After some gentle deliberation, I settled on a mojito to accompany my idle moments of thought while lying in a cabana overlooking the bay of Navarino. As the lime, rum and mint sharpened my palette, a waiter came and asked if he could polish my sunglasses. He couldThe first time I stayed in a truly great hotel was the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, 35 years ago on my way to Australia. Many regarded it, at the time, as the finest in the world. It took my breath away, I didn’t know such style and luxury could exist; today, there are many astonishing hotels, but what would one of the originals do with a new purpose-built resort.

(Image credit: Mandarin Oriental)

There are many bays, but few are framed so perfectly with tiny islands. The sapphire sea was set like a piece of jewellery between

See Full Page