Transitions-Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga Real Estate Blog

Mackenzie Beach and the TinWis Resort Near Tofino, British Columbia.


It's a quiet, overcast New Year's Day and the perfect time to catch up on blogs reflecting on the past year.

I discovered some very beautiful places in 2009; places that I'll always remember and hope one day to return to.
One of these places was Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia which I wrote about yesterday.

When we were exploring the Tofino area, we stayed at the TinWis Resort on Mackenzie Beach. The TinWis is a beautiful post and beam resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean just a short drive outside of Tofino.


The views from our balcony were absolutely stunning with the changing sky and tides filling my gaze everytime I looked towards the ocean.

The grounds at the TinWis are impeccable with many benches overlooking the Pacific Ocean to relax on after a long day sightseeing.

If you plan to visit Tofino, consider staying at the TinWis Resort. You won't be disappointed.

©2009JoSmith

Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia is one of those small towns that everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime.
A mysterious, uplifting energy envelopes the whole region and once you've been, you vow to return (many even devise a plan to move there).

When we visited in September, I absolutely fell in love with the whole Tofino area. Situated at the end of a long peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, Tofino is at the Pacific terminus of the Trans-Canada highway.


A myriad of beaches line the coast of this breath-taking penisula and it is said that the cleanest air on our planet can be found here. 
Perhaps this partly why a visitor feels so wonderful when walking around Tofino or strolling along one of the misty beaches near town.

The best restaurant I've even eaten at is found in Tofino. It's called 'SOBO' and is the only place I have eaten where the food is such a culinary delight that no matter how full you are, you continue to eat just to have one more bite of a taste experience you'll never forget in your entire life.

With an abundance of freshly caught salmon, scallops, crab and shrimp, Tofino is a seafood-lover's paradise.

For whale and other wildlife viewing, Tofino has an abundance of ecotourism outfits who will take you to the spots the whales are feeding.  We saw beautiful Gray Whales when we visited.



Some residents enjoy the water so much they've built their little homes right on it!



If you plan on one trip this coming year, Tofino should be your destination. With the most beautiful natural environment I've yet to see on this planet, Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia will stay on in your heart long after your vacation has ended.

©2009JoSmith

Make Sure You Vist the Hot Springs Near Tofino at Least Once in Your Life.

This past September when we took a two week trip to British Columbia, one of the most memorable parts of our trip was the three days we spent in Tofino. I've never been to a more beautiful spot in my entire life.

I'll write about Tofino in my next blog, however I wanted to tell a bit about the surrounding beauty that is to be found within a short boat, plane or car ride away.

One morning we got up early, packed our sunscreen, water, lunch, windbreakers, sunglasses, bathing suits, towels and of course, camera and headed to the docks in Tofino to catch the boat Louis had booked tickets on the day before.
We were going on a whale watching and hot springs tour!

We traveled by boat over the swells of the ocean dipping in here and there into quiet coves in search of the Gray Whales. We saw many.

In the picture to the right you can barely see the blow of a Gray Whale surfacing.

Their majestic beauty was awe inspiring and I felt sorry for these gorgeous gentle creatures of the oceans who's numbers are dwindling each year.











We then continued on to our destination...Hot Springs Campground. Hot Springs Campground is on the mainland of Pacific Rim National Park and can only be reached by boat or by plane. Once you dock, you have a 40 minute hike ahead of you through beautiful rain forest.

We saw many ancient trees on your hike and a friendly marten seemed to want us to stop and chat, so we did.

He followed us for quite awhile and seemed to want to ask us a question.
Perhaps it was "Hey you! Do you have anything tasty in your knapsack for me?"

Louis gave him some of his french loaf but this marten seemed to be more carnivorous in nature and wanted something more substantial.

















Once we neared the hot springs, we crossed over a lovely steaming hot stream coming down the mountain side and knew we were near to our destination.

                                               








Louis has much tougher skin than I and he was the first to jump right in and take a shower in the VERY hot water that streamed over the sides of the cliff.

I timidly entered the hot pools and found a cosy spot in one of the rock crevices where the cool water coming in from the ocean moderated the hotness of the hot spring water to make it tolerable for me.

















We ate our lunch on some rocky cliffs that looked out over the ocean and then hiked back to our waiting boat. Some of our boat mates chose to fly back to Tofino via Tofino Air, the local float plane company.

I hope everyone gets to experience the natural hot springs near Tofino at least once in their life. They're  absolutely heavenly.

©2009JoSmith