Dining in the Fluff

edited by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

At Tigh-Na-Mara, Dinner is a Casual Affair when Dining in the Fluff. While that might conjure images of four-course feasting amid the clouds, at Vancouver Island’s Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa & Conference Centre, it’s an experience that’s decidedly more down to earth.

Swathed in chenille robes, guests to the Grotto Spa can nosh on some of the resort’s most delectable menu items at the Treetop Tapas & Grill. And thanks to the restaurant’s focus on spa cuisine-inspired tapas, your menu promises to be both a hearty and healthy indulgence. With smaller portion sizes, you can sample a select few, or spend hours tantalizing the tastebuds with Endless Tapas. Now, back to those robes. The Grotto provides the fluff (the Treetop is reserved exclusively for robed spa guests), ensuring a warm and fuzzy mode of sampling that seared thyme scented scallop with roasted red pepper and corn coulis or munching on the chef’s signature grilled lamb chop with mint au jus and a roasted vegetable and goat cheese ragout. Featuring local flavours, and snugly ensconced by views of the forest, the dining experience promises to be worlds away from the bustle of every day life.

Post-menu, there’s plenty of pampering to be had at the Grotto. Scrubs, wraps, massages… minerals, oils and seaweed. With a bounty of products offered up by the sea, not to mention a multitude of experts primed to primp, a Grotto escape will feed every appetite. Serene sleeps await in the resort’s host of accommodation options – including spa bungalows, private log cottages and ocean view condominiums - ensuring that relaxation play more than a supporting role during your stay.

And should you wish to take it outside (with these kind of indoor pleasures, you might wish to re-consider), the resort’s surroundings showcase plenty of pursuits. Nearby Horne Lake Caves offer an array of cavernous excursions, complete with geological insight, to suit all activity levels. And let’s not forget the endless stretches of beaches or the 800-year-old cedars that populate the majestic Cathedral Grove. You can always head back for even more endless tapas.

Is it time you dined in the fluff? www.tigh-na-mara.com

If you like fluffy things in the winter besides snow, you might enjoy reading this
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/December07/4550Fluffly.html

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