travelwriter

Zoos are a great alternative for parents seeking family time and a safe adventure for their children on Halloween night.

Zoos across the United States and Canada are finding that Halloween night brings some of the biggest crowds to the zoo – even if they are mostly in strollers.  Special events at the zoo take place and in some towns, visiting the zoo on Halloween seems to have taken the place of traditional trick or treating.  But not to worry – there’s still candy included at the zoo.

Here are some zoos with Halloween events for tonight – it’s not too late to make plans!

• Cleveland, OH – Boo at the Zoo
• San Diego, CA – Boo at the Zoo
• Witchita, KS – Night of the Living Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo
• Akron, OH – Boo at the Zoo
• Oakland, CA – Boo at the Zoo
• Fort Worth, TX – Boo at the Zoo
• Portland, OR – Howloween
• Oklahoma City, OK – Haunt the Zoo

If you have more cities you’d like to add to the list for next year, leave a comment below!  Happy Halloween!!!

Take care,

Connie

Air Canada has just announced its North America Spring Sale where you can save up to 30% on North America destinations for travel until May 2009.

As an added bonus with this Spring Sale, Air Canada is offering fares with no fuel surcharges and is allowing two checked bags for free on economy airfares.  Plus, on select North America routes, you can earn 50% bonus Aeroplan miles.

Here are some sample one-way Tango airfares:

• Vancouver to Toronto $255
• Vancouver to Calgary $129
• Toronto to Dallas $221
• Vancouver to San Francisco $106

Tickets must be purchased by November 2^nd, 2008 and all travel must be completed by May 31, 2009.  A 14 day advance purchase is required with days of the week travel restrictions in place.  Prices above do not include taxes; tickets are 100% non-refundable.  For complete details see Air Canada North America Spring Sale.

As part of a promotion with the Amazing Race, you are invited to enter Air Canada’s Amazing World Experience contest (sorry, Canadians only!).  You could wind one of four trips to Asia, Europe, South America or Australia or have a chance at the Grand Prize – fly to all four destinations in Air Canada’s Executive First Suite.    You could also win one of five prizes of 100,000 bonus Aeroplan miles.  Good luck - enter the contest here.

Take Care,

Connie

Located in central Mexico, Casa de Sierra Nevada is situated amongst the cobblestone streets of downtown San Miguel de Allende, offering guests a great location within walking distance of shops, restaurants and galleries.  Casa de Sierra Nevada consists of six colonial mansions built in the 16^th century.  The hotel exudes such quaint Mexican touches as blooming flowerpots, wide windows, arches, fountains and stone floors. With only 31 rooms, this boutique hotel offers the best in Mexican hospitality.  Guests can enjoy the swimming pool, attend classes at the Sazon culinary school, or enjoy golf, tennis or equestrian center all located nearby.

The hotel offers 3 restaurant choices including fine dining at  Andanza, less formal cuisine at Casa Parque and of course, wining and dining at the Sazon cooking school.

Casa de Sierra Nevada is offering a four night package that includes full daily breakfast, a 3-course dinner for two at Casa Parque, one 3-course dinner for two at one of the select local restaurants, and a exhilarating one-hour hot-air balloon ride for two over the hillside town of San Miguel de Allende which is registered as a national monument.Prices start at $1910 USD for 2008 and increase to $1980 for 2009. 

Prices are per package, not per person and are valid until March 31, 2009.  Blackout dates apply; beverages are not included in the dinners.

Be sure to tell them you saw it on the travelwriter.today.com website!

According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), last Sunday evening a 26-year-old man had his arm sucked into a toilet while trying to retrieve his cell phone onboard a French TGV train.

TGV toilets are equipped with a powerful suction system and when the man reached in to grab his phone that fell into the toilet, his arm was also sucked into the formidable toilet system.

As fellow passengers waited, the man was removed from the high-speed train by emergency services.  Apparently the toilet was still attached to his arm and was later removed by using a saw. Two hours later the train resumed its route from La Rochelle to Paris, France. 

As part of Rail Europe, for 25 years TGV has provided passengers throughout France with comfort and convenience while whisking passengers to their destinations travelling at speeds up to 186 m.p.h.

Why not enter the Train to Spain Sweepstakes here?  Contest closes October 31, 2008; read the official rules here.

The perfect girlfriend getaway is time spent away from home where you can relax, rejuvenate and forget about the stresses of everyday life.  It’s time to have fun and let loose while you leave the husband/boyfriend, children, work & stress at home!

The Hotel Le Soleil in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC) is offering a Day Spa Retreat Package for that perfect Girlfriend Getaway.  Voted Vancouver’s Most Luxurious hotel, Le Soleil is located in its own private heaven in downtown Vancouver, close to shopping and restaurants.

Your senses will be awakened with Spa Utopias experience which includes wine, refreshments, treats, as well as relaxation by the serene fireplace.  Your $100 gift certificate will allow you to choose from an array of spa treatments including massage, facials and body care. 

Rates depend on the dates chosen but include one night’s accommodation t the Hotel Le Soleil, a $100 Spa Utopia gift certificate, return transportation between the hotel and spa, as well as valet parking plus an extended 2 p.m. check-out time.

Whether it’s a present for a girlfriend getaway, Christmas, birthday or even for yourself, make sure to bring your camera as memories will surely be made.  When making your booking, be sure to tell them you saw it on the Travelwriter.today.com website!

Today is the last day of the 3-day concert series known as the Tenth Ritual New Orleans Voodoo Experience.

Now in its tenth year, the music festival attracts such big name acts as R.E.M., Erykah Badu, Nine Inch Nails, the Stone Temple Pilots, Panic at the Disco and Lil Wayne.  Past performers in this diverse experience have included Eminem, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day and the Beastie Boys. For the complete line up for 2008, click here.

Held in beautiful New Orleans City Park, the festival presents performers on three stages set amongst the parks majestic oak trees.  Shuttle buses to the park run from several locations throughout the city.  The Tenth Ritual is an all ages venue; outside food and beverages are not allowed into the park.  Check out the great vendors of arts & crafts and delicious Louisiana cuisine in The Village.

Single day tickets are approximately $57 with a three-day weekend tickets for $125.  You may have missed it this year but mark in on your calendar as a not to be missed event for 2009.  Pre-sale concert tickets will be available at discounted prices during the summer months.

Once again, Travel & Leisure magazine has named the Top 10 Cities in the U.S. and Canada.  All of these choices offer a unique experience and are wonderful to visit.  I am also proud to say that 4 of them are in my home country of Canada.  So let’s take at look at the Top 10 Cities in as ranked by the readers of Travel & Leisure:

1. New York, NY
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Chicago, IL
4. Charleston, SC
5. Santa Fe, NM
6. Quebec City, QC
7. Montreal, QC
8. Vancouver, BC
9. Savannah, GE
10. Victoria, BC

Again, my curiosity always wants to know why you love these cities, so leave a comment and tell me.  How many of the Top 10 have you visited or how many of you are lucky enough to be living in one of these greats?  I have visited only 4 from the list, how about you? 

Take care,

Connie

Travel & Leisure magazine recently named the city of Boston, MA, as America’s Favorite City for 2008.

According to voters, the best feature of Beantown is the vast array of historical sites and monuments like the Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum, the Plymouth Plantation or the Bunker Hill Monument.

What makes Boston a great place to visit?  I agree that it’s the history that New England’s largest and most important city has to offer.

But everyone also loves the Red Sox.  And even though the Red Sox and my home town boy, Jason Bay, are done for the season, that’s okay, there’s always next year.  And yes, he really is from my town of Trail, BC, like 15 minutes away.  How cool is that?!

For more information on how to plan your trip to Boston, check out this link to Boston tourism.

Travel & Leisure magazine recently announced their Top 10 Hotels in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Bahamas.  The list tends to contain upscale hotels with no concern for pricing, but to me, they’re at least fun to dream about!

So let’s put on our sunglasses, lather on the lotion, grab a cool tropical drink, slide into that hammock and dream on……

1. One&Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas
2. Four Seasons Resort, Nevis, St. Kitts & St. Nevis
3. The Reefs, Southampton, Bermuda
4. CuisinArt Resort & Spa, Anguilla
5. Couples Swept Away, Negril, Jamaica
6. Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
7. Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
8. Couples Negril, Negril, Jamaica
9. Parrot Cay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
10. Cap Jaluca, Anguilla

And that’s it.  I hope you all get the chance to explore and enjoy each of these hotels - and have a rum punch for me!

Happy travels,

Connie

British customs officials and border agents seized 66 pounds of cocaine onboard the P&O ship, Arcadia, shortly after the ship docked in Southampton this past weekend.

One of the largest ships in the P&O fleet, the Arcadia was returning to England after a 23-day cruise to the Caribbean.  Seven suspects were taken into custody with charges pending; apparently two of the suspects had the cocaine strapped onto their bodies.

P&O, known as Britain’s favorite cruise line, has not made any comment at this time.  The Arcadia is set to sail again on November 2, 2008, for 12 nights to the Canary Islands.  The estimated street value of the cocaine is 2.1 million U.S. dollars.