Beside the sacred waters
November 2017
I love the odd, the outlandish and the outrageous sides of Japan, from cuddling a hedgehog at Harry’s Hedgehog Café to standing on the pedestrian bridge in Tokyo’s Harajuku district to watch the fashion show — of cosplayers, anime otaku, Decora girls, rockabilly dancers, roller skaters, Visual Kei fans and Lolitas. [...]

Beautiful South
September 2017
Way of Life: Villa Syrah, France. In the foothills of the Lubeon massif I turn off the road onto a rough gravel driveway spearing between neat rows of vines. From a distance, my destination looks like a simple farmhouse surrounded by olive and cypress. But close up, it is far more refined than rustic; it fact, it’s a very handsome house.

Cut to the chase
December 2016
Top cinematographer has worked with Alan Parker, Mickey Rourke and Ryan Gosling, but this project is far from the hustle of Hollywood. Created from salvaged wood in New Zealand’s in country, his house at Waterfall Bay can now be cast in a blockbuster of your own scripting.

Soneva Jani
December 2016
When Soneva Fushi arrived two decades ago on a tiny atoll in the Indian Ocean, its loosened-up, barefoot look became the prototype for a new generation of beach hotels. Now the team have returned with an opening set to redefine the Maldives yet again.

Real cool kid
November 2016
'Fancy a ride?' 'Sure,' I said. Duilio pointed at the mahogany Riva Jetto tied to the dock.
'That's the pretty one,' he said, tossing me the keys. 'You don't need a boat licence. Have fun.'
'Do you need to have it back by a certain time?' I asked, pretending it was no big deal.
'No. It's all yours.'

The View From Here
October 2016
How we miss Soneva Gili, which redefined how we holiday elevating us to overwater jetties, above some of the most sensational waters in the world. It raised the bar for all hotels in the Maldives and went on to become one of our global favourites alongside our other Maldives obsession, the original barefoot queen of them all, Soneva Fushi [...]

Eat, sleep, play, repeat
September 2016
The Maldives is trying to shed its honeymooner reputation and Finolhu might just be the island to finally put that idea to bed. It couldn’t be more different from its sister hotel, modern and minimalist Amilla Fushi, also by The Small Maldives Island Co, which opened last year with super-sized villas of up to eight bedrooms. [...]

Condé Nast Traveller's pick of the best new hotels in the world
July-August 2016
This megawatt, all-American powerhouse is shaking up the way we experience one of Europe's greatest and most overcrowded cities. It's all about dipping in and out: overdose on gelato then retreat to the peaceful private island Isola delle Rose, 20 minutes from St Mark's Square by motorboat. [...]

The Caribbean Revival
July-August 2016
This is not the St Barths most of us know and adore. Hidden away on the other side of the island from the capital Gustavia, La Côte Sauvage is a place where the wind blows hard and the shore is rocky; it feels more like pirate country than a haven for the cosseted. There are no restaurants by Jean-Georges Vongerichten here, no Guerlain spas and no Hermès stores [...]

Action Packed: Warm trousers for women
February 1, 2016
A good pair of trousers is one of the most important pieces of kit you need for outdoor activities. Stretch and mobility are two critical elements to consider when choosing a pair of cold weather trousers. Loose trousers will chafe, while those that are too tight will restrict movement. Trousers made with tough material that can withstand scraping and snagging is key [...]

The Gold List 2016
February 2016
For 23 years it has been one of the best in the bush. And now, finally, joyfully, Singita’s original safari lodge has had a well-deserved makeover by the South African design powerhouse of Cecile & Boyd. Walls have been removed to let in the sunlight and anything stuffy or colonial, the tartan and the heavy drapes, has been binned [...]

What’s happening on St Barth’s
January 2016
Le Guanahani. Texan owner David Bonderman has spent $40million renovating this hotel in a wonderful northern-peninsula location with beaches on both sides: sea-facing Marigot Bay and Grand Cul-de-Sac, a reef-protected lagoon. Miami-based designer Luis Pons has revamped the pretty clapboard cottages on the lagoon side with a fresh, pared-back colonial look [...]

Action Packed: Down jackets for women
January 4, 2016
A down jacket is one of the most joyful pieces of kit, providing great, almost instant warmth for not much weight. Made with the soft, warm underfeathers of a goose or duck, down jackets are the best insulator. The fluffiness, or loft, creates tiny air pockets that trap warm air and retain heat. Compressible with a comfortable feel, one can be squashed into a sack the size of [...]

Dream Team
Winter 2015-2016
Unlike other general managers, often tucked away in their windowless offices, Christelle breezes around the hotel: fresh, French, all style and all smiles, as frontline as she is back office. And no wonder — she started more than ten years ago in the restaurant of this French Caribbean outpost and has since seamlessly made her way up to the top job. [...]

Travel Guide 2016
December 2015
It’s big on drama, this place. The location alone — on the Oloololo (try saying that after three G&Ts) escarpment, 1,000 feet above the Maasai Mara — will knock your little khaki shorts off. This striking new lodge has big names behind it: owned by safari legends Steve and Nicky Fitzgerald; designed by Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens [...]

Rise and Shrine
December 2015
When I visited Cambodia 20 years ago, Siem Reap was a potholed backwater town teetering on the edge. There had been decades of fighting - internally with the Khmer Rouge, then with Vietnam - as well as political plots and coups. Millions had died. The living were weary. I was a young reporter for Newsweek magazine and Cambodia offered up a story with a bit of grit. [...]

Room with a view
December 2015
Where are we? Angama Mara, Kenya. Why we love it? There’s a chink of sunrise. A fuzzy horizon, 60 breathtaking kilometres away, becomes defined, as do smudges of acacia. From your bed, atop the Oloololo escarpment the Maasai Mara begins to take shape and in the distance hot air balloons sail past. [...]

Action Packed: Shell jackets for women
December 7, 2015
A relatively recent invention, the shell jacket is a bit like the iPad - who knew we needed one? They strike a perfect balance between weather protection and comfort, but critics wonder whether they really can be windproof and waterproof as well as breathable and supple. With the development of high-tech fabrics, they are increasingly ticking these [...]

Reinhold Messner’s MMM Corones: Man meets the mountains
September 5, 2015
From the top of Mount Kronplatz, I gaze at the rugged range of peaks around me. To the north are the Zillertal Alps; in the other direction, Marmolada glacier; the Lienz Dolomites lie east and the Ortler to the west. A crown of summits and spires, pinnacles and towers, and below, dark-green pine forests and meadows of wildflowers. [...]

Action Packed: The best walking gear
September 12, 2015
This durable lightweight walking shoe keeps feet cool and dry in warm conditions. The upper is built from a single piece of suede leather with a breathable lining yet water resistant outer shell. This shoe supports the shape of the female foot well, creating some flexibility while maintaining good support. [...]

Action Packed: The best waterproof cameras
August 22, 2015
Today’s waterproof cameras offer much more than an underwater function. Many can tolerate cold environments, high humidity and the rough-and-tumble of extreme sports. These tougher, more durable devices are an ideal secondary camera to a smartphone camera. They provide similar features and image quality to good point-and-shoot cameras but [...]

Where man meets mountain
August 1, 2015
From the top of Mount Kronplatz, I gaze at the rugged range of peaks around me. To the north are the Zillertal Alps; in the other direction, Marmolada glacier; the Lienz Dolomites lie east and the Ortler to the west. A crown of summits and spires, pinnacles and towers, and below, dark-green pine forests and meadows of wildflowers. [...]

Action Packed: The best swimwear for women
July 4, 2015
If only we could throw on a pair of board shorts or spandex trousers, without having to worry about support and a “stay-on” guarantee. But outfitters are getting savvier about the growing market of women triathletes, swimmers and surfers who seek streamlined one and two-piece swimwear. [...]

St Mark’s? Get Set, Go
July 2015
A gull soars overhead; the curve of its wings spans the blue sky. There is a repertoire of seabird calls and the faint whiff of salt in the air. This is Venice, too. I am lying on a sunbed by a rooftop infinity-edge pool. Down below, mahogany motoscafi, the city’s glamorous water-taxis, glide past fishing boats, a flotilla of sailboats, kayaks. [...]

One Step Ahead
June 2015
Kenya’s having a tough time right now, but its fans are hardy sorts and nobody can deny that the Maasai Mara, the site of the annual wildebeest migration, is one of Africa’s greatest game reserves. And now there’s a new place to stay: Angama Mara, on the Oloololo Escarpment minutes from the Mara Triangle and flanked by that kopje [...]

Tales of the Unexpected: Where China’s treasures lie
March 15, 2015
Curiously, one of the world’s greatest collections of Chinese antiquities is not in China – but across the Strait in Taiwan. In the early 20th century, the art collection of the Imperial Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, was on the move. It left Beijing and criss-crossed the country for nearly 20 years in an effort to spare it from the ravages of war [...]

The world's best yacht charters
February 2015
Big or small (ish), party perfect or built for business, discreet, romantic, fast or just plain gorgeous -- Michelle Jana Chan lines up one fantastic voyage. [...]

The Gold Standard 2015
February 2015
Amanwana, Indonesia. It’s simple, yes, but don’t be fooled. The restaurant may not have a Michelin star and there isn’t even a fancy spa, but this retreat east of Bali is everything a perfectly-formed island escape should be. Twenty tents furnished in hardwoods, canvas, coconut and coral are pitched next to a beach lapped by the best water in the world to explore [...]

Big Small Talk
January 2, 2015
These zippy matte-red shades from ski goggle experts POC are named after Julia Mancuso, the alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from Squaw Valley, California. She’s got the moves, and at least you can imitate her off-the-slopes style with these tough yet flexible frames [...]

Neighbourhood on the Up: Jalan Benda, Jakarta
December 2014
Like the exotic fruit that it’s nicknamed after, the city known as the Big Durian has a bad rep, but abandon the car, beat the crazy traffic and you’ll discover this peach of a thriving boho hub. [...]

Action Packed: The best baby backpacks
October 11, 2014
A child-carrying pack gives you the freedom to head for the hills hands-free (or use trekking poles) while your child is safe and supported. When choosing a pack, a lightweight one is a priority – you’re already carrying the weight of a child – as is good weight distribution (a pivoting hip belt, padded straps and lumbar support). [...]

Monumental Ming
September 18, 2014
The British Museum has declared that a period of the Ming dynasty - the first half of the 15th century - was ’50 years that changed China’. There have been a number of transformative half-centuries in this country’s history (not least, the one we are in now) but this was certainly a golden age for trade, diplomacy and art [...]

Johannesburg
October 2014
City of dreams and 24-hour buzz. This is the NYC of the continent -- it’s modern, it’s ambitious, it rocks. Say hello to next-generation Africa. [...]

Action Packed: The best watersports gear for women
August 9, 2014
Life at the seaside used to be so simple. In our beach bag was a towel, a bucket and spade, and a sandwich. Now we take our watersports much more seriously; it’s become hi-tech and just a little bit competitive. Here are some of the summer’s essential watersports accessories for women who prefer to get more than their feet wet. [...]

The world's best superyacht charters
August 2014
Let's face it, you'll probably never own a superyacht - but that doesn't mean you can't pretend for a week or two. Michelle Jana Chan on the beautiful boats that are available for hire. Now get out of my way, Roman... [...]

Action Packed: The best walking shoes for women
June 28, 2014
Ah, how times have changed. We used to wear rigid, bulky boots which felt heavy even before we had begun our trek. But now there is a new generation of walking shoes that are lightweight, flexible and supportive, yet sturdy, well-constructed and able to offer great traction. They feel like trainers but with technical prowess, durability and good protection. [...]

The best rucksacks for women
April 26, 2014
The pressure for putting girls in pink begins early – in the baby department – but you might think it would halt at the entrance to the outdoor store. Alas, no. Not only are there fewer choices for women when it comes to adventure gear (due to lesser demand, it must be admitted) but the limited ranges come in a nauseating array of lurid colours. [...]

Hong Kong art: a new creative star rises in the east
April 19, 2014
In the heart of Hong Kong’s SoHo district, one of the city’s hottest pieces of real estate is not being turned into a bank or block of apartments. Instead, the former Police Married Quarters, renamed PMQ, is becoming a hub of design studios, ateliers and pop-ups. [...]

Hot List Hotels 2013
May 2013
...more Himalayan lodge than French ski resort, incorporating wooden cornices carved with Tibetan script. [...]

Hot List Hotels 2012
May 2012
...chandeliers constructed from trumpets, saxophones, strands of silver beads and disco balls. [...]

Hot List Hotels 2012
May 2012
...there might be a bedside copy of Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra for long, dark, thoughtful nights. [...]

Hot List Hotels 2011
May 2011
The city's former prison is now a pleasurable place to be locked up. Transformed into 23 smartly designed suites, this hotel has a central pillared courtyard and an elegant colonial feel—whitewashed walls, wilting eaves, shuttered windows in gunmetal gray. Only the two corner watchtowers suggest a penitentiary, though there is a whiff of institutional austerity. [...]

Orientation Exercise
Summer 2008
Vast, alien and frenetic, Beijing is among the world’s most impenetrable cities. On the eve of the Olympics, one of our best-travelled writers provides a cultural roadmap -- and even the odd flash of Old China. [...]

Window on the world
June 26, 2007
LONDON, England -- Don't bother to pack your bags. Skip the queues at the airport. Forget security and immigration checks. Even leave your passport behind. Sound like a perfect holiday ? Just log on to a virtual vacation, whether it be lazing on a beach, a ski trip or climbing archaeological ruins. Or all three -- in the same hour. [...]

Sand Castles
Summer 2005
Today the Gulf state of Qatar is no more than a tourist’s aperitif, a stopover on the way to the beaches of the Indian Ocean. Michelle Jana Chan flew in before the crowds. [...]

China : Shanghai's funky fusion of East and West
October 23, 2004
This historic port, already the country's most glamorous city, is reviving its reputation as the heart of oriental extravagance. I accidentally pushed the door into the Gents' and came across three startled figures in strappy A-line dresses of white towelling and high heels, applying riotously pink lipstick upon pouty lips and fingering their tousled hair with gel. [...]

The World's New Culture Meccas
September 2, 2002
ANTWERP, Belgium : Beyond Fashion -- Haider Ackerman used to toil at one of those typical starving-artist jobs. He spent his weekends outside a nightclub restroom collecting 50 cents from each patron. Now the 31-year-old fashion designer is one of the hottest names in Antwerp. [...]