Cheapskates should spend time in Sofia; big spenders in Oslo ... Deal of the day

You could spend three full days in Hanoi or Sofia Bulgaria or Warsaw (almost) for the price of a single day in Oslo, Norway.

The latest TripIndex Cities list for 2013, brought to you by the people at Trip Advisor, shows that the cost of a hotel, taxi, dinner and cocktails in Sofia is $158.42. That same day in Oslo? Try $581.08.

Trip Advisor says Sofia (see photo) checks out as the cheapest big city to check out in the world. Right behind was Hanoi, which I quite enjoyed on a visit a couple years ago, at $176.14, followed by Warsaw at $187.45.

The next cheapest were Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt ($191.34), Budapest ($193.44), Bangkok ($201.15), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ($217.73), Tunis, Tunisia ($218.91), Cape Town ($219.46) and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which clocked in at $220.14 even though you can't get a cocktail.

The highest priced, ranking from 39th to 49th on the list, were Punta Cana ($435.66), Cancun ($441.06), Copenhagen ($443.58), London ($451.35), Sydney ($460.21), Paris ($511.40), New York ($515.97), Stockholm ($521.68), Zurich ($523.41) and then poor Oslo ($581.08, in case you were celebrating the Jays' win in Texas too much last night and drank too much champagne and forget what I just wrote).

Toronto? Yeah, we were up there in the 34th spot in the expense-o-meter, ringing in at a sizeable $389.74, which broke down to $256.57 for the hotel, $23.62 for the cabs, $77.69 for dinner and $31.86 for cocktails.

I'm relatively sure these figures are accurate in terms of weighing one city versus another. We all know Scandinavia is expensive and that big cities in Asia and Eastern Europe tend to be easier on the debit card.

But I was surprised by a few things, one of them the Punta Cana numbers and also that Sydney seems more expensive than London. Mind you, they have somewhat nicer beaches and a bit more sunshine in Sydney than in London. The Aussies even speak a form of English, which makes it a fun place to visit once you discover a "flat white" is a form of cappuccino or cafe latte and not a term used to dismiss Canadian travel writers who take pot shots at folks from Oz; a country that I truly love truth be known.

I'm also taken aback by the prices, as they seem to have found fairly expensive hotels. The index for the study says they specified a four-star hotel found on Trip Advisor or partner booking sites in each destination for a night between June 1 and Aug. 31. Each day's expenses include a traditional or common meal at a mid-range restaurant, including an appetizer and main course for two people with a bottle of house white (ugh) wine. Cocktail prices specified two dry martinis at a top-rated five star hotel and the taxi prices represented a pair of two-mile taxi rides.

The food prices seem okay and the cabs, too, but I know you can hotels for WAY less than the survey suggests in Toronto and other cities by using sites such as hotels.com.

Still, it's a fun survey that does show you how it can pay to stay in a different place than the rest of the crowd. I've often made the point that places like Hanoi and Bangkok are fabulous if you want to save money or if you want to live it up and spend what you'd normally spend on a vacation. Even considering the extra cost of flying to Asia versus Europe, you can save a lot by taking a week in Bangkok versus, say, Rome or Paris.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal today for a trip to the sunny Dominican Republic, priced at $788, including $389 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• SAVINGS: Two travellers save up to $200 by booking with Jaunt.ca!
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the Casa Marina Beach Resort, located in Sousa, Dominican Republic

• The resort is located ten minutes from the airport
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Offer Details

• Valid for travel on July 10, 2013
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Puerto Plata and round-trip airport/hotel transfers in the Dominican Republic
• Accommodations in a Standard Gardenview room,  featuring 1 king or 2 double beds and balcony or terrace. Maximum occupancy: 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• Pricing (Rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  Toronto :
  Double : $399 + tax
  Single: $535 + tax
  Triple: $383 + tax
  Quad: $374 + tax
  Child: $289 + tax
  Tax: $389

• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

 

Great cities, fabulous islands, much more in Greece ... Jaunt.ca Deal of the Day

A world-renowned city with some of the most wondrous sites on earth, plus great food and atmosphere. Some of the best-known islands in the world. Rugged mountains where you can ski in winter or cool off by a lake in summer.

I had a chance to chat the other day with Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, the tourism minister of Greece. She's justifiably proud of her country's tourism offerings, and is extremely bullish on the tourism future for Greece.

"We want to make Athens and all of Greece a destination again," she said. "Athens has so many neighbourhoods that are appealling; with young artists and galleries."

Kefalogianni talked about the open air cinemas held in areas like Psirri, where folks can relax with a beer or two and watch a film.

"The best theatre in the world is probably the one below the Parthenon, because you can watch the movie but also look up at night and see one of the amazing buildings in the world."

The movie Before Midnight with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy was filmed in Greece and a premiere is supposed to be held in Athens on Tuesday.

Psirri is a fun area but I also enjoyed the cafes and cooler air in the Kifisia area when I was at the Olympic Games in 2004. And you can't beat the Plaka for atmosphere, just in the shadow of the Parthenon.

"Greece has been evolving," said Kefalogianni. "Despite some of the economic problems we've been adding all kinds of attractions. We've also been doing our developments in sustainable ways, and we offer beautiful nature in some very unspoiled places."

Kefalogianni said she'd like to attract more Canadians to Greece.

"We're very safe and people are so friendly. There's a lot of potential in the Canadian market."

The Greek islands, of course, are perhaps the main attraction for so many of us; beautiful, blue waters, whitewashed buildings with cascades of brilliant bougainvillea, fresh seafood. The best known probably are Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu and Crete, where Kefalogianni hails from. But there are thousands of them in all, about 300 of them inhabited.

Kefalogianni suggested I someday try the village of Loutro (see photo) on the south shore of Crete.

"You can only get out or in by sea," she said. "It's very secluded and the village is right on the water."

She also noted there's a new, luxurious Aman resort in Greece, located on the Peleponnese peninsula near the popular island of Spetses. I've never been to Spetses but I did take a short trip to Hydra, which is quite close by, after the 2004 Games. It's a dry, rocky island but with fabulous water for swimming and beautiful villages offering coffee just steps from the sea and fresh, wonderfully tasty calamari. There are no cars on Hydra except for government vehicles, so donkeys are everywhere.

I was on the island of Paros many years ago and just loved it. It's not far from Myknonos but is much quieter, with those whitewashed homes with blue doors and churches with blue-domed roofs so typical of the Cyclades islands. The main village of Paros was great, with its winding alleys and colourful flowers, but there's also a wonderfully entertaining town of Naousa and a hilltop village called Lefkes that are worth checking out.

I found a lovely beach not far from my waterfront when I was there. Two young women of about 17, quite beautiful, were sitting near me when they suddenly decided to strip naked and rub each other with suntanning oil. Somehow this remains a pleasant thought in my memory banks....

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal today for a great trip to Paris, Normandy and beyond, priced at $3,061, including $582 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• EXCLUSIVE TO JAUNT: Save up to $1589 per couple, compared to the cost of booking your air, accommodations, touring and meals separately!
• 9-day/7-night Normandy, Brittany & Chateau Country Tour featuring visits to Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the Memorial Museum for Peace in Caen, Chateau Chambord and Clos Luce in the Loire Valley and more!
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• See the illustrious sites of Paris including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Champs Elysees
• Visit the beaches of Normanday and travel through Chateau Country

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on September 11 & 18, 2013
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Paris on Air Canada
• 7-nights' accommodation in Superior First Class hotels (based on double occupancy). Hotels include the following (or simmilar):Marriott Paris Rive Gauche or Le Meridien Etoile, Paris; Mercure Centre, Caen; Mercure Mont St-Michel or Relais St Michel, Mt St Michel; Chateau Du Breuil, Loire Valley and Mercure Paris Centre Tour Eiffel or Movenpick, Paris
• Includes 7 breakfasts and 4 dinners throughout the tour
• Pricing (Rates are per person, and based on double occupancy):
  
  September 11, 2013:
  Double: $2529 + $582 tax
  
  September 18, 2013:
  Double: $2479 + $582 tax
  
  We also offer Other DATES and GATEWAYS. Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable

 

 

 

Europe faves: Where to get fat in France, plus top views in Rome ... Deal of day

A recent study by the United Nations’ world tourism organization found that 43 per cent of all the tourism money spent in the world last year was spent in Europe.

Meanwhile, the folks at TripAdvisor this week announced their 2013 Travelers’ Choice Destinations, based on reviews and opinions of millions of TripAdvisor travelers. The top 10 was as follows: Paris, New York, London, Rome, Barcelona, Venice, San Francisco, Florence, Prague and Sydney. That’s seven of 10 for the Euros, which is why so many of us book trips to places like Paris and Prague each summer.

With that in mind, here’s a personal look at a few European faves (or not) I’ve discovered over the years.

Favourite Irish pub: Gus O’Connor’s in Doolin, which looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. Great music and Irish camaraderie in a perfect little town (see below).

Best-looking museum (outside): City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain. A beautiful interplay of structure and light by Santiago Calatrava, who designed the interior of what’s now Brookfield Place at Yonge and Front Streets (the old BCE Place).

Best-looking museum (inside): The Musee d’Orsay in Paris is a former train station that’s a joy to simply sit in. Toss in some of the world’s best Impressionist art and you’ve got a killer combination.

Sweetest treat: Some folks swear by macaroons in Paris, but I’ll take the crème cakes in Lake Bled, Slovenia; thin pastry with custard-like crème and vanilla and powdered sugar. The views of Lake Bled, a perfect church on a small island, a fort on a towering cliff and the Slovenian alps are even sweeter in what might be the prettiest spot in all of Europe.

Best place to get fat: The Dordogne region of France, east of Bordeaux, features tons of Foie gras, local duck, good wine and more foie gras. The rivers are lined with beautiful castles on high hills, which makes for a great canoe trip to work off some calories.

Best golf course views: Nefyn and District (photo at left) is a fabulous links setup in northwest Wales. The last couple holes are played out (mostly) on a tiny peninsula high on a hill. You can peer down at a small, beachside village that’s achingly beautiful and features the renowned Ty Coch Inn.

Best tour of Paris: Take a ride in an old Citroen and tour the City of Light with a company called 4 roues sous un Parapluie.

Best place to get to another continent: If you stay on the European side of Istanbul, you can take a short ferry across the Bosporus and plant your feet in Asia for lunch.

Best place for a cheap hotel in London: Inexpensive places abound in the area near Bayswater and Paddington, north of Kensington Gardens. Good access to the underground, too.

Best place to get in touch with George Clooney (in your dreams): They say he still hangs out occasionally in the Lake Como area of Italy. It’s a beautiful spot with Swiss effiency, alpine scenery and Italian food. The perfect match.

Best mix of sweet and spicy food: In Holland, be sure to try Indonesian rijstaffel; a huge array of small dishes surrounding a serving of rice. Too exotic? You can’t go wrong with a Dutch pancake house.

Easiest Athens escape: Sick of the crowds in the Plaka? Hop on a short ferry ride to the island of Hydra, where there are no cars but wonderful seaside bars or places to dip into fresh calamari or a giant bowl of rich, Greek yogurt.

Best view of Rome: Snag a room (if you can afford it) or dip into your pocketbook for a drink or a small meal at the Hotel Hassler, built at the top of the Spanish Steps. Magnificent views of beautiful churches, piazzas and The Vatican (see photo at right).

Tastiest coffee: Caffe Al Bicerin is an Italian institution in Turin that serves up a mix of espresso, chocolate and crème in a small but glamorous shop. Heavenly.

Best place to hit the beach in Sweden: Halmstad offers a lovely stretch of sand on this Scandinavian country’s gentle west coast. A great place for a game of beach soccer.

Worst Mexican food: I don’t remember the name but I had without a doubt the most inexcusable, sorry plate of Mexican food at a place in Salzburg a dozen years ago. Yes, I know, why would anyone order Mexican in Austria?

A great place to impress your friends: The island of Corsica is part of France but feels like old-time Italy. Towering, craggy mountains that plunge into impossibly blue seas, small villages that are perched on top of giant cliffs over the water, fabulous drives, terrific food and wine, amazing historical sites and lots more. Easily one of the best places I've ever visited.

Best place to rub something: Folks have been rubbing a likeness of St. John of Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge in Prague for years. They say if you do you’ll return to the city. I gave it a go in 2003 but haven’t returned. Yet.

THIS AND THAT

What's up with the freaking weather? It was four degrees Celsius and windy this morning in Toronto. In northern Italy, heavy snow forced cancellation of stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia cycling race. It's almost June; will someone PLEASE turn up the thermostat? ... Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey held a grand opening Thursday for Margaritaville, the $35 million restaurant, bar, and gambling complex that's part of a $70 million expansion and renovation of Resorts ...

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal today for a fabulous trip to Scotland, priced at $1,492, including $623 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: Includes 7-day Economy car rental (Ford Fiesta or similar)
• BONUS: 1-day Edinburgh Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Tour Passes
• 9-Day/7-Night Scotland Freedom vacation with Air Canada rouge, offering the freedom to explore Scotland at your own will!

• Only 3 nights of included accommodation lets you decide where you'd like to stay next

• Scotland's diverse geography is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world
• Having your own car rental leaves you the freedom to choose where you want to go and allows you to travel at your own pace

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on July 4 & 9, 2013
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Edinburgh via AC rouge
• Accommodations for 3 nights at the 3-Star Edinburgh City Centre Haymarket Premier Inn
• Pricing (Rates are per person, plus tax and based on double occupancy):
  
  July 4, 2013:
  Double: $999
  Tax: $623
   
  July 9, 2013:  
  Double: $869
  Tax: $623
  
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• Car rental insurance and local fees not included and to be paid locally
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

Airline mixup sends folks to wrong continent ... Top Canadian cities ... Deal of day

You say Dakar, I say Dhaka. You say Oakland, I say Auckland.

It amazes me how these things can happen in this day and age of the information highway. But every once in a while the airlines give us a doozy.

The latest is a mixup involving a couple from Los Angeles who thought they were flying Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and then on to Dakar, Senegal. Their flight to Turkey was fine and they went to sleep on the second leg, thinking they were headed southwest to Africa. Instead, Sandy Valdivieso woke up and looked at the seatback video and found their plane was flying over the Middle East.

Turns out that there was a mixup at Los Angeles International and she and her husband were mistakenly given tickets to Dhaka, Bangladesh instead of Dakar, Senegal (see photo below right of Goree Island in Dakar, which I'll mention in a minute).

They got things fixed up and were sent back to Istanbul and then on to Dakar. Their luggage arrived a couple days later.

The airline wasn’t doing much for them, apparently, until the Los Angeles Times learned about the incident. The couple was then given free flight passes. In economy.

The story reminds me of the time, way back when before the Internet, when some guy in L.A. allegedly was trying to fly to Oakland, California (a one-hour flight) and couldn’t figure out why two hours later he could still see the Pacific Ocean outside the airplane window. The story goes that he was mistakenly routed to Auckland, New Zealand.

At the risk of offending my home town of Oakland, I think I’d prefer Auckland, actually. Putting aside the 12-hour flight, that is.

I also can recommend Dakar, actually. It’s the only place I’ve been to in Africa, having taken the trip to cover an International Olympic Committee meeting for the Star’s sports department. There are a couple of lovely hotels on the ocean with beautiful pools and even a small golf course with local caddies.

I didn’t see much of the city, although I did conduct an interview with the family of then Toronto Raptor Mamadou N’diaye, who was from Dakar.

The IOC folks also took the media along on a visit to Ile Goree, a pretty island near Dakar with a terrible history as the embarkation point for thousands and thousands of West African slaves. We toured the tiny chambers where people were held against their will while waiting to be put onto ships with deplorable conditions and saw the chains used to bind prisoners.

An awful place, for sure. But also one very much worth seeing (not unlike a World War II concentration camp in Europe) to remind us just how cruel we humans can be to one another.

The slave quarters and the so-called "door of no return" that led to the ships is powerful. But there also are beautiful views of the surrounding ocean and brightly-coloured boats on the beach, plus casual shops selling casual clothes in a million shades of red, green, yellow and blue - and just about any other colour you can imagine.

TOP TRIP ADVISOR CITIES

TripAdvisor today released a list of the most sought-after cities in the world, and the places Canadians are looking for.

The awards, based on reviews and opinions of millions of TripAdvisior travelers, found Vancouver on top, followed by Montreal, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Quebec City, Banff, Victoria, Whistler, Lake Louise and Ottawa. No surprise, I guess, given the millions of folks who live in the Greater Toronto Area and would be searching for places like Niagara and Ottawa and Montreal for weekend getaways or family trips.

Still, it's too bad we didn't get Halifax or St. John's on the list as they're both tremendous cities to visit.

TripAdvisor also did a world list, with the top 25 listed. No Canadian cities made the top 25. Here's the top ten: Paris, New York, London, Rome, Barcelona, Venice, San Francisco, Florence, Prague and Sydney. Three cities from Italy in the top 10; not bad.

For the U.S., the top ten were New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, Honolulu and New Orleans. Once again, Minot North Dakota failed to elbow its way into the top 10. Or 25,for that matter.

CALLING ALL LOTTERY WINNERS

Someone down in Florida just won something like $60 million in a lottery. Which is an almost unfathomable amount of money.

The interest alone would be enough to live like a king. Or you could try living the high life in New York City.

A story I spotted on the weekend in the Telegraph (England), talked about the most expensive hotels in New York City. Topping the charts, the paper said, was the St. Regis.

At $823 a night, it’s quite pricey. Then again, there are marble floors, Louis XV furniture from France (I prefer Louis XIV myself; although he was a big fan of Ikea), Waterford crystal and more. Probably they have good soap and shampoo in the washrooms, too. And I bet they don’t bolt the blow dryer to the wall to prevent thefts.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a fabulous-sounding seven-night trip to Sicily, priced at $2,422.

Jaunt Highlights

• 7-Day/6-Night Taste of Sicily Tour, featuring visits to Palermo, Marsala, the Valley of the Temples, Mount Etna and much more!
• 6-Nights' accommodation in a variety of 4-Star hotels, based on double occupancy. See below for hotels included (or similar).
• Includes transportation via deluxe motorcoach, services of an English speaking guide, and all guided city tours as per itinerary
• Meals include 4 breakfasts and 5 dinners

• Early fall in Italy is the absolute best time to visit: perfect weather and less crowds
• Leisure time in Palermo paired with guided tours for the rest of your trip give a perfect balance of freedom and itinerary-based fun
• Visit stunning landmarks in Siracusa, Taormina and the beautiful and towering Mount Etna

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on September 25 & October 9, 2013
• Includes departure airfare from Toronto to Palermo (via Rome) and return airfare from Catania (via Rome) to Toronto, both on Alitalia, plus airport/hotel transfers
• Pricing (rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  September 25, 2013:
  Double: $1949
  Triple: $1949
  Single: $2199
  Tax: $523
  
  October 9, 2013:
  Double: $1899
  Triple: $1899
  Single: $2149
  Tax: $523
  
  For Other DATES or GATEWAYS Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
  
• Accommodations Included (or similar): Mercure Hotel (Palermo); Hotel Della Valle (Agrigento) and (Giardini Naxos) Antares or  Caesar’s Palace (Taormina)
• Includes all taxes and service charges
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until 5 PM EST on May 23, 2013. After that time, this offer is 100% non-refundable.

 

World's least visited countries/A Barenaked Lady does travel TV/Deal of Day

We all know about the countries that get the most tourists: Italy and France and the U.S. and all that. France had 79.5 million visitors a year, which is tops on the planet. But what about the places that see the least number of visitors?

 I ran across a great list the other day, from the United Nations World Tourism Organization and blogger Gunnar Garfors. These are all countries that contrast - just a bit - to France's numbers, with visitations ranging from 73,000 down to a mere 200. Most are in the poorest parts of Africa or scattered across the Pacific Ocean.

Here's the list.

25. Dominica, 73,000. Pretty Caribbean country (see rainforest photo at right) but small.

24. Chad, 71,000. Not so many tourists given political unrest in this part of Africa.

23. Central African Republic, 54,000. One of the poorest countries in Africa, but apparently there are nice river trips you can take.

22. Liechtenstein, 53,000. Sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, it's a country I actually drove through once. Pretty spot. I think I stopped. For a minute. I don't remember.

21. Djibouti, 53,000. Said to have great diving. And a great, great name.

20. Sierra Leone, 52,000. Great beaches, Garfors said.

19. Tonga, 45,000. One of those tiny Pacific countries, with fab coral reefs but few tourists.

18. East Timor, 40,000. Political issies keep folks from visiting what's said to be a pretty country connected to Indonesia.

17. Bhutan, 37,000. I keep reading this spot in the Himalayas is the happiest country on earth. Maybe because they don't get many annoying tourists.

16. North Korea, 35,000. Safe to visit. Unless you run into Dennis Rodman.

15. Libya, 34,000. Do I really need to write anything for this entry? I didn't think so.

14. Guinea-Bissau, 30,000. Another poor Afircan country.

13. Mauritania, 29,000. Not much to see in this part of west Africa. Nice camels, though (see pic below).

12. Federated States of Micronesia, 26,000. Hard to get to, but beautiful.

11. Solomon Islands, 23,000. More beautiful South Pacific scenery but not a lot of flights in. Country includes Guadalcanal, site of one of the worst battles of World War II.

10. Afghanistan, 17,500. I'm shocked that many people go, to be honest. Looks beautiful in photos but way too many other things going on.

9. Comoros, 15,000. Garfors says great seafood in this island spot north of Madagascar, and mosquitoes not as bad as folks think. Still, I'll take a pass.

8. Sao Tome and Principe, 8,000. This island spot is said off the coast of west Africa is said to be the smallest nation on (or near) the continent.

7. Turkmenistan, 7,000. I can't think of anything to say about this central Asian country. Not quite as crazy as North Korea, says Garfors.

6. Equatorial Guinea, 6,000. I think there are too many countries in the world with Guinea in the name.

5. Marshall Islands, 5,000. Fab diving but even I, a map freak, couldn't find them on the globe without some help.

4. Kiribati, 4,700. Wikitravel says this nation of Pacific atolls is friendly but that "South Tarawa is one of the most densely populated, severely poverty-stricken places in the world."

3. Tuvalu, 1,200. Rising tides could make this Pacific nation disappear. So boogie on down to Tuvalu while you still can. Said to be the third least populous nation on earth, smaller only than Nauru and Vatican City.

2. Somalia, 500. See entry for Libya.

1. Nauru, 200. Not far from Kiribati (hey, a new tourism slogan!). The smallest nation on earth, just 21 square kilometers and just under 10,000 residents. If it was downtown Toronto it would, of course, have 1.6 million inhabitants in 86 storey condos with shards of broken glass littering the sidewalk. A troubled economy and a fair bit of poverty, apparently (see photo at left). Garfors calls it the only country in the world with a capital but I don't know if that's true. Lots of phosphate mining and some beautiful water.

BARENAKED LADY ON TV

Travel+Escape and Farpoint Films say they'll begin production on a new TV series called The Illegal Eater, and that former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page (remember him?) will star.

The 13-episode series will debut this fall and feature Page "on a mission to hunt down clandestine dining experiences as he explores the tastiest, creative, underground and often illegal spaces that chefs around North America have to offer."

"My passion on the road has always been to obsessively research the foods, restaurants and markets that make each place I've played different," said Page. "Often, newer trends start underground before breaking through on the public's palate, so I can't wait to explore everything from fancy, underground supper clubs to hole-in-the-walls."

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on hand for a week in sunny Samana in the Dominican Republic, priced at $791 (including $392 in taxes).

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: $50 Future Travel Voucher per person to be used on future vacations with Transat or Nolitours
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the 4-Star Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa, located in Samana, Dominican Republic
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Samana and round-trip airport/hotel transfers in the Dominican Republic
• Accommodations in a Room, featuring 1 king-size or 2 double beds and balcony or terrace. Maximum occupancy: 3 adults
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

• Located right on the beach, amidst lush greenery, with impressive views of Samana Bay
• Enjoy free shuttle service into Samana
• Dine at three different a la carte restaurants

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on May 6, 13, 20 or 27 and June 3, 10, 17, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  May 6, 13, 20, 2013:
  Double: $499
  Single: $729
  Triple: $479
  Tax: $392
  
  
  May 27 & June 3, 10, 17, 2013:  
  Double: $399
  Single: $629
  Triple: $372
  Tax: $392
  
  
  Other DATES and GATEWAYS available.
  Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

Bring on transit taxes; it's time to invest in our tourism future ... Deal of Day: Paris

I see in today's Star that Metrolinx is outlining a series of options to squeeze more money out of me. And I couldn't be happier.

Tess Kalinowski's story on page one discusses everything from a gas tax (hear, hear) to a regional sales tax (also a great idea, especially given the lunacy of the federal Conservatives lowering the GST for no good reason), not to mention highway tolls and parking levies and other tools that appear to have favour with Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Heck, even The Board of Trade, that bastion of conservatism that calls for lower taxes 367 days a year, is crying out for new spending to get us out of our morass. It's the only way to do it, and it would be best to bring in small to medium amounts of money from pretty much all the tools being discussed so we spread out the pain. But there has to be pain. I'm going to have to pay more. But that's how you build a city. And a tourism industry.

How did we build a good health care system? With taxes. How is it we have a relatively poor TTC product that's still the envy of many other cities? With taxes. You improve your city and country not by cutting spending, but by investing in your product.

As a veteran traveler and a guy who spent more than 15 years covering municipal politics in this town, I can tell you that going around cutting spending is precisely the wrong approach. Look at the great cities of the world. Look at Paris and London and Tokyo and New York and even Los Angeles of late. They invest massive amounts of money to keep their citizens – and tourists – moving. They understand you have to spend money to make it. You have to invest, just like the local shopkeeper has to keep improving his or her front windows and lighting and marketing.

This is a concept this city has failed to grasp – at a woeful cost. We could've spent relative pennies for 20 years and we wouldn't be facing this mess, but we did the wrong thing time and time again. A lack of foresight and lower than low property tax hikes for decades have forced us into this new tax grab.

Mel Lastman was a salesman/businessman but didn’t get it. David Miller wasn't a business guy so muich but seemed to get, although he didn't force the issue enough. Mayor Ford tells us he's got a business approach but he definitely doesn’t get it.

The great cities of the world aren’t defined by low taxes. I mean, did you ever hear anyone at your local Tim Hortons say to her husband, “Hey, honey, the municipal taxes are really low in Mississauga. Let’s go there for our next trip.”

No offence to Mississauga, but folks in Winnipeg and Moncton and Victoria dream of Paris and San Francisco and Sydney, places with culture and monuments and glittering waterfronts and museums and street art and bustling markets and cheap transit that blankets the city (unlike our paltry system) and  allows them to get around easily and see everything. Places that think big and spend money and bring in tourists who want an escape from their boring, cost-cutting hometowns. It makes tremendous business sense as tourism is one of the easiest industries to boost.

Just look at the massive investments by the U.S. with their Brand USA campaign, which I see on TV all the time and in print. Then look (if you must) at Canada’s plunging support for the tourism biz. And look at Toronto’s decades-long failure to wrestle the congestion monster to the ground.

It is to weep.

When Barcelona won the right to stage the 1992 Summer Olympics, city fathers and mothers invested huge amounts of money in waterfront restoration, parks and public art. And they went from Podunkville, Europe to one of the continent’s top destinations. Overnight. And they’re still riding high more than 20 years after the Games. And look at what Atlanta did for 1996, pinching pennies and hardly investing in the public good, all in the name of affordable Games. Yeah, affordable and almost useless.

If this town is every going to make it to the big leagues of tourism we have to dream big. And spend a little cash. To do nothing is to commit this city to commuter gridlock, and to tourism mediocity.

INDIA WOES

That horrific rape and murder of a woman in India a couple months ago is having a chilling effect on the country’s tourism sector. A study issued on Monday found that tourism is down 25 per cent in India since the incident. And it appears women are taking a pass on visits to this wonderful, majestic country with more than its share of societal woes, as one report I saw suggested visits by women were down 35 per cent.

According to a report on travelmole, incidents such as the horrific rape and murder in New Delhi in December have "raised concerns about the safety of female travellers to the country," said DS Rawat, secretary general at Assocham, which surveyed 1,200 tour operators from different cities.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a nine-day visit to regal Paris, set at $2,312, including $514 in taxes.

SAVINGS: Save up to $674 per couple, compared to the cost of booking your air, accommodations, touring and meals separately!

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- Includes return airfare from Toronto to Paris on board Air Transat, and airport/hotel transfers in France 7-nights' accommodation in 4-Star hotels (double occupancy). See below for hotels included (or similar).

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Offer Details

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- Valid passport required for travel from Canada

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China visitors spending up in Canada ... Pearson improvements ... Deal of day

So, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty makes headlines by tabling his budget and high-tailing it to Asia.

Good call. He’s following the money.

Yesterday in this space I talked about a VISA credit card study showing how China was leaping up the ranks of countries in terms of spending in the U.S. Today I can report similar findings for VISA spending in Canada; data surely Mr. Flaherty is aware of.

According to 2012 VisaVue Travel data, Visa account holders visiting Canada increased their travel-related spending from $6.6 billion in 2011 to $6.66 billion last year.

The U.S. remains number one by a huge margin, with more than half of that spending: $3.49 billion in all. But just as China jumped from fourth in the U.S. last year to second, so it did in Canada. Figures show Chinese visitors spent $379 million on their Visa accounts last year, up 15.2 per cent from the year before.

The Canadian Tourism Commission (as well as the province of Ontario and Toronto and other cities and just about every tourism board in the world with its salt) has been courting the Chinese market. Canada also introduced new visas to make traveling and staying in Canada easier, and it appears to be paying off.

No doubt the panda public relations could help, too, now that Toronto is home to a pair of beauties airlifted from China this week.

In a less than shocking result, Visa found most Canadians spend their money abroad in February, March and August, while visitors tend to come here between June and September. Smart visitors.

Here’s a look at the ten biggest contributors to inbound tourism spending in 2012 and the ten biggest outbound markets for Canadians, all based on Visa card spending. It’s not a perfect snapshot of overall trends, but it’s probably pretty close in terms of market share.

INBOUND

1. United States, $3.488 billion (-1.1 per cent)
2. China, $379 million (+ 15.2 per cent)
3. UK, $348 million (no change)
4. France, $343 million (-2.5 per cent)
5. Australia, $171 million (-7 per cent)
6. Japan, $144 million (+ 2 per cent)
7. Brazil, $141 million (+ 1 per cent)
8. Germany $123 million (no change)
9. South Korea, $121 million (- 11 per cent)
10. Hong Kong, $102 million (- 4 per cent)

 

OUTBOUND

1. USA, $11 billion (+ 4 per cent)
2. Mexico, $591 million (- 1 per cent)
3. UK, $477 million (- 5 per cent)
4. France, $400 million (- 4 per cent)
5. Italy, $281 million (- 9 per cent)
6. Australia, $234 million (- 3 per cent)
7. Germany, $161 million (- 2 per cent)
8. China, $151 million (- 2 per cent)
9. Spain, $145 million (- 4 per cent)
10. Thailand, $139 million (+ 7 per cent)

MAJOR PEARSON IMPROVEMENTS

In order to make connecting through Toronto Pearson easier, it will no longer be necessary for people arriving in Terminal 1 and connecting onward to the United States to collect their checked baggage.

Pearson Airport officials today said checked bags "will be directed to your onward flight to the United States without a requirement to claim your bag in Toronto before proceeding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."

Air Canada officials say it'll make the airline "an even more attractive option for travellers connecting to the U.S."

It's a definite improvement, as the "claim your bags and proceed through customs" bit was a real slog for folks on connecting flights.

HOTEL WORKERS GET EVEN

If you’ve ever been rude to a hotel worker, you know they have ways of getting even. But an interesting study by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business? shows that workers in different parts of the world react quite differently to hostile guests.

The study found that North American service workers are more likely to sabotage rude customers, while Chinese react by disengaging from customer service altogether.

“Our research shows that culture plays a significant role in how frontline workers deal with customer abuse,” says UBC Sauder School of Business Professor Daniel Skarlicki, a co-author of the study.

“In North America, employees tend to retaliate against offensive customers – doing things like giving bad directions or serving cold food. In China, workers are more likely to reduce the general quality of service they provide to all customers – nasty or nice.”

In their paper, to be published in the journal Personnel Psychology, Skarlicki and former Sauder PhD student Ruodan Shao studied how frontline employees at a luxury hotel with locations in Vancouver and Beijing reacted to customer mistreatment.

Although the level of abuse was consistent in both locations, North Americans resorted 20 per cent more often to sabotage to get revenge. Abused Chinese workers were 19 per cent more likely to feel a lack of enthusiasm in their jobs, responding negatively to statements like, “I voluntarily assist guests even if it means going beyond job requirements.”

“North Americans take a surgical approach to abuse, zeroing in on individuals who mistreated them,” says Skarlicki, noting that managers must be mindful of these cultural differences when expanding operations across the Pacific. “Chinese don’t blame the transgressor. They blame the system – the company or customers they serve.” 

Skarlicki says the implications are clear.  “When service-oriented companies go global, they need to heighten their sensitivity to how culture in a new market can influence the performance of frontline staff and tailor their customer service operations accordingly.”

FREE INTERNET FOR IHG LOYALTY MEMBERS

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced today that it will be providing free internet to all its 71m loyalty program members, worldwide. The announcement comes as IHG reveals the results of a global online survey which show that nearly half of adults (43%) would choose not to stay in a hotel that charged for internet.

IHG also is renaming its loyalty program from Priority Club Rewards to IHG Rewards Club and introducing new benefits.

It's a smart move in a very competitive environment for hotel operators. The rewards program is free to join, so there's no reason not to set up a membership.

IHG said it's "the first and only hotel group to offer free internet in all hotels to all loyalty programme members." But that doesn't seem to be true.

Fairmont has been offering free Internet to its Presidents Club members for years. Kimpton, not as big a chain but still a player, has free Wi-Fi in all rooms and the lobby for loyalty program members. I suspect a few other groups, too.

Not to take away from a good move by IHG. But they're clearly not alone.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a 15-day river cruise across Europe for $5,883, including all taxes.

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Save $1,000 per couple! (reflected in pricing)

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• Includes guided sightseeing programs in the following cities and/or ports of call:
  Amsterdam, Holland; Cologne, Germany; Rhine Gorge–Rüdesheim, Germany; Miltenberg, Germany; Würzburg, Germany; Bamberg, Germany; Nuremberg, Germany; Regensburg, Germany; Passau–Linz, Austria; Melk, Austria; Dürnstein, Austria; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Budapest, Hungary.
• Accommodations in an upgraded Avalon Deluxe Stateroom:
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  Category A - Located on the Sapphire (middle) Deck
• Includes all meals on the ship, complimentary sparkling wine with breakfast, soft drinks with lunch, and wine, beer, or soft drinks with dinner and a welcome reception, Captain’s reception, and farewell dinner

• A whole list of excursions are included in your itinerary without any extra cost
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Offer Details

• Valid for travel on October 12, 16 & 23, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person, including tax):
  
  October 12, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Tranquility (Amsterdam to Budapest):
  Avalon Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. P): $6707
  
  October 16, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Panorama (Budapest to Amsterdam):
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  NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
  
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• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

Ten places I'd rather be today ... Bogart festival in Key Largo ... Deal of Day: Italy

I've just about had it.

I love this city. I really do. But I HATE WINTER AND I'M SICK OF THE COLD. I mean, has anyone looked at the forecast for the next couple days? Two degree highs from now til the end of the weather page on the back of the Star's sports section today.

TWO DEGREES? IT'S ALMOST APRIL!!!!!

The Weather Network forecast this morning shows the temperature climbing all the way to six degrees by next Thursday. Woo hoo!

Geez, I know it'll warm up eventually but I could really use a blast of heat. Which brings me to this list of 10 places you should check out if you feel the same way; all of them places I've had the good fortune to visit in the last few years.

1. Tahiti. Okay, it's expensive to get there, but it's one of the most beautiful places on the planet; crystal clear lagoons, green, jungle clad mountains rising into an impossibly blue sky, great food and warm, friendly people. The most romantic place I've ever stayed in my life was an overwater bungalow (alas, I was on my own) at Le Taha'a Resort. Unbelievable. Bora Bora is a prettier island, as is Moorea (see photo at right at the fabulous and affordable Club Bali Hai resort) But I liked that bungalow the best.

2. Dunedin, Florida. Last chance to catch the Jays in person before they fly north for their home opener. Maybe the last chance to see Ricky Romero in a big league uniform for a while, too, given talk that he might start the season in the minors.

3. Jamaica. You could try one of the all-inclusives but I had a fabulous time at Jake's at Treasure Beach a couple years ago. There's not much in the way of a beach, but the coastline is beautiful and there's a small pool. Best of all is that fun, funky spirit of the place, which has rooms that feel like Morocco meets the Caribbean and great staff. Dougie the bartender is a treasure.

4. New Zealand. It's just turning fall down there now, but the weather is still pretty great. It's supposed to be 23 degrees in Auckland tomorrow. It's a cool city with a great harbour and excellent food. Tremendous beaches are close by, as is Waiheke Island, which has not only great beaches but world-class wineries, olive orchards and inventive, local cuisine. It's still pretty warm down on the South Island these days, too. Queenstown lies on the shores of one of the prettiest lakes you'll ever see. And the Pinot Noir they make at nearby wineries is to die for.

5. Santa Barbara, California. Great wineries, terrific food and beautiful scenery. The beaches are long, the hotels are terrific and the red tiled roofs and towering palm trees paint a pretty picture (see photo at left).

6. Corsica. Okay, it's only 16 degrees today but it's a lot better than here. It's a great part of France, with historical ruins, glittering beaches, great local wines and absolutely tremendous food. An easy flight from Paris or Marseille.

7. Hawaii. Anywhere in Hawaii. I prefer Maui because it was my family's semi-annual vacation spot for years, but Kauai is beautiful and the Big Island has tremendous variety, including the volcanoes and huge ranches with cowboys, called paniolos. I recently wrote about Lanai, which is tons of fun. And don't forget Oahu. Waikiki is fabulous, and Honolulu is a fun, cosmopolitan city with great food and culture. There are great hiking trails and incredible beaches all over the island of Oahu, which doesn't get enough exposure in my book.

8. Barbados. Terrific golf courses and endless, sunny beaches in the west. On the east side, you can find casual restaurants and rum shacks and windswept beaches that go on forever, often with big surf. Don't miss a chance to visit the eccentric and highly entertaining Hunte's Gardens.

9. New Orleans. Again, absolutely killer food and a great cocktail scene. But also tremendous history in this whirling melting pot of a city (see photo at right). I've got a story on New Orleans in Star Travel tomorrow.

10. Australia. Sydney is one of the great cities of the world, with picture perfect beaches like Bondi and Manly, an outstanding harbour, great architecture (well, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, anyway) and great food. I had a great visit to Dunk Island, up near the Great Barrier Reef, after the Olympics in 2000. And I was lucky enough to take a trip to Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) and the outback a couple years ago, a near religious experience. A country with a little bit of everything.

VOGUE PUMPS UP TORONTO

Despite the weather, Vogue Magazine is touting our fair city. A story I spotted on their website (via Twitter) talks about taking urban trips for March break and names Toronto, Istanbul, Dallas and Lisbon as "four of the buzziest cultural capitals."

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU, KID

Nice item here from Associated Press on a cold, dreary morning. (Wait, did I mention that already?)

Key Largo will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the movie "Key Largo" with a film festival honouring the movie's late star Humphrey Bogart.

Bogart was married to Lauren Bacall, who also starred in the movie. Their son Stephen Bogart is scheduled to headline several events at the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival in Key Largo May 2-5, including a May 2 cocktail reception that he will host with film critic Leonard Maltin. The reception will be followed by an outdoor waterfront screening of the movie.

The 1948 movie "Key Largo" told the story of a group of gangsters holed up in a hotel with the hotel owners and others during a ferocious hurricane.

The festival will feature screenings of additional Bogart films and other classics. Cruises will be offered on the original, century-old African Queen, the boat used in the Bogart film of the same name. Registered as a national historic site, the vessel was relaunched in 2012 following a $70,000 restoration.

Stephen Bogart will also host a "Casablanca"-themed Bogart ball May 4 at the Hilton Key Largo Resort with a Moroccan-themed dinner where Maltin will speak about Humphrey Bogart's contribution to the film noir genre. Tickets to the ball are $175 per person.

Tickets to individual screenings are $10 each. Details at http://www.bogartfilmfestival.com.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on offer for fabulous Tuscany for $2,647, including $498 in taxes. As a guy who met his wife in Florence, I highly recommend this part of Italy for a romantic getaway. Even if you don't drink wine.

Jaunt Highlights

• SAVINGS: Save $300 per couple off regular rates!
• 9-Day/8-Night Dolce Vita in Tuscany, Italy Coach Tour, featuring visits to Cinque Terre, Florence, wine tastings, a cooking class, and much more!
• Includes departure airfare from Toronto to Florence (via Rome) and return airfare from Rome to Toronto, both on Alitalia, plus airport/hotel transfers in Italy
• 8 Nights' accommodation at 4-Star Hotels featuring rooms with private bath or shower, 2 single beds or 1 double bed. Hotels include NH Hotel Excelsior in Siena, Italiana Hotels Florence and the Grand Hotel Beverly Hills in Rome.
• Includes transportation via motorcoach, boat and train, services of an English speaking guide, and all entrance fees as per itinerary
• 16 meals including daily breakfast, 4 lunches, 4 dinners, one including a ¼ litre wine & ½ litre water

• Experience a real Italian cooking lesson in Tuscany
• Sample the robust taste of Italian wines in the countryside they're created in
• Stay in luxurious 4-star accommodations

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on June 6, 2013
• Pricing (rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  Toronto:
  Double: $2149
  Single: $2849
  Triple: $2099
  Tax: $498
  
  We also offer other departure DATES and GATEWAYS.
  Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
  
• Includes all taxes and service charges
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

Myrtle Beach shows the love ... Lonely Planet top spots 2013 ... Deal of day

They certainly love Canadians down in Myrtle Beach.

The coastal South Carolina city is celebrating its 75th anniversary this month, and they'll be holding what's called "Can-Am Days" with discounts for Canucks from March 9 to 17. They made an appearance Friday at the Toronto Star Golf and Travel Show down at the convention centre and brought out some appetizers and a birthday/anniversary cake and, naturally, a little bubbly.

There have been a ton of renovations and upgrades at Myrtle Beach hotels, officials said, and the access is easier than ever. Porter began their flights from Toronto Island airport last month, and they also have vacation packages through their Porter Escapes company. WestJet will start run flights from May 2 to Oct. 24 (Thursday and Sunday), and they also have vacation packages with various properties so you can book activities, flights and hotels together and save.

In addition, Myrtle can be reached on direct flights from Niagara Falls, Plattsburgh N.Y. (useful for Montreal folks) and Detroit.

The area has 102 golf courses, most quite affordable and many of them stunners. I played one a couple years ago called Caledonia Golf and Fish Club that was absolutely outstanding; perhaps the prettiest non-oceanside course I've ever seen.

They also have great food and an endless beach and plenty of activities for kids and adults, both. They've created a website called visitmyrtlebeach.com/75secrets with 75 "secret" things to do in Myrtle Beach, ranging from Pirate adventures to dolphin-watching and visiting art museums and wine-tasting.

LONELY PLANET, ON THE OTHER HAND, DOESN'T LOVE US SO MUCH

Lonely Planet recently conducted an online poll/review, asking fans on Facebook, Twitter, Google-plus and Thorn Tree where they've travelled and what they liked most. Their top 20 destinations overall were as follows (in order): Bhutan (see photo below), Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Iceland, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Argentina, U.S.A., Indonesia, Iran, Burma, Peru, Nepal, Colombia, Georgia, Italy and the Maldives.

Interesting. Note the lack of the U.K. and France on the list, which weighs fairly heavy with unusual spots such as Iran (did Ben Affleck get a vote?), Bhutan, Colombia and Burma (Myanmar).

The top 10 for food were Italy, Thailand, India, Japan, Argentina, Vietnam, France, Lebanon, Taiwan and Spain. Top value spots were Thailand, India, Bolivia, Cambodia, Ghana, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia and Bulgaria. Top rated for entertainment were the U.K., U.S.A, Argentina, Australia, Ireland, Thailand, Spain, Hong Kong, Brazil and Singapore.

There were a slew of other categories, including shopping, "meeting locals" and "cultural sights."

Canada, you ask? Well, not so hot. We came in fourth on the safety list (big whoop), behind Japan, Iceland and New Zealand. And we were ninth in the nature category. Which is nice but also pretty boring, when you get down to it. The top 10 in the nature category were Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand, Bhutan, Australia, Namibia, Ecuador, Brazil, Canada and Kenya.

Oh, well.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY: ST. MAARTEN

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for lovely St. Maarten in the Caribbean. The deal is for $1,095, including $230 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Save up to $328 per couple compared to what's available in market!
• BONUS: Features lower taxes thanks to Sunwing's Tax Buster Promotion
• BONUS: Sunwing inclusions offer a spa discount, unlimited a la carte dining, $20 USD casino vouchers, discount on Hertz car rental and more!
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the 4-star SMILE at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino, located in St. Maarten
• Includes return airfare from Toronto or Montreal to  St. Maarten and round-trip airport/hotel transfers at your destination
• Accommodations in a Deluxe Garden View Room, featuring 1 King or 2 Double beds and private balcony showcasing views of the island and adjacent golf course. Maximum occupancy: 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

 

• Plenty of activities for kids will keep them in high spirits and you in relax mode
• A guest pass to the nearby Sonesta Great Bay Beach resort gives you access to double the exquisite amenities
• Maho village is known for both its charming boutiques and extravagant nightlife

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on the following departure dates:
  Toronto: April 11, 18, 21 & 28, 2013
  Montreal: April 11, 18, 21, 25 & 28, 2013
  
• Pricing (Rates are per person):
  
  Toronto:
  
  April 11, 18 & 21:
  Single: $1165 plus tax
  Double: $965 plus tax
  Triple: $930 plus tax
  Child (2-12): $295 plus tax
  Tax: $230
  
  April 28:
  Single: $1065 plus tax
  Double: $865 plus tax
  Triple: $830 plus tax
  Child (2-12): $295 plus tax
  Tax: $230
  
  Montreal:
  
  April 11, 18 & 25:
  Single: $1435 tax included
  Double: $1235 tax included
  Triple: $1200 tax included
  Child (2-12): $545 tax included
  
  April 21 & 28:
  Single: $1375 tax included
  Double: $1175 tax included
  Triple: $1140 tax included
  Child (2-12): $545 tax included
  
  

 

 

Travel ideas for March, awesome Ireland tourism video and my Deal of The Day

The cardinals are singing their mating songs. The temperature in Toronto is supposed to be above freezing for several days in a row. And daylight savings time is around the corner.

There's hope for spring, folks, and there are plenty of great places to check it out. Here are a few that come to mind on a grey but not overly cold Monday morning in T.O.

Victoria isn't quite in spring conditions yet, but the long-term weather forecast calls for temperatures up around 10 degrees by week's end. And the spring flowers should be coming out about now, which is always heartening.

Mind you, as expensive as it is to fly within Canada these days you may as well head south to something a little warmer. Yeah, they had snow in Tucson, Arizona last week at the WGC Match Play championship golf tourney, but that's pretty rare. The forecast is for daytime highs up around 20 Celsius by mid-week; just about perfect for golf or (for Canadians, anyway) lying by the pool.

It's a little cool right now down Myrtle Beach way, maybe 13 degrees later this week, but in the Tampa Bay area it's supposed to be near 20 and then down around 16 or so later this week. Not hot, but the Blue Jays are now in full spring training mode in Dunedin (see photo) so you don't have to worry if it's not perfect beach weather.

Further afield, here are some expected daytime highs for the next little while in various parts of the world.

Paris: Only 2 degrees today, says the weathernetwork.com, but all the way up to 15 or 17 degrees towards the end of next week. Talk about a change in seasons.

Rome: The cardinals gathering in Rome (as opposed to the ones in my backyard) should expect a bit of rain, but also temperatures soon up around 15 degrees.

Honolulu: Only about 23-24 degree highs the next couple days; downright chilly for Hawaiians. I bet the locals will be wearing toques.

Bangkok: Phew. Daytime highs all week around 35 or 36 with a fair bit of sun. Those luxury hotel swimming pools should be pretty full. Yeah, it's expensive to get there but a four or five-star hotel can often be found for $200.

Sydney: It's supposed to be around 28 today and tomorrow but then cooling off to the low 20's later in the week. Don't forget, for them it's about to turn into fall.

Jamaica: You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows in this part of the world. Daytime highs in Montego Bay ranging from roughly 24 (cool for them) to 28 C this week.

IRELAND TOURISM VIDEO

Ireland has put together a smashingly good travel video to help lure folks for The Gathering 2013, a huge festival where Irish folks - or those who wish they were - get together for festivals of all kinds. There are festivals for left-handed people, for folks named Clair (or Clare or probably Clara) and all sorts of gatherings, including a Messiah festival and a Riverdance festival and a ton of sporting events.

The video is loads of fun, with comedian Andrew Maxwell strolling the city and Ireland's seaside with surfers, babies in beards and folks with red hair (in various places), so check it out here.

TOURISM BOOST FOR IRAN? DOUBT IT

A "best picture" win for Lincoln would undoubtedly have helped boost tourism in Virginia, where much of the film was shot, and in Illinois, where Lincoln was born. Instead, Oscar gives the nod to Argo. Notwithstanding the factual inaccuracies (galore) and the downplaying (severely) of Canada's role, it's not a bad film. But I don't think it'll do a lot to boost tourism in Iran. Just a hunch.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY: GREECE AND TURKEY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal for a land and sea package for nine days and seven nights in Greece and Turkey for 2,029, including $670 in taxes .

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: FREE UPGRADE - Enjoy 5-Star Hotel Accommodations in Athens, Outside Cabin Stateroom on cruise portion, and Business Class for Ferry transfers
• BONUS: Extend your flights post tour for up to 30 days at no additional cost (return from Athens)
• 9-day/7-night Greek Islands & Turkey Cruise onboard the Louis Cristal, including 3 night post-cruise stay in Athens
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Athens on Air Transat
• Ports of Call include: Piraeus, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; Patmos, Greece; Rhodes, Greece; Crete, Greece; and Santorini, Greece
• Includes 15 meals

• You'll have the chance to explore Greece in the heart of its most dynamic city, and to traverse its diverse islands
• Your ship provides comfortable, upscale accommodations

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on July 7 & July 14, 2013
  (Other dates available. Please call: 1-855-687-5925)
• Pricing (Rates are per person, and based on double occupancy):
  
  Single: $1739
  Double : $1359
  Tax: $670
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until Feb 28, 2013  at 5PM EST. After that time, this offer is 100% non-refundable