Eight days on Vancouver Island
 

Looking ahead to August and planning to spend two nights in Victoria. Would I be trying to squeeze too much in if I go to Sooke and Tofino, or should I limit myself to one of those? We are just looking for R & R---thinking of Point to Point Resort in Sooke and/or Pacific Sands in Tofino. Would appreciate any input. Thanks.

With only two nights, Tofino would be a bit of a squeeze. It could take about 4 or 5 hours just to get there from Victoria. It's such a beautiful drive up, you'd hate to rush it - and then once you get there, you wouldn't have much time to see everything. I have done the drive up and back in one day, but we left at 5 AM and got back at midnight! Sooke is really part of the greater Victoria area, although it's about 45 minutes' drive away; the road is pretty but quite twisty. The name of the resort is Point No Point; I haven't stayed there but I have friends who go there for lunch or tea on occasion. If all you have is 2 nights, I'd go for Sooke.

I will have 8 days to spend, two of which will be in Victoria.

Although I haven't heard anything bad about the Point No Point Resort and I like the coastline there, their tea room has always struck me as a bit grubby. There aren't many restaurants in the Sooke area so you might want to take your own food. On the way there or back, try to fit in a visit to Hatley Park and castle.<BR><BR>I would stay only a night or two and spend four days in Tofino.

Oops! Sorry, Fran, I misunderstood.<BR> Okay - that being the case, I would think you could easily do both. The tea room at Point No Point has never been described to me as &quot;grubby&quot; - the resort itself is quite elegant. I might suggest one or two nights in the Tofino area; if you can, or you want to, go and have a look at Hot Springs Cove. It takes about an hour by boat with one of the whale-watching outfits there, and then there's a bit of a hike, but it's very beautiful. Between Tofino and Victoria you could stop at Cathedral Grove; it's very lovely. People also like looking at the murals in Chemainus, near Victoria. I don't think it would be too much to pack in both Tofino and Sooke in one trip.

With six days (that's eight minus the two that you'll be in Victoria), I think it'd be a breeze to do both Sooke and Tofino. About two hours drive from Sooke (closer from Pt No Pt Resort) is Botanical Beach(?) Provincial Park with a wonderful walk thru rain forest to a beach with thousands of tide pools teeming with sea life. Check the tide tables, and make that side trip! Also near Sooke, the Potholes swimming area is worth a look-see (or was two summers ago). And if you're a foodie, don't miss a chance to dine at Sooke Harbour House. Enroute to Tofino from Sooke, you may pass through the Cowichan Valley with a few cute wineries ... I had a fabulous lunch overlooking the wines at Vinetti Zanatta(?). Skip Nanaimo, in my opinion. Beautiful drive to Tofino through Cathedral Grove and Port Alberni. Okay ... enough dreaming about some of my favorite places ... enjoy!

I would highly recommend that you make a reservation as soon as possible as these places you have mentioned are very popular and are sometimes booked for certain dates up to a year in advance or more. Especially Tofino area resorts.I am staying at Pacific Sands in June for 4 nights. This will be my first time staying there. The cabins at the resort where I normally stay were already booked when I called a few days ago. They seem to book up sooner every year. <BR> Both areas are nice but personally, I prefer the Tofino area. Beautiful long beaches, whale watching, kayaking and there are plenty of short hikes in the National Park.<BR><BR> Botanical Beach north of Point no Point has lots of tide pools. Be careful of rogue waves and check the tide chart to see when low tide is.<BR> Sooke regional park is a nice place to go for easy hiking and my favorite place to visit the outdoors when I'm in the Victoria/Sooke area.Beautiful scenery.<BR>For R&amp;R. Flip a coin. You Won't Lose.<BR>