Spicy Amigos

A couple of weekends ago my mom and our family friend, Sandra, came to visit Tofino. It was an action-packed 2-days that they were here, and we managed to fit a lot into it. We were able to hit all of the must sees in the area to capture the full Tofino experience. For Nathan and I, this was a staycation in our own town and an opportunity to enjoy Tofino as visitors!

For the months of January, February, and March, Long Beach Lodge on Cox Bay Beach offers a ‘locals rate,’ for a staycation, which was something we took full advantage of! We booked a 2-bedroom rainforest cottage, which had a fully-stocked kitchen, 2 double beds, 1 king bed, a jacuzzi tub, two bathrooms, gas fireplace, and a private hot tub. The cottage was set back in the forest, providing you with privacy and solitude. Not only were the amenities and location awesome, they also provided some homemade nut/seed mix upon arrival, as well as some Foggy Bean Coffee (locally roasted in Ucluelet). The resort also supplied four rain coats and umbrellas – preparing you for the rain, had you forgotten an important staple when exploring the PNW.

We spent 2-nights staying at Long Beach Lodge, and the cottage provided a great ‘base camp’ for our day excursions. On the first night my mom and Sandra’s were in Tofino, we walked Cox Bay Beach to watch the sunset before heading to dinner at Shelter. Dinner at Shelter was amazing – the ambiance of the restaurant made for a cozy dining experience. I had the mussels for dinner – which were HUGE and very tasty! Nathan got the Braised Chuck Flat which was served with mashed potatoes, and kale … the potatoes were SO GOOD.

The next morning we woke up to watch the sunrise over Cox Bay before heading over to Ucluelet. It was a beautiful sunny day with not much wind – making it the perfect day to spend outside. That morning we drove to Ucluelet to walk the Wild Pacific Trail. Before walking the trail, we first had to stop at the Foggy Bean Cafe for a coffee and treat. I got a classic latte, which was made perfectly – Sandra got a strange Beetroot Sugar Latte with oat milk that had a BEAUTIFUL pink colour, but a very strange taste. When walking the Wild Pacific Trail we saw sea lions playing in the ocean and many eagles chasing each other in the sky.

After our morning walk we started heading back to Tofino, but not without stopping to walk the Rainforest Trail. The Rainforest trail is a short 1-kilometre walk through the old growth rainforest in Pacific Rim National Park. You wind through the trees on a boardwalk made of fallen trees – it is a great walk that completely immerses you into the nature of Pacific Rim National Park.

We ate at Wildside Grill for lunch where we had some fish tacos, poutine, and chowder. We then headed into Tofino to wander around the shops – unfortunately most of them were closed…making it SUPER easy to NOT spend any money. We did however make a quick stop at Rhino Coffeehouse for an afternoon pick-me-up. That evening we hung out around the fire, watched the sunset, had a relaxing hot tub, and a nice dinner in the cottage.

The next morning, and the end of our staycation, included a coffee from the Sandbar Bistro (the cafe at Long Beach Lodge Resort) and another sunrise walk on Cox Bay. We parted ways before my mom and Sandra made their way back to Victoria, while I got ready for my afternoon shift at work.

This staycation allowed Nathan and I to experience Tofino as a tourist again, which is a really fun way to get re-excited about the must-sees in the town where we live.