Exploring Tofino 2021

As summer holidays are winding down for me and school start in quickly approaching, I am finding myself reflecting and reminiscing about how we kicked off our summer holiday season with a trip to British Columbia to see my sister and family.  After over 2 years of not stepping foot into an airport, I was equal parts excited and anxious.  But when  the day finally arrived and we sat into those tiny seats, with limited leg room, and a airplane wing view, I quickly realized it was the best kind of uncomfortable that I had experienced in a long time.  Arriving and seeing my family after such a long time brought overwhelming joy to all of us, reminding us all how lonely and isolated we all truly have been.  

Family time was definitely the best part of this trip.  We spent 10 glorious days together, laughing, hugging, celebrating graduations and birthdays, and making new memories together.  Although we spent time in Victoria, BC, this post is going to focus on a new place we explored, Tofino, BC.

Celebrating my nephews graduation from high school!

My nephew, sister and brother-in-law.

4.  

    Tofino, B.C.

I LOVE Tofion!  It immediately felt like a good fit.  Small community that’s vibrant and offers outdoor adventure galore.  I could have spent many days here although my wallet would not agree, LOL. 

 

Accommodations  

We rented this house via AirBNB.  The house had everything and more that we needed, including 3 bedrooms, a hot tub, amazing patio, kitchen and the location was perfect for exploring the town as it’s minutes from all the little businesses, restaurants, and walking/biking paths.

Surfing 

This was a bucket item for me.  I have always dreamed of trying surfing so this was a MUST.  Logan, Anya and I had a private lesson through Long Beach Lodge Resort.  Honestly a private lesson although expensive gave us the time that we needed with the instructor to all be able to get up.  Our instructor was okay, very technical which meant that she was able to help us gain the skills but lacked people skills and wasn’t overly invested in building a relationship with us, or our child.  That being said I would still recommend the school as the location was great, the other people we interacted with were friendly, and ultimately we came to learn some basics and have fun which we did!  We would go back but we would try a different instructor.

 

Road Cycling

If you are a road biker there are many trails to explore and to ride.  My sister and her husband are avid bikers and they went of a few rides while we were.  and the one day we went with them for 30km.  The trail starts in town and goes for many many miles.  We ended up riding to Long Beach, the largest beach on Vancouver Island.  When we arrived mid-morning it was full of vans, people camping out and getting ready to surf.  It was a scene straight out of Blue Crush.  The sand on the beach is so packed that you can run on it or bike on it!

Another place that we explored on bike was the new hotel Zed.  Built by bike lovers, you can ride through the lobby and explore the hotel on foot or bike.  How cool is that?  They also feature several unique decorative pieces that throw it back to the 70’s including rotary  dial phones, psychic’s den and a mini-disco room that have a light up dance floor!  This would be a great party place. 

 

Shopping & Restaurants: 

So many cute little shops that feature locally made entrepreneurs and artifacts.  We spent one afternoon just strolling the streets with the kids and exploring tourist shops, clothing stores, book stores, etc.  We walked away with several little gifts for cousins and grandparents, a few shirts and a few books from the cutest little bookstore called Mermaid Tales Bookshop.

New coffee mug named The Raven from a local little shop.

We also went out for dinner at  The Schooner Restaurant after trying to find seating for a while.  So glad we went!  The service was amazing.  The host was friendly, the server knowledgeable and joyful, and even the chef came out to chat  with a table nearby that was celebrating something.  Not only was the service amazing but so was the food.  I give it  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!  

 

We also ate lunch at the SandBar Bistr.   It felt so good to grab drinks and food, and enjoy the views at this outdoor, totally casual, little beach-side patio.  I ordered a poke bowl that did NOT disappoint.  It was so refreshing and tasty, and perfect to accompany my glass of wine while resting after a couple of hours of  learning to surf. 

 

Beautiful Sunsets.  We stumbled onto the pier the first night and witnessed a magical sunset.  It was so breathtaking that we gathered the kids the next night and repeated it.  You don’t want to miss the magic of watching the sunset against mountains and water.  It’s what dreams are made off.  This picture below is engraved in my memory.

Couples Sessions

It was totally on a whim that we decided to take some beach pictures of my sister and BIL, and they are absolutely gorgeous because the people are beautiful. This is a couple I look up to as an example. They love spending time together. They role modeled for Logan and I how to put our relationship first even while raising a family. They respect, push and celebrate each other accomplishments and truly complete one another. We would all be so lucky to find a love like theirs.

Photos by A & H Snapshots

My sister and I.  I will hold on to our memories until we get to see each other again.

And that’s a wrap.  Tofino will forever be a favorite place to explore.  I don’t know when we will be back but you can bet that it’s on my wish list for another time.  Now that we can dream of the possibilities of travel once more my list keeps growing.  What’s on your list of priorities?