Blog - Bridge and Wickers

Live like Gatsby on a luxury tailor-made holiday to Sydney, Australia

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:38:51 +0000

Looking for a taste of Gatsby’s life and times, Lurhman style? Then take your cue from his film, ignore Fitzgerald’s Long Island ‘Eggs’ and head for Sydney. Yes, Australia. If Baz could film Moulin Rouge on home ground then why not The Great Gatsby?

Using the elderly stately homes of the city’s eastern suburbs as a backdrop, Lurhman may have conjured up the Long Island feel of the roaring ‘20’s, but today’s Gatsby would feel very at home in Sydney’s 21st century fast lane.

He’d love its iconic imagery, the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the bay with ferries criss-crossing to the beaches, although he’d probably hop on a seaplane, one of the few reminders of the jazz age, for lunch by the ocean. And for dinner, an air taxi to the Hunter Valley for a private wine-tasting and a Michelin starred dinner. So much more civilised than the traffic clogged road from Manhattan to the ‘Eggs’. The flight home swoops over the Opera House, perhaps at its best when lit up against the night sky. And of course, that’s where he’ll be the following night, in the best seats, after an early supper overlooking the bay.

We can arrange a seven night stay at the Park Hyatt, Sydney’s most perfectly placed luxury hotel, flying Qantas Business Class from London, from £7,150 per person. The price also includes chauffeur driven limousine transfers and a deluxe room with one of the world’s most spectacular views.

We can tailor-make foodie treats with a seaplane to lunch at Palm Beach, or Cottage Point Inn Restaurant in the Ku-Ring-Gai National Park. Round trip with lunch from £390 per person. A private plane to the Hunter Valley for wine-tasting and gourmet dinner costs from £510 per person and if by any chance the Gatsbyesque pace of life becomes too much, escape on a full day air safari taking in the Blue Mountains, Middlebrook Station, an 11,000 acre family-owned sheep and cattle station and the Hunter Valley bathed in sunlight. From £845 per person. The Park Hyatt concierge will ensure you get the best seats for the Opera House.

And if the lure of Fitzgerald’s original setting still proves irresistible, make it a round-the world trip of a lifetime on Qantas and take their daily flight via New York, spending a couple of nights at the place to stay on Long Island, Oheka Castle. In a Gatsby Suite, of course. Add this detour and expect to pay from around £9,000 per person. Jay would approve.

Emirates And Qantas Celebrate With Double Flyover in Sydney

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:21:49 +0000

Emirates and Qantas marked the official start of their historic partnership with a double flyover of Sydney Harbour by a Qantas A380 and an Emirates A380 at a height of 1,500 feet on Easter Sunday.

The partnership, which received approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on 27 March, will provide customers with a seamless international and Australian network, frequent flyer benefits and world-class travel experiences.

The flyover was watched from the Sydney Opera House by Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, Alan Joyce. Chief Executive Officer of Qantas; along with members of the public who had gathered around the harbour.

Later in the day, the first Qantas flights departed from Sydney and Melbourne to London via the new international hub of Dubai.

Finding Nemo

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:10:25 +0000

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the hilarious Disney/Pixar Finding Nemo. To celebrate, Disney/Pixar is re-releasing the movie in thrilling 3D – look out for it in cinemas from next Friday, 29 March!

The movie follows the journey of an overly protective clownfish named Marlin and his son Nemo, who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory, a friendly-but-forgetful Pacific regal blue tang, Marlin embarks on a mission to find his son and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son -- who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home.

The inspiration for Nemo’s home, Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef is a fantastic destination -we'd highly recommend it! With stunning marine wildlife from the colourful clownfish to the graceful turtles – it’s an underwater wonderland waiting to be explored. all of our Aaustralia specialists have visited the Reef and can advise you on the best diving and snorkelling spots, where to stay and how to make the most of your time in Qqueensland.

Take the Happiness Test and win a holiday to Fiji!

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:13:29 +0000

@TourismFiji are giving you the opportunity to WIN a luxury holiday to Fiji valued at over $31,000! Take their Happiness Test to be eligible! Enter here: http://bit.ly/Fiji_Happiness_Test_EU1

Good luck!

To find out more about Fij holidaysi, please click here

Queen Mary 2 enters completely new (Zealand) waters

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:35:11 +0000

Cunard’s magnificent flagship Queen Mary 2 has made history, becoming the largest ship to visit Milford Sound in New Zealand’s stunning World Heritage-listed Fiordland National Park.
Measuring 345 metres long and 62 metres above the waterline, the 151,400-tonne liner cruised Milford Sound as part of her maiden circumnavigation of New Zealand.
The biggest ship to sail to New Zealand, Queen Mary 2 is carrying more than 2500 guests on her 12-day journey around New Zealand which will end in Sydney.

Tasting New Zealand’s boutique brews

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:59:02 +0000

New Zealand might be best known for its award-winning wines, but Kiwis are also beer drinkers and have developed a discerning palate that has prompted a boutique brewery boom.

While well established and internationally renowned Kiwi beer brands such as Steinlager, Speight’s and Tui continue to thrive, more than 50 boutique micro-breweries have sprung up in almost every region of New Zealand - each offering their own unique blends and identity.

Today there are more than 250 beers brewed in New Zealand - many have won international awards, some produced by tried and true traditional methods, others with modern technology and an organic and sustainable approach.

As well as being able to sample the various tipples at source, beer lovers can extend their knowledge and follow their passion through a variety of tours and beer festivals, or by mapping out their own self-guided brewery adventure.

NZ brewing heritage
New Zealand’s oldest breweries and pubs date back to the 19th century when pioneers first began to quench their thirst on the local product.

In the South Island, Dunedin’s Speight’s Brewery is a local icon that’s been serving up popular brews - like the revered 'Pride of the South' - since 1876. Brewery tours offer visitors a taste of both history and product.

On the other side of the Southern Alps in the West Coast town of Greymouth, Monteith’s Brewery maintains traditions that reach back to the mid-1880s gold rush times.

In the North Island, the Tui Brewery was established in 1889 on the banks of the Mangatainoka River - after founder Henry Wagstaff reputedly stopped for a cuppa and discovered the finest water he’d ever tasted. The Wairarapa brewery, which established a reputation for export-quality brews, is a NZ institution and a popular tourist attraction.

In the far north, the Duke of Marlborough Hotel - at Russell in the Bay of Islands - was New Zealand's first licensed hotel and has been operating since 1827.

Beer tourism in New Zealand
Many of New Zealand’s breweries are open for tours that reveal some of the age-old brewing techniques that make their tipples so exceptional.

The Beer Tourist website - an independent online guide to New Zealand's breweries and specialist craft beer outlets - offers downloadable maps and details about individual breweries, bars and pubs, including off-sales, brewery tours and accommodation.

In order to be listed, pubs and bars must offer a good selection of craft beers - usually about eight or more on tap, or a broad selection of bottled examples.

Here's a link to the Beer Tourist website http://www.beertourist.co.nz/index.html

Celebrating Maple Syrup in Ontario

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:17:48 +0000

Canada accounts for more than 80 per cent of worldwide production of maple syrup and nowhere more so than in the Province of Ontario, the world's fourth largest producer. As the daytime temperatures rise above freezing and nights remain cold in March, sap flow begins in the maple trees of 'sugar bushes' across Ontario. Modern techniques are used in its production but a large part of the province's culture is the traditional bucket method of tapping trees. Buckets attached to tapped trees enable the flowing sap to be collected.

The sap is then tipped into a large kettle over an open fire where the slow boiling process and evaporation creates the 'liquid gold' we know today.

The production of maple syrup will be celebrated across the province at more than 20 annual maple syrup festivals in 2013. Here is a guide to just a few.

The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival - Elmira,Ontario, April 6, 2013

The Elmira Festival has been recognised in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest maple syrup festival. Started in 1965, every year festival-goers devour 15,000 piping hot pancakes and 725 litres of Waterloo County Maple Syrup. Visitors can try their hand at pancake making at the spirited pancake flipping competition, stroll along the pedestrian friendly city centre past stalls peddling pancakes and hot drinks or jump on a sugar bush bus and head to one of the local sugar bush farms to view syrup making in action.

The Fulton Pancake House and Sugar Bush - Pakenham, Ontario, Late Feb/April 2013

The historic Fulton's Farm, founded in the 1840's by Scottish immigrant John Fulton, has been operating as a sugar camp (commonly known as a Sugar Bush) every since John Fulton and his brothers learned the art of Maple Syrup making from the local aborigines. The farm was opened to the public in the 1900's selling sweet treats and savoury breakfasts and the Fulton's Pancake House and Sugar Bush was born. Fulton shines in the winter time with February-April offering the most dynamic days out. Enjoy a self-guided maple tour to discover how the more than 3,000 maple trees onsite are tapped and then head to the Maple Shop for some rare maple inspired spa treats.

Buckhorn MapleFest - Lakefield, Ontario. Late March, 2013

Located in the heart of the Kawartha Lakes, northeast of Toronto, the Mclean Berry Farm offers a rustic day out like no other. In addition to producing some of the finest strawberries in Ontario, Mclean Berry Farm chases away the winter with a sweet Maple Syrup celebration. The festival incorporates community arts and great food with lively musical performances, maple demonstrations, celebrity chefs and ice carvings.

Moon Shadows Estate Winery - Haliburton, Ontario.

Less than two hours north of Toronto, this maple syrup operation has evolved to become Ontario's first maple winery. In 2005, they cleverly began introducing maple syrup in the fermentation process and now offer more than 20 varieties of maple and fruit wines.

About Ontario

The province of Ontario is located in east-central Canada and is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and five U.S. states to the south. With a population of more than 13 million, Ontario is home to one in three Canadians and is one of Canada's largest provinces, covering more than one million square kilometres (415,000 square miles). Toronto, the capital of Ontario, is Canada's largest city. It is also the commercial, industrial and financial centre of Canada. Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is also located in Ontario. Ontario is home to 400,000 lakes and contains one-third of the world's fresh water.

We offer a wide selection of tailor-made holidays and escorted tours through this region, click here for details

Watch Bear Grylls' Air New Zealand Safety video and enter a competition to win a holiday to New Zealand

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:05:00 +0000

Air New Zealand and British adventurer, Bear Grylls, filmed the safety video in a remote part of the Routeburn Track near Fiordland in New Zealand’s South Island late last year.

The Bear Essentials of Safety rolls out across the Air New Zealand fleet from today and follows global safety video hits such as The Hobbit themed An Unexpected Briefing, All Blacks themed Crazy About Rugby and Fit To Fly featuring fitness legend Richard Simmons.

In the Bear Essentials of Safety, the famous adventurer and top selling author is assisted by renowned Kiwi entomologist Ruud Kleinpaste (also known as The Bug Man) and has to contend with a cast of native creatures, including a Kea, a Tuatara, native glow worms and the extinct flightless New Zealand bird – the Moa.

The safety video also features appearances from three Kiwi Scouts, who were in awe of the opportunity to work with Bear, who is Chief Scout to the UK Scout Association.

Bear Grylls says shooting an in-flight safety video in the wild was an inspired idea. “New Zealand is a country that I have always called my home away from home and I feel so proud to be involved with this campaign. We shot in a truly amazing setting with an amazing team – and that is always a privilege.”

Air New Zealand Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says Bear Grylls was the ideal in-flight safety ambassador.

“Bear was the ideal partner to help us bring to life important on-board safety messages in a unique and compelling way while at the same time demonstrating the best of what New Zealand has to offer. We hope the global attention this safety video will receive generates more awareness of our amazing country and gets a few more bums on seats. The video builds perfectly off the back of the strong imagery generated globally by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and was worth the logistical challenges involved to create it,” says Mr Tod.

He says the video would not have been possible without the support of the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC).

“Air New Zealand and DOC have developed a deep partnership where we can combine our assets for the benefit of our nation. DOC is the custodian of some of the best environmental tourism experiences in the world and it’s a privilege to bring these to life on the global stage through our world-class marketing capability. In particular, the work we are doing together in promoting the nine Great Walks in New Zealand is really starting to show some positive results.”

DOC Director General Al Morrison says the project reflects the common interest both organisations share in enhancing New Zealand’s wildlife and its special places.

“Air New Zealand is also actively supporting our biodiversity and species translocation programmes around the country, including the Routeburn Track where the video was shot. We are very pleased to be working with a business leader that understands the value of investing in conservation.”

Online viewers of the Bear Essentials of Safety can be in to win a trip for two to New Zealand from anywhere in the world to complete the Great Kiwi Bucket List.

The prize includes a 10 day New Zealand holiday with the winner’s choice of six adventure activities from a list that ranges from swimming with dolphins in Doubtful Sound to hot air ballooning across the Canterbury Plains.

View the Bear Essentials of Safety at http://www.airnzsafety.com/

Paul Gauguin returns to Fiji

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:00:36 +0000

Paul Gauguin Cruises is featuring new itineraries and ports in Fiji, Australia, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America and Costa Rica for 2014.

The Paul Gauguin returns to Fiji in 2014 starting with an 11-night Fiji to Australia voyage in June 2014.

Sister ship, Tere Moana, will operate seven-night European cruises from April to October 2014 as well as new ports and itineraries further afield during the rest of the year.

for more information on including a cruise as part of your tailor-made holiday and a copy of the new Paul Gauguin brochure, please contact us.

Hotel report - Hotel De Brett, Auckland

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:14:42 +0000

I was recently lucky enough to visit Auckland, New Zealand biggest city on it’s North Island, and stay at Hotel DeBrett in the heart of the city. DeBrett’s is a unique luxury boutique hotel just off the main drag of Queens Street and close to the fashionable High Street area. It’s an iconic building, recently converted and renovated and contains just 25 luxurious rooms and suites. Each room, as well as the communal areas of the property, are designed in a stylish and eclectic fashion with period pieces of furniture used throughout to create a retro trendy feel.

Despite the modern feel the hotel has a warm homely atmosphere throughout and the Corner Bar is frequented by hotel guests and locals alike. I was lucky enough to be staying in one of their loft suites. This is their top room type set over two floors with a spiral staircase linking the two levels. It contains two bathrooms and enough space to spread out and relax with living quarters on one floor and the bedroom on another. Auckland may have great hotels down on the water front but DeBrett’s really is a little gem, well located, for those travellers with an eye for style and something a little unique and it most certainly ticks those boxes!

Author

Jeremy Webster