Rowena's/Sandpiper Resort - one of the Lower Mainland's Best Kept Secrets

On Labour Day weekend, Sally and I decided to enjoy a last-minute weekend getaway. Since it's difficult to get ferry reservations a trip to Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands was out of the question. Also, it did not seem a suitable time to go into the Interior. So, I checked whether there was any accommodation at Rowena's in Harrison Mills. Surprisingly, Pete's Room was available for Saturday night and I quickly booked it, along with a golf tee time reservation at the resort's Sandpiper Golf Course.

If you are not aware of Rowena's, you are missing one of BC's best kept secrets. An approximate one-and-a-half-hour drive from Vancouver, it's in Harrison Mills, just 20 km west of Harrison Hot Springs.  It is most delightful. 

Photos of the Pretty Family can be found on the wallpapered walls of the Inn

The resort includes a historic 1920's inn that was once the home of the Pretty Family. It offers five fully renovated rooms, some with balconies and terraces. Each is now ensuite, although there are no televisions in the rooms, which is a plus, or negative, depending on your perspective. 

Pete's room has a large balcony overlooking the grounds and lake

In addition, there are eighteen one-, two- and three-bedroom cabins set in the grounds overlooking the lake and golf course. More details and photos can be found here https://rowenasinnontheriver.com/.

A few years ago, the resort and golf course were purchased by Keltic, a Vancouver development company which has undertaken significant and thoughtful improvements. These include new well designed and equipped two and three-bedroom luxury cabins, and enclosure of the restaurant patio with a sophisticated retractable glass panel enclosure system manufactured by Lumon, a Finnish company for which I do some consulting. https://lumon.com/ca/.

The adjacent Sandpiper Golf Course is a challenging 18-hole course that takes you into the woods and across creeks and streams, often full of salmon. One year in late October, I could not believe my eyes when I discovered salmon jumping in a creek in the middle of the 15th fairway.  The 17th fairway runs along a small airplane runway, so it is wise to check if a plane is landing before searching for an errant tee shot.

Twenty-one years ago, Sally and I booked the entire resort and invited friends, both golfers and non-golfers, for the weekend. The resort catered meals, as they do for many weddings and other celebrations, and it was most memorable. Upstairs in the Inn, I saw a bookcase full of guest comment books and just happened to find my entry from May 1st, 2001. I wrote that the resort was a well-kept secret and wasn't sure whether to simply leave it that way.

The clubhouse restaurant with its expansive retractable glass enclosed patio

The clubhouse restaurant offers good food but it's menu could be expanded, especially for those staying in the hotel and not attending a catered function.

While Rowena's remains a well-kept secret for many, this could change as the developer has plans for some major renovations. The old swimming pool will be replaced by a spa facility and further accommodation and golf course upgrades are planned. So, my advice is to book a short stay now, before the place becomes even more popular. You won't regret it. Here are a few more photos that you won't find on the website.

A new pizza oven and outdoor patio area have been built since we were last there.

The resort hosts a lot of weddings and other functions, special birthdays, etc.

The earlier cabins

A view of some of the newer cabins overlooking the golf course and lak

The side entrance to heritage Inn

The room layout on the second floor of the Inn

My guestbook comment from 20 plus years ago

Happy Hour at North Vancouver's Seaside Hotel - one of the city's best kept secrets

In June 2021, as we were coming out of Covid, Sally and I enjoyed several Staycations around the Lower Mainland. One of the most memorable was at the Seaside Hotel, part of North Vancouver's Shipyards redevelopment. I wrote about it here. http://gellersworldtravel.blogspot.com/2021/06/staycation-3-city-of-north-vancouver.html

While I have returned to the Shipyards on numerous occasions, yesterday, Sally and I decided on a return visit to the hotel after hearing CBC Stephen Quinn's extravagant acclaim on his Early Edition program for a show at the Polygon Gallery https://thepolygon.ca/exhibition/jeremy-shaw-phase-shifting-index/.  It is fascinating, and portions were visually outstanding. But I couldn't really understand what was going on. The gallery suggests you take at least 35 minutes to watch it. I would suggest you take more time, and also do some research beforehand. 

At 5pm the gallery closed, and we headed over to the hotel. If you haven't been, the entrance can be difficult to find, especially when there are thousands of people milling about the area. But just follow the signs. 

The hotel's restaurant offers Happy Hour from 3 to 6pm. All the 'small plates' are half the regular price. But when I saw other tables enjoying giant platters of oysters, I asked Megan, our very stylish and welcoming server, whether discounted oysters were also available. She assured me the 'buck a shuck' oysters were still on offer.  I ordered two dozen. When Sally questioned two dozen, I reduced the order to 18!

We also ordered the chili garlic prawns, tacos, lobster roll and crispy chicken. We would have ordered more but were planning to go out for dinner. The prawns and crispy chicken were superb. The lobster roll and tacos were not as good, but still enjoyable especially at the modest Happy Hour price. The 9-ounce $9 white wine was good enough to justify a second glass. 

It was a beautiful evening and fortunately we had a table by the window. However, as we left, we noticed a very attractive couple sitting at an outside table with an extremely large platter of oyster shells. I had to ask. "How many did you order?" "Four dozen !" they told me.  It turned out they were both engineers working at nearby Seaspan and go there every week. 

The Shipyards is now one of the best public spaces in the Lower Mainland, along with Granville Island, Steveston Waterfront, and Fort Langley.  Yesterday it was full of vendors including a large area devoted to second hand vintage clothing. The pier was jammed full and the city skyline, a Seabus ride away, was beautiful. 

If you're staying in town this Labour Day weekend, I highly recommend a visit. Based on our Happy Hour experience, I would also urge you to visit 'Provisions' for its Happy Hour specials, but also for dinner as well, especially if you can get a table outside. (Although the inside is very elegant and cozy at the same time). If you do go and meet Megan, tell her you read about her here. And if you see Jeremy Shaw's phase shifting index and understand what it's all about, please explain it to me.