My Grotto Spa getaway! Tigh-Na-Mara beach resort & mineral pools, Parksville BC. Léo et Violette leather backpack.
Sending out a siren call to you… from the enticing Grotto Spa on Vancouver Island!
This year has been a crazy one so far, with an enormous trip to Beirut, Paris and Egypt, and a freelance contract with Google’s Touring Bird. At this point, I’m ready to kick back and stick to shorter trips.
A weekend wellness getaway at Tigh-Na-Mara seaside resort was exactly what I needed to get recharged.
Let me take you for a dip in Grotto Spa’s mineral waters (located in Parksville, a 1.5 hour ferry ride from Vancouver). Read on for an exclusive photoshoot and story from what was voted the best spa in Canada!
First, I wanted to share my latest find… Le Petit Backpack, by indie Parisian designers Leo et Violette. The creamy, bleu-marine leather even matches the color of my hair. (I decorated the backpack with an ankh from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.)
A Paris-based couple started Léo et Violette to create handbags and leather goods with an innovative approach. The designs are handmade in small batches, using the finest full grain calf leather. However, they are able to offer remarkably fair prices, considering the luxurious materials and craftsmanship. That’s because Léo et Violette sells only through their site (there’s no middleman or traditional advertising costs).
It appears I’ve never left the 1990s… I styled my new backpack with this Tidal Moon Phases dress from Jawbreaker Clothing. It features an original moon print, pointed Peter Pan collar and chiffon overlay.
My red platform heels are from Lola Ramona, and my round sunglasses are Edwardson Eyewear. My hair is by Chad Evans at Kore Salon in Vancouver.
Leo et Violette’s baby backpack comes in three colors, and is handcrafted in their Naples workshop. The body is a smooth Italian calfskin, while the top flap is a full-grain leather suede.
On their website, you can see that they sell a wide variety of sleek, timeless, minimalist leather goods for both men and women. In addition to backpacks, Leo et Violette offer bucket bags, messenger bags, crossbody pouches, and small leather goods like wallets, card holders, and laptop pouches.
These photos speak for themselves: you can see the fine hand-stitching and depth of the full grain leather. Leo et Violette’s leather goods are made in small lots in Naples or Ubrique, Spain (where Hermes, Chanel and others base their productions, but with far higher price-tags).
As you know, I’m all about supporting independent designers with fair practices — so I’m thrilled with this mini backpack from Leo et Violette. You’ll be seeing many more photos soon, as it is my new go-to bag!
Continuing with my 90s Goth outfit vibes… I think I’m channeling Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice.
This summer, you won’t see me without this sunhat by Tenth Street Hats. The Scala New Port has a large brim and comes in many colors, but I chose black for a witchy “lewk.”
I’m holding a half moon bamboo bag from Lola Ramona. The vintage-inspired ark shaped purse is perfect for a beach day. My Ivy Sun glasses are from Edwardson Eyewear.
This Ethereal Nature Maxi Dress is by Jawbreaker Clothing. The intricate Gothic print stems from the third eye motif, and the collar has a marvelous choker style detail.
Living the vampire lifestyle in my Tenth Street Hat. The Newport is packable, and has a 5 inch brim and UPF 50 rating to protect me from the sun.
Adding a pop of color with my red sandals by Lola Ramona. Their ark / half-moon bag comes in several colors and materials, if you want to nab one like mine.
Now, let’s unwind at Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara! The resort is easy to reach from Vancouver, making it an ideal weekend escape.
I recommend reserving the ferry in advance; the ride takes 1 hour 35 minutes, from Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Nanaimo (Departure Bay). Then, it’s an easy 35 minute drive to the hotel and spa.
Dress by Jawbreaker Clothing, star platform shoes Rocketdog Footwear, leggings Charli Cohen, Dolce sun hat Lack of Color
This is as close as I’ll get to camping… The suites have a log cabin feeling and are surrounded by nature. However, they’re equipped with 5-star amenities like a giant jet bathtub.
The name Tigh-Na-Mara is Gaelic for “House By The Sea.” Starting as a single tent in 1946, the property has evolved into a 22-acre destination resort, featuring luxury cabins under towering trees.
Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort includes three kilometres of Pacific Northwest beaches, which are brimming with sea life. Keep reading to see the creatures we encountered on the sand…
But first, I’m ready for a soak in Grotto Spa‘s award winning mineral pool!
(Spinal skirt by Lip Service, red halter top by Charli Cohen,)
The indoor space is designed to emulate a natural stone grotto. The large pool is filled with warm water, which is rich with minerals.
View this post on Instagram
As you can see from this Insta video, it’s a joy to wade through the mineral pools. You can perch on the sides and enjoy the jets, or go under the two story waterfall.
Grotto Spa suggests that you take three 15-minute soaks in the mineral pools. In between, you can wake up your senses under the icy cold cascade, or heat up in the non-mineralized whirlpool.
The staff asks guests to “unplug” during the visit, meaning that you can’t use cell phones or cameras inside. In this plugged-in age, it’s a relief to simply focus on the moment. (We had special permission to shoot images before the spa opened for the day, so that we could share the experience with you).
Grotto Spa has a limited number of pool passes per time slot, which ensures that the waters are never crowded. From these images, you can see why this was named the top spa in Canada by Spas of America.
It’s fun to move around and float in this therapeutic pool. The minerals in the warm water help boost your circulation, reduce stress, and nourish the skin.
I took three soaks as they suggested, with hydration breaks in between. At the end, my muscles felt soothed, and my mind was calm.
Guests can also hang out in the Relaxation Lounge located on the 3rd floor. You can sit in front of one of the four fireplaces, and fuel up on unlimited fruit, specialty teas and coffee.
While at the Grotto Spa, it’s worth splurging on a spa treatment or package. The menu includes facials, body wraps, massages, manicures and pedicures, with a focus on soothing West Coast ingredients.
You can take part in a couple’s massage, which begins with a private soak in the copper tub along with fruit and bubbly. Or try a massage with soothing stones, or something geared to your needs (such as expectant mothers).
I had an outstanding one-hour massage by a trained massage therapist: Shari knew exactly which buttons to press! I felt the difference in having her work on me, as she has a scientific understanding of the muscles and nerve points. My masseuse incorporated a stimulating eucalyptus mist throughout the session, and worked out kinks that I didn’t even know I had.
I ended the day with a warm cup of jasmine tea in the lounge. As the Grotto Spa puts it: “With 20,000 square feet of spa bliss, we give relaxation a whole new meaning!”
Anyone who stays at Tigh-Na-Mara has access to an expansive, private beach. The water is relatively warm, and at low tide, the shallow sand expands by about 1 km! I’ve never seen a beach spread out as far to the ocean as this one.
As you take the long walk to the water, you’ll encounter fascinating creatures in the shallow pools and wet sand. These black sand dollars have a rather Gothic look. The dark ones are still alive, while white ones are dead and bleached by the sun. (We put this guy back after the photo).
Pacific Northwest beaches tend to have a feeling of drama. (My sun hat by Lack of Color had a long strap that I could tie around my chin, to prevent the wind from carrying it off. This Line Friends Brown bear jacket is from Hong Kong’s Chocoolate shop.)
Look down, and be amazed by the diversity of critters. Tiny crabs scuttle between the shells and seaweed. You might even be surprised by a large red crab.
Low tide creates shallow pools, which might soak your shoes as you walk through them. My Rocketdog disco platforms turned out to be appropriate footwear, as they kept me elevated above the water!
Time to relax inside my Spa Bungalow. Tigh-Na-Mara’s luxury log rooms are named after various BC Gulf Islands. The resort also has rustic cottages and oceanview suites, to suit all travel styles.
The bungalow has a back-to-nature rustic charm, while being outfitted with modern amenities (two sinks, two TVs, a kitchenette, private patio). At night, we rented a DVD player from front desk and watched a sci-fi movie.
We dug into stone-fired pizzas from Cedars Restaurant and Lounge, which paired perfectly with a red Catalunya wine. The restaurant features a seasonal, local menu. You can customize the pizzas with goat cheese from nearby farms, and take them out to enjoy in your room.
In the morning, we enjoyed a West Coast breakfast a-la-carte at Cedars restaurant. Eggs Benedict with avocado and wild smoked salmon, and waffles with Canadian maple syrup.
Such a pleasure to take a calming trip to Tighnamara and Grotto Spa. If you’re yearning for a relaxing vacation near Vancouver, then this Parksville spa & resort is exactly what the doctor ordered.
My 70s shoes reminded me of James Brown: “Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would. Now I feel good, I knew that I would, now. So good!”
Have you ever done a spa getaway? What was your experience like?
PS: Thanks for your fab feedback on Google’s Touring Bird so far! I wrote 15 local tips about Vancouver for the site (along with articles for dozens of other cities). If you’re looking for alternative, local things to do in Vancouver BC, I hope you’ll find my TouringBird suggestions helpful.
SHARE & COMMENT
Touring Bird, Google travel tips site launched! The Smallville Hotel Beirut review, Lebanon LGBT nightlife & art.
Every superhero needs an evil villain… good thing I can always rely on Yukiro to bring on the darkness!
I can’t begin to tell you how much we loved Beirut: it lives up to its reputation as the hippest spot in the Middle East. Our stay at The Smallville was pure fun, as you’ll see in this story; the hotel captured the wildly creative pulse of Lebanon’s capital.
Before we explore Beirut, I’m thrilled to fill you in on a project I’ve been involved in (it’s the reason I’ve been so absent). I’m honored to be part of the team that launched Touring Bird, a travel site from Google Area 120!
T.BD is a web-based travel app by Google’s incubator. On the site, you can book free and paid tours, and find insider tips for 200 cities worldwide. Instead of basic landmarks, you’ll get recommendations from local experts about hidden bars, secret trails, and other offbeat places.
For the past months, I was working on contract as a “team lead,” or project coordinator between 200 writers, editors, and TouringBird team members. I also wrote over 600 travel articles and contributed photos for dozens of cities.
Touring Bird gave me the opportunity to share the weird, indie spots I love — eg, my Tokyo tips included the Daikaiju monster bar, trick art museum, Vanilla Gallery body mods, and a Ganguro cafe makeover!
At TouringBird.com, you can search for cool, unexpected things to do in 200 destinations. Pick a city, and scroll down to “Local tips” to see suggestions from travel experts including myself. For example, for Osaka, I recommended Territory’s Satanic store (above), drinking absinthe with owls, and rocking out with Fu-Ki at Bar Midian.
You’ll find my alternative travel adventures all over the site. I loved writing about Day of the Dead art in Cancun, K-pop holograms in Seoul, hardcore punks in Yangon, and skull paintings in Reykjavik.
If you’re curious about Touring Bird, you can read more about the launch on Google’s blog. A 45-degree bow to everyone who worked with me on this — cheers to the dream team for pulling off this massive endeavor! I’m excited to hear what you think of TouringBird.com, and hope you find it useful for planning upcoming trips.
Ah, I wish I could teleport back to Beirut, Lebanon… Yukiro and I had a impactful time here, thanks to The Smallville Hotel!
Between the 1970s and 90s, Lebanon was embroiled in civil war. Today, the capital city is safe and prosperous — and it’s become the hippest party / food / fashion spot in the Middle East.
The media tends to portray Beirut inaccurately, which makes some travelers unsure about coming here. We’re here to spill the real tea: this city is a cultural playground, and The Smallville Hotel perfectly reflects this energy.
Named after the town where Superman grew up, The Small Ville is a boutique hotel with a bad-ass superhero theme. The fun begins at front desk: the staff wears red and black berets, and a moving billboard encourages you to “Come as a guest, leave as a hero!”
I’ve stayed at a lot of design hotels, but The Smallville blasted me away with their creativity. The 5-star hotel takes a red color scheme, with playful accents throughout that fit the superhero theme. Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers lord over the lobby, next to a shelf of Marvel DVDs for guests.
Feeling inspired by the concept, Yukiro and I did a shoot around the hotel with in-house photographer Toya.
Naturally, Yukiro took on the role of the super-villain. She transformed into an under-the-sea villain and sprawled tentacles over the bed. (As you can see, the cozy rooms were decked out in contemporary amenities, including art that reflects the city.)
There’s so much to experience at The Smallville. We went up to the top floor to chill by The Poolhouse with Old Fashioned and Manhattan cocktails.
(I’m wearing a UK Lingerie bodysuit, Morph8ne skirt, and Mary Wyatt London beret. Don’t forget, you can shop my wardrobe on my Depop @lacarmina.)
This eye-popping hotel is the brainchild of Sophia Fakhry, who takes on the alter-ego of “Super Sophie.” She wanted guests to feel uplifted throughout their stay at Smallville, and tap into the pulse of Beirut.
The urban hotel has 156 rooms including 39 suites. Each floor features a different series of colorful murals and design objects. We encountered supermodels, fantasy scenes, movie stars, and more.
The Smallville encourages you to play and let your imagination soar. Each floor has a different funny rainbow hat that you can try on, and the rooms are equipped with red scarves. Why not dress up, and take on a superhero persona?
And so, we did! At the penthouse pool, we play-acted for the camera. Looks like the evil queen is about to bash me in the head…
… but I’ll knock her off the balcony at the Stargaze Terrace! (Don’t miss the panorama view of Beirut from up here.)
There’s always something cultural happening at The Smallville, such as live musical performances. We caught a jazz singer and pianist one night at the lobby bar. On a different evening, we watched a man play a traditional oud, or pear-shaped stringed instrument similar to a lute.
Plus, there are several delightful restaurants. The Merry Go Round is run by a 2-starred Michelin chef, who serves up a rotating menu of artisanal delicacies from around the world.
Outside, you can feel as if you’re part of a comic strip at The Red Street Boom café-pub. The Pop Art decor and live DJs keep the atmosphere light, as you chow down on burgers and martinis.
Every morning, we looked forward to the generous breakfast spread. The seemingly endless offerings included Lebanese salads (fattoush), cheeses (like labneh, made with strained yogurt), eggs made to order, and French sweets. We enjoyed biting into manousheh, a Lebanese flatbread topped with za’tar herbs, for the first time.
The breakfast buffet takes place at The Secret Garden, which also serves lunch, dinner and drinks. The airy restaurant is filled with greenery: an oasis amidst concrete buildings. The Secret Garden screens vintage movies, and there is also a stage for live shows.
Yukiro and I don’t usually spend time in the fitness room… but this superhero gym surely packed a punch!
Thank you to the Smallville Hotel for a luxurious boutique stay filled with Kryptonite. There’s simply no other place like this on this planet!
The staff was wonderful at giving us recommendations on alt things to see and do in Beirut. We were curious about youth subcultures in the city, as well as the LGBT nightclubs.
Once called the “Paris of the East,” Beirut has long been a cosmopolitan city filled with glamour and nightlife. Lebanon has the most religiously diverse society within the Middle East, which contributes to the openness of this society compared to that of its neighbors.
Today, Beirut is a safe city with a modern infrastructure and outlook (you can dress freely, and won’t get harassed). At the same time, the city maintains a gritty, undiscovered vibe that makes it a sweet destination for those who want to travel off the beaten path.
Beirut’s hipster neighborhoods are Mar Mikhael and Gemmayze. We took an Uber here, and wandered around to the streetwear concept stores and experimental art galleries.
At 392rmeil393 Gallery, we saw Mazen Khaddaj’s paintings and video installations. By applying and washing off paint, he expressed his spiritual journey in Germany and Lebanon (coming from a Druse background).
Many of the contemporary galleries are set in elegant old buildings, such as Art on 56th.
In the streets, you’ll come across posters that hint at Beirut’s vibrant nightlife.
Urban art fills the alleys of Mar Mikhael and Gemmayze.
You can still see remnants of the wartime period, such as bombed out apartments and barbed wire.
I encourage you to walk around these areas and get a feel of Beirut’s edgy, artistic scene.
How about LGBT culture in Lebanon? Although citizens don’t have the same freedoms found in Western countries, the country is much more open than its surrounding Middle Eastern nations.
Locals have launched supportive spaces, such as Haven for Artists, for marginalized creators. Look for the UFO and you’ll have arrived.
Haven for Artists is a non-government NGO that encourages underground Lebanese artists to flourish. This friendly community house hosts exhibitions, collaborations, and residencies.
Say hello to Lea, the lovely manager, and drop some Lebanese pounds in the “be tipsy” jar to support their meaningful work.
Everyone we met was eager to share recommendations (clubs, stores, restaurants) — you can tell that locals are proud of their city, and all that it has to offer.
At Haven for Artists, you can browse a selection of indie zines and art by young creatives. Some of the works have pride themes.
Be sure to explore the various gallery rooms. We met Daria, an artist working inside the space, and she showed us her intricate line drawings and temporary tattoos.
What else is there to love about Beirut? The food will astonish you. Every meal we had was wonderfully executed, with fresh ingredients and lots of produce.
Locals flock to Loris, in the Gemmayze area, to dine with friends and smoke shisha.
This is Middle Eastern food in its most vibrant form. Yukiro and I feasted on fattousch salad, flatbreads with herbs, a Lebanese tomato grain mixture, and an insane cauliflower dish with tarator (tahini) sauce. We washed it down with arak, an anise spirit.
Beirut loves to party, and things get especially lively past midnight. Our Smallville Hotel was in Badaro, next to a street filled with hipster bars. We enjoyed the ginger cocktails and techno / minimal vinyl DJs at Orient Express Bar.
Come to Beirut on a weekend so that you can experience the LGBT nightlife at Projekt and The Grand Factory (there are frequent drag shows). Photos aren’t allowed inside, so you’ll just have to imagine us in a warehouse with a smiling gay-friendly crowd, dancing to Arabian techno til 4am.
We noticed that people in Beirut tend to be quite stylish. Even though many women cover up with headscarves and long skirts, they play with sheer panels and decorative details, and complete the look with designer heels.
Wouldn’t you like to rock this magic wizard hat? It’s a tantur, a traditional Lebanese headdress!
Back at The Smallville Hotel, we browsed eclectic fashion at their “Super Store.”
The cat’s of the bag: this is the coolest hotel in Beirut.
A kiss for The Smallville team for letting us live out our superhero (or villain) fantasies!
We’ll have to come back to savor a meal by 2 star Michelin Chef Christophe Vessaire at Merry Go Round.
Fond memories of lounging in our room and grooving along to Klaus Nomi’s Cold Song (1981). At Smallville hotel, you can kick back and be yourself to the fullest.
A few days in Beirut weren’t nearly enough. I’m keen to come back for the museums, and go outside the city to see the ancient Phoenician ruins of Byblos.
If I could step into a Teleporter, I’d portal straight back to The Smallville Hotel. I hope you’ll book a room at these funky accommodations, and have as much fun as we did here.
Beirut’s offbeat, edgy vibe is exactly what I look for in my travels. And on that note…
…I hope you’ll take a moment to check out Touring Bird, the new Google travel website I’ve been freelancing for. From occult portals in Stockholm to shopping for Miffy in Hong Kong, you’ll find my spooky signature all over it. A big thank you to everyone who helped T.BD take flight!
LA CARMINA
