DESTINATIONS • January 2015
Five of the best cities to break your New Year’s resolutions
You may have benchmarked 2015 as the year that you’ll finally stick to your New Year’s resolutions, but if your willpower crumbles before January’s even over, don’t worry – we’ve tracked down the places that are made for breaking them in style
The resolution: party less
Break it in: New York
There are few cities where you can get a wax, have a sushi dinner and go bowling at 3am – but New York didn’t earn its moniker ‘the city that never sleeps’ for no reason. Thankfully, some bars’ happy hours extend into the wee hours so you don’t leave feeling completely broke: start off with $4 Vietnamese Bloody Marys (from 5-10pm) at Verlaine on the Lower East Side before moving on to La Linea – where the half-price happy hour starts at 11pm (Sunday to Wednesday). Finish on a high at 230 Fifth, the city’s largest roof terrace, which has uninterrupted views of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings – and is open until 4am.
The resolution: go on a digital detox
Break it in: Singapore
A recent American Express survey found 83 per cent of holidaymakers expect to stay digitally connected during their break – so you’re not alone if you constantly feel the need to check in on Facebook. You won’t have to search for local hotspots to get online in Singapore, as wireless broadband is available to everyone free of charge in most public areas. The city has also adopted mobile money, allowing residents to download cash onto their phones and tablets, and to pay for products through their devices.
The resolution: eat less
Break it in: New Orleans
Hearty gumbo, jambalaya, deep-fried seafood, beignets... New Orleans is not the place to limit your calorie intake. But after Hurricane Katrina, the culinary scene has broadened its horizons beyond Creole cuisine: dive bars in the Marigny and Bywater neighbourhoods come with pop-up restaurants and food trucks serving anything from falafel to Filipino barbecue, and chefs such as Root’s Phillip Lopez and SoBou’s Juan Carlos Gonzales are reinventing classic dishes – think foie gras lollipops and ghost chilli candy floss.
The resolution: do more exercise
Break it in: Dubai
There are a few things that might stop you from hitting the hotel gym in Dubai. First off, it has the highest concentration of spas per capita, so you could easily spend more time reclining than running. If that doesn’t distract you from the treadmill, Friday brunch will: most hotel restaurants host mammoth feasts with free-flowing Champagne and buffets heaped with steak, oysters and lobster – Traiteur at the Park Hyatt is known for being particularly lavish.
The resolution: curb your caffeine addiction
Break it in: Melbourne
The price of a cup of coffee is more expensive in Melbourne than Sydney – but that’s just a testament to how seriously Melbournians take their coffee and the fact that they’re prepared to pay for a quality caffeine fix. See what all the fuss is about at Axil Coffee Roasters in Hawthorn or Dead Man Espresso in South Melbourne. But forget ordering a flat white: opt instead for a piccolo latte, which is made with less milk, so the espresso tastes stronger.
This article has been tagged Destination, Culture