Opus Montreal : Ooh la la!

I'm off to Montreal next week and so looking forward to spending one of the five nights at the new Opus Montreal.

Formerly the Hotel Godin, one of Montreal's premier boutique hotels, it has been purchased by Trilogy Properties Corp. They're the folks who own the highly acclaimed Opus Hotel in Vancouver, along with Adara Whistler Hotel.

The 1914 Art Nouveau style hotel features the Opus Bar, a stylish lounge serving up cool cocktails and tasty tapas, with live music from the city's best DJ's. A restaurant is scheduled to open in 2008.

Opus Montreal blends modern design with a nod to history. With 136 guestrooms done up in sleek minimalist style, there is no shortage of luxurious comfort.

Amenities include French or English morning newspapers, Frette' bathrobes, l'Occitane bath products and twice daily maid service.

Located on the corner of Sherbrooke and St. Laurent, the hotel is steps from the entertainment district and minutes from Vieux Montreal and Le Plateau Mont-Royal.

To celebrate the opening, book online through the hotel's website and you'll receive a ten percent discount plus complimentary parking.

Early morning at the Bonsecours Market. Photo by Sue Frause.

Falling for Whistler is easy to do

I love Whistler in the fall.

And now until October 31, BC's premier mountain resort is offering a Fall Dine & Unwind program featuring regional cuisine and prix-fixe menus at participating restaurants.

Afterwards, rejuvenate with specials on spa and wellness treatments, such as the divine Royal Balinese Treament at the Taman Sari Royal Heritage Spa. The two hours of bliss is reduced from $290 to $189.

The Whistler Farmers' Market is open Sundays through Oct. 7 for local produce, jams, honey, baked goods and arts and crafts.

Save up to 25 per cent on multi-day, multi-course golf vacation packages and the Whistler Mountain Biking package.

Hiking Whistler Mountain is free!

Go mid-week and avoid the border back-up. And book online, it's easy.

A view from Fairmont Chateau Whistler, which has packages starting at $139. Photo by Sue Frause.

Go green with Fairmont

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is making green the color for summer.

Now through September 3, overnight guests with hybrid vehicles can park for free at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel and her sister properties The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, The Fairmont Waterfront, The Fairmont Empress in Victoria and the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

Guests will enjoy an average savings of $60 USD on a two-night stay, making it a true economic advantage.

Hastings House on Saltspring Island

Hastings House Country House Hotel is a luxurious, small country resort, spa and restaurant on Salt Spring Island. It's situated on 22 acres of waterfront property overlooking Ganges Harbour in British Columbia's Gulf Islands. Photos by Sue Frause.

Kicking Horse Resort opens for summer

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, British Columbia opened for the summer season on June 29, 2007.

Their Summer Adventure Package is a great way to experience the Canadian Rockies.

Priced at $220 CDN per person (double occupancy) here's what you'll experience at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort:

Two nights accommodation
On your own sightseeing and hiking
Interpretive tour at the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge
Lunch for two at the resort
Your choice (for two) of whitewater rafting, Canyon River Safari, wildlife float trip, downhill mountain biking (including bike rentals), 18 holes of golf at Golden Golf & Country Club or a two-hour horseback trail ride

The Summer Adventure Package is available June 29-October 7, 2007 and is subject to limited availability and restrictions.

For reservations, go to kickinghorseresort.com or call 866-SKI-KICK (866-754-5425).

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is surrounded by towering peaks and six of Canada’s most picturesque national parks. The resort is located in Golden, British Columbia, just 1.5 hours west of Banff, Alberta and 2.5 hours west of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Vancouver's Listel Hotel offers artful hotel package

Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836-1904). Marie-Yolande de Fitz-James,
1867. Oil on fabric; 50.2 x 42.2 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift
of Lewis C. Williams 1982.256. © The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Listel Hotel in Vancouver, BC has an artistic package featuring Vancouver Art Gallery’s Monet to Dali: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The Monet to Dalí exhibit represents the most comprehensive showing of European painting and sculpture in Vancouver in more than half a century. Touted as Vancouver’s most art-full hotel, it's only a five minute walk on Robson to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The Listel's Surreal Impressions package includes:

• Two express entry tickets to the exhibit (you walk right past the crowds)
• An exhibit catalogue of the show
• A room on the hotel’s Gallery Floors, where each room is an individual gallery featuring original or limited edition work from more than 35 different artists
• A 15% discount at the Vancouver Art Gallery’s gift shop

The package is priced at $289.00 CDN (+ applicable taxes) per room based on double occupancy. It's available until Sept. 16, 2007. Reservations may be made by calling 800.663.5491 or e-mailing reservations@thelistelhotel.com.

Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art is drawn from the superb collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Vancouver Art Gallery's exhibition consists of more than 80 paintings, drawings and sculpture that demonstrate key examples from the European modernist movement. Organized into four groupings, it covers a century of art making from 1864 to 1964 and showcases important work by the major Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, early modern sculptors and avant garde artists interested in Dadaism, Cubism and Surrealism. Most notably, the exhibition includes key works by Manet, Monet, Cézanne, van Gogh, Rodin, Picasso, Dalí and other renowned artists. Together, the works in this stellar collection illuminate the breadth of creativity in one of the most extraordinary epochs in the history of Western art. The show is at the Vancouver Art Gallery until September 16, 2007.

Hotels 101

The more I travel the more I know what I want in a hotel room.

Here are some basic amenities that hotels should consider:

Free Internet (preferably WiFi)
Morning newspaper delivered to door
Robe
Iron with a full-size ironing board
Hairdryer
Complimentary bottled water
Wake-up calls on time
A good bed!

Hotel swimming pool. Photo by Sue Frause.

Yuk it up in Montreal

Just For Laughs–The Montreal International Comedy Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary July 8-29, 2007 in the ooh-la-la province of Quebec.

The festival features a full line-up of comedy including star-studded galas, cutting-edge cabaret, hilarious one-person shows and concerts, theatre, films, sketch, music, viral video and a revamped club series.

The majority of English shows and outdoor events will be held from July 12-22, 2007.

This year’s headliners include Howie Mandel, John Pinette and George Lopez.

Some of the funniest television shows will be live on-stage including the cast of Family Guy: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green and Mike Henry.

Re-united for the world premiere of a special Kids in the Hall show are the original cast of Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson.

The cast of the hit CBS show How I Met Your Mother will stage Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words. The cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor, Jason Segal and Cobie Smulders.

This year’s show also stars Scottish comedian Danny Bhoy, who is fast emerging as one of the biggest names on the international comedy scene.

Franco Dragone, one of the world’s foremost artistic directors who has worked with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion, has developed an anniversary act featuring Italy's quick-change artist Arturo Brachetti. It combines spectacular visual performances along with unique cabaret routines.

Also on tap is a show in the style of Monty Python. Spymonkey’s Cooped is a deliciously demented pulp gothic romance written and performed by celebrated British comedy troupe Spymonkey.

The Hyatt Regency in Montreal is the official hotel and headquarters for the festival.