So, you’re hot stuff. You’re a follower of fashion. You’ve got your Jimmy Choo heels and your Anya Hindmarch handbag. You know that a dirty martini is the drink
du jour and you wouldn’t be seen dead in yellow (so last season, dahling). Well, now you can travel trendy as well. Which hotels will match your Chloé sunglasses? Try Starck’s new Faena or Ong’s Uma Ubud. Which city has the right vibe for your trendy short break? Beirut, perhaps, or Manhattan (so long as you go to the right bit). And which country will everyone be raving about at the next White Party? Madagascar, my friends. Madagascar. Read on for The Sunday Times Travel Hot List 2005.
Unless otherwise stated, package prices are per person and include flights from London. For UK regional or Irish departures, ask the operator
ARGENTINA
What’s hot? Buenos Aires. The city has been fashionable for ever, but, until now, it has lacked a bona fide design hotel. That shameful omission has been remedied by the arrival of the Faena Hotel + Universe (00 54 11 4010 9000, www.faenahotelanduniverse.com; doubles from £195).
Why is it hot? The Faena sees the design guru Philippe Starck on inspired form, creating a “temple to pleasure” in the shell of a former grain factory in BA’s downtown docklands. Its 105 rooms are pure Alice in Wonderland: white upholstered beds, sofas with golden-clawed feet, glass-encased bathrooms with swooning swans for taps. And, unlike the rooms in so many superdesigner hotels, they’re comfortable and practical, too: you’ll be able to find the light switches. Guests are offered complimentary foot massages on arrival, and the services of their very own “Experience Manager”. The Faena also has an all-white bistro with walls adorned with mounted unicorn heads, a pool and a sumptuous spa, complete with Turkish baths. As for the “+ Universe” bit, this is a rather lofty reference to the public areas, featuring a cabaret bar, a weekly antiques market, even a school offering tuition in good living.
Travel details: British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) flies from Heathrow to Buenos Aires; from £737. Last Frontiers (01296 653000, www.lastfrontiers.com) has a 10-day trip, with two nights at the Faena Hotel + Universe and visits to an estancia and the Los Glaciares National Park, from £1,995pp, B&B, including flights from Gatwick with Aerolineas Argentinas via Madrid and transfers.
ITALY
What’s hot? B&Bs — admittedly a distinctly upmarket version where you rattle your Jade Jagger jewellery for attention, rather than ring a bell at reception — and the South Tyrol.
Why is it hot? Nobody does loose-limbed, put-the-cat-out-when-you-get-back hospitality quite as well as those uninhibited, wildly generous Italians, so the country has been at the forefront of the growing trend towards more authentic, low-key accommodation. Endorsement for this less-is-more school of travel comes from the most surprising places. The elite guidebook Nota Bene, for example, positively raves about Casa Howard’s pair of flamboyant five-bedroom guesthouses in Rome (00 39-06 69 924555, www.casahoward.com; doubles from £110), even though some rooms are not even ensuite. Likewise, the Mr and Mrs Smith Hotel Collection can’t get enough of the discreet charms of the seven-room DD724 (041 277 0262, www.dd724.com; doubles from £140), in Venice. Then there’s 3Rooms (02 626163, www.3rooms-10corsocomo.com; doubles from £205), one of the chicest places to stay in Milan; and Stoppiacce (0575 690058, www.stoppiacce.com; doubles from £90), a 12th-century farmhouse outside Cortona, where past guests include Joseph Fiennes.
Want more glamour? Try the South Tyrol, which is on the up thanks to the arrival of two outstanding properties: Vigilius Mountain Resort (0473 556600, www.vigilius.it; doubles from £200), outside Lana, and Pergola Residence (00 39 0473 201435, www.pergola-residence.it; doubles from £125), in Merano, both designed by Matteo Thun. Vigilius is one of the best spas we’ve ever visited — a graceful wood-and-glass building with an enviably pure interior design and the stunning backdrop of the Dolomites. Pergola is another soulful architectural statement, with a laid-back approach: guests decide what dishes the kitchen will cook, using ingredients from its organic garden.
Travel details: EasyJet (0905 821 0905 , www.easyjet.com) flies to Venice, Milan, and Rome from several UK airports, including Gatwick, Bristol and Nottingham East Midlands; from £41. Italian Expressions (020 7433 2675, www.expressionsholidays.co.uk) has three nights at Vigilius from £570pp, B&B, including flights from Gatwick and car hire.
BALI
What’s hot? Ubud, the island’s self- appointed cultural capital. Set amid terraced paddy fields where farmers in bamboo hats still till and toil much as they have done for centuries, Ubud has beautiful temples, traditional markets and a surprising number of upmarket shops. It was a honeymoon favourite until the bomb in Kuta in 2002 put it on the Foreign Office’s no-go list. The travel ban has now been lifted, and Bali is well and truly back.
Why is it hot? The island is brimming with exquisite new properties. First among them is Christina Ong’s Uma Ubud (00 62 361 972448, www.uma.como.bz; doubles from £100), which opened last summer: 28 chic rooms, fringed by coconut palms and banyan trees and carved out of the hillsides above Ubud. Like Starck’s latest creation in Argentina, Uma Ubud doesn’t sacrifice comfort for style. Ong also created the phenomenally successful Metropolitan, in London, and her properties are hip but admirably practical — again, the light switches are where light switches should be. Nearby, Kupu Kupu Barong (0800 032 4254, www.kupubarong.com; doubles from £200), one of the island’s oldest luxury hotels, has just reopened after a three-year refurbishment that has brought its 20 suites into the 21st century. It has also introduced a spa, which has a treatment room in the branches of a mango tree.
Travel details: Airline Network (0870 700 0543, www.airlinenetwork.co.uk) has flights from Heathrow or Manchester to Bali with Singapore Airlines via Singapore; from £567.
Audley Travel (01869 276 200, www.audleytravel.com) has 10 nights on Bali, with five nights at Uma Ubud and five at Kupu Kupu Barong, from £1,295pp, B&B, including flights from Heathrow via Singapore and transfers.
GREECE
What’s hot? Athens. Last year’s Olympics should have been a triumph for Greek hoteliers. Instead, greed got the better of them. Their cynical approach to room rates (think of a number, double it, treble that and add a nought) meant that many rooms ended up going empty, and a lot of Brits stayed away. Prices are back to normal now, so 2005 is the year to experience the swanky hotels built for the Games.
Why is it hot? Among the new designer properties is the Semi_ramis (00 30-210 62 84 400, www.semiramisathens.com; doubles from £175), in the affluent northern suburb of Kifissia. Granted, its designer, Karim Rashid, can lapse into artist-
formerly-known-as-Prince idiocy (the 51 rooms are identified by symbols rather than numbers), but the psychedelic use of primary colours is love-it-or-hate-it distinctive, the atmosphere is pouty and the exhibition of the owner's personal art collection is impressive. The Fresh Hotel (210 524 8511; doubles from £170) is equally devoted to a zingy contemporary look; it has a roof bar, the Air Lounge, where you can sip retsina at poolside while enjoying views of the Acropolis. Also consider the sophisticated, glass-walled Life Gallery (210 626 0400, www.bluegr.com; doubles from £500), a more muted haven of architectural hipness.
Travel details: EasyJet (0905 821 0905, www.easyjet.com) flies to Athens from Gatwick and Luton; from £81. Or try Hellas Jet (00 30 210 624 4244, www.hellas-jet.com).
MADAGASCAR
What's hot? This island off the east coast of Africa is getting the Hollywood treatment. The new animated movie from the creators of Shrek, called Madagascar, brings four escapees from Central Park Zoo back to the island.
Why is it hot? There are, famously, 50 species of tree-hugging lemur - but there is much more to this fascinating Noah's Ark than nocturnal sightings of the aye-aye. Madagascar's enviable ecological credentials extend to dozens of animals that could have come straight from a casting for Jurassic Park, from tortoises big enough to knock down trees to frogs as luminous as Lance Armstrong's cycling shirt - wildlife that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. French colonisation has had a beneficial effect on the cuisine, and there are endless white-sand beaches where you can doze after lunch. The island also has 18 distinct tribes, with startling local traditions. One digs up its dead every few years, for a party at which the living fill the skeletons in on all the latest gossip.
Travel details: Okavango Tours (020 8343 3283, www.okavango.com) has 14 nights, mostly half-board, from £2,779pp, including flights from Heathrow via Paris. UK regional departures start at £80.
LEBANON
What's hot? Beirut. Fifteen years after the end of the civil war, the party capital of the Middle East is swinging late into the night again - and they want Europeans to come back.
Why is it hot? The revitalised downtown area of Solidere is a stunning achievement in urban renewal, steadily replacing the bullet-marked ruins of downtown Beirut with a vibrant, global city centre. Dozens of alfresco cafes and designer shops create the sort of Mediterranean flair you associate with St Tropez. Beirut's Buddha Bar is far more sophisticated than its tourist-trap counterpart in Paris, drinks at Crystal would satisfy even the testiest New Yorker, and the dining rivals anything offered in London. Gordon Campbell Gray, the award-winning owner of London's One Aldwych, is looking to open a property in Beirut: good news, because a fashionista-friendly boutique is lacking at the moment.
Travel details: until Gordon opens his place, stay at the classically beautiful Albergo (00 961-1 339797, www.albergobeirut.com; doubles from £140), which has a rooftop pool and restaurant, or the glamotous Phoenicia (1 369100, www.ichotelsgroup.com; doubles from £109). MEA (Middle East Airlines: 020 7467 8000, www.mea.com.lb) flies from Heathrow; from £328. Abercrombie & Kent (0845 070 0610, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers tailor-made five-night packages from about £800pp, including flights from Heathrow.
MOROCCO
What's hot? Marrakesh. Yes, it is still the capital of North African style and panache.
Why is it hot? Because hoteliers keep producing ever more amazing traditional riads and stunning kasbahs. The hottest new ticket is just beyond the city boundaries, in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, and comes from Richard Branson. Three years behind schedule, the superluxurious Kasbah Tamadot (0800 716919, www.virginlimitededition.com; doubles from £190) has finally welcomed its first guests. Rooms have been lavished with imported antiques, and it offers tennis and a swimming pool, as well as excellent dining courtesy of Jean Mundell, formerly of Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. Branson's sister, Vanessa, has recently opened Riad el Fenn (00 212 44 44 12 10, www.riadelfenn.com; doubles from £195), five minutes from the main square in Marrakesh. It is decked out in camel-boned ice buckets, babouche slippers, sequin-edged curtains and artworks by Bridget Riley.
Travel details: Royal Air Maroc (020 7439 8854, www.royalairmaroc.com) flies from Heathrow; from about £200. Carrier (01625 547050, www.carrier.co.uk) has four nights from £755pp, including flights from Gatwick.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
What's hot? Abu Dhabi. What the oil-rich capital of the UAE wants, it generally gets. For example, the sheikh took against the endless vistas of shifting sand in his emirate, so he imported almost 41m date palms, covering an area three times the size of Singapore, to turn the old place into a much greener kind of desert. Now he wants tourists.
Why is it hot? Because, every now and again, a bit of complete excess is perfectly acceptable. March will see the opening of the Emirates Palace (00 971 2690 9000, www.emiratespalace.com; doubles from £290), the most expensive hotel ever built. Five stars could not begin to reflect its luxury. Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab launched with six (guests get to keep the £200 worth of Hermès bathroom toiletries), but the Emirates Palace will have seven. So, what can we expect? A national monument on the scale of the Taj Mahal or the Sydney Opera House, according to its owner. It is a shimmering pink-stone edifice with 115 towering domes, all encrusted in gold and aquamarine. The interior decor is Old Arabia, with ceilings decorated in gold leaf, pillars felted in silver leaf, acres of Italian marble and 1,000 Swarovski crystal chandeliers. The 394 rooms have hand-carved wooden beds, marble bathrooms, 50in plasma televisions, iPods and touch-screen controls for lighting and air conditioning. There's wireless connectivity in the rooms, and the beach is WiFi'd - yes, that could be depressing.
Travel details: Etihad Airways (0870 241 7121, www.etihadairways.com) flies from Heathrow and Gatwick to Abu Dhabi; from £305. ITC Classics (01244 355527, www.itcclassics.co.uk) has a week-long stay at the hotel from £950pp, B&B, including flights with Etihad.
THAILAND
What's hot? Chiang Mai. In the north's cultural and historical centre, you can trek in stunning mountain scenery and visit fascinating hill tribes.
Why is it hot? The luxury-hotel chain Mandarin Oriental has built its reputation on enviably slick urban properties, but, in keeping with the trend to "cocoon" on holiday, the company is branching out into hideaway resorts. Dhara Dhevi (00 66 53 888 888, www.mandarin oriental.com; doubles from £195), which opened at the tail end of last year in Chiang Mai, is the first such property, and is awesome in its ambition: a 142-room hotel built in the style of 13th- to 16th-century Thailand. Shuttered within its own 60-acre compound, it has a huge spa, a vast amphitheatre and a reconstruction of a 19th-century market, as well as its own temple and cookery school. If that all sounds a tad Disneyfied, wait until April, when the team behind the superb Datai, on Langkawi, open the Chedi Chiang Mai
(00 800 3746 8357, www.designhotels.com; doubles from £95). The property has a great setting on the banks of the Mai Ping River, near the centre and within sight of Chiang Mai's famous night markets, and its Asian-inspired decor is subtle and modern.
Travel details: Thai Airways (0870 606 0911, www.thaiair.com) flies from Heathrow to Chiang Mai, via Bangkok; from about £700. Audley Travel (01869 276200, www.audleytravel.com) has 10 nights in Thailand, including four at Dhara Dhevi, from £2,120pp, B&B, including flights from Heathrow.
UNITED STATES
What's hot? New York - and its new quirky (and affordable) boutique hotels.
Why is it hot? No city on earth rides the zeitgeist like the Big Apple. What hoteliers do here, the rest of the world copies a couple of years later. Hang your head in shame if you're not checking into The Hotel on Rivington (00 1 212-475 2600, www.hotelonrivington.com; doubles from £120), a 21-storey glass tower on the fashionable Lower East Side, on which Surface magazine, NY's equivalent to the UK's design bible Wallpaper, was a collaborator. The rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and neat touches such as wake-up calls synchronised with the electronic opening of your curtains. Equally du jour is Dream NY (247 2000, www.dreamny.com; doubles from £145) in Midtown, for which the socialite hotelier Vikram Chatwal teamed up with the alternative-medicine guru Deepak Chopra and the fashion photographer David LaChapelle to create an "hautel couture" with some wacky USPs. For example, Chatwal is awaiting final approval to install a "dream machine" - a device that repeats key words to you as
you sleep - in every room. In June, Six Columbus, a 1960s- inspired haven and sister act to the terribly trendy Sixty Thompson, will open in the buzzy, regenerated Columbus Circle.
Travel details: Opodo (0870 241 7056, www.opodo.co.uk) has flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, and Manchester with Conti- nental Airlines; from £255. Or try Trailfinders (020 7938 3939, www.trailfinders.com) or Ebookers (0800 082 3000, www.ebookers.co.uk).
...AND THE UK?
What's hot? Devon. It's not nearly as crowded as Cornwall, it's not quite so far away from everywhere and it is finally getting a trendy bolt hole. The queen of the country-house weekend, the designer and hotelier Olga Polizzi, will open Hotel Endsleigh in a sleepy Devon village in May.
Why is it hot? Hotel Endsleigh (01822 870248) is a Grade I-listed 19th-century hunting lodge in Milton Abbot, near Tavistock. Once Polizzi has waved her magic wand, it is likely to be every bit as sought-after as her Hotel Tresanton. Yet, while Tresanton is atmospheric, it is stuck in the middle of St Mawes, so has its bucolic limitations. Endsleigh, on the other hand, has 108 acres of estate with a river running through it, a shell grotto and an impressive arboretum. That's before you even cross the threshold and encounter the house's eccentricities: among them a veranda made from sheep's knuckles and roof supports created from tree trunks. It is bound to be an out-and-out winner.
If you can't wait until then for some bracing country air, Four Seasons opens its Country Retreat (01252 853000, www.fourseasons.com; doubles from £255) in Dogmersfield Park, Hampshire, next month. It will be a much more formal, gold-tapped number than Endsleigh, but doubtless impressive all the same.
