Hobart is about to become the world capital of cacao-induced grins, with the AU$150 million Chocolate Experience at Cadbury opening in 2027. Forget Charlie’s golden ticket, this is Tasmania’s turn to unwrap the world’s ultimate chocoholic playground, but sadly, there won’t be any Oompa Loompas.
Set on the Claremont waterfront, the project will reimagine the century-old Cadbury Factory into a glossy, gooey wonderland of pipes, conveyor belts, and hyperreal chocolate dreams. It’s Willy Wonka meets MONA because the design is being whipped up by Tasmanian architects Cumulus Studio alongside Art Processors (the mischief-makers behind MONA’s mind-bending magic).
Inside, visitors can stroll through Chocolate Central, tinker in the Chocolate Lab, or whip up their very own Tasmanian-flavoured bar in the Premium Studio. There’s also a decadent Chocolate Lounge because of course there is. Nothing says “holiday” like sinking into a plush chair with truffles you don’t have to share (snuck a cheeky little rhyme in there for ya).
To top it all off, the whole thing will be connected to Hobart via two new custom ferries, meaning you can sail down the Derwent in style before docking at your cocoa-coated destination. Move over, wine tours – it’s seemingly all about the choc-cruise now.
The attraction is tipped to draw over half a million visitors each year and pour AU$120 million into Tassie’s economy. Which, let’s be honest, is just icing on the (chocolate) cake. Or, in this case, the ganache.
Forget the midlife crisis convertible – Explore Worldwide wants you to trade spreadsheets for safaris and Zoom calls for ziplines with their new ‘Radical Sabbatical’ campaign. Because honestly, if you’re going to have a breakdown, it might as well be somewhere photogenic.
The idea is simple: take a longer-than-average break from your real life and actually live a little.
We’re talking four to six weeks of guilt-free adventure, the kind of trip where you learn to cook tagine in Morocco, hike volcanoes in Guatemala, or cycle across Vietnam. You know, the stuff you tell people you’ll do “one day,” right before you hit “Join Meeting” for the 47th time that week.
These extended trips aren’t just about sightseeing, either. They’re designed so you can dig deeper into cultures, get to know locals, and maybe even remember what it’s like to have hobbies that don’t involve doomscrolling (couldn’t be us). And because Explore Worldwide is all about doing things responsibly, the itineraries come with a side of sustainability, meaning slower travel, smaller groups, and actually leaving a place better than you found it.
So, whether you’re looking to reset your brain, fill your Instagram feed with something other than desk lunches, or just avoid Brenda from HR for a month (soz Brenda), Radical Sabbaticals might be your golden ticket. Consider it a life upgrade: fewer deadlines and more mountain sunrises.
After all, no one ever put “answered emails promptly” on their bucket list.
The two travel powerhouses are celebrating ten years of teaming up by dropping a fresh batch of immersive journeys launching in 2026, taking their total collection to 106 trips across 59 destinations.
That’s a lot of stamps for your passport.
The new itineraries span everywhere from the ancient wonders of Egypt to the foodie streets of Portugal, the windswept steppes of Central Asia, and the neon-meets-tradition magic of South Korea. Think bamboo rafting in Yangshuo, swapping stories with Kyrgyz nomads, puzzling over hieroglyphics in secret tombs, and watching octogenarian women divers in Jeju plunge 10 metres deep without tanks. It’s fair to see these trips aren’t your average bus tour.
Twelve of the new adventures fall under “National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures,” designed to pull you beyond the guidebook and into real-deal cultural encounters (yes, that means breadmaking with Tajik villagers is firmly on the menu).
Two new “Family Journeys” round things out – finally, a trip where kids can learn hieroglyphics by day and float down the Nile by night, or take surf lessons before raiding Portugal’s pastry shops.
Even though we’ll have to wait ’til 2026 for these new offerings (sigh), we already know these are the kind of adventures you’ll be bragging about long after your fridge magnets have lost their shine.
The Sunset Strip has had more reinventions than Madonna, and its latest glow-up comes in the form of The Sun Rose Hotel (formerly known as Pendry West Hollywood), ‘til it decided a new name (and personality) was in order.
Named after its already-famous live music venue, The Sun Rose is a love letter to West Hollywood’s Technicolour soul. When Stevie Wonder serenades your opening party, you know you’ve hit the right note. The place now leans harder into art, music, and design, basically bottling the Strip’s kaleidoscopic chaos into a tasty five-star cocktail.
Of course, the glitz hasn’t gone anywhere. The rooms still whisper ‘luxury’ even if the rest of the hotel is screaming ‘let’s party.’ At the top, Merois – helmed by the legendary Wolfgang Puck – remains a rooftop dining temple, where Asian-inspired flavours flirt with skyline views. Think crispy suckling pig in one hand, a Negroni in the other, and the Hollywood Hills twinkling like a backdrop someone spent too much money on.
Since its transformation, this place has become a stage, a canvas, and a front-row seat to the Strip’s never-ending show. Whether you’re there for the food, the tunes, or just to say you brushed shoulders with a rock star in the lobby, The Sun Rose Hotel is reinventing what it means to check in on Sunset.
Spring 2026 is about to get a whole lot fancier: Aman is dropping its newest resort, Amanvari, onto the wild and wonderful East Cape of Baja California. That means desert dunes, turquoise waves, and a brand-new excuse to perfect your ‘out of office’ email.
This coastal sanctuary will be keeping things exclusive with just 18 casitas (fewer neighbours, more peace and quiet), plus a collection of dreamy residences for anyone ready to go all in on the Aman lifestyle. Elevated above the landscape, the casitas offer knockout views of the Sea of Cortez, the Sierra de la Laguna mountains, and skies that are practically begging to be your phone’s screensaver.
The design brief was clearly nature meets minimalism with a Baja twist. Think sand-hued palettes, natural stone, tropical hardwoods, and bespoke Mexican ceramics sprinkled throughout. Chic, but without trying too hard.
On the ‘treat yourself’ front, Amanvari will deliver global dining (Italian, Japanese, and Baja’s finest bounty), and a spa that includes a modern take on a temazcal sweat lodge, open-air yoga pavilion, and enough serene corners to make you believe inner peace is, in fact, real (jury’s still out).
And because Aman doesn’t do things halfway, the resort is part of Costa Palmas, a private playground with organic farms, a golf course, a yacht club, and three miles of swimmable beach. We suggest starting to brush up on your Spanish now.
Pack your hiking boots, a sequin jacket, and maybe a helmet because The Unconformity festival is back to shake up Queenstown in Tasmania, 16–19 October 2025, and it’s anything but ordinary.
This year’s theme is ‘respawn,’ which basically means the festival is coming back to life like a video game character, though instead of dodging fireballs or little ghosties, you’ll be dodging avant-garde art, spontaneous footy matches on gravel, and possibly a rogue Spiderbait riff echoing through the mountains.
The program is a colossal 60 events featuring 121 artists who seem hell-bent on proving that Queenstown is the creative capital of the universe. We’re talking semaphore messages at sunrise, copper sculptures literally etched by the town’s acidic river (yes, that’s a thing), and a performance involving a log the exact weight of the artist’s body (we’re not sure either).
Crib Road will once again transform into the festival’s beating heart, lined with food, drink, and free live music. Spiderbait headlines Saturday night, alongside the brooding brilliance of Bleak Squad (featuring members from Dirty Three and The Bad Seeds), and plenty of Tassie-grown talent.
And then there’s The Unconformity Cup, a gladiatorial football match on a gravel oval that pits ‘The West’ against ‘The Rest.’ Think grassroots AFL, only there’s no grass. Are you game?
In the vibrant neighbourhood of Barranco in Lima, Lady Bee is less like a bar and more of an experience (but it’s also still a bar).
Named after classic cocktails like the White Lady and Bee’s Knees, this intimate spot offers a blend of Peruvian flavours and impeccable service that earned it the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award from The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2025.
Founded by the dynamic trio of Alonso Palomino, Gabriela León, and Alejandra León in 2021, Lady Bee is proof you don’t need a mega space or neon signs to make a lasting impression. You just need heart, skill, and the kind of hospitality that makes people fly across the world for (and one that wins awards).
Walking in, you’ll immediately notice it’s cosy, like five tables and four bar seats cosy. But this just ensures a personalised experience for every guest. The attentive staff craft cocktails that tell a story, making each sip a journey into Peru’s diverse landscapes. But it’s also likely that the bartenders know your name, your drink order, and probably your dog’s birthday.
Whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur or a casual enthusiast, Lady Bee offers a memorable night out that goes beyond the ordinary. So it goes without saying that if you’re in Lima and want cocktails that slap, head to Lady Bee.
We get it. Camping’s a tough sell. But what about if you’re cocooned in a swanky safari tent that’s perched on a private deck with Mount Hood photobombing your sunrise (the perfect PNW backdrop)? That’s the vibe at Under Canvas’s brand-spanking-new glamping spot in Washington’s Columbia River Gorge, sprawled glamorously over 120 acres in the White Salmon River Valley.
Each tent has comfort for days: a king-size bed with plush linens, a gas fireplace to keep you toasty when the Pacific Northwest air gets bossy, and an ensuite bathroom with a piping hot pull-chain shower. Even your phone’s battery gets VIP treatment with handy USB packs, so there’s no excuses for not posting that dreamy sunrise snap (see intro).
The communal hub keeps the fun rolling with local artworks, trendy West Elm furnishings, café-style dining, board games, morning yoga, acoustic jams, and, naturally, nightly s’mores, because toasted marshmallows?? Like, end of sentence.
The real drawcard, though, is where you are. Adventure practically throws itself at you here: white-water rafting on the White Salmon River, hiking the trails around Mount Hood, sipping your way through more than 10 nearby vineyards, or popping into the charming towns of White Salmon and Hood River for a dose of small-town charm. All of it framed by soaring peaks, cascading waterfalls, and hillsides bursting with wildflowers.
Under Canvas Columbia River Gorge is nature turned up to eleven – luxurious, adventurous, and it’s perfect for besties, couples, fur-babies, or anyone who swears they’re “outdoorsy.”
Imagine a treasure hunt so exclusive, so top-secret that even your GPS wouldn’t spill the beans; this is The Queen’s Lost Diamonds, Ariodante’s audacious new immersive “anti-game” debuting in Paris this fall.
But this game is less ‘puzzle with a timer’ and more like a three-day, adrenaline-fueled odyssey across the City of Light where every cobblestone may be hiding a clue, and every café could be your downfall.
Forget the rules because you make your own. With over 100 unique structural scenes, an impressive actor-to-player ratio, and literally dozens of secret venues (some never open to civilians), this isn’t your typical gameplay; it’s guerrilla history.
Here, decisions aren’t hints—they’re your lifeline. Turn left down a dimly lit alley, and you might stumble into a conspiratorial meeting with a ghostly historical figure, and by “historical figure,” we mean anyone from Napoleon I to Delacroix, or a fashion designer who may or may not be part of the script.
Yeah so it costs a decent chunk of cash, starting at around AU971k, but what price do you put on being the hero of your own clandestine saga? Participants must be picked, vetted, and silenced under NDAs; after all, illusions must remain… well, illusive.
And sure, you could spend your weekend queuing to get into the Louvre (it’d be sooo much cheaper), but this game might just be the craziest immersive experience we’ve ever stumbled upon and wading into a different reality on the hunt for pricey gems beats taking a pic of the Mona Lisa any day.
In a town known for racehorses, rowing champs, and seriously good coffee, Cambridge, New Zealand, has just added another thoroughbred to its stable – The Clements Hotel. Fresh from a multi-million-dollar glow-up, this boutique beauty has transformed the town’s original 1866 Beaux-Arts Masonic hotel into a 29-room haven of polished charm and old-school glamour.
Named after Irish-born Archibald Clements (the bloke who built the original hotel), the revamp is all soaring ceilings, stained-glass windows, red brick walls, and a staircase that was made for dramatic entrances. Think Claridge’s in London, but with more gumboots and fewer paparazzi.
Leading the charge is Scottish hospitality whiz Cameron Kellow, who swapped Scone Palace and 20,000 acres of Scotland for the rolling Waikato. His mission was to make The Clements the place for luxe stays, long lunches, and the kind of events you’ll still be talking about when you’re 80. Spoiler alert, he succeeded.
Guests can snooze in Edwardian splendour or wake up under attic beams with leafy views. There’s a café and wine bar for your morning pastry-to-evening-aperitivo journey, a garden-view restaurant serving locally inspired global goodness, and, from October, a speakeasy called “1866” hidden in the basement.
If that’s not enough, the old horse stables are now private luxury suites (fireplace and bathtub included), and the on-site distillery has crafted a bespoke gin using an 1860s recipe because history tastes better with tonic. Duh.
(
