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 …”
Category Archives: Stay
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 …”
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 …”
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 …”
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 …”
Black Saturday survivor …
KIM Rycroft is a Black Saturday survivor. The Narbethong resident, and the force behind Saladin Lodge, one of the region’s most delightful B&B properties, lost her home in 2009 when one of the February 7 fires burst out of the Black Range State Forest and tore across her bucolic block. Rycroft lost the historicContinue reading “Black Saturday survivor …”
Soaking up the views …
SOAKING UP THE VIEWS IN SINGAPORE … When designing new buildings to decorate the Singapore skyline, architects like to think outside the box. Examples of this include the Singapore Opera House, with two domes that look like giant fly eyes; the Supreme Court, with a “UFO” on the roof; Parkview Square and its Gotham moodiness;Continue reading “Soaking up the views …”
High country history …
→ When visiting an historic hilltop hamlet it’s only right to stay in an historic cottage … THERE are not a lot of options when it comes to accommodation in a little spot like Walhalla. The Star Hotel offers pub-style digs, there are a couple of B&Bs around the place, and those who really wantContinue reading “High country history …”
In the vines …
→ Peppers Parehua offers wine-loving travellers a play to stay right in the vines … PEPPERS Parehua sits in the heart of a Martinborough vineyard with the cottage-style suites perfectly positioned so guests can explore the delights of the pretty New Zealand settlement – including dozens of wineries, restaurants, and cafes – on foot orContinue reading “In the vines …”
Table with a view …
THIS is the table I occupied at breakfast this morning. I took a magazine to read while I enjoyed my bacon and eggs, but I didn’t even get to the first page as the view was far more interesting than anything inside my glossy travel publication. The sun doesn’t rise here until a little afterContinue reading “Table with a view …”
Lofty French Alps’s stay …
→ While travellers are welcome at Club Med Valmorel during any season winter really is something special … ANOTHER travel first for me today. A few months ago I was the first passenger to sit in the fifth row of the brand new Qantas 737-800 called Tamworth and now I’m the first guest to occupyContinue reading “Lofty French Alps’s stay …”
Bathroom with a view …
I HAVE a bathroom with a view. I’m staying at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort, which sits on the south-western tip of the little island that snuggles against Singapore southern coast, and my room has a glorious view across the beaches and man-made lagoons to the busy shipping lanes that run between Indonesia and Malaysia. MyContinue reading “Bathroom with a view …”
One of the best …
→ When it comes to special places to stay in London there’s few better the The Dorchester … THE Dorchester is one of the world’s most famous hotels with this London icon, which opened beside Hyde Park in 1931 and underwent a two year-refurbished that wrapped in 1990, offering a feeling of “timeless glamour” toContinue reading “One of the best …”
On track in Aye …
→ A Scottish city’s racecourse is home to this hotel … THE Western House Hotel is perfectly placed we race day rolls with suites in this comfy place to stay, which rests beside the Scottish city’s racecourse, looking across the white picket fences and green turf of the track. Every other day of the weekContinue reading “On track in Aye …”
An Oxford address …
→ Bound for Oxford? Then make reservations at the elegant address in the heart of academia … THE Macdonald Randolph Hotel – a plush five-star hotel in the heart of Oxford – is an address that seems to compliment a stay in this English university town with a location across the road from the AshmoleanContinue reading “An Oxford address …”
Far Near Or Here 