Travel Archives - Frugalbits

Take A Mini Vacay @ Cusheon Lake Resort

August 20, 2013/0 Comments/in CANADIAN CONTENT, Go Here Now, Travel, TRAVEL, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

For us, the perfect vacation spot is a little less Napa and a little more Mayberry.

TRAVEL ADVISORY | The province of British Columbia is peppered with posh resorts, and developers keep adding new ones all the time thinking that designer surroundings, celebrity-chef restaurants, spa treatments and 600-thread-count sheets are what make a vacation unique. That is one approach for sure, but it’s not our preference. We like a little less Napa and a little more Mayberry when it comes to summer retreats, which is why we love Cusheon Lake Resort on Salt Spring Island, a perfect example of the latter.

Mini Vacay @ Canada’s Oldest Dude Ranch

August 8, 2013/22 Comments/in CANADIAN CONTENT, Go Here Now, Travel, TRAVEL, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

Pony up for a mini vacay at Canada’s oldest and most original dude ranch, The Flying U—where you’re allowed to ride out on your own.

TRAVEL ADVISORY | I never went to a dude ranch as a kid, but my husband did. He and his brother spent a week as buckaroos at The Flying U guest ranch in B.C.’s Cariboo. It was their favourite childhood holiday. “Better ’n Disneyland” is how they described the experience to their friends when they got home, and the way they continued to speak of it years later. Read more

L.A.’s Best Free Attraction: The Griffith

May 22, 2013/0 Comments/in Go Here Now, TRAVEL, Travel, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

But not like you think—the Griffith Observatory is the best free attraction in the city.

TRAVEL ADVISORY | It always surprises me when I hear that friends who’ve vacationed in Los Angeles multiple times haven’t ventured up Mount Hollywood to visit the Griffith Observatory, the most interesting FREE attraction in this town after the sun and the beach. Read more

Vancouver’s Revolving Eateries Are The Top

March 22, 2013/1 Comment/in CANADIAN CONTENT, Go Here Now, TRAVEL, Travel, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

Does Vancouver have more revolving restaurants than anywhere outside of Asia?

TRAVEL ADVISORY | While the market for revolving restaurants is hot in the Middle East and Asia, no one is making new ones in North America, and the multitude of revolving restaurants here, most of which were built in the 1960s and 1970s, are shutting down.

What was once the chicest place in town to take your sweetie to eat is now—at least in North America—considered a tourist destination or the spot to dine with old aunties in taste-bud decline.

Too bad about these closures because revolving restaurants offer an unrepeatable experience, a one-of-a-kind way to see a city. In Vancouver we remain lucky: we still have three revolvers open for business. Read more

Stay in A Beautiful Apartment Not A Hotel

March 8, 2013/5 Comments/in CANADIAN CONTENT, TRAVEL, Travel, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

Put your visitors in a beautiful high-rise apartment in downtown Vancouver for less than the price of a hotel.

TRAVEL ADVISORY | When guests are coming to town and a pullout couch won’t do, Vancouver Extended Stay offers fully equipped apartments that feel like home—but better! These suites give you far greater value for your money than a traditional hotel without compromising on quality.

Located just off Robson Street and two blocks from Burrard Street, Vancouver Extended Stay is situated in the residential towers of The Residences on Georgia and The Palisades. This neighbourhood is one of the most vibrant in the city; it’s where visitors want to be. Read more

Why You Want To Visit San Diego Right Now

February 14, 2013/1 Comment/in Go Here Now, TRAVEL, Travel, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

Balmy San Diego is the perfect escape hatch, particularly at this time of year when even the toniest hotels are offering deals.

TRAVEL ADVISORY| Admit it fellow workers: a monitor tan is not a real tan. Office coffee is no substitute for a pink drink with an umbrella in it. A promotion cannot take the place of a vacation—especially one in a place where the sun always shines, and we can play lighthearted tourist for at least a long weekend. Read more

Boat Bluff Lighthouse - Kristien Rogister

Must-See BC: Ann Rose Picks Her Top 3 Spots

August 20, 2012/6 Comments/in CANADIAN CONTENT, Go Here Now, Travel, TRAVEL, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

What’s on your provincial Travel Life List? Westworld magazine editor Anne Rose picks three of her top spots.

OUR CANADIAN LIFE | Can familiarity really breed dismissal? When it comes to travel, there is always the possibility that locals, wherever they live, will think that only destinations far from home are remotely exotic and rare.

British Columbia has plenty of peerless places the rest of the world flocks to see, and if you haven’t taken the time to visit any of them, you don’t know the whole story about where you live. Anne Rose, editor-in-chief at Westworld magazine, has travelled extensively close to home. Here she shares with Frugalbits readers three superior ways to experience what’s exotic about Canada’s westernmost province. Read more

Get Memorable Hotels At Enviable Rates

August 13, 2012/7 Comments/in Travel, TRAVEL, Travel Advisory, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

Contrary to popular thinking, the best rate for a room in a high-style hotel isn’t always the one found online.

TRAVEL ADVISORY | Many people we know who stay in memorable hotels for enviable rates direct dial the reservation desk at the actual property they want to visit. They do not book online or through off-site call centres where the wiggle room on rates may be minimal. Before dialling direct, they check hotel’s current rates, what Internet-based travel reservation websites (Expedia, Orbitz, et al) are showing and what rates the hotel’s direct competition is charging. Read more

The Best Happy Hour Meals In Seattle

August 3, 2012/2 Comments/in Go Here Now, Travel, TRAVEL, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

While top Seattle hotels remain pricey, you can get a sublime meal and drinks in this town for surprisingly little.

TRAVEL ADVISORY | Wanting to get out of town two weeks ago, we headed for Seattle. High-style hotels are pricey in this city, but we snagged a lovely room at Seattle’s Pan Pacific for $185 per night (parking was $20 extra), at least $70 less than every other top-name hotel we checked with. Plus we saved a bundle on dinner.

The Pan Pacific is located in trendy South Lake Union, a mere five-minute walk into the heart of downtown where, after a day of exploring and shopping, local friends introduced us to another great Seattle money saver: happy hour meals. Read more

Out Of The Ordinary Vacation Rentals

June 15, 2012/14 Comments/in TRAVEL, Travel, Travel Advisory, View All Travel Stories /by Editor

This curated catalog of VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) is an invaluable resource for chic nomads wanting cool places to hide and play.

TRAVEL ADVISORY | If you are a great fan of architecture and interior design and want to stay somewhere visually interesting when you travel, you’re going to love boutique-homes.com, a website that features a collection of thoughtfully designed accommodations (both private homes and wee hotels) that you can rent around the globe for a wide range of prices.

“Temporary housing for the incurably stylish nomad” is how Californians Heinz Legler and Veronique Lievre describe their curated cache of creative digs—everything from a trailer in Texas to a palace in Italy—which you can view and book online. The couple’s handpicked assortment of VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) is a testament to their impeccable taste and investigative eyes.

CLICK THROUGH to see a few of the awesome lodgings they’ve discovered both near and far away. You’ll want to start packing now. We know we do.—Eds Read more