Adelaide’s vivacious charm and lively spirit invite you to experience South Australian hospitality with vivid festivals, cultural events, music, wine, and cricket. The South Australian capital is more than just a colonial city of churches and is a gateway to the state which is known for its verdant wine regions, rugged coasts, captivating islands, and national parks teeming with wildlife.

Adelaide however is a destination by itself with little stories and secrets tucked away amidst quaint neighbourhoods and laid-back beaches. Plan your South Australian adventure with a vacation in the heritage land of the Kaurna People and here is a curated list of the best hotels in Adelaide from luxury and boutique properties to international outposts and stately heritage retreats.

Where to stay in Adelaide: A guide to the best hotels in the South Australian city

The first Soho House in Australia will open at 256 Crown Street, promising to be a new dynamic creative hub. Here’s what we know so far.

Soho House to debut first Australian location in Sydney

The new House will be located at 256 Crown Street, between Darlinghurst and Surry Hills. Found a short walk away from Sydney‘s Oxford Street, the location will be part of the area’s revival from a historic thoroughfare to an exciting cultural and creative hub. The building redevelopment itself looks to offer a variety of both indoor and outdoor spaces for members across five floors.

The new announcement comes as Soho House prepares a week-long residency at The Old Clare Hotel for SXSW Sydney. During the week, the club will occupy the ground floor bar, main restaurant, and rooftop pool, providing international and Cities Without Houses members events designed to recreate the full Soho House experience. Happenings at the hotel include a Secret Sounds performance, dinner with British Chef Darren Robertson, and an art installation with artist Paul Davies.

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Soho House will also be hosting a number of industry events and projects, including partnering with not-for-profit Women In Music Australia to bring its Soho Fellowship program to the coastal metropolis.

“It’s possibly one of the worst-kept secrets, but we’re so excited to confirm that we will be opening a Soho House in Sydney in the future,” writes Membership Director, Dominique Bellas. “While we don’t have more details to share at this time, we continue to grow our Cities Without Houses community in Australia and are looking forward to bringing our members a week-long Soho House experience for Sydney’s first South by South West”

Creatives currently residing in Sydney and Melbourne can apply for Cities Without Houses which allows members to make meaningful connections with each other in cities where there is no physical house. The membership will offer access to monthly local events hosted by Soho House as well as entry to Soho House locations globally. Soho House currently operates in 80 cities globally across North America, the UK, Europe, APAC, Africa, and Latin America.

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This story first appeared here.

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Related: Melbourne Travel Guide—Things To Do And Vacation Ideas

Eclectic and dynamic, Melbourne effortlessly blends in the old-world charm with a cosmopolitan vibe that has made it a tourist magnet. The cultural and creative spirit can be captured in the kaleidoscopic street art, the culinary flavours and the coffee culture.

Melbourne is vibrant, passionate about sports and loves to flaunt its arty aura. And for a city that is so diverse, the hospitality scene showcases a fascinating blend of expansive luxurious properties to quirky arty retreats.

Wake up to the panoramic views of the Yarra flowing through the sparkling skyline of the city or stay in the bohemian laneways and enjoy the hospitality of the Victorian capital. If you are planning a holiday to Melbourne, you are spoilt for choices when it comes to accommodation. Be it a local homegrown hotel or an outpost of an international chain, here are the ten best hotels in Melbourne for the discerning traveller.

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The best hotels in Melbourne for your next vacation to Australia

If you’re after an off-grid vacation, it doesn’t get more tropically remote than Palau. Starting in October, Four Seasons Explorer, the 10-cabin, 22-guest luxury catamaran, will make the Pacific Island nation its home base.

Palau comprises 340 islands — only nine of which are inhabited — and 193,000 square miles (4,99,867.70 square kilometres) of protected marine territory that includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site Rock Islands Southern Lagoon. As such, it’s a premier diving and snorkelling destination.

This floating resort will make Palau its home base!

Guests aboard Four Seasons Explorer can make good use of the PADI 5-Star Dive Centre while visiting such sites as Helmet Wreck, a World War II wreck; Clam City, home to 250-pound giant clams; and Peleliu Wall.

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Guests can also take guided trips to some inland bodies of water like the iconic Jellyfish Lake.

A trip aboard Four Seasons Explorer isn’t limited to marine exploration — with more than 4,000 years of Palauan history, there’s also plenty of culture to experience; historic sites to visit, including the ancient Badrulchau Stone Monoliths, the cave paintings of Ulong Island; and natural beauty to enjoy via hiking, birdwatching, and other excursions. On board, guests will enjoy programming like lectures and music performances by Palauans, local and international cuisine, and, of course, Four Seasons–quality spa treatments.

“The core Palauan value of omengull — respecting all and everything — deeply aligns with our values at Four Seasons,” said Armando Kraenzlin, Four Seasons’ regional vice president, in a statement sent to T+L. “Right from the Palauan Pledge that all visitors are asked to sign upon arrival, visitors are immersed in one of the world’s most unique cultures, founded on tradition and respect. It’s a thrilling paradise for anyone seeking harmony with nature, and the opportunity to learn and embrace the unique Palauan way of life.”

Full-board rates, including up to three dives per day, start at USD 3,300 (INR 2,72,974) per cabin per night; book now at fourseasons.com/explorerpalau.

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This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com

All currency conversions were done at the time of writing

Related: 29 Best Tropical Vacations Around The World

JW Marriott Auckland’s revamped interior will offer respite from the city’s hectic CBD energy.

Travellers and Oceania natives heading to Auckland, New Zealand will get to enjoy the refreshed JW Marriott Auckland come mid-2024. Announced on June 7, the hotelier will commence the first stage of its NZD 25M (INR 1,26,29,61,941) refurbishment project, including new design concepts for the guest rooms.

Designed by Singapore-based global interior design studio O37, the rooms will feature a modern and sophisticated aesthetic that effortlessly blends the existing hotel’s features with JW Marriott’s signature luxury ethos, guided by the principle of mindfulness.

The soon-to-be-refreshed hotel is JW Marriott’s first property in New Zealand, located in Auckland’s CBD precinct. Its spacious rooms are known to feature natural sunlight while encouraging guests to rejuvenate the mind, body, and spirit with the five-star property’s full suite of wellness amenities alongside Auckland’s nature-centric attractions.

Behind the design inspiration of JW Marriott Auckland

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The design concept, inspired by the merging of old and new, revolves around the idea of “beautiful collisions,” where the weaving of opposite elements results in a harmonious and tranquil living space. Each room’s balance of raw and refined, rough and smooth textures — inspired by New Zealand nature — coexists harmoniously and offers guests a visually stunning and revitalising stay.

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Leonard Lee, Founder & Creative Director at O37 said, “The idea was sparked when I visited the hotel, and what came to mind was a story of a wandering poet who found her true love and a new beginning in Auckland. Just like her, our aim with the hotel was to capture the essence of this city’s nature, culture, art and music, and infuse it into every aspect of the property — capturing both the old and new with the ‘beautiful collisions’ concept.”

Currently, the luxury five-star hotel features 286 rooms in total. All of them will be outfitted with brand new JW signature beds and smart TVs with Chromecast, and 40 will be renovated to the new design by September with reservations opening thereafter.

Following this, the hotel will continue its transformation journey by renovating each floor at a time. The completion date of all rooms is set for mid-2024, alongside a full renovation of the all-day dining restaurant, meeting rooms, and lobby area, which has already undergone an initial renovation.

Other amenities offered by the hotel include a large fitness centre, spa, sauna, and indoor heated swimming pool on the top floor, which showcases the breathtaking views of the CBD and Auckland Harbour Bridge.

JW Marriott Auckland is located at 22-26 Albert Street, Auckland, New Zealand, 1010. Visit the hotel’s website here for more details.

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Related: Why New Zealand is the Ultimate Self-Care Vacation Destination

For many travellers who visit Sydney, it is often the beautiful beaches, kangaroos and koalas, famous landmarks, and delicious cuisine that entice them. In fact, you could easily go to the Australian city, best known for the Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach, and not engage with its Indigenous culture. But one new hotel in the land down under is making sure every visitor learns about Sydney’s Indigenous roots.

The Capella Sydney, slated to open March 15, celebrates the heritage of Australia’s First Nations in a meaningful way. (Australia is home to 500 Indigenous groups or “nations” that are collectively recognised as the First Nations.) The 192-room hotel — the first Capella Hotels and Resorts property outside Asia — sits in the Sandstone Precinct, just minutes from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was originally inhabited by the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, who were the First Australian custodians of the land.

The hotel’s historic sandstone building first served as the headquarters of the New South Wales Department of Education and was later expanded in 1930 to house the Department of Agriculture. And Capella Sydney’s long-awaited debut raises the bar when it comes to high-end hospitality committing to honouring Indigenous culture. That’s thanks, in part, to the generous wisdom of Aboriginal collaborators.

Take elder Aunty Margret Campbell: The 73-year-old founder of walkabout tour company Dreamtime Southern X is a partner in First Australian programming at Capella Sydney. Her roots in this very building run deep. Campbell worked in the building in the ’70s as a teacher and Aboriginal education advocate. She told Travel + Leisure that the landmark Aboriginal Education Policy released in 1982 was conceived in the building, which she jokingly called “that yellow sandstone cave” back in the day. (The policy improved educational opportunities for Indigenous students and prioritized educating all students about Aboriginal Australia.)

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“All that energy, that’s why it’s gonna be great here [at the hotel],” Campbell said. “You can’t stop the lifeblood flow. You can’t make a change to the natural governance of those custodians that danced it into creation.”

Here’s a look inside the new luxury hotel opening in Sydney, Australia

Meaningful connection is truly at the heart of the hotel and is offered in a multitude of ways. There are the “Capella Rituals” in the hotel’s so-called Living Room — a guest lounge that is a staple at every Capella property. The space is home to 10 culturalists: In Capella-speak, a “culturalists” is a hybrid in-house guide and locally embedded concierge.

The Living Room hosts an “Echoes of Eternity” spotlight every evening. Along with sharing stories of local folk heroes, guests can enjoy a signature cocktail inspired by the subject of the evening. In my case, I learned about Arthur Stace, known locally as “Mr. Eternity” for anonymously graffitiing the word “eternity” around Sydney for 30 years. I took in the fascinating history while sipping the Eternity — an earthy-tropical cocktail made with Mr. Black and Starward whiskey coffee liqueur, macadamia nuts, passion fruit, and coconut, and strained through foraged herbs.

Complimentary programming at the hotel includes Campbell’s rotating Aboriginal experiences (think: Q&As, tastings, and performances); storytelling with history expert Max Burns-McRuvie; and a guided Saturday experience at Carriageworks Farmers Market where guests meet producers and makers while discovering native ingredients. Guests can also purchase experiences like a personalised day on the harbour in a restored sailboat with a cooking class or picnic, or a wine tasting on Shark Island. There is even kids’ programming and adorable amenities (such as starlit tent setups and a night sky projector) that my toddler was treated to in our room.

Capella Sydney has three drinking and dining destinations: Brasserie 1930, McRae Bar, and Aperture. Brasserie 1930 offers modern takes on brasserie classics made with local produce. McRae Bar — named after the building’s original architect, George McRae — is, as the name suggests, the hotel’s bar. Aperture is an all-day dining and afternoon tea spot featuring a 23-foot green wall. It’s in the courtyard, which also has a kinetic floral installation by Studio Drift. Under the soaring glass ceiling are 19 dangling oversized gossamer flowers — opening and closing in breath-like bursts.

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During my stay, it wasn’t rare for a glass of Australian wine or a dish to prompt a story from the engaging staff. Tale or no tale, every culinary creation felt original. At Brasserie 1930, I feasted on glazed quail on whipped feta that tingled my tastebuds, silky coral trout with black olive dust and leek, and truffley crumpet eggs Benedict. You can also get spanner crab, whole roasted duck, or a 21-ounce Coppertree Farms rib-eye steak to share.

At McRae Bar, I sampled the dry “McRae-ini” that is meant to shake up the status quo in a martini-obsessed city with a combination of Four Pillars gin and a sherry-style wine from Adelaide, served with house-made pickles. The bar, which is enveloped in the swirling murals of popular Aboriginal artist Otis Hope Carey, focuses on local artisanal labels.

The hotel is also a feast for the eyes. Upon passing the double doors and entering the marble foyer, it’s impossible not to notice four storytelling panels on the building’s restored brass directory boards. The pieces, created by Australian Waanyi artist Judy Watson, tell the story of the first contact between Europeans and Indigenous people. (Singapore-based art consultants, The Artling, curated and commissioned 1,500 pieces of art from some 65 Australian artists, which weave throughout the property, setting a soulful tone.)

In addition to standard guest rooms, Capella Sydney offers three tiers of suites: Deluxe, Skyline, and Prestige. All three come with a separate living area, a deep soaking tub, double vanities, and a rain shower.

The curved-glass corner suite I stayed in was both elegant and spacious, yet endlessly cosy. There are black-and-white images of the neighbourhood, a wine fridge, and a craving-satisfying minibar that features Archie Rose whiskey and Young Henry’s Sandstone lager — both locally made just for the hotel.

Even the stone-clad bathrooms were appealing places to spend time, with velvety Frette bathrobes, smart toilets, soaking tubs, and spacious showers with bottles of custom toiletries made from seaweed to not pollute waterways or the ocean. Attention to detail at the zero-plastic hotel is thorough.

The original building’s top-floor art gallery now houses a wellness space with a 65-foot-long indoor pool that sits under copper-clad glazed roof lanterns. A heated pool with jetted massage beds plus an accessible experience shower (which has multicoloured lights and jets) occupies the dramatic space. Next door, the 24-hour light-drenched gym features a living green wall of native flora.

Capella Sydney also has a spa exclusively open to the hotel’s guests: Auriga Spa. It offers moon-inspired journeys timed to the full and new moons plus Connect to Country — a treatment that harnesses Indigenous knowledge using gathered Australian stones (with permission) plus a clapping stick ritual to realign the body, mind, and spirit. Guests with further interest in Aboriginal wellness can speak to elders who Campbell brings in for special sessions. And staying true to the hotel’s effort to honour the original space, the oak floors of the spa are restored and reused from the original building’s ground floor.

If there’s one takeaway Campbell hopes guests leave with, it’s that “they connect with the heartbeats of their landscape, their homeland.” She adds: “When we activate it in them from here, they’ll go back home and say, ‘I’m gonna go see where I was born and what that story is in the landscape.'”

Capella Sydney opens on March 15. Rooms start at USD 750 (INR 61,766 – at the time of writing) a night, and you can book at www.capellahotels.com.

This story first appeared on www.travelandleisure.com

Main and Feature Image Credit: Timothy Kaye

Related: Going Places With People: First Impressions Of Visiting Australia As A Tourist After Two Years

Now, the journey to Middle Earth is as real as it gets. J.R.R. Tolkien fans can book a stay at The Shire’s official Hobbiton set via Airbnb on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Ever since The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson built the set on New Zealand‘s Buckland Road and featured it in both the film trilogies, the site has been a famous tourist destination, with fans flocking to see how and where Bilbo Baggins stayed. However, this is the first time that visitors can actually book a stay and witness all that went on behind making the magnum opus film series.

If you wish to make a journey to Middle Earth this holiday season, Airbnb gives you the perfect overnight stay opportunity.

Here are all the details about staying at The Hobbiton Airbnb

About the accommodation

Carefully curated by the film series’ creative director Brian Massey, the set is snuggled in New Zealand’s dreamy Waikato region on a 10 km sq working farm owned by the family of Russell Alexander. Alexander will host guests on Airbnb and grant them access to all 44 Hobbit holes, The Millhouse, The Green Dragon Inn and the other revered locations.

He says, “For more than two decades, we’ve welcomed millions of passionate fans to Hobbiton Movie Set, but never before has anyone had the opportunity to spend a night in Middle-earth. I am delighted to share the beauty of my family’s farm and pleased to be hosting this iconic location on Airbnb for fans from around the world.”

What to see at The Hobbit set stay?

The cosy overnight staying nook is all things that dreams are made of. Featuring a writing corner for Bilbo Baggins at The Millhouse and access to a personal rabbit hole for some ‘downtime’ and afternoon tea make up the staying experience straight out of Tolkien’s pages. There are two bedrooms — one with a queen-sized bed and the other has two king-sized singles.

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Airbnb also mentions an evening banquet of “beef and ale stew, whole roast chickens, freshly baked bread and plenty of ale, plus a Second Breakfast and Elevenses served daily,” which is sure to make your Hobbit-themed holiday season more delectable than ever.

An exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Hobbiton movie set simply rounds things off.

House rules

No Airbnb accommodation comes without house rules, and the host of this one has laid down some fairly simple ones.

Guests cannot have any unexpected parties and gatherings, “unless with Gandalf and company.” Being barefoot is allowed, but ensure to wipe them, and magical rings can be brought but guests must take charge of their safety as well as keep them a secret.

Worried about parking your pony? The Green Dragon Inn has ample provisions. Guests are urged not to explore further away at night, as trolls have been sighted recently, no pets are allowed, “except Pickles, the resident Hobbiton cat,” and last but not the least, never laugh at the dragons.

How to book a stay

Stays will take place during 2-4 March, 9-11 March and 16-18 March 2023. Interested guests are requested to book for one of the durations on 13 December 2022 at airbnb.com/hobbiton.

To book, guests must have a verified Airbnb profile, a history of positive reviews and be at least 18 years of age. Additionally, a maximum of four people can stay at a time. Hence, you have to be extremely swift to grab your chances.

Guests will also have to arrange their own transportation to Auckland, while a round-trip car will be provided for the two-hours journey to and from the airport to the site.

(Main and feature image credit: Airbnb)

This story first appeared on Augustman Malaysia

Related: 7 ‘House Of The Dragon’ Filming Locations That Should Be On Every Fans’ Bucket List