Find position, panorama, and a parade of shiny navy ships at Sydney’s Embarkation Park One of Sydney’s best views is from Embarkation Park. It’s located at the Potts Point end of the famous Kings Cross thoroughfare, Victoria Street. In one visual sweep you get the works! Look for the naval ships docked at Garden Island,…
Two French powerhouses light a candle to creativity… Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing likes the scent of Cire Trudon’s “Ernesto” candle to be diffused through the maison’s flagship stores (Paris, Milan and, this month, New York). So no surprise the two powerhouses have teamed up to create an exclusive candle called the Cire Trudon x…
What’s the new centrepiece of luxury travel? Ahead of the re-opening of the Maldives to tourists this week, premium hotelier Sonu Shivdasani has been recalibrating… The new luxury, post Covid-19, mused Sonu Shivdasani towards the end of a lockdown on one of his island paradises in the Maldives, will build on rarity. “The majority of…
Drawing on the savoir faire of a flamboyant French “nose”, Saskia Havekes announces a new addition to her Grandiflora family A fine perfume, says Saskia Havekes, has shape, tempo, and beauty. And, if you’re lucky, Christophe Laudamiel. The French chemist and master perfumer came on board to help create the final fragrance in Havekes’s exclusive…
* This post may contain affiliate links. Excess All Areas may receive a small commission, at no cost to readers, if a purchase is made The thrill of a new place often starts with a book. Here, travel writers share some surprising inspirations. Even with their wings clipped, travel writers are frequently asked to nominate…
From penthouses at sea to safaris by private jet, Australians’ passion for top-end travel knows no bounds In 2019, at least 30 million people embarked on a cruise, up 6% from 2018. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), 1.34 millon of them were Australians. The 10 most popular cruise destinations last year were…
An art deco vanity case collection in memory of Freddie Mercury dazzles at the V&A Museum’s new jewellery gallery It was what the Italians might call a colpo d’amore – a gust of love, something that takes your breath away. For Kashmira Bulsara, a frosted rock crystal card case depicting a Japanese weeping willow…
Bouillabaisse, baguette, Bastille Day … and the Breton stripe. What could be more French? Royalty and the literati have had much to say about Paris. “Paris isn’t a city, it’s a world,” declared King Francois 1 in the 16th century, when it probably was; Ernest Hemingway wrote: “If you are lucky enough to have lived…
A New York hotel celebrates the skill and romance of Britain’s old-time basketweavers One thing the Firmdale Hotels have in common is the intoxicating collision of contemporary art, patterns and textiles. But you can always count on hotelier Kit Kemp to imbue each member of her 10-strong portfolio with a cheeky point of difference. In…
A public garden, two museums, cultural spaces … Yves Saint Laurent says thanks for the memories. Rarely does a guest say “Thank you for having me” quite so generously as Yves Saint Laurent did to Morocco. The French couturier and his long-time partner, Pierre Bergé, bequeathed to Marrakech a public garden (Jardin Majorelle), and two…