SPOTLIGHT:
PARADISE ON THE WATER
sun-drenched seascapes that will enrich
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
Imbibing while taking in an eye-popping vista is a particularly intoxicating combination. Try it at one of these hotels.
LUX Belle Mare Resort & Villas, Mauritius: At this Kelly Hoppen-designed boutique resort on the beach, nestled inside tropical gardens close to the village of Belle Mare, sounds of the Indian Ocean will tease you out of bed for a Mauritian kheer breakfast. Much later, say goodbye to the day at Mari Kontan, the darling cabana-style poolside hut that narrates the island’s history, with over 100 different types of rum to taste.
Six Senses Laamu, Maldives: Guests trek to remote Laamu Atoll to stay in one of the beachfront or over-water thatched villas at Six Senses Laamu. When they are done with their slate of open-air yoga classes and Ayurvedic treatments, they scatter off to the over-water Chill Bar and wait for the DJ with an ‘Abandon Ship’ (Corralejo Blanco tequila, mango-coriander [cilantro] cordial, pineapple, citrus and spicy fire-water tincture), or plop down onto one of the low-slung wooden stools at Sip Sip, the sunken bar that looks onto the Indian Ocean, with a ‘Maldivian Milk Punch’ (Bacardi rum, aged arrack and spiced syrup).
AYANA Resort and Spa, Bali: On a cliff-top above Jimbaran Bay, AYANA has a dozen swimming pools and butler-serviced villas tucked into the gardens. Rock Bar is maybe the most striking aspect of the property, despite the uncomfortable crowds who also want to see the sun slink into the horizon, 14 metres (46 feet) above the Indian Ocean, with a chamomile-infused gin and tonic or a kaffir-leaf ‘Lychee Martini’.
Halekulani, Hawaii: Halekulani first started welcoming weary fishermen on Honolulu’s Waikiki Beach in 1883; by 1907, it was a full-fledged hotel. A hit with honeymooners, Halekulani promises strawberry-basil Martinis and live jazz at the living room-like Lewers Lounge, but the real treat is the indoor-outdoor House Without a Key. Sitting underneath the more-than-a-century-old kiawe tree, looking onto Diamond Head and serenaded by the quirky ukulele, is the ideal way to become acquainted with their signature Mai Tai.
Hotel Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole, Italy: Italy comes alive – and teems with tourists – in the summertime. Pay no mind to the hordes at Il Pellicano, a countryside hide-out on the Tuscan coast between Rome and Pisa (in 1965 a couple stole away here for secretive trysts before it became a hotel). Leave your own bougainvillea-drenched terrace for the one at Bar All’Aperto, where the sea views are accompanied by a Martini tinged with Campania-made mandarinetto liqueur.
Hotel du Cap–Eden-Roc, Antibes, France: A French Riviera legend since its inception as a villa for intellectuals in 1870, Hotel du Cap–Eden-Rock has seen its fair share of royalty and celebrities, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Rita Hayworth and Pablo Picasso. With an infinity pool carved into the rocks and secluded cabanas, it continues to provide recreational bliss to the posh guests. One of their favourite spots to feast on the Mediterranean Sea is on the curving terrace of Eden-Roc Bar, a ‘Fancy Fizz’ (Bombay Sapphire gin, ginger beer, lemon juice, agave syrup and lemongrass) by their side.
No. 32
Not For Everybody
LE CHURCHILL AT LA MAMOUNIA, MARRAKECH, MOROCCO
INGREDIENTS
50 ml (1¾ fl oz) Basil-Infused Gin*
20 ml (⅔ fl oz) Strawberry Shrub**
50 ml (1¾ fl oz) freshly pressed strawberry juice
3 drops of rosemary bitters
fresh rosemary sprig, to garnish
* For the Basil-Infused Gin (makes 700 ml/24 fl oz):
700 ml (24 fl oz) Beefeater 24 gin
50 g (2 oz) fresh basil leaves
** For the Strawberry Shrub (makes 1 litre/34 fl oz):
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) Demerara sugar
500 ml (17 fl oz) red wine vinegar
METHOD
For the Basil-Infused Gin, combine the gin and basil in a non-reactive container, then store in a dry, dark place for 14 days. Strain the gin into a sterilised, airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 months.
For the Strawberry Shrub, combine the strawberries and sugar in a container, cover and refrigerate for 72 hours. Combine the mixture in a saucepan and cook on a low temperature until it has reduced by a fifth. Let cool, then add the vinegar. Strain it into a sterilised container and refrigerate for up to 2 months.
To make the cocktail, combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into glass filled with ice and garnish with a rosemary sprig.
The Man Who Knew Too Much, the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring a ‘Que Sera, Sera’-singing Doris Day, centres on a family unwittingly swept up in an assassination plot while on holiday in Morocco. Fans of La Mamounia will instantly recognise the majestic hotel’s light red ochre façade on screen, for it is as deeply entrenched in Marrakech culture as the nearby medina’s dusty streets. La Mamounia, a medley of traditional Moroccan architecture and Art-Deco pizzazz, opened in 1923, on the 18th-century grounds that Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah gifted to his son Mamoun. It was adored by the celebrity set, but the guest who might have loved the La Mamounia best was Winston Churchill. He first fell for La Mamounia and Marrakech, the city he dubbed the ‘Paris of the Sahara’, on a painting holiday in the 1930s. Every winter he kept returning. Much of La Mamounia has changed since the statesman marvelled at the shifting light of the Atlas Mountains, but not those expansive gardens with the striking slew of olive trees and rose bushes. Wander through them, and then sit in dark, jazzy Le Churchill for another fleeting nip of days gone by.
No. 33
