Review: Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos, Hyatt Unbound Collection

Room Type
One-Bedroom Lake View Villa with Two Queen Beds
Elite Status
Hyatt Globalist
Date
June 2021
Rating

During our time in Osoyoos, the southernmost part of the Okanagan Valley, we had the opportunity to stay at the Spirit Ridge Resort under the Unbound Collection by Hyatt.

I found the resort to be very well-suited for families, and it would make for an enjoyable weekend or even a three- to four-night stay. 

The resort sits on a hillside overlooking Osoyoos Lake, Canada’s warmest lake. It is actually part of a larger resort complex, Nk’Mip Resort, which is located on the land of the Osoyoos Indian Band who owns it. The Nk’Mip Resort also includes a campground, RV park, beach, golf course, winery and cultural centre. 

Nk’Mip resort complex

World of Hyatt Loyalty Program

To be honest, I never paid much attention to Hyatt properties before the pandemic. I had focused most of my efforts on achieving and maintaining status with Marriott Bonvoy, which meant it was rare I would deviate from the brand.

The pandemic changed that. With no organic way to achieve status given the lack of travel, loyalty programs automatically extended elite status and reduced the normal thresholds needed to maintain and achieve status. 

World of Hyatt was no different. At the end of 2020, they launched their Bonus Journeys promotion, in which top-tier Globalist status, normally achieved after staying 60 nights, could be achieved by only staying 15 nights. 

World of Hyatt has a reputation for being one of the best loyalty programs, especially in its treatment of top-tier members. When I fulfilled the elite requirements to maintain my husband’s Marriott Titanium status through February 2023 and a cheap mattress run opportunity for Hyatt presented itself, I jumped on the bandwagon. 

Initially, I had no plans to stay in Osoyoos. However, when I was booking our Hyatt stay in Vancouver, Spirit Ridge Resort popped up in my search as another Hyatt property in British Columbia. What really intrigued me was that despite costing over $400 per night, it was only a Category 3 hotel, which meant I could redeem my Category 1–4 Free Night Award here (another perk of my mattress run).

We were heading to Kelowna anyway, and it looked like a decent resort, so I booked it. 

(I could have redeemed my Free Night Award in Vancouver, but at $427 for the night, Spirit Ridge made for a much better redemption.) 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Booking

The booking process was not as simple as I had hoped. My initial search for two nights online showed no availability for any dates in July or August.

I called in to double check and it turned out that during popular travel periods, Spirit Ridge enforces a three to four-night minimum stay policy. This wasn’t posted on their website, so just something to keep in mind if you’re booking for this summer or the next.

During the summer months, nightly rates can be over $400, but outside of that peak travel time, a room can be booked for under $200. I was able to book a one-bedroom condo with two queen beds and a sofa bed for $379 per night for two nights, and then applied my Free Night Award to our third night. 

Whereas Marriott makes it quite easy to apply a Free Night Award online, for Hyatt you need to call into the reservations line to use a certificate within a multi-night booking. They have to manually adjust your booking and attach it.

Ricky has covered in-depth how he has scored some pretty nice upgrades with Marriott in the past, especially using the chat feature. Unfortunately, there is no chat function built into Hyatt’s app to use the same tactic. 

I was prepared to take my chances at check-in; however, when I happened to call the hotel the night before to inquire about whether pool reservations were necessary, I took the opportunity to inquire about a room upgrade with the agent.

To my surprise, he informed me that he was just about to review reservations for the next day. He normally checks and assigns possible upgrades for elites the night prior to check-in. Since I was on the phone with him already, he was happy to go through my upgrade options with me. 

We had booked a One-Bedroom Condo, the lowest room category available. He offered to upgrade us a few categories up to a One-Bedroom Lake View Villa with Two Queen Beds and a sofa bed, which, short of a penthouse, was the best one-bedroom option they had and was booking at the time for $649. I was quite happy with the upgrade and was left with a great first impression already. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Arrival

Driving in, you can see the large resort complex from the dirt road that leads up the hill and past its vineyard. Check-in is in the resort’s main building, which was modern, bright, and open, and also houses the main restaurant. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Entrance
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Main lobby

The staff thanked me for my loyalty as a Globalist member, confirmed my upgrade, gave me my breakfast vouchers, a couple of bottles of water, and wristbands for all guests. Parking was free, with outdoor and indoor lots. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Property Layout

Before I give you a review of my accommodations, let me briefly explain the options. The resort has 226 condos, suites, and villas. All accommodations have a minimum of 55 square metres of space, a balcony with a BBQ, full kitchen, dining area and sitting area.

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Resort map

Even the most basic One-Bedroom Condo can accommodate up to six guests (if booked with two queen beds as opposed to a single king bed). These features make it an ideal resort for families who may otherwise opt to stay in an Airbnb rather than a hotel.

  • Condos are one-bedroom suites. They do not have a washer and dryer, whereas suites and villas do. 
  • Suites refer to their two and three-bedroom suites. 
  • Villas come in one and two-bedroom options and provide more space than their condo and suite counterparts. 
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Desert Suites, located right behind the lake view villas
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Lavender and Sumac Suites, located at the back of the resort, near the family pool

Lake view options exist for all three accommodation types; however, the lake view villas are the closest to Osoyoos Lake and offer the best unobstructed views of the vineyard and lake beyond it.

Lake view villas on the ground floor offer a small outdoor tub on their patio, as do corner suites and condos. Note, this is not a pool, but literally a very small tub that can seat two people. The patio is a bit more spacious on the ground floor as well.

Lake view villas on the second floor are not wheelchair accessible.

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Shiraz villas

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – One-Bedroom Lake View Villa

We were located in the Shiraz building. I was quite impressed with our One-Bedroom Lake View Villa.

The decor was traditional, but it was clean and spacious. Having an ensuite washer and dryer that came with detergent was very convenient. The kitchen was fully stocked with everything we needed. The dining table was set for four, but you can easily pull an extra chair from the desk to seat a family of five. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Lake view villas
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – One-Bedroom Lake View Villa seating and dining area
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – One-Bedroom Lake View Villa full kitchen

There were two bathrooms in the unit, each with a toilet and either a shower or bathtub, which made for shorter wait times to get everyone bathed.

There is a TV in the bedroom and one in the seating area, but they are not smart TVs, so no Netflix, unfortunately. Another shortcoming was a lack of USB charging ports in the room, so make sure to bring your own. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – One-Bedroom Lake View Villa bedroom with two queen beds
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – One-Bedroom Lake View Villa bathroom

Outside, there was a small patio with BBQ and a small dining set that could seat four. What really blew me away was the view. The vineyards with its rows and rows of vines were just within a few feet of us, and beyond that was Osoyoos Lake, with the sun just peeking over the mountain tops beyond that. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – One-Bedroom Lake View Villa outdoor patio with “tub” and BBQ
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – View from patio

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Dining

The resort’s main restaurant, The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have patio and indoor seating options.

We had the opportunity to have breakfast and dinner here. It’s a good idea to make reservations (even for breakfast) beforehand if you’re travelling during peak season, as when we were there, they were booked up for the next few days. (If you book through OpenTable, you can even earn earn points for your reservations!)

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry restaurant

For Globalists, breakfast is included for two adults and up to two children, and includes a main dish and drink for each person. Although their menu is a bit limited, the food was good. At the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, they extended the complimentary breakfast to my third child as well, but here, they did not. 

The breakfast menu was as follows:

And the kids’ breakfast menu was as follows:

Breakfast vouchers can also be redeemed at Market, a small cafe with an outdoor dining area that serves beverages, snacks, and sandwiches. The cafe is open only from 7am–1:30pm, except on Friday and Saturday nights when it also serves pizza from 2pm–8pm. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Market
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Market

If you’re spending most of the day on the resort’s beachfront, then you could check out their second restaurant, Footprints Beach Bar & Grill, which serves more casual Caribbean fare.

Nk’Mip Cellars, located next to the main building, also has their own outdoor patio restaurant that is open from 11:30am–4pm, weather permitting. 

If you’re looking for more options, then drive 5–10 minutes into town for a variety of fast food or sit-down restaurants. One particularly family-friendly restaurant is Campo Marina Italian Restaurant. It is quite a busy place and they only take reservations at 5 and 5:30pm; otherwise it’s first come, first served.

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Activities & Facilities

Pools. Spirit Ridge has two outdoor pool areas: the family pool that is open to all ages, and an adult-only pool. Both pools are open from 7am–10pm. The family pool is massive and has a waterslide (which unfortunately was not operational due to the pandemic), a sauna, and a hot tub in the area. It can get busy, especially since we were there during the heatwave.

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Family pool
Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Family hot tub

The resort does offer a few cabanas off to the side of the pool if you prefer a bit more privacy. These can be rented for a half day or full day for a small cost. Cabanas come with a few snacks (chips, granola bars, etc.) and a fridge stocked with a few bottles of water and cold wet towels. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Cabana rentals

The adult-only pool and hot tub are located in front of the main building and overlook the vineyard and the lake. It is quite relaxing to just sit by the poolside and enjoy a good read or just take in the scenery from there. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Adult-only pool that overlooks Osoyoos

Gyms. There are two gyms, each located next to the pools. They each have a few cardio machines. The one located by the family pool is open 24 hours.

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Cardio gym

Solterra Desert Spa. I unfortunately did not have a chance to see this facility during our stay. They are a full service spa, offering facial, nail and body treatments, in addition to salon services and are open 9am-6pm daily.

Sonora Dunes Golf Course. Also located onsite is a 18-hole, par-35, 2523 yard golf course. Rates are available for 9-hole and 18-hole rounds, as are cart and club rentals.  

Nk’Mip Cultural Desert Centre. This centre features a small indoor section with interpretive displays, videos and even a few snakes on display, and an outdoor section which includes a 1km nature trail down to a reconstructed village. The trails are fairly well maintained and easy for even toddlers, however, strollers may struggle at some parts of the trail. Those with mobility issues can request for a ride in a golf cart, however it is subject to staff availability.

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre

Nk’Mip Cellars. Located right next to the main building, Nk’Mip Cellars is the first North American indigenous-owned winery. They offer booked experiences throughout the day, starting at $5 per person for just the tasting bar, to $25–45 per person if done with food pairings.    

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Nk’Mip Cellars tasting bar

Riding stables. Indian Grove Riding Stables is located just down the main road to the resort and offers trail rides through the Osoyoos desert. The stables did not appear the most well-kept but did get decent reviews online. 

Beach. The resort has a small beach on Osoyoos Lake. It is about a 10–15 minute walk to the beach from the resort along a dirt pathway. Alternatively, during the summer, the resort offers a shuttle that runs back and forth from the main building to the beach throughout the day. 

Spirit Ridge beachfront, a bit of a letdown

To be honest, the beachfront is not very impressive. If there’s one thing the resort could improve on, it would be this.

It is a very small area separated by a wooden fence from a much larger beach used by guests of the campgrounds and RV park. I would much rather use that beach, or head into town for some nicer beaches.

Nonetheless, my kids still enjoyed their time there. The beach is a bit rocky and there are a few scattered lounge chairs along it for guests to use. 

Wakepilot, a watersport rental company, is situated right at the beach, which is convenient for boat, kayak, seadoo, and paddleboard rentals. Footprints Beach Bar & Grill is also located right by the beach. It was closed due to the heat wave when we were there, so unfortunately I can’t say much about it. 

Spirit Ridge Resort Osoyoos – Wakepilot rentals

Conclusion

Spirit Ridge Resort was a pleasant, fun, and relaxing experience for our family, especially when the heatwave hit and we just needed an indoor retreat.

We couldn’t have asked for better accommodations; it was spacious, comfortable, and had all the amenities we needed to make it our home away from home. It makes for a great getaway for a few nights.

Needless to say, I was quite impressed with my treatment as a Hyatt Globalist member at Spirit Ridge. This stay alone has paid off the cost of my Hyatt mattress run, and I’m frankly surprised it is only a World of Hyatt Category 3 property.

With not too many other Hyatt properties in Canada, it makes for a good option to burn a Free Night Award if staying during the summer when rates are high. As border restrictions continue to be lifted, I look forward to building on this experience and testing out my Globalist status internationally in the future.

16 Comments
  1. don

    I am an owner at Spirit Ridge, at least I hope I still am, with the fires in BC, and have a couple of comments. First I have enjoyed the wine tasting at the winery.
    Second, I believe there is quite a bit of variety in the accommodations. Both of my units are one bedroom (suites?) and have washers and dryers. One is in the Lavender building and overlooks the golf course and the mountain with 2 queens. I believe it is about 60 sq meters. The second is a top floor corner unit in the Cactus building with one king. I believe it is about 90 sq meters. It has a wrap around porch and a panoramic view of the lake, winery and golf course which IMO is better than that available from the villas. I am pretty sure rental rates are not the same for the 2 units.

    1. Amy YYZ

      Thanks Don for the info on the other rooms! Always nice to have someone else who has stayed in other rooms for the firsthand experience.

  2. Rachel

    Great review! We’ve stayed at Spirit Ridge a handful of times and really enjoyed it. I’ve been eying trying to get into the Hyatt game but we don’t frequent many of their hotels (Marriott loyal) and I keep getting rejected for the CSP. And we mostly book Spirit Ridge using Hotels.com gift cards or Save On More points.

  3. Kenny

    Great informative review. Will have to check it out soon

    What are the rates they charge for the Cabana’s?

    1. Amy YYZ

      Yeap, I can confirm the rates have not changed as I was quoted the same.

    2. Rachel

      We have stayed at this resort a few times and it was $60 for a half day, $120 for the full day. IMO it was worth it for the shade and space in high season.

      1. Amy YYZ

        Yeap, I can confirm the rates have not changed as I was quoted the same.

  4. Brian

    Where did you do your mattress run? There is another potential Hyatt global status challenge and thinking of giving it a try.

    1. Amy YYZ

      Brazil, but it was an a bit of an exceptional circumstance. Most people I know used the Hyatt place in Mississauga.

  5. CP

    Great Review Amy. I’m really loving these articles / ideas for family travel within Canada this year. Just to add – I hear some travellers have been able to book a 4-7 night stay online at Hyatt resorts and then later trim that reservation to fewer nights. It’s a useful strategy when a resort has a minimum night requirement for points bookings.

  6. JL

    Thanks for the review, although I wish there were more pics of the room.
    Other than the view, I can’t really see the difference between the villa you stayed in and a suite in one of the main buildings.
    Is the view the only difference?

    1. Amy YYZ

      All the room photos in the post are of the One-Bedroom Villa with 2 queens and sofabed. Unfortunately, most hotels (especially with covid) will not allow you into a room that you are not otherwise booked in, so I couldn’t take any photos of the other rooms. I believe the set up is similar for condos and suites but as mentioned in the post, the space is less. For example, a one-bedroom condo is only 55 sq m, whereas our one-bedroom villa was 75 sq m. Hope this helps.

      1. JL

        Thanks for the additional explanation Amy, it’s very helpful.
        Too bad they won’t let us take pictures of other rooms these days!

  7. jovin

    Thank you for this. I look forward to visiting when we are there in October. Did you happen to do the tasting at the winery and if so how was the experience?

    It it also part of the Unbound brand so an interesting Canadian way to get another checkmark towards the Brand Explorer free night award.

  8. Santiago

    Great Article
    I really love the articles as they are relevant for me as a traveler with a family

  9. Oz

    Boom another home run. I am even tempted to consider this place – of not for the snake colouring pages alone. I need to think more about Hyatt now.

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