Vacation Spot North of Vancouver?

[Kellie]

I'm looking for a place within a few hours drive from Vancouver to spend 2 or 3 nights after our cruise next July. We're looking for somewhere peaceful, quiet, and right on the water. This will be at the end of our activity packed honeymoon (Alaska cruise), and I would love to stay somewhere for a few days where we can just relax and enjoy the beauty of the area. Thanks! :)

[boilermaker]

Does it have to be north of Vancouver?
If not, I would highly recommend the San Juan Islands. We stayed 3 days on Orcas Island last year and it was fabulous. The drive from Vancouver to the ferry stop is about 90 miles, then it was an hour or so ferry ride to the island. If you are interested, i can post more info and pictures.

[Kellie]

Does it have to be north of Vancouver?
If not, I would highly recommend the San Juan Islands. We stayed 3 days on Orcas Island last year and it was fabulous. The drive from Vancouver to the ferry stop is about 90 miles, then it was an hour or so ferry ride to the island. If you are interested, i can post more info and pictures.

No, I suppose it doesn't have to be north of Vancouver. I had considered the San Juan Islands, but I thought it would take too long to get there for only 2 or 3 days. I also considered Vancouver Island, but didn't look into it anymore for the same reason. I would love more info on Orcas Island, and pictures would be great too! :) Thanks!!!

[Smittenk]

Ooh we went on an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon and loooved it!! I am originally from Vancouver and these are a few of my favourites (other than Vancouver):


Whistler
Sunpeaks Resort
Salt Spring Island
Mt. Robson
Parksville

Check out www.hellobc.com ; http://www.britishcolumbia.com/ and http://www.travel.bc.ca/

They may be able to help you check out a few places!

[Kellie]

Thanks, Smittenk! I will take a look at those websites when I get some free time later this week.

Anyone else? Any specific recommendations, not only for an area, but a specific hotel? Thanks! :)

[Daisy]

How about the Wickaninnish Inn (http://www.wickinn.com/)? It's on the west coast of Vancouver Island and it wins all sorts of awards every year (I always see it in Travel + Leisure). I haven't been here yet (it's on my list), but my parents raved about it when they went. Have fun!

[Kellie]

How about the Wickaninnish Inn (http://www.wickinn.com/)? It's on the west coast of Vancouver Island and it wins all sorts of awards every year (I always see it in Travel + Leisure). I haven't been here yet (it's on my list), but my parents raved about it when they went. Have fun!

Oh, this place looks exactly like what we are looking for. Thank you! I was thinking it might be a pain to get over to Vancouver Island though, considering we only have 2 or 3 nights. Any thoughts? This part of the trip will be at the end of our wedding/honeymoon, and we will have been gone for 3 weeks, so we may be tired. I would really love to find something like this that we could drive to. I was thinking there might be something along the same lines north of Vancouver. Anyone know of something similar? TIA! :)

[Daisy]

Yeah, I think it may be a hike to get to this place. You should map it out though and see. When are you going? Maybe you could take a sea plane?

[Sare79]

We stayed a beautiful place last year in Qualicum/Parksville called Tigh-Na- Mara and it was gorgeous. The food was delicious, the grotto spa was very relaxing and the whole atmosphere was so welcoming.

http://www.tigh-na-mara.com/

Another place full of B&Bs is Gibsons and Sechelt- they are neighbouring towns just a short ferry ride from Vancouver.

Good Luck!

[Kellie]

We stayed a beautiful place last year in Qualicum/Parksville called Tigh-Na- Mara and it was gorgeous. The food was delicious, the grotto spa was very relaxing and the whole atmosphere was so welcoming.

http://www.tigh-na-mara.com/

Another place full of B&Bs is Gibsons and Sechelt- they are neighbouring towns just a short ferry ride from Vancouver.

Good Luck!

Thanks Sarah! I was hoping you might come across this thread. How long is the ferry ride to Vancouver Island? Is it expensive? If you only had 2 nights would you bother going to Vancouver Island or would you just go somewhere you could drive to?

[maplekitty]

Getting to Vancouver Island isn't really that difficult, it takes about 1 1/2 hrs to get over on the ferry...but is expensive if you drive over (about $60 each ways), plus the cost of the place you're staying at there (the Wickaninnish Inn is very $$, albeit amazingly beautiful...so it really depends how much you want to spend after paying for a honeymoon).

An equally beautiful place to visit is the Sunshine Coast (Sechelt & Gibsons), and the benefit is you only have to pay the ferry fee to get there, but not to come back. There are some really lovely B&B's over there.

Then there is any of the Gulf Islands - Saltspring and Galiano are the "touristy" islands and have many beautiful B&B's and summer festivals going on.

You can also drive to Whistler (2 hours north of Vancouver) or Harrison Hot Springs (2 hours east of Vancouver) if you're kind of sick of the ocean after being on a cruise ;)

You do have a few days, so if you don't mind a drive (say about 6 hours of beautiful mountainous scenery), if you're renting a car you can head to the interior and check out wine country. DH and I spent our second leg of our honeymoon touring the wineries up there so I have some excellent reccomendations. The fun thing about that is that driving up is part of the fun because you stop at the wineries en route to your destination, and then stop at the wineries on your way back ;)

Oh man, it's hard to reccoment *one* place, LOL
So break it down for us....Do you want to stay in an extravagant, luxury resort, or a cozy little B&B? Do you want to be near the water or in the mountains and lush forrest? what do you like doing? How do you want to spend those few days? ;)

[Kellie]

Oh man, it's hard to reccoment *one* place, LOL
So break it down for us....Do you want to stay in an extravagant, luxury resort, or a cozy little B&B? Do you want to be near the water or in the mountains and lush forrest? what do you like doing? How do you want to spend those few days? ;)

Thank you Sarah!

Ya know, it doesn't have to be luxurious, and extravagant, but that wouldn't hurt. ;) I think we'd prefer to not stay in a B&B, unless it is rather large. We'd like some privacy, and in the B&B's I've been to I've always felt a little awkward. We would like to be right on the water, i.e.. have an ocean view from our room. We like boating, kayaking, and just general exploring. We do enjoy wine, but are I am going to Sonoma in May with some girlfriends, so I think we will skip the wineries. I don't know if that gives you a better idea of what we want or not. Any help is very much appreciated! :)

[maplekitty]

Well I reccomended a B&B in Sechelt to Sare79 for her honeymoon - which they loved thank you very much!! ;)
I'm a B&B snob myself because, like you I need my privacy and so one of my major criteria is private entrance and eat-in rooms.

It's called A Place By the Sea (http://www.aplacebythesea.com/) and it is sooooo nice and luxurious!! Each room has it's own entrance and all the rooms are actually under the main house, so you never actually go up into their house unless you want to eat up their with them. They will bring the food down to you in the morning to eat in your suite or on your private balcony, which is a feature I LOVED!! They also ask you what time you'd like breaky, so it's not like you *have* to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to eat with all the other guest, if you want to sleep in, you can!
The rooms are so romantic and lovely and MODERN....god I hate granny's B&Bs where you feel like you're choked in lace and grandmas antiques!
It's right on the ocean and each room is an ocean view, the beds are huge and comfy, the rooms have a DVD player and stocked DVD libraries, the bathrooms are amazing and have huge soaker tubs and two person showers. Honestly I can't reccomend this place enough because it is breathtaking! (reserve early because it's gained popularity since I was there 4 years ago when they just opened!). Both Sare and I have stayed in the Eagle's Nest room - so very NorthWest Coast ;)

Sechelt (http://www.bigpacific.com/sechelt/index.html) is on The Sunshine Coast which is actually part of the mainland, but you need to take a short ferry ride over an inlet.
Here's the ferry map and schedules: http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/

[Muppetpinchess]

My vote is for the Aerie Resort, pricey, but actually voted the Best Hotel in the World by some fancy schmancy magazine (I've never been, but it is my dream spot, just out of my price range at this time :-).
http://www.aerie.bc.ca/

The place is STUNNING, you must check out the website. It's on Vancouver Island in the Cowichan Valley, if you take the ferry from Tsawwassen to Schwartz Bay it's about an hour drive. The surrounding area is beautiful, and if you feel like venturing out there are several good wineries and a ciderworks in the area (I'd be happy to give you rec's, we were there a couple of weeks ago and visited some great spots).

Have fun!

[andy's di]

My vote is a B&B in Davis Bay (on the sunshine coast - a 40 min ferry ride from Horseshoe bay - like MapleKitty has mentioned)

It called A Beach Hideaway. http://www.beachhideaway.com/

The owners don't live there, there are just the three suites - they deliver your breaky in the morning when you want it (any time between 8:30 and 10am). You have a fabulous ocean view from each room. Hubby and slept each night with the curtains wide open b/c we wanted to wake up to the ocean each morning. They are beachfront and it's a nice walk along the beach to Davis Bay. Oh yeah - and the food - FANTASTIC!!!!

It was VERY private, I think we only saw one other couple there and it was when they were checking in (we has also just checked in).

We stayed in the Eagle's suite since the other two wern't available for the time we wanted. Everything was beautiful, contemporary - no grandma flowers, frilly duvets etc.

The only downer was that the hot tub was shared, but there was never a problem slipping for a sunset dip with some champagne ;)

I highly recommend this place - it's a beautiful part of the coast and it's just you and the crickets and the sound of the crashing waves....ahhh

I can't wait to go back!

Good luck on you search, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for!

Let us know where you end up!

Di

[Kellie]

Well I reccomended a B&B in Sechelt to Sare79 for her honeymoon - which they loved thank you very much!! ;)
I'm a B&B snob myself because, like you I need my privacy and so one of my major criteria is private entrance and eat-in rooms.

It's called A Place By the Sea (http://www.aplacebythesea.com/) and it is sooooo nice and luxurious!! Each room has it's own entrance and all the rooms are actually under the main house, so you never actually go up into their house unless you want to eat up their with them. They will bring the food down to you in the morning to eat in your suite or on your private balcony, which is a feature I LOVED!! They also ask you what time you'd like breaky, so it's not like you *have* to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to eat with all the other guest, if you want to sleep in, you can!
The rooms are so romantic and lovely and MODERN....god I hate granny's B&Bs where you feel like you're choked in lace and grandmas antiques!
It's right on the ocean and each room is an ocean view, the beds are huge and comfy, the rooms have a DVD player and stocked DVD libraries, the bathrooms are amazing and have huge soaker tubs and two person showers. Honestly I can't reccomend this place enough because it is breathtaking! (reserve early because it's gained popularity since I was there 4 years ago when they just opened!). Both Sare and I have stayed in the Eagle's Nest room - so very NorthWest Coast ;)

Sechelt (http://www.bigpacific.com/sechelt/index.html) is on The Sunshine Coast which is actually part of the mainland, but you need to take a short ferry ride over an inlet.
Here's the ferry map and schedules: http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/

I wasn't able to describe exactly what I was lookiing for, but somehow you found it for me! A Place by the Sea looks like exactly what we are looking for!!! Now I must show it to FH so we can decide on a room! I knew you local girlies would have a good recommendation for me! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

[maplekitty]

It called A Beach Hideaway. http://www.beachhideaway.com/



that place looks lovely too...I'll have to remember that one for when DH and I take a trip over there again!

[andy's di]

that place looks lovely too...I'll have to remember that one for when DH and I take a trip over there again!

The hosts there were fantastic - we really loved it! You shoudl really try it - reasonable too!

[Kellie]

I just wanted to come back and update. FH and I booked A Place by the Sea for 3 nights next July. We chose the Captain's room. Thank you Sarah for the recommendation. I can hardly wait until next July! :)

[Sare79]

Ooh! I'm so late chiming in, but I loved it at a Place by the Sea. Their food was so delicious and the hosts were so sweet and nice. When we went there on our honeymoon, it was very cloudy and rainy and we spent so much time curled up in front of the fire. We really would like to go back in nicer weather and do the boat tour.
If you booked a package- they give you a gift certificate to another B&B for dinner. The food was so good! The people who run that one used to be chefs in a 5 star restaurant and decided to move to a smaller town and fulfill their dream of running a B&B. We also got the couples massage! They come to the room and set up and it was so relaxing and decadent.

[Kellie]

Ooh! I'm so late chiming in, but I loved it at a Place by the Sea. Their food was so delicious and the hosts were so sweet and nice. When we went there on our honeymoon, it was very cloudy and rainy and we spent so much time curled up in front of the fire. We really would like to go back in nicer weather and do the boat tour.
If you booked a package- they give you a gift certificate to another B&B for dinner. The food was so good! The people who run that one used to be chefs in a 5 star restaurant and decided to move to a smaller town and fulfill their dream of running a B&B. We also got the couples massage! They come to the room and set up and it was so relaxing and decadent.

I'm glad you had a really nice time there. I cannot wait for our trip. I did book a package for the couples massage (FH has NEVER had a massage!) and the dinner GC. The owner emailed me and told me I had a choice of 3 different restaurants. I wonder which on of them is the place you are talking about. Do you remember the name by chance? I requested egss benedict for breakfast one day and she said ok! I love eggs bennie! We plan on kayaking some while we are there, but I don't know if we will do the boat tour. We have so many excursions planned for our Alaska part of the trip that we may just pay low for a few days. :) ;)

[Sare79]

It was the Rockport Sea Cove or something like that.
Their breakfasts are usually 2 courses- a bowl of fruit salad or a muffin first, then the main entree- we had eggs bennie one day and the next day was apple cinammon pancakes.
We went and picked up a few little groceries to keep in the little fridge there- like ice cream for a treat at night and some pop and juice and snacky things.

[Kellie]

It was the Rockport Sea Cove or something like that.
Their breakfasts are usually 2 courses- a bowl of fruit salad or a muffin first, then the main entree- we had eggs bennie one day and the next day was apple cinammon pancakes.
We went and picked up a few little groceries to keep in the little fridge there- like ice cream for a treat at night and some pop and juice and snacky things.

Thanks! One of the choices is Rock Water Secret Cove. I was leaning towards that one already, so I think we will go with that! :) Thanks for the tip on the snacks.....good thinking! :) I need to make reservations for the ferry. It sounds like you just pay for 1-way. Is that right? THANKS again! :)

[maplekitty]

yup, you only pay to get over there, and coming back is free. A lot of people actually live in Gibsons and work in Vancouver (a bit of a commute, I'd say, but to live there would be so nice!!).

I'm glad you booked this B&B, you're going to love it!! :D So excited for you!


(I should get a deal for all the people I send their way, haha!)