Located in Harrison Mills at 14282 Morris Valley Road, the Sandpiper Resort and Golf Course is an eco-focused facility just steps from the Harrison River.
The resort is about an hour and a half drive from Vancouver or about 20 minutes from Harrison Hot Springs. It’s also just a short drive from the Kilby Historic Site.
The Sandpiper Resort on the Harrison River
The Sandpiper Resort and Golf Course is a large resort set on 160 acres of property. Features include a historic inn, cabins, a restaurant and a highly-rated golf course.
The Sandpiper was originally owned by the Pretty family, which is where many of the rooms and buildings get their names. In 1995 the main building was converted into a bed and breakfast and the 18-hole golf course was built. It was originally called the Pretty Estate Resort, but was rebranded in 2016 as the Sandpiper.
Hotel and Cabin Details
When staying at the Sandpiper Resort guests can choose between staying at Rowena’s Inn on the River or the cabins close by. Breakfast is included with a stay in any room. There’s also a pool located right next to Rowena’s Inn.
Even if you don’t play golf, the resort is a fabulous place for a getaway. We’ve stayed there, in one of their cabins, and highly recommend it. It’s a great place to pamper yourself. The cabins are luxurious – even their “rustic ones” – and we understand that Rowena’s Inn is beautiful too (although when we stayed it was being used as the set for a Hallmark movie and so we couldn’t check it out. We hope to stay in a room there one day too.
The Hotel at the Sandpiper
Rowena’s Inn is the historic building on-site and it features half a dozen rooms all named after children of the Pretty Family. Guests can stay in Betty-Anne’s Room, Charlie’s Room, Ivan’s Room, Pete’s Room, Rowena’s Room or the Gatehouse. All six rooms are beautiful and very comfortable.
Cabins at the Sandpiper Resort
Close to Rowena’s Inn are the cabins. There are 11 different cabins on-site – four rustic cottages and seven new luxury nature cabins. All the cabins are built in the rustic style with outdoor patios to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
Rustic Cabins are all one bedroom and feature wood-burning fireplaces, jacuzzi-soaker tubs and heated floors. They’re named after other members of the Pretty Family: the Carol-Anne, Fenn, Nelson and Phyllis cabins. When we stayed at the Sandpiper in the fall of 2019 we stayed in Fenn. Although classified as “rustic,” we thought it was pretty salubrious! We loved it!
The new Luxury Nature Cabins are situated right next to the Rustic Cabins and feature many of the same amenities. They range in size from one to three bedrooms and are named after the wildlife and salmon that are indigenous to the area. Guests can stay in the Coho or Heron (one-bedroom cabins), Raven, Osprey or Eagle (two-bedroom cabins), or Kermode or Chinook (three-bedroom cabins).
All Luxury cabins come equipped with either a kitchenette or full kitchen, bathrooms with modern touches and a living area with a gas fireplace and a flat screen TV.
Dining at the Sandpiper Resort
There are two dining options available at the Sandpiper: the Clubhouse Restaurant and Rowena’s Inn on the River.
The Clubhouse Restaurant is the main dining option available at the resort. It’s a casual restaurant, serves West Coast-inspired dishes and features beautiful views of the golf course and the Harrison River.
Hours of operation for the Clubhouse are usually from 8 am to 8 pm Sunday to Thursday and from 8 am to 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Breakfast is served every day until 11 am and the restaurant features a special “Sunday Brunch” every Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. The restaurant, similar to the golf course, is open 364 days a year.
Rowena’s Inn on the River is open for specialty dining once a month. The “Step Back In Time” dining event takes place in the 1920s-themed Upper Drawing Room in the Inn and features a special four-course menu. This is a formal event.
Click Clubhouse Restaurant or Rowena’s Inn for more details.
Sandpiper Golf Course
The Golf Course at the Sandpiper Resort is open almost every day of the year (except Christmas Day). It’s very highly rated too – it has frequently been voted the number one golf course in the Fraser Valley!
The golf course consists of a full 18 holes with four sets of tees for people of all playing abilities. The course is par 72 and 6500 yards long. (Note: The golf course is restricted to soft spike only in order to protect the grass.)
One unique feature of the golf course is the signature hole – the fifteenth hole has the imprint of a Sasquatch footstep! This hole is par 5 and 486 yards.
The Sandpiper Resort also has its own full-service Pro Shop. Here guests can purchase golf gear, or use the shower and locker facilities.
Golfers can also download the Sandpiper Golf Course app. The app enables golfers to book tee times, see details about the course, score their game and more.
Click Sandpiper Resort Golf Course for the golf course’s official website.
Special Events at the Resort
The Sandpiper Resort runs several seasonal events throughout the year, including the annual Salmon Run and Bald Eagle Gathering. A number of festivals also take place at nearby Harrison Hot Springs at various times of the year, including the Harrison Uncorked Wine Festival (in which the Sandpiper participates).
The resort hosts its own events from time to time, including brunches on Sundays and special occasions in the Clubhouse Restaurant.
Below we provide descriptions of these various events.
Other Harrison Hot Springs Events
Events at Harrison Hot Springs include Sasquatch Days in June, the Harrison Festival of the Arts in July, Bands on the Beach in September and Lights by the Lake from late November until January. If staying at the Sandpiper Resort when any of these are happening you’ll want to drive into town and check them out.
Family-friendly events also take place at nearby Kilby Farm at special times of the year including at Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving and Halloween. The historic site is located at 215 Kilby Road in Harrison Mills which is just a 5-minute drive from the Sandpiper property and 25 minutes from Harrison Hot Springs.
Other Events at the Sandpiper
The Sandpiper Resort is a popular place for private events like weddings and family reunions. It’s also a great spot for Sunday brunches in the Clubhouse Restaurant. The public is also welcome to enjoy their brunches on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and other special holidays.
For information about other events at the resort, including their Longtable Dinner on the First Tee some years, see the Sandpiper Events page.
Tips & Advice
Below are some suggestions to help you make the most out of your visit to the Sandpiper Resort & Golf Course.
TIP #1: Any time of year is a good time to visit the resort. The golf course is open 364 days a year (except for when there is snow on the ground). In winter you can use the place as a base for skiing and other snow sports at nearby Sasquatch Mountain, and year-round as a base for exploring the Harrison Hot Springs region. Spring is beautiful, summer is stunning and in fall there are the autumn colours, spawning salmon and thousands of eagles.
TIP #2: If you like golf, the Sandpiper Golf Course is a good place to play. It’s in a scenic location – right beside the Harrison River – and it’s rated as one of the best in the Fraser Valley.
TIP #3: The Sandpiper sometimes offers special rates and deals including ski and golf packages. Click Sandpiper Packages to see what’s currently being offered.
TIP #4: Go on a boat tour if you can, either on Harrison Lake in the summer or up the Harrison River in the fall. We’ve been on tours with Shoreline Cruises and Harrison Eco Tours and loved them both.
TIP #5: In addition to the golf and simply relaxing at the resort, be sure to explore the area. Kilby Historic Site is just down the road, and nearby Harrison Hot Springs is a “must-see” destination with a beautiful beach, a public hot springs pool, restaurants and nearby parks to explore.
Other Information
For more details see the official Sandpiper Resort and Golf Course website.
For information about other things to do in the area check out any of the following:
Events in the area include the following:
- Lights by the Lake – Christmas Light displays in Harrison Hot Springs from late November until January.
- Harrison Uncorked – a wine festival in April that features over a dozen different wineries and fancy set dinners at area restaurants (including at Rowena’s Inn on the River or the Clubhouse at the Sandpiper Resort).
- Sasquatch Days – a weekend of war canoe races, Indigenous performances and a salmon barbecue at Harrison Hot Springs in June.
- Harrison Festival of the Arts – over a week of live music performances and art displays at Harrison Hot Springs in July.
- Bands on the Beach – a weekend of live music on the Labour Day Weekend in September.
- Harrison Beer Fest – an Oktoberfest event showcasing BC craft beers in October.
- Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival – opportunities to observe one of the world’s largest migratory gatherings of bald eagles at various locations along the Harrison River (including at the Sandpiper Resort) in November.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Top Lower Mainland Golf Courses
- Romantic Getaway to Harrison Hot Springs in Autumn
- Lower Mainland Festivals & Events
- Best Parks and Places in Nature
- Best Places in Autumn
