5 Things: Kelowna
A few weeks ago I jetted off to Kelowna for a little getaway for my besties' stagette. There were 7 of us ladies who spent 3 days in this beautiful city and I wanted to share 5 of my favourite things we did for your own possible future Kelowna travels.
Breakfast at Oak + Cru
You guys. This place is not only delicious but also an instgarammers dream haha. The tiled oven is gorgeous, the whole space is decorated immaculately and the food is amazing. I can't say enough good things about the meal we had there so I definitely recommend checking them out.
Lunch at Quail's Gate
We had some great food on our trip but let me tell you guys that hands down, with a unanimous consensus, Quail's Gate had the best food we ate on the entire trip. Their outdoor patio has stunning views, the wine is incredible (more to come on that later) and our food was just spectacular. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Please do yourself a favour and have lunch there, you won't regret it.
Day Trip Wine Tour
If you're in Kelowna or the surrounding area, you need to do at least one wine tour. We were lucky to have two different wine tours planned. On one day we did a private Legacy tour at Mission Hill with a paired dinner (more on that below) and on a separate day, we visited 4 vineyards by private bus.
Our first stop was Tyler Harlton wines- his space is to die for! Black, white, wood and super modern and minimal, I was in heaven. My pick: the Reisling.
Next up was Silkscarf where we were wowed with award winning after award winning wine. My suggestion: the Merlot.
Then we stopped at 8th Generation where I spent all of my money. No joke, I could have bought every bottle we tried (and I pretty much did) My fave: Confidence, perfect for special occasions or you know, a tuesday afternoon ;)
Lastly, we ended the day at Haywire where we sampled not only their delicious wines but also their gin too! My pick of the bunch: the Switchback
I'll be sharing more details on these vineyards and their wines on another post so stay tuned!
Pit Stop Granny's Fruit Stand
I get the title of "bad blogger" on this one because I was so hungry and caught up in being at Granny's that I didn't take any photos - oops! But trust me, if you get a chance definitely make a stop here. We popped in quickly to grab lunch on the day of our wine tour and it did not disappoint. Half of the space is a store that carries fresh produce and local products like honey and jams and similar items. The other half is a bakery that is bright and fresh with marble accents (I was in love!) not to mention the food is amazing. We all had paninis and got a few baked goods and lets just say we were a very happy group of ladies.
Evening BNA Brewing Co.
When asking one of the locals abut the nightlife in Kelowna she immediately suggested BNA. BNA is a brewery and bar/restaurant that gets seriously bumpin' in the evenings. Great drinks, great atmosphere and great music make it a stop I'd highly recommend for a fun night out.
Bonus: Legacy Tour and Paired Dinner at Mission Hill
The last experience I thought I'd share was the legacy tour at Mission Hill. One of the ladies on our trip is a sommelier and actually used to work for Mission Hill so I think we were given a bit of a VIP treatment but the tour is absolutely worth the visit. The grounds are stunning, the buildings are beautiful and the story is incredibly impressive. I had no idea that the founder of Mission Hill also started Mike's Hard Lemonade and Palm Bay. He started Mike's Hard with the dream that it would make enough profit to start a winery and it did! He's a self made man who worked incredibly hard and the information you get on the tour is very interesting - not to mention the wine and pairings are SO good! We also had a paired dinner on the terrace which was both stunning and delicious! ;)
Some very serious photo action going on above! haha #whysoserious
We got to sample wine from the barrels then try to guess what it was which was so cool!
Did I miss any of your Kelowna or surrounding area favourites? Let me know in the comments below! :) And stay tuned in the next few weeks when I share more details on the wineries we toured!
