A 25 Year Old Dream
Can you think of a place you’ve visited at one point in your life that holds special meaning to you? Could it be a childhood vacation you went on with your family? Do you revisit the memories you made often? Getting to relive those memories, make new ones, and visit that place again can be the ultimate dream. This is the experience of one of our guests, Jordan Alperin.
Jordan has had the unique opportunity to go on vacation at 16 and revisit that same place 25 years later…and that place is Nimmo Bay. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to hear Jordan’s story firsthand and learn about the over two decade long lead up to his return to the resort.
A Nimmo Trip in 1997
Over the years, Nimmo Bay had become the stuff of legends to Jordan’s wife and children. The stories he’d tell about the trip of a lifetime he took at 16 were hyperbole by 2022. This trip he speaks so highly of happened back in 1997, when Jordan’s dad brought him on a father-son vacation to Nimmo Bay.
As a teenager, Jordan had gone to adventure camps and went on backpacking trips in Canada. With those past experiences he figured he knew what Nimmo Bay might be like. However, nothing prepared him for the awe he experienced. From the first moment taking off in the helicopter flying over the Great Bear Rainforest, he was captivated.
“It was nothing like I had never experienced before, the outdoors and the wilderness. And the sense of being super small, like the way that it felt for me at Nimmo”.
The vast expanses of wilderness surrounding the resort create an unparalleled, full sensory experience, and Jordan learned that firsthand.
The Family Touch
Jordan was also captured by the comforting nature of the Murray family. Back in the 90’s Fraser was still a teenager and Georgia and Craig were captivating guests with music nights around a roaring fire. Walking into the lodge back then felt like entering the Murray’s home and eating at their dinner table.
“It was really crazy to be welcomed into their family in such a warm way”.
In those earlier years, the number of staff was in the low 10’s, while these days we have over 80 team members. However, the dedication to guest experiences was the exact same. While Jordan reminisced about the time he helicoptered up to a glacier and had a snowball fight, he mused, “at Nimmo Bay, they make those impossible things possible”. The memories of seeing a black bear grazing along the shore and the meditative calm of fly fishing in the middle of nowhere, are the thoughts he carried with him for 25 years. During his absence from Nimmo Bay, the excitement of sharing similar moments with his blossoming and growing family never wavered.
The Family Vacation – 2022
It took until 2020 but things finally came into perspective, it was time to check a return to Nimmo Bay off the bucket list. His two children had reached an age where it would be meaningful to them. Plus, his wife had waited long enough and tired of simply listening to his stories about the resort. They started the process of booking.
The experience began before their feet even hit the ground, as the family soared high about the Great Bear Rainforest in a float plane.
“From that moment throughout the entire trip, my wife just squeezed my hand and looked over to me and just beamed with love. And it was only hard the last day when we realize we had to go”.
The dream they had built up in their minds had become reality. The plane gracefully landed on the water, they stepped onto the docks and breathed in the fresh, wild air. With welcome cocktails in hand (the adults only of course), Jordan toured around a resort that had changed quite a bit physically since his last time there. Despite that, it still held on to the same magic that he remembered from the 90’s.
A Wilderness Adventure
The adventure started right away. The coastal safari on day one offered up many treasures. Dozens upon dozens of orcas and humpbacks graced their presence. They were surfacing, feeding, playing, and launching out of the water. The black bears were feasting along the shoreline and eagles were soaring overhead. It was the show of a lifetime, produced by mother nature herself. The family got to go up in a helicopter, just like Jordan did as a teenager. They saw the most impossibly large grizzly as they landed on the top of a mountain peak. A sight that took their breath away and got their adrenaline pumping.
Nimmo Bay isn’t all about the thrills of a coastal safari or a high-flying ride in a helicopter. It’s about learning, new experiences, unwinding, and reconnecting with yourself and loved ones.
Childhood Joy
It was an incredibly special moment for Jordan to watch his kids experience Nimmo Bay this past summer. It encapsulated a full circle moment, one that had been in the making for almost 3 decades. They even got to learn from the best little guides. Fauna and River, the Murray’s two young daughters, took them under their wing. They showed the city kids how to immerse themselves in the wild. His kids went from being tentative and fearful of even the smallest insect, to confidently searching the shallow bays for sea life like crabs and jellyfish. Jordan watched them run freely around the forest and tap into their creative sides, making art with fallen leaves, pinecones, and loose moss that they gathered.
“Every time I turned around, I went, my kids are having this magical memory that I had when I was 16. They’re having it right now, and they’re gonna remember this place”.
Jordan and his kids are building a legacy at Nimmo Bay. This core memory they now share is only the beginning of a new chapter in their story on the docks.
Family Wellness
The wild and remote atmosphere of Nimmo Bay has a habit of creating space that shuts out the noise of our everyday lives and where meaningful connections can flourish. While the kids integrated into life in the Great Bear Rainforest, Jordan and his wife had the opportunity of visiting the floating sauna. Out in the secluded bay, embracing the deep heat of the cedar sauna, they sank fully into the moment.
“It was so conducive to having a deep connecting conversation. The staff put us in a place where they we knew our kids were safe… I spend time with her [wife] more than any other person, right. But it’s not often that we get to that level of relaxation and comfort and safety and that the real stuff flows out”.
These are the unexpected benefits that come with a trip to Nimmo Bay. Whether it’s an intimate couples retreat or a long-awaited family vacation, these moments are woven into the experience.
STill All in the Family
Our chat didn’t come without a shoutout to the incredible team that we are lucky to have at Nimmo Bay, and I couldn’t agree more. Jordan caught on to our best kept secret.
“The real magic of Nimmo is the hospitality and the customer service level that you guys put together. It’s so on another level of any place I’ve ever been”.
Each moment of every day is specially curated to fit your desires, and each layer of our Nimmo Bay team shoulders the importance of those goals. Jordan and his family connected with so many of our team members, from front of house to wellness and beyond. Sharing stories about their lives and Nimmo Bay, getting to know one another, it was a highlight of the trip. Even though the team has grown so substantially since he’d last visited, that same feeling of being welcomed into a family remained.
Nimmo Magic
The pure joy and excitement that Jordan possessed the entire time we chatted was palpable. It’s important for us to share these stories and sentiments, as this is the reason that Nimmo Bay exists. And we really can’t express it any better than our cherished guests.
“Nimmo is just, there’s no place like it on earth, at least for me. I mean, you can never be that close to wildlife, that close to nature, surrounded by people who are there for all the right reasons.”
Jordan may have outdone himself though. This last Nimmo Bay trip has now become the vacation that all future vacations will be judged on.
So from our family to yours, we hope to see you again soon! We’re ready to blow any future expectations out of the water.
Photos Courtesy of Jordan Alperin