Bella Vista Restaurant, Santa Barbara

We had heard great things about the sunsets at Butterfly Beach  and the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, so on our last night, we decided to head to the resort for dinner around sunset.

Parking was a breeze, right out front near the beach, or you could valet if you wished. The staff were fantastic, remembering us from earlier that day and welcoming us individually by name, ensuring we were seated in an area with a great view over the beach and that we were warm enough - thanks to the lovely fire pit and gas heaters.

The service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive, but not intrusive, and very knowledgeable in relation to the food and drinks menu, even down to outlining ingredients in some of the sauces.

Our meal that evening:

Entrees:
Grilled Octopus - Green Olive Potato Salad, Warm Pancetta Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Wild Boar Pappardelle - Pinot Noir Braised, Morel Mushrooms

The octopus was the star of the show here, beautifully smokey, yet delicate flavors.

Mains:
Organic Chicken - Porcini Bolognese, Soft Polenta, Romanesco Broccoli
California Duck Breast

The duck proved the better dish here.


Sides:
Truffle Parmesan Fries, Roasted Garlic Aioli


We rounded the meal off with some very strong (be careful if driving) but yummy cocktails - the end to a perfect evening.

This restaurant boasts a beautiful location with the beach just across the road> We were treated to an amazing Santa Barbara sunset and some other diners advised that earlier, they had seen a few pods of dolphins, so you never know your luck.

The atmosphere in the outdoor seating area was relaxing and romantic, the perfect end to our stay in Santa Barbara.  Highly recommended

Cafe Sydney, Circular Quay, NSW Sydney Australia

If you are hosting visitors from overseas or want an impressive view for a special occasion then this is the place you need to book. We have impressed a number of friends with this amazing location overlooking both the Opera House and the bridge.

For the view and the food, the prices are quite reasonable. After all, you are in the middle of Sydney looking at an amazing vista. Whilst its not Michelin starred, the food is good, but remember, it is still casual dining and not a fine dining french restaurant. That said the meals are of decent size, flavors are great, wine and cocktail selection are good and the staff are fantastic.

As you might have guessed this is no secret spot. Right on Circular Quay, perched atop customs house, the restaurant can be easily accessed on foot or by public transport from within or outside of the CBD and if you want the table with a view you will need to get in early.  Over the last few years we have needed to book at least 2 months in advance to ensure we secured our favourite spot and leading up to any holidays we expect you would need to get in even earlier to snag that space.

Can recommend:

Entrees:
Cannot go past the crumbed crab cake, grilled prawn, cornichon, fennel, sauce gribiche - best dish in the house, beautiful.

Main:
The following have been hits with us over the last few visits:
Twice cooked duck leg, fig, thyme gnocchi, cavalo nero, jus
Cone Bay barramundi, prawn, baby carrot, pearl barley, harissa, lemon butter
Peppered beef tenderloin, brussels sprouts, swiss brown mushroom, bone marrow, jus

Dessert:
Double chocolate slice, pistachio crumble, passion fruit sorbet, creme fraiche

TIP: Book a table outside.  In winter, they crank up the gas heaters and staff provide cozy blankets. We have enjoyed the restaurant in the heat of summer, as the cool breeze kicks in and in the chilly winter enjoying apple and rhubarb crumble with our blankets, snuggled up having a coffee. On our last visit we enjoyed a huge thunderstorm across the city from underneath the outdoor awning.

http://www.cafesydney.com/

Our Favorite Things in Vegas

After returning from our fourth visit to the 'city of sin' there were some things we continued to do, some places we gave a miss and some that were even better than we remembered.

After having a relaxing, yes, that right we RELAXED IN VEGAS.....time, we are sure to return for a fifth trip, and when we do, these are the things we will be doing:

1. Staying at Wynn Las Vegas - this is our favourite hotel right now and returning recently, following a 6 year gap, it was better than ever. The resort atmosphere and exemplary service makes for a truly relaxing experience. TIP: pay the extra to stay in a tower suite - the additional pools, complimentary breakfast and level of service is well worth it. 
2. Driving a tank. Yep, you can do it all in Vegas and although there was no time to fit it in this trip, its definitely on the list for next time
3. Cirque Du Soleil, If you haven't seen Cirque Du Soleil in Vegas, you haven't seen Cirque Du Soleil at its best.  Having seen the majority of Cirque shows in Vegas, our firm favourite by a mile is KA at MGM Grand
4. Take a walk down The Strip. Las Vegas is ever evolving, each trip we find something new and interesting on a walk down the famous strip.  Free entertainment, courtesy of Bellagio Fountains or the Volcano at Mirage, this time we were disappointed to see that the Sirens of TI show has been permanently cancelled to make way for shops, which leads us to....
5. Shopping at the Premium Outlets North, whilst we didn't stock up on this visit, there have been times when we have truly been pushing that luggage limit and once where we couldn't talk our way out of paying excess baggage due to some great prices on designer brands.
6. Visit the Grand Canyon National Park . We have flown over it, drove out to it for half a day, tipped toed our way around the Skywalk and on the next trip we plan to raft through part of it. A beautiful and unique place well worth travelling out to see - and yes, it is quite a way to get there so allow a full day.
7. Restaurant Joel Robuchon , its worth it
8. Cheaper dining options...... we love the Buffet at Mirage for dinner.  They have a great choice of food, plenty of items cooked fresh to order and its great value for money.
9. Visiting the Spa at Encore . What an experience. Not only is the spa beautiful and relaxing, it has a great menu of treatment options and packages that could well keep you there all day and have you floating out on a cloud.  The Moroccan mud wrap was amazing and when you book a treatment, you are welcome to turn up well in advance and linger on afterwards enjoying the rest of the facilities including sauna, plunge pools, showers or have a relaxing herbal tea and some fruit.
10. Get married - yep, definitely going to renew our vows on the next trip to Las Vegas, why not, its a bit of fun and with almost 90,000 a year doing it, its not like they are short of options. www.vegas.com/weddings/

Social Eating House, Broadbeach, Queensland

Social Eating House is a newish restaurant, in Broadbeach on teh Gold Coast.  It focusses on a shared dining experience and offering a great range of small and large sharing platters with plenty of flavor.


As we were staying at Peppers on Broadbeach, the restaurant was conveniently located just downstairs on Oracle Boulevard.


We visited in December 2013 and were very impressed with our meal, drinks, the restaurant and the staff. We enjoyed:

  -  ½ Shell Hervey Bay Scallops, Red Curry, Tomato and Kaffir Lime
  -  1kg Boneless Salt Bush Lamb Shoulder, Slow Roasted In Sheep’s Milk Yoghurt and Lamb Stock
  -  Grilled Red Claw Yabby, Tarragon and Brown Butter Emulsion, Shaved Fennel, Jamon and Rockmelon Leaf
  -  Roasted Chat Potatoes, Caper and Lemon Mayo
  -  Green Leaves, Fennel, Peas, Feta and Mint

The lamb was by far the star of the show. Slow cooked, packed with flavor, moist and tender, melt in the mouth goodness. The green leaves, fennel,peas, feta and mint where there perfect friend for this huge piece of meat allowing us to ensure we finished the entire piece (it was slightly larger than expected).

We have tried a few slow cooked lamb shoulders at other restaurants however, this one is by far the best

This casual, relaxed and trendy restaurant/bar is a great place to catch up with a  group of friends. We will definitely be visiting again.

http://www.socialeatinghouse.com.au/

What are the criteria for receiving Michelin stars?

'The star symbols judge only what’s on the plate, meaning the quality of products, the mastering of flavors, mastering of cooking, personality of the cuisine, value for the money and the consistency of what the restaurant offers to its customers both throughout the menu and the year.

One star indicates a very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.

Two stars denote excellent cuisine, skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. Worth a detour.

Three stars reward exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients. Worth a special journey.

Along with the rating of stars, the MICHELIN Guide provides a written description of each locale with a variety of symbols to give further insight into an establishment. Ambiance, specialties, and wine are just a few of the factors. Comfort is also rated by 1 to 5 forks and spoons for a restaurant and 1 to 5 pavilions for a hotel.'

http://www.michelintravel.com/michelin-selections/selecting-our-stars/

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2014

SYDNEY

Two hats

Aria, The Bridge Room, Buon Ricordo, Claude’s, est., Four in Hand Dining Room, Gastro Park, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Longrain, Lucio’s Italian Restaurant, Marque, MoVida, Mr Wong, Ormeggio at The Spit, Pilu at Freshwater, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple, Tetsuya’s

One hat

Aki’s Indian Restaurant, Ananas Bar & Brasserie, The Apollo, Arras, Balla, The Bathers’ Pavilion, Berowra Waters Inn, Billy Kwong, Bistro Moncur, Bistrode CBD, The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Bodega, buzo trattoria, Cafe Sopra, Catalina, China Doll, Clareville Kiosk, The Devonshire, Flying Fish Restaurant & Bar, Foveaux Restaurant & Bar, Glass Brasserie, Gowings Bar & Grill, Hartsyard, Jonah’s Restaurant, Kepos Street Kitchen, Monopole, Ms.G’s, Oscillate Wildly, Popolo, Porteño, The Restaurant Pendolino, Saké Restaurant & Bar, Sean’s Panaroma, Sixpenny, Sokyo, Three Blue Ducks, Tomislav, Uccello, Ume Restaurant, Xanthi

CANBERRA

Two hats

Aubergine (Griffith)

One hat

Courgette (Canberra City), Italian & Sons (Braddon), Ottoman Cuisine (Barton), Pulp Kitchen European Brasserie (Ainslie), Waters Edge (Parkes)

REGIONAL NSW

Two hats

Biota Dining (Bowral), No 2 Oak Street (Bellingen), Subo (Newcastle West)

One hat

Bistro Molines (Mount View), Caveau (Wollongong), Darley’s (Katoomba) , Eschalot (Berrima), Fins (Kingscliff), Flooded Gums (Bonville), Lolli Redini (Orange), Manfredi at Bells (Killcare Heights), Muse Kitchen (Pokolbin), Muse Restaurant (Pokolbin), Neila (Cowra), Racine (Orange), Restaurant Como (Blaxland), Restaurant Mason (Newcastle), The River Moruya (Moruya), The Stunned Mullet (Port Macquarie), Tonic (Millthorpe), Town Restaurant (Bangalow), Tyler’s Pantry (Mogo), Wharf Rd Restaurant & Bar (Nowra), Zanzibar Cafe (Merimbula)

BSKT Cafe, Gold Coast

In December 2013 we headed up to the Gold Coast for a few days.  Deciding to stay at Peppers Broadbeach, we took advantage of the bikes the hotel has for hire and took a lovely ride down south, past all the beautiful house, mermaid beach and had a beautiful lunch at BSKT Cafe.

Right on the beach, the atmosphere is cool and laid back, the staff are friendly and helpful. BSKT has a good size menu with plenty of healthy, free range, organic, gluten free and vegan options.  Not only is the food good for you, but is tastes great (a combination others have tried and failed).

This visit we enjoyed:

• BSKT Burger - Ground Angus beef, wholemeal bun, beetroot relish, tomato, spinach, goats cheese, leg ham, fries and aioli
• BSKT Juice - Apple, berries and mint
• Hot chocolate
• Gluten free banana bread

The scenery is great, the staff are welcoming and the food was amazing. We had a bit of food envy with teh table next to us enjoying the DIY fresh spring rolls - raw veggies, fried tempeh, Vietnamese mint and satay sauce with light pancakes.  So that is on the list for our next visit!

We love this refreshing cafe, committed to providing high quality nutritious food at reasonable prices and have placed it on our list for the next GC visit.

Well done BSKT Cafe!

http://www.bskt.com.au/

Top 10 Aussie road trip stopovers

Save yourself the time and check out the top 10 Aussie road trip stopover suggestions. Some beautiful properties on offer from our friends at Stayz

Design Hotels

'Design Hotels™ represents and markets a curated selection of more than 260 independent hotels in over 50 countries across the globe.

More than a collection of hotels, the company is a collection of stories. Each property reflects the ideas of a visionary hotelier, an "Original," someone with a passion for genuine hospitality and cultural authenticity, for thought-provoking design and groundbreaking architecture. All "Originals" stand for the individual, aesthetic and service-driven experiences that their hotels provide.

Founded by Claus Sendlinger in 1993, Design Hotels™ has developed into a full-service hospitality marketing consultant, offering customized services including global sales representation, revenue management, strategic marketing, public relations and branding. 

The company has its headquarters in Berlin and branches in London, Barcelona, New York, Singapore and Perth'

We have been booking with them for over 5 years now and have never been disappointed. Properties we particularly enjoyed include:

• Aguas De Ibiza
• Das Stue, Germany
• Hotel Hotel, Australia

Their properties are beautiful. Check out current specials at http://www.designhotels.com/specials?workmatrix_user=a155864eb6

Nat Geo - Best Trips 2014

Check out Nat Geo's 'Best Trips 2014' for some travel inspiration

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com.au/travel/best-trips-2014/

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

It was our first visit to Singapore and we were adamant that we must stay at one of the better hotels. After researching, we got it down to 3:

• Capella on Sentosa
• Fullerton Bay Hotel
• Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

After looking at Sentosa Island we decided it wasn't for us (thankfully, as we did visit whilst there and would not recommend it). We decided to take the plunge and go with MBS and we were very happy with the choice.

Located around half an hour by taxi from the airport and over looking the ocean, bay and gardens, MBS is a huge property. Must admit, this was one of our concerns, as in recent years we have tended to appreciate the boutique, smaller hotels with more personal service and privacy.  That said MBS did not disappoint.

We booked a club room, which provided great value as it included breakfast, afternoon tea, cocktail and canape hour and non alcoholic beverages for most of the day.  The staff in the club lounge were fantastic. Our names and preferences were remembered by day 2 and the service was faultless. The food and drink choices and quality was great and we rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table.

Our room was large with a huge bathroom with large separate shower and deep free standing bath. Floor to ceiling windows provided great views across the bay. Easy and controlled access to the top of the hotel where the infinity pool and club lounge are located was a breeze. Security ensure that only guests or paying visitors can access the area, so thankfully, it was not as packed as we expected.

Views from the top are amazing. The huge port one side and the city the other.  One night we had dinner at the trendy Ku De Ta. Impressive decor, great view and good service, but the food wasn't quite there for us.

Each night the hotel puts on a laser show - definitely worth catching. We would advise you take it in from out front of the Fullerton Bay Hotel on the other side of the water.

This is an amazing hotel with a fabulous range of facilities and convenient access to transport and major attractions. Whilst check-in was a pain (we arrived just before midnight and has to wait around 20 min at the general desk rather than the quicker , separate, club room check in area) everything else was a breeze.

With great access to shopping, the clean, safe and reliable metro system and the beautiful (and free) Gardens by the Bay http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg this hotel was a great choice and we will certainly return.

We highly recommend the club rooms at MBS


http://www.marinabaysands.com/

Olives, Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, USA

After a bad experience in 2004, we decided to give Todd English's Olives restaurant in the Bellagio hotel a second chance on a recent visit to Las Vegas.


We are pleased to say that the second visit proved to be a much better experience. The restaurant has a great view over the lake for the famous fountains so you need to book well in advance to secure a table with a view on the patio.

Some of the tables are positioned uncomfortably close to each other - our group had the pleasure of sitting next to a canoodling couple, but we didn't let it spoil our birthday celebration!

What did we order?

We had a few people at the table and between us all the following graced our plates:

The flat bread with Portobello wild mushroom purée, herb-roasted portobello, red onions, fontina cheese, white truffle oil

Duck Two Ways 
seared muscovy breast, confit leg tortellini, caramelized apples, maple sauce


Brick Oven Roasted Free Range Chicken 
country mashed potato cake, green beans, madeira jus, watercress salad

Char Grilled Ribeye 
ash roasted fingerling potatoes, sweet onion jam, piquillo peppers, 
port wine glaze, garlicky broccolini


Grilled Squid and Octopus 

chickpea vinaigrette, tomatoes, toasted garlic, parsley

All food was cooked well, tasted great and delivered in just the right time. The flatbread was a HUGE portion, could have easily been shared between 2-3 people. Presentation was nice, flavors were good and we were impressed with the standard of the cocktails.

With gifts being offered to the birthday girl, it wasn't long before our waiter appeared with a pretty plate with 'happy Birthday' piped on it and some yummy mini deserts - a nice touch.

Due to the decor the restaurant can get a little loud when full, however, on this occasion we liked the bustling busy atmosphere and as it didn't affect the wait time on our meals (drinks and food timed perfectly) it wasn't a problem.

Lets be honest, you are paying for the location and the atmosphere just as much as the food.  Yes, there are cheaper places, yes there are places that have better food. But on the whole we found the prices adequate for the experience and enjoyed our night and will return on our next trip to Vegas.

Summary: Good food, fantastic view of the fountains, nice atmosphere

The Gleneagles Hotel

This hotel does gain good reviews on other forums, but for us did not deliver on expectations.  For the price, the ratings and the accolades we expected much more.

We have to say, we got the feeling the hotel was resting on its reputation and that the rooms were in need of some minor renovations/spruce up.  New carpet wouldn't go a miss, ours was full of stains and the slippers looked as if they had already been worn. 

The bathroom was quite nice and very spacious, although we were not not a big fan of large plants that dominated the space.  The toiletries were decent and the towels were fluffy and thick.

Good hotel for those travelling with children, which meant they were everywhere - a slight put off for us

Room service at the property was just ok, menu was great but the flavours and temperature of the food was less than perfect and we were definitely a little disappointed.

The downfalls we found in this property are the things that make us weary of staying in older hotels - although other older hotels we have visited and reviewed have surprised and impressed us, unfortunately, on the whole, The Gleneagles did not.

The grounds are amazing. We visited in Winter and it was snowing which made the grounds look magical. Set in its own 850-acre estate, beautiful scenery, complete with Golf Club and championship course it was definitely impressing on the drive up to check in and it provided space for nice leisurely walks before dinner and after breakfast.

The rooms where comfortable, location was lovely, but this isn't the hotel for us

http://www.gleneagles.com/home.aspx