Tim Magee makes five travel wishes for the new year …
I head into the new year with the same travel wishes that I have every year: that I travel more sustainably, that hotels turn down the bloody heating in their breakfast rooms by a third, and that Aer Lingus bring back the on-board Tayto sandwiches. Here are some more realistic wishes … @manandasuitcase
La Fantaisie, Paris
I WISH I LIVED ON RUE CADET
Hotel La Fantaisie, in the 9th arrondissement in Paris, has the service of a top-shelf NYC hotel, and a palette and feel throughout, of Paris, California. Designer Martin Brudnizki’s first Parisian foray, it’s crowned with a rooftop garden and a hothouse cocktail bar. The casual Golden Poppy restaurant is by Breton Dominique Crenn who holds three stars in San Fran. They don’t do rue Cadet in Cali though, or anywhere else, and the hotel’s slice of that street could be a Parisian diorama: a patisserie from central casting specialising in tarte tatin, a decent Thai that’s 50 years old, a Lebanese deli and rotisserie where you can pick’n’mix your own room service, and on and on. Stretch your legs further and the street runs onto the quaint Passages Verdeau and Jouffroy, perfect for shopping and strolling. www.lafantaisie.com
Casa Burano, Venice
I WISH I COULD GO TO A QUIETER VENICE
Passing through Venice for that train is fair enough but the pandemic-era “nature is healing” meme of mullet milling around the city’s crystalline canals didn’t last very long. Forty minutes away, Burano has the pastel colour scheme of a remote Scandi village. Eating well in Venice is rare and spendy, but Burano has a restaurant that is alone worth the trip to this island of Venice. Chef Ruggero Bovo opened Al Gatto Nero in 1965, 18 months after JFK was assassinated. Ruggero’s still wearing the main toque and this seafood trattoria is a masterclass in family, tradition and hospitality. Stay at Casa Burano, a three-minute walk from the restaurant and a million miles from the plasticised carry-on across the lagoon. www.isoladiburano.it; www.gattonero.com; www.casaburano.it
The Orient Express
I WISH I COULD WAKE UP IN A SUITE ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
I spent a night on the Orient Express years ago. The highlight, apart from the speedboat from the airport to the red-carpeted platform at Santa Lucia station, was a season-changing trip through a time tunnel – leaving green landscape and sunset to emerge into a night of alpine, snowy wonderland while haring north. I only had one tiny gripe – my cabin shared a loo. There was an invisible loo fairy that would essentially beautify it every few minutes but this is a wish list, and I wish to wake up in one of the new suites where the train interiors are more beautiful that any static hotel on Earth. www.orient-express.com
The Fife Arms, Aberdeenshire
I WISH I COULD HIDE IN THE HIGHLANDS
I was at the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels in London recently. Although there was a glaring omission from an Irish perspective, there was little argument about Gleneagles in Perthshire. The idea of being lifted and led by these masters in hospitality, who approach their comfort food the same way as their two-Michelin stars, will do nicely. Two hours beyond Gleneagles, in Braemar, in the Highlands, is Hauser and Wirth’s spectacular The Fife Arms, perhaps the most beautiful hotel in the UK. And you can bring your dog. www.gleneagles.com www.thefifearms.com
Christmas Train of Lights, Dartmouth
I WISH I COULD ESCAPE CHRISTMAS FOOD IN DARTMOUTH
I didn’t expect my discovery of 2023 to be in Devon. I’m smitten with Dartmouth, there for the first time recently for their food festival. Dartmouth feels festive 24/7, year-round, with twinkly lights on yachts and little ferries, and framing old hotels and pubs, but it absolutely pushes the boat out at Christmas. With The Seahorse and the Tonks family it also has what might be finest seafood restaurant in the English-speaking world. At Christmas, Dartmouth is a Boots ad where Richard Curtis characters head to retire. Stay at any one of the cute waterside Airbnbs and watch the Agatha Christie steam train light up the landscape from across the bay. www.discoverdartmouth.com