Destinations of the World News - DOTWNews - May 2012 issue

@DOTWNEWS FEB Option 2 l5.indd 11/26/09 9:11:31 AM

May 2012May 2012

INSIDE ST. BARTHSThe island way of life

WILD KENYAThe home of safari

SAVE THE ISLANDSGoing green in the Maldives

ART IN THE UAEA lesser-known side of Dubai

HONG KONGAsia’s foodie capital

NEW YORK STATE OF MINDChronicling the revival of the American Dream

CONNOISSEURThe best hotels in Delhi

SUITE DREAMSAl Maha Desert Resort & Spa

FINAL WORDDonald Trump

00 CoverFINAL.indd 2 25/04/2012 21:57

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THE GOLDEN AGE HAS RETURNED.

Located on the beachfront of the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, this majestic resort is stunning in every detail. Marvel at the magnificent Ottoman inspired decor, savour an array of international flavours at our 10 restaurants and bars, unwind in elegant guest rooms where your every need is met, or simply refresh mind, body and soul at Talise Ottoman Spa named the World’s Leading Spa Resort 2011 by the World Travel Awards.

For more information and bookings please contact Jumeirah Zabeel Saray on Tel: +971 4 453 0000, visit www.jumeirahzabeelsaray.com or call your travel professional.

Visit us during ATM on our stand number HC3940.

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The Meydan Hotel raises the bar for service, style and sheer indulgence and a visit to this iconic landmark will leave you breathless. Luxurious accommodation, several fine dining restaurants and plenty of horse racing action make The Meydan Hotel the

perfect weekend getaway.

Situated in the heart of the desert, nestled between majestic dunes and clear blue skies, lies an exclusive traditional resort. Renowned for its traditional Arabic hospitality and unique setting, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa is

the ultimate luxury getaway.

A decision so difficult, trying both is the only option.For more information call +971 4 381 3231 or email [email protected].

Please contact your preferred travel partner for further details and bookings.

Sectiony title

82Unspoilt beauty

Sustainable tourism is the key to ensuring the pristine beauty of

the Maldives remains intact

52 New York Collaboration and creativity go hand in hand in the city that never sleeps, says Joe Mortimer

64 Saint-Barth insider If there’s one thing you don’t want to be on Saint Barth, it’s an outsider, says our man in the Caribbean, Robert La Bua

74 Kenya untamed Nicci Perides explores the history of safari in the country where the concept was born - welcome to Kenya

82 Saving the Maldives Caitlin Cheadle discovers what eco tourism looks like in one of the world’s most beautiful – and vulnerable – destinations

90 Art in Dubai Dubai’s art scene has finally gone global, with top-end galleries and boutique studios all over town

92 Hong Kong: 24 Hours A weekend in Hong Kong is barely enough to scratch the surface, but with a little help you can make it count

ContentsMay 2012

18 May 2012 dotwnews.com

On the cover

18-21 Contents.indd 18 25/04/2012 22:49

©2011 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, St. Regis and their respective logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affi liates.

HOTEL DEBUTS: ABU DHABI BANGKOK BAL HARBOUR DOHA FLORENCE

MAURITIUS SANYA SHENZHEN TIANJIN

stregis.com

S AA D I YAT I S LAND , A B U D HA B I

stregis.com/saadiyatisland+971.2.498.8888

BEYONDEXPECTATIONThe legacy continues with

The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.

Set along a pristine white beach, overlooking azure blue

waters and accompanied by the prestigious Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, the century-old heritage

of St. Regis is redefined with Arabian flair. Mediterraneanliving with world-class golf against an azure sea, one of the many reasons why.

world news_23.5x33.5.ai 4/25/12 9:14:21 PM

Sectiony title

82Unspoilt beauty

Sustainable tourism is the key to ensuring the pristine beauty of

the Maldives remains intact

52 New York Collaboration and creativity go hand in hand in the city that never sleeps, says Joe Mortimer

64 Saint-Barth insider If there’s one thing you don’t want to be on Saint Barth, it’s an outsider, says our man in the Caribbean, Robert La Bua

74 Kenya untamed Nicci Perides explores the history of safari in the country where the concept was born - welcome to Kenya

82 Saving the Maldives Caitlin Cheadle discovers what eco tourism looks like in one of the world’s most beautiful – and vulnerable – destinations

90 Art in Dubai Dubai’s art scene has finally gone global, with top-end galleries and boutique studios all over town

92 Hong Kong: 24 Hours A weekend in Hong Kong is barely enough to scratch the surface, but with a little help you can make it count

ContentsMay 2012


On the cover

18-21 Contents.indd 18 25/04/2012 22:49

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Stay from 1 August to 31 October 2012

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dotwnews.com May 2012 21

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ContentsMay 2012

In the news28 Retrospective Two stunning new launches from Beijing

32 Europe New resorts and pop-ups bring luxury injection to Greece

34 Middle East & Africa Bahrain Grand Prix leaves sour taste

38 Asia & Oceania Malaysia Airlines pioneers child-free cabins

42 Americas Celebrities queue up to be among the first in space

46 Debut Hot hotels, chic boutiques and exclusive new resorts

48 Interview Al Jazeera senior news anchor David Foster talks travel

Insider94 Diary Don’t miss these must-see events around the world

96 Spend it Once-in-a-lifetime luxury travel experiences

100 Suite dreams Al Maha Desert Resort’s Presidential Suite

103 Review Asian flavour in Europe at Buddha Bar Hotel Prague

104 Sky high Half a century of premium travel with Cathay Pacific

106 On the road Sometimes we’d rather keep our feet on the ground

108 Motoring Bertone’s Mike Robinson on the future of auto design

112 Fragrance butler The scents you can’t travel without

115 Trends Luxury travel innovations we can’t wait to try out

118 Connoisseur Mary Gostelow seeks out Delhi’s debonair digs

120 Album Hilton’s Rudi Jagersbacher names his favourite escapes

122 Final Word Donald Trump on retirement and the American Dream

18-21 Contents.indd 21 25/04/2012 22:12


Letter from the EditorThere are a handful of ciTies in The world that seem capable of bouncing back from

catastrophe again and again, showing a resilience and strength of character that we can all learn from. One

city that has done this with style is new York. Little more than a decade after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001,

downtown New York is once again a buzzing metropolis whose inhabitants seem to have acquired a new lease

of life that values authenticity, originality and personal wellbeing above all else. The Big Apple will always be a fast-paced place where if you snooze, you lose, but

there is now time for residents to ask questions about who made the products on the shelves and where the

food on their plates came from. This demand for authenticity has changed the way

many companies do business, changed they way they make and sell products, and changed the way they inter-

act with clients. Nowhere is this more true than in the city’s hotels, many of which have turned away from the one-size-fits-all approach and taken on a new direction

defined by collaboration and partnership, not only in their bars and restaurants but everything from swimwear and

bathrobes to Polaroid cameras and in-room guitars.The spirit of collaboration continues into the city’s

neighbourhoods, where once-run-down parts of town like the Meatpacking district have been brought back to life

by community groups and private enterprises, and now number among the most desirable parts of town. Read

our cover story on page 52 to see how hotels in NYC are embracing this new outlook.

The Maldives is another destination that has bounced back from a heavy blow, this one dealt by the 2004

tsunami, which damaged its precious coral reefs. The Maldives, which sits at an average of two metres above sea level, has always been aware of its fragility, but new efforts to preserve and nurture the natural environment

have stepped up a gear. Many resorts are championing the environmental cause, particularly those inside the recently

declared unesco Biosphere Reserve on the Baa Atoll. Resorts like the new dusit Thani Maldives are combining

environmentally sound construction techniques with sustainable food programmes and conservation schemes

that allow guest to opt into green projects if they wish. Our deputy editor Caitlin Cheadle visited to find out what’s

really going on – read her story on page 82.Recent attacks on tourists in parts of Kenya may

have given the destination a bad name in the interna-tional press, but nothing can detract from Kenya’s rich history as the world’s quintessential safari destination.

From the legendary hotels in capital Nairobi where colonialists planned their first ventures into the unknown

plains of the Masaai Mara to the grand old lodges that dot the country, Kenya remains a top spot to see africa’s wildlife and indigenous culture. Nicci Perides

shares her experiences on page 74.

For all those destinations and organisations that have their ups and downs, there are also those that seem to be able to see out any storm. On page 122 of this bumper edition, business magnate donald Trump shares his thoughts on the wave of entrepreneurship sweeping the US and explains why Trump the man and Trump the brand will always be in tune.

We also chat to Mike Robinson, who heads up the design team at the world’s oldest car design company, Bertone. The Italian firm has been designing sports cars for private clients and major manufactur-ers including lamborghini and ferrari since 1912, and continues to wow the automobile industry with cutting-edge designs and con-cept cars to this day. The tools may have changed, but the principals remain the same, says Mike, who once designed a sports car based skyscraper for a Dubai-based client. Read more on page 108.

On the subject of cars, we have a line up of the latest supercars to go public and a new section dedicated to the latest releases that should be filling your suitcase next time you travel. There’s plenty more in this bumper edition – we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. Happy travels.

Joe Mortimer [email protected]

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22 Editors Letter.indd 22 25/04/2012 19:29

Iconic architecture with a personalised touch

abudhabi.capitalgate.hyatt.comfacebook.com/hyattcapitalgate

The trademark HYATT and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. ©2010 Hyatt Hotels Corporation. All rights reserved.

Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi, a premium hotel in the iconic Capital Gate leans a record-breaking 18 degrees. Enjoy luxury and comfort you have come to expect.

From impeccable dining and superior guestrooms that offer contemporary designs and panoramic views from floor-to ceilingwindows, to world class leisure facilities at Rayana Spa, Abu Dhabi’s only “sky spa” - a refreshingly elevated oasis!

Strategically located next to ADNEC and within 10-20 minutes drive to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Corniche, Ferrari World, Yas Island and championship golf courses.

For more information or to make a reservation please phone: +971 2 596 1234 or email: [email protected].

Untitled-1 1 4/25/2012 12:07:17 PM

May 2012, Issue 71

Publisher Anna [email protected]

Editor Joe [email protected]

Deputy Editor Caitlin [email protected]

Online Editor Nicci [email protected]

Editor-at-Large Andy Round [email protected]

Contributing Editor Mary Gostelow

Sales Manager Karla Toledo [email protected]

Assistant Sales Manager Andrea [email protected]

Art Director Kris [email protected]

Multimedia Executive Vandita [email protected]

United Kingdom Sales RepresentativeDavid Hammond

[email protected]

Circulation department [email protected]

Cover imageNew York – Alison Wright

International Commercial RepresentationsDestinations of the World News’ network of international

advertising sales and editorial representatives are based in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Egypt,

France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,

Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America. Destinations of the World News is published monthly by WNN Limited and

distributed globally to the world’s premier airport lounges, our subscriber network and a select number of five-star hotels in the UAE. The title Destinations of the World News is a registered trademark and the publisher reserves all rights. All material in Destinations of the World News is compiled from sources believed to be reliable and articles reflect the

personal opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the publisher. Destinations of the World News is not responsible for omissions or errors that result from misrepresentation of information to the publisher. Advertisers assume all liability

for their advertising content. All rights of the owner and the producer of this conceptual development and artwork

design are reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be imitated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without

prior permission of WNN Limited.

Principal Offices WNN Limited, Reuters Building 1, Office 106, Dubai Media City, PO Box 500661, Dubai, UAE

Tel +971 4 3910680 Fax +971 4 3910688 WNN limited, 31 Archbishop Kyprianou Street, 3036, PO Box 51234,

zip 3503, Limassol, Cyprus

To subscribe to Destinations of the World News at an annual rate of $99 visit the website at www.dotwnews.com and hit SUBSCRIBE.

Images used in Destinations of the World News are provided by Gallo Images/Getty Images/Corbis/iStockphoto/

Photolibrary unless stated otherwise.DOTW News is printed by J G Cassoulides & Sons Ltd,

Nicosia, Cyprus and Al Nisr Publishing, Dubai, UAE

Published by

Contributors


Nicci PeridesNicci Perides has worked for several travel titles

in the UK and has often found herself in sticky situations in the name of travel writing, including hiking a live volcano spewing lava in Guatemala, and being chased by elephants in Burkino Faso.

She has now swapped her tent for five-star hotels and prefers to explore the more luxurious side of travel. Nicci recently visited Kenya, the home of

safari, where she visited the mighty Masaai Mara, gazed in awe at Mount Kenya and learned about

the history of safari in Nairobi (page 74).

Caitlin CheadleDeputy editor Caitlin Cheadle left her native

Canada four years ago after catching the travel bug while backpacking through Europe. Since relocating to Dubai she’s found herself explor-

ing hotter climates, most recently the Maldives, where she learned a thing or two about sustain-

able development. Read her experience of an eco-conscious luxury holiday on page 82. Caitlin

also spent a night in Al Maha Desert Resort’s Presidential Suite (page 100), and toured Dubai’s

art scene in 24 Hours (page 90).

Joe Mortimer On his first visit to New York in 1996, Joe was

handcuffed by the NYPD, turned down for a role in a feature film and presumed dead somewhere

around Time Square. He was 14 years old. His latest visit was less dramatic, but the trip revealed

that despite the major changes that have taken place in the city over the last decade, New York remains a hotbed of collaborative energy, where

artists, designers, architects and hoteliers are creating some of the most exciting new hotels in

the world. Read his story on page 52.

Robert La BuaOne day too many years ago, a penchant for island

travel was introduced to an appreciation for opu-lence. They fell in love, married, and produced a child named Robert. Little Robert was a curious boy who

developed an unnatural fascination for maps and postage stamps. Today, Robert La Bua is a travel

writer who crosses parallels and meridians to visit islands from Nippon to Sverige in the company of

a sharp eye for excellence and another for insouci-ance. Read his take on Saint-Barthelémy, one of the

world’s most exclusive islands, on page 64.

24 Contributors.indd 24 25/04/2012 22:05

BAGLIONI HOTEL LONDONLondon - 60 Hyde Park Gate SW7 5BB - UKTel: +44 207 3685700 - [email protected] www.baglionihotels.com

the collection: italy - france - uk

The Spirit of Italy in the heart of LondonGlamorous and decorated in a contemporary chic style, the Baglioni Hotel overlooking Hyde Park brings a new style of hospitality

to London. Enjoy Mediterranean cuisine served in the buzzing atmosphere of the Brunello Lounge & Restaurant and experience luxurywith an Italian touch. A team devoted to providing impeccable service makes every moment of your stay unforgettable.

May 2012, Issue 71

Publisher Anna [email protected]

Editor Joe [email protected]

Deputy Editor Caitlin [email protected]

Online Editor Nicci [email protected]

Editor-at-Large Andy Round [email protected]

Contributing Editor Mary Gostelow

Sales Manager Karla Toledo [email protected]

Assistant Sales Manager Andrea [email protected]

Art Director Kris [email protected]

Multimedia Executive Vandita [email protected]

United Kingdom Sales RepresentativeDavid Hammond

[email protected]

Circulation department [email protected]

Cover imageNew York – Alison Wright

International Commercial RepresentationsDestinations of the World News’ network of international

advertising sales and editorial representatives are based in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Egypt,

France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,

Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America. Destinations of the World News is published monthly by WNN Limited and

distributed globally to the world’s premier airport lounges, our subscriber network and a select number of five-star hotels in the UAE. The title Destinations of the World News is a registered trademark and the publisher reserves all rights. All material in Destinations of the World News is compiled from sources believed to be reliable and articles reflect the

personal opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the publisher. Destinations of the World News is not responsible for omissions or errors that result from misrepresentation of information to the publisher. Advertisers assume all liability

for their advertising content. All rights of the owner and the producer of this conceptual development and artwork

design are reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be imitated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without

prior permission of WNN Limited.

Principal Offices WNN Limited, Reuters Building 1, Office 106, Dubai Media City, PO Box 500661, Dubai, UAE

Tel +971 4 3910680 Fax +971 4 3910688 WNN limited, 31 Archbishop Kyprianou Street, 3036, PO Box 51234,

zip 3503, Limassol, Cyprus

To subscribe to Destinations of the World News at an annual rate of $99 visit the website at www.dotwnews.com and hit SUBSCRIBE.

Images used in Destinations of the World News are provided by Gallo Images/Getty Images/Corbis/iStockphoto/

Photolibrary unless stated otherwise.DOTW News is printed by J G Cassoulides & Sons Ltd,

Nicosia, Cyprus and Al Nisr Publishing, Dubai, UAE

Published by

Contributors


Nicci PeridesNicci Perides has worked for several travel titles

in the UK and has often found herself in sticky situations in the name of travel writing, including hiking a live volcano spewing lava in Guatemala, and being chased by elephants in Burkino Faso.

She has now swapped her tent for five-star hotels and prefers to explore the more luxurious side of travel. Nicci recently visited Kenya, the home of

safari, where she visited the mighty Masaai Mara, gazed in awe at Mount Kenya and learned about

the history of safari in Nairobi (page 74).

Caitlin CheadleDeputy editor Caitlin Cheadle left her native

Canada four years ago after catching the travel bug while backpacking through Europe. Since relocating to Dubai she’s found herself explor-

ing hotter climates, most recently the Maldives, where she learned a thing or two about sustain-

able development. Read her experience of an eco-conscious luxury holiday on page 82. Caitlin

also spent a night in Al Maha Desert Resort’s Presidential Suite (page 100), and toured Dubai’s

art scene in 24 Hours (page 90).

Joe Mortimer On his first visit to New York in 1996, Joe was

handcuffed by the NYPD, turned down for a role in a feature film and presumed dead somewhere

around Time Square. He was 14 years old. His latest visit was less dramatic, but the trip revealed

that despite the major changes that have taken place in the city over the last decade, New York remains a hotbed of collaborative energy, where

artists, designers, architects and hoteliers are creating some of the most exciting new hotels in

the world. Read his story on page 52.

Robert La BuaOne day too many years ago, a penchant for island

travel was introduced to an appreciation for opu-lence. They fell in love, married, and produced a child named Robert. Little Robert was a curious boy who

developed an unnatural fascination for maps and postage stamps. Today, Robert La Bua is a travel

writer who crosses parallels and meridians to visit islands from Nippon to Sverige in the company of

a sharp eye for excellence and another for insouci-ance. Read his take on Saint-Barthelémy, one of the

world’s most exclusive islands, on page 64.


ECNARGARF WEN EHTNINEWEST.COM/LOVEFURY

AVAILABLE AT MACY’S & MACYS.COM.

Nine West 470X335.pdf 1 4/12/2012 1:11:12 PM

28 December 2010 dotwnews.com

Sectiony title

Every carmaker likes to save the best for last, and Jaguar is no exception. After the successful launch of the company’s XJ range

in 2009, Jaguar has released a series of upgraded models with superior performance and even more luxurious fittings, but this is the icing on the cake.

The Jaguar XJ Ultimate was unveiled at the Beijing International Automotive Exhi-bition last month, in a market in which the company’s sales increased by 156 percent in the first quarter of 2012.

Among other innovations, the Ultimate boasts a new premium interior that focuses on heightening the rear passenger experience, with features includ-ing individually controlled rear seats with in-built massage function, integrated iPad functionality, an aluminium business table with its own power supply, Meridian Surround audio system and a champagne chiller.

Subtle changes to the exte-rior create an even more refined finish, but we’d rather be sat in the back playing with our iPads and waiting for the bubbles to cool.

retrospective

28-31 Retrospectivecc.indd 28 25/04/2012 19:27


title Sectiony



28 December 2010 dotwnews.com

Sectiony title

Every carmaker likes to save the best for last, and Jaguar is no exception. After the successful launch of the company’s XJ range

in 2009, Jaguar has released a series of upgraded models with superior performance and even more luxurious fittings, but this is the icing on the cake.

The Jaguar XJ Ultimate was unveiled at the Beijing International Automotive Exhi-bition last month, in a market in which the company’s sales increased by 156 percent in the first quarter of 2012.

Among other innovations, the Ultimate boasts a new premium interior that focuses on heightening the rear passenger experience, with features includ-ing individually controlled rear seats with in-built massage function, integrated iPad functionality, an aluminium business table with its own power supply, Meridian Surround audio system and a champagne chiller.

Subtle changes to the exte-rior create an even more refined finish, but we’d rather be sat in the back playing with our iPads and waiting for the bubbles to cool.

retrospective


retrospective


Fashion photographer Nick Knight teamed up with fashion designer Victoria Beckham to capture the essence of the new Range Rover

Evoque Special Edition, which she helped design. The bespoke version of the sports utility vehicle retains the fundamental design of the car, while introducing luxe extras such as rose gold embellishments. Said Victoria, “It’s the small detail that makes all the difference. I want everyone who gets into this car to feel special and empowered by its quality and craftsmanship. I like that it feels luxurious but also has quite a classic edge to it as well as a contemporary feel.”


retrospective


go beyond the headlines and take a closer look at what’s happening in Greece, and a very different story emerges. While economists worry about the Eurozone crisis and Greek bailout schemes, hoteliers are seizing the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot and raise flags all over the country.

In a few months, the long-awaited Amanzoe is set to open on a hilltop overlooking the stunning Pelopon-nese coast and the island of Spetses – the third Mediterranean desti-nation from Aman Resorts. The 38-suite resort and resident Aman Spa, designed by architect Ed Tut-tle, is taking bookings from August 1, and a number of exclusive Aman villas are expected to follow in the not too distant future.

A short drive down the road is the major luxury residential and commercial development Porto Heli, which will add a new string to Greece’s high-end marina and life-style scene. As well as acres of luxury residential villas, the development by Dolphin Capital Investors will fea-ture a Chedi hotel from Asia’s GHM, and 65-room The Nikki at Porto Heli, from Miami’s Nikki Beach, which is due to open in 2013.

It’s not only the Peloponnese that’s preparing for a new injection of creativity. Following the success of Berlin-based Design Hotels’ first pop-up hotel in Tulum, Mexico last year, the company has recently announced plans to open a second one on the Greek island of Mykonos.

San Giorgio, A Design Hotels Pro-ject (pictured above), will feature 34 rustic, minimalist-style rooms with a nod to ‘60s bohemian life.

Think wicker floor mats and stools, wall-leaning mirrors framed in reclaimed wood and blankets and throws made from local materials.

Created in collaboration with the neighbouring Paradise Club and its owners Thomas Heyne and Mario Hertel, San Giorgio will provide a locale for DJs Moby and David Guetta (regulars on the island) who will host impromptu sets and exclusive “White Parties” at the pop-up resort.

05.12 News

Greece: the other side of the headlines

Phot

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Amanzoe

32-33 Euro NewsJSM.indd 32 25/04/2012 19:23


Suite living in London A year after Corinthia London opened its doors to an eager public, the hotel has opened its seven signature two-storey penthouse suites. The suites each feature a unique themed design, capturing the spirit of “personalities typically found living in an affluent London street”. We like The Musician’s Penthouse (pictured) which features a Steinway Model O piano, state-of-the-art record deck and a credenza cocktail cabinet, as well as one of the most picturesque rooftop terraces in the city of London.

Nike is always forward-looking. Whereas the typical running shoe weighs 10.2 ounces, in July Nike releases its innovative Flyknit, which weighs only 5.6 ounces. Its entire top is woven in one piece from synthetic polyester yarn to form a sock-line upper that is then attached to a sole. Labour costs and wastage are consider-ably reduced, which is good news. www.nike.com Where do you find hundreds of blueberry-coloured London taxis? Believe it or not, Baku. The Azerbaijan government, led by go-ahead President Ilham Aliyev and his characterful wife Mehriban, have ordered 3,000 specially-coloured London taxis from maker Manganese Bronze Holdings, based in Coventry, UK. Many are already there, in time for the Eurovision Song Contest – the 2012 finals will be held in a specially built 22,000-seat auditorium on May 22.www.eurovision.tv For the best sound in the world, look out for Shape Audio’s Organic Harmony music system, with built-in Class D 1000w amplifiers and omnidirectional stereo loudspeakers. The instrument, which offers analog and digital I/O, looks like a metallic sculpture; a simplified flame shape measuring over four feet tall and nearly a foot wide. www.shapeaudio.com Organic Harmony is among the treas-ures in Paris’ newly opened Le Royal Eclaireur boutique, on avenue Hoche, along with irresistible frocks from Céline, Versace and Matthew Williamson and a kaleidoscopic range of bandanas and matching sunglasses. Owners Armand and Martine Hadida have also brought in a futuristic Ciclotte exercise bike and a sleek Z-chair by Zaha Hadid. Armand Hadida is Mr Paris Couture – the brains behind many of the leading designer shows, and their son Michaël Hadida created and runs Tranoï, which introduces businesses to fashion four times a year during Paris fashion weeks.www.leclaireur.com

MaRy GOstELOw

The latest in luxury travel

MaRy says...

IN 2012, it seems the most savvy organisations are con-stantly on the lookout for collaborations with like-minded companies.

It’s no surprise then that Bentley has just partnered with Starwood’s St. Regis and The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts to furnish its flagship hotels in Flor-ence, Rome, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and its flagship in New York, with Bentley Continental Flying Spurs.

The company will also create signature experi-

ences for guests, and dedi-cated driving itineraries for members of the companies’ loyalty programmes includ-ing St. Regis Aficionado, Journeys by The Luxury Col-lection and SPG Moments.

Last year, St. Regis hosted a bespoke Italian driving tour for Bentley model owners and guests of The St. Regis Rome, as well as the newly opened St. Regis Florence.

“At Bentley, we are com-mitted to maintaining our position as the definitive British luxury car company,”

said Joe Ashworth, head of customer relations at Bent-ley Motors.

“It is therefore important that we partner with a pin-nacle brand that underpins our own values of crafts-manship, style and sophis-tication.”

The two companies have a history of collaboration; in February, Bentley unveiled its newest Continental GT and GTC V8 models at the award-winning Marques de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Ilciego, Spain.

Match made in heaven

Europe News


go beyond the headlines and take a closer look at what’s happening in Greece, and a very different story emerges. While economists worry about the Eurozone crisis and Greek bailout schemes, hoteliers are seizing the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot and raise flags all over the country.

In a few months, the long-awaited Amanzoe is set to open on a hilltop overlooking the stunning Pelopon-nese coast and the island of Spetses – the third Mediterranean desti-nation from Aman Resorts. The 38-suite resort and resident Aman Spa, designed by architect Ed Tut-tle, is taking bookings from August 1, and a number of exclusive Aman villas are expected to follow in the not too distant future.

A short drive down the road is the major luxury residential and commercial development Porto Heli, which will add a new string to Greece’s high-end marina and life-style scene. As well as acres of luxury residential villas, the development by Dolphin Capital Investors will fea-ture a Chedi hotel from Asia’s GHM, and 65-room The Nikki at Porto Heli, from Miami’s Nikki Beach, which is due to open in 2013.

It’s not only the Peloponnese that’s preparing for a new injection of creativity. Following the success of Berlin-based Design Hotels’ first pop-up hotel in Tulum, Mexico last year, the company has recently announced plans to open a second one on the Greek island of Mykonos.

San Giorgio, A Design Hotels Pro-ject (pictured above), will feature 34 rustic, minimalist-style rooms with a nod to ‘60s bohemian life.

Think wicker floor mats and stools, wall-leaning mirrors framed in reclaimed wood and blankets and throws made from local materials.

Created in collaboration with the neighbouring Paradise Club and its owners Thomas Heyne and Mario Hertel, San Giorgio will provide a locale for DJs Moby and David Guetta (regulars on the island) who will host impromptu sets and exclusive “White Parties” at the pop-up resort.

05.12 News

Greece: the other side of the headlines

Phot

o: S

an G

iorg

io, A

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ign

Hote

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Amanzoe


t h e m o n t h i n n u m b e r s

US $989 millionRevenue declared by UAE-based Etihad Airways in the first quarter of 2012, representing a 28 percent increase on 2011 figures. The airline car-ried some 2.4 million passengers in the three-month period.

300,000Number of followers who signed up to Emirates’ Face-book page in the three weeks after it was launched. Promotional video clips highlighting the airline’s new advertising campaign ‘Hello Tomorrow’ attracted more than 3,330 likes and 1,300 comments in one week.

12Number of tents at Mahali Mzuri, Richard Branson’s new luxury safari camp in Kenya, which is set to open in 2013. Meaning “beautiful place” in Swahili, the camp is situated 240km west of Nairobi. Rates will start from US$580 per person per night.


Qatar’S reputation as a cultural and lifestyle hub in the Middle East continues to grow, as more busi-nesses flock to the Emirate.

Doha’s blossoming arts and culture scene was given a massive boost with the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art in 2008, and a steady stream of galleries, hotels and other cultural attractions have followed ever since.

The opening this month of the Anima Gallery and Lounge on The Pearl-Qatar – the emirate’s luxury lifestyle development – brings an additional 570 sq m of gallery space to the waterfront, showing a collec-tion of contemporary art from local and international artists.

The adjoining Anima Lounge, set to open later this year, will provide a creative meeting space for visitors and art enthusiasts to come and

meet with like-minded individuals, as well artists and collectors, or sim-ply enjoy the creative environment.

The Pearl has become Qatar’s pri-mary lifestyle destination, with high-end boutiques and fine dining restau-rants lining the boardwalk, despite a government curb on the sale of alcohol on the man-made island.

The city’s top-end dining scene has also had a boost with the opening of several new five-star hotels, includ-ing the St. Regis Doha and InterCon-tinental Doha The City, which both promise spectacular dining options as well as a glamorous place to stay.

As of this month, InterContinen-tal Doha The City is home to Doha’s highest dining experience, the exclu-sive two-level restaurant and lounge Strata. The stylish venue occupies the 55th and 56th floors of the hotel and serves a selection of chilled sea-food in designer surroundings, with stunning views of the city.

St. Regis Doha opened last month to huge fanfare. Shortly after welcoming its first guest, Leonardo Ferragamo, CEO of Salvatore Ferragamo Group, it announced plans to open two Gordon Ramsay restaurants led by chef Gilles Bosquet (pictured) in May.

Art, culture and cuisine in Qatar

“The Pearl has become Qatar’s primary lifestyle destination, with high-end boutiques and fine

dining restaurants lining the boardwalk”

News Middle East & Africa

Strata at InterContinental Doha

ramsay’s seafood ravioli

34-36 ME & Africa News.indd 34 25/04/2012 19:22

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M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

DOTW club & suites 235x335.pdf 1 23/04/2012 2:44:26 PM

Bahrain Grand Prix leaves sour taste

Eve – by Marwa Al Mukheni One of hundreds of photographs on display at the the Brides of Photography exhibition at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa in Oman, created in association with the Bait Al Zubair Foundation to celebrate the sultanate’s creative women. Works by more than 80 female Omani photographers from the Omani Society for Fine Arts Photography Club are on display. The exhibition will run until the end of July.

The spotlight fell on Bahrain for all the wrong reasons during last month’s Grand Prix, which was mired by accusations of human rights abuses and heavy-handed tactics levelled against the government.

Opposition groups and human rights organisations called for the multi-million dollar sporting event to be called off in the wake of ongoing anti-government protests. The Bahraini government maintained that the situation was under control and the kingdom was operating business as usual.



Art attackIf sales at the Middle East branch of international auc-tion house Christie’s are anything to go by, the region has overcome its post-recession fear of spending and is making up for lost time. Christie’s April sale of modern and contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish art generated more than US$6.4 million. Managing director Michael Jeha said results were an encourag-ing sign of “the long term strength within this mar-ket”. The sale also raised $46,000 through the sale of seven lots for the World Food Programme.

Your jet, sir T h e re c e nt ly o p e n e d Palais Namaskar resort in Marrakech has unveiled a private jet service for its guests, allowing them to fly in style from Casa-blanca to Marrakech in just 30 minutes. Guests can also use the 14-seater Falcon 900 LX, fitted out with luxury interiors that reflect the style of the resort, to fly to any of the Oetker Collection’s other properties in Europe, or to other long haul destina-tions including New York, Moscow and Dubai.

No swimmingBathers in South Africa have been warned to be extra vigilant after a documentary TV crew dumped f ive tonnes o f “ c h u m ” i n t o t h e water off the coast of Cape Town to attract more sharks for their “research”. Cage div-ing operators in Cape Tow n we r e r e ce n t l y restricted to dumping just 25kg of chum per day after an increase in the number of shark attacks in the area.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone came under fire for going ahead with the race, which many said would undermine efforts to bring about political reform.

The event went ahead as scheduled, but it was surrounded by a tight cordon of security, and some of the major highways in Manama were patrolled by police.

No one was injured during the event, but the Force India team missed a practice session after a petrol bomb exploded near a car that team members were travelling in.

The Bahraini government pays some US$40 million for the rights to host the international event, which generates huge tourism and sponsorship revenues.

“The Bahraini government pays some US$40 million for the rights to host the event”


waldorfastoria.com

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Bahrain Grand Prix leaves sour taste

Eve – by Marwa Al Mukheni One of hundreds of photographs on display at the the Brides of Photography exhibition at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa in Oman, created in association with the Bait Al Zubair Foundation to celebrate the sultanate’s creative women. Works by more than 80 female Omani photographers from the Omani Society for Fine Arts Photography Club are on display. The exhibition will run until the end of July.

The spotlight fell on Bahrain for all the wrong reasons during last month’s Grand Prix, which was mired by accusations of human rights abuses and heavy-handed tactics levelled against the government.

Opposition groups and human rights organisations called for the multi-million dollar sporting event to be called off in the wake of ongoing anti-government protests. The Bahraini government maintained that the situation was under control and the kingdom was operating business as usual.



Art attackIf sales at the Middle East branch of international auc-tion house Christie’s are anything to go by, the region has overcome its post-recession fear of spending and is making up for lost time. Christie’s April sale of modern and contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish art generated more than US$6.4 million. Managing director Michael Jeha said results were an encourag-ing sign of “the long term strength within this mar-ket”. The sale also raised $46,000 through the sale of seven lots for the World Food Programme.

Your jet, sir T h e re c e nt ly o p e n e d Palais Namaskar resort in Marrakech has unveiled a private jet service for its guests, allowing them to fly in style from Casa-blanca to Marrakech in just 30 minutes. Guests can also use the 14-seater Falcon 900 LX, fitted out with luxury interiors that reflect the style of the resort, to fly to any of the Oetker Collection’s other properties in Europe, or to other long haul destina-tions including New York, Moscow and Dubai.

No swimmingBathers in South Africa have been warned to be extra vigilant after a documentary TV crew dumped f ive tonnes o f “ c h u m ” i n t o t h e water off the coast of Cape Town to attract more sharks for their “research”. Cage div-ing operators in Cape Tow n we r e r e ce n t l y restricted to dumping just 25kg of chum per day after an increase in the number of shark attacks in the area.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone came under fire for going ahead with the race, which many said would undermine efforts to bring about political reform.

The event went ahead as scheduled, but it was surrounded by a tight cordon of security, and some of the major highways in Manama were patrolled by police.

No one was injured during the event, but the Force India team missed a practice session after a petrol bomb exploded near a car that team members were travelling in.

The Bahraini government pays some US$40 million for the rights to host the international event, which generates huge tourism and sponsorship revenues.

“The Bahraini government pays some US$40 million for the rights to host the event”


38 March 2012 dotwnews.com

News Asia & Oceania

US firm snaps up Six Senses Resorts & SpasSix Senses Resorts & Spas has been bought by US-based private equity firm Pegasus Capital Advisors LP for an undisclosed sum.

The company has entered an agree-ment to take over the management contracts and related intellectual property rights at all Six Senses and Evason-branded resorts and operate them under a new, as yet undisclosed flag, managed by Pegasus.

Six Senses president Bernard Bohnenburger will continue to lead the company from the company’s Bangkok headquarters.

The Soneva brand – including Soneva Fushi, the company’s first ever resort in the Maldives – and its real estate holdings will remain under the control of Six Senses CEO and founder Sonu Shivdasani, who will take on the role of chairman and CEO of The Soneva Group.

“This transaction will allow me to focus solely on the development of the Soneva portfolio of resorts and real estate assets, and allow the Soneva and Six Senses brands to flourish independently of each other,” said Shivdasani.

“For myself and Eva, my wife, this means we can devote all our ener-gies to our first love – the develop-ment of the Sonevas. Soneva will continue to operate its philan-thropic arm, The Slow Life Trust, and remain dedicated to achieving environmental goals and a corporate commitment to sustainability.”

The Soneva brand also includes Soneva Gili in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand, and two further resorts are currently under development in Greece and Sri Lanka.

Six Senses manages 10 resorts and 28 spas in 20 countries around the world, with another 15 under construction or development, including China and Vietnam.

t h e m o n t h i n n u m b e r s

63,500The number of ultra high-net worth Individuals (UHN-WIs) in China with assets of more than 100 million Chinese yuan (US$15.8 million). Travel is the biggest area of consumption for HNWIs (of which there are 2.7 million), accounting for 19 percent of their annual spend.

39The number of Relais & Chateaux properties featured in its new ‘Our Innkeepers’ Guide to Discovering Asia, with designated ‘innkeepers’ from each property in 32 different locations revealing secrets and tips on where to go, what to do and how to enjoy your stay in Asia.

10The number of luxury treatment suites (plus two larger couples’ suites) in the brand-new Iridium Spa at the St Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort. Special features include an aromatherapy inhalation chamber, mineral salt chamber and crystal and ice grotto.


Six Senses Yao NoiOne of the company’s 10

luxury resorts around the world

38-40 Asia News.indd 38 25/04/2012 19:20

Sectiony title


Style and substance Victoria Beckham and Range Rover design director Gerry McGovern unveil the Range Rover Evoque Special Edition at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2012. Victoria, winner of the coveted Designer Brand of the Year award at the 2011 British Fashion Awards, was appointed the creative design executive for Land Rover in July 2010, and has spent the last 18 months with the creative team to design her special edition version of the best-selling model.

Malaysia Airlines has introduced a no-child zone on its brand-new A380-800 aircraft, which will take to the skies beginning July 1, flying direct from Kuala Lumpur to London. The aircraft’s upper deck, with 70 economy and 66 business class seats, will be restricted to adults only. Families travelling with children 12 years old and under will be asked to sit in the 350-seat economy class zone on the main deck, the designated child-friendly seating area.

“Nevertheless, where there is overwhelming demand for seats in economy class from families with children and infants, resulting in full load in the main deck, we will still accommodate such demand in the 70-seat upper deck econ-omy class zone of our A380,” said Dato’ Mohd Salleh, EVP of customer experience.

In June 2011 Malaysia Airlines also reconfig-ured its first class cabins on its Boeing 747s to remove bassinets. Bassinets are still available in the aircraft’s business and economy class sections.

According to Malaysia Airlines CEO Tengku Azmil, the child-free policy is down to first-class customers complaining about noise from chil-dren seated near them on flights.

In a recent poll conducted by jetcost.co.uk, more than half of Britons said they would sup-port adults-only flights, with nearly two thirds of respondents reporting ‘loud children’ as their biggest in-flight annoyance.

Malaysia Airlines: kids a no-go

News Asia & Oceania

A night at the museumThe Westin Xian, which has just opened in the Shaanxi province of China, will be the first Westin hotel in the world and the first hotel in Xian to have its own museum. The five-star hotel is located on a 60-acre plot of land and along with the museum, which houses a collection of over 2,000 artefacts, it also contains a shopping centre, cafes and restaurants.

Limo connectionHyatt Regency Hua Hin has introduced free WiFi connectivity in its Mercedes Benz limousines, which are used to transfer guests for the three-hour journey from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to the hotel.

Sea to skyAsian yacht specialist Simp-son Marine has expanded its presence in China, with new offices in emerging Chi-nese luxury yacht markets Shenzhen and Sanya. The company has also added Simpson Aviation to its portfolio, a private aircraft brokerage service which will offer a range of private business jets and helicopters for clients to use to transport them to their vessels.

Come dine with FSIf you’re a foodie, you’ll want to book yourself into Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok for their World Gourmet Festival, taking place September 3-9, 2012. The week-long fes-tival will showcase the culinary talents of mas-ter chefs from America, France, Italy and Hong Kong, with an itinerary including wine-tastings, interactive cooking dem-onstrations and seminars.

38-40 Asia News.indd 40 25/04/2012 19:20

News Americas


“The spacecraft will drop from its mothership and turn on its rocket engine, propelling the craft to 100 km above earth, where the arc of planet earth and outer space will be visible”

ASHTON Kutcher was reported by Virgin Galactic last month to be the 500th customer to sign up for a suborbital trip into outer space. The star of US sitcom Two and a Half Men paid the US$200,000 ticket price to join Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two rocket, also known as the VSS Enterprise, which is currently undergoing free-glide flight tests.

Kutcher is not the first celeb-rity to show interest in a trip to outer space. Celebrity power couples Beyonce and Jay-Z and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are considering flights into space, as are Tom Hanks and Katy Perry.

Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Galactic, insists all celebri-ties who choose to fly will be pay-

ing their own way, save for one famous name, Stephen Hawking, who received a personal invita-tion from the Virgin founder.

Sir Richard remains hopeful that the first flights into space

will begin by 2013, launching from Spaceport America in New Mexico. SpaceShip Two, which will carry six passengers plus two pilots, will be connected to its wide-winged WhiteKnight-

Two carrier airplane and flown up to an altitude of 50,000 feet. It will then drop from its mother-ship and turn on its hybrid rocket engine, propelling the craft to 100 km above earth, where the

arc of planet earth and the dark sky of outer space will be visible. A few minutes of weightlessness will follow, before passengers return to their seats for the trip back to earth.

CELEBS IN SPACETo reserve and protectThe Wildlife Conservation Society has recently come to an agreement with local authorities in Guatemala to protect 80,000 acres of the Maya Biosphere Reserve from deforestation, hunting and illegal settlements. The Maya Biosphere Reserve is made up of five national parks and is home to jaguar, puma, scarlet macaw and howler monkeys, and is a centre of archaeo-logical tourism, with 200 ancient Mayan sites located throughout the reserve.

Upmarket, down-riverEver since 2008, when flooding and an oil spill caused two river boat cruise lines to go bust, the Mississippi has seen few cruise liners gracing its waters. But American Cruise Lines’ new vessel, Queen of Mississippi, is set to transport passengers back to the golden age of steamboat river cruising. Travelling from Memphis Tennessee, the Victorian-style riverboat will carry 150 passengers along the largest river in America in luxury, with balconies, WiFi in every stateroom, and satellite TV.

Guilt tripsIn a survey conducted by

Best Western and Wake-

field Research, 62 percent

of business travellers admit-

ted to feeling guilty about

travelling for business, with

two-thirds citing their guilt

stemmed from being away

from loved ones. A further

35 percent feel guilty about

eating unhealthily and not

exercising while travelling.

Nearly half said they allevi-

ate their guilt by using loy-

alty points collected during

business travel to later use

for family holidays.

42-44 America News.indd 42 25/04/2012 19:18

now open

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overlooking the Dnipro River is its most luxurious address—Fairmont Grand Hotel

Kyiv. Conveniently located in the heart of the historic Podil district, this prestigious

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from the shops, restaurants and bars of Khreschatyk, the capital’s main street, Fairmont’s

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For reservations or more information, please call 1 888 270 6602, contact your travel

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9228_FHR KYV Ads 4-19-12 DOW_FA2.indd 1 23/04/12 12:31 PM

News Americas


“The spacecraft will drop from its mothership and turn on its rocket engine, propelling the craft to 100 km above earth, where the arc of planet earth and outer space will be visible”

ASHTON Kutcher was reported by Virgin Galactic last month to be the 500th customer to sign up for a suborbital trip into outer space. The star of US sitcom Two and a Half Men paid the US$200,000 ticket price to join Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two rocket, also known as the VSS Enterprise, which is currently undergoing free-glide flight tests.

Kutcher is not the first celeb-rity to show interest in a trip to outer space. Celebrity power couples Beyonce and Jay-Z and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are considering flights into space, as are Tom Hanks and Katy Perry.

Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Galactic, insists all celebri-ties who choose to fly will be pay-

ing their own way, save for one famous name, Stephen Hawking, who received a personal invita-tion from the Virgin founder.

Sir Richard remains hopeful that the first flights into space

will begin by 2013, launching from Spaceport America in New Mexico. SpaceShip Two, which will carry six passengers plus two pilots, will be connected to its wide-winged WhiteKnight-

Two carrier airplane and flown up to an altitude of 50,000 feet. It will then drop from its mother-ship and turn on its hybrid rocket engine, propelling the craft to 100 km above earth, where the

arc of planet earth and the dark sky of outer space will be visible. A few minutes of weightlessness will follow, before passengers return to their seats for the trip back to earth.

CELEBS IN SPACETo reserve and protectThe Wildlife Conservation Society has recently come to an agreement with local authorities in Guatemala to protect 80,000 acres of the Maya Biosphere Reserve from deforestation, hunting and illegal settlements. The Maya Biosphere Reserve is made up of five national parks and is home to jaguar, puma, scarlet macaw and howler monkeys, and is a centre of archaeo-logical tourism, with 200 ancient Mayan sites located throughout the reserve.

Upmarket, down-riverEver since 2008, when flooding and an oil spill caused two river boat cruise lines to go bust, the Mississippi has seen few cruise liners gracing its waters. But American Cruise Lines’ new vessel, Queen of Mississippi, is set to transport passengers back to the golden age of steamboat river cruising. Travelling from Memphis Tennessee, the Victorian-style riverboat will carry 150 passengers along the largest river in America in luxury, with balconies, WiFi in every stateroom, and satellite TV.

Guilt tripsIn a survey conducted by

Best Western and Wake-

field Research, 62 percent

of business travellers admit-

ted to feeling guilty about

travelling for business, with

two-thirds citing their guilt

stemmed from being away

from loved ones. A further

35 percent feel guilty about

eating unhealthily and not

exercising while travelling.

Nearly half said they allevi-

ate their guilt by using loy-

alty points collected during

business travel to later use

for family holidays.


News Americas


The final frontier Crowds gathered across Washington, DC on April 17 to witness the final journey of Discovery, NASA’s busiest space shuttle for 27 years. The shuttle, looking rather battered after having made 39 trips to space and back, flew over Capitol Hill, the White House and the Potomac River on the back of a Boeing 747, drawing spectators along the way before it landed at Dulles International Airport. It was then transported to its final resting place, the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

LAST month New York auction house Bonham’s Manhattan held a special event to commemorate the centennial of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, selling o� various remnants of the ill-fated voyage. Items sold included an original ticket stub from the 1912 launch voyage, which fetched US$56,250. Also sold was an original dinner menu, featuring grilled mutton chops and beef steak and kidney pie, which sold for $31,250. Both went to private American buyers, according to the auction house.

A telegraph that read, “We have struck an iceberg”, which was sent to Titanic’s sister ship, Olympic, about three hours before the vessel sank, was sold for $27,500. Many of the buyers are private collectors with a personal interest in the his-tory of the fatal voyage. One lot containing three rivets and a piece of porthole glass, recovered from

the wreckage near New Found-land in 1987, sold for $12,500.

If you missed your chance to own a piece of the Titanic, you may be in luck. Another auction containing 5,000 artefacts recov-

ered from the vessel, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars and originally scheduled to take place last month, has been postponed.

Items up for auction include passengers’ personal possessions, formal dining china and parts of the ship’s fittings.

Treasures of the Titanic auctioned o�

Under the hammerA collection of rare items from the RMS Titanic was sold

“Items sold included an

original ticket stub from the 1912 launch

voyage”

Despite inter-national sanc-tions against the Iranian people which also endanger their lives, yesterday we helped an American citizen in our countryAbbas Moseyebi of Iran’s Civil Avia-tion Organisation comments on an incident in which an American pas-senger on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Seattle had to be treated at a hospital in Tehran, after su ering a heart attack while the aircraft was in Iranian airspace.

We... look forward to assessing and sharing how the project continues to expand and benefit the sur-rounding areaMark Lauer, general manager of Hilton New York, comments on the completion of the hotel’s green roof, a vegetated rooftop whose roots and foliage absorb airborne pollutants, preventing large quantities of car-bon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, and decreasing the amount of energy used in cooling the property.

No one was arrested, no one was hurt and no report was filedRaquel Lopez, spokesperson for the Denver Police Department, reports the outcome of an incident at Den-ver International Airport in which a woman who was asked to put out her cigarette responded by removing all of her clothing.


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News Americas


The final frontier Crowds gathered across Washington, DC on April 17 to witness the final journey of Discovery, NASA’s busiest space shuttle for 27 years. The shuttle, looking rather battered after having made 39 trips to space and back, flew over Capitol Hill, the White House and the Potomac River on the back of a Boeing 747, drawing spectators along the way before it landed at Dulles International Airport. It was then transported to its final resting place, the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

LAST month New York auction house Bonham’s Manhattan held a special event to commemorate the centennial of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, selling o� various remnants of the ill-fated voyage. Items sold included an original ticket stub from the 1912 launch voyage, which fetched US$56,250. Also sold was an original dinner menu, featuring grilled mutton chops and beef steak and kidney pie, which sold for $31,250. Both went to private American buyers, according to the auction house.

A telegraph that read, “We have struck an iceberg”, which was sent to Titanic’s sister ship, Olympic, about three hours before the vessel sank, was sold for $27,500. Many of the buyers are private collectors with a personal interest in the his-tory of the fatal voyage. One lot containing three rivets and a piece of porthole glass, recovered from

the wreckage near New Found-land in 1987, sold for $12,500.

If you missed your chance to own a piece of the Titanic, you may be in luck. Another auction containing 5,000 artefacts recov-

ered from the vessel, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars and originally scheduled to take place last month, has been postponed.

Items up for auction include passengers’ personal possessions, formal dining china and parts of the ship’s fittings.

Treasures of the Titanic auctioned o�

Under the hammerA collection of rare items from the RMS Titanic was sold

“Items sold included an

original ticket stub from the 1912 launch

voyage”

Despite inter-national sanc-tions against the Iranian people which also endanger their lives, yesterday we helped an American citizen in our countryAbbas Moseyebi of Iran’s Civil Avia-tion Organisation comments on an incident in which an American pas-senger on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Seattle had to be treated at a hospital in Tehran, after su ering a heart attack while the aircraft was in Iranian airspace.

We... look forward to assessing and sharing how the project continues to expand and benefit the sur-rounding areaMark Lauer, general manager of Hilton New York, comments on the completion of the hotel’s green roof, a vegetated rooftop whose roots and foliage absorb airborne pollutants, preventing large quantities of car-bon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, and decreasing the amount of energy used in cooling the property.

No one was arrested, no one was hurt and no report was filedRaquel Lopez, spokesperson for the Denver Police Department, reports the outcome of an incident at Den-ver International Airport in which a woman who was asked to put out her cigarette responded by removing all of her clothing.


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46-47 Debut.indd 46 25/04/2012 19:16

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46-47 Debut.indd 47 25/04/2012 19:16

Hot

hot

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© D

estin

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s of t

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wid

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46-47 Debut.indd 46 25/04/2012 19:16


Al Jazeera senior news anchor David Foster has been to the four corners of the earth, from saving whales in the Arctic to flying kites in AfghanistanInterview: Caitlin Cheadle

David Foster is well accustomed to life in the desert, having lived in Doha, Qatar since 2005, when he was plucked from Sky News

in the UK by Al Jazeera English to head up its news team. His previous visits to the Middle East were of a different nature: covering the Lebanese civil war and the US bombing of Libya in the 1980s. Today David has worked in more than 60 countries, and has broadcasted live from Afghanistan, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Gaza and South Africa.

Read on for a glimpse into the fascinating life of a man who has nearly been mowed down by a Soviet ice-breaking ship, chewed whale blubber with Eskimos and narrowly escaped the clutches of a polar bear. All in a day’s work.

What was your most memorable interview experience and why?Two stand out for different reasons. When I interviewed Cardinal Basil Hume before Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding, there was nothing to suggest it would be anything special. Yet, from the moment I arrived until the inter-view was over, I felt a serenity that I had never felt in the presence of another person. I felt his ‘good-ness’ transmitted itself and I will never forget that. In terms of a ‘my goodness!’ moment it has to be Kim Bassinger when she did a ‘Sharon Stone’ on me as I talked to her about the first Batman movie in Hollywood. Hard to concentrate after that!

What is your most memorable travel experience?For work, I will never forget the extraordinary yet hilarious story of three whales stuck in the ice north of the Arctic Circle in the late 1980s. We worked in minus 40˚ Celsius, with three hours of daylight as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev tried to defrost the Cold War by get-ting these monster mammals free. It’s about to be a movie with Drew Barrymore and I hope they

capture the sense of isolation and wonder that I felt at the Top of the World. I went back to Alaska to cover the sinking of the Exxon Valdez and have never been to a place of such enormous beauty.

For pleasure, I have just been to Zanzibar and loved the untouched beauty of the beaches and the way of life. You would see your next meal arriving on small boats and know it would be on your plate in half an hour. And since food is so much a part of my very best holidays, Italy is high up on the list.

You relocated to Qatar to work with Al Jazeera. What is one thing you rec-ommend people see when they visit? I hear people complain that there’s not much to do in Qatar and can’t believe they are so far off the mark. We do need decent theatre and they’re

working on that, but Kevin Spacey recently brought his Richard III here and there are won-derful open-air shows at Katara [cultural village]. The Museum of Islamic Art is extraordinary. There’s a great golf course, and if you like water sports there’s sailing, wakeboarding and kitesurf-ing. Our biggest gripe is that beaches are being developed and we haven’t enough places now to walk our dog.

Do you feel safe when travelling to places like Afghanistan? What is something few people would know about a war zone unless they saw it with their own eyes?These places aren’t safe and that’s why we go, but we take the best precautions we can. Things can change very rapidly and you have to be

Beyond borders

48-49 Interview.indd 48 25/04/2012 19:14


Interview

aware of that. Making sure your exit plan is as good as possible is a must. No story is worth a life and while risks are unavoidable, you should try not to be too caught up in what you’re doing to see the dangers.

What many people might not realise is that while there’s conflict, there’s also ordinary life all around you. Most people are just living their lives. I will always remember children happily kicking a football around a Lebanese refugee camp at the height of the civil war. Only an hour earlier there’d been a gun battle where they were now playing. In Afghanistan I went kite-flying with mad-keen Afghans and dis-covered we were standing in a cemetery with the graves of hundreds of war dead. It’s easy to forget that life goes on.

What has been your most nerve- racking experience as a journalist?We were in Alaska with the whales when we saw a Soviet ice-breaking ship head-ing towards us on the edge of the ice. Our Eskimo guides fired their guns into the air to stop the ship. If it hadn’t come to a halt, we were told later, we would have been dead in 30 seconds in that freezing water. As we took off in a helicopter we saw a polar bear no more than 30 metres behind us in search of lunch. A lucky escape on two fronts!

Having interviewed many political fig-ures from nations involved in the Arab Spring, what is one thing that you feel is misunderstood by people in other parts of the world about the uprising?It’s easy to think from afar that the revolutions were an end in themselves. The real hard work for ‘liber-ated’ people starts now. In some countries there will be many difficult days, if not years, ahead.

What cultural nuances have you picked up on through your travels to foreign countries?On the Syrian-Lebanese border I was almost shot for putting my feet on a chair because the soles of my shoes were pointing at a picture of the Syrian President. That was a big insult, so keep your feet on the ground. Never put an item of ‘food’ in your mouth unless you’re prepared to swallow it. I munched on frozen whale blub-ber, which then thawed and tasted like rancid engine oil.

Our cameraman in Western Sahara chewed on mouthful after mouthful of grisly lamb fat think-ing that exclamations of ‘Bon Gout!’ from the assembled diners were a local chant, which he had to repeat as he took another bite. He didn’t realise they were merely asking ‘does that really taste ok?’ The best advice is to always ask some-one who knows what you should and shouldn’t do when you are unaware of local customs.

How has the face of communication changed since the introduction of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and how has this affected your career?Information provided to you in journalism should always be checked and social media doesn’t always allow you to do that. The danger is that claims become facts too easily. My job has become harder because sometimes I don’t know whether what I’m being told is true. We can’t ignore citizen journalists, nor should we,

but while it appears we have more information these days, in actual fact we may have less.

Before moving to Al Jazeera you were based in London with Sky News. What do you miss about London?London, I don’t miss much; it’s too noisy, there’s too much traffic, it’s too wet, and too expensive. I do miss the UK though because it’s home. A good local pub is missing in my life now, so too the chance to watch cricket at Lord’s. And I do miss autumn. It’s my favourite season because it promises little, but occasionally delivers glorious days when the first sun brings with it the smell of damp grass and the promise of long walks through the golden, fallen leaves and then, the pub.

What is one piece of advice you would give to anyone doing business in the Middle East for the first time?Be prepared to wait.

What are some of your favourite travel reads?I’m an airport bookman on holiday despite what my wife has in mind for my ‘betterment’. Other times, it’s something like a William Boyd or maybe P.G. Wodehouse. I like a chuckle. The Times and New York Times are on my list too.

Book or a Kindle?Definitely a book. I wouldn’t dream of reading a Kindle in the bath! n

“As we took off in a helicopter we saw a polar bear no more than 30 metres behind us in

search of lunch. A lucky escape”

48-49 Interview.indd 49 25/04/2012 19:14


Al Jazeera senior news anchor David Foster has been to the four corners of the earth, from saving whales in the Arctic to flying kites in AfghanistanInterview: Caitlin Cheadle

David Foster is well accustomed to life in the desert, having lived in Doha, Qatar since 2005, when he was plucked from Sky News

in the UK by Al Jazeera English to head up its news team. His previous visits to the Middle East were of a different nature: covering the Lebanese civil war and the US bombing of Libya in the 1980s. Today David has worked in more than 60 countries, and has broadcasted live from Afghanistan, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Gaza and South Africa.

Read on for a glimpse into the fascinating life of a man who has nearly been mowed down by a Soviet ice-breaking ship, chewed whale blubber with Eskimos and narrowly escaped the clutches of a polar bear. All in a day’s work.

What was your most memorable interview experience and why?Two stand out for different reasons. When I interviewed Cardinal Basil Hume before Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding, there was nothing to suggest it would be anything special. Yet, from the moment I arrived until the inter-view was over, I felt a serenity that I had never felt in the presence of another person. I felt his ‘good-ness’ transmitted itself and I will never forget that. In terms of a ‘my goodness!’ moment it has to be Kim Bassinger when she did a ‘Sharon Stone’ on me as I talked to her about the first Batman movie in Hollywood. Hard to concentrate after that!

What is your most memorable travel experience?For work, I will never forget the extraordinary yet hilarious story of three whales stuck in the ice north of the Arctic Circle in the late 1980s. We worked in minus 40˚ Celsius, with three hours of daylight as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev tried to defrost the Cold War by get-ting these monster mammals free. It’s about to be a movie with Drew Barrymore and I hope they

capture the sense of isolation and wonder that I felt at the Top of the World. I went back to Alaska to cover the sinking of the Exxon Valdez and have never been to a place of such enormous beauty.

For pleasure, I have just been to Zanzibar and loved the untouched beauty of the beaches and the way of life. You would see your next meal arriving on small boats and know it would be on your plate in half an hour. And since food is so much a part of my very best holidays, Italy is high up on the list.

You relocated to Qatar to work with Al Jazeera. What is one thing you rec-ommend people see when they visit? I hear people complain that there’s not much to do in Qatar and can’t believe they are so far off the mark. We do need decent theatre and they’re

working on that, but Kevin Spacey recently brought his Richard III here and there are won-derful open-air shows at Katara [cultural village]. The Museum of Islamic Art is extraordinary. There’s a great golf course, and if you like water sports there’s sailing, wakeboarding and kitesurf-ing. Our biggest gripe is that beaches are being developed and we haven’t enough places now to walk our dog.

Do you feel safe when travelling to places like Afghanistan? What is something few people would know about a war zone unless they saw it with their own eyes?These places aren’t safe and that’s why we go, but we take the best precautions we can. Things can change very rapidly and you have to be

Beyond borders

48-49 Interview.indd 48 25/04/2012 19:14

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City New York

New York

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 52 25/04/2012 22:18

New York City

Chronicling the redefinition of the American Dream WORDS: Joe Mortimer

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 53 25/04/2012 22:18


City New York

New York

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 52 25/04/2012 22:18

54 May 2012 dotwnews.com54 May 2012

New York is a city of contrasts: home to old money and young ambition, where

the blinking neon signs of Times Square glow over brownstone apartment blocks from the turn of the 20th century, and monuments commemorating the great and good of American history watch over the steady development of more modern memorials at Ground Zero.

As Frank Sinatra advised us so many years ago, you can ‘make a brand new start of it – in old New York’; and never has this melding of past glory and present enthusiasm been so evident on the streets of the Big Apple than today.

When Joshua David and Robert Hammond started a community movement to preserve and redevelop New York’s old West Side freight railway in 1999, they couldn’t have known what impact it would have on the local community, or the collective conscience of the city as a whole. Thirteen years later, what was once a disused railway line is now a cultural hub running through the heart of some of New York’s most desirable districts.

From the time it was built in 1929 at a cost of US$150 million, until it was abandoned in 1980 after delivering a final haul of frozen

City New York

turkeys, the High Line made the streets of Chelsea and the West Village safer by clearing the streets of the dangerous freight trains that delivered cargo to the factories and warehouses of the Meatpacking District.

After it was abandoned, nature slowly began to make its claim on the rail line – the wind and birds dropped seeds from other parts of the city, which sank roots into the disused tracks, eventually turning them into an untamed wilderness 30 feet above the city. The High Line was a secret garden that not many people knew about, but when word spread that the line was going to be demolished in the ‘90s, the opposition that rose up was extraordinary.

Not long after Friends of the High Line was established in 1999, its list of supporters included New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and current US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Hollywood actors Edward Norton and Ethan Hawke, and personalities from the world of arts and design including designer and long-term resident Diane von Furstenberg, whose new six-storey headquarters on 14th Street in the Meatpacking District stands adjacent to the line.

The DVF HQ – a 19th century warehouse converted into a high design flagship store, creative studio

“The evolution of New York’s

colourful neighbourhoods

is not limited by existing

nomenclature, and new

quarters seem to pop up

all the time”

Suite dreamsRooms at Mondrian SoHo look out over a hypnotic panorama of New York

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 54 25/04/2012 22:18

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


New York is a city of contrasts: home to old money and young ambition, where

the blinking neon signs of Times Square glow over brownstone apartment blocks from the turn of the 20th century, and monuments commemorating the great and good of American history watch over the steady development of more modern memorials at Ground Zero.

As Frank Sinatra advised us so many years ago, you can ‘make a brand new start of it – in old New York’; and never has this melding of past glory and present enthusiasm been so evident on the streets of the Big Apple than today.

When Joshua David and Robert Hammond started a community movement to preserve and redevelop New York’s old West Side freight railway in 1999, they couldn’t have known what impact it would have on the local community, or the collective conscience of the city as a whole. Thirteen years later, what was once a disused railway line is now a cultural hub running through the heart of some of New York’s most desirable districts.

From the time it was built in 1929 at a cost of US$150 million, until it was abandoned in 1980 after delivering a final haul of frozen

City New York

turkeys, the High Line made the streets of Chelsea and the West Village safer by clearing the streets of the dangerous freight trains that delivered cargo to the factories and warehouses of the Meatpacking District.

After it was abandoned, nature slowly began to make its claim on the rail line – the wind and birds dropped seeds from other parts of the city, which sank roots into the disused tracks, eventually turning them into an untamed wilderness 30 feet above the city. The High Line was a secret garden that not many people knew about, but when word spread that the line was going to be demolished in the ‘90s, the opposition that rose up was extraordinary.

Not long after Friends of the High Line was established in 1999, its list of supporters included New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and current US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Hollywood actors Edward Norton and Ethan Hawke, and personalities from the world of arts and design including designer and long-term resident Diane von Furstenberg, whose new six-storey headquarters on 14th Street in the Meatpacking District stands adjacent to the line.

The DVF HQ – a 19th century warehouse converted into a high design flagship store, creative studio

“The evolution of New York’s

colourful neighbourhoods

is not limited by existing

nomenclature, and new

quarters seem to pop up

all the time”

Suite dreamsRooms at Mondrian SoHo look out over a hypnotic panorama of New York

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 54 25/04/2012 22:18


City New York

56 May 2012

Park lifeThe High Line is a ribbon of green running through western Manhattan

and museum – was described by New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission as a “new model of adaptive reuse for the city” when it opened. Today, passers-by walking along the High Line can almost peer into the glass-encased rooftop penthouse studio known as ‘the diamond’ and see the designer at work inside.

By 2004, the High Line was being hailed as the most important urban regeneration project New York had seen since the opening of Central Park in 1857. The plan was simple: to create a ribbon of green that would provide New Yorkers with a space to escape the city and reconnect with nature; a space for cultural events, exhibitions and performances; and a place that might one day attract international visitors to a new and exciting city landmark.

Like all of the great creative projects happening in New York today, the finished product is the result of a collaboration between several operations.

COLLECTIVE THINKINGUntil very recently, the Meatpacking District at the southern end of the High Line was not a place tourists would visit – and certainly would never venture to after dark. Its poorly-lit streets and the warehouses attracted vermin of all sorts. But the actions of a handful of people had a lasting impact that e�ectively saved the old neighbourhood.

A government task force led by then-mayor Rudy Giuliani went about cleaning up the streets in the late 90s, and today it’s the hottest part of town – a magnet for the city’s social elite, Hollywood A-listers and well-

informed international visitors, who prowl the enclave’s trendy boutiques during the day, and its trendy bars and clubs at night.

Rarely has the opening of a new hotel had such an impact on a neighbourhood as that of The Standard in late 2008. Sandwiched between über-trendy Chelsea and the residential West Village, it seemed inevitable that the Meatpacking District was on course for gentrification eventually, but in the first decade of the new millennium, investors thought entrepreneurial owner Andrés Balazs was putting his neck on the line when he decided to build a luxury hotel in the run-down neighbourhood.

The Standard is an imposing glass and concrete block cantilevered over the southern end of the High Line. You enter through a yellow doorway that leads into a casual lobby where guests relax in sunken leather armchairs. Next door, The Standard Grill, by chef Dan Silverman, serves New American cuisine across several di�erent dining areas.

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 56 25/04/2012 22:18


City New York

58 May 2012

City New York

Outside, the Biergarten is one of the area’s most popular watering holes. Rooms and suites have superb views north to Chelsea and along the High Line, or south to the West Village, both sides looking out onto the Hudson River and the Meatpacking District below.

The most talked-about venues within the hotel are on the top floor – one hedonistic and sexy, the other suave and sophisticated. The latter, the Top of The Standard (by invitation only), is one of the city’s coolest nightspots, home to private parties and intimate live performances from the likes of Florence and the Machine.

The other venue, decorated all in black leather, is home of Le Bain, the eponymous plunge pool that is the centre of the party. In a bid to control some of the debauchery for which the venue became famous, The Standard partnered with Quicksilver to create a range of swimwear, which is now sold from a vending machine outside the club – one of many collaborations the hotel’s desig team have joined forces on.

The stairwell leading up to the sun deck is covered in gra�ti by contemporary Japanese artist Aiko. Downstairs, The Standard Shop features a range of bespoke items created in partnership with other collaborators; art works and snow globes from Japanese artist Tomokazu Matsuyama; contemporary arts and lifestyle magazines; vintage clothing and even a range of adult toys.

It even has cool neighbours. The Whitney Museum of American Art (currently celebrating its 2012 biennial), whose Upper East Side location has attracted visitors since 1966, announced that it would open a second outpost on the plot of land

adjacent to The Standard, at the junction of Washington Street and Gansevoort Street, e�ectively bringing uptown, downtown when it finally opens in 2015.

FOLLOWING SUITThe regeneration of the Meatpacking District mirrors that of other nearby areas like TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal Street) and SoHo (South of Houston Street). The latter – once a run-down, low-rent quarter popular with artists in the 70s – is now one of the city’s busiest neighbourhoods and still home to a number of artists’ galleries, as well as wall-to-wall retail boutiques, gastro-pubs and trendy restaurants.

This newfound popularity sent rents sky high, but at the same time attracted some of the

country’s top hotel companies to the neighbourhood, including the new Trump SoHo, boutique hotel The James with its stylish air, and the ultra-cool Mondrian SoHo, a magnet for stars and local personalities.

The latter – a glass tower created by Barry Rice Architects and H. Thomas O’Hara Architects – occupies a low-key block at Crosby and Grand, close enough to the action to make it popular with the fashion and Hollywood crowds but far enough away to escape bustling SoHo.

Trump SoHoDonald Trump’s newest hotel towers above trendy SoHo

Hudson moodsViews of the Hudson River from a room in The Standard

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 58 25/04/2012 22:18

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MYCONIAN23.5x33.5 DOTWNEWS.pdf 1/31/12 6:41:40 PM


City New York

58 May 2012

City New York

Outside, the Biergarten is one of the area’s most popular watering holes. Rooms and suites have superb views north to Chelsea and along the High Line, or south to the West Village, both sides looking out onto the Hudson River and the Meatpacking District below.

The most talked-about venues within the hotel are on the top floor – one hedonistic and sexy, the other suave and sophisticated. The latter, the Top of The Standard (by invitation only), is one of the city’s coolest nightspots, home to private parties and intimate live performances from the likes of Florence and the Machine.

The other venue, decorated all in black leather, is home of Le Bain, the eponymous plunge pool that is the centre of the party. In a bid to control some of the debauchery for which the venue became famous, The Standard partnered with Quicksilver to create a range of swimwear, which is now sold from a vending machine outside the club – one of many collaborations the hotel’s desig team have joined forces on.

The stairwell leading up to the sun deck is covered in gra�ti by contemporary Japanese artist Aiko. Downstairs, The Standard Shop features a range of bespoke items created in partnership with other collaborators; art works and snow globes from Japanese artist Tomokazu Matsuyama; contemporary arts and lifestyle magazines; vintage clothing and even a range of adult toys.

It even has cool neighbours. The Whitney Museum of American Art (currently celebrating its 2012 biennial), whose Upper East Side location has attracted visitors since 1966, announced that it would open a second outpost on the plot of land

adjacent to The Standard, at the junction of Washington Street and Gansevoort Street, e�ectively bringing uptown, downtown when it finally opens in 2015.

FOLLOWING SUITThe regeneration of the Meatpacking District mirrors that of other nearby areas like TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal Street) and SoHo (South of Houston Street). The latter – once a run-down, low-rent quarter popular with artists in the 70s – is now one of the city’s busiest neighbourhoods and still home to a number of artists’ galleries, as well as wall-to-wall retail boutiques, gastro-pubs and trendy restaurants.

This newfound popularity sent rents sky high, but at the same time attracted some of the

country’s top hotel companies to the neighbourhood, including the new Trump SoHo, boutique hotel The James with its stylish air, and the ultra-cool Mondrian SoHo, a magnet for stars and local personalities.

The latter – a glass tower created by Barry Rice Architects and H. Thomas O’Hara Architects – occupies a low-key block at Crosby and Grand, close enough to the action to make it popular with the fashion and Hollywood crowds but far enough away to escape bustling SoHo.

Trump SoHoDonald Trump’s newest hotel towers above trendy SoHo

Hudson moodsViews of the Hudson River from a room in The Standard

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 58 25/04/2012 22:18


City New York

60 May 2012

City New York

Mondrian SoHo9 Crosby Street, New York,NY 10013Tel: +212 389 1000www.mondriansoho.com

Ace Hotel20W 29th Street, New York, NY 10001Tel: +212 679 2222www.acehotel.com

The Standard 848 Washington at 13th Street,New York, NY 10014Tel: +212 645 4646www.standardhotels.com

The James Hotel New York27 Grand Street New York, NY 10013Tel: +212 465 2000www.jameshotels.com

The interior design, by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, was inspired by Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film Le Belle et la Bête, and features a dramatic blue and white colour scheme throughout. As it’s the tallest building in the neighbourhood, the 270 rooms and suites look out over amazing views of Manhattan, with the Empire State Building to the north and the new World Trade Centre to the south.

The evolution of New York’s colourful neighbourhoods is not limited by existing nomenclature, and new quarters seem to pop up all the time, using the city’s unique system for naming neighbourhoods based on their geographical denominators defining new enclaves.

Other “new” districts include NoLIta (North of Little Italy) – famous for vintage stores, pop-up markets and speak-easy style cafes and restaurants – and NoMad (North of Madison Square Park). The latter is established enough that there is an outpost of the extremely cool designer Ace Hotel and new boutique NoMad Hotel, but still new enough that several New York residents in Greenwich Village had never heard of it.

NoMad was one of the first parts of the city to have electricity running to its buildings and was once the centre of New York’s music and hotel scene, with properties like the iconic Breslin Hotel (now the Ace), which counted stars including “Diamond Jim” Brady – the inspiration for Marlon Brando’s Guys and Dolls protagonist – among its regular guests.

Its latest incarnation, the super-trendy Ace Hotel, has its own line-up of celebrity followers, with A-listers including Liv Tyler, Michael Stipe and Josh Hartnett among the celebs spotted here. Take a seat in the lobby, dubbed the Living Room, and you’ll realise that this isn’t your regular hotel lobby.

Looking around, you’ll find a cross-section of society types seated on the casual sofas and armchairs (all vintage or ‘reclaimed’), lounging at the bar or nestled under an old American flag draped on the far wall. Some come for the much talked-about cafe Stumptown Co¢ee Roasters, which has a queue spilling out the door at all hours, and recently partnered with Danny Meyer’s new farm-to-table restaurant, Untitled, in The Whitney Museum. Others come for April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman’s Michelin-starred restaurants – The John Dory and The Breslin.

But many just come to be a part of the action. The Ace, it seems, is everything that modern upscale New Yorkers aspire to. The style is one of measured restoration – original elements are mixed with new touches, and the guest rooms are individually designed, musically-inspired loft apartments decorated with original artwork from more than 90 di¢erent artists on the walls. When the new owners embarked on an 18-month renovation, architects discovered the original moulded mosaic floor buried under two inches of concrete.

Other special touches include refurbished Polaroid cameras from Impossible Project in each room, which guests can use for the duration of their stay; boxing gown/hoodie-style bathrobes from Canadian menswear designer Wings+Horns; and custom-made Ace Hotel Epiphone guitars.

“The idea is to work with partners that can do amazing things better than the hotel would if we did them ourselves,” says cultural engineer Jou-Yie Choo. “There is no such thing as a quick buck anymore, so people are looking inward and taking the time to do things properly – artisanal products, distilling, co¢ee roasting and so on. Entrepreneurial pursuits are strong. On the consumer level, there is so much product out there that people look for transparency. When you buy something, you want to know who made it and where it came from.”

This sense of reconnecting with the history of things and looking back to a time before mass production, when everything from what we ate to what we wore was produced by artisans and craftsmen, seems to define New York today. Call it respect for authenticity, call it romanticising the past, or call it an evolution of taste – the old ways are back in fashion, and there seems to be no stopping them. ■

“On the consumer level, there is so much product out

there that people look for transparency. When you buy something, you want to know

who made it and where it came from”

SoHo fantasyThe blue and white colour theme at Mondrian SoHo is inspired by 1946 classic La Belle et la Bête

SoHo fantasyThe blue and white colour theme at mondrian SoHo is inspired by 1946 classic La Belle et la Bête

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 60 25/04/2012 22:17

Modern artContemporary design meets stunning architecture at The Standard hotel in the Meatpacking District

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 61 25/04/2012 22:17


City New York

60 May 2012

City New York

Mondrian SoHo9 Crosby Street, New York,NY 10013Tel: +212 389 1000www.mondriansoho.com

Ace Hotel20W 29th Street, New York, NY 10001Tel: +212 679 2222www.acehotel.com

The Standard 848 Washington at 13th Street,New York, NY 10014Tel: +212 645 4646www.standardhotels.com

The James Hotel New York27 Grand Street New York, NY 10013Tel: +212 465 2000www.jameshotels.com

The interior design, by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, was inspired by Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film Le Belle et la Bête, and features a dramatic blue and white colour scheme throughout. As it’s the tallest building in the neighbourhood, the 270 rooms and suites look out over amazing views of Manhattan, with the Empire State Building to the north and the new World Trade Centre to the south.

The evolution of New York’s colourful neighbourhoods is not limited by existing nomenclature, and new quarters seem to pop up all the time, using the city’s unique system for naming neighbourhoods based on their geographical denominators defining new enclaves.

Other “new” districts include NoLIta (North of Little Italy) – famous for vintage stores, pop-up markets and speak-easy style cafes and restaurants – and NoMad (North of Madison Square Park). The latter is established enough that there is an outpost of the extremely cool designer Ace Hotel and new boutique NoMad Hotel, but still new enough that several New York residents in Greenwich Village had never heard of it.

NoMad was one of the first parts of the city to have electricity running to its buildings and was once the centre of New York’s music and hotel scene, with properties like the iconic Breslin Hotel (now the Ace), which counted stars including “Diamond Jim” Brady – the inspiration for Marlon Brando’s Guys and Dolls protagonist – among its regular guests.

Its latest incarnation, the super-trendy Ace Hotel, has its own line-up of celebrity followers, with A-listers including Liv Tyler, Michael Stipe and Josh Hartnett among the celebs spotted here. Take a seat in the lobby, dubbed the Living Room, and you’ll realise that this isn’t your regular hotel lobby.

Looking around, you’ll find a cross-section of society types seated on the casual sofas and armchairs (all vintage or ‘reclaimed’), lounging at the bar or nestled under an old American flag draped on the far wall. Some come for the much talked-about cafe Stumptown Co¢ee Roasters, which has a queue spilling out the door at all hours, and recently partnered with Danny Meyer’s new farm-to-table restaurant, Untitled, in The Whitney Museum. Others come for April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman’s Michelin-starred restaurants – The John Dory and The Breslin.

But many just come to be a part of the action. The Ace, it seems, is everything that modern upscale New Yorkers aspire to. The style is one of measured restoration – original elements are mixed with new touches, and the guest rooms are individually designed, musically-inspired loft apartments decorated with original artwork from more than 90 di¢erent artists on the walls. When the new owners embarked on an 18-month renovation, architects discovered the original moulded mosaic floor buried under two inches of concrete.

Other special touches include refurbished Polaroid cameras from Impossible Project in each room, which guests can use for the duration of their stay; boxing gown/hoodie-style bathrobes from Canadian menswear designer Wings+Horns; and custom-made Ace Hotel Epiphone guitars.

“The idea is to work with partners that can do amazing things better than the hotel would if we did them ourselves,” says cultural engineer Jou-Yie Choo. “There is no such thing as a quick buck anymore, so people are looking inward and taking the time to do things properly – artisanal products, distilling, co¢ee roasting and so on. Entrepreneurial pursuits are strong. On the consumer level, there is so much product out there that people look for transparency. When you buy something, you want to know who made it and where it came from.”

This sense of reconnecting with the history of things and looking back to a time before mass production, when everything from what we ate to what we wore was produced by artisans and craftsmen, seems to define New York today. Call it respect for authenticity, call it romanticising the past, or call it an evolution of taste – the old ways are back in fashion, and there seems to be no stopping them. ■

“On the consumer level, there is so much product out

there that people look for transparency. When you buy something, you want to know

who made it and where it came from”

SoHo fantasyThe blue and white colour theme at Mondrian SoHo is inspired by 1946 classic La Belle et la Bête

SoHo fantasyThe blue and white colour theme at mondrian SoHo is inspired by 1946 classic La Belle et la Bête

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 60 25/04/2012 22:17


The Plaza, A Fairmont HotelFifth Avenue at Central Park South,New York, NY 10019Tel: +1 212 759 3000 www.theplaza.com

The Ritz-Carlton New York50 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019Tel: +1 212 308 9100www.ritzcarlton.com

Jumeirah Essex House160 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019Tel: +1 212 247 0300www.jumeirah.com

Mandarin Oriental New York80 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023Tel: +1 212 805 8800www.mandarinoriental.com

Trump International Hotel & TowerOne Central Park West, New York, NY 10023Tel: +1 212 299 1000www.trumphotelcollection.com

The Peninsula New York700 Fifth Avenue, New York, NYTel: +1 212 903 3097www.peninsula.com

St. Regis New YorkTwo East 55th Street, Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022Tel: +1 212 753 4500www.stregisnewyork.com

The Waldorf = Astoria301 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022 6897Tel: +1 212 355 3000www.waldorfnewyork.com

The Chatwal, Luxury Collection130 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036Tel: +1 212 764 6200www.thechatwalny.com/

The Carlyle – A Rosewood Hotel35 East 76th Street, New York, NY 10021Tel: +1 212 744 1600www.rosewoodhotels.com

The Surrey20 East 76th Street New York, NY 10021Tel: +1 212 288 3700www.thesurrey.com

The Pierre – A Taj Hotel2 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065Tel: +1 212 838 8000www.tajhotels.com

City New York

As a tide of change sweeps over New York, it’s evident that some things will always remain the same

DESPITE the new interpretation of personal luxury that seems to be

shaping chic new hotels in NYC, the classical, refined finish that many

came to expect in the 20th Century is very much alive and well.

On the south shore of Central Park – the sea of green that provides space

for New Yorkers to run, walk their dogs and breathe – the titans of the luxury hotel world rise up like cli�s

from the rolling expanse.The Plaza, Park Lane Hotel, The

Ritz-Carlton, Jumeirah Essex House, Mandarin Oriental and Trump

International Hotel & Tower form an exclusive chain running from the eastern corner of Central Park South

on Fifth Avenue to the western corner at Columbus Circle, where the new Museum of Art and Design (MAD)

and the Time Warner Centre mark the beginning of Broadway.

This is a part of town where you need to make reservations for breakfast

at spots like Sarabeth’s. On a crisp April morning, there couldn’t be a

more quintessential upscale New York experience than enjoying a hot apple

cider and Farmer’s Omelette with poppy seed toast and organic butter on the sidewalk terrace, where the

neighbourhood’s upper crust walk by and Central Park’s ornate horses and

carriages line up outside the main gates of the park, waiting for customers.

A short walk down Fifth Avenue brings you to The Peninsula and the St Regis, which are just a few steps away from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the heart of Fifth Avenue’s luxury brand enclave, where everyone who is anyone has a store.

Further down, the Waldorf Astoria is a New York institution – a home from home for visiting heads of state and the setting for some of the city’s flashiest social events – and The Chatwal, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel, recently reopened after a major overhaul.

In the other direction, in the Upper East Side, legendary The Carlyle, fashionable The Surrey (the only Relais & Chateaux hotel in the city) and The Pierre, part of Taj Hotels, form another enclave of prestigious addresses.

This part of New York has always been a magnet for the super-wealthy, business leaders and visiting dignitaries, and no amount of headline-making newcomers will undo the decades of prestige-building that these brands have achieved.

But until now, these statesmen of the luxury hotel world haven’t seen much in the way of competition. It remains to be seen whether “timeless luxury” will stand the test of time in a city brimming with creative new collaborations winning the hearts and minds of the fickle iPhone generation. ■

TIMELESSNEW YORK

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 62 25/04/2012 22:17

CONCIERGE PRIVATE FLIGHTS YACHTING LUXURY VILLASFIRST CLASS ACCOMODATION & MORE

www.theluxurychoice.gr | +971 55 449 8869 | [email protected]

Athens | Dubai | Mykonos

the luxury choice

The Luxury Choice

Mykonos, let us take you there...

Mykonos artwork.pdf 1 4/25/2012 11:16:57 PM


The Plaza, A Fairmont HotelFifth Avenue at Central Park South,New York, NY 10019Tel: +1 212 759 3000 www.theplaza.com

The Ritz-Carlton New York50 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019Tel: +1 212 308 9100www.ritzcarlton.com

Jumeirah Essex House160 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019Tel: +1 212 247 0300www.jumeirah.com

Mandarin Oriental New York80 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023Tel: +1 212 805 8800www.mandarinoriental.com

Trump International Hotel & TowerOne Central Park West, New York, NY 10023Tel: +1 212 299 1000www.trumphotelcollection.com

The Peninsula New York700 Fifth Avenue, New York, NYTel: +1 212 903 3097www.peninsula.com

St. Regis New YorkTwo East 55th Street, Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022Tel: +1 212 753 4500www.stregisnewyork.com

The Waldorf = Astoria301 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022 6897Tel: +1 212 355 3000www.waldorfnewyork.com

The Chatwal, Luxury Collection130 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036Tel: +1 212 764 6200www.thechatwalny.com/

The Carlyle – A Rosewood Hotel35 East 76th Street, New York, NY 10021Tel: +1 212 744 1600www.rosewoodhotels.com

The Surrey20 East 76th Street New York, NY 10021Tel: +1 212 288 3700www.thesurrey.com

The Pierre – A Taj Hotel2 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065Tel: +1 212 838 8000www.tajhotels.com

City New York

As a tide of change sweeps over New York, it’s evident that some things will always remain the same

DESPITE the new interpretation of personal luxury that seems to be

shaping chic new hotels in NYC, the classical, refined finish that many

came to expect in the 20th Century is very much alive and well.

On the south shore of Central Park – the sea of green that provides space

for New Yorkers to run, walk their dogs and breathe – the titans of the luxury hotel world rise up like cli�s

from the rolling expanse.The Plaza, Park Lane Hotel, The

Ritz-Carlton, Jumeirah Essex House, Mandarin Oriental and Trump

International Hotel & Tower form an exclusive chain running from the eastern corner of Central Park South

on Fifth Avenue to the western corner at Columbus Circle, where the new Museum of Art and Design (MAD)

and the Time Warner Centre mark the beginning of Broadway.

This is a part of town where you need to make reservations for breakfast

at spots like Sarabeth’s. On a crisp April morning, there couldn’t be a

more quintessential upscale New York experience than enjoying a hot apple

cider and Farmer’s Omelette with poppy seed toast and organic butter on the sidewalk terrace, where the

neighbourhood’s upper crust walk by and Central Park’s ornate horses and

carriages line up outside the main gates of the park, waiting for customers.

A short walk down Fifth Avenue brings you to The Peninsula and the St Regis, which are just a few steps away from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the heart of Fifth Avenue’s luxury brand enclave, where everyone who is anyone has a store.

Further down, the Waldorf Astoria is a New York institution – a home from home for visiting heads of state and the setting for some of the city’s flashiest social events – and The Chatwal, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel, recently reopened after a major overhaul.

In the other direction, in the Upper East Side, legendary The Carlyle, fashionable The Surrey (the only Relais & Chateaux hotel in the city) and The Pierre, part of Taj Hotels, form another enclave of prestigious addresses.

This part of New York has always been a magnet for the super-wealthy, business leaders and visiting dignitaries, and no amount of headline-making newcomers will undo the decades of prestige-building that these brands have achieved.

But until now, these statesmen of the luxury hotel world haven’t seen much in the way of competition. It remains to be seen whether “timeless luxury” will stand the test of time in a city brimming with creative new collaborations winning the hearts and minds of the fickle iPhone generation. ■

TIMELESSNEW YORK

52-62 New YorkJSM.indd 62 25/04/2012 22:17


Luxe St. Barths

Known to many, visited by few, the island of Saint Barth welcomes the wealthy to revel in life’s pleasures – as long

as they leave their pretensions at homeWORDS: Robert La Bua

Saint Barthelemy

64-72 St Barths.indd 64 25/04/2012 19:10


St. Barths Luxe

64-72 St Barths.indd 65 25/04/2012 19:10


Luxe St. Barths

Known to many, visited by few, the island of Saint Barth welcomes the wealthy to revel in life’s pleasures – as long

as they leave their pretensions at homeWORDS: Robert La Bua

Saint Barthelemy

64-72 St Barths.indd 64 25/04/2012 19:10

Luxe St. Barths

The Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthelémy has several monickers – St Bart, St Bart’s, Saint-Barth – used instead of its formal name,

which is barely used in officialdom, and never in conversation. The French abbreviation, pronounced something like ‘San Bart’, is the one the locals use, and when it comes to the French, it is best to follow the local example. On Saint-Barth, the last thing you want to be is an outsider.

Despite a glamorous reputation perpetuated by the international media, Saint-Barth is an unfussy place, a place for people rather than objects: rich people, talented people, people with interesting careers, people with power and influence. Arrogance finds no shelter here except during a two-week reprieve over Christmas and New Years, when nervous poseurs inundate the island to complain about too much cinnamon in their cappuccinos.

Luxe St. Barts

The fact that the cinnamon comes not from a small vial off a supermarket shelf but rather from a tree in the garden is lost on them.

Those Parisian politicians and New York bankers personify the antithesis of Saint-Barth’s blithe spirits, some of whom consider a trip to Saint Martin a major excursion, others who come and go across the world with easy alacrity. What the locals have in common is a love of life – an appreciation for the bonhomie of a day at the beach with friends, followed by an evening of laughter with more friends; between the two could be an haute cuisine dinner at chic Le Gaïac, or a hamburger at raucous Le Select – it doesn’t matter much which.

On Saint-Barth, showing off is a faux pas. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone is gratuitously wealthy, and to play the game of ‘I’m richer than you’ in a place where people come to get away from that kind of one-

upmanship at home is seen as gauche and unnecessary. Nevertheless, the island abounds in remarkable people fashionably dressed in flowing white and beige linens suitable to the climate, the exception being fashion models, who are compelled to sport something more provocative, in line with their profession. Never mind that the linens are from Comme des Garçons – on a French island, one’s clothes are expected to be impeccable regardless of their informality.

Saint-Barth’s main attraction is its absence of attractions. Beyond pristine beaches and sublime swimming pools, the boutiques in Gustavia offer a shopping respite from the island’s relentlessly beautiful landscapes. Among the boutiques of Cartier and Hermès are the ateliers of talented designers like Élisa Bally, whose vivacious passion for interiors produces impressively original work.

“What the locals have in common is a love of life – an appreciation for the bonhomie of a day at the beach with friends, followed by an evening of

laughter with more friends”

1. The View One of Ici et La’s magnificent managed properties 2. Tropical retreat Sublime views from trendy Hotel Christopher 3. Designer dining Enjoy the view from Le Gaïac 4. Caribbean colours Quaint houses in the capital Gustavia

1 23 4


64-72 St Barths.indd 66 25/04/2012 19:12

Sit back, take your top offand enjoy our summer deal.

It’s not for your parents, or kids, or anyone who wants a quiet summer!

If there’s one thing hotter than the weather this summer,

it’s the summer deal at Media One!

There’s so much to do that the tricky part is figuring out where to start!

Get on the fast track with an Italian Job-style city tour, indulge in some serious

retail therapy at a world-class mall, soak in the vibrant in-house discounts or hang out

by the sea with an umbrella and ice box thrown in for good measure.

Get in touch directly with Media One or your travel agent and

you can have a lot more fun in the sun!

Media One Hotel FZ LLC. PO Box 121818, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesT +971 4 427 1000 F +971 4 427 1001 E [email protected] W www.mediaonehotel.com

38468 summer DOTW A.indd 1 4/24/12 3:46 PM

Luxe St. Barths

The Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthelémy has several monickers – St Bart, St Bart’s, Saint-Barth – used instead of its formal name,

which is barely used in officialdom, and never in conversation. The French abbreviation, pronounced something like ‘San Bart’, is the one the locals use, and when it comes to the French, it is best to follow the local example. On Saint-Barth, the last thing you want to be is an outsider.

Despite a glamorous reputation perpetuated by the international media, Saint-Barth is an unfussy place, a place for people rather than objects: rich people, talented people, people with interesting careers, people with power and influence. Arrogance finds no shelter here except during a two-week reprieve over Christmas and New Years, when nervous poseurs inundate the island to complain about too much cinnamon in their cappuccinos.

Luxe St. Barts

The fact that the cinnamon comes not from a small vial off a supermarket shelf but rather from a tree in the garden is lost on them.

Those Parisian politicians and New York bankers personify the antithesis of Saint-Barth’s blithe spirits, some of whom consider a trip to Saint Martin a major excursion, others who come and go across the world with easy alacrity. What the locals have in common is a love of life – an appreciation for the bonhomie of a day at the beach with friends, followed by an evening of laughter with more friends; between the two could be an haute cuisine dinner at chic Le Gaïac, or a hamburger at raucous Le Select – it doesn’t matter much which.

On Saint-Barth, showing off is a faux pas. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone is gratuitously wealthy, and to play the game of ‘I’m richer than you’ in a place where people come to get away from that kind of one-

upmanship at home is seen as gauche and unnecessary. Nevertheless, the island abounds in remarkable people fashionably dressed in flowing white and beige linens suitable to the climate, the exception being fashion models, who are compelled to sport something more provocative, in line with their profession. Never mind that the linens are from Comme des Garçons – on a French island, one’s clothes are expected to be impeccable regardless of their informality.

Saint-Barth’s main attraction is its absence of attractions. Beyond pristine beaches and sublime swimming pools, the boutiques in Gustavia offer a shopping respite from the island’s relentlessly beautiful landscapes. Among the boutiques of Cartier and Hermès are the ateliers of talented designers like Élisa Bally, whose vivacious passion for interiors produces impressively original work.

“What the locals have in common is a love of life – an appreciation for the bonhomie of a day at the beach with friends, followed by an evening of

laughter with more friends”

1. The View One of Ici et La’s magnificent managed properties 2. Tropical retreat Sublime views from trendy Hotel Christopher 3. Designer dining Enjoy the view from Le Gaïac 4. Caribbean colours Quaint houses in the capital Gustavia

1 23 4


64-72 St Barths.indd 66 25/04/2012 19:12


Luxe St. Barths

“With no heavy industry, Saint-Barth’s entire economy depends on tourism;

visitors come — and come back — more for what the island does not have than

for what it does”

64-72 St Barths.indd 68 25/04/2012 19:09


St. Barths Luxe

64-72 St Barths.indd 69 25/04/2012 19:09


Luxe St. Barths

“With no heavy industry, Saint-Barth’s entire economy depends on tourism;

visitors come — and come back — more for what the island does not have than

for what it does”

64-72 St Barths.indd 68 25/04/2012 19:09


Luxe St. Barths

Those who balance languid days with social evenings can thank impresario Carole Gruson, the doyenne of Saint-Barth nights, for an array of clubs dotting the island. One of the most popular of Carole’s establishments is Le Ti, a taverne de luxe where Thursday night’s cabaret is not to be missed.

Without a doubt, Saint-Barth’s empress dowager is one Jeanne Audy-Rowland. Unassumingly charismatic, Madame Audy-Rowland is best known as the owner of La Maison Nouréev, the former home of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev, who came to Saint-Barth to visit Mikhail Baryshnikov and promptly fell in love with the island. The famously mercurial Nureyev purchased a home on Saint-Barth’s wild southeast coast and built a deck on which to practice his dance moves only metres above the crashing waves. Other than the addition of a few personal items, Mme Audy-Rowland has changed little in the house since she purchased it from the Nureyev estate after the dancer’s death in 1993. Like its former owner, and the current one, the house itself has a presence larger than life.

Despite its pride of place as the sole property on a small promontory jutting into the sea, few people are accorded the privilege of a visit inside, where meaningful mementos stand in places they have occupied for decades. Now advancing in years, the lady of the house has put La Maison Nouréev on the market but, true to her nature, it will take more than money to achieve a sale. Mme Audy-Rowland expects the next owner to take over her role as custodian

of La Maison Nouréev; those with teardown intentions in mind will find their money useless. Mme Audy-Rowland has already refused an extremely generous offer from a world-famous billionaire whom she deemed unworthy of the home, even when bearing an offer more than twice the EUR28 million (US$38 million) asking price – which, by the

way, is not an extravagant figure on an island where Christmas/New Year visitors clamour to pay $200,000 per week to rent the best villas.

Though private villas are the ne plus ultra of island accommodation, most first-timers start off as guests at Saint-Barth’s fine hotels before moving on to villa accommodation on subsequent visits. Each hotel has its own character, so it is important to choose the one most suited to holiday expectations.

Those looking for stylish accommodation and a hip crowd should head for Christopher on Pointe Milou, where the impossibly debonair Christian Langlade has transformed a tired property into the island’s trendiest hotel.

Shoppers will find the regal Hotel Carl Gustaf’s location in teensy Gustavia, Saint-Barth’s capital and home of the island’s Swedish

Private panorama (above) Views across the islands of Bonhomme and Saint Martin from Villa Arte

Once in a lifetime (left) Gustavia Harbour as seen from the Royal Suite of Hotel Carl Gustaf

“Despite a glamorous reputation perpetuated by the international media, Saint-Barth is an

unfussy place”

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Sectiony title

98 Reviews.indd 100 24/04/2012 09:59


Luxe St. Barths

Those who balance languid days with social evenings can thank impresario Carole Gruson, the doyenne of Saint-Barth nights, for an array of clubs dotting the island. One of the most popular of Carole’s establishments is Le Ti, a taverne de luxe where Thursday night’s cabaret is not to be missed.

Without a doubt, Saint-Barth’s empress dowager is one Jeanne Audy-Rowland. Unassumingly charismatic, Madame Audy-Rowland is best known as the owner of La Maison Nouréev, the former home of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev, who came to Saint-Barth to visit Mikhail Baryshnikov and promptly fell in love with the island. The famously mercurial Nureyev purchased a home on Saint-Barth’s wild southeast coast and built a deck on which to practice his dance moves only metres above the crashing waves. Other than the addition of a few personal items, Mme Audy-Rowland has changed little in the house since she purchased it from the Nureyev estate after the dancer’s death in 1993. Like its former owner, and the current one, the house itself has a presence larger than life.

Despite its pride of place as the sole property on a small promontory jutting into the sea, few people are accorded the privilege of a visit inside, where meaningful mementos stand in places they have occupied for decades. Now advancing in years, the lady of the house has put La Maison Nouréev on the market but, true to her nature, it will take more than money to achieve a sale. Mme Audy-Rowland expects the next owner to take over her role as custodian

of La Maison Nouréev; those with teardown intentions in mind will find their money useless. Mme Audy-Rowland has already refused an extremely generous offer from a world-famous billionaire whom she deemed unworthy of the home, even when bearing an offer more than twice the EUR28 million (US$38 million) asking price – which, by the

way, is not an extravagant figure on an island where Christmas/New Year visitors clamour to pay $200,000 per week to rent the best villas.

Though private villas are the ne plus ultra of island accommodation, most first-timers start off as guests at Saint-Barth’s fine hotels before moving on to villa accommodation on subsequent visits. Each hotel has its own character, so it is important to choose the one most suited to holiday expectations.

Those looking for stylish accommodation and a hip crowd should head for Christopher on Pointe Milou, where the impossibly debonair Christian Langlade has transformed a tired property into the island’s trendiest hotel.

Shoppers will find the regal Hotel Carl Gustaf’s location in teensy Gustavia, Saint-Barth’s capital and home of the island’s Swedish

Private panorama (above) Views across the islands of Bonhomme and Saint Martin from Villa Arte

Once in a lifetime (left) Gustavia Harbour as seen from the Royal Suite of Hotel Carl Gustaf

“Despite a glamorous reputation perpetuated by the international media, Saint-Barth is an

unfussy place”

64-72 St Barths.indd 70 25/04/2012 19:09


Luxe St. Barths

heritage, convenient for forays from its lofty location above the harbour down into town for a bit of retail therapy before indulging in physical and mental therapy in the hotel’s outstanding spa, equipped with an essential oil shower. To enjoy the villa experience with hotel services in a less populated area, the peerless Le Toiny offers seclusion and privacy on the wild coast. Each of the 15 villas has its own pool, next to which breakfast magically appears each morning thanks to the hotel’s exceptionally conscientious staff, led by general managers Dagmar and Guy Lombard.

Le Toiny, a member of Relais & Châteaux, is home to the wonderful Le Gaïac, the best of Saint-Barth’s many fine restaurants, where local produce and imported delicacies are given equally outstanding attention in the kitchen before being presented in a dining room with sweeping views across a dozen shades of blue sea and sky.

When it comes to villa rentals, Ici Et Là manages a portfolio of magnificent homes straight off the pages of the world’s architecture and design magazines. Among the most impressive are Villa Arte and The View, both of which offer expansive vistas over the Caribbean Sea while providing complete privacy in total luxury, thereby satisfying the trio of demands most often put forth by the island’s visitors.

It is possible to have personal attention and outstanding service even when staying in a private villa thanks to Vincent Chevalier and James Daltrey, owners of Premium IV, an island-wide concierge service that provides every necessity for the perfect holiday. Looking more like a client of his own services than an entrepreneurial go-getter, Vincent is the man for visitors to know on Saint-Barth,

the man who makes things happen with a single phone call. Premium IV works closely with Ici Et Là in creating the ultimate Saint-Barth villa experiences.

Property is something of a lightning rod on the island. As in so many other beautiful places around the world, there are preservationists who seek to maintain the island’s natural integrity, and developers who seek profit above all else.

Descendants of the original French families to settle on Saint-Barth still own vast tracts of land now worth many millions of dollars; long gone are the days when struggling peasants traded plots of land for a decent meal. Waterfront parcels are highly sought after by international hotel groups looking for an in for an inn – so far, in vain. Unusually in the Caribbean, Saint-Barth’s hotels are all independently owned; none belongs to a chain.

One of the staunchest defenders of the land is Hélène Bernier, whose family was among the first to establish a community on the island. Community spirit is vitally important to Bernier; in addition to her work as owner of Easy Time, an eco-tour company that provides personalised tours of Saint-Barth’s many natural attractions, she is also the leading voice in the fight to keep environmental abuse off the island. With no heavy industry, Saint-Barth’s entire economy depends on tourism; visitors come – and come back – more for what the island does not have than for what it does. If peace and quiet are sacrificed in favour of more hotel rooms and more visitors, Saint-Barth will become just another soulless Caribbean island with nothing to differentiate it from those already saturated by too much concrete and too many people.

Hotel le Toiny+590 590 27 88 88www.letoiny.com

Christopher St. Barth+590 590 27 63 63www.hotelchristopher.com

Hotel Carl Gustavwww.hotelcarlgustaf.com

Ici&La+590 590 27 78 78www.icietlavillas.com

Maison Noureev+1 617 349 0090www.noureev.com

Premium IV+590 690 88 22 12www.premiumiv.com

Oh, the worries of modern life. Never mind, it’s time for dinner. Madame Audy-Rowland, always a luminous figure, is at her radiant best, dressed immaculately from head to toe in finely tailored white linen. That her sartorial splendour was created from old bed sheets adds to the mischievous delight she takes in wearing them. On Saint-Barth, the fabric of life is sewn together with threads of good fun and good fortune. Long may they last.n

Le Toiny

64-72 St Barths.indd 72 25/04/2012 19:09

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Hilton_nisan.ai 7 63.24 lpi 71.56° 4/24/12 2:55 PMHilton_nisan.ai 7 63.24 lpi 18.43° 4/24/12 2:55 PMHilton_nisan.ai 7 66.66 lpi 0.00° 4/24/12 2:55 PMHilton_nisan.ai 7 70.71 lpi 45.00° 4/24/12 2:55 PMProcess CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black


Luxe St. Barths

heritage, convenient for forays from its lofty location above the harbour down into town for a bit of retail therapy before indulging in physical and mental therapy in the hotel’s outstanding spa, equipped with an essential oil shower. To enjoy the villa experience with hotel services in a less populated area, the peerless Le Toiny offers seclusion and privacy on the wild coast. Each of the 15 villas has its own pool, next to which breakfast magically appears each morning thanks to the hotel’s exceptionally conscientious staff, led by general managers Dagmar and Guy Lombard.

Le Toiny, a member of Relais & Châteaux, is home to the wonderful Le Gaïac, the best of Saint-Barth’s many fine restaurants, where local produce and imported delicacies are given equally outstanding attention in the kitchen before being presented in a dining room with sweeping views across a dozen shades of blue sea and sky.

When it comes to villa rentals, Ici Et Là manages a portfolio of magnificent homes straight off the pages of the world’s architecture and design magazines. Among the most impressive are Villa Arte and The View, both of which offer expansive vistas over the Caribbean Sea while providing complete privacy in total luxury, thereby satisfying the trio of demands most often put forth by the island’s visitors.

It is possible to have personal attention and outstanding service even when staying in a private villa thanks to Vincent Chevalier and James Daltrey, owners of Premium IV, an island-wide concierge service that provides every necessity for the perfect holiday. Looking more like a client of his own services than an entrepreneurial go-getter, Vincent is the man for visitors to know on Saint-Barth,

the man who makes things happen with a single phone call. Premium IV works closely with Ici Et Là in creating the ultimate Saint-Barth villa experiences.

Property is something of a lightning rod on the island. As in so many other beautiful places around the world, there are preservationists who seek to maintain the island’s natural integrity, and developers who seek profit above all else.

Descendants of the original French families to settle on Saint-Barth still own vast tracts of land now worth many millions of dollars; long gone are the days when struggling peasants traded plots of land for a decent meal. Waterfront parcels are highly sought after by international hotel groups looking for an in for an inn – so far, in vain. Unusually in the Caribbean, Saint-Barth’s hotels are all independently owned; none belongs to a chain.

One of the staunchest defenders of the land is Hélène Bernier, whose family was among the first to establish a community on the island. Community spirit is vitally important to Bernier; in addition to her work as owner of Easy Time, an eco-tour company that provides personalised tours of Saint-Barth’s many natural attractions, she is also the leading voice in the fight to keep environmental abuse off the island. With no heavy industry, Saint-Barth’s entire economy depends on tourism; visitors come – and come back – more for what the island does not have than for what it does. If peace and quiet are sacrificed in favour of more hotel rooms and more visitors, Saint-Barth will become just another soulless Caribbean island with nothing to differentiate it from those already saturated by too much concrete and too many people.

Hotel le Toiny+590 590 27 88 88www.letoiny.com

Christopher St. Barth+590 590 27 63 63www.hotelchristopher.com

Hotel Carl Gustavwww.hotelcarlgustaf.com

Ici&La+590 590 27 78 78www.icietlavillas.com

Maison Noureev+1 617 349 0090www.noureev.com

Premium IV+590 690 88 22 12www.premiumiv.com

Oh, the worries of modern life. Never mind, it’s time for dinner. Madame Audy-Rowland, always a luminous figure, is at her radiant best, dressed immaculately from head to toe in finely tailored white linen. That her sartorial splendour was created from old bed sheets adds to the mischievous delight she takes in wearing them. On Saint-Barth, the fabric of life is sewn together with threads of good fun and good fortune. Long may they last.n

Le Toiny

64-72 St Barths.indd 72 25/04/2012 19:09


74-80 Kenya.indd 74 25/04/2012 19:06


Kenya Explore

The safari holiday has come a long way since the first explorers set out into the Kenyan wilderness in the early 19th Century, but the sense of adventure remains

WORDS: Nicci Perides

Into Africa

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74-80 Kenya.indd 74 25/04/2012 19:06

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Her eyes are bright; she is on full alert. In the distance, a herd of gazelles graze, blissfully unaware of her presence. The lioness is

alone but without a doubt her pride is close by, ready to launch their attack. The Maasai Mara, meaning ‘mottled’, which was given its name due the arrangement of the Acacia trees that are sporadically dotted around the landscape, is home to over a thousand species of animals, all creating the great circle of life.

A part of me wants to scream out to warn the gazelles of the impending danger, but that would leave the lioness and her cubs starving. Instead, I watch on incredulously as she stalks her prey.

The Mara, as the locals refer to it, was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1948, and given full National Reserve status by 1974. In the decades since, the area that is now the Maasai Mara National Reserve has been carved up and redistributed between management companies and indigenous tribes several times.

Today, the great Mara spans an area of over 1,510 square kilometres and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kenya, bringing in hundreds of thousands of animal enthusiasts hoping to catch a glimpse of the ‘Big Five’.

Kenya is a vast country with such a rich history that it would be unfair to concentrate entirely on the Mara. The country’s largest and busiest city, Nairobi, is a place people generally skip over in order to get to the inland reserves, however it is well worth a visit in its own right.

As I enter the doors of Nairobi’s most famous hotel, The Norfolk, I try to imagine its golden era, when lords and ladies graced its tea room dressed in their finest safari get-up, sipped tea and discussed the day ahead. Indeed, The Norfolk is where ‘safari’ was truly born.

In the late eighteenth century, when Kenya was part of British East Africa, the British were keen to improve transport links in and out of the area and decided to build a railway – The Lunatic Line, as it was nicknamed by local media at the time, since its construction

would mean battling man-eating lions, crossing treacherous terrain and crocodile and hippo-infested rivers.

The tracks were laid, starting at the coast at what is now Mombasa in 1896, and travelled through what is now Nairobi, into the great wilderness and further beyond into Uganda. The line cost somewhere in the region of GBP 3-5 million (US$4.8 – $8 million), depending on who you believe, and hundreds of lives, thanks to growing conflicts between construction workers and local tribes.

By the early 20th century, the tracks had reached a small outpost known as Mile 39. Workers set up a few tents and eventually this shantytown grew into what we know as Nairobi. The town became a base for the growing British colony and the starting point for big game drives or ‘safari’, meaning ‘a journey’. In 1909, US President Theodor Roosevelt and his son Kermit arrived at The Norfolk and embarked on a grand hunting tour with a 500-strong entourage. And so the safari was born.

“As I enter the doors of Nairobi’s most famous hotel, The Norfolk, I try to imagine its golden era, when lords and ladies graced its tea room dressed

in their finest safari get-up”

Explore Kenya

74-80 Kenya.indd 76 25/04/2012 19:05

Kenya Explore


King of the savannah (above)Up close and personal with some of Africa’s fiercest wildlife

Twilight drive (left)Spend your days exploring the vast plains in search of the Big Five

Since then, many have passed through the old doors of The Norfolk, and indeed Nairobi, in search of adventure in the great savannahs, and my tour of Kenya started here too.

Nairobi is very green for such a populated city. It is surrounded by forestland and a huge emphasis is placed on outdoor space; the parks and golf courses are in plentiful supply. The city is a main transit hub for moving cargo in and out of East Africa to the coast, and therefore the traffic is as bad as it can get – it took us nearly two hours to reach The Norfolk from the airport some 20 kilometres away.

No story of Kenya can be complete without a mention of one its most famous historic expats, Baroness Karen Blixen, who is most famous for her best-selling book, Out of Africa, which has since been turned into a movie. She too began her African life in Nairobi before setting up camp out in the country. The Danish baroness arrived in Kenya in 1914, married to her second cousin Baron Bron von Blixen. Together, using family money, they set up a coffee plantation in the plains under the Ngong Hills.

Mount Kenya Spectacular views

from Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club

74-80 Kenya.indd 77 25/04/2012 19:05

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Her eyes are bright; she is on full alert. In the distance, a herd of gazelles graze, blissfully unaware of her presence. The lioness is

alone but without a doubt her pride is close by, ready to launch their attack. The Maasai Mara, meaning ‘mottled’, which was given its name due the arrangement of the Acacia trees that are sporadically dotted around the landscape, is home to over a thousand species of animals, all creating the great circle of life.

A part of me wants to scream out to warn the gazelles of the impending danger, but that would leave the lioness and her cubs starving. Instead, I watch on incredulously as she stalks her prey.

The Mara, as the locals refer to it, was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1948, and given full National Reserve status by 1974. In the decades since, the area that is now the Maasai Mara National Reserve has been carved up and redistributed between management companies and indigenous tribes several times.

Today, the great Mara spans an area of over 1,510 square kilometres and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kenya, bringing in hundreds of thousands of animal enthusiasts hoping to catch a glimpse of the ‘Big Five’.

Kenya is a vast country with such a rich history that it would be unfair to concentrate entirely on the Mara. The country’s largest and busiest city, Nairobi, is a place people generally skip over in order to get to the inland reserves, however it is well worth a visit in its own right.

As I enter the doors of Nairobi’s most famous hotel, The Norfolk, I try to imagine its golden era, when lords and ladies graced its tea room dressed in their finest safari get-up, sipped tea and discussed the day ahead. Indeed, The Norfolk is where ‘safari’ was truly born.

In the late eighteenth century, when Kenya was part of British East Africa, the British were keen to improve transport links in and out of the area and decided to build a railway – The Lunatic Line, as it was nicknamed by local media at the time, since its construction

would mean battling man-eating lions, crossing treacherous terrain and crocodile and hippo-infested rivers.

The tracks were laid, starting at the coast at what is now Mombasa in 1896, and travelled through what is now Nairobi, into the great wilderness and further beyond into Uganda. The line cost somewhere in the region of GBP 3-5 million (US$4.8 – $8 million), depending on who you believe, and hundreds of lives, thanks to growing conflicts between construction workers and local tribes.

By the early 20th century, the tracks had reached a small outpost known as Mile 39. Workers set up a few tents and eventually this shantytown grew into what we know as Nairobi. The town became a base for the growing British colony and the starting point for big game drives or ‘safari’, meaning ‘a journey’. In 1909, US President Theodor Roosevelt and his son Kermit arrived at The Norfolk and embarked on a grand hunting tour with a 500-strong entourage. And so the safari was born.

“As I enter the doors of Nairobi’s most famous hotel, The Norfolk, I try to imagine its golden era, when lords and ladies graced its tea room dressed

in their finest safari get-up”

Explore Kenya

74-80 Kenya.indd 76 25/04/2012 19:05

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I arrive on a tree-lined driveway that leads to Karen’s former home, which is now the Karen Blixen Museum, and I try to imagine what life was like back then. There would have been no sprawling city, just an untamed vast plain where wild animals ruled and humans were just visitors. The veranda stretches around the perimeter of the grey-stone, one-storey building, and the cedar wood floors and fireplace lend a country cottage feel.

The museum is home to a mix of authentic artefacts from the Blixen house, along with a few replicas; still, it is exactly how I imagine it to be after reading her book Out of Africa. The grounds are perfectly manicured and it is easy to see why she loved this spot. Looking out away from the city, the rolling hills sprawl out in front of you – a welcome break from crowded Nairobi city centre.

After a couple of days, I pack up and get on the road. The next stop is Mount Kenya, where local legend says the country was born and

given its name by the local tribes who lived in the foothills of the mountain.

The drive from Nairobi is an interesting inland trip that takes you through some spectacular scenery, and around five hours later you arrive. Mount Kenya is located just south of the equator and its mystical snow-capped peak is at its most visible early in the morning or just before sunset.

Mount Kenya National Park is teeming with wildlife; elephants, bucks and deer roam free. The mountain itself has been an enigma for mountaineers for many years – with only a few managing to ascend its craggy upper peak. However, for those that fancy a leisurely stroll, the route to some of the lower peaks is fairly easy.

I ask the general manager of Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, which rests in the shadow of the mountain, if he had attempted the climb. “You can take a helicopter ride to have breakfast on one of the glaciers up there – there’s no need to climb,” he says, as if I’m mad. Instead I settle for a horse trek in the foothills, which culminates

Explore Kenya

in a champagne breakfast. Right in front of me sits the mountain, behind me is untamed bush and all around me elephants, bucks and gazelles grazing. Despite the audience, the horses don’t spook. The stable boys explain that nature has a way of just getting along.

Mount Kenya is the perfect place to relax for a few days before embarking on a safari. The Mount Kenya Safari Club’s refined, country club atmosphere is relaxed and elegant. Its history is rich, and the emphasis on preserving the local environment is commendable.

The final leg of my luxury tour takes me on a nineteen-seat Air Kenya plane to the mighty Mara. The small aircraft flies over the vast plains, landing on airstrips along the way (each one is just a field) and eventually drops me off on the banks of the Mara River. I am staying in a luxury campsite just a 10-minute drive from the airfield – the Fairmont Mara Safari Club.

Walk on the wild side (above)Wildebeest roam the plains of the mighty Maasai Mara

Early enthusiasts (right)Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first safari enthusiasts

74-80 Kenya.indd 78 25/04/2012 19:05


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The Fairmont The Norfolk+254 20 226 5555fairmont.com/norfolkhotel

Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club+254 20 226 5555fairmont.com/kenyasafariclub

Fairmont Mara Safari Club +254 20 226 5555fairmont.com/marasafariclub

The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille+254 20 354 0703www.ol-lentille.com

The Safari Collection +254 20 251 3166 www.thesafaricollection.com

The local area is a real delight. In front of my tent are the murky, swirling crocodile-infested waters of the Mara River. Beyond that lays wild flat plains and further still, forestland and hills stretch out as far as the eye can see.

Hippos lay blissfully unaware of our presence in the meandering curves of the river, snorting, gurgling and blowing water in the afternoon sun. A small crocodile enters from one of the banks and attempts to swim to the other side – the current takes the little fellow downstream before he manages to power back to where he needs to be.

Meanwhile, here on land, a family of monkeys descends from a tree. A few rest on the wooden beams of my veranda, the others balance precariously on branches dangling over the Mara. I didn’t even need to leave my luxurious tent to experience the wildlife of the region.

The next day, a wake up call at 5am disturbs me from my night under the stars, and I set off on a sunrise game drive followed by a visit to a local Maasai home. The Maasai still live in the traditional way they have for many

centuries, building houses made out of cow dung and drinking animal blood to build strength. Tradition dictates that to become a man in Maasai culture, you must kill a lion. Nowadays to become a man you must attend university and gain a degree. I ask how the university education has changed the way of life for this tribe.

“We are very proud of our heritage and preserving this is in our blood,” says Chris, the son of the village chief. “We send our children to get an education but they will always want to come back and live here, in this way.”

I continue on into the wilderness. The sun is just peeping over the hills and burning away the morning mist. Herds of Zebras graze while elephants trample the bush in the background.

A lone hyena ravages a dead deer and a lioness assesses her prey, all blissfully unaware that I am observing their every move. The atmosphere is peaceful and calm – just how nature intends it to be. As we drive away from the lioness, she gives a big yawn and rolls over on to her side – the gazelles are safe for now. n

The statesman (above)The Norfolk is Nairobi’s original luxury hotel

Mountain greens (left)Work, rest and play in the shadow of Mount Kenya

“In front of my tent are the murky, swirling crocodile-

infested waters of the Mara River. Beyond that lays wild flat plains and further still, forestland

and hills stretch out as far as the eye can see”

74-80 Kenya.indd 80 25/04/2012 19:05


Unforgettable introductionYour arrival by seaplane to the new eco-friendly Dusit Thani Maldives hints at what lies ahead

THE MALDIVES BACK TO NATURE

82-89 Eco.indd 82 25/04/2012 20:47


Maldives Eco Chic

May 2012dotwnews.com May 2012dotwnews.com dotwnews.comdotwnews.comdotwnews.com May 2012 May 2012dotwnews.comdotwnews.com May 2012dotwnews.comdotwnews.comdotwnews.comdotwnews.com

I’m staring out the window of a tiny seaplane, watching as the propellers slice through mushrooming cumulus clouds piled high like scoops of vanilla ice

cream. Finally we break through the white and I look down; the sun is just beginning to set, casting a soft orange light over the shimmering Indian Ocean.

I then get my first glimpse of the cover star of countless travel magazines: the Maldives island resort. It’s a bit like seeing a film star in the flesh; I almost have to pinch myself to believe it is really there in front of me. Over-water villas stretch over a crystalline turquoise lagoon, leaving behind beaches of pure white sand, the rooftops of villas just visible through bright green forests of banyans and palms.

Twenty minutes later, we circle the brand-new Dusit Thani Maldives before landing at a floating dock and boarding a speedboat that whisks us o� to a jetty, where a group of sta� help us clamber ashore. This is my first visit to the Maldives, and I can do nothing but stare in awe-struck silence: sunset has painted the sky in shades of oranges and pinks, the soft light saturating the jewel-tone blues and greens that surround us, intensifying each colour as twilight approaches. I’ll never forget the feeling of being surrounded by such unspoiled physical beauty – the Maldives are, as I’m sure has been said many times before, almost too pretty to be real.

Unfortunately a growing list of natural and man-made issues threatens to unravel this vulnerable archipelago’s delicate ecosystem. Currently the Maldives’ 1,190 islands stand an average of less than two metres above sea level. As ocean levels continue to rise, it may be one of the first countries to disappear, so to speak. Its coral reefs are also at risk from natural disaster, over-fishing, resort development and pollution. The Maldives’ indigenous marine species, including sea turtles, whale sharks, and mantas, are undergoing rapid changes to their natural environment, and are also at risk from illegal fishing and hunting.

The Maldives remains united on one key issue: sustainable

development WORDS: Caitlin Cheadle

82-89 Eco.indd 83 25/04/2012 20:47


Unforgettable introductionYour arrival by seaplane to the new eco-friendly Dusit Thani Maldives hints at what lies ahead

THE MALDIVES BACK TO NATURE

82-89 Eco.indd 82 25/04/2012 20:47

Escape Maldives

A LESSON IN SUSTAINABILITYOn my first morning in the Maldives I rise early and go snorkelling in the lagoon just beyond my over-water villa. Schools of tropical fish disperse as I near, glimmering like fireworks as the sun from above reflects o� their iridescent scales. Below, a sea turtle glides calmly through the water, unaware of the foreign species observing it from above. For the next ten minutes I swim with this graceful creature, feeling like I am witnessing every moment in slow motion.

Dusit Thani Maldives is located on Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve as of June 2011. As a Biosphere Reserve it will serve as a testing site for biodiversity conservation, encouraging e�orts to promote sustainability.

The protected area’s inhabitants include not just sea turtles, but also whale sharks and mantas, all of which are endangered and reducing rapidly in number as their environment changes at a pace they can’t keep up with. The resort’s Turtle Quest workshop, led by bubbly resident marine biologist Lauren Arthur, educates guests about the turtles and the threats they face before they are lead on a group dive to observe the creatures in their natural habitat.

“This is the only UNESCO site in the Maldives, and it’s a big step for the Maldives – a step in the right direction,” Arthur tells a group of journalists during a seminar conducted at sunset in the beachfront Sand Bar.

Bill Allison, a diver who has been studying the e�ects of tourism on the Maldives for the

past 25 years, has witnessed the journey to gain UNESCO designation since the idea was first floated in the early 90s: “Baa Atoll was selected partly because the resorts here are interested in supporting it, and partly because of some of the interesting aspects of the biology here – the manta migrations, for example. This atoll has been studied a little more than the other atolls. There’s still an awful lot to be learned about the Maldives,” he explains.

The environmental policies continue behind the scenes at Dusit Thani Maldives. The concept here, like at fellow eco-friendly resorts on Baa Atoll, such as Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru and Soneva Fushi by Six Senses, is an environmentally conscious operation that doesn’t sacrifice guests’ luxury holiday experience. As well as the educational diving and snorkelling workshops, the resort uses water-saving washing methods, works to create sustainable dining menus and distils its own water on-site, sterilising and reusing the glass bottles it is served in.

The direction the resort’s developers have taken is a reflection of the country’s overall tourism development strategy: the preservation of the environment a top priotity.

CHANGING OF THE GUARDSConsidering the rapid rate of tourism development in the Maldives, which has for decades been the bread and butter of its fledgling economy, the country has upheld a commendable approach to eco-conscious initiatives.

Today the Maldives welcomes around 650,000 visitors a year. Over a decade ago, a group of advisors evaluated the environmental

impact of the expanding tourism industry, and the country was instructed to take every precaution necessary to protect its natural habitat, or its tourism industry would be the first thing to su�er. As a result, the government has been closely involved in monitoring tourism development in a way that poses minimal threat to the environment.

To reduce the impact of overdevelopment, currently the Maldives limits each resort to one small, self-contained island, responsible for its own electricity generation, waste management and freshwater production. Many resorts also operate coral reef building programmes, and educational diving and snorkelling seminars.

“This is the only UNESCO site in the Maldives and it’s a big step – a step

in the right direction”

Priceless beautyExplore the reefs of Baa

Atoll and you’ll understand why they are so precious

82-89 Eco.indd 84 25/04/2012 20:47

The Residence Maldives.pdf 1 4/16/2012 3:32:20 PM

Escape Maldives

A LESSON IN SUSTAINABILITYOn my first morning in the Maldives I rise early and go snorkelling in the lagoon just beyond my over-water villa. Schools of tropical fish disperse as I near, glimmering like fireworks as the sun from above reflects o� their iridescent scales. Below, a sea turtle glides calmly through the water, unaware of the foreign species observing it from above. For the next ten minutes I swim with this graceful creature, feeling like I am witnessing every moment in slow motion.

Dusit Thani Maldives is located on Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve as of June 2011. As a Biosphere Reserve it will serve as a testing site for biodiversity conservation, encouraging e�orts to promote sustainability.

The protected area’s inhabitants include not just sea turtles, but also whale sharks and mantas, all of which are endangered and reducing rapidly in number as their environment changes at a pace they can’t keep up with. The resort’s Turtle Quest workshop, led by bubbly resident marine biologist Lauren Arthur, educates guests about the turtles and the threats they face before they are lead on a group dive to observe the creatures in their natural habitat.

“This is the only UNESCO site in the Maldives, and it’s a big step for the Maldives – a step in the right direction,” Arthur tells a group of journalists during a seminar conducted at sunset in the beachfront Sand Bar.

Bill Allison, a diver who has been studying the e�ects of tourism on the Maldives for the

past 25 years, has witnessed the journey to gain UNESCO designation since the idea was first floated in the early 90s: “Baa Atoll was selected partly because the resorts here are interested in supporting it, and partly because of some of the interesting aspects of the biology here – the manta migrations, for example. This atoll has been studied a little more than the other atolls. There’s still an awful lot to be learned about the Maldives,” he explains.

The environmental policies continue behind the scenes at Dusit Thani Maldives. The concept here, like at fellow eco-friendly resorts on Baa Atoll, such as Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru and Soneva Fushi by Six Senses, is an environmentally conscious operation that doesn’t sacrifice guests’ luxury holiday experience. As well as the educational diving and snorkelling workshops, the resort uses water-saving washing methods, works to create sustainable dining menus and distils its own water on-site, sterilising and reusing the glass bottles it is served in.

The direction the resort’s developers have taken is a reflection of the country’s overall tourism development strategy: the preservation of the environment a top priotity.

CHANGING OF THE GUARDSConsidering the rapid rate of tourism development in the Maldives, which has for decades been the bread and butter of its fledgling economy, the country has upheld a commendable approach to eco-conscious initiatives.

Today the Maldives welcomes around 650,000 visitors a year. Over a decade ago, a group of advisors evaluated the environmental

impact of the expanding tourism industry, and the country was instructed to take every precaution necessary to protect its natural habitat, or its tourism industry would be the first thing to su�er. As a result, the government has been closely involved in monitoring tourism development in a way that poses minimal threat to the environment.

To reduce the impact of overdevelopment, currently the Maldives limits each resort to one small, self-contained island, responsible for its own electricity generation, waste management and freshwater production. Many resorts also operate coral reef building programmes, and educational diving and snorkelling seminars.

“This is the only UNESCO site in the Maldives and it’s a big step – a step

in the right direction”

Priceless beautyExplore the reefs of Baa

Atoll and you’ll understand why they are so precious

82-89 Eco.indd 84 25/04/2012 20:47


Escape Maldives

86 May 2012May 2012 dotwnews.comdotwnews.comdotwnews.com dotwnews.com May 2012 86

In the recently released documentary film The Island President, cameras followed then-president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet of advisors as they hatched a plan to become the world’s first carbon-neutral nation, in turn eliminating its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The ambitious plan involved replacing the oil fuels consumed by the country’s generators, cars and boats with power from solar panels, wind turbines and biofuels. It was estimated the initiative would cost close to US$1.1 billion to implement; however in theory the plan would have paid for itself within 10-20 years by eliminating the cost of importing petrol, diesel and kerosene into the Maldives.

Nasheed, who was removed from power in an alleged coup in February of this year, may have been fighting a losing battle. It remains to be seen whether initiatives such as his will survive under the new government.

A LASTING IMPRESSIONOn my departure, as the seaplane skims across the water and lifts into the air, I look back at the Baa Atoll growing smaller in the distance. It strikes me that the future of the Maldives teeters on the brink of uncertainty; its political and environmental future remain incredibly vulnerable and inexorably linked.

I can’t help but think of ousted President Mohamed Nasheed and the fact that his e�orts to reduce his country’s carbon emissions far exceed the contributions of much wealthier nations. A passionate man who seemed genuinely concerned for the Maldives’ future, the former president hoped his e�orts would spur other nations to follow suit. “At least we will die knowing we did the right thing”, he says in The Island President. A cause worth fighting for. ■

Dusit Thani Maldives+960 660 8888www.dusit.com Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru +960 660 0888www.fourseasons.com

Beaches beckonEach island resort in the Maldives

is a self-contained operation – pristine beaches guaranteed

Take your pickA tough decision in your over-

water villa is choosing between your infinity pool and the sea

CONTACTS

82-89 Eco.indd 86 25/04/2012 20:47

235x335h_mm coral reef.pdf 1 4/25/2012 7:25:19 PM


Escape Maldives

86 May 2012May 2012 dotwnews.comdotwnews.comdotwnews.com dotwnews.com May 2012 86

In the recently released documentary film The Island President, cameras followed then-president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet of advisors as they hatched a plan to become the world’s first carbon-neutral nation, in turn eliminating its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The ambitious plan involved replacing the oil fuels consumed by the country’s generators, cars and boats with power from solar panels, wind turbines and biofuels. It was estimated the initiative would cost close to US$1.1 billion to implement; however in theory the plan would have paid for itself within 10-20 years by eliminating the cost of importing petrol, diesel and kerosene into the Maldives.

Nasheed, who was removed from power in an alleged coup in February of this year, may have been fighting a losing battle. It remains to be seen whether initiatives such as his will survive under the new government.

A LASTING IMPRESSIONOn my departure, as the seaplane skims across the water and lifts into the air, I look back at the Baa Atoll growing smaller in the distance. It strikes me that the future of the Maldives teeters on the brink of uncertainty; its political and environmental future remain incredibly vulnerable and inexorably linked.

I can’t help but think of ousted President Mohamed Nasheed and the fact that his e�orts to reduce his country’s carbon emissions far exceed the contributions of much wealthier nations. A passionate man who seemed genuinely concerned for the Maldives’ future, the former president hoped his e�orts would spur other nations to follow suit. “At least we will die knowing we did the right thing”, he says in The Island President. A cause worth fighting for. ■

Dusit Thani Maldives+960 660 8888www.dusit.com Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru +960 660 0888www.fourseasons.com

Beaches beckonEach island resort in the Maldives

is a self-contained operation – pristine beaches guaranteed

Take your pickA tough decision in your over-

water villa is choosing between your infinity pool and the sea

CONTACTS

82-89 Eco.indd 86 25/04/2012 20:47

GREEN GUIDE TO THE MALDIVES

BANYAN TREE VABBINFARUThis 48-villa resort made a splash when it opened in 1995, winning awards for its marine-biology lab, the first of its kind to be run by a hotel group. Guests can take part in conservation e�orts such as reef species checks with in-house divers, as well as monitor the conservation of sea turtle populations. www.banyantree.com

SONEVA FUSHIEco-tourism watchdog Green Globe has certified this barefoot-chic retreat, which is already carbon-neutral thanks to its carbon o�setting programme, which donates a portion of each guest’s stay to environmental organisations. It also aims to be the country’s first carbon-zero resort (meaning it would only use clean energy), implementing an on-site waste recycling plant that also serves neighbouring islands. www.sixsenses.com

TAJ EXOTICAThe 62-villa property is surrounded by a 200-acre lagoon and incorporates green initiatives like an advanced hot water system, allowing it to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 22 percent. The resort’s operations policies have all been certified by Green Globe.www.tajhotels.com

PARK HYATT MALDIVES HADAHAAThe modern-minimalist resort was the first property in the Maldives to be built according to the standards set by Green Globe. The 50-bungalow resort conducted thorough research prior to its opening to limit its impact on the surrounding environment. A cultural preservation programme lets guests interact with local families and meet traditional artisans on nearby islands.www.park.hyatt.com

82-89 Eco.indd 88 25/04/2012 20:47

SHANGRI-LA VILLINGILIOne of the larger resorts on the Maldives, the 142 over-water, beachfront and treetop accommodations are outfitted with green features like solar panels on every villa and an on-site water bottling facility. The spa’s on-site spa o�ers the Kandu Boli Ritual, which incorporates locally produced coconut oil and indigenous cowrie shells.www.shangri-la.com

ANGSANA IHURU RESORTThe back-to-nature resort was granted the first Maldivian Preservation award in 1996, as well as the President of the Maldives Green Resort Award in 2002 for its Marine Lab, which undertakes research to protect endangered green sea turtles and black-tip reef sharks.www.angsana.com

HUVAFEN FUSHIThe statement we keep hearing over and over again to describe this 44-bungalow resort, one of the original over-water villa resorts, is ‘James Bond’. But high-tech doesn’t have to mean environmentally unsound. The resort is home one of the Maldives’ most successful coral regeneration projects, overseen by an on-site marine biologist.www.huvafenfushi.peraquum.com

SIX SENSES LAAMUThis resort has been built from sustainable and recycled materials, with some parts of the island remaining untouched by development. An organic vegetable garden provides the resort’s guests with healthy and eco-friendly dining options.www.sixsenses.com

Eight eco-friendly resorts that don’t skimp on luxury


Maldives Eco Chic

82-89 Eco.indd 89 25/04/2012 20:46

GREEN GUIDE TO THE MALDIVES

BANYAN TREE VABBINFARUThis 48-villa resort made a splash when it opened in 1995, winning awards for its marine-biology lab, the first of its kind to be run by a hotel group. Guests can take part in conservation e�orts such as reef species checks with in-house divers, as well as monitor the conservation of sea turtle populations. www.banyantree.com

SONEVA FUSHIEco-tourism watchdog Green Globe has certified this barefoot-chic retreat, which is already carbon-neutral thanks to its carbon o�setting programme, which donates a portion of each guest’s stay to environmental organisations. It also aims to be the country’s first carbon-zero resort (meaning it would only use clean energy), implementing an on-site waste recycling plant that also serves neighbouring islands. www.sixsenses.com

TAJ EXOTICAThe 62-villa property is surrounded by a 200-acre lagoon and incorporates green initiatives like an advanced hot water system, allowing it to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 22 percent. The resort’s operations policies have all been certified by Green Globe.www.tajhotels.com

PARK HYATT MALDIVES HADAHAAThe modern-minimalist resort was the first property in the Maldives to be built according to the standards set by Green Globe. The 50-bungalow resort conducted thorough research prior to its opening to limit its impact on the surrounding environment. A cultural preservation programme lets guests interact with local families and meet traditional artisans on nearby islands.www.park.hyatt.com

82-89 Eco.indd 88 25/04/2012 20:47

08:00 Arrive at Dubai International Air-port. If you were flying Emirates business or first class, lucky you – you’ll get to take a chauffeured Mercedes (first class) or Volvo (business class) straight to your hotel (www.emirates.com).

09.00 The charming, tucked away riyadh-style gallery-guesthouses of Bastakiya, Dubai’s ‘Old Town’, are an often-overlooked hidden gem – this is where you should start your journey. Dubai is know for its glamor-ous seven-star hotels, but step inside the serene courtyard of XVA Art Hotel in the heart of Bastakiya and you’ll be transported back to a bygone era, a million miles from the skyscrapers and crowded motorways of the city. One of only a handful of bou-tique hotels in Dubai, XVA was Conde Nast Traveller’s number-one ‘Not to Miss’ spot in Dubai in 2006. Drop off your bags and set-tle into the authentic, Persian-style décor of

your room, then sit down for breakfast in the courtyard as the call to prayer rings out in the distance. After you dine, check out the collection of contemporary paintings and sculptures adorning XVA’s narrow, maze-like hallways and public spaces (www.xva-gallery.com; +971 4 358 5117).

11.00 Visit Majlis Gallery, founded by long-time Dubai resident and expat Allison Col-lins, who arrived in Dubai in 1976 to start an interior design business and fell in love with Dubai’s historic Bastakiya district. Majlis Gallery is symbolic of the preserva-tion of Dubai’s former trading port, which was nearly demolished in 1988, but was saved after a reprieve was granted and the gallery was allowed to re-open its doors in 1989. Today the walls of its quaint outdoor courtyard and café serve as the exhibition space for colourful works by local and Middle-Eastern and Iranian art-

ists and jewellers (www.themajlisgallery.com; +971 4 353 6233).

12.00 Jump in a taxi and head to Al Quoz, a desert industrial zone that is now home to a cluster of converted warehouses that look like trendy New York lofts from the inside. Here you will find an impressive selection of modern art by budding Middle Eastern artists and designers. If you are looking for unique pieces to decorate your home, La Galerie Nationale houses original 20th century art furniture by celebrated artists Mathieu Mategot, Jean Royere, Raymond Loewy, Willy Rizzo and Joe Colombo (www.galerie-nationale.com; +971 4 380 46 52).Nearby is the Lawrie Shabibi Gallery. Founded in 2011 by William Lawrie, former director of contemporary Middle Eastern art at Christie’s, this super stylish gallery, housed inside a sleek 3,000 sq ft ware-house, maintains a focus on promoting D

uba

i

You might think there couldn’t be much to Dubai’s art scene, but look beyond the glitz and glamour and you’ll find a simmering cauldron of classical and contemporary talent that is ready to spill over onto the international stageWords: Caitlin Cheadle

Night & DAy

La Galerie Nationale

90-91 Art 24 Hours.indd 90 25/04/2012 18:52

Dubai 24 Hours

Mandarin Oriental

The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC+971 4 372 2222www.ritzcarlton.com XVA Art Hotel +971 4 358 5117www.xvagallery.com/hotel

STAY

contemporary art from the Middle East, North Africa, South and Central Asia, regionally and internationally (www.law-rieshabibi.com; +971 4 346 9906). Just down the road is Showcase gallery, origi-nally established in Bastakiya in the early 1990s by interior designer Sharon Harvey. Inside its new location you’ll find a diverse blend of antique Middle Eastern furniture and a slightly edgier collection of con-temporary art by established and emerg-ing artists from Europe, America and the Middle East. Especially impressive is the collection of antique Omani chests, doors and authentic tribal jewellery, sourced from Oman, India and Portugal (www.showcaseuae.com; + 971 4 348 8797).

14:00 A 15-minute taxi ride away is the DIFC, Dubai’s buzzing financial district, where you’ll find elegant glass-walled gal-leries among the ultra-modern office build-ings and trendy restaurants. This is no coin-cidence of course; this is where Dubai’s top earners come to invest on expanding their private collections. Before you dig in, treat yourself to a leisurely lunch at La Petite Maison, the Middle Eastern outpost of the famed Cannes establishment, favoured by celebrities and socialites. The setting of this fine-dine restaurant will make you feel as though you’re in Paris, with its white walls,

high windows and bright paintings (www.lpmdubai.ae; +971 4 439 0505). Enjoy plate after plate of pared-down, delicious French food before you wander over to XVA Gallery DIFC, the forward-focused younger sister of XVA Bastakiya, featuring contemporary works in a modern setting of concrete, glass and steel.

17.00 Next you’ll want to head to the nearby Cuadro Fine Art Gallery. Founded in 2008, this is one of the UAE’s fore-most contemporary and modern art ven-ues. Showcasing a wide range of artists from all over the world, the curatorial programme is made up of four visual con-cepts: painting, paper, photography and sculpture. The gallery also provides con-sultation services for collectors looking to make wise investments (www.cuadroart.com; +971 4 425 0400).

18.00 Sit down at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC’s Shisha Terrace and consult the shisha som-melier for your choice of ‘hubbly bubbly’.

19.00 Stroll over to the glass façade of Opera Gallery to admire sculptures, paintings, and photography from a varied selection of con-temporary and classic artists. With locations in Singapore, New York, Hong Kong and Geneva, to name a few, Opera Gallery has access to

an international and exclusive network of art-ists and curators, displaying works from some of the Great Masters, such as Gaugin, Picasso, Dali, and Chagall, while also scouting for unique works by new and emerging artists (www.oper-agallery.com; +971 4 323 0909).

20.00 Time for dinner. Just across from Opera Gallery is Zuma, the after-work watering hole for an interesting mix of young and trendy suited types, high-flying bankers and glamorous society ladies. Take a seat at the restaurant downstairs and sample mouth-watering black cod with miso, grilled wagyu with truffle mayonnaise and the freshest sashimi (www.zumarestaurant.com; +971 04 425 5660).

22.30 Zuma’s upstairs bar will just be picking up the pace now. It tends to be full to the brim every night, serving inventive cocktails over the sounds of a live DJ. Stay here long enough to watch the beautiful people mingle, then make a swift exit.

24.00 Back in Dubai’s peaceful Bastakiya quarter, it’s time for bed.

06.00 Hopefully you remembered to book your Emirates chauffeur back to Dubai Inter-national Airport – you’re not going to want to miss the chance to enjoy breakfast in the Emir-ates Lounge.

XVA Art Hotel

Showcase gallery


90-91 Art 24 Hours.indd 91 25/04/2012 18:52

08:00 Arrive at Dubai International Air-port. If you were flying Emirates business or first class, lucky you – you’ll get to take a chauffeured Mercedes (first class) or Volvo (business class) straight to your hotel (www.emirates.com).

09.00 The charming, tucked away riyadh-style gallery-guesthouses of Bastakiya, Dubai’s ‘Old Town’, are an often-overlooked hidden gem – this is where you should start your journey. Dubai is know for its glamor-ous seven-star hotels, but step inside the serene courtyard of XVA Art Hotel in the heart of Bastakiya and you’ll be transported back to a bygone era, a million miles from the skyscrapers and crowded motorways of the city. One of only a handful of bou-tique hotels in Dubai, XVA was Conde Nast Traveller’s number-one ‘Not to Miss’ spot in Dubai in 2006. Drop off your bags and set-tle into the authentic, Persian-style décor of

your room, then sit down for breakfast in the courtyard as the call to prayer rings out in the distance. After you dine, check out the collection of contemporary paintings and sculptures adorning XVA’s narrow, maze-like hallways and public spaces (www.xva-gallery.com; +971 4 358 5117).

11.00 Visit Majlis Gallery, founded by long-time Dubai resident and expat Allison Col-lins, who arrived in Dubai in 1976 to start an interior design business and fell in love with Dubai’s historic Bastakiya district. Majlis Gallery is symbolic of the preserva-tion of Dubai’s former trading port, which was nearly demolished in 1988, but was saved after a reprieve was granted and the gallery was allowed to re-open its doors in 1989. Today the walls of its quaint outdoor courtyard and café serve as the exhibition space for colourful works by local and Middle-Eastern and Iranian art-

ists and jewellers (www.themajlisgallery.com; +971 4 353 6233).

12.00 Jump in a taxi and head to Al Quoz, a desert industrial zone that is now home to a cluster of converted warehouses that look like trendy New York lofts from the inside. Here you will find an impressive selection of modern art by budding Middle Eastern artists and designers. If you are looking for unique pieces to decorate your home, La Galerie Nationale houses original 20th century art furniture by celebrated artists Mathieu Mategot, Jean Royere, Raymond Loewy, Willy Rizzo and Joe Colombo (www.galerie-nationale.com; +971 4 380 46 52).Nearby is the Lawrie Shabibi Gallery. Founded in 2011 by William Lawrie, former director of contemporary Middle Eastern art at Christie’s, this super stylish gallery, housed inside a sleek 3,000 sq ft ware-house, maintains a focus on promoting D

uba

i

You might think there couldn’t be much to Dubai’s art scene, but look beyond the glitz and glamour and you’ll find a simmering cauldron of classical and contemporary talent that is ready to spill over onto the international stageWords: Caitlin Cheadle

Night & DAy

La Galerie Nationale

90-91 Art 24 Hours.indd 90 25/04/2012 18:52

09.00 Arrive at Hong Kong International Airport (www.hongkongairport.com), situ-ated on reclaimed land about 40 minutes’ drive from the city, or 24 minutes from Cen-tral district on the Airport Express, which leaves every 10 minutes (www.mtr.com.hk).

10.00 Check into the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (www.mandarinoriental.com; +852 2820 4202), one of the city’s oldest hotels and one of the flagship properties of the hotel group. The 501-room grand dame was built in 1963 and was originally called The Mandarin, until the company merged with The Oriental in Bangkok, forming Man-darin Oriental Hotels. Grab a quick break-fast bite in the Clipper Lounge (+852 2825 4007), which has been a meeting place for visitors and residents in Hong Kong since the hotel’s early days.

11.00 Walk across Statue Square and on to The Peak tram station, where a 120-year-old funicular will take you directly up the side of the 552m mountain to The Peak and Sky Terrace 428 (named so because at 428m above sea level, it is the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong). On a clear

day, a stroll around the viewing platform gives you 360-degree views over Hong Kong (www.thepeak.com.hk/en; HK$65 for return tram tickets and Sky Terrace 428 entry; departs every 10-15 minutes). Once a retreat where the city’s wealthy European occu-pants came to escape the summer heat, The Peak is now a great place to learn about Hong Kong’s history and get your bearings.

12.30 Return to sea level and take a table in the main dining room at Bo Innovation (www.boinnovation.com; +852 2850 8371, reservation recommended), one of the most exciting restaurants in the city, if not the world, at the moment. Located in busy Wan Chai, there is nothing remarkable about the location of the two Michelin-starred restaurant, which is accessed via a lift on non-descript Ship Street. However the menu, created by Alvin Leung Jr. (AKA Demon Chef) is nothing short of remark-able. Unleashing the principals of molecular gastronomy on traditional Chinese cuisine, Leung deconstructs familiar Chinese dishes and serves them in their original forms, or incorporates them into Western dishes – with achingly delicious effect.

Go for the Chef’s Menu (US$100 plus 10 percent service charge), which features eight signature dishes including ‘xiao long bao’, a globular ball of warm dim sum reduction, and Japanese saga-gyu beef with black truffle, soy and cheung fun (Chinese rice noodle).

14.30 If your mind is still in one piece, head to the Landmark Mall in Central for some retail therapy (www.landmark.hk). Hong Kong’s largest collection of luxury brands spills out onto the streets around it, but the extensive retail and dining choices inside are more than enough to sate your shopping appetite. If you prefer all your clothing to feature the Armani logo, visit the nearby Pacific Place Mall, where an entire floor is dedicated to more Armani boutiques than you knew existed (www.pacificplace.com.hk).

16.00 Catch the Star Ferry across to the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour (www.starferry.com.hk; +852 2367 7065, departs every 10-12 minutes) and stop off at The Peninsula Hong Kong (www.peninsula.com; +852 2920 2888) for afternoon tea in The Lobby, where Hong Kong socialites have congregated for decades. h

on

g k

on

g

Twenty-four hours in Hong Kong calls for serious strategic planning – here’s our must-do hotlist

Night & DAyWords: Joe Mortimer

92-93 Hong Kong 24 hours.indd 92 25/04/2012 18:49


title SectionyAbu Dhabi 24 Hours

M Bar at Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong+852 2820 4202www.mandarinoriental.com The Peninsula Hong Kong+852 2920 2888www.peninsula.com

STAY

If you prefer your tea in a more traditional Chinese setting, grab a snack at Spring Moon and have tea master Terry Tang pair one of 27 kinds of tea with your dish (+852 2315 3160).

19.00 Take a stroll along the Avenue of Stars, where you can find statues of Hong Kong film industry immortals including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and John Woo, before boarding Aqua Luna (www.aqua.com.hk; +852 2116 8821, HK$240 including one beverage), a traditional red-sail Chinese Junk that will cruise the busy waters of Victoria Harbour while you enjoy sundowners and the famous Symphony of Lights. Every night at 20.00, 44 buildings on either side of the harbour come alive with a colourful light show based around five separate themes.

20.30 Make your way to the infinitely trendy One Peking, an ultra-modern 30-floor tower built using photosensitive glass panes that change tint depending on the strength of the sun, designed by architect WMKY Limited. More importantly it’s also home to loads of stylish shops and restaurants including Aqua. The super-trendy venue is

really three-in-one: Aqua Tokyo (Japanese cuisine), Aqua Roma (Italian cuisine) and Aqua Spirit (trendy mezzanine level cock-tail bar). The restaurant was recently given a complete makeover by London design leg-end David Collins (www.davidcollins.com), and the stylish interior now provides one of the nicest spots in town to gaze out at the buildings of Hong Kong Island.

22.30 See the rest of the night off in style back at Mandarin Oriental’s 25th-floor M Bar, a low-lit lounge bar with epic views over the city. Try the signature ‘Legend’.

00.30 Retire to your room and enjoy a good night’s sleep before your return journey.

“Unleashing the

principals of molecular

gastronomy on traditional

Chinese cuisine, Leung

deconstructs familiar

dishes and serves them

in their original forms, or

incorporates them into

Western dishes – with

achingly delicious effect”

David Collins’ Aqua


09.00 Arrive at Hong Kong International Airport (www.hongkongairport.com), situ-ated on reclaimed land about 40 minutes’ drive from the city, or 24 minutes from Cen-tral district on the Airport Express, which leaves every 10 minutes (www.mtr.com.hk).

10.00 Check into the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (www.mandarinoriental.com; +852 2820 4202), one of the city’s oldest hotels and one of the flagship properties of the hotel group. The 501-room grand dame was built in 1963 and was originally called The Mandarin, until the company merged with The Oriental in Bangkok, forming Man-darin Oriental Hotels. Grab a quick break-fast bite in the Clipper Lounge (+852 2825 4007), which has been a meeting place for visitors and residents in Hong Kong since the hotel’s early days.

11.00 Walk across Statue Square and on to The Peak tram station, where a 120-year-old funicular will take you directly up the side of the 552m mountain to The Peak and Sky Terrace 428 (named so because at 428m above sea level, it is the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong). On a clear

day, a stroll around the viewing platform gives you 360-degree views over Hong Kong (www.thepeak.com.hk/en; HK$65 for return tram tickets and Sky Terrace 428 entry; departs every 10-15 minutes). Once a retreat where the city’s wealthy European occu-pants came to escape the summer heat, The Peak is now a great place to learn about Hong Kong’s history and get your bearings.

12.30 Return to sea level and take a table in the main dining room at Bo Innovation (www.boinnovation.com; +852 2850 8371, reservation recommended), one of the most exciting restaurants in the city, if not the world, at the moment. Located in busy Wan Chai, there is nothing remarkable about the location of the two Michelin-starred restaurant, which is accessed via a lift on non-descript Ship Street. However the menu, created by Alvin Leung Jr. (AKA Demon Chef) is nothing short of remark-able. Unleashing the principals of molecular gastronomy on traditional Chinese cuisine, Leung deconstructs familiar Chinese dishes and serves them in their original forms, or incorporates them into Western dishes – with achingly delicious effect.

Go for the Chef’s Menu (US$100 plus 10 percent service charge), which features eight signature dishes including ‘xiao long bao’, a globular ball of warm dim sum reduction, and Japanese saga-gyu beef with black truffle, soy and cheung fun (Chinese rice noodle).

14.30 If your mind is still in one piece, head to the Landmark Mall in Central for some retail therapy (www.landmark.hk). Hong Kong’s largest collection of luxury brands spills out onto the streets around it, but the extensive retail and dining choices inside are more than enough to sate your shopping appetite. If you prefer all your clothing to feature the Armani logo, visit the nearby Pacific Place Mall, where an entire floor is dedicated to more Armani boutiques than you knew existed (www.pacificplace.com.hk).

16.00 Catch the Star Ferry across to the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour (www.starferry.com.hk; +852 2367 7065, departs every 10-12 minutes) and stop off at The Peninsula Hong Kong (www.peninsula.com; +852 2920 2888) for afternoon tea in The Lobby, where Hong Kong socialites have congregated for decades. h

on

g k

on

g

Twenty-four hours in Hong Kong calls for serious strategic planning – here’s our must-do hotlist

Night & DAyWords: Joe Mortimer


CINCO DE MAYOMAY 5, MEXICO AND USA

This is the day Mexicans celebrate their victory over the French at the

Battle of Puebla in 1862. The largest celebrations take place in the city of

Puebla, Mexico, and in US cities with a significant population of Mexicans,

in the border states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California.

Expect celebrations centred around food, plus parades and street

fairs featuring traditional Mexican dancing and festivities.


CANNES FILM FESTIVALMAY 1-27, CANNES, FRANCENothing beats summer in the French Riviera, except if you’re there for the Cannes Film Festival. This is when the famous Croisette is lined with not only palm trees but movie stars. Hotel prices skyrocket, entry to restaurants and nightclubs requires personal connections, paparazzi roam the streets, and you’re bound to be rubbing shoulders with some very public figures – make sure you’re invited to at least one yacht party.www.festival-cannes.fr

MONACO F1 GRAND PRIXMAY 24-27, MONACO

This is considered the most exciting of the Formula One Circuits. Built

onto the picturesque streets of Monaco, it is one of the most

challenging tracks thanks to its tight corners and varied elevations.

It’s also one of the most glamorous. Superyachts crowd the marinas,

billionaires take over the nightclubs, bars and restaurants, and celebrity-spotting is the second most popular

pastime. After the races, of course. www.monaco-grand-prix.com

05.12Diary

94-95 Diary.indd 94 25/04/2012 18:44


FRENCH OPEN TENNIS

MAY 27-JUNE 10, PARIS, FRANCE

One of the four grand slam tournaments in professional tennis,

the French Open dates back to 1891, and is played on a clay court at Roland Garros. The tournament is well-known as one of the most

challenging and has seen many top players su�er upsets in their e�orts to gain a French Open title. In your

free time, explore one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

www.rolandgarros.com

ROYAL WINDSOR HORSE SHOWMAY 9-13, WINDSOR, UKThis popular show takes place in the historic town of Windsor, with a full range of jumping events, dressage and competitions such as the DAKS Pony Club Mounted Games. The event also has something for car enthusiasts, with one of the most important driving events in the UK, the Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix, taking place on the private grounds of beautiful Windsor Castle.www.rwhs.co.uk

CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVALMAY 2-7, CHELTENHAM, UKThe quiet town of Cheltenham is the venue for this week of live music, featuring intimate concerts at a variety of venues including bars and restaurants and the Budvar Marquee in Imperial Gardens, which also hosts a series of free events over the May bank holiday long weekend. www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz

94-95 Diary.indd 95 25/04/2012 18:44

CINCO DE MAYOMAY 5, MEXICO AND USA

This is the day Mexicans celebrate their victory over the French at the

Battle of Puebla in 1862. The largest celebrations take place in the city of

Puebla, Mexico, and in US cities with a significant population of Mexicans,

in the border states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California.

Expect celebrations centred around food, plus parades and street

fairs featuring traditional Mexican dancing and festivities.


CANNES FILM FESTIVALMAY 1-27, CANNES, FRANCENothing beats summer in the French Riviera, except if you’re there for the Cannes Film Festival. This is when the famous Croisette is lined with not only palm trees but movie stars. Hotel prices skyrocket, entry to restaurants and nightclubs requires personal connections, paparazzi roam the streets, and you’re bound to be rubbing shoulders with some very public figures – make sure you’re invited to at least one yacht party.www.festival-cannes.fr

MONACO F1 GRAND PRIXMAY 24-27, MONACO

This is considered the most exciting of the Formula One Circuits. Built

onto the picturesque streets of Monaco, it is one of the most

challenging tracks thanks to its tight corners and varied elevations.

It’s also one of the most glamorous. Superyachts crowd the marinas,

billionaires take over the nightclubs, bars and restaurants, and celebrity-spotting is the second most popular

pastime. After the races, of course. www.monaco-grand-prix.com

05.12Diary

94-95 Diary.indd 94 25/04/2012 18:44

Spend it Itineraries


Shop until you dropLondon Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, is a beautiful new property set in the English countryside. And now, they want to make sure you look beautiful too. Book yourself in for the Harvey Nicholls Personal Shopping Experience and you’ll be transported by lux-ury car to Harvey Nicholls department store on the corner of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street, where you’ll be met by your very own personal shopper. After your day of retail therapy you’ll be in need of some pampering, so indulge in a signature Hydrotherapy bath with Voya Unique Essential Oils. Get dolled up to sample signature cocktails over a three-course dinner, prepared with fresh ingredi-ents grown on the hotel’s estate. Retire to your Syon Garden Room overlooking the beautiful landscaped gardens for a Laurent Perrier nightcap. The following morning you’ll be treated to breakfast in bed, ready for a new day.Cost: US$866 per night inclusive of taxes. From: May 12 – September 30, 2012Book: [email protected] www.londonsyonpark.com

Monaco Grand Prix in styleIf you’re thinking of heading to Monaco for the Formula 1 Grand Prix this year, you may as well go all out and book yourself into Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez, where hotel-ier Shahe Kalaidjian will be pulling out all the stops to ensure guests have the most glamorous experience imaginable. Guests staying at the hotel for the Monaco Grand Prix will have a vast array of sailboats and yachts at their disposal, ranging from 42 - 105 feet, allowing them to avoid the crowds of the grandstand. Or opt to get to the race via chauffeured car, or even heli-copter if you wish. From the moment you step inside the hotel you’ll be surrounded by exquisite design and impeccable service, with your own personal assistant at the ready to fulfil every desire. After the race, join the beautiful people at the Dom Per-ignon Champagne Bar – you’re sure to feel like a million bucks while staying here.Cost: from EUR 515 (US$680) per nightFrom: May 24-27Book: [email protected]

Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez

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96-98 Spend It.indd 96 25/04/2012 18:42

Itineraries Spend it

An entire island resort in Bora Bora, luxury shopping in London and the Monaco Grand

Prix from a yacht – how to splurge this month

New island paradiseThe newly-opened 61- beachfront and over-water villa Viceroy Maldives is set in pristine Vagaru Island, with some of the most spacious accommodation on the Maldives, ranging from 1,300 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft. From the moment guests arrive by seaplane and are escorted to their villa by golf buggy, they will be surrounded in an atmosphere of calm indulgence, with spa treatments in the over-water spa villas, five dining options to choose from and a full-service kid’s play zone to give adults some room to play on their own. To celebrate their opening, the Viceroy Maldives is offering a seven-night stay for the price of five, or the even more tempting option to stay an entire two weeks for the price of ten nights. This includes daily dinner for two at Vista, plus 50 percent discount on seaplane transfers.From: Now until September 30, 2012Cost: Seven-night package for two in a beach villa starts at US$7245 before tax and service charge.Book: +960 654 5000 www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com

Spend it*All prices are subject to change. Please contact the listed companies for further information.

London Syon Park

It’s all yoursWe’ve seen some pretty amazing luxury holidays here at Destinations of the World News, but this ranks pretty high up there on our list of to-die-for experiences. For a cool US$1 million, the Four Seasons Bora Bora is now offering a seven-night exclusive buyout package of the entire island resort, which includes the use of all 107 rooms (100 over-water bungalows and seven beachfront villas), four restaurants, a full-service spa, pool, beach, catamaran, and the dedicated service of 250 Four Seasons employees. All meals, beverages, airport and island transfers are included, as well as one spa treatment per guest. Dining options include your choice of Polynesian, French, and South Pacific fusion cuisines, and spa treatments are inspired by the tranquillity of the island’s lagoon. Guests will have access to the Kids For All Seasons Club for children 5-12 years old, as well as the Chill Island programme for teens, making this one of the most relaxing dream holidays you could ever imagine.From: nowCost: US$1 million for the entire resort for seven nights.Book: +310 557 8975www.fourseasons.com

Viceroy Maldives

96-98 Spend It.indd 97 25/04/2012 18:42



Shop until you dropLondon Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, is a beautiful new property set in the English countryside. And now, they want to make sure you look beautiful too. Book yourself in for the Harvey Nicholls Personal Shopping Experience and you’ll be transported by lux-ury car to Harvey Nicholls department store on the corner of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street, where you’ll be met by your very own personal shopper. After your day of retail therapy you’ll be in need of some pampering, so indulge in a signature Hydrotherapy bath with Voya Unique Essential Oils. Get dolled up to sample signature cocktails over a three-course dinner, prepared with fresh ingredi-ents grown on the hotel’s estate. Retire to your Syon Garden Room overlooking the beautiful landscaped gardens for a Laurent Perrier nightcap. The following morning you’ll be treated to breakfast in bed, ready for a new day.Cost: US$866 per night inclusive of taxes. From: May 12 – September 30, 2012Book: [email protected] www.londonsyonpark.com

Monaco Grand Prix in styleIf you’re thinking of heading to Monaco for the Formula 1 Grand Prix this year, you may as well go all out and book yourself into Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez, where hotel-ier Shahe Kalaidjian will be pulling out all the stops to ensure guests have the most glamorous experience imaginable. Guests staying at the hotel for the Monaco Grand Prix will have a vast array of sailboats and yachts at their disposal, ranging from 42 - 105 feet, allowing them to avoid the crowds of the grandstand. Or opt to get to the race via chauffeured car, or even heli-copter if you wish. From the moment you step inside the hotel you’ll be surrounded by exquisite design and impeccable service, with your own personal assistant at the ready to fulfil every desire. After the race, join the beautiful people at the Dom Per-ignon Champagne Bar – you’re sure to feel like a million bucks while staying here.Cost: from EUR 515 (US$680) per nightFrom: May 24-27Book: [email protected]

Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez

Phot

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96-98 Spend It.indd 96 25/04/2012 18:42



The added extrasJumeirah Dhevanafushi, a brand-new five-star resort on Meradhoo Island in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, offers every luxury in an idyllic setting. The all-suite and villa resort offers beautifully appointed spaces with unparalleled comforts in Beach Revives, Island Revives and Ocean Revives, each with private pool, sala day beds and direct access to the beach or lagoon. To unwind, hop on your chauffeured golf buggy and venture to Jumeirah Dhevanafushi’s over-water Talise spa for a relaxing mas-sage. When it’s time to dine, take a short 800-metre journey by boat to Johara, for your own piece of culinary paradise. To celebrate their opening, Jumeirah Dhevanafushi is offering complimentary breakfast and dinner every day during your stay, as well as complimentary use of all non-motorised water sports. Cost: from US$1,325 per couple per night, based on a minimum-length stay of four nights. From: now until September 30, 2012Book: [email protected]

The suite lifeThe brand-new Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, is sure to impress even the most discerning guests with its palatial design and exquisite attention to detail. Add to that some of the most luxurious suites in Saudi Arabia. The hotel’s 50 one-bedroom Executive Suites each measure more than 100 square metres, with divided living and sleeping quarters, luxurious king-size beds, Bulgari amenities, the speediest of WiFi con-nections and access to the Ritz-Carlton’s signature Club Lounge. To celebrate their opening, the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh is offer-ing all guests who book two nights in an Executive Suite one extra night’s stay, plus a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the hotel’s Lebanese restaurant Al Orjouan, compli-mentary WiFi connection, luxurious air-port transfers and a late check-out. There’s no better place to relax while staying in Saudi Arabia. From: Now until December 31, 2012Cost: Executive Suites start at US$1,253 per nightBook: www.ritzcarlton.com/riyadhwww.ritzcarlton.com

96-98 Spend It.indd 98 25/04/2012 18:42

Your pocket of paradise

For your bookings contact our Reservation Department:

Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove :- +248 677 220 n Email: [email protected]

Le Meridien Barbarons: +248 4673322 n Email: [email protected]

Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove Situated on the island of Mahe at the tip of Beau Vallon, Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove is the Seychelles’ original luxury hotel. A private paradise tucked away in the dense vegetation, Fisherman’s

Cove overlooks the beautiful beach of Beau Vallon and the waters of the Indian Ocean

Le Meridien Barbarons Hidden among the tropical gardens, sparkling indigo lagoons and pure white sands of western Mahe, Le Meridien Barbarons is a pocket of paradise tucked away from the world, near to some of the

island’s best nature walks and golf courses

Le Meridien Advert.indd 1 23/04/2012 16:28



The added extrasJumeirah Dhevanafushi, a brand-new five-star resort on Meradhoo Island in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, offers every luxury in an idyllic setting. The all-suite and villa resort offers beautifully appointed spaces with unparalleled comforts in Beach Revives, Island Revives and Ocean Revives, each with private pool, sala day beds and direct access to the beach or lagoon. To unwind, hop on your chauffeured golf buggy and venture to Jumeirah Dhevanafushi’s over-water Talise spa for a relaxing mas-sage. When it’s time to dine, take a short 800-metre journey by boat to Johara, for your own piece of culinary paradise. To celebrate their opening, Jumeirah Dhevanafushi is offering complimentary breakfast and dinner every day during your stay, as well as complimentary use of all non-motorised water sports. Cost: from US$1,325 per couple per night, based on a minimum-length stay of four nights. From: now until September 30, 2012Book: [email protected]

The suite lifeThe brand-new Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, is sure to impress even the most discerning guests with its palatial design and exquisite attention to detail. Add to that some of the most luxurious suites in Saudi Arabia. The hotel’s 50 one-bedroom Executive Suites each measure more than 100 square metres, with divided living and sleeping quarters, luxurious king-size beds, Bulgari amenities, the speediest of WiFi con-nections and access to the Ritz-Carlton’s signature Club Lounge. To celebrate their opening, the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh is offer-ing all guests who book two nights in an Executive Suite one extra night’s stay, plus a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the hotel’s Lebanese restaurant Al Orjouan, compli-mentary WiFi connection, luxurious air-port transfers and a late check-out. There’s no better place to relax while staying in Saudi Arabia. From: Now until December 31, 2012Cost: Executive Suites start at US$1,253 per nightBook: www.ritzcarlton.com/riyadhwww.ritzcarlton.com

96-98 Spend It.indd 98 25/04/2012 18:42


Home suite home Elegant livingThe 530 sq m Presidential Suite can accommodate up to 50 people

Pool timeA temperature-controlled infinity pool is the

perfect spot to take in the desert views

100-101 Suite Dreams.indd 100 25/04/2012 18:41

Truly great hotel service is not imposing – it is genuine and warm, flexible to suit your needs, and makes you feel free to enjoy yourself in a home away

from home. It is this type of service that greets me on arrival at Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, after picking my parents up from Dubai airport. Having just spent three days touring the hectic streets of Cairo en route from Canada, they were in need of a little R&R.

The terracotta dunes of the Dubai Desert have my parents gazing out the window as we turn o� the highway from Dubai and make the bumpy 20-minute drive to the resort. Al Maha suddenly appears on the horizon, an oasis of palms and acacias concealing a cluster of what looks like white Bedouin-style tents.

When we arrive at reception we are greeted by a team of sta�, who take our bags and lead us into a quiet sitting area, where we’re given cold towels and fresh juices and briefed on the ins and outs of Al Maha. Guests can each choose two complimentary activities per person for each night they spend at the resort; there is horse riding, falconry and dune driving. We opt for the classic sunset camel trek, which commences at 4pm daily. The next order of business is lunch.

Meals at Al Maha are inclusive, minus alcoholic beverages. We take a seat at Al Diwaan restaurant’s terrace, with its breathtaking views of the desert landscape – the faint outline of the Hajar mountains is just visible in the distance – and feast on smoked duck salad and king fish steak, lightly seared and seasoned with herbs and butter. Afterwards we are escorted by golf buggy along the winding pathways that run through the resort to the Presidential Suite.

We walk through the carved wooden doors into a private courtyard with a fountain. Two entrances lead inside, and there is a separate doorway leading to the private kitchen. Hallways take us past trickling tiered fountains to the dining room, where 12 carved wooden chairs are set around the table, draped in embroidered silk runners and topped with a generous fruit basket.

The living room looks like a luxurious colonial explorer’s tent, with thick canvas ceilings supported by carved wooden poles and woven ropes. A glass sliding door faces the private outdoor infinity pool and deck, which borders the periphery of the entire suite, continuing past all three bedrooms. Each bedroom has a sitting area

The Dubai Desert is home to spectacular sunsets and the majestic oryx – best viewed from the

Presidential Suite of Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, says Caitlin Cheadle

with doors opening onto the deck, and personal touches like binoculars and easels with drawing paper and pencils make the rooms feel homely.

We lounge by the pool for a few hours before meeting the rest of the camel-trekkers in the lobby. It’s nearing sunset, and the sky has already dimmed to a warm orange glow as the mountains on the horizon gain definition in the darkening sky. We mount our camels and arrive 30 minutes later in a remote location, where we are greeted by champagne just in time to witness the sun make its descent. It really is breathtaking to watch as the sky turns orange, then pink, and finally a rich purple, as the sands darken from terracotta to a deep rust in the fading light.

It is dark by the time we get back to the suite, where we enjoy a glass of the Bollinger that has been placed in an ice bucket on the dining room table. A buggy collects us and we head back to Al Diwaan, where we dine under the stars, fire torches blazing around us as we wrap up in blankets to keep warm in the chilly desert night. When we return to the suite there is an oryx grazing on the bushes beside our deck – my parents can hardly believe their eyes.

The next morning our 6.30am wake-up call signals the start of a new day, as well as our second chosen activity, a morning desert walk. Though it is early, we are all good pupils of nature as we spot herds of oryx while we learn about the desert ecosystem from our guide, Matthew.

Our reward for the early wake-up is an al fresco breakfast in the morning sunshine. There’s time for one more lazy afternoon by the pool, before an SUV takes us back to Dubai. The drive is spent scrolling through photos on digital cameras – my father leans over and shows me a picture of the oryx standing by the pool deck of our suite. “No one back home is going to believe these photos,” he says. “What an incredible experience,” says my mum. Exactly the reaction I was hoping for. ■

Home suite home

Suite dreams

What: Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa – part of Starwood’s Luxury CollectionWhere: Dubai Desert Conservation ReservePrice: From US$4,400 per nightwww.al-maha.com

The important bit




Home suite home Elegant livingThe 530 sq m Presidential Suite can accommodate up to 50 people

Pool timeA temperature-controlled infinity pool is the

perfect spot to take in the desert views


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title Sectiony


Review Buddha Bar Prague

Stepping through the red street-facing doors of Buddha Bar Hotel Prague is like walking

into an Asian tardis. When the doors close behind you and your eyes adjust to the moody black and red interiors, the first thing you notice is the impeccably dressed staff, all in black with gold epaulets, who beckon you to enter and be seated.

A welcome drink in neighbouring Siddhartha Café (an Asian-inspired cocktail with elderflower, ginger cordial and lychee juice) completes the sense that you have left Europe behind entirely, with wrought-iron chandeliers, jade bar stools and six columns of recesses containing multi-coloured Buddha statues.

The corridors to the guest rooms are almost entirely dark, the only light coming from illuminated floor mats that reveal the room numbers.

Buddha Bar Hotel Prague is a modern anomaly in a city steeped in history, but the Asian flavour brings new flair to the Czech capital, finds Joe Mortimer

Where::Buddha Bar Hotel Prague

Cost: from EUR 298 (US$390).

buddha-bar-hotel.cz.com

The important bit

Inside the guestrooms, the colour palette continues, with black and gold-mottled walls, blood-red cabinets and Chinese dragon motifs covering the headboard, surrounded by an ebony frame. The bed, draped in RKF linen, is the only white object in the room, making it the focal point in spite of the bold reds around it.

Two small armchairs and a faux alligator skin foot rest create a small but comfortable living area in front of the 40-inch plasma Bang & Oulfsen TV and entertainment unit, which comes pre-loaded with the entire Buddha Bar music collection for your delectation.

Everything is controlled by remote, from the TV and the curtains to the sound system and even the W.C. A red and gold mat cover the hardwood floors, and red drapes frame a window looking out over the Church of St Jacob opposite.

If it weren’t for all the technology and the ancient walls of the church outside the window, the suite would be like something from a tastefully done Chinese drama series set in imperial times.

In the bathroom, a freestanding bathtub decorated with more dragon mosaics and its own mirrors with inset TV is perched on a black hardwood floor. Red pearlescent mosaic surfaces offset the black bathrobe and slippers provided, and l’Occitane provides the amenities.

As well as Siddhartha Café, the hotel adjoins the eponymous Buddha Bar, complete with trademark giant Buddha statue. Asian-inspired cocktails are prepared by Czech mixologists, and the sultry atmosphere makes it a popular haunt for Prague scenesters at weekends.

Buddha Bar creates destination experiences, so it’s no surprise that staying at the hotel feels like a travel experience entirely independent of the city in which it is located. Prague is nothing but a distant memory while you’re inside the hotel, but as soon as you step out onto the cobbled streets outside, you’re back in the thick of it. n

A dragon in Bohemia

103 Review - Buddha Bar Hotel Prague.indd 103 25/04/2012 22:11


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Sectiony title

Cathay Pacific flight CX731 to Dubai prepares for boarding – ‘gate closing’ flashes on

screen as I sit in the first class Pier lounge sipping my fresh orange juice, gently reclined and reading about the latest Hollywood scandal. The gate is only a five -minute walk from the lounge, so I figure I have a few more seconds before I need to rush.

I walk straight onto the plane after being greeted by the very friendly cabin crew, jump into my chair and immediately check out the business class functions. There’s a lie-flat bed for starters, massage function and amenities kit complete with socks, eye mask, lip balm, hand and face cream, and a toothbrush with toothpaste.

Each of the seats is extremely private – they lie diagonally with a screen separating each seat from the one in front and behind, so passengers with window seats face inwards toward the front of the plane. The configuration makes looking out the window something of a challenge, but since it was night I had no complaints. The airline has done away with the old scratchy blankets and instead o�ers a soft, cosy duvet.

I’m not a huge fan of flying but there is something about spending eight hours in the air that appeals to me: there’s no internet (for now…), no mobile, just a huge array of movies, a delicious menu to choose from and a rather comfy bed.

I begin looking at the in-flight magazine, aptly named Discovery, and learn that Cathay Pacific has a rich history behind its modern facade. The journey began in the mid 1900s; the brainchild of entrepreneurs Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow. The two gentlemen had a vision that one day China would be connected to the world. They wanted to fly both passengers and cargo out of Shanghai. In 1946 they moved this dream to Hong Kong and started Cathay (an old name for China) Pacific, as they hoped the airline would one day fly across it.

The first two planes Cathay Pacific acquired were old US Army surplus DC3s named Betsy and Nikki. The two planes began passenger services from Hong Kong to Rangoon, Singapore, Manila and Macau. Betsy’s first flight was in February 1946, when she carried clothes from Sydney to Shanghai. By 1948 Cathay owned a fleet of seven planes. Later that year, following the great success of the airline, regional aviation giants Butterfield & Swire acquired a majority shareholding and Cathay Pacific continued to grow.

It was under the watchful eye of Butterfield & Swire’s then-owner JK Swire that Cathay entered a period of rapid development. In 1949 he bought the company’s first four-engine aircraft, and 10 years later, Cathay was flying as far as Japan and Australia. The expansion continued over the next few decades, firmly putting Cathay Pacific on the map as a world-class carrier. It was first to launch the Boeing 777-300 – the world’s largest twin-engine commercial aircraft – in 1998, and continued to cement its position in the region by completing its acquisition of Dragonair in 2006. Today Cathay is one of the world’s most recognised airlines for its commitment to service, o�ering frequent flights to 162 destinations worldwide, with its main hub based in bustling Hong Kong.

But what of Cathay’s first ever plane? Amid the expansion programme, in 1950 poor Betsy was no longer deemed useful and was replaced with a newer, younger model. But like all great stories there is of course a happy ending. In the late 1980s, Betsy was found carrying cargo around Australia and brought back to her rightful home. She now sits in pride of place in the Hong Kong Science Museum, after being restored to her former 1940s glory. As I finish reading, the lights go out in the cabin and I settle down for the night. Eight hours later I awaken to the bright lights of Dubai, ready to face the world. ■

What: Cathay Pacific Business Class

Cost: Return busi-ness class flight from

Dubai-Hong Kong starts at AED 5,020

(US$1,366).cathaypacific.com

The important bit

Nicci Perides

boards flight

CX731 bound

for Dubai

to discover

the secrets

of Cathay Pacific’s past

Conquering the Pacific

104 Review - Cathay Pacific.indd 104 25/04/2012 18:38

STDpassenger_cruise_ADV_143_235x335.indd 1 25/05/11 19:27


Sectiony title

Cathay Pacific flight CX731 to Dubai prepares for boarding – ‘gate closing’ flashes on

screen as I sit in the first class Pier lounge sipping my fresh orange juice, gently reclined and reading about the latest Hollywood scandal. The gate is only a five -minute walk from the lounge, so I figure I have a few more seconds before I need to rush.

I walk straight onto the plane after being greeted by the very friendly cabin crew, jump into my chair and immediately check out the business class functions. There’s a lie-flat bed for starters, massage function and amenities kit complete with socks, eye mask, lip balm, hand and face cream, and a toothbrush with toothpaste.

Each of the seats is extremely private – they lie diagonally with a screen separating each seat from the one in front and behind, so passengers with window seats face inwards toward the front of the plane. The configuration makes looking out the window something of a challenge, but since it was night I had no complaints. The airline has done away with the old scratchy blankets and instead o�ers a soft, cosy duvet.

I’m not a huge fan of flying but there is something about spending eight hours in the air that appeals to me: there’s no internet (for now…), no mobile, just a huge array of movies, a delicious menu to choose from and a rather comfy bed.

I begin looking at the in-flight magazine, aptly named Discovery, and learn that Cathay Pacific has a rich history behind its modern facade. The journey began in the mid 1900s; the brainchild of entrepreneurs Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow. The two gentlemen had a vision that one day China would be connected to the world. They wanted to fly both passengers and cargo out of Shanghai. In 1946 they moved this dream to Hong Kong and started Cathay (an old name for China) Pacific, as they hoped the airline would one day fly across it.

The first two planes Cathay Pacific acquired were old US Army surplus DC3s named Betsy and Nikki. The two planes began passenger services from Hong Kong to Rangoon, Singapore, Manila and Macau. Betsy’s first flight was in February 1946, when she carried clothes from Sydney to Shanghai. By 1948 Cathay owned a fleet of seven planes. Later that year, following the great success of the airline, regional aviation giants Butterfield & Swire acquired a majority shareholding and Cathay Pacific continued to grow.

It was under the watchful eye of Butterfield & Swire’s then-owner JK Swire that Cathay entered a period of rapid development. In 1949 he bought the company’s first four-engine aircraft, and 10 years later, Cathay was flying as far as Japan and Australia. The expansion continued over the next few decades, firmly putting Cathay Pacific on the map as a world-class carrier. It was first to launch the Boeing 777-300 – the world’s largest twin-engine commercial aircraft – in 1998, and continued to cement its position in the region by completing its acquisition of Dragonair in 2006. Today Cathay is one of the world’s most recognised airlines for its commitment to service, o�ering frequent flights to 162 destinations worldwide, with its main hub based in bustling Hong Kong.

But what of Cathay’s first ever plane? Amid the expansion programme, in 1950 poor Betsy was no longer deemed useful and was replaced with a newer, younger model. But like all great stories there is of course a happy ending. In the late 1980s, Betsy was found carrying cargo around Australia and brought back to her rightful home. She now sits in pride of place in the Hong Kong Science Museum, after being restored to her former 1940s glory. As I finish reading, the lights go out in the cabin and I settle down for the night. Eight hours later I awaken to the bright lights of Dubai, ready to face the world. ■

What: Cathay Pacific Business Class

Cost: Return busi-ness class flight from

Dubai-Hong Kong starts at AED 5,020

(US$1,366).cathaypacific.com

The important bit

Nicci Perides

boards flight

CX731 bound

for Dubai

to discover

the secrets

of Cathay Pacific’s past

Conquering the Pacific

104 Review - Cathay Pacific.indd 104 25/04/2012 18:38


Sectiony title


Sectiony title

“Our team has managed to transfer the world’s most powerful car

engine to the open-top sports car while taking all vehicle dynamics

and aerodynamic parameters into consideration”

Wolfgang Durheimer, president, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

Engine: W16BHP: 1,200

Torque: 1,500Nm0-100kph: 2.6 secs Top speed: 410kph (limited to 375kph)

Emissions: 539g/km Origin: France

Cost: EUR 1.8 million (US$2.38 million)

How do you make the world’s most powerful road car even more extreme? Easy: you cut the top o�. That’s if the prospect of travelling at 375kph with no roof doesn’t scare the living daylights out of you. Bugatti said it was only days after the GrandSport went into production that enquiries started pouring in, asking the company when it planned to release a convertible version. Well, here it is.

ON THE ROAD

BUGATTI VEYRON 16.4 GRANSPORT VITESSE

106-107 Motoring.indd 106 25/04/2012 18:37


title Sectiony Motoring

Maserati’s new Gran Turismo Sport is a thing of beauty. Technically superb and visually dazzling, the chunky haunches make it look like a big cat on the prowl, and the trademark airflow vents on the side remind you that this machine is built for speed. New headlights at the front and back add to the aggressive appearance, and the throaty roar of the 4.7-litre V8 has other cars running for cover. We love it.

As talk of summer begins, car-makers are lining up a catwalk of super sexy soft-top vehicles that promise to bring drivers even closer to the environment. In Italy, this means it’s time to drop the roof and drive around the city admiring your admirers. The two-seater Aventador J is just about the most fun you can have with no top on. Unfortunately they only made one model and it was sold for a staggering US$2.8 million.

If looks could kill, this vehicle would be wanted for vehicular manslaughter. The F12berlinetta’s shapely curves have been given a little more lift, with higher arches on the profile view, but under the cover lays a brand new super-e�cient engine built by Maranello. The company says it’s the fastest Ferrari ever built, and with all that engine under one hood, we’re inclined to believe them.

MASERATI GRANTURISMO SPORT Engine: 4.7-litre V8

BHP: 460Torque: 520Nm

0-100kph: 4.7 secsTop speed: 300kph

Origin: ItalyCost: US$163,000

FERRARI F12 BERLINETTAEngine: 65-degree V12

0-100kph: 3.1 secsTop speed: >340kphEmissions: 350g/km

Origin: ItalyCost: TBA

LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR JEngine: 6.5-litre V12

BHP: 700Top speed: >300kph

Origin: ItalyCost: US$2.8 million

106-107 Motoring.indd 107 25/04/2012 18:37


Sectiony title


Sectiony title

“Our team has managed to transfer the world’s most powerful car

engine to the open-top sports car while taking all vehicle dynamics

and aerodynamic parameters into consideration”

Wolfgang Durheimer, president, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

Engine: W16BHP: 1,200

Torque: 1,500Nm0-100kph: 2.6 secs Top speed: 410kph (limited to 375kph)

Emissions: 539g/km Origin: France

Cost: EUR 1.8 million (US$2.38 million)

How do you make the world’s most powerful road car even more extreme? Easy: you cut the top o�. That’s if the prospect of travelling at 375kph with no roof doesn’t scare the living daylights out of you. Bugatti said it was only days after the GrandSport went into production that enquiries started pouring in, asking the company when it planned to release a convertible version. Well, here it is.

ON THE ROAD

BUGATTI VEYRON 16.4 GRANSPORT VITESSE

106-107 Motoring.indd 106 25/04/2012 18:37

Interview


Bertone has been designing automobiles for carmakers including Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari for a century. Executive brand director Mike Robinson says the next generation of automobile design will use technological advances to create cars that are safer, smarter and more intelligent

Designer driving

Interview: Joe Mortimer

Bertone turned 100 years old in 2012 – does that make it the oldest car design company in the world?Amazingly enough yes, we’re pretty much the oldest design company in the world. In 1912, Giovanni Bertone was actually building cars and back then, building cars meant hand-tailoring them to individual clients. In a sense he was a coach-builder for very personal clients, hand-making cars for individuals.

Bertone designed the iconic Lam-borghini Countach – one of the most cutting-edge cars of all time – in 1971. What impact did that have on the car world?That was the wild one. Bertone by and large rewrote the history of the automobile with the Countach. The Countach was in production for 25 years, which was an amazing confirmation of the giant leap in architectural innovation, not only for Italy and for Lamborghini, but for the entire automobile industry. At that point, sports cars became supercars. It was a really exciting period and I still today consider that by working for Bertone, we are really following in the footsteps of giants. The goal is to continue those quantum leaps within the Bertone DNA.

What got you into car design and what were the cars that inspired you?I was living in Seattle when I was 16. I was studying architecture at high school and I wanted to design a skyscraper. At a certain

point a kid brought in a poster of the [Bertone-designed Lancia] Stratos 0, which has the crocodile-opening door at the front so you climb in through the windshield. I thought if you can get into a car through the windshield, you can do anything you want. All of a sudden a light bulb went off in my head and I realised that erases all the dogma of what you cannot do with a car. They keep telling people you can’t do this and you can’t do that, then a guy comes along and erased all of that. Instantly I said ‘no more architecture – I want to build cars’.

How did you end up in Italy working with Bertone?I got a college degree at a local school in Seattle in industrial design and I did an internship at Ford which I just hated – there were horrible cars coming out of Ford in the early 70s. There was a downsizing because of the oil crisis and it was a really bad period. I said, I have to go to Italy – that was the only place they did really free design and free thinking. I moved to Italy when I graduated from college in 1979 and I have been there ever since, for 33 years. I am very happy with the choice. I have an Italian wife and Italian kids.

Why do Italians make the best cars?Italy has a design culture where the people like to dress well and like to eat well, and like to have nice furniture and their houses are well thought out. In other countries that’s not so important. Today you can argue about who

Lamborghini Countach 1971

108-109 Interview Motoring.indd 108 25/04/2012 18:36

Interview


is the design king of the world – most of the luxury cars come from Germany, many of the sports cars come from England and other places, but still design is one of the major exports for Italy.

To what extent is nature an inspira-tion for design these days?Nature is certainly a very important part, and the female form is very important too. It is a wonderful source of inspiration but there are a lot of different types of nature. For the Alfa Romeo Pandion (pictured above), we looked at algorithm design. That means taking algorithms that define natural phenomena like growing grass or falling leaves or how quartz crystals grow. You put it in the computer and out comes a shape. It’s called random form generation (RFG) and it’s a really cool concept. Unpredictable design in this day and age is kind of like doing a new pop song – every little jingle has been done before. The same is true with lines and cars – we have already seen every single line. We are looking for new direc-tions to help us break out of that predictability, and this concept was really exciting.

How has technology transformed the way you design cars?I consider myself first of all a researcher, and secondly a designer. There are so many things happening and tech is moving so fast; social networks are moving incredibly fast, and we have to go faster just to keep up with life.

Designers need to be really open-minded and not just work on cute little forms with pencils, because you risk finding yourself in a stagnant area of design. By running very fast and trying new things and associating new technology with the auto industry, you can possibly stay alive. People say less is more and try to take away and take away but I don’t know man, nature is very complex. That’s why experimentation is important. If you don’t experiment with new ideas, you never find out if they work or not and that is the main reason why concept cars exist. If you’re not red-lining once in a while then you’re not racing. You’ve got to be right on the edge. Sometimes, well, you go overboard.

What is the next quantum shift in car design?My concept for the future is definitely hands-off driving. Instead of having a man-to-machine interface, we will have a machine-to-machine interface. My car will talk to your car and say, ‘Hey, let’s get out of here – I’ll show you a short cut’. So cars, like dolphins, will be talking to one another using swarm technology, moving forward much faster in total safety. That’s where we’re going. It would prevent collisions and find ways of moving through traffic faster.

Design would integrate with safety?Exactly. Most of us consider ourselves invinci-ble – we think we can ride in an airplane and never die, take a car and never die and plug in a toaster and never die. But we are all human.

Do you know that every year 1.2 million people die in car crashes worldwide? That’s a good-sized war! As a car designer, I feel partially responsible for that. It would be nice to find a way for us car designers to contribute to a reduction or the elimination of auto accidents. The way I see it, by about 2040, steering wheels will be prohibited on all automobiles. It’s about making cars that just don’t kill people.

What do you drive?I actually drive an Audi A6 right now. It’s a company car that I inherited when I walked in the door. When I get back to Italy, my new company car is a Range Rover Evoque. It’s a very cool direction for the future and a very innovative style. It looks very boxy but if you look at the sophisticated surface of the car they have done an amazing job. Sales are skyrocket-ing for the whole Land Rover Group, which means they are doing something right.

Have you ever thought about going back and doing a building?Oh I’d love to. I actually designed a Ferrari skyscraper for a company in Dubai some time ago. Architecture design by a car designer was a pretty bizarre idea – really out there. But who knows? It would be wonderful to do it. I would like to one day get back into my 16-year-old passion to become an architect. Maybe one day I will be able to do a highrise building in Dubai with this type of innovative styling. It would be a lot of fun. n

“If you’re not red-lining once in a while then you’re not racing. You’ve got to be right on the edge”

Bertone’s Alfa Romeo Pandion concept


Interview


Bertone has been designing automobiles for carmakers including Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari for a century. Executive brand director Mike Robinson says the next generation of automobile design will use technological advances to create cars that are safer, smarter and more intelligent

Designer driving

Interview: Joe Mortimer

Bertone turned 100 years old in 2012 – does that make it the oldest car design company in the world?Amazingly enough yes, we’re pretty much the oldest design company in the world. In 1912, Giovanni Bertone was actually building cars and back then, building cars meant hand-tailoring them to individual clients. In a sense he was a coach-builder for very personal clients, hand-making cars for individuals.

Bertone designed the iconic Lam-borghini Countach – one of the most cutting-edge cars of all time – in 1971. What impact did that have on the car world?That was the wild one. Bertone by and large rewrote the history of the automobile with the Countach. The Countach was in production for 25 years, which was an amazing confirmation of the giant leap in architectural innovation, not only for Italy and for Lamborghini, but for the entire automobile industry. At that point, sports cars became supercars. It was a really exciting period and I still today consider that by working for Bertone, we are really following in the footsteps of giants. The goal is to continue those quantum leaps within the Bertone DNA.

What got you into car design and what were the cars that inspired you?I was living in Seattle when I was 16. I was studying architecture at high school and I wanted to design a skyscraper. At a certain

point a kid brought in a poster of the [Bertone-designed Lancia] Stratos 0, which has the crocodile-opening door at the front so you climb in through the windshield. I thought if you can get into a car through the windshield, you can do anything you want. All of a sudden a light bulb went off in my head and I realised that erases all the dogma of what you cannot do with a car. They keep telling people you can’t do this and you can’t do that, then a guy comes along and erased all of that. Instantly I said ‘no more architecture – I want to build cars’.

How did you end up in Italy working with Bertone?I got a college degree at a local school in Seattle in industrial design and I did an internship at Ford which I just hated – there were horrible cars coming out of Ford in the early 70s. There was a downsizing because of the oil crisis and it was a really bad period. I said, I have to go to Italy – that was the only place they did really free design and free thinking. I moved to Italy when I graduated from college in 1979 and I have been there ever since, for 33 years. I am very happy with the choice. I have an Italian wife and Italian kids.

Why do Italians make the best cars?Italy has a design culture where the people like to dress well and like to eat well, and like to have nice furniture and their houses are well thought out. In other countries that’s not so important. Today you can argue about who

Lamborghini Countach 1971


MontBlancLegend_ADV_071_470x335_DOTNEWS.indd 1 25/05/11 13:54


FRAGRANCE BUTLERSummer scents for him and for her

ANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HER Wear it in: Paris ■ VAN CLEEF & ARPELS AQUA ORIENS Wear it in: Monaco ANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HIM Wear it in: Portofino ■ BEBE GOLD Wear it in: Capri

ANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HERANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HIM

112-113 Products.indd 112 25/04/2012 18:21

dotwnews.com Month 20XX 113dotwnews.com May 2013 113

BOUCHERON JAIPUR BRACELET Wear it in: Jaipur ■ JIMMY CHOO EAU DE TOILETTE Wear it in: Miami MONTBLANC LEGEND Wear it in: St Mortiz ■ LANVIN JEANNE LANVIN COUTURE Wear it in: Rio de Janeiro

112-113 Products.indd 113 25/04/2012 18:24


FRAGRANCE BUTLERSummer scents for him and for her

ANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HER Wear it in: Paris ■ VAN CLEEF & ARPELS AQUA ORIENS Wear it in: Monaco ANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HIM Wear it in: Portofino ■ BEBE GOLD Wear it in: Capri

ANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HERANNICK GOUTAL NUIT ETOILEE FOR HIM

112-113 Products.indd 112 25/04/2012 18:21

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14_DXBSM_235_335_DOTWN.pdf 1 12. 04. 18 오후 12:06


Trends

Limousine check-inFor those who know Heathrow by its alternative

name of Airport Departure Hell, there is now a more civilised way to make the plane. By

limousine. The airport has always o�ered a VIP service for presidents, royals and publishers of Destinations of the World News that involves

bypassing terminals, lounges, other passengers, annoying security checks and then whisking

them away by limo to planes. Now the service is open to anyone who believes £1,500

(US$2,400) per arrival or departure (plus 20 percent tax) is worth it to be treated like a king. For your cash you can transfer up to six people seamlessly to their jet, after enjoying a private

lounge, private security and total privacy. After the hu�ng and pu�ng of the shoeless conga

line security we experienced at Terminal 5 last month, we’re signing up.

Scent to pleaseNothing is more irritating than checking into

your hotel and unpacking your toiletries only to realise you’ve forgotten your favourite perfume. Fortunately if you’ve checked into a Rosewood

hotel in North America or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, you ring a special number and a selection

of 10 perfumes will arrive on a silver platter, courtesy of your fragrance butler. As well as

traditional Chanel No. 5, Bulgari Pour Homme and Tom Ford for Men, each hotel is o�ering a

fragrance that reflects the “nature of the city”. For those staying at the Carlyle in New York,

for example, guests can enjoy Hèrmes Eau des Merveilles. For those checking into the Rosewood

Mansion in Dallas, it’s Givenchy Dahlia Noir.

Boeing is the businessThere are private jets and then there is Boeing. We’ve just been given a sneak preview of the company’s newly launched Business Jet, a modified 737-700 capable of 5,600 nautical miles before its nine fuel tanks dry up. The first model o� the production line was sold to a US businessman last month. It was his second. “Our repeat customers are not just governments,” said Boeing Business Jet president Steve Taylor. “They are also private individuals who love the comfort of BBJ so much they buy two.” The jet is configured for 19 passengers and includes a personal stateroom with king-sized bed and a guest room. With clever fold-away furniture added, the jet can sleep eight. Prices start at US$57 million, but customers normally add US$20 million more for customised interiors, said Steve.

High fashionHaute couture fashion has stepped o� the catwalk and straight into, erm, the interiors of helicopters. AgustaWestland has teamed up with über fashion guru Karl Lagerfeld to design the interiors and exteriors on the sexily named AW139 medium twin helicopter VIP model. No word yet if the helicopters will feature pony tails, impenetrable sunglasses or high collar accessories, but AgustaWestland promises that the limited edition “customised solution” will appeal to its growing customer base. Of course this is not the first time helicopters have sported fashionista livery (remember Hermès’ helicopters and Donatella’s extravagant whirlybirds?), but it’s the first time for Karl. Clearly, the customised version is designed to appeal more to private billionaires travelling between Monaco and Paris rather than those who track down rebel forces for a living, and will undoubtedly make a nice fashion statement on the tarmac of CDG International.

115-117 Trends.indd 115 25/04/2012 18:18

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14_DXBSM_235_335_DOTWN.pdf 1 12. 04. 18 오후 12:06

KEMPINSKI HOTEL THE DOME BELEKKempinski Hotel The Dome Belek is a luxurious golf and thalasso resort with a private beachfront on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It offers a perfect setting in one of the most picturesque corners of the Turkish Riviera, near the city of Antalya and numerous historical sites, as well as the two 18-hole golf courses of Antalya Golf Club: Pasha Golf Course and the PGA Sultan Golf Course, the only PGA course in Turkey. The hotel’s architecture is inspired by the pre-Ottoman Seljuk culture, with exterior and interior design reflecting the original style of the period.

Unwind at the spaThe 3600m² spa and thalasso treatment centre features a thalasso pool, a Jacuzzi surrounded by a waterfall, indoor massage rooms, and Balinese massage pavilions surrounded by Zen gardens. A true oasis of relaxation, The Dome Sanitas Spa offers facial, body and thalasso-therapy treatments in 28 carefully appointed treatment rooms, as well as saunas, a heated indoor swimming pool, heated seawater pool and a genuine Ottoman hammam in exclusive, refined settings. wedding BellsJust imagine a paradise where emerald green pine forests meet the clear turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. As the sun sets, a golden glow is cast on the bride and her groom. A soft, warm breeze puts a smile on the faces of the friends and loved ones who have come to share in this glorious day. Our ultimate wish is to make your dream wedding come true. Our professionals combine the finest wedding essentials with the most beautiful venues and take care of every last detail to ensure an unforgettable experience.

dome Villas Leave the maddening city behind and discover the ultimate luxury villa experience. As well as the 146 rooms and 18 elegantly decorated suites, the hotel features 16 luxurious Royal Golf Villas and two Presidential Villas with private pools, located on the shore of an artificial lake in the middle of the PGA Sultan Golf Course. Villas offer a stylish alternative for a romantic hideaway or a family-size luxury villa for the whole fam-ily to enjoy. Staying in a villa gives you the complete freedom to do what you want when you want, complemented by the very best of home comforts. If you are seeking privacy with the option of enjoying first class luxurious hotel facilities, Kempinski Hotel The Dome Villas are the perfect address for you.

Kempinski Hotel The Dome Belek Turkey

Yeni Mahalle Uckumtepesi Caddesi No 20-2

Kadriye 07500 Antalya, Turkey

Tel: +90 242 710 1300 n Fax: +90 242 725 5575

[email protected]

www.kempinski.com

Advertorial

CONTACT

Dome Advertorial.indd 91 24/04/2012 14:19


INBy George!

Forget boring airlines that offer dull upgrades for all your accumulated points. Join Air Canada’s frequent flyer pro-

gramme for just 177,000 miles and you can own a leather vest

signed by George Clooney.

Snooze controlPump up your pillows for Munich

Airport’s fantastic ‘napcabs’ capsule rooms, which are dotted around the terminal and feature a bed and desk for the not-too-

shabby price of EUR 10 (US$13) an hour.

Takeaway filmsDon’t want to watch in-flight

reruns of Dude, Where’s My Car? Look out for Digiboo

kiosks, coming to an airport near you. Basically you pick

a film from thousands of options, pay and download it to your HD storage device of choice to watch later. Dude!

Muppets take ManhattanBest news all month? The Mup-

pets have been appointed the ‘family ambassadors’ of New York

City. Kermit in a cab, Miss P at the W. What’s not to like?

OUTHungry for more?Short answer – no. As The Hun-ger Games book and film smash records, Hunger Games-themed holidays in North Carolina where the movie was filmed are being launched.

US$14,500 valetsLA’s Bob Hope Airport (who knew?) has finally abandoned its Black Diamond valet park-ing option. Strangely enough nobody was interested in the US$14,500 per year charge.

Fairway to heavenAir New Zealand prefers more traditional in-flight entertain-ment… golf. Turf carpets down aisles and passengers picked to play for prizes. A good thing or a bad thing? We’re not sure.

Fan in a vanThe UK tourism board has launched a competition offering lucky Anglophiles the chance to travel around Britain, all-expenses paid for 70 days. Sadly it’s in a van.

Coasting alongAt Destinations of the World News Towers, we love a cosy private jet as much as the next Lear fan, so we are waiting with bated breath to see how new start-up Surf Air gets along on America’s West Coast. Promising on-site concierge services, mid-sized executive planes and all the hot and cold luxury of other personal jet services, Surf Air is offering as much time as you want on your own private plane from just US$790 per month. The catch is that the airline only plans – so far – to fly between the West Coast destinations of Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Barbara (pictured) and LA. Still, for US$790 a month, it sounds like a great deal (particularly if you’re a Silicon Valley millionaire in a long-distance relationship), but can it make money? Watch this space. Surf Air says it’s targeting the 20 million frequent flyers who commuted between San Fran and LA last year.

Treasured islandFancy your own island just for yourself and a few friends? Well, we’ve just the place. Fifteen acres of sun-kissed, palm-filled, white-sanded, turquoise-watered, uninhabited island paradise, just off the coast of Australia’s Queensland. But there’s a catch. The island is being leased by the Aussie beverage company XXXX, which will send lucky competition-winners there over the next three years. XXXX is promoting it as the ‘ultimate mates escape’, as it will come complete with sand cricket, beach fires, endless fishing and plenty of cold ones. The pimped-out tree house, floating golf course and hole-in-the-bar-floor fishing all look very appealing.

115-117 Trends.indd 117 25/04/2012 18:18

KEMPINSKI HOTEL THE DOME BELEKKempinski Hotel The Dome Belek is a luxurious golf and thalasso resort with a private beachfront on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It offers a perfect setting in one of the most picturesque corners of the Turkish Riviera, near the city of Antalya and numerous historical sites, as well as the two 18-hole golf courses of Antalya Golf Club: Pasha Golf Course and the PGA Sultan Golf Course, the only PGA course in Turkey. The hotel’s architecture is inspired by the pre-Ottoman Seljuk culture, with exterior and interior design reflecting the original style of the period.

Unwind at the spaThe 3600m² spa and thalasso treatment centre features a thalasso pool, a Jacuzzi surrounded by a waterfall, indoor massage rooms, and Balinese massage pavilions surrounded by Zen gardens. A true oasis of relaxation, The Dome Sanitas Spa offers facial, body and thalasso-therapy treatments in 28 carefully appointed treatment rooms, as well as saunas, a heated indoor swimming pool, heated seawater pool and a genuine Ottoman hammam in exclusive, refined settings. wedding BellsJust imagine a paradise where emerald green pine forests meet the clear turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. As the sun sets, a golden glow is cast on the bride and her groom. A soft, warm breeze puts a smile on the faces of the friends and loved ones who have come to share in this glorious day. Our ultimate wish is to make your dream wedding come true. Our professionals combine the finest wedding essentials with the most beautiful venues and take care of every last detail to ensure an unforgettable experience.

dome Villas Leave the maddening city behind and discover the ultimate luxury villa experience. As well as the 146 rooms and 18 elegantly decorated suites, the hotel features 16 luxurious Royal Golf Villas and two Presidential Villas with private pools, located on the shore of an artificial lake in the middle of the PGA Sultan Golf Course. Villas offer a stylish alternative for a romantic hideaway or a family-size luxury villa for the whole fam-ily to enjoy. Staying in a villa gives you the complete freedom to do what you want when you want, complemented by the very best of home comforts. If you are seeking privacy with the option of enjoying first class luxurious hotel facilities, Kempinski Hotel The Dome Villas are the perfect address for you.

Kempinski Hotel The Dome Belek Turkey

Yeni Mahalle Uckumtepesi Caddesi No 20-2

Kadriye 07500 Antalya, Turkey

Tel: +90 242 710 1300 n Fax: +90 242 725 5575

[email protected]

www.kempinski.com

Advertorial

CONTACT

Dome Advertorial.indd 91 24/04/2012 14:19


New Delhi has a multitude of fabulous hotels – here are representatives of the three top home-grown

Indian ‘hotel dynasties’. The oldest of the trio, Tata Group’s The Taj Mahal Hotel, opened in 1978, and with 12 floors, it set a city-wide trend for tall ‘block-type’ buildings. Of its 296 rooms, the most magnificent is number 930, a 1,450 sq ft suite with bullet-proof windows, dining for 14, a four-post bed and a proper library with old sepia photos that show the Delhi Town Planning Committee in 1913. For a more a�ordable alternative, take any room that gives access to the eighth-floor Taj Club Lounge, a most agreeable room with impeccable service. On a return visit, they already know that you like plain yoghurt, oven-baked with a memorable topping. Food is a notable point of this hotel, stylishly run by homegrown hotelier Digvijay Singh, himself an unashamed foodie. Book far ahead for the two signature restaurants, both designed by talented twins Mario and Theo Nicolaou. Varq, with a haveli-decorated wall, is a new take on Indian cuisine (think Tandoori and orange-marinated halibut), while Wasabi o�ers ‘Iron Chef’ Masaharu Morimoto’s futurist-Japanese cuisine. Another noteworthy memory here is the hotel’s classic lobby, whose ceiling supports six brilliantly tiled and painted inset domes. www.tajhotels.com

Captain Nair, ‘Hon. Chairman’, is the sprightliest, and funniest, nonagenarian hotelier imaginable. His latest baby, opened in March 2011, is The Leela Palace in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic section. Some 979 employees strive to make this 260-room palace sparkle non-stop. The lobby hosts eight two-floor high columns, the same number of

plausibly-real mature trees and a pair of giant crystal Murano chandeliers. Look past all this to a six-foot Devi goddess sculpture in the three-acre garden. Room 940, a 1,500 sq ft Royal Suite, is typically lavish, with gold beading, gold-framed wall hangings and a 24-foot plunge pool on your private terrace. Fine dining? Choose from Le Cirque, by Italy’s Maccioni family, or Megu, a branch of Koichi Yokoyama’s Japanese empire, both of which took o� in New York. Recover with a shot of 130-year old Louis XIII Rare Cask Cognac, a mere US$2,500 a pop. More plausibly, save money by merely indulging in the super nine-room ESPA, or enjoy laps in the 11th floor rooftop pool, overlooking the city. Swiss GM Tamir Kobrin is of Bulgarian-Russian heritage. www.theleela.com

Since his ‘original’ Delhi hotel is undergoing an Adam Tihany refurbishment, PBS (Bikki) Oberoi’s flagship here is the striking 187-room, C-shaped Oberoi Gurgaon, which opened in April 2011. Arrive to a football-field-sized blue lake wrapped in the arms of the building, and drive round and up, through a forest, to the fifth-floor lobby. Everything else, concrete and marble, is white, glass, or shiny steel, with hints of muted Indian red. Room 6120 is the 3,900 sq ft Presidential Suite, which has a 60-foot private pool cantilevered out from your terrace. Boss Kapil Chopra, a genius on Indian art as well as creative hotel-keeping, has installed high-value Peter Nagy art among an interior shopping gallery that includes Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Gucci and Ermenegildo Zegna, and super-pedicurist Bastien Gonzalez. Other specials here? The spa is 24 hours; Amaranta o�ers Delhi’s freshest seafood; and at threesixtyone, you can eat outside on a pontoon in that decorative pond, looking to one side at arguably the biggest-ever living wall, all 3,000 sq ft of it. www.oberoihotels.com

Mary Gostelow

Lifestyle and luxury commentator

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Connoisseur An insider’s guide to the most luxurious hotels in the world Oberoi Gurgaon

The Taj Mahal Hotel

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Album


LebanonLebanon is my lifeblood. Nowhere else can you swim on the beach in the morning, then ski in the after-noon. You have this diversity in reli-gion and this soul; there is huge cul-tural diversity and tradition. People go for dinner at midnight and don’t go home until 4am. Lebanese entre-preneurship is unique and you can feel that in the restaurants and the looks and the elegance. My father used to visit during the 60s, when it was considered to be like the South of France in the Middle East.

RomeIf you ever go to Rome, you abso-lutely must visit the Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri. You will fall in love with it. It’s a legendary hotel with a three-star Michelin restaurant, La Pergola, on the top floor. If you go outside on the terrace during the summer months, the Bulgari family and all the other top Italian families are all there, mingling and enjoying themselves. It’s like a small city of luxury within the city of Rome – a little oasis where people have been coming for decades.

TokyoThere is great uniqueness to Tokyo, yet the diversity of cultures is abso-lutely fascinating. You have tra-ditional Asian culture versus the huge monumental office blocks. The other thing I like about Tokyo is the people – they are very fast moving with high energy and it’s an incredi-ble whirlwind. Tokyo is really big on hotels and nightlife. You can go to a sushi bar or a western style bar or to one of many Michelin restaurants. Our Conrad is right in the city cen-tre with two Michelin restaurants.

Picture perfect Untouched white sands

and hidden coves make the Seychelles an earthly paradise

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The MaldivesA destination that grabs me every time I go is the Maldives. I think it’s the closest thing there is to para-dise. You come ashore and take your shoes and your suit off and start to relax. You can learn to dive or snor-kel or explore some of the remote islands. They are developing the Maldives quite rapidly, but it is still a paradise in my eyes. There are few islands or remote destinations that are so unique and exclusive and yet within reach of a long weekend or short holiday.

President, Middle East & Africa, Hilton Worldwide

Rudi Jagersbacher has one of the best jobs in the world. As the president of the Middle East and Africa regions for Hilton Worldwide, it is his job

to oversee the development and operations of all Hilton hotels in the region, find locations and partners for new properties, maintain good relationships with the stakeholders who make those acquisitions possible, and make sure that his customers come back again and again.

It’s no small task but it’s one he has been perfecting over the course of his hospitality career, which has involved tenures at some of London’s most iconic hotels including Claridges, The Savoy, and the London Hilton on Park Lane. Fortunately for us, his role also involves a substantial amount of travel to all corners of the globe, from bustling metropolises full of life to island hideaways in the Indian Ocean. Below he shares his favourite getaways with Destinations of the World News.

New YorkEvery time I land in New York it’s exciting; it’s like a different world. I even like going to the cinemas. You can now go to areas where you couldn’t go 10 or 15 years ago. Every one of these areas has its own per-sonality. The Waldorf Astoria is per-haps the most famous hotel in the world. You can find yourself in the lift with the kinds of people you only ever see on the political podium or on films. Anything big happening in NYC happens there – it is part of the city and part of the culture.

Rudi JageRsbacheR

The SeychellesThe Seychelles has wonderful land-scapes and great, beautiful beaches. You have fabulous tropical Creole food and the wonderful islands of La Digue and Praslin, which are really stunning. Some of the best beaches I have ever seen in the world are on Praslin, which has the most beauti-ful shoreline, with huge waves com-ing in. It’s still a destination that has an exclusive flair to it. It’s as close as you can get to being untouched.

“The Seychelles is still a destination that has an exclusive flair

to it. It’s as close as you can get to being

untouched”

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Sectiony title


Many say the American Dream is dead, but it seems to be alive and well. Why has the economic crisis ignited a new fondness for entrepreneurship?I don’t know if it’s a fondness for entrepreneur-ship more than a necessity for entrepreneur-ship. When there aren’t many jobs, someone has to come up with something that will create jobs. It’s fertile ground for entrepreneurs to be created and hopefully to flourish. My recent book with Robert Kiyosaki, Midas Touch, is about the importance of entrepreneurs and their contribution to the economy and society at large. It’s a matter of practicality, not flamboyance, in this economic climate to have people who will think creatively and move forward with their ideas.

Trump hotels embody the idea of timeless, aspirational luxury. Which hotel brands have won your loyalty over the years?I very much like the Beverly Hills Hotel and was a frequent guest there. It’s not only beauti-fully decorated but the service is amazing; professional, courteous and comprehensive. My hotels strive for and achieve the same attributes. A great hotel makes you want to return again and again, knowing the standards will be the same each time. We receive many letters from guests who rave about their visit, and they come back.

How do you ensure that Trump the man and Trump the brand remain in tune?That is very simple, as I represent the gold standard and so does my brand. Staying in tune is like having a Steinway grand that is taken care of impeccably – it will be in tune. Always.

Your three adult children have all graduated from the Trump School of Life—did you give them a hard time as teenagers to ensure they were following the path to success?They did well as teenagers and were disci-plined. They saw how hard I worked, so I set the example. I didn’t have to be hard on them and I think our lives were well balanced between work or study and family time. One important lesson was the importance of family and another was an emphasis on education. It was stressed that you have to have passion for your work or success won’t come easily. I wanted to make sure they would love what they were doing.

You have dabbled in politics and until recently we expected you to run for US president. Why did you bow out of the 2012 runnings and when will we see you return to the political stage?I love what I’m doing and would prefer to keep at it. I’m concerned about this country, how-ever, and would like to have a positive impact, so that’s one reason for my interest and contri-bution to the political arena. If I can be of help behind the scenes, that’s fine with me.

When do you plan to hand over the keys to the Tower to your children and retire from the business world?My father always said that “to retire is to expire” and I agree with him. My work gives me great energy and satisfaction.

What do you remember about the first time you told someone ‘You’re fired!’ for real?I don’t remember. Actually, I don’t like firing people. I’ve had people who have been with me for over 30 years. n

Donald TrumpChairman and President

The Trump Organization

Ace in the hand

Final WORD

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+90 212 368 44 [email protected]

Do you live an InterContinental l i fe?

A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE

IN THE HEART OF ISTANBUL

Located in the heart of the most dynamic and exotic city of Istanbul, adjacent to Taksim Square, Ceylan InterContinental Istanbul awaits you for an unforgettable experience. With glorious views of the Bosphorus, its rooms are defined by the ultimate in comfort. Dine like a Sultan in the award-winning fine dining restaurant Safran, offering sumptuous Ottoman delicacies and traditional Turkish cuisine, enjoy the international flavours of The Brasserie, or soak up the atmosphere overlooking the Bosphorus at The City Lights Restaurant & Bar.

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Destinations of the World News - DOTWNews - May 2012 issue

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