Conde Nast Traveller UK

The suddenness of oban always surprises me.Without warning, you’re
topplingly high above a horseshoe bay in the Firth of Lorn, granite
villas jutting into cliffs glittering in the frequent rain. This view is a
ravishment. Mull to the west, Lismore to the north, the small island of
Kerrera vaporous in the near distance. Hebridean light bouncing off
crimson horizons. Everything on shore presided over by the vast folly
of a circular tower – a stone halo as though built by Zeus or, in this case,
an eccentric banker for reasons nobody could fully put their finger on
even when it was constructed just before the turn of the last century.
A fantabula to mark Oban’s peak prosperity, when the resort town was
the Charing Cross of the Highlands, chimneys of the whisky distillery
steaming, a train station built in 1880 to mark the final stop on the West
Highland Line. Edwardian hotels along the seafront served tattie scones
and black pudding to visitors taking paddle boats to Staffa, and even a
miniature department store was built – Chalmers outfitters (still trading)
– with little wooden drawers for cashmere gloves and bigger ones for
robust woollen trousers. On its walls, pictures of dogs sniff far-off bonfires.
My boyfriend Paul’s mother Betty once told me that she visited it before
her wedding to Tommy the town barber in 1963 to buy ‘not my dress, but
my finery’, in a way that struck me as far sweeter and older than anything
I’d heard in years. Oban still seems to exist in a kind of antique sweetness.

A couple of years ago, Paul said he’d had his fill of Glasgow and was
returning to Oban to renovate a near-derelict house called Home Farm
in a forest in the glen directly behind the town – Glencruitten, or ‘glen
of the crofts’. This house he’d known as a boy, riding horses out of its
stables and trailing back and forth via the cattle market on the days he
could get away with avoiding school. When lockdown happened, I
stayed with him for a couple of weeks that turned into a year, then
longer, and then I didn’t really leave.

CLIFFS GLITTER IN THE RAIN,

HEBRIDEAN LIGHT BOUNCING

OFF CRIMSON HORIZONS –

THE VIEW IS A RAVISHMENT

And so I find myself early one morning in autumn walking into town
again, the air getting saltier. Swelling thickly through Glencruitten, the
gaudy yellow broom looks like a harvest festival and along the fence of
the short, hilly golf course they are pinning a new banner of Robert
MacIntyre, 25-year-old son of the greenkeeper. He’s Scotland’s new
sporting sensation, with a ferocious left-handed swing that was formed
on the Oban shinty pitch where players rush at each other screaming
bloody murder. In town, the only sign of life is a young man tanned the
colour of dry sherry straggling towards one of the few yachts left in the
marina.Three months ago, the scene was high-season frantic: boats painted
scarlet and cobalt, as though to celebrate the colours of a hot day, fisher-
men hosing down trawlers, the smell of burnt toast wafting from the
windows of wheelhouses. Children dragging picnics onto boats, back-
packers off the ferry from Craignure pushing bikes with filthy panniers
and falling with greedy cries on the stalls doing a brisk trade in mussels
fried with onions. Sun pounding down, bodies sprawled on benches killing
time, the bells of the cathedral clanging away, summoning any faithful
not still in search of a crab sandwich or a paper plate piled with chips.

But now it’s nearly winter and the sea is a metallic gleam. Gulls drift
off a shingle beach scribbled in bladderwrack. Slowly, lazily, I climb a

Clockwise from opposite top left, Perle Oban Hotel, grocery shop, harbour, and
Tweed House, all in Oban; buildings, and barn near Callander, on the road from
Edinburgh to Oban. Previous pages, clockwise from opposite top left: Applecross
peninsula landscapes; Oban Bay; Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, on the road to
Oban; gate, car, street sign and rocks near St Columba’s Cathedral, all in Oban

99

stone staircase, Jacob’s Ladder, behind the Congregational Church. It
leads up and up to the high lanes of the town, set into cliffs and lined
with rows of Victorian villas, some shuttered. Gardens from Sleeping
Beauty, defended by rusted iron gates, are twined in ivy. Practising in
a distant carpark, the Oban high-school pipe band strikes up a tune in a
relentlessly rolling, reedy legato. From a wilderness of blackberries I
pick a handful and sit on a wall to look at the moon hanging oddly low
in broad daylight over the mountains of Mull. Oban clings on to bright
northern light as long as it can – in early summer it’s only dark at night
for a few hours and year-round the sun does peculiar things. Sometimes,
whole winter afternoons can progress like Chilean coral dawns.
Four rainbows might appear in the sky at once, stabbing purple and
chartreuse and gold.Yachts suddenly glister like illuminated galleons.The
grand old house above me is my favourite: turrets and towers stretching
into the sky, stained-glass windows of thistles and swords. For a time it
was a maternity hospital where expectant mothers would travel from the
isles, groaning in the waiting room before being dosed with cod-liver oil
and orange juice to speed things up. Betty gave birth here and told me
that afterwards she was wheeled into the room with the biggest windows
to recover in ‘the Queen’s bed’ – Lismore over the water, sun on her face.

Whenever I’m away from Oban, the thought of this bay and its islands
fully occupies my mind. Iona is some 36 miles beyond; white-sanded
home of mystics, the wind often violent up the cloisters of its ancient
abbey. Kerrera lies directly before me – closest to shore and very green
and beautiful.You could swim if you were strong enough and then walk
the whole place in a few hours on a grassy footpath past thickets of
foxgloves, down to beaches of black slate beyond a sandy inlet where
King Alexander II died mysteriously in 1249 of a sudden fever after
a terrible dream about St Columba. Up on my perch, a bee buzzes
confusedly past like it’s June. Foam dots the shingle of Oban Bay far
beneath me and our neighbour, old Ian, drives slowly along George
Street in his pick-up full of rottweilers. I think about John Keats toiling
across the graveyard on Iona when he visited on a walking tour in 1818,
over the buried bones of Macbeth and 47 other kings, bone-cold himself,
his lungs ominously heavy. ‘I saw pale kings and princes too... Pale
warriors, death-pale were they all.’ And about The Highland Chieftain,
a boat that all through that century hauled emigrés off to Sydney.
Everybody on board taking their leave of the town – and Scotland –
standing on the deck watching Dunollie Castle gradually disappear.

Paul’s family have lived in Oban going back as far as anybody can
remember. My favourite thing is going through old photo albums – most
pictures could have been taken on the set of Brigadoon. Stern women
in black aprons carrying sheaves of heather. Uncle Johnny slung with
bagpipes, heading up the hill to practise. Freckled cousin ‘Johnny
Glasgow’ in a sporran hugging a cat. Paul, aged 17, waving from the
window of the ice-cream van he bought after leaving school, motoring
to the public beach at Ganavan and playing the Colonel Bogey March
through the loudspeaker. Leading a volatile grey pony called Cromer up
to the stable with a look on his young face like he’s hoping for the best.

When I get back to the house it’s dusk.A chimney stack with smoke
coming out of it; a digger in the yard; the last of the light casting shadows
on gaping holes in Home Farm’s masonry.The stable smells of old straw
and warmth, and a barn owl that lives in the rafters is clattering about
like it’s wearing wooden clogs.Time at Home Farm is measured out by
the faint sound through the trees of a little single-track train that runs
every three hours along the rails of an old wagon road towards town,
swaying like a toy all the way from Glasgow.The Oban Line changed so
many lives.The great Scottish climber Tom Weir recalled his generation

From top, docks at Oban North Pier ferry terminal; boat in the harbour. Opposite,
Loch Lubnaig, near Callander. Following pages, clockwise from top left: Applecross
peninsula; Queen Elizabeth Forest Park; Ardmucknish Bay; hills above Callander

100

THIS PLACE CLINGS ON TO BRIGHT NORTHERN RAYS AS LONG AS IT
CAN – IN EARLY SUMMER IT’S ONLY DARK AT NIGHT FOR A FEW HOURS







of working-class hikers between the wars, how they embraced this loco-
motive passport to the Highlands, carriages on weekend mornings
always full, everybody feeling not just delight and freedom but a kind
of incredulity, anticipating that first view of the Sound of Mull.

Although the progress in Oban is always, inevitably, towards the sea,
it’s what lies behind the town that I love the most. On an afternoon in
the solemn quiet of deep winter, we walk two miles through Glencruitten
into highland, and then along a path passing by a few farms out to Loch
Nell – Loch of the Swans.Twisting further into Glen Lonan now, the hills
are seamed with frosted rocks hanging like petrified waterfalls and in
the distance the snowy pyramids of Ben Cruachan are so sharp and
distinctly peaked it’s as though they’ve been hand-drawn by a child.
Studding the valley are standing stones, duns, cairns and the burial
mounds of Picts, marking the route of funeral cortèges of some of the
ancient kings of Scotland, the path entirely ours right down to the shore
of the lovely clear mirror of the loch, great rags of mist rising like
the ghosts that indisputably seem to haunt the West Highlands. On the
black pebbles I say to Paul, not for the first time, that when spring rolls
around again I am most likely if not definitely going to swim in Loch
Nell – and he frowns and says ‘Ye-es’. Betty had worn the exact same
expression at my suggestion in the summer, muttering about unpre-
dictable currents, freezing undertows, unquantifiable depths. Isolated
happenings of an enigmatic and potentially calamitous nature. Nobody
actually ever says words like ‘Kelpie’ or ‘sacred waters’, but something
close hangs in the air. I don’t think I’ve been anywhere I’d be less likely
to laugh at such stories than right here, in this cold cove, with the voices
of unseen geese alternately fading then strengthening, the hard frost
seeming to soften like tallow under the blood-red orb of a setting sun.

WHERE TO STAY

Home Farm can be hired from £2,500 for seven nights (sleeps 10).
homefarmoban.com. On the banks of privately owned Loch Nell,

Inverlonan’s two alluring bothies are set in ancient oak forest. Designed
with the Nordic influence seen in new-builds on the Isle of Skye, they are

restfulness itself. Traditionally, the Scottish bothy is stripped of comforts
but here is a profusion, with tables carved from ash, a mezzanine bed of
silk and linen, and a fire-pit spread with volcanic stones. The windows give
mesmerisingly onto the dark water, while a big burner puts out a particularly

euphonious heat. The rigged-up outside shower is a counter to the
improbable luxury of a private dinner where you’re collected by boat and
taken to a secret location. Chef Michael Thompson cooks over a live fire,
serving dishes on stoneware he’s made himself – bowls like intricate rock
pools, tucked with sweet local scallop that hints at oceanic depths; grilled

fermented potato bread with wild garlic; birch-sap and wood-sorrel
ice cream like a malty clove-caramel. From £250 a night. kiphideaways.com

WHERE TO EAT

The Oban Seafood Hut has great, simply prepared platters for less than
£20 – on the wooden benches, families disappear behind cliff-faces of
prawns. facebook.com/obanseafood.hut.9. Etive offers fine dining and its
signature cocktail, the West Coast Gibson, is made with gin from Iona,
nettles and a tiny chain of pickled onions, a sudden crunch of tartness to

taste like you’ve just fallen off your surfboard. etiverestaurant.co.uk.
Go for coffee at Hinba along the seafront – its delicious pastries from

Solace Bakery on the Isle of Seil sell out immediately, so get there
early. hinba.co.uk. In Port Appin, order the home-smoked salmon at

The Pierhouse with views over the archipelago around Lismore,
just beyond Castle Stalker, which in low tide looks like a dream of

granite rising from the kelp flats. pierhousehotel.co.uk

Clockwise from opposite top left, chocolate advert, boats, and Nories fish and
chips, all in Oban; ferry to Lochboisdale; launderette, and sweet shop in Oban

105

Double-faced wool and
cashmere coat with

needled detailing, £6,000;
ribbed cashmere jumper,
£940; flannel trousers,
£3,400; elasticated-band
calfskin boots, £1,250, all

Dior (dior.com)

106

STONE-COLD
CLASSICS

THIS SEASON’S SOFT LAYERS AND SHARP TAILORING ADD AN EXTRA
ELEMENT TO ICELAND’S VOLCANIC WILDERNESS

STYLED BY MARTHA WARD. PHOTOGRAPHS BY WILL DAVIDSON

Wool-knit pullover,
£2,900; long leather
boots, £1,770, both
Louis Vuitton (louis
vuitton.com). Opposite,

shearling aviator
poncho, £7,620; wool,
silk and cashmere knit
jumper, £850; wool-and-
gauze skirt, £2,090;
calfskin boots, POA, all

ChloŽ (chloe.com)

108



Silk-faille coat £7,175; sheepskin shearling boots £1,665; cashmere beanie, £1,070, all Chanel (chanel.com).
Opposite, tweed overcoat, £1,230; tweed sleeveless coat, £665; zip-front tabard, £330; polo-neck jumper, £310, all Tory Burch (toryburch.co.uk)

110



Re-nylon faux-fur coat
£2,900; superfine wool-
knit polo-neck jumper,

£790, both Prada
(prada.com). Opposite,
wool crewneck coat with
wide sleeves, £3,960,

Gucci (gucci.com)

112



114

Cashmere blanket coat,
£7,800; funnel-neck
jumper, £1,500;
georgette midi skirt,
£1,900; calfskin boots,
£1,550, all Hermès

(hermes.com). Opposite,
wool caped coat, £369;

cashmere and wool-
mix scarf, £119; leather
boots, £429, all Boss

(hugoboss.com)

116

Wool trench coat, £5,600; satin-and-silk shirt, £930; cashmere shorts, £2,750; leather boots, £1,150, all Fendi (fendi.com). Opposite, double wool
coat, £3,850; wool crewneck sweater, £1,750; wool trousers, £490, all Valentino (valentino.com). Boots, model’s own. Model, Kristin at Eskimo.

Photographer’s assistant, Jonathan Tasker. Shot on location in Iceland. With thanks to True North (truenorth.is)



THE GLOBETROTTER

JON HAMM

SINCE AN EMMY-WINNING EIGHT-YEAR STINT AS DON DRAPER IN ‘MAD MEN’, THE ACTOR HAS PLAYED CAMEOS IN
HIT AMERICAN SITCOMS AND TAKEN THE LEAD IN INDIE THRILLERS. NEXT UP, HE’S IN ‘TOP GUN: MAVERICK’

Where was the last place you travelled to? way. I am just so grateful that I get to go Describe a memory from a childhood holiday
‘Most recent trips over the pandemic have places, mostly on somebody else’s dime, ‘We didn’t have a lot of money, so vacations
been work adjacent, but the last “fun” trip which is even nicer, because I’m usually were always driving somewhere. We would
I did was, weirdly, to Yellow Springs, Ohio, working. I’m a pretty mellow traveller. I like visit my dad’s side of the family in Key
which is where comedian Dave Chappelle to take it as it comes, go with the flow.’ Biscayne, Florida. It was about a two-day
lives. It’s a two-stop-light town but it’s got a drive, but once we were there it was great
really nice antiques shop, a couple of cute Which is your favourite city? because we were near the beach and I would
restaurants and good ice cream. I got to see ‘I’m a big fan of London where I have a lot snorkel every day until I got sunburned,
some of Dave’s Summer Camp shows. I’m of friends because I’ve filmed there quite a complain until the pain went away and
filming in Boston at the moment, then we few times. I like the culture, I like the scene, then do it again.’
do two days in Rome, and after that, my – well, my version of the scene, which is not
girlfriend and I are going to spend two weeks exactly making the scene, but even so – I Where did you go on your first holiday
going around Italy. Ischia, Calabria,Amalfi…’ like pubs and members’ clubs and whatnot. without your parents?
I usually trust film director Edgar Wright’s ‘I had a lot of friends who spent their senior
Where in the world have you felt happiest? judgement on where to go because he’s year of college in Alaska, working in a
‘I did a movie once in North Africa. I had always pretty plugged in. I’ve been to some cannery, and then backpacking around
never been to the Middle East or Africa, so fun concerts with him. London is very Europe. Both my parents had died by that
I had this grand plan to travel home the oppo- cosmopolitan, not like Los Angeles. New York point in my life, so I honestly didn’t have
site way, to keep heading east until I got back City is the same way. So if I had to split my any money and it was harder for me to
to Los Angeles. It was the summer of 2016 time, it would probably be between those two.’ have that kind of thing financed. I try
and Trump was in the ascendant and all of to make up for it now.’
these things were happening, so by the time ‘IN HAWAII EVERYWHERE
I finished working, I was so tired that I just SMELLS WONDERFUL Tell us about a great little place you know
bagged all my plans and went straight home. ‘My go-to for years and years has been a
That’s where I’m happiest, even more so now AND THE TEMPERATURE restaurant in LA called Little Dom’s. It’s
that I’m 50 and have a dog and a life there.’ IS PERFECT’ a simple Italian trattoria that’s a really easy,
homey local neighbourhood spot. You
Name a place that most lived up to the hype Describe your favourite view almost always run into someone you know.’
‘I wasn’t prepared to be so transported by ‘I’m much more of a sunset person than a
the Amalfi Coast – it’s pretty spectacular. sunrise person. And when you’re in Hawaii, Which is the smartest hotel you’ve stayed in?
We were based just outside Positano.We did the sunsets are amazing.There’s something ‘The Peninsula in Hong Kong. I went with
a day trip to Ravello and visited some small, to be said for seeing the sun disappear when Richard Ayoade for his show Travel Man.
privately owned islands that were beautiful. you are in the middle of the ocean.’ Any place that you can get to via helicopter
There aren’t a lot of bad angles on the Amalfi is a very fancy hotel.You feel like you are a
Coast. And Hawaii is a gorgeous place to What do you pack first? visiting dignitary, for sure.’
go. Everywhere smells wonderful. The ‘I’m a pretty good packer. I don’t like bring-
temperature’s ideal and the water is lovely. ing a lot of stuff. I’m a big believer in comfy What’s the best location you filmed in?
I really love Kauai, which they call the shoes, so I usually take a pair of Converse
Garden Island. It’s a lot more slow-paced and that you can dress up a little bit. I’ll almost ‘The first was Columbus, Georgia, which is
less touristy than the others – and the Na Pali always travel with a blue blazer, some kind
Coast is there, which is like a primeval forest. of warmish jacket, various sweaters. I’ve got the home of Fort Benning army base, for a
On the North Shore is Hanalei, a little horse- one pair of jeans that I always throw in too.
shoe bay with a beautiful shoal break – you Those kinds of things, basics. I could live out movie called ere Soldiers. Following
can surf, snorkel and get as adventurous as of one very small suitcase if I had to.’
you want, but mostly it’s sitting under an that, we shot in California, in Fort Hunter
umbrella and reading.’ Who’s the most interesting person you’ve
met on your travels? Liggett. That was really fun because it was
And a place that least lived up to the hype ‘I got to meet a very interesting hotelier
‘I grew up in St Louis, Missouri, and I never once in Amalfi, Giovanni Russo (from this big Hollywood production and we had
thought I would get to see Europe, much the family behind the Bellevue Syrene),
PHOTOGRAPH: ERIC MICHAEL ROY less anywhere else, so everywhere I’ve gone who invited us to his private island. That to be on location for long stretches of time.
has been a positive experience, in some was a pretty lunch.’
There was not a lot going on, so you become

friends with your cast. You go out together

and end up bonding. Dylan Walsh was on

that, as well as Rob Bagnell, Greg Kinnear

and Sam Elliott, and we’re still friends.’

Jon Hamm stars in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, out
on 3 October. He spoke to Francesca Babb

November 2021 Condé Nast Traveller 119

STAYCATION

PHOTOGRAPH: @WETHEFOODSNOBS LOCK-IN
ANYONE?

THE BRITISH BOOZER CONTINUES TO
EVOLVE AS A CHAMPION OF LOCALLY
ROOTED FOOD AND A SHOWCASE OF
CONSIDERED DESIGN. WE TOAST THE
LATEST PUBS WITH ROOMS ACROSS

THE UK. EDITED BY FIONA KERR

November 2021 Condé Nast Traveller 121



STAYCATION

PHOTOGRAPHS: JOEL KNIGHT; BOBBIE LEE; MARTIN MORRELL; JIM POYNER THE DOUBLE RED DUKE seriously here – more posh pub grub than – this 18th-century inn has been reincarnated
fine dining (rabbit pasties; pork belly with as one of its most charismatic places to stay.
It’s easy to spot this wisteria-clad 17th- baked celeriac) with an emphasis on local Owners Kelly Love and Dan Williams first
century coaching inn, with its candy-striped produce, some straight from the hall’s made waves running a tiki bar at street-food
umbrellas forming a jaunty Soho House- 200-year-old walled garden. Eat in the hub The Sun Deck; then they set about a
style beacon. In many ways the revamped open-plan informal dining room and bar, major restoration of the George & Heart
Oxfordshire pub (part of the Country or in one of the stable-style booths by the House, which opened at the end of 2019.
Creatures group) draws parallels with the outdoor area that’s designed to resemble This summer, six rooms were added to the
global members’ club.Aimed at city-living a French village square – the furniture is wabi-sabi-like top floor, with its wonky floor-
weekenders, rooms are decorated with the same as found in Paris’s Luxembourg boards, gold-leaf-adorned staircases and
floral wallpaper, botanical block-print Garden. BOOK IT Doubles from £110; the stripped paint revealing decades-old wall-
lampshades and velvet headboards in bearinnhodnet.com PAMELA GOODMAN paper. Ranging from shimmering Seventies
burnt orange and teal. Kick off with a chic to black-and-gold Art Deco glamour,
house cocktail crafted with gin, basil, THE LOCH & THE TYNE each one (two share bathrooms) has been
white pepper and lemon. Or a vodka: with created by a local artist.The Hideaway, for
a whole page of the menu dedicated to The sign that swings outside this Windsor instance, has a freestanding bath at the end
local blends – such as silky-smooth address doesn’t have a castle or crown on of the four-poster bed, a tongue-in-cheek
Wood Brothers and Toad Rye – the pre- it but the words ‘Sustainable British Luxury’, framed quote by Margate-raised Tracey
prandial hour can easily slip into two. words that will hopefully become as ubiq- Emin and gold drapes that reveal glimpses
Luckily, there’s plenty of delicious fare to uitous as Red Lion one day. It’s the first of Turner’s beloved sunsets across the
keep things on an even keel. Whipped pub from chef Adam Handling, who’s had rooftops. Guests have exclusive access to
broad-bean mash with flatbreads, say, a busy year – pivoting to home dinners in Reggie’s Bar, a cute spot for fixing a late-
alongside wood-roasted scallops, followed lockdown, cooking for the G7 leaders night dram or early-morning coffee, as well
by a Montgomery Cheddar soufflé with in Cornwall and opening an outpost of his as a wellness area and palm-lined garden.
lobster and chips – well earned after a London Butterfly restaurant near St Ives. Perhaps the biggest draw, though, is the
stomp around the bosky dells of Clanfield As for the sign’s promise, it runs through this prospect of a bed above one of the area’s
village. And homemade salted-caramel place like blue blood through royalty. best boozers, where a roster of takeovers,
petits fours so good you’ll wish you could Water’s recycled, furniture upcycled and Sunday roasts and chef pop-ups ensures
buy some to take home. Staff, wearing the cycles themselves made from old you see first-hand why this seaside town is
Fifties bowling jackets, are unfailingly Nespresso pods. It looks and feels like a buzzing again. BOOK IT Doubles from
enthusiastic, and the only sounds at night proper pub, though, with a guitarist cover- £115; georgeandheart.com BEN OLSEN
are the hoot of an owl and the gentle rustle ing Eighties hits on Sunday and the chance
of leaves. BOOK IT Doubles from £120; of a pint and burger at the bar – albeit the THE BRADLEY HARE
countrycreatures.com JEMIMA SISSONS best burger you’ll ever have, according to
head chef Jonny McNeil, thanks to the Wiltshire’s smartest new countryside inn
THE BEAR INN lardo he uses. Scottish-born McNeil’s is set in the tiny village of Maiden Bradley,
the Loch of the title, Steven Kerr is the Tyne, part of the Duke of Somerset’s estate,
‘I went about this job as if I was designing and the pair smuggle Irn-Bru into a cocktail where waves of barley and manicured tree
a private house,’ says interiors whizz Octavia or two, Newcastle Brown in the sourdough, tunnels shape the landscape beyond. Here,
Dickinson of her recent work at this spot on a menu that works hard to be zero-waste a bunch of ex-Soho House creatives –
in the north Shropshire village of Hodnet. – trimmings from the star dish of lobster including James Thurstan Waterworth,
Working alongside her was her friend, wagyu, for example, go to make croquettes, former European design director – have
and The Bear’s landlord,Tom Heber-Percy, sauce for the cod and lobster tart. Upstairs given the old-school pub a cool, considered
whose family own much of the pretty are just a brace of bedrooms, well-tailored makeover. Provençal-farmhouse interiors
Tudor village, including Hodnet Hall. Out in bamboo and mango-wood furniture, come with a touch of flamboyance – a tub
went all legacies of the pub’s long and with Haeckels bath potions, a cocktail from for two, say, or a curtained bed tucked in a
chequered past, most notably the bear pit, Handling’s drinks lab, and a terrace with nook. In the 12 characterful rooms (some
revived for a nefarious spell in the 1970s views over the fields. Nourishing on many are above the pub; the largest are in the
when the tenants kept two grizzlies on site; levels. BOOK IT Doubles from £187; Coach House), earthy Farrow & Ball hues
in came bold colour and playfulness, fine lochandtyne.com RICK JORDAN are teamed with repurposed fabrics, 18th-
art and furniture and lashings of fabric century furniture and vintage Persian rugs.
sourced from a roll-call of British interior THE GEORGE & HEART HOUSE Downstairs, the deliberately low-key look
design and auction houses. Each room – scuffed wooden floors, rickety chairs and
(there are seven in the main building and While Margate has long outgrown its up- cosy corners with roaring fires that have
five in the coach house, all named after trees) and-coming tag, the town’s transformation kept villagers returning – belies the skill of
has its own personality – Juniper, Rowan continues to gather pace with the revival of Dave the bartender, who appears with
and Ash have small sitting rooms; dog- one of its original pubs. On the edge of Old a Limoncello Spritz at precisely five
friendly, ground-floor Sycamore and Birch Town – seconds from the beach, the Turner o’clock, and the sustainable approach to the
open onto the courtyard. Food is taken Contemporary and must-try restaurants

Opposite, clockwise from top left: The Taybank bedroom; staircase at The George & Heart House; bedroom at The Bradley Hare; bathtub at The Loch &
The Tyne; The Lamb Inn pizza; The Taybank; The Alice Hawthorn; lunch at The Bradley Hare; The Taybank. Previous pages, The Double Red Duke’s garden

November 2021 Condé Nast Traveller 123

STAYCATION

food.Vegetables are grown on the nearby jams.Through the restaurant windows you and plenty for natural-wine lovers. By the PHOTOGRAPH: @WETHEFOODSNOBS
community allotment and the kitchen is can gaze over another of Potter’s innova- end of the evening, everyone is friends,
aiming towards zero-waste with a seasonal tions. The car park and lawn sloping down sharing shots of plum brandy, phone
menu of dishes such as whipped smoked to the Tay are now a giant canvas-topped numbers and raucous tales. BOOK IT
mackerel with rainbow beetroot and a sirloin beer garden with an outdoor kitchen, pizza Doubles from £90; thelambshipton.com JS
sandwich with Isle of Wight tomatoes.A bril- oven and fire-pit. BOOK IT Doubles from
liant rural stopover, 15 minutes’ drive from £150; thetaybank.co.uk LUCY GILLMORE THE ALICE HAWTHORN
arty Frome. BOOK IT Doubles from £115;
thebradleyhare.co.uk KATHARINE SOHN THE LAMB INN With vine-covered cottages and an ancient
church overlooking a green where cows
THE TAYBANK This is the quintessential modern pub: a graze, the charming village of Nun Monkton
space for Cotswolds locals, visitors and gas- near York could have been plucked straight
In the postcard-pretty Perthshire village tronomic hipsters. On a Tuesday evening an from a children’s fable. Its 250-year-old
of Dunkeld, the high street is peppered old gent from down the road with mutton- pub has long been a draw for foodies, who
with indie stores such as Aran, the hip chop whiskers and a Laurie Lee lilt tucks come for the Michelin Guide restaurant.
bakery from The Great British Bake Off into fish and chips under black-and-white But, in 2017, new owners Claire and John
semi-finalist Flora Shedden. By the river photographs by William Waterworth, to a Topham took the risky decision to give the
is the Taybank, an inn famous for its tradi- soundtrack of blues. The second inn from inn a facelift – and it paid off. Upstairs has
tional music scene – it was once owned by talented young chefs Tom Noest and Peter been renovated to create four restful rooms
Dougie Maclean, who wrote Scottish folk Creed of The Bell in Langford, The Lamb in muted shades, with beamed ceilings
anthem ‘Caledonia’. In 2019 the place was has taken over an old pub in the Oxfordshire and huge bathtubs. Most recently, eight new
taken over by ex-polo player and Edinburgh village of Shipton-under-Wychwood, and garden rooms built from Douglas fir have
Fringe caterer Fraser Potter, only to close is already a local hub. The junior football modern, chalet-inspired interiors: wood-
three months later. Its refurb became team piles in with their parents after training panelled walls, rocking chairs and sliding
his lockdown project. With the help of his to sup cloudy apple juice and pints of Hooky glass doors that lead to a balcony opening
friend Anna Lamotte from Guardswell as the inevitable stream of Londoners onto the courtyard. Despite the revamp,
Farm down the road (the kitchen’s vegetable descends for over-the-limit Negronis and the old-world feel is as strong as ever. In the
supplier), he redesigned the interiors into the famous bone-marrow flatbread. It’s bar, rustic tables and exposed brickwork
five Scandi-chic, tech-free bedrooms, doing something of a natural history museum are paired with framed newspaper clippings
most of the joinery himself. Room five in too; moths in frames and stags’ heads line on the walls, and come evening, locals huddle
the eaves is the one to book, a cosy cocoon the walls alongside prints from the owners’ around great yawning fireplaces fronted
with burnished-copper lamps, granite-grey art-world friends. Rooms (it opened with by thick rugs. On the menu, traditional
paintwork and a headboard balanced with five, with five more just added) celebrate the dishes are given a twist: prawns coated in
books, a lute and drip coffee cups made by building’s beautiful 14th-century bones, crispy batter are served with a peppy wasabi
local potter Ellen Macfarlane.Add luscious with wide wooden floorboards and sash mayo; a deconstructed tiramisu has a layer
bathroom products by Laura Thomas, a windows softened with ikat cushions. Food of icy espresso granita and a balloon of
hamper for breakfast in bed and a civilised is hearty – the buttermilk-fried chicken with coffee-flavoured cream.A peaceful, pastoral
noon checkout. The ground-floor bar aioli is worth crossing counties for and the escape with culinary kudos that hits the
still has a spit’n’sawdust vibe, with instru- lemon tart is a bouncy citrus dream. The sweet spot. BOOK IT Doubles from £120;
ments stacked in the corner for impromptu wine list has weighty white Burgundies thealicehawthorn.com OLIVIA MORELLI

Above from left: fire-pit at The Taybank; retro bedroom at The Double Red Duke; dish of plaice, Jersey royals and caper butter at The Lamb Inn

124 Condé Nast Traveller November 2021

TRAVELLER PARTNERSHIPS

PAR ADISE FOUND

F Zeen in Kefalonia is a peaceful haven offering everything
you need to reset body and soul, from restorative spa
treatments to nourishing food

If you’re emerging from lockdown feeling sluggish, The spa is an absolute must, offering first-rate
stressed and uninspired, there’s a sun-splashed treatments using Greek herbs and organic seaweed
corner of Kefalonia that is sure to give you back in everything from anti-ageing facials to after-sun
your mojo. F Zeen Retreat, perched on a pine-clad body treatments and rejuvenating massages.
hilltop above the Ionian Sea, promises to revive
worn-down bodies and minds with its all-natural As the sun melts below the horizon, enjoy cocktails
approach to everything from food to fitness. overlooking the glimmering waters before dinner
at Selini, one of the resort’s two superb restaurants
Start your day with sunrise yoga – F Zeen has three and situated right on the seafront. As with all the
outdoor decks with glorious views – or an energising food at F Zeen, the menu focuses on fresh and
workout in the two-storey alfresco gym (the daily seasonal ingredients, many of which are grown on
classes are complimentary), before a healthy breakfast site or sourced from the surrounding area – think
buffet by the pool. Join a guided hike to a nearby deliciously dressed salads plucked straight from
monastery, take to the gin-clear waters on a kayak the garden or grilled lobster caught a few hours
or paddleboard, or hop on a private boat to explore earlier and served with a golden garlic butter.
the island’s glorious beaches and quiet coves, where The wine list is almost exclusively Greek, with
you can cast yourself away for a few blissful hours. many Kefalonian varieties for added authenticity.

Back at the resort, lazy afternoons can be whiled After dinner, curl up on a giant beanbag beneath the
away by the pool, where soft daybeds encased in stars for a movie on the outdoor screen – headphones
billowing linens provide a shady haven. Or relax in are provided to ensure the peace of the resort
your beautiful room, tastefully decorated in earthy prevails. There can be few more perfect ways to
tones and natural materials designed to soothe the spend a day than at F Zeen – little wonder that its
senses. Many feature private terraces enclosed by name means ‘the good life’ in ancient Greek.
lush gardens or balconies overlooking the serene
Lourdas Bay, while suites have spacious patios and Further Information
inviting pools for the ultimate calming retreat. Visit fzeenretreat.com or call 020 7183 5383

TRAVELLER PARTNERSHIPS

PRIME PROPERTY For multi-generational groups wanting next-level
privacy, other Shantivillas options include the
Coast and countryside combine in Portugal’s new hilltop Casa do Alemão, which comes with
sunshine region, home to Shantivillas’ exclusive a self-contained suite (it has its own kitchenette
and living area), and Casa Sky, where you can
collection of luxury villas book the villa next door – meaning everyone
can spread out even more. Whichever you
From gorgeous tiny coves to sweeping One of the largest is Casa Cahombo, just 20 choose, all properties have lovely shady areas
sandy beaches, distinctive rust-red minutes’ drive from the popular seaside resort that encourage long alfresco lunches, and
cliffs and shady pine forests, the of Vilamoura. Outside, there is a pair of heated barbecues for cooking up the freshest sardines
Algarve region of Portugal is a perfect pools (one for adults, the other for children), and dorada for supper. So whether you’re
destination for short-haul sun all year neat landscaped gardens and panoramic vistas; looking for a spectacular grand villa with sea
round. Bringing together the best of both inside, you’ll find spacious rooms, simple yet views, a comfortable country house or a modern
worlds – the sensational coastline and stylish with cool terracotta-tiled floors and space with manicured lawns, you’re bound to
the tranquillity of the countryside – is whitewashed walls. Alternatively, for smaller find a Shantivillas property that not only suits
Shantivillas, a handpicked collection of getaways, why not consider elegant Casa de your needs but also exceeds all expectations.
luxury villas in rural spots, all within easy Baixo, which sleeps eight? The wooden-beamed,
reach of the ocean. Sleeping up to 16 guests, open-plan social space and huge country kitchen Further Information
each one is brilliantly set up for families, are ideal for gathering everyone together for Visit shantivillas-algarve.com
friends and even special-occasion celebrations cocktails, while the games room makes a fun or call +35 196 898 4269
such as intimate wedding ceremonies. hang-out zone for teenagers.

PHOTOGRAPH: JIMENA AGOIS FLAVOUR HUNTER

DISPATCHES FROM THE FOODIE FRONTIER. EDITED BY RICK JORDAN

BORN AND BREAD

VIRGILIO MARTINEZ, THE CHEF BEHIND PERU’S GAME-CHANGING RESTAURANT CENTRAL AND
AUTHOR OF A NEW BOOK ON LATIN AMERICAN COOKING, REVEALS HIS FAVOURITE PLACES TO EAT

November 2021 Condé Nast Traveller 127

FLAVOUR HUNTER

It’s turning out to be quite a year for the Peruvian chef
known for showcasing his country’s extraordinary cooking
at Lima’s Central and high-in-the-Andes Mil. This summer

his wife and business partner Pía León was named Best
Female Chef in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and they

are about to open two further-flung outposts that share
Central’s exploratory philosophy. In Moscow, Olluco is set
to uncover Russia’s biodiversity – ‘it will revitalise the value
of produce such as beetroot, which we’ll use like purple corn
in Peru, applying its powerful colour to other ingredients,’
says Martínez. The second, in Tokyo, is going to take a similar
approach with the Japanese terroir. Both are rooted in the
chef’s South American experiences, which he has traced
for The Latin American Cookbook. ‘For our research we spent

several years travelling around. It’s important to look
beyond Peru and connect with the continent.’ Here are his

standout restaurants in Latin America.

GUSTU LA PAZ, BOLIVIA

‘I love this spot for its fine-dining nuances that teach you about the
country. The first head chef, who was Danish, included many Nordic
details but today the talented Marsia Taha helms the kitchen; Bolivians
working exclusively with Bolivian ingredients denotes a strong change.
The eight-course menu is brave and adventurous, featuring Amazon
caiman, dried surubí river fish and llullucha (algae) ice cream.’ gustu.bo

LA NUEVA PALOMINO AREQUIPA, PERU

‘Arequipa is home to hundreds of picanterías (casual restaurants) where
señoras stir up fantastic grassroots cooking, taking influences from

the Andes, the coast and the colonial period. Mónica Huerta Alpaca is a
real genius and tremendous host who uses techniques passed

down through her family. I order rocoto relleno, chilli peppers stuffed with
minced meat and spices.’ facebook.com/LaNuevaPalomino

AL TOKE PEZ LIMA, PERU

‘This is a tiny, no-frills counter that barely seats 10. Get the catch of
the day; it’s as fun and spicy as cook Toshi Matsufuji, who left behind

a career in academia in the UK to return home and run his father’s
establishment. The way he prepares dishes such as ceviche with fried
calamari is personal but also intelligent.’ Avenida Angamos 886, Surquillo

DEMENCIA RESTOBAR SANTIAGO DE CHILE, CHILE

‘Having worked at Barcelona’s Dos Palillos, Benjamin Nast runs a cluster
of restaurants including De Patio, which ranks in Latin America’s 50 Best.
In August, he opened this bar and restaurant in the fashionable Vitacura

district, where seafood and Asian-style hits such as cod tempura and
temaki poké lead the menu.’ instagram.com/demencia_restobar

Clockwise from this picture: flor de palma dish
at Moreno; La Paz; alfajor biscuits; Virgilio
Martínez. Previous page, traditional sweet
bread made for Mexico’s Day of the Dead

128 Condé Nast Traveller November 2021

ORIENTE TOMINE, COLOMBIA Clockwise from this picture: red
hominy stew; view of La Paz; Koli;
‘This is a seasonal farm-to-table concept. There are no special effects
– just spontaneous casual cooking paired with creativity. Based in a charcoal-cooked rhea eggs
rural village north of Bogotá, chef Tomás Rueda partners with
PHOTOGRAPHS: JIMENA AGOIS; DANIEL BALDA; JULIEN CAPMEIL; HANE GARZA smallholders so he knows the precise origins of trout, beef and paipa
cheese on the menu.’ instagram.com/orienterestaurante

MORENO CARACAS, VENEZUELA

‘After spending years in Lima kitchens, TV chef Victor Moreno finally
got to open in his hometown. Set in an old-school mansion in Altamira,
this place showcases Venezuela’s regions in dishes such as asado negro,

flank steak caramelised in raw cane sugar with plantain gnocchi,
Caracas-style. The arepa tasting menu demonstrates the importance of

local comfort food – it could be the new taco.’ morenocaracas.com

QUITU QUITO, ECUADOR

‘Exploring ancestral cuisine, chef Juan Sebastián Pérez renews the
values of staples including guatita beef-tripe stew. His sustainable
approach means collaborating with farmers from Andean communities
who cultivate ingredients commonly used in the pre-Columbian era.
Pérez brings corn, tubers and proteins up to date in dishes such as roast
corn with mapahuira pork fat. An honest transformation.’ quitu.ec

MAITO PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

‘Mario Castrellón works tirelessly to put local ingredients from the
Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous community on the map, and Maito’s offering

is inspired by both the country and the Panama Canal’s history, in
particular the Creole, Cantonese and Afroantillano cultures. I love
caffeine, so I always order the Geisha coffee-bean brew.’ maitopanama.com

KOLI MONTERREY, MEXICO

‘This place is run by the Rivera-Rio brothers – Rodrigo, Patricio and
Daniel – who faithfully recreate cocina de origen from the north-east.
On their nine-step tasting menu you’ll find mole neoleonés: suckling pig
with acuyo pepperleaf, onion and fresh cheese. One to watch.’ koli.mx

‘The Latin American Cookbook’ (Phaidon, £35) is available from 15 October

THE STAR INGREDIENT: PAICHE

‘The Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean waters are our pantry, but it’s
time to embrace the diversity of freshwater fish. Paiche is the king of

the Amazon for its golden colour, enormous size and interesting
texture depending on how it’s prepared. The belly we use is similar

to tuna toro – the fat and meat fall onto the plate.’

FLAVOUR HUNTER

SIP TRIP

KEEP ’EM PEELED

ALES AREN’T THE ONLY BREWS GETTING CRAFTY. HERE’S A TAPPED-IN GUIDE TO THE CIDER REVOLUTION

Clockwise from left: bottles at La There was a time when cider was associated
Cidrerie in Paris; Rosie’s Pig Rhubarb with West Country hangovers, peachy-cheeked

Cloudy Cider from Herefordshire- hoedowns and student discos. But change is
based Westons Cider; seating at La fermenting and, using similar methods to
Cidrerie, and the bar’s founder Benoît
Marinos; The Newt in Somerset apples winemaking, a new wave of cider is emerging
from rural orchards into Michelin-starred
PHOTOGRAPHS: JAKE EASTHAM; PUXAN PHOTO
restaurants, craft stores and concrete-hewn bars
spanning Paris to Portland.

THE SOMERSET CONNECTION

While France has Normandy and Spain has Asturias,
England’s apple heartland is Somerset, so it’s fitting
that The Newt is at the forefront of the new cider
movement. The hotel has an on-site distillery and

65 acres of orchards, from which 10 varieties
are made including the gooseberry-rich Yarlington
Mill and The Winston Sparkling, an alternative to
Champagne with lychee and mango notes. Guests
can take a masterclass in the subject – from learning
about the history of cider production in the county

to tasting some of the 70 types of apples grown
here and pressing the juice by hand before tucking

into dishes in the restaurant. ‘There are lots of
specialist ale makers, but craft cider hasn’t developed

until now,’ says Greg Carnell, The Newt’s cellar
master. ‘We treat ours like wine, which means cold

fermentation, no water or added sugar and a
different vintage every year.’ A pippin’s throw away in

Bruton, chef Merlin Labron-Johnson is pioneering
cider-led menus at his farm-to-table restaurant Osip,
pairing the Somerset Cider Brandy Company’s sweet-

and-sour ice cider with cheese from Westcombe
Dairy as a digestif and a fine-boned pét-nat from Find

and Foster with slow-cooked pork. ‘There’ll always
be a place for wine at my table, but it’s wonderful that
cider is starting to be held in higher regard,’ he says.

‘It has beautiful nuances and can sit anywhere on
the sweet-dry spectrum. Since the pandemic, we’ve

been focusing more locally – and the UK is pretty
unparalleled in its diversity of producers. A lot of them
are still using age-old, tried-and-tested techniques.’

FURTHER AFIELD

It’s the same story in other countries. In Paris, La
Cidrerie stocks more than 100 ciders, including
Maison Rouge Cidronoix, which uses nuts from the
Dordogne, while Breizh Café offers nearly 70 types
alongside Breton galettes. ‘There is something of a
l’air du temps with the drink,’ says Jean-Francois
Bougeant, founder of cider-forward Normandy shop
La Mer à Boire. ‘People have been looking for options
with no gluten and fewer calories than beer and wine.
They are also interested in biodiversity, and the
process of creating cider is, in essence, very natural.
For example, in Normandy there is a tradition,
passed down by grandfathers, of doing things
according to the weather and the moon.’ About 10

130 Condé Nast Traveller November 2021

TRAVELLER PARTNERSHIPS

EVERYTHING
UNDER THE SUN

If you didn’t manage a summer escape amid all of the quarantine
hokey-cokey confusion, fear not: the island of Malta is the have-it-all

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up UNESCO-listed architecture, innovative offer. Travelling with family or friends? Choose
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starred restaurants) and wines, fascinating you can all be together, unwinding by the pool
heritage sites, spectacular scenery and an and dining beneath the stars on a medley of
enviable coastline where you can dive, sail, local cheeses, breads, pies and freshly grilled
snorkel and swim to your heart’s delight. vegetables (most owners are happy to arrange
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Bathing in more than 300 days of sunshine
a year, it’s the perfect outdoor destination. Or plump for a boutique hotel in the heart of
Stroll around the UNESCO World Heritage the action – 66 Saint Paul’s is set in a beautiful
sites of the honey-stoned city of Valletta, the 17th-century palazzo in Valletta with city or
astonishing prehistoric Megalithic Temples harbour views; the similarly historic Palais Le
and the vast underground chambers of Ħal Brun is unique in offering rooms with private
Saflieni Hypogeum. Pause for the freshest terraces and outdoor hot tubs; while The
seafood and chilled local wines at alfresco Embassy Valletta Hotel is a new addition, its
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we love The Harbour Club for delicious
Mediterranean fare served alongside incredible With all this – and so much more – Malta is
views of Valletta’s Grand Harbour. Or take a a true short-haul hero. As the most vaccinated
boat over to neighbouring Gozo and Comino country in the EU, and with hassle-free border
to explore further afield – why not do it in style policies in place (just show your vaccine
and charter your very own private superyacht certificate), it’s also somewhere you can travel
with Carblu? Taking a dip is a must – Malta to with ease, knowing that your holiday begins
is ranked the second-best diving location in the moment you step off the plane. Your only
the world, yet it’s just three hours from the UK. concern will be what to do first.

On land, there are numerous hiking, biking Further Information
and horseback-riding trails through Malta’s Go to visitmalta.com

FLAVOUR HUNTER From left: Little Pomona bottles via
The Fine Cider Company; Tørst bar
years ago, cider makers and wine producers started in Brooklyn, New York City, where craft
to share knowledge; the result is a new set of ciders that ciders are joining beers on the menu;
rival many fine crus. ‘There is a nobility to the way they Aeble Cider Shop in Fife, Scotland
let the environment drive the beverage,’ says Bougeant.
PHOTOGRAPH: SIGNE BIRCK
In Portland, Oregon, another epicentre of the cider
revolution, Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider serves up

interesting bottles such as Saint Citron, made with citrus
fruit – lemon, lime, grapefruit and kumquat – and

finished with a hint of sea salt and ginger. ‘The drink
occupies a middle ground between wine and beer
in many ways,’ says founder Nat West. ‘As an alternative
to rosé or white, it offers a change in flavour without
straying too far from familiarity.’ And up next? ‘Fruit
ciders. In the USA, use apples as the blank canvas to
which we add ingredients such as pineapple, cherry,
peach and spices.’ Another pioneer is Sweden, where
producers including Fruktstereo, Brännland Cider and
Pomologik are incorporating flowers and berries to create
an uplifting botanical drop. It’s all a far cry from the

tumble-in-the-hay home brews of yore.

THE NEXT POMMELIERS

Across the UK, appreciation for the humble apple is on
the rise. The Fine Cider Company’s subscription service the
Pommelier Club – a pommelier is a cider sommelier – sends
out three or six bottles every two months. ‘When we launched
seven years ago there was very little going on,’ says founder
Felix Nash. ‘Legally, cider has to contain at least 35 per cent
apple juice, so it was about approaching it in a different way.

New-wave cider is made like wine: seasonally, vintaged,
barrel-aged and bottle-fermented.’ Also seeking out some of
the globe’s finest drops is Aeble Cider Shop in Scotland’s Fife.
Run by Jaye Hutchinson and her husband, former indie-rock

drummer Grant, it opened in April this year selling more
than 100 varieties, from Champagne-style to plum wines
fermented with cider. Next year, the pair hope to inaugurate

the East Neuk Cider Festival. ‘My husband and I have
never been big beer drinkers. We always loved natural wine,
which has many similarities to the new ciders. Lots of makers
are using quince or putting cider into Chardonnay barrels.

It’s incredible to see what they can create from an apple.’

DOWN THE APPLES AND PEARS

Tasting notes for a selection of unconventional ciders

Cidre Brut by Maison Sassy A new breed of Normandy cider:
not a hint of farmyard oink, but with white-wine notes.

Allan 2020 by Find and Foster A pét-nat with a citric tang for
the low-sugar lovers. It’s sour but has a satisfying peach nose.
Table Cider by Little Pomona The natural wine of ciders, it’s
funky and slightly agricultural, in a good way. Dry as the Gobi.

Fine Cider Pet Nat by Oliver’s More froth than a
Cornish bay. It’s musky on the nose, somewhat tannic

and has an almost salty finish. Very drinkable.
Tamoshanta by Pilton Cider With lots of maturity for a
sweet variety, it’s the most accessible and table-ready of the

lot with treacle tangs from ageing in whisky barrels.
The Winston Sparkling Cyder by The Newt Churchill
might be guffawing on his Romeo y Julieta, but it’s not a bad

Champagne imitation, if much drier and fizzier.
Fine Perry by Oliver’s It’s not all about the apples –
pear cider is also on the menu. This is childhood-sweet
with a rich pear-tart aroma and the best substitute

for prosecco – pear-secco?
Ciders available from The Newt (thenewtinsomerset.com)

and The Fine Cider Company (thefinecider.company)
JEMIMA SISSONS

132 Condé Nast Traveller November 2021



TRAVELLER EVENTS

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER INVITES YOU TO

A TASTING EXPERIENCE WITH

LOUIS ROEDERER

OUR CHEF’S WORLD SERIES RETURNS WITH AN EVENING SAMPLING THE FINEST CHAMPAGNES AND
SIGNATURE DISHES AT NOBU HOTEL LONDON PORTMAN SQUARE, THE CITY’S SLICKEST OPENING

BOOK NOW: LOUISROEDERER.EVENTBRITE.CO.UK

Limited number of tickets available at £150 per person, which includes a canapé and Champagne reception
followed by a signature tasting menu with Champagne pairings

The Reims-based Champagne producer was founded in 1776 and taken over by Louis Roederer
57 years later. It was this young visionary who forged the wine’s unique style and character with

progressive techniques, such as nurturing the house’s own vines, a rarity at the time. Within a few
decades the marque had caught the eye of Russia’s Tsar Alexander II, for whom the now-famous
Cristal was created, along with its distinctive bottle: made with clear glass, so the emperor could see
that he wasn’t being poisoned, and no punt – the indentation at the base – so anarchists couldn’t
hide explosives in it. Today Louis Roederer is one of the last family-owned Champagne houses,
and it recently released its 2013 Cristal, crafted using biodynamically grown grapes from old vines and
aged for seven years for more complexity and freshness. It also made a foray into still wine, launching
its first white and red earlier this year as a ‘totally different expression of the Champagne terroirs’.
While the 2018 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were exceptionally well received, the brand is still best
known for its sparkling bottles – and readers will taste a selection of them, alongside Japanese-inspired
dishes, at this exclusive hosted dinner at the Nobu Hotel London Portman Square, one of the city’s

hottest new arrivals. This is the perfect evening to toast to London life fizzing again.

WEDNESDAY 27 OCTOBER 2021, 7–10PM

NOBU HOTEL LONDON PORTMAN SQUARE,
22 PORTMAN SQUARE, LONDON W1H 7BG

PARTICIPANTS MUST BE 18 OR OLDER. CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO POSTPONE THE EVENT IF RENDERED NECESSARY
BY ANY UNAVOIDABLE CAUSE. TICKETS WILL BE FULLY REFUNDED IN SUCH CASES.

134 Condé Nast Traveller November 2021

PHOTOGRAPHS: EMMANUEL ALLAIRE; JACK HARDY; IMAGE COURTESY OF NOBU HOTEL LONDON PORTMAN SQUARE;
NICO SCHINCO. NOBU HOTEL LONDON PORTMAN SQUARE PICTURED TOP LEFT AND BOTTOM RIGHT

THE CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER PODCAST

ESCAPE ROUTES

SET OFF ON AN ISLAND-HOPPING ADVENTURE AROUND THE WORLD WITH
THE LATEST TRANSPORTIVE EPISODE IN OUR ONGOING SERIES

THE AZORES

WITH WRITER TRISH LORENZ

A handful of prehistoric rocks that spike through
the middle of the Atlantic, the Azores is an

archipelago of epic landscapes. There are volcanoes
and UNESCO World Heritage-listed vineyards on

Pico; hidden surf spots and tree-covered cliffs
on São Jorge; and alpine forests that nudge crater
lakes on Flores. The latter, says Lorenz, is ‘perhaps
the most beautiful of the nine islands, definitely the
wildest and most elemental. Here, I have a sense
of what life must have been like before humans
so fully dominated the planet’. This is a destination in

which to tap into the new wave of eco travel.

PHOTOGRAPHS: DAVID CROOKES; ANA LUI; TOM PARKER VANCOUVER ISLAND

WITH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
STANLEY STEWART

From wood carvers to beachcombing
conservationists, there are many

free spirits who call magical Vancouver
Island home. On this journey, Stewart

meets them – and has up-close
encounters with migrating whales and

black bears. ‘It is from the air that
you begin to make sense of this place,

that you understand the scale,’ he
says. ‘The whole coast appears to have

been dropped from the heavens
to shatter into a hundred pieces.’

SVALBARD

WITH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
MICHELLE JANA CHAN

Lying about 500 miles north of
mainland Norway, Svalbard is an Arctic

chain of isles where polar bears
outnumber people and the darkness

is extreme. ‘It is between winter
and summer when the light is at its
most tantalising,’ says Chan. ‘At these

times there is an out-of-focus
softness to life. Clouds smudge, like
ink blots, before God-moment rays

of sunshine blow holes in the
sky.’ A place that’s remote, often
silent and an ‘instant immersion

into wilderness’.

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amazing trips to take as the world opens up or sheer armchair escapism.

November 2021 Condé Nast Traveller 137

WOST Well known as one of the world’s oldest cities, ATHENS is more than
just a cultural city break. Brimming with spectacular archaeological sites
WANTED
– including the Parthenon, which towers over the sprawling city – and
OUR NEW-SEASON EDIT OF THE breathtaking museums, it has a creative energy that sweeps you up.
PEOPLE, PLACES AND PRODUCTS There’s also an exciting gastronomic scene, with a focus on revitalising
FOR YOUR RADAR
traditional recipes using the local produce. visitgreece.gr

DRINKS CABINET

Sitting in one of London’s most sought-after locations is the Rumor Rosé, Champagne Louis Howard’s Folly,
INTERCONTINENTAL PARK LANE. The hotel’s £29.85, Roederer Collection Sonhador Tinto 2016,
prestigious address of No. 1 Park Lane makes it an ideal £20, howardsfollywine.
base from which to explore the nearby neighbourhoods, 31dover.com 242, £52, louis-
from eternally elegant Mayfair to the shopping haven of co.uk
Knightsbridge. The newly refurbished Mayfair Collection roederer.com/en
rooms and suites are the perfect home from home, with

serene interiors inspired by the local Royal Parks. From £369.
parklane.intercontinental.com

ESSENTIALS Chunky 9k yellow
gold bracelet, £2,400,
FOR HER sophiebreitmeyer.

com

Sol-Protect Tinted Sunscreen SPF Max Mara
30, £38, lisafranklin.london Manuela icon
coat, £1,700,
Zimmermann harveynichols.
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mini dress, £895,
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in rust, £185,
com
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Iris & Ink, Starlit Mandarin &
tan suede Honey Cologne, £105,
Chloe boots,
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Ultimate wide-leg jeans, Bottega Veneta The Chain Cassette
£175, meandem.com rust leather cross-body bag, £3,035,

harveynichols.com

BEVERLY HILLS hardly needs an introduction, but LA’s chicest destination is proudly welcoming travellers from around the
world with open arms to celebrate the variety of experiences that the city has to offer, from incredible art to fine dining. As part
of the Far From Ordinary campaign, 12 of the city’s most luxurious hotels (including fabulous British export The Maybourne) are

offering enticing add-ons to your stay, such as complimentary Champagne and spa credits. lovebeverlyhills.com

WOST 111Skin Regenerative Kit,
£100, harveynichols.com
WANTED
Tie-front blouse, £350,
IN-FLIGHT and trousers, £558, both in
sapphire, silkedlondon.com
ESSENTIALS

Centenary 4-wheel
carry-on in navy, £1,385,

globe-trotter.com

Oribe Run-Through
Detangling Shampoo, £44 for

250ml, cultbeauty.co.uk

City passport sleeve in navy, Baileys Astell flight bag, £235,
£175, globe-trotter.com stone-and-mason.com

HIGH-FLYER JAHID FAZAL-KARIM

OWNER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, JETCRAFT

What makes Jetcraft so special? a more essential tool for today’s ultra-high- Where in the world do you feel
Jetcraft is the largest international net-worth individuals and corporations. most relaxed?
buyer, seller and trader of business Tell us about your sustainable future… I am the happiest and most relaxed when
aircraft. We have managed to carve Business aviation has established an excellent at home with my family. We are spread
out a unique industry position, situated record of constantly improving fuel efficiency, out between France, Dubai, Italy and
between traditional aircraft brokers and delivering 40% improvement over the past New York, but always manage to gather
the manufacturers. Jetcraft has been 40 years. The industry can and should continue together a few times a year.
in business for 60 years, and with more to prioritise this topic and there are several Where do you go to skip the crowds?
than 20 offices worldwide, the company initiatives in the works, including carbon Without a doubt, my favourite place in the
has experienced exponential growth by offsetting, alternative jet fuels and hybrid/ world is Tuscany, and I try to spend as much
investing in its structure and people, electric aircraft programmes. time there as possible. No matter how
while remaining a true ‘family’ in culture. What’s your favourite country to fly to? busy the area is, it never feels crowded.
What’s the number-one way a I truly feel like a world citizen. Every country And, finally, what’s next?
traveller can have a better flight? that I’ve been to offers unique experiences I feel that now, more than ever, we recognise
The consistency, personalisation and and cultures. At the top of my list, I’d have Italy, the value of time – whether that is quality,
control that come with flying in your own the UAE and the US. use of the time, or how efficiently you plan
jet, and the ability to be anywhere at a your schedule. The most valuable asset we
moment’s notice while avoiding large sell at Jetcraft is time.
crowds and restrictive flight timetables, are
all enticing and valuable commodities that The future of private aviation is exciting.
contribute to a better flight experience. We are expecting to see the introduction
of new innovative and transformative
It’s at times like this when the speed, technologies – including increased fuel
efficiency, flexibility and safety of private efficiency, hybrid engines, increased range,
aviation comes to the fore. The ability to supersonic speed, and a myriad of new
fly anywhere at a moment’s notice and on-board technologies to improve the
get home quickly is proving invaluable, experience, sustainability and efficiency
especially as commercial routes become of the flight process.
more and more limited. I can’t think of jetcraft.com

Hot new opening PAN PACIFIC LONDON is bringing Singaporean luxury to the capital. With a fusion of
South-east Asian vibrancy and traditional British design, the hotel is conveniently located in buzzy east London.
Featuring no less than five locations serving food and drink that is reminiscent of modern Singapore, this is the
place to unwind and indulge. From £325. panpacificlondon.com

ESSENTIALS Andros safari Westmount parka Shaggy jumper,
shirt, £120, in graphite, £1,195, £99, beaufortand
FOR HIM
lovebrand.com canadagoose.com blake.com
Sunglasses,
£275, Acne Studios
tods.com Vally checked

scarf, £220,
harveynichols.com

Allies of Skin Cortina cotton Hamilton
Prebiotics & chinos in alpine H69419363
Niacinamide Pore Men’s Field
Refining Booster, green, £140, Officer watch in
£65 for 50ml, lucafaloni.com khaki, £395,
spacenk.com
ESPA johnlewis.com
Suede ankle boots The Hydrator,
in camel, £730, tods.com £35 for 35ml,
harveynichols.com

WOST

WANTED

NO PASSPORT REQUIRED
THREE UK HOLIDAYS TO ADD TO YOUR LIST

THE NEW FOREST
Hidden in the heart of the New Forest, but mere miles from the coast, lie the new luxury Shorefield treehouses. Situated within the much-
loved holiday retreat of Shorefield Country Park, the enchanting treehouses are brand new for 2021. Sitting high among the branches, the
striking structures look straight out of a fairy tale. Spend your days exploring the ancient forest or relaxing on your private deck (complete

with pizza oven), then finish with a sundowner in the hot tub, all while taking in the serene views. From £1,050. shorefield.co.uk

HEREFORDSHIRE EDINBURGH
With its quaint market towns and wild rolling hills, Herefordshire In the thriving heart of Edinburgh’s New Town sits Kimpton
makes a perfect getaway at any time of year. The charming county Charlotte Square Hotel. The vibrant interiors are where the fun
may be small but it is certainly mighty, with picturesque towns begins, with a mix of luxurious fabrics, pops of colour and the
including Hay-on-Wye and activities to keep even the toughest chicest touches of tartan. Indulge in Middle Eastern cuisine at
critic happy. Our favourite is the ‘cider circuit’: think of it as the the hotel’s acclaimed BABA restaurant, or enjoy a seasonally
English cousin to France’s Champagne tours. With three trails, inspired six-course tasting menu with wine pairings at Aizle. Never
each covering 50 miles of the famed apple cider country, you can forgotten are your furry friends, who will be treated like VIPs
stop by a variety of orchards and try the delicious local produce. with special services to complete your ‘pawfect’ stay. From £220.

visitherefordshire.co.uk kimptoncharlottesquare.com

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