This Melbourne Escape Has Won Australia’s Top Hotel Award Three Years Running

Here’s what a stay at this South Wharf five-star actually looks like – from the Yarra-facing rooms to the floating wine gantry at Dock 37. Pan Pacific Melbourne’s running success at the World Travel Awards (in 2023, 2024 and 2025) doesn’t happen by accident. Spend a night (or longer) here and the reasons become fairly […]

MaldivesReviews

The Brand-New Maldives Resort Where Overwater Villas Are the Standard

Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives opened in 2025 with a radical policy: every villa is overwater, with a private pool or Jacuzzi. Here’s what else it gets right. One of the Indian Ocean’s most anticipated new resorts started welcoming guests in 2025 and it was worth the wait. Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives sits in the North […]

ExploreFlightsIndonesiaBaliReviews

Why Batik Air Is Your Direct Ticket to Bali Bliss

Direct flights to Bali from Australia have never been easier with Batik Air. The seat and the route Bali (DPS) to Melbourne (MEL). Seat 29C on a Boeing 737 MAX. 5 hours 40 minutes. Is there a loyalty scheme? Through Batik Air Club, travellers can earn Batik Air Club Points and work their way from the free Silver membership level to Gold or Platinum tier, with perks ranging from members-only discounts to complimentary checked […]

FlightsMaldivesNewsReviews

Direct to Paradise: Onboard Luxury Escapes’ Inaugural Melbourne to Malé Flight

Australia’s first direct flight to the Maldives has changed the game on one of the world’s great bucket-list trips. Here’s what to expect onboard. Luxury Escapes’, and Australia’s, first-ever direct flight to the Maldives took off on Monday night and I was lucky enough to be on it. This is not my first Maldivian rodeo and the […]

ReviewsThailandPhuket

6 Reasons Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket Should Be Your Next Family Escape

A sweeping beachfront, four pools, a waterpark and an accredited dive centre – here’s what makes this resort one of Phuket’s best escapes. Perched on five kilometres of white sand on Karon Beach in Phuket, Centara Grand Beach Resort really is the ultimate family escape: shimmering pools, mouth-watering dining venues and an action-packed waterpark that […]

AsiaReviewsThailand

The All-Inclusive Hillside Koh Samui Resort With Five Pools & Private Oceanfront Villas

From beachfront dinners on the sand to a spa that sends you home rearranged – this all-inclusive Koh Samui resort is built for couples and families who want it all. Ten minutes’ drive from Koh Samui airport, the Hyatt Regency Koh Samui sits on a hillside above the Gulf of Thailand, all cascading pools and […]

AsiaReviewsThailandBangkok

The Inimitable Royalty-Approved Hotel That Still Sets the Standard in Bangkok

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok has been hosting royalty, writers and the well-travelled since 1876. Here’s why it’s still on top. By most reckonings, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is one of the most storied hotels in Asia. Audrey Hepburn stayed here. So did Joseph Conrad, Princess Diana and David Bowie. The portraits in the Author’s Lounge document the […]

IndonesiaBaliReviews

Why Alila Seminyak is the Bali Beach Hotel Worth Booking Again and Again

Alila Seminyak puts you directly on one of Seminyak’s best stretches of beach, with five pools, good food and a spa with an international reputation. No matter if you’ve been to Bali a few times or it’s your first time, Seminyak is a good place to be. Good restaurants, a beach that catches the sunset, […]

IndonesiaBaliReviews

The Bali Resort With 14 Pools, 30 Restaurants and a Private Clifftop Beach

AYANA Resort Bali has been drawing repeat guests since 2009 – and a recent top-to-bottom renovation has given them even more reason to come back. AYANA Resort Bali occupies 90 hectares of clifftop on Jimbaran’s southwestern coast, and it uses every square metre of it. There are 14 pools, a private beach accessible only by […]

AustraliaWestern AustraliaReviews

Is This Hotel Perth’s Most Underrated Resort Stay?

Crown Metropol Perth puts you five minutes from the CBD with Rockpool Bar & Grill, Nobu, three pools and a theatre on site. Here’s why it’s Perth’s most complete hotel stay. Crown Metropol Perth sits on the eastern bank of the Swan River in Burswood, five minutes from the Perth CBD and close enough to […]

AustraliaNew South WalesReviews

Why This Darling Harbour Hotel is a Vibe For Any Short Stay in Sydney

Darling Harbour has some of Sydney’s best eating, drinking and culture within easy walking distance. This hotel puts you at the centre of it. For an interstate visitor, a quick trip to Sydney lives or dies on location. Too far from anything and you spend half your time in an Uber or figuring out public […]

AsiaReviewsVietnam

Bold Design & Better Views: This Resort is Ha Long Bay’s Best New Stay

A bold addition to a famous seascape, Ha Long Bay’s brightest new resort pairs striking design with thoughtful local touches, delivering a stay that feels both polished and authentically Vietnamese. Brand-new luxury hotels arrive gleaming, designed with confidence and delivered with flair. The worry, always, is whether they have any soul. InterContinental‘s newest Vietnamese property […]