Welcome back to Beautiful Spaces—a series of posts in which I talk about the places where I stay during my travels. It all started in 2013 when I realized that my contentment on the road is directly connected to how much I love where I’m living…and so made a commitment to find beautiful spaces to call home along the way. These accommodations were all kind enough to provide complimentary or discounted stays in exchange for this review. As always, opinions are my own.
After nearly three months of road tripping first across the USA, then back across Canada, our journey ended in the famously beautiful region of British Columbia in western Canada.
We stopped in Revelstoke—a town known for its ski mountain, which is the highest vertical drop in North America–for three days. Then it was off to Whistler for four nights of hiking and village exploration and really delicious baked goods.
During those adventures, we stayed in three different spaces.
In Whistler, we started our time at the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre, where the only thing that beat the comfort of the suite was the view from our balcony (pictured above). The bed was one of the coziest we’ve slept in so far and we both slept deeper than we had in weeks.
We spent every evening in the lobby-level hot tub and every morning sitting out on the balcony, overlooking the village and mountains. We were also lucky enough to spend one of our workdays here with the excellent views as our backdrop (and excellent internet, too, which is vital).
In between our exceptionally good sleep and our very productive workday, we were also invited to the Irish pub at the Pan Pacific sister property just down the block (where I recommend the Guinness cake with Guinness gelato).
After the Pan Pacific stole our hearts, we headed just a few minutes north of town to the Riverside RV Resort, home of yurts and campsites and cozy cabins. We were in one of the latter: a charming wood cabin with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and loft (where I’m guessing kids love to sleep, as it feels a lot like a fort).
We spent our free time here sitting out on the porch looking over the green space beyond and sipping on local wine.
The only downside? The Wi-Fi was a bit spotty. If you need to check emails occasionally, it’s probably fine. But if you’re working while you’re in town, this probably isn’t the place for you.
Finally, there’s Revelstoke, where we stayed at the colorful Poppi’s Guesthouse, a private-room hostel with shared bathrooms, a spacious shared kitchen, and some nice shared porch spaces. The rooms were colorful and simple, the kitchen enormous, the front porch really cozy (though a bit noisy since it’s near a main road), and it was very nice of Poppi to include tickets to the aquatic center, where Chad and I rode the indoor waterslide and sat quietly in the sauna. We also spent some time on the back porch, soaking up sun and sipping white wine until the mosquitos came out in force after the rain.
Rooms at the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre start at 199 CAD per night and include self-serve breakfast. One bedroom suites like ours start at 299 CAD per night (and breakfast is still included). Pets are welcome for 25 CAD per night (capped at 100 CAD, so you won’t pay more than that, even if you’re staying longer than four nights). Self-parking is 28 CAD per day; valet is just 35. And there is a complimentary shuttle service to take you around town if you prefer to leave your car.
Cozy cabins at Riverside Resort start at 219 CAD per night in summer, 199 from October to mid-December, and 239 during peak ski season. There’s a two-night minimum and one parking space is included per cabin. Pets are welcome with prior approval.
Over in Revelstoke, Poppi’s Guesthouse rooms start at 75 CAD in the summer season, 85 in the winter, and 100 over the holidays. Parking out back is included.