We are planning a family trip to Vancouver Island for in early August, and haven't a clue where to stay. There are four of us - two adults, a 17-year-old and a 12-year-old. We like things fairly laid back, and not overly "touristy". We also don't have a ton of money to spend. We love to camp, and see wildlife, and hike and swim. If there was a chance to see whales that would be great too. We are thorougly overwhelmed by the choices out there and need some advice! All help welcome. Thanks!

Rona, have you done a search on previous postings about Vancouver Island? There was a thread not too long ago about the Parksville area (north of Nanaimo) vs. Tofino (out on the West Coast) that might be helpful. Also, I thought of Strathcona Park Lodge on reading your post. Have you looked into that? Their cabins are reasonably priced, and they have lots of outdoor adventure programs (or you can do lots on your own).

Are you bringing your camping gear? We have lots of campgrounds. The provincial sites take bookings now and the two best beach sites Rathtrevor and Miracle are always full in August so book soon if you want to stay there. Obviously Victoria is the most expensive place as there are more tourists than hotel rooms and scoring highly in Conde Naste doesn't help to discourage people from coming here. There are cheap/free rough sites on the way into Strathcona park.

Hi Rona <BR> <BR>You can't go wrong staying in the parksville/nanaimo area, there are lots <BR>of reasonably priced hotels, and for camping you can't beat Rathtrevor Beach, <BR>lots of sandy beaches - but reserve ahead of time for a camping spot.

further to my previous post - here is <BR>the toll free number to reserve a camping site at any B.C. provincial park <BR>1-800-689-9025

We took a 2-week camping vacation last summer (August) on Vancouver Island. Our adventure took us to Miracle Beach, Rathtrevor, Parksville, and Long Beach. We thoroughly enjoyed it with our kids (3.5-year-old and 5-month-old). My fave was Miracle Beach, with its tidal pools, pristine sandy beach, and beautiful campground. Rathtrevor was another fave with its evening parks programs. My 3.5-year-old and husband LOVED Long Beach with its miles and miles of beach to walk along, rocks to climb, sealife (jellyfish, starfish, crabs, etc.) to find... <BR> <BR>We also made an afternoon trip to Coombs Bay, where they have quite a spectacular country market to buy goodies back to the campsite. <BR> <BR>Methinks that you'll have an even better time than us, since your children are older, sturdier on their feet, and can walk more than ours. Nevertheless, we had a great time, not spending a lot of money (most expensive bill we had was the ferry ride). We'll probably do it again next summer.

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