Sparkling Hill Fitness Centre

[Kenneth Melniczek]

Ona relaxing stay at Sparkling Hill Resort in British Columbia (BC) we enjoyed a luxurious property, great spa services and awesome customer service at all touch points. We booked a full itinerary of spa services for our visit and found so many other great things to do at the Sparkling Hill Resort and Spa. We ate well on our 5 day stay. And left feeling refreshed and healthier than when we arrived. It was the perfect wellness break in the Okanagan Valley.

The first time we visited Kelowna, we explored the Okanagan Valley. On our road trips in the area we discovered the Sparkling Hill Resort for the first time. Sparkling Hill Resort And Spa was owned by the Austrian crystal creator, Gernot Langes-Swarovski. The resort was known for the Swarovski crystal displays that adorned the property and the resort. We enjoyed our lunch with a view out over the Okanagan Lake. And we saw people in robes wandering everywhere. When we checked out the spa menu, we knew we wanted to return one day.

We started our travel year with a great Nordic Spa experience on our stay in Collingwood in Ontario. This experience convinced us to book another Nordic Spa experience when we visited Quebec City in the winter. So when we planned this return visit to BC, we knew we wanted to visit the Sparkling Hill Resort for a very different wellness experience.

All the services available at Sparkling Hill Resort were detailed online. We ultimately decided on a longer 5 day package that included all the resort facilities, a great lake view room, breakfast, dinner and four hours of spa services. There were also some naturopathic and esthetician services we added on.

Our Wellness Coordinator Denise contacted us well in advance of our stay to talk about our objectives and the KurSpa services we wanted. She worked with us to create a great itinerary for our visit. We ended up with a busy schedule aimed at pampering and wellness on our relaxing stay at Sparkling Hill Resort.

We were back in BC to visit family on the Sunshine Coast. On this trip, we found some new outdoor adventures and enjoyed a great variety of water experiences. From our stay on the Sunshine Coast, we headed to Kelowna and then north towards Vernon. We turned off Hwy 97 at the sign for Predator Ridge. Sparkling Hill Resort is on the large Predator Ridge property.

After leaving our rental car for valet parking, we went to check in. The reception team was all ready for our arrival. We were given an overview of the package we booked and the various things we needed to know about the resort.

We booked a King Lake View Room and were happy with our large room on the top floor. The floor to ceiling windows looked out over Okanagan Lake. We had 2 comfy chairs and a soaking tub-for-two facing the view. Of course the room had touches of sparkling gems to carry the theme right into our room, both day and night.

After we were all settled in, we wandered around the resort. We were drawn to the sparking crystals used everywhere on the resort to decorate and carry the sparkling theme. We learned that there were over 3.5 million Swarovski crystals in the public areas, guest rooms and KurSpa area.

The sparkles started as soon as we drove up the road and continued when we walked into the lobby. Stairs, doors and even bathroom doors were set with crystals. Glass balls hung from the ceiling. And in the main dining room the crystal display was created in the shape of Okanagan Lake.

We saw a large Heritage Crystal Tipee on the grounds. When we went close we saw that each side had a different design. Each of the original 16 art panels were sent to Austria and were reproduced with colourful inlaid crystals.

A large indoor serenity pool could be used for exercise. Or simply for lying back and listening to the underwater music. Beside the indoor pool was a large indoor hot tub with powerful jets. The outdoor infinity edge pool looked out towards the lake. This heated pool with lounge chairs around it was a popular spot. There was even a sandy beach area with more lounge chairs.

In the pool area we found the Kneipp Walk. We walked slowly through shallow water-filled troughs that alternated between warm (38 degrees celsius) and very cold (12 degrees celsius) water. Hydrotherapy pools were supposed to be very good for circulation. On most days, twice a day we did 4 circuits around the Kneipp Walk.

The steam and sauna area opened from 2pm until 10pm every day. We tried 3 steam rooms, 3 dry sauna rooms, an icy Igloo room and the Aqua Mediation room. Each room was very different. The Finnish Sauna even had interesting art on the ceiling! We enjoyed alternating hot and cold rooms. And alternated steam and sauna rooms.

We worked with our Spa Coordinator Denise before we arrived to plan an itinerary of services for our stay. She made sure to sequence our activities so we got the best therapeutic benefits. When we arrived she walked us through the different treatment rooms.

A visit with the Naturopathic Doctor started our stay. We got input related to general fitness and diet. A BodPod assessment provided us with information about body composition and an indicator of overall health. We are not sharing that information!

Our first KurSpa treatment was in the IceLab. We arrived in dry bathing suits and were outfitted with hats, gloves, slippers and a mask. This protected our extremities and our lungs in the very cold air. A detailed medical history was taken and a briefing was done on the process.

We moved quickly through 2 cold rooms before we spent 3 minutes walking in a medical freezer-like box at -113C or (-171 F). The longest 3 minutes ever! One ultra cold session would not really bring a lot of benefit. We were glad we tried this interesting cryotherapy. But we were not tempted to sign up for 10 sessions on this visit!

I normally avoided facials. But I booked a 90 minute Crystal Facial one afternoon. And I became a facial convert. I am sure I snored my way through part of the facial session. It was the most relaxing service experience. And David thought I looked better when I was done!

There were several services targeted at couples. We were interested in the Hammam room for couples after our first Hammam experience in Cordoba, Spain. But we did not get this booked on our first visit.

It was interesting to try so many different spa services. Not all of our choices contributed to a relaxing stay at Sparkling Hill Resort. But it was the perfect time to get some very specialized services.

There were a number of different fitness classes offered each day. There was a cost for each class but they were included for free with our package. Sadly we never fit in a class to our busy itinerary. We toured the onsite gym but did not get back there either.

If we wanted to get outside, there were a number of hiking paths around the property. Guided hikes were included in the fitness classes. And maps were available to wander on our own. Golf was also available at the nearby Predator Ridge.

Robes were totally acceptable attire during the day for breakfast, lunch and snack breaks in the main building. But for dinner, a smart casual attire was required. Dinner was served in the PeakFine dining room in the main building. We found a full menu of choices and a special seasonal 3 course meal. The main menu changed midway through our stay so we had great variety over our 5 day stay.

We ate very well on our relaxing stay at Sparkling Hill Resort. The portions were very large and we often left our meals with food saved for later snacks. We were surprised there was no specific health menu at this wellness retreat. Especially after we met with the Naturopath. Many of the foods he told us to avoid were prominent on the menus.

We often booked travel adventures or long road trips that kept us going most days. But this relaxing stay at Sparkling Hill Resort was so different for us. We loved the opportunity to live in our robes for most of 5 days and to move from treatment to treatment on the resort. There was a huge KurSpa offering and we picked a wide variety of services aimed at wellness. And a few pampering services too.

The Sparkling Hill Resort was a lovely spot to enjoy for 5 days. We spent many hours just lounging in our room looking out the window at the view. The crystal decor was beautiful and the resort had everything we needed to stay for 5 days.

Customer service at every touchpoint exceeded our expectations on this visit. The team went out of their way to welcome us by name, learn our preferences and provided helpful input into our daily choices. Every minute of our stay we felt quite pampered.

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5 days of bliss! That KurSpa has so many different treatments. I like the idea of wearing a robe for most meals, easy and relaxing after the therapy. The BodPod sounds like an interesting device and they have a naturopath. I must say the idea of being in the midst of 3.5 million Swarovski crystals and getting a crystal facial sounds really dreamy.

This looks like the perfect place to relax. I love how the name of the resort, the owner and the Swarovskis in the resort all tie in with each other. The welcome chocolate platter looks delicious too.

We were amazed with the sparkly the first time we saw Sparking Hill Resort. One of the reasons we planned a return visit. And we were so glad we found so many great spa services to keep us busy for 5 days.

I visited the Swarovski World in Austria, so it was interesting to read about the Sparkling Hill Resort in BC. Crazy that they have a restaurant in an Austrian hut there. Was the Ice Lab very cold? I would like to try that.

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