Travel
Originally published on Tuesday, 11th March 2014
TRAVEL SUPPLEMENT SPRING
Spring is in the air and wanderlust is hitting with full force. Dig out your passport and pack your bags: it's time to take to the skies. Hop a plane to a soul food capital, party on a private island or get arty. Not your thing? Try a surfing hotspot, a visit to a vineyard, or make a weekend of it and nip over to Dorset for a Groucho-style getaway. Bon voyage!
EAT: NASHVILLE
Nashville's on the up. The soul food haven has a new wave of chefs putting the city on the foodie map. Pinewood Social, the latest opening from brothers Max and Benjamin Goldberg (the guys behind Catbird Seat, melds an haute southern menu with a hipster country club vibe (it's housed in a former trolley barn). Rest your head at the newly opened 404 Hotel (five rooms, 21-foot ceilings), and visit the adjoining Kitchen, a restaurant in a storage container helmed by chef Matt Bolus. Expect a food coma induced by skillet cornbread, fried chicken and mac and cheese.
Pinewood Social, 33 Peabody Street, Nashville 404 Hotel, 404 12th Avenue S, Nashville, rooms from £165. Opens March 14
WEEKENDER: DORSET
Now for something closer to home. Dorset's getting a high-octane opening this spring with The Seaside Boarding House, the first hotel venture from Groucho Club alumni Mary-Lou Sturridge and Tony Mackintosh. Set on a cliff at Burton Bradstock, the Victorian villa boasts seven rooms, a restaurant focused on seasonal produce (Mark Hix is on the board of advisors so we expect good things), a bar and a ballroom. Though the Boarding House doesn't have a membership scheme, it's inevitably got a hint of hedonism…this is one hotel where getting a drink at 2am won't be a problem.
The Seaside Boarding House, Cliff Road, Burton Bradstock, Dorset, DT6 4RB, opens this summer
PARTY: JOSE IGNACIO
Ain't no party like a beachside party. If you've ticked Tulum off your list and don't feel like braving Rio during the World Cup, head to Jose Ignacio. Hotel dream team Alex and Carrie Vik put the Uruguayan fishing village on the map with their boutique boltholes. Bahia Vik, their latest opening, is all about luxe beachfront bungalows with a modernist twist. Check in and head to La Caracola, a private club on an island accessible only by boat. With private beach tents, seafood dishes whipped up by the famous La Huella team, free-flowing clerico and space for only 30 people, it's a guest list worth getting your name on.
Bahia Vik, soft opening in April, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information La Caracola, Punta del Este, José Ignacio, email reservas@paradorlacaracola to get on the guest list
WINE COUNTRY: PORTUGAL
Here's one for the vino fans. Wine makers Quinta de Lemos have gone beyond the vineyard with the opening of De Lemos Guesthouse. Designed by architecture giants Carvalho Araújo the innovative glass and concrete structure mirrors the lines of the rocky landscape, with the rooftop doubling as a viewing deck of the vineyards. The family-run De Lemos houses three guest rooms, and (as you'd expect) is all about wine drinking, with an extensive wine cellar and a dining room, too. Somebody pour us a drink already.
De Lemos Guesthouse Passos do Silgueiros, Silgueiros, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information
ART: BOGOTÁ
Bogotá's getting a lot of buzz. An explosion of galleries has contributed to its up and coming art scene: check out Nueveochenta which showcases contemporary Latin American artists like Mateo López and Gabriel Sierra in a 1950s building; La Central, a massive white cube that houses edgier works over three stories; or Museo Botero for more traditional fare. Book into sleek design hotel B.O.G, with a subterranean spa, bustling rooftop bar, and La Leo, a restaurant helmed by renowned chef Leonor Espinosa. With Avianca launching direct flights from London to Bogotá, it's now a lot easier to get there – plus, W Bogotá is opening in September.
B.O.G. Hotel, Carrera 11, 86 - 74, Bogotá, rooms from £166
ECO: TANZANIA
Sun, safari and sand…what more can you ask for? Tanzania's got it all, and everybody knows it: the African nation is packed with tourists. Escape the hustle in the lesser-known Mafia Island, part of an archipelago of coral and sandstone islands. Snorkel all day, then sleep at Pole Pole, an eco lodge that's a desert island dream of thatched huts and coconut trees. For those with money to burn, Manta Resort's new underwater room is close by, too.
Pole Pole, Mafia Island, rooms from £300
SURF: SRI LANKA
Hawaii, Australia…Sri Lanka? An unsung surfing hotspot, Sri Lanka's south coast has the lot: beginner's breaks at Weligama or Kabalana and bigger waves at Rams Right or Madiya. Stay at Kahanda Kanda, a chic, colonial boutique hotel with eight guest suites decked out by interior designer George Cooper. Keep an eye out for Soul and Surf, which pops up with surf and yoga retreats during the year, too.
Kahanda Kanda, Habaraduwa Dikkumbura Road, Angulugaha, Galle, rooms from £220
ART BASEL HONG KONG
Get your art on in Hong Kong. The Art Basel juggernaut is rolling into town for its second year, and as always, it's about much more than the art (though there's plenty of that, with more than 50% of the galleries on show hailing from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region). Once you've had your fill of art (don't miss the inaugural film programme, curated by Beijing Art Club founder Li Zhenhua), head to Michelin-starred chef Fung's new venture, Mott 32, for traditional Chinese fare with a twist, or get on the list and grab a drink at Stockton, a bar hidden down an alleyway with a focus on whiskey.
Mott 32, Standard Chartered Building, 4 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong Stockton, 32 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
