Taste: The top spots to grab a bite or sip on the Beaches.

Hedonist Collaroy – Something Good is Happening Here

There's a new energy at Hedonist Collaroy, and it's noticeable from the moment you walk in. With Head Chef Joaquin Bordato now settled into the kitchen, the menu has found a clearer shape, a more confident voice. It's the kind of shift that doesn't need to announce itself. You just feel it in the food arriving at the table.

Chef Bordato's cooking tells you exactly where he's been. Born in Ramallo, a small city on the Paraná River outside Buenos Aires, working in kitchens by fifteen. A decade in Florianópolis, Brazil, built a deep understanding of food and people, and Sydney has been home since 2016, where time spent in some of the city's most prestigious kitchens sharpened his craft further. At Hedonist Collaroy, all of that comes together quietly on the plate.

Modern Australian cooking, French technique, and Argentinian instinct. None of it labelled, all of it present.

From the first dish, the kitchen announces its intent. Sydney Rock oysters with lime and pepper granita: clean, bright, precise. The Angus Beef Tartare, layered with anchovy cream and cured beef, is beautifully composed, rich in flavour without being heavy. Then the Goat’s Cheese Soufflé arrives, almost too perfect to disturb.

“I want people to feel something when they eat. Not just taste the food, but understand where it’s come from and why it’s on the plate,” says Chef Joaquin Bordato.

The wine list holds its own. Bold Malbecs from Mendoza, Argentina set the tone, and the list travels from there, spanning Australian and New Zealand regions, European classics, and South American selections. By the glass, Hunter Valley Chardonnay and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc; by the bottle, Burgundy and Central Otago Pinot Noir. Reds roam from Barossa to Tuscany to Sicily. Happy Hour runs daily from 5–6pm, with $12 cocktails and $9 house wines and beers.

Chimichurri runs quietly through the menu, less a condiment than a point of view. It sits alongside the 12-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder, built for long tables and unhurried afternoons. The Tajima Wagyu Rump and Rib Eye arrive with fennel and cabbage salad, the chimichurri carrying Bordato’s Argentinian roots into every serve. The Chicken Supreme, slow-cooked with porcini cream and crushed potatoes, is comfort cooking handled with real care.

Not everything here is built for occasion. The Angus Beef Burger is exactly what a good burger should be, confident and satisfying without needing to try too hard. The pan-fried gnocchi with confit cherry tomato, capers, broccolini and garlic emulsion is lighter, quieter, and just as assured.

Dessert earns its place. Poached pear in red wine. Crème Brülée with dulce de leche. Both deeply satisfying, neither rushed.

Chef Bordato has brought something lasting to Hedonist Collaroy. A sense of identity, a clarity of purpose, and food that gives you a reason to come back.

Open for lunch Thursday to Sunday from 12–3pm and dinner Monday and Thursday to Saturday from 5pm – close. Bookings are recommended, walk-ins always welcome. Follow their socials for weekly specials and updates.

Sunday Whole Roast

Sunday at Hedonist is worth planning around. At $45pp, the meal opens with a house-made empanada before moving into the roast of the day. Cuts rotate across pork, lamb and seasonal selections, served with garlic bread, salads, broccolini and chimichurri.

"Sunday should feel like a celebration. Good food, good people, no rush," says Chef Joaquin Bordato.

1135 Pittwater Rd, Collaroy 2097  |  For bookings and enquiries, call 1300 712 743 | @hedonist.collaroy  |  www.hedonistcollaroy.com.au

‍

Boating: New boats and old favourite boat clubs.

‍

Eyachts – VanDutch: An Iconic Name Now on Local Waters

There are boats that get you from A to B, and then there are boats that make everyone on the marina stop and look. VanDutch is firmly in the second category. With its unmistakable sleek silhouette and and distinctly European edge, it has built a global following among those who know. Now, thanks to the Eyachts team, it has officially arrived on our doorstep.

Some things are immediately recognisable as special, even if you can't quite explain why. VanDutch is one of those things. Born in the Netherlands, defined by its clean lines and quietly confident presence on the water, it is the kind of vessel that draws a crowd without trying. It has that quality that great design always has: you just know.

The team at Eyachts, based right here on the Beaches, has spent years seeking out exactly that kind of brand. Not the loudest name in the room, but the right one. Built on a philosophy of quality over quantity and long relationships with the people who make things properly, Eyachts has now brought VanDutch to Australian and New Zealand waters as its exclusive local dealer, and established VanDutch Centre Sydney as the place to experience the range in person.

VanDutch already has serious interest in Australia with many now gracing our waterways. The next to arrive is the VanDutch 56, due in Victoria later this year. To see one is to understand the appeal immediately: sleek silhouette at home on the water, beautifully proportioned, with interiors that feel more like a considered floating retreat than a vessel of any kind.

VanDutch has always attracted people who value the way something looks and feels as much as what it does. In recent years, the brand has gone through its own quiet evolution, combining its original Dutch design sensibility with Italian craftsmanship to produce something that feels both refined and completely at ease on the water.

Eyachts founder Peter Hrones explains the fit simply: "VanDutch is the next step in an evolution for us in Australia and New Zealand. When you find a brand that genuinely speaks for itself, the job is just to introduce it to the right people."

And the timing feels right. The way Australians think about being on the water is changing. It is less about horsepower and more about how the afternoon feels, the light at 4pm, the ease of it, the experience of being somewhere beautiful. VanDutch was built for that.

As Eyachts VanDutch Manager Joe Fox puts it: "It is more than a boat. It is a statement of lifestyle and aesthetic, and it represents exactly where we see premium boating heading in Australia."

If you have ever looked out at the water and thought one day, then consider this your invitation.

Come and See it For Yourself

Eyachts will be at The Spit Boat Show this November with VanDutch. In the meantime, VanDutch Centre Sydney at Spit Bridge, 81 Parriwi Rd, Mosman is the official Australian home of the brand and is open year-round.

81 Parriwi Rd, Mosman | Fergusons Marina Suite 1, Smiths Boat Shed,  The Spit Bridge, 81 Parriwi Rd, Mosman 2088 | The Quays Marina, 1856 Pittwater Rd, Church Point 2105  |  (02) 9979 2443   | eyachts.com.au

‍

Royal Motor Yacht Club – Grand Reopening, July 2026

This year, the Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay turns 100. It's a milestone worth marking, and the Club is doing exactly that, with the July opening of a transformed Clubhouse that sets a new standard for waterside living on the Beaches. This isn't just a renovation. It's a reimagining of what a club can be, built around the way people actually want to live.

More Than a Membership

The new Clubhouse has been designed around a simple idea: that the best days are the ones that flow. A morning workout leads to coffee, coffee leads to a poolside afternoon, and somehow that becomes sunset drinks with friends that drift into dinner. It's the kind of ease that's hard to manufacture, and RMYC Broken Bay has built it in from the ground up.

Then there's the rooftop. A 180-degree terrace capturing uninterrupted views across Pittwater, it's one of the finest vantage points on this stretch of coast, and one of those spaces that's hard to leaveonce you're in it.

A Year Worth Celebrating

The July opening kicks off a centenary calendar that does justice to a hundred years of history.

Signature events include the Centenary Gala on Saturday 25 July, an evening honouring the people and stories that shaped the Club's first century, and a special Voyage from Rose Bay to Pittwater on Saturday 10 October, a tribute to the Club's origins played out on the water itself. The Official Opening of the Boating Season follows on Saturday 17 October, elevated as part of this once-in-a-generation program.

Alongside these, a full calendar of events brings energy and connection back to Club life throughout the year.

Join the Next Chapter

RMYC Broken Bay enters its second century as something genuinely evolved: a place where sailing, social life, and wellness meet, and where the water is always at the centre of it all.

New memberships are open now. If you've been curious about what the Club has become, this is the moment to find out.

Discover the spaces. Enjoy the lifestyle. Join the community. Enquire about membership at royalmotor.com.au.

46 Prince Alfred Parade, Newport  |  (02) 9997 5511 | royalmotor.com.au

‍

Manly Skiff – Join Once, Stay for Generations

Some clubs are somewhere you visit. Others become part of the family story.

At the Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club, membership has always meant more than a card in your wallet. It is Friday nights overlooking the harbour. It is knowing the staff by name. It is growing up here, then one day bringing your own kids back through the doors.

For more than a century, the Skiff has been woven into the rhythm of life in Manly. Since 1923, generations of locals have gathered on East Esplanade for long lunches, sunset drinks, family celebrations and those regular catch-ups that somehow become lifelong traditions.

Second-generation members are part of the fabric here. Third-generation families are not unusual. Because when a club gets the balance right – great food, an unbeatable waterfront setting, good people and a relaxed atmosphere – loyalty tends to stick around.

What Membership Actually Gives You

Members enjoy up to 10% off food and beverages across the club, from Sydney Rock Oysters, fresh seafood and premium grill cuts to wood-fired pizza, and classic fish 'n' chips, all best enjoyed with a harbour view.

Then there are the favourites that anchor the week. Monday Steak Night. Tuesday Chicken Schnitzel. Thursday Burger Night. The sort of standing traditions that turn "Where should we go?" into "See you at the Skiff."

Priority bookings across busy weekends and Friday evenings mean your table is ready when you are, whether it is a casual dinner, post-work drinks or a family gathering overlooking Manly Cove as the ferries roll in.

For sports lovers, the big screens keep every major moment covered. For those chasing atmosphere, the cocktails, wine list and ever-changing seasonal menu make it just as easy to settle in for a long afternoon by the water.

And when it comes time to celebrate, members also enjoy access to the Harbourview Room, a waterfront space ideal for birthdays, corporate events, Christmas parties and milestone occasions where the view does half the work for you. Members also receive special pricing on signature club events throughout the year, from Winter Wine Dinners and Melbourne Cup lunches to New Year's Eve on the harbour.

There was a time when membership at the Skiff came with a waiting list stretching years. People still joined the queue because they knew exactly what they were waiting for.

These days, joining is simple. Membership is open online, and becoming part of one of Sydney's most iconic waterfront clubs has never been easier.

Some places you discover once. Some places stay with you for life.

Get the membership perks. Become a member today at manlyskiff.com.au.

Cnr East Esplanade & Stuart St, Manly | (02) 9977 3322  | @manlyskiff | manlyskiff.com.au

‍

Getaway: This is the home away from home that you'll keep coming back to every winter.

‍

Marritz Salzburg – Ski in. Warm Up. Repeat.

Winter doesn't wait, and neither do the best rooms on the mountain. If a Perisher snow trip has been sitting on the to-do list, this is your sign to actually do it. Marritz Hotel and Salzburg Apartments sit just 200 metres from the ski lifts, right in the heart of the action, and the 2026 season is already filling fast.

There's a reason Perisher keeps pulling people back. It's not just the snow. It's the feeling of being completely off the grid for a few days, with nowhere to be and nothing to do except get out there and enjoy it.

The question is where you stay, and that part matters more than most people think.

Marritz Hotel is one of those places that earns its reputation quietly. One of Perisher Valley's original European-style ski hotels, it has the kind of atmosphere that's genuinely hard to manufacture: warm, unhurried, and properly looked after.

Full board is included, meaning breakfast and dinner are taken care of from the moment you arrive. After a day on the mountain, you come back to a fire, a good meal à la carte, and a swim in the only heated indoor pool in Perisher. Rooms range from Junior Suites perfect for families, through to Executive and Tower Suites for those who want a little more room to move. It sounds simple because it is, and that's exactly the point.

For groups and families who prefer their own space, the Salzburg Apartments are in a league of their own. The largest self-contained apartments in Perisher, they come with private jacuzzis, saunas, and open fireplaces, and sleep anywhere from four to ten people.

Bring your own food, your own wine, and your own playlist. It's the kind of setup where everyone has room to breathe, the kids can decompress after a big day, and the grown-ups can actually relax without watching the clock.

Both properties sit just 200 metres from the ski lifts, which sounds like a small detail until you're standing in ski boots at 8am. The bar pours Glühwein, there's an Igloo Club for the little ones, and the whole place has that easy atmosphere that makes you wonder why you don't do this every year.

The 2026 season is filling fast. If a snow trip has been on your mind, this is a good year to make it happen.

Book your 2026 stay now at marritzsalzburg.com.au or call 02 6457 5220.

2 Porcupine Rd, Perisher Valley NSW 2624  |  (02) 6457 5220 | @marritzhotel  |  marritzsalzburg.com.au