There's nothing like a festival of William Shakespeare's work, with its intricate plot twists, sophisticated humor, and racy undercurrents revealing more to the viewer with each performance. But organizers in Vancouver take a good thing and make it even better by staging the Bard's plays in the great outdoors. The Bard on the Beach festival (May 28 - September 26, 2009) takes advantage of Vancouver's spectacular landscape to form a natural backdrop to the greatest plays ever written. This year, visitors can experience classics such as The Comedy of Errors, Othello, All's Well that Ends Well, and Richard II at Vanier Park, a pristine urban green space that also provides a home to the Vancouver Museum, Maritime Museum, and H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. Now in its 20th year, the festival has proven immensely popular with locals and visitors alike, who marvel at the drama taking place on stage as well as the dramatic vistas of mountains and sea beyond. In addition to the plays, the festival features a lecture series, opera and arias, and a "Bard-B-Q" and fireworks display. Sounds like a great way to get cultured. Starwood has hotels throughout Vancouver, including the luxurious Westin Grand, Vancouver.

[image via cbc.ca]