The Civic Hotel + Solo Vancouver Adventure | BC Field Trip
I’m a bit of an adventurous soul – and much to my mother’s disapproval, I’ve also been known to take off on many vacations and trips all on my own. I have always been a firm believer that sometimes, you just have to get out there and do things by yourself.
So a few weeks ago, when I had the choice between attending an amazing concert alone or not going at all… you can bet your bottom dollar that I chose to go it alone.
You can’t just miss out on something you love because no one else can make it.
Since the hubs & I recently moved 2 hours away from the city and I knew I didn’t want to be driving back home after the concert (and most of the hotels in Vancouver were already sold out for the night), I decided to stay in Surrey for the night to make things a little easier.
Guys, staying at The Civic Hotel in Surrey was totally the best decision ever.
This hotel is so adorbs.
Like you either need to bring a really good Instagram husband with you, or come solo and get really good at self timed photos because you’ll want pictures with all the decor. #forreals
My husband, however, is a terrible Instagram husband and was 100% grateful that he wasn’t here to put up with my incessant picture taking. I really don’t blame him – lol.
I was hoping to get to the rooftop pool for some toe dippin’ and lounge chair readin’ but for some reason, the weather didn’t get the memo.
That’s ok though, because I had a couple of bottles of wine waiting for me back in my room and a brand new Spotify playlist to jam to while I got ready for my solo date.
Each floor at The Civic Hotel is themed around a region in BC, and each room features a city within that region. Not from BC and interested in learning more about it’s various regions and cities? There’s a BC book in each room where you can.
And yes, I 100% read it all like the super nerd that I am.
It’s little touches like this book, the local themes and including an umbrella in every room in anticipation of the PNW rain we get – makes this hotel feel cozy, welcoming and comforting. It’s an unexpected twist from what you would expect from your typical Surrey hotel, that’s for sure.
Before I knew it, I was two mini bottles of wine in (oops) and in true Shannon fashion I was already running late (oops again). Until I remembered that concerts are basically made for people who are always late, since they’re always running late too.
I grabbed the skytrain from across the street and was downtown on Granville in 45 minutes. I was SO GLAD I got there just in time to see Tillie’s opening set, which included this amazing song that’s now on repeat in my house.
My girl Lights blew things away as usual. Her music makes me laugh and cry while sucking me back in to all the best feels from my high school years. If you aren’t familiar with her work, whenever she releases a new album, she then releases the acoustic version about 2 years later. And.It.Is.Magical.
Always.
She’s also a producing, mixing, songwriting queen so you should probably check her out if you haven’t already. Anyways, I’m still trying to find ways to relive everything about this evening, especially when Felix Cartal made a surprise appearance and performed the acoustic version of Love me while everyone sang along.
Also, as a fun sidenote, did I mention I wasn’t entirely solo? I did have my trusty travel companion Sir Rolo with me, and his favourite pastime is photobombing selfies and posing with snacks.
The next morning, I took some time to snap a few more pictures for the ‘gram (of course) and because I 100% couldn’t pass up taking a few unique product photos before checking out. The business brain never seems to sleep!
At the end of the day, I am so thankful that I didn’t let a small setback prevent me from heading out on this adventure. I had such a great time doing whatever I felt like every step of the way. I stopped to eat where I wanted to (chocolate strawberry crepe for one?), I got up when I wanted to, and I hung around the Vogue Theatre as long as I wanted to, hoping to catch another shameless glimpse of Lights before calling it a night.
I want to know – have you ever gone on a solo night away, or taken a solo trip? What did you learn – would you do it again?
love + light,
Shan
I was not compensated for this experience nor gifted it. I simply loved my time away and wanted to share it with you all!
#notsponsored
