luxury | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Jun

Self-drive safari v luxury game experience: South African safari two ways | Sydney Morning Herald

“Why don’t more Australians do a self-drive safari?” Australian crime novelist @tonyparkauthor had asked me months ago. He lives on the fringes of Kruger where he writes African thrillers, and he threw down the gauntlet.

So I went to find out: luxury or budget self-drive, each has its merits that the other simply cannot replicate.

Today, my cover story for the Traveller section of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers shares my discoveries (and that time my heart absolutely stopped) .

You can see my incredible, solo encounter with a pride on Sabie River here on my instagram.

Safari for starters – in the first part of this ‘safari two ways’ story, I was self driving and staying in rest camps in Kruger National Park, with also a stay in an extremely affordable little lodge in Manyeleti Game Reserve, adjacent to the park.

The wildlife was – hand on my heart – absolutely extraordinary. From lions to painted dogs, giraffes aplenty and sweet baby cheetahs. In fact, it was tween season! The absolute highlight has been seeing a white rhino, endangered to the edge of extinction.

The second part of my trip saw days spent blissfully off-grid with excellent, skilled safari guides and trackers in Sabi Sabi, in South Africa’s Greater Kruger. For an unbeatable morning commute, the drive home at the end of the day and my best ever airport transfer (includes zebras) 🦓 There are worse places to hide from the world – currently, I took refuge in Bush Lodge, in Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in the Greater Kruger, South Africa.

My home is the Mandleve villa, a sweet retreat from the madness of the human world. The animal world, however, is just a step outside – the baboons take free advantage of my pool, and play your cards right, and you get a free nyala visit with every booking.

I’ve fallen into the rhythm of safari – early mornings, day naps, sundowners – adding way too many meal stops with sunrise cuppas to high tea wedged in between.

I also talked about it all on our podcast, The World Awaits – take a listen for more!

Sydney Morning Herald’s Traveller cover story https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/budget-or-luxury-two-ways-to-do-a-safari-put-to-the-test-20260528-p601oe.html

The World Awaits travel podcast https://www.theworldawaits.au/podcast/episode/7be34fdf/ep-143-south-african-safari-by-e-bike-car-in-luxury-fuel-saving-tips-the-death-of-the-working-holiday

My encounter with the Pride of Sabie River, Kruger National Park https://www.instagram.com/global_salsa/reel/DZVw-gHJMNi/

Nov

Luxury v rusticity: the two faces of Dubai

All that glitters is (most likely) 24-karat gold in the party town of Dubai, but flip the shiny coin and you’ll discover the traditions and history deep in its Emirati heart.

Some people say Dubai has no soul, that it has no history, but in this piece for Dream by Luxury Escapes magazine, I stay at two Dubai hotels at opposite ends of the spectrum, to show how broad its appeal is.

The first hotel is the crazily luxe Atlantis the Royal, the new sister to the postcard-perfect pink Atlantis the Palm. Dress up, folks! This is one fancy hotel. From the sky-high Cloud 22 beach club to the more laid-back Nobu Beach Club on the ground floor, that bleeds into the hotel’s beach, the innumerable restaurants headed by Michelin-starred chefs, the shopping arcade dominated by collaborations with the likes of Dolce&Gabanna and Louis Vuitton. You get the picture; this is serious bling. Costing US$1.6 billion to build the Jenga-like building, stays cost from about $800 in low (summer) season, skyrocketing in the peak winter season, when Dubai is warm and sunny.

The second hotel is what I’m calling Dubai’s best bargain – the rustic Al Seef Heritage Hotel Dubai, Curio Collection by Hilton. I love its design, with raw beams on the ceilings, the red, black and white Bedouin weaves found throughout the Arabian Gulf, the mudbrick walls and the retro telephones (rotary phones!), lamps and furnishings in the rooms. The rooms are set in bayt (houses) scattered throughout the Al Seef district, a new build designed to emulate a traditional souq. Here, you’ll find plenty of fun souvenir shopping, but also restaurants serving genuine Emirati cuisine – not as easy to find as you’d expect – and plenty of cafes to enjoy a qahwa (coffee) scented with cardamom, as the locals have it. Low season sees stays at this Dubai hotel as little as $100, doubling in the peak cooler months.

To read my story, The Golden Child, in Dream by Luxury Escapes, and jump to page 108.

https://issuu.com/dreambyluxuryescapes/docs/issue6_october2024_master_dream-by-luxury-escapes_

Cloud 22 pool bar at Atlantis the Royal hotel

Apr

High country luxury; The Benev, Beechworth

I love a small hotel with a history, and The Benev, in Beechworth, ticks all boxes for its beautiful restoration

For those following along on my instagram account, you’ll know I’ve been hitting the Hume Highway from Melbourne up to Victoria’s High Country a few times in the past six months. I dropped in to the new Bright Velo – a cycling themed hotel in Bright, (you can read my review here)

Click here to read my story on The Benev.

See https://www.exploretravel.com.au/story/8124768/slow-road-to-a-blissful-state/

Feb

Game on: kids in business class

Business class is out of reach of most travellers, and I had to hit my third decade before experiencing the delicious sensation of turning left on the plane.Some, however, are far luckier.

Recently, my seven-year-old daughter put Etihad Airways’ business class to the test en route to Abu Dhabi.

We’ve flown Etihad many times before, we’ve been scarred by its kids meals, most notably a long-haul economy nightmare of reoccurring cheese macaroni and UHT banana milk that comprises the kids menu – with no water served with their meals. I’ve ranted about it in the past – why load children up with a tray full of sugar, then complain when they turn into sugar-fuelled screeching monsters?

This time, in business, it’s a whole different ball game…

To read the full story on the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s Traveller website, click here

Oct

The grand dame of Aswan: hotel review, Egypt

In Egypt’s deep south (aka ‘Upper Egypt, because it’s closer to the source of the south-north running Nile River), is the golden city of Aswan.

A world away from the smoke and insanity of Cairo, the city on the banks of the Nile is famous for its granite quarries that helped build the monuments of the ancient kingdoms, and its laid-back inhabitants, Nubians who seem more connected with the African continent than the Arabian north.

It’s also the home of one of the continent’s best grand hotels, and finally I got to visit the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract.

The terrace, where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile.
Photo: Belle Jackson

Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile on its terrace, and I wrote my hotel review for Fairfax Media’s Traveller section (the question is, of course: which will have greater longevity? :))

With an unsurpassed setting, smooth service and the undoubtedly fabulous
history, I rate it this of my top historic stays around the world. Armchair travellers should binge on Secret of the Nile (2016), which is the first Egyptian series on Netflix. The subtitled murder
mystery was filmed in the hotel, which is the undoubted star of the show.

You can read my story, published on Fairfax Media’s Traveller website, here

Aug

Eating in Lake Como, Italy


Photo: Belle Jackson – instagram @global_salsa

“So,” says Gianni, taking my arm. “Do you like to eat?”

There’s
only one response, when the food and beverage director of an Italian
five-star hotel has you in their grip. “Si,” I reply. And again, con
passione. “Si!”

Gianni
inhales deeply, drawing himself up to his full height which, like me,
is an imposing 163 centimetres, and we sweep into the breakfast room of
the Grand Hotel Tremezzo.

Italy’s luxury goes up a notch when you’re on Lake Como, where I managed to fit in three decadent meals a day, capped by rizo, oro e zafferano (rosotto with gold and saffron).I even have the certificate that authenticates the dish (#100624), conceived in 1981 and considered the genesis of Italian haute cuisine.

As
certified by Italy’s first three-Michelin starred chef, Gualtiero
Marchesi, whose dishes are presented at the packed La Terrazza each
night by the hotel’s executive chef Osvaldo Presazzi.

This story was published in the Traveller section of the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne’s The Age newspapers. To read it in full (a calorie-free option), click here

Mar

Lindenderry Red Hill review, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

Picnicking by the lake amidst bushland.
Photo: Belinda Jackson

An hour from Melbourne down the M1, Red Hill is prime real estate on the
Mornington Peninsula, and Lindenderry, owned by Australian family
company Lancemore, has held its 12-hectare spot on the ridge for the
past 20 years. It’s in the news for its recent deft, “multi-million
dollar” renovation.

I’m a sometimes-resident on the Mornington Peninsula, so I’m very pleased to see this old-timer get such a swish makeover. Every room looks out over structured courtyards with fresh lime trees, Australian bushland or the vines that the estate turns into its exceptional wine.

Inside, there are crisp sheets, moody walls, a touch of whimsy in the Ukrainian-babushka cushion. The Lindenderry has banished its placid plaid for a grown-up country style in Red Hill.

Even if you’re not staying, you can drop in for a glass of wine and – hot tip – order the picnic hamper and wander through the vines for an afternoon well spent.

Click here to read my review of the revamped Lindenderry in the Traveller section of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers.

Feb

Mystic river: cruise along the hidden waterways of the Murray

Captain Willow keeps an eye on our glam tinnie
while we pull in for a cuppa on
one of the backwater creeks of the
Murray River, near Renmark, South Australia.
Photo: Belle Jackson

“Why isn’t the Murray promoted as an icon, like Uluru or the Great Barrier Reef?”

If you’re not Australian, you probably don’t know the mighty Murray
River (the ‘mighty’ is an unofficial sobriquet). It is Australia’s
longest river, at 2,530km (about seven times
longer than the Thames, but who’s counting?) It runs through four
states, and is even a state border for 1880km and
is estimated at about
60 million years old.

In short, it’s a pretty impressive natural formation, and it’s damned pretty, as well.

So you can see why I didn’t have an answer to the question above,
asked by Rick Edmonds, a proud Riverlands man and owner of the luxury The Frames property, which perches over the river near Renmark, in South Australia.

Perhaps we should adopt a
French word, instead of “back creeks”, to describe this labyrinth of
creeks, lagoons and inlets that cobweb the strong, flowing River Murray, here at the corner of three states.

Click here to
read my story about pootling along the Murray, spotting emus, kangaroos
and kingfishers, with Rick, his wife Cathy and Captain Willow (pictured
above).

The story was published in the Traveller section of the Sun-Herald (Sydney) and Sunday Age (Melbourne).

Belinda Jackson was a guest of The Frames.

Nov

Get out of town: Discover a Mornington Peninsula drive

Polperro Winery, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia Photo: Belinda Jackson

It’s an hour from Melbourne, and when you’re among the leafy vines of one if its fine wineries, with an overflowing picnic basket, the Mornington Peninsula is a whole different state of mind.

I had my first holiday here on the peninsula (aged 5 months), and still return to Safety Beach for my weekend getaway.

So it was an easy task to share my suggestions of great shopping strips, natural hot springs, and how to find that winery with picnic basket.

Click here to read my recommendations on where to shop, eat, stay and play on the Mornington Peninsula for Mercedes Benz owners.

Nov

Get out of town: Discover a Mornington Peninsula drive


Polperro Winery, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia Photo: Belinda Jackson

It’s an hour from Melbourne, and when you’re among the leafy vines of one if its fine wineries, with an overflowing picnic basket, the Mornington Peninsula is a whole different state of mind.

I had my first holiday here on the peninsula (aged 5 months), and still return to Safety Beach for my weekend getaway.

So it was an easy task to share my suggestions of great shopping strips, natural hot springs, and how to find that winery with picnic basket.

Click here to read my recommendations on where to shop, eat, stay and play on the Mornington Peninsula for Mercedes Benz owners.

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