Whistler's Cornucopia

It’s that time of year again in Whistler… the leaves have fallen off the trees, the snow is falling on the tops of the mountains, and all thoughts have turned to food & drink.

Yes – it is Cornucopia – one of the finest food & wine festivals in the Northern Hemisphere. Now in it’s 11th year, this festival of indulgence just keeps getting better.

With an amazing selection of gourmet foods, paired with great wines from all over the globe, this is truly a foodie’s delight.

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to attend two great events. Firstly, Mission Hills spa & tasting event,partnered with my favorite spa in Whistler, Solarice Wellness Spa.
Members of the press & VIP’s were treated to mini-spa treatments (just enough to make them want more), while sampling some of Mission Hill’s finest wines.

Following this tasting, I attended ‘CRUSH’ – featuring food from 15 of the top restaurants & catering companies in Whistler, and 75 wineries from all over the world.
Of course, I tried sampling as much as possible, but in such a short time, it was all but impossible to try everything.

My favorite Whistler chef, Grant Causer Whistler Cooks was in fine form, and of course all of the girls from Mission Hills winery (photos attached). Shelley Quinn & Karen Smith from Mission Hills Estate
Grant Causer

For the rest of the weekend, there are wine seminars, pairing dinners, gala parties and the ‘mini-tasting’ series.

After this weekend, everyone in Whistler is waiting eagerly for the mountains to open – just 2 more weeks to go. Looks like we got quite a dump of snow on the top half of the mountain last night – so I’m looking forward to opening day…

Also just a couple of weeks until the IGTM in Cancun, Mexico. This is an annual event put on by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, and promises to be a great time for making business connections and having lots of fun!

Ciao for now…
Shelley

Final days in Argentina

Skating rink in Bariloche

On Thursday the 25th came our trip to visit the first and only (so far) Jack Nicklaus designed course in South America, Chapelco Golf and Resort. Located close to the charming mountain town of San martin de los Andes, this Nicklaus Course absolutely lives up to the name of the designer. Despite being open for only a few months, the course was in great shape, and we were treated to a lunch and introduction by the owner of the property, whose family has owned the land since the early 1800’s. In addition to golf, the resort offers a luxury fishing lodge alongside one of the best fly-fishing rivers in the region, and miles of uninhabited terrain for hiking, biking and horseback riding. There is a Loi Suites Hotel that is due to open in December 2007, which will offer guests luxurious accommodations right along the golf course, and only a few minutes from the town of San Martin de los Andes.


On the following day, the group got to experience at least a part of the scenic ‘7 lakes’ (Tres Parquest Siete Lagos) – with a fantastic guide from the National Park to provide history and explain local flora & fauna. Due to rain, we didn’t get to see the full route, but did see enough to understand why this route is famous for its incredible vistas of lakes, mountains, rivers and unending beauty. The group had a few hours to explore the town of Bariloche – a lively town that reminded my somehow of a cross between Chamonix, France and Queenstown, New Zealand. In spite of being ‘between’ seasons (winter & summer), the town was brimming with activity, with a very international feeling. People of all ages and nationalities were wandering through the shops and strolling along the walkway along the lake. A couple of us even found an antiquated skating rink, housed in a building jutting out over the lake. For 20 pesos, we rented skates and wobbled around the rink (the skates had not been sharpened for months, if not years!). This was one way to feel like a ‘local’, as I am certain that we were the only tourists on the rink, sharing the ice with mainly Argentine youth practicing their ‘ice-tango’.
Fam participant Jorge Hess - photo by Alejandro Adur & Daniel Lopata

After the flight back to Buenos Aires, we were whisked away to a highly professional Tango show at Esquina de Carlos Gardel. The show was fantastic, very sensual and professional, and everyone in the group was ready to hit the dance floor out on the town afterwards to a little practice!

Finally, the last night in Buenos Aires… To the gang of San Telmo…A few of the stragglers of the group had a night out ‘unescorted’ – the night before the election. San Telmo square showed us a great time, and a memorable final night in Buenos Aires.

Many thanks to Susan Marples and Georgina Paolino of the Argentina Tourism Board, and also Alejandro Adur & Daniel Lopata for the professional photos, who made this trip possible. The hard work that was involved in organizing a trip of this type was much appreciated, and hopefully will payoff in spades once we all get out and sell this truly incredible golf destination.

Argentina continued

On Tuesday, October 23, we set out to the National Airoport of Buenos Aires for our flight to Bariloche, the gateway to the mountainous region of Patagonia – one of the most breathtaking areas that I have ever visited (and I have been around mountains for most of my adult life). At the southernmost tip of continental Argentina, the Andean mountain range is truly magnificent, surrounded by forests, lakes and breathtaking glaciers.

In Bariloche, half of the group, including myself, were hosted at the Arelauquen Lodge – a truly welcoming and luxurious ‘boutique-style’ lodge with it’s own new 18-hole golf course, designed by Vicente Fernandez and Carlos Ordone. The course lies on the shore of Lake Gutierrez, and is surrounded by mountains, crystal clear lakes and streams (really, the clearest water I have ever seen!), and some stunning local architecture. The golf season lasts most of the season in Patagonia, although the main sport in this region from June to October is skiing at the nearby ‘Cathedral’ ski resort. The high season for golf begins in December, and lasts through to May – a perfect time for those in the Northern Hemisphere to escape winter and head to the links!!

On Wednesday, the group was hosted at the most magnificent golf course and resort that I have personally ever visited – Llao Llao Hotel and Resort. This hotel is a member of Luxury Hotels of the world, and has the services and surrounding to please the most experienced and discerning traveler. We first glimpsed the hotel from a viewpoint high above, and it truly looked like a majestic castle perched alongside the lake and nestled in the mountains. When we played this course, we had some bracing winds, and the lakes looked like the rolling sea – this only added to the element of ‘man against nature’, and so many times I found myself thinking ‘Wow – I am playing golf in Patagonia’. I was constantly running off to the side to enjoy extra views of the lakes and mountains (and of course to find my golf balls that had gone astray!!).
Following our round of golf, we were treated to some time at the Spa in Llao Llao, again, a first-class experience. Swimming in the indoor/outdoor pool, looking down at the lake and up at the mountains, I found myself again in a state of awe at the surroundings, and felt that I had truly found paradise!

Argentina Golf - IAGTO Superfam 2007

Argentina Super Fam Golf Trip –
Sponsered by Argentina’s Tourism Board and IAGTO

Myself and 19 other International Golf Tour Operators arrived in Buenos Aires to warm sunny skies on Sunday October 21 to experience a once-in-a-lifetime golf trip in Argentina… we were not to be disappointed…
The group was comprised of Operators from Denmark, the UK, German, Scotland, South Africa, USA, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, France and Portugal. All had come to Argentina for the first time, to experience the hospitality, and of course the golf courses of Argentina

Our itinerary, provided by the Tourism Board of Argentina, was packed full of sights, sounds, and golf for 7 action-packed days.

I was hosted for the first 2 nights along with about half of the group at the elegant Loi Suites Recoleta Hotel, located in the very lively Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. (next to the cemetery where the infamous Evita is buried). On a Sunday, this area of the city is extremely vibrant, with large street markets and a feeling of festivity in the air. Following a tour of the city, exploring all of the different neighbourhoods of the city, I felt that I was in a combination of Barcelona, Paris, Naples and Mexico City!

So many sights and sounds – it would take weeks to discover all of what Buenos Aires has to offer, but we did our best to experience the most possible in a few short days.

The first evening we were hosted by the Alvear Palace Hotel – a truly elegant 5 star Hotel in the heart of Buenos Aires. After a fantastic private Tango show, we had a wonderful dinner and got a tour of this luxurious property with incredibly high standards of service.

Next morning at 6:30am, we were on a bus headed to one of Buenos Aires’ most prestigious golf courses, Olivos Golf Club. The members of the IAGTO fam trip were fortunate enough to be the only public players on the course this day, as the following day the Argentine Masters Tournament was taking place. The course is characterized by having a vast expanse of land with rolling topography and many old first-growh trees, (many of which I seemed to hit during the course of the round!)

Shelley and Valdamir Bandolowski at Pilar Golf Club

The ‘Torneo de Maistros’ 2007 was won on October 27th for the 4th time in 5 tries by Angel Cabrera, who defeated former European Tour champion Ricardo Gonzalez in a playoff hole.

The afternoon round was played at Pilar Golf Club, also home to past Argentine Open Tournaments. Pilar is made up of 27 holes with many lakes and lagoons, surrounded by different landscapes with colours of nature all year round.

After our golf, we set off to visit a couple more of the prestigious golf courses in and around Buenos Aires, namely the Buenos Aires Golf Club (ranked the top course in Argentina by Golf Digest), and the Jockey Club, designed by Allister McKenzie - both ‘must play’ courses for any foreign visitor. (these courses must be booked through a golf Tour Operator as they are not traditionally open to the public).

Finally, at the end of the day, we set out for another great meal hosted by the Sheraton Buenos Aires Park Tower, a glorious high-rise hotel close to the newly re-developed port area of the city.


More to come...