Recently I spent a fun-filled weekend in Toronto. I was there for a cousins’ get together and we stayed in the downtown Entertainment District. With a WalkScore of 97/100 it was within easy walking distance of Queen Street, CN Tower, Kensington Market and many theaters. CN Tower is the major landmark in Toronto’s skyline (kind of the Canadian equivalent to the Space Needle) and helped us get our bearings on more than one occasion.

Exploring the city in July, I saw many beautiful flowers adorning outdoor cafes and pubs. For shopping we headed to Queen Street. Some of our favorite stops included: GetOutside for shoes, Mujamba for an amazing collection of ribbons & shoe laces, and Fashion Crimes for every type of party dress you could imagine. If you’re on Queen Street be sure to stop in at Dufflet, known as the ‘Queen of Cake’ and best baker in Toronto. For lunch or dinner try the secluded patio at the Queen Mother Café which serves Dufflet cakes for dessert.

For more shopping visit Kensington Market to see a collection of funky, local shops and hear live music in the streets.

Take a streetcar or cab to the historic Distillery District to see some beautiful buildings, shop and then relax at Mill Street Pub with some local ale and sweet potato fries. If you have time, catch the short ferry ride to Toronto Island. Walk around the well-groomed park or rent a two or four person carriage bicycle to explore the island. The return ferry ride provides a postcard perfect view of the city.

Flagstaff is one of those towns not many people know about, but is definitely worth a visit. Located just an hour and half north of Phoenix, Flagstaff is a quaint college/ski town set in the mountains. Because of its high elevation, its summers are much cooler than Phoenix and it offers good skiing in the winter.

A group of us spent the 4th of July weekend in Flagstaff and we knew we’d made a good choice when we arrived on Friday evening. Although the downtown is small there are plenty of restaurants, hotels and activities to choose from. The town’s central park was our first stop, where the lawn was filled with people relaxing and listening to a rock band performing. Since it was the first Friday of the month, the art galleries were hosting ArtWalk where people are encouraged to go gallery hopping and can enjoy refreshments along the way.

After a Mexican dinner at San Felipe’s we walked around the corner to a Michael Jackson dance party tribute at the Orpheum. Hundreds of people were there, some in full Michael Jackson attire, and all were dancing to his greatest hits.

On Saturday morning, after stopping in at Late for the Train for much needed coffee, we made our way to the town’s 4th of July parade. It was a perfect small town parade, featuring a dog drill team, vintage tractors and several distinguished veterans including the Navajo code talkers from WWII. That evening the symphony played in an outdoor amphitheater followed by fireworks at dusk. All in all, a great place to spend the 4th of July.

When my sister suggested we go for a “spring break” to Loreto Bay, Mexico it was almost impossible to find a reason to say no. Especially after she said that we could split the normal airfare using her Alaska Airlines companion fare voucher and that lodging would be free. So I really had no choice – being a good sister and all – but to accompany her down to where the weather is perfect and the margaritas are plentiful.

It was the first time I’d been to Loreto Bay, which is a resort just outside the town of Loreto in Baja Mexico. Unlike popular destinations like Cancun, Cabo San Lucas or Puerto Vallarta, Loreto is still somewhat undiscovered and small. Loreto Bay is a new resort containing adobe style homes, a Troon golf course, hotel and private beach on the Sea of Cortez.

We stayed in one of the adobe homes during our stay which had an interior courtyard, 2 bedrooms/ baths and upper decks with sweeping views of the Sierra de la Giganta mountains and the Sea of Cortez. During the day, we would walk over to the hotel and go to the pool, check-out kayaks or swim at the beach.

When we wanted to go into town, we could catch a taxi and shop at the pedestrian market or try one of the many good eateries including Las Mandiles, Loreto Islas, Oasis and the Giggling Dolphin. With a 14:1 conversion rate (pesos to dollars), everything seemed very affordable. Tip: Since some merchants give less than the current exchange rate, its best to use a credit card or get pesos from the bank’s ATM machine (located on east end of the pedestrian market).

One of the great things about Loreto & Loreto Bay is how friendly everyone is – especially the expats and US/Canadian visitors. It didn’t take long before we’d met lots of interesting people and felt right at home.

At Loreto Bay I bumped into a group of eight girlfriends who were having a girls getaway. They’d graduated together from the same California high school over 40 years ago and it was clear they were having great time together. You go girls!

Link: Loreto Bay

Whether you like to head to the beach to soak up some sun or hit the ski slopes, here’s a list of some of this year’s top Spring Break destinations:

1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Orlando, FL
3. Scottsdale, AZ
4. Lake Tahoe (ski)
5. Miami
6. Killington, VT (ski)
7. Honolulu
8. Cabo San Lucas
9. Key West

Here’s where most college students will be heading:

- Panama City, FL
- Lake Havasu
- South Padre Island
- Jackson Hole (ski)

Waikiki Beach on Oahu

Just got back from two weeks in Hawaii and for those of you wondering, it really is as beautiful as the postcards! While we were there the weather was between 75 and 80 degrees and breezy, and when it did rain we’d often see a procession of rainbows.

Although small geographically, there are many faces to the island of Oahu. There’s upscale and tourist-centric Waikiki Beach, lush mountain ranges (Lost is filmed here) and North Shore, where you’ll see world class surfers like John John Florence take on the waves at the Banzai Pipeline.   

North Shore beach on Oahu

Byodo-In Temple on Oahu

Wondering where to go for Labor Day weekend?  Here’s a round-up of great places to celebrate the end of summer:

(click each place for more info)

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is an idyllic coastal village, about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles. It’s a postcard-perfect town, surrounded by mist covered mountains and beaches…

Nantucket
Once home to many whaling sea captains, Nantucket is now a popular summer spot for the well to do. Walk along its cobblestone streets…

San Francisco
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. And it’s easy to see why. It has a spectacular setting, moderate weather, cable cars, great shopping, interesting people and fabulous restaurants. (more…)

Every year my sisters and I pick a beautiful location for our girls getaway and this year our destination was Newport, Rhode Island. We stayed at a quaint B&B called the Spring Street Inn (ranked #1 on TripAdvisor) which was ideally located in the heart of Newport’s walk-able downtown.  Pat, the B&B’s innkeeper, gave us a great overview of Newport, including cultural highlights, some historical side notes and great places for cocktails and dinner.  We didn’t have to worry about breakfast – every morning Pat served us a wonderful gourmet breakfast.  

Newport is where the ultra rich spent their summers at the turn of the 19th century.  Home of the America’s Cup yacht race for many decades, Newport is probably best known for its “summer cottages”.  These Gilded Age mansions were built for the Vanderbilts and Astors during an age when wealth was flaunted with lavish parties and hundreds of guests on sprawling lawns that stretched to the coastline.

The Newport Preservation Society now owns several of the largest mansions and allows the public to tour these summer cottages where the ultra rich once lived.   During our stay we saw the Breakers, The Elms, Rosecliff, Marble House, Kingscote, Isaac Bell and the Topiary garden.  The interiors of the mansions were amazing.  

Tip: we all bought a Preservation membership which included entrance to any property and allowed us to go to the front of the line at any mansion.  It also includes a free Behind the Scenes Elms tour which describes how the servants lived (recommended).

We timed our trip for the end of June to coincide with Newport’s annual Flower Show.  The judged floral arrangements were on display on the first floor of Rosecliff and we could hear seminars on topics like rose selection, orchids, and floral arrangements for lavish parties.  Here are a few of the arrangements from the show.

The first time I went to a destination spa was for a milestone birthday - I joined my three sisters at Lake Austin Spa for a long weekend and enjoyed every minute with the beautiful surroundings, excellent food, fun activities and relaxing spa treatments.  Staying at a destination spa is a definite splurge, but worth experiencing at least one time. 

Here is Travel + Leisure’s list of Best Destination Spas in the World for 2007. 

Be sure to check the spa websites and SpaFinder.com for the current Getaway Spa Deals before booking.

1. Mii amo at Enchantment Resort  (Sedona, Arizona) 
2. Alder Thermae Spa Resort  (Siena, Tuscany)
3. Les Sources de Caudalie  (Bordeaux-Martillac, France)
4. Miraval, Life in Balance  (Tuscan, Arizona) 
5. Canyon Ranch  (Tucson, Arizona)
6. Chiva-Som Health Resort  (Hua Hin, Thailand)
7. Plateau at Grand Hyatt  (Hong Kong)
8. Green Valley Spa & Resort  (St. George, Utah)
9. Lake Austin Spa Resort  (Austin, Texas)
10. Rancho La Puerta  (Tecate, Mexico)
11. Canyon Ranch  (Lenox, Massachusetts)
12. Mayflower Inn & Spa  (Washington, Connecticut)
13. Lodge at Woodloch  (Hawley, Pennsylvania)  
14. Maya Tulum Wellness Retreat & Spa  (Pueblo Tulum, Mexico) 
15. Golden Door  (Escondido, California)