Travel Saturday Guardian 08.11.08 13

On the Travel websiteBloggers’ guides to 10 top cities

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Exotic

91 Singapore

Aun Koh, author of foodie website chubbyhubby.net Anyone who claims that Singapore is boring hasn’t been for a few years. Not only does the city-state boast some of the best restaurants and boutiques in southeast Asia, it also has a pretty exciting roster of annual events . We’re currently at the tail end of the second Singapore Biennale , which has featured some of the world’s top contemporary artists, plus famed architects like Shigeru Ban . And the gastronomic scene is no longer just about street food; gourmands should make a beeline to Iggy’s for some of the best contemporary east-meets-west fare on the planet.• Iggy’s, The Regent Singapore, Level 3, 1 Cuscaden Road (0065 6732 2234, iggys .com.sg). Aun is also founder of the new Miele Guide to Asian restaurants (mieleguide.com) .Stay at Hotel 1929 (+6347 1929, hotel29.com) doubles from £60.

92 Kathmandu

Sam Taylor, journalistKathmandu is full of cafes selling lassis and banana pancakes to trekkers and dharma seekers, but the unnamed bhatta (pub) on the western side of Patan’s medieval Durbar Square is seriously authentic . The service is terrible and the tiny wooden benches uncomfortable, but it’s not often you can eat, drink and people-watch smack bang among the stunning 16th century temples . The popular spot lies down a smoke-blackened entry sandwiched between two shops selling brass statues, just behind the Krishna Mandir temple in Patan’s Durbar Square (pictured) and has uniquely close-up views of a jewel of a Unesco world heritage site. The chang (rice beer) is always fresh and tasty, and the spicy snacks are delicious . Stay at The Dwarikas Hotel (00977 1447 3725, dwarikas.com) doubles from £114pn.

93 Valparaiso

Matt Ridgway, writer of Chilean travel blog corrugatedcity.com As a city built into the hills (which aff ords views of both the Andes and the Pacifi c) “Valpo” showcases the crazy feats of late 19th-c entury architectural engineering. But recently it has seen a n explosion of murals, street art, cafes, bars and restaurants. Each peak has its features; from poet Pablo Neruda ’s house on Cerro Bellavista , through the three cemeteries on Cerro Panteón to the great bars and restaurants of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción. In the latter, Allegretto is a great spot for local draught beer.• Allegretto, Pilcomayo 529 (0056 32 296 8839, allegretto.cl). Stay at The Hotel Gervasoni (+ 3222 39236, hotelgervasoni.com/eng) doubles from £100pn.

94 Tokyo

Ashley Rawlings, editor, Art Space Tokyo One of the greatest aspects of living in Tokyo is the endless discovery of artistic nooks and crannies. Galleries and museums are spread out all over the city and hidden in the unlikeliest

of places. The Omotesando boulevard in Harajuku is very well known as a mecca for lovers of contemporary architecture, but few people know that the area’s back streets are riddled with contemporary art galleries. On the south east corner of the Omotesando/Aoyama Dori intersection, look up at the second fl oor window of the building opposite for the words “Gallery 360º ”, a small white cube where you’ll fi nd exhibitions by Yoko Ono among others . Nearby, in the block behind the Prada fl agship store, is Rat Hole Gallery , which specialises in world-class photography .• Rat Hole Gallery, B1 5-5-3, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku (0081 3 6419 3581, ratholegallery.com); Gallery 360º, 5-1-27-2F, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku (+3 3406 5823, 360.co.jp); Art Space Tokyo (artspacetokyo.com). Stay at Mitsui Garden Ginza (+81 335 431 131, gardenhotels.co.jp) doubles from £136pn.

95 Cartagena

Simon Locke, co-director, Columbia 57 ToursCarved from a colourful history of piracy and colonialism, with fusions of African, indigenous and European culture, Cartagena is Colombia’s living, breathing , pulsating museum. At night heels click instinctively to the throb of salsa at Café Havana . A number of magnifi cent boutique hotels have sprung up in the colonial mansions in the old town, such as La Casa Pestagua and La Passion .• Café Havana, Calle Media Luna (0057 315 690 2566, cafehavanacartagena.com); La Casa Pestagua (+315 664 95 10, casapestagua.net) ; Columbia 57 Tours (0800 0789 157, colombia57.com). Stay at La Passion (+57 5664 8605, lapassionhotel.com) doubles from £77pn .

96 Calcutta

Patrick Pringle, journalist and former reporter for the Calcutta Telegraph Mumbai has all the Bollywood glamour, Delhi is India’s political Disneyland, but in many ways Calcutta is its soul. A night out in “Cal” starts at Kewpies , owned by a lady who runs the fi nest kitchen in West Bengal .

Then head to Olypub , a shabby, lively institution on Cal’s main drag, where students, artists and professional dilettantes get eye-rollingly drunk on bad whiskey. After midnight go to Venom , a club situated on the top of a tower block in the centre of town. On weekends it stays open till dawn, and you can see the whole of the city from its windows. • Kewpies , 2 Elgin Lane (0091 33 2475 9880); Olypub, 21 Park St (+ 33 222

99306); Venom, 8th fl oor, Fort Knox, Camac St (+ 33 325 2290).Stay at Housez 43 (+91 33 2227 6020, housez43.com) have doubles from £59pn.

97 Damascus

Diana Darke, author Where else could you fi nd a Roman arch on a street mentioned by name in the Bible, now lined with Sunni and Shi’a mosques, Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, bakeries, grocers, pharmacies and antique shops? In Damascus remnants of civilisations blend and contrast. During Ramadan go to the iftaar (the evening meal that breaks the daily fast ) in the magnifi cent courtyard of Bait Jabri , a restaurant in the old city — it is a wonderfully civilised occasion where a massive spread costs only £6.• Bait Jabri , Al-Sawaf Street (00963 11 541 6254, jabrihouse.com). Stay at The Beit Al Mamlouka (+963 11 543 0445, almamlouka.com) has doubles from £106pn.

98 Cairo

Esam Abd El Salam, guide, Intrepid Travel A visit to Coptic Cairo shows a completely diff erent aspect of the city to the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Here, there are holy buildings for Judaism, Christianity and Islam only few steps away from each other. Visit the Hanging

Church , the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Ibn Al-Aas mosque . Cairo is known as the “city of a thousand mazanah ” (mosque towers), and the Sultan Hassan mosque is considered to be one of Cairo’s fi nest monuments, while the Mohammad Ali (pictured) and Bayt Al-Suhaymi mosques are also spectacular. Finish with sunset over Cairo from Al Azhar Park before going to Wekalat Al Gho uri for the fascinating Sufi dancing . • intrepidtravel.com. Esam recently wongold in the Paul Morrison Guide Award 2008, hosted by Wanderlust magazine. Stay at The Talisman Hotel (0020 1062 12, talisman-hotel.com) doubles fr£120pn.

99 Beirut

Dalila Mahdawi, journalist Daily Star, BeirutA leisurely stroll from Abdul Wahab Street in the predominantly Christian quarter of Achrafi eh down to Gemmayze gives you an idea of the quiet streets and attractive houses that used to characterise Beirut. Then head to the Manara Cafe next to the lighthouse on the Corniche to see fi sherm en in action . For more bohemian pursuits, Club 43 is a restaurant/bar in Beirut’s hippest nightspot, Gemmayze — a non-profi t, anti-sectarian NGO run entirely by volunteers and set in what looks like someone’s slightly run-down home . • Manara Palace Cafe, Cornic375 3887); Club 43 (Gouraud Street, +370 8811). Stay at L’Hotel Libanais (+ 351 3766, hotelibanais.com) doubles from £41pn.

100 Marrakech

Dawn Boys-Stone, riad owner Apart from the legendary souks, I love the local Bab Kechich market . At fi rst glance it seems little more than a grotMoroccan car boot sale (yes, second hand shoes, brokcar parts should you wish) but you can also procure fabulous gems that you would pay a great deal more for in the souks . The vendors are friendly and very few tourists venture there . Stay at Dawn owns Riad Fawakay (+212 73187346, riad fawakay.com) which cbe rented from £200pn based on four people sharing two rooms .

Compiled by Gemma Bowes, Lauren Cochrane, Laura Goodman, Benji Lanyado, Paul McCann, Mat Osman and Annabelle Thorpe

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