Such a big world. So many great places to go. The Internet is filled (well, not quite) with year-end stories that look ahead to great places to visit in 2016. I’ve found some nice suggestions from folks such as Frommer’s and Conde Nast, as well as Lonely Planet, which singled out Quebec City. But they’re not me, so I’ve come up with my own suggestions of cool places to check out in the New Year. Happy travels to all! CALGARY The city has quietly become a hotspot for cutting edge cuisine, as evidenced by the recent naming of Pigeonhole as Read more

KEY WEST – Last week I talked about some great activities I took part in during a recent visit to the Florida Keys. Today it’s time to talk about snapper, key lime pie and a run-in with a TV celebrity. We had some truly magnificent food during our four days in the Keys. I don’t find Florida stoned crab to be as tasty as the Dungeness crab they sell out on the west coast (I grew up in California so I might be biased) but it’s pretty good and nicely presented at The Stoned Crab in Key West. I ordered Read more

From a new centre celebrating Stompin’ Tom Connors (“The Good Old Hockey Game”) to the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto and on to a fab new gallery in Whistler, there’s no shortage of excellent events, happenings and openings across Canada in 2016, our nation’s 149th birthday. Here are some things you might want to catch in the New Year. ALBERTA Things are booming in Calgary’s East Village, where the new national music centre is set to open next year. It’s a booming area already just east of downtown, with cool restaurants like Charbar. Calgary’s Pigeonhole (http://pigeonholeyyc.ca/#modal) was named the country’s Read more

KEY WEST – The Florida Keys have always been a favourite for me. I’ve always driven down from Miami in the past and enjoyed watching the colour of the water change and checking out the odd tiki bar along the way for a beer and a blackened fish sandwich. Usually I drive, but this time I flew in with some other Canadian travel writers, landing on the short runway at the airport in Key West. Someone on our very short bus ride into town was telling me they find it hard to describe the feeling of coming from a cold Read more

The folks at Travelzoo Canada* have some pretty good advice to offer holiday travellers in Canada, and some very, very good deals to offer as well, with prices up to 70% off at awesome destinations such as New York City for the very lovely Gild Hall Hotel. Here’s what they had to say in a press release issued today: Canadians may be frustrated with the soaring prices of holiday travel but vacation deals are still available. While travel agents and online booking sites are quoting prices that are double or even triple the rate rates of non-holiday travel, deal experts Read more

MAUI – One of the great things about this island is its flexibility. You can stay at a glittering, luxurious property on the dry side of the island. Or at a casual, luxury property on the edge of a rainforest. You can stay at a hip spot steps from fabulous restaurants and bars. Or you can bed down at a superb hotel on the edge of one of the world’s best beaches. Here’s a look at five places where you can get just about any kind of experience you desire. IN THE ACTION Lahaina is one of the great towns Read more