INLETS & ISLANDS

With its scenic waterfront, mountain views and unrivalled green spaces, it won’t take you long to understand why Vancouver regularly tops lists of the world’s most liveable cities. It’s a great place to start an active adventure in British Columbia, with its combination of outdoorsy activities and cosmopolitan urbanity. In Stanley Park, one of the finest city parks in the world, you can walk and cycle along the city’s famous sea wall or through one thousand acres of incredible inner-city forest.

A SkyRide up to the summit of Grouse Mountain affords magnificent views of the city and nature, and the Capilano Suspension Bridge, in an old-growth forest overlooking the Capilano River, is among the highest and longest in the world. For a cultural fix, head to the Museum of Anthropology, which specialises in First Nations cultures, or the Vancouver Art Gallery, where contemporary exhibitions sit side-by-side with touring international shows.

You’ll be staying at the Fairmont Waterfront located on Vancouver’s renowned harbour. With a photogenic coastline and an equally appealing mountain scene, this hotel combines eco-friendly luxury with a great location.

After picking up your car, you will drive to Tsawwassen Bay before catching a ferry to Vancouver Island. ‘The Brighton Pavilion with the Himalayas for a backdrop,’ is how Rudyard Kipling described the somewhat English-like city of Victoria which is situated on the southern side of the island. There is no denying the typically English feel that the harbour exudes, in British Columbia’s second city which reflects its colonial past. This is also shown in the Victorian architecture, most notably in that of the turreted mansion Craigdarroch Castle where you can get great views of the Olympic Mountains from the tower.

There are always spectacular blooms at the world-famous Butchart Gardens, where you can take a stroll around the immaculate grounds and enjoy a delightful afternoon tea experience. The celebrated Beacon Hill Park is another horticultural attraction, with an abundance of plants and flowers, swathes of grassland and fir trees. Brush up your history knowledge at the Royal British Columbia Museum and take a deluxe horse-drawn carriage tour of the city’s iconic sights.

The sophisticated Oswego boutique hotel, just steps away from the Inner Harbour, will be your home throughout your stay. Play a round of golf at the Olympic View club, explore the beautiful coastline and why not catch a Victoria Clipper boat to Seattle at the ferry terminal located just one block away and fly back by seaplane?  

The hippie-chic resort town and fishing village of Tofino is one of Canada’s most treasured coastal destinations, where Vancouverites love to go for a weekend break away from the city. As well as being a prime spot for water sports — like fishing, surfing and whale-watching – and for beach bums to laze around on the sand all day, it is also the perfect base to go island hopping across the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve. If you fancy relaxing in a natural setting, spend a day at the Hot Springs Cove on the Sydney Inlet, where you can take a dip in the thermal waters, surrounded by giant boulders and cascading waterfalls, with the chance to spot amazing wildlife like black bears, sea lions and otters.

Overlooking the glittering Pacific Ocean, Long Beach Lodge is the perfect place to retreat to after an activity-fuelled day (or one spent chilling out on the private eight acres of Cox Bay where the resort is located). With a surf school on site – and an Apres Surf menu offered by the restaurant too — you can expect hours of beach fun and freshly-caught seafood.

On the east coast of central Vancouver Island, at the southern end of the Discovery Passage lies the Campbell River. Boasting a spectacular natural scenery, this region is home to green forests and mountains, clear streams and a host of wildlife species like eagles and whales. Enjoy panoramic views of the Coast Mountains, explore the picturesque hiking trails and stunning coastline of the region and try your hand at fishing, which is the activity that the region is most renowned for.

Painter’s Lodge is a cosy and inviting property on the banks of the Campbell River which has a private dock for boat trips to nearby islands and inlets.

Found within the border of the Broughton Archipelago, between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia, the remote hidden gem of Berry Island is the perfect place to go off-grid. It is where you’ll find grizzlies hunting for salmon and sea otters floating on the water nearby, with vast forests and glassy fjords.

Staying at Farewell Harbour Lodge, which sits within an area of unspoilt wilderness, you will be in the perfect spot to explore the Great Bear Rainforest — also known as the ‘Amazon of the North’ for its abundance of wildlife. Marine tours are included so you can see somersaulting orcas in the water and humpback whales blowing bubbles under the surface. You’ll also get to go on a grizzly-spotting expedition. Wind down with entertaining and educational evening presentations that will help you learn about this wonderful island and its fascinating residents.

You will return to Vancouver on your final night, where you can take in the stunning mountain-fringed cityscape and tuck into some fresh seafood at the Fairmont Waterfront before your flight home the next day.