On The Road to Mandalay: A Mission of Burma

Orient Express' Road to Mandalay sails the Irrawaddy River.

Orient Express’s Road to Mandalay.

At dusk each day, a small crowd assembles at the top of the Shwesandaw Pagoda in Bagan, Myanmar, also known as Burma. Travelers from far and near—including Buddhist monks clad in maroon robes—make the steep climb up battered, timeworn steps to watch the sun sink behind the horizon and the mighty Irrawaddy River in the distance. Orient Express’s river cruiser, Road to Mandalay, is anchored in the muddy waters awaiting a four-night sojourn that will take us 128 nautical miles upriver to the fabled city of Mandalay. Despite some clouds, the afterglow casts a golden hue over the dusty plain dotted with thousands of red sandstone pagodas of all shapes and sizes. More than 2,000 of the original 13,000 structures have survived or have been reconstructed after being toppled by earthquakes over the ages.

Starck Reality: Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris

When Le Royal Monceau opened in 1928, Paris was a magnet for artists who rebelled against convention to usher in a new age of modernism. A similar visionary spirit infuses the hotel’s recent reinvention under the auspices of the exuberant French designer Philippe Starck. Contemporary art is central to Starck’s concept for the new Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris, which reopened in December 2010 after a three-year transformation. While many five-star hotels showcase impressive art collections, Le Royal Monceau cultivates an artistic culture that is expressed through an extensive assemblage of eclectic works, an art bookstore carrying more than 700 titles, a 99-seat cinema for film screenings, a gallery space for public exhibitions, and Paris’ only art concierge, who advises and guides guests who wish to immerse themselves in the Parisian art scene.

Stage Presence: CastaDiva Debuts On Lake Como

CastaDiva Resort, Lake Como, Italy

Last summer, CastaDiva Resort made a dramatic entrance onto the Lake Como stage as the first five-star hotel to open on the lago in a century. Located in Blevio, just outside Como, the property is the former home of 19th-century opera diva Giuditta Pasta. Pasta modeled her lakefront home, the extravagant neo-Baroque Villa Roda, on Milan’s legendary La Scala opera house, where she debuted in Norma, which Vincenzo Bellini composed for her. The production features a challenging aria titled Casta Diva (chaste diva) intended to show off the soprano’s remarkable vocal range. A gathering spot for early-19th-century glitterati—including Bellini, Gioachino Rossini, and the French writer Stendhal—Pasta’s home has been painstakingly restored and rechristened Villa Roccabrunna, which now houses 10 of CastaDiva’s 75 expansive suites. In addition to the main villa, eight historic and new villas—all with stunning views—are sited throughout the terraced 6.4-acre property with towering trees, some of which are said to date back to the singer’s era.

Alpine Renewal: Gstaad’s Grand Hotel Park Makes A Comeback

Grand Hotel Park Gstaad, Switzerland

Gstaad’s Grand Hotel Park has been a landmark for 100 years. Recently, it underwent a thoroughly 21st-century renovation, opening last December after nine months of reconstruction. Dona Bertarelli, sister of the Italian-Swiss billionaire and entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli, acquired the property in 2003. She marked the hotel’s centenary with a dramatic makeover by architect Herbert Gnagi and Geneva-based interior designer Federica Palacios, who is known for her residential work in Gstaad.

Renaissance Redux: Il Salviatino’s Florentine Facelift

Il Salviatino, Fiesole, Italy

A serene retreat perched on a Fiesole hillside overlooking Florence’s Duomo, Il Salviatino has reclaimed its Renaissance-era glory days when the Salviati family’s 15th-century villa became a social hub for the local cognoscenti.

Essential Ducasse: Alain Ducasse Gets Back to Basics at Hôtel Plaza Athénée

A decade after opening his eponymous restaurant at Paris’ Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Alain Ducasse felt it was time for what he calls “radical” change, a philosophical shift in the approach to not only cooking but to the haute dining experience itself. Given the establishment’s three-Michelin-star status, and the noble expectations that engenders, it takes courage to shake things up. But with his Essentiel culinary concept, Ducasse has tapped into today’s understated spirit of luxury, which quietly emphasizes quality and authenticity over pomp and flash.