WHERE … The Mekong River in central Cambodia WHEN … Monday, August 7, at 5.06pm WHAT … It’s the second full day of my cruise from Siem Reap to Saigon on board the RV Mekong Pandaw and we’re sailing downstream somewhere between Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh. It’s about an hour before dusk settles onContinue reading “the Mekong River …”
Category Archives: Essentials
VISIT – BALI
BALI BEST IN AUGUST TRIPADVISOR has news for those Aussies desperate to escape the mid-winter gloom by spending some time in Asia’s tropical warm. Bali’s average nightly room rates are set to plummet by more than $50 per night in August at places to stay right around the Indonesian holiday island. TripAdvisor has been searchingContinue reading “VISIT – BALI”
Accommodation for Adelaide Airport …
FLYERS travelling through the South Australian capital will soon have somewhere to stay close to their aircraft with building now underway on the new Atura Hotel at Adelaide Airport. The 165-room hotel, which will cost $50 million to complete and is expected to welcome its first guests at the end of 2018, will be connectedContinue reading “Accommodation for Adelaide Airport …”
Cool and quirky QT Canberra …
FOR so many years there was nowhere interesting to stay in Australia’s national capital. Sure, there has always been loads of hotels dotted around the districts radiating from Lake Burley Griffin, but they were sterile address offering the bland experience travellers expect from same-same chains promising a reliable style regardless of location. But that’s allContinue reading “Cool and quirky QT Canberra …”
AVANI coming to Queensland …
AVANI’S first Australian hotel is set to open its doors on Queensland’s Gold Coast in early 2018 with the new AVANI Broadbeach Residences now taking shape. The $150 million development boasts 219 guest suites including one and two-bedrooms apartments that each feature a lounge, dining room, and kitchen as well as modern appliances and neutralContinue reading “AVANI coming to Queensland …”
Singapore’s Shang receives refresh …
SINGAPORE’S Shangri-La hotel is an enclave of elegant excess at the top end of Orchard Road that regularly welcomes everyone from kings and queens to diplomats and politicians as well as discerning tourists in town to indulge in a spot of sightseeing. The hotel’s Tower Wing – built in 1971, it’s an original part ofContinue reading “Singapore’s Shang receives refresh …”
INSIDER – AIR NZ NUMBERS
NUMBERS TELL A STORY OF AIR NZ FLYING AIR New Zealand is beginning the next financial year by looking back at customer data from the past 12 months and revealing some interesting insights into guest travel preferences. The Kiwi carrier, which operates around 176,000 flights every year to facilitate more than 15 million customer journeys,Continue reading “INSIDER – AIR NZ NUMBERS”
NYC hotels with cool rooftop pools …
PICTURE this. You’ve spent a sweltering summer’s day exploring the Big Apple, soaking up the buzz in this biggest of big cities, and now it’s time to retreat to your New York accommodation to refresh and recharge for a night gallivanting about the city that never sleeps. Forget about lowering your core temperature with aContinue reading “NYC hotels with cool rooftop pools …”
Antarctica’s Cierva Cove …
HAVE you heard of a little place called Cierva Cove? It’s most unlikely, unless you’re a glaciologist or polar explorer, with this landmark just another weather-beaten bay on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula at the mouth of the Gerlache Strait. But Cierva Cove is a significant spot thanks to the chain of monumentalContinue reading “Antarctica’s Cierva Cove …”
Another first for BKK’s Pullman …
NINE years after welcoming its first guests the world’s first Pullman hotel, Pullman Bangkok King Power, has unveiled a new look after completing a transformative renovation project. “The renovation of Pullman Bangkok King Power presented an unprecedented challenge but the result is simply stunning,” explains the property’s general manager Marc Begassat. “Our goal was toContinue reading “Another first for BKK’s Pullman …”
Sounds of silence in Cierva Cove …
I WAS expecting this to be one of the most peaceful places on the planet. I’m perched on the side of a Zodiac drifting around Cierva Cove, an iceberg-choked bay on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, and there isn’t a man-made sound to be heard above our breathing. But this remote place justContinue reading “Sounds of silence in Cierva Cove …”
Save on solo travel …
FREYA Stark could be the patron saint of solo travellers. Not only did she become one of the first female travel writers, and forge a path through the Middle East for Western wanderers, but her words “to awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world” areContinue reading “Save on solo travel …”
New York’s newest is boutique beauty …
NEW York’s newest boutique hotel will welcome its first guests on February 16 with 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge set to become one of the Big Apple’s most divine destinations. The 194-room property is perched on the Brooklyn waterfront, a stone’s throw from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge in cosmopolitan Brooklyn Heights, with the 10-storey “sustainable ground-upContinue reading “New York’s newest is boutique beauty …”
River ship that feels like home …
“GOOD morning, welcome home,’’ the ship’s crew chant as we step back on board the RV Mekong Pandaw. It’s only 10.30am but the day is already fiercely hot, the dense humidity delivered by last night’s monsoonal downpour settling on the landscape like a wet woolen blanket. I’m pleased to be back on my graceful floatingContinue reading “River ship that feels like home …”
CRUISE – AMADEUS PROVENCE
A POOL DECK FOR PROVENCE EUROPE’S only riverboat with a pool deck will embark on her maiden voyage in April. The brand new MV Amadeus Provence will feature a “tranquil infinity plunge-style pool” and alfresco bar which combine to make it a scenic open-air perch for guests to watch the scenery drift past during sunnyContinue reading “CRUISE – AMADEUS PROVENCE”
Honkers’ new very Kerry address …
HONG Kong’s Kerry Hotel is close to opening and taking reservations for stays from April 2017. The 546-room property, in Kowloon’s waterfront Hung Hom Bay, is described as Hong Kong’s first “five-star urban resort” created to “pamper guests with pure comfort and understated luxury” and each room features floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of the Victoria HarbourContinue reading “Honkers’ new very Kerry address …”
So majestic in KL …
→ Colonial charm at Kuala Lumpur’s Majestic Hotel … I HAVE a thing for Asia’s colonial-era hotels. I love everything about them – from the old-time architecture to a serene sense of history suggested by the internal design – and seek out historic addresses when heading to the Orient. So when I find myself inContinue reading “So majestic in KL …”
Shop for style in new Saigon …
THE first time I went to Saigon almost 20 years ago shopping was limited to a stroll through Ben Thanh Market. Nothing cost more than a couple of dollars and while items like clothes and shoes rarely fitted the western frame it was a chance to stock up on delicate ceramics, colourful handbags and vibrantContinue reading “Shop for style in new Saigon …”
Germany’s Rostock …
ROSTOCK won’t be high on the list of destinations to see when crafting an itinerary to explore Germany. But this northern settlement, a stone’s throw from the Baltic coast in what was once East Germany, is a pretty place to spend a day especially for those planning on catching a ferry from nearby Warnemünde acrossContinue reading “Germany’s Rostock …”
Queenstown’s new Holiday Inn …
INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group has opened its first Holiday Inn hotel in Queenstown following the conversion of the former Goldridge Resort. The multi-million-dollar refurbishment sees an upgrade to all 75 rooms – with potential for 50 rooms to be added in 2017 – and other amenities include a fully-furnished deck with BBQ facilities, a bar andContinue reading “Queenstown’s new Holiday Inn …”
Angkor’s colonial charming …
→ Staying at Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa promises a dose of colonial charm … I’VE stayed in a few Siem Reap hotels over the years. Since my first visit to Cambodia’s Khmer kingdom at the turn of the century I’ve slept in everything from budget bland to luxury lovely with every property providing aContinue reading “Angkor’s colonial charming …”
Flying Kangaroo hops to Tokyo …
AUSTRALIANS now have another flight option for reaching Tokyo with the first Qantas service between Melbourne and Tokyo’s Narita Airport departing on December 16. The daily hop, which will use upgraded Airbus A330-300 aircraft featuring a two-class cabin with Qantas’ signature Marc Newson interiors, departs Melbourne at 9:15am and leaves Narita at 7pm for theContinue reading “Flying Kangaroo hops to Tokyo …”
Four Points makes it to Melbourne …
FOUR Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands will welcome its first guests on March 28. The 273-room hotel, located at 22 Pearl River Road in Melbourne’s rejuvenated Docklands area, is just 2km from the Victorian capital’s CBD making it an ideal address for both business and leisure travellers. Each guest room boasts a river or cityContinue reading “Four Points makes it to Melbourne …”
Why hotel beds are so darn good …
IF you ask me to recommend my favourite hotels in Saigon, Santa Barbara and Barcelona I will rattle off three properties with great beds. Sure, each address boasts a panoramic location, fabulous bars and restaurants, amiable staff ready to satisfy a guest’s every whim, peaceful day spas and marvellous swimming pools, but my favourite featureContinue reading “Why hotel beds are so darn good …”
Vietnam’s Sa Dec …
I’VE been to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta a few times now but this is the first time I’ve visited Sa Dec. The settlement sits upstream from big cities like Vinh Long and My Tho and, at first glance, looks much like all the other villages lining the banks of the might Mekong River as it snakesContinue reading “Vietnam’s Sa Dec …”
Norwegian sets sail for Alaska bliss …
NORWEGIAN Cruise Lines is taking the next step in Alaskan cruising by unveiling plans for a new ship designed with just that remote corner of the planet in mind. The Norwegian Bliss, a vessel capable of carrying 4000 guests, will be “the first cruise ship custom built to explore America’s icy north with features andContinue reading “Norwegian sets sail for Alaska bliss …”
Biggest cruise ship at sea …
HARMONY of the Seas is big. Really big, record-breaking big. The enormous vessel is 362.12m from bow to stern – longer than the Eiffel Tower is high – and officially became the planet’s biggest cruise ship when it joined the Royal Caribbean fleet in May and took the title from older sister Allure of the SeasContinue reading “Biggest cruise ship at sea …”
Make a base in booming Bugis …
SINGAPORE is celebrating the unveiling of another new hotel with the Mercure Singapore Bugis opening its doors in one of the Lion City’s most dynamic neighbourhoods. The 395-room address sits in the heart of the arts and culture district and offers panoramic views from its rooftop Sky Deck and infinity lap pool as well as Continue reading “Make a base in booming Bugis …”
Hints on defeating jet lag …
WHEN it comes to travel milestones 1971 was a big year. On January 15 Pan Am christened the first Boeing 747 to join its fleet – and the first Jumbo Jet to go into commercial service – with the inaugural passenger flight coming six days later from New York to London. Suddenly, international travel wasContinue reading “Hints on defeating jet lag …”
Singapore’s updated airport stay …
SINGAPORE’S Crowne Plaza Changi Airport has unveiled a new wing that will increase capacity at the award-winning hotel by 75 per cent. There are two room categories in the 10-storey extension – business king suites at 28sq/m and the 38sq/m business twin suites – with all chambers in the 243-room wing “furnished with thoughtful touchesContinue reading “Singapore’s updated airport stay …”
Far Near Or Here 