Friday
To Do: Cozy up with the one you love at the off-the-grid Point No Point in Sooke.
Sooke is about an hour from Victoria, and as you head west from the city you’re approaching the forest primeval. This is the southern tip of the island that brought you such ruggedness as Cougar Annie and the shipwreck hot zone known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. You’re not here for culture; you’re here to leave all that in the rear-view mirror. So first things first: stock up. If you’re coming from the Swartz Bay ferry, hit up Four Quarters Meats in Sidney for excellent sausages, bacon and can’t- get- elsewhere stu¢ like their Lemon Drop or Mimosa salamis. For the wine-minded, stop at Church and State, about 20 minutes south. (Pick up the Signature Series Trebella and the cabernet franc if you can get them.) For the beer-hound, do a tasting and grab your Alpha Acid IPA to go at Victoria’s Hoyne Brewing.
Once you’ve secured other, less essential groceries, head to one of the two dozen private cabins at Point No Point in Sooke. Sited on a blu ¢ above a mile of private beach, they come complete with kitchens, fireplaces, private hot tubs and very audible surf. On this first evening, you’ll also enjoy the welcome culture shock of what Point No Point doesn’t have, thanks to its stubborn grasp on its 1950s roots: no phones, no TVS, and no wifi in your rooms. And no, no cell service, either. Thus the selection of cribbage boards and other games on o¢ er. Walk to the beach to work up an appetite and remember that there is life beyond streaming video. Weekend Continues j