The Canada fam that had agents singing in the rain
Earlier this year five agents experienced sky-high thrills, nature’s finest spectacles and cosmopolitan culture, after winning places on a fam trip to Vancouver and Whistler, off the back of TTG’s December 2023 Canada Fest
We’re getting high, again. No, not that kind of high. We’re crossing Vancouver’s wibbly wobbly Capilano Suspension Bridge, which – built in 1889 and considered the city’s oldest attraction – stretches for 450 feet across a ravine so deep it could almost swallow London’s Big Ben. The five travel agent winners of a spot on this TTG Canada Fest fam trip and I are unfazed by the gigantic rain drops tumbling from the sky and mystical clouds rolling in through the Douglas fir trees (after all, this weather is to be expected when visiting a temperate rainforest). We instead agree the rain brings us even closer to nature.
“Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is only 15 minutes from Downtown Vancouver on a free shuttle bus, open all year round [except for Christmas Day] and there’s the Cliffwalk, a tree-top walk and birds of prey [that have been rescued from service] to see; it’s so much more than a suspension bridge,” says Anna Ironmonger, personal travel consultant at Not Just Travel.
Another of Vancouver’s most prized natural attractions is Stanley Park, an evergreen, water-fringed space we visit both on foot with Discover Canada Tours and on wheels with Cycle City Tours. Its colourful First Nation totem poles, which our cycle tour guide Katie tells us have been placed here as a sign of respect for members of the Indigenous communities who were driven off this land in the 1880s, commemorate notable events and people. They depict creatures of nature such as whales, ravens and even a mythical thunderbird, and are so striking they’re one of British Columbia’s most photographed attractions.
PEAK PERFORMANCE
During this Vancouver-Whistler twin-centre, we also zip-line with Ziptrek Ecotours, snowmobile with Canadian Wilderness Adventures, fly with Harbour Air and ride the Whistler Village Gondola.
The latter is our mode of ascent to the snow-laden peak of Whistler Mountain, rated as one of the best ski resorts in the world. We watch as expert skiers slide down the slopes and I long to join them, but today we are instead sightseeing and learn that ascending the Whistler Village Gondola, travelling across on the Peak 2 Peak and then descending the Blackcomb Gondola is a popular round trip. We strike a pose beside the iconic Olympic rings – from the winter games in 2010 – before defrosting in the Roundhouse Lodge.
“It’s only 20 minutes up in the gondola and the views are to die for,” says Janice Abbott-Black, personal travel consultant at The Holiday Village, as we all tuck into marshmallow-topped hot chocolates and muse over selling tips.
“There’s snow up here until early May so you can consider the less expensive shoulder seasons if clients are a bit price conscious,” she adds.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Back in the village, we discover there’s even more to keep visitors occupied beyond the slopes. Suggest a guided Whistler Tasting Tour for foodies or a visit to the Audain Art Museum for culture enthusiasts. The museum’s architectural design is just as impressive as the exhibitions themselves, with the permanent collection a celebration of British Columbia’s artists from the late 18th century through to modern day.
We leave feeling we’ve seen a fascinating sliver of Canadian culture and are thrust into Dusty’s Bar & BBQ to sample another national treasure: the Caesar cocktail, aka Canada’s answer to a Bloody Mary. Harbouring a lifelong aversion to tomatoes I’m not brave enough to try it, but the others say it’s a moreish must-try.
My tastes are much better suited to the Granville Island Market food tour with Vancouver Foodie Tours, which starts with a chai latte at Granville Island Tea Company; a business operated by a husband-and-wife team producing more than 200 types of tea. The surrounding stalls are run by independent, artisan Canadian producers, some of which have had a presence here since the institution opened in 1979 (I’m looking at you, Longliner Seafoods). A sure sign of the attraction’s appeal is that 80% of visitors are Vancouver locals.
We eat our way through 11 courses including cranberry-speckled bread from A Bread Affair; honey mustard Hobbs Pickles; Oyama Sausage Company elk; hot-smoked, maple-syrup-glazed salmon; treats from Bon Macaron Patisserie; and Honey Dip Lee’s Donuts, described by the agents as “better than Krispy Kreme”.
“I always recommend Granville Island Market to my clients,” says Sarah Watson, director at Travel Impressions. “They cater to all dietary requirements and it’s a half day, so a good thing to do on your last day once you’ve checked out of your hotel and are waiting for your flight.”
WILD SIDE
An alternative Granville Island experience best for thrill seekers is the 90-minute City and Seals Tour with Vancouver Water Adventures. Our Zodiac whizzes at top speed along Howe Sound, the southernmost fjord of the northern hemisphere, past Lighthouse Park to a small inlet where we find a colony of adorable chonky seals. Some are sunning themselves on the jagged rocks while others poke their heads out of the deep blue water, eyes wide with curiosity. We’re careful not to disturb the mammals and soon turn around to find one of Canada’s most iconic birds – the bald eagle – perched atop a small red-and-white lighthouse.
But everyone knows the real bucket-list wildlife encounters in British Columbia are with bears, who are notoriously elusive. So, when I take a 6am walk around the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Course after a local’s tip off and come face-to-face with a lone wanderer, you can imagine my excitement. Black bear: check!
There’s more excitement on the Sea to Sky Highway during our transfer between Whistler and Vancouver. During a photo stop, I find myself sprinting to the end of the pier to get a closer look at a pod of four orcas our driver Rene spotted in the sound. I not only see undulating dorsal fins and water spouting from blowholes but I can also just about spot the iconic white patch above the whales’ eyes. Speaking to Vancouverites I learn some have lived in the city for years and never experienced the elation of laying eyes on an orca. But for us, this bucket-list sighting is one of the trip’s many unforgettable highs.
Book it: Canadian Affair offers three nights in Vancouver and three nights in Whistler for £2,153pp. Based on 1 May 2025 departure, price includes flights with Air Canada and accommodation on a room-only basis at The Douglas in Vancouver and the Fairmont Chateau Whistler; canadianaffair.com/travel-agents
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