By Lori Bamber, Managing Editor

Your day starts with a sleepy 15-minute golf cart ride to the outdoor yoga platform. A city driver could probably do it in 10, but everyone here is small-town friendly, so your driver may stop a few times to wait for a golfer to tee off or to share a weather report. (“Another beautiful day!” “Sure is!”)

The view from Predator Ridge’s new outdoor yoga deck. supplied

Then, you arrive. The quiet is a presence broken only by birdsong and the sound of your own breathing. Nestled among aromatic Ponderosa pines, the platform overlooks Okanagan Lake, with its infinite shades of blue. Beyond are Terrace and Sugarloaf mountains. It’s a bit like doing yoga in the sky.

Predator Ridge retreats are designed to reenergize as well as pamper and relax, with yoga at the heart of the program. Classes accommodate guests who have never rolled out a mat, as well as more advanced yogis ready to deepen their practice. Whenever the sun shines – and this region gets more than 2,000 hours each year – practice is held here, on the resort’s new 20’ by 46’ cedar yoga deck.

Mission Hill Winery in Kelowna. supplied

After practice, you may be tempted to just stay in your luxuriously comfortable suite in the Lodge, enjoying the grass-scented fresh air and the soothing views of the golf course and mountains from your balcony. But whatever you do, don’t miss a meal.

Predator Ridge executive chef Jeremy Luypen is passionate about farm-to-table food, and partners with local farmers to serve the best of the Okanagan’s renowned produce. The result is the “clean, fresh flavours of food picked in the field that morning, a few minutes away,” he says. “Whether it’s a peach or a tomato or even lettuce, you can taste the range and depth of flavours, the crispness.

“A chef once told me: ‘Let a tomato be a tomato – just go find the best one.’ That’s something I try to stick to – we use what’s around us and in season.”

Both of Predator Ridge’s yoga retreat packages include play and pure pleasure as well. Sweet Spot Yoga, Golf and Nature Retreat guests choose between a stand-up paddleboard excursion on pristine Kalamalka Lake, golf with LPGA tour pro A.J. Eathorne or two-day access to Sparkling Hill’s luxury Euro-style KurSpa. Vino & Vinyasa Retreat guests are treated to a guided wine tour, with an optional KurSpa add-on.

The infinity pool at Sparkling Hill Resort, a five-minute drive from the Lodge. supplied

Free time on the schedule ensures that you can tweak your experience to include whatever it is you need to fully relax and recharge. A hike along the resort’s hiking trails, with glorious views at every turn? Check. A bike ride into Vernon to visit the farmer’s market? No problem. An afternoon by the outdoor pool with a book in hand? You got it.

If you can stay longer, consider making Predator Ridge your home base for an extended tour of some of the more than 200 wineries in the region, or to participate in the lake sports that first made the Okanagan a vacation destination.

If you’re into biking, bicycles are available for rent onsite. The resort has just extended its 12 kilometres of trails to link to Ellison Provincial Park, which has a network of 21 kilometres of biking trails, says Susan Morris, the resort’s fitness centre manager. “A lot of people also pick up mountain bikes here and take them to the Kettle Valley trestles, which are about a 45-minute drive away.

“Everything is right here,” she says.

COME BACK, STAY LONGER

Predator Ridge Resort is one of those places that is just very hard to leave. But what if you didn’t have to?

While you’re here, take a look at the “resort-ready” homes available for sale. Or – if you have children still at home or a workplace to go to each day – consider fractional ownership, an easy, cost-effective way to start experiencing life’s next chapter.
Overlooking the second tee of the celebrated Ridge Course, each 1,545-square-foot Tips home includes two master bedrooms with four-piece ensuite bathrooms, a private pool and hot tub, and access to the resort’s fitness centre.

When you’re ready to work remotely or retire, you have the option of applying your investment toward the value of a new Predator Ridge home within five years of purchase.

The Tips fractional ownership starts at $44,900. Each owner enjoys a minimum of four weeks of residence each year, with an option to activate enhanced golf membership privileges. And unlike time-share properties, Tips owners own freehold title to their property.

For more information or to schedule a tour, visit PredatorRidge.com.

Summer retreats deliver the Okanagan’s healing magic