Exploring Canada - Maple Syrup & All {2/3}

[trip style = urban + wine tasting]

I feel very strongly about Canada. When someone tells me they like Quebec's maple syrup, I take it as a personal compliment. I'm not from Quebec, nor do I make syrup or know anything about tapping the tree, but as big, as far, and as wide as Canada's border extends, every bit is part of me. Maple syrup and all.

Since Tuesday I've been tasting my way through Vancouver, Richmond and the Okanagan with four other bloggers from Paris, Australia, the UK and India. The maple syrup factor has come into play a lot. I blush a little hearing them gush about eating doughnuts in Vancouver, drinking bubble tea in Richmond, and sharing chicken poutine in Kelowna, again, as if I had something to do with the process.

Being a tourist in my own backyard offers a crash course in Canada all over again. And I love it. Everything is new. Even in familiar territory, it's healthy to switch into tourist 'learning' mode sometimes, because there's always a region, restaurant, shop or person that's new---something I've been discovering on this trip, as well as on jaunts to Montreal, Banff and Victoria over the past few months.

As my train was pulling into Banff National Park a few months ago, I could not believe my eyes. Surrounded by a real-time reel of nature through my glass-domed coach, the jagged, snow-dusted edges of the rocky mountains humbled my soul and put my camera in workout mode.

Oh, and by the way, when everyone in my train coach was admiring the Rocky Mountains, I took that as a compliment too, as if I painted the snow on the rocks and hand-selected the positioning of the trees below the peaks.

Speaking of real-time reels, you can find my Canadian version via instagram, twitter and facebook. Otherwise, I'll be posting a full feature on Monday. In the meantime, I'll be sipping wine on the Naramata Bench. Cheers!

[photos taken while exploring BC via Tourism Canada]

Exploring Canada {1/3}

[trip style = urban + sightseeing + wine tasting]

This week I get to be a tourist in my own backyard, gushing about BC’s coast and countryside, while snapping and scribing the latest and greatest.

Over the month of September, Tourism Canada has invited a bevy of international bloggers to comb the  True North from coast to coast. Some are pop culture junkies, some are foodies, some are adventurers and some are photogs {for example, in my group we have a New Delhi-based photog whose shot for National Geographic}. On the menu: Heli-yoga in Alberta, lobster fests in PEI and wine tasting in the Okanagan. {Mountie sightings not guaranteed}.

Covering the nation from the Pacific to the Atlantic, four teams are combing Canada's varied landscape for a class in Canadiana 101. Four Canadian bloggers are also jumping onboard, each one of us covering a different region. I’m e-x-t-a-t-i-c to be part of the BC group, because eh, as much as I write about traveling elsewhere in the world, I’m also a huge proponent of getting up close and personal with one’s own nation.

My trip started yesterday and wraps up on Saturday. I’ve made a short video---gulp, please DON'T judge or stop reading TS because of it---outlining the trip's 411. I wish it was funny, but it's not, and someone has already "disliked" it on YouTube---SO MEAN. {Note to self: get better at videos.}

As a result, this week we’re tweaking our regular editorial schedule to fill your cuppeth full of red and white kanadian Kool-Aid {my fave flavor} today, Friday and Monday. Follow my adventures sipping cocktails in Gastown, sampling dim sum and bubble tea in Richmond and savoring wine in the Okanagan.

I’ll be posting regularly to instagram, twitter and facebook, and if you’re a real keener, follow the #explorecanada hastag on instagram and twitter to see BC from FIVE different perspectives.

[graphic via tourism Canada]

Roam+Board :: A BC Wine Country Escape at Hester Creek

[trip style = weekend getaway + wine tasting]

{Editor’s Note :: Two months ago I flew up to the Golden Mile Bench in Oliver, BC with a bunch of sommeliers to surround myself in all things wine country at Hester Creek Winery. I'm a big fan of the place---the people, the location, the Villas and the 2007 merlot. The 2007-built Hester Creek Villas are Trip Styler Approved!}

What
Hester Creek Winery had me at their cascading slopes of syrah and chardonnay. When I found out there was six Mediterranean villas, I was sold. Twist my rubber arm to stay and sip not just IN wine country, but AT a winery.

Resting high on the hillside above the hustle and bustle of the winery, one glance out the window and my soul begins to settle. Hester's villas are each positioned so you never forget you're surrounded by grapes. Arched entrances, Italian porcelain tile and a colour scheme of pinot blanc and cabernet merlot punctuate the nouveau-Tuscan design.

My steaming coffee in-hand, I open the double doors to my patio's black iron bistro table and pillow-topped loungers, and decide happy hour isn't just about a glass of cab franc in the afternoon, in wine country, it's every moment. Cheers.

PS. If you need any convincing to visit BC's wine country, in this short video, Kim Cattrall asks you to stop by.

Where
In Oliver {South Okanagan}, BC, Canada's westernmost wine country and the self-proclaimed wine capital of Canada. By car: 5 hours from Vancouver. By plane/car: fly into Penticton or Kelowna and rent a car from there for the 1-2-hour journey.

When
Late spring, summer and early fall are the ideal seasons to visit. The desert landscape, cooled by "air drainage" {wine speak for cool air rushing along a downward slope}, makes the temperatures hot-to-trot but bearable.

Who/Why
You're looking for a lifestyle escape among the vines. Something with character, bunched in with grapes. A place you can dine al fresco under a vine-tangled terrace, listen to a summer concert in the vineyard or take an executive chef-led cooking class.

Cost
Rates start at $225/night in mid-winter and top out at $295/night in the summer high season {closed November 1st-Feb 9th}. Prices include a welcome bottle of Hester Creek wine {naturally}, breakfast in your room or on your patio, wifi and parking. No pool or hot tub, but cool down or heat up in the soaker tub. Fido will have come on your next vacay, pinot isn't good for pups. Over weekends there's a two-night minimum stay.

More Roam+Board
Fairmont Banff Springs - Banff
Thompson - Beverly Hills
The Sorrento Hotel - Seattle
The LIT! Bangkok - ThailandH
otel De La Paix - Thailand

[photos taken by @tripstyler when a guest of Hester Creek, bottom right photo via Hester Creek]

Luxe Canadian Rails

[trip style = luxury + sightseeing]

It started with a toast and went seriously uphill from there, chugging from sea level to a soaring 4540ft.

A few weeks ago, I literally walked on a red carpet leading toward my coach aboard the Rocky Mountaineer---touted as one of the "top 5 trains in the world" by Conde Nast Traveller---for a bucket list journey in my own backyard. Meandering past frothing rivers, glassy lakes and snow-coned peaks, I was briskly reminded that I live in a place sought out by both seasoned and trip-of-a-lifetime travelers for its wild open spaces.

Under the warmth of the sun peeking through my glass-domed coach, the trip style = luxe train started its engine, and with a lurch---almost making my sparkling peach bev fly forward---set off. Beginning in Vancouver's urban landscape, I though I knew what to expect from my looming trip into the Canadian Rockies. I'd been before, heck, I'd even hiked 'em. Looking back, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Consuming the constantly changing countryside at a pace our modern world associates with Old World, and studying it via 360-degree side-to-side and top-to-bottom views, allowed me to view my Canadian surroundings through the eyes of a goggly-eyed tourist, seeing snow, craggy peaks and 500-pound grizzlies {again} for the first time.

On my safari in Kenya's Masai Mara, a tear rolled down my face at the first sight of a family of elephants roaming the plains, and that awe-inspired feeling---the kind that confuses every one of your senses---is how everyone on my train car felt when they saw mountain goats navigating the cliffside and bear cubs foraging for food near the tracks. In the Mara, elephants, lions and rhinos roam freely, and in Western Canada, the same is true with a different set of safari-worthy subjects.

On the Rocky Mountaineer, you co-exist with nature while dining on exec chef-prepared meals and drinking Okanagan chardonnay, or in one jolly gentleman's case a few seats behind me, about 16 G&Ts. {I wish I could hear HIS trip stories, maybe Canadian grizzlies breathe fire?} At one point, I remember rushing to my coach's outside viewing area to snap the scenery, camera in one hand, wine in another. At that moment, a smile came to my face. I was relaxed, well fed and wonderstruck, in my own backyard.

Know This

• Riding the rails in style comes at a pret-a-porter price, so if you'd like to test drive the train, start with the Vancouver to Whistler ride from $149 one-way/$259 round trip.
• There are three classes of service: RedLeaf, SilverLeaf and GoldLeaf. Silver and GoldLeaf each enjoy glass-domed coaches, which I recommend for optimal nature viewing.
• Rocky Mountaineer offers four seasonal routes from April to October: the two-day First Passage to the West (Vancouver-Kamloops-Banff), the two-day Journey Though the Clouds (Vancouver-Kamloops-Jasper), the two-day Rainforest to Gold Rush (Whistler-Quesnel-Jasper), and the half-day Sea to Sky Climb (Vancouver-Whistler). Routes can be done in reverse or combined.
• Prices start at $850 per person for the two-day First Passage to the West {trip described above}. This includes the train journey and an overnight hotel. If you want to go for the GoldLeaf, prices start at $1900.
• Rocky Mountaineer and its union are currently involved in an ongoing labor dispute. This does not impact service or schedule.

[photos by @tripstyler, taken while as a guest of the Rocky Mountaineer]

Go Fish {With Costas Spiliadis}

[trip style = staycation + weekend getaway]

{Editor's Note: Did you see that we're listed as one of 12 travel blogs in North America in Expedia's Discover Your Summer Escape campaign? See our recent press here.}

One thing that excites me about summer travel is the food, specially outdoor cooking. There's fewer joys in the world than preparing and eating a fresh meal by way of a clambake, fish fry or BBQ under a starry sky. Full stop.

Recently I covered the three-day Uncork'd epicurean event in Vegas and attended "how to select the best fish" at Estiatorio Milos, helmed by celeb chef Costas Spiliadis. With four highly successful Greek restaurants worldwide and a respectable 30 years in restau biz, he demonstrated the fine art of "fishing at the market" while fandangling the fresh catch from his chilled display. Here are his tips---perf for your next summer clambake:

How To Select The Best Fish At The Market {With Costas Spiliadis}

• Go local - Find out what's local for the ultimate freshness.
• Seasonality - Don't try to find salmon in February. Go with what's in season.
• Freshness - Look at the fish's eyes for clarity and general composition. Take a whiff; if it smells fishy, toss it back.
• BFFs - Build a relationship with your fish supplier to get the inside track.

{Outdoor patio of Estiatorio Milos at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas}

[Photos by @tripstyler]