A new digital service which allows passengers to communicate with Etihad Airways via WhatsApp has been launched by the airline as part of an ongoing strategy designed to provide an enhanced offering to their premium guests. For now, the service is only open to guests at Abu Dhabi International Airport and allows them to chat…
Dubai’s famous Atlantis, The Palm isn’t about resting on laurels when it comes to the destination resort’s highly regarded culinary scene. The luxury property, which is already home to Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar and Chef Noby Matsuhisa’s NOBU amongst others, will welcome the renowned Hakkasan Group later this year as they open…
Adding substantial new character to Hong Kong’s picturesque North Point waterfront is a new twin-tower hotel – Hotel VIC on the Harbour – bringing the bustling precinct 671 guestrooms and suites, with every room boasting panoramic views of both the harbour and the city. With designs on catering to all types of travellers, the property…
Set in a 1887 heritage warehouse building on Chapel Street in Melbourne, the Morris Jones Restaurant & Cocktail Bar re-opened earlier this year with head chef Matthew Butcher‘s unique take on California-Japanese fusion cuisine sitting as the restaurant’s driving force; while a leafy, checkered refurb from AZBCreative, doubles down on the California-meets-Japan narrative. And the fusion doesn’t stop…
Based on the success of Merivale’s Enmore debut, the hospitality group have now opened a second location for their Cantonese kitchen Queen Chow, which moves into the former digs of waterfront meat-sweat haven Papi Chulo. Patrick Friesen and Eric Koh are aiming for “classic neighbourhood Cantonese” inspired by the way the diverse cuisine is recreated…
With Bastille Day rolling through Sydney (and the world) this weekend there’s going to be plenty of celebrations throughout the city geared towards all things French dining. And seeing as French cuisine is one of the most diverse and technique-heavy in the world, that’s not a bad reason to get out and eat your way…
Hong Kong Disneyland may be the company’s smallest theme park (the recently opened Shanghai park – whose development was memorably slowed to give the Hong Kong Park more time to grow an audience – is no less than 14 times larger than its Southern counterpart), and the only park not to have a true water ride…
Celeste Barber has made a name for herself on Instagram by impersonating (or, more to the point: parodying, often unflatteringly) Instagram “celebrities”, so much so that the Australian comedian has become something of an Instagram Celebrity herself, amassing no less than 4.3 million followers on the platform. This popularity has led to a live show, #CelesteChallengeAccepted,…
Anyone heading over to Hawaii this summer and desperately looking for ways to treat oneself while also saving some money will be happy to know that Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki are having a rare suite sale, with room rates falling to half the usual price. That’s a pretty sizable chunk of savings right there,…
The most exciting time for foodies to visit New York City is once again upon us; the 26th annual NYC Restaurant Week is set to make a huge return, stretching from 23rd July to 17th August with the admirable aim of making 380 of the city’s greatest restaurants, of all ranges, a platform for culinary…
As forward-thinking Tokyo is, the idea of classicism still very much permeates many of the city’s institutions. Elegance and efficiency is a pathological expectation, and more often than not, those expectations are met tenfold. This is a large reason why, despite an overwhelming language barrier and high degree of cultural shock (for first-timers anyway), Tokyo…
Furthering their presence in regional areas around Australia, Mantra – whose Mantra Group was recently acquired by AccorHotels for $1.2 billion – has opened a shiny new property in the border city of Albury, overlooking its section of the vast Murray River in the heart of the Riverina town. This is the first hotel to…
Now that all three of their venues across Sydney (the original Surry Hills location, North Sydney and Barangaroo) are well-established, Devon Café has never been in a stronger position. The highly influential and pioneering café, which arguably bolstered the cities offensive in its ongoing dining rivalry with Melbourne, remains one of the best and most…
Walking away with the title of best pizza in Australia is nothing to be taken lightly. That’s exactly what Lucio De Falco did at this year’s authoritative World Pizza Championships, snatching the title from the usual suspects and bringing it home to his two Sydney restaurants, Darlinghurst’s acclaimed Lucio and its more recently opened Zetland…
Emirates has become the world’s first airline to introduce virtual reality on its digital platform, allowing would-be flyers access to 3D seat models as part of a visualisation engine displaying a 360-degree view of the interior of both the Emirates A380 and the Emirates Boeing 777. This has been designed especially to give customers a…
Paddington, is the ‘Sunday Best’ suburb of Sydney. Boasting equally chic and affluent Australian fashion labels and hole-in-the-wall art galleries, a quick jaunt down Oxford Street is all you need before you find your steps a little lighter, your smile a little wider. It’s also home to some of the best eateries known throughout Sydney….
Travelers heading over to Finland’s famous three-day Rusirock Festival to see the likes of N.E.R.D and The Chainsmokers will be the first to test out a new electric Taxi service that has found a different way of charging customers for rides, one that doesn’t involve cash, credit or any cryptocurrency. Those taking advantage of the…
While en route from Sydney to Hong Kong on the inaugural flight with Virgin Australia, I caught up with the airline’s Group Executive Rob Sharp to talk about the flight and where VA plans to go from here. You’re launching this Sydney to Hong Kong service a year after your Melbourne flights launched; what have…
Australia’s most divisive spread is taking over! Last month Boost Juice threw a Vegemite smoothie on their new ‘Aussie-themed’ menu) and now Village Entertainment (Village Cinemas and Event Cinemas) have announced a limited edition Vegemite Popcorn. Part of their Chef’s Gourmet Premium Popcorn series, the ubiquitous cinema brand will be offering movie-goers the classic snack,…
Now in its fourth year, the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival has made a name for itself as one of the most anticipated events on the South Australian calendar. This year, the event expanded to Sydney for the first time, taking over Moore Park’s Entertainment Quarter for three days of brews, bites and bands. Beer…
Virgin Australia today launches its inaugural flight between Sydney and Hong Kong, the airline’s second direct service to Hong Kong, and its only to (currently) operate seven days a week. The flight, which will take off at 10am this morning and land in Hong Kong at 5.40pm local time, will see a number of special…
We don’t all have the funds to be regulars over at storied Rose Bay restaurant Catalina, but while many may keep this as an occasional indulgence, it’s always well worth seeing how this dining institution is constantly evolving thanks to their unwavering commitment to change. Like most seasonally-focused restaurants, Catalina switches up their signatures with…
The internationally recognised burger brand, RocoMamas has recently chosen Melbourne’s endless dining precinct, Chapel Street, to open its first flagship Australian joint. If you’re planning a visit, expect to get your hands, mouth and face dirty, as the idea behind this menu is to put down the knives and forks and attack their iconic ‘smashed…
Southern Cross Station’s collection of casual eats just took a big step up with the opening of acclaimed Malaysian-born restaurant chain PappaRich. A 40-seater venue was unveiled earlier this week, bringing the authentic flavours of South-East Asia to Melbourne’s CBD with a new-concept lean towards fast service, best represented by self-serve kiosks, a first for…
After a month-long competition resulting in fierce competition between the many different metal scenes of Finland, the official “Capital of Metal” has been named. Lemi, a small municipality with a population of just over 3000 in rural Southeast Finland, has walked away with the honour based upon them having the most dense metal scene in…
Tokyo’s iteration of Marriott International’s energetic and youthful Moxy brand has done well to distinguish itself among the many traditional hotels that lie across the sprawling city. Located in the Sumida Ward, just five minutes on foot from JR Kinshicho Station, the property is a creative and playful entry to a neighbourhood most tourists wouldn’t…
For the first time ever Matt Moran will be taking his iconic Sydney restaurant Chiswick and hosting a 80-seat pop-up iteration at this year’s Splendour in the Grass. The iconic three-day festival will no doubt benefit from Moran’s planted-to-plated approach which has seen Chiswick, both the original in Woollahra and the extension at the Art…
Over the next three days, Melbourne locals will be able to get their hands on a free pair of prescription glasses as popular online retailer VisionDirect.com.au opens its very first Vision Direct Optical Centre in the heart of the CBD. They’ll be going large for their opening week, committing 100 free premium acetate frames and…
After arriving in Barcelona without a suitcase, hours of flight delays and not even a glass of water thanks to British Airways, I was starting to think that non-budget airlines were non-existent in Europe. With the likes of Ryanair and EasyJet defining the budget carrier model for the region, other, once full-service airlines have followed…
Two hours east of Adelaide city lies Australia’s newest world-class motorsport park for competitors, enthusiasts and spectators. Luckily for us, The Bend Motorsport Park’s opening coincided with the launch of the 2018 Mustang it what would be a showcase of Adelaide scenery and adrenaline-charged pleasure. An hour outside of Adelaide we stopped at Wistow Bakery…
