The cities, destinations, hotels and restaurants that should be on your 2025 bucketlist
Be a traveller, not a tourist and find a spot away from the madding hordes on the remote slopes of Chile, the privacy of your own island, or in Italy’s second cities.
Holidays are always the best time to plan your next holiday. Whether you’ve packed your suitcase for the festive period or you’re staying home for the summer, our annual Hot List will get you dreaming about the must-visit destinations of 2025.
When it comes to travel, Europe is still a hot option, but look beyond the tourist traps of Florence and Barcelona. Scandinavia is rising as a popular destination for its sophistication, beauty and functionality. Perhaps for the same reasons, Japan is more desirable than ever. Go for the food, stay for the culture shock. Locally, hotels keep opening at pace. So even if an international trip isn’t an option this year, consider a weekend away closer to home, followed by dinner at a hot new restaurant.
Explore
Remote slopes
Fed up with Australia’s fickle ski seasons? Then try remote skiing. It’s skiing, minus the crowds. To start, 12,700km of the Pacific Ocean is all that stands between you and plentiful powder at Portillo, a screwball – in the best possible sense – ski resort in the Chilean Andes, 2½ hours’ drive from Santiago. The set-up is more or less unchanged since the 1960s: one hotel (the canary-yellow Hotel Portillo) accommodating a maximum of 450 guests, phenomenal skiing and a lively, Latin vibe with dancing and pisco sours late into the night. It’s like a cruise ship on the slopes. Meanwhile in Montana, USA, the once-obscure Big Sky Resort is heading for the big time. An hour’s drive from Yellowstone National Park (where you can take a thrilling snowmobile tour), Big Sky has the third largest ski area in the US, high-tech chairlifts, luxe lodgings including Montage Big Sky, and America’s first One&Only resort (opening 2025). Book before word gets out. Read more here.
Ricky French
Tokyo, but different
An easy skip from home with a dollar-to-yen match is currently making Japan altogether too tantalising for us Aussies. But perhaps you’ve noticed, we lot tend to stick to a well-worn route in the land of the rising sun, flitting between Kyoto and Tokyo with a snow-journ in between. But there’s so much more to discover if you push off the track a little. Even in Tokyo, you’ll find neighbourhoods completely bereft of ear-pricking Australian accents and bewildered tourists taking photos of vending machines. In the capital, book into the elegantly traditional Hotel Gajoen Tokyo and explore your Meguro surrounds, starting with a fortifying cup of Ethiopian at Coffee Base. Wander on to neighbouring Nakameguro, which is fertile ground for people-watching with the hip locals belonging to the artsy ilk. From here, you’re a couple of rail lines and a Shibuya steeping stone away from super-cool Shimokitazawa. This enclave amid the Tokyo sprawl is ripe for vintage shopping, excellent coffee shops and independent, niche boutiques.
Lara Picone
Scandi cool
The buzz phrase in Europe this year was “overtourism”. In Spain, locals in Barcelona went so far as to spray tourists with water while yelling at them to leave the country. So if Spain, Italy and France – arguably the most over-touristed countries on Earth – are rapidly becoming out of bounds for travel, where to next? The answer seems to be Scandinavia. Not only is Scandinavia relatively unexplored by most Australians, it is a cool place to escape during the increasingly sweaty northern summer months; it also has beautiful scenery, fascinating museums and well-behaved people. The question, then, is what to see in this collection of Arctic-hugging nations? Copenhagen is a popular choice but once again flooded with tourists, so the charming Norwegian city of Oslo is a better option. Filled with interesting museums (try the Munch museum and the waterside National Museum with its collection of Scandinavian treasures), Oslo is a jumping off point to Nordic adventures. The Oslo-Bergen train is a scenic highlight that takes in fjords and snow-capped mountains. And from historic waterfront Bergen head north to Tromso, Trondheim and Alesund to see fairytale cities draped in powder snow. Stockholm is another city full of life and culture. Its excellent insitutiitions include the singular Vasa Museum, built around a ship that sank in Stockholm Harbour in 1628 and was raised intact in 1961. The ABBA museum, next door to the Vasa Museum, is as fabulously popular as you would expect.
Elizabeth Meryment
New Zealand luxe
New Zealand’s love affair with luxury lodges in stunning locations continues to blossom. Te Mania is a recent addition, set on a river terrace beneath the dramatic crags of Te Mata Peak in Hawke’s Bay, the North Island’s premier food and wine district. Also new, Okoro Villa occupies an exclusive perch above Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island, with a treehouse sleep-out surrounded by native bush, and the watery trifecta of infinity pool, plunge pool and hot tub. The “grand dame” Huka Lodge near Lake Taupo, meanwhile, celebrates its centenary by unveiling a major renovation in March. Read more here.
Ricky French
okorovilla.com/the-villahukalodge.com
Remote (and super remote) cruising
After Australians were released from our island prison following Covid-19 lockdowns, there was a rush back to Europe as everyone got their long-awaited culture fix. Since most of us have scratched that itch, more are choosing to explore some of the farthest-flung places of our own continent. Remote cruising is a trend that shows no signs of abating, with smaller cruise ships accessing areas people can’t get to any other way. The Seabourn Pursuit, for instance, slips in and out of the Kimberley accessing places such as Horizontal Falls, Montgomery Reef and Ashmore Reef. Cruise in style as you see some of the most glorious scenery in the world. Other than the Kimberley, cruisers can find options to explore remote Tasmania, the outer Great Barrier Reef and Antarctica. In a world plagued by an abundance of tourists, remote is the new black. Read more here.
ELIZABETH MERYMENT
Italy’s other big cities
Rome, Florence, Venice. It is widely agreed that these cities, with their bountiful treasures, glitzy skylines and gilded palaces, have been loved almost to death. As a tourist, it is better to find somewhere else to visit – especially in summer. Which does not mean Italy is off-limits. Consider some of the country’s other big (but in many ways no less glorious) cities, starting with Genoa, Milan, Verona and Turin. Genoa in particular feels very Old Italy; that is, Italy before mass tourism. Stay in the amazing Palazzo Durazzo, a 16th-century preserved palazzo converted into a superb boutique hotel, and wander a city filled with beauty, piazzas and amazing architecture. Milan, meanwhile, has transformed itself over two decades from a dour industrial town to a thriving, vibrant megalopolis, a central European hub for fashion, dining and fun. Go to eat, shop and wander streets that teem with life and style. I stayed at NH Milano City Life, a huge modern hotel that has been built out of what was the Chiesa Cristo Re church. Now it has a swimming pool on the roof, views of the mountains and a contemporary feel. Catch the tram and the metro around Milan and blend seamlessly into the population without feeling like a tourist; that is real Italian style. Read more here.
ELIZABETH MERYMENT
nh-hotels.com/en/hotel/nh-collection-milano-citylife
Stay/Eat
The StandardX, Melbourne
Melbourne’s inner-city Fitzroy, hotel-less until this year, finally has digs befitting its frightfully hip reputation. The Standard brand has party-hard Hollywood roots, but this “X” incarnation is a more casual and creative offshoot, clad in Corten steel and eclectically decked out by local design studio Hecker Guthrie, in perfect sync with the vintage boutiques, artisan markets and street art surrounding it. The 125 rooms are snug but comfy, the Thai-inspired restaurant Bang already a place to be seen, and the rooftop garden bar instantly seductive. This is Melbourne pumped straight to your veins. Read more here.
RICKY FRENCH
Basq House, Byron Bay
Byron is certainly not wanting for a Belgian linen-made bed on which to rest your sun-weary head. But the recent arrival of the 32-room Basq House to the luxe end of the hotel scene in this beach town in lush northern NSW has been met with delight. A discreet laneway entrance, light-flooded foyer, communal spaces styled with hip accuracy and a cloistered, riad-style courtyard with a pool all dispense effortless, of-the-moment cool. Venture beyond for dinner, but return to Basq for distilled holiday chill and a poolside martini. Read more here.
LARA PICONE
Gibney, Cottesloe, WA
Opening restaurants of Gibney’s scope and vision isn’t for the faint-hearted. They cost a fortune and are the trickiest of beasts to get right. Chat to restaurateur George Kailis and he’ll detail inspiration points from a California country club to a Parisian hotel lobby. Sommelier extraordinaire Nina Throsby will tell you that Kailis’s brief was simply: the best Champagne list possible. Everyone, it seems, has a “George said” story. Clearly the attention to detail has worked, with a restaurant experience that’s as equally hot and of the moment as it is giving vibes of being a Cottesloe institution (in the making). That’s the magic trick, alongside a house martini served tableside from a custom-built cart. Easily worth a visit alone. Of course you’re here to eat, and rising star James Cole Bowen takes centre stage in the kitchen, ably navigating the brasserie grill model with a modern flair. And did we mention the view? Read more about Gibney here.
Max Brearley
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
The razzle-dazzle is back at this seminal Sydney hotel that has been a part of Sydney high society since 1966. A $70 million refurbishment completed in November has seen the transformation of the hotel from faded to fabulous. All 436 guest rooms and suites have received a freshen up, and a partnership between the hotel and local restaurant group House Made Hospitality is inspired. Dine at Tilda restaurant in the lobby level for well-executed contemporary fare – think high-end beef, seafood, pasta and more – and definitely stop by the street-side Bar Tilda for excellent cocktails and perhaps a turn around the martini trolley that will rattle past your table. It’s a little bit Mad Men and quite a lot of fun. There’s dining on Level 5, too, with the Wentworth Bar, a rooftop garden space found high above the grime of the city below, or Delta Rue, a French-Vietnamese restaurant that doubles as a breakfast buffet come morning. The Wentworth is one of Sydney’s classic cool hotels and it is quite a thrill to see it revived under the watchful steerage of French hospitality giant Sofitel. Read more here.
ELIZABETH MERYMENT
Maison Batard, Melbourne
Restaurateur Chris Lucas knows how to build a restaurant. Across a two-state empire the Victorian hospitality kingpin has venues to his name that are household names, two Chin Chin restaurants key among them. But he describes his new Bourke Street restaurant, Maison Batard, as his most ambitious project yet. Seating 180, the French restaurant is what Lucas calls a “legacy project”, a self-confessed extravagance involving, among other things, a $50,000 chandelier and two Claire Fontaine paintings. The menu is classic French: think a 600g châteaubriand with pepper sauce ($145), and veal escalopes ($47.50). Read more here.
ELIZABETH MERYMENT
Saint Peter, Paddington, Sydney
Now and then a chef comes along who is different to the rest; one who shapes the work and practices of other chefs and brings a new way of thinking to their craft. In Australia, this generation’s changemaker is Josh Niland. In spring, 36-year-old Niland opened Saint Peter, a refined seafood restaurant five-and-a-half years in the making. Inhabiting a heritage Sydney pub in the inner-city suburb of Paddington, Saint Peter takes diners on a journey through sustainable seafood practices and dining in a way that nobody has done before. Over seven beautifully realised courses that range from exquisite oysters to scallops, prawns, reef fish, river fish and deep-sea calamari, Niland creates a maritime universe on the plate. He knows his seafood suppliers personally, can tell you about how each of the fish was caught, and cooks with innovation and precision. This is international-level dining and when Niland opens the boutique hotel in the same complex early in the new year, the complete stay/dining package will come to life. Read more here.
ELIZABETH MERYMENT
Rare Earth Retreats, McLaren Vale
Nested tidily within McLaren Vale wine country, the new Rare Earth Retreats is a love letter to the geology of this South Australian region. Hewn from stone, clay and slate, each of the three off-grid retreats is a study in texture and raw, minimal beauty. Uncork a local vino and unwind in your outdoor bath as you ponder the strata below that so agreeably lends itself to winemaking. When you’re not hitting the vines or beach, soak in the views from your private courtyard and appreciate the curation of local artwork.
LARA PICONE
Ogee, Hobart
In a city of cosy nooks and crannies, this wine bar/restaurant from chef Matt Breen (ex-Templo) is a standout. Seating only 28 and nestled into a former corner store in North Hobart, Ogee is intimate, cute and sexy, all at once. The Italian-forward menu is contemporary and beautifully executed, with dishes like calamari ragu and gnocchi della val varaita with parmesan cream, prosciutto and fresh truffle. Take up a seat at the long central bar or by the windows (or on the rare warm night, out the front) to try some lovely Tassie wines by the glass and absorb everything that’s cool about the southern capital with its booming creative and culinary scene. This will leave you with sweet feels.
ELIZABETH MERYMENT
Melbourne Place, Melbourne
The Victorian capital is not short on new hotels, with a plethora of swish properties having opened in the past two years. But that has not stopped excitement building around the launch of this luxe hotel on Russell Street. Opened last month, the 14-storey newly-built premises has 191 rooms and three hospitality venues of note, including Marmelo, the Portuguese-themed restaurant of Sydney restaurateurs Ross and Sunny Lusted (The Bridge Room/Woodcut), and Mid Air, the creation of Melbourne chef Nick Deligiannis. For a property with almost 200 rooms, Melbourne Place is clinging to the term “boutique hotel” and has used a bounty of design tricks to try to elevate the guest experience here beyond the banal. MARS Gallery director Andy Dinan curates the art in the hotel, and expect a lavish jarrah timber fit-out that lends the place a luxury vibe.
ELIZABETH MERYMENT
Pelorus Private Island, Great Barrier Reef
Descending in a private helicopter to a lush sweep of reef-fringed lawn sets a certain expectation for a tropical escape. Such lofty anticipations are smoothly met on Pelorus, a singularly breath-snatching private island in the Great Palm archipelago of the Great Barrier Reef. Exclusivity is the theme here, so you’ll need to gather a posse to book the entire residence with its four beautiful suites – but with that comes an all-inclusive stay, chef-prepared meals, unlimited boat charters and the rare luxury of unbound isolation. Read more here.
LARA PICONE
