Stretching over 100km north from the Victorian border, the Sapphire Coast of NSW has so much to see and do. Here are just seven to give you a taste of this wonderful region. From its famous Oyster Trail and superb range of restaurants to a truly stunning coastline, the Sapphire Coast—so named for the glorious colour of its waters rather than the gemstone—has so much to offer. Our recent trip to this under-valued region showed us that even within Australia’s most populous state, there are still destinations many of us have never been to or perhaps even heard of. Check out our video of the amaz ..read more

Brought to you by McGuigan Wines There’s nothing quite like starting a month off with a bang—especially with young 2023 dragging its heals. But March has really hit the ground at a pace and is making up for some time lost. Even just two weeks in, we’ve hit a few great places in Sydney to eat and drink, celebrated Sydney WorldPride and Mardi Gras, International Women’s Day and our anniversary, and have even organised some travel plans. Best of all, we’ve got news on the chance to win quite a lot of money—like a million bucks with thousands in secondary prizes. So strap yourself in, we’ve got l ..read more

Cutting through the city of Budapest, the Danube River has all the best views of Hungary’s capital, and a river cruise shows you everything. But what’s it really like on board? Here’s what we found. I’ve always wanted to see the Danube. I’ve also always wanted to go to Budapest. When we moved back to Sydney in our 20s, Christina and I used to go to a little cafe in Surry Hills that had a huge photo of Budapest on a wall. The river sparkled behind the incredible Parliament Building with its Gothic Revival arches, domes and needle spires. And across the Danube, on the Buda side, loomed the stee ..read more

These three young Aussie Chardonnays are perfect for those hot late-summer days. Whether you’re looking for a light and refreshing Chardonnay or something a bit more complex, this spritely trio has you covered. Against popular belief, wine doesn’t have to be old to be at its best. In fact the majority of wine—red or white—is consumed within a couple of hours of being purchased. We’ve all done that, right? In response, wine-makers are making a lot of their wine to be at or near its best as soon as it’s sold. With the exception of some Rieslings, Semillons and Chardonnays, which develop a whole ..read more

Covering almost two million square kilometres, the Arabian Desert is vast, but also full of history, culture and wildlife. Here’s how we encountered all of these things in a Platinum Heritage Desert Safari in Dubai. When you’re in Dubai, surrounded by the modernity of its buildings and the sea breeze coming off the Persian Gulf, it’s easy to forget that at the edge of the city limits is the world’s second largest sand desert. The Arabian Desert fills most of the Arabian Peninsula. It’s enormous. To give you some scale, if you could move the Arabian Desert over Australia, all the states and te ..read more

Just a block or two back from the grand tree-lined avenue of the Champs-Elysées and a short stroll to the banks of the Seine, the Hotel de Sers is the perfect way to experience Paris in boutique luxury. What does ‘boutique luxury’ mean in hotel terms? To me, I guess it has to fulfil these four criteria: elegance, history, friendliness and—of course—luxury itself. So what does Hotel de Sers do to hit these marks, and what does that mean for your visit to the beautiful romantic city of Paris? Check out our video on Hotel de Sers and Paris here: Hotel de Sers—boutique luxury in the heart of Par ..read more

Beyond the bare basics of suncream and aftershave, there’s a wealth of incredible skincare for men products on the market. Here are three brands that I think are great for different reasons and that should be, if not on your bathroom shelf, then definitely on your radar. Anyone who thinks men’s cosmetics is just a flash in the pan or only for a small proportion of the male population has their head in the sand (however exfoliating that might be!). Over the last couple of decades, the men’s cosmetics industry has grown year on year to the point where it’s projected to be worth USD67.2 billion b ..read more

With its relaxed atmosphere, great food and even better beer, Longstocking Brewery and Oyster Bar is the obvious choice for a schooner of hand-crafted ale when in Pambula NSW. But that’s not the only thing you’ll find here. There’s that wonderful moment when you’re travelling when you find yourself somewhere that really makes you feel at home. It’s a strange oxymoron to enjoy though. I mean, you’re travelling, right? The last thing you should be excited about is home. But as we work our way through our tasting paddle of Longstocking’s beer while we wait for our handmade pizzas to come out of ..read more

Reaching out into the brilliant blue of the Arabian Gulf, the iconic shape of the Palm Jumeirah is a holidaymaker’s paradise. So having the Andaz Dubai The Palm makes perfect sense. As we travel the 32km from the airport, much of which is broad freeway lined with all manner of unusual buildings, we’re not sure what to expect of the Palm Jumeirah. One of the world’s largest manmade islands and Dubai’s first, we’ve all seen pictures of the Palm Jumeirah from the air—even from space. But at street level, it’s even more surreal. From the ‘trunk’ of this palm tree-shaped island, which by the way h ..read more

What happens when you give a world-class Japanese chef free rein to cook his favourite dishes for you while you sit and watch him in his kitchen? Welcome to omakase at Besuto Sydney. Stepping from the small lift secreted in a laneway courtyard not 200m from Circular Quay, we find ourselves in the Zen garden of Besuto’s reception. The tinkle of the tsukubai bamboo waterfall into its stone basin plays in our ears heralding the beginning of this omakase experience. We pass through a doorway half concealed by a traditional noren curtain into the dining room. Through the muted jazz and chatter fr ..read more