Plains, trains & automobiles

WE published our first Travel Top 50 list last year and it generated more feedback than any other story or issue.

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

WE published our first Travel Top 50 list last year and it generated more feedback than any other story or issue we've ever done, so we decided to make it an annual event.

Our second instalment appears in this issue and while it's a challenge putting it together, it's one of the things I look forward to most each year.

We spend a lot of time travelling and that means we have the time to pay attention to the small details. Whether it's the service in a hotel or on an aeroplane or thinking about what makes a good airport or train station, we certainly have opinions on what we like and what we don't. And when I say we, I mean the WISH team and the group of travel writers, travel industry leaders and experts plus some of the well travelled friends who have been asked to contribute to the list.

Earlier this year, I sent out a list of 50 categories and asked this group of people from Australia and around the world to tell us what they like and what they think is new and interesting in the world of travel. The results were a surprise, especially when there was almost a consensus on certain topics. For example, just over half of the respondents nominated the Park Hyatt Sydney for best hotel refurbishment.

Our Travel Top 50 list is by no means a list of award winners. We're not pretending that we have seen every new hotel around the world or travelled in every class on every airline or transited through every airport. What we're saying is here are 50 things we think are new, cool and interesting; products and services that are worth singling out for praise, and destinations and hotels that we can recommend based on fi rst-hand experience. One such example is Qualia resort and spa on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, where we shot our fashion this month and which we have named best Australian hotel for 2012.

WISH visited Qualia just after it opened in late 2007 (we shot our December 2007 fashion spread there). Revisiting almost five years later, what surprised us was not how well the resort has held up but how much it has improved. The tropical gardens have matured and the impeccable, friendly service has been maintained (something not necessarily easy to achieve when asking people to live and work on a small island). Qualia is a truly world-class destination.

We think the best travel advice comes from personal recommendations, which is the intention of our Travel Top 50.

No doubt you won't agree with all our selections. If you would like to recommend something for next year's list, based on your experience, then please contact us at [e-mail] or via our Facebook page at facebook.com/wishmagazine.

I'd also like to thank Virgin Australia for assisting us in getting to Hamilton Island to shoot this month's fashion and cover.