How can I give my daughter the best LA birthday?
I would like to take my daughter to Los Angeles to celebrate her 21st. Can you recommend any hotels and places of interest? How fabulous! There’s no better fit for someone celebrating her 21st than the slick hotels of West Hollywood (or WeHo, as the locals call it). A vibrant area that borders Beverly Hills, West Hollywood means a hop, skip and jump (or stagger) to the city’s famous Sunset Strip and Santa Monica Boulevard, as well as the chic Design District.
I have long loved Chamberlain West Hollywood, which offers slick interiors and that classic rooftop scene WeHo is known for, but it’s set slightly back from Sunset so you can still achieve a moderate amount of peace when required (perfect when I’m travelling with my own daughters). I don’t doubt you will also love 1 Hotel West Hollywood, The London, Andaz West Hollywood and Pendry West Hollywood.
If we’re discussing WeHo attractions, you’ll want to check out the world’s coolest bookstore, Book Soup, enjoy an evening of stand-up at The Comedy Store (or hard rock at the Whisky a Go Go), and stroll along the Sunset Strip before grabbing a late-night burger at Mel’s Drive-in. Pink Taco is also excellent for casual Mexican in a fun, rock environment.
Everyone’s got their ideas on “places of interest” (my idea of hell, for example, would be to go to a theme park but I know I’m probably in the minority here). Assuming you’ve already marked the likes of Universal Studios Hollywood and Paramount Pictures, I recommend spending a day shopping (or people-watching) in Beverly Hills, where you can book in for an exquisite 21st birthday brunch at The Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel or a traditional afternoon tea at The Peninsula Hotel’s The Living Room. Take a hike through Griffith Park and visit Griffith Observatory for the best view in town, enjoy a day out at Santa Monica where much of the action centres around its sun-soaked beach clubs, and if you can, catch a show at the Hollywood Bowl.
There are plenty of fantastic museums to see, too (the Getty and LACMA, sure, but your daughter will most likely also want to see the Grammy Museum, The Broad, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures). Your best bet? Trawl discoverlosangeles.com with your daughter and decide what works best for the both of you.
Do you have any recommendations for New Zealand’s Subantarctic cruises? What are we likely to see there? Often referred to as the “Galápagos of the Southern Ocean”, this smattering of remote islands dotted across the Subantarctic Zone to the south and east of New Zealand – the Bounty Islands, the Antipodes, the Auckland Islands, the Snares and Campbell Island (although
Australia’s Macquarie Island is also usually included in the group) – tend to be mercifully overlooked by much of the cruising world. This means that although you won’t experience the full white wonderland that is Antarctica ( the landscape here is more jagged cliffs and forests of large tree daisies), you’ll have the wildlife that frequent these islands largely to yourself. Southern right whales, sea lions, fur, elephant and leopard seals as well as king, royal, gentoo and rockhopper penguins and some 40 species of seabirds are among some of the locals you’re likely to come across.
The wildlife isn’t all that dissimilar to what you’ll see in Antarctica (aside from the occasional species such as the mighty emperor penguin) but it’s the landscape in which you’ll view them that greatly differs.
You experienced concern about voyage dates and how they’ll impact the wildlife you’ll get to see during your trip, but, as with Antarctica, the sailing window in these parts is quite narrow (typically December to February) so this shouldn’t impact on your decision at all. An inability to see them will be down to luck, good or bad.
Unlike Antarctica, the number of operators who cruise these islands are somewhat limited. While Coral Expeditions is an excellent choice, you may also wish to have a look at Christchurch-based Heritage Expeditions, which is one of the most experienced operators in this region, as well as luxury favourite Ponant, for comparison.
Heritage Expeditions has a 12-day Galápagos of the Southern Ocean voyage visiting Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, Macquarie Island and the Snares from $14,350, which looks fantastic, while Ponant’s 15-day Expedition to New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands takes in Campbell Island, Macquarie Island and the Snares, as well as Antipodes Island, Enderby Island and both Dusky and Milford Sound. That one’s priced from $14,890.
NT TO LION CITY
Qantas has a new Darwin – Singapore service, slated to take off from December 9, 2024. The route opens up a one-stop option from the NT to Europe and Asia via the Lion City. It will initially run five days a week on the dualclass Embraer E190 aircraft, increasing to a daily service from March 2025. Qantas last ran a Darwin – Singapore service back in 2006.