Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

Tofino July 2 – July 5

Tofino is an island that has a similar look and feel to Tahoe in California and New Zealand with great bays and waterfronts lined by tall mountains and lots of trees. Tofino is also a surfer’s haven with the coasts getting pounded by tall waves in the winter and rolling surf in the summer. This place is a great location to unwind from life and relax. Plan to spend about three days here…any longer and you may be thinking “what’s next?”

Getting there is not as easy. Tofino if a 5 hour drive north of Victoria. However the drive is really great and winds through an old-growth rain forest and, believe it or not, snow capped mountains. Just take your time and enjoy the trip there! We drove 2 hours out from Victoria to Nanaimo and stopped for lunch…and then finished the remaining 3 hour drive. Once you get there, you will realize how special and unique this place is....eh.

Where to Stay
Dee Dee found several bed and breakfast type places and hotels listed on TripAdvisor. However, prices do vary and none are really cheap. There are a few high-end resorts in the area…but they are fairly sterile and look like any other resort. We prefer to stay in bed and breakfast places for the experience is more personal.

Dee Dee found the BriMar Bed and Breakfast…and what a find. This house is built right on the beach and has excellent views of the ocean. The house is very new and resembles architecture from Cape Cod. The hosts, Sandra, Brittany and Adam are really great and helpful. We recommend staying in the bedroom with the en-suite bathroom on the second floor. Unlike the more expensive loft room, the second floor room has a great, unobstructed view of the ocean.

What to Do
The focus here is more relaxation and less focus on hard core adventure travel activities. There are several rain forest hikes in the Pac Rim National Park that are very easy going to enjoy too. However, the big highlights in the area are the whale watching and bear watching tours that leave from Tofino harbor several times a day. We went on a bear watching trip in the early morning with Ocean Outfitters. This company is buttoned up and very professional. We went out on a zodiac boat at 8:00am and motored up channel and saw several bears…it was AMAZING. Go as early in the morning as possible for the bears eat early.

There are several tour companies in the area to book whale and bear tours. It’s easy to book a trip 24hrs ahead of time…and know that tour prices are about the same so there is little value in shopping around. I thought of going on a whale watching tour too…but the whales, hump-back and gray, are the same species as in California….so I’ve been there, done that. However, some companies offer bear/whale combo deals that reduce prices by at least 10%...so keep an eye out for that.

Dee Dee and I also went on several great rain forest hikes and beach walks. We walked and took a nap at Schooner Cove. We also visited Long Beach where we saw a bald eagle flying and perching. The beaches are much different than California with the width and length of the beach, the drift wood and the presence of several small islands within walking distance at low tide.

There is a bog in the area that is worth visiting too. Bogs are really interesting…and are typically only seen in horror movies. However, the bog here is worth a walk through…the trees, plants and moss look very different than those of the neighboring rain forests.

The most unique hike is to a sight of a WWII plane crash site. The site is on a hillside fairly close to the Radar Hill hike starting point. All the local workers in the B&Bs, restaurants and tour places know about it…but no one at the Tourist Information kiosks will claim any knowledge…which is weird, but true. The wreckage is of a Canadian WWII Navy plane that crashed in the hillside in 1945. The plan is rusting away and hikers are able to hike up to it and even go inside the plane. The hike is through “un-official” trails that are marked by ribbons tied to trees. If you are up for the adventure, ask a local where it is and how to get there. Dee Dee and I passed on this hike for it was raining the afternoon we could do it. Next time!

Where to Eat
There are very few restaurants in the area…which means there is little competition and that keeps prices high. Many are targeted to the traveler looking for that “quaint experience” and their menus feature “quaint dollar signs.” We found the following places…which we recommend above the others you may find.

Rain Coast Cafe
This place is on the right just inside the town. The food here is great in this tiny restaurant that focuses on serving sea food, duck and beef dishes with an Asian twist. This place aint cheap…but is GREAT. I highly recommend the halibut with a curry/wasabi sauce or the duck with a blackberry sauce.

Breakers Deli
A down town deli and coffee shop, Breakers is a great place for lunch or a fairly cheap place for dinner. Many locals come in to take advantage of their under $10 lunch specials. There is a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps, salads and drinks. The counter staff is “so Bay Area” that it almost feels like home…or Santa Cruz.

Andy’s Pizza
Blonde’s in Berkeley this is not. But the pizza is good…and is sold by the slice. Go to the very end of town…turn right on Main and it’s right there next to the small Co-op Grocery Store. There is no seating…so go in there ready to stand and eat your slice. This is great for a cheap lunch or dinner…we got out of there for under $5 a person.

Chocolate Tofino
Dee Dee found a little, tiny shopping center off to the right about 2 miles south of downtown Tofino. The shopping center serves the local population south of the town and includes a small grocery store, a surf shop, movie rental store…and Chocolate Tofino where home made chocolate candy is made…and it’s good and worth a stop. The grocery store is great to get a bottled water or soda too.

Common Loaf Bakery
This is more of a locals coffee shop and bakery. There are a ton of really cool baked goods made fresh each morning. Dee Dee had a great fresh cinnamon role with sunflower seeds…and I had a raspberry and white chocolate muffin that was baked that morning. The standard coffee drinks are served too. We recommend starting here for an early afternoon snack.

Sweet T's
Now this place is really small and off the beaten path..and a total find. Just past the Ocean Outfitters shop by a block is a small shop owned by a break and pastry baker and his wife. The baker makes cookies, bread and pastries. Dee Dee had a ginger cookie that she still talks about. I had an almond lemon bar that was really good. The shop is really small so plan to go in, buy your stuff and walk out to eat on a bench outside or on the doc down the street. Go here when in Tofino…you will be stoked you did.