Tokyo Bucket List: The Experiences First-Timers Miss

Live sumo fights, multi-course ryokan dinners and a post-fish-auction market breakfast: these are the Tokyo experiences most first-timers miss. Most first-time visitors plan the same week for their Tokyo bucket list: Shibuya crossing, a conveyor-belt sushi lunch, Senso-ji. None of these are wrong – each one is well-worth doing. But Tokyo is large and layered enough that you can fill seven days with only the […]

DestinationsAsiaHong Kong

Skyscrapers to Sea Breeze: The Best Things to Do in Hong Kong Beyond the City

Beyond neon lights and high-rises, there’s a softer side to Hong Kong that few ever see. Most travellers head to Hong Kong for the neon lights, the dumplings and the chaos – and fair enough, it delivers all three. What they don’t expect is to be standing on a deserted white-sand beach an hour later, wondering if they’ve accidentally caught a ferry to the Maldives. […]

ExploreIndonesiaBali

This Seminyak Beachfront Stay is Made for the Suite Life

With a Jacuzzi in every suite, a beach club and rooftop sunsets, Grand Seminyak puts you in the middle of Bali’s most sociable neighbourhood. Some Bali stays make you choose between slowing down and going out. At Grand Seminyak, the day starts by the sea and ends wherever Seminyak takes you. Drift between the ocean […]

DestinationsAustraliaWestern Australia

Sharks, Camels & Tidal Wonders: Exploring the Kimberley

From feeding sharks to meeting camels, tasting the incredible flavours of the tropical north and power boating through impossible raging tides, Rebecca Ellwood falls hard for the wild encounters in the Kimberley region. Growing up in landlocked middle England, swimming with sharks never featured on my bucket list. Yet here I am in the Kimberley […]

AustraliaNew South WalesReviews

Coastal Connection: Simpson Cottage Offers History and Luxury in a Retro Seaside Idyll

An ephemera-packed, historic sandstone cottage from the 1800s in a seaside town with chilled vibes reminiscent of the 1970s; a couple of days at Simpsons Cottage – in the coastal getaway of Bundeena in Sydney – leaves you with fond memories of a simpler time. It’s the birds that you notice first. Opening the white […]

AsiaIndonesiaBali

Jimbaran Beach Access, Lounge Upgrades & 5 Restaurants: Welcome to InterContinental Bali

InterContinental Bali Resort pairs a beachfront Jimbaran Bay setting with varied dining, multiple pools and easy access to Bali’s southern highlights. There are Bali resorts designed for a few quiet days by the pool, and there are resorts that make staying in feel like part of the itinerary. InterContinental Bali Resort belongs to the second […]

DestinationsAustraliaVictoria

The New Melbourne Foodie Experience You Can’t Miss

MasterChef Australia winner Diana Chan hand-picked this dumpling route through the CBD and Chinatown, and the menu isn’t served to anyone walking in off the street. When it comes to impressing a Melbourne foodie, the bar is high: but this three-hour, self-guided dumpling degustation, designed by MasterChef Australia winner Diana Chan, might just do it. […]

DestinationsSouth Pacific

The Pacific Destination You Haven’t Considered Yet (But Should)

Vanuatu is a Pacific gem of swimming holes, Kastom villages and a wreck dive – all reachable in three hours from Australia. Just three hours’ flight from Australia’s east coast with azure lagoons, volcanic peaks and powdery beaches, Vanuatu is the South Pacific destination that’s been hiding in plain sight. Offering a rare combination of accessible adventure, living culture and raw natural […]

DestinationsAustraliaACTExplore

This Century-Old Canberra Stay Is Anything But Old-Fashioned

Beside Canberra’s National Triangle, Hyatt Hotel Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel pairs Prairie-style architecture and a century of political history with marble bathrooms, garden courtyards and one of the capital’s most enduring high teas. For a Canberra escape with a strong sense of place, Hyatt Hotel Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel puts you […]

AsiaExploreIndonesia

6 Reasons Why This New Luxury Resort in Lombok Surprised Me

Quiet shores, impeccable dining, a community-run turtle program, and an indulgent wellness menu built around the island itself: the reasons The Sira won’t stay a secret for long. Perched on Lombok’s north coast, close enough to the Gili Islands that I could see them from the beach, The Sira, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, […]

DestinationsAustraliaNew South WalesExplore

From Front Pages to Late Checkouts: Inside Paradox Sydney

Paradox Sydney gives a heritage-listed former newspaper headquarters a lively new chapter, with soaring ceilings, fresh Australian produce and Circular Quay about 500 metres away. Behind the sandstone façade, just a hop, skip and a jump from Circular Quay, is an ultra-modern refuge. Welcome to Paradox Sydney, a sleek escape that pairs its heritage shell […]

DestinationsIndonesiaBaliMaldivesHomes & Villas

Is a Private Pool Villa Resort Upgrade Worth It?

You’ve found the perfect resort, now it’s time to choose between their hotel room or pool villa upgrade: here’s what you actually get for the cost. There’s a moment that happens during almost every villa upgrade stay when the extra spend makes total sense. It usually hits around the second morning, as you look out at a stretch of water that belongs to no one but you. Private pool villas […]