A visit to Rossland, British Columbia has been on my radar for years. While I didn't appreciate what a cute mountain town Rossland is until my summer visit, I did know that the town is a dream destination - albeit an out of the way one - for skiers. In fact it was at RED Mountain Resort where Nancy Greene, Canada's female athlete of the 20th century, cut her teeth skiing. The ski hill is…
Since its opening in the fall of 2017, the Fairmont Amman has set the bar for luxury hotels in Amman, Jordan. Its prestigious location in the 5th Circle of Amman, ensures its a convenient 30 minute drive from the Queen Alia International Airport. From the moment you step out of your car at the entrance of the Fairmont Amman, the five star hotel experience begins. As you walk to the check-in desk through a magnificent…
Ask a Canadian where they’d send their friends and/or guests to experience Ontario’s great outdoors and many would suggest Algonquin Park or perhaps Muskoka or the Kawartha Lakes. They’d recommend swimming, canoeing and kayaking since Canada’s most populous province is blessed with oodles of warm lakes and sparkling rivers. While cottagers and tourists flock to these popular destinations, a growing number are now seeking out Northern Ontario’s French River. The French River - a Canadian…
I was already a fan of Mount Engadine Lodge before I tried their new glamping tents. I'd been to the lodge twice before. The first time I visited was on a winter trip before we'd even moved to Calgary where we lucked out with a weekend of live music. and the second in September a few years ago when we took my elderly mother-in-law, promising her moose sightings. "We" delivered with at least four moose…
How do you know a stay away from home is memorable? When you enjoy yourself so much despite the pouring rain and incessant cloud cover that you’d go back in a heartbeat. That’s how my husband and I feel about my time at the stunning Long Beach Lodge Resort in Tofino, British Columbia. If you need a break from work, life or just want to be inspired by the beauty of the west coast, Long…
Plan to visit Camp Denali near the end of the only road in Denali National Park if you're looking for an uncommon wilderness experience that blends the magic of the park, with a stay in a wilderness camp unlike any other. While it's hard and time consuming to get to Camp Denali, it's well worth the effort. It is here that you can marvel at Denali itself while lying in bed; where you can taste…
Whistler's Pangea Pod Hotel is the first pod hotel in Canada to open. Its tiny pods are chic, well designed and big on value. The Pangea Pod Hotel is about half the price of a conventional hotel in Whistler and a giant step up from what you'd get in a hostel. With its prime location in Whistler Village just minutes away from the gondola, it's likely that the pod hotel will cause some commotion in the hotel…
"We call it the Purcell stair climber" exclaims Kevin Blades, a veteran mountain hiking guide at Purcell Mountain Lodge. The approach to Porcupine Ridge, our goal for the day, is certainly steep at times but with high alpine scenery that's in the world-class category, it's not a hardship to be hiking here, even if it means I'm sucking wind at times. In fact John and I reveled in the fact that we were able to…
Great Bear Lodge, a top place for grizzly bear viewing, is accessed via a 30 minute float plane out of Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island. You land on Smith Inlet, then maneuver up to a floating dock adjacent to Great Bear Lodge smack dab in the middle of true Canadian wilderness. Visit Great Bear Lodge if you want to be immersed in nature for days on end. And if you've never…
I wouldn't call myself a creature of routine. I thrive on change and new experiences. But there are exceptions and a winter ski trip into Sundance Lodge in Banff National Park is one of those exceptions. I first learned about the lodge through a blog a number of years ago but for the most part this place remains a secret in winter. Few people have heard about it or even know that its open in…