SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW A dozen of Bazaar’s favourite writers reveal the places that make them happy
Twelve of Bazaar’s favourite writers reveal the magical places they enjoy most in the world
Stockholm
SWEDEN
‘Ett Hem (www.etthem.se) is an astonishingly harmonious hotel, exquisite but not intimidating, tiny without being claustrophobic, classy but – like Stockholm itself – classless. On a cherished “cousin-break” we loved immaculate breakfasts in the sun-filled conservatory, lazy afternoons with homemade cake on sheep-skin terrace chairs, evenings in the hygge-inspired chic sitting-room with its ancient wood-burning stove, and nights in spotless bedrooms warmed by real fires. This hotel is joy: situated by the Humlegarden, designed by Ilse Crawford, loved by us.’ esther and emma freud
Venice
ITALY
‘Happiness for a writer can be a level of concentration. We seek beautiful places where we can productively be alone. When I was very young, I found the Danieli in Venice (www. danielihotelvenice.com), a sweeping old palazzo that has long since become a hotel facing the Grand Canal. I love the crisp linen and the Murano glass. I love the ghosts of former dreamers. I was 29 when I first went there, and I have returned many times since, eager to feel again the breeze at the window and write through the morning before going out to lose myself in the old streets. No matter the chatter, one is always alone in front of a masterpiece.’ andrew o’hagan
Masai Mara
KENYA
‘Sala’s Camp (www.thesafaricollection.com) in the heart of the Masai Mara combines nature at its most raw, and civilisation at its most refined. We sat in the cool sand of a dry riverbed below the camp and feasted in front of a fire pit, while a mother and baby elephant had their own meal 50 metres away in the dusk. Lions circled the camp at night but, protected by Masai tribesmen in scarlet robes, we slept soundly in a tent with polished wood floors, a free-standing copper bath, and every comfort imaginable. A strange and unforgettable bliss.’ SASHA SLATER
Cape Town
SOUTH AFRICA
‘On the maternal slopes of Table Mountain is the Belmond Mount Nelson (www. belmond.com), a grand hotel of the old school, dignified yet welcoming. I have afternoon tea there when in Cape Town, sitting on the verandah that looks down towards the Dutch East India Company gardens. I catch up with friends, and we talk about what is happening in this heartbreaking, vibrant country. The Belmond behind us is a magnificent galleon in full sail, just as a great hotel should be.’ ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH
Georgia
UNITED STATES
‘At the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds on Lake Oconee, Georgia (www. ritz carlton.com), we woke at dawn to herons rowing lazily over the surface of the water, and to deer nuzzling the path outside our cottage. We fished, we read in slowly swaying hammocks, we roasted marshmallows on open fires. We swam, we ran along forest paths, we kayaked misty inlets. We were always hungry and the food was always good. And now, whenever I’m feeling dreary on the Northern Line, I think of that lake, of that hotel, and of the me that lives on there, in the joy-filled openness of that happy, sunlit place.’ ALEX PRESTON
New York
UNITED STATES
‘My favourite place on Earth is the Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle in New York (www.rosewoodhotels.com). It’s not just the gallant pianist who plays my favourite tunes with love shining out of his eyes; nor the icy Martinis that come with “seconds” in a small glass bottle, accompanying the main drink like a hell-bent bridesmaid; nor the pale gold lighting that flatters and almost purrs – no, it’s the sense I get there that the world has stopped at the best possible moment and it’s all mine. “You know, I think I’d like to die here,” I always say to the head barman. “Not tonight though please Madam,” he grins, quick as a flash.’ SUSIE BOYT
Inle Lake MYANMAR
‘It doesn’t really matter where you stay here; for, as long as you have a cabin on stilts and a deck, and a willing boatman, you will have – cliché alert – the experience of a lifetime. Every day we phut-phutted to see floating farms or temples and watched children in spotless uniforms canoe themselves to school like pint-size gondoliers. Or just tooled around gawping at the timeless wonders of a whole watery ecosystem: the fishermen standing with one leg in the boat and the other cocked around the oar, the women weaving bold, striped silks for the ubiquitous longyi. It is cool and serene, as the highland lake sits 900 metres above sea level, with milky dawns and sunsets so majestic and sublime that every day I broke Don McCullin’s first rule of photography (no family, no pets, no sunset). Go, before it gets Starbucked like everywhere else.’ RACHEL JOHNSON
Hydra GREECE
‘Leonard Cohen fell in love wit Marianne on Hydra, the Greek isl nd from which cars and motorbike are excluded. The Four Seasons (w w. fourseasonshydra.gr) – not par of a well-known hotel chain but th rooms called Spring, Summer c – feels remote, but its lovely beac is
t are just six heavenly bedrooms and t restaurant makes the best spanako ta on the island. As the sun sets, t donkeys jingle their way home al g the coastal track to the open fiel . I can hear their smile.’ JULIET NICOL ON
Cartagena COLOMBIA
‘I stayed at the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara (www.sofitel.com) when I was speaking about the Romanovs at the Hay Festival Cartagena. The entire city enthralled me with its gorgeous cruel gaudiness, gluttonous sensuality and absolutely tameless lushness, and I was delighted by the history, the literature, the people, the food and the hotel. There, magical realism is just real.’
SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
New Mexico UNITED STAT
‘La Doña Luz Inn in Taos, New Mexico (www.ladonaluz.com), is a rambling adobe bed and breakfast that seems to have grown organically over 200 years. There is barely a square inch of its brightly coloured rooms that isn’t covered with Mexican rugs and local paintings, images of the saints, embroidered cushions and wooden carvings in glorious profusion. Fresh food is served in a little courtyard, filled with flowers and plants. I was there for a family christening with all the people I love most, and the joy we felt was matched by the eccentric exuberance of this lovely place.’ ARTEMIS COOPER
Bentota SRI LANKA
‘Lunuganga in Sri Lanka (www.geoffreybawa.com) is the architect Geoffrey Bawa’s country estate and hotel. My husband – also an architect – is a real Bawa fan, so we made the pilgrimage with our son Felix about 10 years ago. I remember the smell of cinnamon wafting in the gardens, the extraordinary meal we ate on the terrace looking out over a sweeping landscape. The food – traditional Sri Lankan home cooking – consisted of exciting delicacies in every spice and flavour you could imagine. There is a sense of joy and beauty in each detail of the hotel (Bawa’s aesthetic even extended to the cows in the outlying fields, which had to be black and white, to add to the effect).
Gorgeous!’ JILL DAWSON
Lake Como ITALY
‘It was not the exquisite formality of the saffron-coloured palace, or my silk-brocaded suite with the balcony overlooking Lake Como on which I played cards with my best friend long into the scented nights. The silent-footed staff who tended to my frivolous desires – from croissants in bed to hot crisps in a silver dish at midnight – could have been fairy-tale characters, atoning with present perfection for past faults; but the true reason I still long for the Villa d’Este (www.villadeste.com) is that it’s where I first fell in love. I was 13, he two years older, the handsome son of a famous film director. He bought me fresh orange juice in the piano bar; introduced me to the music of Aretha Franklin; and broke my heart when he went back to boardingschool, and the golden holiday was over.’
LYDIA SLATER