Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i Travel + Leisure India & South Asia

AD Singh & Sabina Singh Founder & MD, Olive Group of Restaurants Head of Design, Olive Group of Restaurants Since its inception, with the launch of Olive Bar & Kitchen in Bandra, SMumbai, in 2000, the Olive Group of Restaurants (olivebarandkitchen.com) has expanded to 37 restaurants across eight brands and six cities in India. The founder, AD Singh, and the head of design, Sabina Singh, are partners in both personal and professional life. And it is this partnership that makes the group such a significant player even after 20 years. “I started out at a time when there were very few cool things for people like us,” reminisces AD Singh about the late 1980s. “I had no background in business, but there was a huge opportunity in the market. I…

Raghavendra Rathore Designer Being a member of the Jodhpur royal family, Raghavendra Rathore Balways had big shoes to fill. Not just in terms of responsibility, but also in the style department. His great-grandfather, the Maharaja of Jodhpur, is said to have been the most well dressed monarch of his time, who invented the Jodhpur-style safa (headgear) and popularised the long, printed achkan. Rathore has not only lived up to his fashion lineage, but also endowed it with global fame. After studying at Parsons School of Design in New York, and working with Donna Karan New York (DKNY) and Oscar de la Renta, Rathore understood the importance of weaving his family’s cultural legacy into his designs. In 1994, he launched the label ‘Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur’ at 27 years of age. With…

THERE IS MORE TO Rajasthan than meets the eye. Banswara is proof. A part of the Vagad region of southern Rajasthan, the countryside of Banswara is surrounded by the Aravallis. Forests, rivers, waterfalls, and verdant hills dot the region, with the Mahi Bajaj Sagar dam acting as the lifeline of Banswara. If one were to judge the place on the basis of pictures, Banswara could easily be mistaken for a place in the North Eastern state of Meghalaya. It is hard to believe that a green paradise such as this exists in the desert state of Rajasthan. What distinguishes Banswara from the rest of the state is the amount of rainfall it receives every year. For instance, compared to Jaisalmer’s annual average of 146.88 mm rainfall, Banswara receives 900 mm.…

GETTING THERE KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (klm.com) offers connecting flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Salt Lake City. Delta Airlines (delta.com) offers direct connectivity from Salt Lake City to Bozeman, from where Livingston is just 30 minutes away. STAY Kimpton Armory Hotel This 122-room property has redefined luxury lodging in Bozeman. Doubles from ₹32,617; armoryhotelbzn.com Murray Hotel A Livingston institution with perhaps the best restaurant in town, the Second Street Bistro. Doubles from ₹12,136; murrayhotel.com RSVP Hotel A former Bozeman motel transformed into a boutique temple of distinctive design. Doubles from ₹12,136; rsvphotel.co EAT & DRINK Blackbird Casually elegant New American food with an Italian accent, in Bozeman. Entrées ₹1,061–₹1,972; blackbirdkitchen.com Campione Roman-inspired dishes in Livingston. Entrées ₹1,137–₹1,668; eatcampione.com Devil’s Toboggan An upscale bar in Bozeman that serves classic cocktails and…

WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING Snow Leopard Lodge in Ladakh for five years. We have had many interesting encounters with all kinds of wildlife, including the three wild cat species: the Pallas’s cat, the Tibetan lynx, and the snow leopard. But in November 2021, we had an encounter that surpassed all others. We came across a herd of bharal (Himalayan blue sheep) quenching their thirst from the frozen water of River Indus. As we were watching them, a snow leopard descended from the mountains. She stalked the bharal carefully to a striking distance of 20 metres, but then launched her attack prematurely. After contemplating her options for a while, she decided to reposition, and luckily for us, this meant she crossed the frozen Indus and headed straight towards us. What followed…

Tough Terrain These Indian mountaineers offer plenty of motivation with their limit-defying journeys on the most difficult landscapes on earth. travelandleisureindia.in/people/inspiring-indian-mountaineers-you-should-follow-on-instagram Nomadic Life Hear from a solo female traveller who has visited 10 Indian cities in 12 months with just one suitcase for company. travelandleisureindia.in/people/interview-with-amanda-sodhi-minimalist-solo-traveller Coral Conservation Find out all about coral bleaching and what we can do to save them, from a certified coral conservationist and rescue diver. travelandleisureindia.in/people/in-conversation-with-vidhi-bubna-the-woman-behind-indias-first-ever-diving-grant PEOPLE Author Siddharth Dasgupta talks about his poetry collection that pays homage to places. travelandleisureindia.in/people/interview-with-siddharth-dasgupta-on-his-poetry-collection-a-moveable-east DISCOVER Witness Croatia through the eyes of a local. travelandleisureindia.in/places/global/croatia-places-locals-love INSTA INSPIRATION CHECK OUT OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE @TRAVELANDLEISUREINDIA WHERE WE FEATURE TRAVELLERS AND THEIR STORIES. Download Travel + Leisure India & South Asia digital editions, and follow us for the best in hotels, food, style,…

ON RUE FAUBOURG Saint-Honoré, in Paris’s fashion district, Le Bristol Paris owns a coveted spot. Since 1925, celebrities like Charlie Chaplin, Rita Hayworth, Josephine Baker, and Sophia Loren have walked through its doors. Woody Allen shot scenes of Midnight in Paris in the Panoramic Suite here. The hotel is in the same neighbourhood as Élysée Palace, which is the French president’s official residence; the Embassy of the United Kingdom; and the residences of both the Canadian and American ambassadors to France. This landmark address offers accommodation in 190 classical French rooms and suites. Featuring Louis XV and Louis XVI style furniture, the hotel evokes a feeling of royalty. Certain accommodation units at Le Bristol deserve special mention. In April 2018, the hotel introduced Suite 1925, a lavish 70-square-metre sky apartment…

1. Conquest V.H.P Leather Strap LONGINES Longines first presented its Conquest V.H.P collection in 2017, driven by innovative quartz technology. The elegant sports collection now comes with leather straps. Made to endure rough travel, these watches tell the correct time even if knocked, dropped, or exposed to a magnetic field. Available in 41mm and 43mm, the watch sports a silver, black, or blue dial—adorned with Super-LumiNova. A brown leather strap accentuates the clean lines of the steel case, also available with black and blue straps. ₹84,000 2. Manero Flyback Green CARL F. BUCHERER This timepiece has been created for the intrepid urban adventurer who can find a connection to nature even in a chaotic city. Its standout feature is a compelling olive green dial, which is enclosed by a 43mm…

MINUTES INTO MY hour-long flight from New Delhi, I see curious eyes glued to the window. I peer over my co-passenger’s shoulders to see what is making everyone’s head turn. The lunar landscape of Leh, paired with spotless blue skies, is a mesmerising sight. The tiny defence airport is surprisingly crowded. Ladakh seems to have drawn tourists from around the country, all desperate to quench their thirst for travel after many months of staying cooped up. I too am eager to discover the many famous wonders of India’s northernmost region, not suspecting in the least that it will be the people who will leave the most lasting impressions on me. A FAMILY AWAY FROM HOME It begins at my homestay in Fiang, a village in the Leh district. A petite…

AT FIRST GLANCE, the village of Susch looks sleepy and conservative. Sitting at the lower end of the Engadine Valley, in southeastern Switzerland, it is little more than a cluster of Alpine dwellings, unchanged for centuries and housing just 200 people. Until recently, the main draw for visitors was a clinic for people with burnout, who chose to go there, presumably, because it is so quiet. It seems, in other words, an unlikely home for one of Europe’s boldest new contemporary art museums. But, in 2019, that is what the village became, when the Muzeum Susch opened in two beautifully renovated buildings on the banks of the Inn River—one a 12th-century monastery and the other a 19th-century brewery. The museum was founded by Grażyna Kulczyk, a Polish entrepreneur who wanted…

QATAR IS GOING all out to meet its National Vision 2030, which includes raising the country’s tourism sector to 12 per cent GBP. As part of the Qatar Tourism Strategy 2030, the country has added a variety of exciting experiences to its menu. Many luxury hotels, theme parks, shops, and leisure projects have been launched, and more are set to open in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Over 100 hotels and serviced apartments are under construction, which will add to the country’s already extensive portfolio of properties. Watch out for top hospitality players such as Raffles, Fairmont, Rosewood, and St. Regis. Among the major tourism projects are Place Vendome, a shopping mall with 580 retail outlets, two five-star hotels, and entertainment zones; the West Bay…

ON A PODCAST, the poet David Whyte says aloneness is a portal to walk through, to becoming oneself and restarting one’s conversation with nature. As I struggled to cope with loneliness in a pandemic-afflicted world, I wondered if he might be wrong—if someone could suffer from an overdose of solitude. Then, I happened to visit Gokarna. My choice of first post-pandemic destination was Kahani Paradise. The seven-suite hilltop villa was built as a holiday home by a British family, who realised that it needed to be shared with others in their absence. Since 2019, it can be booked entirely as a private villa or as individual suites. The owner, Anthony Bellm, is happy to explain its two-part name: there are plenty of kahanis (stories) behind its birth on this pristine…

1. CAMERA Nikon Z FC Harking back to the golden age of film, the Nikon Z FC will make lovers of retro design weak in the knees (the textured leather accents are absolutely gorgeous). But it’s not just a cool fashion statement for your Instagram page—it’s a modern, mirrorless, full-featured interchangeablelens camera (21MP, if that matters) that works with Nikon’s Z and F mount lenses (the latter require an adapter). It has a flip-out rear LCD monitor and includes support for 4K video, slo-mo, and upto 11fps still shooting. From ₹84,995; nikon.co.in 2. GIMBAL DJI OM5 Is 2022 the year you finally start your travel vlog? Making your decision easier is DJI, which has a new smartphone gimbal out just in time. The OM5 comes with upgraded tracking (ActiveTrack 4.0),…

Palau AN ARCHIPELAGO OF over 500 little islands, including 200 that are volcanic, Palau is a gem in the Pacific Ocean. It is a true-blue diver’s paradise, offering unique dive sites such as the Blue Corner, German Channel, and Ulong Channel. Between February and April every year, hundreds of grey reef sharks swim to the waters of Palau for mating season. This is when the destination hosts Shark Week Palau. Its 20th annual edition is set to take place from February 27 to March 6, 2022; experienced divers can take part in citizen science activities such as keeping a tab on the number of shark species, from grey reef and blacktip to blue, tiger, and hammerhead. Or sign up for a snorkelling tour of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Rock Islands…

It would make for a pretty lame T-shirt: “I went to Bozeman and didn’t once set foot on a hiking trail.” On a recent visit, I avoided this mortifying distinction by scrambling up Drinking Horse Mountain Trail, a three-kilometre loop that starts in town. But there is so much going on in the paved parts of this idyllic town that you could easily go days without finding time to take in the natural splendour that surrounds it, which includes a half-dozen mountain ranges and a little park called Yellowstone. I wanted to go to Bozeman because I’d spent a decade falling in love with—and dreaming of relocating to—Big Sky Country, as it’s known. I had recently been hired to teach writing at the University of Montana in Missoula, the state’s…

GETTING THERE Etihad Airways (etihad.com) flies from Delhi to Zurich via Abu Dhabi. S-Chanf is around three hours from Zurich Airport. STAY Kulm Hotel St. Moritz Engadine’s grandest property has been in business for more than 160 years. Doubles from ₹73,447; kulm.com Pensiun Aldier This small hotel in the village of Sent exhibits works by Alberto Giacometti. Doubles from ₹12,039; aldier.ch Villa Flor This charming seven-room property in S-chanf is a 20-minute drive from St. Moritz. Doubles from ₹24,230; villaflor.ch Waldhaus Sils This luxurious, if eccentric, hotel in Sils Maria has an idyllic forest setting. Doubles from ₹44,295; waldhaus-sils.ch DO Galerie Tschudi One of the region’s first galleries occupies a 16th-century house in Zuoz. galerie-tschudi.ch Galerie von Bartha This S-chanf gallery is housed in a 15th-century hay barn. vonbartha.com Hauser…