The Prince

Melbourne, Australia [view map]

Style

Cool art deco hideaway

Setting

Boho bayside

The Prince, in the edgy and bohemian St Kilda district of Melbourne, simply oozes cool from the moment that your cab pulls up outside its art deco façade.

Local restaurants

A St Kilda institution for 20 years, Café Di Stasio (31 Fitzroy Street; +61 (0)3 9525 3999) serves modern Italian food accompanied by reassuringly traditional Italian service. It offers a lovely set lunch menu every day, and you can dine al fresco on the pavements and soak up the local vibe. Buzzy little trattoria Cicciolina (130 Acland Street; +61 (0)3 9525 3333) is another St Kilda institution. It only accepts bookings for lunch, but you can have a drink in the back bar while you wait. The setting may be low-key but the food certainly isn’t. A Melbourne culinary icon, Stoke House (30 Jacka Boulevard; +61 (0)3 9525 5555) sits on the sand of St Kilda Beach and offers uninterrupted views of the bay. Run by the same family that brought fine Cantonese dining to Melbourne in the form of the city’s famous Flower Drum, Lau’s Family Kitchen (4 Acland Street; +61 (0)3 8598 9880) is a more laid-back affair. However, the food is equally as good and the surroundings are lovely.

Local bars

A cosy little bar in a ‘birdcage’-type enclosure inside The George Hotel complex, Mockingbird Tapas Bar (129 Fitzroy Street; +61 (0)3 9534 0000) is perfect for an after-dinner cocktail.

Local cafes

A great place for a coffee and cake or a sandwich, Il Fornaio (2 Acland Street; +61 (0)3 9536 1111) is also the perfect place to pick up picnic supplies. Its fridge is full of ready-prepared, take-home items such as tarts, frittatas and sandwiches made with home-baked bread.

Worth getting out of bed for

Rollerblading along the esplanade is a hugely popular pastime in summer, and there are several places to stop along the way for a drink, an ice cream or a swim. Blades can be hired from Rock ’n’ Rollin (22–28 Fitzroy Street; +61 (0)3 9525 3434. Luna Park Funfair, on the Lower Esplanade in St Kilda South, opened in 1912 and its enormous laughing-face façade and rollercoaster structure is a National Trust-protected icon of St Kilda. Entry is free. The Aurora Spa Retreat, conveniently located in the same building as the Prince, is Australia’s best-known spa. There is a blissful array of treatments for him or her, professionally administered in beautiful surroundings.

If it’s shopping you’re after, then St Kilda is a great place in which to max out your credit card. 8 Inkerman (8 Inkerman Street; +61 (0)3 9534 1123; www.8inkerman.com) may be tucked away on the backstreets, but it’s well worth seeking out if you like to wrap yourself in cashmere. Madame B (6 Inkerman Street; +61 (0)3 9534 3348; www.madameb.net.au), which stocks French designer labels, accessories and sensual E Coudray fragrances, is a little slice of the Left Bank. On nearby Fitzroy street, Hoss (Shop 3, 135 Fitzroy Street; +61 (0)3 9537 0933) stocks a enviable list of labels from international and Australian designers. Schmik Fashion (165 Fitzroy Street; +61 (0)3 9525 3134) is home to unique labels from around the globe including the oddly beautiful New Zealand Merino Mink, made from merino wool and possum fur. Schmick’s own-designed leather products are cool and colourful – think midnight blue knee high boots and studded belts.

And it’s not all fashion. Surround Interiors (1–3 Inkerman Street; +61 (0)3 9593 8744; www.surround.com.au) fits out some of the coolest places in town. Walk into its showroom and inspired. The Bitch is Back (100A Barklay Street; +61 (0)3 9534 8025) is a treasure trove of retro furniture. Every Sunday throughout the year, the Esplanade Market (www.theesplanademarket.com) showcases works from around 200 of Victoria’s finest artists and craftspeople, who also sell direct to the public.