Take a piece of the Sydney Opera House home with you

The Sydney Opera House in an Australian icon. 

It is the country’s leading tourism destination and its busiest performing arts centre, welcoming more than 8.2 million visitors a year on site and hosting 1,800 performances attended by 1.5 million people. 

The Sydney Opera House has now launched its first-ever online shop (a bit late, one might think), allowing tourists, patrons and Opera House enthusiasts everywhere to bring a piece of one of the world’s most famous buildings home – no matter where that home might be.

The online shop stocks a wide range of premium Opera House-inspired gifts and souvenirs, including exclusive collaborations, beautifully crafted mementoes, jewellery, homewares and toys. International shipping is also available.

Sydney Opera House director of visitor experience Jade McKellar said: “The online store offers a new way for local and international visitors to enjoy the Opera House. We want to tap into the love people have for this building wherever they are in the world.

“The products we’ve selected for the online retail store celebrate the style, beauty and innovative design of this World Heritage-listed masterpiece, like Minskat Copenhagen leather accessories or my personal favourite the Watermate drink bottle. The Opera House is not only a great place to visit, it’s now also a great place to shop.

“More than 8.2 million people visit the building each year. The Opera House already operates two on-site retail stores, which last year processed over 150,000 transactions. But we are always looking for new ways to renew the visitor experience on-site and online, not least this range of premium products, particularly for shoppers overseas.”

See the full product collection as well as shipping and handling information at www.sydneyoperahouseshop.com.

New cellar door destination for wine lovers visiting East Gippsland

There is a new gourmet destination for visitors to East Gippsland in Victoria - the new Lightfoot & Sons cellar door. 

Set on a bluff overlooking the Mitchell River, the family-owned winery and vineyard was established in 1995 by Brian and Helen Lightfoot, who fell in love with the stunning location. 

Chosen for its soil structure – terra rossa over limestone – the vineyard was planted to grow and supply grapes for other wineries, but Lightfoot & Sons launched their own wine brand when winemaker Alastair Butt joined the family business in 2007. 

Lightfoot & Sons is now run by two of the Lightfoot sons, businessman and marketer Rob and winemaker Tom, who share responsibilities for operating the business, managing the vineyard and cellar, and producing the wines, along with Butt. 

All wines are 100% estate grown, made and bottled, and reflect the Myrtle Point Vineyard and the Gippsland Lakes district with the Lightfoot & Sons’ 2015 Homeblock Chardonnay having gained much acclaim. 

The cellar door includes a top-floor viewing deck, which sits over a cellar carved into the side of the hill, providing natural, climate-controlled temperatures. 

The fruit is pressed on the top floor and gravity fed through stainless steel tubes into barrels in the cellar beneath. The cellar door fit-out also was a family affair, with Rob and Tom’s brother, Nick, a builder, directing the project. 

The interior and furniture feature locally sourced materials, including timber pallets from the winery.

“We have sourced reclaimed timber from the old Calulu Bridge over the Mitchell River and Gippsland Lakes jetties, along with concrete, steel and plywood,” Rob said. “The reclaimed timbers add a softness to the industrial building, in some ways referencing the vineyard and winery itself.” 

Lightfoot & Sons cellar door is open from 11am-5pm Friday to Sunday but will open every day from December 27 to January 31. Visitors can enjoy the wines with tasting platters of local Gippsland produce and cheese. http://lightfootwines.com.

Meet a fun new hotel option in Queenstown

I am a huge fan of quirky and fun QT Sydney, my hotel of choice (budget permitting) when in the big smoke. Now the same hotel group has unveiled QT Queenstown in New Zealand.

QT Queenstown boasts a "luxury comfort meets contemporary décor" vibe with views over crystal-clear Lake Wakatipu and the peaks of the Southern Alps. 

The new hotel is boutique in style with 69 guest rooms and suites and local Central Otago produce plays a key role on menus. 

Rooms have signature QT Gel Beds, bespoke furnishings, quality linens, a fun mini-bar and 24-hour room service. 

Each of four room styles has a large en-suite bathroom with over-sized stand-alone bathtub, complimentary In-room movies, Nespresso machine and complimentary pods, quality bathroom amenities and floor-to-ceiling windows.

There is complimentary parking, complimentary high-speed wifi (big tick) along with a QT Queenstown Concierge app. 

Bazaar Interactive Marketplace and Reds Bar are the on-site wining and dining options 

The open kitchen provides a bustling ambiance along with a wok station, a carvery stacked with slow-roasted meats and a display of sweet treats. 

Diners are also invited indulge in options made to order; null dumplings, steaks and pizzas. 

Produce grown in QT Queenstown’s rooftop garden features on the menu alongside locally sourced ingredients selected by a culinary team spearheaded by food and beverage director Josh Smith-Thirkell. 

“We’re excited to continue to build relationships and support our local farmers and producers, collaboratively furthering our reputations for freshness and quality,” he says.

QT Queenstown holds the largest selection of spirits and liqueurs in town, making Reds Bar a late-night favourite for cocktail connoisseurs.  

QT Hotels & Resorts first made an impact on the Australian tourism sector with the launch of QT Gold Coast in 2011. The collection of properties today includes QT Gold Coast, QT Port Douglas, QT Falls Creek, QT Canberra, QT Bondi and QT Melbourne. 

For more information visit: www.qthotelsandresorts.com

The Trump Slump. Tourism numbers to the US plunge.

Earlier today, I received an email offering return flights between Sydney and Honolulu for $404 return - a ridiculous bargain.

Flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco are available from $846 return from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast on a wide range of dates from mid-January to May 2018.

The reason? The Trump effect.

As I predicted 12 months ago, many people just aren't that keen to visit a place run by a pussy-grabbing right-wing nutjob who treats foreigners with disdain.

Here's what I wrote about a possible boycott 12 months ago: 

http://gourmetontheroad.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/is-it-time-to-conside-boycotting_4.html

Now the full metrics of inbound travel to the US this year won’t be known until well into 2018, but if those numbers follow the trend of the first half of 2017, they won’t be good for the US tourism industry. 

For the first six months of the year, the number of international visitors coming to the US declined by 3.9% - a massive slump - data released from the US Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office shows. 

In total, an estimated 33.8 million non-resident international travellers entered the US between January and June of this year, a 3.9% decline from the same period in 2016, the NTTO said. 

Certain countries and regions - those most often criticised by the president - saw notable declines. For example, the number of visitors from the Middle East dropped nearly 30% compared to the first six months of 2016. Mexican visitors in June alone dropped 16% compared to the previous June. 

Now travel-related industries are responding to the numbers. 

“The latest government travel data is deeply concerning not just to our industry, but to anyone who cares about the economic well-being of the United States,” Roger Dow, CEO of the US Travel Association, a non-profit organisation representing and advocating for the travel industry, said in a statement. 

Dow noted that travel supports more than 15 million American jobs - and lots of them are undoubtedly good folk, even if their tipping system sucks.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press, so there is probably not much point in my asking for one.

Crazy goings on concern the Bordeaux wine trade

The Bordeaux wine trade is known for its being particularly staid. Not much changes from year to year- and if it does, then it happens very slowly.

The conservative Bordelaise have been shocked by the behaviour of some upstart new châteaux owners, particularly the Chinese. who care little for local traditions.    

British-based Drinks Business magazine reports that 300-year-old Château Larteau recently got a name change to Château Lapin Imperial (Château Imperial Rabbit) by its Chinese owner Chi Tong.

Its symbol of a white-walled mansion has been subsequently replaced, I kid you not, by a fluffy rabbit.

Three of Tong's other Bordeaux estates all went through name changes - with history booted out the door. 

Château Senilhac, once the largest wine producer in the Medoc region, had been in the Grassin family for eight decades but has now named Château Antilope Tibetaine (Château Tibetan Antelope). Château La Tour Saint-Pierre in Saint Emilion is now Château Lapin d’Or (Château Golden Rabbit), while in Pomerol Château Close Bel-Air is now Château Grande Antilope (Chateau Great Antelope).

Both rabbit and antelope carry positive connotations in Chinese culture. 

Jean-Marie Garde, chairman of the Pomerol winemakers’ union, told SudOuest newspaper that he hoped the strategy was “not going to be generalised. For our image and our notoriety, it would be bad if the names of great châteaux were transformed into rabbits and antelopes.”

We wait with bated breath to see what changes will be forthcoming from Chinese actress Zhao Wei, who has purchased Château Monlot, and billionaire Jack Ma, who now owns three vineyards in the region. Château Fauchey in Cadillac was also acquired by a Hong Kong firm. 

Meanwhile, the craziness at Chateau Troplong Mondot in Saint-Emilion is all French. 

The on-site restaurant here, Les Belles Perdrix, was opened in 2012 and was awarded a Michelin star last year, but new owners SCOR Group, who only took over six months ago, have announced it will close later this month and reopen in 2021 after "renovations", Wine Business reports. 

Chinese interests could have built a whole new city in that time, let alone upgraded a five-year-old restaurant facility. 

Special deals as a special Thai resort marks a milestone

A few months ago my wife and I were fortunate enough to spend a couple of days at the stunning SALA Phuket Resort and Spa - which celebrates its 10th anniversary this month.



To mark the milestone, the award-winning resort has announced a number of offers and events to celebrate the occasion.

“It’s a very exciting time for SALA Phuket – a time to reflect, to move forward and to celebrate the present," said GM Anthony van Sleeuwen, who recently re-joined the management team.

"Having been a part of the pre-opening team as executive assistant manager in 2007, SALA Phuket has always been a special property for me. Over the past 10 years, I have watched closely as the resort has maintained its position as one of the premier boutique pool villa resorts in Phuket."



Special offers to mark the 10-year milestone include an anniversary party, restaurant and spa discounts, special rates for 2018, and a Facebook contest.

To commence the celebrations, all guests staying in December will receive a 10% discount on treatments in SALA Spa and also when dining at the SALA Restaurant and Beachfront Bar.

In addition, all guests staying 10 nights or more from December and throughout the year ahead will receive THB 10,000 credit to be used on resort services during their stay.

An anniversary party will be held on December 15 at SALA Phuket Resort and Spa, where all guests and VIPs will be treated to a cocktail party overlooking Mai Khao Beach (my invitation appears to have been lost in the post).

The resort is also inviting guests who have stayed at SALA Phuket during the last decade to post a photo along with a description of their most memorable moment and share it on the SALA Phuket Facebook page for a chance to win one of five two-night accommodation vouchers.

To enter, like the SALA Phuket Facebook page: www.facebook.com/salaphuket, check-in and upload a photo and caption using the hashtag #SALAPhuketTurns10