PRIVATE TRAVELLER COLLECTION

rendez-vous in Hanoi. The “city beyond the river” has been Vietnam’s capital for a century. Founded by the kind Ly Thai Ho in 1010, it was the capital of French Indochina from 1903 to 1954, before becoming that of the Socialist Republic. The city has the peaceful and elegant atmosphere of a provincial town, with broad tree-lined alleys, lakes and parks,

art-deco villas… The city follows the concept of a garden-city, in order to enhance the lakes dotted around its landscape. If Hanoi remains a symbol of the anti-colonial struggle, it has retained all of the buildings and mansions from those times. Their old-fashioned charm is captivating – especially in Phan Dinh Phung and Lo Thai To streets. Times

seems suspended. Hanoi is ideal for a romantic getaway: the locals themselves never get enough of the romantic atmosphere of lake Hoan Kiem, with its Turtle Tower, where the couples meet to go for a while, eat an ice cream and contemplate the lake’s polished waters – or visit its pagodas and Temple of Literature. Located on the banks of the

Western lake, this haven of serenity is dedicated to the greatest Eastern thinkers and philosophers. 

In the evening, one gets lost in the labyrinth of tiny alleyways in the city’s Old Quarter, which has been the heart of the city’s commercial activity. The area has retained all its authenticity, its colors

oneself into the sensual, languid atmosphere of Marguerite Duras’ novels: this year, we are celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the writer’s birth, née Marguerite Donadieu in 1914.

I look at the river. My mother sometimes says that I will never in my entire life get another chance to see such beautiful landscapes, such wilderness, the Mekong and its arms flowing down to the oceans, those territories of water bound to disappear into the oceans’ cavities.

(The Lover)

From the thriving metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, which people still call Saigon, you won’t need to drive down the 147 km road to Sadec as the writer used to do on her way back from boarding school: instead, you can sail a cruise boat called “L’Amant”. Duras’ mother was the head of the Sadec girls’ school. Aboard the ferry across the Mekong between Sadec and Vinh Long is where the iconic scene

from the novel L’Amant takes place: the young heroin aged fifteen meets “the man from Northern China”, who will be one of her great loves. Duras had initially just written captions for a book of photography. When reading them her companion Yann Andrea noticed that this was the beginning of a novel.  This is how the book was born, and was awarded the prestigious Goncourt prize thirty years ago. Nothing has changed in this “long, warm strip of land”.

The boats are sailing past and losing themselves into the river’s white, powdery light. The children stare at the sky. In the early morning, the sounds and smells of the floating market are captivating. On the quay, the house of the “lover” – in real life, he was named Huynh Thuy and was the son of a wealthy Chinese family – is still there. This gorgeous villa with its typically Chinese sculpted bannisters and curved tile roofs, packed with gold, dragons and phoenixes, was transformed into a police station for a

while, and is now a museum. The house appears to be waiting for Marguerite…

Eden in the sea of China

Back to reality – but not any reality… The Con Dao archipelago, just an hour’s flight from Ho Chi Minh City, shows a little-known face of Vietnam: paradise beaches where endless days of leisure seem to flow by. The archipelago comprises of sixteen islands, most of which are preserved within the Con Dao national park. The main island, Con Son, is car-free: at last a break from the continent’s often frantic traffic. On Bay Canh, an island famous for its magnificent wild and deserted beaches, visitors can observe the birth of green marine turtles in the Spring.

In the heart of South Beach, one of Miami’s most iconic palaces is keeping the legend alive with the opening of some fabulous new suites. See you at the Setai…

Welcome to one of America’s most beautiful beaches. Flooded with sun, it is bordered with a Art Deco masterpieces that stand as tokens of its former glory. The Setai is perhaps the most prestigious – and also the most improbable with its vintage Asian décor: the bricks in its lobby were shipped in from the old town of Shanghai. This Eastern touch has been subtly cultivated by the architect Jean Michel Gathy, and it also shows in the hotel’s delicate, thoughtful

and understated service. This makes the hotel a favourite with travellers in search of peace and exclusivity: it has become their port of call in Miami. The Setai has just been nominated as the best hotel in Miami by the very influential magazine Condé Nast Traveler.

The Eastern theme is woven though to the tropical garden leading to the beach, with its intimate terraces and swimming pools. Spending the weekend in one of the forty newly renovated suites makes for a mind-blowing experience. First of all, each room comes with exclusive services: a chamber maid to help you unpack, a personal butler and even a private car to drive you around art galleries.

With its three bedrooms, a multimedia room and a private spa, the Grand Suite is 325 square meters and is perfect for business trips. The Penthouse Suite is 930 square meters: it is considered one of the ten most extraordinary suites in the USA. Offering 360° views, it has two lounges and a private terrace with an infinity pool and a Jacuzzi: ideal for a honeymoon trip. Newlyweds will particularly appreciate the suite’s Swedish handmade Duxiana bedding, its Frette linen sheets and the bath oil’s subtle scent of neroli designed by Jean-Paul Guerlain. Pure indulgence…

The lovers of mystical moments will find their paradise in Bali, the thousand-temple island. Everywhere, spiritually permeates daily activities : in the villages, woven baskets full of herbs and flowers are left as offerings along the streets, on the fishing boats and in the markets. The Amandari Hotel, located in the tiny village of Kedewatan is no exception to this rule. Every six months, villagers walk in procession to a sacred water pond in the middle of the hotel gardens. Overlooking the rice fields and the green valley of the Ayung river, the hotel replicates the layout of a traditional Balinese village with thatched-roof luxury suites built around their private pools. In the hotel spa, you will choose the Mandi Lulur double treatment which used to be traditionally proposed for couples.

This tiny island lost in the Indian Ocean was elected the best world destination for honeymoons at the 2013 World Travel Awards. Each year around ten thousand couples come to Mauritius from all over the world to get married and find luxury, peace and a change of scene. In spite of the island’s popularity, it is still possible to find little peaceful paradises to celebrate a new union in full privacy. The Paradise Cove is one of them: this boutique hotel located on the North Coast in a little cove with a fine white sand beach offers an ideal retreat with nothing else than the ocean and islands on the horizon. Hotel guests have at their disposal four restaurants, a spa which proposes outdoor massages by the waterside and a cocktails bar on a pontoon over the indigo blue sea.

The newlyweds can take their inspiration from the refinements of the Japanese lifestyle during a holiday in Kyoto, the traditional town of the geishas. Set back from the city, along the Ooi river, is a true sanctuary of serenity: the Hoshinoya Hotel. The best time to honeymoon there is the month of April: along both river banks, the white cherry trees are in bloom as a traditional boat takes the guests to the hotel. Once in the bedrooms, put on a pair of getas (the traditional wooden sandals) and a yukata (a short cotton kimono) and discover a clean uncluttered space set up according to Japanese custom: tatami, futon beds, and sliding wood panels. And everywhere, vast windows with sublime vistas over the river and its green embankments and the mountains on the horizon.

The private island of Song Saa is a small tropical paradise lost in the Gulf of Thailand whose name means in Khmer “the lovers”. The island is part of the Koh Rong archipelago which remains today relatively untouched: desert oases of rain forest, coral reefs and white sand beaches. The island is a perfect place for a honeymoon in full privacy: it is actually there that Brad Pitt and Angelina Lolie chose to spend their honeymoon. The villas use sustainable materials respectful of the environment and are built on stilts in harmony with the marine landscape: from the living-room of the suites, decorated in a mix of contemporary and traditional styles, there is no other horizon than the waters of the private pool and of the sea.

Honeymooning does not necessarily mean living in slow motion: The Soneva Fushi Hotel offers, in addition to a dreamy spot for farniente (think endless beaches, a crystal-clear sea and palm trees for as far as the eye can see), all sorts of memorable activities: star gazing from a private observatory, yoga classes in a room perched in a tree, discovering underwater life with a resident marine biologist, or else taking an excursion to Manta Point, a spot considered as the best in the world to observe the majestic manta ray. The hotel also proposes outdoor movies under the palms and the bar serves cocktails prepared with fruit from the hotel grove. For a perfectly romantic dinner, it is possible to have a table set apart on the beach and to dine under the light of lanterns.

Grounded on a desert island let us live on love alone … in comfort. The Vamizi Hotel is situated on a twelve kilometer-long private island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Mozambique. With miles of incredibly fine sand and perfectly preserved fauna and flora, the island is a haven of peace and harmony: not a single tourist in sight. The hotel, with its simple yet luxurious decor and amenities, consists of eight villas built with amazing romanticism, like thatched roof huts dropped on the sandy beach. A large canopied white bed, veils fluttering in the sea breeze, occupies the middle of each room. Far from everything, days pass at the pace of walks along the shore. The hotel also proposes treatments in its spa, yoga classes and diving excursions to observe sea turtles and multicoloured fishes.