I didn’t get out to British Columbia as I had planned, but I did manage to spend time this year in Calgary, Banff, Quebec and several places in Southern Ontario. Here are some of my fave experiences in Canada this year. MOST SURPRISING ARCHITECTURE: I had never heard of the Thomas Foster Memorial in Uxbridge, Ontario, but it’s a beautiful building both inside and out. Definitely worth a visit. MOST UNUSUAL SPA: The Muskoka Beer Spa is a fun spot south of Bala, Ontario, with a nice pool, hot tubs, saunas, a beach and cottages that you can have equipped Read more
Burlington
We Canadians often take our back yards for granted. We take trips around the world and sometimes forget about the places just down the road, or around the corner. My wife and I spent a glorious weekend in the Burlington area recently and found a great, new getaway just a short drive from our house in the big city. We explored trails with fabulous on-high views from the top of the Niagara Escarpment, sampled juicy strawberries fresh from the farm, dined like royalty at a posh hotel on the shores of Lake Ontario, listened to live music in the park, Read more
May 29th to June 4th marks Tourism Week in Canada, and Burlington, Ontario is a great place to check out. “Travel has slowly started to return, and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to Burlington, Ontario this summer,” tourism officials said. “This is good news for Burlington’s tourism businesses, after two unprecedented years, and they look forward to serving residents and visitors.” Tourism in Canada was a $105 billion industry sector employing approximately 1.8 million workers, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many communities, tourism and hospitality was the first and hardest hit sector, which will take the longest Read more
The phrase “game changer” gets thrown around a lot. For the Pearle Hotel and Spa in Burlington, it fits like a proverbial glove. This is a truly luxurious, design-forward property on the shores of Lake Ontario, with the feel of a posh lakehouse and a tremendous food and drinks scene. The design was done by Studio Munge, which has overseen several posh hotel designs in Canada, including the iconic Park Hyatt in Toronto’s Yorkville district. The 151 guest rooms, which are beautifully appointed and feature floor-to-ceiling windows, are meant to reflect the richness of the changing Canadian seasons. There’s also Read more
