DEPARTURES
November 1, 2008 – 12:00 amWHAT’S TAKING OFF IN THE WORLD OF TRAVEL
WISH YOU WERE HERE
MOUNTAIN HIGHS
ANANDA IN THE HIMALAYAS
As far as destination spas go, this is the Crème de la Mer. Spread out across 100 acres at the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, the retreat encourages you to get active, spiritual and be pampered to within an inch of your chakras. Expect yoga, hikes, meditation, ayurveda, and many facials. For more spas and wellbeing trends, see our feature on page 90.
THE BIG PICTURE
SUPER TOWER
PARIS, FRANCE Dismissed as an eyesore when it was first built, the Eiffel Tower has defied its critics and will celebrate 120 years on 31 March, 2009. In fact, it’s still the most visited fee-charging monument in the world. There will be activities held through the year around the anniversary but you might prefer to catch it at the height of its glory in summer. It reportedly shrinks six inches in winter.
GETTING THERE
FOR MORE ABOUT THOMAS COOK’S RANGE OF HOLIDAYS TO PARIS, VISIT YOUR LOCAL THOMAS COOK OR GOING PLACES STORE, CALL +44 (0)844 412 5966,
VISIT THOMASCOOK.COM OR TUNE IN TO THOMAS COOK TV ON SKY CHANNEL 655
TREND
RALLY GOOD FUN
MAINDRU FOR ASO
A race over rough terrain is exciting. It’s why TV shows such as Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Down attracted 4.5million viewers. It’s also why an increasing number of organisations are arranging rallies for charity, such as the Mongol Rally (which goes from London to Ulaanbaatar). But the Dakar Rally (3-18 January) is the original. More than 500 amateur and professional car, truck, bike and quad racers will tackle 6,000km of deserts and dunes. For 2009, the race relocates to Argentina and Chile (it has always run from Europe to Africa). Get your motor running.
IN NUMBERS
PLANE TALKING
WHICH AIRPORT HAS THE MOST PASSENGERS PASSING THROUGH ITS DEPARTURE GATES?
Source: Airports Council International, Passenger Traffic 2007 (last updated July 2008)
SOUVENIR
MODEL CITY
WOODEN MODELS WILL NEVER BEAT THE REAL THING, BUT WITH MUJI’S “WORLD IN A BAG” SERIES YOU CAN RECONSTRUCT YOUR FAVOURITE CITIES IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME. £17.95, MUJI.CO.UK
COSTUME
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PHEASANT HUNT MASK BY ANGELS FANCY DRESS, £23.50, www.FANCYDRESS.COM |
ACCESSORY
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OVAL AND DAISY CUFFLINKS BY ASTLEY CLARKE, £200, www.ASTLEYCLARKE.COM |
MUSIC
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HOUSE PARTY 4 SPEAKER BY GEAR 4, £70, www.GEAR4STORE.COM |
INTERIOR
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SEASONS METAL CANDLE
BOWLS BY VOLUSPA, £35, www.SELFRIDGES.COM |
CONSUME
TRAVEL MUSTS
CHIC ESSENTIALS FOR THE PARTY SEASON
2009 DIARY BY
SMYTHSON, £190,
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ORGANISE
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| CHAMPAGNE BY NICOLAS
FEUILLATTE, £23.50 BUY ONBOARD, SEE PAGE 192 FOR DETAILS |
DRINK
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BARCOCKTAIL SHAKER GADGET BY ALESSI, £86, www.JOHNLEWIS.COM |
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GADGETCYBERSHOT T77 BY SONY, £249, www..SONY.CO.UK
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ACCESSORYPURPLE CRASH CLUTCH BY |
LUGGAGEWEEKEND BAG BY RED OR DEAD, £55, www.REDORDEAD.COM |
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FASHIONNORMA DRESS BY HOBBS, £349, www.HOBBS.CO.UK |
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FASHIONGLORIA RED SHOES BY BEYOND SKIN, £145, www.BEYONDSKIN.CO.UK |
EVERYONE’S
TALKING ABOUT…
THE STAR TREATMENT
FORGET CLOTHING LINES, THE LATEST CELEB MUST-OWN IS A HOTEL
JAY Z
WHERE? J Hotel, New York City.
THE SCOOP The music mogul bought a $66 million (£36 million) property in Manhattan’s Chelsea district to allegedly build a five-star hotel, dubbed J Hotel, to open in 2009 or 2010.
STYLE We expect nothing less than ritzy, five-star luxury all the way from top-class entertainment to dining.
OTHER PURSUITS
The former CEO of Def Jam and RocaFella-Records already co-owns basketball team New Jersey Nets and NYC nightspot, the 40/40 club.
WHAT NEXT?
A rumoured album collaboration with Nas for early 2009.
BONO
WHERE? The Clarence, Dublin.
THE SCOOP The Irish rocker won a four-year legal battle to give the hotel he bought with The Edge in 1992, a facelift in summer 2009, care of the legendary Norman Foster. It’s set to re-open in 2011.
STYLE The architect, who designed Wembley Stadium and The Gherkin will triple the number of rooms and add a ‘skycatcher atrium’ to the original 1930s building. OTHER PURSUITS The longstanding philanthropist has been involved in raising awareness for social and political causes, most famously his Live Aid and Live 8 concerts.
WHAT NEXT? U2’s 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon, is set to be released around New Year 2009 and there’s rumours of a tour too.
ROBERT DE NIRO
WHERE? The Greenwich Hotel, New York City. THE SCOOP 2008 saw the opening of his $43 million (£21.5 million) investment with Ira Drukier and Richard Born, hospitality gurus behind the Mercer Hotel, in Tribeca.
STYLE A luxury home away from home – simple and elegant – with an eclectic twist.
OTHER PURSUITS De Niro loves this neighbourhood.
He part-owns two restaurants (Tribeca Grill and Nobu), owns Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Cinemas.
WHAT NEXT? The veteran actor will appear in Everybody’s Fine, a comedy drama about a father who is trying to reunite his family.
GLORIA ESTEFAN
WHERE? Costa D’Este, Miami.
THE SCOOP
The Latin pop singer has just re-opened the Vero Beach hotel, which was destroyed by two hurricanes in 2004, giving it a new look and name.
STYLE
Distinctively Miami Beach – porthole windows, art deco shapes, an allday DJ and an infinity pool. OTHER PURSUITS Estefan and her husband have another hotel on Miami
Beach, The Cardozo, and a chain of Cuban-themed restaurants, Bongos Cuban Café, in Florida and Mexico.
WHAT NEXT? She is slated to star as 1950s US pop singer Connie Francis in a film biography Who’s Sorry Now?, set to be released in 2009.
STYLE
C’EST CHIC
Flamboyant designer Roberto Cavalli has chosen Dubai to open his fi rst nightclub. At Club Cavalli, you can order the designer’s own-brand wine and admire six-metre high Swarovski crystal walls. (Fairmont Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 4332 5555)
CULTURE
ACROPOLIS NOW
HAVE THE GREEKS LOST THEIR MARBLES? WILL PEOPLE REALLY FLOAT OVER THE PARTHENON, ASKS RACHEL HOWARD
It looks as though some futuristic Bond-style HQ has emerged from underground amid the ancient monuments of the Acropolis.
But it will be tourists not spies that stalk the New Acropolis Museum. In fact more than 10,000 visitors a day are expected to fill the ultra-modern €130 million (£103m) Athens attraction when it opens early next year.
When the idea was first mooted back in 1976, to replace the old museum beside the Parthenon, three architectural competitions were held – and annulled – before this design by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi, who made his name with Paris’s Parc de la Villette, was approved.
Looming 300 metres from one of the most influential buildings in Western civilisation, you’d expect Tschumi’s mega-museum to put a few noses out of joint. Then when builders unearthed a fourth-century BC settlement, that complicated matters further. The ingenious solution? Suspend the museum on columns and put in a glass floor, so visitors hover a tad disconcertingly, above the ancient ruins.
Housing more than 4,000 artefacts, the museum will bring together all of the surviving antiquities from the Acropolis for the first time – except those sections of the Parthenon Frieze lopped off by Lord Elgin in the 19th century and now in The British Museum. The rest of the 160-metre frieze is being installed in a roof-top gallery of green glass to protect it from pollution. “The statues had been standing outside for 2,500 years, so they were very tired,” jokes museum director Dimitrios Pandermalis.
A dramatic terrace will provide the perfect spot for the museum restaurant. However, the views of the Acropolis are rather marred by two listed buildings, the back of which face the museum. Twenty-five houses were knocked down to build the museum and now these two neoclassical buildings, one owned by the composer Vangelis (of Chariots of Fire fame), are also threatened with demolition. Cue more controversy. Vangelis has accused the government of “architectural terrorism”. Whether the appeal is successful remains to be seen.
The New Acropolis Museum opens in early 2009, but the ground floor is open to the public 10am-noon Monday to Saturday. www.newacropolismuseum.gr
FILM
WIZARD OF OZ
ALL EYES ARE ON OZ AS BAZ LURHMANN OF MOULIN ROUGE AND STRICTLY BALLROOM FAME FINALLY RELEASES HIS EPIC AUSTRALIA ON 26 DECEMBER, SET IN THE COUNTRY’S RUGGED OUTBACK. IT STARS NICOLE KIDMAN AND HUGH JACKMAN, (PICTURED LEFT).
GETTING THERE
FOR MORE ABOUT THOMAS COOK’S HOLIDAYS, VISIT YOUR LOCAL THOMAS COOK OR GOING PLACES STORE, CALL +44 (0)844 412 5966, VISIT THOMASCOOK.COM OR TUNE IN TO THOMAS COOK TV ON SKY CHANNEL 655
STYLE
VIKTOR & ROLF
WITH A HIT EXHIBITION ON THEIR
HANDS, THE UNSTOPPABLE
DUTCH DUO IS GOING GLOBAL
When Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren started their dramatic fashion label, they launched a fake perfume. For the barely distinguishable pair who now count Tilda Swinton and Gwen Stefani among their fans, it symbolised the success they were after. Countless catwalk collections, an H&M range and two wildly successful fragrances (including Flowerbomb) later, they no longer have to pretend. And with an exhibition set to tour the world, this is the real deal.
BUY ONBOARD NOW
FLOWERBOMB FROM VIKTOR & ROLF IS AVAILABLE TO BUY NOW. SEE PAGE 142
MUSIC
WINTER FUN
MISSING SUMMER’S MUSIC FESTIVALS? HEAD SOUTH TO THESE FIVE STAND OUT EVENTS
1 THE FALLS FESTIVAL VARIOUS, AUSTRALIA (30 DEC 2008-1 JAN 2009)
The annual three-day New Year’s Eve music festival, pictured below, takes place in Marion Bay, Tasmania and the rainforest at Lorne, Victoria. Acts include Franz Ferdinand and The Hives. www.fallsfestival.com
The annual three-day New Year’s Eve music festival, pictured below, takes place in Marion Bay, Tasmania and the rainforest at Lorne, Victoria. Acts include Franz Ferdinand and The Hives. www.fallsfestival.com
2 BIG DAY OUT
VARIOUS, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (JAN-FEB 2009) Australia’s answer to Glastonbury (with better weather) is a one day affair that goes on tour. www.bigdayout.com
3 RHYTHM AND VINES GISBORNE, NEW ZEALAND (29 DEC 2008-1 JAN 2009)
Catch the world’s first sunrise of 2009 with acts such as The Kooks, who are playing their first (and only) New Zealand gig. rhythmandvines.co.nz
4 OBZ FESTIVAL CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (30 NOV-1 DEC 2008)
The largest festival of its kind in South Africa has live music, comedy acts and street theatre. www.obzfestival.com
5 DESERT ROCK FESTIVAL DUBAI (7-8 MARCH 2009)
Dubai’s city centre is host to this festival that has extreme sports alongside hell-raising music. Last year’s highlights included Korn and Muse. www..desertrockfestival.com
SPORTS LOVERS’ GUIDE TO…
TORONTO
ICE HOCKEY IS THIS CITY’S SPORTING LIFE BLOOD, WARNS MAPLE LEAFS FAN JAMES MIRTLE
In a city where nearly 50% of the population is born abroad, hockey provides a universal soul. Saturday night National Hockey League games in downtown Toronto have been a Canadian institution for nearly a century. Now based in the luxurious Air Canada Centre (ACC), the Maple Leafs have the most rabid following in North America despite not having won the championship trophy, the Stanley Cup since 1967.
Begin your tour at hockey’s mecca, the iconic Hockey Hall of Fame, where historic artefacts and even the cup itself reside (hhof.com). In winter, you can also ice skate at the nearby outdoor plaza at Toronto’s city hall, Nathan Phillips Square.
The hockey fan diet comes with a choice: (1) down the street, you can have a pint of Molson, the local beer and sample the Gretzky family meatloaf at The Great One’s one-of-a-kind eatery (gretzky.com); or (2) venture into the dingy basement of the Loose Moose, where the games are shown on projection screens in the confines of a pub packed with Canadians or ‘Canucks’ (theloosemoose.ca).
Just 18,800 charmed fans fill the ACC 41 nights a year in the season, and in a metropolitan area of nearly six million people, finding those tickets is an art of its own. The box office isn’t an option, as every game is sold out well in advance, but online brokers provide seats at a mark-up. For the ultimate experience, attend when a hated rival such as Montreal Canadiens come to town, but expect to pay upwards of $300 (£150) for two seats in the nether regions. Hockey season begins in late September and often ends in June, leaving only a sliver of summer when puckheads catch up on sleep.
James Mirtle is a sports writer at The Globe and Mail in Toronto.
BOOK
MAGIC SPELL
THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD.
IS ABOUT TO BRING BACK THE WIZARDS. THE STORY, FROM THE FINAL HARRY POTTER BOOK, WAS NEVER INTENDED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BUT AUTHOR JK ROWLING, LEFT, HAS FINALLY CAVED INTO FANS’ DEMANDS. OUT 4 DECEMBER, BLOOMSBURY, £6.99
FOOD
DROOL
BRITANNIA
Hurrah! The sight of British food abroad is no longer a guilty pleasure. Gastro pub food as celebrated in Diane Henry’s new recipe book is on trend around the world. For Michelin-star quality British grub, The Spotted Pig (314 West 11th Street, +1 212 620 0393) in New York, serves the likes of Bono and Beyoncé. Hong Kong’s hugely popular original gastro pub The Phoenix (29 Shelley Street Mid Levels, +852 2546 2110), changes its menu daily. Ontario’s Fat Duck Gastropub (210 Kortright Road, West Guelph, +1 519 827 0533) isn’t quite Mr Blumenthal’s British establishment, but it does do hearty meat pies and fat chips. And Melbourne’s Station Hotel (59 Napier Street, +61 8 9687 2913), boasts some of the finest pub food in the southern hemisphere.
Diana Henry’s The Gastropub Cookbook: Another Helping (Octopus Publishing), £20, is out now
TREND THE INSIDE TRACK
ADVENTUROUS, EPIC AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY? OF COURSE RAILWAY JOURNEYS ARE ENJOYING A REVIVAL
It really is becoming as much about the journey as it is the destination with the new age of train travel. How else can you slow down, sit back and really enjoy the view of a country? After all, it’s what pioneered the first Thomas Cook excursion in 1841. But it’s not just glam nostalgia that’s spurring the renaissance – there’s a luxury make-over for the 21st century.
By the end of 2009, Italy will have a 630km high-speed railway connecting six of the most important cities in the country when the Milan, Bologna and Florence links are finished. Once these lines are complete, work will begin on the 56km Brenner Base Tunnel, a vital high-speed trans-Alpine link from Austria to Italy, billed to open in 2022.
And India is in the midst of a challenging feat with the Kashmir Railway line. The proposed 290km route will connect the states of Jammu and Kashmir by 2009 through the Himalayan foothills, for a direct journey from Delhi. We’re definitely on board with that.
DRINK
MIX IT UP
FOUR HIP BARS AROUND THE WORLD PREDICT WHAT WE’LL BE DRINKING THIS SEASON
LONDON - GRAPHIC BAR
4 Golden Square W1, +44 (0)207 287 9241 NOMINATES: ELDER FIZZ Strawberries, mint, elderflower cordial, passion fruit cordial, lemon juice, vodka, and Champagne
BRISBANE - THE BOWERY
676 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, +61 7 3253 0202 NOMINATES: ESPRESSO MARTINI Vodka, Kahlúah, fresh espresso and sugar to taste
MIAMI - GANSEVOORT SOUTH’S PLUNGE BAR
BERLIN - FORTE’S HOTEL DE ROME Behrenstrasse 37, +49 30 460 6090 NOMINATES: TALIJITO Mint leaves, strawberries, Aceto Balsamico, black pepper, sugar syrup, lime juice, brown rum, and strawberry liqueur
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