This May Long was our first family vacation of 2017. We went to Kelowna for my husband’s hockey tournament. I absolutely love getting away with our little family, something about being just us warms my heart. This trip had a ton of first for us, one of which was the way we chose to stay! When you’re traveling with a little one you have so many more things to think about, to bring, and to plan for. This trip we decided to try out air b&b. We will definitely be using it again. I plan on sharing all about the air b&b experience with you, as well as some tips on traveling with a 1.5 year old, and a little bit about what we did around Kelowna. Keep in mind I have a real lack of pictures as I totally unplugged for most the trip.
We decided to go air b and b because we were bringing Pearce and going out for every meal would get costly, staying in a hotel with a suite was also an option but being that it was the long weekend in Kelowna we knew we would have a better time in a air b and b away from the busy downtown core. We chose a cute basement suite in West Kelowna, and boy did we luck out! Our hostess was amazing, we got up pretty late Friday night as we had an emergency plumbing situation at home right before we left. Our host had a playpen set up for us already made so literally we arrived and plunked him into bed. In the morning we woke up to find that we were staying in the cutest little house, with a huge backyard and our host had put some toys in the basement for Pearce to play with. The basement was a great choice it was so nice and cool and with temperatures above 25 it was much-needed!
Saturday morning was the first game of the tournament for my husband’s team, so we were up and out of the house early. I had gone grocery shopping before we left and bought snacks for Pearce and some breakfast goodies, our host made us scones and provided us with some fruit which was nice! After the first game, which they won; we went for lunch at Joey’s with Chris’s god mother who lives in Kelowna. It was a great lunch, Pearce loved the venue, on the balcony is a huge water feature which Pearce couldn’t get enough of. We also love Joeys the food is amazing and the service is always great!
After lunch it was nap time till the second game. Then we went and had pizza at our friends place with Pearce. Pearce had nearly the whole Hockey team watching his favorite movie Moana. They all seemed to really enjoy it, so if you’re looking for a good family movie it is definitely worth checking out.
Sunday we had another 2 games, to which my best friend and her man came to help me cheer on the boys. We ended up going to lunch at the Indigenous World Winery, the food was absolutely delicious and the wine was amazing. Not to mention the venue is in a spectacular little spot with breath-taking views. I highly recommend checking this place out if you’re in the Kelowna area. I am told the dinner is even better, and when it gets dark they have giant teepees that light up.
Sunday night was the final game and we ended up losing but it was an awesome game to watch! Dinner was pretty low-key at the rink and then back to our air b and b to rest up before our long and exhausting drive home! When we woke up Monday morning we found out there was a bad accident on the Coquihalla and that it would be closed. We ended up having a LONG detour and the drive took about 7 hours for us to get from West bank Kelowna to Mission. We made a few stops on the way for food. But the drive was definitely not ideal. Moana saved our lives with Pearce. As well as snacks!!
I have a list of some tips that really helped me get through the weekend:
- Ipad with his favorite movie to watch in the car
- Coloring for at the rink and peas favorite books
- a variety of snacks : Yogurt, Squishees, gold fish, cheerios, and LOTS of fruit.
- toys – bring a variety so when your child gets fussy you can take a different toy out
- try to plan so their schedule can still be maintained a bit it will make for a kid in better moods
- The car is extremely hot for a child in a car seat so plan a few stops for them to get out.
- having someone in the back seat to entertain your child when they get fussy is a huge bonus!
- Because we had to pack for cold rink and hot weather it was essential we brought a change of clothes, our SUV was our changing ground for Pearce before we went in the rink.
- be patient. Traveling is new for a little one so be patient because it’s a LOT of change for them all at once
- Packing their blanket or pillow from home helps for better sleeping at night-time.
- PLAN FOR PLAY! it’s a vacation remember
Overall our first vacation was a huge learning experience, packing should never be done last-minute as I forgot to pack myself knickers and my husband forgot to grab shoes. Thankfully we traveled somewhere where we could have all of those things. Air b and b was a great experience, it’s also so much more affordable for small families. Being able to have breakfast everyday and snacks and everything in our place just like we were at home was a huge plus. We will definitely be staying air b and b again! Hopefully we will be at the winery again soon as well!
xOx Chelsea
I loved to hear about your experiences. It means a lot to this Nana that I could almost be there with you. We were never hesitant to travel with our gang, with four kids it was impossible to pay for accommodation we camped. Here’s to many more trips. BTW Moms always forget something for themselves, makes the memories.
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