http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog Pages of travel tales gathered from visits to hotels, hammams, beaches, boutiques, bars and everything luxurious in between Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:00:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/check-in-the-fairmont-empress/18086 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/check-in-the-fairmont-empress/18086#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:23:20 +0000 Joy Pecknold /blog/?p=18086 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/check-in-the-fairmont-empress/18086/feed 0 The world loves new things (hello iPad 2, iPhone 4S, et. al.), but sometimes old is just as good, if not better. I got that feeling when I checked into The Fairmont Empress, a 103-year-old grand dame on Vancouver Island. Situated right on the harbour in Victoria, B.C., next to the provincial capital’s pretty parliament [...] 000762-08-exterior-daytime http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/destination-dispatches-surf-and-suds-both-served-cold/17738 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/destination-dispatches-surf-and-suds-both-served-cold/17738#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:50:14 +0000 Joy Pecknold /blog/?p=17738 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/destination-dispatches-surf-and-suds-both-served-cold/17738/feed 2 When most folks think of surfing, they think warm turquoise barrels and tanned bare-chested boys. I didn’t find most of those things in Tofino, B.C., Canada, but I did still find surf and other splendors. Such as, good beer and some of those barrels. These waves were more slate blue though and, like the beer, [...] 000058-07-ocean-big-waves http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/check-in-on-route-to-chateau-lake-louise/17458 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/check-in-on-route-to-chateau-lake-louise/17458#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:00:49 +0000 Michelle Lando /blog/?p=17458 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/check-in-on-route-to-chateau-lake-louise/17458/feed 0 It’s not always about the destination. Sometimes half the fun (and grandeur) is getting there. Michelle Lando checks-in from her mode of transport to Canada’s Banff National Park. A journey through the clouds on the glass-top Rocky Mountaineer train. My stop: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for a little r ‘n’ r (rest and really [...] 001080-10-aerial-lake-mountains-summer http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/destination-dispatches-hotel-georgia-on-my-mind/17309 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/destination-dispatches-hotel-georgia-on-my-mind/17309#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:21:51 +0000 Mary Gostelow /blog/?p=17309 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/destination-dispatches-hotel-georgia-on-my-mind/17309/feed 0 Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and the Rolling Stones are just a few of Hotel Georgia’s guests of yore. Now that it’s been revived, it’s ready to rock again in a new way. Vancouver’s Hotel Georgia originally opened in 1927 as the first Western International outside the USA. The original clock still ticks, [...] Rosewood Hotel Georgia_Exterior Georgia Street http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/peace-adventure-and-solitude-in-sonora/9871 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/peace-adventure-and-solitude-in-sonora/9871#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:00:55 +0000 Nicole Humphries /blog/?p=9871 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/peace-adventure-and-solitude-in-sonora/9871/feed 6 When you’re seven months pregnant and your husband has been away all summer, there’s only one thing to do when he returns: head to a remote destination where luxury, wilderness, and romance abound. For us, that meant Sonora Resort, a place where West Coast wilderness and rustic luxury blend seamlessly. As soon as we stepped [...] peace, adventure, an#41FFAC http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/canada%e2%80%99s-gorgeous-west-coast-sailing-the-gulf-islands/8654 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/canada%e2%80%99s-gorgeous-west-coast-sailing-the-gulf-islands/8654#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:03:26 +0000 Nicole Humphries /blog/?p=8654 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/canada%e2%80%99s-gorgeous-west-coast-sailing-the-gulf-islands/8654/feed 0 After a few nights of sleeping on a sailboat, Kristina and I (as the two females on the trip) decided it was time to get off the boat and into comfortable beds. So we headed to Hastings House Country Estate on Salt Spring Island and Poets Cove Resort and Spa on Pender Island. One of [...] NPC HH trail - blog http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/unite-with-art-2010/8255 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/unite-with-art-2010/8255#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:00:15 +0000 Hailey Taylor /blog/?p=8255 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/unite-with-art-2010/8255/feed 1 Putting on a fundraiser that is both effective and enjoyable for all parties involved is a difficult task to undertake…. unless, of course, the fundraiser is in aid of a cause as worthy as UNICEF’s Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. The organizers of Unite with Art’s art auction and gala should be very [...] Brent Sarah Athena blog http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/g-8-summit-2010-muskoka/8263 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/g-8-summit-2010-muskoka/8263#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:50:41 +0000 Nicole Humphries /blog/?p=8263 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/g-8-summit-2010-muskoka/8263/feed 2 Protesters get ready and journalists take note: this year’s G8 Summit is set to take place in Ontario’s Muskoka region, and there is already one controversy on the table. From June 25th to 27th, Canada will play host to the governments of the world’s wealthiest nations.  As such, Canada plans to impress them… unfortunately, however, [...] touchstone_blog2 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/coffee-for-a-good-cause/7992 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/coffee-for-a-good-cause/7992#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:11:50 +0000 Nicole Humphries /blog/?p=7992 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/coffee-for-a-good-cause/7992/feed 1 Well, I think I discovered the perfect way to spend a Monday morning yesterday: meet up with people who are putting their time and money to good use. Or where their mouth is, for that matter. At least, that’s how I felt during an event at Vancouver’s 49th Parallel this morning. lululemon athletica’s Shannon and [...] Imagine1Day2 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/inspirational-photos/7396 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/inspirational-photos/7396#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 22:49:39 +0000 Nicole Humphries /blog/?p=7396 http://www.kiwicollection.com/blog/inspirational-photos/7396/feed 0 I don’t know about you, but gazing at fantastic photography is something I never get bored of. That said, I have a habit of losing track of time this way… especially on Mondays! There are so many talented photographers posting their work online these days. How generous – especially for us “less-than-photographically-gifted” folk. One particular [...] tower_beach_couple