Author: Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.

The William Inglis Hotel is South West Sydney’s first five-star luxury boutique hotel

Next month South West Sydney will be getting it’s very first boutique five-star luxury property with The William Inglis Hotel, part of the high-end MGallery by Sofitel collection which also includes The Como Melbourne and Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney. The eight-level, 144-room hotel will form part of the new $140 million precinct near Warwick Farm,…

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Tech Review: Microsoft’s Surface Laptop dominates its price range with superior battery life

At first it may seem odd Microsoft present such a standard-looking laptop following their run with the Surface Pro and Surface RT series, a wearily received but now beloved family of tablets that really reinvented the company’s image to the casual tech consumer. Their goal of creating new product categories is nowhere to be found…

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Thousands of free grapevines on offer as Sydney to become the world’s largest Urban Vineyard

A new initiative dubbed The Urban Vineyard Project is coming to Sydney over the holidays with the aim of giving away thousands of grapevines to be planted across the city, including on balconies, in backyards and even windowsills. The idea is to turn Sydney in the world’s largest urban vineyard, recalling the city’s central Macquarie…

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Adrian Reed of Motel Mexicola opens Luigi’s Hot Pizza in Canggu, Bali

Maurice Terzini, the renowned chef behind Australian icon Icebergs Dining & Bar in Sydney (and others), has teamed up with Adrian Reed (of Motel Mexicola) once again to open Luigi’s Hot Pizza in the heart of Bali’s Canggu junction. The duo, whose first Bali collaboration Da Maria Bali is a beloved spot for Italian dining,…

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The Fernery is Mosman’s new rooftop garden with a Gin room and Rosé bar (Sydney)

The team behind The Greens North Sydney and Camperdown’s sprawling acre Eatery are putting the finishing touches on their third Sydney venue to open in Mosman at the beginning of next month. John Tully and Luke Heard will present the ritzy North Shore suburb with The Fernery, a lush garden terrace poised to dominate the…

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Deliveroo have revealed the top 100 most delivered dishes from around the world

Who would have thought a burrito from Guzman Y Gomez was in the top 15 of Deliveroo’s most ordered dishes from around the world? The ubiquitous delivery service have taken the time to draw on piles of data from the past 12 months to put together a definitive list of the most ordered-online dishes in…

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After three years in the making, Matt Moran’s ambitious Barangaroo House is now open (Sydney)

Ambitious, architecturally stunning, and right by Sydney Harbour. Solotel and Matt Moran have finally opened the three-level Barangaroo House to the public. The dramatic award-winning building on Barangaroo Avenue has been carefully shaped to offer three distinctive dining and bar concepts, all taking full advantage of those sweeping water views. “Barangaroo House is looking beautiful,…

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The best New Year’s Eve parties around Brisbane for 2017/18

The loosest day of the year is upon us! New Year’s Eve is going to bounce us into 2018 and it’s your choice whether you want that to be in style or in shambles. It’s long known that deep in the heart of the CBD is exactly where you do not in any way, shape…

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Wailoaloa Beach’s Crowne Plaza set to be the largest hotel resort in Fiji

InterContinental Hotels Group have signed a management agreement with Quantum Hi-Tech Group Limited to develop the largest hotel resort in Fiji. Set to open in 2020, Crowne Plaza Fiji Wailoaloa Beach will be positioned just a 10 minute drive from the island’s primary Nadi International Airport, boasting a beachfront location and five restaurant and bar…

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Lufthansa plan new business class product for forthcoming Boeing 777-9 fleet

Come 2020, passengers on Lufthansa will be opened up to a swift upgrade in privacy and comfort as the airline has this month unveiled plans for a new Business Class product for their forthcoming Boeing 777-9 fleet. This will range from seats with more desk space to new mattresses, duvets and even pyjamas. The focus…

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Aussie travellers are now able to apply for a Brazilian visa online

The Brazilian Government has just made it much, much easier for Australian passport holders looking to travel to Brazil with a new online visa which features a response time of 72 hours. The new electronic visa takes some of the hassle out of planning a trip to the highly sought after desintation, which is ranked…

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Surfs Up! Cebu Pacific introduce direct flights between Manila and Siargao

Cebu Pacific has announced the introduction of direct flights between Manila and popular surfing destination Siargao just in time for Australia’s summer holidays. With year-round fares from Sydney starting at AU$384, this increases accessibility to the tear-drop shaped island, which is located 800km southeast of the Philippines capital in the province of Surigao del Norte….

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United Airlines will fly you to Texas for free if your first or last name is “Houston”

If your first or last name is “Houston” then you have a damn good reason to be excited about United Airlines’ new daily nonstop service between Sydney and Houston, Texas which will be introduced on 20th January 2018. To celebrate the inaugural flight, the airline has put a call out for anyone with the aforementioned…

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The best New Year’s Eve parties around Melbourne for 2017/18

The loosest day of the year is upon us! New Year’s Eve is going to bounce us into 2018 and it’s your choice whether you want that to be in style or in shambles. It’s long known that deep in the heart of the CBD is exactly where you do not in any way, shape…

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Melbourne CBD gets a new rooftop Japanese restaurant with Yokocho

Melbourne CBD has welcomed a new Japanese restaurant just in time for the holiday season. Yokocho, located in the historic Mid City Arcade on Bourke Street, will be reimagining Tokyo’s unique street culture with a design that’s minimal on interior, big on atmosphere with a reflection of the laneways made famous by the Japanese capital’s…

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Review: Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky

Though it was released earlier this year, the Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky isn’t a new expression by any means. It’s merely a rebranded, renamed and reimagined Johnnie Walker Platinum Label. That choice fits the bottle in with the iconic brand’s other expressions a bit more seamlessly, sporting a stylish design and…

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Launceston’s grain silos will be turned into a $25 million luxury hotel next year

Mantra Group will be bringing a high-profile opening to Launceston in Tasmania next year when it welcomes the 108-room Silo Hotel to the Peppers brand. Reimagining the Kings Wharf grain silos of the city, the $25 million redevelopment will make unique use of the location, with 52 of the 108 rooms location in the barrels…

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Victoria’s Mitchelton Winery opens luxury on-site hotel and spa

Located in the Victorian countryside near Nagambie is the recently opened Mitchelton Hotel and Spa, a new luxury accommodation option that has resulted from a $16 million addition to the sprawling Mitchelton Winery Estate. A personal project of Gerry Ryan and his son Andrew, the hotel is now set up along the banks of the…

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Emirates introduce fascinating multi-million dollar upgrades to their Boeing 777 aircraft

Recently revealed to passengers flying their Brussels and Geneva routes, Emirates completely refreshed interiors for its Boeing 777 aircraft represent a substantial move forward for the highly awarded airline. This includes the unveiling of their long anticipated First Class private suites, which are said to take design inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class with floor to…

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TV Review: Mick Taylor is as chilling as ever in the second season of Wolf Creek

The Australian outback has provided the Wolf Creek universe with a terrifying, swallow-them-whole landscape across both film and TV for the past 12 years now. When director, producer and writer Greg McLean first unleashed his horror concept (and debut feature film) to the world back in 2005, word-of-mouth was swift and excitable, championing Australian horror…

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The best New Year’s Eve parties around Sydney for 2017/18

The loosest day of the year is upon us! New Year’s Eve is going to bounce us into 2018 and it’s your choice whether you want that to be in style or in shambles. It’s long known that deep in the heart of the CBD is exactly where you do not in any way, shape…

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This 17th century sugar plantation on the Spanish island of La Palma now hosts a unique luxury hotel

High-end hospitality brand Luxe Collection by L.E Hotels, noted for their incredibly unique and individual properties across 18 countries, have recently added Hotel Hacienda de Abajo to their portfolio, a historic property that’s built on a restored 17th century sugar plantation located on the island of San Miguel de La Palma, in the Canary Islands….

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Mary’s, Alpha, Bodega, Messina and more for Meriton Festival Village

In less than a month Sydney Festival will be kicking off their 2018 program, which is as diverse as ever with its intelligent blend of art, performance, theatre, music and more. Though for many it’s the festival’s beating heart, the pop-up village that will be set in Hyde Park, that’s most exciting. From 5th to…

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The Duke of Clarence opens just in time for the holiday season (Sydney)

The year ain’t over just yet! Before we edge our way into 2018, the team behind Sydney’s award-winning The Barber Shop are introducing a new essential drinking destination to the CBD, inspired by and fashioned as a 19th century English tavern. Titled The Duke of Clarence the new pub, which is now open to the…

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Huxtaburger opens in Footscray (Melbourne)

Melbourne’s unstoppable Huxtaburger has finally made it’s way out to Footscray, with a new restaurant opening to locals this past weekend. The famed burger joint, which has locations all over the city, will be doing much of what made the brand such a juggernaut on the scene in the first place. The menu will be…

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Johnnie Walker unveils two new Blenders’ Batch expressions including an Espresso Roast Whisky

Good ol’ Johnnie Walker. We can always rely on the iconic blended Scotch Whisky to constantly roll out new and exciting expressions towards the end of the year. They’ve already made waves with the newly relaunched Aged 18 Years and that hype is definitely looking to continue with the imminent arrival of two new experimental…

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Anna Polyviou has opened a gingerbread dessert pop-up at Shangri-La Sydney

Renowned Punk Princess of Pastry Anna Polyviou will be helping Sydney’s lush Shangri-La Hotel, at which she has long been an Executive Pastry Chef, charge into the holiday season with a special pop-up store which will be marked by an enormous four metre gingerbread train out the front, combining 2,000 kilos of gingerbread bricks, 500…

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Over 115 producers and providores join the lineup for Carriageworks Farmers Market (Sydney)

Those who are looking for quality produce ahead of Christmas should keep this one in mind. Carriageworks are bringing back their annual free-entry Christmas Farmers Market on 23rd December, rounding up over 115 producers and providores for an enormous market kicking off at 8am and wrapping up at 1pm. Focused on food and produce, the…

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Mr Crackles and Handpicked Wines are throwing a “Swine & Wine” party (Sydney)

In what is pretty much guaranteed to be one of the stand-out events on Sydney’s long list of December food and drink events, local institution Mr Crackles – considered an originator in the art of attracting enormous fucking queues – has partnered with Handpicked Wines for a huge pre-Xmas feast mixing swine with wine on…

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Gemtree Wines have released a new premium shiraz aged in a barrel buried underground

Family owned winery Gemtree Wines, located out in McLaren Vale, have just released the contents of the first wine barrel in the world to be returned to the earth and aged in the ground. SubTerra is a single-vineyard shiraz said to mirror the same premium quality that is often credited to wineries throughout the McLaren…

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