WEDDING BELL BLUES

Modern Bride magazine (hey, I like to stay current with all the trends out there) conducted a travel survey through a group called Virtuoso, a network of 6,000 luxury travel agents who seemingly haven't put me on top of their invite list just yet. According to the agents, the top honeymoon destination for 2008 was, to me, a bit of a surprise.

That would be Italy. Which, come to think of it, makes a certain amount of sense. Venice is dreamy and romantic and all that, although I personally was disappointed on my only visit way some 30 years ago. Rome is Rome, and Florence is always a huge draw (sometimes too much; a visit in August a couple years back was like a trip on the Tokyo subway). There's also the Amalfi Coast, the Cinque Terre and dozens of gorgeous spots up and down the country.

If you think about it, Italy also is a place a lot of Americans, in particular, seem to feel comfortable. France can seem to foreign to some folks from south of the border, but Italy has food that's become so insinuated on American menus that visiting a taverna in Rome is a lot like being in New York or Chicago. Or even Tulsa.

But we digress. The next nine places on the list (and remember these were luxury travel agents, not your run-of-the-mill folks who suggest a post-wedding trip to Wingham or Winnipeg), were

• Hawaii
• Tahiti
• Mexico
• Greece
• Costa Rica
• Bali
• Fiji
• France (guess some Americans are pretty brave, after all)
• Turks and Caicos

 The latter one was a bit of an eye-openerl. I must admit I don't know a lot about it but I would've suspected the Bahamas or maybe Barbados would get the nod over the Turks and Caicos. Guess I better hustle down there and see what I've been missing?

TEXAS CALLING

In addition to missing the Turks and Caicos, I seem to somehow have never made it to San Antonio. We got a note on our travel wires today that said the San Antonio New World Wine & Food Festival opens Nov. 4 for a six-day run. More than 40 culinary and wine-tasting events throughout the city showcase internationally renowned vintners and the hottest chefs from San Antonio and beyond.

See www.nwwff.org for a complete schedule and information about ticket prices, or call 210-822-9555.

We hear there's great golf in the area, and having a margarita (a real one, not one of those pre-fabricated slushy thingy's some restaurants will dispense out of a slurpee machine) on the Riverwalk seems like a nice way to spend a fall evening.

HOW'S THAT AIRLINE STOCK HOLDING UP, GEORGE?

A glance at the business wires today (like I said, this is a blog that likes to widen its horizons) showed a whole bunch of headlines with words like "China Air loss" and "Malaysian Air loss"  and "Finnair loss."

It's not a good time for most stocks, as far as we can tell, and things aren't looking so great in the airline industry for sure.

On the other hand, experts in the U.S. say they're expecting much better deals than normal for Christmas-time and for the upcoming American Thanksgiving holiday.

Northwest Airlines started the rush Tuesday night with a broad holiday fare sale, Associated Press reports, and most other major carriers matched the prices Wednesday, according to Rick Seaney, chief executive of the travel website FareCompare.com.

“It’s by far the most broad-based fare sale we’ve tracked in at least 18 months,” Seaney said, “and this is the earliest I’ve ever seen one.”

The big deals might not migrate north of the border, but it's always worth a look to see what deals you can get out of Buffalo, or Detroit if you live down London way or further west.

 

 

ONTARIO DEALS

With the cold weather suddenly arriving (gee, wasn't that nice to wake up and see snow on the rooftops?), it's time to think about southern Ontario skiing.

Time's running out, but Blue Mountain has a deal on for early bird passes. Passes purchased on or before November 1 qualify for special discounts.

Go to www.bluemountain.ca for details or call 877-445-0231

LOCAL SPA

The Spa at the InterContinental Toronto Centre is an 8,000 square-foot facility that offers a range of massage, therapy, skincare and aesthetic services. There are ten treatment rooms, a saline pool and a Himalayan salt hot tub.

Yours truly isn't sure what the deal is with Himalayan salt as opposed to, say, the stuff from Manitoba. But it sounds exotic, doesn't it?

The InterContinental recently underwent a $30 million renovation.

CALLING RODNEY DANGERFIELD

We mentioned in this space the other day how Toronto was ranked ninth in a list of favourite cities in the Americas, as published by Conde Nast. Now we take a closer look at the rankings and find British Columbia is taking all the glory for top Canadian resorts.

The magazine's November issue lists the top resorts in the country as the King Pacific Lodge on Princess Royal Island, Wickannish Inn on Vancouver Island, Long Beach Lodge Resort on Vancouver Island, Emerald Lake Lodge in Yoho National Park and the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre. Score zero for eastern Canada in the top five, although the lovely Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu east of Quebec City weighed in at number eight.

Ontario was shut out of the top 20. It might seem surprising to those of us who've been to places like Taboo in Muskoka. But most Conde Nast readers are likely Americans, and it's already been established that U.S. visitors to Canada seem to like British Columbia's scenery and Quebec's French culture more than they admire the charms of Muskoka or even the thundering waters of Niagara.

No respect at all.

MORE TROUBLE FOR AIRLINES

Icelandic-owned Sterling Airways has cancelled all flights, a move that left thousands of travellers stranded across Europe.

According to a story on the Travel Mole web site, the low-cost airline, which flies from Gatwick to Copenhagen, Stockholm and other Scandinavian cities, said it was filling for bankruptcy and blamed the Icelandic financial crisis for its decline.

So, just who was the wise guy who first said, ''May you live in interesting times?"

DRINKING AND FLYING

Good news for folks who like to buy wine when they travel.

The Transportation Security Administration in the U.S. said recently it expects that by next fall they’ll be able to lift restrictions that limit passengers to carrying 3-ounce bottles of liquids, gels and aerosols in airplane cabins. TSA chief Kip Hawley told USA Today that passengers still would have to remove liquids from carry-on bags at airport checkpoints and put them through X-ray machines separately.

A bit of a pain, but it would allow folks who travel to say, California, to carry a couple bottles of Cabernet or Sauvignon Blanc with them on the plane and not weigh down their suitcases (and thus possibly incur overweight baggage charges; not that airlines would ever be so money-hungry as to penalize someone in such a manner) or risk having their merchandise spill all over their shirts and skirts.

"That's a major milestone for security," TSA spokesman Christopher White said this week. "We're confident it's going to happen in 2009."

Hawley suggested airports in other countries that adopted similar restrictions on liquids (such as Canada) should be eased at the same time the U.S. makes its move.

Apparently there are new x-ray machines on the way that will be able to tell the difference between a bottle of Coke and a bottle of something that could explode on board an airplane. Whether it can tell the difference between Baby Duck and Veuve Clicquot, we’re not sure.

I LEFT MY HEART ....

Speaking of California Cabernet (how’s that for a segueway, folks) San Francisco remains number one on the list of top U.S. cities to visit, according to Conde Nast magazine. But Charleston, South Carolina, took over the number two spot in the latest survey, dropping New York City down to a surely disappointing third.

We’re not sure how Mayor Michael Bloomberg took the news, but surely it has to rankle the Big Apple to see some upstart southerners drop them down to a bronze medal.

Magazine readers were asked to name the top cities to visit in the Americas, excluding the U.S. Topping the charts was Buenos Aires, followed by Vancouver, Quebec City and Victoria. Montreal was seventh and Toronto was ninth, sandwiched between Oaxaca, Mexico and Rio de Janeiro. Not bad, but it could be better.

A recent report from the California Travel and Tourism Commission shows that Canadians made 1.148 million visits to the Golden State in 2007; the highest number ever. It was an 11 per cent increase over 2006, no doubt due in part to the strength of the loonie. It remains to be seen how the latest slump in the Canadian dollar will impact on those figures.

But your eagle-eyed (well, something like that) travel observer noted that as of Oct. 27, the Canadian dollar was worth something like $1.42 New Zealand dollars. Which means this winter might not be a bad time to check out the delights of Auckland or Wellington or check up on early work for the Hobbit movie, which apparently will be filmed in some of the same locales used for The Lord of the Rings.

The loonie also is strong compared to the Australian dollar, so keep that in mind when the snows come in January.

SCARY DEAL

Regular Star contributor Greg Coates reports that WestJet is offering free flights on Halloween for guests with the last names Candy, Orange, Web or Webb, and Sweet. Guests with those surnames will pay applicable fees and taxes only for flights booked before midnight Oct. 30 (MT), for travel anywhere in Canadaon Halloween, Oct. 31.

Guests booking a return flight for any day after Oct. 31 will pay regular fare for that flight. The offer is only available by calling 1-888-937-8538. Government-issued identification must be provided at check-in to verify surname.

WEST COAST CHIC

Got to spend a recent Friday night at the fabulous Voya restaurant, located in the la-de-da Loden Hotel in Vancouver. People talk about the laid-back west coast lifestyle and all, but the crowd at Voya would’ve put Bay Street types to shame. The ladies were dressed to the nines (anyone know where that phrase comes from? why are people not dressed to the sevens or eights?) and the guys were a close second from what we could tell. Very chic, very stylish, very happening, and no polar fleece in sight.

The Loden is one of several new hotels coming on stream in Lotus land, and it’s a beauty. They’re still working out some minor equipment issues (lots of folks apparently are having problems figuring out the clock radios and the iPod docking station), but one interesting feature is that the key to your room gives you access only to your floor. In other words, nobody can just walk into the lobby and take the elevator to your floor because they wouldn’t have a key. It might be a minor inconvenience for hotel guests who have friends coming by to have to clear them at the front desk or have someone let them upstairs, but it certainly adds a level of security that could be especially comforting for women.

The rooms are ultra-modern with lots of glass and chrome but also lots of warm colour. And great bathrooms. The hotel is on Melville Street near Coal Harbour, and only a couple blocks from the action on Burrard.

ALOHA OE

You know there’s a change in the wind, or maybe that should be trade wind, when Hawaii is on sale.

With all the doom and gloom in the economic world (see TSE latest report, part XXIII), it’s heartening to know that there are some great deals to be made. And one of our favourites, Hawaii, is one of them.

The folks at one of the top resorts in the world, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on the Big Island of Hawaii, can get a complimentary fourth night with three consecutive paid nights through Dec. 18. Guests staying in an ocean-front room or a Four Season Executive Suite can choose two rounds of golf per stay at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course or two complimentary spa treaments per stay. Visit fourseasonresorts.com/hualalai or call (888) 236-3026 for more information.

A little bit to the north and west on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, the folks at Disney have announced a Hawaii hotel complex at the Ko Olina resort. It’s the first such complex outside a theme park for Disney, which tells you something about the lure of the islands.

ON THE LEFT COAST

VANCOUVER

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I’m no sushi expert, but after a meal at Tojo’s on West Broadway in Vancouver I think I’ve found Japanese nirvana. Tojo (hence the name) is rated one of the top 12 chefs in Vancouver, and on top of being a friendly guy who spends a lot of his evenings chatting with customers at his high-end restaurant, he’s an absolute whiz in the kitchen.

We were lucky enough to enjoy some of his famous marinated tuna the other night, as well as some magical Dungeness crab on a bed of seaweed marinated in Japanese lemon juice. And his B.C. rolls are to die for, with bits of cooked salmon wrapped inside a tasty roll that makes anything in Toronto look like day-old Captain Highliner’s.

He mixes some unusual ingredients, including tiny bits of pineapple, and the overall effect is out of this world. The sablefish nearly melts in your mouth and comes in a beautiful bowl with a piece of what looks like parchment paper on top. A beautiful, red maple leaf rests on the paper and the fish is simply marvelous, wrapped around perfect pine mushrooms and slivers of asparagus.

Our waiter constantly admonished us that we had to wait 30 seconds for this dish to be ready or two minutes for that one and he also kept insisting, “this dish … no soy sauce!” It was like watching a Seinfeld episode about soup, but he was absolutely right. This is Japanese food to be savoured, not drowned in salty soy sauce.

 

 

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PERFECT DAY

 

The weather isn’t always perfect out in British Columbia, but a crisp, 12 degree day in October in Vancouver is something to savour. Folks this week were out in hordes in Coal Harbour and English Bay and Kitsilano Beach and, of course, at Stanley Park.

As I watched a group of four shirtless guys play beach volleyball at Kits on a late afternoon, I noticed a guy with a blue hoodie sitting on one of the logs overlooking the ocean. He was chatting on a cellphone and next to him was a book titled, “Bartending for Dummies.” I don’t know what it means but it seemed very west coast.

 

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SARTORIAL SPLENDOUR?

 

Only in Vancouver? Hard to say, but you gotta admire anyone who strolls down Burrard Street in front of the Sutton Place Hotel wearing camoflauge pants, a brown, open-necked shirt and a houndstooth jacket. Sounds pretty weird but the guy looked confident enough to pull it off.

 

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EAST SIDE BLUES

 

No matter how many times you see it, it’s stunning to drive down Hastings on the East Side of Vancouver and see so many people who seem homeless or down on their luck hanging out in one place. It’s as if you took every homeless person in Toronto and shoved them all onto a single street corner. Folks out here get used to it, but it’s disheartening as hell to see so many people in desperate need of a helping hand gathered in a few short city blocks.

 

The Kingston-based rock band Bedouin Soundclash was supposed to put on a free concert on Thursday in the region’s supervised drug injection site but it had to be cancelled. City officials took down the stage after saying proper approvals weren’t in place for the facility.

 

As if these people didn’t have enough problems, now they lose a free concert from one of Canada’s better-known bands. Nice.

 

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OFFICES WANTED

 

Like Toronto, there’s a huge boom in condos in Vancouver. But city council is talking about banning them from some areas and placing a height limit on others as the skyline is starting to resemble a mini-Manhattan.

 

With the Olympics on the way, there also is a hotel boom. The Loden, which yours truly gets to check out for the weekend, just swung its doors open to the public. There’s also a new Fairmont on the way and a Ritz-Carlton, as well as a couple others.

 

What they don’t have enough of is office space downtown. Council members are trying to figure out ways of getting more commercial space in some areas, including trendy Yaletown.

 

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NUMBERS DROP

 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Oct. 24 says passenger traffic in September dropped 2.9 per cent while cargo traffic was down 7.7 per cent.

"The deterioration in traffic is alarmingly fast-paced and widespread," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO. "At this rate, losses may be even deeper than our forecast U.S. $5.2 billion for this year."

Sigh.

WHAT'S THAT WHITE STUFF ON THE GROUND

Weren't we just wearing shorts on the weekend? Wow. 27 years in Ontario and I still can't get used to it.

Anyway, it's time to put away the Titleists and get out the Rossignols. With the impending ski season in mind, the folks from British Columbia, where they apparently have a ski hill or three, were in Toronto the other day to chat about what’s new.

 

The biggest change, coming in December, is a mammoth gondola that will stretch a ridiculous 4.4 kilometres between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Not surprisingly, it’s the longest unsupported span of its kind in the world, folks say.

 

Tabetha Boot of Whistler-Blackcomb tells the Star’s travel section that gondola passengers traversing the passage between the two mountains will be 436 meters above the ground; higher than the CN Tower. Two of the 28 gondolas will have a glass panel in the floor for photo-taking, and won't that be a popular shot for, oh, I don't know, the next 14 years.

 

As well as providing a thrill ride, the gondola will allow skiers to use both mountains in the same day. They can do that now, but it’s a pain to get from one hill to another and you more or less have to choose which mountain you want. Now, it’ll only take 11 minutes to make the journey, and you won’t have to drive or change into your shoes.

 

There’s plenty new in other parts of the province, where resorts like Red Mountain Resort and Fernie Alpine Resort in the Kootenay Rockies are garnering more and more attention.

 

Lest they get forgotten in the Vancouver-Whistler Olympic focus, the people over at Mt. Washington on Vancouver Island told reporters that they get more snow than any resort in the province (although they were quick to say it depends on how you measure it, which is a strange concept when you think of it, there being only one way to count snow depth that we’re aware of).

 

The night after the B.C. snow people treated the ski media, there was another event sponsored by the folks down in Vermont, home to noted resorts such as Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush and Jay Peak, which is the major resort closest to Toronto and one that is undergoing a major renovation. Stowe is getting a $400 million development with a new luxury hotel and spa, while Smugglers’ Notch has new lodgings to offer.

 

The p.r. battle between resorts is always fun to watch. It’s gentle enough, but each has its own way of suggesting it’s the one where Torontonians should be driving come winter. Jay Peak says it has the “most abundant natural snowfall in the East,” while Killington boasts that it’s “the largest ski and snowboard resort in the eastern United States.” Stowe talks about its new developments and also slyly mentions that such families as the Vanderbilts and Roosevelts have graced their resort over the years.

 

Then again, New York officials who met with the Star the other night say they have more ski resorts than any state in the U.S. I guess what it all means is there’s lots of hills out there. And judging by the sudden flurries in the air, it’s about that time again.

 

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SEPARATED AT BIRTH

 

If you’re ever in Vermont for breakfast, ask if they have any maple syrup from New Hampshire and say it's because you’ve heard it’s just a little bit better than the Vermont variety. Then stand back. When your travel guy went for breakfast in Lincoln, New Hampshire last year and asked for Vermont maple syrup, he was told that the door to leave the restaurant was in close proximity to the table where he was sitting. The guy smiled when he said it, but there’s a definite rivalry between the two states.

 

Vermont seems fine enough, and I quite liked Burlington the last time I was there, but you can’t beat New Hampshire for license plate slogans. I mean, only in America would you have a saying like “Live Free or Die.”

 

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DON’T STOP NOW

 

We’re still getting comments about your favourite places to see in Canada and Ontario. Only a few of them involve Tim Hortons outlets.

 

It’s good stuff, and some of it's pretty surprising. So check thestar.com/travel and send in more comments. We’ll soon publish some of your thoughts.

 

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TORONTO DOINGS

 

The Holiday Inn on King Street near the entertainment district is moving into the Hyatt family and being re-branded as a Hyatt Regency. It’s slated to open in January after a “top-to-bottom” renovation that includes 42-inch televisions, iHome clock radios, updated bathrooms and a new lobby.

 

“We are pleased to be expanding our presence in this important North American city, and expect to continue to seek opportunities to expand our select-service and full-service brands in the Toronto metropolitan area,” said David Tarr, senior vice president development, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.

 

Word is the new hotel also will feature new “Hyatt Grand Beds,” and when did every hotel chain get its own line of beds, anyway? I don’t remember a Motel 6 mattress and frame set when I was a kid. We had the magic fingers massage for a quarter, but that was it. What a ripoff.

 

 

 

FUEL SURCHARGES AND BETTER DEALS

It's not a lot, but some airlines are starting to drop or reduce their fuel surcharges.

With the price of oil dropping faster than you can say "Green Shift," Air Transat recently said it would drop some surcharges by as much as 17 per cent. Air Canada, bless it's red-and-white heart, might be about to do the same on some international routes, having already dropped them for the North American market.

An attempt to tentatively book a European jaunt the other day showed a $700 return fare from Toronto to Frankfurt on Canada, but there was a whopping $330 fuel surcharge; almost the cost of the one-way, $350 "tourist" fare.

It’s said to be a truly awful sight.

“For many tourists, coming to Luang Prabang is like going on safari,” said one observer. “But our monks are not monkeys or buffaloes.”

Well put.

In a recent Canadian Press story, Air Canada spokesman John Reber said fuel surcharges don't fully cover fuel expenses, which are expected to increase by $800 million for Air Canada this year.

But who says the surcharges are supposed to cover all fuel expenses? We didn't have fuel surcharges 10 years ago, if I recall, but the airlines still had fuel costs. We all understand fuel costs have skyrocketed, but aren't our regular fares supposed to help cover some of those costs? We aren't paying for steak tartare and Dom Perignon in tourist class, are we?

Some experts say they expect a break is on the way for ordinary travellers, but that business folks will have to continue to pay high fees for the fancy seats.

THEY LIKE US ... WE THINK

A company called TNS recently released a study asking 8,000 Americans where they had vacationed in the past year. Although visits by Americans to Canada were down in August, the TNS survey found Canada was the number one international travel destination for Ameri-cuhns, not surprising given the proximity and all. Second for U.S. travellers were Bermuda and various Caribbean countries, followed by Mexico, the British Isles and France. Pretty standard stuff.

What was kinda interesting was that the company also asked American travellers to rate their favourite international destinations from their past three years of travels. Australia topped the charts (must be the meat pies), followed by London, Ireland, Scotland and, ta-da, British Columbia.

SAME SEX SEATMATES

Gotta agree with the U.S. folks on this one. A research firm called Synovate did a survey and found that 65 per cent of folks from Hong Kong prefer to sit next to someone of their own sex while on a plane. Only 19 per cent of Americans felt the same way. For all the math-challenged folks out there, that means a whopping 81 per cent prefer a seat mate of the opposite sex.

I'd be curious what readers might think, so drop me a line if you're so inclined - email me at travel@thestar.ca - and let me know.

NO KIDS PLEASE, WE'RE BRITISH

In another part of its survey Synovate found that 55 per cent of Brits get frustrated when they sit next to kids on a plane, compared to 45 per cent of Americans. There was no word on Canadian feelings towards children on a plane, but only 15 per cent of Germans said it bothers them to be near a kindergartner. Only 19 per cent of folks from Taiwan and Malaysia said they get frustrated sitting next to children. Interesting stuff.

SHOW A LITTLE DIGNITY, PEOPLE:

Really nice item in the San Francisco Chronicle the other day on Luang Prabang in Laos, which used to be secluded but now is overrun with “scruffy European backpackers and well-heeled American tourists.”

Apparently, whenever the time comes for the area’s Buddhist monks to come out of their monasteries in their daily ritual, the tourists crawl all over each other like rabid dogs angling for a pork chop as they jostle and push and shove to get the right angle for a picture.

Sounds perfectly dreadful. Not to mention shameful.

A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITE THINGS

What, no Big Apple? No Weber's? No Giant Muskoka Chair?

My request for people to write in with their five places visitors to Canada should see before they die, and the five places in Ontario, has been getting some nice responses. SO KEEP IT UP, FOLKS!

We’ve had some interesting choices, which is exactly what we wanted. Lots of folks checking things like Niagara Falls and Gaspe and Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, which is awesome. And some folks have been admittedly heavy on local sights, including a couple folks on our facebook site who chose Yonge and Dundas Square and the Hockey Hall of Fame as favourite spots.

 

What’s interesting is the giant, tacky souvenir choices. One person singled out the Big Nickel in Sudbury as a spot to see, while another listed the giant goose in Wawa. It’s only a matter of time ‘til we get the Big Apple from Highway 401 (they’re opening another one near Orillia, we’ve seen by our recent travels). Personally, I love the big Muskoka chair on the way into downtown Gravenhurst. My wife was actually disappointed when we went into town the other way last summer and bypassed the chair.

In a weird way, it’s a valid point. We all look for small signposts or things along the way to mark our passage on familiar journeys. I love the first glimpse of Lake Couchiching on my way up north, the first big rock cuts on the side of the highway, Weber’s (of course), the Hillbilly campsite and the Muskoka store south of Gravenhurst. Sadly, the old Junkaroo Bargain Centre is no more. But we still have the llamas and sheep outside Big Curve Acres. But we digress. The point is Ontario has a few giant souvenir spots. But it’s yet another area where this province and country needs to pull up its knee-highs.

The Aussies, not surprisingly, take great delight in such tourist bric-a-brac. Entire books have been devoted to Down Under kitsch, including giant lobsters and giant prawns and even a giant banana (no doubt the subject of the occasional sexually-motivated photo) and a giant avocado (not nearly as colourful but think of the guacamole you could make). There’s even a giant mosquito that one web site insists is called Ossie the Mossie, and, to quote the brilliant Dave Barry, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

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Anyways, thanks for the entries, folks, and let’s keep adding to our list of places to see before we go.

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THAT’S GONNA BE SOME KINDA TOLL

Spotted in the Star Travel department’s in-box the other day was a note headed: The Galapagos by land.

Wow, that’s gonna make the bridge to PEI look like child’s play, ain’t it? Either that or the people who built the Chunnel from England to France are looking for new work.

 

REQUESTING READER FAVOURITES

Most of us have heard of the book 1,000 places to see before you die. I’d like to hear about places you think visitors to Canada and Ontario should see before they go to their great reward.

Please let me know the five “you-can’t-possibly-come-to-Canada-and-not-see-this” places in both the country as a whole and in Ontario, and we’ll come up with a list of your recommendations a little later on. You can comment here on my blog, so feel free to fire in some of your top-rated places.

We know about the Rockies and Salt Spring Island and George Street and Niagara Falls, but perhaps you can put your thinking toque on and come up with a few different places.

Personally, I’d have to go with Twillingate in Newfoundland, Quebec City (kinda obvious but there you go), the Sea-to-Sky Highway in British Columbia, the Okanagan Valley and Banff for my Canada picks. As for Ontario, I’ll say the Toronto Islands (there’s something about a ferry ride that’s simply marvellous), the shops along West Queen West, any of the beaches along Lake Huron, a walk on Parliament Hill in the snow and the view of Lake Muskoka from the Mills’ family cottage on Miller Island.

But that’s just me. I want to hear your ideas. So fire away.

 

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LET ME TAKE YOU ON A SEA CRUISE:

 

Kiqstart Music, an entertainment company based in New York, NY and Think Floyd USA, a touring production of Pink Floyd in the states, have announced plans to host the first Pink Floyd themed cruise aboard a Carnival Cruise Ship to the Bahamas. Dubbed “Great Gig in the Sea”, the cruise will allow Pink Floyd music fans to combine sun and sea with an amazing concert experience.

“Think Floyd USA will take listeners on a musical and visual flight through the Pink Floyd galaxy performing all of Pink Floyd’s classic hits from legendary albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and the all time classic, The Wall.

Apparently, there’s talk of a Milli Vanilli greatest hits cruise, but it likely could be done on the 30-second ferry to the island airport.

On a related note (deliberate pun), there was word just the other day that the Marley Resort and Spa, which opened earlier this year on Cable Beach in Nassau, The Bahamas, is now partnered with Splendia, the international hotel marketing company.

Some of us fairly new to studying hotel names in Nassau were unaware until recently that there was a Bob Marley hotel in the Bahamas. But we’re told the property is a real tribute to the great Jamaican singer and that there’s even a Natural Mystic Spa on site. No word as of yet as to whether the restaurant menu includes “Three Little Birds,” but we’ll get back to you.

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HEADING SOUTH

Okay, we’re clearly having a lovely Native American/Canadian summer here. But it won’t last forever folks, and the people down in Georgia are trying to lure visitors who’ll soon be cruising down I-75 to pull off the highway and spend some time in the Peach State. On Jan. 19 of next year, Georgians will celebrate what would’ve been Rev. Martin Luther King’s 80th birthday. Check out possibilities at www.exploregeorgia.org/MLK. Of course, there’s also great golf on Jekyll Island (I checked out the island earlier this year for the Star’s golf magazine and fell in love with the place) and real southern barbeque, WHICH IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED with the stuff they try to sell you up here.

Unless I’ve missed it, and I’ve never been to Saskatchewan, Manitoba or the Yukon so maybe I’m wrong, there ain’t a decent rib joint in this entire wonderful country of ours except for Tunnel Barbeque in Windsor and Phil’s at College and Ossington in Toronto. I’m told Dipamo’s on Eglinton is good but haven’t made it.

All the other places I’ve tried in and around the GTA that say they have good ribs have been an incredible letdown. You go to the States and you’ll get ribs as thick as a football player’s fist, and not those scrawny, bony Paris Hilton-like waifs they tend to serve in Toronto. And to think this burg used to call itself Hogtown.

Of course, I’ve been known to be wrong once or twice before. So if you’ve got some recommendations I’ll check them out when I get a chance.

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OLYMPIC THANKSGIVING:

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Spirit Train rolls into Mississauga on Monday, Oct. 13. The train will be at the Cooksville GO Transit station from 2 to 8 p.m. Included will be appearances by the 2010 mascots, as well as a chance to meet and get autographs from such Olympians as Vicky Sunohara and Veronika Bauer. Singer Colin James is slated to appear at 6 p.m.

There was talk that some 2010 opponents might try to protest at Spirit Train stops across Canada, but it’s been pretty quiet so far.

Lobsters, Luggage Tags and Little Red Hearts

As Travel Editor at the Star, you get invited to a lot of events to showcase the latest hot spot down south or the “next big attraction” in Europe. You also get a lot of interesting (okay, some are downright goofy) little items that tourist boards hope you’ll stick on your desk or some place else to remind you of their destination next time you sit down to write a story or a blog item.

At the recent Discover America day at the convention centre in downtown Toronto, North Carolina was handing out posters for a new movie coming out with Diane Lane and Richard Gere that was shot in the state. They also gave out blue and black flip-flops that had the words “The Outer Banks” on them.

The folks from Maine had tiny, red lobsters made of cloth to hand out to the media, while the California folks gave out luggage tags and also bottle openers (hey, they know the media) that read visitcaliforniasnow.com.

Virginia gave out little red hearts with a flashing light that read “Live passionately; Virginia is for lovers,” while Portland, Oregon, known as something of an eco-friendly place, gave out round, green flashers. The best gimmick was a silver pen given out by the New Mexico Tourism Department that was shaped like a Roswell/Area 57 alien wannabe. Very cute.

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WHO KNEW?

Besides being indundated with maps and bric-a-brac, travel writers like myself (a veteran of, oh, about two weeks now) get all sorts of bumpf in the mail touting destinations all over the world. Sometimes it’s the usual stuff with a nice beach and all. But sometimes they include little snippets on information that make you wonder about something you’ve never thought of.

The new communications manager for Jacksonville sent the Star a note the other day that said Jacksonville is home to the largest urban park system in the country. I had no idea, and, honestly, I don’t know how anyone could verify that sort of thing.

I always run into people saying Toronto has more restaurants per capita than any city in the world or that the GTA has more golf courses per capita than any region in the world, or some such. It’s impossible to track these sorts of things down.

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TORIES NOT TALKING

We know their positions on crime and health care. But the Tourism Industry Association of Canada took things one step further by asking federal party leaders for their positions on tourism issues in advance of the coming election. For the most part, leaders promised to do what they could to lower aviation costs and facilitate smoother border crossings. The Conservatives, the association said, have so far declined to answer their questions.

Guess the Prime Minister was too busy snapping up those low-priced, bargain stocks of companies that are laying off those pesky Ontario workers.

 

ONTARIO NEWS:

 

- Here’s a good concept. The Sheraton Centre in Toronto, right across from City Hall, is making 129 rooms available for $129 a night. They also have a deal where you pay the regular rate and get the next night for 50 per cent off. Continuing with the sales theme, the hotel will give you a room for a night for $199, then charge you a special “birthday year” rate for the second or third night. If you were born in, say, 1954, your second and third nights would cost $54. That would mean three nights at $306.

The hotel also has deals for tickets for We Will Rock You, The Sound of Music and Dirty Dancing.

 

- The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain has a special 20 per cent discount when you book two nights at the hotel over Thanksgiving weekend. That same weekend, Collingwood will host their annual Apple Harvest Festival, complete with pumpkin carving, apple picking, live music in the Village at Blue and scenic gondola rides up the mountain.

 

- The Best Tourism Advertising gold award went to Ottawa Tourism at the Oct. 7 Ontario Tourism Awards for 2008. The Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association got the silver award, while the city of St. Catharines Economic Development and Tourism folks got the bronze award. Tourism Toronto was given an award for best interactive marketing, while the Toronto-Niagara Bike Train was honoured for the Best Tourism Marketing Partnership. Walter Oster was given the lifetime achievement award for his work with the Canadian Sportsmen’s Shows and his long-time leadership of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

 

 

AMERICANA:

 

- Oregon, a state overlooked by many Ontario folks, is celebrating the fall season with programs that celebrate the long growing season for everything from grapes to fresh pears and asparagus. Local farms with pair fresh Oregon pears with southern Oregon bleu cheese or bring out a bottle of outstanding Oregon wine. Winemakers in the state are known for their Pinot Noir, but some wineries are now experimenting with grapes such as tempranillo.

 

- North Carolina's Pinehurst Resort has a special offer exclusive for Canadians this fall and winter. With savings of 30-60 percent off regular rates, golfers can take advantage of the Pinehurst Resort Canadian Special Offer. Available November 30, 2008 through March 31, 2009, rates start at US$175 per person per night based on double occupancy, including golf (you’ll have to pay another $165 to play famed Pinehurst No. 2), plus overnight accomodations in the Holly or Manor Inn. For more information, go to www.pinehurst.com/canadian_special.asp or call 800.487.4653.

 

- Virginia also is making a big push for wine tourism, and October is wine month in the state. Thomas Jefferson planted grapes in the state way back when, and there are said to be more than 140 wineries now operating in Virginia. I had some white wine from Virginia about 10 years ago and it was pretty good. Not quite New Zealand sauvignon blanc or Ontario riesling quality, but pretty good. If techniques and conditions have improved, and they likely have, it would be worth trying a bottle. Of course, good luck finding one at the LCBO.

 

- The folks who tout skiing in Utah say the Waldorf-Astoria is building the Dakota Mountain Lodge in Park City. It will be the first Waldorf ski property, which tells you something about Utah’s ski scene. It’s expected to be open some time next spring.

 

 

FARTHER AFIELD:

- The folks at the Hong Kong Tourism Board in Toronto held an event the other night and invited folks to “swap their broomsticks for chopsticks” and hitch a ride to HK for a promotion called Halloween Treats, which runs from now until Nov. 2. There will be a Haunted Halloween feature at Hong Kong Disneyland, as well as a big haunted bash at Ocean Park near Aberdeen Harbour. There’s also an annual Halloween celebration in the Lan Kwai Fong neighborhood. A little closer to home, West Hollywood, Calif. will hold its annual Halloween street party later this month. (Likely on the final day of the month, oddly enough.) Officials say their festival annually draws about half-a-million visitors.

 

- The Heineken Regatta Curacao 2008 will be held in Nov. 7, 8 and 9. Curacao backers say their island is “situated nicely below the hurricane belt,” which makes it a perfect place to kick-off the sailing season … and maybe have a belt or two at the tiki bar. Visit www.heinekenregattacuracao.com for more info. Curacao tourism officials say a Hyatt Regency is being built on the island that will have an 18-hole golf course designed by Pete Dye.