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Practicalities
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Arriving by Greyhound, you'll pull into the
bus depot
just off Main Street between Robinson and Ellis streets (tel 493-4101); Penticton is a major intersection of routes, with buses bound for Vancouver (6-7 daily), Kamloops (2 daily), Nelson and points east (2 daily). The downtown area is small and easy to negotiate, particularly after a visit to the big
infocentre
at 888 Westminster Ave W (May, June & Sept Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; July & Aug daily 8am-8pm; Oct-April Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-4pm; tel 493-4055 or 1-800/663-5052,
www.penticton.org
) on the north side of town - it has an adjacent BC Wine Information Centre, where bottles cost the same as they do at the vineyards. There is also a smaller summer information office south of town on Hwy 97. Both infocentres concentrate on recreational pursuits, and dozens of specialist shops around town rent out equipment for every conceivable activity. For
bikes
, try Riverside Bike Rental at 75 Riverside Drive on the west side of the lakefront (daily May-Sept).
Although Penticton boasts a brimful of accommodation , it doesn't make finding a room in summer any easier. In high season it's best to head straight for the infocentre and ask for help, and if this fails there are so many motels you can easily walk from one to the next in the hope of striking lucky; most of the cheaper fall-backs line the messy southern approach to the town along Hwy 97. Three of the best and more central choices are the luxurious Penticton Lakeside Resort & Casino , 21 Lakeshore Drive W (tel 493-8221 or 1-800/663-9400; $125-175); Tiki Shores Condominium Beach Resort on the lake at 914 Lakeshore Drive (tel 492-8769; $80-100), and the big Penticton Inn & Suites , 333 Martin St (tel 492-3600 or 1-800/665-2221; $100-125). Dropping down to mid-range places there's the Sandman Hotel , opposite the Convention Centre at 939 Burnaby Ave (tel 493-7151 or 1-800/726-3626, www.sandman.ca ; $60-80). If you're after somewhere cheap and location doesn't matter too much, try the Plaza Motel , 1485 Main St (tel 492-8631; $60-80), halfway between the town's two lakes; the Waterfront Inn , 3688 Parkview St (tel & fax 492-8228 or 1-800/563-6006; $60-80; May to mid-Oct); or the Valley Star Motel , 3455 Skaha Lake Rd (tel 492-7205 or 1-888/309-0033; $60-80), a couple of blocks from Skaha Lake. The HI-affili-ated youth hostel is at 464 Ellis St (tel 492-3992; up to $40), in an old bunk house. Most campsites have their full-up signs out continuously in summer, and you may well have trouble if you arrive without a reservation. The best and therefore busiest sites are along the lake, and the bulk of the second-rank spots are near the highway on the southern approaches. Recommended are the South Beach Gardens , 3815 Skaha Lake Rd (tel 492-0628; $18-24; April-Sept), or Wright's Beach Camp , south of town on Hwy 97 on Lake Skaha (tel 492-7120; $20-30; May-Sept). If you want to camp away from town, make for the Camp-Along Tent and Trailer Park , 6km south of the town off Hwy 97 in an apricot orchard overlooking Skaha Lake (tel 497-5584 or 1-800/968-5267; $18-27).
Budget
eating
choices don't extend much beyond the fast-food joints and cafAŠs bunched largely around Main Street: try the funky
Green Beanz Cafe
, 218 Martin St, for wraps and organic coffee, or head for the
Elite
, 340 Main St, the best overall for basic burgers, soup and salads.
Theo's
at 687 Main St (tel 492-4019) is a friendly, crowded and highly rated Greek place that does big portions. For something different and more upmarket, search out
Salty's Beach House
, 988 Lakeshore Drive (tel 493-5001), a restaurant that's eccentric in all departments with a South Seas setting of palm trees and fishing nets and a spicy menu of Caribbean, Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian food. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Canada,
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