5 Last-minute Rescues For Your Summer

Most of us see the arrival of summer as the heralding of a season filled with fun and time spent with families, exciting trips, patio time with friends or hanging out by the backyard bbq. While most of us manage to have some fun, the pressure to do it all and meet our often high hopes and expectations doesn’t help. With heavy work loads, family and home care, and all our other obligations, the end of summer can leave us feeling disappointed or even depleted, instead of refreshed and ready for the busy autumn waiting around the corner.

As Labour Day closes in on us, take heart. There are ten days left to either recover from an overly ambitious summer or turn it in to the success we’d hoped for. The Civic Hotel can help out, whether it’s providing a couple days of rest and relaxation away from your busy job and family, a destination for a girl’s weekend or the perfect launch pad for packing in all the fun you’d hoped to have. Whatever your experience, we’re here and ready to help you get what you need to make it the best summer ever. Here are some ideas for curing whatever ails you.

1. If your busy summer has left you feeling tired and drained then it’s time to book a couple of nights with us to get some rest and relaxation. Here, you can turn your back on work, the dishes and housekeeping, hosting visiting family or looking after children. Instead, spend your day reading and enjoying the sunshine beside our stunning outdoor pool or releasing the tension in your shoulders in our outdoor hot tub while gazing up at the stars. After that, head down to the lively patio at Dominion Bar + Kitchen for some refreshing cocktails and a plate or two of the dishes on their marvelous new-Canadian menu. Then head up to your room for a satisfying sleep in our superb luxury pillowtop beds and yummy sheets. And when the sun comes up, simply pull the pillow over your head and continue with your slumber.

2. If your heavy workload has kept you indoors all summer it’s time to close your laptop and your office door and head outside for some fresh air and exercise. With the Civic Hotel as your launch pad, you have access to amazing local outdoor spaces, from nearby urban forests for hiking and bird-watching to parks where you can lie on warm, scented grass and catch up on your social media feeds. You can also access the incredible range and diversity of Greater Vancouver’s recreational and outdoors sites, from beachfront patios to ancient forests and mountain trails, all by public transit. Civic Hotel is conveniently situated right at Surrey Central Skytrain station, which connects you to a region-wide network of bus, rail and ferry routes. So whether it’s a beach for some surfside sunshine or somewhere you can wander and forest bathe beneath ancient trees, you’re close to just about any kind of outdoors that makes you smile.

3. If the summer’s fun quotient didn’t live up to your hopes there are still lots of festivals to take in before summer officially ends. From your room here at the Civic you can access a wide variety of festivals by transit without having to navigate the region in a hot car. They’re as close as the fun-filled Battle of the Brews on Civic Plaza, where more than 25 local breweries are competing for the top prize (with proceeds going to charity). Farther afoot but easily accessible by transit are Bard at the Beach Shakespeare Festival, Richmond World Festival, and the Vancouver International Bird Festival. Another favourite is the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), which offers a huge choice of musical and sporting events, rides, exhibits and food. (Why not step outside the box and try some KitKat fries or charcoal soft-serve ice cream?) These and the many other festivals taking place are a delightful last hurrah to the summer of 2018 and certain to kick up the fun quotient before it’s too late.

4. If summer’s sun, fun and seasonal chores like gardening have been hard on your body, it’s time for a beauty weekend with the girls before the cold weather brings a new wave of ravages to your hair, skin and nails. Start your stay at the Civic with some cocktails and a great meal shared on Dominion Kitchen + Bar’s patio. Then head up to your room, each of which is equipped with a superb bathroom complete with large counters and hi-end showers. After a deep, restful beauty sleep on our luxurious beds, head downstairs to the Prado Café for a soothing turmeric elixir with anti-inflammatory benefits or a healthful mint, pea and avocado smash on organic, locally sourced bread. Then it’s time to hit the salons at nearby Central City mall. There you can get any gel or acrylic nail treatments, have fun with nail art or enjoy spa-quality pedicures. If you’re looking for a more “sun-kissed” summer skin, go for a spray tan that will rock your look through the last days of summer. You can enjoy a last application of highlights or change your look for fall with a new hairstyle or colour. Or indulge in a shiatsu treatment to work that tension out and stimulate healing. Whichever you choose, don’t hesitate to indulge yourself.

5. If your summer has felt overscheduled then nothing will do more for you than a morning or two lolling in your luxurious, pillowtop bed, drinking espresso and gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the views across Surrey’s green canopy to the coastal mountain ranges. If and when you decide to get out of bed, head downstairs to Dominion Bar + Kitchen where you can find any kind of food or drink to satisfy your hunger. Lounge on their outdoor patio or head to Prado Café where you can sit and rub elbows with some of City Centre’s hi-tech entrepreneurs and researchers while sipping outstanding coffee. If you get the sudden urge to move your body, don’t panic. Our gorgeous outdoor rooftop pool and hot tub are a good place to start… but then, the whole point of your visit is to avoid planning. And that’s where our amazing team of Civics come in. When you figure out what you feel like doing, they’ll be right there with their in-depth local knowledge and suggestions that will turn this stay in to one that lingers in memory for years to come.