Local Knowledge — All Articles — Grantourismo Travels

100 Mahaseth Restaurant Chef Chalee Kader on Thai Food and Getting Creative

2018-11-23T21:48:54+00:00By Lara Dunston|

100 Mahaseth restaurant chef Chalee Kader and partner Chaichat ‘Randy’ Noprapa are responsible for one of our new favourite Bangkok restaurants – a nose-to-tail joint in hip Charoenkrung specialising in wonderful Northern Thai and Northeastern Thai food that is laidback, fun, and eco-friendly. While Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand are familiar to most travellers to …

How to Experience the French Side of Siem Reap – A Local Guide, Ooh La La!

2019-01-08T22:26:56+00:00By Lara Dunston|

How to experience the French side of Siem Reap is a question we get asked by French travellers and Francophiles on holiday in Cambodia. Siem Reap based French expat Christine Gleizes, owner of chic concept store Christine’s shares her local tips. How to experience the French side of Siem Reap is a question usually asked …

Local Guide to Eating and Drinking in Bangkok by Chef Ton of Le Du

2018-12-17T17:29:48+00:00By Lara Dunston|

This local guide to eating and drinking in Bangkok, Thailand, comes courtesy of Chef Ton of Le Du, one of the most creative Thai restaurants in the country and one of the finest in Southeast Asia, landing on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list at #37 yesterday*. There are few people best able to provide a local …

A Guide to the Hanoi Art Scene — Art Galleries, Museums and Arty Cafes

2018-05-10T14:52:18+00:00By Lara Dunston|

Most travellers visit Hanoi for the fantastic food. That's why we went. After motorbikes, visitors to Vietnam’s capital find themselves dodging street food stalls and the footpaths are littered with locals perched on tiny stools tucking into something. Yet the Hanoi art scene is doing well to compete for attention with the city's food scene. Here's …

A Local Guide to Sydney Architecture

2019-01-29T14:03:38+00:00By Lara Dunston|

The Sydney Opera House is Sydney’s most recognisable asset and a cornerstone of Sydney architecture. Every time we return to Sydney and we see it, we’re home. The story behind the commissioning and construction of the Sydney Opera House is a narrative that leaves few participants with any honour in the creation of one of …

Local Knowledge: Richard Graham from Sydney

2019-01-29T13:25:01+00:00By Lara Dunston|

Richard Graham is the kind of traveller we identify with. Since the age of five, Richard has travelled to at least one new country every year. Every year. Before starting his tour company, My Sydney Detour, Richard did a 14-month overland trip from Mexico down to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina in 2007–08, spending as …

A Local Guide to Eating and Drinking in Sydney

2019-01-29T14:59:39+00:00By Lara Dunston|

This local guide to eating and drinking in Sydney comes from John Fink, a Sydney restaurateur and director of some of Australia's best restaurants, including Quay, Bennelong, Otto. We first encountered Mr Fink on Twitter when we were tweeting about our Melbourne restaurant experiences. He tweeted: “Come to Sydney! Sydney's milk bars shit all over Melbourne's restaurants!" …

Local Knowledge: Kenneth Meow from Melbourne

2019-01-28T12:42:18+00:00By Lara Dunston|

In our latest edition of Local Knowledge from Melbourne, Australia, Kenneth Meow shares his insider tips to experiencing the Victorian capital. Kenneth is a Hong Kong-born Australian who is impossible to describe in a nutshell. He's a restaurant owner, community volunteer, philanthropist, strategic advisor, social media consultant, and coffee lover. Phew. We first 'met' Kenneth online, in the …

A Local Guide to Vintage Shopping in Melbourne

2019-01-28T12:43:47+00:00By Lara Dunston|

That we needed to provide you with a local guide to vintage shopping in Melbourne quickly became apparent after spotting some Melbourne locals in beehives, cats eye glasses and bobby socks. After meeting vintage princess Danielle Pumo on our Hidden Secrets tour, it was obvious she should be our vintage expert. Interview with Danielle Pumo …

Afternoon Tea at The Hotel Windsor, a Melbourne Tradition

2019-01-28T12:48:27+00:00By Lara Dunston|

Afternoon tea at The Hotel Windsor is a quintessential Melbourne experience for many, and for locals as much as tourists. While afternoon tea may currently be in vogue — it was inevitable it would follow on from the cupcake fad — the Hotel Windsor has been serving its traditional afternoon tea continuously since 1883, and it’s as …

Jess Ho’s Guide to Eating and Drinking in Melbourne

2019-01-28T12:49:13+00:00By Terence Carter|

We first met Jessica Ho aka That Jess Ho, girl-in-the-know, food blogger, and face of Melbourne Asian restaurant Chin Chin, when we were photographing the funky eatery for our Mouthwatering Melbourne story. If you know Jess Ho, enough said. If you don't, here's one of the most local guides you're going to get to eating and drinking …

Local Guide to The Mekong — Interview with Mason Florence, Mekong Tourism Director

2018-11-26T21:08:18+00:00By Lara Dunston|

Our local guide to The Mekong comes courtesy of Mason Florence, executive director of Mekong Tourism. Based in Asia for 20 years, Mason is a publisher, former guidebook writer, journalist, photographer, and tour guide. Few people know the Mekong better. It’s hard to envisage one person being able to provide a local guide to The …