Only a half-hour drive from the thunderous roar of Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake is the antithesis of its commercialized neighbor. This charming Victorian town rests in the heart of Ontario wine country, where close to 100 vineyards produce the sweet icewine, Riesling, and Pinot Noir. Like Napa, the best way to tour the vineyards is on backcountry roads via a bike. At night, rest your weary legs while watching a play at the renowned Shaw Festival, specializing in the works of Bernard Shaw. I’m fortunate to be reporting live from Niagara-on-the-Lake this week while biking with the highly reputable outfitter, Butterfield and Robinson.
Other biking outfitters can try to emulate Butterfield & Robinson, but none can approach George Butterfield’s innate sense of style. His Loire Valley trips are legendary—nights spent at 14th century castles, seven-course feasts at private French vineyards, a van always by your side when you tire of biking. He’ll tailor-design trips to your particular desires, with private tours for multi-generational families and corporate groups now a huge part of his business. They offer biking and walking vacations to all corners of the globe, so it seems almost ironic that they’re finally setting their sights on their own backyard. Toronto-based, B&R is entering the Ontario market with vacations this summer and fall to Niagara-on-the-Lake. I’m privileged to be a part of their inaugural jaunt.
We’ve learned from past experience that if you make that effort to fly clients from Glasgow to the island of Islay, it will be the highlight of their visit to Scotland. The 45-minute flight leaves you in the Scotland of yore, with rolling hills, moors, small seaside villages, and the panoramic vistas of the northern Atlantic. It also happens to be home to the Ardbeg Distillery and their award-winning Ultimate Islay Single Malt, crafted since 1815 when the distillery was established on the rocky shores of South Islay. By all means, take a tour of the distillery and sample the wares. Then relax, knowing that you don’t have to drive that evening. You and 5 of your closest friends can sleep in 3 bedrooms at the Seaview Cottage, the former home of the Distillery Manager. While many of the original features have been retained, the cottage has been newly renovated and boasts a stylish interior with an eclectic mix of Ardbeg and Islay inspired furnishings. Please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll not only check availability, but we’ll design a route around Scotland and create our patented Dream Day Itinerary that includes recommended lodging, activities, guides, scenic drives, and, of course, more single malt Scotch. 
My recent travels to Peru was all the inspriation I needed to pen this month’s main feature in the 
Ciclismo Classico, the Italian biking specialist, has just announced that James Beard Award-winning chef, 
There’s no longer a need to deplete your life savings when selecting a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. You simply have to look beyond the convenience of contacting big name American outfitters who charge exorbitant prices for their worldwide trips (often in excess of $1,000 per day, excluding airfare). Instead, book your journey with highly reputable local outfitters whose sole specialty is their native country. This way, you eliminate the middleman and pocket the huge savings. All five of the outfitters I’ll blog about this week will give you a far more in-depth look at their homeland than any American guide could possibly do, at a fraction of the cost. First stop, Brittany.
Vertical gardens barricade the Perez Art Museum, providing much needed shade and heat absorption during Miami’s sweltering summers. The massive windows that line the exterior of the building are the largest hurricane resistant windows in the world. It’s as if current-day architects took a good look at the storied Vizcaya estate that edges the water in the southern part of the city and learned how a century of wear-and-tear transformed Tuscan idealism into tropical overgrowth.