Monday, July 06, 2015

Top Ten Family-Friendly Activities at Tigh-Na-Mara


We just returned from a four night stay at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort  in Parksville, B.C. with my entire extended family – 30 people. It was extremely relaxing due to the ages of our own kids (3-9 years old), the set up of our accommodations, and the family-friendly activities available at Tigh-Na-Mara. This is our third family reunion and definitely the most enjoyable. 



We stayed in a shade-filled cul-de-sac with 6 two-bedroom cabins. We each had our own space but would hang out together outside and the kids could safely run around without fear of vehicles.  


These are our top 10 family activities that we participated in:

1. Beach exploration. The beach was just a 5 minute walk from our cabins and was really fun to explore at any time of the day. It has the warmest ocean swimming in Canada so I was more than happy to join in the playing. The inter-tidal zone is about 1.5 km long so when the tide went out it was very fun to walk to the waterline and explore all of the tide pools along the way. There was an abundance of jellyfish, crabs, snails and sand dollars to find.





2.  The playground.  It was large, shaded, and enclosed . The kids spent time there each day; they loved it!



3.  The Grotto Mineral Pool. Gary and I had a date night and enjoyed the mineral pool and some relaxation time. We actually went to a spa for our honeymoon so it brought back great memories!  

{Photo from Tigh-Na-Mara --we weren't allowed cameras in there!}

4.  Milkshakes and Manicures. They have a wide variety of kids programs at Tigh-Na-Mara and Nya and I enjoyed a very special one. We went to the Grotto Spa (just across the driveway) and enjoyed fruit, drinks (strawberry milkshake for Nya and a Cosmo for me!) and manicures in their "Milkshakes & Manicures" experience. Nya had pink sparkly nail polish on one hand and purple on the other.  I got bright pink. I wondered if she was too young but she LOVED it. She probably exclaimed 20 times, "I love it here!" She also asked me this morning if we could go back.  




5.  Kid's Club.  There are so many activities available for kids. Our boys, and their cousins aged 6 and up, enjoyed the Kid's Club. It's FREE.They painted rocks and played games and we could just leave them there for several hours – awesome!




6.  The pool & hot tub. The kids went to the pool about three times a day. At first I was surprised that the pool was an indoor one but then I realized that I liked it more because then I didn't need to worry about covering them in sunscreen before they went in.   


7.  Rooftop chess. The boys played many, many games of chess with their cousins. I still have to learn how to play...


8.  Hanging out and eating together outside our cabins. The set up was so ideal for a large group of people. Between the 6 cabins was a little forested area where the kids played soccer and relaxed in the hammock.  We spent hours eating together and then talking once the kids went to bed. Did I mention that it was shaded? This was during the hottest week of the entire year and I felt very comfortable!





9. Sandcastle Competition. Almost all of the families participated and the kids loved having the parents involved. Our family made an airplane. If signed up through Tigh-Na-Mara for their Wednesday afternoon competition, the winning team receives a $500 spending voucher towards their next stay!  


The kids all "won" ice cream from Opi and Nana Jo from the the Snack Shack on the beach. Yum!


10.  Dinner out at Cedars Restaurant. The restaurant was just one minute from our cabin and all of the adults got away for a dinner while my dad and Joanne watched the 15 kids!  Thursday night's deal was a burger and beer for $14–I'm in. There was delicious bacon jam on that Cedar burger. They also had a deal that kids eat free with each paying adult while we were there.


There are so many more programs that we could have participated in such as; Movie Night Under the Stars, Foodie Tour, Family Sports Day, Ice Cream Making and Tennis Lessons just to name a few! We were all so impressed with our time there and would definitely recommend this for any family, couple or extended family reunion!


Love, 
Louise

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Family friendly activities at Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville B.C.



15 comments:

  1. Sounds like a ideal place to have a family vacation!

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    1. Carol, it really was! We came back so relaxed which is unusual for me...usually I find being with other people for long periods of time exhausting! There was just the perfect balance between shared and personal spaces. So much to do!

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  2. That sounds like a perfect extended weekend trip! I want to go now! Too bad my husband doesn't like resort-y-type places! :(

    Lori-Anne

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    1. It was really good! Maybe you'll have to go with some girlfriends :) To me, it is the perfect happy medium between a hotel and camping.

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    2. Ooh, a trip with girlfriends sounds perfect!!! YES!!!

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  3. This looks so wonderful! What a perfect location for a family vacation! What state is this in?

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    1. It was wonderful. It's actually located on Vancouver Island, B.C!

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  4. This place looks seriously amazing! I want to go! Is it crazy expensive to rent one of those cabins in the summer??

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    1. It was really great, Carolyn. From now until September they have a family special which is $217 a night for the cabin and kids eat free at the restaurant.: http://www.tigh-na-mara.com/promotions/family-fun-special.htm

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  5. Wow - amazing!!!! I may have to recommend this for our next family reunion/vacation (we already have this year's booked for September)

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    1. So great, Kelly! There is the additional cost of the ferry but I always think the island is worth it; I love it there!

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    2. Funny, I just mentioned the ferry issue in my comment on your tofino camping post. That's pretty much what always keeps us on the mainland! But i know there is so much beauty on the Island!

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    3. We go every year because we love the island so much--I figure you save on gas because you don't drive very far!

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  6. Wow, amazing! I am definitely going to get to that spa when I head back to the Island. It looks like a great place for the kids too!

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    1. It's the #1 spa in BC as voted by Spas of America!

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