Three winters ago I enjoyed the winter wonderland of British Columbia and Alberta while aboard the Rocky Mountaineer. And now they’re offering a special last minute winter getaway between Vancouver, BC and Banff, Alberta. The Rocky Mountaineer train features Christmas with all the trimmings. It’s a cozy and relaxing journey as it travels eastbound or…
The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto is offering a fun, informative and tasty weekend culinary shopping package. I made a reservation for the Shop With Chef package earlier this fall, and and it’s a unique way to get up close and personal to the food and producers utilized by the hotel’s signature EPICrestaurant. Since I…
It’s probably one of the few hotels in the world where guests are given tips on how to prepare for a good night’s sleep. But this isn’t your typical hostelry — this is the Ice Hotel Quebec-Canada. Now in its seventh season, it’s North America’s first ice hotel, made entirely of ice and snow. I…
Thirty-seven of Canada’s most respected foodies had a tough task: coming up with Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2006. But at the end of the meal(s), Vancouver, BC’s Nu ended up with the distincition of being the top table. The fifth annual survey, conducted by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and its contributing editor Chris Johns, included…
We received a first hand review from a couple that recently journeyed east for an upscale stay at the stately Post Hotel & Spa, which borders picturesque Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, offering a gorgeous ski lodge, pampering spa, award-winning Gourmet Magazine-heralded restaurant, and much more. Originally built in 1942, the Post resonates with the…
A skier heads down the slopes. Photo by Sue Frause. Ski season is just a flip of the calendar away, and British Columbia’s Whistler has again been touted by Conde Nast Traveler in its November 2006 issue. A trio of Whistler hotels swept the top three spots in the annual readers’ choice awards for the…
Clarins Canada Skin Spa, which opened a little more than a year ago in Toronto, is a sleek red-and-white emporium where treatments given in luxe comfort can painlessly turn back the clock. Forget those excruciating extractions associated with most facials, the face (and body) treatments here are marked simply by a feathery, light, signature massage,…
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a rock star, here’s your chance. The Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel is offering Live Like a Rock Star packages that include tickets to the Rolling Stones concert in Vancouver, BC on Nov. 25, 2006. The Live Like a Rock Star package includes: Two floor seat tickets to see…
If you’re headed to Vancouver, BC this fall and winter, the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver has bundled up the seasons with a trio of packages for family fun, shopping and mountain escapes. The Family Getaway package starts at CDN $285 for two rooms, and includes kids’ tee-shirts to take home, child-sized bathrobes to use during…
*Autumn is Spectacular in Quebec! Although the New England states get plenty of fall foliage attention, there are other wonderful leaf peeping places on the planet. One of my favorite autumn destinations is Quebec. Not only is La belle province a feast for the eyes, the cuisine and accommodations are memorable, too. The Laurentian and…
All aboard! The Fairmont Chateau Whistler has teamed up with Canada’s newest luxury train, the Whistler Mountaineer, and put together a great train getaway. As part of the Rail Blazing package, you’ll travel in style and comfort along one of the world’s most scenic byways. The Sea to Sky Highway is the gateway to Whistler,…
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal about the housing boom in Calgary, a few “years ago, patrons who ordered $80 bottles of wine at The Living Room Restaurant and Lounge have recently traded up to $300 vintages.” Part of this reason is the oil boom that’s overwhelming this Alberta province city…