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A Fam is a ‘Familiarization’ trip where people who work in tourism go out and get to know the product. In this case my Fam was on the Sunshine Coast… an area that even though I’ve lived in BC all my life, I really knew almost nothing about.
So the day starts with a ferry trip from Horseshoe bay to Gibsons. Close to the city, but as soon as you get there you feel like you’ve escaped. The last time I was in Gibsons things were very different. I was 8 years old on a fishing trip with my dad and bro – I don’t like fishing. I remember being disappointed because ‘Molly’s Reach’ the restaurant from The Beachcombers (the CBC series filmed in Gibsons) wasn’t a real restaurant… just a Hollywood front. My little 8 year old star searching heart was crushed. that was the only reason I went on the fishing trip. Then, I assume to try to cheer up a pouting 8 year old, my Dad let me drive the boat but I was too small to see the many logs in the harbour…. damage ensued. It was all very traumatising. Moving on (after years of therapy).
Things have changed – Molly’s Reach is now a real restaurant, the harbour no longer has fish, and the town is so cute. Our tour guide pointed out all the community gardens that people have taken ownership of and cultivated. Gibsons has evolved into a community of artists and you can see that in the community gardens. They are all unique and interesting and you can see the care taken in them. And I don’t like gardens… they make me sneeze. These ones really added a lot of character to the community. One last thing… if you end up in Gibsons check out the city water fountain – best water ever! Also, you can check out the artists in their studios just look for the purple banners .
So we leave Gibsons and head to Coracle Cove Bed and Breakfast for lunch – a short side trip to Sandy Hook. A gorgeous little place with a great deck on the water (with a hot tub). I want to go back.
We left Sandy Hook and drove to Secret Cove and checked into the Rockwater Resort – I had a little cabin to myself overlooking the Ocean… nice. We got in Kayaks and took a two hour tour of the cove area. I can now finally say I’ve mastered the whole steering an Ocean Kayak. I know it’s not hard but it confused me with the back paddle vs. the rudder. Anyway – gorgeous paddle. I’ll post pictures when I have them.
After the paddle we cleaned up and headed to the restaurant for an AMAZING 4 course meal. I can’t describe how great the soup was, just know that I want some now – good food is addicting.
At dinner there was a lot of conversation about the new ‘tent suites’ on the resort. They sounded great but come-on… tents… how great can they be? The owner was telling us how he wanted to preserve the landscape and trees so he built a boardwalk through the treetops and then built the tents. Cabins would have been cheaper but would have also meant clearing the land of trees to make way to build. We took a tour after din. AMAZING – the tents are right in the middle of nature and overlooking the Ocean…but even more amazing was the luxury in these tents. Fireplace, radiant heated floor, the coolest ‘rain’ shower, huge soak tub with jets, a huge comfy bed and a remote to control it all. It’s seriously the place to go if you want a romantic/locked away/sexy hide away. I must go back ; )
The next day we were off to Pender Harbour to check out Sunshine Coast Resort. Perfect for families and they were in the process of building these great luxurious cabins. We took a harbour cruise from the resort and the captain had just as much character as the community – may fav quote “I work so people think I’m busy and they don’t bug me.”.
After Pender Harbour we stopped in to Ruby Lake Resort and Spa for lunch… where do I begin with this one? This is already a long post so I’ll get back to you on that one.
sandtoesha 
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