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Experience a wild night at Coco Bongo, where even the venue is a heady cocktail: part nightclub, part floor show, with a dash of Cirque du Soleil poured into the mix to keep things very interesting. Think lip-synching pop star doppelgangers, acrobats, wild movie costumes, dancing and social lubricant by the litre. If you tire of the place in Cancún, head to its sister venue in Playa del Carmen.
Rio might grab all the attention, but the flesh-flashing party that goes hand in hand with the mass participation Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago is every bit as explosively colourful and crazy, minus the crowds of tourists. Steel bands, elaborate costumes, stick fighting and limbo competitions all form part of the tropical two-day festival, which kicks off on different dates in February or March each year.
It starts at 4am on the Monday before Ash Wednesday, with the main celebrations – masqueraders in costume, bands in competition and plenty of people watching on – taking over Tuesday.
Also known as the Manhattan Solstice, this is a natural spectacle during which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of New York City’s main grid. It makes for some killer photos, so photographers, take note: it only happens twice a year, and the best chance to catch that perfect moment on camera is usually between the end of May and the middle of July.
Slip between the sheets of homegrown beauty QT Sydney, an uber-cool hotel that stretches across two landmark buildings, the State Theatre and Gowings, in the heart of the CBD. Think speakeasy charm fused with geometric rugs, objets d’art – including a gown made entirely from undies – and a costume-clad host called the ‘director of chaos’. The lift serenades couples with love songs, groups with party beats and solo travellers with tunes about loneliness. Start the day with coffee at Parlour Roasters, rest your weary bones at the excellent spaQ (some of the treatment rooms feature gorgeous, original lead lighting), get a trim at the Barber Shop and, when you’ve returned from a day exploring the city, head downstairs to the cool Gowings Bar & Grill for a late-night tipple.
Fly through the Bokeo jungle on a zip line to your unique Gibbon Experience tree house, nestled in the forest canopy. Spend the day hiking around the forest, exploring Nam Kan National Park and zip lining from mountain to mountain. In the evening, once you’ve flown once more to your overnight home above the trees, enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the jungle and wake to the whistles of playful gibbons. It’s a night’s shut-eye you will never forget. The drop toilet however you might want to!
It started as a dream concocted in a cell in the old Hobart Gaol, back in the 1820s. Today it’s one of the world’s most beautiful brewing establishments, crafting draughts, lagers and stouts with waters sourced from Tasmania’s Mount Wellington.
Take a tour of the gothic sandstone establishment – more a castle than a factory – and learn all about ex-con Peter Degraves and his brother-in-law Major Macintosh who made it their business to supply Australia’s island state with a generous supply of beer. After uncovering the brewery’s history, including the great fire that burned Cascade into an ashen shell back in 1967, and hearing how the beverages are made, you’ll shrug off your hi-viz vest and sample four different refreshing ales and ciders.
The Middle East isn’t particularly known for its celebration of minority groups, so it’s a bit of a surprise to find that one of the world’s biggest Pride parades takes place in Tel Aviv during June each year.
More than 100,000 outlandishly dressed – perhaps that should be under-dressed – slaves to the rhythm arrive on the Mediterranean coast each year to wave the rainbow flag for equality, peace and the right to party with their same-sex peers and partners.
The bars, clubs and hotels of Tel Aviv open to welcome the LGBQTI community during the week, hosting enough parties to send you home exhausted, but make sure you keep something in reserve. By far the biggest event comes at the end of the week, with a huge parade that starts in Meir Park and weaves down the main drag. Join the cavalcades of motorbikes, take a sip at a moving bar and shake what your mamma gave you in the sea of rainbow-clad revellers as they march down the street.
Unlike most parades, this one has a ‘no barricades’ approach, so anyone and everyone can dance between the floats, follow them for a distance, drop back to others and generally become one with the shifting sea of humanity.
Eventually the whole shebang ends up on Gordon Beach at about 3pm where a huge dance party rages right through till sunset. Best of all, it’s a free event, so anyone who wants to celebrate the spirit of gay pride can join right in.
Located on Mai Khao Beach on Phuket’s quiet northwest shoreline, with privacy and comfort second to none, SALA Phuket is the perfect place to get lost.
For the privacy lover, SALA Phuket features 79 spacious villas and suites, 63 of which have private swimming pools. Equipped with their own open-air bathroom, a piece of lush garden and sun loungers, the resort’s pool villas offer an incredible amount of space and privacy, creating the impression of being personal resorts all on their own.
Perfect for gourmets, SALA Phuket Resort & Spa is known for its excellent cuisine, having featured in the Thailand Tatler Best Restaurant list for three consecutive years. The private beach dinner offers the ultimate in luxury dining.
Wellness gurus will love the resort’s award-winning SALA Spa, which features a contemporary design and one of Phuket’s best spa menus, available exclusively to guests in conjunction with the famous French beauty brand Clarins.
Shopaholics can also get their fix, with the resort sitting just a short walk from Turtle Village shopping area. Guests can easily explore Phuket by making use of the daily shuttle buses to both Phuket Town and Patong.
If you think a walking tour is the best way to explore Iceland’s capital city, think again. Slip into a wetsuit, fasten your leash and get your blood pumping on a stand-up paddleboarding tour around Reykjavík. Dip your paddle into the glassy waters of Reykjavík Harbour and glide beside skyscrapers and snow-capped buildings as you trace the frosty coastline. While you float along the city shores, your guide will point out the best sights and give you tips on the must-see attractions during your visit.
Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned SUPer, this aquatic adventure will put your balance to the test as you gawp at your surroundings on this unique city tour. Once you’re familiar with the city, head out on a trip to another location – the country is full of paddleboarding opportunities.
Brace yourself for the stomach-churning, adrenaline-pumping drop of a lifetime on the Insano waterslide at Brazil’s Beach Park in Fortaleza. With big red lettering running down the slide, Insano should have you running away. Topping out at 41 metres, it was, until recently, the world’s highest waterslide. Despite having lost that honour, it will have you falling for five seconds at speeds up to 105 kilometres an hour.
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