Christmas – Winter Holiday Getaway Ideas in British Columbia

Planning for the holidays isn’t always easy. And, these plans are often stressful. Remove the stress, work, or difficulty out of holiday planning with a few ideas and inspirations. These Christmas break and holiday getaways in BC include ideas for an array of interests and preferred vacation types. And, the vastly varied BC scenery means these getaways will look different depending on where in BC you visit.

These getaways could include adventures in the mountains, spa time by the ocean, Island escapes, or time in BC’s southern interior.

Hot Spring Vacations

There are several natural hot springs all across BC. And with these locations, your holiday getaway to the warm mountain pools will include onsite lodging, dining, and a more luxurious experience overall.

• Radium Hot Springs is near the eastern border of the province, with pools that sit among some incredible scenery. And while the hot springs are not a full resort with accommodations, the area’s hotel or rental options all surround the hot springs or are mere steps away from the facility.
• Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is complete with a hotel, cabins, or family villas, has a fair-sized ski hill, and onsite restaurants. The hot spring pools are open to the general public for reservable day visits, and at any time during open hours to hotel guests.
• BC’s Harrison Hot Springs Resort are currently offering Christmas deals and packages to help make your visit a bit easier. The hot springs are divided into two indoor pools and three outdoor pools, while accommodation options include lodge rooms or cabin rentals.
• Nakusp’s Halcyon Hot Springs Resort faces the waters to give your outdoor soak in the pools an incredible view. The rental options are just as impressive with great views, too, and include chalets, cabins, or cottages.
• The Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort overlooks the expansive Kootenay Lake and sits at the bottom of the mountain valley. This quiet vacation spot includes all you’d need for a few days away including accommodation, a restaurant, and the luxurious pools.

Book a Cozy Mountain Cabin

Aside from the Hot Spring Resorts and alpine ski resorts around BC, there are many other ways to enjoy a holiday getaway to the mountains. These vacations could include nothing but relaxation or simple and quick activities around your cabin property. Otherwise, many of these mountain cabins in BC are near many recreational or adventurous opportunities.

• The Logden Lodge in the mountains of southern BC has cozy cabins in the trees available from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day.
• Join the Crazy Creek Hot Pools Resort for the holidays to relax in your cabin, as well as the resort’s year-round outdoor pools. There are four pools, with only one closed for the winter.
• The Myra Canyon Lodge & Ranch near Kelowna have Christmas availability for their adorable mountain cabins. These properties up in the hills offer exceptional views of not only the surrounding peaks but also Lake Okanagan.
• Emerald Lake, near the Alberta/BC border, is an incredibly scenic area any time of the year, but especially while the resort, lake, trees, and mountains are covered with heavy snow. The Emerald Lake Lodge offers waterfront cabin accommodations in this beautiful area, with spots open for Christmas and New Year’s!

Book a Cozy Island Cabin

No matter where on Vancouver Island you want to visit, there are likely to be cabin rentals, resorts, or private rentals nearby- whether it be near Tofino, Nanaimo, Victoria, or the North Coast.

• Find cabins near the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve boundaries or the waterfront in general, with places like Ocean Village Resort, Middle Beach Lodge, or Reef Point Cottages.
• Stay in the area between Nanaimo and Victoria to get close access to both cities with Rosebank Oceanfront Cottages.
• There are dozens of private cabin rental opportunities across the Island on websites like VRBO and Airbnb.

 

Hit BC’s Big Slopes for the Holidays

 

A Christmas or winter break getaway to BC’s ski hills and slopes could take you to many different parts of the province. BC’s vast mountain ranges and towering peaks create the perfect environment for holidays on the hills.

25 Must-Visit Ski Resorts in British Columbia If You Love Downhill Skiing

• Whistler Blackcomb, the closest among BC’s ski resorts to Vancouver and Victoria, is also the largest of its kind in North America. The resort boasts basecamp dining and on-the-hill dining, onsite accommodations, a festively decorated village, and a huge variety of run types or difficulty ratings.
• If Whistler seems a bit daunting, then scale down to BC’s second-largest ski and snowboard destination: Sun Peaks Resort. The hill provides the alpine ski experience, plus activities like sleigh rides, snowmobiling, Nordic skiing, and yoga.
• Fernie Alpine Resort also boasts its own village with hotels, condo rentals, dining, and more. Plus, the Fernie Alpine Resort will have holiday activities, including skiing with Santa and a NYE party.
• Overall, the entire Revelstoke area is a scenic and beautiful place to visit over the holidays. The town offers all you need for lodging, dining, or Christmas shopping, while the Revelstoke Mountain Resort offers all you need for alpine fun and more. The resort offers downhill skiing, snowboarding, cat or heli-skiing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, and hot springs access.

BC’s National Parks for the Holidays

A visit to BC’s National Parks for the holidays will look wildly different between the two open winter parks! Visit eastern BC’s Rocky Mountains and the town of Revelstoke for a holiday getaway draped in heavy snow among the dense woods and towering mountain peaks. On the contrary, taking your holiday getaway to Pacific Rim National Park will give you a vacation on the coast, with more rain than snow and more hiking than skiing.

• Mount Revelstoke National Park is one of the best ways to get in some fun in the snow during the holiday season, with trails for fat biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Many of the winter trails are multi-use, while others are snowshoe-only trails. The park is close to Revelstoke and the Mountain Resort.
• Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a totally different experience from what you get at Mount Revelstoke! The park is on the far west side of Vancouver Island, with Long Beach as the mainland park area, easily accessible by car on a scenic drive from Nanaimo. The Pacific coast is the park’s main attraction, with large waves, marine life, and birds, and it is a year-round visitor centre. A couple of the park’s hiking trails are shorter and easier to access with boardwalks or a few stairs. The rest of the park’s trails involve climbs up and down hills or steep staircases.

Spa Getaways in BC

With so many opportunities for outdoor adventures within the province, it is no surprise that there are many chances to take in some relaxation while still enjoying the natural spaces. These spas around BC may offer treatments as well as accommodations or simply the spa and sauna experiences. No matter your choice of spa, each of these locations is sure to remove any stress from your holiday or Christmas vacation.

• A holiday getaway to Whistler, Canada’s mountain playground, could involve a number of activities from adventures to pure relaxation with the Scandinave Spa Whistler.
• As with Whistler, Vernon is a perfect winter and holiday destination for several reasons, including the ski hills, other outdoor fun, and attractions like the Sparkling Hill Resort & Spa.
• A visit or stay at the King Fisher Pacific Resort & Spa will bring you a getaway to Vancouver Island’s east coast. Enjoy scenic views of the Strait of Georgia from across the property, the luxurious accommodations, and the indulgence of the spa!
• Also on the Island is the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s incredible Nordic Spa experience, alongside the beautiful room stays and festive holiday experiences offered by the hotel in the heart of Vancouver.
• Get a similar spa experience in the heart of BC’s other urban centre and on the Island in Victoria’s HAVN Harbour.

 

Holiday Getaways for Outdoor Adventures

The downhill ski resorts across BC create great options for anyone into the alpine adventures like snowboarding or skiing. BC also has so much more to offer in the snowier, wetter, or colder months. These getaway ideas are here to help add a little adventure, recreation, and fresh air, to your Christmas plans.

• Book a Rocky Mountain adventure to add some thrills to your Christmas plans with groups like Toby Creek Adventures (snowmobile tours), EcoTours BC (wildlife viewing and snowshoeing), or the Cody Cave Winter Wonderland Tours (hiking and caving).

• Take advantage of the groomed and backcountry cross-country ski trails around BC’s many different landscapes with Provincial Parks like Cypress (Lower Mainland), Tweedsmuir South (northwest), Wells Gray (Thompson), or Wasa Lake (Kootenays).

• Those looking for self-guided snowmobile adventures can plan an Okanagan holiday with Graystokes Provincial Park, world-renowned for its trails, or the Babine Mountains in northern BC.

 

Christmas in Vancouver

Whether the city has snow or not, Vancouver will become a true winter wonderland by Christmas and New Year’s. There are several events happening across Vancouver for Christmas and winter break to help add to your plans, get you in the festive mood, or show you the best parts of the city.

• Choose from a wide variety of holiday light displays in Vancouver later this December and in early January. The Metro Vancouver options include VanDusen Festival of Lights, Lights of Hope from the St. Paul’s Foundation,  Canyon Lights at the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Peak of Christmas at the Grouse Mountain Resort. This doesn’t include all the other displays around Greater Vancouver!
• Aside from Grouse Mountain’s Christmas event, the park also offers winter activities like ice skating, snowshoeing, and tobogganing.
• Whether you’re staying at a hotel or with family and friends, your plans may be easier with a pre-made holiday meal. Book in-person dining for the 24th, 25th, or 31st, with restaurants like Oceans 999, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, Notch 8 at the Fairmont, or the H Tasting Lounge.
• Find festive entertainment across Metro Vancouver with shows like East Van Panto: West Van Story, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Jack and the Beanstalk and more!
• Vancouver’s annual and rather large Christmas Market is open right up until December 24 at the Jack Poole Plaza.

 

Christmas in Victoria

The ultimate urban island escape awaits this Christmas in BC’s capital city of Victoria. Whether you are escaping the Canadian snow and winters, the holiday stress, or aren’t escaping at all but rather visiting family and friends, the city has places to see, dine, drink, and be entertained for the holidays.

• The holiday light-ups and festivals take place throughout December and into early January in Victoria. Visit the Festival of Trees at the Bay Centre, the Downtown Victoria Lights of Wonder, Christmas Light up on Cobble Hill, or the residential displays on the holiday light map from the Times Colonist. Do not miss visiting the enchanting light displays at Butchart Gardens.

• The Fairmont Empress is a festive place for hotel guests and non-guests alike with Santa’s Sips (festive cocktails from the lounge), or the Christmas and New Year’s Events at the Q at the Empress.

• More great hotel options with holiday or December-January packages and deals include the Inn at Laurel Point, Huntingdon Hotel & Suites, or the Hotel Grand Pacific.

• Exploring Victoria on foot is made easy by the city with access to major trails around many different neighbourhoods. See the city on foot via the Galloping Goose Trail, West Coast Trail, or within Mill Hill Regional Park.

• See more of the natural world around Victoria with a winter whale watching tour from Eagle Wing Tours, or Orca Spirit Adventures.

 

Winter Glamping Getaways

Get the best of both types of vacations this holiday break with a glamping getaway. These glamping accommodations provide all the closeness to nature you’d want from camping, plus several homey amenities to make the stay far comfier than it would be in a regular tent.

• The Boulder Mountain Resort is a year-round vacation destination for cabin stays, glamping, and camping, in the winter wonderland of Revelstoke.
• The Kootenay River Black Sheep Camp has luxury glamping tents available this December with all the necessary comforts of home, including electricity.
• Book a relaxing stay in BC’s Windermere area with the Winderdomes! The Winderdome glamping resort has various domes to choose from for the holiday break, and food or drink add-on options like champagne, charcuterie, and candy.
• As with cabins and vacation homes, glamping sites are also offered as private rentals! Use GlampingHub or HipCamp to find dozens of glamping opportunities across BC, including domes, tents, tiny homes or cabins, yurts, or teepees.