Vancouver Island
 

Considering a few days on Vancouver Island's west coast in June or September this year.....anyone have any thoughts as to which month would be better? <BR><BR>Also any comments on preferences for Port Renfew, Ucluelet, or Tofino would be appreciated. We won't be camping, but "remote" is ok with us. Places to stay? Thanks.

Ucluelet is very small and not a lot to see, an afternoon would suffice. Tofino, on the other hand, has a lot more to do, beaches, galleries and don't miss the Raincoast restaurant if it is still there. Not much to look at but the food is fantastic and really original. You could probably find a nice B&B to stay in.

while i agree with kate's comments about tofino, ucluelet also has a lot to offer -- nice trails and also a springboard to explore the Broken Islands in Barkley Sound. i'd choose both over port renfrew. there are just so many recreational opportunities in the tofino/ucluelet area. i highly recommend Hot Springs Cove for a nice walk and soothing soak in the natural springs!<BR><BR>i personally would choose june -- september weather is ok, but there can be a lot of heavy fog during this time.

We were in that area in late August last year. First time in over 25 years for me, so lots of changes! I'm glad we stayed in Tofino instead of Ucluelet - we stopped there on our way back to Nanaimo and I wasn't very impressed. Tofino was very nice - good restaurants, etc. <BR><BR>Re the fog - it was raining when we arrived and 2 days later when we left, it was incredibly foggy. That was disappointing - my husband had never seen Long Beach and it was so foggy when we stopped there, that he still can't really say he's seen Long Beach! We took 1 tour on our full day there - we saw the hot springs, and that was nice. Also saw some whales along the way.

Stay in Ucluelet, and make day trips to Tofino, Long Beach etc. The prices for accomodation are ridiculous in Tofino.

P.S. check out the website for Ucluelet<BR>www.dist.ucluelet.bc.ca

My pick would be Tofino. There's lots to see and do and it's absolutely beautiful. We live in Vancouver and we regularly go to Tofino. One of the main reasons is to eat at the Raincoast Cafe. I'd have to disagree with Kate about the Raincoast not being much to look at, though. The decor is very modern, Japanese minimalist with great art work and music.<BR><BR>A great suggestion would be to buy the "Tofino Insider's Guide" - it's invaluable!

Have a look at www.innchanter.com. We stayed there a couple of years ago and loved it. It's different from the usual Tofino experience, and cheaper than the resorts.