"No Man's Land" on this beach anyway!

If you're in the mood to catch some rays and not be bothered by a guy named Ray or Antonio, this is the place for you. A "woman's only" beach has just opened on the Adriatic coast of Italy. No children or loud music are permitted either.

The concept has grown out of a desire for women to be able to get together with friends on the beach without having to worry about being approached or bothered by often aggressive Italian men.

So if you like the surf without the testosterone ladened turf, look no further than the "pink beach" linking Rimini and Riccione.

Montreal rocks

I love Montreal.
OK - so it's my home town - but that's irrelevant.
Condé Nast Traveler also seems to love Montreal. The latest issue of the magazine has great articles on the major cities in Canada.
But the one on Montreal just bursts with enthusiasm.
"The city is nirvana for the orally obsessed, with an embarrassment of riches—from pungent raw-milk cheeses and gravy-soaked poutine to dainty artisanal chocolates and rare whiskeys. Here, three days and three approaches—hip, decadent, and classic—to this epicurean city," reads the intro to the piece.
It's amazing how Montrealers take good food for granted. Unlike most North American cities, it's so easy to stay away from processed fast food.

Magical Iceland

I've had a 'thing' for Iceland as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to start out a trip in Amsterdam and wind my way up north.

It's my northern Swedish and Canadian blood, I think.

Anyhow that's why this Yahoo! News article caught my eye.

It's a compelling look at Reykjavik's bubbling hot springs, funky hotels and late-night party scene.

Scoring Sin City freebies

If you've ever wondered how to get all those comps you've heard of in Las Vegas -- you know, the free hotel rooms, dinners and drinks -- read this illuminating article which comes via the Daily Deal Blog.

Basically there's a formula that casinos use to figure out how much free stuff they will give away to players who come to gamble.

According to Frank Scoblete of Casino City Times: "Here's the formula that most casinos use: Average Bet X # decisions per hour X playing time X house edge = Theoretical Loss. The casinos generally give back between 30 to 50 percent of a player's theoretical loss."

So don't expect to be put up at the Bellagio for playing $5 chips at the Blackjack table.

The article has a handy chart that shows the amount of comp you can expect based on the time you play, the game you play and the type of chips you use.

The dirt on rental cars

Have you ever gotten into a rental car only to find it a little less than sanitary.

I remember renting a fairly nice sedan only to find a suspicious large faded stain which spread across the back seat and carpet. All I kept thinking was, "something bad happened in this car."

Well USA TODAY has tackled that issue in this article.

It seems like there's a bit of a standoff. The big rental car companies (you know the ones, they rhyme with Schmirtz and Davis) swear up and down that they clean the cars obsessively while many of the 1,500 people on the USA TODAY Road Warrior panel say they disagree.

Some of the reader comments are also worth a read. Yeesh!

Get off while taking off

If you've ever yearned to join the mile-high club without the possibility of getting busted by the airplane attendant then this contest may be for you.

According to Reuters, a local English radio station located in the coastal town of Frinton, some 60 miles northeast of London, is inviting couples to go on air and describe how they are growing old.

The winning couple will be flown to Atlanta, Georgia and put onboard a private plane equipped with champagne and a double bed to take to the air in amorous style.

Two out of three ain't bad

The new 2007 Michelin French guide has been released and two Parisian restos have lost one of their three stars.

Both Le Cinq and Taillevent, the Paris restaurant that held three Michelin stars for 34 years, have been demoted.

Although there have been grumblings of rebellion in the food industry against the ratings system which began in the '30s, for the most part gaining the elusive stars is an obsession with chefs and owners.

So losing one is a big deal.

But according to this article in the International Herald Tribune, Jean-Claude Vrinat, the owner and chief executive of Taillevent, said: "What surprises me is that in the past year we've received 614 unsolicited letters of congratulations from customers and only four complaints. I'm not discouraged. Sometimes a kick in the behind is a good motivator."

That's the spirit!

Black tie travel

You gotta love a site that combines entrep
reneurial spirit and a neat schtick. Tuxedo Travels has a good dose of both.

According to the site, "on April 1st, two fools who barely know each other will travel from Hong Kong to London in 4 months and 10 days, culminating in a black tie gala on August 11th."

Heath Beck and Douglas Campbell are the aforementioned fools and they'll be blogging from the road daily. We'll check back with them periodically to see if they've killed each other on the road.

Pole to pole

There are cruises I would not want to be caught dead on -- like a Disney cruise for instance. But I must say that the 66-day north to south pole luxury cruise being offered by GLP Worldwide Expedition Travel and Tours has definitely piqued my interest.

According to their web site here's what you can expect: "Departing from Reykjavik, Iceland, you will cruise the waters of the Arctic, Atlantic, Caribbean, Pacific, and South Pole, before completing your journey in Ushuaia, the port capital of Tierra del Fuego, in Argentina."

Wow. And imagine how your boss will react when you try to take 66 days off.

The boat is not too huge - which I think is a bonus. Those massive several-thousand-passenger-floating-legionnaire's-disease ships don't do much for me.

The world cruise starts as low as $11,800 CDN (price includes all on-board meals). Price does not include airfare.

Cruising Asia

There's interesting news coming from the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Conference last week. That's right -- I follow 'em all!

Forget the Caribbean and South America -- the next big thing in cruising is the Asia/Pacific region.

And really, for those who are a little intimidated by the, well, exoticness of the far east this might be a great way to experience something new.

First off some infrastructure changes need to be made. The Port of Shanghai is constructing a 300,000-square-foot terminal to handle three 80,000-gross-ton cruise ships, according to this Associated Press article. In addition, "two other ports in north China, Dalian and Qingdao, can hold large cruise ships, and both are set to have new cruise terminals within the next three years."

Tokyo guide

The paragon of French gastronomy guides has announced for the first time it is planning on rating Tokyo eateries.

The Michelin Guides are known for their sought-after-stars which many French, British and American chefs spend their whole careers trying to achieve.

The Tokyo guide is slated for launch this November and already there's controversy. Some are worried that the Michelin judges will impose French tastes on ancient Japanese cuisine.

In an attempt to quell their fears a spokesperson said that both Japanese and French judges were deployed.

My Pod

I love New York. An original thought, I know...but I really do love the Big Apple. (Just FULL of clichés today, I am)

So imagine how thrilled I was when I read in the Washington Post that there's a new Pod Hotel where you can get comfortable, high-tech accommodations starting at less than $110 a night. (Note: A quick search for one of the queen-sized rooms in October resulted in a rate of about $250)

The 347 rooms at the Pod Hotel (51st St. between Second and Third avenues) are about 100 square feet each but they come with an iPod dock, LCD televisions and free WiFi.

A quick browse through the swish web site uncovers trendy, albeit Spartan, decoration and a general sense of cleanliness. A definite plus.

I think I'd visit more often if I wasn't pressured into shelling out about $250 a night.

Budget Dubai

OK - It's kinda hard to imagine the words 'budget' and 'Dubai' in the same sentence but according to this New York Times article a number of low-cost hotels are moving into the playground of the rich and famous.

Dubai is known for its excesses -- take for example the $2,000-a-night-seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel (pictured right).

Or - the indoor Ski Dubai complex built at the Mall of the Emirates.

But apparently as prices have been heading skyward so has the collective moan from business people who have to travel there.

If you're planning on a trip to 'Do Buy' then peruse this great article for money saving tips and links.

Castle for sale

Got a spare $100 million and a yearning to set up house in Transylvania?

Then Castle Bran (a.k.a. Castle Dracula) maybe just the pad for you.

"According to local legend, Count Vlad Tepes, also known as "Vlad the Impaler," was once imprisoned in the 13th century castle for two weeks," says this ABC News story.

The castle has 57 rooms and a secret passageway leading up to the watch towers. No word on how many bathrooms and whether there are granite countertops in the kitchen.

Polar fleece

The Economist Group has released its top ten list of the most expensive cities in the world. Four of the top ten are in Scandinavia.

Leading the pack is Oslo followed by Paris, Copenhagen, Denmark and London, Reykjavik, Zurich, Frankfurt and Helsinki. Two Japanese cities -- Tokyo and Osaka Kobe -- also made the list, according to USA Today.

What's the cheapest city, you ask? Tehran, Iran comes in at 132.

Flavours of the Yucatecan

If you're planning a trip to the Riviera Maya, Mexico there's a neat one-day course that is now being offered by the 29-room luxury Esencia Resort.

Adults and children can now take cooking lessons from celebrated Chef Alejandro Rojas of Four Seasons and James Beard House fame.

As Executive Chef of Sal y Fuego, the resort's signature restaurant highlighting Meso-American cuisine, Chef Rojas promises to teach you the finer points of botanas, Yucatecan appetizers, and the secrets of tasty salsas.

Foodies can take the $100 one-day executive chef course.

"Adults assume the task of preparing a six-course traditional Mexican meal. Chef Alejandro shares his tips on how to properly treat ingredients with love and respect. First, chefs prepare botanas like empanadas or ceviche. Next, soups, salsas and moles (Mexican sauces) are prepared. Entrees often include Chile Relleno (stuffed chiles), and Tikin Xic Fish (Yucatecan baked fish). Each lesson ends with dessert. To accompany the meal, chefs will learn how to make Esencia's signature cocktail, Caribeña, inspired by the tropical flavors of the Caribbean," reads the press release.

The Esencia Resort is Llocated in Playa Xpu-Ha, Mexico on a two-mile stretch of fine white sand beach, 46 miles south of Cancun.

Beyond animation

Leave it to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to decide to bring the hugely successful exhibition Once Upon A Time Walt Disney to our fair city in its only stop in North America from March 8, to June 24.

It's difficult to imagine good old Walt sitting side by side with the great masters, but there it is.

"Walt Disney belongs alongside the most important figures of cinema and, more generally, twentieth-century art," concludes the MMFA web site.

And who can argue with that? If Andy Warhol can get away with Campbell's soup can paintings then why can't Disney rise to pop-art stardom.

"Although he cannot be considered as the inventor of the cartoon, he was the first to give it such careful artistic treatment: the quality of the Disney Studios’ drawings is one of the discoveries of this exhibition," claims the site.

The jury is still out -- I'll share my take on it after I make the trip.

Travellin' Fool

Do you remember searching for hotel and flight information before the internet existed?

Neither do I.

OK - I am kidding. Unfortunately I DO remember getting on the horn with a travel agent to book my holiday to Italy and relying on a dog-eared copy of Let’s Go, Italy! to plan my trip.

Well, with apologies to Virginia Slims, we’ve come a long way, baby!

I started writing about online travel about 10 years ago. Back then everything was new and only a few people trusted the net to make their bookings.

Now there’s no shortage of helpful travel sites and cool travel advice on the net.

As a travel info junkie (Condé Nast Traveller is like porn to me) I love to peruse sites, blogs and your basic cool travel sites. When I find some, I’ll bring ‘em to you.

Lemme know what you think about my choices. This should be a fun trip!