All posts tagged with: Reservations

The Ramada Plaza WeHo proudly flies rainbow flags during the 2012 LA Pride Festival.

In the heart of West Hollywood, on Santa Monica Blvd, is the iconic Ramada Plaza. The current hotel was built in the 1980’s by The Ramada and has embraced is original heritage of days gone by.

The 176 guest rooms, ranging from king beds to lofts, scream of eccentric palettes and influences from the art-deco era. There’s nothing fancy here; just a clean bed and depending on your guest room, a quiet place to stay. It is evident the hotel has tried to do their best to upkeep the property to Ramada standards without having to undergo major and costly renovations.

Years ago the site was home to the Tropicana Motor Lodge. It was a popular stop for travellers as they got to the end of the famous Route 66. The Tropicana was also well known for being a favourite spot for musicians including Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen Elvis Costello, Guns and Roses and the Beach Boys.

Today the hotel property is also home to a classic American dinner called Kitchen 24, a quick-serve hamburger restaurant, a Starbucks, UPS outlet and a Wells Fargo bank.

Guests also have access to a fitness centre, outdoor heated pool, and the business services centre. There is also same-day dry-cleaning and laundry services.

Sure, it’s not a five-star hotel and the rooms aren’t cheap, but the Ramada Plaza in WeHo gets the job done. And as a bonus, other than being in a great location, the Ramada Plaza offers complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel and the staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

It’s spring. Time to enjoy a relaxing brunch with friends on the patio overlooking False Creek. Delicious fare, inviting atmosphere and friendly staff await at Provence Marinaside in downtown Vancouver.

Authentic French cuisine is on the menu – from a basket of fresh baked goods, fruit crepes and French toast, to baked eggs Florentine and baguette Panini’s  – there are lots of fresh options. And what would brunch be without a mimosa and fresh coffee.

Provence is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Afternoon tea service is also available with 24 hours notice. For a romantic evening, picnic baskets can be arranged.

Provence Marinaside is located at the foot of Davie at 1177 Marinaside Crescent. Reservations can be made by calling 604.681.4144.

Just because it’s winter and life is busy, doesn’t mean that there isn’t time to get away. Consider a staycation! A local weekend getaway can be fun and adventurous, especially when you get to explore new places you haven’t been to before.

Take for instance New Westminster. New Westminster is the original capital city of British Columbia. It has a rich history and the area has an assortment of antique & bridal shops, boutiques, restaurants, and work-wear supply stores.

Located right on the edge of the Fraser River is the Inn at the Quay. The 126 guest room property is the ideal location for a weekend of rest. The funky south-beach inspired décor is both unexpected for New West and also very inviting.

The guest rooms are clean, bright and spacious. Each room comes with fluffy bathrobes, crisp white linens, pillow-top mattresses, and free Wi-Fi. The bathroom features granite countertops and a rainfall showerhead – a nice treat to wash away unwanted stress. Best of all, most rooms have a great view of the mighty Fraser River.

In the evenings there are a number of restaurants within a few minutes walking distance, or if you choose to stay in, room service is available.

Head to the lobby living room on Tuesday nights for wines from around the world and Saturday’s for bubbly – oh, and they are free for anyone 19+ years to attend!

To get in your daily workout there is a boardwalk right in front of the hotel and there is an indoor fitness facility.

Overall, the property is a fun place to visit, even if it’s just for a quick getaway out of the city. It’s easy to get to by car (overnight underground parking), or by SkyTrain, an easy few minute walk from the New Westminster stop.

Guest rooms start at $104 CDN per night (winter season rate). Reservations can be made by calling their reservation hotline at 1-800-663-2001.

Stunning views from the private luxury log cabins

On the shores of the Harrison River, about a 1.5 hour drive from downtown Vancouver is Rowena’s Inn, quite possibly the most romantic luxury resort getaways in the Fraser Valley.

Rowena's Inn

The Pretty family, well-known pioneers of BC’s timber, logging and natural resource industry, purchased the 160-acre estate located near Harrison Mills in January 1924. The first priorities for the new owners were to install running water and other basic living necessities into the two-story country farmhouse.

Pool, hot tub and views of the Harrison River

The property became a working dairy farm. In the 1950’s the farmhouse underwent major renovations.  The wrap-around veranda was enclosed to bring much needed space to the interior, a drawing room was added to the front corner and a pool was put in right in front of the house.

The house was maintained as is until the passing of Mr. Pretty in the 1990’s. At that time, his two remaining children, Betty Ann and her brother inherited the property and decided to turn their family home into a resort.

One of the five guest rooms in the Inn.

The home was renovated in 1994 and offered full-service accommodations. In 1998, golf course designer, Russ Olsen, completed work on the 18-hole natural forest golf course.

Family heirlooms, antiques and collectables located throughout the Inn

Today, the five-bedroom Inn offers visitors a chance to take a step back in time to appreciate the luxury of days gone by. The lovingly preserved home is filled with heirloom antiques and collectibles the family has acquired over the years and the décor is period appropriate.

Log cabins with king size bed, fireplace, patios and more.

The estate also offers four luxury log cabins, complete with heated slate floors, real wood-burning river-rock fire places, king size beds and two-person Jacuzzi tubs. The private cabins are the ultimate romantic accommodations.

The entire estate is open to the public. There is a full-service restaurant on-site open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a traditional English afternoon tea service is available in the Inn. The golf course is open early spring through late fall.

Private airstrip; just a 30 minute flight from downtown Vancouver.

Rowena’s Inn, named after Mr. Pretty’s wife, is open year round, and is the perfect getaway for a romantic birthday, anniversary or other special occasion.

For more information about Rowena’s Inn and to make reservations, visit the Rowena’s Inn website.

Quietly tucked away on Ganges Harbour is Hastings House; an Essex style country cottage that has been lovingly been transformed into a quaint country getaway on Salt Spring Island.

The quiet and peaceful estate offers visitors the chance to enjoy country luxury in a relaxed setting. The original timber-framed buildings are all original but have been re-purposed into rustic, upscale accommodations filled with genuine antiques and artwork.

The original Hudson’s Bay Company trading post and the original staff accommodations have been converted into a honeymoon and In-Law’s suites. The original manor home has been converted into a fine-dining restaurant on the main level and upstairs hosts two large suites.

It’s a slower pace. Get up early in the morning to watch the sun rise over Ganges Harbour with a fresh cup of coffee and homemade muffins. Even if it’s a rainy weekend, it is the perfect place to wrap up in a blanket with a good novel and a cup of tea and listen to the rain dance on the rooftop.

On the estate grounds there are beautiful manicured gardens and lawns, an art walk trail full of surprises, and a small heard of lamb. If you are into history, there is a wonderful journal in the lounge about the original estate owners (yes, there was some sexy scandals that went down on Salt Spring that you have to learn about). There is also a full-service spa for those looking to enjoy a mani or pedi.

Ganges village is about a ten-minute walk from Hastings House. In the village there are restaurants, art galleries and boutique shops. To see more of the island there are bike, kayak and car rentals.

Getting to Hastings House from Vancouver is easy. You could take a BC Ferry to Victoria and then connect to the Gulf Islands, or to save yourself a ton of time and make it an adventure, Salt Spring Air flies all day from the downtown Vancouver harbor to Ganges. It’s about a 25-minute flight and worth every penny!

Hastings House Country Hotel on Salt Spring Island is an ideal getaway for young city, double-income-no-kids, and professional couple to get away for the weekend to relax and enjoy the peacefulness of country island life, or to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or even to propose to someone special.

It’s not a traditional resort with a 24-hour reception desk, so after dinner, grab a bottle of Salt Spring Island’s very own Gary Oak’s wine and settle in for an quiet and relaxing evening and enjoy the accommodations.

The accommodations are open year-round. To get special offers and to make a reservation, visit the Hastings House County House Hotel website.

Quietly working away for over twenty years in his kitchen at Hastings House Country House Hotel on Salt Spring Island is the best culinary artist’s in BC’s Gulf Islands, Chef Marcel Kauer.

Each day Chef Kauer surveys the country kitchen garden on the hotel property to see what fresh ingredients are available to make up the day’s menu. Chef Kauer works with the highest quality, fresh ingredients that are grown or made locally on Salt Spring Island. It’s the reason why the restaurant at Hastings House has been rated one of the top restaurants in BC.

The dishes served in the fine dining restaurant are traditional, yet because they are homemade, they bring a unique sense of casualness. The restaurant also features on of the largest wine cellars in BC and has a sommelier on staff to help pair the right wine with your meal.

Hastings House Country House Restaurant typically attracts a much older clientel, however, for a younger city couple, it would be a perfect retreat and weekend getaway. It’s the perfect romantic getaway, especially on a cold, rainy fall weekend because you can cuddle up with a cup of tea and enjoy the peacefulness of the country lifestyle.

To get a sense of the tantalizing gourmet dining that awaits, here is a sample of a late-summer meal at Hastings House Restaurant.

Lingcod Amuse-bouche 

Lingcod with fresh organic orange pepper and tomato chutney with EVOO and green onions. The fresh chutney added both crunch and acid to the fish.

Marinated Organic Beats 

Red and yellow organic beats from the country kitchen garden were marinated and served with balsamic vinaigrette and goats cheese from island cheese maker, David Woods. The goat cheese was a bit punch for the delicate flavours of the beats, but is certainly brought a deep, bold taste.

Homemade Bread

The hearty, handmade, stone crust bread was served warm with softened herbed butter.

Summer Squash Bisque

A late-summer harvest of fresh squash and carrots filled the palette with this bisque. The sour cream instantly softened the taste, making it very rich and creamy. Hints of citrus, caramelized onions and pureed carrots filled each taste.

Peppered Beef Carpaccio with Onion Marmalade

If it wasn’t AAA Alberta Beef, it probably could have passed for it. The texture was smooth, and the pepper crust paired wonderfully with the salt from the curing process. Beef Carpaccio is raw meat that has been frozen, thawed and then thinly shaved and served.

Served with onion marmalade, a selection of garden greens, and Reggiano cheese.

Grilled Salt Spring Island Lamb, Caramelized Shallot Potato Puree and Honey Mustard Jus

From field to plate in 10 days, the Salt Spring Island lamb is the centre piece of Chef Kauer’s culinary skills at Hastings House. The tender and juicy medallions of lamb were served with a honey mustard sauce – the mustard seeds adding both texture and punch of spice. Surprisingly, the lamb lacked pepper, leaving the dish feeling a tad empty for flavor.

Served with the lamb were a selection of late-summer steamed carrots and green beans, and potatoes that had been whipped with pureed caramelized onions and rich butter.

Grand Marnier Crème Caramel

The perfectly prepared crème caramel was the foundation of the dessert, but it was far from being a front and centre taste. The late-summer strawberries from the garden packed a flavourful punch, but it was the Grand Marnier stole the show. Because it was not served flambé style, the heavy orange brandy liquor over-powered the dish, leaving the crème caramel to be hidden and left only for its texture. It was paired with Hester Creek’s late harvest Pinot Blanc.

The restaurant is open daily from March 1 – October 30 and reservations are strongly recommended.

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)

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With over 3,200 beds in the City of Kelowna, accommodation choices are abundant. Often it comes down to location, budget and amenities to determine which accommodation is the right choice. Enter the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna.

The 185-room hotel a wide-variety of room configurations from two double beds to queen and king size beds. Each room has a small refrigerator, free local calling, and best of all, free high-speed Internet, something that is becoming harder to find.

Most guest rooms have balconies. Rooms will either have city views or overlook the outdoor year-round headed pool and hot tub. If sticking to your gym routine while out of town, the hotel also offers guests free access to the fitness centre.

The Coast Carpi Hotel is home to Vintage Room, a fine dining restaurant, where guests can dine indoors or poolside. Each morning the coffee bar is open for breakfast for those on the go, and for the late night crowd, the Coast Capri Hotel is the only hotel in Kelowna that offers 24-hour room service!

Within 10 minutes of the hotel are the orchards that have made Kelowna so popular. The bountiful seasonal harvests are celebrated at many of the local restaurants too, where locally grown fruits and vegetables are often featured on the daily menu.

Also close by are over 20 wineries. Tourism Kelowna has five distinct wine routes taking visitors to the different wineries for wine tastings.

For the past two years, the Coast Capri Hotel has been the host hotel for Okanagan Pride, hosting out-of-town guests and the venue for the highlight event, the Okanagan Pride Dance Party.

Whether you are in Kelowna for a conference, a golf weekend, visiting family, or just to relax and get-away for a weekend, the Coast Capri Hotel can certainly take care of you quite comfortably and at a reasonable price too!

For more information about Kelowna including things to do and to make your reservations, visit the Tourism Kelowna website, or book direct from the Coast Capri Hotel by calling 1-800-716-6199.

Thanks to the creative imagination of Chef Marcel Kauer, guests staying at Hastings House Country House Hotel on Salt Spring Island awake each morning to the most spectacular, locally inspired, traditional English breakfast they could ever imagine.

Before you even pull open the drapes to let the golden sunrise and fresh country air flow into the room, guests can be found cracking open the door for their morning wake-up hamper of fresh baked muffins and hot coffee. It’s the perfect way to ease into a relaxing morning at the cottage.

This is just the beginning. Inside the intimate dining room, located in the historic Manor House overlooking Ganges Harbour, Chef Kauer and his team are busy working on preparing the morning breakfast delights. Inspired by the abundance of ingredients found in the massive on-site gardens and local island ingredients, the daily gourmet menu is created based on what is in season.

It’s all in the details too. From farm-fresh eggs, herbs and berries from the kitchen garden, and potatoes from the local organic potato farm, there’s no stopping the creativity of the culinary team.

Not a single detail is over-looked. The coffee is roasted on Salt Spring and the preserves are made by Chef Kauer himself using fruit and berries grown right on the property.

A truly spectacular breakfast experience is waiting. The restaurant is open daily from March 1 – October 30 and reservations are strongly recommended.

Reservations are now being accepted for the 2nd annual Chef’s Across the Water dinner series at Hastings House Country House Hotel on Salt Spring Island, near Vancouver, BC. Each month for four consecutive months, renowned chefs from Vancouver will prepare a five-course dinner using Salt Spring Island’s bounty of fresh produce, seafood and live-stock.

• July 18 – Vikran Vij from Vij’s
• August 15 – Ernst Dorfler from the Pan Pacific Hotel
• September 12 – Michel Jacob from Le Crocodile
• October 3 – Tojo from Tojo’s

On June 27 there will be a special Alumni dinner featuring the return of the four chefs from the 2010 program: John Bishop (Bishop’s), Sean Brennan (Brasserie L’Ecole), Frank Pabst (Blue Water Café), Pino Posteraro (Cioppino’s), and Alessandra and Jean-Francis Quaglia (Provence Marinaside and Provence Mediterranean Grill).

“We have been incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the best chefs on the west coast and are equally delighted with our new line up.” said Hastings House General Manager, Kelly McAree. “Each chef will offer up unique culinary creations to stir the palate and tease the mind, with the goal of drawing attention to the issue of sustainability and lamb production on Salt Spring Island.  Our guests have fully embraced the concept and we are very excited to participate in this worthwhile endeavour.”

Salt Spring Island, the largest of BC’s Gulf Islands is a food-lover’s paradise, renowned for their organic fruits and vegetables, meats, and cheeses.  Fresh-caught, wild seafood rounds out nature’s local pantry. In recent years, island wineries have added to the diversity of the local harvest.  Hastings House has an extensive garden yielding an abundance of fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs.

For more information or to register for one of the Chef’s Across the Water dinner series events, visit the Hastings House website.

Chefs Across the Water, a guest chef series at Hastings House on Salt Spring Island, highlights the bounty of the region’s produce and raises awareness and funds for the  “Save Salt Spring Lamb” fund.

Lamb production on Salt Spring Island has been down 50 per cent over the past five years, due to government regulations requiring all livestock be taken to Vancouver Island or the mainland for slaughter. It’s easier to get Salt Spring Island lamb in Vancouver than on the Island.

Salt Spring livestock producers have received $100,000 grant to go towards a mobile meat processing unit, however they need to match the amount to receive the money.  Partial proceeds from the Chefs Across the Water dinner series will go towards the fund.

“The ‘Save Salt Spring Lamb’ fund is looking to raise $200,000 in the next few months for a mobile unit on Salt Spring,” said Margaret Thompson, Chair of the Salt Spring Livestock Producers Group. “We are hopeful of raising enough money in time and are delighted to partner with Hastings House in their Chefs Across the Water series to draw awareness to this issue.”

The series includes one final event of the season on Monday, October 18, showcasing the talents of Chef Marcel Kauer of Hastings House.

Hastings House Dining room manager Milly Sinclair says there is a lot of excitement building for food-lovers who enjoy local fare prepared by the best chefs in BC.

For more information please visit the Hasting House website and the Chefs Across the Water website. For reservations call 250.537.2362.

With Chefs Across the Water, diners have experienced BC’s celebrated Guest Chefs creating exceptional meals with Salt Spring Island flavours.

Hastings House Country House Hotel and Dining Room on Salt Spring Island has welcomed some of the best Chefs in BC and now the hotels own Executive Chef, Marcel Kauer, steps into the spotlight for the fifth and final dinner in the series on October 18, 2010.

Chefs Across the Water is an initiative welcoming master chefs to the island to prepare five-course dinners in the Hastings House kitchen incorporating Salt Spring Island produce with seafood and meats.  The meals are paired with fine BC wines featuring vineyards from Salt Spring Island and the Okanagan Valley.

Chef Marcel Kauer has extensive knowledge of the areas ingredients since local produce from island farmers’ supplements the harvest at Hastings House. Each year, Kauer works with the Hastings House gardener to plan the next year’s crop and also knows the farmers in the area and the foods they grow.  He marries his training in the continental style with the use of the freshest local, seasonal ingredients to create culinary masterpieces.

“Having some of the best chefs prepare meals in our kitchen has been an inspiring experience for me and my staff,” said Kauer. “We have embraced the opportunity and are now looking forward to putting together something special of our own using the ingredients we have come to know and appreciate.”

Salt Spring Island, the largest of BC’s Gulf Islands is a food-lover’s paradise, blessed with a mild Mediterranean-like climate and knowledgeable, devoted growers and producers renowned for their organic fruits and vegetables, meats, and cheeses. Having so many amazing foods to choose from gives Kauer an overflowing cornucopia from which to create his celebrated menus.

Hastings House, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, nestles on 22 acres of meadows, woodland and lawns overlooking Ganges Harbour on Salt Spring Island. This luxury getaway has 18 unique accommodations and an intimate spa, and operates April through October. Guests arrive via floatplane – a mere 20 minutes from Vancouver International Airport – or by ferry or private motorcraft, with moorage available at Salt Spring Marina, next to the hotel. The resort has been consistently top rated by Zagat since 2004, is an Andrew Harper’s 25-year favourite getaway, member of Condé-Nast Johanssen’s Collection, and one of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.

For more information visit the Chefs Across the Water website or call 250.537.2362.