Best Places to Stay on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is the largest North American island in the Pacific. 280 miles (450 km) in length, Vancouver Island is the centre for “island hopping” to the many smaller islands scattered along her coast. Vacation Accommodations can be found throughout the entire Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands.

Vancouver Island stretches north and south off the west coast of the British Columbia mainland. Victoria is located at the southern tip of the island and the fishing village of Port Hardy is located at the northern tip. The island is remarkable not only for its beauty and its rugged west coast, but for its wilderness as well. A variety of affordable vacation accommodations are available throughout the Island.

From semi-mediterranean dry-land cactus off the southern tip near Victoria, to the wettest, wildest rainforests in the America’s, Vancouver Island offers awesome scenery and a variety of vacation lodgings.

The sunniest area in BC is between Victoria, the Gulf Islands, and the resorts of Parksville-Qualicum. This mild area, including Duncan, Chemainus & Nanaimo has many fine beaches, attractions and excellent vacation accommodations.

Near Port Alberni, walk through tall trees in majestic Cathedral Grove at MacMillan Park.

Long Beach on Vancouver Island’s West Coast The Pacific Rim on the West Coast of Vancouver Island is a majestic mix of rugged wilderness and old growth rain forests.

The coastal towns of Tofino and Ucluelet are major destinations.

Ideal for a weekend getaway or an extended vacation, Vancouver Island assures magnificent surroundings with great activities and sightseeing ideas. The region has been admired for its natural majesty with a remarkable assortment of activities and travel lodging..

From world-class museums, gardens, galleries and more, Vancouver Island offers some of the best opportunities for sightseeing that you’ll find anywhere. Let Accommodations Vancouver Island help you find Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, Resorts, Guest Houses, Motels, Inns, Cottages, Vacation Home Rentals, Cabins, Resorts and more in all parts of Vancouver Island, BC.

Things to do around Vancouver Island during your stay

Vancouver Island is home to some of the world’s best Salmon and Halibut fishing spots, and has several areas to choose from.

Tofino/Ucluelet/Port Renfrew

These particular ports on the amazing and rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, provides fishermen with access to an offshore salmon and halibut fishery that is world famous.

Here you will catch wild Chinook Salmon (Kings), Coho Salmon (Silvers) and Sockeye Salmon that migrate in huge numbers off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Additionally you may catch:Â Lingcod, Black Sea Bass, Red Snapper, Rockfish, Sablefish (Black Cod) and of course the Pacific Halibut.

The Pacific Halibut range in size from 15 – 300 lbs and are fished at depths of 200 feet and deeper. The Tofino, Ucluelet, and Port Renfrew salmon and halibut fishing charter season starts in May and continues right through until October.

Port Alberni/Barkley Sound/Bamfield

Port Alberni is known as “The Salmon Capital of the World.” Port Alberni offers fishermen access to the Alberni Inlet, Barkley Sound, Bamfield, and the Broken Group of Islands all the way straight to the Pacific Ocean.

The Alberni Inlet is home to some of the largest salmon runs in the world, with numbers well over 1 million annually.

These Salmon runs produce some of the tastiest and most memorable fishing experiences that fishermen dream about.

Esperanza Inlet/Nootka Sound

This remote area boasts Chinook Salmon trophy sport fishing, with the big ones over 50 pounds! In the Nootka Sound crystal clear water, there are migrating Coho in the 10 to 20 pound range; but remember that Coho are supposed to be the best fighting fish of the salmon, so it will never be dull.

The Salmon fishing season begins in mid June and continues into the later part of September. Feeding on the abundance of krill, herring, needlefish, anchovies and pilchards, these migratory salmon are pack on the pounds in order to return to their rivers and streams to spawn.

There are also abundant Halibut, Red Snapper, Rockfish, and Lingcod, which round out the great fishing at this secluded spot.

Parksville to Port Hardy

The east coast of Vancouver Island, is very diverse with amazing mountain ranges, beaches, and fabulous salmon fishing. All along from Parksville through Qualicum Beach, Campbell River, Nanaimo, Comox, Courtenay, and Port McNeil, there are plenty of opportunities to catch Salmon. The Chinook Salmon (Kings), Coho Salmon (Silvers), the Chum, and Pink Salmon, migrate up and down this region starting in April and continue right through to October.

Campbell River is known as one of the world’s famous salmon fishing hotspots!

The Tyee Pool produces some of Campbell Rivers largest Chinooks every year, and the Seymour Narrows are known as the ‘salmon highway,’ which see millions of salmon each year on their way to their rivers and streams.