The best beach in Australia
Just when the weather started to get cold in Sydney, we headed north to the spectacular Whitsundays as guests of Tourism Queensland and discovered Whitehaven Beach – a picture perfect paradise that’s been voted the number one beach in Australia and the third best in the world. Located on Whitsunday Island, Whitehaven Beach is hands down ...
Our summer with Thai Airways
Just before summer officially hit in Australia last year, we headed over to Bangkok and Hong Kong as guests of Thai Airways on their new A380 for a mini break. With its close proximity to Australia and year-round summer temperatures, South East Asia and its fringing countries are some of our favourite destinations. With bikini ...
Beachfront luxury in Mexico
Set on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico, Coqui Coqui Tulum is a boutique beachfront hotel that has us itching to skip the border. With seven rooms, a small shop and a perfumerie, the hotel has an exclusive vibe that surprisingly isn’t reflected in its price. A quick look on Mr & Mrs Smith tells us ...
Our Hawaii digs
Arriving at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Hawaii was like being transported into a tropical paradise. We’d heard the property was amazing, but this was something else. Pink Flamingos greeted us on arrival from a lagoon in the open-air atrium. There was a waterfall, a bunch of exotic parrots and a smoothie bar, and ...
Summer in Hawaii
On our way back home to Sydney, we added some serious island life into our itinerary with a week in Hawaii. We split our time between Maui and Oahu, and discovered that Hawaii is like no other place in the world. Palm-fringed beaches with world-class surf breaks hug a coastline that wraps some of the ...
The search for surfing solitude in East Java
A yearly trip to Bali is a surfing right of passage. But this year we wanted to ditch the crowds and get back to nature. Those of you who know, will recognise the spot… and those of you who don’t – do some research. A dreamy early morning boat ride from Bali across to East ...
Chasing the summer with CLEO
A few months ago one of our favourite magazines interviewed us for an exciting travel story. Written by the gorgeous CLEO features writer Edwina Carr, this article has your next adventure covered. Whether you’re into shopping, partying, humanitarianism, thrill-seeking, pampering or chasing the summer, you’ll find great travel tips that’ll have you ready to book ...
Our summer in Europe with Contiki
Last month we followed the summer to Budapest, Vienna and Prague as guests of Contiki. Now when you think about a summer holiday destination, Eastern Europe isn’t necessarily the first place that springs to mind. Its rich history, medieval beauty and fairytale castles are usually pictured under a thick layer of white snow. But in ...
Europe, here we come!
We’re super excited to announce that this week we’ll be following the summer to Eastern Europe with Contiki. With the cold weather setting in over Sydney, we thought we’d chase the warm weather somewhere different this year with an adventure to Budapest, Vienna and Prague. Because we’ve only got a week, we called on Contiki ...
Follow us on Pinterest
If you haven’t yet discovered why digital guru Pete Cashmore has named Pinterest as the breakout social network of 2012, now’s the time. Whether you’re into design, travel, photography, fashion, books, beauty or palm porn, follow This Island Life on Pinterest for all the inspiration you need to live an endless summer. Follow us at ...
Contiki launches ‘This Way To Amazing’
Follow the summer to Europe this year with the chance to win one of four Contiki Holidays! Whether you want to peruse the flea markets in Paris, island hop across the Mediterranean, sip on wine in Tuscany or learn to surf in Spain, there’s nothing quite like Europe in the summertime. That’s why we’re excited ...
Rocka Beach Lounge – Búzios, Brazil
Located in Búzios, the Saint Tropez of South America and my all time favourite holiday destination, is one of the most perfect beachside bars in the world. Perched high on a cliff overlooking a horseshoe bay and the heavy surf of Praia Brava is Rocka Beach Lounge. Run by the Santiago Bebbiano, the Justin Hemmes ...
The Atacama Desert, Chile
Our travel window was closing and it was closing fast. With just one week left in Chile on our South America trip, we’d hit a bit of a snag. We had planned to take the 12-hour bus ride up through the Atacama Desert from Santiago to Copiapó to visit the aqua waters of Playa la ...
Alila Villas, Uluwatu
Overlooking the Indian Ocean on a cliff top plateau, Alila Villas Uluwatu is the perfect backdrop for your island escape. Internationally recognised for architectural design, each villa maximises space, texture and the views are plentiful. With a contemporary design, each villa has blended the traditional Balinese intricacies of wood, rattan and stone. They have taken ...
Gilinta, Gili Trawangan
Gili Trawangan has long been a party island destination for backpackers and young travellers alike. There are no police on the island, so Gili T governs itself. Mushroom milkshakes are proudly advertised and you’ll be offered weed, often before you get to your hotel, it’s just that kind of place. The main harbour has more ...
The Bali Trip
After a cold snap in Sydney in this week, an exhausting five days of fashion last week and no work booked in next week, I made a spontaneous decision to follow the summer to Bali. So for the next two weeks, This Island Life will be coming to you from tropical beaches, fabulous poolsides, balmy ...
Búzios, Brazil
It was 1964 and Brigitte Bardot was at the height of her fame when images of her bikini-bod frolicking in Búzios circled the globe to put this seaside town on the map. As the story goes, Bardot flew into Rio de Janerio to see her Brazilian boyfriend Bob Zagury, but he wasn’t the only one ...
Lazy Beach, Cambodia
As I sit writing, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m breaking an unwritten code among travellers. How do you write about a destination that’s paradise because no one knows about it? You tell the right people. So before I change my mind, here goes. Take a boat about two hours off the south coast ...
