March 2020

Travel & Leisure India & South Asia

India's leading luxury and travel magazine

Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
LETTER From The Editor
THESE WORDS OF an India-born United Arab Emirates author, poet, and entrepreneur, Deeba Salim Irfan, echo the thoughts that run in my own head. Not to claim that we are better or stronger, or high-achieving multi-taskers, but it is true that, in more
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia5 min readEarth Sciences
10 Seaside Sanctuaries for Water Babies
Greece has around 6,000 islands. Unlike Santorini and Mykonos that are part of the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Islands lie off the country’s west coast, in the Ionian Sea. Turquoise waters, cliff-backed sandy beaches, and mild Medi
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
The Business of Flying
WHEN YOU THINK of long-haul flights, cramped legs and crummy food come to mind. With Emirates Business Class, however, journeys become much more than a means to an end. The experience begins well before you board your flight, with a chauffeur-driven
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
The Highest Order
HAVING HEARD so much about Qatar Airways Business Class, it was only natural that I was most excited about the airtime more than the destination. The prospect of a long-haul journey, between Doha and Gothenburg, didn’t seem all that daunting on a fla
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Glory Of The Past
I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED what it would be like to live in a fort on top of a hill, looking at the Lego-sized scenery below. At Alila Fort Bishangarh, a 230-year-old fort-turned-heritage property perched on a granite hill, I finally put my curiosity to r
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Grandeur By The Ganga
VARANASI HAS ALWAYS fascinated me. One of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, it lies in between rivers Varuna and Asi. According to the Vamana Purana, the Varuna and Asi rivers were created by the gods, during what the religious text ca
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
That Summer Feeling
TO MAKE THE MOST of the summer, and its prime lakefront location in Geneva, Hotel President Wilson will reopen the chic Poolgarden Beach Club on its first-floor terrace. Apart from offering panoramic views of Lake Leman, the club features a temperatu
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia1 min read
On Lankan Shores
NATURAL BEAUTY meets impressive hospitality on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. With its sun-kissed beaches and lush rainforests, the tropical destination is perfect for a summer retreat. Adding to the scenery are two picturesque properties—Heritance
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
A Tryst With Taiwan
Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world for a period of nearly five years from 2004, until it was unseated by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The towering building, which looks like a stepped pagoda, pays homage to Chinese culture with its eight
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min readFashion
Wrist Couture
After the Big Bang last year, it’s now the Spirit of Big Bang’s turn to take on the colours of the rainbow. The soft shade of the case in King Gold dons the colours with a shimmering paving of round and baguette-cut gemstones. Sapphires, rubies, topa
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
Gear For Girls
Philips’ latest addition to its ‘performance’ lineup boasts 40mm drivers (great for punchy audio), while the 30 hours of battery life means you’ll be a happy camper on long flights. The inbuilt Google Assistant is a bonus; you’ll also love the Active
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
Party Of One
AFTER A LONG first day of a work trip to London, I’m lounging in my king-size bed at 11 Cadogan Gardens , eating a club sandwich made with peppery roast chicken and crisp bacon. Making my meal all the more delicious: its dignified arrival (on a wheel
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia4 min readFashion
Travel Like A Woman
IN A COUNTRY WHERE our leaders have an opinion on everything women can and cannot do, travelling solo, especially on leisure, may seem like a no-no. However, having done it for years now, I assure you that it is a highly fulfilling experience. Do you
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
“I Like Hotels With A Design Aesthetic”
You are a trailblazer in the Indian hospitality industry. In what ways has it evolved? In terms of evolution, I feel that the tourism and hospitality industries are finally being understood. Common people as well as the government now understand the
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
Behind Her Roving Lens
Manto, chronicles what transpired behind the scenes of the eponymous movie that she directed. ADILA MATRA caught up with the versatile artiste at the fifth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival, where Das got candid about her triumphs and tribula
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
The Third Eye
You grew up in a house where art played a major role. When did the idea of using art for social change strike you? Nilofer Suleman—an artist, feminist, and a Muslim woman brought me up on her own. As a result, all my work has been in praise of the f
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
All Roads Lead To Paris
We’re sure managing celebrities is no cakewalk. Where do you go to break free from the madness? I have a few favourites that I keep revisiting. In India, I love the SUJÁN Rajmahal Palace (thesujanlife.com) in Jaipur, and Ananda In The Himalayas (ana
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
A Weekend Of Quiet
THE EARLY MORNING quietude that gently wakes me up seems quite surreal. Unlike the stirrings of a busy urban locality, there is a silence here that is impregnable. I shed off last night’s sleep like a thin blanket draped around my shoulders. The morn
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
The Cat with Many Names
ON A BUCKET-LIST-LED TRIP, I travelled to the southern edge of Chile, merely 180 kilometres from Antarctica. Patagonia is a remote, wild, windswept, and mysterious land at the very tip of the South American continent. It is one of the last great wild
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia5 min read
Cabin In The Woods
IT WAS A SENSE of déjà vu each time our little ‘jungle party’ ventured into the forests of Satpura or sat by the fireplace in Reni Pani Jungle Lodge’s cosy library. Whether we were trampling though undergrowth—dense from a late monsoon spurt—or dodgi
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia4 min read
Delta Force
THE LEOPARD was easy in our presence, climbing a tall termite mound to pose with her front paws set primly together. The creature’s pale eyes narrowed against the sun as she gazed into the distance, scanning thickets of scrub for warthogs or, perhaps
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia6 min read
Maiden In The Middle East
I HAVE A CONFESSION to make. The prospect of travelling solo to the Middle East for the first time was frightening for me. The thought of exploring›Qatar, an unfamiliar land,›without the comforting company of my loved ones was daunting, to say the le
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia5 min read
Bookish In Britain
SOMETHING ABOUT GREAT BRITAIN felt extremely familiar from the moment I set foot on its shores. But I couldn’t, for the life of me, put a finger on it. It continued to niggle as I was driven through the purple, heather-covered slopes of the Peak Dist
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia6 min read
A Different Tune
OUR FIRST NIGHT in New Zealand, there was hooting in the darkest hours, from nearer and farther around the flowering gardens of suburban Auckland. Come dawn, more of a chorale than a chorus. I got up, leaving my 12-year-old son, Felix, sleeping the s
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia6 min read
Finding her Canvas
If you arrive at Emirates Terminal 3, you realise rightaway that Dubai is a melting-pot of avant-garde art, innovation, and grace. Exuding glitz and glamour from every corner and rooted in tradition, Dubai is fast becoming the most popular holiday de
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
“There’s Nothing More Beautiful In My Life Than Diving.”
Dubai is often associated with luxury. Have you had a chance to go beyond the usual attractions? I’ve been to Dubai many times in the past for events, promotions, etc. However, this is the first time I am exploring a hidden gem, Alserkal Avenue. I c
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
Embracing Wellness
AFTER A HECTIC DAY of meetings, I finally reach the Conrad Spa in Bengaluru to unwind. I am told this is my best bet in the city. The decor of this spa is largely dominated by shades of beige and gold; with a smart interplay of lights, the place emit
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
Feel Like A Queen
WHEN YOU’VE HAD a frenetic week, the perfect icing to kick off the weekend is a blissful session of R&R. I head to the Jiva Spa at Taj Palace, New Delhi on a Friday evening. Spread over 13,000 square feet, it houses a host of treatment rooms, yoga st
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia3 min read
The Finnish Way To Feeling Good
I DRAPE MY TOWEL decorously and prop myself on a warm pinewood bench with a delectable smell of wood in the air. Pale light sieves in from the windowpanes. Soon I start glowing with the scalding steam, not surprising, given the temperature’s really h
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
A Plush Pamper
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE a nice trip to a spa to help you get back on your feet after a gruelling week of looming deadlines and incessant tring-trings at work. However, sometimes a run-of-the-mill back massage just won’t cut it, leaving your body, mind a
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia2 min read
Your Guide To The Grenadines
It’s always been comparatively difficult to reach these far-flung isles. To get to Bequia, Canouan, or Mustique, many find the best option is to travel to Barbados, from where you can take a flight on SVG Air (flysvgair.com) or Mustique Airways (must
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia5 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Morsels Of Mindfulness
I’M ALL SET TO BEGIN THE food tour with my Maori guides, Charles Royal and his wife Tania, at the edge of New Zealand’s Lake Rotoiti. The five-kilometre-long trail loops through the lush Hinehopu Reserve in Rotorua (North Island), where we forage for
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia8 min read
Who Run The World
Scandinavian countries—Denmark, Sweden, and Norway—repeatedly top the list of the most women-friendly nations in the world. So, when an invite for an all-women trip to Copenhagen and the south of Sweden crops up, I take it as an opportunity to test t
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia8 min read
THE SCENE IN THE Grenadines
I’M ON A BOAT with my captain, Vibe, and his teenage deckhand, Storm. It’s my first afternoon on Bequia, one of the 30-some islands that make up St Vincent and the Grenadines, and we are sailing around the western coast to take a look at Moonhole, a
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia10 min read
Spirit Of The North
I’M NOT SURE I’ve ever experienced sharper regret than in the fraction of a second between leaping from a boat platform and hitting the surface of the Arctic Ocean. The drop was only six feet or so, but that was long enough for my brain to respond to
Travel & Leisure India & South Asia1 min read
RELAIS & CHATEAUX
In the ever-expanding tourism industry, the need for combining social responsibility with lavish vacations is on the rise. Conscious of this fact, the 17 Indian subcontinent hotels of the Relais & Châteaux (R&C) group hosted a charity gala on January

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