10 places Okanagan residents like to go to get away from winter in the Valley
People from around the world come here to visit, but where do Okanagan residents like to travel to?
Of course, the Okanagan is a beautiful place. But, it still experiences winter. That means when the cold weather hits people want to escape it, even if just for a week or two.
So, The Okanagan Weekend has put together this list of the top 10 sunspot getaways for winter-weary Valley residents.
It’s heavy on destinations you can get to on a non-stop flight from Kelowna International Airport or by connecting in a hub like Vancouver, Calgary, Seattle, Edmonton or Toronto.
With four weekly non-stop flights with three airlines, Cancun is the clear winner of the Okanagan escape sweepstakes.
This Mexican destination is mega-popular for its preponderance of luxury all-inclusive resorts on the white-sand beaches of the Caribbean Sea.
Cancun can also be your gateway to other nearby Mexican hotspots, including Play Mujeres and Isla Mujeres, just to the north, and Playa del Carmen, the Riviera Maya and Tulum, just to the south.
As with all Mexican destinations, you can simply lie on the beach or lounge by the pool with a cold drink and a book, or you can get active by exploring Mayan ruins, snorkelling, ziplining or taking a boat tour.
WestJet flies to Cancun on Sundays and Wednesdays, Sunwing on Sundays and Air Transat on Saturdays.
Cabo San Lucas
On the Pacific Ocean-side of Mexico at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula is Cabo San Lucas.
This holiday haven is also populated with luxury all-inclusive resorts on golden-sand beaches.
Cabo has become a bit Americanized with an influx of wealthy ex-pats, but it still maintains plenty of Mexican charm.
Sunwing and WestJet both fly non-stop to Cabo from Kelowna on Saturdays.
Puerto Vallarta
Perhaps the most authentic of Mexican holiday destinations, this city on the Bay of Banderas has a colonial downtown with ocean walk lined with markets and plenty of restaurants and bars to indulge in tacos and margaritas.
There’s also plenty of all-inclusive resorts on either side of the city and moving north into Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and Bucerias.
WestJet’s non-stops to PV are on Fridays and Air Transat’s on Sundays.
Varadero
This beach resort zone in Cuba is a Sunwing exclusive from Kelowna with non-stop flights on Fridays.
There’s plenty of rest and relaxation to be had on the Caribbean beaches of Varadero’s all-inclusive resorts.
Or, kick it up a notch and take a two-hour road trip to storied Havana to wander the streets, grab a ride in a vintage car and drink mojitos at a sidewalk cafe.
You might also opt for a jeep safari along the coast in inland along rivers or board a catamaran to be followed by dolphins to one of the nearby out islands for a beach barbecue.
Hawaii
With five main islands, Hawaii offers a myriad of holiday options from the hustle and bustle and famous Waikiki Beach of big city Honolulu on Oahu to unplugged Hilo on the eastside of the Big Island.
Wherever you go, you’ll experience the Aloha spirit of laid-back, positive vibes.
There are no all-inclusive resorts in Hawaii, so you generally have to book and pay for flights, hotel, meals and activities separately.
There are also no non-stop flights to Hawaii from the Okanagan, so you’ll have to fly out of, or connect through, Vancouver, Seattle or Calgary.
Phoenix
Sunseekers from the Okanagan love the Arizona desert.
The weather is always warm, it rarely rains and there are resorts, pools and golf courses everywhere.
There’s also hiking on Camelback Mountain, the Grand Canyon is a four-hour drive away and the southwest cuisine runs the gamut from street tacos to contemporary high-end.
Don’t forget all the Major League Baseball spring training games of the Cactus League in March, either.
All in all, its an American metropolis in a vacation setting.
WestJet flies from Kelowna to Phoenix non-stop twice weekly on Saturdays and Mondays.
Las Vegas
If you want to combine some gambling with your sunseeking, dining and concert going, then this Nevada desert city is for you.
Sin City, as it’s known, has the largest concentration of hotel rooms on earth, many in novelty properties such as Paris, complete with 165-metre tall replica of the Eiffel Tower, and the 30-storey Luxor, similar in size to the Red Pyramid in Egypt.
Entertainment covers the spectrum from old-school Vegas showgirls and magic shows to an array of Cirque du Soleil shows and residency concerts by Celine Dion, Brittany Spears, Lady Gaga, Elton John and Cher.
Plus, Vegas now also has NHL hockey with the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
From the Okanagan, you have to connect to a flight in Vancouver, Seattle or Calgary to get to Vegas.
California
This vast state has it all from skiing in Lake Tahoe and white-water rafting near Sacramento to riding streetcars in San Francisco, celebrity-spotting in Hollywood and laying by the pool in Palm Springs.
Oh, there’s also Disneyland in Anaheim, Universal Studios in Los Angeles and that famous zoo in San Diego.
Various California cities are accessible via connection in Vancouver, Calgary and Seattle.
Jamaica
A connection in Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto will get you to Montego Bay where all-inclusive resorts on the sparkling Caribbean abound.
There will also be plenty of ya-man-noproblem vernacular and jerk chicken to eat.
If you venture away from the resort, go river rafting on the Martha Brae, climb the Dunn’s River waterfalls, zipline through the jungle or explore a cave.
Australia
It may seem like a long way to go for a winter holiday, 13,000 kilometres to be exact, but Down Under is accessible with a quick connection in Vancouver to a nonstop with Air Canada to either Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
Remember, Oz is in the Southern Hemisphere, so the seasons are reversed and while it’s winter in Canada, it’s summer Down Under.
As such, perfect timing for a boat tour of Sydney Harbour, a show in the Sydney Opera House and patting a kangaroo at a wildlife park.
Okanagan Top 10 appears weekly in The Okanagan Weekend. To offer comment: letters@ok.bc.ca.