Wednesday, 28 May 2008

Australia

This is a tough one.
Hotels:
Love Lizard Island, Silky Oaks Lodge (all at www.voyages.com.au), the Sheraton Mirage at Port Douglas is well past its prime and isn't great value, but does have an excellent location.
Restaurants:
Sydney: Tetsuya's in Sydney is exceptional (and expensive). My old favourites include Montezume Crow's Nest (Mexican), O Galo Portuguese Chicken Crow's Nest (Burgers), Bravo Crows Nest (Italian and gelato), Arthurs Pizza (renamed "Love Supreme"), pizza, Paddington. For views it's hard to go past the Watson's Bay Hotel for fish & chips, but Cucinetta in hunters Hill is really good italian and views. The Oaks in Neutral Bay is a fanastic location for a genuine pub meal.
Port Douglas: Salsa is my favourite restaurant in the region.

Saturday, 10 May 2008

Bhutan

Guides:
We also used Getaway for this tour. Our guide Ugyen was extremely knowledgable and passionate about his country and culture. He also loves butterflies and orchids. Would recommend him (bum_ugyen@hotmail.com).

Note about Bhutan: If you're planning a trip to Bhutan, I recommend you spend some time researching the places you want to go to, and have a tour agency (required, unfortunately) to tailor a trip (and the accommodation locations) to your interests. I think this is the best way to avoid the Disneyland/North Korea sense that I found in Bhutan.

Sunday, 4 May 2008

Nepal

Guides:
Getaway (http://www.trekking-in-nepal.com) runs a good operation, we were happy with their responsiveness and service. Our guide Dawa (dawasherpa_2007@yahoo.com) was very competent, always friendly and responsible. Would definitely recommend him (although his English isn't perfect).
Hotel:
Yak & Yeti (http://www.yakandyeti.com/) is a decent hotel (believe it's the best located in town- Hyatt is way out of the centre), but it's past its prime.

Thursday, 17 April 2008

Kamchatka

Restaurants:
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Decent dining options are limited. Korea House is supposed to be the best in the city. We liked the Pizza joint in the mall.
Nightlife:
Best and fanciest club was "Nebo" ("Cloud"), located in Yelizovo (Fri/Sat). "Sports Club" was great on Wednesday.

Saturday, 1 July 2006

Stockholm

Hotels:
Hotel Elite, Birger Jarlsgatan, Stureplan. Great value 3-4 star hotel, right next to all the bars & nightclubs in Stureplan.
Restaurants:
Grill, Drottninggaten 89. Great fajitas & grilled food & atmosphere. Trendy bar/restaurant.
Kungsholmen, located in Kungsholmen. Great sushi, variety of foods, and its own ice cream bar! Trendy bar/restaurant scene.
Nightlife:
F12 Terrassen, Fredsgatan 12. Awesome summer outdoor nightclub, located on a staircase.
White Room: Jakobsbergsgatan, Good club, more of a NY-type scene, and naturally- all white.
Plaza Club, Spy Bar, Solidaritet, Sturecompaniet, Bistro Jarl, East, Café Opera. Other bars & clubs, scene varies depending on the night and time of year.

Saturday, 1 April 2006

Copenhagen

Restaurants:
Cafe Victor is always a favourite for good brunch, and a decent evening bar scene (plenty of other good bars on same street- Ostergade), http://www.cafevictor.dk.
Zeleste is a lovely tucked-away seafood and steak restaurant near Nyhavn on St. Strandstrasse that resembles a farmhouse.

Wednesday, 1 June 2005

Jordan

Guides:
Adnam Al-Haj. Great guide, very personable & professional. Good recommendations. ~$100/day, incl car. jordan_sights@yahoo.com