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The Lascaux International

CentreforCaveArtfeatures

near perfect replicas of roughly

600 prehistoric paintings and

1,000 engravings

A wilderness wonder

SHELDON CHALET,DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA

Preserving

prehistoric art

LASCAUX INTERNATIONAL CENTRE
FOR CAVE ART,VÉZÈRE VALLEY, FRANCE

Perched on a lonely outcropping high

above a glacier in Alaska’s Denali

National Park, Sheldon Chalet is as

remote as it is luxurious. The lodge,

which opened in February, is only accessible

by helicopter from the town of Talkeetna. Upon

arrival, guests are offered locally inspired fare

prepared by the lodge’s private chef—think

Alaskan crab and barbecued oysters—as

well as an array of guided outings in the

mountainous wilderness. Among them:

a rappelling adventure, a mountaineering

course, crevasse exploration and a

“lightseeing” plane tour of the surrounding

peaks. At an elevation of 6,000 ft., the

chalet also offers extraordinary views of the

Northern Lights, which are brighter in the

desolate wilderness. Stays start at around

$2,300 per person per night, including the

helicopter transport.—A.G.

In 1963, the French
government closed the
Lascaux cave, restricting
access to some of the world’s
best examples of prehistoric art over
concerns that carbon dioxide from
visitors’ breathing might damage
the 20,000-year-old creations. Now,
more than 50 years later, you can visit
the next best thing: a near perfect
$64 million replica, located right
next door. The Snohetta-designed
complex features some 600 prehistoric
paintings and 1,000 engravings, all
painstakingly re-created by a team
of two dozen artists working from
physical castings and advanced 3-D
digital scans or the original artwork.
“There were moments when I realized
that I must be doing the exact gestures
and movements of the prehistoric
artist,” one team member told NPR.
“And that’s when a little shiver would
go down my spine.”—Kate Rockwood

UNPLUGGED LUXURY
SANTANI WELLNESS RESORT & SPA,
KANDY, SRI LANKA

MICHELIN-STARRED RAMEN

TSUTA, TOKYO

On a former tea plantation in
the mountains of Sri Lanka
sits Santani, a resort to help
you disconnect. There are no
televisions (really) and no wi-i included
(guests can pay extra if they ind they
can’t live without it), but there is a
tri-level spa with a sauna overlooking
paddy ields, open-air salt soak pool and
wellness packages fusing Ayurveda,
yoga and meditation.
—C.Q.

Just 150 coveted bowls of

noodles—the world’s irst

Michelin-starred ramen—

are served daily at this

unassuming shop in Tokyo’s outskirts.

Customers start lining up at 6 a.m. The

Tsuta brand now has seven branches

across Asia, but the Tokyo shop that

launched an empire still retains its hole-

in-the-wall character and, as shown by

the daily presence of chef Yuki Onishi,

remains very much at the heart of

operations.—S.H.

A BOLD

REINVENTION

HOTEL HENRY,

BUFFALO, N.Y.

SMART

SPIRITS

DANDELYAN,

LONDON

This long-neglected

former psychiatric

hospital, set

amid extensive

grounds, has been

repurposed into a

striking 88-room

hotel that opened

last year. But more

is to come: the

Hotel Henry is the

irst phase of a

larger preservation

effort that will

eventually lead to

a center for art and

design. For now,

guests can enjoy

the Henry’s modern

American style

and its restaurant,

100 Acres. —W.D.

Since opening

in 2014, Ryan

Chetiyawardana’s

lounge has won

praise not only

for its inventive

cocktails, but also

for its ever-changing

menus, which aim to

teach patrons about

the relationship

between humans

and plants. Its latest

slate of drinks, which

debuted this year,

includes a rum sour

infused with pigweed,

alongside a cheeky

write-up about how

the plant can be

a pest for hops

growers but is a vital

crop in certain parts

of Africa. —W.D.