A great Ontario getaway, and a smashing cruise offer. Star Travel columnist Kathryn Folliott has a couple of excellent bargains on offer in her latest Fare Deals column. One great deal she outlines is for significant savings on a cruise with Silversea ; a free suite upgrade and on-board spending credit worth up to $1,000 (U.S.) per suite. I was lucky enough to have a suite on a Silversea ship last year, cruising the Mediterranean. It was an outstanding experience, with a HUGE suite that gave us everything we needed. The bedroom was large and comfortable and the bathroom was Read more
Barbados features fantastic resorts and golf courses. But my favourite spot on the island is probably Anthony Hunte’s luscious garden in the hills. Click here for my Toronto Star story on Barbados from December, 2014.
Kauai’s Hanapepe is a quiet, wonderful town with a western flair and a laid-back, artsy atmosphere. Click here for my full story from the Toronto Star in November, 2014.
HONOLULU – That was fun. Air Canada rouge celebrated the return of non-stop service between Toronto and Honolulu on Wednesday with celebrations in both cities. As a winter storm started to develop near southern Ontario (damn, I hate to miss those), the crew on the first Toronto to Honolulu Air Canada rouge flight was gathering at Pearson International Airport with plastic flower leis, papier mache pineapples and other Hawaiian-inspired goodies to get ready for the 3:55 p.m. departure. They cut a ribbon to celebrate the occasion and generally fussed and fawned, catching a few folks by surprise. “We didn’t know Read more
Prices at the gas pump haven’t been so low in a long, long time. You can buy gasoline in Toronto these days for a buck a litre, which is a huge drop from a while back. Not surprising, with oil selling for about $65 a barrel. Yes, it’s a great time to buy gas. That goes for the airlines, too. But while your local Shell or Esso station has lowered prices, that’s not the case for the major airlines. Nope, they’re soaking up the sudden windfall and lining their pockets with unexpected cash. And we’re not saving anything on our Read more
How’s this for a sweet holiday treat? I’m giving away a two-night stay (count ‘em, TWO NIGHTS) for two in deluxe accommodations at the swanky, newly renovated Eaton Chelsea Hotel downtown! It’s a beautiful property, complete with a terrific indoor pool and lots of other amenities. And they’ve done a great job redoing the place and adding lots of classy touches. The deal also includes, wait for it, free hotel parking, dinner for both of you at the onsite restaurant T|Bar AND a $100 SHOP! Card to the nearby Toronto Eaton Centre. That’s a massive holiday deal. Reservations have to Read more
I love the story on the Toronto Star Travel website about the flight attendant shaming passengers. Lord knows we’ve probably all seen some pretty stupid stuff on airplanes, right? I must admit I’ve been pretty lucky. But there are a few pet peeves and a few small incidents I can recall from various trips over the years. The most annoying flight I recall was three years ago or so, when I was next to a guy of about 40 for a four-hour flight from the Caribbean to Toronto. Most of the way back he was playing the most insipid video Read more
