The other day I talked about my favourite Canadian destinations and travel bits for 2014. Here are some thoughts (okay, a LOT of thoughts) about the U.S. and a couple Caribbean and European spots I visited during the year. Most surprising U.S. destination: Apalachicola, Florida. A super-relaxed, fun town in a quiet section of the Florida panhandle with just the right mix of old-time charm and trendy, new shops. A very good brewpub, too. Most wonderful host: The delightful Anthony Hunte of Hunte’s Gardens in Barbados. A lovely man, great conversationalist and incredible gardener. His garden is always the highlight Read more
San Francisco
The city of San Francisco never fails to impress. But she’s even prettier at Christmas, with decorations galore and plenty of holiday spirit. The “bridge to bridge view” rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco have stunning vistas, with guests able to take in both the Golden Gate Bridge (in the background here) and the Bay Bridge, with its fantastic lights. Rooms at the Mandarin Oriental, located in the financial district, also offer lovely designs and supremely comfortable beds. You’ll also find huge, well-appointed bathrooms and a renowned spa. Some of San Francisco’s famous cable cars get gussied Read more
FIVE GREAT PLACES FOR FIFTY PLUS TRAVELERS I get asked a lot about the best places to travel for folks who are 50 and over. Of course, I’m almost eight years into that category myself so I guess it’s a fair question. A lot depends, like many things in life, on what you’re looking for. If you’re a foodie, I probably would suggest a weekend in New York or maybe Vancouver. If you’re into wine, the Niagara Region of Ontario or, naturally, northern California works. Not to mention the interior of British Columbia, almost anywhere in France and several great Read more
SAN FRANCISCO – For years I’ve been getting nudges from the San Francisco tourism folks to check out the Mission district. It had gone from something akin to derelict to a trendy, fun area and was well worth investigating, I was told. Even our former mayor, David Miller, mentioned it in passing one day when we chatted about his travels. I finally got around it on a recent visit, and had a great time. Mind you, it was one of those postcard-perfect spring days in the city; about 18 or 19 Celsius with hardly a whisper of wind and the Read more
