Remarkable Welsh cuisine...not to mention great golf...Jim's Deal of the Day

CARDIFF, Wales - I remember writing a story about England some 15 or 20 years ago and making fun of the cuisine. It was an easy shot. A cheap shot, really.

As I recall, my English-born city editor at the time sent me a note. He might have agreed. Or he might have called me a nasty name. I honestly don’t recall. The point is that things have changed in a massive way, and today Britain is serving up some of the finest meals on the planet.

I had some great food in London when I was there in February. But nothing as good as what I’ve had here in Wales the past few days. Last week I had dinner at the Crown restaurant at the Celtic Manor resort, which is owned by Welshman turned Canadian Terry Matthews of Ottawa. Tremendous place with a great, Romanesque spa and three renowned golf courses. But it was the dinner that blew me away. I remember a leek and potato soup drizzled with local honey and some succulent roast quail and a killer dessert with ginger ice cream.

The next night I had a Spanish tapas platter in the bar and it was enormous; filled with olives and sun-dried tomatoes and three types of bread and manchego cheese and chorizo and Spanish ham and I can’t remember what else, all for about $20 Cdn. On Sunday night I was at a hotel called Fairyhill on the Gower Peninsula, not far from Swansea. The sea bass was exquisite (the bartender/order taker said it had been caught just two hours prior) and the toffee pudding was to die for. They also had an incredibly tasty Welsh beef carpaccio, and forgive me if I’m drooling on my keyboard….

PORTMEIRION AND NEFYN GOLF

From the ridiculous (sort of) to the sublime.

I spent Saturday night at a hotel in Portmeirion, a bizarre little village where an eccentric Welshman built small replicas of everything from Italianate villas to Russian orthodox churches high on a hill overlooking the Atlantic.

 

Weird doesn’t begin to describe it. But I must say I kinda liked it. I remember a friend of my father’s once telling me that any job worth doing is worth doing right. And I like that philosophy. If you’re gonna play the cello, for example, then play it as best you can. If you’re gonna build a weird little village with architectural styles borrowed from all over the world, or at least Europe, then go big or go him.
And that’s what they did.

You can get a feel for it by the picture here. It has no real bearing on Wales, but it represents the eccentricity of the British that I’ve always found appealing.

Anyway, that was part of the weekend. The best part was playing the Nefyn and District golf course in north Wales, which is perhaps the most awe-inspiring scenic golf course I’ve ever seen. Actually, I take that back. It IS the most awe-inspiring golf layout I’ve seen. It hugs giant cliffs right along the Atlantic and offers the most stupendous views I can imagine, and I can imagine a lot.

It’s got some quirks that keep it from being a GREAT golf course, but it’s a fun course with the most wonderful sea views you might ever see. Definitely worth checking out if you get a chance. A real joy.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

A new deal from Signature Vacations lets one child in a family fly n’ stay for $198 plus taxes at one of 25 participating resorts. For the most part, the age range for this promotion is two to 12, although some resorts are offering the savings to kids as old as 14, while others lower the bar to age six. Destinations include Mexico (Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit, Puerto Vallarta and Huatulco), Jamaica, St. Kitts, Cuba (Cayo Coco, Holguin and Varadero) and the Dominican Republic (La Romana, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Samana). Bookings must be made by Oct. 28 for travel Dec. 17, 2009 to April 30, 2010. See www.signaturevacations.com.

Wales: Surprising and Wonderful...Caribbean Week in Toronto...Deal of the day

CELTIC MANOR RESORT, WALES - I've said it before, but I'll say it again. How you feel about your travels depends so much on your expectations. Build a place up too much before you go, and you're almost certain to be disappointed.

But that wasn't the case for my trip to Wales. I've been distracted with other issues, and I hardly have cracked the Wales book I bought a couple months ago when I booked my golf trip. I've seen pictures of the golf courses I'm playing this week, but I hardly read a word about some of the other attractions that the Visit Wales people said I could check out when my golf was over.

I played the Celtic Manor 2010 course today; the one that Tiger will play next year at the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Different tees of course, but the same layout - all part of the Celtic Manor resort designed by Welshman turned Ottawa resident Terry Matthews. Some thought he was daft to turn the hospital where he was born into a luxury hotel and to build not one but three golf courses in the area and to try to get the Ryder Cup for little old Wales, but he did it.

The 2010 course is terrific. It's not a links course, but you definitely know you're in the United Kingdom. A tough test all around. But you'll have to pick up the Star's 2010 golf magazine to find out more. Sorry!

Anyway, I finished the round (the P.R. Director and I combined for a Commonwealth team and - barely - defeated a pair of fine French journalists, for those of you keeping score at home) and got picked up at the hotel by Rob Jones from Visit Wales.

We drove over to the Wye Valley on an admittedly glorious fall day in south Wales, and I fell in love. The Wye is a lovely river that flows down a protected valley, and the colours on the trees were terrific. We didn't have much time but we managed in an hour to squeeze in both Tintern Abbey and Chepstow Castle, and I gotta say both are amazing and inpiring sights.

The Abbey, which dates back to the 13th century, take or give, looks tiny in pictures but sprawls all over the valley. You can see finished, complete churches everywhere, but this one has been decaying for years and there's no roof and some of the walls are missing. But it only adds to the mystique.

And to see the waves of colours on the trees dancing in the gaps of what would've been the windows in the main nave of the abbey are as marvelous as any stained glass could be.

Definitely worth checking out, as is the meandering village of Tintern that stretches along the river. Lots of nice-looking pubs and shops and hotels; just made for a nice walk.

From there it was on to the attractive little village of Chepstow, which ought to be FILLED with Americans for the Ryder Cup. A real delight. But the castle was the best part.
I'd read a word or two about it, but I didn't know how big it was and what incredible views it offered of the town and the surrounding countryside.

Like I said, if I HAD known I might have expected too much. But because I didn't think it would be anything extraordinary, I was blown away by it.

A great place, Wales. And still 3 more days to enjoy it.

CARIBBEAN WEEK IN TORONTO

The Caribbean Tourism Organization will put on its second annual Rum and Rhythm event in the Distillery District Oct. 30. A variety of the Caribbean's award-winning rums (yum!) will be available for tasting in addition to rum cocktails served up by the region's top mixologists. The festival will also feature tantalizing cuisine served by Caribbean chefs, and musical performances. You could be the lucky winner of a 7 night all-inclusive vacation to the Caribbean, compliments of Air Canada Vacations and Occidental Hotels and Resorts.

Tickets are $55 a person. For information, go to www.caribbeanweek.ca or www.caribbeantravel.com

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY: JAMAICA

Jamaica is still getting its fair share of Canadian visitors. In fact, the number of Canadians travelling to the island was up 28 per cent in the first six months of this year. But the U.S. is still Jamaica’s biggest market and to boost those numbers, most resorts are offering special deals. Families get 40 per cent off accommodation Jan. 3 – Feb. 10, 2010 at Franklyn D. Resort & Spa and Pebbles Resort, two properties in the FDR chain. This offer is combinable with the ‘Bring Your Own Grandparent’ (BYOG) promotion where grandparents stay free in January when travelling with their children and grandchildren. See www.fdrfamily.com. Another resort chain, Riu Hotels, has a Kids Stay Free deal at Riu Montego Bay and Riu Ocho Rios for kids ages two to 12, for stays Nov. 1 – Dec. 23, 2009. See www.riu.com.

 

Celtic Manor Resort and Golf in Wales...Leeks and Daffodils...Jim's Deal of day

CELTIC MANOR RESORT, Coldra Woods, The Usk Valley, South Wales, United Kingdom -

Okay, don't blame me. That's how the Celtic Manor (that's Keltic for all you Boston NBA fans, not Seltic) Resort here lists its address on those tiny little notepads; you know, the ones you - certainly I - end up taking home by the bushelful at the end of a business trip. It's a real mouthful of an address; far more complicated than 1 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1E6. But there you go.

The minute I opened my mouth on the first tee of the Montgomerie course here at Celtic Manor 

 today (it's a par 69 but a brute, by the way), one of my three English playing partners looked me over and replied, drily, "not from this side of the pond, are ya?"

They ended up being great guys, which is the same experience I had playing Bethpage Black in New York last month with three crazy Long Island residents. These guys, Simon, Ian and Richard, weren't crazy. But it was fun to hear them razz each other on the course over missed shots or mistaking the ball that was on the green for their ball when, in fact, it was the other guys' ball and their little golf ball was lying in a pot bunker 20 yards away.

There's nothing quite so supportive as a group of guys on a regular golf outing. "Hey, the fairway's over THERE you idiot," they'll say to one another. "Great four-putt," another will offer. "That's a really nice triple bogey." General support group stuff.

My wife used to comment - still does, actually - on how our boys would mercilessly tease each other on the way to and from hockey games or practices in our crowded minivan. I'd have disagreed with her, but they did. Then again, I always thought it was in good fun. Girls tend not to tease one another, but, as I like to say to my wife, instead they talk about each other behind their backs until one of them develops an eating disorder. I think I prefer the up-front approach.

Anyway, this seems like a splendid part of the world based on a few hours experience.

I asked my playing partners if the Welsh make good whisky, and they made funny faces. So I said, hey, I don't ever remember hearing about great English whisky.

"We don't bother," one of the guys said. "That's why God created the Scots."

Before I forget, my congratulations for a good flight from British Airways. I got to fly Club World (business) class, and there was lots of nice perqs. The beef was overcooked, but they had plenty of entertainment options and the seat laid down flat so I could sleep three hours and they had a small locker near the floor that held my shoes, headphones and a paperback book. So not a bad way to fly.

As I said, the Montgomerie course here isn't nearly as easy as it might seem. With a couple exceptions, the holes aren't particularly long. But there are some tough par five's and long par three's and the greens look like something you'd see at Canada's Wonderland. Hardly a flat spot on any of them. And when there was one, I sure couldn't find it.

Friday I play the 2010 course, where they'll play the Ryder Cup next year. Looking forward to that.

I haven't had much of a chance to scout out the Celtic Manor Resort itself, but I'll attest to the fact they have a fabulous indoor pool. It's much bigger and longer than most, so you actually can do laps. And if you do the backstroke you can look up at the ceiling, which is painted to look like the night sky. They also have an enormous hot tub with views of the garden; big enough (the hot tub, that is) to seat 40 or 50 people. Nice gym, too, with plastic bags you can put your swimming costume into when you're finished.

Never find that in Toronto; they'd have to charge you a nickel for the bag.

LEEKS AND DAFFODILS

Whilst perusing one of the many tourist brochures someone kindly dropped off in my room today, I discovered that both daffodils and leeks are national emblems of Wales. I don't know why that's the case with the daffodil, but one brochure said the leek became a symbol after St. David advised the British warriors on his side to go into battle with leeks on their caps so people could tell they weren't invading Saxons. Why not? As for daffodils, apparently the Welsh word for leek is cenhinen, while the word for daffodil is cenhinen pedr.

So now you know.

The chap who drove me to Wales from Heathrow this morning (seems like a week ago, actually) says there's a real surge in Welsh pride these days and that more and more kids are learning it in school. Good to hear.

I didn't get any leeks with my coffee at lunch, but my small pot did arrive with four cookies. A nice touch. Mind you, it was $8 for the coffee so I guess a couple cookies thrown in only makes sense.

As I munched away on my lunch of Usk Valley chicken and a side salad of arugula and rocket, I kept thinking back to my old Toronto Star north (and east) bureau chief, Warren Potter. Warren was a Welshman who moved to Canada and spent many fine years at the Star, some of them helping me learn to be a reporter. He used to say things like, "The world is divided into two types of people. The Welsh, and those who wish they were."

Warren died just a couple weeks ago, and I'm sad to say my first trip to his country began today. Not sad that I came here, just wistful that it would've been nice to chat with him about it. I hadn't seen him for probably 20 years when I got the news of his passing. I wished we could've talked about his beloved Wales.

It didn't happen. But in his honour, I think I'll salute Warren at dinner tonight with a glass of whisky. The best Welsh brand I can find.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY: Cayman Islands

Prices in the Cayman Islands are Free Fallin’ all the way through mid-December, with special rates on everything from accommodation and attractions to dining and scuba diving. The highlight of the Free Fallin’ promotion are the hotel deals. Most participating properties are offering four nights for the price of three, plus upgrades in some cases. You can choose from big name hotels like Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort or The Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa, or opt for a more intimate property on one of the Caymans’ smaller islands, like the new, 29-room Alexander Hotel on Cayman Brac or the recently renovated, 40-room Little Cayman Beach Resort. See www.caymanislands.ky/freefallin.

On the way to Wales...Youth Magnet cities...Naked Reading..Jim's deal of the day...

There's nothing (well, there are probably a few things) that get you ready for a trip than reading one of the papers in the destination you're headed to. Gets you a feel for the place, I think.

I'm at the British Airways lounge (yeah, I know) at Pearson, which is very sunny and bright and friendly, and they have a stack of British papers I can look at. There's some great stuff.

The headline in The Daily Telegraph is "We won't pay up, rebels tell Brown," that being PM Gordon Brown of the scandal-plagued British government.

In The Times, the lead story reads "After the payback, the fightback: MP's fury at expenses watchdog."

Fine, sure. But the Daily Mail takes another tack, with a headline that reads "Our Woeful Schools, by Tesco Boss." Under that is a picture of some BBC type who has a huge deal that's about to be axed. He's picture with a woman with flaming, and I do mean, flaming red hair and large, well, breasts that are out there for all the world to see.

What a great place to be a newspaperman.

CRUISE DEALS

USA Today cruise guy Gene Sloan points out today might be a great day to book a cruise. Seems there's a big cruise convention going on as part of something called World's Largest Cruise Night and "more than a dozen lines have rolled out special offers."

I've only been on one cruise: a Royal Caribbean affair about five years ago. I liked it a lot more than I expected to.

TOP TEN "YOUTH MAGNET" CITIES

You can always argue with someone's list. Which, come to think of it, is exactly the point that list proponents make.

Putting up a list creates debate. It's instinctive, at least for me. "What do you mean you don't have "All You Need Is Love" on your list of top 10 Beatles tunes?" Or, "How could you possibly list Lake Erie as one of the top attractions in Canada"?

We love to criticize where people place things on a list, and we love to criticize what they had the audacity or stupidity to leave out. So here's the latest one I spotted: a Wall Street Journal story on the top ten youth magnet cities. This being an American-centric publication, the story was all about U.S. cities. which is too bad for the rest of us. Still, it's interesting.

The WSJ got a panel of six folks together and came up with the following as youth magnet cities, based on amenities, job prospects and chances of getting picked up at a bar (sorry) other things of importance to today's youth.

1. Washington D.C. and Seattle (tie)
3. New York City
4. Portland
5. Austin
6. San Jose
7. Denver
8. Raleigh
9. Dallas
10. Chicago and Boston (tie)

Washington D.C. was an interesting one I wouldn't have guessed. They laid it on the Obama factor, which makes some sense (I  guess neither Fox News nor the International Olympic Committee had a role on the panel).

Seattle I can see. Great markets, nice environment, lots to do. New York's expensive but think of one young person who doesn't feel the attraction. Portland's like Seattle but lesser known for most Canadians, while Austin often makes such lists due to the University of Texas, the annual SXSW festival and such.

San Jose? Uh, I dunno. I grew up near there and I know it's changed but it's not exactly a firecracker of a spot. Denver's cool, and I like Raleigh. Dallas doesn't get my motor running but it's been a long while. Chicago and Boston aren't surprises. But it would've been nice to see a couple more "never thought of that" places. San Jose is the only spot that caught me off guard, and it would've been fun to see something like Columbus, Ohio, which I quite like. Or maybe Boise, Idaho or something.

GETTING NAKED IN NEW YORK

Here's something you don't see every day; an item I spotted on Twitter about Naked Girls reading banned books in New York. Seems some burlesque performers (love the names GiGi La Femme and Legs Malone) will be doing a reading Oct. 16 at a New York bookshop. Here's the link, just in case this tickles your fancy:  http://ow.ly/uluG

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Signature Vacations has a free upgrade deal at the Grand Riviera Princess All Suites Resort & Spa in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Through Oct. 31, 2009, for travel Feb. 1 – March 30, 2010, you can book a Platinum Suite for the price of a Junior Suite, a savings of $560 per couple, per week. Platinum Suites come with video on demand, concierge service and the use of the Platinum Lounge with its own private pool. Platinum Suites also have Jacuzzis on their balconies and terraces and Platinum Suite guests are treated to one beach dinner per week. For details see www.signaturevacations.com.

VANCOUVER 2010 GETS READY

You can just hear the hand-wringing in Vancouver/Whistler. Olympic officials held a press conference yesterday and said some roads will be closed as early as Nov. 1; more than three months prior to the Feb. 12 start of the Games. They sound like minor changes, but more closures and changes will come in January and will last through the beginning of March.

Officials say folks should arrive at events two or even three hours ahead of time to avoid security hassles and get to their seats on time.

If you care, you can to go www.travelsmart2010.ca to find up-to-date transportation info.

This could get interesting.

LOUSY BRITISH TIPPERS

I had no idea, but a story I spotted out of the UK says there's a "huge cultural difference" between Americans and Brits when it comes to tipping. Royal Caribbean says it's "evaluating its options" amid reports that U.S. passengers are used to adding gratuities and tipping staff on board a cruise ship while thier British counterparts are not.

"As a result," the story said, "staff on board ships with a majority of British passengers are losing out on remuneration."

Ouch.

CHARMS OF CHANGI

Got to checking out USA Today's travel site today and found an interesting piece by Harriet Baskas. She says not only do they have free wi-fi, they also have 500 free Internet stations for folks without a laptop, as well as free movie theatres, free music video and free CD listening stations. But it was the gardens that blew me away, including a rooftop garden with more than 40 species of cactus and a sunflower garden that "will make you feel as if you've stpped into a Vincent Van Gogh painting." There's also a butterfly garden, and some of the lounge chairs (free) have alarm clocks.

Boy, makes me wish I'd go to Singapore sometime.

Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn?...Biz Class on Sale (sort of)...Jim's deal/day

Got ya with that headline, didn't I?

I have no idea if it's any good, and I really don't like using shock words like that in a headline, but I spotted a tweet during my afternoon Twitter searching and there was a mention by a twitter user named travel_book of a, well, travel book that's titled,  Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn: A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran.

It's written by a chap named Jamie Maslin and it sounds pretty hilarious.

Amazon.com calls it "a backpacker’s charming, hilarious account of the secret world of counterculture Iran."

The web site continues: "Maslin finds himself suddenly plunged into a subversive, contradictory world of Iranian subculture, where he is embraced by locals who are more than happy to show him the true Iran as they see it—the one where unmarried men and women mingle in Western clothes at secret parties, where alcohol (the possession of which is punishable by hand-amputation) is readily available on the black market, where Christian churches are national heritage sites, and where he discovers the real meaning of friendship, nationality, and hospitality."

HOTELIER OF THE YEAR

Hotelier Magazine has named David Mounteer, General Manager of Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec City, the 2009 Hotelier of the Year.

The hotel is a stunner, blending important archaeological artefacts with wonderful rooms and an incredible restaurant, Panache (see photo)

The award is to be given out on Dec. 3 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel as part of the hospitality industry's Pinnacle Awards Luncheon.

BIZ CLASS DISCOUNTS

USA Today says business fares to Europe this fall have dropped 33% to 66% compared to a year ago.

Still, before all us ordinary travelers get TOO excited, keep in mind that they're still awfully high. The paper said Delta Air Lines' cheapest round trip, a non-stop New York-London coach ticket on Oct. 7, for example, was $716 for an Oct. 23 departure and an Oct. 30 return. The least-expensive business-class fare for the same flight was $4,634 U.S. (about $35 Canadian the way the loonie has been going).

I just checked Air Canada, and a ticket for a Toronto departure to London on Oct. 30 and a return to T.O. on Nov. 7 was priced at $6254.48 CAD for the class of "executive first lowest."

YIKES.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

A new package at the Westin Trillium House offers the best of the fall season: a scenic country drive, hot apple crumble and reduced room rates. Celebrating the launch of the Blue Mountains Apple Pie Trail, the Westin is offering special rates between $149 and $209 per night. Normally at this time of year, rates range from $189 to $229. To sweeten the deal, the Westin is also including two complimentary slices of Sour Cream Apple Crumble Tart from the Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill, located on-site at the hotel. The new year-round Apple Pie Trail winds its way from Collingwood through the Blue Mountains and on to Thornbury and Meaford, with stops at orchards, markets and restaurants along the way. See www.westin.com/bluemountain.

CZECH CHANGES

Czech Tourism Canada has advised that Czech Airlines will terminate its summer schedule to YYZ as planned 13OCT and will not resume its Canadian operation for the summer of 2010.

Houston on the rise...Fairmont Rockies deal...Niagara getaways...Deal of the day

You don't hear a lot about Houston. At least I don't.

Mind you, I was only there once, and that was back when I covered the Blue Jays and Toronto signed Roger Clemens. My sports editor suggested I call Clemens' agent, whom we both knew, and see if I could dash down and hang around with him for a couple days.

Eager to look good after coming over to the Jays, Clemens - to my surprise - agreed. I got to see his incredibly palatial house, go with him on errands to pick up his kids from school and share a lunch that his wife had cooked. It was pretty cool, and we got some great pictures and a good story. And, yes, a lot has gone one with Roger since that day, for sure.

Intriguing as it was, I have very little image of the city. We stayed at a business hotel centre that felt like Mississauga or Yonge and Eglinton, without much soul. I like my cities compact and full of quirky corners, like San Francisco, Toronto, New York and Vancouver.

Houston I can't quite understand. But a public relations friend of mine keeps trying, and today she sent me an interesting study that gives the town some pretty good marks. Not putting it in Big Apple territory, of course, but with some pretty decent marks.

A poll of readers of travelandleisure.com put Houston #1 at affordable hotels and airport lounges among 29 cities, which is something. They were number two on business hotels, airport food and drink, airport entertainment (sense a pattern here?) and airport staff efficiency. Houston was third in airport shopping and on-time arrivals and departures (Man, I gotta check out that airport), and fourth on diversity and airport design and functionality.

A little further down, but still in the upper third of cities, Houston came sixth in stylish people, seventh in friendly folks and eighth in attractiveness. Houston was fifth in luxury stores (all that oil money, I guess) and also fifth in theatre and classical music and eighth in museums and galleries, which are the categories I find most interesting and surprising now that I look down the list.

Of course, things weren't so good in other categories. The city was 25th for romantic escapes, 19th for neighborhood joints, 24th for people-watching (weird, since they're apparently so damned-good looking) and 27th in public transportation and pedestrian-friendliness.

A press release points out Houston had 30 top-ten finishes in various categories, bested only by the 31 top-tens for San Francisco. Mind you, eight of the Houston top-ten's were for the airport. San Fran collected top spot in noteworthy neighborhoods, fourth in people-watching, second in diversity, third in stylishness and was in the top-seven in all five of the food/dining categories and in the top-seven in all three shopping categories.

Still, I've give credit where Houston is due.

FAIRMONT ROCKIES DEAL

The Fairmont Banff Springs, Chateau Lake Louise and Jasper Park Lodge have introduced the Fairmont Rocky Mountain Season Pass. The pass allows you up to 25 nights at any of the resorts for $3,375 Cdn.

Stays must be booked between November 13, 2009 to May 23, 2010, and black out dates will apply during Christmas and Easter holidays. An exclusive book of 25 certificates in the Pass holder's name that can be redeemed at the hotel during your stay.

For more information visit www.fairmont.com/bsh/seasonpass or contact the reservations team at 403 762 6866.

GO SERVICE ALMOST OVER FOR NIAGARA

Visitors to Niagara Falls will be able to take in the changing fall colours by GO Train for one last weekend as GO Transit wraps up its seasonal weekend and holiday service to the Niagara Region on Thanksgiving weekend.

So far, more than 40,000 travelers have taken the GO Train from Toronto to Niagara Falls or from the Niagara Region to Toronto since the seasonal excursion service launched on June 27.

GO Trains will operate in both directions four times daily in each direction Saturday, October 10 to Monday October 12.

DELAYS, DELAYS, DELAYS

CNN reports that even though the percentage of delayed U.S. flights has dipped recently because fewer planes are flying during the recession, there's been a 20-year trend of increasing delays, and the increases should continue once economic growth returns, a study released Thursday by the Brookings Institution said.

The average length of U.S. flight delays rose from 40.9 minutes in 1990 to 56.5 minutes in June 2009, according to the study, "Expect Delays: An Analysis of Air Travel Trends in the United States."

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY...ORLANDO

Just coming off a multi-million dollar renovation, the Quality Inn Plaza in Orlando has a special rate of $35 (U.S.) per room, per night for bookings made by Oct. 15, for travel through Dec. 24. The Quality Inn is a big hotel, with 1,020 guest rooms in six high-rise buildings. Three swimming pools, a family buffet-style restaurant, sports bar and children’s playground round out the diversions. Kids under nine years old get a free breakfast and dinner buffet when accompanied by a paying adult. And if you’re planning a day at Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando or Wet N’ Wild, the hotel offers free shuttle service. To book the special rate see www.qualityinnplaza.com/pr35.

California Dreaming...Vegas doings and overrated Elvis?...Naughty road sign...

Had a chance to check out a reception sponsored by the California tourism folks on Tuesday night over at Marben restaurant on Wellington Street. Dynamite appetizers; very inventive, and plenty of California wine.

They seem happy to be courting folks in Canada, which makes sense as they said Canadian visits to the Golden State were up 9.5 per cent last year versus 2007; with more than a million of us making the trek.

Officials cited a number of good reasons for increased Canadian tourism; it's a destination that's easy to get to, with tons of variety (mountains, oceans, redwoods, deserts, lonely places and big cities, not to mention Hollywood, cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge and wine). Toss in the fact you can do a "power weekend" and that the loonie is way up around 94 cents against the U.S. dollar (and don't forget there's less tax in the states, so  
a five or six per cent exchange difference ends up being almost equal). 

They've got a few changes in store around the state, including a new Ritz-Carlton at Lake Tahoe (beautiful mountains and awesome skiing near a gorgeous alpine lake) and a Cirque du Soleil installation at the wonderful Santa Monica Pier, where I spent many a day and even night playing Frisbee or touch football when I was in university.

"It's a great alternative to British Columbia for skiing during the Olympics," one official said, and that sounds like fightin' words to the folks in Whistler!

Of course, there's always the joys of the city by the bay.

"San Francisco goes WAY beyond intriguing," said Deborah Renow of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Fall is a great time to visit northern California, as the fogs have usually left the coast and the winter rainy season doesn't (usually) start until mid-November.

The tourism folks unveiled a series of television ads. The best one features Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger telling folks to come out for a visit. At the end he smiles and says, "You'll be back."

They're launching a new campaign called California Fives where locals and visitors can go on line (www.californiafives.com) and nominate everything from their favourite taco stand to favourite movie theatre and get all sorts of tips on where to visit.

OOPS - MISSING NANAIMO VIDEO LINK

Great story in Star Travel on Thursday on Nanaimo, B.C. by Reb Stevenson. Alas, I forgot to give readers the link to her great video that goes with it. Sorry about that. But if you're checking us out online, here it is: http://bit.ly/dxvfv.

VEGAS STILL ON SALE

Earlier in the week I had a chat with Ryan Jones from the Las Vegas tourism group.

"We're focussing away from casinos and more on entertainment, shopping and restaurants," he said.

Jones said the Vegas City Centre is coming along and will be a huge complex on the south end of the strip. At $8.5 billion, it's said to be the largest privately funded development in North America, with six buildings, 6,000 hotel rooms and 2,400 residences. Yeah, they're still thinking small down in Vegas, aren't they?

They say four of the six primary components of the complex will open in December: Vdara on Dec. 1, Crystals on Dec. 3, Mandarin Oriental on Dec. 4 and ARIA Resort and Casino (owned by MGM Mirage and featuring a Cirque du Soleil show based on the life and music of Elvis Presley) on Dec. 16. Veer (the residential component) and Harmon (in the midst of a redesign) won't open until 2010.

(The Beatles show I can see, and I'm gonna get mail on this, but I never have quite got a handle on Elvis Presley.

I was born in 1956, though, and I think I missed his best years. Friends of mine
love Elvis, and the Beatles certainly worshipped him. I like Jailhouse Rock and Hound Dog quite a bit and I've heard a couple of early tunes that have lots of pep and energy; Blue Moon of Kentucky and some of the earlier stuff. But some of the major "hits" they play of his on the radio, especially things like Teddy Bear and Are You Lonesome Tonight, leave me highly underwhelmed.)

PARENTS BEWARE - NAUGHTY ROAD SIGN APPROACHING BELOW

Cleo Paskal, who writes a monthly column for us in Star Travel (check her next one on Saturday, Oct. 10 as she writes some lovely thoughts on Labrador and Newfoundland), sent along a photo where someone found the road sign pointing out the distance to Dildo, Newfoundland and put a small addition next to the 12 on the sign. The sign is supposed to suggest the town is 12 kilometres away but, well, you can see for yourself.

 

Pretty funny. I mean, not nice to tamper with government property.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY - HAWAII GOLF

Unlimited golf on the island paradise of Maui? Sounds like a match made in travel heaven. Makena Beach & Golf Resort’s Daily Unlimited Golf Package offers a day of unlimited golf on the onsite Makena North Course – or for the non-golfer, a per day resort credit of $50 (U.S.). The Makena North Course is an 18-hole, Robert Trent Jones Jr. design that hugs the Pacific coast line and shows off its heritage with traditional Hawaiian rock walls. There’s also a golf academy onsite. Rates start at $149.50 per person, per night or $299 double occupancy. Makena Beach & Golf Resort has 310 rooms, each with its own lanai, and is located midway between Wailea and the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Preserve. See www.makenaresortmaui.com.

FYI - A lot of high-end golfers like the Wailea complex nest door. Makena has similarly great views and a little more relaxed vibe.

UNITED PACKAGE - MORE CHOICES

As if life isn't complicated enough, it seems United Airlines is offering people a deal where you can $249 U.S. for a yearly fee that allows you and up to eight folks travelling with you on the same reservation to get up to two bags per person checked without charge, per flight, for a year.

The LA Times figured a family of four could get their money back or more by flying one or two round trips per year, depending on how many bags they check. United first-bag fees are $40 each per round trip on domestic flights, or $160 for four people. Combined fees for first and second bags are $100 per person per round trip.

Weird, but maybe it makes sense for some folks.

HOTEL SECURITY ISSUES

This is disturbing. Associated Press says the hotel industry is "reexamining its guest privacy safeguards" in light of the case where an ESPN reporter was videotaped naked in her room. The perpetrator, and that seems like the right word here, videotaped her through the peephole of her hotel room after asking - and receiving - a room next to hers at a hotel in Nashville.

I wouldn't think hotels would do that unless you were related to someone, but obviously these things don't get checked. Some hotels apparently ask the guest for consent, others clearly don't.

"This is a wakeup call for the industry," said CBS travel editor Peter Greenberg. Greenberg suggests placing a bit of duct tape over the peephole to keep anyone from somehow finding a way to look inside your room.

 

Pee Before you Fly...Conquest Founder Aims for New Tour Biz in 2010...NYCGo!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

Nippon Airways, according to the Daily Mail, has announced that 'loo monitors' will be positioned by the boarding gates in terminals to ask waiting passengers to use the toilets before entering the aircraft.

The company reportedly thinks that empty bladders means lighter passengers and a reduction in carbon emissions. Maybe other kinds of emissions, too (sorry about that).

Ryanair earlier this year was talking about charging people to use on-board toilets, although I was never sure if it wasn't just a publicity gag by a company that knows a thing or two about manipulating the media.

Either way, it sounds absolutely silly. I didn't want to get into specifics but the Star's Katie Daubs was braver than I and figured that the average human bladder holds up to a litre of fluid, which weighs about one kilogram. On a flight with 247 people, the number on a Nippon Airways Boeing 777, that would mean 247 kilos; or about the weight of three people.

Nippon Airways officials are said to have figured that the weight saved could lead to a five-tonne reduction in carbon emissions over the course of a month.

But it's crazy. Does anyone arrive at an airport gate with a kilo worth of liquid in their bladder? Maybe it's just cuz I'm (barely) over the half-century mark in age, but doesn't everyone stop and use the toilet before they get on board, unless you're making one of those last-minute dashes because you were at Pearson changing flights and it took them 45 minutes to get your bag I mean?

Our correspondent didn't get Air Canada to comment, but thank goodness for the response from Robert Palmer of WestJet, who said the company feels the responsibility to save money is theirs, not their customers. And it's honestly that kind of talk that makes people fans out of West Jet, don't you think?

Personally, I'd say that getting rid of stale, leaden sandwiches might save more money. Or how about replacing water with Champagne? Didn't I read a study once that said Champagne weighs less than water?

CONQUEST FOUNDER RISES AGAIN?

Open Jaw reports that Conquest Vacations founder Robbie Goldberg has announced that he'll be launching a new tour operation business in November of 2010, and that's excellent news for Canadian travellers.

"With changes in the marketplace of late, the supply and choices will become limited for consumers and prices will rise and a new tour company will offer more choices," Goldberg said. The new company, which he will own and operate, will specialize in packaged holidays to major southern sun destinations from major Canadian cities; almost certainly including Florida, the Caribbean and Mexico.

Further details on the new company are expected next month. Goldberg in 2007 sold Conquest Vacations, the company he had started 35 years earlier, to a management group headed by Errol Francis.

There's been no shortage of news in the travel biz in Canada this year. Sunwing recently announced it wanted to snap up Signature Vacations, although it says nothing will change with Signature over the next few months. Some experts have suggested that could lead to higher prices, but if Goldberg is coming back to the tour business that should help moderate any price hikes.

Earlier this year, Conquest - which Goldberg sold just two years ago - announced it was suddenly going out of business.

WesJet has been raising money, and some observers feel the company might be trolling for a tour operations business. Or even for Porter Air, which keeps expanding and which had its first-ever flight from Toronto to St. John's Newfoundland on Monday, Oct. 5.

Interesting times, for sure.

NEW YORK CITY ON THE GO

The folks in New York are ramping up the savings. Go to www.nycgo.com for the least deals on theatre, spas, restaurants and more.

And keep an eye peeled for a coming story in the Star and on our website on some cool hotel options in the Big Apple.

GREAT SPOTS IN CANADA

Lonely Planet has come up with a new book for Christmas, called 1,000 Ultimate Experiences. The publicist says the Ultimate Canadian destinations include:

Best Road Trips -- Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island

Classic Train Trips -- Rocky Mountaineer

Most Extreme Environment -- Banff National Park (I bet they didn't stay at the Banff Springs)

Best Adventure Travel Ideas -- Cycling the Icefields Parkway

Top 10 Boys (and girls) - own Adventures -- Cattle drive, Alberta

Best Party Cities -- Montreal, Canada (guess they've never been to a Queen's homecoming)

The World's Best Human Races -- Grouse Grind Mountain Run

Most Lip-Smacking Street Food -- Poutine (Toronto hot dogs lose out again)

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Globus’ Exotics brochure outlines tours and packages in such far-flung destinations as South America, Asia, South Pacific, Hawaii, Mexico and Central America. New in Asia this year, Globus is offering independent travel combinations in Tokyo / Kyoto, Beijing / Hong Kong and Bangkok / Phuket. Group tours in Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Thailand are also available. In Hawaii, Globus has added its first ‘Platinum-rated’ tour, an eight-day getaway featuring superior hotels in Honolulu and Maui. Book any of the Exotics itineraries by Oct. 13 and you can save up to $300 per person. See www.globusjourneys.ca.

Crazy English menus...WTF – oops...Visit Britain (& PEI & Florida)...Deal of Day

I really don't mean to make fun of people’s English. Lord knows I don’t speak French worth a damn. Or Chinese at all. So I'm sorry about this. But I still have to laugh when I read funny English translations on menus in foreign countries.

 

In Beijing last year I found a place advertising “Special tufei hog foot,” which I hadn’t tried in years. Another was “Tasted Chicken Wings.” I never figured out who had tasted them, but I sure as heck didn’t.

 

When I was in Athens for the 2004 Olympics, a lovely taverna I used to go to offered braised lamp. It wasn’t bad if you remembered not to chew the wires.

 

Anyway, I get versions of bad translations on the Internet now and then from friends or family. The Daily Telegraph in the UK (www.telegraph.co.uk) had a great collection the other day. Here are some of my favourites:

  - chicken of your mother

  - braised fresh Dave (Letterman, I presume)

  - chops of sucking lamb to the iron

  - beef barely soup (hey, I had that in the Star cafeteria last week)

  - the palace explodes the diced chicken

  - big breasts (you oughta see the lineups)

  - cool pee with strawberry milk

  - minority park surprise (Michael Ignatieff's a big fan)

  - grilled paving stone

  - from the grandfather immature meat and a roasted sausage and a fish and rich variety the our work.

 

OMG - A WISCONSIN MIXUP

 

Hadn’t noticed this in the papers in Canada, but it seems the Wisconsin Tourism Federation had to change their name when someone – gee, really? – pointed out to to them that the acronym WTF had a certain meaning in this Internet/instant messaging era. Amazing nobody thought of it a couple years ago, but Wisconsin folks are amazingly polite and well-mannered and a bit naive, I think, and it probably never occurred to them. Still, they recently swapped the name to be the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin.

 

Good call.

 

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ON SALE

 

Tourism PEI is offering an additional 20 per cent off already reduced off-season rates for hotels, cottages, B&B's and inns for stays until Oct. 15. Go to www.tourismpei.com for more information.

 

VISIT BRITAIN

 

Visit Britain Chairman Christopher Rodrigues dropped by the Star last week to fill me in on what's happening. Food, of course, was a topic of discussion, as everyone seems to be raving about the improvements in British cuisine in the last decade or so.

 

"I was recently at a dinner at our embassy in Paris with a French travel writer," he said. "When it was over, he said, 'You’ll never find food this good in Paris.'"

 

I hadn't thought of it, but Rodrigues said the rise of gastro pubs in Britain is in part due to drinking and driving laws and smoking bans.

 

“People can’t smoke and drink all night in a pub, they had to find something” to bring in customers, he said, and it sounds plausible.

 

Rodrigues said he's continuing to stress the values in Britain these days.

 

 

“Because of the recession, you can book a four or five-star hotel and get five nights for the price of four or four for the price of three; things like that.”

 

With the pound still hovering down around 1.70 to the Canadian dollar, there are remarkable days. I went to London last November and found a decent hotel near
Hyde Park for $70, which is astonishing. Throw in free museums and do your fancy dining at lunch and London is suddenly quite reasonable.

 

"It's been 25 years since we had this kind of price point," Rodrigues said.

 

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…FLORIDA

 

Had a coffee later on Friday with St. Petersburg/Clearwater’s Mary Haban. Folks in one of our favourite corners of the world are outing a new Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach and Spa, due to open mid-December. The new Salvador Dali museum in St. Pete's is slated to open in 2011and will dwarf the current model.

 

AND DON'T FORGET HAITI

 

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was in Haiti last week urging Americans _ and I’m assuming he’d be happy to have Canadians go – to visit the country and give the fledgling tourism industry a boost.

 

He took a VIP trip to a mountain palace and a nearby beach where they’re building a cruise ship pier, AP reported. Not quite hanging with the people, but his intentions are good. I did a magazine review a while back and talked about a writer who spoke glowingly of Haiti.

 

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

A stay at a Four Seasons is reward enough – but the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago is throwing in a $100 (U.S.) gift card just for good measure. Guests will receive a $100 gift card per night, for use at The 900 Shops at 900 N. Michigan Avenue when booking one of the hotel’s new one- and two-bedroom superior suites, for travel through Dec. 31. The deal also comes with free daily parking and ‘Midwest breakfast’ for two daily. Programs at the hotel include Thursday night’s ‘Dine Without Whine’, a family-friendly set-up allowing adult guests to dine in peace and quiet while their kids have fun at their own special dinner buffet with movies and video games, under the care of a babysitter. For details see www.fourseasons.com/chicagofs.

CHATEAU FRONTENAC BECKONS

The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is celebrating its $116th birthday with a special anniversary offer of $116 per night. The deal is valid for stays between October 25 to December 17. Go to www.fairmont.com/frontenac or call 1-877-692-3861.

The deal is based on double occupancy and covers the Fairmont room category. Rooms are based on availability and must be booked seven days in advance. Full deposits are required and the offer isn't valid in conjunction with any other discounts or for groups.

 

 

2016 Olympic tourism and Toronto bid, Nachos with Mai Tais, Jim's Deal of Day

With Rio De Janeiro winning the 2016 Olympic bid, look for a major, major tourism boost to the fabled South American city.

Don't forget they've got the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, so this will be a double dose of visitors; assuming they can pull everything off. It's a huge undertaking, but presumably a lot of the infrastructure needed for 2014's football extravaganza will make things easier for the Olympics two years later. Certainly, I can't recall any other city that's had two enormous undertakings like that within a two-year period, so it's gonna be plenty interesting.

I wasn't surprised to see Chicago lose. The IOC is notoriously unpredictable, and the bloc voting often results in early-round shockers. Cities that have won bids have often come perilously close to losing in early voting due to IOC shenanigans.

And I fully expected Madrid to give a strong performance as former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, a Spaniard, still wields enormous clout in the IOC and was pushing hard for the Spanish capital.

I know the IOC hates the US Olympic Committee and it's alleged arrogance, but I didn't expect Chicago to take it on the chin in the first round. Second perhaps. Third, maybe. But not right out of the gate.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the IOC go back to Europe for the 2020 Summer Olympics. If they did, or if they opted for Asia again, there would be a good chance for a North American bid for the 2024 Summer Games. And that COULD open the door to, dare I say it, another Toronto bid.

We didn't so well against Atlanta for the 1996 Games or Beijing for 2008, but the bids were technically very good. And if Toronto wins the 2015 Pan Am Games in a vote slated for next month, the city will ha've addressed a gaping hole in its sporting resume and would look better to the IOC for 2024. The fact we're not American and not part of the USOC might still be a huge factor in Toronto's favour, and the 2024 vote will take place in 2017, a full seven years after the Vancouver Winter Games.

Nobody can predict what the IOC will do. But stranger things have happened, and there's no doubt some folks in the Big Smoke already are thinking of a future Toronto summer bid, part three.

Guess this means I'll have to make a trip to Rio next year to see how things look down there, too! Reports say there were already 50,000 folks partying on the beach and that another 50,000 were expected on a bright, sunny day in Brazil.

On a side note regarding Chicago, AP had a great quote from chatty IOC member Kevan Gosper of Australia.

"I'm shocked," Gosper said. "The whole thing doesn't make sense other than there has been a stupid bloc vote."

Gosper said the Chicago exit could do "untold damage" to the rocky relations between the USOC and the IOC, who have fought over revenue sharing and a proposed USOC TV network.

"To have the president of the United States and his wife personally appear, then this should happen in the first round is awful and totally undeserving," Gosper said.

WEIRD FOOD AND DRINKS

Speaking of the Olympics, I got a press release from the Four Seasons in Whistler today to say they've come up with a cocktail called the Eternal Flame, with pear juice, an energy drink and lemongrass-infused vodka. So where's the flame? Apparently they put a brown sugar cube on top, perched on an inverted cocktail shaker lid. It's soaked in absinthe and set on fire, naturally. It's also served in a tall, "copper-hued glass flute and presented in a passing-of-the-torch" relay fasion.

Sounds like fun. I bet six or eight of those would really knock you out.

On a related note, I got another press release from the Renaissance Chicago Hotel (they won't be serving anything except an Olympic flame-out for a while, I guess, ba-dum-shh) explaining how their melted cheese nachos with smoked prime rib are a big hit, and I guess they would be. I'd be happy to try, but they suggested matching the nachos with a Mai Tai made with Appleton White Rum, Don Q Limon, Cointreau and Orgeat, and I can't even begin to imagine a fruity mai tai with spicy nachos.

Still, next time I'm in Chicago I'll stop by. I'll do almost ANYTHING for a good story.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Prices are falling at New York City museums, theatres, restaurants and shops, with NYC & Company’s NYC: The Real Deal Fall promotion. Running Oct. 6 – 27, the program offers close to 150 deals, at venues including Carnegie Hall (15 per cent off select performances) and the Museum of Jewish Heritage (two-for-one admission), and live theatre shows including STOMP and Chicago (15 per cent off). Seeing the city just got cheaper too, with 10 per cent off Signature Tours, Inc., Wall Street Walks and Welcome to Harlem Tours. Savings booklets are available at NYC & Company’s Official NYC Information Center at 810 Seventh Ave., between 52nd and 53rd Streets. A full listing of deals can be found at www.nycgo.com/realdeal.