Travel Insights: Where To Go in 2015

If you're planning your 2015 sojourns, here are some inspiration and ideas to get you started.

The most important thing to remember when planning trips is that some destinations are seasonal, so pick your month with care.

I was set to do some work in Cambodia in May, enroute to London and Paris, but was advised to avoid the monsoon period, and travel in December instead. The rains can also wash out Paris at certain times of the year, usually late April and May, so take an umbrella and/or raincoat if you're heading there at that time. The best months to see Paris are April and September. 
New York is also beautiful in April, when the blossoms and bulbs all come out, while autumn/October in Manhattan is magical.
Charleston is also best in April (lots of private gardens open up to the public), while New Orleans is fab — both weather-wise and in terms of a festive spirit—at Halloween.
London is best in June when the roses come out, or Christmas, when the Chrissy decorations glow like a fairytale.
And Sydney is stunning in spring (Sept), but horribly muggy in summer (Jan).


All that said, it really doesn't matter when you travel, as long as you do travel.
Here are some places and ideas to get your 2015 itineraries started.

A BOOKSHOP THAT'S NOW A HOTEL

With the quirky name of Only You, this new, navy-trimmed beauty opened earlier this year. It was created from a former bookshop (now the bar) and a former 19th-century palace once owned by an aristocratic Spanish family. 

The interior design retains the charm of the original buildings while adding some surprising touches. The elevators in the foyer, for example, have been hidden behind a beautiful blue-and-white Chinoiserie facade. 

Its designer Lázaro Rosa Violán is fast becoming the new Michele Bonan (the talent behind JK Capri), blending classic lines with contemporary art and eclectic pieces. The hotel is right in central Madrid and has rooms from €160. Leaving you lots of money to splurge on Spanish tapas and wine. 

www.onlyyouhotels.com

A BALCONY THAT'S NOW A BAR

If you haven't yet been to this London cutie, put it on The List. Inspired by grand Parisian brasseries, The Balcon Bar is one of the city's prettiest and most delightful spots for a pick-me-up G&T or a chat with friends over a dirty great magnum of French Champagne. 

The design and colour palette – periwinkle blue paired with rich mahogany timbers and high ceilings—is so alluring, people have been known to steal the design ideas for their own home. 

www.thebalconlondon.com

Other lovely places to check out in London include the just-opened Mondrian Hotel, the ever-improving Fashion and Textile Museum (just near the Design Museum), the pretty new Cabbages and Roses store off King's Road, and the new designer boutiques and buzzing scene set around elegant Mount Street in Mayfair.

PUTTING BANGKOK BACK ON THE (DESIGN) MAP

Ever since it opened in 2012, The Siam Hotel in Bangkok has become one of the most talked-about hotels in travel circles. It's owned by a Thai rock start but there's definitely no sign of ripped jeans and Jaggereque swagger here: just coolly glamorous suites and Instagram-worthy antique collections. The aesthetic is classic colonial, so vintage suitcases and old hunting hats dot the sideboards, but the colour palette of cool blue, Dior grey and ebony black modernises the design.

The best part? The enormous spa-style bathrooms and private pools (above). The hotel also provides handy floorplans so you can see how much luxury you're getting for your Baht. 

It makes those Bangkok stopovers look a whole lot brighter.

(NB This place isn't cheap, so put it on the 'Indulgence List')

www.thesiamhotel.com

SAILING UNEXPLORED ARCHIPALEGOS

Remember when Gwyneth Paltrow was slapped around by social media for posting about her 4-day, $62,000 trip aboard the Silolona schooner? (link) (Personally, I think: Good on her. If she has the cash, why not?) Well, Gwennie may have been onto something, because sailing the Indonesian archipelago has become one of THE hottest activities in travel as we face the head winds of 2015.

Why? Well, Indonesia's remote islands are possibly the last unexplored place on earth, now that Bhutan is busier than the Eurostar.

 The relatively secret Raja Ampat has long been regarded by the diving world as a pristine diving and snorkelling destination, but there are hundreds of unexplored islands to snorkel/swim/hike here. Furthermore, Bali-based brands such as Villa Sungai and Plantaran (above) offer amazing old refitted schooners to cruise on, with all meals and drinks included.

Two other tropical destinations that are starting to see schooners—one of the best ways to explore watery places – are the Maldives and Fiji. Both are particularly suited to schooner-ish adventures because you can sail from island to island, snorkelling the pristine reefs in between. I've been liaising with a lovely California travel agency, Pacific Harbor Travel, about their dedicated snorkelling cruises to the Maldives and Fiji—perfect for travellers who want to escape the stress of life by drifting underwater for their entire holiday. The best part? They're usually less than $400/day (all-inclusive), as opposed to the standard $700+ (without meals) charged by most Maldives resorts. 

Sounds idyllic, doesn't it? 

Gwennie may have had the right idea escaping on a schooner, after all...

LUXE FOR LESS IN MARRAKECH

Ever since an online friend, Miss Slim Paley (link) photographed and posted about the Royal Mansour in Marrakech, I've had it on the Wish List. Commissioned by King Mohamed VI of Morocco to accommodate state guests, its interior comprises intricate, finely-detailed tiles, furniture and lighting handmade by local artisans whose decorative arts skills have been passed down through the generations. 

SP finds ALL the best hideaways in the world—she also did the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives; one of the most beautiful places on earth—but what I love is that she elected not to stay here and pay the eye-watering prices but simply went for lunch instead. (Which then lingered into cocktails and dinner. Cos that's the sort of ravishing place it is.)

Booking a lunch instead of a bed is the cheap way of seeing such luscious places. The hotel doesn't mind how long you stay, as long as you keep ordering wine, and you're normally welcome to wander around the courtyards and grounds between courses, or afterwards. 

We're having a pre-Christmas lunch at Amanjiwo to save money this very way.

www.royalmansour.com   

slimpaley.com

TIPS FROM TRAVEL BLOGGERS

If you're stuck for inspiration, or just want some travel eye candy to get you through the lunch hour, some great travel blogs are Tuula Vintage www.tuulavintage.com (also has lists of vintage stores) and Friend in Fashion www.friendinfashion.com.au (image above). Four Months in Paris is also full of Parisian pleasures parisinfourmonths.com while Pret a Voyager always has great ideas – her map posts are gorgeous. www.pret-a-voyager.com I also love A Lady In London because she has what seems like an incredible life but also seems very down-to-earth about it – www.aladyinlondon.com

LIVING LIKE LOUIS VUITTON

If you've 'done' a lot of Paris and want to see different things, there are all sorts of secret corners offering aesthetic treasures. Along with Frank Gehry's new Fondation Louis Vuitton (just opened last month), there's also Louis Vuitton Espace Culturel, a quiet gallery space on the second floor of the Paris flagship store. Not only does it offer a glorious view of the rooftops of Paris but it also features ongoing exhibitions, and each one comes with a covetable, limited-edition cloth-covered catalogue. You can wander through with a guide, or explore the space on your own. 

The well-stocked reading room is bliss, too. And it's all FREE.

If you can't get to Paris, consider buying the truly beautiful Louis Vuitton book, 100 Legendary Trunks: The History of the Travel Trunk (above). I received this for a Christmas gift and it remains my favourite design book. (link) A great Chrissy gift for the adventurer in your family.

THE FRENCH RIVIERA — THEN AND NOW

Another sumptuous book to inspire you is The French Riviera in the 1920s, by Xavier Girard. It's a new release from Assouline and I was lucky to receive it as a gift from The Man for surviving a tough few months. It's now my second-favourite book. The photos alone are worth the price tag. See if Santa will gift it to you. It will inspire you to visit / return to the French Riviera, trust me! (link)

KATE SPADE, ON HOLIDAYS

Another new title that's creating a buzz amongst stylish travellers is Kate Spade's new travel book, Places To Go; People To See. (link) 

Full of quirky lists and even-more irresistible drawings, it reminds you that travel is meant to be fun: something we all forget on occasion.

KEEPING YOUR MEMENTOS 

Something we've started to do in our house is collect little bits and pieces from our travels and display them in our kitchen, where we pass them every day as we walk outside. It reminds us of the places we've been fortunate to visit, the sights we've seen, and the lovely people we've met along the way... It also reminds us to be grateful for our travels, cos it's unlikely we'll be lounging around the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc when we're eighty...!

The team at Maison Valentino has also done it. They love travel so much, they featured a mood board as part of a recent fashion show.

AND LASTLY, A TREAT FOR ALL THE SENSES

I'm going to leave you with a place that was recently voted by hotel and publishing company Mr and Mrs Smith as being one of the most beautiful in the world. It's Six Senses's sublime hideaway at Ninh Van Bay in Vietnam. (link)

Now this isn't cheap, so reserve it for anniversaries or indulgences, but it's said to be worth every cent. Some of the villas have their own private plunge pools carved out of the rock cliffs, as well as hand-crafted timber soaking baths.

And just look at that view...

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Joyful Things: The New Test Everyone's Trying

Have you noticed how lots of people are doing these Gratitude Challenges? (Also known as the Seven Days of Positive tests.) Apparently they're like the 5:2 Diet for your mind. Every day you make a conscious effort to stop whining, ranting or being hyper-critical in order to retrain your brain to think pleasant, positive, meaningful and joyful thoughts instead. Even shooting an Instagram pic of flowers will calm the mind. 

You start with seven days—hence the name. Although some people stretch it to 30 days. Which is impressive.

Apparently it changes your outlook on life. For the better.

It's fascinating. 

Here's The Huffington Post's take on it here. 

And here's author Maggie Alderson's example, here. 

She's on Day 48. That's serious gratitude. I would have lost the list on Day Three.

Seeing how much it's changed people's attitudes fascinated me. I had to try. 

So this was my past week. My Seven Days of Good Things. And believe me I had to search for the joy cos it's been a shonky week. (Oh sorry, the attitude still needs a tweak!) 

The verdict? It really does retrain your brain and improve your attitude.

Monday morning, Melbourne Airport: Heading to Sydney for work. Qantas has kindly done a 6-page feature on my new New York book. My seat copy has kiddie scribbles all over page 2 and 3 of the article. It appears to be a picture of a penis. Take magazine as souvenir anyway, then steal a fresh copy from Business Class on way out. 

On the upside, new Qantas uniforms are gorgeous. Compliment a flight attendant but she scowls and says they're unbearably hot in summer. Think she needs to do a Gratitude Challenge.

Sydney: Have grumpy exchange with Budget people about dirty hire car, then remember Gratitude Challenge and smile thinly. Budget woman backs off nervously. The M1 Motorway into town is lined with bougainvillea: red, orange, hot pink. It's spectacular. 

Sydney is balmy and sunny and the yachts on the harbour are waving hello; it's gobsmackingly beautiful.

Have meeting at Watson's Bay Hotel. Shake head repeatedly at glorious Sydney view. 

Here's the vista from my Loft Suite. 

This gratitude thing is going well.

Sydney, Part 2: Finish business meeting and head to No Chintz for quick visit. 

Chatty salesgirl is delightful. Bolts are beautiful. Bliss.

Laugh when I hear the salesgirl say to someone on the phone (someone from the sister store?):
"Bring me some cool stuff! NO MORE STRIPES!"

Stop by Ici et La for more fabrics. Owner is incredibly nice. When I hear the sound of a sewing machine he invites me into the secret studio. Where I discover this: Quite possibly the most gorgeous seamstress ever.

Next day: Rise at 5AM to tackle drive to Canberra: four hours of $#(&%$%$ motorway madness. Both directions. Surely people don't do the M5 commute to Sydney EVERY SINGLE DAY???? 

Gratitude has flown out the window somewhere between the tunnel and Bowral.

Canberra: National Library is amazing. Architecture is amazing. Bookshop is amazing. Librarians are gratitude-less. (That said, they DO have a difficult job.) One admonishes me for using a pen, and hands me a pencil for taking notes; another says I have to sign a waiver to take photos of papers with iPhone.

I keep apologising, profusely.

Then, a third confiscates my handbag as it's 5mm too big to take into Reading Room. Says everything has to go into plastic bags. Which are 5mm bigger than my handbag.

Small sighs. Then pencil lead breaks.

Canberra, Part 2. Still at National Library. Told off for shuffling papers too loudly. 

Canberra, Part 3. Still at National Library. Archive boxes are all messed up and papers out of order. Forgotten all gratitude. On the upside have discovered wonderful things. Just look at these old images.

Melbourne: Finally fly back to Melbourne, followed by 3-hour drive home. Monash Freeway is a mess. Make decision about business venture that's long overdue, having sought sage legal advice. Feel sad, very sad. 

Home, Part 1: All the roses have all burst into bloom during 4-day absence. Hail storm due so cut dozens of stems and quickly photograph them for a new garden book planned for 2015. Wind blows still life this way and that. Then Cooper, our Cavalier King Charles, sits firmly on all the freshly cut blooms. Shoot ruined.

Neighbour walks past and laughs. So do I. Remember how nice our neighbours are.

Home, Part 2: Write to a reader called Meredy to thank her for saying nice things about my books. She replies with the nicest email you could ever imagine.  ('Nice' has become my favourite new word.) 

Then discover she has 6 kids and a new house reno going on. Clearly a superwoman. She is very, very nice. She is also very funny. [Her website]

Her house is actually called 'Chez Joyeux'. What are the odds? 

She also recommends an intriguing new book on her blog (above), which I order on Amazon.

Home, Part 3: Trying to finalise our Christmas trip, we decide to stopover here en route to our week in Siem Reap. It's Borobodur, the biggest and most famous Buddhist temple in the world, located deep in the jungle of Java. 

I'm on a lifelong mission to visit all the ancient UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, and this is said to be one of the best. 

It's meant to be so beautiful that tears are often shed when you reach the top.

I find a lovely hotel nearby and phone for availability. 

We're in luck, says the manager. There is one of the cheap villas left.

We book it.

 Life is suddenly looking up.

There is gratitude indeed.

PS Of course, you're meant to be grateful for the important things – family, friends, career, health, the picking garden – but this test is just to make you contemplate the small joys each day.

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Careers, Lives and Making It All Work

Friends and I have been chatting a lot recently about careers and jobs, and who has the most difficult, stressful and demanding lives. I always think family lawyers have a tough job. Teachers too. And working mothers probably have the most demanding lives of all.

Recently I was touched to be asked to give a speech alongside an extraordinary journalist called Sara James. Sara is a former foreign correspondent (Afghanistan, Sudan), US Today Show anchor, NBC reporter, and the subject of a moving Australian Story episode. I was travelling at the time so couldn't attend the event and I deeply regretted not being able to meet this incredible woman, who—even though she has a far more demanding life than I do— graciously promoted my New York book at her sell-out event. 

(So here's a plug for her fantastic book in return: An American In Oz) 

[Sara James' website] 

Sara is the sort of woman who makes you feel very subdued about your own life. Her CV covers stints in Afghanistan, Sudan, Bosnia and Somalia. When she wasn't flying into war zones she was filling in for Katie Couric on the Today show in Manhattan. 

Cos, you know, that's what busy people do.

When Sara met Andrew Butcher, an Australian working for Rupert Murdoch in New York, she fell in love. Then she followed him back to Melbourne. They moved from Manhattan (pop. 8 million) to Macedon (pop. not-quite 2000). I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to leave a busy, fulfilling career in New York and move the other way, no matter how beautiful Australia is, but she did—and with barely a murmur, too.

Then, Sara and Andrew discovered their youngest daughter had learning issues — detailed beautifully on ABC's Australian Story  [Link here: Australian Story], so she began driving the 3-hour round-trip from Macedon to Port Melbourne every day to take her to a particular school. Sometimes, on the drive home, Sara would contemplate her life. Just as we all do. But she didn't dwell on the negativity and the If Only. She just got on with things. She created a new existence for her family, and although there was probably a tear or two on that dusty country driveway at the end of the day, she faced her life and its issues with humour, dignity and gratitude.

I love women like Sara. In an age when social media and society is becoming ever-more negative, critical and even vicious [see this great article here], Sara James reminds the rest of us to be humble and kind. She reminds us to see our lives with rose-coloured glasses rather than a narrowed, shallow vision, and to treat our issues (big or small) with guts and grace, rather than rants and complaints.

We need women like Sara in our lives. They remind us to be decent human beings. 

They also remind us that life sometimes doesn't go as planned; that careers spiral this way and that, in order to survive, you sometimes have to be willing to adapt. 

I have a friend called Tricia Foley, who lives on Long Island, and is so gorgeous, generous and gracious she naturally befriends everyone she meets. [website]

Recently she held a farm-to-table dinner in a field with Isabella Rossellini, on Isabella's farm. (Which Isabella bought to save the land from developers.) The dinner was to raise money for the Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society. Such a simple idea that bought together friends, food and landscape for a great cause.

{Photos by Tricia, Marili Forastieri + Patrice Casanova, via Tricia's website and Facebook}

Tricia and Isabella are two further examples of women who have changed careers and refashioned lives. Both moved away from Manhattan and both created new roles for themselves (and in villages where it's not easy to do so) – Tricia with her beautiful website, her General Store and her writing, and Isabella with her farm, her stage roles and her academic research.

Hearing about these three women is inspiring. Watching them work—navigating their careers and lives with grace and humour and gusto—is even more so.

They remind us that anything is possible. Even when it seems impossible.

Changing careers mid-life is never easy. But it is achievable. And you never know, it could turn out to be one of the best things you ever do.

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Garden & Design Books For Your Christmas Wish List

ANOUSKA HEMPEL

The pub date for this much-anticipated book about one of London's most legendary style icons keeps changing, but latest news has its release date as Dec 1. The book, which is certain to be as flamboyant as its subject matter, is both celebration of Anouska Hempel's (Lady Weinberg's) design achievements and an intimate insight into her world and life. The book is divided into thirteen chapters, and includes insights into the interiors and gardens of her country home Cole Park, her yacht 'Beluga', her hotels – including Blakes in South Kensington – plus dozens of other interiors, architecture and garden projects.

There's a wonderful slideshow of her country home Cole Park in the inimitable Archi Digest (here), from which these images are taken.

Cole Park is renowned for its gardens, which feature dozens of clipped topiary and box shrubs, creating a fiercely architectural look.

Anouska's bedroom at Cole Park is partly decorated in hessian, or burlap, which shows the designer has a quiet sense of humour beneath her carefully controlled facade.

An interior view of Hempel's yacht 'Beluga', which is part pirate ship, part floating Louis Vuitton trunk.

Written by Marcus Binney.

Published by Thames & Hudson.

December 2014. 

 $54 (Amazon)

STUART RATTLE

It's only just been published but already Stuart Rattle's book is causing great excitement among gardeners, designers, bloggers and book lovers. Produced as a tribute to Rattle after he passed away last year, it's a beautiful look at his much-loved garden and home at Musk Farm, and his unique style of decorating and design, which won him so many fans over the decades.

A true gentleman, Stuart's legacy lives on in this stunning title.

Published by Lantern/Penguin. 

October 2014.

Foreword by Paul Bangay.

Photography by Earl Carter and Simon Griffiths.

$39.99

THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE GARDEN

England does country houses – and country house gardens – like no other nation on earth, and this elegant title takes us behind the grand gates to see inside dozens of beautifully designed garden spaces.With chapters on perennial favourites such as Hidcote, Kifsgate and other gorgeous English gardens, it would make a lovely Christmas gift for those who love – and frequent – these inspirational places. It's already become a bestseller on Amazon. There's a lovely article on the book here. 

Written by George Plumptre.

Published by Frances Lincoln.

October 2014.

$25 (Amazon)

ROBERT COUTURIER

Another garden lover, New York designer Robert Couturier is almost as well known for his grand country garden in Connecticut as he is for his urban interiors in Manhattan. With a preface by Carolyne Roehm and photos by Tim Street-Porter, this book is just as sophisticated as its subject matter.

Published by Rizzoli. October 2014.

$65

THE WRITER'S GARDEN

Oh, how I would have loved to have written this book, but Jackie Bennett has done a much better job! Featuring writers' garden far and wide, including Virginia Woolf's charming home, it's a delightful look at how literary inspiration can often stem (sorry for the pun) from cultivating a garden. Jackie is the former editor of the Garden Design Journal and a regular writer for The English Garden magazine, and has done a superb job of capturing the connection between writing and horticulture. There's a great Q&A interview here.

Published by Frances Lincoln.

November 2014

$25.

And a few more beautiful recommendations for the Christmas stocking...

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