Loulou's views

We drove through five hours of pouring rain as the ice storm was starting on our drive to Toronto last weekend, to experience the renovated Club InterContinental . Although the weather was less than perfect, Club InterContinental definitely made up for that–especially with the very sweet welcome we received to our room upon arrival. We had the pleasure of staying in one of the newly renovated suites, and enjoyed the sophisticated decor in our spacious room. A large bedroom, a separate living room with a very comfortable pull-out couch, two bathrooms (with Aveda products) and beautiful views of downtown Toronto, including the CN Tower, made our stay here memorable and enjoyable. (We also enjoyed the in-room dining, and were so pleased with the options and quality of food). "The renovation of Club Intercontinental has been a very special project for the hotel,"  says General Manager, Alex Hakim.  "It was important to provide our business and leisure guests with...

It's no secret that my family loves the Diplomat Beach Resort. We had the incredible pleasure of staying in their newly renovated property a few months ago, getting the chance to rediscover this iconic beach resort after its $100 million renovation. I wrote about our recent stay in Canadian Geographic Travel Magazine . To find out more about my most recent stay, you can read my article here . Everything we love about this resort has stayed the same; the oceanfront balcony views, the infinity and lagoon-style pools, the many delicious dining options, and the friendly service. Our ocean front corner suite was just perfect, and so spacious. If you're looking for the perfect, family-friendly vacation spot a short plane ride away, where you'll instantly feel like you're a million miles from home, basking in the hot south Florida sun, look no further than the Diplomat Beach Resort. It's paradise. From the many incredible dining options, like Monkitail, and ...

You guys, spring is in the air! Well, not today, since we're recovering from that crazy April ice storm, but I can just feel it... this weekend calls for sunny skies and temps in the double digits. How exciting is that? Pretty exciting, but not as exciting as the fact that it's the home opener game for our very own Ottawa Fury FC ! They'll be taking on North Carolina, and I can't wait to see our team in action again. I had so much fun attending Fury games last year at TD Place with my children, nieces and nephew–it's always a blast, and a perfect outing for the entire family. I'll be working closely with the Ottawa Fury FC this year promoting the games, doing some Instagram takeovers, and giving away tickets to soccer fans. I'm giving away a family four pass to this weekend's home opener, too! If you love soccer and want to cheer on the city's only professional soccer club, just leave me a comment below telling me why you're looking f...

I love exploring new places near my city. I was a little familiar with Manotick, but I didn't know just how much this village had to offer. Manotick–Objibway for "Island in the River"–is a quaint little village 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa, and less, if you live in Ottawa's south end. There is so much to discover in Manotick, including Watson's Mill, an 1860's grist and flour mill on the Rideau River. This working industrial heritage site is a wonderful place to visit with the family, where you can watch weekly flour grinds on Sunday's, and leave with a bag or two of fresh flour. You can also head to the Watson's Mill Manotick Spring Craft Market taking place May 18th-19th , the perfect time to enjoy all spring has to offer while shopping unique items from local businesses. There are over 125 unique and locally-owned shops in Manotick, restaurants that are some of the best in and around the Ottawa area, street front cafes, and plenty of ...