Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

My Frugal Holiday

I live in a large coastal city but seldom actually get to the waterfront.  I also live very close to many small and larger islands but seldom get to visit or sight see at these places.

This week I fulfilled a small dream of spending some very quiet time in the forest near the water.  Some place where I could enjoy the quiet of nature, the beauty of the ocean and completely relax for a few days.

Though I suggested to my friend that we go as foot passengers over the ferry to Vancouver Island, she preferred to take her car if I would share the cost.  I didn't really want to pay the cost of taking the ferry over but given we were sharing the cost I thought it was a fair deal.  Neither of us had ever been to the venue before and we didn't know whether we would have inclement weather at this time of year. It is not so fun to struggle with luggage through rainy weather.

The cost of ferry for the car and two passengers was our largest expense for the 2 night and 3 day getaway (all costs in Canadian dollars).  Total round trip cost of taking the car over the ferry was $165.00 (or $82.50 each).  Gas/fuel/petrol came to an additional cost of $12. round trip which my friend paid.  The accommodation cost was $137.00 (+ tax) each.

Our rooms included 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and several tea breaks each day.  Our room rates included use of the hot tub, sauna and gym (kayaks and bikes too but we did not use those).  The total cost of my portion of the holiday was $225.00.  The only additional cost I had was a $2.00 coffee (one way on the ferry).  Overall, I thought I was getting excellent value for what turned out to be a wonderful period of relaxation.  (My friend's additional cost was $55. because she decided she wanted to buy a fleecy vest with the lodge's logo on it as a memento of her holiday. This cost was entirely optional of course).

There is a variety of accommodation facilities at the "lodge".  There are numerous rustic cabins and several cosy and larger cottages. The place is extremely popular.  The vast majority of guests return at the same time of year, each year and stay in their favourite accommodations.  This makes it challenging to get the booking you would like.  I managed to make a booking about a month ago and I took whatever accommodation they gave me for a 2 night period in late October.

This little rustic, red cabin was my home for a few nights.

The little red cabin in the photo above was my home away from home.  It only had room for two single beds, a small closet, a dresser, nightstand, some lamps and a wood burning stove. Though the cabin didn't have a washroom or heating, it did have electricity and extra duvets were provided.  Washroom and shower facilities were very close by and shared by guest lodgers in a cluster of cabins located near by.  The shower room was well heated and lots of towels and floor rugs were on hand.

I made my bed for the picture.  Even though I was checking out I didn't want two messy beds in the photo.



I thought I would have a lot of free time to do crafts and read the latest of my books, Fall of Giants by Ken Follett.  There was no television, radio or internet service at the hotel but I found myself too busy to read much or do crafts.


Instead I spent a little time reading.  Most of the time I was relaxing in the lounge area and walking around the property and taking photos. I also went several times to the sauna and hot tub and spent a lot of time talking to other guests relaxing in the main lodge.  Most people were exceptionally friendly and wanted to talk to the new comers like my friend and I.

This lovely cabin was occupied by a sweet elderly couple from Ottawa, Ontario.  They were visiting with their son who stayed in a more rustic cabin with his wife.

The grounds had tennis courts, hot tub and sauna, gym facilities, and massage room. All of these amenities were located in different locations on the premises and everything except for massage services is included in the room price.  If you want a massage it will cost an additional $80 per hour. I opted for the free sauna and hot tub instead. 

I enjoy scenes like this.  There was a lot of driftwood on these beaches because the area is unprotected from the winds and waves.

It was foggy during much of my short stay but I didn't mind. It wasn't cold and the views were still very beautiful.


It's always thrilling to walk through old growth, coastal forests. These are "roads" in the photos but I also walked on dirt paths located high above the shoreline.

This is a view of the lodge from the direction of the water. I was taking the photo through the spider web which you can just make out in the foreground.

The path to the sauna and other cabins.
The main lodge had a huge lounge with a gigantic fireplace, a large dining room, a games room downstairs and rooms for guests who did not wish to stay in cottages or cabins.  Lots of boards games (backgammon, cribbage, scrabble, cards) were provided with lots of seating nooks, foot rests, throw covers and cushions for comfort.

The couple in the foreground immigrated to Canada from Israel and have been visiting the lodge for about 30 years.

On Saturday nights there is a jam session and dance for the guests. The menu is posted outside the dining room each day.

Weather on the way back was much improved. The sun was shining brightly.  However on the ferry ride it was very misty and foggy.

As we approached Horseshoe Bay, the sun was shining again though you can see some mist over the water. By the time we got to the city, the fog was rolling in.

Though the weather looks miserable it really wasn't that bad and the sun did break a few times over the course of our stay.  Sleeping in the little cabins was not cold either and we only had to build a fire each night as we prepared to retire. My friend enjoyed herself so much she wanted to return soon. Of course I enjoyed it too so we've already booked a return trip during warmer months before the summer begins.

Next time we will park the car at the ferry before boarding as foot passengers and then catch the lodge van on the other side.  The cost would be $27 (each) to park the car for 3 nights plus an additional $15.  to have the lodge to pick us up in their van once we disembark the ferry.  The total cost per person for getting to the lodge and back would then be $42.00, instead of $82.50 (each + gas/fuel/petrol).  We hope to extend our stay by 1 night which will increase our accommodation cost slightly.  If we wanted to save a few dollars more we could take a city bus to the ferry.  The savings for this approach is very minimal when compared to parking the car and sharing the cost of the parking.  It is also less convenient for transporting the luggage.  Another way we might shave a few dollars off the trip is if my friend's sister joins us.  We would save about $15. a night with a 3rd person sharing.

I don't know if I will be a lifetime guest of the hotel but I will certainly be enjoying the time I do get to spend there.

Monday, February 14, 2011

It's All About Love

I Corinthians 13
 


Valentine's Day is a day of love,
For showing that we care,
And if we read the Bible,
God describes love there:
If we speak like celestial angels
From heaven up above,
All our words mean nothing
If we don’t have Christian love.
Love is patient, love is kind;
It doesn’t brag or boast;
Love conquers pride and envy;
It is never self-engrossed.
Love is not rude or angry;
Forgiveness counters wrong;
Love stays away from evil;
It sings a truthful song.
Love is full of trust and hope;
It always perseveres;
Love never fails; It’s faithful;
To the Bible it adheres.
And if you give this kind of love
To your special Valentine,
You’ll be loving right in harmony
With God’s own sweet design.
 




By Joanna Fuchs
 
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! MAY YOURS BE FILLED WITH LOVE

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I'm Back to Wish You a Merry Christmas

Welcome to Rhonda who became my 51st follower.
 
After a long break from blogging I'm happy to pop in and say "hello" and "Merry Christmas" to my readers. I  did not plan on being away so long and meant to post some blogs while I was on holiday in Kenya.  However, I had limited time for blogging as  most of you will understand. Then when I did have time to blog, the power did not cooperate.

I've been home for a week now.  I had hoped to log on and blog a bit sooner but despite taking two cameras and three memory cards with me on holiday,  I had no access to photos!  After several false starts to recover the photos, I did at last find a reasonable digital photo recovery program and have recovered at least half of my photos.  I lost a second memory card,and so those images will forever be lost to me.

If any of you ever find yourself in a similar situation, I can recommend the reasonably priced "Digital Photo Recovery (DPR)" software. It allows you to download a demo program before you purchase and enables you to preview how many of your photos are recoverable. Also the recovery program doesn't modify or overwrite your original data. I tried several free programs (File Scavenger, Recuver and some others), including those with demo capabilities before purchasing DRP software.  None of the other programs recovered anywhere near the photos I had taken.  Even the DPR program did not recover many of my  photos but enough were saved to make me feel that some of my holiday memories were captured.  Now enough about photo recovery.

The main purpose of this post was to say "I'm back" and "I missed blogging - a little". But mostly I wanted to send you the very warmest wishes of the Christmas season.

This tree is located in Schipol Airport, Amsterdam. I like the theme of red and gold decorations.

An African Christmas card.

May you all have a safe and blessed Christmas season.

A Few Days in March ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers. I hope Spring is treating you well so far. It's been roller coaster weather where I live with mostly ...