Fairmont Magazine - winter 2011

Celebrating The Savoy, the Fairmont Peace Hotel, The Plaza and the Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel Secret Oases in Cairo | Fairmont’s Top Chefs | Two Sides of Bermuda Fairmont Magazine , Yours to enjoy | Winter 2011

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COVER and This page (Top left, Bottom Right): Mari Sarai; PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: Yusuke Miyazaki; StyliST: Lyson Marchessault; HAIR: Tomohiro Roppongi; MAKEUP: James O'Riley; MODELs: Shaina Danziger and Aileen Mcnally

WINTER 2011

ICONIC HOTELS History unfolds at four Fairmont Hotels & Resorts properties: The Savoy in London, the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, The Plaza in New York and in Saudi Arabia, the new Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel.

Essay By Pico Iyer

PAGE 34

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Winter 2011

56

Features

DEPARTMENTS

48 Treasure Island

12 CONTRIBUTORS

Bermuda's renegade past flavors its serene present.

15 Food & Wine The return of classic cocktails

By Randi Gollin

20 Arts & Entertainment Versatile travel fashions

Photography by David Shaw

22 sports & Adventure Family fun in Whistler, Canada

56 Cairo Oases

In this chaotic city on the Nile, find a few treasured pockets of peace.

Photography and text by

18 Food & Wine Incredible edibles and tasty food facts

24 Health & Wellness adidas fitness tips for the road 26 HEALTH & WELLNESS Golf gear goes high-tech 28 Food & Wine A chat with winemaker Bruce Cakebread 30 Arts & Entertainment Photography's stars of tomorrow 82 checkout Pop band the Barenaked Ladies

Rebecca Collard 65 Eat, Drink and Be Healthy

fairmont hotelS & resorts 10 PRESIDENT’s Letter

By Charlene Rooke

71 DESTINATION GUIDE Hamburg, Germany

ILLUSTRATIONS by Tonwen Jones

72 Residences South Africa and the United Arab Emirates 74 News & Views The scoop on Fairmont 76 Directory Worldwide property listing 80 Everyone's An Original Our online community grows

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PHOTO: Rebecca Collard

Wellness-based cuisine and cutting-edge nutrition take Fairmont chefs to a new level.

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President’s Letter

recent British history and the world’s pop culture, and we are certain The Savoy will once again take its proper place in London society. It is without a doubt one of the world’s most famous hotels and we are proud that it is also a Fairmont hotel.

London’s The Savoy is truly an icon in every sense of the word.

This fall we are reopening this grand hotel after extensive renovations. The guest list of The Savoy reads like a who’s who of

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And in China, Shanghai’s Fairmont Peace Hotel, one of that country’s great properties, has also undergone an extensive restoration worthy of its rich history.

Having such iconic names as The Plaza, Peace Hotel and The Savoy in our portfolio is an honor we do not take lightly. And we also know that to cherish the history of these places we must continue to provide the highest standards of service. An iconic hotel does not become one without delivering excellence in all spheres.

And the guest experience is the most important.

Because in the end our hotels are nothing without you, our guests.

It is your lasting memories that help transform a building into an icon. Our properties are special because you have helped make them special. And as we continue to build the icons of tomorrow, it means a great deal to all of us here that you have entrusted us with your business, and that you are creating tomorrow’s memories today at Fairmont properties around the world. On behalf of everyone at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, I want to thank you for choosing to stay with us.

Chris Cahill President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

PHOTO: Suzanne Merrett

Within a few years more than half of our properties will be less than ten years old. Yes, many of our properties are iconic properties already. But we’re also busy building the icons of tomorrow.

Some things never go out of style. They are classics and they endure in the popular imagination because they are imbued with qualities that make them iconic. And that’s something that means a lot to us here at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Many of you see us as custodians of some very iconic properties around the world: New York’s The Plaza, San Francisco’s The Fairmont and Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York, to name a few. But it’s also true that, despite our rich heritage, within a few years more than half of our properties will be less than ten years old. Yes, many of our properties are iconic properties already. But we’re also busy building the icons of tomorrow.

Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is a case in point. Opening in late 2010, built next to the Ka’aba, the holiest place in all of Islam and housing a tower that includes the world’s largest clock face, the Makkah has all the hallmarks of a classic.

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CONTRIBUTORS

FAIRMONT MAGAZINE winter 2011 EDITORIAL Executive editor Charlene Rooke fairmontmagazine@spafax.com

Managing editor Natasha Mekhail Senior editor Jean-François Légaré Assistant editor Eve Thomas

Born in Japan and now living in London, MARI SARAI first got behind the camera as a paparazzo while working in New York in the late 1990s. Sarai now shoots celebrities and the stylish set for the likes of Vogue, Dazed & Confused and Vanity Fair. She turned her lens to The Savoy for our cover, capturing Fairmont’s historic past while celebrating its dazzling future.

“I sometimes think my ideal life would be spent entirely in a hotel,” says Random House writer PICO IYER (“In Your Dreams,” page 44), who can swap global hotel stories the way most people talk about real estate. Iyer is the author of nine books and has written for more than 150 magazines. Currently, he’s finishing a book on Graham Greene.

“These hotels are truly fascinating,” says illustrator and collage artist TARA HARDY, who has done work for Coca-Cola and other clients and created the fascinating peek-a-boo illustration that opens “Iconic Hotels” (page 34).

“Staying in a room that Marilyn Monroe or Cary Grant stayed in, every guest can be part of this legacy.”

Editorial assistants Patricia Lachance Aliyah Shamsher COPY EDITOR Melissa Edwards FACT CHECKER Line Abrahamian ART ART DIRECTOR Aaron Nathaniel Standen Graphic designer Guillaume Brière PHOTO RESEARCHER Arianne DiNardo PRODUCTION PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jennifer Blais Production Manager Rachel Robbie PROOFREADER Jennifer Foster

HEATHER GREENWOOD DAVIS, who wrote “Whistler for Families” (page 22), found the B.C. ski resort a “real eye-opener: there is so much to do beyond the ski hills.”

This Toronto Star columnist is planning a one-year, around-the-world family adventure. “It’ll be a test of our love of travel and something we’ll definitely remember for a lifetime.”

Montreal-based photographer DAVID SHAW captures the vibrant mix of colors and cultures of Bermuda for “Treasure Island” (page 48). “It’s impossible not to notice the lack of bright blue and pink houses on the mainland. We’ve got to do something about this!” He’s currently renovating an old industrial space into a residential loft.

Raised in Western Canada, REBECCA COLLARD has spent the last three years exploring the Middle East, with particular emphasis on its markets and eateries.

For “Cairo Oases” (page 56), Collard, now based in Beirut, returns to the city she once called home and finds, after all this time, that Cairo “still manages to surprise.”

CONTRIBUTORS Fritzi Adelman, Rebecca Collard, Annick Désormeaux, Heather Greenwood Davis, André Doyon, Reanna Evoy, Irene Garavelli, Randi Gollin, Tara Hardy, Pico Iyer, Tonwen Jones, Jaime Leblanc, Denis Lemieux, Lyson Marchessault, Neal McLennan, James O’Riley, Nick Rockel, Amanda Ross, Tomohiro Roppongi, David Shaw, Mari Sarai, Jonathan Tate, Noah Witenoff, Violet Zaki © Copyright 2010 by Spafax Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Fairmont Magazine is published twice per year by Spafax Inc. Points of view expressed do not necessarily represent those of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising matter. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of unsolicited art, photographs or manuscripts.

Printed in Canada.

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

William R. Fatt President

Chris Cahill

SPAFAX Executive vice president, media and publishing director

Katrin Kopvillem Publisher, Spafax Canada

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ADVERTISING & MEDIA SALES sales@spafax.com

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Where our vacation really started looking up.

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Food & Wine

Make Mine a Classic

Modern mixologists are going back to basics, and Fairmont’s The Savoy literally wrote the book on classic cocktails.

By JonathAn tate

photo: Jaime LeBlanc food styling: Noah Witenoff (nustyling)

If there is one book that’s always in my cocktail bag wherever I go, it’s The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock of The Savoy in London, England. Written in 1930, it details many of the original recipes and methods of the classic cocktails we know and love today.

My generation grew up with the largely vodka- and juicebased “disco” drinks of the 1980s and ’90s. It was while sipping a cocktail at the world-famous American Bar at The Savoy that it hit me: these drinks needed to be made more often. A swift flick through The Savoy Cocktail Book reveals hundreds of recipes, ripe for rediscovery. ›

The Perfect Manhattan (left), as served at The Plaza, is garnished with a maraschino cherry.

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The Perfect Manhattan (The Plaza, a Fairmont Managed Hotel, New York)

1 3/4 oz Gentleman Jack Whiskey 3/4 oz sweet vermouth 3/4 oz dry vermouth 1 dash Angostura® bitters Swirl all ingredients with ice to chill, pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Serves 1.

Legend suggests that this drink originated in New York City in the early 1870s, when it was invented by Dr. Iain Marshall for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston's mother) in honor of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden.

Harry Craddock at the American Bar at The Savoy, 1926.

White Lady (The Savoy, A Fairmont Managed hotel, London)

The Classic Champagne Cocktail (Fairmont Monte Carlo, Monaco)

4 oz Piper-Heidsieck Champagne 3/4 oz Rémy Martin VSOP Cognac 2 dashes Angostura® bitters 1 sugar cube Soak one sugar cube in a champagne flute with bitters. Add Champagne and Cognac. Squeeze in a twist of lemon and discard. Garnish with half a slice of orange. Serves 1.

An early reference to Champagne cocktails is in Mark Twain’s 1869 novel, Innocents Abroad. It is thought the drink found popularity after a bartender named John Dougherty won an 1889 New York cocktail competition with a similar drink.

Whether it’s a Manhattan made with Gentleman Jack, a Rémy Martin-enriched Brandy Alexander or a cooling Golden Mojito featuring Mount Gay rum, try a Classic Cocktail from the special menu offered at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, in conjunction with partners Rémy Cointreau, Brown-Forman and Bombay Sapphire this fall.

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photoS: Jaime LeBlanc; getty images (Harry Craddock) food styling: Noah Witenoff (nustyling)

› Fast forward to the bars of today and we see a huge global resurgence in classic cocktails, with bartenders around the world drawing knowledge and inspiration from the golden era at the turn of the 20th century. These are drinks that evoke memories and feelings of an age of elegance, when men and women dressed up to meet in fine hotel bars and enjoy the cocktail hour before dining or visiting the theater, and were popularized by famous authors of the time: Hemmingway, Fitzgerald and Kipling among them.

One of my favorite recipes from this time originated at a Fairmont property. The White Lady started originally with a gentleman called Harry McElhone (author of Harry’s ABC of Cocktails) and was later immortalized by Harry Craddock, the famous head bartender at The Savoy in the 1920s. It’s a sublime combination of gin, orange liqueur and lemon juice balanced to perfection.

With the age of elegance, the art of cocktails and respect for ingredients (including fresh, premium, seasonal fruits) in mind, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are at the forefront of the return to timeless classic cocktails with their new Classic Cocktail menu, in partnership with spirits like Rémy Martin Cognac, Cointreau, Mount Gay rum, PiperHeidsieck Champagne, Jack Daniels, Bombay Sapphire gin and Finlandia vodka.

Why do I like the classics so much? The reason that recipes like these stand the test of time is simplicity, attention to detail and great flavor combinations that respect the spirits and ingredients used. They were cocktails created in the finest bars in the world and for guests’ satisfaction.

So join us this season in raising a glass to the memory of great bartenders past and, when asked, “What can I get you?” by your head bartender, the reply is simply: “Make mine a classic!”

1 1/4 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin 2/3 oz Cointreau 2/3 oz fresh lemon juice 1/2 egg white Dry-shake egg white in a cocktail shaker, then add all other ingredients.

Shake hard over ice and fine-strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon. Serves 1.

Harry Craddock’s original recipe was the same as the above but without egg white, which has been added to give the drink a greater body and a richer mouth feel.

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I m ag I n e

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Food & Wine

Incredible Edibles

Big bites, precious eats and other amazing facts about your favorite foods.

By Eve Thomas

100,000,000

Number of eggs produced by a female oyster in a single year.

60.2 billion

Number of cups of tea consumed in Britain every year.

2,852 meters (9,357 feet) 14 billion

Number of hamburgers consumed in the United States every year (about 45 per person).

Length of the world’s longest noodle, created by Chinese chef Li Enhai with just one kilogram of flour.

24 kilograms (53 pounds) 9,000

Amount of cheese consumed per person every year in France.

Age of what may be the world’s earliest alcoholic drink, found in China’s Henan Province.

10,000 sheets

Amount of nori used for the world’s largest maki roll, which was 1,825 meters (5,988 feet) long.

16,950 kilometers (10,532 miles)

The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English

is a new 502-square-meter (5,400-squarefoot) open space bringing international dishes to life with eight food stations (Wine Bar, Cheese & Charcuterie, Sushi Bar, Burger Bar & Rotisserie, Asian Noodle & Dumpling Bar, Espresso & Tea Bar, Brick Oven Pizza and Fish & Seafood Grill) and offering artisanal foods and home goods for purchase. fairmont.com/theplaza

photo: Jaime LeBlanc food styling: Noah Witenoff (nustyling)

Distance traveled by a single pizza, from Feltham, England, to Melbourne, Australia (to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation).

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Arts & Entertainment

Escape Artists

Art direction : Reanna Evoy Photography: AndrÊ Doyon Styling: Denis Lemieux

The ultimate pieces for traveling elegantly, stylishly and comfortably, wherever the day takes you.

For Her 6:30 a.m. Arm Clock An early flight calls for the precision timing and timeless elegance of the Oyster Perpetual Yachtmaster.

Rolex US$8,200, rolex.com 8:00 a.m. Firm Grip Butter-soft kidskin gloves evoke the golden age of travel (while protecting hands from germs and the elements).

MICHAEL Michael Kors US$98, michaelkors.com 9:00 a.m. Hold Everything Soft and sleek, this wool-and-python tote stylishly shuttles essentials from plane to boardroom and back again.

Chanel US$5,100, chanel.com 10:00 a.m. Shining Armor The comfortable T-shirt gets a sophisticated update with pearl detailing and a demure neckline.

Pink Tartan US$295, pinktartan.com 1:00 p.m. Panel Discussion The sharpest pencil in the boardroom is this elegantly tailored tweed jersey skirt.

Cinch it with a slim Filippa-K belt.

Brunello Cucinelli US$555, brunellocucinelli.it Filippa-K US$115, filippa-k.com 6:00 p.m. Cool Your Heels These cozy faux-fur slippers are good for the soles (and soul) when up in the air.

MICHAEL Michael Kors Price on request, michaelkors.com

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Styling: Denis Lemieux

For Him 7:00 a.m. The Italian Job Five minutes to pack?

There’s room to spare in the sophisticated, functional Da Vinci 72H carry-on.

WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie US$1,795, wantessentiels.com

4:00 p.m. Work Out, Chill Out This New Zealand merino wool knit is not only breathable but anti-bacterial.

Icebreaker US$70, icebreaker.com

8:00 a.m. Frequent Flier The mark of a true globetrotter is this grained calf-leather passport cover.

Louis Vuitton US$275, louisvuitton.com

6:00 p.m. Well Suited Be ready for any mission in this form-fitting blazer that doubles as a waterproof shell.

J.Lindeberg US$650, jlindeberg.com Lacoste cotton shirt US$125, lacoste.com

9:00 a.m. Back in Black Wear this sleek folding motor jacket en route to keep you warm, dry and in good form upon arrival.

Zegna Sport US$795, zegna.com 9:30 a.m. Wrinkle Free Both you and your day’s plans remain smooth, thanks to the clever construction of the Ties Only travel case. Cut a slim figure in one of these narrow Armanis.

Hermès US$1,950, hermes.com Giorgio Armani US$155 each, giorgioarmani.com

7:30 p.m. Shape Shifting With its zippered extension, this transforming boot carries you swiftly from work to play.

Louis Vuitton US$1,720, louisvuitton.com 3:00 a.m. Magic Tick Time zones appear to vanish, much like the Reverso’s flip-around watch face and peek-a-boo sapphire crystal.

Jaeger LeCoultre US$20,100, jaeger-lecoultre.com

10:00 a.m. Tech Support Legs stay revived after takeoff with the compression technology of these Everyday Hurricane socks.

Jacob Rohner US$45, rohner-socks.com

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SPORTS & Adventure

Whistler for Families

Post Olympic Games, Whistler, British Columbia, has plenty to offer active families with kids of all ages and stages of ability.

By Heather Greenwood Davis Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

Ready to rev them up? Take in a bird’s eye view of the backcountry around this ski town while zipping between the trees at 100 kilometers per hour (kids six and up) or trying out an aerial adventure course built especially for little limbs at WildPlay Whistler. The outdoor adventure park encourages kids to swing like Tarzan or walk a circus-worthy tightrope while wearing a harness more than 6 meters (20 feet) above the ground. Adults can join the fun on their own separate course.

Unit 218, 4293 Mountain Sq., 604-932-0647

16 Mile Creek FSR, 604-932-4086

Walk to the beat of a native drum at the architecturally stunning complex that is home to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, designed to evoke a traditional Squamish longhouse and a Lil’wat Istken (pit house). Kids get hands-on learning about dugout canoes, weaving and aboriginal lore while developing a deeper understanding of the artistic storytelling behind native arts and culture. Don’t skip the gift shop, where metal key rings in the shape of bear paws ($4) are worthy of show and tell at home. Tradition is yours for the tasting at the onsite café in the form of smoked salmon and bannock panini.

Long after the ski runs close for the day, adrenaline seekers are still going strong at the Coca-Cola Tube Park at the Base 2 Zone on Blackcomb Mountain. Ride the lift to the top of one of eight paths, 304 meters (1,000 feet) long (ranging from novice to expert), paved with snow and ice for highflying adventures. Pint-size tubers can opt for the “minizone,” where hills and tubes are just their size.

Come out on a wintry Sunday and you can cap the experience with a free “Fire and Ice” show, where skiers and snowboarders jump through rings of fire under fireworks at Skiers Plaza.

4584 Blackcomb Wy., 866-441-7522

Base 2, Blackcomb Wy., 800-766-0449

Delight the back-seat set with a compact children’s library.

Kobo eReader US$150

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WildPlay Whistler

Ready 4 Fun

“My programs were designed for the kid who’s the star of the team and the kid who sits at the end of the bench,” says Trick It Out Sports founder and youth fitness guru Scott Lancaster, the man behind RU Ready? Available at nine Fairmont properties worldwide, the program offers children aged seven to seventeen fun fitness challenges tailored to each destination (e.g., soccer in Mexico’s Fairmont Mayakoba, water sports at The Fairmont Orchid in Hawaii, snowboarding at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler) and to the participants’ own skills. fairmont.com/ruready

Make sharp turns (and turn heads) in these stylish shades. Chanel ski goggles US$330

Fights pH, temperature and humidity changes. Crème de la Mer The SPF 30 UV Protecting Fluid US$59

PHOTOS: Tourism BC/Toshi Kawano (children); Gary Fiegehen (Squamish Lil'wat cultural centre); WildPlay Whistler (Zip line)

Whistler-based Outdoor Adventures will up your adrenaline and your cool factor in your children’s eyes. Choose to mush your own sled across the snow-blanketed Soo Valley behind a powerful team of Alaskan huskies or double up on a family snowmobile adventure (kids twelve and under ride for free) that will take you through old-growth forests and across frozen lakes. Well-trained guides nearby (or driving, if you prefer) mean safety always comes first.

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Peter Gago Chief Winemaker Peter Gago is a member of the illustrious line of Penfolds Chief Winemakers. From Mary Penfold to Max Schubert and through to Peter Gago, there is an unbroken chain of over 165 years. Respectful of the Penfolds style, Peter believes it is his job to both maintain and contest; to continue to do what works and always has, but also strive

To the visionaries.

To those who do things for love not money.

165 years of winemaking.

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Š2009 FWE Imports, Napa, CA

for excellence in new and creative ways.

22/09/10 4:54 PM

Health & Wellness

1

The Road Warrior

2 3

Martial arts expert and adidas fitness ambassador Violet Zaki has developed the ultimate workout for travelers. Try these exercises in your room, poolside or at the gym.

4

Cat stance jump switch sequence Works cardio, shoulders, glutes, quads, hamstrings, core.

1

Step forward with your left foot lifting your heel and bend both knees to form a cat stance. Lean back, putting 90 percent of your weight onto your back leg, leaving 10 percent of your weight on your front leg. Pull your right arm back under your shoulder and bring your left arm up to frame your face.

2 Keeping your hands under your chin and elbows

in front, lower your body to prepare to jump.

3 Jump up and switch feet while in the air.

4 Land in a right leg cat stance with 90 percent of

your body weight on the back left leg and right hand framing your face.

Complete three sets of twelve repetitions each.

Fresh Faced

Recharge your energy at new Fairmont Willow Stream spas: sample VanActive treatments at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, Canada; experience “by day” sunlit rooms and “by night” treatment spaces at Fairmont Nile City, Cairo; try local Africology products in the rich orange and dark wood chambers of Fairmont Zimbali Resort in South Africa; or relax on the lakeview terrace with a cup of tea at Fairmont Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan, China. fairmont.com

Refresh your face post-workout with shea extract and floral water.

L’Occitane Shea Fresh Face Water US$20

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Tote all the essentials of a busy day from plane to gym and back again. Stella McCartney for adidas sport bag US$160

Change time zones effortlessly with this 24-city GMT watch. TAG Heuer Link Calibre 7 Advanced GMT watch US$2700

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EXPERIENCE CANADA

BY TRAIN. Discover the Rockies’ magnificent beauty while enjoying outstanding service in Sleeper Touring class on board the Canadian®.

In Ontario and Quebec, enjoy attentive service and special treats in Business class.

Discover Maritime hospitality and amazing landscapes while enjoying superior service on board the Ocean™.

®

Buy now at viarail.ca

Registered trademark owned by VIA Rail Canada Inc. ™ Trademark owned by VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Take the train and discover Canada’s most beautiful destinations.

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Health & Wellness

Tee Time

The latest crop of golf gear has gone seriously high-tech – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be great looking, too.

Loro Piana Rain Gear You will be murmuring “please let it rain” under your breath when this over-the-top suit from one of Italy’s finest clothing companies is in your bag.

US$2,295 (jacket) and US$1,695 (pants, not shown), loropiana.com

By Amanda Ross

Callaway FT-iZ This Callaway driver eschews any colorful bells and whistles for matte black carbon fiber that says: "Stand back, way back; I don’t know how far this drive will go."

US$399, callawaygolf.com

Dixon Earth Golf Balls A new eco-friendly ball promises high performance, is 100 percent recyclable and is made from reprocessable materials (with a recycling program to back it up, too).

US$39.95/dozen, dixongolf.com

Brooks Brothers Country Club GolfGlove Some golf gloves are too whimsical; others are overly sporty. This offering from the masters of traditional sartorialism gives you the confidence to sink that putt.

US$28, brooksbrothers.com

Fairmont Mayakoba features the first and only Jim McLean Golf School in Mexico.

It joins El Camaleón, the Greg Normandesigned golf course and host of the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic (Mexico’s only official PGA Tour event), establishing Mayakoba as the destination of choice for discerning golf travelers worldwide. fairmont.com/mayakoba fairmontgolf.com

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TaylorMade Rossa Corza Ghost Putter This new version of a nowclassic line offers a heavenly white contrast to the potential evils of the green – and perhaps some spiritual intervention on impossible putts.

US$159, taylormadegolf.com

FootJoy Golf Shoes The style-conscious can customize MyJoys golf shoes (camouflage print, your favorite sports team or national flag colors). The FJ Icon, with memory foam collar and tongue, is music to your feet.

From US$130, footjoy.com/myjoys

photo: Jaime LeBlanc styling: FRItzi Adelman

Driving School

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Š 2010 adidas AG. adidas, the 3-Bars logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group.

RUN WITH A BETTER FIT Supernova Sequence adidasRunning.com

GET COACHED TO A FASTER YOU adidas miCoach app Receive a complimentary coaching app with your footwear purchase.

Food & Wine

Valley Guy

We speak to Bruce Cakebread, president and chief operating officer of Cakebread Cellars, on Napa wine and the one question everyone asks him.

By Neal M c Lennan

Your father, Jack, started CAKEBREAD more than 30 years

us, are in the second generation of the business.

ago, making 157 cases OF chardonnay. How many does the

The Anderson Valley is a new

winery produce today?

california wine-growing

We produce 175,000 cases, from Sauvignon Blanc to Zinfandel. Not a bad jump.

hotspot. What FIRST attracted

Why does Cakebread still produce a full range of wines, when many new wineries seem to concentrate on only one or two varietals?

I like to think that our wines reflect the fantastic diversity of the soils, climate and geography of the Napa Valley. Obviously, there’s Cabernet Sauvignon – that’s still our flagship wine – but you can grow world-class Chardonnay in Carneros and terrific Sauvignon Blanc in the mid-Valley. These are our three main varietals.

you to the area NEARLY A DECADE AGO?

We bought property up there in early 2000 as a sort of insurance policy against the glassy-winged sharpshooter [a leaf-killing pest], which looked like it might hit Napa in a big way. So we bought a 46-acre abandoned apple orchard outside of Boonville, where we grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Your former neighbor (the late Robert Mondavi) and his sons famously lost control of their own family winery a few years ago. How has Cakebread been able to avoid the pitfalls of

WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE

second-generation vintners?

WINE PAIRING?

It doesn’t matter if it’s wine or widgets – about 80 percent of businesses fail going from first to second generation. My brother Dennis and I have been working in the business for 25 years and, with our parents, we’ve viewed planning for transition as a serious responsibility. But we’re lucky that it has turned out so well.

I love our Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese. It brings out the crisp minerality in both; definitely a match made in heaven.

Napa Confidential

Given the competition for the

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is the proud hotel tour provider to Napa Valley Vintners, which represents nearly 400 wineries. Through our strategic partnership, we provide Fairmont President’s Club members with exclusive events, including wine tastings and winemakers’ dinners at select hotels.

Valley’s best grapes, how have you managed to maintain a long-term relationship with your growers?

napavintners.com, fairmont.com/fpc

Evoke countryside picnic joie de vivre with notes of orange blossom and wisteria.

Love, Chloe US$110/75-ml bottle

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Impromptu picnics demand that a blanket should always be handy.

Louis Vuitton Monogram Blanket US$1,090

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET ASKED WHERE THE NAME CAKEBREAD CELLARS COMES FROM?

All the time! [Laughs.] I always say: It’s our family name, so please don’t make fun of it!

Swirl to release wine's aromas and flavors.

Riedel Swirl Collection from US$24.50/set of two glasses

PHOTOS: Terry McCarthy; istockphoto (glass)

You need the values of the grower and the values of the winemaker to be in sync and, if you have that, the relationship will go on forever. We have been working with some growers for 30 years now who, like

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The next time your mind wanders ...

why not let your body follow?

Escape to Antigua and Barbuda, where secluded beaches long to be discovered ered and the authentic warmth of island culture welcomes you with unparalleled hospitality. In a place where sophisticated elegance, tranquil refuge and exotic tradition coexist, you will feel a world away yet still so close to home. Here, pleasure is no pursuit – it is a way of life.

Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Office 60 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 601, Toronto Ontario M4T 1N5 Tel: 416-961-3085 info@antigua-barbuda-ca.com www.antigua-barbuda.ca

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Arts & Entertainment

Flashes of Brilliance The art stars of tomorrow get exposure at Magenta’s Flash Forward Festival.

By Eve Thomas

Displacement #1 (Red Balloon) Darren Rigo, Canada

Getting a foot in the door can be difficult for young artists. But over 500 up-and-coming photographers from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom are a little further inside thanks to Flash Forward, a yearly competition presented by philanthropic arts publishing house the Magenta Foundation since 2004. And what was once simply a contest for emerging artists is now also a biennial festival in Toronto, Canada. Debuting this October with help from sponsor Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, the Flash Forward Festival offers emerging photographers a showcase for their work through five days of events, fairs and exhibits that connect them with art-world players and potential patrons (all in addition to the competition’s yearly publication, a deluxe collectible book featuring photographs by Flash Forward winners). Now that’s a bright idea.

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Ratcliffe-on-Soar Toby Smith, United Kingdom

Untitled Geoffrey Pugen, Canada

Art of Travel A picture might be worth a thousand words, but how do you know if it’s worth its thousand-dollar price tag? Here are some expert tips on buying art abroad, from Eye Buy Art founder and Flash Forward Festival co-director Emily McInnes.

HOT SHOTS For a complete list of winners and honorable mentions from the 2010 Flash Forward competition, as well as those artists who will be appearing in a group show at the Flash Forward Festival, visit flashforwardfestival.com

Time Transcendence 4 Dan Doucette, Canada

Thinking About Tragedy Kevin Van Aelst, United States

DO Consider context.

Citing the Young British Artists of the 1990s and up-and-coming South American artists, McInnes pays attention to the ebb and flow of art world geography. Good signs that a city is a hot spot for visual arts? Red-hot music, film, fashion and food scenes.

Look for artist-run centers.

Look for contemporary art institutions and galleries attached to universities and art colleges, and talk to the people working there. Often the staff is made up of artists. Find out which artists they’re interested in, where they show their work and what neighborhoods they suggest checking out. Says McInnes: “The artists are the ones who are always one step ahead.”

Lorem ipsum — Lorem ipsum dolore sit

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Research, research, research.

Read up on the area and on local artists beforehand. (McInnes recommends checking out the travel section of The New York Times.) If you’re unsure about whether a gallery is giving you a reputable deal, ask a local competitor for a second opinion. McInnes says, “We are all

in this together so, for the most part, people in the art world are pretty straightforward.”

DON’T Expect to discover the next Van Gogh.

If you want a souvenir, go ahead and buy from a stall by the Seine.

For a piece that may accrue in value, you’re better off heading to a gallery in the 2e arrondissement.

There is no secret formula to knowing what the future price of a piece of art will be. McInnes is adamant, though, that everyone should buy art based on passion, not (potential) value. “Ultimately, I think it’s important to go with your gut and just enjoy whatever you choose to enjoy.”

Be afraid to ask for a discount.

An art gallery can seem a bit too formal for bargaining, but if you are from abroad and need to pay to ship the work home, you may be able to save 10-15 percent on the initial price. If you ask nicely. magentafoundation.org eyebuyart.com

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Among Boazu Erika Larson, United States

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Illustration: Tara Hardy

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Iconic hotels

Four Modern Classics

Open Their Doors History begins: following the successful relaunch of New York’s The Plaza in 2008, Shanghai’s historic Fairmont Peace Hotel and London’s landmark The Savoy are unveiled after dramatic restorations. Also in 2010, a new icon opens its doors in Saudi Arabia as the Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel welcomes pilgrims from around the world. These buildings are more than hotels. They are the homes of stories and histories, celebrities and luminaries, and, most of all, memories. Past. Present. And future.

For a window on Fairmont history, Fairmont magazine 35 turn to page 46.

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A Palace on the Thames: The Savoy It’s 1889 and a new palace opens around a bend

Leading Lady These memorable moments in film were all captured at The Savoy.

36

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

The Long Good Friday

The French

Entrapment

Notting Hill

(1969)

(1980)

Lieutenant’s Woman (1981)

(1999)

(1999)

Starring Peter O'Toole,

Starring Bob Hoskins,

Starring Meryl Streep

Starring Sean Connery

Starring Hugh Grant

Petula Clark and

Helen Mirren and

and Jeremy Irons and

and Catherine

and Julia Roberts

Michael Redgrave

Pierce Brosnan

Hilton McRae

Zeta-Jones

and Rhys Ifans

PHOTOS: istockphoto (oscar, film Reel)

of the River Thames from Buckingham, next to the legendary Savoy Theatre. Imagine, through the windows of the first true luxury hotel in London, views that will inspire Monet and Whistler paintings. Two hospitality masters, manager César Ritz and chef Auguste Escoffier, quickly become legends. Perhaps Oscar Wilde scribbles furiously in a room. Everyone from George Gershwin to George Bernard Shaw toasts in the American Bar, home of The Savoy Cocktail Book.

Edwardian style and art deco flourishes live on at The Savoy today, with its iconic marquee gleaming anew. Some of its most famous longtime guests, from Sir Winston Churchill to Maria Callas, have been enshrined in "personality suites," rich with libraries, artwork and even stationery reminiscent of their storied guests. The Savoy Grill is a classic restaurant reinvented by chef patron Stuart Gillies and head chef Andy Cook, under the auspices of a celebrity toque, Gordon Ramsay Holdings. Old meets new, seamlessly.

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PHOTOS: istockphoto (phone, lamp)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Kaspar, the resident lucky cat; bartender Harry Craddock, who joined the Savoy in 1920; below him is chef Auguste Escoffier and a vintage menu; the American Bar; a vintage postcard; a team of bellmen ready to serve; a letter sent to “the greatest hotel in London” gets a witty redirect; the first hotel “ascending rooms”; Fred Astaire and his sister, Adele, at The Savoy.

Iconic Iconic hotels hotels

Back to the Future Historic firsts at The Savoy.

Electric lifts or,

A “speaking

Phones in

A power point for

Lights went on

as they were then

tube” for guests

all the

an electric tooth-

here first when

called, “ascending

to call for

guest

brush (for Dwight

the 1945

rooms.”

room service.

bathrooms.

Eisenhower!).

blackout ended.

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A Walk in the Park: The Plaza

It’s 1907 in New York City and, at the lively nexus

Ready for Its Close-up The Plaza in the movies.

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North by Northwest

Funny Girl

Plaza Suite

The Way We Were

Arthur

(1959)

(1968)

(1971)

(1973)

(1981)

Starring Cary Grant,

Starring Barbra

Starring Walter

Starring Barbra

Starring Dudley Moore,

Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

Streisand, Omar Sharif

Matthau, Lee Grant

Streisand and

Liza Minelli and

and Martin Landau

and Kay Medford

and Barbara Harris

Robert Redford

John Gielgud

PHOTOS: istockphoto (ticket, clapboard, videotape)

where Fifth Avenue meets Central Park, The Plaza opens its doors and instantly becomes part of New York’s social and cultural landscape.

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt sign the register first, calling The Plaza home; so does the fictional character Eloise, the naughty little girl whose enchanted existence lives on in books and films. Ernest Hemingway advises his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald to “give your heart to The Plaza,” a trove of Beaux Arts-style decor decadence. The white and gold Grand Ballroom backdrops masked swans dancing at Truman Capote’s legendary Black and White Ball; the Oak Bar’s Central Park murals glimmer over hushed candlelit moments.

The future picks up exactly where the past left off: chef Willis Loughhead skillfully blends classical and modern French cuisine today at The Palm Court, under a 167-square-meter (1,800-squarefoot) stained-glass ceiling, reconstructed from shards of colored glass from the original. As if untouched by the modern world that whizzes past its gilded doors, this hotel continues to captivate. As its most famous resident little girl once remarked: “Oooooooo I absolutely love The Plaza.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra at the Black and White Ball; a carving adorning the Palm Court restaurant; the Palm Court ceiling; an opulent detail from the Champagne Bar; the Betsey Johnson-designed Eloise Suite; The Plaza crest; Central Park; vintage Terrace Room menu; one of The Plaza butlers.

PHOTOS: bettmann/corbis (black and white ball); istockphoto (jewel)

clapboard, videotape)

Iconic Iconic hotels hotels

Party of the Century Truman Capote’s 1966 black-and-white-themed masked ball at The Plaza.

Mia Farrow (above,

Enid Nemy of The New York

Socialite Gloria Guinness

Writer Leo Lerman told the

Andy Warhol

with Frank Sinatra)

Times wrote: “They rolled off the

said her diamond and ruby

Life photographer Henry

refused to

debuted her

assembly line like dolls, newly

necklaces were so heavy

Grossman he “had never seen

wear a mask.

new boyish,

painted and freshly coiffed, pack-

she would have to stay in

so many beautiful women in

cropped hairdo.

aged in silk, satin and jewels.”

bed the next day.

one place at one time.”

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From China to the World: Fairmont Peace Hotel Step through the modern gateway to China. It’s

1929, and Noël Coward writes Private Lives in his room at the new art deco Cathay Hotel on Shanghai’s landmark Bund riverside strip, where kings and celebrities play. Its copper pyramid rooftop becomes a skyline fixture to foreigners after World War II. Renamed as the Peace Hotel in 1956, it carries a grand ambassadorial message that’s restated today, through refurbished, themed Nine Nations Suites. Similarly, the new Sassoon Presidential Suite embodies the hotel’s flamboyant founder, tycoon Victor Sassoon.

With some of its most authentic period flourishes uncovered and refurbished today (Lalique glasswork, sprung ballroom floors), the revitalized Fairmont Peace Hotel, which boasts an on-site gallery of historic treasures, is a modern jewel. Cantonese cuisine at Dragon Phoenix.

Wine and cigars at Cin Cin. Classic cocktails and hot numbers at the Jazz Bar. The Fairmont Peace Hotel is still a global hotspot today.

Art Deco Redux Distinctive design elements, restored, at the Fairmont Peace Hotel.

Its signature

The themed Nine

The grand revolving

The world-

Lalique glass

green copper roof,

Nations Suites (China,

doors opening

renowned Jazz

ornaments

rising 77 meters

Britain, America, Italy,

onto the Bund

Bar, featuring

and fixtures,

(253 feet) above

India, Japan, Spain,

have been

legendary veteran

custom designed

sea level.

Germany and France).

beautifully restored.

musicians.

in France.

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Iconic Iconic hotels hotels

PHOTOS: istockphoto (radio, teacups)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The iconic green copper roof; a preserved stained-glass window; a 19th-century image of the Bund; a news clipping shows the Peace Hotel through the ages; a vintage postcard of the then-Cathay Hotel; the renovated lobby; the Ganin Sisters, who performed in the ballroom in 1935.

Made in China Landmark moments that defined the historic Fairmont Peace Hotel.

The International

Marble baths with

Shanghai’s first

The first

A luxury shopping

Radio Station was

silver taps channeled

electric elevator was

European-style

arcade housed An Kang

located in first-

a private water

a gilded cage with

high tea in

Foreign Store, selling

floor offices from

supply from a spring

walnut paneling by

Shanghai debuted

China’s first imported

1929 to 1951.

outside Shanghai.

Otis Elevator Co.

here in 1929.

Rolex watches.

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Legendary Time: Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel It is 2010, and the land in the vicinity of Saudi

Modern Icon Facts about the new Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel.

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10,000 kilometers

Seventy-six state of the

A Lunar Observation

Two prayer

There are ten dining

(6,214 miles) of

art elevators allow easy

Center and an Islamic

rooms hold

options on site, including

fiber-optic cable provide

access to Al Masjid al

Museum preserve

3,600 and

Al Dira, the first authen-

Internet, telephone

Haram, the largest mosque

Muslim heritage for

1,200 people,

tically Saudi Arabian

and television services.

in the world, for prayers.

future generations.

respectively.

restaurant.

PHOTOS: istockphoto (mouse, telescope, spice)

Arabia’s Holy Mosque represents a unique opportunity and a unique responsibility: to provide a beacon for pilgrims in the heart of the Holy City and the finest hospitality to guests participating in hajj, the most important journey of their lives and their opportunity to view the Ka’aba, the central icon of the Muslim world. That responsibility is embraced at the Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel, through its signature clock tower, an instant attraction, which announces prayer times daily.

Within the hotel, two prayer rooms can hold nearly 5,000 worshippers, and dozens of elevators whisk them to Al Masjid al Haram Mosque for prayers. Ten dining options, including what is considered to be the first authentically Saudi restaurant in Saudi Arabia, honor all preferences and tastes. Modernity is carefully blended with tradition here: a Lunar Observation Center and an Islamic Museum co-exist with enough fiber-optic cable to make it one of the smartest buildings in the world.

It’s a 76-story hotel where thousands of pilgrims’ stories will begin.

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PHOTOS: istockphoto (big ben, binoculars)

telescope, spice)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Classic decor and modern design mix in the lobby; interior details; a view of Makkah, surrounding Al Masjid al Haram Mosque and the Ka’aba; one of ten dining options at the hotel; Makkah Clock Royal Tower.

Iconic Iconic hotels hotels

Towering Presence Facts about Makkah’s Clock Royal Tower.

The clock, with four

The tower is 577 meters

It’s visible from

The clock announces prayer

facades, is the biggest in

(1,893 feet) tall; the clock

11 kilometers

times declared from the Holy

the world and almost six

itself is 40 meters

(7 miles) in daytime

Mosque. Its call can be heard in a

times the size of London’s

(130 feet) high.

and 17 kilometers

radius of 7 kilometers (4.5 miles)

(10.5 miles) at night.

through loudspeakers.

famous Big Ben.

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In Your Dreams Hotels have captured our imaginations ever since the first voyagers started looking for shelter for the night. One veteran traveler examines the inner meaning of hotels to their visitors, and the iconic role they play in our experience of travel – even as destinations in themselves.

By Pico Iyer

A blushing young bride sweeps past in a wedding

dress, clutching flowers, on a radiant Sunday in late spring, as men in ties issue forth from the stained-glass foyer. Couples are posing for photographs, excited, in the garden with its rose arbor. In front of the hotel’s ivied walls, not far from the stately library, visitors are gathering near the Dinner Reservations office to get tickets for a ninety-minute tour of the property the following day. A flag flutters proudly above the turrets, as if to announce your arrival, and if you walk past the great ballroom, famous for its afternoon teas, you can enter a lounge where the tiger skin on the wall tells you you’ve arrived in Kipling’s world, back in the day when the hotel first opened, in 1908.

The grand hotel that commands this harbor is called The Fairmont Empress, but it looks as if it’s fit for queens – and captains of industry and dukes. And indeed the framed black-and-white photos on its walls show Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the U.S. president, sitting outside its entrance, and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, when she was a princess, accepting a gift at lunch there. In 1919 the Prince of Wales danced till dawn in the hotel’s Crystal Ballroom.

Just to walk into the Empress is to feel as if your entire life has been upgraded to Gold Level. It’s no surprise that the place, which sits perpendicular to the provincial Parliament Buildings (and somewhat dwarfs them), is one of the first sights any visitor wants to see when she arrives in Victoria, British Columbia; like another Canadian hotel, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec City, or like The Plaza in New York, it’s one of those hotels that people long to

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see, even if they can’t stay there. Not just a gateway to the sights, but an important sight and destination in itself.

The hotel as icon: it’s something that has held the world ever since the first travelers started looking for shelter for the night, especially since most of those who could travel then were lords and ladies. And a visitor today feels that she’s joining all the eminences who have passed through the same doors, and is circulating among Fred Astaire, Charlie Chapin and Queen Noor of Jordan. I remember checking into the Peace Hotel my first hour in Shanghai, and feeling as if I could hear Noël Coward completing Private Lives in one room, even as the celebrated band was still performing in the Old Jazz Bar. The “Number One mansion in the Far East,” as the place was called, allowed me to savor the glamorous old Shanghai of the cosmopolitan 1930s along the Bund, outside its front door, even as I was watching a new high-rising Shanghai come up across the water.

An iconic hotel is at once a glorified home, and everything you could never expect to enjoy at home: it offers friendliness, welcome and warmth – everything and everyone is trying to make you feel comfortable; and yet it also ushers you into a realm of crystal chandeliers and white gloves and dinner jackets and sweeping staircases that speak for an elevated life that usually we can visit only in our dreams. Grand hotels may be the closest that most of us get to living in Versailles. They even, like the new Makkah Clock Royal Tower – A Fairmont Hotel, become the antechambers to the most important moments in many pilgrims’ lives.

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Iconic Iconic hotels hotels

An iconic hotel ushers you into the realm of an elevated life that usually we can visit only in our dreams.

That’s why, I think, the somewhat standard business hotel I used to visit regularly in La Paz, Bolivia, called itself Plaza Hotel; it wanted to partake of some of the luster that attaches to The Plaza Hotel in New York, a designated National Historic Landmark where the fictional Eloise lived, where Western governments signed the Plaza Accord in 1985 and in whose Palm Court you can feel as if you’ve stolen into a scene from Plaza Suite.

Or, even better, as if you’re taking afternoon tea with someone who’s escaped from a Jane Austen novel. Served most often in a capacious lounge, suffused with an air of high grandeur, centering on loose-leaf teas and offering a meal that you seldom even think about at home, afternoon tea is for me an emblem of what a classic hotel is all about. The delicacies arrive on three-story trays, with scones, smoked salmon sandwiches and Battenberg cakes each occupying their own level; harpists play Bach; you aspire to make conversation worthy of the finger sandwiches; and clotted cream makes perhaps its only appearance in your daily life. San Francisco is full of extraordinary restaurants, but I’ve almost never had dinner in any of them

because, on every visit, I stuff myself with afternoon tea at The Fairmont San Francisco, which somehow seems more unforgettable.

A hotel is a holiday from life, and it’s a break from the world we know too well; passing into the lobby of a heritage hotel is akin to entering another era in the world’s life. As a young boy growing up near London, I grew used to slipping into The Savoy, just off the Strand, whenever the crowds, the noise, the push of life got too much. The storied old hotel is famous, of course, as the home of the Peach Melba and innumerable unique cocktails, as the place where Vivien Leigh met Laurence Olivier, as the temporary home of artists from Monet to The Who. But for me, it wasn’t the fact that it was the first hotel to be lit by electricity, or the only place in Britain where you are required to drive on the right, that mattered; it was simply the way its air of civilized attention made life feel safe and impeccable at last.

A few months ago, I found myself in the Canadian Rockies, where The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel commands the pine-filled slopes like a people’s castle. A classic hotel sits above the clamor and cares of the world, I thought, like a wise old aunt, who’s seen everything, is surprised by nothing and still looks dazzling in her pearls. She’s watched broken hearts and heads of state, she’s weathered courtly romances and political dramas and yet she’s still open for whatever grand adventure may come her way next. An iconic hotel, like a novel by W. Somerset Maugham or Henry James, is an art gallery, a palace, a living museum, a history lesson and a romance, all at once.

Fairmont magazine

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The Savoy Swiss hotelier César Ritz, the original manager of The Savoy, later opened hotels in Paris, London and Madrid.

Who's Who Iconic Fairmont properties have hosted many famous personalities and happenings over the years. Here's a peek inside just a few of the historical memories created at The Savoy, The Plaza and the Fairmont Peace Hotel.

Claude Monet stayed at The Savoy between 1899 and 1903, painting famous canvases of London’s bridges and landmarks.

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Opera singer Maria Callas, one of the personalities behind a new signature suite at the renovated The Savoy, lived at the hotel while performing at the Royal Opera House and Royal Festival Hall.

Winston Churchill had a room reserved at The Savoy throughout World War II; today he is the personality behind a signature suite (Churchill cigars included) at the hotel.

The legendary chef at The Savoy, Auguste Escoffier, created signature dishes like Pêche Melba and Tournedos Rossini.

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Iconic hotels

Gordon Ramsay Holdings, the eponymous company of the celebrity chef, is behind the Michelin-starred restaurant The Savoy Grill.

George Gershwin gave “Rhapsody in Blue” its English premiere in 1925 at The Savoy, in a performance broadcast by the BBC.

Bob Dylan’s promotional clip for “Subterranean Homesick Blues” was shot in an alley behind The Savoy in 1967.

The artist James McNeil Whistler rendered the Thames River in lithographs from his room at The Savoy in 1896.

Sean Combs (formerly known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy) celebrated his 40th birthday at The Plaza in 2009 with a $3-million, star-studded party.

Cary Grant (who starred in North by Northwest, filmed at the hotel) often stayed at The Plaza.

The Beatles held a televised press conference in the Terrace Room at The Plaza on February 10, 1964, the day after their historic Ed Sullivan Show appearance.

Kay Thompson’s Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grownups (1955) was written and edited at The Plaza.

George Bernard Shaw visited the Peace Hotel in 1933, for a landmark meeting between writers and thinkers from China and Ireland.

From the hotel, a young J.G. Ballard watched the Japanese take Shanghai in 1932, a scene later dramatized in Steven Spielberg’s 1987 adaptation of Ballard’s Empire of the Sun.

Peace Hotel The Plaza

Libertine playwright Oscar Wilde was a frequent guest at The Savoy.

Marilyn Monroe caused a sensation by wearing a midriff-revealing dress during a press conference at The Savoy in 1956.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright moved into The Plaza for six years in 1950.

Alfred Hitchcock filmed his 1959 film North by Northwest at The Plaza.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, a frequent patron of The Plaza’s Oak Bar, set a climactic scene in The Great Gatsby, his classic 1925 novel, there.

Truman Capote hosted his famous Black and White Ball on November 28, 1966, in The Plaza’s Grand Ballroom.

Silent film star Mary Pickford stayed at the Peace Hotel in 1931, with fellow Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks.

Legendary comedic actor Charlie Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard caused a media frenzy when they stayed in room 51 at the Peace Hotel on March 9, 1936.

Douglas Fairbanks showed up two hours late for a 1931 Peace Hotel reception in his (and Mary Pickford’s) honor, where he called Shanghai “the most colorful and interesting and progressive city in the world.”

Sir Victor Sassoon, the Peace Hotel’s colorful founder, lived in a penthouse in the hotel for many years.

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FAIRMONT magazine

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Treasure Island Boasting a riveting history of shipwrecks and secret agents, princesses and pirates, Bermuda juxtaposes a colorful past with the sophisticated present.

By Randi Gollin | photography by David Shaw

THIS PAGE The northern shore of Spanish Point Park is a popular spot for Bermudians to demonstrate their modern derring-do.

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Afternoon tea in Bermuda perfectly encapsulates the entire

vibe of this island. A pot of Earl Grey and a shrimp and watercress-stuffed mini-croissant, plus a rum scone with Devonshire clotted cream and lime jam: everything is properly British – yet with a distinct island accent.

Though Bermuda’s stormy beginnings are rife with stories of treasure-laden galleons and plundering pirates, civilized serenity reigns here today, as evidenced by its neat lines of colonial cottages in sherbet shades overlooking the crystalline Atlantic.

The 54 square-kilometer (21-square-mile) archipelago is the oldest of the British overseas territories. Yet still, like the Bermudian businessmen I see everywhere wearing smart blazers with colorful knee-socks and the country’s namesake shorts, beneath its orderly Anglo-Saxon-isms, the maverick origins of this place are ever present.

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After nibbling on sweets and savories, I take in the sights of the capital city, where my teatime oasis, the resplendent Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel, is situated. The bustling capital is flush with restaurants and boutiques. Mopeds zip by and cruise ships rest in the ferry terminal. The venerable hotel, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, is a beloved fixture of this urban environment. The “Pink Palace,” as it’s known locally, was bestowed its official moniker in honor of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Louise, who had extolled the glories of Bermuda as a kind of paradise.

True to form, The Fairmont Hamilton Princess has its own dishy history. During World War II, it was intelligence HQ for allied secret agents and served as temporary home to a real-life Commander Bond (reportedly the basis for Ian Fleming’s rogue agent 007).

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Hamilton's candy-colored boutiques and homes; The Fairmont Southampton's Dark 'n' Stormy; chef Sanjay Leeme at Ocean Club with two creations: rockfish in kaffir lime leaf sauce and harissa-spiked tuna tartare; a cool vendor in downtown Hamilton.

As the lazy afternoon melts into evening, teatime gives way to happy hour. Now I find those Bermuda-clad financiers in relaxation-mode, mingling with women in breezy casual-chic attire while children scamper on the lawn. The live band lets loose with Fleetwood Mac and Coldplay covers, and I get into the local sway, ordering a Dark ’n’ Stormy, the island signature made with Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Stormy Ginger Beer. Settling into a seat on the terrace, I cap off the evening by dreamily watching boats breeze past Hamilton Harbour.

The feeling of Bermudian intrigue resonates with me again the next day as I explore the sprawling Fairmont Southampton, a few parishes and an entire mindset away from Hamilton. The country resort, set on the island’s highest point, overlooks the pink-sand idyll known as the South Shore. Here, I join 11th-generation Bermudi-

an Peter Frith and his wife, Chrissy, on the outdoor terrace of the Ocean Club, where we hoist signature Ocean-tinis (vodka, rum and vibrant blue Hpnotiq liqueur).

My host (who happens to be the resort’s former director of sales) is descended from legendary seafarers: Christopher Carter, one of two Brits who settled in Bermuda after the shipwreck of their vessel, the Sea Venture, off the east coast in 1609 and Hezekiah Frith, a plucky privateer. “That’s like a legal pirate,” winks Frith naughtily.

“The King of England gave them permission to raid any ship with which they were at war.”

My own treasure arrives on a plate: harissa-spiked tuna tartare, and rockfish, in a complex kaffir lime leaf sauce, revealing the worldly palate of Sanjay Leeme, senior chef de partie, whose résumé includes a stint working with a French master chef. ›

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ABOVE AND RIGHT Paradise found at Warwick Long Bay; moments of serenity at the Willow Stream Spa's pool at The Fairmont Southampton.

› Tableside, the Sri Lankan talent confides that he uses local catch whenever possible

and “mixes Asian flavors into European cuisine.” Each bite is as transcendent as the view of towering black rocks over azure water.

By day, the seascape is just as mesmerizing. As I splash along Horseshoe Bay Beach, near the Fairmont Beach Club, the ocean, like the Miles Davis classic, is a harmony of blue in green. I saunter along the pinkish, powdery sand of one of the world’s most photographed coastlines, then up the dunes, encountering dramatic coves that create pockets of privacy dotted with sun worshippers and shutterbugs. This beach reminds me of the dreamy interlude I enjoyed at the luxe Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Southampton: the smooth stones used in my hot-stone massage were black like the island rock; the rose- and cedar-scented oil reminiscent of Bermuda’s heady flora. A facial with sea algae and the invigorating salt used in a body scrub are both inspired by this sea and this air. A bikini-clad adventuress ambles atop a striated black boulder, waving her arms. She’s the queen of the world, for a moment in time.

Another sensory encounter awaits in the Town of St. George, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in St. George’s parish. The town crier is off duty as I walk past King’s Square and follow the narrow, cobblestone streets, past storybook houses, to Stewart Hall. Here I find The Bermuda Perfumery, which has been making its own distinctive fragrances under the Lili Bermuda brand since 1928.

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Concierge The Fairmont Southampton resort on the South Shore offers golf, tennis, an on-site PADI dive center and the Willow Stream Spa, a 2,880-squaremeter (31,000 square feet) natural aromatherapy sanctuary. Dine at acclaimed restaurants, like the historic Waterlot Inn, a AAA Four Diamond Award–winning seafood- and steakhouse, and the Ocean Club, overlooking the black rocks – or enjoy lunch under shady palapas on the private beach. fairmontsouthampton.com

Craving more action? Hop the hotel’s ferry to The Fairmont Hamilton Princess, an architectural treasure in the City of Hamilton, a stroll away from Front Street’s jaunty boutiques and restaurants and the ferry terminal. fairmont.com/hamilton

Do At the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo explore animals and aquatic life in their replicated natural habitats.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Holy Trinity Cathedral in Hamilton; the famous "unfinished church" in St. George; perfume from Lili Bermuda and its creator, master perfumer Isabelle RamsayBrackstone.

bamz.org

Wander the Town of St. George, one of the oldest English-speaking colonial towns in the Americas and home of The Bermuda Perfumery, St. Peter’s Church and historical re-enactments. bermudatourism.com lilibermuda.com

Drop anchor at the Royal Naval Dockyard, constructed as a British naval base. Steep yourself in Bermuda’s maritime history at the National Museum of Bermuda, then watch artisans hone their crafts at Dockyard Glassworks and Bermuda Clayworks. www.bmm.bm dockglass.com

map: Annick Desormeaux

bermudaclayworks.com

Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone, the French-Canadian owner and master perfumer, leads me to the maceration room, where essential oils commingle in enormous bottles, then to an atmospheric, cedar-beamed room boasting perfume-making paraphernalia from bygone eras and jars stuffed with orrisroot, oak moss and musk seeds.

As I sniff paper blotters infused with single notes, Ramsay-Brackstone explains how she strives to capture the island’s “lush greeneries and flowers, the ocean, the fruits, the wind, the sand and the sun” in her artisan fragrances. One of her latest is South Water, a coconut milk, sea salt and juicy guava blend. “I call it Liquid Bermuda because to me it smells like the beach. It’s incredibly sultry and flirty.”

I dab it on my wrist; like Bermuda itself – from its blush-hued beaches to its unconventional cuisine – it’s perfection, with just a hint of wild abandon.

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When you choose Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, you choose a world of premium offerings. We are proud to partner with some of the world’s most respected brands to bring you, our valued guest, these exclusive benefits and exciting offers.

Visit www.fairmont.com/fpc for Fairmont President’s Club member benefits.

Visit www.fairmont.com/globalpartners for partner offerings.

Fairmont Fit,* in partnership with adidas, helps you stay active and balanced during your travels — with fitness apparel and equipment delivered directly to your guest room.

As a Fairmont President’s Club member, you will also have access to pre-loaded MP3 players featuring EMI music, yoga mats and stretch bands, and opportunities to book Fairmont Fit weekend packages. * Only available with Fairmont President’s Club membership.

Now, when staying on a Fairmont Gold floor, Fairmont President’s Club members can access* the sleek and portable Kobo eReader — ready to go with an assortment of Random House Inc.’s newest and bestselling books. Whether you’re lounging in the lobby, lying by the pool or relaxing in your guest room, an exciting literary escape is only a touch away. Visit the Fairmont Gold desk for details. * Available at select Canadian and U.S. properties.

Access bestselling EMI artists through a variety of outlets: Fairmont Fit’s MP3 playlist during your workouts;* exclusive releases and download discounts at Fairmont’s online music store, www.fairmontmusicstore.com; artist interviews; and special invitations to exciting live performances at select properties.

For more information, visit www.soundsoffairmont.com * Only available with Fairmont President’s Club membership.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts enjoys a global partnership with the legendary Moleskine notebooks — a perfect way for our guests to document their inspirations and ideas while staying at a Fairmont hotel or resort. * Available only to Fairmont President’s Club members, who may purchase through Royal Service.

invigorate.

As the official tour hotel sponsor for Napa Valley Vintners, we offer exclusive opportunities to Fairmont President’s Club members — among them, invitations to high-profile events (such as Taste Napa Valley) at select properties worldwide.* * Based on event schedules of Napa Valley Vintners members.

Other global partners include:

Fairmont guests enjoy select opportunities at Saks Fifth Avenue, including personal shopping appointments, last-minute gift delivery and complimentary makeup applications through Saks’ in-room concierge program.* * Available to Fairmont guests at select U.S. properties.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of our guests, Fairmont has teamed with The Metropolitan Tea Company to offer a series of handcrafted specialty blends — from tranquillity teas to high-antioxidant teas.

photo: Rebecca Collard

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Cairo Oases Even within this teeming Egyptian city, there are places — on land, from the water, even up in the air — that inspire pause, quiet and contemplation.

By Rebecca Collard

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From atop the minaret at the Mosque of Ahmad

ibn Tulun, Cairo unfolds in front of us. The collage of ramshackle apartment blocks with satellite dish-laden rooftops is broken by the lush, bushy fronds of palm and fig trees. The blow of car horns is dulled by the wind before it reaches us, a few hundred meters removed from the chaotic streets below.

“You know, this is the first time I’ve climbed a minaret,” admits my friend Shahin, who’s lived most of his 30 years in Cairo. Far to the right we can see the gleaming silver domes and fortified walls of Saladin’s Citadel. Saladin, who once controlled vast swaths of the Middle East, built this fortress in the 12th century to defend the city from the Crusaders. It served as Egypt’s seat of power for some 700 years. Now, the silhouette of the Citadel, perched on a spur of the Mokattam Hills to the east of the city, defines the skyline.

In Arabic, Cairo is called al-Qahirah, or “the victorious,” a somewhat ironic name for a city that saw a succession of rulers, from Arab to Mamluk to Ottoman. It was only Gamal Abdel Nasser’s 1952 revolution that declared Egypt a republic and ousted the Egyptian monarchy. I lived for two years in this victorious city as an expat. I explored its cultural monuments: crawling inside the iconic pyramids on Cairo’s outskirts, spending hours lost among the mummies at the Egyptian Museum, roaming the glorious Citadel. Now, I am back, but on this visit I’m free from the baggage of everyday life as a resident.

As I look out over the maze of alleyways teeming with sandwich carts and donkey-drawn carriages steered by men in long galabiyya robes, I have a fresh perspective on the city that I know so well. This time, as visitor, I see more clearly the pockets of peace and contemplation within one of the world’s most frenzied capitals.

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“Yallah,” calls Shahin, using the ubiquitous Arabic phrase for “let’s go,” and we creep down the stone steps that wrap around the outside of the minaret.

I retreat into a traditional Islamic-style mansion attached to the Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun, a hidden museum. Mashrabiya window coverings gently filter the yellow glow of sunlight on a venerable collection of antiquities, all donated by a retired English cotor who had served in the British Army. In 1935, Major R.G. Gayer-Anderson persuaded the Egyptian government to let him reside in this centuries-old house, on the condition that he leave his impressive collection of antiquities to the state upon his death. Every corner is now furnished with a Pharaonic bust, intricately carved wooden mirror or ancient handwoven rug. Unlike many of Egypt’s more-famed collections, here you can stroll through history unobstructed by Plexiglas.

Craving a bit of direct sun and the scent of jasmine flowers, we head to Al-Azhar Park, a lush 74-acre green space in the heart of old Cairo.

When we arrive, two women, fully dressed in pants, long shirts and headscarves, are splashing in the fountain under the hot afternoon sun. Resisting the temptation to join them, Shahin and I lounge on Bedouin-style cushions at Al-Azhar’s Park’s Citadel View Restaurant, from which we can indeed see Saladin’s ancient city. We feast on kofta meatballs and fattoush (a traditional Lebanese salad with crispy bread and tangy pomegranate syrup). But the star of the meal is the muhammara, a spicy walnut and red pepper dip, complete with a small pool of smooth olive oil and fresh mint. Along with this feast, we take in the view, gazing at the lush parklands.

It’s hard to believe that for 500 years the site of this oasis was a mound of wreckage, once used as Cairo’s garbage dump. In 1984, when

ABOVE Sipping Turkish coffee in the open-air dining lounge of the Citadel View.

PREVIOUS PAGE The view of Cairo from the Citadel View restaurant in Al-Azhar Park.

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photos: Rebecca Collard

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM A boy uses his head to carry a tray of bread in the Khan El-Khalili market; longtime waiter Mohamed Hassan Sadek at Café Riche; a fruit merchant in the Garden City district.

His Highness Aga Khan purposed funding a park for Cairo – a city with one of the lowest rates of green space per capita in the world – the only large and available plot of land was the heap of rumble stretching between the 12th Century Ayyubid city and the 15th Century Mamluk graveyard. Adjacent to the space was the Darb al Al-Ahmar neighborhood, rich in Islamic architecture. Through careful planning and engagement of area residents in the project, the vibrant green space of Al-Azhar Park was produced while preserving the cultural and historic richness. We descend on the gardens, winding our way around the lake and through palms and hibiscus flowers until the sun falls behind Cairo’s epic skyline.

The next morning, I venture to Khan El-Khalili, Cairo’s biggest and oldest market. I’m on a mission. I need to replenish my stock of multicolored leather babouche shoes, which I wore in Cairo for two years. I quickly become absorbed in the market, my eyes trailing from ornately engraved silver lamps and richly colored blown glass to massive silver rings set with heavy pieces of turquoise and chunky Arabian-style earrings (one of my weaknesses). A sweet mélange of amber and lavender oils wafts out of the Khan El-Khalili’s many perfume shops. Vendors sit on small wooden stools sipping sugary tea and making multilingual calls to customers through the crowd: “Want to see my shop?” “Looking is free!” “Do you like pashmina scarf?”

By the time I reach my babouche dealer, my bag is heavy with purchases and I am exhausted. I plunk myself down on a folding stool in a shop stocked with leather bags, wallets and shoes. Let the games begin.

Having done this many times before, I know to begin by acting uninterested. I try on several colors and explain, in my limited Arabic, that they are nothing special, “Adi, yani.” Yet after 30 minutes of bartering I leave with four pairs, including sparkly gold ones, at half the asking price. Victory! I head to a juice stall for refreshment. Mangos, bananas, guavas, pomegranates, oranges and even avocados hang in front, just waiting to be squeezed and blended. I opt for orange and gulp back the sweet, pulpy nectar before retreating for a bit of relaxation.

A swim in the rooftop pool at Fairmont Nile City proves the perfect antidote to a day of haggling on bustling streets. I submerge my body in cool water. Relief. The pool deck is a sky-high refuge, from which I can see the Nile River stretch in both directions, cutting wide through Cairo. Since long before the Pharaohs reigned here, the Nile has been the foundation of this society; ancient tribes gathered along its banks. I lie back on the lounge chair with the warm Egyptian sun on my face and let myself slip into unconsciousness.

I rouse myself in time to have my own Nile adventure. Any visitor to Cairo should experience the city from the river, where the Pharaohs once paddled. Along the corniche of Cairo’s Garden City district, felucca sailboats wait to take passengers on the Nile. As we leave the shore, Ahmed adjusts his soft blue galabiyya and leans hard on the back oar of the Aida, his 30-foot felucca. A cool breeze pushes us toward the middle of the Nile and we cruise gently on the calm waters, leaving behind the city’s crowded streets. That famous skyline rises from the ›

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photos: Rebecca Collard; jupiter images (babouche)

ABOVE AND RIGHT Tabbouleh salad, part of the mezze platter on the menu of the rooftop pool deck at the Fairmont Nile City; an ancient bust shielded by mashrabiya window coverings at the Gayer-Anderson Museum.

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ABOVE, LEFT AND RIGHT A view of the Nile, from the rooftop deck of the Fairmont Nile City; colorful local babouche shoes sold at market.

› Nile’s banks. In the middle of the Nile, the sound of the city’s chaos fades and we hear only the gentle splash of water against the wood hull of the Aida. I put my legs up on the long cushioned bench that runs along the side of the vessel and lean back to take in the view.

“From where?” asks Ahmed in thick Egyptian Arabic, nodding his nose ever so slightly in my direction.

“From Shoubra,” I reply, naming a middle-class neighborhood a few kilometers north along the river, rarely visited by foreigners. My response receives a predictable chuckle, as he glances at my obviouslynot-Egyptian face.

Sitting down, Ahmed pulls in the rope, sending us upstream.

Darkness begins to creep over the river and the lights of the buildings on the shore brighten and tower above our little boat. Another felucca slides past, occupied by a dozen young Egyptians dancing wildly to Arabic pop music. I feel an urge to join them and suggest that, once on shore, we head downtown to one of Cairo’s many belly-dancing clubs.

A night of raqs baladi, as it’s called in Arabic, is a classic way to spend an Egyptian evening.

When the dancer arrives on stage, her hips quiver madly, seemingly without effort. In front of a five-piece band, her yellow costume swings and her hair swirls around her waist. A singer joins her, humming Arabic lyrics as the dancer spins under a decorative Santa Claus.

The dancer eyes Shahin and me, tucked in our red velvet booth at the back of the bar. I meet her gaze and immediately she motions for me to come forward, as Shahin eggs me on. I’ve had just enough beer to decide it’s a good idea, doing my best hip-shaking baladi imitation.

I quickly switch off with Shahin, who hits the stage and is instantly moving in time with the dancer. He returns to the table several minutes later, tired but smiling.

On my last day in Cairo, Shahin suggests a quick lunch at Café Riche, a hub for the city’s intellectuals before the 1952 revolution.

Thousands of Europeans, many from families who had lived for generations in Cairo and the coastal city of Alexandria, fled the country after the revolution, temporarily taking with them much of Egypt’s cosmopolitan charm.

“Italians, Greeks, Jews, French, British, Armenians and Egyptians, everyone came here before the revolution,” says Mohamed Hassan Sadek, sitting down at our table at Café Riche, dressed in the crisp white shirt and classic black vest and bow tie of a formal waiter’s uniform. Mohamed has been serving at Café Riche since he left his Nubian village, a thousand kilometers south, in search of work at the age of thirteen. Sixty years later, he lists the names of Egypt’s most famous actors, musicians and writers, like the Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz, whose photo he points to on the wall. He has served them all at these tables. I eye the antique piano in the corner and imagine what a night at Riche would have been like six decades ago. Who sang next to that piano, I wonder, searching the famous faces on the wall.

I survey the crowd around the dining room. Beside us, a group of European twenty-somethings sporting faux kifaya scarves flip through a guidebook, while a waiter in a long blue and gold robe pours Turkish coffee, fragrant with cardamom, for two Egyptian men. A steady stream of locals and tourists stream by on the street outside Café Riche’s door.

Millions of tourists visit the country’s Pharaonic ruins and millennia-old sites of worship each year. Cairo – the true jewel of the Nile – has regained all of its former glory, perhaps with an even more authentically North African sparkle today than it has ever had in the past. I breathe it all in.

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FAR LEFT AND LEFT Shisha pipes at Khan El-Khalili Market; a felucca on the Nile at sunset.

CONCIERGE Stay Fairmont Nile City is a stunning example of modern architecture amid Cairo’s rich history.

A rooftop pool provides a cooling perch above A Whiff of Local Culture

the hurried streets below. Situated in the heart

The sweet, smooth smell of shisha smoke fills the

of Cairo’s presidential neighborhood, Fairmont

air of many Cairo cafés. Along the city’s bustling

Heliopolis & Towers gives guests a unique

streets Egyptians sit puffing on ornate, colorful

view of the Moorish, Arabic and North African

glass-and-metal water pipes, reminiscent of the

influences that define the architectural style of

hookah-smoking caterpillar in Wonderland.

this area.

The flavored tobacco that drifts through what can be meter-long pipes can be fruit or herb fla-

fairmont.com/nilecity fairmont.com/heliopolis

vored; apple, cherry and mint are among the most popular. The tobacco sits atop hot coals on the ras

Do

or head of the pipe. Breathe in and the smoke is

Perhaps the most famous medieval bazaar in

drawn down through water in the base, cooling it

the Arab world, Khan El-Khalili has hundreds

and making it smoother to inhale.

of shops. Avoid the outer, tourist-trinket shops

A deep-rooted tradition in India, Turkey and

and head deep within to sharpen your bargain-

Iran, the water pipe is now ubiquitous across

ing skills. For a mid-shop pit stop, head to Al

the Arab world. In Egypt, shisha smoking is a

Fishawy, one of the region’s oldest cafés.

social practice, shared by family and friends both in public and at home. Watch for it around

With its Bedouin-style couches and tables that

the pool at Fairmont Nile City in Cairo.

provide its dedicated clientele with an intimate setting to relax over late afternoon drinks, Nomad defines the word oasis. Locals wear cool, diaphanous garments and gaze at 360-degree views of the capital.

20 Abdel Rehim Sabri St. (behind Cinema Tahrir), +20 2 3335 0869

Dedicated to preserving and promoting the age-old craft of weaving, the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre was first established in 1952

by Ramses Wissa Wassef and his wife, Sophie, to Fairmont Heliopolis

Nile River

help cultivate continued worldwide interest in the trained at the center, on display in the gallery.

Sakkara Rd., Harrania Village, El Haram, Giza, +20 2 3381 5746

Eat Taking its cues from the sunny fare of California, Fairmont Nile City

the menu at Fairmont Nile City’s Napa Grill is created with myriad cultural influences. A complete melting pot, here you will find dishes that

Pyramids of Giza

delightfully blend Spanish, Mediterranean and Mexican influences with local cuisine. fairmont.com/nilecity/GuestServices/Restaurants/

photos: Rebecca Collard; getty images (pipes) map: Annick Désormeaux

art of tapestries. View work made by students

NapaGrill.htm

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EAT , DRINK and be healthy Combining their obsession with fine cuisine and a passion for meeting every guest’s needs, Fairmont’s executive chefs indulge in wellness-based cuisine and cutting-edge nutrition.

By charlene Rooke | Illustrations by tonwen Jones

The nametags trace these guests’ hometowns from Singapore

to Sonoma, Barbados to Beijing. Waiters serve immaculate sushi and foamed coconut-soup shooters to a cosmopolitan group. But a normal business gathering it’s not. Nearly all of the fifty-five executive chefs from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts worldwide are in Chicago for a one-of-a-kind conference – a global chef ’s summit, if you will.

They are in for a surprise. Portable burners and colored aprons top the tables.

On one wall, the elegant Fairmont “F” logo has been dartboarded with knives. To Food Network fans this means one thing: Top Chef – or a reasonable facsimile.

“Welcome to the Fairmont Chef quick-fire challenge!” announces the hostess.

The rules include a “black box” of mystery ingredients and thirty minutes to assemble a dish judged on taste, technique, presentation and creativity. After they’re announced, silence blankets the room for three seconds. Then the signature traits of every great chef kick in.

First, competitive instinct. “Are you ready to rumble?” bellows one, as he bounds up to draw a color-coded knife. Next, teamwork, as the chefs bond around their

stations and tie on aprons. Finally, creativity, as the clock signals “Go!” and they ponder eclectic ingredients, from crab meat and tuna belly to kiwi and cucumber.

Red-hot Cheetos are pulverized into gourmet seasoning; Coca-Cola is reduced into syrup – tongue-in-cheek ingredients for Fairmont, known for its Lifestyle Cuisine menu choices for health-conscious guests.

“What about a Caesar salad?” buzzes one team, tossing minced, sautéed hot dog bits with lightly dressed frisée. “It’s a Chicago maki!” another team dubs its tasty hot-dog sushi coated in red Cheeto dust. At the judging, the chefs demonstrate a final defining trait, charisma, by describing their quick-fire dishes with the same personality they’d use tableside in their restaurants.

In the end, the judges deem every team a winner; after the next three days of intense training, every Fairmont guest is a winner, too. The chefs leave inspired to reinvent their menus, inspired by the principles of a new Lifestyle Cuisine Plus.

This is next-generation wellness food, meaning that a guest with a health condition (diabetes, heart or celiac disease, high cholesterol or blood pressure or food allergies) or special dietary habits (from macrobiotic to raw and vegan eating) can ›

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› ask for a menu tailored to their nutritional needs. It’s part of a wellness program

that extends to everything from organic and biodynamic wines to spa and fitness packages or market-cooking adventures with hotel chefs.

Demystifying healthy eating for the chefs is the principal behind Katya Baxter Nutrition, a smiling, pixie-ish San Francisco dietitian who was the nutritional advisor for Fairmont’s health and wellness program, including Lifestyle Cuisine and Lifestyle Cuisine Plus. Baxter has gleaming brunette hair, perfect white teeth and glowing skin: to cop the famous When Harry Met Sally line, “I’ll have what she’s having.” She distinguishes between truly healthy food and so-called health food: “Take an egg or nuts, for instance – they are rich in nutrients and we feel full and satisfied after we eat them. ‘Health’ food, on the other hand, is generally highly processed.”

Baxter, like any dietitian, is normally preoccupied with calories and nutrition.

“For this project, I had to understand what healthy food and healthy cooking meant from a chef ’s perspective” – that is, flavor, texture and taste. Seven executive chefs from all over the globe worked closely with Baxter, including Bruno Tison of The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in California. An avid runner, skier and flyfisherman, Tison has always exercised his conservationist instinct as a chef. “People love to hear that what you are preparing is locally grown, that you are supporting the community and helping to preserve our environment,” he says.

Local flavors and ingredients infuse the menus at every Fairmont. For instance, John Cordeaux, executive chef at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi, has created a dish of grilled date-honey-glazed chicken, steamed asparagus, roasted sweet potato and fennel ginger slaw that satisfies a sophisticated global palate – and Baxter’s requirements for heart-healthy cuisine. That’s just one example of a Lifestyle Cuisine Plus dish, built around simple-to-master nutritional templates for each special diet, applied via a unique, sophisticated software to the chef ’s own recipes. Chef Gavin Stephenson at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, for instance, used the new nutritional guidelines to create a seasonal dish including local morel mushrooms

(two ways, stuffed inside tender ravioli and lightly smoked) and a molten, aged Gouda cheese – a plate so savory that any diner would welcome a taste.

“With our expertise as chefs, we can create amazing meals that will be good for our guests as well,” says chef David Garcelon of the iconic The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. “In most cases you don’t want to eliminate food groups entirely; instead you need to have the right balance of proteins, carbs and fat.”

The concept is unique to any luxury hotel group: by 2011 guests with, for instance, high cholesterol can request a Lifestyle Cuisine Plus menu, knowing their nutritional needs can be met at every hotel. Says Fairmont’s corporate director food and beverage, Americas, Mariano Stellner: “Whether a guest enjoys a meal at The Fairmont Dallas or Fairmont Singapore, the dish will be different but the wellness values will be the same.” Chef Robert LeCrom at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver recalls a regular guest who is a vegan but expects well-balanced meals prepared with the same creativity that’s on every plate at Griffin’s, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant. The results, usually a combination of Lebanese and French culinary influences, leave her “blown away!” Le Crom recounts.

Eating and drinking a little too well are among the hazards of frequent travel, and as I listen to Baxter and the chefs discuss meals that are nourishing and satisfying, yet light enough to let you enjoy a day of meetings or sightseeing, I realize how deeply caring and sharing this wellness cuisine program truly is.

On the final day of this conference, the more than 50 chefs pose in their gleaming white jackets and exchange farewell embraces. The flying chefs shoulder Fairmont backpacks loaded with clever lunch boxes packed with sushi and other healthy treats for their flights, carrying the message of wellness cuisine home to their guests.

Ask for a Lifestyle Cuisine Plus menu at any Fairmont Hotels & Resorts property worldwide, starting in 2011.

Mediterranean Baba ganoush, hummus, lavosh, olives, olive tapenade, tabbouleh, falafel

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Caribbean Cold pineapple chicken, fruit chutney, cucumber mint quinoa salad, whole grain sesame crisps

Mexican Organic corn/maize tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole; cold bean, wild rice, herb and citrus vinaigrette salad

Asian Edamame, ginger-spiced snap peas with veggie dumplings, sushi rolls

photos: ISTOCKPHOTO

Lunch Box Heroes Ask your Fairmont hotel for a boxed meal to go.

For more examples, turn to page 68.

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“The album is a major creative leap” — New York Times

“The Sea is a remarkable accomplishment.”

— Los Angeles Times

“Corinne Bailey Rae mesmerizes with The Sea” — NPR All Things Considered

Nominated for the UK’s prestigious Mercury Prize

www.corinnebaileyrae.net ©2010 Capitol Records

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We can create amazing meals that will be good for our guests as well.

Wellness on the Road Katya Baxter, Fairmont’s nutritional advisor, suggests meals-to-go for all your travel needs.

Drink

Snack

Eat

TO energIZE Fairmont Wellness Energy Tea or High Antioxidant Tea; Dr. Weil’s Sencha Shot or other types of green tea; freshly squeezed organic fruit and vegetable juices.

TO energIZE Smoothies that contain fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, matcha powder, ground flax and chia seeds, natural sweeteners and “good” fats (like almond butter, milk or yogurt).

TO energIZE Power breakfasts include wholegrain granola with dates, cranberries and raw pumpkin seeds; an omelet with vegetables; yogurt with berries, pecans, sunflower seeds and maple syrup.

TO RELAX Choose tryptophan-rich snacks such as yogurt, bananas, milk, figs and dates. (tryptophan, an amino acid, has calming effects on the body) and magnesium-rich foods such as Brazil nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, chickpeas and spinach.

TO RELAX Choose tryptophan-rich foods such as eggs, turkey or tuna and complex carbohydrate-rich foods like whole grain breads, pasta, cereals, legumes and starchy vegetables; and chlorophyll- and calcium-rich dark-green vegetables.

TO RELAX Fairmont Wellness Tranquility Tea; a Fairmont Zen Shake (almond milk, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, maple syrup, matcha, filberts); wheatgrass juice. Drink plenty of non-caffeinated beverages and avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed.

To boost immunity Plenty of water, freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices, herbal teas and soups to flush your system; probiotic drinks like kombucha and kefir; Fairmont Wellness Equilibrium Tea.

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To boost immunity High-antioxidant fresh fruits, berries, vegetables and green tea; foods rich in fiber: perhaps a wheatberry salad with apple and pine nuts.

To boost immunity Probiotic foods (yogurt, miso soup, cucumber raita, kimchi), foods with bacteria-fighting ingredients (onions and garlic, raw honey, horseradish, wasabi, broth) and vitamin C rich foods (sweet peppers, citrus).

photos: ISTOCKPHOTO (tea, smoothie); corbis (granola)

– Chef David Garcelon, The Fairmont Royal York

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I wil l surprise her. I will let go. I will leave my inhibitions at home.

I will discover how champagne can create a spark. I will learn about the healing powers of pink sandy beaches. I will live in the moment.

Life didn’t begin in Barbados, it was just perfected here.

Learn how at VisitBarbados.org or contact your local travel professional.

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Destination Guide Destination Guide Residences 72 News & Views 74 Directory 76 Everyone’s An Original 79

Hamburg, Germany

photoS: STOCKPHOTO (canal)

Hamburg’s far-reaching canals, parks and flower gardens give this riverside city natural credibility as Europe’s newly crowned Green Capital. Explore local green spots with help from Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten's own green leader, Director of Engineering and Enviro Ingenieur award-winner, Ralf Boettger.

Stay A recently formed Green Committee at Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten oversees new environmentally friendly measures on the property, from energy-saving lamps and water conservation to the use of eco-sensitive cleaning agents.

Eco City A centrally located Infopavilion is the meeting point for all Hamburg’s 2011 green activities. This permanent exhibition outlines the city’s Green Capital goals; thematic rotating exhibitions explore new and ongoing environmental projects.

Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14, Hamburg, +49 40 3494 0 fairmont.com/hamburg

hamburggreencapital.eu

Eat At the forefront of local and organic-based cuisine, Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten’s four restaurants have recently added Lifestyle Cuisine options to their menus. The health-conscious can order nourishing and satisfying meals using the freshest ingredients and sip fair-trade coffee sourced by locally owned and operated J.J. Darboven. fairmont.com/hamburg/ guestservices/restaurants

The Alster Sonne, a concave solar-powered vessel of steel and glass, glides along Alster Lake, symbolizing the city’s relationship with water. Tour the inner and outer Alster channels while enjoying a rustic buffet prepared by Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten.

Or get around eco-style on one of Fairmont’s one-of-akind CityCruisers. These green, pedal-powered shuttles transport guests to any location within Hamburg or the nearby countryside.

Home to one of the largest ports in Germany, once considered a gateway to the world, discover Hamburg's Elbe River and its many waterways with National Geographic ecologist and environmental innovator T.H. Culhane. fairmont.com/promotions/ NationalGeographic/ GlobalExplorerSeries

Quick Facts • Over five million trees line the streets and parks.

• More canals than Venice and London combined.

• Many buildings are ten stories.

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Residences

Fairmont Heritage Place, Zimbali

Hotels for Homebodies

Fairmont Heritage Place and Fairmont Residences locations are always unique and authentic. Luxury residences are designed with the comforts of home (gourmet kitchens, private entries) and the perks of a hotel (personalized service, spa-like bathrooms). Unwind with family and friends in a place you can truly call your own.

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Fairmont Heritage Place, Zimbali (South Africa) An example of one of the most environmentally sensitive residential and resort locations in South Africa, the newest Fairmont Heritage Place is located in the lush Zimbali Coastal Resort.

Eighteen luxury residences (two-bedroom townhouses and four-bedroom villas), adjacent to Fairmont Zimbali Resort and Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, feature ownership perks like access to a Willow Stream Spa and personalized services, from twenty-four-hour concierge and professional child care to golf course, gym and beach club memberships.

Fairmont Residences and Estates Mina Al Fajer, Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) In the picturesque emirate of Fujairah, where the Hajar Mountains embrace the Arabian sea, the Fairmont Residences and Estates Mina Al Fajer are being created with the philosophy of preserving local culture and celebrating the natural surroundings. The thirteen luxury homes, with privileged views of the Gulf of Oman, will be adjacent to the soon-opening Fairmont Mina Al Fajer. Residents of this one-of-a-kind resort complex will enjoy conveniences like meeting facilities, a Willow Stream Spa and a marina.

fairmontheritageplace.com

fairmontresidences.com

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T:9.75” S:8.8175”

A fr ica A lask a Asia & Pacific Austr a lia New Zea la nd Ca nada New Engla nd Car ibbea n Ber muda Europe H awaii M ex ico Pa na m a Ca na l South A mer ica Wor ld Voyage

T:11.25” S:9.75”

Blissful

We invite you to indulge. To stand at the rail in quiet awe of calving glaciers and blazing sunsets. To savor the simplicities of fruit and the complexities of wine; to breathe the sweet air of midnight at the equator; to surrender to an afternoon’s spa. We invite you to make all five senses thankful at once. We invite you, and we are at your service.

Call your Travel Professional or 1-877-SAIL HAL, or visit www.hollandamerica.com.

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News & Views

8 5

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1 Into South Africa Joining Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, the new Fairmont Zimbali Resort is nestled between a 700-hectare forest reserve and the shimmering beaches of KwaZulu-Natal’s Dolphin Coast on the Indian Ocean. For golf aficionados, the eighteenhole golf course was designed by golf champion Gary Player.

2 Stay and Play For those looking to forgo far-flung travels in favor of vacationing near home, Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows offers a Staycation Retreat. Spend a weekend relaxing at the Exhale Mind/ Body Spa with breakfast for two served at the award-winning FIG Restaurant.

fairmont.com/zimbaliresort

fairmont.com/santamonica

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3 Dive In Dip a toe into the natural world with Fairmont’s Global Explorer packages. This partnership with the National Geographic Society lets you dive with a legendary oceanographer or trek through the jungle with an ethnobotanist.

fairmont.com/promotions/ nationalgeographic/ globalexplorerseries

4 Barbados Getaway For guests looking for the ultimate in personalized travel, The Fairmont Royal Pavilion debuts its renovated Beachfront Junior Suites with dedicated butler and concierge services to indluge your every whim. Each room also features a private terrace, perfect for romantic dinners overlooking the ocean.

fairmont.com/royalpavilion

5 Meaningful Memories Adventure travelers will now have the opporunity to be immersed in local culture with Fairmont’s Apprentice Trips. Take flight at Abu Dhabi’s Fairmont Bab Al Bahr where you'll learn about traditional Bedouin beliefs while mastering the skill of falconry.

fairmont.com/promotions/ apprenticetrips

photoS: veer (3); getty images (5). MAP: istockphoto

Take time, connect and indulge this year at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Whether at far-off destinations or in your own backyard, experience, learn and create new memories with us.

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10 2

4

3

7

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photoS: getty images (6, 10)

International Amenities

6 Make Waves To raise awareness of water conservation issues, you're invited to Swim with the Westie (a local at-risk species of trout) at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, explore the delicate ecosystem of the Florida Everglades with Fairmont Turnberry Isle’s NaviGATOR Package or the Fife coastline at Fairmont St Andrews.

fairmont.com/promo/H2O

7 Social Gathering Though you can connect with Fairmont on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, its home community for sharing stories, videos and recipes is Everyone’s an Original (see page 79).

Recently launched on Flickr is a fan group for photo enthusiasts to share their favorite shots.

flickr.com/groups/fairmonthotels everyonesanoriginal.com

8 Well Seasoned Celebrated for its sweet meat and rich roe, hairy crab is at its best at Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, situated between metropolitan Shanghai and the historical city of Suzhou.

Throughout the September to December season, watch fisherman catch crabs nearby before devouring the delicacy.

9 Fits to a Tea A delicious way to well-being on the go, Fairmont’s new Wellness Teas (Digestif, Energy, Tranquility, High Antioxidant and Equilibrium) are a cup-long opportunity to rejuvenate. High Antioxidant gives a wellness boost with white and green tea, while Equilibrium uses rosehip and anise to detoxify.

10 Let’s Get Digital Spanning 223 square meters (2,400 square feet), the Experience Center at The Fairmont San Francisco boasts six interactive stations to play, surf and screen. Downloaded music can be played in-house on a Bang & Olufsen music system that redefines the meaning of surround sound.

fairmont.com/yangchenglake

fairmont.com

fairmont.com/sanfrancisco

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Directory

Fairmont Worldwide Locations

Fairmont Hotels United States Boston at Battery Wharf Boston at Copley Plaza Chicago Dallas Newport Beach New York Pittsburgh San Francisco San Francisco at Ghirardelli Square San Jose Santa Monica Seattle Telluride Washington, D.C. Canada Calgary Edmonton MontrĂŠal Ottawa Toronto Vancouver at Hotel Vancouver Vancouver at Pacific Rim Vancouver at Vancouver Airport Vancouver at Waterfront Winnipeg Europe, Middle East & Africa Abu Dhabi Baku (opening 2011) Cairo at Heliopolis & Towers Cairo at Nile City Dubai

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Hamburg Kyiv (opening 2011) London Makkah (opening 2010) Nairobi Asia Beijing Hyderabad (opening 2012) Jaipur (opening 2011) Manila (opening 2011) Shanghai Singapore

Fairmont Resorts United States Hawaii Maui Miami Scottsdale Sonoma Canada Banff Charlevoix Jasper Lake Louise Montebello Montebello at Kenauk Mont-Tremblant QuĂŠbec City St. Andrews by-the-Sea Victoria Whistler Bermuda, Caribbean & Mexico Acapulco at Acapulco Princess

Acapulco at Pierre Marques Barbados Bermuda at Hamilton Princess Bermuda at Southampton Riviera Maya Europe, Middle East & Africa Fujairah (opening 2012) Kenya at Mara Safari Club Kenya at Mount Kenya Safari Club Monte Carlo Montreux Muscat (opening 2012) St Andrews Zimbali at Zimbali Lodge Zimbali at Zimbali Resort

Asia Kunshan

For reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 in the United States and Canada, and 1-506-863-6310 internationally, or visit us at www.fairmont.com.

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VERSION

DATE INITIALES

Communications bleublancrouge

FOCUS ON THIS JACKET.

CLIENT : SUNICE

PLAY RULES. WWW.SUNICE.COM

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legends, cultivated.

the savoy

•

the plaza

•

fairmont peace hotel

•

makkah clock royal tower

Four countries. Four magnificent cities. All with centuries of world-changing history and indelible memories. Create your own at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ four iconic hotels: London’s The Savoy, New York’s The Plaza, Shanghai’s Fairmont Peace Hotel and Makkah Clock Royal Tower. Visit www.fairmont.com to embark on the next chapter.

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Everyone’s An Original

Be Original

Fairmont’s own online interactive community is, like our properties, your virtual home away from home.

Stories, photos and videos: these capture the important moments of our lives, helping them quickly become enshrined in our memories. Everyone’s An Original (everyonesanoriginal.com) is an online community that encourages you to upload your precious Fairmont moments and share them with other travelers around the world. While you’re there, catch up with us on the latest Fairmont news, download exclusive recipes from our top chefs or find out a little more about our celebrated history.

More than 800 talented storytellers entered our recent Original Memories Photo Contest, in which all the entries were created and judged by Fairmont fans. Congratulations to our winners, and keep sharing!

First place goes to Stephen Pollard, whose dog is apparently Fairmont’s biggest canine fan.

“Molly has stayed at five of the Fairmont Hotels. From Victoria to Vancouver to Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff, she is welcomed everywhere and given special treats and doggie walks.

The staff were great, as always.

Here she is outside the famous The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise during the winter, with her special dog tag on.”

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Everyone’s An Original

Second place is a romantic anecdote from Peter Whitmore about the picturesque Fairmont Le Château Montebello in Québec City, Canada. “My wife and I were so excited when we first discovered Fairmont Le Château Montebello just a short forty-five-minute drive from our home. Sitting with a perfect cup of hot cocoa, the minutes melted into hours as we sat and enjoyed an evening of conversation with friends, reflecting on memories shared together and the new ones just created.”

Third place goes to a charming travel photo from Hawaii by Jonathan Edwards.“Beautiful sea turtles are everywhere at The Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island.

My daughter was fascinated by them; she carefully approached and sat down, and proceeded to have a conversation with the turtle. I don't know what she said, but she sure enjoyed herself!”

Editor's Choice is by Ian Byram from the Fairmont Mara Safari Club in Kenya: “Our driver both entertained and educated us during the sunrise and sunset drives. This scene capped off an unforgettable experience.”

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presents

FLASH FORWARD FESTIVAL 6–10 oCtober 2010 international Festival oF emerging PhotograPhy flashforwardfestival.Com

magentafoundation.org

5 Full Days oF Free art shows exhibitions, lectures & workshops 10•10•10 Closing Party 10 oCtober 2010 all in toronto’s liberty village limiteD-eDition Flash ForwarD photos from $25 at eyebuyart.Com

Milagros in the grass, Katrina d’Autremont

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CHECKOUT

Lady Luck

Through more than 20 years together, and through the road hazards of a Canadian winter, the Barenaked Ladies have survived to rock another day.

By Nick Rockel

What’s it like being on tour after all these years?

Ed Robertson: When we first started touring twentytwo years ago, we were totally disconnected from our friends, our family.

Now, I can go into my hotel room and flip open my laptop and video-chat with my kids, so it feels a lot more connected than it did.

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Tyler Stewart: Make friends.

When you’re in a band, you know you’re going to be back in that city. If you have friends there, they’ll show you around.

Jim Creeggan: If I go to a music shop or something, I’ll ask them where to eat. If I trust their taste in music, I’ll probably trust their taste in food.

JC: Tubing down the river…

ER: I said this in an interview before and we got all kinds of e-mail from people thinking we were making fun of Boise. No! We really like it.

That was a serious answer.

TS: I think Minneapolis is an underrated town. I always have fun when we go – and there's a great comic book store there!

Is there an underrated

What kind of crazy

How do you stay sane on

city that you’ve been

things have happened to

the road?

to? A place that’s under

you on the road?

Kevin Hearn: We almost always go to the art museum or the art gallery district. That’s my favorite thing to do.

the radar but deserves

ER: On the way out of Vancouver in the 1990s, going through the mountains, there was a terrible snowstorm and our van

to be explored?

ER: We all really like Boise, Idaho. We had a fantastic time there.

crashed off the road into a twelve-foot snowbank.

JC: We were on the way to a Van Halen concert in Calgary. We thought, “Let’s not wait for the blizzard to blow over. Let’s go through the mountains and the blizzard to get to see Van Halen on time.”

ER: Some guy came along in a pickup truck and pulled us out by the bumper. We asked what we owed him, and he said, “Nothin’. Have a good day.” Just a nice guy.

The Barenaked Ladies’ latest album, All in Good Time, is available from EMI.

PHOTO: EMI music canada

The Barenaked Ladies (left to right), Jim Creeggan, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart and Kevin Hearn

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www.omegawatches.com

NICOLE KIDMAN’S CHOICE.

OMEGA • t. 866 733 5790

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