While we were on Vancouver Island this past weekend we received an invitation to dine at Black Rock Resort. Located in Ucluelet, it was about 40 minutes away from where we were in Tofino and definitely worth the trip.
The main dining room at Black Rock is called Fetch, and it features a fresh menu designed by Executive Chef Andrew Springett filled with local ingredients, BC wines, and Ocean Wise seafood options.
We started off with tuna nicoise and I then ordered the beef tenderloin (served with buttermilk mashed potatoes topped with peanuts) while John went with the halibut (with risotto).
For dessert, we had to go with the chocolate mousse (which was in lieu of birthday cake for John that weekend).
The windows at Fetch looked out onto a rocky shore, just past the patio. The distinctive black rocks appeared to be the obvious namesakes for the resort as they jutted up out of the sea like hundreds of coal-coloured shark fins. The tables were bare wood with visible circles of wine from past guests, which we found charming and fit the rugged feel of the area that was balanced out with the soft ambiance of the restaurant inside.
The staff was very friendly to everyone and the mood in the dining room was very cheerful as a family at a long table beside us was celebrating the birthday of their patriarch. Out in the lobby, things were hopping that night as two weddings were being hosted in ballrooms down the hall. We took a quick walk around to snap some photos.
Coming from Highway 4, turn left toward Ucluelet (instead of right to Tofino) to find your way there. If you’re in the village of Ucluelet, it’s about a 15 minute walk down to Black Rock on Marine Drive.
All photos are by Rebecca or John Bollwitt for Miss604.com
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Every fall Canucks veterans and newcomers take to the streets of Vancouver to hand out newspapers and pose for photos with smiling fans. Tomorrow, September 29th, they’ll be at it again with the Vancouver Sun in hand and with proceeds going to literacy programs across Canada during Raise-a-Reader Day.
“Raise-a-Reader, a year-round initiative that raises funds for family literacy programs across Canada, has raised $15-million since its national launch in 2002. The program has also helped educate Canadians about literacy issues and how improved literacy levels have a positive impact on our country’s economy and social well-being. The program was initiated by The Vancouver Sun and originally ran as an isolated fundraiser in British Columbia. Today, the campaign is TRULY national – with representation by newspapers in all ten (10) provinces and the celebration of Raise-a-Reader Day in cities from Ucluelet, BC to St. John’s, NL.”
I have been out and about on Raise-a-Reader Day every year since moving downtown in 2005 and the best locations for Canuck-spotting are usually along Georgia Street at Granville, Hornby, or Burrard. You could find a few members of the Canucks organization down at the Burrard Skytrain station as well. Although I’m unsure of the times this year, the campaign has run from about 6:00am – 9:00am.
Remember to bring a donation with you (at least a toonie is suggested) as you can’t have your photo taken or paper autographed without a contribution. 100% of proceeds from Raise-a-Reader go right back into the community.
After leaving The Wickaninnish Inn at Chesterman Beach in Tofino, we made our way to Long Beach Lodge Resort, located along Cox Bay. While our surf lesson (from their in-house team) was canceled due to the extremley stormy seas, we relaxed in the Great Room and in the hot tub out behind our cottage.
The biggest take-away I have from Long Beach Lodge is that the cottages are the perfect accommodation for a family or a group of friends. With a full kitchen, two bedrooms (with 3 beds), two bathrooms, a fireplace, hot tub, it lends itself to a longer stay as well. Rain gear and flashlights are provided for beach walks and the shelves are stocked with board games for indoor entertainment. There was a complimentary continental breakfast in the Great Room and a kids menu (available from your room or cottage, and the main dining room).
Of course the best entertainment around can always be found near the breaking waves.
The south end of Cox Bay borders Pacific Rim National Park and it’s a playground for young and old. Bike tire marks mix with animal tracks and footprints. The sand, littered with bull kelp and mussel shells, leads out to the water’s edge where you can find eager surfers and body boarders getting the most out of every ripple in the tide.
We were only at Long Beach Lodge Resort for about 24 hours but in that time we continued our relaxation in the rain. Our car covered in moss and light debris from the strong winds winding through the treetops, we left the region on Sunday morning and headed back to the Eastern shore of Vancouver Island to take the ferry home. We’re already talking of booking a cottage for a future trip with friends and hopefully we’ll get our surf lesson in then.
All photos are by Rebecca or John Bollwitt for Miss604.com
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Chuck Davis, local historian and founder of VancouverHistory.ca has been working on a book for several years that will be called, The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. The website alone is an invaluable resource with over a century’s worth of historic moments, oddities, newspaper clippings and articles about our region. I heard this morning that due to his battle with terminal cancer, Chuck has has to find another author who will be able to continue his work and finish the book.
Archives location #: GN dr 21
There is no doubt in my mind that this book will be the ultimate resource and reference for Vancouver history and it is imperative that this documentation live on. However, funding is an issue and although the Vancouver Board of Trade is a lead sponsor for the book, there is still much work to be done.
Chuck has been offering up chapters of the book for sponsorship such as 1902 sponsored by Tourism Vancouver), 1917 (Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada), 1999 (Vancouver Film Studios), and 1988 (Rogers Video). There are still several years available for sponsorship so it could be worth checking out your birth year, or the year your company was founded to see if you can step in as a sponsor.
It is very important to me, personally, to see Chuck’s work completed as I have used his website as a resource so many times and have corresponded with him in the past (with odd historical questions that required research to answer). I cannot afford to sponsor a chapter on my own so I hope that I can get the word out about this to as many individuals and business owners as possible. You can find additional information about sponsoring a chapter on the Vancouver History website.
With the Inn at the Pointe and The Pointe restaurant opening in 1996, the Wick’s is still pretty young but the area in which it sits is full of history. You can read up on Tofino history in the library of the On the Beach building (completed in 2003) and even get a glimpse at some of Captain George Vancouver’s log books and navigational equipment used when he charted the Island.
The common areas (and many of the 75 guest rooms) are filled with driftwood furniture, wood or marble sculptures, paintings, carvings, large comfortable chairs, and floor-to-ceiling windows so that the amazing view is always visible. Claire MacDonald, Marketing Planner for the inn, said that the idea was to make the decor and amenities so unique that if you were to take one look around, you would know that you are at The Wick, and no where else in the world.
Our room faced North-West over a rocky channel as waves provided the soundtrack to our stay. We didn’t turn on the television for entertainment nor did we make use of the inn’s DVD library. We opened the sliding door, turned off our lights, and sat together in silence as the rain fell and thunderous waves crashed on the sharp shore below.
I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in two Relais-Chateaux properties before (Aerie, Sonora) and they all have exceptional services and amenities.
In our room we also had lavender on our nightstand, Senseo coffee, a journal above the fireplace to jot down notes (and see the musings of previous guests), and a media player (with iPod/iPhone dock) that somehow always ended up spinning the Michael Buble CD after turndown.
Now there are generally two types of people: Those who get out in the rain to splash around and explore in their wellies, and those who snuggle up indoors as storms pass overhead. The perfect place for both is Tofino, BC and more specifically, The Wickaninnish Inn.
In the rain, the region seems even more active than when the fog rolls in under clear skies. Children ride bikes on the sand, adults jog alongside their dogs on the multi-use path, surf boards are replaced with body boards in a storm, and hotel guests in their distinctive yellow coats get out to stretch their legs as sea foam rolls across sandy bays.
From the beach, the hotel hardly sticks out among the trees, which was the point when both buildings were constructed. Even the paint colour is supposed to replicate the shade of a faded and weathered Cedar.
As if our experience wasn’t romantic enough, on Friday afternoon we were led into a small one-room cabin placed on the rocks just ahead of the Inn for a side-by-side massage at the Ancient Cedars Spa. Happy Birthday, John
When it came time to leave The Wick, our hair was wind-blown and sprayed with salty sea air from walks around the property. If we had more time we would have dinned once more at The Pointe, inspected the Captain Vancouver records in the library, and done a lot more of nothing while we watched the waves from either our balcony or a horizontal piece of driftwood on the shore.
Heading South toward Cox Bay, we would spend our last night on what some locals call the real West Coast. We were warned that we “might just relax” while in Tofino and that’s exactly what happened.
All photos are by Rebecca or John Bollwitt for Miss604.com
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