First Nations resort redefines relaxation
Spa, golf course - donkey refuge nearby
Your pursuit of mental and physical wellness could lead you to Chase.
Two distinctly different healing experiences await at this gateway to B.C.'s Shuswap Lake playground.
The Quaaout Lodge and Talking Rock Golf Course - pride of the Little Shuswap First Nation - serves as home base for the adventure.
Located on the north shore of Little Shuswap Lake, the luxury resort began life as conference centre almost a decade ago.
The acclaimed Talking Rock golf course was added a few years later, and its strong following led to a complete hotel makeover in 2010. General manager Stephan Wittmer says the renovation simply brought the standards of the rooms and amenities "up to par" with the golf experience offered here.
Quaaout now boasts a spectacular waterfront setting, comfortable rooms with relaxing balconies that let you make the most of all that natural beauty, and a level of dining and hospitality sophistication rare in the region. But what sets the resort apart is its impressive display of First Nations art, culture and history.
About 40 per cent of the workforce is First Nations.
"I have always said that the [Shus-wap First Nation] elders should walk into our lobby and feel like they are walking into their living room," Witt-mer says.
That approach pays dividends for guests as well. Wittmer says the common reaction visitors have to the impressive lobby is that "they feel at ease ... that there is something spiritual to it."
That impression resonates down-stairs in the Le7Ke spa, opened just a year ago. Le7Ke - it means "I am good" in the Secwepmc (Shuswap) language - offers a full range of treatments, including a Vichy shower and hydrotherapy.
If golf, spa treatments, fine dining/wines and pristine surroundings haven't calmed the mind and refreshed the body, it's time to get your hands dirty.
The Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge lies a scenic 15-minute drive up a gravel road and offers a different kind of healing.
People who come to visit the 30 or so fuzzy residents of this special farm almost always have something in common.
"They're looking for something," according to Shirley Mainprize, who cofounded the refuge with husband Rob after he found comfort among the gentle animals while recovering from a life-threatening illness.
Mainprize maintains that the stress of modern urban life, loss of connection to nature and constant electronic distractions leave many feeling lost.
Visitors to the refuge get a hands-on experience with the calm and intelligent donkeys - most of whom have suffered some form of neglect or abuse in their lives. (Be sure to use the complimentary hand-washing facilities on the way out - the refuge is impeccably clean, but the donkeys love dust, and it's impossible to resist patting them.)
Mainprize says the animals have a therapeutic effect on humans, and cites the case of one woman recovering from breast cancer surgery who bonded with a particularly troubled and recently arrived donkey. The first visit was followed by many more.
"They healed together," Mainprize says.
Quaaout and the Turtle Valley refuge can't be described as in the mainstream of B.C. tourism. Chase is a small town, and the environs don't harbour the kind of tourist-centric activity found in the nearby Okanagan Valley. Most visitors to the Chase area hail from Kamloops, Vancouver or Calgary.
However; if the focus is on wellness, the district's quiet, natural beauty and laid-back feel - plus these two healing centres - might just do the trick.
IF YOU GO
Chase is about a five-hour drive >from Vancouver.
Call 1-800-663-4303 or email reservations@quaaoutlodge. com for room rates at Quaaout Lodge. quaaoutlodge.com
The Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge is open to visitors Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, and $5 for others. www.turtlevalleydonkeyrefuge.com
Two distinctly different healing experiences await at this gateway to B.C.'s Shuswap Lake playground.
The Quaaout Lodge and Talking Rock Golf Course - pride of the Little Shuswap First Nation - serves as home base for the adventure.
Located on the north shore of Little Shuswap Lake, the luxury resort began life as conference centre almost a decade ago.
The acclaimed Talking Rock golf course was added a few years later, and its strong following led to a complete hotel makeover in 2010. General manager Stephan Wittmer says the renovation simply brought the standards of the rooms and amenities "up to par" with the golf experience offered here.
Quaaout now boasts a spectacular waterfront setting, comfortable rooms with relaxing balconies that let you make the most of all that natural beauty, and a level of dining and hospitality sophistication rare in the region. But what sets the resort apart is its impressive display of First Nations art, culture and history.
About 40 per cent of the workforce is First Nations.
"I have always said that the [Shus-wap First Nation] elders should walk into our lobby and feel like they are walking into their living room," Witt-mer says.
That approach pays dividends for guests as well. Wittmer says the common reaction visitors have to the impressive lobby is that "they feel at ease ... that there is something spiritual to it."
That impression resonates down-stairs in the Le7Ke spa, opened just a year ago. Le7Ke - it means "I am good" in the Secwepmc (Shuswap) language - offers a full range of treatments, including a Vichy shower and hydrotherapy.
If golf, spa treatments, fine dining/wines and pristine surroundings haven't calmed the mind and refreshed the body, it's time to get your hands dirty.
The Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge lies a scenic 15-minute drive up a gravel road and offers a different kind of healing.
People who come to visit the 30 or so fuzzy residents of this special farm almost always have something in common.
"They're looking for something," according to Shirley Mainprize, who cofounded the refuge with husband Rob after he found comfort among the gentle animals while recovering from a life-threatening illness.
Mainprize maintains that the stress of modern urban life, loss of connection to nature and constant electronic distractions leave many feeling lost.
Visitors to the refuge get a hands-on experience with the calm and intelligent donkeys - most of whom have suffered some form of neglect or abuse in their lives. (Be sure to use the complimentary hand-washing facilities on the way out - the refuge is impeccably clean, but the donkeys love dust, and it's impossible to resist patting them.)
Mainprize says the animals have a therapeutic effect on humans, and cites the case of one woman recovering from breast cancer surgery who bonded with a particularly troubled and recently arrived donkey. The first visit was followed by many more.
"They healed together," Mainprize says.
Quaaout and the Turtle Valley refuge can't be described as in the mainstream of B.C. tourism. Chase is a small town, and the environs don't harbour the kind of tourist-centric activity found in the nearby Okanagan Valley. Most visitors to the Chase area hail from Kamloops, Vancouver or Calgary.
However; if the focus is on wellness, the district's quiet, natural beauty and laid-back feel - plus these two healing centres - might just do the trick.
IF YOU GO
Chase is about a five-hour drive >from Vancouver.
Call 1-800-663-4303 or email reservations@quaaoutlodge. com for room rates at Quaaout Lodge. quaaoutlodge.com
The Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge is open to visitors Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, and $5 for others. www.turtlevalleydonkeyrefuge.com
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