This is the weekly Style File, featuring what’s on the radar of The Globe’s lifestyle desk – from travel to home and design, wellness, fashion or beauty. Sign up for The Globe’s arts and lifestyle newsletters for more news, columns and advice in your inbox.
Kimpton Saint George Hotel has collaborated with top-rated Culinary Adventure Co. to offer curated walking tours through some of the city’s most eclectic neighbourhoods where they will meet local chefs, artisans and family-owned restauranteurs.Pedro Paulo Ferreira/Supplied
A cool food tour in Toronto
For the month of October, guests of the Kimpton Saint George Hotel are being offered a chance to see Toronto through a foodie lens. The boutique hotel has collaborated with top-rated Culinary Adventure Co. to offer curated walking tours through some of the city’s most eclectic neighbourhoods where they will meet local chefs, artisans and family-owned restauranteurs – and, of course, sample some delicious cuisine. The hotel and tour package starts at $450 and includes a one-night stay and two tour tickets to Chinatown/Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market and the Sugar and Spice Holiday tour on Queen St. West. In addition to the food tours, guests at the Kimpton can also take part in a monthly Cheese & Cheers event, hosted by Culinary Adventure Co.’s founder Kevin Durkee who will oversee wine and cheese pairings. kimptonsaintgeorge.com
Au Lit Fine Linens bedding.Supplied
A dreamy way to shop
Au Lit Fine Linens has moved into 10,000 square feet in Toronto’s design district on Tycos Drive. CEO and owner Joanne Goodman is carrying on a love of linens which her mother, Peggy Bryon began in 1981 with a modest 700-square-foot shop in Montreal. She sold cotton sheets at a time when the market was dominated by polyester. Since then, luxury linens have evolved with thread counts ranging from 200 to over 1000 and fabrics including modal and bamboo, and with it, a need to touch and feel the next buy. A recent study in the Journal of Marketing cites “a critical role of the physical store is to enhance customer value by providing physical engagement customers need to purchase ‘deep’ products.”
More “deep” products include pima cotton PJs made in Canada (exclusive to Au Lit), a coming collaboration with Toronto-based loungewear brand Province of Canada, and increased custom-design services. And, scent is on offer too. “Our Au Lit Pure Linen scent, which includes soaps, candles and diffusers, is crafted for us in France,” says Goodman. “Picture a crisp cotton sheet hung to dry in a sunny spring breeze.” aulitfinelinens.com
Eleven Rio Palena Lodge is a luxury, seven-room lodge surrounded by all types of skiable terrain.Eleven Rio Palena Lodge
A bespoke ski hill in Patagonia
For the skier who has everything: How about a chance to name a first-descent in the Andes? Before the southern ski season closes in mid-November, get down to Eleven Rio Palena Lodge where skiers of all abilities can snag a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a remote corner of Chilean Patagonia. Rio Palena is a luxury, seven-room lodge surrounded by all types of skiable terrain: wide alpine bowls, precipitous couloirs and gentle glacier slopes. Certified mountain guides will track out a new line to match a guest’s ability and lead them up for the official first decent and the chance to name their very own big mountain line. Guests can then relive the adventure over empanadas at après and soaking in one of the lodge’s wood-fired hot tubs, amongst many other delights. Certificates and photos are supplied to show off at home too. Just bring your ski boots, all other gear provided. elevenexperience.com/heli-skiing-chile
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