Traveller’s Inn

Choose a downtown location. It’s like a simpler hotel but at motel prices. I always stay there.

There are many places to see in Vancouver Island. It’s just a matter of whether you can drive and/or what you have time to see. Sooke or the southwest island resorts are a good start. French Beach in particular is really nice. Lots of great cozy resorts there.

Tofino is very much a destination, but it’s practically a day’s trek to get there (it’s on a long thin peninsula on the central west coast.) And you’ll want to settle in there. Of course, it’s more expensive to stay there.

I wouldn’t get too excited about Nanaimo. It’s a nice city, but better for living rather than visiting. That said, it is a gateway to Horseshoe Bay near West Vancouver. Prohably the most beautiful ferry ride in the Georgia Strait.

That’s just a start. And this is not even touching upon outer Victoria yet. :)

like mackro, i’d recommend the traveller’s inn for more of a motel experience, or if your up for it, one of the hostels—ocean island hostel for example. here are some others, although i’ve never slept in any of them as i live here. the ocean island one seems kind of rock ‘n’ roll (if i were younger i’d stay there without a thought. today, in a pinch, i probably would, too, although with a thought, if that makes any sense), and it’s close to downtown, which is good.

when are you coming? if you’re coming now, i’d recommend going to goldstream park to see the salmon run—tens of thousands of arm-length, dying fish attract hundreds of hungry bald eagles, and a few bears, to this stream in the woods – and it’s a nice park, anyway, full of gigantic mossy trees.

if you’re coming in the summer there are wonderful markets on the weekends (government street on sunday, james bay on saturday, moss st on saturday), and wednesday to sunday at bastion square. they all showcase really stellar locally made arts and crafts. the moss street one is a farmer’s market as well. the moss street paint-in is a great local event that usually happens in late july. next summer it’s on the 21st. beacon hill park shows cheesy old movies every weekend in august against a giant screen outside in the woods. it’s pretty fun to bring a picnic supper and watch. there’s a petting zoo there, too, if you’ve got kids. there’s an art gallery, a museum, and tea at the empress. it’s $50 per person, but you practically get your money’s worth in ingratiating service, and the presentation and environment are impeccable. definitely the tea experience of a lifetime, and definitely make a reservation.

how long are you staying? are you renting a car?

china beach and french beach—up the west coast an hour or so—are beautiful, but, if you’re up for it, botanical beach a little further up is the reward. go at low tide and look at all the creatures in the tidal pools—purple starfish, pink anemones, hermit crabs. really neat.

tofino is astounding, but also quite a haul if you only have a couple of days. if you’re here in the summer, and have a car, drive up to crofton and take the ferry to saltspring island—the famous hippy (although now merely hippy-ish) community. they have a kick-ass saturday market and lots of very sweet little shops to browse. there are also a couple of wonderful lakes to swim in.

you could try paragliding, whale watching, and i can give you an urban hike route if you want. what are you into? and what kind of food do you like?

If you are feeling like delving deeper into the culture of Victoria and surrounding parts, I say look up the term WWOOFing. You work on eat organic farms, stay for free, get fed and learn how real people in the area live. You usually stay for a week or less. It’s free and fun!

If you are here for an extended stay, you should definitely get out to the West Coast of the Island. This can be done relatively easily by heading out to French Beach, just past Sooke (less than an hour’s drive from downtown) but for a real experience, head for Long Beach and Tofino or Uclulet (this is a much longer trip).