British Columbia Family Vacation Day No. 8: Chilliwack to Kelowna
Here are highlights from the eighth day on our British Columbia Family Vacation. We drove from Chilliwack to Kelowna.
The drive from Chilliwack to Kelowna was gorgeous
We traveled along Highways 5 and 97 from Chiliwack to Kelowna, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive. The first stretch cuts through pristine timberland as it hugs the Fraser River. Snow-dusted mountains loomed in the distance. And as we climbed to the top of the Coquilhalla Summit, we started spotting patches of snow on the roadside. Waterfalls were everywhere, hanging like tassels from the mountainsides. As we descended the mountain and reached the town of Merritt, the terrain quickly turned into a vast dessert dotted with pines and sage brush.
Here's some video footage my daughter took of the drive:
The Okanagan Valley is best known for its wine but you'll find more here than grape vines
Driving down Highway 97 into the Okanagan Valley, we caught our first glimpse of Okanagan Lake, a vast body of water stretching for 70 miles through the valley that's squeezed between the Cascade and Monashee Ranges. Sparkling under the sunshine, this deep royal blue lake, fed by snow melting on the surrounding steep mountains, is breathtaking. Rows of vineyards line the hills, providing grapes to some of the world's most renowned wineries. The Okanagan Valley is known for its ice wine, a type dessert wine that's produced with grapes pulled from the vine after the first big freeze, but more than 60 types of grapes are grown in the region.
And while the Okanagan is best recognized as a wine region, you can do a lot more here than sip fine vintages. The area is filled with hiking trails, sandy beaches, golf courses, museums and postcard-picturesque towns sitting on the lake's shores. and with three kids in tow, we weren't here to rub elbows with sommeliers and sip fine vintages — though we hoped to visit a few wineries. Instead, we hoped to do all the other stuff. Plus, we'd heard this scenic valley soaks in a lot of sunshine. Living in San Francisco, where summer's are marred with foggy, cold days, a guarantee of warm, balmy weather was appealing.
Kelowna is a great town for walking
With only one night and one day to explore the area, we decided to focus on Kelowna. This pedestrian-friendly town is centered on the water with wide sidewalks along the main drag, Bernard Avenue, and the waterfront.
We parked our car, changed into comfortable shoes and set out to explore. Downtown is chockablock with restaurants, their cafe tables spilling out on the sidewalk. Families were lined up at Moo-Lix for scoops of ice cream in bright, florescent colors. The warm, sweet smell of homemade waffle cones wafted out the door.
Bernard Avenue leads to the waterfront where tourists gather to look out at the lake and take photos in front of a soaring sculpture called "Spirit of Sale" that was designed to look like the sail on a boat. We walked south to a children's playground where sprays of water keep children cool and then because we had a baby who was eager to crawl around we sat in the grass and basked in the sun.
The Hobo Eatery welcomes diners with wholesome, home-style food
When we arrive in a new town, I look to TripAdvisor for restaurant recommendations. The site offers a user-ranked list of eateries and I often find that the number-one recommendation isn't necessarily the city's best white-table-cloth establishment, but rather a favorite, family-friendly affordable locals' joint. That was the case with Kelowna. The number-one ranked restaurant in town is the Hobo Eatery, which is basically a hole-in-the-wall off the main drag with satisfying soups and sandwiches.
The kindhearted owners Crystal and Steve are former youth counselors and took over the restaurant a couple years ago. "I've never been happier," Steve told me. They offer the sort of warm welcome you'd expect to get from your favorite aunt and uncle. They'll pull out a high chair offer a free scoop of Hobo Stew if you have a baby in tow, give you change for the meter, accept American dollars, and even give you an IOU if you don't have enough money to cover your bill.
The food is wholesome and comforting. My daughter devoured a hearty meat chili topped with cheddar, chives and sour cream and served with a fluffy biscuit studded with cheese and green onions. I enjoyed my broccoli salad dressed in a creamy poppy seed vinegarette and my son was happy with his roast beef and cheddar sandwich packed with fillings. Crystal invited both kids to take a chocolate chip cookie on their way out.
The Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites is one of the greenest hotels in Canada
The Best Western Plus Kelowna originally opened in the 1960s as a basic motor lodge in a two-story building that wrapped around a parking lot. In recent years the Kelowna has been under the ownership of Greg Salloum who has transformed and expanded the property with a green vision. The hotel now has 154 rooms and a beautiful, modern eight-floor tower proudly rises above the former fully remodeled motel that now has its own "Environmental Wing."
The Best Western Plus Kelowna is now the greenest hotel in British Columbia, if not all of Canada.
What does green mean? Let's start with the hotel's LEED Certified "Environmental Wing" where my kids and I stayed in a one-bedroom suite. The well-appointed room had low-VOC paint, locally made furnishings and wall coverings made from recycled vinyl. The room was heated with an energy-saving geothermal system, which also kept the bathroom towel rack warm. Getting out of the shower and wrapping up in a warm towel felt luxurious.
And the list of ways Salloum and his staff are committed to sustainability goes on and on. The heating and cooling systems and the lighting throughout the hotel are energy-efficient. All rooms were equipped with blue recycling boxes, starting in 1990 when recycling wasn't fashionable. Windows are covered in a sliver reflective film that helps to keep rooms cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Rather than use chemical fertilizers, the grounds crew rakes Nature's Gold into the expansive lawn that many of the guests rooms' balconies overlook. Even the left-over coffee grounds at breakfast are composted and used as a garden fertilizer.
The Kelowna welcomes guests with a cozy lobby where you can relax in a comfy leather chair next to a fire. Walk past the front desk, and you enter an impressive room with cathedral ceilings constructed of raw, exposed cement. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the garden and swimming pool. It's a fresh and inviting room that's fit for the pages of the hip home decorating magazine Dwell.
The snappy style is carried throughout the hotel and the rooms, from the deluxe suites with cork floors, maple furniture and granite bathrooms to the bright, high-ceiling standard tower rooms with downtown views.
We stayed in a one bedroom suite in the Environmental Wing and when my daughter walked in she said, "Wow! This is so nice! I think we could just live here, Mom."
The Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites is also a great place to relax
After a full week of traveling, we were all exhausted and decided to relax at the hotel and take advantage of its beautiful grounds and amenities.
The kids splashed around in the pool that's housed in a lofty, light-filled atrium. The water sanitized with mineral salt rather than chlorine. My kids appreciated that they could swim underwater with their eyes open. "Mommy, it doesn't sting," my son said.
Two hot tubs, also salt water, sit amid the one-acre outdoor garden. My daughter daughter had fun smelling and exploring the flowers while her bother and sister soaked in the tub.
Back at the room, the kids had fun playing spa and put on the robes and slippers.
After our afternoon of relaxing, we decided to order room service and eat in our spacious one bedroom suite with a kitchenette and family dining table. We enjoy Caesar salads and burgers.
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The drive from Chilliwack to Kelowna was gorgeous
We traveled along Highways 5 and 97 from Chiliwack to Kelowna, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive. The first stretch cuts through pristine timberland as it hugs the Fraser River. Snow-dusted mountains loomed in the distance. And as we climbed to the top of the Coquilhalla Summit, we started spotting patches of snow on the roadside. Waterfalls were everywhere, hanging like tassels from the mountainsides. As we descended the mountain and reached the town of Merritt, the terrain quickly turned into a vast dessert dotted with pines and sage brush.
Here's some video footage my daughter took of the drive:
The Okanagan Valley is best known for its wine but you'll find more here than grape vines
Kelowna is a great town for walking
The Hobo Eatery welcomes diners with wholesome, home-style food
The Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites is one of the greenest hotels in Canada
The Best Western Plus Kelowna is now the greenest hotel in British Columbia, if not all of Canada.
What does green mean? Let's start with the hotel's LEED Certified "Environmental Wing" where my kids and I stayed in a one-bedroom suite. The well-appointed room had low-VOC paint, locally made furnishings and wall coverings made from recycled vinyl. The room was heated with an energy-saving geothermal system, which also kept the bathroom towel rack warm. Getting out of the shower and wrapping up in a warm towel felt luxurious.
And the list of ways Salloum and his staff are committed to sustainability goes on and on. The heating and cooling systems and the lighting throughout the hotel are energy-efficient. All rooms were equipped with blue recycling boxes, starting in 1990 when recycling wasn't fashionable. Windows are covered in a sliver reflective film that helps to keep rooms cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Rather than use chemical fertilizers, the grounds crew rakes Nature's Gold into the expansive lawn that many of the guests rooms' balconies overlook. Even the left-over coffee grounds at breakfast are composted and used as a garden fertilizer.
The snappy style is carried throughout the hotel and the rooms, from the deluxe suites with cork floors, maple furniture and granite bathrooms to the bright, high-ceiling standard tower rooms with downtown views.
We stayed in a one bedroom suite in the Environmental Wing and when my daughter walked in she said, "Wow! This is so nice! I think we could just live here, Mom."
The Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites is also a great place to relax
After a full week of traveling, we were all exhausted and decided to relax at the hotel and take advantage of its beautiful grounds and amenities.
The kids splashed around in the pool that's housed in a lofty, light-filled atrium. The water sanitized with mineral salt rather than chlorine. My kids appreciated that they could swim underwater with their eyes open. "Mommy, it doesn't sting," my son said.
