British Columbia Canada Blog

Another great escape in Central BC is the Prestige Hotel in Salmon Arm. Last year, my girlfriend and I dropped in for a few nights and the staff were kind enough to upgrade us to one of their theme suites. It was the Barbados Suite and it had a hot-tub right in the room and a fabulous view out over the Salmon Arm of the Shuswap Lake.  It was the ‘off-season’ and the hotel was very quiet. That’s by far the best time to go anywhere, in my opinion. Salmon Arm is another one of those BC cities that bursts at the seams in the peak of the summer season due its hot weather and proximity to the Shuswap Lake.  So if you can get there in the off-season, you’ll find everything that you need and more, but no crowds. There’s plenty of shops along the main street in town, and several great little restaurants. One of the restaurants that we ate at (I can’t remember the name) served awesome seafood, and had a live pianist that was amazing. Everything is within walking distance of the hotel, so you don’t have to hold back on the wine with dinner!

There are quite a few good ski resorts near Kelowna and I was unaware about them until I started living in Okanagan.

Big White: Just a 20 – 30 minute drive from Kelowna is Big White Ski resort. Big White offers accommodation including full service hotels, luxury townhouses, condominium apartments, vacation homes to economy units. This year, the ski season in Big White is over by mid April.

Apex: Another Short drive from Kelowna to Penticton leads us to Apex mountain resort. Apex Mountain Resort remains one of the hidden gems of Canadian skiing. Apex is known for its quality snow, great weather, incredible terrain, and friendly people. Apex being located in the southern part of the Okanagan Valley features the perfect mix of large amounts of precipitation and low humidity; that makes for the lightest champagne powder snow imaginable behind them. With an average temperature of -4º C, Apex receives about 600 cm of dry “Okanagan” powder each season. Popular hotels to stay in Apex include the Saddle Back Lodge (as stay includes continental breakfast), Outlaws Inn and Apex Mountain Inn (near to the skating loop).

Silver Star: If you happen to be around Vernon, you don’t want to miss Silver Star Ski resort. Silver Star’s Victorian-themed, mid-mountain village offers charming, comfortable ski-in/ski-out accommodation for every budget. Visitors can choose from over 3,200 beds on-mountain, eight hotels and more than 100 vacation homes. Ski season in Silver Star is ending on April 10th this year so ski while the snow lasts.

If you DO want to ski past April, I would recommend checking out the Revelstoke area where skiing is open until May.

Check out all Ski Locations in BC.

Anyone who has eaten at an East Indian restaurant before knows that Butter Chicken is often one of the tastiest items on the menu.  Luckily, here in British Columbia there are many restaurants throughout the province which make a mean butter chicken.  Here are some of my favorite (not in any particular order):

• Sitar Restaurant - Located on 8 Powell St. in Vancouver, BC
• Dawett - Located on 1435 Ellis Street in Kelowna, BC
• Samosas - (Opened recently) Located in Downtown (426A Bernard Avenue) Kelowna, BC
• Goldie’s Flavours of India - 563 Seymour St Kamloops, BC
• Mannie’s Curry Hut Golden - 10th Ave. S. and 9th St. S Golden, BC

If you need accommodations while in these cities check out:

- Vancouver Accommodations
- Kelowna Accommodations
- Kamloops Accommodations
- Golden Accommodations

I try to never visit the same campground twice!  This is because there are so many amazing places to explore in BC, and I don’t want to miss out on experiencing as much as I can.  My 3 favorite campgrounds are Mabel lake, Otter Lake and Little Qualicum falls.   

Mabel Lake Provincial Park is located in the Thompson Okanagan Region, near Lumby.  You take Hwy 6 east from Vernon to Lumby and then follow the signs turning north onto Mabel Lake Road.  The campsites are fairly big and very private.  The campground is on a sandy beach and is surrounded by lush trees.  Things to do here include watersports, fishing, swimming, biking and hiking.

Otter Lake Provincial Park is also located in the Thompson Okanagan Region, just bordering the  Vancouver Coast Region.  It is located 33 km northwest of Princeton off Hwy 5A toward Tulameen.  This campground is very private with a natural setting in the trees. The Park is surrounded by the Cascade Mountain Range, home to lots of wildlife including otters, beaver and red squirrel as well as, mountain goats, cougars and grizzly bears.  The Lake is great for watersports, swimming and fishing.  It can be a little cool, but very refreshing.  There are also lots of nature trails along the lake with beautiful views.

Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Campground is located in the Vancouver Island Region, 19km west of Parksville.  The campground has a River and lake nearby for lots of fun activities.  The park also has lots of walking trails with beautiful viewpoints to the impressive waterfalls.   The campsites are large and very private, like most provincial parks. If you are planning to visit any of these campgrounds in the summertime, I would definitely recommend making reservations.   Both Otter Lake and Little Qualicum Falls can be reserved through BC Parks.

I love wine, and I love to visit the places where the grapes grow and the wine is made!  Yes, you can definitely do some winery hopping on your own, but from my experience touring in the Napa Valley, the Sonoma Valley and the Okanagan Valley, I feel you receive huge benefits from joining a guided Wine Tour.

First of all, your day is planned and organized, so you can just sit back and enjoy.  You don’t ever have to worry about missing that turn, or getting lost.  The entire group can enjoy the wine tastings and not have any safety concerns of drinking and driving.  The Guides have years of experience and have built the Tours to reflect a good assortment of wineries that the area has to offer.  So you will be visiting the charming, tucked away wineries you are unlikely to find on your own and avoiding snobby, stuck-up wineries.

They have also selected a Facility Tour that they feel gives you the best overview on the “Art of Winemaking”.  You will have a designated local tour guide/host for the day who will provide commentaries on the valley, the wine industry and each winery specifically that you will visit.  The Guide is also there to answer any questions you may have.  The wineries that they visit are expecting us, so you’ll be skipping crowded wineries and getting preferred treatment.  This is sometimes a BIG bonus on the days that the wineries are super busy, where tours and tastings get booked up.  And last but not least, you can socialize with other visitors on the tour and meet some great people with similar interests. 

I wish you happy touring!

Related Links:
British Columbia Wineries

The following video shows a beatiful scenic view of Big White Resort, British Columbia from Central Mountain check in.  Come and Ski BC!

Click on the PLAY button. Or, RIGHT CLICK here and SAVE AS to your computer, and then OPEN after the download completes.

Below is a view from Sundance Lodge at the Big White Ski Resort. Big White offers World class skiing with champagne powders, bring the family and check it out for a weekend.

Click on the PLAY button. Or, RIGHT CLICK here and SAVE AS to your computer, and then OPEN after the download completes.

Related Links:
British Columbia Skiing

You don’t need to travel far to “get away”, especially if you live in the Okanagan.  My husband and I were in need of a little break from work and our everyday hectic agendas.  My first thought is always that we need to plan a trip to an exotic destination with sandy beaches and margaritas!  But when time doesn’t allow for this, you need to be creative and maybe find something a little closer to home.

I live in Kelowna, and this area is full of “get away places”.  I found a beautiful spot in Summerland called the Summerland Waterfront Resort and booked us in for a night.  To me, a few things define a “getaway”:  no work, no phones, sleeping in, no cooking, breakfast in bed… and you can do all this during your one nights stay away from home.  The room we stayed in had a breathtaking view of Lake Okanagan, a fireplace, a full kitchen, DVD player, soaker tub and had all the luxuries and amenities of a first class Hotel.  

We picked up some coffees around 11:00AM and headed towards our destination.  We arrived in Summerland around noon and were able to check in right away.  We put our stuff in the room and headed into town for lunch.  Summerland is a great community rich in history and culture and is set amidst endless vineyards and orchards.    We had lunch at the Peacocks Perch Pub which was perfect, a couple of specials and a couple of beers!  Let the holiday begin…

I recommend anyone who may be feeling stressed out to get away for a night and you’ll be surprised at how refreshed you feel.  I also recommend the Summerland Waterfront Resort which truly is a destination for all seasons!

Related Links:
Thompson Okanagan Resorts

Last weekend I went skiing at Nordic Cross Country Ski Club near Kelowna, British Columbia Canada. Great spot! The area is located about 40 minutes from Kelowna up Highway 33. Very easy to get to and well worth the trip. There’s seemingly endless miles of groomed trails and two distinctly different huts that you can ski to, to warm up or cool off as the case may be.

My wife and I often take a picnic lunch to enjoy by the fire while our gear dries out. The central Okanagan has a few different places to cross country ski, that all boast excellent conditions from December to late March. Our favorite is the Nordic area because it’s less crowded than the others. The trails themselves are quite flat, but there are several spots where the scenery is beautiful and the snow is always great.

The top of Big White Ski Resort shows itself frequently on the eastern horizon. You can often see cougar or lynx tracks on the trails. They’re seldom spotted, but are never far away. One time, while skiing from the furthest hut in a blizzard, we came across tracks that were obviously made by a cat that we’d scared off the trail, because the snow was coming down hard, and the tracks were still completely uncovered. Pretty spooky to think that you are being watched from the darkness by an animal with teeth that big!

Related Links:
Thompson Okanagan
British Columbia Skiing

One of my favorite things about living in the Okanagan is the fact that we get four distinct seasons, that each have their own allure.

Most people know about our summers. With temperatures frequently reaching the mid to high 30s, with blue skies and sunshine until late at night (due to our northern latitude) you are hard pressed to find a better place to play. Golf courses, orchards, wineries and freshwater lakes are only a few of the attractions that really shine in the summertime. Fishing, horseback riding, climbing and hiking are also popular around the valley in the summer.

Fall is equally as attractive, when the temperatures moderate and the leaves begin to turn. The sun still shines but you don’t need your air conditioner to sleep at night, as the temperatures moderate. Golf courses are usually open until late October or even November.

The winters in the Okanagan are famous for their light dry champagne powder snow, which translates to spectacular skiing and snowboarding conditions. Big White, Silver Star and Apex Mountain are all within 100km of Kelowna, the major population centre in the Okanagan and all consistently boast some of the best skiing conditions and terrain in North America. Big White gets an average of 23 feet of snow per year. The best part though, is that the snow doesn’t really last in the bottom of the valley … so we don’t normally have to drive on it or shovel it! Its just a short drive away.

The spring in the Okanagan Valley takes your breath away. Orchards and vineyards line the lakes and ridges from one end of the valley to the other, and when they are all in bloom, under a crystal clear sky, there aren’t words to describe it. The lakes are still cold, so you might need a wetsuit, but there’s nothing else from stopping you from an afternoon wakeboard in April! Once the snow melts, the trails open up for some spectacular hiking.

Related Links:
Okanagan Horse Back Riding
Okanagan Skiing
Thompson Okanagan