Sparkling Hill Resort: European-inspired spa in Vernon
For my mom’s 60th birthday this year, my family and I all went to stay at the Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon for 3 days and 2 nights during the August long weekend.
In this blog post, I’ll write about our experience staying at the Sparkling Hill Resort, what we did and where we ate.
Getting to Sparkling Hill Resort
From Vancouver/Lower Mainland, it is roughly a 5 hour drive one-way to get to Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon. It is definitely a tiring drive so I would recommend you either switch drivers halfway through and also include a stop for lunch, possibly in the Hope/Harrison Hot Spring area or in Merritt. From Kelowna, it is a 45 min – 1 hour drive to Sparkling Hill. In the winter time, you will also need snow tires.
And in case you are wondering, the gas was cheaper after we left Hope.
We experienced some traffic going and leaving during the long weekend. For going, we mostly hit traffic that was going to the US border. For coming back, there were quite a few car accidents that resulted in traffic as well.
About Sparkling Hill Resort
How much does it cost?
We went on a long weekend so I wouldn’t say we caught a good deal or anything like that. But because we had decided pretty early on to go to Sparkling Hill for my mom’s birthday, we were able to purchase the 90-day advance package. The total for 2 nights per room was roughly $900 after tax.
If you go during the off season or during weekdays, the price can definitely be lower.
What do the rooms look like?
We chose the cheapest room, which is a mountain view. I mean, you can see from this photo that the view is not good at all ๐. We were given rooms on the 3rd floor (this is their highest floor) and we are looking at some kind of stone wall and a flat dirt path/plateau area that people can possibly walk on.
So yeah, I recommend getting the lake view rooms ๐ , especially if you want to soak in the tub with a view! However, there was a forest fire (or the residual effects of a fire) near Osoyoos the weekend we went so the view everywhere was smoggy. So in the end, the view wasn’t that that great anywhere.
The room itself was really nice – big king bed, shower and tub, a little lounge area with sofa chairs and a desk area and a full closet. They provide towels, bath robes and slippers for you to wear and you can also request for a second set of robes later on if yours are still wet from a previous swim or spa session. They encourage guests to wear the robes and slippers around the resort and even in the morning at the restaurant.
There is also a small mini fridge in the rooms so you can bring some snacks and beverages. We brought 2 bottles of wine and some snacks and fruit. I recommend you bring some charcuterie so you can enjoy some wine and cheese in your own room!
Check in is at 3pm and check out is at 10am. However, we requested for a later check out and they moved it to 11am.
What is the resort like?
The resort itself is very beautiful and they have crystal designs and bedazzled pillars. The resort building is situated on top of a hill/cliff so without smog, you get this beautiful view of the Okanagan Lake from your rooms, the pool, restaurant, and other areas of the resort. This is an adult only resort (16+) so you will not have any screaming children running around. The resort does allow for pets, however, and they need to stay in pet-friendly rooms and are not allowed to be in certain areas of the resort.
All (or most) of the rooms come with complimentary valet. The parking situation is actually kind of funny because we finally arrived at the resort after 5 hours of driving with dead bugs on our window and bird poop, and we pull up to the resort where all these Rolls Royce and Lamborghinis were parked ๐ .
Rooms also come with complimentary breakfast at PeakFine dining – this is the restaurant on the first floor of the resort. Depending on the package you get, you may also get complimentary dinner at PeakFine as well (Continue reading below for info on the dining options in Sparkling Hill).
Things to do at Sparkling Hill Resort
Here is everything we did during our 3 days and 2 nights stay at the Sparkling Hill Resort.
Swim in the indoor and outdoor pool and hot tub
The spa and pools are open from 7am to 10pm (basically all day). In the indoor facility, they have a decent size swimming pool and hot tub. They also have this very interesting foot bath thing ๐ฏ called Kneipp hydrotherapy. It is actually like a river/path you walk through – the water only goes up half of your shin. You start off in a warm water, then you enter a part of the river that is very cold! Then it switches back to hot and to cold again. You will feel a little bit of electricity/tingle as you walk through this foot river (kind of like a cold plunge or the warm and hot experience you can get at Scandinave Spa in Whistler). It is supposed to help swollen feet, insomnia, and blood circulation and they recommend you do it 3x a day.
Recommended: Read about my experience at the Scandinave Spa in Whistler.
The outdoor pool is an infinity style pool with a beautiful view of Okanagan Lake so if you do end up with a bad view in your room, at least you know you can still see a nice view from the pool. There is some outdoor seating area and even one corner where they have sand on the ground so it has that beach texture.
One thing I will say about the pools is that all of them are warm. None of them are cold! I personally don’t mind this because I am always cold, but since we came on a hot weekend in the summer, I did hear someone complain that they would have preferred if the outdoor pool had colder water so it would be more refreshing.
Sauna & steam rooms
The sauna and steam room facilities are what I believe to be the most worth it. If you stay at Sparkling Hill, you will get free and unlimited access to their saunas and steam rooms. They boast 7 unique steam rooms and saunas, which include things like a rose steam room (it smells like roses ๐น), classic and herbal saunas, salt stream room, an aqua meditation room, and more. They also have an igloo room (it’s cold in there ๐ฅถ) and these hilarious cool-off showers where they can spray cold mist or have it rain down with thunderstorm sounds.
The saunas and steam rooms are open from 2pm to 10pm and they also have this thing called “European hour” from 9-10pm, where basically people can be butt naked. So don’t be surprised if you go late at night and see naked people in the dark crystal steam room ๐. I have to say I was very curious about European hour but since I came to Sparkling Hill with my family, I was not curious enough to risk seeing my parent butt naked ๐.
Kurspa
On the way to the saunas/steam rooms and pool, you will pass by several rooms and beauty areas that are closed off. You will need an appointment to enter these areas. The Kurspa offers all the services a spa would have: massages, reiki (sorry I watched Bling Empire and can’t help but feel like reiki is not a real thing), fango, body treatments like scrubs and wraps, facials, hair and nail services. These services are not free and you will have to pay. It is best to book these in advance, but during the long weekend, one of us was also able to snag an availability for a massage.
Relax, read and sleep
Aside from doing these 3 things in your own room, the spa area also has 2 areas where it’s quiet and you are facing a beautiful view. You can lie down in their blue spa bed chairs. One is a tea time room, where you can get complimentary tea and apples, and the other room is a serenity room where you have to be completely silent.
Fitness and movement
There is a gym with exercise equipment that is free for hotel guests to use. They also have fitness and movement classes around HIIT, aqua aerobics, yoga and stretching for a drop-in fee of $10 (unless your package covers it).
Visit some wineries in Vernon
We did leave the resort on the second day to visit some wineries. The closest ones are roughly a 20-30 minute drive from the resort.
You can sign up for a wine tour and a ride will pick you up directly from the resort, but I didn’t feel like paying $150+ per person for a wine tour and we only wanted to stop at 2 wineries. I tried to choose 2 that were within walking distance to one another.
I recommend you planning your winery visit (or any visit where you leave the resort) from after breakfast or lunch to 2pm because that is when the saunas and steam rooms are closed anyways.
Arrowleaf Cellars
Arrowleaf Cellars was our first stop. Their wine tasting is $5 + tax per person and it is in the format of standing in front of a bar – really quick and easy you are in and out in maybe 15 minutes. After your wine tasting, you can purchase a glass or a flight of wines, as well as bottles. Your tasting fee is not waived if you purchase a bottle.
Afterward, you can relax in their outdoor patio and picnic area and enjoy the view with your wine. They also sell charcuterie boxes and on weekends they have cream puffs. I liked how casual and fast it was and low commitment.
Ex Nihilo Vineyards
Our second winery was Ex Nihilo Vineyards, which is actually right across the street from Arrowleaf Cellars. The signature tasting is $14 per person and is also not waived with the purchase of a bottle.
Compared to Arrowleaf, they have fancier sit-down areas that are also more in the shade/have better air ventilation. We spent a longer time here since they do more explaining and it wasn’t standing at a bar. They also serve small bites and they are connected to a restaurant so after 5pm you can order dinner there.
Trails and hikes
Dog-friendly activity: hikes and trails! Sparkling Hill does have a steep elevation because it’s on top of a hill/cliff, so the walk back up can be more difficult. We took out our electric scooter and skateboard and enjoyed exploring a little bit of the paved roads and trails.
Where to eat at the Sparkling Hill Resort
We mostly ate at the dining options available in the resort because my parents didn’t feel like driving 20 minutes to Vernon to go to a restaurant. All 3 of the places listed here are inside/at the resort.
PeakFine
Loewe’s rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
PeakFine is the main restaurant and dining option in Sparkling Hill. The complimentary breakfast is here and if you purchase packages that include a dinner, it is likely to also be at PeakFine. We came here for breakfast twice and dinner once, ordering from their al le carte dinner menu.
I found their breakfast to be pretty good but was not impressed with the taste of the food during dinner.
Recommended: Read my full review of all our meals at PeakFine inside the Sparkling Hill Resort.
Fireside terrace
The terrace is basically a nice patio where you can again, see the beautiful Okanagan Lake view. We had lunch here on our second day and ordered 2 pizzas – the Okanagan pizza with chorizo, honey and apple ($20) and the margherita pizza ($19). Both pizzas were pretty tasty and thin, which is the way I prefer my pizza.
Gerni’s Farmhouse
Loewe’s rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Gerni’s Farmhouse is an Austrian restaurant located on the resort land if you just walk outside and down a very steep hill for 5 minutes. If it is too steep, they can arrange a golf cart to take you there.
The building is very cool because it’s actually a real farmhouse from Austria dating back to the 16th century. It was dismantled, shipped over to Canada and rebuilt on the resort land.
The food is average – better than PeakFine but not as delicious as what the front desk made it sound.
Recommended: Read my full review of Gerni’s Farmhouse in the Sparkling Hill Resort.
Final thoughts
We had a very enjoyable long weekend at the Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon.
Highlights
- Beautiful resort and clean rooms – very relaxing and luxurious vibe
- Pools and steam room/saunas were awesome
- Lots of wineries nearby if you are into wine!
- Adults only and pet friendly
- (Usually) a beautiful view
- Friendly service
Meh
- The view in our room lol
- The food ๐ฅฒ I really wish the dining options are better
- Far drive from Vancouver
I think Sparkling Hill is worth a visit despite the long drive. I only recommend it to couples who are looking for a romantic getaway, or with your elderly parents who want to go on vacation and do nothing. My parents had a great time at Sparkling Hill and they felt very relaxed during our stay here.
While I enjoy some relaxation, I did find Sparkling Hill a tad bit boring. If we didn’t leave to go to the winery, I probably would have been very bored. I mean how long can you stay in a pool for or visit a sauna/steam room? In our stay, I think we went about 3x and it was enough for me.
One activity that we didn’t do is golfing – there is a golf club and large golf course right under Sparkling Hill at Predator Ridge. That would certainly shave a few hours off of your day.
If you are considering going to Sparkling Hill, keep an eye out for price fluctuations during their non-busy periods and weekdays. Bring a book, your own wine, and make dinner reservations to restaurants in Vernon.
Sincerely, Loewe