WestJet customers are spreading the word about what people in the Comox Valley already know.

This is a special, memorable place.

Up!, WestJet's in-flight magazine, people who have flown with the airline to tell it about places and things they have experienced on their travels that they recommend to family and friends after they return home.

Its Value Awards honour "little-known gems and independent businesses that are always worth visiting in WestJet destinations," Up! says at www.valueawards.ca.

In the B.C. region, seven Comox Valley businesses or events were ranked highly in nine Value Award categories.

The Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa in Royston was named in the resort and spa categories. The Atlas Café in downtown Courtenay earned kudos for best breakfast and best lunch.

Other Valley winners were: Mount Washington Alpine Resort (ski hill), Old House Village Hotel and Spa (boutique hotel), Vancouver Island Music Festival (event), Filberg Festival (cultural attraction) and Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community (golf club).

"Our hearts were warmed," Atlas co-owner Sandra Viney said this week. "It was a great accolade to be recognized."

"We're flattered," reacted Linda MacIntyre, Kingfisher director of sales and marketing, noting the resort's greatest asset is its staff.

She said she thinks the Kingfisher was recognized for doing exactly what Up! said in its article about the awards - "meeting and going beyond our guests' expectations."

The magazine said its Value Awards were created to identify "high-quality and unique travel experiences that over-deliver when compared to other similarly priced offerings. Simply put, the benefits and rewards of the travel experience are greater than the cost."

MacIntyre said the spa is crucial to the Kingfisher's success.

"The spa is the experience at the Kingfisher - the spa draws the most guests to the Kingfisher. There's a lot of stress in people's lives ... and I think the spa answers those needs (to unwind)."

Viney and MacIntyre agreed their businesses are proud to bring visitors to the Comox Valley as a whole, not just the Atlas and the Kingfisher. They both acknowledged that WestJet has also done plenty to bring tourists to this area.

And Viney noted the results of the magazine survey are already having an effect.