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For some peace and quiet take the ferry to Toronto Island. You can hire a bike and cycle around the island in about two hours. Stop at the delightful Wards Island where you'll find a collection of truly unique houses and the board walk. The are beaches too. The view of the City from the ferry is stunning.
Take the ferry from Queens Quay at the bottom of Bay Street.
Activity Bookers is a free activity booking website. They have a great selection of outdoor activities for summer and winter and all are bookable online.
Less than five hours from Vancouver, an oasis of indulgence, relaxation and nature. A winery where you can stay the night!
Stroll through the vineyards then sample the produce whilst you learn about the bird that gives this place its name.
Take a refreshing dip in the pool, or just enjoy the view from your terrace, before treating your taste buds with a combination of fine wine and fine food. The chef and wine maker work together to give you a meal to remember.
A delicious breakfast to match the fabulous view may tempt you to stay another night! Expensive, yes, but worth every penny.
100 Burrowing Owl Place
RR#1 Site 52, Comp 20
Oliver, British Columbia, V0H 1T0
www.bovwine.ca/index.html?reloaded=true
Toll Free: 877.498.0620
Local: 250.498.0620
Prince Edward County is an up-and-coming wine-making region in Canada. While it is becoming known for Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, an exploration of the many vineyards can lead to exciting discoveries. I particularly love visiting The Grange of Prince Edward. The fabulously restored rustic barn is in a wonderful countryside setting. I enjoyed wine tastings, and will definitely be returning to picnic in the grounds this summer!
Kayaking Clayoquot Sound - located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, you can kayak pristine waters within a beautiful inlet and the open ocean. The islands of the inlet are covered in old growth coastal temperate rain forest and further inland you can see the snow covered peaks of the mountains (even in summer).
Kayak for days or weeks, camp on deserted beaches, fish salmon and cook it over an open fire. Then return to Tofino and stay at a nice hotel, eat great food and enjoy some surfing, walking, whale and bear watching ...
Tofino is located on the west coast of Vancouver island, BC in Canada - from Nanaimo turn westwards and drive for 3 hours via Port Alberni.
Vancouver is often voted the best city in the world. However, there are a lot of homeless people there and they are concentrated in East Hastings road. It seems to be limited to that area only but be careful, we walked through and it felt really dangerous. Apart from that, everything else is beautiful
North of chinatown, vancouver
I have stayed at Atmosphere twice, in December of 2008 and again in April 2009, and plan to go back this year and every year if I can.
The first time I went, I was a woman traveling alone and was needing a little time to reevaluate my life. I was a little nervous about finding a place to feel comfortable and safe while staying alone. Patryck is so perfect -he fed me well, made me feel comfortable and welcome, and even sat up with me late at night when I needed to talk. My time at Atmosphere literally changed my life.
I returned in April with my husband, and again Patryck gave us a very warm welcome. Being at his place is like being at a spa - you come away so relaxed and rejuvenated!
Both times I stayed in the Passion room, and found the bed more comfortable than my one at home. The interior decor is very cozy and inviting, with a photo exposure of a new artist, incredible, and the food is amazing. The best part, is the host. My husband and I both fell in love with the place and the guy and find ourselves drawn back again and again. Now my sisters, brothers and I are sending my parents there for an anniversary gift.
I have stayed at many B&Bs, and it is the best! I give it my highest 5 diamonds recommendation!
1933 Panet street
Montreal h2l 3a1
www.atmospherebb.com
When you have had enough of the hustle and bustle of Montreal a 90 minute drive or bus ride will take you to the village of Sutton, a great base for discovering the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. The village has good restaurants and food stores, notably La Rumeur Affamee, and many of the lodgings such as Vert Le Mont B&B are certified 'Bienvenue Cyclistes' meaning you will be offered a healthy breakfast and a safe place to store your bike overnight. Radiating out from Sutton are a number of challenging bike routes including the Mont Sutton circuit and, just over the border in Vermont, the Jay Peak circuit.
www.infosutton.com Official guide to everything Sutton including a section on cycling or call the helpful tourist office on 1 800 565-8455
Veolia transport buses leave Montreal's Station Centrale bus station two or three times a day for Sutton.
www.bbsutton.com Vert Le Mont B&B website
Four nights, five day (August 7-10, 2009) - Music Festival nestled in the mountains beside a river near Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.
This year there are six stages and 10,000 tickets. It has grown significantly since I was there (in 2004 I think) when it was 5000 tickets with fewer stages, which may take away a little of the small festival atmosphere and ease of getting around, but I'm sure it is still well worth it.
The stages are very original, with the highlights for me being the tree stump DJ booth in the middle of the forest surrounded by eight massive screens; and "the village", which looks like something from Stars Wars (think ewoks living in the trees and you'll be pretty close).
There was a good mix of local and international DJs, and some nice live sets from bands on the live stage and the chill out stage during the day.
You can easily find spots to get away from the hustle of the event amongst the trees which surround the site or along the river. The food was also a good mix of old favourites and new.
Remember to take something to swim in, though clothing seems to be optional...
Highly recommended!!
This truly is the greatest ferry ever, The mixture of brilliant views and perfect length make this a beautiful journey, in fact one I would do simply for the ride. Starting off in central Vancouver you can take a bus too Horseshoe Bay, a beautiful cove or to Tsawwassen which ferries also go from. From Horseshoe Bay you the views you get are amazing, the contrast and sudden change from city to rural beauty is exquisite. While on Vancouver Island I would recommend exploring the Pacific Rim, a wonderful walking area and surfing beaches. Such a wonderful place.
While there you could WWOOF, which is a voluntarily work scheme in which you work for food and accommodation, usually five hours a day. A brilliant way to meet the locals and save money.
www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/
www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/lg/visit/index_e.asp
www.wwoof.ca/
This B&B is the winner for the best bed and breakfast in the Canada.
After not having a personal vacation for over six years, I decided it was time to hit the road. I had been to Montreal once. It was to simply make a connecting flight. But, my friends had told me that it was an amazing city to check out. So, I got my ticket, booked at room and was on my way.
It was my first trip as a solo traveller. Never having stayed in anything outside a hotel, I was terribly unfamiliar with how a B&B worked. When I arrived, Patryck was ready and waiting. He warmly welcomed me to the city and laid out some easy sight seeing plans.
Patryck made the stay absolutely amazing and his culinary skills are out of this world. Yes, I must admit that I had to take pictures of the breakfasts he had served. From the smiling bowl of fruit (which put a smile on my face), to the warm dishes that followed, everything was incredibly mouth watering. The breakfasts are going to fill you up fast, so be warned! You won't find yourself hungry again for many hours. In fact, I could usually go without lunch and still feel pretty full by dinner time.
You'll find the rooms are tastefully decorated and tidy. I stayed in the Inspiration room. The room is small, but perfect for one person. Lots of space to store your clothes and shopping goods. A TV with cable sits on the dresser and a door leads out to your own, private balcony. Several clean towels are provided as well. Free Wi-Fi is provided, too!
The location of Atmosphere is a short 5-10 minute walk from the Beaudry Metro station (which easily and quickly gets you downtown), just down the street from the spacious Parc Lafontaine, and a short stroll to some great restaurants, shopping, and bars in the gay district.
Patryck goes above and beyond to ensure your visit is the best. I can't wait to return to Montreal and Atmosphere again. Thanks Patryck for making my stay as wonderful as it could be!
Atmosphere B&B
1933 Panet street
Montreal, Quebec
H2L3A1
www.atmospherebb.com
It's Canada's most beautiful journey: drive from Vancouver through the Rocky Mountains (the most spectacular mountain/driving experience) to Calgary, and stop off at the Icefields, Sulphur Mountain and Peyto Lake to soak in all the glories of the Canuck wilderness. There will most likely be bear and definitely deer and elk spottings too, which the kids will like.
Easter aside, another great time to be in Calgary is July, when the Stampede features six massive rodeo events and chuckwagon races. How can you refuse real cowboys in chaps, deep-fried Twinkies with Coke and generally calorific Western fun? Calgary is reknowned for not only its oil industry but the best beef in Canada, so steak all round.
Go to America. Then bear north.
When visiting Canada's Yukon Territory, drive the 111 miles from Dawson City to Tok, Alaska via the wonderfully named Chicken. On this 'Top of the World Highway' as it's called, you will meet maybe 6 or 7 cars an hour. This is an international highway between Canada and the US, yet it's gravel or red sand most of the way, so allow 5 hours or so. The scenery's really top of the world though and at Chicken you'll get free coffee for making it that far!
Classic American diner, great atmosphere and 24-hour food, with the best breakfast menu in town.
Veggie restaurant - hot and cold food sold by weight, all veggie, lots of vegan/gluten free options.
Rundles is one of the best restaurants I've dined at in the world. (Sorry Mr. Ramsay, but you have a lot to learn from them.)
Minimalism and understated elegance is best how to describe this spot.
The cuisine is thoroughly grounded in tradition yet playful and forward-thinking all the same. Service is spot on, with no flaws. Wine list is exceptional (i.e. affordable bottles from worldly modern wineries are represented with no rip-offs).
The architecture is completely modern and minimal, the atmosphere is so serene. I’ve recently discovered that Canadian super-star architects, Shim-Sutcliffe (based in Toronto), are behind the re-design of the restaurant, as well as the making of the Rundles-Morris House, a stellar pad located next door.
For $595.00 CAD, one can rent probably the most wonderfully designed accommodation available for rent in the world - the Rundles-Morris House.
This space is thoroughly modern, and filled with every luxury you can think of, from designer furniture to expensive Irish linens, to breakfast cuisine that is unmatched anywhere else I've stayed.
Every Pound spent here is worth it. All things considered, Rundles restaurant, and staying inside their one of a kind, Rundles-Morris House, is a total deal, or, steal!
Rundles
9 Cobourg Street,
Stratford, Ontario
Canada N5A 3E4
t.: 001.519.271.6442
f.: 001.519.271.3279
rundles@cyg.net
www.rundlesrestaurant.com
About an hour and a half drive north of Toronto lies the town of Midland and its sister village of Penetanguishene.
This area was one of the first places in Ontario that was settled by Europeans. French missionaries from Quebec came back in 1639 to convert the local Huron population and a replica of their settlement, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons has been built close to the original site, just outside Midland.
In the early 1800s, the Royal Navy set up a base after the War of 1812 to prevent the Americans from dominating the Great Lakes. Some of the original buildings, mixed with more recent replica buildings and a couple of schooners can be seen in the living history museum of Discovery Harbour on the shores of Penetanguishene Bay.
Both Midland and Penetanguishene offer daytime and evening cruises of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park which pass close to some of the ritzy "cottages" perched on tiny rocky islands in Georgian Bay.
There is plenty else to do from seeing the huge murals painted on the silos and walls in Midland harbour and town centre to paddling a canoe or snowshoeing through the nature reserve at Wye Marsh.
Penetanguishene is one of the few parts of Ontario where there is still a strong French speaking presence and you can hear people chatting in French in the local shops.
Take Highway 400 North from Toronto to Barrie and then follow Highway 93. Midland is almost at the end of Highway 93, Penetanguishene is at the end of the road.
Anyone spending some time in Vancouver would do well to check out this unassuming little bistro. It's a little out of the way but the quality of the food, not to mention the reasonable prices, make it well worth it.
www.lesfauxbourgeois.com
663 15th Avenue East
Vancouver, BC V5T 2R6, Canada
+1 604-873-9733
Every Sunday in the summer hundreds of people gather around a statue in Month Royal Park and play drums and other percussion type instruments. There are usually several different groups of drummers all playing in the same area. People of all kinds dance to the hypnotic beats and chill out in the sun. There are also lots of stalls selling various hippy, crafty type stuff. It's a great place to have a picnic and feel the real vibe of the city. Montreal is a really friendly city with crazy stuff going on all over the place in the summer and festivals galore. I don't speak French and it was never a problem. Just go with the flow, relax and enjoy. I have lived here for two years and have never felt safer or happier in a big city.
Mont Royal Park off of Avenue Du Parc, walk from McGill or Place-des-Arts metro
We recently visited Montreal and enjoyed a wonderful stay at Atmosphere. It is warm and welcoming and gives its guests all the goodness of feeling “right at home” perfectly combined with the pleasure of being on vacation. The food is delicious - everyone knows that - but the ambiance is what makes it even more special. Located in a funky little area of Montreal which is cool but quiet and within walking distance to Rue St. Catherine, Old Montreal and some great restaurants (Patryck can recommend a few) - it was the perfect location. Patryck pays attention to detail, as exhibited in his meal preparation as well as the renovations he made. Patryck and Elizabeth have found the recipe for hospitality and we’re so glad we found them. We highly recommend this B&B and feel assured that you will leave with the same feeling as we did - like you made new friends. In just two words, absolute perfection.
1933 panet
montreal
H2L3A1
Canada
Nearly beaudry station (green line)
www.atmospherebb.com
514-510-7976
1-877-376-7976
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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