Eco Resort Amenities

Authentic Finnish wood fired sauna

There is so much more to a sauna than sitting in a room, getting hot, and sweating…it is a unique, ethnic spa getaway.

Therapeutic benefits of an authentic wood-fired Finnish sauna go far beyond a cleansing experience… For the utmost in cleansing and relaxation, an authentic Finnish sauna exerience involves successive heating and cooling sessions in a cedar-lined fire-heated room.

It is a holistic cleansing and health regimen imbued with Finnish culture… passed down for generations, a real sauna takes hours and usually consumes most of an entire day.

Healthful steam is formed by throwing water on fire-heated rocks.

From slapping your skin with steamed birch saplings for improved circulation, to the art of fully appreciating each sauna intermission, to a cold dip in the river, this is a spa experience you will not want to miss!

Progressive cleansing techniques use loofas, sauna vastas (birch sapling bouquets), wash cloths, and showers.

Hot water is supplied from pipes running through the fire, and is then stored in a large tank for use on sauna day, and for days later.

Did you know the word “sauna” is the only Finnish word in the english vocabulary (and dictionary), and it is pronounced “sowna” (sow, like, cow …not sau, like paw).

Learn how to reap the full benefits of your sauna experience by your Finnish host, Sue, with all packages except: Dine and Dream, Romantescape, Eco Green Getaway, PureMoon, and Pure Wedding Vows.

The ultimate sauna experience is yours by choosing the Fully-Interpreted authentic Finnish sauna option available in the following packages: Eco Staycation, Eco Playcation, Spa-in-the-Raw, Deep Care, FullMoon, SpaMoon, Full Vows, Spa Vows, and all the Frugal “How-to” series.

Clients enjoy full access to the sauna on their own with all other packages (though the Dine and Dream package includes use of the sauna or the hot tub).

Wood fired cedar hot tub

Relax after a day on the hiking trail in the heated waters of our wood-fired hot tub. Nestled in the forest under giant trees and sky, it makes no difference if it is day or night, sunny or raining, enjoy the quiet stillness looking out to the river as your body luxuriates in this passive spa experience.

Opportunities to enjoy private, clothing-optional hot tubbing are available for those who so-desire.

An outdoor hot and cold shower made from driftwood art is hidden in the trees next to the hot tub under the forest canopy overlooking the river.

The ultimate in reusing and recycling, the hot tub is about a quarter of a century old, having been passed down through three of Henry's brothers, and finally restored by us in 1999. Water is heated by wood fire in an underwater stove.

Massage

Have you ever experienced a two-hour melt-into-another-world massage? Since 2008 this unique relaxation massage has been offered with overwhelming client reviews.

Intuitive healer and relaxation massage thereapist Sky Fornasier (yes, that is really her name) has provided a unique blend of relaxation style massage, fused with Traeger style massage, fused with infant massage, fused with her own intuitive healing skills honed over the decades…the result is other-worldly.

Massage treatments are offered with the following all-inclusive eco retreat packages:

• Spa-in-the-Raw
• Deep Care
• SpaMoon
• Spa Wedding Vows

Massage treatment may be added to many other packages from the a la carte menu.

 

Other ways to relax at the eco retreat

campfire		riverside hammocks		zero-tasking

Campfire time

Time spent around a crackling campfire is a mesmerizing experience enjoyed throughout the ages. It is an intriguing and mysterious pastime of deep simplicity to warm your body, mind and spirit. Listening to stories, singing to guitar, or sharing quietude readies you for evening retirement. The gentle sound of the river lulls you towards a restful and rejuvenating sleep.

The campfire remains a primal evening experience for relaxation and meditation. Enjoyed on your own, or in a group, there really is nothing like sitting around a fire watching the flames dance and flicker in the night.

There are many different activites that take place around a campfire…and it seems that each person gets jazzed in a different way…it is chopping wood for some, foraging for wood in the forest for others, lighting the fire, tending to its life, playing guitar, singing, or listening for others…quiet “meditation” whilst staring into the flames, with the river's lull providing background “music”seems to be a favourite for all…fine dinners rustically prepared just some how seem to take on a uniqueness not attainable in any other way.

Riverside hammocks

The riverside hammocks provide a wonderful way to de-stress and feel nature all around. Whether reading, resting, or sleeping, time spent in one of our riverside hammocks is soulfully relaxing.

Zero-tasking

As a newly-coined phrase, zero tasking is anything but new. It is the ancient art of ceasing all activity, and in many ways it is a lost art.

Whether sitting in a chair, lying in a hammock, or lounging at the beach, or resting in your Nest, the soothing lull of the Coquihalla River provides a wonderful backdrop for meditation, daydreaming, reconnecting, recharging your spirit, or simply enjoying the peace and serenity of nature.

Eco Accommodations

Enjoy restful sleep in one of three unique, cozy cabins nestled in the forest, and experience the Riverside Nest (aka The Nest) with many selected all inclusive retreat packages. Slip into bed sheets at night and let the aroma of line-dried linens warm your senses… for some this will be a new experience; for others it will invoke sensational yesteryear memories.

Even the most sleep-challenged will dream away to the restful lull of the river.

 

Riverside Nest

The Nest is a riverside bedroom/lounging room. Completely private, for a short afternoon nap or an opportunity to sleep under the stars, the Nest is simply perfect.

Featuring a double, air-based bed with mattress topper and warm quilts is outdoor luxury enjoyed once in a lifetime.

Comfortable chairs under the canopy or beach chairs on your private sandy riverdeck are perfect places to enjoy a beverage, read a book, or simply meditate by the river.

The Nest is included with the following packages:

• Deep Care
• Romantescape
• Honeymoon
• Wedding

Other packages may be upgraded to include the Nest.

Yes, we still bring you lattes in the morning:)

Forest Cottage

Surrounded by forest, the Forest Cottage is the most private of the 3 retreat cabins. The Forest Cottage is an entirely-recycled, reused building. Originally built as a small summer cottage, it was moved from Cultus Lake to the retreat site in 2003.

Features include a double bed with feather bed, warm quilts for cooler nights, and a secluded outdoor space looking into the forest towards the Coquihalla River.

Located closest to spa facilities, library-living room, and centralized washroom facilities the Forest Cottage is the most secluded of our accommodations.

The frame of this recycled building was built entirely from mill “throwaways”. Exterior cedar siding is from short mill ends. The hand carved door is from a cottage in the Fraser Valley.

The interior ceiling was upgraded onsite to remove what was the only non-eco-friendly gyprock or sheetrock on the property. Tongue and groove cedar supplied by a local homestead mill from wood too small to be otherwise commercially viable, now lines the ceiling. The walls are wood panels from the original family’s home renovation.

Homestead Log Cabin

The largest of the three accommodations, the Homestead Log Cabin is located near the organic garden across from the Central Lodge House, and has the most open location receiving full sun from dawn to dusk.

Features include a king size bed with feather bed, with extra firm mattress, warm quilts for cooler nights, comfortable seating and an outdoor quiet space with chairs garden-side.

The Homested Log Cabin was originally built in 1923 by the Edwards’, a family of 5. This one-room log cabin has been painstakingly restored: it holds many special memories for the 3 families who have owned it, and for the many “hippies” who stayed here and bore their children here in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

Othello Cottage

With windows that open wide to a beautiful view of the Coquihalla River on one side, and a view of the organic garden on the other side, the Othello cottage provides natural comfort for restorative sleep.

Features include a double bed with feather bed, warm quilts for cooler nights, and a garden-side deck with chairs to provide your own quiet outdoor space, perfect for watching the setting sun.

The Othello Cabin has a beautiful private outdoor bathroom overlooking the river with hot and cold solar shower and eco-toilet.

The Othello Cottage is one of the few remaining original buildings from the Kettle Valley Railway, built circa 1913, with original painted lettering depicting the Othello rail station stop.

All station stops along the Kettle Valley Railway are named for Shakesperean characters between its origin at Lear, just west of Hope, and the Coquihalla Summit. It has been lovingly restored with careful attention to matching exterior pigments, original look, and interior comfort.