Featured Interview: Karan Kaul, Business Strategy Manager for Six Senses Resorts & Spas

For this week’s Featured segment, we interviewed Karan Kaul, Business Strategy Manager for Six Senses, a trailblazer of the concept of environmental responsibility in luxury travel. Their beautiful properties and spas span 14 countries and strive to give those seeking a responsible travel experience unique and enriching vacations with the ever-present goals of sustainability and community contribution.

Karan answered our five favorite travel questions. Check out his answers below!

14Trips: What was your favorite childhood vacation spot?
KK: Definitely Bali—The Island of the Gods and a wonderful place to visit at all stages in one’s life. I was actually born there (hence the bias!) and look forward to my trips there every year. The resilience of the Island during recent crises and how it has bounced back demonstrates that Bali has generations left in its life cycle as a global destination. Make sure you get a taste of Seminyak (The Oberoi, Bali is a Grande Dame that delights to this day) as well as Ubud. Culture and a collection of beautiful resorts at the peak of their abilities.

14Trips: What book did you take with you on your last trip?
KK: A Fortune-Teller Told Me by the late Tiziano Terzani. The perfect book for a long flight and an easy vacation. I love how he interwove history, his own commentary and that mystical side of life we all feel from time to time. Even as a current resident of Southeast Asia, his book has shed new light on cities and countries I thought I knew well.

14Trips: What is the best dining experience you’ve ever had?
KK: Without a doubt in the Organic Garden Restaurant at Soneva Fushi by Six Senses. The energy of the entire island ensures you are immersed in a state of complete relaxation and perpetual rejuvenation. A lush tropical paradise set in stunning waters in the Maldives. My best dining experience was a simple meal suspended 3 meters above the sand with views of tree tops and the ocean beyond.

14Trips: What city, in your opinion, is the best kept secret in travel?
KK: I would have to say Tokyo. More accessible than people expect and with a such a variety of districts, each with a unique buzz, that you feel two weeks would not be enough to scratch the surface. It leaves you wanting more and ensures that you will return. Try Imahan for exceptional Sukiyaki and Kondo for Tempura.

14Trips: Who do you think publishes the best travel guides?
KK: My personal choice are the Luxe City Guides—updated, concise, and real. These guides are written with a great sense of humor and assist travelers who have a vague idea about the sorts of things they would like to do, but not a lot of time to figure it all out. “Smart stuff for busy people”? Too right.