The best places to stay in Brisbane
The Westin Brisbane, 111 Mary Street, Brisbane, Phone 07 3557 8888. See marriott.com. From $315 a night.
Crystalbrook Vincent
Perfect for: Culture lovers who love to be social
It's as much an art gallery as a hotel. But you don't have to love art to stay. If you're a fan of a killer view, you'll love the panoramic one from the roof-top bar of the hotel over the Brisbane River and CBD. The Crystalbrook Vincent is carved into a sandstone cliff under the Story Bridge, and you can stroll right straight out of the lobby and into Brisbane's best new entertainment and dining precinct, the Howard Smith Wharves. You can also choose between rooms cocooned into a rock, or rooms with views over the city.
5 Boundary Street, Brisbane City. Phone: 1300 002 050. See crystalbrookcollection.com/Vincent. From $295 a night.
Emporium Hotel
Perfect for: Couples and families who want to feel spoiled
There's 143 suites with river views set in Brisbane's premier arts and leisure precinct, South Bank (across the river from the CBD). There's also an infinity pool on the roof-top, beside restaurants and bars with views over the entire city. Or you could lash out on one of Australia's fanciest penthouses, The Parklands Suite, which has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, three dining rooms, a 15-metre infinity pool and a wrap-around balcony on the 21st floor of the hotel. It comes with an Ambassador (think: a butler who doesn't stay in your room).
Novotel South Bank
Perfect for: Families keen to keep the kids busy
The Novotel South Bank offers something for every traveller – especially those with small children. Parents have plenty of options staying in the heart of Brisbane's cultural precinct, a short walk from the city. But kids are particularly well catered for, with an outdoor racetrack for electric cars, an outdoor pool with all manner of pool toys, a Lego butler who can deliver Lego any time of the day or night, a kids' mini bar and teepees set up in the junior suites of each family suite with lots of games – the perfect haven for kids to escape to.
Spicers Balfour Hotel
Perfect for: Couples escaping to the city
Spicers Retreats offer rural sanctuaries in some of Australia's prettiest regions - this is the city version, following the same philosophies. Located in the chic inner-city suburb of New Farm, the hotel offers nine rooms within an historic Queenslander, and eight suites within an Art Deco building next door. Both have access to a roof-top bar with a honesty drinks system, and one of the city's most fancied Vietnamese restaurants, Balfour Kitchen & Bar. You're a two-minute stroll from cafes, restaurants, bars and boutiques - but when you're home, hide in your private little world.
37 Balfour Street, New Farm. Phone: 1300 597 540. See spicersretreats.com. From $395 a night.
Hotel X
Perfect for: Foodie and art loving couples
Look out for the huge white geometric façade – but what would you expect of a hotel in Brisbane's hippest neighbourhood, Fortitude Valley. Don't worry: this place isn't at all pretentious, even its roof-top restaurant, Iris, Brisbane's trendiest roof-top venue, is gloriously free from attitude. Book a suite to secure an outdoor terrace overlooking the city, there's artwork on every wall and a French bistro and bar in the lobby. Hotel X is proof (if you needed it) that Brisbane has truly come-of-age culturally. The James Street Precinct is a two minute walk away.
458 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley. Phone: 07 3519 1000. See hotelx.com.au. From $346 a night.
Tangalooma Island Resort
Perfect for: A family holiday combining city and sand
Brisbane is home to over 350 islands set in Moreton Bay – consider them Queensland's most under-rated (semi) tropical islands. Take a 75 minute fast catamaran ride from the city and you'll find one of the best family accommodation options in Brisbane. Set on the world's second-largest sand island (Moreton Island), Tangalooma Island Resort offers families beaches, snorkelling over shipwrecks, sand toboganning, whale watching tours and hand-feeding wild dolphins. It's an easy escape after or before a city vacation for families who like a bit of everything when they travel.
Moreton Island. Phone: 1300 652 250. See www.tangalooma.com. From $239 a night.
Adina Apartment Hotel
Perfect for: Couples and families who might like to eat in
Here's a hotel in the heart of the city which suits everyone from families to couples on a romantic break. Built within a 1920s government bank building, you'll enter via an old bank chamber that doubles as a lobby with dramatic high ceilings, marble floors, columns and timber panels. Your room has a kitchen to keep costs down, although there's a Donna Chang restaurant downstairs with a Chef's Hat rating that's mighty tempting. You'll also get great cocktails at the Boom Boom Room and you can do laps, or catch some sun rays, at a heated pool open to the Queensland sky.
The Calile
Perfect for: Couples that want it all
Pinch us, are we in Beverly Hills? This is the hotel that really put Brisbane on the map. It's more an inner-city resort than a hotel, rooms are all oriented around a 30-metre-long swimming pool encircled by cabanas, palm trees and one of Queensland's best restaurants, Hellenika. It's quite a scene here – but while some of the guests strut, there's no hint of pretense from friendly staff. Located in the heart of Brisbane's hip James Street precinct, if you make it past your hotel, you'll find the city's best bars, boutiques and restaurants just outside.
48 James Street, Fortitude Valley. Phone: 07 3607 5888. See thecalilehotel.com. From $476 a night.
Hotel Indigo
Perfect for: Couples who want culture at a good price
Only the second of its kind for the boutique-hipster brand. Built beside the river in North Quay on the edge of the city, this is what you'd call an art hotel, though it doesn't go overboard and become a museum. Art hits you before you even enter – there's a 16-storey mural on the outside of the building. There's also murals painted by local artists in the lobby, as well as sculptures and suspended overhead installations. You'll love its on-site Japanese restaurant, Izakaya Publico, while its speak-easy bar, 1603, is one of the better hotel bars in Brisbane.
27/35 Turbot Street, City. Phone: 07 3237 2330. See hotelindigo.com From $337 a night.
The Inchcolm
Perfect for: Guests who like nostalgia with convenience
The Inchcolm epitomises Brisbane's evolution; it feels part big country town with its martini bar where strangers chat to each other, but it's very city-chic too, with its enormous open-walled bar that doubles as reception and hip art deco touches throughout. Located on the edge of the CBD in Brisbane's leafy Spring Hill beside Fortitude Valley's endless night-time entertainment options, every room is individually decorated with a nod to its century-old heritage, but with enough modern touches to keep it cutting-edge.
73 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill. Phone: 07 3226 8888. See odehotels.com/inchcolm. From $290 a night.
W Brisbane
Perfect for: Couples and families who like style – with oodles of home comforts
This is one of Australia's best hotels for the simple reason: it feels nice being here. It cost $800 million to build and was the first W Hotel to open in Australia, but despite a resident in-house DJ keeping the tunes playing throughout the hotel and a décor that looks like a lounge bar in New York, it feels about as comfy as home. Though your home probably doesn't have a bar like The Wet Deck, an open-air venue set around a swimming pool where you can watch the sun set over Mt Coot-tha, or a restaurant like The Lex, which channels all the dark, moody atmosphere of a classic New York City steakhouse.
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West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Morecote is a Swiss village with a sublime lakeside setting
Morcote was once feted as 'the most beautiful village of Switzerland'. It won the award in a competition run by a popular Swiss magazine, Schweizer Illustrierte, in partnership with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Almost a decade has passed since that accolade, but Morcote remains as picturesque and telegenic as you'd hope. It hugs Lake Lugano in the canton of Ticino, where southern Switzerland faces northern Italy. The nicest way to arrive in Morcote is by boat from Lugano city. It takes just half-an-hour, but there are only a few services per day, and I've missed the latest one, so I travel here instead with a combination of train and bus. If that sounds a hassle, believe me, in Switzerland, where the public transport network runs like clockwork 99.5 per cent of the time, it really isn't. About 40 minutes after departing Lugano, I'm walking by the shores of the lake in Morcote, where little wooden boats are bobbing in the water and couples are enjoying coffee, drinks and long, leisurely lunches outside the bars and eateries of the curving main street-cum-promenade. By these pastel-shaded arcaded buildings, stairways and lanes wind up into Morcote's well-preserved medieval core, where the bulk of the village's 3500 population reside. Further up on the hillside is the Church of Santa Maria del Sasso, a beautiful piece of gothic architecture from the 14th century. A lookout with benches above the church has terrific views over the bell tower and the lake, while a few Italian villages catch the eye across the water. In the Middle Ages, Morcote was a busy harbour and a loading point for goods destined for Milanese dukes. You can continue hiking upwards from the village, with this path connected to others on Ticino's network of trails (look out for the yellow signposts). But after you've caught your breath, I'd advise you to walk back past the church and down to Morcote's main street, just above which you'll find Parco Scherrer, one of Switzerland's most eclectic gardens. It was established by wealthy merchant Hermann Arthur Scherrer (1881-1956), who earned his fortune in the textile industry in St Gallen in northern Switzerland and splashed out indulging his twin passions for arts and travel. Parco Scherrer is set over terraced levels with whimsical artworks and follies surrounded by pools and fountains and an exotic flurry of trees and plants, including palms, pines, camellias, wisteria, oleander, cypresses, camphor, bamboo and eucalyptus. Labelled a 'Garden of Wonders', the park welcomed its first visitors in 1965 and is still free to enter. Some parts feel more Mediterranean, others from further afield. One moment you're standing by classical-style columns, the kind you'd find at a Greek or Roman temple, the next you're by a Middle Eastern-inspired house or perusing sculptures of Thai elephants or scantily-clad African women amid the foliage. The views of the lake enhance this garden's charm and I'm fortunate to have the place more or less to myself late on this spring afternoon. In summer, I could imagine it would feel a lot more crowded — and not quite as blissful. + Steve McKenna was a guest of Ticino Tourism and Switzerland Tourism. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication. + For more information on visiting Morcote, see + To help plan a trip to Ticino and Switzerland, see and
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
It used to be farmland. Now this suburb is its own village
In August 2015, the factory opened an adjoining deli that serves freshly made cheese and Italian produce. It's since grown to be a destination eatery, and even welcomes thousands of people each March for its annual Ricotta Festival. 'We brought something unique to Thomastown that attracts people to this area. Otherwise, there's not really any reason why people come to Thomastown, to be frankly honest with you,' says Serena Zen, head of marketing. Other cheese factories also operate in the suburb. Florida Cheese moved its operation there in 1998, while Pantalica Cheese also has a local manufacturing facility. These factories are indicative of Thomastown's historical connection with the dairy industry. 'It's a big area … there were a lot of Italian migrants who settled here and started businesses near where they were living,' says Zen. 'Thomastown has a lot of food manufacturers … It's good to be near the city … It gives you more contact with the final customer.' Zen, who lives across the border in nearby Lalor, also says the That's Amore eatery fulfils a rising demand for modern venues within the suburb. 'A lot of young families are moving into these areas, and you see a demographic change,' she says. 'All of those young families are looking for places to have a good brunch. And there's nothing around. But we're here.' Roads and Transportation Thomastown station, located on the Mernda train line, was rebuilt and modernised in 2011. Keon Park station is also located in the suburb's south, on the border with Reservoir. The area is serviced by the Western Ring Road, which connects Melbourne's western and northern suburbs, although it often faces criticism for heavy traffic. Stalled plans to build an Outer Metropolitan Ring Road would link the Princes Freeway to Thomastown, likely easing congestion for drivers. For Chris Scull, who grew up in Thomastown and now volunteers for the Whittlesea Historical Society, his local transport network is convenient when compared with some other outer Melbourne suburbs. 'It's good because you're on the city fringe,' Scull says. 'I can go 10 minutes towards Bundoora and there's a huge park over there … But you've also got good transportation links.' This urbanisation would have been unimaginable during the early twentieth century, when Thomastown was little more than a farming town. It wasn't until the mid-1900s that it experienced a population boom. Historical census data shows that only 1500 residents lived in Thomastown in 1954. Today this number has ballooned to over 20,000. The area has changed a lot since Scull's childhood. But he says that this isn't necessarily a bad thing – the suburb still has plenty of room for growth. 'They're still filling up little pockets that are left … Some of the flats around Station Street and some of the houses there, I don't see why you couldn't knock them down and put some decent apartments in. 'A lot of the houses here are the same age as me, so they're getting to be 50 years old,' Scull says. 'And it's not really sad because they're not great'. Modern Thomastown Liz Skitch moved to the outer-north suburb a decade ago, shortly before the birth of her first child. She and her partner fell in love with a house with a backyard so big that it was 'basically a paddock'. They put in an offer straight away. 'At the end of the day, we couldn't afford Preston. We were in a share house in Preston, we were about to start a family, and we looked just a little bit further out,' Skitch says. But while the house (a triple-fronted brick veneer, with plenty of fruit trees and grapevines) is what brought the young family to Thomastown, Skitch says that the community is what made her want to stay. 'The minute we arrived, all the neighbours came to meet us. Old Frank around the corner was giving me lessons on how to bag the grapevines … and his wife, Theresa, was teaching us how to make sausages,' she says. Skitch now manages the Thomastown Neighbourhood House, a not-for-profit organisation that runs programs from a room at the local library. She's passionate about engaging the community, which she says is evolving but still remains the culturally rich place it has always been. 'It's kind of a sad time because a lot of the oldies are dying and selling up. But it's an exciting time because you've got the funky new families moving in, and we're seeing more diversity. 'We were really excited around the time of the [plebiscite] on gay marriage, when we started to see yes voters in Thomastown. It's becoming more progressive.' Skitch and volunteers at the Neighbourhood House have even invented a special nickname for their suburb: Promisetown. 'There's no snobbery. That's what I love … it's really down to earth. It's always been a place for underdogs,' she says. 'It's the land of opportunity.'
The Age
3 days ago
- The Age
It used to be farmland. Now this suburb is its own village
In August 2015, the factory opened an adjoining deli that serves freshly made cheese and Italian produce. It's since grown to be a destination eatery, and even welcomes thousands of people each March for its annual Ricotta Festival. 'We brought something unique to Thomastown that attracts people to this area. Otherwise, there's not really any reason why people come to Thomastown, to be frankly honest with you,' says Serena Zen, head of marketing. Other cheese factories also operate in the suburb. Florida Cheese moved its operation there in 1998, while Pantalica Cheese also has a local manufacturing facility. These factories are indicative of Thomastown's historical connection with the dairy industry. 'It's a big area … there were a lot of Italian migrants who settled here and started businesses near where they were living,' says Zen. 'Thomastown has a lot of food manufacturers … It's good to be near the city … It gives you more contact with the final customer.' Zen, who lives across the border in nearby Lalor, also says the That's Amore eatery fulfils a rising demand for modern venues within the suburb. 'A lot of young families are moving into these areas, and you see a demographic change,' she says. 'All of those young families are looking for places to have a good brunch. And there's nothing around. But we're here.' Roads and Transportation Thomastown station, located on the Mernda train line, was rebuilt and modernised in 2011. Keon Park station is also located in the suburb's south, on the border with Reservoir. The area is serviced by the Western Ring Road, which connects Melbourne's western and northern suburbs, although it often faces criticism for heavy traffic. Stalled plans to build an Outer Metropolitan Ring Road would link the Princes Freeway to Thomastown, likely easing congestion for drivers. For Chris Scull, who grew up in Thomastown and now volunteers for the Whittlesea Historical Society, his local transport network is convenient when compared with some other outer Melbourne suburbs. 'It's good because you're on the city fringe,' Scull says. 'I can go 10 minutes towards Bundoora and there's a huge park over there … But you've also got good transportation links.' This urbanisation would have been unimaginable during the early twentieth century, when Thomastown was little more than a farming town. It wasn't until the mid-1900s that it experienced a population boom. Historical census data shows that only 1500 residents lived in Thomastown in 1954. Today this number has ballooned to over 20,000. The area has changed a lot since Scull's childhood. But he says that this isn't necessarily a bad thing – the suburb still has plenty of room for growth. 'They're still filling up little pockets that are left … Some of the flats around Station Street and some of the houses there, I don't see why you couldn't knock them down and put some decent apartments in. 'A lot of the houses here are the same age as me, so they're getting to be 50 years old,' Scull says. 'And it's not really sad because they're not great'. Modern Thomastown Liz Skitch moved to the outer-north suburb a decade ago, shortly before the birth of her first child. She and her partner fell in love with a house with a backyard so big that it was 'basically a paddock'. They put in an offer straight away. 'At the end of the day, we couldn't afford Preston. We were in a share house in Preston, we were about to start a family, and we looked just a little bit further out,' Skitch says. But while the house (a triple-fronted brick veneer, with plenty of fruit trees and grapevines) is what brought the young family to Thomastown, Skitch says that the community is what made her want to stay. 'The minute we arrived, all the neighbours came to meet us. Old Frank around the corner was giving me lessons on how to bag the grapevines … and his wife, Theresa, was teaching us how to make sausages,' she says. Skitch now manages the Thomastown Neighbourhood House, a not-for-profit organisation that runs programs from a room at the local library. She's passionate about engaging the community, which she says is evolving but still remains the culturally rich place it has always been. 'It's kind of a sad time because a lot of the oldies are dying and selling up. But it's an exciting time because you've got the funky new families moving in, and we're seeing more diversity. 'We were really excited around the time of the [plebiscite] on gay marriage, when we started to see yes voters in Thomastown. It's becoming more progressive.' Skitch and volunteers at the Neighbourhood House have even invented a special nickname for their suburb: Promisetown. 'There's no snobbery. That's what I love … it's really down to earth. It's always been a place for underdogs,' she says. 'It's the land of opportunity.'
