In a classic role reversal, an Indian fortress built to guard against threats from outside now welcomes travellers from faraway lands to experience Rajasthan’s hospitality, cuisine and traditions.…
With sparkling, turquoise waters and white-sand beaches, Malolo Island is the classic daydream holiday. The Mamanuca archipelago has long been a sunny playground for winter-white Australians. Its newest,…
Va Tutto restaurant in Ivanhoe, a leafy North East suburb of Melbourne is an icon. Operated by husband and wife team, Paul and Myrto Recinella, Va Tutto is…
A hidden gem plating up farm-fresh produce and bakery perfection. You have to go out of your way to get to Pigeon Hole. The little café, a good…
The 1957 Arthur Boyd painting Shearers Playing for a Bride is the most powerful and emotionally moving work I’ve ever seen – it’s haunted me for over 40…
The old Scotch oven stands behind the old bakery shop in the centre of Eldorado. It was once the focus of this beautiful historic mining town in Victoria’s…
A thirst for European wine in the mid-19th century saw the establishment of Japan’s own wine industry. It continues to grow. A blanket of snow carpets the vineyard.…
It is early autumn and the Ovens River slides quietly over the rocks below the gardens of Ginger Baker. It is one of the long warm days that…
Maureen Morrangulu Thompson, one of Australia’s most gifted Aboriginal artists, knows how to excite viewers, telling uniquely detailed stories within her paintings. One of my personal favourites, Burial…
In a city never shy of flaunting her charms, new hotels flirt with the glittering waterscape through their views, art and locations. We step inside the hot new…
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas (Kihavah Huravalhi Island) have just launched SKY, an exclusive over-water observatory, cocktail bar and panorama lounge perched over the island lagoon, adding to their…
As tourism booms in Malta, international guests and their sophisticated palates have demanded finer dining. Drawing on the island’s rich past, Hammett’s Maċina Restaurant opened late in February…
The Hyatt’s latest addition to the Australian hospitality landscape comes complete with a brilliant new destination restaurant. Since Mr McCracken opened at the base of Hyatt Place, Essendon…
Dhungala: A landmark launch exhibition featuring Latje Latje and Yorta Yorta artists Trevor ‘Turbo’ Brown and Craig Charles. A strong sense of togetherness and a feeling of peace…
It is a most beautiful and dramatic location for a hotel. Perched on the edge of Macquarie wharf in the heart of Hobart is the new MACq 01.…
Melbourne’s MoVida crew launches their latest venture in true Spanish style – welcome to Bar Tini. The greatest bars in Spain are very simple affairs. There’s a bar,…
Finally, a new Melbourne hotel, comfortable, clean and designed with jazz lovers in mind – it’s our kinda joint! Truly a much-needed addition to Melbourne’s ageing collection of…
Chef Julian Hills looks out of the window of the dining room at Paringa Estate Winery. He shares the same view through the kitchen pass of the winery…
We’re at dinner in Benalla. Over the course of the evening Frank and Fiona Stephens have got wind of my travel plans. I am heading to Spain for…
Louis XIV, the Sun King, is famous for creating the glittering palace of Versailles and committing its court to a life of unbridled decadence. Louis liked cleaning his…
The annual Victorian cider pressing season is coming to an end and to celebrate Movida Aqui Melbourne is recreating the atmosphere of the Basque Country’s traditional ciders houses. On Saturday…
Chrismont Wines’s sleek new King Valley cellar door could be considered a sharpened-up new-world version of ‘Streamline Moderne’ – an architectural style of the late Art Deco era that emphasised long…
Exploring Capri’s walking trails, even out of season when the island is resting and catching its breath after the summer onslaught of holidaymakers from around the world, you…
For love of Australian shearing sheds, and the golden light that is showcased in many of Australia’s iconic paintings, artist Ivan Durrant shears shares the shed dream. My opinion…
The geothermally heated natural mineral waters that flow into the pools and private baths at Peninsula Hot Springs allow visitors a rare opportunity to relax and truly connect…
QT Resort Falls Creek celebrates the ‘warmth of cool’, featuring a mixture of vintage and modern accents and a thoughtful new colour palette including smoky greys, silvers and…
Over the past couple of years Essentials has sampled a range of Victoria’s best boutique gins but non as impressively unique as Simon Brooke-Taylor and Wendy Williams’ new…
There are snatches of blue water you can see through the old gum trees as you drive along Paringa Road. Tumble-down apple sheds line the thin strip of…
The weather has turned cold and Chef Kurt Adam is getting excited. The New Zealand-born chef came up to the High Country to work a season in a…
Alex Smit’s Murray bank River Deck Café has helped put Albury NSW back on the culinary map. The redeveloped café-restaurant and hole in the wall kiosk-styled servery attracted…