1. Honeymoons
117
Honeymoon
Couples who have their hearts
set on exploring the wonders of
Vietnam and Indochina will be
able to fly direct to Hanoi or
Saigon when Vietnam Airlines
starts operating in December.
The airline’s fleet of Boeing
777s will fly non-stop four times weekly from London Gatwick, taking just 11 hours
and 30 minutes. In addition, the airline also offers connections to Siem Reap (Cambodia),
Luang Prabang (Laos) and Yangon (Burma). Make the most of this exciting destination by
booking your honeymoon with a specialist on the region, such as Bamboo Travel, recently
named Top Tour Operator by Wanderlust Readers’ Travel Awards 2011. Offering tailor-
made tours of Vietnam and Indochina, the company helps visitors discover the region’s
highlights, as well as emerging areas rarely seen in brochures. Tours can include experiences
that enable visitors to interact with locals, either through cooking classes, village visits or
cycling tours around the rural areas. To find out more, call 020 7720 9285 or visit
www.bambootravel.co.uk
The latest update in the world
of honeymoonsThe holiday period is
not over yet and the
idea of getting stung by
soaring airfares has made
many of us rethink how,
when and where we escape
to. Autumn is a great season
for travelling, so keep an eye out for better
deals before fares start to peak again during
the festive period. Fast forward to 2020
and beyond and supersonic jets could take
us across the Atlantic in just two hours –
exciting times ahead. Pity it couldn’t come
sooner. Still, it gives us plenty of time to
save up.
This issue we hone in on enigmatic
Vietnam, find a mystical bolthole in Bali
and check out a cooking class on the
rooftop of a luxury hotel in Marrakech.
Most inspiring of all is hearing about
couples’ adventures, and what could be
cooler than cruising along Beverly Hills
with your new spouse in a Corvette?
“Que linda!” is how managing editor
Louise Prance described Cancun when she
returned from a recent visit to this exciting
Mexican honeymoon destination. Get the
lowdown on the many pleasures this city
has to offer – and there wasn’t a Mariachi
trio in sight. Enjoy your journey.
Rowena
Rowena Marella-Daw
Travel editor
RowenaMarella-Daw’simagecourtesyofwww.ianscottphotography.co.uk
news
Direct flights to Vietnam
Pampering Caribbean-style
Couples booking their honeymoon with Sandals
in Saint Lucia, the Bahamas, Jamaica or Antigua
can enhance their Luxury Included experience
with one of the resort’s honeymoon packages.
The complimentary Perfect Package is available
at all Sandals resorts and includes sparkling
wine in your room on arrival and breakfast in
bed the following morning. To qualify, couples
must check in online prior to their journey and
provide a copy of their marriage certificate
within 30 days of travel.
For $1,500 per couple, get an upgrade to
the Sandals Luxury Package, which comes with
a personal butler service for an entire day, an
in-room couple’s massage, sunset photo session
on the beach, and many more perks. This is
available at all Saint Lucia properties and at
Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore
Island. For more details, call 08000 223 331
or visit www.sandalsweddings.co.uk
The Viceroy Maldives opens its
doors at the end of this year on the
island of Vagaru in the Shaviyani
Atoll. The resort offers the five-star
luxury visitors to the Maldives have
come to expect – 61 spacious
villas, over-water spa bungalows
and five dining venues. Activities
include water sports, cooking
demonstrations and Ayurvedic
treatments. There is a tree house-
style beachside lounge where
guests can enjoy breathtaking
sunsets or spend nights gazing at
the galaxies. www.viceroy
hotelsandresorts.com/maldives
Take me there...

2. 118
Road trip
Newlyweds Hannah and Paul
Middlewick share highlights
of their California getaway:
“Our honeymoon was a
four-week road trip across
California,” says Hannah.
“We spent four nights in San
Francisco, then cruised along the
Pacific Coast Highway to LA and
San Diego in a motor home. We drove a
Corvette to Las Vegas, where we spent five nights in
a luxury suite at the Bellagio.
“For us this type of holiday was far more enjoyable than
laying on a beach for two weeks. The best part for me was
driving the Corvette around Beverly Hills, although Paul
would say it was surfing Newport wedge, a wave he had been
dreaming of since he was a child. We loved every second of
our honeymoon, and Vegas was the perfect end to it.”
One of the joys of travelling is the chance
to sample the local dishes and culinary
specialities of a place, and for this very
reason, DK Travel’s Ultimate Food Journey is
a must-have guide. Showcasing food from
around the world, it highlights the best
towns, cities, villages and recommended
eateries in each location.
Find the best sushi in Tokyo or dim
sum in China, San Francisco and Sydney,
and the lesser-known delights of Belgian Waterzooi stew and Dosti Roti
from Trinidad. The book is full of beautiful images to entice the tastebuds.
Ultimate Food Journeys retails at £19.99 and is available from www.dk.com
and major bookshops.
Rooftop kitchen
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook Moroccan dishes,
how about a culinary class on the roof terrace of La Sultana?
Situated in the heart of the medina, you have wonderful views
of the city and the Atlas Mountains beyond. The head chef takes
you through the basics: spices, techniques, and how to prepare
starters, main courses such as seafood pastilla and chicken tagine,
and delicious desserts. After the lessons, you get to savour the
dishes at lunch or dinner. The course lasts for two and a half
hours and costs £62 per person. La Sultana is a member of the
Great Hotels of the World Luxury Collection. For more details
call 020 7380 3658 or visit www.ghotw.com/la-sultana
A visit to Bali is an unforgettable experience, so it’s important to choose
a resort that harmonises with the mystique of the place. A lovely example
is Alila Villas Uluwatu, perched high on a cliff overlooking one of the
world’s best surf breaks.
This elegant eco-resort recently garnered a Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) international award for architectural excellence. The
stunning décor is matched by breathtaking views and romance in the
form of moonlight dinners and spa rituals. Those who want a healthy
start to their holiday can book the Journey to Revival programme, which
includes detoxing, guided self-healing meditation, yoga classes and
Ayurvedic massage. For more details, visit www.alilavillasuluwatu.info
AlilaVillas Uluwatu
The year 2021 is a long time to wait for your honeymoon, so you might
want to save up for your anniversary for a chance to travel on board the
SonicStar supersonic jet. Capable of flying at a top speed of Mach 3.1
– twice that of the Concorde, they estimate you can get from London to
New York in a record time of two hours, and an incredible five hours from
London to Sydney!
Cruising at 62,000ft, the 20-seater jet is being designed to be fuel-
efficient, using ‘green engine technology’ to cut down jet emissions by 100
per cent. There are also plans to use electromagnetic currents to suppress
sonic boom. HyperMach is aiming to have the plane in the air by 2021.
It may be rocket science for now, but it will revolutionise the way we
travel in the future. For more details, visit www.hypermach.com
What’s cooking?
The future of travel