Nelson, the third of six children, was the most intellectually ambitious of the Rockefeller family, whose staggering influence was best put to use as patrons of the arts. Although his legacy isn’t without its spots, the former US Vice President was less concerned with expanding industrial wealth than he was with using it to shape…
When I first reviewed the Hilton New York Times Square for another publication in 2023, I noted that space and height were the hotel’s biggest selling points. Having stayed again in 2025, following a multi-million-dollar refurbishment that mainly brightened the hotel’s street-level entry and recast the sky lobby with a cleaner, more modern design, that…
Santa Monica Pier is my bookend whenever I do a multi-city trip in the USA. At least my preferred one. I’m one of those masochists who actually enjoys having LAX as an entry point to any US adventure, because it sets the scene. The City of Angels is sprawling, sunny and varied. It’s the perfect…
Los Angeles’s swag of massive art galleries and museums isn’t talked about in the same way people talk about the art scene in dense urban centres like New York and Chicago. It’s clearly much different, in more ways than one. In New York, art is vertical. Museums and galleries play around with scale, weaving through…
If your Margarita order says more about you than your star sign, Iris Rooftop is ready to introduce you to your cocktail alter ego. Perched high above Hotel X in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, the Spanish-inspired rooftop bar is stretching World Margarita Day (February 22nd) into a six-week sky-high celebration, running from Wednesday, 18th February through…
Porter Airlines have fast become my favourite airline in Canada. They offer great rates, free Wi-Fi and beer on board, and no middle seats on any of their aircraft. In the last few years, they’ve been fast expanding their reach, shaking up markets that had long been exclusively catered to by Canada’s two major airlines…
The LIV Golf tournament starts at Adelaide’s Grange golf course this weekend, and we’re excited to hear that Johnnie Walker Black Ruby will the official whiskey. In fact the team have come up with a cocktail called Johnnie Walker’s Black Ruby Birdie, of course. It’s described as having a “refreshing burst of sweet berry flavour…
There’s no question that one of the biggest tourist attractions in North America is the natural wonder that is Niagara Falls. There are ways to experience it on both the USA and the Canadian sides of the Niagara River, with some 21 million people estimated to visit each year. Though there are many methods of…
Often overlooked by Australian travellers in favour of its more famous coastal cousins, Chicago is the quintessential American city. Sitting somewhere between LA’s glitz and the grittiness of NY, it’s far less transient than either, making it easy to have plenty of real connections with locals. It’s also a place with a rich history that’s…
The InterContinental Tahiti Resort and Spa delivers luxury with island charm and an ocean view for everyone. It doesn’t take much to float dreams of French Polynesia through your mind’s eye. When words like “Tahiti” and “Bora Bora” are thrown into the wind, we all get visions of steep mountains carpeted in lush green jungle,…
As I wrote on the recent opening of IHG’s voco Gosford on the Central Coast, some of Sydney’s oldest seaside hotels are being dusted up for well-timed makeovers, some moulding into more premium brands, while others (like voco) sprout as brand-new builds. “A new chapter in coastal luxury” is what they’re calling it, with IHG…
Does anyone even trust celebrity chef restaurants? To me, they seem a bit like influencers. Had trust, lost trust, and now no one trusts any of them. The only people who trust influencers now are other influencers. I don’t think even chefs would trust celebrity chef restaurants. I’ve been stung more than once, I can…
What does my surprise at finding a superlative meal in Waikiki say about the most famous tourist area of Hawaii? Yes, that loud, colourful strip that flows south towards Diamond Head is jam-packed with all the top touristic textures. And that already says a lot. It’s the tourist area of one of the world’s most…
There’s a quiet coastal revolution going down around Sydney. First, Accor saw a mountain of acclaim when they reworked the old Novotel in Manly. transforming it into a more appealing, beach-friendly MGallery. They did the same over at The Brighton Sydney – again, lifting it from mid-range Novotel status and priming it for the premium…
It’s not every day you experience something new, especially in the food and beverage scene. But at the end of last year in Anaheim, California, I did just that at Stone Groove, billed as the world’s first ever “Audio Stillhouse”. So what is an Audio Stillhouse? In short, it’s a distillery where they use “music-driven…
There is an innate wanderlust that drives us to seek out the extraordinary, to swap the urban jungle for the real one, and to trade screen time for the spectacle of nature. For the discerning traveler, Tanzania represents the pinnacle of African adventure, offering a front-row seat to the circle of life on the Serengeti…
Just steps from the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and next door to the Anaheim Convention Centre, the Hilton Anaheim has long been a popular hotel destination for travellers to the region. It opened back in 1984 just in time for the last Los Angeles Olympics. So it’s fitting that they just completed a multi-million…
A little over a year ago, Disneyland’s iconic 1989 attraction Splash Mountain received a long overdue makeover when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened at the Anaheim, California theme park. The ride is the first to incorporate characters from Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. Tiana – the film’s titular Princess – has also spread…
Just around the corner from Disneyland, in an unassuming strip mall, lies Flightdeck+Rogue Racing, an immersive racing and flight simulation experience. With an impressive 8 race car simulators, 8 fighter jet simulators, and a 737 Boeing simulator to top it off, this place has something for everyone. Last month, we were lucky enough to try…
The mosquito nets ebb and flow with the breeze, drifting across the bed like clouds across the sky. Staring up through the mesh, it’s hard not to marvel at the intricate engineering of our two-story beach villa, built from driftwood and sheathed in alang-alang grass. The cavity towers upwards, designed to capture any errant sea…
It’s been a while since I last few business class with Virgin Australia across the country. So long, in fact, the airline still offered flat beds on the route when I did. These days, Virgin’s business class offering seems to be consistent across the board on their 737-800 fleet, with just 8 business class seats…
There was a repeat performance at this year’s Australian Aviation Awards. For the second year running, the Best International Airline gong went to a low-cost outfit in AirAsia X. It was far from the company’s only recognition, too. At the World Travel Awards, it also won World’s Leading Long-Haul Low-Cost Airline. It’s about bang for…
As Disneyland continues its 70th Birthday celebrations in Anaheim, California, the Christmas decorations are out and the spirit of the Winter Holidays is in full force. I visited the park last month to get a taste of what guests will enjoy until 7th January 2026, and what’s been added to the park since my last…
It’s been a tough time for the island of Maui in Hawaii. More specifically, for the people of Lahaina, the region on the western coastline devastated by fire in August 2023. But the tide has turned, with tourists welcomed back as the economy and its people embrace the green shoots poking through the charred soil….
The Ilikai Hotel & Luxury Suites is a great accommodation option for people who want the thrills of Waikiki Beach, without the hustle and bustle. You’ll find it at the very western edge of the famed Honolulu beach, sitting just behind the boat harbour. It offers direct access down to the lagoon, rock wall and…
Last month, I flew on United Airlines’ Transpacific service for the first time in almost two years. This time from Los Angeles to Sydney. I’ve been flying United over the Pacific fairly regularly over the last two decades, and every time I note that the experience has continued to improve. So was that the case…
In December 2021, after more than 20 years of the “FastPass” system (which this feature length documentary will tell you all about so I don’t have to), Disneyland scraped their relatively groundbreaking – if imperfect – queue cutting system, in favour of “Genie+”. The catch: putting it more in line with the add-ons offered by…
Travelers who move from one region to another often treat food as a guide. They follow flavors that spark curiosity and inspire movement. Many nomads choose their next stop based on a dish they want to taste or a style of cooking they want to learn more about. As these explorers move across borders, simple…
A new name is reeling in the good stuff at Westfield Chermside this November, as Catch Fish and Chips has officially opened its doors! Bringing a fresh take on the classic Aussie fish and chip shop, Catch Fish and Chips is all about simple, feel-good food done right – fast, fuss-free, and full of coastal…
Beechworth is beautiful. You’ll find it by peeling off the highway between Sydney and Melbourne, in the Victorian high country. Not far from Albury-Wodonga. It’s a town born from the 1852 gold rush and made famous by the Ned Kelly Gang trials. That era has been preserved with such respect that the Australian National Heritage…
