By Freya Herring
A weekend getaway can be just as fun in your own city.Credit: iStock
This is sponsored content for IHG Hotels & Resorts
Summer might be coming to a close, but it isn't over yet, so there's still time to bring a bit of extra warmth to your days, not to mention to those you love most, by heading away for the weekend. And don't be afraid of staying local – a weekender can mean hopping on a plane to a different part of the country, sure, but it can also mean staying put and setting out to see your hometown from a new perspective.
There's nothing like being a tourist in your own city. However, you choose to do it, we've put together a list of four romantic weekends to bring a little bit of sizzle into your life as we look ahead to 2023.
Chocolate making in Melbourne
There is so much to do in Melbourne that it can be hard to pick just one thing. Let us drop a little crumb of delectability here though: chocolate. Because what's more romantic than chocolate? Dash Finishing School in Malvern are running chocolate making workshops that will knock you to your knees with deliciousness. Over three sumptuous hours, you'll learn how to expertly temper chocolate in the French style, whip up rich caramel and silky ganache, and hand enrobe and mould your creations into delicious truffles.
Take your goodies back to the InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto, ideally situated on buzzy Collins Street, where you can devour them in the privacy of your spacious room, within the fabled Venetian Gothic façade of this celebrated Melbourne building. Need to work off all that sugar? Get to the hotel's dreamy indoor pool – it's low lit, open until late and very romantic.
You'll have no shortage of things to do whilst weekending in Melbourne.Credit: iStock
Bridge Climb in Brisbane
Is your beloved into Pinterest-ready interiors and contemporary design? Then take them to Queensland's Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley for a romantic getaway. Jutting out of the landscape, it's a building for the ages, with neon technicolour lighting up its undulating framework on the outside, and an interior that is both daringly futuristic and lavishly tactile.
Get out of your comfort zone and see Brisbane from its best angles by partaking in The Story Bridge Adventure Climb Experience, where you will tackle the heights of the city's most famous bridge and see views as far afield as the Scenic Rim Mountains to the south and Moreton Bay to the north. Back at the hotel, there's free yoga by the rooftop pool on Saturdays, should you need to come down from all that adrenaline.
Foodie adventures in Adelaide
Adelaide is known for many things. Churches, sure, and wine, but of course. But the food scene here is also blindingly brilliant. And nowhere showcases the Adelaidean love for good food better than their very own Central Market. Situated in the beating heart of the market precinct, Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets takes the prestige of this Australian culinary hotspot seriously, with its zippy, playful and colour-drenched design taking inspiration from the market itself.
Hit up the Market and Meander Eatery and Bar for a taste of multicultural Adelaide at its best, or head to Merrymaker on the rooftop for plates of South Australian seafood and perfectly paired cocktails. And don't miss a tour of the market proper – you'll get so much more out of it than broaching it unguided. We like the Adelaide Central Market Discovery Tour, where a local foodie beelines you to culinary highlights like artisan fromageries and the market's famous selection of Indigenous bushtucker.
Stargazing in Perth
One of the best things about WA is its exquisite remoteness. And with that remoteness comes one of nature's most magical exhibitions: starry skies like you've never seen. Pinnacle Tours take you out of Perth, via Yanchep National Park to visit the kangaroos and koalas, then into the Pinnacles Desert to watch the moon rise in the sky and the stars come out in all of their unblemished and unrestricted glory, far from city lights.
Head to the Pinnacles Desert in WA and find yourself immersed in nature's beauty.Credit: iStock
You'll visit the fishing town of Cervantes for dinner before heading back out to the desert to soak up more of those starry rays, before you're homeward bound to Perth. Back in the Big Smoke, a stay at the InterContinental Perth City Centre will keep those romantic vibes running high with spectacular views over the city; chic, contemporary interiors and rain showers big enough for two.
To find out more about IHG Hotels & Resorts' latest offers visit ihg.com/summerau
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