All posts filed under: Lifestyle

Kid-free activities for the Easter long weekend

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The Easter weekend isn’t just for kids – adults can binge on chocolate enjoy themselves too. Foot loose and child free? Dig in, with not a rabbit in sight: Adult Easter at Chapel Street Precinct Cocktails, plus Chocolates that match said cocktails. Need we say more? Ten of the Chapel Street precinct’s most famous locations want to treat you with a stunning drink and chocolate treat to match. Check them out here and plan accordingly Catch a game at Etihad Stadium Etihad is merely a hop, skip and a jump from Southern Cross station, and is hosting three fantastic AFL matches this weekend. Catch North Melbourne v Western bulldogs on Friday,  Carlton v Gold Coast Suns on Saturday, or Collingwood vs St Kilda on Sunday. Find out more here  Have a giggle or two  – Melbourne Comedy Festival With the festival in full swing, there are plenty of acts to catch over the long weekend. From Alanta Colley’s Parasite Lost to Ahir Shah’s Appearing In Order, there’s something for everyone’s taste. Find the lineup here Sing your heart out – Rainbow Karaoke Sing …

Record store recommendations melbourne

International Record Store Day – April 22nd

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At the hotels we all love our local vinyl record shops. Did you know all three of our Concierges own turntables and have substantial vinyl record collections? This month gives us the perfect excuse to go record shopping on Saturday April 22nd, the International Record Store Day. It’s the 10th anniversary of this fabulous day where special limited edition releases flood into record stores and bands play in or outside the shops. This year our choice of venue is only a few minutes’ walk from our hotels and being only 9 months old it’s one of Melbourne’s newest record shops. Situated in the gorgeous art deco Mitchell House (358 Lonsdale Street), Rock Steady Records is a really cool shop owned by Pat who is fresh from a short stint (14 years) working at Basement Discs and before that the much loved (and much missed) Au gogo Records. Pat seems to be relishing finally owning his own place and his enthusiasm is evident even before you walk into the shop when you see the amazing large …

Stuck for the Easter Weekend? Hop on in…

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Who doesn’t love the Easter long weekend? Come rain or shine, Melbourne is ready to play with a variety of events and activities on across the city for all ages. Here’s our top picks: Kids Big and Small – Big Games Adventure at HarbourTown Oversized boardgames anyone? Enjoy lifesizes Hasbro, NERF HQ, Garden Games, a Jumping Castle and, of course, an Easter egg hunt. While you’re there, enjoy a ‘kids fly free’ deal, when accompanied by a full paying adult on the Melbourne Star. Keep an eye out for the roaming Easter Bunny, and be sure to collect your Adventure Passport – stamps collected from all five locations of the Free Games Adventure puts you in the draw to win an amazing Hasbro prize pack. Set amongst the shopping precinct of Docklands, enjoy up to six hours of parking for only $10, and explore a variety of local food and beverage options to refuel. When: Daily from 11am till 2pm, 3rd to 17 April 2017 Where: Harbour Town     Old traditions made new – …

Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival

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This year Melbourne’s largest celebration fashion is running for ten, gorgeous days. Aiming to be bigger and better than the previous years, the festival will include world-class runway events from well-known, and up and coming Australian designers, beauty workshops, industry Q&A’s, live entertainment and more. Not just restricted to Melbourne CBD, the festival will this year kick off with smaller Fashion Weekend events in key shopping meccas like Chapel Street, High Street, Chadstone and Glenferrie Road – all activated with exclusive discounts and activities for shoppers, but will really ramp up with the Vogue / David Jones Gala Runway to be held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on the 14th of March. For those who are more into the countercultural or functional elements of fashion, there are several interesting workshops running like ‘Sequin-Savvy: The History of Calisthenics Fashion’ and an International Women’s Day forum breakfast on 8 March, presented by Marie Claire and Mimco. Don’t forget to check out the Priceline Pharmacy Festival of Beauty pop, located in the Plaza, just outside the …

Eat, drink, make & learn

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Are you passionate about coffee making? Is it pasta you crave at the end of your long day? Ever wanted to master your home made coffee brewing skills? Or is indulging in cheese one of your daily routines? The Craft & Co, a collective leaning centre in Collingwood offers classes in all of these areas and more for those with an interest in the culinary and arts. The Craft & Co works with local producers in Melbourne and offers classes ranging from salami making, pasta making, coffee cupping, brewing for beginners, cheese making,  learning why bees matter so much or exploring the magic behind craft distillation. All classes are $75, 3-hours long and including a tasting, one in-house brewing beverage, questionnaires and hands-on experience. If you are unsure what class you should take, you can even try out their free pasta or wine making demo class on Sundays to get a feel for the courses. Here is a sneak peak of what you get from the classes: Pasta Making: All attendees enjoy freshly made pasta, …

Happy Chinese New Year

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Chinese new year is all about gathering with family, eating lots of delicious food, playing with firecrackers, buying new clothes and the giving and receiving of red envelopes. It is a time for families to be together. Melbourne offers you a 17 day Chinese New Year festival with activities located from Queensbridge Square, Queen Victoria Market, Chinatown, the Chinese Museum, Melbourne Zoo, Eureka Skydeck and Southgate, through to Docklands and DFO South Wharf. Things you can do while staying with us at The Swanston Grand Mercure and Mercure Welcome – Experience “God of Prosperity’s visit” at Emporium Melbourne Enjoy a Chinese New Year’s Eve Feast sponsored by Secret Kitchen, located at the corners of Exhibition and Little Bourke Street. Be memorized by the dragons at the Dragon Parade Day throughout Chinatown on 29th of Jan, Sunday. Buy a lantern and hang it on The Lantern Wishing Tree at Cohen Place Watch Asian short films, also at Cohen Place For more activities and festival info visit http://www.cnymelbourne.com.au/home/ http://melbournechinesenewyear.com

Interview: Melbourne Musical Theatre Festival Director, Trevor Alexander

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Melbourne, a festival city, has always been an enormous supporter of the performing arts community with Fringe, Comedy and the Cabaret Festival to name just a few of these events on her busy calendar. The Melbourne Musical Theatre Festival, debuting in Melbourne for the first time in January 2017, is the latest of one of such events, and is set to entertain musical lovers with a classic line-up of well-loved family musical favourites, timeless adult productions and new Australian shows in the iconic Athenaeum Theatre. We spoke to the event’s founder and Artist Director, Trevor Alexander about his vision for the event and his personal journey to bring this concept to creation. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background? Sports mad as a child, I was dragged off the school football field at the age of 15 by a girl I had a crush on, to be in the school musical.  The rest, as they say is history. An ‘undiscovered talent,’ I had my first lead role the following year, followed …

Melbourne outdoor cinemas

Five of the Best Outdoor Cinemas in Melbourne

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Make the most of summer by catching a flick at one of many outdoor cinemas. Here’s our pick of the top 5. Moonlight Cinemas | 8 December – 2 April One of the original outdoor cinemas, the Moonlight Cinemas shows films under the stars on the lush lawns of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Patrons can spread out on their picnic rugs or hire one of the limited number of Bean Beds for $9. The program is filled with all the latest blockbusters including Girl on the Train, Doctor Strange, La La Land,  Arrival, Passengers and more. QV Outdoor Cinemas | 30 November – 26 February Melbourne’s only silent cinema returns to the astroturf square of QV. Tickets only cost $12 and each come with a deck chair and headphones to watch the movie. There’ll be plenty of live entertainment plus food and cocktails as well as charity screenings. Plus you can bring your pooches along! Some of the movies in this year’s program include Bad Santa, Batman Returns, Gremlins, The Goonies, Stand By Me, The …

Melbourne Christmas Markets

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Melbourne is in full festive spirit and Christmas markets are starting to pop up all over town. Here’s a list of some of the best holiday markets for unique presents, artisan gifts, and local crafts. The Craft & Co Christmas Market | 10am-2pm, Sunday 11 December Launching it’s first ever Christmas Market, The Craft & Co  will play host to more than 20 local artisan producers whose non-perishable goods will make for the perfect gift these holidays.  From soothing chocolate goodies from Mork, through to TC&C spirits and wines, the haul will have something for young and old.  There’ll also be a hamper and wrapping service plus free samples of house-made wine produced and bottled at TC&C’s own vineyard, as well as house-made salami and cheese samples throughout the day. Kris Kringle Night Market | Every Thursday evening in December Northcote Town Hall’s much loved annual Kris Kringle Night Market returns this December over four Thursday evenings. Celebrating its tenth year, the Kris Kringle Night Market was established to showcase and support our vibrant artistic community. Pick …

Australian Open 2017

Why we love the Australian Open

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Melbourne is known for being the sporting capital of Australia and with first the major sporting event of 2017 less than a couple of months away, we thought we’d share why the Australia Open is one of our favourite events on the sporting calendar. 1.   The Tennis It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the hype and electric atmosphere of the first grand slam of the year. Dating all the way back to 1905, the Australian Open was initially named the Australian Championship before changing it’s name to the Australian Open in 1905. Over the years we have seen so many tennis greats take to the courts including Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, the William Sisters, Pete Sampras Andy Murray and Martina Hingis. In the 2015 tournament, there was a record 14.3m unique visitors to the Australian Open grounds. 2. The Location When the Australian Open first started, the big players initially didn’t want to make the journey to the south side of the hemisphere due to the long travel times. However since the initial days, …