Friday, July 15, 2011

Spa Girl continues to extol the attributes of Vancouver Island



As I mentioned in my last blog, my partner and I spent a week on Vancouver Island exploring all it had to offer and fell in love with the Island, the off shore Islands (we spent a few days on Hornby Island), and the fresh catch of the day, oysters, clams, you name it! 

For nine consecutive years Vancouver Island has been ranked as the top Island in North America by Conde Nast.  It is indeed paradise for anyone who loves nature, arts and culture, great food, and fabulous Spas!

Boasting some of the most remarkable landscape and the mildest climate in Canada, Vancouver Island in British Columbia has coastal temperatures typically well above 0°C (32°F) in winter months. Golf is a year-round sport here – as are outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking and even tennis. Spring comes early to the island, and gardens start to show their colours by late February/early March. In summer months, the Island climate is sunny and dry, averaging maximum temperatures between 28-33 degrees Celsius (83-92°F).

Mountain ranges divide Vancouver Island between its rugged west coast and leeward east coast — around which many of the Island’s historic and charming cities and towns are located. Located near the centre of Vancouver Island is Strathcona Provincial Park, which includes the only glaciers on the Island, and where the major ski area of Mount Washington is found. Pacific Rim National Park on the west coast, near the towns of Tofino and Ucluelet, is home to the oldest temperate rainforests on earth. The sunny mid and southern regions of the Island include the cities of Port Alberni, Campbell River, Comox, Parksville, Nanaimo and Victoria, all of which are extremely popular recreation areas.

And for those of us spa seekers, the island has a luxury of choices.

One of my favourite places is Sooke Harbour House & Sea-renity Spa not far from Victoria.  Make sure to stay for lunch or dinner and have one of their famous salads delicately harvested from an array of spectacular organic gardens. Or better yet stay overnight and enjoy your treatments in the privacy of an oceanfront suite or in one of the quiet, meditative areas in the Potlatch Room.  Ask to see their award-winning wine cellar where you can select a wine for a meal I guarantee you will never forget!

Vancouver Island is a place that is naturally unhurried and peaceful and a place that will take your breath away at every turn.

More fabulous Spas to visit on Vancouver Island...

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