Go Long...

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It's Wednesday. You've been busy and haven't planned anything for the Labour Day Long Weekend because you: a) haven't had time b) couldn't be bothered c) think it's too expensive to go anywhere. It just so happens I can help you with all three excuses, unless you want to stay home! Here are some high/low long weekend getaways designed to get you outta town!

Long Weekend Getaways Pitch A Tent [trip style = camping] Keener campers have already reserved their campsites for the long weekend, BUT, one of my fave Vancouver Island locations, Rathtrevor Beach, still has sites available. This gorgeous beach is just below an incredible Spa (The Grotto at Tigh-Na-Mara Resort) if you want to take time away from your Coleman Cooker to relax in their large mineral pool, stand under their cold-plunge waterfall or soothe your muscles in the hot tub! PS - If you go camping, check out our 6 hand-picked free camping apps

Shop 'Till You Drop [trip style = urban] The Westin Bellevue is offering a special package for lovers of the mall and back to school shopping. Check into the hotel this friday or saturday night and get a $100 Bellevue Collection gift certificate per night and complimentary parking. Wowza!

Let Kayak Decide [trip style = spontaneous] I did a post on Kayak Explore a few months ago, and can't think of a better service to help you decide where to go for the long weekend! Just enter a few details like budget and when you want to go, and the map-based service will show you where you can fly, and for how much!

Circle Of Life [trip style = eco] Who knew a little beach community on Vancouver Island would have hanging spheres as an off-beat accommodation? It doesn't get more West Coast than this: three wood and fiberglass orbs suspended by ropes from rainforest evergreens. When it's time to descend into reality, heated washrooms and showers, a kitchenette and a small sauna await you.

Glamp It Up! [trip style = glamping] If money is no object, experience the great outdoors in style at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. All inclusive 3-night packages from $4,750.00 CAD include return airfare from Vancouver to the Resort, deluxe accommodation, all meals, snacks and beverages {including alcohol}, massage treatments and guided activities including fishing. PS - don't let the canvas tent-facade fool you, this remote resort has not deterred this famous couple from making the trek deep into BC's gorgeous landscape!

Planning Ahead [trip style = wine tasting] If you can't get away this weekend, why not plan ahead? Here's the perfect night away: a Harry Connick Jr. Concert at a Seattle winery! Does it get any better than this? Although the concert's on a thursday night {sept 26}, maybe you could make that your 'long' weekend?

And if you want even MORE options, check out these getaways for everyone from lux lovers to campers!

OK Wine Tasting

[trip style = wine tasting]

This past weekend, en route to Kelowna, my husband I got to do something we've wanted to do for a long time: taste wine in the Okanagan---the OK for short. Wine touring in Canada's second largest wine producing region wasn't just ok, it was fantastic, relaxing and picturesque. 

After downloading 3 BC-related wine tasting apps, we hit the road at 8.15am with Tim Horton's coffee and carbs in-hand, and my sister's mix-CD blaring in the background. Five hours later we were lunching al fresco before sipping the region's best varietals.

We didn't have much time, so we selected 4 wineries in the Naramata Bench: Hillside Estate (where we lunched at their bistro and sipped in their tasting room),  Therapy (my fave winery), Laughing Stock or LFNG (good wines, cool vibe) and Mission Hill (check out the Reserve Concert Series). All the wines we tasted were great, which made me wonder if my palate was failing me, yet when visiting one of the region's bigger wineries at the end of the weekend, none of the wines appealed to me. Problem solved. The Naramata wineries were that good.

Pictures {Hillside Estate Winery}

{Area just beside Hillside's outdoor bistro}

{Guesthouse entrance at Therapy Vineyards}

{Inside the tasting room at Therapy}

{Mission Hill's outdoor dining terrace}

{The reserve tasting salon at Mission Hill}

Trip Styler Tip: skip the vast and busy tasting bars and opt for a vertical of the reserve wines in the salon

{Stunning grounds at Mission Hill}

Related Content
Wine Touring 101
Beat the Heat in Sonoma
Travel Apps :: Wine Touring in BC

Beer 'n Boats in Halifax

[trip style = urban + sightseeing] {more pics below}

Book Smart We got in late, and had to leave early.  This left one full day to tour the seaside city known for its higher learning and history.  In almost every location we ate or rested, we overheard intellectual conversations debating politics and religion. Yes, t'was a city influenced by academia with Dalhousie sitting right in the middle of town.

Street Smart There was also a street smart side to Halifax: a Michael Jackson-esque street performer dancing to Billy Jean, a busker who pretended to play his guitar for cash and three young girls (under 10) vigorously and harmoniously playing their fiddles to entertain those boat-gazing along the pier.  As we hip-hopped to historical locations throughout the city, learning more about its roots, its sub-culture and its importance in Canadian History, we encountered a city which is just as much book smart as it is street smart.  This is Halifax.

A Day in the Life of Halifax {Started the day at a restaurant we'd read about in multiple publications and iphone apps. The verdict? Best breakfast ever at Jane's on the Common. I don't normally even order pancakes, but the ricotta banana pancakes were to die for.}

{Rhubarb cordial at Jane's. Such a simple drink--just crushed rhubard with soda--but so fabulous with brunch.}

{Taking a stroll through the Halifax Public Gardens est. in 1867, the year of confederation. Love the gates.}

{The tradition of putting a bandstand in gardens is a lost art. Apparently, a band plays here every Sunday afternoon in the summer.}

{A lesson in Canadian history at the Citadel, originally a strategic British outpost prior to Canada's Confederation. Everyone at Fort George is dressed in period costume and takes onlookers through a day-in-the-life at the Citadel whose star-like configuration took 28 years to build completing in 1856.}

{We couldn't very well leave Halifax without tasting and touring Alexander Keith's brewery.  Given Keith is the father of Canadian beer, we felt we had to take the tour, proper thing. Between the history lesson, beer manifesto and two steins poured at the end of the tour, surprisingly, it ended up being well worth it .}

{Finishing the tour with a swig of the ol' India Pale Ale.}

{Passing this restaurant earlier in the day, we thought we'd return for dinner.}

{Known for its pizzas and cocktails, Morris East was close to our hotel and felt like our kind of restaurant. It did not disappoint.  Our thin crust pizza had a goat cheese base topped with thinly sliced peaches and prosciutto. I was so taken by it, I recreated it this weekend.}

Montreal Je T'aime

[trip style = sightseeing] {more pics below}

As part of my get-to-know-Canada-better trip, conquering Montreal was my most recent feat. I use the word conquering because I was there during the recent (and ongoing) Eastern Seaboard heat wave. Even though the heat was intense, I pressed on.  Only being in Montreal for two days, I couldn’t let the sauna-like conditions stop me, after all, how can a Vancouver girl complain about sunny, hot weather? She can't and won't.  Despite the heat, we walked and biked to all the sights we wanted to see...with lots of water on-hand.

Love Bixi bikes and the bike-friendly nature of the city. For a great bixi smartphone app, download Bixou Lite.

Iconic Bagels {Montreal's bagel scene is famous, so I biked to Fairmount Bagels---the city's original bagelry---to eat a $0.70 breakfast. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to enjoy our bagels since the store is literally as small as it looks.}

Restaurant scene {Holt Renfrew Cafe. Apres bixi'ing around the city, I retreated to the air conditioned bliss of the Holts Cafe. Unfortunately, I was a tad bit sweaty and everyone else eating designer lunches just-so-happened to be decked-out in Prada, Halston and LV. Either way, I had the best open-faced sandwich I've ever eaten in my life: poilane bread, topped with thinly-sliced tandoori chicken, cauliflower, broccoli and drizzled with tzatziki-like sauce.}

{It was love at first sight when I sauntered past Le Pois Penche one afternoon. I knew I had to come back for dinner. The outdoor dining scene was anchored by cute bistro tables, complemented by Louis Ghost chairs. Thankfully, the food matched the lovely decor. Our french dining experience seemed all the more meant to be when we learned our server was from Monaco!}

{This pic was taken at about 10pm. When we checked the temperature at that time, it noted 26 degrees, ‘feels like 32.’}

Museum Scene {A quick stop at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to view the free mid-century modern furniture exhibition.}

Vieux Montreal

St. Laurent surfers

Habitat 67 {an iconic housing development built for Expo '67}

Cathedral Marie-Reine-Du-Monde beside our hotel

{Cool design inside of the Cathedral}

{Inside the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth lobby. See my review of the hotel here.}

Wine Touring 101

[trip style = wine tasting]

Wine tasting season is here! In North America, some key tasting states and provinces include: California, Washington, Oregon, BC and Ontario. To make the most of these unique wine-making regions, a tasting plan-of-attack will help you tour like an apprentice sommelier.  Here's how:

Do

• See a variety of wineries: small, med and big.  This will give you a well-rounded "taste" of wine-making.
• Take time to talk to the Host/Vintner.  Learning from their passion seems to make the wine taste better.
• Vary your experience.  At some wineries take the tour, at others talk at length to the host (if they are not too busy) and at others enjoy the grounds.
• Savor the experience.  Don't just taste to taste, try to learn.  *Usually* the more you find out, the more appreciation you gain for that "zin."
• Heed wine-tasting etiquette.
• Bring cash for your tastings, most cost between $5-20/person. Note that most wineries allow you to share a tasting.
• Consider alternate forms of transport: Limo, Bike, etc...
• Choose your plan of attack - either be spontaneous or plan your journey.  This point is especially true if you only have an afternoon or a short 2-3 day tasting window.
• Eat plenty of food, or bring some---like crackers---with you to eat in between.
• Get recommendations from your hotel's concierge or neighboring wineries about others you'd enjoy.

Don't

• Use wine tasting as an opportunity to drink 'for the sake of it.'
• Only see one type of winery. Further to the tip above, touring different types---region, varietal, size, philosophy---provides an education that deepens your appreciation and understanding for the process of wine-making and drinking.
• Drive after seeing multiple wineries and tasting multiple varietals.
• Drink the 'wine' from the big barrels near the tasting bars: that's wine and spit.
• Wear white clothing.  Due to over-aggressive swirling, I know someone whose pinot noir 'taste' went on their white t-shirt rather than into their mouth.
• Swirl rose or bubbly.

[all pictures my own, taken in sonoma]