BLACKBOOK THE AGENDA
BLACKBOOK THE AGENDA with its focus on wellness, counts among the nation’s best-kept secrets. Here, the new Hotel Alhambra (losinj-hotels.com) holds court in an extensively restored historic residence with 51 individually decorated rooms that instil a sense of calm, perfectly paired with the on-site yoga. To the Gulf and the City of Gold, where the 234-key St Regis Dubai (starwoodhotels.com) comes straight out of New York’s Gilded Age with its beaux arts architecture, grand staircase and musical fountain – a haven in the midst of the bustling Al Habtoor City. In China, the IM Pei-designed, 158- room Grand Mansion Nanjing (starwoodhotels. com) boasts clean-lined interiors by Hirsch Bedner Associates, who’ve taken care to remain true to the hotel’s historic setting (the iconic Presidential Palace is just steps away). Meanwhile in Beijing, the petite Cours Et Pavillons (slh.com) is nestled among sinuous rows of hutongs. With just seven contemporary-meets-traditional rooms, peaceful courtyards and antique-studded interiors, it is more temple than hotel. Another urban oasis comes by way of Pritzker Prize-winner Richard Meier: The Patina, Capitol Singapore (patinahotels.com) is a 157-room property in the Civic District that recalls the grandeur of the city-state’s history just in time for its 50th anniversary. Farther west, overlooking the deep blue Andaman Sea, Thailand’s Keemala Phuket (keemala.com) adds another dimension of unencumbered luxe to the popular resort isle with an emphasis on the restoration of mind and body – from its fresh cuisine and rejuvenating spa to its broad yoga and meditation offerings. Sun-seekers can also head for the tranquil banks of Koggala Lake in Sri Lanka’s ten-suite boutique retreat Tri (trilanka.com), an environmentally conscious nirvana complete with a cantilevered pool and treetop yoga studio. Across the world on Miami’s Collins Avenue, the 426-key, oceanfront 1 Hotel South Beach (1hotels.com) marks the debut of a new brand by mogul Barry Sternlicht (an NYC outpost is slated for launch later this year). In addition to an organic eatery, green is the theme here: nearly 11,000 local plant varieties are scattered throughout the property, rounding out a bountiful season of openings. ♦ COAST TO COAST A pair of Mexican marvels SHIP TALK A new river cruiser to explore Myanmar’s majesty Hip American hotelier Thompson has set out to explore the country from sea to shining sea – starting in idyllic San Lucas with the June launch of The Cape (pictured), a 161-key beachfront property with can’t-beat views of Cabo’s iconic arch. Meanwhile, this season sees the unveiling of its 125-room Playa del Carmen outpost, a two-for-one resort with both a happening downtown location, complete with rooftop pool and bar, and nearby seaside for more traditionally minded sybarites. thompsonhotels.com THE STRAND Buoyant in Burma The country’s burgeoning tourism sector gets a boost early next year with The Strand, a striking, 54-passenger riverboat launched by the Yangon hotel of the same name. Guests float down the fabled Ayeyarwady River, which flows through the heart of the country, while enjoying stops such as the temples of Mandalay and the ancient imperial capital of Ava. Onboard, the lavish cabins, panoramic restaurant and indulgent spa ensure a journey fit for a king. thestrandcruise.com OFF THE GRID: THREE PROPERTIES THAT TAKE YOU BACK TO NATURE + + + AMANERA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC The first Aman resort in the island nation is a clifftop property that is flanked by wonders on all sides – Grand Playa Beach ahead, the dramatic peaks of Cordillera Septentrional at the rear, lush jungle all around and Aman’s first integrated golf course, a Robert Trent Jones Sr-designed track, refreshed by his son Rees Jones. With flat biodiverse roofs and green gardens, each of the 25 freestanding casitas walk the line between jungle and suite. amanresorts.com DOMAINE DES ETANGS, FRANCE The charismatic Charente countryside northeast of Bordeaux lures visitors with a honey-stone château straight from a medieval fairy tale. A beguiling retreat from urban life, the estate comports itself with all the elegance and grace of the highest French traditions, evident in everything from its waterway and woodland-marked landscapes to the soothing interiors of its 29 rooms and cottages and alfresco, white-tablecloth dining that incorporates ingredients grown on site. domainedesetangs.com MANDAPA, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE, INDONESIA At this secluded oasis amid the rolling hills, greentinged rice paddies and tropical forests of Ubud, Bali’s spiritual and cultural capital, guests stay in 60 locally inspired villas and suites. They are further pampered by an extensive holistic wellness programme that incorporates yoga and Balinese spa treatments, as well as at four distinct on-site restaurants serving delicious locavore fare. ritzcarlton.com FROM LEFT: © THE CAPE, © THE STRAND CRUISE (2) 44 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS
TRIED & TESTED Copenhagen’s icon is ready for its close-up HOTEL D’ANGLETERRE A multimillion-dollar renovation re-establishes it as Denmark’s top hotel and one of the most elegant properties in northern Europe CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: MICHAEL HUBER, © DENON, © BELMOND, © HOTEL D’ANGLETERRE (3) For a city of its size, scope and stature, the Danish capital unusually boasts just one haute hostelry. But after a visit earlier this year, to commemorate its 260th anniversary in the presence of the country’s Crown Prince, it’s clear that the grey-and-white neoclassic palace on the city’s Kongens Nytorv occupies a plinth far more notable than that of a mere hotel: it anchors the fabric of the city. Dating to the spring of 1755, when the daughter of the king’s chef, Marie Coppy, opened a restaurant with Frenchman Jean Marchal, the icon is today owned by another Marie – Else Marie Remmen, under whose tutelage it recently received a wholesale USm refurbishment. While all the ornate original details were preserved, the room count has been reduced from 123 to 90, each bathed in soothing purples, blues, greys and creams but with no two alike. There is also a popular new champagne bar, Balthazar; an inventive Michelinstarred eatery, Marchal; and an upgraded subterranean spa. What remains the same, however, are the endless bounty of floral arrangements and original art, the impeccable service of the handpicked staff and the fact that we know, regardless of what competition may be on the horizon, that the Hotel d’Angleterre will remain a peerless property for many years to come. dangleterre.dk From top: the whitewashed balcony of the Royal Suite; a suite’s elegant sitting room; regal set-up at the hotel’s lobby-lounge ON THE RAILS A rolling perspective on the Emerald Isle D O W N H I L L D E L I G H T S Ahead of this coming ski season, those keen on hitting the slopes of Tirol’s Kitzbühel best head to a romantic retreat at its gates: the majestic Schloss Mittersill woos with 53 traditionally decorated rooms and suites that just ooze a hearty sense of Gemütlichkeit. schloss-mittersill.com + NOW HEAR THIS! Dutch firm Denon’s new wireless headphones, the AH-GC20 Globe Cruiser, combine a sleek, ergonomic design (tested on some 4,000 heads) with dynamic audio and an über-sophisticated noise-reduction system built to drown out all manner of cacophonies. denon.com From Dublin to Belfast, from the Blarney Castle Gardens to Jameson’s whiskey distillery, the Belmond Grand Hibernian – a 40-passenger train with sumptuous en-suite cabins – newly offers those craving a brush with Ireland’s green, undulating landscapes a gentle traverse that also takes in the island’s most alluring metropolitan and cultural attractions. belmond.com B Y CLAUDIA WHITEUS a n d FARHAD HEYDARI DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM 45
