On the prowl in Monaco
IT’S Monday night and two perverts are out on the prowl in Monaco. One of them is my wife. I’m the other one. We are sitting in the audience of SPICE, The Show. Let me rephrase that, we are the audience of SPICE, The Show …
The Hotel Principe di Savoia is Right up Milan’s alley
When Madonna stayed at the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan she brought with her about 40 staff members. She was in Milan for five nights on a concert tour. The 40-strong entourage did not include her band and back-up singers. They stayed elsewhere. Somewhere a …
Royal birth for Royal Princess
“I name this new ship Royal Princess. May God bless her, and all who sail in her.” With these words Kate Middleton, the then Duchess of Cambridge, unleashed the Nebuchadnezzar-size bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne as the crowd, and bottle, exploded in raucous approval. …
Sofitel Brisbane. So Sofitel.
I STRUGGLED to get my wife back to our suite at the Sofitel Brisbane. It was not because there was anything wrong with the room. To the contrary. Room 2819 – the Opera Suite – is close to being the best hotel experience in Brisbane. …
How green is Wolgan Valley
Conservation and luxury are at the forefront of this world-class sanctuary, nestled in Wolgan Valley, writes Brian Crisp WHEN news spread around Lithgow that airline giant Emirates was preparing to build a world-class resort in the area there were more than a few chuckles. Lithgow …
Playing a round at Cape Kidnappers resort
I was staying at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers resort on New Zealand’s North Island. Golf courses that charge about $350 a round are never really busy. BUT IT’S ALWAYS a good idea to call the pro-shop to arrange a tee time. If golf is a parody …
Naturally wild about Kangaroo Island
Visitors to Kangaroo Island can savour its rugged isolation in fine style, writes Brian Crisp THE bitumen road disappears not long after we leave Penneshaw, the gateway to South Australia’s Kangaroo Island. For a little while, at least, it is replaced by a concrete carriageway that takes us towards Cape …
Byron Bay Bliss at Watego’s Beach
IT’S hard to believe that this is winter. The air is warm – 24C – and Watego’s Beach, 25 steps below our balcony, is buzzing. Surfers and swimmers, mostly without wet suits, traipse across the sand and into the ocean, greeted by a procession of …
Bintang Sir! Welcome to the Stones Hotel Bali
The service at the Stones Hotel Bali is best described as sensational. And so are the private poolside cabanas that skirt one end of the oversized 3000sq m lagoon pool. I’D JUST sipped the last mouthful of my Bintang and placed the glass on the …
Green Thunder captures Carnival’s Spirit
THE thumping beat of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck fills the air and the sky is dark. The air moist. It feels as if danger is present all around and I’m in panic mode. I don’t like rides. I don’t like heights. Why am I doing about the …