Twirls and Travels » a blog about exploring with kids

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The enthusiasm on Instagram has encouraged me to dust off this old blog and share some of our Asia trip here! I’m going to break down our adventure into 3 different blog posts, starting with our travels in Vietnam. This trip was planned after I saw $800 flights to Hanoi on the  YVR DEALS page and booked them up without hesitation. Vietnam has always been a “bucket list” destination for me and jumped at the opportunity to explore it with my daughters at an incredibly frugal price.  We flew with Japan Airlines and can confirm that they are worthy of their “Best Economy Airline” designation for 2024.   The service and experience were top of the line. Even the food was great! We also loved the self-serve snack corner, the 2×2 seating arrangement and the extra large seats in Economy.

We left Vancouver at noon on a Saturday and after a short layover in Tokyo we arrived on Sunday night in Hanoi (losing one day to the time change). Our entire trip was 18 hours, and honestly it wasn’t that bad. It felt like the attendants were constantly feeding us and we had lots of onboard options for entertainment.  The kids slept for about 5 hours overall so by the time we arrived in Hanoi at 10pm local time and checked into our hotel we were all ready for a good solid sleep. We woke up the next morning at about 6am and we were all excited to explore the city. The biggest trick to avoiding jet leg is to spend as much time outside with sun as possible. And definitely don’t nap! Pushing through the first day set us up for minimal jet leg. We did continue to go to bed fairly early and wake up around 6am each day for the majority of our vacation, but that worked great with our travel plans. The other biggest “trick” for jet leg is giving everyone in your family grace-remembering that lack of sleep can be hard on even the most seasoned travellers.

I am showing you our entire itinerary with hopes it inspires you to travel to SE Asia. After we booked our flights I just started  planning with watching YouTube videos and reading blog posts. Don’t overthink your researching. I literally typed  “Travelling to Hanoi with kids” and went from there. Every time I saw something interesting  I added it to my travel note on my phone, eventually building an itinerary with my “must dos”.  Even then it’s good to remember  that nothing is really a “must do”- situations happen, kids get tired, parents need a break, or something more exciting pops up. While I did have ideas for each day, we definitely were happy to “go with the flow” if it wasn’t working out.

Friday Evening- Fly to Vancouver 

Saturday- leave at 12:45pm via Japan airlines

Sunday- Arrive in Hanoi 10pm.

We arrived after our long travel day and took a pre-booked transfer to our hotel, Amorita Boutique Hotel in the old Quarter.  I booked our hotels through booking.com which allows you to contact the hosts easily. Every single hotel I booked reached out almost immediately offering their driver service, tours, and they were ready to answer any questions I had. I pre-booked all my transfers this way in order to save time and stress. Pre-booking transfers were more pricy than just taking a Grab (Asian Uber) or using public transport but it offered peace of mind after a long travel day. We chose this hotel because they offered rooms with 3 double beds. It had solid reviews, had a full breakfast and the location was perfect. It was also ridiculously cheap. We could have stayed more luxuriously for honestly not that much more money, but I was set on everyone having their own space for this holiday and wanted to stay on a budget. 20 days away is a lot of time together and having a little extra space (and extra money in the budget) made all the difference.

Monday- A Day in Hanoi

Walked to Ngoc Son Temple (Confucian Temple in the middle of the lake)

Tried Egg Coffee at The Note Coffee Shop

Walked to Hoa Lo Prison Relic

Walked to Train Street for a drink/train-spotting

Took a Rickshaw to the Temple of Literature

Hailed a Grab to go to lunch at Bun Cha Huang Lien (Anthony Bourdain and Obama dined here and made it famous)

Quick  Grab to Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

Took a Grab back to hotel- street vendor shopping & Violet got a haircut(?!)

Dinner at beloved street vendor Banh Mi 25

Fell Asleep by 8pm

It’s worth noting that in my notes I had listed quite a few things we were interested in doing including a military museum and a few different temples. I had no idea how the day would play out with jet leg and how easy it would be to get around with  tired tweens. Turns out it’s SUPER easy to get around Hanoi. Walking was great and simple, Grab cars were under $2 a ride, museums were so inexpensive and street food was plentiful. I would have loved a few more days to explore the city. We also had walked to Ho Chi Min Mausoleum but I was denied entry for wearing shorts. But that wasn’t a big deal and we were very ready for dinner at that point anyway! In my notes I just listed potential ideas of where to go including their opening hours and costs.  We decided that seeing the train street at 11am was priority and kinda based our day around that!

As you can see everything was quite close together in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. I saved locations (restaurants, museums, activities) as favourites in my phone as I planned, and when we arrived I just used maps to get around and see what was close by. Google maps is the best way to plan time in a city and keeps it simple for walking around.

Tuesday- Flight at 8am to Phu Quoc Island.

I knew our family would be ready for some sand and sunshine after a long Edmonton winter so we opted to spend four nights on an island in the gulf of Thailand.  It was easily accessible by multiple flight options a day and has gorgeous  consistently HOT weather.  We arrived to our hotel  Vida Loca Sunset Beach by 10am,  and just enjoyed the infinity swimming pool & beach all day.  We took a Grab to the Night Market and found a nice restaurant on the beach for dinner. It was the perfect day. I chose Vida Loca for its location on Long Beach. It was walkable to many stores and local restaurants, and it wasn’t in the middle of the resort area of the island. We love resorts- but this trip we wanted to stay more local.  This hotel also offered a huge buffet breakfast and a 2 bedroom family room, which was perfect. In hindsight we could have stayed literally anywhere on the island- I had no idea how inexpensive it would be to get around. Literal dollars to go from one end of the island to the other. So many of the mega resorts were isolated and that deterred me from booking- even though they were gorgeous (and pennies on the dollar to what you’d pay in Canada or Mexico).  But we did like our little, simple hotel and throughly enjoyed our time on the island.

 

 

Wednesday- Gondola Ride to Sun World

One of my favourite days ever. The gondola ride was beautiful and the water park was just fantastic. The cost was about $32 a per person and that included all activities on the island- waterslides, roller coaster, surfing, beach sports… nothing was busy and everything was pristine. Absolutely the best thing we did on our trip. We stayed until closing and got back to our hotel in time for dinner.  We found a street vendor selling noodle bowls for $2 each. I read reviews online and so we knew it was good- and it was very tasty! We stopped at a local supermarket and spent way too much time buying snacks and candy. The girls loaded up on unique sodas and drinks for the rest of our stay too. It’s always so much fun going to grocery stores in new places.

 

 

Thursday- Beach Day

I had plans to go to Starfish Beach or Sao Beach, but was quickly outvoted by everyone else who just wanted to hang out at our hotel beach. It WAS really nice, and we were pretty tired from our busy day before, so that made sense.  Mid afternoon we needed a little break from the sun so we hopped in a Grab and went to a local pepper farm, fish sauce factory, and sat down for a nice lunch inland. We finished the day with more relaxing on our beach and another early bedtime.

 

Friday- VinPearl Safari & Gran World Phu Quoc

After a bit of debate I booked the all inclusive package on Klook (a handy travel app that provides discounts on activities  and tours in Asia). This included entrance to the Safari, entrance to the Gran World- including the rides, aquarium, waterpark and evening shows. We held lemurs, fed elephants & giraffes, went on a safari ride,  enjoyed rollercoasters at Vin Wonder,  cooled off at the waterpark for 2 hours, & watched the night show. $72 per person included our food and transportation between the parks. Incredible value and no crowds or line ups! The only thing extra we paid for was food to feed the animals and ice cream/drinks.  I really wanted to balance out visiting temples, hikes and museums with having fun and lots of play. Having kid-friendly days limited any type of complaining on the days where we spent hours in temples.

 

 

Saturday – Left the Island  and travelled to Ninh Binh

We left our beach paradise at 11am and returned to Hanoi. We booked an airport transfer to take us to Ninh Binh, also known as “Halong Bay on Land”.  We stayed in Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow and it ended up being our favourite accommodation of the entire trip. Unbelievable service and attention to detail. Every time we’d come back to our bungalow after sightseeing or even a short walk, they’d deliver cinnamon tea and fresh fruit juice to our room. They also provided hot herbal foot baths every night to soothe our aching feet. We loved the village of Tam Coc and could easily walk to town. There were so many good restaurants along the river to enjoy. This was a really nice place to stay for three nights and we really enjoyed the rice fields and mountain views surrounding us at every turn.  After our arrival to our hotel the kids wanted to go swimming and we enjoyed walking around the area and just taking in the views.

Sunday- Sightseeing Day around Tam Coc/Ninh Binh area

Sites:

Bích Động Pagoda

HOA lu Ancient Temple

Bái Đính Temple

It rained so much this day and that put a damper on our plans. We still were able to see 3 different historical locations even with rain, we enjoyed  learning about Vietnam’s history and the modern Buddhists religion.   I really wanted to hike Hang Múa Temple/Mua Caves but by late afternoon it was just too wet and slippery with the kids. There’s always something for next time, right? We did enjoy  visiting ancient temples with incredible history and walked through beautiful  modern temples.  We walked back into Tam Coc to enjoy another wonderful dinner in town and  some street bubble waffles from a street vendor for dessert. We walked almost 25,000 steps by the end of the day so even in the rain we saw a lot and took in culture.

Monday- Trang An boat ride

This was one of the things that I was looking forward to the most. Absolutely spectacular three hour boat ride through the mountains to different pagodas and historical sites. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site for good reason!  You could do this as a day trip for Hanoi and it would still be well worth the visit. We chose route 3 and the cost was about $13 CND pp.  We spent the rest of the afternoon in town doing a little shopping before heading out to our Cooking Class put on by another hotel.  It was fun and the food we made was awesome- even if we were cringing at the cleanliness of the facility. LOL. It was still a really good experience and the kids LOVED it.

Tuesday- Halong Bay Cruise

We woke up early and took a private transfer to Halong Bay for our Cruise with Peony Cruise Line. I spent too much time deciding on a cruise line that was budget friendly but still elegant and engaging. I think I chose right. The food and boat were both exceptional and the service was wonderful. We enjoyed sitting in the hot tub with mountains going by, kayaking, a cooking class, games, squid fishing, a hike on Cat Ba island through historical caves, buffets, and treats galore.  We were only on the boat for 24 hours but they jam a lot in that time! We could have opted for a 2 night cruise but decided to spend that time in Tam Coc and I’m glad we did. At $800 CND a night on board as a family of 4 with adjoining rooms, it was still a splurge (and one night was enough to get a feel for the Bay).

Wednesday- Go Back to Hanoi

We had a transfer back to Hanoi from Halong Bay and arrived around 2:30pm. We got dropped off at our first Hanoi hotel and they graciously kept our bags while we explored Hanoi some more. Our biggest priority was the water puppet theatre and it lived up to the hype.  It was amazing artistry. The girls really wanted to find a McDonalds to see what different foods they had and they also wanted to do some shopping from the street vendors.  We also wanted to go the coffee shop that created Egg Coffee- the Vietnamese take their coffee very seriously- egg coffee, coconut coffee, traditional Vietnamese (condensed milk) coffee.  They also offered each in hot chocolate form for kids.  Tim really wanted to go to Beer Street to find the .35cent fresh draught beers. It was chaotic and good fun. I really wanted to find a good restaurant for one last authentic meal. We were able to do everything on our list before our flight out of Hanoi at 11:55pm- the red eye to Tokyo.

THE BUDGET:

Before we left:

Ubigi Esim  $30 for entire trip for 30gigs across Asia for both Tim and my devices (30 day plan)

$35 each for E-Visas purchased before leaving

Flights 

$3300 Round Trip Multi City Flights

$900 Round Trip Flights to Phu Quoc island (used CC points= FREE)

$150  Edmonton to Vancouver  flight (West Jet CC dollars= almost free, just paid taxes)

$150 Vancouver back home (used West Jest dollars as well)

Total flights $3600 out of pocket expenses 

Transportation 

$18 transfer to hanoi hotel

$18 back to airport

$5 each way on island to hotel

$75  transfer to Tam Coc

$100 transfer to halong bay

$100 transfer back to old town Hanoi

$100 Grab Cars for the rest of the trip

Total Transportation: $421

Hotels 

$0 Vancouver Airport Hotel (used Save on Foods points)

$160 Hanoi two nights

$500 Phu Quoc four nights

$270 Tam Coc three nights

$800 All Inclusive Cruise for one night

Total Accommodation for 10 nights in Vietnam: $1750

Activities 

$32 Puppet show

$20 Hanoi museums admissions

$20 Rickshaw Ride

$120 Gondola and Waterpark Day

$288 Safari/Gran World

$52 Trang An Boats

$25 Various Tam Coc Museums

$100 for cooking class in Tam Coc

Total Entertainment $637

Food:

Most meals were around $5 per person and we always had a giant breakfast included with our accommodations . Some of our activities also included food, like the cruise or theme parks. We estimate we spent about $400 on food (dining out, drinks and grocery store purchases) for the trip and we ate some amazing meals!

Total food costs $400

Cost of our Trip (so far): $6800

*it’s important to note we aren’t “souvenir people” so only brought back a Christmas Tree ornament and  some chopsticks for gifts (we also only had backpacks for luggage so that was a good deterrent for wanting to shop). You could easily spend a significant amount of custom made clothing, “knock off” designer shoes  or authentic silks. Shopping in Vietnam could be fun!*

We loved our ten days in Vietnam and already want to go back. It was definitely not enough time- but when you book seat sale flights you don’t get a lot of choice for dates! Our next trip would definitely include Hoi An, Sapa, My Son, and Da Nang. We would have loved to sneak one more city into this trip, but I prefer spending several nights in a spot if possible- more time to explore plus that way you don’t feel like you’re always packing and travelling. We also only travelled with backpacks so we needed time get laundry done every week as well. It ended up working out really well and I don’t regret anything! So grateful to experience Vietnam with my family and enjoy their beautiful culture and kind, generous people.

Next up…Tokyo…

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Posted in: (happy) camping with kids | fieldtrippin' | let's be explorers

It’s no surprise the summer 2020 is going to look different for most families in Alberta. With restrictions and changes to our plans, some of us are wondering what we should this summer. I have created a list of Alberta spots for you to explore.  I’ve linked the following ideas to past post so you can easily look through ideas- keep in mind that some of these posts are older and attractions may have slightly changed with Covid-19,  but this list will get you started!  There’s also a search feature for you on the left hand side to use key words to find more places to explore.

Explore our top experiences in Drumheller– the town is open and ready for visitors.

Head out to Pembina for a river float or a weekend Camp.

Explore Kananaskis and hike my kid’s favourite mountain hike.

Check out the Aerial Park in Edmonton’s Snow Valley (now open with cover precautions in place).

Dinosaur Provincial Park is made for exploring and Kinbrook Island is nearby with a gorgeous beach!  (Reminder that comfort camping is closed in Provincial Parks for 2020).

Barely leave Edmonton for a beautiful easy hike at Wagner Natural Area.

Explore the Nordegg Area and Rocky Mountain House– coal mine tours, water falls, green lakes and National Historic Sites.

Check out our top attractions  in Jasper during the summertime.

Bird Watch and hike at  Clifford E. Natural Area just outside Edmonton .

Head south to Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park and experience one of the coolest places in Alberta. They just opened up more spots for camping so maybe you can snag one!

Head near our USA  border to the gorgeous  Waterton National Park.

While you’re road tripping, check out these easy tips to make it easier with kids!

Happy exploring!!

Leave me message below if you have ideas of where to explore  safely this summer!

 

 

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Posted in: see the worldTags: | | | | | | | | | | |

It’s a cold and snowy day outside my office, which made me think it was perfect timing to share one of the most beautiful cities in Central America.  Antigua, Guatemala is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of colonial history and is definitely worthy of your bucket list.  The small city is surrounded by volcanos, with near perfect temperatures and a historic past. Built in the 16th century, there are multiple original buildings to explore- this stunning city has kept all of it’s colonial charm. There’s cobblestone streets and surprises around every corner. You can easily walk around filling your day with seeing ruins, museums, galleries, churches, markets, street vendors,  and unique shops.

My husband and I spent time in Antigua 11 years ago- we had no itinerary then, we just woke up and started exploring. We had a wonderful trip full of delicious food and relaxing visits to museums. This trip we had two children, ages 8 and 6 in tow. This changes the type of holiday immensely, but I can’t say I enjoyed it less. We had one week to explore the city of Antigua and were able to squeeze a huge amount of family friendly activities into our time there.   I’ve made a list of our favourites, as ranked by our daughters in order of their preference.

 

1.) Antigua Choco Museo 

Located right near the famous arch, there’s a tour for kids and adults alike.  We spent two hours learning about the process of how the cocoa goes from bean to bar.  The children enjoyed it immensely and we all learned a lot too. We ground our own beans, made several different types of hot chocolate (including the original bitter coco the Mayans invented), and finished up with making our own chocolates.  We each took home a rather large bag of chocolate, and tasted many different types of truffles. It was the highlight of our vacation for the girls, and they placed it on the top of their list of things to do in Antigua.

 

 

 

2.) Antigua’s Central Park

Every town in Central America has their own Central Park. These parks are the hub of the city, the place where locals gather to visit, and where children meet their friends to play. Antigua’s Central Park is the perfect example. There are street vendors selling local food, musicians playing their flutes, pigeons hoping to be fed, and artisans promoting their goods. For about  25 cents you can buy a bag of bird food and feed the pigeons- something my girls loved. The atmosphere is lovely and at night the park is lit up with fairy lights. Grab lunch, sit on a bench and people watch all afternoon.

 

 

 

3.) Ruinas

I wish I took note of how many ruins there are to explore in Antigua. Dozens would be my guess. Every time you turn a corner you’re face to face with a 400 year old Monastery or other amazing buildings. They are simply breathtaking. They are also very hands-on for kids- they can explore crypts, the ancient bedrooms, the old hallways…. and at some ruins climbing is allowed and there’s room to run around and play.  We loved taking out our map and trying to put together exactly how every room was used. Our favourite ruin was the monastery of San Fransico, just for the sheer size and the beauty of the grounds.

 

 

 

4.) Go to MacDonald’s

Now is when you can really tell my kids helped write this list. But seriously, this is the prettiest fast food restaurant I’ve ever been too. It’s open air eating in a beautiful courtyard complete with fountains, trees and a view of the volcano. There’s also an air-conditioned typical “play land” if your kids need some time to just play. This MacDonald’s has unique local favourites too- we tried a hot coconut pie and a mango milkshake! Both were very yummy.  Because of the UNESCO controls, the building has no massive signage on the outside, it’s a non-assuming simple doorway hidden on a side street. It’s the perfect place to grab a drink and use the free wifi. And rumour has it that it is the nicest MacDonald’s on the planet.

 

 

 

5.) Casa Santo Domingo

Now if we had endless money we would have stayed the hotel Casa Santo Domingo.  In fact, we tried to book it for just one night of our Antigua experience, but the hotel was full for a convention. It is by far the nicest hotel I’ve ever seen.  Santa Domingo is 16th century monastery, converted into a hotel. And it’s stunning. There are also museums and galleries throughout the buildings. They are free for hotel guests, and a minimal cost to visit as an outside visitor. The museum is full of ancient artifacts that will simply take your breath away. Now you’re probably wondering how it got so high up on my kid’s list- well there’s a crypt with mummies. There’s also the monastery burial site that has skeletons, which apparently were fascinating for Violet….as for Maeve, she was a bit more timid.

 

 

 

6.) Try the Local Food

We loved indulging in ice cream at least once a day (so many different flavours- the pineapple creme was to die for!), enjoyed eating pupusas as often as we could find them,  loved snacking on handmade tortillas and experiencing giant cotton candy off street vendors’ carts. Antigua is full of amazing food for very reasonable prices.

 

 

 

7.) Use a Tuk Tuk to get around

Abundant and cheap, the preferred way of getting around the cobblestone streets of Antigua was on a Tuk Tuk. We tired the girls out, walking on average 7 miles a day- so taking a tuk tuk was absolutely necessary after dinner.  We also took a tuk tuk when we were trying to find certain landmarks or restaurants we had heard about- saving us time trying to navigate it on our own. They usually cost around 20Q per trip, so definitely inexpensive and very fun for the littles. Our most expensive trip was outside Antigua to the Macadamia nut farm, which ran us $7 and took around 15 minutes.

 

 

 

8.) Vahalla Macadamia Nut Farm

Another highlight of our trip was the visit to this farm. Ran by expats, it’s a beautiful spot to spend an hour or so. They will give you a free guided tour and it’s very “hands on” for the kids with lots of “helping”. The nut sorting machine was hit.  At the end of the complimentary tour you get to sample their macadamias and enjoy a free facial using their nut-based products. It was heavenly. While we were getting our facials, our guide gave the girls a bucket and asked them to fill it up with fallen nuts in exchange for some chocolate dipped macadamias. The eagerly agreed to the work and ended up getting a bit dirty on the farm! I wouldn’t miss a stop at their restaurant either- the chocolate brownie with macadamia nut butter was amazing!

 

 

 

9.) Experience the Markets

There’s several markets around Antigua, with the largest being right behind the bus station. You can find all the typical Guatemalan souvenirs here, plus more. Everything is negotiable and be prepared to haggle, they want you to! If you’re looking to shop in the local market, full of food and typical household products, it’s also located near by the bus station. You’ll see everything from fruits and candy to clothing and slabs of meat. It’s big and loud and colourful. It’s an enjoyable experience to walk through and immerse yourself in the culture. On Sunday you’ll find mini markets set up around the city, with paintings, jewelry and all the trinkets you could ever want.

 

 

 

 

10.) Hike Pacaya Volcano

We booked a sunset volcano hike tour with a local guide shop in the city. We knew that is was considered a “moderately difficult hike” but kids really wanted to see Lava, even if it was going to be a little hard. Well it turns out it is a pretty difficult  hike- particularly with the elevation change. I’m in pretty good shape and I found it a bit strenuous.. Maeve did not enjoy it one bit, there were definitely tears on this hike. The path is uneven, steep and quite dusty. The locals do try to sell you on taking a horse up- and many people in our group did end up on one by the end (but not us, I’m way to cheap for that!).  In the end, we made it to the top but by then the clouds had moved over us and we were in complete fog- therefore no grand views of the crater like we had hoped.  And there was no lava to be found. Oh the disappointment! We were able to roast marshmallows in a steam vent, but I had some pretty sad kids who were looking forward to lava and a “real volcano”.  We did talk to some other tourists a few days later, and they had an amazing experience with lava and sweeping views, so it was just the luck of the draw for us. I think it could be an awesome experience- but be prepared for a difficult hike with kids.

 

 

 

All in all, we had a wonderful trip to Antigua. We stayed at the beautiful  Casa San Larazo , which was just outside the main centre of town. My girls love swimming and it was one of the few hotels that included a full breakfast (a must for me when we travel with kids!) and a large pool. It was perfect to be able to enjoy a quick dip in the pool after a long day on our feet.  The hotel and grounds were just stunning, the breakfast was tasty and the service was wonderful. I wish it had been closer to the central park, but the location was quiet.  I loved our stay here so much.

 

 

 

Guatamala is such an incredible country to explore. Antigua is very safe for tourists and families, the locals are kind and eager to help.  We had big plans to see the neighbouring Lake Atitlán, some ancient  Mayan Ruins and the coastline with black sand beaches, but we found ourselves so busy just exploring the town. I’d go back in a heartbeat!

 

 

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Posted in: (happy) camping with kids | fieldtrippin'Tags: | | | | | | | | | | |

I’m not sure why we had never been out to Pembina River Provincial Park. Maybe because the mountains are always calling my name, or maybe because the summer is just to dang short. Either way, we finally decided to try it out for September long weekend, mostly because at under an hour from the city, it would be easy to get home if the weather ended up less then ideal.

Pembina River ended up up being a perfect choice for our  weekend. While we felt the weather wasn’t warm enough for a full day river float we were still able to enjoy everything the area had to offer.   The campground has a mix of treed sites inland and “parking lot style” sites near the river and playground. We booked a site with the best of both worlds.  And it ended up being one of our favourite camping sites to date. E- 89 was perfectly treed and private, situated on the rivers edge offering views (and our own private path) to the water. It was a quick walk to the playground and  even included a perfect climbing tree “fort” for my girls to spend hours in. The river behind the site was great for exploring- very slow moving with lots of rocks to jump across.  There were also river mussels and minnows to search for (don’t forget a bucket and a net!).  We spent two full days along the river’s edge, just wading in the water.  The adults brought down beach chairs and relaxed with our feet in the water as the kids built sand castles and climbed up the river banks. Truly the most relaxing weekend of the summer.

 

There’s also lots to do in the area. The most popular activity is the river float, through Pembina River Tours.  They offer a safer alternative to forging the river on your own, and the float ends right in the Provincal Day use area. Even though we felt it was too cold, there were definitely groups out enjoying the warm fall sun.

 

The day use area also offers a sandy beach and deeper water to swim. There is also several hikes to look-outs of the valley and hikes through the provincial park along the water.  They were all kid friendly, with none of the hikes being over 5km round trip.

 

Within a couple of minutes is the village of Evansburg where you can hit up their local bakery and ice cream shop for a sweet treat. Or if you end up with a warmer day, you can head into Enwistle for a swim in the local outdoor pool.  This pool is a complete hidden gem. With admission being only a couple of dollars a person (seriously, private lessons are only $15 and you can book them in advance on a weekend you’re camping!) it’s a steal of a deal and basically cheaper then showering your kids in the campground. My kids loved the waterslide and I loved the fact that kids older than 6 years don’t need a parent in the water with them as they were free to play wherever they liked after completing a swim test (I sat literally bundled in a sweater on the pool deck while my girls had the pool nearly to themselves). We will definitely being making a day trip to Entwistle next summer to spend the morning playing in the river and the afternoon jumping in the pool.  It’s awesome out there guys, just awesome.

 

We’ve definitely found a new area of the province we love and can’t wait to head back this summer. With reservations being taken now within the 90 day Alberta Parks window,  try to book early to get a great site along the water’s edge- it’s worth it.

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  • May 12, 2018 - 4:11 pm

    Laura - Our family loves Pembina. We go with a big group of families from our kids’ school. The pool sounds like a terrific idea. Rounding up grumpy kids for showers is no fun. But they’d jump at the chance to go to the pool.ReplyCancel

Posted in: (happy) camping with kids | fieldtrippin' | let's be explorers | see the worldTags: | | | | | | | | | | |

2017 was an incredible year full of lots of adventures as a family. We are so grateful to have been able to experience so many new places and activities.  I was recently inspired by Tanya over at Rockies Family Adventures and her incredible 2017 list and so we decided to write out our favourite experiences of the year. Maybe you’ll be inspired to try new places and spend some time connecting with your family by going on new adventures in 2018.

Our Top 2017 Adventures-

1. Hiking Ptarmigan Cirque in Kananaskis. Peter Lougheed Provincal Park is one of my very favourite places in Alberta, and this hike was absolutely incredible. Easy enough for little kids to do, with spectacular views for everyone.  We saw everyone from toddlers to seniors making the 30 minute climb to the meadow, and rumour has it if you hit the hike on the exactly right week, the meadow will be full of wildflowers.

 

 

2. Spending a weekend in the Invermere Area with friends.  We stayed at the incredibly charming Picadilly Hotel, right across the street from a giant newer playground. The hotel was perfect for our family, and the included breakfast in the morning was the absolute best I’ve experienced at a hotel. They had all types of rooms at incredibly reasonable prices- some with full kitchens and BBQs and patios, perfect for a weekend getaway.   While this hotel was in Radium and not directly on the lake, everything was a close drive away. We experienced the Fairmont hot springs, the Kinsman Beach (a sandy beach complete with waterslide and spray park!),  the Radium hot springs, lots of good restaurants, gigantic ice cream cones for dinner and some of the many tourist activities in the area, like mini golf. We also spent some time hiking around Red Streak campground and taking in a free interpretive program there. I was lucky enough to have some past wedding clients treat us to a boat ride around the lake too.  It was only a 5 hour drive from Edmonton and worth every minute. We already have booked a campsite for Red Streak for this summer and can’t wait to go back.

 

 

4. Experiencing Canada Day in Canmore. The town of Canmore puts on a gigantic party for Canada Day. The celebrations started early in the morning with a road race and pancake breakfast, then the town parade. The amount of candy and prizes my kids got from the parade was awesome and they both loved it so much.  We, of course, didn’t miss the opportunity to go to Grizzly Paw Brewery for lunch before heading back to enjoy the entertainment stages.  The fireworks at night against the mountain silhouette were absolutely incredible and definitely worth a trip out there to see.

 

 

5.Snorkelling at the Cayos Cochinos in Honduras. If you are looking for place that lacks tourists, has crystal waters and feels incredibly remote, this is your place.  The series of tiny islands are a perfect escape of reality, and we love supporting the local culture and wonderful Honduran people. Definitely a place to add to your bucket list if you want to experience the Caribbean off the beaten track…. and I’ve been told you can rent an entire house on a isolated island for $65 a night…..and the reviews are fabulous….

 

 

10. Unearthing real dinosaur bones with an paleontologist at Dinosaur Provincial Park. This has been on my bucket list since I was a kid.  My girls didn’t get to join me on this one, but I loved wearing the floppy hat and pretending to know about dinosaurs. We spent an entire day outside working and I did end up learning a ton about fossils.  I  really loved finding a small bone in the sand and then slowing digging around it to find out it was a giant femur. It was pretty cool touching something that hasn’t been seen in millions of years. My kids also had a great day with their aunt exploring the Unesco heritage site and climbing hoodoos while I tried this very cool once-in-lifetime experience. This program fills up in the spring really fast for the entire summer- I’m going to write a blog post with all the details, but you can sign up HERE for the program. 

 

 

6. Camping at Pembina Provincial Park. While my next scheduled blog post is all about the Pembina area, I’ll quickly say that it was a wonderful spot to spend the weekend. We had a campsite right on the river and spent hours wading in the water catching minnows and playing in the sand. There’s a large day use area and it’s easy to float down the river (using a great shuttle service) for the day if you rather not camp.  It’s close enough to the city to make an afternoon of it and there’s enough to keep you occupied for an entire long weekend.

 

7. Spending a weekend at the Delta Kananaksis. The girls loved skiing at Nakiska and trying tubing on the hill. The Delta is so close to opening their new gigantic Nordic indoor/outdoor spa, and I’m so excited to head back out to try it out!

 

 

8. Picking fruit fresh off the tree in Kelowna, BC.  Actually our entire trip to Kelowna was pretty spectacular, and we experienced so much-  you can read about it here. While I loved meeting kangaroos and swimming in the lake, my kids still talk about picking their own cherries and apricots.

 

 

9.Trying out the new aerial outdoor ropes course at Snow Valley. Every single time we drive by on the Whitemud, my girls ask to go back. I did write a blog post all about it, and if you haven’t been definitely add it to your list for 2018.

 

 

9. Staying in a “bucket list” hotel  at Three Valley Gap. From the Titanic themed indoor swimming pool, to the strange and wonderful ghost town, to the sandy beach and canoe rides, and the old-school indoor games room, this hotel was the perfect mix of kitschy and vintage. I remember always driving by it as a kid wanting to stay, but never being able too because we were always going somewhere. We decided to make the road trip part of the vacation this year and it worked out perfectly. I love being able to slow down and enjoy days on the road.

 

11. Taking on Prince George , BC,  with a bunch of  Edmonton bloggers was a great quick trip full of surprises. I wrote a blog post about my adventures and my experience flying with the awesome local airline, Central Mountain Air. I had such a great time trying out everything Prince George had to offer and getting to know some new local bloggers as well!

 

12. Heading to Hawaii on a girls trip was really a dream come true. Now  it wasn’t with the kids, but I would LOVE to take the family back to the Big Island.  Our trip highlights included jumping off waterfalls, swimming in hot springs and hiking lava fields. We stayed at the wonderful  Waikoloa Marriott, but also visited the gigantic, crazy, family friendly Hilton for a luau (think multiple waterslides, gondola rides, a monorail train to get around the resort, pools with waterfalls, swinging bridges…basically a family resort dream!). We did love the Marriott because the location was perfect- it was right on a sandy beach, it was easy walking distance to grocery stores, Starbucks and shopping. It was also right next to our favourite beach club & restaurant, Lava Lava Beach Club! The Marriott  also had multiple pools, including a sand bottom kids pool and waterslide- all much quieter than the Hilton but still completely family friendly.  Our resort had snorkelling, paddling boards and kayaks available as well.  I was extremely happy with the tour we booked with Island Wide Family Tours. They made us a custom designed exploring day- he gave us tons of ideas and built us a trip showcasing all our favourites (which included a 20 minute run into Target. Canadian moms love Target.) I would highly recommend their company for any day trips on the island.

 

 

So what’s happening for 2018?  A lot! We just got back from Las Vegas to watch the Oilers ( tip- stay at  New York, New York and have the tailgate party outside your door), and now we’re looking forward to ton of exciting adventures. We have summer camping trips booked to Red Streak, Jasper, Long Lake, and Kananaskis. We are also looking forward to lots of summer nights on our new deck and relaxing in our new yard, something that was just mud pit last summer.  But our biggest plans for the year include going to Guatemala and Honduras  this winter and then heading across the pond late this spring- Europe here we come!  I can’t stop researching…bring on 2018!

 

 

 

 

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