Latest Articles

Sun Peaks: Top Spot for Olympians

Sun Peaks Resort

So where do Olympians – past, present and potential – hang out between Games? One popular spot is Sun Peaks Resort, just five hours from Vancouver in the province’s Thompson Okanagan region. It’s here that Nancy Greene, an Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist, Canada’s Female Athlete of the Century, Canadian Senator and the resort’s Director of Skiing, leads mountain tours most weekends during the ski season and even offers private lessons. Other Olympians regularly seen about the mountain village are Albertville Winter Games Olympic speed skiers Kenny Dale and Lark Frolek. Present-day Olympic hopefuls living or training in Sun Peaks and nearby Kamloops include alpine skier Elli Terwiel, who’s currently training with the national development team; top-ranked snowboarders Matthew Morison and Carly Thorp; and speed skater Jessica Hewitt. And it’s not just locals making the most of Sun Peaks’ great slopes. The Austrian Ski Team, for example, has trained at the resort since 2004, and will base at least part of the team here during the 2010 Winter Games. Members of BC’s First Nations Snowboard Team regularly train at Sun Peaks’ terrain park and, in March 2009, Paralympic hopefuls tested the resort’s slopes during the TELUS Para-alpine Canadian Championships. Of course you don’t have to be an Olympian to enjoy Sun Peaks. Come winter, there’s 122 runs of fluffy powder, 40 kilometres of groomed Nordic trails, one terrain park (complete with three sections suited for varying ability levels), a tube park, outdoor skating, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, dogsledding, snowmobile tours, and even Sun Peaks’ own brand of nine hole fun: snowshoe golf. www.sunpeaksresort.com

Popularity: 4%

The Torch Starts Here

2010 Winter OlympicsOn October 30th, 2009, the Olympic Flame will arrive in Canada from its home in Olympia, Greece. The first stop? Victoria, BC. To welcome the flame and see it off on its cross-Canada journey – the longest domestic relay in Olympic history — Victorians are throwing a party. After an arrival ceremony in the city’s Inner Harbour, the Olympic Torch will travel through most of Greater Victoria’s municipalities before returning downtown for an evening celebration. Details are still under wraps, but watch for top local musicians, dancers, artists, athletes, celebrities and even acrobats, as well as a multi-media show, interactive characters, thousands of hand-held torches, and a grand pyrotechnics finale – all on the harbour-side lawns of BC’s Legislative Buildings. The whole show, running 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is free and open to the public.

Here’s how to join the party:

Where to stay
Most of Victoria’s grand harbour-side hotels are promising torch-warming deals: for $149 a night, you can choose from The Fairmont Empress Hotel’s Light My Fire package, the Hotel Grand Pacific’s From Greece with Fire rate, or the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa’s Ignite the Flame deal.

Other options include the Queen Victoria Hotel and Suites’ Let the Games Begin package, which includes accommodation, parking and a welcome gift for just $89; and Accent Inn’s Fuel the Flame deal, which offers two nights at $79 each and a third for just $20.10.

Dates vary, but most of these packages will run from late October to early November; many also include such extras as breakfast deals or an Olympic-themed welcome gift.

Where to eat
Tricky this – given that Victoria claims more restaurants per capita than almost any city in North America (after San Francisco). Some ideas: if all that running makes you peckish for something healthy, check out Mo:Le on Pandora Street for local, organic and vegan fare. In a hurry? Noodle Box, with two locations, can throw together a cashew curry or teriyaki box to go. For a pre-launch party dinner out, reserve a table at the Pacific Restaurant in the Hotel Grand Pacific or the Empress Room in The Fairmont Empress Hotel — both are just steps from the party zone.

What to see
Victoria’s pedestrian-friendly scale and genteel pace are instantly beguiling, especially in the autumn, when visitor numbers are low. Late October is a great time to visit the Royal British Columbia Museum — one of Canada’s leading cultural sites — and check out the Sacred Arts of Tibet exhibit at The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Or, since Halloween looms on the horizon, you can join the festivities during the Ghosts of Victoria Festival to learn all about the city’s darker side.

Getting there

Sail Free: That’s right. If you book a two-night package through Tourism Victoria’s promotional website (www.itsvictoria.com), they’ll throw in a return BC Ferries sailing from the Vancouver area for a car, driver and passenger. (This offer is available until October 31, 2009.) Pressed for time? Check out Harbour Air, the world’s first carbon neutral airline.

For more Victoria hotel deals and visitor information, see www.tourismvictoria.com
For details about Victoria’s Torch Relay celebration, see: www.victoriaspirit.ca

Popularity: 100%

Art’Otel Budapest: Style and Comfort on the Danube

By Robert Yost, Associate Editor, cruisegourmet.com

Historischer Innenhof(BUDAPEST, HUNGARY)-After our recent river cruise on the River Cloud II, we created our own post-cruise stay in Budapest, Hungary by booking a room at the chic Art’Otel and planning relaxed independent tours of this beautiful city.  The Art’Otel is located on the Buda side of the Danube, and our riverfront room had a spectacular view of the Parliament buildings, as well as Matthias Church, the Chain Bridge, and Fisherman’s Bastion.  This stylish property is an exciting modern blend of art, travel and design.  Over 600 pieces of original art work by Donald Sultan, a contemporary American artist, is featured throughout the hotel.  The youthful staff all dress in cool black shirts and slacks, very Euro-hip and fun.

ACCOMMODATIONS

The hotel integrates four baroque townhouses all restored to their original elegance.  Donald Sultan’s work and influence are everywhere – paintings, drawings, master prints, sculpture, architectural features, carpet design and detailing throughout the hotel portray an artist who excels at many mediums.  The rooms all have his prints and other works of art on the walls, our favorites included the prints Greens April 14 2000 and Double Blue Vase March 28 2000.  In addition, there are visual gags such as his mounted bird sculpture, which you notice unexpectedly tucked into a corner of the room.  This four-star lodging has 165 rooms and suites, all with wireless internet access, 20-inch TVs with satellite channels and radio, video on demand, and refrigerators.  The bathroom included a double sink, glass enclosed tub/shower and accessorized with environmentally and animal friendly soap and shampoo products.  A card left on the vanity advises that you can call the front desk if you need anything else (toothpaste, etc.)  There are larger rooms that can accommodate a family traveling with children.

art'otel budapest-executive roomThe furnishings include sleek black beds with white and red bedding, light blond woods for the desk and headboards, Sultan’s red carpeting with buttons and thread pattern; our suite had a comfortable seating area including sofa, coffee table, and plush side chairs.  We found the décor to be slick but simultaneously warm and soothing; after a day of wandering around Budapest you will melt into the luxe bedding and gaze out at the incredibly lit skyline.  We were ready to stay forever.

SERVICES

Various convenient services are available for guests at the Art’Otel, including a fitness center, sauna, and hair stylist.  The state-of-the-art on-site weightlifting and cardio fitness room is perfect for the guest who wants to stay fit while enjoying their Hungarian goulash and trips to Café Gerbeaud.  Ideal for business travelers, the hotel features a business center with PCs available, and the property is a wireless hot spot.

art'otel budapest-domino bar 2DINING

Guests at the hotel can enjoy breakfasts at the charming Chelsea restaurant.  We were particularly hungry our first morning of our stay, so we thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast buffet of scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, cold meats, breads, rolls, juices, coffee, etc.  Also, the terrace and Domino Bar are open daily to serve coffee, light snacks, salads, and drinks.  The Bar was busy with an attractive clientele throughout our stay.

LOCATION

The hotel is located at Bem Rakpart 16-19, H-1011 Budapest.  A metro station is 3 blocks away.  Also, there is a tram stop almost in front of the property.  While the tram does pass by directly in front of the hotel, we could not hear any sound of this transportation from the 5th floor suite.  We walked across the Chain Bridge into the castle district in about 15 minutes and there are cafes along the way if you feel you need to take a break.  A cab ride to the popular Gundel restaurant cost us 12 euros (while the Hungarians do not officially use euros, the EU currency is accepted everywhere).

The Art’Otel Budapest, which is managed by Park Plaza Hotels Europe, is an outstanding property and a wonderful choice to begin or finish a river cruise in Budapest.  We are happy to recommend this hotel to vacationing and business travelers.  The visitor should note that there is apparently an unrelated property called the Art Hotel in Budapest which may confuse a taxi driver, so you may want to have the address available when you arrive in Budapest or travel around during your stay.  Reservations can be made on-line at www.artotels.com or by dialing 0800-2000129.

Popularity: 2%

Shrimp and Shell Sauce (for two)

Peel and de-vein 1 pound medium shrimp.  Save the shells.

Saute until lightly browned:

1/4 cup minced shallots (not onion)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add the shells and saute until fragrant.

Then add and simmer a few minutes more:

3/4 cup beef stock

1/4 cup vinegar

Strain the sauce and reduce in a medium pot by half.  Remove from heat and whisk in:

1 tablespoon butter

3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Saute the shrimp in butter until just cooked through.  Serve on pre-warmed plates topped with the sauce.

Popularity: 5%

Beautiful Okanagan Season Resort For Your Vacations

By Jack William Raj

Okanagan valley or county is a part of British Columbia in Canada. It forms a part of the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan river. The main city in Okanagan County is Kelowna. Okanagan Lake is a 50 mile long lake. The whole area is very beautiful and panoramic. The climate of the place is such that it sunny in summer and has cold winters with snowfall.

Since the climate is so pleasant in the Okanagan valley, the place is ideal for tourists and retired people who enjoy the casual lifestyle present there. You can go biking, hiking, wine tasting and just enjoy yourself in the sun, in the summer. The winter is ideal for snow skiing, skating and other winter sports. So you can be busy with recreational activities throughout the year.

One of the most famous resort villages is ‘Sun Peaks’. It has the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Coast Mountains to the west. Since the area is protected, in a valley, the weather is very good. The summers are above 36degrees C. and people can enjoy biking and other summertime activities.

The Okanagan Wine festival is celebrated every year during the second week of August at the Silver Star Mountain Resort in Vernon. The Ice Wine Festival is celebrated every year in mid- January at the Sun Peaks Resort.

Shuswap Lake is also another favorite spot. There are many cottages and houseboats there. Sun Peaks is about 20 minutes from Shuswap Lake. There are many hotel resorts and chalets where you can get rooms at affordable rates. Sun Peaks is the second largest ski resort in British Columbia. The longest run is about 5 miles. In summer you can go mountain biking. In the Sun Peaks mountain bike park, you can use the Sunburst Express Chairlift to get to the 37 biking trails for a distance of 70 kilometers. There are also activities for children. They have Kid’s adventure camps in which they can go canoeing, horseback riding, play tennis, go mountain biking and also hiking. There is a sports center where there is an outdoor pool that is heated all year round. There is also a kid’s pool and also two tennis courts. In the Okanagan Valley you have the Kittle Valley Bike Trails and the Mission Greenway and Okanagan Lavender farm. The other famous resort in this area is Manteo. It is famous for its water activities as it has a sandy beach with water skiing, wakeboard or cruise. There are also night lit tennis courts and lakeside putting green and also a spa.

Kelowna is the main district in Okanagan. This is the main business area. The boutiques and art studios are famous for their local flavor. It is famous for the visual and performing arts, the great wine and food, casinos and nightclubs etc. You can have entertainment all year round. There are many golfing courses and golfing championships are held here. Mountain biking is also famous here. You have areas that can be used by experts and novices. There are urban areas and also areas with pine forests and wide desert areas. The down hills are also good for biking. There are forest trails where one can go hiking. You can see many streams where you can take a quiet stroll.

The whole are of Okanagan valley is ideal for vineyards. The climate is very suitable. So you can see vineyards right from the hilltops to the lakeshores. The reason is that the soil is very rich. You can get all the different types of wines here. You can get cold and hot weather grapes simply because they are grown in the beach areas, hillsides and also on the valley floors. The main varieties such as Pinotage, German Riesling, Swiss Chasselas, Italian Sangiovese and French Mourvedre are grown close to each other. You can have a great wine tasting experience here. You can also travel on the steam train which is a century old and swim in the lake and also go hiking. Some of the famous vineyards in this area are Calona vineyards, Cedar estate Winery, Forbidden Fruit Winery, Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Winery etc. Okanagan does not have a particular season – it is all year round entertainment, sports and recreation. So, visit Okanagan any time of the year and enjoy.

Jackwilliam is an eminent analyst and writer in Travel and Tourism related topics. He has authored many books on tour guide for okanagan season resort kelowna and lakeside resort kelowna. Find more packages at http://www.manteo.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_William_Raj

Popularity: 1%

Page 3 of 123«12345»102030...Last »