If you’ve been to a variety show in a Spiegeltent in the last decade or so, chances are you’ve been lucky enough to see a production from the cirque ensemble Spiegelworld. The organisation emerged in 2006, with their show Absinthe making a splash in a travelling Spiegeltent at Pier 17 in New York City. While…
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Less than five months after it opened in Orlando, Disneyland’s iconic log flume ride Splash Mountain has received the same makeover in Anaheim, California, with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening today (November 15th) at Disney’s OG theme park. It’s fair to say this update has been a long time coming. Here’s everything you need to know:…
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It’s recently been announced that Epic Universe will open its portals in Orlando, Florida on 22nd May 2025! The first round of tickets sales – with the 2025 Explorer Ticket that’s inclusive of a single day of Epic Universe entry – and Helios Grand Hotel bookings begun on Tuesday 22nd October 2024. This comes after…
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On November 11th, Vietjet are having a flash sale on airfares between Australia and Vietnam. For just AUD$199 (depending on route) customers can book flights for travel between 1 January and 22 May 2025. Just use the code VJ11 when booking through the website www.vietjetair.com or using the mobile app. Vietjet flies to destinations such…
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On a recent visit to Buffalo in New York, right by Niagara Falls, I was lucky enough to spend a weekend in a historic 1898 mansion, InnBuffalo. This building is now a quaint Bed and Breakfast (or “BnB”) that sits within Buffalo’s vibrant Elmwood Village. It was as typical a BnB as you could expect…
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As a kid who grew up in the 90s – between the US and Australia – I was gifted with a potpourri of ever-evolving options to celebrate a birthday with friends. Since the 1970s, there’s been all-you-can-eat pizza places with arcades and playhouses, from Pizza Hut to Chuck-E-Cheese. In the mid-1980s, laser tag entered the…
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Do you love a good drop? I certainly do, so I was shocked to hear during the recent launch event for NSW Wine Month how little local produce us Sydneysiders drink. Steve Cox, the CEO of Destination NSW, was on hand for the event and revealed to the gathered press that only 12% of the…
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According to the Hilton website, the company has around 68 hotels in New York City. As per Google, there are around 700 hotels in New York City (from 2021 – that number would have increased by then). Based on those numbers, just under 10% of the hotels in New York City are branded under Hilton….
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If you’ve ever been looking for that storybook Halloween experience, look no further than New York State and New England in the northeast of the United States. With picture perfect communities pulled straight from the movies, the day of trick-or-treating is filled with incredible costumes, houses that go all out with decorations, and a seemingly…
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Though you wouldn’t immediately think of Las Vegas for its museums and galleries, the city has its fair share of high quality attractions scattered around the city. And it’s a surprising mix – who would have thought, for instance, that The Punk Rock Museum would find a home in Nevada? While some are temporary or…
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Earlier this year I had the opportunity to enjoy an incredible night at the Californian tiki bar Strong Water. Just a stones throw from Disneyland in Anaheim – where so much of the modern tiki bar aesthetic was popularised – this James Beard Award semi-finalist is now one of the hottest destinations in the city….
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For decades now, Cirque du Soleil has been the king of the Las Vegas strip – producing almost a dozen residency shows for the city since 1993, with close to 10,000 people witnessing the Montreal company’s spectacle every night. Residency shows are typically designed for the destination, usually in a room custom built for the…
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This past July, I had the pleasure of returning to Las Vegas. But this time, the focus of the trip shifted in a surprising way: I got schooled in the history of the Las Vegas strip. This offered a new perspective of this vibrant city, learning about the glitz and glamour that gave Vegas the…
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Last month I was lucky enough to visit Buffalo, New York for the first time since 2019. A lot has changed in this city since my last visit, but today I want to talk about a restaurant that opened up in August 2023 – Southern Junction. From the outside it looks like a typical Texan…
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If you’re going to have a restaurant in one of the most highly contested areas of Manhattan, you’re going to need a strong offering. Thankfully, Fasano Restaurant is well up-to-task with spritely, classic service and a sense of grandeur that’s a little bit of Rome and 90s New York rolled into one. The thing you’ll…
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While Australia has only ever enjoyed Cirque du Soleil in its traditional touring format (usually in their “Grand Chapiteau” tent – as Luzia will be later this year in Brisbane and Sydney), over the years, select destinations around the world have come to enjoy permanent Cirque residencies. Las Vegas is famed to host the majority…
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I hate the word “best”. It always feels so… tacky and insincere, ruined by SEO agencies and influencers alike with an incessant need for engagement. And yet, “best” is all I can say when I take my first sip of each high-concept cocktail in The Bar at The Baccarat Hotel. The beautiful, lavish, grand, unforgettable…
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I’ve never seen a grown man cry at the thought of leaving a resort, but such is the specialness of Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island, Fiji. The five-star is one of three Sheraton properties in Fiji, but it’s the only one that’s on an outer-island. You catch a lengthy boat ride from Port Denarau…
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While plenty of premium hotel brands crowd the loud and live streets of Waikiki on the island of Oahu, Renaissance is bravely carving its own identity in the growing Ala Moana neighbourhood with Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa. The new 39-floor luxury hotel opened earlier this year and has already become a popular place to…
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What you need to know about choosing a low-cost airline and why it’s worth considering AirAsia X. The best part of travelling is never the plane trip, let’s be honest. Tasty food, endless entertainment and spacious seats are always nice, but when a friend asks you what you thought of the Maldives, or Bali, or…
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When director Baz Halpin and executive producer Bernie Yuman approached two-time Academy Award-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, I doubt they expected him to say yes to their proposal. Yuman, a Vegas veteran, was manager to Siegfried and Roy from a very young age and stuck by the legendary performers’ until their last day. He even…
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Debuting in October 2019, The Hoxton Downtown Los Angeles sits as one of 16 Hoxton properties around the world. With locations in Edinburgh and Florence coming later this year, and Melbourne and Oslo due in 2027 – making the boutique chain’s Australian and Scandinavian debuts, respectively – it’s a brand you’re bound to encounter soon…
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Greenwashing is far too common these days. Shallow attempts at being eco-conscious are expected of just about every business now, and not all of them rise above the bare minimum. I’m cynical about it. I’ve heard the sustainability tagline thousands of times over. But there’s something about the 1 Hotel brand that’s hooked me. Its…
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Wouldn’t it be amazing if every Trump International was reflagged, refurbished and stripped of any and all political connotations to make way for a much better, less divisive hotel? Much like Hilton, Trump International has the immense privilege of location. Look at any Trump International property across the USA and they are almost always in…
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The Penny is one of only several premium hotels in Brooklyn. And of course, it’s in Williamsburg. Brooklyn’s most attractive neighbourhood for trendy locals and visitors hogs the lion’s share of Brooklyn’s best hotels, while a few others are located over in Dumbo. There’s reason for this. You won’t find luxury hotels in Bushwick (yet)…
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The Golden Age of Hollywood is a well-worn aesthetic that’s often too broad and hard-to-define, written on paper like it’s some magic spell conjuring up enough good-will that designers can afford to be lazy. “it’s just like, Hollywood glamour, ya know?” For some, it means high-waisted and ostentatious with just enough raunchiness to tease the…
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We’ve seen some pretty strange things from behemoth spirit labels before, but this one takes the stream of alcoholic cinnamon bombs. The fun-loving folks at Fireball Whisky have introduced an actual Fireball Bubbler to celebrate Footy Finals season. Yes, you read that right. It’s just like those bubblers that you never drank from in high…
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Sitting at the edge of New York’s Theatre District is CIVILIAN, one of Manhattan’s newer hotels and a nice balance between designer charm, premium accommodation and – what is perhaps most important in New York right now – affordability. New York always so desperately needs more hotels to accommodate the constant influx of visitors that…
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Vietjet Redcliffe KiteFest is returning to Brisbane on 14-15th September 2024. With over 30,000 visitors expected, this year’s festival promises an amazing display of kite artistry and diverse cultural performances. Kite artisans come from diverse places such as Malaysia, China and Vietnam to showcase their prowess in kite-making skills. Vietjet will have a booth where…
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The Prince Kitano New York is almost the mid-way point between the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building. It’s also just a 500-metre walk from Grand Central Station and, on the way, Bryant Park. You’ll only walk a short distance to get to the picturesque edge of East River with its many vantage points, and…
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