Top steak in the galaxy at Hitching Post II California, Sideways movie sights

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA - I'm a little leery, normally, of absurd platitudes about such and such being the best coffee in the world or the best hotel or what have you.

I mean, it's a fairly large world out there last time I checked, and it's pretty tough to say. But in this case, I'm making an exception to my own rule and proclaiming that YOU WILL NEVER IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE find a steak as
good as the ones they rustle up at the Hitching Post II in Solvang, California.

They get great cuts of beef, but the secret is cooking the meat on an open fire on a large, metal rack that's suspended directly over fiery red oak from these parts. It's a way of cooking that the old Spanish rancheros used to practice in California, and it's been perfected out here and a little ways north in the town of Santa Maria, where it's called Santa Maria barbeque.

The Hitching Post II uses a little bag of seasoning they call Magic Dust, which you luckily can buy to take home, not to mention taking home some of their own bottles of local magic wine.

I guess there are steaks that are just as tender or moist, but you won't find with a better, smoky flavour than these.

The restaurant is fairly plain, with wood panelling that's not exactly top of anyone's designer list. But the wait staff is tremendous and it's just a perfect spot for a great meal.

Fans of the movie Sideways, still for my money one of the funniest movies ever made, will know the place for sure as the restaurant Miles (Paul Giamatti in a brilliant performance) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church, who's hilarious) frequent on their trip up to the glorious Santa Barbara wine region.

The bar has a big whack of photos from the film taken at the restaurant, which is the spot where the Virginia Madsen works in the movie, playing the role of a waitress named Maya.

They serve their own branded wines, including some absolutely stunning Pinot Noirs (Miles' favourite), and there's a big TV in the bar that you can use to watch a football game or what have you.

If you like the movie, you'll love the Hitching Post II. If you've never heard of the movie, go anyway. Your steak will come with a baked potato or fries, and you also get soup or salad, plus garlic bread and a starting tray with pickles, local olives, carrots and celery. All for about $25, and a terrific wine list with many great bottles under $30.

Just for fun, and to save a little money, I stayed at the Days Inn in next-door Buellton; maybe five blocks away. It's where Miles and Jack stay during their trip, and it's featured in some great scenes, including one where Sandra Oh, who plays Jack's love interest (even though he's about to get married), gets off her motorcycle and beats the heck out of him with her purse.

It's an okay chain spot best known for the movie and for a giant windmill out front, Solvang being known as a place with a large Danish population and a whole slew of faux Danish architecture that some find charming and that, I personally, find kinda stupid.

The hotel isn't much. My room was non-smoking but there was a large cigarette burn mark and a hole in my blanket.

But it's okay, and it' s convenient for exploring the great wineries in and around the Santa Ynez Valley, just inland from the beautiful coastline of Santa Barbara.

More to come later this week from Santa Barbara proper, which might be one of the great towns of the entire United States.

 

 

 

It's 2012 travel list time & Lonely Planet goes goofy ... Also Berlin/Vienna news

There's frost on the pumpkin here in Toronto and that can only mean we're getting close to the year-end. And that can only mean it's time for more travel lists.

I like Lonely Planet a lot. I know they've kinda taken over the world, but you can't fault them for putting out good guides.

I do, however, have to wonder about their latest group of lists. They sent me an item today to say that their top 10 cities for 2012 travel are London, Muscat (Oman), Bengaluru (India), Cadiz (Spain), Stockholm, Guimaraes (Portugal), Santiago (Chile), Hong Kong, Orlando and Darwin.

You can always argue with things like that. I don't know where Bengaluru came from and I don't know Guimaraes at all. I kinda like that they chose Orlando, which is featured in Star Travel this Saturday and has a lot more going for it than the Mouse.

But the Lonely Planet folks also sent me their list of best-value destinations for 2012, and it's quite, well, stupid. They have a heading on the press release that says the following: "If past years (or recessions) have sucked up your travel budget, plan smart and get more bang for your buck in 2012)."

They then go on to list, in the number one spot for VALUE, the NorthEast USA. Yep, the home of New York City and Boston, two of the pricier cities on the continent.

Number two is more like it: Tajikistan, followed by Lesotho (see photo below) and the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Number five? SAN FRANCISCO!!!!

I adore San Francisco. It's a fabulous place. But VALUE?

I guess you could argue that any city that great is worth the price, so it's a good deal. San Francisco has tons to offer and you CAN find cheap places to eat and great places to wander for free. Ditto for New York. But hotels in both cities are pricey, and neither is a destination most folks would consider as "great value," at least not in the traditional way of thinking of the phrase.

I mean, if you put Lesotho in there and Tajikistan, you clearly don't mean high-end, popular destinations that cost a fair bit but still deliver a strong punch.

The six through 10 spots in the value destination are Japan (usually expensive but probably a better deal since the horrible tsunami they had), Ohrid in Macedonia, Merida in Mexico, Iquitos in Peru and Porto, Portugal.

I understand maybe they wanted some American destinations, but value destinations in the U.S. would, I think, be someplace like Las Vegas or maybe Austin, Texas or Myrtle Beach or Milwaukee, which, incidentally, is a pretty good town. Definitely NOT the Northeast USA or San Francisco.

While we're on the subject of lists, here's what the folks at Frommers have said about top destinations for 2012: Curacao, Chongqing  (China), Fukuoka (Japan), Beirut, Ghana, London's Greenwich neighbourhood, Girona (Spain), Kansas City (not a bad town, either), the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and, finally, The Bay of Fundy. They listed the Bay of Fundy as being in Nova Scotia, which is partly correct, and say they choose it because it's a "quiet, charming area; perfect for recharging your batteries."

BERLIN AND VIENNA JOIN FORCES

One is known as an edgy city with plenty of history. The other is known as a quiet, historic city with more energy than you might expect.

They make a good couple, Berlin (see photo) and Vienna. So much so that they've joined forces and are marketing themselves together as tourist destinations.

"In Europe we're competitors but not here," Burkhard Kieker, CEO of Visit Berlin, told me over breakfast the other day. "Vienna has old style from the empire but also a great savoir vivre. Berline is edgy but it's the focal point of a lot of history with a young and vibrant crowd."

"Our cities are similar enough and different enough to make the perfect match," said Norbert Kettner, managing director of the Vienna Tourism Board.

Kieker said the two cities are only an hour apart by plane and flights cost as little as 29 Euros.

There are no direct flights from Toronto to Berlin right now, Kieker said, but Berlin will open a new airport next June and he hopes to have service restored and that Berlin will turn into a major European airport hub.

Vienna is an historic and a beautiful city, said Kettner. But it's also got plenty of galleries and nightspots and edginess to it.

"We're old-school but not old-fashioned."

Kieker said world war sites are popular in Berlin but the city is trying to be careful.

"We don't want to do a Nazi Disneyland," he said.

Kieker said Jewish life is increasingly vibrant in Berlin and that his city is the number one foreign destination for Israelis.

The two cities began their joint marketing in Brazil earlier this year and continued it this week in Toronto with a couple media events.

 

 

 

Aussies slag a key city ... Book now to avoid holiday gouging ... India warnings

Folks everywhere love to bitch about their city's traffic or crime or what have you. But this one caught my eye the other day.

It seems a tourism official in Australia felt obliged to tell residents of a particular city to stop whining about the place and fall in love with it again. I can see this happening in, say, Darwin (not that I've been) or Canberra (ditto). But this salvo was aimed squarely at one of the world's favourite tourist destinations: Sydney.

Yes, the city of the Opera House and the gleaming harbour and stunning beaches and funky shops and great neighbourhoods is, apparently, some kind of hell-hole.

In her first comments since being appointed the first chief executive of Destination New South Wales (the state Sydney is part of), Sandra Chipchase said she wants to recruit state residents as "ambassadors" to help revitalise the tourism industry.

Geez, and we thought Toronto was something of a tough sell in this economic market.

Chipchase said she has had conversations with Sydneysiders in the past and that they'd "whinge" for 20 minutes. It's understandable, but she said such conversation can cause serious "brand damage."

Her words appear to be falling on deaf ears. Folks writing into the Sydney Morning Herald have criticized the city in no uncertain terms.

A fellow named Jay Hash told Chipchase to do her homework.

''What is there to fall in love with," he asked. "Unfriendly neighbours and people … crappy buses and trains … a road network that was designed during the time of the Romans … shops and restaurants closing early at night … hospitals with terrible staff … and only one airport.''

Of course, there are vast differences in living in a city and being a tourist in a city. I don't expect to take many buses in Sydney, and most of my time when I've been has spent walking. I don't remember stores or restaurants closing early at night. I found the airport to be just fine. I didn't go to the hospital so I can't comment on that. But I certainly don't see his point about unfriendly people. Aussies, by and large, are about as gregarious a race of people as exist on this planet of ours.

Destination New South Wales is aiming to double tourism spending in the state by 2020, which could be tough given the world economy. Apparently, like many folks, they're targetting China and India.

"We have so much to be positive about," Chipchase said.

That they do. I've been to Sydney twice, and I'd have to rank it right up there with the great cities of the world. A harbour boat ride from the main ferry terminal, which is wedged between the Opera House and the famous Harbour Bridge, out to Manly Beach or any of the other beaches (see photo taken near Bondi Beach) is about as wonderful a tourist experience as anyone can get. Toss in great hotels, terrific food and wine, great shopping and a fabulous climate, and, yeah, you might say there's a fair bit to be positive about.

HOLIDAY PRICES ON THE RISE?

Here's a scary thought. I spotted an item this week that said every day you wait to buy a ticket for air travel around Christmas will cost you $5 per day.

Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com told a Wisconsin radio station the other day that airlines are upping prices for holiday flights around American Thanksgiving in November (not so much of a concern for us) and at Christmas.

"They've cut back seats," he said of North American airlines. "Fuel prices are up. That means they're going to try to pass alogn those fuel prices and that means tough sledding for holiday travelers."

His advice? Book. Right. Now.

"If you're traveling for the holidays, I have sort of a rule-of-thumb right now: add $5 to your virtual airline ticket every day you wait."

Airline experts often say it's bad to buy too far in advance, but Christmas might be an exception. As folks get closer to the big holiday, that sense of panic and "I need to visit my family in Saskatchewan this year" could cost you big-time.

I booked a ticket for my daughter the other day to come home from Halifax at Christmas. I think it was about $575 on Air Canada. Not cheap, but I don't feel totally gouged, either.

There are a billion sites out there - travelalerts.ca, expedia.ca, kayak.com - so check them out religiously and sign up for air-fare alerts. Be flexible about when you fly, if possible, and look for mid-week flights as opposed to weekends.

I went onto Expedia and, just for fun, found a couple reasonable deals for anyone interested in celebrating New Year's in New York City. One option to consider for budget folks is the Comfort Inn on Staten Island, with rooms from $116 from Dec.30 to Jan. 2. It ain't Manhattan, but you can take the legendary Staten Island Ferry to town for a few bucks and enjoy a nice ride, weather permitting.

The Days Inn in surging Brooklyn was listed at $168, while the Holiday Inn Express New York Wall Street was averaging about $294. As readers of Star Travel would know from a recent story we did, the financial district of New York is an increasingly fun and diverse spot, with plenty of good restaurants and hotels and tons of things to do in an area with a little more peace and quiet than other parts of NYC, especially on weekends.

As for holiday destinations, it appears Canadians are relying on many tried-and-true destinations. Cuba,the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico are big sellers, while folks with a bit more cash in their jeans appear headed to Barbados and St. Lucia.

I'm hearing a lot more these days about Central America, too. Costa Rica was the big spot for years, but more folks appear to be sprreading their wings and checking out places such as Nicaragua and Guatemala, which has a huge variety of cultures and landscapes if not the beaches of Costa Rica. Panama has been putting on a big push of late with a major international campaign, although I don't think much of the slogan "Where the World Meets" as it tells me squat about what I might see if I visit.

 

INDIA TOURISM WARNINGS  

Given the importance of tourism and travel, it's not surprising to see government folks in India blasting Canada and other countries for warning their citizens about potential attacks during the country's coming festive season.

Canada, the U.S., Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand - all key tourism markets for India - all have issued warnings ahead of the Indian holiday period, which runs from October til the end of January. Security has been increased in New Delhi (see photo at right) and several Indian cities amid media reports of increased risk from attacks, the CBC reported the other day.

India's tourism minister, Subodh Kant Sahay, is quoted as saying the alerts are "nothing but scaremongering."

"I have taken it up with the external affairs ministry and asked it to persuade these countries to withdraw the travel advisories immediately," he said.

Canada's alert says Canadians should be "particularly vigilant" on holidays and days of national significance, such as Diwali, "as militants have in the past used such occasions to mount attacks."

"I can assure them (would-be visitors) that India is still a very nice place and the weather is wonderful," Sahay said this week. "They should come."

 

 

 

 

Canadians slapped with $5.50 tax to visit USA...Fee for baby born on a plane?

Boy, you think you know a guy and then, whammo.

I mean, Canadians were positively euphoric when Barack Obama was elected president of the USA. We didn't dance in the streets, at least not in Toronto since we're saving that for the Stanley Cup celebration for the Leafs that could happen in the next 247 years. But we were pretty jubilant.

And why not? I mean, we've done so much for the U.S. over the years. We've been loyal, like a good Labrador retriever. We've been kind, like a Prairie grandmother. We've even given them some of our top talent; everyone from Mary Pickford to William Shatner to Mike Myers, Celine Dion and Avril Lavigne. Okay, I'm personally sorry about Celine Dion. But still....

We've gone into Afghanistan with you, although I can't tell why. We're trying to sell you our oil. We're good guys. We've even given you lots of new Tim Hortons outlets.

So what do you do, Mr. President? You launch new "Buy America" provisions that could hurt Canadian jobs. And now, just the other day, you turn around and say that anyone who flies or boats into the U.SA. from Canada or Mexico will now have to pony up $5.50 in American dollars, which at least is now about the same in Canadian money.

I wouldn't quite call it an outrage, and at least it won't be levied on folks who drive over the border, but is this really going to do much for the U.S. economy?

U.S. officials insist it's not an attack on Canada but Winnipeg MP Pat Martin, a New Democrat, doesn't see it that way.

"We don't charge them a fee to come and visit Banff," he said. "Why are we paying five and a half bucks for the honour of visiting the United States?"

Prime MInister Stephen Harper has suggested he doesn't like the tax. But Martin said the Tories need to stand up and yell a lot louder.

"This is a provocative insult to Canadians, " he said, "and I expect our foreign affairs diplomats and representatives to push back and push back hard."

We'll see.

Air Canada, for its part, let loose Tuesday afternoon.

"Air Canada is disappointed to see an additional government fee levied on air travelers," officials said.
"This decision by the U.S. government comes at a time when initiatives should be undertaken to encourage economic growth, not burden consumers with additional costs."

Touche.

BABY BORN ON PLANE - AIRLINE FEE INVOLVED?

Nice to see a baby being born on a flight from India to Canada yesterday. Very touching.

They're not sure if the baby will have Canadian citizenship because the plane is said to have been over Kazakhstan at the time. More important, did Air India make the mother buy an extra ticket for the infant? Or did she merely get hit with a $75 "baby born on board" fee.

Just kidding, folks. I'm sure Air India would never do such a thing. An American-based airline? Hmmm....

 

Forbes lists hotels of the world with best views ... and a few of my own ideas

Nothing like starting off the week with a nice list. In this case, it belongs to Forbes, which did something the other day on the world's hotels with the best views.

It's completely subjective, of course, but it's a pretty good list, and not at all USA-centric (as many travel lists tend to be). Here's a look at what they came up with, along with a few thoughts of my own.

- Jade Mountain, St. Lucia - luscious hotel with incredible views of the Pitons; green-clad rock formations that jut out of the blue Caribbean. Often listed on lists such as these. See photo at right.

- Shangri-La, Paris - A relative newcomer, it's said to have stunning views of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine and Les Invalides.

- Le Sirenuse, Positano, Italy - Another spot often found atop world's best hotel lists. A beautiful part of the world, for sure.

- Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, Peru. Great views of, um, Machu Picchu.

- Salto Chico Lodge, Patagona, Chile. Another one I don't know, but the view of a nearby lake and incredibly jagged mountain-tops look tremendous.

- Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Arizona. A lovely hotel in an area known for dramatic rock formations and, allegedly, one of those geo-magnetic places that bestow healing powers. Or something like that.

- Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. A recent, towering addition to the Kowloon skyline with remarkable views over to the main island and the bustling harbour.

- Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta. See photo. Enough said.

- One and Only Cape Town. Pretentious name, but nothing lame about the views of the city's waterfront and picturesque Table Mountain.

- Blanket Bay Lodge, Glenorchy, New Zealand. Great views of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range (which are featured on in Saturday's Travel section in a story I wrote about Queenstown).

Like I said, it's a good list, with representation from all over the world. I was surprised to see they didn't have anything in the South Pacific, particularly Bora Bora or  Moorea. But Tahiti does just fine in these lists most of the time, so what the hey.

The Park Hyatt in Sydney offers stunning views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, and that's a tough combination to beat. It's also hard to top the views of Waikiki Beach and the Diamond Head volcano crater from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu and the views of Rome from the Hassler Hotel, high atop the Spanish Steps. I guess you could make a point in favour of any of the hotels with great views of Niagara Falls, as well.

Personally, my favourite unsung view would have to be the Park Bled on Lake Bled in Slovenia. It's not a fancy place, but the views out over a crazy-blue-green lake to the castle on the north shore and the small church, with towering, snow-clad alpine mountains in the distance, is one of the great delights of the world. I probably took 100 photos from my balcony in 10 minutes when I checked in a couple years ago.

They also make a great Bled cream cake, which has custard-like cream and vanilla and powdered sugar. Tremendous stuff and a legend in Slovenia.

Got any personal faves? Drop me a line at travel@thestar.ca and maybe pass along one of your own photos...

 

 

 

Toronto's ritziest hotel debuts just as Calgary's seediest motel goes down

It's not quite a tale of two cities. But you gotta appreciate the juxtaposition of the hotel/motel news in Canada today.

Out in Calgary, the big tourism news was the the legendary (for all the wrong reasons) Savory Lodge on the Motel Village strip is finally shutting its doors. A woman was tortured and murdered at the motel back in 2004. Many a drug deal has gone down there, and the place was renowned as a hotbed of crime.

“Back when I worked as a chambermaid at one of those Motel Village establishments back in the late 1970s, it was already well known that there were a few places you didn’t venture over to, ones that were frequented by prostitutes, drug dealers and were hotbeds of criminal activity,” wrote the Calgary Herald’s Valerie Fortney in a recent column.

Online reviews of the Savory wax lyrical on bed bugs, mould, drug deals and sheets that no amount of bleach could clean. Oddly enough, however, Trip Advisor lists the place as only 34th on a list of 46 establishments of its type in the city. Makes me wonder what the lower-rated places must be like...

Among the headlines on Trip Advisor: "Absolute garbage," wrote one critic. "Never stay here," warned another. One fellow said he thought it was fine, except for being woken up at 1 a.m. by cops wanting to know if he'd called 911.

From the reviews I read, it sounds like he probably would've ended up calling at some point anyway, so perhaps the police were just taking pre-emptive action.

On a more serious note, it seems the Motel Village area is about to get a serious upgrade from the city. There's a new development plan in the works and it's said that the Savory Lodge will be replaced by a Holiday Inn Express.

It makes me think about how the old Mom and Pop motels are doing out in Etobicoke's motel strip and along Kingston Rd. in Scarborough. I've never had the pleasure of staying at any of them, but I've always loved the name of the Hav-a-Nap. I was surprised to find they have their own website, too. Some of the Trip Advisor reviews are pretty good, and it's rated 90th out of 120 such places in Toronto, which isn't great but it's not quite at the bottom, either.

On a more luxurious note, however, it was with interest that I read Star business reporter Sue Pigg's story in our paper today. She writes that the new Shangri-La hotel at University and Adelaide next Aug. 7 at precisely 1:30 p.m.

The unusual time is linked to a Buddhist issue of some kind; perhaps because it'll be Aug. 8 (the eighth day of the eighth month of the year, eight being a lucky number in China) over in Asia by the time the front doors open.

Either way, the place looks pretty sensational. I'm a little tired of brown and white decor in hotel rooms (wait a minute, those are the colours in my bedroom at home), but this certainly looks like a first-class joint with very little likelihood of 1 a.m. calls to the cops.

Pigg's report mentions that the Shangri-La, of course, is just one of several five-star (they hope) places that have opened or are set to open in our fair metropolis. The Ritz-Carlton opened up on Wellington in the Entertainment District a while back, while the Trump Tower at Bay and Adelaide this week announced it will fling open its doors on Jan. 31, 2012. The new Four Seasons will open in Yorkville (anyone remember Yorkville?) next summer some time.

Some observers are calling it the five-star faceoff. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. As readers of Star travel may recall from a story I wrote this summer, there was only one five-diamond property in Canada, as rated by the Canadian Automobile Association, as of last week. That would be the Four Seasons in Whistler.

But officials at the CAA told me today that they just this week added Toronto's Ritz-Carlton to the list, making it the second five-diamond spot in Canada and the only one in Toronto.

“CAA is honoured to recognize The Ritz-Carlton’s commitment to excellence,” said Nick Parks, President and CEO, CAA South Central Ontario. “Five Diamond establishments consistently deliver a high level of hospitality and comfort to their guests.”

No other Canadian properties made the list, although there are a ton of four-star hotels in the country. I was surprised to see the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, B.C. not on the five-diamond list. Ditto for the Hazelton in Toronto and Auberge Ste. Antoine in Quebec; a personal fave of mine.

CAA officials say there are plenty of five-diamond properties in terms of physical amenities, but that it's service that makes the difference when they do their ratings. It's also good, I think, that they're pretty hard on hotels. I mean, anyone can SAY they're a five-star property. There are hotels in the world that claim they're seven-star accomodations, whatever that means. But you know that if the CAA gives a Canadian property five diamonds, it means something. And that's good.

It'll be interesting to see the ratings down the line and to check if any of the hotels that claim they'll be five-star get the nod from the CAA. I suspect at least one will be disappointed....

GREAT NEWS FOR AIR CANADA USERS

We'll have to see how it shakes out in terms of the actual deal, but it's certainly awesome news for Canadians that Air Canada flight attendants won't be going on strike.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt today applauded news that the airlinea and the flight attendants' union have agreed that an arbitrator will issue a binding agreement within two weeks. That means no job actions are allowed.

Raitt says the deal will bring stability to the airline while addressing issues raised by the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

"This negotiated settlement is unquestionably in the best interest of employees, the travelling public and the Canadian economy," she said in a statement. "I commend both parties for their continued efforts in resolving this labour dispute. This was a difficult set of circumstances, and clearly both parties were able to come together and resolve their differences in a timely and mutually beneficial fashion without any negative impact or disruption to the public."

 

 

Canadian airlines to rake in 3/4 of a BILLION dollars in extra fees this year...

Yikes and double yikes.

A story in the Montreal Gazette today says four Canadian airlines this year are due to bring in $737 million from bag fees and other "ancillary" services. And that doesn't include Porter, which means the figure could be a good deal higher.

The U.S.-based groups Amadeus North America and IdeaWorks say the 2011 projections are up a very solid 43.8 per cent — or $9.9 billion — from 2010 projections made the same time last year, the Gazette reported. Around the world, the companies suggest the total fees collected by some 200 airlines will be, wait for it, $32.5 billion.

That's a lot of $25 bag fees and purchase your extra-legroom fees and buy-your-soggy-sandwich-in-advance fees.

David Jeanes of Transport Action Canada, an Ottawa-based travel advocacy group, told the Sun that extra fees are a "constant source of alarm" and that bag fees make up a "significant portion of consumer dissatisfaction," which is hardly surprising.

"The increasing number of airline-related fees and the declining level of service — or the number of things you are actually entitled to with your basic fare — is concerning people. Certainly, a lot of passengers are concerned about the cost of taking multiple bags. It's also somewhat unfair because it's a price per bag, rather than price per weight and for older people . . . who might be travelling with smaller bags so they can handle them.

"That's a concern," he said.

Amadeus describes ancillary fees as "any revenue beyond the sale of the airline ticket that is generated by sales to passengers or as part of the travel experience." In addition to fees tacked onto base fares for bags and other services, the totals also included advertising revenue, sales from frequent-flyer programs and other services by the airlines.

Of course, airline officials defend the fees.

"Ancillary fees are commonly used throughout the industry worldwide and are one way airlines generate revenue and remain competitive," Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said in an email to Postmedia News. "Most of these fees — such as seat selection, meals or lounge access — are discretionary, meaning the traveller can choose to pay them or not and by being selective can save on their overall cost of travel.

"At the same time, many customers like these options to enhance their travel experience."

Many customers like these options? Sure, we do. But not at extra cost.

Actually, I think you can defend extra fees quite easily for seat selection or lounge access. I think meals should be covered as a matter of fact, personally.

The real bugaboo with many folks is the bag fee. It's one thing to charge me $25 to take my golf bags to Myrtle Beach. I mean, anyone who takes a golf trip to Myrtle Beach can probably afford $25. But Jeanes makes a very valid point about seniors not wanting to carry - or being able to carry - large bags. And what about folks heading to a cold-weather destination? It's easy to pack small for the Dominican Republic or Cuba; not so easy if you're headed to Calgary in January.

Anyway, it's pretty obvious the big fees are here to stay. And that nobody's going to do anything about it. The feds keep talking about cracking down on misleading ads that don't include fuel surcharges and such, but they never do it.

As much as bag fees are annoying, they're mostly fairly small potatoes. The ads that talk about one-way fares and don't include fuel surcharges are the ones that burn my derriere. I've seen ads that claim a trip to Paris would cost $300 or something. By the time you add in the return ticket and fees, the cost often rises well over $1,000.

It'd be like going to Tim Hortons in the morning and seeing $1.35 for a medium coffee on the board, then getting nicked another dollar for a "cup restocking fee," 50 cents for "roll up the rim printing fee" and 35 cent "coconut timbit toasting fee."

Dang. I hope I haven't given them any ideas....

 

 

 

 

 

 

New "Signature Experiences" for Canada tourism include Ottawa! Ritz Paris reno

There's one less thing for Ottawa folks to complain about today.

The folks at the Canada Tourism Commission announced this week that they've expanded the "Signature Experiences" program to a fulsome 115 activities to entice visitors from abroad. And, yes, five of them are in Ottawa.

Readers may recall I wrote a column on the front page of the Star this past summer talking about how Ottawa politicians were aghast that the nation's capital wasn't included in the first round of the Signature Experiences program. They were, of course, all abluster about how wonderful their city was and that it was the Paris of Canada or the Miami of Canada or the Rio of Canada, when, in fact, it's more like the Philadelphia of Canada or the Brasilia of Canada.

Anyway, it's nice and fitting that there are five activities in the Ottawa area part of the new program, so we can at least put this round of sniping behind us. For the record, here are the five:

• Stimulating the Senses! – National Gallery of Canada (see photo at left)
• Aboriginal Voyageur – Aboriginal Experiences
• Exploring Canada’s flavours in a unique culinary destination – Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa
• Lost Ships of the 1000 Islands Cruise – Gananoque Boat Line Ltd.
• The Grand Hall Tour – Canadian Museum of Civilization

A press release describes the Signature Experiences Collection are listing activities that are "authentic, that represent Canada’s nature, people and/or culture and that are immersive and engage a variety of senses. The Collection is used by the CTC to promote travel to Canada from its key foreign markets, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and India. The next round of applications will begin November 15 and end December 15, 2011."

Also on the newly expanded list are the Maid of The Mist boat ride in Niagara Falls (highly recommended if you've never been). Canadian Press reports another of the 67 newcomers is something called "Rails, Trails & Ales," offered by Northern Edge Algonquin. It combines mountain biking in Algonquin Provincial Park with a beer-tasting visit to the Highlander micro-brewery in South River, Ont. There's also "an evening of brews" in a century-old log cabin. Participants can come by train to the South River station.

Also added to the collection is a six-hour sidecar ride along the Columbia Icefields Parkway offered by Jasper Motorcycle Tours. "Be amazed by unobstructed views of towering mountains, powerful waterfalls, raging rivers, hidden lakes, mammoth glaciers and wildlife," the company says on its website.

Other additions include hut-to-hut trekking in the Rockies, fossil prospecting in the Alberta Badlands, a historical and culinary walking tour in Quebec City, New Brunswick's Kings Landing Historical Settlement, the Celtic Colours International Festival in Cape Breton, N.S., and an iceberg tour off Newfoundland."

I got to see a small iceberg in Newfoundland a few years ago when I was visiting Twillingate, one of my favourite trips of all time. Locals said my iceberg was just a runt, but I thought it was pretty cool...

Certainly something you don't see in Brazil or China, so it's probably an excellent choice for the Signature Experiences program.

RITZ PARIS RENO

The famous Ritz Hotel in Paris says it's closing for two full years starting next summer. It will undergo an "unprecedented" renovation.

They haven't renovated the place (probably it's a dump by now) since 1979. It was built in 1898.

The five-star property, owned by billionaire tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed from Egypt, earlier this year failed to win one of several coveted "palace" designations awarded by the French government. Le Bristol, a personal fave, got the designation.

Fayed's son, Dodi, dined at the hotel in 1997 before his fatal car crash with Princess Diana. It was a favourite in long ago days of such celebrities as Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel and Charlie Chaplin.

Officials said hotel facilities, including its 160 rooms and suites, would preserve their traditional style while "offering the latest technological innovations".

No costs were revealed, but you can bet this is a multi, multi-million dollar refit if it's slated to take 27 months.

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely - and quiet - Amelia Island in northeast Florida and Omni Resort

AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA - "People come for the beach, but they stay for the beauty and the trees and the marsh."

Amy Lacroix, who works at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort northeast of Jacksonville, is showing me around the small 1,350 acre property, explaining about the spas and the tennis courts and the shops and more, when we suddenly pull up to a nature centre on the western part of the property, overlooking the sprawling marshes.

"Listen," says Lacroix.

I stop talking and open my ears to ... absolute silence. Oh, there might be a bird twittering off in the distance, but mostly I hear a light breeze and nothing else. The sun is shining in the late afternoon, and I can see a white egret prowling the sides of the marsh, just inches from the deep green grasses that gently wave.

I see what she means. It looks like a fabulous place to sit and contemplate life, or maybe drop a line for a bit of fishing or to read a book.

For those seeking a more active vacation, this is a resort with something for everyone. The beach goes on forever on the east or Atlantic coast of Amelia Island, which butts up against the Georgia border. The rooms are fine, but the best part is they all have oceanfront views. Not just angular "tilt your head and you can see the water" views, but full frontal views of a glorious stretch of beach andi in some rooms, great views of two of the three on-site golf courses.

The property also features two swimming pools with tons of activities, 49,000 square feet of meeting space at the convention centre, 23 Har-Tru tennis courts under a canopy of thick, luscious trees, a spa with 20 treatment rooms, a series of lovely shops overlooking a pond, a "yoga treehouse," bike paths galore, an island in a small lake that feels like a real version of Disney's Tom Sawyer Island and tons more. You can even rent a Segway and ride it on the beach, which sounds much better than driving your pickup truck on the sand at Daytona.

I didn't much like the lobby, which was quite formal and had a fireplace that made it feel like it could be a hotel in Toronto or Seattle or something. But Lacroix told me they're expanding the hotel and opening up the lobby so there will be views of the ocean. Smart idea.

In all, she said the owners are spending $85 to $90 million on their "reimagining" project.

Amelia Island is just a few minutes off I-95 south of the Georgia border. You also can reach it by road from Jacksonville or via a five-minute ferry ride from Mayport, on the north edge of Jacksonville, and then a short drive over a couple of smaller islands with glorious views of marshes and the sea.

The adorable town of Fernandina Beach is maybe 10 minutes up the road from the Omni. They have plenty of nice shops and angle parking, which makes it feel like a step back in time. Bigger box stores also are nearby if that's your thing.

Be sure to stop in at the Beech Street Grill if you're in town. They have a wide-ranging menu that features everything from steak to duck, but the chef is known as a whiz with scallops and mine were absolutely fabulous; tender and cooked just right and served with a sherry vinegar cream and white truffle oil. Yum. They'll also serve you a slice of "bruschetta" with melted cheese, herbs and diced tomatoes for just a buck.

All in all, a great spot on a great little island in a part of Florida that doesn't get the attention it deserves.

 

The splendour of Savannah, Georgia (putting aside a boring tour guide, that is)

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - It’s amazing what a difference a tour guide makes.

I did a tour last week in Charleston, led by a local kid who was a history major in university and now makes his living dispensing knowledge on a horse-drawn carriage ride through town. He was utterly delightful, making jokes and insider comments and explaining things in a colourful, interested manner.

The next day I was in Savannah and had the winner of the Miss Monotone 2011 contest. She dispensed some interesting information that I half-processed when I wasn’t nodding off, but she was flat and seemingly disinterested. It’s a shame, as it’s just as compelling a place – maybe even more so – than Charleston, which seems to get all the top ink these days in various reader polls.

The tour aside, I was impressed with Savannah. I stayed down at the River Street Inn; an old cotton exchange/shipping building right on the waterfront. They’ve refurbished the place, of course, but you can still see vestiges of the old offices and various pieces of equipment for hauling cotton outside the hotel proper, on what’s called Factor’s Walk.

The shops are nice and not overly precious, and they’ve done a great job fixing up the waterfront with parks, a tall ship you can tour for free a couple days a week, and plenty of places for musicians to gather or for folks to weave small flowers or baskets out of palm fronds to sell to the tourists.

The architecture is mostly glorious; old brick buildings and colonial homes and graceful mansions that look like New Orleans all sprinkled around a city with some two dozen squares. One of them, Chippewa Square at right, is famous for being the spot where Tom Hanks sits and talks about boxes of chocolates in the movie Forrest Gump.

Others feature statues of local heroes or dancing fountains surrounded by tall palms or centuries-old live oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss, which my tour guide (in a rare display of making things interesting) told my group was neither Spanish nor actual moss but a harmless plant related to the pineapple. She also said settlers used the plants to stuff their mattresses and pillows until they found it had chiggers and other horrible bugs nesting inside.

One square in town – I don’t remember which one – was quite recent. Our guide told us the original square was torn down in 1954 to make way for a parking garage. When the parking garage permit ran out a couple years ago they tore it down – and built another square.

We also drove past Colonial Park Cemetery, which was used by General Sherman’s men during the Civil War when the north marched on Georgia. Sherman met with Savannah folks and spared the city from his fires, then telegraphed President Abraham Lincoln to say he was giving him the gracious Georgia city as a Christmas present.

Alas, Sherman’s soldiers didn’t have the same grace. They tore up the cemetery, defaced headstones and dug up graves so they could have places to sleep. Consequently, many of the graves are now unmarked, and they’ve taken a large row of headstones and displayed them on a wall for folks to see.

Our tour also took us through the old Colonial section of town. Our guide pointed to a house that had its window ledges on top, not on the bottom of the window where they should be.

“The man bought his house plans from Sears Roebuck catalogue but didn’t know how to follow directions,” our guide said. Interesting, but she could’ve made it sound hilarious if she had any kind of delivery.

Again, though, it’s not hard to put that aside and gain a deep appreciation for lovely verandas and graceful porches and flowers and majestic brick buildings and park benches and old trees and, yes, a reminder of another time.

Another price category, too. I passed a bar called Abe’s that was advertising a Happy Hour featuring Tall Boy beers for $2 and well drinks for $3. Sigh.