Mr & Mrs Smith have combed white-sand beaches, climbed snow-capped mountains, camped in sun-drenched deserts and scoured cosmopolitan cities in pursuit of the sexiest boutique and luxury hotels down under.
Each hotel in this coffee-table tome has been visited personally by the Smith team and then reviewed anonymously by a local tastemaker. Their incognito fashion, theatre, design and food and wine style-seekers include actor Sigrid Thornton, chefs Christine Manfield and Andrew McConnell, media luminary Deborah Hutton, and events guru David Grant. Each shared with us an unbridled account of their escape with their own Mr, Mrs or Ms Smith.
Follow in their reviewers’ footsteps and taste pigeon and white chocolate in one mouthful at the Royal Mail’s world-class restaurant in the Grampians; spy dolphins and whales from super-hip Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island or sign up for a ‘happy ending massage’ at Pretty Beach House on New South Wales’ Central Coast. And don’t worry, they’ll give you a heads-up on how to pronounce Wharekauhau Lodge in Wairarapa on New Zealand’s North Island. (Try ‘forry-coe-hoe’).
This glamour-strewn guidebook also features original images from leading Australian photographer Earl Carter. As well as evocative photographs and entertaining reviews, there are destination guides covering every practicality from getting around to sniffing out the finest vineyards, shops and galleries, plus in-the-know details such as the best rooms to book, the top tables in the most special restaurants and the most secluded beaches. And, there’s even that all-important Smith tidbit, ‘something for nothing’, where they suggest great gratis activities.
Each book comes with an exclusive Smith Card, which entitles holders to a year’s free membership (worth £20), fast-tracking you to upgrades, hotel discounts, exclusive on-arrival gifts and other life-enhancing extras and money-can’t-buy privileges.