Articles by Susan Skelly

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Editor. Writer. Traveller. Keeping tabs on all things fab. susan@excessallareas.com.au

Travel Well Carli Ratcliff Scandinavia bespoke tours
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The good oil on Molise | Foraging in Sweden | Hats off to Paris

Brando
Charisma and character - and just a little bit game-changing. Action!

As Sydney travel and food writer Carli Ratcliff reflects, researching bespoke travel experiences is full of unexpected finds – from olive-oil obsessed princesses to epic Scandinavian landscapes, gourmet ingredients … and a milliner’s mile of ribbon! Seeking out behind-the-scenes experiences is all in a day’s work when foraging for travel articles or putting together itineraries…

Catalina Rose Bay Sydney waterfront dining marron
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Catalina Catch | Sydney waterfront dining | People’s Choice

Monroe
Sexy and glamorous. Red carpet ready. Did someone say 'rescue fantasy'?

Is there anything more quintessentially Sydney than lunch at Catalina? It’s like a scene from a Richard Scarry What Do People Do All Day? picture book. The laden Louise Savage Supercat ferry slides on by; striped sailing dinghies dart about the harbour like angelfish on speed; a sea plane swoops into the drink looking like…

Sydney shopping Dinosaur Designs Blue range bangles
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Unique Sydney shopping | Retail therapy | Sydney mementos

Groucho
Brainy and cheeky. Witty and inventive. Always smoking hot.

Whether the mission is memento, marking a milestone, last-minute gift or an “I deserve it” pick-me-up, these unique Sydney shops won’t let you down. Iconic Paddington store Opus reopened it doors recently after a relocation a few doors up Oxford Street and a $5 million refurb. It’s still painted green, although the 2015 version is more…

Perfume cache woods french fragrance best perfumes
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Confessions of a perfume addict | Into the woods | 2015 fragrance trends

Monroe
Sexy and glamorous. Red carpet ready. Did someone say 'rescue fantasy'?

If you go down to the woods today … you’ll probably go tomorrow as well. Skelly Susan quizzes fragrance oracle Michael Edwards on this year’s perfume trends and why we keep buying the same scent. New on the Excess All Areas perfume shelf this week is Etat Libre d’Orange’s Tom of Finland and Memo’s eau…

Australian Marriage Equality ring Nadia Neuman Mondial limited edition
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Australian marriage equality rings | Nadia Neuman

Garbo
Cool, understated elegance that belies inner sparkle and sizzle.

Support for same sex marriage has taken myriad forms, none quite so functional and symbolic as the Australian Marriage Equality rings from Australian jewellery designer Nadia Neuman. Since being launched last year, Nadia Neuman’s Australian Marriage Equality rings have been shipped to Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Numerous celebrities have worn…

Laucala island Fiji-luxury escape peninsula villa
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Paradise portfolio | Luxury escapes from Fiji to the Flinders Ranges

Monroe
Sexy and glamorous. Red carpet ready. Did someone say 'rescue fantasy'?

Overload in need of a forklift? There’s nothing more rejuvenating than the prospect of solitude, serenity and stepping back to nature. Here, some escape inspiration: from the South Australian outback, to Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef and a fabulous Fijian find. Laucala, Fiji Laucala is the island you buy if you are Dietrich Mateschitz looking for…

New Orleans revival Bourbon Street
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New Orleans Revisited: From Jazz to Jambalaya

Groucho
Brainy and cheeky. Witty and inventive. Always smoking hot.

Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, Susan Skelly returns to a city that is reinventing itself in many unexpected ways. Tap into the Creole/Cajun cuisine, the new French Quarter and see how Downtown is turning into a vibrant metropolis. Irvin Mayfield has presence, patter and precision. He plays an audience with the same dexterity he brings to…

Vodka and lime sour The Fat Duck Heston Blumenthal Crown Melbourne
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the fat duck | great moments in fine dining | heston blumenthal | degustation dreaming

Groucho
Brainy and cheeky. Witty and inventive. Always smoking hot.

Curiouser and curiouser … there’s nothing quite as fabulous as unfurling a crisp white napkin and waiting for the Heston Blumenthal magic show to begin. Great moments of fine dining? Mmmm – where to start? Ferran Adrià’s “This Is Not a Dinner” event with Dom Pérignon in Barcelona this year; Thomas Keller’s Per Se in…

Regatta Rose Bay Fine Dining-Interior Waterfront food
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Regatta | Sydney fine dining | Waterfront gourmet

Brando
Charisma and character - and just a little bit game-changing. Action!

How to outwit winter? Susan Skelly seeks a gourmet rescue remedy. Regatta, twice in one week. First for Claudio Morales’ truffled scallops and sweetbread, backing up for a Pizzini wine dinner where Moreton Bay bug tortellini with caviar stole the show. This is the place that used to be Pier (steered for two decades by chef…

fort worth texas national stockyards longhorns
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Fort Worth | Texas triumph | From A to Z | Cowboys and culture

Groucho
Brainy and cheeky. Witty and inventive. Always smoking hot.

One minute longhorns, lassos, lager, the next cocktails, fine food and old masters. As Susan Skelly discovers, Fort Worth is not just next door to Dallas… Mayor Betsy Price is holding court in Fort Worth’s sparling new Sundance Square Plaza. She’s just come from winning the women’s division in a clay-pigeon shoot and has invited…

Copyright © Susan Skelly 2020.