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Saturday 20 April 2019

Best staycation at Blue Horizon Hotel

This is a sponsored post, but I tell 'ya, I am absolutely delighted to write it. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Question: When best friends come to Vancouver for a visit, is it be better for me to go home every night to sleep or stay with them at the hotel? Duh!

Thank you, Blue Horizon Hotel, for an excellent weekend of hospitality lavished on me, Suzanne Carillo, Patti of Not Dead Yet Style and Sherry Dryja of Petite Over 40. Sue from A Colourful Canvas also joined in a couple of times.

me, Suzanne, Patti, Sherry (photo by Sue)
F O M O  no more!
(FOMO means fear of missing out)

A staycation has never been so much fun. Blue Horizon, a boutique hotel, was the perfect home-away-from-home for our visit. We had the pleasure of experiencing one of its private bedroom suites

Below is what the living room looked like when I arrived, pristine, except for my little wheelie cart on the right. There was a Keurig coffeemaker, a kettle with complimentary tea, and a fridge for storing our leftover nibblers and other snacks. Chocolate treats and chips were in constant view for spiritual training purposes.

Located on the southwest corner, our room was flooded with natural light, which is always good for style bloggers armed with cameras and their most fun outfits, but there were blackout curtains as well. Isn't that a groovy armchair on the left? Of course I had photos in it. 


I call this shot by Suzanne, Upholstery Camouflage. I could have stayed in the room for weeks without anyone noticing I'm there. The groovy vintage jacket and pants were a gift from Suzanne in the summer.

photo by Suzanne

Below, a mirror selfie of me grinning in anticipation of my friends' arrivals from planes, trains, and automobiles from Toronto, Florida, and Seattle. 


And, gulp, check out that view, stunning from our balcony on the 29th floor. The green area is Stanley Park and that main drag is Robson Street, one of Vancouver's preeminent shopping areas. The hotel is walking distance from it all, including the Art Gallery, fantastic thrift stores, the Convention Centre, and more.

Along the water's edge on the left is English Bay, where I sometimes pose with big logs. Heh.

The only thing better than a view like this...


...is a view like this with friends, Suzanne and Sherry.


We enjoyed sunny skies for part of the weekend, but it also rained and even hailed. If we were outdoor athletes, it would have cramped our style, but indoors? Meh, nothing cramps our style except too-tight, sky-high shoes, even then we grin and bear it.

And there we are united on the sofa. I set up my tripod with the remote for this one.


Left to right: me, Sherry, Suzanne, Patti. 

The private bedroom with a king-sized bed was spacious and bright with it's own private bath. The living room area also had a mini wing with a private washroom. Having two facilities in our room ensured peace and harmony throughout our stay. 


You know you're having fun when the photo above starts to look like the one below, and that's just part of it.


I brought two large suitcases stuffed with clothes to play with for our photo shoot. As a local I didn't have luggage restrictions and hotel attendants happily provided extra hangers.

We made full use of Blue Horizon's pool, fitness area, and lobby during our stay. You'll have to wait to see what I mean by that in a follow-up post. Heh.

Our room was set up well for hanging out but we also spent quite a bit of time in Abode, the hotel's restaurant and coffee/cocktail bar. Below is the view from the dining area toward the lobby.


The food was delicious and the service was fantastic. This server is from Australia and we had the pleasure of her camaraderie and care on a couple of occasions.

photo by Sue

It's possible that below we were discussing Abode's famous apple rhubarb crisp with ice cream. I (and someone else - Suzanne!) ordered it twice during our stay. She'll probably post about it. Her photo was waaay better than mine.

photo by Sherry

There's Suzanne with her buddy "Marilyn" in the elevator. The blue patch is a reflection of my phone. Each lift features a fun photo of "Marilyn" in a series of speak/see/hear-no-evil poses. Hahaha! You can read more about her on the hotel website, here


There is also a large back-lit cibachrome colour photo of her with curlers in her hair and a martini in her hand in the lobby. Can you think of anything more welcoming and appropriate for our group? I found this partial view in one of my photos. Isn't she great?


Finally, there I am on the last day, captured by Sherry on the balcony.

Truly, getting away, even in my own city, staying at a place that took good care of me, and spending time with good friends gave me a fresh perspective on the world of possibilities ahead.

photo by Sherry

Thank you again, Blue Horizon Hotel, for your role in making this such a memorable weekend. The only complaint I have is that our time was too short. We'll have to do it again!

Stay tuned for our photo shoot post!


22 comments:

  1. So much fun in such a short amount of time could only be had in a place like Blue Horizon. I'm so thankful they rolled out the red carpet for us gals. Can't wait to see your next post with all the photos we took around the hotel in our best get-ups! I'm working on mine too!

    Hugs,
    Sherry
    http://www.petiteover40.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? They really made us feel welcome everywhere we went. And the room setup was perfect for us to get together without feeling squished. Can't wait for your post, Sherry. So wonderful to spend time with you again. xo

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  2. Oh how lovely! I ll het you all didn t stop talking! Did you go thrift shopping?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Nancy! No, we didn't stop talking, hahaha, except when we just suddenly slept from exhaustion. It was blah blah blah blah morning until night, with a few silences for snacks, food, drinks, showers. And we shopped at bit a My Sister's Closet.

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  3. Ah...what fun! The Blue Horizon was a perfect fit for us.

    I wish I lived closer.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, fun, that's an easy word but that's exactly what it was. I wish we lived closer too. xo

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  4. The Blue Horizon sounds and looks perfect. And what a view! I love that photo of you blending in with that groovy chair's upholstery. What fun you guys had! Can't wait for the photo shoot post! xxx

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    Replies
    1. Hi! It was the perfect place for us. It's become like our get-together home now. The view was stunning!! Sherry had a great camouflage photo in the chair too. Heh. Lots of our posts are up now. I hope you enjoy them! xo

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  5. These are the times that nourish women's souls!!!
    Your "gatherings" never fail to inspire my faith in friendship, fashion, fun, and restorative shenanigans! :-)
    Having a comfy place where you can all hang out TOGETHER makes it easier to just relax and go with the natural flow of the fun. I'm looking forward to seeing more!!! Love, Jude

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    Replies
    1. EXACTLY - nourishment for the soul. We're never too old to connect like kids, it's just that our topics of discussion shift a bit. The playing in our photo shoots is a great way to go back to carefree times. Always a treat to read your comments, Jude. xo

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  6. How lovely to meet up with everyone! Of course, I am insanely jealous! ;-P You know I love the Bloo. What a perfect stay-cation.

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    1. In this regard, I am a bit spoiled since you and L came last month and there may be more connections coming up too. !!! Yup, I know you love the Bloo!! We had such a time in 2015(?). xo

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  7. Like Jude said: these times nourish our souls. I'm ready to return to this fab hotel any minute. And of course the company of all my peeps was divine. Thanks again, Blue Horizon! xox

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    1. They were the hosts with the mostest. What a fabulous place. And they had history. And they have those awesome photos of Marilyn. And food and a pool and a fitness area. Our time did nourish our souls I think. Thanks so much for making the trip up here, Patti. xox

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  8. What a fabulous post this is my friend. I think two suitcases is just the right amount. Lol- Some dreamy, Gucci inspired outfits here. You are rocking that suit in that chair. What a fabulous combination. If I were you I would order the rhubarb crisp and just stay there.
    I love the photo of you out on the balcony. I was able to enjoy Suzanne‘s post as well.
    I am sorry that you had to endure some hail though. But indoor time with friends is the very best.
    ❤️❤️❤️
    Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you understand about the suitcases, Elle. Hahaha. Patti was pretty awesome as she let us dress her in plastics. Gucci has had a fun-apocalypse tone (yikes!) to its line and we enjoyed playing with the clashes and ennui if that makes sense. Time with friends is the best. Thanks, Elle. xox

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  9. wowww, what a fabulous meeting in a fabulous place!!, love to see you together, chatting and dressing up (favorite activities ever!) You look stunning and I'm looking forward to see more of your adventures!
    besos

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    1. Oh, we had hot flashes of fun in all sense of that phrase. Hahaha. Except Sherry, she was always hot, I suppose in all senses of the word again. Heh. The talking was the best part though, having a sympathetic ear, sharing highs and lows. I hope you enjoy my next post and everyone else's!! Thanks always for your positive energy. xo

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  10. Such creativity and fun! You have great friends.

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    1. Words cannot convey how grateful I am to have such good friends. Thanks, Ally. We had a great energy recharge.

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  11. And I am not sponsored by the hotel but stayed there with you during our Blogger Meeting way back in 2015. And I can totally agree with what you are saying. It is a lovely hotel with fantastic beds.
    So jealous not being there with you.
    Greetje

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    Replies
    1. Everywhere I looked, I saw images of you from 2015, Greetje, and at My Sister's Closet. I came home every night then but learned not to do that anymore! Hahaha! I missed you! But who knows what's next? xox

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