TOFINO RESORT & MARINA
When NHL champion Willie Mitchell ended his 17-year pro career, he could have skated into an easy retirement on his native Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Instead, the former Florida Panthers captain teamed up with another hockey pro and a business partner to transform a rundown waterfront lodge in Tofino, a surfing and wildlife-watching hamlet on the island’s rugged west coast.
“Tofino feeds my soul,” explains Mitchell, an avid fisherman. Opened in July, their handsome but mid-priced Tofino Resort & Marina should whet others’ appetites for the area, too.
Setting: A few walkable blocks from the cafes and surf shops of downtown Tofino (year-round population 1,800) and overlooking the islands of spectacular Clayoquot Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The appeal: Stylish, affordable springboard to outdoor options. The resort’s Adventure Centre at the rebuilt marina offers bearand whale-watching tours ($99), a scenic boat ride and hike to hot springs ($129), and water taxis to island trails ($30 and up), among other excursions. The 62 rooms feature a subdued gray and white palette, wide Austrian king beds and small bathrooms with deep bathtubs; most also have large view balconies and living rooms with sofa beds.
Insider’s tips: Bicycle Marc (www.tofcycles.com) will drop off a beach cruiser or mountain bike; it’s a short ride to beaches, the whimsical Tofino Botanical Gardens or the tasty Tofino Brewing Company. If the local delicacy of roasted gooseneck barnacles aren’t on the menu of 1909 Kitchen, one of the resort’s two excellent restaurants, try the oysters or a wood-fired pizza. Executive chef and avid forager Paul Moran will also prepare fish that guests catch for $25 per person.
Good to know: The three-story guest wing has no elevator, and the marina complex is downhill, so be prepared to walk. Rates drop significantly after summer, with typically good weather into October; storm watching is a popular winter pastime. Details: 634 Campbell St., Tofino, British Columbia. (250) 7253277, www.tofinoresortand marina.com. Fall rates from $191, summer rates from $264, excluding taxes of 16 percent.