Vancouver Island
 

We are looking to rent a house on Vancouver island in late July/early August. I have looked on vrbo.com, and there are many listings, and not sure what area is best.

We would like something a little remote, so Victoria seems a little too crowded we think. Or is it better to stay on the mainland and go north of Vancouver?

We live in NYC, and are really looking to get away from it all, and would appreciate any information.

I would recommend Tofino, on the far west coast of Vancouver Island. I'm an ex-NY'er who's been in the Pacific NW for 20 years now and it's my favorite place in the region (and we have a LOT of beautiful places to choose from out here).

I've been there a whole bunch of times and have usually stayed at a lodge or B&B, but at Christmas I rented a house on Chesterman Beach with friends through Tofino Vacation Rentals. We really liked the house and it was a good experience using them.

We live in Sooke, which is often advertised as being half an hour from Victoria - not strictly true. It's about half an hour from the Greater Victoria area, but far enough away from downtown (it takes me about an hour during non-rush-hour traffic, all highway driving) to be definitely rural. I had a look at vrbo.com and I see that there are a number of properties advertised in the Sooke area.

We love living here because it's so different from Toronto, where we came from. East Sooke is gorgeous and quite far off the main roads. It's lovely in summer. The advantage, too, is that if you do want a day in the city, Victoria isn't all that far away.

I would also recommend Tofino. Another idea is to seclude yourself on one of the Gulf Islands, although they will offer a completely different experience. If you're looking for "edge of the world" isolation, Tofino fits the bill.

I'll also recommend looking at www.vancouverisland.com. It's a good resource for getting a feeling for each region and town (ie: Sooke, Tofino, Galiano Island, etc). Victoria is definitely the most populated city on Vancouver Island, complete with suburbia - certainly worth a visit, but not the ideal destination if you're looking for remoteness.

I should also add, when I say "Tofino", I don't actually mean the village of Tofino, but anything along Hwy 4 between Tofino and Ucluelet. Here's a link describing the area:

http://www.vancouverisland.com/Regio...s/?townID=3970

I agree that Tofino is a wonderful place to stay. If you have children the beaches are a great place for them to play and explore all kinds of sea life. I have stayed on Chestermans Beach in a complex known as South Chesterman Beach Homes and you can rent a townhouse there for a month but I would recommned booking sooner then later as Tofino is a very popular destination in the summer.
Here is a website to check out www.tofinobeach.com under: longstay vacation homes. This complex is very nice and the townhouses are great.

Cheers

I suggest staying on one of the smaller Gulf Islands and then doing daytrips (taxi ferries available) to some of the neighboring. I stayed at Casa del Mar on Saltspring and it was a really nice B&B.