British Columbia

Introduction ---------------- Going for a holiday almost half-way around the earth need'nt cost the same. In Feburary of 2004 my wife and I flew Air Canada to British Columbia on the west coast of Canada for a packed ten-day holiday with a view towards seeing if we liked the area well enough to consider emigrating there. Believe it or not, it was our first trip to Canada. This sounds quite a statement for such a potentially momentous decision, but all the research I have done before hand suggested that BC had all the things we were looking for. Reasonable house prices, less pollution, less stress, beautiful setting and a people that suprisingly enough are ...  Read the complete review

We went up to Whistler after a stay in Vancouver, and we were intrigued what the place would be like. Its reputation for Winter sports is well known, but we wanted to see what it had to offer during the summer. The drive from Vancouver is great, with quite a few photo opportunities on the way. When you arrive at the village, it strikes you as a very typical alpine-style skiing resort. The centre of town is very compact and picture postcard, lined with small shops and restaurants. I imagine this is where all the evening action is in Winter, and during summer is was full of people dining out. The village itself has all the amenities you would need, and a ...  Read the complete review

Mention any of the following things - skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, mountain biking, climbing, visiting national parks- to someone, and they would possibly think of Canada. However, mention the word ‘Revelstoke’ to a person, and you will likely be confronted with a blank stare. It is unsurprising that few people outside of British Columbia have heard of this village, it is populated by only nine thousand people, and is at least an hour’s drive from any other town. However, it is also one of the most exciting areas of North America, with never a dull moment. Revelstoke is located in the middle of the Southern Canadian Rockies, four ...  Read the complete review

This is a perfect case of getting somewhere being more enjoyable than being there. I'd been on the move for 50 hrs, generally in planes and buses thinking the cheap option of getting to Canada would be worth it, it had been but I was in pieces. The final leg of getting to Victoria was a 2 hour ferry trip that was beautiful enough to turn Bill Gates into a conservationist. The cleanest air, a vast expanse of water (ofton visited by Killer Whales) and a wierd array of small islands housing the occasional holiday shack. Victoria was a nice city, a good mixture of small town environment, culture and people. The only smoking bar is worth a visit, overflowing with ...  Read the complete review

I have been to many resorts in Europe and America to snowboard and this resort wins hands down. Both Whistler and Blackcomb mountain have amazing conditions, even when very little snow has fallen for a while. They both have huge and well designed and maintained snow parks and half pipes - if you feel daring enough, and there are more than enough tree runs for the more experienced. Inlcude the gentler slopes and huge bowls, not to mention cheap and huge meals - the chinese and thai restaurants are very good, and the excellent night life - including a punk night which you will love if you like that sort of thing, and you have a top, top resort. ...  Read the complete review