The promise of being one of the warmest towns in Canada has always put Osoyoos on my travel bucket list. Desert vibes, lake activities, wine-tasting galore, and views of endless vineyards all sound like a dreamy vacation and I was determined to make it happen despite the 4-hour drive from Langley with a toddler.

Accommodation

We truly enjoyed our stay at Spirit Ridge Resort with its many onsite amenities and great location. It’s family-friendly with a kids pool, spiral slide and you’ll also find the NK’MIP Desert Cultural Center which showcases the indigenous history of the Okanagan.

The resort also has access to Osoyoos Lake (15-minute walk or a quick golf cart ride) and is shared with RV / campers on another part of the property. A pool strictly for adults overlooks the vineyards and is absolutely dreamy.

The NK’MIP Cellars are also onsite and it has amazing views of the vineyard, mountain and the lake. The resort has one proper restaurant The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry, which I talk about below and other grab-and-go type of place by the kids’ pool.

We booked a regular one-bedroom unit but got upgraded to a villa as the hotel was not at full occupancy (stayed in June 2023). The villa has a full kitchen with a dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer, and a patio with a barbecue. It was updated, clean and the AC was strong in all areas. We all slept like a baby.

Food

There is no breakfast buffet at the Spirit Ridge Resort but they have a beautiful restaurant – The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry which has a stunning view of the resort. We went for dinner and the mains are at $40 per dish and children’s meal were at $12. Suggest going for happy hour instead and it is on from 2:30pm to 4:30pm on weekdays. They accommodated us at the patio and it’s a family-friendly restaurant.

Another place we visited was Smitty’s which serves brunch meals and is very popular and busy. We went on a Sunday at 11am and we were waiting for our food for at least 40 minutes. Luckily, they are very accommodating to little ones and have toys and crayons for kids’ entertainment (and a pot of coffee for the parents).

On Main St. (the “downtown” of Osoyoos), we ate at La Marqueza Mexican Tacos & Market and found they served authentic Mexican dishes at a good value. They have a kids’ menu and we really enjoyed everything we ordered. Their guac and chips is amazing!

If we had more time, other restaurants that came highly recommended are: Convivia Bistro Cuisine, Campo Marina Italian Restaurant, Masala Bistro at Kismet Winery, and Terrafina Restaurant at Hester Creek Winery.

Activities

Our trip was for three nights and our four days were packed with activities that involved something for the tot and also something for the parents. With our days full and the weather hot, we would hit the children’s pool and unwind by around 4pm. We usually bought prepared meals from Nester’s Market (from downtown Osoyoos) on the way back to the hotel and had dinner in the villa. Sharing our full itinerary below:

Day 1 (Sat) – Check-in at Spirit Ridge Resort by 4pm, quick wine tasting at NKMIP Cellars, dinner at Bear, Fruit, Berry restaurant, hit the kids’ pool

Day 2 (Sun) – Brunch at Smitty’s Restaurant, walk in Gyro Park, beautiful playground at Lions Park, drive to Oliver to do a wine-tasting at The District Wine Village, then went to Phantom Creek Estates for another wine-tasting, hit the kids’ pool at Spirit Ridge

Day 3 (Mon) – picnic at sw̓iw̓s Provincial Park (Haynes Point), educational fun at NK’MIP Desert Cultural Center, lunch at La Marqueza Mexican Tacos & Market, hit the kids’ pool and checked out the lake access at Spirit Ridge

Day 4 (Tues) – drive back to Langley

If we had more time, I really would’ve loved to check out Rattlesnake Canyon, a nice amusement park. It was close to the hotel too but we always had something else to do or was too tired from all the other activities. There were also more wineries I wanted to visit like Platinum Bench and Moon Curser wineries, but we opted to also enjoy the amenities of the hotel so we made sure to still have pool time every day.

Whether you’re traveling as a couple, with family or friends, Osoyoos will definitely blow your mind in terms of picturesque views. It’s not everyday you see a mix of desert, lake and lots of green. It’s a quiet town with lots of people with their trailers, RVs, boats, bikes, yet there are also many hiking trails and wine-tasting opportunities in beautiful wineries. I hope this post helps you plan your trip to Osoyoos.