If you’d like a taste of old-fashioned elegance, while still enjoying a modern resort, the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia may be just your cup of tea – in more ways than one.  The modern amenities include an 18-hole golf course, spa, rooms, day trips and tours, all balanced against the English charm of ivy-covered walls, an impressive English decor, and the traditional, and elegant, Afternoon Tea.

The Empress, now part of the Fairmont brand, opened in 1908, and although it has been through a variety of restorations, the original look remains.  It’s been a favorite of Hollywood, old and new, and is a popular choice for special occasions.

Many people, even if they’re not staying at the hotel, opt to visit for the legendary Afternoon Tea.  Served in the Tea Lobby, the Harborside Room, and in the Library, Afternoon Tea has been an Empress tradition for nearly 100 years.  Seating starts at noon and requires reservations, often times weeks in advance.  You can always check for a last minute cancellation, or no-show, as reservations are only held for 10 minutes.

The hotel strives for authenticity with the menu and the presentation.  Here’s a little sample from the menu:

• Fresh Seasonal Fruit with Chantilly Cream
• Warm Raisin Scones served with Strawberry preserves and Devonshire Cream
• Smoked Salmon Pinwheel Sandwiches
• Multigrain Crostini topped with mixed Mushroom Pate, drizzled with Truffle Oil (open-faced)
• Battenburg-Vanilla and Chocolate Sponge Checkerboard wrapped in marzipan
• Lemon Tart- Lemon Curd with Berry Garnish
• Marble Chocolate Tulip- a cherry hidden under milk and white Chocolate in a Chocolate Tulip Cup

An Afternoon Royal Tea, which includes a glass of champagne is also available.  If you’re traveling with children, they’ll be treated like royalty with the Prince & Princess Tea, which has menu selections specifically designed for a child’s palate:

• Teddy Bear Cookies
• Mini Cup Cake filled with Jelly Beans
• Cucumber Finger Sandwiches
• Heart-Shaped Cream Cheese & Raspberry Jam Sandwich
• Bubblegum Tea

The Fairmont Empress is located at 721 Government Street (overlooking the Inner Harbor) in Victoria, British Columbia.

Photo credit: Paul Mannix @flickr

With a parade that evokes a big “aaaaaahhhhh” from guests, The Peabody Memphis capitalizes on its convenient downtown locations and its status as a popular attraction with The Peabody Ducks.  If you thought the lure here was the magnificent lobby or the plush rooms, you’d only be partially right.  The biggest attraction at this hotel is fowl – a flock of ducks that for over 75 years have called The Peabody home.

Every day at 11 am the ducks ride the elevator down from their comfy home on the rooftop, a specially built 288 square foot Royal Duck Palace featuring swimming fountain, sundeck, and sleeping quarters,  across a red carpet, and march through the Peabody lobby to the strains of John Phillip Sousa.  They then take up residence for the day in the lobby’s marble fountain.  At 5 pm,the ducks reverse the march, and return to their private abode on the rooftop.

How did the ducks come to be big stars at this hotel?

It started back in 1933 with the hotel’s General Manager and a friend.  Perhaps after a little bit of liquid refreshment, the two thought it would be funny to put some live ducks in the fountain.  There’s also rumors that they had been using the ducks as live decoys, and put them in the hotel fountain to avoid being caught.  Whatever the reason, the duck became a hit, and in the fountain they stayed.

Eventually Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer who was then working at the hotel as a bellman, taught the ducks how to march through the lobby, and the tradition of the Duck March was born.  Pembroke was soon bestowed the title of “Duck Master,” a position that he held for 50 years.

Today, Jason Sensat serves as Duck Master for five North American mallards (on male, four female).  Numerous celebrities have served as Honorary Duck Masters, including Oprah Winfrey, Emeril Lagasse, Molly Ringwald, Chris Matthews, Larry King, Kevin Bacon, Patrick Swayze, and more.  Hotel guests, usually children, are occasionally drafted to help serve as Duck Master for the day – a treat sure to delight kids of any age.

While the ducks are not pets, and they don’t have names, they are very special VIP’s at the hotel.  The hotel’s notable French restaurant, Chez Phillippe, does not serve duck on its menu in deference to its special guests.  And after serving a three month rotation at The Peabody, the ducks are retired to a local farm to live out the remainder of their days in wild duck retirement.

The Peabody Memphis is located downtown at 149 Union Avenue.  The duck parade is daily at 11 am and 5 pm through the hotel’s Grand Lobby.  Get their early to find a prime viewing and photo spot.  You can view the Royal Duck Palace from 8 am to 10 pm.

Photo credit: cloudsoup @flickr

Do you forget things when you travel?  Are you constantly running back to your room to retrieve a left behind item?  Are you spending hours on the phone after a trip trying to locate something left in a hotel room?  Do you need to get credit cards reissued because you can’t find them and think they may have been lost or left behind?

At some point, it’s bound to happen to all of us, but implementing a few good habits can help keep your panic in check, and minimize the need for you to retrace steps to find out where you’ve left something behind.

Here are some suggestions to help you get your forgetfulness under control, help you access what you need when you need it, and make things easier to retrieve should items go missing:

1. Limit the electronics and valuable that you travel with.  Packing less means there’s less you can forget or lose.  This is easier for me to say than to do when it comes to gadgets – cause I really do need my cell phone, laptop, iPod, camera, flip video, and all the attachments that go with them, when I travel.  That’s why the next tip is so important!
2. Use the in-room safe to keep valuable secure.  Put everything in there, and keep it there.  Take it out when you are using it, or when you leave the room, and return things there when you return to your room.  No more wondering where you put your wallet or where they keys are.  They’re in the safe!  (NOTE:  If there isn’t an in-room safe, or your items are too large for it, establish ONE place that you’ll put everything all the time, and don’t deviate.)
3. Put your room key in the same place, in every hotel room, on every trip.  For me, this spot is right next to the alarm clock on the night stand.  If there’s an emergency and I need to evacuate my room in a hurry, I’ll be able to grab the key and head out.  (You’ll want to take your key with you in an evacuation in case the situation is dangerous and you need to return to your room.)
4. Label everything.  Use your name, address, and a phone number.  Make it easy for someone to contact you should they find any of your items.  A lot of times people may be reluctant to turn something in to a front desk or official (fearing institutionalized theft), but will make a personal effort to get it back to you.  Make it easy for them.
5. Pack the night before your departure, keeping out only those things you’ll need for the next day.  This helps get the bulk of the packing done, and means you’ll have less to worry about at the last minute.  Packing at a slower pace also helps ensure that nothing will be left behind.
6. Open all drawers, closets, look around the bathroom, on the floor, and especially on the bed, before walking out the door to check out.  That last check may help you find the book that was left on the bed, or something that fell out as you were packing.
7. After everyone is out of the room, and all the luggage is out the door, take one last walk through looking for items.  This extra 30 seconds can make a BIG difference.
8. Keep credit cards and other important identification in the same place in your wallet or purse ALL the time.  When you take it out, put it back in this place right away.  A quick glance will tell you that you have your credit card or ID, saving you panic that you may have left it behind somewhere or have had it stolen.

Do you have other tips to make sure you don’t forget something while you’re traveling?  Please add them in the comments.

Photo credit:  markresch @flickr

Accordingly to Travel Weekly (the newspaper of the travel industry), occupancy rates at Mexico hotels dropped to 24% after the Swine Flu (officially called the H1N1 virus) outbreak.  That represents a drop in over 50% from the same week in 2008.

My experience in Cancun earlier in the week was consistent with these numbers, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see the occupancy rate plunge even lower.

High schools were reopening the day after I left, and the lower schools were scheduled to reopen next week.  The city seems to be getting a handle on things, and slowly starting to return to everyday life.

Sadly, the echo effect that the swine flu will have on the Mexican economy will last long past the reopening of the schools.

If you’d like to hear more of my thoughts about traveling to Mexico, especially my recent experience in Cancun, I was interviewed by Addison Schonland, from the IAG Group (an aviation consulting firm) and you can listen to the IAG podcast.

Photo credit:  personal collection

When you’re staying at a hotel for a lengthy period of time, or when you expect to have numerous items charged to your room, it’s sometimes difficult to go through the print out at check out time and try to remember what all the charges were for.  It’s important to go through each hotel charge, because mistakes do happen (fraud, too).  But sometimes it’s hard to remember if you picked up that round of drinks of Tuesday night or if you had room service on Friday morning.

To make check out time a whole lot faster, when signing for restaurant, bar, and room service charges calculate your tips so that all the total charges end in the same digit.  It doesn’t really matter what the digit is, but when it’s the same you can quickly scan down the list of room charges and confirm that they’re all yours.

For example, add tips that will make all your totals end in the number 8.  The quickly scan your bill and if there’s a charge that doesn’t end in an 8, you’ll have to check it out a little closer.  This also works great if you’re sharing a room and charges with a companion.  Each of you can pick a different number, and then quickly scan and separate charges.

It won’t prevent all mistakes, and it won’t alleviate you of the responsibility of checking your bill, but it will sure make the check out process a lot faster!

Image credit:  personal collection

Ok, quick like a bunny…it’s time to think about yourself, noone else just vous. Time for a little feng shui of the mind, soul and body. Here is my list of spring things you need to do: (If there are things you’d rather see on the list, please feel free to add!)

Go shopping
Watch Food Network for 12 hours straight
You must get a manicure
You really must get a pedicure
Change your hairstyle or find a new salon
Endure/enjoy a department store make-over
Learn how to cook something you’ve never cooked before; better yet, start a cooking club
Buy a really expensive bottle of wine
Go to a 4 star restaurant or stay in a 5 star hotel for the week-end, just to get away
Send flowers to yourself
Overhaul your make-up case
Overhaul your work wardrobe
Toss any and all sweat pants
Learn a new language
Clean out your closet; if you haven’t worn something in a year, toss it
Find the music you like, not your husband’s
Find a book that’s not on Oprah’s list
Ride your bike
Volunteer in your community
Get a complete medical check-up
Teach your dog to hug you
Visit a spa and get a facial; better yet a massage.

Go shopping!
Tops2Bottoms
Blogdorf Goodman
DailyCandy
eBeautyDaily

Have a fabulous Easter or Passover! (or any other holiday that you celebrate at this time of year.)