Black Tomato Blog

developments in mumbai

We’re sure you’re all as shocked and devastated as us by what’s happening in Mumbai at the moment. It is an immeasurable tragedy, and our thoughts are with the friends and families of those affected. If you have any questions on travel to the area please get in touch. Needless to say we have suspended all travel to the area for now, and will be carefully assessing the safety off all our trips to India, as well as other countries potentially at risk from now on. 

a burning secret

 ‘Volcano tourism’ is on the up. Mount Etna is at its most active in years, prompting a recent influx of tourists to the region. Etna is Sicily’s most famous volcano – if not the world’s – but not many people realise that the Aeolian arch stretches much further north, encompassing the island of Vulcano, with its bubbling hot springs, and the remote island volcano of Stromboli. If you ask us, it’s Stromboli that holds the most magic and this untouched little speck of an island, known locally as “the wild one”, is fast becoming our new secret adventure retreat. They say (half jokingly) that if you don’t climb the volcano, you won’t be invited back. Trust us, ‘Strombolian eruptions’ have to be seen to be believed: florescent magma shoots up like fireworks every 20 minutes hundreds of feet high, accompanied by an almighty roaring sound. The hike takes roughly 5 hours: 2 hours climb, 1 hour at the crater and 2 hours to descend. The rest of the time you can spend your days snorkelling off shimmery black coves, eating the freshest of seafood, or sailing around the six other Aeolian Islands. Let’s just call it our hot little secret.

SSL

travelling tipples

Black Tomato HQ on a Friday evening is a mass of activity. Generally speaking, the vino is cracked open, the music turned up a touch, and we unwind and welcome in the weekend together (what can we say, our stylish office cum gallery cum bar almost demands it).

One peek behind the bar and you’ll probably guess we are a travel company. We’ve got aged amber rum from Cuba, the tastiest tequila from Mexico, manuka honey infused vodka from New Zealand – not to mention some bottles which are so obscure looking I’m still struggling to figure out their contents and country of origin.

If you want to stock up your own cellar with some Old World wine in time for Christmas, here’s a little tip: head to the travelling wine fair at London’s Barbican Centre this weekend. There will be over 130 traditional wine growers from across France, over 500 different wines, and for £10 you’ll be able to try and buy the lot. That’s Sunday sorted then.

Even better, head out to France yourself to sip fine wine as you stroll through beautiful vineyards. Black Tomato’s favourite French chateau is nestled high in the Provence hills, with breathtaking views over private vineyards and olive groves in the valley below. It’s called the Chateau des Aspras,and with local produce on the doorstep and at least four wine producers in the area, you don't need an excuse to open a bottle or two... or even three with dinner, cooked by the in-house chef.

 SSL

china’s chic hotels

We’re excited. We love a bit of one-upmanship, and when it comes to hotels, no one does it better than China – particularly when it’s competing with itself. What’s not to like when it means that hotel standards are skyrocketing? There are some fantastically swish, ambitiously designed hotels cropping up – each seemingly more chic than the last.

We love the Intercontinental in Hong Kong for its super views, and you can’t beat the LKF Hotel’s hip location (in Lan Kwai Fong). One of our favourites is the new W Hotel. It’s a skyscraper of splendour in down and dirty west Kowloon, and it’s so hot it hurts. It has sizzling restaurants, sensual lounges and a jaw-droppingly sexy pool 700 feet above street level. We’ve been swooning over this newest addition to the W chain since its recent launch. That is until we got distracted by Shanghai’s new Park Hyatt.

The buzz about this hotel has been pretty electric. With the help of computer graphics we were kept tantalised by its superimposed image – an architectural innovation towering over Shanghai – making it an icon before construction even began. Commandeering the top 36 stories of Shanghai’s cloud-skimming Jin Mao Tower, you can literally sightsee from your king-size bed in the world’s highest hotel room.

Looking forward, the big news for Chinese hotels is the new Aman in Beijing, which is going to be Aman’s first foray into China. It'll be part of the Summer Palace complex and is going to be THE hot opening for 2009. We’re also looking forward to checking out the new Mandarin Oriental and Banyan Tree launching on Hainan Island. Back in Hong Kong, the city’s grand old dame, The Ritz Carlton, is set for a mother of a makeover when she decamps from downtown to Kowloon. We’re not sure how we feel about this one. There was something familiar about the elegantly petite Ritz as she stood, dwarfed by the younger, flashier hotels dominating the skyline. Chances are, though, we’ll be won over by her glitzy reincarnation when she opens her doors in 2010.

SSL

hot pink at selfridges

If you haven’t had a chance to swing by Black Tomato’s ‘Wall of Memories’ at Selfridges, we thought we’d give you a tasty little preview. It’s showcasing some of our favourite travel experiences captured in print, as well as some extraordinary images of your own. How does it work? Black Tomato’s virtual ‘Wall of Memories’ allows you to upload your own travel memories and each week the most inspiring image will be displayed at Selfridges for all to see and admire. We figure that Christmas shopping can be stressful, so why not stop and escape for a moment or two to some dreamy destinations on far off shores. It’s conveniently located next to Gordon’s Bar… just in case you’re inspired to take a breather and plot your own escape over a nice tall drink.

SSL

chris-miss or chris-max?

Are you a Santa lover or a Christmas scrooge? We’ve got some info to help service either category. If you are already bored of Christmas (even though November has hardly even kicked off), we’ve come up with a cunning plan to help you avoid the whole darn thing altogether.

An interesting anomaly occurs when you fly west: if you fly far enough and fast enough you’ll eventually cross the International Date Line, and jump ahead a day. This means, for example, if you leave the US on a Wednesday evening, you’ll arrive into New Zealand in the morning…. Friday morning. Thereby effectively wiping Thursday (i.e. Christmas) off the advent calendar in one crafty swoop.

Now for a little Christmas cheer. If you’d rather experience the joy of Christmas over and over, we suggest the following: On the 24 ^th December head to Poland, where Christmas Eve is by far the more significant date in terms of festive merrymaking, and carp is the specialty dish. Next, head back to Blighty to eat copious amounts of turkey and Christmas pudding on Christmas day. Next thing you know you’ll be taking in the fireworks and champagne on New Years Eve. Feeling the January blues? Jet off to Moscow (a favourite Black Tomato haunt) where Christmas is celebrated on the 7^th of January according to the Russian Orthodox religion.  Join in with an all night mass and sample "The Holy Supper", consisting of twelve different foods symbolic of the twelve apostles.

Merry Christmas! (Or not). 

SSL

political forecast: cuba to flood

Unless you’ve been orbiting outer space this week, you’ll know that Obama has made history. As of 20 January he’ll be unpacking his suitcase at the White House and aside from a sharp upturn in economic fortune in his home state of Chicago (the windy city had a lot of celebratory drinks to get through), we’ve been musing on the impact he’ll have on other travel destinations. One thing is certain: he has a game plan for Cuba.

He plans to demand “significant steps toward democracy” starting with lifting the travel ban on visiting US citizens and relaxing trade embargos. Meaning? The time is nigh to experience Cuba’s delightful time-warped charm before an influx of American people and dollars flood the island. We highly recommend clearing your calendar and heading off to explore the decaying pastel patchwork of Havana. As soon as you can.

Soak up the heady ambience infused with rum, music and cigars, and marvel at the wealth of iconography Cuba has to offer. There are vintage cars on every corner – 60,000 antique Pontiacs, Buicks are still chugging away here – colourful symbols of the feisty ingenuity of the Cuban people. Aside from its charismatic locals and the history etched into Havana, we also love Cuba for her endless fragrant tobacco fields and powder-soft white beaches.

We’re not scaremongering – it’s not going to become Miami overnight. But if you can, book now before Washington and Havana get too cozy. We’ll race you.

SSL

brrrr, it’s cold outside

With the snow in central London last week and the dark days seriously closing in, we’re feeling awfully wintery over here at Black Tomato HQ. And in true tomato style, we have only one solution for the chilly, light-deprived months – we’re seeking out a conservatory (well, sort of). While the deep purple fruits from which we take our name are snuggling up in insulated glass houses, we’re heading south for warmer climes. Migration, that’s our game. We figure the birds do it, so why can’t we? Now we understand that responsibilities at home and at work might hamper full on seasonal migration, so instead we recommend doing it in bursts. Ten days here, a long weekend there and before you know it, you’ve made it through the colder months with ample warm weather fixes.

Where do we recommend for these sun-filled escapes? Well if you’re averse to long haul then Morocco’s a safe bet – Marrakech stays mild throughout the winter. But for a true fix we have to push the Southern Hemisphere. Just picture it: diving in Cape Town in the middle of November; beach lounging in Brazil right through December; trekking New Zealand in the depths of January; and enjoying island bliss in Thailand in February. A great alternative to freezing your sock’s off…

SE