Fabulous food from around the world. Sparkling, wild musical entertainment. Great events. Gorgeous parks with plenty of space to spread out. And more sports than you shake a hockey stick at. If you’re looking to plan a weekend staycation getaway this year, look no further than Mississauga. I recently spent the better part of a weekend in this city, just west of Toronto. And I came away hugely impressed with the sheer variety of things to do, and the quality of the experience. The pandemic closed off a lot of the things that make our cities so enjoyable to visit, Read more
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HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA – Fantastic restaurants. Beaches that stretch on just shy of forever. A great, walkable downtown. Amazing chocolates. A great harbor tour. And a luxurious, family-friendly resort. I grew up in California and spend a good deal of time there. But somehow I’d never spent a night in Huntington Beach until last month. My flight from Toronto to LAX was delayed eight hours, so I pretty much had only one day. But I got a pretty good idea how you could make a great visit work, so here’s my experience. WHERE TO STAY I was able to spend Read more
By Jim Byers Member, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) KA’ANAPALI, MAUI, HAWAI’I – The Ka’anapali Beach Hotel is often voted the most Hawaiian hotel in the state. Now it’s even better and brighter than ever, and the food has been kicked up several notches. I had a chance to stay in one of their renovated rooms last month, and it was terrific. The décor was light and bright, with restful taupe accents and restrained, pretty floral prints on the wall. All the new rooms have works of art made by KBH employees, many of whom have been with the Read more
Okay. I didn’t get out as much as I normally would. Not even close. But I did manage several trips this year, including visits to Switzerland, California and several cool spots in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Here’s a look at my annual Jimmy Awards for best travel experiences of the year. Today is focused on food and drinks; later I’ll write about hotels, experiences and attractions. Cheers, and here’s to a better 2022! Best U.S. Winery: Darcie Kent Vineyards in Livermore, California. Superb reds and great, friendly people. Best U.S. Salad: The Farmer’s Super Food Salad at Danville Harvest Read more
Between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens we know who’s had more success on the ice the past few decades. And we know which team made the playoffs this year (said the guy from Toronto). But which team’s star is best at whipping up a hot breakfast? Holiday Inn Express hotels, part of the IHG hotel family, put hockey legends Guy Carbonneau of the Habs and Doug Gilmour of the Leafs together to see who could use the Holiday Inn Express breakfast table to come up with the best morning meal that would help fuel players to the Read more
