Right in the centre of Edmonton’s hipster Old Strathcona neighbourhood — voted one of the top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in Canada — is the Varscona Hotel.

There are 89 spacious rooms in this boutique property that is focussed on friendly service and making sure you relax and enjoy. All rooms have fridges, Keurig coffee machines and cozy spa bathrobes ready to curl up in.

You will eat very well at the Varscona. The onsite restaurant — about to undergo a name change — is a favourite of locals. The hotel offers a big daily breakfast (included), and one of Canada’s favourite coffee shops — The Second Cup — is attached to the lobby. Six evenings a week the Varscona also offers complimentary wine and cheese. I discovered that my favourite band — The Dave Matthews Band — makes wine and that it’s pretty good!

If you need space for a function, the hotel has several choices for everything from weddings to meetings. The business centre, open 24 hours, is outfitted with both a Mac and a PC. The fitness centre is great, and the hotel is only a couple blocks from Edmonton’s gorgeous river valley.

Stroll across the High Level Bridge for the views and then explore the legislature’s park-like grounds, fountains and beautiful buildings. Back on the south side of the river, check out Old Strathcona’s fantastic dining and shopping scene.

You’ll sleep really well at the Varscona — the beds are so comfortable it is hard to get up in the morning!

 
There are not that many places left in the world to enjoy the wilderness. There are even fewer where you can enjoy it with luxuries like personalized service, exceptional food and your own two-bedroom chalet looking out over the ocean.

Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort is a fly- or boat-in resort in the Great Bear Rainforest, midway up Canada’s Pacific coast. You’re surrounded by rainforest, mountains, islands, bays and fjords … and the animals that call this home.

This is the remote wilderness, yet you’re also surrounded by some of the best staff I’ve ever come across.

The resort is owned by the Murray family, managed by son Fraser and his wife Becky, and staffed by a team that truly understands hospitality. Wonder aloud about something, pose a question, sometimes even just have a look on your face — the team jumps to accommodate your needs and surpass your expectations. You might not even realize all the behind-the-scenes work going on to do this, simply thinking “oh how nice that Brianna wanted to come with me for a paddle and hike just now!”

Activities at Nimmo Bay are all included, depending on the package that you choose:

– boat excursions to see sea lions and look for humpback whales, orca, dolphins, and bears
– guided hiking, kayaking and standup paddle boarding
– snorkeling (heard of jellyfish lake in Micronesia? Try Nimmo Bay in August!)
– heli-fishing for salmon and trout in rivers shared only with bears
– other helicopter activities like hiking, beachcombing, and glacier and waterfall viewing

Also included are incredible meals by Chef Sandi Irving and featuring the “best of BC” — local ingredients like spot prawns, scallops, salmon, oysters, farmed meats, fruits and veggies, and BC wine and beer. Nosh in the floating dining room, adeptly managed by Hayley Van Wieren.

Stay in one of nine two-bedroom chalets, three by the waterfall-fed stream and six which have the tide rising and falling beneath you. Some are rustically luxurious, and others are more Cape Cod modern.

 
I look out my huge picture window at the stillness of the lake. The view is so spectacular that I move to my balcony to see if I can capture a picture of the reflections on the water in the dim light. Though it is well after 10:00pm, night has not yet completely fallen here in Whistler. The longest day of the year — June 21 — will soon arrive.

If you like peace and quiet, Nita Lake Lodge is your top choice for your visit to Whistler. It is located on the edge of a serene glacier-fed lake in Whistler Creekside, a five minute shuttle ride from “downtown” Whistler with its shops, bars and restaurants. You’re just 500 meters from the base of Whistler Mountain and the Creekside gondola.

The lodge has 77 rooms, all generously sized and luxuriously outfitted with king bed, double soaker tubs, glass-enclosed rain showers, heated slate bathroom floors, and basalt gas fireplaces. I stayed in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite which was spread out on two floors, and also included a discrete kitchen area. As lovely as it was, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the lake view through the two-story windows.

On-site facilities at Nita Lake Lodge include a spa, fitness centre, yoga studio, rooftop hot tubs, a lakeside pool, private dock and complimentary seasonal equipment like snowshoes, bikes, stand-up paddleboards, canoes and fishing rods.

There are three dining options on-site, led by executive chef Dean Hossack — the exceptional Aura Restaurant, Cure Lounge and Patio, and the locals’ favourite Fix Café — which all make use of the rooftop herb and vegetable garden.

 
Fairmont hotels always do things right, and their Canadian mountain resorts are the epitome of relaxed luxury. You can’t go wrong with any of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s 550 rooms, whether you’re here in winter or summer.

For the ultimate in luxury, upgrade to a suite on the Fairmont Gold floor. They’re all spectacular; mine even had a double-sided fireplace. Best of all is access to the Fairmont Gold Lounge and Concierge. Fairmont Gold goes beyond the already high Fairmont standard. Exclusive and personal, Fairmont Gold is known as “a hotel within a hotel”. The lounge offers a sumptuous breakfast, all-day beverages and snacks, an honour bar, early evening canapés, and, later, delicious desserts. Be forewarned — the service quality does make it difficult to go back to the regular Fairmont, as wonderful as it is!

Chateau Whistler entices guests with all sorts of winter and summer activities including an 18-hole golf course and practice centre, three tennis courts, BMW-branded bicycles, lawn games, board games, an extensive fitness centre, plus a ski concierge to help your slope-side activities (you won’t even have to carry your skis!).

There are five dining areas and the chef incorporates their own house-made honey and other ingredients from the roof-top gardens.

Try to plan your visit for a holiday: the Chateau Whistler’s “Wonder Maker” goes all out to create special events, particularly for families and kids.