Vancouver Island West Coast getaway

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Not far from Vancouver is Vancouver Island. While it might not be known for its originality in place names, it is an awesome easy place to visit from Vancouver. Only a ferry ride away from the mainland, The Island is a popular getaway from the city. Island life is quieter, slower paced, more relaxed, and it’s possible even more outdoorsy than the already outdoorsy Vancouver. While Victoria is a pretty easy quick getaway from Vancouver, we decided our summer wouldn’t be complete without 4 days on Vancouver island, specifically around Ucluelet and Tofino. Our friends were visiting from Ontario with their young daughter so we embarked on a family friendly trip to the West Coast.

Where to visit on Vancouver Island

Vancouver island is much bigger than you expect. Much bigger than I realised when I first moved to BC. The coast of BC is littered with small islands but Vancouver Island is something else. To get to see the best of the island you’ll need more than a weekend.

To really explore it you’d need weeks even. I didn’t have that long, but given a few days there was plenty of opportunity to explore, relax and get away from the city. Our main aim was to visit the more western coast of the West coast of Canada. We would be staying in Ucluelet, not far from the more touristy Tofino, both part of the Pacific Rim National Park. 

Getting to Vancouver Island

Getting to the island is easy. There are numerous ferries per day from mainland BC. To get to Victoria you leave from Tsawwassen. But to get to Tofino, the best place to land is the city of Nanaimo from Horseshoe bay. Like the ferry to Victoria, the ferry to Nanaimo takes just over an hour and a half. You can take a bus to the ferry terminal from downtown Vancouver but to get where you need to on the island you kind of need a car. The first time I did it, I rented a car from Nanaimo. That way I didn’t have to pay the higher price of bringing a car on the ferry. But this time we had our car so drove onto the ferry.

The ferry price for the 4 adults and one child we had was $139 including a $10 reservation fee, a must if you have a departure in mind during the summer as it gets busy. There are a number of spaces held back for non-reservations but no guarantee you’ll get on the first ferry. To travel as a walk on passenger is less than $20. The ferry has a restaurant and cafes, and some great views of the smaller islands you pass through on the way. We went up to the top of the ship to get some fresh (breezy) air too.

From Nanaimo it’s about a 3 hour drive to the west of the island but we decided to break up the day with some stops along the way. We took the early ferry at 8.45am and got to the island by 10.30. Since we couldn’t check into our place until 4 that gave a lot of time to drive over. 

What to see on the drive to Ucluelet

Now our drive from Nanaimo started off all well and good until we tried to enlist the help of Siri to get us to Ucluelet. Have you ever tried saying place names your GPS just doesn’t get?

“Siri, get directions to Ucluelet”…”getting directions to Euclid, Ohio”.

“Siri, get directions to Ucluelet Canada”…”getting directions to Toronto”.

Well at least we’re in the right country. Then my personal favorite and where we lost all faith for Apple products.

“Siri, get directions for Ucluelet, BC”…”getting directions to Tip Island, Australia”.

How on Earth she ever thought we were going to get there by car I have no idea. We were off to a good start though. This resulted in a little longer than we thought driving around Nanaimo.

Nanaimo BC, Vancouver Island

Nanaimo isn’t somewhere I’ve spent a lot of time. I’ve stayed over a couple of nights but it’s more a city, and unfortunately kind of gets portrayed as Victoria’s less popular cousin. There’s a sizable downtown core, a bit of shopping and some good places to eat but likely you’ll leave quicker than you arrived to explore the more compelling parts of the island. That being said we did make a brief stop at a bakery.

One if Nanaimo’s claims to fame is the self named dessert item the Nanaimo bar. We decided since we were here we really should get a Nanaimo bar from Nanaimo. A Nanaimo bar is a biscuit like base with coconut and I’m pretty sure cornflakes, a sweet custard-y cream middle and a layer of chocolate on top. They’re pretty good. It was worth the stop.

Coombs BC, Vancouver Island

An hour from Nanaimo was our first stop. We took the highest west across the island, with the goal of getting to coombs for a late lunch. So why is coombs the place to go? For the kitschy goats on the roof area that houses the country market. It’s the perfect rest stop with all kinds of wonderful food. But the main draw are these goats that wander on the grass topped roof of the market as it’s built into a farm like hillside area.

They’re goats, they’re on a roof, it’s exactly as it sounds. Although I was worried I’d built it up in my head to my friends (I’d been before) they all agreed it was fun. Plus our little 3 year old companion thought it was amazing.

We got some freshly made delicious donuts from Billy G’s donuts. Then we bought some freshly picked local strawberries and other vegetables from the produce market. Finally, inside the main country market place we got some yummy warm in store made bread and pastries for our dinner than night. If I’d have been able to eat more I would have gotten some ice cream too as it looked amazing. 

Cathedral grove, Vancouver Island

Further along from Coombs, back on the highway towards Port Alberni is Macmillan provincial park. Home to some of the old growth trees on the island, some of the biggest, tallest trees is Cathedral grove. We parked the car and walked along the circular trail through the trees stopping to crane our necks looking up to the sun shining through above.

Some of the tallest fir trees in the area were all around us, and you instantly forgot that a minute ago you were driving along a highway. Some of the trees were so big that all five of us, hand in hand, couldn’t reach around it. We saw some fallen trees with interesting root structures, and learned a lot from the informative trail. 

Where to stay in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island

Ucluelet is not a big place. Tofino is a little bigger, busier, more touristy. But Ucluelet is a sleepy little town. They do have some amazing trails and it’s filled with lovely little cabins and condo buildings for rent. We looked at many places between Tofino and Ucluelet but in the end we settled on Ucluelet. The main reason was the place we found at Reef Point Cottages checked all our boxes. Space enough for 5 people including a child, barbecue outside, not crazy expensive (difficult to find cheaper places in the summer) and a hot tub. For the sake of Everlee, our friends’ 3 year old the hot tub unfortunately “didn’t work” but it was a great place to relax later in the evening (translation: after she went to bed).

The cabin had lots of space, a comfy living room and nice sizable kitchen. Two bathrooms (one upstairs and one downstairs) and was detached so we had no adjoining neighbors. The only small thing was the kitchen wasn’t well stocked with “essentials”. There was no food (obviously for a self catering place) but we expected at least oil, salt and pepper. We bought some and left them for the next people. There was also an oven, but no baking trays, only huge pans. Again, we MacGyver-ed our way through armed with aluminum foil and will to eat.

The cabin was on a quiet street, a short walk from the beach and about 10 minutes walk from the town where there’s a good sized supermarket and plenty of coffee shops and a couple of restaurants. The deck out back had a lovely wooded area behind and room for us all to dine al fresco. All in all, great value for our 3 day stay. I would definitely stay there again.

Looking for another island getaway? Check out my Sunshine Coast weekend trip from Vancouver – complete with travel themed cabin

What to do in Ucluelet and Tofino

We had three nights at our cabin with Reef Point Cottages, which gave us two full days in the area. I would recommend probably at least one extra day if you can swing it. Mostly because once you’re there you won’t want to leave. But also because there’s so much to see and do in the area, many hikes and beaches to check out, and plenty of delicious food to try at their amazing local restaurants. Here are some of the best things to do if you’re visiting for the first time.

Have an afternoon at the beach

While this may not be the same as a beach day in Hawaii or Thailand, there are still beaches in Canada. Granted, they’re a little more wild looking, the sand is usually a little less white and soft, and it might be more cloudy than sunny. But if you get a nice day in the summer, the beaches are a wonderful place to spend some time. We went there on our first day for a couple of hours in the afternoon. There are numerous beach access points along the coastline from Ucluelet to Tofino. Some of them you have to pay for parking, others you don’t.

We stopped off at Long Beach, near Incinerator Rock, and set up some towels on the beach. People were out walking their dogs, swimming in the ocean, and relaxing on the beach. Everlee took the chance to perfect her sandcastle making skills which soon turned into just creating buckets of mud. I took the opportunity to read my book. It wasn’t super warm, but it was a nice enough day.

Walk around the shops in Tofino

Ucluelet is a small town with a few shops, but Tofino seems to be the tourist hotspot. Even though both are equal distance from the beaches that everyone flocks to this area for, Tofino seems to have won the popularity contest. Although we weren’t staying there (unpopular opinion: I actually prefer Ucluelet), we took the 30 minute drive out there to have a look around. Tofino has a number of lovely little craft shops mixed in with your usual tourist stores. There’s a large grocery store, a park or two and some great views of Clayoquot Sound and the surrounding smaller islands.

One of my favorite places to visit is the Roy Henry Vickers gallery on the main street, Campbell Street. The gallery is a beautifully carved aboriginal style longhouse that you just can’t miss. Inside the gallery there are cedar carvings, totem poles and paintings. There are so many nice works of art that you’ll want to leave with something. I always do.

Enjoy some fantastic Vancouver Island food

I will admit that for once on vacation I didn’t eat out as much as I ate in. The main reason was that we had a self catering cabin, and it was summer so we wanted to barbecue. But with having five of us there it was sometimes nicer just to do our thing at the cabin, and relax after a long day out. We went to a couple of cafes in the area for breakfast each day. All of them had the best selection of pastries, breakfast sandwiches and cakes.

When we were in Tofino we went to Wolf in the Fog, a nice restaurant with a (thankfully) heated patio. They had a good brunch menu and some great options for different dietary needs. I had the french toast with orange and sultana bread, a fruit compote/mustard topping and crème fraîche. It had maybe a bit too much happening, but was really good anyway.

The next day we stopped off at Tacofino and a couple other food trucks in a parking lot of a surf shop along Pacific Rim Highway close to Cox Bay Beach. Tacofino is a Vancouver staple, but their original food truck is still just outside of Tofino. There’s always a line, but it’s good food when you get it. The area has a few other food trucks and cafes. I went to the Tofitian Cafe which had some delicious pastries and pizzas.

And if you go to where Tacofino is, you MUST stop in at Chocolate Tofino which has some of the best handmade chocolates ever. I got a salted caramel chocolate and when I ate it later that day I almost cried that I didn’t get two dozen more. I instead got a nice little sampler pack with some chocolate favorites.

Try your hand at surfing

While I’m not a big fan of the ocean, the Long Beach area of Pacific Rim National Park is incredibly popular for surfing. So much so that some of our group tried it while we were there. Surfing was cheaper than I thought it would be. Relic Surf Shop in Ucluelet rented us a wetsuit and surfboard for $35 CAD per person. The rental was for 6 hours – plenty of time to try it out.

We painstakingly strapped surfboards to the car’s roof and watched them through the sun roof with bated breath lest they disappear while driving. After about 20 minutes we made it to Cox Bay Beach, a place the surf shop staff recommended. There was free parking and only a 5 minute walk to the beach. I set up on the beach to read while the guys were surfing. But I did try my hand at being the surfing photographer. Tasked with getting at least one picture of Jeff standing up on a surf board from someone who hadn’t ever been on a surf board before I wasn’t sure how tall an ask this would be.

Well I followed the guys as they caught waves and tried to stand up, engulfed by the ocean again and again. I kept track of the two among fifty sporting the same generic black wet suit and similar surfboards, making my way down the length of the beach with them. I finally got a great shot of Jeff on a surfboard. He really did well quickly. Yeah, it wasn’t Jeff! I zoomed in and realized I was tracking the wrong person in a generic black wet suit. I managed to get a couple of good pictures throughout the couple of hours we were there and everyone thoroughly enjoyed surfing.

Go for a hike, Vancouver Island style

The wilds of British Columbia are always a great place for a hike. The Vancouver Island Pacific Rim peninsula is no different. There are a number of hikes in the area you can try. Long or short hikes, suitable for all skill levels. One of my favorites is the Lighthouse Loop of the Wild Pacific Trail.

We were staying close to Terrace Beach so one morning I set out early, walking down Peninsula Road to the Lighthouse Loop turnoff. I didn’t find the trail too busy that early in the morning but there were a number of cars parked as I finished the hike. I started off in the trees and soon caught the first glimpse of the coast, winding around the jagged rocks below. There were a few boats in the distance, and other than bird sounds in the trees it was silent. I passed a few people who in true Ucluelet fashion nodded or wished me a good morning. The people are always nice and friendly in Ucluelet.

There were a lot of benches overlooking the viewpoints, perfect for reading a book and watching the waves crash over the rocks had I had more time. I saw a number of birds like a Stellar’s Blue Jay, the provincial bird of British Columbia. They are a lot darker and more blue than the more commonly recognized Blue Jay. As I came around the corner where I could finally see the lighthouse point, I noticed there was a deer on the rocks not far from me.

The lighthouse trail is a beautiful walk, and not too difficult at all. I’ve done it before in the evening and been lucky enough to see whales swimming by. If you’re in Ucluelet I recommend checking it out.

Catch a Vancouver Island sunset

I don’t know what it is about the Vancouver Island but it really has some killer sunsets. Like a painting they are almost unbelievable, until you come across one yourself. Being not far from Terrace beach we had a nightly walk down to the quiet cove and watched the sun go down with every color imaginable lighting up the ocean and the distant sky.

Our last night Jeff and I were too lazy to walk to the beach after dinner so our friends went without us. Thirty minutes later we get a call. Jeff jumps up and shouts “orcas”. That’s it. Without another word we both ran for our shoes, slammed the door behind us and sprinted down the road, not stopping until we reached the beach. I don’t run. Even for buses, I’m more inclined to wait for the next one. Orcas though? We got to the beach within minutes as our friends stared at us in amazement/disbelief that we could be that motivated that quickly. Gasping for breath I pulled out my camera that I somehow remembered to grab and asked “whales?”.

Our friends pointed into the distance and we tried to determine rocks and boats vs. orcas. The orcas had been a little closer to the mouth of the cove earlier but were now slowly swimming further out. We were able to see the odd dorsal fin and head pop up as they played in the summer evening sunset. Goofy happy grins all around we watched them swim away with only jets of water from a blow hole every so often to pinpoint them on the horizon. I was unfortunately not able to get any good photos, but it was a magical experience none-the-less and a great last night in Ucluelet.

Getting to Victoria BC, Vancouver Island

After a relaxing, quiet, well needed getaway from city life it was time to leave the peaceful small town of Ucluelet. We packed up the car, and begrudgingly started the drive back to civilization. There’s one road in and out of Ucluelet so we had to follow the same route back the way we’d taken to get there. Stopping briefly at Coombs to see the goats on a roof again, we continued past Nanaimo and onto Victoria.

Jeff and I were only staying one night in Victoria, BC’s capital city, but our friends would be there for two nights. The drive from Ucluelet took about 4 and a half hours in total (without counting any breaks) so it’s still quite the road trip. And again made me realize that Vancouver Island is bigger than you would expect. We’d left about 10 o’clock in the morning and arrived into Victoria at 4pm.

Where to stay in Victoria

We stayed at the Fairmont Empress hotel, the grand hotel opposite the inner harbor of Victoria. I’ve stayed here before and as always it was a good stay, really close to everything and a little luxury to end the vacation.

We settled into our rooms, freshened up and met on the terrace for an early evening drink. It was a little warmer in Victoria than it had been in the often cloudy, cooler Ucluelet-Tofino region. If you get to the Fairmont Empress you have to try the farro and flax bread with honey butter. I know that sounds kind of healthy and not at all fun, but this bread was so deliciously warm that you could just rip it apart and dunk it in the whipped butter with a generous helping of honey, and drag it through the freshly ground sea salt on the board. I’d love to show you a picture but the bread didn’t last that long. In fact we ordered two.

In the morning before we left we went for breakfast at Q at the Empress, another place I’ve eaten before in Victoria. The food was really good. This time I had the fruit scones with clotted cream and fresh strawberry lavender jam. Delightful. They do a great kids menu too, little pancakes with syrup and fresh fruit.

Dining out in Victoria

You’d think we did nothing in Victoria but eat as I tell you about meal after meal. You’re not too far wrong if that is what you think. The night we spent in Victoria we actually planned to visit a really popular Italian restaurant Il Terrazzo. It turns out it’s too popular and we couldn’t get in without wanting to dine at 9pm. So instead we went to Finn’s a seafood and steak restaurant that. Fortunately for me they also had some good vegetarian options. I got the sweet potato and brown rice veggie burger, which was delicious.

I love a good handmade veggie burger patty. I’m not a fan of soy or tofu or any of those generic tasteless dry burger patties. And although I’ve tried Beyond Meat, I’m not in love with them. This was a tasty meal though. They had a nice garden vegetable Thai curry bowl with rice, and of course a lot of fresh, locally sourced seafood. I mean you can’t get much closer to the ocean than this restaurant.

A night in Victoria

After dinner we took a slow walk back to the hotel, admiring one more perfect sunset along the way. After all the driving I think we were all kind of worn out and went to bed early. The next morning after breakfast I took a walk around the harbor and then we figured we should probably make our way back to Vancouver.

Getting back to Vancouver there are three options:

• BC ferries with public transit either side
• V2V luxury ferry line direct from Victoria inner harbor to Vancouver harbor
• Harbour Air float plane from Victoria to Vancouver harbor

We went with option 3. I get a decent deal with Harbor Air and we actually managed to get a last minute cheap flight for only $50 back to Vancouver. We had to wait a little while since we didn’t have a reservation, but still made it back to Vancouver in record time.

From end to end the flight is about 35 minutes and it’s a short distance home from Vancouver harbor. Plus we got some amazing views from the plane over the islands along the way, and into Vancouver passing over Stanley Park and views of the city.

If you’re looking to stay longer in Victoria, this guide will help you plan your trip

Vancouver Island adventure

If you’re staying in Vancouver I recommend at least taking a trip over to Vancouver Island if you have time. Victoria is a great day trip or overnight stay. If you have longer though then you really need to get over to Tofino and Ucluelet because it’s just amazing over there. I’m glad we finally had the time to see it all. I had been before but Jeff has lived in Vancouver almost 10 years and this was his first time to the west coast of the island.

There are lots of vacation rentals on the Island, and a number of other places I should probably make sure to visit one day. Wildlife sightings, peaceful hikes, beach adventures and relaxing time with friends makes for a pretty awesome vacation though. It was a nice break from the city, and a great way to explore more of British Columbia.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you been to Vancouver Island or Ucluelet? Where else have you visited on Canada’s West Coast?