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Category: Queensland

July 15, 2017October 29, 2017sarahnicho

AVANI coming to Queensland …

March 4, 2016November 22, 2017sarahnicho

Brisbane’s new Styles …

March 4, 2016November 22, 2017sarahnicho

Airport fare …

January 2, 2016March 11, 2018sarahnicho

Private islands …

September 23, 2014August 28, 2017sarahnicho

Street-art stay …

July 27, 2014March 4, 2018sarahnicho

Which Queensland island is right …

About me …

My name is Sarah and I’m a travel journalist writing features and news for a swag of Australian newspapers, magazines and websites.

This is my website, the place I post words and pictures gathered as I gallivant around the globe.

So enjoy the news, reviews, updates, random thinking and regular snapping – photos, that is – assembled here.

And hopefully you will find inspiration for your next trip far, near or here …

© Sarah Nicholson 2018

Recent Posts

Wintertime Swiss for non-skiers …
Vietnam island time for InterCon …
Hints on finding flight deals …
New look for Caravelle Saigon …
Going for a Galway getaway …

What's new on Instagram ...

... a Turin cafe ready for the afternoon espresso rush. . . . #turismotorino || @turismotorino

... wandering Turin’s arcades. . . . #turismotorino || @turismotorino

... during my recent visit to Europe to sail “The Med” with Crystal Cruises I also spent some time roaming northern Italy before returning to Rome for my flight home. . Now that I’m home I thought I would Insta the travel snaps from that journey and share the images from my adventure around one of the world’s favourite destinations. . My first stop was Turin, where I scratched another item from my travel to-do list by finally standing in the shadows of the majestic and magnificent Mile Antonelliana. . The iconic structure - with is usually snapped from above the surrounding rooftops rather than below - was constructed between 1863 and 1889 to celebrate Italian unification and is named after the architect Alessandro Antonelli. . It was originally a synagogue, now accommodates a museum dedicated to cinema, with “mole” describing any building of considerable proportions. . Been waiting years to see this one and I wasn’t disappointed 🤩 . . . #turismotorino || @turismotorino

... one last snap of the Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong interior, with a cheery footrest made from colourful Peranakan fabric sitting in a bright rug and wooden floor. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore #hotelindigosg || @hotelindigokatongsg

... Peranakan tiles. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

... the “five-foot ways” that are a feature of traditional Singaporean shophouses were added to protect pedestrians from the weather, shade from the sun and shelter from the rain. . The footpath arcades were also social spaces where locals would gather to sit, smoke, prepare meals, eat and gossip. . And it seems today they make the perfect place for a mini urban garden, complete with flowering blooms and a stripy retro deckchair. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

... a line of traditional Singapore dwellings in a Katong street. . A feature that define the style is the “five-foot way” that fronts the buildings covering the footpath then protect passengers from the weather. . And while bright colours are a signature that’s not compulsory with many of Katong’s restores terraces now painted white, light grey, and ivory. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

... a signature of Peranakan culture are beaded shoes, like these for sale in a shop across the road from Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong. . Not my style - and faaaaarrr from my size - but I do love looking at these heels. . But if they made ballet flats, I would be so in shopping heaven. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore #hotelindigosg || @hotelindigokatongsg

... a sunny wall on a cloudy Singapore day. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

... jars of old-time favourite lollies in the guest rooms at Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong. . “We took a long walk down memory lane and dig out many treasures we used to save our pocket money for when we were kids growing up in Singapore,” a note beside the jars explains. . “Extracted from our neighbourhood, these are still and forever popular even with our parents.” . And I can confirm that the White Rabbit treaties in the front glass are yum. . . . #hotelindigosg || @hotelindigokatongsg #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

... I’m finally getting to experience the Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong, digs I’ve been bursting to try since it opened a couple of years ago. . Indigo - part of the IHG group - is a wonderful brand that’s a little bit cheeky, a little bit designer, and a little bit boutique.. . The hotels take on the character of the neighbourhoods they occupy with the Katong address all about Singapore’s Peranakan culture. . There’s a big mural of a local street scene on the wall above the bed, lots of colourful fabrics, old-style furniture like a bathroom vanity made from an antique sewing-machine stand, and even gratis Singaporean sweets in the mini-bar. . Talk about a sense of place, the Hotel Indigo Katong is all about Katong and I love it. . This makes two Indigos for me, first it was Wan Chai in Hong Kong and now Singapore ... and there’s one bound for Saigon which I will certainly try when it opens in the next year or so. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore #hotelindigosg || @hotelindigokatongsg

... Katong floor tiles 🧡 . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

... Peranakan ceramics in a shop on Katong’s East Coast Road. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

... appreciating Peranakan style in Singapore’s historical Katong neighbourhood. . These are just some of the colourful terrace houses in Koon Seng Road showing unique “Singapore eclectic” architecture. . The dwellings were built before World War Two and combine details of Chinese, Malay and English architecture with these three cultural groups making up the bulk of the island’s population at the time. . Houses like these are dotted around heritage-listed Katong but in this block - just a few-minutes walk from my base at the Hotel Indigo Singapore - they are especially psychedelic. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore #hotelindigosg || @hotelindigokatongsg

... Singapore blooms. . . . #visitsingapore || @visit_singapore

What’s new on Twitter

Standing in the shadows of #Turin’s magnificent Mole Antonelliana scratches another long-standing item from my trav… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 11 hours ago
Exploring #Singapore’s colourful #Peranakan culture in heritage #Katong ... #visitsingapore @VisitSingapore https://t.co/YLG4i943Yl 3 days ago
Ready to venture out in #Singapore and the afternoon rains arrive ▪️ I love sitting inside watching these short tro… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 4 days ago

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