Gourmet – 30 Must-Do Experiences

The Triple Michelin-Starred Temple

Popsicle-pink sunsets, flooding Rome’s twinkling skyline and illuminating St Peter’s dome… the views from La Pergola (above), the rooftop-garden restaurant at the ultra-stylish Rome Cavalieri, are as delectable as the food. And that’s saying something: the only three Michelin-starred restaurant in the city, its menu brims with strokes of executive chef Heinz Beck’s genius – such as lobster gratinated with pata negra and ‘nduja. Meanwhile, the 60,000-bottle wine cellar is so sensational it could dazzle Bacchus.

The Designer Pop-Up

Why have one big-name chef when you can have four? That’s the thinking behind Enigma, an avante-garde dining space at hotel Palazzo Versace Dubai. The décor is by Versace ornamented with touches of Arabian elegance; the food – and the head chef – change four times a year. The clincher? Chefs come from only the most lauded restaurants in the world: most recently, two Michelin-starred Björn Frantzén has been turning out white mass ‘sushi’ with deer.

The Creative Afternoon Tea

Clotted-cream-clogged afternoon teas are a dime a dozen in London – so Mayfair Kitchen, scores brownie points for thinking differently. It’s the Brit tradition gone south: cucumber sandwiches are swapped for Spanish pan con tomate, and sultana-studded scones for Sicilian lemon ones (slathered with orange and nectarine preserve and vanilla mascarpone). You can even ditch the tea for an array of artisan coffees or – better yet – a jug of sangria.

The Skyscraper Snack

They say you eat with your eyes first, and when it comes to the views from Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, that couldn’t be more true. Observation Deck at 300 is the highest vantage point in Abu Dhabi – 74 floors up – and just the place for a coffee and Thai-style beef salad. A few floors down, numerous other spaces await for when evening falls and it’s time for chic fine-dining – including Pearls by Michael Caines.

The Throw-Back Cocktails

All polished wood and green velvet, The Bloomsbury’ Club Bar feels straight out of Art-Deco London. Tucked away in London’s Bloomsbury Hotel – one of the always swish, but never overwrought Doyle Collection numbers – there’s no need to fear that you’ll be sipping Aperol spritzes with the Insta-snapping crowd. Instead, this moody space is all about sophisticated inter-war tipples: Chartreuse and Bénédictine are back on the menu.

The Tea Tasting

Just like fine wine, the world’s most coveted teas come with complex, refined aromas and flavours. Get to grips with the nuances of over 50 Chinese teas – the status equivalents of Left Bank Bordeaux – at Ming Dynasty-inspired Huang Ting in The Peninsula Beijing. Their in-house tea master will take you through a tasting while you kick back under vintage-style parasols nibbling sweet dim sum.

The Gourmet Byo

What makes dining in the best restaurants even better? Washing down the food with your favourite wine. A selection of renowned London restaurants do free corkage once a week (Hawksmoor, Hix and Foxlow included), while most – like the two Michelin-starred Ledbury – will let you bring your own bottle for a corkage fee. All the more reason to get in an extra case of Pétrus from fine wine connoisseurs Corney & Barrow.

The Pintxos Crawl

You can’t move for Michelin-starred restaurants in Northern Spain’s jewel-box city San Sebastián, but real foodies know the best bites come from a txakoli-wine-fuelled night hopping between the city’s crowded pintxos bars. The sophisticated local tapas range from the gourmet – slow-cooked beef cheek at La Cuchara de San Telmo – to the downright naughty.

The Food Market

Creamy Quebec cheeses are piled high next to premium caviar, corn husks for tamale-making jostle with home-baked rhubarb tarts – you can eat the world at Toronto’s St Lawrence Market, a two-level foodhall on the Canadian city’s lakefront. Nibble your way from Chile to Cambodia at resident food stalls, then join the lunch-breaking locals queueing for Carousel Bakery’s legendary peameal bacon sandwich.

The Modern Spirit

The drinks world has gone gourmet, and that goes for spirits too – no longer are strait-laced vodkas, gins and bourbons enough. Take Oak by Absolut – a vodka that’s been oak-aged in toasted barrels and bourbon casks. It’s launching in the UK soon, but to be one of the first to add it to your home cocktail bar, pick up a bottle on your way through Gulf states’ Duty’ Free, or Stateside, try it in chic IA bar concoctions.

The Rice Terraces

Undulating, green steps dug into the hills, Bali’s rice terraces are one of the world’s great farming feats, and a mecca for serious foodies. Explore them, along with fragrant coffee and banana groves, on a day trip from Hotel Mulia Bali. Based as it is in postcard-perfect, creamy sand-lined Nusa Dua, you’re able to visit the terraces by morning, beach-laze by afternoon – and, naturally feast on nasi goreng, Indonesia’s moreish national rice dish, by night.

The Beach-Club Cheers

You haven’t truly arrived in Saint Barth until you’ve arrived at Nikki Beach. And lounging by teal surf on white sunbeds by day, and dining at candlelit tables by night, just isn’t quite right without a glass of champagne. And you are on holiday after all: so plump for the subtly briochey, full-bodied Armand de Brignac. Leonardo DiCaprio’s a fan, and has also been known to drop by…

The Seaside Seafood Dinner

There’s plenty to devour in Barbados – creamy cou cou, rum punch, chewy salt bread – but when it comes to eating fish within splashing distance of the sea, this island nails it. Every aspect of seaside chow is covered – enjoy juicy scallops on the bluff-side terrace at sumptuous The Cliff, or nibble chilli-laced fish sandwiches while wiggling toes in the sand at Cuz’s Fish Shack.

The Rooftop Sundowner

Sunsets are next-level at Baba Nest, a pool club dangling off the tip of Phuket – the sky turns fiery over the infinity pool-fringed platform bar, complete with panoramic views of the Andaman Sea. Enhance the experience with an extra-special sundowner or two – preferably a generous pour of elegant Louis Roederer. Whether you prefer brut or rose, Cristal brut or Cristal rose, they’re all here on tap. How very convenient.

The Tropical Fishing Trip

Dreamy atolls, azure sea that melts into the horizon – the Seychelles, has some of the best sports-fishing on earth, with world-beating trevally, wrasse and grouper. But you’ll find on tills island nation, that the fish for eating is just as good. Book into Creole-infused Banyan Tree Seychelles and feast on divine tuna sushi or grilled dorado. Want more? The Seychelles has brilliant rum too…

The Fruitful Spa

Mangos so plump that they burst with juice at first bite; sweet, delicate young coconuts; rich and creamy avocados; The Philippines gives good fruit. Get your fill at plush Amanpulo on jungly, azure-fringed Pamalican Island — here your five-a-day makes it past the breakfast bowl, appearing in traditional Filipino healing spa treatments. Who knew banana leaves could be so soothing?

The Chocolate Harvest

To the chocoholics: your heaven exists, and it’s called Boucan Hotel & Restaurant, in St Lucia. Owned by Brit brand Hotel Chocolat, here everything is cocoa-themed, from the restaurant to the spa – you can even visit on-site cocoa groves to see how beans become bars. Island-specialist holiday operator Turquoise Holidays can book you in to this, and heaps of other glamorous tropical breaks.

The Spice Route

Delicate Ceylon cinnamon; punchy black pepper; fragrant cardamom – Sri Lanka is as much the home of spice as it is golden-sugar sands and luminous waters. Rest your head at the brand new Shangri-La Hambantota, located on the south coast’s ancient spice route, and you’ll not only be able to tour the island’s heady ‘spice gardens’ but also get to taste their bounty in piquant jackfruit curries.

The Yacht Corker

With its wild terracotta cliffs and deep blue waters, the French Riviera is best appreciated by yacht – how else can you drop anchor in Cannes bay, pop into St Tropez for lunch or swim at Cap Ferrat? Neo Yachting will whizz you around on the sun-drenched coast – and stock your fridges to bursting point with the only acceptable drink for a Riviera jaunt, cold, crisp Laurent Perrier.

The Tropical Cookery Class

Chilled-out Tulum is the darling of the barefoot-luxe Insta-food scene – with the slow-cooked pork with cacao at trendy Hartwood, or shrimp tacos at Gitano, simply raking in the punters. Look to cook some of the finest traditional Mexicana dishes for yourself at bohemian, checkered-tablecloth Rivera’s Kitchen – homemade tortillas, black-bean soup, mole and fava bean salad are all on the menu.

The Wine Tour

Wine tasting is so much better when you don’t have to drive. And when you can visit wineries so exclusive, their doors are often shut or restricted to the public – such as Burgundy’s Maison Faiveley, or South Australia’s Rockford. That’s where wine experts Arblaster & Clarke come in. They don’t just take the wheel, they also get you into the likes of Modoc’s Château Pichon-Longueville at the click of a finger.

The Olive Harvest

Greece is the home of olive oil. Sun-baked, rugged and wild, its land is characterised by thick, knobbly olive trees – their oil, harvested each autumn and winter, is the local gold. Catch the gold rush for yourself: as a half-day harvest outing at luxury beach resort Costa Navarino in the Peloponnese. Or, on the island of Crete, pair a luxury seaside flop-and-bake with a multi-day authentic harvesting experience.

The Whisky Trail

Misty lochs, peat-scented woods, tartan-drenched hotels – there’s something deliciously old-school and brooding about following Scotland’s malt whisky trail. Chasing the finest drams in Speyside, whose styles range from light and sweet to rich and sherried, is delicious work. The highlight? A trip to Strathisla distillery, home to the epic, complex aromas and flavours of fine blended whisky Chivas Regal.

The Desert Lunch

It’s not every day that you get to have lunch among sand dunes – but on a trip to Qatar, it couldn’t be easier to mix up the skyscraping culinary hotspots of Doha – such as Market by Jean-Georges – with an epic desert feast. Stay at the lavish Four Seasons Doha, and your dune-side Middle Eastern spread will be topped off with a traditional karak tea and a puff on a shisha pipe.

The Med Café Moment

You know the moment – first day of holiday, sinking into a sun-drenched square, strong coffee in hand, flaky local pastry in the other. It’s a classic Mediterranean snapshot, and one that Malta has polished to perfection – besides a bounty of silky pastas, delicious seafood and dense sticky sweet cakes, this little island does coffee breaks expertly. Grab a ricotta-filled pastizz in Mdina, Valletta, or any of the beautiful town squares, and start kicking back.

The Truffle Hunt

There are truffle experiences, and then there’s the one at Renaissance-inspired Villa La Massa near Florence. You’ll go for a truffle hunt on a princely estate, and follow it up with a truffle-laced lunch with a bona fide princess. As if that’s not tuberlicious enough, their truffle package includes three more days of tartufo-scented activities, including a meal at Tignanello, the home of esteemed wine producers Marchesi Antinori.

The Oyster Catcher

The remarkably clean waters of Tasmania aren’t just good enough to drink – they also grow magnificent oysters. On a morning trip with design resort Saffire Freycinet, wade into the waters to collect a hefty half-dozen of the best, straight from the seabed. Crack them open while waist-deep in the bay, and knock them back alongside a glass of Tasmanian fizz.

The Best-Ever Barbecue

Forget everything you think you know about barbecue, because deep in the rolling hills of the Atxondo valley in northern Spain, grill master Victor Arguinzoniz will blow your mind. At his lauded restaurant, Asador Etxebarri, the freshest in local seafood, meat and veg is smoked and charred with a precision that raises cooking over wood to a fine art. The climax of his multi-course menu? A thinly sliced, chargrilled beef chop topped with nothing but a sprinkling of salt. Also known as: the best steak you’ll ever eat.

The Perfect Japanese Feast

Japan has some of the most lauded restaurants in the world – but it’s not just the eateries that are the foodie stars. Global hotel site Booking.com has more than 8,000 places to stay in this culinary mecca alone, many with fantastic food in their own right – from glam Tokyo skyscrapers serving the best sushi to hot-spring ryokans with multi-course kaiseki, or self-catering villas with a Mount Fuji view.

The Gourmet Slim Down

‘Diet’ and ‘delicious’ are two words that don’t go together – unless you’re at Les Prés d’Eugénie, a sumptuous country house hotel in France’s deep southwest. Three Michelin-starred chef Michel Guerard’s life-changing ‘slimming cuisine’ is nothing short of magical – his crafted three-course menus taste like they’re dripping in butter and cream, but in fact can come in at under 500 calories. Between meals, burn calories by wandering through the heavenly garden grounds or get any lingering cellulite massaged away in the extensive on-site spa.