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Hot Air Ballon Ride and Four Wine Tastings: A Perfect Australia Travel Day

We at Luxist are wary of writing about every travel package that comes our way, but once in awhile, we come across an experience so absolutely exquisite that we're ready to book it ourselves -- and that's when we share it with you. This package is specific to Melbourne, Australia travel, but it's a single day worth flying down under for. How could one day be so utterly alluring it could justify a 15+ hour flight from Los Angeles? Well, it starts with a morning hot air balloon ride over the marvelous city of Melbourne, Australia and the lush Yarra Valley, then continues on to visits to four wineries, at each of which you'll enjoy a tasting. If you can recall a better day than that in recent history, count yourself lucky!

Tags: australia, hot air balloon, melbourne, travel, vineyard tour, wine, wine tasting, wine tasting package, wine tasting tour, wineries, winery tour, Yarra Valley

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Top 10 Luxurious Adventures of 2010 -- And How to Perfect 'Em in 2011

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

When people ask me for luxury travel advice, usually along the lines of "I want to plan a perfect trip to XYZ," I have two responses: a) there ain't no such thing as perfect in this world, no matter how much money you spend; and, b) you always know exactly how to make a trip as perfect as possible after you get home.

Still, the following trips I made in 2010 pleased me greatly, which is basically what I count as sublime perfection -- and should you plan to follow in my footsteps in 2011, note the tips I've added for making terrific travel even better.

Tags: australia, BedAndBreakfast, bestof2010, chicago, cruise, FrenchPolynesia, melbourne, montreal, Morocco, NovaScotia, ontario, PaulGauguin, PuertoRico, shakespeare, sonoma, tasmania

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F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton Fined for Reckless Driving in Australia

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Crimes and Misdemeanors

Unfathomable as it may seem to some – to themselves especially – Formula One drivers have to abide by the same rules as everyone else when they get out on public roads. Lewis Hamilton, for one, has had to find this out the hard way time and time again, the latest of his public-street shenanigans running him afoul of the law Down Under.

Hamilton was busted by police in Melbourne for smoking the rear tires on his Mercedes. During the Australian Grand Prix weekend there this past March. It took several months, but local courts have now fined the former world champion all of $500 for "intentionally losing control of a vehicle". Considering the millions which Hamilton earns every year in salary and sponsorship deals, we doubt he'll feel the burn in his wallet.

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Tags: australia, australian grand prix, hamilton, lewis hamilton, melbourne, speeding ticket

Melbourne's Hidden Secrets Tours

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

I don't tend to think of myself as the group tour type, but I started to rethink my attitude after I took a Hidden Secrets Lanes and Arcades Tour in Melbourne, Australia, a few weeks ago.

Downtown Melbourne is laced with small alleys and laneways, once providing service access to the buildings, now, home to some of the city's most interesting restaurants and boutiques. After spending a few days walking the city getting the nagging sense I was missing something, I signed up for the tour. (As it happened, the other people on the tour were all from Melbourne -- they just wanted to know what was new and exciting in town, apparently it's hard to keep up.)

Straight away we went down into what seemed like a subway stop -- and it was that, too, but it was also home to Campbell Arcade, which hosts a rotating art exhibition, several boutiques and a cafe. After that, it was a spirited wander, through Union Lane, whose walls are lined with city-encouraged and sponsored graffiti art, to Royal Arcade to visit Koko Black chocolate boutique, through Cathedral Arcade, pictured above, home to a poetry bookstore and a vintage shop. My personal favorite? Design a Space, on Manchester Lane, a place where a 70 local emerging fashion designers can sell their lines, on a rotating basis. I'm glad I didn't miss it, although my suitcase was certainly heavier for it!

Tourism Victoria and Tourism Australia sponsored my visit; opinions are always 100% my own.

Tags: australia, melbourne, shopping, shopping tours, tours

Australia's Newest Hotel, Crown Metropol, Now Officially Open

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Melbourne's latest and hippest joint for temporary accommodation has just opened, and it's called the Crown Metropol. It is said to redefine "the word 'nu-luxury' in hotels," which means we need to catch up on things because we weren't aware of the first definition of "nu-luxury." Luckily the Crown Metropol has 658 rooms divided into four categories which will give us plenty of material to study: luxe accommodations including 12 Isika spa rooms, R58 and R60 studio-style rooms, 33 lofts, and an apartment on the 25th floor with its own lobby, butler kitchen, and spa bath.

Gordon Ramsay's Maze is the Metropol's headlining restaurant, serving Australian-inspired French cuisine. Not left alone for dining duties, however, it is joined by 12 other premium eateries that count Nobu among them, as well as 19 casual establishments for more relaxed offerings in the Crown Entertainment Complex. And if you really want to make a statement, there's Level 28, a private lounge on the top floor.

If your own idea of luxury is nu enough then Melbourne's Southbank could be the spot for you, and it's taking reservations now.

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Tags: australia, crown metropol, gordon ramsay, hotel, isika, isika spa, melbourne

Top Ten Hotel Openings of 2009

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Hotels shutting their glass and filigree doors or going into some form of financial distress could have made more of this year's new than new openings; still, the quantity and quality of newly available suites to call your own felt just as stellar as in better years past. Sure, we didn't get the J line of hotels (yet), but we did get the Bardessono -- and 82 geothermal wells and hand-loomed Coyuchi linens are probably as good as anything Jay Z had to offer. Whittled to just ten, with the help of our friends over at TabletHotels.com, in no particular order here are Luxist's top openings of 2009...

Tags: austin, bahia, barcelona, bardessono, best hotels 2009, black rock oceanfront resort, BlackRockOceanfrontResort, brazil, british columbia, BritishColumbia, crosby street, CrosbyStreet, france, hotel, hotel st cecillia, hotels 2009, Hotels2009, HotelStCecillia, la reserve ramatuelle, LaReserveRamatuelle, melbourne, new york city, NewYorkCity, puli shanghai, PuliShanghai, st tropez, StTropez, suites avenue, SuitesAvenue, texas, the cullen, TheCullen, top hotels, TopHotels, uxua casa, UxuaCasa, yountville

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New Art Hotel Opens In Melbourne, Australia

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Art

Melbourne Australia will be getting a series of very interesting art-themed hotels over the next two years. There will be a total of six Art Series Hotels, representing a $300 million investment in the city. The name and design of each hotel will be inspired by a famous Australian artist and no two properties will be the same. The Cullen was the first to open its doors in Melbourne last week. The $48 million luxury boutique hotel was inspired by Australian artist Adam Cullen and features more than 450 of his works which are cared for by an in-house curator. Two of Cullen's custom designed cows also grace the foyer. The hotel offers 115 rooms, several eateries (including Hutong, a 140-seat Asian dumpling restaurant, and The Terrace, serving Mediterranean fare) a rooftop garden and a cocktail bar with uninterrupted views of Melbourne's skyline. The entire hotel is dedicated to Cullen's aesthetic, everything from the restaurant menus to the bikes and Smart cars available for hire to guests have received the Cullen touch. Cullen's prints, which are featured throughout the property, are also for sale. Rates start at $208 USD per night.

Next up for the group is the $90 million hotel, The Olsen, slated to open in February 2010. The hotel was named for renowned painter John Olsen and will have 239 rooms and the world's largest glass bottomed swimming pool, which will hang over Chapel Street. The third hotel in the series, The Blackman, is set to open in April 2010.

Gallery: The Cullen

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Tags: adam cullen, AdamCullen, art series hotel, ArtSeriesHotel, australia, melbourne, the cullen, TheCullen

See Melbourne "No Reservations" Style

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The newest season of the Travel Channel's "No Reservations" show took Anthony Bourdain and his voracious crew through Melbourne, Australia. For those who want to experience the food in the area in a similar way, tour operator Swain Tours has created the "Eat your way through Melbourne" package, which allows travelers to follow the culinary trail of the crew and explore all the gastronomic treats that Australia's food capital has to offer. The trip is a 13-day adventure. It includes five nights in Melbourne at at Crown Towers with Crystal Club Access, two nights in Port Fairy at Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel, two nights in Dunkeld at The Royal Mail Hotel and a night in Apollo Bay at Captain's at the Bay.

The opportunities for eating are plentiful and varied. There is a dinner in a Colonial Tramcar, a private tour of Melbourne's Markets, a chef-led tour through Mornington Peninsula, a Yarra Valley wineries tour and more. Travel can be booked for anytime between now and March 31, 2010 and the adventure costs $3199, per person (double occupancy) with round trip airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Melbourne on United Airlines costing an additional $560 (must be ticketed before 8/20/09).

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Tags: australia, melbourne, no reservations, NoReservations, travel

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Head To Australia

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are on the move again and old friend James Packer is helping them find a place to stay. The Australian billionaire is offering the couple his private suite on the 39th floor of the Crown Towers hotel complex while they are in Melbourne next month. Katie Holmes will be in Australia filming the production of the horror movie Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark. The large suite is being renovated for the Cruise family and the Daily Telegraph reports that an equivalent suite rents for $27,500 a night.

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Tags: australia, james packer, JamesPacker, katie holmes, KatieHolmes, melbourne, tom cruise, TomCruise

Yarra Yering Winery Up for Grabs

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Looking for a new investment? Yarra Yering Winery near Melbourne, Australia is up for sale and bids are due in just a few weeks. The three-level, 150 ton winery which produces up to 7,000 cases per year spans approximately 36.4 hectares with 73% of that property planted with low-yielding vines. Especially known for their intensity of flavor and longevity, Yarra Yering wines typically sell for $50 to $105 and range from Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Pinot Noir to Chardonnay, Merlot, Viognier, a number of blends and several Portuguese varietals. If you're considering your own bid on this well-known vineyard just know you'll have to contend with about thirty interested buyers across Australia, England, France, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong.

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Tags: australia, australian wine, AustralianWine, melbourne, melbourne australia, MelbourneAustralia, yarra yering, YarraYering

Love In The Sky, The Cupid Cabin On The Southern Star

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

London has its Eye and now Melbourne, Australia has its own way to take in the view. The Southern Star observation wheel opened on December 20, 2008. It is located at Waterfront City in Melbourne Docklands and is the first giant observation wheel to be built in Australia. The seven-pointed star is as high as a 40-story building and has 21 cabins which can hold 20 people each. Flights are generally a half hour long and it is open 365 days a year. You can rent a cabin for up to 20 guests (they even do weddings) and have it catered for $800. Sunset flights and new moon flights are particularly popular. There is also a special Cupid Cabin just for two for Valentine's Day which will be outfitted with roses, Champagne and snacks for $695.

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Tags: australia, melbourne, southern star, SouthernStar, vday09

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