Departures Australia Autumn 2017

BLACKBOOK ON THE RADAR

BLACKBOOK ON THE RADAR MONACO RISING The principality is expanding, enhancing and more enticing than ever The Monte- Carlo Pavilions, overlooking the Place du Casino, house 15 boutiques Red Savannah’s Zen Retreat at the Binicalaf villa in Menorca, Spain GOING ZEN We turn to tour operator Red Savannah for its expertise in far-flung destinations and now … wellness. “Gurus” in the new Red Savannah Zen division play health matchmaker for clients at 24 resorts, from La Réserve in Geneva to Carnoustie Ayurveda & Wellness Resort in southern India. Red Savannah now also books health retreats for clients at private villas in the Mediterranean. redsavannah.com After opening the Yacht Club de Monaco in 2014 and Tour Odéon in 2015, the city-state continues to buzz with building. The legendary Hôtel de Paris ( hoteldeparismontecarlo.com) is renovating its entire property to increase the size of its rooms and suites and creating a courtyard garden and a rooftop villa. The overhaul will be finished in late 2018, but some of it will debut in time for the Formula One Grand Prix in May. Nearby, the 15 boutiques once located in the Sporting d’Hiver event centre (demolished in 2015) are being housed in temporary pebble-shaped pavilions while the area is redeveloped into the One Monte Carlo complex. Also set to open in 2018, it will have 4,500 square metres of shopping space. Land reclamation is nothing new in Monaco; it has grown 25 per cent, to about two square kilometres, in the past 145 years. Among Prince Albert II’s most ambitious projects is a man-made island that broke ground in September. The US.2bn, tenyear venture will extend the principality by six hectares in the easternmost Larvotto district and include apartments, a marina and port, and parks. HERITAGE HOTEL An Irish Castle Revamps On the heels of the 75€ million overhaul of Ashford Castle and current updates at Dromoland Castle, another Irish classic, Adare Manor, will debut a 42-room addition and 62 updated guest rooms this fall. Tom Fazio is reworking the golf course. adaremanor.com CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: © MONTE-CARLO SOCIÉTÉ DES BAINS DE MER, © ADARE MANOR, © RED SAVANNAH (2) 32 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS

THE DECONSTRUCTION The Next Wave Nearly ten years in the making, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall is finally complete. A glass-fronted, angular edifice comprising a 2,100-seat performance hall, upscale hostelry and 45 luxe apartments, the structure has been hailed as one of the port city’s most important cultural landmarks. Here’s a closer look FROM TOP: © HERZOG & DE MEURON / BLOOMIMAGES, MATTEO BARRO Covered in 6,000 large sequins that glisten in the sun, the elegantly curved silhouette of the roof was built to resemble waves, a nod to its harbour-side milieu in this, Europe’s second busiest port. The building’s glass façade consists of 1,100 curved glass elements, each framed by bursts of grey dots, which both prevents overheating and lends a shimmering effect. The Recital Hall, with its organic wood panelling, is built in the classic shoebox style, boasting a flexible podium and seating an audience of up to 550 people. The red-bricked Kaispeicher A – an erstwhile warehouse – forms the base for Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron’s masterpiece, creating an artful synthesis of the old and new. For endless harbour views from on high, visitors travel 102 metres via escalator to the The Plaza, a central platform with a panoramic walkway around the building. Forty-five apartments, ranging from 120 to 400 square metres, occupy 15 storeys on the west side. They are currently the most expensive new-build flats in Germany. The orchestra sits at the centre of the Grand Hall, with steep rows of seats rising all around. This socalled “vineyard” principle means that no concertgoer is sitting more than 30 metres from the conductor. A sophisticated acoustic experience is ensured by White Skin, 10,000 sound-modulating, individually milled gypsum-fibre panels that ripple across the walls of the hall, as well as by the reflector suspended from the vaulted ceiled. The four-manual organ, meanwhile, is built right into the seats on three rows – close enough to touch, furthering the venue’s inclusive philosophy. ROOMS WITH A VIEW With a location this sensational – not just near, but actually inside Europe’s newest architectural gem – a hotel could offer straw beds and gruel and still be booked solid in the low season. Still, the Westin Hotel Hamburg has refused to rely on its singular location, joining the city’s exacting hospitality scene as a major contender. While the peerless city views through the floor-to-ceiling windows in its 224 minimalist-chic rooms are without a doubt its crowing feature, the panoramic Bridge Bar, with a locally inspired cocktail menu, and The Saffron, its chic German-fusion eatery, have become destinations in their own right. westin.com B Y CLAUDIA ROELKE DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM 33