Staycation #1 The Sunshine Coast May 30-June 2, 2021

The thing I have missed the most during the pandemic, other than seeing friends and family, has been travel. As a result, as soon as Dr. Bonnie relaxed the essential travel requirements as long as we stayed within our own health region, I booked a holiday on the Sunshine Coast because, for some weird reason, it is in the same health region. 

Since working on a planned new resort at Furry Creek, I have been researching resorts around the province. One that is relatively close, and which seemed very appealing from its photos was  Painted Boat-Resort Spa and Marina.  So we booked in for two nights. https://paintedboat.com/ 

Located at Madeira Bay near Pender Harbour, the development comprises 31 stacked townhouses which are marketed as 'villas'. While they are not villas, they are well-designed, very spacious units with nearby covered parking and good views of the waterfront. The development was originally built by a group of investors from Calgary in 2007 and I gather from stories online it was not a good investment for those who purchased units. Three years ago, Frank O'Brien, editor of Business in Vancouver, wrote the following about the resort:

Painted Boat Resort, Spa and Marina is an award-winning waterfront resort in Pender Harbour on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast. Featuring  quintessential West Coast architecture, the popular resort provides 31 spacious two-bedroom villas, complemented by first-class amenities that include a restaurant, spa, marina and banquet facilities. Originally developed in 2007 for quarter-share ownership in the 31 individual villas, Painted Boat is the top-rated resort on the Sunshine Coast. Colliers International has listed the majority of the resort, which includes 68 of the 124 quarter-shares, the spa, the restaurant and a marina with more than 50 slips. $10 million.

While it may not have been a good place to invest, it was a very good place to stay. It has a surprisingly exceptional restaurant, with a good menu. Unfortunately it was only open on the Sunday night due to Covid, but we enjoyed an excellent meal. 

One of the many advantages of the resort is its walking distance proximity to nearby shops and cafes. We had an excellent lunch of freshly caught spot prawns and fish and chips at Budabing, a local 'food truck' (which is really a mobile home) which is best known for its hamburgers. 

One suggestion for the resort is to fix up the steps leading to some of the units. As we say in the real estate and hospitality business, first impressions can be lasting impressions. For what's being charged, and given the quality of the rest of the resort, this should be attended to.

On the second night we had dinner at the Grasshopper Pub at the Pender Harbour Hotel. A lovely setting. Good service, but we thought the food was terrible. Perhaps the Chicken Pot Pie and Mussels are good, since both were sold out. But if you order the meat pizza, if it's like mine you'll be disappointed. Most of the meats that were supposed to be included were missing! 

While we were there we toured around three other resorts. West Coast Wilderness Lodge looks like a good place to stay. While we didn't see the units, we did see the restaurant which looked most enticing. I gather it's a popular venue for destination weddings. We also stopped off at Ruby Lake Resort which is much more rustic. But we have heard good reports about the restaurant.

The other most interesting resort is Rockwater Secret Cove Resort  https://rockwatersecretcoveresort.com/  If you book, study the accommodation carefully since it varies considerably. It offers glamorous Tenthouse Suites which you access via a long, wooden walkway; modern Oceanview Lodge Rooms and Rustic Cabins. While we didn't check out all the accommodation, the Tenthouse Cabins are the place to stay if you want to splurge a bit for a night. 

The Sunshine Coast has much to offer. While Sechelt is a bit disappointing, there is a small but interesting cidery where we enjoyed a tasting of 6 different ciders.

Gibsons is a terrific community with many delightful places to eat and shop. We have previously stayed at Bonniebrook Lodge www.bonniebrook.com and can recommend staying there and eating at Chasters Restaurant. Now that we can see some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, it is time for all of us to start travelling again. Check out the Sunshine Coast if you haven't been there for a while (especially if you're golfers. There are some good local courses.) If you need someone to play with, phone my friends Jim and Doria Moodie. They summer in Halfmoon Bay and know the local courses very well.