Simply the best
Here are our top finds of 2019 to keep you inspired to keep peeping over the garden wall, writes Brian Johnson.
Mid-20th century British travel author Eric Newby once wrote that people travel simply because they feel compelled ‘‘to find out what is over the seas, over the hills and far away, around the corner, over the garden wall . . .’’
We’re driven, he added, by amusement, sheer curiosity and a romantic, reasonless longing.
That’s the restless spirit that energises our wandering writers. So when we asked them to nominate the year’s best finds, we weren’t surprised at the cascade of suggestions that resulted. From the remotest island in the Andaman Sea to our cosy capital, the steamy South American rainforest to New York’s urban jungle, we’ve had some cracking finds of 2019.
Best food delicacy: Snow crab in Kinosaki, Japan
A winter visit to onsen resort Kinosaki has an added pleasure as snow crabs are harvested from the Sea of Japan. At $200 a crab, none of the delicacy is wasted, from innards to tender, fluffy meat. Try it sashimi style, grilled, boiled or in a hot pot. Sometimes a simple vinegar dip is all you need to complement the flavour. See visitkinosaki.com.
Best wine experience: Cognac producer, France
Bordeaux is a wine-focused cruise region, but a shore excursion with Uniworld, available on its Connoisseur Collection cruises, shows what else can be created from its famous vineyards. A visit to Remy Martin in Cognac demonstrates how cognac is created with a tasting of three cognacs, accompanied by an informative master blender. See uniworld.com.
Best beer: Real ale, England
Yes, it’s flat and it’s probably warm, too. But ‘‘real ale’’, or cask ale, is small-batch British beer the way it’s supposed to be drunk. Part of the fun is the venue: find a pub in Britain that boasts the ‘‘Cask Marque’’, and you’ll find a cosy and friendly place for a pint. The other part of the fun is the beer itself: no filtering, no pasteurisation, no carbonation. Just flavour. See cask-marque.co.uk.
Best bar: Ben Fiddich, Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo can often feel like it has an infinite number of options for a night out, from dive bars to Michelin stars, but it’s hard to find anywhere more inventive than Ben Fiddich. This cocktail bar is in an unremarkable tower block in Shinjuku, but inside it feels like you’ve stepped into the mind of eccentric alchemist and barman Hiroyasu Kayama. In more ways than one, his creative drinks are mind-blowing, many made with herbs and spices he selects from an impressive display of jars. See facebook.com/BarBenfiddich/.
Best festival: Wellington on a Plate
Any city can host a two-day festival, but only in Wellington does the feasting last for 31 days. Held in August, you’ll need your stretchy pants to survive Dine Wellington, a two-week extravaganza showcasing the city’s best chefs, followed by Burger Wellington, a two-week binge of buns, barbecue sauce and more than 200 types of burgers. Cocktail Wellington runs for the whole month, and Beervana is held over two days at Wellington Stadium. See visawoap.com.
Best restaurant: Cabbanes, Mykonos
It is best known as a party island but Mykonos is also home to some fine restaurants, none better than Cabbanes at the Myconian Villas. Arrive early enough to savour the sunset with your predinner drink, then be prepared for an elegant succession of dishes – from sea bass carpaccio with cucumber granita to grilled prawns with pickled watermelon. See myconianvillas.gr.
Best overwater villa: Likuliku Lagoon Resort, Malolo Island, Fiji
Suspended above a coral reef teeming with tropical fish, the 10 overwater villas at the adults-only Likuliku Lagoon Resort are coveted by loved-up couples who like to dip their toes in the water without ever having to go far to do it. Watch colourful sea creatures through windows in the lounge room floor, and balcony ladders allow guests to lower themselves into the sea for a swim or snorkel. See likulikulagoon.com.
Best palace hotel: Taj Falaknuma, Hyderabad
From the moment you arrive in a horse-drawn carriage amid a shower of rose petals, everything about your stay at the elegant marble palace of the Hyderabad Nizams is memorable, from the stained glass windows to the baroque ceilings, the fabulous frescoes to the antique ivory snooker table, on which you can play a game. See tajhotels.com.
Best onboard festivity: White Night Party, Azamara
On cruises of seven nights or more (and weather permitting), this deck party is the most relaxed, enjoyable evening at sea: sociable without being raucous, accompanied by live music, and catered with an extravagant barbecue buffet. Remember to pack your white clothes to fit in. See azamara.com.
Best cruise ship food: Oceania Riviera
Oceania Cruises’ fleet of six luxurious mediumsized ships is consistently awarded for its food, and on Oceania Riviera you see why in the little things: authentic croissants made with French butter, a perfect espresso in a proper cafe setting, or a fresh power bowl from an extensive plant-based menu. And then there are the remarkable specialty restaurants that are included in the fare.
See oceaniacruises.com.
Best environmental advances: Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen
In July 2019, the world’s first hybrid cruise ship had its maiden voyage. The Roald Amundsen is powered by light marine diesel fuel, with eight lithium ion battery packs that kick in when extra power is needed, reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by an estimated 20 per cent. In 2020, it will sail in North America, South America, Antarctica and through the Northwest Passage. See hurtigruten.com.au.
Best flight: Business class, Japan Airlines
In the bland world of air travel, JAL’s businessclass cabin still retains a sense of Japanese-ness, especially in its faultless service and outstanding in-flight meals. Even if you request a snack, you’re served delicate grilled tuna with braised radish and steamed rice. Everything is just right, as you’d expect of Japan. See jal.co.jp.
Best airport hotel: TWA Hotel, JFK Airport, New York
Airport hotels are rarely exciting but JFK’s new TWA Hotel is the exception. Housed in Eero Saarinen’s former TWA terminal, it is a joyous celebration of the golden era of jet age travel. Guests check-in at airline-style counters while an old-fashioned mechanical flight board clicks
through fictional departures. And there’s a retro cocktail lounge in a 1958 Lockheed Starliner aircraft. See twahotel.com.
Best new lounge: Qantas First, Changi Airport, Singapore
Qantas’ collaborator David Caon alongside hospitality designer, Kelvin Ho, have masterminded a wonderful new First Lounge at Changi. Then there’s that food by Neil Perry and service by Sofitel. Considerable thought has gone into creating an intimate, personal and uplifting experience. See qantas.com.
Best departure: Auckland International Airport
If only every airport looked like this. Auckland Airport is building one of the best airports in the southern hemisphere and one that is capable of handling 40 million passengers a year. A refurbishment of its restaurant precinct also earned it top honours at the 2019 Airport Food & Beverage Awards. There’s even a pizzeria that’s the best in Oceania. See aucklandairport.co.nz.
Best old town: Gdansk, Poland
Those who remember Solidarity and its dockworkers’ strike may expect a grim industrial town, but long before the anti-communist movement, Gdansk (or Danzig) was a proudly independent Hanseatic port that flourished on Baltic Sea trade. The handsome old town fuses German and Scandinavian architectural styles and has a rich history. See gdansk.pl.
Best small island: Sumilon Island, The Philippines
This tiny island was The Philippines’ first marine protected area. Just a 10-minute boat ride from Cebu, day trippers travel to its famed sandbar. But stay in the island’s only resort and you’ll have the rest for yourself. There are four iconic dive sites, though there’s pristine coral straight off the beach See bluewatersumilon.com.ph.
Best neighbourhood: Sant Antoni, Barcelona
Sant Antoni is Barcelona’s best neighbourhood. You’ll find traditional vermouth bars spilling on to the tree-lined streets, modern cafes that do a decent flat white, restaurants that range from the oldschool to the avant-garde, and one of the city’s best markets. See barcelonaturisme.com.
Best island: Moorea, French Polynesia
Tahiti has the famous name but ought to be avoided. Bora Bora is gorgeous yet pricey and overpolished. Moorea, though, ticks every box. Pyramidal mountains, lush jungle, and the island is ringed with a lagoon. See tahititourisme.com.
Best small town: Getaria, Spain
High on Spain’s rugged north coast lies the charming village of Getaria, a port town with far more than meets the eye: some of the world’s best seafood is found there, and there’s also a museum dedicated to Getaria’s favourite son, designer Cristobal Balenciaga. See euskadi.eus.
Best coastal hub: Tangier, Morocco
This former hangout for Matisse, Kerouac, Burroughs, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, is a most exciting destination. Feel the influences of the world in Tangier: the Romans; the Arabs; the Portuguese; the French; and those beat poets and musicians in classic cafes. See visitmorocco.com.
Best winter activity: Jungfrau, Switzerland
With 200 kilometres of groomed heaven and limitless backcountry potential spread across two valleys and three ski resorts, the Jungfrau Ski Region ranks as one of Switzerland’s biggest. Add sledging runs, scenic helicopter flights, kayaking on Lake Brienz, year-round skydiving and paragliding, backcountry snowshoeing, and an outdoor ice skating rink, and you’ll soon understand why there’s a lot of winter fun to be had there. See jungfrau.ch.
Best bike ride: Lon Las Cymru, Wales
Traversing Wales from Cardiff to Holyhead, this little-known 400km route may well be the United Kingdom’s best multi-day bike ride. Setting out from the Welsh capital, it detours east to book nirvana in Hay-on-Wye, then crosses the grain of the country to hit the coast at the seaside town of Barmouth. Along the way, it passes through Wales’ spectacular national parks, Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons. See cycle.travel/route/lon_las_cymru.
Best retreat: Dai Bosatsu, New York
The Catskill Mountains, in upstate New York, are riddled with surprises, and one of the best is an authentic Zen temple that would not look out of place in Kyoto. Several times a year, the Zen Studies Society runs a three-day introductory retreat for US$250 (NZ$378). The austere meditation can be a shock, but you will leave lighter. See zenstudies.org/dai-bosatsu-zendo.
Best rail journey: Royal Windsor Steam Express, UK
Running every summer from June to September, this new weekly sightseeing service between London Waterloo and Windsor revives the nostalgic era of steam travel. Pulled by a Mayflower B1 Class steam locomotive, splash out on Pullman Class and you’ll enjoy a Champagne brunch in an opulent wood-panelled dining carriage. See royalwindsorsteamexpress.co.uk.
Best snorkelling: Havelock Island, Andaman Islands
It’s rare to step off a beach and enjoy world-class snorkelling, but that’s what’s on offer at Havelock Island in the remote Andaman Islands. Come faceto-face with butterfly fish, giant parrotfish, large schools of snapper and fast-moving rays, and swim with the turtles that lay their eggs on the beach. See andamantourism.gov.in.