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Beat the Heat in B.C. - 2006
Beat the Heat in B.C.
By Sue Frause
Jewish Life & Style
June 2006
In just over two hours you can beat the heat of Vegas by touching down in Vancouver, British Columbia. Add a side trip to Victoria on nearby Vancouver Island, and you’ve got the ingredients of a very cool Canadian summer getaway.
Although the two cities are separated only by 45 miles (as the crow flies), they are kilometers apart when it comes to style and stuff to do. Vancouver is a big hip mainland city, whereas Victoria is a … small hip island city.
Nevertheless, they both represent the heart and soul of one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces…British Columbia.
VANCOUVER
Consistently ranked as one of the top cities in the world, Vancouver’s stunning setting is framed by the Coast Mountain range that dips down to the azure waters below. As host city for the 2010 Winter Games, this oft-called “Hollywood North” (due to all the movies and television shows filmed here), is all dressed up with plenty of places to roam.
One of my favorite summer spots is Stanley Park. Being a fan of the two-wheeler, tooling the 10K (6.2 miles) around the Stanley Park Seawall is a refreshing way to get a glimpse of the city. The best place to rent bikes is Spokes, a family run bicycle rental shop conveniently located at the entrance to Stanley Park.
Spectacular views include the North Shore mountains; Lions Gate Bridge; Siwash Rock; giant cedar, hemlock and fir trees; Stanley Park Rose Garden; English Bay and Lost Lagoon to name a few. Spokes also has guided tours of Stanley Park, False Creek and Granville Island.
Although the average summer temperatures are in the 70s, sometimes it does rain up north. Head to the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park where you can sign up for a Beluga Encounter. It’s wet and wild and you’ll get to meet and feed the whales. You can also take a Sea Lion Trainer Tour and get a glimpse into the life of a marine mammal trainer.
Another unique way to see the city is by going on an Edible British Columbia Culinary Walking Tour. Join knowledgeable guides in three different locales: Granville Island Market, Chinatown and Commercial Drive. What could be better than eating and walking?
If you’re a foodie, Vancouver won’t disappoint, with a myriad of restaurants. Coast Restaurant, Bluewater Café and Glowbal in hip Yaletown are prefect for dining inside or out; Cin Cin on Robson (and Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House just around the corner) are always good dining spots; and Nu on False Creek serves a yummy Crispy Fried Oyster with Granville Island Lager, with a water view. Further afield, drive across the Lion’s Gate Bridge to The Ocean Club in West Vancouver. It’s a splash of Rat Pack wrapped up in matching décor with a very fun menu.
When day is done, Vancouver has an array of fine hotels. The Pacific Palisades Hotel is right on Robson near Stanley Park (have a pedicure by the pool after you pedal) and the Wedgewood Hotel and its luxurious Bacchus Restaurant & Piano Lounge is located across from the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Cool, very cool.
Victoria
Think green, think gardens, think “full of life.” That’s the new slogan for this capital city of British Columbia. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, it’s a scenic 90-minute ferry ride via BC Ferries from Tsawwassen, followed by a 35-minute drive from Swartz Bay to downtown Victoria. There is always the option of taking a floatplane or helicopter, too.
Victoria was rated as the “fittest” city in Canada five years ago, so get out and see the sights on foot or by bike. A unique way to “see” the city is by kayak. Ocean River Sports has a 2.5-hour Victoria Sunset Tour and if you’ve never been in a kayak, no worries. The guides are helpful and patient, and before you know it you’ll be dipping your paddle into the historic Gorge Waterway while seeing the city transform from daylight to dusk. During a recent paddle, a friendly seal followed our three kayaks, and I swear he winked at me.
And if you want to see whales, this is the city. Victoria’s waters are home to three resident pods of Orcas with more than 80 whales.
For a true Pacific Northwest experience, take a tour with the “Seaweed Lady.” Diane Bernard of Outer Coast Seaweeds provides resorts, restaurants and spas with her hand-harvested seaweed and products. During the summer months, she gives tours in Sooke, 45 minutes west of Victoria. Afterwards, drive back to Victoria and indulge in a 90-minute Seaweed Body Treatment & Exfoliation at Sapphire Day Spa. It’s sublime.
Golf is big on Vancouver Island, and the newest kid on the block is The Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort & Spa. The mountainside property features the first and only 36-hole Nicklaus-designed golf course in Canada along with the luxurious Sante Spa (the 18-hole Mountain Course is now open and the 18-hole Valley Course will open in 2008).
The landmark Fairmont Empress is located in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Built in 1905, it’s the perfect hotel for afternoon tea or an evening curry buffet in the Bengal Lounge. The Willow Stream Spa with its calming waterfall and hand-laid marble floors is an elegant space offering a variety of treatments.
Just a few minutes away in the exclusive Rockland neighborhood is Villa Marco Polo Inn, filled with tasteful furniture and art. Built in 1923, the four suites are lovingly looked after by proprietor Eliza Livingston and Innkeeper Liam Morton. The bountiful breakfasts include such offerings as Ricotta Stuffed Crepes and Fresh Fruit & Yogurt Parfait.
Enjoy cocktails and appetizers at Canoe, fresh seafood at Ferris’ Oyster Bar & Grill, “cucina domestica” at Café Brio and steak-frites at Brasserie L’Ecole.
Vancouver and Victoria. Two cool Canadian cities, eh?
Sue Frause is a freelance writer and photographer who lives on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. She is a self-described “Closet Canuck.”
SIDEBAR
Tourism Vancouver
www.tourismvancouver.com
Pacific Palisades Hotel
1277 Robson Street, Vancouver
800.663.1815
www.pacificpalisadeshotel.com
Wedgewood Hotel
845 Hornby Street, Vancouver
800.663.0666
www.wedgewoodhotel.com
Spokes
1798 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver
604.688.5141
Edible British Columbia Culinary Walking Tours
888.812.9660
www.edible-britishcolumbia.com
Vancouver Aquarium
www.vanaqua.org
Tourism Victoria
www.tourismvictoria.com
Villa Marco Polo Inn
1524 Shasta Place, Victoria
877.601.1524
www.villamarcopolo.com
The Fairmont Empress
721 Government Street, Victoria
800.257.7544
www.fairmont.com
Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort & Spa
2020 Country Club Way, Victoria
888.533.2327
www.bearmountain.ca
Ocean River Sports
1824 Store Street, Victoria
800.909.4233
www.oceanriver.com
Outer Coast Seaweeds
877.713.7464
www.outercoastseaweeds.com
Sapphire Day Spa
714 View Street, Victoria
250.385.6676
www.sapphiredayspa.com
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