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The Queen’s Head tavern sits only a block away from Lake Ontario beachfront in Burlington, Canada. From the outside, The Queen’s Head tavern would happily sit alongside pubs in downtown London, rather than downtown Burlington Ontario. With rich wood featuring such detailed architecture, you are in for a truly genuine pub experience.
A friendly greeting at the door sets the tone for the evening ahead. I had called a local mate for a beer, and we decided to sit on the newly built outside patio, with a great view of one of the main thoroughfares in Burlington. Our bubbly waitress was eager to explain the menu with detailed knowledge of the food on offer. After just a few moments of chatting, it was obvious staff have a lot of confidence in their chef, and it wasn’t too long before we found out why – the food is good.
The Queens Head pub has a great reputation with locals and is popular throughout the entire week so expect it to be busy at any time. Try to get in early in the evening, as even though it was Wednesday on our visit, it was busy so it’s not fast food. We had a great night, kept well entertained by the live music and the surprisingly extensive selection of beverages.
The food
I generally am quite indecisive when it comes to menus, but this starter menu gives the perfect amount of options – i.e. not too many to choose from. Try the pumpkin and prosciutto flatbread, which you don’t see in many pub style restaurants, it’s worth it.
For the main, I suggest the Parmesan haddock. The dish is presented in a large white bowl with two large crisp pieces of haddock on a bed of beautifully spiced fingerling potatoes, blanched with salted purple kale and a creamed leak sauce. Your taste buds will come alive! The complementing flavours and texture blend charmingly. A perfectly proportioned dish left me satisfied.
I could smell the mouth-watering dessert long before the dish reached my table. I almost regretted ordering this …almost. I was pleasantly full-bellied from dinner already, and the dessert plate served up intimidated me – it was huge! Who knew such wonderful taste could convince you to fit the impossible into your already full stomach. Every bite left me wanting more. My waitress suggested it, and I pass on the secret to you – definitely try the candied ginger and preserved fruit bread pudding at the Queens Head, Burlington.
The Queens Head has amazing food, great live entertainment and quality service. There isn’t much more you can ask for with a pub experience – I’d say it’s a winner.
GO THERE NOW
Located on Georgian Bay in Ontario Canada, is true diamond in the rough, the grotto of the Bruce Peninsula, Cyprus Lake. A beautiful lake, hike, and scuba diving paradise waiting to be explored on what is the perfect hike for a day trek activity.
Hiking
A days walk will pass by the North-West of the peninsula, and is truly a sovereign hikers delight. Known famously as the Bruce Trail, the trek passes an abundance of caves along coastal cliffs. You will reach amazing blue-green waters to swim in if the temperature is right. You will easily find well hidden bays, which hold so much natural beauty you forget the modern technological world is so close by.
Swimming and Scuba
This is a place you know scuba diving and snorkelling is something else. The deep waters are aqua crystal clear and there are old ship-wrecks to explore around Georgian Bay. So crystal-clear are the waters, that rocks sit in depths of more than 50 ft drops (15.24 m) yet seem like they are within arm’s reach. The areas powerful landscapes hold so much grace, a grown man will drop to his knees. Especially on a sunny day with his swimming trunks on, in the water - Bombs away!
Camping
An awesome feature of the area is a variety of camping options. Pull-in-and-park-RV or tent camping options are available, along with open sites, areas with private high foliage, areas where music is permitted, and then areas where it is not. The camping area has been thought out well to accommodate everyone. If you bring alcohol there is an area for this, or choose the family friendly zones. There are also hike-in campsites and portaging all around the Bruce Peninsula.
Recommendation
If you are a person who is in love with outdoors experiences and find yourself in southern Ontario then you cannot miss the opportunity of walking the Bruce Peninsula. It is truly one of the best hidden gems in Canada.
START ACTIVITY
The seaplane dips ever so slightly as we approach to land on the glacial waters surrounding the wild, remote islands and inlets of British Columbia's far north-west.
From my vantage point in the cockpit, the pine forests stretch endlessly into the horizon, their uniformity broken by the occasional snow-capped rocky mountain peak. Apart from the odd lone fishing boat, there are no obvious signs of human life. We begin to close in on the green-blue waters of a fjord below with a gentle bump signalling our landing. As our pilot steers the aircraft down the waterway, the green-roofed floating log cabins of Knight Inlet Lodge come into view. Against the dramatic backdrop of the mountains, they seem positively dwarfed.
``Welcome to bear country,'' our pilot says as we pull up outside the lodge.
The bears he is referring to are the grizzlies -- the admired and feared animals which dominate Canada's north-west outskirts.
Knight Inlet has one of the largest concentrations in British Columbia. The guests who make the journey here come for just one purpose: to see these animals up close.
Two of the lodge's staff come over to greet us before we are led to our rooms. Mine is tucked away at the back of a cosy timber cabin with a fireplace and spectacular views across the inlet. We're given just enough time to settle in before the Lodge's guides direct us to a boat for our first bear-spotting session. As we set off, we are told the rules of bear-watching: no loud-talking, perfume or camera-flashes; the idea, of course, is not to attract attention.
No more than a few minutes have passed when our guide -- a Canadian local who drives huskies during the winter -- points ahead to a moving brown figure behind a bush. It moves forward so that its shape can be seen. Yep, it's a bear -- and a big one at that. We are told he is around 180kg and most likely a male.
The boat's engine is turned off and we sit and watch. It is so quiet that the cracking sound of branches being broken by the bear as he feeds echo through the valley. He eventually catches our scent and briefly lifts his large round head to sniff the air. Deciding the salmonberries on his bush are far more interesting, he resumes eating. We leave him be and continue our search.
The anchor is pulled up and we head to a grassland area further north where we find two smaller grizzlies on the water's edge.
We are told there can be up to 40 bears sighted within a few kilometres of the lodge. As they like to feed by the water, you're likely to see at least a dozen, even on a bad day. Satisfied with our first bear sightings, we head back to the Lodge for dinner.
Knight Inlet's two resident chefs have been cooking all day and their efforts of crab, roast beef, vegetables and varied cakes and sweets are devoured by our hungry crew. By the end of the meal, I feel as if I've consumed an entire bear.
Still, I somehow manage to squeeze in a glass of red by the fire where the rest of the guests have gathered.
The next morning, after waking to the sounds of bird calls, we are split into groups -- some will go off on a hike while others will take out the kayaks. Our group is hiking through a forest to see where the bears sleep, eat and just hang out.
After a short motorboat cruise down the inlet, we disembark before boarding a big bear-proof truck for our journey into the forest.
Unlike the rules on the boat, we are instructed to talk loudly when off the truck to let the bears know we are here. The aim of this tour is to see where the bears live, but not to actually run into one. If they know we are here, they will keep their distance.
We follow an old logging route into the forest. Light soon turns to darkness as the thick rainforest canopy blots out the sun.
We eventually pull over to begin the first of a series of short walks into the bush.
A few steps down a trail, we are stopped by our guide who crouches down near a brown mound ... bear droppings, and still warm. We look around nervously, but all is still: whatever left it behind has moved on.
As we move further down the trail, we come across a large sheltered depression beneath an old-growth rainforest tree. Our guide explains it is a ``day bed'' -- a place for bears to sleep in between foraging for food. Not far away we find a tree covered in bear fur which is used as a scratching post.
After a good few hours exploring, we head back to the Lodge for lunch before our afternoon bear-viewing tours. This time, more bears have come out to play. As we watch, two cubs take part in a spectacular chase along the water's edge. The pair are pursued by a cranky adult grizzly who has apparently objected to their presence.
Further along the inlet, a large chocolate-coloured head of another bear appears above the grasses. We also encounter a pair of bald-headed eagles carrying sticks to a nest, and an enormous sleeping seal making use of a random log which has floated into the inlet.
One of the guides offers to take us on an afternoon cruise to some of the inlet's glacial waterfalls. A thick blanket of fog descends into the cove before lifting to reveal mountain-top glaciers and sheer rock faces with waterfalls fuelled by melting snow.
We also see more bald-headed eagles and seals. But it's too early in the season for whales, which also frequent the local waters.
By the end of my three-day stay, I feel as if I have stepped back into a time and place before humans occupied the planet.
With just four hours left before I must fly home, I decide to squeeze in a last-minute kayaking tour. Three grizzly bears are out on the shoreline. My kayak drifts towards one of them. Although I am a good few metres away, I can see all his features in great detail -- from the hump on his back, a small scar on his head to his giant front paws. I thank him for allowing me into his home.
Getting there
Several major airlines fly from Sydney to Vancouver, from about $AU1300. The lodge, Knight Inlet Lodge, is 80km north-west of Campbell River, British Columbia. Guests flying from Vancouver stay overnight at Campbell River before taking a float-plane to Glendale Cove.
Package: ... Scenic Tours' four-day grizzly bear expedition can be added to any of its tours or taken alone from May to late October. Fare from $AU2345 includes return air faresfrom Vancouver, two nights at Knight Inlet Lodge, one night at Campbell River. All-weather gear and boots included.
More: www.scenictours.com or 1300 723 642.
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