Parksville

We just got home from an absolutely wonderful weekend spent on beautiful Vancouver Island in Parksville.  We stayed at the lovely Tigh-na-mara Resort & Spa which is located on Rathtrevor Beach, a spectacular beach which spans most of the city of Parksville.  The weather was amazing and our time away together was so awesome.

The resort was very rustic, all of the rooms and cabins are like log cabins and so cozy with fireplaces and a patio with a spectacular view of the ocean.  We ended up getting one of the best suites on the property in terms of location, it was right by the access path to the beach and yet was private and tucked away with an incredible view.  So, so nice!

Upon checking in, the front desk staff gave Sydney a giant red sand pail and digger stuffed with fun toys and candy and a package of red licorice, her favourite!  I swear of all the things she will remember about this trip, her red bucket and red licorice will be on top of the list.  She was in heaven!

Tigh-na-Mara has a great playground which Syd just loved.  They also have a full kids program that kids aged 3 and up could attend all day that included games, crafts, activities and field trips.  What a fabulous family destination!

Rathtrevor Beach is amazing.  When the tide goes out, it receds over one kilometer so you can literally walk out over a mile into the ocean and be walking either on wet sand or in water that is no deeper than your knees.  It is absolutely the perfect beach to take a toddler to, no fear of them running into the deep water of the ocean, they can happily and safely play in the tidal pools and on the beach all day!  Which is exactly what Sydney did!  I brought a big bag of sand toys for her and she absolutely loved the digging and finding treasures on the beach.

We spent an entire morning collecting shells, had three full buckets of them by the time we were done!  It was amazing!

The most coveted things to find on the beach, are, of course, sand dollars. One morning while the tide was way out, Paul walked out into the ocean, over a mile, to 'Sand Dollar Spit', and came back with a whole bunch of sand dollars just for me!  I have a decorative project in mind that I want to use them for.  I was so thrilled to get them!

On the path down to the beach there is a cement wall that has been loving etched with memories of trips gone by: "RH + MA Forever", "Erin May 24, 2001" and it's latest edition thanks to Paul "Sydney."  Her name will be forever engraved as a memory of our time there!

We spent tons of time on the beach just relaxing, walking, digging, collecting and playing.  I could literally feel myself physically unwinding as the days unfolded.  The second night there I had one of the best sleeps that I have had in literally years.  All that fresh air, coupled with the slower pace and Sydney being so content there really worked wonders!

The evenings were long and leisurely.  After Syd had gone to bed, we enjoyed a glass of wine on the patio and listened to the sound of the tide coming in and the waves crashing on shore and the sounds and smells and campfires burning on the beach.  I could have stayed forever!

We had some amazing meals there too!  Twice we visited the town of Coombs, about a ten minute drive from our resort.  It is a funky little hippy town with a very cool market filled with little shops called "Goats on Roof."  Strange name, I know, but it is named that because they literally have goats grazing on the grass rooftops of the buildings!  So funny!

My friend Heidi recommended an Italian restaurant in Coombs to us called Cuckoo, and we had the most amazing dinner on the patio there.  The food was incredible, authentic Italian, we had both salmon fettucine and pizza which we shared, and Sydney had this incredible gourmet macaroni.  The patio is lovely, surrounded by dense Arbutus and Fir wood forests and there was a band playing dinner music on the patio while we ate.  Even though it felt perfectly elegant, it was casual enough that tons of families were there with kids and the staff was friendly and helpful and the food came in record time!  We absolutely loved it there, it was one of our favourite memories of the trip!

It was hard to find a bad meal while we were there, had another great dinner at Lefty's in Parksville and had the most delicious breakfast at the Cedars Grill at Tigh-na-mara this morning.  It was so nice to not have to worry about planning or cooking meals for a few days!  What a true vacation for me!

We visited Morningstar Farms this morning which is a great little farm just on the outskirts of Parksville with a petting zoo, winery and store filled with great cheese from the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks factory.

I came home with two interesting new cheeses to try:

The ferry rides back and forth are always such a great part of the journey when visiting Vancouver Island.  The scenery is breathtaking and Syd had a great time roaming around without the constraints of her car seat.  A great way to travel with kids!

It felt like we had been away forever by the time we got home late this afternoon.  What a wonderful weekend away together and a memory that won't soon be forgotten!