May travel news

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT REWARDS
It might only be May but it seems safe to declare 2012 the year the self-catered weekend away decided to sex up its image, with a slew of new retreats putting paid to the idea that private houses are chintzy affairs full of no-longer-wanted furniture.

The House at Smoko sits on the outskirts of Victoria’s alpine town of Bright. At first glance, the place seems a restored beauty, its stone, corrugated iron and timber components suggestive of a previous era. Smoko is in fact a new three-bedroom residence, 12 years in the making and designed to blend beautifully with its High Country locale.

It’s a thoughtful place, and owners Richard and Amanda Morell openly encourage thought, rather than action, in their guests. The dining room is designed to resemble the kilns that are a key part of the area’s tobacco-growing history. Picture windows capture Mount Feathertop views, and the rough-hewn timber screens, Victorian ash posts and antique rugs lend an air of earthy escapism. The gardens of old elm and oak trees are fringed by 11 hectares of bush and grazing land. Double rooms start at $300.

Bondi has never struggled with an image problem but is nevertheless short on attractive accommodation. The new Bondi 113 is the work of landscape designer William Dangar, who, through his Robert Plumb brand, collaborated with a team of architects, interior designers and artists to turn a rundown cottage into the area’s first boutique bolthole.

The three-bedroom cottage, priced from $2300 for a weekend, is in the heart of North Bondi on the corner of Gould and O’Donnell streets and sums up the spirit of the beach-side ’burb with its use of colour, handmade outdoor copper shower, rosewood decking and bold sculptures from Tracey Deep and Michael Snape. All very Bondi.

The vibe is definitely more 1960s at the freshly minted Rick’s Place, the Mollymook hideaway owned by chef Rick Stein on the NSW South Coast. The property went to beautification bootcamp and emerged with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. It’s just 400 metres from Stein’s restaurant at Bannisters hotel, and guests get the best of both worlds: privacy, uninterrupted sea views from every room, and plenty of whale-watching opportunities, plus access to the hotel’s restaurant, day-spa and pizza pool bar. The entire house can be rented from $3500 for two nights.

FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
The Australian Ballet is taking on the world for its 50th birthday celebrations this year. The company performs its acclaimed Graeme Murphy production of Swan Lake in New York next month, and is also bringing a slice of Russian history to both Sydney and Melbourne with the new season of Onegin, John Cranko’s beloved adaptation of Pushkin’s novel in verse. Music by Tchaikovsky, elaborate costumes by Jürgen Rose and a story of ill-fated love and shattered dreams make Onegin a rich and emotionally complex performance.

The Sydney season gets underway at the Opera House on 1 May, ably supported by the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. It’s Melbourne’s turn on 23 June, at the Arts Centre in conjunction with Orchestra Victoria. Tickets from $39. 1300 369 741.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
How to celebrate the two decades since you revolutionised accommodation options in the remote Kimberley region of the far northern corner of Western Australia? In El Questro Homestead’s case, with a nip, a tuck and three dramatic new suites.

El Questro Wilderness Park is a 405,000-hectare expanse of rugged Australian country that opens to guests for the top end’s dry season each year.

The original accommodation in the park opened in May 1992 at Emma Gorge and is still a key component of the experience at El Questro. The safari-style cabins, with their Cockburn Ranges and gorge views, were the first to offer a real back-to-nature experience up north.

The substantially more salubrious Homestead followed five months later. Its perch above Chamberlain Gorge and its manicured tropical gardens have always made the homestead a gloriously contradictory oasis of sorts within the park.

The cantilevered Chamberlain suite – the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bathroom and bedroom cemented it as a favourite – is joined by three new cliff-side retreats in time for the 2012 season. The additions also enjoy an escarpment-edge position with sliding glass walls, walk-through wardrobes, Aussie-favourite glass louvres and either freestanding tubs on their verandahs or stone-walled outdoor showers. Cliff-side retreats from $2089 for two people; Chamberlain suite from $2319 for two. 1300 863 248. 

JUST DESERTS
It’s been just five years since Etihad Airways started flying to Australia and opened our eyes to Abu Dhabi as both alternative European stopover and destination in its own right. A new partnership between the airline and luxury travel operator Abercrombie & Kent now aims to customise journeys with a specific UAE focus.

“With this new alliance, Abu Dhabi will be featured as an exciting new destination for Abercrombie & Kent clients. This is yet another testament to the emergence of the emirate as a luxury and adventure travel destination,” says Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer.

Hoteliers are also flocking to the city, capitalising on Etihad’s ever-increasing network and Abu Dhabi’s growing charms, including the pleasure-seekers’ paradise that is Yas Island – with its Formula One circuit and flash Yas Viceroy hotel – and the under-construction Saadiyat Island, where outposts of the Louvre and the Guggenheim are planned.

British hotelier Sir Rocco Forte has just opened a hotel in the heart of Abu Dhabi, with his sister Olga Polizzi presiding over the stylish interior design.

Bangkok-based group Anantara next month opens its third property in the emirate, with two more to open next year. The Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa is Anantara’s first city hotel in the gulf – its Qasr Al Sarab desert resort is in the Liwa Desert, while its original Desert Islands Resort & Spa on Sir Bani Yas Island has just opened a new equestrian centre to allow guests to get out on the sand for a gallop. About 30 horses of various breeds will live at the centre.

The new Eastern Mangroves Hotel is just 15 minutes from Abu Dhabi airport and will sport the biggest VIP suite and hammam in the UAE. In a place that loves gilded grand statements, that’s quite a feat.

THE LATEST FROM BRISVEGAS
A new premier, a CBD under repair and a revived dining scene all make for a buoyant new mood. Brisbane’s renaissance continues with Alfred & Constance on the Fortitude Valley fringe. It’s the latest project by Damian Griffiths, who brought the rooftop bar and cinema concept to the city with the Limes Hotel in Constance Street. Albert & Constance, comprising a gastropub, beer garden, milk bar, underground cellar, bar and café, will take up residence in two heritage houses next to the Limes Hotel. At its heart is the open kitchen’s woodfired oven.

“Alfred & Constance is different,” says Griffiths. “We are offering people an experience they can’t get anywhere else and we can’t wait for locals to come make it their home.” Stay tuned for a July opening.

MUDGEE MOMENT
Thinking of fleeing to Mudgee in central NSW for the Flying Fish dinner at Logan winery next month? Bed down at the former Mechanics Institute, home to the new De Russie Suites. The charming hotel is sister to nearby Orange’s De Russie Suites, and like the original, it mixes sleek interiors with rural charm and a great location. Book in quick if you’re considering the dinner at Logan on 30 June.

THE HILLS
A highlight of the new “These Walls Are Talking” cocktail menu at the famed Beverly Hills Hotel is its 100 Year Sidecar ($100), served in a keepsake coupe engraved with a 100-year-old design. The reason for the frippery? The 100th birthday of LA’s pink palace. The hotel’s bungalows have always been a celebrity favourite (Marilyn Monroe was a resident), and its Polo Lounge endures as a destination for Hollywood deal-makers.


UPWARD DOG
The domestic yoga retreat is growing in popularity, with Queensland’s Hayman and WA’s Eco Beach adding specialised programs to their calendars. Hayman’s inaugural yoga program begins on 10 May with a three-night retreat offering meditation and twice-daily yoga. Eco Beach retreat near Broome offers regular yoga workshops, with the first for the year a five-night retreat from 23 May.

AIRLINE NEWS
DIAMOND RUN
Start planning your assault on the slopes now that direct flights between Sydney and Mount Hotham are confirmed again this ski season. Qantaslink will run the flights between 29 June and 9 September, making weekends in the Victorian snowfields, including nearby Falls Creek, that much easier. An initial four return services per week will increase to seven return flights a week during the August peak period.

ASIA LITE
Low-cost carrier Jetstar is to become Hong Kong’s first budget airline. China Eastern Airlines and the Qantas Group are the names behind the new Jetstar Hong Kong, which will fly short-haul routes from the Chinese city starting next year. Jetstar Hong Kong is predicted to open up travel across China, with fares expected to be as little as half those of current full-service competitors.

THE GURU SPEAKS
Seat doesn’t recline? Often find yourself crammed between service trolleys and bassinettes? Avoid such scenarios by downloading the new SeatGuru app for iPhones. The app provides 700 colour-coded seat maps for 100 airlines as well as comments from travellers. The new app works in conjunction with SeatGuru owner TripAdvisor’s flight “meta-search” engine, which trawls the web for the lowest airfares.