Canadian Rockies

Stay at - Banff Springs Hotel
Chateau Lake Louise
Jasper Park Lodge (all part of the Fairmont Hotel chain, formerly Canadian Pacific Hotels)

Go shopping - in the gift shops of the hotels and in downtown Banff

Eat at - The Waldhaus Restaurant and Pub (Banff Springs Hotel)
The Banffshire Club (Banff Springs Hotel)
Bow Valley Grill (Banff Springs Hotel)
The Fairview Dining Room (Chateau Lake Louise)
Tom Wilson Steakhouse (Chateau Lake Louise)
Walliser Stube (Chateau Lake Louise)
*Edith Cavell Dining Room (Jasper Park Lodge) (if you have only one meal, have it here, and always ask for window tables in the dining rooms that have a view, including this one)

Take side trips to - Calgary (stay at the Fairmont Palliser if you need to overnight)

Be sure to visit - Lake Louise, even if you don't stay there
go rafting on the Bow River

Best time of year to go - mid-June through early September

Best things to buy - geodes, crystals, art work, photography, clothing

Best indulgence - getting a spa treatment at the Banff Springs Hotel overlooking the Bow River

Fly into - Calgary (YYC)

Transportation - Rent a car, or take a guided tour (Maupintour is excellent, and some Canadian Rail tours and Grey Line include the Canadian Rockies)

New Orleans

New Orleans is the gracious lady of the Mississippi, where Cajun, Creole and riverboats collide. With jazz in the French Quarter and stately homes in the Garden District, this is the Crescent City, the eternal home of Mardi Gras, where lassez les bon temps rouler finds poignant meaning in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She is the ultimate survivor.



Stay at - The Windsor Court Hotel

Go shopping - In the French Quarter and on Canal Street

Eat at - Commander's Palace
The Gumbo Shop
Cafe du Monde

Take side trips to - Algiers
Biloxi

Be sure to visit - the Garden District by streetcar, Bourbon Street, the New Orleans Zoo

Best time of year to go - late April during Jazz Fest, or during Mardi Gras

Best things to buy - Antiques, furniture, beignets, pralines, gourmet

Best indulgence - any meal at Commander's Palace, breakfast at St. Ann-Marie Antoinette

Fly into - New Orleans (MSY)

Transportation - taxis, streetcar, walking

The West of Ireland

Stay at - Dromoland Castle, County Clare
The Old Ground Hotel, Ennis
Ashford Castle, Cong

Go shopping - in any of the villages

Eat at - Dromoland Castle
Any local pub

Take side trips to - The Burren
The Cliffs of Moher
The Ring of Kerry
Adare
Galway

Be sure to visit - Knock

Best time of year to go - May through September

Best things to buy - Belleek pottery, Waterford crystal, antiques

Best indulgence - Being at a local pub until the wee hours listening to local music and drinking Guinness

Fly into - Shannon (SNN)

Transportation - Hire a car and driver for day trips into the countryside