It’s summer!!! And my latest 10 on 10 is brought to you by “Blue Mountains”. Even though we’ve told the kids repeatedly, “It’s just ‘Blue Mountain’ guys”, they insist it’s mountains. They were also upset that the mountains weren’t blue, but that’s another story haha.
So, I know it’s supposed to be 10 photos and normally I stick to that — but I didn’t want to make a second blog post about it and since it’s my 10 on 10, I’ve decided to cheat a little, so enjoy a few extra photos on me and my review of Blue Mountain - one of our favourite places to staycation!
Isn’t Blue Mountain just a gorgeous place? And really, not far from home. It was the perfect staycation for us. 3 full days and 2 nights of fun. We ran into friends of ours who live in our neighbourhood – they were there at the same time and place we were there, which was really neat! I even ran into my good friend Cathy who I haven’t seen in ages. We went for a drink in the lobby of our hotel one evening (thank you Oliver & Bonacini for keeping the bar open late just for us) and chatted about the future (and her amazing pavlova). All in all, I’d say it was a perfect little getaway and the boys had a blast as you can see.
Can you guess what their favourite activity was? I tried not to give it away in the photos … comment below if you can guess what they enjoyed doing the most!
Don’t forget to keep the circle going by clicking on my friend Sarah’s link here for her always amazing 10 on 10. Now that my NEW website has softly launched (yes, woohoo finally!), you can see a highlight of her family session in my love stories section. She’s also featured in my promo video. Let me know what you think!!
Before I end this post (and because I’ve already gotten a ton of questions from people), if you’re looking for a place to go for a few days, we highly recommend the Westin Trillium House in Blue Mountain. It’s located right in the Village. It’s quiet and super pretty. There are lots of places to eat close by, but if you prefer dining in, each room comes with some form of a kitchenette (our room had a microwave and bar fridge, but some rooms have stoves and dishwashers too). The rooms were neat and tidy and their Heavenly beds and baths were … well, heavenly! ;) There’s a little village market in the square, which is perfect for grabbing staples, so we ate cereal and oatmeal in the room every morning. The Westin Trillium House also has two hot tubs and a huge pool. My kids enjoyed the hot tub the most. It’s busy on a sunny day, but a lot of fun. If you go, say hi to Robert for us! He was our awesome lifeguard from Oakville (as seen in one of the photos above) and working in Blue Mountain for the summer. He was so good with the kids! He talked my ear off about my camera! I think he had a bit of camera envy haha!
A couple tips if you decide to go!
1. The Ridge Runner is definitely a thrill. If you go full speed, it’s about 1:30 minutes of pure adrenaline. Leave your valuables in your room rather than in the outdoor locker. You just never know. And just know — you are the one who controls how fast or how slow you want to go. That can be a blessing and a curse LOL!
2. We recommend you hike or take the gondola up the mountain (it’s free to take the gondola down). There’s an awesome grilled cheese food truck at the top. If you plan it out right, you can grab lunch up there, which is delicious! Lots of people pack a lunch and picnic at the top too! You’ll have quite the view, that’s for sure!
3. Some of the restaurants can be expensive so with kids, you need to be mindful. We enjoyed eating at Wild Wings on our first night there. It was fast and good (drinks were expensive though – a cooler was $10!!!). Regardless, there’s something for everyone! We ended up grazing a lot. When we go to Blue Mountain without the kids, we really like eating at the Greek restaurant, Tholos. Their grilled calamari is to die for!
4. If you’re going to get poutine (a Canadian staple), make sure to grab an extra poutine for yourself — your kids will tell you they don’t want to eat it and then leave you with none! Trust us haha! We also brought back a Beaver Tail for our Alabaman neighbours. I can’t believe how many flavours they have! It’s a good treat for the ride home. It was hard to drive home with a Beaver Tail on my lap for someone else. Talk about will power!
5. If it’s inclement while you’re up there, there’s a Cineplex Galaxy movie theatre about 5 minutes outside of Blue Mountain in Collingwood. We got passes from Costco beforehand (you can’t beat going to the movies with drinks and snacks for $50). We also went to see an old candy store in Collingwood. They had a lot of nostalgic treats and homemade chocolate for purchase. Somehow, we spent $26 on treats, but we walked away with a free mug for spending over $25! How random is that!
6. If you want to paint something at Crock A Doodle, do it on the first day you arrive. Their turnaround is 24-48 hours. While it’s fast, you don’t want to go on your second last day in Blue Moutain only to find out that you won’t get your creations back in time before you leave!
7. Last but not least, if you go to Blue Mountain — go to the Scandinavian Spa if you can. It’s heaven there. We didn’t go this time as we had the kids but we plan to go back, just the two of us, in August. The Westin Trillium House has specials from time to time that include the baths for approximately $115/night per person. It’s a good rate. If you go to the Spa, take your time there and if you can, do lunch there. If you have lots of time, book a massage too (but do it in advance).
Hope this helps! Thanks for visiting! I promise, lots more fun and adventures are hitting the blog soon! Lots of love, Robyn xo
Musical Inspiration: Before The Dive by St. Lucia