The Glories of Western Canada :

The Glories of a Western Canadian Route du Bonheur: Though there may be hundreds of miles between each of these unique luxury Relais & Châteaux hotels and gourmet restaurants, those who take the time to travel on our traditional Route du Bonheur (road to happiness) from one luxury destination to the next will find themselves immersed in wildly diverse terrain ranging from the deep inlets and fjords along the coastline of British Columbia to the vibrant city of Vancouver. This region is famous for its festivals of food, music, art, and Native American culture, and enough outdoor activities to satisfy the most stalwart outdoors men and women. Take your time, poke into the hidden corners and discover the magic of this truly special land.

Because it is Canada’s Gateway to the Pacific as well as the country’s third largest metropolitan area, Vancouver is the place many choose to begin a visit to Western Canada. Located right on Vancouver’s fashionable Robson Square, the luxurious Wedgewood Hotel has been called everything from the most romantic boutique hotel in Canada to a place of timeless European elegance. You’ll call it the perfect place on which to center your next visit to Vancouver.

Wedgewood Hotel has 83 elaborately appointed rooms with fine antiques and original artwork. It also has a full service destination spa and a celebrated gourmet restaurant, Bacchus, headed by executive chef Lee Parsons, which comes with a most impressive wine list and a menu to please the most sophisticated gourmand. A highlight of the hotel is the Afternoon Tea for many who choose to stay at this lovely destination hotel. Stay here and you’ll have a number of choices from spending your days at the hotel with golf, biking, fishing and horseback riding at your fingertips. Or, with its enviable position on Robson Square, you’ll be just steps from the numerous boutiques, cafes, and public spaces which turn into gathering spots on warm summer evenings.

Among British Columbia’s youngest cities, Vancouver has quickly become one of its most sophisticated, attracting young, international residents who swear it to be the most cosmopolitan city in the world. Its port is significant on a universal scale; it is the third largest film production centre for U.S.-based movies and is impressive enough to have been chosen as host city of the XXI Olympic Winter Games along with the nearby Whistler ski mountain.

It would be difficult to visit this chic urban haunt and not take time to enjoy its outdoor pleasures. Stanley Park, the largest urban green space in the world, smack in the city center, draws bikers, walkers, in-line skaters and every sort of outdoor enthusiast. Less than a two-hour drive is Whistler/Blackcomb, the premier ski resort in North America according to almost every ski magazine in the world. And though there is snow looming in the mountains, Vancouver weather is moderate by Canadian standing with temperatures falling below freezing only 30 or so days each winter and rarely headed north of the mid-70s in summer. Coupled with nearly 300 days of sunshine each year, Vancouver is just about perfect any time of year.

One of the city’s favorite festivals is the Vancouver International Jazz Festival which falls in late June and early July. An astonishing 800 international jazz and blues players turn out to perform at venues all through the city. On either the second or third weekend in July the Vancouver Folk Music Festival brings top artists to perform outdoors at Jericho Beach Park. Quite possibly the best known of Vancouver’s many yearly festivals is its renowned International Film Festival. Quickly becoming one of the most respected film events in North America, the Vancouver festival brings in more than 250 movies each October representing film makers from all walks of the globe.

For shopping, Robson Street is the place for high-end fashions. The Vancouver Antique Centre is housed in a heritage commercial building with 15 separate shops carrying everything from delicate china to military memorabilia. Before departing the city, be sure to spend a little time at Vancouver’s Granville Island, a former swampland recently transformed into a medley of boutiques, galleries, nightclubs and a wonderful food market. Connected to downtown Vancouver by the Granville Street Bridge, it is perfect for a morning of browsing.

From Vancouver it’s a short hop by plane or ferry to the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island, where the British Columbia capital of Victoria maintains a very strong English connection and flavor. Less than a quarter the size of Vancouver, you can see the city best on foot. Though the most popular time to visit Victoria is in July and August, temperatures are moderate throughout the year and there is always something to do. The tranquil waters around Victoria attract some of the largest pods of killer whales during the months from April to the beginning of October, for example. Zodiac tours zip you out to see the whales and bring you back in time for high tea at the Fairmont Empress hotel, one of Victoria’s landmark to its English heritage.

Come in mid-August to see the rainbow of colors that comprise the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. Illuminated by hundreds of Chinese lanterns, the popular event draws a wide range of international competitors and spectators. Music fans won’t want to miss the ICA Folkfest, the city’s longest running multi-cultural arts festival. The event brings in more than 150,000 at the end of June for ten days of music, dance, food, and theater. Another of the city’s hugely popular events, the Victoria Symphony Splash, which brings 40,000 people out for a long August weekend to hear a mixture of pops and classics played by the Victoria Symphony. Surely no one will go hungry at the Victoria Festival of Wine, Music & Food in March when more than 100 wineries come out to strut their stuff. Artisan breads and cheeses, appetizers to match the wine and live performances complete the picture. True foodies will want to visit in September for harvest season in the Cowichan Valley.

About 30 minutes north of Victoria, the Island Highway climbs to a mountain ridge called the Malahat. Goldstream Provincial Park, on the southern edge of the Malahat, is a glorious place with interconnecting nature walks, picnic grounds and an old-growth rain forest. The Goldstream River has three species of salmon which spawn during the months of October, November, December and February. It’s unmatchable for bird watching as well, particularly in January when the bald eagles wing in for the winter. Fishermen should know nearby Spectacle Lake is the only place for eastern brook trout fishing on Vancouver Island.

Within the city of Victoria there are several sights that should be on everyone’s “must-do” list. The Butchart Gardens are more than a century-old now and remain one of the most beautiful places on earth. The 136-acre garden is colorful year round but really blooms to life in July and August when the Rose Garden scents the air. The Royal British Columbia Museum focuses on the land and people of coastal British Columbia. Sunday afternoon is a good time to visit Fort Rodd Hill a historic park and lighthouse. Belmont Battery located on the premises offers terrific views of the Juan de Fuca Strait and incoming ships.

Recreationalists must take the time to visit Cowichan Bay available by train from downtown Victoria. It is a tiny village of sail and fishing boats, piers and floating homes, but it is the water that draws boaters, kayakers, divers, and whale watchers. From the Malahat, visitors may head 15 minutes north along Highway #1 through the town of Mill Bay and follow signs to the Whippletree Junction and Cowichan Station. Here there are a number of rustic trading companies such as Streit Bros. Trading LTD which specializes in turn of the century oak furniture and period lighting and the Whippletree Antique Mall with 28 vendors selling relics from the past. Less than a five minute drive from The Aerie the graceful oil lamps and wine glasses of GBS Glass Blowing make good gift items.

From Victoria travel along the west coast of Vancouver Island to Tofino, home of the Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel, the Wickaninnish Inn, with its unsurpassed views of the Pacific Ocean. The eclectic town of Tofino, the gateway to Clayoquot Sound, is known for its ferocious winter storms. Not much is as exciting as the chance to watch dramatic waves crash on the beaches and witness the fury of the wind and rain on Canada’s westernmost coast, making the winter months here nearly as popular as the summer. For all levels of surfers, it’s a true paradise. Allow the Inn’s Les Clefs d’Or Concierge team to arrange your Tofino surf lesson with experienced instructors. Come in March when the whale watching season begins with the Pacific Rim Whale Festival. This is when the entire North American population (at least 20,000) of Pacific Grey Whales migrate from Mexico past the shores of Tofino on their way north near Alaska.

To get a feel for the region begin your visit by walking along the 1.5 mile Chesterman Beach, a popular surf beach with hard packed sand fronting the Wickaninnish Inn. Then spread your wings. Only four miles from the Wickaninnish Inn lies the spectacular Pacific Rim National Park, three geographically separate areas including Long Beach with its enviable beaches, The Broken Group Islands, more than 100 small, rocky accessible only by boat and a true hot spot for kayakers and canoeists, and the challenging West Coast Trail, 48 miles of historic hiking paths winding through a coastal rainforest.

Another favorite year-round day trip is a stop by the Provincial Park Hot Springs Cove in Maquinna Provincial Park, located 23 miles northwest of Tofino and a veritable playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Take the half-hour stroll along the boardwalk through the old-growth rain forest to reach the geothermal hot springs which cascade down a waterfall into a half dozen rocky pools. If you prefer something closer to home, the Ancient Cedars Spa at the Wickaninnish Inn, tucked inside the edge of a rainforest, blends rustic charm with the most luxurious of amenities and service, making it a true destination spa.

Food lovers have numerous options in this unique part of British Columbia. Come in June and partake in the Tofino Food and Wine Festival, a three day weekend showcasing the region’s gastronomical food and wine products. The festival has been set up to raise funds for maintaining Tofino’s lovely Botanical Gardens. For a more intimate experience take a float plane and a gourmet backpack lunch, prepared by the Inn’s kitchen brigade, to one of the hundreds of remote lakes and island beaches surrounding Tofino. When it’s time to leave, visit the Trilogy Fish Company which will ship smoked salmon straight from the waters of Clayoquot Sound to your front door. Souvenirs for those back home may be found at the House of Himwitsa Native Art Gallery with roomfuls of handcrafted First Nations masks, jewelry and artwork, and throughout the Wickaninnish Inn’s renowned regional art collection.

Deep in the interior of British Columbia, between the city of Vancouver and Canada’s Rocky Mountains is horse country with wide open ranch land, rolling hills, meadows along river banks and unspoiled forest land. All riding is here is “Western” style and the ranch will teach beginners. Stay until you’ve become an expert and can appreciate two of the biggest rodeos in the country - the Kamloops Rodeo in August and Merritt Rodeo in September.

Wine aficionados need only travel a couple hours through the Okanagan Valley to get to some of the finest wineries in all of Canada. The country is gaining increasing renown for its wine and there are now over 70 wineries operating in the Okanagan Valley from Vernon to Osoyoos. Many of them have tasting rooms and are open summers through harvest in September. The town of Kelowna, two hours from the Ranch, on Lake Okanagan, is wine central. In a day you could visit Mission Hill, CedarCreek, Gray Monk, and Quail’s Gate wineries to sample the best. Or simply spend the day on Okanagan Lake’s lovely sandy beach, browse through some of the shops and dine in one of the small town restaurants.

The largest city skirting the Ranch is Kamloops, about an hour and half by car. Besides its pro rodeo, Kamloops hosts The Kamloops Pow Wow each August for three days of storytelling, song and dance celebrating the Native people of Western Canada. A little closer to home, The Merritt Mountain Music Festival held in July draws country music fans from across Canada, who come to hear artists as diverse as the Dixie Chicks and Wynonna Judd.

Whenever you come, Western Canada has a rich and diverse landscape, wildlife, Native American history, world class spas, and an easy atmosphere with a dose of sophistication thrown in for measure. Set your own itinerary or have the concierge at our Relais & Châteaux luxury properties put together the ideal schedule for your taste.

The Glories of Western Canada : nearby Relais & Chateaux properties