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THIS MONTH: EAST AFRICA ADVENTURE & GHENT, BELGIUM ONLINE: TOP 5 BEACH RESORTS IN TANZANIA & SEYCHELLES

APRIL 2018 SINCE 1979

Traveling the world in search of truly enchanting places

A silverback seen at a distance of 20 feet in ,

THE CHANGING FACE OF RWANDA Gorillas, chimpanzees, volcanoes and a sensational new lodge

he capital of Rwanda, Kigali, comes rises to an elevation of 6,070 feet. On one One side effect of Rwanda’s remarkable T as a shock to most first-time visitors. hilltop, there is a clump of new, shiny renaissance is the rapid growth of upscale Conditioned by harrowing accounts of the high-rise buildings. Elsewhere, walls and tourism, a development encouraged by 1994 genocide, it is reasonable to expect a roofs tend to reflect the color of the rich the country’s forceful leader, President place that is broken and sinister. But, on red earth. Only occasionally does the dark Paul Kagame. The primary purpose of my arrival, after the 90-minute flight from past reemerge. My driver pointed out the trip was to see Wilderness Safaris’ new Nairobi, the airport seems modern and Hôtel des Milles Collines, famous as Hotel Bisate Lodge, next to Volcanoes National well-organized. The streets are unusually Rwanda in the 2004 movie of the same Park, a reserve famous for its population

PHOTO BY ANDREW HARPER clean, and the people appear to be cheerful name. He then explained, matter-of-factly, of mountain gorillas. However, several and prosperous. that he too would have been murdered other projects are underway. Next year, Leafy and temperate, Kigali sprawls had he not been working as a chauffeur the distinguished South African company across four ridges, the highest of which for the Swiss Red Cross at the time. Singita will open Kwitonda Lodge nearby.

Andrew Harper editors travel anonymously and pay full rate for all lodging, meals and related expenses. Since the launch of Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report in 1979, the featured hotels and restaurants have been selected on a completely independent basis. For comments and inquiries concerning The Hideaway Report, please email [email protected]. Bisate Lodge, clockwise from left: The exterior of the main lodge and villas; our bedroom; balcony; and the bar area.

One&Only Gorilla’s Nest is also expected From a distance, the lodge buildings PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER to debut shortly. Wilderness will soon look like a collection of gigantic weaverbird expand into Akagera National Park, on nests — cocoonlike structures made of Rwanda’s boundary with Tanzania, where shaggy thatch. These are stacked up a lions have recently been reintroduced. And steep hillside, which is all that remains One&Only already manages Nyungwe of an eroded volcanic cone. As my vehicle House, in the south of the country. pulled up, I was serenaded by half a dozen It is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from staff members. I was then formally greeted Kigali to Volcanoes National Park. Before by Ingrid Baas, a charming young Dutch long, the peaks of the woman, who, along with her husband, easily impressed. But my first glimpse of appear on the horizon. The range rises Rob, manages the property. Bisate left me breathless — both literally to nearly 15,000 feet where the borders Bisate is connected by a network of and figuratively. of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic steep stone steps, and given that it lies at Having introduced me to several Republic of the Congo converge. The an elevation of 8,100 feet, I was slightly beaming members of the staff, Ingrid led highest volcano, Mount Karisimbi, is out of breath by the time we reached the the way up another flight of stone steps occasionally capped with snow. main lodge building. The rustic exterior to Villa No. 4. This displayed a similar Bisate Lodge opened in June 2017 had left me entirely unprepared for its design aesthetic but on a smaller scale. A and comprises six “villas.” Located a dramatic and vibrantly colored interior. spacious bedroom came with walls clad 35-minute drive from park headquarters, Garreth Kriel of the South African firm in woven-grass matting, a parquet floor, it is surrounded by farms and small Nicholas Plewman Architects based his a king-size bed and a writing desk. Two ROOM AND BAR PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER settlements. Wilderness Safaris purchased extraordinary design on the traditional armchairs and an occasional table were the site, parts of which are now being forms of the old Rwandan Royal Palace set on a cowhide rug in front of a double- reforested, from 103 villagers, thereby at Nyanza. The result is a tour de force sided lava block fireplace, on the far side injecting around $500,000 into the local of fluid lines, soaring ribbed ceilings and of which I discovered a huge bath, with economy. The stated aim of the project was sinuous balconies. Expanses of woven a black oval tub and a separate shower. to create a model for socially responsible rattan, massive blocks of local wood, A balcony extended the full length of the tourism. The lodge brought numerous leather sofas, fur throws and a huge villa, appointed with loungers from which temporary jobs in construction, as well conical fireplace made of rough lava blocks to gaze at the volcanoes. After about five

as a smaller number of positions for all help to create a unique and powerful minutes, I decided that Villa No. 4 was EXTERIOR: CROOKESANDJACKSON full-time staff members. And a farmers’ sense of place. Having seen more wildlife somewhere that I would be in no hurry cooperative now supplies fresh produce. lodges than I can remember, I am not to leave.

2 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT APRIL 2018 That evening, having enjoyed a glass group by the park authorities — hence of wine with my fellow guests beside the a total of 96 people a day — and are fire, I was treated to an excellent dinner, permitted to spend precisely one hour in As I was chiefly preoccupied served by staff who managed to be both close proximity to the animals. Such is “with not falling over, I failed friendly and professional. Throughout my the demand, the cost of a daily trekking to notice the silverback until a stay, the standard of the food at Bisate was permit was recently raised to $1,500. far superior to that at most safari lodges. I arrived at park headquarters at guide grabbed me by the arm. The varied and imaginative menus are around 7:00 a.m. To my pleasure, I found The enormous creature was accompanied by an extensive wine list. that I had been assigned to the 25-strong sitting just a few yards away. (Private wine tastings can be arranged Agashya group, which would require a in the spacious cellar.) straightforward hike of around an hour and a half. Seven years earlier, I’d been through the bamboo, but this time the lthough Bisate offers a program of given ’s Susa group, which had trail was relatively wide, dry and not A excursions that include escorted necessitated a grueling ascent through particularly steep. village walks, as well as hikes of various dense bamboo forest, before the trees About an hour later, the guides called a lengths and degrees of difficulty (including were replaced at around 10,500 feet by halt, and we were told to stockpile walking challenging full-day trips to the crater lake thigh-high ground cover. sticks, tripods and anything else that a at the top of 12,175-foot Mount Visoke and After a 20-minute drive, we arrived nervous gorilla might mistakenly conclude the , established at the trailhead. There local porters to be a gun. Nowadays poaching has been by Dian Fossey), the primary activity is, were waiting to help carry rucksacks virtually eliminated in Volcanoes National of course, trekking to see the mountain and camera equipment and to assist less Park, but it seems that the animals retain gorillas. A total of approximately 900 athletic visitors on the uneven ground. a race memory from the days when they survive in the wild. Around 400 live in Ever thoughtful, Bisate had provided were routinely hunted. The trackers, who PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER Volcanoes National Park, with another walking sticks, gaiters and gloves (the remain in the forest to follow the gorillas’ 100 in , a reserve latter being to protect against virulent movements, told us that the Agashya group on the western slopes of the mountains in local stinging nettles). We set off into the was nearby, and I suddenly became aware the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An forest, following the guides, who cleared of a complex, musty smell. additional 400 are to be found in Bwindi inconvenient branches and creepers Having been reminded that we must Impenetrable National Park, 60 miles to with their machetes. On my previous maintain a distance of at least 20 feet, the north, in neighboring Uganda. trip, I had been obliged to crawl through speak only in whispers and avoid direct Male mountain gorillas average 430 narrow tunnels that had been hacked eye contact with the dominant males, pounds in weight, though the dominant silverbacks can grow to well over 500 pounds and stand nearly six feet tall. Currently, there are 12 habituated groups in Volcanoes National Park, with around 20 to 25 gorillas in each. A maximum of eight visitors are allocated to a specific ROOM AND BAR PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER

From left: A trail to the boundary of Volcanoes National Park, and an adolescent mountain gorilla EXTERIOR: CROOKESANDJACKSON

APRIL 2018 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT 3 we left the path and stumbled down the aving checked out of Bisate Lodge been taken over by the upscale One&Only hillside through lush green vegetation. As Hwith extreme reluctance, I set off Resorts group. The 22 accommodations I was chiefly preoccupied with not falling with my driver for the six-hour drive to are housed within six villas, which are over, I failed to notice the silverback Nyungwe House. Some of my fellow guests set amid the clipped bushes of a working until a guide grabbed me by the arm. The had opted to continue their Rwandan tea plantation. The virgin forest of the enormous creature was sitting just three journey by helicopter. Rwanda’s roads national park provides an imposing and or four yards away, contently chewing a are well-paved and uncrowded, though mysterious backdrop. stick of wild celery; he appeared to regard the seemingly endless bends can be On arrival, I was surprised by the my somewhat undignified arrival with wearisome. The western part of the scale of the public areas, which are more complete indifference. country is hilly, fertile and absurdly like those found at a lavish resort than Although guides warn trekkers picturesque. a wildlife lodge. A member of the staff that being charged is a remote but Rwanda sits astride an offshoot of the escorted me to my room along a path real possibility, the members of the Great Rift Valley, and much of its western through the tea bushes, and my luggage Agashya group seemed utterly relaxed. boundary is formed by the 56-mile-long followed behind in a golf buggy. Two On my previous visit, mothers with young enormous black-and-white-casqued offspring had been more wary. But on this hornbills flapped slowly past and landed occasion, gorilla toddlers tumbled around heavily on the roof of my villa. my feet while their parents looked on Nyungwe Forest National Park My accommodations were spacious indulgently. Even when two of my fellow “is home to 300 species of birds and comfortable, with a high ceiling, trekkers, in defiance of everything they and 13 species of primates. air-conditioning and a metal woodburning had been told, got far too close in order stove for chilly evenings. The bath to take selfies on their cell phones, the provided a deep tub, two sinks and a silverback stared right through them and Lake Kivu. Nyungwe House is located walk-in shower. The bedroom extended carried on munching. at the southern end of the lake, at the onto a large balcony, but the view was of PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER I have now been fortunate enough edge of the 385-square-mile Nyungwe an impenetrable wall of foliage. Rustles to spend two hours with Rwanda’s Forest National Park. One of the oldest and the occasional crash indicated the mountain gorillas, and I have never felt woodlands in Africa, it is home to 300 presence of the blue monkeys that live even the slightest twinge of alarm. On bird species and 13 species of primates, around the resort, but it was hard to catch the contrary, sitting quietly, observing including a significant population of a glimpse of them. their domestic life at close quarters, chimpanzees. Lounge and bar, Nyungwe House engenders a profound feeling of peace. Nyungwe House opened in 2010 and is This is a superb experience that, for most owned by Dubai World, a state investment GUENTER GUNI / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES people, far exceeds their expectations. company. Recently, its management has

Horizon pool overlooking Nyungwe Forest National Park, Nyungwe House

4 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT APRIL 2018 Banana leaf-wrapped mahi mahi, seafood soup, and the clubhouse pool at Nekupe Colobus monkeys in Nyungwe Forest National Park After settling in, I headed to the bar subsided and silence reclaimed the forest. for a predinner cocktail. There I fell into “Well, that was sure worth the price of conversation with two New Yorkers, who admission,” one of my New Yorker friends had also just arrived. Following several from the night before remarked, having weeks of travel in East Africa, both were apparently recovered her enthusiasm clearly thrilled to be reunited with the for the great outdoors. Although most of creature comforts of home, especially the the chimps remained high in the canopy, power shower and a functioning Wi-Fi gorging themselves on ripe fruit, one large connection. “I guess the natural habitat of male slithered down a tree trunk about this particular primate is the Upper East 15 feet away and strode off into the forest Side,” the woman remarked with feeling. without giving us so much as a glance. Dinner proved to be a strange meal. Overall, I enjoyed my stay at Nyungwe There was no menu and no choice; the food House, but it is not possible to recommend just simply arrived. Delicious zucchini the place unequivocally for now. I suspect soup was followed by a bizarre “gherkin that One&Only needs a little more time carpaccio,” which was simply a very thinly to bring the cuisine, and some aspects sliced gherkin fanned out across a plate. of the service, up to the high standards This was succeeded by a beef tournedos, customarily associated with the brand. H which, despite being tiny, was completely raw in the middle. Still hungry, I was

pleased to discover that the apple strudel BWINDI UGANDA for dessert was excellent. (On the following IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL day, the breakfast buffet was outstanding, VIRUNGA PARK MOUNTAINS but lunch was equally confusing.)

PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER MT. MIKENO Nyungwe House has an attractive 14,557 ft. 1 MT. BISOKE horizon pool, plus a small spa, and the MT. KARISIMBI VOLCANOES 12,175 ft. 14,757 ft. NATIONAL AKAGERA THE CONGO atmosphere of the property is ineffably PARK NATIONAL PARK peaceful. Some guests may never leave OF the estate. Most, however, have come to RWANDA

see the chimpanzees and the spectacular L AKE black-and-white long-haired colobus KIVU KIGALI REPUBLIC GUENTER GUNI / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES

monkeys. The national park has numerous ANZANIA T

hiking trails, plus an elevated walkway TIC through the canopy. It contains around NYANZA 60 habituated chimps, but given its scale 2 NYUNGWE FOREST

and the density of the vegetation, finding DEMOCRA NATIONAL them can be tricky. The solution is to visit PARK the Cyamudongo forest, which is detached BURUNDI 0 30 MI from the main park and surrounded by 0 30 KM cultivated land. This island of mahogany and mulanje cedar trees contains around BISATE LODGE A98 (MAP REF. 1) 30 habituated chimpanzees, who are LIKE Everything. This is a sensational lodge. If you have a bucket list, put this place at the top of it. DISLIKE The seemingly endless steep steps can be wearing, but the only really disagreeable thing about Bisate is constrained by the dimensions of their the pain of leaving. GOOD TO KNOW Rwanda has two dry seasons — June to September and December home and hence are easy to locate. to February — but in the mountains the weather is unpredictable year-round. Tented Room for two, $2,600 Having set out in darkness, we (all meals, house wines and spirits, selected camp activities and laundry included). Volcanoes National Park. Tel. (27) 11-807-1800. wilderness-safaris.com arrived at Cyamudongo at sunrise, as

the chimpanzees began to stir in their NYUNGWE HOUSE 89 (MAP REF. 2) treetop nests. After an hourlong hike LIKE The exquisite landscape of tea plantations backed by cloud forest; the friendly staff. DISLIKE The inte- along an intermittently steep and muddy rior design, which lacks a sense of place; the nonexistent choice in the restaurant and the eccentric nature of some of the dishes. GOOD TO KNOW Aside from its habituated chimpanzees, the Cyamudongo forest is trail, we suddenly heard them whooping renowned for its rare orchids. Nyungwe King, $1,105; Forest Suite, $2,230. Gisakura, Nyungwe Forest National and hooting to one another through the Park. Tel. (866) 552-0001. oneandonlyresorts.com morning mist. It was a haunting and A PRECEDING A RATING, DENOTES AN OFFICIALLY RECOMMENDED HOTEL THAT WILL BE ADDED magical chorus. Eventually, the cries TO THE ANDREW HARPER COLLECTION.

APRIL 2018 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT 5 Zebra in the Selous Game Reserve AZURA SELOUS: A WILDERNESS REFUGE Style and comfort in the midst of the immemorial African bush

ast Africa is famous as a place of exploding human population. But the planned to stay at Azura Selous, the sister Eimmense grasslands, on which tens of Selous is one of the continent’s surviving property of two remote beach resorts in thousands of grazing animals can be seen wilderness areas — like the Kalahari Mozambique — Azura Benguerra Island in a single glance. However, the Serengeti’s or the Congo Basin — a vast tract of and Azura Quilalea Private Island — short-grass plains lie at an elevation of uninhabited land that in most respects is which are deservedly popular with more- more than 5,000 feet. A little lower, the the same now as it was 10,000 years ago. adventurous Andrew Harper members. savannas are replaced by a mysterious Despite the reserve’s immense size, At Dar es Salaam’s elderly airport, and secretive world of tangled bush. there are few permanent camps. In 1979, I boarded a Coastal Aviation Cessna The Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania the American writer Peter Matthiessen Grand Caravan for the 45-minute flight to is Africa’s biggest game reserve, and its made a safari into the Selous, a journey Sumbazi in the Selous. (Coastal operates 21,081 square miles make up an area that resulted in his famous book “Sand a network of scheduled light aircraft PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER significantly larger than Switzerland. Rivers.” A few years later, the renowned services throughout Tanzania. Those Much of the landscape is woodland, but Kenyan safari walking guide Richard in search of greater convenience and this is interrupted by open grassy areas Bonham came the same way and built a comfort can, at a price, charter one of and punctuated by isolated hills and small camp at a bend in the Rufiji River. the company’s fast, pressurized Pilatus enigmatic rocky outcrops. Truly wild Today its successor, Sand Rivers Selous, PC-12 aircraft.) regions of Africa are shrinking year by is perhaps the best-known upscale lodge Azura Selous opened in 2010, and the PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER year, under relentless pressure from an in the reserve. On this trip, however, I had lodge is set beside rapids on the Great

Lounge, and view of the pool deck and the Great Ruaha River, Azura Selous

6 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT APRIL 2018 Bedroom and bath of our villa, Azura Selous

Ruaha River. I was picked up at the airstrip As it was still only late afternoon, I male leopard, in the prime of life, his by Joseph, my safari driver and guide. A set off with Joseph for a game drive. A coat glowing in the evening sunlight. We three-minute drive brought us to the main friendly, humorous and knowledgeable stared at him through binoculars; the public area of the lodge. There, two open- man, he proved a delightful companion. leopard stared back. This standoff lasted sided pavilions overlooked a swimming The treeless areas along the riverbank at least five minutes, but eventually the pool and sundeck, backed by the surging were ideal for bird-watching, as well as leopard yawned impressively, stood up river. I completed registration formalities providing vantage points from which and disappeared. in the lounge pavilion, a stylish and to observe the hippos and crocodiles. To give me an impression of the atmospheric space with leather armchairs, Farther inland, the miombo woodland immense size of the Selous, Joseph white cotton-clad sofas, rustic African was interspersed by football field-size had proposed a daylong safari drive, so carved furniture, sisal matting, piles of patches of grass, which had been closely the following morning, we set out for a books, framed maps and black-and-white cropped by the resident impala, zebra 175-mile-long, 11-hour adventure. We wildlife photographs. and wildebeest. bounced along dirt roads, forded shallow My semi-tented villa, one of 12, was After driving slowly for a couple of rivers and stopped to watch huge herds PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER situated a two-minute walk away along hours, we chanced upon a pack of rare wild of buffalo and graceful groups of giraffe. a dirt path. A heavy wooden door opened dog, which, judging by their bloodstained Four elephants watched us approach and into a reception area, to one side of which faces, had just devoured an unfortunate then vanished into the bush. We had been was a pleasingly spacious bedroom with impala. Other predators in the immediate traveling for five hours and 20 minutes a king-size bed draped in mosquito vicinity of the lodge include three lion before we saw another human being. netting, a writing desk and an armchair. prides, one of which, a group of four The principal purpose of a safari in the

PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER A wall-mounted air-conditioning unit females, we came across later in my stay. Selous is to experience a vast and ancient was augmented by a ceiling fan. Heavy There are no cheetah, as the Selous is too wilderness. Up to 300 vehicles descend insect screens opened onto a private tangled to suit their high-speed hunting into the Ngorongoro Crater on an average terrace with a daybed. To the other side style, but leopard are relatively common. day. And around Seronera, in the central of the entry was a bright and surprisingly As the sun neared the horizon and Serengeti, it is not uncommon to find 30 spacious bath, with two sinks, a generous swelled into a colossal orange ball, we vehicles at a lion or leopard sighting. expanse of counter space and a large pulled into a dry riverbed and headed Azura Selous provides a comfortable and walk-in shower. Outside, I found a second up the sandy avenue between dense hospitable base from which to experience shower and, at the end of a short path, a vegetation. Suddenly, Joseph braked a contrasting area of wild Africa, one that plunge pool with a view of the river and and pointed. About 100 yards away, would still be recognizable to the explorers its resident pod of hippo. Overall, my sitting in the warm sand, was a young of the 19th century. H accommodations seemed comfortable, well-appointed and attractively decorated. AZURA SELOUS A92 While not at remotely the same level of LIKE The comfortable, well-appointed villas; the friendly and able staff; the excellent food; the sense of being in an extremely remote lodge, surrounded by a vast area of untouched wilderness. DISLIKE Inevitably, in luxury as a top South African property like densely wooded areas wildlife sightings are restricted. GOOD TO KNOW The “long rains” extend from March the ones from Singita, they struck me as to May; avoid visiting this time of year. Villa for two, $1,400 (all meals, house wines and spirits, scheduled game being appropriate for a wilderness camp. activities and airstrip transfers included). Azura Selous Game Reserve. Tel. (27) 11-467-0907. azura-retreats.com

APRIL 2018 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT 7 Tanzania Notebook

OVERNIGHT IN DAR ES SALAAM

ar es Salaam is not a city in appealing minimalism-meets- D which most American travelers Africa aesthetic. My well-lit bath will wish to linger. Although not contained a soaking tub and a large actively dangerous like Nairobi, glass-enclosed walk-in shower. it’s a sprawling, ramshackle mess, On the ground floor, numerous often with diabolical traffic. Twenty walls have been removed from the years ago, the harbor could be quite original structure to create a huge picturesque, thanks to the sailing open-plan living and dining area. dhows that used to trade up the The striking interior design features CHIMPANZEE ENCOUNTERS east coast of Africa to places as contemporary furniture, marble far afield as Bahrain and Dubai. floors, African tribal artifacts atching habituated chim- eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, But nowadays marine transport is and spectacular black-and-white W panzees is one of the world’s about 115 miles south of Gombe. chiefly provided by huge Chinese photography. Overall, it reminded most thrilling wildlife experiences. Some of the Mahale chimps have container ships. However, an over- me of a lavish private house in one Chimps are found in the forests of also been studied since the 1960s. night stay can be a necessity for of the wealthy northern suburbs of Equatorial Africa from Tanzania to The two days I spent tracking them travelers en route from the island Johannesburg. Perhaps the most Gabon, with the largest population rank among the top-five wildlife of Zanzibar to Tanzania’s wildlife appealing aspect of the hotel is its being in the Democratic Republic experiences of my life. While sitting areas, especially the more remote lovely walled garden, surrounded of the Congo. The total number on the ground watching a habitu- ones such as Ruaha National Park by mature trees. Guests may eat has declined precipitously over ated group, one female came so

and the Selous Game Reserve. light meals on the sundeck next the past two decades — by 90 close that I felt her brush my sleeve SHUTTERSTOCK ANDREY / GUDKOV CHIMPANZEES: Oyster Bay is the city’s embassy to the narrow 50-foot lap pool percent in the Ivory Coast alone UGANDA and upscale residential district, an or on the atmospheric veranda. — as a result of deforestation and LAKE KENYA expectedly well-groomed enclave There is no menu at The Oyster the construction of logging roads RWANDA VICTORIA SERENGETI that extends along the shoreline Bay; the manager explains what is that make it easier for poachers BURUNDI NATIONAL GOMBE PARK of the Indian Ocean. I was driven available and makes suggestions. and hunters to access the interior. STREAM NATIONAL from the airport by a chauffeur And guests are free to submit Between 150,000 and 250,000 PARK MAHALE TANZANIA

THE CONGO ZANZIBAR

MOUNTAINS in a brand-new Audi. As it was requests in advance of mealtimes. are now estimated to be left in the NATIONAL PARK DAR ES SALAAM a weekend, the roads were less Throughout my stay, the staff were wild. Most of them are unused to LAKE TANGANYIKA SELOUS INDIAN congested, and after about 30 helpful, hospitable and charm people and extremely shy. But a DEM REP OF GAME RESERVE OCEAN minutes, we pulled into the gated personified. My early-morning few groups have been studied by ZAMBIA 0200 MI driveway of what appeared to be flight to South Africa required me scientists for decades and have 0200 KM a desirable private residence. The to leave the hotel at 3:30 a.m. To become completely indifferent to MOZAMBIQUE Oyster Bay is a boutique hotel of my amazement, the manager was the presence of humans. The most as she walked past. Mahale has no two twin and six double suites. waiting in the entrance hall to say famous is the Kasakela commu- roads and is accessible only by The air-conditioned accommo- goodbye and wish me a safe onward nity in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream boat, but it does have a first-rate dations are all spacious, with an journey. National Park, at the northeastern lodge. Greystoke Mahale has six end of Lake Tanganyika, where Dr. comfortable and stylish thatched

Jane Goodall began her pioneering wooden bandas set at the edge of PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER research in 1960. (The only place the forest, on a white-sand beach to stay in the area is the relatively that shelves gently into the gin- simple Gombe Forest Lodge.) On clear water of Lake Tanganyika. The my recent trip to Rwanda, I watched food is excellent, and the staff are chimps in the Cyamudongo forest well-trained. Guests are escorted that were unafraid and easy to into the forest by guides and are observe through binoculars. allowed to watch the chimpanzees

However, the place that is generally for one hour a day. As the chimps THE OYSTER PHOTO BAY BY ANDREW HARPER acknowledged to provide the best move around constantly in search chimpanzee sightings is Mahale of food, it is advisable to stay three Mountains National Park, a remote or four nights to be virtually certain Dining area, The Oyster Bay and beautiful reserve located on the of an encounter.

8 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT APRIL 2018 View from the St. Michael’s Bridge over the Leie River in Ghent (at center, Saint Nicholas’ Church and at left, the old post office building, which now houses 1898 The Post hotel) CHIMPANZEES: GUDKOV ANDREY / SHUTTERSTOCK ANDREY / GUDKOV CHIMPANZEES: GHENT: AN UNDISCOVERED GEM New hotels, stellar restaurants and magnificent medieval architecture

ithout denying the attractions of Europe’s capitals and their first.) Ghent is also a fine city for shoppers, with numerous Wfabled art cities, increasingly I plan trips to quieter one-of-a-kind boutiques selling handmade chocolates, linen, places that haven’t been overwhelmed by tourism. Even in a porcelain, antiques and clothing by local designers. small country like Belgium, it is still possible to escape the My visit had been prompted by the debut of the new 1898 crowds that flood cities like Brussels and Bruges. The Post hotel. The 37-room property is housed within part of From 1000 to around 1550, Ghent was one of the largest and the old main post office, a neo-Gothic stone structure, with two richest cities in Europe, its prosperity generated by the wool stone towers flanking a central gable set in a steep slate roof, trade. This explains why its architecture is so spectacular. The which was completed in 1910. The post office closed in 2001, and city cherishes the buildings of its golden age, which include a the building remained unused for several years until the city moated castle, a Gothic cathedral, a 298-foot belfry and three beguinages (residences for religious women who lived in a community without taking vows or retiring from the world). When I got off the train at Ghent’s splendid Gent-Sint-Pieters

PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER station, after a 30-minute ride from Brussels, the only people who joined me on the platform were an older woman and her grandson. All of the other passengers, including two large Chinese tour groups, remained aboard, bound for Bruges. When I admired the murals of the station’s main waiting room, the woman proudly explained that the station had been built for the 1913 Exposition universelle et internationale. “And that was the last time our lovely city was really crowded, which suits us

THE OYSTER PHOTO BAY BY ANDREW HARPER just fine,” she said with a chuckle. In addition to the attractions of its medieval architecture,

Ghent has recently developed a small constellation of exceptional Details of the Tower Suite at 1898 The Post, which restaurants. (In 2018, Michelin awarded Restaurant Vrijmoed had striking views but an awkward layout. We recommend booking The Carriage room category its second star, while Chambre Séparée and Oak both gained or opting for The Loft suite.

APRIL 2018 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT 9 decided it should be preserved and repurposed. French hotelier within a magnificently restored 18th-century mansion. Arriving Ghent Notebook Arnaud Zannier, who also owns Le Chalet Zannier in Megève, on a rainy gray day, we were immediately offered a cup of hot France, and Phum Baitang in Cambodia, created the new hotel tea. This we enjoyed in the Grand Salon, a gorgeous room with over the course of a two-year renovation. It opened in August. herringbone oak parquet floors, powder-blue walls, a collection Figuring out the precise location of the hotel can be tricky, since the front door is actually at the rear of the building. But once you’ve crossed a cobbled courtyard and taken the elevator to the first-floor reception, you find yourself in a chic but cozy Hotel Verhaegen is essentially a sophisticated setting, with vintage lighting and a warm and stylish décor that “guesthouse, which makes it a fine choice for was the work of Belgian decorator Geraldine Dohogne. those who do not require an elaborate range Check-in was rather brisk: The young woman at the front desk offered no words of welcome and merely asked what time of services or amenities. we were planning to have breakfast the next day. When I told her that I had no idea, she sighed: “The restaurant gets very of antique Delft pottery and 250-year-old rococo murals by busy on the weekend.” “Oh,” I said. “But shouldn’t there always the Flemish painter Pierre-Norbert van Reysschoot. A fire be room for people who are actually staying at the hotel?” “En crackled in the hearth, and it would have been easy to linger principe,” she replied. there indefinitely, enjoying the views over the immaculately The names of the various room types don’t explain very much, maintained parterre garden. but I recommend that you book a category called The Carriage. Our delightful quarters came with a small private reading These are spacious and attractively furnished duplex rooms room and a balcony. The reading room was fitted with a candle- that come with a sitting area downstairs and a bedroom and a burning Directoire-style crystal chandelier, wall sconces, a well-appointed white-marble bath upstairs. These handsome marble fireplace and a cozy couch and chair. The huge bath accommodations have oak parquet floors, excellent lighting, provided double vanities in a limestone counter, a soaking tub good views over the city and large, very comfortable beds. and a separate rainfall shower. Alternatively, opt for a suite. Arguably the best one is The Loft, Having unpacked, we set off for an afternoon of sightseeing. which has an ample living area with a library, plus views over After visiting MIAT (Museum about Industry, Labour and Textile) both the main square and the canal behind the hotel. As well as and S.M.A.K., the city’s contemporary-art museum, which being spacious, light and quiet, it has a bath on the same level contains works by artists like Joseph Beuys and Luc Tuymans, JAN DE WILDE as the bedroom. The Tower Suite is billed as being exceptionally we headed to Saint Bavo’s Cathedral to see the newly restored romantic, but the bath and bedroom are inconveniently located medieval masterpiece “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,” by on different levels and are connected by a winding staircase. Hubert and Jan van Eyck.

The hotel’s restaurant, The Kitchen, serves a good buffet Although a self-described “hotel,” this is essentially a RESTAURANT PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER breakfast, as well as light lunches and afternoon tea. However, sophisticated guesthouse, which makes it a fine choice for those it is not open for dinner. In addition, there is a charming bar who enjoy small, distinctive properties and who do not require named The Cobbler, which has a serious cocktail menu featuring an elaborate range of services or amenities. It is a romantic and several excellent locally distilled gins. hospitable little place that encapsulates the charm of Ghent, After two nights at 1898 The Post, we moved to the five-room with all its history and refinement. In contrast, 1898 The Post Hotel Verhaegen, a relaxed but elegant bed-and-breakfast set is the city’s best traditional hotel. H

HOTELS AT A GLANCE

1898 THE POST A92 LIKE The handsome décor of the hotel, which matches the neo-Gothic architec- ture perfectly; the ideal central location. DISLIKE The staff can sometimes be chilly. GOOD TO KNOW You don’t need a car in Ghent; there is no parking at the hotel, and the city is best visited on foot or by tram. The Carriage with Terrace, $350. Graslei 16. Tel. (32) 9-391-5379. zannierhotels.com

HOTEL VERHAEGEN A90 LIKE The exquisite décor of this meticulously restored 18th-century mansion; the charming courtyard garden. DISLIKE Breakfast is good but pricey. GOOD TO KNOW Light room-service meals are available by advance request. Deluxe Room, $260; Junior Suite, $320. Oude Houtlei 110. Tel. (32) 9-265-0760. neooselonneo.be

Grand Salon, Hotel Verhaegen A PRECEDING A RATING, DENOTES AN OFFICIALLY RECOMMENDED HOTEL THAT WILL BE ADDED TO THE ANDREW HARPER COLLECTION.

10 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT APRIL 2018 Ghent Notebook

Spanish pork with Jerusalem arti- chokes, and plums and mango with

kaffir lime and yogurt.HOOGSTRAAT

167/001. TEL. (32) 9-353-9050.

PAKHUIS One of the city’s most popular restaurants, Pakhuis occupies GHENT GINS

an attractively renovated former recently opened shop and warehouse in the heart of the city A tasting room, aptly named and serves the comfort food that PROOF, carries a variety of the Belgians crave. Start off with some best and rarest spirits from Dutch oysters, or deep-fried North all over Europe. But its most Sea shrimp croquettes, and then interesting bottles are the try the excellent steak tartare made gins that are being produced with Flemish beef, or sole meunière. by new distilleries in Flan- There is a great selection of wines ders. (This represents a local by the glass; alternatively, opt for renaissance, since jenever, the the restaurant’s own excellent juniper-flavored liquor from locally brewed lager. SCHUURKEN- which gin evolved, was born STRAAT 4. TEL. (32) 9-223-5555. in the Low Countries during Clockwise from top: Spanish pork with the 13th century.) By the plums at Oak; smoked eel at Restaurant RESTAURANT VRIJMOED Vrijmoed; and endive, black truffles and end of the 19th century, gin This charming townhouse restau- mushrooms at Chambre Séparée. had become so popular in rant in the center of Ghent just Belgium that it was having received two well-deserved

JAN DE WILDE RESTAURANT DISCOVERIES a deleterious effect on Michelin stars for the fine contem- worker productivity, hent is now one of the foremost gastronomic destinations in northern porary Belgian cooking of young which resulted in a 1919 Europe, thanks to the talented young chefs who have been drawn to chef Michaël Vrijmoed. A variety G law banning its sale RESTAURANT PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER this wealthy, food-loving city. of tasting menus are offered and in cafés. This statute, are a better value than ordering à which was calamitous CHAMBRE SÉPARÉE shrimp tartare, potato purée with la carte. Recent dishes from the for Flemish gin produc- Chef Kobe Desramaults is the caviar, wild duck with shiitake five-course menu included smoked tion, wasn’t repealed wild man of Ghent gastronomy, mushrooms, and radicchio and eel with smoked eel ice cream, yuzu until the 1980s, by which having upended all the French hazelnut tart with lavender. KEIZER and algae; scallops with parsley time only a handful of conventions that once defined KARELSTRAAT 1. TEL. (32) 5-744-5567. root and Jerusalem artichoke; distilleries remained. Now a serious eating in the city. Chambre roasted pigeon with turnips and new artisanal gin movement Séparée is a relaxed place where OAK pistachios; and white chocolate has developed. The two you sample a single tasting menu Young Italo-Brazilian chef Marcelo with parsley sauce. VLAANDEREN- outstanding Flemish gins at the U-shaped bar, with a view of Ballardin formerly worked with STRAAT 22. TEL. (32) 9-279-9977. are Ginderella, seasoned the open kitchen. Desramaults puts luminaries such as Heston Blum­ with wild botanicals — on a diverting show but still finds enthal in England and Tim Raue DE SUPERETTE Herb Robert, Japanese time to change the vinyl records in Berlin. He has just received The hippest place in Ghent for a knotweed and lesser on a vintage hi-fi that provide the his first Michelin star this year. casual meal is chef Kobe Desram- swine cress among evening’s soundtrack. Surprisingly, Many locals consider this stylish aults bakery-cum-restaurant on the them — gathered from given the customary conservatism contemporary table to be the best premises of a former supermarket. parks in Ghent, and of the Michelin guides, Desram- address in Ghent right now, so The best weekend brunch in town Save The Queen, which aults has just won his first star. reservations need to be made far includes scrambled eggs with is flavored with raw The menu changes regularly but in advance. Typical dishes include bacon and fontina cheese, and honey from urban hives. runs to 20-plus small plates that cured Norwegian salmon with delicious vols-au-vent. GULDENSPOOR- JAN BREYDELSTRAAT 34. include dishes like North Sea buckthorn berries and cauliflower, STRAAT 29. TEL. (32) 9-278-0808.

APRIL 2018 THE HIDEAWAY REPORT 11 LAST LOOK

LAST WORD

FOLLOW THE MONEY

have long been of the opinion I that wildlife will only survive in Africa if it is widely perceived to be an economic resource. The notion that wild creatures have a right to life independent of humanity cuts very little ice in developing coun- tries. But tell people that wildlife will create thousands of well-paid jobs and you will find a much more receptive audience. I was reminded of this on my visit to Rwanda, where the government now goes to enor- This elderly lioness, seen near Azura Selous in Tanzania, is probably nearing the end of her reign as pride matriarch. mous lengths to protect its mountain gorillas because they are critical New & Noteworthy to the development of an upscale tourism industry. Elsewhere, the GALÁPAGOS CRUISES NEW ERA IN GRENADA SIX SENSES IN BALI admirable Singita organization now employs around 1,200 people. May of next year will see Scenically, the spice island Fans of the Six Senses brand The company provides reading and the launch of a cruise ship of Grenada is one of the most may be interested to learn food programs for children, as well specifically designed for the beautiful in the Caribbean. Its of its new resort on the as assisting in the development of Galápagos archipelago. Like capital, St. George’s, is one of Bukit Peninsula in south- local small businesses. As a result, the Celebrity Xpedition, the the region’s most picturesque. ern Bali. Set atop a rugged its lodges become enmeshed in local new Celebrity Flora will carry And despite the mountains cliff, Six Senses Uluwatu economic and social life. At Singita 100 passengers. However, it and luxuriant vegetation, the shares a spectacular Indian Grumeti in Tanzania, a new canine will be significantly larger white-sand beaches resemble Ocean view with the island’s unit, responsible for detecting illegal ivory and rhino horn, was established

than the existing vessel. The those of a coral atoll. All of famous Uluwatu Temple. PHOTO BY ANDREW HARPER in partnership with Working Dogs design will provide space for which makes it surprising The property comprises 103 for Conservation, a company based two restaurants, two lounges that Grenada has few, if any, lavish suites and villas. Six in Bozeman, Montana. This was a and two 1,288-square-foot upscale resorts of note. This Senses is renowned for its considerable expense. However, penthouses. The ship’s green may be set to change with spa and wellness programs. I’m told that two American guests credentials will be augmented the debut of Silversands, The Bali resort offers both were so impressed by the lodge’s by a “dynamic positioning a lavish 43-suite property signature Six Senses and imaginative conservation efforts system,” which will allow the aimed, according to its owner, locally inspired treatments, that they wrote out a check for vessel to maintain its position at a St. Barths demographic. plus daily yoga sessions and the entire amount of $250,000. If without using an anchor and The contemporary resort has multiday wellness and detox African wildlife is to have a future, potentially damaging the been designed by Paris-based programs. this is probably what it looks like. seabed. architects AW², whose previ- ous projects have included Six ANDREW HARPER HOTEL RATINGS

Senses Con Dao in Vietnam A99-100 A truly great hotel, among the finest of its kind in the world Members’ Choice and Amanjena in Marrakech A96-98 An exceptional hotel of great individuality and distinction Awards 2018 (both Andrew Harper recom- A93-95 An outstanding hotel of genuine sophistication We want to hear from our mended). Facilities will A90-92 A fine hotel with considerable charm about which we have minor reservations discerning and uniquely well- include a 300-foot-long swim- 89 & Below A hotel that did not meet the required standard traveled members. Tell us about your favorite hotels and most ming pool. In addition to the A minimum score of 90 is required to become a recommended hotel and to be included in The Andrew Harper Collection. Find all of our recommended hotels at AndrewHarper.com. unforgettable travel experi- resort, nine three- and four- ences. This is important to us, The Hideaway Report (ISSN 0884-7622) is published monthly by Andrew Harper at 4214 Medical Parkway, bedroom villas will be avail- so please take the survey at Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78756. Periodicals Postage is paid at Austin, TX, and additional mailing offices. able for purchase at prices POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Andrew Harper, P.O. Box 684368, Austin, TX 78768. Tel. (866) 831-4314 andrewharper.com/go/ or (512) 904-7342. Fax (512) 904-7350. MEMBER: If the Post Office alerts us that your periodical publication is ranging from $5 million to undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. Copyright memberschoice 2018 Andrew Harper, LLC. CST #2110806-40; IST #1096; WST #603248672. All rights reserved. Quotation, $11 million. reproduction or transmission by any means is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

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