this week just gone has been a lot of fun for us. The warmer weather here in Sydney and the new season has implied lots of new things going on. We’ve also been busy catching up with friends, which is always a good thing.
We’re also thrilled about the second half of October as Sydney gets ready for some outstanding beer-based events. check out our run-down of where to go this October for the best Aussie beer festivals.
But anyway, on with this week’s IG Edition…
This is one of the cocktails on the new spring and summer menu at our new preferred city bar – Grain. best next to circular Quay on the edge of the Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney, Grain is part of the four seasons Hotel. but it doesn’t feel like any hotel bar we’ve been in.
It’s comfortable, sophisticated and has a great view out over the street. I can see Mrs romance and I unwinding with one of these cocktails and doing some major people-watching this summer.
This cocktail, by the way, is called Swipe best and is Tanqueray Gin shaken with Cointreau and fresh mango puree, dressed up with strawberry fairy floss. I thought it was going to be too sweet, but it’s actually delicious.
Here are the other new additions to Grain’s cocktail menu:
– Murphy’s law – a rye and rocky road liqueur cocktail with agave, berries and a chunk of rocky road choc as garnish.
– Caracas – white rum stirred over a fig and caramel liqueur with a dash of molasses bitters and caramelised fig.
– project Mellow – Lagavulin 16 year old scotch and Johnnie walker Black with lemon butter, ginger and lemon balanced with maple syrup and a toasted marshmallow. this one is my favourite, but then Lagavulin is my preferred whisky anyway.
We’ll be back at Grain Bar later this week too: Australian craft spirit distributor Nip of courage is hosting an event here to showcase 8 of the country’s best distillers, trying some of their beautiful spirits and learning much more about the industry.
For much more information and to book your own tickets, click here!
I found this bit of sky writing go up today. It set me (and a lot of our friends on Instagram) to wondering who was asking and what the result was.
Mrs romance is out at Milson’s point on the north side of the harbour today. She’s found this! I love the Ghostbuster films and the new one really stands up well. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure you do.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about the frightening face behind the car, it’s the entrance to Sydney’s Luna Park fairground. It’s apparently the face of Old King Cole modelled on similarly disturbing amusement park entrances in Melbourne and in the States.
Tonight we’re at Chon Thai in Balmain for dinner with friends. The food and service here both make for an outstanding night. These are betal leaf entrees with smoked trout, ginger, lime, roasted coconut and caramelised palm sugar. Delicious!
There’s a full moon this weekend. It’s implied the tides here in Sydney have been really high. This is part of a walkway around the harbour – you can still see one of the big blocks of stone that you can step on to get to the park beyond. Not today!
Hope you’ve delighted in this week’s IG Edition. Stick around for our travel recap below!
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This week’s travel Recap
Each week we go back in time over some of our preferred travel destinations using never-before-seen photos of our travels. Here’s where we’ve been looking back on this week.
The cars in Cuba are all so cool. It’s a fascinating legacy of when America and Cuba were friendly with each other (though this weekend it seems the USA is now allowed to sell Cuban cigars and rum again!). The Cubans have maintained the cars left here from the ’50s and before so well that they’re now an icon of this beautiful country.
The colours and life here in Cuba are so photogenic as you can see. Mrs romance has put together a Postcards from Cuba range of her preferred shots. check it out.
Out in the middle of the desert on route 66 is the little ghost town of Amboy. Roy’s Motel and Diner has been here because the town’s heyday. The midcentury modern style of the building and the atomic art of the sign are so iconic.
Can you see our car in the background? We drove a very cool Mustang from San Diego to Las vegas – an outstanding road trip that we’ve written about quite a bit and have also put together a full schedule with totally free downloadable here.
Just round the corner from Roy’s – still in Amboy – we found this great photo opportunity. A lot of route 66 is impassable these days as the government no longer maintain it. It’s still well worth following the 66 as muchas you can though. It’s such a cool road.
And don’t worry, we didn’t drive very far down this closed off section!
On our drive south from San Francisco to Los Angeles, we stopped in at Malibu Beach. I was quite amazed how normal it was here – I was expecting it to be much much more glam. It’s a beautiful beach with some great all-American kiosks and signage. You can’t get much much more California than this!
For much more info and our schedule for the road trip down highway 1, click here!
Just outside of Byron Bay, the most easterly town on the Australian mainland, is elements of Byron. This new hotel is absolutely spectacular and best on the beach – though the lagoon pool here is much much more welcoming for a unwinding swim than the ocean.
Check out our full review of elements of Byron here!
Part of elements of Byron is Graze – the hotel restaurant. The food that comes out of the kitchens here is superb, using locally sourced ingredients. This is the breakfast we had, but the dinner was even better.
Watch this space for our full review of Graze, it ought to be coming up in the next couple of weeks. until then, check out our top suggestions of where to eat in and around Byron Bay!
It’s hard to believe that this was our very own pool in our hotel room in Phuket. The Aleenta Phuket is a beautiful resort best on the beach as you can see, but with private pools in practically all of the rooms is an outstanding touch. If you’re searching for a luxury stay by the beach in Thailand, you can’t really beat this place.
Check out our full review and video walk-through of Aleenta Phuket here!
We hope this has got your week off to a great start. Where is your next trip taking you? When are you going? tell us in the comments!
Images by Mr and Mrs romance through Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance.