Blog — Trip Styler

Five Things You Didn't Know About TS

thailand x2 kui buri This week last year I was in Thailand lounging at this luxe-for-less villa {pictured above, take me back tout suite, K}. Instead of reading IN my plunge pool overlooking the beach---NOT a sentence I utter often---I had a Jerry Maguire "memo moment." Oh goodness. Rather than following Jerry's lead in a late-night photocopy-a-thon, one year later, I thought it was time to share a small part of it.

1/ Whether you know this or not, Trip Styler has an editorial policy. We always have. We always will.

2/ There are hundreds of hotels, destinations and travel things we DON'T write about on Trip Styler. Places or products we've tried on for size and cannot recommend because they aren't the right fit---cue bad design, odd vibe, lack of value for dollar, etc...

3/ If we’re offered trips---which happens from time to time---we only take the ones we’d pay for anyway. And when we write about a trip that’s been offered, it’s a-l-w-a-y-s noted. And don't think it's all presidential suites and flutes of Veuve, sometimes we're stuck in a small room over the kitchen vent; I count this a good thing {sometimes} unless there's a pungent onion scent permeating my room. Same goes for any travel product we're offered {like these suitcases which were on my list to buy anyway---bonus}.

4/ For every press trip we take---cut to a gaggle of travel journos taking notes 24/7 and snapping photos of everything from croissants to cultural finds---we travel as much personally on our own dime. Keeps things kosher. And when press trips come about we'd do anyway, we carefully consider them knowing it helps us to continue doing what we’re doing. For example, this month I turned down three trips. They weren't the right fit.

5/ At Trip Styler HQ, we talk our walk, and while we don't really believe in negativity---we're glass half-full kinda people---if we don't like something, it'll be presented as a "what to know", or not talked about at all. For example, on my recent trip to Hawaii I stayed at five hotels in 10 nights. I profiled one hotel in our Roam+Board standout hotel feature. As for the rest of the properties, if I came across something stellar like solar panels or midcentury style, I chronicled the cool on Instagram and my Editor's Diary. I reserve the most curated finds for Trip Styler.

Yes, we endorse exploring a mixed bag of trip styles, but we’re not pluralists who like everything. In fact, we're pretty picky.

{photo by @tripstyler taken at the x2 Kui Buri. And since we're on the topic, I researched until I was nearly blue in the face to scout this gem of a property on my personal trip in Thailand.}

Roam+Board :: Mount Engadine Lodge

mt engadine lodge review
mt engadine lodge review

[trip style = active + adventure]

What Planted at the end of a gravel road, the scale of Mount Engadine Lodge isn't apparent until you step beyond its cabin-cozy interior. Stroll toward the wraparound deck, and BAM, it's like you've been hit over the head with an Ansel Adams photograph; it's just you and the Canadian Rockies. Nothing else.

Snowshoes and skis arranged in a crisscross position adorn the wooden walls. Antlers serves as hooks for the brooms. River rocks are the building blocks for the wood-burning fireplaces. And speaking of wood burning, there's also a sauna. A selection of travel and lifestyle magazines {that made me want to flip pages for hours} hang fireside. There's even a knitting station. Without even trying, the nine-room chalet oozes Canadiana from every corner.

Overlooking "moose meadow" deep in Alberta's Kananaskis Country, this off-the-grid chalet is a winter and summer retreat so close to the great outdoors, you can reach out and touch it. Trip Styler approved!

Trip Styler Tip :: If you're in the area hiking, snowshoeing or skiing, stop by for afternoon tea from 3-5pm daily during the lodge's "open season" described below.

Where Two hours from the Calgary {YYC} Airport, 45 minutes above Canmore.

When The lodge is open during the white of winter and the sizzle of summer: Summer: June 14, 2013 - October 13, 2013 Holiday: December 20, 2013 - January 5, 2014* Winter Season: January 24, 2014 - March 31, 2014* *Estimated dates. Please confirm with the website.

Who/Why You need a digi-getaway steeped in nature's purest brew. You're looking for a place where mountains, out-the-doorstep adventure and home-cooked cuisine sing in perfect harmony.

Cost Rates start at $390 per couple and include all food, parking and WiFi. Alcohol is extra. Fido can come for a steal of a deal: $20/stay. Two-night minimum. Children four years and under stay for free, while children from 5-12 years are $100 per night, when staying with adults in the Moose or Elk Suites on the hide-a-beds. Solo travelers deduct $100 from the nightly rate.

More Roam+BoardLava Lava Beach Club - Hawaii IslandAce Hotel - SeattleThe Wickaninnish Inn - TofinoThe Burrard – Vancouver Hotel de Glace – QuebecAlcazar Palm Springs – CaliforniaJumeirah Zabeel Saray – DubaiMakena Resort – Maui Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos taken by @tripstyler while visiting Mt Engadine Lodge with Travel Alberta]