Highlights of 2019

1) sitting in a hot tub at 03:00 (totally bright) on the deck of our ship in Antarctica while icebergs are gliding past
2) trail-running in Patagonia (sadly as I fractured both of my feet during a rather extreme trailrun in NZ earlier this year this was the only major one I was able to do)
3) My first 100-point (my rating) meal at Ultraviolet (menu C+) in Shanghai (3*). Mind-boggling. A close second (third or fourth favourite meal ever) was de Librije (3*) in Holland. This was my third and by far the best visit.

Best bar
Park Hyatt Whisky Bar, Bangkok. My favourite bar in the world.

FLIGHTS: 77 flights, 203370 miles total
Best business class: Qatar Airways
Best first class: Etihad apartment (but for food and drink definitely Emirates)
Best economy class: Antarctic Airways (yes, really)

RESTAURANTS
Best restaurant: Ultraviolet, Shanghai
Others:
Raymond Blanc at le manoir aux quat saisons UK 2*, 90
De Librije Holland 3*, 98
de Lindenhof Holland 2*, 82
Auberge Moulin du Hideux Belgium 1*, 85
du Bon Laboureur France 1*, 88 (great value lunch)
l'Ameloise France 3*, 94.5
Beaulieu France 2*, 90
Oaxen Krog Sweden 2*, 91.5
Ode Tokyo 1*, 89+
Heinz Beck Tokyo 2*, 88
Mezzaluna Bangkok 2*, 92.5
Gaa Bangkok 1*, 92
Saawaan Bangkok 1*, 90
j'Aime Bangkok 1*, 88
Ultraviolet China 3*, 100
le comptoir de Gagnaire Shanghai 1* (I think), 88
Yannick Alleno Dubai 2*, 92
honourable mention: the Pizza Bar at the Oriental Hotel in Tokyo

HOTELS
Awasi, Patagonia: A- Superb views, lots of space, excellent food and great wine but (far) too many niggles and just not good enough to justify the price they charge.
Quark Expeditions Antarctica: A- Great excursions, older but comfortable ship
Alila Anji: C+ Chinese service level, lots of issues, despite the nice location.
Alila Wuzhen: A very busy but otherwise superb.
Banyan Tree Huangshan Taichun Villa: A- service reasonable (excellent by Chinese standards) but in particular the villa was gorgeous.
Four Seasons Shanghai Pudong: A- loved the pool and the room decor
Amansara: A finally made it here, loved it. Not a huge fan of the rooms but just really great service.
Shinta Mani villas Siem Reap Cambodia: A purely in terms of hardware the most interesting/beautiful room I've stayed in this year. Superb service but only within the villas - the rest (restaurants/bars/public areas are too busy).
Four Seasons at the First Residence: B Not bad (superb by Egyptian standards).
Le manoir aux quat saisons: A- very nice, just find it a bit overpriced
St Gerlach (Holland), A- such a beautiful castle, reasonable prices
Auberge Moulin du Hideux (Belgium): A-to B+
el Maha Dubai: A
Banyan Tree Maldives: A- to B+
Nanuku Lodge Fiji: B- Amazing kids' club (A+), great views, but not very good villas, food so-so and overpriced and weird service.
Glazebrook, New Zealand: A (if you really want to experience NZ, stay here)
Millbrook, New Zealand: A- Not luxury but very affordable and excellent
Singita Kwitonba, Rwanda: A Great views, beautiful rooms, superb wines. A few niggles but they'd only been open for 2 weeks when we were there
One & Only Nyungwe, Rwanda: A to A- I'm not a huge fan of the rooms here but overall the property and its setting are fabulous.
Park Hyatt, Buenos Aires: A- to B+. Gorgeous property, not very good service, average room.