OLTRE - Volume 1: The Debut Issue

VOLUME 1

SPRING 2023

ÓL·TRE

TRAVEL BEYOND

Greetings from OLTRE! From The Desk Of

Global Travel Collection

Welcome to OLTRE, an entirely new kind of travel publication with a fresh perspective meant to inspire you to travel beyond. OLTRE is an Italian word meaning “beyond, over and above”. And that’s what we at Global Travel Collection strive to do for our clients, plan travel experiences that go beyond the expected.

Please enjoy this issue with our compliments — and let us know when you’re ready to see the world from a different view.

Global Travel Collection 212-755-4550

Drew Escriva

hello@globaltravelcollection.com

Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Surfside, Florida

WHERE WILL YOUR NEXT STORY BEGIN? Every stay is a story – and it starts with love. So come, be the centre of our world, anywhere in the world.

Discover with Four Seasons today.

Contact your travel professional for more information.

Have higher expectations. And longer ones.

New Bentayga Extended Wheelbase.

Introducing the world’s most luxurious SUV. Visit BentleyMotors.com/BentaygaEWB The name ‘Bentley’ and the ‘B’ in wings device are registered trademarks. © 2023 Bentley Motors Inc. Model shown: Bentayga Extended Wheelbase.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

POLAR EXPEDITIONS

EUROPEAN RIVERS

E X P LO R E A L L S E V E N C O N T I N E N T S O N O U R F L E E T O F

AWA R D W I N N I NG SM A L L S H I P S As the small ship experts, Viking is able to deliver you right to your destination’s doorstep to explore in comfort. From river ships in Europe, Southeast Asia, Egypt, and along the Mississippi to 930-guest ocean ships that sail the world, we offer a tremendous variety of itineraries and departures. And our new, purpose-built Expedition ships journey to Antarctica and The Great Lakes.

For reservations, contact your Travel Advisor.

#1 Rivers & #1 Oceans

CST# 2052644-40

CONTENTS ARTICLES

AT A GLANCE

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SOUND BAR

Spring 2023

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THE OLTRE GUIDE: VALLEYS OF GIANTS

IN PLANE VIEW

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London, England Every issue of OLTRE has its own soundtrack. To curate our first playlist, we tapped the vibe masters of London’s hottest new lounge, Vesper Bar. Listen now.

ACHILLE’S ZEAL

36 Dallas, Texas Abstract artist Jim Darling paints the world as he sees it from 30,000 feet.

Reggio Emilia, Italy

Napa Valley and Sonoma County, California 8

Europe’s best modern art museum is one you’ve never heard of.

We offer the ultimate guide to the most prestigious wine-growing region of the New World, with more than 100 insider tips for exploring the best resorts, restaurants, bars, wineries, breweries, galleries, boutiques, hiking trails and more.

WHERE TO NEXT: THE OLTRE LOOK BOOK

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ICEBERG, DEAD AHEAD!

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OLTRE VOLUME 1

Antarctica

Around the World

The Antarctic Circle is suddenly on everyone’s must-visit list. Get fitted for a complimentary parka and set sail through the notorious Drake Passage, then strip down and take the polar plunge.

Milan, London, New York, Niseko, Paris, Tokyo, Capri, Rwanda… We often choose our next destination based on a particular hotel, because we are hotel junkies. And these are the 101 hotels and resorts in 29 destinations that we’re most excited about right now.

The World’s Most Awarded Safari Company.

A safari is unlike any other experience and Micato Safaris is unlike any other company: For every safari sold, we send a child to school.

CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL ADVISOR FOR DETAILS TEN-TIME #1 WINNER: World’s Best Safari Outfitter, Travel+Leisure.

Micato is the only tour company in the Travel+Leisure Hall of Fame

CONTENTS ARTICLES

DESTINATION DINING: WORLDS APART

FANTASTIC BEASTS

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CRUISE NEWS

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Manitoba, Canada A Canadian town on the edge of the Arctic Circle has become a model of sustainable tourism and human/bear territory sharing.

Bangkok, Thailand Hot! Hot! Our editorial director takes an incredible journey from the street to fine dining with one of Thailand’s rising-star chefs.

Around the World

DREAM WEAVERS

The latest cruise updates around the world. Plus, we’re on board the maiden voyage of The RitzCarlton Evrima as the superyacht sails from Portugal to Bermuda.

40 NEWS & BUZZ 10

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Edinburgh, Scotland, and Mykonos, Greece Two bespoke fashion designers create beautiful designs imbued with extraordinary sense of place.

THE MASTER OF ZEN

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THE OLTRE Q&A

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OLTRE VOLUME 1

Luang Prabang, Laos

Mozambique, South Africa

Look inside the resort so dear to legendary hotelier Adrian Zecha that he kept a piece of it for himself.

Producer/director/documentarian Kweku Mandela gets the last word.

Around the World Space travel, first-class suites and the greening of airlines. Plus, save the date: Ai Weiwei in London, Karl Lagerfield in New York, Architecture Biennale in Venice, Formula 1 in Monte Carlo, opening night of summer season at the Hollywood Bowl and more.

PERSPECTIVE

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IMPRINT

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CONTRIBUTORS

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Your exclusive address on Sicily’s coast ROCCO FORTE PRIVATE VILLAS, VERDURA RESORT, SICILY

ROCCO FORTE HOTELS HOTEL DE ROME BERLIN HOTEL AMIGO BRUSSELS THE BALMORAL EDINBURGH HOTEL SAVOY FLORENCE BROWN’S HOTEL LONDON THE CHARLES HOTEL MUNICH VILLA IGIEA PALERMO MASSERIA TORRE MAIZZA PUGLIA HOTEL DE LA VILLE ROME HOTEL DE RUSSIE ROME ROCCO FORTE HOUSE ROME ROCCO FORTE PRIVATE VILLAS SICILY VERDURA RESORT SICILY HOTEL ASTORIA ST PETERSBURG FUTURE OPENINGS: ROCCO FORTE HOUSE MILAN THE CARLTON MILAN ROCCOFORTEHOTELS.COM

Welcome to OLTRE, an entirely new kind of travel publication. OLTRE is an Italian word meaning “beyond, over and above,” and that’s where we’re going: beyond the expected.

Your travel advisor has gifted you a subscription to OLTRE to thank you for supporting their business. For advisors, travel is their passion and profession. Collectively, they’ve been to every country on the planet — and if they don’t have first-hand recommendations on the best way to experience a place, they have connections with experts who do. They’re on a first-name basis with the owners of a boutique hotel on the Amalfi Coast, the family who founded a safari company, the presidents of cruise lines. They know the suite to book and the best time to go, and can open doors for access and perks you can’t get on your own.

Consider your advisor a secret weapon when it comes to travel planning, and OLTRE your inspiration. I’m admittedly biased, but there’s just something special about a print magazine. It’s a treat in your mailbox amidst the bills and advertising fliers, and unlike the digital chaos found online, a print edition is a carefully edited, tactile indulgence that you can literally feel, an invitation to stop and take some time for yourself.

So settle in with a glass of wine and a good read. Our inaugural issue spans the globe from pole to pole (literally), as we dispatched writers and photographers to Antarctica and the Arctic, and throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and elsewhere. Our talented editorial team created this quarterly publication as a collectible little black book, and we hope you’ll save each volume through the year for reference. Let us know what you think at editors@globaltravelcollection.com.

Elaine Srnka

Senior Vice President, Editorial

Evens Leandre

NOTED PERSPECTIVE

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The Debut

OLTRE VOLUME 1

HUMANS IMPRINT Senior Vice President, Editorial Vice President, Publishing Editorial Director Design Director Copy Editor International Correspondents Contributors

Elaine Srnka Laura Sport Brad A. Johnson Devin Duckworth Myles McDonnell Kathryn Romeyn (Bali), Chris Schalkx (Bangkok), Laura Schooling (London) Andrea Ámez, Addison Bailey, Ashley Barker, Jim Darling, Bob Ecker, Drew Escriva, Luis Garcia, Rebecca Hall, Maria Hunt, Evens Leandre, Devorah Lev-Tov, Allan Lynch, Fran Miller, Madeleine Morlet, Jen Murphy, Luisa Pagani, Layne Randolph, Lina Zeldovich

GLOBAL TRAVEL COLLECTION MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, FINANCE Vice President, Marketing Director, Marketing Account Specialist, Marketing Database Coordinator, Marketing

Elizabeth Broehl

Director, Strategic Development

Cortney Woody

Director, Digital Marketing

Jocelyn Acosta

Director, Finance

Felipe Castro

Manager, Public Relations

Josh Stevens Julie Hartman Kyle Levine Gina Nisi

PARTNER RELATIONS & ADVERTISING Vice President, Partner Liasion Vice President, Destinations Vice President, Hotel Programs Vice President, Program Development

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Chief Marketing Officer, Travel Leaders Group Advertising Sales

Beth Butzlaff Brian Hegarty Pam Meehan Haisley Smith Stephen McGillivray Lisa Calderone-Spierings Laurelei Papajani

Marni Becker, Marshall Davenport, Melissa Dobmeier, Heather Eberle, Dennis Grunden, Catherine Johns, Ronald Laing, Teresita Meadows, Sinead O’Connell, Michael Payan Direct advertising inquiries to partnermarketing@globaltravelcollection.com

INTERNOVA TRAVEL GROUP Chief Executive Officer President President, Global Travel Collection Executive Vice President, Partner Relations Executive Vice President, Partner Relations Executive Vice President, Partner Relations

J.D. O’Hara Gabe Rizzi Angie Licea Albert Herrera Peter Vlitas Pam Young

Select Hotel Rate Key

$ = Under $500 $$ = $500 - $1,000 $$$ = $1,000 - $1,500 $$$$ = Over $1,500 Categories reflect average midseason rate for standard room. Your travel advisor can secure complimentary Select perks such as hotel credits, breakfast for two, early check-in/late check-out (based on availability) and other extras.

OLTRE VOLUME 1

ON THE FRONT COVER: Shot on location at Portrait Milano. Photography by Luisa Pagani.

ON THE BACK COVER: Shot on location at One Aldwych. Photography by Madeleine Morlet.

Chief Financial Officer Chief Information Officer Senior Vice President, Public Relations Senior Vice President, Human Resources Vice President, Strategic Development General Counsel

Robert Klug Jeremy Van Kuyk Elizabeth Gaerlan Kris Parkin Henry Gilroy Helena Daras

OLTRE is published quarterly by Internova Travel Group, one of the largest travel services companies in the world. Internova brands represent more than 100,000 travel advisors in over 6,000 company-owned and affiliated locations throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a presence in more than 80 countries. Global Travel Collection, a division of Internova Travel Group, is the leading luxury travel network of travel advisors serving leisure, corporate and entertainment clients. Publisher assumes no responsibility for representations or changes to travel information and pricing described herein, which are subject to change and availability, and restrictions may apply. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written consent of Publisher. Direct editorial and subscription inquiries to editors@globaltravelcollection.com and advertising requests to partnermarketing@globaltravelcollection.com. Internova Travel Group and Global Travel Collection are headquartered at 1633 Broadway, New York , NY 10019; Internova.com. Copyright © 2023 Internova Travel Group.

From the Arctic to Antarctica, go beyond your comfor t zone.

Follow your curiosities, free your spirit and expand your mind with new experiences you’ve never known; polar kayaking, ice fishing, polar diving and so much more.

HUMANS CONTRIBUTORS

HUMANS OF

VOLUME 1 Spring 2023

Brad A. Johnson Editorial Director, OLTRE Orange County, CA

Kathryn Romeyn Correspondent Bali, Indonesia

Chris Schalkx Correspondent Bangkok, Thailand

Laura Schooling Correspondent London, England

Andrea Ámez Model Los Angeles, CA

Bob Ecker Writer Napa, CA

Drew Escriva Photographer Los Angeles, CA

Luis Garcia Photographer San Diego, CA

Rebecca Hall Writer Plymouth, England

Maria Hunt Writer Oakland, CA

Evens Leandre Photographer Dallas, TX

Devorah Lev-Tov Writer Brooklyn, NY

Allan Lynch Writer Nova Scotia, Canada

Fran Miller Writer Lafayette, CA

Madeleine Morlet Photographer London, England

Jen Murphy Writer Maui, Hawaii

Luisa Pagani Photographer Milan, Italy

Layne Randolph Writer Sonoma, CA

Lina Zeldovich Writer New York, NY

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Devin Duckworth Design Director, OLTRE Los Angeles, CA

OLTRE VOLUME 1

Immersive Exploration Venture to 60+ destinations across seven continents with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic.

GALÁPAGOS • ANTARCTICA • BAJA CALIFORNIA • COSTA RICA • ALASKA • FRENCH POLYNESIA • THE ARCTIC • MANY MORE

Contact Your Travel Advisor to Plan Your Expedition ©2023 Lindblad Expeditions. Lindblad Expeditions and the Eye are the trademarks of Lindblad Expeditions. All rights reserved. ©2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and the Yellow Border are trademarks of National Geographic Society and used with permission.

Travel like you mean it Wherever your travels take you, elevate the experience with IHG® Hotels & Resorts. As one of the world’s largest luxury and lifestyle hotel brands, we offer unparalleled service and stay experiences in the world’s most premium destinations.

Kimpton® Kitalay Samui

InterContinental® Barcelona

Six Senses® Shaharut

RADAR FIRST IMPRESSIONS

IN PLANE VIEW

ARTIST JIM DARLING PAINTS THE WORLD AS HE SEES IT FROM 30,000 FEET.

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OLTRE VOLUME 1

San Francisco, 18” x 24”

AD

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Elephant Canyon, 18” x 24” Jim Darling is a multidisciplinary artist with a studio in the Tin District in Dallas, Texas, whose work encompasses painting, mixed media and sculpture. His long-running series “Windows” uses acrylic on wood panels, framed with handmade layered-wood airplane windows. jimdarling.com

SAVE THE DATE: THESE ARE THE EVENTS AND OPENINGS ON OUR AGENDA THIS SEASON.

April 6 – July 30

April 13 – 15

April 17 – May 20

May 5 – July 16

London, England

Bangkok, Thailand

Paris, France

New York City, USA

Ai Weiwei’s first-ever design exhibit at the Design Museum

Songkran, Thai New Year and (nationwide) water festival

Ariodante Opera at Palais Garnier (Opening night: April 20)

Karl Lagerfeld exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

June 15 – 18

June 10

May 26

May 20

Basel, Switzerland

Los Angeles, USA

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Venice, Italy

Art Basel 200 galleries, 4,000 artists

Janet Jackson opens the summer season at Hollywood Bowl

Formula 1 Grand Prix on the Circuit de Monaco

Biennale Architettura, curated by novelist Lesley Lokko

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OLTRE VOLUME 1

The Design Museum by Friederike von Rauch; Bangkok by Hanny Naibaho via Unsplash Images; Paris by Saish Rane via Unsplash Images; The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Stephen H via Unsplash Images; Venice by Faith Crabtree via Unsplash Images; Monte Carlo by Livio Fretz via Unsplash Images; Hollywood Bowl by Brad A. Johnson; Messe Basel by Lisa Therese via Unsplash Images.

RADAR CALENDAR

WHAT’S ON

PRIVACY? YES, PLEASE. Delta One® suites: Redefining what it means to settle in for the long haul.

Contact your travel advisor to plan your next vacation.

RADAR AIR NEWS

Up in the Air 24

DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT OF THE PLANE

OLTRE VOLUME 1

First-Class Upgrade: Etihad is relaunching its fleet of A380s, all four of which have been grounded since 2020 because of the pandemic. These are the planes with those extraordinary Residences at the front of first class — each with a private bedroom, living room and bathroom for two passengers. And that’s in addition to the nine First Apartments. The A380s have all been restored and will back in the air by the end of July, flying between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow for starters, with additional routes to be announced later.

New Lounge Alert: Good news for anyone flying out of Los Angeles: Delta Airlines is almost finished with its terminal upgrades at LAX and will open a new Sky Club lounge in April. At more than 30,000 square feet with a sprawling terrace and indoor/ outdoor bar, it will be one of the airline’s largest lounges in the U.S. Fuel for Thought: In the race to make getting there a little greener for air travelers, United Airlines’ holding company recently launched an initiative focused on producing sustainable aviation fuel.

Backed by several major companies, including Air Canada and Boeing, the $100 million fund will be used to develop green energy solutions. Some airlines are already testing alternative jet fuels.

Singapore Airlines flew the first trans-Pacific biofuel flights in 2017, and Virgin Atlantic made similar gains over the Atlantic in 2018. The aviation industry aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

WRITING: ADDISON BAILEY

Living Room: Etihad Residence.

when life demands further exploration.

Explore places most people only daydream about.

Encounter native wildlife up-close. And experience it all on the new, purpose-built expedition ships, with luxury and adventure in equal measure. For this Antarctic experience, the time is now.

The moment is yours. What will you do with it?

Expedition

WATCH AND BE MOVED

For more information please refer to your travel professional.

RADAR SPACE

Here’s a quick look at Spaceship Neptune by the numbers:

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Total number of people inside the pressurized capsule: eight passengers, one pilot.

100 Yards. Approximate height of the balloon.

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Miles per hour. The balloon’s speed is tightly controlled. Two hours up. Two hours at the edge of space. Two hours to come down.

100k Cruising altitude feet above Earth where Spaceship Neptune will cruise at the edge of space for two hours.

BALLOON FRENZY IN THE RACE TO SPACE, A BALLOON TAKES THE SLOWEST ROUTE AND PROMISES TO BE THE QUIETEST, MOST COMFORTABLE AND ONLY CARBON-NEUTRAL WAY TO GET THERE.

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There are no middle seats. No bad views, no G-forces. You can wear whatever you want, listen to whatever you want, drink whatever you want.

Just don’t be in a hurry. Space Perspective’s new tourist balloon, Spaceship Neptune, will travel to the edge of space at a leisurely 12 miles per hour. The entire journey from takeoff at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (or aboard a floating platform) to splashdown in the ocean at a location determined in part by the wind will span six hours.

Although no date has been set, first commercial flights are expected to commence before the end of next year.

450 Visibility in miles. The distance you should be able to see in any direction after reaching cruising altitude.

0

Carbon emissions. Space Perspective is the only carbon-neutral, zero emission way to get to space.

360 Degrees of panoramic views from the capsule’s

floor-to-ceiling windows. Even the bathroom has a window.

15

Minutes. How long you’ll need to stay strapped into your seat for takeoff and landing. Otherwise, you’re free to roam about the cabin.

6

Hours. Duration of the flight.

85

Songs. Guests are encouraged to create their own playlists for the journey. Specialty headphones will be provided. Six hours of music amounts to roughly 85 songs.

125k

Dollars. The cost of a single ticket.

1.1k

Number of tickets already sold or reserved.

WRITING: ADDISON BAILEY

Details: OLTRE VOLUME 1

Concept Capsule: Renderings of Space Perspective’s planned Spaceship Neptune exterior (above) and interior.

Contact your travel advisor for arrangements. Single tickets or entire capsules available. Deposit of $1,000 per ticket required.

RADAR CRUISE NEWS

Fashionably Elate

A Hotel First: The Ritz-Carlton Evrima.

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THE RITZ-CARLTON SENT SHOCK WAVES THROUGH THE HOTEL AND TRAVEL INDUSTRIES A WHILE BACK WHEN THE COMPANY ANNOUNCED PLANS TO LAUNCH A TRIO OF LUXURY SUPERYACHTS. YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE, THE FIRST BOAT IS HERE, AND SHE’S A BEAUTY.

OLTRE VOLUME 1

A priest says a prayer. Champagne splatters against the vessel. Glasses click. And The RitzCarlton Evrima is christened.

But this isn’t just another christening. With corks still popping, the glamorous superyacht glides out of Lisbon, plots a course to Funchal and Tenerife, then across the Atlantic to Bridgetown, Barbados, for a 13-day inaugural voyage.

This is the first time a hotel brand has gone to sea like this. Others are queuing up to compete, and of course Belmond operates a fleet of lovely river barges, but this is undoubtedly a historic moment on the ocean.

The first of three planned vessels and years behind schedule, Evrima will spend the next few seasons sailing the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

While itineraries will overlap somewhat with other cruise lines’ ports of call, The Ritz-Carlton’s smaller size allows it to navigate places larger cruises cannot, like Ile des Saintes (Guadeloupe), Soufrière (St. Lucia) and various keys and beaches in the Bahamas. And with fewer than 300 passengers to keep track of, the superyacht can linger a little longer in each port.

The vessel rises 10 decks high, 624 feet long and houses 149 suites — all with terraces. Evrima carries up to 298 passengers (265 on this trip), serviced by a crew of 250. Service quickly proves not just efficient but, as with a luxury hotel, anticipatory.

My two-level Loft Suite has a dining/living room, powder room and 80-square-foot terrace on Deck 5 and a walnut-paneled king bedroom, marble bath and large picture windows on Deck 4.

With five restaurants and six bars, including S.E.A. by chef Sven Elverfeld of Aqua at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg, Germany, dining proves wonderful throughout. But most memorable to me are the hightea-like towers of treats at breakfast and the easy casualness of dinner, no matter where you dine. I especially appreciate not being forced into assigned dining situations. You get to eat when and where you want, with whom you want. No assigned tables, rigid time slots or buffets. A group of us — a Bloomberg exec, a Sarasota wealth manager and his doctor wife and a couple who run a Grand Canyon tour company — form our own dining club and share several meals in Talaat Nam and Mistral. Also, you don’t have to get all dressed up. The dress code for dinner is no different than for a casual night at the country club.

Insider Tip:

“Make sure to peruse the onboard Hermès boutique, which offers a selection of previously loved Birkin, Mini Kelly and other vintage bags.”

—Albert Herrera, Internova Travel Group

RADAR CRUISE NEWS Sea and Be Seen: The Observation Lounge aboard The Ritz-Carlton Evrima (left) and the Astern Lounge on the upcoming Explora I (right).

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As the days blend together at sea, we never lack for entertainment: a solo singer poolside at lunch, a jazz trio in the Living Room during cocktail hour, a more festive late-night scene in the Observation Lounge, conveniently located next to the Humidor cigar bar.

CEO Doug Prothero tells me the idea was to bring Ritz-Carlton service to a yachting lifestyle on an oceangoing superyacht, noting Evrima has the highest crew-to-passenger ratio on the most expensive cruise vessel per berth that’s ever been built. “My competition isn’t another ship,” he says.

“It’s a villa in Tuscany.”

.

WRITING: ALLAN LYNCH

Details:

Ritz-Carlton Evrima itineraries range from 5 to 13 nights, starting at $3,700.

More Hotel Yachts:

Four Seasons will launch a 95-suite superyacht in late 2025, with reservations opening as soon as this year. Aman will launch a 50-suite superyacht sometime in 2026. And potentially most extravagant of all, Orient Express will debut its 54-cabin yacht, also in 2026, with a hybrid propulsion system powered by wind and liquefied natural gas.

NEXT UP:

In May, in partnership with Maison Ruinart/ LVMH, Belmond will launch Coquelicot, an ultraluxury river barge — three suites, maximum six passengers — focused on weeklong tasting tours of France’s Champagne region.

Come July, MSC Group’s new Explora Journeys will debut the first of six planned ships, the 461-suite Explora I, with a 15-night maiden voyage from Southampton, UK, to Copenhagen. Among the ship’s 18 food and beverage outlets are a specialty whiskey bar and an exclusive fine-dining restaurant, Anthology, which will feature a tour of limited engagements by guest chefs from around the world.

In August, Silversea Cruises will debut its 11th ship, the 364-suite Silver Nova, with an inaugural seven-day round trip sailing from Venice. Silver Nova will offer eight signature restaurants and 10 bars, including a 28-seat S.A.L.T. Lab test kitchen and an intimate 32-seat lounge called The Shelter.

And over Thanksgiving weekend, Regent Seven Seas will debut its sixth ship, the 375-suite Grandeur, with a celebratory 14-night transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to Miami. The ship will feature a palatial 4,443-square-foot Regent Suite and Fabergé’s first permanent at-sea art exhibition.

WRITING: ADDISON BAILEY

OLTRE VOLUME 1

ONE&ONLY KÉA ISLAND, GREECE

Discover

THE OCEAN STATE OF MIND The new European luxury lifestyle brand at sea, debuting in July 2023.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR PREFERRED TRAVEL ADVISOR

CU I S I NES COVE RI N G AL L C ORNERS OF THE G LOBE A celebration of global culinary talents, cultures, and passions, EXPLORA I will showcase sophisticated and varied culinary experiences across six vibrant restaurants, plus in-suite dining, as well as in five of the 12 bars and lounges onboard.

LOU NGI NG BY DAY, LOU NGI NG BY N IGH T An effortless, cosmopolitan atmosphere in which to discover, enjoy and appreciate diverse talents from around the world. Reimagining entertainment with the right vibe for the right time, with the perfect blend of vibrancy and privacy across 12 indoor and outdoor bars and lounges.

WE L L BEI NG , I N SI D E A N D OUT From treatment rooms to state-of-the-art fitness equipment, group workout classes to personal training appointments and tailor-made programmes, over 10,000 sqft of space is dedicated to our Ocean Wellness facilities, making keeping well while on holiday effortless and enjoyable.

EXQUISITELY DESIG NED Spaces that offer guests relaxed luxury, creating a home at sea. Restoring life’s essential balance with a combination of discovery and appreciation for wellbeing and nature. Each of our 461 ocean-front suites, penthouses and residences – all designed with a refined, European elegance – are created to get you closer to the ocean. All suites feature private terrace and large floor-to-ceiling windows.

RADAR PLAYLIST

SOUND/BAR

TO CURATE OLTRE’S VOLUME 1 PLAYLIST, WE TURNED TO THE IMPECCABLE VIBE MASTERS AT VESPER BAR, THE FAB NEW LOUNGE INSIDE THE DORCHESTER HOTEL.

London, England 01. “Paris City Jazz” by Bellaire 02. “Saw You for the First Time” by Laurence Guy 03. “Jazz Vol. 1” by Seb Wildblood 04. “JAS” by Tim Deluxe 05. “The Semimodular Bird of Jazz” by Felipe Gordon 06. “Midnight in Peckham” by Chaos in the CBD 07. “Miles Away” by Linkwood Family 08. “LOVE is” by Tim Deluxe 09. “Naples Bay” by Belloq 10. “Beach Jazz” by Tom Jarmey ft. MarBlu 11. “Keep It Real” by Loure 12. “Brandschatzer” by Paso 13. “What’s New” by St. Germain

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14. “Seal of Approval” by Seb Wildblood 15. “Beatin’ tha Breaks (Fouk Remix)” by Magic in Threes 16. “Faith (Borrowed Identity Remix)” by Jacques Renault

THE DORCHESTER, London

$$$

Select perks include a $100 dining credit and daily breakfast for two.

17. “Just a Lonely Night Eating Sushis” by Folamour 18. “Dusty Jazz” by Sameed 19. “Most Really Pretty Girls Have Pretty Ugly Feet” by HNNY

Vesper Bar opened in January at the recently renovated Dorchester and instantly became the hottest scene in London. Legendary barman Scott Garvin, in collaboration with Molto Music Group, created this rare-groove soundtrack of modern house infused with retro jazz, funk and soul. The glamorous Martin Brudnizki-designed lounge takes its name from the Vesper martini of James Bond fame. Just like that moniker, and the 1930s-inspired decor, this soundtrack pays homage to hotel’s numerous connections to Bond films over the years — and to the late author Ian Fleming himself, who was a regular.

OLTRE VOLUME 1

Scan this code to open our playlist in Spotify.

The Dorchester

WRITING: BRAD A. JOHNSON

GO TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH DISCOVER THE ALL-INCLUSIVE LUXURY EXPERIENCE OF SILVERSEA

Silversea’s intimate, all-suite ships take you deeper into the world’s authentic beauty with a seamless attention to detail and immersive insight. Elevating the whispered Italian luxury enjoyed on board is a truly all-inclusive offering unmatched in ultra-luxury cruising. From private executive transfers from home to a rich collection of shore excursions in every port of call, Silversea’s itineraries reveal the iconic and undiscovered, exploring more than 900 destinations across all seven continents. All aboard state-of-the-art Ocean-going and ice-class Expedition vessels.

ANTARCTICA | Behold the wonders of the Great White Continent – fascinating ice, penguins and incredible wildlife, epic scenery and otherworldly beauty. From the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, Silversea gets you closer to this fascinating part of the world.

Silver Cloud

Silver Wind

Experience Authentic Beauty with Silversea Cruises Place your camera in front of the QR Code and follow the link.

For some smartphones a QR Reader would be needed.

THE ARCTIC | Kissed by the midnight sun’s ethereal warmth, the Arctic’s brief summer thaw is an invitation to explore Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian High Arctic. Come search for polar bears, take a Zodiac to remote Inuit communities, or kayak glacial seas to see incredible wildlife and stunning landscapes.

Silver Endeavour

CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL TO PLAN YOUR NEXT VACATION

Luis Aniceto/Cesura (left and right) and Claudia Marini (center)

RADAR ART Collezione Maramotti: Sculpture by Ettore Colla, exterior of the museum and a painting by Jannis Kounellis.

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Achille’s Zeal

THE BEST MODERN ART MUSEUM IN EUROPE IS THIS ONE THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF.

Reggio Emilia, Italy Good museums make you think. Great ones make you feel. But the best ones? They make you cry.

Have tissues at the ready when visiting Collezione Maramotti. To find it, you’ll need to take a detour, and that’s most easily done from Bologna. The personal collection of Achille Maramotti, founder of Max Mara, is housed in the fashion brand’s first factory in the industrial outskirts of Reggio Emilia.

There is no café, no gift shop, not even a catalog to purchase. The museum is not promoted outside of art circles and seems to get a kick out of attracting visitors who more or less stumble upon it. But you’ll be glad you did.

The collection is the legacy of a man whose soul lives on in the airy, modular space. The artwork is organized by artist and movement, with no crowds to impede your wonder. An entire room of Ross Bleckner paintings makes one want to scream, “Does anyone even know these are here?”

From the 1960s until his death in 2005, Maramotti amassed more than a thousand pieces based on his personal passion. Of those, 200 are on permanent display. Roughly half the work is

by Italian artists: greats like Francesco Clemente, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Claudio Parmiggiani.

The rest is an international smattering, with

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RADAR ART Dario Lasagni

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Modern Family: At Collezione Maramotti, artworks by Sigmar Polke and Anselm Kiefer (top) and Alberto Burri and Osvaldo Licini (bottom).

thrilling works by the likes of Eric Fischl, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly and Ellen Gallagher.

The family continues making acquisitions in the spirit of the patriarch and supports new artists via the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, in conjunction with London’s Whitechapel Gallery.

The museum is free to visit, but you will need a reservation. All tours are guided (in Italian but with English translation as needed) and last two to three hours. Pack those tissues accordingly.

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WRITING: LAURA SCHOOLING

STAY: Grand Hotel Majestic già Baglioni

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A historic 106-room palazzo with fabulous restaurants in nearby Bologna. Select perks include a $100 dining credit and daily breakfast for two guests.

Insider Tip:

“After visiting Collezione Maramotti, take a walking tour of the many piazzas in Reggio Emilia’s historic core.

This city is famous for gastronomy.”

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—Andrea Grisdale, IC Bellagio

RADAR SCOUTED

DREAM

WEAVERS

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IN MYKONOS AND EDINBURGH, TWO BESPOKE FASHION DESIGNERS HAVE EMBARKED ON PARALLEL MISSIONS TO REVIVE HERITAGE CRAFTS, CREATING ONE-OF-A-KIND DESIGNS IMBUED WITH EXTRAORDINARY SENSE OF PLACE.

Araminta Campbell: (Clockwise) Models wear blankets from the Home Studio Collection outside the Scotland atelier; an antique hand loom; model wears the latest designs; closeup of woven fabric; portrait of Araminta Birse-Stewart; and custom alpaca threads.

(Opposite) Antique shears.

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POP TARTAN Edinburgh, Scotland In an era of fast fashion, Scotland’s centuriesold weaving tradition has struggled to survive, but at a new atelier on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Araminta Birse-Stewart is preserving her country’s craft through timeless textiles that celebrate both heritage and landscape.

Birse-Stewart launched her now-renowned brand, Araminta Campbell, in 2016. Specializing in custom designs, she weaves personalized stories into bespoke tartans and tweeds for clients ranging from Fortnum & Mason to luxury resorts.

She’s even installed Araminta Campbell fabrics inside custom Land Rovers.

In November, she debuted her flagship atelier in a restored 19th-century baronial castle, where by appointment guests can now shop a showroom curated with one-off designs and limited editions while sipping cocktails crafted with spirits from boutique Scottish distilleries like Nc’nean and Eight Lands. They can also watch her team of artisans bring their fabrics to life on vintage George Wood looms (considered by many to be the world’s finest).

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Birse-Stewart sources 100 percent British alpaca wool, and she can often name the alpaca a particular fleece came from. She calls on independent Scottish mills to dye and spin the yarn. Every commission is meticulously handwoven. A single scarf can take up to three weeks, depending on the complexity of the design.

The designer typically shows clients a range of tweeds and tartans to help them identify what they like. They discuss family history and passions before combining elements from a number of patterns to create something with meaning.

“It’s the ultimate expression of heritage and connection to place,” she says.

WRITING: JEN MURPHY PHOTOGRAPHY: MADELEINE MORLET

The Details:

Bespoke tartan and tweeds from $6,000. Signature Collection from $1,500. Heritage alpaca from $1,000. aramintacampbell.com.

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RADAR SCOUTED Faye Chatzi: (Clockwise from top) The Kalathaki bag, aerial view of Mykonos, portrait of Faye Chatzi, hand-woven kimonos at the atelier, antique weaving shuttles, classic Mykonos architecture and Chatzi’s sheep.

RESORT CASUAL

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On glitzy Mykonos, low-key fashion designer Faye Chatzi defies stereotype. She didn’t come here for the scene. She was drawn to the island’s natural energy.

Nature is core to Chatzi’s craft. She rears — and handshears — her own herd of sheep. She cultivates silkworms and makes her own silk. She works with organic Greek cottons and linens. She taught herself the ancient art of weaving after being gifted an old loom by some elderly women on the island. They marveled at her natural talent and encouraged her to nurture it further.

Now, working on that same antique loom in her new atelier in the heart of Mykonos Town, she weaves her lambswool yarn into luxurious shawls. She blends silk with hibiscus threads to create beautiful kimonos. Cotton and linen are fashioned into breezy, one-of-a-kind dresses. No two items are ever quite alike and many are made to order.

“Weaving is a tradition dating back thousands of years in Greece,” notes Chatzi. “I’m proud of my Greek heritage and want to keep this [craft] alive, to showcase it to an international audience.”

Her latest line is a limited edition of handwoven juncusreed bags, plus dresses made on the loom and finished by hand. In keeping with her “at one with nature” ethos, Chatzi never uses electric machines of any kind at any stage of the process.

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WRITING: REBECCA HALL PHOTOGRAPHY: VIVI CHANIOTY

The Details:

One-of-a-kind dresses from about $240. Lambswool shawls from about $550. fayechatzi.com.

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Mykonos photos by Alex Azabache (top) and Vangelis Kovu via Unsplash Images (bottom)

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Explore anew.

RADAR ADVENTURE

FANTASTIC BEASTS OF THE ARCTIC AND WHERE TO FIND THEM 44

TOURISM IS SAVING THE POLAR BEARS IN CANADA’S REMOTE HUDSON BAY. Manitoba, Canada The polar bear approaches slowly, its huge paws leaving massive footprints in the fresh snow — closer and closer, until we can almost feel it breathing. Face to face, the bear stares at us with an inquisitive look.

We hold our breaths and wonder if maybe we’re too close. But we are safe, snuggled into the elevated platform of our mobile Tundra Lodge (glamping on wheels), which was designed specifically for viewing the Kings of the Arctic in their natural habitat. We are just shy of the Arctic Circle on the edge of Canada’s Hudson Bay, a remote outpost accessible only by charter flight to nearby Churchill.

Our guide Rachel breaks the cold silence with a whisper. “This one is female,” she says. “She isn’t pregnant or with cubs this season. Otherwise, she’d be nursing in her den.”

About 850 bears (roughly the same number as human residents up here) congregate every fall and wait for the bay to freeze so they can hunt seals.

They sleep in bushes, roll about the tundra, rub against rocks, play-fight in the snow and even rise on their hind legs to size us up for a snack. Fortunately, we’re not seals. As we stand on the metal mesh of our lodge’s outdoor platform, the bears saunter beneath our feet, eliciting involuntary gasps.

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Gene Hollander (top) and Colin McNulty (bottom)

We haven’t come this far simply to admire these creatures. We’re here to help preserve them. Years ago when hungry bears came to town trolling for food, people shot them.

The mission of tour companies such as Natural Habitat Adventures has been to inspire locals and visitors alike to keep these fantastic beasts alive.

“We want everyone to see polar bears as a source of economic sustenance, to see more value [in tourism] than killing,” says Katrina, another of our guides. And it is working. Churchill has become a model of sustainable territory sharing.

In the evening, having savored braised Angus beef ribs and warm apple cobbler, I lie on my bunk bed, swaddled in puffy blankets, gazing out the window. I am one-on-one with the endless tundra, which is lit only by stars. In the distance I hear a flock of white-tailed ptarmigans urgently flee their nest, likely to evade an Arctic fox. My eyes grow heavy, and I slowly envision a huge cream-colored bulk taking shape in the darkness. It lumbers toward my window… Did I really see that, or am I dreaming? I honestly can’t be sure. But I know I’ll see another tomorrow.

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WRITING: LINA ZELDOVICH 45

Details:

Natural Habitat’s six-day Tundra Lodge polar bear adventures start at $11,795 per person.

Also consider:

Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine crosses deep into the Arctic Circle of Canada and Greenland with a 20-day adventure in September that begins and ends in Toronto, from $18,866.

Abercrombie & Kent offers a 15-day polar bear expedition in September aboard Le Boreal, sailing from Norway’s Svalbard Islands to Reykjavík , Iceland, from $17,995.

Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot in September 2024 will embark on a 20-night route from Alaska to Norway to reach both the magnetic and the geographic North Poles, from $47,030.

Polar Bear Express: A polar bear in Hudson Bay and Natural Habitat’s mobile camp.

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Quintessential Astronaut Experience When astronauts see our planet from the blackness of space, they gain a visceral understanding that we are one human family with one home: Earth.

Commitment to Sustainability We lead the industry with carbon-neutral operations, and recycle all SpaceBalloons™. All other parts of Spaceship Neptune are designed to be reflown.

Safety and Expertise NASA has flown balloons for decades, and ours is highly tested. Space Perspective engineering leads helped develop every human spacecraft in the last 40 years.

Comfort and Accessibility As beautiful as it is functional, our capsule interior is the world’s first-ever Space Lounge and features a bar, Wi-Fi and a lavatory with a view like no other.

Reserve a seat today with your Authorized Exploration Travel Advisor.

FEATURE ANTARCTICA

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“ICEBERG, DEAD AHEAD!” ICEBERGS, PENGUINS, CLIMATE CHANGE… THE PULL OF ANTARCTICA IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE. BUT WHATEVER YOUR REASON FOR SAILING TO THE FREEZING END OF THE EARTH, DON’T FORGET YOUR SWIMSUIT.

Antarctic Ocean WRITING: JEN MURPHY PHOTOGRAPHY: LUIS GARCIA

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“Not only is our ship fast, she’s also one of the most environmentally conscious vessels on the water today.”

49 Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” reverberates from the live grand piano in the bar. Blenders whir. Here comes another frosty piña colada. A few decks below, whoops fill the air as guests cheer each other on, cannonballing off a gangplank into the glassy, cobalt sea.

The festive atmosphere could be mistaken for a Caribbean cruise, but instead of swaying palms and white sand beaches, the panoramic windows of Deck 7’s observation lounge frame the snowcapped peaks and icebergs of Antarctica. It’s December, summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The water registers 30 degrees.

Ocean Voyage: (Clockwise) Taking the polar plunge from Atlas World Navigator, taking in the view from the front deck, whale spotting in the Antarctic Ocean, SeaSpa

by L’Occitane. (Opposite) Iceberg arch.

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EXPLORE

FEATURE ANTARCTICA

Ernest Shackleton would have thought he was hallucinating had he crossed paths with Atlas Ocean Voyages’ 100-suite World Navigator. The interiors of the expedition-style ship ooze Gatsby-era glamour.

Creature comforts include the first L’Occitane spa at sea, warm towels and hot cocoa waiting after chilly excursions and a restaurant where we’re wined and dined each evening with dishes like poached lobster tail and souffle au Grand Marnier.

50 Each of the 100 rooms and suites is done up in art deco furnishings with luxe hotel touches like mosaic glass rain showers with body jets, a choice of two types of bathrobes, cloud-like beds and blackout curtains to ensure a good night’s sleep during the 24 hours of summer sun. Every detail feels luxurious yet there isn’t an ounce of pretension.

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Ice Ice Baby: (Clockwise) Atlas voyagers on an off-boat excursion, Penguin Highway and the dining room of Porto restaurant.

(Opposite) Horizon stateroom aboard World Navigator.

The new brand, just three years old and with two ships, combines the ease of luxury sailing with the thrills of an expedition and the joy of pleasure cruising.

That combination might explain the younger demographic on board. Our group ranges in age from mid-20s to late 70s. I’m guessing the average is 50 at most.

The pull of Antarctica, I learn, is dramatically different for each of us. I meet some who’ve come to tick off the seventh continent. Others feel a sense of urgency to see the White Continent before it’s lost to climate change. But most are here to see the wildlife, specifically the penguins. I spot guests at every turn wearing penguin-patterned backpacks or fuzzy penguin hats.

One woman even brought sequined penguin shoes. Penguins are cute, I agree, but what lured me here was the remoteness. Cruising to the end of the earth sounded like the perfect antidote to a stressful year.

Relaxing is surely not a word Shackleton could have used to describe his expeditions to Antarctica. But 10 WiFi-free days at sea spent ogling icebergs while being doted on by staff who remember my every preference (sparkling water with a slice of lemon, red Burgundy, the quilted bathrobe) make this feel like a wellness holiday.

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Insider Tips:

“Bring ski goggles in case it’s snowing. But no need to bring a heavy coat or boots. Atlas provides both, and you can take the parka home.”

—Gay Mullan, travel advisor

“Take the polar plunge! It is exhilarating, scary and super-cold but absolutely worth it.”

—Victoria Hilley, travel advisor

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EXPLORE

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“To witness chinstrap penguins waddle up and down the Penguin Highway makes my skin tingle with excitement.

Goosebumps upon goosebumps.”

“Iceberg, dead ahead!” shouts my shipmate, abandoning her grass-fed filet to dash to the top deck.

When we departed the harbor of Ushuaia, Argentina, the staff had announced there’d be a prize for the first iceberg sighting, and the guests have gotten quite competitive, donning binoculars around their necks at all times — even at meals.

By the second day, 11:24 a.m., the first floating ice chunk is spotted just off the Shetland Islands. We’ve crossed the nearly 600-mile Drake Passage, notorious for its rough waters, in remarkably calm conditions (what the captain calls the “Drake Lake”) and in extraordinary time, cruising at 15.5 knots to outrun a massive swell behind us. Not only is our ship fast, she’s also one of the most environmentally conscious vessels on the water today.

We head to the Mud Room — which a fellow passenger and I have nicknamed “the Club,” because a soundtrack of techno beats blares at all hours to pump us up for excursions — to don our lime-green snowsuits and life jackets. “My only recommendation is don’t fall over. It’s cold,” says Marcos, our Argentinean guide with a goofy knack for understatement, as we board Zodiacs for Half Moon Island. Until now, I’ve been content to ooh and aah at spouting pilot whales or playful gentoo penguins from the balcony of my suite. But braving the elements and stepping foot where few have stepped before to witness chinstrap penguins waddle up and down the Penguin Highway makes my skin tingle with excitement.

Goosebumps upon goosebumps. Our team of 14 guides — naturalists,

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Waddle Dee: Gentoo penguin on an iceberg.

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FEATURE ANTARCTICA

photographers, historians — keep the penguin paparazzi at bay as they snap photos. The adorable but terribly stinky birds are veteran celebrities, ignoring us as they ferry rocks to their nests. Each day our excursions and the surrounding landscape feel increasingly surreal. We kayak the mirrorlike waters of Mikkelsen Harbour through a thick fog and listen to the soft rumble of glaciers calving in the distance. A curious Weddell seal trails us as we paddle through ice shards. At a remote lookout at Portal Point, I try to distinguish the clouds from the snowcapped alps of the ocean.

I worry I’ll get iceberg fatigue, but no. Constant marveling at the ice becomes a highlight of the journey. Our Zodiac outings in search of orcas and blue whales double as tours through Mother Nature’s sculpture park.

While others gaze hawkeyed through binoculars in search of spouts, I sit mesmerized by the ever-changing colors and shapes: a honeycombed teal cube, a silvery anvil, a white-and-turquoise striped block, a Seuss-like cerulean ice tree... I find beauty everywhere in the impermanence of the cold, stark landscape.

During the return passage across a much more tumultuous Drake, Chris, the resident historian, entertains us with lectures on the early polar explorers and their hardships. On my final night, as I sip a negroni at the Dome bar and gaze out at the black-bellied petrels swooping down to surf the waves, Shackleton enters my thoughts again. From my cocoon of comfort, this place of survival feels like a playground. Did the legendary explorer see the same beauty I observe in this harshness? Share my sense of peace or feel fear? Of one thing I’m certain, we shared the same sense of awe.

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Details:

Atlas Ocean Voyages’ Antarctica itineraries start at nine nights, with round-trip sailings from Ushuaia, Argentina. Multiple departures between November and March, from $12,899.

Also Consider:

Silversea’s Silver Endeavor sails multiple departures between November and March that allow passengers to skip the Drake Passage and fly directly into the Antarctic Circle, from $22,900.

Scenic offers a 24-night Antarctic sailing on the Scenic Eclipse in December from Hobart, Tasmania, to Dunedin, New Zealand, from $42,590.

Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic offer epic 35day Antarctic cruises in December and January from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Dunedin, New Zealand (and vice versa), from $56,700.

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Life Onboard: Cocktails in the Atlas Lounge.

FEATURE LOOKBOOK

HOTELS ARE OUR OBSESSION.

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LOOK BOOK

2023

LONDON, MILAN, NEPAL, TOKYO, RWANDA… WE LOOK AHEAD TO 29 DESTINATIONS AND 101 HOTELS — NEW, REVAMPED OR UPCOMING — THAT HAVE US DREAMING MOST VIVIDLY THIS YEAR.

WRITING: BRAD A. JOHNSON WITH REBECCA HALL, DEVORAH LEV-TOV, KATHRYN ROMEYN AND CHRIS SCHALKX

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Courtesy of (1) One Aldwych, London; (2) The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City; (4) Six Senses, Rome; (5) Aman, Niseko; (7) Hôtel Madame Rêve, Paris; (9) Ximim, Yucatán Peninsula; (14) Portrait Milano, Milan; (15) Shinta Mani, Mustang; (17) Nihi, Sumba Island; (20) Como Le Montrachet, Burgundy; (22) Hotel La Palma, Capri; (25) Capella, Sydney; (26) Mondrian, Singapore.

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“That destination sounds delightful, but where will we stay?” We are hotel junkies. Hotels and resorts — more often than not — inspire where we travel next. (Why, do you imagine, the sudden interest in Sicily?) For decades OLTRE’s editorial director, Brad A. Johnson, has kept a dossier of the latest openings and renovations. That obsessive, never-ending diary includes thousands of entries in every inhabitable latitude. That is what inspired OLTRE’s first Look Book, which we’ve culled and narrowed to 29 destinations and 101 spectacular hotels. Admittedly this barely satisfies our itch, and the list keeps growing by the day.

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FEATURE LOOKBOOK

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“The revamp of One Aldwych is one of London’s most beautiful makeovers in recent memory.”

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One Aldwych, London: In One Aldwych’s Lobby Bar, model Stephanie wears a Roksanda suit, Valentino heels and Cult Gaia bag. Remy wears an Emporio Armani suit, Richard James shirt and Brunello Cucinelli shoes. (Opposite) Entrance to One Aldwych in Covent Garden. She wears a top and skirt by Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini, Ancient Greek sandals, Gucci sunglasses, Emily London hat and Khaite bag. He wears Richard James cardigan and trousers with Brunello Cucinelli shoes. Suitcases by Globe Trotter and brown leather bag by Connolly.

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LONDON, ENGLAND It was already one of the glitziest hotel scenes in the world, and London’s posh quotient just keeps rising. The surge began prior to the pandemic when One Aldwych emerged from a spectacular refurbishment by celebrity designer Robert Angell. It stood out as the city’s most beautiful makeover in recent memory. Inside and out, this old Edwardian dame looks younger and more elegant than ever — and still boasts those unparalleled views, facing head-on toward the Waterloo Bridge from Covent Garden.

Fast-forward to March: The Dorchester unveiled an extraordinary renovation of its own at the hands of designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. Among the hotel’s many highlights is the new Vesper Bar (see SoundBar, page 34), designed separately

by Martin Brudnizki. Nip/tucks are apparently trending. Claridge’s, too, is nearing the end of a years-long revamp, culminating with an Andre Fu-designed spa and a spectacular, ooh-la-la penthouse that spans the entire rooftop with panoramic views of Mayfair. And it seems London is just getting started:

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FEATURE LOOKBOOK

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One Aldwych, London: In the Somerset Suite, Stephanie wears an Emporio Armani dress and Harvey Owen London rings. Remy wears a Connolly suit and Hugo Boss shirt. (Opposite) On the street wearing an Erdem dress and Christian Louboutin shoes.

The new Raffles OWO will shortly open inside the Old War Office building, marking the first time the general public will be able to step inside the threshold of this storied government landmark — and it will include an outpost of Café Lapérouse from Paris. The Peninsula will soon debut in the heart of Mayfair, as will a new Mandarin Oriental (the city’s second) and the first European outpost of 1 Hotels. In Bayswater, Six Senses The Whiteley will soon open as a sumptuous wellness retreat in the former Whiteleys department store. The BoTree promises to be the talk of Marylebone. Park Hyatt has staked a claim adjacent to the River Thames. And by year’s end, the Maybourne Group will unwrap The Emory in Knightsbridge.

It’s almost as if the city is gearing up for its first coronation since 1952. Also of note: The London Design Biennale returns in June, a month that also sees the reopening of the National Portrait Gallery, which will feature a neverbefore-seen exhibition of personal photographs by Paul McCartney.

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ONE ALDWYCH, London

$$

Select perks include a $100 resort credit and daily English breakfast for two.

Insider Tip:

“Windsor Castle also has had some work done recently and is definitely a must-visit if you have the time.”

—Duncan Greenfield-Turk , travel advisor

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MADELEINE MORLET ART DIRECTION: DEVIN DUCKWORTH STYLING: HANNAH BECK BEAUTY: REVE RYU PRODUCTION COORDINATION: LINDSEY REILLY MODELING: STEPHANIE O @ MILK & REMY @ SELECT STYLING ASSISTANT: CHARLOTTE MALLEY BEAUTY ASSISTANT: SILVIA SIDOLI

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One Aldwych, London: (Top) In the Somerset Suite, she wears an Emporio Armani dress with Harvey Owen London rings, he wears a Connolly suit and Hugo Boss shirt; (center) the Terrace Suite dining room; (bottom) She wears an Emily London hat, Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini top and Gucci sunglasses; He wears a Richard James cardigan. (Opposite) Room service in the Terrace Suite in pajamas by Olivia von Halle (hers) and New & Lingwood (his).

FEATURE LOOKBOOK

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

SAUDI ARABIA

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2 The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City

Banyan Tree AlUla

We can’t fathom why Mexico City’s five-star hotel scene has been so slow to take off, but it’s finally happening. Four Seasons and St. Regis are no longer the only important players in town. The RitzCarlton has muscled in on their turf along Paseo de la Reforma. And last fall’s arrival of Andaz stirred things up in Condesa. The best might still be yet to come: Delayed time and again, Park Hyatt aims to finally open by year-end, adjacent to the Hyatt Regency on the edge of Polanco and Reforma. All the while a hallmark of CDMX’s hotel culture has been a proliferation of elegant boutiques, two of which recently reopened after pandemic-era closures, subtly brightened up: the 35-room Las Alcobas in Polanco and the 17-room Brick Hotel in Roma Norte, the latter having introduced an exciting restaurant, Carrajeria.

Tourism’s new frontier, literally, boasts a burgeoning hotel scene that seems to have taken a page from the sketchbook of a rogue Disney Imagineer. The fantastical, recently opened Banyan Tree AlUla has completely redefined the concept of a desert camp. Up next: On the country’s west coast, The Red Sea is an ambitious regenerative-tourism destination where three resorts will come online by year’s end: Four Seasons, Six Senses, St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Those will be followed in 2024 by Fairmont, Jumeirah, SLS and others, all powered solely by renewable energy.

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ROME, ITALY

Just like the city itself, Rome’s hotel scene is eternal.

Last year saw the arrival of the elegant Rocco Forte House. But the spotlight has already shifted to Six Senses, which just debuted in March. It’s a soothing postmodern riff on classic, hulking Roman architecture. Before the year’s over, the focus will have shifted several more times as Bulgari, Edition and Four Seasons all make their entrances. Still waiting in the wings: Rosewood.

4 Six Senses Rome

NISEKO, JAPAN

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5 Aman Niseko

Keep an eye on Niseko. This winter wonderland is already home to intimate ski resorts by Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Park Hyatt. This year was supposed to see Niseko Village welcome architectural masterpieces from Aman, Rosewood and Capella, any one of which might be considered the most important new opening in Japan in years. None will arrive in time for ski season, but the race is on. And when all’s done, there won’t be another ski village in the world with more luxury branded hotels than Niseko.

(Sustainability-Minded)

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FEATURE LOOKBOOK

NEW YORK CITY The rumblings that NYC is back are true: Last year’s white-hot arrivals — Aman New York, Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s and The Ritz-Carlton, NoMad — set up 2023 as a must-visit year for the city. If you’ve never thought much about the neighborhood of NoMad, it’s time to pay attention. Virgin Hotels has also just opened a hotel in the ’hood, and there’s more on the way: the Piero Lissoni-designed Hotel AKA NoMad, and The Fifth Avenue Hotel, with 153 Martin Brudzinski-designed rooms spanning two buildings (a sleek silver tower with skyline views and a historic mansion designed by McKim, Mead and White). In Tribeca, Firmdale will open its third NYC property, Warren Street Hotel, a new build with only 57 rooms, a drawing room and multiple restaurants. And by year’s end on the Upper East Side, Corinthia New York will mark the European brand’s first U.S. hotel, with an outpost of Miami hot spot Casa Tua.

6 Aman New York

PARIS, FRANCE

Everyone’s still reeling from the dizzying debuts of Cheval Blanc and Hôtel Madame Rêve, not to mention an unprecedented decade of nonstop five-star newcomers before the plague. And now France’s “it” designers, Lally & Berger, are undertaking a complete restyling of the suites at Le Meurice, where there’s also a new rising-star chef at the helm of the city’s most glamorous restaurant. Coming in hot: the just-opened Maison Delano and the almost-open Le Grand Mazarin.

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7 Hôtel Madame Rêve

GREECE

As if we needed more reasons to love Greece: The up-and-coming Athens Riviera on the city’s south side is the location of the 52-acre beachfront One&Only Aesthesis, one of two back-to-back new Greek resorts from Kerzner International. The other is One&Only Kéa Island in the Cyclades. Meanwhile Mandarin Oriental Peloponnese will be MO’s first property in Greece, opening in Costa Navarino along one of the most unspoiled landscapes in the Mediterranean.

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8 Mandarin Oriental Peloponnese

Now We’re

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YUCATÁN PENINSULA, MEXICO Tulum is no longer the sleepy little village we once knew. But we still love it. Next up: a 200-room Nobu resort. More broadly, the entire Yucatán Peninsula is going through a massive growth spurt. Spain’s much-loved SHA Wellness Clinic is setting up shop in Playa Mujeres, north of Cancún. And the longdelayed St. Regis Kanai and Riviera Maya Edition are finally open (for real this time) on a stretch of coastline between Maroma and Mayakoba in the same development as Etéreo by Auberge. Plus there’s the total relaunch of Maroma, a Belmond Hotel, and the newly added mansion and helicopter service at Hotel Esencia, two of the region’s original luxury resorts.

On the opposite side of the Yucatán jungle, in Mérida, the lovely Hacienda Xcanatun by Angsana (Banyan Tree’s sister brand) just emerged from an extreme makeover and will unveil a fabulous new spa later this year. Just outside of town in the village of Celestún, the rustic-chic Xixim Mundo Imperial will soon reopen with all-new palapa-style treehouse villas.

And in case you’re wondering, the lagoons of Bacalar on the southernmost edge of the peninsula have officially become the new Tulum, with the recently opened Habitas Bacalar being the destination’s reigning low-key resort.

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Maroma, a Belmond Hotel

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FEATURE LOOKBOOK

DUBAI, UAE

VALLE DE GUADALUPE, MEXICO

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The Lana

Banyan Tree Veya, Valle de Guadalupe

In a city famous for over-the-top skyscrapers, The Lana is set to dial it back. Come fall, grandeur will be out.

Glamour will be in. The Dorchester Collection recruited Foster + Partners to design the contrarian 30-story, marina-front tower, which appears impossibly hinged in the middle.

Mexico’s Guadalupe Valley wine region will soon welcome its first serious international resort when Banyan Tree Veya, Valle de Guadalupe finally comes online, marking the North American debut of Banyan Tree’s new wellnessfocused spinoff.

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BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN & FRANCE

HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK

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Hôtel du Palais Biarritz

Habitas-on-Hudson

Change comes slowly to both Spanish and French Basque Country. Although tradition has already cemented San Sebastián’s legacy as a great foodie pilgrimage, summer’s pending arrival of a 20-room Nobu Hotel overlooking La Concha Bay will surely shake things up. And on the French territory, Basque hospitality received a strong jolt from the recent reopening and glorious rehab of Hôtel du Palais Biarritz. Plus, there’s that new Basque train itinerary on the Costa Verde Express.

No longer just a weekend refuge for city escapees, New York’s Hudson Valley has become a serious wellness destination.

The Ranch Hudson Valley, an offshoot of the celebrity-favorite Malibu retreat, will offer multiday health-focused programs immersed in nature. Shortly after that, a new spa and fitness center opens at the farmhouse-inspired Inness. And already happening: Habitas-on-Hudson debuted in December with a full roster of adventure and wellness pursuits.

your expedition LET US GUIDE YOU ON

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Explore where so few humans have ever set foot.

We draw on 32 years of innovative travel in the Polar Regions to create the most unique itineraries possible, such as Emperor Penguin Quest: Expedition to Snow Hill, Essential Patagonia: Chilean Fjords and Torres del Paine, and Greenland Explorer: Sail and Soar the Alpine Arctic. You will explore remote parts of the Polar Regions—by ship, helicopter, Zodiac, kayak and on foot—where so few have ventured before.

We’ll take you on a wilderness expedition that no one else can.

To find out more, contact your local travel advisor.

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Explore Antarctica and the Arctic with the most experienced expedition team in the industry.

Travel on the technologically-advanced Ultramarine —unmatched by any other ship.

Choose from the widest range of off-ship adventures in the Polar Regions.

FEATURE LOOKBOOK

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“Portrait Milano overlooks the beautifully restored Piazza del Quadrilatero, where it has already hosted a Ferragamo runway show.”

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Portrait Milano: In 10_11 Bar at Portrait Milano, model Dana wears Tod’s jacket and trousers and Sergio Rossi shoes. (Opposite) Overlooking the Piazza del Quadrilatero, wearing a Nervi Milano dress and Sergio Rossi shoes.

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MILAN, ITALY

Milan’s underappreciated hotel scene is finally having a moment. It was not quite two years ago, just as travel was starting up again, that the Four Seasons here emerged from a fresh nip/tuck after a six-month closure.

The Park Hyatt reopened soon after that, showing off a masterful redux of its own. Then came the 15-room Casa Cipriani, feeling more like a private townhouse than a hotel.

The biggest news of all came in November when Portrait Milano flung open its doors in the heart of the city’s fashion district, overlooking the Piazza del Quadrilatero. This is the Ferragamo family’s seventh hotel and the third Portrait. The building dates back to 1565, when it was built to house a seminary. (More recently it served as a sprawling workshop and studio for architect Mario Bellini.) Framed by towering colonnades, the interior courtyard has already hosted a Ferragamo runway show for Fashion Week. The hotel soft-opened last fall with 72 rooms and a see-and-beseen Italian restaurant and bar that’s certain to turn the heads of Michelin inspectors. The rollout continues: An outpost of Monte Carlo-based Beefbar just opened, and later this year the hotel will finally draw back the curtains on a subterranean swimming pool and spa.

Up next: Rocco Forte is opening an ultra-luxe Rocco Forte House in Milan sometime next year.

FEATURE LOOKBOOK

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Insider Tip:

“I love the location of Portrait Milan. It’s in the center of the city’s fashion district with Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren and more within walking distance. It’s perfect for anyone who likes having the action right outside their door.”

—Andrey Zakharenko, travel advisor

PORTRAIT MILANO, Milan

$$$

Select perks include a $100 dining credit and daily breakfast for two guests.

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Portrait Milano: On the hotel’s promenade, wearing a Nervi Milano dress and Sergio Rossi shoes. (Opposite, clockwise) Michael Kors blazer, Bottega Veneta jeans and Aurélie Bidermann earrings; Portrait Milano’s 10_11 Bar; lounging in the Garden Suite, wearing a Nervi Milano dress.

PHOTOGRAPHY: LUISA PAGANI ART DIRECTION: DEVIN DUCKWORTH STYLING: JANOU MONTEAGUD BEAUTY: GIUSEPPE LORUSSO @ BLEND MANAGEMENT MODELING: DANA @ MONSTER MANAGEMENT PHOTO ASSISTANT: FRANCESCO BARRELLA

FEATURE LOOKBOOK

MUSTANG, NEPAL

Lodges here have long teetered on the rougher side of rustic-chic, but maximalist hotel guru Bill Bensley is set to change that with the opening of Shinta Mani Mustang this summer. With this all-suite retreat as a plush base camp, multiday treks and helicopter expeditions will uncloak one of Nepal’s most isolated regions.

15 Shinta Mani Mustang

LOMBOK, INDONESIA

Bali’s scuba-centric eastern neighbor has stepped up its luxury credentials with this season’s debut of all-suite The Legian Sire, Lombok from two proteges of Aman and GHM Hotels founder Adrian Zecha.

Also making this island a chic new design destination: Innit Lombok, a traditionally styled, sand-floored beach-villa collab between Indonesian architects Andra Matin and Gregorius Supie Yolodi.

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SUMBA ISLAND, INDONESIA Nihi Sumba first put this Indonesian island on the world’s radar in 2001. And this summer’s arrival of Cap Karoso on the isle’s westernmost lagoon — 47 eco-artisan suites, 20 villas, a glam seaside restaurant, permaculture farm and local shaman–inspired spa — has us dreaming anew of Sumba’s singular brand of paradise. Think wild horses on white sand beaches, epic aquamarine surf and remote, eco-conscious barefoot luxury.

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MONTENEGRO

MALLORCA, SPAIN

BURGUNDY, FRANCE

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Siro Boka Place

Son Bunyola

Como Le Montrachet

The dust has barely settled on the recently opened One&Only Portonovi, and Kerzner International is already making its next move in Montenegro with the impending launch of Siro Boka Place, a new wellness-and-lifestyle-focused brand, on the shores of Boka Bay.

Son Bunyola, a hilltop estate by Virgin Limited Edition on the Spanish island of Mallorca, will soon put the finishing touches on a hotel that will add 26 more rooms to the exclusive compound that already includes three stunning private villas.

Como Le Montrachet is set to dramatically shift the vibe in Burgundy this year when it completes the transformation of an 18thcentury vineyard estate in PulignyMontrachet. The modern wellness resort will include France’s first Como Shambhala spa.

B E L O N G

T O

T H E

L E G E N D

LONDON THE DORCHESTER o 45 PARK L ANE MIL AN HOTEL PRINCIPE DI SAVOIA

ASCOT COWORTH PARK

BE VERLY HILLS THE BE VERLY HILLS HOTEL

PARIS HÔTEL PL A Z A ATHÉNÉE o LE MEURICE

LOS ANGELES HOTEL BEL-AIR

dorchestercollection.com

ROME HOTEL EDEN

DUBAI THE L ANA (OPENING 2023)

TOKYO (OPENING 2028)

FEATURE LOOKBOOK

NKOMBO ISLAND, RWANDA

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Daniele Kihlgren’s Sextantio turned upscale hospitality on its head by preserving historic sites in Italy that everyone else had given up for dead.

Now the company is doing the same with a complex of abandoned mud huts with thatched roofs on Nkombo Island, Rwanda. Anticipated to open by December, the Sextantio Capanne Project is guaranteed to take our breaths away and make us rethink everything we hold dear about luxury hotels.

CAPRI, ITALY

CANNES, FRANCE

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CHICAGO, IL

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Hotel La Palma

Carlton Cannes

St. Regis Chicago

Few hotels this year have generated more pre-opening buzz than the immenent arrival of the 50room Hotel La Palma, the Oekter Collection’s complete overhaul of the first hotel ever built on the Italian island of Capri, dating back to 1822.

Cannes is enjoying a long-overdue return to the limelight. The 332-room Carlton just re-emerged as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, following a top-to-bottom rebranding. Plus, the 75-room Mondrian Cannes just arrived in town as well.

The 101-story St. Regis Tower includes 10 floors devoted to the upcoming St. Regis Chicago. It is the tallest structure in the world designed by a woman — and it is architect Jeanne Gang’s second time to earn that distinction. She previously set the record with Chicago’s nearby Aqua Tower.

SAVOR THE UNR IVALED ™ Unique and familiar flavors move across your palate in a perfectly tuned dance of epicurean delight. The music that moves them is orchestrated by the creativity of your chef, the direction of the maître ’d, the guidance of your sommelier and the attentiveness of the wait staff. Every dining experience aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises invites you into a symphonic exploration of culinary pleasure. Discover unmatched culinary delights with the unrivaled space and exemplary, personalized service found only aboard The World’s Most Luxurious Fleet™.

EVERY

L U XU X U RY INCLUDED

FEATURE LOOKBOOK

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

SINGAPORE

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

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Capella Sydney

Mondrian Singapore

Park Hyatt Johannesburg

Celebrating Australian design, heritage, cuisine and Indigenous culture, Capella Sydney is set to shuffle the city’s luxury hotel rankings when it opens inside the old Department of Education just steps from the harbor. Also, come fall, a new asymmetrical glass monolith housing W Sydney will dramatically change the Darling Harbour skyline.

Raffles Hotel has forever been the most prestigious address in Singapore, and the brand will soon debut a beachfront sibling, Raffles Sentosa, with 62 junglefringed pool villas. Meanwhile Mondrian Singapore will elevate downtown’s cool quotient with its boldly designed shophouse suites in trendy Duxton Hill.

When Park Hyatt Johannesburgh debuts this year with merely 30 rooms, it will be the brand’s smallest-ever hotel. The Yabu Pushelberg-designed property (formerly the Winston) is shaping up to be the most talkedabout hotel opening in Johannesburg since Four Seasons planted a flag in Westcliff 10 years ago.

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HAWAII

The biggest story in Hawaii right now is Kauai’s just-opened, wellness-minded 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. The second biggest story: Kona Village on the Big Island reopening soon under the Rosewood banner. These developments, of course, follow the sweeping, multimilliondollar updates of Maui’s Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea and The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua.

28 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay

TOKYO, JAPAN

Japan’s high-octane capital was never short on luxury. It’s about to get even ritzier. Aman’s millennial-minded sister brand, Janu, will make its global debut with a 122-room wellness-centric retreat in the Minato ward, while the Bulgari Hotel Tokyo will add some Italian glam to the Ginza district. They follow the Kengo Kuma-designed Tokyo Edition and the ultra-sleek Four Seasons Hotel Otemachi.

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Alaska, by Cunard.

®

Amazing destinations, unique culture, incredible excursions and renowned guest speakers.

Alaska captivates. Cunard® enlightens. On shore, encounter the rich culture, traditions and pristine wilderness of each destination. On board, hear from captivating speakers, including explorers and scientists, and dine on fresh Alaska-inspired cuisine prepared by our chefs.

Contact your travel advisor to plan your next vacation. © 2023 Carnival plc. Ships’ Registry: Bermuda. The Cunard logo and logotype and Queen Elizabeth are registered trademarks of Carnival plc, an English company trading as Cunard. All rights reserved in the United States and other countries. Our actual cruise offerings and itineraries may vary from the descriptions provided and images displayed throughout.

FEATURE NAPA & SONOMA

VALLEYS OF THE GIANTS Napa Valley & Sonoma County, California

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Ram’s Gate Winery, Sonoma: Wine tasting in the lounge at Ram’s Gate. Andrea wears a Nomia top and pant set with Alison Lou earrings.

(Opposite) Caviar and canapé pairings at Ram’s Gate.

AMERICA’S PREEMINENT WINE REGION IS ENJOYING AN UNPRECEDENTED REVIVAL. WE ASSEMBLED THE LOCAL EXPERTS AND CURATED MORE THAN 100 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WINE TASTING, ART VIEWING, FINE DINING, PICNICKING, HORSEBACK RIDING, MUD BATHING AND MORE. WRITING: MARIA HUNT WITH FRAN MILLER, LAYNE RANDOLPH, BOB ECKER AND BRAD A. JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY: DREW ESCRIVA

There’s a month every season when the grapevines in California’s famed vineyards resemble little more than a collection of lifeless twigs. But a few weeks later, bright yellow mustard flowers carpet the ground. And soon the vines are covered in tender little leaves, followed by clusters of grapes.

Grapevines follow a natural cycle of decline and rebirth, and so have California’s most elite wine regions: the Napa Valley and Sonoma County.

These neighboring wine meccas in recent years have been bedeviled by fires, downpours and changing tastes. But it’s created an opportunity for reinvention and renewal.

Napa and Sonoma are like wine-family siblings who look nothing alike, other than the cooling coastal fog that rolls through in the morning and an abundance of grapevines. There’s a friendly rivalry as to which area offers the most unspoiled wine country experience. We like both for different reasons. Go ahead, choose your favorite child, we dare you.

Sonoma is where Northern California’s wine industry began in the 1800s. If you set off on Sonoma’s winding roads with a sense of discovery, you’ll be rewarded with landmark wineries and historic town squares. Healdsburg is perhaps the heart of Sonoma, and thanks lately to the serene new Montage Healdsburg resort and restaurants like SingleThread and the recently returned Cyrus, this charming town is a top choice for laid-back luxury mixed with fun.

Though smaller, Napa brims with far more striking architecture, a long history of famous restaurants and some of California’s finest resorts. Napa’s new era has seen the arrival of Auberge’s Stanly Ranch just outside of Napa and an opulent Four Seasons Resort in Calistoga.

All the while, stalwarts like Auberge du Soleil (where the Auberge Resorts Collection began 40 years ago, as a restaurant) and Meadowood (the region’s oldest five-star retreat) have never looked better. And there’s still more to come: Six Senses just announced that it will transform the vintage Aetna Springs resort in remote Pope Valley into a modern wellness destination.

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“Napa’s Jarvis Estate is the world’s first winery built completely underground, with a subterranean waterfall and labyrinth of caves.”

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Jarvis Estate, Napa: Tasting wine and exploring the caves at Jarvis.

Andrea wears a Forte_Forte dress and Prada shoes.

Pico Bar at Solage, Calistoga: Enjoying lunch and cocktails at Pico Bar, wearing a Hai top with Karo Koru earrings.

Insider tip:

“Reservations for wine tastings and dinners are becoming harder and harder to get.

Some require months of advance notice.”

—Mari Marks, travel advisor

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Insider tip:

“There’s a lot of great beer in the area. You can arrange for craft beer tours in addition to wine.”

—Melissa Lonsk, travel advisor

Gott’s Roadside, Napa: Andrea enjoys some classic Gott’s comfort food while wearing a Gil Rodriguez unitard and Mehtap Elaidi jacket.

FEATURE NAPA & SONOMA

Insider tip:

“I love Meadowood, which has just rebuilt after the fires. The service is intuitive, and they offer an excellent wine-education program.”

—Mari Marks, travel advisor

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Meadowood, St. Helena: (Clockwise) Vineyard view from Meadowood; breakfast in bed wearing St. Roche pajamas; a cocktail by the pool wearing a Forte_Forte set with Gladys Tamez hat. Lunch at Forum with an interior view. (Opposite) Milk bath at Meadowood spa.

Insider tip:

“If you’re not planning to visit San Francisco, consider flying into Concord or Sacramento for easy access to Napa, or into Santa Rosa for Sonoma.”

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—Vikram Seshadri, travel advisor

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Ranch Life: Enjoying the indoor/outdoor lifestyle at Stanly Ranch.

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ART DIRECTION: DEVIN DUCKWORTH STYLING: CHAINÉ LEYENDECKER MODELING: ANDREA ÁMEZ

Insider tip:

“My favorite time to visit is mustard season, January to March, when the vineyards are blanketed with beautiful yellow flowers.”

—Gayle Burghardt, travel advisor

Stanly Ranch, Napa: (Clockwise from above) Cruising around Stanly Ranch in a Nomia top, Hai pants and Maguire shoes; salads at onsite restaurant Bear; breakfast in bed wearing a Rabôt top; lunch and the dining room at Bear; outdoor shower wearing a Gil Rodriguez swimsuit; bedroom terrace and a path through the resort.

Insider tip:

“I enjoy late October and into November when autumn colors paint the vineyard leaves and the weather is great for cycling.”

—Richard Engle, travel advisor

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THE OLTRE GUIDE NAPA & SONOMA

Napa Valley SIP Aaron Pott, St. Helena An American trained in Bordeaux, Pott is a mad scientist using novel approaches to create singular, personality-driven wines from distinct terroirs with quirky names like Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Dynamite with a Laser Beam.

Aileron Estates, St. Helena Even more exhilarating than Shannon O’Shaughnessy’s Melkamade wines are the biplane rides in vintage aircraft.

Benoit Touquette Wines, St. Helena The creator of cult faves Screaming Eagle and Ovid is also behind Fairest Creature, an all-star collab with Thomas Rivers Brown, Philippe Melka and Bordeaux icon Michel Rolland.

Brion, Napa Emerging cult brand. Single-vineyard cabs. The tasting room doubles as a modern art museum.

Domaine Carneros, Napa Taittinger property takes inspiration from a Louis Quinze manor house.

Marvelous Carneros views, exquisite sparkling wines.

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Flint Knoll Wines, Napa Exceptional single-vineyard cabs and Midwestern hospitality at the owners’ home in Soda Canyon. Truly special.

Hourglass Winery, Calistoga Savor bold cabs while listening to classics from Jeff Smith’s extensive vinyl collection in a Moroccan-styled Airstream.

Hyde de Villaine, Napa Cognoscenti who can drink anything favor this collab between Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s co-director and his California cousins, the Hydes.

Unparalleled pinots and chardonnays.

* Jarvis Estate, Napa

The world’s first entirely underground winery, complete with subterranean waterfall and a labyrinth of caves. Small-lot wines.

Otherworldly. Do not miss this one.

K. Laz Wine Collection, Yountville Former Dean & Deluca wine director Kerrin Laz is courted by every new winery hoping to make an impact.

Her eponymous tasting room is the place for hard-to-find and cult wines.

Lokoya Winery, St. Helena Trekking to this remote estate is worth it for cabs sourced from four renowned mountain terroirs: Howell, Diamond, Mt. Veeder and Spring.

OLTRE VOLUME 1

Mad Fritz, St Helena Craft brewery malts its own barley for outstanding Dutch-, Belgian- and Czech-inspired beers.

THE OLTRE GUIDE TO NAPA VALLEY AND SONOMA COUNTY: 101 TIPS FOR FABULOUS RESORTS, WORLD-CLASS WINES, CRAFT BEER, ART, MUSIC, ADVENTURE, DINING AND SHOPPING. Matthiasson Wines, Napa Natural wine alert! Farmer Steve Matthiasson is revered in this genre.

His outdoor tastings are refreshingly down to earth.

Melka Estates, St. Helena Philippe Melka serves as wine director at 30+ Napa wineries, but to fully appreciate his talent, go to the source.

Memento Mori Winery, Napa A brush with death inspired the exquisite wines sourced from Napa’s most exalted vineyards. Intimate, industrial-chic tasting room by the river.

Okapi Wines, Oak Knoll Intense and silky cabs and aromatic sauv blanc from this tiny label are poured at the French Laundry. Plus there’s gotta be a good story behind a vineyard named Jungle Love.

Palmaz Vineyards, Napa Mount George hides a massive system of high-tech caves that feel like something out of a sci-fi novel or a Bond flick. Supple wines. Bauhaus architecture.

Promontory, Oakville William Harlan’s name is synonymous with the best cabs money can buy, and his exclusive properties open only to insiders. But offspring Will and Amanda Harlan designed their next-gen family estate as a place to welcome everyone. Tastings are choreographed so you feel like you have the place to yourself.

Quixote Winery, Napa Whimsical (some might venture wacky) architectural gem by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

Legacy Stags Leap vineyards and the best petite sirah in Napa Valley!

Shafer Vineyards, Napa This venerable Stags Leap winery put Napa Valley’s big cabernets on the map. Secluded with awesome views. Parker loves these wines.

The Terraces, Rutherford Go full immersive with an ATV vineyard tour. Lush chenin blanc, tropical falanghina and cab franc that’s like falling into a bed of violets. Plus hard cider.

Theorem Vineyards, Calistoga Drop-dead views atop Diamond Mountain. Luxe wine and food pairings by chef Josh Mitchell are among the finest in the valley.

TOR Wines at Wheeler Farms, St. Helena Tor Kenward is a legend himself for incomparable cabs, Bordeaux blends, and the priceless stories shared over lunch at biodynamic Wheeler Farms.

EAT Acacia House at Alila, St. Helena Croissant bread-pudding French toast. Sea urchin cacio e pepe.

Classics with a creative twist.

Art of the Table at Opus One, Oakville Chef Sarah Scott pairs five wines with a multicourse feast in the newly renovated Partners’ Room.

Auro at Four Seasons, Calistoga Napa’s hottest new fine-dining star, with views of the vineyards and Palisades Mountains.

Bistro Jeanty, Yountville Like a little slice of Épernay, since 1998. Famed chef Philippe Jeanty.

Country French cooking with love: parfait de foie blond, cassoulet...

Brasswood Bar & Kitchen, St. Helena Try the off-menu (not-so-secret anymore) hand-pulled mozzarella.

Also the bolognese and the meatball on polenta.

California Brandy House, Napa Napa’s first stand-alone tasting room dedicated solely to luxury Californian brandies like German-Robin and Argonaut. Guided tastings. Limited single-barrel offerings.

Compline, Napa Around-the-world comfort food by chef Jamir Gray: Thai tom kha, lamb posole, bavette steak, duck lasagna.

International wine list curated by a pair of elite sommeliers.

Farmstead, St. Helena See-and-be-seen brunch. Grilled artichoke, deviled eggs and hand-cut biscuits with ham and jelly.

The Fatted Calf, Napa Eat in: muffuletta or porky puffpastry tart. To go: Fresh steaks, sausages, duck confit and more.

Highlights

* Pictured

THE OLTRE GUIDE NAPA & SONOMA

The French Laundry, Yountville Arguably the most famous restaurant in the country. Rebuilt and reborn just before the pandemic. Thomas Keller’s still got it.

Goose & Gander, St. Helena Upstairs: a fab dining experience.

Downstairs: a cozy bar with speakeasy vibes and an extensive cocktail list.

Roadside, St. Helena and Napa * Gott’s Legendary and essential. Now with two locations in wine country.

Burgers, ahi poke tacos, fresh salads and of course great wines, many of which are available by the half-bottle.

Loveski Deli, Napa Michelin-starred Christopher Kostow wows with fresh bagels, breakfast sandwiches and babka.

Kenzo, Napa Meticulous kaiseki. Easily the best Japanese cuisine in the region.

The Model Bakery, Napa Yes, it’s fried muffin dough. If a fried donut and an English muffin had a love child, it would taste like this.

Oprah approves.

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Mustards Grill, Napa Beloved by locals and visitors since 1983. Still great. Regulars know to save room for dessert.

* Pico Bar at Solage, Calistoga

Margarita bar supreme. A favorite of locals for the Green Flash (ooh, spicy drink!) and pork tacos.

Press, St. Helena One of Napa’s most masculine restaurants. The world’s largest Napa Valley wine list. Epic service.

Regiis Ova Caviar + Champagne Bar, Yountville Chef Thomas Keller’s latest act: caviar and jazz. Literally everybody wants a table here.

Wilfred’s Tiki Bar, Napa Mai tais, Tahitian punch, wiki wiki spritz. Overlooking the river.

SHOP Carter + Co, St. Helena Artisan table linens, local olive oil, deerskin jackets and dinnerware.

Elysewalker, St. Helena The place to go for designer swag.

Pop in for a YSL bag, sequined sheath or comfy Golden Goose sneakers.

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Helen Lyall, Napa Effortless style. One-of-a-kind women’s fashions. Indulgent experience with bubbles and bites and beautiful things.

Napa Valley Vintage Home, St. Helena Laura Rombauer of winery fame

curates beautiful European-inspired gifts and home goods.

Napa Soap Company, St. Helena Small-batch soaps, lotions and all that smell-good, feel-good stuff.

CULTURE Blue Note, Napa National and international blues and jazz, plus Bay Area and local favorites. Fills up fast, only 100 seats.

Cameo Cinema, St. Helena Art-film gems, sometimes paired with wine and live jazz.

Ca’ Toga Gallery, Calistoga Venetian-born Carlo Marchiori crafts beautiful, whimsical Italian-esque artworks (stone plaques, ceramics, porcelain, sculptures, paintings).

Cliff Lede’s Backstage Tasting Lounge, Yountville Part tasting room, part rock ‘n’ roll art gallery. Rotating exhibits showcase music’s biggest names, like John Lennon, Grace Slick and Jerry Garcia. di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa Indoor/outdoor sculpture. Various memorable galleries. A modern art bonanza. Stroll the preserve. Across the road from Domaine Carneros.

Erin Martin Design, St. Helena Eclectic gallery with unexpected installations (dinosaur skeleton), CBD advent calendars, hand-tooled leather belts and mid-century chairs.

Hess Persson Estates, Napa Stunning gallery at a winery high up on Mount Veeder. Don’t be in a hurry. There’s so much to see: world-class sculptures, paintings and installations.

NBC Pottery Gallery & Studio, Angwin The creative studio and shop behind some of the most striking dishware at the best restaurants throughout the Bay Area and wine country.

PLAY Calistoga Bike and Wine Tours Cruise the vineyards on cross-trail hybrid bikes while learning about Napa heritage and winemaking.

Napa Valley Balloons Wake up ridiculously early if you want a bird’s-eye view of the valley.

Eerily peaceful. You won’t regret it.

Napa Valley Vine Trail Got a bike? Pedal the 12-mile trail through the vineyards from South Napa to Yountville, or vice versa.

Safe and flat.

Picnics in Lyman Park, St. Helena Find the gazebo and stake your claim. Wave to the crowd. You are now wine-country royalty.

STAY Your advisor can secure select rates, resort credits and perks at these hotels: Alila Napa Valley, St. Helena Modern, adults-only 68-room hotel in the Berringer vineyards. Walk to downtown St. Helena.

Bardessono Hotel & Spa, Yountville Modern 65-room hotel in Yountville.

Rooftop pool. Fun restaurant.

Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford The original destination restaurant turned ultra-posh resort is like a hillside hamlet, with 50 suites and private cottages. Outdoor bathtubs.

Sculpture gardens. Note: Restaurant completely revamped in January.

Carneros Resort & Spa, Napa Village of 94 cottages and six vacation homes in the vineyards of Carneros. This is the place that made “farmhouse chic” a thing. Rocking chairs on front porches. Outdoor showers. Three restaurants.

Hotel Yountville, Yountville Craftsman-inspired 80-room boutique hotel in town. Walk to everything.

* Meadowood, St. Helena

The OG Napa resort with 35 suites and cottages amid 250 acres of forest and vineyards. Five tennis courts (and pros standing by). Three pools. Lush hiking trails. Destination spa. Casual fine dining.

Meritage Resort & Spa, Napa Wine country’s biggest resort: 467 rooms, two pools, three restaurants, plus a grocery store and on-site tasting rooms for local wineries.

Four Seasons Napa Valley, Calistoga Built completely within the confines of a working winery and vineyard (Elusa). Eighty-five beautiful rooms and suites. Five sprawling villas.

Destination spa. Mud baths! Risingstar restaurant, Auro. Customized blind tastings.

Solage, Calistoga Auberge Collection’s most casual offering, with 100 suites and studios.

The valley’s largest pool. Huge wellness center. Pelotons in-room.

* Stanly Ranch, Napa

Auberge’s latest Napa outpost with 78 stunning stand-alone cottages.

Outdoor showers. Two pools.

Destination spa. Superb casual dining. Vintage motorcycle sidecar winery tours. Mixology classes.

Falconry sessions.

The Villa at Estate Yountville, Yountville Private five-bedroom villa managed

by Hotel Villagio. Walk to the French Laundry.

Happy to sHow you our baCkyard.

Come and say

Coffin Bay, South Australia

THE OLTRE GUIDE NAPA & SONOMA

Sonoma County SIP Aperture Cellars, Healdsburg Modern winery designed like a camera’s aperture where Jesse Katz crafts distinctive small-lot wines. Photography by his dad, Andy, graces the labels and the gallery.

Blue Farm Wines, Sonoma Carneros pioneer Anne MollerWracke makes terroir-driven wines from a little vineyard behind her Victorian home.

Bricoleur Vineyards, Windsor Exquisite pairings complement a range of red, white and sparkling wines. Picnic on the lawn. Don’t miss the trio of black swans on the matcha green pond.

Corner 103, Sonoma Vintner Lloyd Davis’ chichi in-town tasting room is ideal for celebspotting.

Donum Estate, Sonoma Block out the afternoon. Great wines. Spectacular art includes Ai Weiwei and Keith Haring. For thrill seekers: ATV tours.

Hartford Family Winery, Forestville High-score pinots and Russian River’s best dry-farmed zinfandels.

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HenHouse Brewery, Santa Rosa Surprising flavors and textures from a craft brewery specializing in Technicolor stouts, saisons and IPAs like the seasonal Big Chicken.

Littorai, Sebastopol A deep connection to Burgundy and a respect for the earth informs Ted Lemon’s lyrical pinot noirs and chardonnays. A must for collectors.

Merry Edwards, Sebastopol The finest single-vineyard pinot noirs in the Russian River Valley. Stunning whites, too.

* Ram’s Gate Winery, Sonoma

Seriously one of the prettiest tasting rooms and some of the nicest people in all of wine country. Extraordinary pinot noirs and chardonnays. Plus Tsar Nicoulai caviar tastings. Huzzah!

Sigh Champagne Bar, Sonoma Chic tasting lounge with a swoonworthy list of grower and grand marque Champagnes, plus international sparklers.

OLTRE VOLUME 1

Three Sticks Winery, Sonoma Historic adobe reimagined by interior designer Ken Fulk, with hand-painted murals, oddities and a cozy patio perfect for sipping crisp Durell Vineyard chards and pinots.

Vérité Estate, Healdsburg Father-daughter vignerons make

Bordeaux-varietal wines sourced from Sonoma’s finest terroir.

Seventeen 100-point scores!

EAT Cyrus, Geyserville Because some things are even better the second time around: Cyrus has returned. Reserve well ahead for Douglas Keane’s curated movable feast or drop in at the caviar and champagne lounge.

El Dorado Kitchen, Sonoma Egg-white omelets. Seafood paella.

Huge burgers. This place always hits the mark.

The Farmer’s Wife, Sebastopol You’ll need both hands for one of the massive sandwiches (like the Belly & Jelly) paired with gorgeous farm salads. You’ll swear you’ve walked into a still-life painting. the Girl & the Fig, Sonoma The benchmark for Rhône wines and lusty French fare: duck confit, steak frites, profiteroles. Gracious service.

The Matheson/Bar 106, Healdsburg Chef Dustin Valette takes local, seasonal fare to new heights. Selfserve wall of 88 wines includes Williams Selyem and Devil Proof.

Upstairs: pizzas and clever cocktails.

El Molino Central, Sonoma There’s a reason this regional Mexican spot gets recognized by the James Beard Awards. Show up early for the chile relleno, guacamole and handmade tortillas.

Lo and Behold, Healdsburg Cool bar with Insta-worthy decor, gorgeous patio and a deep rum and bourbon collection.

for wine tasting at VJB Cellars in Kenwood. Bring your boots.

Safari West, Santa Rosa Because kids grow bored with wineries real fast. Giraffes, zebras, lemurs!

Sonoma Zipline Adventures, Occidental Take a detour and fly through the redwoods in rural Russian River.

STAY Your advisor can secure select rates, resort credits and perks at these hotels: Montage, Healdsburg Secluded among 258 acres of rolling vineyards and oak groves, with 130 indoor/outdoor bungalow-style rooms and suites. Destination spa.

Vineyard-view bathtubs. Alfresco showers. Two pools. Rising-star pastry chef. Helicopter tours.

Mushroom foraging.

Farmhouse Inn, Forestville Russian River is a world away from the rest of Sonoma, and this 25room retreat is as charming as they come. Ultra-cool spa barn.

Destination dining.

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, Sonoma Classic Spanish Revival hotel with 226 rooms. Destination spa. Five geothermal mineral pools. Golf club.

Hotel Healdsburg, Healdsburg Three-story, 56-room hotel in the heart of downtown. Sonoma’s most urban hotel. Cool backyard pool.

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SingleThread, Healdsburg Modern. Heritage. Extreme farmto-table. The best restaurant in the region, no contest. Plan your whole trip around a reservation here.

SHOP Château Sonoma, Sonoma The owner has an impeccable eye for fine French linens and textiles, not to mention antiques and artisan jewelry. Covetable bath potions, soaps, jams and candles.

Storia Home, Sebastopol Under-the-radar designer Gina Rachelle’s shop offers housewares and textiles with an artisan story.

PLAY Triple Creek Horse Outfit, Glen Ellen Saddle up and trot through Jack London State Historic Park. The Valley of the Moon is magical. Pit-stop

Ram’s Gate Winery, Sonoma: Sipping chardonnay in a Nomia set with Alison Lou earrings.

CULINARY SPOTLIGHT

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ONE DAY IN BANGKOK TWO WORLDS APART Bangkok, Thailand

WRITING: BRAD A. JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY: BRAD A. JOHNSON AND PETER CHANTHAMYNAVONG

OLTRE VOLUME 1

AFTER A WEEK SPENT HOPPING FROM ONE MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT TO ANOTHER IN THAILAND’S CAPITAL, ONE DAY IN PARTICULAR STANDS OUT. “How spicy do you want it?” she asks.

“Spicy,” I say.

“Are you sure?” She raises her eyebrows and glances at her colleague, Bank, and they share a little snicker. It feels like the joke’s on me if I stick to my answer.

“I want to taste it exactly the way you would eat it,” I say.

“You’re brave,” she says. I can tell that Kannika Jitsangworn thinks I’m asking for a world of hurt.

She’s kindly giving me one more chance to change my answer. To medium, perhaps. Mild, even? But I hold strong.

“Spicy. If that’s how you would order it, that’s how we should get it,” I reiterate, my voice cracking.

The words come out more like a question.

Jitsangworn is the chef at Phra Nakhon, the casually glamorous Thai restaurant overlooking the Chao Phraya River at Capella Bangkok. The hotel is located in the heart of Charoen Krung Road, the city’s oldest paved street. For the past hour, she and Bank (a co-worker from the front office) have been leading my fiancé and me on a private street-food crawl through the alleyways and side streets of Bangrak, the old neighborhood around the hotel. So far we’ve eaten fresh pomelos and durians, fried sesame balls, grilled sausages and coconut crepes, but now we’ve finally moved on to the spicy stuff.

We’re gathered around a wobbly folding table, seated on small plastic stools, at a sidewalk restaurant called Ting Larbped. It’s a makeshift operation that’s not always in the same spot. If you ask Google where it is, you’ll end up a block from where we are today. Heavy soapstone crocks filled with lava-hot charcoal fuel a half-dozen woks and stockpots. Plumes of steam and smoke billow into the street, carrying the scent of barbecued chicken, beef soup and stir-fried chilis over the rooftops.

When the first “spicy” dish lands on our table, I stare at it, mute. It looks very, very spicy. It’s the pla goong, a shrimp salad with kaffir lime and bird’s-eye chilis, except it’s more like a ceviche than a salad. I scoop a spoonful onto my plate, then lift a bite to my mouth and close my eyes to soften the blow. Shock waves vibrate through the follicles on my scalp. My cheeks flush. My toes grow antsy. It is spicy, yes, but surprisingly not painfully hot. Fresh Thai chilis have a distinct floral undercurrent to their pulsing heat. And the shrimp are extraordinarily fresh and sweet. I reach for an even bigger spoonful, then stick my tongue into the light socket once again.

CAPELLA, Bangkok

$$

Select perks include a $100 resort credit and daily English breakfast for two. Your advisor can work with Capella’s culturalists to customize a culinary or cocktail tour.

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One Neighborhood, Two Perspectives: Phra Nakhon chef Kannika Jitsangworn at Ting Larbped; Phra Nakhon terrace. (Opposite) Ting Larbped restaurant.

CULINARY SPOTLIGHT

Insider Tip:

“Take a boat tour of the Chao Phraya River and Thonburi for a glimpse of local life but also for jaw-dropping views of the new 20-story Buddha.”

—Stephanie Serino, travel advisor

98 Bangrak Street Food: (Clockwise from top left) The sidewalk kitchen of Ting Larbped, bamboo salad at Ting Larbped, Thai chili sauce vendor, tuk-tuk taxi, spicy shrimp salad at Ting Larbped, coconut ice cream.

OLTRE VOLUME 1

I open my eyes to see Jitsangworn and Bank studying my face, searching for clues as to how I’m faring.

“Is it too spicy?” the chef asks. Her question sounds like an apology.

“No,” I say. “This is incredible.” There’s no refrigerator at Ting Larbped. There’s no indoor anything. The owners go to the markets every morning to stock their Igloo ice chests, then set up shop on the sidewalk and cook for the neighborhood until all the food’s gone. They start from scratch again the next day.

By now the table has filled with dishes: larb ped (chopped duck salad), nam tok moo (pork salad) gaeng om nuea (beef soup with toasted rice), som tum (hand-chopped and pounded green papaya), nor mai (bamboo shoots) and gai yang (grilled chicken). The menu is written entirely in Thai.

The conversation lulls as plates get shuffled like a game of three-card monte so everyone can taste everything. Almost all of it is radioactive, but the only thing that truly has me gasping for water is the beef soup. “I can’t eat that one,” I laugh, waving a napkin in the air as my white flag.

Having cleaned our plates, my head disoriented, we take off in search of a tuk-tuk. We stop suddenly when Jitsangworn sees one of her favorite vendors.

“Coconut!” she exclaims, bolting across the street.

We reach into our pockets for a handful of baht, and we’re soon cooling our tongues with freshly churned coconut ice cream. All the while I’m still obsessing about the pla goong and larb ped. That was one of the best meals of my life — not a sentiment I toss around lightly. I’ve been working professionally as a food critic for 30 years, and this is my 12th trip to Bangkok. We’ve just spent the past week hopping from one Michelin-starred Thai restaurant to another, every stop outrageously delicious. This ramshackle sidewalk vendor tops most of it.

As we climb into the tuk-tuk, horns honking and motorbikes whizzing past us, I’m already thinking about dinner. Tonight we’re dining at Phra Nakhon, where Jitsangworn’s menu was inspired by her favorite street foods. The 101-room Capella opened at the start of the pandemic, and tourism completely stopped soon after. It was an auspicious beginning.

The restaurant stayed open but relied entirely upon neighborhood locals, so the food had to be

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CULINARY SPOTLIGHT

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OLTRE VOLUME 1

authentic. It had to be spicy — made not for timid tourists but for extremely discerning residents. When tourism resumed, it was too late to turn back.

Mostly outdoors, the restaurant sprawls along a tree-lined terrace overlooking the river of kings. A small indoor dining room resembles a greenhouse or screened-in porch. It is blissfully casual yet luxurious. Most of the clientele are still regulars, table-hopping and waving to each other. (Next door is one of the city’s tallest, most exclusive residential towers.)

Our first dish arrives. It’s a green papaya salad, different from that of Ting Larbped. Rather than a messy mound of chopped fruit and chilis, it’s a striking composition of shapes and colors. Surely this won’t taste as good as what we ate earlier, I think. But I’m instantly proven wrong. So many layers: fried pork rinds, raw eggplant, Thai chilis, salted crab, herbs from the hotel’s own garden.

Every bite is different yet equally sublime. Isaanstyle from the country’s far north, it is also intensely spicy. My head tingles anew.

“The food had to be authentic. It had to be spicy.”

Next comes a dry curry made with pork. Spicy.

Goosebumps ripple across my neck. The table soon fills with an extraordinary banquet: larb of minced pork and pork liver; deep-fried squid with squid roe, garlic, chilis and lime; wok-fried melinjo leaves (wild, tropical spinach) with boiled eggs and smoked dried shrimp; caramelized pork belly with ginger and pickled garlic; grilled river prawns… My spoon moves frantically from dish to dish. And then comes the crab curry.

It’s a yellow curry, sen mee gaeng poo. It looks tame.

I can taste it in my mind before bringing it to my mouth. I can already imagine the coconut cream and the delicate swimmer crab on my tongue. But my imagination proves inadequate. The curry makes my head spin. Among the hundreds, maybe thousands, of Thai curries I’ve eaten over the years, I’ve never tasted anything quite like this. My eyes well up with tears — and I’m not sure whether it’s because of the heat or because I’m in love.

“Was that spicy enough for you?” the chef asks as she drops by our table while making the rounds.

Once again I’ve gone mute. I can only nod. She smiles. She knows.

.

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Phra Nakhon: The sun-filled dining room and yellow curry with swimmer crab. (Opposite) Si Wiang Alley in the Bangrak neighborhood.

HOTEL REVIEW THE LEGEND

MASTER OF ZEN WHEN LEGENDARY HOTELIER ADRIAN ZECHA LEFT AMAN RESORTS YEARS AGO, HE KEPT A SMALL PART OF AMANTAKA FOR HIMSELF. IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY. Luang Prabang, Laos 102

OLTRE VOLUME 1

The tropical climate dictates a languid pace wherever you go in Luang Prabang.

Despite the afternoon heat, the dining room at Amantaka remains an open-air affair, with the windows on all sides flung open to harness the gentle breeze that spills down from sacred Mount Phousi. Ceiling fans spin slowly overhead.

Birds chirp lazily from the trees. Occasionally, you can hear a motorbike sputtering along the main road. But mostly what you hear is the live, rhythmic staccato of a lanat and drum. The old Lao instruments are hypnotic, their soothing melodies capable of moving spirits.

Or maybe it’s the baci ceremony that moves the spirits. Upon arrival at Amantaka, we are treated to a centuries-old cleansing meditation led by a Buddhist scholar (retired monk), along with his entourage of local elders, who assist with the chanting and tying of the sacred threads around our wrists. Lao mythology says our bodies are made up of 32 different spirits, and sometimes they fight. The baci resets the divine order and brings good luck.

Minimalist yet sumptuous, the 24-suite Amantaka debuted 14 years ago. The resort closed for two years during the pandemic but reopened in October after a subtle refurbishment. The walled property occupies a French Colonial compound built around a central courtyard. The doors creak.

The windows don’t fit as snugly as they might at newer resorts around town. The foundations have settled over many decades. The old-school locks are strictly mechanical. Everything is blissfully oldfashioned but also uncompromisingly luxurious. It is the perfect embodiment of Luang Prabang.

Daily Rhythm: (Clockwise from left) Amantaka’s signature tub, local musicians and the resort’s interior courtyard and pool. (Opposite) The spa.

This is where the Mekong and Nam Kahn rivers converge. This is also the epicenter of Buddhism in Laos. There are more monks per capita here than just about anywhere else in Southeast Asia. Young monks come from all over to study. The spillover of all that peacefulness permeates every aspect of life, resulting in a warm, inviting community that feels lost in time. Note: There’s a difference between “lost in time” and “stuck in the past.”

Luang Prabang does not feel stuck. Everywhere you look — inside the resort and around town — traditional Lao architecture blends seamlessly with European design. That proudly intertwined vernacular, cherished by locals and visitors alike, is what warranted a preservation decree from UNESCO. The entire town has been designated as a World Heritage Site.

Years ago, when Aman founder Adrian Zecha parted ways with this brand, he kept a small piece of Amantaka for himself: a family villa just outside the compound. It’s not merely a keepsake. He visits Luang Prabang regularly. “He comes every single year for his birthday,” says Amantaka general manager Tshewang Norbu. “He never misses it.”

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WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY: BRAD A. JOHNSON

AMANTAKA, Luang Prabang

$$$

Select perks include a $100 resort credit, airport transfers and daily breakfast for two.

INTERVIEW THE LAST WORD

THE OLTRE

Q&A

KWEKU MANDELA

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Kweku Mandela gets around. The South Africa–born, U.S.-raised filmmaker splits his time between Los Angeles, New York, Cape Town and Johannesburg, those latter two his “first loves.”

As chief vision officer for Global Citizen, an NGO taking action to end extreme poverty, Mandela has racked up more than a dozen film-producing credits.

“I love making films and TV — it feeds my family. But I also need to service my other family: the people of Africa. This feeds my soul.” he says.

Mandela — the grandson of the late South African president Nelson Mandela — currently juggles several TV series in Africa while simultaneously steering a nonprofit that encourages investment on the continent. His mission: showcase the immense talent Africa brings to the film-and-media space by telling its authentic stories, “whether they deal with conflict or exuberance.” South Africa in particular, he says, “is a place of complexity, resilience and inspiration. It grounds you and also forces you to evolve.”

A frequent and avid traveler, as proven by his four addresses, Mandela balances luxury hotels with downto-earth wanderings. He loves walking through cities such as Maputo, Mozambique, “to get a sense of how people are living, just absorbing the environment. It teaches me something new.” He says hello to way too many strangers, which his partner finds weird. But, says the pedigreed explorer, “I like to get a sense of a place from how people react to friendly greetings.”

How many passports do you have?

Two.

Where and when were you happiest?

Australia’s Gold Coast, 2007 to 2018, and Ponta Mamoli Mozambique, summer 2018.

What is your earliest memory of travel?

Italy with my mother. I was three or four. There was a guard outside her room, and I remember hearing church bells throughout the day.

What destinations are still on your must-visit list?

Senegal, Senegal, Senegal!

Do you wear sweatpants on airplanes?

I wear sweatpants every day. I have for decades — and it started on planes. I used to travel in suits but that brought me discomfort and anxiety.

How many pairs of shoes do you bring with you on a two-week trip?

Four or five, if I’m bringing more than one bag.

OLTRE VOLUME 1

A favorite hotel?

Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin, Texas, and the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg.

What trait do you admire most in a travel companion?

The ability to be calm no matter the circumstance.

Most embarrassing travel moment?

Leaving my passport on a plane.

Where was your last road trip?

We just road-tripped across the Garden Route in South Africa to Jeffreys Bay so my partner could surf.

It was magical.

WRITING: KATHRYN ROMEYN PHOTOGRAPHY: ASHLEY BARKER

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Global Travel Collection advisors are your secret weapon when it comes to travel planning, and OLTRE your inspiration. Our premier issue circles the globe from the North Pole to the South Pole with stops in London, Mykonos, Bangkok, California and all points between.

Enjoy this debut issue with our compliments — and let us know when you’re ready to see the world from a different view.

Global Travel Collection 212-755-4550 hello@globaltravelcollection.com

VOLUME 1: THE DEBUT ISSUE LONDON, MILAN, PARIS, TOKYO: 101 HOT HOTELS WORLDWIDE THE GUIDE: ULTIMATE NAPA VALLEY FASHION: BESPOKE IN EDINBURGH AND MYKONOS ART: THE BEST MUSEUM YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF MUSIC: OUR DJ-CURATED PLAYLIST DINING: SECRET BANGKOK SUPERYACHTS, SPACE BALLOONS, POLAR PLUNGES AND MORE