Hello guys, it’s been a 2 weeks (I know this post took too long) since I’m back from the best place I’ve been to in my life – Melbourne. The chill vibes, beautiful skies and cafe culture (minus the high expenses) held my heart in captive within this beautiful city.
I know I’ve been harping on coming up with this itinerary since 5 days 2 weeks ago, but I just have TOO MANY photos to edit and well.. too much adult responsibilities. Ya take so long to write, writing a novel meh? Haha! Also, if some of you were wondering why I can’t just forward my raw itinerary, it’s because I didn’t write anything down and I kept it in my head la, and there are quite a few impromptu additions. Ya, my memory is also very good.
The full travelogue with more details on the happenings on each day would be out by the end of March, so please stay tuned to my entertaining monologue ok! For those who can’t wait long enough for that , this post is for you guys and I’ll also be inserting individual review links + menu and prices to the cafes I’ve been to in the coming month!
Day 1
If there’s a hotel that you’re looking to stay at for the best convenience, Holiday Inn On Flinders makes a darn good one.
Located right in the heart of the CBD area of Melbourne, we walked to almost all of our destinations from our hotel and it’s also just a 10 mins walk away from one of the BIGGEST FACTORY OUTLETS in Melbourne – DFO South Wharf. If there’s another advice from my trip to Melbourne, GOOGLE MAPS is a darn good help to get to ANYWHERE.
First stop – 10 minutes walk from Holiday Inn On Flinders
Higher Ground
By the same team behind Melbourne’s popular cafes – Top Paddock and The Kettle Black.
650 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Opening hours: Monday to Wed – 7am to 4pm, Thursday & Friday – 7am to 11pm
Saturday – 8am to 11pm, Sunday – 8am to 4pm
They’ve got an AMAZING, AMAZING looking place and great looking food. This place really raises the bar for the design of the cafes in Melbourne.
Well.. Quality and taste of food + coffee wise, I have had a lot better. Disappointing but still worth a visit BECAUSE of how good the place looks.
2. Spencer Outlet Store
201 Spencer St, Docklands VIC 3008, Australia
Opening hours: Everyday 10am to 6pm, Friday till 8pm
Located just across the road from Higher Ground.
Pretty decent store with factory outlets from brands like Cotton On, Forever New, Crumpler etc.
3. Manchester Press for a Coffee Break
8 Rankins Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Opening hours: Weekdays 7am to 5pm, Weekends 9am to 5pm
Hidden within a narrow alley and known for their coffee and BAGELS, they are a perfect hangout for most Gen Y Hipsters.
You won’t be able to quite spot the cafe from the entrance of the alley, PLUS there were many alleys over there with a myriad of restaurants, cafes and irrelevant stores.
Their mocha was pretty good with balanced notes, but it made me wonder if the coffee in Melbourne were only just it. Visited them at 4.30pm and were denied from sitting in the cafe to have our coffee since they end their operations at 4pm. Hmm.
Once you’re here, you’re within the vicinity of the shopping precinct in the CBD area. There’s Bourke Street Mall, Emporium Melbourne (Houses all the luxury brands) and a very architecturally savvy H&M.
4. Shopping in the vicinity – Bourke Street Mall + Emporium Melbourne
287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Shopping in Melbourne is well known for its short operating hours, the malls in this area closes at 6pm from Sunday to Thursday and at 9pm on Friday and Saturday
Pro tip – Most of the shopping done in Melbourne can get a little expensive, but they’ve got clearance sales and end of season sales usually at the basement of their departmental stores!
5. Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato & Desserts
377-379 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Sunday to Thursday – 1pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday – 1pm to 11pm
We were initially here for their cute Nutella soft serve dessert but they just had a menu change and removed that from the menu. Sigh.
They’ve got pretty decent looking plated desserts and soft serves, but the place was way too dark for me to shoot, and we weren’t quite hungry.
Decent items on the menu, rather underrated in my opinion.
6. Little Ramen Bar for Dinner
5/346 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday – 11.30am to 3.30pm, 5.30pm to 9.30pm, closed on Sundays
Because we were darn tired and cold and were craving for something soupy.
EH.. It’s just ramen lor, nothing fancy but was comforting AF.