I have never been to Canada’s West Coast despite living in Canada for 20+ years. Until tomorrow, Flair Airlines is running sale where we can fly from Toronto to Vancouver for under $100 each before the end of April.
So we had the crazy idea of flying out for 11-17 days (FIREd and totally flexible so debating ideal length). Suggestions, ideas?
We mostly love hiking (I am obsessed with big trees), scenery (the coast is very different from what we get in Ontario) and gardens (it’s April. We will be gaga over every flower). It will be DH and myself along with my mother and her friend. For the 2 older ladies, they are looking for hikes under an hour. Usually I stay places where I can leave the rest somewhere pretty and relaxing and go hiking for a couple of hours by myself. Hoping for mostly 2-3 bedroom places with a kitchen as we want to cook quite a bit. I have some hotel points so will likely sprinkle a few nights at hotels when travelling through cities.
Not super keen on city life but will want at least a day in Vancouver (mostly for sushi) and a day in Victoria (for Butchart Gardens).
Initial thoughts are Banff/Lake Louise, etc are better saved for a future trip flying into Calgary.
Since it is April and we really want to stick to warm weather, I am wondering if we are best to focus on Vancouver Island. Are there any must dos on the mainland side within a few hours of Vancouver? Especially in April?
For Vancouver Island, I am thinking maybe Victoria/Sooke/Port Renfrew for 2-3 nights then on to Ucluelet for 2-3 nights (ouch, accommodations are $$). Then either Comox or Cowichan for 4-5 nights before heading back to the mainland.
Anything else we MUST add to the itinerary? We live in Ontario so BC scenery is something fresh and new.
I did a brief search through Airbnb last night and am gulping a bit. Looks like I have to budget $250-350/night for accommodations. (Used to much less with dealhunting lol). Would love to find something like tent cabins to reduce the costs a little?
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Oh my goodness im so excited for you!!! I live in victoria and it's my favorite place in the world. A few suggestions:
1) BC is a MASSIVE place, it's hard to see much if you try to do rockies + coast, etc. If I were you i'd pick either rockies, or the coast depending on what you prefer
2) Port Renfrew is awesome! It's a bit of a hidden gem, great beaches, old growth forests, good fishing, etc. Not much food though so bring food if you stay there. I go there frequently.
3) Tofino is amazing but a bit of a pain to get into/out of, also very very expensive and hard to find places in the summer
4) Theres a nice pub called the Crow and Gate south of Nanaimo which is great and Old Town Bakery in Ladysmith makes the best cinnamon bun you'll ever eat
4) Check out northern vancouver island, some amazing places like cape scott, the little towns are really cool, it's neat
5) I STRONGLY suggest going to Haida Gwaii, like, pretty much a must IMO. You can take the ferry from port hardy to prince rupert (it takes 17 hours), and then a 7 hour ferry from prince rupert to haida gwaii or you can fly from vancouver. I'd suggest going 1 way on the ferries and 1 on the plane. Rent a car on Haida Gwaii. The ferry is INCREDIBLE! When I went in august in 2015 i saw over 30 humpback whales, orcas chasing dolphins in the ferry wake, a superpod of dolphins playing in the wake, multiple pods of orcas, bears on the shoreline, it was really cool. Get a tour out of Haida Gwaii (Moreseby Adventures i think) into Gwaii Hanaas. It's as bio-diverse and rich as the galapagos and it has no one there. North Beach is better than tofino beaches with no one there. It's AMAZING. I can't recommend Haida Gwaii strongly enough. I need to go back.
