2007: RING IN THE NEW
What's going to be hot this year?
Most will pick Kerala, but I'm betting on Madhya
Pradesh, the largest state in India, now slowly awakening to its
touristic potential. The Taj hotel group has opened two luxury wildlife resorts
there—in Pench and in Bandhav Gargh. Elsewhere, the small seaside town of Pondicherry is thriving. It has a strong French influence, a vibrant
artist community, and a recent influx of people who have taken to restoring
homes and turning them into boutique hotels.
What is going to be the big-deal hotel
opening? The Shanti Ananda Mauritius and the Taj
Bhutan will both be spectacular, the former for its spa and seaside
location, the latter because it's in hard-to-visit Bhutan. Also, the Aman
New Delhi, the company's first urban resort, and the Four
Seasons Mumbai.
Is there a restaurant or a chef whom
everyone is watching? Pure, India's first high-end organic restaurant, which promises
international-quality organic cuisine—great if they can pull it off.
What trips do you have planned for 2007?
The Maldives because I love to dive. I'd love to revisit Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem. Izmir on the
Turkish coast. Hanoi, just to get one of their form-fitting
Ao-dai dresses tailored. A train journey is part of the romance of India, and if time permits, I'd love to try out the Palace on Wheels or the Deccan
Queen, both luxury trains that travel through Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Where do you most want to go in the world
that is still a dream away? The South Pacific.
Where wouldn't you go even if you won an
all-expenses-paid, first-class trip? Las Vegas.
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