Timeless treasures

Holiday fads come and go but some destinations and institutions are perennial favourites. Where are the places that high-profile travellers like to return to again and again? Simon Calder finds out

Where do the jeterati get their maximum kicks? That was what Mark Jones, editor of British Airways' inflight magazine, High Life, decided to find out. Next month, his publication celebrates its 30th anniversary – which, amazingly, is longer than BA has itself existed. High Life began as the cabin literature for British European Airways (BEA), which merged with the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1974.

To mark three decades of survival in the precarious worlds of both magazine publishing and civil aviation, Mr Jones asked 100 high-profile travellers to help him compile "a roll of the places, institutions and people who have stood the test of time".

The results suggest that violence aimed at tourists has not dampened the enthusiasm of the experienced traveller. The most prestigious awards were earned by places that, in the past six years, have been traumatised by terrorism. Bali and New York topped the voting in two categories each, while the award for "immortal country" went to another destination plagued by violence: Egypt.

"These are not sympathy votes," says High Life's editor. "Our writers and experts are convinced that people are not going to curtail their travel plans in the long-term – and that places that have suffered these atrocities will bounce back."

Immortal Museum or Gallery: Tate Modern, London

None of the Guggenheims were in with a prayer; London predominated, with the British Museum, Victoria & Albert and Imperial War Museum ("The best study of humanity on the planet") scoring well. The fiercest competition from outside the UK was from the Louvre: "The one museum everyone must visit," according to the American travel journalist Chris Rubin. But the youngest Tate won by a what High Life calls "a canvas".

Immortal Invention: e-mail

Forget picture postcards and melodramatic missives: Hotmail prevails as the 21st-century traveller's favourite device. Craig Doyle, presenter of BBC1's Holiday programme, opted for the innovation that celebrates its centenary this year: the aeroplane. "In one century it has changed our world completely," he says.

The restaurateur Raymond Blanc nominated a Veuve Cliquot champagne bucket, filled with six 18.75cl bottles – "For pure indulgence, fabulous." And if you think that's cissy, the all-action thriller writer Andy McNab's most cherished innovation was... cabin baggage with wheels.

Immortal Bar: Basil's Bar, Mustique

There was general agreement that the three essential elements for an immortal bar were sunset, drink and company. Basil's is a favourite with both David Bowie and Mick Jagger, and – apparently – many of the panel.

The photographer and writer Chris Caldicott nominated a Caribbean alternative: Eddy's in Charlestown on Nevis ("Only open on Friday nights when everyone comes to eat, drink and dance to an all-night reggae band.").

One panellist mourned the loss, to fire, of the Balboa Yacht Club at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal; another, who nominated the Concorde departure lounge at Heathrow as the world's best bar may be hoping for many more invitations.

Immortal Restaurant: Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California

These days, almost any restaurant on the West Coast boasts of its organic credentials and Mediterranean ambience. But 32 years ago, when Chez Panisse opened in the hub of student radicalism, "such ideas were the preserve of cranks and hippies", says Mark Jones, creator of the survey. "We had a lot of trendier restaurants nominated, but Chez Panisse has changed the way we eat. The whole Mediterranean philosophy has been successfully transplanted to California – and to anywhere else in the world where you have sunshine, tomatoes and vines."

John Simpson, the BBC World Affairs Editor, is presently enjoying less appetising cuisine in northern Iraq, and no doubt thinking longingly about Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon in Paris: "A fit preparation for some of the great journeys in the world."

Among the less well-heeled members of the panel, the salt-beef sandwiches at Schwarz's in Montreal found favour.

Immortal National Park: The Galapagos

In some categories, the winners enjoyed a near-walkover, though the jewels in Ecuador's tarnished crown were challenged by none other than Dartmoor National Park, which dominates Devon. The Independent's Annalisa Barbieri says, "You never quite know what you're getting with Dartmoor and with everything being so homogenised these days I welcome her unpredictability."

John Kampfner, political editor of the New Statesman, looked east to the Kamchatka peninsula: "the most remote region in Russia".

I would argue that any conservation award should go to the tourist, for the demand that he or she creates for the preservation of wildlife in its original habitat, for conserving coral reefs and for appreciating local culture in the most effective way possible: with hard cash.

Immortal Conservation Project: Venice

Another dissenting opinion: I believe any description of Venice as a "conservation project" confers upon the city an unsustainable sense of organisation. I side with the design guru, Stephen Bayley, who appreciates Paris: "Gloriously free of crass interventions", though he excludes the modern excesses of the Bercy neighbourhood from his commendation.

Immortal Theme Park: Disney

Venice popped up again in this category, as did the city of Las Vegas and Port Aventura in Spain. But the Walt Disney empire, with locations in California, Florida, Paris and Japan, has the category sewn up.

Immortal Ship: QE2

The old Queen picks up her inevitable long-service medal shortly before she is usurped by the newer, grander Queen Mary II. The Star Ferry in Hong Kong picked up one vote.

Immortal City Hotel:

The Peninsula, Hong Kong

The Chinese city did better in this category, though the runners-up are more interesting than the winner, which features in many awards lists.

The Oriental in Bangkok was narrowly beaten, despite the vote of the writer Anthony Sattin: "I once arrived during Thailand's water festival and the receptionist pulled a water pistol on me and fired across the desk."

John Simpson's nostalgic choice in this category was Delhi's Imperial Hotel: "Grand, traditional and with superb service."

Some like it hot, but apparently not too many – which is why San Diego's splendid Hotel del Coronado earned only one vote, even though Marilyn Monroe filmed there.

Immortal Resort Hotel: Amandari, Bali

The head honcho featured in the docu-soap The Secret Life of The Office has evidently been taking time out to relax recently. "Simply the most romantic place I have ever stayed," raves Clive Jacobs, chief executive of Holiday Autos. "The view over the gorge is stunning."

One panel member attempted a half-hearted veto, asking the judges to "deduct a vote on my behalf from whichever of Jumeirah Beach and Burj Al Arab [both luxury hotels in Dubai] gets the highest score. Woefully over-rated."

In the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, the sole nomination was The Ceilidh Place in Ullapool.

Immortal Spa: Gurney's Inn Resort and Spa, Montauk, Long Island, New York

You might imagine British Airways' head of political affairs had more pressing matters than to nominate a top spa, but Tom King praises the Banyan Tree in Phuket for its "understated luxury". Same brand, different country; Raymond Blanc goes for the Banyan Tree in the Maldives: "Share intimate moments with your partner, luxuriating in a spa bath decorated with lavender and jasmine petals as you embrace wafts of calming incense." Oo-er.

Immortal Ski Resort: Aspen, Colorado

The Rockies' most celebrated resort easily won this category, helped by Holiday Autos' Clive Jacob: "It's not just a ski resort – it's a great town in its own right. Great skiing, better choice of restaurants and nicer shops than any other ski centre in the world. A very special place."

That last description could also go to "The only ski resort I know from where you can see the sea." This nomination, from John Kampfner, political editor of the New Statesman, is for the resort of Laqlouq in the Lebanon.

Immortal Beach: Seychelles

One in six panellists selected Seychellois beaches, but the result is a bit of a fudge because they could not agree which one. Talking of fudge, other nominations had food-related names: Asparagus in New York State and Macaroni on Mustique. Tom Adair chose Ninety Mile Beach in New Zealand because, "At one end the Tasman Sea canoodles with the Pacific, at the other is New Zealand's best fish-and-chip shop."

For the ultimate picnic, follow in John Simpson's wake to Millennium Island on Kiribati in the South Pacific, where he welcomed in the year 2000 – and left behind a feast: "We left a large stock of food, water and medicine there for anyone who would prefer to avoid the full Tom Hanks Castaway experience. The beaches are the most glorious I have seen. Just watch the two-foot sharks in the lagoon."

Immortal Island: Bali

Chris Caldicott has the good fortune to spend his life travelling the world, taking photographs and writing, but he did not hesitate to nominate the troubled isle: "A perfect blend of culture, food, climate, people, beaches and fine hotels."

Numerically, the British tourist votes year after year for Mallorca: "It's still up there," says Martin Brackenbury, president of the International Federation of Tour Operators. Other favourites such as Tenerife, Cyprus and Malta failed to score significantly.

A more exotic nomination – from the writer Duncan Fallowell – is Ortygia. This small island is in Syracuse, Sicily. Its cathedral is said to be on the oldest site of continuous worship in Europe.

Sri Lanka, another victim of terrorism, was an also-ran, even though the perennial, elemental appeal of the island is now being reasserted: rich earth, gentle breezes, searing sun and reviving water.

Immortal View: the Manhattan skyline

The winner earned just three of the votes, which shows how thinly this category was spread. I assume that the trio who voted for Manhattan's skyline had in mind the view from Brooklyn, which makes it probably the first time that this New York borough has ever won a major tourism award.

The US featured highly in this category, with the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley nominated – as well as Ground Zero in Manhattan.

Craig Doyle, presenter of BBC1's Holiday, spends much of his life on the road, and therefore welcomes the sight of his "baby boy's face on my return from a trip".

Immortal City: New York

There are seven world cities, according to the High Life poll: Cape Town, London, Paris, Rome, St Petersburg and Venice – plus America's largest conurbation: "Its frustrations are as profound as its delights, but it is never, ever boring," says the design guru Stephen Bayley about his choice, New York.

Sadly, the real immortal city barely registered in the survey: Jerusalem. The Old City, at twilight, looks, feels and smells the same as it has for two millennia. Perhaps one of these centuries, it will become a hub of human understanding rather than hatred.

Immortal Country: Egypt

In November 1997, 59 tourists were murdered at Queen Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor by Islamic fundamentalists. The attack was the culmination of a series of outrages against tourist groups at historic sites in Egypt. Yet among the panel, the unparalleled antiquity on the banks of the Nile was sufficient to propel it easily to the winning position.

In second place was Italy, which has the advantages of "the people, the food and the culture, all wrapped up in the most beautiful language in the world", according to Anthony Harris, chief executive of Hilton International. Australia, Kenya, Nepal, Spain and Thailand all scored highly – as did France, which, numerically speaking, is by far the most popular tourist destination in the world.

Immortal Person – Mikhail Gorbachev

Which individual has made the largest contribution to international travel? Mark Twain, "the first great tourist of modern times", earned the vote of the writer Tom Adair. "Wherever I go he seems to have been there." Martin Brackenbury nominated Sir Frank Whittle, the inventor of the jet engine: "The single most important ingredient of international travel today." Interestingly, Stelios Haji-Ioannou – the founder of easyJet, and not one of the chosen 100 – tells me that he rates the internet above the jet engine as the key to democratising travel. Indeed, a case could be made for Stelios himself, as well as Michael O'Leary of Ryanair and Sir Freddie Laker – but perhaps not in a magazine published by British Airways.

The founder of the modern package holiday, Vladimir Raitz, was highly commended – and even Margaret Thatcher was mentioned in dispatches for her decisions to abandon currency exchange controls, to liberalise air transport and to privatise BA. But the man she, famously, "could do business with" prevailed. The former Soviet president won for the way that he opened up the world: glasnost, indeed.