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 …”
Category Archives: Essentials
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”
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 …”
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 …”
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 …”
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 …”
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 …”
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 …”
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 …”
Riding the rails …
FROM The Oriental Express to the Rocky Mountaineer, the romance of train journeys have long captured the imaginations of travellers the world over. We’ve chosen the top ten rail experiences that will bring out the explorer in you. 1. Peru’s Andean Explorer (below) takes 10 hours to rattle from Cuzco to Puno, making for aContinue reading “Riding the rails …”
Stay like an emperor …
→ Brunei’s best hotel comes with a heaped helping of the regal … THE Empire Hotel & Country Club is arguably Brunei’s most luxurious place to stay with the sprawling property funded by a senior member of the country’s ruling royal family. The beachfront address, which sits on Borneo’s north coast a stone’s throw fromContinue reading “Stay like an emperor …”
Relaxing Rasa Ria …
→ Retreat to Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa for a break in the Borneo sunshine … SHANGRI-LA’S Rasa Ria Resort & Spa sits between the Borneo jungle and the white sand of Pantai Dalit Beach a stone’s throw from Kota Kinabalu. The luxury resort is not only is home to a championship golf courseContinue reading “Relaxing Rasa Ria …”
A taste for cruising …
KEEN on cruising but stressing about seasickness? Like the sound of seeing the world from the deck of an ocean liner but worried about being trapped on a floating casino with nothing to do? Concerned you’ll feel corralled by fellow travellers looking to chat? Your pals have been raving about cruising for years – unpackContinue reading “A taste for cruising …”
Out of the ashes …
→ Take a sneak peek at the hotel rising from the ashes of Black Saturdday … I ENJOYED a sneak peek at the new Vibe Hotel Marysville a few days after it opened in February. Marysville, which is surrounded by the Yarra Ranges National Park a couple of hours from Melbourne, was all-but destroyed duringContinue reading “Out of the ashes …”
Melbourne’s Langham …
Where … A function room at The Langham in Melbourne When … Thursday, February 5, 2015 What … The view across the Yarra River to the Melbourne skyline was the vistas I had to gaze at during today’s Visit Britain media briefing at The Langham on Melbourne’s South Bank. Visit The Langham Melbourne website …Continue reading “Melbourne’s Langham …”
Shades of green …
I HAVE never seen so many shades of green. The bucolic vista filling my window has more tones than the green portion of a paint chart, with every hue from emerald and jade to mint, khaki and lime combining in a scene that deserves to be captured in a whimsical watercolour. I’m so close toContinue reading “Shades of green …”
Darwin’s waterfront digs …
→ An apartment hotel on Darwin’s waterfront offers a comfortable place to stay in Australia’s steamy Top End … WHEN it comes to location, travellers can’t go past the Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront. The apartment hotel sits between the city’s CBD and Stokes Hill Wharf, beside a wave pool and close to the protectedContinue reading “Darwin’s waterfront digs …”
Montreal charm in Christchurch …
→ The recovering city welcomes a stylish new hotel … THE Hotel Montreal, which sits in Montreal Street on one side of Cramner Square, is the newest luxury hotel to open in central Christchurch. The 27-room property joins the nearby Hotel George as the only two five-star hotels in the South Island city which isContinue reading “Montreal charm in Christchurch …”
Coastal Pacific …
Where … The coast between Kaikoura and Blenheim When … Friday, November 21, 2014 What … The view from my window seat on the Coastal Explorer, the scenic train that runs between Christchurch and Picton on New Zealand’s South Island, as we follow the coast around a bay on the north side of Kaikoura.Continue reading “Coastal Pacific …”
Airlines in 2015 …
AIR travel was big news in 2014, but for all the wrong reasons. Instead of hearing about the development of innovative aircraft, the addition of new routes and improvements to customer service, the headlines were dominated by the loss of two Malaysian Airline planes with the occasional story about plunging profits and staff cuts. WhileContinue reading “Airlines in 2015 …”
Garden Tap House …
Where … The Garden Tap House, Kyneton When … Thursday, September 2, 2014 What … The setting sun shines through an upstairs window at The Garden Tap House, one of the comfortable self-contained properties available to those looking to spend a few days in Kyneton’s Piper Street. Visit the Piper Street website … posted OctoberContinue reading “Garden Tap House …”
Park at Pullman …
→ A plot close to Melbourne’s metropolitan lake provides a nice position for a stay at the Pullman Albery Park … THE Pullman Albert Park, set beside Melbourne’s Albert Park Lake and the back straight of the city’s Formula One track, is an agreeable hotel that’s perfect for both business and leisure travellers. The 169-roomContinue reading “Park at Pullman …”
So nice, named it twice …
HOTEL Hotel – a boutique address in Canberra’s New Acton neighbourhood which is a favourite with locals when it’s time to wine and dine – is quickly becoming the place to stay in the national capital. The hotel is packed with character, almost every item in the building tells a story, and a swag ofContinue reading “So nice, named it twice …”
London’s new classic …
THE Beaumont, London’s newest luxury hotel, is set to open in Mayfair on September 29. The 73-room property, which overlooks Brown Hart Gardens, occupies one of the English capital’s magnificent Art Deco buildings designed by Wimperis & Simpson and built in 1926 to serve as a garage. The Beaumont is the first hotel project byContinue reading “London’s new classic …”
Street-art stay …
BRISBANE’S first street-art hotel has opened in Constance Street with TRYP Brisbane welcoming its first guests. The property, which is also the first TRYP by Wyndham hotel in Australia, is in the heart of the Queensland capital’s entertainment district and inside the business precinct emerging on the outskirts of the CBD making it popular withContinue reading “Street-art stay …”
HOTEL – HOTEL JEN
INTRODUCING HOTEL JEN SHANGRI-LA Hotels has added a new brand to its stable with Hotel Jen created to cater to the whims of the next generation of traveller. Hotel Jen, pencilled in to replace the company’s established Traders brand, will offer “fresh, friendly and fuss-free” accommodation to the “millennials” just starting to influence trends inContinue reading “HOTEL – HOTEL JEN”
Raffles comes to Istanbul …
RAFFLES Istanbul, Turkey’s newest luxury hotel, will finally open its doors on September 1 after months of anticipation. The hotel will occupy the heart of the Zorlu Center — a new hub for fashion, food and the arts on the European shore in Beşiktaş — with the opulent five-star address overlooking the Bosphorus, Princess Islands andContinue reading “Raffles comes to Istanbul …”
Top chef returns …
CHEF Jim McDougall always knew Mildura was a food bowl but it wasn’t until he left his home town for the big smoke that he realised just how good the ingredients were in the Murray River settlement. The Mildura native, who started his career with the great Stefano de Pieri at the river city’s iconicContinue reading “Top chef returns …”
Good cheese and good cheer …
THERE’S no shortage of great places to dine in the Yarra Valley. Almost every winery in this esteemed grape-growing region — said to be Victoria’s first winemaking enclave with a history stretching back more than 160 years — has a restaurant or cafe worth visiting at meal times. So it wouldn’t occur to mostContinue reading “Good cheese and good cheer …”
Far Near Or Here 