Innholdsfortegnelse for August 1, 2016 i Travel + Leisure India & South Asia

Heavy with salt and rich with minerals, at almost 427 meters below sea level, Dead Sea is fascinating. This unique sea is almost 10 times saltier than regular sea water. Crystal shape salt formation, cobalt blue waters with a compelling history and modern mineral spas along the shores create a perfect combination to rejuvenate the body and refresh the mind, making it famous a destination for locals and tourists from all around the world. Dead Sea Spa Experience Don’t know how to swim? Scared of being in the water? Then the Dead Sea is the perfect place for you! As you step off the shore in to the azure lake you will immediately feel a slight greasiness from the water. The deeper into the lake you go, you begin to…

MONTREAL Montreal knows how to have a good time. It has an eclectic mix of microbreweries, jazz bars, live bars, karaoke bars, Latin clubs, African clubs, and after-hour bars. The best part? You will meet a diverse bunch of people here, from dapper men to hippies to college crowd. Or, go to the Gay Village and dance till your feet give up. TORONTO So here’s the deal about Toronto: You need to serve food if you’re serving alcohol. No drinking in bars past 2am, and the legal drinking age is 19 (in Montreal, it’s 18). The city has restrictive drinking laws, we get it, but it has everything under the sun from live bars, sports bars, after-hour clubs to jazz bars and dance clubs; casual, swanky, or sophisticated. CRASH PADS…

BROTHER HUBBARD Coffee is no small affair here in Dublin. North of the River Liffey, Brother Hubbard is an independent café that’s made quite a name of itself in the coffee and sandwich space. brotherhubbard.ie SISTER SADIE Their Southside branch, also known as Sister Sadie, keeps up the easy going atmosphere. An airy space with pale wood interiors, minimalist design and a wide glass frontage overlooking the street, it’s a lovely spot to get your morning dose of caffeine and a muffin, and lazily segue into brunch with their selection of Middle Eastern flavours. Harrington Street, Dublin 8. KAPH With its skimmed-coconut-milk coffees and matcha green tea lattes that fit right into the healthy and organic rage taking over the world nowadays, it doesn’t get more hipster than Kaph on…

THE DEAN Among the city’s hottest new hotels, The Dean is an ultra-cool space across from the peaceful Iveagh Gardens. You walk straight into the neon-lit bar, which doubles as the lobby and reception. On the upper levels, sleek rooms feature quirky Irish art in a bid to support local artists, turntables and stacks of records, Nespresso machines and trays of Irish munchies. Sophie’s, the buzzing, glass-enclosed bar on the roof offers a stunning view of the city skyline apart from being a top spot for parties. deandublin.ie BROOKS HOTEL Though Dublin is eminently walkable and all of the Southside’s attractions are packed into a tiny parcel, nothing beats being in the centre of the Creative Quarter on Drury Street. The Brooks Hotel is ideally placed at a stone’s throw…

1 Nihiwatu Sumba, Indonesia 98.35 2 Spectator Hotel Charleston, South Carolina 97.78 3 Huka Lodge Taupo, New Zealand 97.65 4 Montage Kapalua Bay Maui, Hawaii 97.39 4 Southern Ocean Lodge Kangaroo Island, Australia 97.39 6 Lodge at Glendorn Bradford, Pennsylvania 97.38 7 The Willcox Aiken, South Carolina 97.25 8 Casa Gangotena Quito, Ecuador 97.20 9 Twin Farms Barnard, Vermont 97.19 10 Singular Patagonia Puerto Bories, Chile 97.14 11 Singita Grumeti Serengeti National Park Area , Tanzania 97.11 12 Farmhouse Inn Forestville, California 97.07 13 Londolozi Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa 97.06 14 The Peninsula Shanghai 97.01 15 Hotel Castello di Casole–A Timbers Resort Casole d’Elsa, Italy 97.01 16 Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa Gateway, Colorado 97.00 17 Cavas Wine Lodge Mendoza, Argentina 96.99 18 Singita Sabi Sand Sabi Sand…

Maxim and the 2016 Hot 100 winner, international superstar Priyanka Chopra, celebrated her third Hot 100 title win at the Taj Santacruz Mumbai. Presented by Volkswagen, in association with The Wadhwa Group and the Sanjay Ghodawat Group, the afternoon soiree celebrated Priyanka as the Hottest Woman of the Decade and the only woman to top the Maxim Hot 100 three times. Priyanka, who was also Maxim’s launch issue Covergirl in 2006, interacted with a teeming media contingent and the selected guests. She also thanked her fans for the more than 2,00,000 votes in her favour. Overall, more than one million votes were cast on the Hot 100 voting website. TITLE SPONSOR…

KNOW THE PLAYING FIELD BETWEEN THE ASSURED HOMAGES TO THE REDEEMER AND COPACABANA, THERE ARE A FEW OTHER NEIGHBOURHOODS PACKED WITH CHARACTER THAT ARE WORTH VISITING. Downtown The architecture is stunning and there’s a museum, cathedral or library whichever way you turn. Head to Café Arlequim (arlequim.com.br/ loja) for music and coffee and Café Do Bom (Rua da Carioca, 10- Centro; +55-21/2509-1018) for all things literary and a cachaça. Santa Theresa Santa Teresa on a little hill with winding lanes is full of little secrets along with a quiet panoramic view. Sip prosecco at Bar Dos Descasados in the stunning Santa Teresa Hotel (santa-teresa-hotel.com) and enjoy artisanal Brazilian cuisine at Aprazivel (aprazivel.com.br). Leblon Things get a bit more posh in Leblon, one of the more affluent neighbourhoods of Rio with deliberately…

THE OPENING NIGHT OF THE legendary Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo is sold out, but the Dubai Opera has grand plans all through this year—from Les Misérables, A Life in Music, the Mozart Gala, and West Side Story to Anoushka Shankar and Hussain Al Jassmi concerts. The 2,000-seat performing arts venue is worth more than a visit, so bring your partner for a romantic date to the Opera, or make a family trip out of it. Coupling business with pleasure: A larger-than-life hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai (marriott.com) features 1,600 plush guestrooms and suites, a luxury spa with modern treatments and ancient Hamams, and 16 restaurants and bars. Plan romantic dinner dates and couple’s spa at the world’s tallest hotel. For a family timeout: Madinat Jumeirah (jumeirah.com) is like a…

White sand beaches with palm-fringed trees, a crystal blue sky harmoniously blending with the sea in the horizon, and a rich coral reef awaiting exploration—Havelock Island is a picturesque paradise for those yearning for isolation and adventure. Located 39kms from Port Blair, Havelock is the largest island in Ritchie’s Archipelago. On its famous Elephant Beach, go scuba diving to discover a colourful underwater marine life, or walk into the rain-fed forests to see an eco-system in full bloom.…

MONTREAL What’s Montreal without bagels, poutine, bagels, smoked meat sandwich, pâté chinois, and maple pie? Very hungry. The city is counted amongst those with the highest number of restaurants per capita. MUST-TRY RESTAURANTS IN MONTREAL La Binerie Mont-Royal An institution known for its baked beans (fèves au lard), you must have a big, hearty breakfast here, and walk an extra mile to shed the calories. labineriemontroyal.com Chez Ma Tante You should try two of Montreal’s favourite dishes at this no-nonsense restaurant: poutine (a delicious mess of fries, cheese, curd, and brown gravy) and steamie (a steamed hot dog). 3180 Rue Fleury E, Montréal; +1/514-387-6984 Fairmount Bagel and St Viateur Bagel When it comes to bagels, the city gets divided into two teams—Team Fairmount (‘the original’ that started in 1919) and…

GRAFTON STREET Most Dublin visitors head straight to the city’s poshest shopping stretch, Grafton Street, for designer brand-stocked department Brown Thomas and jewellers Pandora. Venture beyond this main drag though, for authentic Irish finds, fewer crowds, and more character. POWERSCOURT TOWNHOUSE CENTRE In a grand Georgian building just off Grafton Street, the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre is a major draw for its boutiques and restaurants. In the 18th century, the building was Lord Powercourt’s townhouse, and the architecture retains a regal flair with a glass roof letting filtered sunlight in and shops surrounding a central courtyard. It’s crammed with fashion, culinary, and design offerings. The stone steps leading up to the entrance are packed with locals and visitors nursing coffees while watching the buzz of South William Street. powerscourtcentre.ie GEORGE’S STREET…

TOP 10 Cities 1 Chiang Mai Thailand 91.25 2 Luang Prabang Laos 89.85 3 Kyoto Japan 89.75 H 4 Siem Reap Cambodia 88.96 H 5 Bangkok 88.96 H 6 Hoi An Vietnam 88.54 7 Ubud Indonesia 88.52 8 Udaipur India 87.19 9 Tokyo 86.02 10 Lhasa China 85.56 TOP 5 Islands 1 Palawan Philippines 93.71 2 Boracay Philippines 90.47 3 Cebu Philippines 88.65 4 Bali Indonesia 88.24 H 5 Luzon Philippines 88.23 READERS SAY... “Chiang Mai is packed with energy and excitement” TOP 10 City Hotels 1 The Peninsula Shanghai 97.01 2 Opposite House Beijing 96.76 3 Leela Palace New Delhi 95.06 4 Oberoi Gurgaon New Delhi 94.42 5 Shinta Mani Hotel Siem Reap, Cambodia 94.12 6 Mandarin Oriental Tokyo 94.11 7 Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street 93.90 8 Mandarin Oriental…

On the wall behind the desk in the lobby, is an over-sized stone carving, a grid of built forms and open spaces called the Nandyavarta—used in the layout of ancient Indian towns. This is a modern interpretation of an Indian city settlement, highlighting the architectural concept of the resort. The high ceilings, the craggy walls made from blocks of granite sourced from Kanchipuram, juxtaposed against the leather loungers in the lobby, create the temple ambience, almost immediately. The majestic central courtyard with its pillars and the massive temple tank with lotus afloat, reinforce the heritage feel of the resort, located on a sprawling 15-acre property, not far from the ancient temple town of Mahabalipuram, famous for its UNESCO Shore temples. This 7th century port city of the Pallavas is most…

YUNNAN MEANS ‘SOUTH OF THE CLOUDS.’ And as I arrived in this southwesternmost pocket of China, so it appeared to be. The Han Dynasty invaders who named this province could never have imagined that, one day, much of the rest of the country would be covered in a thick gray veil of pollution—that you could travel from Chengdu in the center to Beijing in the north and never see blue sky. But I flew in the other direction, south, and as we came down toward Dali, one of Yunnan’s prettier towns, lagoons appeared through the vapor below us. To the west, great peaks thrust up, outliers of the Himalayas. We circled lower and there, suddenly, was the deep blue of Erhai Lake and the shining green forests of the Cang…

TAKING THE BERNINA EXPRESS ON A SPECIAL OCCASION (BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY, OR SIMPLY TO BE ROMANTIC)? BOOK A SURPRISE PACKAGE ON THE WEBSITE FOR AN ONBOARD CELEBRATION, AND THE GIFT WILL COME TO YOUR SEAT. When the world was still perfecting rails on land, the Rhaetian Railway had its meandering tracks orbiting the Alps. Imagine this: This mountain railroad network is more than 125 years old, and its snaking lines cover 103 stations, run through 115 tunnels, and cross 612 bridges. What’s more, it’s not limited to Switzerland—you can cross the border and travel all the way to Italy on one of its scenic trains. So while everyone else is still working their day jobs, escape to Switzerland and make the most of your time by tracking snow-peaked mountains, curtain-like waterfalls,…

The Taj Mahal features on almost every Indian itinerary; its emotional draw is unimaginable. However, there is another monument, not very far away, that fascinates travellers with its story. Fatehpur Sikri, or the City of Victory, was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century after the prophecy of a Sufi saint living in the village of Sikri came true and Akbar’s heir was born. The first planned Mughal city came as a tribute to the saint, featuring public buildings, residences, mosques, and royal palaces. The Jama Masjid here is one of the largest mosques in the country. Earlier this year when vandals attacked the 440-year-old World Heritage Site and damaged a dome, it brought up the question again: How safe are our monuments?…

THE BIGGER PICTURE 15 TH  PUNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL MAHARASHTRA The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), a premier film school of the country, together with the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) celebrates world cinema in an annual gathering in their homeground, Pune. Last year saw the presence of Bad Hair actor Samantha Castillo and Polish flmmaker Krystof Zanussi among others. DELHI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL NEW DELHI This festival was launched in 2012 to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema. It screens 250 films, 250 selected art works and 50 literary works by NRI and Indian poets. Sharmila Tagore and Subhash Ghai were among the many celebrities present this year. DHARAMSHALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL HIMACHALPRADESH The festival draws independent filmmakers from around the world to the mountains…

Her husband was the kitchen, the apron her bridal dress. It was almost at the end of morning mass that a chapel bell begins to peal. The priest looks up at the high-vaulted ceiling of the Saint Francis of the Wounds Church in the remote Goan village of Colvale. The blue ceiling of the apse is covered in gilted stars that reside in the church by day and escape to sparkle in the sky by night. The walls of the church are pimpled like a youth in acne bloom, interspersed with peeling paint, some pieces hanging mid-air on invisible cobwebs. Too much salt in the water when they plastered the church has caused this sprouting and peeling. The salty water has risen brick by laterite brick, seeping through the laterite…

FADE ST. SOCIAL At the next corner, where tiny Fade Street branches off from Drury Street, is one of Dublin’s hottest institutions: Fade St. Social. There’s a restaurant with fresh local produce, a tapas room, and a cocktail bar. It’s the below-ground-level tapas section that’s the liveliest, filled with large groups seated at the long tables.The tapas menu is great for sharing: pork belly, peppered bacon, beef Carpaccio, etc. Scrawled on a blackboard are the cuts of steak for the day: aged rib, tomahawk and the like, all sold by weight. A 590-gram chateaubriand? Go with an appetite. fadestreetsocial.com SUPER MISS SUE Occupying a prime corner on Drury Street, the bright and friendly Super Miss Sue (SMS for short) offers a contemporary take on the evergreen fish and chips. Combining…

Who’s to judge? You are. Every year T+L asks readers to dish on their travel experiences—to share their opinions on everything from Southern cities to Asian islands, all-inclusive beach resorts to hilltop palazzos. Those assessments collectively define excellence in travel today, forming the basis of the World’s Best Awards. This year’s edition marks the biggest World’s Best Awards ever. We counted a record number of votes—more than 2,00,000 respondents submitted ratings—and saw a heap of new players make the lists. Kudos to all the winners, and thanks to you.…

TOP 10 Cities 1 Florence 89.85 H 2 Barcelona 89.60 H 3 Rome 89.22 H 4 San Sebastián Spain 88.75 5 Krakow Poland 88.72 6 Seville Spain 88.27 7 Budapest 88.05 H 8 Siena Italy 87.98 9 Istanbul 87.89 H 10 Venice 87.61 TOP 10 Resort Hotels 1 Hotel Castello di Casole—A Timbers Resort Casole d’Elsa, Italy 97.01 2 Alpina Gstaad Gstaad, Switzerland 96.00 2 Beau-Rivage Palace Lausanne, Switzerland 96.00 2 Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa Baden-Baden, Germany 96.00 5 Katikies Hotel Santorini, Greece 95.95 6 Ashford Castle County Mayo, Ireland 95.84 7 Hotel Santa Caterina Amalfi, Italy 95.57 8 J.K. Place Capri , Italy 95.46 9 Gleneagles Hotel Perthshire, Scotland 95.08 10 Palazzo Avino Ravello, Italy 94.42 TOP 5 Islands 1 Ischia Italy 90.22 2 Santorini Greece 89.07 H 3…