DaveAndMeg

Hey there friendly travelers!

Me and my Fiance are going to Vancouver Island for a 10-day honeymoon. We are quite excited and would like your advice on places to see, restraunts to enjoy, trails to hike, lakes to take-in and beaches to explore. Here's our vision: stay at B&B's or similar accomodations, hike in parks/ canoe- enjoy nature (day trips) , have adventures outdoors, eat some great food, meet the locals (try to stay away from over-the-top-tourist attractions).

We will have a car and about 10 days.
Wouldn't mind renting a cabin for a week as a base camp.
Also, open to jumping around too.
Starting and ending in Victoria.
Early July

Thank you in advance!
Dave

BC_Robyn

Make Pacific RIm National Park the location where you spend the week, and include kayaking around Meares Island, the boat trip to Hot Springs Cove, whale watching, and days just meandering the beaches and the rainforest trails. Simply a sublime location.

The only places I can think of where it feels totally over the top touristy is Victoria, where you're starting and ending. It's not all of Victoria, but the Empress Hotel's high tea and Butchart Gardens are touristy central - you'll soon see. Even Government Street in downtown Victoria feels touristy. Victoria seems to be the city attracting the most tourists out of anywhere else on the island, especially tourists from the USA on their first trip outside of the US. However, the side streets of Victoria and the coastline around Victoria don't feel touristy at all - places like Beacon Hill Park, Dallas Road, Oak Bay, Fort Street, etc.

Other than that, I wouldn't be too concerned about anywhere feeling overwhelmingly touristy. Pacific Rim National Park, even, gets a lot of tourists who are seeking exactly what you're seeking, but accommodation is extremely limited and the place is so vast, you never feel like it's crowded.

Finally, Vancouver Island's geography is such that you can't really base yourself in one location and hope to reach other parts of the island. If you wish to explore the southern tip of the island, stay in Victoria or Sooke. If you wish to explore the sublime wilderness of the west coast, stay in Ucluelet or Tofino. If you wish to explore the tamer waters of the east coast, stay in Nanaimo, Parksville or Qualicum Beach. Northern Vancouver Island, from Campbell River to Port Hardy? Again... you need to base yourself there.

jranger

The ferry terminal near Victoria (Sidney) is a great spot from which to tour the southern Gulf Islands. Spending a day or two on Salt Spring Island, for example, is really fun. Lots of romantic coves to explore, decent dining and shopping. Some of the other islands (Pender, Galiano, Mayne) are not touristy and all lovely and unique in their own way. With ten days, you have lots of options! Congratulations!

ltt

july is a beautiful month but it will be busy so book your accommodations asap so that you get what you want.
i agree, for about 5 nights, get the cabin around tofino or ucluelet area would be nice. visit strathcona provincial park.
personally, i'm not a fan of victoria...when i need to stay in the area for a night or two i stay in sydney which is just outside of victoria
if you stay in the parksville area for anytime...definitly not a "small b&b" but the ocean view rooms at the ocean sands resorts are lovely. the ocean is shallow there so when the tide is in, the water is pretty nice. nice beach to walk along when the tide is out. a nice day's drive from there is going to hornby island. you need to time out the ferries carefully so that you don't get stuck on there by mistake. don't plan on taking the last ferry off of hornby or denby in case it is full and you need to catch the next one.
sooke is a beautiful area.
with only 10 days, pick an area and visit a few areas. don't try to do the entire island.
salt spring island is very busy in the summer - on mayne island, i like the blue vista resort...very rustic but nice.

there is a long weekend the first monday of july.