Quirky place where you'd expect to see pirates and moody piano player. Really cosy, odd and interesting interior. They had open mike poetry on Monday nights. Affodable wine and gorgeous little courtyard. Very much a local drinking hub. Great staff. All in all, very unique and un-Melbourne-like.

Love this organic grocery shop. Really pretty lay out and weaved shopping baskets. Wide selection of organic and non-organic. Very good quality stuff and always fresh and firm. There are also organics goods like bread, milk, eggs, meat, canned food, washing products, honey, chocolate, grains etc. etc. Super dooper friendly service and excellent knowledge of their products. Very much a local family grocer. As expected organics aren't cheap , but at least here you get what you pay for, and go home feeling good for supporting local business.

One of the few standing places I know of where you can get toast by the slice, and for just $2 for an organic sourdough. Makes places that charge $8 for toast look lousy. They make a killer coffee, rocking sandwiches and have the nicest staff in St Kilda - seems that being just a stone's throw from Acland Street can actually make all the difference. Tiny inside, lots of seating outside. Family and dog friendly, and always full of locals. Always come back here...

Like a movie uni hang out. Always full and steamy. Very affordable food and great wine that's served in latte glasses. Can get a good pizza here for under $10. Nice decor - cosy and warm atmosphere, random art and magazines lying around. Always full for a good reason.

Approximate cost: $10

This should be on the hall of fame for quickest, tastiest, cheapest meal in town! Always excellent service, delicious, and served for you before you can put your change away. Nothing over $10. My favourite is the soy chicken on rice, and for something lighter the sashimi with salad. The loaction of this particular Don Don is my favourite as on a warm day you can get takeaway and chill on on the grass in front of the State Library. The best!

Approximate cost: $7.50

Fantastic full-service gym in Melbourne CBD. Really friendly service, full of smiles, and lots of classes and equipment, including pool, spa and indoor rock climbing wall. The lockers are pretty good, as are the showers, complimentary hairdryers, hair straighteners, internet, cable TV and more... Downsides- it's extremely popular so there's lots of people especially straight after work (sometimes makes it hard to book a class), there are no other branches in Melbourne, it is one of the more expensive gyms. The sleeping pods sound cool but I've never actually seen them in use. All in all you get what you pay for, especially if you like variety and not just stuck to one or two weights that you can get anywehre else.

I wish I could give this place 5 stars because the venue is just awesome and it has a real European feel to it. Alas, it is quite expensive... I love that you order the wine from the inhouse bottle shop and pay the extra for drinking on site. Feels very much like you are in someone's loungeroom - the staff communicate 'with' you, rather than 'serving' you. There is no kitchen, but they have a hot meal of the day which is served over the bar, as well as pate, cheese platters and the like. The staff are friendly but can be somewhat arrogant. The venue is narrow and long - you have to rub shoulders a little - but it's all in the right spirit. Really cosy place and the courtyard is a delight in summer. Great with friends, and especially for a date.

Great place to visit, eat, shop or stay. It's full of convent and local history, modern and local art and craft, and the cafe serves great brekky and coffee. I imagine this would be a lovely venue for a wedding - and there are many photos of such on the top level. It has real character and atmosphere - kids would feel a lot here.

Japanese style indoor/outdoor spa. We had a couples massage here. The reception lady was lovely and we had high expectations. The room really spacious and we were spaced far from one another. We both ordered 1 hour massage. Mine was lovely and relaxing, except that she was done about 20 minutes early and then stroked my hair for the rest of the time. I've had lots of full nody massages with head last, but usually about 5 minutes for this. My partner did not enjoy his at all. He asked about 5 times for some pressure, but the lady continued to merely brush his skin. The price was exorbitant - I think we paid $140 each! The cannot compare to St Kilda Sea Baths or the Peninsula Hot Springs, where the amenities alone offer much much more. Will not be back and won't be recommending. Sadly it's the only massage spot I could locate in Red Hill/Main Ridge, and the local Hot Springs book out weeks, if not months, in advance.

Approximate cost: $130

An outdated Post Office where the staff are often rude and grumpy. It's not a big office either and they don't stock up on much stationary or nice gifts and goods as other post offices do these days. Nonetheless it's fine for a lunch time stop over to gt things done (but sometimes be left in a bad mood).