PWAC Victoria: Jeff Bateman, Writing Sample

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Roadtrip: The Island Spa Trail

by Jeff Bateman ©

A driving holiday to three of the island's leading health spas. Westworld, Winter 2003/04.

Jaunt: South-Central Vancouver Island
Distance: 900 km
Fuel: 2 tanks
Prime time: Anytime
Tunes: Chill-out techno (Thievery Corporation, Goldfrapp)
Duration: Highways link the entire route, so you can zip between resorts and take advantage of the 11 a.m. checkout/3 p.m. check-in clock. Since relaxation is the goal, we're suggesting a leisurely pace that samples charming towns and natural splendours along the way. Two-night stays at each resort/spa makes for a stress-busting one-week breakaway.
Leg One: Victoria to Parksville

Can there be a more restorative way to see great swaths of Vancouver Island than by stringing together a tour of resort spas? One sallies forth on the Trans-Canada not far from Victoria's Mile Zero. Follow the newly repaved ribbon of tarmac up into the Malahat Hills, pulling over to drink in panoramic Gulf Islands views before meandering the backroads around Mill Bay. Then put pedal to metal, destination Chemainus. When the lumber mill closed in the early '80s, townsfolk got busy on a unique beautification project that documents local history with 33 (and counting) wall murals.

Roadside Attractions

Meridale Ciderworks
Take a breather from the four-lane chase at Mill Bay to explore the backroads north of Shawnigan Lake, shouting hello to the llamas and enjoying the rolling, pastoral scenery.
     One must-stop: Meridale Estate Cidery, which now features a self-guided tour of the apple-pressing and fermentation works along with a newly opened tasting room worthy of a Sonoma winery.
     The honey-flavoured Cyser is a treat, though traditionalists will want to stick with the sharp crabapple bite of the Scrumpy. Hook back onto Hwy. 1 just past the village of Cobble Hill.

Two Sides of Paradise: Tofino & Ucluelet
Dramatic weather is a given during "storm season" here, so leave the umbrellas at home in favour of oilskin slickers. A new option for hikers is Ucluelet's Wild Pacific Trail; the 2.5-km loop trail at the southern end of Peninsula Rd. offers glorious views of the Broken Group Islands, while hardier souls can challenge a much tougher leg of the trail accessible from the Matheson Drive parking lot.
     Other area diversions (among many): Martinis in the Long Beach Lodge's stately lobby bar; water taxi rides to Meares Island or Hotspring Cove; guided nature tours out of the Pacific Sands Hotel; or fresh java and killer muffins from Tofino's Common Loaf Bake Shop.

Cathedral Grove
Summer is definitely not the time to visit this B.C. landmark, not when the tourist hordes are swarming and parking space is at a premium. In off-season, though, Cathedral Grove (beside Cameron Lake on Hwy. 4 between Port Alberni and Qualicum Beach) is at its hushed and magical best. Wisps of fog cling to the upper branches of the Douglas firs, some approaching 90 metres high, and the canopy provides shelter even on the wettest winter day. Best of all, the click of cameras and burble of kids are gone, allowing one to commune with old-growth nature in meditative peace.

Comox Valley
With Kingfisher's masseuses ready to smooth away the sore muscles, try a sporting double-shot: One day play 18 holes at the Crown Isle Golf Course in Courtney, the next make the 45-minute drive to Mount Washington to carve up the fresh powder. Friends back east will be chartreuse with envy, of course.
     Driving the country roads of the Comox Valley as they thread past farmlands and over rain-swollen rivers is a pleasure; pitstops could include the Cumberland Museum, where you can explore a replica of the coal mines that once dotted the landscape, or Courtney's Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens, home to 3,000 rhododendrons (at their colourful best from March to June) and acres of walking trails.

Land o' Spas
No resort nowadays is complete, it seems, without a lavender-scented salon and a crack team of iron-fingered massage therapists with the softest of touches.
     Five-star refuges like The Aerie (atop the Malahat) and Tofino's Wickinninish Inn draw upper-crust sybarites, while those in need of serious treatment visit the EcoMed Naturopathic Health Retreat-Clinic on Gabriola Island. Every spa prides itself on a signature treatment, but all offer a wide range of shiatsu and deep-tissue massages, reflexology, body wraps and hydrotherapy soaks. Prices generally range from $50 for a no-frills facial or manicure all the way up to $500 for extended treatments like Tigh-Na-Mara's three-day programs.

Tip: Many spas offer access to their mineral pools and saunas for a relatively low price. A one-stop guide to a dozen spas can be found at www.islands.bc.ca/touring/frspa.htm.

For lunch: Visit "old town" Chemainus near the Thetis Island ferry dock and enjoy a white-tablecloth meal at The Waterford, a charming home-turned-restaurant. Afterwards, head over to Willow Street to shop for local pottery and watercolour paintings.

From Chemainus, hug the coastline on Hwy. 1A as you pass through Saltair, then merge back onto the Trans-Canada. The Post Office Antique Mall in Ladysmith houses 35 dealers under one roof. By now, mind and body are ready for a break, however. The Nanaimo bypass (Hwy. 19) cuts a half-hour off what was slow-going through one of Canada's fastest-developing cities.

Where to sleep/spa: Tigh-Na-Mara ("house by the sea" in Gaelic) just south of Parksville was once a folksy retreat notable for cozy log cabins and access to Rathtrevor Beach. Long-time owners Joe and Jackie Hirsch have upgraded and expanded the property dramatically over the years. The Grotto Spa opened this spring, complete with a remarkable pool lined with faux-granite rocks and filled with enough Hungarian mineral salts for effortless floating. A rinse under the cold waterfall, and you'll snap back to a reality that's never felt so sharp. Most rooms are equipped with fireplaces and soaker tubs, all the more enjoyable after long hikes on Rathtrevor's tidal flats.

Where to dine: Best eats locally are at Tigh-Na-Mara's romantic Cedar Dining Room. Sunday brunch, topped by sinfully rich Stilton cheesecake, draws a loyal contingent of daytrippers.

Leg Two: Parksville to Ucluelet

Wave goodbye to the seagulls as you trek across Vancouver Island's rocky spine on the stunningly scenic Hwy. 4. A quarter-hour into today's drive, stop for gourmet road food at the Coombs Country Market, famous for the goats grazing on its turf-covered roof. The highway narrows as it hugs the edges of Cameron Lake and gets tighter still as the shadowy titans of Cathedral Grove loom overhead (see sidebar). The route then shimmies uphill and down into Port Alberni, where in the summer you can satisfy your curiosity about the golden age of forestry at the McLean Mill National Historic Site.

You're now within 100 km of the open Pacific, but don't miss a spa-on-the-cheap dunk in Sprout Lake: Cut loose with some blood-curdling war whoops and plunge right in. (The bulbous float planes anchored on the lake are a pair of Martin Mars water bombers.) Minus summer's fleet of camper vans, Hwy. 4 is a joy to drive, particularly as the blacktop unwinds past a region of sandbars on the Kennedy River and climbs into the mountains. Once at the Pacific Rim National Park, luxuriate in the sensurround experience of Long Beach or hike one of ten Parks Canada interpretive trails.

Where to sleep/spa: Ucluelet, always the sleepier cousin to rambunctious Tofino, is growing fast yet retains its folksy character. The Coast Hotel's Tauca Lea Resort, a small village of wooden townhomes set along seaside boardwalks, has recently added the Rainforest Spa; best bets include the deeply satisfying volcanic stone massage and full-pressure rinses under a six-headed Vichy shower.

Best eats: Tauca Lea's Boat Basin Restaurant matches its waterfront views with fresh, artfully presented seafood dishes and charming service. Among the new wave of Tofino restaurants, Café Pamplona merits the rave reviews, both for the cooking and the setting--a five-hectare waterfront botanical garden loaded with curiosities like the driftwood sculptures that rise out of the woods like sprites.

Leg Three: Ucluelet to Courtney

While you made a day trip of it on the way out, a steady two-and-a-half hour, 140-km drive takes you quickly back from one coast to the other. If you're on the road in November or early December, check out the various Christmas craft fairs and events in picturesque Qualicum Beach. Or stroll the long rocky waterfront while beachcombing for sand dollars.

Where to lunch: The colourfully hip Lefty's Fresh Food at the corner of Fern and Memorial in Qualicum lives up to its name with a spicy roasted vegetable wrap and other casual fare.

With the bulk of traffic speeding along modern Hwy. 19, the old Hwy. 19A is now something of a backroad as it winds along the "Oceanside Route" north to Campbell River. Detour into Bowser and Deep Bay to check out dream waterfront homes, then pull over at Fanny Bay next to the abandoned cable-laying ship The Brisco. Mounds of bleached shells testify to the popularity of the resident bivalves, enjoyed both by humans and the barking sea lions lazing on nearby log booms.

Where to sleep/spa: The Kingfisher Oceanside Resort just south of Courtney is keeping pace in the spa wars with its new "hydrotherapy path," a do-it-yourself carwash for body and soul that allows one to sink into a series of mud, seaweed and mineral baths, detoxify in a steam cave and splash about under a waterfall--all in a make-believe tidal pool setting.

Where to dine: Kingfisher's award-winning restaurant is famous for its monthly seafood buffets. In Courtney, you can warm yourself by one of four fireplaces at The Old House Restaurant, a timbered establishment set on the banks of the Courtney River.

Jeff Bateman
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Last updated: February 1, 2004 http://www.islandnet.com/pwacvic/batemn10.html