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20 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday September 27, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com EUROPE STILL AVAILABLE WITH ARTS & LEISURE If you considered Europe for this Fall, but haven't done anything about it ­ fear not - Arts and Leisure/Travel With Flair still have some space on a few great tours! Arts & Leisure Tours/Travel With Flair's Small Group Journeys are perfect for travellers who seek authentic experiences that are both personable and intimate. With a maximum of 16 participants on some tours, the focus of each trip is to fully immerse oneself in the culture and local customs of a particular region. Back by popular demand is the eight-night Treasures of Tuscany package. In a small group, participants can take in y all the sites of this famed Italian region, including Siena, San Gimignano, Pienza, Montalcino and Florence. Priced at $3,924 per person, double occupancy, plus taxes of $408 per person, this package includes roundtrip airfare from Toronto (with other gateways available), eight nights' accommodation, transportation throughout by private coach, breakfast daily, seven dinners, cooking class with lunch, one cheese tasting, three wine tastings, all entrance fees and excursions as per itinerary. Available departures remaining this year include 17OCT08 and 24OCT08. One of A & L's most popular programs is its six-night Southern Splendour package. Priced from $1,405 land only, r including taxes, this package includes four nights in Rome, a motorcoach tour (with daily departures) to the Amalfi Coast as well as visits to Naples, Pompei, Sorrento and Capri. Also in Italy, art lovers can take advantage of the Italia Bella program that visits the country's main art cities, a including Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, San Marino, Perugia and others. This tour is priced at $1,963 land only per person, double occupancy, including taxes, departing every Tuesday, and includes six nights' accommodation in four-star centrally located hotels, daily breakfast and dinner, sightseeing tours, local guides and entrance fees. New this year are escorted tours to France with guaranteed departures with just two participants. Travellers can discover the `Most Beautiful Villages of Southwestern France' on a six-night tour that visits Larressingle, Sarlat, ' Moissac and more. Priced from $3,797 land only per person, including taxes, this package includes six nights' accommodation in a three-star superior hotel, roundtrip transfers from the Toulouse Airport, breakfast daily, cooking class with lunch, six dinners, guided visits and more. The last departure date for this year is 05OCT08. For some time on the beach, sun seekers can book the Island Hopping package that sails from one Greek island g to another. Prices range from $1,156 to $1,374 land only per person, including taxes and includes three-star hotel accommodation, two nights in Athens, three nights in Santorini, three nights in Mykonos, breakfast daily, transfers, hydrofoil or ferry. Fall is such a wonderful time of year to visit the sites of Europe ­ it's not too late ­ give us a call! Cancun is hot, hot, hot hen it gets to be winter at home, armies of us climb aboard airplanes and don't come down until we hit Mexico and magic places like Cancun and the Riviera Maya. It was the beaches that first drew us to Mexico's Yucatan -- endless stretches of silky white sand and turquoise waters, lying under a bright blue sky -- but the fun doesn't end on those beaches. There's much, much more. We've discovered that Cancun is a jumping-off point for all kinds of pleasures. This is a place that offers fine cuisine at a vast assortment of international restaurants and resort hotels, ranging from large and luxurious to cheap and cheerful, as well as more and more exquisite boutique hotels. It's a shop-'til-you-drop kind of town, with both duty-free shopping malls and chances to haggle for Mexican handicrafts in flea markets. I brought home a bathroom sink last November. It can also be a golfer's delight, with 253 days of sunshine a year and a number of well-kept courses. And the Caribbean sunshine golfers love also helps. Cancun lives up to its reputation as a water sport capital. You can scuba dive, snorkel, windsurf, parasail, kayak, water ski, Jet Ski, fish, swim with the dolphins or just enjoy the beach. There's nightlife galore. Cancun may be laid back during the day, but that all changes after dark, when both the Hotel Zone and downtown really start rockin'. Take your pick, it's all there: salsa, meringue, flamenco, reggae, jazz, classical disco, rock and roll, hip-hop and techno. Many restaurants double as party centres with "all you can drink" specials and waiters who W Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com & are proud to present... the OTMH Candlelight Ball Russia Wit Love To Saturda November 1, 2008 y 6:30 pm black tie evening at the Burlington Convention Centre Net proceeds from this year's Candlelight ball will benefit the Medical Program at OTMH for more information please visit www.otmhcandlelightball.com Sponsored By MRK Company ­ The Edmonds Family don't hesitate to get up on stage and dance in between serving drinks. Discos and dance bars usually have taped music accompanied by high-tech laser light shows, with the occasional live band thrown in for good measure. The nightclubs, especially the Latin clubs, all have live music and import some of the hottest bands from Latin America. Barhopping during happy hour is a great way to check out the different hotels. And for a taste of how the locals like to party, head to one of the Salsa clubs or check out the clubs downtown. There are some excellent jazz joints featuring local musicians. Just choose your spot and you can dance until the wee hours of the morning. Even if you're not really into the party scene, there's still plenty to do after dark. Many of the finest restaurants are only open at night and have live entertainment. You can go for dinner or have a drink in the bar, watching the ocean or listening to the music. There are a number of dinner theatres that feature Caribbean or Mexican songand-dance revues, like the Ballet de Folklorico de Cancun that performs at the Convention Centre. Today's Cancun is for kids as well as adults. Sure Cancun has a party reputation, but people of all ages are going, including plenty of families. The famous Mexican resort, which started as a fantasy of bankers and known by very few of us, was carved out of the jungle and now 35 or so years later, Cancun is often the first destination many travel agents think of when we say we want sun, sand and surf. There are lots of fun things for kids to do, such as swimming with the dolphins at Dreams Cancun Resort and Spa or just hanging out and watch them. At Dreams, kids can also camp out on the beach (until 10 p.m.) so mom and dad can have a romantic evening. There is an explorer's club for kids aged three to 12 and even big kids want to play on the water trampoline. The Crown Paradise Club has a baby club for toddlers 18 months to three years, and a water park and pirate ship with waterslides for older kids. Best of all, party-hearty Cancun is a gateway to even more. Travel south for an 90 minutes and you're in cenotes territory. Diving or snorkeling into the deep, dark cenotes (sink holes or natural wells) is a fascinating twist on underwater exploration. In fact, divers are still discovering, exploring and naming new cenotes inland from the 120 km of holiday pleasure. Visit Chichen Itza and step back in time to a fascinating era of ancient Mayan culture. This is the Yucatan's most visited archaeological site dating back 1,500 years. And now that the new road has been completed, it takes far less time to get there. No wonder people think of Cancun and the Mayan when they want a holiday. -- Sam Ion can be reached at sion10@cogeco.ca. Relax... you're with us 221 Lakeshore Road E. Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 905-337-2228 www.hookedoncruising.com (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com To advertise here call 905-845-3824