aturday - aqualux-hotel – Aqualux Hotel

48 ............... Saturday, May 23, 2015
the
S aturday
1SM
1SM
TRAVEL
Saturday, May 23, 2015 ...............
l thescottishsun.co.uk
Edited by LISA MINOT & HEATHER LOWRIE
THERE’S SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON..TRY CHEFS’
49
AMAZING DISHES AT ITALIAN FESTIVAL
Relax & let your Garda down
ALLHAILTHISOTHER
ANGELOFTHENORTH
THE ANGEL INN,
HETTON, NORTH YORKS
check in WHAT’S IT LIKE? Located in splendid
check isolation in the tiny farming village of
Hetton, the Angel is nestled among
out rolling
fells five miles from the bustling
market town of Skipton. It has its origins in
the 15th century but today is renowned for its excellent
food, awarded three AA Rosettes. The inn has real
character, with mounted shotguns on the walls,
gnarled, ancient beams and an 18th-century bar.
ROOMS ANY GOOD? Adjacent to the pub is
Sycamore Bank, a modern development of four
contemporary rooms, individually designed and
combining the charm of a Dales barn with the comfort
and facilities of a luxury hotel. Also opposite is a barn
conversion with a choice of five unique bedrooms.
EAT HERE OR GRAB A PIZZA? Definitely eat here. The
pub has maintained a reputation for great cuisine since
the Eighties and offers delicious, freshly prepared local
Dales-bred lamb, beef and seasonal game.
WHAT ELSE? Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon stopped
off here for BBC’s gastronomic series The Trip. So you
can enjoy breakfast outside in the very seats the two
comics used and compete for the best Michael Caine
impression while scoffing your full English.
SO YOU’D GO BACK? Absolutely – it’s the perfect
place to stay for a peaceful country break.
WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Doubles start from £150, with
breakfast. Angelhetton.co.uk or call 01756 730263.
MICHAEL BARRETT
IT’S 31°C IN
HOT MEXICO
—
SPOT two weeks’ allinclusive at the
4H
Thomson
Scene Style El Tukan in
Playa del Carmen is from
£1,456pp with Thomson
Holidays. Flight leaves
from Glasgow on May
26. See thomson.co.uk
or call 0871 230 2555.
IT’S 23°C IN
HOT GRAN CANASPOT RIA — seven
nights at the
4H The Koala
Garden Suites in Maspalomas is from £287 on
a self-catering basis.
Flights from Glasgow on
June 4. See lowcostholidays.com or call 0800
1116271.
WIN
£150
FEELBALTICONAREGALCRUISE
FINE WINE-ING
. . . Brian enjoys
sampling some
top quality
vino, right, and
stayed in the
Aqualux Hotel,
above
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IF, like me, you love
food, cooking, wine
and anything Italian,
then you should be
booking up for next
year’s Fish and Chef
event.
The annual homage to
food around Lake Garda is
organised by Michelin star
chef Leandro Lupo and
Elvira Trimeloni from the
Malcesine Tourist Board
which takes in the area.
It celebrates the traditional
culinary
products
of
Lake
Garda with the help of some of
Italy’s most famous chefs and
this year the invitation was
extended to star chefs from the
rest of Europe.
This festival showcases the
very best the region has to
offer, such as the lake fish (in
Garda there are over 40 varieties), the extra virgin olive oil
produced in the area, meats
and wines of Custoza and
many other delicious delicacies.
I was lucky enough to be
invited to take part and I flew
to Verona with BA (via London) and pitched up at the
Aqualux Hotel and Spa, a
modern gem set in the beautiful landscapes of Garda, just a
GO:LAKE GARDA
Fish and Chef takes place in April each year. Dinner costs £42.50 per
person. See fishandchef.it
Superior double rooms at the Regina Adelaide Hotel start from £85
(minimum three-night stay). See regina-adelaide.it
A three-night weekend stay (Thurs-Sun) at the Grand Hotel Fasona
is from £205pp including breakfast. See ghf.it.
Double rooms at the Aqualux Hotel start from £124 per room per
night, including breakfast. See aqualuxhotel.com.
25-minute car ride from the
airport. My elegant but comfy
room overlooked the fabulous courtyard, water
park and relaxing gardens. And, just for
good measure, there’s a
life-sized,
horseshaped lamp in the
main
reception
to
greet you.
It is also home to
three restaurants, all
with
outdoor
terraces,
and a cigar bar. I do
enjoy dining out and
don’t mind the odd
Michelin
star
meal, but I always
feel as much as
they tantalise the
taste buds and HORSE PLAY
look fantastic, I’m . . . hotel lamp
left hungry. Thankfully, though,
this was not the case on this
tour.
My first stop was
dinner at La Casa
degli Spiriti in Costermano, with a beautiful
view overlooking the
water and the town of
Giulietta.
Chef Paulo Cappuccio served up a sevencourse meal of sheer
artistry — dishes that
tasted as stunning as
they looked.
Highlights
included
tempura
roasted
squid,
Amberjack
fish, spaghetti with
sea urchin and a
winter broccoli
emulsion. The
pasta was a bit too al dente
for me — but who am I to tell
a Michelin star chef how to
cook his pasta, especially if
you’d seen the size of him!
His desserts, though, were a
triumph with a vodka strawberry medley pre-dessert and a
main serving of exotic mango
with coconut passion fruit and
pineapple.
The next day I headed for
lunch in Il Re Della Busa, an
elegant restaurant at the Lido
Palace Hotel in Riva del Garda
with more breath-taking views
of the lake.
It was a miracle I
could move
This time it was the turn of
executive chef Giuseppe Sestito
to show off his skills.
He began by serving up a
melt-in-the-mouth white asparagus zambana pie with fondue
of casolt of sole, poached quail
eggs and crispy bacon — and
that was just for starters!
This was followed by Crocker
fillet, broad beans and gnocchi.
Just
when
I
thought
it
couldn’t
get
any
better,
Giuseppe produced a chocolate
cake dessert which when you
sliced open, warm real raspberry sauce came oozing out —
absolute heaven! That evening
chef Marco Sacco took over the delicate hors d’oeuvres, including
kitchens at the Regina Adelaide delicious scallops — I have to say
Hotel. He created exceptional I had more than one!
dishes of lake fish sushi, trout
This hotel combines the eleand heifer garronese.
gance of historic architecture
His showpiece of char ‘lost in with the latest in comfort and
the woods’ more than lived up to luxury, what a place. Of all the
its name - there was a piece of dining experiences I’d enjoyed,
bark on my plate!
this was my favourite.
On my last night it was time
Served up by chef Matteo
for
top
German
chef
Dirk Felter in their Il Fagio restaurant,
Hoberg (the first non-Italian chef the fact that he is without a
to take part in Fish and Chef) to Michelin star amazes me, but I’m
take over the Italian Taste res- confident it won’t be long before
taurant in my hotel.
he has one, maybe even two.
This guy has two Michelin
The saffron risotto with cod
stars and that really showed on carpaccio, brasato ravioli and
the plate. A fitting tribute to the lamb three ways were equally
lake fish char and trout in his out of this world.
first two courses — even serving
Then to finish off I had the
up deep-fried pasta with one, tempting variation of Valrhona
and finished off with a beautiful chocolate which just left me
tender piece of local beef.
wishing I could eat here every
It was a miracle I could move
after days of feasting, but it
would have been a crime
not to explore this stunning
landscape a bit further.
I highly recommend a
boat
trip
around
Lake
os
Garda, which takes in forA bottle of beer — 5 eur
mer royal residences and
ce to castle — 6
ran
Ent
also a small yellow house
euros
which was once home to
und Lake
Mussolini’s mistress.
Take a boat trip aro
We docked at the magnifiGarda
cent Grand Hotel Fasano on
en it’s
Take cable car wh hing!
the west side of the lake,
you’ll see not
—
udy
clo
greeted with champagne and
What costs what?
Do
Don’t
SunSNAPS!
WHEN in Essex there’s pressure to glam up – and
Rosie here wasn’t caught out chasing her tail.
She was putting on a brave face – and dinky dog
coat – in St Osyth, near Clacton, on what looks like a
pretty bleak day. But she won her owner Nick a £150
hotels.com voucher so we hope he buys her a
doggy treat to say thanks.
You can be in the running for a voucher of your
own and don’t even have to rope in any animals. Just
send your favourite holiday snap, from home or
abroad, and we will pick the one that makes us smile
most. Send hi-res shots to [email protected].
Don’t forget to tell us
where you were!
CRUISE to the cities of the Baltic, including
starts from £1,149 per adult and £919 per child
Copenhagen, Oslo, Aarhus, Tallinn, St Peters- for a Select Price, including return flights,
burg and Stockholm for 11 nights on board
resort transfers, an outside cabin based on
the Regal Princess from £699pp including
four sharing and £350 onboard spending
flights from Glasgow on June 13 ( book by
money per cabin.
Monday). See cruisenation.com or call 0800
See pocruises.com or call 0843 373 0111.
408 0758.
TEN nights on Carnival Vista is from
TAKE a trip on board the MSC Armonia
£699pp (including flights) sailing from
which has undergone a £40million
Barcelona on August 24 to Messina, Naples,
refurb and lengthening and now features an
Civitavecchia with a day trip to Rome and
official Lego kids’ club.
Livorno with a trip to Pisa, Marseilles and
Cruise the Med from Spezia, Italy from
Palma de Mallorca.
June 27, taking in Marseille, France,
See cruise1st.co.uk or call 0800 953
Palma, Majorca and Ibiza before head4963.
ing to Olbia, Sardinia and Salerno on
CUSTOMERS booking selected
cruise
the Amalfi Coast from £549pp includCelebrity Cruises sailings this
ing flights (from London). See
news year will receive a free drinks packmsccruises.co.uk or call 020 3426
age, $400 on-board spend and a bot3010.
tle of fizz to celebrate their 25th
P&O Cruises children’s club, The
anniversary.
Reef, is available day and night and is
Celebrity Eclipse has a 14-night Scandifree of charge. Britannia’s Cookery Club also
navia and Russia cruise from £1,898pp
offers free cookery classes as part of the
including flights from Glasgow leaving July 11
kids’ club where children can learn cake dec(based on two people sharing a balcony
orating, pasta or bread-making and optional
stateroom). See celebritycruises.co.uk or call
shore excursions feature everything from
0845 456 0523)
trips to waterparks and beaches, dolphin or
SAIL from Edinburgh with Titan’s new
whale-watching, to snorkel adventures and
Fred Olsen Norwegian Fjords cruise
fun Segway city tours for older kids.
from £1,049pp on Boudicca to the Norwegian
A SEVEN-night Mediterranean fly-cruise
Fjords on July 19. See titantravel.co.uk or call
on Oceana departing July 22 (E516A)
0800 988 5873.
T
FOOD FOR THOUGH of
e
. . . amazing cuisin d
raviloi, left, sushi an
lamb, right
DISH OF THE DAY . . . scallops
were simply
outstanding and chocolate des
sert, right, was
absolutely delicious as well
day. When I wasn’t eating (those
who know me know this is a
rarity!), I managed to find the
time to explore the wonderful
sights that Garda and surrounding area has on offer.
Malcecine is a small town on
the east side and is great base
for sightseeing.
I took the cable-car to the
heights of Monte Baldo, where a
warm welcome awaits at the top
in the Baita dei Forti restaurant
specialising
in
home-made
breads, cakes and cheeses makes
this a must visit.
Malcesine
is
a
picturesque
tourist
resort
with
cobbled
streets, shops and perhaps its
striking feature is its historic
castle.
I visited the Paulo Bonomelli
boutique olive farm located in
Torri del Benaco, to sample one
of the event’s sponsors awardwinning extra virgin olive oil
Ca’ Rainene which was a first
for me - olive oil tasting. It’s a
very similar to wine tasting except there’s no bucket!
Fish and Chef was an amazing experience, to taste and
discover the specialities of
Lake Garda cooked by most
prestigious of chefs in the
most exclusive of locations.
I just hope to get an invite
back next year! Bellissimo.
BRIAN MURRAY
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