Roam+Board :: The Met Vancouver

[trip style = luxury + urban]

{Editor's Note: Hovering somewhere between a boutique property and urban resort, the Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver's got it, but doesn't need to flaunt it. Recently I was invited to reacquaint myself with the property---an invitation I gladly accepted given I used to do a lot of business with the hotel in my former life. As in years passed, the facilities, food and guest services approach receive an A on my report card. Here's why:}

What When a hotel has amenities like a Jaguar car service, Frette bathrobes and Molton Brown bath products, you know it's going to be discerning. And it is. Locals call it The Met, visitors call it their contemporary, asian-inspired home away from home. Two black stone lions quarried in China usher you from street to lobby. Inside, something grabs you. A calm sets in. No wonder; the hotel was originally built with the help of a Feng Shui master and constructed in the shape of a fan {though sadly, this is not totally distinguishable from the street}.

Where In the nerve centre of Vancouver's downtown, across from Pacific Centre mall, one hundred steps from The Vancouver Art Gallery, two blocks from Robson Street and near public transit.

When Summer is Vancouver's peak season, but it's during the festive season the hotel gets all dolled up. Perfect as a place to rest your head and feet after a Christmas power shopping session, or refuel over bubbles and molecular cuisine at Diva, the hotel's signature restaurant.

Who/Why You are polished and well-rounded, and you expect the same standard from your hotel. You appreciate discreet service, excellent cuisine and a well-tended facility to sculpt your body.

Cost From $175/night; includes a Jaguar car service in the downtown area, wifi in both public areas and guest rooms, a squash court, pool {excellent for laps}, whirlpool and gym. Note that the following packages sweeten the deal: Long Weekends At The Met - Turn any weekend into a long weekend. Pay for a Fri/Sat night or a Sat/Sun night and get third night free! Rates start at $195/night for the two weekend nights. Out On The Town - In town for a holiday performance, concert, Canucks game or...? Just show your tickets when you check in to get a rate as low as $155/night with complimentary valet parking and late check-out.

More Roam+Board Custom Hotel – LAX Bitter End Yacht Club – BVI Sleep On The Water – London A Woodsy Hideaway – Big Sur, CA

[photos assembled by @tripstyler via The Metropolitan Hotel + Diva]

Pink For a Purpose

[trip style = urban + luxury] Like a crisp rosé savoured with a creamy rocchetta cheese, when an afternoon or overnight break is paired with good cause, it is that much more rewarding. This month, eating and staying with a purpose comes in a shade of pink in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation {CBCF}.

Here are a few eat + stay + support opportunities at hotels in BC* embracing breast cancer awareness month: *if you reside outside of Vancouver or Seattle, and want to support pink, check with your favourite hotels and resorts for pink partnerships

Tea Raise your pinky---a functional and fashionable part of tea drinking etiquette---and partake in the sophisticated tradition of sipping a spot of tea in the afternoon. Partial proceeds donated to the CBCF in Canada and the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the USA. Where - The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver The Fairmont Pacific Rim The Fairmont Empress {Oct 24-30} The Fairmont Chateau Whistler The Fairmont Olympic {Seattle} Cost - $25 - $47/person

Stay One of Canada's leading hotels {according to Travel+Leisure readers}, is combining frothy ocean views and pink bubbly. For the month of October, stay overnight and along with Blue Mountain Vineyards, partial proceeds from your stay will be donated to the CBCF. Package includes an overnight stay, a bottle of Blue Mountain Brut Rosé, a $100 Ancient Cedars Spa credit and valet parking. Details. Where - The Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino BC Cost - From $550 Note - If you haven't booked the pink 'stay' package, you can still support the cause by sipping bubbles at The Pointe Restaurant, with $2 from each glass or $10 from each bottle of Blue Mountain Rosé sparkling donated to Breast Cancer Awareness.

[photos by @TripStyler & @wickinnBC]

LA In A Flash

[trip style = sun + urban + beach}

It all started with a canary yellow 2011 Camaro. The next 30 hours in LA blazed by at the speed of light, partly thanks to our rental car's 312 horsepower engine. In row K, stall number 871 we expected to find a Toyota Matrix, but instead there was a barely driven Camaro. I wasn't sure whether to be excited or horrified. Seriously, yellow? C'mon.

Trip Styler Tip :: Like airlines, many car rental agencies are moving towards self check-in terminals. It takes 5 minutes or less and you can avoid waiting in line!

With my iPhone stocked with TomTom's GPS app in one hand {my top travel app for US travel} and an envelope full of suggestions from Trip Styler contributors in the other, we set out to conquer corners of LA we'd never seen---a pretty easy task in a sprawling and coastal cool metropolis embracing the next trend like Kim Kardashian's latest paparazzi photo op.

First stop: Venice Beach

Heather, Trip Styler's Fashion Friday writer, told us that if we're staying at LAX {more on this in Friday's Roam+Board}, it was non-negotiable, we had to explore Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice and eat at Gjelina, a corner bistro too cool for a sign {pictured above}. Cruiser bikes were attached to every street pole, and home decor, vintage and minimalist boutiques and galleries lined the street; we came for bit and stayed for awhile. How could we not? Venice is part stroll-worthy and part beachy-keen. The closer to the beach we drove, the more hanging wetsuits and upright surfboards we saw on every balcony. And then, the pièce de résistance, the California sunset you dream of: beams of orange backlighting palm trees and lifeguard stations as if they'd been stamped on an image. Perfection.

Second stop: Silver Lake

Continuing the quest for quintessential LA before jetting back to Vancouver, we drove to Silver Lake based on a suggestion from Lauren, Trip Styler's Travel Beauty writer. After 30 minutes of weaving through six-lane interconnecting highways, we arrived at LAMILL. Sitting al fresco and staring at palm- and midcentury modern home-covered hills, I sipped a coffee topped with vanilla bean panna cotta and brunched on a gruyere, egg and bacon breakfast sandwich. The modern glam eatery is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner was busy every second. More than worth the drive from LAX!

Yes, the brighter than bright, yellow Camaro commanded attention---the kind we didn't want with people trying to race us at stop lights---but I realized it's LA, and everything commands attention. In retrospect, with only 30 hours, perhaps the flashy muscle car was the perfect method for muscling our way through LA traffic to explore the city in a flash.

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[photos by @tripstyler, except for yellow camaro & indoor shot of LAMILL sourced from web]

Getting On Board With Fall Travel

If you're an avid reader of Trip Styler, you know that our editorial team is ga ga for fall travel. The crowds leave, sales start and you get to escape the wind and rain---though right now that's a far-flung thought on the West Coast since our summer started in August.

Staying true to form, this fall I'm headed to LA, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Palm Springs, NYC and Dallas and can barely wait to hop on a boat or plane to each destination. Eyeing all the fall travel sales right now, here are some ideas to spark your vacation planning:

Trip Style = Weekend Typically, when we think of fall weekend getaways within 2 hours of the city, crisp air and cozying up in a cabin or hotel comes to mind. Yet the current and projected weather is more akin to outdoor fire pit with a glass of wine than indoor fireplace with a hot toddy, so it's like summer just got a hall pass and labour day isn't going to happen until Oct. 15th. Until then, wear your whites! {Trip Styler Tip :: A triple-threat---luxury, wine and weekend getaway---hotel that comes to mind is the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, WA. Just 20 mins from Bellevue, this luxury wine country inn is also home to the Victorian-style Herbfarm Restaurant, recipient of AAA's 5 Diamond Award and National Geographic's #1 Destination Restaurant in the World---think French Laundry, but closer to Vancouver.}

Trip Style = Cruising Last summer I wrote about the joys of Repositioning Cruises, aka when a cruise ship repositions from one port to another. Usually a change in season is the BEST time to investigate this trip style as major cruise lines shift their routes, and take guests along with them for a one-way journey at discounted rates. Sometimes there are stops along the way, sometimes it's direct, but one thing's for sure, the price is almost always a steal. {Trip Styler Tip :: Check RepositioningCruise.com for a ton of major route changes from Vancouver to San Diego and LA, Denmark and Italy to Florida or Honolulu to Sydney, plus a buffet of other options. A 3-night itinerary from Vancouver to LA can be booked for $99+.}

Trip Style = Urban Early to mid-fall is one of my favorite times to see Europe. The sun is {usually} still out, the leaves are falling and there's a fall fashion buzz in the air! Plus, Europeans take their big summer breaks in August, so crowds are less intensive. Cities like Paris, London, Barcelona and Copenhagen are easy to get to and fro and each offers their own unique flair. {Trip Styler Tip :: Both WestJet and Air Canada are having significant fall sales right now {until Sept 13th + 15th} for most destinations worldwide. In the US, major airlines are also jockeying for the lowest price on domestic and international routes.}

Trip Style = Beach Until November 15, most resorts in the Caribbean are in the hurricane season's most volatile period, so why not try other sunny hotspots like California, Mexico {Pacific side}, Costa Rica, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, or as far away as South East Asia. {Trip Styler Tip :: Getting there, same as above.}

Trip Style = Staycation + Spa If you can't get away for a weekend, do something ultra relaxing and escapist for one day. Take yourself out of your regular environment and head to the spa. Whether it's a complete package or a single treatment, book it so you can float into the evening in a relaxed state---either for a hot date or perfectly simple night in.

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[photo credit: willow's lodge, destination360, the guardian, asia1asia]

Weekending in Victoria

[trip style = urban + weekend getaway]

There's a certain je ne sais quoi in the air at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Some might call it the chilled-out island lifestyle, others might call it romance or passion-filled living. This could be why Amazon.ca crowned Victoria as Canada's most romantic city, due to the copious amounts of romance novels, sex and relationship books, romantic-comedy DVDs and Michael Bublé CDs purchased by residents on a per capita basis. All I know is the moment I got off the hour-and-a-half ferry ride from Vancouver, my mind, body and soul had somehow decided to take it down a notch and relax. Weekending at its best!

British Columbia's capital reminds me of a polished and highly educated business woman by week and cabin gal by weekend, who appreciates a good romcom in her free time. The city centre is manicured, historic, easily walkable and hip, whereas the outlying areas are beachy, casual and beg to be biked, ran and kiteboarded. People don't race, ride and board Victoria's seaside and country roads because they have to; it's because they want to. This passion-filled living is evidenced by the most Canadian national athletes per capita of any city in Canada. Even the Harbour Ferries take an activity-oriented break from their usual commute to perform a weekend water ballet {more on this below}.

As much as Victoria is fit, it's also chilled-out. Whether re-caffeinating at a coffee shop or refueling at a pub, there's always a hint of patchouli in the air. This scent, usually found in the presence of hippies, serves as a fragrant reminder of the slower-paced island lifestyle that balances the task-oriented, government-filled buildings throughout the capital region.

Victoria's je ne sais quoi can also be attributed to its location. This relatively small, walkable city is surrounded by ocean, farms and wineries, and locals have come to know today's catch, artisan cheeses and fresh produce as the rule, not the exception. I've never had just-caught halibut, just-made Havarti or just-picked haricot beans I didn't like in Victoria. The bar is high, making this weekend destination the perfect escape for romantics, exercise fanatics, foodies and everyone in between.

Trip Styler Tip: Take advantage of spring's blossoms and fall's colors and visit in early May or late September. Fewer crowds, warm weather and lower rates await visitors just outside the summer peak season.

Do

• Watch - Harbour Ferry Ballet - Intended to show the agility of the little pickle-shaped ferries, captains convene and dance in perfect formation. This unconventional ballet is in its 20th year! Every Sunday at 10:45am from May to September.
• Sip - Afternoon Tea - Taking tea and crumpets to a whole new level, The Fairmont Empress' Afternoon Tea is a celebrated tradition that started when the hotel first welcomed guests in 1908. The refined ritual offers seatings from 12 - 4:45pm daily.
• Walk - Beacon Hill Park - Stroll Beacon Hill Park's gently rolling hills and bridged streams. Don't miss a morning or evening walk along Victoria's multi-kilometre waterfront.
• Browse - Chinatown - Covering only two city blocks, Victoria's Chinatown--the second oldest in North America--is packed with tradition, art, live-work spaces and alleyways, the most famous of which is Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in Canada.
• Shop - Still Life - With a ladies boutique on one side of Johnson Street and a men's boutique on the other, try on the curated and casual clothes in a teepee dressing room. Sorry men, you'll have to settle for a traditional changing room.
• Pick up - Rogers' Chocolates - You can't visit Victoria without being lured into Rogers' Chocolates for at least one coveted treat. It's no wonder the chocolate is so good - they've been working at it since 1885.

Eat

• Coffee - Habit Coffee and Culture - The coffee is smooth, the decor minimalist and the staff cool.
• Baking - Willie's Bakery & Cafe - Founded in 1887, this historic eatery offers generously portioned baking and hearty take-away and eat-in plates with a casual inside and secluded sunny patio.
• Breakfast & Brunch - Lady Marmalade - With foods like aged white cheddar and spinach waffles churning out of the kitchen, one meal at this moderately-priced, central and funky bistro will make you want to come back for more.
• Lunch - Red Fish Blue Fish - Set in a converted storage container, there's something to the Ocean Wise fish and chips served on the boardwalk hugging Victoria's waterfront. With line-ups often 50+ people long, it's become both an institution and a spectacle, featured on the Food Network's Eat Street.
• Dinner - Brasserie L’Ecole - With a new menu daily focusing on wholesome food with French flare, this restaurant welcomes guests in an old Chinatown schoolhouse.
• Drinks - Bengal Lounge - Drink cocktails and eat curry on tufted leather chairs under the glare of a Indian tiger, cooled by the breeze of vintage brass and tasseled fans, while listening to the sounds of a jazz trio.

Stay

Downtown Victoria has an abundance of hotels to choose from, but the city's ivy-covered landmark property is The Fairmont Empress. Staying at the Empress makes you feel like you're participating in Victoria's bustling past and present all at the same time.

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