Introducing our new travel-inclined column, featuring journeys and adventures of the food-and-beverage-kind from a troupe of roaming writers.
Wya Point Resort, Ucluelet
Tucked away in a thickly lush coastal rainforest, following the exposed Pacific shoreline on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, is the newly emerging Wya Point Resort. Wya Point is in its infancy, a project countless years in the envisioning and just two short years into operations. Growing organically, Wya Point began with old growth forest campsites and more than a dozen oceanside eco-yurts, and this year grew to include private Platinum LEED standard post-and-beam lodges—complete with a commissioned Clifford George totem, sumptuous bedding, fireplaces, barbeque, modern kitchens and access to private, walk-on beaches. Do you dream about going off-the-grid (but with all the close comforts of home)? Here you go.
This long term vision is developed by the Ucluelet (pronounced U-clue-let in English) First Nation on 600 acres of ruggedly beautiful, unspoilt land, and the resort is located on a historic village site. Future plans for the resort include a 70-room boutique hotel, a restaurant, spa and 500-seat convention center. Planning and building has not only been extremely environmentally sensitive, but also culturally sensitive, respecting the sites and traditions of the First Nation community.
In addition to the range of accommodations, Wya Point’s facilities include the Wya Point Surf Shop, an excellent place to rent gear and take lessons from expert local guides and surfers—folks familiar with all the hidden beaches and tricky currants of these waters. This past summer they also opened Kwisitis Feast House, a casual beachfront restaurant that blends seasonal, local ingredients and the traditional foods of the Ucluelet First Nation. Bannock for our duck burger bun and candied wild salmon in our mixed green salad were enjoyed for lunch, and the beer and wine list is entirely drawn from British Columbia.
Wya Point Resort is easily accessible by car or RV, and takes approximately 3 hours to reach from Nanaimo, or 5 hours from Victoria, BC. There is a private airport in the neighbouring community of Tofino, as well as regularly scheduled floatplane service.
Wya Point is still entirely a secret, even to those that live on Vancouver Island. Now is the perfect time to go and reconnect with nature, and yourself.
