iBakeMemories

Beautiful British Columbia, I’ve heard so much about you and I’m glad I visited!

When Lynx Air came out, they had some amazing deals, we got return tickets for $190! I don’t think I’ve ever seen tickets this cheap to the West Coast, so I called my parents and sisters and said – let’s go to BC! Keep in mind the ticket only includes a small personal bag, so we paid the extra $70ish each way and checked in our bags. We were able to check in Z’s carseat for free.

We went for a week, and what a week it was! We explored Vancouver, Whistler and Vancouver Island. Every single day had adventure and downtime to take in all the beauty. I got a lot of requests to share my itinerary, so here it is!

Day 1

Flying from Toronto Pearson to Vancouver International Airport. We landed past midnight, when all the rental car shops at the airport were closed. We found EZM Car Rental and they met us at the airport with our van. We had to make a stop at their office to sign the documents, then off we went to our Airbnb in downtown Vancouver.

Day 2

Full day in Vancouver. Since we stayed downtown Vancouver, it was really easy to get around. We walked places, went for breakfast and did some groceries. Abbu Ammu really wanted fresh seafood and bought spices in small jars. This is a great idea if you want to cook! We went back to the Airbnb where Ammu made a delicious lunch!

After lunch we headed to Stanley Park! There’s so much to do, check out this website for more ideas.

Things to do in Stanley Park, Vancouver 🇨🇦

🚗 Drive around the park taking in the beautiful views
🌁 Prospect Point Lookout for bridge and harbour views
🌊 Walk or bike the seawall
🏖 Check out the beaches in the park
🐠 Visit the Vancouver Aquarium

And so much more!

Day 3

Traveling from Vancouver to Whistler. It’s about a 2 hour drive, but there’s so much to see on the way, I planned it to take a couple of hours and stop for the views.

You’ll be driving on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, which is one of the most beautiful drives we’ve done!

Where we stopped:
▪️Lions Bay Beach Park – a sandy beach with beautiful views of the mountains! We relaxed here for a little bit, Zakariya loved it!
▪️Shannon Falls Provincial Park – a very short walk from the parking lot to the beautiful water fall. (You can also do the Sea to Sky Gondola here!)
▪️Squamish – picturesque little town surrounded by mountains and the water. We stopped here for lunch and coffee.

Most of these places are very accessible since I was traveling with my parents and toddler. There’s a lot more to see!

After a day of traveling, we made it to our AirBnB. It came with the beautiful views of the mountains, and the best part – a massage chair! We made some dinner, grabbed tea, and ended the day watching the sun set over the mountains of Whistler.

Day 4

Full day in Whistler. We grabbed breakfast from Tim Hortons and made our way to Whistler Village. There wasn’t much for us to do there, so we walked around and grabbed ice-cream before going on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride. It was a unique gondola ride because you first go up the mountain (Whistler Village Gondola), then take another Gondola to the peak of the next mountain. And even though it was t-shirt weather at the base, you’d be comfortable with a light jacket on top of the mountain. The views from the top were breathtaking.

Day 5

Whistler -> Victoria. It’s about a 5 hour drive, including a 1.5 hour ferry ride. I would highly recommend getting your ferry tickets in advance because they do sell out. You can get them here, just double check the terminals so you know where to go. We went from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. Try to get there 30 mins early to make sure you don’t miss it. Also bring a jacket, and be careful with your hat, because it can get windy! I really enjoyed the ship’s passage through several small islands to reach our port. And the ship had lots to do inside too, like play areas, cafeteria, work tables, and plenty of seats with a view of the water.

Once we got to Vancouver Island, we went for lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf Park, a floating wharf with lots of seafood options! After lunch, we did groceries again and drove for 2 hours to our AirBnB in Port Renfrew!

Let me tell you about this drive, it was not smooth at all, with winding roads throughout. But we instantly fell in love with this AirBnB!

Day 6

We spent the morning at the house, starting with a relaxing breakfast and taking in the sights and sounds. We then went on a little adventure in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park to check out tide pools! It was quite a hike, and we were really not ready for it, but we made it through the 3km loop!

After reaching home, we did BBQ and relaxed in the hot tub for the rest of the day.

Day 7

We spent our last night in Victoria, since we had to catch the ferry and then our flight back to Toronto. We stayed at Prior Castle Inn, a beautiful property an amazing host! We took the day chill, and enjoyed the beauty of BC for one last time.

Here is a breakdown of our costs. Keep in mind we went in shoulder season, and was a group of 7.

Flights – $195/person 

Flight bags – $140/person

Airbnb in Vancouver $1425 (2 nights)

Airbnb in Whistler – $1070 (2 nights)

Airbnb in Victoria – $1200 (2 nights)

Hotel in Victoria – $785 (1 night)

Car $1620

Gas $250

Gondola $350 (4 people)

Ferry $400

Taxi (Airport) $240

Whale Watching $600 (4 people)

Food + Groceries:  $1800

PER PERSON = ~$1700 per person