MAKING THE MOST OF MOZAMBIQUE

Some countries in Africa may be the home of safari, but Mozambique is becoming famous for its sea safari and the chance of see some of the world’s most iconic sea creatures. Whale sharks, manta rays, turtles and other amazing marine life make tiny Tofo, in Mozambique, an underwater heaven for divers and nature lovers.

 

A whale shark, about  13 feet  in length, glides by without so much as a blink of its eye. He pays little attention to a gaggle of scuba divers who have made the journey here from all corners of the globe for the chance to see this magnificent creature and his cousins.

Tofo lies on the Indian Ocean and is a small town fringed by an arc of white sand and blue sea. Unsophisticated and simple, there is only one hotel here, Hotel Tofo Mar, recently opened by a Portuguese MP. Otherwise accommodation for the divers and surfers is in  beachfront shacks, simple hostels, rustic chalets or small guesthouses such as Casa Do Mar  or Casa Barry, where the MMF (Marine Megafauna Foundation) often give early evening talks about sharks and rays. 

Not here the flashy all inclusives or luxurious sprawling resorts found elsewhere on the Indian Ocean – instead expect a ‘make yourself at home’ casual atmosphere with many establishments offering trusting ‘honesty bars’. The views are amazing and for a break from diving, time spent on the ground is an eye –opener. Tofinho, less than a kilometre south, is situated on exposed and rocky headland , a favourite spot for fishermen when a high tide covers the shelf, allowing casting for the plentiful kingfish into the deep waters beyond. Tofinho is also the site of the Frelimo Monument to Fallen Heroes, near to where unfortunate victims of the colonial period were thrown into a sea cave, to be drowned by the rising tide.

 

TALL TALES OF HONG KONG

I recently revisited Hong Kong after a gap of nearly 20 years.  I found that these days the  place thrives on  superlatives  - the locals never tire of telling you that things here are taller, higher, bigger, longer, better. And certainly with its iconic skyline filling up with increasingly tall buildings, it does appear to be reaching sky-high in record breaking .

Here’s my Hong Kong High Five

 

1  Celebrity Big  Buddha

 The Big Buddha, or as it’s officially known the Tian Tan Buddha, is a 34ft tall (including base) statue of a seated Buddha that’s part of the Po Lin Monastery complex. Weighing over 250 tons, that makes the statue the biggest, bronze, seated Buddha in the world and one of the world’s top ten Buddha statues by scale. It is high on the hills of  Lantau Island.

2  Moving stairway to heaven

The Mid-levels Escalator system

The Central – Mid-Levels Escalator system is the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system, stretching for over 800 metres and rising 135 metres through the streets of a steep hillside linking these districts of Hong Kong Island. The system is not a single continuous escalator, it is a series of 20 escalators and 3 inclined moving walkways, connected in places by footbridges, and with 14 entrances and exits. To ride the complete length of the escalator system one-way takes about 20 minutes.

 

 

3  and 4  

For rum at the top  I headed  to Ozone, the world’s highest bar and to reach it of course I had to take the world’s  highest lift.

Ozone is at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. The ICC (International Commercial Centre) is the tallest building in Hong Kong at 490 metres. The building has 118 floors.  The Ritz-Carlton occupies 102^nd to 118^th floors.  Cocktails with your head in the clouds is a dizzying experience but you wouldn’t want to take the stairs to get there.  

 

5 A Long Lunch

Its all long in Hong Kong: The list of restaurants in Hong Kong runs to 11,000, not counting all the little street stalls and kiosks. You could eat in three different restaurants a day for 10 years and still not visit them all I am reliably told.

Would you want to? Depends on what they were serving. I think I may have eaten the world’s oldest egg, as one foodie tour operator persuaded me to sample ‘century-old egg’  in my porridge.  An acquired taste, which certainly brought me down to earth.

www.DiscoverHongKong.com

 

LOVING ST LUCIA AT CAP MAISON

CAP MAISON

 

GASTRONOMY IN St Lucia – Cap Maison

 

 Craig and the chefs

IT IS  baking hot even at 8 a.m. as I explore the sights and smells of the Saturday market in Castries, St Lucia, which has been billed one of the top three markets in the world by National Geographic. The stalls are piled high with mangoes, yams and less familiar knobbly looking fruit and vegetables. Luckily I am here with Craig Jones, the dreadlocked Welsh chef from St Lucia’s Cap Maison hotel who is as familiar with all the local characters here as he is with the soursops and the christophene.  Craig brings hotel guests to the market to see where he buys the food that will later grace the table at The Cliff at the Cap. Everyone here seems to know him and is either trying to interest him in the produce they are selling , or  asking him for a job in his famous  kitchen

I first met Craig  in the summer when he was at  Drakes ’ hotel Brighton as part of the international chef exchange. Now  back on his home territory, the market tour is just one part of the ‘gastronomy holiday’ which Cap Maison  offers.  Craig also arranges visits to the organic farms in St Lucia which supply the hotel as well as giving cookery lessons back at the hotel.  

Children love this hands-on experience too and learning about how food gets from farm to fork is a valuable lesson for them.

Cap Maison is rightly proud of its culinary reputation, as the Cliff restaurant with views to Martinique to the north and Pigeon island to the west is one of the most highly regarded on the island. Craig’s French  influenced Caribbean cuisine includes signature dishes such as his butter poached Caribbean lobster with mascarpone enriched gnocchi .

Rock Maison

Guests can dine in the hotel’s Rock Maison, a private dining area set over the rocks where champagne can be delivered  in a basket via a zip-line (should that be a sip-line?) with the waves crashing on every side. Manager Ross Stevenson tells me that there has been no less than 29 proposals at this spot, and not one engagement ring has gone overboard.

The hotel's other restaurant The Naked Fisherman  Beach bar & grill is a toes in the sand casual dining and beach bar with great cocktails.

The food and wine experience continues in the Cellar Maison , where sommelier Robbie  , who also calls himself a ‘Rummelier’, and expert sommelier, Jasper Kok jointly  host a wine and rum pairing evening with a selection of wines from the hotel’s  1200 bottle  strong cellar and  some of its fine rums. The drinks are served with a selection of deli-style dishes.

 The melting pot of colonial influences takes root in St Lucia’s creole cuisine, and  island’s fertile volcanic soil sustains a rich diversity of plant and animal life, enhancing the goodness of local dishes and the surrounding waters abound with seafood.

A garden view room at Cap Maison starts from £275 per night on a B&B basis (two sharing). www.capmaison.com; 020 8977 6099

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both fly to St Lucia from London Gatwick

 

 

 

 

AUSTRIA ON THE TRAIN

Growing up in Manchester, one of my earliest memories is the smell of steam. Dad worked for the railway, which menat free train travel for all the family, and so my childhood holidays all started on the train from Manchester Vicotira station. We went to  Blackpool, North Wales and sometimes as far afield as Devon and Cornwall.

Im still  a lover of trains, (even if they aren't steam) but have been seduced by long -haul travel,so  I haven't  had a rail holiday for years.
deciding it was time to change, I took a trip to Austria. Starting in Salzburg, I  took the train to Graz and then on to Vienna.

Salzburg

It is 50 years since The Sound of Music hit the big screen, but there is more to Salzburg than the Von Trapps and the movie that was set here. The beautiful city is a fascinating mix of classical culture and historical idiosyncrasies.

Much of Salzburg’s appeal lies in its authenticity. Even modern shops have traditional iron hanging signs and people here are seen wearing national costume of lederhosen for men and dirndl skirts and peasant blouses for women as their daily wear.  Upmarket ski resorts are a short train ride away, and magical markets abound in November and December.

 

*Music escapes from every doorway and a gentle introduction  to the music of Salzburg’s most famous son – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - is a tea time concert by the Mozart Players in the city’s Kuenberg Hall. The programme is a kind of ‘Greatest Hits’ hosted by a costumed compere who provides facts about the composer’s life and works.

www.mozart-in-residenz.at

 

Nearby is the lovely   St Peter Stiftskeller, a Benedictine abbey in the heart of the old town which has been the meeting place for princes and bishops, celebrities and merchants for over a millennium. A visit by Charlemagne in 803 is its claim to be Europe’s oldest hostelry. Austrian fine dining includes specialities such as consommés with dumplings, stuffed chicken served on grappa risotto, and chocolate soufflé served with sour cherries. 

www.stpeter-stiftskeller.at

The palace of Hellbrun, painted in Imperial yellow, was the summer palace of the Archbishop Markus Sittikus 91612-1619) built purely for his amusement. It is dotted with trick fountains which soak the unsuspecting visitor and Italian style mazes. Next year, 2016, marks the 400^th anniversary of Hellbrun with exhibitions planned.

www.hellbrun.at

The Salzburg Festival takes place each year in July and August, attracting the cream of the world’s musicians and music lovers and famous for its glamorous audiences.

www.saltzburgerspiele.at

A landmark in the heart of the city, the medieval fortress towers over the rooftops and encompasses 900 years of architectural history. Ascend by funicular railway or by foot

The Salzburg Marionette theatre.  More high art than puppet show, this family owned theatre puts on productions that are definitely not just for the children and include opera and Shakespeare.

www.marionetten.at

TIP: Use a Salzburg ‘City card’ to get into tourist attractions, museums and palaces

ON THE TRAIN

The train ride from Salzburg to Graz is a picturesque ride through the  Austrian mountains, old salt mines, unspoilt pasture land, pretty ski resorts and charming towns with old-fashioned railway stations. The OBB trains have big windows to view the passing scenery, and refreshments on board)

 

Graz

Austria’s second city, Graz, is the heart of the region of Styria, and is Austria’s first and only culinary capital in 2008. So it is no surprise that food is one of the main attractions here 

Starting at the main square the Hautplatz Graz has a number of  food –themed walks, including ‘Stop and eat’ tours which include drop-ins at various restaurants and wine bars to sample local delicacies incluing Pumpkin seed oil, the regional delicacy – dark green and viscous, with a nutty taste. Drizzle on salads and desserts.

 The farmers’ market beside the opera house has the best local produce and Styria is known for its wines, notably weissburgunder, sauvignon blanc and schilcher rosé. A ‘Beer walk’ takes in ales from Styria’s 40 breweries.

In August the historic centre of Graz turns into a giant open air restaurant for the ‘Long Table of Graz’, a dinner with matching wines and musical entertainment for 700 people

The city has 50 inner courtyards many of them home to small intimate jazz clubs which are famous as far afield as Brazil. The amazing armoury (Landeszeughaus) contains the largest collection of antique armaments in the world.

Just 10 minutes' stroll over the River Mur, by contrast, is the bright blue contemporary art gallery (Kunsthaus) and no trip to Graz is complete without a walk up the stairs of the Schlossberg to the city's clock tower – where ond finds great views and an excellent restaurant.

ON THE TRAIN

The journey from Graz to Vienna is an impressive ride along the UNESCO World Heritage Semmering railway (between Mürzzuschlag and Wiener Neustadt), one of the world's first mountain railways. Sit on the right hand side for best views; this is a breath-taking journey

VIENNA

Austria’s capital waltzes between  tradition and modern life, from the 150 year old Ringstrasse to its Life Ball, one of the biggest AIDS charity events in the world.

2016 marks the 10^th anniversary of the death of Emperor Franz Joseph and Vienna will be alive with events which celebrate the last century which has seen the city change from an opulent imperial capital to a thriving contemporary city.

 

Don’t miss:

Schönbrunn Palace is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Coffee houses epitomise Viennese culture and there are a number of historic ones around the city. Visit Viennese institution the Hawelka with its famous Buchteln yeast buns filled with jam.

The Spanish Riding School with its Lipizzan horses perform in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg.

Vienna is synonymous with music, home to the Vienna Philharmonic and the world-famous Vienna Boys’ Choir. The Vienna State Opera houses some of the best operatic performances in the world

 

Ferry trip to Bratislava: Visit the Hungarian and Slovak capitals Budapest and Bratislava by high speed boat from Vienna.

 

 

 

 

Fact box:

Railbookers offer tailor made holidays by rail to Europe and beyond. Their 5 night holiday,

‘Highlights of Austria’, visits Salzburg, Graz and Vienna, with scenic train journeys in between.

020 3780 2253.

www.railbookers.com/highlightsofaustria

COCKTAIL COOL - CAN LONDON COMPETE?

Can London ever be the European capital of cocktail? With Paris and Rome opening eccentric new bars, how is London competing as hidden Speakeasy and den bars replace  traditional pubs… here are six of the best!

Paris has its Experimental Cocktail Club which is also a ‘Cocktail Hotel.’ It prides itself on being difficult to find, reminiscent of a 1930s Speakeasy.  In Rome the Gerry Thomas Project is changing the way the way wine-loving Italians drink with emphasis on the rediscovery of forgotten Italian spirits –classic pre-Prohibition drinks with an Italian touch.

 

I set off in search of London’s secret drinking dens and found the city’s latest gem at Milroy’s whisky bar in Soho’s Greek Street. The first of its kind, it is the oldest whisky specialist and shop in London. (Even before Milroy brothers took over in 1964 the space had been used as a liquor shop)  Milroy’s recently re opened its doors and these days  features not just an atmospheric whisky bar and shop  but houses a secret basement cocktail bar, The Vault, down stairs hidden behind a bookcase. This lends itself to the Speakeasy atmosphere, and in the corner of the dark cavernous bar barman Natolino was concocting a brew using smoke, brightly coloured liquids and a magical flick of his wrist. It was the Smoking Gun, one of the bar’s signature cocktails. Natolino smoked a cocktail glass ready for a heady mix of straight corn whisky, Oloroso sherry, and Earl Grey and brown sugar.

 

Milroys.co.uk

Over on Regent Street the Club Café Royal may look like an old-school lounge bar but its cocktails are breaking the mould. Here bartender Tiziano was setting out his summer cocktail stall and clearing out the winter warmers designed to make us ignore drizzly grey London such as Forget Winter (Jamaica rum, pineapple, sage syrup and coconut) and bringing in long, fruity fragrant summer cocktails reminiscent of tennis and drinks on the lawn.

ClubCafeRoyal.com

Under the supervision of bar manager Milos Popovic, both bars at the newly renovated Quaglino’s in St James’ serve a variety of innovative drinks which use new techniques and reference Quaglino’s 1930’s heritage with several champagne cocktails; the Prince of Wales  being a signature mix.

Quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk.

 

 A glass of blood red liquid topped with an oyster may not be your idea of a lunchtime tipple or an after work reviver. But the Bloody Mary Oyster Shooter is one of many new cocktails on offer at The Richmond near Hackney - also home to East London’s first and only raw bar serving several types of oysters and clams.

 

Therichmondhackney.com

 

The cocktail bar at Craft London is a destination in its own right, with its outdoor terrace and quintessentially English view of the Greenwich Peninsula Garden’s meadow, orchard, smoke house and bee hives, as well as the Thames and Canary Wharf. Barman Adam Wyatt has put together a list that focuses on sourcing small batch British products like fruit liquors from Wiltshire and Cider Brandy from Julian Temperley.

 

Craft-london.co.uk

Last of all I headed to Coya, London’s first Peruvian restaurant and bar in Piccadilly, where barrel aged pisco is used to create its signature pisco sour and classic cocktails. These are given a Latin American twist and include the “Negroni in Lima”, a pisco-based aged Negroni. The lemon and chilli Margarita looks weird, but tastes great

Coyarestaurant.com

Cheers!

GOING ECO IN LANZAROTE

LOVE YURTS - CHILLED OUT CHIC AT THE FINCA

I must be one of the few British people who had never been to Lanzarote  and apart from a few days in Tenerife I must admit to being a Canary Islands novice.

Deciding to put  this right I set out on an expedition to Lanzarote and not wanting to join the lobster red -faced Brits in the South, I headed for the North of the island.

This is where one finds the sleepy traditional fishing villages and the old-world charm of Lanzarote, unspoilt by big hotels and high rise apartment blocks. The coast here is wild and wonderful with crashing waves that I discover make it a firm favourite with surfers from all over the world.

I booked into the Finca  de Arrieta,  described as an 'eco dream retreat'   which sounded just the job after a long grey London winter.   I found  a surprising almost dream -like village, tucked away in the hills above the pretty little town of Arrieta

 

The retreat occupies 30,000 square metres with great views out to sea on one side and the dramatic black volcanic mountains on the other.  It was set up and built from scratch on former farm land by husband and wife team Tila and Michelle Bradock, who have brought up their family here and still run the property.

There are 15 properties on the site, each one different and they range in style from luxury villa to a silk-lined Mongolian yurt, decked out with Bali-nese fabrics and furnishings. This is where I spent my time , but I could have opted for the eco tower, the eco garden cottage and eco luxury farmhouse or an eco luxury yurt suite.   I sensed there was an eco theme going on here, but whereas that term'eco friendly'  can conjure up images of basic, drab and cranky, nothing could be less true of the Finca de Arrietta, which oozes glamour and  chilled out chic.

 

The area is planted with palm trees and local plants and stones  create a wild  and windswept look that is totally in keeping with this part of the island. You can tell Michelle and Tila have built this place with love and passion, and added to it over the years to make somewhere that is unique in its look, ambience and sustainability.

 

The village is entirely off-grid,  solar-powered and run on sustainable lines without forgoing any creature comforts. As someone who is addicted to my IPad and smart phone, I was rather worried about how switched off I would need to be in the Finca, but I needn't have worried. There is free WiFi in the central 'chill-out' area and mobile phones work perfectly so I was able to send umpteen selfies of me sitting in my yurt drinking delicious Lanzarote cava.......

 

My yurt had its own well - equipped little kitchen and shower room, and the Honesty Shop was well -stocked with items for my fridge. Guests just write down what they have taken and settle up when they leave, a system which seems to work well. There is also an ordering service for fresh food and meals delivered to your door and once a week there is a barbeque night.

 

This is a charming place for families and it was lovely to see young children playing in their own adventure playground and collecting eggs from the resident hen for breakfast. There is also a donkey, Molly, and a giant chess set. Each property comes with it own Hybrid electric car, so guests can get out and about in an environmentally friendly way and discover the local attractions.

 

 

But I didn't need to get in the car to find the beach, I just followed the sound of the waves and after a leisurely  10 minute walk was kicking the pebbles.  There is a lovely little beach front café and tapas bar here, perfect for a casual lunch watching the surf.  A little further away in Arrietta there are numerous little restaurants and bars, although this is a simple, unsophisticated spot which doesn't buzz with nightlife and boozy tourists. Thank goodness

 

There is plenty to  see and do in the area, from the dramatic Jameos Del Agua caves - a 15 minute drive away - to the enchanting island of Graciosa, accessible by ferry. This is where I found birdlife galore, exhilarating coastal walks and the beautiful white and blue buildings made famous by Lanzarote's  architect Cesar Manrique.

 

 

Back at the Finca, I relax in the Saharan seating in the chill-out area and watch my fellow guests floating in the pool.  Eco doesn't come any better than this, I tweet ......

 

www.lanzaroteretreats.com www.lanzaroteretreats.com