CANADA – BRITISH COLUMBIA by Louise Gorbatov

9 December 2019

Day 1
Prestige Holidays invited me to Canada to join them to experience Vancouver and the not so well-known Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia. From Heathrow we boarded our direct British Airways flight to Vancouver. On arrival we were transferred to the Sheraton Wall Centre in the heart of Downtown Vancouver.

DAY 2
We headed to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park which has 7 suspended footbridges 110 feet above the forest floor. Our next stop was Granville Island Market for a 2 hour ‘Foodie Tour’. Here we had the opportunity to sample some of the many local delicacies to include salmon bagels, local meats and cheese and not forgetting the donuts. Our next stop was FlyOver Canada. You hang suspended, feet dangling, before a 20-metre spherical screen while the film whisks you away on an exhilarating 8-minute journey across Canada. The special effects, including wind, mist and scents, combined with the ride’s motion, created a real feel good experience.

DAY 4
Our first visit today was to Davison Orchards Country Village. The orchard offers local produce grown right there in Vernon, British Columbia. They use all the ingredients in the bakery, shop and onsite café. We were then met by a native Secwepemc – or Shuswap as known to the non-native. Shuswap are indigenous people native to British Columbia. We heard about the history of the people before visiting a traditional pit house to make our own bread over a fire. Our evening ended with a superb Michelin quality 5 course meal in the hotel’s restaurant – Jack Sam’s.

Day 5
We visited a Shuswap museum which gave us a further insight into the native people. After a quick lunch stop we made our way to the Sun Peaks resort which offers the second largest ski area in Canada plus mountain biking, hiking and golfing in the summer.

Day 6
A leisurely start where a few of us opted for this morning’s optional activity of yoga, followed by breakfast. We then had a little free time for a wander around the resort before checking out. We then made our way to Kamloops airport to begin our journey home with a first flight back to Vancouver. We had time to catch the free SkyTrain to the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet before we boarded our night flight back to Heathrow.

Thank you to Prestige Holidays for giving me this opportunity to visit British Columbia. I would love to return some day to explore the area in more in depth. My top tip would be never to underestimate how much time you need in a city. As for Vancouver, it’s probably not going to be enough!

< Older Post

 Newer Post >

Recent Posts

ITALIAN TRILOGY - by Louise Gorbatov

17 April 2024
After a short early morning flight we arrived in Rome for the first of a 3 night Italian Trilogy with Kirker Holidays and the 5* Baglioni Hotels. We checked into the Regina Baglioni Hotel which is located just a short stroll from the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese Gardens and easily accessible on foot to all the major landmarks. We started with a ‘light lunch’ (the Italians don’t do light!) then burnt off said lunch with a private walking tour of some of the major sights, to include the Colosseum, Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.

ARUBA - by Louise Gorbatov

17 October 2023
In March 2023 British Airways launched their first twice weekly direct flight to Aruba (with a short touchdown in Antigua). In October I was lucky enough to be invited by the Aruba Tourist Board to experience all of what the Dutch Caribbean Island has to offer.

THE QUEEN MARY 2 by Cheryl Locke

29 August 2019
The Queen Mary 2 and the Norwegian Fjords The Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a beautiful ship and one which was a joy to sail on. I had a couple of minor reservations when booking this cruise on two counts read full story The post THE QUEEN MARY 2 by Cheryl Locke appeared first on Travel Stop.

SWITZERLAND by Louise Gorbatov

19 July 2019
Switzerland – Interlaken & The Bernese Oberland. My Journey started on the evening of Thursday 9th May where I checked into the Thistle at London Heathrow. In the early hours of Friday, I checked out and headed to the Heathrow read full story The post SWITZERLAND by Louise Gorbatov appeared first on Travel Stop.

SOUTH AFRICA by Hannah Moore

26 June 2019
South Africa – Western Cape I was lucky to recently travel to South Africa with African Pride to the Cape Town area. The trip started with an overnight flight on South African Airlines, on their new Airbus A330-300 aircraft. Business read full story The post SOUTH AFRICA by Hannah Moore appeared first on Travel Stop.

CHINA by Bridget Keevil

25 June 2019
We arrived into Shanghai at 07.45am after an eleven and a quarter hour direct flight from London Heathrow.  Having had to go to the China Visa Centre in London to give our fingerprints as part of obtaining the Chinese Visa, read full story The post CHINA by Bridget Keevil appeared first on Travel Stop.

Vienna City Break by Bridget Keevil

27 March 2019
As with any city break when time is at a premium, it is always best to have a plan.  Plan where you want to go and what you want to see at the same time as booking your break, and read full story The post Vienna City Break by Bridget Keevil appeared first on Travel Stop.

SOUTH AFRICA – KWAZULU NATAL by Louise Gorbatov

15 November 2018
I was invited by Africa and Beyond (an independent tour operator, specialising in Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands and the Middle East) to join them on an exciting trip of the KwaZulu Natal area of South Africa, along with 4 read full story The post SOUTH AFRICA – KWAZULU NATAL by Louise Gorbatov appeared first on Travel Stop.

Venice and the Venice Simplon Orient Express by Cheryl Locke

12 May 2018
On April 16th, I was lucky enough to fly to Venice with a small group of 7 other agents, 2 representatives from Kirker Holidays and the UK Sales Manager of Belmond (previously known as the Orient Express Group of Hotels/Rail). read full story The post Venice and the Venice Simplon Orient Express by Cheryl Locke appeared first on Travel Stop.

Marbella, Southern Spain by Hannah Moore

12 May 2018
In April I was invited to Marbella for a short break by Caribtours and, due to an early departure from Gatwick, I stayed the night before at the Hilton South Terminal. First thing in the morning I took the Inter-Terminal read full story The post Marbella, Southern Spain by Hannah Moore appeared first on Travel Stop.
Show More