The directory
Where to sleep, eat and shop this month.
Christchurch
Stay: Hotel 115: This 37-room hotel in the heart of the city features balconies that overlook the Cathedral Junction; enjoy while trams chug along underneath.
hotel115.co.nz
Buy: Action Bicycle Club: Classic commuter bicycles are perfect for this city’s flat topography. They’re available at this concept shop, alongside all-weather bags, panniers, helmets, sweatshirts, waxed-cotton jackets and ponchos.
actionbicycleclub.com
Service: Regent Shoe Repairs: The Depression saw many cobblers relocate here from the West Coast goldfields to give city shoes and boots new life. This place does so with time-honoured techniques.
regentshoerepairs.co.nz
Breakfast: Mitchelli’s Café Rinato: The eggs, tomato and beans (drizzled with brown sage-butter) are reason enough to visit. The fact that it’s located in a restored Victorian tannery doesn’t hurt either.
mitchellis.co.nz
Drinks: Dux Central: This menagerie of dark pubs contains The Brew Bar for beer and The Emerald Room for wine, plus live music upstairs and a speakeasy out back.
duxcentral.co.nz
Lunch: The Little High Eatery: A modern food market that brings together the Pacific Rim flavours with Thai street food, the carnivorous delights of Latin America and much more besides, all dished for communal dining.
littlehigh.co.nz
Coffee: Addington Coffee Co-op: Café and roastery that distributes 70 per cent of profits to its community and international bean suppliers. The result is a flat white made for a compassionate cause.
addingtoncoffee.org.nz
Da Nang and Hoi An
Stay: Naman Retreat: Opened in 2015, this 102-room coastal hotel was designed by Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia and features a characteristic use of natural materials, including stone.
namanretreat.com
Breakfast: Wonderlust Bakery & Coffee: Having moved into bigger premises across the street, this breakfast favourite has added a retail space and extra levels with plenty of room for working. Coffee and pastries are served from 07.30.
84 1 399 0123
Buy: Couleurs d’Asie Gallery: Pack your shopping bags (and travel 45 minutes to the nearby Unesco town of Hoi An) to pick up a photograph from French photographer Réhahn, before visiting his new museum at 26 Phan Boi Chau.
rehahnphotographer.com
Service: Randy’s Book Xchange: Already finished your holiday read? Trade it in for another paperback at this library-style bookshop run by a US retiree who is usually on hand to provide recommendations.
bookshoian.com
Coffee: Six on six: You’ll find this coffee shop hidden down an alley just a short walk from My Khee Beach. Those seeking local flavour should try a traditional Vietnamese-style coffee: strong, always nice when iced and usually served with heaps of sugar.
sixonsix.net
Drinks: 7 Bridges Brewing Taproom: Da Nang’s first craft brewery gets its name from the bridges that span the River Han. Sample a beer with views of the city’s most eye-catching river crossing: the Dragon Bridge.
7bridges.vn
London
Stay: Town Hall Hotel: This Bethnal Green beauty saw Singapore’s Unlisted Collection convert a dowdy ex-council building into a destination worthy of a stopover. The Typing Room restaurant is a must.
townhallhotel.com
Breakfast: Campania: The Sunday menu makes for a fine spot of brunch following a colourful promenade down Columbia Road’s weekly flower market.
campaniaandjones.com
Lunch: The Culpeper: Fresh produce from the rooftop garden, plus a selection of ales and even a few tasteful rooms should you need lodgings.
theculpeper.com
Dinner: The Barbary: With a menu influenced by the Maghreb and Middle East, this 24-seat restaurant is well worth ticking off your culinary to-do list.
thebarbary.co.uk
Buy: Native & Co: From desirable homeware to tasteful trinkets, this shop specialises in craft-based products that are sourced from the likes of Japan and Taiwan.
nativeandco.com
Coffee: Workshop Coffee Co: You’ll find in-house roasting and knowledgeable baristas at this brand’s Holborn base.
workshopcoffee.com
Buy: The Millinery Works: Hidden on a residential street between the boroughs of Hackney and Islington, this is a vast trove of arts-and-craft-era woodwork and furniture.
millineryworks.co.uk
Tulum
Stay: Nomade: Sat on a long stretch of shoreline bordering the Sian Ka’an nature reserve, the hotel’s 32 suites and 12 tents are decked out with all manner of ethnic rugs, textiles and antiquities.
nomadetulum.com
Buy: Caravana: You’ll find everything from cotton dresses and scarves to high-quality leather sandals and woven bags in this jungle spot. The owners work solely with Mexican makers.
caravana.land/tulum
Breakfast: Be Tulum: Part of the Be Tulum hotel, this seaside bar serves indulgent Mexican breakfasts such as huevos rancheros and chilaquiles.
betulum.com
Drinks: Gitano Tulum: This restaurant and mezcal bar is an enigmatic maze of candles and intimate tables tucked away inside the verdant jungle. There is live music most nights and dancing on the weekends.
gitanotulum.com
Lunch: Posada Margherita: This rustic restaurant has unobstructed ocean views and its pasta (try the linguine with prawns and pine nuts) and seafood dishes are sublime. Don’t miss the foccacia with aged Parmesan either.
posadamargherita.com
Coffee: Ki’Bok: Need a dose of caffeine? Head to Ki’Bok on Tulum’s main high street. The owners of this family-run café work alongside an Italian roaster and source their beans from Mexican producers in Veracruz and Chiapas.
kibokcoffee.com
Vilnius
Stay: Artagonist Art hotel: A 16th-century building was tastefully renovated to create this bold hotel, which you’ll find right in the heart of the city’s marvellous medieval Old Town. Expect arresting art in almost every room.
artagonist.lt
Buy: House of Naive: Find sleek silhouettes, Lithuanian cotton and linen, plus made-to-measure clothes, shoes and accessories at this organic clothing label.
houseofnaive.com
Service: Barbershop Herr Katt: This friendly barbershop has a lively vibe and a skilful tonsuring team. Come for a trim – stay for the music a and friendly chat.
herrkatt.com
Breakfast: Crustum: Head to one of four Vilnius branches of Crustum bakery and café for an unhurried cuppa and fresh-from-the-oven pastries, croissants and cakes.
crustum.lt
Lunch: Pinavija Cafe & Bakery: Pull up a chair and tuck into a selection of kibinai: traditional Lithuanian pastries with delicious fillings that range from wild mushroom to succulent lamb.
pinavija.lt
Drinks: Spunka: Rub shoulders with colourful locals at this cavernous and cosy bar in the arty neighbourhood of Uzupis. Lithuania is famed for its craft beer and this is the perfect place to find out why.
spunka.lt
