Vacations & Travel Magazine

I’m delighted to introduce myself as the new editor of this beautiful magazine, Australia’s longest-running travel publication. It’s an absolute dream job for someone as enamoured with travel as me. After being hired for the role in late 2023, I star

After the devastating fires of 2019 that decimated Southern Ocean Lodge, the luxe property on the south coast of Kangaroo Island has now reopened. The new iteration of the retreat has almost the same footprint, with 25 luxurious suites strung like a

Drum roll please … Luxury resorts operator Soneva has taken out the coveted 2023 Terra Carta Seal from the Sustainable Markets Initiative. Soneva has been recognised as a rock star in responsible tourism for its properties in the Maldives and Thailan

“I hope that seeing me and what I’ve done encourages people who look like me to be less afraid to explore the world,” says Jessica Nabongo. “For so many people of colour, for Black people, there are a lot of valid concerns about dealing with racism i

It doesn’t get dreamier than this. Impossibly blue waters framed by talcum-white sands, palm trees waving softly in the breeze. Even by Maldives’ standards, the Heritance Aarah is standout. Sitting in the Raa Atoll, 40 minutes by seaplane from the Ma

It’s a spiritual moment being inside Goa Giri Putri, a Shivaite Buddhist temple located halfway up a hill on the east side of the Indonesian island of Penida. I had to haul myself up 100 steep steps to reach the holy temple’s entrance; I deserve the

It doesn’t get much more Swiss than this. I am sitting at a round timber table on a velvety green hillside, looking out to a jagged horizon of momentous mountains that in winter attract royals and celebrities who come for the famous Gstaad ski experi

The first timid light of day stirs, the horizon blushing the softest shades of pink. The vastness of Lahinch Beach stretches before me, its sand – kissed by the wild waves of the Atlantic – mirrors the pastel sky, a sole surfer the only smudge on the

From dreamy tropical beaches and verdant tea plantations to mist-covered mountains and ornate Buddhist temples, Sri Lanka is an extraordinary destination just waiting to be explored. Known as the ‘Spice Island’ for a trade that dates back centuries,

Forgive me India, I’ve been remiss. It’s more than a decade since my last visit. What was I thinking? My wife Jacquie has never been. So we decide to take on one of the most touristically achievable routes in India: The Golden Triangle. Delhi to Agra

It’s 4pm, and I’m covered in ash. So much ash that my skin resembles monochrome fairy bread – there’s not much space between particles. I slathered on suncream before the march north to Mount Yasur, not taking into account that it would act like a ma

Promises of everlasting love are made all the more special with the endless views of the ocean as your backdrop. Nothing says romance like a seaside ceremony, and for an all-inclusive destination wedding in Sydney, picturesque Whale Beach is hard to

Once affectionately described by locals as a place of ‘yells, bells and smells’, the island nation of Malta’s personality can be described as optimistic, gregarious and … emotional. People here wear their heart on their sleeve, as I fast learn (again

We’re 10 degrees from the Equator, and the sun is harsh. So harsh that it casts oasis-like heat waves over the tarmac as our tiny 36-seat Dash 8-100 touches down on Horn Island (Ngurapai to the Kaurareg people). One of 274 drops of land comprising th

“You won’t get much change from five million for a house here,” our tour guide Graeme Rivett of Kiwi Connect tells us. I’m on Waiheke, a 20-kilometre-long island that’s a 45-minute ferry ride from New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. It’s likely you

The hot air balloon lifts silently above mist rising from the dams and the farms and outhouses below, which begin to look like Legoland. It’s freezing cold and I’m grateful for my gloves and cap, but as we watch the sun come up, the balloon rises hig

Caressed by snowflakes, my cable car glides high above a canopy of primeval forest to the summit of Mount Misen, the highest peak on Miyajima, a scenic island in Hiroshima Bay. I have with me an amulet to protect against thunderbolts, purchased on im

On the horizon, as we approach Hobart, the towering silhouette of Mount Wellington becomes visible, standing as a majestic guardian over the Tasmanian capital. From my balcony on Resilient Lady, I’m greeted by the tranquil waters and lively activity

The Mekong works hard. Across 4,900 kilometres from Tibet to Vietnam, this river feeds, waters, transports and employs tens of millions. It has many strands, each throbbing with activity and colour, chock-full of vessels from huge barges to narrow sa

From the crisp mountain air of Bhutan, the last remaining Buddhist Kingdom in the Himalayas, to the kaleidoscopic bazaars of Rajasthan and the balmy beaches of Tangalle, slip away to take the spiritual pulse of South Asia. Hosted by ordained Buddhist

Mantis Kivu Queen uBuranga recently opened its doors to reservations for travellers seeking a lavish voyage across Lake Kivu – one of Africa’s most breathtaking waterways. As the first of its kind to sail the region, the houseboat offers a front-row

High in the misty mountains of Ubud in Bali sits a towering six-storey mansion made from bamboo. This jungle home looks as if it has been plucked straight out of a fairytale, but it came from the mind of designer Elora Hardy. “If you didn’t know what

Flying to the Northern Territory doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Affordable airline Bonza is launching 12 new flights per week to Darwin and Alice Springs from destinations including Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast. In preparation for Uluru’s

For foodies looking for the ultimate farm-to-table experience, you’ve come to the right place. Tasmania’s applauded Agrarian Kitchen now offers weekly cooking, lifestyle and gardening classes from their New Norfolk site, which means you can take a de

A third-generation family-run hotel in Sorrento on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has undergone the biggest transformation in its 151-year history. Those who visit Hotel Sorrento are guaranteed an atmosphere reminiscent of a Mediterranean holiday; e

You probably know the Imperial Hotel by its former name, Palazzo Versace. But after 23 glam years, the fashion-branded luxury property is no more, with Versace deciding not to renew its licence managing the sprawling five-star Gold Coast resort. Whil

I am in love with Riley, and Cairns in general, for that matter. Yet I’m trying to pinpoint which part I fall for most. Is it the hotel’s modern Scandi sophistication set against the backdrop of the natural beauty of the tropics? The impeccable servi

The hotel’s design blends classic Art Deco and modern interiors by the award-winning Icelandic-born designer Gulla Jónsdóttir, who draws inspiration from the architecture in California in the 1920s and ’30s. The property is part of the Kimpton chain,

Just off the fashionista strip of Orchard Road, I’m stepping into the new COMO Metropolitan Singapore, freshly opened in September 2023. While a smiling concierge directs me to the elevator, I notice a queue of people waiting by the hotel’s second do

With its location at a strategic crossroads for the lucrative spice trade, it’s little wonder Sir Stamford Raffles had his eye on Singapore. In 1819 the British established a trading hub here, with the Singapore River at its heart. The first riversid