You don’t come to British Columbia to stay indoors. Why would you? This is a place where national parks are traced with roaring canyons, towering peaks and vermilion lakes. And that’s before you uncover some of the world’s best ski resorts. But when you do retreat back to your accommodation, it doesn’t have to be somewhere that’s just a place to rest your head. Here’s our pick of the places that will continue to inspire you after your day ends, from lakeside lodges to wellbeing resorts.
Main photo: cycling at Wickaninnish Inn (Jeremy Koreski)
1. Wickaninnish Inn, Vancouver Island
Perched on a rocky promontory jutting from Tofino, Wickaninnish Inn is edge-of-the-world stuff. Gaze through sea-to-sky windows as storms whip the shore, and hike or cycle along trails in ancient forests hugging the hotel. Built with cedar, fir and driftwood, the rustic coastal retreat has a mixture of loft rooms and beach-view suites with fireplaces to warm cold toes. A sustainable menu uses chanterelles, berries and crabs foraged from the wild surrounds; organised scavenger hunts in the forest keep children entertained and yoga sessions offer a chance to switch off.
Spa Y
Pool N
Price £££
2. Sparkling Hill Resort, Okanagan Valley
This luxury hotel verges on being a health clinic, taking a holistic approach to the wellbeing of body and soul. The waterside resort is a great place to check in and kickstart a new lifestyle routine or hit your reset buttons, with a menu of 100 spa treatments demanding deep pockets and longer stays. Developed by the Swarovski crystal family, the dazzling 149-room property overlooks Okanagan Lake, and features a façade of tumbling glass floors resembling a waterfall. Guests quickly adopt a dress code of white gowns, making the place feel a little clinical, but it removes any pressure to get dressed up.
Advertisement
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££
3. Knight Inlet, Vancouver Island
This pocket of wilderness has the biggest grizzly bear population along the BC coast and is the star of numerous wildlife documentaries. Reached by float plane, Knight Inlet Lodge sits at the northern end of the Campbell River on a fjord surrounded by forest. In April, mothers and cubs feeding on sedges can be viewed from boats. The peak-season salmon run occurs from August to October, when bears can be spotted from elevated platforms close to the lodge. Take a whale-watching day trip to the Johnstone Strait to spy humpbacks bubble-net feeding or watch seals playing.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £££
4. Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort, Cariboo
This remote hideaway in the Cariboo interior is Canada’s premier cowboy lodge. The family-owned property hosts a maximum of 16 guests at a time and is designed for adventures, with activities including horse riding, fly-fishing, mountain biking and canoe rides across Siwash Lake. Rooms range from a traditional ranch house to safari-style canvas cabins. A convenient mid-point between the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast, this resort is an ideal stop-off for a magnificent road trip to Banff and Jasper along the historic Gold Rush Trail.
Spa No but treatments available
Pool Y
Price £££
5. Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, Vancouver Island
Advertisement
You’ll need a seaplane, boat ride and horse-drawn wagon to reach it, but a visit to the Unesco Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve is well worth the effort — here you’ll find one of the best intact examples of temperate rainforest. Set in a former mining outpost, environmentally sensitive tents are stacked on raised platforms, occupying an area used by First Nations people for more than 2,000 years. Still not remote enough? Try the new Cloud Camp, set on a mountain lake reached by helicopter. Go bear viewing, sea kayaking, rock or tree climbing, and participate in conservation projects, or just do nothing but sit back and take in the area’s natural beauty — we wouldn’t blame you.
Spa Y
Pool N
Price £££
6. Brentwood Bay Resort, Vancouver Island
This modern resort is a 20-minute drive from Victoria, BC’s provincial capital, and is a comfortable compromise between town and country. A collection of contemporary art adorns the sleek interior, sushi is served in the zen-like restaurant, and bedrooms come with jetted tubs. Set alongside a fjord in wine country, Brentwood Bay is a gateway to exploring the Saanich Inlet. One of Vancouver’s Island’s highlight attractions, Butchart Gardens, is a short water shuttle away; they’re built on the grounds of an old cement plant and feature a 900-variety collection of blooms.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££
7. Emerald Lake Lodge, Yoho National Park
Characterised by soaring peaks, sheer rock walls and tumbling waterfalls, Yoho National Park on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains attracts hikers, climbers and fossil hunters (some finds are more than 500 million years old). Set inside the protected area on a 13-acre peninsula surrounded by turquoise water, the 24 rustic cabins of Emerald Lake Lodge nod to the Yukon’s 19th-century gold rush, with period stone fireplaces and an oak bar salvaged from an original saloon. Modern additions include a fitness room, sauna and outdoor hot tub. Take a sightseeing mountain gondola in the summer, or dog sled, ski and sleigh ride in winter months.
Advertisement
Spa Y
Pool N
Price £
8. Sonora Resort, Vancouver Island
Immersion in wilderness hasn’t been at the expense of comfort at the Relais & Château resort at the northern end of Desolation Sound. Hot tubs, a heated outdoor pool, yoga classes and a meditation centre take care of wellbeing; a 12-seat cinema provides entertainment after meals in the fine-dining restaurant, which has a well-stocked wine cellar. The choice of outdoor activities is impressive, too: go fly-fishing, view grizzlies up close, search for orcas and sea lions, or take a helicopter trip to soar above remote glaciers.
Spa No but treatments available
Pool Y
Price £££
9. Summit Lodge, Whistler
Every winter, skiers and snowboarders zig-zag down world-class runs in Whistler Blackcomb — once host to the Winter Olympics and rated as one of the top ski resorts in North America. This family-run boutique hotel in Whistler Village is close to ski-lifts for both mountains. Of the 81 rooms available, a selection of suites features fireplaces, balconies and kitchenettes. A lower price point attracts a younger crowd who keep the atmosphere lively.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££
10. Spirit Bear Lodge, Great Bear Rainforest
Advertisement
The spirit bear (Kermode bear, a black bear subspecies) has a prominent place in the traditions of local indigenous peoples and lights up both imaginations and the forest floor. Seeing is believing; stay at the community-based eco-tourism lodge in the Great Bear Rainforest for a chance to make up your own mind. The lodge occupies a patch of coastline within the pristine wilderness — the largest ecosystem of its type in the world. Black bears and wolves can also be spotted on land, while humpback whales, orcas and sea lions inhabit the nearby waters. This is also a chance to embrace indigenous culture, with walking expeditions and village visits led by local Kitasoo guides.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £££
11. Alpine Meadows Resort, Clearwater
This modern resort sits on the shores of Hallamore Lake, close to the Wells Gray Provincial Park. There are plenty of activities to keep you warm (but not necessarily dry): canoe across the glassy waters; cycle or hike along mountain trails; go birdwatching in the alpine forests; or brave a thrilling white-water raft ride through a canyon. At the end of an energetic day, guests will find plenty of comforts — a lakeview Jacuzzi, wood-fired barbecue pits and a choice of restaurants. Larger log cabins are ideal for families and suites have outdoor decks for admiring the views.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £
12. St Regis Hotel, Vancouver
Not to be confused with the larger global Marriott International’s St Regis chain, this Canadian-owned heritage hotel is proudly independent and offers fantastic value for money. Art deco fittings from the original 1913 building remain intact and rooms are wonderfully unique and irregular in size; a $2 million renovation in 2020 has brought the property up to date. A few steps from the Skytrain, it’s well placed for city tours; bikes are also available for exploring Vancouver’s vibrant waterfront or the sprawling green wilderness of Stanley Park.
Advertisement
Spa N
Pool N
Price ££
Best things to do in British Columbia
Take me there
Inspired to visit British Columbia but yet to book your trip? Here are the best hotels from Expedia* and Booking.com*.
Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.