Kiosque Horseshoe Bay - South West Rocks, NSW

We had dinner here last night. Unfortunately I was too hungry and completely forgot to take photos, but I thought I’d share our experience nevertheless. My in-laws and my wife are loyal locals and always like to visit the Horseshoe Bay Kiosk whenever they go to South West Rocks. Every time they have tried to … Lire plus

Avis sur The Arrow Private Hotel Cherry Suite – Arrowtown Nouvelle-Zélande (avec photos)

Arrow Private Hotel Bed & Lounge

On our honeymoon we spent a few days at the Arrow Private Hotel in Arrowtown, New Zealand as a relaxing breather in between a couple of days of long driving. Arrowtown is only about 15-20 minutes from Queenstown, so it’s an easy drive for any Queenstown activities or for the Frankston New World Supermarket. We really enjoyed it there and decided to stay there again for our anniversary. We spent 4 nights here and once again loved the place. Tim, your host, is extremely friendly and helpful and goes out of his way to make your stay as comfortable and pleasant as it possibly can be.

We stayed in the Cherry Suite on our honeymoon and Tim booked us into this one again this time – I think he knew we liked it! From the looks of the photos on their website, most of the rooms are fairly similar anyway, but this one is right at the front, which we felt gave us a little bit more privacy because we only had another suite on one side (granted there are only 6 suites in the entire hotel just out of the centre of a quiet town, so it’s not like any of them would have a privacy issue really). This suite is named for the beautiful cherry blossoms that are planted around it. When we were here last time, they were out in flower and were stunning, we were a bit earlier this time though and they were just budding.

When you first enter, you can turn to the left where you have bag and clothes storage as well as the air conditioner, fridge and bathroom access.

Arrow Private Hotel Entry
To the Left of The Arrow Private Hotel Cherry Suite Entry

Then off to the right is the bed, lounge, dining, kitchen and study with large windows for taking in the beautiful mountain view. The bed is a “super king” size bed. Unfortunately, it is not a single mattress, so there is a join in the middle, but of all the king size beds we got to try on our honeymoon that were joined together, this was one of the most comfortable. The join was almost unnoticeable and the sheets were beautifully soft. Both times we have been here it’s been some of the best sleep I’ve gotten!

Arrow Private Hotel Bed & Lounge
Arrow Private Hotel Bed & Lounge

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Mackenzies Bar and Grill – Examen Stonegrill

Mackenzies Stronegrill Chicken

On our way from Christchurch to Queenstown for our holiday we went through Lake Tekapo. Our plan had been to arrive here around sunset time so we could get a few nice photos at the Church of the Good Shepherd with the sun setting in the background over the lake. Then we would go get dinner at Mackenzie’s Bar and Grill looking over the water as the sun finishes setting. Unfortunately with our flight into Christchurch delayed we weren’t in time for sunset. We definitely didn’t miss out on Mackenzies Bar and Grill for dinner though! We tried this place out on our honeymoon because they accepted Bartercard which helped keep our costs down and we absolutely loved it, so since we were going through at a meal time we didn’t want to miss out.

I didn’t get any photos of outside unfortunately since it was dark, but it is just here:

Ignore where Google Maps actually places it further up the highway, it’s incorrect. If you use the above location and jump on Google Streetview, you will see the “Observatory Cafe”. That is where Mackenzie’s now is located.

Mackenzies Stronegrill Chicken
Poulet Mackenzies Stonegrill

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Sur la route de la Nouvelle-Zélande - Un commentaire de vol Jetstar depuis Sydney, Australie

The Edge of the Snow Capped Peaks

On peut enfin partir en vacances !

We went to New Zealand’s South Island to do some of the things we did on our honeymoon that we really enjoyed, and to do some of the things we missed out on doing while we were on our honeymoon.

Sydney Airport T1 View
Sydney Airport T1 View

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Service en chambre à Rydges Capital Hill – Canberra

Chantilly Cream, Berry and Basil Salad at Rydges Capital Hill Canberra

While we were at Rydges in Canberra, we also decided to splurge a little bit and try room service for once. We weren’t super hungry as we had a big lunch, so we decided to get an entree and dessert that had caught our attention.

We got the Lamb Noisette entree and Lemongrass and Guava Parfait dessert to share.

Lemongrass and Guava Parfait at Rydges Capital Hill Canberra
Lemongrass and Guava Parfait at Rydges Capital Hill Canberra

I have to say, I was both very impressed and a bit disappointed. There are a few reasons for both of these things!

I was very impressed because the food was amazingly delicious. I wasn’t as keen on the Lamb Noisette as Tammy, but she really loved it. The Lemongrass and Guava Parfait though was awesome! This was right up my alley. Check out the photos (I thought I’d try a slideshow for something different):

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Rydges Capital Hill Canberra – Petit-déjeuner buffet et hôtel

Juices at Rydges Capital Hill Canberra Breakfast Buffet

I thought I’d share some more of our experience at Rydges Capital Hill Canberra last weekend. This follows on from my post last weekend about the room we were in.

Hot Food at Rydges Capital Hill Canberra Breakfast Buffet
Hot Food at Rydges Capital Hill Canberra Breakfast Buffet

Our accommodation included breakfast at the Rydges buffet each morning, and I have to say, it was one of the best breakfast buffets I’ve been to, both in terms of food and in terms of how well presented it was! There were so many choices, and it was all delicious. I would recommend going before 8 though because the second morning we went later and certain things didn’t get replaced when they ran out (eg muffins – which were amazing).

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Suite Spa Exécutive Rydges Capital Hill Canberra Lit King-Size

Rydges Capital Hill Executive King Spa Suite Bed

This weekend my sister leaves from Canberra to make her way to Japan for work. We haven’t had a holiday since January, so we decided to take the opportunity to go away for a couple of days after work on Friday and enjoy ourselves. After looking around it was evident that everything in Canberra is fairly expensive but ironically is cheaper on weekends than weekdays. I guess there are fewer politicians and business people coming through on weekends. A little bit of hunting around though and we found a great deal on Rydges “Week-ends et offres» page pour rester à la Rydges Capital Hill Canberra pour deux nuits dans un Suite Spa Exécutive Lit King-Size.

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