Harrison Hot Springs Resort

• Author: WantsToTravelMore
• Accommodation: Harrison Hot Springs Accommodations

This is the destination hotel in Harrison Hot Springs and there’s nothing that comes close in the area. This is not to say that the pricing and so forth isn’t accessible to families. I.e. it’s not a 5-star place because, if it were, we would not be staying there. It was March Break when we visited and there were families galore. Beware to those looking for the quiet romantic getaway!

The primary draw is the hot springs themselves. You can walk up a path right outside the hotel and follow it to the source of the springs.

An article I found here: www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/the-secrets-of-our-springs/Content?oid=2165594 describes a hot spring being the result of “rainwater and melted snow penetrates through cracks in rocks below the surface of the earth where it is heated and pushed back to the surface as hot water by a gravity feed of cold water, which drives the less dense warm water upwards.”

According to signage, the water is 145 Fahrenheit (quaint sign given Canada went metric in 1977) which is 62.8 C. Ouch. That’s about 26 degrees warmer than normal human body temperature!

The hot sulphur smelling water is diverted to the pools in the Resort and also to the town centre, where a public hot springs pool can be accessed by all. The public space is fairly boring and municipal in appearance while the Resort divides the pool into various sizes with a faux grotto look.

When we enjoyed the pools, many are outdoors and it was cold and rainy, about 4 degrees C. But it was really refreshing to move from hot to cold and back again. With rain falling on your head it didn’t seem to matter.

Our lakeside view room was adequate — the view was the best part. We were pushing it to have four in the room with a rollaway. But we weren’t there for the room. However, I have to say as a tall big guy, the tight bathroom was just not comfortable. All bathrooms should be designed and installed by big people.

There was a fridge for beverages, which we used for adult drinks, pop and leftover pizza.

The gift shops were fun and my wife did buy a couple of scarves that were on sale. One does not always find reasonable prices in hotel/resort gift shops.

At 4 PM they offer a complimentary “tea”, which is funny looking because many of the guests arrive in their Harrison Hot Springs robes to pick up a hot cup of tea and some snacks. It was very busy and popular when we were there. We can’t speak to any of the other food offerings as we concentrated on exploring what was nearby, which was all walking distance.

We’ll have to return when the weather’s better as we didn’t walk near enough!

More info: www.travelinbc.com/Harrison-Hot-Springs-Resort.cfm