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ASK South Australians about their capital’s history and the first thing you’re likely to hear is that Adelaide wasn’t established by convicts but was founded in the 1830s by forward-thinking British free settlers seeking out new prospects.

The enterprising spirit of those founders is still alive and kicking. With 1.3 million inhabitants, Adelaide might be smaller than its eastern counterparts but, in October 2016, the city played host to Icebreaker16, the largest speed-networking event in the Southern Hemisphere.

With myriad co-working spaces and accelerator and incubator programs, it’s now a nexus for entrepreneurs. In 2015, tech titan Cisco declared Adelaide to be Australia’s first Lighthouse City, positioning it alongside pioneering tech- connected metropolises such as Barcelona, Chicago and Dubai. Recently, it was ranked in a KPMG report as the most cost-competitive city in Australia to do business. Punching above its weight? You bet.

For visitors, the best area to stay is the CBD (just seven kilometres from the airport), where most hotels and nightlife are located. Overall, Adelaide is easily navigable, with boulevard-style streets and a grid-like design encircled by 900 hectares of picturesque parkland. Its layout feels strikingly modern, even though it was conceived in the 1830s by urban-planning progressive Colonel William Light. And with $3.5 billion worth of major projects, including the recent Adelaide Oval redevelopment, the new Riverbank precinct and the state-of-the-art Royal Adelaide Hospital, it’s clear the city means big business.

Adelaide

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M AY F A I R H O T E L

45 King William Street, Adelaide mayfairhotel.com.au

Two years since opening, the Mayfair is still at the top of Adelaide’s luxury list. Aesthetes will appreciate Art Deco details such as bespoke mirrored cabinetry, crystal lamp bases and leather bedheads. The beds themselves in the 170 rooms are a particular point of pride: the owners tried 30 mattresses before creating their own. (They’re available to buy, too.) Hennessy, the swanky rooftop bar on the 13th floor, is the place to toast successful deal-making.

A D I N A A P A R T M E N T H O T E L A D E L A I D E T R E A S U R Y

2 Flinders Street, Adelaide adinahotels.com

This gracious heritage building, completed in stages from 1839 to 1907, has seen some historic moments: Australia’s first gold coin was minted here during the 1850s; in 1894, the right of women to vote in South Australia was passed in the first-floor Cabinet Room; and The Beatles escaped the crowds on their Australian tour in 1964 using the Treasury’s courtyard. Because of the history of the building, all 79 rooms are unique. The décor is tasteful – some with period detailing – and the one- and two-bedroom suites come with a fully equipped kitchen. Call in advance so housekeeping can stock your fridge and pantry before you arrive.

Stay

↓Business facilities A small, private business centre sits off the lobby; one flight up, a conference space caters for groups of six to 150. A dedicated team is on hand to ensure logistics run smoothly.Wi-fi Free throughout.Food and wine Mayflower Restaurant and Bar serves revamped ’80s classics such as prawn cocktail, caviar with toast points, Caesar salad and chicken Kiev – a noticeable step

↓Business facilities Of the four meeting rooms, the highlight is the antique- and artefact-filled Old State Cabinet Room. Hosting an event in the underground tunnels promises to be impressive.Wi-fi Unlimited at 512kbps; high-speed is $9.95 per day.Food and wine On-site restaurant Treasury on King William has seating that spills into the sunny courtyard and offers a casual breakfast and pub-style lunch and dinner.

up from standard hotel fare. Fun fact: the hotel’s executive chef, Bethany Finn, is a trainee apiarist who keeps bees on the hotel’s rooftop.Fitness and wellbeing There are free weights and cardio machines in the diminutive gym (open 6am to 10pm).Run route Head north on King William Street to join the River Torrens Linear Trail at Elder Park. Follow the river east, cross it at Frome Road and make your way back on the other side. It’s about four kilometres.

Fitness and wellbeing There’s an indoor pool, spa, sauna and 24-hour gym. The concierge can arrange an in-room massage for extra relaxation.Run route Bear east along Flinders Street until you reach the East Terrace parklands. Cut south into Victoria Park alongside the raceway before heading west on Halifax then north on Hutt to rejoin Flinders for the home stretch. It’s just over four kilometres.

Mayfair Hotel’s chic Hennessy rooftop bar (left); the pool and spa at Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury

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H I LT O N A D E L A I D E

233 Victoria Square, Adelaide adelaide.hilton.com

It’s rare for a hotel in the middle of a city to offer views from every room but the Hilton’s location on Victoria Square means it stands apart from other high-rises. Each of the 374 rooms looks out to the ocean or up to the hills. Executive rooms are well appointed with warm lighting and practical features such as oversized desks. The location is ideal for government and financial industries; also on the doorstep is Adelaide Central Market and buzzy restaurant strip Gouger Street.

four private dining areas and clubby, intimate feel, Coal Cellar + Grill is spot-on for business entertaining. Relax in The Collins Bar once negotiations are done. Fitness and wellbeing The 24-hour gym has great natural light, plus there’s a heated

pool, sauna, spa, tennis court and 100-metre outdoor running track.Run route Go down King William Street to the South Terrace parklands, do a lap around Veale Gardens then head up Morphett Street and along Grote Street for a three- kilometre circuit.

When in Adelaide...◖The burgeoning laneway bars and eateries might remind you of similar places in the eastern states but referring to Adelaide as a “mini Melbourne” just seems churlish. The natives will quickly defend their city as having its own unique flavour.

◖You’ll score points at business dinners if you opt for a bottle of South Australian wine. Unsure what to choose? Hand the wine list to a local; they’ll appreciate the gesture and probably order something you’ve never heard of. Get acquainted with the state’s hot and happening wine labels at bar-cum-bottle shop East End Cellars (eastend cellars.com.au) on Vardon Avenue.

◖In “Mad March” the city comes alive with festivals. Restaurant reservations can be hard to secure so be sure to book.

◖Many of the major thoroughfares change name at King William Street. Keep your wits about you; you may think you’re on the wrong road when it’s one and the same.

◖The most reliable take-home treats are chocolates from Adelaide’s own Haigh’s (haighs chocolates.com.au).

◖Using Uber and taxis is fine but if you’re staying in the CBD, it’s worth investigating the free City Connector bus (adelaidemetro.com.au) that runs regular loops through the city and North Adelaide.

↓Business facilities There are 19 meeting spaces (including a ballroom), a business lounge, secretarial services and facilities for up to 500 residential delegates.Wi-fi Free throughout for HHonors members.Food and wine With its modern menu,

Barketta at Peppers Waymouth Hotel serves charcuterie, cocktails and local craft beers

P E P P E R S W AY M O U T H H O T E L

55 Waymouth Street, Adelaide peppers.com.au

Since Peppers took over this 18-floor, 202- room property in 2015, it has become a firm corporate favourite. The sleek lobby is inviting and the guestrooms are airy and spacious. Deluxe Suites with luxurious spa baths are the top pick. Peppers has an edge, too, in terms of location: Waymouth Street is home to Press Food & Wine, Georges and Bistro Dom, which are all perfect for entertaining clients. And it’s a short walk to the West End’s hip laneway bars and eateries.

↓Business facilities Two conference rooms each cater for 40 people, theatre-style, and Peppers can arrange audiovisual add-ons such as electronic whiteboards and microphones.Wi-fi Free throughout.Food and wine For relaxed, contemporary fare, head to Barketta in the lobby. Essay Kitchen on the first floor offers more formal dining.Fitness and wellbeing With a bank of windows overlooking the

street, the heated lap pool is a soothing place to dissolve any work stress. A gym, sauna and spa complete the offering.Run route Cut west on Waymouth Street, turn right at Light Square and head across the Montefiore Road bridge. Over the river, go left at War Memorial Drive, hug the parklands and golf course then rejoin Montefiore Road back into town. This 5.5- kilometre loop is one of the few in the city that has hill climbs.

Hilton Adelaide’s King Hilton Deluxe guestroom (above) and business lounge (left)

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1Three of the state’s biggest cultural hits sit side by side on

North Terrace: the Art Gallery of South Australia (artgallery. sa.gov.au), the South Australian Museum (samuseum.sa.gov.au) and the State Library of South Australia (slsa.sa.gov.au). Their central location and free entry make it easy to drop in ad hoc. The Versus Rodin exhibition (March 4 to July 2; $18) at the art gallery is worth checking out.

2 South Australia has 18 wine regions and more than 200

cellar doors are within an hour’s drive of Adelaide’s CBD. Penfolds

Magill Estate (penfolds.com) is one of the closest, just 20 minutes away. Give yourself half an hour for a casual tasting of reds and whites (midweek before lunch is quietest) or two hours if you book the Ultimate Penfolds Experience, which runs daily at 11am and includes a tasting of Grange. The fine-dining restaurant here is outstanding.

3 South Australians are fiercely proud of their produce

and Adelaide Central Market (adelaidecentralmarket.com.au) is a testament to that. Peruse fare from butchers, bakers,

Betweenmeetings?

(Clockwise from left) The vestibule of the Art Gallery of South Australia; Penfolds Magill Estate’s cellar door; communal dining at Adelaide Central Market

fishmongers, chocolatiers, cheesemakers, fruit and vegetable sellers and even a dedicated “mushroom man”. To avoid the crowds, visit on a weekday morning (closed Monday).

4 In the leafy Adelaide Botanic Garden (botanicgardens.sa.

gov.au), just off North Terrace, is the largest single-span conservatory in the Southern Hemisphere and the last remaining glasshouse of its kind. The Bicentennial Conservatory is 100 metres long and 27 metres high, while the Palm House is a Victorian edifice imported from

Germany in 1875. The Amazon Waterlily Pavilion is also pretty impressive. All three are open from 10am to 4pm daily. Even if botany and ecology aren’t your thing, the structures are striking and the gardens serene.

5 In the mood to exercise? Join the locals for an early-

morning charge up Mount Lofty (walkingsa.org.au). The starting point is about 20 minutes’ drive from the CBD, in Waterfall Gully. The incline will get your blood pumping and the views from the top are sensational. Allow two to three hours for the round trip. S

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B R E A K F A S T M E E T I N GHandsome & The Duchess

16 McHenry Street, Adelaide

0425 729 534

Tucked into one of the city’s lesser- known laneways is the buzzy Handsome & The Duchess, where co-owner Syed Haider wrangles the mint-green espresso machine with expertise. His wife, Shinae, dishes up a mouth- watering menu; think breakfast-burger brioche, classic French toast and buttery croissants crammed with prosciutto, roasted tomatoes and Swiss cheese.

D R I N K S W I T H C L I E N T S2KW

Level 8, 2 King William Street, Adelaide

2kwbar.com.au

With expansive views across North Terrace, the River Torrens, Adelaide Oval and North Adelaide, this is easily the best vantage point in the city; locals and out-of-towners alike are impressed by sundowners on the rooftop. Book a cabana if you’re entertaining a group. When it’s time to eat, the bustling laneways of Peel and Leigh streets are a five- minute walk away.

ADLQantas flies to Adelaide from

most Australian capital cities. qantas.com

F l i g h t p a t h

Word of mouth

The loft-style dining space upstairs at Press Food & Wine

B U S I N E S S D I N N E RPress Food & Wine

40 Waymouth Street, Adelaide

pressfoodand wine.com.au

Six years on and Press is still a great place to dine: exceptional food, exemplary service and not an ounce of stuffiness. Downstairs is casual, with high bar tables for walk-ins. Upstairs is for bookings – and flexing the expense account. A lively atmosphere pervades, making it the perfect environment for robust deal-making. Booths are best for gatherings that require discretion, while the excellent tasting menu takes away the guesswork.

D I N I N G A L O N EOsteria Oggi

76 Pirie Street, Adelaide

osteriaoggi.com.au

This is one of the hottest restaurants in town – and one of the most approachable. The slender entrance belies the cavernous dining room at the rear but if you’re dining alone, a perch at the 20-metre concrete bar is ideal. Choose a handmade pasta from the modern Italian menu – perhaps the broccoli, anchovy and chilli gnocchetti or the beef ragù tagliatelle? The wine list is strong, the service is slick and prompt and you can walk in most midweek nights with ease.

C O F F E E P I T S T O PLarry & Ladd

Shop 36, Regent Arcade, 101-109 Rundle Mall, Adelaide

larryandladd. com.au

Larry & Ladd was opened in 2014 by two caffeine gurus, Josh Baker, from Coffee Branch in Leigh Street, and his top barista, Jeremy Downey. Baker has moved on and a new partner, Chris Pouras, is on board but – hot damn! – the coffee is as good as ever. The bespoke Five Senses brew is poured with extreme care. An urban-cool fit-out, pumping tunes and tasty toasties from the servery amp up the experience.