Editor's Note

Whether it’s ascending the Andes to marvel at the remote, crumbling city of Macchu Picchu or hiring a Mustang for a road trip across the US that takes in historic Route 66, most of us have a destination on our bucket list that’s particularly alluring. For me, that place was Norway, with its glaciers, fjords and Vikings. After more than four decades dreaming of a trip to the land of the midnight sun, I finally headed there last Autumn, and was awestruck as the gentle green glow of the Northern lights danced across the sky. I also tried my hand at cheesemaking (cheese with seaweed is really great – who knew?) and delighted in the sight of snow in October, which was the earliest this Brit has ever encountered it. Read all about it on our cover feature on p58.

If the sight Norway’s snow-clad mountains leave you cold, then warm up with our feature on 10 don’t-miss resorts in Southeast Asia (p76), from laid-back barefoot boutique properties like Purist Villas in Ubud to the gorgeous grandeur of the St. Regis Singapore, with its 24-hour butler service and sublime cocktails. There’s also a feature on Chiang Mai (p116), which investigates the teak wallahs, the gentlemen foresters who once resided there, with heritage hotel 137 Pillars.

Elsewhere in the issue, Nick Walton takes us on a luxury safari to the Serengeti (p108), Robyn Tucker-Peck presents a formidable round-up of private jets (p90) and we step onboard Belmond’s Pullman at London Victoria to relive the golden age of dining, with dinner cooked by the inimitable Michel Roux Jr (p100).

Wishing you a terrific new decade ahead!