Vancouver Island's Soothing Harbor
(Sooke Harbour House)
It was an unseasonable dumping, and delayed the onset of the inn's lovely gardens and flowers. The vegetable and herb gardens that they use for the fine-dining restaurant had to be shielded from the snow by rounded, plexiglass covers. They say that it rarely snows here, and certainly not in March, but the weather is freaky everywhere these days. What else could I do? I filled the bathtub that sat in the middle of my suite, with a view out the window of water and mountain, and hunkered down with a book about Babe Ruth until the snow melted.
The headboard of my bed grew into a tree of peeled bark, with branches that went all the way up to the 12-foot ceiling. The elevator was painted all the way around in an underwater scene of swimming salmon and an octopus. Every wall of the place was covered in art, from paintings to gold-painted mirror frames with a jumble of attached objects. For dinner one night, I sat down with owners Sinclair and Frederique Philip and without a glance at a menu, seven courses rolled out over the next two and a half hours, from a dab of creamy cauliflower soup with a feta crouton to a scoop of house-made red bean and maple syrup ice-cream, all accompanied by lots of good conversation and British Columbia wines from Sinclair's extensive cellars.
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New Wrinkle in Wine-Tasting
The opening of a new Four Seasons Hotel is always a time of great excitement for we of the travel-writing persuasion, particularly when it's in our own backyard. I have nothing but good things to say about stays at the Four Seasons properties I've visited in Hawaii, London and Asia. To that end, I hauled myself up to Seattle recently to check out the new Four Seasons Seattle, which is located just a block south of the famous Pike Place Market, with sweeping views of the Elliott Bay waterfront.
The hotel was elegant and friendly and expensive, as most Four Seasons are, but I was particularly taken by a new wine-tasting program offered in ART, the fine-dining restaurant overseen by Seattle veteran chef Kerry Sear. Besides offering terrific versions of hard-to-find seafood like Alaskan Black Cod and Italian Branzino, Sear has introduced something I've never seen at wine bars or restaurants during my travels. For a guarantee of purchasing at least two glasses of wine, the restaurant will open any bottle on its voluminous wine list, and serve it to you on a per-glass basis. They charge proportionately for the bottle. This means that you can wrap your lips around an incredible DeLille Cellars D2 wine – from a top western Washington producer whose bottles sell in the $100 range – for the bargain price of $25/glass. Which I happily did, and enjoyed every drop of the lush, red blend. The same goes for Leonetti Cellars' perennially sold out reds from Walla Walla, a top Oregon Pinot Noir, or a Super Tuscan varietal from Italy.
Twenty-five smackers might seem outrageous to pay for a glass of wine, but it provides those of us on a budget (or a limited corporate expense account) to sample wines that we otherwise might never have a chance to try. And I'd rather pay that much for a really good glass of wine than a whole bottle of something harsh and acidic. For me, it spoke of the overall richness of staying at a place like the Four Seasons. Maybe someday they'll apply the same concept to a $500/night room (sleep there two hours, pay a quarter of the tab…it needs some work, I know).
The hotel was elegant and friendly and expensive, as most Four Seasons are, but I was particularly taken by a new wine-tasting program offered in ART, the fine-dining restaurant overseen by Seattle veteran chef Kerry Sear. Besides offering terrific versions of hard-to-find seafood like Alaskan Black Cod and Italian Branzino, Sear has introduced something I've never seen at wine bars or restaurants during my travels. For a guarantee of purchasing at least two glasses of wine, the restaurant will open any bottle on its voluminous wine list, and serve it to you on a per-glass basis. They charge proportionately for the bottle. This means that you can wrap your lips around an incredible DeLille Cellars D2 wine – from a top western Washington producer whose bottles sell in the $100 range – for the bargain price of $25/glass. Which I happily did, and enjoyed every drop of the lush, red blend. The same goes for Leonetti Cellars' perennially sold out reds from Walla Walla, a top Oregon Pinot Noir, or a Super Tuscan varietal from Italy.
Twenty-five smackers might seem outrageous to pay for a glass of wine, but it provides those of us on a budget (or a limited corporate expense account) to sample wines that we otherwise might never have a chance to try. And I'd rather pay that much for a really good glass of wine than a whole bottle of something harsh and acidic. For me, it spoke of the overall richness of staying at a place like the Four Seasons. Maybe someday they'll apply the same concept to a $500/night room (sleep there two hours, pay a quarter of the tab…it needs some work, I know).
Travel Options In Austere 2009
Hey, let's look on the bright side of travel news here as we turn the calendar to 2009. Gas prices are down, everyone from the airlines to Amtrak is lowering prices on fares, Hawaii is still sunny and warm, and there are lots of great deals to be had on hotel rooms and travel packages. Paris still has chocolate shops, New York will open a new stadium for the Yankees, and the national parks of Utah haven't yet been drilled, baby, drilled for oil.
Lots of people will be looking to make shorter trips to explore places that are close to their backyards. In that spirit, my family and I saw in the New Year from the rustic, elegant Skamania Lodge, a resort alongside the Columbia River in tiny Stevenson, Washington. The U.S. Forest Service has a ranger station right outside the door of the resort, because it is located in the thick of National Forest land, with the Pacific Crest Trail running practically through the lobby of the hotel. A big, double-sided stone fireplace sets the coziness quotient in the lobby, which has floor-to-ceiling windows framing the mighty river, and an outdoor hot tub is one of the great places to become one with a Northwest rain storm.
Dave Griffin, the hotel's new Sales and Marketing Director, gave me a tour and showed off suites with fireplaces and upgrades like new plasma TVs in every room. But it was Dave's wife, Norma Jean, just arrived from their previous posting in the Midwest, who reminded me why you explore places like Skamania. She was blown away by the mountains – within just a few miles are Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier of the mighty Cascades range – and the views of water that the Northwest delivers almost casually. She was ready to explore everything from local wineries and farmers markets to hiking trails and fishing for sturgeon on the Columbia. It reminded me how much there is to see in our own backyard, and that travel doesn't have to be halfway across the world to make a difference in our lives.
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Lots of people will be looking to make shorter trips to explore places that are close to their backyards. In that spirit, my family and I saw in the New Year from the rustic, elegant Skamania Lodge, a resort alongside the Columbia River in tiny Stevenson, Washington. The U.S. Forest Service has a ranger station right outside the door of the resort, because it is located in the thick of National Forest land, with the Pacific Crest Trail running practically through the lobby of the hotel. A big, double-sided stone fireplace sets the coziness quotient in the lobby, which has floor-to-ceiling windows framing the mighty river, and an outdoor hot tub is one of the great places to become one with a Northwest rain storm.
Dave Griffin, the hotel's new Sales and Marketing Director, gave me a tour and showed off suites with fireplaces and upgrades like new plasma TVs in every room. But it was Dave's wife, Norma Jean, just arrived from their previous posting in the Midwest, who reminded me why you explore places like Skamania. She was blown away by the mountains – within just a few miles are Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier of the mighty Cascades range – and the views of water that the Northwest delivers almost casually. She was ready to explore everything from local wineries and farmers markets to hiking trails and fishing for sturgeon on the Columbia. It reminded me how much there is to see in our own backyard, and that travel doesn't have to be halfway across the world to make a difference in our lives.
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Me And The Queen Elizabeth 2
(AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
I was living in New York at the time and answered an ad looking for cruise staff – those smiling, energetic members of the ship's crew who interact with passengers, host activities and man the gangways for meet-and-greets – and within three weeks I was bound for London with a vague promise of employment on the ship. The Brits on board were not pleased to see an American manning a job that had been traditionally British – as I was to learn, there was a great deal of history and stewardship of the old ship, and newcomers were not warmly received.
I was told to pick out a uniform and show up at eight a.m. on the day of embarkation – no orientation, no introduction or tour of the ship. I had never even been on a ship, and had no idea what I was supposed to do.
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In A Cruise Ship's Kitchen
(AP)
Getting his 150 cooks and chefs on-board to be in synch and refine the food product that so characterizes the cruise experience takes constant vigilance.
"When you think you've got it…well, you haven't," he sighed one afternoon in the cavernous galley of the ship's Britannia restaurant.
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Good Deals to Hawaii
(AP)
Well, that's not exactly what Keoni said. He pointed out that the airline is running great specials between now and Dec. 12, (excluding the Thanksgiving holiday) to drum up fall business, and travel to the islands is awfully affordable before the Christmas season ramps up. How affordable is it? A recent check on the Hawaiian Air website showed a $320 round-trip fare between Portland, Oregon and Honolulu for a flight in the first week of December, or $436 round-trip from their new gateway in Oakland if you wanted to be in the islands for Halloween. Trust me when I say that being in Lahaina, Maui for Halloween is an other-worldly experience.
Book on-line now and you can also get good deals on packages to all of the islands between now and the middle of February. You can choose from a standard package built by the airline, or "Shop around and make your own package," said Keoni.
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A Queenly Crossing Of The Atlantic
(AP)
I was lucky enough to be on the 100th trans-Atlantic voyage of the QM2, and Commodore (not Captain) Bernard Warner explained that besides not having today's technical equipment, the Titanic also had the misfortune of sailing too far north in April, when icebergs are still out, and going a little too fast. He went on to point out that the QM2 was built for trans-Atlantic runs, and in fact has nearly cornered that market, with 25 crossings scheduled this year between New York and Southampton, England, where I boarded. "This is not a ship; it is a liner," he said in his Commodorish British accent. "And we don't cruise, we make crossings and voyages."
(Cunard Line)
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Lodgings In London
(Stafford Hotel)
As Stuart Procter, the practically perfect General Manager said, the hotel just last May added 26 suites in the Royal Mews courtyard, and spent a hefty 26 million pounds (about $50 million) in so doing. The results are the most quiet, peaceful rooms in London, with views onto the courtyard and stationery printed up for guests that announces that the Stafford is "my residence whilst in London."
On one delirious evening, Stuart – who is the antithesis of a stuffy hotelier and could and did drink the rest of us under the table -- hosted a group of us at dinner in the 17th-century underground wine cellar that was reportedly the site of Prince Charles's bachelor party (now that must have been a rowdy event). Frank Laino, the hotel's concierge who has won awards as the best concierge in the world, was on hand to talk about scoring tickets for London events (Wimbledon and West End musicals a snap; football and smaller theaters with hit shows not so easy). The hotel was an American officers' mess during World War II, and the wine cellar has subterranean passages with wartime memorabilia. Next door is Spencer House, the family home of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and Rupert Murdoch keeps an apartment across the street. The young princes occasionally pop by the American Bar with their friends.
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London Calling
(iStockphoto)
The Queen and her court were on their usual summer holidays in Scotland, so I joined about 75,000 other people and toured Buckingham Palace's State rooms, which were in fact quite regal and enjoyable to see. The Palace is only open to tours in August and September when the Windsors are out of town. The hit was seeing the Royal dining room set for dinner for 170 people, with gilt everything and beautiful flower arrangements and the thought of President Bush leaning past the Queen to whisper to the Duke of Edinburgh, "Hey, Phil, which fork do you use for the salad?"
I didn't venture far. I wandered around Westminster, bought tea for my own Queen Mother at Fortnum & Mason, had a couple pints of British bitter and allowed the jetlag to run its course. People were actually sunbathing and playing Frisbee in the parks. I've been to London six or seven times, but I don't think I've ever seen it so lovely.
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The Casino Game In Washington State
Native American-owned casinos are stepping up to the next phase of the travel business – building hotels, spas and restaurants to go with the blackjack and craps and slots – and it does my heart good to see what they're creating. Reservations are absolutely awash in money these days because they've hit upon a very simple formula for attracting customers: People want to gamble, smoke, drink and stare at blinking, purring, jingling slot machines for hours at a time, and they're perfectly happy to be entertained by cover bands and TV screens showing ESPN all day.
I recently attended a dinner and overnight at the new hotel and restaurant opened this fall by the Tulalip Casino, which is about forty miles north of Seattle and one of the most successful tribal casino operations in Washington. Boeing workers come here in droves to gamble away their paychecks after building airplanes all day, and Canadians cruise down Interstate 5 to shop at the tribe's outlet malls and submerge themselves in the casino's vast, aquatic-themed interior.
The tribe needed a way to keep everyone on the property a little longer, so this summer they opened a lavish, high-rise hotel, with spacious, high-tech rooms that are decorated in plush fabrics and are every bit as fancy and comfortable as a downtown Seattle hotel. To go with the fine-dining Tulalip Bay restaurant and the more casual Cedars Caf?, they just opened Blackfish, an in-between restaurant that serves fresh fish – including native salmon dinners – and great wines. The whole thing is elegant, refined, upscale – great for couples on dates, but still accommodating to people who want to show up in shorts and a t-shirt, smoke their heads off, play poker all day and night, and listen to AC/DC and Heart cover bands.
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I recently attended a dinner and overnight at the new hotel and restaurant opened this fall by the Tulalip Casino, which is about forty miles north of Seattle and one of the most successful tribal casino operations in Washington. Boeing workers come here in droves to gamble away their paychecks after building airplanes all day, and Canadians cruise down Interstate 5 to shop at the tribe's outlet malls and submerge themselves in the casino's vast, aquatic-themed interior.
The tribe needed a way to keep everyone on the property a little longer, so this summer they opened a lavish, high-rise hotel, with spacious, high-tech rooms that are decorated in plush fabrics and are every bit as fancy and comfortable as a downtown Seattle hotel. To go with the fine-dining Tulalip Bay restaurant and the more casual Cedars Caf?, they just opened Blackfish, an in-between restaurant that serves fresh fish – including native salmon dinners – and great wines. The whole thing is elegant, refined, upscale – great for couples on dates, but still accommodating to people who want to show up in shorts and a t-shirt, smoke their heads off, play poker all day and night, and listen to AC/DC and Heart cover bands.
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The Vanishing North
(AP/J. Hayward, The Canadian Press)
Flying from Montreal to tiny Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island, you embark on an eight-night journey that goes where the ice allows – to remote islands and bays where polar bears, narwhals and beluga whales still live. Travel is on the 122-passenger Lyubov Orlova ship, an ice-breaker that is safe and comfortable. For adventure travelers who want to see truly remote places, it doesn't get much more adventurous or remote than this. You won't find any t-shirt shops, variety shows or jewelry at these ports, only wildlife and rugged landscapes. Cruise North (not to be confused with Cruise West) is owned by one of Canada's largest Inuit tribes, and their insight into the region goes back generations.
Departures for Arctic trips run from July through August, so keep it in mind for your travel plans next year. And hopefully there will be some ice left in the far north by then.
The SuperFerry Sails On
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
The Maui run, however, just celebrated its 400th voyage and 125,000th passenger, putting it right up there with Captain Andy's Sailing Adventures as a local sailing success story. The 800-passenger Superferry, which also accommodates 200 passenger cars, makes a round-trip run from Oahu's ferry terminal – which is not downtown but off Nimitz Highway near the Dole Cannery Shops – to Maui's Kahului Harbor every morning, and does another round-trip four afternoons and evenings a week. One-way fares through the end of October are $59 for adults and $49 for children, plus $65 for a car.
The passage takes about three hours. Nice, if you like a good boat ride and want to avoid the hassle and congestion of flying. The fares may jump up in November after the Superferry passes its inaugural period (and once those court bills come due to the company), but for now, it's a good price for one of the few new travel experiences in the islands.
On The Fringe In Edmonton
They don't call it a fringe festival for nothing. Right now through August 24th, the Edmonton Fringe Festival is taking place in the booming city in northern Alberta, which is pretty much on the fringe of civilization. After Edmonton it's all oil-sand fields and prairie all the way up to the Arctic Ocean. Not a whole bunch of culture emanating from those oil-field roustabouts.
Which is reason enough to make a summer pilgrimage to Edmonton. The city itself is a fine place to explore, as I found out last summer during a trip that way, and lots of people make their way to the Old Strathcona district to watch one of the world's great theater and arts fests. The ten-day festival draws a half-million people to watch a non-stop smorgasbord of entertainment that includes 1,200 shows from 207 theater companies who perform in 27 venues.
Besides lots of great Canadian comedy and cabaret and theater, you can catch acts like "American Squatter" from the Aspen Comedy Works troupe out of Colorado, the Cody Rivers Show from Bellingham, Washington, and "Don't Make Fun of Jesus" from GiggleGirl Productions in New York City. The Big Apple is represented by four theater companies who made the trek to the Great White North; beats a weekend in the Hamptons, I guess.
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Which is reason enough to make a summer pilgrimage to Edmonton. The city itself is a fine place to explore, as I found out last summer during a trip that way, and lots of people make their way to the Old Strathcona district to watch one of the world's great theater and arts fests. The ten-day festival draws a half-million people to watch a non-stop smorgasbord of entertainment that includes 1,200 shows from 207 theater companies who perform in 27 venues.
Besides lots of great Canadian comedy and cabaret and theater, you can catch acts like "American Squatter" from the Aspen Comedy Works troupe out of Colorado, the Cody Rivers Show from Bellingham, Washington, and "Don't Make Fun of Jesus" from GiggleGirl Productions in New York City. The Big Apple is represented by four theater companies who made the trek to the Great White North; beats a weekend in the Hamptons, I guess.
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Cruising to Alaska? Some Tips From A First-Time Cruiser
(AP)
"Don't expect to use the pool," was one of Jon's first comments. His image of a cruise vacation before he left involved lots of lounging, walrus-like, around a pool while being served tall, fruity drinks. But Alaska cruises are surely not about the weather; it was too rainy and chilly to get in much pool time. If pools are a big part of your dream vacation, consider a ship, like Holland America's newer models, that have an all-weather canopy over the pool, ensuring warm temperatures anywhere.
"Alaska itself was great," he added. The family took floatplane excursions over Juneau and Denali National Park, hauled in salmon and halibut on fishing expeditions, which Jon booked from dockside vendors, and saw moose while riding the train to Skagway. Tours were crowded and in some cases, the family had to hustle to procure lunch for the kids before embarking on long bus rides, so they preferred to book smaller trips just for themselves. The downside was that the cost of seeing Alaska this way nearly doubled the price of the cruise for the Moore family. "Well, we figured that it was something that we would just do once in our lives, so we should do it right," he said.
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How The Other Half Lives In Milan
You know, a lot of us are concerned these days with the high cost of travel, especially as it relates to fuel prices. Many of us are taking vacations closer to home, which accounts for the Travel Guru sightings last weekend at Milo McGiver State Park in Oregon, where a newly acquired used tent (only $35, Ma!) doubled for my usual palatial digs at four-star resorts.
You'll be happy to know that the ultra-rich are having their own dilemmas when it comes to travel. Just choosing one at random, how, for instance, can one ride around in style through the streets of Milan, Italy after one has booked the $7,087-a-night Presidential Suite at the Park Hyatt Milan hotel, an utterly chic boutique hotel in that utterly chic city? I mean, who has money left over to rent a car at those prices?
Not to worry: The Presidential Suite at the Park Hyatt Milan now comes with the complimentary use of a Porsche Boxster, Carrera or Cayenne (you choose) for the duration of your stay, allowing you to zip around the streets of the city in your customary style.
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You'll be happy to know that the ultra-rich are having their own dilemmas when it comes to travel. Just choosing one at random, how, for instance, can one ride around in style through the streets of Milan, Italy after one has booked the $7,087-a-night Presidential Suite at the Park Hyatt Milan hotel, an utterly chic boutique hotel in that utterly chic city? I mean, who has money left over to rent a car at those prices?
Not to worry: The Presidential Suite at the Park Hyatt Milan now comes with the complimentary use of a Porsche Boxster, Carrera or Cayenne (you choose) for the duration of your stay, allowing you to zip around the streets of the city in your customary style.
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