Thursday 25 April 2013

Romantic Danube Viking River Cruise


Travel like you've never imagined as you join us on this relaxing and enjoyable river cruise down the Danube with Viking River Cruises -
October 7-20, 2014
During this journey, encounter the grand cities and quaint villages along the celebrated Danube River.  Begin in Budapest with a few days to explore on your own before beginning this once in a lifetime cruise.  Discover both sides of Hungary’s capital—traditional “Buda” and more cosmopolitan “Pest” - and from Fisherman’s Bastion, see how the river divides this fascinating city.  Experience Vienna’s imperial architecture and gracious culture, and tour riverside towns in Austria’s Wachau Valley.  And in Germany, explore a baroque cathedral and stroll cobbled streets lined with half-timbered houses.  Savor the tastes of authentic dishes, learn about local legends and understand why Strauss immortalized the “Blue Danube” in his famous melody.  At the conclusion of the cruise in Nuremburg, join us in Prague for a post-cruise tour in this enchanting city before our journey home!

Please call us for more information on this fabulous cruise tour!
1-800-442-0611

Friday 8 February 2013

G'Day Mates!

Back to the beautiful Gold Coast of Australia again and can't believe we've already been away from the cold weather of Canada for over a week!!   It was a treat to have a few days in Roratonga, Cook Islands .... it certainly eased the jetlag when we arrived here.   Now all getting settled into the rhythm of the coast and into our home for 7 weeks - Points North!
We're getting lots of tours set up so everyone can explore - our "Mystery tour" proved to be interesting as we drove thru the Northern part of New South Wales and South Queensland.   The ranges looked very green and certainly there was evidence of washouts after the big rains!   As always, a few unscheduled stops for some fresh fruit & veggies!  
And what a wonderful day we had for a cruise on the river; and a new experience dining on some of that famous seafood! Weather was perfect!
Had our first BBQ and we were all well fed on such a nice variety of goodies!!
Our next tour is the Emu Farm on Feb 12! Will check back soon!
AJ & Nelson

Thursday 3 May 2012

Eats & Treats in Charlottetown, PEI


My husband Brent and I took a little vacation to Charlottetown for a short few days, May 13-16, 2010 and enjoyed downtown Charlottetown to its fullest with its beautiful walking paths, bright maple trees, various art galleries, and of course most importantly, fabulous local cuisine! These are a few of our favorite restaurants and pubs that we had time to visit!

THE GREAT GEORGE BREAKFAST
We stayed at the Great George Hotel and had a fabulous stay but making it even better was the breakfast each morning with fresh homemade pastries, muffins, fruit and more! Every afternoon there are fresh cookies and a cocktail hour to enjoy after your day of sightseeing!
http://www.thegreatgeorge.com/
*photo below*

THE GAHAN HOUSE & BREWERY
The Gahan House is a small pub that also houses a brewery in the basement where 7 different ales are made – you can even take home a little “sampler” pack to try them all! My husband enjoyed a “BYO Pizza” of jalapenos and feta cheese on the Gahan House’s Island Gold Flat Crust with, of course a “Harvest Gold Pale Ale” to go along with it, while I was tempted on our first night in Charlottetown with the Island Beef Steak complete with delicious signature House Fries that were amazingly seasoned with a mixture that I cannot describe but wish I knew how to replicate!!! We loved it so much on our first night, we went back for lunch on our last day too!
www.gahan.ca
*photo below*

GLOBE WORLD FLAVOURS
…Or simply just “The Globe” to the locals! Located on Victoria Row, this 2 floor restaurant is chic and contemporary. In the summer you can enjoy sitting on the patio to enjoy the local flavors and sights. The menu changes frequently, but always with many vegetarian and gluten free items available (this is always something I seem to take note of since my husband is a vegetarian and some of my family members are gluten intolerant!). I had the “special” of the night – a fresh lobster, while Brent enjoyed a nice veggie burger, the “Earth Burger” with roasted red pepper mayo, while we shared a bottle of Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc!
www.dinedrinkdance.ca

MERCHANTMAN PUB
This pub has a classic feel with brick interior walls and wood beamed ceilings, so I of course had a classic pub meal of “Chicken Toggles” with a casear salad, while Brent had the Greek Salad. After a long morning of touring around beautiful downtown, the Merchantman Pub was a warm and welcoming place to relax with a Charlottetown Cosmo for myself and a few glasses of Merchantman 1897 rum for my husband after lunch!
www.merchantmanpub.com

PEAKE’S QUAY
Peake’s Quay restaurant is located just steps away from the Charlottetown waterfront – with a huge outdoor patio and charming nautical interior, this is the perfect island dining experience. We had lunch here one day and I enjoyed the fish and chips, my husband had Fettuccini Alfredo and with such an enormous drink menu, we had trouble finding just one to try!!! After lunch, we wandered down to the quaint shops below the restaurant for some Charlottetown souvenirs including a “Dirt Shirt” and made sure we didn’t miss out on dessert at COWS Ice Cream!
http://www.peakesquay.com/





Monday 5 March 2012

Aussie Fun!

G’day Mates!
It’s been a wonderful 5 weeks on the Gold Coast of Australia - can’t believe there are just over 2 weeks left to go!  We’ve had a little rain so far but nothing that will stop our fun! 
We started off with a little stopover in Sydney with a harbor cruise included, then off to Coolangatta, our home for 7 weeks, where every suite at the Points North resort is a room with a view! 
So far we’ve taken in a visit to the Clarrie Hall dam, Macadamia Castle, a great bush picnic, a trip to Byron Bay and a cruise on the canals of Surfer’s Paradise – and that was just in the first 2 weeks!!  We’ve had our first taste of “snags on the barbi” and lots of delicious Aussie treats and morning tea!  In the last few weeks our days have been full with a tour to Wivenhoe Dam where we had the chance to see some koalas, a feast at the Coolangatta golf course, an Outback Spectacular dinner show, a jaunt to Brisbane and of course our weekly barbeques with the McPhail Family!  Some just love to relax and enjoy the beauty from their balcony or beside the pool, take in a round of golf and then relax some more!  You can be as busy or as laid back as you’d like!
Lots more coming up in our last few weeks until we’ll regretfully journey home and wait for next winter to come so we can “walkabout” again in our favorite destination!
AJ & Nelson

Friday 2 March 2012

Australia

We presently have a group of McPhail Guests with our resident hosts AJ and Nelson McDonald in Coolangatta, Australia until March 23rd staying at the Points North condos!  Check out the view from AJ's window!  The weather is as warm as the local flavors!