[trip style = spa + weekend getaway + active & adventure + budget conscious]
{Editor's Note: Today is Trip Styler's introduction to Harrison Hot Springs, look out for some of the area's foodie stops and wilderness adventures on Friday.}
—————————————————– Dear Harrison, At multiple junctures we've almost brushed shoulders. It's not that I didn't want to meet you, our paths never crossed.
And then, late in 2011, mutual friends connected our interests and a date was set. Harry, apparently you were making up for lost time, pulling out all the stops with a soak in the spring-fed mineral pools, massage in the spa and an evening of dinner and dancing. xoxo, Trish —————————————————–
It was a cold and rainy late-November day and with a weekend bag and still-warm Creme De La Crumb scone in tow, I made the arrow-straight, highway journey to Harrison Hot Springs from Vancouver. This road is well traveled in summer; in winter the lake-front destination is quiet and cozy with budget-friendly appeal.
The area's farm-to-table foodie stops and world-class nature exploration notwithstanding {more on this Friday}, the natural hot springs and spa at the Harrison Resort & Spa are the pièces de résistance. Luxuriate in the mineral pools in the early morning or at night {fewer spa-goers at this time} to watch the steam dance and water glow against the surrounding blue-black mountains.
When the clock strikes eight, get dolled-up like Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant, and go back in time {literally} at the hotel's legendary Copper Room supper club. Dressed-up tables with dimly lit lamps are intimately arranged around the well-heeled dance floor, used every night thanks to the longtime crooners, The Jones Boys. Watching "Erma and Norm" storm the dance floor at the first hint of Moonriver, will make even the most timid dancers bust out their limited moves in the name of love.
—————————————————– Harry, I wish our first date would have resulted in a rose ceremony, but I'm a modern girl, so I'll settle for an itinerary filled with romantic gestures instead.
- Getting There: Harrison is about an hour and a half from Vancouver and three hours from Seattle.
- Hotel/Spa/Mineral Pools: A series of adult and family-friendly pools at varying temperatures fit everyone's needs. Comfortable hotel rooms with modest bathrooms start at $99 {includes access to the spa's pools, complimentary parking and wifi}.
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[photos c/o abundantc, harrison resort & trip styler, taken while a guest of tourism harrison]