Every corner of this mountain town boasts breathtaking vistas, but there’s much more to see in Canmore than just mountain peaks.

eat
Swine and dine. We think the TroUgh’s subtle pig theme gives us a green light to pig out on their award-winning fare.

stay
Don’t worry about packing light—the massive suites at the Grande Rockies Resort will fit you, your friends and all your oversized luggage too.

shop

Pick up some mountain-chic housewares at Stonewaters then grab some luxe Lollia bath products at Stella’s right next door.

see
It’s not just the fresh mountain air that’ll do you good. The Gaia Clinic offers everything from yoga to acupuncture to Shirodhara head massages.

do
Verde Day Spa just opened a new location at Grande Rockies Resort and an organic facial there is like a raw food diet for your pores.

—Kelsey Dundon

We trekked to a tiny mountain town in the middle of a national park and found no shortage of cosmopolitan experiences.

stay
Check into Brewster’s Mountain Lodge for its just-off-Banff Ave. location and its very of-the-moment Navajo decor.

shop
Try on a couple pairs at Bison Courtyard’s Avanti, a shoe shop that carries nary a hiking boot and instead offers stylish footwear fit for city slickers.

eat
The Banff Springs Hotel is a stunning fortress in the forest so ditch the dudes on the golf course and head indoors for high tea with your girlfriends.

see
Feeling really creative? Apply for a residency at the Banff Centre. Or just revel in others’ creative genius and take in a performance there instead.

do
Nothing, really. Let your masseuse take on the hard work while you relax on the massage table at the soothing Red Earth Spa.  —Kelsey Dundon

The word “retreat” usually triggers a picturesque image of a beach somewhere, cocktail in hand. But with the word “fitness” attached, it caused a bit of fear.

Although the name may be inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller, there is no gorging on pizza Napolitana to “find” ourselves. Instead, while staying in Whistler’s luxury First Tracks Lodge, self-awareness is achieved through playful six hour adventures like hiking, yoga and an excruciating boot camp that made us learn the true meaning of camaraderie: When in pain together, stick together. There might not be pizza, but a personal chef and nutritionist are on site creating the most delectable, yet healthy, meals.


We get it: A fitness retreat is a luxury retreat.
—Anya Georgijevic



Rates from $1069, Eat Play Love, 604-721-7464, www.eatplaylovefitness.com

Read more about out Eat Play Love adventures in our Editors’ Diary.

Editor-in-Chief Sarah Bancroft’s France Packing List

This slightly rumpled chambray blazer from Anthropologie works with white jeans or shorts, and is perfect for the plane. $118.

My Italian linen deck towels will serve as tablecloths in Paris for impromptu picnics in the Parc Monceau with fare from Alain Ducasse’s Boulangepicierie.

This dress from See by Chloe’s Fall 2011 collection will be my go-to for evenings out with my husband.

But my K Jacques sandals from Misch (they look even better now that they are worn in) will come in handy for chasing my children through the Jardin du Luxembourg. I look forward to buying a new pair like these at the Atelier where they are handmade in St. Tropez.

The house we are renting in the south has a pool, so what better to read by it than The House in France, the witty new memoir by Gully Wells about the fabulous life of her parents, a celebrated American journalist and an Oxford philosopher set in New York, London and Provence.

And for reading attire, I just ordered a Vitamin A strapless black bikini (something about the name must have caught my eye) from their Gold collection which is super-luxe and soft.

I like a no-make-up look for the summer, so this tinted lipbalm in Nobody’s Baby from new Vancouver company Ilia beauty will fit in my carryon.

Bon Voyage! —Sarah Bancroft

It’s only a few hours from YVR to PDX and yet the City of Roses feels like a world away. Herewith, our picks for Portland.

stay
In the heart of the trendy Pearl District, the Ace Hotel is right by the easy-to-get-lost-in Powell’s Books.

shop
Is it a music label or a made-in-Portland emporium? It’s both! Tender Loving Empire showcases the most stylish designs and newest tunes by Portland’s own.

do
Walk! Downtown PDX is perfectly laid out for strolling from food carts to riverside parks to boutiques and then back to more food carts.

eat
Try the ever-changing tasting menu at Toro Bravo. Because you can’t eat every meal on wheels.

drink
Happy Hour is elevated to an art in Portland so take the elevator to the rooftop and grab a seat with a view at Departure. —Kelsey Dundon

Tucked amidst the sound studios and mechanic shops are cafés and boutiques so chic, they’re reinvigorating the Armoury District, an emerging neighbourhood just north of Fourth.

Café Bica
The impeccable décor, the cold-brewed coffee, the tempting pastries—we’d happy wile away the hours in this charming spot.

Mint Interiors
After an outdoor dinner party, we’ll keep our guests warm well into the evening with one of Mint’s new wool throws by Jonathan Adler.

Patisserie Lebeau 
Their savoury waffles (hello cheese and green onion) make us forget all about that low carb diet we’re on.

Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks
We picked up coveted finds like Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty and Leon’s Naturally Fast Food and walked out feeling like culinary geniuses.

Fullhouse Vintage Modern
We’re trying to find an excuse to re-do our entire home in their industrial mid-century modern style. Check out the vintage post office furniture in this new, highly-curated location.

—Kelsey Dundon

It’s the Fourth of July! Since we’ve got our minds on the land of the free, we’re planning an upcoming daytrip to Bellingham.

We’ll cruise right past Bellis Fair and head for brunch at The Old Town Café, which is every bit as quaint as it sounds. Then we’ll take a lazy stroll around downtown before trekking a few miles down the road to Fairhaven’s Colophon Café (their African peanut soup is delish!). After doing a few laps around Village Books, we’ll pick up some picnic fare at Trader Joe’s and head to Lake Samish for a dinner al fresco before catching some cinema al fresco at the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema.

See? Bellingham is bella! —Kelsey Dundon

Forget camping. We’d take “glamping” any day.

Especially if it’s at RockWater Secret Cove Resort. We spent a few blissful days at the Sunshine Coast’s most unique resort, indulging in massages by the sea, stuffing our faces with fresh seafood and watching the sunset with a glass of Okanagan wine. The highlight of these highlights? Our tenthouse suite. Perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Strait of Georgia, it had canvas walls, heated tile floors, and a bathtub built for two. Pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.

But who needs a kitchen when you have room service? —KD

Summer rates from $459 a night, http://rockwatersecretcoveresort.com

See photos from our trip on today's Editors' Diary.

Our last couch-surfing visit to the Big Smoke had us vowing never to sleep on a futon again.

Instead, we'll check in to Hotel Ocho, a new 12-room gem in prime downtown location. The rooms are lofty, spacious and bright and designed with hip, young travellers in mind. Ask for a third floor suite with views of the Spadina streetcar and the backstreets of Chinatown. Manager Kenneth McElheran and his team are so laid-back and friendly you almost feel like a guest in someone’s home.

Only you won't wake up with a kinked neck. —AT

Hotel Ocho, 195 Spadina Ave., Toronto, 416-593-0885, www.hotelocho.com

With destinations like these, we could road trip to the Emerald City every weekend.

eat: Sitka & Spruce
Tucked into the back of quaint Melrose Market, this beautiful Northwest restaurant has us dreaming of the raw sockeye with crispy morel mushrooms. 1534 Melrose Ave. E., Seattle, 206-324-0662, www.sitkaandspruce.com


shop: AllSaints

Now that Vancouver has its own Anthropologie we need a new excuse to head south on the I-5. This stylish British export is exactly that. 1511 Fifth Ave., Seattle, 203-508-0018, http://www.allsaints.com/

read: Elliott Bay Book Company
With an average of 10 author readings a week, we feel like literati the moment we step inside. 1521 Tenth Ave., Seattle, 206-624-6600, www.elliottbaybook.com

drink: Tavern Law
That phone on the back wall? It’s the key to a private upstairs room where there are no menus, just a few dozen seats and a bartender who shakes up custom cocktails. 1406 12th Ave., Seattle, 206-322-9734, www.tavernlaw.com

treat: Molly Moon's

The homemade honey lavender ice cream is well worth waiting in the constant out-the-door lineup. Three locations, www.mollymoonicecream.com

—KD