Kelowna during the summer (July)?

Wow! I grew up in Oliver!

I can't tell you much about hotels, but, you have to be careful of what weekends you are there. There are some big festivals (the Kelowna Regatta is huge, but I forget exactly when it is), and motels can fill pretty quickly. The first weekend in August, for example: good luck!

Mostly the places are known for beaches, and wineries. There are some nice hikes: Folsom Mountain is a wee hill right beside the city of Kelowna, which has really nice views. You can easily drive up it. If you like views of the mountains, and lake below, it actually is kind of romantic.

The SS Sicamous is a neat thing to visit in Penticton. Right on the beach on Okanagan lake, it is the old paddlewheeler that went up and down the lake. It was built at a time when thing were still make to look pretty, even when they were functional. It is like that; and worth a visit.

For something really, really different, you can visit the Radio Telescope at White Lake. They have tours on Sunday afternoons. I'm not sure how romantic it is, but if he is a techie at all (or you are!), you'll love it. It is a really nice drive up there too. You can go from Oliver to White Lake, and then carry on to Penticton on the back road to just near Okanagan Falls. I did that trip once with a lady, and brought a blanket along, found a nice secluded spot, and, well, we made our own romance! <blush>

The Experimental Farm in Summerland has a beautiful garden that volunteers take care of. It is well irrigated, and quite cool under the trees, something welcome in the Okanagan in July. Gardens can be romantic, so, a picnic there would be pretty good. One of the old staff houses is now a small museum as well.

So, just a few ideas. I can't remember all the summer festival dates. The Peach Festival in Penticton is in August, I'm pretty sure. If memory serves, Osoyoos does something in early July, but I really can't remember. The web will give details on the festivals. I've just given some ideas of places maybe a bit off the beaten track. Oh; one more: the Grist Mill in Keremeos is well worth a visit, if it still runs as it used to. They are a heritage seed bank, and they grow all sorts of old plants and fruit trees, to save the seeds. The also grind grain there, which you can watch, and then they make bread, and serve it in the little cafe. They do a brilliant job! The plate comes with all sorts of edible flowers (picked fresh), with bread made from the wheat ground only a few hours before. Talk about fresh! In all my travels, I have never seen a place with a better presentation of food in my entire life. They win; hands down. It is small, but worth visiting, and if they still do the lunches the same way, it may be an experience you won't soon forget.

Kelowna is hot and dry in July. There's nice swimming in the lakes, and all kinds of local-grown wineries. You can go wine-tasting and get really drunk and maybe get sick. Come to think of it, that doesn't sound very romantic. Maybe you should just watch TV instead :-)