Chris AshtonWhen sitting down to review P&O’s new cruise ship, Pacific Aria, it’s hard to know where to start. Do you focus on the size first and then work your way through the features later, or mention the number of passengers the cruise...
With the 24th James Bond film ‘Spectre’ right around the corner, I thought it was a good time to revisit a trip I took to London a couple of years ago. I was on a mission to get my James Bond on, and came across one hotel I couldn’t resist.
I’ll admit it had been several years since I last stayed in an ibis Hotel, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Back before their rebrand in 2011, my sole experience with the chain was their rather dated Sydney Airport property. But the new ibis Mackay...
The engine of our 1950s De Havilland seaplane roars like a lion as we cross the last stretch of cerulean water. Just a hundred metres more and we’ll reach Turtle Island. We're so close I can almost taste the cocktails. Emerging from the haze like a...
Hearing it described as the “Hawaii of China”, Hainan Island made me more than a little curious. Would it be a tropical island escape that has remained undiscovered by Australian travellers, or were the Hawaii comparisons simply an exaggeration...
Cruising is a curious beast. Hailed almost as often as it is derided, it’s long been seen as the holiday of choice for retirees spending their kids’ inheritance, or those who prefer to experience the world without really stepping outside of their...
Surfers Paradise is a destination I've always had mixed feelings about. On one hand it's a soulless place where steel and glass dominate the landscape, and on the other a beachside haven that somehow fills my heart with a sense of childlike wonder...
Gazing over the glittering Hong Kong skyline, listening to the roar of the city traffic below, I pinch myself to check if this is real. Just yesterday I was at home drinking a $10 bottle of Sav Blanc in Australia, today I’m standing on the 29th...
Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Penang World Music Festival, held in the UNESCO listed city of George Town, Malaysia. Would I have called myself a world music fan before I went? No. But that was then and this is now. Find...
Low cost air travel is an ordinary part of life these days. Travellers are accustomed to cheap seats, cheap service and cheap food that resembles something left in the fridge for a week… but it seems not all low-cost carriers are created equal. Join...
