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Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts and Spa

Tofino, Canada

100 Excellent 18 Reviews
The resort now plans to re- open in May 2021 and will not open in 2020. Open annually from mid May until the end of September, the resort offers 3, 4 and 7 night all-inclusive adventures. Arrivals and departures fall on Sundays and Thursdays. Thursday arrivals are 3 or 7 night stays. Sunday arrivals are 4 or 7 night stays. Resort accommodations, food and beverage programs, activities and adventures and conservancy programs offer something for everyone.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts and Spa

Summary of 18 verified reviews

100
Excellent

Excellent family hotel. Great location. Fantastic service.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts and Spa, located in the fragile Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve in one of the best intact examples of temperate rainforest left on earth, was founded in 1997 by The Genovese Family Trust. The resorts have grown into a golden triangle of adventure which begins and ends in the tiny village of Tofino on the western-most edge of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts and Spa promises discriminating travelers two world-renowned ultra-luxurious eco-resorts, otherworldly coastal cuisine, super natural adventure, and some of the most breathtakingly beautiful wilderness frontier left on the planet.

Designated in 1999, by Unesco Programme on Man and the Biosphere, the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve was deemed a habitat so important to the biodiversity of the planet that the world community recognizes it as such and creates a cooperative reserve to protect and sustain it. The spirit of the Biosphere Reserve governs resort operations and forms the backbone of all policies and sustainable development. The Trust is committed to exist in Clayoquot Sound in an entirely sensitive and environmentally sustainable manner. Inspired by late 19th century Great Camps, the Wilderness Outpost at Bedwell River promises a delicious irony of indulgent luxury and remote, untamed wilderness. The quintessential marriage of soft adventure and soft beds- of childhood wishes and grown-up dreams come true. An enclave of 16 great white canvas guest and suite tents, plus dining tents, spa tents, and lounge tents offers visitors a taste of how the fortunate spent their summers "roughing it" some one hundred years ago. At a glance- a remote outpost, but up close- an ultra-luxurious, 21st-century-eco-safari style wilderness playground. The heart of the Outpost at Bedwell River is a new ranch-style log cookhouse, with its towering double-sided fieldstone fireplace, outdoor lounge and showpiece open-kitchen. Five-star food and beverage service, world-class amenities, sumptuous interiors, and super natural adventure, leave nothing wanting, no detail undone. Children aged 6 and over are welcome at the resort.
Hotel Address:
  • Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts and Spa
  • 380 Main Street
  • Tofino, BC VOR 2ZO
  • Canada

Location Summary
Some 30 minutes by boat from Tofino, or 20 miles as the eagle flies, rests a premier eco-safari destination called Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. Situated at the mouth of the Bedwell River, where it spills into a nine-mile-long fjord.

Directions to Hotel
If you are arriving from mainland USA or Canada, driving to Tofino will involve a B.C. or Washington State ferry ride to Nanaimo or Victoria. Call ahead for schedules and fares. Either way, point your vehicle in the direction of Port Alberni, then follow the signs through to Tofino. There is only one way in and/or out of Tofino and that is via Campbell Avenue. Stay on Campbell, turn right on 4th Street, left on Main Street, then drive about one and one-half blocks more, watching for the entrance to Method Marine and the Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts and Spa office on the right-hand side (ocean side) of the street.
Fine Dining On Site
The heart of the Outpost in the new ranch-style cookhouse, with its towering double-sided fieldstone fireplace, outdoor lounge, showpiece open-kitchen, and wrap-around viewing decks. Flanking the outdoor lounge are the resorts' trademark 'bistro' and 'family' dining tents, whose individual charms have inspired many memorable occasions- several remarkably romantic betrothels and milestone celebrations among them. Tables, set for two to twelve, groan under the weight of heirloom oil lamps, sparkling silver and the requisite dozens of candles. Chef May presides over the 40' long open-kitchen bar, serving up an ever-changing menu of his critically-acclaimed modern natural cuisine. Choose a seat at the bar for a casual (no less fabulous) evening, or a view table when a floor-to-ceiling window on the wild is on the menu. The Chef insists on supporting the local economy by buying fresh- letting the very nature of the region inspire exploration of a more natural method of preparation. Regional growers and producers supply small-batch cheeses, giant oysters and scallops, free-range hens, wild salmon and halibut, just-picked berries and wild herbs and mushrooms unique to the rainforest.
High Speed Internet
Belying its presentation as an overstuffed country house reading room, the library lounge is in fact an ultra-modern satellite-internet cafe. A loaded PC stands ready to connect guests to the outside world, and a router permits complimentary wireless internet access via portable computer from anywhere within 100' range.
Child Programs
Children aged 6 and over are welcome at the resort.
Spa Facility
By day, the Outpost spa compound's secluded wrap-around sundecks and private lounge areas offer peace and quiet sanctuary in one of the most breathtakingly beautiful natural settings in the world. By night, oil lamps and torches gently light up the foreshore, inviting couples to return for a moonlight walk to the wood-fired sauna or secluded hot tubs. Three spa treatment tents and surrounding massage platforms cantilever out over ever-changing scenes of the Bedwell River estuary, and its intertidal play of migratory birds, black bear, spawning salmon, and otters at play. Guests move lazily from amenity to amenity, or while away an entire afternoon dozing in a chaise or hammock. Resort staff check-in regularly to stock ultra-soft towels, stoke fires, top-off herbal iced tea, or pour another glass of something more adventurous.
Boating
The Bedwell River estuary is a marine playground for beginner and expert kayakers. Intertidal play makes for ever-changing landscapes and prolific wildlife viewing. Moreover, canoeing around Clayoquot Sound is a time-honored tradition introduced by the Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nation. Explore miles of coastline, replete with marine life like seals, otters, marten, bear, eagles and puffins. Often, whales can be seen feeding in nearby shallow bays. The resort also offers whale-watching expeditions. Virtually every whale watching expedition produces sightings of grey, humpback or killer (orca) whales. And always, guests return grinning from ear-to-ear from the sheer joy of riding aboard the resorts' dual Merc-powered pontoon boat. The combination whale and bear watch includes a visit to Cow Bay, a summer feeding ground of so-called resident grey whales, a trip to 'seal rock' to view hundreds of stellar seals and a neighbouring colony of majestic, and very vocal sea lions.
Ecological Tourism
The Clayoquot Sound Biosphere is the best and largest example of a temperate rainforest left on the planet. Its stewardship is an immense responsibility and an even greater privilege. The natural environment is what attracted resort owners to the area in 1997, and what inspired the creation of an Environmental Legacy Program. The $3 million, five-year program is funded solely by resort revenues, and identifies five key areas of research, conservation and rehabilitation. Guest participation in each of the five stewardships- salmon habitat restoration, bear mapping, whale feeding and migration study, marine habitat inventory, and raptor rehab and release- is growing alongside the resort's understanding of the nature of things.
Fishing Fly
Clayoquot Sound is home to the largest wild steelhead population in the world, and resort guides know all the hot spots. Fly fish for spring steelhead, fall salmon or cutthroat trout throughout the sound's extensive river system. The Cypre, Megin and Tranquil rivers are the stuff of legend. Access drop-off points by boat, then walk or drive in.
Fishing - Ocean
Deep sea fishing excursions are most promising from May through August and average six hours of fishing per day (we call it a half-day). Guests depart at 7 a.m. and return in time for a late lunch, or lay-about until the 1 p.m. launch and fish in the afternoon, returning in time for dinner at about 7 p.m.
Hiking
Hikers of all ages and inclinations find paradise in the miles of trails surrounding the Outpost. Paths of cedar boardwalk, trails through ancient forest cathedrals and lush fern gardens, and abandoned roads deep in the rainforest, showcase old-growth, new growth, and re-forested landscapes and abundant wildlife.
Horseback Riding
The Outpost's stable of 20 endurance horses and double teams of draft horses promise unbridled fun and adventure. Ride through the many stunning trails in and around the Outpost, through old-growth forest, across streams and rivers, to the edge of Strathcona Provincial Park, watching for bear along the way. Guests frequently sight bears, deer, eagles, seals, sea lions and whales.
Recommended Rooms
Across a timber bridge but within dinnerbell range of the cookhouse, five suite tents sit perched on a hillside overlooking the Bedwell estuary. Suite tents offer the same queen bed comfort as the deluxe guest tents, but are furnished with a convertible chesterfield (with premium queen mattress), and a larger lounge area with a small games table. Like the deluxe guest tents, suite tents tender Adirondack-style beds dressed with luxurious down duvets. Remote-controlled propane wood-stoves, antique dressers, opulent area rugs, pressed-glass oil lamps, heirloom accessories. Candles galore promise romance and suite dreams.


Guest Review Highlights

5
18
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Verified Reviews
Hotel Amenities
  • - Fine Dining On Site
    - High Speed Internet
    - Child Programs
    - Spa Facility
Available Activities
  • - Biking Mountain
    - Boating
    - Dining
    - Ecological Tourism
    - Fishing Fly
    - Fishing Ocean
    - Hiking
    - Horseback Riding
    - Jogging Running


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