



4 days on Vancouver Island sounds like a lot of time but it goes so quickly! This trip was about discovering Vancouver Island and the paths less travelled. Victoria and Tofino are in my opinion the main hubs of Vancouver Island, especially if you’re only visiting for a short amount of time. However the whole island is absolutely stunning and I specifically chose this route to see some raw, less touristy parts of the island. This 4 days on Vancouver Island trip was split equally into 2 parts, 2 days in the Cowichan Valley and 2 days in Port Renfrew. Both areas are stunning and quite different from one another.
2 days in the Cowichan Valley


BC ferries have a regular service from Tsawwassen – Nanimo, the journey takes around two hours and is beautiful. I spent the entire time on the deck in the sun, it was glorious! The way they operate at the minute is slightly different to usual and they are fully respecting social distancing on board.
Everything was super clean and arrows marked the floor to show which direction you need to walk. Masks are mandatory and they make sure you have one on check in so no one should have any excuse.
After researching this area, I had a few ideas of where to spend 4 days on Vancouver Island. Our first stop was to Westholme Tea Co. Pre Pandemic this was a super cute tea house where you could sit and drink tea to your hearts content. However, like many business they have had to remodel how to proceed in a safe environment long term. Westholme is now more of a retail store in a beautiful setting, surrounded by countryside. They grow a selection of their teas on site, which can be seen when you’re driving onto the property. They have such a large selection of teas and you’ll be sure to find treats for yourself or gifts here!



Averill Creek Winery
Averill Creek Winery is a must! I didn’t actually realise before looking into ‘must do’s’ for Vancouver Island how many wineries there are everywhere! It blew my mind. The architectural style of this winery looked stunning online so I knew I wanted to see it in person. To ensure social distancing they have also adapted how they operate their tastings. If you can book ahead this is preferred as they set up the wines at a table in the garden before you arrive. They then talk you through the wines at a 2 metre distance.
You’re also given a leaflet with information on the wines which was helpful. A tasting is $5 and includes 2 whites, a rosè and a red. They were delicious and it was a lovely picturesque experience sat amongst their gardens.


Merridale Cidery & Distillery
Merridale Cidery & Distillery is a 30 minute drive from the winery. It’s great to group them together to break up the drive if you’re heading south. All of their products are grown and produced on their site at Cobble Hill Farm. You can walk round and see everything and be able to pick from various tasting options, or pick your own. Being the driver of the trip I didn’t partake in this one. They have an eatery with lots of food options so there’s definitely something for everyone!



Villa Eyrie
During our night in the Cowichan Valley we stayed at Villa Eyrie, known as ‘Little Italy’ for it’s sweeping views of the Finlayson Arm, Olympic Mountains and Mount Baker. I’ve not personally been to Lake Como in Italy but from the photos I’ve seen this could definitely be described as the Lake Como of Canada. Villa Eyrie is part of the Small Luxury Hotels group, which is a community of independently minded travellers and hotels. 550 hotels are part of this group and in more than 90 countries. Each property is anti-chain and anti-same, which I love! They’re advocates of sustainability. Therefore all of the rooms come with toiletries which are refillable rather than the individual products we’re used to seeing. Things like this may seem minor but have such a big impact!


The villa treats guests to a world-class dining experience at their Alpine Restaurant and to relax at the Tuscan Spa.. We opted to stay in the Classic View Room, you can’t put a price on waking up to such a gorgeous view. Unfortunately we we’re only staying the night and had quite a full itinerary so we didn’t get a chance to use the spa.
The staff were so friendly and again had taken all the precautions to operate safely despite the pandemic. They suggested we go to the top of the mountain the villa is on and watch the sunset from there. It was so pretty, and a great way to round off a busy day. I cannot recommend this place enough for a special occasion or just a treat for yourself!

Old Baldy Mountain
Old Baldy Mountain is one of the most stunning hikes I’ve done in BC. The hike goes alongside Shawnigan Lake, you can find trail info for this here. There are two routes, one being slightly easier than the other. We opted for the harder route which is quicker but definitely more challenging! It involves steep climbs and rock scrambling so just be prepared if you choose to do this route.
The view from the top is stunning and in 2017 they added a swing on one of the trees. It doesn’t swing straight but it makes for a great addition to an already incredible view! It took us 25 minutes to reach the top and a little less to get down.
Kinsol Trestle Recreational Site is a short drive from Old Baldy Mountain. We actually ran out of time for this so unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see it. If you have a spare couple of hours its a 3.4 km return and the reviews are great for all hiking levels. All the more reason to return!


Cowichan Bay
This trip was very active so prioritising food was definitely high on the agenda. Cowichan Bay is a lovely beach town and the perfect spot for some fresh fish! Rock Cod Cafe has great reviews but we chose to eat at Cow Bay Marina Pub. Purely for the wider selection on the menu and the outside deck area. There are also lots of boutique style shops including: Wild Coast Perfumes, Beachology, and the Mud Room Clayworks. This is a great place to spend a couple of hours around lunch/dinner.


Blue Grouse Estate Winery
Just outside of Cowichan Bay is winery heaven! If you’re lucky enough not to be the driver you can very easily spend a whole day exploring them all! Unfortunately for me I had to pick just the one per day. Blue Grouse Estate Winery was the chosen one this time, for the beautiful views and the great reviews. Blue Grouse estate is set on 65 acres and is soon to be expanding. The warm dry summers and mild winters, are very comparable to a Mediterranean climate. We opted for a table without an umbrella for the wine tasting, big mistake! If you’re coming in summer definitely choose to have an umbrella – the sun here is gorgeous but incredibly strong.
There are a variety of tasting options available, we went with the $5 option which give you three wine samples. As well as their estate wines, where the grapes are grown on the property, they also produce Quill label wines. The grapes for Quill are brought in from the Okanagan. The grapes are more fruity in comparison with the more acidic grapes from Vancouver island.
2 days in Port Renfrew
Port Renfrew has been high on the agenda for so long, it definitely seems like the hidden gem of Vancouver Island. When searching for things to do, Victoria and Tofino are always top of the list, Port Renfrew is quite remote in comparison but it is stunning! Travelling in British Columbia is highly encouraged by the government thankfully, while Canada begins to re—open. Despite there not being tourists anywhere in sight the people living here are moving around a lot more than usual so areas aren’t as quiet as you might expect!




Seaside Cottages
While in Port Renfrew we stayed at an Airbnb in the Seaside Cottages right in the Port San Juan Inlet. It was the perfect base for exploring around the area. The cabin itself was very newly renovated and was the perfect space for 4 people but you could have 6 easily with the sofa bed! The decor was lovely, it really felt like you were in a home away from home.
The highlight was the outside fire pit table, perfect for S’More’s in the evenings! The cabin is surrounded by Bald Eagles so bring some binoculars if you have some. We had a BBQ at the cabin the first night and stayed local at The Pacific Gateway Marina for the second night. I would highly recommend the fish and chips. (I’m slightly obsessed – can you tell?!)



The World's Largest Douglas Fir Tree
The world’s largest Douglas Fir Tree was over an hours drive from Port Renfrew (Google tells you it’s 38 minutes..but it lies!) Thankfully we were in our friend’s large SUV as it’s quite the drive up a long and steep service road to get to it. The trail to the tree itself is quite hidden so make sure you put in the tree’s location in your GPS before setting off as there’s next to no service anywhere in the area. The road seems to go on for forever so having the location in maps will give you peace of mind you’re not heading to the end of the world or anything crazy. The tree itself is as you would expect – very large! It was incredibly tricky to get photos, due it it’s size – naturally! There are lots of mosquitoes in the summer so make sure you pack some bug spray.



Botanical Beach
Botanitcal Beach is a must see when visiting this area – it’s so pretty! I’ve seen the photo of this beach a lot from posts on Instagram so it was very much a ‘I feel like I’ve been here before’ place, in a good way. As we were walking down the path to the beach lots of people kindly told us to be cautious as there was a bear on the beach.
Everyone stayed far away from the bear and thankfully I was using my 18-135mm lens so I could zoom in well to get a snap!



Mystic Beach & China Beach
Mystic Beach and China Beach were the last and final two beaches of the trip. It’s quite tricky to find a parking spot after midday so I’d definitely suggest coming in the morning to avoid dodgy highway parking! I completely underestimated the walk/hike to Mystic Beach, online it mentions its a 4km return, you can find more info about this hike here. However it was definitely a hike rather than a walk. Don’t make the same mistake I did and wear white Converse, it won’t end well!
A lot of people camp on both of these beaches, Mystic even has a waterfall on the beach, which could double up to be the perfect shower. From what we saw it also looks like the coastal route is the only way to access Sombrio Beach now. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, we couldn’t see anyway to access this by road!) Both beaches are gorgeous as you can see, we could have easily stayed here for the day/night.
That is all for my 4 days on Vancouver Island, places less travelled blog. If you’d like to read more about how I ended up living and working in Canada, you can do so here. I also created my very first travel Vlog while on this trip so please give it a watch below. Any feedback would be very appreciated!
Chrissy x