At just over five square kilometres in size, White Rock is one of BC’s smallest cities – but it’s big on personality. With a dazzling beach and bustling seaside community lifestyle, this town once known as the home of the Lower Mainland’s “newly wed and nearly dead” has become an attractive home for people of all ages seeking a slice of the waterfront lifestyle just an hour’s drive from Vancouver. Here are five key reasons that White Rock is a great place to live for residents both young and old…
Category Archives: Writing samples
For PAX News: Touring Juan Vela’s Grand Velas Riviera Maya resort
"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…
For PAX News: Exploring the Riviera Maya with Grand Velas
“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…
Article for PAX News West: Trafalgar Talks Travel in Vancouver
"Europe is open for business.†That was a key message from Liesa Bissett, Trafalgar's product manager, at a dinner for a small group of agents and media in Vancouver this week. "It's been a tough couple of months,†she said, "but we really believe that people should be looking at Europe at the moment…”
Article for S-Competition Magazine: Interview with Marielle Thompson
I had the pleasure of interviewing reigning Olympic ski-cross gold medalist Marielle Thompson for the Winter 2016 issue of S-Competition, in addition to copy editing the issue as part of my work with Fresh Air Publishing.
Read the interview in the digital version of the magazine at snowsportsculture.com or pick the issue up at a newsstand.
Articles for S-Magazine: Fairmont cocktails, Audain Art Museum, Aspen’s lift ticket art, Coldscreen, Iceland
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:
- Old-Fashioned Success (Fairmont’s “Classics. Perfected.” cocktails program)
- Whistler Gets B.C.’s Biggest Art Museum
- Wearable Art at Aspen
- Fewer Layers, More Warmth? (
- Après All Day: Iceland’s Geothermal Pools
Read the stories in the digital version of the magazine at snowsportsculture.com or pick the issue up at a newsstand.
Article for REW.ca/The Vancouver Courier: Five Great Things About Living in … the West End
With leafy streets, a diverse and friendly population, easy access to the seawall and Stanley Park, and plenty of great restaurants and bars, the West End offers many charms. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that it was recently named the best neighbourhood in Canada in the 2015 Great Places in Canada contest. Here are just five of the things both the contest jurors and neighbourhood residents love about Vancouver's own village by the sea…
This article also appeared in the Vancouver Courier
For YP.ca: Dockside date-night ideas along False Creek
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.
For YP.ca: South Granville caffeine fix – Sweet spots for coffee and tea
There's no shortage of major chain coffee shops in South Granville, but there are also plenty of more charming options. Whether you're seeking your first pick-me-up of the day or settling in for a leisurely chat over afternoon tea, here are a few local faves…
Read my list of sweet spots for coffee and tea in South Granville at yp.ca
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: Austria shares ‘a few of its favourite things’ in YVR
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…