154 � squaremeal.co.uk

TRAVEL

MILAIDHOO

This November sees the unveiling of

Milaidhoo - a boho boutique resort

comprising 50 thatched villas - each

with its own private swimming pool.

From £871; milaidhoo.com

ANANTARA KIHAVAH

The palatial new Pool Residence villa at

this Baa Atoll resort sleeps nine guests

and houses a private wine cabinet. From

£8,530; kihavah-maldives.anantara.com

SONEVA JANI

Set over a lagoon on the Noonu Atoll,

many of the villas will, excitingly, feature

a slide from the first-floor balcony into

the sea. From £1,189; soneva.com

CAR WITH A BAR Should the

idea of dining cars conjure up

nightmares of sodden sandwiches

and stale pasties, swing by the

'3674' Bar Car on the Venice

Simplon Orient Express. Unveiled

this March, the arrival of the new

carriage happily coincides with a

new cocktail menu and a new lineup

of caviar dishes (belmond.com).

HIGH SPEED Eurostar has made

no secret of its plan to introduce

direct Amsterdam trains from St

Pancras in 2017, but do also keep

an eye out for four-hour services

to Bordeaux, which could soon

be possible thanks to a new highspeed

rail infrastructure in

France (eurostar.com).

ON TOUR Rovos Rail is now

running the much-loved South

African tour train Shongololo

Express. Expect a new observation

car and dining car, and tweaked

itineraries in departures from

Pretoria soon (shongololo.com).

LA DOLCE VITA

Be it scoffing mozzarella in Puglia or crunching on seafood in

Sicily, wine producer Zonin 1821 is now offering a crash course

in Italian gastronomy, with new short foodie tours based out

of its estates across the country. Among the trips on offer, the

brand's Tuscan odyssey sees participants learning to roll porous

pasta in the company of a legendary pasta-making dynasty and

understanding how to wield a cleaver under the tutelage of Italy's

most famous butcher - all interspersed, of course, with abundant

opportunities to try Zonin's wines. From £660, zonin.co.uk

NEW ON

THE RAILS

VENICE SIMPLON ORIENT EXPRESS

WHAT'S NEW IN

THE MALDIVES