TRAVEL LIFE: Rum Running in Martinique
Getting to know this rugged Caribbean island through its long history of rum production...I stepped out of the taxi and breathed in air filled with the tantalizing aroma of freshly crushed sugar cane intermingled with the...
Travel Life: Sri Lanka—A spicy destination
The food is what I remember and miss the most about Sri Lanka. The country has an abundance of all the things I love to eat: spices, curries, seafood and fresh produce. Some of the spices, such as the real cinnamon, are special to the island. As for the curries,...
Global Getaway: NEW GOURMET HEIGHTS SAINT BARTH
When the season opened in November 2019 on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy it was a time of celebration. The Gault & Millau guide to gastronomic dining in the West Indies - French Guiana launched its second edition with a grand reception at the...
A Very Victorian Cape May
Cape May, America’s first seaside resort, is at the very southern end of the Jersey Shore. The coastal region of New Jersey encompasses about 227 km of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean starting from Perth Amboy in the north. So why drive all the way down the...
GLOBAL GETAWAY: 10 Reasons to Visit Moldova Now
Never heard of Moldova? You’re not alone. It’s Europe’s least visited and poorest country. The republic wants to change that and it has geared up to beckon tourists. A person is said to possess oligozoospermia if he ejaculate sperms less than 20 million per mL....
GLOBAL GOURMET: Split Personality
Early every morning we were awoken by harmonious male voices singing a capella style without instruments. The volume was such that it sounded like they were at the foot of our bed. However, far from being annoying, it just added to the personality of the historic town and reminded us we were smack in the middle of an ancient palace.
GLOBAL GETAWAY: Holiday in Barbados
Barbados isn't the most beautiful island in the Caribbean, nor does it have the highest peaks, the best beaches or the most abundant local produce. Yet billionaires who could vacation anywhere in the world, come here year after year and folks with more modest...
ZOOMER: The Guts and the Glory
I'm a well-seasoned food, drink and travel writer. After four decades, I'm still loving the gig, though it does have a downside. Over time, stuffing all conceivable edibles (and some unimaginable ones) down my throat has played havoc with my metabolism. Your order...
TRAVEL LIFE: Rocking Around the Clock
Don't expect to go to bed early in Madrid; in Spain's capital city, dinner hour starts at around 9:30 p.m. and the streets remain lively well into the night. I was in Madrid when the vote for Catalan independence and the subsequent demonstrations began last fall....
TRAVEL LIFE: A River Runs Through It
Saskatoon is alive with great restaurants, breweries, spirit makers, music venues, artisan bars and art. I have to admit when friends asked me where I was headed and I responded "Saskatoon," they sniggered. I'm on the road about every two to three weeks, and they...
CLEAR LIFE MAGAZINE: Fabulous Flavours of Rome
Two tasty walking tours of Rome will have you mapping out your next European vacation using TBPS (Taste Bud Positioning System). Many tourists get to know a city by sightseeing. I get the gist of a town through my stomach and I'm not alone. Food is now the leading...
GLOBE AND MAIL: Investigating the secret life of a luxury hotel mystery inspector
As soon as I enter my hotel room, before I even unpack, I drop to my knees and check under the bed for dust bunnies. Then I examine the walls and doors for scuff marks and the carpet for signs of debris. Next stop, the bathroom, to scrutinize the toilet seat,...
DINE MAGAZINE: Rio Eats
In Rio de Janeiro they have been busy civilizing the favelas (slums) whose brutal existence was immortalized in the 2002 film, City of God. Adventurous tourists are now visiting some of the more sanitized favelas and small restaurants have opened up....
GAYOT.COM: 72-Hour Getaway Toronto
72-Hour Getaway Toronto By Margaret Swaine Toronto the Good is shedding its goodie two-shoes persona. Yes the streets are still safe to walk at all hours and are generally clean enough to sleep on. The five million inhabitants are unfailingly polite, saying "I'm...
NATIONAL POST: Deep Snow Skiing Telluride VS Aspen
These two famous U.S. resorts offer deep-snow skiing at prices that are near par with our dollar. Either would be a great destination for a snowy March Break getaway, but they each have very different attitudes and crowds. Getting there Telluride is a bit of a...
ELLE MAGAZINE: Viking Style
Norway has always been cool, but a new focus on fashion and design means that it's never been more Norway chic. Norway's icy fjords, dark forests and snow-capped mountains are custom-made for fairy-tale lore. But today's Norway is much more than pristine...
NATIONAL POST: 10 Romantic Getaways
In the romantic life of every couple, change of venue can have a highly salutary effect on a relationship. Herewith, 10 excellent spots to shake things up. Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, Vancouver Island Every room overlooks the Pacific, so couples can cling together as...
MELANGE MAGAZINE: St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Seven Versions of Paradise
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Seven Versions of Paradise By Margaret Swaine Seven gorgeous Caribbean islands in seven days. Normally that's an experience only cruise ship passengers can enjoy. Yet in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, it was so easy for me to do by...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: The Five Best…. in Canada
- Five Best Craft Breweries to Visit in Canada (first appeared in Ottawa Citizen, December 2006) Craft Breweries and brew pubs are going strong in Canada with mapped beer routes now popping up for suds aficionados 1. Church Key Brewing Co., ON: The quaint town of...
URBANE MAGAZINE: Vienna A Grand Love
Vienna a Grand Love (Urbane Magazine June 2006) By Margaret Swaine Vienna's a sophisticated seductress. It has the architectural beauty of Paris without the attitude, the arts culture of London without the traffic jams, the dining scene of New York without the...
NATIONAL POST: Dead Sea Spa Jordan
Dead Sea Spa By Margaret Swaine (National Post, March 25, 2006) "We don't open the eyes. We cross our legs. Then we swim," said Tareq Bdeiwi, the manager of Zara Spa at The Mövenpick Dead Sea resort. He was explaining how to swim in a sea so dense in mineral salts...
NATIONAL POST: High up in the Clouds, Swiss Ski Adventure
High Up in the Clouds by Margaret Swaine (National Post, February 11, 2006) For me it was a James Bond moment with a Chicken Little heart. Agent 007 made the Schilthorn Mountain towering above the town of Mürren in Switzerland's Jungfrau region famous. The aerial...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Water? Czech, Immerse yourself at some of the oldest spas in the world
Water? Czech Immerse yourself at some of the oldest spas in the world By Margaret Swaine (Ottawa Citizen, December 2005) It starts with the water. Health-enhancing, mineral-rich spring water anchors each day at Czech spa towns. Spa goers bath in it, drink it...
MELANGE MAGAZINE: Southern Florida Frugal Traveler
The South Florida Frugal Traveler By Margaret Swaine (Melange Magazine, Fall 2005) There are two basic truths to travel anywhere. You need to walk the streets to really know a place. And traveling frugal doesn't mean traveling poor. A five star experience can be...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Going Sideways in the County
Going Sideways in the County By Margaret Swaine (Ottawa Citizen, July 9, 2005) You've seen the movie Sideways. Or at least you heard about the romp through the California vineyards by two aging college buddies. Winery visits helped them escape their disappointing...
Gastronomic Inns of the Laurentians
Gastronomic Inns of the Laurentians By Margaret Swaine I called my husband the first night in Quebec's Laurentians to tell him about the bucolic place I had discovered. My bed and breakfast or "gîte" in French was in a land dotted with apple orchards, vineyards and...
Travelling Okanagan’s Wine Trail
Travelling Okanagan's Wine Trail By Margaret Swaine The Okanagan is the Canadian version of a Riviera. The ever-present glittering lakes are the backdrop to ski hills, golf courses, cycling and hiking routes and wine trails. There's nothing flash, snob or high...
Travels Through Quebec’s Wine Country
Vineyards and wine routes in Quebec Travels Through Quebec's Wine Country By Margaret Swaine Pouring wine in their rustic 1830 fieldstone and wood beam barn, Iréneé Belley and his wife Sandra Moreau explained how they came to grow wine in a province famous for its...
CHATELAINE TRAVELS – Holiday Break Away in Austria
Austria - Holiday Break Away by Margaret Swaine Stepping out of my hotel in Salzburg I see the Alps. I wonder whether they are ones which inspired Mozart who was born here, or hold the path which Julie Andrews sang along in the Sound of Music. In any case, I’m...
ONTARIO MEDICINE MAGAZINE: Southern Spain Surprises
Southern Spain Surprises (first appeared in Ontario Medicine) by Margaret Swaine I spent the first night in southern Spain in a five star golf resort on the Costa Calida or “hot coast”, the next in a cave in the hills of Galera. In this part of Spain, once you are...
