Conde Nast Travel has come out with its annual list of the world’s best hotels, and two Canadian properties made it into the top 20. Chicago also scored remarkably well. Their Readers Choice List of best USA big cities also put three California destinations in the top 10, which is great to see if you’re a guy born and raised in The Golden State. CANADA’S TEN BEST HOTELS Condé Nast readers named The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville district as the top hotel in the country. It’s a splendid place to stay, as I discovered on a visit a Read more
Florida
Canadian visits to the United States increased last month, the first increase in return trips to the States since late in 2024. Statistics Canada figures released today (May 11) show that Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. in April totalled 1.8 million. That’s up 1.4% from the same month in 2025. Driven by an increase in return trips by automobile (+5.8%), April marks the first month since December 2024 that a year-over-year increase in overall return trips from the United States has occurred. In contrast, return trips from the U.S. by air decreased 8.1% from April of last year to Read more
It’s been a rough go for Hawaii of late. Visits from Canada are down, and they’ve struggled to regain their once super-strong Japanese market. There’s also, of course, the devastating fire that destroyed most of the lovely, funky town of Lahaina. Maui in 2023. On top of all that, the state suffered a series of devastating rainstorms over the past couple weeks when a Kona low, an unusual low-pressure weather system, parked itself over the island for days on end. There was some damage to roads and infrastructure, but I’m happy to report that the skies are sunny again and Read more
It was a rather limited year of travel due to health concerns in the summer and fall, but I still managed to check out cool motels in southern Ontario, stylish digs in Hawaii, lovely restaurants in Vancouver, and great places in my home state of California. Not to mention fab stops in Montreal and Florida. Here are some 2025 travel highlights. CANADA Coolest Montreal Hotel: Le Petit Hotel Notre Dame in Montreal. Part of the William Gray Collection, this is a small (hence the name), boutique property in Old Montreal with stylish rooms, a check-in desk that doubles as an Read more
Having the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series is causing a large spike in demand for Toronto hotels. Air Canada launches new flights from Billy Bishop/Toronto Island Airport, including direct flights to New York City/La Guardia. And San Francisco opens a new “Martini Trail.” BLUE JAYS SPARK TORONTO TRAVEL SPIKE As the Toronto Blue Jays gear up for their long-awaited World Series return tomorrow (Fri, Oct 24), Toronto is seeing the impact not just on the field, but in travel demand as well. New data from Booking.com (the official accommodation partner of Major League Baseball in the U.S.) shows Read more
