Jeremy Lindblad, Lindblad Expeditions. Source: Supplied
The Virgin Australia lounge at Cairns airport. Source: Supplied
Pacific partnerships program quality manager Georgia Noy cuts the ribbon to open the new Vanuatu kindergarten, built with funds raided by P&O Cruises and Save the Children. Source: Supplied
OtterBox Commuter Series Wallet, $44.95; Orla Kiely Multi StemqlCake Stand, $149.95; Cathay Pacific business-class amenity kits. Source: Supplied
JEREMY Lindblad, of Lindblad Expeditions, takes us on a tour of his favourite spots.
STAY: Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau
On the most beautiful block in the Argentine capital's Recoleta district, the hotel has rooms in a grand 1930s French-style palace and a separate contemporary tower, linked by a beautiful terrace garden; buenosaires.parkhyatt.com[1] .
SHOP: Fueguia 1833
A wonderful "scent boutique" near the Park Hyatt where customers can develop fragrances with owner Julian Bedel, who says scent can transport you to a different world - perhaps the Argentinian countryside or glacial Patagonia. The store also sells candles and room sprays; fueguia.com[2] .
Arandu
At this talabarteria (leather and crafts shop) in Recoleta, I buy gaucho belts and espadrilles. There's also polo gear (the nation's favourite sport), from saddles and breeches to boots and bags; arandu.com.ar[3] .
Fabry Venta
At this excellent store at Guido 1667 in Palermo, owner Julio makes the most incredible men's dress shoes at incredibly good prices.
EAT: Patagonia Sur
Chef Francis Mallmann's temple to Argentinian cuisine is located in a 1920s Italianate house on a graffiti-covered corner in edgy La Boca district. Its collections of cookbooks and Astier de Villatte tableware would make any restaurateur jealous. Try the veal Milanese; en.restaurantepatagoniasur.com[4] .
EXPLORE: With a guide
The best way to get to know Buenos Aires's neighbourhoods - from the European-style architecture in Recoleta to the graffiti movement in Palermo - is on foot. If time is short, the best guide in the city, Diego Curutchet, will treat you to a wonderful, anecdotal history of the city as you zip around in a private car; diecuru@gmail.com[5] .
ESCAPE: San Antonio de Areco
This gaucho town in the countryside 120km north of the city has been declared an area of historic national interest. Have a coffee in the central plaza and visit the gaucho museum, with its wonderful collection of silver horse tack. The charming Estancia La Bamba de Areco is a lovely place to spend a night; labambadeareco.com[6] .
Lindblad Expeditions' Antarctica voyages aboard National Geographic Explorer depart Buenos Aires until March; expeditions on National Geographic Orion run from December to February. More: expeditions.com[7] .
HOME AND AWAY
THE new Virgin Australia lounge at Cairns Airport for its business-class and premium Velocity passengers has the agreeable feel of a chic restaurant, albeit one that features the comings and goings of aircraft beyond a 180-degree bank of picture windows. It's on the upper level of terminal two, reached via long, white corridors that feel a bit hospital-like, save for the prospect of the occasional (and covetable) framed Billy Missi linocut. The colour scheme of red, grey and purple works well in the airy space and there's an array of seating, from stools at bars and workstations to comfy chairs, including a row of low-slung loungers for plane-spotters checking out the tarmac traffic. There's a meeting space, business facilities, free WiFi and plugs for recharging all those essential devices. In the chic black-tiled lavatories you'll find Grown Alchemist handwash, and on the buffet designed by Virgin Australia's consulting chef Luke Mangan there's a changing selection of food and excellent barista-made coffee or Madame Flavour's infuser pods in blends such as earl grey with lemon myrtle and lavender. Virgin Australia operates 78 services weekly in and out of Cairns. More: virginaustralia.com.
Susan Kurosawa[8]
T&I LOVES
THE smiles on the faces of these Ni-Vanuatu youngsters say it all. P&O Cruises' Pacific Partnership initiative is bearing fruit. A new kindergarten in the Pangi district of Pentecost Island is the first project completed under the cruise line's fundraising initiative to help needy South Pacific communities. Since its January launch, the joint enterprise with Save the Children has raised more than $200,000 through onboard donations by passengers and the knitting of blankets for newborns. Talwa kindergarten - a two-room building for up to 30 children with play equipment and facilities - was built with a $50,000 donation. During the opening ceremony, P&O staff, including Pacific Partnerships program quality manager Georgia Noy (pictured), were presented with walking sticks traditionally reserved for high chiefs. A second kindergarten, in the northern Sanma region, is under construction and a new aid post in Torba, Vanuatu's most remote outpost, is due to be completed by the end of this year. More: pocruises.com.au.
Michelle Rowe[9]
ACCESSORY
OtterBox Commuter Series Wallet, $44.95
THIS new and secure Otterbox smartphone case cum wallet with a unique money holder feature has a nifty polycarbonate shell that provides protection against bumps while a discreet sliding drawer provides quick access to cash, travel tickets or up to three credit cards. Also fully scannable for IDs or magnetic cards. Available in hot pink or black for iPhone 5 and 5S or Samsung Galaxy S4. More: otterbox.com.
Sharon Fowler[10]
ON THE BENCH
Orla Kiely Multi Stem Cake Stand, $149.95
HOW to choose which of Orla Kiely's decorative kitchenware patterns to buy? Here's a solution - a three-tiered ceramic cake stand, hand-made in Portugal, features plates decorated in three of the Irish fashionista's most distinctive designs. Load up the dishwasher-safe stand with petit fours or pretty cupcakes and you'll be the envy of any party host. More: larkstore.com.au.
Michelle Rowe[11]
ON THE ROAD
Cathay Pacific business-class amenity kits
HONG Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has launched new-look amenity kits for its long-haul business-class passengers featuring products from South Australia's natural skincare brand Jurlique in a range of striped pouches by the airline's favourite designer agnes b. There are two styles for male and female passengers with inclusions for day or overnight options, depending on flight departures to or from Hong Kong; the Jurlique products include replenishing skin creams, citrus hand lotions and moisturising lip balms. More: cathaypacific.com.
Susan Kurosawa[12]
BEST DEALS
BOOK by December 15 to save $144 a person on Back-Roads Touring's eight-day Anzacs At Gallipoli; the tour is $2731, departing Istanbul April 22 for the April 25 dawn service. More: backroadstouring.com.au[13] .
GREEN PIECES
WORLD Surfaris has teamed with Hudhuranfushi resort in the Maldives in a Sustainable Surf Tourism initiative that limits the number of allocated passes for surfers staying at the property to 35. More: worldsurfaris.com[14] .
APT APP
CITADINES on Bourke serviced apartments has a new Melbourne City Explorer app with information that covers shopping, touring and a guide to cafes and bars. Free for iPhones. More: citadines.com.au[15] .
WEB WISE
MAXIMISE valuable shopping time with a new site listing the coolest boutiques and designer shops in London, New York, Paris and Sydney; save store profiles for a readymade itinerary. More: district8.com[16] .
WHAT IN THE WORLD
TRAVELRITE has a 14-day Trans-Siberian package from Vladivostok to Moscow next year hosted by ex-politician and enthusiastic rail buff Tim Fischer; from $22,700 a person twin-share (international flights included)
• Dubai-based Emirates is celebrating its first anniversary of flights to Adelaide; the airline increased its services to a daily frequency in February aboard 345-seater Boeing 777-300ER aircraft
• The program will be out on December 13 and tickets go on sale December 17 for the popular St George OpenAir Cinema season (January 10-February 15) at Mrs Macquarie's Point adjacent to Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens
• Jetset has an eight-day Ireland holiday deal that includes a stay and slap-up dinner at Ashford Castle, luxury coach travel and most inclusions (add airfares); book by January 15 for savings of $243 a person for departures on April 20 and 27 or October 5.
OPEN BOOK
'SOME people have televisions. I have my fire out the front of my shack. No American cop shows, just crackling flames that I can stare at for hours on end. My thoughts get lost in them. Above me is a whole cinema screen: the night sky crowded with stars. Who needs million-dollar pyrotechnics when you can see the Milky Way for nothing? It's brilliant. Just takes my breath away. And so does the land around me. Right now in the darkness I can't see it, but I feel it, smell it, touch it under my boots. The outback. It's part of me, or have I become part of it? Either way, I know I belong here.'
CHRIS BARNS KANGAROO DUNDEE (2013)
References
- ^ buenosaires.parkhyatt.com (buenosaires.parkhyatt.com)
- ^ fueguia.com (fueguia.com)
- ^ arandu.com.ar (arandu.com.ar)
- ^ en.restaurantepatagoniasur.com (en.restaurantepatagoniasur.com)
- ^ diecuru@gmail.com (www.theaustralian.com.au)
- ^ labambadeareco.com (labambadeareco.com)
- ^ expeditions.com (expeditions.com)
- ^ virginaustralia.com (virginaustralia.com)
- ^ pocruises.com.au (pocruises.com.au)
- ^ otterbox.com (otterbox.com)
- ^ larkstore.com.au (larkstore.com.au)
- ^ cathaypacific.com (cathaypacific.com)
- ^ backroadstouring.com.au (backroadstouring.com.au)
- ^ worldsurfaris.com (worldsurfaris.com)
- ^ citadines.com.au (citadines.com.au)
- ^ district8.com (district8.com)
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