deen

Louvre in a sea of sand

Abu Dhabi

None of them could have suspected that one day they would be present on the edge of the desert: not Leonardo da Vinci and not Henri Matisse, nor Picasso. Since November 11, their works are on display in Abu Dhabi: in the new Louvre, an architecturally outstanding mega-museum on the island of Saadiyat. What grew out of the sand here will one day stand as much for the new Abu Dhabi as the Sydney Opera does for Australia, or the Empire State Building for New York. The domed roof alone, with its ornamental openings that allow daylight to pass through, is 180 meters in diameter and spans the area of five football pitches. In the neighborhood, Frank O. Gehry will build the Guggenheim Museum Abu Dhabi and Sir Norman Foster the new National Museum. The plans are all downright spectacular.

It’s a good thing that the first thing that came into being was what is particularly important for a relaxing artistic experience: the right luxury hotels are already there, located on Saadiyat beach – a St.Regis and a Park Hyatt providing the highest of levels. Would you like to find out more and be among the first to experience and marvel at the Louvre Abu Dhabi? Together with my team, I am happy to draw up everything for you.

In bed near the elephants

Wilderness Safaris: spending the night away from the lodges

Visitors stopped by at night and made themselves comfortable in the bushes, not far from the platform with the canopy bed. There was only a crackling and creaking noise at first. Then at some point, an elephant clears its throat before finally trumpeting. Coincidentally, the sun is rising on the horizon and driving away the thin morning mist over the savannah: what a night, what a dawn! Closer to Africa than this – that’s impossible.

‘Star Beds’ is what Wilderness Safaris calls these new private platforms in the midst of nature, away from the lodges: in the branches of trees, on stilts above the traditional sleeping areas of elephants, as a lookout by the waterhole. There are currently seven of them in Botswana and three new ones in Zimbabwe. The beds are always out in the open and at a safe height – surrounded only by white mosquito nets. As an added bonus, they provide the best view of the starry sky over Africa, on these many spots shining over the continent’s wildest regions. What does all this do to you? It will never let go of you.

Photo: © Dana Allen www.photosafari-africa.com

Going on vacation the Hygge way

Trend from Scandinavia: the new desire for winter cosiness

It sounds odd when spoken out loud, it looks strange when writing it down, and there is in fact no exact translation into English – “Hygge”. The word is Danish and describes a whole attitude to life that can only be roughly grasped when compared to ‘cosiness’: togetherness is part of it, as well as security, and with a pinch of romance. Like a fireplace evening feeling with candles and a good wine. In any case, Hygge stands for the complete absence of stress – and has even developed into a travel trend in the far North: It ranges from a winter holiday in the dunes along the coast of the Danish North Sea to a Northern Lights spectacle somewhere in Swedish or Finnish Lapland – its essence lies in feeling relaxed the whole time. What makes it so appealing works just the same outside Scandinavia: why not take it all as a suggestion and travel the Hygge way? Whether for a weekend for two in a chic mountain hotel in Tyrol, the Winter Wonderland tour to the Salzburger Land or a flight to a lodge hotel in Colorado. Just let yourself drift and forget everything around you for a few days – Hygge style. You would like to try it out? We will find something suitable!

Digital Detox

Taking an analogous holiday: on a weekend trip without cell phone

It is a wonderful pleasure when the day suddenly feels twice as long again, the senses return to the bare essentials and a single weekend trip is suddenly as relaxing as the whole summer holiday: ‘Digital detox’ makes it possible – and announces itself as the next big trend. The aim is to reduce the sensory overload of the daily routine – with yoga, sport and healthy nutrition. And especially without a mobile phone! At Mandarin Oriental for instance, Digital Detox guests hand in their mobile phones at the reception for the duration of their stay – as part of the concept. I tried Digital Detox myself at the ‘Romantik-Hotel & Chalets Gut Steinbach’ in Reit im Winkl. I have rarely felt so quickly regenerated! If you like, I can tell you more about it – and arrange your short analogue holiday, there in Chiemgau or elsewhere in the world.

Photo: © Tiberio Sorvillo – Luca Guadagnini – Room Numbers / Gut Steinbach

Big kids eyes in Dubailand

New amusement parks on the Gulf: a mighty hit

Dinosaurs are there, roller coaster trains are racing through primeval times, carousels are spinning at times quite contemplatively, at times at wild speeds. World-class magicians do performances and great dance and music shows take place several times a day: Where yesterday there was desert, today there is ‘Dubailand’ – a collection of new theme parks in Dubai along the highway to Abu Dhabi. Four such mega parks have opened in close proximity to each other over the last eight months, including ‘Legoland Dubai’ and the ‘Motiongate’ film park. Many of the attractions are located indoors so that they can be enjoyed even on hot summer days. The target group: primarily families with children.

The agenda also includes a great deal more: the world’s largest Ferris wheel is to be opened in 2018, the popular “Wild Wadi” water park is to be relocated in the next few years, with a much larger facility to be reopened at a new location. You would like to stop by? With the whole family? I have the right hotel tips for you.

Photo: © DTCM