India – Alila Bangalore Hotel and Residence Alila Bangalore Hotel and Residence South India is first urban resort is in the hi- tech hub of Whitefield, 20km from Bangalore’s city centre and home or world- class technology parks, impressive corporate campuses and exclusive residential enclaves to house the multinational workforce. With its South- East Asian … Read more
Roman Barcelona Morning Starting at the Jaume I metro, enter the ancient walled city of Barcino on C/Llibreteria, once the main road to and from Rome. Head right up C/Veguer to Plaça del Rei and descend into a fascinating underground web of Roman walls and waterways via the Museu d’Història de la Ciutat (see Conjunt … Read more
DURBAN The Oyster Box 2 Lighthouse Road, Umhlanga Rocks; 031 514 5000 The Oyster Box This luxurious hotel, with amazing views over the ocean, is all about old-school glamour. There are three bars to relax in and enjoy – Chukka Bar, Lighthouse Bar and, our favourite, Oyster Bar. Spotted A getaway fit for royalty, the … Read more
China – Banyan Tree Macau Cool off at the “beach resort deck” and pool at the Banyan Tree Macau There is an old primary- school teachers’ trick: if children get rowdy, do not raise your voice- lower it. The kids will instinctively quiet down to listen. The same goes for luxury. Its does not have … Read more
Though hard to imagine today, there was a time when Barcelona was just a small Roman village (named Barcino) encircled by protective stone walls. Over the centuries, the village grew, culminating in a building boom in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), a beautifully preserved neighbourhood of Gothic buildings, medieval places … Read more
The Grand Café And Beach, Granger Bay Beach Road, Granger Bay, 021 425 0551; thegrand.co.za Private beach meets Parisian charm. This is where the cool kids hang out, so the atmosphere is hip and happening. Spotted If it’s good enough Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy, then it’s good enough for us. Also spotte: Charlize Theron, … Read more
Wildman Wilderness Lodge – Mary River Wetlands Northern Territory the World Heritage Site of Kakadu National Park A comfortable two- hour drive from Darwin, Wildman Wilderness Lodge is a gateway to the raw, compelling beauty of Australia’s tropical north at a reasonable, half- board price. Its mission is to give travelers an insight into the … Read more
A Downtown Walk Morning Start the day at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art , taking 90 minutes to peruse the permanent collections and visiting exhibit. On your way out, pop into the gift shop to have a look at the unique crafts. Head north to Bloor St and turn left, walking a half block … Read more
Stalker alert! ELLE’s Jenna McArthur and Chesk Liackman pick the best spots for celeb spotting in Cape Town, Durban and Jo’burg Cape town Orphanage 227 Bree Street, corner of Bree and Orphan Streets, 021 424 2004; theorphanage.co.za This new kid on the block is a Victorian drinking den meets speakeasy with a spy hole on … Read more
Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, Shanghai Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, Shanghai Looking to the future rather than feeling nostalgic for the past. Shanghai is luxury hotels tend towards sky tower modernism, but Asia’s first Wladorf Astoria adroitly rewinds the stylistic clock. The setting is pure theatre: a colonnaded 1911 mansion on the … Read more
Toronto is a city of neighborhoods, each with a distinct identity, many with an ethnic flavor, making it the most multicultural of North American cities. In Chinatown, wares from energetic vendors compete with shoppers for sidewalk space, and restaurants offer everything from take-out buns to sit-down banquets. The city’s multicultural mix finds its fullest expression … Read more
With recent renovations and modern amenities bringing it into the future, Manila Hotel at 100 still has its heart firmly in its rich, stories past IT WAS SIX O’CLOCK in the evening in March 1997. I was 14 years old and clad in a light yellow taffeta dress that my mother made me wear for … Read more
William Cook joins revelers on an annual hike through vineyards above the Rhône Valley. Every year, on the first Saturday in September, the inhabitants of Visp, a sleepy Swiss town near Sierre in the Rhône Valley, stage the world’s most scenic pub crawl. This isn’t a drunken stagger down the high street; for the Swiss, … Read more
USA Mondrian Soho, New York Mondrian Soho 9 Crosby Street, New York City Mondrian Soho opened in March 2011 on cobbled Crosby Street and is the tallest building in the ‘hood: a 28- floor glass block (literally, it backs onto Lafayette Street), fronted by a glasshouse restaurant and accessed through a glass tunnel covered in … Read more
In each of its many forms, water is undoubtedly the heart of Switzerland It’s easy to regard Switzerland as a land of mountains but, with countless lakes, rivers, creeks, waterfalls and glaciers, it is equally a land of water, despite being landlocked. The source of the Rhine and Rhône, Switzerland is also home to the … Read more
Chile The Singular Patagonia, Puerto Bories Chile The Singular Patagonia, Puerto Bories Sleeping in a former abattoir is not to everyone’s taste, but this 57- room heritage hotel is in a former frigorific, a cold- storage plant built in 1915 near Chile’s pretty Puerto Natales. Governed by strict conservation rules, local architect Pedro Kovacic has … Read more
Breathtaking landscapes, natural springs, an endless list of activities, swimmable lakes and world-class saps: it’s so easy to fall in love with Graubunden Cows in Andeer Lai da Vons Graubunden, located in the east of Switzerland, is the country’s largest and most popular holiday region – a dramatic landscape of seemingly endless mountain ranges topped … Read more
St Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Miami St Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Miami It may be technically in Miami, but the less- then- one- square- mile community known as Bal Harbour is a world apart from the high- volume bling of South Beach. Best known for its clutch of exclusive shops and restaurants, it now has … Read more
Reliable, efficient and with stunning views at every turn, Switzerland’s travel system really will take you on the ride of your life, whatever your mode of transport. Much like London’s black cabs and double-decker buses, the little red trains, which wind long foaming rivers at the feet of towering mountains and through verdant Alpine meadows, … Read more
USA Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles USA Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles This classic 66- year- old Hollywood hideaway recently underwent a two- year, $100- million renovation. Although the pink- stucco, Spanish- mission- style architecture, resident swans and 12 acres of gardens remain much the same, just about everything else has had a top- to- bottom overhaul. … Read more