STAYING PLACES: The Langham

IN A CITY FAMOUS FOR the sparkling and the spectacular, the Langham Sydney provides a super-refined retreat from the hustle and bustle. While very close to can’t-miss sites like the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, stepping into the lobby...

Staying Places: Naramata Inn – The Okanagan’s Renowned Restaurant with Rooms

I WAS HEADING WEST on the Trans-Canada highway after a hot and buggy holiday in Alberta when I got an email that made my day. It was from Fred in Guest Services at BC’s Naramata Inn where I would be...

Glitz & Glam: MSC Cruises Seashore Delights with a Glamorous Atmosphere Inside and Out

KEEP YOUR SUNGLASSES ON when you step on board MSC Cruises’ new Seashore because the magnificent atrium gleams with six staircases whose steps are filled with glittering Swarovski crystals. While these features are the jewels in Seashore’s crown, the entire...

Paradise Found

DEPARTING DENAREAU and sailing into the blue, en route to Sacred Island in a catamaran, we find the welcoming committee ready for us. First is a school of playful dolphins, keeping pace off both the port and starboard sides. They...

Greece Off The Grid

THE CITY RISES ON TWO HILLS, buildings of white and pink and orange and blue, climbing away from the sea. One is crowned with a Catholic Cathedral, the other, an Orthodox church. Settlement on this island dates back more than...

Classic Canadian: Alberta’s Rocky Mountains Have an Endless Appeal

THERE IS BOTH majesty and serenity in the mountains. Perhaps that’s why so many of us are drawn to places like Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise and the Columbia Icefields. No matter how many of our fellow travellers we encounter, there...

Staying Places: Hotel Britania, A Delightful Boutique Hotel in Lisbon

AN ART DECO GEM, conveniently located in Lisbon’s heart, just around the corner from the Avenue da Liberdade, the city’s grand main boulevard, the small and delightful Hotel Britania was our pre-cruise Lisbon choice. Good friends had given us a...

Dispatches from the Galapagos

I AM HELD CAPTIVE by the beauty of the Galápagos Islands and the wildlife that inhabits them. It reminds me that one of the reasons to travel far and wide is to see and experience remarkable events, life-changing moments, and...

Staying Places: Oceana Santa Monica

LAYOVERS AND LUXURY don’t usually go together. Too often, we forfeit comfort for convenience. But the next time you fly through Los Angeles, or take a cruise from that southern California city, consider that you can have both at Oceana...

Nova Scotia Calling

WE MADE OUR FIRST VISIT so many years ago, there was no internet to consult! Instead, we wrote to the province’s tourism office and then pored over glossy brochures, wondering if everything could possibly be as great as it looked...

Rotterdam Rocks

IT’S ALWAYS A DELIGHT to sail on a Holland America ship, or as I affectionately refer to them, “another Dam ship.” The latest “Dam” for me is the Rotterdam, the newest ship in their fleet, which set sail last year...

Uncovering the Secrets of the Douro

LAST SUMMER, two weeks after we received our second COVID-19 vaccinations, Emerald Waterways announced that Emerald Radiance would return to sailing Portugal’s Douro River. Travel Karma! We were yearning to travel and an Emerald cruise in Portugal had oodles of appeal....