Exciting News from Niagara-on-the-Lake

The Pillar and Post Inn, Spa & Conference Centre takes the top honours on Condé Nast’s 2006 Gold List for Ontario hotels and resorts, with the Prince of Wales Hotel & Spa at the #2 spot.  This is the second annual Gold List, and the second year a Vintage Inns property was voted Ontario’s best.  In 2005 The Prince of Wales Hotel was top of the list for Ontario (TBC).

Condé Nast Traveler, an international publication and renowned guide for world travelers, bestows the Gold List honour to the finest establishments around the globe, based largely on results from their Readers’ Travel Awards survey.  Ratings are given for rooms, service, food, location, design and activities, the highest average score determining placement on the prestigious Gold List.
 
Barrie Laver, President and CEO of Vintage Inns, attributes the rankings to the unique historic qualities of the properties as well as the consistent effort and enthusiasm of the staff in delivering exceptional service. “We are proud to have our hotels recognized by Condé Nast for the second year in a row.  The commitment of our entire team to providing an unparalleled guest experience grows even stronger when their achievements are showcased in this way.”
 
Of the 91 hotels and resorts on the entire Gold List for the Americas, The Pillar and Post and The Prince of Wales were designated first and second of only 4 Ontario establishments.
 
The Vintage Inns Collection is comprised of 3 luxury hotel properties in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario: The Prince of Wales Hotel & Spa, Queen’s Landing Inn & Conference Resort, and The Pillar and Post Inn, Spa & Conference Centre.
 
For further information visit www.vintageinns.com or contact Colin Sines, Director of Marketing at c.sines@vintageinns.com
 
Something New & Bug-A-Licious
 
Niagara Falls, Ontario-January 13, 2006.  A fascinating new Exhibit will be featured at the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory this winter – come out and jump into the wild world of Poison Dart Frogs.  See these amazing amphibians nestled among the lush tropical foliage of the Conservatory and discover how they thrive in their natural environments.  Learn why these colourful creatures need a moist, humid habitat and why it is so important to conserve their tropical environment.  You’ll be fascinated by their different colour patterns and you can learn how the food they ear helps to protect them from predators.
 
Additional guests, including a yellow anaconda, a tarantula and other intriguing reptiles, will be on hand to launch their special exhibit.  Come out on Saturday January 21, at 11:00 am or 2:30 pm to meet these live specimens and hear a presentation by the owner of Ottawa’s Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo.
 
For something really different, come out to the Butterfly Conservatory during the weekend of February 11 and 12 and take part in the bug-a-licious Insect Food Festival.
Tempt your taste buds with a variety of insects prepared right before your eyes and explore how to use insects from your own backyard as a tasty side dish or dessert.  Learn how different cultures around the world use insects for food and try some delectable insect samples.  The kids will love this one!
 
Poison Dart Frog Exhibit                        January 20 to March 20
Insect Food Festival                               February 11 and 12
 
All included with Admission to the Butterfly Conservatory.  For more information visit www.niagaraparks.com or contact Sarah Woods, Events and Public Relations Manager at swoods@niagaraparks.com
 
 
Film Series at Shaw Festival
 
Shaw Festival in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival Group is presenting a Film Series every Saturday in January and February at the Festival Theatre (10 Queen’s Parade in Niagara-on-the-Lake). ALL SCREENINGS ARE AT 3PM.
 
Tickets are $10.00 and all proceeds benefit the Shaw Festival Theatre Foundation.
 
Each film is critically acclaimed and was part of the Toronto International Film Festival this year.
 
JANUARY 7
CAPOTE
Philip Seymour Hoffman channels the spirit of Truman Capote in this deeply engaging portrait of the great American writer.  Director Bennett Miller’s film focuses on Capote’s research and writing of In Cold Blood, the pioneering non-fiction novel that skyrocketed him to unheralded acclaim – but not without a price.
Rating 14A
 
JANUARY 14
PAPER CLIPS
Winner of several film festival awards, including Best Documentary of 2004 by the National Board or Review of Motion Pictures, this riveting and heart warming documentary tells the tale of a group of small-town people who set out to learn about diversity – and ended up changing the world.
Ration NR
 
JANUARY 21
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
Winner of prizes for Best Direction and Screenwriting at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, this is a dramatic yet funny coming-of-age story set against the elite literacy backdrop of eighties Brooklyn.  Based on autobiographical events in writer-director Noah Baumbach’s life, the film offers a compelling look at the toll a divorce takes on a family.
Rating 14A
 
JANUARY 28
LADIES IN LAVENDAR       
In an impressive directorial debut, writer and actor Charles Dance (Gosford Park) brings to the screen William J. Locke’s short story about the effects of a young Polish man’s arrival at a seaside English village in the thirties.  Relative new-comers Daniel Bruhl, Natascha McElhone and Miriam Margolyes are supported by none other than Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
Rating PG
 
FEBRUARY 4
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Yet another great film to emerge out of Quebec this is a story about a son’s struggle with identity and his quest for acceptance from his family, potently set against the backdrop of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution that began in the sixties (my note: this is one of Canada’s entries for the Academy Awards).
Rating NR
 
FEBRUARY 11
 GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK
 
FEBRUARY 18
TBD (will be either Mrs. Henderson Presents, The Worlds Fastest Indian, Brokeback Mountain or Pride and Prejudice).
 
FEBRUARY 25
WATER
Set amidst the social turbulence of India in the thirties, Deepa Mehta’s Water deals with the plight of a group of widows in the ancient Hindu holy city of Varanasi. This final installment in Mehta’s highly acclaimed trilogy about women in India began shooting on location in Varanasi until protesters shut down filming, which eventually resumed in Sri Lanka.
Rating NR
 
To purchase tickets, please visit the Shaw Festival box office in person, or call locally 905-468-2172 or long distance 1-800-511-SHAW (7429).
 
The Shaw Festival gratefully acknowledges the many residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake who have made this initiative possible, particularly Major Sponsors John and Carol Walker and The Friends of the Festival Film Series.
 
www.shawfest.com
 
www.tourismniagara.com

January 20, 2006   Posted in: Canada