VENICE – Just arriving was a thrill. I was here only once before, a very brief stop on a hot day in August, 1979 when I wasn’t feeling well. I didn’t have a great impression of the place and hurried on. This time, I was gearing up for a cruise with Silversea and looking forward to giving Venice a better shake. The act of simply coming in for a landing and seeing the island stretching out on the horizon out the window of the plane was a thrill, with the brick tower of the Campanile piercing the hazy October sky. Read more

Golf. Beautiful deserts. Spas. Cactus. Pretty good Mexican food. Those are some of the standard cliches you hear about Arizona. And with good reason. The golf is excellent, the desert landscape haunting and lovely, the spas to-notch, the cactus ever-present and the Mexican food to die for. 53_Vineyard-Wine_Photo Credit AOT But there’s so much more to the Grand Canyon State than that. Such as olive oils. Fresh citrus and tons of other produce, including organic honey. Great shopping in cities such as Scottsdale. And very good wine. We here in Canada may think of low-lying cities like Phoenix and wonder Read more

Better deals on great trips. Special privileges for regular customers. And those three words many folks had been waiting to hear: “no expiry on points.” The folks at Aeroplan have made a dramatic overhaul of Canada’s favourite travel rewards system with the new Distinction program, which kicks in on Jan. 1, 2014 with a ton of new features. A lot of the headlines of late have centred on the fact that TD Bank will be taking over a good portion of the Aeroplan business currently done by the CIBC. It’s a change for some folks, for sure, but the bigger Read more

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA – I’ve got a good round of golf going but I’ve left myself short on my approach shot. I line up my putt for a 20-footer that I need to make to save par. I really need to concentrate, but the loudspeaker is pounding out Jimmy Buffett’s “Boat Drinks” and the Hawaiian waterfall is rumbling and my pale blue golf ball is stuck up against a fake rock. Earlier in the day I had teed it up at Tidewater Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach, a tremendous layout with undulating greens that resemble the figure of Read more

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA – Kitschy but tons of fun. Last time I was here I didn’t have time for the massive SkyWheel that dominates the landscape near the boardwalk here. This time, I made sure to check it out. I’m not one for heights but it was quite enjoyable and about $13 for 10 minutes. The lights were quite spectacular around the downtown/Peaches Corner area, where there are lots of arcades and beach stores and t-shirt shops and a Jimmy Buffett restaurant. I had a great meal down in Murrells Inlet, about 20 minutes south of downtown, earlier in Read more

ON BOARD CATHAY PACIFIC – I slept like a rock on a flat bed. I had outstanding service. And I stuffed myself silly. I had the chance to fly business class on Cathay Pacific on my recent flight home from Hong Kong to Toronto, for which I was hugely thankful. It’s not something I get to do all the time. For the most part, I’m in coach or economy like everyone else. But the upgrades occur occasionally, which is a huge perk of this job. There were the usual hot towels when we got on board, and I think they Read more