Travel Journal
Nothing says “new year, new you” like booking yourself into a health and wellness retreat — and there’s no better time to do exactly that than at the beginning of a new year. Whether you’re seeking inner balance, health treatment or a simple refresh, we’ve rounded up the top luxury health retreats around the world to help you become the best, calmest and most revitalised version of yourself. You’re welcome.
Travel photographer, founder of In Bed With and self-confessed boutique hotel lover, Rhiannon Taylor, reveals her all-time favourite hotels, how she deals with jet lag (having recently taken 17 long-haul flights in the last six weeks, she would know!), the travel app she can’t live without and her suitcase essentials.
As the summer holidays swiftly approach, we can’t help but begin dreaming of those long, halcyon days by the beach, devouring our favourite holiday foods from fresh prawns to strawberry-topped pavlovas and indulging in the simple things that our busy schedules have a habit of interrupting mid-year — from reading to quality family time and daytime naps.
Jason Minty, creator of cult-cool concept store Becker Minty in Potts Point, shares his travel tips from how to deal with jet lag, travel essentials, favourite hotel hangs and travel apps and how travel inspires his work. Bon voyage. x
‘Mr & Mrs Smith's passion for hotels runs deep – this book lays it beautifully bare.’
- Sienna Miller, Actress
In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Mr & Mrs Smith is returning to its publishing roots with the launch of The World’s Sexiest Bedrooms this November.
The 296-page hardcover book – published globally by Thames & Hudson – features 35 supremely seductive suites shot by in-demand art photographer, Polly Brown, chosen for her flirtatious and playful style.
Sarah-Jane Clarke—among the most recognisable figures in Australian fashion—has unveiled a very new project: a thoughtful, ethically-crafted luxury lifestyle line designed for those who wander. Developed following a three-year sabbatical, in which the designer criss-crossed continents, traversing remote villages and dizzying, skyscraper-packed cities, the debut SARAH-JANE CLARKE collection (Resort 2019) abounds in travel-easy fabrics: luxurious Italian linens and cottons of soft ivory, fresh white, faded mulberry and zookeeper khaki. It will be available in full online.
Travel tips and trends from Alison Veness, Editor of 10 Magazine and Creative Director at Large for Vogue Australia. Alison shares her secret address, travel essentials, favourite destinations, how travel inspires her work and much, much more. Happy Travels! x
Byron Bay is unquestionably one of Australia’s most desirable holiday destinations — and for good reason. There isn’t much not to love about the sunny beachside town on NSW’s north coast — from its string of pristine beaches, array of award-winning boutique hotels, first-class culinary offerings and its unrivalled laid-back vibe, Byron Bay is Australia’s quintessential vacation hotspot.
Travel tips and trends from Creative Director and stylist Emma Elizabeth, founder of Local Design. Emma Elizabeth shares her secret address, travel essentials, travel disasters and how to best embrace adventure holidays! Bon voyage. x
Despite it being one of the world’s most vibrant, progressive and culturally enticing city’s, it’s uncommon for Singapore to be described or labelled as “bucket list-worthy”. It seems to be much more common for travellers to frequent the metropolis merely as a result of an airport layover on route to their final destination, or at best, an impromptu jaunt into the city centre to pass time before their next flight.
“Food,” James Beard, the quintessential American cook once said, “is our common ground, a universal experience.” The best way to understand where a city’s been and where it’s going—to glean an insight into its heady, complicated, invigorating intersection of economy, environment and culture—is to break bread with locals, to sup outside the tourist heat-map, to transport one’s taste-buds somewhere entirely unexpected.
In celebration of life’s simplest and most rewarding pleasure, we’re presenting our picks of toothsome culinary experiences dotted through Europe. From afternoon cooking classes to gastronomic tours to burgeoning foodie hotspots, there’s a structure to suit every wanderer: be it novice chefs with an afternoon to share, or the culinarian in search of new ways to connect with other people, and reignite all of the senses. Bon appetit.
When the swarms of sun seekers jet off on overseas jaunts to escape the country’s brisker months, it means the locals who aren’t afraid of sub-zero temperatures, duck down puffer jackets and white frosty mornings reap the rewards. Because let’s be honest, what’s not to love about winter in Australia? The desirable destinations that are brimming with bright-eyed tourists in the warmer months return to their natural, locals-only state; the roads are free of overfilled rest areas and heavy time-delaying traffic; and most importantly, some of the most breath-taking landscapes and experiences Australia has to offer are best enjoyed in winter.
Every crooner worth their stripes—from Ella Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday—has sung the same ode to springtime in Paris, when the trees burst free from their winter dormancy, and everything is bathed in yellow light. “I never knew the charm of spring, I never met it face to face. I never knew my heart could sing, I never missed a warm embrace, ‘til April in Paris.”
As the union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle draws closer—May 19th, to be exact—London is deep in royal wedding fever. Tatler, the go-to glossy of England’s upper echelons, has infinite takes on the nuptials—how to organise a royal hen or stag do, a history of royal wedding dresses—while travel agents craft Windsor-themed tours and viewing parties (Firmdale Hotels are offering scone-abundant afternoon teas), and pubs extend their hours for gin-soaked celebrations.
Whether you’re an art novice or bona fide connoisseur, the Biennale of Sydney is unmissable and attracts many international visitors who travel for their art. Curated by the Mori Art Museum’s Mami Kataoka, the 21st edition launches March 16 until 11 June and spans seven venues, from the cavernous Carriageworks to the not-for-profit 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
Awards season, we’re presuming, is really rather stressful for Hollywood’s elite: the speech writing, the mingling, the hours spent in meetings and fittings and cars with tinted windows. And so, in tribute to WLU’s favourite Oscars nominees (and the ones that really should have been), we’ve mixed-and-matched them with the hotels custom-made for uninterrupted R&R, or well-deserved celebration.
New York can be a little overwhelming—to put it lightly—every time we visit there’s a new slew of must see and dos. To make your next Gotham sojourn little easier, our WLU correspondent on the ground has rounded up some of the best (mostly downtown) places to dine, drink, stay and explore in the world’s most frenzied, roiling metropolis.
It’s rather magnificent to be in love, right? Thing is, when it comes to Valentine’s Day stayovers, the prevailing mise en scene can be a little, well, cliché: petals scattered across white sheets, embroidered robes for two. To help you toast your romance in chic and memorable surrounds this year—and elude the cheesiness—we present an edit of amorous settings catered to more discerning duos. Best of all, there’s not a teddy-clasping-a-love-heart in sight. Amour pour toujours!
