Editor. Writer. Traveller. Keeping tabs on all things fab. susan@excessallareas.com.au
What’s the best sound a traveller can hear? It just might be the gentle ripping up of a boarding pass at the gate. More often than not it signifies an upgrade. Turning left to First, at the pointy end of the plane, turns out to be the icing on a Barcelona holiday cake. So what…
The ancient Moroccan city of Marrakesh inspired some of Paloma Picasso’s best works for jeweller Tiffany & Co, including the iconic Zellige collection. She shared its charms with Susan Skelly. I have lived in Marrakesh since … 2006, but have been visiting since 1980 and so has my husband, Eric [Thvenet]. My first impression of the…
With flights to Hong Kong from Sydney daily, reports Susan Skelly, a short break in the electropop city has never been more appealing. Just enough time to speed date the hottest eateries, be dazzled by the mega-malls, scour the alleyways for antiques and mementos and locate the cool art. The transport system is peerless, so pick…
Is it a dining room, lounge, bar or art gallery? As it is, the Centennial Hotel in Woollahra ticks all the boxes. And you can throw in upmarket pub. Centennial Hotel is part of the Halcyon Hotel Group’s portfolio, which also includes the Woolwich Pier Hotel, the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel and the recently purchased Buena…
The French call it the water of life and both traditionalists and hip hop arrivistes have irons in the fire at the Cognac club. On a wintry night seeking a slow flame, Sydney’s Hemmesphere nightclub is abuzz with suits, spray tans, short, short dresses and those with a nose for both eaux-de-vie – the building…
Coffee is high science today. Karsten Ranitzsch oversees the coffee journey – from the coffee cherry to the cup – for Nespresso. Here he clinks coffee cups with Susan Skelly. Q: In Australia, many people have exceptionally high expectations of coffee, whether in a cafe, at work or at home. A: With Australians entertaining at…
As an oyster, pinctada maxima can be a little, well, inelegant. But in true ugly duckling to swan style, the treasures it produces signal Australia’s luxury credentials to the world. Susan Skelly goes to sea to witness the surgical genesis of pearly perfection. The seamless amalgam of sea and sky off Eighty Mile Beach on…
So discreet it doesn’t even have an address, this Byron Bay retreat offers intensive tailored programs to help beat addictions. The Sanctuary Byron Bay is an enigma. Locals will tell you they’ve heard of it, those working in drug and alcohol fields talk about it with respect, but no-one can quite locate it or explain…
As Cartier launches the latest iteration of its emblematic panther design, Susan Skelly explores a vast archive that is as much a reflection of 20th-century social history as it is of the premium jeweller’s sparkling gems. It’s an icy, grey, drizzling Saturday morning in Paris and the doors to the Grand Palais have just swung…
Guidebook producers and luxury travel networks alike are tipping Tasmania as the hot find. Home to art, fine food and cheeky hotels, the island inspired editor Susan Skelly to plot a short break on the east coast There’s a sense of the last frontier about Tasmania, not least because there’s not much else between you…