It was startling to hear. I was having a look at the array of rums for sale at Depaz Distillery in northern Martinique when someone reached over my shoulder to grab a bottle. “Sorry,” he said. I was taken aback for a minute. Other than talking to members of our small travel writers’ group and our tour guides, it was the first word of English I had heard in more than 24 hours on the island. Many people in the hospitality industry in Martinique speak English, but you know you’re in a different part of the Caribbean when you visit Read more
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It’s been a tough ride for Hawaii, and for Maui. Visitor numbers are down sharply since the August 8 fires that destroyed most of the Maui town of Lahaina. But the island is open, and they’re welcoming visitors with open arms. I’ve been compiling lists of some of my favorite things to see and do, and here are 20 more Maui tips from someone who’s been nearly three dozen times. Please visit responsibly. Do NOT try to visit Lahaina and do NOT take photos of damaged areas. Please do not pry into people’s personal lives. LA PEROUSE BAY AND SOUTH Read more
We were lucky enough to spend 24 hours (okay, maybe 22) in Glasgow recently. We had a fine Scottish afternoon tea, enjoyed a wonderful music-themed tour, had drinks at a pub, dined at a nice restaurant and bedded down at the sleek, new Virgin Hotel. Here’s a look at our brief stay. A MARVELOUS MUSIC TOUR We met our Glasgow Music City Tour guide, local music critic Fiona Shepherd, outside the Clutha and Victoria pub in town, one of the city’s oldest. She told us she had reviewed a Shania Twain performance at The OVO Hydro, the city’s splashy arena. Read more
We’re on the first hole of the quirky, delightful, 12-hole Shiskine Golf Course on Scotland’s Isle of Arran. I’ve been set up to play a round with three members of this fiery green links course on the west side of the island, and I hit a slow putt that has absolutely zero chance of making it to the hole. “When we hit a putt that’s short of the hole, Canadians yell, ‘Skate, skate,” I tell them. “That’s great” one of my partners, Alice Anderson, says with a laugh. “When we hit a putt like that we yell, “Taxi!” For the Read more
EDINBURGH – This one of the world’s great cities; a handsome, sturdy, regal place of stone and rock and history that seeps into your bones. There are also lovely gardens, sumptuous hotels, excellent food, and, yes, the odd place to try a wee sip of whisky. I recently visited for a few days and did five tours that included the Royal Mile, the Palace at HolyroodHouse, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Yacht Britannia and a Johnnie Walker whisky experience. Here’s a look at all five. MERCAT ROYAL MILE AND EDINBURGH CASTLE TOUR The Mercat Secrets of the Royal Mile Tour (Mercat Read more
