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
Category Archives: Destinations
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 …”
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 …”
Discover a Pacific paradise …
THE Pacific is calling. Warm crystal-clear water, blue-sky days and humid afternoon breezes, trees heavy with fragrant frangipani blooms, lonely stretches of white sand fringed by palm trees, coconuts with a straw, a hammock in the shady corner of a garden, legions of smiling locals. Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands. Wait, whatContinue reading “Discover a Pacific paradise …”
Top-floor tipples …
ASIA has sky-high socialising down to a fine art. Right around the region there are rooftop bars perched in lofty locations that provide the perfect place to match a casual drink with a remarkable view after – or even during – a day playing tourist. 1. Singapore’s 1-Altitude, occupying the 63rd floor at One RafflesContinue reading “Top-floor tipples …”
Darwin in the dry …
IT MAY be the middle of the southern hemisphere winter but there are places in Australia where shorts and a singlet, sandals, a sunhat and a liberal layer of sunscreen are the wardrobe of choice. Darwin is one of them. During the cooler months – it’s called the dry season – the city is delightful,Continue reading “Darwin in the dry …”
Being water wise …
YOU’VE just stepped into your hotel room and you’re parched. But a bottle of Coke from the minibar costs a bomb, the shop across the street just closed, and you’re not sure about the quality of water coming from the tap. Do you risk it? Or play it safe, down the Coke, and let yourContinue reading “Being water wise …”
The Great Ocean Road’s winter retreat …
MY family only squabbles about one thing and that’s the proper way to make a fire. My brother David, an alpha male with a booming voice to match his imposing frame, maintains a good blaze must be built on a clean base and he’s inevitably the one who takes to the fireplace with brush andContinue reading “The Great Ocean Road’s winter retreat …”
Literary landscape …
I SEE why this tranquil corner of England inspired Beatrix Potter to write tales about rabbits and William Wordsworth to pen poems about daffodils. I’ve only been in the Lake District a couple of hours and I’m already sitting on the deck of a vintage steamer as it drifts across Lake Windermere with my notebookContinue reading “Literary landscape …”
No need for speed …
WHEN an old pal’s husband discovered bushwalking his first big hike was a trek in a remote corner of the country, a journey that had him out of mobile range and made my friend feel like she was missing out as she waited at home while he navigated some of Australia’s most spectacular territory. SoContinue reading “No need for speed …”
Keeping up with the Joneses …
THE quaint cafe at Jones Winery & Vineyard in Rutherglen is one of my favourite places to dine in country Victoria. I think it’s the combination of a charming setting, with the casual but elegant eatery set in an old farm building that doubles as the estate’s cellar door and barrel room, and a thoughtfulContinue reading “Keeping up with the Joneses …”
Hotels with history …
THERE’S a trend in Melbourne – well, a mini trend, at least – with the Victorian capital’s newest hotels moving into territory that once served a different purpose. The shiny new Sheraton Melbourne Hotel (below) sits on the Little Collins St site of the bygone Naval and Military Club, a 127-year-old institution that once counted SirContinue reading “Hotels with history …”
Lion City like a local …
SINGAPORE is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence in August with the island nation creating a calendar of events to mark the significant occasion. Raffles Singapore, the grand colonial-era hotel that stars in decades of Lion City history, is celebrating by offering the Raffles Walk of Fame Tour every Saturday until AugustContinue reading “Lion City like a local …”
Follow the peloton ’round France …
JULY is all about Le Tour de France with thousands of Aussies sitting up into the wee-small hours to watch the peloton pedal towards Paris. While many viewers are passionate cycling fans, hordes more watch the SBS coverage to select destinations for their next Continental jaunt, so here are hints on seeing the corners ofContinue reading “Follow the peloton ’round France …”
Great Ocean roam …
THE Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s top driving routes, but there’s plenty of reason to park the car and enjoy the swag of attractions that flank this ribbon of asphalt snaking around Victoria’s beautiful southwest coast. 1. Every Easter the world’s best surfers descend on Bells Beach (below) — the famous stripContinue reading “Great Ocean roam …”
Rutherglen vineyards …
Where … Rutherglen Estates’ vineyard near the Murray River in northern Victoria When … Late afternoon on Thursday, June 11, 2015 What … A winter sunset mixes with the smoke from a farmer’s fire to throw a golden glow over a Rutherglen Estates’ vineyard a stone’s throw from Rutherglen in the northern Victorian wine-making region. …Continue reading “Rutherglen vineyards …”
Eveleigh the place to be …
A TRIO of Australians opened Eveleigh on the Sunset Strip in California’s West Hollywood back in 2010 with the restaurant winning rave reviews from locals and visitors alike in the years since. The restaurant is now such a local icon, consistently doing it’s own thing rather than trying to set trends in a district thatContinue reading “Eveleigh the place to be …”
King George Sound …
Where … Albany’s King George Sound on Western Australia’s wild south coast When … Thursday, May 8, 2014 What … Taking in the view to the South Ocean, across Albany’s Princess Royal Harbour and King Edward Sound, from the Clarence Hill Memorial on a glorious blue-sky day near the end of autumn. Visit the AmazingContinue reading “King George Sound …”
Laps of luxury …
FROM rooftop swimming pools crowning luxury Hong Kong hotels to geothermal ponds in a classic English settlement, these venues provide perfect places to make a splash. 1. Mataranka – the Northern Territory hamlet an 80-minute drive from Katherine – is home to hot springs feeding a string of thermal ponds (below) that are surrounded byContinue reading “Laps of luxury …”
10 places to make you smile …
WHEN being all grown up starts to get you down it’s time to find a holiday destination that will have you smiling like a child. Escape has assembled 10 attractions that will, put simply, make you happy. Disneyland Disneyland has been “the happiest place on earth’’ for 60 years — the Los Angeles fun park willContinue reading “10 places to make you smile …”
Aussie outback made easy …
THIS country has some of the most remote locations in the world, but it doesn’t mean you have to rough it to see the best the Outback has to offer. Home Valley Station Home Valley Station sits on the eastern edge of the Kimberley, beside the Pentecost River and Cockburn Range, with the West Australian propertyContinue reading “Aussie outback made easy …”
On a mission in SF …
THE agreeable Californian settlement of San Francisco, which has grown on the shores of the bay since the first Spaniards put down roots in 1769, occupies a land area of only 121sq km, which means it’s easy for visitors to explore. An assortment of charismatic neighbourhoods stretching from North Beach and Chinatown to Haight-Ashbury andContinue reading “On a mission in SF …”
Footsteps of the fallen …
SATURDAY’S Anzac Day services will commemorate more than the 100th anniversary of Australian troops landing at Gallipoli. This significant day also signals the start of a century of Australian men and women serving in wars, police actions and peace-keeping missions that have taken our army, navy, air force and merchant mariners to battlefields around theContinue reading “Footsteps of the fallen …”
Far Near Or Here 