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Itinerary Help please!!


samowales

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Need to decide this weekend where we spend our last 4 days of our holiday. We are arriving in Vancouver on 26/7/09 spending time exploring the city before our cruise to Alaska which leaves on 29/07/09. We arrive back on 5/08/09 , we need to decide where to spend the rest of our holiday until our flight on 9/08/09. We are from the UK the world is a big place not sure when we will be able to return. Where would you go , Victoria/Vancouver Island , Whistler or somewhere else? Just would like to spend last few days relaxing, like the great outdoor, could hire a car if needed. Looking forward to suggestions as we are going around in circles

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Need to decide this weekend where we spend our last 4 days of our holiday. We are arriving in Vancouver on 26/7/09 spending time exploring the city before our cruise to Alaska which leaves on 29/07/09. We arrive back on 5/08/09 , we need to decide where to spend the rest of our holiday until our flight on 9/08/09. We are from the UK the world is a big place not sure when we will be able to return. Where would you go , Victoria/Vancouver Island , Whistler or somewhere else? Just would like to spend last few days relaxing, like the great outdoor, could hire a car if needed. Looking forward to suggestions as we are going around in circles
A couple of ideas, one fairly ambitious, the other a little less so.

 

Ambitious -

 

First day (5 Aug.) After disembarking, get a car and drive east on the Trans-Canada Hwy and BC Hwy 3 through the mountains - about 2 - 3 hours - to Osoyoos, then cross into the US and follow US Hwy 97 south to the town of Chelan. Note Chelan (like Osoyoos and every thing else along US 97) is east of the Cascade mountains, so the landscape and climate are very different - orchards, high desert, sagebrush and red rocks - from the green "wet" side of the mountains.

 

Second day (6 Aug.) Take the Lady of the Lake on a cruise up Lake Chelan to Stehekin - http://www.ladyofthelake.com/ - a lovely and relaxing trip.

 

Third day (7 Aug.) Drive south on US 97 all the way to the Columbia River. Visit Maryhill Museum - http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/ - and nearby Stonehenge (yes, really) and then continue through the Columbia Gorge toward Portland, spending the night at the very fun Edgefield complex in Troutdale - http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=3. This will be a long day but enormously worthwhile as it traverses some of the best "old west" scenery in the country, a couple of Indian reservations, and the magnificent Columbia Gorge, which really ought to be a National Park instead of just a National Scenic Area. IMO. Unwind at the Edgefield, which has a movie theater, several pubs, a brewery, winery and distillery on site, as well as a chip-and-putt golf course, very cool art, and decent food at a couple of restaurants.

 

Fourth day (8 Aug.) Late start and an easy drive to Seattle. Or, earlier start and a detour en route to Mt. St. Helens. Four hours without Mt. St Helens, 5 1/2 with.

 

Fifth day (9 Aug.) Either drop the car in Seattle the evening before and take the morning train to Vancouver (leaves at 7:40 AM, arrives around noon) or else have breakfast at the Pike Place Market and then drive back, around 3 hours plus possibly an hour at the border) and prepare for (I presume) your evening flight back to the UK.

 

I've done this trip (or variations on it) with friends from the UK on a couple of occasions, and I promise you they all loved it and immediately commenced planning for their return. The contrast of this itinerary with your Alaska holiday preceding is quite amazing.

 

Less ambitious -

 

Day 1 - Get a car and take the Tsawwassen ferry to Victoria. Stop at Butchart Gardens (between the ferry dock and central Victoria) if you're flower people. Crowded and costly, but lovely. Overnight in Victoria; the Inner Harbour is very attractive for strolling around in the evening.

 

Day 2 - Take the morning Coho ferry - http://cohoferry.com/main/ - to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula (Washington State) and drive up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. Descend back into PA then drive west a little distance to Sequim (pronounced "Skwim") and have supper at the 3 Crabs restaurant on the beach at Dungeness. http://the3crabs.com/. Note the food is okay, not great, but the setting is fabulous. Continue west another half hour or so to the town of Port Townsend, which has numerous bed-and-breakfast places (as well as some conventional lodgings) amidst some very fine Victorian era architecture.

 

Day 3 - Take the ferry across to Whidbey Island, and drive south to Langley, a very cute waterfront village at the south end of the island, perhaps for a late lunch and stroll through the numerous shops and galleries along the main street. Then drive south (10 min.) to the ferry to Mukilteo on the mainland, and consider spending the night at the very nice Silver Cloud Inn, built over the shore next to the ferry terminal. http://scinns.com/12home.htm.

 

Day 4 - Spend the day in Seattle (drive or take the bus) - visit the Pike Place Market, maybe attend a baseball game, go to the museum.. whatever pleases you. If you're interested in such things, the Boeing factory where the wide-body jets are built, is around 10 min. from "downtown" Mukilteo ;) and you can tour the factory (biggest building in the world) and the flightline - http://www.futureofflight.org/ - as an easy side trip. Return to Mukilteo (around 30 min. from downtown Seattle) for the night.

 

Day 5 - As above; drive up to the border (around 2 hrs) from Mukilteo and get ready to go home.

 

This route has less spectacular nature, but lovely smaller-scale stuff on the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound to compensate, plus some very attractive places to visit, and less driving.

 

I think either would be a very rewarding way to spend your post-cruise days in this fabulous region.

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If you're not into a bunch of driving, and just want to relax, google "Qualicum Beach" which is on Vancouver Island -- a small artsy town that gets lots of visitors during the summer. Good beaches, adequate restaurants. Or Sechelt/Sunshine Coast area -- there are people there who rent out their homes to visitors, with kitchens and such, so you can settle in for a few days and just "chill out".

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My absolute favorite place in this entire region (and we are spoiled for choice here) is Tofino on the far west coast of Vancouver Island. I'd rent a car, take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo and drive over there for 3-4 days of relaxation and beauty with lots of outdoor activity options and wonderful places to stay and eat.

 

Depending on what time your flight home is, you may need/want to come back to the mainland the night before. Dealing with the ferries the same day as a flight isn't a great idea.

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Need to decide this weekend where we spend our last 4 days of our holiday. We are arriving in Vancouver on 26/7/09 spending time exploring the city before our cruise to Alaska which leaves on 29/07/09. We arrive back on 5/08/09 , we need to decide where to spend the rest of our holiday until our flight on 9/08/09. We are from the UK the world is a big place not sure when we will be able to return. Where would you go , Victoria/Vancouver Island , Whistler or somewhere else? Just would like to spend last few days relaxing, like the great outdoor, could hire a car if needed. Looking forward to suggestions as we are going around in circles

The Olympic Peninsula (by Seattle) is beautiful, although if you are from Wales, there is nothing as beautiful as Wales. Mountains are larger, but not nearly so pretty.

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Samowales

Here is my 2 cents worth!

 

My suggestion is to take the Pacific Coach Lines bus either from the Canada Place Pier or the Ballantyne pier, (depending on which cruiselines you are with), to the ferry terminal to Victoria. The ferry ride is about 1 hour and 35 minutes, and you sail through the beautiful Gulf islands, lots of ferries, fishing boats, sailboats, there is a cafeteria, snack bar and a great buffet onboard if you feel hungry. (I work onboard the ferry!)

The round trip cost is $94 per person which includes the ferry fare. Suggest you stay a minimum of 1 or 2 nights in Victoria, take in a city tour, go out to world famous Butchart Gardens and definitely splurge on a whale watching expedition (this is a must!)

You can take the city tours & the Butchart Gardens tours from right outside the Empress Hotel. Also suggest that you take the little ferry boats from in front of the Empress to the Spinnakers Brewhouse & Pub, very good beer which they make & excellent food, it is also a great way to see Victoria Harbour, I love taking these little ferry boats in the evening, to see the sunset. You can also take these ferry boats to Fishermans Wharf or you can walk there from downtown, have fish & chips @ Barb's, buy some fish trim to feed the 2 seals there (watch out for the seagulls who will steal the fish trim out of your hands)

In the evening, stroll along the harbour promenade in front the Empress, lots of street entertainment, & trinkets & stuff for sale.There usually is a First Nations family down on the harbour, they sell their handcrafted bead jewellry, some carvings, some dream catchers , so you know that it is not made in China or Asia.

Go back to Vancouver either 7 or 8 August but I think it would be a relaxing way to end your wonderful vacation!

This is the website for the PCL bus http://www.pacificcoach.com/index.cfm Their phone number 1-800-661-1725.

Email me at bcf93@hotmail.com, if you need further help.

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Living in Sechelt...well I am kind of partial to that suggestion, however accomodation gets pretty tight up here during the summer and is usually booked months in advance. I also like the Qualicum Beach idea as well but by now the accomodations for summer will be pretty picked over.

I certainly wouldn't discount the idea of going to Whistler to spend a few days, the Rocky Mountineer people offer a train excursion that you might enjoy and once at Whistler you can be as laid back or a busy as you wish.

http://www.rockymountaineer.com/

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Thanks everyone for your ideas they have been really helpful, we have decided on Sechelt/Sunshine Coast area. We just want somewhere to sit and chill for a few days, this seems to be ideal and there does seem to be a few options on accomodation maybe because we are looking at a arriving on a wednesday and leaving Saturday to travel back to Vancouver for our mid day flight back to the UK on Sunday. We've decided that we will have to return another time to see Vancouver Island/ Seattle area as there is so much to see that we can't do it justice in a few days. Saruman yes we are from Wales , Cardiff, in the south , mountains are pretty. Last time we visited Canada (Lake louise /Banff) the people were really helpful and friendly just like this forum.

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Dear Putterdude, having trouble deciding on a tour operator for ferry from Vancouver to Victoria for a day trip. Leaving on cruise next afternoon. Tried LandSea that you had previously recommended, however, it said they dont do tour on Fridays. Looking at BCPassport and Sightline, any feedback or suggestions?

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