canadian travel

How to Score an Updated Room at Toronto's Fairmont Royal York

The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto was the largest and tallest building in the British Empire when it opened in 1929 -- which certainly qualifies it as one of those "grand dame" hotels. This status has both its upsides and its downsides -- while the lobby is impressive for meeting business clients, you certainly want to score a recently updated room.

Like many hotels, the Royal York has been in the process of updating its rooms, and while a more extensive overhaul is happening in the near future, that won't help you if you're checking in over the next few weeks. Here are a few tips that will:

1) Join the President's Club before your stay -- it's free, and you get preferential room selection, plus free wifi and other goodies.

2) Ask for a room with a flat-screen TV. Only the updated rooms have the flat screens. (Psst: this question works well in any hotel in the midst of an update.)

3) Whether you care about an updated room or not: if you're not a smoker, avoid any room on the second floor. It's a smoking floor, and it's also above the hospitality suites which allow smoking.

Tags: canadian travel, fairmont royal york, FairmontHotels, hotels, toronto, toronto hotels

Yellowknife Travel Package Offers Extra-Long Summer Days

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Wish summer would never end? Then why not extend it by traveling to a place where the sun shines nearly all day during the summer months? Yellowknife, capital of Canada's Northwest Territories, is not only the land of the midnight sun but also a place with its own spirited culture. Plenty to explore from the Old Town to local artwork, shops and cafes to lots of scenic beauty, and nearly endless light-filled hours.

The Great Canadian Travel Company is offering a unique "Arctic Discovery" package to Yellowknife and other points in the great north. The seven day/six night adventure includes a fish fry and dinner cruise on Great Slave Lake, the ninth largest lake in the world. On one day you'll take a flight from Yellowknife to Rankin Inlet, on the northwestern coast of Hudson Bay in Canada's Nunavut Territory. Another day sends you off on a guided boat tour to Marble Island the place where the ill-fated James Knight expedition of 1721 met its end. The remains Knight's island home and ancient graves can still be seen. The journey winds up with a day in Winnipeg. "Arctic Discovery" is available June-September, with departures on Fridays and Sundays. Cost is $2650 per person based on double occupancy not including flights.

Tags: arctic, arctic circle, canada, canadian travel, yellowknife