Innehållsförteckning för September - November 2022 från DestinAsian

“WHEREVER YOU GO BECOMES A PART OF YOU SOMEHOW.” — Anita Desai As tempting as it may be to cram as many trips into our calendars as possible — especially now, in a conscious effort to make up for two-plus years of lost time — I’m finding that there is a better way. Travel can be far more fulfilling when we do it mindfully, spacing out those holidays and choosing hotels and operators that are bound to make the experience a truly special one. That dovetails nicely with the 2022 edition of our Luxe List, which spotlights the best new hotels that have opened across the Asia-Pacific region within the past year. From a rejuvenated palace-fort in Rajasthan and a Balinese back-to-nature retreat to modish Kyoto lodgings, all 17 of…

MENORCA For his latest venture, French hotelier Arnaud Zannier has revamped a 17th-century finca (estate) near the Menorcan port city of Ciutadella into what could be the island’s most appealing rural dining destination. Set on a 400-hectare working farm, Nonna Bazaar (nonnabazaar.com) dishes up superlative yet unpretentious Mediterranean fare — think linguine alle vongole, just-caught seafood, veggie tajine, and spoon-tender cochinillo asado (roasted suckling pig) — on a shaded terrace backed by the estate’s crimson-colored manor, which houses an artisanal farm shop and a concept store stocked with local textiles and pottery. A pétanque court, nightly DJ sets, and a kids club situated in an old stone cowshed complete the experience.…

News from the hotel world INDONESIA Seclusion in the Natuna Sea Located 160 nautical miles northeast of Singapore in Indonesia’s remote Anambas Archipelago, Bawah Reserve (bawahreserve.com) wowed guests with its understated private-island luxury when it opened in 2017. Now, following a two-and-a-half-year closure, the resort is back in operation, this time with a floating, football-pitch-size solar farm and the addition of six new cliff-side lodges on a previously untouched isle called Elang. Available from November for exclusive takeover by groups of up to 14 people, the latter is a short speedboat ride across the lagoon from Bawah’s main island and comes with its own beach, a saltwater infinity pool, a two-story restaurant, butler service, plus a small spa. This sort of seclusion doesn’t come cheap: nightly rates start at US$21,000,…

WHERE TO STAY Seville’s grandest hotel since 1929, Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Luxury Collection Hotel (marriott.com; doubles from US$450) looks as good as ever thanks to a multimillion-dollar renovation a decade ago; expect coffered ceilings, azulejo tiles, and mosaic-covered colonnades. On a more intimate scale, Hotel Casa 1800 Sevilla (hotelcasa1800sevilla.com; doubles from US$100) occupies an 1864-built mansion in the Santa Cruz neighborhood. WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Alfarería 21 fb.com/alfarera21triana. Cañabota canabota.es. Eneko Basque enekoatxaseville.com. La Brunilda labrunildatapas.com. Lama La Uva lamalauva.com. Taberna Manolo Cateca fb.com/manolocateca. Yo Soy Tu Padre 6 Calle Padre Tarín. WHERE TO SHOP Más Cara que Espalda mascaraqueespalda.com. Populart populartsevilla.com. Tenderete Sevilla instagram.com/tenderetesevilla.…

"The minute travel restrictions were eased in Europe, I raced from the UK to paint the vibrancy and energy of Italy. That’s where I started drawing cities 10 years ago, and although I travel widely, it’s still a favorite place,” says British artist Chris Lee of his visit to Campania and Sicily last October. One of his first stops was the coastal town of Amalfi, whose remarkable ninth-century cathedral, set at the top of a wide stone staircase, draws on Norman-Sicilian, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural styles. “I’ve always longed to paint this duomo. It’s squeezed between the mountains and the Mediterranean, in a warm and bustling piazza stuffed with bars and cafés. I needed some elevation to capture the bell tower and the hills behind, so I headed across the…

CAMBODIA It’s a sultry June night in Siem Reap, and the stout brick towers of Prasat Kravan are spotlighted in hues of red and pink under a full moon. As dancers from the Royal Ballet of Cambodia enact a classical Khmer performance on the terrace of the 10th-century temple, dinner is served to a select group of guests from the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, which is hosting the evening in celebration of its 90th anniversary. Candles flicker on the linen-swathed banquet table; attendants in traditional livery help swat away insects. Save for the low drone of the generator powering the stage lights, it feels like we have stepped back in time. This is reinforced by the meal itself, a re-creation of a fivecourse menu served at the hotel in 1936.…

INDONESIA BUAHAN, A BANYAN TREE ESCAPE You don’t even need to get out of bed to practice forest bathing at this jungle-ensconced Balinese hideaway, where a “no walls, no doors” concept immerses guests in nature. Located in the hills north of Ubud, the 16 timber villas here come with private swimming pools, copper bathtubs, decks of reclaimed ironwood, and floor-to-ceiling views over the surrounding greenery. But like the traditional bale pavilions on which they’re modeled, they are open to the elements, trading walls for gauzy curtains that are drawn at night to keep out the local critters (though not always successfully, as evidenced by the frog that found its way onto my bed one evening). An adults-only policy ensures a tranquil stay set to a soundtrack of birdsong, rustling leaves,…

WHERE TO STAY With close to 10,000 hotel rooms, Khao Lak has no lack of accommodation options. Among the newest arrivals are Avani+ Khao Lak Resort (avanihotels.com; doubles from US$190) in the Bangsak area and, farther north, Pullman Khao Lak Resort (pullmankhaolakresort.com; doubles from US$90), where niceties include pool-access suites and a hammam-equipped spa. In Khao Sok National Park, the bungalows at Khao Sok Good View Resort (khaosokresort-goodview.com; doubles from US$50) stand out for their views over the surrounding landscape. WHERE TO EAT Nai Mueang 33/4 Mu 6, Soi Loma, Khuk Khak. Garang Artisan Ice Cream garangicecream.com. Karkinos karkinoskhaolak.com. Kopi Kuapa 115 Thanon Sri Takuapa, Takua Pa. WHAT TO DO Bamboo rafting trips can be arranged with Komol’s Corner (komolcorner.com). In Khao Sok, a range of tours is available through…

UAE The culinary scene in Dubai is heating up; in 2022 alone, the Michelin Guide, Gault & Millau, and MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants all made their local debuts. But it wasn’t only international celebrity chefs being lauded. Solemann Haddad, the 26-year-old behind one of the hottest tables in town, Moonrise (moon-rise.xyz), took home this year’s Michelin Young Chef Award. Opened last September, Haddad’s omakase-style restaurant is drawing the city’s epicurean crowd with dishes built on memories of the food he ate growing up in the United Arab Emirates, his Syrian-French heritage, and techniques he learned at culinary school in Japan. Moonrise’s current menu lets the team show their depth of talent through a diversity of dishes and culinary techniques. There’s cured and charred fish, hot and cold sauces, Emirati…

The year was 1974, a turbulent and terrifying time for many people in Southeast Asia. American bombs had only recently stopped falling on Laos, where Pathet Lao rebels would soon establish a communist dictatorship that exists to this day. Next door, North Vietnamese forces were just months away from taking over Saigon, and the Khmer Rouge was about to commence its repressive, genocidal rule of Cambodia. But at the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang, British ambassador Alan Davidson and the crown prince of Laos, Vong Savang, were talking food — specifically, fish. Davidson, a burgeoning food writer, was interested in the edible fish of the Mekong River, and he had sought the crown prince’s thoughts on the topic. Before leaving, Davidson asked for sources of fish-based recipes, and the crown…

There is a hidden choreography to every city. A rhythmic flow of people navigating the agenda of their daily lives. Perched on top of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, 10 stories above the cobblestones of Seville, I have an unfettered view of the dance. A man in a white blazer with a mop of curly hair swerves to avoid a flock of tourists behind an orange flag. The steady clip-clop of a horse-drawn carriage echoes in an open square. Young lovers canoodle beside a bubbling fountain. Life in the Andalusian capital is certainly endearing. Smiling, and sliding backward with my camera to frame the scene between one of the flying buttresses on the roof of Seville Cathedral, I almost trip over a bulbous protrusion jutting from the brickwork. “Be careful…