When you look at any of the world’s sprawling “big cities”, whether that be Tokyo, New York City or Chicago, you’ll find that their accommodation options aren’t all clustered around the central business district. Sure, the grand dames and big chains tend to favour a central location, but you can find interesting, premium accommodation in…
Tokyo’s visual supremacy is born from contrast. Plenty of pockets around the city blend Edo-period Japan and 21st-century Japan in an effortless, almost disorientating way, speaking a distinguished visual language that echoes across the entire city. There are many unique things about Tokyo; this is definitive. I’ve been to this incredible city around ten times…
I’ve never been on a road trip in America. Despite having visited and written stories about the country for the better part of my 18-year career, hitting the great open road was a new experience for me. Long story short, I have a lot of childhood trauma around moving vehicles, so I’ve never been physically…
Is this really an airport? The thought continues to echo through my mind despite knowing the answer. Looking out over the maze of island garden beds that turn the huge pool into a complex architectural wonder – and a kids’ aquatic playground – it’s hard to believe it to be true. To one side rise…
I make no secret of my love for 1 Hotels. I’ve stayed in several of the brand’s US properties to date (1 Hotel South Beach in Miami is my favourite), and see it as a necessary evolution for a hospitality industry constantly seeking new ways to be authentically eco-conscious. There are plenty of sustainability initiatives…
There’s no shortage of hotel options in Niagara Falls, Canada. Some trade entirely on their proximity to, and view of, the falls. Others offer a more boutique option, their own fun attractions (like a water park), and some also operate as a Casino. And then there’s the Sheraton Fallsview, which sits at the base of…
Paddington just is. It’s a rich, well-to-do area with some of Sydney’s best pubs, incredible restaurants and a seemingly endless roster of upscale boutiques. It’s never been a dynamic part of Sydney, but it has always been one of the city’s most coveted neighbourhoods. And so it’s always been odd that it’s never had a…
Arriving in Sydney’s vibrant inner-east feels like stepping into a city that has learned how to reinvent itself without losing its edge. Just past the iconic Coca-Cola sign at the crossroads of Kings Cross and Potts Point, where neon glow meets leafy side streets and boutique energy, you’ll find a pocket of Sydney perfectly suited…
The gestation period for high-profile hotels often gives me whiplash. Hotels, one of my favourite things about travel, always excite me, especially when news hits about a big new opening in a city as addictive as New York City. But when one is announced, I always let a huge sigh when I see that the…
Forget any preconceptions you might have of Louisville as a sleepy southern town. Many of the bars here are open until 4am and it doesn’t take long to see why Kentucky’s largest metropolis bills itself as Whiskey City. With close to a dozen downtown distilleries (and more on the way), bourbon and rye lovers will…
There really isn’t much to Hilton New York Fashion District. It’s a simple, unfussy hotel that happens to hide one of the “best-kept secret” rooftops in the area. Rooms are comfortable but undorned, and the lobby is so distinctly lacking in any notable features that the nighttime journey from door to room is barely noticeable….
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…
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,…
While trendy character-driven hotels like the recently opened Quincy Hotel and the luxurious 1 Hotel Melbourne are generally considered more aspirational stays than anything with “apartment” in the name, it’d be foolish to write Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne on Flinders off as a function-over-form, long-stay option. It’s easily one of the most comfortable, and perfectly…
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…
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 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…
Nowadays, the word “luxury” is vague and overused in the travel industry. Every influencer and their Pomeranian specialises in “luxury.” Every travel writer and blogger specialises in “luxury”. Everyone wants a piece of that upper-crust lifestyle (very understandable), but few understand that genuine luxury goes far, far beyond aesthetics, location and exclusivity. You cannot claim…
One of the largest rooftops in L.A., a prime position tucked away from crowds of first-time tourists, and 220 comfortable, light-filled rooms that look like they’re paying homage to Hollywood’s black-and-white era. This is The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood, which has been pitched as one of the neighbourhood’s most fashionable boltholes since opening in the second…
The Crowne Plaza brand is one of the most recognisable banners for IHG, sitting comfortably in the “affordable premium” market as opposed to outright luxury, often fashioned as that mid-to-upscale that values balance over priced-out exclusivity. It’s been that way for decades, which is why Crowne Plaza is such a prolific brand for every type…
Imagine waking up to the sound of the Mediterranean Sea gently lapping at the dock below. You open your shutters and step out onto your balcony, where you are met with vast shades of cerulean sparkling under the morning sun. You’re on the French Riviera in a hotel that is steeped in a history so…
Lower East Side, my favourite neighbourhood in New York City, thrives on contradiction. Unlike the West Village, you can still feel the grit here. Maybe not as much as Alphabet City, which is slightly further north-east, but there’s a fractured character that gives the neighbourhood its distinctive personality. Otherwise, it’d feel exactly like East Village….
It had been 13 years since I’d set foot in Nice, but I still had vivid memories of posing for photos in front of the Fontaine du Soleil, resting in bright blue chairs on the promenade while gazing out over the Mediterranean Sea, and gorging myself on socca as I strolled down Old Town alleyways….
Marriott’s Moxy brand debuted in 2014 and has since been pitched as one of the most forward-thinking boutique hotel brands in the world. That neon-pink sign is popping up everywhere now. There’s even a great one near Sydney Airport. But it feels like the concept really clicks into place in New York City. There are…
At first, I felt a little out of place. When I pulled up the opulent driveaway to the front doors of the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, I came to a stop besides a shiny, new, red Ferrari. I looked down on the flashy vehicle from the seat of my beat-up old Toyota…
A few months back, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of nights on the North Shore of the Hawaiian Island of O’ahu. It’s a place that feels worlds apart from the busy paradise that is Waikiki – and it’s not a quick commute, either. The North Shore of the island is at least…
There aren’t many city hotels outside of NYC that make you feel like you’ve just stepped onto a movie set, but the historic Fontainebleau Miami Beach has built an experience untethered to the tyranny of time, unconcerned with formidable competition; standing confidently on South Beach with the kind of swagger only a chiseled Grand Dame…
I slowly open my sleepy eyes, and the first thing I see is a tilted mirror above me reflecting the soft rhythm of the ocean’s waves. I sit up in my gold-framed king-sized bed, mesmerised by the breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean unfolding through floor-to-ceiling windows. I can’t help but wonder if I’ve ever…
