Brits need help planning holiday in BC ( long post - sorry )
Apr 5th, 2010, 09:56 AM
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Brits need help planning holiday in BC ( long post - sorry )
Hi everyone - need some expert advice please !!
We are two young at heart ,fit , middle aged ladies planning a three week trip to BC in September this year . We arrive in Vancouver on Aug 28th and dept from Calgary on Sep 18th .
The middle week of our trip is all organised - we are on a week long horse riding trip based out of Princeton. It's the before and after bit that we need help with please .
Our itineray so far looks like this :
Aug 28th Arrive Vancouver at 1430 pick up car drive ro Victoria - overnight Victoria
29th day in Victoria
30th drive up to PortrMcNeil overnight Port Mcneil (booked Inn on the Waterfront )
31st Day trip out of Telegraph cove to see the bears - overnight Port Mcneil
Sep 1st morning trip with Stubbs to see the whales - afternoon drive to Courtenay -
overnight Coutenay (booked The Old House Village) )
2nd 1010 ferry to Powell river Overnight Powell River ( booked Beacon B&B)
3rd day Kayak trip on Desolation sound overnight Powell River
4th start drive to Princeton - overnight Sunshine Coast ( where - Gibson ?? )
5th arrive Princeton in time for Dinner overnight Princeton
6th > the 11th Horse Riding finishing lunchtime on 11th
11th after riding - drive to Lytton - arrive for dinner - overnight in a teeppe in
Lyton
12th white water rafting with Kumsheen - after rafting drive to Sun Peaks to see
friends -
13th Sun peaks
14th Drive via Kicking horse Pass to Lake Louise overnight en route -
where ??
15th Lake Lousie to Jasper overnight Jasper
16th Jasper > Banf overnight Banf
17 th Banf overnight Banf
18th drive to Calgary - fly Home .
Whew ! is this too much ? Can we do the distances in the time giveN?
We need some input on the following please :
Where to stay in Victoria ;
best Kayaking outfit from Lund - I am a bit horrified that one particular outfit up there encourages everyone to TOUCH the marine life - this is complete no-no to any conservationalist and I am suprised that it is allowed . We are both novice kayakers - is a whole day too much ??
Where to stay on the Sunshine coast en route to Princeton??
Where to stay en route from Sun Peaks to Lake Louise
Where to stay Lake Louise /Jasper/Banff
Funds are limited - ( we are away for a long time! ) so cheaper options appreciated
many many thanks Chrissie
We are two young at heart ,fit , middle aged ladies planning a three week trip to BC in September this year . We arrive in Vancouver on Aug 28th and dept from Calgary on Sep 18th .
The middle week of our trip is all organised - we are on a week long horse riding trip based out of Princeton. It's the before and after bit that we need help with please .
Our itineray so far looks like this :
Aug 28th Arrive Vancouver at 1430 pick up car drive ro Victoria - overnight Victoria
29th day in Victoria
30th drive up to PortrMcNeil overnight Port Mcneil (booked Inn on the Waterfront )
31st Day trip out of Telegraph cove to see the bears - overnight Port Mcneil
Sep 1st morning trip with Stubbs to see the whales - afternoon drive to Courtenay -
overnight Coutenay (booked The Old House Village) )
2nd 1010 ferry to Powell river Overnight Powell River ( booked Beacon B&B)
3rd day Kayak trip on Desolation sound overnight Powell River
4th start drive to Princeton - overnight Sunshine Coast ( where - Gibson ?? )
5th arrive Princeton in time for Dinner overnight Princeton
6th > the 11th Horse Riding finishing lunchtime on 11th
11th after riding - drive to Lytton - arrive for dinner - overnight in a teeppe in
Lyton
12th white water rafting with Kumsheen - after rafting drive to Sun Peaks to see
friends -
13th Sun peaks
14th Drive via Kicking horse Pass to Lake Louise overnight en route -
where ??
15th Lake Lousie to Jasper overnight Jasper
16th Jasper > Banf overnight Banf
17 th Banf overnight Banf
18th drive to Calgary - fly Home .
Whew ! is this too much ? Can we do the distances in the time giveN?
We need some input on the following please :
Where to stay in Victoria ;
best Kayaking outfit from Lund - I am a bit horrified that one particular outfit up there encourages everyone to TOUCH the marine life - this is complete no-no to any conservationalist and I am suprised that it is allowed . We are both novice kayakers - is a whole day too much ??
Where to stay on the Sunshine coast en route to Princeton??
Where to stay en route from Sun Peaks to Lake Louise
Where to stay Lake Louise /Jasper/Banff
Funds are limited - ( we are away for a long time! ) so cheaper options appreciated
many many thanks Chrissie
Apr 5th, 2010, 06:09 PM
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I have not been to most of the places you are going - regrettably- but I do have a great place in Victoria - we stayed at the Surf Motel - kind of small and funky looking but very clean and FABULOUS ocean views - its not in the Inner Harbor area but if you are a walker, you can walk there and there is a wonderful walking path across the street from the motel - its close to Ogden point where the cruise ships come in
Your trip sounds wonderful!
Your trip sounds wonderful!
Apr 5th, 2010, 06:19 PM
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Altogether too much running around and eliminating the Powell River part of the trip and combining some Kayaking/Whale watching in the Port McNeil area instead would free up a bunch of time.
Travelling back to Vancouver by car from PR is a task that will take most of a day and while the PR area is scenic you won't be missing much by kayaking somewhere else.
http://www.kingfisher-adventures.com/ is a place to start.
Travelling back to Vancouver by car from PR is a task that will take most of a day and while the PR area is scenic you won't be missing much by kayaking somewhere else.
http://www.kingfisher-adventures.com/ is a place to start.
Apr 5th, 2010, 11:03 PM
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And may I gently add one more comment to Meesthare's comment regarding the fact that you can only get to Victoria by ferry as I have a question, floswift. Have you flown so far from England to another destination and once debarking the plane driven a car, especially when you will be driving on the other side of the road from what you are use to do driving on? If so and if you know that you will be fit and alert that it good but if you have not I would strongly suggest that you stay a night or two in beautiful Vancouver while you get over jet lag.
Apr 6th, 2010, 06:59 AM
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A place in Victoria that we loved is Abigail's. It is a small hotel, about a 5 minute walk to the inner harbour area. Very reasonably priced, IMO.
In Lake Louise, we really like Baker Creek Chalets. They have cabins as well as a lodge. BCC is just a tad outside of town on the Bow Valley Parkway, which is beautiful in itself.
There isn't a lot of lodging in LL. If you want more variety, then look to Banff. We have stayed at the Banff Springs and loved that, but of course it is not cheap. If you can find a way to fit it into your budget though, it is great.
In Lake Louise, we really like Baker Creek Chalets. They have cabins as well as a lodge. BCC is just a tad outside of town on the Bow Valley Parkway, which is beautiful in itself.
There isn't a lot of lodging in LL. If you want more variety, then look to Banff. We have stayed at the Banff Springs and loved that, but of course it is not cheap. If you can find a way to fit it into your budget though, it is great.
Apr 6th, 2010, 11:36 AM
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Others have made some valuable suggestions. Here are a few of my observations.
If, on arrival you plan to go directly to Victoria, why not fly there from Vancouver and pick up your car in Victoria. You could also catch the bus from Vancouver airport which will take you via the ferry directly to downtown Victoria.
Sun Peaks to Lake Louise is an easy day's drive. You don't need to stay overnight en route.
However, if you wish to do so, Revelstoke would be a good stop as you could visit Revelstoke Park that day and have a fresh start through the mountain parks to Lake Louise the next morning. You could also then head straight to Jasper without an overnight in Lake Louise and stop there on your return.
If, on arrival you plan to go directly to Victoria, why not fly there from Vancouver and pick up your car in Victoria. You could also catch the bus from Vancouver airport which will take you via the ferry directly to downtown Victoria.
Sun Peaks to Lake Louise is an easy day's drive. You don't need to stay overnight en route.
However, if you wish to do so, Revelstoke would be a good stop as you could visit Revelstoke Park that day and have a fresh start through the mountain parks to Lake Louise the next morning. You could also then head straight to Jasper without an overnight in Lake Louise and stop there on your return.
Apr 6th, 2010, 07:44 PM
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"<i>If, on arrival you plan to go directly to Victoria, why not fly there from Vancouver and pick up your car in Victoria</i>"
Dropoff charges for a car rented on the Island could be outrageous, how much more than a Vancouver car dropped in Calgary I don't know, it's something that has to be researched carefully.
Dropoff charges for a car rented on the Island could be outrageous, how much more than a Vancouver car dropped in Calgary I don't know, it's something that has to be researched carefully.
Apr 7th, 2010, 09:31 PM
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A very ambitious itinerary.
It might be worthwhile to rethink the distances. Vancouver Island is a BIG island. A friend took the bus form Victoria to Port McNeill last year. 9 hours.
The drive from Vancouver to Lake Louise is 9 or 10 hours, Banff to Jasper is 4 hours.
Both the Surf Motel and the Abigai's are on my list of places to stay in Victoria - have had a peek at both, but they are quite different locations.
http://www.surfmotel.net/
http://www.abigailshotel.com/
It might be worthwhile to rethink the distances. Vancouver Island is a BIG island. A friend took the bus form Victoria to Port McNeill last year. 9 hours.
The drive from Vancouver to Lake Louise is 9 or 10 hours, Banff to Jasper is 4 hours.
Both the Surf Motel and the Abigai's are on my list of places to stay in Victoria - have had a peek at both, but they are quite different locations.
http://www.surfmotel.net/
http://www.abigailshotel.com/
Apr 8th, 2010, 08:30 AM
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Concerning the first part of your trip, to Victoria:
We live in Orlando, Florida, but get to Vancouver from time to time. One time, I planned a pretty ambitious itinerary that included Victoria, Tofino, the Okanagan, Nelson, Banff, Icefield Parkway, Calgary, etc. I made an initial mistake in our arrival that is similar to your plan, so let me confess that you may benefit.
We caught an early-morning flight from Orlando, Florida, to Seattle, Washington. Then, we picked up our rental car and drove to the Tsawwassen terminal (Vancouver, just below) and caught the ferry to Victoria. It actually goes to Swartz Bay, which is north of Victoria.
The timeline was tight, and very minor delays waiting for luggage, renting the car, negotiating traffic, etc., led us to miss the ideal ferry schedule. Not a problem, they do run every couple of hours, but we were already tired from the flight.
Upon arriving at Swartz Bay, it took about 15 minutes to debark from the ferry. The traffic into Victoria was heavy, with all the cars from the ferry heading the same way. It was about 45 minutes until we hit the outskirts of Victoria, and then nearly another 1/2 hour with intown traffic lights before we got to our lodging.
All in all, it was around 9pm before we got to eat dinner. For us, that was midnight, given the 3 hour time zone difference. For you, it would be much later - 8 hours, I'm guessing? We were tired and crabby, and it took a couple of days just to recover from all of that.
I would urge you to simply stay the first night in Vancouver, likely at an airport hotel depending on when you get in. You will feel so much better after a good rest!
We live in Orlando, Florida, but get to Vancouver from time to time. One time, I planned a pretty ambitious itinerary that included Victoria, Tofino, the Okanagan, Nelson, Banff, Icefield Parkway, Calgary, etc. I made an initial mistake in our arrival that is similar to your plan, so let me confess that you may benefit.
We caught an early-morning flight from Orlando, Florida, to Seattle, Washington. Then, we picked up our rental car and drove to the Tsawwassen terminal (Vancouver, just below) and caught the ferry to Victoria. It actually goes to Swartz Bay, which is north of Victoria.
The timeline was tight, and very minor delays waiting for luggage, renting the car, negotiating traffic, etc., led us to miss the ideal ferry schedule. Not a problem, they do run every couple of hours, but we were already tired from the flight.
Upon arriving at Swartz Bay, it took about 15 minutes to debark from the ferry. The traffic into Victoria was heavy, with all the cars from the ferry heading the same way. It was about 45 minutes until we hit the outskirts of Victoria, and then nearly another 1/2 hour with intown traffic lights before we got to our lodging.
All in all, it was around 9pm before we got to eat dinner. For us, that was midnight, given the 3 hour time zone difference. For you, it would be much later - 8 hours, I'm guessing? We were tired and crabby, and it took a couple of days just to recover from all of that.
I would urge you to simply stay the first night in Vancouver, likely at an airport hotel depending on when you get in. You will feel so much better after a good rest!
Apr 25th, 2010, 01:30 AM
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Thank you everyone for your replies.All very interesting and some very useful tips.
We have looked into flying to Victoria from Vancouver - what a good idea - but - the flight is very expensive. Also, the one way drop off charge for the car hire is far greater from Victoria than Vancouver for some reason . We are experienced in driving on " the wrong side of the road " ( they do in the rest of Europe and we travel a lot ! ) so we are going to stick to driving from Vancouver. We did a similar thing in Utah a few years ago and thankfully didn't come a cropper !
We have taken on board the comment about the drive from Sun peaks to Lake louise and will do that in one day - thank you.
Still looking for some of the accom - (some of the suggestions have been over our budget ) however the surf motel looks great - thank you !
We have looked into flying to Victoria from Vancouver - what a good idea - but - the flight is very expensive. Also, the one way drop off charge for the car hire is far greater from Victoria than Vancouver for some reason . We are experienced in driving on " the wrong side of the road " ( they do in the rest of Europe and we travel a lot ! ) so we are going to stick to driving from Vancouver. We did a similar thing in Utah a few years ago and thankfully didn't come a cropper !
We have taken on board the comment about the drive from Sun peaks to Lake louise and will do that in one day - thank you.
Still looking for some of the accom - (some of the suggestions have been over our budget ) however the surf motel looks great - thank you !
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