Cheryl A few weeks back, we got invited by Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre to try out their Pamper Your Pet Package in celebration of Pet Month.
I always have a love for Squamish and Whistler (Sea to Sky highway is one of my favourite drives) but never had a proper chance to travel there with the pups. On top of that we had a couple of exhausting/hectic weeks prior so this was definitely a much needed and appreciated getaway.
We love that Whistler is only about an hour away, which is one of the reasons it could be considered one of the best staycation destinations for Vancouverites. Although Whistler is a well known destination for winter sports, there’s actually tons to do during the spring and summer as well, from hiking and water activities to ziplining, bungee-jumping, and rock climbing.
Since we were all tired and had the pups’ grandpawrents with us, we decided to just take it easy and have a relaxing weekend.
Please read on to see what we got up to!
Pamper Your Pet Package
Among some goodies included in the package (visit full list here) such as daily complimentary breakfast, free valet parking, an up-cycled climbing rope toy from Little Pine Pet and organic treats from Wow Treats and More (both small businesses local to Whistler), what caught our attention the most was that Pan Pacific Whistler introduced this promotion package in support of the Whistler Animal Shelter.
Every year, Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre donates a portion of proceeds from pet stays to the Whistler Animal Shelter (aka Whistler Animals Galore). For every pet stay, $5 per night gets donated to WAG. Last year, they donated $9,100, and this year, they’re wanting to up their game by purchasing four training harnesses for WAG as well as sponsoring an ad in the Pique newspaper to find a forever home for Cal. Cal has been at the Whistler shelter since 2019 and is still looking for a furever home. Please check out Cal’s page and help spread the word about him!
Our Hotel Experience
When we were initially sent our itinerary, we were told that our 2-bedroom suite was going to be on the lower level. From the photos on the Pan Pacific website, the hotel looked dated but clean. Upon checking in, we were delighted to find out that they had upgraded us to the top floor. We also found the hotel to be not only very clean, but that they seemed to have maintained all the interior furnishings very well (looked better in person!). For a pet-friendly hotel, there was also zero dog smell, and no overpowering scents to try to hide any odours, so we were definitely pleasantly impressed. I have to apologize that I don’t have any interior photos now (SD card issues), but we did get some video footage.
Below is a quick reel we made about our arrival experience:
The 2-bedroom suite was super spacious (bigger than our apartment!) and had a full living room, dining room, as well as a kitchen. We gave the room with the King bed to the grandpawrents and Michael and I took the queen bed. Each bedroom had their own adjoining bathrooms. The pups were provided with 1 bed and 1 blanket (we brought their beds too just in case but that was nice to have).
Loafie was pooped by the time we arrived in the afternoon but Doughy (as usual) is still full of energy and wanted to play ball. Us hoomans hung out in the living room to catch up on life (and politics lol), and then we decided to order takeout for dinner since we were exhausted (I had slept for maybe an hour the night before so Michael wouldn’t let me drive even though he wasn’t expecting to drive).
As mentioned earlier, continental breakfast is included each morning of your stay and they deliver it to you according to the time you specify on the “order sheet”. We had forgotten to turn in our sheet at the front desk, and they made sure to call to check in on us and get our order in!
Train Wreck & Canine Cove
Next morning, we woke up to our breakfast placed outside our door in takeout containers inside a big paper bag. I got yummy Belgian waffles with a side of fruit (they provided butter, maple syrup, and Nutella spread), Michael got smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, and the grandpawrents got a breakfast burrito and a yogurt/fruit parfait. There was also an option for cereal, but the other options are obviously more enticing! All of us got orange juice as the option for our beverage.
After eating, we set out for our first real adventure of the trip! When looking at trail/hike options, I came across the colourful Train Wreck and decided it was a must-do. The trail was also very easy so it was perfect for the grandpawrents. We arrived at the train wreck in just 15 minutes! We had to cross a suspension bridge as well and Loafie was not a fan!
We spent quite a bit of time hanging around the boxcars that were all covered in colourful graffiti, and letting the pups run around. The trail is technically leash-only but a lot of the dogs on the trail or around the train wreck site were off-leash (obviously be courteous and pay close attention to your dogs). To be honest I was more bugged by the poop that weren’t being picked up along the trail than hyper dogs running around without a leash.
After the Train Wreck, we decided to head over to Lost Lake to visit the Canine Cove. The day turned out beautiful so we sat there and ate our leftover pastries that came with our breakfast while the pups hung out by the water and tried policing some hyper dogs running around lol. The paths around Lost Lake were still quite icy at this time of the year in late April.
The Raven Room
After our day activities, we decided to return to the hotel. We were still hungry so we decided to visit The Raven Room, which was recommended to us on our itinerary, for Happy Hour!
DRINKS – Michael got the Dark n Stormy and craft Pilsner (Grandpaw also got the Pilsner), and Grandmaw got the Aperol Spritz which she ended up giving to me as she didn’t like it. I thought it was okay but the bitterness of the Aperol is definitely not for everyone. I thought it was alright as I could taste a bit of citrus, but Michael wasn’t a fan either haha.
FOOD – I got the Beetroot Tartare, which we were all pleasantly surprised with (barely any raw earthy beet taste), and not only were the tartare’s texture and taste good, the blueberry sauce and taro chips were so yummy as well. Michael and grandmaw both got Spicy Thai Fried Chicken and we also got Potato Puffs to share (all very tasty too!).
Hunter Gather
After Happy Hour, we hit up the pool, hot tub, and sauna before it was time for dinner. We went to Hunter Gather and treated Grandmaw to a belated birthday meal! They had a late night Happy Hour which made Michael very happy.
FOOD – I got the Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich with a “smashed” potatoes side (yummm), Michael got the Beef Brisket Sandwich with a poutine side, Grandmaw got the Happy Hour BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich with a coleslaw side, and Grandpaw got the Mediterranean Lamb Wrap with side of soup.
DRINKS – Michael got the Russell Berry Cherry Lime Sour and Faculty London Fog Ale which he both loved, and I got a Happy Hour apple cider which was also pretty good. Grandpaw wanted something juice-y so she got a Mimosa hahaha.
Sea to Sky Gondola
Grandpaw really wanted to take a gondola ride during this trip. We decided to check out the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish on the way back to the city since none of us had taken it before and the weather turned out nice! It’s easier to turn into the parking lot for the Gondola in the direction towards Whistler, but we managed to do a u-turn not far from the parking lot entrance from the other side of the highway.
Pups are not allowed on the gondola on the way up, so unfortunately this time around Loafie and Doughy had to stay in the car. Very interested in visiting again and doing the hike up next time (read that it takes about 4-6 hours)!
As we were leaving we saw a food cart selling Chimney Cakes. We never had them before so we got a couple to share and sat down at the picnic benches by the kids’ playground with the pups. Unfortunately no pics there as I was juggling eating and controlling the pups from getting anxious with the running and screaming kids ^-^”.
Thank you for following along our journey! It crushes me to not be able to include more photos of our hotel experience but I promise to keep extra SD cards on me and take excessive photos on both mobile and camera for future trips :’) In the meantime please enjoy this video I’ve put together with the footage we got!
We’d also like to thank Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre once again for hosting us and providing us with such a pleasant stay. I’d definitely consider booking again if we do decide to do another Whistler-overnight trip in the future!!
Do let us know in the comments if there are any other dog-friendly must-do’s you think we should check out in Whistler, or if you have any similar experiences you’d like to share!
