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TRAVELLER
The big trend for spas in 2012,
especially in Europe, is a move away
from being simply luxurious “me treats”.
At Budapest’s Margaret Island spas
(pictured), the natural waters have
documented healing properties, so you
can address everything from arthritis to
respiratory problems. For most though,
a visit here is a relaxing social experience
– thousands of people come every day
and you’ll find them playing chess or
sunning themselves on the terrace as
Here’s a girl’s fashion pick for 2012 on
the slopes: look out for bright, block
colours on outerwear, ditsy floral prints,
Christmas-jumper chic, zebra prints,
varsity jackets and earthy tones. Cat
graphics on snowboards are pretty
popular, too. And for new places to go,
try La Thuile in Italy. It’s a stylish but
affordable small town, with a massive
ski area connected to La Rosière in
France – part of the 160km of slopes
that make up the Espace San Bernardo.
With high-altitude pistes, two glaciers
and plenty of heliskiing options, all its
well-dressed skiers have the perfect
environment to show off this season’s
looks.
SamHaddad
Galicia in Spain is our pick for a
quick gourmet hit this year. While
France pulls in the crowds and the
nearby Basque region steals the
foodie headlines, the north-west area,
centred around its capital Santiago de
Compostela, is where gourmands-in-
the-know should head. The oh-so-fresh
seafood and local delicacy
percebes
(goose-neck barnacles), plucked off the
rugged coastline by hardy fishermen,
are a big draw. However, Galicia is as
much a feast for the eyes as the belly:
check out the historical town of Noia for
Galician culture and beaches the locals
try to keep secret.
TomMarchant
Gourmet Galicia
Brighten up the slopes
The chef to watch
Scandinavian cuisine is as hot as it
gets right now and Björn Frantzén, of
Frantzén/Lindeberg in Stockholm, is
right at the forefront of this movement.
His restaurant was named the “One
To Watch” at the 2011 San Pellegrino
World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards,
organised by
Restaurant
magazine, and
is hotly tipped to enter the list in earnest
in 2012, an extraordinary achievement
considering it’s only been open a few
years. Frantzén himself is quiet and
low-key, but extremely self-confident
– he uses interesting locally sourced
ingredients (elk, bark flour, capercaillie
grouse), but not to the point of
obsession. His food is original, exciting
and full of great flavours: he serves a
dish topped with grated, dried elk penis
– er, yum?
WilliamDrew
No-nonsense spas
well as bathing. Even some of the more
upmarket spas in UK are doing “tough”
treatments – Champneys, for example,
offers the kind of cryotherapy that
top sports teams use. For something
completely different, Chodovar, in the
Czech Republic allows visitors to bathe
in beer, which is meant to benefit your
hair, complexion and immune system,
relieve muscle tension and warm
up joints. Who says alcohol can’t be
healthy?
Sarah Camilleri
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