Salt Spring Island

I have to say, even though we just took three ferries to return home from Salt Spring Island, it was so worth it. What a beautiful, natural, eclectic place. Keith and I celebrated our 5th year anniversary this weekend. By way of tradition, we take turns on who makes the arrangements to celebrate. This year was my turn. At recommendation years ago from my friend Reine and again from Lucile at Arts Umbrella, I booked us into the Hasting House Hotel. What a treat especially with a farm acreage on our minds. Detailing, charm, great service, delicious food, Molton Brown, spa, garden, garden and more garden, picnic, the most amazing market. Where do I start? A few pics from the weekend.

Have totally lost track of time

So it's been pretty amazing discovering our own province and now a piece of Alberta. As Keith says, we have driven Europe and back already and we're only about half way through our trip. I'm sharing a few pics of tonights dinner at Sue and Scott's (we're now in Calgary). What an incredible feast! Keith and I are back at our hotel and still talking about it as we lay here ready to sleep. Appies of prawns and stuffed mushrooms, the most amazing tender beef slow roasted on the bbq spit, roast potatoes, fresh as fresh mozarella and tomato salad, arugula flat bread, crab legs done in white wine and garlic and a horseradish dip that I couldn't get enough of. And to top it off, our favourite Rose. How did they know? The weather worked in our favour with the rain disapearing just in time to enjoy our meal outside on their beautiful deck. Christian loved their dogs and we love Sue and Scott. So excited to be spending the rest of the week with them. Hmmmm.. Love life's moments like this.

Good morning Day 2

Sweet crisp morning on the Sunshine Coast And to think, we're going to get the Hockey Game here too!

Circle Farm Tour stops 2, 3 & 4

After the Blackberry B&B / Farm stop I took the girls to one of my favourite places. You may have recalled a post last year on Mother's Day at the Limbert Mountain Farm. Well, the girls loved it. An herb farm, with a cooking school, tea house, and general store. Our next stop after that was to The Farmhouse Natural Cheese. Bit stinky but I was able to pick up some goats milk for Christian while I was there and the girls got some photos with some horses. We then drove past a beautiful Hazelnut farm that I dreamed Christian might run through one day (secretly I want to run through one day!) and then ended our tour at The Back Porch. There we hung out with the goats and some pigs, the chickens and I got a good look at the coop (I'm really into chicken coops at the moment). They have fresh roasted coffee beans and beautiful pottery. I love how people create livings for themselves based on where they want to live. I love that. Kind of like Keith and I on the Sunshine Coast.

1 of a few posts from spring girls weekend in Harrison

So I almost can't wait anymore to get our photos together to write these posts. I must start and will by sharing our Saturday with you all. The Agassiz Harrison Mills Circle Farm Tour was awesome. We all had so many "this is our speed" moments. Especially after the crazy Friday we had in search of Sasquatch. Our first stop was to look at the sweetest lambs that had just been shaved. Of course there was just one black sheep in the mix. We noticed a farmer in the field and stopped to say hello. He noticed right away that with a truck full of girls, we must have been up to a girls weekend. He had a sign at the end of his property advertising fresh home made pies so we stopped and bought a few including some fresh eggs and blackberry jam. Fiona bought a lemon meringue, Louise bought a berry one and I bought strawberry rhubarb as a thank you to my Dad for helping to organize the weekend. We fell in love with the property. A good old fashioned red barn scene. Just as you would dream it. Free range chickens, a farm industrial kitchen, a few big dogs on the porch and as luck would have it - they run it as a B&B and call it the Blackberry B&B. Certainly on my list for the next time we're in Harrison.

Vallarta Gardens in La Cruz

So we just booked our winter holidays today. We're going to our mainstay Puerto Vallarta. Last year Playa del Carmen was super beautiful. I just don't think I can do the long, cross national flight again with the little one. PV is so easy with a direct 4 hour flight that doesn't run at a ridiculous hour. Makes the holiday a bit well, a little more like a holiday. In the past we've stayed at some gorgeous boutiques, waterfront hotels and we've rented a house. This time we've opted for renting a Villa in a gated resort community on the beach. One part house, another part hotel. There's enough room for us all, a spa, a restaurant, but we can also cook for ourselves, a private beach for the kids and three pools right outside our patio. It's located in LaCruz which means we need to drive to restaurants (or walk along the beach) if we want to go local but it's another type of vacation we're up to trying. It's a superb location for getting to other parts of the region - 15 minutes from Punta Mita, 20 minutes from Sayulita, 30 minutes from PV and 5 minutes to Bucerias. We're 8 months away but Keith is so excited about going I had to share it now.

Road Trip

Keith and I have booked our family holiday this year and we're doing something completely different - we're going on a road trip in June to discover the BC and Alberta Rockies. We're travelling with Christian, our nanny and my 92 year old mother-in-law so we've rented a motorhome of sorts. I didn't want big, but still wanted flexibility with a washroom and little kitchen. Keith wanted a gas saver so we opted for this "agile" RV. While I was searching I came across this old school one too. Love it. For RV information you can learn a lot here. I'm looking forward to writing from the road come June.

The Post Hotel

While I was writing my entry yesterday on the Dunton Hot Springs property it reminded me of one of my favourite trips Keith and I ever took. We attended the wedding of our friends Sue and Scott in Lake Louise at The Post Hotel. The setting is beautiful. The hotel itself is very understated like most Relais and Chateau properties are but something about this one is special (I am pretty sure the wedding also had something to do with it). I remember them having a great dining room and an incredible wine list. We stayed in one of the rooms but they also had riverside cabins that I remember wanting to return to. Of course you can stay in the famed Fairmont on Lake Louise but the Post is a little more discreet and private. Loved it.

Eau water...

The beach in Playa del Carmen is really, really beautiful. I haven't been to a lot of beautiful beachy places in my life like the Phillipines or the mico island chains that are on my list. Austrialia is beautiful but i have to say this was really beautiful. (I think I said that already). We also ventured upon a river as well (Keith pictured). Little C and me are just for fun.

Tulum

So unfortunately I fell ill on the day Keith and I were supposed to go to Tulum but luckily K's son-in-law John quickly stepped in to join him. How beautiful is this place? Really? The postcards you see really don't do the place justice Keith says. The history buff that he is had him loving the tour! John liked the beach and our Nanny Maricel took the day to go see it for herself too. Envious I am but happy to be sharing them here.

Waaaay too long but hey, we've been travelling

It has been ages since my last post but then again, we have been travelling. We went to an easy all inclusive with family and friends for the holidays which was perfect for ages of 10 months to 92 years old. This was a great vacation with lots of great memories. Tres tres deal too! I'll get caught up and sign a few posts. BlueBay Grande Esmeralda is in the Mayan Riviera/Playa del Carmen. The beach is Mongrove but still nicer than any of the alternative beaches back in BC. The hotel itself was good food (for a buffet, no really it wasn't bad at all) and the resort was more contemporary and quite tasteful for a big huge all inclusive type. We liked it a lot.

Fave meal

So we took a few days and went to Punta Mita for Canadian Thanks giving and landed ourselves at a sweet little place on the beach for dinner on Saturday (and Sunday) night. Mexican food done traditionally like art. Rosa Mexicana I could only find a few images shown through google but took some myself. Guacamole made table side, organic tequila, Lobster tacos, cream kahlua afterdinner drinks made like a milkshake and more. Beautiful view and amazing service. The owner used to be the manager at Cafe des Artiste at the namesake hotel (we stayed at) and opened his own with another chef. Amazing. Well worth the drive and a night over in Punta Mita for those staying in the PV area.

Dugarels

We (Keith, Mum, Maricel, Sara, Kayden, Christian and Louise) decided to hit dinner early to take in some of the sunshine (and get our boys to bed somewhat early). Good thing we did. The views, the light, it was stunning. A great night at Dugarels in Bucerias.

Sweet Serenade

Last night we got rained in at Sandrina's. It's a great courtyard restaurant in the centre of Bucerias. The owner, Sandrina, remembered Mum as we celebrated her 90th birthday there almost 2 years ago (she's also got a picture of us on her site)! Best part of the night was watching Christian see the rain pour in literal buckets off the tarps they had set up. Well actually that was next to watching him be serenaded by some local musicians. He could not keep his eyes off of them. Mezmorized.

Bucerias Bound

Next week we have family arriving for our son's Christening and then we're off to PV. We've rented a house for almost 6 weeks in a little fishing village north of Puerto Vallarta called Bucerias. It's the first time we've tried this and for an extended amount of time. Looking forward to living like the locals. We usually stay at our friends B&B and looking forward to seeing them again. Friends will also be joining us. Sara and Jay for two weeks, Louise for one, Bette and Brad for the last two weeks. Can't wait to show them our favourite haunts and to also hook up with Peter and Deb in La Cruz who have rented a villa on the beach for 6 months! Sunshine, sand, guacamole here we come. Maybe Christian can learn a little spanish too!

Relais & Chateau in Mykonos

This past Fall we went to Mykonos at the recommendation of our good friends. We stayed at a R&C boutique called the Myconian Ambassador, a stones throw to the beach. It had a great pool (although frightfully chilly in Oct) and a beautiful spa we frequented a few times. They also had really great bath products - a Greek organic line called Korres (nice packaging) and our favourite mainstay Molton Brown. Keith thinks it's ridiculous I even mention bath products but it was a really good feature and I think most of you out there would probably appreciate it. I know I would!