LAS VEGAS – The busiest intersection in this city, Las Vegas Blvd. and E. Flamingo Rd., was marked not long ago by the parking garage at an old-school casino named Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and Saloon. Today you’ll find one of The Strip’s sleekest celebrity restaurants, Giada, with giant windows looking out on the passing parade. Not only that, the restaurant is inside the sleek, new Cromwell Hotel, refashioned from the bones of Bills into a posh, boutique property. If there’s a symbol for how Vegas has changed, Giada and the Cromwell might be it. You’ll still find those maddening escalators Read more
LAS VEGAS – My trip to Vegas in January was my third in the last four years or so. Yet I had a huge whack of new experiences, which tells you a lot about the choices in this town. We flew in on Air Canada rouge, which was just fine, and we had hotels and meals taken care of by Expedia.ca. I had my first trip to the Neon Museum, just north of downtown, where you’ll find a vast collection of old neon signs from places like the old Stardust and Binion’s Horseshoe and other casinos. I went during the Read more
In case you hadn’t noticed, the red and white Christmas cards at Shoppers Drug Mart have been replaced with red and white Valentine’s Day cards. V.D. rolls around again on Feb. 14 this year, as it is wont to do. Hotels consistently try to cash in on husbands and wives looking for a quick getaway, or just a quickie, with package deals for breakfast in bed or flickering candles or chocolates and champagne. This year, they’ve been a sexy gift with the release of the film Fifty Shades of Grey, based of course on the scandalous books of the same Read more
Expedia’s climb in Canada has been remarkable. Fifteen years ago, Expedia.ca was just coming into existence. Most Canadians looking for hotels at the time used something called a land-line telephone at home to book hotels or even went without reservations and cruised the highways of Canada and the U.S., or the streets of Europe, looking for flashing vacancy signs in hotel windows. Now, Expedia.ca is the largest on-line travel service provider in the country and does $12 billion gross in business in Canada per year; a target they reached back in 2012. From zero hotel properties and zero airlines in Read more
My first Globe and Mail column ran in the newspaper’s Travel section on Jan. 10 and also appears on-line. Here’s a link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/travel-news/are-you-ready-for-robot-room-service/article22377873/
I can sort of remember the drive in the old days. Thankfully, it’s not like that now. The famous road to Hana on the island of Maui is legendary for its numerous (as in 600 or so) twists and turns and its numberous bridges (54 at last count, many of them one-way). It used to be full of potholes and bumps but the pavement has been smoothed out over the years and it’s now a great road. What used to take hours and hours can now be driven in two hours or less. But don’t hurry; you’ll miss the spectacle Read more
The other day I talked about my favourite Canadian destinations and travel bits for 2014. Here are some thoughts (okay, a LOT of thoughts) about the U.S. and a couple Caribbean and European spots I visited during the year. Most surprising U.S. destination: Apalachicola, Florida. A super-relaxed, fun town in a quiet section of the Florida panhandle with just the right mix of old-time charm and trendy, new shops. A very good brewpub, too. Most wonderful host: The delightful Anthony Hunte of Hunte’s Gardens in Barbados. A lovely man, great conversationalist and incredible gardener. His garden is always the highlight Read more
