New Hotel Alert
The latest debut Down Under is the fashionable, quirky QT Sydney. The refurbished 200-room member of the Design Hotel group is housed in the old State Theatre and Gowings (a long-time department store) buildings combined, which were constructed in 1929. The rooms contain stylishly eclectic patterns with black, white, red and chrome accents, as well as works by emerging local artists. Despite the dramatic, modernizing revamp, elements of the site's history remain: original wood floors in parts, as well as gargoyles and elements of the stone façade. The bar and grill, lounge and street-side café are also chic spaces to hang out at. Its location on the corner of George and Market Streets is close to all the bustling inner-city districts of Sydney. Rates start at about HK $3,250 per night.
49 Market St., Sydney, NSW, Australia, (+61) 2-8262-0000, www.qtsydney.com.au.
Department of Athletic Vacations
You’re going on holiday, yet swimming several kilometers a day? It may not sound relaxing and restorative to everyone, but for John Coningham-Rolls, who has been planning open-water swimming vacations for the last decade, it’s an idyllic way to spend your precious time off. Between January 26 and February 22—ideal for CNY vacation-takers—he’s organizing four six-day trips in Phuket. Home base is
The Village (
www.thevillage-coconutisland.com), a resort on
Coconut Island, which is located a few hundred meters off Phuket’s east coast. There’s an average of two swims a day in pristine waters among the Andaman sea's idyllic karst formations, ranging from 1.5 to 5 kilometers, led by guides and flanked by escort boats. “You do not have to be an Olympic or a master swimmer,” Coningham-Rolls tells me. “Breaststroke or freestyle—if you can swim in a 25-meter pool for 40 to 45 minutes and not be absolutely puffed at the end of it, you’ll be fine.” Each trip includes a maximum of 12 swimmers, who are allowed to use fins and are coached on strokes should they want to improve.
Coningham-Rolls—who has swum the English Channel in 16 hours, NBD—was the co-founder of
Swim Trek (
www.swimtrek.com), an open-water swimming tour operator, before striking out on his own this year. Of course, this special swimming vacation comes at a price: HK $26,000 per person for a shared twin or double Jacuzzi Suite at The Village, including meals, swims, airport transfers and other amenities except alcoholic drinks. Non-swimmers accompanying their partners or friends can stay at a reduced rate, and everyone has to arrange their own transport to and from Phuket.
