44 LEISURE

This week's dream: escaping the crowds in northern KeralaKerala has become so popular among theyyam, a Hindu ritual in whichforeigners "seeking a laid-back tropical villagers "stitched into 3ft-wideparadise" that parts of it are now peacock-like mirrored costumes"congested with tourists and scarred by are transmogrified into gods andsprawling resorts. But the north of the dance like whirling dervishes to theIndian state is a region apart, says frenzied accompaniment of firecrackersFrancesca Angelini in The Sunday Times and drums.- a place of "deserted" beaches (the High in the jungles of the Westernstate's best) and "misty mountains" Ghat mountains you'll find Vythiriwhere tigers roam and few outsiders Resort, where guests stay in tree housesventure. Even the backwaters - the complete with hot tubs. There arenetwork of lagoons and canals that waterfalls to swim beneath nearby, andforms one of the state's most famous myriad wildlife to see: this district,attractions - are relatively unvisited. Wayanad, is home to 203 bird species

Most international flights land in and 45 varieties of mammal, includingCochin, and from there it's a five-hour the dog-sized Malabar squirrel. But thejourney "on the timeless joy that is an The view from Banasura Sagar Dam in Wayanad ideal place to round off a trip is downIndian train" to the former colonial port by the Arabian Sea - the Neeleshwarof Tellicherry.The Ayisha Manzil homestay there is an 1860s Hermitage, not far away. Its thatched bungalows and infinitycolonial house built by one Murdoch Brown of the East India pool sit beside a palm-lined beach, and the Ayurvedic treatmentsCompany; and its landlady Faiza Moosa serves the best on offer will leave you feeling "transformed". Audley Travel -r-v

homecooked Muslim Malabar food in Kerala. Guests are (01993-838355, www.audleytravel.com) has a ten-day trip fromtaken on guided tours of the local fish market, and to see a £2,450pp, incl. flights.

Hotel of the week

PointYamu,Phuket, ThailandThe latest addition to Singaporeanhotelier Christina Ong's COMagroup, Point Yamu is a "secluded"haven of calm just 20 minutes'drive from Phuket town, saysConde Nast Traveller. Situated on aheadland in Phang Nga Bay, thehotel has serene interiors by theItalian designer Paola Navone:these are "lofty", uncluttered andpale, though punctuatedwithflashes of turquoise and blue.Because of the elevation, aconstant breeze ripples across thebig pool terrace. The onlydown side is that the beach club isa boat trip away, on a nearbyisland, but getting there is fun.

Doubles from £285 b&b. 00 6676360100, www.comohotels.comipointyamu

Travel

Getting the flavour of...A safari renaissance in RwandaTourism has played a key part in Rwanda'srecovery from the genocide of 20 years ago -and nowhere has it wrought a greatertransformation than in theAkagera NationalPark, says Sophy Roberts in the FT. Thecountry's only savannah reserve contains anextraordinary range of habitats - fromrolling hills covered in acacia bushes toriverine forests and vast stretches ofprotected wetland. Overrun by returningrefugees in the mid-1990s, the reserve wasdevastated by poaching and overgrazing; butthe tide is now turning: wild game numbershave quadrupled in the past three yearsalone. Stay, if you can, at the new RuziziTented Lodge, which sits beside Lake Ihemanear to where Henry Morgan Stanleycamped in 1876. The surroundings have "anenduring emptiness" - making this asbeautiful a safari destination "as you couldwish for". Passage to Africa (002715 7930811, www.passagetoafrica.com) has aweek-long Rwanda trip from £3,500pp.

Cycling the Lithuanian seaboardA sandy strip just 60 miles long, bordered bydunes, forests and lush pastures, Lithuania'sBaltic coast is the perfect place for a gentlecycling holiday, says Adam Ruck in TheSunday Telegraph. Highlights includeKlaipeda (formerly Memel) "an up-at-heeluniversity town, timber-framed and

cobbled"; the island of Rusne, with its"folklorish traditions"; and Nida, the mainresort on the Curoniari Spit - a strip of landthat reaches miles out into the sea. ThomasMann built a summer house here in 1930,now open to the public and stuffed withintriguing memorabilia. The CarterCompany (01296-631671, www.the-carter-company.com) has a five-day trip, at about20 miles a day, from £S9Spp, excl. flights.

A Durham treasure troveThe Bowes Museum was built in the mid-19th century to bring "some of the world's

, finest treasures" to the people of CountyDurham, and this "eclectic" and "personal"collectibn delivers magnificently on thatpromise, says Fiona Bruce in The DailyTelegraph. Its founders, the coal magnateJohn Bowes and his wife josephine, a Frenchactress, died before work on the building - aFrench chateau perched incongruously on theedge of the market town of Barnard Castle -was finished. But the artefacts within aretheirs - the fruits of one of history's greatshopping sprees. The museum contains finepaintings by Corot, El Greco and Van Dyck- but its real charm lies in its more eccentricobjects. These include a life-sized silver swan,a "miraculous" 18th century musicalautomaton which comes to life at 2pm eachday. Open daily lOam-Spm (01833-690606,www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk).

Last-minute offers from top travel companiesTuition in MontefalcoThere's 10% off a week's stayat Villa Pambuffetti, withpainting or photographytuition. £1,363pp, incl. mostmeals, transfers. 0808-1185729, info@learningholidaysinitaly.com. Arrive 22 June.

THE WEEK 26 April 2014

Images of Sri LankaSightseeing in Colombo andKandy, and a Minneriya jeepsafari, costs from £1,349pp fora 9-day trip, mixed board withflights and guide. 0844-4173465, www.virginholidaysjourneys.co.uk. Dep 17 May.

US train tour and cruiseTravel from New York to FortLauderdale by train, thenembark on a 7-night full-boardcruise on the CaribbeanPrincess. From £1,499pp +flights. 0800-0822186, www.jetlinecruise.com. Dep 25 May.

Couples' break in YorkshireSpinners (sleeps4) is a spaciousdetached cottage in the prettyvillage of Well, and a week'sstay from 9 May costs £349(dogs welcome). 01228-406701, www.yorkshire-cottages.info.