Hotels’ silver service turning platinum

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Hotels have been adding all kinds of ingredients to their recipe for success – now Guillaume Brahimi is one of them, says Tori Clapham

There’s no denying we’re a nation of foodies – a fact any savvy hotelier knows only too well. No surprises then that Melbourne’s Crown Towers, one of the savviest of all, has upped the culinary ante with a very welcome food initiative: a new in-room menu designed by not one, but two celebrity chefs – Guillaume Brahimi and Neil Perry.

“I don’t think that other hotels in Australia are up to scratch, they just stick to the classics: one pizza, one club sandwich, you know," Brahimi explains to AT. “We are trying to bring some love into the hotel room. Room service should be at the same quality as the rest of the experience."

Crown isn’t the only hotel polishing their silver service – Sydney’s Shangri-La has also cooked up a new initiative in the hopes of getting our attention, with a concept they’ve coined the ‘Chefs’ Surprise’. Book in for the 10-course degustation – if you can, it reputedly sells out fast – and you’ll receive 10 dishes, each created by a different  chef. Risky? Perhaps.

But decadence sells. Just like Adriano Zumbo’s ‘dessert train’, now found in Sydney’s luxury casino and hotel complex, The Star – designed in case you can’t stop at one world-class dessert… hey, we’d like to try a little of them all, too.

Gold Coast’s Palazzo Versace is now also offering cooking master classes, where you can learn inside trade secrets to sufficiently leave dinner guests in awe of your cooking skills.

What will they think of next? Complimentary spa treatments, perhaps – hand delivered by Brahimi himself? Hey, it’s just a suggestion…

 

MORE: Tasty new morsels for the foodies.

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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael TurtleBy Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.