Best Toronto date spots to keep warm this winter

February 8, 2016 / Samantha Durnford / 1 Comment

Being back in the big city of Toronto has been so amazing, especially since last year we totally skipped winter! While most people are dying to escape the cold winter months of Canada, Luke and I actually missed it a lot when we were half way across the world.

One of our absolute favorite things about winter is being able to try new places and explore the city. Toronto has so much to offer and there are so many hidden gems! Expedia.ca wanted me to share with you some of our favourite spots to stay warm in the city, just in case you were planning on visiting or looking for some new ideas if you already live here.

Snakes & Lattes

This place is so great on so many levels. Perfect for a first date, or a 100th date, we love spending an entire evening amongst the games and incredible atmosphere. The Annex location is our favorite, with cozy lighting and friendly staff. I personally love going for a Nutella latte (a MUST try) and getting a bowl of candy to share. We’ve actually ate a lot of the food on the menu and can highly recommend their sandwiches and salads as well if you end up staying for a few hours.

What’s also great about Snakes & Lattes is that they have Game Gurus who will help you choose a game based on your interests and then explain to you all the rules (and even some strategy, if you’re lucky!), so you can start playing right away and try something new.

Friday Night at the ROM

Walking through the ROM and checking out all of the cool exhibits is high on our list as something we like to do in the winter, but the ROMs Friday Night Live series is extra special. While the events aren’t held every single weekend, you should definitely keep an eye out for these parties. Opening the ROM up 7pm-11pm, they have DJs playing with drinks and food served throughout the entire museum.

Dancing next to a giant T-Rex fossil, or grabbing a beer amongst the dinosaurs, the Friday Night at the ROM series is so, so cool. Another thing we really love about it is trying all of the food, since they often bring in local food truck vendors, adding to the experience and keeping things close to home.

Quantum Coffee

Not just a regular coffee shop, Quantum Coffee is so aesthetically pleasing to exist in and serves up to-die-for coffee. The design of this place is so drool-worthy, I crave getting to go there to work on my projects and just bask in the atmosphere. Luke and I love taking our time and having a good ol’ coffee date, sipping on a well-crafted latte.

I think sometimes, coffeeshop dates are reserved for first-meetings or quick blind dates, but we have learned to really cherish gushing over a well designed place to relax, with friendly staff, and a killer espresso. Taking time to slow down together and appreciate the small things is so important! And, what a better way to keep warm?

SPiN

A little friendly competition is great for any couple, and SPiN Ping-Pong Social Club is perfect for rolling up your sleeves and battling it out on the ping-pong table. You can reserve a table for the night and square off in a one-on-one game or meet another couple there to really up the ante. With music blasting and cool lighting, it’s great on a weeknight or weekend. They serve beer and have an incredible winter menu as well, so make sure to take a break and fill up!

Cibo Wine Bar

Being huge foodies, I had to include a restaurant on this list! Cibo Wine Bar has three locations in Toronto, but I recommend the King St. W location as my favorite. With dimmed lighting and wines everywhere, you really feel like you’re in a cozy wine cellar. The staff is amazing and they make all of their bread on-site, which you get free when you order (and, they let you ask for more! But shhhh don’t let that secret get out too far).

Serving up mouth-watering Italian food and perfect wine pairings, this Cibo is romantic and doesn’t break the bank. We love going for appetizers and wine and a random weeknight, or going there for a full meal and dessert for a special occasion. It’s the perfect place to cuddle up in a booth and spend all night talking.

Winter time can be cold, but our city offers so many things you can do with that special someone to bundle up and stay warm. Whether it’s good food, good company, or a good game, there’s no need to stay inside watching Netflix! Looking for more great date ideas in Toronto? Expedia.ca has the blog post for you! Read it here.

Mui Ne and the sand dunes

June 30, 2015June 26, 2015 / Samantha Durnford / 2 Comments

Vietnam was celebrating its 40^th anniversary of independence (victory over the Americans), and we both got a week vacation from our schools. We decided to head to Mui Ne, one of the spots we had so far missed.

Mui Ne is about 6 hours away via bus. You can take a bus or train from Ho Chi Minh City, but since it was a holiday, the train was all booked up for the week. We got lucky and snagged bus tickets from a couple that couldn’t go on their trip anymore, so we got a good deal. We used The Sinh Tourist bus line and we’d highly recommend it. It was a very comfortable and safe(ish) trip.

Known for its red and white sand dunes, Mui Ne is nestled in a rain shadow right beside the ocean. It has both the sea and the desert sand, making it a popular vacation spot for foreigners and locals alike.

On our first day, we rented a motorbike and drove to the white sand dunes. We had lathered on sunscreen, but we burnt to a crisp anyway. They were HOT. We enjoyed seeing them, but couldn’t stay too long since it felt like we had been left to die out there in the heat. Luke gently reminded me that we were only 30 feet from the shade, but I still hold that I nearly died out there.

Later, we went to the red sand dunes, which I really preferred. I think they were much more beautiful, especially if you venture away from the crowds. It’s possible that the red sand doesn’t reflect as much heat, too. At about 4pm when the sun is going down seems to be the best time. The sunset is breathtaking and the sand is cool enough to explore in bare feet.

For cheap, you can rent magic carpet boards from kids to sled down the sand dunes. Note that you will get sand absolutely everywhere, so think hard before taking part. It was definitely funny to watch the Asians sliding and screaming, though.

The next day, we went to the Mui Ne Harbor where you can see the blue ocean and boats that seem to go on for as far as the eye can see. It’s fun to see but really only worth a quick stop to take a photo and move on.

Later in the evening, we went to the Fairy Spring and walked along the bed of the creek, directly beside large, red-sand dirt walls. Since the sun was setting, it was the perfect temperature to be exploring the Fairy
Spring, and it wasn’t rammed with people either. We enjoyed our slow walk taking in all of the scenery.

On our final day, we spent the morning at the hot spring center. For $40 total, we both got mineral mud baths, a mineral pool soak, some time in the steam room, and an hour-long massage. It included lunch as well. We lounged in the pool and enjoyed our lunch and free smoothie. It was the perfect way to end our trip in Mui Ne.

For dinner, we went to the crab markets to have dinner like the locals. We settled on a plate of shrimp, since crab was a bit pricey. It was an interesting experience, but our dinner the night before at Sinbads was the highlight of our trip. It was much more affordable, and incredibly flavourful/filling.

On our way to our guesthouse, we stumbled across Pogo Beach Bar, which had beanbags and cabanas on the beach for lounging while they played some really good music. We sat on a rooftop on beanbags and took in the ocean air, saying goodbye to an absolutely perfect vacation.

If you come to Vietnam, do not miss Mui Ne, whatever you do! And again, only pictures can really do this place justice.

A day on Railay Beach

April 22, 2015April 22, 2015 / Samantha Durnford / Leave a comment

Railay Beach was one of the main reasons we decided to go to Krabi, so we rented a long tail boat for a day trip to the beach.

We opted for just a day trip rather than an overnight to save on money (both accommodations and food) and so we could explore the rest of Krabi. It was a decision we didn’t regret! We drove our motorbike 15 minutes from Krabi to Ao Nang beach (amazing ride!) to catch a long tail boat for 100 baht ($3 USD) each way. The boat leaves whenever it has enough people, which for us took less than five minutes.

It’s worth mentioning that the beach town of Ao Nang is worth checking out, even as a place to stay. Packed with beach stores, food options, and a good beach vacation vibe, we really wished we had known it was such a happening place. Compared to the somewhat underwhelming town of Krabi, it may have been a better home base for this leg of the trip.

The long tail boat ride was about 15 minutes and the ride itself was gorgeous. Sailing past all the rocks and peaks coming out of the water and getting to see the beach up ahead was truly breathtaking. Our anticipation to get to the beach grew and grew the closer we got.

Once we arrived, we didn’t set out our towels to relax just yet. There are many different beaches on Railay, all within walking distance, so we wanted to pick our favourite. We walked from Railay West to Railay East and then to Ao Pranang. On Ao Pranang, there are some really cool rock climbing setups and you can check out the Pranang Cave. Overall, Pranang beach was our favourite place to sunbathe.

The beaches didn’t get too busy while we were there and the water was perfect. We explored the island, met some monkeys, checked out the caves, and grabbed an incredible chicken shwarma from an expat who owns a little shack. It was the perfect day trip to take in another beautiful Thai beach.

With that, we figured only pictures could do the rest justice. Enjoy!