B.C.'s Kelowna is disappointing



Giant homes are cropping up in the wine fields of B.C.



Few of the 100 countries I've visited in the past 20 years have ever disappointed me. That's not to say I've liked every destination. In fact, I hope one day the Tower of Pisa falls so tourists like me no longer get robbed by the greedy, annoying merchants who line the walkways leading to Italy's famous landmark. And I don't care if I ever again set eyes on Barcelona - the food almost killed me (food poisoning) and I discovered that the words "Gaudi" and "gaudy" are one in the same. But I never thought I'd be telling you that a Canadian location disappointed me. Especially one that has been described as being "one of the most beautiful places on Earth", by a Toronto Star travel writer.

But I saw very little beauty in Kelowna, the British Columbia wine-growing region that's often been called "Kelownafornia" because it's supposed to rival California's Napa Valley for beauty.

Sorry, I've been to the Napa Valley and Kelowna is no Napa Valley. In fact, Ontario's Niagara wine growing region is far more appealing than Kelowna's.

There's not much to like in a place where hundreds of Neon signs greet you as you enter from West Kelowna; strip malls dominate the main street running through town; and where vineyards are being overrun by giant homes that should be on the Bridal Path.

Wine growers in Kelowna are selling off their prized vineyards to developers, so fields that once swept down to lovely Lake Okanagan, now take a detour around giant homes and create an ugly view.

Okay, I must admit the lake and the mountains that surround it are beautiful; the golf courses, especially Predator Ridge, are spectacular; and recently-opened Sparkling Hills Resort - the best vacation property in Canada, it says here - are still pretty good reasons to take a direct flight from Toronto to Kelowna; but don't expect to see Tuscany-type views here.