Montreal :: Un Fête Accompli

[trip style = urban + active & adventure]

I've always heard Montreal is a party. Two weeks ago, this was confirmed over an alfresco feast of festivals and fireworks.

Dinner really heats up around 9pm. The cobblestone streets are well-heeled into the wee hours of the morn. Entire districts are converted to pedestrian walkways/outdoor fêtes---complete with thousands of pink party bobbles strung between buildings. Fireworks erupt.

Fuelled by an international brew Canadian joie de vivre and French passion, Montreal is always running on a full tank. Nothing is done half-way. For example, there aren't just few good restaurants. Beyond maple syrop-themed eateries, take your pick of 5600+, from haute Portuguese to Parisienne bistros to brunch with a DJ on the side {literally, a DJ spins tunes for brunch at L'avenue---after a Saturday night on the town, maybe that's what required to wake-up?}. Or, consider the surfing revolution; no ocean, no problem. A massive river with strong currents and consistently cresting waves will do. And while I'm on the topic, no beach, no problem. In front of yachts and sail boats moored in a quiet section Saint Lawrence river below Old Montreal, there's a newly constructed urban beach.

And the festivals, well, they make the city festive whether it's a blizzady 30 below zero or a blistering 30 above zero. In fact, there's an entire plaza in the centre ville devoted to hosting some of the 106 goings-on year-round. When I was there, the top 10 finalists of the French Canadian version of American Idol, aka Star Académie, were performing for a crowd of 120,000 multi-generational screaming fans. Mark my words, the next Celine Dion was in that group.

There isn't just one kind of party in Montreal. At any time, there are many happening on the street corner, on the beach, on the river and on a rooftop terrace, and guess what, you're invited.

Stay Le Petit Hotel - Past clippity-clopping horse-drawn carriages along a Montreal's oldest street, the 24-room Le Petit Hotel is true to its name---a small slice of French Canadian paradise. Housed in a Parisienne facade, stone walls support the modern environs defined by local furniture, bakery-fresh croissants and staff who check you in, make you a latte and offer dinner suggestions. PS - ladies, they have salon hair dryers in each room.

Eat Le LocaL - Amid Old Montreal's industrial district, an ivy-covered structure softens the landscape. It's an up-cycled, warehouse-chic hot-spot, off the beaten path. Sitting on a bench propped with gold and grey striped pillows, I sip a gin cocktail with ginger, cucumber and grapefruit, and savor the albacore tuna pissaladiere. The icing on the cake isn't icing at all, but rather a small pot of creme-iest caramel I've ever dipped a spoon into. We also love: the haute Portuguese fare at F Bar, the outdoor terrace at Boris Bistro, the artisan baking and neighborhood digs at Sweet Lee's.

Do Bike - There's over 600kms of bike lanes throughout the city. Use them like the locals do via the BIXI public bike share system, or take a guided bike tour to get your city bearings. We also love: Stand-up paddleboarding down the Saint Lawrence river with PP, a surfer and former Cirque Du Soleil roller-skating performer.

Spa Bota Bota - Anchored in Old Montreal's harbor, Bota Bota floats in a quite alcove, massaging clients with the lulling water beneath and strong hands of therapists above. Formerly a ferry, this bathing beauty has been transformed into a chic, unisex, nautical retreat. PS- try the water circuit and lay in the sun on the forward and aft decks as if it's your own yacht. We also love: Scandinave Les Bains Nordic Day Spa {steps from Le Petit Hotel}

[photos by @tripstyler, taken while a guest of Tourism Montreal]

Packed :: Summer Urban Weekend

[trip style = urban + adventure + weekend getaway]

Right now I'm in Francais Canada, Montreal exactement, trying a melange of trip styles: urban AND active + adventure---a doozy for packing. And here's the kicker: I've just stayed in three different hotels over three consecutive nights {...an assignment for Jetsetter.com}. Double packing doozy!!

Always striving to encourage all trip stylers of the world to pack 'more' in 'less' space, I timed myself packing the day before I left. It took me an hour to select my clothes and fold them into my carry-on along with doodads {hats, camera, chargers, etc...} from my travel bin and always-packed travel toiletries {note to self: hire an Olympic coach to improve my packing time}. Knowing I'd be unpacking and re-packing a total of eight times, I tried to keep it chic and simple---after all, Montrealers are serious about le style!

{Trip Styler Tip: ALWAYS pack with your trip's itinerary in mind. Write out a day-by-day plan of what you're doing and where you're going as a means of building your list.}

My itinerary consisted of three dinners out avec fireworks and festivals apres, biking throughout the city's sights and stand-up paddleboarding {as well as a few meetings}. Packing accordingly, here's what I wore from day one to day four: {Forgive the poor quality of this photo--and the bike picture in general!!!}

Le Packing List {this is A LOT, I could've brought less} - two dresses - two skirts - 3 tank tops - blazer - 1 pashmina - 2 workout shorts - 2 workout tops - 1 light sweatshirt - runners/sox - wooden mid-rise heels - flip flops - t-strap sandals - booties - slippers - bathing suit {actually I forgot it, so I went SUP'ing in work-out spandex...classy}

{Trip Styler Tip: I know this sounds crazy, but other than adding a few more tops, this four-day packing list is MORE than enough for a week, or two, or three. Case in point, I brought the same size carry-on to Montreal for the weekend as I did to Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire for two weeks! For longer trips, pack for four days and just repeat/mix/match clothes.}

Related Fashionable Flashpacking Fitting 50 Garments Into A Carry-On Q&A With “How To Pack Like a Rock Star” Author Packing 103 // Packing 102 // Packing 101 Size Matters Travel Essentials for Any Trip Style High Rolling :: To Roll or Lay Flat? A Summer Weekend Packing List The Art of Carry-On Travel Going Away? Packing and To Do List

[photos by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: Nita Lake Lodge

[trip style = weekend getaway]

{Editor’s Note: We’re running a contest in partnership with Expedia right now! Tweet a photo and the hashtags #freedom & #expediafindyours for a chance to win a trip to Aruba or a $250 Expedia travel voucher. // PS - I recently stayed at the Nita Lake Lodge and it is Trip Styler Approved.}

What In a sea of mega mountain resorts, Nita Lake Lodge is a quiet, lakeside retreat with boutique appeal. Think cool, alpine comfort, chiseled by color and a touch of library-chic.

Case in point: two-tone wood tables flirt with faux-fur pillow-topped traditional black velvet and brown leather seating. All huddling around a giant stone fireplace, this environs is exactly where you want to sip a cedar-infused rye sour {seriously, highly recommended} après one of Whistler's zillion summer or winter pursuits.

And speaking of fireplaces, every one of the 77 oversized rooms---a minimum of 550sf in size---share this cozy commonality. Rarely do I want to crack open a book in my hotel room, but the dancing flames and lake views demand it.

In the eve, refuel at Nita's Aura Restaurant. Written up by food critics from Vancouver to New York, chef Mike Guy creates modern Pacific, farm-to-table meals, each with a story of the field where the Pemberton potatoes were sourced or the straight where the fresh halibut was caught.

Off the beaten path from Whistler's condo clusters, the Nita Lake Lodge is close enough to the action, yet as far away as you want it to be.

Where Shoreside at Nita Lake in Whistler {near Creekside gondola}, about a one-and-a-half-hour drive or a three-hour luxury train ride {summer season only} from Vancouver, BC.

When Picturesque year round. Summer and winter buzz, while spring and fall are quieter lending themselves to a rejuvenating trip style = weekend retreat.

Who/Why Library-chic matches your horn-rimmed spectacles.

Cost Summer rates start at $149/night and include wifi, breakfast {if you book through the hotel direct}, use of hotel bicycles, a resort shuttle operating seven days a week from 7am - 11pm, access to the fitness center and the spa's sauna and steam room. Fido can stay for $25 extra per night.

{Trip Styler Tip :: If you'd like to surprise a special someone with a trip style = luxe + active escape, check out the Summer Rail Package {$659/person} combining a two-night stay with a return rail journey from North Vancouver aboard the Rocky Mountaineer's glass-domed coach, a stand-up paddle board lesson by REO Rafting on Nita Lake and a $180 Aura Restaurant dining credit.}

More Roam+Board Hester Creek Winery – Oliver, BC Fairmont Banff Springs – Banff Thompson – Beverly Hills The Sorrento Hotel – Seattle The LIT! Bangkok – Thailand Hotel De La Paix – Thailand From ice hotels to Anna Wintour’s steal-of-a-deal holiday escape, find all featured R+B properties here.

[photos taken by @tripstyler when a guest of Nita Lake Lodge]

Magnolia Lemonade

[trip style = weekend getaway]

The universe has just granted the West Coast a Mr. Golden Sun hall pass, and in a flash, summer's here to stay! Over the weekend I celebrated the sunny season's inaugural shining in Victoria, BC with beer flights, just-caught halibut, farm-to-table broad beans and potatoes, housemade vanilla bean soft serve, and lemonade. Victoria's fresh-made e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g was one of the highlights of my trip style = weekend journey, and I was SO TAKEN by the lemonade---especially after biking 35km in Canada's cycling capital---I had to share the recipe.

More on the recipe below, but first a little about the unlikely mixologist: a hotel! I first encountered the lemonade at The Magnolia Hotel & Spa on day one of a three-day stay. This made for a trio of freshly brewed bliss. Voted one of the Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Canada by TripAdvisor’s® 2011 Travelers’ Choice® awards, The Magnolia is steps from Victoria's buzzy harbor and an apropos boutique stay in a boutique city. In a place where artesian and local are still celebrated and savored, The Magnolia is locally owned---an opportunity they take seriously offering highly personalized service, turndown peppermint chocolates from the Dutch Bakery {two blocks from the hotel}, and included breakfast accompanied by a piano tune.

Back to the lemonade...to call it lemonade is a disservice. Officially, it's {made-fresh-multiple-times-daily} Magnolia Strawberry Mint Lemonade, and it's so sought-after that the General Manager of the Victoria boutique hotel put the recipe on Pinterest {which I have now reppined}! Now I'm sharing it with you because it's a perky, multi-layered concoction with the perfect amount of sweet and tart. In celebration of summer, I raise my glass to you and your travels!

Magnolia Hotel's Strawberry Mint Lemonade - Handful of mint - 1/2 lb of strawberries - Several slices of lemon {Let above sit in a full jug of water for 2-3 hours} - Lemon juice to taste - Water - 4-5 tablespoons of sugar - 4-5 tablespoons of honey {Stir & enjoy}

[photos by myhoneysuckleblog & @tripstyler (taken while a guest of the Magnolia Hotel)]

Vegas Spas {Part II}

[trip style = spa + weekend getaway]

Last Wednesday we showcased three spas in Vegas from our recent spahh-cation on the Strip alongside writers from Spa Finder, Glamour, Cosmopolitan Latin America, The Guardian, Metro News and The Globe & Mail. Here are four more exhale-worthy candidates channeling Morocco, Roman baths, precious gemstones and 1930s Shanghai. Proving Vegas is what you make it---foodie fest, shopping spree or spa-bbatical---file these world-class caves of calm into your travel folder the next time Lady Luck comes a-callin'.

Encore Spa at the Wynn A true escape for all five senses, the spa at the Encore is purposefully washed in white and cream hues to reorient guests from the Glitter Gulch's typical rainbow of strobe-light color. Walking in, it's as if I'm in a Moroccan king's desert hideaway. Everything is plush evoking the exotic: waist-height golden lanterns line the journey into treatment rooms, subdued butterfly-adorned fabric colors the walls and opulent mirrors Steve Wynn-ify the space. All that's missing is a fan boy, yet I'm quite certain that could be arranged. Who: Sex and the City fans with an appetite for adventure

QUA Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace A destination spa in every sense of the word, QUA Baths & Spa draws on Ancient Rome's bathing rituals to transport guests back in time. Waterfalls and 'social' mineral pools of varying temperatures make for an a-QUA afternoon that's a treatment unto itself. At the 51-room spa, the baths are only part of the draw. Before hitting the Laconium "ultra-heat therapy" Room and dousing myself in a snowflake shower in the Arctic Ice Room, I take a moment in the relaxation room staffed by none other than a tea sommelier skilled at pairing my treatment with a health-enhancing brew. Who: Social butterflies and water therapy buffs

The Spa at Trump Las Vegas The 11,000sf Spa at Trump Las Vegas rivals the best spas on the Strip. Without zen dens and piping pan flute soundtracks, there's a sophistication and elegance of Ivanka proportions. In keeping with his persona, the Donald's day spa is all about the best of the best: the best therapists, the best massages, the best facials and the best spa products. As I arrive, a Spa Attaché {Trump-speak for staff} asks me to fill out a questionnaire so my massage can be personalized with one of the following intentions: calm, balance, purify, heal or revitalize. I opt for balance. After I slip into my ultra-soft-verging-on-sexy sheets, I end up having one of the best massages I've had in a LONG time thanks to my therapist's skilled hands with a rose-infused ruby massage oil imported from Dubai. The bottle has floating gemstones {of course it does}. I wouldn't be surprised if the subdued crystal lights in the ceiling are actually diamonds. Who: Boutique spa-goers with a penchant for diamonds and pearls

The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas To say I was head over heels for the 27,000sf spa at the Mandarin Oriental is an understatement. One of the only spas in Las Vegas to overlook the Strip and feature floor-to-ceiling natural light, I was ready to propose based on the exotic concoction of 1930s Shanghai and Art Deco design alone. At this highly edited Eastern retreat, even the spa uniforms are specially sourced, designed by Fashion Week regular Vivienne Tam. After your signature detoxifying foot bath, you'll want to spend the rest of the day rotating between the ice fountain, vitality pools and temperature-controlled Tepidarium chairs. Nirvana in Nevada; don't say I didn't warn you. Who: Well traveled spaah-holics.

[photos courtesy of the mandarin oriental, the encore, caesars palace and trump las vegas, experienced as a guest of the LVCVA]