Holiday Goddess

Described by its pinny-sporting proprietors Lesley Greening Lassoff and Pea Crabtree as the ‘home of wonky chic’, diners are attracted inside The Aardvark Tea Room and Gallery by stunning window displays, which have featured a knitted tea tray – including a plate of perfectly-formed woollen biscuits – and the Seven Deadly Sins rendered in babygros, by artist Kate Talbot.

By Maggie Alderson
Categories England, Hastings

The Orchid, at 28 Swan Road (in the bottom of the Studley Hotel), is some of the best Asian food I’ve eaten in Britain. It isn’t cheap (about £50 for two plus wine) but it is worth it. Everyone who’s been here has their favourite dishes and the amazing thing is that they all seem to be different.

By Holiday Goddess Editors
Categories England

Edinburgh is like Christmas everyday. There’s the constant scent of malt (so deliciously reminiscent of gingerbread) and the whiskey to start with, and the excitement of August, when the Edinburgh Festival hits town, offering the chance to see any one of thousands of world class acts. It’s a perfectly compact city where you can glide through the mazes and nooks and crannies and walk almost anywhere. For reference, Edinburgh is to London as Boston is to New York.

By Sue Ostler
Categories Edinburgh, Scotland

“Vipassana” means “to see things as they really are”. Based on the teachings of Buddha some 2500 years ago, it is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques whose popularity has spread throughout the world. Despite it’s Buddhist roots, it is non-denominational and non-religious, meaning anyone regardless of religion or creed can practice it. The basis of the Vipassana lies in the premise that happiness can be found by learning to observe ourselves and the events that happen to us, instead of reacting with what the information brochure refers to as “craving, aversion or ignorance”.

By Kris McIntyre
Categories Blue Mountains, Health and fitness, New South Wales

Sydney’s Waterloo and Redfern are fast filling up with interesting new cafes, furniture stores and art spaces. The realtors have been trying to bump up house prices in the area by re-badging the block of streets south of Cleveland Street and east of Crown as East Redfern, presumably to capitalise on the chic reputation of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. But in fact that precinct is mostly just houses, Federation terraces that are slowly being done up with a few tower blocks thrown in. Much more fun is Redfern proper, with its odd mix of done-up warehouses, new galleries, crumbling old terraces and new development.

By Clare Press
Categories New South Wales, Sydney

Melbourne’s ultimate late-night/early-morning grot-bar, Pony kicks up its heels from about 2.30am, when bands grind out the loudest and proudest live music the city knows (and that means LOUD) on the infamous upstairs stage. With a reputation built on rock’n’roll and the weird bonds that are forged at hyper-bleary hours while the normal people sleep, Pony is a must-do Melbourne experience for the nocturnally-inclined.

By Tamara Sheward
Categories Melbourne, Victoria

So what does King Street offer? Expect lots of hotels (aka pubs or bars), boho boutiques, organic food and Mind Body Spirit havens. It’s the sister of Fitzroy, Melbourne and Camden, London (but nicer) and There are ATMs and a Post Office.

By Jessica Adams
Categories New South Wales, Sydney

Many people choose to stay in Perth, only thirty minutes away by train and with more accommodation options. The most renowned place to stay in Fremantle is the Old Esplanade Hotel, where standard rooms begin at around $235 (check their website at www.esplanadehotelfremantle.com.au or last-minute search engines for the best deals).

By Sara Foster
Categories Fremantle, Western Australia

Even if you’ve never been to St Kilda, you’ll probably feel like you know its cute cafes and bohemian boutiques from four-year drama The Secret Life Of Us, which was set here. It’s fair to say this little shopping mecca is more a favourite with visiting women than men, but the area’s unique vibe and bar culture should keep both sexes happy.

By Jenny Valentish
Categories Melbourne, Victoria

I was told this area’s Indigenous owners, the Bundjalung, used to know the cape as a healing place, a place to visit only for a short while before moving on. It is easy to understand that Byron Bay has been a place of “retreat” for tens of thousands of years.

By Anneli Knight
Categories Destinations