Loulou's views

I love everything about summer—the hot weather, backyard BBQ's and pool parties, time off with my family, and, of course, going on vacation. I travel as often as I can, taking a couple of big vacations a year, with lots of weekend trips throughout the year. If I could travel every other week, I would. From airports to hotels and the journey in between, there is nothing I don't love about getting away, making new memories, relaxing in favourite hotels and just taking in the sights and sounds around me. As you plan for your summer or fall getaway, remember this: you don't need to overpack. Trust me. When you're a smart packer, bringing with you only the travel essentials you need, travelling will be easier, and less complicated. I was on Daytime Ottawa recently, talking about must-have travel essentials. Here's what you need to pack before you travel:  Carry-on luggage I usually pack a large suitcase when I travel—even for weekend getaways. I don't...

I was only 12 years old the first time I fell in love with a resort. I was in Orlando with my family and we were staying at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress , and to this day, the resort is one of my favourite places to stay—and the memories I have from that vacation, although so many years ago, are very vivid in my mind, still. I'm so excited, because this winter (it's coming, you guys...) I'm fortunate to be going to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress with my family to review the resort—so thankful I've been invited to write about my favourite place to stay in Orlando! The award-winning Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is located one mile from Disney World and it's close to Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. The 1,500 acres Grand Cypress resort has gorgeous guest rooms and suites and it's located along 1,000 feet of white sandy beach of private Lake Windsong. The 800,000 gallon, 1/2 acre, free-flowing lagoon pool has 12 waterfalls (the waterfalls and the...

There is nothing more amazing than traveling—near, far, and as frequently as possible. I love to get away as often as I can, with my family. My two boys are amazing travellers and they love the adventure of travel, too. Often we travel as a pack: my husband, my kids, me, my parents, my sister, and her family. It's a great thing, because you always have fun company, the kids have cousins to play with, and we have build-in babysitters. We all just got back from a three week vacation to Greece, and it was perfect in every way. I'm so thankful and happy that we all got to experience this together, and I can honestly say it was my favourite vacation ever. Memories to last a lifetime... I've been to Greece many times, so for me it felt like going home again. It was great that we were all able to make it happen this year, and it was especially memorable because it was our children's first time heading overseas to see where their family is from, and to see their grand...

  When you're traveling to New York City, where you stay is important. I love being in the centre of it all, somewhere central to all the things I love—Fifth Avenue for all the shopping, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Broadway Theatres. I just got back from my favourite trip to New York City. I had the amazing opportunity to stay at the gorgeous Omni Berkshire Place Hotel right in Midtown Manhattan, in the luxurious Madison Suite, overlooking 52nd Street and Madison Avenue, steps away from the places I mentioned above. A few words come to mind when I think about the Omni Berkshire Place Hotel: Classy. Elegant. Traditional. Modern. Clean. Chic. Basically, everything I want in a luxury hotel. As soon as we walked into the Omni, we were greeted by a gorgeous flower arrangement, which perfectly matched the spring-like temperatures outside. (We were so lucky with the fabulous weather during our stay in NYC—we even had coffee on a patio... ou...