Postcards Summer Series: 15 February

City hot spots
Thanks to our friends at Tourism Victoria, Glen has come up with a few of Melbourne's newest hotspots to rock your socks off.

First stop is La Vita Buona, which in Italian simply means 'the good life'. With over 500 bottles on the wine list, plus a huge selection of premium gin, scotches and vodkas, it certainly lives up to its name.

Next is the bar that everyone in Melbourne is talking about: Silk Road on Collins Street. From the moment you walk in it's opulence all round. This beautiful heritage-listed building was once a bank, print mill and a hotel. It's now Melbourne's hottest night spot.

If you're looking to try something exotic, just around the corner in Bond Street is Maha, a top choice with the foodies of Melbourne. The best part about Maha is it's open late for supper. If you're looking for something special, be sure to try the Turkish delight donuts.

Maha Bar & Grill
21 Bond Street, Melbourne
Ph: 03 9629 5900
www.mahabg.com.au

Silk Road
425 Collins Street, Melbourne
Ph: 03 9614 4888
www.silkroadoncollins.com

La Vita Buona
City Square, Swanston Street, Melbourne
Ph: 03 9654 7855
www.lavitabuona.com.au

Hotel penthouses
Perched high in the sky on the Sofitel's 50th floor is the Imperial Suite. This castle in the clouds is fit for royalty. Prince Edward was obviously quite at home when he stayed for over two weeks during the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. As the highest luxury suites in the city, this has stunning views.

With six rooms, the Grand Royal Suite at the Hotel Windsor is more like a house within a hotel than a suite, so there's plenty of room for your entourage. If you're after old-style grandeur, this is the one. The rooms are like something out of a palace with their gorgeous antiques and silk drapes.

The Presidential Suite at the Park Hyatt has luxurious surfaces of marble and rosewood that whisper money. This is as rock n' roll as it gets, and the suite even comes with its own baby grand piano, which has been played by the likes of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, U2, Bon Jovi, and the Rolling Stones.

If you want to splurge like a billionaire and stay in one of Melbourne's hottest suites, make sure you check out each the hotel websites or give them a call.

Sofitel
Ph: 03 9653 0000
www.sofitelmelbourne.com.au

Park Hyatt
Ph: 03 9224 1234
www.melbourne.park.hyatt.com

Hotel Windsor
Ph: 03 9633 6000
www.thehotelwindsor.com.au

Robinsons in the City
If you're looking for somewhere to stay right near the hustle and bustle of the Queen Victoria Market then Lauren has found just the place. Robinsons in the City is an urban bed and breakfast, located on the corner of Spencer and Batman streets in West Melbourne. The property was originally Melbourne's earliest commercial bakery, dating back to the 1850s. The original brick ovens are now a feature in the breakfast room, where a cooked breakfast will get you off to a bouncing start. With only six bedrooms, this is Melbourne's smallest hotel and there is a sense of home and comfort that is often missing in the big city hotels.

Making her way to the market, Lauren stops off for an organic coffee and cake at Invita, picks up some beautiful fresh flowers and visits the hot jam donut van.

Robinsons in the City
405 Spencer Street, West Melbourne
Ph: 9329 2552
www.robinsonsinthecity.com.au

Yum cha
For many Melburnians Sunday morning means yum cha, but on any day of the week you'll see people voting with their feet and lining up outside Shark Fin House in Chinatown. Here it is all about the hustle and bustle of authentic Hong Kong-style yum cha, featuring everyone's favourites. Even though there's room for 350 people across three levels, it's so popular that you still have to book on weekends.

Red Emperor is a Southbank stalwart and dishes up some of Melbourne's finest dumplings with some cutting-edge contents. The speciality is prawn and goji berry dumplings.

If you'd like a touch of style with your soy sauce, head to Oriental Tea House in Chapel Street, South Yarra. Here, old Shanghai meets modern Melbourne. The designer dumplings come on trays, not trolleys, and are ordered from a menu that might include guava flower dumplings, Peking duck dumplings or little morsels of salmon and avocado tempura.

Shark Finn House
131 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Ph: 03 9663 1555
www.sharkfin.com.au

Red Emperor
Upper Level Southgate, Southbank
Ph: 03 9699 4170
www.redemperor.com.au

Oriental Tea House
455 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Ph: 9826 0168
www.orientalteahouse.com.au

Tiffany & Co
Suzie goes five star with a shopping trip and history lesson at the iconic Tiffany & Co. In 1837 Charles Tiffany took a one thousand-dollar advance from his father and travelled from New England to New York with his schoolmate John B. Young to open a stationery and fancy goods emporium, which was later to become Tiffany and Company. The company made headlines in 1877 when it bought a 128-carat yellow diamond, which is still on display in New York today. The company's china entered the White House when a dinner service was commissioned by First Lady Mrs 'Lady Bird' Johnson. In 1950 Truman Capote's novel, Breakfast at Tiffany's was published and the store was forever immortalised in the 1961 movie starring Audrey Hepburn.

267 Collins Street, Melbourne
Ph: 03 9639 7788
www.tiffany.com

What's on

Otway Odyssey Mountain Bike Marathon
Starting on the Great Ocean Road, the Otway Odyssey takes riders on a heroic 100-kilometre mountain bike journey through a range of wild landscapes next Saturday.
Where: Great Ocean Road
When: 21 February
More: Visit www.otwayodyssey.com

Complexions Contemporary Ballet
For something more artistic, check out America's original multicultural dance company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, performing soon at the State Theatre.
Where: State Theatre
When: 26 February - 7 March
More: Ph 1300 136 166 or visit www.theartscentre.com.au