Travel

It’s midnight when we return to the Fairmont Pacific Rim after a night out on the town in Vancouver. When we walk into the Lobby Lounge, the place is overflowing with well-dressed lookers--locals, guests and residents of the hotel. And we know why. Yes, it’s partly because of the atmosphere – West Coast cool with loads of glass, some woody features and a clean white background overall – but mostly, ladies and gentlemen, it's because the cocktails are to die for. We took it upon ourselves to try a few of the bevvies on order but we kept coming back to the seriously tasty Absolut Beta Martini. This cocktail was created by the oh-so-charming head bartender

One of the questions we get asked the most (after "Can you get me a free hotel room?") is, "What hotel booking site do you use?" Our answer often varies depending on the city, the time of year and whether the trip is business or pleasure, but we've definitely got a few sites that we trust more than others.* So allow us to round them up for you here: 5 Hotel Booking Sites You Should Know About and Use *Sorry, these won't help lower the rates for NYC in mid-June but at least you'll be getting the best rate you can.

Remember the old days where hotel art usually consisted of a bland landscape painting that was reproduced a hundred times over and hung in the same spot in every guest room? Thankfully, over the past few years, hotels have been paying close attention to the artworks they hang in their rooms and public spaces--choosing original art instead and even better, works from local artists instead of some mass-produced Van Gogh imitation. But in the past month or so, we've noticed some hotels that are stepping it up even further when it comes to the art on display. Giant murals, entire galleries, and even live-in artists are among the trends we've begun to see. For us,

A rooftop yoga class is making waves in New York, and it's taking place at none other than The James Hotel. Led by a local NYC yoga teacher, the class was launched last year and has been slowly gaining momentum, no thanks to the jaw-dropping views seen from the top of the hotel. Another reason the class stands out? It's women-only. Twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 8am, ladies gather up on arguably the most scenic rooftop in the city and breathe and stretch and go 'ohm' in the company of other ladies. As in, all the mamas without the papas. As in, girls not guys. As in, the rooftop is called Jimmy, but

If you have difficulty trying to get work done on hotel rooftops, then we have two pieces of advice for you: one, stop trying to get work done on hotel rooftops, and two, definitely don't visit the new rooftop pool at the Revere Hotel, where attractive female employees will be prancing around all summer long in matching swimwear outfits designed by Pret-a-Surf. The checkered hot pants, striped bikini tops, and nautical-themed jerseys that you see above are the new staff uniforms up at Rooftop @ Revere, which debuted last week. As hotel uniforms go, we like the breezy, New England look—certainly racier indeed than the silk embroidered robes we saw in Bangkok, yet tamer than

Francisco Liriano (1-0, 1.64) goes against Jeff Samardzija (2-5, 3.49) tonight. Liriano has his swing-and-miss stuff back with 16 K in 11 IP; he also has walked five and given up 12 hits, so he's ducked a few raindrops so far. Samardzija is 4-0 with an 0.92 ERA against the Bucs in his career; 'nuff said there.The game starts at 7:05 and will be aired by Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.It's also on WGN for out-of-area Bucco followers.Pirate lineup: Starling Marte LF, Travis Snider RF, Andrew McCutchen CF, Garrett Jones 1B, Neil Walker 2b, Russell Martin C, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Jordy Mercer SS and Francisco Liriano P.Jordy is playing short after going 2-for-2 yesterday while Pedro stays in the seven hole. Cub lineup: Julio Borbon CF, Starlin Castro SS, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Alfonso Soriano LF, Scott Hairston RF,Welington Castillo C, Cody Ransom 3B, Darwin Barney 2B and Jeff Samardzija P. Must be their usual card against LHP. With all the good things you hear about Pittsburgh pitching; there's still one number that needs shored up: The Pirates are last in the NL in innings per start (5-1/3), and that will take its toll.The Bucs have won six of their last seven games and nine of their last 11. Fourteen of the team's 27 wins this season have been come-from-behind victories, tied with the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves for the Major League lead.Last night was the was the 10th blown save for the Cubs in 20 save opportunities; Pittsburgh has five misfires in 24 chances.Good philosophy: Clint Hurdle said. "More often than not, home runs are thrown - they're not hit." Pirate players will wear Penguin jerseys when they travel to Milwaukee this weekend and Detroit next week to show support for the club. They'll match uniform numbers when possible.

These were the places to be (and be seen) during the first half of the annual bash for movie lovers in the South of France.

© 2004-2013 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604. A trip to Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley isn’t complete without heading over to Cobble Hill and visiting Merridale Estate Cidery. View Larger Map Back in 2000, Janet Docherty and Rick Pipes purchased Merridale and its 20 acres of cider apples from its founder who started it the cidery in 1990. Today, Merridale is a full-experience cidery with self-guided tours of the orchards, a bistro with patio and outdoor dining, a wedding destination, a distillery, a deli, and even fit for an overnight getaway in a premium yurt. My group (consisting of travel writers) stopped in for lunch and a quick tour of the property in early May. Even before we arrived, we had recommendations from staff at a winery in the area, suggesting what we try and what we should pick up from the cidery’s bakery. We sat down on the bistro’s covered patio overlooking part of the orchard and enjoyed a flight of ciders along with some “today’s special” wood-fired pizzas. The ciders were arranged in order of the least sweet to the most sweet. Our selection was the Cidre Normandie, Scrumpy, Somerset, Traditional, Merri Berri, and the Project Q quince cider. Pairing with crisp, tart, and sweet ciders, pizzas are popular at Merridale and have even prompted special live music “Pizza Nights” which will take place throughout the summer. Other menu items in the bistro include soups, sandwiches, charcuterie plates (with house-cured meats, and local cheeses), and a delicious house salad with local organic greens, toasted pumpkin seeds, daikon radish, fennel, carrot, celery, and apple cider herb dressing. After lunch, Janet lead us over to the two yurts on site, which are open for bookings from mid-April to mid-October. The smell of fresh-cut grass filled our noses as honeybees buzzed from blossom to blossom. Rates start at $95 (for the small yurt, mid-week) and go up to $135 (for the large yurt, on a weekend). Yurt stays include a breakfast of coffee or tea and goods from the bakery. The large yurt has a beautiful claw-foot tub for soaking and each has a washroom and a patio deck overlooking the property. Visitors are welcome every day of the week at Merridale. You can do a free self-guided orchard or cidery tour, a tasting ($5 per person, based on booking for 6 people) or a guided tour and tasting ($6 per person, based on booking for 6 people). The Cider Bar is open 11:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Sunday and the bistro is open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 12:00pm to 4:00pm and on Sundays for brunch from 10:30am to 3:00pm. There are often special events with Merridale, either at the cidery or out and about in the community as Janet is very active on the island. As she puts it, it’s important for Islanders to support Islanders. The next big event at Merridale will be their Speakeasy Cocktail Party in the distillery barn on June 18th. While it can definitely be billed as a couples getaway in the country — I need to find myself in that tub at some point — Merridale is a lovely day-trip destination for the whole family as well. Kids will love exploring the orchard on the easy-to-follow tour, the bistro and bakery treats, and stopping by the Merridale Fearie General Store: To find out more about Merridale, and where you can get their estate-grown and produced ciders, follow them on Facebook and Twitter. © 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission. The post The Merridale Cidery Experience appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

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