BeachB&B

IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME!SYDNEY

Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, Peter Conistis’ Alpha Restaurant is fast consolidating a reputation that lives up to its name. Alpha is Peter’s latest undertaking, and is already garnering much hype among culinary circles. However, it’s not only foodies with superior palates and limitless credit cards that are enjoying Alpha’s modern interpretations of classic Greek cuisine. With its selection of four di!erent menus – quick-fire cantina food,

rotisserie menu, a meze menu and an a la carte menu – the restaurant is establishing itself as an accessible, atmospheric, and unpretentious place to eat delicious Greek food. While Peter has left a long list of hatted restaurants in his wake, he’s managed to retain some of their crowning glories. Eggplant and sea scallop moussaka, and rabbit and black olive pie, both signature dishes from Peter’s first restaurant, Cosmos, are ‘vintage’ inclusions in Alpha’s menu.

However, if you feel like trying something altogether new and exciting, the five-layer pie with sa!ron and pistachio filo, and the spiced quail with fetta and watermelon salad come highly recommended. Alpha’s underpinning philosophy incorporates harmony between tradition and modernism, and the interweaving of these two elements is not only localised in the cuisine. Old-world charm meets modernity with the restaurant’s whitewashed walls and high ceilings. Initially built in the 1880s, interior designer Paul Papadopoulos has preserved the venue’s existing heritage features while giving it the style and elegance associated with modern design. Sticking with the current trend of shared dining, Papadopoulos has struck a homely balance by inviting everyone and anyone to pull up a chair at the banquette-style tables, or grab a drink while casually sitting on a stool at the bar. Alpha has evidently been gifted with Conistis’ Midas touch, so grab a group of friends and tuck in. You won’t be disappointed.alpharestaurant.com.au

WINEDINE

PAMPER PALACEGOLD COAST

There’s a reason that the Harbour Day Spa on the Gold Coast has scooped a whole load of awards since opening in 2004: they are amazingly good. In 2009, the ladies behind this pampering palace bought the Phoenician Spa Retreat, and the entire, enormous building underwent a massive, impressive refurbishment. Today, the complex o!ers everything from massage to facials and body scrubs, to manis and pedis, and there is a salon for those finishing touches – hair and make-up. It’s a one-stop shop to top up your glamour, wind down and be pampered like a princess.

Visitors can begin their journey with some time spent in a Grecian-style spa bath that could pass as a pool. The ceilings are a few stories above, glass skylights letting the beautiful weather of the Gold Coast shine through. A cooling-o! dip pool and a cosy sauna also complete the first part of the experience. Treatment rooms are down the quiet, winding hallways, and the quietness of the underground complex makes guests feel as though they have stepped into another world, far from the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast. The attentive, friendly sta! bring another level of loveliness to this day spa. They sure know how to make their visitors feel on top of the world. harbourdayspa.com.au

HOMAGE TO STYLESYDNEY

There are boutique hotels, and then there are designer works of art that you can, thankfully, spend the night in. It’s about time Sydney had a hotel like 1888. It’s a hotel whose designers have maintained a deep respect for the remarkable building (once used for wool storage) that it’s housed in. As soon as you step foot into the lobby area, that is also a super-stylish bar, meeting space and restaurant, it’s obvious that every piece of décor and colour in the pared-back space has been laboured over. The furniture in the lobby takes people on a journey from the 40s through to the 70s, with lounges, tables and chairs reflecting the smoothest elements of decor in those eras. The hotel also pays homage to the year that Kodak launched their first box and roll cameras (1888), o!ering guests Instagram-friendly walking maps for the Pyrmont area, and a revolving series of Instagram images in the Mac space at reception, featuring photos taken by guests, including a ‘selfie space’. The $30 million development has taken two

years to complete, and now every one of the 90 rooms has a story to tell. There are two suites in the hotel that raise the already high bar sky-high, with the 007 room having an entrance door that belongs in a palace, and a cocktail bar from the 70s that wouldn’t look

out of place in a Bond film. The penthouse suite has a balcony and city views sweeping in every direction. And being right in the middle of Pyrmont, the city is a stone’s throw away. Seriously, do yourself a favour and check in. 1888hotel.com.au

MEXICAN MAGICNEWCASTLE

Sometimes it can get lonely when travelling, so a home environment and a friendly face or two can make all the di!erence. And if spectacular beach views, Mexican flair and vivid abstract art also rock your boat, then Merewether Beach Bed and Breakfast might be just what you’re after. Alf and Jane are the friendly couple behind the B&B. Being a retired art teacher and a librarian, they also o!er great lively conversation. They’ve turned the lower storey of their home into a quirky Mexican haven, where brightly coloured walls and Mexican artworks painted by Alf make visitors feel as though they’ve landed in the middle of Mexico City, not a beachside suburb of Newcastle. The granny flat (with three rooms, so families are welcome) spills out on to a private yard on the cli! tops, where the beaches and ocean sprawl far and wide below. Breakfast is then taken in the couple’s home upstairs, on a large balcony with more breathtaking beach views. merewetherbeachbandb.com.au

designhaven

DAYSPA

“It’s a one-stop shop to top up your glamour, wind down and be pampered like a princess.”

citybites

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