June 2022 – OFFSHORE

This luxury hotel offers views of Munich’s old town from a private rooftop suite

June 27, 2022 No Comments

When it comes to the best city views, it doesn’t get much better than overlooking the iconic Frauenkirche — the landmark two towered church in Munich’s old town — while sipping on cocktails from the rooftop Blue Spa terrace at Hotel Bayerischer Hof while the sun sets.

That is unless you can soak up these views from the private penthouse suite of the historic hotel originally conceived by King Ludwig I, complete with a private fireplace, jacuzzi and a 124.5 sq m roof terrace.

“Our Penthouse Garden Suite, 350 sq m, was designed by Axel Vervoordt and meets the most exclusive living standards,” says Vanessa Longhitano, PR & Guest Relations Manager. “The suite can be combined with the entire seventh floor of the South and North Wings to the Penthouse Garden Ensemble, giving you an exceptional 575 sq m. The Panorama Floor, with its spectacular view over the city’s rooftops, will give you a beautiful, private retreat. Our luxury penthouse is a symbol of elegant interplay between luxury, modernity and peace.”

In total there are 337 unique rooms to choose from, including 28 deluxe rooms and 74 suites, one of which is a six-bedroom suite. There are also speciality rooms like romantic spaces designed by Laura Ashley with floral patterns and warm colours, as well as colonial rooms, which are designed to bring a touch of Africa to Munich.

“One of the many things that set the hotel apart is its location and grand appearance,” she says. “The Hotel Bayerischer Hof is located in the old town district of Munich. As soon as you walk through our door, you will sense the hotel’s history and experience the cordial welcome we extend to our guests. We have a long tradition of hospitality — the hotel has been owned and run by the Volkhardt family since 1897.”

Hotel Bayerischer Hof, which is a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Legend Collection, is a short walk to Munich’s top sights like Marienplatz, the old town square that dates back to the 12th century. This is where visitors flock to the New City Hall (Rathaus) to take in the daily Glockenspiel at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and at 5 p.m.

Although the property first opened in 1841 (and was rebuilt after it was completely destroyed during World War II), it has constantly evolved since fourth generation owner Innegrit Volkhardt took charge in 1992. A major expansion was completed in 2018, debuting the present-day South and North wings.

“A total of 29 new rooms were created, which are divided into 23 Deluxe double rooms, five deluxe Junior suites and the Penthouse Garden Suite,” explains Longhitano. “A new eighth floor has been added, which is entirely taken over by the Penthouse Garden Suite… The rooms exude an incredible sense of tranquillity and comfort, and invite guests to stay longer. The design in the rooms partially includes the philosophical beliefs of Wabi (Japanese aesthetic concept) — beauty is found in imperfection and authenticity as well as the notion of ‘Artempo − where time becomes art’ and natural materials which are rich in spirit.”

Where to wine and dine: With five restaurants and six bars to choose from, you don’t have to venture far for a great meal. Notable options include Atelier, which has received many accolades including a two Michelin star rating, and Garden, awarded with 15 Gault Millau points, six pans in Gusto and three chef’s hats in the Grand Guide. For a taste of regional delights, Palais Keller offers a great tapas spread with six or eight appetizer options like mini schnitzel and Obatzda, a Bavarian cheese delicacy. Chef Tobias Heinze uses regional products from the surrounding area for his modern Bavarian specialties. For a night cap, head to Falk’s Bar, located in the famous hall of mirrors dating back to 1839, the only room at the hotel to survive the Second World War unscathed. Rounding out the experience is a lavish breakfast spread with made-to -order items as well as stations with eggs, salmon, fresh bread, fruit, spreads, cheese and more.

Relax and unwind: If you’re looking for a bit of pampering, the 1,300-square-meter rooftop Blue Spa features a pool, saunas, steam bath and a fitness studio, with panoramic views over Munich.

Three of the best places to go hiking in Antigua and Barbuda

June 24, 2022 No Comments

There are endless reasons visiting the Caribbean sister islands of Antigua and Barbuda should top your bucket list. The profound natural beauty of this destination is as good a reason as any: with its numerous white-sand beaches, lush rainforests, and warm tropical waters, it is easy to fall in love with the outdoors of Antigua and Barbuda.

Of course, visiting Antigua and Barbuda is the ideal location for some R&R on the beach…but who’s to say relaxation can’t take the form of a scenic hike? After all, being in nature is known to reduce stress! Whether you’re looking for a casual stroll or something more challenging, Antigua and Barbuda has the perfect trail for you!

Wallings Nature Reserve

Wallings Nature Reserve is more than just a beautiful hiking spot. This storied reserve is a community-managed National Park that focuses on sustainability while protecting Antigua’s biodiversity. Wallings Nature Reserve consists of roughly 1,680 acres of rainforest in the Shekerley Mountains with many walking trails intertwined throughout the park. Whether you’re an experienced hiker or rarely go for walks, there is a trail for everyone at Wallings Nature Reserve. The abundance of plants and trees makes Wallings Nature Reserve an ideal destination for those looking to reconnect with nature. The trails throughout the reserve vary in distance, ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours to complete. Whichever route you choose, make sure to take your time; you’d hate to walk by a mango tree and miss out on a mid-hike snack!

Guests can book a guided tour at Wallings Nature Reserve on their website, and the cost of the tours varies depending on which guided hike you choose. There is a $6 USD entrance fee to access the park area of the reserve, or if you wish to use any of the hiking trails and park, the cost is $15 USD. If you give 48 hours of notice, Wallings can prepare lunch and a drink for guests.

Green Castle Hill National Park

Green Castle Hill National Park is known for spectacular scenic views and captivating rock formations jutting out from the slopes. Green Castle Hill is located next to the village of Jennings, on the west side of Antigua near its volcanic highlands. The hill’s highest point reaches 565 feet above sea level, making the trek up the hill slightly steep but nothing a beginner hiker can’t handle. The rock formations known as megaliths, which are found along the slopes, contribute to the popularity of this hike. Megaliths are prehistoric rock structures, and the ones located at Green Castle Hill are said to be set up by pre-Columbian tribes who likely used the stones for ceremonial purposes. So, if you want to simultaneously cross a history lesson and a hike off your vacation to-do list, this is the sport for you.

Mount Obama

If you want to take in some of the most incredible views and hike through what feels like a tropical rainforest, consider making the trek up Mount Obama; and yes, it is named after the former U.S president! Mount Obama, formerly Boggy Peak, is Antigua’s highest point offering panoramic views of the island and, on clear days, the neighbouring islands of St. Kitts and Montserrat. Although the hike is somewhat strenuous, the journey through a canopy of trees to reach a 360-degree view of the island is worth the sweat. Altogether, the hike is about 6.6km long and will take a few hours to go up and down. Completing the hike up Mount Obama is rewarding and you’ll deserve a relaxing drink at the beach when you’re done. Luckily, Turners Beach is only 20 minutes away making it a perfect spot to grab a bite and recharge.

Antigua and Barbuda offer many different trails that provide unbelievable views. Besides the three walking trails listed, there are many other remarkable destinations for walking and hiking. Any of Antigua and Barbuda’s national parks make for great adventures. So, rather than experiencing Antigua and Barbuda solely from the comfort of your resort, go out and explore the blissful creation the twin-island nation has to offer.

This super low-cost carrier is offering super cheap flights to almost anywhere in Canada

June 20, 2022 No Comments

Swoop, Canada’s ultra-low cost airline is celebrating four years of making air travel more accessible and affordable for Canadians. The airline kicked off festivities with two inaugural flights departing from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Swoop flight WO370 arrived in Deer Lake, NL at 11:40 a.m. local time, and Swoop flight WO750 landed for the very first time in the Big Apple, at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 10:15 a.m. local time.

Since the airline’s first flight on June 20, 2018, Swoop has proudly served over four million travellers, connected Canadians to 33 destinations in five different countries with a total of 52 routes currently operating, and over 28,000 flights operated in these past four years.

Swoop is inviting travellers to join the festivities at airports across the country, with giveaways and special birthday treats. The ultra-not-expensive airline is also GIF(t)ingCanadians with 40% off base fares with promo code BDAYGIFS.

Bottoms up! Just in time for summer, a new take on a Cuban classic

June 17, 2022 No Comments

Maria Teresa Bacallao Maceyras is inviting Varadero vacationers to quench their thirst in the same manner that Ernest Hemingway would during his many years in Cuba.

Tour guide Bacallao Maceyras notes that Varadero has seen the opening of the Floridita bar, patterned after the famed watering hole in Havana.

The community has had a Bodeguita del Medio — again modelled after a famous Havana namesake bar — for close to a decade.

Hemingway used to say during his Cuba time that he’d visit El Floridita for his daiquiris and the Bodeguita del Medio for his mojitos.

“Ernest Hemingway didn’t really visit Varadero,” Bacallao Maceyras reports.

Nevertheless, Hemingway — who loved Cuban cocktails — would appreciate the two additions to Varadero’s bar scene, she adds.

El Floridita’s Varadero bar has a metal bust of Hemingway and staff sport the same red aprons their Havana counterparts do.

Pedro de la Conception says those visiting Varadero’s Bodeguita del Medio will quickly be made aware that they aren’t the first visitors, with its walls coated with a staggering number of signatures of previous guests in the same manner that its Havana counterpart is.

Indeed, the bar once removed thousands of names because the walls were becoming overwhelmed by signatures, he says. “Imagine 25,000 a year every year for nine years.”

Cuban music will be heard in a structure that has light blue walls and a red-tile roof, and displays a large Cuban flag.

And de la Concepcion is confident that those who stop at Varadero’s Bodeguita del Medio for a mojito will leave convinced that they got great value for their money.

“This is the mojito place,” he confidently states. “The best mojitos and the best restaurant are in the Bodeguita del Medio.”

An all-inclusive luxury resort just opened in Curacao and it has a two-level infinity pool

June 13, 2022 No Comments

Sandals Royal Curaçao – the 16th property in the Sandals Resorts portfolio – officially opened to guests on June 1, 2022.

Sandals Royal Curaçao is located within the exclusive, 3,000-acre Santa Barbara estate – just 15 miles from the Curaçao International Airport.

Its signature, west-facing position on the southernmost part of the island authentically intertwines nature with the resort experience, while capturing one of the Caribbean’s most spectacular sunsets.

At the heart of the property, couples can bask under the sun at the brand’s first ever bi-level Dos Awa Infinity Pool, with views overlooking the Spanish Water and the rugged mountain landscape beyond.

With its admirable west-facing position, Sandals Royal Curaçao includes two new signature suite categories, the Awa Seaside Butler Bungalows and Kurason Island Poolside Butler Bungalows, complete with Tranquility Soaking Tubs, private pools, and butler service – plus perks for select suites, like access to sporty and stylish convertible MINI Coopers to drive while exploring the island.

From the Melemele Walkout Suites (Papiamentu for affectionate) to the Sunchi Beachfront Suites (meaning kiss), locally inspired accommodations include entirely new room categories, such as the Kurason Island Poolside Butler Bungalows and Awa Seaside Butler Bungalows, capturing the height of luxury and overlooking private lagoons and the Curaçaon coast.

Sandals Royal Curaçao boasts eleven culinary concepts, including eight restaurants – seven of which are new to the brand and only available at this resort – along with three beachside gourmet food trucks and 13 bars. A sampling of all-new concepts include Aolos, home to an open-air Mediterranean dining experience; Vincent, an homage to the famous Dutch painter with a robust European fusion menu; and Toteki food truck serving up traditional Curaçao fare.

Further immersing guests in the unique flavors of the island, Sandals Royal Curaçao offers the brand’s first-ever off-site dining program, Island Inclusive, which expands its all-inclusive dining options to eight partner restaurants around the destination.

Valid on seven-night minimum stays, the program is available exclusively to guests who are booked in Butler suites, as well as Sandals Select Reward Members (Diamond, Pearl, Ambassadors Club), offering one $250 USD voucher to dine out at one of the eight partner restaurants, with off-site roundtrip transportation included

Bourbon, breweries and beyond in Louisville, Kentucky

June 10, 2022 No Comments

Bourbon aficionados will clearly find Kentucky a spirit-ed place.

The state accounts for 95% of the production of the distinctively American spirit of bourbon, and is cheerfully promoting both the alcohol and bourbon-related tourism attractions to potential visitors.

“There’s so much culture around the bourbon heritage,” says Jessica Morgan of Louisville Tourism while citing her city’s Urban Bourbon Trail.

Bourbon distilleries fled Louisville for the countryside during the Prohibition era in the United States but have now returned in force, with 10 urban distilleries opening since 2013.

Louisville visitors can opt for Bourbon City Cruiser tours that use a tuk-tuk-style electric-powered vehicle operated by a tour guide who will take them to distilleries and cocktail bars.

North of Bourbon in turn enables people to dine in an oversized replica bourbon barrel, while bourbon-themed accommodations are available in the Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel Distil, B&B-style Chateau Bourbon, Louisville Marriott East and the Omni Hotel.

“The downtown area is thriving and vibrant and has really come back from Covid,” Morgan continues.

Morgan noted bourbon is used in many Kentucky food dishes. “We have a phrase — ‘Eat your bourbon.’”

Louisville also has a burgeoning craft beer scene, with the Brewgrass Trail — the name of which is a take on the state’s popular bluegrass music — linking 18 independent breweries.

Other downtown Louisville attractions include the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, home of the famous baseball bats, the Muhammad Ali Center, which tells of the boxing great, who was from Louisville, and a host of museums.

Tourism authorities also praise Louisville’s varied architectural styles, with Old Louisville being a registered historic district that has the largest collection of restored Victorian mansions in the United States. The district comprises more than 40 city blocks of Beaux Arts, Cateauesque, Italianate, Neclassical and Queen Anne-style homes.

Daytime Old Louisville walking tours are available, as are nightly ghost tours that describe why Old Louisville was once named “One of America’s Most Haunted” districts.

Gina Christ-Kohler of Meet Northern Kentucky notes Air Canada has restarted twice-daily Toronto-Cincinnati service, with the Cincinnati airport actually being found in Kentucky.

The Ohio-Kentucky border is defined in part by the production of alcohol, she says, adding area visitors will find “breweries on the Cincinnati side, distilleries on the Kentucky side.”

Kentucky marks the spot where the northern United States meets the southern United States, she continues.

Christ-Kohler, who hosted tourism industry staff at a Toronto Blue Jays game during a Toronto visit, adds that baseball fans will appreciate Cincinnati, home of the storied Cincinnati Reds.

Meanwhile, Anne Sabatino Hardy of Lexington visitors bureau visitLEX labels the Lexington area both the “horse capital of the world” and the “center of the thoroughbred culture” in the United States.

Visitors can go on guided tours of area horse farms while in a state that’s home to the famed Kentucky Derby.

Those visitors can also see retirement homes for race horses.

Officials also praised Kentucky’s natural side, noting it has 29 state parks and landscapes include caves, with Mammoth Cave National Park home to the longest known cave system in the world.

Some Kentucky caves can be explored by kayak or by paddle boards.

Angela Blank of the Kentucky Department of Tourism says tourists will enjoy Kentucky’s “incredible musical heritage.”

Three of the hottest new hotels to check out this summer

June 6, 2022 No Comments

As the summer weather heats up, Canadians are eager to get out and explore again. Here’s a look at some memorable new hotels to check into across North America, Europe and beyond.

Calilo, Greece

The scenic boutique hotel Calilo first opened in 2019 as part of the Luxurious brand owned by Angelos Michalopoulos and Vassiliki Petridou. New this year are five reimagined EOS Collection suites, a new spa and wellness centre and a newly-appointed Executive Chef, Alexandros Tsiotinis, who will oversee the resort’s culinary offerings and launch two signature dining concepts.

The hotel features luxurious 1, 2 and 3-bedroom suites; multiple dining outlets, Rocks Pool Restaurant and private beach cabanas; wellness offerings like sunrise yoga and in-room spa treatments; exclusive experiences like private boat excursions, culture trips, wine tasting and dinner under the stars; and a variety of spaces for weddings and events.

The family has left 95% of the land undeveloped, in order to sustain Ios’ natural beauty, and made use of construction material extracted from the ground of the actual building site like marble and stone-granite.

Calilo also has several conservation projects including the Elektra olive tree project, where they have planted over 60,000 trees and bushes from around the island to restore the habitat that had previously been burned by wildfire and land deforestation, including 550 ancient olive trees (some more than 300 years old) which were saved from being sold for wildfire in Athens.

Hyatt Place LAX

The newly opened Hyatt Place LAX is an airport hotel travellers will actually want to spend time in — and not just to sleep. The dual branded hotel (Hyatt Place LAX for longer stays) is conveniently located a short 24/hour a day shuttle ride from the airport and with a prime location that offers some viewing perks. The hotel offers the tallest outdoor pool in the Los Angeles Airport District and the rooftop ShoresLAX Restaurant & Bar features views of LAX runways and the lights of downtown Los Angeles.

The 15th floor location is a relaxing spot to watch watch planes landing over pints of craft beer or cocktails, tacos and other options like New York strip with avocado salad and garlic fries. The hotel offers 401 rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows offering natural light and front row views of planes arriving and departing from the runway. Along with overnight stays, this is also a great option for travellers looking to make the most of a lengthy layover in Los Angeles. Additional perks include free breakfast and WiFi, and onsite amenities include large fitness centre.

XIXIM Mundo Imperial

XIXIM Mundo Imperial is set to open this fall offering a blend of total wellness immersion with all-inclusive comfort within a nature reserve with miles of private beaches.

XIXIM, part of Mundo Imperial Entertainment & Hospitality, will open with 32 suites available for reservations beginning this fall. Each suite will be set within a cabin with traditional palm-thatched roofs and feature a terrace with hammocks overlooking the ocean.

The Mayan-inspired resort will feature amenities like a wellness dome and a temazcal. XIXIM is located 90 minutes from the Mérida airport and 10 kilometres north of the town of Celestún.

TEXT BY: ANN RUPPENSTEIN

A 500-room luxury hotel with private plunge pools is opening in one of Mexico’s hottest neighbourhoods

June 3, 2022 No Comments

Opening in 2024, Grand Hyatt Cancún Beach Resort is a new-build resort coming to Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Situated in the eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula with expansive views overlooking the Caribbean Sea and nearby Isla Mujeres, Grand Hyatt Cancún Beach Resort will be a captivating destination, featuring 500 guestrooms, of which 28 guestrooms feature their own plunge pool, and 46 are luxury suites, including one Presidential Suite; 11 dining concepts that will feature world-class chefs and iconic dishes reflective of the destination; six bars, including a lobby lounge bar, pool bar, and beach shack; an indoor and outdoor destination spa area and fitness center to connect guests with their physical and mental wellbeing; three swimming pools; and more than 16,000 square feet of dynamic, state-of-the-art gathering spaces designed to accommodate events of any size and kind. Additional offerings and amenities will include a kids club, activity center, business centre and retail shops.

The resort will be located within Puerto Cancún, a master-planned residential resort community that includes a full-service marina, golf course, resorts, time-share, condominiums, single-family homes, state-of-the-art fitness and recreation centre, protected natural reserve, and a lifestyle shopping mall offering an open-air shopping experience with over 220 tenants including fine dining, art galleries and children’s entertainment activities. A newly developed resort cluster will include the new Grand Hyatt Cancún Beach Resort.

Strategically located between downtown Cancún and the Cancún Hotel Zone, Puerto Cancún intends to merge dynamic city life with a resort experience and environment, positioning the new Grand Hyatt hotel as an attractive destination for tourists and locals alike.