Together with their top destinations, TripAdvisor also published their top 100 places to stay. Canada has three entries in the top luxury hotels:
17: Fairmont YVR airport hotel
27. Hotel Dominion 1912, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
95. Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

I would have rated the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver or Chateau Lake Louise higher - I wouldn’t don’t see an airport hotel as a wonderful place to stay, no matter how luxurious.

The rest of the top 10 luxury hotels in Canada:
4. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City, Quebec
5. Loews Hotel Vogue, Montreal, Quebec
6. Hotel Nelligan, Montreal, Quebec
7. Four Seasons Resort Whistler, Whistler, British Columbia
8. Hotel Gault, Montreal, Quebec
9. Le Place d’Armes Hotel & Suites, Montreal, Quebec
10. Sofitel Montreal, Montreal, Quebec

Some interesting hotels among their top 10 hidden gems in Canada:

1. Harbour House Hotel, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
4. Alpine Village - Jasper, Jasper National Park, Alberta
6. Mt. Engadine Lodge, Canmore, Alberta  <- keep an eye out for this lodge. Up and coming.
8. Patricia Lake Bungalows, Jasper National Park, Alberta
9. Chateau Beauvallon Mont Tremblant, Mont Tremblant, Quebec
10. Artisan Inn, Trinity, Newfoundland and Labrador <- another property to keep an eye out for. Very cool place.

We usually associate hut to hut trekking with Europe, or New Zealand. But in a recent article, National Geographic Adventure magazine did highlight two such treks in Canada. In BC, Wells Gray Adventures organizes multi day hut to hut treks - in summer on foot, and in winter on ski.

Meanwhile, Quebec offers the self guided grande traversée in the Chic Choc mountains. You’ll find well-appointed huts along the way, with shuttles available to ferry goods back and forth. Aside from that, the new Chic Choc mountain lodge offers luxury in the middle of the mountain range.

What I love about Vancouver is the mountains just outside the city. Especially this spring, the contrast between the city is amazing. While here the cherries are in full bloom, 20 minutes away, on the north shore mountains there is a foot of fresh powder, adding to the 6 m of snow they have already. A brewing storm this weekend made for some great pictures.

That is the question that the authors of a recent article on the new North Coast Trail (NCT; you saw the abbreviation here first!) asked. Their conclusion? It’s a close call, but they feel the scenery along the NCT is slightly better, and it’s more rugged. Think the WCT 20-30 years ago. This seems to be a truly hot trail. Combined with all the other attractions in the area (Cape Scott, Johnson Strait whalewatching, Sointula area) it will help put northern Vancouver Island on the map.

A new magazine just hit the shelf: the Wild Coast Magazine, described as Vancouver Island’s only outdoor, adventure and recreation magazine catering to the island’s eco-tourism industry. Its first issue was Free, and the contents are published on their website. It has some great articles about trips to take there. There is just too much to see and do in this province!

It’s been five years in the making, but it’s finally nearing completion: Vancouver Island’s north coast trail. Stretching 43 km from near port Hardy to Cape Scott, it is said to give the West Coast Trail a run for its money when it comes to scenery. It doesn’t have as many cable cars and ladders as the WCT, but there is one 200-rung ladder to keep you in shape.

The new Wild Coast Magazine has a feature article on the trail, including a two-page North Coast Trail map. The trail is slated to open sometime this year. I will need to arrange some holidays to walk this trail as soon as it actually opens.

Nuk Tessli is a fly-in alpine eco-adventure on the edge of Tweedsmuir Provincial park, run by German-born author Chris Czajkowski. She operates rustic cabins on the shore Whitton lake. The alpine hiking possibilities from her base are endless.

Chris has written several books about her experiences. Aside from hiking, she also offers volunteer stays to help her out with heavy work. Sign me up!

BC is famous for its hiking, but when people look for hiking trails in BC, they tend to think of the lower mainland, Vancouver Island, or the interior. However, the Chilcotin region of central BC has some amazing hiking as well, as demonstrated by the website of the Chilcotin Mountains Trail System. It looks like a gorgeous area, with endless hiking options.

What can be more Canadian than people enjoying a leisurly snowshoe stroll on a weekend? Well, try getting in with a group of 100 people eager runners, strapping on special running snowshoes (small and extra light), and running a tough 5-10km trail course through the mountains! That’s what the Yeti snowshoe race series is. Now in its seventh year, it is an ever growing event around Vancouver, attracting over 100 racers for each race. They even run a Yeti Snowshoe acadamy, where people can take snowshoe running clinics each week.

Highly recommended.

Vancouver is known for its three ski hills just outside city limits: Cypress, Grouse and Seymour. And of course, there is world-renowned Whistler just two hours away, and Mt. Washington over on Vancouver Island. But there are three other smaller resorts within a three hour drive: Manning (3 hours, near Hope), Hemlock (2 hours, newar Harrison Hotsprings) and Mt. Baker (3 hours, in Washington state).

Hemlock is a great little resort with only three lifts, but lots of terrain, because the hill is in the subalpine, so you cna ski just about anywhere. It’s got 1300 feet of vertical, not bad for a local hill. And the snow is good - lots of it this year. They’ve got some reasonably priced accommodation on the hill. Well worth checking out.