Air Canada Vacations says it’s temporarily suspending some of its winter/early spring schedule due to rising cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. In a letter to members of the industry today, company vice president Nino Montagnese said new virus cases and government regulations have led to “unavoidable disruptions” for ACV. The cancellations are from January 24 to April 30, 2022, he said. “At first glance, 2022 can be mistaken for its predecessor,” he said. “Omicron ushered in a wave of renewed uncertainty that coincided with the holidays and impacted our industry yet again.” Suspended destinations include Antigua, Aruba, Samaná Read more
January 2022
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. recently bumped cruise ship travel to its highest travel advisory level, recommending that Americans avoid cruise travel due to “very high” COVID-19 levels. But Avalon Waterways says they operated more than 100 cruises this past summer and fall without incident. “In fact, after operating more than 100 cruises this summer and fall across Europe, Egypt and the Galapagos Islands – and testing every single cruise passenger in preparation for their journeys home – Avalon Waterways ended its 2021 cruise season with ZERO (0) COVID-19 cases onboard. Not one of our Read more
Doubly vaccinated passengers will no longer have to take pre-departure Covid tests in England beginning Friday morning, the BBC reports. Arriving visitors with two vaccinations also won’t have to go into quarantine while waiting for post-arrival test results, the network said. “If they arrive after 04:00 GMT on Sunday, they will be able to take a lateral flow test on day two and only need a PCR (test) if the result is positive,” the BBC said. The Independent reports that the rules will remain the same for unvaccinated or partly vaccinated arrivals 18 and older. Those travellers need to present Read more
The phrase “game changer” gets thrown around a lot. For the Pearle Hotel and Spa in Burlington, it fits like a proverbial glove. This is a truly luxurious, design-forward property on the shores of Lake Ontario, with the feel of a posh lakehouse and a tremendous food and drinks scene. The design was done by Studio Munge, which has overseen several posh hotel designs in Canada, including the iconic Park Hyatt in Toronto’s Yorkville district. The 151 guest rooms, which are beautifully appointed and feature floor-to-ceiling windows, are meant to reflect the richness of the changing Canadian seasons. There’s also Read more
I lost track years ago, but I think I’ve been to Maui 25 or 26 times by now. Our family first visited when I was 12, and I fell in love immediately. Here’s a slide show of some of my fave places on the island.
