On The Mark

 MOTH's making a last ditch effort finishing off the reno of our large upstairs Home Office. It's looking good, but with no heating, window or floor coverings, it's bitterly cold up there.....not a very conducive atmosphere for drying paint. A weekend away in the heat of a New York summer looks good & The Mark, on the corner of Madison Avenue & 77th St. is the place.

Designer Jacques Grange has done a pretty nifty job I reckon. Light & airy, I'll take the Mark Premier Suite thanks.

Fabulous soft furnishings in the sitting room & a custom kitchen specially designed by Piero Lissoni for Boffi with kitchen appliances from Gaggenau, Miele and Sub-Zero will do just fine.



Soft, squishy sofas just perfect for flopping into after a hard days shopping down town.

MOTH prefers a straight backed chair these days for his crook back - this one looks just right.

Breakfast in the suite please, saves having to get out of the trackie dacks for another hour.

The best mini-bar I've seen in yonks.

Couldn't ask for a nicer bedroom.

You can tell a lot about a hotel by the bedside tables they keep, this one passes with tops marks, pardon the pun!

Lots of room on this vanity bar, I do detest juggling all my stuff on a hotel bathroom cabinet meant for pygmies.

Not Port Power colours here on the bathroom floor, but I'll forgive them this one lapse.

Commodious shower - I DO love that word!

The Mark has collabored with stroller manufacturer Maclaren, to offer guests a fleet of custom-designed strollers ideal for a walk through Central Park or shopping along Madison Avenue. How thoughtful!

With Central Park a bone's throw away, The Mark would welcome puppy Lulu, who after a warm greeting from the pet-loving door staff, would have her own comfortable dog bed by Molly Mutt, signature water bowls and a custom placemat. It's a dog's life!

If ever there was time to try out my new bionic knee, it would be here. A spin on one of The Mark's Republic Bikes would definitely put it through its paces - the bikes incorporate elements of the hotel's Jacques Grange design including a striped chain case and monogrammed bells, naturally.

As MOTH's too cheap to eat out in restaurants twice a day, the Concierge can organize a picnic in Central Park, created by celebrated chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The gourmet picnic basket includes all the picnic essentials – blanket, cutlery and condiments. As a finishing touch, The Mark’s chef concierge, Isabelle Hogan, has curated an illustrated bike map to help guests navigate Central Park. As MOTH gets lost just going to the supermarket at home, this will be essential.

This place looks so good, we may never make it home to finish off the painting. It's the weekend dear Hedgies, so go enjoy!

All images: The Mark

Blanc de Blanc

Phew that was a huge week! Another year, another Kick-Off Meeting - overblown, undercooked, a cast of thousands & too many Chiefs & not enough Indians, enough said. All this was tempered however by the surroundings where all the 'stuff' was presented, The Observatory Hotel in The Rocks. Over the years I've been fortunate to travel to a lot of countries & stay in some pretty amazing places for work, so I can't believe this little gem has alluded me up to now. It's the only Orient Express hotel in Australia & so is indicative of all that goes with that unique brand. However for me, my stay was made extra special by the hotel staff. Warm, welcoming, generous, utterly professional yet without a sniff of pomposity or snobbishness, each & every one of those gorgeous people are at the top of their game. Thank you, thank you all from the bottom of my grateful heart, I need to return, I will & soon.

I noticed as I was flipping through their Collections portfolio in my room, that our friend at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Raymond Blanc has designed & opened 4 new Suites. Here's Ray spruiking the new digs, very nice mate. I have thought before that this should be the venue for my long dreamt about Hedgies Bloggers Retreat & seeing Raymondo waxing lyrical, I've locked it in. It's the weekend, so go enjoy!

Travelling Well

I have yet another flight to catch to Melbourne tomorrow for the rest of the week. I like to walk to work, so stay in a fine hotel in Collins Street, but sometimes I wish the office was closer to the very elegant Villa Donati Boutique Hotel in Richmond.

Or it's edgier, funkier sibling Apartment 401 in Flinders Lane.

Life's a blur at the moment, keeping a minor Millie melt-down at bay is my Numero Uno priority.I've promised myself one early night tucked up with room service & some serious blog surfing. I'll be by soon, promise. As that famous Aussie pugilist once said 'I love youse all.'

Images: Villa Donati & Apartment 401

Millie & The Rappers

Well that sure was an interesting few days in Sydney! Our Sales Meeting was held in one of the city's most salubrious & prestigious 6 star Hotels & my room was divinely luxurious. All well & good you might say except for one small point - these boys (or their equivalent) were my next door neighbours!!! I believe these lads fall into a musical category known as Gangster Rappers, & after 3 days sharing a common wall with them, boy do I know how they got that name. Now I have a pretty broad mind & am not one to deny anyone the right to party, but these lads, their groupies & a posse of minders wearing more gold chains than Tutankhamun gave it more than just a nudge, they pushed the party machine right off the cliff! The noise I could have tolerated, but the crunch was that my room had a locked connecting door to their's & that's where the trouble started.

From the time I checked in, my room was full of smoke which came wafting up under the door from many of these 'herbal' cigarettes the chaps & their 'visitors' were indulging in. Considering that the entire Hotel is non-smoking, I was not happy. Numerous calls to Management resulted in the lads being told to desist & slapped with a $500 per day additional 'housekeeping' fee. But it seemed the more warnings they got from the Hotel's meek & mild bespectacled front office manager, the more they smoked. Sadly I couldn't move rooms as the Hotel management reckoned the place was at 110% occupancy - could someone please explain to me how that works?!

So boys, I hope you enjoyed your stay but honestly, when I was woken at 6.30a.m. from my slumbers this morning by more 'fragrant' smoke wafting from under our shared door, that was the last straw. Don't count on me to buy your next album, it won't be happening. And to that famous global Hotel conglomerate, you owe me BIG TIME!!!!!

Our Local

Two very memorable things happened in the little village of Stirling in June 2006 - we moved up from the City & the Pub received a fabulous make-over. One is slightly more impressive than the other & I'll leave that for you to decide!

Since then MOTH & I have had many relaxed nights enjoying a wonderful dinner in the casual Bistro.

Or with a pint by the fire in the Front Bar, followed by the compulsory game of pool before stumbling home.

And the occasional special dinner in the flash Mallee Grill restaurant.

MOTH's well-known in the fabulous adjoining Bottle Shop, occasionally needing a red card flashed at him to let him know he's overstayed his welcome at the Tasting table.

Now Brett & Sarah the owners have responded to the acute shortage of decent accommodation in town by wandering upstairs & giving all the unused rooms a new lease of life. They have called their venture 5 Rooms - & that's exactly what it is. 5 simple but elegant suites with king-sized beds, luxury linen, i-Pod docking stations, double showers, spa baths, etc. All rooms share a cute little kitchen with a big espresso machine. 3 rooms have open fireplaces & french doors opening out onto the sweeping upstairs balcony.

We've spent many a happy warm Summer's night propped up out the front of The Stirling. Some nights, we even walk the 1/2km., but MOTH needs to lead the way home with a torch, as once away from the main street, there isn't any street lighting, so finding our front door is quite a challenge! So if you are heading up our way, I hope you stop at The Stirling, & maybe even give one of the 5 Rooms a spin.
Images: The Stirling Hotel