Vacationing on the Sunshine Coast

Bill and I decided to go to the Sunshine Coast and take a mini vacation. We’re also here looking at property with an eye on retirement. We decided to stay Soames Point Bed and Breakfast. It’s very close to the Langdale ferry (see www.bcferry.ca for schedule from Horseshoe Bay). And it’s on the beach side of the road. Little did we know that we would be right on the beach.

You can check it out yourself at www.soamespointbb.com - It’s a very large suite with a full living room with windows everywhere that overlook the ocean and Keates Island. The view is constantly changing and it’s gorgeous. There’s a porch with two lovely deck chairs outside the bedroom window offering those same gorgeous views. In fact the large queen-sized bedroom has windows (that open!) with blind coverings. You can open the blind slats and catch the sunrise from bed. Assuming you aren’t there in the midst of summer when the sun rises just too darned early

There is a large soaker tub in the bathroom with shower. Beware of the height of the soaker tub for folks with back and hip problems. Otherwise the shower is great. Unfortunately there is no heat in the bathroom but as soon as the steam fills up the room you’re okay. A heated floor would have been a real bonus.

The eating area is just to the side of the livingroom. It’s a bit fussy because the legs of the table are in the way if you want to sit close to the table to eat. And one person gets a beautiful view of the ocean and the other person gets a view of the house on the beach next door.

There are two comfy chairs next to the electric fireplace that has a forced air fan to heat the room. It works very well but is noisy when the fan is on. Fortunately it doesn’t need to stay on long as it does its job quickly. Then there is a nice big three person sofa facing the ocean. Very comfortable. There’s a TV (about a 27″) and you get the standard local TV. Not a bad arraignment of channels. Plus they provide you with a Video Player and lots of Videos (Classics). There’s about 3 rows of the bookshelf filled with videos. There is also a DVD player and one row of DVDs supplied. And the books - again a huge number to choose from. As always, there is a pair of binoculars for bird watching.

Lastly, there is a functionall kitchen. No stove. They provide an electric aluminum frying pan, a microwave that took 4 minutes to heat milk and a small fridge. All cutlery and dishes, salt, pepper, kettle and coffee maker. It’s pretty well equipped when you consider it’s a B & B.

Judy and Tom Spears, the owners, bring you breakfast in the morning. They are a charming couple that obviously love what they are doing. The breakfast consisted of two halved grapefruits, a small bowl of yogurt, some granola (homemade), orange juice, very nice croissants (2) with jam or marmalade. On our plates were one half an english muffin topped with crisp bacon, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce with a couple of tomato slices and a sprig of parsley.

Overall, the breakfast was only okay. The only things that were outstanding were the croissants and the granola. The eggs were lukewarm by time we got to eat them. The yogurt was different then I’m used to. Had kind of flavour to it - maybe it was vanilla. So lots of people would have loved it just not me. It certainly would not have been enough for two. I would say there was about a half cup. They provided a jug of milk and a single serving of Kirkland coffee. This is Costco’s house brand. We found that it was incredibly bitter and had to use up the milk to smooth it down. In the end, I could not drink my second cup for fear of having an upset tummy.

Now price is about what the market will bear. This is huge amount of space and a to die for view. But I think that Judy and Tom should take some of that money they make and invest into sprucing up the suite. Everything looks a little on the worn side. The tea towels have seen better days. A new microwave would not cost more than $100. This one blows out air if you stand in front of it and I wonder if it is losing microwaves as well. The towels in the bathroom are faded and have that old smell to them. I’m trying to decide if the tablecloth has seen better days, or is it’s just an outdoor picnic table cover.

The robes are grea. Nice and fluffy. They should get a few more years out of them. The rocking chair needs recovering but everything else is fine. The bed is fine except that the cover is a different shade to the pillows from washing.

On a scale of one to ten my husband gives an eight and I give it a seven. I’d score it higher if the cost was less. Would we stay here again? I think not. We appreciated the space but we could have gotten a cottage with a real kitchen for the same price. We made the decision to stay here based on the breakfast and the partial kitchen. But I could easily have made this breakfast myself or should I say, I could have made an breakfast more tuned to our liking just as easily.