Jetsettersblog

SENSATIONAL SPANISH  Click graphic for Shanghai Restaurant guide.The brainchild of Chef Xavier Franco – the owner of Michelin-starred Saüc in Barcelona – new MareNostrum in Beijing is a class act. Celebrating its opening in October, the sleek restaurant dishes up sensational modern Spanish cuisine (including the best tapas in town) and some of the finest wines around.

STOP YOUR WINE-ING

From China’s largest wine purveyor – ASC Fine Wines – comes the ASC Wine Residence in Shanghai. Opened in December, The Residence is located in a beautiful, 101-year-old building; the former residence is a hub for wine education and appreciation. There’s a fine dining restaurant, a tasting room, and an extensive underground cellar with climate control systems to store private collections.

NUMBER NINE

Throwing open its doors in early December, No. 9 Garden serves delicate Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Located in Jian Se Liu Ma Lu, one of Guangzhou’s most popular streets, the eatery features 27 private rooms overlooking a traditional Chinese courtyard. 　

DELIGHTFUL

Just over one hour drive from Beijing, Delights Bar & Restaurant, one of a handful of new dining establishments in Tianjin’s new Technological Development Area (TEDA), caters to a diverse crowd with a comfortable street-level bar adjoining a wine tasting room, and an upstairs restaurant serving good international fare. The nightly live music is a pleasant touch.

“H” MARKS THE SPOT  Click > > >

Set to open before the end of 2008, “Project H” is already creating waves around Beijing. Occupying the top floor of the new Nali Mall in Sanlitun, the entertainment complex (by the owners of bar Alfa) features Spy Bar – a chic lounge with yummy drinks – Boheme fusion restaurant, and arguably the best rooftop terrace in town.

The Food of China A comprehensive, entertaining historical and ethnographic account of Chinese food, from the Bronze Age to the twentieth century. After showing how food has been central to Chinese government policies, religious rituals, and health practices from the earliest times, E.N. Anderson turns to present-day China, describing in rich and enticing detail the regional varieties in Chinese diet, food preparation, and rituals of eating and drinking.

WHO’S A PRETTY CAFE?

Established by the King Parrot Group – the brains behind Shanghai’s Absolut Icebar – the new Shanghai Parrot Café features some of the most interesting decor in town. Fusing trinkets and furniture from across the globe, the large café-cum-restaurant dishes up a tantalising mix of Italian and Mexican. GOOD EVENING VIETNAM The fourth outlet in the restored villa of the Foreign Culture Club (FCC), Club Vietnam is a gorgeous new restaurant/bar/film space, serving quality Vietnamese cuisine alongside weekly film nights. GOING FOR (LIQUID) GOLDHome to two huge brew tanks, the recently re-opened Bund Brewery means business. The house “Bundlander” beers are delightful, and come in a range of strengths and colours, including Dawn blond beer and Dusk black beer. The restaurant features international cuisine, but who needs to eat when you can indulge in a meal in a glass?

RETAIL THERAPY

TIME TO SHOP

Not far from People’s Square, the sprawling Shanghai Times Square mall keeps getting bigger and bigger. Look out for the likes of DKNY, Maison Mode, Stefanel and Gucci. There’s also a lovely new Baccarat store for those looking to pick up a chandelier – and who isn’t?

I AAM CLASSY

Housed in two beautiful warehouses (open to the public in Xinle and open by appointment in the new Garden Club), AAM (Ancient and Modern Furniture and Design) sells some of the most stunning furniture you’ll find in China. Aside from unique interpretations and reproductions of classic Chinese furniture, AAM stocks homewares and a collection of Chinese antiques.

METRO MALL

Due to open before Christmas, the new Metro Mall around People’s Square subway station features a whopping 8,000 square metres of retail space. The shopping hub will also facilitate faster passenger changes between subway lines 1 and 2, and will link commuters in with the new line 8 as well.

HOT EVENTS

YOU CAN RING MY BELL

To mark the Chinese New Year, every year 108 honoured Buddhists ascend the Drum Tower in Longhua Park to strike the temple bell at midnight on New Year’s Eve (February 7, 2008). According to ancient Buddhist doctrine, each stroke of the bell represents one kind of earthly happiness.

 

Zagat Survey Shanghai Restaurants  Travel – Foreign, Zagat Survey Shanghai Restaurants

The ultimate activity sailing holiday on Round the World ocean-going yachts is being offered for the first time in 2008 with the launch of a 4-yacht Challenger Fleet by Tall Ships Adventures (023 9283 2055 www.tallships.org).

The yachts which can accommodate a crew of up to 18, will operate 7 night sails around Madeira, the Canaries and Balearics from January 2008 to offer a contrast to crewing a traditional twin-masted tall ship which will be operating 10-night discovery voyages around the Caribbean.

The 72-feet long Challenger yachts will sail together to provide a competitive race element. While holidays will appeal to anyone who has experience of sailing anything from a dinghy to a small yacht, participants can be non sailors while sails are open to anyone aged from 16 to 75.

“These steel-hulled yachts were designed to sail around the world the wrong way, so they will offer a safe, fast and exciting challenge for all,“ said Tim Law, marketing and operations director. “With our 60 metre brig we can offer everyone the best of both worlds and the opportunity to experience two unique and memorable sailing experiences.”

•As an introductory offer sails on the Challenger yachts will start at £199 for 7-nights in Madeira in January

•Ten-night Caribbean voyages on the tall ship STAVROS S NIARCHOS, operate from Barbados from 1 February to 6 April. Prices from £699 per person

•A 25-night Atlantic voyage from Tenerife to Barbados departs 6 January 2008 and costs £999pp

•All sails include full board but do not include flight connections

The 107 year-old wilderness adventure program of the Sierra Club, Sierra Club Outings, has signed on with NativeEnergy Travel Offsets of Burlington, VT, to offer trip participants the ability to calculate and offset the carbon emissions generated by their domestic or international travel enroute to their gateway destination.

Megan Epler Wood, NativeEnergy Travel Offsets’ (http://www.outings.sierraclub.org) will feature a co-branded landing page, linked to during the trip reservation process, where its travelers can opt to make a specific monetary commitment to offset their travel (air or land) to the gateway of their specific trip.

“We’re proud to be working with NativeEnergy Travel Offsets, who we feel provides the best solution currently on the market for our trip participants,” says Tony Rango, director of Sierra Club Outings. The Sierra Club Outings Program has been offering wilderness adventure since 1901. In 2006, they accommodated nearly 4,000 guests on 350 separate itineraries around the country and abroad. In addition, the Club’s chapters take about 150,000 participants yearly on local outings.

“This affiliation is in line with the Sierra Club’s overall mission of running low-impact trips,” says Rango. “Travel — especially flying — emits greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. It’s unrealistic to eliminate flying altogether, but with NativeEnergy’s help we can take a step toward reducing overall emissions.”

Rango says that airline travel accounts for about 2 percent of global carbon emissions. For example, just one roundtrip flight from San Francisco to Paris emits over four metric tons per passenger, compared to an average usage of 20 tons per American per year.

Rango says that the new affiliation with NativeEnergy Travel Offsets will assist the Sierra Club in its mission to reduce U.S. emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. This represents a 2 percent reduction per year for the next 40 years. But, he cautions, carbon offsetting does not absolve us from reducing our emissions, nor does it “undo” the carbon we emit. It must be viewed as part of an overall strategy in addition to purchasing fuel-efficient cars, investing in more efficient appliances, and flying less frequently.

“Reducing your personal carbon footprint is only part of the picture,” Rango says. “It needs to be coupled with far-reaching legislation and effective activism.”

“Travel is still a positive force,“ Rango explains. He points out that many international destinations, especially those in developing nations, face tremendous economic pressures to destroy their natural resources. Responsible, sustainable tourism can provide a strong financial incentive to protect those resources. In addition, Sierra Club Outings educates its participants on the environmental struggles faced by the places they visit and gives them the opportunity to help.

Rango says the Sierra Club selected NativeEnergy (http://www.nativeenergy.com/) after going through an extensive research and proposal process. NativeEnergy came out on top for, among other attributes, its high-quality, renewable energy projects, its transparency and customer service.

NativeEnergy Travel Offsets’ team of industry veterans (http://www.nativeenergy.com/NETO/team.html) is committed to reducing the environmental impacts of the travel industry, while making these companies work more efficiently as businesses.

It is a young company (established on October 18, 2006) that is charged by its parent firm, NativeEnergy (founded by Tom Boucher and Tom Stoddard in 2000), to target travel companies willing to make their operations and tours carbon neutral.

(The Intertribal Council on Utility Policy (http://www.intertribalcoup.org/) a non-profit organization of Great Plains Tribes, holds a majority equity interest in NativeEnergy.)

Cottars is undoubtedly the greatest classic Safari camp of all time. The history, the pedigree, and the 80 years of experience have all earned this family Safari tradition an undisputable title as the authentic original.

Experience the original spirit and essence of safari, reminiscent of a golden era of romance, adventure, and elegance. With its pristine setting, panoramic views, and boundless game, Cottars 1920s Camp is an idyllic spot for the traveler who is looking for an authentic and luxurious safari.

Situated in an exclusive area near the Masai Mara National reserve in Kenya, the camp’s grounds have has remained untouched by tourism and development – allowing guests to experience Africa the way earlier explorers once did. Guests will enjoy stylish, opulent accommodations in romantic white canvas tents, furnished with original safari antiques from the 20s, private en suite dressing rooms and bathrooms, and a romantic outdoor veranda.

Once settled in, guests can choose from the many activities offered at Cottars. The more adventurous guest can takes guided walks through the game parks with trained trackers and professional guides and encounter the wildlife up close and personal. Guests can also go on exciting night drives (with an option to be steered in an oxen pulled wagon) to star gaze under the rich African sky. On lazier days, guests can take advantage of the complementary massages, manicures and pedicures offered. Butlers are also on hand to tend to guests’ needs.

Cottars was established in 1919 by Chas Cottar and has remained a family business for over 80 years. The Cottars have dedicated themselves to providing clients with real value and true adventure, and for them, safari is a way of life. The camp’s current owners, Calvin and Louise Cottar, maintain the family’s pledge to keep the vital essence of safaris alive. They do not sacrifice adventure for convenience, and eschew the over-itinerized, congested safaris that are so common these days.

Instead Cottars evokes the light, the smells, and the splendor of Africa of the golden bygone era — and provides the most discriminating traveler with a sumptuous, unforgettable adventure.