Vancouver Island advice

[chickensaresafehere]

Thinking about our holiday for 2020,just me & dh (dd at summer camp) & looking at flight to Vancouver then hiring a car & taking the ferry over to Vancouver Island & touring round.
Has anyone done this & what would be your tips or recommendations on what to see or where to stay?

We went to Canada last year. Flew to Vancouver, had a couple of days there (jet lag awful) picked up a car and went on ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo (you need to book crossing in advance).
Drive to Tofino (amazing) did Bear watching, whale watching, fishing, surfing. Ate great food, weather in August similar to Cornwall, but other coast much hotter.
Stayed at Pacific Sands Resort.

Vancouver Island is great! Victoria is lovely for exploring - great little craft shops, restaurants, bars etc.

We stayed in a great Airbnb about twenty minutes north of there - it had an outdoor hottub with views over a valley! There's some great drives with loads of stops for exploring!

If you actually wanted to pick up a hire car once you got to vancouver Island, the other option instead of the ferry is to take a sea plane from vancouver harbour. A bit pricier, but amazing views over the city, shoreline and island!

Lovely island . We were there last year and also took same ferry route . Booked in advance on BC ferries website. Book your accommodation well in advance if you're going in summer holidays. Can recommend Telegraph Cove in the north for orca and bear watching .

Chickens we are thinking of doing the same thing in Summer 2020! Planning a few days in Vancouver, few days in Whistler and then the rest of the holiday on Vancouver Island. I have wanted to see whales for years and I'm already excited.

Ooogetyooo any recommendations for where to stay in Telegraph Cove?

Tofino is one of my favourite places ever. We camped on the beach and it was fabulous ❤️

Tofino is gorgeous! If you have the money dinner at the Wickanninish Inn (spelling may be wrong!) was one of the best meals I’ve ever had

Loved Tofino, would definitely recommend it as somewhere to stay on Vancouver Island. Did Bear a Watching Tour there which was truly memorable. We had a week in Vancouver City, a week in Whistler and then a week staying in Tofino on Vancouver Island. We had a car for Whistler and Vancouver Island so travelled around both areas quite a bit. Fantastic holiday!

As pp, Tofino is gorgeous. We stayed a little way away at Middle Beach Lodge, but it's all just gorgeous. If the price is OK I'd also suggest car hire from Victoria and float plane from Vancouver harbour.

In telegraph cove we stayed at the Marina and booked direct with them . No where is cheap in TC so book well in advance . The other option is book a B.B. on the drive into TC which may be cheaper. There's also an RV Park in TC incase you are considering hiring an RV

We also did a two day kayak trip from TC with North Island Kayak company to see the orcas. They have different lengths of tour provide all equipment and was the highlight of our trip.

Great - thanks for the suggestions

Sorry to hijack the thread OP, but we are also planning something similar for 2020. Looking at flying into Calgary and out of Vancouver and I just wondered if anyone had successfully combined Vancouver Island with also doing the Rockies in the same trip (say, over 2.5 to 3 weeks). Is it doable or am I being over-ambitious? (Problem is I get excited and want to do everything!)

@cakeaddict that was exactly what we did! Perfectly doable. We took a couple of days in Canmore to explore the surround area (e.g. Banff, Lake Louise etc) before driving down to vancouver Island - we had one overnight stop on the way, plus one night in vancouver before heading to the island.

We then did four days on the island and three in vancouver before flying home. The drive through the rockies is stunning! Mke sure you keep your tank topped up, sometimes you can leave a town and will need to go for 250km before the next filling station!

Agree with all recommendations for Tofino. There are some great restaurants in the town.

Also if you fancy some horse riding on the mainland I highly recommend Sundance guest ranch near Ashcroft - we had 2 riders and 3 beginners and we all loved it. We met quite a few Brits there doing a Vancouver - Ranch - Whistler - Vancouver island trip over 2-3 weeks.

@cakeaddict we did it the other way round. Flew into Vancouver, then drove to Calgary. We stayed with a few relatives in the Okanagan (near Kelowna) and in Kamloops (ditto), with a stop in Revelstoke (hot springs) and Banff. The rockies are absolutely fabulous to drive through, and the roads are great. Give yourself at least 2-3 days in Vancouver.

It's perfectly doable in 2 and half weeks.

Brilliant - thanks Jaxhog and Userplus - I'll carry on doing some itinerary research...

We're off this summer so great thread! Flying in and out of Vancouver (we don't mind long drives!) and have 3 weeks. Spending 3 nights in Torfino- any restaurant recommendations?? Also doing Whistler, Rockies, Lake Louise etc

We are also hoping to do similar next summer! Our plan though will be to fly in and out of Seattle, and spend a few days exploring there (flights work out a few hundred pounds cheaper), before going to Vancouver Island, Whistler and Vancouver. Will keep an eye on this thread!

We are also planning to do this next summer! 😊

Went to Vancouver for 3 days, Vancouver island for 3 days and then took a one way camper from Vancouver to Calgary. Vi lovely - we did whale watching. Watch the ferry terminals- we rocked up at the wrong one and missed our ferry. Had to go on stand by and not pleasant

@cakeaddict we did this last summer. Flew to Calgary and stayed over night at airport. 3 nights in Banff, drove through the ice fields and a very late arrival in Jasper for 4 nights. We drove from jasper to Vancouver in a oner. Long day but easily manageable if you’re used to driving distances. Stayed overnight at Horseshoe Bay and first ferry to Nanaimo in the morning. Spent 6 days in Tofino and would go back tomorrow. It’s stunning. Then back to Vancouver for 3 nights then flew home from there. Best holiday I’ve ever had. Planning to go back in a few years and do it again!

Thanks @indyandlara - I'm not sure my kids would cope with the Jasper to Vancouver ride in one hit, but I'm spending a lot of time on Google maps and figuring out distances and reckon it's doable... I'm a bit at the price of some of the accommodation though as we have no choice but to do it in August in the height of peak season, so will have to balance the number of nights we go for... either that or just blow the budget for a memorable holiday

@cakeaddict dvds are your friend. My daughter was 9 when we went. It is £££ for accommodation. Beware that Jasper sells out quickly.

cakeaddict we did 5 days in Banff in the Rockies, flew from Calgary to Victoria on Vancouver Island for 5 days then got the ferry to Vancouver for 5 days and flew back from there. Perfectly doable. Best holiday ever.