Exploring Sicily & The Residence Inn by Marriott Bromont

My co-host Travel Expert Onanta Forbes was finishing up her long stay in Sicily last week before moving on to her next adventure so we get the highlights. Then we'll head to Bromont, Quebec to learn about the new opening of the Residence Inn by Marriott Bromont. Which features 134 suites with full kitchens and direct access to ski slopes, hiking, and biking trails.

Transcript

Exploring Sicily

SPEAKER_03 0:06

Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. I'm your host, Randy Sharman, my co-host and travel expert Onanda Ford was finishing up her long stay in Sicily last week before moving on to her next adventure. So we'll get to the highlights in just a few seconds, and then we'll head to Bromont, Quebec, to learn about the new opening of the Residence Inn by Marriott Bromont, which features 134 suites with full kitchens and direct access to ski slopes, hiking, and biking trails. Sounds amazing. It just opened back in January, so I'm excited to hear more about it. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanta Forbes, who joins us each week to talk about some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and ex at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. Hello for the uh final time in Sicily, Onanta. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:06

I am well. Ciao Randy. Yeah, it is. Um tomorrow we depart. We go to Rome for part four of our long stay. And then it's actually uh a 14-day Mediterranean cruise out of um Rome. So before we go, um we had the wonderful opportunity. It's a beautiful day here today, beautiful sunshine, uh, lots of people out and about. Um, this past week we were able to do two different excursions. One that I created by myself, and we went to a place called Noto. And Noto is a great half-day excursion from Orotia where we are staying. And you can get here by train or by bus. We decided to take the bus just because we've done the train and um shared tours and so on, and it was easy, it really was easy. I do have to um maybe share with uh clients that it there's only one bus station in Noto, but when you book it on Interbus, their app, this shows that there's two. So there could be a little bit of confusion. Um but it it runs a few times a day. It only costs between three to six euros and it takes about 55 minutes. It's not the fastest option. The train is. The train is 30 minutes, but the train um where the train stops in Noto, you still have to walk away a wee bit um to get to the main area of the um of Noto. So when we take the bus, you arrive just outside the historic center, and from there that the the town basically unfolds along one main street. It's called Corso Victoria Emanuel, and everything sits along its axis, so it's really easy to explore on foot. And the walk starts at Porto Real. It's a big stone arch that marks the entrance to the old city, and then once you pass through it, the streets just open up um into that warm golden uh limestone that Noto is known for. And almost everything here was built after the um 1693 earthquake, so which is why the architecture feels so consistent. Um, and then as you walk up, you will reach the Cathedral of Noto, and it dominates the main square with a wide staircase leading up to the tall facade. And inside it's surprisingly simple and bright, and um the the cathedral had to be rebuilt after the dome collapsed in 1996. So the inferior, the interior, pardon me, feels clean and open rather than overly ornate. And that's one of the things that you'll find when you're in Sicily is that when she like the the facade of a cathedral or a church may or may not be rather, I don't know, plain looking, but when you get in, wowzers, it's gorgeous. High ceiling, lots of artwork, lots of old artifacts, and lots of history. And so directly opposite sits the palazzo. Now I'm gonna apologize ahead of time. Maybe my pronunciation isn't the best. Um, DeSuzio, and that's the town hall. So even if you don't go inside, the square itself is a good place to pause before continuing the walk. And then from the cathedral, it's um worth turning briefly onto Via Nicolace, and it's just a short street, but it's a it's a pretty distinctive um in town. The balconies of the Palazzo Nicolace are held up by elaborate carved brackets. So you're gonna see lions, winged horses, other Baroque figures that look like they're carrying the entire building, and and it was um, it's quite beautiful. Um, like it's almost like a Romeo and Juliet balcony scene, but it's just so ornately created and nice to see. Um, and and and of course, uh they have beautiful restaurants along the way, and I don't know why. I love loud music, so there's like pounding music, but it's not like techno or disco or anything, but it's like traditional Italian. Oh, cool. And it's really it's it's kind of fun to just listen to it um as you walk up or even have a seat.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

It's like being in a movie.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Yes, absolutely. Speaking of movies, not that it was a movie, but one of my planned was Cafe Sicilia, which is famous for its almond granita. And it was actually um featured on Netflix Chef's table. I think it was on season two, but unfortunately it's closed. Um, so that plan didn't work out. But the good news is granita is of is is everywhere in Noto and in Sicily. Um, so most cafes serve at brioche, which is the classic Sicilian combination, and they have flavors like almond and lemon or mulberry. So if you're hungry, the local tracciatorias um keep things simple. So arecina, capanata, pasta alla norma, swordfish rolls, everything we kind of talked about last week, and lots of desserts based around ricotta. So um it it you know it doesn't take a long time to walk this main area of of um uh Noto. And it's just really basically one street. So you could do it in a half a day. Um, and um, for the return trip, I actually purchased a bus ticket for a later departure back to Syracuse, but after walking through the town, I decided to try for earlier bus. And but the catch is um the bus company doesn't accept a later ticket for earlier departure. So I had to buy another ticket for the a new time. Not a lot of money, but interestingly enough, you do you they won't accept for other than the time that the bus departs. Um but just something to know, and you learn along the way. Um, so you know, overall, Noto works well as a short day trip. Um, the historic center is compact, you can walk it in under a kilometer, see the main Baroque landscapes, wander a few side treats and um strike side uh streets, and grab something cold to eat and head back the same afternoon. So very easy to do on your own. You can do um a tour if you wish, but you know, if you are um, you don't have to always do a tour. Things are so sometimes simple enough to carry on by yourself. So I did a little test because everybody talks about chat GBT, right? And how you can just, you know, throw in what you want to do and it gives you suggestions, and and for and I so I thought I'm gonna try this. I'm a travel agent, so I want to see what my clients um see. For the most part, it was correct. Sometimes it wasn't logical, the places to go and see in the manner as it then flows. And um, it did suggest Cafe Cecilia, but it was closed, and it didn't tell you it was closed. So you have to keep that in mind that yes, it could be a good source, but you have to be conscious that it might not be up to date.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

So just to just that, you know, you have it's it is a good source in a sense, just to get an outline of it, but you do have to do some further research or um, you know, maybe and talk to your travel advisor just to see what's happening. Um, the other trip we took this week was basically um going to other places in southeastern Sicily. Now, this one I did a private tour, and I I really enjoyed it. It may be one of my um favorite touring cities and destinations that I did, but it was good to have the guide because it was one of those perfect day trips where like the history, the architecture, the coastal views, and the incredible food all come together.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

So our first stop was the beautiful hill town of Matica. And this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its dramatic layout across steep hillsides and it has amazing Baroque architecture. And as you walk through the town, it feels like a city that's layered in terraces, and it and all these terraces are beautiful honey-colored stone. The they have elegant churches, historic buildings. They just rise above like the narrow street. And one of the highlights here is a facade of the Palazzo Polera, and it's recognizable to fans of Italian TV, and there's a TV series here called Inspector Um Maltavano. And so we were taken to different places, and and for sure, I didn't quite connect because I, you know, it I don't know if it's on Canadian Netflix, but I'm sure I could find it on YouTube or something. But it was it was interested with that um kind of flavors. Just like if you went a godfather tour and you watched the movies, and you you can connect, right? And and and Monica's beautiful, like it's awe and like breathtaking. Like the when we first or first stop, we walked up these amazing stairs into um this church. And the church, as I say, had high ceilings and and it's free to go in. You have to be very respectful, of course, because it's a church, it's a place of worship. But there's nobody there because we're off season, and it was wonderful to see all the different um artifacts and the and the um paintings from years ago. So, one thing to keep in mind this is a city or a place that is created on like from a valley and up through the hills. So you do have to watch your step. You do have to make sure you have good walking shoes, um, lots of stairs here. So, mobile challenge people, you have to make appropriate um touring decisions because it's it's just not easy to walk all these stairs and and such. And Monica is very famous for their chocolate. Um, so we went to this place that made chocolate, and it's the family that has it in place for many years. And the um high contact content of cocoa is is if you like dark chocolate, you'll be in heaven. Absolute heaven.

SPEAKER_03 12:17

And it's good for you. Dark chocolate's good for you.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

Yes, that's a good take on it.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:24

Yes. So definitely, you know, try the chocolate that's here. They have white chocolate too. Um, but it for me, I like white chocolate or milk chocolate. So for me, it it could have it got a little bitter, but my partner loves dark chocolate, so he was he was quite um impressed by it. Um, and then they showed you how it was made and so on. And then um you find these little signs because like like the New York Times would be there and it would say the 10 things you should do in Monica, and this is one of the things that you should do, and one of the places that you should go. Um, so after Monica, we went to um Ragusso, and Ragusso is uh considered one of the finest examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture. Then we go up this to this really quiet green oasis at the edge of the historic center, and this is where you get really beautiful um views of the valleys, and and then after that, we went to this um fishing village of Punta Seca. And again, if you've watched Inspector Maltabano, this place will look immediately familiar. And this series, this TV series, is based on books that have a famous Italian author. So if you don't watch the series or can't have access to it, read the read the books because the books are quite um fun. And they and it's almost like a satirical look of Italian life. So it's quite interesting. Um, and then we have this great um uh Sicilian-style brunch, and it it was mainly cheese and bread and olives and different types of meat with a glass of local Sicilian wine. Seems very simple, especially when you know we've been on um, like, you know, we're kind of used to when we're touring, we have this like buffet style kind of menu and quite heavy, but this was just lovely. It's a simple and nice, and it fills you up. Like it, you're not gonna be hungry at all. Um, and then the last stop was this elegant Baroque town of Chicli. And this is where we again enjoy the architecture of the town with the amazing palaces and churches at which they line the streets. And um again, it has a definite reference to the downtown hall because that's where um people will recognize the police station in the fictional town where Inspector Maltabano was um created or based. So it's all very lovely. Um you know what I have to say, this was one of my favorite touring days because it's just, you know, sometimes you see pictures of Sicily and Italy and all the different architecture and the the um visions of all what happened or what was created in times of past, and you kind of think, oh yeah, that's nice. But when you're actually here, it's like wowzers, it's pretty interesting.

SPEAKER_03 15:32

Yeah, yeah, well it sounds amazing, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

It is amazing, and it and I would suggest, you know, to um always keep your safety, your personal safety in mind. But if you're in a destination, such as Orteja or Matica or Raguso, go out at night because it's a different feel of the place because it's it's lit up differently, and it's got this honey glow uh honey glow on the buildings and such. And um, it's it's quite lovely. Uh so just a nice day to spend.

SPEAKER_03 16:09

Yeah. Well, I was going to ask, and this is like uh your fourth week in Is in Sicily. You spend four weeks there, right? Um if I'm correct. So and and you're you're kind of doing like the locals, going to the market every day to get uh stuff for for dinner. Did you get to know people and did they get to know you like the like you're the tourist? Like you're tourists stand out to locals, right? So so were you kind of um almost not really celebrities, but were you well known in the area that oh yeah, there's those those are the Canadians.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Um I don't know if I was well known, but I think I I I I actually said it to my uh traveling partner, Jim. I said to him, you know, I feel like I know these people now because they kind of, you know, I I walk out of our apartment um uh building and you know, in the morning the markets there and the people that are having the booth there, they they see us and they say, Bonjour no, and I and I go to the different um um butchers and they see us. And you know, again, I I do share the the importance of having on your uh phone Google Translate because sometimes I I'll I'll say something like I wanted to get buttermilk, and nobody kind of knew what buttermilk was here, but I was able to with Google Translate share, or if I wanted chicken thighs, I would say this is what I want. And and uh it's just it's it's amazing though the food, the meat is so fresh. You could tell there's a difference between what we get in the grocery stores at home. You really can tell. Yeah, um, and it's it's very it's it's good, you know. Ortiz worked well for a long sale because it's compact and it's it's um walkable, and then you kind of know where to go for an espresso, or you can you not that I ever got used to it, but you know, afternoons slow down because of they close between one and four, which is when I get perky, but it's not that way here, right? So after a few weeks, you do develop routines and you recognize familiar faces, which it which makes the island feel more like a neighborhood than a destination. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

But it's um I don't know if I unless you have family here, I don't know if I would choose it for a long stay. I think it's definitely a destination that's becoming more uh interested to visit. But I think I would use it as an opportunity to spend maybe two or three nights at a destination and then go to a different place. And then as we talked about earlier, flying to Catania and out of Palermo or vice versa, so you're not backtracking. Yeah, um, you can do it by car if you wish. Now the speed limit is 130 kilometers an hour, and they don't stick to that. Like I nobody sticks to the speed limit.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

No, they always go faster.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Yes. And so you may want to consider that, or there's lots of tours. Like I know Globus has one that says um the colors of Sicily that you can take. So you can take a tour. And what I was thinking too, you know, hindsight is is what is it, 2020? Like I was thinking, I should have maybe, you know, toured it and then ended up in Pula and then kind of flew out of Rome, which we're gonna do anyway. So there's different ways to experience it. Um it as I say, it's up to you how you want to experience it, whether you know, you are you are happy just to stay in one place and and or and just roam at will for day tours and such. Um because it's um it's you know, the strength of a long stay is that it's walkable. You have that human scale, like you can you can connect to people, they'll get to know who you are. There's that strong food culture with fresh ingredients that you know you get we got from the market. Um, there's the opportunity, you know, to just have easy access to different towns of the countryside. So it it was good, you know, but as I say, it's up to you how you want to do your long stay or how to experience a destination.

SPEAKER_03 20:44

Well, I was gonna say too, you could always use it as a uh pre-cruise stay because that leads into what you're going to do next week is uh go to on a Mediterranean cruise, which I'm looking forward to uh hearing all about as well.

SPEAKER_00 21:00

And I'm looking forward to it too, because then I don't have to plan meals, I don't have to cook, I don't have to clean.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

Um, you know, so I was it is well uh people can uh check out your experiences on your social media feeds, Instagram, Facebook, and X at OnandoForbes, and your website too is onandaforbes.com. So looking forward to uh hearing all about uh we'll catch you, I guess, in the middle of your Mediterranean cruise next week.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

You bet. Looking forward to it. Ciao.

Residence Inn by Marriott Bromont

SPEAKER_03 21:39

This is the Informed Traveler Podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformedraveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You can also email me too with any questions or show segment ideas you might have. My email address is randy at the informedtraveler.org. org and you can check out our social media pages too at facebook.com slash informed traveler, Instagram at informed traveler, or on X at Informed Traveler. That's where you'll find the number of videos and reels from our adventures throughout the year and audio clips from our past shows. Plus you can sign up for our monthly newsletter as well. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our March issue is now available. Just go to our website theinformtraveler.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. So let's head to Bromont, Quebec now to learn about the new opening of the Residence Inn by Marriott Bromont. It just opened back in January, so I'm excited to hear all about it. So here now to share the details is Jean Frederick Fortin. He's the opening general manager for the Residence Inn by Marriott Bromont. Marriott.com is the website. Bonjour Jean Frederick Bonjour Randy thanks for having me. Well thanks for doing this. It's always exciting when the new hotel opens up I'm a bit of a hotel geek but uh is this a brand new hotel built from the ground up or is it sort of a renovation from an old building?

SPEAKER_04 23:13

Nope built from the ground up it took us roughly 18 months to build this beautiful building. So yeah completely new.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

Nice. Let's talk about the location first though I I've never been to Bromont Quebec. There is a map on your website though but just uh give us an idea of where it's located and and the best way to get it there.

SPEAKER_04 23:35

Yeah so we are located uh in the Eastern Township so uh if if you have a chance Randy you you must come visit because the eastern township is one of the most picturesque regions of Quebec uh it is about an hour away from Montreal uh and we are located at the base of the Bromont Mountain uh so Bromont Montagne d'Experience is our main partner in the project uh so that's the mountain they're operating a four season mountain of course you can do ski and snowboarding but during the the summer and the spring uh mountain biking is very popular in Bromont uh so so we are located right at the foot of the mountain uh we're the only ski and ski out hotel in the eastern township nice so the distance would be similar for someone from Calgary going to Bam ski so um a day trip you could do it or or stay overnight which is what you would want to do. Yeah we would love to have you overnight yeah exactly we have a beautiful restaurant on site uh and and a beautiful uh outdoor pool and uh hot tub uh so lots to do at the hotel yeah so uh uh now like I said I'm a hotel geek and and it's exciting when a new hotel opens up so describe some of the rooms like there there's nothing better than I I would assume when you there are some rooms that uh for the first time the you're the you could be the first person staying there. Exactly yes uh it's nothing that that feels like it uh so so in terms of the rooms uh everything was designed locally uh we have a uh design agency in Montreal that took care of all the design of the building uh it's it's very Scandinavian inspired it is a residence in so I don't know if you're familiar with the residence in brand uh Randy but it was originally created for extended stay uh guests uh so the thing that is really nice about our rooms is that we have a full kitchen and all the units uh and you can have a studio uh which is basically your room with with the living room all together or you can have a suite uh that has a bedroom separated from the living room depending on uh whether you want a little bit more space um and another another thing that differentiates us uh is uh the two bedroom suite uh type of room that we have so we have uh a large suite about 800 square feet uh that has two bedrooms so one bedroom with uh two queen size beds the other bedroom with a king size bed each bedroom has its own uh bathroom and then there's the living room in between uh so perfect for family getaways or uh uh getaways with friends well yeah as you mentioned uh the one thing I do like about uh residence in by Marriott is the fact that they are sweets and you can you can have a few meals in your own room that kind of thing and and it just seems more roomier and more uh home like doesn't it absolutely that's uh the essence of the brand uh and we have a little uh market right next to the front desk where you can buy uh some uh some stuff for your dinner uh we we also offer breakfast at the hotel breakfast is complimentary that's also another differentiator of the residence and brand uh so we have a a buffet breakfast served every morning to our guests in the sun filled light uh dining room uh right behind the front desk uh so great way to start the day and after that for your meals hey you have two options you can either cook in your room because the rooms are equipped as I mentioned uh or we have an amazing restaurant that we just opened which is called Cabin uh that does uh local cuisine uh and it's headed by Laurent Godbou which is a very famous chef uh so lots of options on site we'll talk about some of the amenities now uh you mentioned that there is a restaurant there but there's also uh a pool I understand uh a gym area so uh lots of amenities people can enjoy yeah yeah exactly so after uh a long day on the slopes uh skiing uh you can go relax in the outdoor eated pool uh we have uh outdoor hot tubs as well that all have a beautiful view of the mountain uh we have a sauna as well a dry sauna uh gym 1000 square feet uh gym which is uh pretty large with state of the art equipment um and in addition to that we have a game room uh for for kids of all ages uh any people young at heart will uh will find their fun at the game room uh we have a laundry room as well for guests that are staying a little bit longer um and one thing that i like to mention that also differentiates this product is the indoor parking it's very rare that you're gonna find indoor parking at a ski station but we have over 200 uh indoor parking spots at this hotel very nice yes that helps when you have to brush snow off your car absolutely yeah it keeps the car warm for you uh so how's the ski season been so far I know you just opened recently but uh is the snow good are the crowds good oh yes uh we've been having an incredible ski season so far lots of snow uh in the eastern township uh it started quite early uh as of early December we got a lot of snow here uh still going strong as well uh so it's definitely been a a busy season for our partners at Bromont Montagne d'Experience um and uh yeah it's it's going extremely well the the weather is on our side so far keep your fingers crossed and when the snow does melt as you mentioned there's also all sorts of summer activities so it's a it's a year-round place that you can you can use definitely it's uh year-round place it's a year round destination like I said the mountain is year round so if you do mountain bike uh if you do uh regular bike there's a lot of uh paths in Bromont uh hiking very popular lots of hiking trails in Bromont uh and and we also have uh uh spas golf courses as well within uh 10 minute driving distance from the hotel um it's a big playground Bromont is a big playground uh and and it's really fun all year long sounds like it I would think being on the mountain especially at nighttime it gets so quiet it it it it just must be amazing yes definitely the the the scenery is something I would say um and the night skiing in Bromont I don't know if you know but Bromont uh is the largest uh domain for night skiing in North America so I didn't know yeah definitely so there there's ski that that goes uh all the way up until uh 10 10 30 p.m and uh once every two weeks they do what they call a nuit blanche uh and you can ski up until 1 a.m and it's all lighted it's beautiful they have shows uh on the mountains at the top of the mountain uh they they they have sometimes uh DJs uh or or performers uh so there's a lot of activity at the mountain as well any special events coming up uh for I don't know towards the end of ski season into the spring summer uh that type of thing yes a lot of events are going on uh at the mountain like I said we're getting a lot of uh performers uh at the whole at the the mountain uh so I would encourage people to visit uh the Bromont Montagne d'Experience website uh which has the calendar of events uh it's gonna be um spring break very soon so there will be a lot of activations at the mountain uh for families uh so so lots of things that are coming up and the Nuit Blanche like I said uh there was one last week so there will be another one next week it's definitely an experience uh the apraski well the ski experience but the après ski experience is quite something as well and we've just launched our appreski at cabin we have a a great terrace just outside of the of our in-house restaurant cabin restaurant uh and they do appreski with DJs uh they've tried to reproduce uh a concept that you see in the Alps uh so we did our first last weekend it was packed but it was so much fun uh they they they have uh something for everyone nice um I'm going to assume if you're flying into Montreal for example from uh elsewhere uh is there do you have to rent a car is there shuttles is there other ways to uh to get to Bromont other than renting a car renting a car is definitely the best way uh it's the fastest way first and foremost uh and it's also uh the easiest way once you get to Bromont uh to go let's say to visit the the Balneaspa or if you're here in the summer to go to a golf course so we highly recommend uh coming with a car but it is possible to book a shuttle from the airport to Bromont uh that is a service that is available.

SPEAKER_03 32:54

Anything else?

SPEAKER_04 32:56

Yeah aside from saying that this is a one of a kind project uh that originated with the the the vision of the founder of the mountain monsieur desurdi and the builder uh Bertrand Lebeuf and his team uh I I would say that it's it's definitely a place to visit and like I said if you want to have the feeling of being in the Hobbs without taking a flight to go to the Hobbs then this is definitely the destination you should check out.

SPEAKER_03 33:23

Perfect it's the residence in by Marriott Bromont Jean Frederick Fortin is the general manager of the residence in by Marriott Bromont. You can find all the information on the Marriott website Marriott.com uh appreciate your time uh Jean Frederick thank you so much thank you Randy was a pleasure speaking with you and that is our show for this week if you have comments or questions we'd love to hear from you if you have a show idea send that along as well my email is Randy at the informed traveler dot or g if you like what you heard tell a friend you can check out our website too at the informed traveler.org in the meantime thanks for listening to travel safe and be an informed traveler