I’ve become acquainted with Marie-Pier Germain from the Germain Hotels Group over the past couple of years. We met in Montreal during the COVID-19 crisis and have spoken by Zoom or on the phone a couple times since then. Each time we spoke, I would gently ask her when her group, which runs sensational hotels across the country, would finally make an appearance west of Calgary. Germain, who’s ever so accommodating and delightful to speak with, would always look or sound pained when the question came up. “Jim,” she would say, and I’m paraphrasing here. “You KNOW we want to Read more
Kauai
PRINCEVILLE, KAUAI – I almost thought I was in the wrong place. My wife and I recently pulled up in front of 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay on the lush north shore of Kaua’i. I stayed at the property eight years ago when it was a St. Regis hotel. I have a pretty good memory for places and hotels, but this didn’t look remotely familiar. As it turns out, there’ s a very good reason for that. The former hotel, which featured a pretty, enclosed lobby with a nice Hawaiian feel, was purchased by Starwood Capital in 2018 for USD$225 millon. Read more
KAUAI, HAWAII – Hanalei is a sleepy, laid-back town on the lush, north shore of Kaua’i. Hanalei Colony Resort is 10-15 minutes down the road, reachable by a curving road with several one-way bridges, surrounded by breathtaking beaches and luscious mountain scenery with hills so green they’d make the Irish weep with envy. If you’re looking for an ultra-quiet, almost throwback-style place where you can experience the tranquility of what may be Hawaii’s most beautiful island, this is your kind of place. There are 13 two-storey buildings on the five-acre property, which is fronted by beaches on two sides and Read more
Chicago has been named the best big city in the U.S. for the eighth year in a row, and Victoria has been awarded best small city in the world for the second year running. Conde Nast Travel today (Oct. 1), issued a variety of lists of top cities, best hotels, top islands and more with its 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. My home state of California came out looking strong, with San Diego being named the number two big city in the States and San Francisco finishing sixth. For International Large Cities, Montreal came in ninth and Vancouver fourth, so kudos Read more
Today marks World Tourism Day around the globe. With that in mind, here are a few of my fave trips from the over the years. Here’s to more travel in the coming years! EASTER ISLAND I was attending a travel conference in Chile maybe 10 years ago, and was given the chance for a pre-trip to Easter Island, the incredibly isolated dot of rock also known as Rapa Nui and Isla de Pascua. I first saw those famous Easter Island moai statues in a magazine when I was a kid and have been fascinated by tales of Polynesian sea voyages Read more
