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...

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...

Belize: More Than Just a Pretty Beach

A NUMBER OF WORDS appear on the blackboard, but, even before I’ve checked in, only one registers: puma. Getting here took a while, the roads growing thinner and thinner as we made our way through the heart of this small...

Rocky Mountain High: A Feast for the Eyes and the Soul

During the long months we spent tethered to our homes, unable to travel farther than the grocery store, we longed for escape. Now that restrictions have eased somewhat, it’s time for an immersion in the vast, glorious landscape of western...

Wild West Coast: SUP, Soak, Cycle, Surf. Tofino Is A Breathtaking Place That Has It All.

SWINGING MY BARE FEET over the side of our boat, I’m suddenly struck by how extraordinary this moment is. Just a couple of hours ago I was in my street clothes amongst the high-rise condos of downtown Vancouver. Now, I'm...

Simple Pleasures: Savouring the Many Charms of Tuscany

I WAS BACK IN THE COUNTRYSIDE that has given me some of the happiest travels of my life. For my husband, it was a first, and I hoped he would share my feelings. Of the various Italian regions that I’ve visited...

Back In Time: Exploring Turkey’s Historic Sites

I’M STANDING ON A grassy bank, staring at the sparkling Aegean Sea. A gentle breeze blows, and although there’s a steady stream of people, most of us are silent, not because of the pretty view, but because we’re standing on...

Cruising Canada: Thousand Islands – Set Amidst the Splendour of the St. Lawrence River, A Voyage Here is a Journey of Discovery

IN SOME WAYS, it’s a world hidden from millions, skirted and passed by multitudes of drivers every single day, a place of blue water and little islands and tiny straits and tucked-away homes. And, of course, the occasional castle. Every...

Cruising Canada: West Coast Wine Islands – Finding a New Appreciation for Vines & Wines in B.C.’s Salish Sea

WHEN I BOOKED my Wine and Islands cruise with Maple Leaf Adventures, I was excited… but a little hesitant. Of course, I’d heard great things about the three vessels the innovative company offers – a catamaran, a sloop and a...

Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge: Canada’s Premiere Glamping Resort Gets an Aussie Makeover

A NEW TEAM takes the reins at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Vancouver Island. For most of us, the idea of camping comfortably, let alone luxuriously, was long a foreign concept. You had to book a high-end safari in Africa for...

National Geographic – Unique Lodges of the World

NIMMO BAY WILDERNESS RESORT AS OUR FLOAT PLANE splashes down at Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, it’s clear this isn’t going to be an ordinary summer vacation. We’re in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, completely cut off from the outside world, but with...