Regional research – Best Restaurants does Tassie

Our tourism content manager Kim Attwells took off to beautiful Tassie last week to call on some of our clients and check out the burgeoning food and wine scene. Tasmania has been getting huge traffic from all over the world so we thought it was time to take a break from our busy Sydney life and to discover why our viewers were so drawn to this unique part of Australia.

We hope Kim doesn’t get too comfy in her little cottage at Piermont – she looks very at home!

From the pics alone, you can understand why Tasmania is the perfect getaway with its amazing food and wine, stunning landscapes, luxurious resort spas and rich sandstone buildings all over the island. But just wait until you get there. Kim said there were many highlights but a few memorable occasions include the drive up the Tamar to Pipers Brook (like driving along the Rhine in Europe), lunch at Stillwater in Launceston and also Meadowbank Winery in Hobart.

Stillwater’s assiette of Belgian chocolate. Blink Photography

Accommodation-wise, Kim highly recommends staying at either Peppers Launceston or Henry Jones in Hobart. But the one place that Kim can’t stop talking about is Villa Howden – just 15 minutes from Hobart, on the edge of the Huon Valley, you will feel that you are in a villa in the south of France. So make sure you book a night.

Villa Howden. Ralph Alphonso

Another highlight was the boat trip from Hobart on Peppermint Bay’s luxurious 23 metre catamaran, called Peppermint Bay II. The cruise takes in the harbour, the River Derwent and the magnificent waters of the d’Entrecasteaux Channel, on its way to Peppermint Bay where you have a fabulous shared plate lunch before returning to Hobart by boat.

Maureen de Groot

Superyacht sailing on the Med – Yolanda’s on a trip of a lifetime

A lot of our clients in the restaurant industry have been asking where Yolanda has disappeared to.  Well, we are very happy and envious to report that while we are all shivering here in Sydney, Yolanda has taken some time off to spend in Europe, and the last update we receieved was that  Yolanda was  about to sail from  St. Tropez to Venice in a 30-metre superyacht.

Yolanda learning the ropes

Yolanda is helping a good friend, who spends each Summer in the Mediterranean as a chef on luxury yachts. Yolanda last ‘facebooked” that she was madly shopping in St. Tropez for food to last them the five day voyage to Venice.

What a shame – I think all grocery stores look the same – even in St. Tropez!

Tough life, but an amazing experience and maybe it will come in handy for our expanding web sites – maybe  www.bestyachtingholidays.com.au?   Just in case anyone is thinking of chartering a superyacht on the Med next year here is the link to the yacht:  http://www.superyachts.com/sail-yacht-2558/dark-shadow-photos.htm.

The “Dark Shadow” superyacht that Yolanda is on board

After this, Yolanda will be returning to London and then hopefully heading home but we are pretty sure it won’t be until the weather warms up.

Maureen de Groot