7 Glorious Resorts in the Okanagan Valley for a Weekend of Wine and Sunshine

If you’ve an affinity for rocks and gems you’ll enjoy the adult-only Sparkling Hills Resort at the north end of the Okanagan Lake near Vernon. Overlooking the Monashee Mountains the resort has a luminescence that extends far beyond the sunshine bouncing off its infinity pool.

Patriarch of the famous Swarovski crystal empire, Gernot Langes-Swarovski envisioned a European style spa in the rugged mountains of Canada. Using a crystal architect in the design process, the resort opened in 2010 with 3.5 million crystals embedded in the walls of the luxury property.

Helping you sparkle as well is the resort’s focus on whole body wellness and the KurSpa. With 100 treatments and more than 3,700 m2, it is the largest luxury spa in the country and the first North American spa to offer a Cyro Cold Chamber, popular with those suffering from inflammation.

Chefs offer farm to table dining and while it’s hard to leave the resort you will find it an interesting day trip to meet local food producers. The lush grasslands around Vernon produce wonderful cheese. You can pet the cows at Triple Island Farm in Cherryville and taste Gouda, Edam and Maasdammer cheeses. At Arlo’s Honey Farm you can see inside a working hive from the safety of a screened room. Okanagan Lavender & Herb Farm offers workshops on how to add herbs to food and beauty products.

Predator Ridge is both a resort and a community. Located in the Monashee Mountains, it has enough amenities to keep even the laziest person on their toes and enough neighbors to make it social. In summer you can hike, perfect your downward-facing dog on one of three outdoor yoga platforms, swing a racquet, or bike. The resort has plenty of multi-use trails and a shuttle to the newly opened Okanagan Rail Trail, a re-purposed railway corridor that starts near Vernon and offers cyclists views of Kalamalka Lake before heading south towards Kelowna.

Golfers seek out the resort’s two courses. The Par-71 Predator course designed by Les Furber has hosted two skins games. The newer Ridge Course by architect Doug Carrick was voted best new Canadian course when it opened in 2010.

Winter is also a good time to visit. The climate in the Monashee Mountains produces light fluffy snow – called champagne powder – perfect for winter sports. You can explore Predator Ridge by snowshoe or make the 45-minute-drive to SilverStar Mountain Resort where skiers tackle runs spread over four mountain faces. New this winter, Predator Ridge guests can heli-ski from helicopters based at the resort. With some of the best powder in British Columbia the chance to catch a ride to pristine slopes is hard to resist.

If you like your beach time to extend into evening hours, you will enjoy the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort. Located in the heart of Kelowna, the valley’s largest city, the resort has a spa and pools to keep you busy before the nightlife starts and you can stroll a short distance away to the Kelowna City Park. Kids will love the aqua park, and nature lovers will relish the quiet strolls and the chance to watch birds flitting among the trees. Those wanting a faster pace can check out Lakefront Sports Centre for jet-ski rides or parasailing.

Wine lovers can try tastings at some of the valley’s hundreds of wineries each with a unique backstory. At Summerhill Pyramid winery you can meditate in a four-storey high pyramid and at Off The Grid Organic Winery you can watch goats provide natural pest control while you sip Pinot Gris. Stop to cuddle a joey at Kangaroo Creek Farm on the way back.

As evening arrives shake off the sand and put on your best leisurewear. Wine tasting from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Wine Experience Centre (with over 2,800 bottles of wine on display) is a great way to meet other guests. At OAK + CRU Social Kitchen and Wine Bar you can choose indoor or outdoor dining with great service and unobstructed views of the setting sun. Chef Daniel Craig (not the movie star) brings West Coast sophistication to the menu.

Finish off your day by heading to BNA Brewing where you can bowl while you sample a lager. Or, Krafty Kitchen + Bar where locals experiment with fun cocktails like the Karate Chop or Bedevilled Bully.

The Okanagan Valley is a busy place when Canadians starved of vitamin D flock to beaches and vineyards as temperatures climb. Summerland Waterfront Resort & Spa offers a secluded retreat from the valley’s busyness without sacrificing warm-weather fun.

You won’t be the only species seeking refuge. The resort is built on the edge of a wetland, and with few wetlands remaining in the valley your neighbours will include birds, turtles, and beavers. The resort takes extra care to protect this sensitive environment, being one of two dozen hotels in the province to receive a four key rating from the Hotel Association of Canada’s Green Key sustainability program.

Located on a sandy beach with unbroken views down Okanagan Lake, you can swim, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, or build sand castles. There are organized summer activities for kids and adults; even your dog is welcome.

Each Tuesday, Summerland offers a farmer’s market where you can taste spring cherries, summer peaches or fall apples. The area attracts artists and musicians and you can meet several at events held at the resort. In fall Summerland’s Ryga Arts Festival celebrates live music and artistic workshops inspired by George Ryga, one of Canada’s well-known playwrights.

If you want a short road trip, travel a few kilometres up to the highway to Okanagan Lake Provincial Park. Look carefully at the high cliffs above the road where you may spot mountain goats or a Golden Eagle.

If you like it hot, head to Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos. Located on Lake Osoyoos, Canada’s warmest lake, in a community with the hottest summer daytime temperatures in the country, you’ll find the resort’s water sports refreshing. There is food service by the pool and communal barbeques near the pool deck meaning you can wear your bikini all day long.

Your kids will love the waterslide and public beach. You’ll love the quiet at the end of the day when the young ones are played out.    

Sneak away one morning to the Osoyoos Desert Centre three kilometers north of town and experience raw desert landscapes. Keep your ears peeled for the sweet notes of a yellow meadowlark celebrating summer.

The resort is located in the middle of town so you can stroll to boutiques and coffee shops, or enjoy a summer festival. The Osoyoos Cherry Fiesta in July celebrates local cherries – more valuable than valley grapes -with a parade (and occasional water fight). Enter the cherry-pit-spitting contest if you dare. In August the Lions Club sponsors a Bluegrass Festival to get your toes tapping.

The aptly named Spirit Ridge Vineyard resort nurtures your spirit while offering up bodily pleasures. Located on the traditional lands of the Syilx people, the resort offers spa treatments, pools, and easy access to Sonora Dunes Golf Course but it’s also steps away from the Nk’Mip (pronounced in-ka-meep) Cultural Centre.

This facility offers a window into the beliefs and history of the Syilx who have lived in the area thousands of years. Listen to legends passed from ancestors to the current generation through repeated storytelling. Take time to learn a few words of the local nsyilxcən language from interpreters or road signs.

You can wander among sage and antelope brush on the nearby 600-hectare desert conservation area and admire one of Canada’s most endangered environments. With both people and wildlife competing, Okanagan warmth-protected areas like these are extremely important.  

Ask one of the Syilx interpreters for directions to Spotted Lake, a geological marvel of perfect mineral circles visible when water levels drop over summer months. It is a sacred place so you can’t access the lake but from the road you can see the circles that have graced many Instagram photos. Please respect property rights and obey all signs.

Want privacy and time to unwind with your sweetie? Located at the southern end of the Okanagan Valley and away from the main streets of Osoyoos, Walnut Beach Resort is perfect for couples wanting to sneak away from summer crowds and relax on a private beach. Lay back on a lounger, the beach umbrellas shading you in one of Canada’s most arid locales.

You can kayak or stand-up paddle-board a few meters from your room. If you want more activity you can learn to wake-board from instructors at the nearby marina.  

With a year-round heated outdoor pool, the resort is a great place to visit in fall when vineyards are bringing in the harvest and sagebrush-dotted hillsides are bathed in golden sunlight.

The wine bar offers a variety of local vintages but it’s more fun to go direct to the home of the grapes.  There are several dozen wineries in the south of Okanagan; you can drive but consider a bike tour, either on your own or with a guide.

Rental companies offer e-bikes with electric power assist. It won’t matter if you’re in shape for big hills or want to buy extra wine – the bike’s power will help you over long distances letting you savour the sunny skies, carpets of vineyards, and mountain peaks of the Okanagan Valley.