HONG KONG – I have a number of favourite places in this great city; Kowloon Park, Victoria Peak (naturally), the Lord Stow’s bakery Portuguese egg tarts from Macau that they sell at the Excelsior Hotel’s Expresso shop, a fun and busy milk tea shop in central called Lan Fong Yuen and the Star Ferry between Kowloon and Central; perhaps the world’s most romantic and historic boat ride. All great places, and all places I visited again this time around. But I also managed to add in five awesome, new places and activities; always a nice thing. 1. The Aqua Luna Read more
Asia
HONG KONG – I never cease to feel a sense of wonder when I get to this city. The airport gleams upon arrival, and it always seems to be a seamless, quick trip through customs, with nary a question to be asked. North American flights often arrive early in the morning, and you’ll probably see the mountains or hills of Lantau Island rising in the mist as you make your way into town by car or on the cheap (about $12) Metro express train. You then pass thousands upon thousands of red, green and blue shipping containers that line the Read more
I was travel editor for five years at the Star. I’ve been travelling the world (on and off) for 25 years or so. But I still can’t figure out why Asian airlines are able to do things North American airlines can’t. Or won’t. There’s just something about the service you get when you fly an airline like Cathay Pacific that you won’t find on American or Delta, and probably not WestJet or Air Canada. It’s little things, I think, such as nicer bathrooms and hand lotion even in economy washrooms. Not to mention a TV screen that showed passengers what Read more
We don’t hear a lot about Como Hotels hear in North America. But that could change. Soon. There are nine hotels currently in the portfolio and three more are planned, including on at 24th and Collins in Miami Beach; close to the South Beach insanity but far enough away at the same time. The group was started by a woman from Singapore who had stayed in many hotels in London but didn’t find one to her liking. The emphasis is on stylish design and service, but they don’t aim to be a youthful, exuberant place. “It’s for people who have Read more
Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic win could be good news for Toronto after all. My first thought, having watched and covered the Olympics and Olympic bidding since back in 1988, was that supporters of a Toronto 2024 bid would’ve preferred to get Europe out of the way and were pulling for Madrid or Istanbul, which is in Europe but on the cusp of Asia. But the more I think about it, and that’s a dangerous game when you talk about the International Olympic Committee, the more I think this could play out nicely for North America. The 2022 Winter Olympics appear destined Read more
