While we were in Canada we were fortunate enough to be able to experience three different Fairmont Hotels. The Fairmont at Banff Springs, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and the Fairmont Palliser Calgary. The Fairmont has quickly become one of my favorite hotel groups, and here's why!

The Fairmont at Banff Springs

If you've ever seen pictures of The Fairmont at Banff Springs then you know it looks like a fairytale dream, and I can tell you that it lives up to the hype!

Not only are the views from the hotel spectacular, but over Christmas there were fun, festive activities every day at the castle. From ice-skating, making s'mores around an open fire, to gingerbread house workshops. They also pay a lot of attention to small details, which I think really makes the whole experience magical. In our room was a small decorated Christmas tree, we often found little treats and champagne in our room upon returning after spending the day exploring, and on Christmas morning there were stockings full of gingerbread men, chocolates and other treats waiting for us at the door!

If you feel like being pampered, I'd recommend a dip in the outdoor pool, where you can swim, enveloped by warmth, as snow falls all around you. There is also the renowned Willow Stream Spa on site with a fantastic gym, another pool indoors, a sauna, massage, facials, and just about any pampering service you can dream up.

If food is more your thing, you need never leave the hotel. The Fairmont at Banff Springs has more restaurants, lounges, cheese and wine bars, and sushi than you could poke a stick at. My favorites were the Bow Valley Grill, Waldhouse Pub, Grapes Wine Bar, and the Rundle Lounge (they have great live music in the evenings).

One of my favorite meal experiences though was just having breakfast in our room each morning. We got to sit and look out at the amazing view, while enjoying fresh croissants, fruit, eggs, and of course, Canadian bacon. Plus, I have to mention that their chai is the best I've tasted....anywhere, world wide.

The view from our room!

The Waldhouse Pub is just down some stairs at the back of the Fairmont, and has a more formal upstairs dining room, or sports-bar style area downstairs.

On Christmas day we booked ourselves into both the brunch buffet and one of the Christmas dinners, complete with Sinatra-style live music. I've never eaten so much, the food was just fantastic, and incredibly diverse. If you can swing it, I recommend breakfasting in the Conservatory. Check out those views!

The brunch buffet had everything you could imagine, including a s'mores chef who would whip you up a gooey, chocolatey treat. Did I have one with my breakfast? Of course!

If you do start to get cabin fever, there is no shortage of fun activities within a short drive of the hotel. Check out some of my favorites:

 - Dog Sledding through Banff National Park
 - The Banff Hot Springs
 - Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain
 - Helicopter Flight over Banff National Park
 - Strolling along the streets of Banff Town itself

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Nestled on the shore of Lake Louse, the Fairmont Chateau feels much more European than North American, and you'll expect to hear a wider variety of accents among the guests than at the Fairmont Banff Springs (which appears to be frequented by Australians more than any other group).

Like it's Banff Springs neighbor, the Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise has more than enough activities to keep you busy. They have a rental shop inside the hotel, where you can get ice-skates, snow shoes, skiis, and sleds and take yourself on your own adventure, or go on one of their guided mountain adventure programs.

Lake Louise has been voted one of the world's most picturesque places to ice-skate, and I have to admit that it's hard to pay attention to your feet, when there are spectacular mountains rising up all around you. Not to mention that the hotel builds an ice-castle on the rink, and also has an ice-bar where you can rest in between skating sessions!

Fairmont Palliser Calgary

We only stayed in the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary for one night, and while it is more of a typical city hotels than the castle-style hotels at Banff Springs or Lake Louise, the quality and service was on par.

The Palliser is also located directly next door to the Calgary Tower, which is great for first time visitors to Calgary to get their bearings and check out the city from above.

We certainly had some fun with the glass floor!

Calgary certainly isn't my favorite Canadian city, but we had to stop there on your way to Banff National Park. While I'll admit we were only there for a short time, it felt dirty and industrial, with half-finished construction everywhere, closed off footpaths, potholed streets etc. The downtown area didn't seem like it had that much going on either. We saw plenty of drug deals and pan-handling, but not much in the way of culture, museums, good food etc.

I'm happy to be corrected though, if you know of some great Calgary gems, in case we ever find ourselves back there. Learn more »

This year was the first time I've actually made it out to SXSW. If you haven't heard of it before it is a huge interactive, film, and music festival held in Austin, Texas.

My main reason for going was to attend the interactive and digital media sessions, but I stayed on afterwards to help launch a new product (more about that later) and to soak up the general awesomeness that is Austin.

Hands down, the best thing I discovered was the Hope Outdoor Gallery, a huge graffiti / street art project run by SpraTX. Words can't describe how incredibly cool this place is, so check out the video and photos below. It is definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Austin!

While I was in town, a friend who lives in Houston flew his helicopter in for a visit. We went on a rainy-day adventure along the Colorado River and out to Lake Travis, where we landed on a tiny island in the middle of the lake (yep, having a helicopter is pretty awesome). Here are a couple pics from our excursion.

If you'd like to check out more of my friend's flying antics, check out his Instagram feed: www.instagram.com/theodorerobertwrightiii

And last, but not least, here are a couple of pics from my time in Austin and at SXSW itself. It's a pretty cool city, with a lot of live music, great food, and art. Austin is also making a name for itself as being a hub for start-ups and entrepreneurs, which makes for a very cool vibe.

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We kicked off the official start of summer and the longest day of the year in Martha's Vineyard, a little island south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, accessible by plane or boat. We only spent a couple of days there, but I completely fell in love with the place.

While we were there they were having the summer Strawberry Festival, we went to the Farmer's Markets, visited the Gay Head Cliffs and Light House, and spent time strolling through the shops and wonderful restaurants of Edgartown.

Martha's Vineyard has such an interesting and rich history, from the relationships between Native American tribes on the island, the development of a unique sign language due to a high percentage of hereditary deafness, to the tragic connection with the Kennedys. Year-round residency on the island is pretty low at 16,535 but in the summer Martha's Vineyard is swamped with an additional 75,000 tourists and affluent summer vacationers.

Steven Spielberg filmed Jaws in the fishing village of Menemsha on Martha's Vineyard n 1974, do you recognize anything?

Just after the Civil War, a large Methodist campground, with open air revivals, was established in the Oaks Bluff area. Colorful 'gingerbread cottages' were built to resemble the tents, all facing inwards towards the central church tabernacle. The area is now a National Historic Landmark, and it is definitely worth wandering through the shady streets and stopping to admire the ornate houses.

If relaxing on the beach with a good book is more your thing, Martha's Vineyard certainly accommodates. The beaches here are pristine, and the water is beautiful (if a little on the cool side). Just watch out for Jaws' cousin!

For a relatively small island there are a lot of fine dining establishments and delicious eats. My recommendations are Among the Flowers Cafe for a causal breakfast or brunch, Richardson's for ice-cream or delicious coffee and bagels, and l'etoile restaurant for dinner. The food and service are both wonderful, and make sure you sit outside in the garden, it's magical.

If you're wondering where to stay in Martha's Vineyard, there are lots of holiday rentals, but don't expect to find anything last minute during the summer months!

We stayed at the Oaks Bluff Inn, which from the outside looked....well, very pink. But was completely lovely on the inside. The owner was more than hospitable and put out beach chairs and towels for us, cookies in the afternoons and fresh breakfast items in the mornings.

We stayed in the private top-floor suite which boasts two rooms, well appointed kitchen (complete with espresso machine), living, and dining areas, two balconies, and best of all, private access to the turret lookout on the roof!

Check out my video from Martha's Vineyard, I'll show you the view from the top of the Oak's Bluff Inn.

Something else I highly recommend is watching the sunset from the Gay Head Cliffs and Lighthouse. It was truly spectacular, the photos don't do it justice.

So that wraps up our quick trip to Martha's Vineyard. I can't wait to go back and explore the island some more! Maybe I'll see you there...

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Ok, I'm not sure how to write this post without it sounding completely pretentious and snobby, but here goes anyway. I was recently lucky enough to be flown out to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts for the first weekend of summer, in a private jet. And what it comes down to is that I'm now completely spoiled and don't ever want to fly commercial again.

A pilot friend met up with us in New York City and we all flew out to Martha's Vineyard in his Eclipse 500. I was excited to be flying privately, but I didn't realize just how good it would be. No long lines at the airport, no stripping at security checkpoints, actually being treated like a human being by airport crew, not getting squished between a fat, sweaty man and a woman who won't stop coughing (which always seems to happen to me), no luggage limits, you can BYO alcohol, no having to turn off your electronic devices (that's a myth apparently), and best of all you set your own timetable.

There are other benefits to flying privately too, which include being able to go to locations that simply aren't frequented by the major airlines. You'd be amazed at how many smaller airports are dotted around the country, just waiting for your visit!

And if you're worried about flying in a small plane, don't be. I'm terrible with heights, don't do roller coasters, and blanch at the first sign of turbulence, but I can tell you that our flights were smoother than any commercial flight I've ever taken.

Check out this little video to get a taste of private flying.

Apart from being a real life 'Most Interesting Man in the World' who seems to be licenced to drive, sail, and fly anything you put in front of him, he also runs a charity for children with life-altering illness called Around the World for Life.

It's a wonderful charity that provides the joy of flying to children who wouldn't otherwise get to experience it. I was lucky enough to participate in a fundraising event they held in Texas last year, and seeing those children's smiles really warmed my heart. Check out this video and visit www.aroundtheworldforlife.org if you'd like to learn more.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I'll show you why I'm completely in love with Martha's Vineyard! Learn more »