British Columbia 2018

I took a trip all by myself to Vancouver, British Columbia in mid-May 2018, and it was so glorious! I have done individual recaps for parts of the trip, so this is just an overall summary of things, but you can click on the individual titles to find the more detailed overviews of each part of the trip.

This was a healing trip for me. I had checked my husband into an Assisted Living facility three days prior to my trip for a rare form of brain degeneration that will one day take his life, so to say this trip was a necessary part of my healing at that point was a severe understatement. I had planned this trip to be respite from caring from him, but as the cards fell, it just so happened that it ended up being the trip to sort of take a break from the former life I knew with him at home and to ease into the new life without him home with us. As such, I had planned a lot of nothing, beyond a 90 minute massage and a 90 minute facial.

I spent a LOT of time just relaxing, journaling, reading, and taking in the view from the private dock where I was staying.

It was so easy to find things to do once I got there, and the lack of planning was not a problem at all. I could've easily spent a couple weeks here and really enjoyed the longer stay.

Accommodations

I stayed in a cottage I found on vrbo.com just up Mount Seymour from Deep Cove in North Vancouver. It was a little slice of heaven, truly! I did a full recap of the accommodations and my pros/cons of the place here. (The overall gist was that I loved it, but probably wouldn't return to that particular place.)

Dining

I did a full dining recap, but here's the basic rundown:

Honey's Doughnuts in downtown Deep Cove (☆☆☆)

Very yummy cake doughnuts, pretty good coffee, long wait, VERY popular with locals and visitors.

The Lobby Lounge in Fairmont Pacific Rim in downtown Vancouver (☆☆☆☆☆)

Good sushi, great atmosphere! (www.lobbyloungerawbar.com)

The Brasserie in Whistler (☆☆☆☆)

Delicious poutine with pulled pork, great for people watching!

Activities

I did a full recap of all activities in this post, but here's my overall ranking from the activities. (Click on the titles to view my recaps of each place.)

Capilano Suspension Bridge ☆☆☆☆

It was really cool with lots to see and do there. It really made me miss my kiddos, who would have eaten that place right up! VERY touristy and busy.

Willow Stream Day Spa ☆☆☆☆☆

I had a 90 minute facial, and it was an incredible place! Very professional staff and extremely relaxing environment. Don't forget your swimsuit for the rooftop hot tub!

Baden Powell Trail and Quarry Rock (☆☆☆☆)

Beautiful, well-paved trails, very serene in the mornings, Quarry Rock was a nice view of Deep Cove!

Whistler, British Columbia (☆☆☆☆☆)

An easy day drive from Vancouver. Olympic Village was SO cool, the mountain bikers were fun to watch in the "off-season" from skiing and such, and the mountain views are incredible!

Sea to Sky Highway (☆☆☆☆☆)

There is no way I could ever describe in word or picture or video just how it felt to drive this. It was beyond out of this world! Highly, highly, highly recommend this drive!

Overall...

I HIGHLY recommend pretty much all parts of the trip. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and I cannot wait to go back some day!

This particular trip really ended in quite a hurry, and I don't want to get into it here, but let's just say that I'd like to repeat this trip at some point where I'm not rushed and hurried at the end for a super early morning flight. And I'd like to stay somewhere along the Sea to Sky Highway (perhaps in Porteau or Squamish or even Whistler) to really have a great shot at actually sitting back and truly taking in the scenery around there without so much of the hustle and bustle.

British Columbia 2018 :: Activities and Places to Go

Activities and Places to Go

Deep Cove

Deep Cove is a little slice of heaven! I absolutely adored my quiet morning exploring there. I would love to go back! For a full recap of my morning in Deep Cove, click here.

Capillano Suspension Bridge

Capillano Suspension Bridge was pretty cool, although not nearly as death-defying as I had envisioned. It was basically just a busy tourist attraction. They did a lot of awesome work keeping up the grounds, and the tree top experience was really cool. My kids would have LOVED it! It was really expensive, but I do feel worth doing once. Granted, it would only be a half day kind of experience, and I felt like I saw enough after just a couple hours. For a full recap, click here!

Willow Stream Day Spa

The spa was incredible, and I would HIGHLY recommend it! Keep in mind that the cost for parking is crazy high, since it's in downtown Vancouver, and also that you can enjoy the spa ammenities with purchasing even a small package or treatment. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably just get the basic treatment (I did a facial) and then relax in the hot tub (bring your swimsuit) on the gorgeous rooftop lounge area. Oh, and show up at least an hour early. For a full recap, click here!

Baden Powell Trail and Quarry Rock

The long story short is that I ended up hiking a significant portion of the full Baden Powell Trail by accident, but it was really beautiful, and I would do it again! The hike to Quarry Rock should have been significantly shorter, and the view was awesome, although not quite as awesome as the view from Bliss Cottage. For a full recap, click here!

Whistler

Whistler was absolutely beautiful, and a really fun way to spend a day. There is something for everyone in Whistler, and a really fun place to be by yourself or with a huge group. The people watching is awesome, and the little village is so fun! For a full recap of my afternoon in Whistler, click here!

Sea to Sky Highway

This drive is a MUST! This two hour stretch of mountainous road between Vancouver and Whistler is absolutely stunning. It took my breath away and left me with goosebumps numerous times. Our God is so incredible, and it was absolutely magnificent! The stops along the way back that I took included Brandywine Falls, Shannon Falls, a random pull over on the side of the road in Squamish, Porteau Cove and Horseshoe Bay. For a full recap of this drive and my stops, click here!

Deep Cove :: British Columbia Trip 2018

Deep Cove was INCREDIBLE! I spent my first morning there, grabbing a couple doughnuts and some coffee from the renowned shop Honey's, and then wandering down by the bay. It was truly like something out of a dream.

It makes me sad that this place has apparently become so overrun with visitors, because my experience is one I feel everyone should have. To be able to sit at a simple park bench, coffee and doughnut in hand, and just breathe in the sea and watch it come to life. Irregardless of whether or not I return to the cottage again, I WILL be returning to Deep Cove. It was incredible! I LOVE this little seaside village. I'd love to go kayaking or canoeing in the bay, or go fishing, or just sit and read a book there for an afternoon. It was so refreshing and quaint and just...perfect.

I REALLY wanted to have dinner at Arm's Reach Bistro one of the nights, as I'd heard really great things about it, but I just didn't end up making it there.