If you’ve ever fantasised about cracking a laugh or two with a few Hollywood heavyweights, then Airbnb’s just given you your best chance.
Forget hopping on a celebrity sightseeing bus because Kevin Hart has invited you into his private speakeasy for a night of tequila, dancing and performances by some of the best comedians in the biz—we’re talking dance battles, roaming cocktails and some epic names he refuses to drop.
Set in the uber-exclusive, members-only Coramino Live Lounge, this experience will not only make you feel like a VIP, it’ll have you acting like one. He’s really bringing out all the stops—think velvet ropes you don’t have to wait behind, fancy plant-based appetisers (that’s some real LA shit), free flowing Gran Caromino (his own tequila label), laser cut ice cubes and the best beat-bringing DJ Kevin Hart type money can buy.
This isn’t just a comedy show, it’s inner circle kinda stuff. And it’s fancy, like closed-toed shoes fancy.
But there’ll be photo ops (let us know if he’s taller in person), potential ACL-tearing dance moves and a whole lotta laughs, so we reckon this is one experience to dust off your nice shirt for.
Have you ever had a dream and thought, ‘What the fuck was that’, but when telling your friends about it later, you can’t seem to remember any of the details?
The guys over at Rocco Forte Hotels in Rome have come up with a creative solution with their new, ‘Dream Portraits,’ experience. So, not only will you be able to remember your dreams, you’ll be able to see them – kinda scary, definitely cool.
This futuristic project uses cutting-edge technology to record your dreams, interpret what happens in them and then create a physical 3D sculpture you can display on your coffee table at home.
To participate, you have to wear a comfortable headset with EEG sensors on it that’ll monitor your brain activity while you sleep. High tech software then translates the data from your brain into audio signals, which are then turned into sound waves and so on.
It sounds technical but if you can get past the fact that it’s very similar to the synopsis of a twisted, James Wan-style horror film, this project has the ability to give you an unusual glimpse into exactly what your subconscious mind was thinking during your stay in Rome.
Was it, ‘I shouldn’t have had that second scoop of gelato’? Or, ‘I wonder how many people get arrested for taking coins out of the Trevi Fountain each year’? Maybe it was, ‘I’ve eaten so much pasta, I’m turning into a giant piece of spaghetti’.
Whatever it may be, it only costs an eye-watering AUD$24,788 to see it come to life.
You no longer have to work at the Naidiri Marine Biodiversity Park to snorkel at the Naidiri Marine Biodiversity Park.
Renowned for its leading coral and marine conservation efforts, the park is opening its doors in a Willy Wonka-esque move that’ll give regular Joe’s the chance to snorkel its healthy marine ecosystem for the first time ever.
Not only will thousands of tropical fish, crabs, sea snails, blue-spotted rays, octopus and plenty of colourful coral now be at your pruny fingertips, but this snorkelling experience promises a firsthand insight into just how much work the park’s been doing in the conservation space over the past 15 years.
This work includes supporting marine restoration by planting coral and replenishing fish stock in the qoliqoli, and safeguarding the island’s coral reefs for future generations by educating both tourists and locals on the importance of protecting the environment. And because of the park’s Marine Protected Area status, a whopping 28,800m2 of shoreline is protected from fishing and other potentially destructive activities.
The park doesn’t even keep all this extra money they’re now making; every single cent you pay goes directly to the local community for staff training and village infrastructure.
The Stigull Stairway, consisting of a 40-metre-long ladder suspended above the Norwegian Fjords, sits a staggering 790 metres above the ground. Yep, 7-9-0. That’s the height of almost two and a half Eiffel Towers (sorry, it’s taken us longer than expected to get the Olympics out of our brains).
The ladder’s made up of 120 teeny tiny steps and sits at a slope of 45 degrees, which is enough to make even the steadiest of climbers a little shaky. Luckily, the attraction has a very low difficulty rating and experience level, so as long as you’re not deathly afraid of heights, you should be okay.
And when you make it to the end, hopefully with your lunch still firmly in your stomach, you’ve got the epic views from the top of Mount Hoven waiting for you. There’s also a restaurant, a gift shop (we’re sensing an ‘I survived’ t-shirt purchase in your near future) and the fjord’s famous Leon Skylift cable car to keep your adventure going.
But the stairway isn’t the only adrenaline-inducing attraction the Norwegian village of Leon has going for it. It’s also home to the Via Ferrata, one of the most spectacular climbing routes in the world, as well as a death-defying zipline and an only slightly less terrifying suspension bridge.
It’s the southern hemisphere’s biggest winter party.
Snow Machine Festival is like après, but all day. It’s like a music festival, but on the top of a mountain. It’s like a week of skiing and snowboarding in one of New Zealand’s premiere snow destinations, but with sick tunes and parties included.
The Remarkables are a mountain range which extend to and elevation of 2,319m high, and tower over nearby Queenstown, the home of adventure in New Zealand.
Ladyhawke, Bag Raiders, Zahn Walker, Angus and Julia Stone and The Rubens are just a few that are suiting up to play this year’s festival, which is set out over a number of stages.
The festival’s main stage is in Queenstown, but DJ sets play on the mountain’s après stages in what is surely the world’s most epic DJ booth, plus there’s a daytime winery stage which looks pretty lit too.
Last year a world record was set for the largest slope run by a bunch of people in swimsuits, a phenomenon dubbed ‘The Polar Bare’.
There’s even a night ski with DJs to greet you when you reach the bottom.
First there was Squid Game and now, after the resounding success of Netflix’s latest Japanese drama series Alice in Borderland, the world has a new immersive death game.
The hit TV show follows Arisu, a gamer who finds himself trapped in a survival of the fittest sickest game that takes place in a parallel universe. Japan’s Immersive Fort Tokyo has whipped out the UNO draw 4+ card equivalent, taking this theme and running with it by recently launching it’s 7th attraction “Alice in Borderland: Immersive Death Game”.
This is very much a play-at-your-own-risk type of adventure with participants experiencing the life-or-death game wearing the same ‘collar bomb’ shown in the series. Fully immersed in a set of visuals carefully created by the Netflix staff who worked on the show, it’s every man for himself as you fight to survive. We don’t even reckon Tim Burton could dream this twisted shit up.
The language barrier is one thing you won’t have to think about (a small yet welcome reprieve) as the attraction is available in English, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional) and Japanese.
And if one PTSD-inducing death game isn’t enough, Immersive Fort Tokyo has 6 other attractions you can try out. Maybe you’d be better at solving mysteries as part of an immersive Sherlock Holmes whodunit. Or perhaps you’re looking for something a bit more hardcore and fancy the sound of stumbling your way through a horror maze as Jack The Ripper takes chase.
Whichever attraction you choose, this immersive theatre theme park promises an adventure to die for, literally.
Melbourne hotels, you’re on notice. This new stay is literally setting the standard.
The StandardX, Melbourne is nestled in the heart of Fitzroy: a vibrant suburb bubbling with live music, street art and cafes that’ll sell you an $8 latte.
The cultural pulse is high here and the hotel’s interior, designed by firm Hecker Guthrie, reflects that. The revolving doors are bold, the ceilings are lofty, the columns are wrapped in macrame, the furniture is antique, and that’s before you’ve even checked into your room.
Whether you’re relaxing in the Cozy King or you’ve hit the Suite Spot, your senses are treated to an aesthetically pleasing colour palette, a focally placed bed you could easily get 10 hours in, a killer view of the city skyline and artwork spread across the walls by local talent.
That’s already gold standard kinda stuff, but with the addition of all-day Thai restaurant BANG, retail store The Box for all your lifestyle needs and luxe drinking spot The Roof (try and guess where it’s located), the hotel goes from above-par to off-the-charts.
Led by Executive Chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya, BANG bursts onto the culinary scene with a menu of dishes made from traditional recipes and locally sourced ingredients to bring you and your tastebuds some hibachi pork and octopus skewers, blue swimmer crab donuts and slow-cooked Wagyu beef short ribs.
The Roof is reserved exclusively for hotel guests. You’ll find all the regulars on the menu plus a few buzzworthy cocktails inspired by the hotel’s energetic surroundings.
From defrosting your car’s windshield in the morning to cranking the heater 24/7 (in this economy?!), winters are the worst. But don’t get angry at the drizzly weather and your skyrocketing electricity bill, get even.
Introducing Kathmandu’s newest winter-withering creation, the Any Time Down Vest.
Gone are the days of layering clothes ‘til you look like the Michelin Man or Joey in that Friends episode (you know, the one where he puts on every single piece of clothing he owns).
The Any Time Down Vest is specifically designed for fresh mornings (and fresher evenings) thanks to its 600-fill power down construction. In normal people terms that means it’s toasty, lightweight and durable. A.k.a perfect for your various adventures during the day and getting up to mischief at night – did someone say, ‘let’s go to the pub?’
It also has pockets! Two of them! For your hands! Throw out your gloves!
You don’t even have to worry about coming last in the style stakes because the vest has a cool diamond-quilted design (it’s giving wardrobe staple status) and comes in colours inspired by the wilderness in New Zealand.
If the vest’s not your thing, the same style comes in a hooded parka version and a short jacket version (for women only).
Moon Bay, Slovenia at number three. Stokes Bay Beach, Australia at number two. And coming in at number one—inserts drum roll—is Piha Beach, New Zealand.
An unlikely, but not unworthy, first placer on Enjoy Travel’s Best Beaches in the World list for 2024, Piha Beach boasts sparkling black sand, whipped white waves and the impressively shaped Lion Rock. Which may or may not look like an actual lion (it doesn’t).
While the water might entice you with its gorgeous blue colour and perfect clarity, don’t be fooled. This beach has many charms, but being swimmable isn’t one of them. Read: there’s no early-morning recovery sessions or late-night skinny dips happening here. The waves are formidably rough (sadness) and the currents are strong, like Dwayne Johnson strong, so swimming without the supervision of a lifeguard is dangerous.
But despite the conditions, it’s an epic spot to surf. It’s also a pretty good-looking one, thanks to the rugged cliffs at either end of the beach. Settling down for a picnic on the sand or abseiling down the Piha Canyon are popular ways to spend time here, along with surf fishing and taking surf lessons.
You might even see some blue penguins if you’re there after the sun goes down. Yes, Piha Beach gets to have the world’s smallest penguin species and be crowned the world’s best beach. Some beaches just have it all.
If you’ve got enough sand in your shoes (and in other places to last you a lifetime), you can wander the streets of the small coastal village behind the beach or go bushwalking through the surrounding wilderness to make your visit a full-day thing.
Hate hibernating in Winter? Got some spare annual leave? Feeling far too close to a full-on burnout? Sounds like you need to swap your day job for an Odd Job.
We don’t mean cleaning out gutters, pulling out weeds or replacing tiles in the bathroom that have been cracked for longer than you care to admit.
This winter Tourism Tasmania is offering Aussies the chance to step away from the desk in favour of doing something a little more hands-on.
And by hands-on, we mean donning a pair of waders and venturing out into Great Oyster Bay as an Oyster Organiser (apparently a thing). Or keeping temperatures warm and toasty as a Sauna Stoker (also, apparently a thing). Or Truffle Snuffling, which sounds more like a creature from The Fantastic Beats franchise than an actual job. And don’t get us started on the role of Wombat Walker, whose sole responsibility is to take them on a morning waddle.
If anything’s for certain it’s that someone in the Tassie Tourism office clearly froths alliteration. But all jokes aside, you don’t have to hibernate in front of the telly ‘til September.
Replace the daily grind for one or two days of volunteering for a local business and reconnect with nature, the community and your own sense of enjoyment; something a 9 to 5 job inevitably sucks out of us. Too dark?
As if all that wasn’t convincing enough, successful applicants also receive a selection of fine Tasmanian produce or goods, specially picked out by their Odd Job host as a ‘you did such a good job organising oysters/stoking saunas/snuffling for truffles/walking wombats’ present. Honestly, sign us up.
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