Hotel Spotlight: The Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada!

The Wickaninnish Inn is a magical and historical spot on the tip of Vancouver Island in Tofino, BC, Canada.  It is one of those rare properties that offers luxury while truly embracing and celebrating the local (and magnificent!) environment.  I know, it sounds cheesy, but it's true!  After three nights in a delightful rental house just down Chesterman Beach, we moved into the "Wick" for our last two nights of our anniversary trip to Tofino.

The staff were all lovely-- friendly and helpful-- and although the petite size of the room was a bit of a shock to me after several days in a cozy yet spacious cottage, the staggering views, fireplace, heated bathroom floors, and oceanfront bathtub made up for it.  The champagne and chocolate covered strawberries sent to us to celebrate our anniversary didn't hurt either!

Borrowing bikes from the hotel to ride Chesterman Beach was awesome- I don't think I've ever taken a bike on the beach?  Somehow it is an exhilarating experience!  My Beach Ready Bliss treatment at the Ancient Cedars Spa was exhilarating and relaxing in a whole other way - scrubbed and massaged, I was reinvigorated and ready for a night on the town with Napper.

The Pointe Restaurant and Bar are worth the experience (and price tag) if only for the views.  Cocktails in the bar by Danni are well crafted and I also discovered that British Colombian wines are quite good!  The chardonnays in particular.  Dinner at the Pointe was good-- we weren't totally blown away as the experience was a touch formal and the food reflected that.  Also, there is very stiff dining competition in Tofino!  We had one decadent breakfast in the dining room which was a lovely start to the day as you are perched on the cliffs over the ocean...  the other morning, Napper ran out and picked us up divine breakfast tacos from Wildside Grill and we had breakfast on our porch.

The Wick certainly earns its reputation as one of the best hotels in the West!  It also gets my vote for one of the best views from a hotel room, hands down, ever.  One to rival it, the view from our junior suite at Katikies on Santorini in Greece.  Making me think we need to do a Top 10 for views from hotel rooms blog...