Trekking Japan's Kumano Kodo

Southeast asia march 2017 IT List 2017

Trekking Japan’s Singapore S$7.90 / Hong Kong HK$43 Thailand THB175 / Indonesia IDR50,000 Malaysia MYR18 / Vietnam VND85,000 Macau MOP44 / Philippines PHP240 Bur ma MMK35 / Cambodia KHR22,000 Kumano Kodo Brunei BND7.90 / Laos LAK52,000

STYLISHLY AFFORDABLE

ibis Styles offers guests comfort, an energetic vibe and the simplicity of all-inclusive pricing, with an all-you-can-eat breakfast, broadband internet, and many more little extras all part of the standard rate. Contemporary rooms feature all essential amenities including working desks and safes, and available family rooms make traveling with children

a breeze. With each establishment having a distinct ibis Styles Bangkok Khaosan Viengtai personality that reflects the creativity found in its local community, ibis Styles delivers a refreshingly terrace, as well as a unique bar and restaurant offering Thai fun experience at an affordable price. Burgers, signature cocktails, live entertainment and pool parties. With comfortable, well-equipped rooms and vintage design cues throughout, ibis Styles is a welcome addition to this colourful neighbourhood.

The ibis Styles Chiang Khong Riverfront offers the Bursting with character, ibis Styles Phuket City is the hip chance to unwind with tranquil views overlooking the place to discover historic Phuket Town. Immerse yourself in majestic Mekong River while enjoying an exceptional level the local lifestyle with an impressive number of heritage sites, of service. Whether Chiang Khong is a stopover en route to outdoor markets, parks and art galleries all within walking Laos or you’re using it as a base for exploring the cultural distance. And that same local character is found inside the wonders and natural beauty of Thailand’s north, the hotel hotel as well, with every floor featuring colourful, modern provides spacious rooms with traditional Lanna design designs inspired by the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Old flourishes, much-lauded international dining, and a pool bar Town Phuket. With a focus on comfort, convenience and with views across the Mekong to the Laos town of Huay ibis Styles Chiang Khong Riverfront outstanding value, ibis Styles Phuket City delivers a truly ibis Styles Phuket City Xai. As an added extra, complimentary bicycle use makes it unique experience, while still only being a few minutes from easy to discover more of this relaxing riverside village. the island’s beautiful beaches. Experience Bangkok’s vibrant sights without breaking the ibis Styles Yangon Stadium features inspiring local bank at the newly built ibis Styles Bangkok Sukhumvit art infused with a sporting twist: design elements 50. The city’s only international 3-star hotel chain offers referencing Yangon’s love of football and chinlone, everything needed for an enjoyable stay. The rooms are Myanmar’s spellbinding national sport. The country’s first modern and the decor is decidedly cheerful, with each floor international-standard economy hotel is welcoming and having its own whimsical motif. The playfulness continues at contemporary — a hip-yet-relaxing environment to unwind the airport-themed Terminal bistro, which serves excellent after a day of exploring the delights of Yangon. Bright, local cuisine and drinks. When it’s time to hit the town, a generously sized rooms boast the ibis signature Sweet complimentary tuk-tuk service shuttles you to the SkyTrain Bed™ to ensure a good night’s sleep, while breathtaking station and from there you’re only minutes from Bangkok’s views of the skyline are the hallmark of Yangon’s newest wide range of cultural landmarks and entertainment venues. iconic landmark, the 369 Restaurant and Bar on the hotel’s rooftop. The ambience of Bangkok’s old quarter meets international comforts at the ibis Styles Bangkok Khaosan Viengtai. Conveniently located near the most important historical spots in Bangkok, guests can enjoy Rambuttri Road’s diverse selection of budget-friendly restaurants and shops without sacrificing quality accommodation. Rare for the area, ibis Styles Bangkok Sukhumvit 50 ibis Styles Yangon Stadium the hotel also features a swimming pool and large outdoor For more information, visit ibis.com or accorhotels.com.

AW ibisStyle Advertorial - T&L final.indd All Pages 2/3/17 9:36 AM STYLISHLY AFFORDABLE ibis Styles offers guests comfort, an energetic vibe and the simplicity of all-inclusive pricing, with an all-you-can-eat breakfast, broadband internet, and many more little extras all part of the standard rate. Contemporary rooms feature all essential amenities including working desks and safes, and available family rooms make traveling with children a breeze. With each establishment having a distinct ibis Styles Bangkok Khaosan Viengtai personality that reflects the creativity found in its local community, ibis Styles delivers a refreshingly terrace, as well as a unique bar and restaurant offering Thai fun experience at an affordable price. Burgers, signature cocktails, live entertainment and pool parties. With comfortable, well-equipped rooms and vintage design cues throughout, ibis Styles is a welcome addition to this colourful neighbourhood.

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clockwise FROM top LEFT: sean fennessy; scott a. woodward; felix odell; courtesy of the warehouse hotel ON THE COVER Autumn colors along the Kumano Kodo in Japan. Photographer: Scott A. Woodward March features 62 Turquoise Dreams Why go all the way to the Maldives for a beach? Because, as Maria Shollenbarger finds, nowhere else does sea, sand and splendor quite like this. Photographed by Sean Fennessy 70 Mystery Trail Japan’s Kumano Kodo pilgrimage is more than a trek; it’s a puzzle that leads you back to yourself with every carefully chosen step. By 62 70 Christopher Kucway. house hotel e

r Photographed by Scott 82 92 A. Woodward the wa f 82 esy o Boutique Love t r We offer some of the best and brightest boutique hotels across the region. You lix odell; cou e f

; want to feel “of the d r place”? Check in to these newcomers. 92 Frozen In the Arctic of Swedish Lapland, a nnessy; scott a. woodwa e communion with f nature awaits anyone ean

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tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 7 In Every Issue T+ L Digital 10 C ontributors 11 E ditor’s Note 12 The Conversation 14 D eals 58 Wish You Were Here 106

departments

Here & Now Beyond 17 Trailer Park Avenue 33 Taking Shape We checked in with for cooking and a new outlook on Melbourne’s funky new Notel is a the designers behind some of the life and work. rooftop stay that’s part mobile most distinctive hotel openings home, part luxury inn. in the region to find out how they The Guide 22 Trenches & Hoodies The travel are molding the future of 49 Sort By Price A road map to uniform of the moment is hospitality. affordable accommodation carefree, but refined. 38 Sitting Pretty P aris’s Hôtel Saint- across Asia. 24 Click Couture Lauren Yates, Marc is the perfect stage for founder of the lifestyle blog showing off the season’s best The Place bags, and a few other fun Ponytail Journal and Hoi An Convenient, compact and accessories. 102 W’menswear fashion label, takes charismatic, Hoi An embodies us shopping around the region. 42 Heart of the Jungle In the wilds Vietnamese charm. By Duncan 26 Waterfront Revival A formerly of Sabah, a village is opening an Forgan. Photographed by Aaron unremarkable area of Cape Town untamed forest to help preserve Joel Santos is becoming a playground for the the rainforest and their own city’s creative set. culture. 28 It List 2017 Our favorite new and 46 Seeking Soul Food On a radically redone hotels of the spontaneous trip to Cambodia year will have you booking flights last summer, fashion designer for your next break. Phillip Lim developed a passion n joel santos o r notel; alex john beck; kit yeng chan; aa f esy o t r ou : c T F LE M 17 22 42 102 O FR

8 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com FROM LEFT: courtesy of notel; alex john beck; kit yeng chan; aaron joel santos 11316_CHR_Ads_Travel_leisure_Asia_Mar.indd 1 · THAILAND VIETNAM · award-winning SPA Cenvaree orenjoy world-class diningatoursignature beach-side serenity orwet andwildwater sports;want to blissoutatour MALDIVES · such asVietnam, SriLanka, andtheMaldives. Whether you are seeking private poolvillasinThailandandotherexotic, balmy destinations, Centara Hotels &Resorts offers spacious deluxe rooms, suites and restaurants, you can ensure to experience allthisandmore, CREATED YOU FOR right alongsidewithpicture-postcard white-sand beach. SRILANKA · THE PERFECT BEACH ESCAPES… BOOK DIRECT FOR OURBEST PRICEPROMISE QATAR

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· 021011234ext 1 OMAN 1/31/2560 BE 15:24 +Lookout A bold new gallery debuts in Bangkok; a t+l digital grande dame in central Vietnam gets a Four Seasons makeover; a star Vietnamese chef branches out to Hong Kong; studying the thio s m nth on travelandleisureasia.com ancient Japanese art of 3 of the Best cooking 4 Asian Craft Beers Su sTAInable Tiger flower arrangement in Classes in bangkok You Need to Try Now Tourism in India Kyoto; how to spend a Mastering Thai cuisine’s Local brewmasters are taking Deep in the heart of Madhya night on the town in delicate synergy of sweet, advantage of all kinds of Pradesh, these eco-chic safari Singapore; the latest sour, savory and spicy flavors Southeast Asian ingredients lodges are educating is a challenge, which is why to create innovative ales, travelers and helping the travel deals; and more. we called on the experts. stouts and IPAs. local wildlife. travelandleisureasia.com han eng C it Y odge i l r a f achasinh; K de sa o m sa f f Rachna S esy o t r tesy o r ingh/cou d; cou r a s r nd e oodwa m . W ales; so cott A r f S ste a m tesy o r young f esy o antos; cou t

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10 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com from left: autchara panphai; courtesy of young master ales; somendra singh/courtesy of samode safari lodge

from top: courtesy of Aaron Joel Santos; courtesy of Scott A. Woodward; courtesy of Rachna Sachasinh; Kit Yeng Chan 2 4 3 1 Instagram: @aaronjoelsantos Instagram: home.” at cap lens your Leave lost. Get fields. rice through walk houses, into Peek countryside. the to town of out “Get says. he different,” something for around “Look take? tourist one can walls yellow against hats conical many How Vietnam. at look clichéd any from away veer to quick is Santos But pancakes. sweet-potato or noodles Lau Cao there’s then famished, still you’re If bread.” the on spread they jam chili spicy and sweet “It’s that win. contest no is there says Santos banh mi to comes it when but creds, culinary top for vie Vietnam in cities Many — gra P An Hoi Place: The Pho Santos Joel Aaron pot. I love little details.” little Ilove pot. tea and china porcelain era colonial- antique in it served they and afternoon, one late tea ordered “I Mahabhirom: Villa day, and the rule elements design where Reap, Siem in Templation is these Among Sachasinh. with points big scored addresses some Inevitably explains. she charm,” the to adds that but polished, totally not and quirky be can “It settings. intimate more in culture local and luxury offer inns smaller these on, they’re When that. do to address perfect the are hotels boutique and destination, a in immersed be to likes Sachasinh travels, she When — P Boutique Love W Sachasinh Rachna 3 1 age a ri ge 82 ge t t er 102 o — it is Hoi An for the the for An Hoi is it p he r

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m v elandlei a r m ch 2017 s urea o s ia.co a m ph photos to post. post. to photos which deciding be will part tough the warned, be though camera, own foryour reaching you have likely will of them one any Visiting world. the around resorts and hotels new best 28),the (page List IT annual of our appearance beyond. and of Asia images great with filled be will pages those guarantee Ican Shin. or Aaron Morgan, Lauryn, [email protected] m This month marks the the marks month This a ers ers g @CKucway a z a ines, r e world. the in else anywhere unlike scene the activity, of a hive is river the nightfall, Come Palace. Wat Pho and the the and Pho Wat sois around history-laden the of angle different a offers also it restaurant roof-top its from inn, modern A clean, Arun. small, new hotels, Riva city’s the of one at river Bangkok’s along myself I found new, somewhere uncover to far venture to have never we that Proving From My Travels My From G r and and

efrom l ft: thanakorn chomnawang; christopher kucway from left: thanakorn chomnawang; christopher kucway JW MarriottPhuQuoc_T+Lresize.pdf12/3/60BE10:20AM the conversation

How do you encapsulate a whole country’s wonder and charm in just a few words? Nearly every national tourism board around the globe has taken on the task (the 38 exceptions include Libya, perhaps unsurprisingly, but also Sweden). FamilyBreakFinder, a U.K. travel website, has compiled a list of slogans from 150 nations and the examples range from alliterations like Epic Estonia, to Djibouti’s pun- tastic catchphrase, Djibeauty. Here are a few more of our favorite ways destinations are marketing themselves:

Latvia Best Enjoyed Tajikistan Mongolia Feel the Friendship Go Nomadic NETHERLANDS Slowly The Original Cool

Iran You Are Invited Philippines Jordan It’s More Fun in Yes, It’s Jordan the Philippines Haiti Experience It! Morocco Much Mor Vuan at Discover What Matters El Salvador mCa eroon Bhutan The 45-Minute All of Africa in Happiness is One Country India a Place Country Incredible !ndia

Paraguay You Have to Feel It! Chile Uganda All Are You’re Welcome Welcome Argentina Beats to Your New Zealand Rhythm 100% Pure

Tnhis mo th, readers are hitting the streets #TLASIA to dine like locals. panphai a r tcha u A Shopping for ingredients in Siem Curry paste galore in Bangkok. Fruit on the go in Hanoi. Barbecue in Xian’s Old Market. Reap’s wet market. By @livethequestion. By @jula_guillianie. By @milica_grujic_. tion by by tion

By @travelholicjas. a r

Share an Instagram photo by using the #TLAsia hashtag, and it may be featured in an upcoming issue. Follow @travelandleisureasia illust

14 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com editor-in-chief Christopher Kucway art director Wannapha Nawayon Deputy editor Jeninne Lee-St. John senior editor Merritt Gurley senior DEsigner Chotika Sopitarchasak DEsigner Autchara Panphai EDITORial assistant Veronica Inveen

Regular contributors / photographers Cedric Arnold, Kit Yeng Chan, Helen Dalley, Philipp Engelhorn, Marco Ferrarese, Duncan Forgan, Diana Hubbell, Lauryn Ishak, Mark Lean, Melanie Lee, Ian Lloyd Neubauer, Morgan Ommer, Aaron Joel Santos, Stephanie Zubiri

chairman J.S. Uberoi president Egasith Chotpakditrakul publishing director Rasina Uberoi-Bajaj

publishER Robert Fernhout digital media manager Pichayanee Kitsanayothin TRAFFIC MANAGER/deputy DIGITAL media manager Varin Kongmeng sales director Joey Kukielka business development managers David Bell Leigha Proctor chief financial officer Gaurav Kumar production manager Kanda Thanakornwongskul production Natchanan Kaewsasaen group circulation MANAGER Porames Sirivejabandhu circulation assistant Yupadee Saebea

TRAVEL+LEISURE (USA) Editor-in-Chief Nathan Lump Senior Vice President / Publishing Director Steven DeLuca Publisher Joseph Messer

TIME INC. INTERNATIONAL LICENSING & DEVELOPMENT ([email protected]) Senior Director,Bu siness Development Jennifer Savage Executive Editor / International Jack Livings

TIME INC. Chief Executive Officer Joseph Ripp Chief Content Officer Norman Pearlstine

travel+leisure southeast asia Vol. 11, Issue 3 Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia is published monthly by Media Transasia Limited, 1603, 16/F, Island Place Tower, 510 King’s Road, North Point, Hong Kong. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Produced and distributed by Media Transasia Thailand Ltd., 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, 75/8 Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: 66-2/204-2370. Printed by Comform Co., Ltd. (66-2/368-2942–7). Color separation by Classic Scan Co., Ltd. (66-2/291-7575). While the editors do their utmost to verify information published, they do not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy.

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Courtesy of notel News + trends + discoveries

det bu Trailer Park Melbourne’s funky new Notel Avenue is a rooftop stay that’s part mobile home, part luxury inn. Ian Lloyd Neubauer checks in. otel n f The Airstream with Benefits at tesy o tesy r Notel comes o

C u with a hot tub.

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 17 / here&now /

Notel, a mold-breaking hybrid hotel, was created by James Fry, a guy who says he has zero experience in the hospitality industry. Chalk it up to fresh eyes or beginner’s luck, but it has Melbourne abuzz. Set on the rooftop of a high-rise in the Paris end of the city’s central business district, the funky new property has only six rooms. Well, not rooms exactly but vintage Airstream caravans polished to a sheen. “It was an underutilized space, a beautiful blank canvas with a terrific view of the Melbourne skyline on the rooftop of a building my father and I own,” Fry says. “We discussed many different ideas over the years but nothing was exciting until I came up with the idea of accommodation with a twist, in caravans.” The twists begin as soon as guests check-in via an app downloaded to their smartphone that guides them to a stairwell on Flinders Lane, one of Melbourne’s most iconic laneways. The app then functions as a digital key to a door that opens onto a rooftop covered in red Astroturf. Front and center on a brick wall is a massive mural by Ash Keating, a local graffiti artist of who uses a

high-pressure fire-extinguisher to spray paint large I nside, the caravans coarse surfaces. are Sci-Fi chic. top: Beds are made Keating, whose work adorns many Melbourne up with soft laneways and overseas venues like the new Bikini club in bamboo sheets. Bali, says his random-looking mural at Notel was a deliberate study in branding. “The palette was a dusty pink and that was key to the branding—a starting point,” he says. “I also used purple and orange and silver paint to reflect the sheen of the Airstream and connect the wall to the rest of the space.” All six Airstreams at Notel have decks with outdoor furniture and heaters, while one caravan, called the Airstream with Benefits, also comes with a hot tub. Inside, glossy white and pink surfaces, a ceiling-mounted iPad Pro with Netflix, full-size en-suite bathrooms and sunken floors coalesce in open-plan interiors that Fry says have “no resemblance to caravans at all.” Of course, that’s the point. “I wanted people to open the door and go

‘Stuff me, this is not a caravan. This is something (2) otel n

completely different and very special,’” Fry says. “The f whole idea was to wow people.” tesy o tesy r o

notelmelbourne.com.au; rooms A$395-$440. C u

18 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com Courtesy of notel (2) Putahracsa-ads_theme hotel.pdf12/2/60BE10:08AM Town. Yet the reality—a Yet reality—a the Town. of Old splendors front bank- other the all and Wat Prayoon Kalayanamit, Wat Wat Arun, Palace, Grand the passing of Kings, River Bangkok’s plies it as ship grand on a supping and sipping of appeal— plenty carries Praya Chao on the cruise In re / 20 Bangkok’s Supanniga Bangkok’s Supanniga

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P atiya Pullket

courtesy of banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts (2) Patiya Pullket

cou rtesy of banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts (2) 1945. 1945. to 1942 from minister prime as served of of Mekong stately resort with with resort stately a into minister prime aformer of home A brand, Tree’s Banyan sister a hotel. into converted was building colonial-style Xiengkeo once was Ba ot ot with Majesty with Mekong, The R property in in property L service is making it easier to ditch the lounge chair and go see see go and chair lounge the ditch to easier it making is service price regardless of the distance you travel or number of stops stops of number or travel you distance the of regardless price a different side of Bali. uber.com; for UberTrip costsBali. Rp300,000 of side a different arranged through the oh-so-familiar Uber app interface. The The interface. app Uber oh-so-familiar the through arranged perfect for tourists looking to see more of the island. The app app The island. the of more see to looking tourists for perfect u n e P ang ang gsana has already transformed the the transformed already has gsana lets you request a car for a set five-hour block, with a fixed afixed with block, five-hour aset for acar request you lets a car with the ease of having a personal driver, and it is all all is it and driver, apersonal having of ease the with a car b ny r Uber has launched a new feature in Bali called UberTrip, UberTrip, called Bali in feature anew launched has Uber you decide to make. It combines the flexibility of renting renting of flexibility the combines It make. to decide you ince ince o A a P f n r R ter the communist revolution, the the revolution, communist the ter abang Hotel & Hotel abang P

a five-hour and per minute ride, Rp1,000 thereafter. i T ver. The six-hectare property property ver. six-hectare The h L r etsarath etsarath a ee ha os, taking over The The over taking os, A P s n a R opened its first first its opened gsana Maison Maison gsana lace, the residence residence the lace, a R tanavongsa who who tanavongsa ipping in in ipping T e sort on the the on sort r G r and and

Noticed US$130. from doubles prabang.com; grandluang estate. riverfront prime the with do will they what see to curious we’re suit, Tree following now Banyan Souvannaphoum in in Souvannaphoum B a li showcase showcase L G een grounds at The The at grounds een G u be w: r r and ang ang l o L P u r

ang Bright rooms rooms Bright abang. With With abang. L ao P textiles. r abang. abang. BEL_T&L_266.7 H x 67.73 W_final.indd 1 BEL_T&L_266.7 Hx67.73 W_final.indd GOLDEN PAGODAS ABOARD THE LUXURIOUS BELMONDROAD TO BELMOND ROAD TO MANDALAY, MYANMAR SPECTACULAR SCENERY AND MANDALAY RIVERCRUISER HOTELS |TRAINSRIVERCRUISES |JOURNEYS CONSULTANTS ON+656395 0678 OR YOUR LOCAL TRAVEL AGENT. MYANMAR CONTACT OURLUXURY TRAVEL DISCOVER EXPERIENCE ALANDOF ON JOURNEYS OFTWO TO FOUR-NIGHTS. BELMOND.COM

02/02/2017 11:34 / here&now / list t Ar t i a r o N ils by a N ists. nails: 1 2 t Ar ney

the look o H at at Trenches & Hoodies r The travel uniform of the moment is carefree, but refined, with a luxe, long-haul-ready sweatshirt and a structured coat for additional polish. A top-handle leather holdall is a chic take on the basic carry-on. ndiôse line

St yled by Melissa Ventosa Martin. Photographed by Alex John Beck a r e g m ncô a L tein using s r e G zy u S keup: a m list. t Ar stase at a r é K kagawa using a N inya h S : r

3 4 odels. hai

1. Burberry deconstructed trench (burberry.com; US$2,595); T by Alexander Wang knit raglan hoodie (alexanderwang.com; US$350); d M Bottega Veneta crocodile handbag (bottegaveneta.com; US$17,800). 2. Lacoste trench (lacoste.com; US$475); White + Warren cashmere zip r hoodie (whiteandwarren.com; US$298); SteamLine The Architect stowaway case (steamlineluggage.com; US$895); The Row Two for One 12 handbag la/Fo

(net-a-porter.com; US$4,450). 3. Michael Kors Collection asymmetric trench (harrods.com; US$2,995); Victor Glemaud double-face zip logo hoodie l (glemaud.com; US$195); Longchamp Le Pliage Heritage handbag (longchamp.com; US$1,035); Gabriela Hearst Frances jumpsuit (gabrielahearst. E com; US$795). 4. Salvatore Ferragamo silk trench, price upon request (ferragamo.com; price upon request); Max Mara angora vest

(harrods.com; US$1,150); Salvatore Ferragamo Soft Sofia saddle handbag(ferragamo.com; US$3,100). Model:

22 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com Model: Ella/Ford Models. hair: Shinya Nakagawa using Kérastase at Artlist. makeup: Suzy GersteinCMY using Lancôme grandiôse liner at Honey Artists. nails: Nails by Nori at Artlist CY MY CM K Y M C W RetreatKohSamui_Mediatransasia_Jan2014.pdf128/1/255717:59:40 WHOTELS.COM/KOHSAMUI WRETREATKOHSAMUI.COM EXPLORE WHAT’S NEW /NEXT T 6677915 999/F6677915 998 W RETREAT KOH SAMUI WHATEVER/WHENEVER® SERVICE. W SIGNATURE BED,BLISS® SPA AMENITIESAND INSIDE, PREMIER TECHNOLOGY MEETS OUTDOOR POOL AND INFINITEISLAND VIEWS. 74 PRIVATE-POOL RETREATS BOASTS A PRIVATE SURROUNDED BY VERDANT FOLIAGE, EACH OFOUR ILLUMINATING.. ENVIRONS. TAKE IT EASY. GOES DOWN, IGNITING THE UNEXPECTED. W RETREAT KOH SAMUI AWAKENS ASSUN THE LOOKING STUNNING BEACHES AND LUSH FORESTS, PRISTINE BEACH LOCATION IN THAILAND, OVER- BO PHUT, IT HAS THE FINEST AND MOST NIGHT. SITUATED BETWEEN MAENAM AND A 24/7ESCAPE. TRANQUIL BY DAY. ELECTRIC BY / here&now /

i nsider intel Click Couture Slow-fashion advocate Lauren Yates, found of the lifestyle blog P onytail Journal and the W’menswear fashion label, takes us shopping around the region.

L auren Yates is one of Southeast Asia’s freshest bon vivants, curating her loves of fashion, food and travel in her playful blog Ponytail Journal. The Hong Kong–born, Australia- and Thailand-raised fashionista brings her global tastes to the four- year-old website, with posts that range from a roundup of stores in Hong Kong to a video tutorial on how to make Burmese chicken, all paya shop paya with a feel-good edge that reflects f

her slogan, “funnest life possible.” esy o t Yates’s editorial fashion focus, r which she calls “W’menswear” —accidently sexy, smart-casual—

started to accumulate a fan base, n yates; cou e now climbing past 36,000 followers r lau

on Instagram. Buoyed by the f audience and connections in the esy o t

industry, last February she launched r her clothing brand of the same name. Her travels, whether collecting vintage Vietcong infantry garments in Vietnam or shop- soda shop; cou hopping in Tokyo, all find their way f

to her W’menswear collections, in a esy o t FOR M top: Blogger and designer Lauren Yates; process she calls “slow fashion.” r antiques at Le Cong Kieu Street in Saigon; a bold getup from Soda; button-ups by Each piece of clothing is the product ges; cou

W’menswear; textiles and crafts from Paya. of meticulous research; even her a basic tees are made from Toki-sen m fabric, sourced from the best mill in

the world for knits, in Osaka. f slowstitch studio (2) By paying special attention to the tesy o sa vega/getty i r i

provenance of r a

ingredients, whether m y; couy; pertaining to food or r ou rm

clothing, Yates has n yates; e established her own r lau voice in a world of fast f the a f food and fast fashion. esy o tesy o t Here she talks go-to spots r r to shop in the region. t: cou t: f top: cou m m le o o fr fr

24 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com FOR M top: The Armoury boutique in Hong Kong; handcrafted, individually dyed pillows from Slowstitch Studio.

BA Ngkok + Yates frequents Paya (payashop. net) in Ekkamai for their range of Thai textiles, antique homewares and handcrafted goods. + For bold-print dresses she heads to paya shop f paya Soda (sodabkk.com). “I love the creativity and spirit that drives the tesy o r Soda brand. They are always using and the richest deep indigo hue fun fabrics and they do a very you’ve seen!” feminine flavor of tailored suits and exotic pieces in the perfect HONG KONG en yates; cou r proportion for me.” + “The Armoury (thearmoury.

f lau com) takes such care in their CHIANG MAI curatorial process and the stories tesy o r + This season, Yates has been behind their wares. It’s a space run working with a natural indigo by true gentlemen who are really studio up in Chiang Mai called excited about the experience that is Slowstitch Studio (slowstitchstudio. their world.” com) that retails scarves, wall f soda shop; cou pieces and pillow cases. The studio SAIGON is run by two textile artists who In Saigon, you can find her tesy o + r studied indigo methodology in rummaging through antiques on Le Japan. “They brought their in-depth Cong Kieu street in District 1. “You

ages; cou knowledge back to Thailand to work can find some really beautiful m on establishing their own ceramic pieces. I’ve picked up a sustainable dyeing and weaving couple of mint cameras with slowstitch studio (2) f studio. They’re developing purely very reasonable price tags after a —Veronica Inveen

esy o fermented vats of indigo—no lime, good bargain.” t r isa vega/getty i r a ; cou y r u o m r en yates; m r Wearing W’menswear the a f f lau The Spring/Summer 2018 collection, debuting in July and retailing February of next year, will introduce a new line of basics like jeans, tees and sweatshirts for year- esy o t tesy o

r round appeal. “I think more and more of us are hunting down wardrobe staples that r are made well,” Yates says, “so we are using beautiful slow-made Japanese : cou

t chambrays, knits and denim.” W’menswear (ptjsupplies.tictail.com; pieces from f US$160) can be found in boutiques around Asia, including Onion (onionbkk.com) in le m m top: cou Bangkok, Syndro (fb.com/syndro.tv) in Taipei, and N igel Cabourn Women the Army o o

fr fr Gym Tokyu Plaza Ginza Store (cabourn.com) in Tokyo. / here&now /

w here to go next Waterfront Revival A formerly unremarkable area of Cape Town is becoming a playground for the city’s creative set. by mary Holland. Photographed by Tom Parker

Cape Town’s new Silo Hotel.

26 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com baked breads and a selection of small-batch cheeses. The adjacent Foreshore has become a dining destination, capturing the attention of residents with its global fare. “Capetonians are adventurous, and they know their food and drink,” says chef Giles Edward. After a decade working at Michelin- starred restaurants in London, Edward moved home last year and opened La Tête (latete.co.za; mains R110– R185), a nose-to-tail restaurant in a 1930s Art Deco building on Bree Street. It’s one of the city’s most fearless kitchens, making dishes like kidney pudding and ox hearts with fries. A few blocks away is the G eneral Store (the-general store.co.za), a tiny timber- fronted café offering fare like za’atar-spiced lamb and French toast with roasted Sunset at the plums. And over at Bardough V&A Waterfront. (jasonbakery.com), baker Jason Lilley’s new bar-and- bakery combo, the menu nI t was ’t long ago that complement the city’s natural lofty rooms have traditional includes the “dawgzilla,” a many Capetonians steered beauty and stellar food and furnishings—tufted chairs, sandwich with grilled clear of the city’s Victoria & wine scenes. “It’s an icon of crystal chandeliers—with octopus and spicy chorizo. Alfred Waterfront and the confidence we feel about pillowed-glass windows that “The Waterfront has always surrounding Foreshore. The being African, about our lend a futuristic note. been tourist-driven—it was area served as both an place in the world,” says Mark Even in advance of the never a draw for locals,” industrial shipping hub and a Coetzee, executive director mocaa’s arrival, the area is Lilley says. “It’s exciting to be tourist magnet, trading in and chief curator. becoming a haven for African one of the pioneers of a souvenir bric-a-brac, Now, visitors have a hotel artists and makers. This May, developing area.” sightseeing harbor cruises option that befits the a Cape Town design group and Cinnabon Stix. changing neighborhood: the will open Guild That perception changed Royal Portfolio Collection’s (southernguild.co.za), a Colorful houses in the nearby with the news of the Zeitz sleek, 28-room Silo Hotel gallery and shop that features Bo-Kaap Museum of Contemporary Art (theroyalportfolio.com; work by African artists like neighborhood. Africa (zeitzmocaa.museum), doubles from R15,000) opens Burkina Faso’s Hamed which is scheduled to open this month on the top seven Ouattara, who transforms this September in a former floors of the Zeitz mocaa’s salvaged metal into grain silo that’s been repurposed silo. Its bright, housewares. The neighboring overhauled by London Watershed (waterfront.co.za) architect-of-the-moment marketplace carries goods A necklace from Thomas Heatherwick. The Pichulik, in the from more than 150 artisans museum will house one of the Watershed (such as Pichulik’s rope-and- world’s largest collections of marketplace. bead statement jewelry and contemporary African art, Africa Nova’s patterned much of it from the holdings textiles) in a warehouse-like of Jochen Zeitz, the owner of space. On Saturday Kenya’s Segera Retreat and mornings, hungry shoppers former Puma CEO. It’s Cape can stop at the Oranjezicht Town’s missing element: a City Farm Market (ozcf.co.za) cultural anchor to for local produce, freshly

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 27 A tranquil corner at Amanemu. cl ockwise from below: Rooftop views at Katamama; the stylish Santani; tea time in the Peninsula Beijing lobby. antani s f tesy o tesy r ; cou ; a m a m ata k f ItO u r favoriteList new and radically redone hotels of the year2017 will have you tesy o tesy booking flights for your next break.R ead more at tandl.me/itlist. r ; cou ; u m ne a m a f tesy o tesy r he peninsula cou beijing; he t f tesy o tesy r : cou : t f op le op t m o fr clockwise

28 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com clockwise from top left: courtesy of the peninsula beijing; courtesy of amanemu; courtesy of katamama; courtesy of santani It List 2017 asia that’s all juicing and boot camps. peacock set the tone; rooms are openings, the Pontchartrain best AMANEMU Santani’s approach is more industrial-lite. Expect the captures NOLA’s spirit and Mie Prefecture, Japan subtle, with ayurvedic spa unexpected—like saucy history. The 1940s glamour of This new hot-spring resort near treatments, meditation and comments from the elevator vintage keys and chandeliers the Grand Shrines of Ise is health food that includes goat- voice— and exuberant service. juxtaposed with seemingly opening up an area that’s cheese tortellini and chai crème For the inside scoop on the incongruent pieces, like a previously been hard for brûlée. From US$710. playful interior design, check out portrait of Lil Wayne, make it foreigners to penetrate. It’s “Taking Shape,” page 33. From elegant and cool in equal unique within the Aman family in SONEVA JANI A$350. measure. From US$179. that it offers a classic onsen Maldives experience, blending the If you’ve ever fantasized about THE ROBEY traditional ryokan with Aman’s staying in an overwater Ua.S. & C nada Chicago sense of space. From ¥87,300. bungalow, add this to your THE ASBURY You’d be hard-pressed to find bucket list. Twenty-four palatial Asbury Park, New Jersey another Windy City hotel to rival CANYON RANCH villas jut into a gin-clear lagoon; This colorful property is the Robey’s alchemy of great Kaplankaya, Turkey all have private pools, and some Jersey’s hot new gathering spot. aesthetics, prime location and The brand’s first international even have waterslides. From There’s an inviting lobby café thrumming atmosphere—all for outpost has panoramic views of US$3,085. and bright-yellow pool chairs to a such a wallet-friendly price the Aegean, a sleek design, and lounge on during the day; at tag. From US$135. local flavors on display in the ST. REGIS VOMMULI night, options include outdoor cuisine. Hammam treatments Maldives movies and a packed rooftop bar. SINGLE THREAD INN are authentic, with a cleansing You come here for two reasons. From US$175. Healdsburg, California scrub on a heated marble table One, for the impeccable St. Regis Acclaimed chef Kyle followed by an olive-soap service. And two, because the THE BEEKMAN Connaughton transfers the massage. From US$472, look of this private-island resort New York City Japanese approach of his including meals. will leave you speechless. Gently You could just have a drink in the kitchen to the hospitality at his sloped villa roofs are meant to restored atrium, but you should luxury inn. The food is hyper- KATAMAMA evoke manta rays, while the spend the night to appreciate seasonal, and the rooms are Bali, Indonesia Whale Bar, which serves small this architectural wonder from outfitted with understated high- The MO here skews more plates and cocktails, opens to all angles—and at all times of end amenities, like Ratio coffee- modern than the typical panoramic sea views. Read day. From US$619. brewers and Zalto wineglasses. thatched-roof bungalow, but about this resort, Soneva Jani From US$700. locally made details— and other Maldivian reveries in THE DEWBERRY lemongrass-infused gin, hand- “Turquoise Dreams,” page 62. Charleston, South Carolina SURFJACK HOTEL & SWIM CLUB dyed bathrobes—keep the look From US$1,770. Once a midcentury office Honolulu warm, not sterile. Private building, the Dewberry is Combine one of Oahu’s best rooftop Jacuzzis and an TAJ MEGHAULI SERAI handsome and sleek, with a retailers (Olive & Oliver), most adjoining beach club balance Chitwan National Park, Nepal vintage edge. They’ve even exciting chefs (Ed Kenney), and a serenity with fun. From US$275. Taj Safaris’ latest lodge has a improved upon Southern handful of top artists, and you’ve prime location, so rhino-spotting hospitality: squint at a menu and got a Waikiki first: a hotel that OBEROI SUKHVILAS excursions are nearly effortless. you’re offered reading glasses; truly taps into the island’s Chandigarh, India After a few hours astride an ask for honey and they’ll fetch creative spirit. From US$207. Oberoi’s newest addition is elephant, unwind with a private your preferred kind. From Mughal-inspired from top to plunge pool, an alfresco US$300. 21C MUSEUM HOTEL bottom, with intricate hand- massage and a Tharu meal. Oklahoma City painted murals and gold leafing From US$300, including meals. FOUR SEASONS RESORT With more than 1,300 square throughout. It sits on a former Lanai, Hawaii meters of exhibition space, this orange grove, so guests can Head here for the away-from-it- boutique hotel in the century-old pluck fruit from the trees as they Asu tralia & all feel that Lanai does best, but Model T Ford plant has filled the wander the grounds. From New Zealand with plenty of amenities—two city’s void for an artsy place to stay. And since the galleries, Rs21,700. HELENA BAY pools, four restaurants and an excellent spa. The interiors are lounge and restaurant have North Island, New Zealand taken off with locals, it has an THE PENINSULA The setting of this resort is clean-lined, putting the focus on Beijing the ocean views. From US$1,150. energy that doesn’t wane immaculate, from the sheltered midweek. From US$219. After a yearlong renovation, the bay to the perfectly pruned Peninsula is a draw for more gardens. The conscientious care MONTAGE PALMETTO BLUFF than just its location. Rooms Bluffton, South Carolina VICEROY L’ERMITAGE you’ll get is clear from the staff- Beverly Hills, California now start at 60 square meters to-guest ratio: 53 employees for This spot still has a gorgeous and have suitelike layouts, with Lowcountry look and activities This discreet gem has a fresh a maximum of only 10 visitors. new palette, and the lounge has décor that nods to both China’s Find this in our round-up of small like horseback riding and golf. storied past and its tech-forward But it got an upgrade last year: a made way for a light-filled hotels, “Boutique Love,” page 82. French bistro. But the real sell is present. From ¥2,180. From NZ$2,900. new inn that serves as the hub, with guest rooms, a restaurant the suites: with dressing rooms, cushy couches and deep soaking SANTANI QT and bar and a spa. From US$305. Sri Lanka tubs, they’re like an A-list home Melbourne, Australia away from home. From US$413. The first destination spa in Sri Refreshing irreverence makes THE PONTCHARTRAIN Lanka is all about wellness—and QT Melbourne a stand-out. The New Orleans not the ascetic Western kind lobby’s wingbacks and stuffed Amid a wave of fashionable

30 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com E urope club lounge has Hungarian wines SANCTUARY CHIEF’S CAMP ocean-inspired scheme is COOMBESHEAD FARM and local pressed juices. From Okavango Delta, Botswana glamorous) or a group vacation Cornwall, England €288. Ultra-personal service is the (the 580-square-meter The five rooms are simply star at this overhauled safari penthouse has a huge terrace decorated, because—let’s be SOHO HOUSE camp. That, and the new and hot tub). From US$925. honest—you’re here for the food. Barcelona Geoffrey Kent Luxury Suite, The 18th-century farmstead has Catalan architecture cements which comes with a private fire just a single communal table, the sense of place, but pit, lounge and bar, plus a butler Mexc i o & Central where chefs April Bloomfield dedication to comfort makes this and guide. From US$1,180 per &u So th America six-floor club a place you want to person, all-inclusive. and Tom Adams serve incredible ATIX HOTEL dishes like pork cracklings in linger. Fluffy robes are a given; here they’ve upped the coziness SIX SENSES ZIL PASYON La Paz, Bolivia cider sauce. Guests can even Contemporary and indigenous ante with a heated towel rack, Seychelles take baking or butchery influences abound, like a façade wool eye mask and hot-water On this eco-chic private isle, the workshops. From £172. of timber and Comanche stone bottle under the covers. From mood is light: soft marine décor, and works by artist Gastón €255. swings by the tubs, vast pool IL SERENO LAGO DI COMO Ugalde. The restaurant, Ona, is decks. The pièce de résistance is Lake Como, Italy among the city’s best, thanks to the spa, shoehorned between Il Sereno is a restrained antidote a staff recruited from Latin c Arf i a & the archipelago’s iconic black to Como’s gilded grandes dames. America’s top kitchens. From boulders, with a yoga pavilion so Designer Patricia Urquiola had t he Middle East US$143. everything from bathtubs to close to the water the sea spray ANANTARA AL JABAL AL AKHDAR cools you during poses. From uniforms made with local Nizwa, Oman US$1,340. CHABLÉ materials like ceppo di gré stone Skirting the rim of a canyon Yucatán, Mexico and Como silk. The layout puts 2,000 meters above sea level, Just an hour from the coast, all eyes on the water, with a this is a dramatic departure from Cara ibbe n & Chablé marries Méridan 150-meter shoreline and Oman’s beach-resort circuit. The hacienda hospitality with beach- lakeview terraces in every room. locale makes simple pursuits— rB e muda resort-style amenities (like the From €745. vertiginous swims in the infinity HAMILTON PRINCESS glamorous, palm tree-lined pool pool or dinner on a glass Bermuda that could’ve been plucked from PARK HYATT platform cantilevered over the In addition to revamping the Tulum). From US$780. Mallorca, Spain chasm—thrilling. From US$560. rooms during its renovation, this This may be the Balearics’ most Fairmont property upped its EXPLORA VALLE SAGRADO stunning retreat yet. Its design ANDBEYOND MATETSI RIVER LODGE cultural cred with a restaurant Sacred Valley, Peru was inspired by Mallorcan Matetsi Private Reserve, from Marcus Samuelsson and an Explora’s philosophy hamlets, and the pink stone Zimbabwe eclectic art collection with emphasizes nature, and their buildings, serpentine pathways At this renovated lodge on a works by Warhol, Nelson latest addition is designed and rows of colonnades have an 49,978-hectare reserve, you’re Mandela and Banksy. From accordingly: Wi-Fi, TV and mini- ancient feel. From €344. in reach of all the activities US$279. bars are replaced with soothing offered on the Zambezi. But even spaces ideal for relaxing after a THE PULITZER if you never leave your room, the KIMPTON SEAFIRE RESORT & SPA day spent exploring craggy Amsterdam scenery—a watery landscape Grand Cayman peaks and Incan ruins. From The update of this hotel’s 25 teeming with wildlife—will keep Catering to both couples and US$1,950 per person, for three landmarked town houses was you enthralled. From US$995 families, this property takes full nights, all-inclusive. not just a polishing of floors and per person, all-inclusive. advantage of its Seven Mile some new cushions. The Beach location. Guest rooms—in MAR ADENTRO designer, Jacu Strauss, spent ASILIA THE HIGHLANDS colors inspired by flora on site— Los Cabos, Mexico the night in every room to dream Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania are all angled to face the sea, A reflecting pool wraps around up a special look for each. The It’s the first camp near the and the lobby has spectacular this striking seaside property, result is colorful and whimsical, northern gate of the Ngorongoro floor-to-ceiling windows. From anchored by Nido, a restaurant but tasteful. From €275. Crater, so while most visitors US$500. ensconced within a woven-twig queue at the southern end in the ovoid structure. The rooms are THE RITZ early morning, Asilia guests can LE BARTHÉLEMY HOTEL & SPA divvied among stark white cubes Paris sleep in, then take a leisurely St. Bart’s, French West Indies that appear to float along the It was all worth the wait. Four descent to the crater floor. From This Grand Cul-de-Sac edges of the pool. From US$326. years after closing its doors for US$430 per person, all-inclusive. newcomer is at once glamorous renovation, the new-and- and unpretentious. An army of NEKUPE improved Ritz has kept the Belle LEEU ESTATES genial French staffers will stock Nicaragua Époque glamour but added some Franschhoek, South Africa a gourmet picnic basket for you, The service alone is first-class, modern necessities: speedy Wi- Analjit Singh’s latest property in or tote rosé to your lounge chair as you’d expect at a luxury inn Fi, new plumbing and a one-of-a- South Africa’s wine country is a overlooking the Caribbean. From with just four villas and four kind Chanel spa. From €1,032. beautifully landscaped, 17-room US$636. suites. But consider the gem with its own wine cellar activities—trail rides, monkey- RITZ-CARLTON (tastings are gratis for guests), a SHORE CLUB watching treks, skeet shooting Budapest spa and a farm-to-table Turks and Caicos and more—and the unreal views, Just two blocks from the restaurant. From US$659. This hotel is the first on Long and it’s a singular way to Danube, this Ritz-Carlton Bay Beach, a more private experience the region. From captures Budapest’s blend of alternative to popular Grace Bay. US$750. elegance and modernity. The Come for a romantic escape (the

ta r velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 31 Digital Ad.indd 2 LET’S CONNECT LET’S TRAVELLEISUREASIA WWW.TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM @TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA @TRAVLEISUREASIA 2/10/2560 BE 4:00PM

Courtesy of SCDA borneo| cambodia + more

design Taking Shape We talked to designers behind some of the most distinctive new properties in the region—including an Indonesian oasis that blends into the beach, an urban hotel in Australia that isn’t afraid to get flirty, and a zero-carbon eco-pod in Malaysia—to find out how they are shaping the future of hotels. SCDA f S Cda designed the SkyTerrace living concept in Singapore to tesy o tesy r incorporating elements of the o

C u surrounding park.

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 33 / beyond /design

for m Top (at soori bali): O mbak beachfront restaurant; spa-style bathrooms with stone and warm terracotta; villas are surrounded by palm trees along the shoreline.

Fo under: Soo K. Chan Speciality: Harmony Firm: SCDA Architects (scdaarchitects.com) Design Philosophy: Seamlessly transition between indoor- and outdoor-spaces.

“Many places in Bali have been loved almost to death, but Soori Bali is different,” says Soo K. Chan, owner of the property and founder of SCDA Architects. “It is a neighbor with a genuine connection to the villages and local culture.” Conjuring connections is Chan’s But Chan expects more out of the dream to be a hotelier,” he says. modus operandi in his quest to link scenery than just a pretty Now Chan has even more autonomy the surrounding world with the backdrop—even the trees have a over fulfilling his vision, designing ENCE CHIN spaces he creates. Of course starting to-do list. Harnessing nature’s own everything from the restaurant and R scda with the right location is a pivotal design prowess, he uses cross- garden landscape, down to the staff f part of any blueprint and Chan says ventilation to reduce energy uniforms and cutlery. esy o t he was instantly smitten with the consumption, and tasks the leafy His knack for combining r plot where Soori Bali (sooribali.com; landscape to provide shade. “It’s the harmony of nature with the ts (2). inset: TE r doubles from US$775) now sits, a about making the best use of natural precision of an engineer traces back groove of black volcanic beach under resources,” Chan says, “so that the to his childhood in unesco-listed Mount Batukaru, surrounded by rice resort blends in seamlessly.” George Town, Penang. “I wanted to li (3). inset: cou a B

terraces: “When we first discovered The resort opened six years ago, be an architect from the time I was i otels and Reso r o

the land, there was no road access, managed by boutique luxury group old enough to play with Lego pieces,” T H o S

f Q so my wife and I took a helicopter Alila, but as Chan gained experience Chan says. His other lifelong f out to see it. It was magical— in the hospitality industry he dream of becoming a hotelier will t tesy o r breathtakingly beautiful and decided to take over. “As an architect be realized this spring when Soori r o so peaceful.” and an avid traveler, it was my Bali relaunches. Coming out from C u esy o cou

34 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com under the Alila umbrella, this series This playful blend of design and of upgrades and additions will technology is Graham’s calling card. position the property as an anchor The founder of Nic Graham + of the new Soori luxury lifestyle Associates, or G+A for short—a brand. All 48 villas will be polished small Sydney-based firm with a up and Chan is converting a wooden reputation for creating spaces ripe Balinese house into an Indonesian with humor and narration—tries to restaurant with views over the rice capture guests’ imagination with fields, but he says the most exciting Fo under: Nic Graham every centimeter of his interiors. transformation is the revamp of Speciality: Humor “One of our jobs is to create the Soori Spa, which will offer Firm: Nic Graham + Associates memorable experiences that guests massage, reiki and acupuncture, Design Philosophy: Spin interior can take with them,” Graham says, along with therapy courtesy of design to create comedic moments. “memories that touch them U.S.-trained clinical psychologist somewhere and create a return visit Dr. Harold Roberts to improve the “Are you alone, handsome? Is that a as opposed to a space that you are neurological shaping of the brain. gun your pocket?” the elevator may just transient through.” “We create truly transformative ask you at the QT Melbourne, This ethos made him a perfect experiences for the mind, and body thanks to the cheeky sense of humor partner for David Seargeant, and soul,” Chan says. It is fitting of interior designer Nic Graham. founder of QT hotels, the enfant that a spa is the keystone for a guy If you are at the new QT Sydney, terrible of Australia’s budding art- whose ideology is all about finding a the elevator won’t flirt with you, but meets-fashion-meets-anything goes balance between what is outside and it will use sensors to choose the school of hotel design. “At our very what is in. perfect soundtrack for you. “If first meeting it was apparent Nic had there’s one person in the lift, it may a full grasp of our vision to create a Coming Soon play something like Are You Lonely multi-layered, design-driven spaces Soo K. Chan is taking another bite Tonight,” Graham explains, “but if for our hotels,” Seargeant says of out of the Big Apple with the Soori there are six people it might ramp it commissioning Graham to design High Line (522 West 29th St., New up to a house party anthem.” the interiors of the first QT on the York, NY; soorihighlineny.com), which will open this summer. Chan says the 31-room residential property is “the synthesis of 25 years of architectural practice. I strived to create the most bespoke residence in NYC by marrying crafted luxury with resort-style living.” Soori Niseko is also on the drawing board as the brand’s first ski resort.—Merrit t Gurley CHIN

NCE E R TE f scda tesy o r s (2). inset: t r ali (3). inset: cou tels and Reso i B o r H

T oo

Q for m top: Houndstooth and f S f Chesterfields at the QT Sydney Member’s Lounge: Striking a tesy o t r r pose outside of QT Melbourne. ou C cou esy o

travelandleisureasia.com / march 2017 35 / beyond /design

Gold Coast, which opened in 2012, QT hotel—high-back retro chairs, Coming Soon and who has repeat-hired the giant purple ottomans, solid wood G+A is currently shaping the inside designer half-a-dozen times since. coffee tables—not just as functional of the second Hotel Indigo project in Graham started his career not as objects but as yet another layer of Taipei. Built near the city’s river on an interiors-man but as a furniture- humor, adding to the narrative. But the site of an old brickworks, the maker. “Back at university, I liked why must everything have a punch 180-room property is scheduled to the idea of architecture but I was line? Because, “finding humor in open in 2018 and will embrace the scared off by the math,” he says. “So furniture, artifacts and artworks history of its location with I studied furniture making instead. results in a much more personal inferences to brick patterns and It allowed me to vent my creativity guest experience,” Graham says. dragon-boat racing. Closer to home, on a smaller scale.” “That’s something I taught myself the company is working on two new Graham still crafts furniture. He after years of working in minimalist properties for W Hotels and Resorts developed a custom range for each modern spaces.” in Australia: the W Brisbane, which will have a river theme coupled with modern interpretations of Aboriginal storytelling and art; and the W Perth, where dirty reds, ochres, sand, jarrah timbers and king stucco will engender a tie-in to the economics of mining-rich Western Australia.—I an lloyd neubauer udio t S meroy o P ch/ u Founder: Jason S bert o

Pomeroy R Speciality: Heritage Firm: Pomeroy Studio (pomeroystudio.sg) sorts. inset: e

Design Philosophy: Use ancient R tudio technique as inspiration for modern sustainable structures. tels and omeroy S o H

Architect Jason Pomeroy doesn’t shy T away from a challenge. Eco-pods. Carbon-negative homes. A 522-room tudio (2); P over-water, hibiscus flower–shaped

hotel, which holds the Guinness omeroy S P from TOP: G+A World Record for most swimming crafted the pools in a resort. His portfolio may uch/ interiors and poolside be diverse, but a simple philosophy design at W shines through every project: if it obert S Hong Kong; the ain’t broke, why fix it? While many staircase at QT modern designers are chasing the Melbourne, but take the newest trends, Pomeroy has his elevator. sights trained on the past, using ancient architectural techniques to achieve surprising and cutting-edge

feats of sustainability. from top: courtesy of w hotel hong kong; courtesy of Q clockwise from top left: R

36 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com From top (by pomeroy studio): Flower-shaped Lexis Hibiscus resort, in Malasyia; B House, a carbon-negative home in Singapore; Pomeroy’s sketch of Shenzhen, drawn on Montblanc Augmented paper.

What started as a childhood past time—making wigwams out of twigs in the garden of his parent’s London home—has blossomed into Singapore-based Pomeroy Studios, one of the most innovative and sustainable design firms in tudio Southeast Asia. Pomeroy’s love of oy S r

e throwback structures, like the m o

P wigwam, is still a guiding force. The half-Malay, half-British uch/

t S architect is also a professor, author, features to meet the needs of today’s r and host of Channel NewsAsia’s City society, following what he calls “a Time Traveller and Smart Cities 2.0. Darwinian theory of (building) His work takes him across Asia evolution.” Survival of the fittest is studying both antique and modern just another challenge Pomeroy is ts. inset: Robe r buildings. “While aesthetics may ready to tackle.

udio change, the basic social and cultural t S

y needs of man have remained the Coming Soon o r

e same for hundreds—if not cultural, spatial and social needs of Situated on some of the most prime m o otels and Reso

P thousands—of years,” Pomeroy its inhabitants in mind. “It can beach frontage in the Philippines, T H says. “Buildings that can meet these expand and contract as families Casobe, a residence and hotel in f Q needs tend to stand the test of time.” grow and change,” Pomeroy says of Calatagan, Batangas will boast 342 udio (2); t S tesy o Take the B House in Singapore, a the modular framework. nautically inspired rooms making y r o

r carbon-negative home that Pomeroy Channeling the architects of old, for the perfect escape from bustling e m

o designed. At first look, its silver, Pomeroy thinks about buildings in Manila. Befitting of a site of natural P rounded roof, large windows and terms of how they are used and puts beauty, the structure will embrace ch/ u

S sleek wood details speak only to people first. “It is vital to foster a Pomeroy’s green agenda with a low t r modernity, however, it draws on sense of community so that the place carbon footprint. And to further his many of the same principles that becomes more people-centric,” foothold in the Philippine’s : Robe t f inform the city’s iconic black-and- Pomeroy says. From single homes sustainable architecture scene, f w hotel hong kong; cou whites: overhanging roof, expansive like the B House, to the 522-room Optimma, a housing community in top le tesy o m verandas and variable shutters. Lexis Hibiscus (lexishibiscuspd.com; Pampanga that will be completed in r o

fr Pomeroy’s Idea House, on the doubles from RM870) Pomeroy uses 2018, will have 246 carbon-zero outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, is an ode age-old tricks like high-ceilings for homes at a price point accessible to

m top: cou to the traditional Malaysian cooling and central courtyards to the average Filipino homeowner. o fr clockwise kampong home, built with the bring people together, but adapts the —Veronica Inveen

travelandleisureasia.com / march 2017 37 / beyond /f ashion

Roger Vivier ankle-strap sandal (rogervivier. com; $875); Eddie Borgo Chet Minaudière bag (eddieborgo.com; $1,490).

S itting Pretty Spring style this year is all about a playful approach to color and texture, with luxe materials done in a bold, retro palette. Paris’s Hôtel Saint-Marc, a jewel box in the Second Arrondissement, has mastered that mix—it’s the perfect stage for showing off the season’s best bags (and one seriously great shoe). F Ashion EDITOR MELISSA VENTOSA MARTIN. Photographed By Crista Leonard >>

38 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com *Prices are listed in U.S. dollars and may vary by country and retailer. ADVERTORIAL

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IF YOU’RE SEEKING LUXURY, COMFORT equipped accommodation in a unique Kids’ Club, where guests aged 5 to 12 and convenience in Bangkok, there’s setting. Most rooms feature a balcony will love the perks, from karaoke to no better choice than the Siam overlooking the verdant gardens and arts and crafts to cooking classes in Kempinski Hotel Bangkok. This lush, free-form swimming pools. the Kids’ Club junior kitchen. resort-style, five-star luxury hotel, The Cabana and Duplex Cabana Speaking of haute cuisine, Siam with 401 rooms and suites, is situated rooms enjoy direct pool access from a Kempinski’s award-winning Sra Bua by right in the heart of Bangkok’s private terrace. The Duplex rooms, with Kiin Kiin is a must for any foodie. premier shopping and entertainment a living room and bedroom on separate Applying Western cooking techniques district with easy access to the city’s floors, boast additional privacy. to traditional recipes, the chefs SkyTrain network at Siam station. Larger families should opt for the produce original Thai-inspired modern Combining European heritage with kitchenette-equipped two-bedroom fare. It’s a delightful blend of old world traditional Thai hospitality, the hotel suites, and a family package that and new, European and Asian that also offers elegant, spacious, well- comes with unlimited access to the defines this warm, beautiful hotel.

SIAM KEMPINSKI HOTEL BANGKOK 991/9 Rama, Road Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2 162 9000, Fax: +66 (0) 2 162 9009 kempinski.com/bangkok

03ADV_Siam Kempinski.indd 8 1/30/2560 BE 11:17 AM / beyond /f ashion

In one of the Hôtel Saint-Marc’s lounge areas, velvet sofas and a pastel rug are plush counterpoints to a brass-wrapped chair and chrome-and-glass tables (hotelsaintmarc.com; doubles from $305).

40 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com 3 4

1. Céline Clasp bag in crocodile (celine.com; $23,400). 2. Loewe Barcelona Stitches bag (loewe.com; $2,850). 3. Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci bag (givenchy.com; price upon request); L’Artisan Parfumeur Tenebrae perfume (lartisanparfumeur.com; $210). 4. Stella McCartney shoulder bucket bag (stellamccartney.com; $1,585). 5. La Maison Moreau Vicomte and Chancelière bag (moreau-paris.com; Vicomte bag, $4,795; Chancelière bag, $3,425).

travelandleisureasia.com / march 2017 41 / beyond /conservation

L ife proliferates in Malaysia’s Ulu Telupid forest reserve.

Heart of the Jungle In the wilds of Sabah, a village is opening an untamed forest to help preserve the rainforest and their own culture. By Marco Ferrarese. Photographed by Kit Yeng Chan. >>

42 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com FEEL BLESSED,

Dhauligiri- EXPLORING THE RICH Amidst tranquil Buddhist backdrop discover your very BUDDHIST HERITAGE own Peace Pagoda OF ODISHA

Ratnagiri– Unfold the rich legacy as you walk across this Buddhist seat sanket odisha tourism 2016 odisha tourism sanket

Lalitgiri– Be speechless as you explore Buddhist relics and tantra

If you wish to explore places of historical significance, Odisha’s rich cultural heritage will serve as the perfect time machine. Rock-cut shelters at Khandagiri and Udayagiri dating back to the 1st century BC, excavated Buddhist Stupas, monasteries and Sculptures at Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri, and the Sun Temple at Konark will provide extraordinary glimpses into the ancient past. Website: odishatourism.gov.in/www.visitodisha.org• E-mail: [email protected] • Toll Free : 1800 208 1414, OTDC Central Reservation Counter (10 am - 6 pm): Tel. : +91674 2430764 / beyond /conservation

We push through a snarl of vines, bend under low-hanging branches and hike a rugged path until we stumble upon a stream. Machete in hand, our young guide Herman Solungin jumps over the slippery stones that peek above the surface. He lands safe on the opposite side, but we hesitate. The bottom of the riverbed looks like a nasty place for a fall.

“Put your right leg on the second rock and between the lures of Mt. Kinabalu and the use that hanging liana to balance. Be careful, Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, this it’s very unstable,” Eddie Chia, the tall lush slice of the country has never seen Sabahan-Chinese our tour leader says. This tourism until now. Before being gazetted as a 38-year-old is the reason we have entered the Class 1 Forest Reserve in 1984, Ulu Telupid was depths of this forgotten jungle, a place that, used for palm-oil farming and timber logging, until now, has been only visited by and it never occurred to the Dusun, Sabah’s researchers, rangers and, sadly, the occasional largest ethnic group, that their home might be illegal poachers. an adventure-travel draw. Some residents of About 100 more treacherous rocks and 30 neighboring Kampung Bestaria village minutes later, we emerge sweaty, breathless migrated to Ulu Telupid in the 1970s to work in and awe-struck at the bottom of a waterfall that the logging industry, while others have lived crashes into a bowl of boulders. My legs are here for generations, surrounded by this shaking but it’s a fine price to pay to stand bountiful resource, oblivious to its potential. where I am, surrounded by century-old giant Everything changed last year, when Chia trees, and dwarfed by the wicked power of the teamed up with the villagers of tiny Kampung Kopuron waterfall roaring above me. Bestaria to form the grassroots cooperative I’m among a precious few to have stood in KOBEST (Koperasi Kampung Bestaria; 60- this very spot in Ulu Telupid, a protected 13/858-0699; [email protected]; two-day, rainforest reserve located in the center of one-night packages for two from RM520), a Sabah on the eastern fringe of the Heart of contraction of Koperasi and Bestaria, and start Borneo conservation area (heartofborneo.org). guiding the first visitors into the reserve. This Despite its perfect location as a pit stop community is the birthplace of Chia’s Dusun wife Nelly, so he has all the more reason to be invested in its well-being. His goal is to bring new funds to the village by easing access to the

44 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com area. Today, travelers just have to send and palm oil. Sharing communal meals on the KOBEST an e-mail and the organization takes floor of their host families’ homes, guests are care of everything, from dealing with the surrounded by smiling elders and gurgling permits required to visit the reserve, to pick- newborns. The dishes are simple, and up in Telupid town, to organizing custom tours everything from the chicken cutlets to that follow the rugged paths carved and shredded papaya to the brown rice comes maintained by KOBEST themselves. straight from the surrounding hills. “I see the cooperative as a program, more “We are still discovering new patches of than a product,” Chia says. It’s one with forest, opening new trails and trying the best parameters: the community weighs in on approaches to bring visitors in,” Chia says, every decision, and tourism revenue is bending over a map of the area, his tiny round considered secondary to farming and spectacles falling towards the tip of his nose. agriculture income. The area has plenty of assets to draw a Chia has a long history with jungle tourism. crowd—two gushing waterfalls, giant trees, In the 1980s, his mother was branch manager and some of the world’s rarest species of of Api Tours, the pioneering travel company flowering plant—but part of the grand plan is that started operations in Sepilok. “During to keep visitation sustainable. “We don’t want school holidays, my mom would take me with to bring more than 60 visitors per month into her in the jungle to help as a dishwasher and a the jungle,” he says. When nature is the porter.” He remembers shuttling around the commodity, conservation is paramount, and battery of her first Motorola cellular phone—it KOBEST’s guides are tasked with keeping foot weighed 25 kilos. “Back then, traveling in traffic low, minimizing impact on the jungle, Sabah was more authentic: accessibility was helping block illegal poaching and logging limited, you had to bring anything you needed activities and, of course, educating visitors. in the jungle, and we had to rely on local “We want people to come to Kampung communities to provide accommodation and Bestaria and experience Dusun culture while food,” he says. “That’s the concept I have for they learn about the issues the rainforest is the co-op.” facing,” he says. If this project proves successful, A stay here is a dive into pure Borneo. Chia plans to take it to other rural communities Visitors enter a world governed by the rhythms across Borneo. The concept is a lot like the of nature, participating to the Dusun tribe’s jungle that inspires it. With a little love and daily rituals, such as farming mountain rice care, who knows how far it will grow?

fo r m far left: The towering Ulu Telupid canopy; an egret; a young KOBEST helper demonstrates how to tap rubber; a deer farm outside Telupid; Kopuron Waterfall; harvesting rice. / beyond /travel diary

2 Seeking Soul Food On a spontaneous trip to Cambodia last summer, fashion designer Phillip Lim developed a passion for cooking and a new outlook on life and work.

1. I fell in love with dishes we were the cuisine in cooking. 2. This is Cambodia. It was so the beginning of a simple, but delicious curry paste. You use and refined.I just ginger, turmeric, started cooking a galangal, Kaffir lime, few months ago. I Thai chilis and garlic, used to joke that I and pound it with a was a professional mortar and pestle. takeout orderer, but I It’s the foundation got to a point where I for almost all Khmer wanted to change food. 3. I hope to my life. I stayed at return and stay in Amansara (aman. one of these local com; suites from houses—many of US$1,290) and asked them have been in a to shadow a cook single family for who could teach me generations. This to make my own one, where I had the meals. I learned in cooking lessons, this open-air kitchen. overlooks Angkor We used charcoal Wat. It’s a traditional instead of electricity. house, built on stilts. We’d leave these There’s no electricity, three clay vessels but it’s designed so heating all day and air circulates rotate whatever constantly, and

For designer Phillip Lim, Cambodia always seemed shrouded in secrecy. Though raised in California, he was born in Thailand to Chinese parents who had spent a decade in Cambodia before m they had to flee across the border when the Khmer Rouge took power. Their memories were painful ones, of a country phillip li embroiled in civil war. “My parents never talked to me about it,” f he says. “I remember asking to go and they’d say, ‘Oh, no, you esy o don’t want to do that.’ ” Still, friends said he’d love it, so when he t r decided on a whim to take his first true vacation in years, Siem Reap was an easy choice. With no firm plans beyond a hotel reservation, Lim spent his stay meandering through temples, cooking with locals, and soaking in the slower pace. Here, he

shares a few favorite moments from the trip. — Lila Battis all photos: cou

46 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com 4

when monsoon they can’t speak season comes the about it, and they water runs were so protective of underneath so me. But the day there’s no flooding. before I left, I got a It’s really beautiful. package from my Cambodia has sister with photos of luxury, but to me the my parents at reason to go is to get Angkor Wat. Talk in touch with what about synchronicity. you want to be about. So I went there at the 4. Everything in beginning of the trip. Cambodia is It was an amazing, centered on food. spiritual experience. That’s how the When I came home community comes and told my parents together. It was where I’d been, they beautiful to see, and were happy I had I just wanted to be a made the decision on part of it. We went to my own. They see 5 the market each day. both sides—what These vegetables Cambodia gave are all grown by them and what it local farmers— took away—but I just no pesticides, just saw the beauty and Everything in Cambodia is straight from the the potential, which backyard. 5. I made was nice for them to centered around food. That’s how this lunch in the hear. 7. Every open-air kitchen. It’s morning, a guide the community comes together. I shrimp-and-pomelo picked me up on a salad; coconut-curry tuk-tuk to go see the just wanted to be a part of it fish with Kaffir lime; sunrise from lemongrass pork dilapidated forest skewers; and pickled temples. This cucumber, carrots temple, Banteay 6 7 and radish with chili- Kdei, is one of the and-lime dressing. few in the area that Anything we didn’t are still used in need got turned into religious m something else. It’s ceremonies. It was a made me see special experience to ingredients in a witness the monks different way. It’s at prayer. I said a f phillip li like what I do at work blessing in gratitude with materials. that I am able to tesy o Apply it to cooking travel, to get out of r and the sky’s the my comfort zone, limit. 6. I didn’t tell and to see a place my family I was going that held so much to Cambodia. My personal parents left so significance to

all photos: cou traumatized that my family. CMY CY MY CM K Y M C Four Seasons Resort Bali atSayan Bali Resort Four Seasons Bali Ad_02012017_logotop-final-print3.pdf12/2/201712:13:03PM sparkling ocean from a fully-renovated, Balinese-inspired poolvilla,learnanancientcraft andrenewyourspiritwith sparkling oceanfromafully-renovated, Balinese-inspired Let Four Seasons take you to the heart of a Bali thatfewdiscover-andeven fewertrulyexperience.Gazeoverthe youtotheheartofaBali Let Four Seasonstake sunset blessings by a Balinese priestatFour SeasonsJimbaranBay.sunset blessingsbyaBalinese Submittonature’s embraceattheriverside AND THEREAREPLACESTHAT MOVEYOU Four Seasons Sayan, exploreUbudandunlockFour theculturalandspiritual heartofthismysticalisland. SeasonsSayan, THERE AREPLACESYOUMOVETO… fourseasons.com/bali Find outmore at: Find Four Seasons Resort Bali atJimbaranBay Bali Resort Four Seasons Four Seasons Resort Bali atJimbaran Bay Bali Resort Four Seasons

source Illustrated from top: courtesy of Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong; courtesy of Tune Hotel Sepang; courtesy of Ramada Bali Sunset Road Kuta sou rce Illustrated from top: courtesy of Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong; courtesy of Tune Hotel Sepang; courtesy of Ramada Bali Sunset Road Kuta find the hotel that best fits your wallet-conscious wanderlust. wallet-conscious your fits best that hotel the find to on Read prices. bargain at available often are extras high-end these all, of Best office. ofa Google reminiscent spaces meeting feature may color, others local of splashes flaunt properties some While nomads. digital or fanatics fitness flashpackers, they be clientele, specific to catering on focusing are labels Nimbler options. lowest-cost their even to down trickled has mantra that and way a long goes personality that learned have hotels Luckily, were. they where forget and up wake they’d generic so properties in rooms bare-walled to nothing luggage expect own could their travelers frugal schlepping when days the are ne than more G o a t r v el andlei A roadmap to affordable accommodation accommodation affordable to roadmap t t S

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Tune Hotels What they lack in frills, hotels from this Malaysia-based chain more than make up for by nailing the basics every business or short-term leisure traveler needs. Expect super-comfy beds with 250-thread-count duvets and powerful showerheads. Base rates are a steal, but you might want to fork over a little more for extras like air-con and TV. + where in asia: India, Indonesia, Malaysia + newcomer: While the Malaysian mogul behind Tune has been busy lately opening properties in Nairobi and London’s Shoreditch, the recently rebranded Tune Hotel Sepang, Malaysia a (doubles from $58) offers a place to crash r 15 minutes from the Kuala Lumpur airport. The hotel will let you book a hokeeth shorter stay between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and pay even less. + tunehotels.com. huket P

Ibis Hotels ovotel P

Sometimes all you really want is a clean, f N comfortable place to sleep without tesy o

breaking the bank, which is where the r 2,000-plus Ibis, Ibis Styles and Ibis Budget hotels come into play. While the bo; cou

latter keeps prices as low as $25 with m

compact cocoon rooms and the like, there olo are still some serious bargains to be found in the former two lines. on Red C + where in asia: Burma, China, Hong m

Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, inna

Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, f C Thailand, Vietnam tesy o

+ newcomer: As the name implies, the r main draw at the Ibis Saigon Airport (doubles from $54) is its location, especially useful if you’ve got a long uta; cou layover transferring between Tan Son Tune Hotel, Nhat International Airport and the Yogyakarta. domestic terminal. + ibis.com. unset Road K ali S FabHotels ada B

For those traveling to the Subcontinent, m ta f Ra Basic Bunks this budget brand boasts more than 150 r Base price: Working under the philosophy properties. Most veer to the spartan side,

but with average rates starting at around tesy o “less is more,” these r $60 $30 per night and convenient locations in tel yogyaka tel

more than a dozen cities, no one seems to cou t: accommodations bypass o f or less be complaining. H

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*Prices throughout are listed in U.S. dollars for easy comparison. Base price: tA Lit le Something Extra $100 Plenty of small perks are available for those willing to or less shell out a few more bucks on their stay. a r okeeth

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K Cinnamon Red Hotels Ramada Hotels Sunset Road Kuta (doubles from $60) While Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts across Run by the Wyndham Hotel Group, makes it easy for guests to take a break Sri Lanka and the Maldives can be fairly which boasts the largest number of from all the action. Sip sundowners by

nset Road opulent, the brand’s recently launched hospitality properties in the world, the rooftop pool, book a treatment at the u

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a looking for a stay with character at an favorite for more than 60 years. Although ramada.co.uk.

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da affordable price. The budget brand, many of its 1,000-plus properties are a

m which bills itself as “lean luxury,” only concentrated in North America, the Holiday Inn Express Ra f r ta includes one property at this point, but brand has ambitious Asian expansion The sheer number—more than 2,400 as flashpackers continue to flock to the plans. Options range from Ramada worldwide—of outlets in this chain by esy o

t Pearl of the Indian Ocean, that’s likely to Limited, with a modest number of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is a r change quickly. amenities, to full-service Ramada Hotels. testament to their popularity among : cou

t where in asia: Sri Lanka where in asia: Australia, China, thrifty travelers looking for reliable otel yogyaka otel + + f newcomer: From the swift paperless India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, standards like fully stocked business

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o check-in to the rooftop infinity pool with New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, centers and smaller fitness clubs. T f fr Indian Ocean views, there’s a lot to like Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Resorts about Cinnamon Red Colombo (doubles Thailand around Asia often sport full-service from $85), the brand’s splashy debut. + newcomer: Kuta may be the epicenter amenities and cushy on-site restaurants, tesy o cou r tesy clockwise + cinnamonhotels.com. of Bali’s party scene, but the Ramada Bali while Holiday Inn Express outposts

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 51 the / guıde / a f f o r d a b l e h o t e l s

focus on savings. For the love of families, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam Centra by Centara kids aged 12 and under can stay and eat + newcomer: The Mercure Manila Unlike the huge five-star Centara Grand for free across Asia. Ortigas (doubles from $65) gives guests hotels or the petite but pricey Centara + where in asia: China, Hong Kong, easy access to Pasig City, plus plenty of Boutique Collection, this economic India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, meeting facilities for work travel, and 150 offshoot keeps it simple in urban and Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, South comfortable rooms. seaside spots in the Kingdom of Smiles. Korea, Taiwan, Thailand + mercure.com. + where in asia: Thailand + newcomer: A super-central location + newcomer: Centra by Centara Phu near one of the Malaysian capital’s main Jin Jiang Pano Resort Krabi (doubles from $80) shopping districts makes the Holiday Inn International Hotels exudes chilled out ocean vibes. Express Kuala Lumpur City Centre This Shanghai-based powerhouse + centarahotelsresorts.com. (doubles from $50) a practical choice for operates a string of four- and five-star shorter stays. hotels throughout the People’s Republic. Doubletree by Hilton + ihg.com/holidayinn. Both categories are moderately priced Warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in and often offer some of the cushiest beds and other thoughtful touches help the Mercure Hotels in farther flung cities such as Urumqi. 450-plus outlets of this brand across 39 Slightly swisher than Ibis but a touch less + where in asia: China countries stand out from the crowd. upscale than Novotel, this mid-range + newcomer: In a green area outside of + where in asia: China, India, entry from AccorHotels features free the city center, Jin Jiang International Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand Wi-Fi connectivity, an efficient online Hotel Xi’an (doubles from $100) gives + newcomer: Relax at the indoor sauna check-in system, and stylishly functional visitors a break from all the bustle with and steam room when you stay at the rooms from Tokyo to Chiang Mai. relatively easy access to the Terra Cotta DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chongqing + where in asia: China, Indonesia, Warriors and the Bell Tower. Nan An (doubles from $87). Japan, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, + hotels.jinjiang.com. + doubletree3.hilton.com.

C entra by Centara Phu Pano Resort Krabi. e r ent bi a Kr ity C t r r C pu m u no Reso a P u uala L h P a r ess K r xp nta e C y nn E a b r nt oliday I e C

f H f t tesy o r r cou esy o cou

52 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com E xceptional Extended Stays These serviced apartments combine the comforts of home with the convenience of a hotel.

BANGKOK Modena by Fraser, Bangkok Huge windows, custom art pieces, and a location near the MRT make this new debut a hit with business travelers. bangkok. modenabyfraser.com; Holiday Inn Express doubles from $54. Kuala Lumpur City Centre. KUALA LUMPUR Ascott Kuala Lumpur P lush kitchenette- equipped pads come with access to a Novotel Hotels Four Points by Sheraton top-notch gym, a sauna With more than 430 locations worldwide, Travelers flock to the more than 200 of and pool, and plenty of Novotel Hotels provide travelers with all these hotels across 30 countries thanks playspace for kids, e

r the basics and then some. Wi-Fi, to tech-savvy perks that go way beyond making this central

nt residence feel like an

e generously sized flatscreens, iPod free Wi-Fi. For instance, a downloadable C abi upgraded version of docking stations, online check-in and training app will help you come up with a ty

i home. the-ascott.com; t Kr C

r fast check-out, plus around-the-clock customized workout in the gym, while

r doubles from $95. u

p dining options are just a few of the select rooms come equipped with smart m u

L standard amenities. Families will love mirrors and dual HD televisions so that HONG KONG ano Reso both the play areas and the fact that two you and your boo can stop fighting over V Wanchai Hotel ala

u With just 25 opulently hu P K children under the age of 16 can stay and the remote. appointed rooms, this a P ss eat breakfast for free. + where in asia: Australia, Bangladesh, r e hotel and serviced r

p + where in asia: China, Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, x apartment makes for E enta

n Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, an intimate abode n I Thailand Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam exclusively for longer a by C r + newcomer: Historic Phuket Town is at + newcomer: Conveniently located near stays, with a price tag liday that’s a steal in Hong o ent Four Points by H your doorstep when you stay at the new the city’s CBD, the Kong. thev.hk; doubles f C f N ovotel Phuket Phokeethra (doubles from Sheraton Jakarta, Thamrin (doubles from from $3,158 per month $100). The sky lounge offers especially $64) provides in-room massage ($102 per night). tesy o t r r pretty views of old Sino-Portuguese roofs. treatments in lieu of a spa. cou cou esy o + novotel.com. + starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints.

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 53 the / guıde / a f f o r d a b l e h o t e l s

Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong. ltef : Amari Koh Samui.

Taiwan, Thailand + newcomer: Opened in January, Aloft Taipei Beitou (doubles from $126) is ideally positioned for travelers looking to scope out the capital or kick back at the nearby natural hot springs. + starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels.

dusitD2 Hotels & Resorts i Base price: u m

The savvy little sibling of Dusit Thani a

Living Larger S

Hotels & Resorts, dusitD2 Hotels sport h o

Creature comforts abound at K $140 contemporary interiors dappled with i r or less these decidedly upscale, but still splashes of primary colors, full a Am

affordable options. connectivity, and often extras including f spas, fitness studios, and activities such esy o

as cooking classes. t r + where in asia: China, Maldives, Amari Aloft Hotels Philippines, Thailand

The “Amari Hosts” at these family- With modish furnishings and a palpably + newcomer: Guests at the dusitD2 tong; cou a friendly hotels and resorts are always hip vibe similar to more upscale sister Khao Yai (doubles from $100), K e available to babysit or keep the kids brand W Hotels & Resorts, these urban overlooking Khao Yai National Park, can r occupied with a slew of games and crafts, outposts tend to revolve around buzzy partake in fun outdoorsy activities, such ngapo i giving parents the chance to take a cocktail bars and dining options targeted as visiting a near by alpaca farm or S breather and sip a cocktail by the pool. at young professionals on the go. Guests dining in a private treetop “pod.” digo on n Flexible all-day dining and modern décor can take advantage of high-tech perks + dusit.com/dusitd2. I ai G

add to the overall experience. such as the SPG Keyless system, which tel o H + where in asia: China, Bangladesh, allows you to open your door with a wave Hotel Indigo f Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand. (Malaysia of your smartphone. At select properties, Local culture infuses every element of uites S opens June 2017) Botlr, a robotic butler, attends to the these boutiques, from the design schemes esy o t + newcomer: On the powdery strip of needs of guests by delivering towels, of the suites—think: murals and bespoke r f Fusion S

Chaweng Beach, Amari Koh Samui toiletries and other necessities right to artwork inspired by the surrounding : cou t (doubles from $120) features dual their doors. neighborhood—to the menus serving f le tesy o r swimming pools in a lush, green setting. + where in asia: China, India, traditional specialties made with m o

+ amari.com. Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, regional produce. Spa-style bathrooms fr cou

54 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com with rainshowers, plus business and Avani Hotels & Resorts + newcomer: A Sri Lankan oasis ringed fitness centers available around the They may not offer quite the same level with palms, Avani Kalutara Resort clock, are added bonuses. of luxury as swankier sister brand (doubles from $125) offers yoga classes, + where in asia: China, Indonesia, Anantara, but Avani properties still spa treatments, watersports and games Singapore, Thailand sport plenty of flair, not to mention kids’ for kids. But, given its stunning location + newcomer: Taking over a former clubs, spas and fitness centers. Activities at the intersection of the Indian Ocean police station, Hotel Indigo Singapore go local, including mangrove tours in and Kalu Ganga River, you may be Katong (doubles from $140) features a Malaysia, basket boats in Vietnam, and tempted just to kick back and watch the rooftop infinity pool with a killer view of watersports in Sri Lanka. waves roll by. one of the Lion City’s historic ’hoods. + where in asia: Malaysia, Thailand, Sri + minorhotels.com/avani. + ihg.com/hotelindigo. Lanka and Vietnam

Fusion Suites, Saigon. ui m a oh S i K r a f Am tesy o r atong; cou e K r

SAIGON ingapo Fusion Suites Sai Gon n o ndigo S Five Fabulous G With its frenetic pace and ferocious traffic snarls, Vietnam’s i a

S busiest metropolis isn’t often touted as a relaxation destination. otel I These Zen suites may be set to change that, thanks to a wellness ites f H u S Affordable Boutiques center and a 24-hour restaurant dishing up wholesome, produce- centric fare. Holistic healing is so integral to the hotel’s concept tesy o r These newcomers and classics that a daily spa treatment comes gratis with the room rate. You’ll Fusion f want to take advantage, as the spa features a chromatherapy t: cou t: feature sharp designs, loads of local f lighting scheme that adjusts to your mood, with expert therapists

t color, thoughtful extras—all sans r m le trained like those at Fusion Maia Da Nang, the boutique’s swish o

fr cou esy o sticker shock. sister property. fusionsuitessaigon.com; doubles from $120.

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 55 56 la KU U ıde / from $104 from doubles suartiresorts.com; spices. and herbs local in acourse to dance traditional to yoga from range activities cultural Daily artisans. local by furnishings with up spruced and materials sustainable of made are village this in joglos Javanese traditional 25 The charm. free-spirited and ethos Ubud’s eco-friendly channels that oasis intimate an created has Suarti Nyoman Desak dancer and designer jewelry Balinese from $65 from doubles kljournalhotel.com; pool. infinity arooftop there’s Also, presentations. and meetings for setting acasual provide which Gallery, and Union Workers the and bar, espresso with complete workspace aplugged-in Hub, The appreciate will travelers Business artists. Malaysian other spotlight installations rotating while rooms, adorn Azhar Ahmad Che’ local by life street urban of Photographs pop. spot this make landscape KL’s to cultural nods Copious Suarti Boutique Village Boutique Suarti T e Kuala e Kuala Bangkok. Mansion, Shanghai B h

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T op: courtesy of Shanghai Mansion, Bangkok Top: courtesy of Shanghai Mansion, Bangkok OFFICIAL MEDIA OFFICIAL WINE OFFICIAL SPONSOR OFFICIAL CHAMPAGNE ORGANIZED BYORGANIZED OFFICIAL VODKA IN COLLABORATIONIN WITH OFFICIAL BEER SUPPORTED BYSUPPORTED SOCIAL NETWORK OFFICIAL FIILCDROFFICIALBEVERAGE OFFICIAL CIDER HELD IN NEWSPAPER OFFICIAL OFFICIAL LOGISTIC PARTNER OFFICIAL WATER SUPPORTED BYSUPPORTED || t r a v e l s m a r t e r ||

T+L Reader Specials Between daily spa sessions at a beachside resort in Vietnam and a tranquil visit to the shores of Inle Lake, our deals this month will provide you with a therapeutic escape from daily life.

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scott a. Woodward A pilgrim catches her breath, and the view, on the Kumano Kodo, page 70. d r odwa o Four new hotels worth breaking the bank for | W / M a rch 2017 / Maldives A walk to remember on the Kumano Kodo in Japan | Our favorite new boutique scott a. hotels in Asia Pacific | A date with the aurora borealis in Sweden’s far north 61 Turquoise Dream Why go all the way to the Maldives for a beach? Because, as Maria Shollenbarger finds at four new resorts, nowhere else does sea, sand and splendor quite like this.

Photographed by SEAN FENNESSY

The master bath in the Water villa at Four Seasons Private Island at Voavah. op p osite: Reception and guest villas at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Island Resort.

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 63 From the headlines, you wouldn’t guess that the Maldives is an excellent place to go in 2017. This island nation of just 375,000 citizens, spread across 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean, has come in for a tough reckoning of late, and not level, it’s conceivable that, if polar ice melt without good reason. Corruption charges have continues on its current trajectory, by the end of plagued the government since former president the century a good amount of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, elected in 2008 in the could be underwater. country’s first multiparty democratic vote, was But it’s far from all bad news here. ousted in 2012 and briefly jailed on “terrorism” Environmental protection is still high on the charges, in what his supporters called a government’s priority list (the Maldives was military coup. (He eventually sought asylum in quick to ratify the Paris climate agreement), the United Kingdom.) The Maldives is still a and tourism thrives (more than 1 million democratic republic, but Islamic law plays a visitors came in 2016). The prodigious physical major role in both government and society. And attributes that have long lured honeymooners when the British Commonwealth threatened to and sybarites—that amazing sea, displaying suspend the Maldives last September because of the full color-wheel range of blues; those the country’s increasingly poor human-rights powdery white beaches—are still present and record, current president Abdulla Yameen accounted for. If you’re keen to see marine life, responded by voluntarily withdrawing— from thumb-size anemonefish to giant manta making it only the fourth country in the 52- rays, it’s here in an abundance found in few nation assembly’s history to do so. And then other places in the world. And if you want to there are the country’s environmental appreciate (or, better yet, have your kids challenges. With a national average altitude of appreciate) with an equally rare immediacy just 120 to 180 centimeters above mean sea how imperiled that bounty is by pollution and

64 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com the sea, and the long, overwater Whale Bar takes the unmistakable shape of a whale shark, its far end open like the massive fish’s mouth to allow for prime sunset vistas. St. Regis hotels often celebrate the opulence of the brand’s Gilded Age New York flagship. At Alba, the excellent Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the infinity pool and beach, the materials on display (exotic stone, mullioned glass, chandeliers) might seem at home in Italy or the French Riviera and out of place in the Indian Ocean, yet they somehow make sense. Certainly at night, when Alba is softly lit and irresistibly pretty. (I’m not sure a marble-clad bathroom in an overwater wood villa will ever feel 100 percent right to me, but the aesthetic effect is admittedly lovely.) Just down the beach is Crust, a sand-floored, six-table, open-air joint that turns out killer pizzas and grilled bruschettas, nothing else, and that is perfection. Likewise the one-bedroom, A-frame beach villas, with their six-meter-tall picture windows overlooking private plunge pools. There’s an exceptionally cool fitness- recreation complex at the island’s center, where a naturopathic doctor administers acupuncture, and manicures and blow-drys can be had in the jewel box of a beauty salon. The main spa, which specializes in ayurveda- inspired treatments (as well as serious ayurvedic detox programs, overseen by a staff

climate change, the Maldives is one of the best for m top: D eck places for such a field lesson. seating at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli’s Whale T H E G I L D E D G R A N D E DAME Bar; the beach at the St. Regis St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Vommuli. Island Resort Just a 45-minute flight by seaplane from Malé lies the newest member of the St. Regis portfolio, which is set on the private Vommuli Island—diminutive at nine hectares, dense with palms and pandani, and easy to circumnavigate on foot along neatly kept sand paths. Seventy-seven palatial villas are spread across the island and along the small lagoon that extends to its north. The Singapore-based architects, WOW, wanted to reference the famous marine environment through the buildings’ design: hence the overwater villas, their subtly sloping roofs clad in silvery shingles, evoke manta rays powering through watersports center and an ayurvedic spa. Its outdoor cinema is already screening nightly entertainment. (The other two islands are used for intimate “Crusoe” experiences: lantern-lit dinners, spa treatments and the like.) Meanwhile, the resort’s 24 overwater villas are open for business, strung like charms on a bracelet along an undulating boardwalk that extends from the main island into the lagoon. These are punctuated by a multistory complex known as the Gathering, which holds two restaurants, a bar/lounge, a boutique, a fitness center and a mini spa. Like its predecessor, Soneva Jani favors “soft” luxuries (exquisite organic food, space, privacy) and dispenses with overt ones (anything remotely resembling gilt or marble). The Soneva look is one that a friend once dubbed, aptly, “Flintstones chic,” characterized by organic shapes, natural materials and a real inclination to delight. The villas’ timber walls and plank floors (sourced from Sri Lanka) are dotted with amoeba-shaped portholes peeking onto the horizon or the aquamarine lagoon below. There are daybeds on sturdy platforms, and sprawling indoor-outdoor bathrooms encircled by ingenious jalousie panels for privacy, with steps leading directly into the water. The one-bedroom villas have six-meter- long infinity pools and second-story lounging doctor), is a stunning construction, its weaving Water access areas and retractable roofs in the bedrooms. jetties leading to ultra-private treatment suites, from the Gathering The two- and three-bedroom villas have these, at Soneva Jani. each with an alfresco bath. too, plus some have waterslides—yes, you read p op osite: The What St. Regis seems to get right living room of the that right—spiraling from their upper floors everywhere is service, and Vommuli is no Water Villa at the into the lagoon. exception. Starting with my airport transfer, Four Seasons The Gathering is home to a Willy Wonka– where a video of my butler welcoming me Voavah. esque enfilade of “cold” rooms, for ice cream, played on an iPad in the car ride, through to the cheese and desserts. A juice bar sits across a iced watermelon juice I was brought as suspended glass bridge from a vast open refreshment for my flight out, there was a kitchen, where the chef does omakase-style warm, highly competent interaction at most meals based on guests’ proclivities. Next door is every turn. stregis.com; doubles from US$1,770. a circular dining platform, with a central oculus from which a massive telescope emerges for evening stargazing sessions to enjoy T H E G R O W N - U P ’ S P L AYG R O U N D between courses. Soneva Jani Soneva Jani has a way to go before it’s When Soneva Fushi opened in the Maldives in completed, but what was up and running when 1995, sustainable luxury was a pioneering I visited more than delivered on the whimsical, concept—one that its owner-founder, Sonu indulgent experience that has long been Shivdasani, championed with groundbreaking Soneva’s stock-in-trade. Proof positive it pays recycling and building practices. Last not to mess with a successful formula. soneva. November (21 years later), Soneva Jani opened com; doubles from US$3,085. in the northern Noonu Atoll, on the largest site ever developed in the Maldives: an oval lagoon some five kilometers long, ringed on its eastern T H E PA RT Y I S L A N D edge by a cluster of islands. The biggest island, Finolhu clocking in at around 60 hectares, will “Actually, it’s not a party island.” Or so I was eventually be home to 32 villas of various sizes, assured more than once during my stay at along with two restaurants, a scuba and Finolhu, the words usually just audible over the

66 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com Rod Stewart/Michael Jackson/Sugarhill Gang of man caves, mermaids and lots of out-of- blasting out of the sound systems in seemingly context antique signage. every public space—from the spa, with its Fair enough, and to each his own. But the treatment cabins named after the likes of Karen thing is, Finolhu is in the Maldives; specifically, Carpenter and Barbara [sic] Streisand, to the in the Baa Atoll, one of only three unesco- second story of Baa Baa Beach Bar, a man cave designated World Biosphere Reserves in the with arcade games, self-serve beer taps and a Indian Ocean—which made the zeal with beanbag-lined screening room (“Cinema which its creators proselytized about the high- Retro”). There were flame throwers and aerial- flying hedonism of their vision, to the exclusion silk acrobats performing by the main pool; a (at least on my visit) of any mention of the woman dressed as a mermaid frolicked country’s environmental and wildlife issues, periodically in the water. Highway signs feel slightly tone-deaf. inexplicably marked the intersections of paths. That said, Finolhu has some notable things A Nikki Beach–style hangout, the Fish & Crab going for it—starting with its prices. With one- Shack, was set halfway down the long sandbar bedroom beach villas coming in at around adjacent to the island (a dhoni ferries people US$850 in the low season, it offers better value from the resort’s main jetty), where I watched a by local five-star standards. The rooms gaggle of Russians with epic tattoos slurp down themselves are sleekly designed, with wide champagne next to a palapa-style DJ booth. In private patios laid with Balinese tiles, my own beach villa, the resort literature enormous beds under pitched, palewood trumpeted the arrival of a“retro-inspired ceilings and gorgeous outdoor bathrooms, those paradise for fun-loving beach-erati!” in the beach villas bowered in palms and In short, and with apologies to Finolhu’s bougainvillea. The food was creatively branding team: it’s a party island. Finolhu is conceived and beautifully presented, from the the second resort from the Small Maldives crunchy soft-shell-crab tacos at the Fish & Crab Island Co. (the other is the more family-centric Shack to the poke and heavenly spiced crispy Amilla Fushi, which opened in 2014), owned eggplant, vivid with roasted chiles, at Kanusan, and operated by two Australians, one of whom the Pan-Asian restaurant. And there’s the earned his Maldives chops as general manager island itself, whose windswept sandbar should, of the One&Only Reethi Rah. Their concept was on an early-morning ramble, fulfill just about to import the jet-set glamour of Mykonos and St.-Tropez to the Indian Ocean, flagrantly eschewing the local thatched-roof building vernacular, along with most every other conventional reference to local culture, in favor every permutation of castaway fantasy that’s out there. Finolhu’s fun but very site-unspecific offerings ultimately lead to one question: Why come to such a remote location for something you can arguably get in Bali, Boracay or even Ibiza? On the other hand, what is working here works well indeed. Those in the market for a good time—as opposed to an edifying local experience—now know where to book. finolhu. com; doubles from US$850.

T H E B U C K E T L I S T E R Four Seasons Private Island at Voavah Private islands are somewhat of a thing for 2017, and the Maldives is full of them. But this latest retreat in the northern Baa Atoll from Four Seasons—which already has two best-in- class Maldives resorts, Kudaa Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru (the latter located just three kilometers from Voavah)—is the real deal: an exclusive private island that sleeps anywhere from two to 22 people, has its own chefs, staff, spa with therapists and 20-meter-long PADI- equipped motor yacht complete with a dedicated divemaster. Voavah, which opened in December, offers once-in-a lifetime luxury for people who are celebrating something big or a holiday redoubt for those wealthy enough to not even blink at the US$36,000-a-night rate. The rooms have been cleverly configured in three separate traditional dance performance? Done—just villas to accommodate friends, give them a day to organize it. multigenerational families, or entourage-heavy The living room of That guests can also partake of any of the celebrities/oligarchs/tuhao (Chinese nouveaux the Water Villa at top-notch restaurants or services offered at riches). The Beach House has the main living the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru only expands the territory. and dining areas spread across its wall-less Voavah. p op osite: But when you’re standing ankle-deep in The Gathering is ground floor and richly appointed mezzanine the communal opalescent wavelets in the morning, looking suites above. A three-bedroom villa at the centerpiece of northward to a constellation of uninhabited island’s northern end has a master suite with a Soneva Jani. islands, a soaring expanse of milky-blue sky, truly dreamy 200-degree sea-and-sand view; and, beyond, the ocean—luxury at its most the two-bedroom overwater villa, at the island’s elemental and rare—it’s hard to imagine other end (Voavah measures only about 305 needing anything else, ever again. fourseasons. meters long by 106 meters wide) has one of the com; from US$36,000 per night, all-inclusive. more spectacularly photogenic conflagrations of infinity pool and horizon I’ve ever seen. But what Voavah is really about is total personalization. Pancakes at midnight? Of Tetailsh de course. Impromptu cruise on the Summer to snorkel among manta rays—which, in late G EttinG THERE WHEN TO GO Velana International December through April, summer, convene in Hanifaru Bay by the Airport, located on Hulhule when the weather is dry and hundreds—with one of the researchers from Island off of capital Malé is the humidity is low, is peak the Manta Trust, a charity based at the nearby reachable from cities season for travelers. Low Landaa Giraavaru? Ready when you are, including Bangkok, season is between May and Singapore, Kuala Lumphur November, which typically ma’am. Pizza-making class for the kids, while and Dubai. Seaplane or boat means more rain but the grown-ups enjoy sundowners on the transfers are required to get cheaper rates. sandbar across the channel—perhaps with a to the resorts.

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 69 Mystery l Inf uenced by religion, history and nature, Japan’s Kumano Kodo pilgrimage is more than a tTrailrek through sacred mountains. It’s a puzzle that leads you back to yourself with every carefully chosen step. ristBy Ch opher Kucway

Photographed by Scott A. Woodward D warfed by nature on the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage. po p osite: Autumn colors along the Hiraka-gawa. ta r velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 71 “Do you know what shape your mind is?” The Kumano Kodo has many layers. As a monk by the name of Nobuhiro Tamura asks. We’re a pilgrimage, it’s a mental puzzle, a key standing late one autumn night in Okunoin, a thousand- that partly unlocks the syncretism between year-old cemetery in Koyasan, the center of Shingon Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan. Our trek Buddhism. This major sect believes the secrets of life are is set up to follow a pattern of death, rebirth found through meditation and, in a few, choice words, and life: you die once but are regenerated Nobu has given us a lot to ponder below 600-year-old on the Kumano Kodo, a Japanese expression cedars that scrape together high above this otherworldly points out, one of the many mysteries hidden setting. A jovial monk, he doesn’t wait for an answer. Our within this peninsula. It would be tempting to mind, Nobu says, is the shape of the moon. Like the lunar romanticize this as purely the stuff of legends, orb, it’s in constant flux. Full one day, ebbing a week later. but Japanese history is as dense here as the Yet, wherever we find ourselves in that cycle, eventually, stands of hulking cypress. The pilgrimage just like the moon, our minds will be full again. These itself dates back to 907 when former emperor are brain-bending thoughts, surrounded as we are Uda, preoccupied with the ideas of rebirth, by centuries of Japanese history condensed into more transformation and enlightenment, made than 200,000 moss-covered markers, tombstones and a similar journey over 30 days. Yet, like the mausoleums, the immortal remains of once-powerful landscape itself, the Buddhist and Shinto shoguns, a handful of emperors and, most importantly, beliefs underpinning the journey far predate Kukai, Shingon’s founder, who is widely seen as the Uda’s undertaking. On this strenuous father of Japanese culture. walk, crossing rivers is seen as a form of Over the next nine days, we’re going to trek more purification; ascending mountains, a fusion than 90 kilometers of the Kumano Kodo, a 900-year-old between man and the sacred environment. pilgrimage on the Kii Peninsula, a mountainous thumb From the start, we’re immersed in the of land south of Osaka that takes in Kumano Sanzan, deep end. Steps from the cemetery and after the three grand Shinto shrines found at Hongu, Nachi a 10-kilometer trek to Koyasan, we stay in and Shingu. It’s one of only two pilgrimages listed as a a shukubo, or pilgrim’s inn, and dine on unesco World Heritage Site, the other being Camino de shojin ryori—vegetarian dishes that include Santiago in Spain. mountain vegetables, several types of tofu,

72 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com A Japanese-style room with a view at Yunomine Onsen. R ight: Vibrant colors of the season. o pposite, from left: A Buddhist monk at prayer; this way to the next shrine.

tempura and rice—all a reflection of the spiritual life. Johnson, photographer Scott Woodward, and Awake before dawn the next day, we attend a Buddhist me. French Canadian by birth, now living in prayer service that remembers those who have passed Nagoya, Alain has adopted Japan as his own. before us, stop in at the Kongobuji temple, the heart of It’s easy to see why. The country’s southern this isolated monastic complex, then transfer by van forests, resplendent in autumn colors, shed down the Hiraka-gawa to the coast and the start of our leaves of crimson red and citrus yellow that pilgrimage. In all, there are seven Kumano Kodo routes fall in slow motion along our walk. Another that knit the Kii Peninsula together; we’re headed to year is dying off, headed into the seclusion of Tanabe and the head of the Nakahechi trail. But at lunch, winter, and the effect is hypnotic. before taking a single step on this trek, we’re rattled by a Once atop the ridge, the trail eases, rolling small earthquake. If it didn’t already, the Kumano Kodo with the terrain. The saving grace to this day’s now has our full attention. harsh trek, aside from its brevity, is that it ends in off-the-map Takahara. Seventeenth- ree roots form uneven, muddy steps; century Japanese poet Basho wrote of walking narrow earthen paths are held precariously the Kumano Kodo to free himself of all things in place by stone retaining walls, some as familiar, and this village with its thousand- old as the cedars themselves. Sheer doesn’t year-old camphor trees makes it feel like begin to describe the climb through dense we’ve already done that. On our late-afternoon forest to Takahara, a peaceful hamlet approach, a ceiling of angry clouds cracks Tperched on a remote hillside. “Tsuru, tsuru,” our guide open to the west and sunlight pours into the Alain Sabourin warns us—it’s slippery. Alain had valley, turning dried grass golden, bathing mentioned more than once in the previous two days that the handful of homes in this one-road village our initial stretch along the Kumano Kodo, while short, with a light found only in nature. Two women would be precipitous. Halfway along that sodden trail, let us in on a local secret: That night it will breathing heavily, I search overhead for the ridgeline— rain and, come morning, the world will have with no luck. I do spot Alain squatted down on one turned upside down; the roiling clouds above oversized step, elbows on his knees, arms askew, lost in us will have sunk down into the valley and we his own thoughts, waiting for us—American retiree Jeff will be buoyed above the mist. Our comfortable The golden valley of Takahara. Takahara feels distant from the modern world, closer to nature

ta r velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 75 inn, Takahara Kiri no Sato, is the perfect spot for years after that. Aside from our gear, the scene contemplating the transforming valley. Immediately, is unchanged. Jeff and I conclude that this front-row seat to the Valley This is how each day will play out. During of the Mist is a two-onsen stop: one steaming bath before those moments when the wind is the only dinner, another early the next morning. music to our ears, we drift off into our own Up before the sun, the clouds below us as predicted, thoughts. Alain fills us in on the history and we find Takahara even more enchanting. It feels distant meaning of where we are but recognizes the from the modern world, much closer to nature. After that importance of the lulls. I hear his kumayoke, second spell in the onsen, over a Japanese breakfast of or bear bells, and our carefully chosen river trout, rice and miso soup, I yearn to stay another footsteps, but little else. We dip into stretches day. But the trail beckons, so we head away from this of silence as often as the trail falls into another patch of paradise. Local guide Jennifer Fujino joins us valley. Repetitive stands of Japanese cedar for the day. A Filipina living in Japan, Jennifer’s easy and pine, carpets of red maple leaves, vivid laugh echoes throughout the forest as we walk and talk: mossy stepping stones just waiting to trip us an American and three Canadians trek into a Japanese up—quickly, these patterns become a visual forest… Above the clouds, literally and increasingly meditation. Kobo Daishi, as Kukai came to be spiritually, we’re enjoying the day and are headed ever known after his death, asserted that we all higher along an endless series of log steps. We trudge have the nature of Buddha within us but it is into a green world of Japanese peaks, our muddy path up to us to put it into practice. wending its way through the shaded side of a mountain Our stop for the next two nights is dense with pine. Slide down one mossy path, clamber up Yunomine Onsen, a 1,800-year-old hot spring the next, repeat. One slippery log bridge straddles a cold, that is said to be Japan’s oldest. It presents a shallow creek at the base of a particularly high hill. The last chance to purify ourselves before entering sheer beauty of the scene moves us to… silence. We’ve the first of the grand shrines. Cold, wet and walked into a woodblock print. Sunlight splits through caffeine-deprived, the onsen is an easy sell. the upper reaches of the trees, to the moist earth and If it hasn’t sunk in yet that this is a trek like wet hikers along a section of the trail that was navigated no other, the next morning’s directions—turn nearly a millennium ago, and first written about only 100 left at the Japanese man boiling eggs in the

76 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com A rriving at Hosshinmon-oji. fo r m far left: Entering the sacred ground of Kobo Daishi's mausoleum in Okunoin; lights at Kumano Nachi Taisha.

roadside spring—puts that to rest. We’re headed for the Hosshinmon-oji, a peak towered over by a first of three Shinto shrines, Kumano Hongu Taisha. simple wooden torii, Hitomi bows deeply, and Distinct, sulphurous air in town quickly gives way to we follow: this is the outer entrance to the the clean scent of Japanese pine as the trail ascends into grand shrine and as we pass, raindrops arrive. low clouds. Our guide for the day, Hitomi Tamaki, says Twenty minutes downhill, while we sit at she’s been told we’re an oddball quartet—that sneaky lunch in a small covered shop—one that serves Jennifer!—whose conversation veers between veneration hot coffee—Alain scans the sky. “Zaa-zaa,” he and vending machines. Our laughter eases the sting of murmurs, a prediction of heavier rain. Once the path, a rock-and-timber escalator taking us away we finish our bento boxes, the skies open, so from town as quickly as our legs will churn upwards. We we zip up and speed walk through the last pass the Kakihara-jaya teahouse, built during the Edo few kilometers to the shrine, the rain soaking Period and in use as late as the 1970s. One of the most everything except our spirits. Even in an intriguing aspects of the Kumano Kodo is how little the autumn downpour, Kumano Hongu Taisha is modern world infringes on its setting. These ruins of tea a spectacular sight. All paths on the peninsula houses, their foundations being sucked back into the wet lead here, a trio of wooden shrines left to earth, are a perfect reminder. In turn, they cause Scott their natural colors and pieced together with and me to pose our daily question about the proximity of intricate joints, some masterful woodwork, the any Japanese vending machines—the kind dispensing whole structure set against a towering green hot coffee. Alain, as always, laughs off the query, telling backdrop. It’s a reminder that nature, not the us to enjoy these remnants of the past and our immediate shrine itself, is what is sacred. present. He’s right, of course. Humid air wraps around Our route to the hamlet of Koguchi begins us but up we go, hundreds of meters before we switch to in a convenience store the next morning. a roller coaster of a trail through soaring pine so dense Stocking up on water, sandwiches and onigiri, that we’re cut off from daylight. we turn at the store’s parking lot into deep That said, all is not well. Alain is concerned about forest. The first few hours of this 13-kilometer the forecast for rain later in the day. This peninsula walk ascend. Always, the steps. Uneven. is the wettest area of Japan, with upwards of five Treacherous. Rock. Root. Mud. Morning shade meters of rainfall annually in some areas. As we reach means a cool climb through sweeps of ferns 78 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com O ne happy hiker. Clockwise from below: Atop the entrance to Kumano Hongu Taisha; one of many Japanese dinner courses; scenic Kumano Nachi Taisha.

tar velandleisureasia.com / february 2017 93 Ai n oj watches over the trail and its pilgrims. Opp osite: At the colorful Kumano Hayatama Taisha.

that do little to absorb the previous day’s downpour. that closed because of a modern concern: Intermittent oji, stone statues that stand between the Japan’s aging population. This village, with border of life and death, oversee our progress. five bridges across its river, has few young Topping off at bend in the rock face, we take in a vista residents. The inn is more comfortable than I’d that, so local lore has it, includes 3,600 green peaks, expected but once I’m settled in my futon, the forest as far as the horizon. There’s a certain satisfaction flow of the river outside my window mimics in knowing that we’re among the highest points within rainfall and disturbs my sleep. Or maybe it’s sight, distant from all things modern and man-made. thoughts of tomorrow’s epic walk. By the time we stop for lunch, we’re 10 kilometers into the day’s walk; and have come across a retired Japanese warfed by nature as Koguchi couple who, all smiles, tell us that a year earlier they is, it’s only a mild surprise covered longer portions of the Kumano Kodo than we’re that we’ve turned onto a long, trekking. Over the centuries, many have trod these paths, forested tunnel. Slippery-as- but the pilgrimage’s popularity has dropped off from the ice rocks, fallen tree limbs, days when Ari-no-Kumano mode—literally a procession streams of water, this moss- of ants to Kumano signifying a long, continuous line of Dgreen trail nearly beyond reach of the sun’s pilgrims—was common. The next person we see is on rays is treacherous and continues for as far the outskirts of Koguchi, an elderly woman carving out as the eye can see. Alain had told us that this her own piece of the trail by hand. last day of serious hiking would be, at more The Japanese say you can sense the heart of nature than 14 kilometers, our most difficult, but here in Koguchi, which feels like a forgotten village, this aged section of the pilgrimage is brutal. It wedged as it is between 800-meter green ridges. We head looks and feels like we’re in a different century. straight for the one store in town and wheedle our way Every step up to the highest point of our into a multilingual conversation with three local women journey, the 870-meter Echizen-toge Pass, is who are as shocked by our presence as they are by that deliberate and thought out. As we near the top, day’s bread prices. We commiserate, then walk to our a moss-encrusted, all-knowing oji awaits amid inn, steaming onsen and good conversation over dinner. thousands of soaring pines, with a hint of clear Our night’s stay is in a revamped junior high school sky peeking down. If the climb to this point

80 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com has been taxing, the descent is lethal. After the previous Dreams of walking the Kumano Kodo will day’s rain, the path is a waterfall in parts, where it’s haunt me in the coming days and weeks. In easiest to clamber on all fours through newly formed my sleep, I’m ascending, descending, carefully rivulets. Jeff leans on his walking sticks like never before; choosing my next move across slippery hewn- it seems like we’ll never get back to sea level. We arrive log bridges, plotting how to circumvent the at a clearing with views of the Pacific but in the time it centuries-old moss-covered boulders down a takes to unpack lunch, clouds roll in bringing a seasonal hillside. But those dreams will also be of the chill. The valley below feels like a finish line, one our magical sweep of light permeating Japanese aching calves, knees and feet want desperately to reach, pines and one ominous cemetery in Koyasan. yet there’s still a final two-kilometer, joint-wrenching Of pure silence, but also the laughter of an series of stone steps down through thick forest that turns elderly shopkeeper as I insisted that, yes, I did day to night. want to buy a ¥500 bag of dried mushrooms Then, the forest parts its cedar curtain to unveil from her. Of the deer we spotted on our last Kumano Nachi Taisha, built in homage to the nearby hike a couple of hours after Scott mentioned, waterfall’s kami, or spirit god. A sacred camphor tree, wasn’t it was odd that we hadn’t seen a deer? said to be 850 years old, holds sway over the courtyard But my mind, moon-shaped as it is, will and is large enough to enter. At a small altar, the devout remain forever curious about what lies around say they can hear the beating of the tree’s heart. the next corner of this pilgrimage, a walk that Delaying the inevitable, we don’t tour the third shrine leaves the familiar behind. until the following day when we board a train to Shingu to visit Kumano Hayatama Taishi. It’s at the mouth of the Kumano-gawa where waters from the sacred peninsula disperse into the Pacific. On cue, it begins to drizzle as Tetailsh de soon as we pass under its familiar red torii. Again, we’re I t’s best to take on the Kumano Kodo with local help. Our enveloped by stillness. I don’t want our walk to end. None journey was with Walk Japan (walkjapan.com); tour dates start again this month and last until November. This nine- of us does. Still, that’s not the same as saying we want to day walk is ¥362,000 per person, and includes tackle the next rise or slide down another green trail any accommodation, a guide, breakfasts and dinners and three time soon. lunches, for a maximum group of 12. l e t Sometimes size matters. When you're searching for soul, smaller can be better. Smaller, authentic, comfortable and cool, that is. “People like to define themselves by their style and taste,” says James Lohan, co-

founder of hotel curator Mr & Mrs Smith. “Boutiques have the ability to be ho warehouse he T more creative in how they look and what they offer.” On the following pages, f e we offer some of the best and brightest little guys across the region. t ou o sy You want to feel “of the place”? Check in to these newcomers. c r Boutique Love The lobby and bar at The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore. l e t The warehouse ho warehouse The esy o f esy t our c

Boutique Love tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 83 A homey balcony at O wl and the Pussycat Owl and the W here: Thalpe Pussycat. Rooms: 17 The name comes from a quirky Edward Lear poem. The interior design comes from a life of travels. This fanciful hideaway just a short tuk-tuk ride from the historic Galle Fort has 17 rooms and suites, all with views of the Indian Ocean and individually designed by New York architect Uday Dhar. Co-owner Reita Gadkari draws aesthetic inspiration from India… Italy… Argentina, and has commissioned artists—both locals and foreigners from places including Turkey— to fill the property with colorful original works of the finest craftsmanship. There is a restaurant offering traditional Sri Lankan cuisine with Mediterranean accents, a bar and café, a relaxed beach shack and a swimming pool. On weekends the property sways to a jazz band show. Take home a bit of the kaleidoscope: shopping in the property’s boutique supports a philanthropic fund for Sri Lankan artisans and a local orphanage. otphotel.com; doubles from US$240.

By Alessandraksri Gesuelli lan a

Fort Bazaar W here: Galle Rooms: 18 It took nine years to recreate this stunning 17th-century townhouse in the heart of Galle Fort. Fort Bazaar was once occupied r by spice, tea and gem traders; unused zaa a since mid-1950s and in a state of near ruin B t until recently, it is now a charming 18- r o f

bedroom hotel around a private courtyard. f The project, led by PWA Architects in esy o

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welcoming heritage. Inside, Z Spa boasts u chemical-free products made in Sri Lanka P by Ophir; the blends are based on the therapeutic benefits of black, green, pink l and the and red tea. The property overlooks busy w O

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84 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com from top: courtesy of Owl and the Pussycat; courtesy of fort Bazaar

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from top: courtesy of the warehouse hotel; courtesy of Villa Samadhi walking trails. trails. walking friendly with complete fauna and flora R of fringes verdant the at quietly hibernates gem 20-room this officials, army British for garrison colonial arestored in Housed tranquility. tropical such in is it as ensconced Samadhi, Villa of opening the with soon changed be may minds radar, but tourist’s the on ablip as much so register doesn’t usually corridor western city’s island The R Villa villasamadhi.com.sg; doubles from S$395. from doubles villasamadhi.com.sg; wait. can office The twitters. melodious of echoes the and canopies towering of views with room your of terrace outdoor moments? Zen Best included in the larger whirlpools private suite—with nest) 56-square-meter 27-square-meter the from spacious— are rooms Malayan-styled The the at tipples gin infused house- and restaurant Hill Tamarind the at recipes heirloom from made cuisine Burmese and Thai traditional to leads boardwalk ajungle down home. private stately a to invitation agrand like feels it library… guests-only the of windows shuttered and ceiling high the passing room, your to walkways wood-paneled along way your making towels, chilled with waiting staff attentive to doors the though walking e oo Warehouse. The at river the on up Wake serve, a treasure trove of mangrove mangrove of trove atreasure serve, m s: S 20 pore SING am P adhi u lling up the driveway and and driveway the up lling L L u a xe Sarang (Malay for for (Malay Sarang xe L brador brador Sarang A o two-minute stroll stroll two-minute unging on the the on unging C h C andelier Bar. andelier N r category. ibs to the the to ibs a ture ture A a t r v el andlei doubles from S$295. from doubles thewarehousehotel.com; collaboration. inspired recipe- yesteryear and exterior heritage stylish its to snacks bar and furnishings soft the from everything Singaporean: proudly of definition very the is place The spaces. common the dotting period of reminiscent that paraphernalia artsy the through all them imagine can you but course, of gone are shenanigans color off- The societies. secret and distilleries illegal of neighborhood agritty in sat that godown aformer of rendition chic industrial- acontemporary Warehouse, intimate the at dominates history Hip e R T rehouse rehouse oo h s ur m W s: ea a P 37 s o i restaurant is a local alocal is restaurant a.co m

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thailandBy Rachna Sachasinh

courtesy of club agutaya. opposite: courtesy of villa mahabhirom philippinesBy Stephanie Zubiri

Cu l b Agutaya Your own W here: Palawan piece of Rooms: 38 Palawan, at C lub Agutaya. Say “Palawan,” and most people think of the prehistoric karst garden that is El Nido S iama up north. But halfway down the island’s Where: Sorsogon west coast is an even less-traveled Rooms: 30 tropical Eden. Undeveloped San Vincente boasts the country’s longest stretch of Tucked away in the middle of swaying beach, and you can have it all to yourself. coconut groves in the underrated Bicol Indulge in your castaway wanderlust province of Sorsogon is this brainchild of without the hassle of building your own furniture designer Milo Naval and his wife, hut and fishing for your dinner if you stay Kat. With clean Midcentury lines and a at Club Agutaya. Just past the lush jungle plethora of natural local materials like surrounding the main town, this brand- bamboo and rattan, Siama has a vintage new eco-resort sits in the middle of Palm Springs-meets-tropical beach bum 14.5-kilometer pristine, powdery Long vibe. The 30-bedroom resort is designed Beach. Designed to respect the nature to be an escape from urban chaos with that envelops it (bamboo railings; seashell secluded pockets of greenery, a 25-meter lamps), the resort generates its power by forest pool and personalized service. The solar and wind and has a state-of-the-art latter is reflected in their dining offerings, sewage-treatment system, the first of its which are basically, whatever you want kind in the country, that recycles water. and whatever is freshest. From catching a With just 38 rooms including prized wave at Rizal Beach to picnicking while ocean-view villas, in San Vic’s only hotel, floating downriver in a coconut hut raft to you’ll be plenty secluded, but if you want exploring colonial churches and homes, a to venture farther, the staff can arrange a visit to Siama is a one-stop whirlwind of visit to a private island. Back in your room Philippine highlights. Our favorite you’ll find solar-heated showers, plush itinerary, however, is a relaxing massage bedding and free WiFi—so you can in one of their outdoor spa rooms followed #humblebrag on Instagram about finally by a cocktail under a coconut tree. Also finding paradise. clubagutaya.net; doubles known as: doing absolutely nothing. from P6,000. siamahotel.com; doubles from P8,500. m o r habhi a m villa f esy o t r club opposite: agutaya. cou f t r cou esy o

tar velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 89 Hints of the Roaders Old West in a Roaders W here: Taipei guest room. Rooms: 68 Shades of arcane Americana color the concept at Roaders. A collage of American license plates enlivens the elevator area while the basement lobby—dubbed Roaders Saloon—features ephemera such as fake wanted signs, giant wooden barrels and wagon wheels. Although elements of the design philosophy hark back to the days before the West was won, the hotel is largely a model of modernity. Situated right next to Ximen MRT station, it is ideally located for investigation of the Ximendeng area as well as Taipei’s other highlights. But there’s also reason to linger: the lobby has a broad selection of English-language magazines to browse as well as air hockey, foosball, free snacks and drinks, and a selection of beers and spirits. Rooms, meanwhile, are cozy and soundproofed from the hubbub outside, and feature cushions monogrammed with a moose-head design—another knowing touch that hits its mark. roadershotel.com; doubles from US$89 per night.

By Duncan Forgantaiwan

S wiio Hotel W here: Taipei helena bay

Rooms: 50 f

Located in the heart of Ximending—the esy o t epicenter of Taipei’s Japanese-inspired r youth culture—the Swiio exudes hip energy. In fact, it has harnessed the talent of local creatives to promote a concept that is one part hotel, another part contemporary gallery. Works by Taiwanese artists, which range from graffiti and photography to graphic and swiio hotel. opposite: cou

abstract pieces, adorn rooms, hallways f and other public areas. The funky, retro esy o

furniture was also designed and made t r locally. Ximending is often referred to as ; cou

the Harajuku or Shibuya of Taiwan, and the s Japanese influence can be detected in the r hotel’s bijou rooms. Despite their small Roade size, all benefit from attractive trimmings f including 32-inch flat-screen TVs and esy o t

Bluetooth stereos. Service is exemplary r and, while there are no dining facilities Beyond hip on-site, guests are minutes from some of

in the Swiio top: cou

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90 m arch 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com H elena Bay W here: Northland, New Zealand Rooms: 5 With their estate-to-plate cuisine, wide open spaces and unpretentious-upscale hospitality, the Kiwis do lodges better than anyone, and this new stunner at the top of the country is already heading best- hotel lists around the world. Taking its name from its lovely shoreline, Helena Bay courses with history, culture and natural beauty. It’s all served on a silver platter, along with a daily menu of local fare, by a staff that outnumbers the max number of guests (10) five-to-one—and don’t get us started on the arithmetic of the 1,000-label wine cellar. Each stand- alone villa has a waterfront deck and two have wood fireplaces. But since temperatures in the “winterless north” never dip below 14 degrees, you’re always free to swim in the pool, picnic on the beach, or explore the grounds—five Pa sites (ancient Maori fortifications) are on the property. Book the whole place, gain access to five more bedrooms in the main house, and fly everyone in via the resort’s private helicopter; it’s just 45 minutes from Auckland. helenabay.com; doubles from NZ$1,550 low season, inclusive of breakfast, pre-dinner drinks and dinner.

MAC q01 W here: Hobart, Australia Rooms: 114 OK, so MACq01 is bit bigger than the rest, and it’s not even open yet, but we are really psyched about this consummate boutique going up waterfront on the working docks of Australia's southermost f helena bay city. The storytelling hotel takes as its jumping-off point the unique spirit of tesy o r Subtropical tough, far-flung Tasmania, hodgepodge of climes invite convicts, indigenous natives, explorers swimming at and inventors. Each room will elucidate Helena Bay. the tale of a different Tasmanian who exemplifies one of five archetypes— colorful and quirky; hearty and resilient; curious and creative; grounded, yet exceptional; and fighting believer—which f swiio hotel. opposite: cou influences each space’s aesthetic design. Doors open June 1. macq01.com.au. tesy o r s; cou r f Roade tesy o r Australia/ m top: cou o fr New ZaealBy Jeninne Lee-ndSt. John FRO ZEN

The sauna cabin at the Aurora Safari Camp, located south of the Arctic Circle near Lulea. In the Arctic wilderness of Swedish Lapland, an otherworldly communion with nature awaits anyone willing to brave the cold.

By Peter Heller Photographed by Felix Odell

FRO ZEN Lars Eriksson feeds his reindeer. Opp osite: On a snowshoe trek near the Aurora Safari Camp.

82 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com ur plane nosed down through a layer of ice fog and shuddered hard, as if at the sudden view: a mist- shredded scrap of forest, buried in snow. “Welcome to the Arctic,” the pilot said, as we bumped along an ice and packed powder runway. It was the end of January, and we had arrived in Kiruna, the northernmost town in Sweden, 160 kilometers above the Arctic Circle. Around us, snow-clad forest spread for nearly 400,000 square kilometers. Squalls shook the cabin. The storm was out of the north-northeast, and I tried to picture where that wind had been: a strip of Finland, a ribbon of Norway, the Barents Sea, and, before that, the polar ice cap. Brrr. We had been traveling from Denver for 18 hours. “Tell me again,” I said to my wife, Kim. “Why are we coming to the Arctic in the winter? I mean, when there are places in the world like, say, Barbados?” “To see the aurora borealis,” she answered cheerfully. Kim loves the cold, she says—it wakes her up. Minutes later we were escorted out of the squat airport building toward a pack of dogs that stood, yelping, just yards from the Only the smooth slip and jostle of the wood runway. An apple-cheeked guide named Espen Hamnvik, who wore runners underfoot, the biting frost on cheeks, a fur-trimmed parka, handed us each a coat, heavy snow pants, a the panting of the dogs. As if we had taken flight hat and boots. “There is your sled, Kim. Peter, this is yours,” he said. and were suspended in a storm. “There are your dogs.” After showing us how to use the brakes on The Sami people are an indigenous, our sleds, he gave a mittened thumbs-up and mushed off into the historically nomadic community who have been snowy woods. The Alaskan huskies were ready to run, and they herding reindeer in the Arctic for several barked and yowled and strained against their ropes. Another guide thousand years. To them, the aurora borealis yanked the lines loose, the sleds jerked, and we were off, running has always been a solemn display. Traditionally, free over the fresh snow. Into the heart of Swedish Lapland. they believe that the lights are the spirits of What we had come for, aside from the northern lights, was a their ancestors, and that if anyone sinful shows taste of authentic Sami culture, and an understanding of why the his face or acts disrespectfully when the lights northern Swedes are so crazy about winter. We’d stay first at a appear, it could anger the spirits and bring bad remote lodge accessible in winter only by dog team or snowmobile; luck on the people. Some parents still keep their then we’d take a train south to sleep in Sami-style canvas tents. bad children indoors during the light shows. From there, we’d move to the Treehotel. We’d be outside most of the But the aurora has gotten a lot of good press time, and we’d try our best not to lose any digits to the cold. lately—the displays get stronger in 11-year My dogs were the size of border collies: two piebald sisters up cycles; the past two years have been prodigious. front, two brown brothers behind. They were running so fast that I But I think it’s more to do with our visually gripped the handlebar as hard as I could. The trail was narrow and obsessed culture. The aurora is the Gisele of twisting, through trees with limbs shagged and bent with snow. natural wonders. The Grand Canyon, Iguazú There were sudden swoops, dips, branches to duck under. The dogs Falls, Everest from Base Camp—none can hold careened around the corners and we almost capsized; they charged a candle to the aurora in her full glory. down hills. Every time I stepped on the claw brake to slow down, We followed Espen as he turned his team one of the lead dogs threw a look over her shoulder, and I could read into the woods. A few minutes later, he raised her thought like a cartoon balloon: Dude! WTF? Let me run! his mitten and called a halt. In the trees there I grew up on Jack London’s tales of the Arctic, on Farley Mowat’s was a small conical hut with a snowmobile Never Cry Wolf. From those books I took an image of a sled driving parked in front. Pale smoke wreathed from the behind a team of 12 or 14 dogs, lined up in polar twilight. Big, fluffy stovepipe. We tied up the sleds and went inside dogs that looked like wolves. Our Alaskan huskies, which looked to find a popping open fire and a veteran nothing like those Hollywood Siberians, were bred for racing over dogsled racer and master chef named Stefan long distances at great speed. We swished out of the trees and onto a Lundgren, who served us reindeer stew and wide frozen lake. It was 10:05 a.m. and the light was muted, like the lingonberry cider. I glanced at Kim. Her cheeks onset of dusk. The wind was driving the snow sideways, and I lost were chafed red but her smile was bright. the lead sled in the squall. Then there was only white—above, below. “Magical,” she said.

ta r velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 95 The author and his wife take their first dog-sledding adventure en route to the Fjellborg Arctic Lodge. Our Alaskan huskies were ready to run, and they barked and yowled and strained at The ropes

t a r velandleilandleisureasiia.com // m march 20172017 8597 t dusk, which fell at 2:50 p.m., we ran the sleds up to a cast long, blue shadows. We throttled out of the cluster of low, pine-clad buildings at the edge of another woods to the white expanse of the lake, where lake. This was Fjellborg Arctic Lodge, our two reindeer sunbathed. We zoomed onto the accommodation for the night. The storm had spent river Torne. Our faces froze, our eyes squinted itself, and candles flickered in carved ice-block against the blast. There was Kenth’s village, sconces outside the half-dozen cabins arranged Poikkijärvi, a string of small houses on the around the lodge. Under half a meter of fresh bank. And there, across the river, was snow, the world looked like a scene from a Jukkasjärvi hamlet, home to the IceHotel. Christmas card. A blazing campfire burned, You’ve heard of it: the hotel that melts every and there was Stefan, ladling more spring and is rebuilt every autumn, when lingonberry cider into birchwood cups. What could be better than artists from all over the world carve one of the sitting on a reindeer skin around an outdoor fire in winter with the dozens of rooms. There is an ice bed with a last traces of light fading behind the treetops, and the temperature reindeer skin inside each of these sculptures— plummeting? The only sounds were the crack of flames, the creak of essentially an ice cave with a steady snow-laden trees, the murmur of quiet conversation. temperature of around minus-5 degrees. Kim Stefan showed us our digs. Our cabin had a sauna, and we baked and I walked into a room with a bunch of ice in it. Then we sat outside in a hot tub and peered into the lidded sky, sheep jumping over an ice fence, their fluffy hoping it would clear for the northern lights. It didn’t. I admit I wool made of thousands of little ice balls stuck wasn’t too bothered: for dinner Stefan had made us cured-reindeer together. We laughed. “Luca Roncoroni created brioche, arctic char and a dessert with three kinds of chocolate, it so that guests who were worried about served with rich black coffee. sleeping in subzero temperatures could fall When we woke the next morning, the sky had cleared. Kenth asleep more easily,” creative director Jens Fjellborg, the proprietor of Fjellborg Arctic Lodge, showed up on a Thoms Ivarsson told us. snowmobile. Kenth is a master dog-sledder and a consummate In the IceBar, we sipped elderberry juice storyteller. At age 19, he apprenticed under the legendary dog- with lime from ice glasses while a song by sledder Joe Runyan in Alaska. Kenth ran the Iditarod in 1994— Danny and the Champions of the World played 1,7700 kilometers through Arctic Alaska—and finished in the top from speakers that no one had yet figured out 20. In 2006, he guided Prince Albert II of Monaco to the North Pole. how to make from ice. It occurred to me, as I Kenth grew up in a tiny village 16 kilometers from the lodge; his switched the glass to my other hand to prevent family has lived in the area for nine generations, and it’s second frostbite, that the whole place was one of the nature for him to make camp at 29 below. I asked him what he did in most spectacular art installations on earth— his free time. “Moose hunting,” he said. “It’s my Arctic-male version no less because it was created to vanish, like a of yoga.” sand mandala. Like the Arctic winter itself. Swedes do not coddle neophytes or hand out liability-waiver We climbed onto our snowmobiles and forms—at least not up on the 68th parallel. Every day is an drove back as night overtook the forest. Above adventure, and they invite you to come along and bring the best of us, stars began to glitter like ice chips. It got yourself. As Espen had done with the sleds, Kenth kept it simple. seriously cold. As the machine surged, and my “This is your machine. Here is the ignition. The throttle, the brake. cheeks burned with frost, I felt a profound Keep your feet tucked in here in case you tip over.” Big smile. “Let’s sense of glee. The kind that comes, strangely, go!” Off we went. The forest shimmered with rime, and the trees when everything is frozen.

98 march 2017 / travelandleisureasia.com The Storforsen rapids, part of the Storforsen Nature Reserve. Opp osite, from left: A lunch spread of reindeer meat, arugula, sour cream and onion by a campfire at the Storforsen rapids; a Sami-style tent; a dogsled pit stop by the shores of Lake Kaperas, on the way to Fjellborg Arctic Lodge. A chalet on the property of Sami reindeer herder Lars Eriksson.

eTtailsh de rtou operator Red Savannah This England-based bespoke travel company can build an itinerary that emphasizes getting outside in the Arctic winter, viewing the aurora borealis, and staying in wildly unique lodgings. redsavannah.com; seven days from US$8,977 per person, including dinners.

hotels Aurora Safari Camp Guests sleep in Sami- style canvas tents, complete with wood-fired stoves, at this unique camp. Gunnarsbyn; aurorasafaricamp.com; three nights from US$1,763 per person, all-inclusive. Fjellborg Arctic Lodge This remote lodge 160 kilometers above the Arctic Circle on Lake Väkkärä is a great place to try dog-sledding, ice fishing and snowshoeing. fjellborg arcticlodge.com; two days from US$1,918 per person, all-inclusive. IceHotel This art installation–meets–luxury hotel melts in the spring and gets rebuilt every year by artisans from around the world. Jukkasjärvi; icehotel.com; doubles from US$225. Treehotel Magnificently strange accommodations suspended high in a pine forest by the Lule River. Guests can choose one of seven tree houses, like a mirrored cube or a flying saucer. Harads; treehotel.se; doubles from US$550. That night, no aurora. The next morning I woke early to see if I what could be could catch it. The Swedes have a name for the polar twilight, usually at its most pronounced around dusk, when the long shadows better than sitting merge. They call it blå timmen, the blue hour. At dawn, as I stepped on a reindeer skin out of the cabin and walked to the edge of the lake, that name came to me. The sky was the softest blue. And the snow. And the trees. around an outdoor Every shade of blue, merging to slate beneath the trees, ultramarine in the sky. In the southwest, a silver-blue half-moon was setting. fire in the fading I felt giddy, like a kid. So often, when we travel, we come for one light of winter? thing and are blindsided by something else. I realized that I was loving winter again, the way I had as a child, when there was “Having friends,” he said. “The sun is out.” nothing better than sledding, or a snowball fight. Our last night was at Treehotel. It’s on par Next stop: the Aurora Safari Camp outside of Luleå, just south of with the IceHotel in terms of its fame and the Arctic Circle. The name of the place virtually guaranteed a weirdness. What is it about the Swedes? They sighting. It was also a chance for even deeper immersion, because we have free higher education, and everyone were staying in conical tepees with cloth skins that are inspired by seems to be entitled to a Volvo—maybe that traditional Sami lavvu shelters. The mercury pegged at 23 below for liberates the mind, the artistic spirit. Why not two days. At night, Kim and I woke up every hour and a half to stoke build a hotel in the trees? Kent and Britta the little woodstove. We traded off, and somehow just got happier. Lindvall, the couple who own Treehotel, The camp is on a wide lake covered with snow. One morning we commissioned different architects to build took out snowmobiles. The sun, just over the treetops, was brilliant, rooms up in the pines. The most famous may be and it turned the distant rime-frosted ridges to gold. On the islands, Mirrorcube, skewered on a single tree, with the trees were completely sheathed in ice. I hit the throttle and mirrored surfaces that reflect the sky and accelerated over unbroken, glittering snow. Behind me, a plume of boughs such that it seems to disappear. powder sprayed into the sunlight, where it blazed with gold. But we were staying in the UFO. Standing at That night, Fredrik Broman, the camp’s exuberant proprietor, the base of a pine tree in the subzero darkness, fired up his sauna: a big tent with a woodstove, on a float, frozen into we pushed a button on the trunk and zmmmmm, the lake. Outside were blocks of clear virgin ice and a table spread a ladder descended. Inside, the pod had a with razor-sharp chisels and saws. I sweated away happily, before projector that threw swimming galaxies onto flipping back the cloth door and tumbling out into the subzero the curved walls. We lay in the dark and drank darkness in a gush of steam. tea and watched them, knowing that this might But still no lights. Four nights down, two to go. We’d been ice be as close as we would get to a light show. fishing with Kenth, snowshoeing with Fredrik, and today we were At 10:30 p.m. we put on long underwear, going to see a legendary Sami named Lars Eriksson. He came out of boots and parkas, and climbed down from the his clapboard house in traditional dress of dark blue felt trimmed UFO. We tromped through the snow to a with strips of yellow, green and red (sun, earth, fire) and reindeer- clearing. Nothing. Not nothing—a billion fur boots. He had a flowing white beard. I saw Kim’s eyes get huge; heedless stars. We climbed back into our her eyebrows shot up. “It’s Santa Claus!” she whispered. spaceship. “It’s okay,” Kim said. “This whole We walked in sunlight into a field among Lars’s reindeer, where trip has been like a fairy tale—who needs the he fed them spongy moss and intoned his story: “My family has been aurora borealis. Right?” “Right.” here for seven generations. In 1958, I started with the reindeer....” But she woke me at 1 a.m. anyway. Again we When the animals migrated to the forests, his family would move tramped into thigh-deep snow. Stars, stillness. behind the herd on skis, and camp for weeks at a time. “When we go At 3:30, she started awake from a dream. We with the reindeer, we see the reindeer are a little tired. We stop, were going home in a few hours. “C’mon,” she make a fire, make coffee. The reindeer can sleep, have a little food. said. “One more look.” We trudged back up. We follow nature and how we feel—slow, slow, no stress.” Now, he “Oh,” I gasped. There was Orion shooting his said, the 3,000 Sami families that still herd reindeer move them arrow, Cassiopeia, the Pleiades. And there was with ATVs and trucks; they have to take other jobs to pay for the something moving between us and them. A machines and fuel, and there is too much stress. “Not good for the scrim of pale light, like a cloud, except that it deer.” He told us he knows only 25 or so Sami families who still was crowning over the trees and shooting rays make a living solely from the reindeer, and they need a herd of 2,000. across the sky. Slowly, without sound, it was He took us to an old log cabin for lunch, and talked about the cascading in great waterfalls of light, persecution the Sami used to experience from the government. But shimmering in curtains the color of clouds. It now there is a resurgence of interest in Sami culture. felt, to me, like the spirit of winter. Understated Kim asked him if anyone still joiks, or practices the Sami singing and cold and quiet. A spirit who has sung she had heard about. Lars inhaled deeply, as if taking energy from silently to these forests since the beginning of the woods. Then he looked at us and sang. A deep, strong descant time. Kim reached a mittened hand for mine, with the broken melody of a forest wind. He stopped and smiled. and we stood in the clearing, transfixed, until “Wow,” Kim murmured. “What does it mean?” we could no longer feel our fingers or toes.

ta r velandleisureasia.com / march 2017 101 placehoi an H oi An embodies Vietnamese charm. Convenient, compact and charismatic, it Tourists in supplies essential local experiences in Old Town don traditional easily digestible form. Just a 30-minute ao dai. drive from Danang’s international airport, which now services non-stop flights from Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Macau, Hong Kong and Malaysia among others, the town nestles on the Thu Bon River a few kilometers from the coast. Its unesco-listed old center—a colorful jumble of Japanese merchant houses, Chinese temples and French colonial buildings— evokes its heritage as the trading center of the Champa Kingdom. Hoi An is a mighty tasty proposition as well, with a glut of delicious indigenous dishes, and an informed dining scene. Just take a stroll.

By Duncan Forgan. Photographed by Aaron Joel Santos a panphai a r autcha by ation r illust Visiting a countryside temple with Vietnam Vespa Tours. Ask an Insider Etienne Bossot manager of Hoi An Photo Tour and Workshop

Making rice “Catch the sunset pancakes on the bridge in a nearby village. heading to An Bang Beach on Hai Ba Trung. The juxtaposition of palm trees and fishing boats makes a great A riverboat subject. In my cruise with Anantara Resort. view, Hoi An looks its very best early in the morning so if you want to capture the town TOURING TOWN in its prime I A lthough Hoi An is an easy place to navigate independently, it just takes a bit of initiative or an operator who offers bespoke tours to visit places that you might not reach otherwise. advise hitting the streets between 6 sle f-guided stroll PICTURE PERFECT ON TWO WHEELS and 8 a.m. That The warren of streets and alleys With a riverine setting, amazing The pancake flat topography of way you will also set back from the Thu Bon River architecture and a surrounding Hoi An and its surrounding avoid the tourist reveal Japanese merchant tableaux of swaying palm trees, countryside make for easy houses, Chinese pagodas, ancient emerald rice paddies and long independent biking expeditions. traffic. Lastly, tea warehouses. The most iconic beaches, Hoi An offers enough But for a slightly more nuanced remember to symbol of the town’s trading past eye candy to keep even the view of the area, try one of the smile. Hoi An has is its beautiful covered speediest shutterbug constantly countryside tours organized by Japanese bridge, a faithful clicking. French photographer Vietnam Vespa Adventures. some of the recreation of a bridge originally Etienne Bossot of Hoi An Photo With the expert knowledge of friendliest people built in the 1590s. Other Tour and Workshop helps both local guides informing the routes,

panphai in Vietnam and a highlights include the ornate budding snappers and experts tours give guests an authentic r Cantonese Assembly Hall, find the best photographic flavor of rural Hoi An, the interaction will featuring kitsch and colorful opportunities in town on his highlights including visits to get you a long way dragon statues, and Tran Duong specialized photo tours. 42 Phan hidden temples, artisan weavers if you want to take House, built in French-colonial Boi Chau; hoianphototour.com; and precarious river crossings on style in the 19th century. tours from VND1,000,000 per rickety wooden bridges. 134 Tran portraits.” tion by autcha by tion Japanese Bridge: Nguyen Thi person. Cao Van; vespaadventures.com; a r Minh Khai. Cantonese Assembly tours from VND1,550,000 per Hall: 176 Tran Phu. Tran Duong person.

illust House: 25 Phan Boi Chau.

travelandleisureasia.com / march 2017 103 the / place / h o i a n

THE GREAT OUTDOORS Hoi An is a great gateway to outdoor activities.

BEACH GOLF C hina Beach is Vietnam’s Vietnam has some great picturesque links, and the strip most legendary stretch between Hoi An and Danang is home to two championship of sand. An R-and-R spot golf courses: Montgomerie Links (montgomerielinks.com; for U.S. troops during the 18-hole visitor green fee from VND2,700,000) and the BRG Vietnam War, it is wide Danang Golf Resort (dananggolfclub.com; 18-hole visitor Poolside at and welcoming, with green fee from VND2,650,000). Four Seasons Monkey Mountain and the Nam Hai. Cham Islands in the distance. September to MY SON March brings consistent The one-time intellectual center of the Champa Kingdom quality breaks; Danang that ruled large swathes of Vietnam until the 19th century, W Here TO STAY Surf School (84-121/ the ruins of My Son temple complex—which were 666-6722; lessons US$70) aggressively bombed during the Vietnam War—make for an + A recent rebranding has only rents boards and gives interesting day trip. The Sinh Tourist; 587 Hai Ba Trung; enhanced the status of the Four lessons. An Bang beach thesinhtourist.vn; half-day tours from VND209,000. Seasons Nam Hai as perhaps Vietnam’s preeminent top-end is an expat favorite with property. The all-villa resort features relaxed bars and the new DIVING design-led residences with sunken The Deckhouse (meal The Cu Lao Cham archipelago offers the most northerly living rooms and tented beds on raised for two VND400,000) is diving on Vietnam’s eastern seaboard and dazzles divers platforms as well as trimmings such convivial for craft beers with underwater eye candy. Cham Island Diving Center: as outdoor rain showers and Bose and fresh seafood. vietnamscubadiving.com; dive trips from VND1,600,000. stereos. A beach bar and an enhanced state-of-the-art cooking academy are new additions. Special mention goes to the property’s award-winning spa, where separate pavilions are built over a lily pad-studded lagoon offering the ultimate in privacy and luxury. fourseasons.com/hoian; doubles from VND17,000,000 per night.

+ An easy walk from the old town, the hai m Anantara Hoi An benefits from an outstanding riverside location. Rooms are in a low-rise, two-level, colonial- style building and have views of either seasons na

the river or the resort’s garden r a panphai a u

courtyard. An onsite Irish pub does o f

Hoi An’s best pint of Guinness while f relaxing river cruises, exemplary esy o

service and a sizeable outdoor pool t are among the other major perks. r hoi-an.anantara.com; doubles from : cou r autcha by ation t r VND5,200,000 per night. f China Beach + Another fine option close to the old at dusk. town action is the Hotel Royal Hoi An, top le illust which features the easy-going luxury guests have come to expect from Sofitel’s MGallery collection of hotels. Highlights here include stylish bathrooms with giant tubs, an Art MADE TO MEASURE Deco-style pool with an ornately RETAIL THERAPY Some attribute Hoi An’s plethora patterned tiled floor and magical H oi An has become a hotspot for having a of tailor shops to its history as a views over the river from higher suit made or a dress copied—“you need a center for the silk trade. Others rooms. accorhotels.com; doubles from tailor?” will become a familiar refrain during believe the phenomenon comes VND4,000,000. from a Vietnamese propensity for a visit. The ancient buildings are brimming copycatting. Either way, this is a + At the Almanity Hoi An, the hotel’s with cute boutiques and upscale souvenirs. suit center, with several reputable superb spa is a star—and guests get (and many not so reputable) one free 90-minute treatment for tailors in town. Yaly Couture (47 every day they stay. A holistic Haute couture Tran Phu; yalycouture.com) is philosophy permeates the property in a Hoi An expensive but highly regarded. with free use of bicycles and a tailor shop. Other good names include: A restaurant serving determinedly Dong Silk (62 Tran Hung Dao; healthy fare accentuating the clean- dongsilk.com) and Thu Thuy (60 living ethos. almanityhoian.com; Le Loi; thuthuysilk.com). doubles from VND2,500,000. Ask an Insider Duc Tran chef/proprietor of Mango Mango restaurant group

from left: Lighting up Home Hoi An; Mango Mango's modern twist on bun thit nuong (grilled pork and rice noodles). EAT AND DRINK From street stalls to lavish fine dining, Hoi An has Vietnam’s best selection of “Com Ga Long at restaurants outside Hanoi and Saigon. And the bar scene isn’t too shabby either. 53/16 Phan Chu Trinh is my B Attle OF THE CO NTemPORARY and served with mango such as com ga (chicken favorite place in BANH MI CUISINE salsa—as well as a rice) and banh dap There’s a tasty battle C hief among Hoi An’s rainbow of potent (smashed rice Hoi An. They start being fought over the culinary innovators is cocktails. pancakes) are served in you off with some identity of the town’s Duc Tran, the an elegant old crispy shredded best banh mi Vietnamese-American FINE DINING, HOI AN townhouse. (Vietnamese sandwich), chef/proprietor of STYLE papaya and thin of which Hoi An’s Mango Mango, Mango Well established as one COC KTail TIME slices of onion and versions are Rooms and Mai Fish. of the town’s It is easy to let your hair lime juice on the particularly legendary. Mango Mango (45 preeminent dining down in surprisingly hip Some (including Nguyen Phuc Chu; venues is Morning Hoi An. White Marble side before giving celebrity chef Anthony themangomango.com; Glory (106 Nguyen Thai (98 Le Loi), the town’s you a juicy half Hoc; msvy-taste only wine bar, has a m hai Bourdain) wax lyrical meal for two chicken with soft about the version VND1,500,000), his vietnam.com; meal for selection to impress served up at Phuong flagship riverside venue, two VND1,700,000) even the fussiest and fluffy golden Banh Mi (2B Phan Chau has recently undergone where menu highlights oenophile, and a prime turmeric rice. Just Trinh) near the town’s extensive renovation include roast duck leg corner spot that offers add the cold beer panphai r seasons na served with a five-spice great people-watching.

a main market. Others with an extended bar r ou yield more to the area and upstairs area dressing, and crunchy Nearby, Q Bar (94 for perfection. For f alchemy of Madam offering diners more tofu coated in young Nguyen Thai Hoc) is a cao lau (Hoi An’s Khanh (115 Tran Cao room to enjoy fusion sticky rice. Also notable mainstay of the Hoi An signature noodle tesy o Van), the self- dishes such as pan is the new Home Hoi scene and has a r proclaimed “Banh Mi seared red snapper with An (112 Ngyuen Thai cocktail list to rival the dish made with

tion by autcha by tion Queen” of Hoi An. ginger, onion and Hoc; homehoian classiest nightspots in pork and local a t: cou t: r f From VND25,000 per roasted black pepper, or resaurant.com; meal for Saigon or Hanoi. greens) I like to sandwich. beef chunks flame- two VND1,500,000), broiled with Cuban rum where local favorites visit Cao Lau Miss top le illust Thao at 12 Tran Quoc Toan. It is a little bit away from the center S EDuctiVE SOUVENIRS but it is worth the The town is famous for Chinese- style lanterns, which family-run early morning Hoi An Handmade (hoianhand bike ride. The pork made.com) has been crafting for loin is tender and generations. At Meo Meo Atelier (meomeoembroidery.com), owner she seasons it Pham Thi Ngoc Tram merges beautifully with colors, designs and textures into five-spice powder, embroidery masterpieces. Browse modern lighting and furniture at soy sauce, Mosaique Decoration (mosaique W eaving lemongrass, black decoration.com), and cross the bamboo rugs pepper and garlic.” bridge to Randy’s Book Xchange in a small (bookshoian.com) on Cam Nam rural village. Island to pore over used volumes.

travelandleisureasia.com / march 2017 105 wish you were here

Aaron Joel Santos / Causeway Bay / Hong kong Covering an area of more than 1,100 square kilometers, almost three quarters of which is set aside as mountainous park land, Hong Kong ranks fourth in the world when it comes to population density, behind only Macau, Monaco and Singapore. That means a vertical city, which isn’t always obvious at street level. On average, Hong Kong is home to 6,644 people per square kilometer, though that figure, like the apartments themselves, soars astronomically in neighborhoods like Causeway Bay and Mongkok. That’s reflected in the city skyline, which boasts the highest number of skyscrapers in the world. Hong Kong has more than 8,000 buildings that rise above 14 floors, double the number of Manhattan. After the airport moved away from the city center, that reach for the sky became more prevalent on Kowloon side, with the 108-story International Commerce Centre dominating the view towards Hong Kong Island and Two International Finance Centre with its 88 mirrored-glass floors.

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