THE 21 TOP DESTINATIONS FOR 2016. From emerging hot spots to old haunts seen in new ways, Robb Report presents the world’s most exciting cities, countries, appellations, and archipelagos to explore in the year ahead. JANUARY 2016 | ROBB REPORT.COM 91 TOP –21– FOR 2016 No.1 Cape Winelands. Above: Leeu House. Left and opposite: Richard OUTH AFRICA’S PERENNIALLY picturesque spa, two restaurants, and renovations of the 22 guest rooms. Branson’s Mont Cape Winelands region has long been a popu­ Most active in the region is the Leeu Collection (leeu Rochelle. Page lar day trip from Cape Town. But the birthplace collection.com), which at press time was targeting a 91: The Messner of Pinotage is making a compelling—some December debut for its first new hotel, the 12­room Leeu Mountain Museum would say conclusive—case for an extended House in Franschhoek. The nascent brand has caused a Corones in Italy’s ROCKWAY B Dolomites. S stay among its valleys and vineyards. buzz in the Winelands with its The wine region, located about an hour’s drive east of THE BIRTHPLACE recent acquisitions of the leg­ the city, has seen an influx of luxury lodges in recent OF PINOTAGE endary Le Quartier Français years, beginning with La Residence (laresidence.co.za) IS MAKING A restaurants and hotel (lqf.co​​ and Delaire Graff Estate (delaire.co.za) in the late 2000s. CASE FOR AN .za) and the Swartland’s mas­ Richard Branson made a characteristically grand appear­ EXTENDED STAY. ter of Syrah, Mullineux (mlf ance in 2014 when he added the hilltop Mont Rochelle wines .com). This April, Leeu (virginlimitededition.com) to his exclusive Virgin Limited will debut its best excuse for a Winelands jaunt: Leeu Edition collection. The property reopened in the Fransch­ Estates, a 168­acre wine farm and hotel built around a hoek Valley after Branson poured $3.2 million into a new 19th­century Cape Dutch house. —sarah khan JACK AND OPPOSITE: NEL; BOTTOM DANIE TOP: 92 ROBB REPORT.COM | JANUARY 2016 JANUARY 2016 | ROBB REPORT.COM 93 TOP –21– FOR 2016 No.2 No.3 Bali. Sri Lanka. See “Believing in Bali,” page 80. No.4 The Dolomites. HOUGH CERTAINLY NOT unknown, the Dolomites Amateur adventurers can explore the jagged terrain on are often overlooked on Italian itineraries. How a the three­night Hiking in Cortina land excursion that Tregion of such striking alpine beauty—especially Silversea Cruises (silversea.com) launched in May. Also one located just a couple hours’ drive from Venice—could last year, Butterfield & Robinson (butterfield.com) escape notice is a question that may no longer need introduced new family­oriented Dolomites excursions, answering. Calling new attention to the area is the Mess- while InGamba (ingamba.pro) debuted a bicycle touring ner Mountain Museum Corones (messner­mountain program at Hotel La Perla (hotel­laperla.it) in Bolzano. ­museum.it), which opened in July atop the nearly Keeping pace with demand, new hotels in the Dolomites 7,500­foot Kronplatz. The cantilevered creation by the include Rosapetra Spa Resort (rosapetracortina.it) in architect Zaha Hadid is the last in a series of six muse­ Cortina d’Ampezzo, Adler Mountain Lodge (adler­lodge ums in the Dolomites dedicated to mountaineering, .com) in Alpe di Siusi, and Pine Lodge Dolomites (pine for which the surrounding peaks are prime territory. lodgedolomites.com) in Selva Gardena. —bruce wallin No.5 Bermuda. N DECEMBEr 2014, the America’s Cup (americascup SUNSEEKERS AND SAILING ARCO POLO CALLED Sri Lanka “the finest resort—the 50­acre Santani (santani.lk), which is slated .com) announced that Bermuda would play host to the AFICIONADOS HAVE island of its size in all the world” when he to debut in February in the Kandy hills—as well as the I35th edition of the prestigious sailing event, scheduled REASON TO VISIT BERMUDA landed on the teardrop­shaped isle’s shores Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort (anantara.com) for June 2017. Sunseekers and sailing aficionados, how­ BEFORE THE FINAL SPRINT. in the 13th century. Similar superlatives could on the southern coast and Dilmah Tea’s Wild Coast Camp ever, have plenty of reasons to visit the North Atlantic easily be applied today to the country, where (resplendentceylon.com), a 28­tent leopard­safari lodge CHRISTIAN THIS PAGE: island before the final sprint for the Auld Mug begins. M new resorts stretch from the palm­fringed shores of the set on a secluded beach in Yala National Park. Dilmah is The Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Beach Club west and south to the wild nature reserves of the east. also adding a new three­suite bungalow and a one­bedroom (fairmont.com)—the official host hotel of the America’s On the shores of Koggala Lake, the 11­room Tri Lanka owner’s suite to its Ceylon Tea Trails (teatrails.com), Cup—recently put the final touches on a $90 million (trilanka.com) opened in December with a restaurant an exquisite Relais & Châteaux G renovation that added the country’s first full­service marina OMEZ; OPPOSITE, TOP: TOP: OMEZ; OPPOSITE, helmed by the former chef at Seychelles’ North Island. property above Castlereagh and a new harbor­view restaurant by celebrity chef Marcus MARCO POLO Above: Àni Also in December, roughly an hour’s drive east, Àni Villas Lake in Sri Lanka’s tea country. Samuelsson. The island’s most exclusive resort, Rosewood WAS AWED BY Villas Sri Lanka. (anivillas.com)—a vacation­rental company based in Linking all these new havens Tucker’s Point (rosewoodhotels.com), is also planning SRI LANKA IN THE Opposite, from Anguilla—debuted a two­villa estate above a white­sand are freshly paved highways— touch­ups in preparation for the blue­ribbon race. Come top: Adler 13TH CENTURY. T Mountain Lodge; beach in the Southern Province. The 15­bedroom prop­ an ongoing undertaking since HADDAEUS next winter, however, the Ariel Sands Cottage Colony sailing off the erty offers guests absolute privacy in a tranquil coastal the end of the country’s 26­year Hotel (arielsands.com)—an $85 million hotel in the coast of Bermuda. village near Dickwella, along with resort­style amenities civil war in 2009. Faster still are the open skies traversed works from the actors Michael Douglas and Catherine S ALCHER such as an ayurvedic spa and tennis courts. by the Colombo­based Simplifly’s (simplifly.com) fleet Zeta­Jones—might be Bermuda’s hottest ticket for sailors This year’s openings include Sri Lanka’s first wellness of helicopters and seaplanes. —cynthia rosenfeld and spectators alike. —jackie caradonio 94 ROBB REPORT.COM | JANUARY 2016 JANUARY 2016 | ROBB REPORT.COM 95 TOP –21– FOR 2016 No.6 Namibia. AMIBIA’S AUSTERE LANDSCAPE may not where crocodile safaris and visits with the seminomadic form the typical backdrop for an African Himba people are highlights. safari, but the otherworldly terrain—bone­ Namibia’s roster of first­rate resorts grew last year with dry deserts, towering dunes, desolate Atlantic the opening of Nambwa Tented Lodge (nambwalodge shores—is home to everything from big­ticket .com), which features 10 treetop tent suites overlooking N mammals to virtually unknown birds and reptiles. Add the Kwando River and floodplains in the Zambezi region. to this a fascinating combination of culture and adven­ Also last year, the new lodge operator Namibia Exclusive ture, and the country is fast becoming one of Africa’s debuted its first camp, the nine­room Sorris Sorris Lodge Namibia hottest destinations. (namibia­exclusive.com) among the giant boulders near Exclusive’s new Upping Namibia’s cachet is a spate of enticing lodges, the Brandberg Massif. Sorris Sorris led by Wilderness Safaris’ new Hoanib Skeleton Coast Namibia Exclusive plans three more openings this year, Lodge. Camp (wilderness­safaris.com). Opened in 2014, the in locations such as the headwaters of the Hoanib River eight­tent camp shares the 1.1 million–acre Palmwag just outside Etosha National Park and the isolated forests Concession with little more than elephants, giraffes, of Khaudum National Park. On the banks of the Zambezi T lions, brown hyenas, and other desert­adapted animals. River, Chobe Water Villas (chobewater villas.com) also IMO D E Equally isolated is Wilderness’s Serra Cafema Camp, a promises to make a splash this year when it opens with NJ luxurious river lodge on Namibia’s northern boundary, 16 stilted suites hovering above the Chobe River. —s.k. IS 96 ROBB REPORT.COM | JANUARY 2016 TOP –21– FOR 2016 No.7 Los Angeles. OS ANGELES HAS never taken kindly to its over Manhattan (venusovermanhattan.com) opened second­city status. From fashion and red carpets their first California outposts in downtown L.A. This to sun­drenched beaches and theme parks, the year, big European names such as Switzerland’s Hauser West Coast megalopolis takes a backseat to & Wirth (hauserwirth .com) none. And though L.A. may sometimes struggle and London’s Sprüth Magers L to assert itself as a hub of high culture, recent develop­ (spruethmagers.com) will also ments in the city have solidified its place as one of the arrive in town. world capitals—if not the capital—of contemporary art. Connecting L.A.’s many cul­ Above and L.A. demanded the art world’s attention last September, tural hot spots—and bypassing TOP: THE BROAD right: The Broad B when Eli and Edythe Broad’s $140 million contemporary­ its notorious gridlock—is the RUCE HIGHLIGHTS A museum, in art museum debuted next door to Frank Gehry’s shim­ new Bergamot Station Expo D downtown L.A. BURGEONING AMONTE; INSET: mering Disney Concert Hall. The Broad (thebroad.org)— Line.