Our family is so unbelievable lucky to live near one of the most cities in Canada, Vancouver British Columbia. Sure it has it’s rainy days, hence the nickname Rain-Couver. But you know once you’re kinda used to the rain everyday, you literally make the most of it and enjoy your day either way. Our most recent staycation to Vancouver gave us some good rainy and hail days. It didn’t leave us bored in the weather department that’s for sure. Racing to the Mazda CX-50, jumping in quickly and turning on the seat warmers, keeping us all comforted from the down pour.
Because we do live so close to Vancouver, we quite often enjoy treating to the kids to a little staycation whenever the timing is right. We love Vancouver and love the energy. We really just love getting away. There are so many things to do while you’re there, rain or shine. I’m sharing with you some of our favourites that we always love to stop by and some that were brand new to us! Being able to drive in style and comfort on the way to each of these things in the brand new Mazda CX-50 was the cherry on top of it all!
Getting There | Mazda Canada CX-50
We rode in style all the way there to! I can’t even describe how much comfort and ease we get from having our whole family pile in and go off on road trips. The Mazda CX-50 is brand new compact crossover SUV and it’s designed for anyone who loves exploring the outdoors. Even its colour was specifically made to go on theme with nature, Zicron Sand Metallic. It gives such peaceful vibes looking at it! It’s built for a dynamic terrain but also sleek enough to give you stylish look for anywhere and durability.
Making for a relaxing drive no matter if you’re heading into the city or the mountains. We did both in it!
The Mazda Turbo CX-50 is a 2023 so brand spanking new. It has a 6 speed automatic transmission with manual shift and 256 horsepower with premium fuel and 227 hp with regular fuel. Needless to say this baby can move. The base engine horsepower is 187. And can tow up to 3,500 pounds.
The interior was really cool, I really enjoyed the colours on the Mazda Turbo CX-50. The seats were a soft burnt orange leather, all made with sustainable materials. A charging pad, panoramic sunroof, active driving display on the windshield showing your speed and speed limits. Heated front seats and steering wheel. Touch screen with Apple car play, Sirus radio and Android Auto. I also find it extremely handy to have the parking screen to help maneuver parking and what’s behind you.
To make this even more of an outdoor enthusiasts dream car is the roof loading and cargo space in the back. This vehicle was a dream to drive and it was hard to give this one back!
The Listel Hotel | Robson Street
This was my second time visiting The Listel Hotel. It’s located just at the edge of all the Robson Street fun. I love this location because it is in such good distance from many different things in Vancouver and most importantly some major road routes to get in and out. Also really nicely nestled in downtown Vancouver. The rooms are cozy and have a full range of different suites to stay in. The three of us shared a two double bed room with a full washroom, fridge, tv and amenities. Staying two nights here it was just the perfect stay for us and we will be visiting again for sure in the future.
FlyOver Canada
A fun and adventurous thing for the whole family to do at any age is visit FlyOver Canada. We go a lot and we love it. They play different themed shows every once and awhile but their main show they’re know for is FlyOver Canada. It’s like a ride where in front of you there will be a projection screen, flying you over different places in Canada. All while misting you over waterfalls and bringing local Canadian scents while flying through.
Regular Hours
Open Monday – Friday: 12PM – 8PM
Open Saturday – Sunday: 10AM – 9PM
Tickets are cheaper online and in advanced. At the gate $32 and online $29 Children $19.
Getting There:
201 – 999 Canada Place
Vancouver, BC
Parking is simple to, there are a few parkades nearby and if arriving my skytrain at waterfront it is just a short walking distance away.
Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium is another spot that is fun for all ages. We love it here because we love to learn about sea life but we also learning more about the rescued ones that are being rehabilitated here. It’s fun an interactive with a huge indoor area as well as outdoor tanks and sea life to see. If you catch a good time sometimes they’ll have IMAX screenings and I call them ‘education time’. Where trainers come and share some fun facts. We also learn a lot about how to protect our oceans, water sources and sea life.
The kids have fun engaging with the cool things this earth has for us here!
Open Hours: 10am-5pm
General Admission TicketsRegular (13 – 64) $42.00Child (3 – 12) $26.25 Student (19+ with ID) $36.75 Senior (65+) $36.75 Infant/Toddler (ages 0-2)FREE
Robson Street Shopping
Yah, Owen and Ella love Robson Street shopping. They each have their favourite places to check out. They love the outdoor shopping experience and they both have their favourite stores they enjoy together. So that is always fun to see. A few that they must visit every time is the The Candy Room, Indigo on Robson is like Disneyland to them, Brekka Bakery, Red Robin, Tim Hortons, Fresh Slice… haha my kids also love the many restaurants on this street. Then I usually duck into a few shops myself and we have a short walk back to the hotel!
White Rock Sea Tours & Whale Watching
We tried something new this trip and explored the Pacific Coast with White Rock Sea Tours & Whale Watching. It was SO much fun you guys. We were so unsure because the weather was so rocky with us, we thought we’d get caught in rain or something else. But the clouds opened up and it was the most perfect afternoon. We met there for around noon, got our gear on, signed our waivers, parked and joined the crew. I highly recommend this tour guide and captain Andy, he was awesome and made sure we found some cool places to check out and of course whales.
We went all along the side of Vancouver island and did come across a pod of two killer whales, it was the most incredible sight. They’d hide below and then pop up! But it would be so fun when they did because it would be like a surprise every time, sometimes they’d pop up close to us or a little farther away. It was tricky for me to get a photo of them but I did capture a beautiful video on my Instagram!
We were out on the boat from 1-5pm. I had a blast and we made some core memories. Another favourite was having both kids fall asleep on me on the way back!
(Disclosure: This was a sponsored media trip provided by Mazda Canada. All thoughts, reviews and opinions are that of my own!)