Tofino trip for two.
We’ve been wanting to take a trip someplace together for a year now. We had originally had plans for the seas of the Caribbean, the warm beaches of Mexico, or a skip and a jump over to Scandi-land. But for reasons of health, border closures and flattening the curve of a global pandemic, we patiently waited until it was safe to go to travel to the next best thing that British Columbia had to offer.
Having logged out of Zoom and turned off our email notifications, we took our little ferry over to Nanaimo and drove through the mountain pass to Tofino. A small town on the peninsula, it is famous for its slower-paced lifestyle, surf culture and great seafood. While the more common way to experience Tofino is by staying in one of the numerous campgrounds, we opted to stay somewhere a little more cozy with mini fridge and fantastic views. JA was in charge of finding our accommodation and I give him a gold star in picking Duffin Cove for our getaway abode. The oceanfront hotel is perfectly situated in Duffin Cove, each suite offers a luxurious space complete with a plush bed, glorious bathroom, and a front seat to the best sunsets from every balcony. Looking back on the trip now, we did end up staying in the room more than we had originally planned; coming back exhausted from a morning of surfing for a “short” lie-down in bed, passing out with our North Face duvet slippers still on our feet.
It wouldn’t be a Tofino trip if we didn’t go surfing. Across the few times I’ve been out here I’ve rented from a couple different places, but Pacific Surf Co is the one I keep going back to, mostly due to the convenience. JA and I have both surfed quite a lot in the past, but these are far from the Hawai’ian waters we’re used to. A wetsuit and booties are a must if you want to be out there for more than 10-minutes and still have feeling in your toes - you could always get one with a hood for extra warmth, something I’ll keep in mind next time around. Unfortunately I wasn’t on my best form this trip and only managed to catch a few waves, but I’ll blame my weak arms and the hoards of people frollicking in front of me for being in the way. (Note to self: don’t go surfing in Tofino on a weekend.)
If we weren’t surfing then we were eating. With the covid restrictions in place and reduced seating capacities, we opted for take out most of the time, choosing to retreat back into our hotel room and eat on the bed watching Jeopardy!. Wildside Grill is my favourite spot after a surf - their simple fish and chips hits just the right spot when you’ve still got dripping hair. As someone with varying diet restrictions, I find that Shed always has something that I can eat (my favourite is the salmon and kale bowl). For our date night we treated ourselves to Wolf In The Fog because we needed to try out their infamous dishes that our friends keep raving to us about -and boy will I be joining their chorus! Delicious drinks and an uncomplicated menu, every plate we ordered gets a gold star from me with flavours to match some of my favourite eateries around the world.
Tofino and Ukee (short for Ucluelet) aren’t shopping towns but if you’re looking for knick knacks to remember your trip by then there are a few spots I’d recommend for something quintessentially tofitian. Merge is a little lifestyle shop with a heavy interest in wellbeing and design, stocking local products, vintage clothing, items for kids and books on surf culture. Over in Ukee you have The Den, “a zero-waste refillery and quality goods store”. I always go in thinking I’ll just be five-minutes but that’s never happened, and you would stay long too if you were oohing and ahhing at their small-business products, objects and gadgets. This time I walked away with some bubble bath soap because how could I not when it smelled that lovely.
Be sure to check out the Tofino travel guide for an extensive list on where to stay, what to gobble, and the best spots for your long walk on the beach.
the end.
All images taken by Erica Blume (or assisted by JA).