Ah, New Years Eve… probably the most hyped-up day of the entire year. After enough nights out boozing and giggling with strangers and creepy men at the Establishment and Hugo's, I opt to spend this night watching the Harbor fireworks over the bridge from a park in Balmain East. Funnily, much like Christmas Eve this other major holiday night was spent laying out on a blanket watching the sky with a diver from Berlin. Only this time it wasn't the uber-sexy Fabian, but was my friend Daniel who I met on Gili Trawangan off Bali in August - happened to be living in Melbourne at the moment. Small world it is… and who says you never see these people you meet on travels again?? Daniel and I reunite, shoot the shit through the night and I ... read more

I don't normally plug or gush about high-end hotels while traveling, but this trip to Sydney I decided to forgo the adventurous hostel or even the corporate 5-star house and do the hip boutique thing for 6 nights. Highly recommended by all Sydney-siders, The Establishment in Sydney's CBD (Central Business District) is probably the most "pimped-out" hotel I have stayed at. You pay for serious dark and chic minimalist design, along with no-waiting, no-cover access to its in-house trendy bars/restaurants such as Establishment Bar, Hemmesphere, Tank, Sushi-e, to name a few. Can you say “chick-magnet?” This is not a hotel you are checking into - it is a compound of nightlife (and as is quoted online) attracting wanker bankers, ladies whom they impress, men who wear hair product, and young professionals in the fashion, media, and ... read more