Let The Games Begin, Ski Season starts here!

There are 72 days to go until the Winter Olympics kick-off in February but there's no need to wait till then for the action to start!

Check out this excellent article from the Toronto Star on this year's ski season:

http://bit.ly/4AIC7d

and remember to make CanadaTravelSpecialists.com your first port of call for all your Canadian Ski Season travel needs!

More soon!

Team CTS.

National Geographic Scorecard - Canada scores 2 of top 3 positions!

The venerable National Geographic Traveler have just released their 6th annual survey of destination stewardship for the World's top travel destinations ... and Canada scores two of the top three positions!

Here's how National Geographic describe the survey:

This survey—our sixth "places rated" list—isn’t a popularity contest. It is an assessment of authenticity and stewardship, evaluating the qualities that make a destination unique and measuring its "integrity of place." Thus the remote islands of the Grenadines can rate notably higher than popular St. Maarten.

Click here to see which two Canadian spots made the top three and to see the results in full: http://bit.ly/4CNAi3

And remember, for all of your Canadian travel needs make www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com your first stop everytime!

Toronto's Hippest Hangouts.

Check out this brilliant article from we found from Traveldudes on Toronto's Hippest Hangouts:

http://bit.ly/2HefgF

and then book at www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com

Canada's Top 10 Ski Runs!

It's very nearly that time of year again ... ski season! Over the weekend The Guardian advised skiers to head west this winter (http://bit.ly/VA1oF) to take advantage of the great rates in Canada as opposed to punishing rates of the Euro. We agree of course and there's never been a better time to try a Canadian ski holiday, whether it's in the spectacular Rocky Mountains, at Whistler/Blackcomb - home of the 2010 Winter Olympics - or in French-flavoured Quebec which is just a little closer to home.

We found a great article on the Toronto Star's website listing their top 10 Canadian ski runs. Have a look now to get some ideas for your getaway this winter: http://bit.ly/W8w4J

And remember, we at Canada Travel Specialists have all the best deals to all the top Canadian Ski Destinations. Visit our site now and start planning your Canada Ski Holiday today: www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com

Discover Alaska, in Glasgow!

Canada Travel Specialists, in partnership with Holland America Line, invite you to a fun and informative presentation on Alaska & the Yukon!

Alaska is one of the World's most spectacular holiday destinations with countless attractions; from majestic mountains and the national parks of the interior, to the spellbinding scenery of the glacial coastline. The best way to travel through Alaska's sublime beauty and frontier ports in unsurpassed luxury and comfort is surely with the renowned Holland America Line.

Please join us for an evening of Live performances by Alaska experts, Stunning film footage of Alaska & the Yukon and top tips and planning advice.

Date: Monday 21st September 2009
Time: Doors Open 5:30pm, Showtime 6pm
Place: The Marriott Hotel, Glasgow

Places are limited, so please call 0141 242 1392 to register or visit www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com

Start planning your trip of a lifetime today!

True North!

Howdy!

We at Canada Travel Specialists were captivated by Ray Mears' article on Northern Canada in Saturday's Guardian, in fact we thought it was so good that we should share it with you. So here it is:

http://bit.ly/TfMty

and remember, for all of your Canada travel needs, whether it's North, West, Central or East make sure that your first stop is with Canada Travel Specialists. We can tailor any Canadian trip to match your own plans exactly. Our friendly, expert staff have been there, done it and, yip, bought the t-shirt.

Call us free today on 0800 011 1889 or visit www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com - start planning your own Canadian adventure today!

Team CTS.

Canada Ski Holidays, Coming Soon!

Good Day to you all Friends,

162 days to go until the 2010 Winter Olympics kick-off in Vancouver, B.C and we are working furiously on adding our exciting new Canada Ski Holiday section to www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com

We're obtaining mountain info and piste maps for all the big resorts, and, we have to be honest, it's giving us the wanderlust! We've been watching videos from Lake Louise, Whistler-Blackcomb and many, many more and we are just about ready to look out the board and hit the white stuff.

What's more we have some incredible offers for Canada Ski Holidays this Winter on sale right now. For example we have 7 nights in Banff leaving Gatwick on December 12th for only £379pp! Amazing!

So, keep your eyes on www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com for our all-singing, all-dancing new Ski & Snowboard section coming soon or call free today on 0800 011 1889!

More soon,

Team CTS!

Only 3 Weeks to go to TIFF '09!

3 weeks and counting until this year's Toronto Film Festival opens and it looks like being a cracker.

The big draw for us is Viggo Mortenson in the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's bleak masterpiece 'The Road', but that's sure to be only one gem among many. Michael Moore visits the festival with his 'Capitalism: A Love Story' which is sure to be timely, provocative and downright impudent (and all the better for it).

There's also the much-anticipated Mavericks season featuring An Afternoon with Chris Rock and In Conversation with Michael Caine - reason to visit alone we'd say.

We at Canada Travel Specialists don't ever need an excuse to jump over to Toronto for a city-break but if we ever did then this would be it.

We still have some great, last-minute deals with flights from the UK and Toronto accommodation to let you see the best of the film festival, and maybe tag on a night or two at the stunning Niagara Falls. What are you waiting for? Action! Contact Canada Travel Specialists today!

Call free on 0800 011 1889 or visit www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com

See you soon,

Team CTS.

Kodiak Island Bear Spotting.

We had to tell you about this absolutely BRILLIANT blog by Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler on his recent trip to Kodiak Island and his bearspotting adventures once there. Check it out for yourself:

http://bit.ly/2Pcwle

And remember, you can book all your Alaskan travel with us at Canada Travel Specialists. Call free on 0800 011 1889 or visit www.canadatravelspecialists.com today!

Team CTS.

Free Rocky Mountaineer Offer!

FANTASTIC LATE BOOKING OFFER AVAILABLE ON 2009 BOOKINGS MADE UP TO 25 SEPTEMBER
Two of the Worlds Best Train Trips - One Incredible Journey!!

This fantastic Rocky Mountaineer offer allows you to sit back and relax and experience one of Canada’s most exciting three-hour rail journey – the Whistler Mountaineer – a breathtaking train trip between North Vancouver and Whistler in Glacier Dome.

Until September 25, 2009, book any Rocky Mountaineer two-day rail journey or vacation package, and receive a round-trip journey onboard the Whistler Mountaineer train for FREE, plus a $50 Rocky Mountaineer souvenir credit.

This is a great offer for those already thinking of booking for a spectacular Rocky Mountaineer journey through the Rockies. Book now and you'll get a second spectacular trip for free!

For full details call Canada Travel Specialists today free on 0800 011 1889 or visit www.canadatravelspecialists.com

Team CTS.


Terms and Conditions apply and are available on request.

Prince Edward County Jaunt.

We're always looking to hear about the best excursions for our Canadian travellers and thought you might want to read this brilliant article on Prince Edward County that we found courtesy of the Toronto Star (www.thestar.com)


PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, Ont.–For a long time this pastoral area was known for its scenery and tranquility, but not its food and drink. All that has been changing with a burst of activity that has yielded wineries, artisanal food markets and first-rate dining. It's still relatively unspoiled and you can feel you've gotten away from it all. It's a short enough drive (about 2 1/2 hours from Toronto) to make it doable.

Friday night

BLOOMFIELD CARRIAGE HOUSE RESTAURANT, 260 Main St., Bloomfield,613-393-1087: One of the area's finest establishments, a recent renovation has perked things up enormously from a visual point of view.

The food is as superb as it ever was, with a passionate devotion to local and organic products you'll find throughout the area.

I was blown away by the duck confit and barley risotto as a starter, rich with the aroma of house-cured bacon and a generous benediction of Parmesan Reggiano, followed by a roast venison chop that was incredibly moist and enlivened by the chocolate juniper glaze.

The vanilla crème brûlée with a tart rhubarb compote finished me off nicely for dessert. There's a great wine selection as well.

Saturday morning

BEAN COUNTER CAFÉ, 172 Main St., Picton, 613-476-1718: This is just the kind of place you dream of finding on a weekend morning, with a cozy fireplace with lots of room for unwinding. They really pay attention to brewing their coffee (as you might expect from the name) and the result is light years ahead of your standard franchise drinks. There's not a giant selection of morning munchies, but the fine flaky croissants and sturdy Montreal bagels make up in quality for any lack of quantity in the choice department.

Saturday lunch

FIFTH TOWN ARTISAN CHEESE, 4309 County Road No. 8, Picton, 613-476-5755: If you love cheese as I do, then this is a must-stop-destination for you.

They've only been open for just over a year, but already they've earned a reputation for a high level of product.

Their Cape Vessey is one of my favourite goat cheeses, with a melting texture and a flavour that evokes hazelnuts.

They also do a variety of "Bagel Chevres," which are just right for spreading. Lemon Thyme is my favourite. Come here to sample the wonders on your own or enjoy one of their Saturday tasting sessions at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Size is limited so make a reservation first.

Saturday dinner

HARVEST, 106 Bridge St., Picton, 613-476-6763: This is generally regarded as the one "can't miss it" place in the area and it's easy to understand why.

Simple country cooking with perfect local ingredients is turned into an art by chef Michael Potters and the restaurant itself has a kind of golden glow about it that makes dining a transcendent experience.

The menu changes all the time, but I fell in love with the full-flavoured beefiness of Rabble Farms Carpaccio and a chicken and dumplings that turned that plebeian dish into a gourmet delight with the addition of wild mushrooms and chive flower broth.

The desserts are lovely as well, but the selection of artisanal cheeses would round things off perfectly.

Sunday morning

LIGHTHOUSE RESTAURANT, Picton Harbour Inn, 33 Bridge St. Picton, 613-476-2186: Start your morning by the water with a nice, unpretentious place that knows how to make breakfast the best meal of the day.

Not many frills, except for the heavenly blueberry pancakes, bursting with fruit this time of year, and the excellent farmer's sausage, nice and zesty. There's also a bottomless cup of good, sturdy coffee and that's about all you need to get you headed in the right direction.

Sunday afternoon

BUDDHA DOG, 172 Main St, Picton, 613-476-3814: I had heard so many extravagant claims for this place over the years that I couldn't believe they were true, but they are.

The all-beef wieners themselves are choice, if on the small side (order at least two), but it's the crazy condiments that are sublime.

Sweet onion sauce, yum. Brie and red pepper jelly, wow. Crab apple sauce and ancho chili ketchup – take me home, country roads.

This is how to end a trip to Prince Edward County.


Canada Travel Specialists couldn't agree with that journalist more. Remember, for all your Canada Travel needs contact Canada Travel Specialists, freephone on 0800 011 1889 or visit www.canadatravelspecialists.com

See you all soon,

Team CTS!
.

Is the World getting smaller ...

... is what the team at Canada Travel Specialists have been asking themselves this week. We're still working away industriously on the www.canadatravelspecialists.com website and this week it's the city breaks section that's keeping us busy.

As we do this we find ourselves asking just how far is too far for a city break these days. New York, a 7hr 30min flight from London, is a long-time favourite and we see much the same with Toronto, Niagara, Montreal and Quebec; all within easy reach of the UK, and in Toronto's case served by a wide choice of direct flights from regional airports all over Britain.

Increasingly though we're seeing travellers venturing further afield for relatively short trips. Although we're not seeing hordes jetting off to Vancouver and Victoria for a weekend we do get high numbers of travellers heading to the West Coast for a six, seven or eight night break. It's not unusual for travellers to fly out to Vancouver on a Saturday, stay in the city for one night and then board a 7-night Alaska Cruise before returning to Vancouver the following Sunday and flying home that evening. A city break that takes in the Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and more certainly qualifies the bragging rights on returning home to friends and family and even better/worse the office.

Equally, we've seen a substantial increase in travellers spending a week's annual leave touring through the Canadian Rockies. Again, given the choice we'd be recommending that ideally you take a fortnight or more to get the full flavour of a Canadian holiday but even in a week you can comfortably fit in the sights of Banff, Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway, Jasper and Vancouver and also include an unforgettable journey on the Rocky Mountaineer.

Given the choice of course, we'd always say 'take as long you can, get over there and enjoy yourself - taking your time to make the most of all that Canada has to offer'. In today's high-paced, hectic World such ideas are nice in theory but most travellers don't always get as long as we would all like to travel at leisure - hence the need to have as remarkable a holiday as possible whenever we do get the chance.

Anyhow, our conclusion is that nowhere is too far for a city break if you have the time and for those of you who haven't yet ventured to Western Canada - why not try it, though we warn you ... go for a week and you'll want to stay for a month.

See you all again soon,

Team CTS.

Whistler Mountaineer.

We love Whistler, but how to get there? Drive, float-plane, Whistler Mountaineer?

Check out this article from the Dallas News on that very question:

http://tinyurl.com/nssx7w

and whichever way you choose remember that you can book with Canada Travel Specialists!

visit www.CanadaTravelSpecialists.com for more great Canada holiday info!

Team CTS.

TOJAZZ!

It's here at last ... and isn't letting a little strike interrupt its rhythm. The Toronto Jazz Festival starts today with the first of the 350+ gigs/events before close on 5 July. The big hitters are there to open the festival and Sonny Rollins performs at 8pm tonight in the Four Seasons Centre on Queen St W.

We don't ever need another reason to jump on a flight out to Toronto for the weekend but if we did then this would be it. Book a lastminute Toronto city break today @

http://www.canadatravelspecialists.com/

Have a good weekend all,

Team CTS!

doo bop dee be bop doo doo bee doo doo ...

CTS loves Twitter.

It's true - we love it. At first we were amongst those who didn't get it. Why sign up for something that's only 140 characters long. What useful information are we going to get from that? How wrong we were.

Five minutes in Twitter can take you to every part of Canada, and tell you what's going on there by who. It's amazing. When we at Canada Travel Specialists log-in to our Twitter account now we get 'tweets' from people as diverse as Chromer Fishing who organises fishing trips, lodges and packages in BC to Woof Canada who can advise about dog-friendly places pretty much anywhere in Canada. TeamCanada2010 speculates on who should make the men's hockey team at Vancouver 2010, CanadaCool tries to identify exactly what it is that makes Canada so damn cool and CanadaFans, well CanadaFans pretty much just loves everything in, about, related to and even distantly-distantly related to Canada.

And we get updates from all of them and more in bite-sized portions every time we log-in to Twitter.

We're telling you, you've got to try it - and when you do, be sure to make http://twitter.com/CanadaHolidays your first port of call.

That's all for now - see you all back here soon,

Team CTS!

10 Places to Get Away from It - in Toronto.

Check out this photostory from the Toronto Star to make sure that your Toronto Citybreak doesn't get too hectic!

http://www.thestar.com/fpLarge/photo/650170

and if that whets your appetite then come on over to http://www.canadatravelspecialists.com/ for the all the best Toronto Citybreak info & deals.

We'll be back with more hot Canada Travel deals & info soon,

Team CTS!

Canada Travel Specialists are here!

Up, up and away! After keeping ourselves as a guarded secret for what turned out to be far too long, we at Canada Travel Specialists are now entering the blogosphere! We'll be posting here from time to time now with all of our latest news, deals and adventures.

We do what our name suggests really - specialise in organising travel to Canada. Whether it's a weekend citybreak to Toronto & Niagara Falls or a holiday of a lifetime taking in the Canadian Rockies and a spectacular Alaska Cruise we're the experts in putting Canada Holidays together.

Check back here as often as possible for our latest updates. Also follow us on twitter @ http://twitter.com/CanadaHolidays and most important of all, stop by our homepage for all the very best Canada travel deals and info: www.canadatravelspecialists.com

That's all for now but we'll be back here with more exciting info before you can say 'Book me to the Calgary Stampede today!'

Team CTS!