Swirling sparkling, white
wine in your glass, you are welcomed with the scents of soft
apples and peaches rising up from the rim. Sipping, you
are delighted with an explosion of flavour in your mouth finished
off with just the right amount of dryness that leaves you longing
for the next sip. To indulge in this pleasure alone is the
identifying reason why there is such a trend
towards wine tasting, sampling, and touring. Now enter a new
product into the mix … a wine-themed hotel! Sip your
favourite
Merlot amongst intimate rooms of West Coast style and wine
country charm. The Executive Hotel Vintage Park initiated its
concept as Vancouver’s first wine themed hotel to showcase
and support the ever expanding BC wine industry. Proud of its
BC roots, Executive Hotel Vintage Park offers its guests a
chance to sample some of BC ’s finest wines during their
stay, and
will also set up mini getaways to the vineyards of the Fraser
Valley, Vancouver Island and even the Okanagan Valley. And
while staying at the hotel, keep your eyes peeled for winery
principals, who are often on hand to meet with guests, pour
their
wines and answer questions. See www.executivehotels.net for
details.
Calling all shoppers! Okay, so it’s not much of a secret
that Greater Vancouver has some of the finest (and this
is an extreme
understatement) shopping in Canada.But sometimes it can appear
that there are so many stores and so little time, that shopping
can be a little overwhelming! Accent Inn Burnaby is here
to help. They have set up a popular Shopaholics package,
which combines accommodation, exclusive discounts to fabulous
stores
in Greater Vancouver, and a shopping map to help
you find the deals! So, start shopping like a local and brag
later about those terrific deals you “found ”. Visit
www.accentinns.com for more information.
On a scale of 1 to 10, meet the perfect 50! The Vancouver Aquarium
certainly has something to celebrate because they hit the
big 5-0 this year. To aid in the celebrations, they have
the eager help of Helen and Hana, two new Pacific white-sided dolphins
who arrived from Japan after being rescued from entanglement
in fishing nets. And at closing time? Don’t worry about
becoming attached to the many marine animals at the aquarium
and leaving them behind, when the lights go down
curl up beside them in your sleeping bag and spend the
night … it
just may be the most adventurous sleepover you have
ever had. See www.vanaqua.org for
information.
How many times do you return from a trip and spend hours
discussing the amazing scenery? Well, okay, so you might
talk about it a bit, but think about
it in relation to the hours you spend rehashing the experiences
you had including
the
people you met? No comparison! So,
you are a little shy? Don’t
worry, we have got a sure fire way for you to meet some
locals (and collect great stories too!). At A Taste of
Home B&B
in Abbotsford, meet Wayne, Suzanne and Timmy. They have
the gift of ventriloquism, puppet
storytelling, music, and great beds on top of it. Hey,
you might even learn a trick or
two about throwing voices from this
friendly family. At The Dutch Dog B&B
in New Westminster, meet Rose Nadon. A distinguished
businesswomen, she spent 25 years in the airline industry
before discovering
the quaint, historic Dutch Dog. After
much scrubbing, decorating, and
love, Rose now runs a B&B that
is the hit of the Heritage Homes Tour in New Westminster.
Now all you need to do is meet Rose
in person to discover where “The
Dutch Dog” comes from!!
Visit www.bbcanada.com/atasteofhome and www.thedutchdog.com for
details.
Well not really – it ’s part of the name of the
new exhibit at Gulf of Georgia Cannery. “Almost Gone:Remains
of Cannery Villages” presents
evocative images, interviews, and an original soundtrack.
Artist Florence Debeugny explores the disappearing
cannery villages of the BC central and north coast.
Not only is the film engaging, but watching
it in
the cannery’s boiler room
lends an authentic feel to the film, whisking you back
in time. See www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com for
more information.
Picture this: you are relaxed in a gorgeous rustic setting,
you have spent the day fishing and are getting ready to
sit down and enjoy your scrumptious
catch of the day. You have chosen your own room,
engaged in games like billiards
and foosball, and have spent
ample time breathing in the salty air of the nearby
sea. Sounds fabulous and soothing, doesn’t
it? Now cross your fingers that
you do not run into Katie. Lights flicker on and
off in the basement as Katie acknowledges
your
presence. Stunningly beautiful,
remarkably intelligent, Katie was sentenced to death
after being accused of witchcraft, yet
continues
to protest her innocence. After
a visit to Clowhom Lodge, you too can witness Katie’s
unrest. See www.clowhomlodge.com for
more information.
RV – commonly known as recreational vehicle (or a very
funny movie starring Robin Williams!). To those
of you who have been known to travel in
this style, you all know the importance of bragging rights
to other fellow
RVer’s. Now it’s
your chance to one-up the
others at the local coffee shop! Welcome to Hwy
101. Travel in your RV on the
longest continuous highway
in the world, which ends in Porto Monte, Chile
and begins in a quaint little town called Lund
on British Columbia’s
Sunshine Coast. Once a popular berry picking area
for the
Tia’Amin
First Nations people, Lund has evolved into a historic
and beautiful seaside secret
in BC. Activities are abundant in this tiny town,
so park that RV at SunLund RV
Park & Campground,
just above the waterwheel and get working on those
bragging rights! See www.lundbc.ca for
details.
Seeking the rush, the trembling shakes that you
can only get from pure adrenaline, the feeling
of fear
transposing itself into
excitement? Okay, so you have tried skydiving,
hang-gliding, ziplining, and just about every
airborne activity you can possibly
think of – except perhaps rap jumping!
Now in Whistler, experience the ultimate thrill
of
jumping off the
top of the
Whistler Peak (a mere 5000 feet above the valley
floor!) and face-forward rappelling your way
down. Whistler Alpine
Guides will set you up and
definitely get your blood pumping. See www.whistlerguides.com for more information.
