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Perfectly perched on the brilliant white shores of Watego’s Beach, a pastel pink establishment somewhat reminiscent of Cycladic Greece rises above the backpacker culture ingrained into Byron Bay to offer a piece of divine opulence that only Rae’s on Watego’s can. The pinkish hues hint at the kind of experience you’ll discover. Romance is not hard to come by. Waves pound the shores at your doorstep, an extravagant, mood-lit interior will no doubt set the tone, and a treatment at thein-house spa, rated top 50 in the world, will bring you to exist in every mesmerising moment of your stay, all senses tuned.
Luxury and location merge together effortlessly. Removed from the bustling centre of Byron Bay, peaceful and scenic Watego's Beach lies at your doorstep, whilst the decadent pool inside brings with it further seclusion from the outside world. With only seven rooms throughout the classic Mediterranean and Moroccan styled villa, guest privacy and attentive service is guaranteed.
Luring the likes of Paris Hilton, Elle Macpherson and The Rolling Stones, Rae's on Watego's is one blissful escape that, for the rest of us, is never out of reach for that special weekend away.
The rooms
Each individually styled and decidedly different, a fascinating mix of Italian marble, antique hand painted Javanese tiles and mosaic features exude a luxurious and almost erotic feel. Exquisite decor and hand-crafted furnishings, some particularly eye-catching, create a warm and inviting hub for couples to relax and indulge.
Choose between three penthouses featuring large sun-drenched balconies overlooking the ocean, three suites with either courtyards or garden terraces, and a spacious two-level villa opening out onto the swimming pool fringed with tropical gardens. Penthouse 2, 'Ocean View', will also comfortably accommodate two couples.
Across all room types, highlights include Moroccan arched doorways, a sunken spa bath, a marble fireplace, and an antique Balinese four-poster bed. Take a closer look and let Rae's on Watego's help select the perfect choice for you.
World-class spa
Rae's Spa is the ultimate in luxury pampering. Just the sight of its shimmering gold mosaic corridor invokes a sense of awe. Nestled by the poolside, whilst the spa is small, it's perfectly intimate, creating a peaceful sanctuary for healing. A small team of experienced therapists offer massage treatments, skin care therapies and body treatments, as well as a range of nurturing spa rituals.
One gets the feeling this is not about repeating the movements. Treatments are intuitive. And next thing you know your mind is empty and you feel like you're floating mid-air. Once you've felt these magical hands at work, you'll too understand why Rae's Spa is rated in the world's top 50.
A standout treatment from the spa menu is The Pink Orchid. Incorporating precious gemstones, chakra point therapy and acupressure, this is one facial you won't forget.
Seaside Dining
Open for lunch and dinner during the summer months, whilst some tables inside provide a little more shelter, the dining verandah no doubt has the best seats with just a small green patch of palm-filled parkland between you and the ocean.
The 60 seat alfresco restaurant delivers a deliciously varied seafood-based menu full of quality produce and fresh local ingredients. With impeccable service and presentation, you will remember not only the flavours that pass your lips at Rae's Fish Cafe.
The very same kitchen provides all room-service catering for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snacks from its all day dining menu. Choose to dine-in, order a nibble by the pool, or enjoy a meal from the comfort of your own exquisite room.
Menu highlights include the blackened fillet of yellowfin tuna with warm babaganoush and roast peppers, the barbecued lemongrass Moreton Bay bugs and the fresh seafood linguine in tomato, roast garlic and parsley salsa.
Local Lookouts
A trip to Byron Bay isn't complete without a visit to the iconic Cape Byron Lighthouse, built in 1901. Whilst it's possible to drive to the top of the 94-metre cliff, the most easterly point of mainland Australia, the real beauty lies in making your way there slowly. The Cape Byron Walking Track begins back in town, at Main Beach.
If you'd like to cheat a little however, Rae's on Watego's is perfectly positioned along the track just twenty minutes from the lighthouse. So there are no excuses for skipping the views hundreds flock to see every day. From the top you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of the whole township, mountains inland, the bay and out to sea.
Marine Parade 8, Byron Bay, Australia
Contact tel: +61(0)2 66 855 366, fax: +61(0)2 66 855 695, e-mail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Services spa, swimming pool, near beach, parking, hotel restaurant, room service, internet access, concierge
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Set in a romantic boutique hotel on the shores of Byron Bay, you'd be forgiven for mistaking the exclusive in-house Spa at Rae's on Watego's for a golden lair discreetly nestled at the base of this pink 1960s establishment. With the arched wooden doors wide open and the gold mosaic corridor shimmering, it's hard to resist a closer look let alone eyeing off the spa menu. But once the doors are shut, and work is in progress, you'd have no idea it was even there.
Purveying the same sense of intimacy and privacy one comes to expect fromRae's on Watego's, offering an exclusive mix of three penthouses, two suites and a villa, you can relax assured of impeccable service and high-quality care. Featuring a Vichy room, steam room, and two treatment rooms that also open as a couples room, the space remains perfectly intimate, quiet and soothing. Far from simply actioning the movements, treatments are intuitive, engaging 100% of the therapist's attention. No phones ringing down the hall. No other therapists peeping their heads around the door.
Get the celebrity treatment
Offering massage treatments, skin care therapies, body treatments and nurturing spa rituals, the Spa menu comes celebrity-tested. With a long list of celebrity clients, the small team of therapists are of the highest calibre. Using La Gaia formulations with Naturaceuticals, a range scientifically devised and derived from nature, as well as the occasional product from Spanish line Germaine de Capuccini, quality and results collide.
From busy to bliss
Personally, I'm one of those clients who can only start to relax about ten minutes from the end, at which point I simultaneously begin to panic because I know the end is nigh. I think too much. Even if it's just about the lovely, sweet aromas filling the room, my mind races at any chance. But somehow in the hands of Marionne de Candia, known as a 'celebrity facialist' in the spa world, my brain lapsed into nothingness. All thoughts melted in 10 minutes flat, leaving my hyper-sensitive brain in a deep slumber that took nearly four hours to emerge from afterwards. This truly is a bliss unlike any other.
Standouts from the Spa menu
Spa ritual: Silver Rain
A stimulating body exfoliation and Vichy shower, accompanied by an aromatherapy massage.
Body treatment: The Golden Veil
Coated in a rich, golden algae blend and sealed in silken sheets, includes a body massage that stimulates the anti-ageing properties of this luxurious treatment.
Skin care: The Pink Orchid
Connecting head and heart, this opulent facial incorporates precious gemstones, charka point therapy and acupressure.
Extend the treat
With the Spa opening out onto the Rae's on Watego's pool and tropical gardens, and the hotel perched on a palm-fringed beachfront, the treatment doesn't have to end when you leave the treatment room. And being Byron Bay, where hippy and trendy merge, there are numerous organic and vegetarian delights to be found nearby to keep the goodness flowing.
Services facial, manicure, pedicure, body wraps, hot stone therapy, body scrub, reflexology, reikii, massage.
Contact tel: +61 (0)2 6685 5366, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Stepping into the Emporium Hotel, in Brisbane’s trendy Fortitude Valley, scenes from the infamous James Bond flicks come flashing back. It’s bold. It’s slick. It’s fancy. It oozes a smooth, sexy, mysterious vibe, from the front door to the cocktail bar and through to the luxurious studio suites. Touting a scheme of eye-grabbing reds, blacks and silvers throughout, up close one can see the designs are beautifully detailed.
Recently recognised for not only outstanding design and facilities, but exceptional guest service and attentive hospitality all round, the five-star Emporium Hotel is not a stranger to industry acclaim. For the third year running, it was awarded Best Boutique Hotel at the 2011 national HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence, which recognises leading hotels across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
It’s the finishing touches that many hotels miss, which makes the Emporium Hotel so worthy of standing out from the crowd. From an immaculate, guest-friendly fit out to full-service concierge services and modern, high-tech facilities, the city-cusp location, top-notch dining options and lengthy pillow menu are just bonuses.
Other features: rooftop pool, sauna, gym, conference centre, function rooms, business facilities, valet parking, 24-hour reception, disabled access.
The rooms
Each of the 102 deluxe studio suites is custom designed, both comfortable and stylish. There are five different room types – some with Brisbane city skyline views – as well as rooms specifically designed for those requiring disabled access. Nearly half of the rooms boast spa baths, whilst the Deluxe Corner Suite features two rooms across a generous 76-square metre floor space. All rooms are fitted with a marble kitchenette and stainless steel appliances, laundry facilities, and state of the art entertainment and technology, including a 106cm plasma TV, Foxtel and wireless internet. Interconnecting rooms are also available upon request.
The cocktail bar
The Emporium Hotel’s cocktail bar is a hit with Brisbane locals and travellers alike. Decked out with a collection of locally made, custom-designed pieces and antiques from exotic locations, the setting is ambient and classy. By day, drop by for a coffee and a sweet treat, then by night, be sure to try one of the many cocktails (though choosing can certainly be hard). Thursday through to Saturday night, a live jazz band gets its groove on for the crowd of stylish women and men.
Packages
The Emporium Hotel offers an impressive range of packages dubbed ‘Emporium Experiences’ that are well worth considering. For a birthday, business or romance, there’s a package to suit just about every occasion, whether its bubbly, roses or the morning newspaper that gets you excited.
Local grooves
Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley is trendy and crisp, home to many boutiques, op-shops, top-notch restaurants, weekend markets, cool cafes, trendy bars, bopping clubs, and great arts and live-music venues. The Emporium Hotel is also situated within its own classy precint, The Emporium, which means a range of dining, bars and cafes, as well as a few boutiques and a bookshop are literally right on the doorstep.
Ann Street 1000, Fortitude Valley, Australia
Contact tel: +61 (0)7 3253 6999 OR 1300 883 611, fax: +61 (0)7 3253 6966, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Services spa, swimming pool, fitness equipment, parking, hotel restaurant, hotel bar, creche/listening service, room service, business services, internet access, wheelchair accessible, concierge, air-conditioning
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In the beautiful hinterland haven of Montville, tucked in behind the Sunshine Coast, sits a unique holiday house for you to call home. Considering it costs just a bit more than a cabin or hotel room in the area, there’s no need to forgo the creature comforts of real accommodation and the space that only a house can provide. Perfect for a family with kids, Seadrift Holiday House has wondrous views stretching all the way to the Sunshine Coast’s white, sandy beaches – with a great deck to kick back, relax, and soak it all up from.
Just a few minutes from the centre of Montville’s arty existence, and the great restaurants and local shops, this spacious house is spread out over two levels with lots of connecting rooms and spaces.
Seadrift – upstairs
The very spacious master bedroom has a queen bed, spa bath and pot-belly fireplace, as well as uninterrupted views all the way to the sea through floor-to-ceiling glass. The second bedroom is standard size with a double bed, and leads onto a third bedroom with two bunk beds for the kids. The separate upstairs bathroom also features a spa bath, and there’sa laundry with washing machine and dryer facilities.
Seadrift – downstairs
A spacious lounge downstairs boasts an open fireplace, perfect for the winter, and air-conditioning for the summer. Comfortably seating eight people, there’s also a TV and DVD player. Both the lounge and the adjacent dining room lead onto a large, partially-covered verandah looking out over the hinterlands and to the Sunshine Coast – a perfect spot to sit at the end of each day with a glass of wine. There’s also a BBQ and sun-bed, and two outdoor settings to enjoy. Also downstairs is a bathroom with toilet and shower, and a large open-plan kitchen equipped with cutlery, cooking utensils, dinnerware and a few basics. An extra bed is hidden beneath the stairs.
Local grooves
Montville is full of character for a small village-like town – or ‘area’ more like it – in the hilly hinterlands perched on the Blackall Range. Bursting with galleries, arts and crafts, boutiques, gift shops and cafes, life operates at a lovely, leisurely pace here. Montville is also close to the Kondalilla National Park, which boasts scenic walks and waterfalls, perfect for escaping into nature and possibly even a picnics and a freshwater swim. The Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk also passes through nearby for the keen walkers.
Balmoral Street , Montville , Australia
Contact tel: +61 (0)7 5478 5478 OR +61 (0)438 785 478, e-mail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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The Beach Suites is a very beautiful boutique hotel right in the heart of the famous holiday destination of Byron Bay, built to cater for people who can afford the best when staying in beautiful Byron. With absolute beach front that's a good start.
This high quality block of private apartments are owned by a celebrity and designed to cater for celebritys with a sense of prestige and privacy to go with it. In fact, they bill the Beach Suites as: "Byron Bay's most private beachfront luxury accommodation. The best of Byron with light filled and spacious rooms, quality furniture and fittings.
Two and three bedroom penthouse apartments with their own rooftop pool, Studio style rooms in a garden setting or Beachfront studios with their own private plunge pool and private front gates for direct beach access." This truly is stunning accommodation with great uninterrupted views to that famous beach across the road. The Apartment we stayed in was absolutely spot on clean and well maintained to perfection. Below is a shot taken from entrance to one of the ground floor garden apartments.
The in-apartment facilities are beyond what you would expect in a typical hotel - private washing machine, dryer, fully equipped kitchen etc. The roof top pool has to be a hit with any sane person - the ultimate in luxury. The pool has been carefully designed so that the glass pool fence creates a frame that exactly captures the beach scene - it is very cleverly done... and the poolside shower is a work of art , obviously a "one off" created by an artisan.
That's the amazing Byron Bay beach above. Well to get that close to the ocean you have to be able to afford staying at the Beach Suites without worrying about the price and I would say that this is totally 5 stars except there is no on-site restaurant, and as a guest paying $1500 per night I thought I could reasonably expect to go to the front desk and ask for restaurant recommendations. I was met with blank stares and "Oh I went to the xxx the other night and it was OK..." which made us laugh. I'd make a small suggestion - get a list together for guests not looking to cook!! but the Thai across the road became a favourite of ours and Byron certainly has a great range of food choices. The other possible negative to consider is that because of the central location, the Beach Suites are potentially quite noisy at night (especially when the bars and pubs close and the party crowd hits the street). Then again if you're young at heart you come to Byron for that party atmosphere.
That's the view from one of the penthouses above. Well sure, if it wasn't Byron, the price tag would scream "rip-off", but then again Byron Bay itself is a premium product and demand is high in this beautiful little town, hence the premium tag for staying in the iconic and laid-back establishment, and they do offer a lot for your money, particularly in value added extras and complimentary items such as wi-fi and secure undercover parking. This is a wonderfully built development, with owners obviously possessing impeccable style and good taste. The apartments don't need to be described in detail - they are as in the images only probably better. This would have to a great choice for that once in a lifetime honeymoon, offering days of bliss!
The housekeeping standards are great, with a complete detail each day. A fellow even comes in and cleans the balcony of sand and polishes the glass every day! Very good attention to detail.
websites
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Perched perfectly amongst the native bushland and hidden from the road that leads just a bit further on to Uki, a quaint and historic village in the Tweed hinterlands of northern NSW, Ecoasis lives up to all that it suggests.
An eco-friendly haven that blends in with its surroundings – and built with minimal disturbance – the environmentally-friendly comforts come at no hint of sacrifice for guests. Efforts towards sustainability and conservation only serve to make Ecoasis all the more enchanting.
Water is gravity fed to reduce electricity demand, steel building frames eliminate all need for poisons and chemical sprays, and even better than the fact that not a single tree was removed during construction, more were indeed planted and a regeneration program put permanently in place. Having slowly expanded and maintaining these integral eco values over the years since its inception, Ecoasis has created a beautiful choice of architecturally-designed sanctuaries throughout its piece of 100-hectare heaven, each standing alone and apart, guaranteeing full privacy.
The Morning Mist Chalet, Spa Chalet, Sunrise Chalet and The Hideaway sit in amongst or just above the treetops, proffering stunning hinterland vistas from the Tweed Valley to the mountains, including spectacular views of the dramatic Mount Warning. Huge glass windows and large decks on both levels ensure you won’t miss it, whilst tables and chairs – and sunchairs – make the scenery all the more inviting, if that’s even possible. Nestled in amongst the lush green sub-tropical rainforest, from the canopy to the sloped rainforest floor, the Hidden Valley Chalet and Forest Chalet tout earthy, cosy interiors and fresh outdoor verandas naturally hidden by existing vegetation.
A common feature of all six chalets is their two-storey construction, offering space and privacy, and essentially a more homely, liveable feel. Each Ecoasis chalet comes fitted with queen beds and has its own complete, modern kitchen with the welcoming bonus of some essential supplies, including jam, butter, fresh milk, muesli and eggs. A fresh seafood platter, gourmet BBQ platter, cheese platter and champagne are also available upon request. Whilst the same tranquil yet luxurious feel emanates from them all, the furnishings and finishing touches are unique to each chalet. Double spa baths and double showers are a special feature for some, with views straight out the window, whilst others have single spas and showers. A lovely saltwater pool provides shared access for all guests, as does a dedicated massage room that you can book into in advance for treatments.
Blessed with a prime remote location, enchanting views, 100% comfort and fully self-contained facilities, there’s simply no better place to escape the bustle, immerse yourself in nature, and truly unwind in a setting of pure bliss.
*Ecoasis is a member of the Ecotourism Association of Australia
Tateywan St 55, Uki NSW 2484, Australia
Contact tel: +61 (02) 6679 5959, fax: +61 (02) 6679 5759BOOK NOW
Shangri-La luxury hotel in Australia's glamorous city of Sydney is where rock stars and world leaders choose to stay. In such a fabulous location as the Rocks Sydney, it's no wonder. 360-degree views of Sydney's Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Darling Harbour waterside are framed like a panoramic painting in your hotel room through jaw-dropping windows. On my visit, extra preparations were in order for the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister's arrival. Well, if it's good enough for the world's elite, it's certainly good enough for us...
Let's face it; any stay in Australiais not complete without a trip to the Opera House and a photo in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Rocks area shows Australia's history through architecture, antiques and art shops. Buzzing weekend markets, interesting street buskers, shopping malls and tourist attractions are all within an easy walking distance too. Ten points go to Shangri-La Sydney for a great location.
The Shangri-La hotel, Sydney boasts 563 luxury rooms and suits, the most spacious of it's kind in town. Equipped with a large gymnasium and new, state of the art machines, you will enjoy the luxury of an indoor heated pool, Jacuzzi, sauna plus sun deck. Two well-known award-winning restaurants, Altitude and Blue Horizon on level 36 allows for amazing city dining views, and tasty cuisine. Ask about Blue Horizon's cocktail-making classes for a fun and different activity.
The Shangri-La rooms in Sydney are exceptionally spacious and elegantly detailed with plush fabrics throughout, adjustable climate-control air con, full-sized executive writing desk for emailing home, and as mentioned magnificent surround views - you are looking through triple-glazed, soundproof awe-struck windows. Throughout the day watch over a colourful cityscape and at night let it become a spectacular light show. Pull the thick curtains shut from the rest of the world and cocoon into a well-made bed.
The Shangri-La beds in Sydney - Forget touring Sydney, in a Shangri-La bed is where you want to spend your time. Float into the Shangri-La signature bedding, with heaven-felt mattress, smooth and cosy sheets. Envelope in the plush soft-feather duvet (or doona as the Aussies say) as you read the delightful pillow menu. A huge flat-screen television is a remote control arms length away, showing free in-house movies, news, information and satellite television.
The Shangri-La Bathroom, Sydney - Some suites have a window level bath, which means from sky levels you can look down at the world as it passes by and you relax in warm, scented water. Soak into a relaxing bath in the large marble bathroom or stand under a perfectly pressured rainfall shower. Shangri-La branded complimentary toiletries, or L'Occitane for Horizon Club member guests will have you nicely fragrant. A hairdryer brings that extra comfort.
Business at Shangri-La, Sydney - Business travellers will be pleased with the Shangri-La's state-of-the-art business facilities. Using the hotel's Grand Ballroom, Horizon Club lounge, private meeting rooms and Business Centre makes for impressive dealings. All rooms are equipped with video conferencing services and wireless internet resources. Secretarial services, in-room faxing or translation services are also offered.
Shangri-La's Horizon Club, Sydney: If you are lucky enough to be privy to the Shangri-La's Horizon club membership, enjoy a VIP check in-and-out service, and complimentary breakfast. There's a private lounge just for members, with afternoon tea and evening cocktails, as well as broadband. Definitely a refreshing place to meet clients as you look out over spectacular views.
CHI Spa, Sydney A massage at CHI spa, the signature spa brand of Shangri-La worldwide, is not to be missed. Drawing inspiration from ancient Asian techniques, CHI Spa Sydney continues a high level of relaxation through massage, essential oils and trained therapists. Your individual element is identified and an essential oil concoction mixed especially for you, then worked and kneaded into your skin in a massage of your pressure choice. Australian-inspired treatments are worth looking at, such as Lemon Myrtle & Eucalyptus Polish or Australian Botanical Retreat.
I recommend: Decadent décor and delightful service, Shangri-La Sydney is a dreamtime story come true.
Australia's Sydney Harbour Captain Cook Cruise's offers a Sydney dining experience with a lot of pizzaz - sampling first class cuisine aboard a cruise liner! Circling Sydney's waterside by the light of day, under a starry sky or even as a dreamy sun sets over the waters, enjoy iconic sights of the most famous Harbour city as you tuck into a three-course Top Deck lunch cruise.
Gliding past the Sydney Opera House on the very boat reserved for the Pope's visit to Sydney and floating under the Harbour Bridge, The Sydney Harbour Cruise Top Deck a la carte three course menu is presented for your unforgettable dining experience. Lunch is served to you by friendly waiting staff adorned in mood-setting nautical attire and staff serve up the healthy and delectable cuisine with a smile. I recommend the salmon for main as this chunky and crisp, delicious fish accompanied by baked potatoes and tartar sauce will truly make your mouth water. Bookings are taken for lunch or dinner, with a romantic champagne package option. Alternatively, there is a bar if you prefer a spontaneous glass of bubbly once on board.
After food and drinks, head up to the top deck for some sunshine and a sensational view of the dazzling waters, boating life and city-scapes. The best location for happy snapping with you camera is from the top of the boat! When the cruise comes to an end, there are two drop-off points, the final stop is at a Circular Quay, where you also check in and board.
Recommended: Sydney Harbour Cruise by Captain Cook Cruises is a great way for tourists to see popular city icons, and as much of Sydney as they can in a short amount of time, upon dazzling waters and with elegant food! Also a great idea for locals looking for a special occasion meal - imagine what success a business lunch would bring against this backdrop!
Longrain Restaurant in Australia's Sydney is often referred to as Sydney's most famous Asian restaurant. Popping up in Sydney just over ten years ago, Longrain Restaurant serves tantalizing Thai and Chinese influenced food with delightful cocktail infusions, and is credited with the revival of the Caprioska stick drink.
Located in Sydney's downtown Surry Hills, where trendy creative's are known to work and socialize, Longrain Restaurant is a meeting hub for friends, partners and networkers. The contemporary eatery has been cleverly designed in a 110 year-old warehouse space - with a buzzing central open-plan kitchen, bar lounge to the left, and dining area to the right. All under one large open-plan roof, the dining area is one long table. Guests are seated next to strangers, which ultimately creates a lively, buzzing atmosphere, set to sultry sounds from the resident DJ- in fact, by popular demand - you can buy the Longrain CD should you wish to recreate the ambience at home.
The dining idea at Longrain is that you enjoy a cocktail in the Longrain lounge-bar before sitting down to eat. And if you do, I recommend snacking on smoked trout on betel leaf, before being escorted to the exciting shared dining table. This delightful starter snack, infuses sweet and sour flavours to the betel leaf mixtures; trout roe, ginger, smoked trout, lime juice, coriander, eshallots, and red chillies. Dear reader, take it from me: this equals heaven for your mouth, and eagerness from your belly for more.
Once seated at the dinner table, menus designed byExecutive Chef, Martin Boetz, are presented. Dishes served are designed to be shared, with approximately one main between four mouths, as per Asian tradition. Longrain Thai restaurant is all about balancing flavours, so plates will arrive with accompanying sauces and sides to do just that.
Waiting staff happily recommend wine to complement the spicy chilli flavours of Asian dishes. Two amazing concoctions must be recommended, Eggnet sidedish, and carmelised pork hock with chilli vinegar, where pork hocks are carmelised in a honey-like consistency. Not being a pork enthusiast, I was hesitant to try, but the dish came highly recommended to me... and I am now passing that recommendation on to you - a divine food indulgence. The eggnet dish comprises a beansprout salad inside an impressive cross-hatch egg netting. Prawn, beansprouts and cucumber relish complement a taste sensation of peanuts, chilli, mint, coriander, and coconut. Amazing.
Longrain Restaurant in Sydney makes for a thrilling atmosphere and a taste-bud treat, this restaurant is definitely an experience of the senses.
Dazzling dining views at Harbour Bar and Kitchen, Park Hyatt Sydney, Australia
Harbour Bar and Kitchen Restaurant at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Sydney, Australia, gives you dazzling, iconic waterfront views, perfect for sunset dining. Watch a sky change colour against magical architecture of the Sydney Opera House, as city night lights switch on and dusk falls. Park Hyatt's Harbour Bar and Kitchen is the perfect Sydney setting to enjoy fine food.
Located directly across from the Sydney Opera House, under Sydney's Harbour Bridge in the Rocks, Park Hyatt's Harbour Kitchen & Bar is open for lunch or dinner. Serving tantalizing, internationally-inspired, Australian cuisine from a wood-fired oven, rotisserie and char grill.
Perfectly positioned where boardwalk meets ocean, this is your opportunity to soak in a beautiful atmosphere while enjoying preliminary cocktails at the bar. People-watching here is fascinating; romantic strollers pass by, business walkers-and-talkers relax, tourists marvel at such amazing views along the boardwalk - why not arrive early and enjoy a walk yourself?
In the bar you can enjoy a martini, cocktail or boutique beer in classic elegance - a chic interior by creative designer, Tony Chi. Floor-to-ceiling windows showing off a most iconic Sydney view creates a light and airy ambience, complemented with jazz on Friday and Saturday nights.
Moving into the restaurant area of Harbour Bar and Kitchen doesn't mean you forgo the harbour view and Opera House. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows blissfully continue into the eatery! All the worries of the world fade away as you succumb to a luxurious first class dining service. Your friendly wait-staff lay napkins upon laps, as you choose from an exquisite seasonal menu.
The tantalizing dishes have been carefully engineered by Executive Chef, Andrew Mckee, hailing from Park Hyatt Asia fame. I recommend an entrée of summer pork terrine - as much for the artistic colour and presentation, as for the exquisite taste. Mains offered are such delicious dishes as wood-roasted barramundi, Tasmanian wilderness beef short rib, or Byron Bay Kurobuta pork. While seated at your water-facing table, glance behind to watch the Chef and his kitchen staff prepare their amazing cuisine in the open-plan kitchen. Or glance ahead to gaze at water sparkling views - what a choice!
The sommelier is at hand to recommend complementing wine from an extensive walk-in cellar of imported and local wines. Offering expertise from his French homeland, the sommelier's wealth of knowledge is astounding. The Pastry Chef, Fabien Berteau, has designed a fine dessert selection for your heavenly pleasure. I tried the Black Forest dessert consisting of 70% Valrhona organic chocolate topped with kirsch flavoured cream - yes, this incredible dessert comes thoroughly recommended by me.
Don't miss the present weekday lunch offer. Including main meal, glass of wine, dining service of luxury and divine views, plus valet parking - for $AU39.
Harbour Bar and Kitchen, Park Hyatt Sydney, is the perfect Sydney dining experience, a special dining encounter you won't want others to know about. But now you do. Enjoy...
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