I’ll be honest — I’d never even heard of Coldwater, even though it’s not far from familiar places like Barrie and Orillia. But it turns out that this small town in Simcoe County is full of adventure, and even romance. Big B and I dropped the kids off at my parents’ house (likely for a day that…
Black Bear Lodge review (Park City, Utah)
Step one: land in Salt Lake City, Utah. Step two: take in your surroundings (snow-capped mountains? Check. Reminiscent Olympic vibe? Check. Church of Latter Day Saints? Undetected, which is unfortunate because they make the best commercials ever). Step three: make the winding, 30-minute drive up to the Deer Valley ski resort area and check in at…
Inn at Holiday Valley
We’d been to Ellicottville several times pre-kids. We have friends who basically grew up there in winter, and eventually bought places of their own when they had kids. So while I was no stranger to this quaint little town in upstate New York, we’d never been there to ski nor had we stayed onsite at…
Ottawa hotels: Andaz Ottawa
(This Andaz Ottawa review was updated on August 13, 2021, after a second stay at the property. It reflects realistic expectations of what Ottawa hotels can and should be doing after a year and a half of interrupted availability.) Finding great Ottawa hotels isn’t the most difficult task. The city houses some of the finest…
Stella & Dot Getaway Bag
As someone who travels at least once a month — and often much more — and who rarely checks luggage, I have tried every weekender bag out there. I’ve used old diaper bags, various backpacks, totes, duffles, messenger bags, you name it. When a friend told me that the Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM was her…
Panorama Springs Lodge review
During a recent visit to Panorama Mountain Resort, I was booked into a family suite in the Panorama Springs Lodge. There are a bunch of awesome things to do at Panorama, which you used to be able to read about in my post about Panorama Resort on another site, but sadly it has been removed;…
A romantic getaway at Ste. Anne’s Spa
With St. Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, you’re probably starting to think about ordering flowers, hunting down the perfect Little Blue Box or booking a romantic getaway with your partner. Ste. Anne’s Spa in Grafton, Ont., should be at the top of your list for the latter if you’re within driving distance. Only about an hour…
Booking a luxury Mont-Tremblant chalet
(This luxury Mont-Tremblant chalet post was updated on Feb. 16, 2022) Even if you’ve only been a reader of mine for a year, you know how much we love visiting the Mont-Tremblant village. But until this year, we’d only ever stayed in the Tremblant village. There’s something to be said for broadening one’s horizons, so…
Truli wetsuits review — just for women
I started diving in 1999 when I took a trip to Thailand, specifically to get my SCUBA certification. The water was so warm, I didn’t need a wetsuit. A year later, I did my advanced PADI dive cert (on a tiny island in The Phillipines called Boracay). Again, with water temps sticking at around 30…
Royalton Riviera Cancun review
As a blossoming travel blogger over the past two years, I’d forgotten the beauty of a real vacation. Enter the Royalton Riviera Cancun. It was the first trip I’ve taken in a long time with my family without an itinerary or list of to dos. If I didn’t want to take a single picture or…