I’ve been pondering a vacation for a while now so I took it upon myself to do a little holiday vacation research and as it turns out, I think I’ll be staying closer to home over the next few months; here’s why:

I’m not a big fan of overcrowded airports, restaurants and resorts which are in plenty during the next couple of months.  More importantly, I would miss the traditional maritime holiday feeling.  I love all the gatherings with friends/family and would hate to miss out on that. In a perfect world, I would just invite everyone to vacation with me in the sun but if it were a perfect world I would go everywhere anytime and money would be no object. In reality, it’s hard to ask my family/friends to travel down below the equator during a time when budgets are rather tight and vacation time is sparse. I once flew to Disneyland on Christmas Eve and although I had a great time with my family, we felt like there was so much we missed out on – our Christmas tree, the snow, the homemade dinners, the smell of baking, the music and even the crisp holiday breeze.

Upon further investigation about holiday traveling I found that many properties and airlines down south have holiday blackout days and stringent cancellation policies.  This makes me slightly weary because, as we all know, during the winter months it can be hard to commit to a flight because you never know if you can make it to the airport or if the planes can even fly out. Nothing feels worse than being snowed into some airport watching your vacation time and money pass you by. Let’s not forget layovers.  The idea of massive delays, long lines, pushy people and missed connections stresses me out just thinking about it. This is even more disheartening because you know that you are likely paying more than you wanted to because some hot destination places peak their rates during December – April.  You will always be paying top dollar for everything from your bedroom to your car rental and merchandise in shops.

To top all this research off, I came across the usual skepticism about traveling to southern hotspots. People are always weary about a weak government with weak laws, high poverty, high crime, health insurance issues and high violence. To be honest, that resort in Mexico that recently blew up scared me a bit.  Personal safety is always something to be considered before traveling away with or without your loved ones. Along with safety concerns there are other basic daily necessities we generally take for granted and need to be cautious of when traveling; one popular well known example being water. We all know that when abroad, don’t drink the water. It’s almost like the Canadian rule of thumb, “don’t eat yellow snow”, except this water guideline might taste okay but can end up with you having Montezuma’s Revenge or worse!

After all my research I decided that rather than heading to the tropics right now, I’m going to stick to Nova Scotia as my holiday destination. Not only do I know the language and feel respect from the people but it’s close enough to home that I am comfortable and safe. If you’re still deciding on your vacation destination, take a look at the South Shore of Nova Scotia. I don’t recommend it solely based on the fact that I love it here and I plan on spending some quality time here, I recommend it because we have what you, your family, and your friends need to enjoy a maritime holiday.

If you’re looking to get away from the everyday while watching your budget, we can help. Our condo-style seaside marina villas and our pet friendly oceanfront chalets are both 2-bedroom units with kitchens, washrooms, living rooms, and amazing patios with breathtaking ocean views. Get the family together or a group of friends and stay in what feels like a home away from home.  To ward off any cabin fever, take a walk on our 34 acre property, take a swim in the pool, relax in the sauna, rejuvenate in the Aqua Spa, and dine in La Vista dining room. It’s easy to feel like you’re a million miles away even when you could be right down the road.

~ Lisa

All I have to say is – HOT!  and no I’m not referring to some old Avril Lavigne song or some shirtless guy across the street – it’s actually straight up HOT in Nova Scotia. 

Do you know what the worst part about working at Oak Island Resort in the summer is?  It’s the fact that while I’m working, there is a fantastic outdoor pool just steps away calling my name! a cold beer on the dining room deck begging to be drank! and 105 air-conditioned guestrooms surrounding me!  Life is just not fair right now!

As I sit here with a fan pointed directly at me, I have a hard time imagining those poor Torontonians who have experienced temperatures in the 40s (with humidity).  My sister-in-law and her husband are police officers in Toronto and I am unable to even understand the heat they feel while at work in their full police uniform, bullet vest and all!

So this morning when I woke up, in my non-air-conditioned apartment, I checked my phone; not just for the time but also the weather.  My blackberry has a temperature app (yup, I’m an app kinda girl) that keeps me updated on the weather.  When I wake up at 7:30am and see that it’s already in the 20s I  immediatly start thinking about what light fabric work ensemble I’m going to wear because the thought of a black suit or even closed toe shoes makes me cringe.  Lately, I seem to check this app several times a day to see how hot it actually is.   I just looked at the app right now and even though it says it’s only 27 it also lets me know that with humidty at 100% it actually feels like it’s 34!  Part of me questions the validity of this app because I think it’s hotter, but who am I to judge?!

It’s not just us Nova Scotians that are feeling the heat, it’s the entire East Coast of North America!  Even parts of Russia are sweltering from what some call the worst wave of hot dry weather!  It all makes me wonder, is global warming responsible for this East Coast heat wave?  Dr. Rob Carver answers:

“Ah, the $64,000 question. In the absence of detailed analysis, it’s hard to specify the exact cause for this heat wave, from a meteorological or climatological view point. However, events like this are consistent with research showing that heat waves are more likely with global warming.  I like the metaphor of loaded dice, global warming is not specifically responsible for any heat wave, but it will make them happen more often.”   (http://climateprogress.org/2010/07/07/heat-wave-global-warming-media-coverage/)

So, can we expect next summer to be even hotter?  Who knows! 

Don’t get me wrong, I love the sunshine! and the warmth! and in December I’ll be wishing I could return to this moment, humidity and all;  but as it stands right now, I’m at the mercy of this fabulous fan beside my desk.

-Lisa

Wow!  That’s really all I have to say about this weather.  Not only has this been one of the most mild winters but now we’re enjoying sunshine and warmth at the end of March – unreal. 

Today they’re calling for 13 degrees, tomorrow 14.  It’s not only our lovely East Coast of Nova Scotia that is being hit with these record breaking heats but Toronto is also experiencing summer during winter.  You may assume this is happening all over the country but it’s not.  In Vancouver, where we saw golden sun rays throughout the 2010 Olympics, they are keeping below 10 degrees celcius whereas we’re slowly inching higher and higher from that point.  In Calgary they woke up to snow this morning!!  Did we wake up to snow? or anything remotely cold enough to be snow?  NOPE!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not delusional, I realize that this gorgeous weather may come to and end and the cold snow could rear its ugly head again, but I don’t even care.  Right now it’s sunny and I want to bask in it.  I enjoyed the walking trails around the resort yesterday and today I’m thinking about going to wonder through Mahone Bay; there’s a great little shop called Amos Pewter that I can’t wait to check out.  It’s only a matter of time before the outdoor pool at the resort is open but in the mean time I’ll settle for the newly renovated indoor pool. 

All in all, this weather has brought smiles to faces all over; it’s easier to get up in the morning, more encouraging to get out in the air after work and most of all, perfect for sunsets. 

Maybe a picnic at Peggy’s Cove this weekend?!  I think so!