Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 - February 2023 i International Traveller

Located on the island of Bang Krachao, on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, RAKxa is a new kind of resort escape. In a setting that is thick with jungle and cocooned in quiet isolation – yet still within sight of one of the world’s most frenetic cities – guests can indulge in the process of rejuvenating their mind as well as their body: the wellness retreat utilises the latest science and technology to provide medical and holistic treatments that will have you leaving totally revitalised, while the setting and the luxury appointments provide a stay that any five-star establishment would be envious of.…

1 TV and movie tours These magical landscapes have inspired more than one blockbuster. Join the new Game of Thrones® Studio Tour for a peek behind the scenes at epic sets from the show. Real fans will love more in-depth tours around Northern Ireland locations like Winterfell and the Iron Islands (they'll even provide cloaks, banners and swords). If sci-fi is your thing, scenes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens were filmed along the Wild Atlantic Way coastline. Locations are easy to visit on your own, or you can join a tour. 2 TITANIC BELFAST The Titanic Belfast museum gets you up close to the real RMS Titanic story - from her conception to sinking - in a way the movie never could. Several interactive galleries immerse you in what…

In partnership with Aqua-Aston Hospitality There’s a reason ESPACIO (pronounced ee-spa-see-oh) is referred to as ‘The Jewel of Waikiki’; since opening in 2019 it has been lauded with five-star ratings left, right and centre. A night here may cost you upwards of $5250 (that’s entry level), but for that you buy unparalleled service plus the luxury trimmings you would expect (and a few you wouldn’t). From the concierge, to the cleaners, to the restaurant staff - you’ll begin to realise that the level of service here truly is in a league of its own. Whatever you ask for, they will put in a concerted effort to get (sometimes they’ll even provide you with extras you haven’t thought to ask for) all to make sure you have the best possible stay.…

Travel for good | PASSPORT A fun fact about me - and when I say ‘fun’, I mean ‘boring’ - is that I love coffee. It is a simple yet crucial morning ritual, the importance of which has grown as I have progressed through life’s most caffeine-dependent stages: cramming for university exams, entering the workforce, becoming a mother. I rarely drink more than one a day, even during the most sleep-deprived of times, and I am quite sure this only adds to the joy. I never saw it coming, but that joy spiked significantly when, almost three years ago, I started drinking my daily joe from a new mug. With its must-touch texture, a network of fine cracks and gentle pores, the handle-free vessel has elevated my coffee ritual and,…

Alternative Italy | PASSPORT Rome. Venice. The Amalfi Coast. Florence. Siena. The Cinque Terre. These are just a few of the places we have long loved to visit in Italy. But as this culturally rich country in Southern Europe reopens to tourists, these hotspots are hotting up again, and, in some cases, filled to capacity. Luckily, there are areas of Italy that offer conscious travellers less-touristy alternatives. In order to find the places with less crowds and avoid being part of that influx of visitors to the main attractions, travellers must now embrace ‘Alt Italy‘. Where all roads lead away from Rome. Historically, wanderers from around the globe have been lured to Italy for its landmark art, its ancient ruins, its beautiful beaches and, of course, its restaurants serving world-class…

Cappadocia | JOURNEYS The table - laden with creamy cheeses, herhed olives and gold-rimmed glasses of tea - sits atop a rich kilim, the vista of the region's famous volcanic rock formations stretching out into the horizon behind them. Göreme, 6am: a time when the call to prayer is supposed to echo throughout the valley, yet all that can be heard on the terrace of Tekkaya Cave Hotel are the anguished cries of influencers. “Well what am I supposed to do with this now that it’s raining and the hot-air balloons have been cancelled?” a lady in the time-honoured Instagram uniform of a fedora and knotted shirt laments beside me as she points at the beautifully styled Turkish breakfast spread the hotel has organised for her would-be photo shoot. The…

NOMAD | Memory lane Chanel is to fashion what Picasso is to painting”, said French poet Jean Cocteau, a conceit that serves as inspiration for an exhibition at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. Picasso/Chanel explores the relationship between these 20th-century creative superstars, including the two occasions when they worked together professionally alongside Cocteau. In 1922, Pablo Picasso and Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel drew on classical Greek influences to create sets and masks and costume designs respectively for Cocteau’s modern adaptation of Sophocles’ play Antigone. Two years later, they were channelling the spirit of the times in Le Train Bleu, one of impresario Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes: a cultural phenomenon that consolidated all that was modern in the first half of the 20th century and employed the talents of avant-garde artists from the…

48 hours in | PASSPORT DAY ONE 6AM Start your day at dawn Start your day by heading straight up Waikīkī Beach to THE SUNRISE SHACK, the dinky bolthole sitting on the sand outside the OUTRIGGER WAIKĪKĪ BEACH RESORT. The shack is the colour of sunshine and a local institution. Founded by four tousle-haired surfers who look like they walked off the pages of Surfer Magazine, it caters to both experienced surfers and beginners riding the gentle, rolling waves at Waikīkī with acai bowls, tropical smoothies and shots of creamy bullet coffee on offer. O'ahu has been known as the gathering place since ancient times, and these days The Sunrise Shack is as good a place as any to gather. Linger here, chatting to the impossibly good-looking staff before joining…

PASSPORT | Cruise news AN ICON IN THE MAKING Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is set to debut in January 2024; it’s the first of the line’s Icon Class and its most sustainable to date. The ship caters for everyone from thrill-seekers to those wanting to ‘flop and drop’ by one of its seven pools. The ship boasts the largest waterpark at sea, as well as six slides and the Crown’s Edge, where daredevils can dangle 46 metres above the sea. Icon sails to the Caribbean year-round and all cruises include a visit to the line’s private island in the Bahamas. royalcaribbean.com AN INAUGURAL VOYAGE Australian adventure company Aurora Expeditions has taken possession of its new purpose-built expedition ship, Sylvia Earle, named in honour of the famed US oceanographer.…

1 SOAR ON A SEAPLANE Buckle up and take off from the water for an exciting seaplane flight to discover Mauritius from above. You’ll glide across turquoise-tinged Oceans and fly over mountainous valleys and jagged peaks. Have your camera ready for the underwater waterfall of Le Morne, one of the most photogenic sights in the country. Personalised and private, you’ll sit alongside the pilot, who’ll furnish you with island folklore as you soar above stunning scenery before a water landing. 2 DO THE RUM-BAR TICKLE YOUR TASTE BUDS AND TRY FINE MAURITIAN RUM AT RHUMERIE DE CHAMAREL, A DISTILLERY SET IN EXQUISITE GROUNDS 300 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL. RUM CONNOISSEURS CAN JOIN A BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOUR AND LEARN ABOUT THE PRODUCTION OF THE ESTATE’S PREMIUM RANGE. BOOK A TABLE AND SAMPLE EXOTIC DELICACIES…

Where to in 2023? | JOURNEYS BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA The Korean Wave has engulfed the world over the last few years, fuelled by K-pop (you would have to be a hermit not to have heard mention of BTS and Blackpink) and K-dramas (there is a lot more to this art form than just Squid Games, people). While pop-culture phenomena might have been your introduction to South Korea, there is so much to discover in this country of 51.7 million: amazing food, an ancient culture and a diverse landscape of mountains and islands. While the capital of Seoul gets a lot of attention, the second city of Busan is worth a look-see. Located on the country’s south-east coast, Busan has a laid-back disposition and an artistic soul. For visitors this translates…

The Georgian, Santa Monica Sitting on the Santa Monica waterfront, the historic The Georgian has been reinvented after an extensive, historically inspired restoration. First opened in 1933 to guests including Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, the landmark hotel’s 56 rooms and 28 suites have been tastefully refreshed, while its famed ocean-view Sunset Terrace, Dining Room and Sunset Bar have been restored to their former glory. Meanwhile, its neon sign and colourful Art Deco exterior are on full display, ensuring the waterfront’s first high-rise building (now dwarfed by surrounding buildings) once again stands out on the LA streetscape as a beacon of Old Hollywood glamour. thegeorgian.com MAROMA, A BELMOND HOTEL, RIVIERA MAYA A legend on Mexico’s Caribbean Coast, Maroma has joined the ranks of luxury hospitality group Belmond and…

Famous for epic surf breaks, luxury resorts and friendly hospitality, Fiji is a second home for ocean-loving Aussies. But there’s more to discover than floating bars, hotel spas and kids’ clubs. Here are just a few places to see on your next visit to these magical islands. 1 THE HIDDEN WATERFALL Nicknamed 'the garden island’ of Fiji, Taveuni romances visitors with a quintessential South Pacific scene. Narrow roads weave around timber shacks to the edge of the thick jungle, where you can follow a forest path to a roaring 24-metre-tall waterfall, the first of the three Bouma (or Tavoro) Waterfalls. There’s a pool for a refreshing swim, and intrepid travellers can scale the rocks to bomb into the water from above. 2 THE TRADITIONAL RESTAURANT DINE WITH LOCALS AT TUKUNI…

Mediterranean cruise | PASSPORT The flat, salty Mediterranean. The simple pleasure of successfully ordering a coffee, and perhaps a morsel to eat, in another language. The mellowness of the sun in the late afternoon. The scent of hot timeworn stone tinged with tobacco. Knowing that when you order a glass of house wine al fresco at dinner it will arrive soft and drinkable with length just like the evening itself. These are some of the moments I missed about Europe during that interminably long stretch where it had never seemed further away. And these are some of the moments I get to experience again over just five days’ sailing aboard Azamara’s new ship Onward. The name is apposite, of course: a signal of intent. Departing Barcelona (but not before I’ve…

In partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line Imagine a holiday spending days poolside, peacefully reclining with cocktail in hand, or discovering a port at your own pace before returning to be pampered in a spacious spa. Come nightfall, an intimate table for two awaits where you can savour exemplary cuisine before enjoying a live Broadway-style stage production. The next day, a brand-new adventure awaits. Enter Norwegian Spirit, the last of the major ships to return to Australian waters, arriving in Sydney Harbour on 21 December 2022. Deliberately designed to be different, with an impressive US$100 million refurbishment from bow to stern, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is taking cruising to the next level. ALL AT SEA The revitalised Norwegian Spirit is quite unlike any other ship sailing in our waters. Appealing to…

Borneo | JOURNEYS Three sharp raps at my villa door startle me from my slumber. There’s every chance it is a cheeky macaque requesting a pre-dawn villa show-and-tell, but it’s more likely just a porter delivering the morning wake-up call I’d requested the night before. The clock has just ticked over to 5am, and it’s time to rise; the first of our early morning Kinabatangan River cruises is due to depart at first light. In the morning’s blue glow, I slide into a seat beside a man visiting from Korea. He’s an avid birdwatcher, but I’ve come to Malaysian Borneo with a slightly different wildlife-spotting agenda. The goal is to tick the famed ‘big five’ off my travel bingo sheet - orangutans, pygmy elephants, saltwater crocodiles, proboscis monkeys and rhinoceros…