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Las Vegas joins the destinations offering same-sex weddings

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Outside a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where gay marriage is now legal. Photograph: AlamyAs the tourist board puts it: “Las Vegas just got more fabulous.” Last month, gay marriage was pronounced legal in the wedding capital of the world – making the city the most symbolic of a host of destinations to open up to official same-sex ceremonies.The US, in particular, is on a roll: in the past month alone, same-sex marriage has been legalised in 13 states – including the Pacific paradise of Hawaii. These locations join France, Brazil, New Zealand and the markedly less tropical UK. Now, same-sex couples can start dreaming of exotic ceremonies: beachside in Honolulu, perhaps; a classical reception in Paris, or an Elvis-themed shindig in Vegas.</div>
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Nowhere is the buzz felt more than at the gay-owned and operated Vivas Las Vegas wedding chapel, which has already performed 50 same-sex marriages and had over 200 inquiries from around the world since it was legalised in Nevada last month. “It’s so important that same-sex couples have the same rights,” says Brian Mills, general manager at the chapel. “Not only from an economic standpoint, but from a moral and social one as well.”</div>
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For Neal Broverman, editor-in-chief of gay travel magazine Out Traveler, this is all part of a “sea change” going on right now with gay wedding destinations: “Ten years ago, people just did commitment ceremonies, but now there’s marriage equality in all these places where we were previously left out of the conversation.”</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Elvis-themed ceremony in Las Vegas. Photograph: John Locher/AP </td></tr>
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Of course, for destinations, same-sex marriage presents a lucrative opportunity. New research this week from Out Now Global – which offers LGBT training for tourism staff and has also ranked the top LGBT destinations for 2015 – values the LGBT travel market at $200bn a year. And as Broverman says, legalising same-sex marriage makes a “huge difference” to the way a destination is perceived in general.</div>
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“Our readers are very conscious of places that are resistant to LGBT rights,” he says. “LGBT people stay on top of which places are friendly and when they hear somewhere’s opened up, they see it as a place to go.”</div>
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John Tanzella, president of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), says there is a huge amount of hype in the US: “As destinations open up for weddings, people jump on them, and hotels and restaurants fill up. It will settle down, but there’s a very large LGBT community, and they want to support the people who support them.”</div>
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Some are cynical about destinations courting the “pink pound” but less interested in LGBT rights, but Tanzella feels the process is ultimately positive: “If anything, it builds bridges and creates a dialogue in the destination about the whole LGBT community.”</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>And the number of new wedding destinations is set to continue into the new year, when Florida is likely to legalise same-sex marriage.</div>
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“That’s a huge destination,” says Broverman. “I think people are really excited about it opening up in Florida, with Key West and Orlando. I know a lot of gay people who love Disney World.”</div>
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<b>Out Now Global’s top 10 intended destinations for LGBT Travel in 2015</b></div>
<b>1</b> New York<br />
<b>2</b> Sydney<br />
<b>3</b> Amsterdam<br />
<b>4</b> Rio de Janeiro<br />
<b>5</b> Buenos Aires<br />
<b>6</b> San Francisco<br />
<b>7</b> London<br />
<b>8</b> Paris<br />
<b>9</b> Melbourne<br />
<b>10</b> Berlin<br />
For the full rankings visit <br />
outnowconsulting.com<br />
<a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/404745b9/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Clas0Evegas0Esame0Esex0Emarriage0Edestinations0Egay/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

Las Vegas joins the destinations offering same-sex weddings

Outside a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where gay marriage is now legal. Photograph: AlamyAs the tourist board puts it: “Las Vegas just got more fabulous.” Last month, gay marriage was pronoun…

08 Nov 2014

Istanbul city guide: essential sights, and where to eat, drink and stay

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="element-image__caption">The dazzling interior of the sixth-century Hagia Sophia. Photograph: Emad Aljumah/Getty Images</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Istanbulite tours</b><br />The delightful Eda Sökmen specialises in custom-made private tours of Istanbul, from headline attractions to specialised culinary, art, architecture and in-depth neighbourhood excursions, including a trip around the up-and-coming multi-ethnic Fener and Balat districts. You can plump for a walking tour or be chauffeured around. <br />• Tours from TL400 (£115) for a day tour for up to four people, +90 537 346 6020, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">istanbulite.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kilic Ali Pasa Hamami</b><br />The stunning 1580s hamam by Mimar Sinan, architect to Suleiman the Magnificent, has been raised from dereliction. Men and women, instead of having different areas, have different visiting times, which has helped to preserve the integrity of the building. After your cleansing and revitalising session, you emerge renewed into the beautiful public space, to drink sherbet, or apple tea.<br />• From £28 a session, women 8am-4pm, men 4.30pm-11.30pm, +90 212 393 8001, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">kilicalipasahamami.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Chora church</b><br />Although Istanbul is laden with Byzantine monuments, this small church in the Fatih district is the most exquisite, with its mosaics and frescoes depicting the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The church has been rebuilt many times and restoration is still under way. The frescoes date from the final period of Byzantine painting, in the 14th century.<br />• Open daily 9am-5pm (7pm in summer), £4pp, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">choramuseum.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vintage shopping in Çukurcuma</b><br />The winding streets of Çukurcuma, in the European Quarter – particularly Faik Pasa and Çukurcuma Caddesi – are also known as yabanci köy</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(foreigner village), because they are beloved of fashionable foreigners. (Çukurcuma is also the home of The Museum of Innocence, based on Nobel prize-winner Orhan Pamuk’s 2008 novel.) Bijou stores and antiques shops sell everything from old postcards to antique glasses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SALT Galata</b><br />Housed in the Ottoman Bank (built in 1892), in the heart of the cultural quarter of Galata, the not-for-profit SALT Galata is a contemporary art gallery, workshop space and location for great talks, screenings and programmes. There are also SALT galleries in Beyoglu and Ankara. <br />• saltonline.org</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Naif</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Naif, Istanbul </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With tables and chairs spilling out on to the street and a Mediterranean vibe, Naif is a cosy, whitewashed restaurant brightened with colourful ceramics and flowers. The food is light-touch, mainly organic and great for sharing, from tabbouleh with pomegranate sauce to keskek – </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">wheat cooked with lamb and chickpeas in spicy sauce (about £4). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">• +90 212 251 5335, naifistanbul.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Karaköy Güllüoglu</b> <br />This sweetshop and cafe close to Karaköy pier is constantly filled with every imaginable Istanbulite from every walk of life, here to eat chocolate, chestnut, hazelnut or orange baklava, traditional flan or Turkish delight. The square baklava with pistachios, made with 30 layers of pastry, is particularly recommended. <br />• </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">karakoygulluoglu.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Dai Pera</b></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Meze at Dai Pera </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Owner-chef Arzu Gurdamar calls the fare at his eclectic, chic hole-in-the- wall cafe ev yemekleri </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">– home cooking. It’s like a Turkish Ottolenghi: fresh, top-class ingredients prepared to a daily-changing menu, including smoked meats, cheeses, pies and stuffed vines. For a treat, order pit-roasted lamb and rice with onions, nuts, diced liver and currants. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">• +90 212 252 8099, Yeni Çarsi Caddesi 54, no website</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Journey</b> <br />This informal two-floor cafe is peppered with interesting books and creative folk conducting their working life at its coffee tables. It’s a perfect brunch spot in the heart of Europeanised Cihangir, offering comfort food such as homemade pastas, pizzas and meatballs. Come for breakfast and choose from pancakes, brioche, granolas, eggs and toasties. <br />• </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">journeycihangir.com </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ferahfeza</b> <br />Ferahfeza colonises the vast top floor of a modern block in Karaköy, which enjoys views of the Galata Tower out the back and of the Sultanahmet district at the front. It’s an upmarket Mediterranean seafood restaurant, but also an excellent place for a civilised cocktail, best enjoyed from the small, Galata-facing terrace. <br />• +90 212 243 5154, Kemankes Caddesi 31, no website</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Gaspar</b> <br />Münferit’s little sister livens up a quiet backstreet in Karaköy. Its moody, dark interiors, created by layered panels of wood, are the work of Istanbul design studio Autoban. Two floors of a lounge bar-cum-restaurant-cum-club have been carved out of a handsome neo-classical building, which was once a printing press. House music predominates. <br />• +90 212 293 6660, Necatibey Caddesi, Arapoglan Sokak 6, no website</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Münferit</b> <br />The modern take on the meyhane </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">– the traditional Turkish tavern, scene of wild, raki-fuelled dancing and music – has caught on in recent years. Münferit is the most famous, though it’s equally renowned for its meze. It comes into its exuberant own after dinner, when the music ramps up (though you can still order black couscous with calamari). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">• +90 212 252 5067, Yeni Çarsi Caddesi 19, no website</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Reina Club</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The Reina Club. Photograph: Sipa Press/REX </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are countless clubs and bars along the Bosphorus. Among the glitziest – and worth a drink for the skyline views, even if the showy side of Istanbul is not your bag – is this celebrity haunt, with several bars, restaurants and dance floors.<br />• +90 212 259 5919, Muallim Naci Caddesi 44, reina.com.tr</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vault Karaköy </b>The latest and most grown-up addition to the successful House Hotel brand, 63-room Vault Karaköy takes over a 19th-century bank in Istanbul’s trendiest neighbourhood. Original period detail abounds: marble staircases and fireplaces, stencilled ceilings and mouldings. To this has been added a dash of pared-down luxury – green and white marble bathrooms, and art and photography dotting the rooms. The breakfast buffet is a world-beater. <br />• +90 212 244 3400, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">thehousehotel.com, doubles from €169 B&B</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SuB Hotel Karaköy </b><br />An industrial-chic nook in the heart of trendy Karaköy. The aesthetic is minimalist yet comfortable: grey polished concrete walls, LEDs and docking stations, designer beds, big factory windows, and anti-stress mattresses. You can linger over the Turkish-style breakfasts (artisanal cheese, eggs, jams, organic honey, olives, heavenly pastries), while the restaurant does excellent, simple Mediterranean food. <br />• +90 212 243 0005, subkarakoy.com, doubles from €99</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mama Shelter</b><br />On top of a department store on Istikal Caddesi, Istanbul’s throbbing, pedestrianised shopping street, Mama Shelter is the latest offering from the stylish, Philippe Starck-designed chain. There’s a public space with a graffiti-scrawled ceiling that encompasses a pizzeria and terrace with views of the Bosphorus, excellent but affordable food, and small, simple, nattily minimalist rooms.<br />• +90 212 252 0100, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">mamashelter.com, doubles from €99 B&B</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bunk Beyoglu</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Bunk Beyoglu </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bunk offers dorm living (though there are en suite doubles available too) in surprising style, moments from the Galata Tower in Istanbul’s heaving, culturally vibrant European quarter. Expect impeccable cleanliness, fluffy towels, hairdryers, crisp linen and free Wi-Fi. There’s also a classy street-level cafe that gets lively at night, marble bathrooms, and a roof terrace with Jacuzzi. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Djem Istanbul</b></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> A room at Djem Istanbul </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A classically furnished 11-room town house filled with Ottoman antiques, Djem is a cosy, affordable option in the shadow of the monuments of Sultanahmet. A stone’s throw from the Blue Mosque (you might think the muezzin is being sung just for you), it’s within strolling distance of the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and the Grand Bazaar, and has free Wi-Fi and a 24-hour concierge. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/404745b5/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Cistanbul0Ecity0Eguide0Eeat0Edrink0Ehotels0Egalleries/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></span></span></div>

Istanbul city guide: essential sights, and where to eat, drink and stay

The dazzling interior of the sixth-century Hagia Sophia. Photograph: Emad Aljumah/Getty Images Istanbulite toursThe delightful Eda Sökmen specialises in custom-made private tours of Istanbul, from he…

08 Nov 2014

Westbrook Court, Hay-on-Wye: B&B review

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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> One of Westbrook Court’s owners is trained in interior design; her creative touch is on show throughout the B&B <br />
It’s very late and very dark when we arrive at Westbrook Court B&B, three miles outside Hay-on-Wye on a lonely B road, and all I can see is a huge window, bright lights and a bed. It’s too modern and pared-down to be a barn conversion and doesn’t look like the bed and breakfast of its name. But owner Kari Morgan is there to welcome us with a drink and promises to explain all on the morrow.<br />
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Breakfast is communal and very good, thanks to excellent bacon and sausages from the local butcher, eggs from Kari’s chickens, home-baked bread made with Talgarth mill flour, and good granola and salmon for those, like my partner, who don’t want a full breakfast. It’s served in the cosy and wonky-looking 17th-century timber-framed cottage where Kari and her husband, Chris, live with their young daughter, Heidi.<br />
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“I’m from Australia,” Kari says. “We travelled a lot around New Zealand and South Africa and wanted to do the kind of hotel we saw there, something that would look very different from the traditional bed and breakfast. We trialled hospitality here in the cottage at first, and learned a lot. But I think having bedrooms in a separate building is good for guests, and also for us.”<br />
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 Westbrook Court’s rooms benefit from an abundance of natural light <br />
I agree. The guest “space” – and that is the word for it – feels private and peaceful, with five sleek apartment-like suites in a black, wood-framed purpose-built structure. We’re in room one, which is the cheapest (£85), on one floor, with an en suite loo and shower. The high ceiling and windows allow in plenty of natural light and afford good views of the surrounding hillsides.<br />
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Kari, formerly in real estate, retrained in interior decoration. Her creative touch is evident in the scrubbed whitewashed floorboards, modern four-posters, dark wooden crates for shelving, velveteen armchairs, and a high wall of monochrome brick-print wallpaper that gives the room an urban accent. In the bathroom, a movable ladder for storing the towels– looks pretty and is pretty handy too. It all makes a pleasant change from your standard cosy, twee cottage-in-the-country style.<br />
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The other rooms are duplexes, come with claw-foot baths, and cost £5-£15 more. Outside is a pebbled garden and a fence-cum-feature made from railway sleepers. It reminds me of the sort of artful hotel architecture I’ve seen in Arizona and Chile, and not often enough in the UK.<br />
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Some of the rooms feature modern four-posters <br />
By 11am, there’s a steady drizzle falling and I’m glad we’ve got something other than book-shopping planned. I’ve nothing against Hay’s lovely literariness, but as an OCD-grade hoarder I don’t need any more novels, or poetry, or art books or anything with pages in it. Instead We meet Alex Gooch, whose “work” I have tasted on other visits to the Wye valley. He’s the region’s most acclaimed baker and over five hours he teaches us about Neolithic wheat, the chemistry of yeast, the right way to kneed (being “forthright” is the trick) and the wrongness of your average supermarket load, while guidingus through the fine arts of baking chilli pepper, onion and mizuna focaccia, treacly fruit loaf, plain ciabatta and rye sourdough.<br />
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Food takes up quite a lot of the rest of our time, too, with one excellent lamb dinner at the Felin Fach Griffin– half an hour away by car but well worth it – and another fine meal at the Old Black Lion in Hay. The latter is a recommendation from a fellow breakfaster – social networking of the most time-honoured kind.<br />
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There are great views across the Powys countryside from the B&B <br />
On Saturday afternoon Hay is bustling, but far less showy and shouty than during festival week. A visit to the lovely bistro at the back of Booths’ grand bookshop involves running a gauntlet of tempting nature publications. Hay’s other retail strand – antiques and home decoration – is also on offer wherever we look. But after our coffees we decide it’s time to head back to our “bed and breakfast”. With no need to take our shoes off before entering, no creeping up a creaky staircase and no guilt at all about having a quick siesta, it is more like a very un-English country hotel.<br />
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<a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/40474671/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Cwestbrook0Ecourt0Ehay0Eon0Ewye0Ebed0Ebreakfast0Ereview/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

Westbrook Court, Hay-on-Wye: B&B review

One of Westbrook Court’s owners is trained in interior design; her creative touch is on show throughout the B&B It’s very late and very dark when we arrive at Westbrook Court B&B, three miles outsi…

08 Nov 2014

Skiing in Andermatt: changes afoot to a resort with awesome off-piste

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 Andermatt’s pistes are to be merged with those of nearby Sedrun. Photograph: Hans Georg Eiben/Getty Images <br />
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Before and after the second world war, the White Hare Ski Club organised for hundreds of Britons to travel by train to a small village in the Ursern Valley, two hours south of Zurich, to learn to ski. Among them, in 1958, was my then 19-year-old mum.</div>
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Andermatt was great value. The club magazine for that year, which mum still has, carries an advert for the Hotel Badus (still going strong today) which offered full board from 16 Swiss francs a day, then just over £1.</div>
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The mountains around Andermatt were said by locals to be riddled with tunnels used to store the nation’s gold, although the only thing Mum brought home from Switzerland was Dad.</div>
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British visitors kept going until the 1980s, when ski resorts elsewhere added new lifts and small, cheap holiday apartments. Andermatt didn’t follow suit, and the Brits were replaced by adventurous Dutch and Scandinavian skiers, who still come for the knee-deep powder, free-riding and the legendary off-piste couloirs on the 2,961-metre Gemsstock mountain.</div>
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Until recently there had been little development of the village or local infrastructure, but a CHF1.8bn (£1.2bn) investment in the resort by Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris is under way. The SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun project will see six new lifts linking Andermatt with the high plateau at Oberalp and the Sedrun ski area by the 2017/18 season, creating the largest ski area in central Switzerland.</div>
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 The five-star Chedi Hotel, Andermatt </div>
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Last winter, the resort’s first luxury hotel opened in the oak and granite form of the Chedi. And as part of the lift project, six hotels, a pool, 490 apartments and 25 chalets will be built.</div>
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I prefer the old Andermatt. The Aurora hotel, across the road from the Gemsstock cable car, is warm and cosy. Its sauna and homely restaurant – full, on my trip, of rugged Swedes planning off-piste adventures – makes it a winner.</div>
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For me, a large part of Andermatt’s appeal is that to access some of the best runs you hop on a little red train. Some find this a pain but I think it gives the resort a unique identity, chugging steeply through three tunnels towards ski lifts at Nätschen (10 minutes) and on for a further five minutes, spraying snow, to Oberalp. In the opposite direction, you could alight along the valley at Realp, where the Swiss team trained for the Sochi Olympics, if cross-country skiing is your thing.</div>
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 Skiers near the summit of the 2.961-metre Gemsstock mountain, which overlooks Andermatt. Photograph: Martin Ruetschi/Keystone/Corbis </div>
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Here the language changes from Swiss German to Romansh and ski tourers can hire a guide, put on their skins and head in glorious solitude towards the hamlet of Tschamut, while the rest, me included, can zig zag down red runs via Calmut, Val-Val, Cuolm Val, Milez and Mulinatsch to Sedrun, before taking the train back, which is included in the local lift pass.</div>
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To prepare my ski legs I took the open, red Sonnenpiste run to the mid station at Gurschen, politely turning down the Swedes’ invitation to join them on the challenging Guspis off-piste route towards the neighbouring village of Hospental, for lunch in the Gasthaus St Gotthard. In all, Andermatt is better for intermediates and off-pisters than beginners, but the new lifts will really open things up.</div>
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 A cable car takes visitors up Gemsstock. Much of the area’s ski infrastructure is set to be upgraded as part of the SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun project. Photograph: Alamy </div>
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There’s little in the way of après ski, but I joined the Swedes for a drink in the fun Spycher bar, and you can enjoy traditional Swiss dishes such as Älpermagronen</div>
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(a belt-busting mix of pasta, potatoes, cheese, cream, butter and onions) at the Drei Könige, Toutoune or Sonne – a local told me its menu hadn’t changed in 20 years.</div>
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For the time being, Andermatt remains somewhat hushed and staid. It’s more functional than chocolate-box pretty – although a good dump of snow does wonders on that front, and along Gotthardstrasse there are some handsome buildings including the traditional Sonne Hotel and the old coaching inn, the Drei Könige und Post. Those in the know accept Andermatt for what it is – a base for awesome skiing. But those hardy off-pisters will soon find themselves sharing it.</div>
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<a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/4047466e/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Candermatt0Eskiing0Eswitzerland0Ealps0Esedrun/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Skiing in Andermatt: changes afoot to a resort with awesome off-piste

Andermatt’s pistes are to be merged with those of nearby Sedrun. Photograph: Hans Georg Eiben/Getty Images Before and after the second world war, the White Hare Ski Club organised for hundreds of B…

08 Nov 2014

The Philippines: a cruise around the stunning islands of Palawan

<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1210719471368779413" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The endless ocean, broken occasionally by sand-fringed islands, stretched before me. A salty breeze caressed my face and two magnificent sails billowed bright in the sunlight as we headed into the unknown. I was on an oceanic adventure, sailing across the Palawan archipelago in a replica of a boat that first crossed these Philippine seas more than 1,000 years ago.<br />
My trip was a taster of a new tour by local company Tao Philippines, which offers off-the-beaten-track sailing holidays between El Nido, in the north of long, thin Palawan island, and Coron, further north, off Busuanga island. Taking in areas few tourists visit, it directs some of its profits to funding community projects across the islands.<br />
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The newly built boat, christened Balitik (which means “constellation of Orion” in Hiligaynon, a language of the Western Visayas region of the Philippines), was their latest and most ambitious project. We were to spend three days at sea, setting off from Coron and stopping at different islands each night, with only a vague route planned. Most of the journey would depend on the wind, the weather and the whims of the crew and guests. It was a chance to go off-grid and see Palawan’s beauty, untouched by tourism.<br />
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The day was perfect as we boarded – cotton puff clouds drifting across the sky, the luminous aquamarine ocean shifting gently. It was difficult to believe that just a year earlier, typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms in recorded history, tore across this region, leaving 8,000 people dead or missing and four million displaced. By the time it hit Palawan, in the south-west Philippines, its force had waned, but small island communities were devastated.<br />
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Local children fishing. Photograph: Jacob Maentz/Corbis <br />
Gradually, people here have been putting their lives back together, with Tao Philippines at the forefront of the mission to deliver aid to the area. Today, there is little evidence of any damage in the region – though thousands are still waiting for new homes in the worst-hit areas, such as Tacloban and Guiuan, in the east of the country.<br />
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Balitik was something to behold. At 22 metres long, with room for 20 guests and a crew of nine, it is the largest boat of its kind in the Philippines today, a reconstructed paraw<br />
, the traditional Philippine outrigger sailing boat once used to transport cargo and passengers.<br />
I had watched the boat’s development before I saw it in real life, following the trials and tribulations of its birth on a blog. Balitik was much bigger than initially planned, much costlier and much more demanding, but when I first laid eyes on it, I could see why the owners of Tao Philippines – British sailing enthusiast Jack Footit, Eddie Brock, a Filipino who met Footit while waiting tables in Edinburgh, and Gener Paduga, an avid sailor who grew up in Palawan – had put their heart and soul into the project.<br />
 Accommodation at one of Tao Philippines’ base camps. Photograph: Aya Lowe <br />
Now, three kayaks were shuttling back and forth between the shore and the boat, bringing supplies and guests on to its bobbing deck. A flurry of activity on board signalled our imminent departure, as the crew scuttled into position, gathering up the ropes. Datu, the boat’s jack russell, scampered to attention. Balitik was ready to set sail. <br />
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I settled in, putting my bags below deck and chatting to Eddie, Gener and Lito, a former smuggler turned boat captain. Gener showed me around the captain’s den, pointing out the old navigation devices, used when sailors relied much more heavily on the constellations. Aside from modifications to make the boat more reliable and comfortable than its ancient counterpart (including a motor for windless days), a lot of effort had gone into recreating an authentic experience of traditional boat life. Vegetables hung from the roof of the kitchen – originally a measure to stop rats getting to them on long journeys, though thankfully no rats were to be seen, and the crew had brought along a pig, as is the tradition, to eat any leftovers. <br />
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Days rolled by at a leisurely pace. I sprawled under the decks’ canopies, mesmerised by the shimmering ocean, and watched occasional passing fishermen making their rounds of pearl farms. As the sun crossed the sky, I too shifted position, finding cosy nooks within the mesh of ropes snaking across the boat. Two nets at the prow soon became my favourite viewing pouch and siesta spot.<br />
 Aerial view of the Palawan archipelago. Photograph: Alamy <br />
Several times a day we’d stop to explore secret snorkelling spots, hidden caves or picture-perfect bays. I donned my snorkel and mask and dived into the cool deep blue, seeking sunken wrecks, stingrays and schools of tropical fish. In the evenings we moored at the islands where Tao has base camps. First was Pinagbuyutan, where a dense, knotted jungle crept up to the mangrove-fringed shore. The low hum of crickets, cicadas and lapping waves accompanied me as I strolled at sunset to my hut on the beach. The paradise landscapes of Cadlao island, with its virgin chalk-white sand backed by limestone cliffs, could indeed have been the inspiration for Alex Garland’s novel The Beach<br />
. He was living in the Philippines when he wrote it.Some nights, I basked in the rawness of nature; on others I laughed and played with village children, who would show me their favourite swimming spots or beachcombing treasures. When we docked at one island, a boy ran up to me and ushered me to his hut, where his pig had just given birth. He proudly showed me the heavy mother and her dozens of suckling piglets. Gener fishes from the back of the boat. Photograph: Aya Lowe <br />
Gener would fish from the back of the boat, and when I wanted to hide from the wind and the sun, I retreated to the kitchen, which was always bustling with activity and smelled strongly of coconut milk or grilled fish. Meals were Filipino food at its most basic and tasty, using ingredients found around us. Stuffed squid marinated delicately in calamansi<br />
(a type of lime), curries of vegetables grown in Tao’s organic gardens, grilled grouper fish and banana lotus. Dinner became a theatre of food, and I dug my feet into the sand and sipped rum and pineapple cocktails while colourful fish and squid were brought out to be grilled. Relaxing on Balitik <br />
As the days passed I learned more about the scale of the project to recreate a paraw from the crew. Eddie, Jack and Gener had hatched the idea because they wanted to revive the Philippine sailing traditions that had almost died out with the arrival of the motorboat in the 1970s. Only a handful of small traditional sailing boats exist for show, in tourist hotspots such as Boracay.Finding men to build the boat had been the initial hurdle. There were no blueprints or diagrams. Knowledge of boat-making was passed down from generation to generation, so they searched the Philippines to find three master carpenters who still remembered the traditional structure: Jaime Maltos and Bernando Conche from Palawan, and Celso Conde, a boat builder from the Sulu sea to the east. After two years of research and building (five types of wood were used), they fulfilled their dream and successfully launched the largest paraw in the Philippines.For the traveller who wants to go where few tourists have gone before, the trip is a dream come true. Traversing these seas by boat is really the only way to explore the remotest islands and discover their rare beauty. And a tour that doesn’t adhere to any particular schedule, that changes and evolves depending on the weather and the whims of its passengers, yet takes care of everything, is hard to find.The fact that our tourist pesos were helping the people on these islands get back on their feet again allowed us to bask in the glow of doing good, as we soaked up the culture, the food, and the glorious scenery of the open sea.<br />
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<a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/4047466b/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Cphilippines0Epalawan0Ecruise0Eethical0Etao0Eguardian/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>

The Philippines: a cruise around the stunning islands of Palawan

The endless ocean, broken occasionally by sand-fringed islands, stretched before me. A salty breeze caressed my face and two magnificent sails billowed bright in the sunlight as we headed into the unk…

08 Nov 2014

Istanbul: readers travel tips

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAUAnsT9rLzuxruuRgYEEeSXvBTkImGrTao4fClWR-W4Zrg7BdUzZ5iW61SGKw47Z8KKMIdF7OGhVs-cwX6wEHEgHIqP1GCXgCkyKwFveFXWs9O7UqbAKhjq1bYQfU9DZS_H9pVRPyJY/s1600/Boza-being-served-at-the--011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAUAnsT9rLzuxruuRgYEEeSXvBTkImGrTao4fClWR-W4Zrg7BdUzZ5iW61SGKw47Z8KKMIdF7OGhVs-cwX6wEHEgHIqP1GCXgCkyKwFveFXWs9O7UqbAKhjq1bYQfU9DZS_H9pVRPyJY/s1600/Boza-being-served-at-the--011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Boza being served at the Vefa Bozacisi in Istanbul. Photograph: Alamy </div>
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If your legs are weary from following the Byzantine walls, then a short detourdown the intriguing backstreets to Vefa in Mollahüsrev Mh<b> </b>is just what you need. This blast-from-the-past cafe with its marbled doorstep and smoky-glass windows has been selling the iconic drink boza</div>
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since 1876. Its owner will instantly serve you a glass brimful of this unusual, thick drink, made from fermented millet topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas.</div>
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vefa.com.tr</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBoQYCio-Q5KADAFBmNct2vusNjeBbUdhiRXyTATVxtPvAjJ-9str2Z5eeoHQchLdkacIr9ICB_fMq07RkcaX0T3TFKjDeflqRAXoLTzINBbOlO9ZX3cJJLU-uiTLApthGp32y_P8ijM/s1600/200a174e-0879-47e0-b3d1-063a8b5f0d26-460x285.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBoQYCio-Q5KADAFBmNct2vusNjeBbUdhiRXyTATVxtPvAjJ-9str2Z5eeoHQchLdkacIr9ICB_fMq07RkcaX0T3TFKjDeflqRAXoLTzINBbOlO9ZX3cJJLU-uiTLApthGp32y_P8ijM/s1600/200a174e-0879-47e0-b3d1-063a8b5f0d26-460x285.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>lemkenny</b> The Basilica Cistern Photograph: Alamy </div>
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This underground space is close to the much more famous Hagia Sophia. It was built in the third century AD by the Romans, one of many similar underground water storage caverns only discovered again in the 19th century by a British archaeologist.</div>
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yerebatan.com</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LFlet2Z11LtBAFWx21BBdRjTstd3VM24VD4FXWbmCXc0jcPBmPCBUC1qJQgTp2LADXSjvFmu2kh4ONuvThyV747vNAo_ZKDfYj0fD8lPZ6cO-SUuyMjHvkNMpr_5Z0-KRia7FUIm0rQ/s1600/23b34a65-f452-43d5-b539-5e28c8824155-460x276.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LFlet2Z11LtBAFWx21BBdRjTstd3VM24VD4FXWbmCXc0jcPBmPCBUC1qJQgTp2LADXSjvFmu2kh4ONuvThyV747vNAo_ZKDfYj0fD8lPZ6cO-SUuyMjHvkNMpr_5Z0-KRia7FUIm0rQ/s1600/23b34a65-f452-43d5-b539-5e28c8824155-460x276.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Caroline Fawcett </b> The ornate cafe/restaurant on the platform of Istanbul’s Sirkeci railway station. Photograph: Alamy </div>
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You can still soak up the atmosphere of travel 100 years ago by visiting Sirkeci railway station, originally the Orient Express’s eastern terminus, and its original, splendid cafe. Sip a coffee and conjure up Hercule Poirot and the stylish travellers of yesterday.</div>
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+90 212 522 2280</div>
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<b>Tynegal</b> Misirli Ahmet playing the darbukah in his Rhythm House, in the Fener and Balat area. Photograph: Facebook </div>
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Misirli Ahmet is a darbukah</div>
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(goblet drum) virtuoso. The mysterious interior looks part tekke (monastery of dervishes) part clubhouse (he improvises rap beats and beatbox too) with 20-30 musicians playing with him at any time. Drop in to see it for yourself. </div>
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misirli-ahmet.com</div>
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<b>llgin Egem Yorulmaz </b> A swimmer launches himself into the Bosphorous. Photograph: Getty Images </div>
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Join the swimmers early on Saturday mornings just under Topkapi palace, in beautiful clear blue water yet next to the passing tankers. Even if you haven’t got your trunks they’ll give a wave and a slice of watermelon.</div>
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<b>nbritton</b></div>
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Big Bath (Buyuk Hamam) in the Kasimpasa area. Photograph: buyukhamam.net </div>
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Fifteen minutes’ stroll from the Beyoglu Tünel underground station is the working-class suburb of Kasimpasa and my favourite Istanbul chill-out zone – a Turkish bath simply called the Big Bath. For £20, recline, sweat and release the city dirt on the “belly button” stone plinth. Massage is optional, as is the scrubbing glove. I recommend a freshly squeezed lemon juice (sitron sulu</div>
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) with a bottle of gazoz to add zing to the chillax. Bookend your visit with a glass of Turkish tea, çay, at the tea gardens lining the entrance.</div>
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buyukhamam.net, +90 212 253 4229</div>
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<b>charlibey</b> Locally Istanbul offers tailored tours that reveal the more authentic side of Istanbul. Photograph: Facebook.com/locallyistanbul </div>
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Guides take you to the underground coffee houses, the little-known eateries on the Asian side, the smartly renovated buildings off the beaten track and the hippest boutiques. We learned so much about the up-and-coming designers in the city. Erk is also very knowledgeable about the political scene. The guides are smart and fascinating. They leave the historical sites to the experts but make sure you see the real city – on foot, by boat, tram, and in their car.</div>
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allyistanbul.com</div>
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<b>DavidandTom</b> Iznik tiling at the tombs of the sultans under Hagia Sophia. Photograph: Alamy </div>
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Underneath tourist-thronged Hagia Sophia is an oasis of calm in the form of five sultans’ tombs. Each is decorated differently and there are wonderful examples of Iznik tiling. Beautiful, and free to enter too.</div>
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hagiasophia.com</div>
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<b>ID6526322</b> Fishermen on the Galata Bridge. Photograph: raspu/Getty Images/Moment RM </div>
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Join the locals and meander across the Galata Bridge at sunset, watching as fishermen jostle for space to dangle their lines into the water, while seagulls circle overhead against the silhouettes of the vivid minaret- and dome-filled skyline. Then try a fresh fish sandwich from one of the gaudy floating boat restaurants that bob in the water under the shadow of the mosque.</div>
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<b>Anna Phipps</b></div>
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This delightful little coffee shop is tucked away down a small alleyway off Istiklâl Caddesi in the heart of Istanbul. It serves delicious Turkish coffee (türk kahvesi</div>
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) as you sit nestled in the tiny seating area, or perch on the wall outside and peek down the alley on to the bustling main street of Istiklâl. </div>
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Olivia Gecidi 1/A, Beyoglu</div>
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<b>Rosystourdeworld</b></div>
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<a href="http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663875/s/404745be/sc/10/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Ctravel0C20A140Cnov0C0A80Cistanbul0Eturkey0Ereaders0Etips/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Istanbul: readers travel tips

Boza being served at the Vefa Bozacisi in Istanbul. Photograph: Alamy If your legs are weary from following the Byzantine walls, then a short detourdown the intriguing backstreets to Vefa in Mollahü…

08 Nov 2014

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