Travel and Leisure

T+L EXCLUSIVE: OUR WOMENS TRAVEL GUIDE 2013
INDIA
& SOUTH ASIA
MARCH 2013 / 150
THE
EUROPE
ISSUE
ROME LONDON HAMBURG
THE NEW
SHANGRI-LA
HOTEL,
MUMBAI
BHUTAN
Why This is One

Journey Everyone
Must Take
MEDIA
TRANSASIA
GROUP
$ 4.50 / SLR 450 / NPR 35 MVR 60

PKR 30O / BTN 200 / TAKA 350
Volume 7 / Issue 79
March 2013
Features
90 Pure Santa Fe
Beyond the turquoise
clichs and New Age
philosophizing, beyond the
thriving art galleries and
endless taco joints and huge
Southwestern skies, GARY
SHTEYNGART nds the key to
Santa Fe in the characters
he meets along the way.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALEX FARNUM
98 Chinese Whisper
The swanky, new ShangriLa Hotel, Mumbai, shapes a
divine paradise in the midst

of the busy cityscape.
BY SHILPI MADAN. PHOTOGRAPHED
BY SEBASTIAN ZACHARIAH
102 Heavenly Kingdom

Bhutan, a secluded and
still-mysterious Himalayan
nation, more than lives up
to its lofty expectations, and
will likely change what you
look for in your travels.
TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY
CHRISTOPHER KUCWAY
A view of Hamburg from

Lombards Bridge, Germany.
CHRISTIAN KERBER
58 The New Old Hamburg

can compete with this one.
The old-world grandeur and
PETER JON LINDBERG digs in.
maritime grit of this northern
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JASON LOWE
German city are being
refashioned by a spectacular 80 Did Someone Say
harbourside building boom,
Cheese?
but the mood is as calm as
A quest for the best fromage
ever. GINI ALHADEFF soaks up the
in France leads ADAM SACHS to
atmosphere. PHOTOGRAPHED BY
the verdant mountains of the
CHRISTIAN KERBER
Haute-Savoie, in the French
Alps, where welcoming
68 London Is The Capital
farmers, homemade
Of Food
hooch, and memorable
Pound for pound, nose to
meals await. PHOTOGRAPHED
tail, few culinary capitals
BY THEO MORRISON
Contents
E D I T O R S N O T E
Departments
12
14 D E A L S 46
L A S T L O O K 128
CON TR IBU TOR S
LETTERS
Radar
15 My Town Chinese
designer Han Feng on what
she loves most about her
hometown, Shanghai.
24 Style Domenico Dolce and
Stefano Gabbana share
design inspirations from
the Mediterranean isle that
gave a kick to their spring
collection. BY MIMI LOMBARDO
26 Spotlight Sussanne
Roshan has shifted gear
into the online retail
space with The Home
Label, making her
dcor sensibilities more
accessible. BY SAMAI SINGH
28 Debut With its dense
jungles and secluded
beaches Nicaragua is a raw
paradise. And its newest
resort, Mukul, is a part
of a USD 250 million
luxury development.
30 Experts From a
globetrotting designer,
an art connoisseur
determined to put India on
the art map, to a TV host
who offers us glimpses into
royal livingthe women
in this feature are frequent
travellers who epitomize
both glamour and success.
To celebrate Womens Day
we highlight ve success
stories . BY SAMAI SINGH
40 On the Map New York is
the stomping ground for
the four twentysomething
characters of HBOs hit
series Girls. We chart their
footsteps. BY SAMAI SINGH
42 Reboot The former
Aman New Delhi was
reintroduced as The
Lodhi in February. T+L
takes a closer look.
Trip Doctor
43 The pros of online hotel
bookings. Plus, a round-up
of companies that offer
Europes best walking
tours.
Point Of View
54 As people reveal more and
more of themselves online,
how are hotels responding?
PETER JON LINDBERG looks
at the ways (the good, the
bad, and the downright Big
Brotherly) that hotels are
harnessing social media to
get to know you better.
T+L Decoder
112 In the Eternal City,
Rome, culture is thriving,
neighbourhoods are
evolving, and kitchens
are turning out the
nest saltimbocca,
salumi, pizza, and more.

BY MARIA SHOLLENBARGER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
DANILO SCARPATI
Strategies
119 Whether youre looking
for a Tuscan farmhouse, a
seaside cottage on Maui, or
a cosy at in London, youll
nd your dream escape on
the following pages. Plus
what you need to know
before you book, the 40
best agencies, how to
decipher a listing, and
more. BY BREE SPOSATO
On the Cover The Church of

Santa Maria dei Miracoli, in
Romes Piazza del Popolo,
page 112. Photographed by
Simon Watson.
CURRENCY CONVERTER
COUNTRIES
US $1
AUS $1
POUND 1
EURO 1
INDIA
54
56
82
71
SRI LANKA SLR
127
131
193
168
NEPAL NPR
87
89
131
115
MALDIVES MVR
15
16
23
20
PAKISTAN PKR
98
101
149
130
BHUTAN BTN
54
56
82
71
BANGLADESH TAKA
79
81
120
104
M A R C H 2 01 3 T R A V E L+ L E I S U R E
www.xe.com (Exchange rates as at press time).
hotels* $ Less than $200 $$ $200

to $350 $$$ $350 to $500 $$$$ $500
to $1,000 $$$$$ More than $1,000
restaurants $ Less than $25
$$ $25 to $75 $$$ $75 to $150
$$$$ More than $150
*Starting price for a standard double in September; for
resorts, rates indicate the starting price in high season.
Price for a three-course dinner for two, excluding drinks.
JESSICA SAMPLE
The main pool at Mukul,

in Guacalito, Nicaragua.
Editors Note
where to find me
payal@mtil.biz
March Issue
Travel + Leisure editors, writers, and photographers are the industrys most reliable sources.
While on assignment, they travel incognito whenever possible and do not take press trips or accept
free travel of any kind.
Write to T+L India & South Asia at travelandleisure@mtil.biz or Travel + Leisure India & South Asia, 323 Udyog Vihar, Phase-IV, Gurgaon-122 016, Haryana, India.
PHOTOGR APHED BY AMIT SHARMA
have a weakness for French cheese. Brie, possibly the most

oozingly-calorie-rich of them all, is my special indulgence
and reading about Adam Sachs trip to the mountains of the
Haute-Savoie in France in pursuit of the noble Reblochon, on
page 80, was wonderfully enriching. France is so much about
the food, wine and cheese. Many trips to the country, in fact are
only about the food, wine and cheese. So whether its taking a
wine tour through Champagne or Burgundy; sinking your teeth
into a Crepe Suzette at a cafe on the Champs Elysses; or grabbing a
coffee and a baguette for breakfast on the run, youre always in for a
gourmet treat when you head to France. PS: We also give you a mealby-meal guide to what and where to eat in Paris on page 18. Theres
much more on the menu as we travel to the Capital of Food as
T+L contributor Peter Jon Lindberg calls London. Its all about the
biryani and the burgers and everything in between in his culinary
capers on page 68. Theres something for everyone in that city.
Our annual Europe special also encompasses villa rentals
in Europe; a detailed Insiders Guide to Rome; an insight into
Hamburgs building boom; and a list of offbeat romantic getaways.
A lot of information to plan for your summer travels.
Our Womens Travel Guide this year features women who are in
the news and are successful in their respective fields. Not only are
they frequent fliers for business, their journeys also require them
to travel smart. To steal some of their style secrets turn to page 30.
Through the issue, we have a lot of female-friendly content, from
deals to real women wisdom and even some fabulous finds. Watch
out for our Womens Travel Guide icon through these pages.
Elsewhere in the issue, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia editor,
Chris Kucway takes a trip of a lifetime to mystical Bhutan. Its a
life-transforming journey for most people, so read his account to
realize why you must travel to this heavenly kingdom. We visit the
just-opened Shangri-La Hotel, Mumbai; get Chinese designer Han
Feng to take us round Shanghai; give you the benefits of booking
hotels online and also visit with some interesting locals in Santa Fe.
And for an insightful and informational read on how hotels do their
homework, turn to page 54. Spooky or brilliant? You decide. Enjoy
the issue and your travels. PAYAL KOHLI
CELEBRATING
6 SUCCESSFUL YEARS
IN INDIA & SOUTH ASIA
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& SOUTH ASIA
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vol. 7, issue 79
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Simon
Watson
Jason
Lowe
Maria
Peter Jon
Shollenbarger Lindberg
Writer
T+L Decoder: Our
Denitive Guide to Rome
(page 112).
Editor-at-Large
London Is the Capital
of Food. (page 68)
Alex
Farnum
you can t visit rome

without... Bumping
into friends on the street
(I used to live there),
eating at my favourite
restaurants, and arguing
with yet another taxi
driver. You cant leave
Rome, or Italy for that
matter, without arguing
with a taxi driver.
great food find The
Cremeria Monteforte,
beside the Pantheon,
for gelato. I sometimes
go twice a day. Its just
too good. top tip
for rome-bound
travellers Fly in and
out of Ciampino Airport.
Its small, quick, and
close to the city. what
inspires your work?
The good, the bad, and
the ugly. Beauty is
everywhere...except in
airports. I spend too
much time in them.
best london food

photo-op The wine
bar and restaurant at
40 Maltby Street, which
offered spectacular wines
and fabulously crafted
dishes, including a game
consomm that was
cooked to such perfection
you could feel it coursing
through your veins.
how does the city
inspire your work
today? Gastronomically
speaking, it has been an
almighty year for London,
which has become a world
leader in restaurants.
Great cooks work hard
at their craft, and often
the result is good food
to photograph and eat.
what s next? Im
travelling the length of
the Mekong River to
document the differences
and similarities between
the six nations that live
along its banks.
what in rome keeps

you coming back?
Between the changing
of the seasons and the
light, every time I revisit
the Via Giulia, it looks
different and yet is always
reassuringly the same.
only in rome... Will
you nd an impeccably
t and coiffed trainer
taking a cigarette break
outside one of the citys
poshest gyms. what
about the city still
surprises you?
How effortlessly and
insouciantly the locals
live with their patrimony.
Id be gawking all over
town from the sheer
gorgeousness if I lived
there. the place to
people-watch Caff
della Pace, in the centro
storico. Youll get the
gamut there: hipsters,
nobles, off-duty cops.
london culinary
neighbourhood of
choice Marylebone, a
sleepy backwater when
I lived there two decades
ago, now has some of
my top food spots in
town: Trishna for Indian
seafood; Donostia for
Basque pintxos; La
Fromagerie for European
cheeses. how does
one recover from
a full night of
restaurant-hopping?
By walking the entire
South Bank all the way
to Bermondsey, stopping
at Tate Modern and
the Design Museum,
then...winding up at
Maltby Street Market
for a progressive
lunch, of course. you
can t visit london
without... Gobbling
Rowntrees Fruit
Pastilles, my favourite
candy in the world.
charm factor For

some reason, Santa
Fe feels like a city that
belongs to everyone. Its
small and quaint, so you
can see how nurturing a
place it is, with its downto-earth people and a
laid-back mentality. any
good food finds?
The best meal of my trip
was at Tias Cocina.
Their chiles rellenos
were fantastic. travel
photography tip
Patience. Some of the
most incredible things
happen when sitting still
or chitchatting with a
group of people. santa
fe s best feature?
The surrounding
landscape, from the red
rock to the mountains,
open plains, and high
desert, is gorgeous and
ever-changing. dream
t+l assignment Bali,
top to bottom.
Photographer
Cover.
Photographer
London Is the Capital
of Food (page 68).
Photographer
Pure Santa Fe
(page 90).
Between the changing of the seasons and the

light, every time I revisit Romes Via Giulia, it looks
different and yet is always reassuringly the same.
MARIA SHOLLENBARGER
12
F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F S I M O N W AT S O N ; S C O T T M A C S W E E N ; C O U R T E S Y O F M A R I A S H O L L E N B A R G E R ; D A V I D A L E X A N D E R A R N O L D ; N I C O L A S Z U R C H E R
Contributors
Mail
Odisha Calling
Exploring the elaborate
temples of Odisha,
nds that next
great place to call his own.
GU Y T R E BAY
PHOTOGR APHED
BY JA K E STA NGE L &
GE OR DI E WOOD
Your feature on my home

state, Odisha, [To Odisha,
With Love] came as a
pleasant surprise. The state
has plenty to offer both
international and domestic
tourists but has somehow
never been on the top of
any travellers agenda. Guy
Trebays article perfectly
highlights all our beautiful
temples like the Konark
Sun Temple and Mukteswar

Temple to our various arts
and crafts. Kudos!
M . K . PATNA IK , ON E -M AIL
Romance is in the Air
I eagerly await your
February issue to peruse
the places that have made
your list for being the most
romantic places in the world.
And I must say this year
didnt disappoint. I loved

reading Fantasy Islands.
What a wonderful roundup of gorgeous isles. It was
also great to ip through
Twosome Interludes. Im
on the lookout for quick
getaways and your list of
boutique properties t the
bill. Im already plotting
my next sojourn.
SEEM A SAW HNEY, DELHI
Tell T+L
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Radar
On Our
Han Feng with sculptures by

Francesco Clemente at James
Cohan Gallery, in Shanghai.
News. Finds. Opinions. Obsessions.
m y tow n
SHANGHAI CHIC
Ask Chinese designer Han Feng what she loves most about
her hometown, and she doesnt hesitate: the art scene. One
of her top stops is James Cohan Gallery (jamescohan.
com), in the French Concession. Hes brought international
talent, such as Italys Francesco Clemente and New York
video artist Bill Viola, to China for the first time, she says.
Feng reveals a few other favourites on the next page.
Photographed by Andrew Rowat
Radar
Han Fengs Shanghai
Eat In the morning, I often head to
the intersection of Changle and
Xiangyang North Roads for a
hearty meal fresh off the outdoor
stoves: pan-fried breads; Chinese
churros; steamed buns with
different fillings. + The classic
Shanghainese cuisine at 1 Fu
1039 (1039 Yuyuan Rd.; 86-21/52371878; $$), in the Changning
neighbourhood, is simply amazing.
They serve delicious pork stew in a
two-layer ceramic pot filled with
water so the meat stays tender.
+ Hidden in a tiny basement, Old
Jesse (41 Tianping Rd.; 86-21/62829260; $$) is the place to try homestyle cooking. I always recommend
the fried scallion codfish.
Shop I buy plates and bowls at
2 Spin Ceramics (360 Kangding
Rd.; 86-21/6279-2545), a huge
warehouse of affordable
dinnerware. The packaging in
wooden boxes is beautiful and
thoughtfulits great for gifts.
+ Owned by an Englishwoman,
3 Madame Maos Dowry (207
Fumin Rd.; madamemaos dowry.
com) is filled with antique furniture
and iconic Chinese art from the
time of Mao. I go there for paper
products and notebooks.
Do To get a real taste of the citys
creative pulse, dont miss the
4 M50 area, where old
warehouses have been converted
into galleries. 5 Shangh Art (Bldg.
16, 50 Moganshan Rd.;
shanghartgallery.com) was one of
the first to promote contemporary
Chinese art. + The photography
hub 6 M97 Gallery (97
Moganshan Rd., second floor;
m97gallery.com) hosts up-andcomers as well as Western artists
who have lived in China for decades.
I especially love the acrobatic
self-portraits by Li Wei.
As told to Brooke Porter
16
1
2
3
6
Radar
food
Six Dishes: Paris

Our abridged, meal-by-meal guide
to where to eat now.
book
breakfast
Oeuf la coque
at Claus
lunch
Turbot rti
at Les Jalles
snack
Veau chaud
at Terroir Parisien
The perfectly cooked

four-minute organic egg
at this book-ahead
picerie-caf comes in an
adorable hand-sewn
chick-shaped cosy.
14 Rue Jean-Jacques
Rousseau, First
Arr.; clausparis.com;
no dinner. $
A chic crowd fills the

Deco-tinged spot for
such modern bistro
dishes as oven-roasted
turbot, which comes
with salsify, marrow,
and potatoes au gratin.
14 Rue des Capucines,
Second Arr.;
lesjalles.fr. $$$
His Le Meurice restaurant

may have three Michelin
stars, but Yannick Allno is
currently earning raves
for the hot dog at his locavore
bistro: veal sausage inside
a fresh baguette, topped
with gribiche sauce.
20 Rue St.-Victor, Fifth Arr.;
bistrot-terroirparisien.fr. $$$
dinner
Berlingots de chvre frais
at La Dame de Pic
dessert
Mille-feuille
at Abri
for the flight home

Doigts de fe
at Sbastien Gaudard
At the first (and longawaited) Paris restaurant

from celebrated toque
Anne-Sophie Pic, the
green-tea-flavoured pasta
is filled with smoked goat
cheese and served with
seasonal mushrooms
and Atsina-cress shoots
in a foamy broth. 20 Rue du
Louvre, First Arr.;
ladamedepic.fr. $$$$
This recent arrival in the

increasingly epicurean
10th serves one of the citys
best iterations of the famed
multilayered pastrya
crisply caramelized version
that Japanese chef Katsuaki
Okiyama tops with
vanilla crme and sliced
fruit. 92 Rue du FaubourgPoissonnire, 10th Arr.;
33-1/83-97-00-00. $$$
Head to this charming

patisserie near
Montmartre for blue-ribbonwrapped silver boxes
of divine fairy
fingersskinny meringues
in vanilla, coffee,
and raspberry flavours.
22 Rue des Martyrs,
Ninth Arr.; sebastiengaudard.
com; no dinner. $
ANDREW SESSA
N E W S F L A S H From standalone to ve-star restaurants, leading chefs across Delhi, Bangalore and
Mumbai are getting set to welcome you to Chefs Table Week (chefstableweek.com; March 4-10;
Rs 2,000 upwards). Enjoy six-course tasting menus that offer signature as well as off-menu delights.
18
Aer the success of his previous book

Flavors First, Michelin-star chef Vikas
Khanna is back with another oering Khanna
Sutra: Food Lessons in Love (Om Books
International; Rs 795). In his latest tome
Khanna presents a vast collection of recipes
that are guaranteed to make the experience
of cooking for your loved ones, an enjoyable
one. The recipes like Pan-Seared OrangeSaron Salmon; Avocado Soup with Spicy
Salsa; Ginger-infused Foie Grasinvoke
passion through the innovative use of
aphrodisiacs and quirky combinations.
FUN FACTOR
Jet-set in style with
Samsonite Essensis
(available at Samsonite
showrooms; samsoniteindia.
com; Rs 11,000 upwards).
Targetted at the fashionable
woman traveller, the hard
top exterior has elegant
detailing; is lightweight;
has four wheels; and an
organized packing system.
Essensis is available in
coee, burgundy and ivory.
L E F T: R O B E R T O F R A N K E N B E R G 6 . R I G H T, F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F O M B O O K S I N T E R N AT I O N A L ; C O U R T E S Y O F S A M S O N I T E
SENSORY
FLAVOURS
Radar
shopping
In Italy, Old Meets New

Bygone craftsmanship and modern-day charm come
together at these storied spots in Milan, Florence, and Rome.
Cappelleria
Mutinelli
SOLO
TRAVEL
The single lady
traveller enjoys many
benets at leading
hotels. Here, the
highlights:
Casa dei
Tessuti
the oberoi mumbai

The only hotel in
the city to have lady
chauffeurs. Youll be
greeted by them at the
airport and whisked
to the hotel.
Milan
Wrought-iron lamps and

chequerboard tiled oors have
set the scene at Cappelleria
Mutinelli (5 Corso Buenos Aires;
mutinellicappellimilano.com)
since the late 1800s. Men about
town still visit for sporty leather
caps and narrow-brimmed
fedoras, while women love the
1930s-style cloches. + The
83-year-old cutlery shop G.
Lorenzi (9 Via Montenapoleone;
lorenzi.it) overows with
mother-of-pearl caviar spoons,
bone-and-carbon-steel knives,
and ladles made of deer antlers.
Florence
Style mavens (including Sophia

Loren) frequent Casa dei
Tessuti (20-24R Via dei Pecori;
casadeitessuti.com), whose
shelves are piled high with rolls
of Italian velvet, printed Como
silk, and beaded Chantilly lace.
+ A stronghold in the Kindle
era, the bookshop Libreria
Antiquaria Gonnelli (6, 14R, 16R
Via Ricasoli; gonnelli.it) is fully
stocked with vintage leatherbound volumes, rare old books
illustrated modern tomes,
manuscripts, prints, maps,
and more.
Rome
Open since 1870, Passamanerie

Crocianelli (37-40 Via dei
Prefetti; passamaneriecrocianelli.
com) is the Vaticans go-to
furniture trimmings store. Take
a cue from the young female
patrons, who snap up curtain
tiebacks and wear them as
funky necklaces. + Originally
established in the 1600s,
G. Poggi (74 Via del Ges;
poggi1825.it) has supplied rare
varnishes, fresco plaster, and
bristle brushes to artists such as
Robert Rauschenberg and Cy
Twombly. VALERIE WATERHOUSE
ONTHEGO ELEGANCE
Manish Arora
for Amrapali
Turquoise & Gold
Havaianas
Whether your girly vacation involves relaxing by the beach or living it up

in cocktail bars these stylish pieces will ensure you look perfect.
Manish Arora for
Amrapali Jewellery
brand Amrapalis latest
collection by avant
garde designer Manish
Arora is now available
online on fashion portal
Pernias Pop Up Shop
(perniaspopupshop.
com). The statement
pieces range from the
Gazelle Brooch in gold
plated silver (shown) to
the Candy Drop ring.
Havaianas Your quest

for your favourite
ip-ops just got
simpler. Brazilian
brand Havaianas
(havaianasindia.in)
has just launched their
online shop in India. A
favourite of celebs like
Jennifer Aniston and
David Beckham, they
use a secret rubber
formula making them
so, light and durable.
Turquoise & Gold

With outlets in
Bangalore, Goa and
Delhi Turquoise &
Gold (turquoiseandgold.
com) has quickly
become the go-to brand
for fashionable resort
wear. Vibrant prints,
elegant silhouettes and
current trends dene
their stylish repertoire of
maxis, dresses and
fun playsuits.
the leela palace

udaipur A palace
tuk tuk (owned and
operated by the hotel)
is at your service
should you wish to
roam the city and shop
for souvenirs.
the park new delhi
Ladies are placed
closer to elevators and
security patrols are
doubled for safety.
the westin
gurgaon, new
delhi The only hotel
in Gurgaon to offer
seven dedicated
rooms for women
Aura Roomsfeature
Forest Essentials
amenities, plush
furnishing, and a
makeup table.
taj palace new
delhi VIP Women
Travellers are offered
a Lady Essential Kit
(Forest Essentials).
the imperial new
delhi The Eliza
rooms are modied
Imperial and Heritage
rooms. Bedside
display of entrance,
in-room check-in,
dedicated corridor,
special amenities are
some features.
T O P, F R O M L E F T: A N D R E A W Y N E R ; T O N I M E N E G U Z Z O ; C O U R T E S Y O F P A S S A M A N E R I E C R O C I A N E L L
Passamanerie
Crocianelli
hilton worldwide
At Hilton hotels you
will be welcomed with
owers upon arrival
and check-in takes
place in-room.
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Radar
t+l p i c ks
1
Romancing Europe
Seeking romance in Europe over the summer? These five locales

will make for a memorable experience, whatever your choice.
2. MALTA Honeymooners can delve into Maltas

mysterious history, retrace the footsteps of St.
Paul or see where the Knights of St. John
defended Christendom. For romance, couples
can sail the crystal blue waters, and discover
private coves. Malta is a tranquil and picturesque
paradise for those in love.
3. LISBON, PORTUGAL Bustling with
colourful walls, intricate balconies, and Fado
music, Lisbon is sure to keep you enchanted.
Relish the magic of Sintra, one of the most
beautiful towns in the world. Or enjoy a ride in a
horse-drawn carriage and discover the mysteries
of the Quinta da Regaleira. In bidos, a town
designed for regal lovers, travel back in time to a

period when courting was an art.
4. VILNIUS, LITHUANIA Vilnius unique
essence lies in its architecture. For those looking
for an adventure Vilnius offers an array of
activitiesfrom horseback riding to skydiving.
Romance literally simmers when you soar over
the city in a hot-air balloon, sipping champagne.
It is a must for new couples to visit the Uupis
Bridge where lovers hang padlocks with their
names engraved. It is believed that the padlock
ties and strengthens the hearts of people in love.
5. PAPHOS, CYPRUS Legends have crowned
Paphos town as the seventh heaven of romance.
The revered Goddess of love and passion,
Aphrodite, was born here. With its pleasant
harbour and medieval fort, the town today
combines a cosmopolitan holiday resort,
spectacular countryside and historical sites.
Candlelit dinners and magical evenings gazing at
the stars are in order here. visiteurope.com.
t u to r i a l
HOW TO DRINK ESPRESSO LIKE AN ITALIAN

A Roman institution since 1938, SantEustachio Il Ca (santeustachioilcae.it) brews 2,000 cups of
espresso a day. Co-owner Roberto Ricci shows us how to t in with the caeinated locals.
Order Approach the

cashier and say, Un ca,
per favore. Or, to make
it a double, un ca
doppio. Hand over your
euros, and make sure to
keep the receipt.
Stand An espresso
will cost about three
times as much if you
sit at a tablea dead
giveaway that youre not
from around here.
Find an opening at the
bar and give the
bartender your receipt.
Sweeten Most bars

serve it black and provide
sugar. SantEustachio
adds a spoonful, unless
you say senza zucchero.
Just dont ask for milk.
If you want dairy, order a
cappuccino or macchiato
(but only in the morning).
Li Pick up the cup by

the handle, using your
ngertips instead of
looping a nger through
the opening (which is
likely too small, anyway).
Drink Sip slowly, but

not so slowly that it
gets cold (a cup should
take approximately
two minutes to drink).
A 10- or 20-cent tip
is acceptable, but not
expected.
sarah l. stewart
22
T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F E U R O P E A N T O U R I S M C O M M I S S I O N 5 . I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y K Y U N G D U K K I M
1. TALLINN, ESTONIA One of Europes

best-preserved medieval cities, Tallinn is
definitely romantic. Famed for its ancient stone
walls, winding, cobbled streets and torchlit alleys.
Tallinns markets are a shoppers paradise for
couples to bring home souvenirs, while the Pakri
Islands are a peaceful getaway.
Radar
Domenico Dolce and

Stefano Gabbana share
design inspirations
from the Mediterranean
isle that gave a kick
to their spring collection.
By Mimi Lombardo
Sicily is
a magical and
spectacular
place.
S .G.
Taormina Bay
I took this Instagram shot at San Domenico
Palace Hotel, a former monastery. The view from
the terrace is priceless, Gabbana says.
Its our roots,

our starting
point. Sicily is in
our DNA.
D . D .
Marzipan
Per Dolce: You cant
leave the island
without one (or ve!)
almond confections.
Folk dress
The duos spring
collectionlike this
silk frockreferences
traditional Sicilian
costumes.
Marionettes
Things that remind
me of childhood
summers: striped
chairs, the colors of
granite and gelato,
and...puppets,
Dolce says.
24
Modica
Gabbana took this
Instagram photo
while wandering the
streets of the UNESCO
World Heritage site.
Straw bag
This leather and raa
tote (USD 1,945) from
Dolce & Gabbana is
modeled on Sicilys
omnipresent carryalls.
C L O C K W I S E F R O M B O T T O M L E F T:
Sicilian
Rhapsody
L O T H A R S C H U L Z / F S T O P/ C O R B I S ; G E T T Y I M A G E S ; C O U R T E S Y O F D O L C E & G A B B A N A 2 ; T H I N K S T O C K S ; C O U R T E S Y O F D O L C E & G A B B A N A 2
st yle
Radar
spotlight
Dcors Doyenne
After the resounding success of her Mumbai-based flagship store

The Charcoal Project, Sussanne Roshan has shifted gear into the
online retail space as the creative director of The Home Label,
making her dcor sensibilities more accessible. By Samai Singh
A selection of
products from
India Circus. Right,
from top: Krsna
Mehta; inside a
guestroom at Taj
Palace Marrakech.
The Home Labels 15
Raitan collection.
Right: Sussanne Roshan.
side to my design aesthetic and talk to a

different consumer altogether.
I had been aching to do something

more accessiblethat would talk to
a new consumerand allow me to
bring my design aesthetics to a new
platform. E-commerce is growing at
a breakneck speed so when the Label
Corp approached me with this thought I
jumped at it!
Favourite international designers

and brands.
Why online decor retail?
I absolutely love that we can bring

special and global products easily to
our customers homes.
What is the model for your site?
I serve as the creative director and a team

of experienced merchandisers work
with me to create integrated looks for
the home. These dcor products are then
catalogued much like a dcor magazine,
onto the website. The site plays the role
of a personal stylist and we are different
from our competitorswe dont follow a
marketplace approach.
How is Home Label dierent from
The Charcoal Project?
Both ventures are really important to me

and both let me explore a very different
26
My favourite designers are Philippe

Starck and Andrew Martins Martin
Waller and my top brands include Ralph
Lauren Home and Minotti.
Preferred design hotels.
The list is longComo Shambhala

Estate in Ubud, Bali; Four Seasons
Resort Bora Bora; Le Royal Monceau
Raffles Paris; Four Seasons Hotel George
V Paris, Villa dEste in Lake Como, Italy;
and the erstwhile Aman, now The Lodhi,
in Delhi.
Favourite cities
Paris for its mysterious energizing

feminine attributes; and New York for
the raw, industrial, eclectic magnetism.
label with another exciting tastemaker.

Meanwhile I have my hands full with a
dozen projects. I would like to take The
Charcoal Project to more cities.
Any plans for collaborating with
other designers for The Home Label?
Absolutely! The home is such a wide

landscape that it seems only natural
that we bring other talented artists from
fashion, art, advertising or even lm to
give our customers products.
Do you plan to extend the websites
product line?
We are looking into doing soft furniture.

The home is such a wide landscapeI
really think the sky is the limit. I do
however want to stay true to the brand
and its promise, and ensure that
whatever we put out to our customer ts.
Where do you search for inspiration?
Do the products reect seasonal

trends?
My inspiration is from the history of

art and architecture, natural habitats,
vintage worlds of yesteryears, childrens
classic storybooks and most importantly
from love.
Whats next?
The Label Corp plans to launch another
Yes they absolutely do, we just

introduced patterns to accessories and
worked with dragonies on dining
ware, which is trending in the world of
fashion as well. Be prepped as we have a
great lineup of products for the coming
monsoon. thehomelabel.com.
F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F T H E H O M E L A B E L ; D A B B O O R AT N A N I
The inspiration behind The

Home Label?
Radar
The main pool at Mukul,

in Guacalito, Nicaragua.
debut
NOUVELLE NICARAGUA
With its dense jungles and secluded beaches, Nicaragua is a raw paradise
begging to be exploredbut its limited infrastructure has kept many
travellers away. Enter Mukul, part of a USD 250 million luxury development
dreamed up by local magnate Carlos Pellas. Set on an untouched stretch
of the Pacic coast, the airy accommodations have handmade mahogany
furniture, private pools, and spacious decks. If you can bear to leave
your beachside villa or tree-house-like bohio, the spa oers Turkish baths
and Indonesian massages. And when Pellas isnt in residence, guests
can lounge at his 20,000-square-foot compounda glass of the familys
slow-aged Flor de Caa rum in hand. mukulresort.com. $$$$ paola singer
Photographed by Jessica Sample
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Radar
experts
Women of
Substance
From a globetrotting designer,

an art connoisseur determined
to put India on the art map, to a
TV host who offers us glimpses
into royal livingthe women in
this feature are frequent travellers
who epitomize both glamour and
success. To celebrate Womens
Day we highlight five success
stories. By Samai Singh
Photographed by Anil Chawla.
aishwarya nair
Conferred with a Diplme d Honneur by the

Corporation des Vignerons de Champagne and the
Comite Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne
(CIVC) Nair is the rst Indian woman to receive
this honour for proposing the nest champagne
list at The Leela Palace New Delhi. My favourite
champagne is Salon, but the vintner I admire is
Olivier Krug. He is a stalwart of the wine fraternity
and his ingenuity with the Krug brand is copacetic.
In her handbag youll nd Kleenex and a Kiehls lip
balm. Travel mantra: Go where you havent been,
taste what you havent tasted, feel what youve never
felt. I love the Lets be adventurous, darling idea.
Her favourite haunts: Paris for culture; Barcelona/
New York for food; Tokyo for shopping. Being in
the limelight gives me the opportunity to bring social
issues like the awareness of the ills of alcoholism
and its abuse to light on a public platform.
Photographed at Le Cirque at The Leela Palace, New Delhi.
HAIR & MAKEUP: VIPIN ARORA
corporate food & wine consultant,

the leela palaces hotels and resorts
Radar
nikasha tawadey
designer, nikasha
Tawadey will debut Raat ki Rani,

a curated collection at the Wills
India Lifestyle Fashion Week, FallWinter 2013-14. On her favourite
designer: I admire Sabyasachihe
is an artist. Her handbag contains
a lip balm, sanitizer, iPhone, an
Este Lauder Advanced Night Repair
serum, as ights are dehydrating,
and a Smythson diaryto pen
down sketches, ideas. On what
to pack: black/jersey garments; a
scarf; a statement necklace and
silver jhumkas. For culture she
loves Kolkata, Rome and London. In
these cities the past is integrated
into the present. Their history is
not isolated to museums, you could
walk into a home or church, and be
transported in time. Kolkata has
special childhood memories. It is a
city I think I know, but every time I
visit I discover something new. I love
eating at Kewpies and Nizams and in
Singapore we frequent Pietrasanta for
Italian. An avid shopper she loves
Bangkok, Delhi, Rome and London.
Photographed in Nikasha's studio

in Shahpur Jat, New Delhi.
Radar
pernia qureshi
stylist, designer, entrepreneur

The force behind online retail portal
perniaspopupshop. Aer Aisha, shes all
set to don the hat of costume designer
again, for the remake of Sonam Kapoors
Khoobsurat. Her handbag has a makeup
kit, eye cream, lip balm, hand lotion,
I detest dry hands, and a pocket size
comb. For long haul ights cashmere
pants and a sweater are my uniform. She
recommends avoiding makeup when you
y as it dehydrates skin and alcohol is a
big no-no. For culture, Paris is my go-to
cityfrom museums to couture week.
New Yorks Madison Avenue has all the
high-end designers and I love the edit at
Barneys New York. When in need for
R&R, I head to Ananda in the Himalayas;
alternately Ill go to Rambagh Palace in
Jaipur and not leave. Designers she
admires: Alexander Wanghis clothes
form an essential part of my wardrobe;
I love high heels and Christian Louboutins
are fun; I also wear a lot of Stella McCartney.
Im partial to Shivan & Narresh, Masaba and
Abu Jani Sandeep Khoslas vintage pieces,
that Ive acquired from my mothers closet.
Photographed in the perniaspopupshop oce, New Delhi.
Radar
neha kirpal
founding director, india art fair

Kirpal is the driving force behind the India
Art Fair that recently concluded its h
edition in Delhi. I started the Indian
Art Fair (Summit) because I felt India
needed a world-class event of the scale
and signicance that would put us on
the international art map. The journey
over the last ve years has been, a
tremendous learning experience, great
fun, riddled with challenges but extremely
rewarding. My handbag will always
have a portable phone charger, an apple,
face wipes, a make-up kit. A fan of
comfort travel, her suitcase contains boots,
jeans, trousers, assorted tops, pullovers,
accessories, my ever-ready toilet kit, and
various gizmoslaptop, Apple iPod, iPad,
etc. Travel mantra: Explore everything,
everywhere you go! Travel, when you have
a day, or a week, a month, or even a few
hours. I dont work out on the roadI
binge, especially on desserts. Favourite
haunts: Prague for culture; London for
shopping; and Bali for R&R. Goa is
my preferred getaway. Life comes to a
standstill there! Being in the limelight
meansBeing Yourself!
Photographed at Nature Morte gallery, Neeti Bagh, New Delhi.
Radar
amrita gandhi
host, royal reservation

project living on ndtv good times
Gandhis new series highlights regal
homes and oers inspirations on
contemporary ways to live royally. The
show is bursting with ideas. Saif shares
wardrobe tips, the princess of Rampur
shares how to set a table, etc. Gandhi
has no favourite palaces, I truly fall in
love with each. The smaller the palace
the more special it feels. She loves big
totes. Inside my Tumi youll nd a fresh
pair of socks, a Shiseido mascara and
a small notebook. Her travel uniform
consists of denims and she always sports
moccasins. I was once told by someone
to always carry a piece of unstitched
cloth. Ill always have a shawl or a muslin
dupatta. You must pamper yourself.
Always carry a hand cream, preferably
with shea butteritll help you relax;
and an engrossing book. Travel is a time
to connect with yourself, and for me a
wonderful book becomes the perfect
companion. Delhi is her culture haven.
Theres always an author reading or
festival taking place. Her top eatery is
Threesixty at The Oberoi New Delhi. She
heads to Khan Market for retail therapy. I
love upholstery shopping. While travelling
I like seeking out artisans who are masters
of their cra and connecting with them.
Photographed at her residence
in Nizamuddin East, New Delhi.
Radar
Far left: The cast of
HBO series Girls: Zosia
Mamet, Jemima Kirke,
Allison Williams and
Lena Dunham.
1 Cafe Grumpy
Girls Guide to
the Big Apple
2 BabyCakes NYC
New York is the stomping ground for the four

twentysomething characters of HBOs hit series
Girls. We chart their footsteps. By Samai Singh
Created by and starring
Lena Durham, HBOs
breakout series Girls won
two Golden Globes this
year. This quintessential
drama/comedy follows
the lives of four
twentysomething girls:
Hannah, an aspiring writer,
Marnie, an art gallery
assistant and cousins
Jessa and Shoshanna living
in New York City. Following
the likes of iconic series
like Sex and the City and
The Jane
40
Gossip Girl the Big Apple

is where the women face
humiliations, disasters
and triumphs. The show
is yet to air in India, but if
you happen to visit New
York you can follow in the
foursomes footsteps.
1 Caf Grumpy The
shows answer to Central
Perk (Friends) and Toms
Restaurant (made famous
by Suzanne Vegas 1987
song Toms Diner), this
Greenpoint coee shop
makes frequent
appearances on the show.
When Caf Grumpy
opened in 2005, the
neighbourhood was far
from being a hipster
enclave. Today the area is
chock-a-block with trendy
boutiques and restaurants.
193 Meserole Ave.,
1-718-349-7623,
Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
runs into her old friend,

Matt Kornstein. They sit
on the stoop outside
BabyCakes, and plan a
movie date.
This adorable bakery
has amassed a cult
following among celebs
(Alicia Silverstone, Jason
Schwartzman and Zach
Galianakis are regulars),
and locals alike. The
bakery is famous for its
gluten-free and vegan
goods but its their
cupcakes that are the
true crowd pullers.
248 Broome St., 1-212677-5047, Lower East
Side, Manhattan.
3 Weather Up
3 Weather Up During a
botched job interview,
Hannah mentions that
Cobble Hill is a little too
grown-up for her,
referencing the bar
Weather Up.
This cocktail den is
for the more grown-up
among uswith specialty
cocktails like the Whizz
Bang and the Widows
Kiss (USD 11 to USD 14).
But the vibe is relaxed and
cosy, and the bartenders
friendly. 589 Vanderbilt
Ave., 1-212-766-3202,
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
4 The Jane In episode
nine, Hannah attends a
book party for her Oberlin
College nemesis, Tally
Schifrin at The Jane hotel.
Located along the
West Side Highway, The
Warwick New York Hotel
2 BabyCakes NYC In
episode four, Shoshanna
Jane provided refuge for

survivors of the Titanic
in 1912. A 100 years
later the property was
completely overhauled.
Though the rooms are tiny,
the prices are aordable.
Known for its Ballroom
the bi-level space hosts
DJ nights and regular
aer-parties. 113 Jane St.,
1-212-924-6700, West
Village, Manhattan.
5 Warwick New York
Hotel In the shows pilot
episode, Hannahs parents
stay at the Warwick while
in town to tell their
daughter that they are
cutting o their nancial
support to her.
Built by tycoon William
Randolph Hearst in 1926,
the hotel was built to
host the whos who of
Hollywood. In 1966, on
their rst visit to the
United States the Beatles
stayed here. Though it is
no longer the haunt of
celebrities, the Warwick
New York Hotel still oers
low-key glamour. 65 W.
54th St., 1-212-2472700, Midtown West,
Manhattan.
C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: O H N S P K K I / S P L A S H N E W S / C O R B I S ; C O U R T E S Y O F C A F E G R U M P Y; C O U R T E S Y O F W E AT H E R U P ;
C O U R T E S Y O F W A R W I C K N E W Y O R K H O T E L ; C O U R T E S Y O F T H E J A N E ; H O R A C I O S A L I N A S . I N F O R M AT I O N C O U R T E S Y O F N Y C & C O .
on the map
Radar
The main lobby

was stripped of its
dark wood and green
carpets and replaced
with muted panels
and bright orange
upholstery and
artwork.
r e b o ot
THE LODHI
The former Aman New Delhi
was reintroduced as The
Lodhi by the DLF Group in
February. In its new avatar
it oers easy luxury that is a
reection of contemporary
India. The transformation
was helmed by joint general
managers, Robyn Bickford
and Manav Garewal. Though
the integrity of the original
architecture has been
maintained the entire space
was revamped to give it a
lighter, approachable feel.
The Lodhi boasts of an ideal
location, multiple dining
venues including Elan, OTW,
and Anidra, a spa, and health
facilities.samai singh
The water body

was covered up and
a deck added. This
venue is now perfect for
hosting informal events
like book launches,
brunches, and
niche events.
COURTESY OF THE LODHI
The 40 guestrooms
all oer private plunge
pools. All the furniture
and furnishings were
replaced, giving the
rooms an airy appeal.
The elephant motif runs
through furnishings and
objets d art.
At the informal
dining venue Elan,
and the intimate Elan
Bar, the oor was
replaced with parquet,
and an alfresco area
was added by taking
down a wall in the
courtyard.
42
your travel dilemmas solved
DEALS
46
Trip Doctor
by Shibani Bawa
Q: Is online hotel booking more beneficial than going through an

agent? What should one keep a lookout for?
A: Booking a hotel on the
Internet is rather easy
and is considered to be
substantially cheaper than
going through a travel
agent. Often, hotels also
offer Internet Only deals
that can save you 10 to 20
percent, or more, over what
youd pay if you booked over
the telephone. Besides the

comfort and convenience of
booking a hotel stay anytime
and from anywhere, there are
many more benets of online
booking of hotels.
You can instantly check
the availability and prices
on varying dates: You
can straightaway check the
availability at a variety of
accommodations across price
ranges. Instant knowledge
can help with altering your
dates according to availability.
When you book hotels
online you should pay close
attention. Room rates can
vary dramatically according
to the date. The more exible
you are, the better your

chances are at nding a room
at an affordable price. For
resorts midweek is oftentimes
cheaper than weekends
whereas business hotels often
offer tempting weekend rates.
You get instant proof
of booking: Once you
have made your online

T R A V E L+ L E I S U R E M A R C H 2 01 3
43
booking, you instantly get

a conrmation. As soon
as your transaction is
completed you will get an
e-mail conrming your
reservation, and even a
voucher that you can show at
the hotel when you check in.
You know exactly how
much youre paying and
for what: The lowest price
you see may not be the best

possible one. Some websites
put fascinating prices, which
could be without some
applicable taxes. When you
actually add the taxes, the
total sum becomes much
higher than what attracted
you in the rst place. But
with most online bookings,
the price mentioned is
inclusive of all applicable
taxes. So, you know in
advance how much you are
going to end up paying. A
tip is to watch for extras to
be included in the price of
the room when booking
BY THE NUMBERS
1,015,865
The number of
Indian tourists
to Thailand in
2012 (during
Jan-Dec). India
has become the
fastest-growing
market for
Thailand from
the South Asian
region with
arrivals up by
11.03 percent.
44
hotels online. Shuttle service

from the airport, breakfast,
newspapers, and in-room
tea/coffee are not always
included.
A word of caution though:
Be careful when you are
booking your hotel online.
Any place can look good
online. Browse the Internet
before making any payments.
We recommend you always
go through a popular website,
if not a hotels official
website, to avoid getting
cheated. Other than that, the
following checklist can help
you pick a good hotel while
booking online:
AMENITIES Determine the
kind of hotel you need, and
any special amenities for
business (business centre) or
leisure (swimming pool/spa).
LOCATION Have an idea of
the best location to stay in the
city/town that youre visiting.
You may have to pay extra for
a centrally located hotel but
youll also save on the travel
cost of getting around.
PRICE Check out hotels on
websites like Tripadvisor and
Expedia according to price
points that suit you.
PHOTOGRAPHS See the
hotel pictures on the official
website as well as candid
photos taken by travellers.
REVIEWS They give you
a good idea of the service,
amenities, dining, etc.
Tripadvisor is still the best
source for unbiased reviews.
BOOKING The rates vary
according to your dates of
booking as well. Before your
nal booking compare the
prices across some websites.
If you get lower/the same
price on the hotels official
website go for it.
Whats Your
Problem?
Noisy Hotel
Neighbours
Do
...call the manager

on duty. He can
dispatch security. Hell
also know when
your rowdy floor mates
are checking out.
...ask for earplugs.

Most hotels expect
some type of noise
pollution, be it from
tropical birds, traffic, or
a wailing toddler.
Dont
...take matters into

your own hands.
You want the hotel to
be involved early on
in case the culprit is
uncooperative.
...demand that other

guests move for
your sake. If you
want a quieter space,
expect to switch
rooms yourself.
Q: I want to take
my dog along on
my next holiday by
air. How should I
go about it?
A: Many people
happily travel with
their pets on an
aircraft. However,
each airline has its
own guidelines
about pet travel that
you must check at
the time of booking.
Since you cannot
book your pets
reservation online,
call the reservations
number of the
airline and inform
them that you will
be travelling with an
animal. Find out
whether the airline
will allow your dog
to y in the cabin
with you or in the
cargo hold, and what
kind of a crate youll
require for it. Carry
a health certicate
from the vet, at
the time of
check-init will
help to minimize
questions.
I L L U S T R AT E D B Y L A R R Y J O S T
Trip Doctor
PROMOTION
RESIDENTIAL
STYLE MEETING
n an era long gone by, the rich and the famous would
migrate to the country homes or manors as they were
known, and spend their time socializing at the weekend
parties. A lot went on behind these parties, it was more
than just about passing time with family and friends, it was
instead a venue to talk business and politics over wine or port.
Informal breakfast, billiards, card games, or parlour games
such as charades were common. The entire show was run by
the steward when the Lord of the Manor had obligations to
attend to. These gatherings at the manor, a grand and elegant
home, were the epitome of sophistication and style.
Inspired by this life of luxury is The Manor, an
innovative residential style meeting concept at Park Hyatt
Hyderabad. This chic establishment is designed in a
comfortable style to reflect the entertainment spaces of private
homes and provides an unforgettable experience to the
business traveller who appreciates contemporary extravagance
and seeks personalized service. Sticking to tradition, the
kitchen at the Manor is called the Buttery, the living room is
the Solar, the display room is the State Room, and is run by
the chief steward.
The meeting facilities here have been designed to represent
private homes, where guests can relax and discuss business at
the same time. Conveniently located in the heart of the Banjara
Hills, the hotel stands between the international airport, Hi-tech
City and the Central Business District making it easy to access.
It could be an important business event or a lavish social
gathering; The Manor can accommodate 10 to 80 people. To
make sure that every detail is looked into, the Manor manager
and chef personally coordinate everything from the concept of
the event to its completion. And the dedicated events service
team creates a tailormade experience for a successful event.
Innovative and authentic food and beverages, latest
technology, advanced audio-visual, high-speed communications
connections, the option to combine decor with your personal
belongings, an excellent staffall this and more at a
sophisticated venue let guests boast of putting together the
perfect gathering.
TRAVEL + LEISURE SEPTEMBER 2010 00
Best Deals
by Khushi Khanna
Getaways for March
Suite
Surprises
oer at The
Oberoi,
Mumbai
The Executive Suite,

at The Oberoi, Mumbai.
MUMBAI
What Suite Surprises oer at

The Oberoi Mumbai (Marine
Dr., Nariman Point; 91-22/66322013; oberoihotels.com).
The Deal Accommodation in the
Executive Suite with breakfast.
Highlights Audi A8 airport
transfers; complimentary internet.
Cost Doubles from Rs 18,000;
through September 30.
THE BEACH
CHIANG MAI
What Explore in Style package

at The Chedi Chiang Mai
by GHM Hotels (123-123/1
Charoen Prathet Road,
T. Changklan, A. Muang;
ghmhotels.com). The Deal
Four-night stay with breakfast.
Highlights Welcome drink
on arrival; roundtrip airport
46
transfers; dinner for two, once

during the stay; choice of
Therapeutic Massage (90-minute
The Chedi Jade Massage or
90-minute Ancient Balinese
Massage); Chiang Mai tour that
includes elephant ride, biking,
and kayaking. Cost Doubles from
USD 2,700; through October 31.
MALDIVES
What Summer Oer at Angsana

Velavaru (angsana.com). The
Deal Complimentary extra night
stay on the booking of one
night. Highlights Book one
night in the InOcean Villa and
get a complimentary night in the
Beachfront Villa. Cost Price on
request; through October 31.
LEISURE
EUROPE
What European Wonderland

2013 by Trafalgar (trafalgar.
com). The Deal 11 days in Europe.
Highlights Hotel service charges,

tips, baggage handling fees, and
local taxes included; transfers by
luxury coach; professional travel
director; London airport shuttle
service; wallet, travel documents,
map, and audio headsets provided;
complimentary keepsake photo.
Cost USD 2,699 per person;
through October 31
KERALA
What Backwater package at

Dream Cochin (Elamkulam,
Sahodaran Ayyappan Rd.,
Ernakulam; 91-484/412-9999;
dreamhotels.com). The Deal Twonight stay in deluxe room with
buet breakfast. Highlights Half
day Cochin sightseeing; day cruise
at Alleppey houseboats with
lunch; choice of lunch or dinner;
transfers by car. Cost Doubles
from Rs 24,999.
PARIS
What The Jaime Chlo

oer at Mandarin Oriental
Paris (251 Rue Saint-Honor;

mandarinoriental.com).
The Deal One-night stay in a
Couture Suite with breakfast
at Camlia. Highlights VIP
welcome amenity in room;
VIP welcome at the Chlo
Boutique; limited-edition Alice
handbag, medium model in
exclusive stem ginger/gold
savannah. Cost Doubles from
USD 4,360; through March 31.
THE HILLS
SWITZERLAND
What Opera House Special

package at Baur au Lac
(Talstrasse 1, 8001 Zurich;
bauraulac.ch). The Deal
Accommodation in a Deluxe
Room. Highlights Welcome gi
and a selection of fresh fruits
on arrival; complimentary access
to the tness club, free access
to the Diagonal nightclub. Cost
Doubles from USD 710.
COURTESY OF THE OBEROI, MUMBAI
THE CITY
Best Deals
GLOBETROT TING GIRLS PACK AGES
This Womens Day promise to make some time for yourself, pack your bags, and set off with your BFF for a refreshing
break. Whether it is the snow-capped peaks of St. Mortiz that allure you or the inviting sand dunes of Rajasthan, take
your pick from these deals designed specially for the modern woman traveller.
SUN AND SAND

GOA
What Makeover at The Leela

Goa (Mobor, Cavelossim; 91832/662-1234; theleela.com).
The Deal Three-night stay
at the Lagoon Terrace with
breakfast. Highlights Indian
Magic massage once during
the stay; credit of Rs 5,000 to
be used at the salon; airport
transfers; welcome drink;
complimentary usage of steam,
sauna, and swimming pool. Cost
Doubles from Rs 67,000; through
March 31.
MALDIVES
What Spa Discovery at

Anantara Dhigu Maldives
Dhigunolhu, South Male Atoll,
Male; anantara.com). The
Deal Minimum four-night
stay in Sunrise over Water
Suite with buet breakfast.
Highlights Return speedboat
airport transfers; one Anantara
signature massage for two; one
Exotic Island Salt Glow Body
Scrub for two; one Anantara
Signature Facial for two;
one Essence White Coconut
Body Wrap for two people;
complimentary Anantara gi.
48
Cost Doubles from USD 907

per night; till January 6, 2014.
THE DESERT
JAIPUR
What Girl Getaway at Lebua

Resort Jaipur (Jamdoli, Agra
Road, Tehsil Ballupura; 91141/305-021; lebuaindia.
com). The Deal Three-night
stay in Executive Suite on
single occupancy Highlights
Traditional welcome with health
drink; airport transfers; dry fruits
in suite; full-board dining at
the restaurant; bicycle trips,
kite ying, croquet greens, golf
putting and star gazing; happy
hours from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.;
30-minute wellness consultation
with the doctor; 75-minute
wellness yoga session every
day; one 75-minute healing
Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage;
one 45-minute rejuvenating
Indian Head massage; one
60-minute holy basil-infused
signature Sweet Lime massage.
Cost Rs 80,000 upwards
through March 31; Rs 52,000
upwards from April to October.
DUBAI
What Celebrating Womanhood
Lebua Resort, Jaipur

Trip to Dubai with TUI India
(91-120/3300-8888; tui.in).
The Deal Four-night stay at
Fortune Grand Hotel Apartment
with breakfast. Highlights
Dubai city tour; Dhow Cruise with
dinner; desert safari with belly
dance and BBQ dinner; Return
airport transfers; shopping trip
to Dubai Mall with Burj Khalifa,
Meena Bazaar or Gold Souk; visa
charges. Cost Rs 26,250 per
person; from March 5 to May 31.
LUXURY
SWITZERLAND
What Ladies Only package

at The Carlton Hotel St.
Moritz (Via Johannes Badrutt
11; en.carlton-stmoritz.ch).
The Deal Three-night stay
in a Junior Suite with buet
breakfast. Highlights Bottle
of champagne upon arrival;
dinner at Restaurant Romano;
spa vouchers worth USD 430
per person; private shopping
experience with a champagne
aperitif at a boutique; one gold
bath including a gold bath
acon; two aernoon teas;
butler service; transfer to the
Corviglia ski, St. Moritz railway
station, and Samedan Airport.
Cost USD 2,109 per person;

through March.
What Ladies Only Package
at Badrutts Palace
Hotel Switzerland (Via
Serlas 27, 7500 St Moritz;
badruttspalace.com). The Deal
Three-night stay in a Superior
Single Room. Highlights Two
set dinners in Le Restaurant;
one dinner in Chesa Veglia;
oxygen facial, hair wash and
blow dry, make-up, manicure
and polish (140-minutes,
one treatment per person);
body polish with nourishing
aroma oils (50-minutes, one
treatment per person); high tea;
table reservation and a bottle
of champagne at Kings Club;
Ski Pass for the entire region
and transfer to/from ski li.
Cost Doubles from USD 2,679.
EUROPE
What A Taste of Europe

by Globus Family of Brands
(globusfamily.com; 1-800/4253575). The Deal Spend eight
days in Europe. Highlights
Transportation; hotel check-ins;
baggage handling. Cost
USD 1,199 upwards, per
person.
F R O M T O P L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F T H E C A R LT O N H O T E L S T. M O R I T Z ; C O U R T E S Y O F L E B U A R E S O R T, J A I P U R
The Carlton Hotel

St. Moritz
PROMOTION
A ROYAL AFFAIR
As I walked through the sophisticated
Having been seated at a
entrance of Jamavar, the authentic Indian
cosy table tucked away in a
restaurant at The Leela Mumbai, the
corner, we were personally
ambience sent me into an alternative
guided through the menu by
world. Soft and subdued lighting, carved
chef Surender Mohan. And
wooden interiors, ower-laden urlis with
the wait was well worth it,
oating candles, and the faintly playing
as we set forth on a culinary
Bollywood music from yesteryears created
journey from the north to
the ideal setting for an Indian dinner.
the south of India. From the

melt-in-your-mouth gilawati
kebabs, to the creamy and
delicious dal Jamavar that
perfectly complemented
the zafrani pulao; the sweet
and sour gravy of the gucchi
butter masala with the butter
garlic naan, the dinner was an
explosion of avours on our
palate. The Alleppey sh curry
was nicely spiced as was the
gosht ki nihari. The interesting
play of tastes on our senses
came to its logical conclusion
with our sinful indulgence in
a plate of gulab jamuns and
malai kul.
Well-appointed interiors,
the soothing strains of
music, excellent food and an
ever-attentive staff made my
experience no less than a royal
repast. the irrepressible foodie
he land of holiness, artistic

beauty, and natural splendour
leaves the exploring traveller
mesmerized. From pilgrims
to philosophers, invaders to rulers; man
has always fallen in love with Odisha. This
vast history left behind a myriad cultures
that combined to form Odisha as it is
today. The stunning art and architecture,
beautiful handicrafts, exquisite dance and
music, and the colourful fairs and festivals
form the heritage of the state.
THE MIGHTY STRUCTURES

Odisha, previously known as Kalinga
(it was here that King Ashoka embraced
Buddhism), has a history spanning a period
of over 5,000 years. Remnants of this
history stand tall despite the ravages of
time. Archaeological treasures in the state
date from the pre-historic times up to the
end of the Muslim rule in the middle of the
sixteenth century.
The different dynasties contributed to
the artistic beauty of the state. Stunning
monuments relating to Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Jainism adorn Odisha,
making it a popular tourist destination.
One of the most frequently visited sites is
the Jagannath temple at Puri. Dedicated
to Lord Jagannath (Lord Krishna)
the temple was established in the 12th
century. The massive temple has pillars
with carvings that depict the life of Lord
Krishna. People throng from far and
wide to visit the splendid temple. Another
fascinating site is the Konark Sun Temple.
Declared a unesco World Heritage Site,
the grandeur of the sculpture is sure to
leave you mesmerized. The centuries
old temple is dedicated to the Sun God.
Located in Bhubaneswar, the Temple City
of the country, is the Lingraja temple. It is
the biggest temple of Lord Shiva and sees
pilgrims come from across the globe. Then
The Colours of
Odisha
00 SEPTEMBER 2010 TRAVEL + LEISURE
On the South-East coast, by the Bay of

Bengal lies the multihued state of Odisha.
The stunning Konark Sun Temple, the
graceful Odissi dance, talented craftsmen,
and mouth-watering delicacies; all this
and more define the state that has a new
story to tell every time you visit.
PROMOTION
there are the caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri. These caves cut
out of solid rock date back to the 2nd century B.C. and suggest
the influence of Buddhism and Jainism in the state. There are
altogether 18 caves in Udayagiri and 15 caves in Khandagiri.
THE SPECTACULAR HUES

The state apart from its architectural wonders is also known for
its appreciation of dance and celebration of festivals. One of the
biggest examples of this is the Puri Rath Yatra, or the Chariot
Festival. The grand celebration spreads over the summer and
the monsoon months and sees a mass congregation of people.
They collect here to pull the chariots in which the deities are
placed. The procession is accompanied by beating of cymbals,
drums, and chanting of the deities names. The festival, one of the
largest in Odisha, witnesses people gather together for the divine
visualization of the Lord Jagannath.
Paying tribute to the different dance forms is the Konark
Festival. Organized by Odisha Tourism, it features a range of
classical Odissi, Bharathnatyam, Manipuri, Kathak and Chau
dance performances against the stunning backdrop of the
Konark temple. The Mukteshwar Dance Festival is another such
celebration. This festival concentrates on Odissi dance and music
and takes place in the courtyard of the Mukteshwar Temple.
Apart from the numerous fairs and festivals, Odisha is
also home to a huge variety of stunning handicrafts. The
cultural heritage of Odisha is reflected through its vibrant art
forms. Distinct traditions of painting, architecture, sculpture,
handicrafts, music and dance developed in the state during the
reigns of the different rulers.
Major handicrafts include appliqu work, brass and bell
metal, silver filigree and stone carving. Other forms include
lacquer, papier mache, tribal combs, handlooms, and wood
and traditional stone carving. Pipli, near Puri, is popular for
its intricate appliqu items. Appliqu is the embroidering and
stitching of small pieces of coloured cloth with flowers, animals,
and other traditional designs on to a larger base cloth. Exquisite
garden umbrellas, wallets, wall hangings, lampshades, pouches
and bags with appliqu work can be found here. Silver filigree is
another collectable from Odisha. An important export item since
the ancient times, it speaks volumes about the excellence reached
by Odishas craftsmen. Sand art is also an unusual type of art
form unique to Odisha.
THE HEAVENLY DELIGHTS

The state with countless offerings doesnt disappoint with its food
either. Simple yet delicious is what defines this cuisine. The food
is influenced by the geography and history of the place; the areas
around Puri-Cuttack have food that is sweet, imli and curry leaves
are characteristic of the dishes in the region closer to Andhra
Pradesh, while in areas near West Bengal mustard paste and
kalonji are used.
The rich heritage and culture of the state remind one of its
glorious past. They are proof of the ups and down, victories and
defeats of the different rulers that came and ruled; while the
enchanting land continues to mesmerize.
TRAVEL + LEISURE SEPTEMBER 2010 00
Trip Doctor
Q:
PL ANNING
Which companies
offer Europes best
walking tours?
Pariss
Rue Charlot
in the Marais
district, part of a
scenic itinerary
from Paris
Walks.
The
lively Piazza
Navona in
Rome, a stop on
one of Context
Travel's
tours.
london
paris
Fox & Squirrel

Itineraries focus on arts
and culture and highlight
topics such as fashion and
food. foxandsquirrel.com;
from USD 48.
Black Paris Tours

Explore places made
famous by notable African
Americans like Josephine
Baker. black paristour.
com; from USD 91.
Guild of Registered
Tourist Guides
Tours are led by
guides who specialize in
everything from the
monarchy to the music
scene. britainsbest
guides.org; from USD 213.
Paris Muse
Art historians and
educators lead excursions
to museums including
the Louvre and the Centre
Pompidou. parismuse.
com; from USD 91.
London Walks
With more than a dozen
drop-in walks daily, its
perfect for last-minute
planners. walks.com;
from USD 14.
52
Paris Walks
Centuries-old local lore
brings the city to
life on itineraries such
as Paris During the
Occupation. pariswalks.com; from USD 16.
rome
Context Travel
The company has
walking tours in 21
European cities, plus a
robust collection of
50 itineraries in Rome.
Outings are led by
masters- and Ph.D.-level
scholars in such
disciplines as
archaeology and urban
planning. context
travel.com; from USD 75.
Elizabeth Minchilli
in Rome
Food writer Minchilli
leads market tours in
Campo de Fiori and
Testaccio; sample local
delicacies along the way.
elizabethminchilliinrome.
com; from USD 195 .
madrid
istanbul
Wellington Society
of Madrid
Join one of the dozen
walks offered by Stephen
Drake-Jones, a history
professor and longtime
resident. Youll get
his lively perspective on
topics including
Hemingways Madrid
(past clients include the
writers niece, Hilary),
the Hapsburgs, the
Prado and Modern Arts
museums, and the
curiosities and anecdotes
of old Madrid, with
stops at historic taverns.
wellsoc.org; from USD 76.
Culinary Backstreets
Istanbul Eats
Go off the beaten path
to under-the-radar
restaurants, bakeries,
and candy shops.
culinarybackstreets.com;
from USD 125.
Sea Song
Itineraries from Sea
Song, which has custom
tours in 17 Turkish
destinations, are crafted
around themesfood;
archaeology; sacred
places; artisan
traditionsand include
unique experiences
such as lunch at an
Ottoman house. seasong.
com; from USD 150.
AMY FARLEY
F R O M L E F T: D A V I D L E V E N T I ; J A M E S M E R R E L L
Hitting the pavement with the right local guide can gain you instant insider access to
a new city. Read on for our picks in Europes most pedestrian-friendly destinations.
PROMOTION
Jaypee Greens Golf &

Spa Resort, Greater Noida
UBER
UNWIND
ix Senses Spa has opened its rst outpost in India

at Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort in
Greater Noida. The spa chain has been creating
harmonious spaces which blend with local culture and
deliver an unforgettable spa experience for the last 15 years.
Spread over 90,000 square feet, the Six Senses Spa
at Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort is designed in
the style of a traditional Indian house and features
stunning inner courtyards, elegant water features, and
various therapy and relaxation areas. The spa also has an
organic garden which provides a rich collection of herbs,
fruits, and owers for healthy refreshments and locallyinspired treatments.
The three-storey building blends seamlessly with the
beautiful landscape and is a relaxing oasis. The spas diverse
menu represents it's philosophy of balancing all the senses.
It offers nurturing and soothing treatments as well as resultoriented therapies and personalized programmes that help
guests view their spa experience as an essential part of a
healthy work-life balance.
Along with the steam and sauna bath, the Six Senses Spa
also has a traditional Hammam. Originally a Turkish bath
Hammam, Six Senses

Spa, Greater Noida
that includes a beautifying and rejuvenating experience,

the Hammam, dates back to the 16th century. In ancient
Turkey the Hammam was a style of communal bathing
where men, women and children gathered to perform
beautifying rituals on each other within the Hammam
chamber. Deriving from this form, Six Senses provides
the traditional Hammam experience but with the hands
of a spa therapist. Add to the modernized and advanced
facilities, and you have an out-of-the-world experience.
To suit the Indian market, the Six Senses Spa has
private Hammam experiences for singles, couples, and
also small groups of family or friends. They also have
special treatments that combine the rituals of Hammam
with other massages. These treatments combine luxurious
beauty rituals with the benets of the thermal experience,
cleansing, purication and detox, to rid guests of any stress.
The Six Senses Spa also gives special attention to
locally-inspired treatments that use home-grown
ingredients like Golden Marigold, Castor, Asoka, Jasmine,
Tamarind, Thyme and Pomegranate. Ayurveda too
holds an important place at the spa through carefully
tailored programmes.
Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort

Jaypee Greens, Surajpur Kasna Road, Greater Noida 201306, Tel: 0120-2339900, 6743000
Email: reservations.jggr@jaypeehotels.com, www.jaypeehotels.com
Point of View
Project You
As people reveal more and more of themselves online, how
are hotels responding? Peter Jon Lindberg looks at the ways
(the good, the bad, and the downright Big Brotherly) that
hotels are harnessing social media to get to know you better.
HHH. They can

hear you. Theyre
listening as we
speaklogging
every word, tracing
every step. Even
tonight, while
you sleep under
your hotelmonogrammed duvet, rest assured
that 20 stories below, in some
undisclosed location, researchers are
hard at work documenting your
54
whims and wishesLoves biking!

Hates bananas!trying to crack the
profound mystery that is You.
How much do they know? They
want to know everything: your
relationship status, your income,
your allergies, your preferred brand
of toothpaste, how you like your
eggsall those sundry habits, peeves,
and predilections, even the ones you
didnt know you had.
Hotels have always kept logs on
their guests, tracking previous
stays, comments and complaints,

even which pay-per-view movies you
ordered. We write down everything,
admits Karambir Singh Kang, area
director, USA, for Taj Hotels and
general manager of the Taj Boston.
So when the bellman casually
inquires, Where are we off to today,
folks? no doubt your reply will be
fed into your ever-expanding profile.
Sometimes this research can take on
questionable ethical dimensions.
One veteran GM told me his staff arent
above going through guests trash.
But fishing around is not a recent
development. What has changed, in
this brazen new world, is the sheer
amount of data that hotels now collect
on guests, and the often startlingly
personal nature of that data. And with
the explosion of social networking
and our increasingly unguarded
presence onlineprofiling guests
has become a lot easier, and a hell of
a lot more effective.
A rep for a prestigious Beverly Hills
hotel recalls welcoming a first-time
guest to the property. We knew very
little about her before she checked in,
so we searched for her online and
discovered she had a dog named Bo,
the rep says. When she arrived, there
was a little doggy gift waiting in
her room, with a notecard that said
BO MISSES YOU . Creepy? Cute? You
be the judge.
Prying is the new pampering. The
payoff, hospitality executives say, is
the ability to tailor service to a guest
without the guests initiating any
requests herself. Under the old model,
a guest would have to volunteer
that she loves tennis and might enjoy
a lesson. Now, ideally, she need no
longer say a thing; the staff has already
sussed her out and booked a nine
oclock with the pro. As for that quaint
pre-arrival questionnaire they used
to send to incoming guests? Nearly
obsolete, except at the most traditional
properties. Who has the time to fill one
Illustrated by Oliver Munday
out? Besides, for many of us, our identities, preferences,

and proclivities are already posted online, and ripe for
the culling.
For hotel companies, social media has essentially
become a sanctioned form of eavesdropping. Hotels
have trained their staff to be intense listeners and mine
information about their guests. This gives them a whole
new realm in which to listen, says Niki Leondakis, CEO
of Commune Hotels & Resorts (formerly the president
and COO of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants). And listen
they do. At One&Only Resorts, reservation teams look
up incoming guests on Twitter, work-related sites, and
blogs, then draw up detailed profiles (photos included) to
distribute to top-level managers. The St. Regis Bora Bora
Resort, meanwhile, Googles every guest two weeks prior
to arrival. We actually create a little story about them
just a paragraph or soand share that with the heads of
each department at our daily NDA [next-day arrivals]
meeting, says general manager Michael Schoonewagen.
TITLIS ROTAIR
TITLIS Cliff Walk
N EW
ONE
MOUNTAIN
ALLSEASONS
Ice Flyer
Imagine a bright blue sky

and the touch of sparkling
fresh-fallen snow. Explore
the world of eternal ice.
Feel like an eagle and hover
over stunning glacier crevasses. Enjoy snow tubing
at the Glacier Park. Mount
TITLIS is a spot not to miss!
Snow Tubing
Cranks and paranoiacs

will surely see all this
probing and proling as
a sign of the
apocalypse, or at least
a serious incursion into
their privacy
TITLISGLACIERMOUNTAIN
Discover the highest glacier mountain in the heart of Switzerland.
TITLISROTAIR
Ascend to a height of 10.000 feet in the worlds first revolving cable car.
ICEFLYERCHAIRLIFT
Glide safely over stunning glacier crevasses.
TITLISGLACIERPARK
Slide down the hill on a snow tube or a sledge.
(You didnt know they had a little story about you, did
you?) Its not rocket science, Schoonewagen adds, and it
doesnt cost them a thing. The first page of Google
results is usually sufficient. Were not digging into every
last detail of someones lifewe just want a picture of
who they are.
Other hotels invest more money and manpower in
tracking guests online. The Surrey, in New York, was an
early adopter of the powerful Libra OnDemand
software, which aids in customer relationship
management, or CRM. Libra acts as a one-stop shop
for searching guests on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook,
Twitter, and other channels, explains Jos Lema, the
TITLISCLIFFWALK
Enjoy the breathtaking view across snow-covered mountains and

green valleys on the highest suspension bridge in Europe.
TITLISSHOPPING
Buy your gifts and souvenirs at the highest located shop in Lake
Lucerne Region.
WWWTITLISCH
Lucerne
TITLISCABLEWAYS
HOTELS&RESTAURANTS
ENGELBERG
SWITZERLAND
PHONE
TITLISTITLISCH
TITLISGLACIERMOUNTAIN
WELCOMETOTHEHEARTOFSWITZERLAND
Point of View
Surreys director of guest relations. It
gives us the power to get to know our
guests, beyond what theyd think to
share with us. As Lema sees it, guests
are looking not only for great
amenities but also for connection
with a staff that can intuit their tastes
and desires, including unspoken ones.
Previously, we did all our profiling
via manual online searches, and only
VIPs and guests paying a certain rate
were researched, Lema says. Now
every reservation is processed by
Libra. In todays social-mediated
paradigm, wherein everyone lives in
public, all guests can be treated
like celebrities.
This proves especially useful in
orchestrating what hotels call surpriseand-delight moments. So if you happen
to tweet Just arrived @FSLosAngeles
for anniversary weekend! dont be
shocked if a bottle of wine appears at
turndown. (Be surprised and delighted,
but dont be shocked.)
A guests Twitter feed can provide
information that they arent even
telling youand then you can really
surprise them, notes Leondakis. For
instance, maybe the hotel will find out
the guest is an advocate for LGBT
rights, in which case the staff can
personalize the welcome amenity by
including a magazine they would
identify with. Something unique and
personal that says This is just for you.
Cranks and paranoiacs will surely
see all this probing and profiling as a
sign of the apocalypse, or at least a
serious incursion into their privacy.
(Its worth noting that, because of
privacy regulations in the EU,
companies are less likely to gather
personal information online, so these
practices are more common at U.S.based and independent hotels.) Some
may pine for the days when travel
could be refreshingly anonymous,
when hotels were at least purportedly
about discretion above all else. But
would we really want to go back? The
fact is, profiling worksmost of the
time. Who wouldnt want their hotel to
know, without even asking, what type
of pillow to leave on the bed, which
56
magazines to leave on the coffee table,

what brand of juice to put in the
mini-bar? Who doesnt enjoy being
surprised and delighted?
And just so were clear, were talking
about hotels here. Hotelswhere,
discreet as one might hope to be, its
impossible not to leave an identifiable
footprint. Long before Twitter this was
so. You might hang that flimsy privacy
sign on your door, but you cant hide.
You cant turn off cookies. The staffs
eyes and ears are everywhere. (For
Gods sake, theyre going through your
Hotels want to
know everything:
your relationship
status, your
income, your
allergies, your
preferred brand
of toothpaste,
how you like
your eggsall
your habits and
predilections
trash!) Trust me: they know plenty

about you already, and they didnt need
a search engine to find it.
The key, as one hotel manager puts
it, is to act on that knowledge without
calling undue attention to it. If your
profile says you requested the Wall
Street Journal on a previous visit, a
skilled desk clerk will simply have it
delivered again this time, without
comment. Nobody wants to hear the
words And we see from our deep
background check that Sir enjoys the
Journal! No, we prefer to think this

stuff happens by magic, not by design;
that the staff are just incredibly good at
their jobs, not following a computergenerated set of directiveswhich,
frankly, seems like cheating.
Bear with me as we compare your
hotel to Santa Claus. One would like to
believe that Santa knows what
you wantand whether youve earned
itbased on his compassion, care, and
superior powers of intuition. What you
dont want to discover is that Santas
elves have been monitoring your
Google, Bing, and Amazon searches for
gift ideas, then poring over your
Facebook wall to see if youve been
good enough to deserve them.
Of course, theres a delicate
line between intuitiveness and
intrusiveness, between
personalization and, well, stalking.
Consider this curious tale from
New York restaurateur Danny Meyer,
who literally wrote the book on
hospitality. (Its called Setting the Table,
and its required reading for anyone in
the industry.) Last Juneon Fathers
DayMeyer returned to his room at
the Little Nell, in Aspen, Colorado, to
find a framed photo of his wife and
children beside the bed. On the frame
it said Happy Fathers Day from your
friends at the Little Nell, he recalls.
Theyd gone online to find a picture
of us.
To me that sounds neither
surprising nor delightful, but
downright terrifying. Im trying to
picture my own reaction: You hunted
down my FAMILY?!? Leave them
out of this, you monsters!! But Meyer, to
his credit, found it touching.
I almost started crying, he says.
That photo is now on my dresser at
home. I thought it was a genuinely
thoughtful gesture. Look, anyone
can give you a plate of cookies, and
sure, that feels nice. But this wasnt
off-the-rack. It was about
customizationone-size-fits-one.
Thats true hospitality. +
With additional reporting by
Nikki Ekstein
March 2013
In This Issue
THEO MORRISON
58
68
80
90
98
102
Hamburg
London
France
Santa Fe
Mumbai
Bhutan
Driving into the village of

La Compte, 14 kilometres
south of Lake Annecy, France.
57
THE NEW OLD
A view of Hamburg from

Lombards Bridge, Germany.
The old-world grandeur and

maritime grit of this northern
German city are being
refashioned by a spectacular
harbourside building boom, but
the mood is as calm as ever.
GINI A LH A DEFF soaks up the
atmosphere. PHOTOGR A PHED
BY CHR ISTI A N K ER BER
A waschechte Hamburger is not something you eat. Its a

person born and bred in Hamburg, and it was a few such
dyed-in-the-wool locals who put the city in perspective
for me. Hamburg, I learned, may be the richest city in
Germany, but it is not a city that shows off, like Munich;
it is quieter than Berlin but more sophisticated, tooa
publishing and manufacturing centre. The countrys
leading news publications, including Der Spiegel and Die
Zeit, are based downtown. Airbus planes are assembled
here. In the western suburb of Blankenese, once a shing
village, are the discreet villas of the wealthy. The fashion
designer Karl Lagerfeld renovated and eventually sold a vast
Neoclassical mansion here, with views of the harbour.
These days, the city is changing. The Elbe Philharmonic
Hall is under construction: architects Herzog & de Meurons
stunning folly of a building looks like a glowing glacier
recently landed on a dark-brick harbourside warehouse. Its
top resembles a crown. There is no doubt that the concert hall,

when nishedpart of a complex that includes a 250-room
luxury hotel and 45 private apartmentswill be an icon
as alluring as any siren architecture of our time. And like
the Sydney Opera House or the Guggenheim in Bilbao, this
building will draw attention to a city unaccustomed to being
stared at or visited from far and wide.
The new philharmonic is in HafenCity, once a customsfree port zone you had to show your passport to enter, now
the site of Europes largest urban development project.
Almost 50 new buildings have gone up, about a third of
the total planned, by some of the worlds most talented
architects: Rem Koolhaas designed a monumental oating
geometric ring that is to be a science centre. Richard Meier
and David Chippereld have designed office buildings, and
Zaha Hadid is in charge of a promenade link to the old city.
There is a chic new boutique hotel, the 25hours.
y rst long walk in

Hamburg
led me past a string
of museums from
the Deichtorhallen
to the Kunsthalle,
the latter lled
with paintings by
German Romantic
masters such as
Caspar David
Friedrich and
Philipp Otto Runge. The day I visited there
was a dense veil of mist that dissolved only
to reassemble more evenly and thickly,
and I felt like the Wanderer Above the Sea
of Fog by Friedrich, minus the costume: a
gure in tails, holding a stick, standing on
a rock and looking out onto an expanse of
sea-foam as ominous waves break over a
nebulous landscape.
The sea was not far from where I was.
A tributary of the Elbe River travels
105 kilometres to the North Sea from
Hamburg, and the tides are such that a
sailboat can come back upriver even on
windless days, making it a natural harbour.
But the expanse of water closer to me was
Alster Lake. Its reective presence in the
centre of town gives Hamburg an uncanny
atmosphere. The Neuer Jungfernstieg, an
elegant street that runs along the Alster, is
Le: Richard, a furniture and

accessories shop on Wexstrasse.
Opposite: The bar at the popular
Caf Paris.
60
00
Right: The entrance

of the Fairmont Hotel
Vier Jahreszeiten.
Opposite, from
le: Burlesque
dancer Marlene von
Steenvag in the redlight districts Queen
Calavera club; the
lobby of the 25hours
Hotel, in HafenCity.
lined with furriers, jewellers, and high-fashion boutiques.

This is affluent Europe in the form of a civil, contented
society, built on the citys merchants and harbour. The luxury
brands on the nearby Neuer Wall street were familiar
Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany, Mont Blanc, Max Marabut along
a canal by the Rathaus, or town hall, I came across a small
Syrian caf with just ve tables: the Salon de Th Saliba. Its
windows were decorated with neat rows of dates stuffed with
walnuts, baklava alternating with tangerines, and small blueand-white china cups containing chocolate mousse.
The Rathaus, designed by seven architects in the
historicist neo-Renaissance style and completed in 1897,
was one of the few grand buildings left standing after World
War II, and the most dazzling. It has a central tower and
wings spanning 50,000 square feet; there are 647 rooms. The
parliamentary chamber, with wooden panels and leather
benches and tall windows, reeks of European civility.
62
Steps away, its easy to overlook an Art Nouveau faade

built in grey stone around a large arched window, behind
which is one of the citys liveliest establishments: Caf
Paris. Despite its name, this is a venerable Hamburg
institution. At a little after 12 I sat at a table by the
back wall of the brightly lit and delicately ornamented
Jugendstil room. It is full of shimmering glazed tiles,
and two cupolas set into the tall ceilings are frescoed
with pastoral scenesyoung men with bales of hay and
crates of apples; a bare-chested woman accompanied by
two cupids. By a quarter to one, the hall was packed with
a young crowd, talking and consuming plates of steak
tartare, bucketfuls of mussels with fries, and boiled beef
with horseradish, all at a furious rate. My waitress was
a glamorous brisk blonde in her thirties. I decided that
sitting here was the most fun to be had in Hamburg, just
watching the crowd.
HAMBURG IS NOT A CITY THAT SHOWS

OFF, LIKE MUNICH; IT IS QUIETER THAN BERLIN
BUT MORE SOPHISTICATED
amburg once belonged to the

Hanseatic League, which regulated
trade along the northern coast
of Europe in the Middle Ages.
Later, the city welcomed the rule
of Kaiser Wilhelm I, but retained
the privileges of a free harbour.
Today, Hamburg offers a stately,
comfortable beauty without
grandiositysince there were never
any princes or kings, there are no
palaces to be seen. Instead, there
are understated residential streets like the Ise Strasse, in
Eppendorf, curving gently, rising and falling like a wellpaced breath, and lined with well-proportioned turn-of-the20th-century houses whose faades are mostly white, pale
grey, or the colour of custard.
One of Hamburgs oldest neighbourhoods is St. Pauli,

an entertainment and red-light district that originally
catered to sailors. Here, women still sit in shop windows
waiting to be chosen, as in a similar district in Amsterdam.
Other women, such as myself, are forbidden to enter.
Hamburgers are proud of St. Pauli. Nikolaus Hansen, editor
of the publishing house Arche/Atrium, told me the redlight district was so socially acceptable that he remembers
driving through it with his grandmother when he was a kid.
In the early 1960s the Beatles lived in Hamburg and played
in several of the clubs in St. PauliLennon once performed
a set in his underwear and much later stated that though he
was born in Liverpool, he felt he had grown up in Hamburg.
Nowadays, the Reeperbahn, also known as die sndige
Meile, or sinful mile, is geared toward tourists, and an
order of orange juice might come with a lap dance and, later,
a bill for 300 euros.
63
One afternoon, I sat beneath the gentle refracted light

of a large cream-coloured lampshade at the Caf Leonar,
in the nearby Grindel neighbourhood. Grindel is a genteel,
whitewashed, n de sicle residential area that had a Jewish
population of thousands before World War II, before many
of them left and most of those remaining were deported and
killed in the Nazi camps. Some of the names of the dead
are engraved on individual square brass plates set into the
sidewalks here and in other German cities by the artist
Gunter Demnig. The caf was quietI could hear the rustling
of newsprint but not what guests were saying to the waitress.
So what is so Jewish about the Leonar? Not so much
the Israeli hummus or the fact that bagels can be hadin
addition to excellent cappuccinos and an assortment of
croissants, pastries, and cakes. Perhaps the fact that there are
so many newspapers to choose from, and even a few books.
This is a serene place where one can read and think. If a cell
phone dares to bleep discreetly, its owner heads for an enclave
between the front door and a heavy velvet curtain to answer
in whispers. I had tea and toast. The butter and jam came in
dainty white pots.
I contemplated the citys illustrious intellectuals: art
historian Aby Warburg, whose extraordinary collection
was relocated to London just in time; Heinrich Heine, whose
descriptions of Hamburg are some of the most vivid and
who once said that there was not enough holy water in the
world to wash the Jew out of him; Arthur Schopenhauer,
whose family lived in a house on a canal here in the 1790s.
There are many canals in Hamburg, and many bridges
more, they say, than in Venice and Amsterdam put together.
The 17 dark-brick warehouses of the Speicherstadt, each
seven or eight stories high, with entrances from the water
and from land, were built at the turn of the last century.
Some of them are still used to store spices, Oriental carpets,
and other goods.
On my last day, I walked through the botanical garden
and came upon a small and delightful Japanese garden
with a few low thatched-roof wooden constructions. From
there I proceeded to the architect Fritz Hgers 10-storey
Chilehausa building shaped like the prow of a ship and
made of dark bricks with white window frames that stand out
crisply like white collars on a sombre uniform. In the arcaded
ground oor is a fabulous store called Manufactum whose
motto is The good things in life still exist. High-quality
handmade useful objects were for sale there, such as feather
shuttlecocks for a bamboo badminton set, a genuine ostrichfeather duster, three-winged boomerangs made of Finnish
birch, straw birds nests, chamois cloths, pocket watches,
Danish hammocks and camp beds, and a rotating soap holder.
In another downtown design shop, Richard, I found a rened
selection of modern and antique furniture and objects. Then
it was time for tea in the high-ceilinged drawing room of the
Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, overlooking the lake.
The editor Nikolaus Hansen took me to dinner that
night. We went to his favourite restaurant, Engel, on the
64
An evening view
of the arcades
along Alster Lake,
in Hamburg.
The Unilever headquarters, one of

many new structures in HafenCity,
the harbour development.
LO
M
BR BAR
I DG DS
E
INNER
ALSTER
LAKE
KU N STH A L L E
U
N
G
ST. PAU LI
R
L
IE
AL
T
G
NE
HAMBURG
M US EU M
R
UE
AH
RE E PE RB
Gini Alhadeff is a T+L contributing

editor.
Hamburg
OUTER ALSTER
LAKE
G RI N DE L
Elbe River. You drive along the

Elbchaussee and reach a point
where the ferry docks. Up the stairs,
and seemingly suspended over the
water, is a room with no more than
13 tables, all of them with views
of the river. The space is long and
narrow, somewhat like the interior
of a ferry, so that you see the river
close up or across the width of the
restaurant. The dcor is simple
white tablecloths, wooden tables
and oors, which are rocked by
the regular docking of ferries.
The menu is what youd expect
grilled sh, shrimp, or let, with
fresh vegetables, simply served.
Over a leisurely meal Hansen told
me what it had been like to grow up
in Hamburg.
Before reunication Hamburg
was hemmed in by the sea and
by the nearby border with East
Germany. To go to West Berlin
took many hours, between police
formalities on one side and the
other. The alternative was a onehour Pan Am ight. From 1950 to
1990, when the Wall came down,
more than a thousand people
were killed at the borderin the
middle of civilized Europe,
Hansen said. When I was a kid
there were no tourists, and after
nine the city was dark. But the city
changed, became more extroverted
after the war. Still, it kept its
unexcited temper.
Its funny how the day appears
to last different lengths in different
parts of the world. In New York
City it lasts about 12 minutes,
divided into morning, afternoon,
and evening, with four minutes
for each. In Hamburg, the day
seems multiplied by three and is
steeped in the kind of time, between
getting things done, to stop at a caf
and read a newspaper or a book.
After a few days in this quietly
old-fashioned and architecturally
futuristic little capital of
contentment, I could see just what
Hansen meant about Hamburgs
unexcited temper.
R AT H AUS
DE IC HTORH A LLE N
H A M BU RG
BL A N K E N ES E
NORTH
SEA
PORT OF
H A M BU RG
S PE IC H E RSTA DT
H A M BU RG
BE RLI N
E LBE PH I L H A RMON IC
HALL
G E RM A N Y
ELBE RIVER
H A F E NC IT Y
0
0.2 M I 0.3 K M
T L Guide
Getting There
Luhansa oers regular connections from Delhi and Mumbai to Hamburg. Schengen visas
are mandatory and can be obtained from the Embassy of Germany (6/50 G Shantipath,
Chanakyapuri, Delhi; 91-11/4419-9199; newdelhi.diplo.de) and cost Rs 4,338.
STAY
Fairmont Hotel
Vier Jahreszeiten
Luxury hotel located on the
Inner Alster Lake.
9-14 Neuer Jungfernstieg;
fairmont.com. $$
Hotel Atlantic
Kempinski The grandest
of grand hotels in Hamburg.
72-79 An der Alster;
kempinski.com. $$
Hotel Baseler Hof
Comfortable design
hotel in the heart of
the city. 11 Esplanade;
baselerhof.de. $
Park Hyatt Hamburg
A short walk from the
St. Pauli quarter and
the Speicherstadt
warehouse district.
8 Bugenhagenstrasse;
park.hyatt.com. $$
25hours Hotel Ultramodern design hotel in
HafenCity with maritimestyle cabins intended for
short stays. 5 berseeallee;
25hours-hotels.com. $
EAT
Caf Leonar 87 Grindelhof;
cafeleonar.de. $$
Caf Paris 4 Rathausstrasse;
cafeparis.net. $$$
Cox Restaurant
An aer-theatre eatery.
43 Greifswalder Str.;
restaurant-cox.de. $$
Cuneo Historic Italian
restaurant located in the
Reeperbahn. 11 David Str.;
cuneo1905.de. $$
Restaurant Engel
Landeanlage Teufelsbrck;
restaurant-engel.de. $$$
Ristorante Portonovo
Authentic Italian with great
views of the Outer Alster.
2 Alsterufer; ristoranteportonovo.de. $$$
Saliba Alsterarkaden
Main restaurant around
the corner from its tea and
pastry shop, Salon de Th
Saliba. 13 Alsterarkaden;
saliba.de. $$$
DO
Arts & Cras
Museum Houses an
impressive collection
of historical keyboard
instruments. Steintorplatz;
mkg-hamburg.de.
Botanical Garden
Ohnhorststrasse;
bghamburg.de.
Deichtorhallen Hamburg
12 Deichtorstrasse;
deichtorhallen.de.
Hamburg Museum
Exhibitions of the citys
history. 24 Holstenwall;
hamburgmuseum.de.
Kunsthalle Hamburg
Glockengiesserwall;
hamburger-kunsthalle.de.
Rathaus Hourly tours
of Hamburgs town hall
are available in English.
1 Rathausmarkt; hamburgtravel.com.
SHOP
Manufactum Household
objects. 2 Fischertwiete;
manufactum.de.
Richard Interior designer
Richard Lotzmanns
furniture and accessories.
32A Wexstrasse;
richardhamburg.com.
hotels
$ Less than $200
$$ $200 to $350
$$$ $350 to $500
$$$$ $500 to $1,000
$$$$$ More than $1,000
restaurants
$ Less than $25
$$ $25 to $75
$$$ $75 to $150
$$$$ More than $150
67
London
Is the
Capital of
Breakfast
Biryani
Soft-Cooked Eggs
Tapas Bars
Artisanal Cheese
Street Markets
Pea Shoots
Small-Batch Gin
Burgers
Duck Hearts
Food.
By Peter Jon Lindberg

P H O TO G R A P H E D BY J A S O N LO W E
From top: Chef
Ollie Dabbous;
a coddled
hen egg with
mushrooms
and smoked
butter at
Dabbous, in
Fitzrovia,
London.
Opposite, from
top: Texting
over burgers
and fries at
Meat Liquor, in
Marylebone;
breakfast at
Notting Hills
Granger & Co.
honky-tonk roadhouse serving

deep-fried pickles and chillicheese fries. A Parsi caf
straight out of old Bombay.
A semi-secret chefs table,
tucked behind a hot dog joint,
thats giving Copenhagen a run
for its foraged nettles. If you
havent eaten in London lately,
get back as soon as you can
and expect the unexpected.
Over the past six months Ive made multiple visits to
the city, running the gamut of its ever-expanding food scene.
My focus was on new or recent openings, along with a
few old favourites still going strong. As I crisscrossed the
city, three things became apparent.
One: you can travel a long way to eat at a great local
restaurant here. (On, Bermondsey, Clapham, Hackney, and
Brixton!) Todays standouts are often in neighbourhoods
well beyond the West End. You could liken it to the
Brooklyn effect in New York, but a proper comparison
would have to throw in the Bronx, Staten Island, and New
Jersey as well. Still, central London is far from over:
Soho is enjoying its umpteenth revival, and Covent
Garden is suddenly red-hot for dining. Meanwhile, the
buzz has shifted to such once-humdrum enclaves as
Marylebone and Fitzroviathe latter home to two of the
citys best restaurants.
Two: there is no London dining scene, in the singular
sense. Though certain tropes and trends pop up, theres
little to unify the citys food offerings, except that the bill is
calculated in pounds sterling. As with music and fashion,
the culinary realm here has been niched and sub-niched so
much that the options are now near-endless.
Three: few cities on earth offer food this good across
the board. Thats not a judgment; its a fact. Pound for
pound, nose to tail, theres never been a betteror, frankly,
wackiertime to eat here. So which London are you after?
The City of Amazing Breakfasts
What a drag to live in London and have a joba dreary

morning-interrupter that keeps you
from lingering over the days best meal. Right:
Options are myriad: Toms Kitchen
Tramshed, in
Shoreditch,
for the full English, Daylesford for
with Damien
poached eggs, the Wolseley for every
Hirsts
damn thing on the menu. But the
installation
new Granger & Co. is not only the
Cock and Bull.
prettiest breakfast spot in town, its
70
Pound for pound, nose to tail,

theres never been a better or, frankly,
wackier time to eat in London
71
arguably the best. Opened by Australian chef Bill Granger, whose

Sydney caf Bills is legendary for eggs and pancakes, it occupies
a prime block of Notting Hill where geraniums fill every window
box. Sunlight pours through double-height windows, casting a glow
on the radiant crowd, most of whom look as if theyve come from
a morning swim at Bondi. Order an Aussie-style flat white, grab a
paper from the granite-topped bar, and indulge in a platter of silky
eggs, gently folded with I dont want to fathom how much cream,
and served with chipolata sausages and avocado relishor go all out
for Grangers famous ricotta hotcakes, topped with sticky, moulten
chunks of honeycomb butter.
For a more old-world vibe, head to Sloane Square and join the
air-kissers at Colbert, the latest from Chris Corbin and Jeremy King,
the gifted duo behind the indefatigable Wolseley. Theyve taken over
the corner spot long occupied by Oriel, whose food was so lousy that
the buildings landlord, the Earl of Cadogan, purportedly refused
to renew the lease. He turned the space over to Corbin and King,
who upgraded it in the manner of an all-day Parisian grand caf.
With stage-set lighting, Buuel posters, and impeccably distressed
mirrors, Colbert could coast by on looks alone. Yet as at the Wolseley,
the food is way better than it has to be. Order the piquant blackberryand-pear compote atop thick, tangy Greek yogurt with a side of nutty
house-made granola, and your day will be the better for it.
The City of a Million Markets
Clockwise
from top le:
Bnh cun
at Cy Tre
Soho; jamn
ibrico from
Pizarro; the
Little Bird Gin
Bar at Maltby
Street Market;
Kitchen Table
co-owners
Sandia
Chang (le)
and James
Knappett; a
whole roasted
chicken from
Tramshed.
More than Paris, New York, or even Tokyo, this is a city devoted to
the pleasure of ogling foodstuffsfrom the gorgeous fattoush salads
at Ottolenghi to the hunks of Stichelton at La Fromagerie, labelled in
dainty farmers script. Yes, London can be insanely overpriced, and at
times comically precious. (When I dropped into the Albion, the new
Conran caf in Shoreditch, the adjacent grocery was selling seagull
eggs collected by licensed pickers on Hampshire marshes.) Yet for
sheer quality of ingredients, London is hard to top. This is the land of
great milk and better honey, where egg yolks bear the colour of Thai
monks robes.
Then there are the weekend markets, with their bins of Romanesco
and steel-drum-size pans of paella. Borough Market is the big one,
of course. But an upstart has laid claim to the throne. Tucked under
the smoke-stained Victorian railway arches running through an
industrial patch of Bermondsey, the weekend-only Maltby Street
Market was founded in 2010 by defectors from Borough. Its quickly
become Londons hottest block party. On a recent visit, the Comptoir
Gourmand was selling giant pink-and-white meringues resembling
pashas turbans; at Tozino, two young Spaniards were carving jamn
ibrico to order. St. John Bakery was making open-faced sandwiches
with Faeroe Islands salmon from the North London outfit Hansen &
Lydersen, which cold-smokes the fish over beechwood and juniper.
Down the lane at Christchurch Fish, an Albert Finney ringer was
shucking oysters for a queue of 20. Most took their edible prizes over to
the Little Bird Gin Bar, Maltbys de facto hub, run by the small-batch
London gin maker of the same name. Owner Tim Moore started last
spring with just a folding table and sample-size cocktailsbut as the
crowds grew, so did the concept. Suddenly, we were running a proper
bar, he says, still bemused. Intended or not, it works: mismatched
chairs cluster around wobbly tables topped with fresh-cut flowers in
gin bottles. Birdcages hang from the archways. And bearded lads in
jaunty thrift-store caps serve negronis and Aviations in vintage crystal
coupes. Can your market do that?
73
The City Whose Patron Saint Is John
With all respect to Ramsay, White, and Blumenthal, if theres one

British chef whose influence currently ranks above all others, its the
inimitable Fergus Henderson, whose St. John empire has nonetheless
spawned countless imitations. With its throwback-British cooking
and ascetic shirking of pretencein the dining room and on the plate
St. John was an outlier in the flashy, fusion-prone nineties. Today, its
disciples are legion. And nearly two decades on, the original St. John
still kills it out in Clerkenwell. For my money, Ill take a long boozy
lunch at St. John Bread & Wine, in Spitalfields, with the pale English
sun streaming into a room like a public-school caff: rows of coat hooks,
a blackboard, a grid of scratched wooden tables. The chummy English
waiter waxes poetic about the veal chop, then brings you currant-filled
Eccles cake for dessert, which he calls pudding.
It was Henderson, of course, who made London safe again for offal;
now every other kitchen in town serves calves tongues and duck
heartsand, righteous as nose-to-tail eating may be, it can get a bit
same-y after a while. (A man tired of London isnt necessarily tired of
life; he may just be weary of lambs brains.) But St. John also helped
revive those defiantly British, deceptively simple dishes ones greataunt in Leeds might crave, from smoked eel to potted shrimps. Such
are the draws at the relaunched Quo Vadis, the clubby Soho landmark
thats stepped up tenfold since chef Jeremy Lee took over last year.
Spread across several snug, low-ceilinged dining rooms, its a convivial
spot, with a nurserys worth of greenery and a menu that could have
been conceived and typeset in 1876. Bring yourself to order bloater
paste and youll be rewarded with a sumptuous herring pt topped
with a tasty layer of congealed butter to be pierced by a shard of crusty
bread. And Lees smoked-eel sandwich, served on grilled sourdough
bread with pickled onions and creamy horseradish, is fantastic (and, it
turns out, a favourite of Hendersons).
Trad-British simplicity is also on the menu at Mark Hixs latest,
Tramshed, located on funky Rivington Street in Shoreditch. You have
two choices: grilled sirloin, priced by the gram, or a whole roasted
free-range chicken. You want the latter; the steak is just fine, but the
bird is close to perfect, its skin crisp and its meat delicate and juicy,
all the better when dipped in fiery English mustard. And the setting?
A gorgeously decayed trolley shed, built in 1905, with hulking steel
girders rising three stories to a soaring, skylit ceiling. The coup de
grce: a Damien Hirst installation of a bull, encased in formaldehyde,
with a rooster perched on its back.
The City Where Were All Well-Fed

French Peasants
St. Johns influence extends to places where the food isnt even
particularly British. Ed Wilson and Oli Barker work in a similarly
robust, offal-y vein, but take their cue from the rustic campagnard
cooking of France. Theyve built a small empire of their own with
Terroirs (a natural-wine bar near Covent Garden), Brawn (a temple to
pork in Bethnal Green), the Green Man & French Horn (focused on the
wine and food of the Loire Valley), and the excellent new Soif, which
their British clientele pronounces Soyf.
Soif sits on a remote stretch of Battersea Rise that bears all the marks
of hipsterfication: women with Feist bangs; guys in stevedore caps.
The narrow room is decked out with old wine barrels and French bric-abrac; the menu makes any season feel like winter. Ribbons of melt-on-thetongue fromage de tte come dressed with cornichon-spiked vinaigrette
and adorned with a soft-cooked egg, the yolk glowing like a sunset. A
74
Above: Openfaced smoked

salmon
sandwiches
from Maltby
Street
Market, in
Bermondsey.
Right:
Cranberry
biryani from
Dishoom,
an Old
Bombay
style caf in
Shoreditch.
Dishoom feels like

a walk-in sepia
photograph, bathed
in dreamy light
Burger delivery
at Meat Liquor.
Opposite:
Inside Dishoom.
strong, grassy olive oil. And you mustnt

miss the chopped salmon: lightly cured
in beet juice and crowned with an egg
yolk to mix in la tartare. (Egg yolks
are everywhere these days; they are the
ampersands of contemporary London.)
The City That Can

Out-India India
luxuriantly creamy soup of Jerusalem artichokes

is festooned with petals of meaty, umami-rich black
trumpet mushrooms. Basile, the sommeliera
Gallic Ethan Hawkecan walk you through the
list of more than 200 wines, only a handful of
which arent natural or biodynamic. Remember
when Brits drank mostly claret? They dont, either.
The City Obsessed with Tapas
Is there any jamon ibrico left in Spain? Youd

guess not, based on the number of tapas bars in
London, each with a glistening ham racked
up on the countertop. Long is the love the
British have for the Iberian peninsulaand
that love is begetting ever-better rewards.
Worthy newcomers include the Basque-devoted
Donostia, in plummy Marylebone, whose chef
Tomasz Baranski previously cooked at Sohos
estimable Barrafina (which recently expanded to
Covent Garden).
Meanwhile, in Bermondseya slum in Oliver
Twist, now a tony arts-and-media enclavethe
Spanish chef Jos Pizarro has opened Pizarro,
the larger offshoot to his popular tapas bar Jos.
The new space is even more rustic-chic: plank
floors, unfinished beams, industrial desk lamps,
and reclaimed chandeliers. Settle into a halfmoon banquette, order a bottle of Txakoli (which
your server will pour, per custom, from a height),
and dont stop till youve tried the entire tapas
menu. Youll want the girolle mushrooms with
batons of Manchego in truffle oil, flecked with
parsley and chives. Youll definitely need the
razor clams, impossibly tender and drizzled with
Bengali prawns, Hyderabadi biryani,

Karnatakan dosaiif its cooked
somewhere in India, its served
somewhere in London, where thousands
of South Asian restaurants specialize
in countless regional cuisines. One thing you couldnt find much of till
now: the Parsi cooking of Bombays beloved Irani cafs. In the 1960s,
Bombay had hundreds of such placeselegantly worn rooms with
faded tile floors, creaking fans, and a devoted clientele that transcended
class and caste. Now only a few dozen remain. All of which makes the
charming Dishoom, in Shoreditch, such a find. An uncanny homage
to Bombays Britanniathe king of Irani cafsthe place feels like a
walk-in sepia photograph, bathed in dreamy light from Deco sconces
and lamps fashioned from antique film projectors. Archival photos and
old Hindi adverts capture the funky glamour of midcentury Bombay.
Despite its artfully aged interior, Dishoom actually opened last falla
follow-up to the Covent Garden original. (That location, sleeker and less
soulful, has the same menu.)
But Dishoom isnt just a movie-set simulacrum; it also serves
terrific food. Consider its take on berry pulao, the tart Parsi-style
biryani. Ive long pined for one equal to Britannias, and Dishooms
intricately flavoured variationmade with tangy cranberries instead of
barberriescomes as close as any. Theres also a deep, rich, black-lentil
dal, fragrant with wintery spice, into which I kept swirling spoonfuls of
yogurt to create spirals of creamy deliciousness. For those who really
miss Mumbai, Dishoom even serves Thums Up, the Indian Coke. Never
again should one settle for generic curry on nearby Brick Lane.
The City That Ate America
London is right now in thrall to at least a dozen different food crazes,

among them a rage for old-school steak houses, a burgeoning Peruvian
trend, a sudden wave of authentic Mexican, and a welcome influx of
great Vietnamese (the chic new Cy Tre Soho has fabulous bnh cun
ravioli and a knockout ox-cheek pho). But of all the exotic foods making
their way to these shores, the least likely is also the most pervasive:
London has gone mad for American junk food.
You cant swing a Welsh corgi around here without hitting some
jam-packed burger, hot dog, fried-chicken, or barbecue joint. Just
off Carnaby Street, Pitt Cue started life as a truck before going
77
Le: Outside
Quo Vadis, in Soho.
if sloppy integrity. A reckless man

might side it with deep-fried pickles. As
my eyes adjusted to the dim, I noticed an
absurdly gorgeous quartet of male and
female modelsall with butterscotch
English accentsnoshing on chillicheese fries and chugging PBR.
The City of Earthy Delights
brick-and-mortar last year. The pit master does impressive work with smoky,
slow-cooked beef ribs, and the addictive mashed potatoes come laced with
marrow and a sticky glaze of barbecue drippings. (Chase it with an A&W root
beer.) Eight blocks east is the new Soho branch of Brixton-based Honest
Burgers, which sources rare-breed North Yorkshire beef from Ginger Pig,
the citys best butcher. The namesake burger is excellent: an inch-thick patty
of savoury dry-aged chuck, cooked to a properly pink medium and topped
with onion relish, lettuce, pickles, bacon, and aged cheddar. Better still are
the crisp twice-cooked fries sprinkled with rosemary salt. Meanwhile, in
Fitzrovia, the red-hot Bubbledogs pairs grower champagnes with gussied-up
hot dogs (including a bnh m variation with pickled carrots, fennel, cucumber,
cauliflower, and Sriracha-spiced mayo).
Then theres Meat Liquor, currently the trendiest restaurant in London.
Join the epic queue, cross the velvet rope, and step inside a faux roadhouse
soaked in graffiti and blood-red neon. The sound track is raunchy psychobilly;
the food pure, uncut Amurrican. The saucy, spicy dead hippie burger is justly
revered as one of Londons best, with a good bun-to-filling ratio and a satisfying
78
By now youve surely heard the hype

about Dabbous, the 12-table
room in Fitzrovia run by 32-year-old
chef Ollie Dabbous, whos earned
second-coming-like praise since his
debut last January. (Given that London
critics are the nastiest on the planet,
this is no small feat.) I can report that
the food really is that good, even if the
space comes off like an assembly-line
floorall concrete, steel, and exposed
ductwork. You expect to be issued a
welders apron. The servers, however,
are amiable and informed, and what
the room lacks in colour is made up for
on the plates. A startlingly vivid peaand-mint starter celebrates the miracle
of Englands greatest ingredient: a
bright-green pea pure, drizzled with
tart pea oil, topped with minty pea
granita and whole peas in the shell,
their tangly shoots climbing up the
rim. It is the greenest dish youve ever
seen, a bowlful of emeralds. You want a
spatula to scoop up every bite.
Dabbous signature dish, a coddled
egg with smoked butter and wild
mushrooms, arrives in the shell
perched on a nest of straw. Imagine a
Japanese chawanmushi custard, but
tasting definitively of the English soil.
It is unspeakably delicious. Even the
bread course is unexpected: a housemade seeded sourdough redolent of...
smoky bacon. (After baking, the bread
is cooled on a rack above a barbecuing
ibrico ham.)
One can imagine the chef as a boy,
playing in some rustling meadow
or English garden, conducting
experiments on all that grows there.
His kitchen does much the same:
pickling rose petals, transforming
pine needles into a heady consomm,
Much as I loved Dabbous, the place

I keep dreaming about is two blocks
farther northhidden, as it happens,
behind the aforementioned Bubbledogs.
Its called Kitchen Table, and shortly
after it opened last fall, it served me
one of the finest meals in my memory.
Chef James Knappett and his wife,
sommelier Sandia Chang, make a nice
emblem for the new England: he, a
Noma- and Per Setrained Brit; she, a
Saudi-born Asian American schooled
in Los Angeles. They met in New
York, moved to London, and started
Bubbledogs last summer. But its in
the back room, at Kitchen Table, that
Knappett does his finest work: creating
a 10- to 14-course, daily-changing tasting
menu for 19 diners who sit at a zinc
countertop around the open kitchen.
Opera plays softly in the
background; the nighttime clamour at
Bubbledogs is just a faint buzz beyond
the curtain. Chang pours champagne
while Knappett and three sous-chefs
work the stoves. The hand-lettered
menu lists just a single word for each
course (BURRATA/PHEASANT/PASTA/PIG),
playing up the surprise. First up: a
plump Cornish shrimp, served raw,
with fresh dill and frozen horseradish.
It is luscious, elemental, sensational.
The chatter of the room drops to a
hush as we all realize what were in
for: attention must be paid. Knappett,
meanwhile, is as humble as can be,
introducing each course himself and
charming his guests with funny stories.
He confesses to nearly being arrested
while foraging for sorrel and nettles on
national parkland (The cop said, I have
no idea why anyone would want to eat
this stuff, so Im going to look the other
waybut dont ever come back here
again ). He rhapsodizes about the 32
varieties of herbs growing at my mums
place in Cambridgeshire, including
the verbena that perfumes the sauce for
the Scottish lobster. He raves about the
London
MARYLEBONE
REG E N TS
PA RK
HACKNEY
CLERKENWELL
COVENT
GARDEN
FITZROVIA
NOTTING HILL
SHOREDITCH
SPITALFIELDS
SOHO
MAYFAIR
ST.
JA M ESS
H Y DE
PA RK
LAMBETH
KNIGHTSBRIDGE
BELGRAVIA
E R TH
AM ES
The City You Never Expected
samphire he collected on the coast of Cornwall and the Englishyes, English

truffles he sources from a top-secret woodland in Wiltshire.
In an era when restaurant cooking is about too many hands doing too
much with your food or too few doing far too little, Kitchen Table finds a
laudable balance. The pheasant course, for instance: confited leg meat, mixed
with thyme and pickled rhubarb, then rolled in delicate brik pastry and deepfried, like a Moroccan cigar. It rests on a silky pure of Jerusalem artichokes
alongside stewed bonbon dates, and is scattered with puffed barley. The result
is ingenious: complex yet comforting, novel yet deeply familiar.
While Knappett explains each dish, his sous-chefs are already assembling
the next course, like stagehands in the wings, offering us tantalizing glimpses
of whats to come: a snow-white turbot llet here, a tangle of sea purslane there.
The cooks are remarkably youngaverage age 24but maintain intense focus,
working hard to create a sense of play. After three hours the night is winding
down, and the kitchen crew begins to relax and joke around. Strangely, no one
seems tired, least of all the guests. Despite the late hourand the forest of
empty wine glasses before uswere feeling rather energized. So much so that
Im tempted to order another round of the pheasant.
BERMONDSEY
RIV
mixing horseradish with buttermilk,

fashioning nests of hay, garnishing
each dazzling creation with edible
flowers. Its an astonishingly assured
restaurant, and I urge you to try it
yourself, if you can score a tableI
hear there are a few left for 2014.
CHELSEA
0
CLAPHAM
1 MI 1.6 KM
BRIXTON
T L Guide
EAT
The Albion 2-4 Boundary
St., Shoreditch;
albionca.co.uk. $$
Bubbledogs 70 Charlotte
St., Fitzrovia; bubbledogs.
co.uk. $$
Cy Tre Soho
42-43 Dean St., Soho;
caytresoho.co.uk. $$
Colbert 50-52 Sloane
Square, Chelsea;
colbertchelsea.com. $$$
Dabbous 39 Whiteld St.,
Fitzrovia; dabbous.co.uk.
$$$$
Daylesford 44B
Pimlico Rd., Belgravia;
daylesfordorganic.com. $$
Dishoom Shoreditch
7 Boundary St.,
Shoreditch; dishoom.com.
$$
Donostia 10 Seymour
Place, Marylebone; donostia.
co.uk. $$
Granger & Co. 175
Westbourne Grove, Notting
Hill; grangerandco.com. $$
Honest Burgers Soho
4A Meard St., Soho;
honestburgers.co.uk. $$
Kitchen Table @
Bubbledogs 70 Charlotte
St., Fitzrovia; bubbledogs.
co.uk. $$$$
Maltby Street Market
Maltby St., Bermondsey;
maltbystmarket.com;
weekends 9 a.m.2 p.m.
Meat Liquor 74 Welbeck
St., Marylebone; meatliquor.
com. $$
Pitt Cue 1 Newburgh St.,
Soho; pittcue.co.uk. $$
Pizarro 194 Bermondsey
St., Bermondsey;
josepizzaro.com. $$$
Quo Vadis 26-29 Dean St.,
Soho; quovadissoho.co.uk.
$$$
Soif 27 Battersea Rise,

Clapham; soif.co. $$$
St. John 26 St.
John St., Clerkenwell;
stjohnrestaurant.com. $$$
St. John Bread & Wine
94-96 Commercial St.,
Spitalelds; stjohngroup.
uk.com. $$$
Toms Kitchen 27 Cale
St., Chelsea; tomskitchen.
co.uk. $$
Tramshed 32 Rivington St.,
Shoreditch; chickenand
steak.co.uk. $$$
The Wolseley 160
Piccadilly, St. Jamess;
thewolseley.com. $$$
restaurants $ Less than $25 $$ $25 to $75 $$$ $75 to $150 $$$$ More than $150
79
DID
SOMEONE
SAY
A quest for the best fromage in France leads ADAM SACHS

to the verdant mountains of the Haute-Savoie, in the
French Alps, where welcoming farmers, homemade hooch, and
memorable meals await. PHOTOGR APHED BY THEO MORRISON
00
A sampling of (cIockwise
from bottom) Tomme de
Savoie, Persill de Manigod,
and Reblochon fermier at
Jean-Pierre Veyrats farm
near the town of Manigod,
France. Opposite: Aneur
Jacques Dubouloz in
his cheese cave in Annecy.
00
My friend Andy
guns the car
skywards towards
the sound
of cowbells.
We dont need the blank screen of the GPS to conrm that
we are oating through unmapped space in the bright,
milky light of early morning. Somewhere below lie the
carved wooden houses of the Alpine village of Manigod;
stretching out around us in all directions, the crystalline
peaks and deep glacier beds and shaggy, ower-lled high
pastures of the Haute-Savoie.
Like many a spiritual traveller before us, we have
covered great distances and ascended perilous peaks to
seek wisdom from a guru on a mountaintop. In our case,
weve come to ask about cheese.
Specically, we are here to learn the secrets of
Reblochon, that pliable, bulgy disc of buttery pleasantness
encased within an orange-tinted, velvety pelt. Id recruited
Andy for this mission because he is a tirelessly upbeat
travelling companion, because he enjoys his cheese as
much as anyone I know, and, crucially, because of his
proven willingness to gain ve kilograms in a week in the
name of research.
An eating trip through Savoie is not recommended for
sufferers of vertigo, the mountain-switchback-averse, the
half-timbered-chalet-phobic, the lactose-intolerant, or the
weak of heart. (Looking back, it was probably a bad omen
that the password we were issued for the Wi-Fi at our hotel
was Mayonnaise.)
Reblochon we chose because it is a noble cheese, slightly
nutty (as nobles tend to be) and very much at home on the
kind of well-appointed cheese plate that arrives on a silver
Christoe rolling cart, presented alongside funky rounds
of poisses and stately blue towers of Stilton and all the
other celebrated, boldfaced names of the cheese world.
And it is produced, according to ancient and unchanging
principles, solely upon these neighbouring peaks and
valleys as it has been since the 13th century. It is justly
famous, its celebrity protected by the French government
with AOC status to deter identity theft and defeat secondclass impostors. Yet it is a cheese equally at ease delicately
portioned by a white-gloved waiter or cut into thick wedges
with a folding knife at a picnic table on the breezy side of a
mountain by the fat-ngered farmer who produced it.
82
Odis audam, eturia voloriae porate

parumqui si volum et, ut debis
Driving into the village of La Compte,

14 kilometres south of Lake Annecy.
Shopping for local cheeses

at the march in Annecy.
Odis audam, eturia voloriae porate

parumqui si volum et, ut debis
An eating trip through Savoie is not recommended

for sufferers of vertigo, the mountain-switchback-averse,
the lactose-intolerant, or the weak of heart
As good as a well-curated cheese course can be, its
much better to leave the sterile connes of the fancy
restaurant and to trace the stuff back to its source on the
mountaintops of Savoie, at the eastern reaches of the
French Alps. Because heres the thing about cheese: its
never just about the cheese. In some contexts, its a byword
for indulgence, decadence, excess. Want to make something
a little naughty? Melt some cheese on it! In the mannered
theatre of haute cuisine, the arrival of the cheese course
signals a civilized plateau between savoury and sweet. The
more obscure and expensively curated the bounties of the
cheese cart, the more were attered and impressed by our
own good taste.
The real allure of this pilgrimage isnt necessarily that
the cheese tastes better at its origin (though it always does).
And its not just the chance to taste farmstead cheeses
that are nearly impossible to nd outside the immediate
region: a young, tart Reblochon sold around here as Tomme
Blanche; Persill de Tignes, which dates to the eighth
century and is said to have been the favourite cheese of
Charlemagne, King of the Franks.
The point of driving all the way up here to these high
pastures is, in part, the pleasure of the drive itself, the
journey to that particular intersection of agriculture and
culture that is cheese. The history of Reblochon is the story
of the ingenuity and survival of a sturdy breed of mountain
folk. In the 13th century, cattle-dependent Savoyards were
taxed based on the amount of milk they extracted from
their herds. They developed a system of cheating the tax
man by under-milking and then, when the coast was clear,
secretly milking the cows a second time. This illicit second
milking yielded a creamier product that they turned into
a cheese, the name of which is derived from, depending on
the version of the story you want to believe, either the local
patois for stealing or re-milking.
The best Reblochons come from small family-run
operations like the one owned by Jean-Pierre Veyrat,
whose kin have been making Reblochon fermier (smallproduction, farmer-made) and sturdy Tommes de Savoie
and rustic goat-milk Persill de Manigod on these slopes
above Manigod for as long as anyone can remember.
Weve always been here, Veyrat says, surveying his
vertical, manure-lled domain. The cables of a ski lift cross
the property. He wears white rubber boots, blue shorts, and
an electric-orange T-shirt that bulges at his midsection
like a particularly overripe Reblochon. In a silent lm you
could instantly pick him out as a Frenchman: ruddy, stout,
with a mouse-grey moustache that sits atop a wry wrinkle
of a smile and a pair of highly animated moustache-like
eyebrows to match. He looks, in other words, precisely how

you would want your cheese maker/guru at the top of the
Alps to look.
Did you know that our cows eat four hundred and
fty different types of owers here on the alpage? Veyrat
asks. We did not. He goes on to name most of them, I think.
(Cline, our patient interpreter, is not that patient).
For centuries, independent, family-owned producers
like the Veyrats have fed their herds in the summer
months on mountain meadows like this one and then,
when snow threatens, descended with them down to the
valleys below. Its easy to imagine a benevolent God putting
the nal touches on the design of this part of world. To the
standard template of the Alpselds of green thick with
wildowers; white-dusted ridges sparkling in the distance;
air as clean and cold as a drink from a mountain stream
Hed add only one note: more cowbell!
The sound track of the Savoie is the steady, mesmerizing
ringing of the old clanky clarines, the traditional bells
around the necks of every Abondance and Tarine breed
in the eld. Cows without bells here, Veyrat declares,
would be like a meal without wine.
If Veyrat were going to hire me as an apprentice
Reblochon producer, what preparation would I need?
First you need good milk and you need boots! the wise
man decrees, unimpressed with my city shoes. And you
need to own a watch and be always on time! After that, tout
est la technique.
Whenever you travel to view the source of something
you lovewhen you climb the mountain looking for
enlightenmenttheres bound to be the recognition that
youre not really going to get the whole picture by just
poking your head around to see how the proverbial sausage
is made. This is the moment when your hosts mind
wanders to one of the hundred little details that contribute
to crafting the thing in question, specics hed have
trouble picking out and explaining because hes known
them his whole life. This is the moment when its best to sit
down and eat.
Would you like to try some cheese? Veyrat asks
hopefully, when hes run out of things to show us.
We are joined at the outdoor table by his wife,
Franoise, a couple of jovial Belgian cheesemongers on
a buying holiday, a curious orange tabby cat, and one
of the familys two border collies taking a break from
chasing cows. Four or ve rounds of cheeses are cut into
quarters and distributed around the table. A half-pound
brick of the farms own butter is presented and we spread
some of it on bread and eat the rest hand-to-mouth as
85
Right: Jean-Pierre
Veyrat takes his
herd to pasture.
Below: One of farmer
Veyrats Abondance
cows, whose prized
milk is used to make
Reblochon. Opposite:
The dramatic view of
Lake Annecy
from the terrace of
the restaurant.
though it were a particularly creamy cheese. What had

started as a semi-fruitful lesson in the mechanics of dairy
production was becoming a raucous marathon of cheese
consumption and mutually mangled small talk. I dont
remember what the magic word is, but someone hits upon
the idea of asking Veyrat if he happens to, just maybe,
keep some little stash of homemade digestif for his
familys private use. Of course! he bellows, as though
hes been accused of not being a robust enough man of
the land to be sitting on a sizable cellar of mountain
moonshine. Rising to meet the challenge, he and his
white boots disappear into the cottage for a moment,
86
quickly returning with a half-dozen litres

of hundred-proof home brew in recycled
lemonade bottles. There is one avoured
with prune, another of gnpi (a little
yellow-owered mountain herb that only
grows at high altitude), and a piney green
tonic that looks like it contains a whole
preserved baby Christmas tree. Veyrat
feeds us spoonfuls of his wifes homemade
raspberry conture doused liberally with
the spirits. It is nearly, but not quite, 9 a.m.
The cheese on the table is gone now,
nothing left but the nibbled rinds of the
Tommes. We are in the process of depleting
another bottle from the familys stash
(this one avoured with pommes, like a
weaponized grade of Calvados, or medicinal
Rubbing Calvados) when we hear the weak
beep- beep of a car horn through the steady
cacophony of clanging cowbells. A small,
cherry-red Fiat Panda comes bumping up
the rockfall that passes for a road. Veyrat
waves happily and announces the arrival
of Le Taureau Pneu! The Bull on Wheels,
the Veyrats explain, is the warm nickname
of their friend behind the wheel: monsieur
linsminateur.
A convivial man in an olive-green
jumpsuit with a windblown mess of white
hair, the Bull on Wheels pops open his
hatchback to reveal the nitrogen-cooled
tanks containing his special delivery.
Pulling on a single, elegantly long latex
glove, the kind Audrey Hepburn might
wear to perform surgery, he announces
he is ready for business and invites the
whole merry breakfast gang to tag along.
For reasons unclear to any of us, we follow
him into the barn and, still holding our
glasses of apple hooch, watch this routine
but sobering and oddly solemn event.
Wed come to see how this aerial patch of
land was farmed and the culture of a great
cheese preserved, and this is it. The Bull
returns to his wheels, and the cow, looking a
bit alarmed but without so much as a glance
back, returns to her spot on the grazing slopes. It was
time for the crew to be heading down the mountain. Im
pretty sure none of us will ever look at a creamy round of
Reblochon quite the same way again.
The cheeses of Savoie are born in the bracing
troposphere of Alpine pastures but they mature in
the damp, dark cellars of the towns below. Annecy is
the capital of the Haute-Savoie. Its a lovely, affluent
resort town, a 45-minute drive south of Geneva on the
northwestern shore of the placid and astonishingly blue
Lake Annecy. I dont mean astonishingly as a synonym for
really quite blue. I mean you take one look at the deep,
From top: Traditional

tartifIette, served
with local charcuterie,
at Chalet La Pricaz, in
Montmin; rounds of
Veyrats artisanal
Reblochon get stamps
of authenticity.
radiant aquamarine of the water, and the gently rising

slopes of the mountains on the other side of the lake that
seem to have taken on a reective blueness all their own,
and the spotless azure sky, and the whole world seems
to be seen through a kind of blue lter and you are,
honestly, astonished.
Annecy is also home to the areas nest affineurs, the
masters also of the cheese cave. More than a cheesemonger,
the affineur operates a kind of underground nishing
school for Reblochons fermiers and chalky, speckledskinned Tommes and wide yellow wheels of Beaufort,
ageing each according to its needs and particular character
88
until it reaches the precise moment of market

readiness. The farmer-producer is redcheeked, rough-skinned; a hearty conjurer of
the natural affinity between Savoie cow and
owery grass. The affineur is suave, worldly;
part cheese-whisperer, part technician and
salesman. Jacques Duboulozs family has
been in the business since 1950. Hes a lean,
athletic 58 though he looks like hes 28.
Merci, its the cheese, he says when asked
his secret. And so to the fondue fountain of
youth we go.
After an exhaustive tasting session at
his shop on the outskirts of Annecy, we
drive to town with Dubouloz for a lunch of
morel fondue and faron, an ancient and
endangered Savoyard peasant-fortifying
thing made of grated potatoes, prunes,
smoked lard, ham, and walnuts that is
something like a cross between fruitcake
and meat loaf. Dubouloz gives us a tour of
his cheese caves, which are located, like
a spys lair, below an unassuming shed in
the back of his parents house. The cool air
tickles the nose, the whole atmosphere
of these subterranean chambers charged by
the abundant complex, thriving moulds. It
smells wonderful.
Outside, his mother is drying homemade
pte de fruits made from wild myrtilles in the
afternoon sun. Duboulozs father wakes from
a nap and asks if, just maybe, wed like to try
some of the digestifs hes concocted. And
so our afternoon with Dubouloz concludes
as our morning with Veyrat had, with a
long and spirited tasting session of various
homemade elixirs. One particularly pungent
example incorporated precisely 40 stems
of a mountain herb that only grows at such
heights, ladled out of a clay urn that, as Andy
says, looks as if it had been left behind by
the Romans.
Between meeting farmers on the alpage
and their affineur brethren below, Andy
and I settle into a daily habit of getting lost
in one mountain village after the other
and consuming as much cheese as we can and a bracing
amount of hobbyist-produced alcohol. One thing we
notice on our daily drives (after suitable sobering-up time)
is a bumper sticker you dont notice anywhere else, one
that expresses the true religion of the area: IN TARTIFLETTE
WE TRUST. The dish in question is an object of blunt caloric
force, an innitely rich assemblage of potato and thick
batons of bacon bound by butter, sweet onions, and deep
rivers of the thickest cream and buried under a half-inch
of melted Reblochon. Trust is a poignantly apt term as it
applies here, since anyone attempting to nish a tartiette
is trusting his constitution and good luck that hell
survive. And you need to trust that the tartiette maker

takes time and care in its preparation and employs the
vrai fermier Reblochon and not some cheaper substitute
from a collective dairy, as so many of the tourist-tailored
restaurants do.
One evening we drive south from Annecy, around the
lake, and then up to a high peak called Col de la Forclaz
near the tiny hamlet of Montmin. Out beyond the side of
the road, hang gliders are circling the valley at eye level.
From a terrace table at Chalet La Pricaz you can look
down over nearly the entire length of Lake Annecy. We
narrowly beat sunset and as we settle in to an aperitif and
the requisite plate of local ham, the light goes all purply
orange, the long lake making its S-curve below as far as we
can see, the surrounding mountains looking velvety and
lush. With darkness comes the cold, and we retreat inside
to a room lit low and warm with pale wood furniture and
red plaid fabric on the walls. The tartiette lls a round,
low, metal dish. Neither of us can really imagine eating
such a thing at this point in the trip. A small accompanying
salad is enclosed in a sealed jaras if the greenery were
a foreign element that needed to be quarantined. There
is, too, for good measure, a little more of the local ham.
Warily we cut in and begin to eat. Hot, Reblochony, soulenvelopingly rich but miraculously not leadenthis is, as
near as I can imagine, the ideal tartiette. It does not sink
you like a rock, it soars like a hang glider. This is a tartiette
you can trust.
N
L AKE GENEVA
G E N E VA
PARIS
HauteSavoie
SWITZERLAND
FRANCE
HAUTESAVOIE
A N N ECY
A R AV IS R A N G E
L A K E A N N ECY
Adam Sachs is a T+L contributing editor.
STAY
Auberge du Pre Bise An
elegant lakeside retreat a short
drive from Annecy with a very
good Michelin-starred restaurant.
Talloires; perebise.com. $$
Chalets-Htel La Croix-Fry
A traditional Alpine lodge in the
hills with fur-covered pillows and
balconies with views for
kilometres. Manigod; hotelchaletcroixfry.com. $$
L A C LUSA Z
M A N IGOD
MONTM I N
L A COM PT E
On our last afternoon, we make our way up to Ferme

Auberge des Corbassires, a cheese maker and restaurant
in a great old rustic wood hut built against a slopy green
pasture. Outside, owerpots hang from the eaves, a bright
covering of pink, blue, and purple against the brown
wood. A hand-carved sign reads ALT 1500M. Picnic tables
are set with the miniature ovens you use to make the
house speciality, Reblochonnade, a kind of baconless, DIY,
deconstructed tartiette. You melt slices of Reblochon to
the bubbling moulten gooeyness of your liking and then
pour the cheese over boiled potatoes. Something about the
activity of melting it makes the cheese go down quickly,
and soon they are bringing the second half of a disc of
Reblochon and then thats gone, too.
Once again, the GPS shows us oating in space and
the little rental car bumps and scrapes over steep, rocky
terrain. And once again, we sit in the bright sun, admiring
the deep green of surrounding hills and ingesting more
of the bounty of its beautiful dairy products than we have
room for.
Then a familiar beep-beep, and the sight of a moddedout red Fiat Panda bouncing into view. The Bull on
Wheels is making his rounds. He waves, and we wave back
enthusiastically. We have a friend in the Savoie. Weve
become part of the local scene. We dont even notice the
cowbells anymore.
ITALY
SAVOIE
0
10 MI 16 KM
T L Guide
Getting There
Fly to Geneva on Swiss or to Lyon on Air France. Rent a car and drive
48 kilometres from Geneva (GVA) or 129 kilometres from Lyons
(LYS). Schengen visas are mandatory and can be obtained from the
Embassy of France (2/50-E, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, Delhi;
91-11/4319-6100; ambafrance-in.org) and cost Rs 4,286.
Getting Around
The Haute-Savoie region features one of the countrys densest
motorway networks. Renting a car is the best option for exploring.
EAT
Chalet La Pricaz Montmin;
33-4/50-60-72-61. $$$
Ferme Auberge des
Corbassires La Clusaz;
33-6/71-11-34-90. $$
CHEESE MAKERS
AND AFFINEURS
Cave dAffinage Paccard
Distinguished affineurs with
a large selection of farmhouse Reblochons. Manigod;
reblochon-paccard.fr.
Earl du Nant Bruyant

This farmers Reblochonsold
on site by the Veyratsis
worth a drive up 5,000 feet.
Manigod; 33-4/50-02-69-70.
Fromagerie Pierre Gay An
affable third-generation affineur
with a well-regarded shop
in the centre of town. Annecy;
fromagerie-pierregay.com.
Jacques Dubouloz Crmerie
des Marchs This Meilleur Ouvrier
de France owns a store in town
and offers cave tours nearby.
Annecy; cremeriedesmarches.fr.
La Chvrerie dAntan
A young couple making excellent
Persill des Aravis and various
other goat cheeses. Manigod;
33-6/30-84-01-00.
CHEESE TOURS
Purple Truffle Paris-based
Bonnie Brayham can create
bespoke itineraries throughout
the region. purpletruffle.com;
consulting fees from USD 600.
hotels $ Less than $200 $$ $200 to $350 $$$ $350 to $500
$$$$ $500 to $1,000 $$$$$ More than $1,000
restaurants $ Less than $25 $$ $25 to $75 $$$ $75 to $150

$$$$ More than $150
89
Beyond the turquoise clichs and New Age

philosophizing, beyond the thriving art galleries
and endless taco joints and huge Southwestern skies,
GARY SHTEYNGART finds the key to Santa Fe in the
characters he meets along the way.
PURE
SANTA FE
Traditional adobe
architecture
at Santa Fes Inn
at Loretto, in
New Mexico.
Opposite: Tacos
at Tias Cocina.
00
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALEX FARNUM

00
Gleaner, by Jeremy
Thomas, at
Charlotte Jackson
Fine Art. Opposite,
from top: Nouf
Al-Qasimi, the
authors friend and
guide, at home
in Santa Fe; the
historic San Miguel
Chapel, in downtown
Santa Fe.
92
I RAISE THE
STRAWBERRY
BECAUSE IT
WEARS ITS HEART
ON ITS SLEEVE.
Its seeds are on the outside! The strawberry has nothing to
hide! It is the perfect size. It is not too big; neither is it too
small. Nature has created it so that it would t perfectly
in the mouth. If youre wondering where this juicy
conversation is happening, let me assure you there is only
one possible place in the universe: Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Im at a party in one of the nicer adobe homes Ive seen so
far (thar be mountain views), talking to the rugged and
delightfully Swiss-German-accented Sondra Goodwin,
photographer and cultivator of fruits and vegetables, nude
wrestler extraordinaire, and maker of Denim Duffs, an
accessory that mimics the cuffs of denim jeans but is worn
as a kind of 1980s wristband. On Sondras own wrist there
is a tattoo of a blazing, glorious strawberry approximating
the Sacred Heart of Jesus (I dont believe in the Christ, but
I love the strawberry) surrounded by six stars. Why six
stars? You know how there are ve-star hotels? Yes. This
is one more.
Let me say it from the get-go: I love Sondra Goodwin.
And I love Santa Fe. Much like Sondras strawberry, this
small, mountain-hugged burg in northern New Mexico has
nothing to hide, its post-hippie population revelling openly
and gaily in its sunny provincial decadence. The scenery,
the food, the art will always play second ddle to this
delightful collection of people, most of whom are just too
weird to let loose on New York or Los Angeles, where a great
deal of them seem to hail from. When I myself sported a
Honduran poncho with a free hemp now pin as a senior at
Oberlin College, northern New Mexico is where I dreamed
I would go after graduation with my equally patchouliscented girlfriend. Alas, it did not work out. But 16 years
later, here I am, the spotless clouds embracing me, the
cold desert air tingling my nose with the pine-burning scent
of 10,000 expensive kiva replaces. Home at last.
First, the cast of characters. Im dining at the famed Caf
Pasquals, one block south of Santa Fes epicentral plaza,
with Porochista Khakpour, the excellent Iranian-born
93
novelist; Swedish-born philosopher Jason Leddington; and

a woman this whole town seems to know and adore, Nouf
Al-Qasimi. Porochista calls Nouf (rhymes with loaf) the
Holly Golightly of Santa Fe. Her family is from the United
Arab Emirates and Lebanon. Nouf is an accomplished
anglershe rst came to this part of the world for the
shingas well as an ex-food critic, a former elk-meat cook
at a prestigious local restaurant, a Yale graduate, a Chinesemedicine practitioner, and a conict-free-diamond trader.
Of all the places where I could afford to buy a home,
I thought of Santa Fe, says Nouf, who is about to turn 32.
Ive been here most of my adult life.
We are sitting beneath a festive papier-mch sandhill
crane with a pair of binoculars hanging from its neck.
The waiter brings around a kind of amuse-bouche,
Pasquals-style. Its called pig on a datea skewer of bacon,
caramelized onions, Asian pear, Idiazabal cheese, and dates.
It occurs to me that of the beautiful people around me, all
are newcomers to the United States in one way or another.
Whatever one feels about dating a pig, it is hard not to feel
at home here.
The official state question of New Mexico, the waiter
tells me, is Red, green, or Christmas? Meaning should
ones dish be garnished with red or green chiles, or a
combination of the two? We are served chiles en nogada,
which celebrates the colours of the Mexican ag amid a riot
of shiitake, portobello, and eld mushrooms. When tackling
Pasquals breakfast chorizo burrito or nearly anything
else on the menu, it is helpful to ask for the restaurants red
chilessweet, smoky, and as complex as the last Don
DeLillo novel. Nouf also steers me to the lunchtime BLT
and green-chile sandwich, with its chile-rubbed brownsugar bacon on toasted chile corn bread alongside a
refreshing kale salad.
I am organic! a woman was recently overheard screaming
at Santa Fes Whole Foods. Its not a sentiment one can
easily argue with around here. The search for the earthy,
the authentic, the original runs strongly through the towns
citizens. At rst, I am confused by the overall adobe-ordeath aesthetic of the place, even as my lungs are depleted by
the lack of oxygen seven thousand feet above sea level. On
my rst snowy night, with the mud-brown architecture all
around me and the big sky lounging impassively above, I am
shocked to run into a United States mailbox. (Am I really still
in the States?) Within ve days I become an earnest appraiser
of farolitos and vigas (small paper lanterns containing a
candle and wooden beams typical in adobe construction,
respectively). I begin to rate churches. San Miguel Chapel,
possibly the oldest church in the United States, with its
cosiness, simplicity, and warmth, has beautiful vigas. In late
From top: A chicken taco at El Parasol; the Holy

Spirit Espresso coee shop. Opposite: A local rancher
and his entourage on Palace Avenue.
00
November, the weather is cold, the tourists are sparse, and

the town is nearly empty. I traipse back and forth between the
chapel and New Mexicos adorably easy-to-walk-into capitol
building. The pink adobe glow of De Vargas Street, which lies
at the foot of the chapel, may well make it the most calming
thoroughfare in the nation.
After 10 days nothing surprises me. Theres a sensibleseeming middle-aged woman walking down the street
with a parrot she has dressed up in a Santa Claus outt.
Theres a guy who reputedly xes only Mercedes-Benzes
and Wurlitzers. Theres a biodiesel taxi. There are battleweary detachments of women from Dallas and Houston
running up and down Canyon Roads art district, out
to purchase the USD 70,000 life-size statues of heroic
American moose that are sculpted expressly for them.
Porochista and Nouf take me to the gorgeous 1930s
Moorish-style Lensic Performing Arts Center to see the
Circus Luminous, a local circus show that doubles as a kind
of morality play for children. The acrobatics are spectacular,
but the narrative is hard to followa perfect village is taken
over by generals who have small bodies but rule with giant
telescopes. It must be a subtle critique of Santa Fe or Burma,
or both. Nouf points out one of the more capable acrobats,
a burlesque-dancing champion who used to be part of an
outt called the Gender Offenders. The audience loves every
minute of it, but as the show progresses we all begin to suffer
from clown fatigue and decide to leave.
Some of us go off to Ten Thousand Waves, a spa complex

styled like a Japanese onsen, about 20 minutes northeast
of downtown. Ten Thousand Waves is pretty much the
answer to all of lifes problems, and when we show up, half
the town seems to be in attendance. This being Santa Fe,
the communal bath has been known to get randy. A sign
now asks for swimsuits to be worn after 8:15 p.m. We book
the Waterfall, which has a large bath, an intense wet/dry
sauna, and a waterfall sputtering into the cold plunge.
Jason, the Swede, reminisces about his homeland and
saunas past; our feelings oscillate somewhere between
Stockholm and Kyoto. The crisp mountain air, if not the
stars above, settles onto our steam-warmed shoulders, and
all of us are very happy.
Walking through Santa Fes central plaza the next
morning, where a drum-cello-accordion-dog quartet has
been keeping the beat to Hava Nagila throughout my stay,
I feel the familiar languid pleasure of strolling though a
sunny Italian hill town. After a shot of caffeine at Holy Spirit
Espresso, on San Francisco Street, I let go of my East
Coastness and check in to the rich adobe nuthouse that is
Santa Fe. It will be hard to leave.
I walk down to Canyon Road to meet some friends at the
Teahouse, a good place for matcha green tea with ginger on
the rim and a tremendous bowl of oatmeal swimming in
cream and strawberries, banana, maple syrup, and sticky
rice. All around us is 12-step-speak infused with Hopi
wisdom and generalized arts-and-crafts blather. I have
a new anger in me today. I would crochet hats and sell
them at art sales. The strawberry, I want to declare to all
present, as I pick a specimen out of my oatmeal, is the best
fruit. It wears its heart on its sleeve. It has nothing to hide!
Instead I decide to check out the art. Since its opening in
1995, Site Santa Fe has been gradually shifting the centre
of gravity of the contemporary art scene from Canyon Road
to the revamped Railyard district, thanks to its superb
biennial exhibitions. The space is easily the best reuse of
a Coors beer warehouse ever, and has featured important
artists of the day from Marina Abramovi to Takashi
Murakami. The Eighth International Biennial, titled The
Dissolve, blows me away with its take on moving-image art.
Thomas Demands 35-mm wonder Rain recreates the effect
of raindrops falling on a hard surface; spending 20 minutes
in front of this piece is no less than an act of meditation.
The Austrian Maria Lassnigs semi-autobiographical
blend of live action, animation, and found photography
restored my faith in that Alpine nations sense of humour.
Mary Reid Kelleys You Make Me Iliad, a mixture of liveaction performance and stop-motion animation set in a
German-occupied brothel at the end of World War I, dees
any description other than epic. Whats truly great about
Site Santa Fe is its willingness to recongure itself year
after year. For the Eighth Biennial, British architect
David Adjaye divided the space with scrim curtains of
various coloursthe works seem to talk with one another.
Next to Site Santa Fe I nd a cluster of the towns
trailblazing galleries, including a new space for the formerly
downtown xture Charlotte Jackson Fine Art. Jackson
95
ALL AROUND US IS 12-STEP-SPEAK, INFUSED WITH HOPI

WISDOM AND GENERALIZED ARTS-AND-CRAFTS BLATHER
features a delicious installation of Charles Arnoldis Tasty

Spuds sculptures of the beloved starch, a series of stacked
tubers made of black bronze that leaves me both hungry
and more appreciative of large carbohydrates.
At the suggestion of Janet Dees, one of Site Santa Fes
brilliant curators, I pay a visit to Eight Modern, a happy
place off Canyon Road where I encounter 27-year-old
Santa Fe artist Katherine Lees series of drawings, Animal
Violence & Topless Women Eating Jam. True to this title, the
jam-eating women are topless and the animal-on-animal
violence is vivid. Opened ve years ago, Eight Modern is
unpretentious and fun, a modest but inspired gallery amid
a sea of whirligigs on Delgado Street. Even the old-school
galleries on Canyon Road can sometimes surprise. Stopping
by the Matthews Gallery, I stumble upon Gino Severinis
study for his famous Pierrot the Musician, and I also nd
Kthe Kollwitzs Beggar Woman and Child, a masterly
work from the anti-Nazi artist. But what I really want for
Christmas is that USD 70,000 moose.
And then I want me some food. The Santa Fe dining scene
is hopping. Theres a lot of fallback on black truffles, prized
bacons, and the inspirational power of homemade chorizo,
but some innovative thinking, too.
Theres nothing wrong with Restaurant Martn, where
Iron Chef loser Martin Rios (Hes still angry about that, a
waiter tells me, adding, We dont talk about it) makes good
use of local ingredients, the kind of colourful platesthe
organic golden-beet carpaccio couldnt be fresherthat my
doctor has always supported. Restaurant Martn is swell
Top: The Jemez Mountains, near the Four Seasons

Resort Rancho Encantado, outside Santa Fe.
and up-to-the-moment, but at this point what I really want

to do is go on a taco crawl with Nouf.
We leave behind the manicured centre of town and head
down Cerrillos Road. Sunbaked, wide-open Cerrillos
brings to mind the great suburban strip-mall sprawl of the
American West, like something out of the hit Albuquerquebased television show Breaking Bad. Suddenly style has been
replaced with avour; nothing seems organic, but everything
is real. Nouf has prepared a list of 18 notable Mexican places,
but sanity dictates we limit ourselves to nine of them.
El Parasol is a counter-only joint with no tables and no
nothing, but the soft shredded-chicken taco is excellent and
the crisp, intense chicharrn in the burritowell, let me
just say that if you have one pork-rind-and-bean burrito in
your lifetime, let this be the one. At Adelitas, the lengua taco
is the best in town, house-made tortillas brimming with
luscious chunks of tongue, and theres a mole poblano as rich
as Croesus. We dig Adelitas outrageously festive Toucan
Sam dcor and note the absence of Santa Fes ubiquitous
turquoise jewellery, the mostly Mexican crowd joined by a
pair of U.S. soldiers of both genders chowing down without
a word. At Alicias Tortillera, women in drawstring pyjamas
queue in front of posters advertising lots of opportunities
to envio their dinero back to Mexico. What theyre after are
the piping-hot tortillas sporting what Nouf calls a magical
elasticity. The chile burritos are a standout. La Cocina de
Doa Clara is a no-frills place with a dedicated clientele
deep into their food, sneaking peeks of Shakira busting
her moves on the TV. Doa Clara produces an outstanding
gordita de rajas con queso, a little spicy pocket of warmth
lled with chiles and cheese, and a terric desebrada
shredded-beef taco. The green chiles are freshly cooked
every morning, and the difference shows.
Having consumed a total of 12 dishes during the taco
crawl, I feel it is time for a drink. Ive been staying at the
Hotel St. Francis, downtown Santa Fes oldest, its previously
European interiors recently remodelled into a clean and
simple haute-monk aesthetic. The colour palate of the

guest rooms, a hotel note tells me, represents the natural
shades of the churro sheep brought to New Mexico by early
Spanish settlers. Ill just leave it at that.
The best thing about the St. Francis is its bar, the Secreto
Lounge. Here I meet a friend of Noufs, Bill York, owner
of small-batch bitters company Bitter End, who works with
computers all day for the New Mexico state government
and then comes home to make his amazing essences (he
has a masters degree in biology, which seems to help).
He brings his bitters to the Secreto to be mixed by Santa Fes
premier mixologist, Chris Milligan. We evangelize for
each other, Bill tells me, which is something people in this
town seem to gladly do. The result of their work together
is something special. A classic Manhattan with Memphisbarbecue bitters, anyone? Its a complete rethink of that
tired old drink. Or how about kaffir-lime-infused vodka,
green tea, fresh mint, and Moroccan (hints of cardamom
and cayenne) bitters? I believe its called the Clipper Sipper.
In any case, it starts off sweet, and then it burns nicely.
Which is how Im feeling by the end of this trip. Santa Fe is
a small town, but between the bitters, the tacos and chiles,
the art scene, and the fairly regular parties, it can be intense.
It is time to head to the Encantado Resort & Spa (now the
Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado) in the village of
Tesuque, a bedroom community of Santa Fe that is home
to the renowned Santa Fe Opera. The hotel opened in 2008
Santa Fe
LENSIC
PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER
FOUR SEASONS
RESORT RANCHO
ENCANTADO
SANTA FE PLAZA
ROSEWOOD INN OF THE ANASAZI

LA FONDA ON THE PLAZA
DOWNTOWN
CHARLOTTE
JACKSON FINE ART
SITE
SANTA FE
NEW
MEXICO
STATE
CAPITOL
C E RRI L LOS RD.

0
SAN
MIGUEL
CHAPEL
D O ST.
HOTEL ST.
FRANCIS
INN & SPA

AT LORETTO
D EL G A
RAILYARD
DISTRICT
EIGHT
MODERN
TEN
THOUSAND
WAVES
CA
NY
ON
RD
MATTHEWS
GALLERY
1000 FT 305 M
T L Guide
Getting There
There are no direct ights to Santa Fe. American Airlines and British
Airways oer connections via Dallas.
STAY
Four Seasons Resort Rancho
Encantado 198 State Rd.,
Tesuque; fourseasons.com. $$$
Hotel St. Francis 210 Don
Gaspar Ave.; hotelstfrancis.com. $
Inn & Spa at Loretto Luxury

boutique hotel a block from
Santa Fe Plaza. 211 Old Santa Fe
Trail; innatloretto.com. $
La Fonda on the Plaza The
rooftop bar of this landmark
and features one of the warmest and most attentive staffs

Ive ever encountered. Their pleasantness is almost enough
to make up for the fact that many of the rooms look out onto
the parking lot and the resorts gleaming Mercedes coupes,
which, on the plus side, you can borrow (rst come, rst
served) and speed off with into the hills. If you close your
eyes and learn to ignore the parking lot, you will notice
yourself lost amid lavender and the starry New Mexico sky.
The resorts restaurant, Terra, serves up a lean antelope
steak with a heavy bouquet and a strong nish, and a aky,
moist trout tamale. The chef is a proponent of the modern
rustic style, which is well matched by the cheerfully
high-ceilinged dining room and its striking views of the
mountain and brush surroundings.
On my nal day at the resort, a craniosacral massage
at the spa gets my cerebrospinal uid pumping. My
masseuse, the appropriately (for New Mexico) named
Anna Aura, nally gets rid of my two years worth of sinus
troubles. The massage oil, she tells me in that sweet
but strong hippie-scientist voice I hear all over Santa Fe,
contains spruce, lavender, and grapefruit oilI wish
to thank the gods for each and every one of them. Outside
Encantados bar, I stare at the mountainous Los Alamos
lights irradiating the distance just as the sunset explodes
into a spectacular Southwestern reball, my chakras
aligned, my spirit free.
Gary Shteyngart is a T+L contributing editor.
Santa Fe hotel is the perfect place
for cocktails. 100 E. San Francisco
St.; lafondasantafe.com. $
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi
This 58-room Rosewood Hotel is
designed in classic Southwestern
style. 113 Washington Ave.;
rosewoodhotels.com. $$
EAT AND DRINK
Adelitas 3136 Cerrillos Rd.;
505/474-4897. $
Alicias Tortilleria 1314
Runa Circle; 505/438-9545. $
Caf Pasquals 121 Don Gaspar
Ave.; pasquals.com. $$
El Parasol 1833 Cerrillos Rd.;
elparasol.com. $
Holy Spirit Espresso 225
W. San Francisco St.; holyspirit
espresso.com.
La Cocina de Doa Clara 4350
Airport Rd.; lacocinadedonaclara.
com. $
Restaurant Martn 526 Galisteo
St.; restaurantmartinsantafe.
com. $$$
Secreto Lounge Hotel St.
Francis, 210 Don Gaspar Ave.;
hotelstfrancis.com.
The Teahouse 821 Canyon Rd.;

teahousesantafe.com.
Terra Four Seasons Resort
Rancho Encantado, 198 State Rd.,
Tesuque; fourseasons.com. $$
Tias Cocina Traditional
Southwestern food from family
recipes. Hotel Chimayo, 125
Washington Ave.; hotelchimayo.
com. $$
DO
Charlotte Jackson Fine Art
554 S. Guadalupe St.; charlotte
jackson.com.
Eight Modern 231 Delgado St.;
eightmodern.net.
Lensic Performing Arts
Center 211 W. San Francisco St.;
lensic.org.
Matthews Gallery 669 Canyon
Rd.; thematthewsgallery.com.
San Miguel Chapel
401 Old Santa Fe Trail;
505/983-3974.
Site Santa Fe 1606 Paseo de
Peralta; sitesantafe.org.
Ten Thousand Waves 3451
Hyde Park Rd.; tenthousandwaves.
com.
hotels $ Less than $200 $$ $200 to $350 $$$ $350 to $500

$$$$ $500 to $1,000 $$$$$ More than $1,000
restaurants $ Less than $25 $$ $25 to $75 $$$ $75 to $150
$$$$ More than $150
97
A view of the eight-seater communal table at

Seven, the 24x7 coee shop at Shangri-La
Hotel, Mumbai. Opposite from top: The bulwark
column and the grand staircase dominate the
gleaming lobby; the hotel skyline as seen from
the terrace garden, fringed by the banquets, at
the lobby level.
Chinese
Whisper
The swanky, new Shangri-La Hotel, Mumbai,

shapes a divine paradise in the midst of the
busy cityscape. By Shilpi Madan
Photographed by Sebastian Zachariah
n a city packed with ve-star properties, spas and shopping

groves, it is a challenge to create sizeable ripples. Yet the
mint new Shangri-La, Mumbai (from the Hong Kong-based
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts) in mid-town Mumbai does
just thatit slipped into the urban skyline around Christmas
last year, and has quickly grown into an obsessively
fascinating destination.
Shangri-La, Mumbai stands perfectly poisedlinked
deftly to the hip Palladium mall in Lower Parelas a grand
embodiment of intrinsically woven Indian elements and the
signature hospitality of the group. Its spacious driveway is
lined with bamboos and waterfalls, and sets the preamble for a
virtual paradise in urbania. Strikingly so, as the term Shangrila was coined by English novelist James Hilton, to describe a
beautiful, mystical place, in his magnum opus Lost Horizon.
Clockwise from
right: The colossal,
limpid blue innity
pool; each room
comes strapped with
modern comforts
and a view of the
urban Mumbai
skyline; a slice of
calm in a therapy
room at the Chi spa.
Nine shlokas, sieved carefully from the Vedas, nd serene

expression on hammered brass sheets, anked by textured
pedestals as you drive in. The corridor culminates in the porch
thats replete with foliage, gurgling waterfalls in the midst of the
combination of marble and granite, and nine renditions of the
Indian national ower, the lotus, nestling in a granite pool. The
beautiful unison of the ve elements of nature, is in accordance
with the concept of panchatatva to symbolize spiritual calm.
Jaali art, the renowned latticework, unies the six tall pillars.
To the left of the porch stands a quiet link to Palladium.
Luxury is a sustained metaphor at the Shangri-La, with the
interiors done by Wilson Associates, Singapore, contributing
in a huge measure. A hop from the porch into the adjacent
transit lobby crafted in Italian Botticino marble allows you
to breathe in the sheer splendour. Mammoth chandeliers and
gleaming wall sconces, jewelled with crystal by Ritz Morris,
parry with beautiful mirror renditions on the beige walls and
inside the elevator, by local artists from Dholpur, Rajasthan.
100
A swift link up the elevator ushers you into the lobby of the
hotel, as it unfolds on the ninth oor. A sort of lavish secret
with its grand staircase, artfully stroked silver accents on the
walls and palatial lines in mocha and amber. Huge globuleshaped ower arrangements nestle in the centre next to the
dominant beige marble pillar. Straight ahead unfolds the
compact lobby lounge (with 28 seats) with rosewood ooring
and walnut consoles. English high tea with clotted cream
scones and sandwiches comes alive here making it a perfect
location for business meetings. To the left of the elevators on
the ninth level, the banquets are embellished by a painting of
a mammoth tree of life: the expression of a joint endeavour
between the hotel and the hearing- and speech-impaired
children it supports through its activities.
Atop, on the 9M mezzanine level, unravels the 24-hour
coffee shop, Seven, spread across 9,200 square feet, and
Ekayana, the wine lounge, that doubles up as the bar at the
moment. Named after the seven erstwhile islands that made
Clockwise from top le: Ila spa

essentials nestle on shelves at
Chi; keeping the Chinese tradition
of drinking tea alive, at the
Lobby Lounge; plush seating
at Ekayana sets the mood for a
relaxed aair; canvas cabanas
and comfortable recliners stand
knitted to the pool area.
up Mumbai, the all-day dining restaurant sets the mood

for a magical feast, through 3D chocolate sculptures, fresh
macaroons, cookies, coffee and over 40 varieties of tea. Move
in and the dessert bar confounds you with its myriad avours.
Seven interactive stations serve up exotic fare. Mother-ofpearl-sheathed cupboards and prized paintings lead you
into a 12 seater PDR. The brilliant view of the racecourse in
Mahalaxmi, while seated here, is a virtual visual treat. Much
like the Robert Welch Eternum designer tableware.
Next door, Ekayana (Sanskrit for one path) stands marked
by a Ritmuller baby grand piano. It evokes the richness of
European royalty through hand-tufted carpets with scarlet
patterned inlay reminiscent of European castles. The elegant
58-seater lounges unique oenomatic wine serving system
allows holding of eight whites and eight reds, post uncorking,
for weeks to retain their freshness.
The Chi spa lies cocooned on the 10th oor. Plush beds
complete with warmers, inviting Jacuzzi and remote controls
(to maximize the impact of light and colour therapies),

copperware for serving water and pure rock salt for a welcome
foot massage set the mood. Traditional Chinese philosophy,
describes chi as the universal life force determining vigour
and vitality. You can replenish your core chi here through
over 20 treatments in body scrubs, facials and massages. The
combination of Chinese and Asian healing therapies comes
inspired by the mysticism of the Shangri-La legend, especially
in the Chi Hot Stone Therapy and the Chi Balinese Massage.
The inviting innity pool comes dotted with cabanas and
recliners partially standing in water, while the tness zones
treadmills face the green racecourse and offer a breathtaking
view of the Haji Ali Dargah, licked by the Arabian Sea.
As of now, 60 rooms (out of 390) are fully functional at
the property. Each classic yet modish room unfolds across
45 square metres in shades of coffee and white, and comes
complete with designer ttings in the bathroom, a pillow
menu, a concealed mini-bar, quaint side tables with a cracked
egg shell design, et al. Indian motifs run through the bed linen
and the famous tikri artwork adorns the walls.
On the anvil are 32 luxury suites on the higher oors,
strapped with VIP luxuries, and Bulgari amenities. In keeping
with its mammoth personality, Shangri-La will open in
successive phases. The Li Bai Bar (with strains of the Tang
dynastys renowned romantic poet) will unravel on the 37th
oor. Another internationally touted segment of the brand,
the Mekong restaurant will serve up gourmet fare from
the countries its namesake river courses throughChina,
Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The fabled collection of
Chinese teas will be the most sought after brew here. But what
will perhaps redene the denition of luxury is the arrival of
the coveted X.O. Shangri-La VIP Club on this level, complete
with an X.O. suite. 462 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel; 9122/6162-8000; shangri-la.com/mumbai; doubles from Rs 11,400.
101
Heavenly Kingdom
MASSIMO CASAL
Bhutan,
Bhutan, a secluded
secluded and
and still-mysterious
still-mysterious Himalayan
Himalayan nation,
nation, more
more than
t ha n
lives
lives up
up to
to its
its lofty
lof ty expectations,
expectations,
and
and will
will likely
likely change
change what
what you
you look
look for
for in
in your
your travels.
travels.
t e x t &p
& p hotogr
h o t o g r a p hs
h s by
b y c h ristop
r i s t o p h e r k ucway
u c w ay
00
A young girl at a festival in

Thimphu, Bhutan. Opposite:
Tigers Nest Monastery.
00
he teahouse is down a path to the right, through a tall

stand of blue pine and intermittent mist. My guide
Tsewang veers left. Bad news. Its okay if we just
continue on, he turns to suggest. Despite my laboured
breathing, I manage to agree, forcing myself forwards in
the thin, damp air, around the corner of another
switchback soupy with mud, the smell of pine heavy in
the air. I stop to catch my breath and, without warning,
sight at last of some good news on this rainy morning in
Bhutan: our goal, Taktsang Goemba, or Tigers Nest
Monastery, irts with me as a veil of clouds parts. The mist sweeps back in just as
quickly, the tease is gone. But as Tsewang predicted at the start of our climb, Im
energized by the mere sight of the iconic temples, which cling to a precipitous
rock face almost a kilometre above the Paro Valley oor. A few days earlier, we
drove along that valley under a clear sky and, at 2,940 metres, the monastery
looked completely inaccessible, like it was suction-cupped to the sheer cliff.
For now, we continue up the trail, me breathing heavily, Tsewang chanting a
mantra or, for kicks, checking his iPhone for reception. Misty, mysterious
Bhutan: where the eighth century meets the 21st, in an ethereal realm between
Tibet and India. At least I now know that were halfway to our postcard of a
destination, part of the way to heaven. The drizzle continues as we clamber up
to the high point of the trail, a ridge of rock at 3,100 metres that seems buoyed
by the clouds. Here in a makeshift shelter, we light some butter lamps, my rst
prayer one of thanks for the breather. Now, all that lies between us and Tigers
Nest are several hundred uneven stone stairs that descend into a gorge, then
rise abruptly. The clouds part, again the ney, or holy site, appears like a dream.
Just as quickly, all turns back to grey. Down the steps we tramp, down to the
roar of a thin waterfall that drops from out of the clouds. The rain has stopped,
but the swirling mist feels like a Buddhist blessing. I throw my arms in the air
and my head back. Sheer joy.
During the previous week, Tsewang had reminded me every day that we were
saving the best of Bhutan for last. But in a land of superlatives, the bar kept
getting higher. Finally, we arrived. Taktsang Goemba. Even the name of the
monastery becomes a mantra. As taxing as it is to comprehend where I am at that
moment, its more difficult to fathom that the following day Ill be back in
Bangkoka case of trading clouds for crowds. Im wet, my calves feel like cement
and in front of me lie hundreds of years of Buddhist belief that tie this small
Himalayan nation together.
Tsewang rst takes me to the cavethe Dubkhangwhere Guru Rinpoche,
who introduced Buddhism to Bhutan, meditated for three months. Local lore has
it that he ew to the site on the back of a tigress to subdue a local demon in the
eighth century. Since it rst took shape at the end of the 17th century, the
monastery has added a series of other temples and prayer halls, endured at least
two major res and attracted pilgrims, both the devout and the merely curious,
up into the clouds. Here the thinking is that this trek up to Tigers Nest, an outer
pilgrimage, must lead to an inner pilgrimage.
Likewise, any visit to Bhutan has to have a profound effect on you. Maybe its
the Buddhism, not so much a religion as a way of life in this small landlocked
104
The clouds part, the holy site appears like a

dream. Just as quickly, all turns back to grey.
The rain has stopped, but the swirling mist
feels like a Buddhist blessing. I throw my
arms in the air and my head back. Sheer joy
Right: Learning
traditional arts in
Thimphu. Opposite,
from top: Butter lamps
at Punakha Dzong; a
79-year-old smile; prayer
ags in Punakha.
00
00
state, or the smell of burning alder wood and juniper in the air, or the genuine
nature of the people or the unspoiled beauty of the place. All of these are
encompassed in the four pillars of Gross National Happinesssustainable
development, environmental protection, cultural preservation and good
governancethat the kingdom uses to measure the contentment of its 700,000odd citizens, its success as a nation. This endlessly surprising culture will leave
even the most seasoned traveller questioning what he is looking for from his
journeys and perhaps even, without being too romantic about it all, what he
wants out of life. Inevitably, a vacation in Bhutan veers off any obvious map. It
becomes a voyage of self-discovery.
A
From top: The Punakha Valley;
red marks the lead pony
on treks; yak-milk candies.
Opposite: In Paro Dzongs
dochey, or main courtyard.
cross a sweep of rice elds, past white prayer ags apping in the wind on
bamboo poles, within the 15th-century walls of Chimmi Lhakhang,
opposite the temples altar where women from around the world pray for
fertility, I see them. In a dark, conned room I stumble across a group of young
monks. For this handful of burgundy-and-saffron-robed devotees, its the hour
before dinner. But theyre not studying Buddhist texts or meditating. Instead,
theyre as engrossed by the glowing box in the corner as I am by their expressions.
Television. Bhutan was the last country on earth to get a television signal. That
happened in 1999, but today Bhutanese still talk about it as if it were last month.
Reaction across the nation, as you might expect, is mixed. On one hand, every
second passenger on my ight from Bangkok to Paro was checking in the latest
at screen. Yet word on the street, even in this corner of the Punakha Valley,
quickly veers to heavy questions about how television and the Internet, which
was also switched on in 1999, affect what has been one of the most secluded and,
perhaps not coincidentally, contented nations on the planet.
Maybe its not a question of Bhutan opening up to the world, but the opposite.
Earlier that day, my driver Gopal and I were talking about Ladakh. Hes never
been to the north of India, but knew quite a bit about the region and yearns to
visit. Oh, I saw that on the Discovery Channel, he told me without missing a
gear change on our Hyundai. These days, many young Bhutanese want to venture
beyond their own borders. Some get the chance. Almost inevitablyeveryone I
spoke with who had been abroad told me the same thingthey long for Bhutan
and return. You can go home again. At least to this Himalayan country, where the
rst road was built at about the same time a U.S. president spoke of putting man
on the moon, where road signs warn, HILL START BE CAREFUL, or where BLIND CORNER
DRIVE SLOW is followed up 100 metres later with a simple THANKS.
This ongoing battle between the traditional and modern crops up everywhere.
In fast-developingif a town with 100,000 people can be considered that
Thimphu, we drive by a shop called 8-ELEVEN, then, on the next block, another called
24/7, which promises to make your life more convenient. As Gopal questions what
24/7 even means, Tsewang is cracking up, the businessman in him incredulous:
There will be no one going there. Everyone will be asleep! This is a nation where
every man is wearing a gho, every woman a kirathe smart Bhutanese national
dressand, in a nod to current environmental concerns, there are now no-drive
Tuesdays as Bhutan does its bit for carbon-offsetting.
On this late September morning, I rise with the sun. The air is crisp but the
clouds soon part to reveal a searingly blue Himalayan sky. Im up early because I
have a new favourite thing to do in life. Namely, sit on my stone terrace at Uma Paro
with a French press full of hot coffee. The rst of two COMO hotels in Bhutan, Uma
Paro blends into a hillside, each of its 29 plank-oored rooms and villas complete
with a bukhari, the local wood-burning stove, as well asif you want ita
television. Blue pines carpet the hillside around me. Theres a chill in the air and,
aside from the ow of the river down in the valley, all is calm.
I can see across the Paro Valley. Layers of rolling hills ascend high into the
distance, with wisps of cloud skirting each ridge, rising up to Cheli La, the
107
3,800-metre pass into the Haa Valley in the far west of the country. Coffee in
hand, I make a mental Post-it note to visit this place called Haa one day. How
could you not? Its easy to see why Bhutan is considered the trip of a lifetime. And
why, hours after arriving in the kingdom, most are convinced theyll return.
A day earlier, Tsewang and I went off on a short trek above Paro. On the hike to
Zurig Dzong, a fortress-monastery common to Bhutan, we encountered a
77-year-old, her face aged and etched as deeply as the valley. She strode past,
determined, unimpressed with my greeting, kuzuzangpo-laa. Tsewang
explained she was on a two-day fast and wouldnt speak. Yet Zurig Dzong does tell
a tale. The dzong dates to 1352 and acts a protector of the valley below, but was
itself badly damaged in an earthquake in 2011 and, for now, is off limits.
Down in that pancake-at valley, Paro Dzongits proper name translates to
fortress on a heap of jewelsanchors the two-street town both physically and
spiritually. Its sheer mass and 400-year-old white, buttressed walls enclose a
collection of Buddhist prayer halls and a handful of municipal offices, all
fashioned with ornately carved and painted timber. The rest of the valley looks
like a patchwork quilt of rice elds.
After that walk, we ventured north along 13 kilometres of bad road to the
ruins of Drukgyel Dzong, built in 1644 to protect Bhutan from Tibetan forces.
Not far as the SUV drives, but the route veered into another century by the time
we reached the zero marker at the burnt-out fortress. Its here we encounter the
worst traffic in the country and, for once, some rude behaviour. Passing
becomes a problem. A light touch of the horn doesnt help. Were at a standstill.
Then an indifferent donkey moves aside. One horse follows, then another, the
snarl is bypassed and its clear sailing at 30 kilometres an hour to the dzong.
From here, a dirt road now cuts its way further north to a string of 7,000-metre
peaks and Tibet, a two-day trek away.
Those rst-day forays were just a warm up. Once I nish my coffee, were
tackling a more ambitious journey, to Punakha, one valley to the east. Its only
70-odd kilometres, but will take the better part of four hours of grinding uphill
through dense stands of blue pine, then swerving down into Punakha Valley.
First though, we stop in Thimphu. Famously devoid of traffic lightsbut not of
Bhutans dogs who sleep all day and bark all nightthe small capital is expanding
quickly, with new ats being built to the west. Today, the town is alive with a
weekend fruit and vegetable market, vendors arriving from most corners of the
kingdom. Mounds of chillis, both fresh and dried, are abundant, as are fruits such
as bananas and apples, and Im even surprised to spot ddlehead ferns. As
108
Above: Punakha Dzong.

Opposite, clockwise from top
le: Crowds at the annual
festival; a room with a view
at Uma Punakha; chillis in the
Thimphu market; an atsara,
or clown, at the Thimphu
tsechu; attending Thimphus
colourful tsechu.
109
vibrant as the market is, I cant imagine a better Thimphu than the one that
greeted me fresh off the plane. We saw the last day of the towns annual tsechu, a
brilliant swirl of costumed dancing monks, a crush of Bhutanese in their nest,
fabulous silk gho and kira at Trashi Chhoe Dzong, the nations current seat of
government and monastic quarters.
Whether at an annual festival or a weekly market, the vibe around every corner
of the country is positive and no visitor can help but be affected by it. But this is still
Bhutans biggest town. For me, Thimphu is too busy with all those cars and traffic,
Loday, a monk from Trongsa, in the east of the country, would tell me a few days
and a 3,000-plus-metre pass later. I prefer to be outside Thimphu.
So we leave the capital behind. Grinding up to Dochu La, with clear skies, well
take in a sweep of the Himalaya on the horizon. Yet, reaching the 3,140-metre
pass, a thick mist pours in from the easttravel in Bhutan is unpredictable but
never boring. Soaring blue pines, stunted by constant winds, emerge out of the
mist like frail old men walking up the hillside.
After dropping down through stands of pine, r, willow, hemlock and cypress,
we veer left off the east-west highway and head to the Punakha Valley. At the
strategic junction of the Mo Chhu (Mother River) and Pho Chhu (Father River) is
Punakha Dzong, the centrepiece of a nation that denes itself by its fortresstemples and its unspoiled natural beauty. Like other dzongs, Punakha is a maze
of intricate timber structures, and also served as the capital for three centuries. It
is still key to the countrys Buddhism, a fact underscored by the baritone
chanting of monks from deep inside the assembly hall.
Beyond the temple, the road twists north for another 45 kilometres, though to
call it a road is, at best, an exaggeration. Some potholes could swallow a small car.
Our destination, the 11-room Uma Punakha, is perched atop a spur in the valley
and theres no need for staff to say anything as I check in. Im simply invited onto
the stone porch that fronts the glass-and-timber hotel. From here are nearpanoramic views of the valley, and for once in Bhutan, my breath is taken away
without a single step in this rareed air. Smaller and more remote than Paro, the
valleys rice terraces yield to thickly forested mountainsides and sheer rock faces
that appear close enough to touch before they rise into the clouds.
I start to think of the ways a visit to Bhutan mirrors the journey we take in life.
Everything is as temporary as the elaborate mandalas created by monks. Nothing
should be taken for granted. Every day here should be cherished, not because few
ever visitannual tourist numbers are now in the 60,000 rangebut because
each experience is a gift. Then I think Im being too serious. Maybe one of
Bhutans road signs says it best: LIFE IS A JOURNEY COMPLETE IT.
110
Clockwise from top le: A

young nun in central Bhutan;
a Paro shopfront; threads for
weaving. Opposite, from le:
At work in the elds; blue
pine trees.
This endlessly surprising

culture will leave even the
most seasoned traveller
questioning what he is
looking for from his
journeys and perhaps
even, without being too
romantic about it, what
he wants out of life
Bhutan
+
T L Guide
Getting There
Once youve landed in Paro,
youll know why Drukair
(drukair.com.bt) is the only
airline to y to Bhutan: Only
a handful of pilots know
how to descend into the
corridor of valleys that leads
to Bhutans airport. Indian
nationals do not require
a visa though it is
recommended you carry your
passport for identication.
ON THE GROUND
Indians do not have to pay a
mandatory fee, however you do
need to procure a permit to travel
within Thimphu and Paro. This is
available for free at the airport.
Permits are also required for travel
to interior regions. Stay at Uma
Paro and Uma Punakhaask for
room 1 for its 180-degree view
though book an all-inclusive
package through COMO Hotels
(comohotels.com; seven nights
from USD 7,784 and 10 nights
from USD 10,000).
111
Our Denitive Guide to
In the Eternal City, culture is thriving,

neighbourhoods are evolving, and
kitchens are turning out the nest
saltimbocca, salumi, pizza, and more.
By Maria Shollenbarger
Photographed by Danilo Scarpati
00
F E B R U A R Y 2 01 3 T R A V E L+ L E I S U R E
Piazza del Popolo, in central Rome, Italy.

T R A V E L+ L E I S U R E F E B R U A R Y 2 01 3
00
ROME
N
PRATI
CAMPO MARZIO
VATICAN
CITY
T IB E R
RI
VE
TRASTEVERE
TESTACCIO
0.5 MI 0.8 KM
Lay of
the Land
Campo Marzio
Commonly referred to as
Centro, this aristocratic
neighbourhood oers the
best of Italian luxury-goods
shops (Fendi, Bulgari,
Valentino).
Prati
Edging the western bank
of the Tiber River, this lesserknown suburb is lled with
aordable boutiques and
excellent gelaterie.
Testaccio
This formerly working-class
district is not terrically
picturesque, but authentic
pleasures abound in it,
including artisanal butchers,
shops, and trattorias.
Trastevere
The chic quartiere trades
in medieval Romes
most reliable postcard
perfection, from its
cobblestoned lanes to the
Basilica of Santa Maria.
Vatican City
Come here to explore
treasured sites such as
the Vatican Museums
and St. Peters Basilica.
Getting Around
Expect to walk a lot. For
long hauls, try the metro
(atac.roma.it) or a taxi.
Stay
The Couture Suite at

the St. Regis Rome.
The citys hottest hotel openings and longtime favourites.

New & Noteworthy
MARGUTTA 54
Owned by nobleman
Alberto Moncada di
Patern, Margutta 54
is utterly private (set in
an enclosed courtyard)
and awash in history
(Picasso painted here).
But the sleek suites
are the draw, with their
ample sitting areas
and cleverly congured
bathrooms. romeluxury
suites.com. $$
HOTEL ST. GEORGE

Rooms at this 16thcentury palazzo,
restored in 2008,
range from the most
welcoming single room
(French double bed;
large bath with a raincan
showerhead; a lovely
window seat) to family
accommodations
measuring upwards of
500 square feet.
Bonus: the subterranean
spa. stgeorgehotel.it.
$$$
FIRST HOTEL
This stylish newcomer
wont be to all tastes;
the bright white lobby
with its small, overlit
bar and preponderance
of questionable art
lacks cosiness. The
29 rooms and suites
are innitely more
appealingspacious
for Rome, and done
up in so shades
of taupe. thersthotel.
com. $$$
The Classics
ST. REGIS
The former Grand Hotel,
built in 1894, was
completely renovated
in 2000; its 161 rooms
are suitably vast, with
Regency, Louis XVI, and
Neoclassical elements.
stregis.com. $$$
HOTEL HASSLER
ROMA
Rich French silks, gilded
furniture, and playful
frescoes make up the
interiors of this celeb
favourite. hotelhassler
roma.com. $$$
HOTEL DE RUSSIE
With its sprawling tiered
gardens and mix of
earthy pastels and dark
woods, the Russie feels

like a quiet urban oasis.
hotelderussie.it. $$$
HOTEL EDEN
Traditions live on here:
guests are greeted by
a top-hatted doorman
before entering the
opulent lobby, which has
an imposing staircase
with ornamental
wrought-iron railings.
edenroma.com. $$$
PORTRAIT SUITES
Interior designer Michele
Bnan has outtted
the sexy, Ferragamo
family-owned hotel with
black-stained oak, whitemarble bathrooms, and
ice-blue annel chairs.
lungarnohotels.com. $$$$
EYES ON J.K. Place Roma The team behind the seminally stylish J.K. Place hotels in Florence and Capri are bringing
their de blend of high style and genuine warmth to the heart of the centro storico. Expect a late-spring 2013 opening.
114
Shop
Heres where to get your style x.
DELFINA DELETTREZ
Though she hails from a
rst family of Roman design
(her mother is Silvia
Venturini Fendi), jeweller
Delna Delettrezs creations
are anything but traditional:
golden bees oat in resin
bubbles on a stunning choker;
brown diamonds and pearls
are piled into cube-shaped
casings atop a square ring.
delnadelettrez.com.
WONDERFOOL
Proving yet again that
Italians still have the lock on
consummately cool mens
style, this hybrid of boutique,
barbershop, and spa oers
rigorous treatments and
gorgeous guys stu, from
exclusive swim trunks by
Orlebar Brown to unisex
jewellery designs by Natsuko
Toyofuku. wonderfool.it.
SADDLERS UNION
This top-ight leathergoods makerdecades ago
a stalwart of the Via
Condottiwas resuscitated
by a young PR exec with a
nostalgia for nely craed

bags and totes. The shop
displays them as well as the
briefcases and signature
drawstring bucket bags
that made the brand in the
1950s. saddlersunion.com.
LAURA TONATTO
PROFUMI ITALIANI
Rare and adventurous
fragrances are the Turinese
perfumers stock-in-trade.
At the late-19th-century
apothecary counter in the
showroom, specialists sell
bespoke concoctions; in
the back room, interactive
displays educate visitors,
who experience scent in the
context of music, cinema,
and ne art. lauratonatto.com.
PATRIZIA PIERONI
One of the rst presences
on Via del Governo Vecchio,
where her shop, Arsenale,
became a cult favourite,
Pieroni now presides over
a slick atelier specializing
in knits and unstructured
dresses in poplin, lace, and
linen. patriziapieroni.it.
Clockwise from top: The Delna Delettrez

boutique; local designs at Patrizia
Pieroni; a Prince Frog bracelet and Manta
ring from Delna Delettrez.
See Do
J E W E L L E R Y: C O U R T E S Y O F D E L F I N A D E L E T T R E Z
PALAZZO DELLE
ESPOSIZIONI
This 1883 palazzo is once
again the jewel in the citys
cultural crown. Aer a veyear renovation, the more
than 100,000-square-foot
gallery hosts accessible shows
that put challenging works
face to face with expository
exhibits that span centuries.
palazzoesposizioni.it.
MAXXI
Outside Zaha Hadids

maxxi museum.
If the Palazzo delle Esposizioni

is lots of things to a wide
audience, the Zaha Hadiddesigned National Museum
of XXI Century Arts proposes
Romes contemporary art scene is

booming: four venues not to miss.
a more resolutely modern

agenda: solo shows from
rst-rate artists such as South
African William Kentridge
share space with architecture
retrospectives celebrating
talents such as Carlo Scarpa.
fondazionemaxxi.it.
GAGOSIAN GALLERY
ROME
Housed in a 1921 former bank,
Gagosians rst European
outpost outside of London
has become a xture since
it opened in 2007. From Cy
Twombly to Rachel Feinstein,
whose fantastical, multimedia
installation marked her Rome
debut, the consistent ow of

marquee names is no surprise.
gagosian.com.
GALLERIA
LORCAN ONEILL
In Trastevere sits one of
Romes most esteemed
galleries, run by Lorcan ONeill,
an Irish dealer formerly
based in London who brought
with him Kiki Smith, Rachel
Whiteread, and others of
a similarly blue-chip stature.
The shows are all top-tier,
but the multilingual sta is
welcoming to browsers
of all knowledge levels.
lorcanoneill.com.
115
ROME
Clockwise from le: The deli
counter at Ginger; Bar del Fico;
rigatoni with Roman broccoli
and anchovies at Bar del Fico.
Romes Best
Gelato
Gone are the days when
the centro storico
sequestered the citys best
ice cream. Now a trip to
the (near) suburb of Prati
is de rigueur for the most
adventurous avours.
Craving fresh mozzarella? Pizza napoletana? Or ravioli? Dig in.
From the team that

brought Rome Primo
comes Rosti, an
ber-cool pizzeriaosteria in the edgy
Pigneto quarter. Theres
an omaggio a Katzs
pastrami panino, six
variations on the burger
and prodigious grill
options for carnivores,
and a dozen choices
each of the cracker-thin
pizze rosse and pizze
bianche. rostialpigneto.it.
$$
A hybrid of L.A.-style
organic eatery and
ca-trattoria, Ginger
is all bright white tile and
high marble-topped
tables. Indulge in a
116
signature garden
saladthink mozzarella
DOP from Campania
and mixed organic seeds.
ginger.roma.it. $$
Settembrini Caf
is a local favourite
for aperitivi, thanks to
barman Pino Mondellos
creative drinks and wine
supervisor Luca Boccolis
wide-ranging choices
by the glass. The interior,
with its oak-plank oors
and cosy tables, invites
you to linger during
the cold months, and
the sidewalk setups are
perfect for summer.
viasettembrini.it. $$$
Nestled in the
Parione quarter, Bar
del Fico is a model of
success for that elusive
balance of tourist-local
commingling. The
studied casualness of
yore has succumbed to
a mildly controversial
glamming-up. (Why the
bar tabac sign? This
is Rome, not Paris.) Still,
the sophisticated
cocktails and aordable
salumi spreads attract
both the Converse and
cravatta sets. ristorante
bardelco.it. $$$
At Testaccios most
recent hit, Flavio al
Velavevodetto, bells
and whistles are kept to
a minimum. Guanciale,
cacio, and chicory make
lots of appearances,
and the chefs get bold
with meat (oxtail takes

many forms, and theres
a sublime suckling pig).
avioalvelavevodetto.it.
$$$
This alliance
between the
buzziest names in
Romes food scene
brothers Pierluigi and
Alessandro Roscoli and
Cristina Bowerman
recently opened in Prati.
The design of Romeo
is a bit of a bizarre
marriage (a traditional
alimentari counter sits
under spaceship-like
ceiling panels), but the
food is unparalleled.
The pillowy ravioli with
Castelmagno cheese
and pumpkin velout is a
standout. romeo.roma.it.
$$$
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y L A U R E N N A S S E F
Eat
At Gelateria dei Gracchi

(gelateriadeigracchi.com),
its about seasonal fruits
(from persimmon and quince
to mandarin orange) and nuts
(pistachio, pignoli, roasted
chestnut). Fatamorgana
(gelateriafatamorgana.
it) takes the prize for most
out-there ingredients and
comboschocolate-tobacco;
basil-walnut-honey. But the
farthest from town is the
holy grail; at otherwise hohum-looking Al Settimo
Gelo (alsettimogelo.it), the
door plastered with plaudits
from top food guides is the
tip-o to the selection inside,
from vine-inspired Barolo
and plum to Persian-inected
rose water and saron.
F R O M L E F T: M A R K A /A L A M Y/ I N D I A P I C T U R E ; S U S A N W R I G H T; A D A M E A S T L A N D R O M E /A L A M Y/ I N D I A P I C T U R E . I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y L A U R E N N A S S E F
From le: The

garden outside
Villa Sciarra;
the dining room in
Il Caminetto;
marble sculptures
on display at
the Palazzo
Massimo museum.
Local Take
Four romani share their go-to
spots in the city.
PIER PAOLO PICCIOLI
FILIPPO LA
AND MARIA GRAZIA
MANTIA Chef of
his namesake
restaurant in the
Hotel Majestic
CHIURI
Creative directors
at Valentino
Rome has beautiful gardenswe
adore the Villa Sciarra and Villa
Doria Pamphilj. The best way to
explore them is by bike (for rentals,
see collaltibici.com); the path from
Ponte del Risorgimento to Villa Ada
passes by the Villa Borghese gardens.
For the perfect torta di ricotta,
head to Pasticceria La Deliziosa
(39-06/6880-3155). Two must-visit
shops: Iossellianis R-01-IOS
(iosselliani.com), in Pigneto, for
cutting-edge jewellery, and
Altroquando (altroquando.com),
an excellent cinema bookstore.
Tired of
Walking?
I was born in Sicily, but Rome has

been my home for eleven years. I
opened Trattoria, my first restaurant,
here in 2005. A place I often go,
especially for lunch on Saturday, is
Cesaretto (23 Via Pietro Cavalli;
no phone; $$); it has fantastic Roman
cuisine. If Im craving sushi, theres
no place like Shinto (shinto.it; $$$),
a sleek white and grey restaurant in
the centro storico. Im also a big fan
of Il Caminetto (89 Viale Parioli;
caminettoroma.com; $$$). It opened in
1959 and still draws crowds, thanks
to its classic regional dishes.
Explore the citys sights

and sounds on a bicycle tour
with Bici & Baci (bicibaci.
com), which includes
a cruise of the Via dei
Coronari and Piazza Navona,
with stops at gelaterie.
Consider a bespoke
chaueured excursion to
Romes shopping,
gastronomic, or cultural
highlights with Italy
Hotline (italyhotline.com).
CHRISTOPHER S.
CELENZA
Director, American
Academy in Rome
One of my favourite sites in the city is
the ancient Roman frescoed dining
room in the Palazzo Massimo
museum (archeoroma.beniculturali.
it), near Termini station. The frescoes
are stunning and evocative and
transport you back in time to that
culture. Another, of a very different
era, is the Copped district, around
Piazza Mincio, which has amazing
early-1900s houses with great
flourishes, all built by Gino Copped.
For excellent pizza, cooked in an
open oven, dont miss Ai Marmi, in
Trastevere (39-06/580-0919; $$).
With Scooteroma
(scooteroma.com), you
can take in the major
landmarks from the back
of a scooter; choose the
Roamin Holiday trip for
a ride on a vintage Vespa.
117
PROMOTION
To raise awareness about and garner

resources for the Indian Head Injury
Foundation (IHIF), HH Maharaja
Gaj Singhji of Jodhpur, its Founding
Chairman, is organizing the Jodhpur
One World Retreat from 8th-10th
March. This one-of-a-kind event will see
his associates and luminaries from the
medical world assemble in Jodhpur for the
three-day seminar that will take place at
select venues in the city. While the Beautiful
Mind conference will take place on the
lakeside promenade of the Bal Samand
Lake Palace, the stunning Mehrangarh
Fort will host The Indian Rhapsody titled
Nari: A Celebration of The Indian Woman,
with an internationally renowned light
specialist from Australia. The evening will
see guests gather at the glittering Umaid
Bhawan Palace for an auction of treasures
from Princely India by Bid and Hammer,
cocktails and dinner, and an after party.
The gardens of the beautiful palace will
play host to a concert by Sting.
The event will have royals from around
the world in full attendance. TMs the
King and Queen of Bhutan, HRH Prince
Andrew (The Duke of York), HH The
Prince Hussain Aga Khan, HSH Prince
Albert of Monaco, HM King Gyanendra
of Nepal, and members of the Kuwait

and Dubai royal families are expected.
Attendees from the corporate world will
include Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Sunil
Mittal, Anil Aggarwal, Atul Punj, Niraj
Bajaj, Sunita Reddy, and Pramik and
Mukheeta Jhaveri, among others.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Health
Minister, Rahul Gandhi, Arun Jaitley,
Vasundhara Raje, P Chidambaram,
Salman Khurshid, RPN Singh, and
Former President Abdul Kalam have
also been invited. Journalist and social
commentator Jemima Khan, Hollywood
producer Lili Zanuck and actor Forrest
Whitaker are also expected at the event.
THE MISSION
To reduce the incidence of head injuries,
improve the outcome of treatment, and
enhance the lives of survivors, the IHIF
aims to develop The Yuvraj Shivraj
Neuro-Science Centre. The centre will
coordinate and run programmes with
governments, NGOs and hospitals, and
will also hold in-house workshops. It
will study population surveys, conduct
prevention outreach programmes, and
run a Neuro-Rehabilitation Centre. It will
also have a guesthouse for visiting doctors.
The Jodhpur One World

Retreat will raise critical
awareness and resources for the
Indian Head Injury Foundation; a
challenge and mission very close to
my heart. The grand nale will of
course be my friend, Stings concert
in Umaid Bhawan Palace; but
there will be other very interesting
and meaningful events too, at the
Mehrangarh Fort and Bal Samand
Lake Palace, that will showcase
the very best of Jodhpur.
F R O M T O P L E F T: S A M E E R P A R E K H ; A R T E R R A P I C T U R E L I B R A R Y/A L A M Y/ I N D I A P I C T U R E
Creating Awareness,
Saving Lives!
His Highness, Maharaja Gaj

Singh II of Jodhpur, Founder
Chairman of the Indian Head
Injury Foundation
STRATEGIES
Six Tips Before You Rent 40 All-Star Villa Agencies How to Read a Listing
T+Ls Global Guide to
Villa Rentals
COURTESY OF WHITE KEY VILL AS
Whether youre
looking for a Tuscan
farmhouse, a seaside
cottage on Maui, or
a cosy flat in London,
youll find your
dream escape on
the following pages.
PLUS What you
need to know before
you book, the
40 best agencies,
how to decipher a
listing, and more.
By Bree Sposato
USD
540
per night,
per room
The seven-bedroom
Villa Aethra, in
Corfu, Greece, from
White Key Villas.
Illustrated by Vivienne Flesher
119
STRATEGIES
Villa Rentals
715
per night,
per room
6 Essential Tips Before You Rent

1 | know what you want
The rst step is to identify what kind of
renter you are. Each booking method,
whether a for-rent-by-owner website,
a club, or a brick-and-mortar agency,
has its advantages (see Villa Rentals:
Three Ways below). Working with an
agency can cost more than dealing
directly with an owner, but the search
tends to be less labour-intensive
and you can feel secure knowing the
property has been vetted. Plus, you will
often get hotel-style services (concierge;
butler) and on-the-ground support.
2 | do your homework
Whenever possible, read guest
reviewsnot only on the agencys
website but also (if available) on rental
sites such as FlipKey, TripAdvisor,
and VRBO. You can also do your own
sleuthing on Google Earth and Street
View, which let you check out exterior
images of the property, as well as
nearby supermarkets, metro stations,
restaurants, and more.
120
3 | pick up the phone

Web research is useful, but its essential
to speak directly to an agent to get the
best match. Good agents have personal
knowledge of their properties and can
answer less obvious questions, such as,
Does the villa have many steps? Are
all bedrooms equal in size? Is there
any current construction nearby? Be
sure to discuss whether services are
included or require a fee.
4 | take advantage of perks
The sale of vacation homes in the
United States rose by 7 percent in
Tower of Lethendy, with eight

bedrooms, near Perth, Scotland;
from Loyd & Townsend Rose.
2011and a full 91 percent of buyers

planned to rent their new property
within 12 months, according to a recent
study by the U.S. National Association
of Realtors and HomeAway. Increased
supply can mean better deals, and
rental agencies will often throw in
extras to stay competitive. Ask whether
the owner is willing to sweeten the
deal with free housekeeping, a private
chef, or use of a car. You might also be
able to get discounts for extended stays
or lower rates during shoulder season.
5 | make it official
Always sign a contract when renting
a villait will protect you, the owner,
and the agent. A good contract outlines
policies on cancellation, the security
deposit, property damage, and what
would constitute an unsatisfactory
stay. It should also spell out what is
and isnt included in the price, such as
air-conditioning, international phone
calls, electricity, and heating the pool.
6 | consider buying
travel insurance
Renting a villa can offer good
value, but its still a big investment.
Insurance policies vary: look for one
that covers cancellation because of an
emergency (in case you need to get your
nonrefundable deposit back). Compare
plans at insuremytrip.com.
VILLA RENTALS: THREE WAYS
rent-by-owner sites
Websites such as FlipKey, VRBO,

HomeAway, and Airbnb, all of
which have tens of thousands of
listings, can save you money, but
you probably wont get the
services and insider information
that you would receive from a
traditional agency.
clubs
A new crop of companies

including Inspirato, Portico, and
Getaway 2 Give Collection (G2G)
use a club-style model: clients
pay annual dues (USD 2,500 to
USD 5,000) on top of a hefty
initiation fee (up to USD 15,000)
in exchange for discounted
rentals and perks such as
concierges and housekeeping.
agencies
Agents act as middlemen

between villa owners and renters,
and they often list exclusive
properties. The agent uses your
criterianumber of rooms,
amenities, level of service, local
activities, and moreto come
up with the best match in your
price range.
COU RT ESY OF LOY D & TOW NSEN D ROSE
USD
C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F T H I N K S I C I LY; C O U R T E S Y O F S U Z A N N E B . C O H E N & A S S O C I AT E S ; C O U R T E S Y O F S I M P S O N T R A V E L ; C O U R T E S Y O F H O S T E D V I L L A S
40 All-Star
Agencies
Europe
UNITED KINGDOM
1. London Perfect
Most of Sarah Conways
32 apartments and
houses are exclusive,
and theyre located
in some of the citys
best neighbourhoods
(Kensington, Notting
Hill, Chelsea, and
Mayfair, among others).
The companys regularly
updated blog shares
the teams latest finds.
Standout The sleek,
white-and-beige
Hornton House is
situated on a bustling
Kensington street
(three bedrooms;
USD 3,692 a week).
londonperfect.com.
2. Loyd &
Townsend Rose
All 62 Victorian manses,
castles, and cosy
cottages in England,
Scotland, and Ireland
are fully staffed. Agents
are more than happy to
help you arrange, say, a
private tour of Althorp,
the childhood home of
Princess Diana.
Standout Just 15
minutes north of Perth,
the Scottish Tower of
Lethendy, which dates
back to 1570, is
surrounded by 50 acres
of gardens. The price
includes all meals and a
full bar for up to 16
people (eight bedrooms;
USD 39,967 a week).
44-1835/824-642;
ltr.co.uk.
3. Suzanne
B. Cohen &
Associates
The founder has
personally inspected
each of the companys
342 manor houses,
cottages, and
apartments, which are
scattered throughout
the British countryside.
The company also has a
strong portfolio in Italy.
Standout In Englands
USD
USD
per night,
per room
per night,
per room
190
80
Cotswolds, the 17 thcentury, three-story

Broadwell Farm sits on
280 working acres
(five bedrooms;
USD 2,779 a week).
1-207/622-0743;
villaeurope.com.
IRELAND
4. Adams & Butler
Siobhan Byrne-Learats
team of 10 manages a
private portfolio of
150 castles and houses
owned by aristocracy
throughout Ireland
and has a knack for
arranging excursions
based on themes such as
gardens or antiques. The
company also has listings
in Scotland, England,
and Kenya.
Standout The 1780
Shanagarry House has
a large kitchen and is
located next to the famed
Ballymaloe Cookery
School, in County Cork
(six bedrooms; USD 4,550
a week). irishluxury.com.
SPAIN
5. El Sol Villas
Andalusia, Catalonia,
the Basque Country,
the Costa Brava, and
IbizaMary Vaira has
scoured each destination
to handpick this
collection of haciendas,
apartments, and castles
(she also has several
Italy listings). Coming
soon: Butler at the Door,
a service that will fully
staff your villa upon
request.
Standout Masa Antonio
manor, just a half-hour
from Barcelona in Sitges,
dates back 250 years and
has a 1,700-square-foot
swimming pool flanked
by wooden lounge chairs
(10 bedrooms; USD 9,000
a week). elsolvillas.com.
6. Spain Select
More than 300

propertieschic
apartments in Madrid;
Mediterranean-facing
villas in Ibizaare
hidden away in the
The seven-bedroom Baia dei Turchi,

near Siracusa, Sicily; Think Sicily.
Broadwell Farm, a five-bedroom

retreat in Englands Cotswolds;
Suzanne B. Cohen & Associates.
USD
USD
240
435
per night,
per room
Bastide de Ventoux, with six bedrooms,

in Provence, France; Hosted Villas.
countrys most beautiful

corners. Airport transfers
and pre-arrival grocery
shopping are standard,
and each villa is attended
by a property manager
who lives nearby.
Standout The classic
Andalusian-style
Carmen de los Moriscos,
in Granada, looks
directly on the Alhambra
palace (three bedrooms;
USD 2,520 a week).
34/91-523-7451; spainselect.com.
FRANCE
7. Hosted Villas
Each of the 45 villas in

Provence, Aquitaine,
the Loire Valley, and
Burgundy has a local
host who will offer you
insider tips on, say, the
best places to eat or the
ideal time to visit the
local market. Agents are
candid about whats not
shown in photos, such as
nearby church bells that
chime on the hour.
Standout In a Provenal
hilltop village, the fourstorey stone Bastide de
Ventoux has wraparound
terraces and an
A note on pricing Rates given are for high season; they oen drop dramatically in low season.
per night,
per room
The beachside, four-bedroom Firefly

in Islamlar, Turkey; Simpson Travel.
elevator (six bedrooms;

USD 18,300 a week).
hostedvillas.com.
8. Guest
Apartment
Services Paris
This collections 60
stylish properties (many
of them affordable
studios) are located in
historic neighbourhoods,
primarily le St.-Louis;
most face courtyard
gardens or shop-lined
streets.
Standout The balcony
of the classically
decorated Acacia
overlooks the Seine with
views of Notre Dame
(studio; USD 2,457 a
week). 33-1/44-07-06-20;
guestapartment.com.
9. Ville et Village
The majority of Carolyn

Grotes 150 apartments,
farmhouses, and
chteaux are located in
Paris, the Loire Valley,
Provence, and the
Riviera; she also has
listings in Italy (Tuscany,
Umbria, Lazio, the
Veneto) and in Barcelona.
Standout A farmhouse
in St.-Rmy, France, has

its own garden and is
within walking distance
of a charming market
(four bedrooms; USD 3,814
a week). 1-510/559-8080;
villeetvillage.com.
ITALY
10. Unique
Properties &
Events
Most of the 83 ultrastylish properties from

this London-based
firm are exclusives. The
portfolio concentrates on
countryside estates and
high-design beach villas
in France, Spain, Italy,
and Portugal. Special
experiencessuch as a
visit to Empress Sissis
apartment in the Royal
Palace of Veniceare
the norm.
Standout Villa Gesomino,
set above Marina Piccola
on Capri, has a heated
pool lined with
Murano-glass tiles (five
bedrooms; USD 34,876 a
week). 44-20/7788-7815;
uniquepropertiesand
events.com.
121
STRATEGIES
Villa Rentals
USD
555
per night,
per room
CLOSER
LOOK:
LISTINGS
Before sealing the
deal, make sure
you know how to
read between the
lines of property
descriptions.
Below, a few
pointers.
11. The Best

in Italy
Countess Simonetta
Brandolini dAdda has
more than 80 Italian
villas on offermany
owned by her friends
and relatives. Shell also
open up her little black
book to guests for private
experiences, such as
behind-the-scenes access
to the Palio di Siena
horse race or a private
tour of the Vatican.
Standout The recently
restored Casa Querceto,
in Chianti between
Florence and Siena,
is surrounded by olive
groves and five acres of
hiking trails (four
week). 39-055/223-064;
thebestinitaly.com.
12. Homebase
Abroad
The companys
inventory of more
than 65 countryside
properties across Italy
ranges from seaside
estates to farmhouses.
The concierge offers
experiences such as
a private dinner with
Michelangelos David at
122
the Accademia di Belle

Arti museum.
Standout A secluded
retreat on the Tuscan
coast, Villa Bianca has
enormous bedrooms and
a staff of five, including
an on-site chef (eight
bedrooms; $32,500 a
week). 781/639-4040;
homebaseabroad.com.
13. Italy Perfect

Vacation Rentals
The Byrne sisters have

stayed in each of their
collections 130 villas and
apartments in Rome,
Florence, Venice, and
along the Amalfi Coast;
most are set in historic
districts or buildings.
Standout The Rome
Flaminio apartment,
located an easy walk
from the Spanish Steps,
has a terrace (two
week). italyperfect.com.
14. Think Sicily
The London-based
companys entire
portfolio of more than
120 properties in Sicily
and Pugliaset along the
sea, in the countryside,
and in townis privately
contracted. On-theground concierges and
managers are available
around the clock. The
company recently
expanded to the Ionian
Islands, where it has
17 properties.
Standout Baia dei
Turchi, situated just
north of Siracusa, has a
Turkish bath and is a twominute walk from the
beach (seven bedrooms;
USD 9,170 a week).
thinksicily.com.
15. IC Bellagio
Andrea Grisdale has

intimate knowledge of
each of her 86 listings,
and works closely with
owners to maintain
quality control. More
than 40 staff members
are at the ready to
arrange activities such
as an aperitivo crawl
through Venice in the
company of a Venetian
countess.
Standout Villa dei Sogni,
near the town of Bellagio,
is on a lush promontory;
the furnished terrace
overlooks Lake Como
(four bedrooms;
USD 12,025 a week).
39-031/952-059;
icbellagio.com.
CROATIA
16. Croatian Villas
U.K.-based Croatian
Villas has more than 350
beautiful houses set along
the water and on hilltops

all over the country,
from Dubrovnik to the
Istrian peninsula, which
many travellers call the
less-touristed (and more
affordable) Tuscany.
It also has listings in
Slovenia, Montenegro,
Bosnia, and Oman.
Standout An apartment
in the Old Town of
Korula with an ancient
Roman column (one
bedroom; USD 780 a
week). 44-20/8888-6655;
croatian villas.com.
TURKEY
17. Simpson
Travel
Founder Graham
Simpsons mission is
to deliver an authentic
Turkish experience,
whether that means
eating fresh fish in
Akyaka or sailing off the
small seaside village of
irali. Of the companys
35 villas in Turkey, 90
percent are exclusive.
Villas are also on offer in
Greece, Corsica, Majorca,
and Mauritius.
Standout On the
outskirts of Islamlar, the
whitewashed Firefly sits
on Patara beach (four
week). 44-20/8392-5858;
simpsontravel.com.
sleeps six
Ask for the total
number of bedrooms
(and make sure
foldout couches
arent part of the
count).
pool access
This is not the same
as a private pool.
You may be sharing
it with other
guests, or it could
be off-property.
guest house
Make sure yours
contains bedrooms,
bathrooms, and
a kitchen, and
that it is not simply
a pool house or
storage area.
personal chef
Find out whether
its the housekeeper,
who may prepare
simple meals, or a
professionally
trained chef who will
pull out all the stops.
KEVIN DENNIS
Villa Turquesa, a nine-bedroom

property in Los Cabos, Mexico; Earth,
Sea & Sky Vacations.
beachfront or
oceanfront
Oceanfront may
mean there is no
beach, and
beachfront doesnt
always mean the
waters swimmable
and doesnt always
guarantee access. If
the listing mentions
water views, find out
how far the property
is from the ocean
and if there are any
roads in between.
PROMOTION
GREECE
18. Elysian
Holidays
Outstanding personal
service is the hallmark
of owner Maxine
Harrison, who has been
in the field for nearly
25 years. Meals are
often waiting for clients
upon arrival, and
activities might include
scuba diving off the
Greek island of Srifos,
or a cooking lesson
led by chef Pierluigi
Gentilini of Il Mulino
di San Michele, in
Emilia Romagna.
Standout In the
Cyclades archipelago,
the whitewashed Tzia
Summer House has seafacing balconies and
an infinity pool (four
week). 44-1580/766-599;
elysianholidays.co.uk.
19. Five Star

Greece
With more than 100

houses and estates
around the country,
Five Star Greece prides
itself on authentic
experiences, whether
you want Mykonos
glamour or barefoot
beach luxury.
Standout On Corfus
northeast coast, Corfu
Estate House bridges
the privacy of a villa
(with its own jetty)
and the services of a
hotel (seven bedrooms;
USD 55,613 a week).
44-20/8422-4885;
fivestargreece.com.
20. White
Key Villas
All 130 propertiesmost

of which are scattered
throughout the
Cyclades, Peloponnese,
and Ionian islandsare
on the beach or have
views of the sea. Up next:
the agency is expanding
to less-visited corners
of the country (Patmos,
Sfnos, Attica, and the
Saronic Gulf).
Standout On Corfu,
Villa Aethra has two
infinity pools and
outdoor showers.
Daily housekeeping
and a private chef
are included (seven

bedrooms; USD 26,400
a week). 30-210/721-5530;
whitekeyvillas.com.
CONTINENTWIDE
21. Abercrombie
& Kent Villas
This veteran tour

operator has villas in
Italy, France, the U.K.,
Greece, Portugal, and
Spain, plus ski chalets
in Switzerland, France,
and Austria. Tapping
into its extensive onthe-ground network,
AKVillas organizes a
range of activitiesthe
most popular of which
are in-villa cooking
classes with notable
chefs or local nonnas.
Standout Casa Abelha,
with its spacious,
farmhouse-style
kitchen, is set in
Portugals Algarve and
is a short drive from the
market town of Loule
(four bedrooms;
USD 3,947 a week).
akvillas.com.
22. Carpe Diem

Luxury Travel
Marina Gratsos lists

villas throughout
Europe, including
Croatia, the Czech
Republic, Switzerland,
and Austria; most
interesting are the 25
properties in her
private collection.
Standout Designed
by Bulgarian architect
Krastan Zapryanov,
the modern Villa
Gellaa retreat in the
Rhodope mountains
of Bulgariahas its
own spa (six bedrooms;
USD 11,500 a week).
44-7780/700-754;
carpediemtravel.co.uk.
23. Dream
& Charme
With more than 500

listings, the Milan-based
agency has a formidable
presence in Greece,
Italy, and Switzerland.
Most villas have live-in
managers to supervise
staff and services.
Dream & Charme
doubles as a tour
operator, so booking
flights and rental cars is
a seamless process.
Standout A restored
Tuscan mansion,
built in the 1400s by
the Medici family, is
set on a hill covered
in vineyards (six
week). 39-02/8050-3457;
dreamcharme.com.
U.S. & Canada

CALIFORNIA
24. Beautiful
Places
The Sonoma-based
agency specializes in
northern Californias
wine country, with 35
handpicked properties
that range from
vineyard cottages to
hilltop estates. It also
has a robust portfolio in
the Caribbean and Italy
and a small collection in
New Yorks Hamptons.
Standout Located
between Napa and
Sonoma, Villa nel Bosco
has a working vineyard
with Syrah grapes (four
week). beautiful-places.
com.
HAWAII
25. Hawaii
Hideaways
About half of the 250

properties on Maui,
Kauai, Oahu, and the
Big Island are located
on the beach. A
small but dedicated
staff based in each
destination can arrange
activities that include
private yacht charters
and excursions with
chefs to local farms.
Standout Every room
at the Sea Glass, in
Kapalua, has a view of
the mountains or the
ocean (four bedrooms;
USD 20,750 a week).
hawaiihideaways.com.
26. Tropical
Villa Vacations
Most of the Maui-based

companys villas and
homesthere are 43 in
allare within walking
distance of the ocean.
Owner Irene Anne
Aroner personally
draws up each days
housekeeping schedule,
while a former head

concierge of the Four
Seasons Maui at Wailea
is always on call.
Standout Azure Azul
at Wailea Beach Villas
has direct access to the
resorts two pools and
eponymous beach (three
bedrooms; USD 9,065
a week). tropicalvilla
vacations.com.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
27. Entre
Destinations
This Vancouverbased operator has an

outstanding portfolio
of villas at British
Columbias Whistler
Resort that range
from small chteaux
to opulent ski chalets.
Some properties have
ski-in, ski-out access,
while activities such
as hikes with a
helicopter drop-off
can be arranged.
Standout Massive cedar
trees and fireplaces
with log mantels
give Whistler Private
Home a secluded,
mountain-home feel.
Other amenities: a
theatre room and a spa
with its own waterfall
(four bedrooms;
USD 28,400 a week).
entreedestinations.com.
Mexico
28. Earth, Sea &

Sky Vacations
Each of the 100 villas in

Cabo comes with airport
transfers, rental-car
delivery to your door,
and welcome cocktails.
Hoping to book a
restaurant reservation
or a snorkelling
excursion? Your local
caretaker can arrange
it all.
Standout Villa
Turquesa is on a cliff
above Pedregal Beach
and has a 730-squarefoot infinity pool and a
patio (nine bedrooms;
USD 35,000 a week).
cabovillas.com.
29. Journey
Mexico
This collection of
more than 700
FOR A
GLOWING
YOU!
Your skin can be very sensitive,
and is the rst place that shows
signs of ageing. Fine lines, wrinkles,
sagging, and red blotches are signs
that your skin is ageing unhealthily.
Due to the harsh external
conditions and stressful lives,
ageing has become an issue at
an earlier stage. Keeping this in
mind, Piramal Healthcare launched
LACTO CALAMINE RENEU AntiAgeing Cream.
This has been developed
with the U.S. patented ULMAe
technology. ULMAe penetrates to
deep layers of skin and reduces ne
wrinkles and deep wrinkles.
LC RENEU also contains nine
natural, nourishing, organic
extracts to moisturize the skin.
The natural anti-melanin in it helps
lighten skintone and reduces dark
spots, making you look younger.
STRATEGIES
Villa Rentals
FORM IV
(See Rule 8)
Statement of ownership and other details
of the magazine Travel + Leisure India &
South Asia are:
1. Place of Publication : Gurgaon
2. Periodicity
: Monthly
3. Printer
: Xavier Collaco
Nationality / Address : Indian

323, Udyog
Vihar, Phase
IV, Gurgaon
- 122016,
Haryana
4. Publisher
: Xavier Collaco
Nationality / Address
: Indian
323, Udyog
Vihar, Phase
IV, Gurgaon
- 122016,
Haryana
5. Editor-in-chief
: Payal Kohli
Nationality / Address
: Indian
323, Udyog
Vihar, Phase
IV, Gurgaon
- 122016,
Haryana
Shareholders
a. Mr. J. S. Uberoi
14th Floor, Orakavin Building, 26,
Chidlam Road, Ploenchit, Bangkok,
Thailand.
b. M/s Hitech Realities Private Limited,
5A, Chitra Building, West Avenue, Santa
Cruz (W), Mumbai 400054.
I, Xavier Collaco, hereby declare that the

particulars given above are true to the
best of my knowledge and belief.
Sd Xavier Collaco
Date: March 1, 2013
Spanish-colonial
mansions, traditional
haciendas, and modern
beachfront retreats is
spread across Mexico,
with the most offerings
in the Riviera Maya,
Puerto Vallarta, and
Los Cabos.
Standout Set within
Tulums lush Sian
Kaan Biosphere
Reserve, the lightfilled Casa Nalum
is within swimming
distance of a pretty
barrier reef (three
a week). journeymexico.
com.
Caribbean
30. Villas by
Linda Smith
Linda Smith stays in

every property she
considers for her
collection, and she
even designed two of
the 90 villas in her
portfolio. Each house
is staffed with a chef,
butler, housekeeper,
and gardener.
Standout Teak, Italian
tile, and Persian rugs
decorate Fortlands
Point, overlooking
Jamaicas Discovery
Bay, where coral reefs
teem with parrot fish
(seven bedrooms;
USD 19,000 a week).
1-301/229-4300;
jamaicavillas.com.
31. LaCure
Villas
The global brand has

250 properties
throughout the
Caribbean islands,
along with an extensive
collection in Europe,
South Africa, Costa
Rica, Thailand, and
Bali, Indonesia. Its
concierge service can
arrange for private
chefs, nannies, and
island tours.
Standout Divine Villa
Roaring Pavilion
offers every service
imaginable and is
on a Jamaican beach
featured in the 1962
James Bond film, Dr.
No (five bedrooms;
USD 33,600 a week).
lacurevillas.com.
32. McLaughlin
Anderson
More than 100 listings

run the gamut from
cottages to estates, and
are located in the U.S.
Virgin Islands and the
British Virgin Islands
as well as Grenada.
Standout 100 Pond
Bay, on Virgin Gorda,
in the British Virgin
Islands, has three
pools (five bedrooms;
USD 7,000 a week).
mclaughlinanderson.
com.
33. St. Barth

Properties
Owner and part-time

St. Barts resident Peg
Walsh and her staff
regularly inspect the
companys 160 villas,
which are located either
on the beach or on the
hillside.
Standout Rent Steve
Martins Villa Au Soleil,
with a lily pond and a
two-tiered infinity pool
overlooking Baie de St.
Jean (four bedrooms;
USD 13,570 a week).
stbarth.com.
Central
& South
America
BRAZIL
34. Brazilian
Beach House Co.
Rio penthouses,
beachfront villas,
and private-island
estates make up this
small collection of 50
properties. Each has
daily housekeeping and
a concierge.
Standout The fully
staffed, palm-shaded
Casa Azul feels secluded
despite its location on a
shared stretch of sand
in Trancoso (six rooms;
USD 20,790 a week).
55-21/2225-9476;
brazilianbeachhouse.
com.
COSTA RICA
35. Mead Brown
The majority of the 45

villas, all located along
Costa Ricas Pacific
coast, are exclusive.
Agents are locals who
have tested every
excursion they book,

whether its snorkelling
off the white-sand
beaches of Tortuga or
ziplining through the
Herradura highlands
rain forest.
Standout Your only
neighbours at Villa
Malibu 8, in the
tiny town of Bahia
Herradura, are
scarlet macaws and
howler monkeys (four
week). meadbrown.com.
CONTINENTWIDE
36. Oasis
Collections
A third of the
companys 1,200
properties are in
Buenos Aires; the rest
are beachfront retreats,
chic apartments, and
sprawling mansions
in Punta del Este,
Uruguay; Rio de
Janeiro and So
Paulo, Brazil; and
Bogot, Cartagena, and
Medelln, Colombia.
Standout The 1860 Casa
Carlos Calvo, in Buenos
Airess lively San Telmo
neighbourhood, has
crystal chandeliers and
a private rose garden
(four bedrooms;
USD 4,000 a
week). 631/731-1677;
oasiscollections.com.
37. Blue
Parallel Villas
This Buenos Aires

based outfit has 20
villas and penthouses
in Uruguay, Brazil,
Argentina, Guatemala,
and the Galpagos.
Prior to guests arrival,
properties are stocked
with food, champagne,
and fresh flowers.
Standout In Jos
Ignacio, Uruguay, the
El Bosque estate has
handcrafted wood
furnishings and a
pool that faces seven
manicured acres (six
week). bpvillas.com.
Beyond
AFRICA
38. Explore, Inc.
Most of the villas listed

by owner Cherri Briggs,
who spends half the

year in Africa, partner
with safari lodges to
ensure the best possible
service, but all come
with their own staff,
vehicles, and guides. Her
portfolio covers South
Africa, Tanzania, Kenya,
Zambia, and Botswana.
Standout Spot
elephants and buffalo
from the acaciashaded Sirikoi lodge,
on a northern slope
of Mount Kenya (three
a week). 970/871-0065;
exploreafrica.net.
NEW ZEALAND
39. Touch
of Spice
Based in both Auckland

and Queenstown,
this team has the North
and South islands
covered, yet is small
enough to provide
one-on-one service to
clients. About two
dozen town houses are
centrally located, while
rural retreats sit on
postcard-worthy
pockets of land.
Standout The
Residences at Mountain
Landing has an on-site
staff and a private
jetty facing the Bay of
Islands, and its a stones
throw from a series of
secluded beaches (four
a week). 64-3/450-0855;
touchofspice.co.nz.
GLOBAL
40. Villas &

Apartments
Abroad
With more than 750

properties around the
world, the company
has one of the widest
ranges of listings of
any weve seen. Still, it
provides personalized
service, setting up, say,
an in-villa opera
performance in Verona.
Standout Terracotta
tiles, exposed beam
ceilings, and a fireplace
round out Sarageto,
a country house near
Siena (four bedrooms;
USD 6,370 a week).
1-212/213-6435; vaanyc.
com. +
Dainik Bhaskar India Pride Awards, now in its 4th year recognizes excellence in
Public Sector Undertakings, Social Change Agents and Impact Creator-Civil Servants
Chief Guest: Dr. M. Veerappa Moily,

Hon'ble Union Minister of Petroleum &
Natural Gas
Mr. Ramesh Chandra Agarwal,

Chairman, Dainik Bhaskar Group
Winner Social Change Agent Category:

Phoolbasan Yadav receiving the award
Winner Impact Creator-Civil Servant

Category: Anuradha Gupta
Winner Oil & Gas Category: ONGC, Mr. Sudhir

Vasudeva, CMD, ONGC receiving the award
Winner Metals, Minerals & Trade

Category: NMDC, Mr. C.S. Verma,
CMD, NMDC receiving the award
The Winners - India Pride Awards 2012-13
Mr. Jyoti Narain, ED, Wital See & Mr. Kunwer Sachdev, MD &
CEO, Su-Kam with Chairman, Dainik Bhaskar Group
Winner - Lifetime Achievement Award: Mr. R.S. Butola, Chairman, IOCL
Winner Impact Creator-Civil

Servant Category:
Dr. Gurdial Singh Sandhu
Winner Heavy Industries

Category: BHEL, Mr. B.P. Rao,
CMD, BHEL receiving the award
Winner Transport Category: RITES, Mr.

Rajeev Mehrotra, CMD receiving the award
Members of the eminent Jury with Chief Guest
Winner CSR Category: GAIL, Mr. B.C. Tripathi,

CMD, GAIL receiving the award
A view of the gathering
INDIA
BEYOND YOUR EXPECTATIONS
& SOUTH ASIA
ristine white beaches, turquoise waters of the Mexican

Caribbean, and the varied colours of its cultural heritage
Mexico is a travellers delight. Ranked number 6 worldwide for
its number of World Heritage Sites designed by UNESCO, the Latin
American country charms with its myriad moods.
Ranked No. 2 for Luxury Travel & No. 1 for Spas in the world,
Mexicos excellent services, modern infrastructure, scrumptious
vegetarian options, and no language barrier makes it a popular
destination for Indians looking for an unforgettable holiday. 2012 saw
more than 30,000 tourists from India visit Mexico and the figure is
expected to reach 200,000 by 2020
The Embassy of Mexico in India, Mexico Tourism Board,
ProMexico and Travel + Leisure India & South Asia collaborated and
conducted a successful seminar in Mumbai on February 11 for travel
professionals with participation of leading travel service providers
and DMCs.
6
8
Mexico is a unique combination of culture, heritage,

gastronomy and leisure and offers a once in a lifetime
experience going beyond your expectations. We are very
excited with the prospects of welcoming more Indians,
even as growth numbers in the recent past have been very
encouraging, said Mr Guillermo Eguiarte, regional director for
Asia, Mexico Tourism Board.
10
12
13
Hospitality Partner
11
1. Mr. Guillermo Eguiarte (regional director for Asia, Mexico Tourism Board). 2. (L to R) Mexican dignitaries Mr. Aldo Ruiz, His Excellency Mr. Jaime Nualart, Mr. Guillermo Eguiarte.
3. Guests at the event. 4. His Excellency Mr. Jaime Nualart (ambassador of Mexico in India). 5. Mr. Aldo Ruiz (representative, ProMexico in Mumbai). 6. Ms. Alma Nuez (Mexican
inbound tour operator, Arminas Travel). 7. Guests at the event. 8. Mr. Xavier Collaco (president, T+L India & South Asia), 9. Mr. Gaurav Singh (resident manager, The Leela Mumbai). 10.
His Excellency Mr. Jaime Nualart interacting with guests. 11. The elite speakers with Ms. Natasha Bahia (Sr. marketing manager, T+L India & South Asia). 12. Guests enjoying the lavish
spread. 13. Ms. Margarita Ramos (Mexican Inbound tour operator, Alico Tours).
Last Look
Photographed by
Massimo Casal
Bohol,
Philippines
The littlest primate
The 10- to 13-cm
tarsier comes out at
night, and only lives
on a few Southeast
Asian islands. To spot
one of these wee
carnivores catching
crickets, head to their
sanctuary in Corella.
Meeting life head-on

Bounded as they are
by natural beautythe
Mindanao Sea, white
beaches, overhanging
coral-stone clis
and mangrove
forestsits easy to
see why Boholanos
are known for their
sense of freedom and
adventure.
Rolling landscape
Legend has it that the
famed Chocolate Hills
of Bohol were formed
not by cocoa, but by a
giant, weeping over
the death of his love.
(The conical karsts
near Carmen are, in
fact, grass-covered
limestone deposits.)
128
Angling for mischief

In much of the island,
laid-back life centres
around shing
from the big-game
charters oering
the chance to catch
marlin and tuna, to
the common sight of
kids frolicking on the
docks, like this happy
trio in Loon.
FOREVER REFINED. FOREVER CLASSIC. FOREVER contemporary.

Taj Coromandel, a Chennai landmark, welcomes world travellers to its recently renovated spaces. Here in the hub of the
corporate and cultural life of Chennai, is a hotel which has been much sought after by business travellers, and renowned
for its intuitive and personalised service. The stylish and contemporary rooms and suites offer guests a privileged
sanctuary. A selection of highly acclaimed restaurants includes Prego for Italian, Southern Spice for regional f lavours,
Golden Dragon for Chinese, and Chipstead the citys favourite watering hole and social meeting point. The gracious
and welcoming Taj Coromandel is distinctive in every respect. Discover the Taj difference at Chennais landmark hotel.
Taj forever.
Many special offers such as Suite Surprises, Stay a Bit Longer and weekend packages now make Taj Coromandel more
enticing than ever.
INDI A NEW YORK BOSTON SA N FR A NCISCO LONDON C A PE TOW N DUBA I

M ALDIV ES SRI L ANK A L ANGK AW I BHUTAN SY DNEY OPENING SHORTLY: M ARR AKECH
Visit tajhotels.com. Call 1.800.111.825 toll free or the hotel directly, 91.44.6600.2827. Email coromandel.chennai@tajhotels.com.
RNI No.DELENG/2006/23893

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