient Indonesian
others have failed. Alongside this warts-’n’-all scene, grand-indonesia.com) your mall of artefacts make the heat worth it.
mall culture has well and truly hit, and if you’re on the choice – its basement was turned Indonesia is the world’s largest
into modern gallery space Jakarta Muslim country, so it’s only fitting
hunt for designer goods and air-conditioned environs
Art District earlier this year. that it has a suitably impressive
you’ll be spoilt for choice. Come nightfall, sample the
Alternatively, you can pick up mosque – cue the Masjid Istiqlal
high-end lounges of Plaza Indonesia’s EX Annex, or, for anything from traditional Javanese (Jalan Taman Wijaya Kusuma),
a more alternative experience, check out the world-class masks to vintage records at Jalan with five floors and room for up to
underground music scene. Surabaya, an authentic, open-air 250,000 worshippers at a time.
KWT Jakarta September.indd 66 8/26/2010 4:28:34 PM

concierge | Jakarta
Opposite: You
couldn’t get much
more central than
the Mandarin
Oriental. This page,
clockwise from
top left: Travel in
style in a bajaj;
Luxury at the
Mandarin Oriental;
The Kemang Icon’s
swimming pool;
Executive suite at
same hotel; Tasty
Indonesian satay.
where to stay where to eat ARGY BAJAJY: In a hurry? Swerve around the traffic in a bajaj, the
Kemang Icon by Alila Payon bright-orange Indonesian answer to Thai tuk-tuks. FISH OUT OF
Jl Kemang Raya 1, Jl Kemang Raya 17, Kemang, WATER: Indonesia is home to the walking catfish, which can wriggle
www.alilahotels.com +62 21 719 4826 out of water and even up trees in quest of food.
This all-suite, boutique hotel in The atmospheric outdoor pagoda
south Jakarta sits above two floors setting means Payon is always
Jalan
of exclusive shops. It has über- buzzing, and its spicy rice dishes Glodok
G ajah
slinky, individually designed rooms ensure it has plenty of repeat

Mada
and a divine rooftop infinity pool. customers – so be sure to book

Masjid Istiqlal
From $185 room only. ahead. Mains from $8.
National Museum
Jalan Tol Insiny
Mandarin Oriental Jakarta Tesate jakarta

ur
Jl MH Thamrin, Plaza Senayan, 4th floor, Jl Asia

Wiyoto Wiyono
Images: Mandarin Oriental; Alia Hotels; iStockphto.
Mandarin Oriental
Ja
www.mandarinoriental.com Afrika, www.tesate.com

lan
To
Jalan I Gusti Ngurah Rai

l
The recently refurbished bedrooms Accessed via a corridor with

Je
Grand Indonesia
nd
er
Tesate
al
at the Mandarin Oriental are Javanese script light-projected Payon Jalan Kolonel Soegiono
sleek and contemporary – think onto its walls, this new satay
cool neutrals complemented by restaurant is seriously upmarket.
splashes of scarlet or turquoise – Cashews, rather than peanuts,
and bathrooms feature huge bath are used in the signature sauce, Kemang Icon
tubs and dark wood units. From making for a smooth, decadent
$160 room only. flavour. Mains from $15.
KWT Jakarta September.indd 67 8/26/2010 4:28:55 PM

Wales
Visit Cardiff
From epic rugby matches to fairytale
castles, Cardiff is the city that has it all.
C ardiff is one of the most affordable cities in the UK and yet also one of the nicest. Huge green spaces, a
gorgeous castle in the city centre and excellent shopping make it a popular tourist destination, and investment
in the older areas – most notably the now-swanky Cardiff Bay, which provides the set for much of the Doctor Who
television series – has attracted young, wealthy professionals whose presence only enhances the cosmopolitan buzz.
The Welsh are a notoriously patriotic bunch and never is this more obvious than on match days for the national
sport: rugby. But while they may roar with pride for their national team, the locals are generally garrulous and
friendly, welcoming visitors with open arms (and more often than not, an invitation to join them for a drink). Many
of Cardiff’s buildings were either built or revamped in the 19th century by then-richest man in the world John Patrick
Crichton-Stuart, third Marquess of Bute, whose tastes veered towards the fairytale-esque, though cutting-edge
design is also evident nowadays in the modern developments.
KWT Cardiff September.indd 68 8/26/2010 2:38:38 PM

concierge | Cardiff
The Armless Dragon
No
rth
Rd
Opposite, clockwise
Lincoln House
from left: Cardiff Ca
Castle; Castell th
e Bute Park
dr
Coch; Rugby – the
al
Rd
national sport;
Cardiff Bay. This
Cast
page, clockwise le S
t Arcades St David’s
from below: Wales Cardiff Castle The Thai House
Millennium Centre;
Arcade shopping;
Master suite at St Millennium Stadium
David’s Hotel & Spa.
Ce n
t ra
l Lin
Clare St
k
Cardiff
Rd
h
rt Co
na rp
Pe or
at
io
n
Rd
Millennium Centre
Ba Orient
St David’s Hotel & Spa
Cardiff Bay
CARDIFF MUST-DOS castle surrounded by forest. Then, TAKE A DEEP BREATH: If you get time, head north to
Explore the city centre, first back in the city, stroll around Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, if
taking in the Arcades – a network Cardiff Castle (www.cardiffcastle. only to be photographed by the welcome sign for what is the longest-
of Victorian shopping complexes com), which was built on the named town in Europe. YOU SAY TOMATO… AND SO DO THEY:
laced with one-off boutiques foundations of a Roman fort and Only 20 per cent of Wales’s population is fluent in Welsh – English is
– and then St David’s (www. decorated in painstaking detail. far more widely spoken, so you can leave the phrasebook at home.
stdavidscardiff.com), a huge Watch the sun set over Cardiff
new mall offering myriad British Bay before sampling the city’s where to stay where to eat
favourites, from department finest mocktails and dim-sum at St David’s Hotel & Spa The Thai House
stores like John Lewis and Marks the chic Ba Orient (www.baorient. Havannah Street, Guildford Crescent, Churchill
& Spencer to smaller home-grown com) – then take in a performance www.thestdavidshotel.com Way, www.thaihouse.biz
specialists including accessories by the Welsh National Opera at The light-flooded rooms at this Launched by its Thai/Welsh
shop Ollie & Nic and Karen Millen the stunning Millennium Centre high-end hotel feature Cardiff Bay owners in 1985, this award-
for frocks. (www.wmc.org.uk). views and cool décor (we love the winning restaurant dishes up
Catch a rugby match at the Have a picnic in Bute Park, a fur throws) – plus the Marine Spa exquisite fare: the prawns with
Millennium Stadium (www. glorious (and huge) green space has been voted one of the world’s coconut and kaffir lime are a
millenniumstadium.com), the in the city centre that’s flanked best. From $250 room only. must-try. Mains from $14.
74,200-capacity venue that by Cardiff Castle, the River Taff,
Government (Crown Copyright); St David’s Hotel & Spa.
hosted the FA Cup Final while Sophia Gardens and Pontcanna Lincoln House The Armless Dragon
Images: Visit Britain; Castell Coch; Welsh Assembly
Wembley was being redeveloped. Fields. The mature parkland is Cathedral Road, Wyeverne Road, Cathays,
The atmosphere is indescribable. home to a wide array of wildlife as www.lincolnhotel.co.uk www.armlessdragon.co.uk
If no one’s playing, it’s still well well as ornamental and rare trees The owners of this intimate Head here for Welsh food with a
worth booking yourself onto a – a true joy to visit. Victorian townhouse have contemporary twist – think cockle
tour of the enormous grounds. Do a day trip to the Gower retained its period features – tiled and laverbread cakes with leek
Escape the hustle and bustle peninsula, about 90 minutes’ floors, intricate cornicing – and, as fondue and truffle oil – served in
with a riverside bike ride along the drive from the city. Its expanses well as sumptuous four-posters, what feels like someone’s home
pretty Taff Trail to the gorgeous of rugged coastline and deserted added modern touches including (it could only happen in Cardiff).
Castell Coch, a fairytale-style beaches are simply breathtaking. animal prints. From $135 B&B. Mains from $20.
KWT Cardiff September.indd 69 8/26/2010 2:39:06 PM

Feeling excited about your holiday? Check through our list of the most popular Kanoo Travel
offices, find one near you and head down or call up to turn your getaway dreams into reality...
Bahrain EGYPT 1 Wahib Doss Str. Kanoo Travel Srilankan Airlines City Centre
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Tel. 002 02 4130375/6 Tel. 441 3441 Hail Street, Jeddah Airport Office Hertz
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Mahooz Western Province Tel. 03 851 5009 Tel. 03 882 3711/2467
Tel. 17 828763 C/O Schlumberger Kanoo Centre Philippine Airways
Zeiny Tower Medina Road, Jeddah British Airways Srilankan Airlines
Mahooz 25 Misr Helwan Road Jeddah Tel. 02 263 2959 Khobar Khobar
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Tel. 17220743 C/O U.N.D.P Tel. 02 263 3040 Tel. 07 317 4285 Tel. 03 835 5714 Canada/Singapore
4th Floor,   Airlines/Swissair/
Thai International World Trade Center Kanoo Travel Singapore Airlines British Airways Austrian Airlines
Mahooz 1191 Cornich El Nil Sharafiya Jeddah Jubail Tel. 03 882 1518/2962/
Tel. 17 828771 Tel. 002 02 25804491   Tel. 02 643 9426 Tel. 02 657 9898 Tel. 03 362 1069 2602/03 882 4477/4442
KWT Kanoo details September.indd 70 8/26/2010 11:53:10 AM

concierge | book your trip
win a two-night stay at the Cove Rotana Resort

Situated in the quiet emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the Cove Rotana Resort (www.rotana.
com) is the ideal place for escaping the stresses of everyday life. Nestling around a
natural inlet on the placid Gulf coastline, the village-like complex draws on Arabic
design principles to offer rooms and villas decked out with soothing colours and
fabrics. There are six dining options and the swimming pools, spa, private beach and
nearby golf courses will keep you entertained for the duration of your stay.
The prize
We’ve got a two-night stay including breakfast and a 30-minute massage for two to
give away to one lucky reader. To enter, simply answer the following question and
email your answer to easywin@hotmediapublishing.com.
Q. How many dining options does the Cove Rotana Resort offer?
a) Three
b) Six
c) Fifty
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Entries must be submitted on or before September 30, 2010. Prize cannot be transferred to a third party or exchanged for cash. Prize must be used before March 31, 2011.
47th Street Main Street Kanoo Building Najda Street Edinburgh Canary Wharf
Rahima Al Khamseen Khalid Bin Al Waleed Abu Dhabi American Express Tel. 0207 888 4196
Tel. 03 667 0388 Wadi Ad Dawasir Street, Bur Dubai Tel. 02 678 0400 69 George Street
Tel. 01 784 6500 Tel. 04 507 2242 0131 718 2508/ London
Central Province 0131 718 2505 Haymarket
Kanoo Tower Philippine Airlines Kanoo Building UK American Express
King Abdul Aziz Road Kanoo Tower Al Orouba Street, Birmingham Essex 30 – 31 Haymarket
Riyadh Riyadh Sharjah American Express Lakeside Bureau Tel. 0207 4849 600/674
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Tel. 01 232 8519 Kanoo Tower Hermitage Building 156a Southampton Row
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Air India Hotat Bani Tel. 02 631 3900/631 8187 01202 780 752 Guildford 10-12 St Mary’s Gate
Kanoo Tower, Riyadh Tamim, Al Hotah American Express Tel. 0161 833 7301
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Al Kubaih Street Singapore Airlines Tel. 04 294 1481 Tel. 01273 525 041/040 Tel. 0116 242 18 05/08 Nottingham
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Building 12 American Express American Express Tel. 0115 924 7701/05
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Tel. 06 324 6514/325 0888 Tel. 01 411 4780 Al Fathooi Centre, Dubai 07872 600 528 London Tel. 02380 716 805/808
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Riyadh Kanoo Holidays Dubai Dubai 2-4 High Street Travel Office 6 Stonegate
Tel. 01 463 4454 Tel. 04 334 1444/315 6624 Tel. 04 335 1314 Tel. 0208 256 0808/0805 Cabot Square Tel. 01904 676 505
KWT Kanoo details September.indd 71 8/26/2010 11:53:12 AM

concierge | matera
Suite dreams
Le Grotte Della Civita, Italy
Ever slept in a cave before? Neither had we, until we discovered this fascinating project, which has seen part of a UNESCO World Heritage
Site – the stone city of Matera – converted into 18 extraordinary hotel rooms. The grottoes have been lived in since prehistoric times, and
we suspect the original inhabitants might have been pretty jealous if they’d seen the luxury their humble dwellings were destined to be
steeped in several millennia later. Owners Margareta Berg and Daniele Kihlgren have restored the caves with meticulous attention to detail,
preserving all traces of the site’s history, from the centuries-old wood used for the furniture to the iron rings in the walls, which working
animals were tethered to. It’s not all dim lighting and mystery, though – venture out to the gardens and you’ll be blasted with panoramic
vistas across the Murgia Park river valley.
www.sassidimatera.com
KWT Suite dreams September.indd 72 8/30/2010 11:27:43 AM

AD.indd 25 6/27/2010 3:29:37 PM
THERE ’S MOR E TO
EXPER IEN CE W H E N YOU
HAV E 2 DAYS FR E E .
Wherever you travel this summer, experience more with InterContinental. For every seven consecutive nights you stay at a
participating hotel in the Middle East and Africa, two of the nights will be complimentary. Spend the extra time exploring
your destination with our local knowledge to guide you, and create memories that last a lifetime.
Do you live an InterContinental life?

For more details or to make a reservation,
please call us at UAE 800 4642
Saudi Arabia 800 8 971 465 or visit
intercontinental.com/7for5
Offer valid from 4th May – 15th September.

Terms & conditions apply. See website for details.
Bahrain 800 00 880 | Egypt 0800 44 333 22 | Jordan 0800 22 666 | Kuwait 2473 2100 Ext.6233 | Lebanon (01) 426 801 (ask for 866 866 7556)
Oman 800 77 999 | Qatar 0800 971 234 | Saudi Arabia 800 8 971 465 | South Africa 0800 999 136 | UAE 800 4642

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THE MIDDLE EAST’S BIGGEST TRAVEL MAGAZINE September 2010

The Gulf’s most

KWT Cover September FINAL.indd 1 8/30/2010 9:30:45 AM

65 Thirty-second concierge 72 Suite dreams 58 easy tiger

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 5

KWT Contents September.indd 5 8/30/2010 9:45:35 AM

Ibn Battuta Gate

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 7 Ju

KWT Agenda opener September.indd 7 8/30/2010 9:50:46 AM

ONE-MINUTE MASTERCLASS: Italian Hello, my name is… Salve, mi

8 Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

KWT Agenda September.indd 8 8/30/2010 10:05:13 AM

compare and contrast

Villa Belle Époque Kempinski Nile Hotel

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 9

KWT Agenda September.indd 9 8/30/2010 10:05:39 AM

10 Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

KWT Agenda September.indd 10 8/30/2010 10:05:43 AM

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 11

KWT Calendar September.indd 11 8/30/2010 10:13:52 AM

Q: I would love to do a safari in Africa for

Ask the expert

12 Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

KWT Ask the expert September.indd 12 8/30/2010 10:22:38 AM

Drive time: THE GERS

KWT Drivetime September.indd 14 8/26/2010 11:44:34 AM

You’ll probably recognise this – after all, it’s one of

KWT Picture this Sept.indd 16 8/26/2010 11:56:53 AM

Palau may be an insanely peaceful spot now but the

KWT Picture this Sept.indd 19 8/26/2010 11:57:40 AM

From rotating four-posters to stingrays floating

The Monarch Dubai: Floors 32 & 33

August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 21

KWT Essential selection September.indd 21 8/30/2010 10:28:10 AM

Atlantis The Palm: Room 2464

Most exclusive location

Clockwise from left: Armani Suite; Zighy

KWT Essential selection September.indd 22 8/30/2010 10:28:52 AM

Burj Al Arab: Room 2501

August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 23

KWT Essential selection September.indd 23 8/30/2010 10:29:28 AM

Ritz-Carlton Bahrain: Villa 20

24 Kanoo World Traveller September

KWT Essential selection September.indd 24 8/30/2010 10:29:52 AM

Al Maha: Presidential Suite

August 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 25

KWT Essential selection September.indd 25 8/30/2010 10:30:02 AM

The Yas Hotel: Yas Presidential Suite

26 Kanoo World Traveller September

KWT Essential selection September.indd 26 8/30/2010 10:30:44 AM

Al Faisaliah: Room 716

Clockwise from left: Yas Hotel; W Doha;

KWT Essential selection September.indd 27 8/30/2010 10:31:30 AM

28 Kanoo World Traveller September 2010

KWT Barbados September.indd 28 8/26/2010 11:41:39 AM

September 2010 Kanoo World Traveller 29

KWT Barbados September.indd 29 8/26/2010 11:41:44 AM

flit by, and theatrical