Travel Articles by Susan J. Lundy

High in New York: Rooftop barhopping, swanky hotels and elevated experiences make for an epic stay.

If the view from our room at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is “breathtaking”—and it is—the panorama from the hotel’s rooftop bar is heart-stopping. Perched on the waterfront in Brooklyn, the “nature-inspired” hotel sits cushioned between views of the Brooklyn Bridge—close enough to see a stream of headlights traversing the massive concrete and steel-wire structure—and the face of Lower Manhattan. https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2019_12_blvdci_lr/70

The Other Side of the Mountain: Whistler is more than a snow lover’s playground 

It’s a wintery Monday morning and each of my five senses zings with life as I move between warm, cold and relax cycles at the outdoor Scandinave Spa in Whistler. 

https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2020_12_blvdvic_lr/26

Ah, Jamaica: Living well in paradise.

There is nothing dark and stormy about the cocktails being served up by Captain Joseph Brown in his hidden beachside oasis. In fact, the rum and ginger beer drinks are as smooth, silky and effervescent as the calm Jamaican sea that stretches before us. 

https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2019_02_blvdvictoria_web/132

The Big Reveal: Langley has a bit of everything

“Langley? What’s in Langley?” I confess that this—the most common reaction to our recent weekend getaway—echoed my own thoughts. Langley? I’ve seen the exit signs on Highway 1; maybe I’ve stopped there for gas? Well, let’s get this out of the way—what’s in Langley? So much! 

https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2020_10_blvdvic_lr/22

In the Lap of Luxury: The “five Cs” at two Relais & Châteaux hotels. 

Charles McDiarmid loves to tell a good story, and he’s relishing this one. As the managing director and co-owner of the Wickaninnish Inn, he is recalling his quest back in the ‘80s to build a prestigious Relais & Châteaux hotel on an outcropping of rocks owned by his family in Tofino. 

https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2018_09_blvdci_web/74

Home Away from Home: An art-full vacation that’s perfect for the times

I am lying on a massage table in the living area of an exquisite B&B in Tofino. Firm fingers knead my back, a sumptuous scent hangs in the air and a soft tune plays in the background, eclipsed only by the muffled roar of the ocean outside. 
https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2020_06_blvdv_lr/22

Sensational Sooke: Sights and scents of the sea at SookePoint and beyond.

Sitting in comfortable armchairs with the floor-to-ceiling glass walls wide open, a gentle breeze blows through the suite. In front of us sits the deck—shaped like the bow of a boat—just five metres above the sea, and a wide swath of glistening ocean and distant views of the US Olympic Peninsula spreads before us. The effect is mesmerising and the sense of being on a boat is so strong, we almost expect to feel motion. 

https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2020_08_blvdvic_lr/20

Field to flask at Vancouver Island’s Shelter Point Distiller 

Standing in a converted cattle barn with 2,000 barrels of aging whisky lining the walls as far as the eye can see, I’m enjoying the thick, heady scent as I undertake some mental math. Despite the effects of the delicious fumes known to whisky lovers as the “angel’s share,” I calculate we’re surrounded by the makings of more than half a million bottles of Shelter Point Distillery spirits. 
https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2019_09_blvd_ci_lr/68

Flavours of the west coast: Pluviophiles in Ucluelet
We’re in Ucleulet on Vancouver Island’s west coast settling into seats at Pluvio restaurant + rooms’ chef’s table. In front of us, Chef Warren Barr and his sous chefs seem immersed in a choreography as they spin and dance around the kitchen, creating cuisine that has our mouths watering. Suddenly, I spot something out of the corner of my eye. 

https://issuu.com/boulevardlifestylesinc/docs/2020_01_blvdok_lr/12