Forget the tourist traps! Travel like a fashionable local in six of our coolest cities.
Tofino, B.C.
The buzz This tiny town on Vancouver Island has the laid-back vibe you’d expect from Canada’s surf capital. But it’s not all board shorts and dreadlocks; Tofino is home to an increasingly sophisticated culinary scene and world-class hotels and spas that make full use of the scenery: an astonishing trium virate of the Pacific Ocean, temperate rainforest and snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Stay Go luxe at the award-winning Long Beach Lodge and Resort. Featured in Architectural Digest, it has a lovely common area that features Douglas fir beams and floor-to-ceiling windows. Book a beachfront room, which gives you direct access to the shore.
Stroll and spa Tofino is more of a spa destination than a shopping hot spot. Located on the water, the Sacred Stone Spa specializes in Ayurvedic treatments. After a day of surfing or hiking in Pacific Rim National Park, try the Heaven (on earth) Signature Treatment, which combines a hot-stone massage with an organic facial, then add the Lemongrass Bamboo Scrub.
Dine and drink Jesse Blake was head chef at upscale bistro SoBo before opening the more casual Wildside Grill last year. Tag line? “Natural food by natural dudes.” Specialty? Seafood, of course, with a twist. Try the Seafood Gumbo with Chorizo, Shrimp, Sour Cream and Cilantro or the Oyster Burger and Fries served with Chili Mayo.
BLUE CRUSH
Canada’s only Roxy-sponsored camp, Bruhwiler Surf offers daily
learn-to-surf packages, private lessons and just-for-girls Roxy Surf Camps each summer — plus, they’ll outfit you in sweet gear to brave the cold waters. “All the beaches and breaks are safe and sand-bottomed, the waves are gentle and the ocean is so wild that you get to soak up much more of raw mother nature’s power,” says Catherine Bruhwiler-Temple, a surf instructor and founder of Bruhwiler Surf. “Surfing is so new to Canada, so everyone is learning together — it makes the experience that much more fun!”.
Text by Alison Lawler-Dean
Image courtesy of Long Beach Lodge and Resort
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