Jim Bits: Top Virtuoso Hotels, Transat Dining and Top Hawaii Beaches

Global luxury travel network Virtuoso has revealed the hotels and hoteliers nominated for its coveted Best of the Best awards this year.

All nominees are part of the industry-defining Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts program, which boasts more than 1,300 hand-selected properties worldwide and more five-star hotels than any other program.

Guests who book their stay through a Virtuoso advisor enjoy exclusive benefits valued at more than $500 per stay at these properties, which span more than 100 countries. Travellers can now take advantage of booking their stay at more than 1,100 select properties online at www.Virtuoso.com and receive access to Virtuoso's exclusive perks.

This year's contenders across nine categories were chosen by the network and the editors of Virtuoso Life magazine, and represent the height of achievement in their given category. The 10th category focuses on sustainable travel and recognizes the hotels that most embody the commitment to the three pillars of sustainable tourism: preserving the environment, supporting local economies and celebrating cultures.

"When evaluating hotels and resorts at this level, the stakes are much higher and it goes beyond the beauty of the hotel or its location," said Albert Herrera, Virtuoso senior vice president, Global Product Partnerships. "We seek out the hotels that are taking it to the next level, setting trends in their respective areas and offering the guest something they won't find anywhere else. To us, that's what being the Best of the Best is all about. The hotels and hoteliers who rose to the top this year set a new standard in an extremely competitive landscape, and it's that shared commitment to being the best that helps Virtuoso maintain its position as the leader in luxury travel."

Virtuoso travel advisors will cast their votes over the next few weeks. The winners will be announced at the Hotels & Resorts Dinner on Aug. 15, 2018, during Virtuoso Travel Week at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Virtuoso Travel Week brings together thousands of Virtuoso travel agency members and the globe's best travel providers for luxury travel's largest and most preeminent event.

Nominees for Hotel of the Year are Adare Manor in Ireland, The Berkeley in London, Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat in France, the One & Only Le Saint Geran in Mauritius and the Royal Mansour Marrakech in Morocco. I got to spend a night at Adare Manor six or seven years ago and loved the ambience and the food.

Closer to home, The Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa Grand Cayman was nominated for best Virtuoso newcomer, as was the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. The executive chef from the Kimpton Seafire, Massimo De Francesca, was in Toronto a week or so ago and put on a fantastic cooking demonstration. He's actually from Toronto but now works in the kitchens at the Kimpton on Grand Cayman.

TravelBrands Cruises, by Encore Cruises, is causing a splash with its latest offer. Running from May 22 until May 29, 2018, travellers can receive free prepaid gratuities on upcoming sailings.

This exclusive promotion is applicable on all sailings between July 1 to August 31, 2018, for bookings in a balcony stateroom or above. The bookings can be with any of TravelBrands' cruise line partners. The free prepaid gratuities are applicable to first and second passengers in the stateroom only.

Travellers are expected to save over $35 CAD per stateroom per day with this impressive offer. Passengers will be given the prepaid gratuity in the form of an onboard credit if the prepaid gratuities are not available to book prior.

Travel agents are encouraged to visit www.travelbrandsaccess.com to learn more about this limited-time offer and to make their bookings.

St. Vincent and The Grenadines Tourism Authority has announced new flights that should help Canadians who want to escape the snow and ice of winter.

Air Canada Rouge will re-commence a weekly non-stop scheduled Autumn/Winter service from Pearson International, Toronto to St. Vincent on November 1. This is the second year the airline has offered direct flights after the opening of the Argyle International Airport in February, 2017.

Air Canada has recently made available a second flight on December 16 throughout the winter and spring months until April 28. These flights are available on sale through www.aircanada.com or through travel agents.

The SVGTA has also chartered flights throughout the summer from Toronto to St. Vincent with Sunwing. Operated by GG Tours, travellers can book with travel agents or call the tour operator at 416 487-1146.

Finally, American Airlines will be operating its year-round service to the destination from Miami, commencing Dec. 15, 2018. The airline recently announced that tickets will be on sale immediately.

I've had the pleasure of visiting the main island of St. Vincent once and stopping in at the Grenadines twice (Mayreau once and Bequia on two occasions). The main island is a fabulous spot for enjoying nature, with remarkable waterfalls and a beautiful coastline.

The beaches are good on St. Vincent, but they're sensational in the Grenadines. Bequia is a low-key spot that features the colourful, luxurious Bequia Beach Hotel. Mayreau is even more laid-back and features Salt Whistle Bay, which for my money might be the prettiest beach in the Caribbean.

For more information on the islands of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, please visit www.discoversvg.com.

Los Angeles was recently awarded the top spot in SmarterTravel's 2018 Editors' Choice Awards Best Value Category for destinations selected based on flight and hotel pricing trends, travel pricing industry reports and currency conversion rates.

The City of Angels has become the destination to visit for a memorable vacation that won't break the bank. According to SmarterTravel, who pulled their data from Airfarewatchdog and TripAdvisor, over the past year, Canadian flight prices to Los Angeles have steadily declined, with average round-trip fares available for less than $350 CAD in 2018. Direct airlift is now available from most major Canadian cities and in addition to low airfares, accommodation prices have seen a decline-nightly hotel rates in Los Angeles have lowered by an average of four per cent compared to 2017.

"We are delighted and honoured to receive this award from SmarterTravel," said Ernest Wooden Jr., president and CEO of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. "Los Angeles is proud of its welcoming, inclusive spirit and the fact that we offer travellers an unparalleled wealth of arts, a culinary scene making daily headlines, premier attractions and more across every price-point. We invite our Canadian neighbours to enjoy our endless sunshine and discover that Los Angeles truly has something for everyone."

"Los Angeles caters to every kind of traveller, especially those looking to get the most value out of a vacation. We've consistently seen great airfare deals into the city, as well as several new routes to L.A., coupled with great prices for quality hotels," said Ashely Rossi, Editor at SmarterTravel.com. "The city also offers several cultural experiences like museums and galleries for free and the weather provides endless outdoor - and free - activities."

With the summer vacations around the corner, Air Transat is proud to be reinforcing its position as leader in holiday travel by enhancing its customers' inflight experience. On May 1, the airline presented the summer 2018 Chef's Menu by Daniel Vezina, and improved its meal offer in Economy Class on transatlantic flights. Among other things, the company introduced an all-new Canadian wine in the Club Classmenu and offered its passengers the newest issue of Atmosphere magazine on board.

"At Air Transat, going the extra mile to meet our passengers' needs is part of our DNA. We strive every day to stay in line with consumers' expectations," explained Jean-Francois Lemay, President and General Manager of Air Transat. "As part of our improvements to the on-board experience, we are refining the meal options in Economy Class on transatlantic flights. We are also very proud to be marking the second year of our Chef's Menu by Daniel Vézina with some new dishes."

Air Transat recently presented the summer 2018 Chef's Menu by Daniel Vézina. Since May 1, Air Transat has been offering two new dishes featuring local ingredients-wild blueberries and smoked meat-in addition to bringing back four passenger favourites and two breakfast meals.

Lunch/Dinner offerings are as follows: a new pork filet mignon with Quebec blueberries and a new chicken cordon bleu garnished with smoked meat, as well as salmon fillet with Asian noodles, pulled beef Shepherd's Pie, Evegetable risotto, and white and bean and quinoa bowl. ach meal is served with a cheese plate, dessert and wine.

Breakfast includes Spinach and basil omelette and crepes with goat cheese and smoked salmon. Each meal is served with a plain croissant, yogurt, orange juice and coffee.

The Chef's Menu by Daniel Vézina is offered for free to all Club Class passengers. In Economy Class, the Chef's Menu by Daniel Vézina is available for $15 for breakfast and $25 for lunch/dinner. Passengers can pre-order their meals by calling our Booking Centre at 1-877-TRANSAT or by visiting the Air Transat website.

Saint Lucia's tourism sector is enjoying robust growth. First quarter figures show the island continuing a strong growth trend, building on a record-setting year of 2017.

Stay-over arrivals increased by 9.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the same period last year, with March 2018 registering a 17.8 per cent increase over March 2017.

Year-to-date, Saint Lucia has registered 355,821 cruise passenger arrivals, an increase of 13.5 per cent over the same period last year. The berth extension at Pointe Seraphine is credited, in part, for the significant increases in cruise passenger arrivals, as the island's capacity to accommodate larger vessels has expanded.

The mega vessel MS Eurodam 2008 and the Freedom Class vessel Anthem of the Seas made their first port calls in Castries on January 2018 and, on May 16, 2018, Saint Lucia welcomed another Freedom Class Vessel from Royal Caribbean - the Freedom of the Seas - which has a capacity of 6000 and follows a 21-day port call schedule.

The Island has also experienced a resurgence in the yachting sector with a 25% increase in yacht arrivals across all ports of entry, namely IGY Rodney Bay, Marigot Bay, and Soufriere.

"We have run an aggressive and focussed marketing campaign over 2017 and into 2018", said Saint Lucia Tourism Authority Executive Chairperson, Agnes Francis. "Working to establish our new branding, running targeted media buys, and social media campaigns that increase engagement and awareness, we are starting to see the benefits of this marketing push. We believe that this year, Saint Lucia will see an even greater growth as we continue to refine our marketing".

There was some good news for Hawaii this week. The volcano eruption on the Big Island has some folks needlessly worried about visiting other parts of the island, or other islands that are quite distant from the eruption. But the guy they call Dr. Beach sent out a bit of a lifeline this week, naming Maui's Kapalua Beach as the best stretch of sand in the U.S. and putting Hapuna Beach on Hawaii Big Island in the number eight spot.

Known officially as Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a coastal science professor at Florida International University in Miami. Dr. Beach is considered by many as one of the top authorities in the world on what makes a great beach. And his rankings are widely followed.

I've stayed in the Kapalua area maybe 25 times in my life and have probably visited the beach 40 or 50 times by now. It's a remarkable bit of sand, a small, perfect crescent that's protected from big waves by long points of lava rock stretching out into the Pacific.

The sand is soft and pretty, the buildings around it are kept to a low height and the snorkelling is out of this world. I've seen huge turtles and startlingly colourful fish just a couple metres off shore.

You also get some of the world's best sunsets. And you're next to some sensational hotels and resorts including Montage Kapalua Bay and the Napili Kai Beach Resort, which is only a few steps from Kapalua Beach. While you're in the area, stop at Merriman's Kapalua for a drink on what might be the best patio in Hawaii.

Hapuna Beach is a fantastic spot on the Kona Coast of the Big Island, north of the international airport that thousands of Canadians fly into every week.