Vancouver celebrated the 100 day countdown by lighting the new Olympic Rings

Wednesday night at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer, VANOC, Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia, and Houourable Mary McNeil, Minister of State for the Olympics and ActNow BC held a ceremony to light the 2010 Olympic Rings at Coal Harbour.  The rings now sit on a barge in the water.   Read more, see a video and a slideshow -

Vancouver celebrated the 100 day countdown by lighting the new Olympic Rings

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Olympic & Paralympic Village handoff to VANOC – 100 day countdown celebration

Yesterday, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, the City of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson officially marked the 100 day countdown by handing over the key to the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver to John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).  Read more….

Olympic & Paralympic Village Vancouver handover marks 100-day countdown celebration (slideshow)

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Postcard from Vancouver – 100 day countdown celebration event today

Today the City of Vancouver will hold a ceremonial handover of the Olympic and Paralympic Village to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).  The official ceremony begins at 10:30 AM at the Salt Building with Mayor Gregor Robertson officially handing over the keys to the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver to VANOC CEO John Furlong.  Read more….

Postcard from Vancouver – 100 day countdown celebration event today

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Day 5 – Postcard from Whistler

After a wonderful evening out with Breton Murphy, Senior Manager, Destination Media Relations, Tourism Whistler at Earl’s in Whistler Village, it was back to the Fairmont Whistler for a good night’s sleep.   One of the things I most love about the Fairmont hotels is that they allow pets. (a resounding 10!) For someone who has to travel without her pet, I can get a lot of “fur-fixes” from other people’s pets. And if I ever get to take the TopDawg with me I know where I can stay!

The hotel is older and very traditional in its looks.  In my usual travel journalist fashion, I take pictures as I walk into my room and of pretty much every inch of the room, including the view.  It was immaculate with handmade candy on a stone tray and an inukshuk (pronounced e-nook-shook) made of chocolate.  This inukshuk was meant as a symbol of welcome.  All this was handmade by the pastry chef.  There was a bottle of sparkling water as well, the help lighten the thick chocolate in my mouth.

The bed linens and pillows, along with the firmness of the mattress got an 8.5 on my scale of 10.  I slept very well under the covers.  The heat/air conditioning control was rather old fashioned and just a little hard to control and maintain an even temperature.  Once again I found myself struggling to control the amount of coldness or warmth.  I would give it about a 6.5 on the 10 scale.  I had a tussle with the WiFi and had to agree to a $13.95 room charge to get internet access.  By filling out a President’s Club application  (sort of a frequent stay/points kind of thing) the fee was politely reversed at check out.  Give the WiFi experience s 5 but the reversal of the fee a 10.  Then I found an Ethernet cable in the desk drawer and the Ethernet port on the wall beside the desk, so I was on a wire and gained a much faster connectivity.  That was a definite 10 to me cause I could then do a decent video chat with my family and see my dog.

The bathroom amenities were delightful, not so much in quantity but in quality.  The shampoo and conditioner smelled so yummy, I have to give them a 10.  The shower had great pressure and a massage showerhead which was very good (another 10), but the control of hot/cold water was almost worse than controlling the room temperature.  I seemed unable to find a happy medium between lukewarm verging on cool to so hot I could hardly stand under it.  I managed to eventually find a temperature that, while not as warm as I would have liked, was acceptable.  So I would give it a 7 on the 10 scale.

Breakfast this morning was a 10 all the way.  Everyone was in awe of how much excellent food was presented.  The Mallard Lounge was the setting for the breakfast which is normally closed at breakfast time.  At the breakfast Ms. Christina Smith, bronze medalist in the women’s bobsled competition in 2002 was in attendance.  She is an incredible athlete and promoter of the bobsled competition and will the topic for another article at a later time.

I declined to go on the ZipTrek excursion  as my fear of heights is way stronger than my desire to be a part of the group and experience the scenery.  I explored more of Whistler Village in the pouring rain and then headed off to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center.

Up next:  Visiting the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center.

Day 4 – Off to Whistler from Nanaimo-day 1 of checking out the venues

November 1st , Sunday morning:  We had to have our bags at the Best Western Dorchester by 7AM.  Since the time changed at 2AM to fall back 1 hour, we would supposedly still get a little extra sleep.  Unfortunately, in the room next door to me there were torch relay volunteers who were throwing their successful completion of the run party until 1 AM so sleep was not an option for me.  So instead I wrote the Victoria flame arrival piece and published it at 1AM, before the fall back time.

I was staying in the Coast Bastion Hotel on the 15th (top) floor facing east.  The festivities at the park in Nanaimo (on the west side of the building) also had amazing fireworks that went on for a really long time. Between the torch relay and the Halloween festivites, Nanaimo was amazing in the evening with people out walking and the street parties.  Peple are so relaxed, open and friendly in the up-island

The Coast was an interesting hotel for me.  There were many pros and cons as I looked at it from the travel agent point of view and a journalist point of view.  I tend to judge a hotel room from several points:  bathroom lighting, shower power, firmness (or lack thereof) of the mattress, the thread count of the linens, the amenities offered, the view and the ease of keeping the room temperature comfortable.  The view I had was awesome, clearly a 10; the bath lighting was outstanding, another 10; the linens were surprisingly comfortable and hypo-allergenic, as opposed to down feather (a positive for me) – about an 8 on the 10 scale.  The amenities were sparse with large pump bottles of shampoo, bath gel and lotion.  Unusual.-  about a 4 on the 10 scale.   Keeping the room temperature moderate and steady was next to impossible.  I would cool it off and then have to warm it up.  It was very challenging. (3 on a 10 scale).  This is always a real disappointment to me as a comfortable temperature in the room is critical.   Sunrise this morning was really awesome, which made up for a lot, so Mother Nature got a resounding 10.

We headed out for the ferry and upon arrival at the Quay, there was a Starbucks which even had  Top Pot Donuts Apple Fritters.  I had my first Americano in 4 days.  And I just had to have an apple fritter.  Once we drove on to the ferry, we had breakfast on the ferry compliments of  Tourism BC.  Then we arrived into the Vancouver port and headed off for Whistler.  I am writing this as we weave along the new Sea to Sky highway.  Stay tuned and I will be telling you lots more about the Whistler venues for the Olympics. 

I am so excited to be celebrating my birthday in Whistler.  What a great way to start a new decade!

The 2010 Olympics Flame arrived in Victoria BC on Friday,Oct 30, 2009

On Friday, October 30, 2009, Victoria BC welcomed the 2010 Olympic Flame and starts 2010 Olympic Torch Relay with emotional celebrations.  Victoria was the scene of high expectation Friday morning as the crowds turned out for the arrival of the Olympic Flame.  Read more here:

The 2010 Olympics Flame arrived in Victoria BC on Friday,Oct 30, 2009

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Tourism Victoria welcomed media from around the world to the 2010 Olympics Torch Relay celebrations

Yesterday evening Tourism Victoria held a welcoming reception for media representatives from around the world at the 6^th floor penthouse of the Inn at Laurel Point, Victoria, BC. The reception was held to both welcome the media and to answer questions regarding the  2010 Olympics Torch Lighting Ceremonies and the beginning of the Relay taking place on Friday morning.  Read more..

Tourism Victoria welcomed media from around the world to the 2010 Olympics Torch Relay celebrations

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Postcard from the 2010 Olympics Torch Lighting Ceremonies – day 1, departure

Starting out on my adventure this morning at dark-thirty, the cold and the rain were a bit intimidating. Fortunately I departed Seattle for Victoria BC on the Victoria Clipper. For me, this is a 15 minute walk from my apartment to the waterfront. Also fortunately, I had help with my bags (once again I probably over packed for this adventure).

It was smooth sailing, so to speak, through check-in and clearing security. This is so much more civilized than flying. I was in Boarding Group 1, so by 7:20 AM I was ensconced in my seat, looking out at the bow of the boat and thinking about that first cup of coffee.

For $6.50 I had a “yogurt breakfast” which included coffee (all you can drink), orange juice, a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam, a blueberry yogurt, 3.9 ounces of applesauce and a Nutri-Grain cereal bar (raspberry flavored). For $4 more I could have had a champagne split, but it seemed a little too decadent for a Thursday morning in the rain. Also available for the same price is a Cereal Basket, with Kellogg’s cereal, milk, cereal bar, applesauce and a bagel with cream cheese; or, a Danish Basket, containing a danish pastry, a cheese round, crackers, applesauce, fruit chews and a cereal bar. For $4.00 there is also a children’s basket for sailors 11 years and under , (a smaller version of the adult “Cereal Basket”) which contains Kellogg’s cereal, milk, applesauce, cereal bar, fruit chews and a fun surprise!

Precisely at 8:00AM, the lines were cast off and we departed the Seattle wharf. We were warned of some potentially rough water after we enter the straits so that is anyone who is unfamiliar with their reaction to movement of boats on water could & should purchase a motion-sickness medication. Smoking is not allowed inside the cabins on board. However, if one can not resist the lure of a cigarette, they are welcome to step outside (something you never hear on an airplane!) to the upper deck to indulge their habit. The boat was only 35%-40% full it seemed, which made for very comfortable seating arrangements. I have been on the boats, during the mid-summer and early fall crossings, which can be a bit crowded.

All the window seats with tables are taken, both upstairs and downstairs. The crossing got a bit rough after Port Townsend and when we entered the straits.  Definitely got rough then!

I am on T-Mobile and I still had coverage over 2 hours into the crossing, I expected to be roaming sooner than I did. I turned on the 3-G network and used Google maps to watch our progress. Although the 3-G does eat battery life and my Android phone is nearing its 1 year anniversary, it held up long enough to get to the point of roaming, which is where I turned it off anyway.

Arrival at Victoria became imminent, time to switch off the computer and into clearing Customs/Immigration mode.  I will continue with an update on my hotel after I arrive there and get settled.  Check back in a few hours.   

Postcard from Puerto Vallarta – hotel site inspection of Golden Crown Paradise Resorts

On Monday of this visit to Puerto Vallarta, we were scheduled to see several hotels.  These site inspections usually cover several different levels of accommodations as well as the commons areas, restaurants and activities.  As travel agents, this is one of the top reasons we come on these “familiarization” trips.  These walk-throughs give us the personal experience of a hotel, even if it is not the one we stay in while here.  Walking through the rooms, the commons, the activities and the restaurants help us visualize just who should be staying in these hotels.

Golden Crown Paradise ©Carlanne McCrystal 2009

Our first inspection was where we are staying, the Golden Crown Paradise Resort, an all-inclusive adults only resort.  Next door to this hotel is the Crown Paradise Club which welcomes families. There are many attractive reasons for choosing this hotel. 

• It is a short walk to the Maritime Terminal.  If you are into watching the ships come into and depart from a port, this is a great spot to relax and observe. 
• There is a multitude of shopping opportunities within a few minutes walk.
• All the restaurants are a la carte, so with no buffets you always have fresh, hot/cold foods served to you by smiling waiters. The three specialty restaurants offer a different menu every night.  Room service is included 24 hours a day as part of the all-inclusive. 
• There are many activities and they are posted by the elevator every evening for the next day. 

Golden Crown Paradise offers exchange privileges with the Crown Paradise Club, but not vice versa.  The minimum check in age for the Golden Crown Paradise is 18 years, so anyone with children should reserve the Crown Paradise Club. 

Los Gallos Restaurant ©CMcCrystal 2009

After breakfast in Los Gallos restaurant and a quick walk-through of the other restaurants, we adjourned to the Crown Paradise Club. 

Crown Club Lobby ©CMcCrystal 2009

This is a great hotel for families.  They even have “family” accommodations which includes the parent’s section of the room and a smaller room, with its own television and bunk beds and trundle bed, so it can sleep up to three children.  Their play area for the children is lovely.  A great pool area with water sports activities for all ages.  There is a pirate ship, fountains and waterslides for the children to have fun all day long.  They have a nursery/play area for the littlest children and everything there is “pint” sized…even the toilets, sinks and lockers.  Parents are given a beeper so they can always be in touch if needed.  They cannot go off property after leaving their children off at the play area, but it does give parents the opportunity for some “alone” time to be romantic, rest and reconnect.  There are 216 standard spacious garden or pool view rooms, 31 of the “family” rooms, and 7 honeymoon suites.  Handicapped rooms are available as well.  You can guarantee the family room with a $35 up-fee.  The handicapped rooms are by request and not guaranteed.

Family Room ©CMcCrystal 2009

There is the Club Caribe Bar which is an “adults only” area with jacuzzi and bar service for parents ready to get away for a bit from the kids.  They also have tween and teen area that was being added on to and being readied for opening.  One cool feature is “kids check-in” with a pint sized desk where staff finds out as much as possible about the children’s preferences and issues so they can better serve their smaller guests.   They are very family oriented and dedicated to the family market.

For the family who wants to play together while managing some adult time as well and not break the bank account while they are at it, the Golden Crown Paradise Resort, in particular, the Crown Paradise Club could just fit the bill.

Postcard from Puerto Vallarta – first evening excitements

Taking up with the dip in the pool on my first night in PV, I began talking with some ladies who were in a good-sized group of people.  We discussed why they come to the Crown Paradise Hotel every year. 

One, it is affordable and all inclusive.  Refreshing fruit-flavored drinks were flowing freely at the pool as we spoke.

Two, the staff has a low turnover.

Three, the rooms are clean and well maintained.

Four, the staff remembers the people from year to year.

Five, it is affordable enough that they can afford to go out one or two nights to an outside restaurant. 

Six, they are all over the age of forty and the age of the clientele in the hotel is not so young that the noise level and entertainment level is ongoing all night long.  It pretty much quiets down after 10PM.  If one wants nightlife, one must go outside the property.  And that is also an acceptable alternative.

Seven, this year they had a bottle of champagne in their room upon arrival. 

Some very good reasons for returning year after year.

By 7:30 we decided we were hungry but did not want to “dress” for dinner.  In our cover-ups, we were able to eat outside at a table in the corner by the palm fronds.  Chicken enchiladas and refried beans, with more beer.  It was acceptably filling if not entertaining.  Pleading exhaustion, we both agreed to head off to our respective rooms for a restful bit of sleep. 

I walked into my oven and knew rest was not going to happen anytime soon.  I called the front desk again, with a two thumbs up for the response of the staff.  Maintenance was up in a flash. They tore out ceiling panels and opened the ducts.  But to no avail.  There was no air conditioning going to be had in room 1810.  They called the front desk to recommend moving me.  Front desk suggested room #1814.  The maintenance fellow was so great.  He went and got a key to check out that room before they moved me and returned with less than good news.  It was as hot, if not hotter than #1810.  In the meantime I was online and trying to G-Chat Video with the family.  G-Chat Video definitely has some issues with international communications. 

As the minutes flashed by, the long day was taking its toll on everyone.  I took all the unpacking I had done, including all the things in the safe, and the drawers and threw it into my suitcases.  The next thing I knew I was walking down stairs to the 7th floor to a new unit.  It seemed questionable as to whether this room was going to be any cooler, but between the air conditioner and the ceiling fan, by 3AM ir was starting to cool down.

I logged into the internet yet one more time to let my family know that I had a new room and that I had packed and unpacked since I last chatted by G-chat (some 45 minutes earlier) and then said good night.  Exhaustion was finally setting in and sleep was begging for a chance.  The first day of Puerto Vallarta was coming to a close, with mixed reviews.  Maybe, just maybe, this would be ok after all.