Jim Byers photo Moraine Lake might be the most beautiful body of water on the planet. A couple weeks ago I wrote about the sumptuous Post Hotel and Spa in Lake Louise; a fabulous hotel with all the amenities you could want. This time I’ll fill you in on a couple other options: one quite highly priced but with perhaps the greatest mountain view on the planet, and the other quite reasonable and family friendly and with one of the top breakfast dishes I’ve ever had. The Moraine Lake Lodge Sits at one end of what might be the Read more
hiking
LES ILES DE LA MADELEINE, QUEBEC – I had a business call to make to Toronto and was on the phone with a co-worker. “How’s your trip,” he asked me. “It’s absolutely spectacular out here,” I said. I told him about the endless and glorious and empty beaches and the adorable towns and the wildly colourful houses and the incredible food and the utterly fabulous art and the local beer and the towering cliffs and the red rock coastline pockmarked with caves and carved into arches and the pounding surf and the gentle lagoons. I think I sounded like a National Read more
JIM BYERS PHOTO Check out some of the world’s largest sea cliffs in Slieve League on the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. Jump into Ireland and drive the new coastal route, called the Wild Atlantic Way . Or check out the seacoast, the mountains and the villages of New Hampshire, a surprisingly diverse spot that’s easy to get to. The folks from both destinations brought their displays to Toronto this week to show travel folks some of what’s new and what’s on offer for 2014. And both made some great points. For Ireland, one of the big stories this year is the Read more
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – The Four Seasons is known as a posh hotel chain. But their product in the Arizona desert outside Phoenix sneaks up on you. There’s no big stand of palm trees at the entrance of the Four Seasons Troon North . No fountains or fancy pools. Instead, as you drive along Alma School Road in the northern part of this lovely resort town, you see a simple brown sign for the hotel. Once you’re on the grounds, there’s a similar vibe. There’s no waterfall or towering banks of flowers, but a natural-looking desert environment that’s true to nature. Read more
