All change on St Kilda Road

All change on St Kilda Road.

Minor Hotels, one of the world’s fastest growing hotel groups, has expanded its portfolio with the opening this week of Oaks Melbourne St Kilda Road Hotel in Melbourne.

The 145-room hotel, previously branded as a Mercure, is located in the heart of the funky suburb of St 

That means it is close to Albert Park, home of the Melbourne Grand Prix. It’s also a stone’s throw away from popular spots like Albert Park Lake, the Albert Park Yacht Club, the Boatshed Café, Fawkner Park, and a range of corporate offices.

With a quick tram ride, you can be in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

Guests can choose from a range of self-contained studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom dual room types, each with kitchenettes, private balconies, wifi and Chromecast capability.

There is an on-site restaurant, gym facilities and hotel laundry.

“The addition of Oaks Melbourne St Kilda Road Hotel to our property portfolio supports our strategic expansion of the Oaks brand in Australasia.” said Craig Hooley, Chief Operating Officer for Minor Hotels Australia and New Zealand.

“Melbourne is a vibrant city with a raft of sporting and cultural events on its calendar, and Oaks Melbourne St Kilda Road Hotel is ideal for business and leisure travellers wanting to stay in one of the city’s most iconic destinations, with convenient connection to the CBD and sporting & entertainment venues.

For more info visit minorhotels.com 

Frequent flyer points for catching the train?

Eurostar is set to become the first non-airline partner of international airline alliance SkyTeam.

The railway network has signed a deal with SkyTeam paving the way for integrated  journeys via air and rail, news hub Travel Mole reports. 

This would enable travellers to combine long- and medium-haul flights and rail journeys in a single reservation – while enjoying SkyTeam benefits.

SkyTeam is one of the world's three major airline alliances, along with Star Alliance and Oneworld. It has an annual passenger count of 624 million flyers.

Eurostar’s network offers options for multi-city journeys between the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Customers will be able to fly into SkyTeam’s main hubs in France, the Netherlands and the UK plus other major European airports across Eurostar’s network and enjoy multi-city travel. 

Around 13% of Eurostar passengers currently fly long-haul into one of SkyTeam’s main European hubs and connect to Eurostar destinations by rail.

The two companies will work together in the coming months to create a more "integrated experience" and the partnership is expected to launch in the first half of 2025.

Eurostar and SkyTeam member KLM already have a long-standing relationship.

“Eurostar is a natural fit for SkyTeam," says aid SkyTeam CEO Patrick Roux.

" I look forward to developing our partnership and offering customers greater choice in how they travel across SkyTeam’s global network.” 

SkyTeam members include Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Airlines, Garuda, China Airlines, Korean, Scandinavian Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.

A morning stroll around Hoàn Kiếm Lake

A morning stroll around Hoàn Kiếm Lake is a must for anyone visiting Hanoi.

Locals and tourists were posing for photos this morning as Vietnam readies for its 70th anniversary of independence next week.

Hoàn Kiếm Lake means "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword") it is a fresh water lake, measuring some 12 hectares right in the centre of the Vietnamese capital. 

# The writer is visiting Vietnam as a guest of independent airline Vietjet, which flies from major Australian capitals to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Further information at www.vietjetair.com 

Going Spanish on a Bangkok rooftop

Bangkok may be south-east Asia’s street food mecca, but you might be surprised what else can be found in this crazy capital, our globetrotting correspondent Rod Eime reports. 

Some time ago, we sampled excellent Indian and Mexican food at the Rembrandt Hotel in Soi 18. Quite satisfactory Middle Eastern food can be found in the multilevel MBK shopping complex at Siam along with all the cosmopolitan fast food brands we’re used to at home.

My last couple of visits introduced me to the authentic Spanish tapas served by visiting chefs at the brand-new Melia INNSiDE Bangkok Sukhumvit a stone’s throw from the On Nut BTS station.

Walk-ins are welcome at Luz Bangkok on the 33rd floor. Spanish chef de cuisine Juan Ignacio García Racionero, who was born in Madrid and has honed his craft in some of Spain’s top kitchens, takes us on a culinary crusade through Spain, with a dynamic variety of local Thai ingredients in the mix, too. 

My dining companion seems too distracted by chef Juan’s movie-star looks to make up her mind, so we say, “Just bring it!” and throw ourselves at his mercy. As it turned out, I’m glad I was hungry.

Against a backdrop of Bangkok’s illuminated skyline, the dishes just kept coming:  ‘Gilda de Pulpo' grilled octopus, olives, pickled paprika and olive oil, 

‘Sardine Ahumada Con Lima’ smoked sardine with lime and avocado cream, ‘Gambas Al Ajillo’ sauteed prawns with chilli, garlic and olive oil, and ‘Ensalada De Salmorejo Burrata’ burrata with cold tomato creamy soup, anchovy and avocado are among ‘LUZ Tapas’ highlights.

“One of my favourite dishes is the ‘Pulpo a la Parrilla’,” Juan tells us. He adds mango, chilli and smoked paprika purée to create a contrast of sweet, salty, and spicy flavours, offering a fresh take on the traditional Spanish recipe.

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Just over my shoulder is the mandatory cocktail bar which beckons me to challenge it and in no time the bar resounds to the satisfying rattle of the silver cocktail shaker.

To say every dish is beautifully presented and delicious even for an unfamiliar palate goes without saying. Much as I love Bangkok's cornucopia of street food, it just goes to show this amazing city has a lot up its sleeve.

DOING IT

LUZ is open daily from 4pm until midnight.

For further information and to make a reservation, visit https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/thailand/bangkok/innside-bangkok-sukhumvit/restaurants/luz-bangkok or call on +66 2 340 5499.

Wine on the Rocks: a popular festival returns

It's back. Sydney Cellar Door, a two-day celebration of wines from across New South Wales, returns this November.

 
November will mark the first-ever NSW Wine Month - which will be highlighted by the return of Sydney Cellar Door to be held on November 9-10.

Sydney Cellar Door will be held for the first time in almost a decade at Tallawolagah Lawn, outside the MCA in The Rocks.

The event will be run by NSW Wine in partnership with The Rocks precinct.

Sydney Cellar Door is designed as "the tentpole moment" of the debut NSW Wine Month in Sydney, which aims to be a celebration of the state’s best winemakers featuring tasting events, masterclasses and Sydney-wide venue promotions.

More information is available at www.sydneycellardoor.com

The complete NSW Wine program set to be unveiled in early October.

Sydney Cellar Door will showcase wines from 40 regional producers across 16 wine regions.

 
Philip Shaw and Ross Hill will be pouring wines from the cool-climate slopes of Orange, family-owned brands like Margan and Tyrrell’s will be representing the Hunter Valley while Lowe Family Wines and Robert Stein will be showcasing classic Mudgee drops.

 
The Sydney Cellar Door event will be free to attend, with guests able to purchase branded tasting glasses and tokens to sample their way through the different producers. There will be food trucks and live entertainment.

"The relaunch of Sydney Cellar Door in 2024 marks the revival of an important landmark event in Sydney’s wine culture, and one that we look forward to growing" said Mark Bourne, president, of NSW Wine.

"After 235 years since the first grapes were planted in Australia at Circular Quay, winemakers from across NSW are returning to showcase the diversity and quality of wines."