- Beauty
The Great Canadian road trip with American Express
If I had to summarize the landscape of BC in one word for you, I’d have to describe it as breathtaking. Cliché, I know. But after a recent road trip tackling almost 400KM through the province, that’s the most describable word I could think of. Our friends at American Express Canada, challenged us to tackle Kelowna, Whistler and Vancouver over the course of 6 days and to say it was an adventure, would be an understatement.
After some initial discussions with the Platinum Concierge team, a fabulous service available to Platinum Cardmembers, we were provided with a complete itinerary chronicling every element of our trip from the moment we hit the road to the moment we journeyed home.
My ideal travel outfit for a 4 hour flight: comfy tee, jeans and a jacket for warmth if need be! I feel like I rarely get to snap airport style pics since we’re racing from the parking garage to the terminal like a bunch of lunatics. As American Express Platinum Cardmembers, however, we were able to score complimentary valet, a 15% parking discount, and security line bypass through the Pearson Priority Lane and effortlessly waltzed through the airport without a care in the world. Now that is the way you fly in style, my friends!
Another perk of having American Express Platinum Card? Scoring access to the Plaza Premium Lounge in Toronto Pearson Airport and a slew of other airports, including Vancouver. Whether a cappuccino, cocktail or glass of wine is your fancy – kick your feet up and enjoy! Naturally, I opted for a glass of wine and a side order of travel magazines before our flight.
Our arrival to the Kelowna airport was seamless with our Buick Encore rental car which was already arranged for us and waiting at the airport for pick up. We hit the ground running to our first stop: Mission Hill winery for dinner. The Platinum Concierge team not only arranged for our reservation (timed perfectly with our landing), but also ensured we had the best seat in the house – my kind of dining!
An advocate for wine country in Niagara-on-the-Lake, I have to say, the grounds, meal and wine at this property knocked our socks off. With a menu changing daily and views overlooking the estate and lake, I would highly recommend adding this to your list of things to do!
The rose garden at Mission Hill winery is one of my favourite parts!
Taking this view in before dinner – the Okanagan Valley.
We woke up super refreshed the next morning during our stay at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort in Kelowna. Even better – since the hotel is one of Amex’s FINE HOTELS AND RESORTS properties, we were able to enjoy complimentary breakfast each morning, which included Starbucks brewed coffee – YAS!
The hotel was situated right on Okanagan Lake and had the most darling boardwalk surrounding the property.
Ever eager to pull out the
adventurer in me, Adam was interested in doing a bike tour of the Myra
Canyon in Kelowna. Ladies I know, you’re probably asking where the adorable
basket and flowers are BUT I will say, the experience was like no other. The
views and trails in this spot were so scenic and completely worth trading in my
adorable city bike for an all-terrain one (but only for an afternoon!). What I
love is that Adam and I were able to share our interests and hobbies with the Platinum
Concierge team so they could arrange activities that fit both our needs.
adventurer in me, Adam was interested in doing a bike tour of the Myra
Canyon in Kelowna. Ladies I know, you’re probably asking where the adorable
basket and flowers are BUT I will say, the experience was like no other. The
views and trails in this spot were so scenic and completely worth trading in my
adorable city bike for an all-terrain one (but only for an afternoon!). What I
love is that Adam and I were able to share our interests and hobbies with the Platinum
Concierge team so they could arrange activities that fit both our needs.
And after we biked, we wine tasted! Next on the docket for the day was a tour of the Fab Five wineries within the Kelowna wine region. Vibrant Vines is the only wine company that produces 3D labels – but I don’t recommend a wine tasting and 3D reading unless you’re a brave soul!
After a long day of touring around, we knew we’d want something quiet and relaxing for dinner and the American Express Platinum Concierge team didn’t disappoint. For our second evening, we headed to Quail’s Gate Winery.
Staring out at the incredible view before dinner. Wait for it…
I mean can we talk about this view? Just when I thought the Platinum Concierge team couldn’t top a view from the night before, they sent us here. And, since Quail’s Gate Winery is part of the Platinum Dining Program, we were treated to a delicious appetizer (scallops!) on the house! When it comes to unforgettable culinary experiences courtesy of the Platinum Dining Program, this one tops our list! The wine was superb and the meal was out of this world.
A few snaps around the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort. How awesome is this patio at the back of the hotel?
We got an early start on our third day in BC knowing we had about a 5-hour drive ahead of us to travel from Kelowna to Whistler. But before we took off, we knew we needed a solid brunch. The recently opened, Oak + Cru, located in the Delta Okanagan Resort was SO worth getting up early for. With tasty smoothies, breakfast power bowls or my favourite – unique takes on eggs Benedict, it’s mmm mmm good! While they do offer lunch and dinner, we found brunch to be superb.
And with brunch behind us, we were off! It’s been a while since we’ve been in a car together for 5 straight hours so we were pleasantly surprised when we found out that American Express hooked us up with the GM Buick Encore, equipped with 4G LTE with Wi-Fi, Navigation and more. Travelling in style allowed us to stay connected on the go with all the comforts of home. We downloaded music re-routed our next leg of the trip to drive through the mountains and got caught up on the Bachelorette (ok well I did!) – the drive literally flew by.
And of course, it was essential to stop for moments like this…
and this.
And about 6 hours later – yes, we pretty much pulled off at every vantage point possible – can you blame us? While Kelowna was absolutely amazing, we were thrilled to arrive at our next destination: Whistler. Stay tuned for the second series of our Great Canadian Road Trip for what to see/do/eat in Whistler and Vancouver.
Looking to plan a road trip of your own this summer? Platinum Cardmembers earn 1.25 Membership Rewards points for every purchase which can then be redeemed for travel. On top of that, working alongside the Platinum Concierge team is an absolute dream. Planning trips – as fun as they can be – can be so stressful when trying to coordinate where to stay, where to eat and what activities are worth seeing or doing. With an experienced travel team and Platinum Concierge assisting you along the way, it’s so easy to kick back, relax and actually enjoy the planning process. To learn more about all the wonderful perks of being an Amex Platinum Cardmember, click HERE.
This post was sponsored by Amex Canada. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.
