Tourism Winnipeg

45 www.tourismwinnipeg.com Winnipeg Itineraries But save that lounge for later, because after you two check- in you should hit the streets of Winnipeg where romance permeates like music from performance tents at Festival du Voyageur (Feb 12-21). I tell you, Festival is a prime spot to spark some romance. You two can get bundled up in your fur-trimmed coats, drink some caribou out of glasses made of ice, then cozy up to live music on the hay-covered dance floors where your passions will flame-up like the multiple bonfires which dot the grounds. FDV is open day and night for this ten-day period, all within the grounds of Fort Gibraltar, in Winnipeg's French Quarter, St. Boniface. So before you stop in, grab a coffee from Café Postal on Provencher Blvd, just a two minute walk from the grounds (the festival grounds, not the coffee ones) because nothing says lovin' like frothy milk perched atop a strong shot of espresso. Then take your special someone a few doors down to Chocolatier Constance Popp, where you can sip on spicy Mexican hot chocolate and feed one another all manner of handmade, ethically sourced chocolate goodies that will have your taste buds swooning. For an afternoon, why don't you two lovebirds head down to The Forks, just a short walk from your hotel? In the fall, you can take a stroll amongst the falling leaves in this richly tree- lined area. You can watch the migratory birds in flight from the Riverwalk, where the sounds of the river will babble and coo like sweet nothings in your ear. Or, get on the river itself, as Splash Dash Tour Boats does guided city tours until October 15 (weather permitting) and we all know that nothing is more romantic than getting bundled up together in a blanket while you cruise along the river taking in Winnipeg's skyline (take that Venice). Come winter, The Forks is all romance, all the time. You two can rent skates then attempt to impress one another with your skating prowess under their canopy. Or, better yet, take to the Red River Mutual Trail where you can push your loved one (should their feet get sore) on pretty chairs down the ice, taking breaks in their internationally designed warming huts which run all along the trails. If you are looking to get real steamy, all while rejuvenating those skating legs, boy do I have a spot for you. It's called Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature, a Scandinavian spa so exquisite that its very name, when whispered amongst the snow-covered pines of the Fort Garry neighbourhood, will bring you to pure, sensual bliss, as if its eucalyptus vapours were nibbling at your ear. All you need is a bathing suit, a robe and some flip flops, and this place will do the rest with its hot thermal pools, its steamy and dry saunas, and its cold pools and waterfall, which are all meant to use in a hot-cold-hot cycle. Thermëa offers hours of total body rejuvenation and it's ideal for couples as you'll need someone to rub the invigorating and exfoliating lavender salts on your back between steam room sessions. Plus, they have tantalizing dining for lunch and dinner where – get this – you can only eat in robes. You can spend all day and night here (they don't close until 10 p.m.), so make your romantic plans to do so. And the colder it is, the better it all feels, and the steamier it gets… literally, I'm not always going for innuendos here. As night falls, head out to one of Winnipeg's celebrated tapas restaurants because nothing entices like sharing bites, you feel me? In Osborne Village you can savour Spanish flavours from chef Adam Donnelly at Segovia – Winnipeg's most acclaimed restaurant. Get there early to avoid the wait – they don't take reservations – so you can get a nice seat at the open kitchen bar where you can sip some cava and feed one another delectable bites while watching their chefs work. Should it be full, as is normally the case after 6 p.m., you can put your name down at the door and go for pre-dinner cocktails at the adults-only Toad Whiskey Bar (you have to be 25+ to enter), just a couple doors down on Osborne's main drag. Post-dinner, take a romantic stroll down through the city's historic Exchange District, where live music permeates from warm, inviting rooms as if to say, "get a little closer." Holding hands while walking back to the hotel isn't mandatory, but I bet you do, you smitten little lovers you. Festival du Voyageur: Photographer: Dan Harper Photography Exchange District: Garry Robinson

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