June Adventure: Father's Day Family Escapade to the Sunshine Coast

A friend of my daughter's mentioned to us one day that she would be visiting Halfmoon Bay for the weekend. Being such a stickler for discovering new places to explore, I googled the place as soon as we got home. Oh, boy! There's sooo much to explore alright!


So I decided to make a Sunshine Coast family trip for Father's Day. On June 17, we drove to Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal and got aboard the "Queen of Surrey." For our family of 6, we only paid for 2 adults and 3 kids (our youngest got in for free), plus our van, all for just $90 - round trip. Yep, that covers the return trip as well, no need to buy tickets again on the way back to Vancouver.


As soon as we docked at Langdale, I told my hubby to drive us to Gibsons. I didn't have an exact address to go by, we just followed the driving instructions I've researched online. it was not hard to find though. Off of the main road from the ferry terminal, there was a road sign pointing to Gibsons. The giveaway was the oceanview on our left (if you don't see the ocean on your left, you're on the wrong road!).

Molly's Reach Restaurant was the first landmark that greeted us. It was the same restaurant featured in the TV series, "The Beachcombers." We headed a bit more up the road towards 101North and parked on the side road (parking was free). We walked towards the harbour admiring the moored boats as well as the houseboats on the marina. 

By this time, we were already hungry as we only had coffee for breakfast, so we grabbed a bite at Truffles. I've read good reviews online about this cafe and those reviews were all correct. Everything was obviously made from scratch. We ordered carrot soup, cream of broccoli soup, feta cheese and salmon quiche, choco chip cookies, lemon squares and brownies. Everything was yummy, but my fave of all were the lemon squares :)

After eating, we walked south of the harbour where the Sunday Market was set up. Further along, across from the elementary school was an ampitheater. We checked it out, took some family photos and circled our way back to where we parked the van.

Next up, we went to Trail Bay. We were anticipating miles of sandy beaches but the tide was high when we came so instead of playing in the sand, my kids played at the playground. We also walked up to the pier and had a vista of the beachfront from the water. This area was a prime residential area with houses on our right and condominium buildings on our left. Finally, we walked to the pebbled beach and the kids scoured for smooth stones to throw in the ocean and wooden sticks to play with.

It was already 2PM. With only an hour to spare before our check-in time at our cottage, we tried to squeeze in one more park to visit for the day: Sargeant Bay. It was the opposite of Trail Bay. Instead of the open ocean, the park was situated in a small cove. This would be the perfect spot  if you needed a quiet place to while away time.

There were some houses on the beachfront of Sargeant Bay and I was almost sure that some of them were B&Bs. There were a lot of accommodation options in the Sunshine Coast: B&Bs, cabins, campgrounds, hotels, cottages, etc. We chose to stay in a cottage. I was set on renting a beachfront cottage initially, but totally changed my mind when I came across the Secret Cottage on the Treetops. BEST. DECISION. EVER.

The cottage has a modern flair to it and the owners tastefully decorated the place with their personal touches. It was impeccably clean and quite new, with amenities that are perfect for fun time :)

This sweet little spot was a piece of paradise. We spent our days making smores by the real wood stove, eating, playing,  canoeing, lounging, dipping in the hot tub, enjoying the outdoor shower, watching movies, hiking, sleeping - aahhh! 

On our last day, we explored Porpoise Bay Park and another beach on the Sechelt area. Porpoise Bay had it all: picnic tables, playground area, white sandy beach, shallow tide pools, grassy areas and benches that faced the ocean. After the kids played, we checked the water - it was icy cold, or as my daughters would call it, "hypothermic cold." This park was the perfect place to watch float planes come and go, watch geese swim, or admire some of the million-dollar homes of the Sunshine Coast.

Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at The Gumboot Cafe on Roberts Creek. This was a cute find. There was a spa, restaurant, library, sorbet place, and some other little stores in the middle of this town. The Gumboot Cafe was very popular, as they offer vegetarian options (all their soups were) and gluten-free cookies. The pepperoni pizzas and subs were a hit with the kiddos, while me and hubby enjoyed potato soup, pakoras, spanakopita and their very moist carrot cake with cream cheese icing (yum!).

After that hearty lunch, off we went to our last hurrah for the day: Davis Bay. We passed by this awesome beach a couple of times already and I told my hubby that if we could make time for it, I would want us to go back - so we did. And were we glad we did! The water was crystal clear and it enticed the kiddos to change into their breezers to enjoy its warm temps. My hubby was ecstatic to see three eagles flying around and perching on the nearby tall trees. As for me? I was ecstatic to see the Lighthouse food truck :)

Ever a die-hard fan of seafood, I would not shy away from fish and chips. I ordered the 2-piece from Lighthouse and was surprised at the huge serving! I was still pretty full by the time our ferry left for the 6PM sailing back to Horseshoe Bay that I declined my hubby's offer of ice cream. Instead, I settled in my seat and looked out at the gorgeous islands passing us by. I got out my camera one more time and took one last shot of Langdale as we sailed away.