Seadream drops anchor in St. John

St. Johon is dotted with quaint coves and pristine beaches like this.

ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – After a night of fine wine, French-style cuisine, late-night dancing under the stars on the top deck aboard Seadream 1, we made landfall today on this tiny Caribbean treasure that was formed by a volcano billions of years ago.

The former slave island that was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1493 is dominated by the Virgin Islands National Park, which occupies three-quarters of this lush island paradise.

I took a two-hour cab ride – cost $25 – around the island and the cabbie Earl was a fountain of information. He introduced me to the island’s delicate eco system, dominated by medicinal plants and rare species. Earl also took me to some of the island’s pristine beaches tucked away in the many coves that can be found in the national park.

The likeable Earl jokingly told me that Columbus called these the Virgin Islands because “the beautiful native women that were here to greet him refused to give him a date.”

Everyone on this island is just like Earl –friendly and warm to strangers.

St. John, the neighbour to the much better known St. Thomas, which is just a short ferry ride away, is a place where Hollywood types like Alan Alda, Harrison Ford and Mel Brooks like to hang out.

I’ll be writing much more about St. John at www.travelife.ca very soon so stay tuned.

Next stop on my Seadream 1 yachting adventure: St. Barths.

Toronto’s new Ritz passes my spa test

The Ritz-Carlton Toronto is modern but cozy.

Thank you Ritz-Carlton - for finally giving Toronto a world class spa.

We’ve been waiting a long time and putting up with inferior spas in this city that charge high prices but deliver low quality service and amenities.

No need to mention names – you “pretend” Toronto spas know who you are.

I don’t mean to be a snob, either, but after experiencing some of the best spas in the world, including the planet’s top-rated pleasure palace – Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental – I think I’m qualified to speak on the subject.

So I put the new Ritz spa to the test this past weekend and it passed my rigged grading process with flying colours.

The staff was welcoming and accommodating; the facility so new you can still smell the wet paint; the amenities, like showers, steam rooms, saunas and lounges were state-of-the-art but comfy; the treatment rooms were cozy and the treatment beds were the best I’ve ever experienced at a Canadian spa.

The most important part of any spa treatment, though, is the therapist. Sarah, the young woman who rubbed away my aches and pains, is a student of the art – she actually studied in Thailand; the Mecca of spa learning.

Sarah’s technique was first class and her approach to the treatment – first asking my daily routine and then progressing to what my major aches were on that particular day – was totally professional.

I know what you’re thinking – what else would you expect from the ritzy Ritz-Carlton?

Trust me, I’ve been in other 5-star hotel spas who failed to impress.

The Ritz-Carlton Toronto didn’t disappoint, though – I rate this Canada’s No. 1 spa. But maybe I should say “for now” because the Ritz will be getting competition from the new Four Seasons and Shangri La properties that are still under construction in downtown Toronto and will be opening with their own world class spas next summer.

But the new properties will have to be pretty good to unseat the Ritz-Carlton on my “My Favourite Toronto Spa List” which currently has only one member.

It’s not cheap – treatments begin well north of $150 but Torontonians have been paying those prices for years and getting little satisfaction.

NOTE: The Ritz- Carlton is also home to a new favourite dining spot of mine – TOCA. The chic room - TOCA is the shortened form of Toronto-Canada – offers up a fish and chips which features lobster instead of regular fish. Simply delicious!

Aruba is the jewel of the Caribbean

I took this photo of fun-loving tourists enjoying a
sail ride above one of Aruba's beautiful beaches.

DATELINE ARUBA - I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I'm not a big fan of the Caribbean.

There are exceptions, of course. Grenada, Barbados and Bermuda (okay geography professors, I know technically Bermuda is not a Caribbean country but it's always lumped in with the other island nations of that region) are places I find fascinating to visit.

Now you can add Aruba to my "favourites" list.

Just returned from that treasured desert island which sits just north of Venezuela and I must say the country and its people captivated me.

Aruba's official slogan is "One Happy Island" and it seems smiles are etched on the natives' faces at birth.

Aruba is unlike any other Caribbean island I've visited. It really is a desert island with lots of cactus sticking up from the country's famous white sand. Aruba is more Arizona than Jamaica. The island sat under water for the first billion years of time and when the waters pushed back it left lots of coral on the land,  which helps filter the country's drinking water and makes it, according to locals, the best tap water in the world. I must say, the tap water was exceptional and it was sans chemicals.

Aruba is small - about 19 miles long and 8 miles wide, but proving once again good things come in small packages, the island has much to offer visitors, including some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. There's lots of sunken World War II ships just offshore and they have become gathering places for tourists visiting the island.

The island was once part of the Dutch West Indies and the head of state is still the Queen of the Netherlands. Holland also handles Aruba's foreign affairs but everything else is controlled by Aruba's parliament.

The country is rimmed by white beaches and there's only one 18-hole golf course, a beauty designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. 18 years ago. The course at Tierra del Sol straddles the Caribbean Sea and playing it requires the strength of Superman because you are always battling hurricane force winds and that dreadful Bermuda grass that makes playing the course equivalent to teeing off on an SOS pad. But the course is in great shape and the views are superb.

Being so close to South America, there's a real Latin flavour about Aruba and the nightlife here is wonderful - lots of dancing and great rum!

I'll be writing lots of stories in the coming weeks about Aruba, including how Canadians have overtaken its beaches; how one man defies logic and makes wine on this desert island; and how I performed on the Robert Trent Jones course.

So stay tuned!