Advantages: stunning accomodation and service Disadvantages: expensive!!!!
The Columbia Beach Resort to look at is made of stone and wood and looks very grand. There are bellboys who will take your luggage and welcome drinks when you arrive! The resort has a spa which includes a gym, sauna, jacuzzi and plunge pools as well as both indoor and outdoor pools and a pool for toddlers and young children. It also has access to the small pebbley/sandy beach. The pools are freshwater and not heated oor is heated from November.
The actual accomodation obviously varies a lot but our rooms were lovely and were interconnecting for our children. We had a massive square bath and a big shower in EACH ROOM as well as a superking bed. The rooms were made up by housekeeping TWICE each day and everywhere and everything kept very clean. There is also wifi in your room.
As for the food WELL where do i start! Its amazing ...
and we saw the space shuttle Columbia explode whilst returning to earth, and who can forget the blackout that caused havoc in the USA and Canada? Of course not wishing to be outdone the UK?s capital had its own major power cut a little while later. Many thought initially that it was terrorist but it turned out to be just power failure on each account.
Another major thing to happen in 2003 was the outbreak of the potentially deadly SARS virus, with flu like symptoms many people left it too late to seek medical advice and consequently died. The scare eventually reached its peak and was declared over, only to find that late December/early Jan2004 another person was found in Asia with the deadly disease. And still in the news is Michael Jackson and the allegations against him. Now personally I am not sure whether I think he is guilty or not ...
Advantages: Fantastic skiing, good snow record, great friendly atmosphere Disadvantages: Not much on hill dining, ski hill and town are separated
A very cool laid back town, fantastic friendly locals with an influx of "dudes" from all over.
Where is it: Approx 3 hours drive South of Calgary in British Columbia in the Canadian Rockies. It is an easy drive and straightforward to find. Just before Fernie, you pass Sparwood, where you can see "Titan" the biggest truck in the world! Not sure if it still is the biggest, but it is huge, you can see if from the road, but worth a stop to appreciate the size and great for kids.
This is primarily a review on Fernie as a ski town but it is also great to visit in Summer, for golfing, fishing, hillwalking and mountain biking. There are probably more, but these are the activities that I am aware of.
It is mainly serviced by chair lifts, there are no gondolas and none of the chairs have the bubble style cover, so it can be very cold ...
