B.C.'s Kelowna is disappointing



Giant homes are cropping up in the wine fields of B.C.



Few of the 100 countries I've visited in the past 20 years have ever disappointed me. That's not to say I've liked every destination. In fact, I hope one day the Tower of Pisa falls so tourists like me no longer get robbed by the greedy, annoying merchants who line the walkways leading to Italy's famous landmark. And I don't care if I ever again set eyes on Barcelona - the food almost killed me (food poisoning) and I discovered that the words "Gaudi" and "gaudy" are one in the same. But I never thought I'd be telling you that a Canadian location disappointed me. Especially one that has been described as being "one of the most beautiful places on Earth", by a Toronto Star travel writer.

But I saw very little beauty in Kelowna, the British Columbia wine-growing region that's often been called "Kelownafornia" because it's supposed to rival California's Napa Valley for beauty.

Sorry, I've been to the Napa Valley and Kelowna is no Napa Valley. In fact, Ontario's Niagara wine growing region is far more appealing than Kelowna's.

There's not much to like in a place where hundreds of Neon signs greet you as you enter from West Kelowna; strip malls dominate the main street running through town; and where vineyards are being overrun by giant homes that should be on the Bridal Path.

Wine growers in Kelowna are selling off their prized vineyards to developers, so fields that once swept down to lovely Lake Okanagan, now take a detour around giant homes and create an ugly view.

Okay, I must admit the lake and the mountains that surround it are beautiful; the golf courses, especially Predator Ridge, are spectacular; and recently-opened Sparkling Hills Resort - the best vacation property in Canada, it says here - are still pretty good reasons to take a direct flight from Toronto to Kelowna; but don't expect to see Tuscany-type views here.

October TraveLife magazine available!

Imagine, it's already October and another 12 months is about to come to an end and I'm another year older!

That's the bad news - the good news is that another issue of TraveLife magazine will be distributed this weekend in the Toronto Star (Oct. 22), my former employer and Canada's largest newspaper.

TraveLife magazine can be accessed online right NOW at http://www.travelife.ca/ and our team of excellent writers have been busy filing stories from exotic places around the world.

In the October/December issue of TraveLife magazine, you'll find stories on:

British Columbia's Sunshine Coast: Brian Brown and Laurel Rowbotham sail away on a 10-day cruise along B.C.'s breathtakingly beautiful waterways and tell us about their experience of fishing for crabs and shrimps and coming face-to-face with bald eagles and starfish.

Japan's Kyoto: George Millar tells us about his experience at a temple in that ancient Japanese city.

Israel's Eilat: TraveLife's photo editor Casey Nolin takes some back roads to get to Israel's "fun capital."

San Francisco: Karen Asp and her husband patrol the streets of San Francisco in some unusual vehicles.

India's Little Tibet: Our adventurous writer Amy Chung goes out of her way to find excitement in India.

Guam's food culture: Cynthia Dial attends a food festival on Guam and comes away with an appetite for more of this treasured island.

Bora Bora: Mark Dimitroff discovers the inner beauty of this South Pacific treasure with the help of an island icon.

China: Chloe Tse has the second part of her amazing journey to China, the land of her ancestors.

And it's been a busy time between editions for me - I've taken exciting trips to Panama, Taiwan, Malaysia and Miami and share my experiences in the October issue of TraveLife magazine.

So look for a copy of TraveLife magazine in the Toronto Star Saturday (Oct. 22) or go online and read it on your iPad or smart phone.

Osaka airfare for $580 return!

My memories of Osaka are all good ones!

Here's another great air deal I just came across:

Return airfare from Toronto to Osaka for $580!

Details:

Travel Period:

Oct 19 - Dec 15, 2011;

& Jan 1 - Apr 1, 2012

Air Taxes: $683

Ticketing Until: Oct 21, 2011

Call: 1.866.929.6688

Japan offers tourists free airfare

Japan's beleaguered tourism officials are pulling out all the stops to get foreigners to return to their accident prone country.

Japan's Tourism Authority announced this week it is giving away 10,000 free flights in a contest that requires winners to write positive things about their visit to a country that has seen its fair share of disasters in recent years - culminating in this past spring's earthquake/tsunami that caused over 20,000 deaths and billions in damages.

Since the earthquake/tsunami, Japan has experienced a 50 per cent drop in tourism and a 47 per cent decline in foreign tourist spending.

The airfare giveaway - you have to submit an application online to get one - will be launched in April 2012 -  with lots of hoopla and help from Hollywood types - and will cost the Japanese government $14.3 million U.S. Winners are responsible for their own lodging, food and ancillary expenses.

Japan needs our help so let's hope this free airfare promotion works - I know I'm going to apply!

Stories posted on www.travellife.ca

Meet the lovely people
of Bora Bora at travelife.ca

We’ve been busy at travelife.ca this week adding new stories to our front page for your enjoyment.

Four new stories have been posted – one on the delightful Caribbean island of Aruba; one of a family Christmas in Austria; one on the magical South Pacific island of Bora Bora; and one on a city in Taiwan where the local hero is a Canadian.

Regular contributor and dear friend Cynthia Dial shares her family’s last Christmas with readers – it was spent in fairytale Austria listening to Christmas concerts, sipping spiced liquids and sampling some local holiday cuisine in Vienna and Salzburg. Her account will make you want to book a ticket to Austria to spend Christmas this year.

Mark Dimitroff, a fine Canadian writer who now graces the pages of TraveLife magazine on a regular basis, takes us to Bora Bora, known as the Island of Gods and goes off the beaten track with a local legend where he got to see the island’s inner beauty.

It was a busy September for me – trips to Taiwan and Aruba resulted in two unique experiences, which I’m glad to share with you at travelife.ca.

While in Aruba, I met a delightful man who actually grows grapes and makes wine under the harsh Caribbean sun. Vino Vince may not be the best wine in the world but the man who makes it, Vincente Kock is a unique character and a great ambassador for the island which sits just a few kilometres off the coast of Venezuela.

In Taiwan, I ventured out of Taipei one day and found myself in Tamsui, a fishing town on the Dansui River where Canadian missionary George Lesley McKay is idolized for the good works he did there in the late 1800s. Museums, hospitals and schools bear his name and a statue of the great man dominates the city’s biggest park. Tamsui is an interesting place with an aboriginal history and has much to offer a visitor.

So go to www.travelife.ca and enjoy the stories we’ve chosen for your reading enjoyment this month.

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!

My Top 10 autumn color tours

Now that autumn is here - well, almost - people are sending me emails asking if I can recommend some places to see fall foliage in all its billiance.

So, I've compiled this list of my 10 favourite spots that I've seen Mother Nature change into her most colourful coat:

1- New York’s Adirondack Mountains: Just a few hours from New York or Montreal, the colour show put on in this awesome region by Mother Nature is truly one of the most spectacular you’ll ever see. Drives along narrow, winding highways bordered by fast moving streams lead to places like Saranac Lake, Lake George and Lake Placid. In between, a canvas of colour clings to mighty mountains where tress and rock blend together to make one fabulous site.

2- Quebec’s Mont-Tremblant: Just two hours north of Montreal, a blanket of colour spreads across this famous ski region in late September and offers some of the most vibrant shades of natural colour you’ll ever come across. The French Canadian ambience and food just add to the autumn glory in this area of glorious Canada.

3- New Hampshire: This state was always one of my favourites on family fall outings, especially the areas around Franconia Notch and North Conway. The colours in New Hampshire always seemed brighter and the festive mood of the people there in the fall seemed more enthusiastic and genuine.

4- Pennsylvania: We stumbled across northern Pennsylvania’s autumn glory after visiting a cousin in State College, home to the University of Pennsylvania. We were blown away by what we saw. The state has 108 species of native trees and most change colour in the fall.

5- West Virginia: This is a state that gets overlooked by a lot of leaf hunters. However, America’s most forested state offers some of the most brilliant colour changes. Here trees begin turning in late September and the spectacle lasts until late October – the peek season for the colours there.

6- Ontario: The area north of Toronto known as the Muskokas, and the Niagara Falls region, south of the city, are among the favourites for fall colour enthusiasts. The Agawa Canyon train trip is one of the top-rated spectacles anywhere, but the province’s other regions also have much to offer in autumn.
7- Virginia: This state's stunning landscape looks even better in the fall months and drives and hikes along the Skyline Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail and many other byways and highways will leave you speechless. Some suggest the Shenandoah Valley offers the best autumn moments but I find it difficult to recommend one Virginia region over another.

8- The Carolinas: Believe it or not, both North and South Carolina offer fall foliage seasons. They’re not as vibrant as their northern neighbours but they’re still pretty spectacular. South Carolina’s Upcountry, set amidst the rugged beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills and along the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway (SC Hwy. 11) are two areas we highly recommend.
9- Canada’s East Coast: Densely forested provinces like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are the best places to see the changing colours. In the small town of St. Andrews by the Sea, N.B., just across the border with Maine, they celebrate the fall season with parades and fireworks and many cooking festivals.

10- Maine and Vermont: I left my favorite autumn destinations for last. The states of Maine and Vermont are without a doubt the most beautiful of all 50 when fall descends upon the northeast. In small seaside towns like Maine’s Boothbay Harbor to ski centres like Vermont’s Killington and Stowe, and every town and village in between, fall is celebrated like Christmas.

I'm now a 'Trusted Traveller' folks!

I can see the future of travel folks - thanks to my new NEXUS card.

Yes, I've become a proud member of the NEXUS club, which allows me to avoid the long lineups waiting to see a U.S. Customs agent at Pearson International Airport and go directly to a kiosk, where my eye is quickly scanned and I'm allowed to go to security without having to see an agent.

I'm now what they call a "Trusted Traveller."

No more having to play nice with a custom's officer when I'm in a bad mood early in the morning. No more having to line up like cattle. No more pushing and shoving. No more delays!

I must confess, I'm breaking a promise to my fellow NEXUS friends who asked me not to write this blog for fear others will rush to get their NEXUS cards and lineups will soon start forming in front of the easy to use kiosks.

But hey, I have a responsibility to my faithful readers.

Getting the NEXUS card was easier than I thought. Just applied online, got a invitation for an interview (I took the one offered at the Fort Erie border crossing because to get one at Pearson International would have taken months instead of the few weeks I waited) and a few weeks later I had my card!

You have to go through two same day face-to-face interviews with U.S. and Canadian customs officers (hence the visit to Fort Erie) but that took just over an hour. When I visited Fort Erie, I was struck by the number of autographed photos of sports personalities the Canadian customs officer had displayed at her desk. "The sports guys are all getting the NEXUS card because they don't want to line up, either," she told me.

I can use the card coming into or out of Canada - even when I'm arriving from overseas destinations. The card can also be used if I'm driving into the U.S. - everyone in the car must have a NEXUS card or you'll have to go through the regular line, though - and the Rainbow Bridge crossing at Niagara Falls has been converted into a NEXUS only facility. Talk about being privileged!

Of course, the conditions attached to the card are strict. If you're pulled over randomly for a check by a customs officer and they find you're bringing something back that you've not declared, you'll lose the NEXUS card right on the spot and a black mark will appear beside your name for seven years.

Going to the States looks a lot brighter now, though, thanks to my new NEXUS card.

Paolo's Air Deal Today: Berlin

Berlin Airfare

$313

Return From Toronto

Air Taxes: $528.78

Travel Period:

Oct 20 - Dec 19, 2011

Ticketing until: Oct 15, 2011

Call: 1.866.929.6688

My 'likes" & 'dislikes' about Taiwan

The Taiwanese are a fun-loving lot!

DATELINE TAIPEI – There’s much to like about this incredible country of beautiful coastlines, dramatic black mountains, quaint villages, dynamic cities and gentle, peaceful people.

But there were a few things I didn’t like while travelling around this Asian beauty the past week.

My likes:

- Pineapple cake – yummy!

- Taipei’s subway – the cleanest on the planet!

- The Taiwanese people – the friendliest in Asia!

- Night markets – they’re so much fun!

- Temples – my favorite was Kuan-du temple, circa 1661!

- Clean streets – garbage doesn’t gather here like Hong Kong!

- Wi-Fi – it’s accessible everywhere in Taiwan!

- Soup filled dumplings – Ding Tai Fung restaurant was the best!

My dislikes:

- Stinky to-fu – yuck!

- Traffic chaos – typically Asian (thank goodness they have a great subway).

So, as you can see, my “likes” about travelling in Taiwan far outweigh my “dislikes”.

Taiwan's temples are a must see

Taipei has hundreds of temples but the
one that goes to the top of my must-see
list is the 17th century Guandu Temple, the
oldest in Northern Taiwan. A golden incense pot
welcomes visitors at the entrance of this
multi-storey temple that clings to the side of a
rock mountain which affords visitors great views of the city.

The temples elaborate ceilings have you craning your neck during a visit.

I've never visited a temple that has so many floors.

The roots of a giant banyan tree tell how old this temple is.

The exterior walls of the temple are beautiful to look at.

The roof ornaments on this temple are some of the best I've ever seen,

Guandu is an active temple where the
ordinary people of Taipei come to worship.

I'm not a big temple guy but Guandu is well worth a visit.

Paolo's air deals: Taiwan & Italy





Taipei Airfare

$500

Return from Toronto

Air Taxes: $338

Travel Period:
Aug 30 - Oct 31, 2012
Ticketing until: Sep 13, 2011

OR

Turin (Italy) Airfare

$751

Return from Toronto

Airline: Luftansa

Air Taxes: $478.41

Travel Period:

Sep 1, 2011 - Mar 1, 2012

Ticketing until: Aug 31, 2011

Call: 1.866.929.6688

Good Boy Paolo!

Paolo's Deals: Beirut & Hong Kong

Paolo digs up great air deals every day.

Hong Kong Airfare

$550

Return from Toronto

Air Taxes: $381

Travel Period:

Aug 23 - Dec 8, 2011

Ticketing until: August 23, 2011

OR

Beirut Airfare

$754

Return from Toronto

Airline: Etihad Airways

Air Taxes: $387.64

Travel Period:

Aug 23 - Oct 22, 2011

Ticketing until: Oct. 20, 2011

Call: 1.800.667.395

Good Boy Paolo!

Today's TraveLife Air Deals

Singapore Airfare
$400 
 return from Vancouver
*Approx. Air Taxes $699
Travel Period: Aug 22 - Oct 31, 2011    
 Ticketing until:  August 23, 2011


or
Casablanca, 
Morocco Airfare 
$536 
return from Montreal
*Approx. Air Taxes $298.36
Travel Period: Aug 19 - Nov 12, 2011   
Ticketing until:  October 30, 2011
Airline: Royal Air Maroc


Call: 1.800.667.395

My blog now tops 8,000 page views



Back in March when a friend challenged me to start this blog, I wondered if anyone would care about what I have to tell them.

Well, six months later, over 8,000 of you have let me know that you like coming along with me on my world travels and like the comments, tips, deals and advice in pass along to you via this format.

Over 8,100 are now viewing this blog on a daily basis and I thank you for your support and encouragement.

I'm not in Charlie Sheen's 10 million-plus viewer blog territory yet, but hey, I'm only drinking wine, not taking hard drugs!

Some of my blogs have generated some real passionate responses from you - the one in which I criticized Kate Middleton's wedding dress certainly prompted a lot of comments and I must say, most of you agreed with me that the royal wedding dress did not live up to its pre-ceremony hype.

And one of the most read blogs was the one I posted from Beijing on the biggest Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in the world which is located in China's capital.

There are many more posts coming your way and I'll be sharing my travels with you on upcoming trips to St. Lucia and Taiwan which will occur in the next few weeks.

I'm humbled by your support and I thank you once again.

Paolo's air deals today: Venice

Paolo digs up some great air deals!

Venice Airfare

$756

Return From Toronto

Airline: Alitalia

Air Taxes: $457.75

Travel Period:

Aug. 11- Nov. 10, 2011
Ticketing until: Aug. 16, 2011
Call: 1.866.929.6688

Good boy Paolo!

China must slow high-speed train plans until all safety concerns are met

Gulp! That was my reaction when I read the news a few days ago about China's new high-speed train derailing on a run from Hangzhou that killed 39 people.

I was supposed to be on that train from Hangzhou!

When I arrived in Beijing last week, newspapers and TV news shows were filled with horror stories concerning breakdowns involving the new high-speed trains - billed as the fastest in the world - which stopped unexpectedly in the middle of nowhere with passengers trapped inside sweltering hot cars waiting for help. In the four days I was in Beijing, the high speed train to Shanghai broke down three times.

One TV news report I watched had passengers shouting at young attendants who broke down in tears - foreign tourists actually came to the aid of the distraught railway employees and pushed the angry Chinese passengers away.

The breakdowns were the reason why I decided to take a car from Hangzhou to Shanghai instead of taking the train - a three hour journey which would have been covered in less than an hour on the rails.

When I read about the derailment, I was shocked - that could have been me.

China is racing into high-speed train travel at breakneck speed - literally - and someone in authority has to put the brakes on this expansion until all safety concerns are met. China's aim is to export its high-speed train technology around the world (it's currently building a line in Turkey and hopes to sell trains to British Rail) but this latest incident, which cost 39 innocent people their lives, may have other countries rethinking the purchases.

Slow down China and do things right!

Paolo's Deal of the Day

Paolo has dug up a great air deal to Australia.

Sydney Airfare

 $749

Return from Vancouver

Airline: Air New Zealand

Air Taxes: $657 (approx)

Travel Period:

July 24 - Sept. 21, 2011

Ticketing until: July 28, 2011

Call: 1.866.929.6688

Good Boy Paolo!

Panama is a very impressive place

Panama City is as modern a metroplis as Hong Kong.

Just got back from my Panama visit and my first impression of this new kid on the block tourist destination is I'm very impressed.

Panama is much more than a canal - which, I must admit, is one of the most impressive man-made structures I've ever seen; right up there with China's Great Wall and Egypt's pyramids.

Panama City, the capital, is a fast-paced vertical metropolis that's as exciting as Hong Kong, New York or London - lots of great restaurants, brand new hotels (like the about to open Trump Tower), old world charm in its Old Town district and an exciting nightlife that's spiced up with lots of casinos and clubs.

The people of Panama are friendly - a bit shy and certainly not as in your face as Brazilians, but they are welcoming and always flash a smile.

Of course, as I discovered, Panama's ecology is second to none and its eco-tourism sector, that feature rain forest safaris and jungle walks that lead to breathtaking waterfalls even impressed a couch potato like me.

Some people are calling South and Central America the new Caribbean. I couldn't agree more. The Caribbean is too costly for me and the beach resorts one finds in Panama and the rest of Latin America offer much better value.

Okay, I know there's always a safety concern about Latin America. Get over it folks. The drug dealers have all moved north to Mexico from places like Colombia and the only thing you have to be afraid of in Panama is the giant-sized insects that look like jumbo jets.

Speaking of Colombia - a place I can't wait to visit - people in Panama were telling me their neighbour - Panama once belonged to Colombia - is the next tourist hot spot in this region.

I flew with Copa Airlines to Panama and the Panama City-based carrier, which will soon become a member of Star Alliance along with Air Canada, is superb in every way - service and reliability are right up their with the 5-star carriers.

Business is booming in Panama and my plane was full of Canadian business executives headed to Panama City to make big deals in mining and finance. One of the biggest banks in Panama is our own Scotiabank.

One of the fastest growing demographics in Panama is retirees, mostly from the U.S. and Canada. Here you can get downtown Pacific Ocean-view condos for about $140,000 and over on the Caribbean side of the country, Canadian developers are about to open condos along the Atlantic Ocean coast for about the same price.

I highly recommend Panama as a vacation destination and Copa Airlines is a great way to get there.

Paolo's Travel Deal Today

Paolo digs up great air deals every day!

Tokyo Airfare

$640

Return from Toronto

Air Taxes: $695.17 (appox.)

Travel Period:

Oct. 23 – Dec. 13, 2011

Dec. 25, 2011 – Jan. 2, 2012

Jan. 7, 2012 – March 21, 2012

April 1, 2012 – May 3, 2012

Ticketing until: April 30, 2012

Call: 1.866.929.6688

Good boy Paolo!