Not your ordinary Brisbane hotel

If you are looking for a genteel inner-city hotel that serves afternoon high tea; you've come to the wrong place.

The Limes Hotel in Brisbane's grungy but upwardly mobile Fortitude Valley, is anything but. Think inner city post-industrial chic meets rooftop party pad and you are right on the money.

If you are in the rock 'n roll industry, or maybe the wine business, then The Limes might be right up your alley.

Right next door to the funky Alfred and Constance complex and just a short walk from the lively eateries and bars of James Street, The Limes is all about Brisbane as a party animal - and owner/manager Damian Griffiths just might be the dude partying next to you on the rooftop bar. 

The hotel's PR material is total bollocks. No one really cares about "the efficient use of space and prioritising use and features".

The simple fact is that this is party hotel; where no-one will raise an eyebrow if the "Do Not Disturb" sign is out until midday. It would almost be a sin not to wake up with hangover here. 

The good news: Limes is completely wireless internet enabled, as well as having ethernet connections. 

The rooms are dark and funky - perfect for a party with people you have just met.  

OK; there are blackbutt timber bed heads, custom powder coat aluminium door handles, splash-back and floating bedside tables, Luna Textiles curtains and bathroom wall tiles by Bisazza (whoever he is). 

Each room also has an individually hand-painted feature wall created by using a mineral-coating technique. 

The essence of The Limes, however, is its friendly staff and "have a good time" vibe.

There are just 21 rooms located down dark corridors - as you'd expect from a member of the Design Hotels group. 

Choose between a deluxe or courtyard room, complete with hammock, that complements the tropical Brisbane climate. All the rooms have modern furniture, comfy beds and light fixtures and switches that enhance the living space. 

The bathrooms, small but perfectly formed, feature large black tiling and showers. Other guestroom amenities include kitchenette with working bench space, iPod dock, LCD televisions and bathroom amenities by Appelles Apothecary (whoever they may be)..

Guests get a free daily newspaper and complimentary beverage each night on the rooftop. It's a place for the young, or the young at heart. If you are the type of guest to complain about a bit of rock music, then look elsewhere. 

The Limes Hotel, 142 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. (07) 3852 9000. www.limeshotel.com.au.

  

Phnom Penh: a little bit glitzy, a whole lot grisly

You’ve done Bali, visited Bangkok and Phuket, seen Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. What’s next on your Asian agenda? Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, is exotic, offers something for everyone – and can be enjoyed on a tight budget.

Once known as the “Pearl of Asia”, it was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina. Founded in 1434, the city is notable for its historical architecture - and its grand boulevards are dotted with French colonial buildings.

Built where the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers converge, Phnom Penh is home to around 2.2 million people trying to put the recent horrors of the Pol Pot regime behind them.

Determinedly Asian, with a definite French accent, Phnom Penh has long been popular with backpackers, but is now appealing to more well-heeled travellers who also visit Angkor Wat and Siem Riep.

New shopping malls and five-star hotels are being built in a frenzy of construction but walk just a few blocks from downtown and you can step back half a century to pot-holed lanes and outmoded goods. Visit  the Central Market teeming with stalls selling gold and silver jewellery, antique coins, clothing, clocks, flowers, food, fabrics and shoes.

Some patience is required. Tourists are offered no respite from crazy drivers and motorcyclists, street beggars and touts – but while Phnom Penh may be rough and ready around the edges, it does offer an authentic experience. 

Tuk tuks and cyclos are the preferred forms of transport – any tourist renting a car in Phnom Penh needs their head read. A good local guide can be a worthwhile investment for travellers of a more nervous disposition.

Lovers of history are well catered for – and thankfully there is a lot more to Khmer history than the recent Khmer Rouge atrocities. The National Museum is the best place to learn about the culture of the local people. A red sandstone building of colonial Khmer design, it is home to a collection of sculptures, ceramics, textiles, glass, pottery and bronzes dating back as far as the 12th century.

A visit to the Killing Fields is nonetheless de rigueur. Choeung Ek, a 35-minute drive out of Phnom Penh, is the hamlet where Pol Pot’s murderous Khmer Rouge slaughtered thousands of Cambodians and buried them in mass shallow graves during 1975-79. Many of them were bludgeoned to death. It is estimated up to 20,000 people died here. Skulls of many of the victims are stored in a macabre memorial tower (below). 

Equally chilling is Toul Sleng, on the fringes of downtown Phnom Penh, a former high school that became known as S21, a centre of torture and interrogation of political prisoners during Pol Pot’s four-year reign. It is now a genocide museum showing in graphic detail the beatings and humiliations dealt to over 17,000 who passed through the doors. Some history books say that only seven people survived, and one of them, Chum Mey, can be found in the grounds selling a book written about his horrific experiences.

Far more pleasant excursions include the Royal Palace, which dates back to the late 1860s and is noteworthy for its classic Khmer architecture, elaborate gilding, soaring spires and golden temple nagas (carvings of mythical reptilian creatures). The palace is an oasis of peace in the centre of a frenetic city and its lush French-style gardens house life-size sculptures of Khmer warriors and Buddhas. Also check out Wat Phnom (Temple Hill), the capital’s tallest temple and a gathering place during the annual festival of the dead. The temple was built in 1373.

Phnom Penh is full of bustling street markets where bargaining is essential. Among the major ones are Psar Thme (Central Market), Psar Tuol Tom Pong (Russian Market) and Psar Chas (Old Market).

Also don’t miss joining the locals on the Sisowath Quay Riverwalk, which runs alongside the west bank of the Tonle Sap. Lined with palm trees, the stretch from 104 Street to 178 Street is popular at dawn and dusk with locals who practice tai chi and a variety of martial arts. The lively strip is full of street vendors, hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, pharmacies selling anything you want without a prescription, massage joints, beauty spas and internet cafes.

The local cuisine is less spicy than Thai with local kampot pepper used more than chillies, which tend to appear as a side dish. Rice noodle soups, stir-fries and curries are common and you’ll occasionally find frog’s legs, reminiscent of French colonial days. Sit at local roadside cafes and pay just a couple of dollars or splurge at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) a bar and restaurant complex over several levels that is hugely popular with local expats. Head for the second-floor terrace of this renovated colonial building and enjoy colonial ambience and western-style food. For a taste of home try the Aussie XL Cafe and Bar.

Many people in Cambodia are desperately poor, so holidaymakers can do some good during their visit. Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (For the smile of Child) is a French charity working with poor and at-risk kids and  helps more than 6000 children with food, education, healthcare and vocational training. Visitors are welcome to visit and see what the charity is achieving. An on-site shop at their Stung Meanchey campus sells scarves, clothing and art works created by the children and their parents and PSE today employs over 450 Cambodian adults as teachers, trainers, social workers and nurses. www.pse.asso.fr

Friends is a charity-run eatery that trains Phnom Penh street kids in restaurant skills (kitchen, front of house, waiting etc) so they can get jobs in the hospitality industry. The service is charming and your dollars go a long way to improving someone’s life. Profits from the restaurant help 800 kids each day. www.friends-restaurant.org

Budget airline AirAsia flies daily from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur with links to Phnom Penh and also has flights from Bangkok. In-flight entertainment tablets are available for hire and seats can be selected when booking. www.airasia.com. 

Phnom Penh can also be reached via Mekong River cruises from Vietnam. A speed boat from Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta takes around four hours.  

Footsteps in Asia is an Australian-owned and operated boutique tour company that specialises in tailor-made holidays in South-East Asia, ranging from backpacking and home stays to five-star resorts. It offers a range of destinations in Cambodia and several regional tours that include Phnom Penh.  Experienced local guides are available in each destination. For details call 1300 664 331 or see www.footstepsinasia.com.

The Ohana Phnom Penh Palace Hotel is centrally situated with multilingual staff able to help with a range of suggestions of places to visit. It also has a ground-floor swimming pool with jacuzzi, a gym, sauna and massage facilities. There are just 75 rooms and wi-fi is free. Rooms from around $75 per double. www.ohanahotelpp.com.

Why you should visit Tasmania sooner rather than later

A remarkable number of people I met at the Tasmania Unbottled wine tastings over the past 10 days said they planned to visit Tasmania later in the year.

With Tourism Tasmania about to launch an impressive new marketing campaign, it may pay them (and anyone else with their heart set on heading to the Apple Island), to book sooner rather than later. 

Tasmania is an island with a finite number of flights/ferries, hotel rooms and hire cars; so if you really must fly on a Friday or want to stay at a specific hotel, then time may be of the essence.

The second phase of the Go Behind The Scenery campaign will debut on Sunday across print, online and other media and was launched today by Tourism Minister Scott Bacon and Tourism Tasmania marketing director Kathryn McCann. 

The new campaign aims to show people how easy it is to book a Tasmanian holiday in spring and offers several directly bookable itineraries.    

The new campaign focuses on four themes; walking, food and drink, heritage and arts and culture with each of these themes supported by three-, seven- and 14-day travel itineraries.

One major change is from food and wine to food and drink, emphasizing that Tasmania also offers tourists the chance to sample artisan ciders, craft beers and whiskies, along with its well-known cool-climate wines. 

Take a peek at the details of the new campaign before it goes public: http://www.tourismtasmania.com.au/marketing/national/behind_the_scenery_phase_2
and check out the online link here: 
http://www.gobehindthescenery.com.au

A Melbourne apartment for the cost of a hotel room

It's the little things that count - like staff who care and go that extra mile. 

I stupidly left my iPhone charger in the bathroom of my apartment at Metro Apartments on Bank Place in Melbourne.

I expected a hassle and a runaround when I rang to ask if it had been found, but no, the gentlemen who answered the phone asked me to hold on, went up to the apartment I had recently vacated and found the charger and told me he would keep it at reception for me.

Good service is not always associated with serviced apartments, but this was a welcome exception to that rule - as was the package price tag of just $175 per night for a fully equipped apartment in one of Melbourne's trendy laneways - centrally situated with two pubs and several restaurants on the doorstep but extremely peaceful. 

Sleep well, then head straight into a labyrinth of hidden laneways lined with boutique shops and European style cafes (the apartments are  located between Collins and Little Collins streets), and Melbourne's excellent choice of art galleries, museums, cultural and sporting events, and restaurants.

Tucked away down a cobbled lane just 10 minutes from Southern Cross Railway Station and Federation Square, Bank Place is a great intro to Melbourne's laneway lifestyle - although beware that the Irish Press pub around the corner will charge you $14.50 for 400mls of Asahi Super Dry - I've had Champagne for less. 

There's a tram stop virtually at the doorway to take you to the MCG or the National Gallery of Victoria, or maybe for some shopping in grungy hip St Kilda or chic Chapel Street. 

Metro Apartments on Bank Place has 46 studio and one-bedroom apartments, as well as a spa room and a split-level, two-bedroom penthouse. The suites include a fully equipped kitchen with fridge, crockery and cutlery and laundry - as well as TVs with satellite channels. 

Don't expect ultra flashy; instead think convenient and comfortable. Guests enjoy complimentary daily newspapers, fluffy bathrobes, hairdryers and in-house movies - just like in an expensive hotel, but without the matching price tag. There are also some very good online deals for those with the time to peruse the internet. 

The Victorian Spring Racing Carnival is just around the corner and Metro Apartments Bank Place is offering accommodation for the duration of the carnival from $185 (room only). 

Demand for accommodation in Melbourne during this period is high, so visitors are advised to book now to avoid disappointment. A minimum two-night stay applies to Derby Day on November 2 and Melbourne Cup on November 5 with wifi complimentary.

Guests can book at Metro Apartments on Bank Place and other Metro Hotels properties on 1800 004 321 or online at www.metrohotels.com.au. 

Position, position, position: a great place to stay in Sydney

I had three appointments in Sydney last week: a meeting at the Hilton Hotel, dinner at the excellent Fix St James and a wine event at Darling Harbour.

Impressive new Phuket hideaway with a focus on health

If you feel like enjoying Phuket in conspicuous style, then the new 150-room Avista Hideaway Resort and Spa should be on your radar. 

From the moment you are met by your own butler and driver in a luxury vehicle at Phuket International Airport, Avista offers a five-star experience for those willing to pay for it. This high-end escape has 150 suites ranging from 55 sq m to 145 sq m with spectacular vistas of the Andaman Sea, access to three separate beaches, butler service and three spectacular swimming pools.

Perched high above the nightlife core of Patong - but just a five-minute drive away by taxi or shuttle bus - Avista Hideaway Resort and Spa features brilliant panoramas overlooking Tri Trang and Patong beaches. 

The room designs have been inspired by the heritage and legends of southern Thailand’s fishing villages, spice traders and mountain dwellers  - with a touch of Indian chic thrown in for good measure. 

Avista, the flagship of a new Indian hospitality group, approaches hospitality from a slightly different angle - hiring people with the right attitude and then teaching them about the hotel business. The staff throughout the resort are exceptional. 

All the elements are in place; a private beach club, those swimming pools, three dining options with a variety of cuisines produced by a team headed by American chef Tim Westaway, 24-hour butlers and villas that feature their own day beds, private plunge pools and free wi-fi. 

Other than at breakfast, the resort often feels deserted - thanks to some clever planning. There are zen gardens on rooftops and walls - and the mattresses and pillows are outstandingly comfortable. 

Activities include yoga classes, a fully equipped gym, a library with computer access, kid's club and games room and an authentic Ayurvedic Spa with an on-site resort doctor and nutritionist, Dr Alvin James, who is available to provide health advice and personalised menus. Traditional Thai treatments are also available.

The top accommodation is in duplex jacuzzi suites and pool suites (love those outdoor showers), while all rooms feature satellite TV, iPod docks, fridge, mini bar and tea/coffee making facilities.

The resort website currently has a number of special offers featuring discounts of up to 50% on rack rates. Entry-level Buena Vista rooms start from around $215 a night with ultra-luxe pool villas (below) from about $500. 

Two warnings: the resort is built in a terraced style with quite a few steps to be negotiated. Although you can always call for a golf buggy to move you around I'd suggest older and infirm travellers look elsewhere. Further, and management is aware of the problem and moving to rectify it, the shuttle bus system is quite shambolic at the moment. 

But with taxis so easily available, that should be no disincentive to checking out such a unique property.  

Avista Hideaway, 50/9 Muen Ngern Road, Patong, Amphur Kathu, Phuket 83150. +66 76 681 681. www.avistahideaway.com. 

Thai Airways International, Asia’s largest full-service carrier, flies 40 times a week from Australia to Thailand with easy connections to a network within Thailand and to over 70 destinations worldwide.Visit www.thaiairways.com.au/‎ for the latest special deals and promotions or ask your travel agent. Travellers from Western Australia can take advantage of non-stop flights between Perth and Phuket until Oct 19 2013.  THAI’s Winter Escape Sale is on now until the end of August with fares to Bangkok starting from $880 return from the East Coast ($794 ex Perth) or $890 return to Phuket ($802 ex Perth).  Discounts also apply for travel in pairs with Companion Fares from $861 return to Bangkok (book by August 31, travel by November 30).