Portugal is already a top destination for Canadians. But one region is hungry for more. Representatives from the Albufeira and Lagos districts in the Algarve region descended on Toronto yesterday for a media lunch and an evening event with travel trade. The sunny Algarve region has 12% of all the hotel and resort beds in Portugal, with everything from five-star luxury and boutique places to villas and budget hotels. With 300 days of sunshine a year, it’s an area of Portugal that draws a good deal of Canadians already. “Canada is a strategic market for us,” Read more
Canada
More women travelling solo and more multi-generational trips. More Canadians staying home. And no slowdown in sight for luxury travel. The Virtuoso Luxe Report Canada was revealed at a Virtuoso media event in Toronto this week. The briefing provided an in-depth look at the booming luxury travel market and a bevy of travel trends. It also provided a few surprise facts about how Canadians are making choices that differ from other travellers. The Luxe Report was issued as part of Virtuoso’s On Tour event, which saw dozens of advisors on hand to meet with destinations, hotels, cruise Read more
Another day, another nice list of great places to explore next year. National Geographic this week came out with its list of top places to go in 2027. There are tons of interesting, and both well and lesser-known places, on their list. Nat Geo is one of the top publications in the world, so it’s no surprise they pulled a few surprises, and a couple places even veteran travellers probably don’t know about. Here’s their list, along with small snippets about each place, and where I can add something, a thought or two of my own. Salvador, Brazil: Read more
The Michelin Guide people are famous for their restaurant ratings, but they also have been doing hotel ratings for a few years. They recently granted Michelin keys (restaurants get stars, hotels get keys) to 42 Canadian properties. Two Canadian hotels received three keys for superb service and quality, those being the remarkable Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland and Labrador, and also Clayuquot Wilderness Lodge in British Columbia. Another eight hotels received two Michelin keys: The Hazelton Hotel Toronto, Manoir Hovey in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec City, Four Seasons Resort and Residences, Whistler, Four Seasons Hotel Read more
Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I’ve been a full-time travel writer since 2008, and that has allowed me to stay the night in some of the finest hotels the world has to offer. Just for fun, because I’m in Mexico as I write this and it’s raining, here are ten of the most luxurious places I’ve bedded down for the night. Hotel Hassler Roma, Rome. My daughter and I stayed here in, oh, 2012 or 2013 and had a room that looked down on the Spanish Steps. We had a small balcony and bought a bottle of wine and Read more
