By ISABEL NANTON
Special to The Globe and Mail
Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - Page R7

The first clue that the new Alive Resort and Spa is a sweet spot is the sight of an elderly farmer hang-gliding in the warm thermals above the property. Tucked into the Monashee Mountains about an hour's drive from Kelowna, B.C., Alive opened its doors in February, and the resort is all about achieving wellness through a combination of peerless mountain scenery, fresh air, organic food and spa treatments. Mix in some local whimsy -- embodied by the brightly coloured hammocks strung sporadically between conifers -- and the result has a healthy flavour all of its own.

Ambiance
Even the local wildlife seems relaxed. Deer graze around the tidy vegetable garden, moving only when doused with a water hose for attempting to nibble the chartreuse amaranth. Hummingbirds buzz around wildflowers while guests meditate in the garden pergola. Portraits of health gurus Harvey Kellogg and Ellen White smile a benign welcome in the entrance hall.

Design
The décor borders on Bavarian, with dormers overlooking mountain views and a badminton lawn. Interior public spaces feature muted walls studded with the occasional black-and-white photograph. Snug nooks contain comfortable chairs nestled up to a wellness library. Flanking the ground-level spa is a bright, low-key lecture room where staff can be seen discreetly dusting off plastic body parts in preparation for an evening discussion on the body's circulatory system.

Rooms
Recently renovated and redecorated, all 12 rooms ooze calm, comfort, composure and tranquillity. Most feature valley views, and there are no radios, televisions or telephones, enabling guests to properly disconnect. Personally, I enjoyed the lack of white noise. Crack the window, and in pours some of that champagne air that characterizes higher altitudes.

Clientele
Guests range from artists to corporate denizens. While their professions and lifestyles may vary widely, they share a desire to cherish and revive their health, using the "natural doctors" of exercise, water, nutrition, rest, abstinence, fresh air, sunlight and emotional trust.

Food and drink
What's not to love about quesadillas brimming with fresh corn and black beans for supper, accompanied by soy sour cream and salad mere seconds after being picked? A buffet of lavish platters of fresh Okanagan fruit complement all meals.

The cuisine at Alive revolves around an all-plant base diet, non-stimulant (no alcohol or caffeinated drinks) menu that wins converts through great taste and texture.

Most guests leave with a copy of the cookbook The Best of Silver Hills Delicious Health Cuisine, by Eileen Brewer, who helms the Alive kitchen, and her daughter, Debbie. Therere are lots of goodies, too -- brownies, cheesecakes, pizzas, carob and coconut pies -- with nary an egg or dairy product in sight.

Treatments
On arrival, patrons receive individual "Health Book" binders. The Alive program encourages self-assessment for all aches and pains, then promotes a daily program that includes regular après-meal walks (to enhance circulation) and evening wellness talks. Health education is key, with Tuesday laughter workshops a highlight.

Aveda products are used for spa treatments, which include hot-rock massage, herbal body wraps, facials, and foot and hand treatments.

Guests can sign up for a float in the Epsom salt-loaded deprivation tank, where a half hour passes in the blink of an eye.

Service
Have a health question? The employees are keen to help, and are attentive yet not intrusive. Kitchen staff even invite guests to check out the preparation of all those vegan delights.

Things to do
Early settlers first forded the Shuswap River below the Alive Resort in 1895. Today, guests float on rafts down the calm waters, pulling up on an occasional sandbar -- under the beady eyes of the ubiquitous bald eagles -- to wet a fly line or source wood-carving materials. Corn Creek runs through the property, providing the resort with hydroelectricity and delivering a hearty dose of negative ions in the form of waterfall therapy for guests who arrive at Alive with a touch of the blues.

Walking trails radiate out from the lodge, some leading to dramatic viewpoints, while others, such as a 25-kilometre circuit, take in views of ranchers' fields and the occasional sighting of a black bear's rump disappearing through a field of wild daisies.

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