A flawed list of the world’s best beaches, plus tourism news from Montreal, Holland America, Fairmont Hotels, Cunard and more. I also take a look the tremendous age gap that exists among Canadians when they’re asked about travel to the United States. THE WORLD”S 50 BEST BEACHES LIST: I DON’T THINK SO I like that this latest list on the world’s best beaches has some unusual places that many travellers don’t know about. The list, put together by The Daily Mail and published by MSN Travel, includes such places as the Maldives, the island of Fakarava in Tahiti, and Cayo Read more
Fairmont Hotels
A new report from KAYAK finds domestic destinations are more popular with Canadian travellers for Labour Day Weekend this year than last year, with more than a 19% increase in searches. Top domestic travel spots include Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax, a city I love. Canadians also are looking for trips to Paris and London (the England one). Top trending destinations include Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Edmonton (an underrated Canadian city) and Dublin, Ireland, KAYAK said. A NEW ATTRACTION FOR NIAGARA FALLS One of Canada’s top destinations – and one of the great vacation spots in the world Read more
Travel + Leisure has released its awards for best destinations, hotels and more for 2025. There are tons of categories – far too many to list here – so I’ll concentrate on some of the top awards for North America and a few world categories. WORLD’S TWENTY BEST CITIES San Miguel de Allende, Mexico Chiang Mai, Thailand Tokyo Bangkok Jaipur, India Hoi An, Vietnam Mexico City Kyoto Ubud, Bali Cuzco, Peru Florence Seville Granada Istanbul Siem Reap, Cambodia Mumbai Cape Town Rome Santa Fe Agra, India I was quite surprised to see Mumbai rated so highly, as I haven’t heard Read more
Fairmont Hotels is launching a new brand campaign all about making special happen during travel. From private planes to secret teas, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts invites guests to discover just how Make Special Happen can unfold across Canada. Launched on May 19th, Make Special Happen is Fairmont’s new global campaign, a cinematic homage to the brand’s legacy of iconic celebrations. Shot at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York and directed by Jean Claude Thibaut, the film follows a cast of charismatic characters as they prepare for a grand gathering, capturing the joy of every journey toward something unforgettable. But this campaign isn’t just Read more
Tina from Mexico was listening to classical music and wanted to talk about Canadian politics as she drove us to dinner one night. Mohammed was blasting out hurtin’ tunes on a country music radio station as he shepherded us from an evening meal. And a young guy whose name I forget was bopping away to Marvin Gaye and other soul artists from the 1960s and 1970s as he drove us to the Museum of Latin American Art. During a three-day visit to Long Beach, California, I found some of the nicest and most interesting rideshare drivers that I’ve met in Read more
