adventure

The Great Canadian Road Trip

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

Heathrow, hiccups and a flight worth waiting for

After more than a year of planning, the day had finally arrived: the start of our Great Canadian Road Trip. My husband Andrew and I, along with our friends Nick and Julie, were setting off on a 17-day adventure—travelling from Vancouver to Banff, on through Jasper, back to Vancouver, and finally across to Vancouver Island.

In the run-up to our departure, wildfires were affecting several areas along our route. The news footage was shocking, and we began making  a Plan B in case we had to change our route.  Thankfully, cooler weather and plenty of rain arrived before we travelled. It was an enormous relief—and our original route was back on.

First Stop: Heathrow

Because our flight left from Heathrow, we travelled down the day before and booked a room at the Thistle Hotel, with on-site parking. Our first impression was not exactly inspiring. There was no lift—which seems extraordinary for an airport hotel—so we dragged six suitcases and four bags up a long flight of stairs. Thankfully, we were only on the first floor.

Our evening meal did little to improve matters. We were shown to a table still covered with the previous diners’ plates, and when nobody came to clear them, Andrew did it himself and went in search of menus. We then had to track someone down again to order drinks and food. The meal was fine, but forgettable. After a chat, we called it a night ready for sleep.  

The following morning, however, things took a turn for the better. We travelled from the hotel to Terminal 5 in a fully automated pod that glides along its own track. It took about five minutes—and it was brilliant. Check-in was quick, and before long we headed for the Aspire Lounge. Our flight was delayed by 45 minutes, though, and oddly we were not allowed into the lounge straight away. Apparently, that is how the system works, but it still felt a little frustrating.

Once inside, relaxation had to wait. We suddenly remembered that we had prepaid for only 15 days of parking and were meant to settle the balance at the hotel. We had forgotten—and getting hold of someone to fix it took what felt like forever.

Then came problem number two: the payment for one of our Booking.com hotels had failed. For a few tense minutes, visions of arriving without anywhere to sleep flashed through our minds. Luckily, we found a motel in the same area and booked it on the spot. Crisis averted.

Premium Economy to Vancouver

For the flight out, we had treated ourselves to premium economy—and it was worth every penny. The seats were noticeably wider, with generous legroom, and the meal arrived on proper crockery with metal cutlery. We even received a printed menu, which made the whole experience feel that little bit more special. Drinks were offered regularly, so staying hydrated was easy. Best of all, after nine hours in the air, we stepped off the plane without the usual aches and pains of being folded into a tiny seat.

Automated border checks and baggage collection were impressively quick, and soon we were on our way to our hotel for our first night in Vancouver. After a year of planning, a few last-minute panics and one very comfortable flight, our Canadian adventure had finally begun.

First night fatigue

We arrived in Vancouver with a mixture of excitement and exhaustion. Although our bodies insisted it was midnight in the UK, the local clock said 4pm. We caught a taxi to take us into the city and to our base for the stay, the Paradox Hotel.

From the moment we walked in, the hotel felt elegant and inviting, and the staff could not have made us feel more welcome. Once we had settled into our rooms, we headed to the bar to make use of our complimentary drinks voucher hunger soon caught up with us.  Although none of us could decide exactly what we fancied. A charcuterie board with fries proved to be the perfect answer: meats, cheeses, bread, crackers and olives to share while we chatted in the bar. By then, however, the time difference was winning. Staying awake until 9pm—5am back in the UK—felt like an achievement, but eventually we admitted defeat and headed to bed, eager to discover Vancouver properly the next morning.

First real sight of Vancouver

The following morning, we were wide awake at about 430am, due to the time difference. It was lovely and comfortable just relaxing in the room and not rushing to get ready. However, at about 7am we were all ready to go out for the day and set off to look for breakfast. We headed towards a place recommended on TripAdvisor, but the route took us through a quieter area near several people experiencing homelessness and substance abuse. Like most cities, Vancouver has challenges.  Feeling uneasy, we decided to turn back towards a busier area and found a café called Bellagios. Whilst we were looking at the menu, an English chap who was passing said it was excellent food, so we opted to go in.

The owner was extremely welcoming and all the staff were so pleasant and helpful. The food was of an amazing quality, with breakfast potatoes which were incredibly tasty. After a really good meal and topped up with tea and coffee, we were ready to face the day.

Our next job was to find a point to get into the hop on hop off trolley bus tour. We have found this is a good way to see a city in a short space of time, getting off to visit things which catch your eye. After a short walk, we found the stop and a trolley came along within a few minutes. It was a little bit more of a novelty than the usual open top bus. The young man doing the commentary was also knowledgeable and very amusing.

Our first hop off was at Granville Island. Originally an industrial area with shipyards, sawmills, and foundries, it was transformed in the late 1970s into a public space with quirky independent shops and markets, arts centres and community theatres. We had a lovely couple of hours walking round the area, then picked up the aqua bus on the harbour to take us to Yaletown to catch up again with the Trolley Bus. After a couple of stops, we got off at the Public Library. I had read there was a roof top garden and platform with great views. The library itself was pretty impressive, but, there wasn’t much of a garden or a view to be honest. Heading back for the Trolley, we got off at Canada Place. The waterfront area, designed to look like a ship, houses a Convention Centre, the cruise ship terminal, shops and restaurants.

While looking for lunch, we saw a huge queue snaking along the cruise terminal and wondered if it was people waiting to board a ship. There was one in the terminal, that had reportedly broken down. Over a light lunch at Marneys, our waitress informed us it was for Aritzia’s famous sale, with some shoppers queuing for days.

After lunch we walked back up to the town and came across “The Round House”,  a historic Railway complex which has now been converted into an arts and cultural centre. It still houses the enormous Engine 374, which pulled the first intercontinental passenger train into the city in 1887. It was a beautiful train looked after by friendly and informative volunteers. We then headed back to the trolley and stayed on longer this time, passing various landmarks, including the A-maze-ing laughter sculpture and travelling through the great expanse of Stanley Park. There is lots to see and do at the park, but as we had been out most of the day, we decided to save a further visit for when we visited Vancouver again later in the holiday.

After a rest and shower at the Paradox, we braved the now pouring rain and returned to Canada Place for dinner at the Tap and Barrel. Unfortunately, the indifferent service, limited menu and unremarkable food made it one of the few disappointing meals of our Canadian adventure.

A few drinks later, we made our way back to the hotel, amazed by how much we had packed into one day—and thoroughly impressed by our first taste of Canada.

A Sunshine break in Gran Canaria

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It’s been a little while since we had a relaxing holiday in the sun, so it was great to be able to get away to Gran Canaria for a week. Me and my husband, Andrew travelled with our eldest daughter Meg and her partner Ed, and our youngest daughter Izzy and grandson Walter. We had booked all-inclusive at the Tui Blue resort Orquedia at Bahia Feliz. This is the first time we have been all-inclusive and it was definitely a good choice.

First plane journey with a toddler

We took a mini bus to Manchester airport from our home address, which meant that we could all travel together. The booking in process and security all went smoothly, with everyone being friendly and helpful. The flight was delayed for around an hour, but once aboard, our grandson was allowed to go sit in the cockpit and have his photo taken. All the air crew were amazing, assisting all the young families onboard. Our grandson Walter was really settled through most of the flight and when he did become tired and upset at one point, the cabin crew took him and my daughter to sit in the crew area so that she could calm him down, which was reassuring. He didn’t fall asleep at all on the plane, but nodded off when we got on the transfer coach.

Hotel Orquedia

The hotel had everything you needed for a great week away. The rooms were spotless, as was the rest of the hotel. The grounds were picturesque, with plenty of areas of shade or sun, whichever you prefer. There were a number of swimming pools, including a splash area for toddlers, a shaded shallow pool for babies, a shallow pool with a slide for children, a deeper pool for inflatable and a larger pool for swimming and the daily activities. There were a couple of playgrounds and a number of buildings where children could go and play, which were in addition to the paid children’s clubs. My grandson loved going to the stay and play which was in a lovely air conditioned building with lots of tubs of toys.

The restaurant was light and airy, with a seating area outside. The food was excellent, with plenty of choice for each meal. There was also a snack bar and drinks by the pool. We all enjoyed the food throughout the week, eating a variety of fresh healthy foods, fruit salads, vegetables, as well as lots of desserts. It was great that we were all able to eat different foods and try things which we might not normally eat.

All the staff were friendly and ensured everyone was having a great time. We couldn’t have asked for anything better from a hotel.

Enjoying family time

The week away gave us a lot of time to spend together as a family. The first couple of days were spent by the pool, relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. We were in and out of the pool and the playgrounds. We took it in turns to keep an eye on Walter or to take him for a walk through the grounds when he was tired. In the evening, we all got together to go down to the restaurant, and then afterwards into the pool bar for the evening entertainment. Each night there was a children’s disco. There was then a quiz, which we joined in most nights. We often came second or third, but never won! This was then followed by a show by the entertainment team, which were good fun.

Having a decent nap during the day meant that Walter could stay up later and enjoy the entertainment, although he often prepared to go out into the grounds and the playground to run around. When he went to bed on an evening, it gave me and Andrew chance to spend time with Meg and Ed.

Throughout the rest of the week we had more time to relax, as well as join in with some of the activities. It was a lovely balance of spending time altogether, people doing their own thing. I took Walter to a couple of the organised activities for toddlers. Our two daughters spent a morning together. Meg and Ed went off to spend some time on their own. Me and the girls enjoyed a few of the exercise classes including aqua aerobics, yoga and the very adventurous yoga and Hit classes on a paddle board in the pool.

We got to meet some nice families and it’s always great to see how easily little children make friends. On an afternoon, we would often see the same families walking around pushing prams trying to get their toddlers to sleep.

On a couple of the afternoons the bar was open for “happy hour” where there was a cocktail of the day, snacks and a musician playing. It was so relaxing sitting under the shade outside listening to music in such lovely surroundings.

Palmitos Park

We had a trip to Palmitos Park one day, travelling there by bus, which took around 45 minutes. It was an extremely hot day, but the zoo was not too busy and there was plenty of shade. Walter enjoyed seeing all the animals and liked the lizards and crocodiles more than any of the bright coloured birds or furry animals. During the day there was a dolphin show, which was very entertaining and also educational. Although it was a really good day out, I am always in two minds how I feel about animals in captivity. It gives children a chance to see animals up close, which they otherwise may not have chance to do. The zoo promotes the rescue and protection of the animals, but I much prefer to see the animals out in their natural habitat.

Overall we had a great holiday. We all came home with a suntan, relaxed and having enjoyed some quality time together. What more could you want from a holiday?

A Scotland Getaway (4)

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Bone Caves

Thursday morning was misty and drizzly, but the forecast promised dry and warm weather for the afternoon. We had a late breakfast and a drive into Lochinver to buy pies for tea from the Lochinver Larder.
Around 2pm we made our way to the car park for the walk to Bone Caves. We had seen lots of deer rutting here on a previous visit and some of us were not keen to encounter them on this occasion. However, there were no deer in sight, so we were able to set off on our walk.
The walk follows the river up the valley, passing a waterfall and lots of underground springs. Crossing a dry river bed, we then started the climb up the stone steps towards the caves. It is quite steep and rocky underfoot, but worth the climb, as you are soon able to see the caves at the top.
The caves are small, but you can go inside each one and almost stand up. The caves were excavated in 1889 by the geologists Peach and Horne. They found the remains of animals which once roamed the Highlands including lynx, polar bear, arctic fox and lemmings. It is believed that the caves may have once sheltered these animals and also the humans who hunted them.
There is a slightly different path setting off down from the caves, but it soon meets the original path back into the car park. There were a few deer to see on the hillside on the walk down, but luckily none that we had to come into close contact with.

The Old Man of Stoer

Today the weather was good in the morning, although a little blustery. We decided to set of earlier and walk in the morning before the storm came in which was forecast for the afternoon.
The walk began at Stoer Lighthouse and is mostly a sheep track which is tricky underfoot due to the rocks and the boggy grass and mud. Very soon we were treated to some gorgeous views of the rugged coast and eventually the Old Man of Stoer. This impressive stack reaches out of the sea at 70 metres high.

We continued to walk along the coastal path, reaching the Point of Stoer, giving stunning views in all directions. We sheltered out of the wind whilst we ate our lunch.
The path back to the lighthouse is a little less wet and rugged and eventually leads onto a track which is much steadier underfoot.
Once back at the car, we made our way back to the lodge for a final dip in the hot tub and packing ready to begin our journey home.