TORONTO – Sumptuous rooms with wonderful views. One of the city’s best patios. And one seriously sensational restaurant. I had a night recently at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto, where I hadn’t stayed in years. And I’m happy to report it exceeded expectations on all fronts. I don’t recall the old room style so much, but I loved the feel of the one we had. A lot of modern hotel rooms these days are cold and impersonal, but the one my wife and I shared was warm and inviting, yet quite luxurious. The room had deep, dark wood that was Read more
Canada
ON THE ROAD AGAIN – I’m rattling down the Garden State Parkway out of busy Newark Airport for a trip to New Jersey and New York City. It’s a confusing roadway with tolls and overlapping lanes and changes in direction, so I open the Google Maps app on my iPhone and head on down the road, feeling a bit of Bruce Springsteen in me. A couple days later I need to find the address for the Circle Line boat tour group that takes you out on the Hudson and East Rivers for great views of New York City. No problem. Read more
WINDSOR, ONTARIO – Fabio Muscedere is pouring samples of his family’s wine for me to try at their tasting room south of Windsor. His sister, Melissa, who’s the wine business expert and runs day-to-day operations, is bustling about and greeting others who’ve wandered into the tasting room. Outside, Fabio’s mother, Pat, is busy sliding trays of fresh-made dough into the outdoor pizza oven on their shady patio. Their Dad, Mario, is bouncing along in his tractor in the vineyards, clearing weeds and keeping an eye on the grapes that are ripening in this hot Ontario summer. The son of Fabio’s Read more
That perfect castle on a cool hilltop in Europe. That amazing overwater bungalow you saw in Tahiti on TV. Or perhaps the latest boutique spot for hipsters in Hollywood or Vancouver. We all could use a break. And now the folks at Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of where to stay, is giving Canadians a chance at just that. Booking.com is marking the addition of their one millionth property with an “epic competition” that will give some lucky Canadian a week in the one-in-a-million property of their choice. Their new contest is open to Read more
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, ONTARIO – You think you know a place. And then, wham, it smacks you upside the head and spins you around and puts a grin on your face that can barely be measured. I’ve been all over southern Ontario in my 35 years living in Toronto. I’ve been all over the country and the world in my eight years as a full-time travel writer. But I’d never driven around Prince Edward County to truly explore the towns and had never set foot on the sand dunes of Sandbanks Provincial Park until late July, when the Ontario Tourism Read more
