Destination: Whistler, Canada
– Exploring the Winter Wonderland of Whistler in 5 days –
Whistler Canada wasn’t a location that came up on my dream vacation list, not that it didn’t deserve placement, but just that I didn’t even know it existed. Apparently I never watch the winter olympics, so when one of my besties invited Devin and I along on a family vacation to Whistler I quickly looked it up and agreed to go. It is seriously so scenic and beautiful, and now that I know it exists, I can’t wait to go back again, next time when I can actually snowboard (aka, when I’m not pregnant).
We happened to go Wednesday through Sunday, although with Vancouver airport being 2 hours away, we really only had 3 full days to explore. Devin booked snowboarding for Thursday and Saturday, and my advice would be try to go weekday if possible. Saturday had major crowds both waiting to get on the lifts and at all the restaurants in the village. Since I couldn’t join him snowboarding I booked a sightseeing ticket that allowed me to ride the Peak-to-Peak Gondola. For $50 it was well worth the money to experience the World’s longest and highest gondola, it seriously gave me butterflies in my stomach.
- Don’t wait for the glass bottom gondola. It’s just a small rectangle cut out of the bottom, and they crowd it full of people so you can’t really see much. All the gondolas have 360 views so don’t wait 20 minutes for the glass one!
Once we arrived at the top of Blackcomb we ate at Christine’s. The restaurant has picturesque windows overlooking the mountain range, Bloody Mary’s with a killer garnish, and tasty food. Devin raved about the fish curry! Be warned though, the wait is super long! Luckily for us it was a beautiful day so we didn’t mind waiting out on the patio.
Being preggo on this vacation really limited what I was able to do, but one thing I really enjoyed was my prenatal massage at Scandinave Spa. While I wasn’t able to get the full experience of heating up in the jacuzzi and then cold plunging into a freezing pool, I quite enjoyed myself.
- Tip: Costco sells giftcards to the spa and there is one located a few miles from Vancouver Airport. For $80 you get a $100 gift card. Massage packages are around $150 so buy yourself 3 sets of gift cards to save the maximum amount of money for two people.
- The Spa provides robes and towels but no slippers. The ground outside is slightly heated to keep the snow away and your feet from freezing but do yourself a favor and pack a pair.
- This is not a place to go with a group of girlfriends that want to chat, silence is the key here and there are signs posted everywhere to not talk.
Overall we had so much fun in the limited amount of time that we were there. Even if you can’t snowboard like me, there is so much to do to stay entertained. I can’t wait to go back again to take in the breathtaking views and possibly do a run or two down the mountain!
That’s my story…
xoxo, andrea
