Vancouver

Touching down in Vancouver on a sparkling summer morning, the contrast between glittering glass skyscrapers and the snow-dusted Coast Mountains was breathtaking. I checked into the Fairmont Pacific Rim on Coal Harbour, the benchmark of modern Canadian luxury. My Signature Ofuro Suite ($1,100/night) boasted a Japanese marble soaking tub overlooking floatplanes taking off across the Burrard Inlet, with the majestic North Shore mountains towering in the background.

I rented a sleek designer bicycle and rode along the famous Stanley Park Seawall, breathing in crisp cedar-scented ocean air as I circled ancient giant Douglas firs and totem poles. For lunch, I visited Granville Island Public Market, sampling fresh Dungeness crab rolls, candied wild sockeye salmon, and artisan British Columbia cheeses ($42).

As evening arrived, I walked through the historic brick streets of Gastown to L'Abattoir for French-inspired Pacific Northwest cuisine. I feasted on pan-roasted sablefish with clams, smoked pork belly, and Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir ($125). Later, we listened to live piano music while sipping botanic gin cocktails in the vibrant lobby lounge of the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

The highlight of the journey was boarding a private Harbour Air seaplane directly from the harbor dock ($450). Soaring above Howe Sound's fjord-like islands and glaciers, we landed in Whistler for an afternoon of mountain hiking and alpine dining. Vancouver seamlessly bridges cosmopolitan polish and breathtaking wilderness like nowhere else on Earth.