20 DEPARTURES TRAVEL
20 DEPARTURES TRAVEL Soneva Fushi’s on-site observatory There are new private residences on land, too: wondrous woody affairs, from one to nine bedrooms, with spa suites, treetop salas and staff quarters – available for sale, another Maldives first. The island is almost mosquito-free thanks to an innovative chemicalfree control programme and is large enough that guests can nip around on bicycles. I set off each morning through corridors of towering palms and ficus trees towards the island’s jungly heart for an hour of yoga set to the sound of nature. Next, it’s breakfast on the beach, where wheatgrass shots and Ayurvedic tinctures are served alongside egg hoppers, Maldivian tuna salads and buttermilk pancakes. All of the food is modern, nourishing and credibly sourced, much of it coming from the hotel’s mandala-shaped organic gardens (footprint-heavy steaks don’t appear on any menu but can be ordered on request). All four restaurants are From left: the main entrance of Aman New York; the design for a suite at the forthcoming Six Senses New York Double or Nothing in NYC superb; especially lovely is Fresh in the Garden, where a swinging rope bridge leads to a series of decks and circular booths suspended atop the jungle canopy. Organic Mediterraneanleaning dishes might include scallop tempura with mango and chilli relish or a vegetable paupiette wrapped in banana leaf. Down at the spa, Tibetan therapists burn sage and whisper guided meditations in my ear before massaging me into a state somewhere between a trance and heaven. And if anyone is still under the misguided impression that there’s nothing to do in the Maldives, Soneva Fushi puts paid to that too, with enough memorable experiences to keep you occupied for eons, from glassblowing school, to angling for tuna with Maldivian fishermen, to gazing through a state-of-the-art telescope at the rings of Saturn, to finding yourself at the centre of an utterly unforgettable manta-ray cyclone. soneva.com Six Senses and Aman have followed remarkably parallel paths: starting as a handful of underthe-radar luxe escapes in some of the world’s most idyllic landscapes, both brands have changed ownership and direction in the past decade, pivoting to bring their personalised, cocooning hospitality to urban jungles as well. Over the next 12 months, the companies will continue their twinning with new properties in Manhattan. Aman New York (aman.com), planned to open early this year, will be set in an iconic Fifth Avenue edifice, the Crown Building, complete with three-storey spa and subterranean jazz club. Six Senses New York (sixsenses.com), meanwhile, will open in early 2022 in a pair of twisting diagonal buildings, called The XI, set between the High Line and the Hudson in Chelsea. In the city that never sleeps, these two newcomers promise unusually restful nights. – Brian Noone FROM TOP: © SONEVA FUSHI, © AMAN, © SIX SENSES
FROM LEFT: © ATLANTIS - THE ROYAL, PAUL THUYSBAERT It’s Always Sunny in Dubai With the UAE celebrating its golden jubilee and prepping for the delayed Expo 2020 (now in October), its most glam-forward city is glowing with recent openings. by Nicola Chilton The upcoming Atlantis, The Royal THE CITY’S VERTIGINOUS SKYLINE changes monthly, and a number of skyscrapers have leapt up across the city. On the edge of Downtown is the 75-storey SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences (sbe.com), home to sky-high Ciel Spa and crowned by twin infinity pools. Slated to open in March, the hotel’s six drinking and dining venues will include a 12-seat champagne bar. Another sleek tower opening later in the year is the city’s second Mandarin Oriental (mandarinoriental.com), alongside Sheikh Zayed Road, the city’s main artery, which will be an urban complement to its beachside sister resort. In Wafi, meanwhile, six statues of Anubis flank the entrance to the imposing lobby of Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk (sofitel-dubai-theobelisk. com), where hieroglyph-covered pillars and a nine-metre-wide golden falcon welcome guests to handsome, Art Deco-influenced rooms as well as Brasserie Boulud, chef Daniel Boulud’s first foray into the region, a L’Occitane spa and poolside cocktails and shisha. Four kilometres off the coast, the family-only Portofino Hotel (thoe. com) will be the first opening in the ambitious Heart of Europe, part of a development on The World Islands The ornate lobby at the new Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk that will eventually include six hotels, floating villas with underwater living space, an outdoor snow plaza and a coral institute. Over on that other manmade archipelago, Palm Jumeirah, The St Regis Dubai, The Palm (marriott. com) will open early this year with 289 rooms and suites, a 50th-floor infinity pool and a rooftop viewing deck, while later in the year Atlantis, The Royal (atlantis.com) will sprawl across 795 rooms and suites next to its namesake hotel, boasting 90 pools, a jellyfish aquarium and bigname restaurants, including Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and La Mar by Gastón Acurio. There is big restaurant news at established hotels as well: The Maine Land Brasserie (themaine. ae), tucked inside the Zaha Hadiddesigned ME by Meliá, is the place to go for freshly shucked oysters, HOTEL HAPPENINGS 21 DEPARTURES PLEASE CHECK THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE BEFORE BOOKING TRAVEL OR DEPARTING ON ANY TRIP
