Vancouver Island is what most of us probably picture when we imagine the Pacific Northwest, but more so: taller trees, mossier forest floors, wetter rain, enough wildlife to film a new nature documentary every day, and of course, spectacular hotels.
Captain George Vancouver has his name on more than a few landmarks in and around the Pacific Northwest, from a suburb of Portland, Oregon to a mountain that straddles the Yukon–Alaska border. And it’s a point of minor confusion to visitors that the Canadian city of Vancouver is in fact not on Vancouver Island; between the two sits an expanse of water known as the Strait of Georgia (named for King George III). To cross the strait, a ninety-minute ferry ride from the Vancouver suburbs, is to send oneself toward the Platonic ideal of the Pacific Northwest.
Vancouver Island is prized for its ancient rainforests, its vast expanses of wilderness, its diversity of wildlife, and for its rugged, fjord-carved Pacific coastline. There are pockets of urbanity as well. Your port of entry might be Nanaimo, a small city with an industrial heritage, or Victoria, the capital of British Columbia and largest city on the island. Victoria is charming enough to be a destination unto itself, with all the history, arts, and culture you’d expect from a modestly sized provincial capital. It’s quieter than Vancouver, but still cosmopolitan, and has what might be the best weather of any city in the coastal Pacific Northwest; in summer, it’s drier than any other city in Canada.
Nanaimo, on the other hand, is less a destination and more (for our purposes) a shortcut on the way to the main event: Vancouver Island’s wild west coast. There’s no direct road from Victoria to the remote Pacific edge, which explains why delightful towns like Tofino and Ucluelet aren’t more built-up, and why extraordinary places like Pacific Rim National Park aren’t more visited. There is, however, an easier (if more expensive) method of travel. A seaplane flight takes less than an hour from Vancouver, or roughly two from Seattle, and you’ll get to fly low over some of the most spectacular coastal landscapes you’ll ever see.
Then what? The whole island is paradise for outdoor types, with hikers and bikers particularly well served. And if you’ve made it to the Pacific coast, it all depends on the season: summertime whale-watching gives way to several months of storm-watching from the comfort of your hotel or lodge. Snow is rare, but rain definitely isn’t; the island’s exposure to the open ocean means no protection from fall and winter storms. It’s a year-round surf spot, though, with gentle summertime waves that are suitable for beginners, while the big waves hit in fall and winter.
Coming from Seattle, I thought I knew rain, but the rain that falls on Vancouver Island is like nothing I’d ever seen outside of a Midwestern summer thunderstorm. We’d been aiming to catch the end of the summer whale-watching season, but fall came two weeks early, and the stormy weather meant big surf and rough seas, which meant no sailings for small boats. So storm-watching it was, punctuated by rainforest hikes or walks along the ten-mile expanse of Long Beach whenever the rain let up.
To come all this way just to (mostly) stay in might have been disappointing, but in fact it was restorative. The sheer scale of the weather — not to mention the forests that live on this torrential rain — was nothing short of awe-inspiring. And though the world seems to get smaller every year, there’s still a unique calm that comes from visiting a place that’s genuinely difficult to reach. You can’t get here without a determined effort, and that fact alone is part of what makes it worth the drive.
Below, find our favorite hotels on Vancouver Island. Or, see all of our hotel picks for British Columbia.
Hastings House Country House Hotel
Salt Spring Island, Canada
We start with a hotel not technically on Vancouver Island, but only a stone’s throw off its southeastern coast. Salt Spring Island is easily reached by ferry from Vancouver or Victoria, though feels remote indeed. The artistic community of Ganges is a charming small town, and a short walk from the town center is Hastings House, which feels for all the world like an English country-house luxury hotel transported to British Columbia’s Gulf Islands.
Naturally Pacific Resort
Campbell River, Canada
Not far from the docks where boats depart for whale-watching and grizzly tours on Campbell River’s Discovery Passage, the stylish Naturally Pacific Resort rises up on the edge of a golf course. Its modernist structure, built of sustainably sourced wood and stone, features floor-to-ceiling glass windows to make the most of Vancouver Island’s natural beauty; its interiors, in keeping with the theme, showcase life-sized nature scenes captured by a local photographer.
The Cabins at Terrace Beach
Ucluelet, Canada
Tofino is the more famous (and built-up) of the two, but nearby Ucluelet, on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island, shares the same spectacular setting. The Cabins at Terrace Beach benefit from an extra measure of seclusion — not only is the property remote, tucked in between a deserted beach and the Wild Pacific Trail, but each one of its outlying cabins, whether at the water’s edge or deeper in the forest, feels like a self-contained escape.
Villa Eyrie Resort
Malahat, Canada
Built in a spectacular spot a short drive north of Victoria, Villa Eyrie is something unusual: an homage to the luxury villas of Italy, but with a view not of Lake Como but of Saanich Inlet and the mountains of lower Vancouver Island. Most surprising of all is the restaurant, Alpina, whose chefs trained in Italy, Germany, and Switzerland, and whose dishes craft classic European flavors from native British Columbia ingredients.
Black Rock Oceanfront Resort
Ucluelet, Canada
On the theory that there are enough rustic, woodsy old lodges in coastal British Columbia, the Black Rock Oceanfront Resort opted for a more contemporary approach; they hired a big-time modern design firm, the Vancouver/Seattle–based VIA Architecture. It’s a decision that would have to be judged a success; the result is a hotel that’s not just stylish and comfortable, but quite close to the cutting edge in terms of sustainability.
Wickaninnish Inn
Tofino, Canada
By now you know that it’s hard to imagine a place more spectacular than the west coast of Vancouver Island, where the Wickaninnish Inn sits between a lush old-growth forest and a mile-long beach, just minutes from the township of Tofino yet remote enough to feel like the edge of the world. Here, a cut-rate motor inn would probably attract a devoted following; fortunately there’s a world-class hotel to match the inspiring locale.
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge
Tofino, Canada
Set on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island, in a spot reachable only by boat or seaplane, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge is certainly secluded. But life here is far from primitive. Guests come to Clayoquot to immerse themselves in nature while also treating themselves to more than a little bit of unpretentious luxury. The spacious canvas tents are a throwback to centuries past. Think Victorian summer vacations or British explorers in Africa.
Magnolia Hotel & Spa
Victoria, Canada
Victoria is something of a throwback to the era with which it shares its name, the sort of place that puts the British back in British Columbia. And a block from the scenic Inner Harbour is the Magnolia Hotel & Spa, a lodging that, for all its newness, is equally at home in the 21st century and the 19th. In spite of a slight tinge of grand-hotel formality, the Magnolia is a modern boutique through and through.
Fairmont Empress Hotel
Victoria, Canada
Despite its island location, Victoria has its own version of the railway-style grand hotels that span Canada from coast to coast. The Fairmont Empress is patterned after the French-style Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, but in this most English of Canadian cities it’s got an identity all its own. It’s the most luxurious hotel in town, and its position facing the Inner Harbour makes it an unmissable fixture in Victoria’s downtown city life.
Sonora Resort
Sonora Island, Canada
We conclude with another hotel not on Vancouver Island proper, but just off its northeastern shore, on Sonora Island. Sonora Resort is the only hotel on the island, and reaching its front door is appropriately adventurous, whether by seaplane over Desolation Sound or via by boat from Campbell River. While most make the trip here to see humpback whales and black bears, the fishing lodge-turned-luxury resort, with its mineral pools, fly-fishing ponds, and gorgeous spa, is a destination in itself.