FELICITY & TOM HARLEY
Parents to Jimmy, Hugo and baby number three on the way!
FELICITY HARLEY
Editor of Whimn, Founding Editor of Women’s Health Magazine & Media Personality
TOM HARLEY
Former AFL Player, AFL Commentator & General Manager of Football for the Sydney Swans
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FEATURED DESTINATION
WHISTLER, CANADA
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Felicity says…
My sister has lived in Whistler for more than 15 years, so it’s a second home to Tom and I (I’ve also lived there). We’re uber-keen to get the boys familiar with snow and on skis (without doing the pushy parent thing, of course).
To celebrate Christmas 2016, we bundled up Jimmy (then nearly 4) and Hugo (then nearly 2) and spent three weeks over there. They loved it – from ski school, to a white Christmas, to making snowmen and snowwomen, to riding in their toboggans and getting their ice-cream fix in minus 10 degrees… Whistler, particularly at Christmas, is geared towards giving families max fun. We plan on going back again next year with baby number 3!
TIMING COULD BE EVERYTHING
Go at Christmas!
Sure visiting at Christmas is more costly, but it’s really the best time for max kids attractions. Whistler turns their convention centre into a magical Christmas playground called The Whistler Holiday Experience between Christmas and New Year with indoor jumping castles, putt putt golf, table tennis, books, games, Little Tike’s toys for the smaller kids… and it’s all FREE. (There is so much room for them to run!) This was our morning ritual and Jimmy and Hugo LOVED it.
“Christmas Eve was also really special as the Crystal Lodge Hotel puts on a ‘meet Santa and his reindeer’. I think my boys will be Santa believers forever now they’ve actually seen a real life Rudolf pulling a sleigh. Er, maybe.”
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Use Airbnb
We stayed in an apartment in Glacier Lodge & Suites at the base of Blackcomb Mountain – it’s the perfect location at the base of Blackcomb and it isn’t as busy as Whistler. It’s relatively flat for the boys to learn to ski, and they loved watching us ski down after our runs. We did a massive grocery shop at the beginning of the week which covered breakfast and lunches, but also went out for dinners… it was our holiday after all.
FOR THE CHILDREN
Use ski school
Instead of signing Jimmy (our 3-year old) up for a week-long camp (just in case he hated it), we bought him a single day first to see if he liked it. He did, but told us he didn’t want to do a week, just a few days here and there.
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Eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory
Most places in Whistler have a kid’s menu but this one is heaven for them. Big bowls of spaghetti and meatballs and cola spiders (hey, it was Christmas so we lightened up on eating healthy… a bit). Oh, and tasty wine for us.
FELICITY’S TOP 5 WHISTLER TRAVEL TIPS
1. Stop somewhere on the way over!
We did a four night stop-off in Hawaii to break-up the long haul flight for the boys, and get their little body clocks adjusted. Oh, and to make sure we got our summer fix before we were engulfed with snow.
2. Buy your ski gear in Vancouver
If you’re going for more than a week, buy your ski gear don’t hire it. You’ll save money and can resell it in Australia later for the same price. As Canada is a whole lot colder than Australia, their brands stack up better in quality and warmth-factor. There are tons of places in Vancouver like MEC Vancouver.
3. Be prepared to spend a lot of time dressing and undressing them!
This is one thing I didn’t think about – there are so many LAYERS needed to get kids out in the snow – sans tears. After a few days, Hugo decided he hated wearing gloves outside… so we had to buy three different pairs before he found one he liked and fit him well. Lesson learned: when buying their ski gear, make sure it all fits and is pretty easy to get on.
4. Buy a sled
My sister bought the boys $20 plastic pull-along sleds from the local IGA and they were the BEST way to transport them around Whistler/Blackcomb in the snow. Also, as Hugo was still sleeping during the day he would fall asleep when we were pulling him after lunch – easiest kid’s sleep trick ever. There are also places in Whistler where you can hire prams and cots etc, so you don’t have to lug yours from Australia.
5. Take the in-laws!
Yes, my mum and dad (and brother and other sister plus partners) also came which meant Tom and I could go skiing and enjoy some timeout. However, there are some great babysitting and nanny services in Whistler which are stocked full of Australians!
For more information or to plan your Whistler adventure, visit www.whistler.com
Images (unless otherwise specified) courtesy of Felicity Harley and Tom Harley
