Canada Part 2 - Vancouver Island

Samm Avis on 16 September 2023
Leftovers came in handy for breakfast then off to pick up our hire car. Avis, of course! Love checking in for car when the ask for my last name! The off we drove up to Deep Cove for some paddleboarding. We couldn’t go a whole 11 days without paddleboarding!! Amazing experience and such stunning scenery. Slightly challenging with a speedboat/water-skier getting quite close and making lots of waves! Then back to car and headed for the ferry to Vancouver Island. 1.5 hours on the ferry from Tsawwassen to Victoria. Then approx. 30 min drive to hotel in Victoria. Stayed at Oswego Hotel in Victoria. Managed to get upgraded to 1-bedroom suite. Very nice with views over the sea. Headed out to explore and find somewhere for a much-needed refreshment. Found Darcy’s bar which overlooked where the seaplanes landed. Great choice of beers and great views watching the seaplanes. Then back to hotel to clean up for dinner. Dinner booked at Nautical Nellies. Lovely meal and great service. Had some sushi, duck and halibut.

Only 1 night in Victoria so after cooking a bacon roll in the suite headed off on 3.5-hour drive to Campbell River. Had a quick stop in Qualicum to visit the brewery and pick up some take-outs. Then on the ocean road to Campbell River. Arrived at the Comfort Suites for an overnight stay as part of the Knight Inlet (bear lodge) package. Headed off to explore Campbell River, and found a lovely bar called Session Bar for lunch. Had some fish tacos and poke cups. Very tasty. Then did a bit of exploring but due to it starting to rain had to find a brewery to shelter! BeachFire Brewery was a great find and some tasty beers to sample! Then back to hotel to clean up ready for some dinner. Found a pub nearby called RipeTide and had some tasty wings and ribs! Yum! Watched a bit of American Football too.