Departures India Summer 2019

22 DEPARTURES TRAVEL

22 DEPARTURES TRAVEL DISPATCH Casa Macorís, one of the colonial houses to rent at Casas del XVI, a hotel in Santo Domingo The Dominican Republic Dresses Up Santo Domingo’s most stylish and creative power players are turning the historic Zona Colonial into a new Caribbean hot spot. by Jacqueline Gifford ON A STIFLINGLY HOT September afternoon in the Dominican Republic – humidity hovering at, oh, 99.9 percent – I found myself toting around a huge ginger margarita on my way to get a pair of espadrilles in Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial. Ricardo Fernandez, the Spanishborn owner of La Alpargatería (laalpargateria​.com.do), a company selling handcrafted shoes, was walking me from his first boutique, set on the tiny Calle Salome Ureña, to his newer atelier on the wider Calle Las Mercedes. The original is a lowkey affair, with a few rows for display and a courtyard out back where thick vines cover decaying stone walls and twentysomethings sip cocktails around low-slung tables. Think part Brooklyn, part New Orleans, with a dash of downtown LA. The atelier, however, is a more polished shop in an early-20thcentury building, its façade painted an electric blue. There, you can pick from among the endless fabric swatches – cheerful florals, bold stripes and plaids – and walk out with a pair of espadrilles for under . © CASAS DEL XVI

LAKE LUCERNE LUXURY HIDEAWAYS Lucerne – Lake Lucerne Region The Lake Lucerne Region has all you need for your exclusive holidays or your business event. Six first class Luxury Hideaway hotels offer a unique blend of naturalness, hospitality, exclusivity and privacy. Enjoy unforgettable excursions to the regions easily accessible mountains and on the Lake of Lucerne. Discover more at www.luzern.com/LLLH Luzern Tourismus | Tourist Information | Zentralstrasse 5 | CH-6002 Lucerne Tel. +41 (0)41 227 17 17 | luzern@luzern.com | www.luzern.com