About

In 1960, Fred DeNure left a partnership he had with a cousin, RJ Trailways to pursue an operation of his own. Fred was awarded the contract to provide bussing to local schools in the Kawartha Lakes, with a fleet that would grow to more than 70 school busses. At this time, DeNure Tours was formed, offering its first multi-day sightseeing tour to Atlantic Canada.

Florida has long been nicknamed Canada's 11th province and in 1965, DeNure began operating coach tours to Florida. DeNure’s ‘Sunshine Holidays’ escorted Canadians by motorcoach down to the sunny south for an escape from the cold winters. In 1981, the Daytona “Sunshine Express” program debuts, shuttling guests from the cold Canadian winters to long-stay vacations in Daytona Beach, Florida. This program becomes so popular that just a few short years, it was expanded to weekly departures to Florida, later laying roots in Destin, St.Pete Beach and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In 1966 Fred, Dorothy and their three children embarked on a 6-week tour of the southern USA in a converted school bus, resulting in many new itineraries designed. In 1967 with a handful of itineraries, DeNure Tours introduced its first brochure that included journeys to Florida, California, Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada. Many of the tours in Eastern Canada included a visit to Expo 67. In 1972 the school bus division was sold to concentrate solely on sightseeing, offering popular destinations in both Canada and USA, including a new tour to Alaska.

If you’ve ever had the chance to meet or travel with Harry Simmons, then I’m sure you’ll understand the impact that Harry had when he joined the DeNure Tours team.

Harry was with DeNure Tours for almost 30 years and during that time, he created and organized delightful holiday experiences throughout Britain and Europe. During his travels with DeNure guests, he shared the unique spectacle of the Edinburgh Tattoo, acquainted guests with Germany’s famous Rhine, and raised a glass of local wine as he introduced the beauty of the Italian coastline.

But even more importantly, Harry maintained a quick wit, shared an endless knowledge of history and literature, and was meticulous in ensuring that the tours exceeded our guests’ expectations.

Harry often said that there were three steps to a memorable holiday: planning the trip, taking it, and re-living the vacation through the stories, friendships and memories that were made. I know Harry has featured prominently in many of these great memories, and his legacy of facilitating memorable experiences for guests continues.

The story of The Nautilus Inn actually begins in the fall of 1973, when Fred and Dorothy purchased an ocean front property on Daytona Beach, The Tall Pines. Dorothy has many stories of cleaning and painting and preparing The Tall Pines to receive their first guests. Their concept of bringing regularly scheduled bus-loads of guests to Florida grew in popularity, and Daytona Beach became a favourite destination for “winter weary Canadians”.  In the mid-1980’s, Fred worked with a local hotelier and undertook the project of designing and building a hotel, specifically to receive their niche program. In 1987, on the property that had been the charming Tall Pines, The Nautilus Inn opened their doors and began receiving “DeNure Guests.”  

Since those early days, the “Sunshine Express Program” has grown, and long stay programs have been established in several other destinations including Myrtle Beach, Destin, and St. Pete Beach, and we are excited to introduce Bradenton as a new option.

With the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitality and travel industries were severely impacted and some tough decisions were made. With travel prohibited and DeNure Tours not able to operate, it was decided to take the opportunity to re-imagine our business and re-organize our tour products by type: hiking tours, sightseeing tours, and vacations that go somewhere warm in the winter. Thus, in the fall of 2020, DeLuxe Hiking, Tours in Canada, and Sunshine Getaways are born. Each brand has its own focus, and each is excited at the prospects of having travel open up again, soon! 

At Sunshine Getaways, we invite guests to “Escape to Warmth!”