A number of years ago I bought a charity silent auction item that consisted of a night stay at Rowena's resort and a round of golf at the adjacent Sandpiper golf course in Harrison Mills. Since it had to be used by October 31 of that year, Sally and I decided to take advantage of it Halloween weekend. We had absolutely no idea what to expect, and were most pleasantly surprised. One of the highlights was seeing what we thought was a squirrel jumping across the fairway, only to discover it was in fact salmon in a small small creek traversing the course. We subsequently discovered there were lots of salmon in the creeks and eagles in the trees.
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| The main house, once the Petty Estate, has been subdivided into a number of suites. Charlie's room is the smallest at the back. But it was very comfortable, and a relaxing place to stay. No TV! |
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| If one of the cabins is available, book it! These are the newest ones and they are exceptionally well-appointed. |
In subsequent years, we have returned to Rowena's, (one year even booked the entire resort for a golf weekend with friends.) You can find details about the facility here https://rowenasinnontheriver.com/ and you will see that it consists of a grand estate property that has been converted five or six suites, and a number of cabins, some of which are relatively new.
On a recent trip to play golf with colleagues from Lumon Canada I discovered that Rowena's has been purchased by Keltic Corporation, the company that also purchased the Grouse Inn property I rezoned in North Vancouver at Capilano Road and Marine drive. The company also owns a number of other unique properties around the region, including one which is very close to my home!
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| The golf course is quite beautiful, overlooking the water and mountains with a lot of eagles! As Sally said, this was the only eagle (or birdie for that matter) that I saw! |
This weekend, Sally and I decided to return once again to Rowena's. Unfortunately, the resort was fully booked except for Charlie's room is the smallest of suites in the house. Furthermore, while we wanted to stay for two nights, it was fully Saturday night. However, we got to play golf and watch the eagles and airplanes taking off on a runway next to the 17th hole fairway. We had dinner at the Sandpiper golf club restaurant and it was excellent. I recommend the beef stroganoff!
If you are looking for a 'stay-vacation' getaway, I can highly recommend Rowena's. Go with some friends and book a number of suites or cabins. You won't be disappointed.
Since we couldn't stay a second night, Jo our server recommended we check out the Fraser River Fishing Lodge. (You don't have to fish to stay there.) We called and were told there were two options: a $175 room, and the 'executive' honeymoon suite at $200, which included a double-jacuzzi tub and gas fireplace. We chose the latter and booked Sunday morning breakfast for $25 per person. You can find more details here: https://www.fraserriverlodge.com/
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| It was quite astounding to have the entire facility for ourselves (except for another couple we never saw.) |
I was both surprised and somewhat disappointed to discover that other than one other couple, we were the only ones staying at the resort. One one hand, we felt exceptionally fortunate. On the other, I was quite sad that many more people were not there to take advantage of this very nice facility, in a magnificent setting with bison hanging out in front of your room.
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| It was fun to get close and personal with these beasts. Sally was curious whether the breakfast sausage was bison. It wasn't! |
Sunday morning we enjoyed a beautifully breakfast in the lounge. We were served by a charming young man who turned out to be the son of the owners. When I complimented his parents on the creation of such a beautiful facility, he told me his father was German and his mother of UK heritage and this was the third Lodge they had developed.
I felt somewhat guilty that he and the other staff had opened the lounge and prepared an exceptional breakfast with fresh fruit, juices, croissants and pastries, eggs, bacon and sausage, and coffee JUST FOR US. So much to Sally's chagrin, I had to offer some marketing advice since it seemed sad that more people from Vancouver were not taking advantage of this beautiful facility, especially since the Americans were unable to visit.
At any rate, that is why I have written this blog to share our experience. Rowena's is a wonderful getaway and so is this lodge. Sally and I plan to return soon and go fishing. We may not take the Honeymoon Suite. Instead we will leave it for someone else! Like you
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