It’s about a 2 hour drive from Vancouver to Whistler. It took me exactly 13 hours to make the trip today. Why so long? Read on to find out!
Today I tackled the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler. I headed to the airport to pick up a rental car and then spent an hour driving in traffic out of Vancouver to Highway 99. I picked up a gourmet breakfast at Tim Hortons (Canada’s answer to Dunkin’ Donuts) and headed to Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver to enjoy my Timbits and frozen cappuccino overlooking Howe Sound. I love having picnic breakfasts and today’s scenery couldn’t be beat!
Next up was a stop in the town of Horseshoe Bay. This little gem of a town is set directly on the water and has frequent ferry service to Vancouver Island. I honestly could have sat there on a bench by the water all day. The temperature was in the low 70s with a breeze and it felt like fall weather in New England.
I stopped briefly at Shannon Falls before heading to the main attraction along the Sea to Sky Highway: the Sea to Sky Gondola. This gondola features small cars that seat 8 passengers each. After Wednesday’s fiasco on the chairlift I was wary of going up and sat watching it for several minutes before biting the bullet and buying a ticket. I asked to ride up with another group and the woman seated me with a nice family from Winnipeg who kept my mind off of thinking about everything that could go wrong during the 10 minute ride to the top. There are several trails at the top of the gondola, a suspension bridge, and a cafe/bar with a terrace overlooking the sound. I walked a couple of the trails, had lunch/dinner and a drink at the top, then headed back down.
Traffic was backed up quite a bit getting into Whistler, but I finally made it to the Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa. It took me 10 minutes to find a place to park to check in, then there was no self-parking available so I had to drive to a town garage and walk back to the hotel (with my luggage). My room is very dark and the balcony is uninviting and overlooks a parking area. So far, I’m not impressed. For the price, and the fact that I’m a Diamond member, I would have expected a little more. I am looking forward to exploring Whistler Village and the mountains tomorrow!
Traveling with Laura 