MUSKOKA – I love a hotel where a general manager pitches in and gets his hands dirty. In the case of the Sherwood Inn up in Muskoka, it’s true in both a figurative and literal sense. I arrived with my Dad and a friend last week, only to see GM (he calls himself the ‘general manipulator”) Esa Paltanen in shorts and a t-shirt in the lobby. He’d been planting annuals that day and was planning to do so again the next day with a member of his family. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d prefer a GM in shorts Read more
Canada
Jim Byers photo Cabot Links is the best golf course in Canada in my view. CAPE BRETON, NOVA SCOTIA – Two fabulous properties with vastly different styles. Two wonderful golf courses. And what looks like a killer third one on its way. I had a chance to check out both Cabot Links in Inverness and Highlands Links in Ingonish last week. And got to stay at both properties, as well. I also got a chance to scout out the new Cabot Cliffs course, which is being built just up the road from Cabot Links. It looks like it could be Read more
Jim Byers The pretty village of Chester, Nova Scotia. NOVA SCOTIA – Drives in Cape Breton get most of the international attention. And deservedly so, with those plummeting cliffs and the ocean views and pretty villages. The drive from Halifax to the South Shore of Nova Scotia isn’t as dramatic as Cape Breton. But it’s drop dead gorgeous, and so easy. Whereas Cape Breton is several hours from Halifax and the Cabot Trail another hour beyond, the scenic route from Halifax to Lunenburg takes only an hour or two, depending on how much time you take gawking and snapping Read more
HALIFAX – Great food. A beautiful harbour. Super-friendly people. And, just for good measure, a tour of the city in a motorcycle sidecar. There’s something very cool about Halifax. The weather is unpredictable. But the city’s other attributes make up for what might be lacking in the meteorological department. I’ve written in the past about the city’s great food scene, and I had a chance to try a couple new spots this time around. We had dinner again at Press Gang , which is an old building that dates back to 1759. There are exposed stone and brick walls and Read more
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND – Sometimes in this job it’s easy to over-research a story. I don’t want to invest my working time on a hotel or a destination I won’t like, so it’s important for me to check things out in advance before I take a trip on behalf of the Star. But the tourist or “normal” traveller in me doesn’t want to over-do it and analyze a million photos, many of them doubtless professional pics that make a place look better than it really is. Because if I do that I won’t be surprised or have the feeling I did Read more
