Stay Well

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On a month-long journey, we visited hotels across the country to give their health and wellness offerings a workout. Here’s what made our hearts race.

By Chris Johns
Illustrations by Peter Stemmler

VICTORIA
Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa
Couples in stable relationships should consider renting a two-person kayak from the Eco-Adventure Centre near the hotel, which is just north of Victoria. (Locals call the kayaks divorce boats: “You’re not paddling!”) Single adventurers can venture out solo or hire a guide to help find the picturesque bays and eagle-filled inlets. Or ask the front desk to arrange something more cerebral, and join marine biologist Brian Smiley on a guided excursion in a pontoon. Although it lacks in physical rigour, it offers invaluable intellectual edification.

VICTORIA
Hotel Grand Pacific
Find the right partner, and a match on the hotel’s squash court can be the aerobic equivalent of the Alpe d’Huez stage of the Tour de France. If such high-level athletics are more vigorous than what you’re seeking, the hotel is equipped with a 25-metre ozone pool and a complete training facility, including free weights, Paramount strength equipment, recumbent bikes and a rowing ergometer.

VANCOUVER
Opus Hotel
For the quintessential Vancouver experience, coast through Stanley Park on one of the hotel’s sleek Jorg&Olif bicycles, and watch the ocean and sky attempt to outdo each other in shades of azure. Stop in English Bay and unpack the panniers that the hotel has filled with a healthy lunch of poached salmon, veggie wraps, mixed fruit and an oversize oatmeal cookie. There’s even a bottle of Oxia Personal Oxygen should you choose a particularly vigorous route. Upon returning to thehotel, draw yourself a bubble bath and fill the room with candles and L’Occitane products to soothe your muscles.

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