A quiet, green, tasty oasis in the heart of the city. If you love outdoor dining and the action of downtown Toronto, but you’re not a fan of noisy traffic and automobile exhaust, the patio at Hotel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square is the perfect place for you. The patio is surrounded by small palm trees and thriving, colourful begonias in shades of pink and salmon. It’s a lush retreat that was pleasant and cool on a recent, warm summer evening. Hotel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square is across the street from the Scotiabank Arena on Bremner Boulevard. The eastern Read more
cocktails
MUSKOKA – We’ve just finished a fabulous picnic lunch at a table set two meters from the shore on Beausoleil Island in Georgian Bay Islands National Park. We’re watching small waves lap against a sloping, deep orange rock under a sky so blue it would make a robin’s egg jealous. We suddenly hear the cries of small children, and see a gentleman and three young boys walking along this massive slab of exposed Canadian Shield. We learn he’s the grandfather and that he and his son are taking the boys, a six-year-old and two four-year-old twins, camping for a couple Read more
Following the renovation of the 43rd-floor Club Lounge in October 2021, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel has completed the latest phase of its extensive transformation. This summer, the hotel will welcome travellers and locals to its fully reimagined lobby level which includes two new food and beverage offerings, private collaboration Studios and soundproof Booths, upgraded porte cochère, and an outdoor pool garden. Marking the largest renovation of the hotel’s almost 50-year history, the modernized look exemplifies Sheraton’s new design as part of its global transformation journey, drawing on the brand’s roots as a community hub for locals and guests to create Read more
The folks at The World’s 50 Best Bars have put out a list of the best 50 places for a drink in North America, and Canada is well-represented. Four bars in Toronto, two in Montreal and one each in Vancouver and Halifax made the list, which is pretty good if you ask me. Canada is quite small in population, so to snag eight out of 50 spots when you’re up against both the U.S. and Mexico is pretty terrific. Civil Liberties, located on Bloor Street West near Ossington Avenue in Toronto, cracked the top 10 by finishing tenth overall on Read more
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
