My husband and I have taken our "baby" to Ferntree Gully Veterinary Hospital a couple of times, and she has always been treated with the utmost care. On our most recent visit, the silly thing had eaten something she shouldn't have. Unfortunately, they had to make her vomit. However, they stayed with her the entire time and comforted her. All of the staff members in the back gave her lots of cuddles and made her feel at ease. For a dog that gets visibly scared whenever she's outside her home, it was amazing to see her actually wagging her tail when the receptionist gave her some attention. I highly recommend this clinic if you're in the Upper Ferntree Gully area.

Old Kingdom is THE place to go for Peking Duck. In fact, 99% of their customers go there solely for the duck. (It is not uncommon to call for a reservation and be asked, "How many ducks?" rather than, "How many people?") The service is about what you'd expect, but the food is worth it. The duck takes 24 hours to prepare/cook, so you have to book in advance. It has the most wonderful flavour you will ever experience. Once you've tried it, you won't go anywhere else for Peking Duck. Everything else pales in comparison.

Blue Chillies is a great little place that I like to describe as "Asian Fusion". The menu isn't huge, but the selection is really yummy. At least half of the dishes are Asian with more modern take. Their specialties are the thrice cooked duck and the chili chocolate mousse (which I highly recommend). The service has been great every time I've been there, and the food is just beautiful. I'm definitely going again sometime.

I've only been here once, but I had a 2 1/2 spa package while I visited. The spa itself is located in the trendy part of St Kilda (Acland Street) above a hotel. You could hear a little bit of the noise from outside, but it wasn't too bad. The spa itself is lovely and very clean. The waiting/relaxation room isn't that relaxing since you have to share it with every single other person at the spa (both sexes, no less). The treatment rooms are large and airy, and quite relaxing. I think I'd definitely go here again, but only if I needed a quick "detox". I would go elsewhere if needed a full relaxation experience.

I'm sorry to say that my recent experience with Tiger Airways was less than pleasing. My husband and I bought round trip tickets from Melbourne to Perth over the Australia Day weekend. The tickets were cheap (approximately half of what you would pay with anyone else), so we didn't expect too much. Some of the things that I hated were:

1. You only get a maximum of 15 kilos per person, and it's $8 per kilo over that...if they let you have your bag on there at all. (Some of the people in front of us got into a little argument with the check-in lady because she refused to let their bags on.)

2. I know it's a budget airline, but I would expect them to at least provide PILLOWS! Our late night flight over to Perth was absolutely miserable.

3. The amount of leg room you get is a bit ridiculous. I've been on some physically uncomfortable flights before, but this one topped it.

4. I know that you're supposed to pay for everything you get on the flight (including water...which is SILLY!), but if someone is having a massive coughing fit and keeping everyone around her awake on a late night flight, you would think that the air hostess wouldn't have any problem giving that passenger a cup of ice. But she had a MASSIVE attitude about it.

Overall, my husband and I were very disappointed with our flight. We've both vowed never to fly with Tiger Airways again, regardless to how cheap the flights are.

This is, by far, by favourite Italian restaurant in Melbourne. I've been here a number of times, and I've never had a bad meal. Everything is very reasonably priced, and tastes GREAT! Every time I have a craving for Italian food, I always go here. Definitely worth a try!

Now...I've missed real Mexican food ever since I moved to Australia from the US, but Mexicali Rose alleviates my cravings for good Mexican! Their menu is fantastic, and the food is just as authentic at anything I've had back home. The nicest part is that the meals are very reasonably priced, so I don't feel like I have to spent a gazillion dollars to get great food. I regularly recommend this place to my other American (and Australian!) friends. I'm definitely going back ASAP! ;)

I've been to Misty's Diner a number of times, and it's always been great! The food is honest to God authentic American-style and tastes really nice. I like Misty's so much, I've organised two meet-ups of an American group I belong to at Misty's. The service has always been fantastic, and the atmosphere is cool and relaxed. I would definitely recommend Misty's Diner to anyone wanting a taste of the good ol' US of A!

Approximate cost: $10-15