We hear a lot about the Riviera Maya, with glittering Cancun and the ruins of Tulum and the great beaches. It’s a wonderful part of Mexico. Most Canadians also have heard of Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, the latter on the tip of Baja California. The words Riviera Nayarit probably don’t sound as familiar. But it’s a hugely popular stretch of Pacific coastline north of Puerto Vallarta, and it looks wonderful. The folks from Riviera Nayarit on Tuesday put on a great lunch at Frida restaurant on Eglinton West, thanks in part to a virtuoso job by Mexican chef Betty Read more
hotels
ST. JOHN’S – A visitor last here five years ago or so is struck by how much this city has changed. There were signs of good times on Water St. and Duckworth on my last visit. But things have taken a major turn. There are (gasp) condos going up down near the Battery and in other parts of downtown. They’re not large, but still… There also are new, fun shops and restaurants; Basho, a Japanese fusion spot on Duckworth is one, although I didn’t get a chance to try. There’s also Chinched on Queen St., which offers traditional seafood and Read more
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE – I want the flower contract for this town. Seriously, have you ever seen the flower baskets in NOTL? They’re INSANE; the size of a giant beach ball and colourful enough to cause rainbows to hang their heads in shame. The sidewalk boxes and planters are equally bountiful and just as beautiful. I was in town briefly on Monday for lunch on my way to play golf at The Whirlpool course; one of several nice tracks run by the Niagara Parks Commission. I stopped at the Shaw cafe on the Main St. for a tasty if small and overpriced Read more
This is from a hotel blog a couple years back in a world-class city… MONTREAL – It’s good to get back to this city. I spend a lot of time looking at travel stories from all over the world, and sometimes I get caught up in lovely photos of Tahiti or Africa or Europe. And I forget – I think we ALL forget – just how wonderful Montreal can be. I spent two nights in Old Montreal on Sunday and Monday, checking out the Hotel Nelligan and Hotel Le St.-James. They’re both remarkable properties with tons of charm, and located Read more
HANOI – I arrive in Vietnam and the first sign I notice on the side of the road is a giant, powder-blue sign affixed to an apartment building with giant red letters that scream “English for Future.” Yeah, I guess you could say this country has adapted rather quickly. It was only 40 years ago that the USA, the country where I was born, was bombing the living bejeezus out of this part of this most beautiful of countries for reasons most Americans never quite understood. But a lot has changed. The government here labels itself as a Socialist republic, Read more
