dina4

Anyone stayed here?
website photos look amazing.
The cottages are in Olga. I am wondering if it is in an area that is really remote, or are there restaurants/markets around.

Thanks!
dina

NWWanderer

I haven't stayed there but have stayed the Olga area at the Spring Bay Inn several times. The island isn't all that big so I don't think any place on the island is really "remote"--but Olga is a tiny hamlet. There is the Olga Cafe which is worth checking out and I've heard good things lately about the restaurant out at Doe Bay (which is out beyond Olga), but for the biggest concentration of shops and restaurants you'd need to go in to Eastsound, the main town on the island. But that's not going to be more than probably a 20 minute drive or so.

dina4

Thanks, NW. You are such a wealth of information.

Do you think Olga is a nice part of the island? we will have a car, so i guess getting around won't be a problem since it's pretty small.

NWWanderer

Happy to help! I've enjoyed staying out in Olga--it's close to Moran State Park which is great for hiking. And it looks like those cottages are on or close to the water, which is always a plus.

If you want to go kayaking on Orcas as well as when you're in Tofino, find out if Spring Bay Inn (which is also out in Olga) will be offering kayak tours to the public--they do tours for guests every day but sometimes they also offer additional tours that are open to the public. The owners (one of whom usually leads the tour) are former park rangers and it's worth checking into. It's also a great place to stay but it might be too expensive for your family since you'd have to get 2 rooms.

dina4

Yes, i had seen the Spring Bay Inn, but we would have to get two rooms, which would be close to $500/nt. yikes.

I am thinking of going to Orcas instead of the Desolation Sound or Quadra Island area. Not sure yet. Thinking i would change the trip to Vancouver -- Tofino -- Victoria -- Orcas -- Seattle, with an openjaw ticket (or back to Vancouver if not).

I'm trying to decide if Orcas Island would be a better fit. Seems beautiful and charming with lots to do.
how would you say the areas compare???

We would definitely try to kayak trip on Orcas.

thanks again,
dina

NWWanderer

Yes, I'd say there's more going on in the San Juans than either of those places--definitely Quadra and I'd say Desolation Sound as well. You have teenagers, right? There's more of a variety of things to do in the San Juans--whereas I think of Desolation Sound as more "one note" if you will, with the main focus on boating/water activities (and Quadra struck me as a great place to kick back but not a lot going on, activity-wise). The San Juans have the water stuff but also hiking and you can go explore another island for a day (take bikes to Lopez for example). But the trade off is that the San Juans are more on the beaten path, so they're busier/more developed.