|
writing > articles Where to Stay - Okanagan wine country Not so long ago, accommodation in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley often meant a hotel or a motel that looked much like the one you occupied in the last town. And if you felt like splurging on luxury, there weren’t many options to choose from. Welcome to the new Okanagan. In the past few years, the valley’s celebrity as a wine-touring destination has inspired a mini-boom in guesthouses, resorts, and lavish B&Bs. These ten newcomers, which offer a variety of lodging styles from one-room cottages to three-room suites, exemplify the trend. They’re all unique. All are conveniently – and panoramically – situated on or near vineyards and wineries. And they’ll all be quite happy to spoil you. A View of the Lake B&B Part upscale lodging, part foodie retreat, this B&B on a hillside setting in Kelowna dishes up glamorous lake views at every turn. Accomplished chef Steve Marston, who moved to the Okanagan after a 19-year culinary career in Bermuda where he was named chef of the year in 2004, was winery chef at nearby Quails’ Gate before launching this innovative getaway with his wife, Chrissy. Guestrooms, in rich shades that make you think of butterscotch and pumpkin, are generously sized with deluxe en suite baths. The pièce-de-resistance: a 550-square-foot, show-style kitchen. Sign up for a cooking demonstration, and you not only get to enjoy a sumptuous four-course meal, you learn how to recreate it. Three guestrooms. Rates: $125 to $145. Ensuite baths, TVs, Internet. Adult oriented. No pets. Smoking outside. Gourmet breakfast included. Cooking demonstrations, $75 per person. Includes local wine paired with canapés before dinner and with appetizers and main course. The kitchen accommodates 10. Call ahead to inquire about coming events. The Cove Lakeside Resort Suites in this condo-style resort, located on Okanagan Lake between a historic nut farm and a yacht club, are ultra-comfortable with snazzy kitchens, dining and living areas. Guests have access to the resort’s numerous amenities, which include a spa, fitness center, pools, and hot tubs. The onsite eatery, Bonfire Restaurant and Bar, pairs Okanagan ingredients with Southwest style and artsy presentation. Sit by the open kitchen, in a corner booth, or outdoors on the deck. Beside the resort, a footpath runs along the lake, and Gellatly Road leads to several nearby wineries, including Mission Hill and Quails’ Gate. Supplies to stock your own kitchen are just minutes away, in Westbank, and Kelowna shops and restaurants are about a 20-minute drive. 150 suites. One, two, and three-bedroom styles. Rates vary from $145 to $400 in low season, from $300 to $900 in high season. Fully equipped gourmet kitchens, TV/DVD/Internet, fireplace, washer/dryer. No smoking. Pet-friendly. Catbird Ridge Check into this sophisticated B&B and your tour of the neighborhood might include a visit to Sumac Ridge winery or a stroll through an apricot orchard. Unlike some B&Bs, Catbird Ridge was custom designed and built specifically to accommodate guests. The hallway to the second floor guestrooms, for instance, is broad and airy, with oodles of natural light and glass doors that open onto a secluded outdoor seating area. Rooms feature stylish baths and big-hotel amenities. The breakfasts? Expect crepes, soufflés, and other dishes inspired by whatever’s in season, from rhubarb in spring to squash in fall. Emily Waddington, an enthusiastic cook and gardener, came here from the West Coast with her husband, Barry, to open Catbird Ridge and is still swooning over the local produce. “We get fabulous peaches,” she beams. “And organic, free range eggs are delivered right to our door.” Three guestrooms. Rates: $175 (two-night minimum, July & Aug). En suite baths, TV/DVDs/Internet access. Smoking outside only. Pets, children by pre-arrangement only. Gourmet breakfast included. La Punta Norte B&B This inn-like B&B leaps into view as you wind your way south on Highway 97 toward Summerland. The buff-colored, adobe-style building looks as though it could have morphed out of the cliffs above Okanagan Lake. Six spacious suites, all very private, showcase the spectacular location. Balconies, complete with hot tubs, perch above the lake. The décor is Mexican-Southwest, with rugged tables and lively, hand-painted sinks and toilets. Breakfast is served on a broad, lake-side deck, and guests who want to whip up some meals themselves have a barbeque area on a separate deck. Six suites. Rates: $185 ($165 for bookings of two or more nights). En suite baths, private entrances, balconies with hot tub, TV/Internet, fireplace. Smoking outside only. Pet-friendly by pre-arrangement. Gourmet breakfast included. Summerland Waterfront Resort Summerland Waterfront Resort opened with a blast in February 2006 when the entire crew of Wind Chill, a movie being filmed in nearby Peachland, checked in for six weeks. The suites are fresh and cheerful with soft yellow color schemes and stainless steel kitchens. Most suites have lake views. If you’re lucky enough to be staying long-term, you’ll appreciate conveniences such as a fitness centre and guest laundry facilities. Shaughnessy’s Cove Pub and Restaurant, next to the resort, has a lakefront patio. You can investigate a handful of winery tasting rooms in Summerland. 76 suites. Rates range from $89 to $159 in low season, $159 to $399 high season. Full Kitchens,TV/DVD/Internet. Fireplace. Non-smoking. Pet rooms available on request. Lake Breeze Vineyards Cottages Your own cottage? On a vineyard? Overlooking a lake? Believe it! The owners of the award-winning Lake Breeze Vineyards built a guest cottage near the winery a couple of years ago and added a second, higher up in a block of pinot blanc grapes, in 2006. Both feature snappy kitchens and outstanding views. You’ll find a bottle of Lake Breeze wine waiting for you in your cottage when you arrive, and the setting is perfect for exploring other Naramata Bench wineries. The units are self-catering. Supplies are just minutes away in the village of Naramata, and you’re only about seven miles from Penticton. Lake Breeze’s lovely Mediterranean-flavored restaurant, The Patio, is open for lunch in summer. A tip: if you’re planning a visit, reserve well in advance. These cottages book up fast. Two one-bedroom cottages with kitchens. Rates: July/Aug (min. 3 nights): weekends $229, week days $209. May, June, Sept, Oct. (min 2 nights): weekends $189, week days $169. Nov to April: $159. TV/DVD. Fireplace. Apple d’or Guesthouse Apple d’or is a grand log guesthouse on a former apple orchard overlooking Okanagan Lake in Naramata. Owners Holly Stevens and Colin Moores had a hand in everything from drawing up plans to nailing down floor boards (some of which were salvaged from an Alberta grain elevator) and they furnished the king-sized suites with treasures from their travels. Guests have a separate entrance and deck. Geared to extreme relaxation, this highly-original house features private, walk-out patios off each room, spa-style baths, and a pool with a front-row view of the lake. You can soak in a hot tub, sweat in a sauna, or mellow out in a sunroom. The Naramata Bench has about 20 wineries to check out. In particular, the owners recommend: Poplar Grove, La Frenze, and Elephant Island. Three suites. Rates: $275 to $325, 2nd bedroom in two-room suite: $50 per person. En suite baths. TV/DVD/ Internet. Music system. Kitchens. Fireplaces. No smoking. No pets. Adult oriented. Continental breakfast included. Hester Creek Villas These brand-new (June 2007) Tuscan-flavored villas have a top-of-the-world exuberance, with towering ceilings and a hilltop setting above Hester Creek Estate Winery. Fill your wine glass. (a Hester Creek Trebbiano, perhaps). Step out onto your patio. Enhale the view. Life is good. The tile-clad rooms come with microwaves, bar fridges, and small sinks. Bathrooms have soaker tubs and hip corner showers. Continental breakfast is delivered right to your door. (Opt for the VIP unit, a detached, one-bedroom villa, and you’ll have your own kitchen). Hester Creek is just south of Oliver on a stretch of Highway 97 that’s lined with wineries and vineyards. You can easily plot a tasting tour from your patio. Five villas, 1 VIP villa. Rates vary with the season, from $165 to $265 for villas, from $195 to $295 for VIP villa (2 night min, June through October). En suite baths, TV/Internet. Fireplace. No smoking. No pets. Adult oriented. Continental breakfast included. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Guesthouse Burrowing Owl’s lofty location on the east bench of the Okanagan River Valley, between Oliver and Osoyoos, affords a big-screen view of BC wine country – and many settings from which to enjoy it. In the winery restaurant, the Sonora Room, sample rosemary lamb sausage or wild sockeye salmon on a wrap-around deck that overhangs hundreds of acres of grapes. The latest addition: an opulent guesthouse. Trés-chic rooms feature lots of slate, walk-in closets, decadent baths, and of course, great views. The breakfast room is on the main level, next to the library wine collection, and just outside, there’s a 25-meter pool. Ten guest rooms, one penthouse suite. Guest room rates vary with season, from $175 to $295. (min 2 nights April through December). For penthouse suite rates, inquire at winery. En suite baths, T/, Internet. Fireplace. No smoking. No pets. Adult oriented. Artisan buffet breakfast included. Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa These condo-style units have tall ceilings, sleek kitchens, and loads of atmosphere, thanks to an oh-so-cool setting in the desert-like southern tip of the Okanagan near the shores of Osoyoos Lake. Sagebrush and cactus thrive here. Coyotes howl in the hills at night. Situated next to the majestic Nk’Mip Cellars Winery, owned by the Osoyoos Indian Band, the resort also includes a 9-hole golf course and a cultural center. A spa is in the works for this summer. The restaurant, Passatempo, offers an imaginative menu. Seats are arranged around a long communal table, in more intimate settings near the windows, and in fine weather, outdoors, on the deck. And the views? Let’s just say you won’t forget you’re in wine country. 94 units. Various styles are available, from 590-square-foot, one-bedroom suites, to 977-square-foot two-bedroom villas. All units have fully equipped kitchens, fireplace, TV/DVD, Internet. Rates vary with the season. One-bedroom suite: $159 to $295, one-bedroom villa: $219 to $319, two-bedroom villa: $295 to $389. Non-smoking. Pet-friendly (Check availability when booking.) $20 charge. Kelowna Dining Try the casually chic Bouchons Bistro (105, 1180 Sunset Drive, 250-763-6595, www.bouchonsbistro.com), where the tablecloths are paper, the daily cheese selection is printed on a blackboard, and the pommes frites are addictive. Fresh produce from numerous Okanagan farms and orchards finds its way onto the table at Fresco Restaurant and Lounge (1560 Water Street, 250-868-8805, www.frescorestaurant.net). At the helm: Chef Rod Butters, formerly executive chef at the famed Wickaninnish Inn on Vancouver Island. At Waterfront Wines Restaurant & Wine Bar (104, 1180 Sunset Drive, 250-979-1222, waterfrontwines.com), the menu ranges from prawn and vegetable spring rolls to rack of lamb with meatballs and polenta and the wine list (BC and international) includes many selections that are available by the glass. You can dine well in magnificent surroundings at a handful of Kelowna wineries. Quails’ Gate’s Old Vines Patio (3303 Boucherie Road, 250-769-4451, www.quailsgate.com) and Summerhill’s Sunset Bistro (4870 Chute Lake Road, 250-764-8000, www.summerhill.bc.ca) are open year-round, while CedarCreek’s Vineyard Terrace Restaurant (5445 Lakeshore Road, 250-764-8866, www.cedarcreek.bc.ca), Gray Monk’s Grapevine Restaurant (1055 Camp Road, 250-766-3168, www.graymonk.com) and The Terrace at Mission Hill (1730 Mission Hill Road, 250-768-6448, www.missionhillwinery.com) are open seasonally. Summerland/Penticton/Naramata Dining At Sumac Ridge, in the Cellar Door Bistro (17403 Highway 97 North, Summerland, 250-494-0451, www.sumacridge.com), Chef Neil Schroeter pairs Sumac Ridge wines with a sophisticated, seasonally changing menu. The classy little Vanilla Pod (9917A Main Street, Summerland, 250-494-8222, www.thevanillapod.ca) dishes up big flavors in a “small plates” style (dinner only). In Penticton, the casual Theo’s Restaurant (687 Main Street, 250-492-4019, www.eatsquid.com) is a local favorite, offering Greek fare from avgolemono to saganaki. In Naramata, the top dining spot is the Naramata Heritage Inn and Spa (3625 1st Street, Naramata, 250-496-6808, www.naramatainn.com). The inn’s Cobblestone Wine Bar, which extends onto a perennially popular patio, offers many BC wines by the glass. The more formal Rock Oven Dining Room is open May to October. In summer, dine alfresco on a vineyard. The lunch menu at Barrel Room Bistro, Hillside Estate Winery (1350 Naramata Road, Penticton, 250-493-6274, www.hillsideestate.com) includes thin crust pizzas and creative sandwiches. The Patio, at Lake Breeze Vineyards (930 Sammet Road, Naramata, 250-496-5619, www.lakebreeze.ca), serves Mediterranean-inspired lunch items, such as a shrimp and crab wrap with roasted-garlic lemon aioli. Oliver/Osoyoos Dining The Toasted Oak Wine Bar & Grill (34881 97th Street, Oliver, 250-498-4867, www.winecountry-canada.com), in a former fire hall, has a mammoth wine list and a wide-ranging menu that varies throughout the year. The VQA Wine Store in the same building carries hundreds of BC wines. For an intimate setting, head for the Wildfire Grill (8526 Main Street, Osoyoos, 250-495-2215) where you can enjoy your seafood linguini or blackened tuna on a quiet patio. For memorable scenery, the don’t-miss dining spots in the southern end of the valley are the Sonora Room at Burrowing Owl winery (100 Burrowing Owl Place, Oliver, 250-498-0620, www.bovwine.ca) and Passatempo at the Spirit Ridge Resort next to Nk’Mip Cellars (1200 Rancher Creek Road, Osoyoos, 250-495-8007, www.passatempo.biz/osoyoos). |
 |
site design | ink.