Inns Magazine Issue 5 Vol. 17 2013 Winter Luxury Issue | Page 8

Maria Rekrut has been passionately and successfully investing in bed and breakfast and vacation rentals for the past 13 years in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Her real estate portfolio is as diverse as it is profitable. Known as the vacation rental specialist, she believes that vacation rental investing is much more fun than working at a job to earn an income.

As a result, she's made it her mission to share her shortcuts from purchasing the ideal vacation property, updated property management techniques and marketing strategies with others who are committed to purchasing their first vacation rental and running it as their retirement business. Maria believes that owning a vacation rental is a great way for baby boomers and zoomers to live, work and earn an income in their own vacation rentals.

contributors

Christine Boot an avid shopper, bargain hunter and keen eye with over 15 years experience as a consumer in the retail arena. This born and raised east coast country girl now city dweller is married with two spoiled dogs. Shopping and discovering 'cool tools' is a serious hobby and passion. She will provide her outlook on some of the latest and greatest products for innkeepers and consumers for their everyday living pleasure.

Chef Cober is the owner and resident Blue Ribbon California Chef of Log Cabin Heaven, Elora’s Country Spa Retreat, www.logcabinheaven.com which is celebrating its 11th year! She is the cookbook author of the Witchin’ Kitchen at Log Cabin Heaven, currently serves as the Culinary Ask the Expert Columnist for BB Canada, celebrity judge at cooking competitions, and served as the Food Editor for Step Up Magazine. Chef Cober has also been featured on cooking segments on CTV, and been the recipient of multiple culinary awards. Chef Cober has over 35 years of training and experience in multicultural cuisine, including Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Raw, Mediterranean, French, Mexican, Greek, North African and Around the World. She currently tends her three organic gardens and cultivates local, organic grown fruit, vegetables and meats for her kitchen, where everything is made from scratch.

Peter Johansen retired in 2013 after a 39-year career teaching journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He’s now an award-winning travel writer whose work has appeared in a wide range of publications -- from the Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Star to TAPS Beer Magazine and Canadian Geographic. A member of both the Travel Media Association of Canada and the North American Travel Journalists Association, he lives in Ottawa with his photographer-wife Oxana Sawka – when they’re not off, that is, to their next travel destination.

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Inns E-Magazine / Winter 2013