Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 - November 2023 i DestinAsian

“TRAVELING: IT LEAVES YOU SPEECHLESS, THEN TURNS YOU INTO A STORYTELLER.”—Ibn Battuta What does autumn mean to you? Admittedly, we don’t have four distinct seasons here in tropical Southeast Asia, but thinking back to my college years in the American Midwest, I fondly recall the crisp blue skies, the vibrant reds and yellows of the fall foliage, and a slew of outdoor festivals that take advantage of the mild weather. No matter which side of the equator you live on, autumn will always be closely associated with the harvest, and DestinAsian’s latest Luxe List spotlights a crop of notable new hotels that have opened across the Asia-Pacific region in the past year. From a candy-colored boutique retreat in Rajasthan—as shown on the cover—and a leafy beachside resort on the Gulf…

 NEW YORK A protégé of Anouska Hempel, British interior designer Helena Clunies-Ross has headed her own London- and Manhattan-based studio for more than five years now, applying her signature style — a blend of art deco elegance and Japanese simplicity — to prestigious residential and hospitality projects on both sides of the Atlantic. “New York is magnetic, from its cuisine and architecture to the ambient lighting that transforms the city into a glowing urban wonderland after sunset,” says Clunies-Ross, who shares a few of her local haunts here. ROMAN AND WILLIAMS GUILD “With earthy antiques and homewares, this gorgeous shop in Soho champions timeless design and refined craftsman ship. Add in brunch at the adjoining La Mercerie café, and I can spend a whole afternoon here.” rwguild.com THE METROPOLITAN OPERA…

Surrounded by glowing Himalayan salt bricks in the only halotherapy chamber in Mauritius, I dozily contemplate the purported benefits of inhaling salt-infused air. Improved respiratory health is one. But while the experience is soothing enough, I wonder if it might be a tad redundant; my room at this east-coast resort is so close to the beach, I reckon I could do just as well breathing in the sea breezes from the day bed on my terrace. SALT of Palmar (saltresorts.com; from US$327 a night), as the property is known, is my first stop on a four-night sojourn in Mauritius, an island nation of sugarcane fields, jagged volcanic peaks, and reef-sheltered beaches in the western Indian Ocean. It’s the first of Singapore-based The Lux Collective’s SALT-branded portfolio of adults-only boutique hotels, which…

CAPELLA SYDNEY ▶ SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Capella’s first foray outside Asia has put the Singapore-based brand’s singular stamp on Sydney. After a seven-year restoration and refit of the former Department of Education building at the north end of the city’s CBD, the century-old sandstone landmark now houses 192 rooms and suites, a swanky destination spa, and a skylighted 20-meter swimming pool. Guest quarters start at a generous 46 square meters, with curated artwork and furnishings, objets such as antique compasses, and beds draped in custom Frette linen; for the best views, book a Skyline Suite. The menu at art deco–accented Brasserie 1930 showcases Australian produce and ingredients, like plump scallops from Tasmania’s Flinders Island. The hotel’s 1,500-piece art collection likewise highlights local artists such as Judy Watson and Otis Hope Carey,…

Stepping through the heavy wooden door into a dining room softly illuminated by ornate brass lamps, I’m enveloped by a sweet muskiness. The air is redolent with the mystical fragrance that has been wafting around me ever since I landed at Muscat International Airport, where scent diffusers work round the clock to welcome visitors with the aroma of frankincense. The resin is burned in little clay braziers throughout the Omani capital, perfuming its houses and souks and restaurants. The one I just entered is no different — after all, it’s called Bait Al Luban, or “House of Frankincense.” I’m greeted with a welcome drink of frankincense-infused water. It’s what I imagine holy water should taste like, with an earthy undertone and sacral finish. I can see how it may be…

NORWAY Comparisons with the fictional Hawthorne restaurant in 2022’s delicious satire The Menu are inevitable: a handful of patrons delivered by boat to a remote destination for a one-of-a-kind culinary experience. But Iris (restaurantiris.no) is the real deal. Set in a floating ovoid pavilion in Norway’s Hardangerfjord, the 24-seat restaurant showcases the hyper-local cuisine of Danish chef Anika Madsen throughout an evening of “expedition dining” that kicks off with a boat ride from the town of Rosendal and culminates with a tasting menu that celebrates wild Norwegian ingredients in dishes like cuttlefish tagliatelle with dashi-butter kelp sauce.…

As I stood with other suited-and-booted passengers on the platform of Paris’s Gare de l’Est awaiting the call to board, the sight of blue-uniformed attendants hustling back and forth along the length of the painstakingly restored 18-carriage vintage train immediately evoked a bygone era of travel. At the same time, I cannot deny a feeling of excited anticipation, one that only increased as we were finally invited to step inside. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a spiritual successor to the original Orient Express, a transcontinental service between Paris and Constantinople (Istanbul) created in 1883 by Belgian rail operator Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The name has since become synonymous with both intrigue and luxury train travel, a legacy revived almost 100 years later when American businessman James Sherwood — the founder of…

On May 29, 1953, New Zealand–born Edmund Hillary and his Nepalese climbing partner Tenzing Norgay made history as the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest point on the planet. The climb was a milestone achievement and a testament to human endurance and determination. It was also a triumph for Rolex, which has been equipping explorers since the 1930s with timepieces designed to withstand some of the world’s harshest conditions. Earlier this year, the families of the two legendary mountaineers gathered in northeastern Nepal near the foot of Everest to mark the 70th anniversary of the duo’s momentous achievement. To commemorate the event, their respective family foundations, the Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Foundation and The Himalayan Trust, had renovated two cultural centers in the Everest region with…

“It’s the ocean, mummy,” whispers my almost-three-year-old son, Davy, his eyes wide with awe. Pressing his little hands against the plane window, he surveys the vast waters of the Tonle Sap, pointing out tiny specks of fishing boats that in his imagination are whales and dolphins. It’s an easy mistake: even from thousands of meters in the air, Southeast Asia’s biggest freshwater lake really does resemble the sea. You can hardly see its shores. That bird’s-eye view of the Tonle Sap is a familiar and welcome sight for my Cambodian husband, Thea, and me. It marks the approach to Siem Reap, the small northwestern Cambodian city on the doorstep of the ancient Khmer capital of Angkor. We visited Siem Reap often in the 2010s while living between Phnom Penh and…

Paradise awaits at The Residence Maldives With just 173 beautifully designed villas set on their own private island in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, The Residence Maldives is a tempting proposition at any time. But it’s even more so with the resort’s Escape to Your Paradise Islands promotion, which offers seriously good value on direct bookings until October 31. Apart from saving up to 50 percent off best available rates, guests can expect complimentary sunrise and sunset yoga sessions at the Spa by Clarins, one hour’s daily use of non-motorized water sports equipment, and (for stays of four nights or more) complimentary transfers. Those opting for the package’s all-inclusive plan will additionally be entitled to a daily refreshed in-villa minibar, a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at the resort’s bars,…

MOONRAY Craftsmanship takes on a contemporary edge at this lunar-inspired clothing shop in the by-lanes of the Kala Ghoda arts district. Co-founder Karishma Swali’s export atelier Chanakya International has long been committed to the preservation and promotion of fine Indian textile crafts, collaborating with global fashion houses such as Dior. Moonray, which Swali launched with her teenage daughter Avantika in 2021, is its playful sister brand, turning out structured jackets, stone-dotted mesh dresses, and futuristic occasion wear in consciously sourced materials like hemp, vegan cacti leather, and forest-certified viscose. The shop also has a premium made-to-measure rack in addition to its ready-to-wear clothing and accessories (moonray.in). TARQ First opened in nearby Colaba in 2014 as an incubator for young artists, TARQ unveiled its expansive new digs on AK Nayak Marg…

Talk of the Town Phuket’s beaches are all well and good, but there’s more to explore in and around the historic quarter of the island’s namesake capital, where a crop of new restaurants and other venues are flourishing. Outside my window, the banter of Burmese workers and the rattle of motorcycles with makeshift sidecars are part of the early-morning soundtrack of Phuket Old Town’s wholesale fresh market. Busy with rotating shifts, from vegetables in the evening to fruits in the morning, the market’s bustle is something that I’ve come to appreciate since moving here in 2022. It’s reflective of the reinvigoration of Phuket’s compact provincial capital, and in particular the city’s historic core, whose rows of Sino-Portuguese shophouses were built by prosperous tin merchants in the 19th century. A longtime…

When the sun begins to set over Kannauj, a small town in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the M.L. Ramnarain Perfumers distillery comes to life. Its stone courtyard is soon filled with the heady fragrance of jasmine as farm workers carry in sack after sack of the freshly plucked flowers. Off this courtyard is a cavernous room lit only by a few dim light bulbs and the smoky fires that blaze under copper cauldrons filled with water. The men hunched over these deg pay me little heed as they scoop in handfuls of milky-white petals, before sealing the lids of the pots with a clay mixture. Having learned the trade from their fathers and grandfathers, they have not just a nose but also an ear for their work,…

Rolex has supported pioneering explorers pushing back the boundaries of human endeavor. The company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet, committing for the long term to support individuals and organizations using science to understand and devise solutions to today’s environmental challenges. This engagement was reinforced with the launch of the Perpetual Planet Initiative in 2019, which initially focused on three main pillars: the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, on safeguarding the oceans as part of an established association with Mission Blue, and on understanding climate change via its long-standing partnership with the National Geographic Society. The Initiative’s portfolio continues to expand with more than 20 partners including: Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen in their work as conservation photographers; Rewilding Argentina and Rewilding Chile,…

IT’S A BALMY August night on the Tyrrhenian Sea as the Club Med 2 plows a course toward northeastern Sicily. Passengers stylishly attired for the evening’s “dolce vita” dress theme are gathered around the bar on the aft pool deck to watch a gyrating dance routine by the ship’s young hosting staff (known in Club Med parlance as GOs, or gentils organisateur). Champagne and digestifs flow freely as the electro-pop soundtrack chases our wake across the inky waters of the Mediterranean. Most of us only learn about Mount Etna’s eruption at the Port of Catania the next morning. The tallest and most active volcano in Europe was thought by the ancient Greeks to be home to the forges of the fire-god Hephaestus, and he’s been busy: the mountain burst into…

Perched atop towering sandstone columns in the Thessaly region of central Greece, the Eastern Orthodox monasteries of Meteora are among the world’s most beautiful sacred places. “It’s about as impressive a sight as I’ve ever seen,” says artist and graphic designer Eleanor Mill, who traveled to the area from her home in St. Petersburg in 2021. “Not only is Meteora awesome in itself, but I was also lucky to visit in late autumn, a time when the morning mist settles on these massive rock formations and creates an unforgettable ambiance of mystery.” Depicted here is the 14th-century Monastery of Great Meteoron, the oldest and largest of the two dozen monastic complexes in the area. It’s suspended more than 400 meters above the floor of the Pineios Valley and contains a…