Adventures On Summer Travel In BC

Fun Adventures On Summer Travel In BC

We enjoyed some fun adventures on summer travel in BC (British Columbia).  Short stays in Vancouver started and ended our 3 week visit.  From Vancouver we returned to the Sunshine Coast for 10 days and discovered lots of new water fun adventures.  We then headed inland for 9 days in the Okanangan Valley.  A 5 day spa vacation at the Sparkling Hill Spa and Resort gave us the downtime we looked for.  And a return visit to Kelowna reminded us why we liked this part of BC.  

We had a lot of fun experiences as we travelled around BC on this return visit.

Vancouver Was Our Gateway To BC

We typically visited BC several times a year to visit family on the west coast.  On this trip we travelled by plane from Toronto.  But we did the road trip between Toronto and and Vancouver in both directions more than once.

Picking accommodations in Vancouver often depended on how long we were passing through.  We stayed near the False Creek area, enjoyed several stays close to Stanley Park and have tried out several of the downtown Vancouver hotels.  We have Ambassador Elite status with Marriott which meant we had so many great loyalty choices.  

But for this trip, we just needed short stays and decided to stay at the Westin Wall Vancouver Airport when we arrived and before we flew home.  We were welcomed as return guests and our loyalty status got us a great room upgrade.

It was a short SkyTrain ride from the hotel to pick up our rental car.  And we dropped our bags at the hotel before we returned the rental car.  This all made our adventures on summer travel in BC easy.

Return Visit To Sunshine Coast

After we picked up our rental car, we drove to Horseshoe Bay to catch the BC Ferries vessel to the Sunshine Coast.  With family living there, we spent a lot of time exploring around the Sunshine Coast.

While the Sunshine Coast is NOT an island, there were no roads to this spot north of Vancouver.  We always found lots to see on the ferry ride.  Whales were quite active along the BC coast in the summer and we were not surprised when we caught sight of orcas playing in the wake of the ferry.

We returned to our favourite rental spot in Halfmoon Bay at The Loghouse.  It was a short walk to visit our son Nick and his great two dogs. We enjoyed many hours outside exploring in the parks and waterfront on this visit.

 

A familiar base on the Sunshine Coast was a great way to enjoy fun adventures on summer travel in BC.

Water Adventures On The Sunshine Coast

On this visit to the Sunshine Coast, we had great summer weather and we wanted to enjoy some fun water adventures on the Sunshine Coast.  One day we rented a boat at the Pender Harbour Resort and explored along the Agamemnon Channel.  We had a lot of fun with Nick moving at our own pace on the water.

On another day, we booked a tour with Sunshine Coast Tours.  The tour took us up along the Jervis Inlet, Princess Louisa Inlet and we spent some time at Chatterbox Falls.  We had a great learning experience and saw so much of this outdoor gem on our 5 hour tour.

Fun water experiences on the Sunshine Coast sure helped to add to our adventures on summer travel in BC.

To The Okanagan Valley For A Relaxing Spa Stay At Sparkling Hill

After we took the ferry back from the Sunshine Coast, we headed inland and returned to enjoy a stay in the Okanagan Valley.  We left the coast behind and drove into the mountains.

We booked an amazing package at the Sparkling Hill Spa and Resort for 5 days.  The resort was lovely and each day we enjoyed the spa facilities.  With stunning views out over Okanagan Lake, we enjoyed a relaxing break from our normal pace chasing active adventures.

A relaxing stay at Sparkling Hill was the perfect addition to our adventures on summer travel in BC.  And a treat we will surely repeat! 

A Short Return Visit To Kelowna

From the Sparkling Hill Spa and Resort we headed back south to Kelowna for a return stay at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort right on the lake.  Our Marriott Elite status got us a wonderful upgrade to a condo property with a patio and lake view.  A wonderful way to finish this stay in BC for the summer.

Even with grey skies, we found it easy to wander down along the waterfront and we enjoyed the views.  Kelowna was a busy spot in the summer months.  

On our first stay in Kelowna, we were delighted with all the colourful street art we found.  As we wandered along the waterfront, we found many new pieces of art to admire.

We had a quiet few days in Kelowna.  We loved returning to spots we knew well.  And we were glad we finished our fun adventures on summer travel in BC here.

Tips For Visiting BC In The Summer

We visited Vancouver at all times of the year.  Spring visits to BC brought us early spring flowers.  When we visited in the Fall, we found the province decorated with autumn colours.  And with mild winters, we enjoyed the escape from the Toronto snow.  But we often avoided Vancouver and BC in the summer when the Alaska cruise crowds swelled the city numbers.  So we had a few tips for visiting BC in the summer …..

Plan Accommodations Early

With summer crowds, Vancouver like all major cities was very busy in the summer months.  We booked our accommodations well in advance.  The summer prices were very high so we even booked our accommodations as non-refundable to save a little money.  And we spent far less time in Vancouver since it was very expensive.  

Rent A Car To Explore BC

Public transit around Vancouver is good so when we stayed in the city, we never rented a car.  But if we planned to explore outside the city, we always got a rental car.  It gave us the flexibility to explore all the great spots around BC we loved.

We learned early that there is a steep premium to rent cars at the airport.  We always rented from the VIA Rail station in Vancouver and did not pay the airport premium.  But it only worked when we stayed in Vancouver for at least a night when we first arrived.  

Book Car Rental Early – But Keep Checking Prices

We booked out car rental as soon as our flights and hotels were booked and we had a firm schedule.  As expected, car rental prices were quite high for the summer.

But we learned on previous visits to keep checking the car rental prices.  We created calendar reminders to re-check the car rental prices and each time we checked, the cost went down!  By the time we landed in Vancouver, our rental car was 1/3 the cost of the original price quote!  We used this same tactic when we rented a car and explored Sicily.

Pay For Reservations For BC Ferry Trips

On our visits to BC, we often take ferry trips.  Exploring Vancouver Island required a ferry trip.  And each visit to the Sunshine Coast needed at least one ferry.  The ferries run quite frequently and reservations are not mandatory.  However, in busy times the ferries get backed up and there might be a wait for the next ferry.  

When it is busy or if we have a hard travel timeline, we always book reservations with BC Ferries.  The extra cost has saved us time on more than one occasion.

Plan To Get Out On The Water In BC

BC has over 25,000 KM (over 15,000 miles) of Pacific coastline.  And that does not include lakes and rivers in the province.  So BC was always a great spot to get out on the water.  And it was quite stunning to see the mountainous province from another perspective.

Plan Some Downtime

There was always so much to see and do when we visited BC.  We often went from adventure to adventure when we visited.  While we had some downtime for family time, we often did not stop and just relax in the wonderful outdoor environment.  Our return visit to the Sunshine Coast let us explore the outdoors at our own pace.  And we intentionally planned a 5 day spa escape.  We had to admit we returned to Toronto much more relaxed than we expected!

An Interesting Variety In Adventures On Summer Travel In BC

We sure enjoyed a variety of adventures on summer travel in BC.  It was great to return and stay in places we knew well.  We wandered along the coast, enjoyed the green space and got out on the water several times.  And our first spa stay at Sparkling Hill Resort made us really appreciate the value of a different kind of adventure.  

Have you had fun adventures on summer travel in BC?  Where should be go next?

Copyright Notice: All material on this travel blog site is the sole property of RetiredAndTravelling.  This includes blog posts, pages, design and all photos (whether watermarked or not). Any use of materials from this site without express written consent will be considered copyright infringement.