A look at a lovely hotel and a fantastic attraction on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, a look at new Hyatt hotels across Canada, and a taste of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region in Toronto. Oh, and an Explora Journey’s Black Friday cruise sale! All in today’s blog post. O’AHU NORTH SHORE: A COOL HOTEL AND THE FAB POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER Tourism representatives from the north shore of O’ahu were in town recently, giving me a chance to hear more about a terrific part of Hawai’i. I’ve been to the north shore many times, including a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Read more
Oahu
Condé Nast Travel magazine last week issued its Readers’ Choice Awards. Included was a detailed look at top spots in the Caribbean, as well as Hawai’i and Asia. Here’s a look at a few of the highlights, and some of my fave places and hotels. The Best Islands in the Caribbean at a Glance Best Caribbean island for beaches: Anguilla Best Caribbean island for diving: Dominica Best Caribbean island for honeymoons: St Lucia Best Caribbean island for island hopping: British Virgin Islands Best Caribbean island for families: Barbados The Top 10 Caribbean Islands Barbados (a personal fave) St. Barts (only Read more
The people at Michelin are famous for their restaurant reviews, which have been going on for decades. They got into the hotel review business a few years ago, and now put out a yearly ranking of the best places to stay around the world. The highest ranking is three keys, followed by two and then one. Even one key represents a place with everything you would want in a hotel. The 2026 hotel guide for Canada lists 42 properties in Canada; almost exclusively but not entirely in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. I wish there was more geographic variety, Read more
The beautiful island of Maui was devastated by fires in August of 2023. An estimated 102 people were killed in the lovely, historic city of Lahaina. In March of this year, powerful rainstorms overpowered communities, especially on Maui and O’ahu, with torrential, record rains. Now along comes Hurricane Lowell, which did tremendous damage to the island of Kaua’i this week, uprooting entire builidings and wiping out popular spots, including the waterfront restaurant at the lovely Sheraton Hotel/Resort on Po’ipu Beach. The latest reports show extensive damage in Hanalei town and on the south coast, including Poipu and Waimea, home to Read more
Travel and Tour World has a new list out of the top 30 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean for beach lovers. I would perhaps argue that a few of the placements are a tad off-base, but it’s a pretty solid list. Here’s what they came up with, along with a note or two from yours truly. Mexico (I haven’t seen enough of the country to say, but I’ve been to fine beaches on the Riviera Maya and in Los Cabos) USA (It’s hard to dispute a country that offers up Hawaii, Florida, California, Oregon, the Carolinas, Puerto Rico, Read more
