Sleek design and snowy winter months settle Stockholm’s spot as the epicentre of cool. Fifty bridges link the 14 islands that make up Sweden’s biggest city; one of Europe’s most beautiful destinations.

Graffiti is classified as ‘street art’, frumpy or clunky design is a rarity, and the city is as safe and clean as it is hip and cosmopolitan. You’ll come back poorer, but cooler and more chilled: skål!

If you’re here during summer months, hire a bike – try the super-easy Stockholm City Bikes, available from over 100 stands around the city – to explore Stockholm on two wheels. During your bike tour, stop off at the Stockholms stadshus (City Hall) and, if your legs aren’t too jellified from the ride, climb the tower for sweeping views over Stockholm. The café- and antique-shop-peppered streets of Gamla Stan (where Stockholm was founded in 1252) are another must see. If you prefer baths to bicycles, go for a sauna and massage or book a private Turkish bath at the Sturebadet.

For bohemian bargains, hit the Södermalm district or the blocks south of Folkungagatan. To dabble in Swedish design, try DesignHouse Stockholm’s concept store in Norrmalmstorg square, or DesignTorget for quirky, hand-picked pieces. If you have your sights set on some Swedish high fashion, head to the Östermalm district, Stockholm’s most exclusive. For handicrafts and knick-knacks, visit the Old Town of Gamla Stan. Don’t leave without visiting Östermalmshallen Market on Humlegårdsgatan. In a characterful building next to the flower market, it’s a huge delicatessen selling every type of top-quality food you can think of.

Dine out Frantzén/Lindeberg at 21 Lilla Nygatan is a diminutive Michelin-starred critic-pleaser that serves seasonal organic vegetables grown in the chefs’ own gardens; the attention to detail in every dish is breathtaking. Modern Swedish gastronomy at its best.

Drink up Enjoy an interesting Nordic-Asian fusion at Miss Voon, which is great for cocktails and nibbles – try the Twin Star Martini. The typically Swedish interior is an interesting contrast to the Asian-themed food, and the intriguing menu lists items such as: ‘ROCK SHRIMP – Florida, tempura, garlic, chilli’; ‘RACK OF LAMB – Gotland, peanut, ginger, radish’, and ‘CHICKEN – Bosarp, lettuce, fritters, Fiji apple, ponzu’. Nocturnal nibblers are well catered for: a late dinner menu is on offer between 11pm and 1am.

Crash out with Macs in the lobby so you can check yourself in, a courtyard hangout space accented with specially commissioned graffiti, creative cuisine served up in the restaurant and a host of effortlessly elegant locals in the bar, Story Hotel offers unadulterated urban chic, Swedish style (see photos above and below). Make a date with the hotel’s restaurant, Kitchen, which has a tasting menu to be proud of: start with the likes of foie gras and pork belly or Swedish reindeer and salt-baked beetroot, then move on to the baked cod with lobster and roasted hazelnuts, or perhaps the sirloin… then, how about some cloudberries with almond-milk ice cream and liquorice for dessert?

Our favourite rooms The Attic apartment is an amazing spot with a huge bathroom, pantry, workout space and spectacular views of Stockholm. Another favourite is the quirky Lily Dam suite, where you can easily pretend you’re in your own hip flat as you survey the city from the two private balconies.

If you want to wake up in a Smith hotel instead of just reading about them, visit Mr & Mrs Smith’s collection of boutique hotels, or call the expert Travel Team on 1300-89-66-27. Book through Smith for exclusive extras at stays, including a fruit platter on arrival at Story Hotel.

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If the drab decor of your local butcher is getting you down, we’ve found you the ultimate solution. Victor Churchill in Woollahra, a suburb of Sydney, is a meaty experience that will leave you spinning with wonder. Think custom-made copper and glass shelving, rich timber wall panelling, a marble slate floor and a floor-to-ceiling glass walled cool room.

The place is a meat lovers paradise, offering guided tours, meat preparation classes and, of course, first class meat. It’s probably best to leave your vegan friend in the car if you decide to visit. Roll the window down for them as well, because you might just want to stay inside for a while.

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The Burnside bar is a block from my apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s pretty much our regular hang out before practice. Everyone who works there is really awesome. They have amazing cocktails and a great selection of beers. One of the best things about the place, though, is the food. The Juicy Lucy burger is almost a daily meal for me. They also have fried cheese curds.

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We don’t know how, but somehow, somewhere in New York’s subway system, a secret City Hall subway station lurks. With its tall ceilings and brass fixtures, it looks positively majestic and grand. The station has been closed to the public since 1945 as it was deemed too unsafe for use, but apparently, commuters in the know can see the station without getting off on the 6 Train.

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Since Brazil was announced as the host of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games, it brought a lot of attention to the country, and especially to São Paulo, which is considered one of the finest places for gastronomy in the world. Benihana Brasil opened its doors in December 2012. Its kitchen is led by Carlos Ohata, one of the top chefs in Japanese cuisine in Brazil. It also has one of the biggest sake cellars in the country, with awarded Japanese brands.

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Some time back, we posted a post about renting your own private island on the cheap. Now Iglucruise has released an extremely informative, er, infographic, in case you’re thinking about buying your own island. Trivia: the cheapest island on record sold for $12,500 off the Brazilian coast in 2009. Now that’s not too bad, is it?

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Bondi Junction’s beloved Eastern Hotel has a new Mexican hot spot gracing its top floor: El Topo Roof Top Bar. With over 100 Mexican spirits in stock, patrons have access to the largest range of mezcals, sotols and tequilas in Australia. Plus, there’s lip-smacking Wahacan fare to indulge in, too.

I was lucky to attend the venue’s exclusive Tequila Master Class launch lead by Diageo brand ambassadors and can vouch that the luxurious $400 bottle of Cuervo Reserva de la Familia is worth every drop. You too can expand your tequila horizons and and discover the spirit’s long history and production methods just by booking your own master class.

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While in Dubai recently, I checked out the famed Ski Dubai, which is the largest snow park in the world, conveniently located in the largest mall in the world. Heck, this is Dubai right? It has to be OTT. The skiing was a lot of fun.

The black diamond run is more a light shade of grey (unless my skiing has miraculously improved in the five years since I last went), and you can burn from top to tail in about 45 seconds along the giant dog-leg shaped course. It won’t stretch your limits, but it is really fun skiing – with the added bonus of no crowds or blizzards. Just perhaps the odd sand-storm on exiting the centre!

For those who’d hate to break out the goose pimples with the cold, the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates has lovely lookout views of the snowy slopes.

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Founded by Isabella Prata in 2006, Escola São Paulo is an institution that offers very special courses in the creative world, entrepreneurship and innovation. Prata is a Tate Modern member of International Acquisitions Committee in London, President of the Committee to Support the ‘Glass House Project”, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, among other great projects she’s worked between Brasil, Italy and USA. She is also bringing to Brasil for the first time works by legendary artists such as Basquiat, Steve McQueen, and Richard Prince.

Together with the school, there is the Instituto Escola São Paulo, a cultural inclusion project that provides scholarships for students and public school teachers, financial support for young artists, and promotes free cultural events creating a bridge between international guest speakers from curators to artists, teachers and students. It’s a one of a kind school in the heart of Brazil’s most innovative city, São Paulo.

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How to make Sydney a more cultural place? Simple, as Lost At E Minor reader Harley pointed out: ‘Hipsters, 24 hour licenses and creative hospitality owners seem to do the trick’. Sydney already has an active music scene. It’s a genre hopping environment, with distinct inner-city clusters of bars and pubs.

But where it was once the hub for much of the Australian music and dance scene (Oils, Chisel, anyone?), in recent years, Sydney has been largely surpassed by Melbourne and Brisbane, both of which have been churning out the better known Aussie acts.

So Sydney’s live music and club scene could do with a kick along. Liquor licence laws were passed in 2008 which allowed an upper limit of 18 hours trading. But five years along, perhaps granting 24 hour licenses back to local venues will facilitate a livelier nightlife. This would allow hospitality owners to get more creative with their entertainment options and give Sydney’s large hipster population (yes, guilty as charged) more excuses to hang out later, adding even more colour and people watching to an already vibrant and energetic city. [Photo via Cafe Lounge]

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The Dog Show was created by Anna Dewey Greer and Christine Stormberg, BFFs from Omaha, Nebraska. The shop in LA has a giant white Unicorn head adorning the doorway, which they paint black for Halloween. They have a cat telephone that meows and they eat identical suppers in pink TV dinner trays. So obviously when I happened upon these girls doing fashion – Doggy style – I fell instantly in love. Entrepreneurial, glittery and 100 percent awesome. Feminine chaos at its finest.

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A city that starts the day with a pre-breakfast snack and ends it with sherry and flamenco can do no wrong by us. Seville’s tapas alone (garlicky prawns, wine-soaked chorizo, whisper-thin serrano ham and defiantly peppery cheeses) merits a flight here.

Of course, there’s more to sunny southern Spain than what wafts temptingly from its kitchens; the pristine beaches of the Costa de la Luz stretch languorously for miles along the coast, and quiet chestnut woods and the sierras’ sleepy pueblos blancos (Andalucia’s famous white villages) are just an hour’s drive away.

Don your red flared skirts and ruffled lace shirts: Seville is the birthplace of passionate flamenco. Casa de la Memoria de al-Andalus on Calle Cuna is a cultural centre set in an elegant 18th-century palace. Nightly performances are held on its flower-sprinkled patio.

Alternatively, just wander through La Macarena district, breathing in the scents of orange blossom and jasmine and looking out for spontaneous performances at small backstreet peñas (flamenco clubs).

Calle Sierpes, north of La Giralda (the Cathedral of Seville’s bell tower), does a fine line in toffee-brown, top-quality leather goods: browse an array of shoes, bags and wallets. Try Nicole Miller or Loewe near Plaza Nueva for well-priced gifts.
Eat Casa Robles (Calle Álvarez Quintero 58) is a well-known family-run restaurant that has had over 50 years to perfect its succulent seafood; there’s also a tapas bar on the ground floor.

Seeking something more swanky? Join the gilded cherubs at Taberna del Alabardero (Zaragoza 20), which has a dining room graced with plush velvet banquettes and green satin chairs, and a master chef who turns out elegant dishes. Expect seasonal Spanish fare, served with panache. 

Seville’s dry, light sherry is world-famous, and rightly so. You can buy manzanilla sherry from the bodegas (wine cellars) in Sanlúcar, Cadiz; squeeze in a visit to the intoxicating 200-year-old Hidalgo bodega, if you’ve time.

Sleep Spend Spanish nights at Corral del Rey, a revamped 17th-century mansion with wedding-cake-white walls in Seville’s labyrinthine old quarter. Preserved Roman marble pillars, a Seville-spying mirador (tower) and mediaeval Mudéjar wooden doorways lend this cosy casa historic charm; the rooftop plunge pool, contemporary art gallery and in-room gadgets (plasma TVs and pre-loaded iPods) add modernity to the mix. Nibble tapas late into the night at the ground-floor café, lounge and bar; if you’re really feeling nocturnal, stay put for espresso martinis at Mahoot bar.

Need further persuasion? This hotel is one of 55 half-price holidays available this winter; you could have a week here with a whopping 50 per cent off.

To book, call our expert Travel Team on 1300 896 627 and quote ‘Boutique’. Mr & Mrs Smith members get exclusive extras at all stays, including a bottle of manzanilla sherry or a tin of hacienda-made olive oil at Corral del Rey.

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Mmm! I’m loving the caffeine fixes at Antidote, just as much as I fancy their bakery treats and chilled green teas. What’s more, the place is aesthetically pleasing. There’s no impersonal counter when it’s ordering time and the baristas greet you by name and approach you when your order is ready. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill, dry morning coffee experience.

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I recently spent four months in South America ending my trip in Bogota, Colombia. The streets are jam packed with graffiti and various street art, so it really is a feast for the eyes. A great way to see the city is through Bogota Bike Tours that have a tour specifically for street art. A lot of the artists remain anonymous, but there are plenty of political imagery and references to the city’s violent past.

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Normal, everyday activities are pretty boring to photograph. There’s a woman doing her laundry. And there are some ballerinas striking a pose. But now, imagine viewing those mundane photos as displayed in the world’s only underwater art gallery. Works by Andreas Franke are on display 27 meters underwater on sunken ship USNS General Hoyt S.Vandenberg, only reachable if you know how to scuba dive. Take that for extreme art.

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The Cullen, located in Melbourne’s stylish South Yarra, is one of three boutique hotels in the Art Series Group, which dedicates hotels to individual artists such as Australian greats Adam Cullen, John Olsen and Charles Blackman.

This beautiful boutique hotel experience immerses the guest in the aesthetic style of the artist. In The Cullen’s case, the work is dedicated to the Australian icon, Ned Kelly. As you make your way through the hotel, you can discern Cullen’s empathy for the bushranger and his disdain for the law.

While South Yarra boasts some of Melbourne’s best eateries, it’s hard to go past the Gramercy Bistro for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gramercy brings a little slice of New York to the trendy Melbourne suburb, from the chop chop salad to the Reuban Sandwich. And you know it must pass muster when your local South Yarra bestie recommends it ahead of any other restaurant in the area.

Beautiful signature beds, perfect location, stunning views, unique artwork and fabulous food. What more could one ask for in a hotel experience? I’ll be back.

We stayed at the hotel courtesy of Mr & Mrs Smith. You can book Smith hotels via (1300-89-66-27) or at mrandmrssmith.com.

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It’s all about colour at Dubai’s Hues Hotel, situated close to the airport and near to the old town in Dubai. The Hues Hotel offers a compelling boutique hotel experience in this large and remarkable city.

On arrival, early in the morning, I was struck by the dominance of colour and artwork in the lobby. It’s not called ‘Hues’ for nothing. Colour is applied liberally and skilfully. The 103-bedroom hotel is beautifully executed. My room was a double and had plenty of room to unwind in after a long day touring Dubai.

The room was controlled by a state of the art integrated room panel. The bathroom featured a separate bath and an enormous rain shower; perfect to wash off the effects of my long-haul trip. First up I ventured to the rooftop pool, which features a great view over the coast and in the evening a bar.

Hotel staff at the Hues were polite and helpful and were happy to whisk you the short distance to the airport.

The Hues is close to both the waterfront and airport, with the city centre a short taxi or train ride away.

For those looking for an alternative to the large glossy hotels this city is known for the Hues Hotel is an ideal boutique hotel to see the other side of Dubai from.

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Sydney has a stack of natural beauty: amazing harbour views, swathe of beaches, and while there’s plenty of shopping and nightlife, there’s untapped potential for a greater cultural and creative focus.

Melbourne, we all know, does this so well that it inspires us all to be better.

Now, in fairness to Sydney, when events are put on, they’re done extremely well; think Mardi Gras, Vivid Festival, the Sydney Festival. But there isn’t enough general day to day creativeness for my liking… It’s bubbling under the surface, but hard to find.

In Melbourne, the vibe is attractive, in your face, and gives the city a cool edge. Sydney has that too, it’s just visible in smaller bursts.

So here’s my idea: one of my favourite parts of Vivid Festival each year is the lighting of the Opera House sails.

Perhaps we could take that idea and evolve it into a more regular, daily or weekly event. Let’s light that baby up every weekend.

Maybe we could also install more changing, temporary art around the city… We do Sculpture By The Sea pretty well, so why not take it further?!

Oh, we could also stop ripping up rainbow crossings (that was anti-creativeness at it’s finest).

Sydney has so much potential and I’m sure other Sydney folk have some pretty good ideas as well. What would you do to make Sydney a more cultural and creative city?

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE | Facade projection from urbanscreen on Vimeo.

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Just how influential is Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now? Well, here’s something quite unexpected: it has even inspired Filipinos to pick up surfing. It was at Baler, a fishing town in northern Philippines, where the surfing scene was shot, and the locals who watched the actors surf were intrigued.

“When the filming finished, some of the crew left their surfboards behind, and my friend and I picked up the boards and taught ourselves how to surf… we’ve been surfing ever since,” said one surfer who hung out at the film set in 1979 when he was ten. The place has since been dubbed Charlie’s Point.

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Us Sydney-folk love to drink alcoholic beverages out of teapots (The World Bar). This secret hangout tucked away at the end of Melbourne CBD’s Croft Alley prefers to serve drinking in an even more outlandish way: syringes! Yes, you are reading correct. The Croft Institute is all for innovation and yummy shots are served in syringe tubes that squirt straight into your mouth.

Now, the building was initially a mental institution, so perhaps the head bar person is taking this fact a little too seriously. Note: You’ll pay a $5 door cover if entering after 10pm; well worth it for a memorable time.

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