We Canadians are a cautious lot, but our travel patterns – especially our winter travel patterns – are deeply ingrained. I’ve been saying this for a while, but I suspect some of our doubts about travelling during the pandemic will dissipate somewhat when the snow begins to fly and the wind comes whistling through our doors and windows. A new study from CAA appears to suggest I might be right. The study was undertaken by CAA-Quebec, but I don’t think Quebeckers have vastly different thoughts about travelling and COVID-19 than other Canadians. So here’s what the study found. Even though Read more
September 2020
A stunningly redesigned classic hotel awaits travellers to one of the world’s great cities. Hotel Le Germain Montreal recently underwent a $30 million renovation, emerging with six new floors on top and a thorough remake of rooms, the lobby, the second floor Le Boulevardier restaurant and the meeting spaces. You’ll now find 136 rooms, up from 101. They weren’t able to use a crane so they built a new roof and raised it up six times to create six floors. There are truly spectacular suites on the 18th floor in the new section, as well as a remarkable gym with Read more
Montreal is one of the great cities of the world. Here are some ways to enjoy it in a new, socially-distant fashion. A great bike ride You can rent bikes from the folks at Montreal on Wheels on the Montreal waterfront (Rue de la Commune). They’re solid, comfortable, multi-speed bikes. They also have electric ones if you need a boost. We were heading west to Griffintown over flat terrain along the Lachine Canal, so we opted for the old-fashioned kind of bike and used pedal power to get around. The Montreal waterfront is simply outstanding. There’s a great café on Read more
A truly magical helicopter ride over the 1,000 Islands. A tour of the Kingston Penitentiary. And lovely boat cruise on the St. Lawrence. Kingston, Ontario has a ton of great attractions and things to see and do. There’s also great food and lovely places to bed down for the night. Here’s one man’s list of things to keep you busy on a visit to this historic Canadian city. All three of our kids went to university at Queen’s, a short walk from downtown Kingston. I believe there’s a plaque in our honour outside the Loblaws grocery store on Princess Street, Read more
The new Forbes hotel, spa and restaurant rankings contain good news for travellers in Canada and for Canadian properties. The Forbes people today put out a “sneak peek” of their 2021 ratings. As part of the 2021 awards selection, six hotels and spas from Toronto-based Four Seasons were awarded new five-star ratings, adding to the existing 2020 award winners. A total of 46 Four Seasons hotels and resorts, 13 spas and two restaurants have received the five-star designation. Three Four Seasons properties received a new five-star designation this year, including Four Seasons Hotel Montreal and Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia Comcast Read more
