I understand that not everyone may be comfortable going out for an escape room game right now, but…read moreremote playing option has made it possible to enjoy this hobby in a safe environment. No chance of contracting the virus, and no need to leave the house! (Or wear pants!) Well, make sure you lower body is well obscured should you choose to omit essential clothing below the torso. Anyhoo~ Here's my review for remote escape room "ALCHEMY AT HOME"... A really quick summary of the basic premise: Trying to find the elusive and powerful Philosopher's Stone On a scale of 1-5, how much would I recommend this room: 3.5 (5 being an absolute need to tell everyone!) On a scale of 1-5, how memorable was this room: 3.5 (5 being I will remember it forever till I die!) Some special/random features I must inform other Yelpers: - The staff was so nice and warm - If you visit in person in the future, they serve booze! - Very easy room that's perfect for beginners - The online supplemental system will use many password - Be comfortable in using web browsers, tabs, and the likes - Wizards and magic related, but not directly related to any franchise Happy escaping! And stay informed, healthy, and safe, everyone! Oh, should you have more questions about anything escape room, feel free to contact me! I am happy to connect with anyone else who is also into this extremely addicting pastime.

ESCAPETHEROOMers first escape room scheduled in Melbourne, Australia is "Alchemy" at TRAPT Bar &…read moreEscape Rooms. The title explains itself as it is a fully functional bar/ lounge w/ five rooms to choose from. The minute that you venture down the stairs and enter a dimly lit corridor, you are transported back in time to a sophisticated and relaxed speakeasy bar. The spacious bar/ lounge area is also the waiting area for the escape rooms. The room that we booked - "Alchemy", introduces you to a world of wizardry and magic (similar to the Harry Potter books). The room had a few unique challenges w/ minimal technology incorporated. The decor and the puzzles presented fit the theme of the storyline. Since we only had 50 minutes to escape this room, we felt the pressure immediately which we used to our advantage. After successfully escaping, we met w/ the manager who's super helpful and nice and was fortunate enough to receive a tour of all the other rooms as well. Their rooms are very story-driven which we appreciate and would definitely like to try the other ones in the near future. *For more info, check out my Yelp profile.

(Visited 12/16/24 MO @ 12:00pm): This "river of mists" would've been welcomed on this scorching day…read morewhile out on a casual walk! A friend and I were on Day 3 of our 12-Day Southern Australia Explorer cruise with Princess Cruises, we took the local train into town, and after some initial exploration, we eventually made it to Birrarung Marr. To be honest, we knew nothing of this place until we casually came upon it. In Woi Wurrung and Boon Wurrung culture, "Birrarung" was the traditional name of the nearby Yarra River, and "marr" referred to the mist that sometimes settled over the Birrarung. This area was historically used for railway lines and yards in 1856. In 2000, construction of the park began and opened in 2002. The park now hosted a variety of native flora, sculpted terraces, pedestrian and bicycle paths, and was used for numerous events and festivals throughout the year. ArtPlay, a children's art center and gallery was also located on the site. Lastly, pedestrian bridges (William Barak and Tanderrum, respectively) bookend the park. Would we marvel at this public open space along the Birrarung!? PURCHASE Unless you took a river cruise, dined at a nearby eatery, or did some shopping, there were no direct ways to spend money towards the Birrarung Marr - 'nuff said. SERVICE I saw a few supposed city employees who cleaned and took care of the surrounding area. Otherwise, there wasn't anything else directly related to the Birrarung Marr - 'nuff said. PARKING (Varied; N/A this instance) There appeared to be a decent amount of parking on all surrounding streets (please note any posted signs), onsite parking at the nearby Federation Square, and of course the wonderful public transportation such as the tram system which we conveniently took and then walked the rest of the way - 'nuff said. ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE As previously mentioned, this was a completely exposed outdoor area with several art sculptors https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=jFWhi7YvYd0e2r9VU2S85A while the park was decorated in Christmas cheer https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=2k72ZA4tgRzz1XZmFCJdSQ and a beautiful downtown city view https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=eBa5d7pRaKR0QezOOy6M7Q just across the river. Obviously, there was plenty of natural lighting (duh!) while the night stars and electric business and street lights, respectively, filled in the rest. There weren't any TVs while the sounds of construction, conversations, motorized vehicles, and more were heard in the background. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=ch5R0TpstGK_nVzKB0Cw1Q ATTIRE Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. OVERALL Birrarung Marr was a pleasant surprise to had come upon, and it was a relaxing time as we walked from one end to the other before we left on our next adventure. I was a huge fan of public open spaces used for multiple purposes that invited people to feel comfortable, safe, and offered other options such as places to dine or simply people-watch. I found complete value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $0.00AUD / $0.00USD BEFORE any discounts/tip). And, although there wasn't anything directly you could've paid for to the park, my credit card of choice was accepted at nearly all of the surrounding businesses... AMEX! 5.0 STARS

Located downtown near the Yarra River, this park area provides quiet, serenity, and the ability to…read morebike, run, or walk the pathways. Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Cricket Grounds are conveniently located within a few minutes from this location. There are shops, vendors, and restaurants neaby to take advantage of. The city of Melbourne do a great service with this public park.

****Beware and careful before signing with them*****. Staff members are unprofesstional , dishonest…read moreand didnt disclose details about fees at the time of joining. I was told weekly pay of 19.95 which turn out to be 24 month contract. At the time of joining i specifically asked staff memeber about cancellation and she told me there is nothing but when i went to cancel membership. The same staff outrightly lied that she never had such discussion on cancellation fees and its not a lock in contract.this itself shows she didnt disclose these details at the time of signing which is wrong, unethical and dishonest. its mistake from my side to blindly trust that staff and sign without reading contract. But its also shows unprofessionalism and unalethical practice by staff memeber to hide such important information at the time of signing. https://maps.app.goo.gl/nqkLgfyVe7A6RY949

Mediocre gym. First; staff is rude and unprofessional. Feels like it is only about making you a…read moremember and making money, they push way too much. The gym is quit dirty, doesn't look like the machines are cleaned very often. Weights are usually all around the place, too many people don't clean up after themselves. Staff should have a stricter policy. Not enough showers/dressing rooms, leads to long waiting time, especially around 6pm. Do also don't have a sauna, I assumed that every proper gym would have one. The reason for me to go to the gym was the distance from my apartment and opening hours. Regret my choice unfortunately, I'd recommend to go to a proper gym. I went to a lot of gyms, but this is definitely the most shitty, and one of the most expensive. Too bad.

Cannot rate this company high enough. Would give it a 10. Rented a bike a year ago and this week…read more Gave them my Bike's measurements and the pressure I wanted in each tire and was delivered to my hotel exactly as specified. The team there could not be nicer.

From the owner: Travelling interstate or international to Melbourne and want to keep up your training schedule or…read moretake in the best road cycling that Australia has to offer? 10Bikes offers experienced cyclists who travel to Melbourne a quality 'ride' delivered to them, set up and ready to go. It's short term bike rental made easy.

Who would have thought getting locked in a room for a hour would be so much fun! This is actually…read morethe 6th escape room experience I have had and wow I was impressed with Escape Hunt Melbourne. Don't worry - I won't spoil any of the mystery of the actual rooms in this review. When we arrived the incredibly friendly staff sat us down on some comfy couches (complete with brain twisting puzzles to solve and a nice cup of tea) to explain the rules and how the games work. Essentially you and your team mates are sent into a "locked" (obviously you can still get out) room with a set of brain training challenges to solve. As a great problem solver and lateral thinker I was really excited to see how challenging this would be. The room we were given was the "brewery mystery". As the story goes the grand brew master has been murdered and his great beer recipe has disappeared with his death... or has it? You and your team need to solve puzzles, find clues and work together to find a way of getting out again. Our team was amazing and worked together very well. While one person was helping to solve one puzzle everyone else looked around to help solve the next. We worked so well together we raced through the room and beat our competition who was playing in the room next to us. Afterwards you get to dress up like a old fashioned Sherlock Holmes detective (complete with cape and pipe) and get a photo from their photo booth! While the rooms were not the most challenging puzzles I have ever done, the theme was cool and there was a lot of attention to detail to make the experience exciting. I will definitely be going back with some friends to try another room!

Escape Hunt is right in the heart of the city and perfect place to get a few friends together or…read moresplit into larger groups and challenge each other to see who has more brain juice. Our group of 6 tried out the Graveyard themed room and boy it was thrilling. I won't give away details but I was nervous, and it was challenging...thank goodness for others in my group being able to solve interesting puzzles and navigating. There are other themed rooms and at the end you can play dress-up in detective uniforms and there is a photo booth. For those who are worried on getting stuck, don't fret you can ask for hints and there are nice teas and cookies for you to calm down with before and after the game. Will be back to try the other rooms!

(Visited 12/16/24 MO @ 4:30pm): Melbourne's beach right next to its cruise port!…read more A friend and I were on Day 3 of our 12-Day Southern Australia Explorer cruise with Princess Cruises, we took the local train into town, and after an exploratory day in Melbourne's commercial business district (CBD), we made it back to the cruise terminal, but before we boarded, we decided to cool off at Port Melbourne Beach. It was a scorching 100°, and my back was wet most of the day as if I was a migrant farm worker! So, this dunk into the refreshing water was much needed. Sure, we could've just waited until we got back onto the ship and went into one of the pools. But then, we had to deal with the many kids or their parents. Would this strip of beach along Melbourne's port help to cool us down!? PURCHASE Nada... nothing... zilch. We didn't see any businesses or vendors to spend our money on - 'nuff said. SERVICE The portion of beach we were on lacked any form of service whatsoever. We didn't see any lifeguards, law enforcement, staffers, etc. - 'nuff said. PARKING (Varied; N/A this instance) I honestly didn't notice any onsite parking. However, there was a nearby passenger drop-off/pick-up location and potentially some street parking just outside the security gates to the nearby cruise terminal area. Otherwise, the 109 Tram conveniently took you to/from the Station Pier into the City Center with stops in between to pick you up from - 'nuff said. ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE A lonely no-nonsense soft-sand beach conveniently (for us anyway) next to the cruise terminal https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=zM7uZ2NoKGc7Ll48HX23xw that didn't appear to offer much if any amenities (maybe if we walked further down the beach we may have found something). This was perfectly fine with us; the less-crowded https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=QtKWUINN8TUxzJXLOQnEsg the less-noisy the better! The water was really shallow https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=IZHnQoaD9v0ySTASwM_LZg (maybe it was low tide?) as I walked out pretty far and eventually had to dunk myself to get fully wet. The sand seemed clear of any trash which was a good thing although I didn't recall seeing any trash cans. Plenty of natural lighting (duh... you were outside!) while nearby electric street lights filled in the rest. There were no TVs while the sounds of chatter and traffic played in the background. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=GRAPbGLNRubkuG723cMSHw ATTIRE Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. OVERALL Port Melbourne Beach served its purpose which was to cool us down after walking all over downtown Melbourne and to then to relax. There was nothing picturesque about this beach nor was there truly anything else to say about it; it was a "boring" beach with little around it. However, I really liked the general peace and tranquility about it, and honestly didn't need all of the common amenities found at more well-known beaches. But a more aesthetically-pleasing scenery wouldn't hurt. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $0.00AUD / $0.00USD BEFORE any discounts/tip). And, there didn't appear to be anywhere to accept my credit card of choice... AMEX! 4.0 STARS

A bit of a sad beach if you prefer a ton of people to socialize with, but an amazing beach if you…read morelike to be alone. I personally loved it and miss it xx

Since my accommodation in Melbourne didn't have a gym I hopped on Yelp in search of nearby exercise…read moreoptions and found Barre Body. The studio's wide timetable coupled with the fact that it was literally steps away from my hotel made it an easy choice for me. I took advantage of the $50 unlimited two week class pass. During my four night stay I made it to six classes at Barre Body. Each visit I found the studio to be clean and inviting, the instructors warm, friendly and competent and the other students to be of varying ages and abilities. (Note to men: I never saw another guy at Barre Body except the one I brought with me on my first visit. This is a very female centric studio.) I sampled all of Barre Body's barre classes during my stay. Each is a bit different but all include a bit of a yoga/pilates mat aspect. Here's a more simplified breakdown of each: Barre Moves = more dance focused than the other classes, a good one if you like/miss ballet Barre Body = weights + yoga Barre Tone = weights + pilates Barre Cardio = weights + faster movements than any of the other class. expect to sweat more too. You need not bring anything with you to Barre Body, except maybe a water bottle. All mats, weights and balls are provided and in good condition. The two week pass is great value and definitely a good option to sample this studio.

I'm always keen to try new things so when I heard about this class that is a mix of yoga and barre…read moretraining I was certain I had to give it a go. The studio is at the back of Endota spa on Flinders Lane and is beautifully clean and serene. I attended a lunchtime class which was taught by the owner (Emma) and it was lucky I got a spot, as the class was full. The barre body class uses weights and mixes yoga with it. I'm not going to lie, it was a hard class, especially because I've never been to a gym before. My body is so sore now, but the sorer the better right?! I must say I'm looking forward to going back and trying the other types of classes. They also support One Girl (a charity dedicated to providing education scholarships to girls in Sierra Leone). I have signed up for the 2 week unlimited pass for $50. What can I say I'm a sucker for punishment.

Our first port of call was the lovely and historic Australian city of Melbourne. We compared our…read morepre-cruise visit in bustling, contemporary, modern architecture, and high-finance areas of Sydney's CBD, like the USA's Los Angeles, to the more politically-centric, traditional British architecture and environment, and historic Melbourne city, like the USA's New York City, as we drove through Australia's second most populous city. We noticed Melbourne's CBD (Central Business District) was designed as a grid with wide thoroughfares alternating with narrow, smaller "Little" streets running parallel to them and plentiful laneways. Many street names honor British colonial leaders, British Royals, local politicians, and influential 19th-century residents. Our guide mentioned themed street clusters in newer suburban residential developments named after sports figures (cricket, football, & golf), Beatles' Strawberry Fields, medieval Camelot, literary figures, aviation companies, photography, and more. We were then treated to the historic, Victorian-era park where we strolled and relaxed along its tree-lined avenues, fountains, sculptures, conservatory, and looked forward to visiting the historic Cook's Cottage (original English home of Captain James Cook's parents), Fairies' Tree, and model Tudor Village on a chilly and slightly wet morning. I could imagine picnicking or just lazing back under the shade of trees during their warmer, clear-sky Spring or Summer seasons. Anyway, knowing we were going to stroll through the gardens, I made sure to take an allergy tablet, since the gardens have various plant and tree species our home state doesn't have. During our two-hour meandering through the Fitzroy Gardens, I felt my stress leave my body as my eyes, ears, and breathing embraced this beautiful English garden.

While Fitzroy Gardens is known as a historical garden built in 1800's, I found the park lacking in…read moreinteresting attractions. It's a good park to take a stroll but that's about it. Personally, I think you can skip and not miss much. The Captain Cook's Cottage wasn't even occupied by Captain Cook and requires an entrance fee to enter. The Conservatory with floral displays is so small you'll finish exploring in about 5 minutes.

Probably my favourite Health club ever. Although I don't step foot to many different health clubs…read morethat often haha I trialled the club for a week and visited about 3 times in total, trying a few reformer classes and the boxing class. I love the reformer instructors here, they're fun and motivating. Facility here feels very modern and there's a very serene feel at the Health Club. Changing room offers lots of lockers, hair dryer and straightener ( very important for some). It's great that the Health club is located conveniently to lots of post workout food options too! Matt the membership instructor is very friendly and not pushy at all ( unlike other establishments I've been to) and I feel welcomed and wouldn't hesitate to go back. Lots of classes offered and the weekly membership fee is definitely worthwhile if you attend at least 2 classes per week. I am waiting for Kaya to open a branch for the northsiders and it would be a done deal for me!

really enjoy the exercise classes at KĀYA. The instructors are great, and there is a good variety…read moreof classes to choose from. However, I feel the cleanliness could be improved. The toilets, Pilates and other class floors, as well as the shower areas, often need more regular cleaning. Since these are shared spaces, keeping them clean and hygienic would make the overall experience much better. Overall, I enjoy coming to KĀYA, but I hope more attention can be given to cleanliness and maintenance.

I was honestly disappointed. I've been to multiple aquariums in the USA and I was expecting this…read moreone to be much nicer. I didn't see any workers to help guide or discuss at all throughout the exhibit. Many animals were missing from the tank with a sign saying they've been moved. There honestly wasn't much to see and it was a disappointment. The penguins and sharks were the best parts and the only reason this got 3 starts... and the only good part. It was mostly just tanks of different fish. If you are coming with children then this is the place to go, for adults it's crowded and annoying.

Fantastic day for all ages. I was very impressed with the new penguin exhibit. The penguins are…read morevisible and energetic and easy to interact with. All sealife and environments looks extremely clean, healthy and well maintained. Easy process to buy tickets and once you are in you can explore at your own pace and in any order.