AIR New Zealand’s newest lounge will be unveiled at Brisbane Airport’s international terminal tomorrow. The contemporary space – a purpose-built architecturally-designed lounge that can accommodate almost 200 customers – occupies a 771sqm plot in a corner of the terminal with 70 per cent more seating that the previous location. “We’re proud to offer our customersContinue reading “Lounging with Air NZ …”
Author Archives: Sarah N
So Siem Reap …
→ Narrowing the search on a Siem Reap hotel … FINDING a Siem Reap hotel can be an intimidating prospect. If you’ve never visited the Cambodian tourist town you don’t know where to start with the settlement seeming to stretch north, south, east and west along two main roads that meet near the Royal Residence.Continue reading “So Siem Reap …”
Leave big smoke for festa fun …
EVERY year food and wine festivals in Australia’s capitals bring together chefs, winemakers, restaurateurs and amateur foodies to showcase the best of their cities’ eating and drinking. The annual Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is jammed with more than 300 events, including 25 free activities with 17 family-friendly events, and more than 30 countries andContinue reading “Leave big smoke for festa fun …”
Very social London …
THE English capital was the most talked about travel destination on Twitter in 2015 with the words “London” and “travel” tweeted together more than 630,000 times during 12 months. That was 200,000 times more than the next most popular cities Paris, New York, Rome and Tokyo according to information from the Mayor of London’s promotionalContinue reading “Very social London …”
Digs for Singapore fling …
→ Hotel Jen Orchardgateway perfectly places for Singapore stopover or longer stay … IT‘S rich pickings when searching for a place to stay in Singapore. There are more than 250 properties on the TripAdvisor list with trusted brands like Hilton, Holiday Inn, Ramada, Park Royal and Mercure sitting as far down as page three ofContinue reading “Digs for Singapore fling …”
To market for LA eats…
MY first Los Angeles meal is dinner at the over-hyped restaurant of an overexposed reality star and not only are we packed in like sardines but it’s so dark we need iPhones to illuminate the menu and so noisy we have to shout. Breakfast the next day is at a glitzy hotel, where suspicious attendantsContinue reading “To market for LA eats…”
New tracks in 2016 …
AUSSIE travellers are always enthusiastic about going off the beaten track but a lack of transport, absence of accommodation, or scant supply of tours often make it hard to plan a holiday. However, new air routes, hotels, ferry services and guided tours mean some quiet corners of the planet – as far-flung as the ArcticContinue reading “New tracks in 2016 …”
Aussie dining in La La Land…
FINDING somewhere to eat in LA can be an intimidating prospect, especially for first-time visitors. A tip is to rely on the hotel concierge — they can make recommendations and reservations — while a second option is simply sticking to the green and gold with a gaggle of Aussies chefs and restaurateurs making their markContinue reading “Aussie dining in La La Land…”
Brisbane’s new Styles …
BRISBANE’S newest international hotel, the ibis Styles Brisbane Elizabeth Street, is now in business with the first guests checked in on March 1. The “premium economy hotel”, occupying a central block in the Queensland capital beside the Myer Centre and Queen Street Mall, boasts a new restaurant and bar called The Social and every oneContinue reading “Brisbane’s new Styles …”
Airport fare …
HERE’S a Brisbane eatery that’s so exclusive only a select group of people can get a table. But it’s a location, rather than a celebrity chef or Michelin rating, making this spot special with Brisbane River Grill airside at Brisbane Airport’s renovated international terminal. This location – past passport control and myriad security checkpoints –Continue reading “Airport fare …”
HOTEL – ANANTARA MALDIVES
BIG MALDIVIAN DIGS THE Maldives has long been known as a destination that’s perfect for pairs. The Indian-Ocean utopia has an extensive list of resorts boasting the style of accommodations that suit two people seeking endless amounts of romance with a generous supply of over-water bungalows, infinity swimming pools, secluded sandbars, and stunning sunsets. ButContinue reading “HOTEL – ANANTARA MALDIVES”
Battambang …
Where … The top of a hill near Battambang in Cambodia’s north-west corner When … Sunday, October 25, 2015 What … The lush rice fields and jungle carpeting a hill combine to drop a layer of green on Battambang, which was a region of Cambodia that was a Khmer Rouge stronghold for decades but isContinue reading “Battambang …”
Autumn in the vines …
LIKE all vineyards during vintage, wineries around Rutherglen are busy all hours now as summer fruit hanging heavy on the vines demands to be harvested. But soon autumn will creep across this picturesque corner of northern Victoria, dressing its vines in shades of yellow, orange and red that stand out against the monotone greens ofContinue reading “Autumn in the vines …”
Saigon’s new stays …
IF YOU like hotels with history then Saigon is the place for you. Stately properties – the Rex Hotel, Caravelle Saigon, the Hotel Majestic, Hotel Continental Saigon, the Grand Hotel – carry the delightful design flourishes of a bygone era, tell interesting tales, and have been welcoming guests since long before the “American War’’. TheseContinue reading “Saigon’s new stays …”
Essential Manchester experiences …
A MECCA for arts lovers, music fans, sports enthusiasts, and shopping aficionados, Manchester has almost as much going on as London. Musical Manchester The “Madchester’’ music movement was born during the late 1980s and early ’90s, mixing alternative music with sounds from the electronic dance scene, and grew to launch bands such as The StoneContinue reading “Essential Manchester experiences …”
Vietnam’s Aussie battlefields …
NEVER have the notes of the Last Post seemed more significant than at this moment. I’m standing in a nondescript corner of southern Vietnam, deep inside a rubber plantation that looks like all the others carpeting this region of Southeast Asia. The bugle call that marks the end of day and commemorates Australia’s fallen servicemenContinue reading “Vietnam’s Aussie battlefields …”
Where to wander …
THERE are more ways than ever to explore a holiday destination – trams, horse-drawn carts, Segways, vintage cars, bicycles – but there are some streets that should be seen on foot so pack your walking shoes and prepare to pound the pavement. Budapest Budapest’s Andrassy Ut stretches 2.5km from Heroes Square to Erzsebet Square withContinue reading “Where to wander …”
Seeing Southern California …
FOR most Aussies travellers visiting Los Angeles, the obvious sightseeing options involve following the tourist trail to West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills or Disney’s Anaheim. But the City of Angels serves as a gateway to southern California where there are loads of other places to see. 1. Santa Barbara rests at the heart ofContinue reading “Seeing Southern California …”
How to pack smart …
THERE’S always one alarming moment, every time I pack to scoot off overseas, when I wonder how I will fit everything laid out for the trip into my empty suitcase on the floor. Experts recommend selecting everything you want to take then returning half to the wardrobe. But the what-if factor means that never works,Continue reading “How to pack smart …”
U Bein Bridge …
Where … U Bein Bridge, near Mandalay in the heart of Burma When … Friday, November 20, 2015 What … The sun sets behind what locals boast is the world’s oldest and longest teak bridge, stretching 1300m across Taungthaman Lake near Mandalay. … posted Sunday, January 17, 2016
Blooming beautiful Burma …
WHEN Aung San Suu Kyi asked the world to scratch Myanmar from its travel to-do list back in 1996 – “Burma will be here for many years so tell your friends to visit us later, visiting now is tantamount to condoning the regime” – people around the globe obliged. But it seems “later” has arrivedContinue reading “Blooming beautiful Burma …”
INSIDER – PRIVATE ISLANDS
PRIVATE ISLAND PAMPERING DREAMING of jetting off to a private island where butlers cater to your every need and empty palm-fringed beaches wait outside your bungalow door? While supreme luxury comes at a cost – North Island’s “standard” presidential villas are priced about $4600 a person, a night, in 2016 – it is possible toContinue reading “INSIDER – PRIVATE ISLANDS”
Norfolk Island perfect 10 …
ALL is fresh and fabulous on this green and pleasant isle. Farm fresh A Saturday-morning tradition for most Norfolk Islanders is a jaunt to the Farmers’ Market, but don’t expect big and busy. A handful of stalls occupy the patch of green beside the Visitor Information Centre in Taylors Road. What the market lacks inContinue reading “Norfolk Island perfect 10 …”
NYC winter magic …
THERE’S something magical about New York City when a fresh layer of snow covers the ground, Central Park’s trees are bare, skaters glide around Bryant Park’s ice rink, beat police rug up against the chill, and steam rises from vents in the Fifth Avenue footpath. December, January, February and March mark the Big Apple’s quietContinue reading “NYC winter magic …”
Hotel loyalty programs …
IT was Hollywood that showed me the power of hotel loyalty programs. Remember that Up In The Air scene when George Clooney’s character, Ryan Bingham, swaggers up to the hotel check-in counter with the Hilton HHonors card in his wallet allowing him to jump the queue of people waiting to receive a room key? “HeContinue reading “Hotel loyalty programs …”
Lands of the midnight sun …
THE northern lights get all the glory but the midnight sun is an Arctic Circle wonder that makes it worth venturing to the planet’s far north when the climate is agreeable. “Much is written about seeing the northern lights but lazing under the midnight sun is equally cathartic,’’ says travel photographer David Evans, who willContinue reading “Lands of the midnight sun …”
Brunei’s palatial stay …
I’M standing in Bill Clinton’s bathroom. No, this isn’t a stalker moment that will land my name on a Secret Service watch list, I’m loitering beside the marble bath in the string of rooms the former US president occupied at the palatial Empire Hotel & Country Club in Brunei more than a decade ago. AndContinue reading “Brunei’s palatial stay …”
Hotels fit for royalty …
THE Empire Hotel in Brunei isn’t the only hotel boasting a link to royalty – the destination’s most luxurious place to stay is funded by a senior member of the country’s ruling royal family – with inns from the African jungle to the Arctic Circle offering an experience good enough for the most important ofContinue reading “Hotels fit for royalty …”
On the mail run …
JULIAN Stilles is a mailman, but don’t expect to see this New Zealand postie peddling a bicycle or pushing a cart. Stilles is the postman in Queen Charlotte Sound — the most eastern waterway in the Marlborough Sounds at the top of New Zealand’s South Island — and six days a week he pilots aContinue reading “On the mail run …”
Airport staying …
I LOVE an airport hotel, and not just because I’m a plane nerd who fancies a room near a runway to watch aircraft come and go. My register of reasons to stay at an airport address is as long as the check-in line at a low-cost carrier’s terminal and, at the top, is the factContinue reading “Airport staying …”
Far Near Or Here 