Wine and Spirits Travel

My Australian adventure includes a lot of hotel hopping which I look at as the chance to discover some new places.  Unfortunately, that often also means leaving places before I can totally check them out, but I do like to pass along any gems I find along the way.  Within Melbourne , The Langham definitely fits in this category. One of my favorite aspects of The Langham was the hotel’s ability to combine the lap of luxury with down to earth friendliness.  It ranks among the most opulent hotels I’ve been at, with amenities such as doorbells on the room door, slippers and water bottles at your night table, breathtaking views from the windows (below) and a full wooden box of individually wrapped items of just about anything you could need in the bathroom, next to the large soaking tub. I didn’t have a chance to experience The Langham’s spa, High Tea, Chocolate Spread, Melba Restaurant or Spa, but I did head down to the Aria Lounge.  Petra was as welcoming as the rest of the staff and

It occurred to me when I was sitting at my computer in my suite at the Oaks at Market that I could be anywhere in the world at that moment and it wouldn’t have made a difference.  My first three days in Australia were spent taking a tram to watch tennis at Melbourne Park, coming back to my hotel and sitting in front of the computer until it was time to go to sleep.  It was definitely not the way an Australian adventure should be (though the tennis has certainly been good) and it was time for an immediate change. I shut off the computer and actually left it in the room so I could travel light (we don't part often, so it wasn't easy).  I walked right past the tram and kept walking down Flinders Street, the main thoroughfare in Melbourne .  I noticed for the first time that my hotel is just a block from the Museum of Immigration, and a few more away from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image – currently featuring a Disney exhibition – and the National Gallery of Victoria.