www.bagan-lodge.com

1. 14 TRAVEL & INDULGENCE THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, JUNE 7-8, 2014
www.theaustralian.com.au/travel
AUSE01Z01TR - V1
ONTHEBENCH
SMOKE, kiwi and petrol
blue (pictured) are the enticing new shades in Villeroy
& Boch’s Colour Concept glassware collection,
including a tumbler ($32.95); highball tumbler
($39.95); bowl ($39.95); and buffet plate ($49.95). The
pieces are perfect used on their own or to add a splash
of colour to white tableware or to accent patterned
pieces. More: villeroy-boch.com.au.
MICHELLE ROWE
VILLEROY & BOCH
COLOUR CONCEPT
COLLECTION,
FROM $32.95
ONTHEROAD
NICELY portable and very nourishing, this
little pump pack from long-established
British company Neal’s Yard Remedies is
full of antioxidants. Recommended for
mature skins, the gel helps soften wrinkles
and boosts texture and tone around the
sensitive eye area. Sodium hyaluronate is a
key factor, said to “moisturise from the
inside out” to plump up skin, which sounds
just the thing for weary travellers. Neal’s Yard
Remedies is a T&I favourite — it was Britain’s first
certified organic health and beauty brand. Many of
the ingredients it uses are “homegrown” at its eco-
factory in Dorset. More: nealsyardremedies.com.au.
SUSAN KUROSAWA
NEAL’S YARD REMEDIES WHITE TEA
TONING EYE GEL, 10ML, $47.95
T&ILOVES
WELL known for its premium skincare products
and lavish treatments, French company Guinot is a
quiet pioneer when it comes to related technology.
Its signature Hydradermie facial incorporates
Galvanic (direct) current to help absorb products
into the deeper layers of the skin; this non-invasive
procedure was devised in 1963 by founder Rene
Guinot. Today, his creme de la creme of facials is
the Hydradermie Double Ionisation, a one-hour
treatment that includes a thorough cleanse and
exfoliation followed by application of mild-scented
serums tailored to each client. Ionised currents pass
through the skin via electrode rollers and while
there’s barely a hint of prickling, the delicate rolling
sensation is intensely soothing. It’s followed by a
facial massage and hydrating mask to leave skin
sparkling and rejuvenated. The Hydradermie is
available at Guinot salons across Australia. From
$110. More: 1300 300 954; guinot.com.au.
SHARON FOWLER
ICEBREAKER
MERINOLOFT HALO
HOOD, $349.95
BAGAN in central Myanmar is one of the most popular and important ports on
cruises along the Ayeyarwady River but for those who wish to tarry longer in this
sacred archeological zone of more than 2000 ancient stupas, pagodas and temples,
there’s a new bolthole that makes for the most comfortable of explorer base
camps. Opened in August last year, the 85-room Bagan Lodge offers three
accommodation categories, including the right-royal Queen Victoria Suite, but
even the most pernickety of guests would surely be content in a Deluxe chamber
with ceiling fan, gleaming wooden floors and cane furniture. The look is colonial-
chic (Rudyard Kipling and W. Somerset Maugham are given a nod in the names of
suites), featuring tent-like canopy roofs, shady verandas and the lovely Tiffin Box
restaurant. There’s a resort-style pool (reclining on a lounger and reading George
Orwell’s Burmese Days with a chilled drink to hand seems almost obligatory) and
a selection of tours on offer, including jaunts by horse-drawn carriage or
chauffeured car journeys around the attractions of Bagan, which is considered to
be Myanmar’s equivalent to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. More: bagan-lodge.com.
SUSAN KUROSAWA
HOMEANDAWAY
BOOK the window
stateroom category
on selected APT 2015
14-day Russian river
cruises by October 31
and receive free return
flights, including taxes;
savings of up to $5300
a couple;
aptouring.com.au.
THE newly
established Le Parc
Naturel de la Mer de
Corail in New
Caledonia covers
about 450,000ha of
coral reefs with 25
species of marine
mammals and myriad
types of sharks, birds
and sea turtles;
haveitall.com.au.
COMPANION
Cruising’s new app
enables users to view a
noticeboard of solo
travellers looking for a
cruise buddy, check
specials and request
quotes. Free for iPad 2,
3, Air and Android
devices.
RAVEN Travel
Guides produces PDF
downloads of up-to-
date information on
budget-wise
accommodation,
dining, transport,
entertainment and
cultural experiences
in Germany. Free
samples are available;
ravenguides.com.
STAY: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo
This luxuriously rustic hotel with an environmental
focus is located in the village of Machu Picchu Pueblo,
112km from Cusco (you catch the bus from the village
to Machu Picchu). Its beautifully appointed, spacious
guestrooms feature open fireplaces and there’s a great
spa — mandatory after hiking around the World
Heritage site; inkaterra.com.
ESCAPE: Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado
At a lower altitude than nearby Cusco, on the banks of
the rushing Urubamba River, the hotel provides the
perfect environment in which to relax after exploring
the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Make sure you
take the time to enjoy a Sacred Valley massage and a
few soothing minutes feeding the hotel’s alpacas;
riosagrado.com.
SHOP: Sol Alpaca
A must-visit for beautiful alpaca products, including
throws, wraps, jumpers and other clothing. There are
stand-alone Sol stores in Lima and Cusco, but the
group’s products can also be found in other outlets,
including airport shops; solalpaca.com.
DRINK: Museo del Pisco
The pisco sour is Peru’s national cocktail and this
Cusco bar has every conceivable variation on the
theme. It attracts locals and tourists alike and is great
fun (but be warned of the potency of a pisco sour when
consumed at altitude); museodelpisco.org.
EAT: MAP Cafe at Museo de Arte Precolombino
This delightful cafe within the Cusco-based art
museum offers exceptional Peruvian cuisine, a top
wine list and fabulous service; cuscorestaurants.com.
SNACK: Museo Mario Testino
At photographer Mario Testino’s fascinating gallery
in Lima, there is a lovely little cafe where you can
enjoy a snack in the pretty courtyard after you’ve
checked out the photos and art collection; mate.pe.
TREAT: Central Restaurant
Quite rightly voted one of the top 50 restaurants in
the world, Virgilio Martinez’s food — Peruvian with
a twist — at this Lima dining spot is exquisite, with a
wine list to match. Nothing is too much trouble for
the staff. It’s an experience not to be missed;
centralrestaurante.com.pe.
Travelling Divas is an agency specialising in boutique,
small-group tours for women, including Peruvian
itineraries. More: travellingdivas.com.au.
THEINSIDERSPERU
ANDREA POWIS
FOUNDER, TRAVELLING DIVAS
KEEP cosy from city to
slopes with Halo Hood,
a warm, waterproof
slimline jacket that rolls
into a neat bundle for
packing. Available for
men and women, it
features MerinoLOFT, a
lightweight insulation of
premium ethically
sourced wool fibres, and
stays warm even when
wet. More: 1800 909 151;
icebreaker.com.
SHARON FOWLER
ACCESSORY
THE
INCIDENTAL
TOURIST
I KNOW James Bond is partial to strutting around
not-quite-enveloped in a dressing gown, but whether
your robe is monogrammed silk or cotton towelling, I’m
guessing that unlike the famous spy, it’s not something
you’d want to be spotted in.
Me neither. With one exception. When I’m at a spa.
To be happy enough to be seen by strangers wandering
around in a bathrobe, I have to be very comfortable in
my surroundings.
So I have to confess that during my recent stay at
Lime Wood, it was a struggle to change into something
a little more refined come dinner.
When I first visited this spa hotel in New Forest in
the south of England, the Herb House Spa was a hard-
hat zone.
Since then, this former hunting lodge has well and
truly brushed away the dust, and found itself in favour
with the celebrity elite while maintaining its laid-back
air. Lime Wood is 90 minutes’ drive from west London
and set in handsome landscaped grounds, with the
forest and its ponies a short walk beyond.
I’m sure Lime Wood is already awash with awards
but if I were to add one extra to its armoury, it would be
for the fact it offers a retreat in which you could easily
spend all day.
A morning at Lime Wood can include anything from
a dip in the indoor pool, a high-adrenalin spin session
(with a post-session detoxing juice in the spa’s Raw and
Cured food bar), a workout in the timber-panelled gym,
or a yoga class in the roof garden. And, for afters, a
lunch of home-smoked salmon.
Make sure you have time to fit in a chef’s tour of the
smokehouse during your stay, as well.
Still with me? OK, good, because here’s where Lime
Wood really excels.
It’s time to hit the treatment rooms. There’s a vast
menu of massages, body scrubs, wraps and the like to
choose from. I decided on the Bamford rose relaxing
upper body and facial massage.
How brilliant to combine a massage and a
facial — surely what every girl desires? It involved
buttering me in a garden’s worth of floral ointments
and left me dribbling into the pillow. Always a
good sign.
Parts of the spa look out into the forest, so you can
easily while away the rest of the afternoon drifting
between the sauna, the steam room, the caldarium,
the indoor pool and the huge hydropool, which has
enough jet pummelling options to keep you water
bound for hours.
And even if the weather’s not on your side, with
the volume of steam rising from the outdoor hot pool
you can be sure of a warming visit.
By this point, I guarantee you will be so comfortable
in your Egyptian cotton robe that you will feel perfectly
suitably dressed to savour a glass of white wine from
the local, award-winning Wickham Estate in the spa
bar. Well, isn’t that what 007 would do?
● limewoodhotel.co.uk
THE SPECTATOR
Dressed for excess in Egyptian cotton
CHARLOTTE SWIFT