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28 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday September 30, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Featuring: Regent Seven Seas Cruises Radisson Seven Seas Cruises has been reborn to a 6-star luxury line called Regent Seven Seas. Over the next few months, passengers will see a higher level of service with added luxury amenities such as new soft goods, Anichini bedding, linens, bathrobes, luxury towels, flat-screen TV's, uniforms, technology upgrades and more. Regent Seven Seas sails to over 300 ports world-wide on all 7 continents and will continue s to seek out the new and the unknown - discovering itineraries one step ahead of the crowds. The ships are intimate with more space per guest than any other cruise line and the suites are enormous. Luxury is everywhere you turn and the staff cannot do enough to please with their "above and beyond" service. The Regent Experience is designed for today's sophisticated traveller who enjoys worldclass amenities, impeccable service and enrichment programs. The smaller ships are the new benchmark in the ultra-deluxe cruise category - sailing with hundreds verses thousands. Regent likes to surprise and delight their guests and for 2007... select fine wines and premium liquors will be complimentary! Gratuities are also included. Single open-seating in all restaurants plus a casual Pool Grill; global flavors for dining at intimate alternative restaurants like Signatures - serving Le Cordon Bleu, Latitudes offering Indochine and La Veranda - Mediterranean Trattoria with Italian flare. All with no additional charge. The Regent Seven Seas experience is personal, relaxed, adventurous and exciting. The s 6-Star fleet includes the all-suite, all-balcony 700 guest Seven Seas Voyager and Mariner; r the all-suite (90%) balcony, 490 guest Navigator, and the 330 guest Paul Gauguin, sailing r year round in French Polynesia. Explorer II sails twice yearly for Antarctic Explorations. I For more information, give us a call! Okanagan Valley attracting tourists and new residents I Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com f it seems to you that everyone these days is either visiting, or moving to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, me too. There is so much excitement about this lovely area; I flew out to have a look. The good news is that Air Canada, Jazz, and Westjet all fly direct non-stop. No longer do you have to fly to Vancouver and change planes. And don't be surprised if everyone you meet from the time you get off the aircraft asks you when you're moving out. But while you decide this, there are all kinds of things to do as a tourist. You'll have a vast choice of interesting places to stay, in the Okanagan Valley from the comfy popular West Western, to the Quaaout Resort and Conference Centre. When you think of this area, you think of ranches and cowboys, and yes the O'Keefe Ranch founded in 1867 is a must visit place. It was once one of the largest cattle ranches in BC with 20,000 acres, today it's a heritage site, where you can ooh and ah over the way the owners lived in splendour, while at the same time see the cowboy,s modest digs, complete with their gear and their beer, just as though they were out fixing fences and would be right back. Yes, there are ranches and you can go riding or have a riding holiday, at places like the Jandana Ranch, complete with lessons (www.jandanaraanch.com). You can spend an evening around a campfire listening to cowboy poetry with Mike Puhallo from the BC Cowboy Heritage Society www.bcchs.com, ride a stagecoach www.bxstagecoach.com, or ride the restored Steam Locomotive 2141, Spirit of Kamloops. Steam buff or not, you,ll love this trip. The Okanagan is known for other things as well, like boutique wineries. Yes, I know we have lots in Ontario but these are different and well worth a visit. They're tiny, family owned, and you'll feel part of the family, where the kids, dogs and cats love a pat or a chat. Most of them, or at least so it seemed, have won all kinds of awards, like the Larch Hills Winery (www.larchHillsWinery.com., Granite Creek Estate Wines, www.granitecreek.ca). And Quails, Gate Winery. This one has a stunning restaurant that is so good, even the locals eat there. Yes, we too have apple orchards, and so do they and they're fun to tour, too. Farmers told me that they can't make any money right now growing apples, so they've turned the farms into great destinations for families. Davison Orchards, a family-owned and operated farm, has a farm market, a fabulous gift store, a bakery, and delightful place to have lunch. Trust me you won't walk out without a pie. www.davisonorchards.ca. Hanna and Hanna Orchards Farm Market had something I had never seen before; go out into the fields and pick your own flowers. What a great idea. Golfers rave about the 50 golf courses you can choose to play on, with backdrops from alpine meadows, mountains, rivers, lakes, deserts, and lush orchards where you can pick a treat between holes. Skiers already know about winter in the Thompson Okanagan with its world class uncrowded resorts, like Sun Peaks, Silver Star Mountain Resort and Big White, but they've become year-round destinations for people wanting to walk, bike, shop, swim and just plain unwind. Sun Peaks reminds me of the early days at Whistler with its three mountains and Europeaninspired village, compact so you can walk everywhere. It is very popular with my niece and her family as they say there's no place to go except around the resort, but lots to do to keep the whole family busy. As usual, one of my favourite brands this time the Delta Sun Peaks was above expectations, and their Mantles Restaurant would stand high against any big city restaurant. When you go, treat yourself to spa treatments at the Sun Peaks Spa, it was the best facial I've ever had. You'll find across the pedestrian village street in Sun Peaks Lodge. I was surprised that locals didn't do more bragging about their food and choices of bistros, I guess they just take it for granted, there were no bad meals, no matter where we ate. One stop that shouldn't be missed is the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops www.bczoo.org. There are 70 endangered species at the park, and just maybe you'll be as lucky as I was to watch wolves stalking and chasing a couple of elderly grizzlies. Quaaout Resort and Conference Centre is on the eastern shoreline of Little Shusewap Lake, just four-and-a-half hours from downtown Vancouver or six from Calgary, just off the Trans Canada Highway. There are 72 lakeview rooms, an indoor pool, gym, hot tub, steam room, and most interesting, a traditional sweat lodge. You can book this ancient ritual cleaning, and perhaps Ernie Philip a full-blooded Shuswap Native Canadian Indian, will dance. The native meals are delicious. Visit www.quaaout.com. I haven't put the for sale sign on the lawn yet, but I have promised friends who just moved out to visit soon. Sam Ion can be reached at sion10@cogeco.ca. TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS Your guide to local travel experts and the best deals to your perfect getaway! Voted Best Travel Agency Relax... you're with us Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 221 Lakeshore Road E. wwwhookedoncruising.com 1 Convenient Location in Oakville: Glen Abbey Travel Inc. 2441 Lakeshore W. Bronte Village Mall Oakville, ON (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com 905-337-2228 146 Lakeshore Rd. E. 905-842-4999 lakeshore@travelchoice.ca 905-827-7272 www.uniglobeglenabbey.com