This blog post is brought to you by my Lake Country upbringing, current Kelowna residency, and the many queries that have I received regarding the best hotel options to book.
For those who are not familiar with Kelowna, it is a smaller city located in the southern region of British Columbia, Canada. I grew up in Oyama, which is a small orchard town within the district of Lake Country. It is about 30 minutes from the city.
Nestled within the Okanagan Valley, Kelowna is surrounded by lakes, orchards, and wineries. It is also about an hour flight from Vancouver or Calgary.
If you plan on visiting Kelowna, between May and October, my first piece of advice is to book your hotel room as far ahead as possible. Between wine, beach and wedding season, room availability can disappear fairly quickly.
On that note, I’ve gathered a sample of hotels within 45 minutes from the YLW airport.
YLW
The following hotels are located within minutes from the Kelowna International Airport and UBC Okanagan Campus. They are also less than 15 minutes away from Lake Country. There are also a number of dining and essential service options within walking distance.
Central Kelowna
These hotels are not very far from Hwy 97, which will take you from Vernon to Pentiction. They are roughly located between downtown and the airport. You’ll find the city’s main mall, shopping plazas, the farmer’s market, movie theatres, restaurants, grocery stores, and other essential services nearby.
Downtown
While there are not many hotel options for downtown Kelowna, the ones listed below will give you the best access, within walking distance, to city park, local restaurants, shops, and Okanagan lake.
Lower Mission
Definitely one of my favourite areas within the city. It is a mixture of orchards, agritourism, wineries, shops, restaurants and lake access. I should also note that KGH isn’t far away.
outside of Kelowna
West Kelowna
I honestly do not spend a whole lot of time over the bridge. I do however know that you do not have to look very hard for agritourism, wineries, or lake access. It’s a good location to stay at if you plan on touring around the South Okanagan.
Vernon
For those who are not familiar with the area, Vernon is about 30 minutes north of YLW. It’s a good option if you want to be near the wineries in Lake Country or will be visiting the North Okanagan.
- Predator Ridge Resort
- Sparkling Hill Resort (read my guide HERE)
If you’re planning on visiting Kelowna soon, feel free to drop a comment if you have any further questions. Click HERE to view my hotel guide.
JESSICA. xx
[…] For those who are not familiar with British Columbia, Sparkling Hill is located in Vernon which is about half an hour from YLW in Kelowna. […]