We went to a Great Wolf Lodge in Washington state last Fall. Sasha has been asking to go back constantly. It seems that it might just be his favourite place on earth. So on a recent trip to Ontario we stayed a couple of nights at the Niagara Falls Great Wolf Lodge. We also took the kids to see Niagara Falls, and for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. There are not elephants at Great Wolf Lodge, only wolves.
It`s fair to say that fun was had by all. It`s also fair to say that if you have a brain tumour located in the part of your brain that affects balance that it might be wise to stay off the big fast scary water slides. Or as my husband alluded to maybe I am just a big wimp, only time will tell on that one. Once I get Timmy the tumour removed I will try out the big fast scary water slides again and see if I fair better post tumour.
I am going to admit that this is the first time since Logan was born that we have attempted to stay as a family in a single hotel room. We have traveled quite a bit with the kiddies but usually we stay in a suite (spoiled I know). This was a bit of a test to see if the kids are old enough to sleep through a little noise. Some of you reading this are probably laughing at me right now, and good for you, I am glad to be of service. But seriously travelling with kids and their schedules can suck the fun out of a vacation. My kids have their own rooms at home which is quite luxurious for all of us but it makes travel a little difficult because they are not used to the noise of other people in their space. Sasha can sleep through anything but he makes more noise than a partying 19 year old while he is asleep. Logan takes forever to fall asleep and once he does he is a light sleeper who wakes screaming at least once. By screaming I mean like a fire alarm going off in the middle of the night. He also loves to nap in the afternoon (don’t we all) but it’s next to impossible with Sasha and I in the room. Yet this time we sort of managed to make it work. Logan napped in the stroller or car while we were out and about, not for long but it was better than nothing.
So where did we go? We went to Vancouver, hardly far but far enough that it was difficult to go home in the middle of the night if things were going badly.
Day 1 – Ferry to Vancouver and IKEA. I had to get my IKEA fix and as a special bonus the kids were asleep when we pulled into the parking lot, so my husband who loathes IKEA kindly volunteered to hang with the kids in the car. I made a mad break for it. I should have taken longer as it would be the last time that I would be alone for 3 days.
Day 2 – We stayed at the Westin Bayshore which is one of my favourite hotels in Vancouver. It’s right on the water and within walking distance to the Vancouver Aquarium and Stanley Park which is where we headed for the day. It was a great time of year to visit the Aquarium. It’s a zoo in the summer but I really appreciated that it wasn’t very busy. We finished the day with a swim in the hotel pool which wouldn’t have been complete unless someone fell in. Both kids are taking swimming lessons but neither can swim alone yet so they were both wearing their life jackets, disaster averted. Here are some pics from our walk through the park and the aquarium.
Day 3 – The skytrain and Science World were on the agenda for day 3. We took the Skytrain to Science World just for fun. I had never been to Science World, so I was in for a surprise. It was AWESOME! We spent the whole day there, there was just so much to do. Fun times.
Day 4 – We went back to IKEA, I just couldn’t help myself. The Richmond location which had been on strike for a very long time (more than a year for sure) was out of one of the key items on my list so we hit Coquitlam. The sold out item will appear in a future post but it’s top secret for now! We managed to sneak on the ferry on the way home and we were at home before bedtime.
The trip had it’s issues like the two hours that it took Logan to fall asleep each night (no exaggeration), and the amount of food we wasted was atrocious, but fun was had and memories made.
This was my office for a couple of nights after bedtime which had a striking resemblance to a bathroom.
While my husband and I were lapping up the sun in the Seychelles we decided that we should take the kids somewhere fun (I think it was guilt), so we booked a little weekend get away to the Great Wolf Lodge in Washington state. If you haven’t heard of Great Wolf Lodge it’s a chain of an indoor water parks/hotels and ultimate kid paradise. I am not a huge fan of water parks, I don’t know why. Maybe I am too old…but this trip wasn’t about me it was for the kiddies aged 5 and 2.
So we packed up the car and headed to the border via the ferry. We live on an island so most trips require a plane or ferry, fun times. We dropped off a car at the ferry terminal (Black Ball/Coho) the night before to try to secure a spot on the first ferry of the day, and it was a good plan because we hadn’t made a reservation and space was tight. We then drove for 3 hours to Great Wolf Lodge, it all went pretty well and involved a game or two of Eye Spy.
Fisherman’s Wharf Victoria BC
Harbour ferry ballet
Empress Hotel, Victoria BC
Waiting for the ferry to load
On the ferry
Eye eye captain
When we got to our room our oldest was elated because he got to sleep in a bunk bed, the top bunk of course. He was so excited before we left, not about the water park, but about the bunk bed. We could have saved a lot of money and just bought him a bunk bed. Our youngest was not interested in sleeping in a bunk bed, he thought that our bed was his (he sleeps in a double bed at home so it’s not a huge stretch). After we got over both the elation and the trauma of sleeping in bunk beds, we hit the water park. But first a stop at the magic wand store. There is a game that all of the kids and adults were playing that involved a wand that lit up objects around the hotel. The guy in the wand store said that it was geared to 7+, so we got the wand and walked around the hotel lighting things up, but we weren’t on the quest. But those on the quest were running around the hotel, and appeared totally into it.
Top of the world
Get me down
Peek boo
Ready for bed
So on to the water park. There was a great kids play area which kept both kids pretty occupied until bed time.
Great Wolf Lodge, WA
Great Wolf Lodge, WA
Great Wolf Lodge, WA
Great Wolf Lodge, WA
We went to the clock tower for story time. And tucked the little peeps into their bunks just to do it all over again the next day.
Story time at the clock tower
Story time at the clock tower
The hotel was on the pricier side but not unreasonable and it included entrance to the water park for 3 days. The prices were pretty inline with what we would normally pay in restaurants and hotels so no complaints here. The only suggestion for improvement I would have is in the housekeeping department. In the pool area there was a lot of food/containers on the ground/tables, really other guest should just put their garbage in the bin, but if not then the hotel should be cleaning up the common areas. Also our room wasn’t cleaned and when I called down to request it be cleaned the housekeeping staff were gone for the day. Not a huge deal except we have a little person in diapers. In a place that caters to families housekeeping should be flexible enough to work around naps. In most hotels I wouldn’t ever suggest it but in a family resort it is to be expected.
I imagine that another trip to the Great Wolf Lodge will be in my future, I am not a fortune-teller but I am a push over for my little peeps.
While we were in the Seychelles we did a driving tour around the island of Mahe. The green line on the map below shows the route that we took starting and ending from the Savoy in Beau Vallon. We stopped frequently to take photos, and check out the beaches. We also stopped at Surfer’s Beach restaurant for lunch which I recommend, the food was great. We then continued on to Eden island and the capital city of Victoria before continuing back to the Savoy. We played tourist for about 6 hours. These are some of the photos that I took of the island and the Indian Ocean. The photos are in order starting with the beach in Beau Vallon.
Thanks to Expert Africa for the map
Beau Vallon
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Morne Seychellois National Park
The first part of the drive was through the Morne Seychellois National Park, but most of my pictures are of the ocean views from the part. Eden Island can be seen in two of the photos below.
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne Seychellois National Park
Grand Anse
The pictures were all taken on the south west side of the island, in the Grand Anse region. Therese Island can be seen in the distance.
Grand’ Anse
Grand’ Anse
Grand’ Anse
Barbarons Beach in Grand Anse
This was a tiny little beach but it was one of my favourite on the island. It was sheltered by the little peninsula so the water was very calm close to the beach.
Barbarons Beach
Barbarons Beach
Barbarons Beach
Barbarons Beach
Barbarons Beach
Barbarons Beach
Anse Boileau to Anse a la Mouche
These images were all taken from Anse Boileau to Anse a la Mouche.
Anse Boileau
Anse Boileau
Anse Boileau
Anse Boileau
Anse Boileau
Anse Boileau
Anse Boileau
Anse Baleine
At this point in our little road trip around the island we stopped for lunch at Surfer’s Beach restaurant which is right on the beach at Anse Baleine. The restaurant is partially sheltered from the wind by large palm trees lining the beach, but it was still quite windy. The food was excellent, it was a great spot to stop for a bite.
Surfer’s Beach
Surfer’s Beach
Surfer’s Beach
Surfer’s Beach
Surfer’s Beach
Anse Royale
These pictures are all from the Anse Royale area on the south East side of the island of Mahe.
Anse Royale
Anse Royale
Anse Royale
Anse Royale
Eden Island
Eden Island has the only mall in the Seychelles, and is home to a few restaurants. It also has a marina complete with fancy yachts.
Eden Island
Victoria
The capital of the Seychelle islands is Victoria. It is a little city with one set of traffic lights.
Craft Kiosks
Clock Tower
Hindu Temple
Hindu Temple
Market
Market
Market
Anse Nord D’Est
The last leg of our drive was the north east end of the island.
We got off the plane at 6:45am after 33 or so hours of travel and an eleven hour time change to winter at the equator. Hot sticky warm weather. After 2 days of travel I was missing fresh air, between planes and airports we had not been outside for days.
Driving
After a nervous 30 minutes or so waiting for the luggage to arrive we headed to the car rental to pick up the skinniest SUV I have ever seen a Daihatsu Terios. In the Seychelles they drive on the left side of the road, which would be a challenge without the sleep deprivation we just endured. So off we go with a map without street names, but Anthony from Hertz assured us if we just turn left at the lights (the only set on the island) we would be fine. I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep or the lack of signage but we struggled to find the hotel. Normally I am a great co-pilot but that is because I depend on both maps and streets to be named and marked, this wasn’t the case in the Seychelles. All I can say is the ride to the hotel was scary. The roads are narrow, winding, hilly, lacking sidewalks, curbs and there were people everywhere. Bus stops were in the middle of the road, and cars parked where ever. The roads just drop off down a cliff, or into a deep gutter at the edge of the lane. There were dogs, and even people sleeping on the side of the road. It is interesting though to get immersed in the driving culture of another country, there were people in the back of trucks, moms with babes in arms in the front seat, and children piled into the backseat all major no no’s in Canada, but the norm there.
Stanko and the skinny SUV
No sidewalks or curbs
Traffic outside of Victoria the capital of Mahe
Coral Strand Hotel
So when we finally found the Coral Strand Hotel after stopping for directions more than once, I was relieved. I was even happier when they had a room ready for us at 8:30am when check in was stated as 2:00pm. What I wasn’t prepared for was the pool being closed and the hotel being under construction. When we got the room we overlooked the parking lot, and mountains, not the worst view but not the best either. We then headed for our third breakfast in a row. We had breakfast as the meal on the last 2 flights we took so why not go for a trifecta. Breakfast was great but the view was better.
Our room at the Coral Strand
Breakfast
View from the breakfast buffet
Turtles at the Coral Strand
The Pool
After a nap we headed to the pool at The Savoy and it was 100 times better than what would have been the pool at our hotel, SCORE.
Pool at the Savoy
Pool at the Savoy
The Food
We learned something very quickly about the cost of living on the island, food is expensive. We live on an island in Canada and food is typically more expensive here than the rest of the country but food in the Seychelles is more expensive than anywhere I have ever been. Dinner was typically costing $90.00 Canadian for two entrées and two drinks, no appies, no desert, no coffee. But the quality of food was excellent in every place we ate and you could just tell that the cooks had pride in what they prepared.
The Boat House Restaurant
The Beach
Most days were not complete without a walk on the beach. This was the beach at Beau Vallon the area that we were staying in.
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
Beau Vallon Beach
The Spa
No vacation is complete without a trip to the spa, and I must say that I was spoiled rotten at the Spa at the Savoy. The resort had only been opened for a couple of months and were running some great discounts at the spa. I have the most amazing treatments with Zuluai (the therapist). I have had spa visits all over the globe but the massage I had at the Savoy spa was the best of my life, it was worth the 19 hours of flying. Accidentally I got locked in the spa with another guest who happened to be staying at the Coral Strand, we trash talked the Coral Strand for a little bit while we waited for someone with a key to let us out. We learned that we both had husbands working on the island, so we became fast friends and hung out by the pool a couple of days. Thanks Des for keeping me company.
View from the treadmill
Spa building at the Savoy
The Savoy
So after the first night at the Coral Stand a couple moved into the adjoining room next door. I could hear the people in the adjoining room breathing, no jokes. We could also see the lights in their room on all sides of the door and the crack in the door itself. The people in the other room were incredibly respectful, because obviously they could hear us too, BUT I still didn’t want to hear them. So after a couple of nights of sleeping with ear plugs we moved over to the Savoy. The Coral Strand and the Savoy are owned by the same person so it wasn’t very difficult. The Savoy was heaven. At only 2 months old everything was new and pristine, and quiet, so very very quiet.
Our room at the Savoy
Our room at the Savoy
Our room at the Savoy
Our room at the Savoy
View from the balcony
Our room at the Savoy
Our room at the Savoy
Welcome treats at the Savoy
Sunset at the Savoy
Sunset at the Savoy
The Doctor
Who doesn’t want to go to the Doctor while in a strange country? It seems that seeing a medical professional was in the cards for me while in the Seychelles. After a bit of a discussion with the front desk about my possible options I decided to walk over to the pharmacy to try to get another round of antibiotics. Amazingly enough I walked in with my the antibiotic prescription I just finished which didn’t work, and walked out minutes later with a new one. Now for the doctors out there, please don’t freak out. After 5 days of antibiotics I still had all the symptoms of the initial infection and I used the same judgement that led me to the Doctor in Canada. I know that antibiotics are highly over used, but there was no part of me that was going to suffer through a bladder infection on a 33 hour return trip. The first world dweller in me Googled the name of the antibiotic they gave me before I took them just in case.
Playing Tourist
Here was the best part of the trip. My husband was working almost the entire trip but he did manage to take a day off and play tourist with me. I will post about our tour around the island soon. Below is a little taste of what is to come.
I have landed in paradise and I am living a spoiled life. My day goes something like this, breakfast with my husband before he goes to work then a walk on the beach, a trip to the gym, lie in the sun by the pool reading a book, swim, nap, dinner, bed. I have managed to fit in time for a couple of spa treatments and a trip to the shops. I can now imagine what it can feel like to be a house wife with no kids who follows their husband around the globe. Maybe after a while it gets boring, but in the week I have it’s not going to happen.
It’s nice to have someone cook, clean, do laundry, bring bedtime sweets, and put slippers beside my bed every night. I fear that there will be a culture shock when I get home and those chores once again belong to me. I am getting spoiled and I love it.
My life is hectic with 2 little kids, a full-time job, my desire to make things constantly and the general demands of life. I am not complaining I chose all of those things, but it really nice to take a break and just think and reflect on life. I am relaxed and on my way to becoming recharged.
More on the Seychelles in the coming days, until then keep relaxing and recharging.
This post is a little different from most of my blog posts. I didn’t make anything because I am on VACATION. The airports that I travelled through are above and might not be familiar to many, at least those of us in North America. We started our journey in Victoria British Columbia Canada and landed in Victoria Mahe Seychelles. We a left on a Thursday afternoon and arrived on Saturday morning. The night before we left I was freaking out a little bit because I couldn’t book us seats on the 14 hour flight to Dubai from Seattle, the flight appeared to be full. Even though my husband and I booked through the same travel agent we were not on the same reservation, and don’t have the same last name, so I feared that I would be stuck in the middle of a four without my husband (I know first world worries). In addition to being worried about being separated I found out less than 24 hours before I flew that I had a bladder infection (sorry too much information) but I was really worried about not being on an aisle and feeling crappy for 14 hours. When we checked into our first flight to Seattle the agent couldn’t give us boarding passes for the rest of our journey which didn’t really surprise me, she said we would be assigned seats and pick up the boarding passes at the gate. I knew there was no way we would be together because the flight was overbooked. On arrival in Seattle we picked up our bags, went through customs and headed directly to the check in counter because I figured that we would have much better luck hours before the flight getting seats together and an aisle seat for my bladder. I am happy to report that we got seats together and an aisle seat to boot.
You might have guessed by this point that there were only 2 of us travelling. We left the kids at home in very capable hands. I leave the kids a couple of times a month with their dad when I travel for work, and this is the third time since Sasha was born that we have had an adults only vacation. I always worry when I leave the kids and maybe a little bit more this time because we are on the other side of the world. But I think that spending time with your partner alone is more important than worrying about what might happen to the kids. I also think that its great fun for the kids to spend some time away from us and get spoiled by their grandparents and aunt.
We flew Emirates in Economy which is like flying first class on most other airlines. What I love about the Emirates is:
You don’t need your credit card on board unless you want to buy champagne
there was a blanket, pillow, headphones and amenity kit in every seat
all drinks were complimentary and free-flowing like an open bar wedding
there were a billion movies, tv shows, music channels and video games to choose from and I didn’t need a credit card to watch them or get carpel tunnel from holding a rented device
they served hot food from a menu, as in there was a choice of entree
they served hot snacks
there was even a hot towel service
The service on Emirates puts all of the airlines in North America to shame. Here are some pictures of the Emirates highlights.
we made it to Dubai in 14 hours
sleeping mask, toothbrush and socks
the menu
Breakfast
last time I will see Starbucks for a week, and no Chai Tea latte
Interesting airport signs
desert around Dubai airport
I will post soon about our experience in the Seychelles, stay tuned for more to come.
It would be lovely to be able to make things all day but unfortunately I can’t afford to which is why I have a job. A great job, but one that is not in the same city as I live in, or that I can drive to because I live on an island and my office is on the main land. So I fly to work, sounds glamorous but believe me in the middle of winter crammed in a tiny plane with a dozen other people and the pilot says tighten your seat belts you know it’s not going to be a fun ride. Yes pilot as in one person flying the plane and tighten not fasten your seatbelts, neither of those were typos. Of course on other days the scenery and ride are amazing, especially when I get to ride in the co-pilot seat. These are the pictures that I have chosen to share. Believe me you don’t want to see the ones in the middle of winter.
Making A Life 