Travel & Lifestyle

Eat, Stay and Play: Bali’s newest hotspots making a splash this year

It’s hard to believe it’s been 18 years since Ku De Ta first unveiled its swanky beachfront bar and restaurant in Bali’s Seminyak. With bright red umbrellas and an infinity pool overlooking the Tasman Sea, it was the first of its kind. A decade later, it was joined by another; Potato Head Bali. These days,…

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Tour Diary: Pretty City head to the States chasing new music and Texan good times

Melbourne’s Pretty City recently packed their bags for another short sojourn to the USA where recording of new music, as well as a cheeky stop at SXSW awaited. The band’s new album Cancel the Future is out tomorrow and in coming months, Pretty City will be out on the road (in Australia and abroad) with this new bad…

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Review: Checking out Distrikt Hotel, Pittsburgh’s newest hotel

In the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh, and within walking distance or a short car ride to some of our amazing food highlights, is one of the city’s newest hotels. Opened a few weeks prior to our stay, Distrikt Hotel is a flair of New York City, yet with dedication to make Pittsburgh the hero. Scott…

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Aussies Abroad: Our Golden Friend announce showcases in NYC and at SXSW

Our Golden Friend have emerged as one of Melbourne’s premiere artist management companies and with SXSW off an running, the music festival has provided the perfect platform for the company to show off their talented roster. Bringing Jade Imagine, RVG, Totally Mild and Jess Ribeiro to Texas, Our Golden Friend will be hosting a must-attend party at the Australia…

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Neil Perry introduces a new family style Sunday roast menu at Rockpool Bar & Grill

As we take a seat for dinner at Rockpool Bar & Grill, Neil Perry reminisces how Sundays are set aside for family dinners and sharing a beautifully cooked roast at the table together. This nostalgia and sense of family are what have inspired the new Sunday roast menu with large format meat as the hero…

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Why Akita should be your next Japan snow destination

Seen Niseko and done Hakuba? Next time you plan a ski trip in Japan, add Akita to your itinerary Nestled on the top corner of Honshu, Japan’s main island, sits Akita. The area has a lot to offer in terms of winter sports and culture. A prefecture often overlooked because of its rural setting, and…

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Brand new business class cabin climbs aboard Emirates’ Boeing 777-200LR

Travelling business class is the luxury way of flying around the world, and Emirates have upped the game on cabin style and configuration. The Boeing 777-200LR aircraft has been fitted out with new wider seats and set in a 2-2-2- configuration, with the two class layout providing 38 business class seats and 264 economy class…

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Solander is the city’s newest restaurant and cocktail lounge (Sydney)

Solander Dining and Bar is one of the latest to prop up the bustling food and drink precinct down on Sussex, bringing the area a 72-seater restaurant and bar as part of new boutique hotel West Hotel Sydney, a property that is part of the refined Curio Collection by Hilton. Located at 62 Sussex Street,…

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Plant-based restaurant Alibi to open at Ovolo Woolloomooloo (Sydney)

Later this month will see a new restaurant open at designer hotel Ovolo Woolloomooloo as award-winning U.S chef Matthew Kenney focuses his long history of advocating for plant-based cuisine to Sydney with Alibi. Adding something incredibly unique to the envied scene at Woolloomooloo wharf, the new restaurant will take over most of the ground floor…

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Patron saint of seafood, Saint Peter’s Josh Niland, will open Sydney’s very first fish butchery

Get ready to take a piece of acclaimed chef Josh Niland (of the consistently excellent Saint Peters) home with you. April this year will see the opening of Fish Butchery on Oxford St in Paddington. Dubbed ‘butchery’, the Saint Peter team aim to position it as a modern fishmonger, offering dry handled fish, produce that…

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Tella Balls Dessert Bar opens first ever Melbourne shop in CBD

Sydney-born dessert and social media phenomenon Tella Balls Dessert Bar has finally opened up one of its deliciously sugary stores in Melbourne. The newly launched dessert bar, which is located at Melbourne Central, follows the successful launch of the brand in QLD last year, bringing more than just Sydneysiders a menu that’s chock full of…

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Slane Irish Whiskey is launching in Australia this month

Slane Irish Whiskey has launched in Australia ahead of St Patrick’s Day, coming all the way from the legendary Slane Castle with 300 years of family history and 147 years of whiskey-making behind it. The whiskey, which goes through three types of casks, should immediately bring Irish whiskey enthusiasts a new favourite seeing as the…

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Dan Murphy’s is turning a heritage house in Chippendale into an interactive pop-up (Sydney)

Dan Murphy’s are planning to take over an abandoned heritage house in Sydney this month, turning the space into what they’ve conceived as the “House of Discovery” where the drink trends of 2018 will be highlighted and celebrated for guests across two fun-filled days. The interactive pop-up will be located in Chippendale, nodding heavily to…

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Sri Lankan street food heroes Hopper Kadé open new restaurant on Crown Street (Sydney)

Graduating from popular street food stall, Sri Lankan street food purveyors Hopper Kadé have opened a permanent restaurant on Crown Street in Darlinghurst. After building a cult following thanks to their signature hopper menu, founders Ruvanie De Zoysa and Chris Goffin have worked with Head Chef Diago Fernandez to take their offering to the next…

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Munchies team with top young chefs for pop up food parties through Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

One of the more essential events as part of this year’s forthcoming Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will be a neat nine-day collaboration between Vice food channel Munchies and some of the city’s best and most popular young chefs. Dubbed Club Munchies, the program will shape into Bourke Street’s Spleen Bar with the chefs, a…

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Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth to be decked out in Australian swag in 2019

Luxury cruise brand Cunard have announced a series of partnerships with four Australian brands, set to deck out its iconic Queen Elizabeth ship ahead of the 2019 season, where it will embark on no less than 27 itineraries from Australian waters. The move will see Queen Elizabeth’s bellboys replace their current uniforms with boots designed by…

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Peter Alexander hooks up with Cartoon Network for Powerpuff Girl sleepwear capsule

Those needing to introduce some character to their sleepwear should head on over to the nearest Peter Alexander as soon as possible. The sleepwear designer brand has announced a surprising collaboration capsule with Cartoon Network to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Powerpuff Girls. The classic cartoon, which has been around since 1998, will be…

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Gala Showcase announced for Good Beer Week at Federation Square (Melbourne)

Once again, Melbourne’s Good Beer Week will be kicking off with a two-day Gala Showcase this March, taking over The Atrium at Federation Square with 30 local and interstate breweries in tow, ranging from NSW legends Modus Operandi to local favourites Bridge Road Brewers. All breweries will stand alongside Melbourne’s best food vendors, highlighting some…

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Bondi’s Latin American favourite Panama House moves to Campbell Parade (Sydney)

After spending over five years on Bondi Road, Panama House has moved much closer to the iconic golden sands, which now lay in the shadow of the 120-seater restaurant and bar. Perched above Campbell Parade, the Latin American venue is now charging into their new life with a refocused and reimagined offering that includes everything…

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Manly Greenhouse is Sydney’s new three-storey beachfront restaurant and bar

Manly is about to get a leafy new beachfront bar and restaurant from the same team behind Sails on Lavender Bay. Manly Greenhouse will be a multi-storey venue taking over the former Shore Club Hotel and transforming the venue with a very open, free-spirited aesthetic reflecting the natural beauty of the coastal suburb. In an…

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Seven places Aussies need to eat (and drink) in West Hollywood

Not too long ago, we enjoyed a night at the comfortable Ramada Plaza West Hollywood Hotel & Suites (read our review here), situated in the heart of West Hollywood – which puts you smack dab in the middle of all the action that Los Angeles has to offer. Traffic pending, it’s not far from the…

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Sofitel Sydney Wentworth and Weiss team up to indulge chocolate lovers through Autumn

Historic chocolatiers Weiss Chocolate are partnering up with Sofitel Sydney Wentworth over the next few months to fill the property with various chocolate inspired experiences including a chocolate high tea and bespoke dessert cocktail menu. Anyone heading along to the high-end hotel for the extra layers of indulgence from now through to the end of…

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Sean Wotherspoon’s corduroy-inspired Nike Air Max hybrid will launch in Australia this March

Arriving on Air Max Day, March 26th, will be Sean Wotherspoon’s hugely playful Nike Air Max hybrid. With the show finally getting a wide release, select Australian retailers will be stocking this colourful sneaker which is the result of the recent Vote Forward content held by Nike in 2017. As you can guess, Wotherspoon remained…

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World’s top chefs give their best recommendations in the third edition of ‘Where Chefs Eat’

More than 30 Australian chefs will be included in the latest edition of Where Chefs Eat, a unique guide that features a whopping 7,043 recommendations on where to eat around the world, with those recommendations all coming from some of the world’s most respected chefs. Now in its third edition, the guide seeks to include…

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The Fuscaldo family have opened a new Italian restaurant and cafe near Hyde Park (Sydney)

Sydney’s ever-changing William Street has copped a new neighbourhood Italian café and restaurant with Vizio Caffé e Cucina, opening up on the Hyde Park end of the long strip with designs on serving up hearty international breakfasts, leisurely lunches and authentic Italian dinners. The venue is owned by the Fuscaldo family, who have a long…

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Dr. Martens to open their first ever Australian retail store in Sydney

Veteran fashion brand Dr. Martens has always had a strong presence in Australia, but did you know they’ve never actually had a dedicated retail store? That’s all about to change come the turn of the month as the iconic brand long built on the ideals of individuality and self-expression will launch its very first Australian…

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Interview: Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman and the story behind a new $4000 whisky

Glenfiddich’s Malt Master Brian Kinsman has selected, overseen and nurtured the latest expression releases as part of the extremely rare and sought after Glenfiddich Rare Collection Programme. The Glenfiddich 1977 Rare Collection Cask No. 15176, priced at around AUD $4,352 and released exclusively to travel retailer Heinemann Duty Free (in Sydney and Kuala Lumpur airports)…

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SKYY Vodka are fitting engagement rings to their cans to celebrate same sex marriage

Just about every step forward in society is accompanied by about a few hundred brands trying to show that they are down with the current topics of discussion. Most of the time it’s cringeworthy and ends up on certain yellow-journalism blogs as advertorial, or even TV spots starring any one of the however many Kardashians…

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Review: AVANI debuts in Broadbeach to soak up the classic Gold Coast lifestyle

A $150 million development has birthed AVANI Broadbeach Gold Coast Residences: an ultra-slick, ultra-modern addition to the Gold Coast’s already teeming apartment accommodation scene, though not an unwelcome one. Opened in time for April’s 2018 Commonwealth Games, the debut property from the brand is one of two entry points into the Australian and New Zealand…

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Emirates announce new route from Dubai to Auckland via Bali

Emirates are set to introduce the only year-round flight between Bali and Auckland with a new service launching from 14th June 2018. Originating in Dubai, the new route adds to the airlines daily services to New Zealand, making that a total of three in addition to Emirates’ existing non-stop daily service between Dubai and Auckland,…

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