Innehållsförteckning för Dec2017/Jan 2018 från DestinAsian

The more I travel, the more I realize just how much I haven’t seen. There is always a new up-and-coming destination to explore, or even in places you might return to every now and again, incremental changes that allow you to see and experience them from a new perspective. One illustration of that is the level of creativity found in Chiang Mai these days. Our Thailand-based contributor Simon N. Ostheimer heads there to see what’s brewing in and outside MAIIAM, the city’s first contemporary art museum, and meets the artists who are making their mark on the local scene. Over in South Korea, Pyeongchang is gearing up to host the Winter Olympics this coming February. I still remember when it was chosen back in 2011, beating out Munich and Annecy…

Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle is known chiefly for the vestiges of its past—rock-cut temples, ruined palaces, and once-teeming capitals like Polonnaruwa. But I am here on a mission to see how three local resorts are expressing the region’s culinary traditions with a dash of contemporary flair. KALUNDEWA RETREAT I start my journey an hour’s drive north of Kandy, in an area where ancient kings began to make their indelible mark on the landscape roughly 1,700 years ago. These ambitious rulers carved out huge man-made lakes to improve irrigation in an otherwise dry landscape. Over the centuries, farmers have utilized these lakes to water their crops and feed their families. There’s a strong sense of that agricultural heritage at Kalundewa Retreat, a 42-hectare ecoresort in the shadow of its namesake mountain.…

Back in 2006, when Hong Kong’s highest-ranking tennis player John Hui opened The Fleming in buzzy Wanchai, it took the form of a chic business hotel, with simply styled rooms and a combination of glass, LED lighting, and minimalistic decor that made it unashamedly modern, as though it had been transplanted straight from New York or Frankfurt. No longer. Fresh from a 12-month facelift, the reinvented 66-room property celebrates the quirks of Hong Kong by tapping into its maritime heritage, with hints of Chinese culture and the city’s industrial heyday in the ’60s and ’70s. Hui and his childhood friend Jason Cohen tasked Maxime Dautresme, co-founder of local creative agency A Work of Substance, to come up with a design that was unique to Hong Kong. In turn, Dautresme drew…

In the cozy, brick-walled restaurant at Pheasant’s Tears winery in the hilltop town of Sighnaghi, a traditional Georgian feast called supra (literally “tablecloth”) is spread out before us. There’s chicken liver and minced walnuts in a piquant pomegranate sauce, and veal roasted with mountain herbs. A rustic chakapuli stew reveals chunks of veal, onions, and sour green plums. Baskets of crusty bread sit alongside slices of smoked sulguni cheese and an intriguing dish of fermented jonjoli (bladdernut flowers) with pickled garlic. My eyes finally settle on a platter of pkhali—bite-size balls of finely chopped vegetables and ground walnuts crowned by ruby-red pomegranate seeds. Some are orange, some are green, and some are red, depending on the main ingredient (carrots, spinach, and beets, respectively). Though there are only six of us…

PERCHED ABOVE THE MUDDY BANKS OF THE PING RIVER IS StudiOK, the home base for Chiang Mai artist Navin Rawanchaikul. An austere, warehouse-style building of concrete and steel, it is a purposely blank canvas for some of the most colorful and inventive contemporary artwork Thailand has known. The studio itself is only a couple of years old, but Rawanchaikul has a long established reputation, having been one of the first to attend the Faculty of Fine Arts program at Chiang Mai University under the tutelage of the late, great sculptor and installation artist Montien Boonma. “What we were doing at university back in the early ’90s was totally new for Thailand,” recalls Rawanchaikul, an artist of Punjabi- Indian descent known for playful works that explore issues of cultural identity. “Far…

SET FOR THE SEASON Nowhere else on Bali celebrates the festive season quite like The Legian. On December 24, the 67-suite resort on Seminyak Beach will mark Christmas Eve with a five-course dinner menu by chef Luke MacLeod at The Restaurant, served to the accompaniment of live piano music (IDR 1,150,000++ per person; IDR 550,000++ for children under 12 years old). The next night, The Restaurant will host its annual Indonesian Soiree Dinner—a Christmas feast that combines the vibrant flavors of Balinese cuisine with the graceful movements of the island’s dance traditions (IDR 1,000,000 ++ per person; IDR 500,000 ++ for children under 12 years old). And for those wishing to usher in the New Year in style, The Legian’s New Year’s Eve party is just the ticket. After an…

TREE BAR AT HOTEL INDIGO BALI SEMINYAK BEACH A must-visit at the recently opened Hotel Indigo Bali on Seminyak’s Mesari Beach, Tree Bar is an inviting semi-outdoor space offering organic drinks and light, healthy fare by day and chic cocktails by night. The resort has hired its own “Balixologist,” infusing libations with locally grown herbs, spices, greens, and tropical fruits to bring a dose of Balinese flair to the drinks menu. Sip on tropical delights such as the Laklak Swizzle: a blend of Bacardi rum–infused pandan, spiced arak liquor, pineapple juice, coconut nectar, lime juice, and soda water; or Kopi Sik Luh, which uses turmeric and house-brewed coffee for a Bali-inspired version of the Espresso Martini. One of Tree Bar’s signatures—and undoubtedly one of its more theatrical creations thanks to…

JEFF KOEHLER Wrote “Study in Blue” p. 46 Longtime Barcelona resident Koehler has visited the picturesque Tunisian village of Sidi Bou Saïd numerous times over the years without ever losing his affection for the place. “All sorts of notable artists and writes came here back in the era when Tunisia was a French protectorate; these days, the narrow, cobbled lanes are filled with well-heeled Tunisians and travelers from the world over,” he says. “It’s an undeniably gorgeous spot, but just how Sidi Bou Saïd has remained so popular for so long is a bit of a mystery to me. How do you manage to be the hippest place in the country without losing your charm? Whatever the answer, the village’s appeal endures, and spending a day wandering around here is…

MADE TO MEASURE Hot on the heels of a new Paris museum dedicated to fashion giant Yves Saint Laurent, its larger Moroccan counterpart has opened in the enchanting city that so inspired his work. The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech was the fruition of an idea that sprang from an immensely popular 2010 exhibition in the Majorelle Garden next door, which the couturier and his longtime partner Pierre Bergé acquired in 1980. French architecture firm Studio KO looked to the archives of Saint Laurent for inspiration, giving the edifice a balance of curves and straight lines, while acknowledging Marrakech’s vernacular style in the facade of terra-cotta brick. Inside, roughly 1,000 items on display span the illustrious designer’s 40-yearcareer; the permanent exhibition focuses on 50 of his most iconic looks. Elsewhere…

TEUTONIC ORDER Located in the recently renovated Garden Wing at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, the Spa Studio is the first place in Thailand to offer anti-aging facials by German skin-care brand QMS Medicosmetics. Go for the Advanced Cellular Hydration, a 75-minute exfoliation and mask treatment that cleanses and reenergizes the skin; or the 45-minute skin firming facial, which employs a special vacuumsuction device to massage the face in wave-like motions, stimulating muscles to give you a fresh, radiant complexion (mandarinoriental.com). RED-CARPET TREATMENT Frequented by Thai celebrities and Middle East royals alike, the Dermaster Wellness and Aesthetic Institution includes among its roster of treatments the sensational- sounding “vampire facelift,” in which blood is drawn from the patient’s arm, spun in a centrifuge, and then injected into the facial skin to impart…

Anchored off the shores of South Australia, sparsely populated Kangaroo Island—known to locals as K.I.—is a magnet for fans of weird and wonderful wildlife, especially during the warm, dry months of the southern summer. More than a third of its 4,400- odd square kilometers is protected parkland that shelters rabbitsize wallabies and elusive platypuses, echidnas and bandicoots and possums, endangered glossy black cockatoos, and (of course) kangaroos aplenty. K.I.’s rugged landscapes are equally thrilling: the year-old Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail in the southwest takes in towering sea cliffs, bone-white beaches, freshwater lagoons, and geological landmarks such as the aptly named Remarkable Rocks. And when mealtime comes around, visitors can look forward to a dining scene underpinned by delicious local seafood, wine, and produce, including honey made by purebred Ligurian bees.…

Never mind the crocodiles: what you should be wary of up here in the Kimberley region is Bradshaw fever. This curious ailment can affect travelers almost instantly. If you’re like me, it might even settle in your heart and attach you to this rare and exotic land forever. The “fever” is named for Joseph Bradshaw, an explorer and pioneering rancher from Melbourne whose 1891 expedition brought him to this wondrous and remote northern stretch of Western Australia. What enthralled him even more than the coastline’s great bronze-red walls of sandstone, extreme tidal flow, and pristine turquoise waters was the rock art of a style now referred to as Gwion Gwion. Bradshaw became, unwittingly, the first European to set eyes on this form of ancient indigenous painting, and he was mesmerized.…

Aberdeen Harbour, a sheltered channel on the southwest coast of Hong Kong Island, was little more than an overgrown fishing village when this photograph was taken in the early 1960s. A natural mooring point for Chinese fishing boats, the harbor then was home to some 150,000 people of mostly Tanka and Hoklo descent—families who worked, lived, and slept on small flat-bottomed sampans or junks. The boat-building docks that once lined the anchorage have since been replaced by bristling residential towers and factories on both sides of the water (the island of Ap Lei Chau, which encloses the harbor on its seaward side, is considered the second-most densely populated island on the planet), and most of the sampans have been displaced by large fishing vessels and luxury yachts. Still, Aberdeen remains…

First settled by cod fishermen in the late 17th century, Canada’s craggy, windswept Fogo Island today harbors just a handful of seaside villages that overlook the North Atlantic’s Iceberg Alley, so-called for the massive chunks of glacial ice that drift down from Greenland each spring. Getting here is half the adventure: you fly into the Newfoundland town of Gander from Halifax or St. John’s then drive for an hour to catch a ferry at Farewell—an aptly named launching point for this edge-of-the-world experience. Yet Fogo is also an emerging cultural destination thanks to locally born tech millionaire Zita Cobb, who’s made it her mission to revitalize the island’s economy following the collapse of the cod fishing industry in the early 1990s. Among her projects are an artist-in-residence program, a newly…

THE ASCOTT LIMITED With serviced residences located in over 120 cities across the world, The Ascott Limited is a leading serviced residence owner-operator with a portfolio of brands designed to suit the lifestyles of traveling professionals. Ascott The Residence promises tailored exclusivity and an unmatched level of personal service in the world’s prime business districts. For savvy, dynamic individuals on the go, Citadines Apart’hotel brings a touch of local flair to the experience. Somerset Serviced Residence stands out for its blend of homely warmth and stylish spaces equipped with modern amenities. Over in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, Quest Apartment Hotels offer spacious apartment-style rooms suited for business and leisure. Bespoke luxury living is the defining trait of The Crest Collection, whose top-tier serviced residences are found in prestigious locales…

Where to Drink Now MR. FOX Occupying a sleek, highceilinged space in the Sudirman Central Business District, Mr. Fox has called on the expertise of Australian mixologist Peter Seabrook to create hits like Madame St. Germain, which adds strawberry and cucumber to sparkling wine, St-Germain elderflower liqeur, and vermouth bianco. Another must-try is the Francois “Frankie” Fox, a heady mixture of banana leaf cognac, blanco rum, citrus, milk, tea, and various spices that comes in a painted Russian doll (fb.com/hello.mrfox). HENSHIN The highest rooftop bar in town overlooks the sprawling metropolis from its 67th-floor perch at The Westin Jakarta. Order a few sundowners at Henshin’s west-facing alfresco bar, where the drinks menu is closely aligned with the Japanese-Peruvian cuisine served upstairs. Signature cocktails here include the Last Ronin—an enticing blend…

“Sketching is not only a way for me to capture the things I see, but the process also helps me to better understand and remember the amazing places I experience around the world,” says Seattle-based architectural illustrator Stephanie Bower (stephaniebower.com). Earlier this year, the globetrotting artist staged a three-week trip to Australia that wrapped up in Sydney, where she had been invited to teach a series of sketching workshops in the old waterfront precinct of The Rocks. “One usually thinks of Australia as sunny and warm, but my visit coincided with the early southern autumn, so the weather was often cool and rainy,” Bower recalls. “But that has its advantages too. When I started this pencil-and-watercolor sketch of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, it was just after a big storm…

Stopping over in Bangkok after a beach break in Phuket? You can switch things up for less with COMO’s Island and City Break. Spending three nights or more at COMO Point Yamu in eastern Phuket will earn you a complimentary stay at its sister property in the Thai capital, COMO Metropolitan Bangkok, with breakfast included. While guests will receive one night free in Bangkok at the very least, the reward increases to two nights for every five or six in Phuket, and three for seven nights or more (comohotels.com). Indonesia SAMSARA UBUD Through December next year, reserving a three-night stay at this months-old property in Bali’s central foothills just 21 days in advance will get you 30 percent off room rates with airport pickup, daily breakfast, and an hour-long Balinese…

1 / Vienna, Austria RATHAUSPLATZ The square in front of Vienna’s neo-Gothic city hall has hosted the annual Christkindlmarkt since 1975, though the market’s roots extend back to the 18th century. Expect stands selling roasted chestnuts, pretzels, and a spiced punch called weihnachtspunsch as well as the handiwork of artisans from Austria and neighboring countries. The park areas on either side feature ice-skating, illuminated trees, and more. November 17 to December 26; christkindlmarkt.at 2 / Cologne, Germany COLOGNE CATHEDRAL Several outdoor markets dot this Rhineland city during the Christmas season. The most popular is held in the plaza fronting Cologne Cathedral, the largest Gothic church in northern Europe. Here, more than 100 tented booths arranged around a towering Christmas tree sell regional foods and trinkets; warm up with a cupful…

SHORE LEAVE Opened on November 20, Rosewood Phuket (66-76/356-888; rosewoodhotels.com; doubles from US$967) is the luxury hotel group’s first Southeast Asian resort. It occupies a prime 17-hectare plot south of Patong, with 71 villas and residential-style pool pavilions on lush grounds fronting Tri Trang Beach. Rosewood Phuket is also the launch site for Asaya, the brand’s new bespoke wellness concept that includes an onsite atelier. The holistic ideal continues with sustainable design elements such as rain collection and solar panels, but it’s Rosewood’s “Sense of Place” ethos that envelops the resort—from gentle landscaping that channels the island’s natural beauty to rooms that embrace indoor-outdoor living, and the nods to southern Thai fishing villages at seafood restaurant Ta Khai. —Simon N. Ostheimer IN GOOD NATURE Singapore-based hotel brand Banyan Tree has…

From the train station at the base of the hill, it takes me about 10 minutes to walk up to Sidi Bou Saïd’s tiny central square, passing 19th-century mansions, art galleries, and souvenir stalls with pottery and wire birdcages set out before them. A number of cobbled lanes radiate from the square; I follow one at random toward the highest part of the village. On either side of me now are whitewashed houses accented in vivid shades of blue, a color that appears on heavy studded doors, window shutters, wroughtiron grilles, and boxy mashrabiya—oriel windows enclosed with wooden latticework that keep homes cool but also allow women to look out without themselves being seen. Untamed tumbles of pink bougainvillea, hibiscus, and honeysuckle shroud gates and break up the overwhelming white-and-blue…

FROM THE ROOFTOP OF HAVELI Dharampura, Old Delhi stretches toward the horizon. Turning slowly, I can pick out the towering minarets of the Jama Masjid, the red Lego blocks of the Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir temple, the gleaming onion domes of the Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, and the bustling market of Chandni Chowk. As dusk falls, the sky is fluttering with hundreds of kites, and the neighborhood pigeon caller is readying his birds for flight. It’s a glimpse of a culture that has endured for hundreds of years, practically since the days of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, whose architects built much of what is still sometimes called Shahjahanabad in the early 17th century. First settled in the sixth century B.C., Delhi has been the capital of a…

FOR THE NEXT FEW months at least, it’s safe to say that Pyeongchang will, for the first time in its history, be a worldwide household name. And not to claim bragging rights, but it’s probably also safe to say I was one of the few foreigners that had a passing acquaintance with South Korea’s soon-to-be host of the 2018 Winter Games when its Olympic dream was still of the pipe variety, having ventured out to the area a couple of times in the aughties when I was based in Seoul. So when the opportunity came to visit again, I jumped at it for a couple of reasons. First, I recalled mountainous Pyeongchang as being an exceptionally pretty corner of the country. And second, who could pass up a chance to…

OEMAH ETNIK Twin sisters Rizki and Rizka Triana founded Oemah Etnik to celebrate Indonesia’s traditional fabrics and modernize them for younger generations. Their Senjalaka series, made by local craftsmen in the Central Javanese town of Jepara using a tenun weaving machine, has a color palette inspired by a fading sunset. Meanwhile, the Bramara series provides a contemporary take on the hexagonal batik pattern, which adorns everything from camera straps to obi sashes, tops, and dresses (oemahetnik.com). PVRA Dainty handmade leather sandals are the specialty of local brand Pvra, launched two years ago by schoolmates Kara Nugroho and Putri Katianda. Available in silver and a black-gold color combination, the Lozen shoe features Pvra’s signature threedimensional beadwork and a mixture of finished leather and linen (pvra-official.com). TULISAN Founder Melissa Sunjaya is known…