I was quiet this weekend on my blog because I was just away on a trip to Kelowna with 9 of my close girl friends to celebrate our 30th birthdays collectively. Mine was the most recent and was a birthday gift from my husband but half of us have already turned 30 and the other half will be turning 30 before 2020. Some of us go back over 25 years to being babes in diapers and toddlers at daycare, but most of us met around the ages of 14-15 years old in high school. The fact that we are all friends still is very impressive and talk mostly every day. It’s nice to have life long friends. Some of us don’t even live in Winnipeg and have gone on to bigger and better things but we all come back together which is important. This is why we decided on a Kelowna girl’s trip for our 30th year. We started planning this forever ago, well over a year and it came upon us very quickly. This blog post will mostly be about the food and wine experiences we had as this was the majority of what we did.

Quail’s Gate Winery was my suggestion. When we decided we were going to go to Kelowna I immediately knew I wanted to go on a wine tour and go to Quail’s Gate for dinner. As we all know I am a big Jillian Harris fan and she is always talking about and visiting Quail’s Gate in her Insta stories. it’s always looked soooo pretty and inviting to me. We consulted over text and decided we would go there for our “nice dinner” of the trip. We went there for 8pm after arriving there Friday and spending the afternoon swimming, resting, catching up and of course having some drinks. We did have to wait about 20 minutes before being sat but that was okay because the restaurant is located on this beautiful vineyard on Lake Okanagan, The grounds were beautiful. Lush green vineyards, flowers, trees, fountains all overlooking aa beautiful scenic view of mountains and blue lake. Walking around was part of the experience for sure and I thoroughly recommend you go if only for the photo op. We were finally seated and everyone got right to the food and wine. I split a bottle of rosé amongst four friends and we all split the asparagus, carrots, truffle fries and I got the hen. 2 friends ordered the falafel, some ordered tuna tartare to start, 2 girls ordered the octopus. A couple others also ordered the hen and I believe there was also a fish dish as well. Everything was super delicious. The hen was juicy and on a bed of ricotta gnocchi, potatoes and brussel sprouts. The rosé was light and refreshing and accompanied my dish perfectly. We were all overall pleased with our experience a Quail’s Gate and I would definitely recommend anyone to go there. They were also filming a documentary and had the light up balloon which we were all fascinated with.

The following day we had our Sip Happens Wine Tour planned for the afternoon. We were to make 5 stops along the way stopping at a cidery, 3 wineries and one would include lunch and a brewery for our last stop. We had all collectively decided on not doing all wineries because not everyone was a fan of wine and we wanted something for everyone. We also decided we wanted to eat with our tour knowing we’d all be hungry. Our tour guide named Penny came to pick us up for 11:30 we were all waiting eagerly. She discussed with us not visiting a brewery at the end because they didn’t take reservations for whatever reason, she recommended we stop at another winery for our last stop instead and then go to a brewery that night later. We drove down Scenic Road to our first stop The Scenic Road Cidery.

Scenic Road Cidery was located down a long winding and very scenic road. There were panoramic views of the mountains and lake. We pulled up to what looked like this adorable little home on acres of apple trees. It is a family owned farm. We went into what looked like an old refurbished shack/farmhouse. It had beautiful lights twinkling on the back wall with a centre bar with cider on tap. Fridges stocked with their different ciders and picnic type foods, a backroom full of cider barrels and picnics out amongst the apple trees. The place was adorable. We tried 5 different ciders, nectarine, pear, raspberry, dry and nearly dry. The nearly dry was my favourite and I even bought one to take back and drink later. We had time for some group photos and then it was time to make our next stop. Peak Cellars where we also would be getting lunch, salads and margarita pizzas.

Peak Cellars Winery was very nice. It also had a nice scenic view of mountains and rows upon rows of grape vines. We probably got our best group photo inside the winery because the sun was blinding us outside and we were all every squinty. Our pours at this winery were small. looking back I now realize it was because we were also getting lunch but it did feel a little skimpy. I don’t think anyone was particularly wowed by the wine there but their Pinot Gris was delicious I will say. Lunch was margarita pizzas with a beet salad. The salad was delightful and light. Some of the greens were slightly bitter for my liking and I am not the biggest fan of red beets but the yellow beets and dressing was so good. The margarita pizza was okay. Coming from the wife of a professional chef who specializes in wood fire burned pizzas I do understand that I sometimes can have high expectations. Pizzeria Gusto’s pizzas blow theirs out of the water though you cannot even compare. Also we soon realized it was one pizza per 2 people when most of us agreed we could probably eat a whole pizza. We all agreed that despite the food and wine and good views this was not our favourite stop. I still would recommend it though we just made some other really amazing stops.

Intrigue Winery was a cute little winery right beside Peak Cellars. It didn't have the views or food but our host was extremely friendly and talkative. She talked a lot about the wines and the wine was all super delicious. We tried 5 different types a rosé, 2 whites and 2 reds. They were all great. We all agreed that the bottles needed some work though and we weren’t particularly fond of the packaging. We also appreciated our pour sizes at this spot, very generous.

Arrowleaf Cellars was for sure my favourite stop and I think everyone else would agree with me on this as well. This is the only spot we ended up buying wine. The view at this winery is 10/10 spectacular. Right on the lake, surrounded by mountains and acres of grapes. The building is modern with green picnic areas and a restaurant overlooking the lake. Our infamous candid group photo was taken here at Arrowleaf Cellars. Our tasting area was private in the basement, quiet away from the crowds and had the very best wine we had out of all the spots. This is where a few of us chipped in to have a box of wine sent to us. None of these wineries sell to Winnipeg or even Manitoba for that matter. My two bottles of rosé will be coming within the next week or 2.

Ancient Hill Winery was super cute. It was up in the hilly country side and had amazing views of the mountains and grape vines. It had super pretty gardens to walk around at and an adorable picnic area nestled amongst the trees and flowers. This one was definitely the more traditional, old school vineyard. Not modern in any whatsoever and was surrounded by antique furniture and artwork/jewelry that the wife/owner makes. Her jewelry reminded me a lot of mine. It had beautiful and authentic character and charm. This might have been my second favourite stop of the day. Our pours were very generous here but I do believe we only go 3 vs the 5 we were getting elsewhere. This could have been due to our silliness and rowdiness. The host pouring seemed nervous around us though but it’s okay because most of us were in our own world at this point. Also this was the only winery we stopped at that gave us older wines, all the other stops were 2017-2018 but I believe theirs were around 2015. A bit more aged. I would definitely recommend making a stop at this winery.

We wrapped up our wine tour, got dropped off at our airbnb. Our airbnb was fabulous. it was the penthouse of a condo right near the lake and downtown area. It had more than enough space to accommodate everyone and had indoor/outdoor pools and hot tubs. It was within walking distance of basically anything we needed. It had spectacular views of Lake Okanagan and the mountains surrounding and 2 balconies. We were very happy with our accommodations. Sunset Towers if anyone is looking for a place to stay in Kelowna. There were a lot of permanent tenants but there was also just as many people who were doing what we were doing, renting an airbnb. We knew we wanted charcuterie so we decided we would make one to eat at the airbnb after our wine tour. We used some cheeses we had bought at a couple of the spots, this cranberry, jalapeño jelly, some meats, crackers. All delicious and mostly all local. We surprisingly devoured 2 big plates of this. Which was good for myself because I did not eat much for dinner.

We all got ready, had a couple more drinks and decided to hit up BNA. This was the brew pub to go to. The hot spot in town especially if you like beer. By the time we got there it was probably close to 8 or 9, the line was already forming and it was just starting to get busy. I had been there one time before during the first time Jesse had competed in Gold Medal Plates in 2017 but that time it was off season and hardly anyone there so it was different seeing it this way. I don’t have any pictures of the food unfortunately but I wasn’t the biggest fan to be honest. My friend and I shared the mushroom toast and cauliflower fritters. The mushroom toast was not bad but the cauliflower fritters came in taco form which I was really surprised about because it did not say that it was a taco. They weren’t the greatest.

At this point in the night was when we seperated. Some girls felt too drunk and tired to go out and 2 others had already taken off to Fernando’s because they didn’t like BNA and wanted this avocado margarita that they were infamous for. The other half of the girls wanted to keep going out and go dancing. It was all the moms who stayed out partying lol I just personally felt like I needed a late night to let loose. We were away from our babies and responsibilities and although we all missed them dearly, this is what we came here for. Let loose, release, party, mom alone time. We tried to meet the 2 who had gone to Fernando’s but by the time we got there (a 20 minute walk) they had already left. Creepy dudes and bad nachos killed their night. I never witnessed it but the nachos they had ordered came in taco form for some reason. Something about Kelowna and tacos that don’t need to be tacos. When we got there and realized our friends weren’t there and they wanted to charge us $10 for cover we moved on to Oh Flannagan’s. Oh Flannagan’s was soooo much fun. There was a cover band playing 90s alternative rock and a dance floor and the place was busy. We danced a ton, some had too many drinks, one girl was given extra money from the ATM and it was overall just a fun night.

We stumbled home and the 4 of us that were left at the end of the night did a very healing and therapeutic full moon ceremony. It definitely bonded us closer together and I will never forget that night. After the full moon ceremony we stayed up talking and I did a tarot reading. We all finally called it a night around 3am. Geeze that is certainly late for this momma.

Of course I was never able to sleep in past 8am. Just that internal alarm clock and also the fact that our room we were sleeping in had this bright, big window facing the sun in the mornings. It was okay because I wasn’t there to sleep I was there to have a good time. Everyone got up and decided we wanted brunch. We talked about Oak and Cru and Krafty Kitchen and Bar but ultimately decided to go to Train Station Pub which was a short walk away. It was delicious. They had Caesars on special which I had a spicy one. I had chicken fingers and fries and scoff if you will but I needed something greasy after a night of drinking and it was the only thing that didn't have pork or beef (which I no longer eat) so I settled on that. They were super good. Some girls got salads, one girl got breakfast tacos, some got eggs benedict, one girl even got a lamb burger. Most of us that got a hearty meal enjoyed ours and I think the girls who had salads weren’t the most thrilled. I have no photos beyond most of this point except of dinner that night.

After brunch we decided to go stroll downtown and do some shopping. Kelowna’s main street Bernard is the best. Cutest stores, coffee shops, restaurants, bars, tattoo shops. Anything you can think of they have on this street. Most of us window shopped. Some bought jewelry and thrifted clothing. I picked up a Mango shaken Iced Tea from Blenz Coffee and it was good. Refreshing as the weather was greatly improving and it was turning into a beautiful sunny day. We walked along the lake walk on the way back and enjoyed the water fountains and views. We talked about doing a sunset boat tour and definitely spending the rest of the afternoon at the outdoor pool. When we got back I rested for 20 minutes and then got ready for the pool.

After spending some time at the pool that afternoon we got back and started on some rosé. We were trying to decide what to do for dinner. The boat idea was just a fun idea but we really wanted to get dinner. We thought maybe Cactus Club but they were ridiculously busy and had no space for us. We decided on Craft Beer Market. It was a walk up back on Bernard but we were hungry and the menu sounded good. We all got ready and walked over for our 7pm reso. They denied me a drink without 2 pieces of ID which is a thing in Vancouver. That was the first negative thing. It basically snowballed from there. 3 of us girls ordered nachos, cauliflower and lettuce wraps. We got the food and the nachos were astronomically large. We hardly even made a dent. The food was good overall. I have no complaints about the food. When it came to split up the bill was where the nightmare began. It seems like Vancouver it’s not a thing to split your bill because it seemed to be an issue everywhere we went (we paid all together at Quail’s Gate). Our server was very sweet, nice and attentive but when it came down to splitting our bill and paying it took over an hour to pay. Maybe she was new or maybe there iPad system made things more difficult but either way it took way too long to pay. It left somewhat sour taste in all of our mouths. But the food was good.

We headed back to the airbnb. We were all feeling pretty tired and like relaxing that evening. Half the girls snuggled up to watch the scary movie Get Out and myself and the rest went for a nighttime swim and hottuub. We all had a pretty early night that night which I think we were all grateful to get a good nights sleep before travelling home.

The next day I spent some alone time at the pool in the morning before leaving. I needed the exercise and time to myself. I was sooooo excited to get back home to Jesse and the boys I missed them incredibly and I even shed a couple little tears thinking about them. Some of the girls came to join me and the sun was out at this point reminding us of a hot summer pool day. I even got a little bit of colour on my pale winter skin. It was basically time to go from this point and we all got into some cabs and headed to the airport. We had already lost a couple girls who had left earlier and we would be dropping another off in Vancouver where her new home was so the end of our girls trip was here. We ended up eating at Monk’s in the Vancouver airport and it wasn’t too bad. I had a grilled cheese as it was the only thing that didn’t have pork or seafood. Even then it originally had ham on it but they took it off for me. You can’t go wrong with a grilled cheese. We got home early Tuesday morning and thus was the end of our birthday celebrations. We always talked about how unbelievable this was that we made it happen and how it will likely never happen again but after going on the trip I think we all decided that can’t be true and we definitely will plan another trip again in the future. It was an amazing time though and I am super happy and grateful we were able to experience that together.