Sundowner: Autumn/Winter 2019

AUTUMN/WINTER 2019 

Out of Africa 

WHERE TO TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE 

OLYMPIC 

GAINS 

JAPAN’S WINNING 

FORMULA 

HIP 

’HOODS 

FRESH SPINS ON 

STATESIDE CITIES

SINGAPORE 

& BEYOND 

Discover Singapore, the ‘Gateway to Asia’, as it marks its bicentennial year. 

This city state is the perfect addition to a multi-centre holiday thanks to 

award-winning Singapore Airlines’ extensive network across Asia and 

Australasia. Let A&K show you the stunning architecture, futuristic gardens, 

and culinary highlights that make this South-East Asian destination a must-visit 

01242 547 895 

abercrombiekent.co.uk

ORIGINAL, LIMITED-EDITION ART DECO POSTERS 

Limited to editions of 280, our newly-commissioned 

Art Deco posters feature glamorous holiday 

destinations around the world, ski resorts in the 

Austrian, French and Swiss Alps, and the world’s 

greatest historic automobiles. Over 100 designs to 

choose from, all printed on 100% cotton fine art 

paper, measuring 97x65cm. 

Priced at £395 each. 

Private commissions are also welcome. 

Pullman Editions Ltd 

94 Pimlico Road 

Chelsea 

London SW1W 8PL 

www.pullmaneditions.com 

Tel: +44 (0)20 7730 0547 

Email: georgina@pullmaneditions.com 

Our central London gallery 

All images and text copyright © Pullman Editions Ltd. 2019 

View and buy online at pullmaneditions.com

68 

53 

36 

DEAR TRAVELLER 

Welcome to our autumn/winter 2019 edition 

of Sundowner. As someone with an insatiable 

wanderlust, I never need an excuse to board a 

plane, but should you ever require a reason, I 

firmly believe that travel broadens the mind. 

As philosopher and theologian Saint 

Augustine said: “The world is a book and those 

who do not travel read only one page.” In this 

issue we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 

founding of the Bauhaus, while Spain’s cultural 

jewel, the Prado Museum, turns 200 – both 

excellent reasons to embark on a cultural 

odyssey this year. 

Elsewhere, I recall my Inspiring Expedition 

to the South Pole; writer and author Sara 

Wheeler takes an epic road trip in Chile; and 

this publication’s editor, Alicia Deveney, 

spotlights the Maldives’ coolest spas. 

Whether you opt for a tour of Spain’s great 

art institutions, or want to enjoy the expedition 

of a lifetime and reach the South Pole, A&K can 

help you turn your next page. 

Founder & Co-Chairman 

Abercrombie & Kent Group 

Follow me on Instagram @geoffrey_kent 

Front cover: A desert-adapted 

elephant in Namibia. Image courtesy of 

Wilderness Safaris/Teagan Cunniffe 

Editor: Alicia Deveney 

Design: Debbie Edkins & Louise Maggs 

Contributors: Janet Brice, Ianthe Butt, 

Guy Grant, Geoffrey Kent, Bethan 

Leyland, Joe Meredith, Jennifer Morris, 

Mia Aimaro Ogden, Natalie Paris, 

Penelope Rance, Louise Roddon, 

Victoria Smith, Nikki Stefanoff, 

Angelina Villa-Clarke, Sara Wheeler 

Sundowner is Abercrombie & Kent’s 

magazine, St George’s House, 

Ambrose Street, Cheltenham, Glos 

GL50 3LG. Advertising enquiries to: 

gbradvertising@abercrombiekent.co.uk 

CONTENTS AUTUMN/WINTER 2019 

6 BUSH TELEGRAPH 

All the latest from A&K and the wide 

world of travel 

8 INTRODUCING A NEW WAY TO 

TAILOR-MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY 

Say hello to customisable wish lists 

and bite-sized itineraries, helping you 

to create your perfect journey 

10 IN THE KNOW 

The most exciting hotel openings 

12 DUE SOUTH 

Author Sara Wheeler drives the Carretera 

Austral in Chilean Patagonia 

16 OFF THE BEATEN TRACK 

Exploring America’s lesser-known 

neighbourhoods, we meet a few 

new sweethearts 

20 HIT REFRESH 

Reboot your inner calm in Puglia, 

advises Mia Aimaro Ogden 

24 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BAUHAUS 

Celebrating the architectural school’s 

centenary in Tel Aviv 

72 

28 48 HOURS IN SINGAPORE 

Spend two days in the Lion City to absorb 

two centuries of culture 

30 CANGGU ATTITUDE 

Discover why this up and coming resort 

in Bali is the place you need to be 

34 MEET THE GUIDE 

A&K Egyptologist Ahmed Abul Ella Ali 

on his love for his country and its secrets 

36 BALEARIC HIGH 

Natalie Paris is ecstatic about the delights 

of ultra-chic Villa Sonrei, from its hilltop 

location on Majorca’s north coast 

40 OLYMPIC GAINS 

As it prepares to host two of the world’s 

biggest sporting events, Japan is pulling out 

all the stops to impress 

24 

44 A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE 

See Spain through new eyes when you tour 

its finest art galleries, says Penelope Rance 

48 GREAT, WHITE, STARK 

A&K Founder Geoffrey Kent tackles 

Antarctica’s barren wilderness on one of 

his Inspiring Expeditions 

53 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 

Join us on safari as we show you where 

to spot Africa’s most exciting, intriguing, 

and elusive wildlife 

58 FEED THE SOUL 

Tasmania has reinvented itself as a foodie 

epicentre. Come and sample all that it 

has to offer 

62 SPAS OF THE SEA 

We line up the Maldives’ best spa retreats 

and review their star treatments 

66 JORDAN’S ROCK STAR 

Feel at one with history – and just a bit 

like Indiana Jones – when you visit the 

rose-red city of Petra 

68 AMAZON ADVENTURE 

Louise Roddon heads to Peru to experience 

the wonders of the mighty waterway aboard 

luxurious riverboat Aria 

72 NOT QUITE GOING IT ALONE 

Independent traveller Bethan Leyland takes 

an escorted tour of India and discovers 

the best of both worlds 

76 BEHIND THE SCENES 

A&K can transport you to the world’s most 

exclusive cinematic locations. And, action! 

78 FIVE VILLAS TO BOOK NOW FOR 

SUMMER 2020 

Sumptuous retreats and dream hideouts 

you’ll want to reserve right away 

80 FINDING THE C.U.R.E. 

With your help, A&K Philanthropy 

is stocking maternity clinics in the 

world’s poorest communities 

abercrombiekent.co.uk | 5

A&K VILLAS ADDS 

CORFU 

Set in the cerulean blue of the Ionian sea, 

Corfu, the second largest of the Ionian 

islands, is one of the greenest. Kerkyra, 

as it was known in antiquity, has been 

soothing and revitalising weary travellers 

since Odysseus washed ashore here. 

The northeast coast is a glamorous curl 

of white-pebble coves, glimmering bays, 

and arresting views over the channel 

towards Albania, and it is here that 

A&K Villas’ specialists have sourced 10 

exquisite new villa properties to add to 

the European portfolio. Available to book 

now: see akvillas.com/corfu for more 

details. 

Bush 

TELEGRAPH 

NEWS FROM A&K AND THE WIDE WORLD OF TRAVEL 

HOT OFF 

THE PRESS: 

A&K’S NEW BROCHURES OUT NOW 

However you wish to explore the world, be it on an escorted tour, 

a tailor-made holiday, or a luxury expedition cruise, you’ll be sure to find 

the perfect holiday in the pages of A&K’s three new brochures, which are 

out now. These coffee table-worthy tomes are packed full of safaris on our 

home turf of east Africa, cruises to the most extreme reaches of the planet 

aboard the most luxurious ships at sea, and small-group escorted tours with 

departures to five continents: all delivering our hallmark blend of excitement, 

authenticity, and luxury. To order a brochure by post, or download one, visit 

abercrombiekent.co.uk/brochure 

PERFECT 10 

A&K was hailed as ‘Africa’s Leading Luxury Tour 

Operator 2019’ for the 10th year in a row at the 

World Travel Awards earlier this year – dubbed 

‘the Oscars of the travel industry’ by The Wall 

Street Journal. Some factors that played a part 

in our dominance at the awards: A&K has more 

than 55 years of experience on the ground in 

Africa; our peerless local presence – we have 

12 offices in sub-Saharan Africa; simply the best 

safari guides; custom safari vehicles that we 

design, build, and own; and close connections to 

the finest camps and lodges. 

6 | AUTUMN/WINTER 2019

FLYING HIGH 

THE NEW FLIGHT ROUTES & OTHER AIRLINE 

NEWS THAT WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT 

Rocking up to Uluru 

qantas has launched direct flights to Uluru from Darwin and 

Adelaide. The twice-weekly services will save rock-bound tourists 

hours in travel time. Qantas Domestic chief executive Andrew 

David said: “We’re seeing more demand for travel to Uluru 

from international and interstate tourists than we have seen in a 

long time. The direct flights offer a new, convenient option from 

Adelaide and Darwin, saving travellers up to five hours’ time 

instead of travelling on flights via other cities.” All the more time to 

enjoy Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. 

Top of the class 

british airways has announced a five-year, £6.5 billion 

investment that includes a series of refinements to its First Class 

service. The new look and feel includes upgraded bedding, 

added amenities, and à la carte menus that focus on seasonal, 

British ingredients. “In this, our centenary year, we’ve sought 

out some of the best British designers and manufacturers to 

work with to ensure travelling in First with British Airways is 

an unforgettable experience,” said Carolina Martinoli, British 

Airways director of brand and customer experience. Passengers 

will now be treated to pyjama sets by Temperley London, as well 

as a Temperley amenity bag filled with Elemis products. 

Doing the double 

On 1 July, emirates launched a second daily flight from Dubai 

International to London Stansted. The additional flight means that 

Emirates customers now have 11 daily flight options from three 

London airports to the UAE’s capital. 

More is more 

qatar airways has boosted its South Africa services. Weekly 

flights to Johannesburg have increased to 19, with an additional 

two being added this autumn. Travellers wanting to fly to Cape 

Town will have an extra three per week to choose from by 27 

October. Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, 

said: “The latest additional services to both Johannesburg and 

Cape Town reflect the growing demand for travel to and from 

these popular South African destinations.” 

Pushing the boat out 

With the whole of Egypt enjoying a surge of interest right now, 

A&K’s sister brand, Sanctuary Retreats, has timed the relaunch 

of the Sanctuary Nile Adventurer to a tee. Setting sail on its first 

Nile voyages in September 2019, the made-over ship’s 32 cabins 

have all been reimagined in calm colours – azure, sandstone, 

and burnished gold and bronze. The lounge, bar, restaurant, 

and library are also being refreshed. New onboard is an openair 

gym, and a spa space that features a floating four-poster 

treatment bed. A ship fit for a pharaoh. 


Sweetening 

the deal 

We’re always looking to make your journey from deliberation to destination that little bit smoother. 

That’s why we’re introducing two tempting features for tailor-making your holiday: customisable 

wish lists and bite-sized itineraries. Now you’re more in control than ever 

Travelling gives us that child-like sense of discovery, but the 

planning part can often feel onerous. Imagine if designing your 

luxury holiday was more like selecting from a pick ’n’ mix, and less 

like leafing through a catalogue. Your eyes slide from one enticing 

option to another as you scoop all your favourites into one candystriped 

bag. There are none of the Black Jacks or white mice you’ve 

never cared for – just the cola bottles and flying saucers you love. In 

other words, you end up with something perfectly tailored to your 

tastes. That’s what we’ve done with My A&K, the new section of our 

website that empowers you to create an itinerary of your own. You 

no longer have to bookmark pages, scribble lists on Post-it Notes or 

rattle your brain remembering the name of that resort you spotted 

on the web a few months ago. Simply browse our site, save what you 

like, and start building wish lists. 

Travel Edits 

You could build your wish list around 

Travel Edits, our new range of mini 

itineraries. These short escapes 

are great on their own, paired with 

each other, or attached to a longer 

itinerary. We’ve themed them to make 

it easier to find what you fancy: wildlife; 

philanthropy; food and drink; active and 

wellness; arts and culture. 

Places to stay 

Whether it’s an ecolodge in the heart of 

the jungle, or a sleek boutique hotel in 

the centre of the city, what constitutes 

the perfect accommodation is an 

individual thing. That’s why our website 

features every colour and flavour of 

luxury property. When a hotel catches 

your eye, just click the heart to add it to 

your wish list. 

Things to do 

It’s so much easier to settle on a 

holiday destination when you have an 

idea of what activities are available. 

On our destination pages, we’ve 

included a range of the experiences 

we offer, from out-of-hours tours to 

hands-on workshops – all of which 

can be added to your wish list. 

Sharing your wish list 

Once you’ve gathered the ingredients of your dream holiday 

together, you can share your list with family and friends, or submit 

it directly to our travel specialists who will make your personalised 

creation a wonderful reality. 


My A&K, your choice 

Pick and mix your favourites, then share your wish list with us 

TRAVEL 

EDITS 

PLACES 

TO STAY 

THINGS 

TO DO 

YOUR 

WISH 

LISTS 

Share your holiday ideas 

with friends and family for 

their input 

Share with our travel 

specialists who can turn 

your selection into a holiday 

To experience My A&K for yourself, head to our website: 

abercrombiekent.co.uk 


IN THE KNOW 

BE THE FIRST TO STAY IN ONE OF THESE EXCITING NEW HOTELS 

AMAN KYOTO 

Kyoto, Japan 

Paying homage to the traditional ryokan with its latticed pavilions and light-filled rooms is Aman Kyoto. Nestled in 

the verdant foothills of the symbolic mountain of Hidari Daimonji, this exciting new resort is within easy reach of the 

city’s 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Fresh spring water flows near the resort, which is central to the philosophy of 

the Aman Spa group, and within the hotel you can indulge in traditional onsen bathing along with a range of Japaneseinspired 

treatments. It’s hard to believe this spectacular natural setting is only a one-hour drive from Osaka airport. 

On arrival you can enjoy local produce served in the Living Pavilion. With its fireplace and glass doors opening on to 

an ornate garden terrace, it serves up home-cooked Kyoto obanzai-style cuisine throughout the day. Picnics, which 

come in chic bamboo hampers, can be eaten alfresco in the garden or forest glades. 


CHEETAH PLAINS 

Sabi Sands, Kruger, South Africa 

Experience private, sustainable safaris when you 

check into Cheetah Plains. A fleet of electric gamedrive 

vehicles and personal trackers mean animal 

enthusiasts can quietly approach the Big Five which 

live in Sabi Sands. Return to your stylish, exclusiveuse 

bushveld house, which comes complete with 

lap pool, sun deck, and fine wine gallery, and can 

accommodate up to eight. Families can also book two 

private suites which interlink – perfect for broods 

wanting to live ‘off the grid’, in style. 

SANTA MONICA PROPER 

Santa Monica, USA 

Celebrate the arrival of the first luxury lifestyle hotel 

in Santa Monica for a decade with a sundowner on 

the only rooftop bar on the Westside. With panoramic 

views over the Pacific, this hotel effortlessly blends 

modern chic with this landmark building dating 

back to 1928. Signature restaurant Onda marks a 

collaboration between chefs Jessica Koslow and 

Gabriela Cámara. Ideally located between upmarket 

boutiques and a surfers’ beach. 

ENTAMANU PRIVATE 

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania 

Designed to see, but not be seen, is one of the 

ultimate safari lodges in the heart of the Ngorongoro 

Crater. This family camp consists of four rooms, all 

with crater views, including two family suites, making 

this an exciting opportunity for all ages to get up close 

to the wildlife of Tanzania. The timber, glass, and 

stretched-canvas rooms stand on raised platforms 

and feature en-suite bathrooms. Sound ideal for 

your exclusive-use? It has all the makings of a lodge 

of one’s own. 

RITZ-CARLTON THE TOWERS 

AT ELIZABETH QUAYS 

Perth, Australia 

Ritz-Carlton brings a touch of luxury living to Perth 

with the opening of The Towers at Elizabeth Quay. 

This global brand will be the centrepiece of Western 

Australia’s new destination experience located on the 

banks of Swan River. You can choose from 204 suites 

and enjoy all the facilities from a spa to fitness centre 

and a choice of two ballrooms, along with the rooftop 

bar offering views over the quayside. 


DUE 

SOUTH 


PATAGONIA 

AMID PEACE, PUMAS, AND (GLIMPSES OF) THE 

PACIFIC, WRITER SARA WHEELER JOURNEYS 

ALONG THE FABLED CARRETERA AUSTRAL IN 

CHILEAN PATAGONIA ON THE ULTIMATE LAND 

AND SEA ADVENTURE 

Chilean Patagonia is an isolated region of saffron steppes 

and violet mists where trails of pintails break the surface 

of dark, deep lakes, and the Andes ripple on the eastern 

horizon, condors nesting on lower peaks. 

Sandwiched between the Pacific and the Andes, smaller and 

less well-known than its Argentinian counterpart, Chilean 

Patagonia starts about two-thirds of the way down the world’s 

thinnest country. The land splinters at times, obliging ferries to 

take over from the road. And it’s empty: the ratio of people to 

square kilometre is 1:1. In the UK, it’s 273; in the US, 36. 

I travelled on the fabled Carretera Austral (Southern Highway, 

though the word ‘highway’ is misleading, as the Carretera is a 

dirt track in places). It is the only road, unravelling for 1,200 

kilometres from Puerto Montt to Villa O’Higgins. This route is 

one of the greatest road trips in the world. I was astonished, over 

the course of my 10-day drive – I journeyed south to north – by 

the variety of the landscape, from ferny rainforest to snowy onelane 

passes to temperate grasslands. Around Puyuhuapi, Chilean 

dolphins were fluking in the fjords. Mostly you can’t see the ocean 

as the Carretera lies inland, often on a slender precipice above 

luminous lakes, but around Chaitén, the Pacific appears – just 

when one had almost forgotten it was there. And all of this amid 

the uplifting solitude of the open road. 

Parque Pumalín, pronounced Pumaleen, consists of almost half 

a million hectares of temperate evergreen rainforest studded with 

mountains and glaciers. The dark-barked alerce is the Pumalín 

star, a rain-absorbing hardwood that is in fact soft, everlasting, 

and resistant to fungi. Close to Fandango Bridge (Chileans love 

their funky placenames), I inspected a 3,500-year-old specimen. 

It was tall, its long, shallow roots spreading out laterally around 

it. Alerce only grow in southern Argentina and Chile, and the 

species is protected. All around me copihue, Chilean bellflowers, 

dangled at knee height like drops of blood. 

South of Pumalín, Parque Patagonia begins at the confluence 

of the Chacabuco and Baker rivers, extending east to Paso 

Roballes and the Argentine border, some of it above the treeline. 

A comprehensive and deeply impressive rewilding programme 

has already gone a long way to restoring the ecology previously 

protected – for centuries – by long-gone tribal peoples such as 


the Tehuelche, chronicled by Darwin, who hunted the uplands. 

The fashionable concept of rewilding, coined in the 1990s to 

describe large-scale wilderness recovery, is fairly new to South 

America, and southern Chile is a pioneer in the field. In Parque 

Patagonia, for example, conservationists have removed hundreds 

of kilometres of fencing and barbed wire and reintroduced 

threatened and previously locally extinct species. 

As for the wildlife, look out for the Patagonia ‘Big Five’ (I saw 

four of them). Shaggy huemul, the endangered South Andean 

deer, graze in a pass south of Balmaceda. The puma, the biggest 

mammal in Pumalín, is a rarely sighted cat the size of a big 

dog with a long tail (known outside Chile as mountain lion or 

cougar). Third is the Andean condor, and fourth Darwin’s rhea, 

an ostrich-like flightless bird. Fifth comes the guanaco. I saw 

hundreds of these llama-like camelids. With the mating season 

approaching, the males were chasing one another, careering over 

the grasslands to nip at their rivals – or worse (they are known to 

bite off testicles). 

For such a sparsely populated region, with few tourists out of 

peak season, there is a surprising range of comfortable, even semiluxurious 

accommodation in the southern Chilean wilderness. 

The four cabins at Mallin Colorado Ecolodge perch above 

Lago General Carrera, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a 

panorama of mountains, glaciers, and impossibly blue water. 

previous page: The landscape of Parque Pumalín 

this page from top: Parque Pumalín’s valleys; 

a puma; the view from Puyuhuapi Lodge 

opposite page from top: A route map; mountain and steppe (credit: 

Sara Wheeler); Parque Patagonia (credit: Tompkins Conservation) 


PATAGONIA 

After a five-hour drive north to the gaucho town of Coyhaique, 

I stayed in an enormous room in Patagonia House, a ranch on 

McKay Hill. I was the only guest. More than 230 kilometres north 

again, Puyuhuapi Lodge is by far the most luxurious hotel in 

the region, situated on its own island (the establishment runs a 

private ferry), with both outdoor and indoor spas. 

On the way up, by the way, and preferably in Chaitén, one must 

eat curanto, a dish traditionally baked in the ground, prepared 

with meat, potatoes, shellfish, milcao (a grated potato patty), and 

vegetables. Not for the faint-hearted, but very hearty. Just outside 

town, the devastation caused by an eruption of Chaitén Volcano 

in 2008 remains visible in the swathes of calcified slope spiked 

with bare trees. The Carretera Austral was closed for two years, 

cutting off a third of the country. 

At Caleta Gonzalo, the highway collapses and the visitor is 

obliged to take two, or sometimes three, ferries north. From a 

wharf overlooking Reñihué fjord, a ferry conveyed me and my car 

through a labyrinth of channels up to Hornopirén, a four-anda-half-hour 

journey. Before boarding, I enjoyed the hospitality 

of Soledad Sanchez at Cabanas Caleta Gonzalo, one of the few 

places in Chilean Patagonia open year-round. Outside my cabin 

window huet-huet birds whooped among a flock of persimmonbreasted 

chucao. The jolly Soledad, who manages the cabins and 

their adjacent café, told me: “There are two seasons here, winter 

and summer. Summer lasts three weeks. Coming from the desert 

north, I absolutely love it.” Lauding the slow pace of local life, she 

added: “If you hurry in Patagonia, you are wasting your time.” 

I ended my road and water adventure at Puerto Varas, less 

than an hour’s drive from the domestic airport at Puerto Montt. 

Overlooking Lake Llanquihue and the smoking Osorno Volcano, 

the swanky Cumbres Puerto Varas is a gateway hotel to the Lake 

District of northern Patagonia. As for Puerto Montt, it has more 

than doubled in size since my first trip to Chile 30 years ago, 

largely thanks to the salmon industry. The fish do well in the cold 

Patagonian waters and Chile has grown to become the world’s 

second largest producer of farmed salmon, after Norway. 

Doug Tompkins, the late American entrepreneur and founder 

of the North Face outdoor clothing range (and much else), was 

a major player in the rewilding of Chilean Patagonia, and his 

Californian widow Kris continues the work. A keen outdoorsman, 

Doug fell for Patagonia, and bought land here – lots of land. 

In 2004 the Chacabuco valley, in the transition between 

southern beech forest and Patagonian steppe, was at the centre 

of one of the greatest land buys in history. The Tompkinses 

founded an organisation, with land trusts under its umbrella 

and 120 staff in Chile (more are based in Argentina), in order to 

donate just over 400,000 hectares of protected land to the Chilean 

government, leveraging conservation value by establishing a 

private-public partnership. I don’t think the two Americans 

ever thought of themselves as owners: they took on the role of 

custodians. Their aim was to create national parklands, restore 

biodiversity, and promote ecological agriculture, chiefly in the 

parks that are now Patagonia and Pumalín. As a consequence, 

Chile has become a ‘conservation destination’. 

Kris buried Doug, who perished in a kayaking accident, in the 

baronial stone headquarters of Patagonia Park. His is a peaceful 

grave, overlooking the landscape he loved. 

The Chilean government wildlife service, CONAF, is in the 

process of taking over the administration of Patagonia and 

Pumalín. The latest Tompkins project, launched last year, is Ruta 

de los Parques, a road linking 17 national parks from Puerto 

Montt to Cape Horn. My next trip! 

PUERTO MONTT 

CHAITÉN 

PARQUE PUMALÍN 

COYHAIQUE 

LAGO GENERAL CARRERA 

VILLA O’HIGGINS 

Sara Wheeler’s latest book, Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin and 

Other Geniuses of the Golden Age, came out in July. Her previous books 

included the bestselling Travels in a Thin Country: A Journey Through Chile. 

CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT 

CHILE 

ARGENTINA 

For more information on road trip holidays in Chilean 

Patagonia, or to book your next tailor-made South American 

adventure, call our travel specialists on 01242 547 701. 


America’s 

(lesser-known) 

sweethearts 

THESE VIBRANT CITIES ARE WORTH RETURNING TO TIME 

AND AGAIN, BUT INSTEAD OF VISITING THE SAME SPOTS, 

MAKE FOR ONE OF THESE ON-THE-UP AREAS FOR A 

FRESH STATESIDE EXPERIENCE, SAYS IANTHE BUTT 


USA 

Pearl District 

PORTLAND, OREGON 

THE BUZZ: Two decades ago the Pearl District was home 

to run-down rail yards and abandoned warehouses. Now 

it’s nearly unrecognisable, and one of Portland’s trendiest 

neighbourhoods, with gallery-lined cobbled streets, including 

contemporary art hub Elizabeth Leach, scores of dining spots, 

and picturesque green spaces. 

THE CROWD: Locals walking cute labradors in Fields 

Park, chit-chatting with neighbours they meet along the way 

(it’s an everyone-knows-everyone kind of place). 

DON’T MISS: The Pearl District is big on art (it got its 

name in the mid-1980s when a gallery owner told a travel 

writer that the area’s artists, working in crusty old buildings, 

were like pearls inside oysters), and while any time’s good to 

gallery hop, the best time is the first Thursday of each month. 

Galleries stay open late, hold artist Q&As, and a general streetparty 

vibe abounds. Another must-do is Powell’s City of Books, 

which has nine colour-coded rooms and over 3,500 different 

sections to browse. 

BED DOWN: The Nines, a 331-room hotel in Downtown 

Portland, is just a five-minute drive from the Pearl District. 

Displayed in communal areas are over 400 artworks by local 

talent, curated by Paige Powell, a confidante of Andy Warhol. 


East Nashville 

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 

THE BUZZ: While Nashville might be known as Music City, 

across the Cumberland River, low-key residential area and once 

rather rough-around-the-edges East Nashville has established 

itself as a happening culinary hot spot. The boulevards here pay 

homage to all-things artisan, lined with small-batch coffee shops, 

cocktail joints, and neighbourhood restaurants. 

THE CROWD: Artsy bean aficionados in plaid shirts sipping 

locally roasted Drew’s Brews coffee at Ugly Mugs, and off-duty 

tour managers on craft brewery pilgrimages, taste-testing Yazoo 

Brewery’s latest tipples. 

DON’T MISS: All the eating and drinking. Tucking in to 

Nashville’s famous hot chicken is practically a rite of passage. 

It can be sampled year-round (EN’s oldest dive bar Dino’s is a 

good place to start), but visit in July and there’s an entire festival 

dedicated to the stuff in East Park. Join the queue for 100-layer 

doughnuts at cult family-run bakery Five Daughters; adventurous 

eaters should try the King Kong (maple and bacon), and purists 

the vanilla cream. At newly opened Folk, try chef Philip Krajeck’s 

clam-chilli pizza and wildflower-strewn salads. Pick up vintage 

cowboy boots and unique prints by local artists at eight-shop 

wonder the Idea Hatchery. 

BED DOWN: Thompson Nashville in the Gulch has 

mid-century modern-look rooms with wonderful views 

of downtown, and it’s a 10-minute drive to get out east. 

Mission District 

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 

THE BUZZ: The Golden Gate City’s oldest neighbourhood, 

founded in 1776 by Spanish missionaries, fondly known as the 

Mission, sees Latino culture rub up against some of the city’s 

oldest architecture, colour-popping street art, a toe-tapping live 

music scene, and a host of gastropubs and dinky ice-cream joints. 

THE CROWD: Bibliophiles thumbing through sci-fi novels 

at Borderlands Books, tech-executives who shuttlebus in to 

Silicon Valley, and hippie festival-lovers. 

DON’T MISS: Picnicking in palm tree-lined Dolores Park 

where locals play ultimate frisbee, and weighing in on a hotly 

debated topic: where serves the best burrito in town? Papalote 

Mexican Grill is famed for its tangy tomato salsa, while superchef 

David Chang favours those at El Castillito. Round things off with 

live bluegrass at The Chapel, which was once a mortuary. The 

annual Day of the Dead celebrations in Garfield Park, which draw 

a 15,000-strong crowd (many in skull facepaint) is an unmissable 

spectacle, too. 

BED DOWN: About 20 minutes from the centre of the 

Mission is cool cat Hotel Zetta, which has urban loft-feel rooms; 

some, curated by the folks at healthy travel guidebook Well + 

Away, feature Peloton bikes and Muse meditation headbands. 


Williamsburg 

BROOKLYN, NYC 

USA 

THE BUZZ: This previously gritty borough started on its 

trajectory towards hip in the early 1990s when creative types 

escaping rising Manhattan rents hopped over the Williamsburg 

Bridge to set up home. Less rough-around-the-edges than 

it once was, it has seen rocketing rental prices, yet it retains 

an appealing creative spirit. It’s home to a thriving art scene, 

some of the Big Apple’s best restaurants, and scores of quirky 

boutiques on Bedford Avenue, including Brooklyn’s oldest 

record shop, Earwax Records. 

THE CROWD: Grown-up creatives-done-good wearing 

colourful 1980s garb from Awoke Vintage, kids in tow, shopping 

at farmers’ markets; plus party animals clinking craft brews at 

rooftop bars on balmy nights. 

DON’T MISS: Feasting on Polish pierogies, piping-hot 

pizza slices from the renowned Best Pizza, and cereal milk ice 

cream at Momofuku Milk Bar on an A&K-arranged foodie 

tour. Head to newly opened, turret-shaped The Water Tower for 

cocktails topped off with truffles, and Manhattan skyline views. 

BED DOWN: Home to one of NYC’s biggest saltwater 

swimming pools, McCarren Hotel & Pool emanates serious 

tropical vibes, has calming rooms with Frette linens – and an 

on-trend vegan restaurant on its rooftop, naturally. 

Wynwood 

MIAMI, FLORIDA 

THE BUZZ: Over the last 15 years, former warehouse 

district Wynwood has morphed into South Florida’s hottest 

arts hub. A haven for street art lovers, the whole area is an open 

air gallery of sorts, the streets a constantly evolving canvas for 

bold designs and graffiti. Plus, there are some 70 galleries and 

museums to explore. 

THE CROWD: Spray-paint whizzes, cans in tow, beach 

junkies taking a sunshine break, and – come December – 

seriously well-heeled collectors descending in flocks for 

Art Basel. 

DON’T MISS: Wynwood Walls and the nearby Wynwood 

Doors, where astonishing murals – everything from neon 

portraits of Poseidon to dogs assembled from metal shards – 

transform walls and doors into world-class artworks. If you 

want to get hands-on, A&K can organise sessions with local 

artists during which you can create your own masterpiece. 

Head to the Bakehouse Art Complex to peek at woodworking 

and printmaking studios and Wyn 317 for a Pop Art fix. At Kyu 

restaurant, dine on burrata with yuzu marmalade and Florida 

snapper ceviche. 

BED DOWN: COMO Metropolitan Miami Beach is about 

a 20-minute drive away. Chic interiors are by Paola Navone, and 

the COMO Shambhala spa is the place to get pummelled into 

relaxation mode. 


HIT 

REFRESH 

WITH ITS LIMEWASHED VILLAGES, PEACEFUL COUNTRYSIDE, AND LUXURIOUS, SERENE 

ACCOMMODATION, PUGLIA IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO REBOOT, SAYS MIA AIMARO OGDEN 

There must be something wrong with this satnav. 

We’re bumping, at nightfall, down a single-track road 

bounded by dry-stone walls, olive trees looming 

suddenly out of the mist in front us. Every few metres, a new 

pothole threatens to swallow us whole. This just can’t be the way 

to one of Puglia’s dreamiest, creamiest resorts. 

Up ahead, an elderly Fiat veers into the ditch to let us pass. I 

wind down the window. “Borgo Egnazia?” I ask. The driver nods 

his head to the left. “Eccolo.” There it is. He taps his nose and 

grins. “We like to keep it quiet.” 

On arrival, the grand, vaulted entrance is ablaze with 

hundreds of candles. Staff come hurrying out to soothe our 

nerves and usher us inside. So far, so impressive. We’re in one 

of the pin-drop-quiet bedrooms in La Corte, a pale fortress of 

local stone and plush finishes: the linens, pillows, furnishings, 

and artwork are all of the highest quality. After the harsh 

realities of the road, there’s something of the dream to all 

of this – and that’s the thing: Borgo Egnazia was built from 

scratch by Aldo Melpignano over six long years, in the style 

of a traditional Pugliese village, a borgo. It’s a facsimile, 

albeit a deeply luxurious one, that allows frayed visitors to chill 

by one of the landscaped pools, dine in one of the five ‘village’ 

restaurants, book a treatment at the Vair Spa, or whoop it up 

at a festa in the square. 

It all feels a very long way from that rutted route – but we’re 

back on it next morning on the way to Matera: not strictly in 

Puglia (it’s just over the border in Basilicata), but with its deeply 

evocative history, as well as its role as a European Capital of 

Culture with a packed diary of art, music, theatre, and food 

happenings, it merits a detour. 

In the 1990s, UNESCO declared the Sassi area of the city a 

World Heritage Site – the same Sassi, or caves, that, in 1950, 

then prime minister Alcide De Gasperi described as the 

“shame of Italy”. Fifteen thousand residents were living in rock 

homes, many dating back to the Neolithic period, with no 

light, ventilation, running water, or electricity. The community 

was rehoused on the plateau above, and the caves boarded 

up – until, in the 1990s, a new wave of inhabitants moved in, 


PUGLIA 

clockwise from left: The historic town 

of Matera; Ostuni's white walls; sunset in 

Matera; Borgo Egnazia; poolside 

at Borgo Egnazia 


unlocking the artistic and commercial potential of the grottoes 

and churches, and bringing a sense of troglodyte pride back to 

the twin Sassi of Caveoso and Barisano. 

The chiese rupestri, or rock churches, are hauntingly beautiful: 

in San Pietro Barisano, we see the sculptor Louise Manzon’s 

sublime female forms set against the ancient frescoes in a 

powerful show. And climbing to the top of the Sassi’s limestone 

mound, we are rewarded by the twin chapels of Santa Maria de 

Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone: their pockmarked façade 

conceals a handful of glorious wall paintings, from a serene 

Byzantine Virgin to a powerful Christ Pantocrator. 

On the Civita hill opposite, Milanese entrepreneur Daniele 

Kihlgren has transformed the old grottoes into an 18-room 

luxury albergo diffuso, or scattered hotel. Each bedroom at 

Sextantio occupies its own rough-hewn cave: lit by candles, 

they’re furnished simply, in wood; linens are hand-woven, 

and bathrooms are of the highest spec. After an aperitivo in 

the courtyard at sundown, we head to dinner at Regia Corte, 

Sant’Angelo’s stylish terrace restaurant, where we watch the 

shadows lengthen in the Murgia National Park across the gorge. 

Back over the border in Puglia, the rough, serpentine road to 

Alberobello sets every spring in the car twanging. Gradually, the 

quiet of the olive groves gives way to buses squeezing 

past, bringing visitors to smile wryly at the town’s uniquely 

enigmatic trulli: little houses like limestone mushrooms with 

cone-shaped shingle roofs that rise up the hill on neat terraces. 

A late afternoon here is best, when the pretty touristic centre 

is emptying, and the districts of Monti and Aia Piccola are 

busy with artisan lacemakers and embroiderers showing 

off their skills. 

In the cool of her shady trullo halfway up the slope, La 

Signora Celestina is packing up for the day. What’s the story 

of her home town? “Ah, that, nobody really knows,” she laughs. 

“If you ask me, it was about money. In the 1500s, landowners 

ordered the poor farmers to build houses in a way that meant 

they could be knocked down quickly if they came to seize our 

taxes – no house, no tax bill!” 

Nine kilometres to the southeast, but a whole world away 

from the hubbub of Alberobello, is Locorotondo, with the 

prettiest centro storico in the Valle d’Itria, and out of season, not 

a visitor in sight. The clue here is in the name – Locorotondo 

means “round place”, and this whitewashed hill town has a 

circular street plan that forms a maze of little lanes lined with 

ancient buildings, some faded and crumbling, others with grand 


PUGLIA 

baroque archways and aloof architectural twiddles. We wander 

all morning, then have lunch at the Trattoria Centro Storico, 

recommended by a Pugliese friend. We try the u tridde, a freshly 

made pasta with pecorino cheese and chopped parsley, cooked 

in turkey broth, and I recall a line I often hear: that visitors to 

Puglia cry three times – when they arrive, when they leave, and 

when they get on the scales. 

Lecce might be the final destination on this rustico road trip, 

but there’s still time to stop off at Ostuni, la Città Bianca, the 

most fabulous “white town” in the whole of Italy, with steep 

medieval alleyways winding their way up to the dramatic 

15th-century cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Here the 

limewash served a dual purpose: not only to lighten the 

labyrinth of streets but, in the 17th century, to fight the progress 

of the Great Plague – or at least that’s what the maître d’ tells 

us as we pause for an Aperol spritz on the rather chic terrace of 

La Sommità, then scale the heights for a blistering view across 

olive groves all the way to the sea. 

An hour’s drive south on the smoothest of roads, luscious 

Lecce is a parade of creamy limestone palaces, wildly ornate 

churches, and elegant squares, all preserved in a 17th-century 

bubble of architectural perfection. It even has a classification 

of its own: barocco leccese, the baroquest of curly baroque, 

the highpoint of which is Giuseppe Zimbalo’s insane basilica 

of Santa Croce – described by one prominent 18th-century 

cultural commentator as “the nightmare of a madman” – 

with allegorical monsters swarming across the façade. 

At La Fiermontina, a 16-room resort from French-Moroccan 

brother and sister team Giacomo and Antonia Filali set into 

the walls of the old city, an astonishing art collection – Léger, 

Le Corbusier, Perriand, Zwobada – is dotted around a crisp 

17th-century masseria, updated by architect Antonio 

Annicchiarico. There’s even a neat little swimming pool 

out back – unheard of in the centro storico. 

After an aperitivo here, in the garden, we wiggle through 

to the Risorgimento Resort for a rooftop dinner at Le Quattro 

Spezierie, where chef Alessandro Cisternino’s menu is big on 

fish from both the Adriatic and Ionian seas. The night ends at 

Alvino, one of the city’s oldest cafés, where the fairy lights from 

the terrace illuminate the Roman amphitheatre, half buried 

beneath the stones of Piazza Sant’Oronzo. A final caffè speciale 

– a local treat of espresso over ice with almond milk – and we’re 

back on the road to Brindisi and the airport. Bumps along the 

way? Who cares? 

clockwise from top left: Guest room in La Fiermontina; typical trulli 

houses built with dry stone walls and conical roofs, Alberobello; 

the baroque palaces of Lecce; trulli houses in Alberobello 


A&K’s seven-night Discover Puglia suggested itinerary starts at 

£1,200 per person (based on two sharing, includes flights, private 

transfers, accommodation, and selected excursions). For more 

information, call our Europe travel specialists on 01242 547 703. 


auhaus 

BEYOND BERLIN, LOOK TO THE MIDDLE 

EAST TO CELEBRATE A CENTENARY OF THE 

BAUHAUS: 2019 IS THE PERFECT YEAR TO VISIT 

TEL AVIV AND MARVEL AT ITS MODERNIST 

MASTERPIECES, SAYS ALICIA DEVENEY 

at 

100 


TEL AVIV 

HAUS PROUD 

In 2019, Bauhaus is celebrating its centenary. It’s been 100 years 

since architect Walter Gropius founded the famed German school 

of design. Characterised by its form-follows-function and less-ismore 

principles, the Bauhaus taught both arts and crafts (or fine 

and applied arts) in an effort to bridge the gap between the two. 

Deemed un-German and cited for its “cultural bolshevism” by 

the Nazis, the school – which had been based at Weimar until 

1925, Dessau through 1932, and Berlin for its final months – was 

closed for good in 1933. While architecture wasn’t on the agenda 

until 1925, when Gropius began to instruct pupils in the subject, 

thanks to the school’s association with some of the age’s finest 

architects – Mies van der Rohe was the director of the institute by 

its end – one of its greatest legacies can today be seen in the built 

environment of Germany and beyond. 

After its closure, the emigré pupils and staff – the Bauhausler 

– hastened the spread of Bauhaus’s principles to some far-flung 

cities in unexpected places. While some went west – László 

Moholy-Hagy and van der Rohe to Chicago and Gropius to 

Massachusetts – the best Bauhaus city is in the Middle East. 

BRIGHT LINES, WHITE CITY 

Seaside, cosmopolitan Tel Aviv may only be 110 years old, but 

in terms of architectural significance, it’s incomparable in the 

region – this is where the Bauhaus movement made its most 

lasting impression. At the heart of Tel Aviv lies the White City, a 

collection of some 4,000 buildings built by the Bauhaus diaspora. 

These included German-Jewish architects Arieh Sharon, Munio 

Giati Weinraub, Shmeul Mestechkin, and Shlomo Bernstein, who 

had studied at Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin, and who brought this 

new International Style with them when they emigrated to what 

was then the British Mandate of Palestine. 

SPACE TO BUILD, A NEW BUILT SPACE 

A new city is a veritable playground for architects, planners, and 

builders, presenting a blank canvas on which to work. In 1906, 

60 Jewish families met in Jaffa – one of the oldest ports in the 

world – with plans to establish a city nearby. Tel Aviv’s founders 

purchased 12.8 hectares of sand dunes, and by 1909 had divvied 

it up and allocated plots by lottery, using the model of the English 

garden city. By 1925, the population of Tel Aviv (Hill of Spring) 

had grown to around 34,000, due in part to riots in Jaffa that 

encouraged resettlement. 

The population boom resulted in an ever-increasing need 

for housing and civic buildings. Scottish urban planner Patrick 

Geddes, who had worked on the design for New Delhi, was 

commissioned by Tel Aviv’s founding father and first mayor, 

Meir Dizengoff, to come up with a structure for this new garden 

city. Geddes started working on his plan in 1925 and the 62-page 

document was accepted in 1929. It included two major roads 

running parallel to the shore, plus three lesser north-south 

thoroughfares to channel traffic. These were complemented by 

an east-west secondary road to ventilate the city and carry the 

cooling breeze from the sea to residents. Around this footprint, 

buildings in the International Style began to rise. Marked by 

ribbon-like windows, geometric balconies, and crafted in white, 

crisp (and cheap) concrete, the White City’s buildings were 

constructed according to the clean lines, modernist aesthetic, 

and socialist ideals of the Bauhaus. 

OUTSTANDING SIGNIFICANCE 

Fast forward to 2003: UNESCO granted Tel Aviv’s White City 

World Cultural Heritage status. According to the organisation, it’s 

an “outstanding example of new town planning and architecture 

in the early 20th century” and it also cites the “significance of the 

various trends of the Modern Movement adapted for cultural and 

climate conditions”. 

Because, of course, what was functional in the subzero 

temperatures of Weimar in winter didn’t work in the 

Mediterranean sunlit city. Smaller windows, sun breaks, buildings 

raised on pilotis (stilt-type columns), and lush 

roof gardens became distinctly Tel Avivian adaptations. 

And while prior to its UNESCO accreditation the White City 

had been looking less than pristine – abandoned, graffitied, and 

downtrodden thanks to suburbanisation and the disintegration 

of cheap building materials – in the last 15 years, Tel Aviv has 

been undergoing a make-over, with extensive renovations and 

restorations getting it ready to impress discerning travellers with 

an eye for historic architecture. 


1 

2 

five 

bauhaus 

beauties 

With anniversary events happening until the end of the year, celebrate 

the centenary with a weekend break and view the best of the Bauhaus style. 

Dr Micha Gross from Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus Centre picks five must-see spots: 

4 

1 

DIZENGOFF SQUARE 

The world’s most famous Bauhaus piazza, Dizengoff Square is 

regarded as the centre of the White City and was an integral part 

of Geddes’ plan. Designed by Genia Averbuch and inaugurated in 

1938, the simplistic design features a round space surrounded by 

near-identical buildings notable for their “curvilinear horizontal 

slit balconies”. Having undergone many architectural changes, 

including a disastrous redesign in the 1970s, three years ago 

the city decided to renovate the square and restore it to its 

original layout. The work was completed this year in time for 

the centenary celebrations. 

2 

LEON RECANATI HOUSE 

Designed by Swiss emigré Shlomo Liaskovski in collaboration 

with Jacob Orenstein, this three-storey block of flats was 

commissioned in 1934 to include residential accommodation 

and shops on the ground floor. Its design has Modernist qualities, 

such as asymmetry and repetitive curving balconies. 

3 

HOTEL CINEMA 

While strolling around Dizengoff Square, look out for 

the Esther Cinema, now a boutique hotel, which was designed 

by architect Yehuda Magidowitz in 1938/39. It was one of 

Tel Aviv’s first cinemas and purportedly opened with a 

showing of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s known for 

its distinctive façade, with protruding balconies, long windows, 

and ground-floor pilotis. 


TEL AVIV 

3 

5 

4 

POLI HOUSE 

Occupying a central corner in the White City, the Polishuk or 

Poli House – named for Yehuda Polishuk, the Ukrainian owner 

who commissioned the commercial building from Shlomo 

Liaskovski – was designed in 1933. Having fallen into disrepair 

in the 1980s, in recent years this streamlined sweep of stucco has 

been refurbished by Israeli architect Nitza Szmuk and American 

designer Karim Rashid into a boutique hotel. 

5 

SHIMON LEVI HOUSE 

A nautical take on the International Style, this residential 

building was designed in 1935 by architect Arieh Cohen. 

Designed in defiance of the city’s three-storey height limit, 

this six-storey building with its rounded corners and strong 

horizontal lines has always reminded locals of an ocean 

liner and is known locally as the Ship House. Symbols of 

internationality, equilibrium, and connectivity, ocean liners were 

icons of the modern age and often referenced in architecture. 

previous page: The Esther Cinema. This Bauhaus-style picture house was 

renovated and reopened as a hotel in the early noughties. 

this page: Leon Recanati House (credit: Shachar Muzicant / RIBA Collections) 


For more information on city breaks in Tel Aviv, or to book 

your next tailor-made holiday to Israel, call our North Africa 

& Middle East travel specialists on 01242 547 703. 


48 HOURS IN 

SINGAPORE 

SINGAPORE IS BOTH A GATEWAY TO SOUTH-EAST ASIA 

AND A WORTHY DESTINATION IN ITS OWN RIGHT. IN 2019, 

THE INNOVATIVE ISLAND NATION IS MARKING 200 YEARS 

SINCE IT WAS OFFICIALLY FOUNDED: SO WHAT BETTER TIME 

TO SPEND TWO DAYS IN ITS COMPANY? VICTORIA SMITH, 

A&K'S ASIA PRODUCT MANAGER, SHOWS YOU AROUND 

DAY 1 

09.00 

Arrive at Changi Airport for an exceptional first impression of 

Singapore; in 2019, a gleaming, one-billion-pound retail complex 

called Jewel was unveiled here. Located at the crossroads between 

three airport terminals, Jewel’s crowning glory is the Rain Vortex 

– the world’s largest indoor waterfall, surrounded by a multistorey, 

man-made rainforest. Admire the spectacle, then transfer to your 

hotel for your prearranged early check in. 

12.30 

After freshening up, begin a multisensory journey around 

Singapore’s cultural enclaves, beginning first in Chinatown. This 

historical neighbourhood retains its distinctive character, with 

hawker centres full of Chinese produce; pagoda-topped Taoist 

temples; and colourful shuttered-window shophouses. Stop by 

the Chinese Heritage Centre to discover the stories of the first 

settlers, and climb the four-storey Buddha Tooth Relic Temple to 

see elaborate decorations and gold-encrusted icons. Then enjoy a 

light bite to eat. At Yum Cha Chinatown, you can sample dim sum 

served from traditional carts, while The Affogato Lounge offers a 

range of desserts to sate your sweet tooth. 

14.00 

Swap Chinatown for Little India, where you’ll be struck by the 

heady aroma of spices and jasmine upon arrival. Once the site of 

a racecourse, this neighbourhood is now buzzing with fragrant 

flower stalls and artisans selling silver, brassware, rattan, wood 

carvings, and silk saris. Tuck into more local fare here, where 

traditional street-food stalls sit beside charming restaurants. 

Sample Indian favourites from roti prata (round pancakes) to a 

hot cup of teh tarik (pulled tea). 

15.00 

Round off your neighbourhood tour in Arab Street, where you can 

flit between shops selling semi-precious stones, peacock feathers, 

gold thread, and bales of silk and organza. This is also home to the 

glistening Sultan Mosque, with its distinctive gold onion domes 

and grand prayer hall. 

18.00 

Spend the evening sampling the delights of Singapore’s best 

nocturnal spots. At Cé La Vi’s Sky Bar, you can chink glasses as 

you gaze out over the sparkling city. Or dance the night away at 

renowned club Zouk, where impressive light displays dazzle ravers. 

For a meal to remember, try Odette within the National Gallery 

Singapore; this restaurant’s delightfully presented French cuisine 

has earnt it two Michelin stars, as well as the 18th spot in William 

Reed’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list. 


DAY 2 

11.00 

After enjoying breakfast at your hotel, it’s time to see the icons 

of this island nation, beginning with the Botanic Gardens. The 

orchid is Singapore’s national flower, and three hectares of this 

UNESCO World Heritage Site are allocated to the National 

Orchid Garden, where 600 species and hybrids are proudly on 

display. Meander around the four season-themed zones, each 

housing orchids of particular colours and tones. 

13.00 

Next, travel downtown to board the landmark Singapore 

Flyer. The world’s second highest Ferris wheel takes you 165 

metres up in the air for a panoramic view. Enjoy a drink at the 

top as you look out over Marina Bay and the sea beyond, with 

the coast of Malaysia and Indonesia on the horizon. Once 

back on ground level, have a bite to eat at the Marina Centre, 

where you can enjoy Singapore’s melting pot of cuisines at a 

lively buffet experience. 

15.00 

This afternoon, head to the Gardens by the Bay. Since this 

54-hectare nature park was established in 2012, it’s become 

one of the country’s most popular attractions. Wander 

through the Flower Dome conservatory, passing displays 

of gorgeous, multifarious flora. Then step into the Cloud 

Forest, which houses a photogenic indoor waterfall (the 

world’s second tallest – after Changi Airport’s). Here, mists 

quench tropical plant life and orchids add dashes of colour 

to the greenery. Finally, admire the star of the show, the 

Supertree Grove. As dusk falls, these futuristic foliagewrapped 

towers are at their most magical, illuminated 

by thousands of solar-powered lights. Weave between 

the man-made canopy via the 22-metre-high skyway, 

and enjoy one of the best views in the city. 

18.00 

Toast the past two days with a Singapore Sling at the worldfamous 

Raffles Hotel, where Happy Hour is an institution. 

Newly refurbished, this colonial-style property is a grand 

place to take tea, imbibe a tipple or two, and bed down – 

A&K can book you a suite. This evening, head out to enjoy 

more of the nightlife, or simply stay in and make the most of 

Raffles’ five-star service. Although your two days are almost 

up, tomorrow needn’t mean home time. Singapore is the 

perfect stop-over choice on a multi-centre itinerary. 

Next, you could delve deeper into South-East Asia with a 

trip to Cambodia, Thailand, or Vietnam. Or, for remote 

beachfront bliss, Indonesia’s Bawah Reserve lies to the east; 

six islands typified by soft sand, turquoise sea, and teeming 

reefs await. 


For more information, or to book a tailor-made holiday to 

Singapore and South-East Asia, call our travel specialists 

on 01242 547 704. 

left to right: The world-famous Raffles Hotel; the city by night; some of 

Singapore's exciting street food 


tropical 

heat 

BALI, THANKS TO ITS BALMY TEMPERATURES AND RIP-ROARING SURF 

BREAKS, HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BOHEMIAN ENCLAVE. WITH THE ARRIVAL 

OF SMART NEW HOTELS AND AN ENTICING FOOD SCENE, CANGGU 

HAS BECOME THE ISLAND’S CHIC DESTINATION, SAYS IANTHE BUTT 


BALI 

Indonesia’s star isle, all barefoot bliss and frangipani-fringed 

beaches, is one of the world’s original hippie havens, a 

mecca for sun-kissed surfers and maverick travellers since 

the 1970s. Back then, the original epicentre of cool was Kuta 

Beach – a spot now crammed with backpacker hostels and 

gap-year teens. Over the years, Seminyak – a little further 

north – cemented itself as a vibrant hot spot, with Ku De Ta 

paving the way for a huge beach bar scene, including the famous 

amphitheatre-style, Andra Matin-designed Potato Head Beach 

Club. Here bright young things listen to international DJs spin 

tunes as the sun slips into the Indian Ocean. 

Cachet, however, brings crowds, and now travellers looking 

for liveliness without back-to-back bustle are turning their 

attention further north along the shoreline to Canggu. Fifteen 

years ago, when I first visited Bali, Canggu was slow-paced and 

rural, curls of sandalwood incense drifting through quiet paddy 

fields and low-key beach shacks, but of late it’s developed at 

a rate of knots with luxe hoteliers COMO (who normally opt 

for ultra-zen surroundings) throwing open the doors of a new 

beachside property here last year; vine-filled co-working spaces 

such as Dojo attracting digital nomads who tap on laptops in 

the afternoon after mornings spent chasing waves at nearby 

Echo Beach; and places to eat popping up faster than you can 

taste test them all. 

Chic dining spots such as The Slow, where chef Robbin 

Holmgren serves up plates of burnt leeks with whipped feta 

and poke bowls, rub up against traditional warungs, which dole 

out tasty tempeh and nasi goreng. Cafés dedicated to avocado 

on toast and rainbow-hued candy floss serve the Insta-mad 

crowd who head to the ’Gu, as it’s fondly nicknamed. Whether 

beach bar-hopping, watching as the waves lick the shore at 

Echo Beach, or heading out by scooter to Canggu’s fringes, 

where you’ll still find old-school charm and ragged scarecrows 

that watch over chartreuse rice fields, it’ll suit those looking 

for a new Bali buzz – with a touch of east London sass, and an 

easygoing atmosphere akin to Tulum. 


CANGGU 

AN INSIDER’S GUIDE 

FORTY WINKS 

First up the all-important question – where to stay? COMO 

Uma Canggu is without a doubt the most talked-about hotel 

opening of late, and with good reason. Although there are 

119 residences and rooms, set a little back from the shoreline 

at Echo Beach, a clever layout centred around a vast lagoonstyle 

pool gives it the feel of somewhere much more intimate. 

Bedroom decor is minimal and peaceful, mostly all-white with 

teak furnishings, rattan touches, and beds dressed with crisp 

Italian linen. Seven treatment rooms offering Asia-inspired spa 

experiences add the wellness hit COMO’s famed for, while live 

acoustic guitar sessions at the Beach Club are best watched from 

a swinging daybed, coconut mojito in hand. 

For something more traditional, about a 15-minute drive 

from Echo Beach is Plataran Canggu. It’s Indonesian throughand-through, 

its reception a painstakingly restored 250-year-old 

jati wood Javanese joglo (house), with a clutch of alang alangthatched 

villas sitting riverside, surrounded by gardens that 

thrum with birdsong. Some have private pools and deep stone 

bathtubs too. At Teras Canggu restaurant there’s fresh-fromthe-ocean 

lobster bakso and the Padma spa for Balinese herbal 

compress massages, followed by lemongrass milk baths. 

OUT AND ABOUT 

Edged by black volcanic-sand beaches and fairly consistent 

waves, Canggu’s a great place for first-timer surfers to have a 

go. For guaranteed top-notch tuition, book in with surf guru 

Chucho at Tropicsurf ’s beach shack school at COMO Uma 

Canggu; he’ll teach you the ropes in the property’s pool before 

you hit the water. 

It’s said that Bali has more temples than homes, and a 

20-minute drive away from the heart of Canggu is its most 

famous – striking offshore Hindu site Tanah Lot. While many 

head there to see it silhouetted against the setting sun, traffic 

at this time can be hellish, so opt for a morning or afternoon 

gander instead. Motorbike enthusiasts should hit biker 

paradise Deus Ex Machina; if you’re not a petrolhead, a small 

contemporary art gallery and café will keep you entertained. For 

souvenirs to ramp up the boho aesthetic back at home, pick up 

furniture crafted from Indonesian materials at Interior Tonic 

in Umulas, artisan throws and ceramics at concept store-meets 

café Quince, and all-natural plant-dyed clothing at Yoli + Otis. 

FINE FARE 

Culinary enthusiasts are completely spoilt for choice here: so 

diverse is the restaurant scene that you can indulge a hankering 

for cuisine from almost anywhere in the world. Ulekan Bali does 

Indonesian-style fine dining well; mix and match small plates 

such as classic gado gado salad with charcoal-grilled prawn and 

chicken satay sticks, or opt for the likes of slipper lobster in 

black pepper sauce or banana leaf-wrapped barramundi from 

the mains list. Three nights per week, traditional Balinese dance 

performances take place. 

For something more low-key, don’t miss dining as the locals 

do at a warung or streetside stall. Warung Varana’s nasi campur 

and spicy sambal are a surefire hit. At quirky Ji Terrace by the 

Sea, alfresco dining takes place on a seaside rooftop, decked out 

with statues of goddesses, centuries-old urns, Tibetan Masks, 

and Indian lanterns. Not only do you get killer ocean views, but 

the Japanese fusion menu will delight sushi lovers. 

One of Canggu’s oldest and best-loved restaurants is roadside 

shack Betelnut, known for its shabby-chic vibe, fresh bright 

roasted pumpkin and spinach salads, beetroot burgers, and 

homemade desserts which range from dragon fruit mousse to 

Snickers cheesecake. 

BEST BEACH BARS 

To visit Bali and not check out at least a couple of beach clubs 

is unthinkable, and Canggu has plenty of lovely spots. Just next 

door to COMO Uma Canggu is the rather magical La Brisa, a 

ramshackle-chic beachside bar crafted from wood reclaimed 

from over 500 disused fishermen’s boats. Walkways flanked 

by crumbling canoes draped in fairy lights lead to a pool with 

swishy turquoise daybeds to lounge on and several thatched tree 

houses decorated with antique buoys, fishing nets, and straw 

baskets. On the menu are locally caught seafood dishes (think 

fried squid with papaya Asian slaw), herb-infused cocktails, and 

passion fruit sangria. 

For more of a party vibe, there’s popular Finns Beach Club, 

but instead of joining the masses, opt for a spot next door at 

the club’s recently opened sister venue, the exclusive VIP Beach 

Club Bali, where daybeds sit under palm trees on a manicured 

lawn, and there’s a spa and Champagne Bar. For excellent sour 

apple martinis and groovy tunes, grab a shaded spot under 

one of the white-fringed parasols at The Lawn on Batu Bolong 

beach, and get lost just watching the waves roll in. 

previous page: Hindu temple Tanah Lot at sunset 

opposite page, left to right from top: The view from COMO Uma Canggu; 

fresh cuisine at Plataran Canggu; Aurora Open Deck at Plataran Canggu; 

fine dining at Teras Canggu; surfing in Bali 


For more information, or to book your next tailor-made holiday 

to Canggu, call our South-East Asia travel specialists on 01242 

547 704. 


BALI 


MEET THE GUIDE 

AHMED ABUL ELLA ALI 

GROWING UP ON THE BANKS OF THE NILE, AHMED ABUL ELLA ALI 

DEVELOPED A DEEP LOVE OF ANCIENT EGYPT. HE TELLS PENELOPE RANCE 

HOW HE’S BEEN SHARING THAT LOVE WITH A&K’S GUESTS FOR 25 YEARS 

For Egyptologist and A&K expert guide Ahmed Abul Ella 

Ali, the history of his home country has been a source 

of wonder since childhood. Growing up in Giza, in the 

shadow of Egypt’s towering monuments, he was inspired to 

pursue degrees in first ancient history and then Egyptology – 

sparking a love affair with the ancient world that has endured for 

three decades. 

“Living as a child, with the Nile on one side and the pyramids 

on the other, it opened my eyes to the fact that right there in the 

backyard of the city where I live, we have the greatest monuments 

built in the history of mankind,” says Abul Ella. “That left an 

impression on me! From the start, it intrigued my imagination. 

I was fascinated by the monuments, and with the beliefs behind 

the monuments.” 

And now, at 51, he takes great pleasure in sharing his 

enthusiasm while leading A&K tours. “One of the greatest gifts 

guiding in Egypt provides is taking people on an incredible 

journey through time and through place. I take our guests to 

temples, tombs, and ancient Egyptian monuments, Greco-Roman 

sites, the churches of early Christianity, through to the early 

periods of Islamic history.” 

And he never tires of the opportunity to unveil his own 

research into the unique cultural make-up of the area. “These 

trips provide a wonderful opportunity to share my ideas with 

my guests and talk about the connection between cultures, 

religions, beliefs, art. How early ideas travel throughout the 

centuries, taking new meaning, and how modern Egyptian 

society rests on layers of history.” 

Abul Ella doesn’t just guide people around the treasures 

of Egypt: he is also a renowned author of the period, writing 

both academic tomes and starter guides for visitors to the 

country’s most popular sites. “I’m trying to simplify the big stuff 

into smaller, attractive books,” he says, as part of a mission to 

introduce new visitors to the joys of Egyptology. 

His weightier work covers the link between Egypt’s past and 

the stories of the Bible. “My love for ancient history, and for the 

interconnection between different cultures and religions, led me 

to the relationship between ancient Egypt and Old Testament 

history.” His explorations are published in the book Prophets and 

Pharaohs: Egypt and the Old Testament. 

Another book, By Way of Accident: The True Stories Behind 

the Discovery of Egypt’s Greatest Monuments, focuses on the 

major archaeological discoveries in the country in the 19th 

century, many of which occurred by chance. “It’s about how those 

accidental discoveries shaped the birth of Egyptology and the 

development of Egyptian society at the time.” 

But for Abul Ella, it is the future of his field that is truly 

exciting, and he loves to reveal the latest developments to A&K 


I LIKE TO DELVE INTO 

DEEPER ANCIENT EGYPT. 

I TAKE PEOPLE TO THE LOST 

CITY OF CLEOPATRA, WHERE 

MANY OF THE SITES ARE 

RARELY VISITED 

guests. “There are new discoveries and research every year 

that allow me to add more elements to the tours. It’s an 

ongoing passion.” 

And although he delights in taking guests around Egypt’s 

most famous attractions – the ‘Big Five’ of the Pyramids and 

the Sphinx; the Egyptian Museum containing the treasures of 

Tutankhamen; Karnak Temple Complex; the Valley of the Kings; 

and the great temples of Abu Simbel – Abul Ella points out that 

there are 50 other sites that he can introduce guests to, his own 

personal hidden treasures among them. 

“I like to delve into deeper ancient Egypt. I enjoy taking people 

to Alexandria to talk about the lost city of Cleopatra. It was once 

the greatest city in the world, even bigger than Rome, but many of 

its sites are rarely visited, such as the catacombs and royal tombs. 

“I take people to the tombs of Saqqara; to Abydos, the most 

beautiful temple on the Nile with its exquisite reliefs and colourful 

frescoes; to tombs in Luxor rarely visited by tourist crowds. We go 

to the workers’ village, the tomb of the artisans, and talk about the 

other side of Egypt’s history, the people who built the tombs and 

the artists that decorated them, shedding light on life in ancient 

Egypt from a different perspective.” 

Among his recent guests have been Kerry Golds, A&K’s own 

managing director, and her family who, he says, were blown away 

by the size and power of Karnak. 

“We walked down to the temple and turned to see the gigantic 

statues of Ramses II, deeply carved into the rock. Kerry was 

completely taken by surprise: pointing to the breath-taking view, 

she said, ‘This is way better than the pictures!’” 

With his wealth of experience, in-depth knowledge, and 

abiding love for his subject, Abul Ella is highly valued by A&K; 

and the feeling is mutual. “I have a very special relationship 

with A&K. I joined the company in 1995. I was fairly young for 

the role, because they hire the best in the market, with years of 

experience. I grew up inside the company – it’s been almost 25 

years now, and I enjoy every tour I take. 

“What makes A&K so special is the sense of commitment. 

I’m committed to our guests, to providing quality tours. The 

company is committed to offering that service, and the guests are 

committed to enjoying their trip! It’s a circle of professionalism 

and happiness. That’s what makes me stay.” 

opposite page: Ahmed Abul Ella Ali sharing his wonder at the Pyramids 

this page from top: The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut; Abul Ella; 

one of Egypt’s ‘Big Five’, the Pyramids and the Sphinx 


For more information on luxury tailor-made holidays to Egypt 

or to reserve a place on a Nile cruise, call to speak to our North 

Africa & Middle East travel specialists on 01242 547 703. 



MAJORCA 

BALEARIC HIGH 

A HILLTOP LOCATION, PANORAMIC VIEWS AND ULTRA-CHIC 

DÉCOR: VILLA SONREI, ON MAJORCA’S 

NORTH COAST, TICKS ALL THE BOXES, 

SAYS NATALIE PARIS 

Sun-washed and cosmopolitan, with a green and 

muscular interior, characterful towns, and some of the 

Mediterranean’s finest beaches, Majorca is a firm favourite 

among British travellers. For many, this gem of the Balearics 

offers the ideal combination of lush countryside, golden sand, 

great restaurants, and upmarket beach clubs. 

While there are numerous postcard-pretty coves along 

the coastline to soak up the influx of visitors between spring 

and late summer, it is the north of the island that attracts those 

in the know. It is here that you can find an exclusive getaway 

close to some of the wildest scenery and most peaceful bays on 

the island. 

Port de Pollença, with its genteel atmosphere and quiet 

prettiness, is one of the current in-vogue spots on Majorca’s 

northerly peninsula, which ends in the ruggedly beautiful 

Cap de Formentor. 

Anyone who found themselves hooked to BBC One’s gripping 

drama The Night Manager a few years back will have seen Pine 

Walk, the romantic promenade along the coast here which 

featured in an episode. Curving along the top of the bay, the 

walkway is lapped by a sparkling, shallow sea, and shaded by 

deliciously scented pine branches. 

At the furthest end is a rocky headland crowned by an old 

fort, La Fortaleza, now part of a luxury estate that provided the 

setting for the lavish home of Hugh Laurie’s dastardly character. 

Across the Bay of Pollença, topping a hill opposite, is the equally 

beautiful Villa Sonrei, where I decided to take my family for an 

indulgent escape far from the crowds of Majorca’s south. 

Climbing up the winding driveway, past a tennis court and 

vines of bougainvillea, you will certainly feel that you have 

arrived. You might, however, regret not having done so in 

grander style, once you spot the private helipad, sat just opposite 

the soaring stone columns that mark the villa’s front door. 

From the pictures I had pored over beforehand, I had been 

most excited to see the villa’s views and its two pools, but even 

the entrance hall drew a low “wow” from our party. It is a whitewalled, 

double-storey wonder – like stepping into an art gallery 

– flooded with light and enlivened with blazing red Ron Arad 

chairs and stark white Cappellini lamps. 

akvillas.com | 37

A SOAK IN THE SUNKEN BATH CAME WITH 

VIEWS OF YACHTS TRACKING ACROSS THE BAY, 

AND THE DISTANT MOUNTAINS 

The enviable setting and private spa are just a small part 

of what makes Villa Sonrei one of Majorca’s most exclusive 

properties. This large and airy, contemporary villa is decorated 

with exquisite modern art and, with nine huge and wellequipped 

bedrooms, it provides everything discerning guests 

might need. 

Sat on manicured lawns in a commanding position, the 

villa benefits from sweeping views that encompass the sea on 

two sides, the blue smudge of the Tramuntana mountains, and 

the goat-dotted hill it perches on. It is located just outside the 

family-friendly resort of Alcúdia, which has atmospheric old 

town walls, a choice of beaches, and the six-kilometre-long 

swathe of dazzling blonde sand at Playa de Muro nearby. Just 

below the villa is the affluent enclave of Mal Pas-Bonaire, which 

has two small sandy coves that are known only to locals and well 

worth a couple of hours of your time. 

It was hard to choose a favourite bedroom, but we plumped 

in the end for room two, a master suite with a jaw-dropping 

bathroom. This light-filled space oozed pampering, with its 

marble fittings, wooden floors, large walk-in shower, and 

wonderfully classic, arched windows on either side. Best of 

all, a large picture window at the far end was majestically 

positioned above a sunken bath. A soak therefore came 

complete with views of yachts tracking across the bay, and 

the distant mountains. 

The other master suite is situated on the lower ground 

floor and has a larger sleeping space with a fun, informal feel 

to it. With room to dance around the bed, a corner plot, and 

the possibility of hiring the villa out for a small wedding 

or family party, it is somewhere to retreat to for a nightcap, 

perhaps, after other guests have gone to bed, or, during the day, 

for easy access to the outdoor pool, with glass doors that open 

up onto the lawn. 

Stretching out in a long blue streak from the rear of the 

house towards the sea, the outdoor saltwater pool is great 

for swimming lengths in, as well as for general posing. 

There are a couple of daybeds to one side and some convenient 

sunloungers just beyond the end of the pool, looking over 

the edge of the grounds. 

Weather in spring too chilly for a dip? Never fear; Villa 

Sonrei has its own spa floor and a large indoor pool heated to 

29 degrees. Positioned in a chamber of stone pillars, the indoor 

pool lines up with its outdoor equivalent in pleasing symmetry. 

There is also an indoor hot tub, plus a small sauna and steam 

room that can be heated on request. 

The kitchen is a slick, stainless steel affair, focused on efficient 

food preparation, while the villa itself centres around, and draws 

light from, a small courtyard containing a fish-filled pond. The 

staff are lovely and, during my stay, consisted of a caretaker and 

cook, while the hosts, who speak perfect English, are also only a 

phone call or message away. 

Once we had orientated ourselves, a string of blissfully 

peaceful days unfolded in a gentle routine. Our cook would lay 

out a fortifying spread for breakfast each morning on the indoor 

dining table, consisting of tea, coffee, croissants, chocolate 

spread, bread, jam, butter, ham, and orange juice. 

We would then take the car out to either Alcúdia, Pollença, 

or to the local coves for a paddle, and return to make our own 

leisurely lunch from tomatoes, avocado, local cheese, ham, 

bread, and fruit, eaten at one of three dining tables on the vast 

terraces that wrap around each floor of the house. 

The quiet afternoons were for swimming and reading 

before connecting up to the villa’s top-notch sound system for 

a sunset soundtrack as the sea, mountains, and entire horizon 

blushed a deep pink. Many a bottle of Majorcan bubbles fizzed 

down as we enjoyed feeling as if we were on top of the world 

– well, at the top tip of Majorca at least. The villa’s terraces are 

easily some of the best places on the island to witness these 

spectacular sunsets. 

Once night had fallen, the two spacious and luxuriously 

appointed lounges called. The main lounge is a sociable space 

and a calming mix of pale colours and natural textures, with 

bleached-grain side tables, a modern fireplace, a large sofa 

seating around 10, and some well-curated, intriguing pieces of 

contemporary art. The second lounge is a cinema room, with 

a giant television linked up to Apple TV and Netflix (the latter 

being available in the bedrooms also). 

The nine bedrooms are mostly split between the first and 

lower ground floors and there is a lift in between. If travelling 

in a large group (the villa sleeps 18), there are unlikely to be 

arguments about who has which room, as they are all incredibly 

spacious, with sea views in all but two, and seating areas either 

in the rooms or just outside. The rooms on the lower ground 

floor all have sliding doors out onto the garden. Just one room 

is smaller and equipped with only twin beds, situated on the 

ground floor. 

Following our time there, it will be hard, if I’m honest, 

to return to Majorca and not long for Villa Sonrei. It really 

seems to offer the best of everything: access to the north’s 

most coveted spots, but also peace and privacy from a hilltop 

location that grants a beautiful and unique panorama of this 

ever-popular island. 

CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT VILLAS 

For all villas holidays – especially to an A&K Villas' Favourite 

such as Villa Sonrei – we advise early booking. For more 

information or to discuss a reservation, call our villas 

specialists on 01242 547 705. 


MAJORCA 

THIS LIGHT-FILLED SPACE OOZED PAMPERING, WITH ITS 

MARBLE FITTINGS, WOODEN FLOORS, LARGE WALK-IN SHOWER, AND 

WONDERFULLY CLASSIC, ARCHED WINDOWS ON EITHER SIDE 

akvillas.com | 39

OLYMPIC 

GAINS 

WHEN IT COMES TO TRENDING TRAVEL 

DESTINATIONS, JAPAN IS THE NAME ON 

EVERYONE’S LIPS. TWO OF THE WORLD’S MOST 

EXCITING SPORTING EVENTS, INVESTMENT IN 

TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE, AND A HEAVYWEIGHT 

ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE ALL MEAN THERE’S 

NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO VISIT THE LAND 

OF THE RISING SUN, SAYS IANTHE BUTT 


JAPAN 

Cities that never sleep, all jagged skyscrapers set against 

paths of vermillion torii gates leading to beautiful 

Shinto shrines; ancient forests where centuries-old 

Buddhist temples sit hidden away on deserted mountaintops; 

and a pale-pink explosion of cherry blossom in springtime 

which trumps all others. It’s no wonder Japan tops many 

people’s travel wish lists. 

Right now the country’s having an unprecedented visitor 

moment; last year the Japan National Tourist Organisation 

(JNTO) reported a record number of overseas visitors – some 

31.2 million visited in 2018, a whopping 8.7 per cent increase 

over the previous record-breaking numbers seen in 2017. And 

things show no signs of slowing – kicking off the excitement, 

Japan hosts the Rugby World Cup (20 September to 2 

November). It’s a big deal, as it’s the first time the tournament 

has been held in Asia, and as well as cheering on their own 

teams, overseas fans will be interested to see how hosts Japan 

fare after their surprise triumph over South Africa in 2015. 

It’s expected that over 400,000 overseas supporters will arrive 

during the six-week period, with the glitzy opening ceremony 

getting things going at Tokyo’s Ajinomoto Stadium, and the final 

clash taking place a bullet train ride away at the International 

Stadium Yokohama in Kanagawa. 

The country’s also ramping up to host the Olympic and 

Paralympic Games next summer, which will see the planet’s 

fittest sportspeople compete for medals across disciplines 

including five newly added to the Olympic roster – baseball, 

karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. The Tokyo 

Games will likely further boost foreign tourist arrivals with 

international visitor figures for 2020 predicted to inch close to 

the 40 million mark. 

To handle the ongoing influx, significant investments in 

infrastructure are being made. In January, an International 

Tourist Tax of 1000 yen (around £7.40) was built into airfares 

and cruise tickets. This small levy, nicknamed the ‘sayonara 

tax’, will be spent on a raft of improvements including more 

contactless payment points, multi-language information 

and audio-guide tours at key tourist sites, and national park 

maintenance. Free public wifi spots are also being upped and 

upgraded, with wifi now available at all bullet train stations. 

By the time the Games roll around, eight out of the nine bullet 

lines – the trains famed for their kingfisher-bill inspired noses 

and up to 320kmph speeds – will have on-train wifi networks. 

If you’ve not managed to secure seats at either of the mega 

sporting events, however, there are plenty of other hot tickets 

and new attractions to explore. In Tokyo, last year the 

MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: teamLab Borderless 

opened, the world’s first all-digital art museum. It’s a mindbending 

experience; flowers which bloom on floors, petals that 

appear to fall apart as you walk over them, cascading hyperreal 

waterfalls, and rooms where you can draw a sea creature with 

wax crayons, then seconds later have it scanned and see it come 

to life, bobbing across the walls. 

The Museum of Contemporary Art has also just reopened, 

revamped after a three-year closure, and the Tokyo DesignArt 

Festival (18-27 October), now in its third year, is going from 

strength to strength. 

Outside the capital the Setouchi Art Triennale, a nine-month 

extravaganza which takes place every three years across 12 

islands on the Seto Inland Sea, will be in full swing around the 

same time as the Rugby World Cup. Alongside the year-round 

draws of the impressive natural scenery, Tadao Ando-designed 

buildings, and Yayoi Kusama’s surreal oversized pumpkins, are 

stacks of cool exhibitions and impressive site installation pieces. 

So whether it’s watching world-class sports, or taking a deepdive 

into arts and culture, Japan has it covered. 


FEELING INSPIRED BY THE GAMES? 

READ ON TO DISCOVER WHERE 

VISITORS CAN TRY OUT SIX 

OLYMPIC SPORTS WHILE IN JAPAN 

KARATE 

Where to try it: Making its Olympic debut in 2020, there’s 

nowhere better to try this traditional martial art than in its 

birthplace Naha, in sub-tropical island chain Okinawa. Here 

karate isn’t just a martial art, it’s a way of life. There are around 

400 dojos (training grounds) and some of them – whether 

you’re a beginner or budding black belt – hold classes. There’s 

also the Karate Kaikan, a complex where spectators can watch 

competition courts. 

Best for a sporty slumber: With cotton wool-soft sands and 

palm trees, The Busena Beach Resort feels more like Hawaii 

than Japan. There’s excellent snorkelling and scuba diving on 

offer, and a glorious 760-metre private beach. 

CYCLING 

Where to try it: Olympic cycling might be all about road races, 

time trials, and velodromes; but the medal for Japan’s most 

exciting bike ride goes to the Shimanami Kaido, a 60 kilometrelong 

network of cycle paths and thrilling over-water bridges 

which link the islands of the Seto Inland Sea. It’s a great way to 

experience rural Japan and its varied landscape, which ranges 

from quaint seaside towns and citrus groves to industrial yards 

and temples. 

Best for a sporty slumber: Begin a two-wheeled Shimanami 

Kaido adventure at Onomichi’s Hotel Cycle, a 28-room boutique 

crashpad inside hip warehouse-turned-concept-store hub 

Onomichi U2. There’s an on-site Giant bike store, copies of 

Rouleur to browse, and hooks on bedroom walls to hang bikes. 

SURFING 

Where to try it: In 1920, surf pioneer Duke Kahanamoku asked 

the IOC to consider including the sport in the Games. Fast 

forward 100 years and in 2020 wave riding wannabe Olympians 

will compete for the first time at Chiba’s Tsurigasaki Surfing 

Beach. The best spot for visitors however, is Kamakura in 

Kanagawa, a Tokyoite favourite just a half-day trip from the city. 

Expect kooky surf shops, a huge variety of breaks, and a mellow 

atmosphere. 

Best for a sporty slumber: As you can easily head to Kanagawa 

on a day trip, bed down at Tokyo’s elegant Palace Hotel. There 

aren’t any waves, but many of the bedrooms have balconies with 

views of the Imperial Palace’s moats and pretty gardens. 

OPEN WATER SWIMMING 

Where to try it: Only an hour from frenetic Tokyo, yet light 

years away in atmosphere, the Izu Peninsula is a popular 

seaside escape for busy city residents. All jungly interior, 

rushing waterfalls, and coastline fringed by white-sand beaches, 

there are plenty of places to take a dip. Highlights include the 

800m-long Shirahama, and snorkellers’ favourite Hirizo. 

Best for a sporty slumber: Seiryuso, a ryokan on the banks of 

the Inosawa River in Shizuoka. There’s a 25-metre heated pool 

to help up the length count, hot springs, manicured gardens to 

explore, and traditional rooms kitted out with tatami flooring. 

CANOEING & KAYAKING 

Where to try it: Taking to the water is a unique way to explore 

the countryside, and gliding along the glittering ripples of the 

Kumano-gawa, a river in Wakayama which snakes below cedartopped 

mountains, is astonishing. The river is part of a series of 

ancient pilgrimage routes, the Kumano Kodo, and is the world’s 

only UNESCO World Heritage-listed waterway. 

Best for a sporty slumber: Kawayu Onsen Fujiya has killer 

views of the Oto River, a branch of the Kumano-gawa. Here 

you can dig-your-own onsen – scooping into the river’s gravel 

bed to allow hot spring water to bubble up. There are also 

pre-dug basins, shrines nearby, and multi-course Japanese 

feasts for supper. 

GOLF 

Where to try it: While defending champion Justin Rose will 

tee off at Saitama’s Kasumigaseki Country Club in 2020, 

the best place for swing practice with mountain views is golf 

mecca Karuizawa. Just an hour by bullet train from Tokyo, 

the picturesque highlands are home to numerous courses, 

some which sit in the shadow of Mount Asama. 

Best for a sporty slumber: Luxe and leafy Hoshinoya 

Karuizawa is close to the courses and packs quite the impressive 

drive of its own – predominantly powered by hydroelectricity 

and geothermal energy from nearby rivers and hot springs. 

Plus there’s a steamy onsen, just the thing for post-round 

muscle soaks. 


For more information, or to book your next tailor-made 

luxury holiday to Japan, call our Far East travel specialists on 

01242 547 704. 


JAPAN 

previous page: Himeji castle, cherry blossom, and Mt Fuji; 

Universe of Water Particles on a Rock Where People Gather, 

MORI Art Museum: teamLab Borderless 

clockwise from left: Kayaking on the Tama River, Tokyo; 

a golf course in Japan; surfing; cycling in Tokyo 



SPAIN 

A 

DIFFERENT 

PERSPECTIVE 

As Spain’s Museo Nacional del Prado celebrates 

its 200th anniversary, A&K invites its guests 

to experience an exclusive take on this cultural 

hothouse, as viewed through its famous art 

institutions. By touring the country’s galleries 

and museums, a more intimate, personal view 

of Spain’s people and its past is revealed. 

With A&K, you are assured private, insider 

access to Spain’s great art houses: among them 

the Prado, Museu Picasso, and Guggenheim 

Museum Bilbao 

MUSEO NACIONAL DEL 

PRADO, MADRID 

The Prado is undeniably one of the most important art museums in 

the world – and one of the planet’s most visited tourist attractions 

– housing an outstanding display of works by Spain’s three greatest 

painters, Goya, Velázquez, and El Greco; together with famous 

pieces by Flemish, Italian, and other European masters. Together, its 

collection is considered among the finest ever assembled, spanning 

the 12th to early 20th centuries, numbering in the thousands, 

and containing not just paintings and sculpture, but also historic 

documents, prints, and drawings. Founded in 1819, this year it 

celebrates its second centenary as Spain’s premier gallery. 

A&K INSIDER ACCESS: A&K guests have the privilege of 

enjoying the Prado’s collection and temporary exhibitions privately 

after hours, guided by specialist art historians, with a tailor-made 

itinerary, and dinner if desired. 

WORDS: PENELOPE RANCE 

CASA VICENS, BARCELONA 

One of the world’s first Art Nouveau buildings, this house designed 

by Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) for Manuel Vicens i Montaner is 

rightly considered a masterpiece, and is a UNESCO World Heritage 

Site. In its walls can be found the seeds of his later architectural 

works. Standing in the tranquil neighbourhood of Gràcia, it is an 

oasis of calm covered in striking green and white tiles. Inside 

you can learn about Gaudí and his significance within the 

Modernism movement. 

A&K INSIDER ACCESS: A tour with A&K allows you to beat 

the morning crowds with an exclusive, private before-hours visit to 

Casa Vicens. If you’re more of a night owl than an early bird, you 

can take the tour at sunset – with cocktails available on request. 

opposite page from top: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid; Casa Vicens (credit: 

Pol Viladoms) this page from top: The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest 

(c. 1580), El Greco; an entrance to Casa Vicens (credit: Pol Viladoms) 


GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM BILBAO 

With its sweeping curves of glittering metal and glass, the 

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao building itself needs no introduction 

– the scale and futuristic beauty of Frank Gehry’s 1990s titanium 

structure leaves a lasting impression. No less so the modern and 

contemporary artworks it was built to showcase: outside, Jeff 

Koons’ sculpture Puppy wears a coat of flowers; inside, the vast hall 

containing Richard Serra’s unique sculptures never fails to impress. 

Next to the museum’s permanent collection, the regular rotation 

of temporary exhibitions across different periods – not always 

Modern – draws art enthusiasts back time and again. 

A&K INSIDER ACCESS: To make the most of Bilbao’s 

art scene, book a private tour of the Guggenheim with an A&K 

expert guide, then visit the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 

which houses paintings from the 12th century to the present day, 

and is considered one of the finest art museums outside Madrid. 

Afterwards, head to a local gallery, a well-kept secret where the 

owner will give you a firsthand insight into the pieces featured 

in her gallery. 

MUSEU PICASSO, BARCELONA 

Set on Montcada Street in La Ribera neighbourhood, once home 

to Barcelona’s great and good, Museu Picasso lies in the heart of 

the city’s cultural, commercial, and tourist district, surrounded 

by centuries of history and art. The museum itself is housed in 

five medieval palaces, architecturally as impressive as the artistic 

treasures within. Containing 4,251 works by one of Spain’s – and 

history’s – most influential artists, it is the largest gallery dedicated 

to Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), and the only one established during 

his lifetime. It is the ideal place to study the artist’s formative 

years, containing many early works, and illustrating his enduring 

relationship with Barcelona. 

A&K INSIDER ACCESS: Dine in the style of the nobility and 

wealthy merchants who once made La Ribera their home, with 

a private dinner in the museum and personal guided visits to its 

permanent collection. A&K’s close relationship with the museum 

allows our guests to access a flexible range of private dining and 

tour options. 


ESPACIO CULTURAL ZULOAGA, 

ZUMAIA, NEAR SAN SEBASTIAN 

A few miles along the coast from San Sebastian lies the village of 

Zumaia – home of the great 20th-century Basque painter Ignacio 

Zuloaga (1870-1945). In this lonely, peaceful place, he established 

his family home and a cultural centre, designed to promote his 

native art and culture. Today, the centre aims to teach younger 

generations about the importance of Zuloaga’s work in the context 

of his contemporaries and those who came after him. The area 

might also be familiar to fans of television series Game of Thrones, 

who can walk in the footsteps of Daenerys Targaryen on the shores 

of ‘Westeros’. 

A&K INSIDER ACCESS: A&K can offer guests the 

opportunity to take a private tour of the museum. During your visit 

to Zuloaga’s home, you can absorb the display of his own paintings, 

which sit alongside his personal collection, including minor works 

by El Greco and Goya. Then continue your day sightseeing in the 

other charming villages surrounding San Sebastian. 

SPAIN 

MUSEO NACIONAL THYSSEN- 

BORNEMISZA, MADRID 

The magnificent Thyssen-Bornemisza, boasting almost 1,000 

paintings and regarded as one of the most important privately 

assembled art collections in the world, offers art lovers an 

experience that is nothing short of extraordinary. The museum’s 

permanent collection provides an overview of art from the 13th 

to late 20th centuries in a series of snapshots touching on the 

work of Hopper, Caravaggio, Sargent, Gauguin, Mondrian, 

van Eyck, and scores of others. Among its masterpieces are 

Hans Holbein the Younger’s iconic Portrait of Henry VIII and 

Rubens’ Venus and Cupid. 

A&K INSIDER ACCESS: Introduce your entire family 

to the glories of painting when you embark on a treasure hunt 

organised by a specialist A&K guide. Explore the secrets of some 

of the museum’s most famous works, following clues which lead 

you through the evolution of painting over seven centuries. 

Engaging and stimulating, it’s an activity ideal for young, 

inquisitive minds. 

MUSEO SOROLLA, MADRID 

Originally the house and studio of Spain’s greatest late 19th- and 

early 20th-century painter, this museum is dedicated to the life 

and work of Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923). It houses an eclectic 

collection, including paintings by family members, his daughter 

Elena among them. Although his work is sometimes compared to 

that of Sargent, Sorolla does not belong to any specific school; and 

the house also contains pieces by the old masters who inspired him. 

The galleries also host special exhibitions by current artists. As a 

result, Museo Sorolla presents a fascinating journey through Spain’s 

history of art. 

A&K INSIDER ACCESS: Off the beaten track for most 

visitors to Madrid, you won’t be overrun by tourists as you wander 

the Sorolla’s light-filled spaces. Continue with your A&K guide 

to the Museo del Romanticismo, a unique time capsule of art, 

furniture, and style from across the 19th century, and one 

of Madrid’s true hidden treasures. 

opposite page from top: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao at dusk, Getty; 

Woman with Yellow Hair by Pablo Picasso; Museu Picasso, Barcelona 

this page from top: Woman in Bath, Roy Lichtenstein, at the 

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein; 

Sala II at the Museo Sorolla 


For more information, or to book your next cultural 

odyssey to visit Spain’s great musuems and galleries, 

contact our Europe travel specialists on 01242 547 703. 


GREAT, 

WHITE, 

STARK 


SOUTH POLE 

A&K’S FOUNDER GEOFFREY KENT FULFILS A 

LIFELONG DREAM AND TRAVELS TO THE SOUTH POLE 

ON ONE OF HIS INSPIRING EXPEDITIONS 

When I was young in the post-war decades in Kenya, 

I ran wild on our family farm, Kiamweri. Located 

in a place called South Kinangop, in the foothills 

of the Aberdare mountains, my family’s land was as green as an 

emerald, dappled in golden sunlight, and often carpeted with 

wild blue salvia (similar to bluebells) and fiery pink drum lilies 

that bloomed as big as a man’s face. 

In this dream-like landscape of colour, I ironically was 

obsessed with whiteness. My father – an Army officer and 

always the action man – gave me a copy of Alfred Lansing’s 

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage when it was published 

in 1959. This epic book inspired in me the greatest admiration 

for Sir Ernest Shackleton, my hero of heroes; as well as what 

would become a long-standing desire to enjoy my own 

incredible voyage and to visit the white desert of Antarctica. 

I achieved my dream recently, a mere 60 years later, when 

along with seven intrepid guests (now friends), we visited 

Antarctica and reached the South Pole on one of my ‘Inspiring 

Expeditions by Geoffrey Kent’. 

When most people speak of having been to Antarctica, they 

have travelled by cruise ship from Ushuaia to the Antarctic 

Peninsula, a 1,300-kilometre chain of mountains and volcanoes 

that juts north towards South America. My expedition was 

to a dramatically different destination. The Antarctica that 

I’m talking about can’t be accessed by cruise ship. To get to 

the South Pole, you need a plane and skis or snowmobiles. 

Antarctica is vast – mind-bogglingly big. To put it in 

perspective, from our base inside the Antarctic Circle, to get to 

the South Pole required an eight-hour flight, a refuelling stop 

and the crossing of a time-zone. 

This expedition was three years in the making. This may seem 

like a long time to plan, but there was a good reason for the 

long preamble: while I dreamed of getting to the South Pole like 

Shackleton, unlike Shackleton, I wanted to do it in comfort and 

five-star style. 


WHILE I DREAMED OF GETTING TO THE 

SOUTH POLE LIKE SHACKLETON, UNLIKE 

SHACKLETON, I WANTED TO DO IT IN 

COMFORT AND FIVE-STAR STYLE 

Our group – consisting of three men in their late teens/early 

20s, two couples in their 60s, and me – set off from sunny Cape 

Town in mid-December 2018. Our cold-weather kit packed 

into the Gulfstream’s baggage compartment, we settle into our 

seats in short-sleeved tops. We cross the Antarctic Circle and 

enter a world of continuous sunshine. We land on the first 

of three ice runways (or more accurately, iceways) that A&K 

constructed in Antarctica specifically for this journey and get 

our first glimpse of the land of snow and ice at a place named 

Wolf ’s Fang. 

There are no wolves for thousands of kilometres – only the 

occasional snow petrel flies overhead. Here Antarctica is a high, 

desolate white desert where temperatures in summer rarely 

get above minus 20 degrees Celsius and the winter average is 

minus 60. It never rains here and the snow that falls is sparse. 

With less than 20 centimetres of snowfall per year, Antarctica is 

technically a desert. It is so dry that with the correct kit on, you 

will feel colder on London’s streets on a particularly grim day. 

It’s the last true wilderness on our planet. The last frontier 

– the final place on Earth where a traveller can feel genuinely 

remote and know that their footprints may be the first, that no 

other human may have walked here before. And if they have… 

what a coterie to be part of. 

From our basecamp in an oasis – a series of rocky outcrops 

among the ice – over the course of eight days, our group flies 

to Atka Bay to view the large colony of emperor penguin there; 

learns winter skills; explores ice caves; visits both Russian and 

American research stations; summits (and earns the right to 

name) a peak in the Drygalski mountain range; and ventures to 

the Geographic South Pole. 

From the top of the newly christened Mount Inspiring – the 

virgin mountain which our group summited for the first time 

in the company of Marko Prezelj, four-time Piolet d’Or winner 

– staring over this vast expanse of white in awe of nature at its 

most elemental, it’s hard to imagine the flux that this continent 

is undergoing. Very sadly, Antarctica has experienced an air 

temperature increase of three degrees Celsius – a huge rise, 

five times the average rate of global warming as reported by the 

United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

(IPCC). This heating up is causing change – perennial snow 

and ice cover are melting, glaciers are retreating, and some ice 

shelves have collapsed completely. In the last 60 years, there has 

been a loss of 25,000 square kilometers of ice shelf. 

The flora and fauna are being impacted too. In fact, they 


SOUTH POLE 

are facing an existential threat. Emperor penguin numbers 

have declined by up to half in some places and the number 

of breeding pairs may fall by 80 per cent by 2100. One of the 

greatest, yet least seen, wildlife spectacles on the planet, the 

colony of 6,000 breeding pairs at Atka Bay is extraordinary. Two 

and a half hours by aeroplane away from basecamp, thousands 

of adolescents are finding their feet and snow bathing to cool off 

in strong sun, while their parents fish. Though unused to seeing 

humans up-close, these animals are under threat from human 

action from thousands of kilometres away. 

We reach the Pole two days and 107 years after Roald 

Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer who won the race to the 

South Pole, just ahead of Scott. Amundsen had gained renown 

five years previously for being the first to sail the Arctic’s fabled 

Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Standing at 

the designated marker at the most southerly point on Earth, you 

are able to walk around the world in a few steps. Surrounding 

the marker are flags from the 12 signatories of the Antarctic 

Treaty that sets aside the continent as a scientific preserve. It’s 

a good place to wonder about what’s going to become of this 

white desert, to reflect on the adventure of a lifetime getting 

here, and to remember the vivid colours of Kiamweri. 

clockwise from top left: Exploring an ice cave; emperor penguin nursery; 

fine dining amid the ice and snow; a delicious meal; Geoffrey Kent at the 

geographical South Pole; the white desert 


To join our next expedition to the South Pole, which will 

take place in December 2020, call 01242 546 699 to discuss. 

Alternatively, if you’re interested in visiting Antarctica (or the 

Arctic) on a Luxury Expedition Cruise, order our new brochure 

at abercrombiekent.co.uk/brochure 


KENYA – A&K’S BIRTHPLACE & THE 

HOME OF REFINED ADVENTURES 

2 0 1 8 

Africa's Leading 

Luxury Tour Operator 

“I still feel my heart go tender at the sight 

of Kenya. Africa never fails” Geoffrey Kent 

One glance and you’ll feel it too 

01242 547 702 

abercrombiekent.co.uk/kenya

AFRICA 

WHERE THE WILD 

THINGS ARE 

UNPARALLELED CAMPS SET IN PRISTINE DESTINATIONS THAT ARE TEEMING WITH 

WILDLIFE: THESE WILDERNESSES ARE RIPE FOR YOU TO DISCOVER IN STYLE. AS CHOSEN 

BY JENNIFER MORRIS, A&K AFRICA PRODUCT EXECUTIVE 

WORDS: ALICIA DEVENEY 


CREDIT: WILDERNESS SAFARIS/TEAGAN CUNNIFFE 

WHERE GIANTS ROAM: 

HOANIB SKELETON COAST, NAMIBIA 

THE WILD THINGS: 

Hoanib’s elephant population has adapted to life in the arid desert instead 

of the savannah. They have specific, learned qualities which enable their 

survival in this harsh wilderness. As seen in the documentary Vanishing 

Kings – Lions of the Namib, an extended lion pride lives in the northern 

Namib Desert too, including an old lioness, her two daughters, and their 

five adolescent sons, known to researchers as the ‘Five Musketeers’. As 

well as desert-adapted elephant and lion, you might see gemsbok, giraffe, 

springbok, and the occasional rhino. The avifauna is also impressive. 

Here in the skies, raptors soar. 

THE CAMP, IN A NUTSHELL: 

This otherworldly camp is located in the remote Palmwag concession, 

which straddles Palmwag and the Skeleton Coast National Park. An 

award-winning mash-up of luxurious comfort and low-impact, sensitiveto-the-environment 

design, the camp features eight stylish tents. 

SUITED TO: Adventurers looking for a truly off-the-beaten-path, 

unique destination. 

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: 

Morning and afternoon game drives are a must, as is exploring the 

dunes; take a trip to an oasis; enjoy a scenic flight (included if staying 

three nights or more); visit a real-life shipwreck and the Skeleton Coast’s 

Cape fur seal colonies. 


WHERE PAINTED DOGS ARE 

AHEAD OF THE PACK: 

ROHO YA SELOUS, SELOUS, SOUTHERN TANZANIA 

AFRICA 

THE WILD THINGS: Stars of David Attenborough’s Dynasties 

programme, wild dogs may be super-efficient killing machines, but these 

endangered predators inspire great affection among ‘painted wolf ’ fans. 

They do everything in a pack – their social and familial bonds making 

them great fun to watch. Sprawling over more than 50,000 square kilometres, 

Selous is something of a stronghold for these fascinating, family-focused beasts 

with their saucer-shaped ears. Up to 800 yap, bark, play, and hunt here 

– that’s nearly 20 per cent of all remaining wild dogs in a reserve that’s 

bigger than Switzerland. 

THE CAMP, IN A NUTSHELL: 

Roho means ‘heat’ in Swahili and there’s plenty to warm the heart about this 

luxury bijou tented camp, located on a promontory of Lake Nzerakera, in 

Selous Game Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the less-explored 

south of Tanzania. The eight tents are understatedly 

stylish and allow for views of the lake and surroundings. 

SUITED TO: Wild-at-heart wanderers who want to 

look beyond the Big Five. 

WHEN YOU’RE NOT ON A GAME DRIVE: 

Take a boat out on the lake – passing pods of hippo in the 

shallows en route to a good fishing spot; stroll through 

the bush on a walking safari to track wildlife on foot. 

WHERE MEERKATS MAKE MISCHIEF: 

TSWALU, KALAHARI, SOUTH AFRICA 


Is there a more endearing creature than the meerkat, those mini members 

of the mongoose family? The commissioners of television natural-history 

programmes don’t seem to think so. There’s no better place to see them 

than Tswalu, where there are two colonies. These agile hunters are diurnal 

and allow close observation so you can really feel part of the gang (or 

mob – both terms are used). Beside the reserve’s famous meerkats, there 

are Kalahari lions, two species of giraffe, eland, kudu, gemsbok, aardvark, 

pangolin, and more than 340 bird species. 

TSWALU, IN A NUTSHELL: 

Feel the freedom in a wilderness twice the size of Norfolk. South Africa’s 

largest private game reserve, it covers more than 114,000 hectares of 

grasslands and mountains, and is owned by Nicky Oppenheimer, a lifelong 

conservationist who is undertaking the task of rewilding the Kalahari in 

this area. No more than 30 guests can stay in this reserve at one time, at two 

lodges: the Motse, which can accommodate 20 guests, and smaller exlusiveuse 

Tarkuni. Both are five-star and lushly opulent – but the true luxury here 

is exploring South Africa’s last really wild space in peace. 

SUITED TO: Re-wildlings and their cubs. 

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: 

Enjoy a game drive in one of only 10 Land Rovers allowed at one time in 

the entire reserve. In this malaria-free environment, junior rangers can do 

archery, go trekking, help out on a research project, or have a bush picnic. 


WHERE APES ARE LORDS 

OF THE MANOR: 

GREYSTOKE MAHALE, TANZANIA 


The lodge’s main attraction is the chance to experience one of the largest 

populations of wild chimpanzees left on Earth. About 1,000 chimpanzee 

live in some 1,600 square kilometres. Greystoke is in the territory of 

Mimikere, or ‘M’, group, a community of more than 60 semi-habituated 

chimps. They are the focus of the chimp treks that depart from the lodge. 

Though the chimps are the lords of the manor here, under the forest’s 

canopy live eight other species of primate including red-tail monkey. 

THE LODGE, IN A NUTSHELL: 

Located in the forest of Mahale, on the white-sand 

beaches of Lake Tanganyika, this is one of Africa’s most 

remote safari lodges, with accommodation for just 12 

guests in six beautifully designed, thatched bandas, with 

a main area built in the architectural style of the local 

Kitongwe people. 

SUITED TO: Viscounts Greystoke and Jane Porters. 


Kayak towards the Congo at dawn; dive off a dhow; or go 

hippo-watching on Lake Tanganyika. 

WHERE LIONS ARE BORN FREE: 

ELSA’S KOPJE, MERU, KENYA 


It’s all about the lion here. Underrated national park Meru was the site 

of George Adamson’s conservation efforts and perhaps fell off the tourist 

radar because of his tragic murder in 1989. Adamson, of Born Free fame, 

was known as Baba ya Simba or ‘Father of Lions’ in Swahili. First a 

book (penned by Adamson’s wife, Joy) and then a film starring Virginia 

McKenna and Bill Travers, Born Free told the story of orphaned lioness 

Elsa, who the Adamsons raised and then rehabilitated into the wilderness 

in Meru. It’s a wonderfully wild backdrop in which to view lion, large herds 

of elephant, hippo, Grevy’s and common zebra, reticulated giraffe, and 

many more species besides. 


A roaringly fabulous lodge – Elsa’s Kopje rescued 

Meru from oblivion when it opened 20 years ago. 

It celebrated its anniversary this July with a fitting 

visit from Virginia McKenna – the actress-turnedwildlife-conservationist 

was the guest of honour at 

the lodge’s opening in 1999. Designed by Stefano 

Cheli, the luxurious, open-fronted cottages nestle into 

Mughwango Hill (above Adamson’s original camp). 

SUITED TO: Those who like to feel free, free to 

follow their hearts. 


Enjoy a picnic lunch on the sandy banks of the Tana river; take your 

rod and go fishing on one of Meru’s many rivers; visit the national parks’ 

rhino sanctuary. 


WHERE WILDEBEEST WANDER: 

KING LEWANIKA, LIUWA PLAIN, ZAMBIA 

AFRICA 


From October to November, the open vistas of the pancake-flat Liuwa Plain 

are stippled with colour as the wildflowers bloom, then turn silver with the 

backs of 45,000 wildebeest, as the region is consumed by Africa’s second 

largest wildebeest migration (only the Masai Mara-Serengeti movement is 

bigger). The hoof-thundering wildebeest arrive from the north (to where 

they migrated in June-July) to calve and in a few short weeks, herd numbers 

swell with new life. As well as wildebeest, cheetah, hyena, lion, tsessebe, and 

300 bird varieties make their home in the Liuwa Plain area. 


Located in the Liuwa Plain, traditionally the official hunting grounds of the 

king of the Lozi people, King Lewanika Lodge – named for the Lozi king 

who agreed to make his lands a British protectorate in 1890 – is the first 

and only luxury place to stay in this national park. The height of exclusivity, 

there are only five twin villas and one family villa here. 

SUITED TO: Luxury-loving Africaphiles. 


Walk, canoe, or swoop over on a helicopter trip. Sleep out under the stars 

and listen to the stories of Mambeti, daughter of King Lewanika’s steward, 

who was said to frequent a particular grove; and Lady Liuwa, a lovedby-the-locals, 

legendary lioness, who for many years was the area’s last 

surviving big cat and a frequent visitor to the same spot. 


FEED THE Soul 

WITH EVERYTHING AUSTRALIA HAS ON OFFER, IT’S EASY TO FORGET ABOUT TASMANIA’S ISOLATED 

AND RUGGED CHARM. YET OUT IN THE BASS STRAIT SITS AN AUSSIE STATE WITH A FOOD AND 

DRINK SCENE TO RIVAL THE MAINLAND, WILDLY BEAUTIFUL FORESTS, LAKES, AND RIVERS, 

PLUS ENOUGH CULTURAL EXPERIENCES TO SHADE EVEN THE MOST METROPOLITAN OF CITIES 

Tasmania, or Tassie to the locals, is having a moment. 

Over the last few years this former Antipodean outlier 

has become a must-visit cultural hot spot and epicurean 

destination all rolled into one. It’s taken a while, but finally the 

student has become the master. 

For many years it seemed as if Tasmania would always be the 

butt of the joke. Part of Australia yet not physically attached to 

the Lucky Country, Tassie brought with it a bruised history of 

Aboriginal hardship, the country’s worst mass shooting, and an 

economy that could never quite catch up with the prosperity of 

its mainland cousin. Then something happened. 

Ask a local and they will tell you that that something was 

Hobart’s 2011 opening of the Museum of Old and New Art 

(MONA). The launch of MONA brought with it an influx of 

visitors, morphing the state into a destination rather than simply 

an afterthought. The reverberations of MONA continue to be 

felt not just in the capital city Hobart, but in regional Tassie, too. 

It’s now a place where you can feed all aspects of the soul. Here’s 

just a taster. 

CULTURAL MUST-SEES 

MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART (MONA) 

Built by David Walsh with the proceeds of his much-discussed 

life as a wildly successful gambler, the Museum of Old and 

New Art (MONA) is an architectural masterpiece situated 

in the suburb of Berriedale and accessible by land or, more 

impressively, by water. Home to Australia’s largest privately 

owned gallery, Walsh’s “subversive Disneyland” houses an art 

collection ranging from ancient Egyptian funerary objects and 

modernist masterpieces, to a word waterfall and a machine that 

mimics the human digestive system. Complete with poo. 

Perched on the banks of the River Derwent, MONA is also 

home to the Moorilla winery and vineyard, as well as luxury 

accommodation, bars, and restaurants, and, it also plays host 

and curator to the cultural winter festival – Dark Mofo. 

You can choose to spend the whole day there, taking 

Moorilla’s tour of MONA, which, along with a trip around the 

gallery, includes lunch in The Source restaurant and is followed 

by a Moorilla winery tour and tasting. Choose to finish with 

a cocktail in Faro, MONA’s newest bar and restaurant, and then 

head back to Hobart. 

HISTORIC PORT ARTHUR 

Port Arthur’s evolution from convict settlement to World 

Heritage recognition and tourist destination can be experienced 

with a trip to the Port Arthur Historic Site. Spend time 

wandering the grounds, explore the still intact buildings, and, 

if you’re feeling brave, stick around for the after-dark ghost tour. 

TASMANIAN MUSEUM & ART GALLERY (TMAG) 

MONA’S not the only arty player in town – there’s also 

the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery. A combination of 

art gallery, museum, and herbarium, TMAG is Australia’s 

second-oldest museum and cares for almost 800,000 objects 

ranging from fossils to fine art. The herbarium accepts small 

groups of visitors, by appointment only, but is well worth a 

visit. It’s responsible for the development, maintenance, and 

management of Tassie’s botanical collections. If you’ve got 

green fingers, take them here. 

FEED THE SOUL. AND THE BELLY 

THE AGRARIAN KITCHEN 

Much like the rest of Australia, Tasmania isn’t short of a great 

dining experience or three. Or four. Case in point being The 

Agrarian Kitchen. Based in Lachlan, roughly 45 minutes from 

Hobart, this is a spot known for offering so much more than 

good grub. It’s an epicurean experience. Set on a two-hectare 

plot, The Agrarian Kitchen is a working farm complete with its 

own vegetable garden, orchard, berry patch, and herb garden 

– all organic. In its kitchen, Rodney Dunn, ex-food editor of 

Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine, together with his wife 

Séverine Demanet, offers paddock-to-plate cooking experiences. 

And if that wasn’t enough, they also opened The Eatery, which is 

about seven minutes down the road and has been awarded two 

hats in the Good Food Guide. 

FAT PIG FARM 

Need a bigger farm? Well, just south of Hobart is Fat Pig Farm, 

where travellers are invited to spend a leisurely afternoon on 

a 28-hectare property in the gorgeous Huon Valley. Here the 

cookery school is a hands-on affair, taking place over one or two 

days. You’ll get to visit the pigs, chooks, beef herd, and market 

garden before bringing your bounty back to the kitchen to 

cook up a storm. The farm is famous for its Friday Feasts, when 

they take the farm’s produce and turn it into a long, lazy meal 

shared around an extended farmhouse table. Owner Matthew 

Evans is a chef by trade and also the host of Gourmet Farmer on 

Australian TV channel SBS. 

TEMPLO 

If you prefer someone else to do the cooking for you and fancy 

a Tassie experience to boot, then a visit to Templo is a must. 

Tucked away in the backstreets of Hobart, this small 20-seater 

restaurant is a favourite with locals and visitors alike. However, 

if you want somewhere with a bit more space, try The Glass 

House – a literal house of glass suspended over Hobart’s 

Sullivan’s Cove. 

WORDS: NIKKI STEFANOFF 


TASMANIA 

clockwise from top left: Faro bar and restaurant, MONA (credit: MONA/Jesse Hunniford, image courtesy MONA, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia); Port Arthur; Agrarian Kitchen 

Eatery (credit: Adam Gibson); Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery (credit: Shutterstock); Agrarian Kitchen Eatery (credit: Adam Gibson); MR-II ferry docking at MONA 

(credit: MONA/Stu Gibson, image courtesy of MONA, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) 



TASMANIA 

WINES AND SPIRITS 

AND WHISKIES, OH MY! 

Whatever your tipple of choice, from fine wines to delectable 

spirits, Tasmania has you covered. 

WHISKY TOUR 

A full-day whisky tour comes as part of your A&K Tasmania 

experience and begins from Brooke Street Pier, Franklin Wharf 

in Hobart. As soon as you’ve met up with your representative 

you’ll be whisked (or should that be whisky’d?) off to the first of 

three distilleries. Throughout the day you’ll try up to a dozen 

single malt whiskies, meet the makers, and go behind the scenes 

of the distillation process. It’s a good job someone else is driving 

you, and through the spectacular Tasmanian landscapes, no less. 

GIN: SHENE ESTATE & DISTILLERY 

If gin’s more your thing, then pay a visit to the Shene Estate 

& Distillery as their award-winning Poltergeist Gin is a true 

Tasmanian spirit. Located in the midst of the historic Shene 

Estate, the distillery uses copper pot stills and centuries-old 

techniques as well as botanicals only found in Tassie. 

WINE: GASWORKS CELLAR DOOR 

Fancy trying the best of Tasmania’s wine but don’t have time 

to travel the state? No worries, Gasworks Cellar Door has 

you covered. Situated in Hobart, this is a one-stop-shop for 

Tasmanian wine. And you’re free to try it all. 

THE GREAT OUTDOORS 

From the white sand of the east coast to the ancient rainforests 

and alpine heaths of Lake St Clair and Cradle Mountain 

National Park, Tasmania really turns it on when it comes to 

natural beauty. 

LAUNCESTON 

To make sure you experience Launceston in full, an A&K 

Tasmania experience includes a private Quoll Patrol here. This is 

an afternoon/evening tour where you’ll discover the wilderness, 

wildlife, and tastes of Tassie, starting with a visit to Ben 

Lomond, a spectacular mountain of dolerite columns and scree 

slopes, and home to eight of the 20 highest peaks in Tasmania. 

Gorgeous views and a magnificent array of alpine vegetation are 

to be enjoyed. Breathe it all in before you make your way to the 

Roses Tier forests in the Tyne Valley for a gourmet four-course 

campfire dinner and after-dark tour of the local wildlife. Settle 

in with a Tassie beer or wine, and witness Forester kangaroo, 

eastern quoll, Tasmanian pademelon, and brush-tail possum 

feed near the campfire. If you’re lucky, you may also spot a 

platypus, tawny frogmouth, bandicoot, or owl. And if you’re 

really lucky, perhaps a Tasmanian devil or two. 

BRUNY ISLAND 

If you were going to be pedantic, you might point out that 

Bruny Island is actually two islands, joined together by a fivekilometre-long 

sandy isthmus called The Neck, which is home 

to colonies of little (or fairy) penguins. We’re not pedants, so 

instead we’ll tell you that Bruny Island, just off the coast of 

southeast Tassie, is a place well worth the car ferry ride from 

Kettering. With the rural majesty of the North Island and the 

rugged charm of the South Island, there’s plenty to do. Spend 

your days hiking the high cliffs, strolling the white-sand beaches 

or walking around the national park and then quietly bask in 

the knowledge that Bruny is not only renowned for its wildlife 

(including the rare albino wallaby), it’s also famous for its berries, 

cheese, oysters, wines, whiskies, and more. You’re welcome. 

WHERE TO REST YOUR HEAD 

Tasmania’s influx of visitors has brought with it a number 

of luxury accommodations, the most talked-about being 

Freycinet Lodge. Overlooking the sparkling waters 

of Great Oyster Bay and surrounded by the beauty of 

Freycinet National Park, this award-winning lodge’s 

individual cabins are a blend of refined simplicity and 

luxurious comfort. You’ll find plenty to admire about its 

neighbour, too. Situated six kilometres away, Saffire is a 

boutique coastal retreat that celebrates its surrounds. The 

20 private suites provide tranquil, contemporary living 

spaces and gorgeous views across the landscape. There’s 

more to do than admiring the view, however; Saffire offers 

guided visits to a Tasmanian devil enclosure; beekeeping 

experiences; kayaking and birdwatching excursions; and 

more besides. You’re also within easy reach of Wineglass 

Bay and its world-class beach. Countryside and bushland 

not your thing? Never fear, Hobart’s Macq01 sits in 

the heart of the capital city’s waterfront and is both 

quirky and luxurious to boot. Over the last couple of 

years, Macq01 has become renowned for its Old Wharf 

Restaurant. A menu of locally sourced ingredients and 

fresh Tasmanian seafood awaits; the only decision left to 

make is whether to enjoy drinks and a bite to eat in the 

stylish bar overlooking the harbour, or by the crackling 

open fireplace in the lounge. 

opposite page, clockwise from top left: Freycinet Lodge Premier Spa 

Cabin Balcony; Freycinet Lodge Hazards Bar; Bruny Island Neck view; 

whisky tasting experience; Agrarian Kitchen Eatery (credit: Adam Gibson); 

Agrarian Kitchen Eatery (credit: Adam Gibson) 

this page: Freycinet Lodge 


For more information, or to book your next luxury trip to 

Tasmania, call our Australia travel specialists on 01242 547 826. 


ESCAPE THE HEAT AT THESE 

COOL SPAS 

IN NEED OF SOME ME-TIME? BE SURE TO BEAT A RETREAT 

TO THESE FIVE HOLISTIC HAVENS IN THE MALDIVES 

WORDS: ALICIA DEVENEY / ONE&ONLY REETHI RAH COPY: ANGELINA VILLA-CLARKE 


MALDIVES 

FEEL-GOOD FACTOR 

MILAIDHOO, BAA ATOLL 

WHY HERE 

Surely one of the most Maldivian of all the properties dotted throughout 

the Indian Ocean archipelago, luxurious, laid-back Milaidhoo is all 

about a deep-rooted sense of place. This tiny 300-metre by 180-metre 

island, located in the heart of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is 

owned, operated, and staffed (mostly) by Maldivians. Here the signature 

restaurant, Ba’Theli, serves up local fare in a fine-dining style aboard 

three dhonis, and every one of the 30 over-water villas and 20 beach villas 

comes with an undhoali (hanging swing) for languid lounging. 

SPA VIBE 

Where mellow guests meet tranquil moods. Beyond an infinitely 

Instagrammable teal door, you’ll find the spa and its four over-water 

treatment suites, where you’ll be reticent to lie face-down when 

confronted with the atoll views... for about a nanosecond. An open-air 

pavilion offers early-morning yoga or late-afternoon meditation and 

breathing classes, guaranteed to soothe body, mind and soul. Choose 

from natural, organic, results-driven brands such as Elemis, TheraNaka, 

and Coola. 

ISLAND INNOVATOR 

AMILLA FUSHI, BAA ATOLL 

STAR TREATMENT 

The treatment menu runs from traditional Thai, Balinese, or Swedish 

massages to precision-peel face treatments. The TheraNaka Milaidhoo 

tri-scented lime-infused luxury massage is a standout. Relaxation is 

aided by small blocks of citrus-infused shea butter, which both uplift the 

senses and aid circulation. 

WHY HERE 

Forget the palm-thatched trope, Amilla Fushi is all about bare-foot glam; 

white, clean-lined minimalism; and DJs spinning tunes at the One Oak 

Lounge. This resort ticks all the boxes: the diving is as sensational as 

you’d expect from a property in the Baa Atoll, and it’s a five-minute boat 

trip from the Blue Hole; the Sultan’s Village Kids’ Club is fab fun for 

little guests; the food is exceptional and varied (don’t miss Keeling Koi 

Japanese restaurant); and the sands are white and silky. 

SPA VIBE 

A short stroll or cycle along sand-lined lanes in the island’s jungle-clad 

interior brings you to Javvu Spa, which won at the World Luxury Spa 

Awards in 2018. Mere minutes from… well, everywhere on the island 

really, this wellness sanctuary feels deliciously, intoxicatingly remote and 

could seduce even the most overwrought traveller. A holistic haven, there 

are treatment pods; social zones (or in plain speak: a sauna, steam room, 

and plunge pool area, in which hours could easily be lost); a brandnew 

wellness café serving up nourishing treats; a nail salon; gym; and 

hairdressers and barbers to boot, above the doors of which big-hitting 

specialists including Margaret Dabbs, Louise Galvin, Gentlemen’s Tonic, 

and the Bodyism’s James Duigan hang their names. 


Top marks go to the spa’s recently appointed manager, Laura Pagano, 

whose modern, savvy, and out-of-the-box thinking has catapulted its 

ethos into a whole other stratosphere in terms of Maldivian spa offerings. 

The restorative and rebalancing massages (designed in conjunction with 

Beata Aleksandrowicz, creator of the Pure Massage technique) really 

showcase the power of touch and are tailored to each individual in a 

way that will truly make you remember what your long-forgotten best 

self feels like. 


RESTORATIVE RETREAT 

BAROS, BAA ATOLL 

WHY HERE 

It’s neither the newest nor the most opulent resort in the Maldives, but 

78-room Baros was one of the first and it’s one of the most accomplished 

if repeat-visitor numbers are any indication (one German couple have 

made 50 return visits in the past 20 years). Tourism started in the 

Maldives in the early 1970s and Baros was the third island to open itself 

to international visitors. And while the resort’s age doesn’t show, its 

experience does and the service here is excellent. An oldie but a goodie. 

SPA VIBE 

The spa has recently undergone a nip and tuck during which time it was 

rebranded as Serenity Spa. And you’ll be sure to feel at peace as soon as 

you cross the threshold; the lush greenery, ponds with stepping stones, 

and cool ginger tea have all been curated to elicit calm. 


With a treatment menu of more than 30 therapies, you may be tempted 

to opt for something exotic, but don’t overlook the obvious as you’d be 

missing out on one of the best massages I’ve ever had: the Baros Signature 

body treatment was an experience with real transformative results. Mine 

was administered by Lily, whose skill was immediately evident. She 

combined Swedish, Balinese, and Thai techniques, and what felt like a bit 

of magic. No wonder Baros keeps people coming back year after year. 

BRIGHT YOUNG THING 

THE NAUTILUS, BAA ATOLL 

ISLAND VIBE 

What you want, whenever you want it, is this exclusive bolthole’s 

overriding ethos. Champagne cocktails and Wagyu steak for breakfast on 

an isolated sandbank? The housemasters (butlers) here are so dedicated 

to unscripted living that no request is untimely, too hedonistic, too out 

there: at Nautilus, the world (or at least this tiny speck of island in the Baa 

Atoll) is entirely your oyster. 

SPA MOOD 

It hasn’t been open that long, but it’s already a favourite with spa 

aficionados thanks to the sheer quality of what’s on offer. An impossibly 

idyllic outpost, Solasta Spa features three glass-bottomed, over-water 

treatment pavilions; organic products by Maison Caulières and 

Omorovicza (it’s their only outlet in the Maldives); and a yoga pavilion 

in which to sway upside down during an aerial session. 


The personalised Maison Caulières signature massage left every limb 

feeling lighter, brighter, and younger thanks to therapist Novi’s sure, 

firm touch. And thanks to the glass beneath the treatment bed, each 

time Novi discovered a knotted mass of muscle and my gaze focused, 

a shoal of playful parrot fish would obligingly swim beneath, providing 

the perfect Maldivian distraction. 


MALDIVES 

WELLBEING WONDER 

ONE&ONLY REETHI RAH, NORTH MALÉ ATOLL 

WHY HERE 

It’s considered one of the grande-dame resorts of the Maldives and, 

stretching across a six-kilometre, octopus-shaped island, One&Only 

Reethi Rah is also one of the largest. With its slick design by Jean-Michel 

Gathy, sublime dining experiences, and starry guestlist, it has set the 

benchmark for luxury in the Indian Ocean. Choose between apartmentstyle 

villas or chic over-water villas. Evenings are glamorous affairs: 

you can dine under the stars at Fanditha, which has a boho Middle 

Eastern vibe (on the northernmost point of the island, it’s the best spot 

to watch the sunset). Meanwhile, there’s sushi and Japanese tapas at 

Tapasake, or go to Botanica for its wonderfully atmospheric take on 

field-to-fork cuisine. 

SPA VIBE 

At the heart of Reethi Rah is the destination spa by ESPA. Balinese in 

style, treatments take place in private, thatched-roof villas, found dotted 

across the manicured gardens, and hidden in their own slice of jungle 

– the ocean twinkling in front of each. The spa is regarded as one of 

the best in the atoll, and it’s down, no doubt, to the personalised retreat 

programmes which bring in a wide range of wellness experts. Yoga guru 

Dr Gopal Govindasamy and Dr Buathon Thiernarrom, who specialises in 

traditional Chinese medicine, are past visitors, while Parisian foot expert 

Bastien Gonzalez also has an outpost here. 


The Sleep Journey targets stressed and burnt-out individuals who 

are unable to relax at the end of the day. Starting with a Sleep Ritual 

assessment, your ‘sleep trainer’ will look closely at your sleeping patterns 

and will develop a tailored treatment plan to address your needs. The 

first step is a meditation session. This is followed by the Bastien Gonzalez 

Re-Foundation foot treatment, which rejuvenates limbs with a blackdiamond 

scrub, followed by an intense foot and leg massage to relieve 

muscle tension and ‘heavy legs’. A full-body massage will tip you into a 

blissful state, while the nurturing scalp massage helps to clear the mind 

and aid long-term relaxation. And breathe… 


For more information, or to book your next laid-back break 

in the Maldives, call our beach specialists on 01242 547 708. 


PETRA 

JORDAN’S ROCK STAR 

A&K’S GUY GRANT HIGHLIGHTS WHY AND HOW TO SPEND YOUR TIME IN THE ANCIENT CITY DURING YOUR HOLIDAY IN JORDAN 

A BRIEF HISTORY 

Located in rugged rift valleys in what is now the southwestern 

corner of Jordan, the sandstone cliff-carved city of Petra was 

once a thriving trade town and the Nabataean capital from 312 

BC to 106 AD. The Nabataean kingdom, before it was absorbed 

into the Roman Empire during the reign of Trajan, controlled a 

huge swathe of what is now the Middle East. The kingdom was 

renamed Arabia Petraea – from the Latin word for rock – and 

Petra’s name was changed from Raqmu; but the spice trade-rich 

city continued to thrive under Roman rule. It was only when 

spice routes changed that Petra began to decline. A devastating 

earthquake in 551 AD and a massive flood were the rock-hewn 

city’s death knells. Abandoned by city dwellers, Petra lay in ruins 

and largely forgotten by the wider world for centuries until the 

city’s rediscovery by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt 

in 1812. In 1985, Petra’s 60 square kilometres were declared a 

UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2007, Petra was named 

one of the ‘new’ seven wonders of the world. 

CAUGHT ON FILM 

Petra featured memorably as ‘the Canyon of the Crescent Moon’ 

in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It brought 

the destination to the forefront of travellers’ minds and visitor 

numbers jumped significantly. A regular filming location, it has 

also acted as a backdrop in films such as The Mummy Returns 

and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. 

WATER WORLD 

One of the most wondrous things about Petra is how the 

Nabataeans kept their arid desert city, which housed 30,000 at 

one time, watered all year around. Their storage and irrigation 

system was an engineering marvel and the reason inhabitants 

were able to survive – and thrive – at Petra. Evidence of this 

ingenious water system is everywhere: a complex network of 

cisterns, terracotta-pipe-lined channels, dams, and reservoirs. 

So successful was this water delivery that there was even a 

43-metre public swimming pool in the Royal Gardens. 

NIGHT & DAY 

Whether you begin your time in Petra in the early morning 

or mid-afternoon – if you’ve opted for our suggested Jordan 

in Style itinerary and spent your day on the King’s Highway 

stopping at Mount Nebo, Madaba, and the Crusader castle at 

Kerak before arriving at Petra – we recommend you choose 

to visit on a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday. On these days, 

when the sun goes down, Petra is illuminated by thousands of 

candles – a magical (and much-Insta-storied) experience. 


ROCK HITS 

THERE ARE MYRIAD WAYS TO SPEND YOUR TIME AT 

PETRA, BUT THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT TO BE MISSED 

THE SIQ 

As Indiana Jones did on the big screen, most enter Petra through 

the Siq. This is a 1.2-kilometre meandering canyon that winds 

its way towards the Treasury. The route, with its vertiginous 

walls, starts at a bridge by a modern dam (built in 1963, atop a 

Nabataean dam dating to 50 AD). 

THE TREASURY (AL-KHAZNEH) 

The Siq leads directly to the Treasury (or to give it its celluloid 

name, the ‘Grail Temple’). The Treasury is comprised of an 

elaborate façade and a relatively small chamber beyond (and 

three antechambers), which was thought to have been a royal 

tomb or shrine. Hellenistic in style, the first-century BC Treasury 

rises 40 metres and features Classical elements such as pediments 

(one is interrupted), columns, entablature, and tholos (rotunda), 

all carved into the cliff wall. Look up the solid-rock giant urn, 

which bears the scars of gunshots. Thinking it contained loot, 

locals are said it have shot at it with rifles. 

THE HIGH PLACE OF SACRIFICE (AL-MADBAH) 

An awesome viewpoint and easiest to get to of all Petra’s ‘High 

Places’, you can reach this ritual site via a flight of steps which is 

signposted just before the theatre. The six-metre-high obelisks 

are dedicated to Nabataean gods; there is an altar area which 

includes a triclinium, and a motab or repository. 

opposite: A view 

through the Siq 

this page from 

top: Walking 

through the Siq; 

a view from the 

High Place of 

Sacrifice; the 

Monastery; 

Little Petra 

WADI MUTHLIM 

(AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE FROM THE SIQ TO THE ROYAL TOMBS) 

To the right of the Siq’s start, the Wadi Muthlim trail begins. This 

90-minute hike runs first through an ancient 88-metre Nabatean 

tunnel (which was built to divert water from the Siq), then 

along the wadi to the impressive Royal Tombs. Before entering 

the tunnel with your guide, take a short detour to the Eagle 

Monument (which was likely a shrine). During your hike, you’ll 

pass a series a lesser-visited tombs such as Dorotheos’ House 

and the Sextius Florentinus Tomb. The Royal Tombs themselves, 

with names such as the Urn Tomb, Silk Tomb, Corinthian 

Tomb, and Palace Tomb, are an impressive sight, lined up on a 

prominent cliffside. 

THE MONASTERY (AL-DEIR) 

If you arrive at Petra in the early morning, you’ll have time 

to visit the Monastery after a refuelling lunch at the Basin 

restaurant. If not, on your second day, take the Wadi Muthlim 

route to the Royal Tomb, then venture down ‘Colonnade Street’ 

(a paved street, colonnaded in part) to the Monastery. Located 

an hour’s hike up rock-cut steps from the Qasr al-Bint (a firstcentury 

BC temple), the Monastery is a monumentally large 

building, which was almost certainly a royal tomb. The views 

alone are worth the climb. 

LITTLE PETRA 

You might choose to start your second day at Siq Al Barid 

(or Little Petra), some five kilometres north of the Siq/Treasury 

area. It is thought to have been one of the city’s suburbs and is 

entered through a narrow channel, similar to the Siq but on a 

much smaller scale. Little Petra includes tombs, temples, and 

water channels. If you’re feeling energetic and have the time, 

it’s possible to hike from Little Petra to the Monastery. This will 

take you and your guide three and a half hours approximately, 

and you’ll pass a Neolithic village dating to 7,000 BC en route. 


A&K’s six-night Classic Jordan & seven-night Jordan in Style 

suggested itineraries both feature time in Petra. They start at 

£1,845 and £2,450 per person respectively (based on two sharing). 

For more information, call our travel specialists on 01242 547 703. 



PERUVIAN AMAZON 

RIVER RUN 

LOUISE RODDON BOARDS THE ARIA AMAZON TO 

TAKE A STYLISH CRUISE THAT GOES ON A DEEP 

DIVE INTO THE PERUVIAN JUNGLE 

“You need to watch where you tread,” warns our guide Julio 

as we begin our trek through Peru’s Amazon rainforest. The 

rains have momentarily ceased and as I push past tangled 

branches and peer through the gauze of my mosquito hat, all I can see on 

the path below are dozens of harmless-looking ants. 

“See that?” he asks, pointing to a lone insect as big as my thumbnail. 

“That’s a bullet ant. If it bites, you’ll feel like you’ve been shot by a pistol. 

It’ll make you pretty ill.” 

Our first experience of hitting land after days of cruising around on 

Aqua Expeditions’ sleek Aria Amazon is turning into a mild horror movie. 

I’d been keen to explore the interior, but stepping away from the ant and 

moving my gaze upwards, there’s something even more challenging to 


70 | AUTUMN/WINTER 2019 

behold; a huge, almost comically hairy tarantula poised on a leaf 

– and I swear it is eyeballing me with evil intent. 

Yet this creepy-crawly moment is as bad as it gets on our 

walk – and it’s not really bad at all – for Julio, one of Aria’s four 

excellent Amazonian guides, is super-vigilant. Occasionally 

there’s the slash of vegetation falling away as he hacks a 

makeshift path with his machete. Yet mostly Julio is constantly 

checking we are following him. 

Snippets of local knowledge culled from a childhood spent 

in this steamy jungle-bound world pepper his stories. And for 

our group of just seven guests these prove fascinating; for here 

is cat’s claw that will lower blood pressure and help a sickly 

stomach; then a type of euphorbia that can be effective for 

hepatitis; and even a plant whose sticky leaves drip a liquid that 

can aid conjunctivitis. 

Most fascinating however, is the Punishment Tree. 

Innocuous-looking to the outsider, this, Julio tells us, is where 

villagers tie their drunken neighbours, leaving them to the 

mercy of vicious fire ants. “It soon cures them,” he chuckles. 

This trek happens halfway through our four-night cruise, 

and, goodness, it’s proving a wonderful voyage. Departing from 

Iquitos – the largest city in the world that can only be reached 

by air or riverboat – we have left packed day-tripper boats 

and larger cruisers far behind, heading instead for some of the 

remotest parts of the Amazon’s upper tributaries: places where 

we find ourselves entirely alone apart from birds and monkeys, 

insects and caiman. 

And Aria is certainly a lovely vessel; the perfect luxury addon 

if you’ve already hiked Machu Picchu or are planning a few 

days post-voyage in Peru’s fascinating capital, Lima. Dark wood 

panelling hallmarks the Chinese junk-style exterior, but once

PERUVIAN AMAZON 

inside, space is key – especially in the 16 exquisite suites created 

by the renowned Peruvian designer, Jordi Puig. 

Think floor-to-ceiling picture windows that allow a private 

screening of the moving river from your bed. Add on polished 

wood flooring and a muted colour scheme and you’ve a suite 

that wouldn’t look out of place in a five-star hotel. 

That same sense of spaciousness applies to all three decks. On 

the top deck is a lovely outdoor area with recliners and Jacuzzi 

set under a calico awning, while inside, the lounge bar features 

elegant sofas and a good selection of maps, books, and games. 

Yet it is the food in the second-deck dining room that really 

wows. This is a voyage not just for expedition lovers, but foodies 

too – for the menu has been devised by superstar ‘Jungle Chef ’, 

Pedro Miguel Schiaffino. 

A few years back, I ate in one of his two renowned Lima 

restaurants – the Amaz – feasting on dishes fashioned from 

Amazonian produce; river snails and huge spicy scallops 

proving the most memorable – and there’s a similar taste 

vibe here on the Aria. Buffet lunches might feature unusual 

salads, perhaps alligator nuggets served with fried yuccas or 

leaf-wrapped tamales; formal dinners see treats like smoked 

armoured catfish broth preceding the meaty local paiche fish 

cooked in bijao leaves. 

There are just 23 of us onboard, and with expeditions divided 

into groups no larger than six or seven, guided outings feel 

highly personal. Dawns see us boarding motorised skiffs that 

whizz off to islets stuffed with dazzling birds: blue and yellow 

macaw screeching through the knotted greenery; the flash of 

red-capped cardinal, and the uncanny-sounding call of a 

horned screamer – a cry so similar to a donkey, you’d barely 

know the difference. 

Then on morning expeditions, we enter a steamy riverine 

environment of obscure tributaries and creeks that few visitors 

get to see – a neck-craning world of thick breathing vegetation 

where sloth hang from branches and tiny tamarind chatter 

overhead – and when the motor is switched off, the silence gives 

way to the throttled bark of howler monkey. 

Our goal, however, is the Pacaya-Samiria Nature Reserve 

– one of the best protected parts of the Peruvian Amazon; 

a reserve so huge, it matches Belgium in size. Here, we are 

rewarded by the sight of small pink river dolphin, leaping in 

unison like so many synchronised swimmers around the prow 

of our skiff. 

There are other treats too in this vast reserve: a night safari 

where, armed with small fishing rods, we catch and release 

fearsome-looking piranha, and when the engine is cut, we sit 

quietly, listening to the unseen life of the jungle: insects sawing, 

the whoops of primates, while overhead, the sky splits with 

bright stars. 

Later, our guide Alex flashes his torch into the velvety 

darkness and focuses on the glower of tiny red eyes. He bends 

down and plucks a baby caiman from the water, holding it 

carefully around the jaw. “This one is three months old, I 

reckon,” he tells us. “Eventually it will grow to about four 

metres long.” 

It is a beautiful creature, cool to the touch, small fangs 

overlapping its jagged lip line and with a tail that swishes in 

protest as Alex passes it among the guests, warning us to mind 

our fingers. 

And we have a final treat to round off our voyage – a visit 

to Esperanza, an Amazonian riverside village of neat tin and 

thatch-roofed houses that have been pieced together by the 

residents over generations. 

The children rush to greet us, leading us to the school room 

where we are invited to join in the school song. Cue peals of 

laughter at our funny accents, and smiles too when we offer up 

the gifts that our expedition crew had suggested, pre-travelling, 

we bring: useful stuff like bandages, clothes, pencils, and paper. 

No child leaves empty-handed. And outside, older brothers 

shriek with laughter over a game of football with Aria’s guests, 

watched all the while by women lounging in hammocks on 

their porches. And while exploring the village, one guest is 

pulled into a local shop and treated to a tribal make up session 

by giggling girls. Valiantly, she offers her heavily daubed face up 

to our cameras. 

The enduring memory for me, however, is of a little boy and 

girl trotting away from the schoolroom – the girl with two of my 

crayons stuck in her hair; her brother almost tripping over his 

feet, so busily is he admiring the new, somewhat overlarge flipflops 

that I had brought along. 

previous page: Aria Amazon cruising down the Amazon 

clockwise from top left: Macaw; the balcony of Aria Amazon; 

a sloth hangs out; one of the suites aboard Aria Amazon 


For more information, or to arrange your Amazon adventure, 

call our Latin America travel specialists on 01242 547 701. 


THE BEST 

OF BOTH 

WORLDS 

INDEPENDENT TRAVELLER AND A&K TRAVEL SPECIALIST BETHAN LEYLAND JOINS 

17 STRANGERS TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE INTOXICATING LANDSCAPE OF INDIA ON 

AN ESCORTED TOUR. JOURNEYING SOLO IN A GROUP, SHE DISCOVERS THE JOYS 

OF SHARED MEMORIES, CAMARADERIE, AND FORGING LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS 


INDIA 

THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME TO RELAX 

ALONE AND ENJOY EACH OTHER’S COMPANY 

DURING TOURS, TRANSFERS, AND MEALS. 

THE EASE OF BEING TAKEN FROM A TO B, 

ENJOYING PRIORITY ENTRY, AND BEING 

GUIDED BY EXPERTS MEANT THE ESCORTED 

TOUR WAS STRESS FREE. IT WAS A BRILLIANT 

WAY TO EXPERIENCE INDIA IN ALL ITS 

COLOURFUL, CHAOTIC GLORY 

I’ve always arranged my holidays independently, so I’m 

painfully aware of how much time it can take. Knowing I’d be 

leaving everything to the experts at A&K during my escorted 

tour of India was a weight off my mind. However, this was my first 

time travelling solo on a group tour, and I was a little nervous. 

So many questions: would I get along with my fellow travellers; 

would I have time to myself; and would I be able to indulge in the 

activities I enjoy? Only time would tell. 

On arrival in bustling Mumbai, A&K drivers are waiting to 

whisk each of us away to the grand Taj Mahal Palace, our opulent 

home for the night. For more than a century, this gracious hotel 

has hosted maharajahs and dignitaries from around the world. 

With its fusion of old-world elegance and modern luxuries, a fivestar 

standard is immediately set for our journey through India. 

Feeling intoxicated by the atmosphere of this vibrant capital, 

I join my fellow travellers for a welcome dinner. I find a small 

group of 17 like-minded people all keen to explore and experience 

the wonders India has to offer. We soon discover what lies ahead 

during a chat with our English-speaking resident tour director. 

Our first day starts with a whistle-stop tour of Mumbai, and 

it’s no cliché to call it a city that never sleeps. Home of Bollywood 

and commerce, this is India’s most populous city, so it’s good to 

share the first disorienting moment as I step onto the street with a 

new friend or two. We tick off the classic sights together, from the 

iconic Gateway of India to the buzzing markets selling everything 

from saffron to saris. 

Then we journey on to uncover a country of contrasts as our 

small party leaves behind the hustle and bustle of maritime 

Mumbai and steps off the plane in tranquil Udaipur, regarded 

as India’s most romantic city. An oasis of calm is created by the 

city’s large, twinkling lakes, which lie in striking contrast to 

the arid surrounds of Rajasthan. The pleasure of sharing a scenic 

sundowner during a boat ride on the placid, shimmering waters 

of Lake Pichola will live in the memory forever. 

Our magical accommodation for the next two nights is the Taj 

Lake Palace. One of the world’s most seductive destination hotels, 

it floats like a beautiful white ship on the waters of the lake with 

360-degree views of surrounding Udaipur. The service is flawless, 

cuisine standards high, and overall experience unforgettable. 

Completed in 1746, the property is a familiar sight to most of us 

thanks to its starring role in the Bond movie Octopussy. 



INDIA 

What better way to start your day than with a spot of yoga 

watching the sun rise over this enchanted palace? Over the next 

48 hours our group explores the city’s historic sights, beginning 

with the famous City Palace, renowned for the breath-taking 

architecture of its façade. I found its scale incredible, hundreds of 

rooms, each intricately designed, and each with a story to tell. It 

was then time to view the city from the lake with a magical cruise 

taking us past the marble palace of Jag Mandir, whose jetty is 

guarded by charming stone elephants. 

I am delighted to find how flexible an escorted tour is for the 

individual traveller. Today, I can choose one of the unique Design 

your Day® options, which include a scenic cycle ride or a cooking 

class to learn more about the local Rajasthani cuisine. I opt for 

the active excursion and find myself pedalling up the Aravalli 

mountains, passing by the Monsoon Palace and Badi Lake. On my 

return I sample some of the dishes created by my fellow travellers 

as we compare notes about our bespoke day. 

Feeling energised, the next stop on our tour is Jaipur, ‘The Pink 

City’ – so called because of its distinctive rose-hued palaces and 

temples. We are lucky enough to visit during Diwali, when the 

whole of India is illuminated as Hindus unite in celebration of this 

holy time. Seemingly every street in Jaipur is adorned with pretty 

lights and decorations. Stalls brim with fresh flowers, festive 

cakes, and diyas (oil lamps) – an immersive experience for all of 

us. We are intrigued by this bustling city of rickshaws and camels 

which bear you to a treasure-trove of wonders, including the City 

Palace and Amber Fort. 

A four-poster bed awaits in Rambagh Palace, a former royal 

hunting lodge built for the Maharajah of Jaipur, and now one 

of the most luxurious hotels in India, with striking views of the 

Aravalli mountains. A royal welcome like no other awaits as we 

arrive. As we enter through the gates, the trumpeting of elephants 

marks the beginning of our stay. It’s a special moment that 

becomes a talking point over dinner that night. Rail enthusiasts 

will love eating at restaurant Steam, which is a restored heritage 

train carriage. Some of us choose to relax with a swim before 

enjoying a treatment at the Jiva Spa. There’s also a yoga pavilion 

and the perfect place for a sundowner – the Polo Bar. 

The next day, it’s time to choose my preferred activity again. 

While others in my group opt for a water walk at Nahargarh and 

hike in the foothills of the Amer, I can’t resist the sound of a 

safari in Jhalana Reserve, home to the elusive leopard. Later we 

share our stories and photographs over dinner, and prepare for 

tomorrow’s move north. 

Who hasn’t seen the Taj Mahal countless times in pictures? 

But it’s true what they say – there’s nothing quite like viewing this 

iconic monument to love up close. We spend two days in Agra, 

visiting at sunset and sunrise. Watching the sky’s pink and orange 

hues reflect off the white marble of this majestic mausoleum is 

astonishing. Being in a group of travellers each just as awe-struck 

as me makes it that much more inspiring. 

We have enough time for a guided tour of another impressive 

building from the Mughal era – the Agra Fort – before it’s back 

to our accommodation for the night. The Oberoi Amarvilas Agra 

was built to evoke the grandeur of the city’s Mughal and Moorish 

buildings and gives us one last opportunity to admire the Taj 

Mahal from afar. 

Next up it’s historic Varanasi, which isn’t just my favourite 

place on the tour – it’s one of the most wonderful places I’ve ever 

visited. Built on the banks of the Ganges, this city has a lot of 

spiritual significance to the Hindus of India. It feels so raw and 

chaotic, with the contrasts of life and death unhidden, and it’s easy 

to get swept up in the atmosphere. 

Each evening, passionate locals and pilgrims perform the ritual 

of aarti down on Varanasi’s famous ghats (stepped embankments). 

But it’s the simplicity of the morning rituals that really strikes 

me. We get up at sunrise for a cruise along the river, and the walk 

down the ghats is the perfect people-watching opportunity. The 

steps are lined with those carrying out their personal religious 

observances. I notice one woman, in her own world and totally 

at peace, spiritually cleansing herself with the holy water of the 

Ganges. It’s a place to lose yourself in. 

Our escorted tour ends how it began, in the hustle and bustle of 

one of India’s largest cities. This time it is Delhi, a mass of stimuli, 

with weaving rickshaws, dangling power cables, and narrow 

streets filled with noise and people. We spend our last day visiting 

the best of Old and New Delhi, from the vast mosque of Jama 

Masjid to the sensory overload of Chandi Chowk bazaar. 

Then it’s time to say goodbye. During our farewell dinner, 

photographs and anecdotes are shared among a group of friends 

who were strangers only 10 days ago. This independent traveller 

has found the best of both worlds – travelling solo, together. 

previous page: View across Lake Pichola 

opposite page, clockwise from top left: An Indian mystic; a typical Indian 

street scene; the Taj Mahal, monument to love; the Varanasi ghats on the 

banks of the Ganges 

this page: Bethan enjoying her tour 


A&K’s Splendours of the Golden Triangle escorted tour starts 

at £2,495 per person (excludes flights). The first four solo places 

booked won’t pay a single supplement. For more information, 

call our escorted tours specialists on 01242 547 892. 


ACCESS 

THE WORLD 

OF CINEMA 

WORDS: JOE MEREDITH 

76 | AUTUMN/WINTER 2019 

film posters: Casino Royale (credit: Snap Stills/Shutterstock); Chennai Express (credit: 

Red Chillies/Utv Motion/Kobal/Shutterstock); Game of Thrones (credit: HBO/BSkyB/ 

Kobal/Shutterstock); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (credit: New 

Line/Saul Zaentz/Wing Nut/Kobal/Shutterstock); Octopussy (credit: Danjaq/Eon/Ua/ 

Kobal/Shutterstock); Lost in Translation (credit: Focus/Kobal/Shutterstock); Pirates of the 

Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest (credit: Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock)

EXPLORE THE ICONIC LOCALES AND WORKING STUDIOS OF 

THE WORLD’S FILM AND TV INDUSTRIES, IN TRUE A&K STYLE 

Whether you’re a fan of the big screen, or the small one, we can 

whisk you off to where the cinematic magic happens. Infiltrate 

a Bond villain’s mountaintop lair, wander King’s Landing like a 

Westeros native, swagger in Jack Sparrow’s bootsteps, or shimmy like a star 

in Bollywood’s mecca. Let A&K take you to the movies… 

Jamaica: for Bond’s 

birthplace 

The next James Bond film is returning to where it all 

began: Jamaica. Author Ian Fleming first introduced 

the world to his suave spy when he penned Casino 

Royale here at his Goldeneye estate. Fleming’s chic 

retreat is also where Bono wrote the theme song to 

GoldenEye, where Sting wrote Every Breath You Take, 

and where countless more creatives have come for a little inspiration in 

paradise. With A&K, you can add your name to Goldeneye’s glamour-filled 

guestbook, perhaps write your own masterpiece, and take part in the longstanding 

tradition of visitors planting trees. 

Mumbai: for Bollywood’s 

epicentre 

Producing more than 1,000 features per year, India’s 

all-singing, all-dancing film industry is worldfamous. 

Mumbai is its epicentre, where Hindi hits 

such as Chennai Express are produced, and where we 

can take you on a shimmy behind the scenes. Learn 

some of the essential dance moves from an expert; 

visit a film or television set to watch a shoot in action; then ham it up 

recording some lines of dialogue in a studio. Your tour will conclude with a 

Bollywood film screening at a theatre in the heart of the city, letting you see 

the professionals doing what they do best. 

Dubrovnik, Croatia: 

for Game of Thrones 

For eight years, Game of Thrones transfixed legions 

of fans with its twisting tales of warring kingdoms. 

Although based on a world dreamt up by George R 

R Martin, the show’s location scouts used many real 

cities and sites in Europe, from Northern Ireland to 

Iceland. Perhaps most famous is Dubrovnik, which 

played the part of King’s Landing. We can arrange a tour around this 

picturesque Croatian city, during which you’ll see where iconic scenes were 

filmed and gain insight into the shooting process from your local guide, an 

actress who starred as an extra in the programme. 

Warner Bros., USA 

for Hollywood highlights 

Situated in the studio zone of Los Angeles, Warner 

Bros. has been creating magical moments in cinema 

and television since the turn of the 20th century. It’s 

most famous for blockbuster franchises including 

Harry Potter, Batman, and The Lord of the Rings; 

successful sitcoms such as Friends and The Big Bang 

Theory; and classic cartoons starring the cast of Looney Tunes. We can 

book you onto a Warner Bros. studio tour, where the doors to the sets and 

soundstages are opened to you. Sip a coffee in Central Perk, see real props 

and costumes, and perhaps try your hand at wizarding (thanks to a little 

green-screen magic). 

Udaipur, India: for 

Octopussy 

Octopussy was the first film in the Bond franchise 

to visit India, with many of the scenes filmed in 

Udaipur – the ‘Venice of the East’. Here, centuriesold 

white-stone palaces shimmer in the reflections 

of vast lakes, framed by the sun-scorched hills of 

Rajasthan. We can help you retrace Roger Moore’s 

footsteps and Martini-sips by booking you into the Taj Lake Palace, which 

played the part of Octopussy’s hideaway. This opulent hotel appears to 

float on Lake Pichola, and is only accessible by boat. We can also take 

you to Kamal Khan’s lair – in reality the Monsoon Palace – high up on a 

mountaintop overlooking the city. 

Tokyo, Japan: for Lost in 

Translation 

Alongside New York, Japan’s capital Tokyo is the 

other ‘city that never sleeps’; after sunset, the 

karaoke clubs, tachinomi (stand-up bars) and 

izakaya (relaxed pubs) clink and jangle to life. 

The nocturnal world of Japan’s capital is captured 

beautifully in Lost in Translation, with Bill Murray 

and Scarlett Johansson playing two ships passing 

in the Tokyo night. We can find you a room at 

the Park Hyatt Hotel, where much of the film was shot. From this five-star 

base, head out to explore the hot spots visited in the film. Have a drink 

at The New York Bar, where Charlotte and Bob first meet; sample shabu 

shabu (sliced beef) in Shabuzen; and sing along to More Than This in 

Shibuya’s Karaoke Kan. 

St Vincent and the 

Grenadines: for Pirates of 

the Caribbean 

When the Pirates of The Caribbean films were 

shot, Johnny Depp and company had the 

enviable job of spending weeks in the idyllic 

archipelago of St Vincent and the Grenadines. 

From the charming anchorage of Wallilabou Bay, 

where we’re first introduced to Jack Sparrow, to 

Black Point, where the Kraken was beached, this picturesque island nation 

played a starring role in the franchise. Take a tour of the most famous 

locations, meet locals who worked on the films, and admire the gorgeous 

scenery – sans marauding pirates. 


FIVE VILLAS YOU’LL WANT TO BOOK NOW 

FOR SUMMER 2020 

AS RECOMMENDED BY THE A&K VILLAS TEAM 

Al Cielo Stellato, Gaiole, Italy 

SLEEPS 10 | RECOMMENDED BY WALTER CONTU 

Make the most of this quintessential Tuscan retreat in the rolling 

Italian hills. Romantically named after the starry sky under 

which it lies, Al Cielo Stellato also has a five-star welcome and 

amenities. In typical Tuscan style, the villa is made for dining 

alfresco, with three terraces to choose from, as well as a central 

courtyard, pizza oven, and barbecue area. You’ll find everyone in 

the family can be entertained with a private infinity pool, table 

tennis and billiards, foosball, and a swing in the garden, as well as 

board games, a small gym, and satellite TV inside. 

If Al Cielo Stellato is booked, try Villa San Leolino instead: 

a building designed for relaxing and embracing Italian living 

Villa Mia, Sainte-Maxime, France 

SLEEPS 10+1 | RECOMMENDED BY JULIE TOURNIAIRE 

The chic setting of the Côte d’Azur is ideal for luxury property Villa Mia. Blending 

modernity with character, its chic interiors combine with arched windows and beamed 

ceilings, and will quickly feel like home. Ideal for a family break to the south of France, and 

a chance for the kids to put those French lessons into practice, there’s a tennis court and a 

beach, both less than 10 minutes away. The nearby town of Sainte-Maxime is also close by 

for some café culture. With extensive landscaped gardens, a heated pool, and an outdoor 

kitchen, you can live the Mediterranean life in complete style. 

If Villa Mia is booked, try Villa Jasmine instead: impeccably presented and stylish, 

this is a Côte d’Azur villa full of French sophistication 


Pearla Mabe, Kassiopi, Corfu 

SLEEPS 14 | RECOMMENDED BY 

JANINA PERES 

One of Condé Nast Traveller’s 25 best villas in Europe, 

Pearla Mabe in beautiful northeast Corfu is an amazing 

property for a family celebration or party of friends. Able 

to sleep up to 14 people, it is both spacious and splendid. 

Located on a two-hectare private estate along with sister 

property Pearla Akoya, this seven-bedroom house was 

designed and built by a Norman Foster-trained architect. 

Inside, Venetian influences complement traditional Corfiot 

features. Outside, the wrap-around terrace and infinity pool 

beckon, while the private jetty offers sought-after sea access. 

If Pearla Mabe is booked, try Pearla Akoya instead: 

with views of the sea, sky, Kaparelli Island, and distant 

mountains, you might never want to leave 

Mas Mateu, Girona, Spain 

SLEEPS 18+17 | RECOMMENDED BY 

LIZ HOBLEY 

Experience the very best service when you stay at 

Catalonia’s Mas Mateu. The on-site team provides 

everything you need, and more. Perfect for food lovers, 

enjoy local wine, cheese, and ham tastings from the comfort 

of your holiday home. And it is truly comfortable; the 

building’s 18th-century history combines perfectly with 

contemporary style and cosiness – so much so that this 

property was once voted the Best Residence in Europe 

at the International Property Awards. With views to the 

Pyrenees, but right by the coast, this is a villa that will 

delight the most discerning of guests. 

If Mas Mateu is booked, try Zarassi Estate instead: 

this Mykonos palace could well be mistaken for a movie 

set. It’s ideal for large gatherings in the most idyllic location 

Villa Destiny, Carvoeiro, Portugal 

SLEEPS 12 | RECOMMENDED BY KARA EWERS 

Perched on the cliff edge over Algarvian seaside town 

Carvoeiro, Villa Destiny offers privacy and breath-taking 

ocean panoramas. It would be easy to think this property 

is remote and removed from the local bars and restaurants, 

because its four-hectare grounds create such tranquil 

surrounds. The bustle of Carvoeiro is only a short walk 

away, however – assuming that you can bear to leave this 

stylish property. Breakfast and dinner are provided by a 

live-in housekeeping couple, so there is no need to lift 

a finger. Instead, enjoy a swim in the private, heated pool, 

or a match on the villa’s tennis court. 

If Villa Destiny is booked, try Quinta da Alegria instead: 

set in avocado and citrus groves, yet only a short drive to 

an excellent golf course 

CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT VILLAS 

To reserve your perfect European villa for 2020, call our villas 

specialists on 01242 547 705. 

akvillas.com | 79

A&K PHILANTHROPY 

Delivering the C.U.R.E. 

for healthcare inequity 

Learn how Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy (AKP) and 

Project C.U.R.E. are seeking to solve a perennial problem 

in the developing world 

Having easy access to healthcare is 

essential for a community to thrive. 

It’s something many of us in wealthy 

nations take for granted – that if we are unwell, 

we will be cared for; that the care we receive 

will be from qualified professionals; that those 

professionals will be equipped with effective 

tools to do their job. 

Yet, according to the World Health 

Organisation (WHO), at least 400 million 

people worldwide do not have access to 

essential health services. Meanwhile, 70 per 

cent of medical equipment in developing 

countries isn’t fit for use. People in affected 

communities are lucky if they can reach a 

clinic, and if they do, there’s every chance the 

facilities won’t be adequate to treat what ails 

them. For too many, it’s a futile pilgrimage, 

with a tragic end. 

AKP has joined forces with Project C.U.R.E. 

(Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment) 

to tackle exactly this problem. Our first step 

is to identify the communities most in need 

across the globe; and the second: to deliver 

essential resources directly to them. We’re 

pleased to report that our joint endeavour is 

already paying off. 

Our maiden project together took us to 

Zambia, a country renowned for its natural 

beauty and abundant wildlife. Sadly, it’s also a 

country where many rural communities aren’t 

reaping the rewards of the tourist industry on 

their doorstep. Nakatindi, a village situated on 

the border of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, 

was especially in need of maternity facilities, 

a common story across the developing world; 

99 per cent of maternal deaths occur in lowincome 

countries, where almost half of births 

aren’t attended by a healthcare professional. 

In 2018, AKP built a medical clinic and 

maternity ward in Nakatindi, run by qualified 

staff and stocked with around £180,000-worth 

of medical equipment – courtesy of Project 

C.U.R.E. The clinic is now overseen by Zambia’s 

Ministry of Health, ensuring local mothers and 

their babies are accommodated and supported 

for years to come. 

Buoyed by this success, we continued our 

efforts this year, beginning in Cambodia. The 

WHO reported that mothers and newborns are 

especially vulnerable in this South-East Asian 

nation, with an unacceptably high mortality 

rate due to largely preventable causes. In 

April 2019, Project C.U.R.E. loaded close to 

£320,000-worth of medical equipment – from 

foetal monitors and thermometers to birthing 

beds and bassinets – into a container bound 

for Siem Reap. Once it arrived, we were on 

hand to distribute the vital equipment to 

five rural clinics – serving a total of 50,000 

Cambodians in the region. 

AKP is proud to help these clinics 

successfully care for their communities, and 

passionate about investing profits from the 

travel industry into the destinations so close to 

the hearts of both our clients and our staff. 

Of course, our task is far from over. That’s 

why we plan to expand this project into four 

more countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Bhutan, and 

Peru. While there’s still much for us to do, the 

vital statistics of some of the world’s poorest 

people are on the up. 

| ABERCROMBIE & KENT PHILANTHROPY | 

If you would like to know more about Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy, please call us on 01242 547 760, 

or visit akphilanthropy.org to find out about other projects we are involved in. 


BARBADOS 

For þe iner þings n ife 

From palm-fringed powder white 

shores, to dramatic coves 

and Atlantic surf, every corner of 

Barbados offers a different aspect 

of island luxury. Barbados does 

every facet of good living; from 

the charm of sunset cocktails 

upon the deck of a yacht, to 

barefoot and bikini-clad in a 

popular beach bar. 

Barbados is a place where refined 

luxury and exceptional culinary 

delights dance and mingle among 

rich greenery, blue waters and 

golden sunlight. Fresh seafood 

and local produce are cooked 

with a passion that creates 

a truly unique gastronomic 

experience. Whether you opt 

for chic west coast dining on a 

cliff by torch-light, sampling the 

culinary goodies on offer at the 

renowned Oistins fish fry, or the 

‘cutters’ served up in local rum 

shops, Barbados’ rich melting-pot 

of flavours promises to delight 

every gourmet traveller. As the 

birthplace of rum, no visit to 

Barbados is complete without 

sampling Barbados’ very own 

amber nectar. 

With something to suit every pace, 

you can experience the majesty 

of thundering hooves along 

lush pitches during Polo season, 

partake in exceptional rounds of 

golf, or opt for a leisurely cruise 

on a lavish catamaran along the 

platinum coast, Barbados is the 

answer to all the finer things in life. 

Barbados Food & Rum Festival 

24 th –27 th October 2019 

Book your luxury holiday now 

Visit abercrombiekent.co.uk/barbados 

Call 01242 547 780 

Visit Barbados @Barbados @visitbarbados

REST. 

ASSURED. 

We may be celebrating our 100th year, but we’re 

not resting on our laurels. With more space, larger 

flat bed, and your own private door, Club Suite is 

an even more luxurious way to fly Business Class.* 

Discover more at abercrombiekent.co.uk 

or call us on 01242 547 760. 

*Club Suite is available on selected flights from October 2019.

Sundowner: Autumn/Winter 2019

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?