Vancouver wine lovers and industry insiders gathered this weekend for the annual Vancouver International Wine Festival, this year showcasing the wines of Italy.
On Saturday night (Feb. 27), festival sponsor Delta Air Lines hosted travel industry VIPs at the intimate Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge for a guided tasting with Delta's Master Sommelier, Andrea Robinson…
"Canadians have always been great friends of France,†said Armelle Tardy-Joubert, director for Canada, Atout France, at the annual Destination France trade show in Vancouver last week. "This year, we would like to tell you how much we have appreciated your solidarity.â€
Tardy-Joubert was referring to the messages of support France has received from the Canadian public and travel professionals in the months since the terrorist attacks that shook Paris on November 13…
Looking for a great tapas bar in Madrid? Don’t follow the signs. “Tapas bars almost never have signs saying they’re tapas bars,” Context Travel guide Helena Vaello told me as we explored tapas culture in Spain’s capital city. Those that do are likely tourist traps. If you want the real thing, just look for a bustling spot with people standing at the bar – and keep an eye out for plenty of crumpled napkins on the floor, a sure sign of many tapas enjoyed before you arrived.
While there are plenty of worthy choices in any neighbourhood, here are five I’d happily return to again and again.
Once a favourite haunt of Spanish bullfighters, this classic bar has been serving up tapas since 1827. The no-nonsense waiters keep things moving, but finding a table can be a challenge – a problem easily solved by squeezing in at the bar.
What to order: Tortilla invertida. Tortilla in Spain means the classic Spanish omelette with potatoes and onions. Madrileños like it ultra-gooey and barely cooked, which is much more delicious than it sounds. Casa Alberto gets the tortilla just right and serves it stuffed inside a sweet, crunchy, grilled green pepper.
Wash it down with: Vermouth on tap.
Location: Calle de las Huertas, 18
Tandem and its sister restaurant, Triciclo, serve up fresh, modern takes on the tapas tradition in a room that’s as hip as the food. The newer of the two, Tandem offers a more casual setting and lower prices.
What to order: Salmorejo. This cold tomato-and-bread pureed soup is a tapas staple, found at nearly every tapas bar in town. But Tandem offers a standout version topped with semimojama (lightly cured) bonito.
Wash it down with: A selection from the great local wine list.
Location: Calle Santa Maria, 39
Lateral mixes the modern and the traditional in a bright, airy room on Plaza Santa Ana. It was packed during my lunchtime visit, but flagging a waiter down was never a problem thanks to the call buttons on the table – one for service, one to request the bill.
What to order: Rabo de toro. Literally “tail of the bull,” this classic dish is actually braised oxtail. Here served with impossibly creamy mashed potatoes, it’s difficult to resist.
Wash it down with: The highly drinkable house wine, or splurge on a glass of champagne.
Location: Plaza de Santa Ana, 12
Another of Madrid’s restaurantes centenarios (centennial restaurants), this charming classic opened in 1892. Not for those with bad backs or knees, Bodega de la Ardosa requires guests to duck under the bar to reach the washrooms – an adventure in itself.
What to order: Grilled artichokes. Simple and delicious.
Wash it down with: Beer or vermouth on tap.
Location: Calle Colón, 13
This lively, modern bar serves Basque-style pinxtos (small tapas served on bread), laid out in the Basque way – in glass cases on top of the bar. While you’ll find traditional options like tortilla (done here with caramelized onions – yum), Juana La Loca offers highly creative dishes, too.
What to order: Pinxto with quail’s egg and truffle. The menu calls this “the incredible confit egg,” and it’s hard to disagree.
Wash it down with: Txakoli, a Basque white wine. Watch for the high pour, an impressive way of increasing the wine’s light sparkle.
Location: Plaza Puerta de Moros, 4
To dive deeper into Madrid’s tapas culture, check out the Tavernas and Tapas tour from Context Travel.
Originally published at FlightNetwork.com
"We don't think of ourselves as hoteliers,†said Juan Vela, vice-president of Velas Resorts, over breakfast at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya. "We think of ourselves as providers of experiences.â€
Vela and his brother, Eduardo Vela Ruiz, were property developers who never planned to be in the hotel business. The first Velas resort – the Velas Vallarta, opened in 1989 – was meant to be condos…
“If you practice diving, this is the place to do it,†said Ana Mari Irabien, public relations representative for the Grand Velas Riviera Maya resort, referring to the high number of tourists who enjoy diving deep into the Riviera Maya's many cenotes and underground rivers.
The Riviera Maya, stretching 120 kilometres along the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, from just south of Puerto Morelos to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, is Mexico's newest tourism area…
I contributed five articles to the Winter 2016 issue of S-Magazine, in addition to copy editing the issue as part of my work with Fresh Air Publishing:
Read the stories in the digital version of the magazine at snowsportsculture.com or pick the issue up at a newsstand.
The mini-ferries that dart along False Creek provide the ideal opportunity to embrace coastal life. There's nothing more charming than bobbing along to your destination with a seal's-eye view of the city. With the romance factor upped the moment you step aboard, the little boats are a prime way to kick off date night. Hop aboard and head to one of these dockside spots for an arrival that beats rock star parking any day…
Read the rest of my dockside date-night ideas along False Creek at yp.ca.
The Consulate General of Austria – Commercial Section hosted Vancouver travel agents for lunch on Thursday at the first ever Discover Austria tourism showcase for travel professionals on the West Coast. With representatives on hand from Austrian Airlines, Eurofun Touristik hiking and biking tours, Salzburg Tourism and the Vienna Tourism Board, it was an information-packed afternoon…
Insight Vacations gathered Vancouver travel agents and their clients together at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Vancouver last night for a Travel Showcase to launch the company's 2016-17 Europe program and new Luxury Gold program.
"The concept is to provide an opportunity for agents to expose clients to knowledge and inspiration,†Cris David, president, Insight Vacations Canada, told PAXnewsWest.com. "It's a wonderful opportunity to get clients inspired and show them what the Insight experience can be…”
Tucson offers the largest concentration of Mexican eateries in the United States crammed into an area dubbed "the country's best 23 miles (37 km) of Mexican food.†Putting on our stretchiest pants, PAXnewsWest.com dove into the Tucson food scene with Visit Tucson to sample as much as we could in 24 hours. A tour is the best way for visitors to maximize the time (and calories) invested; we rode with Gray Line Tours Arizona on their Best of the Barrio tour, offering five stops in Southern Tucson…