DAY ONE

This action packed journey began with a fast, comfortable 38-minute flight from Vancouver International Airport to Kelowna International Airport via OGLBA member WestJet Airlines. Kelowna, the largest urban centre in the region, operates the 11^th busiest airport in Canada and is serviced by a number of local, regional and international carriers.

Upon arrival, I was met by Sean, my charming personal guide for the day, who provided detailed information on the region, including the fact that there are three distinct mini-regions with varying climates from north to south within the valley which surprisingly include an actual desert, lush wine growing regions, rich orchards, alpine meadows, rolling hills and majestic mountains.

Our first stop of the day was at the prestigious Gray Monk Estate Winery, which sits on a stunning landscape of rolling vineyards and also includes a large gift shop and excellent restaurant with large viewing deck over the lake and valley below. The friendly hospitality included a personal guided tour of the winery, an exclusive tasting of six estate wines, history of the region and a special visit by George and Trudy, the estate proprietors.

After such a great introduction and taste of the area, our next stop was the exclusive Predator Ridge Resort. Our hosts, Jodi and Gerry showed us around this gorgeous, brand new, high-end resort that offers it’s own complimentary shuttle, hotel-style guestrooms, upscale private guesthouses, three private 9-hole golf courses, world-class clubhouse and a relaxing, onsite, full-service Aveda Spa. Relax in the lap of luxury at this conveniently located, but seemingly out-of-the way resort destination.

<- Best Western Vernon Lodge

The town of Vernon, the third largest urban centre in the region, has maintained a quaint, central downtown core area reminiscent of small town Canada images of days gone by. We highly recommend a visit to the delightful Seasons Gardens Gifts where the proprietor Kim showed us a great selection of local and BC produced arts and crafts, including stained glass rainbow banner style pieces proudly displayed in the storefront window. After shopping, we were invited for lunch at the Best Western Vernon Lodge, where we were warmly welcomed and pleasantly surprised to find the Pasta Garden restaurant located in the heart of a year-round tropical oasis. This full service convention hotel is operated by RPB Hotels and Resorts, a family operated, gay friendly hotel chain that also operate the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Casino in Penticton, the Ramada Lodge in Kelowna and the Sands Best Western Hotel in Vancouver’s West End.

Named as “North America’s Best Small Resort of the Year” by UK based “Good Skiing and Boarding Guide 2004”, the picture perfect, 19^th century Victorian inspired mid-level village offers a wide range of accommodation and dining options to suit every taste. Complete packages are available mid-November to mid-April.

A great selection of gay owned and operated and gay friendly accommodation options are available throughout the Okanagan region. I was awestruck upon check-in for my first night’s stay at the incredible Eagle’s Nest B & B, not far from Kelowna where my adventure began earlier in the day. Hosts/Owners Gary and Al warmly welcomed me into their large, beautiful home complete with high ceilings, large open living spaces, lovely self-contained suites, overstuffed mattresses, first class amenities all around and an outdoor hot tub overlooking the valley. Not only did Gary and Al build this incredible space themselves, they even baked fresh homemade bread, muffins and cakes in the expansive open kitchen area…in one word WOW!

The gracious hospitality continued as Gary and Al escorted me to one of their favourite restaurants, Ricardo’s Mediterranean Restaurant, where we were generously hosted by owner/chef Ricardo, his charming wife and staff. Delicious, meticulously prepared gourmet Italian cuisine was complimented by an excellent Okanagan vintage and the atmosphere was enchanting with the lunar eclipse of the full moon shining through large plate glass windows. Award winning Ricardo’s is highly recommended by many locals as one of the best restaurants in the Kelowna area and we completely agree; Bravo Ricardo!!!

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