After a week of spotting in Sydney I’m travelling to Melbourne today to discover the latest restaurants, hotels and shops. I will stay at the Ovolo Hotel right in the middle of the city so I can just wake up and start spotting immediately! Ofcourse I’m bringing my phone to immediately share the things I come across. Like Tomboy, Gazi and Fonda Mexican (pictured above). Follow me on Instagram for all the details. Read more…
For me Australia is where it all started. At the age of 20 (12 years ago) I travelled to Australia as a backpacker. It was my first long journey and I arrived at a wet T-shirt contest on the first night. I thought: oh no, that’s not going to happen. I might not have a millionaires budget, but I’m gonna find the more special places down under. And that’s how I travelled for seven months through Australia, in search for cool spots. It may sound as a far-away destination but it definitely is an influencer in the world of hotspots. We’re now all doing the hanging plant thing, but have you seen The Commons in Sydney already? Open for years now (I wrote about it in 2010) and I’m sure they are already thinking about doing something else. Look at the coffee culture: Toby’s Estate opened their doors in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The Parisian owner of Holybelly was a photographer when he arrived in Melbourne and got influenced by the coffee virus Down Under and he opened a cafe in Paris to bring a bit of Melbourne to France. And why is Federal Cafe in Barcelona such a success? Because the owners come from Australia and they decided to bring the open windows, coffee culture and delicious pies to Sant Antoni. That’s the reason I have to see Sydney (and after that Melbourne) and visit all those new spots that opened after my last visit and share my experiences with you! I hope you’re just as excited as I am.
12 years ago Cathay Pacific was the airline to bring me to Australia and now they are gonna bring me there again! Travelling in their brand new Premium Economy Class (follow me tomorrow on Twitter to read all about my experience) to Hong Kong first. That’s the perfect stop-over destination so I can visit Yardbird again and stay at the fantastic Hotel ICON and after that I’m off to Sydney to stay at the superb QT Sydney.
Follow me on Instagram if you want to travel with me during my trip! Read more…
Bye bye February, hello March! How was your month in terms of travelling and visiting cool spots? I travelled to New York and Mexico to make an update on Petite Passport and I hope you added some of my recommendations to your list of places you want to visit. I love to think back of my stay at the beautiful North 8th Loft at the Wythe Hotel and to my healthy breakfast at the Butcher’s Daughter. And if I had to travel back to the Papaya Playa Project in Tulum I wouldn’t doubt for a second. Such a beautiful place! In my hometown Rotterdam de Pasta Kantine opened its doors and I’m glad you all like it (because it was the most popular post on Petite Passport this month). Now I’m gonna continue preparing a trip of a lifetime and I will tell you all about it tomorrow. So stay tuned…
For now: the most popular posts of February!
Most striking feature:
This is heaven! As you may have noticed on Instagram and Facebook I was in one of earth’s most precious places called Papaya Playa Project. A fairly new hotel in Tulum which started as a pop up hotel initiated by designhotels.com. Now they are here to stay and welcome guests from all over the world who seek tranquility, nature and inspiration. The hotel consists of cabanas: simple ones with a shared bathroom, cabanas with their own bathroom and a sea view and luxurious cottages. We stayed in Read more…
Most striking feature:
This store feels like a museum! Although Dover Street Market is a six stories high building, the entrance is tucked away in a small street between Park and Lexington Avenue. You will be greeted by a doorman and while I was in doubt whether to go left (to the shop) or right (to the cafe) someone who worked there gave me the advice to take the elevator and start on the top floor and zig-zag my way down. Every floor is different and showcases the most fashionable brands there are right now. From, ofcourse Comme des Garçons, and from Supreme, Nike, Alexander Wang, Erdem, Rick Owens, Christopher Kane and many more. Rei Kawakubo, the Read more…
Most striking feature:
The menu of de Pasta Kantine consists of nothing else than pasta. Do you like Penne Romana or Linguine alle Couri? Lasagne or Spaghetti alla Puttanesca? You will find them all on the menu. And they all have more than fine prices. I’ve ordered a small Lasagne al forno tradizionale and paid 4,50 euro. Next time I will go for the large version (7,50 euro) because I really liked it. My boyfriend ordered a small pasta (4,50 euro) which would have been just enough for me. What I also like is that a bottle of tap water costs 1 euro and goes directly to charity (Dine4Them) and if you ordered too much they will give you a doggy bag because they believe in the No-Waste philosophy. It’s a canteen, so expect a laid-back atmosphere with good pasta’s and salads, no high end cuisine. You definitely feel the passion and love of the people working here: the owner told me he had worked for years in a totally different work field, but when he Read more…
Most striking feature:
The laidback atmosphere. When you enter All Good Things you first see a market. There’s a butcher, a cheese shop, a flower shop and a bakery. When you walk all the way to the back you see that they have a cool cafe there. And they even have a restaurant, called Le Restaurant, downstairs which earned a Michelinstar in 2013. All Good Things could have been a Brooklyn restaurant because of the interior and the atmosphere, but it’s located in Tribeca. Chef Ryan Tate serves Read more…
Most striking feature:
The coffee. Toby’s Estate Coffee was born in Australia and after the speciality coffee was distributed to a lot of coffee spots in Australia, Toby’s Estate opened a shop in Singapore and one in Brooklyn in 2012 (read my Tried & Tested here). And more recently they crossed the East River to open a Toby’s Estate on Manhattan too. The design is slightly Read more…
Most striking feature:
The colorful Baggu bags and the new blue and white striped duffel bag (I just love stripes). Around the corner of Pilgrim Surf & Supply, Mociun and Isa Baggu started with a pop up shop a few years ago. That was such a success that they now have a permanent shop in Williamsburg. And it’s their only shop, because Read more…
Most striking feature:
The light installation on the ceiling. Wow! Miller’s Near & Far is a new restaurant on the Lower East Side. It’s a project of Miller and Matt Abramcyk who also run Smith & Mills in Tribeca. Inside it feels like you’re in a classic diner, but it’s designed with modern elements such as a grey brickstone wall, black and white pictures on the walls, simple wooden chairs and ofcourse the outstanding LED-light installation (architecture and design by Lloyd W. Huber of LWH Architecture). You can sit down on a table or chat with the chefs at the bar. And don’t forget to Read more…
