We need to relax, we need a break, we need to charge our batteries .

July 5, 2013 8:47 PM

The past 6+ months have been very stressful for both my wife and I. We need to relax, we need some rest. We would like to go somewhere this weekend to relax. Can you help us plan our weekend getaway?

We are early 30s, located in the Lower Mainland. Thinking about leaving this Friday (or early Saturday) and returning Sunday.
We have access to a car and we are willing to drive a a couple hundred miles, US or Canada. We are looking to spend less than $700 all included.

We love good food, we like good liquor. We enjoy exploring new places, too, but keep in mind we might not be too keen on the idea of doing much physical exercise. We are the city type of people, and we can't see ourselves in a spa. That being said, I've never been to one, so if you think I should give it some consideration, I'm all ears.

I realize that this is the weekend right after the fourth of July and places might be busier. If you think it would be a very bad idea to go this weekend, please let me know - we could potentially do this next weekend, but we really could use the break now.

We just want to relax, and most of all, we want to spend quality time together. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

posted by anonymous to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

We have access to a car and we are willing to drive a a couple hundred miles, US or Canada.... We just want to relax, and most of all, we want to spend quality time together.

Spending hours driving an a holiday weekend for an overnight trip doesn't sound relaxing to me. Why not try Priceline or Last Minute for a hotel break near you? With $700 you can get a nice hotel room, maybe somewhere with a pool or something, and have some lovely meals.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:59 PM on July 5, 2013 [4 favorites]

Go to the nearest big city. If you already live in that city, even better - you're already there!

Get a nice hotel for the weekend and play tourist in your own backyard. Take a tour, visit a museum, try a restaurant you've heard about but haven't tried yet. Maybe pick up a tourist guide book and see what it recommends. It can be fun and relaxing to visit the city you see all the time in a different way.
posted by Arbac at 9:11 PM on July 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Why not relax on an airplane instead of in a car?
posted by oceanjesse at 9:12 PM on July 5, 2013

I would be looking at a Gulf Island or the Sunshine Coast.

Make sure you reserve a spot on the ferries.
posted by miles1972 at 10:04 PM on July 5, 2013

I love the Scandinave just N of Whistler. It's a silent spa with outdoors hot pools, solariums, cold pools, hammocks to sway silently in the sun near centenary trees, massages and quiet relaxation. It's Whistler's best kept secret ( because it's silent ) and provides a whole day of unhurried relaxation. Pair it up with a quiet dinner at Araxi or another good Whistler restaurant and that's your weekend relaxation.

Feel like a short hike along the way?Chekamus Lake or Alexandra Falls will fit the bill. Whistler hotels are hurting at the moment so there are some good deals to be had.
posted by seawallrunner at 11:11 PM on July 5, 2013

I've driven up the coast as far as Lund, taking little ferries along the way. There are premium resort restaurants around that are excellent, but it's a dawdling, backwoods sort of drive through paper mill and forestry towns. Avoid Whistler and Pemberton, which are great in the Spring and Fall when they're not too touristy, but suck in the summer.

Or consider a float plane to Port Hardy or Prince Rupert. Check hotel availability first, but staying away from the first-tier resorts might let you get in somewhere nice.
posted by fatbird at 11:32 PM on July 5, 2013

Well, if you can get a cheap flight to Tucson, our rainy monsoon season just started, and it's frickin awesome. Not enough people visit the desert in the summer, let alone get to experience it in the context of thunderstorms, torrential (but brief) rain, and cool evening breezes. Might be a nice change of pace and scenery from where you are (which is.. Canada?). We've got some good eateries, awesome music, and affordable watering holes (none of that $8 for a glass of beer nonsense - we're talking $3 for a pint of cider, here).
posted by unmake at 11:49 PM on July 5, 2013

Groupon usually has good deals on lesser-known resort hotels. We just got back from a really nice resort hotel not too far from us that we'd never heard of. Our Groupon deal worked out to about $100/night, including taxes and amenity fees.
posted by vignettist at 11:59 PM on July 5, 2013

The Oceanside Resort in Powell River - call them and see if any of their luxury cabins right on the ocean are available. Affordable and you can get there in half a day, plus take a day trip up to Lund and drop in to the Laughing Oyster on Desolation Sound for dinner while you're there.
posted by mannequito at 12:16 AM on July 6, 2013

If it helps other answers, Lower Mainland means near/around Vancouver BC.
posted by plonkee at 12:34 AM on July 6, 2013 [11 favorites]

Find the nicest hotel room you can at the nearest resort location. The hotel will have some spa amenities, like massage, facial, mani-pedi-cures, etc., which I recommend for relaxation and the feeling of pampering. Go out and see a show or movie in the evening, have nice dinners, cocktails, and loaf. Or you could take a short cruise. I didn't investigate these links thoroughly, just tried to get some ideas.
posted by theora55 at 9:17 AM on July 6, 2013

The City of Subdued Excitement. Stay in/near either downtown or Fairhaven and you'll be able to walk to bars, restaurants, bookshops, galleries, ice cream parlours, etc.
posted by Jacqueline at 12:16 PM on July 6, 2013

Montana is GORGEOUS in the summertime. You could probably drive there (through awesome scenery) in one day, rent a cabin by a glacial lake, have some fantastic steaks in a small town, and drive back. Couldn't cost more than 500 bucks at most!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:09 PM on July 6, 2013