Some of the lodges in the Tofino area have rooms or cottages with kitchenettes, so that may be something else to look into. I know the Wickinanish Inn has some rooms/suites with kitchens but they are very expensive. Place is spectacular though. World class and one of the most beautiful locations on the planet.
We also stayed at the Middle Beach Lodge is an oceanfront cottage with a tiny kitchenette. I really liked it and thought the price was great but I slightly hesitate to recommend it because the place was a little rustic and funky, and the cottage was very compact. It was in such a spectacular location and the people running the place as well as the guests were so nice and friendly that I thought I’d throw it out there. Again, think rustic, not luxury. The main lodge space was really comfy and welcoming and the food was good – they had these great homestyle dinners. I would only stay here if you got one of the ocean facing cottages/ suites.
Another place that had been recommended to us was the Long Beach Lodge, which we didn’t stay at but considered. You might check to see if they have suites
Check to see if you can get rooms in Glacier. The open season is very short there, and the historic lodges (which are far nicer than the other options) book up. Staying outside the park isn’t a good use of your time, and driving Going-To-The-Sun Road on a regular basis is not for the faint of heart.
teriwtt, thanks for the link. Those vacations look awesome! I know someone who went on a National Geographic tour with his wife, and it sounds like every minute was the most amazing trip, a once in a lifetime experience. However, they are so costly, I don’t know if I’ll ever get a trip like that in my lifetime. We want four star experiences at two star prices, and this sounds like five star experiences for five star prices. Maybe one day, but wow, how fantastic.
Not sure if you are looking for lodge-type recommendations, but in the Banff area we really liked the Emerald Lake Lodge for a place in a beautiful location with an old-timey-Canadian-lodge-in-the-mountains feel. In Jasper, we loved the Fairmont resort but that definitely doesn’t seem like what you are after. But for others reading this, I’d recommend.
@nottelling - all of the places you suggested around Tofino were great; definitely something I’ll be showing to H. Any of them would work. I like how they’re all pet-friendly, too, although we won’t be bringing ours.
Regarding Banff - I’m a bit torn about where to stay. Although I found a place I liked, I’ve heard stories about the Fairmont, and I might be willing to consider it, even if it meant we didn’t have a kitchen or kitchenette for a few days.
My inlaws did a Lindblad cruise to Antartica and they loved it.
I think all your options are great. One thing H and I considered when we recently decided on our next trip was to do the things that we are physically able to do at this point in our lives. In our case it was deciding between a bareboat sail trip or Italy. We decided we should do the sail trip because one day we might not be able to down the road.
My SIL stayed at the Fairmont, apparently there are 2 and they split the stay between them. It was their anniversary and they were upgraded to a club floor. They thought it was great and would recommend it highly.
I don’t think I mentioned it but my friend who went to Banff went in August and complained there were hordes of rude tourists which was why I recommended going in September. My sil was also told by the staff at the Fairmont to come in September. My friend is not a complainer and has traveled extensively so if she complained it must have been bad.
I live in a tourist area and right after Labor Day is the locals favorite time to do things.
I have been on several Lindblad trips. No comparison (for the better) with the large cruise ships. Yes, it is more expensive on these small boats - but oh so worth it! In Alaska we did American Safari Cruises. I think it has changed the name to The Un-Cruise. We were on the Safari Quest ship. Only 22 people. One of the best wildlife experiences ever. More expensive than Lindblad - but you have 1/4 of the people and very personal experience. I would whole heartily recommend either boat. These are great up close nature trips to do with family or as a couple!
We considered the Linblad cruise, but decided we wanted to see more of the state, and also wanted a more active vacation (hiking, kayaking, etc.) and found this company. It may be too late in the year to book with them. Maybe the cruise when we are older. If you go on the cruise, I’d love to hear about the activity level and average age.
We’ve been to Banff twice, and loved it. Emerald Lake Lodge and Morraine (sp?) lake lodge were both nice. The area around Morraine lake is spectacular. We also stayed at the rimrock and loved the view from our room.
We also really liked Glacier, but I’d pick Banff over glacier. There are 4 areas of glacier, and we like the north east part the best. I can’t remember what the area is called though. The lodging at glacier is NOT spectacular, but the views are.
Adding a vote for Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise. H and I loved it. It is on the list of places to return to after we retire. We did not include Glacier National Park when we went. Enjoy!
So I just looked at the Tofino locations a little bit more thoroughly, then had quite a shock when I checked the distance from Victoria to Tofino. It’s a four-hour drive! I just assumed, if we did this trip, we’d fly into Vancouver, rent a car, stay there a couple of days, then take the ferry over to Victoria and drive to Tofino. I must be missing something on the logistics here. How do people get there, then get around once they get there if they don’t rent a car?
From Tofino, we’d have to go back to Victoria to take the ferry to Port Angeles so we could do Olympic National Park… maybe spend a couple of days or so there exploring, then head over to Seattle to return our car and fly home. The more I’m looking at Wickaninnish Inn, I’m loving it. I see there are lots of activities to do around there. If you’re staying in Tofino, are there opportunities to drive somewhere within an hour or so (without retracing our steps from Victoria) to see more of the island/do some hiking?
Yes, I forgot to mention, it is a four-to-five-hour drive from Vancouver to Tofino. Sorry; should have made that clear. You really need a car to get there and to get around. Everything is spread out. There is a puddle-jumper air service but I’ve heard that it is not reliable because of the unpredictable weather. We treat the drive as part of the transit time; not sight-seeing time. The fastest way is up the east coast of the island and then across the island to the west coast. it is a nice drive but not a stunning one. It is really the west coast, which is the destination, that is spectacular.
As far as activities, we did a lot of kayaking and walking. There are lots and lots of trails, but mostly flat (at least the walks we went on). The highlights for us were guided kayak tours and also wild-life viewing by boat. There are some spectacularly beautiful natural hot springs not too far away that we went to by boat. Mostly we went on long beachcombing walks on the spectacular beaches. A lot of people come to the area for fishing, but we don’t fish.
What makes it such a special place are all of the dramatic inlets and islands that make up the landscape.
Tofino itself is a funky little surfer/ hippie town which is fun to poke around in a bit.
Banff, of course, is a better choice for hard-core hiking.
We’ve never combined a trip to Tofino with one to Washington state, so I can’t advise you there.
Have fun planning!
PS I’m sure there is probably great hiking (with actual elevation change, etc) close by; we just didn’t seek that out. Don’t mean to suggest it is not available.
We spent a week in Glacier a couple years ago. Since the glaciers are melting, it’s best to get there sooner than later.
But we booked our rooms a year in advance – and yes, you really do have to stay in the park or you’ll be doing way too much driving. Many Glacier is the area in the northeast, and I agree it’s the most spectacular. Although the whole park is spectacular. We did a lot of hiking – definitely some of the best hikes I’ve ever done. Late August/early September is the best time to go (too early and the main road isn’t open, too late and you risk getting caught in snow). We didn’t go to Banff – it’s on my bucket list, but for that vacation we combined Glacier with Yellowstone.
Remind those of us with short memories – where did you go this winter?
I really like your vacation options, all near and dear to me. My wife made the drive with the kids across the hump to Tofino a couple of years back from the relatives property on the “inside” coast. It’s a couple of hours of a whole lot of nothing. When I was real young that used to be a dirt road and take all day. My grandmother was We Wai Kai, born on Vancouver Island.
To get there from Seattle, we drive up to Horseshoe Bay BC and have a reservation for the ferry to Nanaimo. It’s a little longer but we stop by relatives in Vancouver.
I haven’t been to Banff in a lot of years but my RV did the trip you are considering (brother-in-law and family) and we met them in the Kootenays (about two hours away) last summer. We were camping in Glacier for a week a few years back, one of my favorite places. From my perspective, for spectacular nature access, this is the trip I would take. Be prepared, it’s very expensive in the area. A few hour lake kayak tour might be $150 per person.
My brother and his two boys did the small boat Alaska cruise (not Nag Geo) last summer, with the nature trips planned for each day. My parents went also but with only one side trip. The inside passage inaccessible to the big ships was their favorite part. They really liked it, saw some spectacular things, but, as a dedicated back country guy, it sounded like a whole lot of sitting. Boat rides, railway rides, helicopter rides, etc. I know some people who have done other Nat Geo trips and rave about them.
We rented a house on Laguna Beach - the morning we left Chicago, it was the third coldest morning on record for February! So we made a perfect choice.
Also, we’ve done Yellowstone. Although it’s been many years ago (20?), I’m really at the point where I want to see places I haven’t seen before. Eventually when H is more willing to take more than a 7-10 days off at a time, I’m sure we’ll do a road trip that would take us back there, as well as Grand Tetons.
Again, thanks for all the sharing of experiences - it’s slowly making my choice more apparent. But I’m still reading.
When we went to Tofino, we were in Vancouver and took the ferry to Victoria (don’t miss Butchart Gardens), then drove to Tofino. We got back to Vancouver via the Nainamo ferry which made that part a little shorter.
There are quite a few hiking trails around the Tofino area.
I have visited Vancouver several times, and some beautiful nature spots outside the city. Breathtaking. I would pack my bags tomorrow if my H needed to visit his corporate office there. (My H works at home for a Vancouver company, and I keep hoping he will be called up there for a 6 week work assignment.) We didn’t make it out to the islands, but several of H’s co-workers live out there and we hope to visit them at some point.