Sydney
The sun is always shining and the beach is never far in this laid-back coastal city, which has a slight hippie vibe with an Asian flair.

Stay: QTSydney is a new contemporary hotel where gargoyles and original timber floors mix with quirky furnishings and oversized soaking tubs.
QTSydney, 49 Market Street (near George Street); 2 8262 0000.

Shop: The Society Inc. is full of curious odds and ends — Victorian masks, porcelain fortune cookies, and felted animals are all painstakingly sourced and curated by owner and interior stylist, Sibella Court.
The Society Inc., 18 Steward Street (near Alexander Street); 2 9331 1592.

Eat: Mouthwatering modern Cantonese is served at Mr. Wong’s, a former nightclub space done up in '30s-Shanghai style.
Mr. Wong’s, 3 Bridge Lane (near George Street); 2 9240 3000.

See: Summer visits are not complete without an evening at the OpenAir Cinema. Save your appetite for its anything-but-ordinary movie snacks, which include Japanese curry udon noodles and homemade ice-cream sandwiches from Pat & Stick's.
OpenAir Cinema, Fleet Steps (near Mrs Macquaries Point); 2 9331 1755; Pat & Stick’s; 2 9114 6377.

Want More? Check out Fathom's guide to Sydney.

Photographed by Piera Gelardi