Today we welcome a collaborative post from a talented contributor. Enjoy, C. Brisbane is one of the fastest growing cities in Australia, and it’s attracting more and more visitors each year. The Gold Coast tends to be the go-to destination for travellers, especially if it’s their first time in Australia, but that could all change in the future as Brisbane becomes more popular. One of the reasons that the capital of Queensland is so amazing is that it has the perfect balance of urban areas and beautiful natural landscapes. If you’ve already done the Gold Coast and you want a different Australian experience, these are some of the best things to do in Brisbane. Hire A Bike Brisbane is a lot different to other capital cities around the world because it isn’t as cramped and built up. The city also has a strong focus on alternative means of getting around…
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Today we welcome a collaborative post from a talented contributor. Enjoy, C. There is much to see and do in Australia, with plenty of experiences that deserve to be on your bucket list. While you will never get the time to do absolutely everything — Australia is one of the largest countries in the world — you can still pack a lot into the time you have by exploring one or two of the country’s major regions. For the purposes of this article, we have neglected many of the traditional bucket list ideas worth considering in the land down under in favor of the culinary experiences worth trying. Australia places highly as one of the best destinations for dining out, and while we will barely scratch the surface in this article, our ideas should still tempt your tastebuds. Have dinner in the sky. While you could take to the streets of…
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Another collaborative post from a talented contributor regarding one of my favorite locations in the world. Enjoy, C. If you’re looking to have the trip of a lifetime, then visiting The Great Barrier Reef is surely the best place to start. Whilst there are a variety of restaurants with cheap and fast food up for grabs (and no matter where you are, you’ll be able to experience the beautiful sights that Australia has to offer) if you’re looking for something where flip-flops are banned and the food is some of the finest out there, then look no further. We’ve put together a guide so that you can eat like a King or Queen during your time around The Great Barrier Reef, so put your snorkel away and get your glad rags on! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ochre Restaurant & Catering (@ochrecairns) on Jun…
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Another day, another collaborative post! I love hearing from other voices and talented contributors. Enjoy, C. For many travelers, food is always going to be a big part of travel, and it’s no surprise that the two often go hand in hand in this way. If you think about your own travels, it’s likely that one of the main memories is of what you ate and which restaurants you visited, and it is this way for most people who like to travel. Similarly, if you are planning a future trip, you will at some point find yourself wondering what you are going to be likely to eat, and what the restaurants and eateries and street food will be like. It is one thing to be aware of food being part of your travels; it’s quite another to base your travels around that food, and yet this too is a perfectly…
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When planning our trip to Australia, the #1 item on our list was access to the Great Barrier Reef. Hubs, an avid scuba diver, is coming up on his 40th birthday and this trip (specifically to dive the reef was high on the list). One can access the Reef through a number of companies (either in nearby Cairns or Port Douglas). We booked into Port Douglas, and even though I hadn’t done a ton of research before our arrival, I’m so glad we ended up in this charming coastal town. We visited in late June, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Walk 4 Mile Beach (or at least a part of it). We were lucky enough to stay within walking distance of the beach and could literally step off our terrace and almost directly onto the beach. If you’re not staying close, don’t worry, simply drive to one of the entry points,…
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Sydney is a city ubiquitous with a range of hotels, from well-recognized brands to smaller properties, and just about everything in between. For the start of our trip, we booked into the Langham Sydney, a boutique property with under 100 keys. With the street closures of Vivid, getting to the hotel was a slight effort, but in the end, I’m glad we were located so close to the action. The Langham represents what I would consider an ‘old Hollywood’ style. Given the majority of my stays are in modern, less than 10-year-old properties in the Middle East, it was interesting to take a turn in a different location. Pros Location is everything. If you’re looking for something that’s both quiet and within walking distance of the Rocks, Sydney Harbor Bridge, and a number of other tourist destinations in the city, the Langham is a fantastic fit. While I suppose there…
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To finish our trip in Australia, I had been looking forward to our stay at The Old Clare Hotel in Sydney. Located near the central train station (less than 5 minutes walking distance) and just at the top of stylish Kensington Street, not to mention the nearby (and totally useful) Central Park mall — this was the perfect spot to end our stay. With a unique historic background, artwork of the former building is prominently displayed through the current hotel. And if that wasn’t enough history… “The Old Clare Hotel rests on a parcel of land that is rich in history, its earliest recorded inhabitants being the Eora people. In 1810, Major George Druitt was granted 8 acres of land wherein Old Clare now stands – at that time, the area was the outskirts of Sydney. Major Druitt sold a large portion of this to John Tooth in 1834, who…
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Towards the end of a nearly 3-week trip, I’m not going to lie, I was feeling lazy about my food selection process. While I had a lengthy list of restaurants to explore in Sydney, in the end, our last night in Australia was spent literally downstairs at Kensington Street Social. Of course, I will use the excuse that it’s also difficult to find a good restaurant that’s open on a Sunday evening (according to the hostess, venues have to pay quite a bit more to their kitchen and servers to make this happen). Given I’m also familiar with Chef Atherton’s work here in Dubai, I was curious to see what the menu would look like at a similar venue in another city. Either way, we somehow ended up seated at the pass, with an insider’s view of how dishes are prepared and how the kitchen operates in general (which, on this Sunday…
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Coming off a successful Sydney Harbor Bridge climb (so fun – super touristy, but also an amazing way to see the city), I wanted to locate a restaurant that was close to the Langham (but also open — Sunday nights can be a bit tricky in Syndey). Fortunately, Scarlett (located within the Habour Rocks Hotel) was open for two hungry travelers. The interior of the oldest restaurant in Sydney is intimate, with a loft-like feel and relatively close seating — there’s exposed brick, large mirrors, and long banquettes. With a slightly limited menu (5 starters and mains to choose from), there was still enough of interest to both Hubs and myself. Having had a late snack before our twilight climb (food trucks FTW!), we weren’t crazy hungry and so decided to split two appetizers and a main (which ended up being the exact right amount of food). The Baked Scallops…
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When meeting up with former Dubai friends (this time in Melbourne), we decided on a relatively casual approach to our evening — which involved rooftop bars, two failed attempts at out of the way/secret/small capacity bars, a drink (or three) in Southbank, and dinner in an alley. Melbourne is home to plenty of smaller streets which are maximized for their space — and one such example is Rice Paper Scissors, a smallish venue located on Liverpool Street. As we approached the slightly overwhelmed, but still funny host, he mentioned that wait times were close to an hour (or more). Deciding it was worth our time, we headed over to a nearby (and also recommended) Madame Brussels for cozy drinks (honestly, I’m super jealous at the number of options in the city). Receiving a text (and five minutes to return to the restaurant), once inside RPS, we hopped onto bar stools at…
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