We’re a family that lives for long weekends. It’s a time where both Chris and I are off work 2 days in a row and we can all be together. Rain or shine these family-friendly weekend trips near Vancouver are tested by us and they’re our favourites for these reasons:
- They’re close to Vancouver. It won’t take you a day of travel, you can drive there, unpack and have fun.
- Great, walkable location. You don’t need to pile everyone back in the car to go somewhere fun.
- Full suite. For a full suite (living room, kitchen and master bedroom) the price is right.
The Sundial Hotel in Whistler
(2 hours from Vancouver)
Whistler is an easy go-to for us. It has everything we all enjoy. Good shopping, nice trails, a really good bakery, a park and lots of open space to run around. The Sundial was great because of the size of the suite we had. It had a kitchen, living room and master bedroom. Mikayla was still young enough to sleep in a playpen which they provided. So we would put her down in the master bedroom then move her to the living room when we went to bed.
This hotel has two downsides for us. 1) it’s not dog-friendly and 2) The pool is across the avenue at another hotel.
Whistler Village has a great area for kids. You can see more about it here: “Whistler Weekend with Baby”
Terrace Beach Resort, Ucluelet
(5 hours from Vancouver including a ferry ride)
The cabins at Terrace Beach Resort are rustic, quaint and pretty private. It backs onto The Wild Pacific Trail and overlooks a beach and the roaring, Pacific Ocean. This place is dog friendly AND each cabin has it’s own private hot tub. Outside, there’s lots of space for kids to run around and explore. The only downside to it’s location is you have to drive into town. But there’s not much in town to see. You really only need to go into town for groceries. The Wild Pacific Trail is an attraction in itself because of the views, the ocean, the trees and the lighthouse. We spend the entire weekend on this trail, hot tubbing on the deck overlooking the ocean and falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach. You can read more about our experience in Ucluelet here: “Storm Watching From The Wild Pacific Trail”.
Oswego Hotel, Victoria
(3 hours away including a ferry ride)
We’d go back to the Oswego because it’s dog-friendly and in downtown Victoria. The staff are super friendly, and supplied us with a playpen. The only downside is that there’s no pool or hot tub. But there are a lot of museums and sights in Victoria for the kids. We checked out the Royal BC Museum and we can safely say it’s a fun place for kids to learn, point at things and of course, run around.
Amanda is a writer, photographer, videographer and a content creator with a passion for sharing stories. With her family of 5, they share experiences, tips and ideas that empower Moms to make memories with their families right here in British Columbia.
