The Week 22Feb2020

LEISURE 45

22 February 2020 THE WEEK

Travel

Withtheir“epic”landscapesand

“sapphire”seas,theAzoresare

wondrous,andwonderfullyunspoilt,

saysTrishLorenzinCondéNast

Traveller.Spreadacrossalmost4 00

miles oftheAtlantic,thearchipelago

liesdirectlytothewestofPortugal–

roughly 900 milesfromLisbon–and

wasuninhabiteduntilthe15thcentury,

whenthePortuguesearrivedandstarted

tosettlethenineprincipalislands.All

arevolcanic,buttheyhavesolittleelse

incommontheycouldbeindifferent

solarsystems–fromPico,withitslava-

coveredmoonscape,toverdantFlores,

wherewaterfallsplungehundredsof

feetoveremeraldgreencliffs.

Themainisland,SãoMiguel,offers

sophisticatedurbanpleasuresinitscolonialcapital,Ponta

Delgada,includingÕtaka,arestaurantwherechefJoséPereira

“combinesAzoreaningredientswithJapanesetechniques”.

Beyonditlie“hydrangea-filled”hills,craterlakesandmedicinal

thermalpools.Floatingonyourbackinone,watchingthesky

turnfrombluetoredatsunset,you

feel“asweightlessandstillasababy

inthewomb”.OnPico,a50-minute

flightaway,thereare550-year-old

family-ownedvineyardstovisit,and

thehighestpeakinPortugaltoclimb

–MountPico(2,3 51 metres),the

steepslopesofwhicharean“extra-

terrestrialenvironment”ofwrinkled,

cooledlavaand“clumpsofpurple

heatherandferns”.Nearthesummit,

steamwhistlesfromcracksinthe

ground,andtherocksarehotto

thetouch.

NeighbouringSãoJorgehasaworld-

classsurfspot,FajãdeSantoCristo,

thatisaccessibleonlybyhikingdown

misty,forestedcliffs,alongancient

pathsfragrantwithwildmint.AndthenthereisFlores,the

wildestandmost“elemental”islandofall,where“greenmeets

blue”whereveryoulook,andwavesattack“jagged”columnsof

blackbasaltaroundthecoast.AzoresGetaways(azoresgetaways.

com)offerstripsstayingingoodlocalhotels.

This week’s dream: islands on the edge of the world

Gettingthe flavourof...

Lovely St Mawes stay

Ideally locatedon thepretty

harbour,the Ship&Castle

Hotel offersa3-nightstay

with dinnereach even ing, from

£130ppb&b.0344-6827000,

ukbreakaways.com. Arrive

17 April.

Six-night Italian adventure

Startwith 2nights in Rome,

followed byastop inFlorence

anda2-nigh tsign-offin

Venice.From £249ppb&b,

trains&flightsincluded.

020-3887 4441,theflig htsguru.

co.uk. Depart24March.

Picturesque Hungary

Spendfour nights at the

Art’otel BudapestbyPark

Plaza ,with panoramic views,

from £285pproom-only,

includingManchester flights.

0871-277 1070,lastminute.

com.Depart 20March.

Half-board in Thailand

Six nights attheDusit Th ani

LagunaPhuket, in astriking

beachfrontlocation, cost from

£1,042pp b&b,including

London flights. 01204-874865,

destinology.co.uk.Depart

16 April.

An elegant hideaway in Rajasthan

Perchedon top ofa“splendid”barrage

builtbeside alake inRajasthanin 1890,

Chhatrasagarhasattractedaloyalfollowing

sinceitfirst opened asatented campin

2000.Lastyear,itwasthoroughlyrevamped,

andtheresultisa“triumph”,saysStanley

Stewart intheFT. Replacingthetentsare

elegant villas,eachwithfirepitsonprivate

terracesfrontand back.There’saninfinity

poolandanopen-sideddiningpavilion

madefromrose-coloured Jodhpurstone,

andaspa isplanned.Arewildinginitiative

launchedin2005meansChhatrasagar,

always ahavenofpeace,isnowalsoa

“seriouswildlifedestination”.Its 1,8 00

acres ofopenwoodlands arehometonilgai

(largeantelopes), wild boar,jackals,foxes

andleopards,andthereissomeofthe best

birdinginIndiaaround thelake, where

guestscan enjoy“regal”picnics.Greaves

India(greavesindia.co.uk)can organise trips.

Wackyraces in the Caucasus

If yo ufancy an adventure onyour next road

trip, thensignupfor aDriving with Zoë

classic carrallyinbeautifulGeorgia,says

JamesStewartinThe DailyTelegraph.Led

by professiona lrally driverZoë Whittaker,

the trip involvesdrivingcharacterful but

oftenunreliablelocallyowned motors,such

as an ex-Soviet policeLadaoraVolga,

“the Cadillac of the Communist bloc”,

andbreakdowns are inevitable. Among

other“challenges” are the absenceofsafety

beltsinsomecars,andtheoccasionally

alarmingdrivingofother motorists (driving

testshave onlyrecentlybecome compulsory

inthecountry).Butsome ofthecarsare

“magnificent”,andthe c ountryis“soul-

stirringlylovely”,fromthe“bosky”hills

of Trialetitothe“crumbling”SilkRoad

fortressesoftheKuravalley andbeyon d.

Visitzoewhittaker.com oremailzw@

zoewhittaker.comfor further information.

An artistic break in Wales

“Glamorous”ar tholidaysinTuscany

andProvencecanbeexpensiveandover-

subscribed.For amore“dreamy bohemian

environment”,youcouldheadto the

Welsh AcademyofArtinstead, saysSimon

Heptinstallin TheGuardian.Setin“remote

andinspir ing” Black Mountainsscenery

afewmiles northof the foodietownof

Crickhowell,theAcademyoccupies a

“rambling” Victorianschoolbuilding,and is

runbyportraitartist Lucy Corbett.Offer ing

day classesaswell as longer courses,itis

usually “abuzz”withstudents,artistsand

models,and lessons involvedemonstrations,

“criticalfeedback”and “practicaltips”

rather than “fluffycompliments”.Guests

mustbook theirown accommodation(the

converted barn next toLucy’s farmhouseisa

goodoption).Visit welshacademyofart.com.

TroutbeckNew York State,

United States

Recently revamped by Anthony

Champalimaud, this mid-1700s

former homestead in the Hudson

Valley feels “more likeafriend’s

chic country home” thanahotel,

says Tatler. Its “lofty” communal

spaces have roaring open fires,

hardwood floors and panelling,

and vintage furniture “set against

acolour palette of rust, green and

blue”. There are also “charming”

converted outbuildings and a

“romantic” walled garden. When

Troutbeck wasaprivate house,

Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway

and Martin Luther King Jr all

stayed, and artists and authors

still flock here, creating “a cultural

house-party vibe”.

Doubles from £187.

Troutbeck.com.

Hotel of the week

SeteCidadeslakeinPontaDelgada

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