Travelling with your Grandchildren
Grandkids helping Granpa to load car
This is a great time in our lives when we’re able to travel on our own as well as go on trips with our wonderful grandchildren. We can include the kids parents (our children) or not, and gear our travel and activities to our grandchildren of all ages. Sometimes the kids are even more well behaved without their parents! However having the parents included is less responsibility on us and creates great quality family time. The grandchildren are so appreciative and it is absolutely fantastic to strengthen our rapport with our younger generation. The wonderful memories created on these trips will stay with them for the rest of their lives, and long after we have gone.
Most grandparents are a little intimidated about keeping the youngsters occupied, so I have
attempted to list a number of activities at all our hotels throughout this magnificent province of ours. The only thing you have to do is match up which activities are most appropriate for the ages of your
Grandparents & Grandkids enjoying an outing
grandchildren and then call our central reservations and book your trip.
I HAVE LISTED THE ACTIVITIES OF EACH AREA LATER ON IN THIS ARTICLE.
ACCENT INNS ARE PERFECT FOR FAMILY TRAVEL AND HERE’S WHY
– A variety of room configurations from large suites (Burnaby), junior suites, connecting rooms to kitchenettes (plus full kitchens in Burnaby). We also have roll away cots available for a small fee and cribs are free.
– Kids under 16 stay free.
– The smallest beds are queen size and Accent Inns have always only bought Beautyrest mattresses.
– Outside picnic areas.
– Outdoor swimming pools in Kelowna and Kamloops and hot tubs in Burnaby, Kelowna and Kamloops.
– Blue Ridge Inns, our sister property in Victoria, has a great indoor pool which in the summer time opens out to comfortable seating areas on sunny (or shady) decks.
– Free wireless internet in the rooms so the kids can play their games & a computer in our lobbies so that the kids (and you) can report back to your friends & the rest of the family.
– Canada select 3.5 star rating.
– All Accent Inns are conveniently located close to town and activities.
– Burnaby and Richmond are located close to Skytrain stations.
– Designated kids movie channel in all rooms.
– Discount coupons available for stays in our other locations on the same trip.
– Family style restaurants in each hotel.
– Designated pet friendly rooms so that the “whole family” can travel together.
– In-room coffee makers, fridges (you might need that coffee & there is a place to store juice for the kids)
– All rooms are air-conditioned.
– Friendly welcoming staff with warm and unpretentious lobbies.
– Elevators ( nothing worse than carrying all your “stuff” up three flights of stairs.
– Bike friendly and each hotel have maps to locate the closest bike trails. Each hotel also has bike maintenance and washing stations.
VICTORIA – A list of a few of the many things that a family can do on a holiday to Victoria.
– Great petting zoo at beacon Hill Park with a variety of animals and magnificent peacocks strutting along showing off their plumage.
– Beacon Hill Park is a treat with its beautiful flowers (spring flowers start in late March), ponds, ducks, 2nd. Largest totem pole in the world, putting green, a rainwater type of sprinkler for kids to run under and be surprised at water coming at them from another angle.
– The Dallas Road water walkway at Beacon Hill Park is a wonderful stroll above the beach with the magnificent snow covered Olympic Mountains across the straits, and then go down to the beach to build forts with the driftwood etc. There is also a section here that allows dogs to run free.
– The Royal British Columbia Museum is a must see & the grandchildren of all ages will enjoy it. There are wonderful Dioramas, replicas of an old sailing schooner, a 19th century street with all the shops, a magnificent Aboriginal section with soaring totem poles in a village setting etc. and much much more.
– National Geographic IMAX Theatre, located next to the Museum.
– Stroll along government Street and visit the many souvenir shops.
– Craigdarroch Castle.
– Many antique stores , book stores ( also in Sidney) and art galleries.
– Great selection of restaurants from casual to formal for all the family.
– A Bug Zoo which will impress the kids.
– Lots of public swimming pools and a great water slide and wave pool at the Commonwealth Pool.
– Swimming Beach such as salt water at sandy Willows Beach (although the water is quite cold) but youngsters don’t seem to mind it and the teenagers & oldsters can ogle the bikinis. Fresh water at Thetis, Elk & Beaver Lakes & the amazing Sooke Pot Holes.
– The Galloping Goose trail is located very close to both our Blue Ridge Inn and Accent Inns Victoria and is a picturesque fairly flat cycling trail located on previous railway rights of way. Remember that Accent |Inns also has bike repair and washing stations at each location.
– Kayaking on the Gorge and you can even go into the Inner Harbour.
– Various festivals and busters and magicians on the Lower Causeway of the Inner Harbour.
– Undersea Gardens located right in the Inner Harbour.
– The kids of all ages will love going whale watching and nature water trips and can even arrange to go salmon fishing.
– Take the little harbour ferries and see the city from the water and visit the high points of the Inner and Outer Harbour.
– Have a dock lunch at fisherman’s wharf and feed the seals in their natural setting.
– A pirate ship (with all the crew in costume) leaves fisherman’s wharf 2 or 3 times a day in the summertime.
– Rent motor scooters and explore the total waterfront and ride by the exclusive homes on the water and venture into the exclusive Uplands and take a bag lunch to eat at Cattle Point or the natural and rustic Uplands Park.
– Try a horse drawn carriage tour around Beacon Hill Park, James Bay, or a Tally-Ho trip.
– Explore Chinatown and/ or do an evening walk through downtown’s most haunted places.
– Do an exciting zipline.
– Visit the Ocean Discovery Center in nearby Sidney, then take the small ferry to beautiful Sidney Spit with a wonderful Beach and warm water.
– Butchard Gardens is world famous & a must see. They even have a carousel which the kids will love.
– Butterfly Gardens.
– You could even do a BC Ferries round trip and visit 3 or 4 of our beautiful Gulf Islands.
– Drive out to Metchosin and Sooke and you can continue on and do a circle tour through Cowichan Lake and Duncan.
– Do a round trip on the MV COHO and visit Port Angeles on the American side, located just below the majestic Olympic Mountains.
– A summary of some of the interesting easy walks is Chinatown, Dallas Road, Downtown (Government, Broad, lower Johnson), Inner Harbour, sea walk going over the Blue Bridge and beyond, Selkirk and the Gorge and the Galloping goose.
– Some of the Hikes are: Mt. Douglas, Mt. Finlayson, Goldstream, Sooke Pot Holes, Fort Rodd Hill, East Sooke Park and the 10k coastal trail.
VANCOUVER AND AREA
There are so many exciting things to do around Vancouver for people of all ages, that it is difficult to list them all and so I will give you a few highlights. We have a more complete list in the directories in the rooms for all of our hotels. Please refer to them after you check in.
– Great views of Vancouver from Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, the Lookout at Harbour Center Tower downtown, Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.
– Historic fishing village of Steveston with great restaurants, whale watching and tour the Gulf of Georgia Cannery.
– Fun Go Kart tracks in Richmond.
– Sporting activities at the Richmond Oval.
– Fascinating Granville Market under the Granville Street Bridge.
– Numerous music and sports venues (take in a baseball or soccer game) theatres, galleries etc.
– Vancouver Aquarium.
– Science World.
– Corn Maze.
– Winery Tours ( for the older kids).
– Playdium in Burnaby for the younger kids to play and the older kids shop.
– UBC’s Museum of Anthropology.
– Xaytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre ( highlighting our First Nations art and history).
– Stanley Park and walk the seawall.
– Take the Sea bus to the North Shore.
– Watch the planes coming in right above you at Vancouver International Airport.
– Book a Flight Simulator.
– Van Dusen Botanical Gardens.
– Trev Deeley Motorcycle Museum.
– Drive to whistler for a day.
THERE ARE MANY MORE THINGS TO DO IN VANCOUVER AND THIS BLOG WILL BE UPDATED.
In the meantime check our LOCAL ACCENTS edition in the hotel rooms
ACTIVITIES IN KELOWNA AND KAMLOOPS WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY