Roam+Board :: On The Water

[trip style = "boutique" cruising]

{I've seen this chic canal cruiser mentioned in a few design blogs and fashion magazines over the past few months, and with Monday's Getting On Board With Fall Travel ideas, I thought it would be the perfect launch pad for an early-fall, trip style = luxury stay in London!}

What There are mega ships, sailing catamarans and river cruises, but On The Water is as boutique as cruising comes. It's so boutique, this double-wide, custom-developed, whitewashed, highfalutin canal barge is a one-room operation. As in, while you stargaze on the deck at night drinking bubbly or awake to an artisan bakery's morning delivery, you are the only guests on this floating phenom.

Where London, England in the middle of Regent's Park, just a 20 minute walk from Oxford and Bond Street.

When Since you are surrounded by lush greenery, early fall promises a kaleidoscope of autumn colours and evenings warm enough to lounge about on the boat's deck!

Who/Why For people who like to zig when others zag, and do so in style. Kids and pets now allowed.

Cost Starts at £250 per night {$392 CDN} with a two-night minimum and covers all the amenities of a hotel, plus a lounge, galley kitchen, ensuite bathroom and television with DVDs. Wifi and morning continental breakfast delivery included, as is the secret path through Regent's Park to access it!

{Check out last week's inaugural Roam+Board woodsy hideaway in Big Sur, California.}

[images via On The Water]

A Spot Of Tea

[trip style = staycation + sightseeing + weekend getaway]

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." - Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

With a white napkin draped over my lap, and my thumb and index finger gingerly locked around the tea cup's handle, I rest and indulge in a famous tradition. As a matter of function, not fashion, my pinky extends outward as I sip a spot of tea at the West Coast spot for tea.

Taking tea in Victoria's Fairmont Empress tea lobby feels like a right of passage. Being invited to what some would call a ceremony is like I'm trip style = sightseeing, peering into the rituals of another time. But instead of standing for hours with a recorded history lesson on an audio set, I'm comfortably seated in the same chintz-covered seat as the ones who came before me when the tradition first started with the hotel's opening in 1908. Even the gold-rimmed china's design is the same today as when it was first introduced for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's visit in 1939, and the tables sitting between every vintage wing back chair are crafted with floorboards from an early 1900s refurbishment.

Tea service begins with a glass goblet of blueberries, not a cup of tea. We must wait for the piece de resistance, no? Feeling tropical---maybe it was the sun streaming through the windowpanes---I choose the Kea Lani Orange Pineapple blend. Its Hawaiian flavours make it seem as though the pianist is strumming on a ukulele with a plumeria behind her ear. When the three-tiered feast is placed on our small table, I am brought back to the present and the piano keys continue their dance.

Admiring my mid-day meal, it's clear you are supposed to work your way up, starting at the bottom. The healthiest tier happens to be the most savoury, with finger sandwiches filled with egg, cucumber and mango and curried chicken---crustless of course! The middle tier acts as the breather, counterbalancing the beginning and end with a pot of clotted cream, raspberry jam and a firm raisin scone. Staring at the stacked plates of treats, I could not help myself, I had to sample the top tier's pink fondant-wrapped checkered cake, and chocolate tulip first. Once the tempting taster was out of the way, I could resume normal behaviour and work my way up.

After four cups of tea and three tiers of food, I'm done. I didn't know afternoon tea could be so filling. Now I understand why the 7th Duchess of Bedford, credited with popularizing the afternoon tea trend in London, sent out invitations requesting "tea and a walking of fields." Good thing Beacon Hill Park is just around the corner!

Tea Etiquette*

• There are three types of tea: afternoon tea is taken with finger sandwiches and pastries, high tea at 4pm with hot food, and royal tea is served with a glass of Champagne.
• Do not take tea lightly, dress up for the occasion.
• The raising or extension of the pinky is not just for show, but to counterbalance the tea cup.
• Never loop your fingers through the handle, nor grasp the base with the palm of your hand.
• Fold in milk and sugar, do not stir.
• Do not leave your spoon in the cup.
• When not in use, place the tea cup back in the saucer.
• Milk is served with tea, not cream.
• When serving lemon with tea, slices are preferable, not wedges.

Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress can be enjoyed year-round and starts at $47 per person. Special menus and prices are available for kids.

PS - Experience tea's treats from another side. The Fairmont Empress offers kids under 16 the opportunity to apprentice with their award-winning pastry chef, and leave with just-made goodies, a chef hat, personalized apron and certificate to take home!

Related Content Weekending in Victoria

*Source {photos by @tripstyler}

Sunday Night Armchair Travel

[trip style = staycation]

Each Sunday this fall, fasten your seat belts and sit back and relax for two hours of armchair travel in one night! Sure to transport you from the comforts of your couch to the craziness of destinations like Caracas, travel vicariously through the ladies and gents from the Jet Age and eager-beaver, round-the-world racers. Here is your Sunday night, in-flight entertainment:

Pan Am ABC - Premiers Sunday, September 25th, 10pm We've been waiting a long time for Pan Am! I first told you about the show in April when it hadn't yet been given the official go-ahead from flight control network execs, but with a steady landing the coffee, tea or me era is making a comeback! I can't wait for a window into the days of glam galavanting, smoke-filled cabins, Pucci-designed uniforms and bottomless in-flight cocktails.

The Amazing Race CBS - Premiers Sunday, September 25th, 8pm Phil and 11 soon-to-be travel-savvy teams are back at it for the show's 10th anniversary year. Vegas cocktail waitresses, a father-son boating duo and young cancer survivor and his girlfriend are just some of the teams recently announced for season 19. Phil recently told People "I'm not sure we've ever had a season like this where there are so many proven athletes," which includes former Olympic snowboarders, former NFL player and 60+ year old triathletes. We'll find out soon if there's an equal international playing field!

PS - There's a new Canadian travel show starting September 15th at 8.30pm in BC called Restless Josie. Combining adventure travel with some of the world's most dangerous sports, Josie interviews and films leading athletes on and off their jobs surfing, freeride mountain biking, rodeo events, kite boarding, rock climbing and wakeboarding in different locations.

Related Posts A Pilot About Pilots Shows That Make You Want To Go Travel Trends :: Retro Travel

[photos abc + cbs]

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Tech Tuesday :: Hotel Tonight

[trip style = weekend getaway + budget conscious] If you travel to or within the US and like to A} save on hotel stays and/or B} procrastinate, then you need to know about this travel app. Its name pretty much sums it up. Hotel Tonight allows users to book hotels at the last minute---after 12pm to be exact---for that evening until 2am. Some hotels can be booked for one night, others will allow a five-night stay.

Hotel Tonight came about in late 2010, but I've been waiting to feature it until the functionality, number of cities and offers were robust enough to make it worthy of your screen's precious space. This is now and the app holds a permanent position in my iPhone's travel folder.

With 22 cities and counting, Hotel Tonight offers three hotels per city unless it's a large and/or major vacation destination like New York or San Francisco, in which case there will be three hotels per "area." Each hotel is categorized as hip, modern, elegant, classic, boutique or basic and includes the price after tax as well as photos, a map and info {essentially, a short review written in bullet points for the time-starved, spontaneous booking!}. If you think the last-minute savings will only be offered on tired, 2-star airport hotels, think again. Even 4-star hotels need to fill space.

Are the eleventh hour savings actually cheaper than Kayak, Expedia or Hotwire? Would Trip Styler's editorial team use it? Yes and yes. On Saturday I played around with a few cities and compared Hotel Tonight's prices to other major online travel agencies, and in every case Hotel Tonight's prices were better. The best part: it's not even a blind booking scenario, you know what you're going to get and don't have to scroll through a zillion hotels to decide which one you're going to book. FYI, book early on weekends, as in, between noon and 4pm, because deals can sell out.

We love this free app so much that we've added it to Trip Styler Recommends.

More Tech Tuesday Getting There Direct Airline Alliance Apps Google Hotel Finder

Getting On Board With Fall Travel

If you're an avid reader of Trip Styler, you know that our editorial team is ga ga for fall travel. The crowds leave, sales start and you get to escape the wind and rain---though right now that's a far-flung thought on the West Coast since our summer started in August.

Staying true to form, this fall I'm headed to LA, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Palm Springs, NYC and Dallas and can barely wait to hop on a boat or plane to each destination. Eyeing all the fall travel sales right now, here are some ideas to spark your vacation planning:

Trip Style = Weekend Typically, when we think of fall weekend getaways within 2 hours of the city, crisp air and cozying up in a cabin or hotel comes to mind. Yet the current and projected weather is more akin to outdoor fire pit with a glass of wine than indoor fireplace with a hot toddy, so it's like summer just got a hall pass and labour day isn't going to happen until Oct. 15th. Until then, wear your whites! {Trip Styler Tip :: A triple-threat---luxury, wine and weekend getaway---hotel that comes to mind is the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, WA. Just 20 mins from Bellevue, this luxury wine country inn is also home to the Victorian-style Herbfarm Restaurant, recipient of AAA's 5 Diamond Award and National Geographic's #1 Destination Restaurant in the World---think French Laundry, but closer to Vancouver.}

Trip Style = Cruising Last summer I wrote about the joys of Repositioning Cruises, aka when a cruise ship repositions from one port to another. Usually a change in season is the BEST time to investigate this trip style as major cruise lines shift their routes, and take guests along with them for a one-way journey at discounted rates. Sometimes there are stops along the way, sometimes it's direct, but one thing's for sure, the price is almost always a steal. {Trip Styler Tip :: Check RepositioningCruise.com for a ton of major route changes from Vancouver to San Diego and LA, Denmark and Italy to Florida or Honolulu to Sydney, plus a buffet of other options. A 3-night itinerary from Vancouver to LA can be booked for $99+.}

Trip Style = Urban Early to mid-fall is one of my favorite times to see Europe. The sun is {usually} still out, the leaves are falling and there's a fall fashion buzz in the air! Plus, Europeans take their big summer breaks in August, so crowds are less intensive. Cities like Paris, London, Barcelona and Copenhagen are easy to get to and fro and each offers their own unique flair. {Trip Styler Tip :: Both WestJet and Air Canada are having significant fall sales right now {until Sept 13th + 15th} for most destinations worldwide. In the US, major airlines are also jockeying for the lowest price on domestic and international routes.}

Trip Style = Beach Until November 15, most resorts in the Caribbean are in the hurricane season's most volatile period, so why not try other sunny hotspots like California, Mexico {Pacific side}, Costa Rica, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, or as far away as South East Asia. {Trip Styler Tip :: Getting there, same as above.}

Trip Style = Staycation + Spa If you can't get away for a weekend, do something ultra relaxing and escapist for one day. Take yourself out of your regular environment and head to the spa. Whether it's a complete package or a single treatment, book it so you can float into the evening in a relaxed state---either for a hot date or perfectly simple night in.

Related Low Season Pep Talk

[photo credit: willow's lodge, destination360, the guardian, asia1asia]