Seadream offering cruise discounts



Seadream yachts are ready to set sail in Asia.



Seadream, that wonderful cruise line that took me on a memorable trip to the Virgin Islands last year, is teasing me again with great savings on their 2013 and 2014 voyages to Asia.

Until the end of February, Seadream is offering an additional 10 per cent discount on their already reduced Asian voyages.

“We are excited about our maiden season in Asia and want our guests to feel the same way,” said SeaDream’s President, Bob Lepisto. “We are jump-starting the year by offering exceptional prices to some of the most exotic destinations in the Far East. This limited time sale applies to all 18 unique voyages in the region. Now is the time to book.”

Seadream's Asian cruises aboard their luxury yachts, range from 7 to 15 days long, but most may be combined as back-to-back voyages for a lengthier holiday.

SeaDream II sails in Asia from November 2013 through April 2014 and itineraries include numerous exotic ports in several different countries including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), East Timor, Northern Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong.

With prices starting at $3,599 (U.S.) per person, you can spend next Christmas aboard SeaDream II in Malaysia - how cool is that!

Readers of this column get that extra 10 per cent discount by mentioning the promo code ASIA10 when booking.

For details contact your travel professional, visit www.SeaDream.com or phone (800) 707-4911.

Seadream really do make travel dreams come true!

Princess celebrates 25th anniversary

Fairmont's Scottsdale Princess resort never looked better!

While watching the Waste Management (hate the title) PGA event in Scottsdale on the weekend, I was reminded about the great time I had playing that same TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course last year while staying at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, which lies a 5-iron shot away from the remarkable course.

The Princess is one of my favourite resorts in the world and this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary - which proves again you do get better with age!

Fairmont's Princess is the queen of Scottsdale resorts and home base to the chain's world renowned Willowstream Spa. All treatments used in Willowstream Spas around the globe are first developed, tried and tested at the Princess.

And while it's the Princess's birthday, you, the guests, will be getting the gifts.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, the Princess is offering incredible savings and resort credits with an early-bird booking special for summer travel - bookable now through April 30 for travel Memorial Day through U.S. Labor Day.

The 25th Anniversary Early Summer Special offers $125 per night room rates in addition to a $25 food and beverage resort credit – for a total savings of up to 55 per cent!


The Princess never looked better - thanks to a $60 million renovation that was just completed, with lots of improvements made to the already industry-leading Willowstream spa facility.

The resort has also added one of Chef Michael Mina's famed Bourbon Steak restaurants - I just visited Miami and had dinner at Mina's restaurant there and it was delightful!

The Princess will also be holding special "Under The Stars" entertainment evenings on  Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, as well as lots of fireworks displays which are sure the excite the kids.
The 25th Anniversary Early Summer Special is available for booking Feb. 1-April 30 for travel all summer long. Reservations can be made by visiting www.scottsdaleprincess.com or calling 800-257-7544. Rate code: 2U8EBR

Sparkling Hill Resort Canada's best!

The impressive entrance at Sparkling Hill glitters at sunrise.

KELOWNA, B.C. - In the post below, I let you know what I dislike about this B.C. wine city that has sold out to strip malls and land developers.

Now let me tell you what I do like about Kelowna - Sparkling Hill Resort!

Canada's newest and now best resort is a property like none others. A creation of the famed Swarovski crystal family, Sparkling Hill Resort jumps to the top of my Canadian hotel and resort list with some unique features that must be seen to be believed.

Gernot Langes Swarovski, patriarch of the famed Austrian Crystal family, spent over $120 million creating a resort that literally sparkles - thanks to the 3.5 million crystals used in building this 149-room mega resort that sits between Kelowna and Vernon, B.C.

This one-of-a-kind resort has one of the biggest and best spas in North America - patterned after the great spas of Europe; unique rooms that look out on mountain and lake views that are breathless; and sits on a ridge overlooking Canada's best new golf course, Predator Ridge - the golf course does not belong to the resort but they work together to give guests the best golf experience in Canada.

The rooms at Sparkling Hill are European cozy and offer unique amenities like a "crystal" fireplace, mood crystals at the entrance, and a soaking tub that sits in front floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on the natural splendour surrounding this wonderful property.

Sparkling Hill's spa has already been recognized for its unique treatments and appearance, winning the prestigious 2011 Senses Magazine Wellness Award for Best Spa Resort.

Carved into the granite cliffs that dominate this part of B.C., wildlife abounds here and most mornings guests are greeted by the deer that dance around the property.

So, my advice to you is to fly to Kelowna - Air Canada and WestJet offer direct flights from Toronto - and turn right out of the airport - that way you'll avoid Kelowna's strip mall eye sore - and check into Sparkling Hill and never leave.

That way, you'll enjoy the best hotel in Canada and never have to see dingy downtown Kelowna.

Go to www.sparklinghill.com

Whistler recovers from Olympic blahs

Lots of skiers and snow have returned to Whistler.

WHISTLER, B.C. – This B.C. party town is finally getting over its Olympic hangover.

It’s been two years since Whistler co-hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics with Vancouver and the anticipated attention and extra business the town thought that world event would generate afterwards just never materialized.

“Last year (2011) was an absolutely dismal year for me,” a shopkeeper in Upper Whistler Village told me this week during my visit. “I almost went broke because people just stayed away. Thankfully, the drought appears to be over – we had our busiest March this year in two years.”

It’s not unusual for host cities to experience post-Olympic syndrome – it took Sydney, Australia almost four years to see tourism return to normal numbers after it hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics and Athens has yet to recover from its big Olympic show, which incidentally helped bankrupt the Greek capital. People seem to rush to Olympic cities prior to the event but are reluctant to return, mainly because hotel rates in host cities always seem to rise afterwards.

Ironically, one of the main reasons why overnight stays are still down in Whistler is because of the new Sea to Sky Highway, once one of the most dangerous roads in Canada which was made safer with a billion dollar remake just before the Games.

“The Sea to Sky once discouraged people from heading home after a day of skiing - especially I the dark. But now skiers can get back to Vancouver in about 90 minutes very safely,” an executive at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler told me.

One thing that has really helped Whistler recover is the abundance of snow it has received this winter, which should extend the season at North America’s best ski resort to well past Easter.

Golfers like me who will be denied getting on the town’s collection of world-class golf courses won’t be happy, though.

Fairmont will inject $100 million into Royal York reno to hold off challenges

The regal Fairmont Royal York to get a facelift.

The Grand Dame of Toronto hotels is about to get a face lift.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts told a select group of travel industry insiders meeting in Whistler, B.C., this week that it will inject over $100 million into modernizing the iconic Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Fairmont’s announcement couldn’t have come at a better time. With so many new 5-Star hotels opening in Toronto this year – the recently opened Trump Tower and Ritz-Carlton Toronto will soon be joined by Four Seasons’ brand new property and the much anticipated Shangri-La Hotel on University Ave. – Fairmont had to respond to the challenge to its premier Canadian property.

However, earlier rumours that the massive Royal York – over 1,000 rooms – would see half its rooms converted into luxury condos, was denied by Fairmont officials.

Most of the $100 million reno will be used to increase conference room space on the hotel’s mezzanine level, where the hotel’s corporate offices are currently located. Those offices will be relocated in the basement of the hotel. This is the second major reno of the chateau-style hotel - between 1988 and 1993, Fairmont spent another $100 million to modernize the room at the Royal York.

 
No one does hotel renos better than Fairmont – just look what they accomplished in London with the rebirth of the legendary Savoy and in Shanghai with its complete remake of the Peace Hotel.

Burma is back in tourists' sights

Burma is now the hottest travel spot on the planet.

This just in: The hottest tourist destination for 2012 is Burma.

If you don't believe me, just ask all the travel agents around the world who are being inundated with requests to go to the Asian nation formerly known as Myanmar.

Canadian travel agents I speak to say since Burma's military regime surrendered power to a new president and with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent visit indicating the U.S. wants to normalize relations with the country, more and more people now want to travel to Burma, the last Asian country to come out from behind the bamboo curtain which veiled the atrocities that once went on in that beautiful land.

Of course, the main reason the tourism spotlight has been turned on Burma is because of the courageous efforts of Aung San Suu Kyi to restore dignity to her homeland which offers tourists some of Asia's most treasured historic relics. Suu Kyi, who once told tourists to stay away from Burma,  now is encouraging travellers to come help her country get back on its economic feet through tourism.

Canadian tour companies like Tour East Holidays of Toronto, the largest organizer of Asian holidays for Canadians, says interest in Burma has doubled in recent months.

The London Telegraph reports about 300,000 foreign tourists visited Burma last year while 19 million arrived in neighbouring Thailand.

However, because Burma has been out of the tourism limelight for so long, don't expect much when you arrive. Hotels and resorts have a long way to go to equal what tourists are treated to in Thailand but with this new interest in Burma, you can bet major chains will soon be building new properties there.

Japan tourism recovering fast

Japan will soon be celebrating
cherry blossom season.

After spending most of the year reporting bad news about Japan, I finally have some good news to share - international tourists are returning to the land of cherry blossoms faster than anyone expected.

While scanning a World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report that landed on my desk today, I noticed figures that shows tourism to earthquake and tsunami-ravaged Japan has rebounded faster than anyone ever expected.

In a report the WTTC entitled "The Tohoku Pacific Earthquake & Tsunami: Impact on Travel & Tourism - Update December 2011", analysis shows that domestic and outbound tourism in Japan is now back to pre-March 2011 baseline, with inbound well on the way to recovery.

In a separate report I read today, the Japan National Tourism Organization says Japanese domestic and outbound tourism has recovered ‘losses’ to levels consistent with or better than forecasts made prior to the earthquake.

Due to the dominance of domestic tourism relative to inbound tourism, this implies that total Japanese tourism demand and GDP will have recovered by the end of 2011.

Furthermore, airline data from Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways suggest a quicker recovery in demand for long-haul destinations than for travel to other Asian destinations.

However, inbound travel to Japan has yet to fully recover and for 2011 as a whole, foreign visitor arrivals are expected to be around 25 per cent lower than in 2010.

That said, it's good to see tourists are feeling much more confident about returning to one of my favourite places in the world.

Airline to sell Mini cars onboard

Latvia's airBaltic to sell Mini Coopers on board.

Airline passengers who fret if the rental car they've reserved online will be waiting when they land have no worries if they fly airBaltic.

Latvia's national carrier announced this week it's now selling cars on board - custom designed Mini Coopers, to be exact. 

This takes on board duty-free shopping to new heights, folks!

And, no, this is no joke.

The airline's CEO, Martin Gauss, said in a statement: “airBaltic is the world’s first airline to start selling cars on board. Naturally, we still believe that flying is smarter than driving whenever possible, and that is why we will offer the airBaltic Mini in a stylish aircraft livery, chosen by the most active of our 60 000-plus Facebook fans.”

This is how the car buying in the sky works: Passengers wishing to purchase the car, pay the equivalent of $60 CDN. to the airBaltic flight attendant and receive a voucher. After landing, the passenger visits www.airbalticshop.com and completes the purchase. Then he or she will receive a call from an airBaltic representative and be invited to see the real car, take a test drive, and then choose payment or leasing options.

The Mini Cooper R56 is valued at about $33,000 CDN and comes with a 1.6-litre, 120hp engine and an automatic transmission. The car will be available for purchase aboard all airBaltic flights from December 16, 2011 until January 15, 2012. See full specifications at http://www.airbalticshop.com/en/airbalticmini

In the past, the airBaltic was the first airline in the world to sell such items as shows and roses in flight.

Young people back Baldwin: Poll

I've been bombarded with lots of comments re. my blog last week in support of Alec Baldwin's refusal to turn off his cell phone while on a parked plane, which eventually led to his removal from that plane by the "airline Nazis" employed by bankrupt American Airlines.

A majority of the comments were in support of my position that the entire "turn off all electronics or the pilot won't be able to talk to the tower" lecture we get aboard flights is total nonsense and the pilots are probably on their cell phones arranging a tee time in the next city as they taxi.

Well, it turns out a lot of young people think the same as me.

According to the Atlanta-based polling firm Poll Position, which conducted a phone survey right after the Baldwin incident, 70 per cent of people between the ages of 18-29 said "yes" when asked "Do you think passengers on a plane should be able to play electronic games with others while on the runway awaiting takeoff?"

On the opposite side, 56 per cent of Americans 65 and over agreed with the airlines and said passengers should not be allowed to play games on cell phones or other electronic devices while awaiting takeoff. What the poll did not show is that probably 90 per cent of that 56 per cent number wouldn't know how to play a game on their cell phone.

For his part, Baldwin had some fun with the incident. On Saturday Night Live this past week, Baldwin, dressed as a pilot, apologized to himself.

Don't we all wish airline employees had a sense of humor like this?

See a breakdown of the full Poll Position survey at http://media.pollposition.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/Poll-Position-Crosstabs-Electronic-games-on-plane.pdf.

American Airlines is out of touch

The problems at American Airlines just keep piling up.

After declaring bankruptcy last week and starting this week by tossing actor Alec Baldwin off a flight, the troubled carrier closed the week by losing four of its top executives, including CEO Gerald Arpey.

The executive defections came after all four, and especially Arpey, disagreed with the airline board's decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection - a ploy used by its competitors to strip airline employees of negotiated contract deals, claw back or eliminate pension plans and deny suppliers of money owed.

I'm not sure whose dummer, banks who lend money to airlines or ones who lend money to European countries. The result is always the same - bankruptcy.

Restructuring the airline will be made harder because of the executive revolt but you can bet AA will find other cutthroat execs who will find ways to screw employees and creditors.

AA is not the first airline and won't be the last to misuse Chapter 11 for its own  advantage - think Wall St. greed here folks - but one wonders why the U.S. government, which touts standing up for the middle class, doesn't stop this nonsense which always results in higher costs to the middle class flyer.

Oh, but of course, the U.S. government's is also bankrupt - of money and integrity!

Baldwin right to challenge air Nazis

Sorry Superman, but I have a new hero - Alec Baldwin.

The grumpy old man of Hollywood took on the "airline Nazis" (a.k.a. flight attendants) today and got tossed off a bankrupt American Airlines flight in Los Angeles for doing so. (Getting kicked off an AA flight is the good news - that way you never have to experience the airline's incompetent service and the flight attendants' arrogance; the main reasons why this pathetic carrier is now on the scrap heap of a once dignified industry).



Back on board today's flight with Baldwin: The star of 30 Rock and countless Hollywood flicks, Baldwin, the one actor every common man like me can connect with, got into a verbal sparring match with flight attendants after refusing to turn off his cell phone - he was apparently playing a word game at the time but the aircraft was still parked at the gate.



The always gruff Baldwin apparently told the attendants to take a hike and continued playing his game. According to a statement released later in the day by the bankrupt airline, they are accusing the actor of being "extremely rude to the crew" (good, maybe now they now how it feels) and says he called them "inappropriate names" and used "offensive language." (Who among us has not wanted to yell at a rude flight attendant?)

Thank you Alec for bringing this whole "please turn off your cell phones and electronic devices" nonsense to the forefront. We all know now that electronic devices like cellphones and computers do not interfere with communications between pilot and tower during takeoff and landing - just ask any industry expert of you don't believe. If that was the case, then satellite transmissions that feed on board entertainment systems (which are on during takeoff and landing) would have the same effect. Ditto for online feeds that are now provided to many planes.

Oh, I forgot, the airlines charge to use those electronic services so that makes it okay.

What a lot nonsense and good for Baldwin for standing up to the "airline Nazis." 

Of course, the attendants on AA flights are so old, which Baldwin pointed out in his Twitter comment after being tossed off, maybe they no longer have to eyesight to see the latest data on electronic devices. I swear, the last AA flight I took, I was sure two of the grossly overweight attendants would reach retirement age before we landed.

Please, dear God, let American Airlines go out of business!

2012 Games costs out of control



Am I the only person on the planet who is outraged by the news this week out of London that security costs for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in the British capital will now reach $1.6 billion U.S.?

With this new extra amount being committed to security, the total budget for the Games will now surpass $15 billion U.S. - and counting- according to British officials.

Have we all gone mad?

Wasn't this the same Britain where people were rioting in the streets a few months ago because they could not find jobs?

How many jobs would $15 billion create, anyway?

When will people start rioting in the streets because of this wasteful spending by governments?

Less we forget, the 2004 Athens Summer Games started Greece on the road to bankruptcy, and Montreal just recently paid off its Olympic debt - from 1976.

We're all overcome with national pride when our countries are "awarded" Olympic Games and we spend like drunken sailors trying to make our Olympics better than the last. However, the financial hangover that always accompanies these sporting orgies can no longer be tolerated.

Politicians should not be allowed to cut schemes aimed at job creation or social programs - like the British government has been doing for the past few years - yet be allowed to spend wildly on a two-week party that in the end benefits no one except those at the top of the Olympic corruption heap.

 Stop the insanity!

Auckland is indeed a 'Quality' city

Beautiful Auckland is indeed a quality city.

Auckland, a city I want so much to visit, is today celebrating being named the "Most Livable City in the Southern Hemisphere" in the prestigious Mercer 2011 Quality of Living Survey, which is conducted annually.

The New Zealand metropolis now ranks third worldwide in this Quality of Living category, right behind Vienna and Zurich, Switzerland, respectively.

The only other Southern Hemisphere city to come close to Auckland in the survey was Australia's Sydney, which placed 11th in the survey.

The news was welcomed by Gregg Anderson, GM North America, for Tourism New Zealand.

“Auckland is a city of great diversity,” says Anderson. “As the gateway to New Zealand for American and Canadians, it’s also a great place for visitors to explore when they first get to New Zealand.”

Vancouver placed 5th on the Mercer list, which evaluated 221 cities worldwide. Toronto ranked 15th.

Let American Airlines die, please!

It's been a good news, bad news kind of day for me.

Good news: American Airlines filed for bankruptcy.

Bad news: American Airlines will continue to fly.

AA is the last of the big American carriers to file for bankruptcy protection - a cute ploy by which they pay off creditors about 25 cents on every dollar they owe and get yet another excuse to raise fares and charge for extra baggage, etc., when they resurface as a "restructured" airline.

Just as people are occupying Wall St., airline passengers should be occupying airports demanding this bankruptcy tactic be stopped. Not only are we being gouged as passengers but also as taxpayers because governments lose money when airlines take this bankruptcy route.

If just one of these big carriers was allowed to fall from the sky, the bankruptcy practice would soon stop.

There's not an American carrier that deserves to be flying - AA, Southwest, Continental, et al are the worst airlines in the world and they've been bankrupt of good ideas on how to improve service for years.

Airfare to London just $235!

The great air deals from my "spies in the sky" keep crossing my desk - today I've just been handed a return airfare price from Toronto to London that's simply crazy good.

The Deal:

London return airfare

$235!

From Toronto

Airline: Lufthansa

Travel Period: Nov. 22 - Dec. 15, 2011

Ticketing Until: Dec. 7, 2011

Air Taxes: $614.48

We 'Splash' down on White Beach

The captain and crew of Seadream I enjoy a day at the beach with passengers.

JOST VAN DYKE, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS – The final day of my Caribbean voyage aboard the luxury yacht Seadream 1 was the best.

The sleek yacht anchored in pretty White Bay – one of the tiniest of British Virgin Islands where only a few hundred people live – and all passengers were delivered by zodiac to the island’s snow white beach for a barbeque and a “Cavier and Champagne Splash.”

The “Splash” has become a tradition on Seadream’s Caribbean voyages and judging by all the smiles, it’s a hit.

Copious amounts of champagne and Russian caviar are consumed under a cloudless sky before passengers return to the ship and are treated a few hours later to a farewell dinner featuring eight courses.

While on Jost van Dyke – no relation to Dick – we explored some of the many bars that line the beach and came across one called Foxy’s, whose owner, Foxy Collwell, has become a local legend because people can’t stump him when it comes to knowing the song lyrics.

“Name the song, any song – Foxy knows the words,” Seadream I’s activity director Jeff tells us and sure enough, Foxy belts out the words to every song we toss his way.

Seadream sure knows how to save the best for last.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back in San Juan and our adventure will be over.

What I liked about this voyage:

- The all-inclusive luxury – didn’t pay for anything onboard;

- The food – every meal, including breakfast was first rate;

- The service – well done and no tipping allowed;

- The onboard spa – these therapists are among the best I’ve ever experienced;

- The sports marina at the back of the yacht each day which featured seadoos and snorkeling;

- The 24-hour in room dining

- The accommodation – all cabins were excellent.

Overall, I give the Seadream experience an “A+” rating.

Job well done – especially the last day!

Yacht club welcomes castaways

Bitter End Yacht Club features a great sailing school.

VIRGIN GORDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS – Our day on this British Virgin Island did not start out as planned.

Inclement weather prevented the captain of our Seadream I yacht from anchoring on Virgin Gorda’s South Sound, where we were supposed to visit the Baths – giant boulders spit out of a volcano billions of years ago that have been shaped into dramatic forms by the sea and surf along the shoreline.

Instead, we anchored off the island’s splendid North Sound and spent the day frolicking in the gentle surf off the Bitter End Yacht Club.

The yacht club welcomes millionaire sailors from around the world who willing fork over $1,000 a night to stay in chic villas perched on hillsides overlooking a North Sound filled with expansive sailing boats and lots of history.

It was in the North Sound where real life pirates of the Caribbean like Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Sir Francis Drake hid out in secluded coves and launched attacks against ships headed back to Europe with New World riches.

Christopher Columbus first sighted the string this chain of islands on his second voyage to the New World in 1493. He called them Virgin Islands in honour of the 11,000 virgin followers of St. Ursula who was martyred in the 4th century.

Although we started the day out on a sour note, the Bitter End was a sweet surprise.

Island offers visitors a cold shoulder

Snooty St. Barts is more Paris than Caribbean.

ST. BARTS, FRENCH WEST INDIES – Sailed into snooty Gustavia, the capital of St Barts, today and couldn’t wait to get back on board the Seadream I.

From the deck of my sleek Seadream I yacht, the Caribbean capital held much promise - I was impressed with the cotton candy coloured homes that cling to the side of the steep volcanic hills Gustavia is built around.

However, once ashore, I was less impressed.

Tourists appear to be an irritant to the residents of this South of France wannabe, whose U-shaped harbour is filled with million-dollar yachts owned by top French politicians, actors and sports stars.

The real estate in St. Barts ranks among the highest in the world and the corner store here is Louis Vuitton.

The euro is the currency in St. Barts and although most visitors arriving on cruise ships carry U.S. dollars, shopkeepers here refuse to accept the Greenback.

The narrow streets of this French West Indies outpost are always clogged with odd-looking cars and littered with dog poo – maybe that’s why the residents’ noses are always turned up.

St. Barts is the coldest place in the Caribbean – in terms of offering visitors a warm welcome and I cut my visit short.

Back on board the Seadream I, a loud cheer goes up when cruise director Jeff announces our next port of call will be the British Virgin Island town of Virgin Gorda – seems I’m not the only one happy to be leaving St. Barts.

San Juan, P.R. a real tourist gem

The Hotel El Convento is a San Juan gem.

DATELINE: SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – I arrived in this U.S. outpost yesterday and prior to boarding my Seadream yacht for a week-long cruise in the Caribbean Sea, I decided to tour the city’s Old Town.

Wow! This is Quebec City on steroids.

Being the second oldest city in the Americas, San Juan has plenty to offer history buffs like myself – lots of old forts and narrow streets crammed with colourful buildings; some dating back to the city’s very beginning in the late 1400s.

One of the most delightful places I discovered on my walking tour was the Hotel El Convento, a Small Luxury Hotels of the World property hidden away on Cristo Street across from the stately San Juan Cathedral. I wish I had known about this property before booking a room at one of the city’s newer, overpriced and undervalued hotels (no names please) near the airport.

The chic hotel started out as a convent back in 1651 and was saved from the wrecker’s ball in the 1960s, when it was turned into the delightful hotel property it is today. Go to www.elconvento.com to learn more about this treasure.

There’s many surprises awaiting you on the old streets of San Juan – San Francisco and Cristo were my favourite streets and very close to the city’s landmark old fort which offers visitors spectacular sea and city views.

San Juan is the Rodney Dangerfield of cities – it gets very little respect – but after spending a morning walking around this delight, I know I want to spend more time here.

Famed Dutch band to tour Canada

48th Highlanders of Holland will visit Canada next month.

One of the most moving and memorable tours I've ever taken was to the battlefield graveyards in the Netherlands, where so many young Canadians gave their lives to help the Dutch gain their freedom from the clutches of Hitler's evil.

The Dutch have never forgotten what Canadians did for them and to this very day care for our graves as if they were their own soldiers. The bond between our countries has grown ever stronger since World War II and every time a major WWII occasion crops up, the Dutch open their homes and arms to welcome back Canadian veterans.

In 1991, the Dutch created a living tribute to Canada when it established the 48th Highlanders of Holland Pipes & Drums band, named after the famed Canadian regiment which helped liberate the city Apeldoorn in April 1945. The Canadian regiment had its own pipe band and its members led the regiment into battle that day.

Now, that Dutch band in coming to Canada for a seven-day tour between Nov. 2-9.

The visit of the Dutch band is timed to celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the 48th Highlanders of Canada at their “Homecoming Weekend”, Nov. 4,5 and 6, 2011. (see http://www.48highlanders.com/ for more info on that event).

The Dutch Band will be performing in Burlington (twin city of Apeldoorn), Brantford and Toronto betwen Nov 2 – 9 and everyone is invited to attend the free performances.

Here's where they'll be performing:

Nov. 2 - Burlington: Branch 60 of the Royal Canadian Legion, 7 p.m.  

Nov. 3 - Burlington: 11 a.m., Mount Royal Plaza and Brant Street; 5.30 p.m. 501 Kenmar Crescent street party.

Nov. 4 - Brantford: 9.45 a.m., Brantford War Memorial. Laying of a wreath and Remembrance concert;

11.30 a.m., Canadian Military Heritage Museum. This will be followed by performances with the 48th Highlanders of Canada.
Nov. 5 - Toronto: 11 a.m., Parade in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Nov. 6 - Toronto: 11 am. Remembrance Day Parade Queens Park.

Nov. 7 - Burlington: Performance for the Seniors, 11.15 a.m. Burlington Senior’s Centre, 2285 New St. in Central Park adjacent to the Central Library.
Nov. 8 - Burlington: Performance at Burlington City Hall, 11.30 a.m., Laying of a wreath at the Burlington War Memorial at City Hall; 12 p.m., Performance for Mayor Rick Goldring and members of Council and citizens of Burlington, Burlington City Hall Square.

To find out more about the band and it`s Canadian Tour see www.48th-highlanders.nl/indexeng.html.

For further information contact: Jim Matz (Tour Organizer, Canada) jimmatz@cogeco.ca or 905-632 – 5752.

And if you ever get a chance to visit the Netherlands, make sure you visit one of the Canadian military graveyards - it's a moving experience you'll never forget!