general | Eden Resorts

Charlottetown is such a great place to visit! If you're looking for a weekend getaway ~ make sure you sign up for our monthly newsletter and watch for the amazing special that is coming in our first edition about to be released!! To sign up, email promotions@eden.travel

Here's my personal list of my favourite things in Charlottetown:

• Blackened Halibut from the Griffon Dining Room at the Dundee Arms Inn. This is my very, very favorite thing. Cajun seared halibut, baked then topped with lobster butter sauce and served on lime rice. YUMMY! This entree has elevated Chef Patrick to the top of my favorite people list :-) And for dessert ~ chocolate cake!
• The Homburg Theatre at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. I recently had the opportunity to see Hairspray: The Broadway Musical and it was spectacular! George Wendt ~ from Cheers ~ does a great job! The next big production is Christmas Blaze - A Celtic Kitchen Party that can be seen from November 25th to December 18th.
• Shoes. The Shops of Confederation Court Mall has the hottest shoe store ~ UPTOWN SHOES. My favorite place to shop!
• If you're shopping for something a little more "PEI" ish ~ my choice is the PEI Co Store, also at The Shops of Confederation Court Mall. My favorite? Rasberry Champagne Jam made by the PEI Preserve Company.
• The double Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi in the Chandler Suite at the Dundee Arms Inn. A beautiful room and a perfect way to spend a romantic weekend!
• Strawberry Peach daquiri from the English-Style Hearth & Cricket Pub at the Dundee Arms Inn. The lounge is a comfortable place to enjoy some drinks and pub food!
• PIZZA from the Urban Eatery at The Shops of Confederation Court Mall. This is absolutely the best pizza ever ~ trust me, I happen to know a lot about pizza!
• The view from the 10th floor of the new Holman Grand Hotel ~ which is set to open June 2011. It's breathtaking and deserves it's very own blog ... which is coming soon!

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. What about Monday? Second favorite ... Sunday I get to plan my Monday and sometimes I sneak out for breakfast ~ so that makes it better!

Sundays make me happy. So I've decided to dedicate every Sunday blog to writing about something that makes me happy!

At Eden Hotels & Resorts we strive to ensure that we hire the best employees! Part of what makes us so great is that our employees are great. The location and atmosphere of our properties also makes us great. Today is my last day in Barbados. Rocky, an employee of Glitter Bay Estates, greeted me this morning and told me he had set up a chair for me down on the beach to enjoy my last few hours of the island. I saw my lone chair set up under the umbrella and walked over. On my chair were 2 beautiful yellow caribbean flowers. It's pretty hard to make me smile on my last day in Barbados, but you did ~ thanks Rocky!

We've been having beautiful weather this summer in Nova Scotia! Especially great weather for golfing! Golfing is a great way to leave the office behind and enjoy some fresh air and beautiful Nova Scotia scenery.

Here is some advice from our Sherwood Golf & Country Club golf pro and General Manager:

Unlike many sports, golf requires more mental focus than physical effort. In football, hockey and tennis, for example, you react to the play - i.e. an incoming tennis ball - whereas, in golf, the ball sits there, looking at you! Try this little tip - do not try to focus for an entire round (4.5 hours) but learn how to regulate or turn your focus on and off like a light switch. As you approach your ball, start observing the situation you face in order to make the right decision (distance, wind, type of shot to hit, club selection, etc.) This analysis should take no more than 30 to 40 seconds. When your mind is made up, then address the ball, visualize the shot and get a feel for your swing. Then you let it go! This entire pre-shot routine should take no more than 1 minute. After your shot, learn to relax by simply enjoying the scenery. By relaxing and then focusing for a minute at a time, you will still have the energy (mental and physical) at the end of the round.

~~ Mike Masters

Today is March 1st. We are one step closer to spring! I'm tired of being cold. I shouldn't really complain ... as I have a bit of a sunburn because I've just gotten back from Barbados. It was sunny and over 30 degrees every day! I had such a wonderful trip - I was able to experience all kinds of fabulous new things on the Island even though I've been a few times before. I set out to explore the East Coast and it was absolutely beautiful. We went to a place called Bathsheba.

This is one of the most spectacular places on the Island. The lush vegetation and the wild Atlantic Ocean have formed a unique rugged coastline. It's famous for the surf and we saw several surfers riding the waves. It still amazes me that the East Coast and West Coast - which are so close - can be so amazingly different!

Looking for something to do with the kids this weekend? Come stay at the Dundee Arms and be close to all of the activities taking place at the Jack Frost Children's Winterfest!!

I don't like winter. But the Jack Frost Festival in Charlottetown is worth getting bundled up and going outside for. There are all kinds of activities happening from the 12th through the 15th. You can:
- Catch the Olympic Spirit at the new Bell Aliant Snow Kingdom, the home of Jack Frost!
- Watch the Flying Canucks do sports of freestyle skiing, moguls, snowboard and trampoline!
- For younger kids, performances by the Care Bears and Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs!
- Nightly Fireworks!
And for those of you who have a limited tolerance for the outdoors, there are 2 INDOOR venues (this is where I'll be spending most of my time!). Indoors you can find:
- Playland
- Ponies & Petting Zoo
- Events, Activities & Shows by the Discovery Centre, including the Lego Roller Coaster and Indoor Planetarium!

Make your reservation at the Dundee Arms today! The full Winterfest schedule can be found at www.jackfrostfest.com.

Charlottetown's newest boutique hotel, The Holman Grand, is about to start construction! With 82 rooms, the hotel will also feature a full service restaurant, health club and pool and an underground connection to the Confederation Centre of the Arts! And coming soon ... a web cam ... so those of us not in Charlottetown can watch the hotel being built!!

As soon as the temperature drops below zero, I can't seem to concentrate on anything other than palm trees and white sandy beaches. On the West Coast of Barbados in St James, there is a gorgeous stretch of white sandy beach overlooking the turquoise water of the Caribbean. This is exactly where I want to be right now. Luckily, that is exactly where the Royal Glitter Bay Villas are located!

Royal Glitter Bay Villas is offering a 40% discount on rates until April 14th so that you can experience the beauty of Barbados too! Air Canada has some great seat sales on right now if you are willing to travel on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays (www.aircanada.com). And I have all kinds of recommendations on restaurants and things to do! So let the countdown begin ...