Your choice of a staycation is endless, and the theme is as varied as you want to make it. You can go to the remote and serene North Atlantic to check out the polar bears floating on icebergs or go exploring through an ancient enchanted forest on the edge of Clayoquot Sound, not forgetting the fantastic natural beauty you can’t miss hiking through in the Rockies, it’s your call!
Wherever you decide to stay in Canada and whatever your dream vacation might be, it’s right here on your doorstep.
Up High in Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland
Fogo Island, east of the Change Islands, is the largest island offshore of Newfoundland and Labrador. The island is 14 kilometres wide and 25 kilometres long. A place of outstanding beauty, the English and Irish first inhabited the island in the 18th century.
Once called Isle of Fire or Y del Fogo, it’s possible the island was named after Cape Verde’s active volcano, but that’s just pure speculation. What’s not speculation is the abundance of wildlife and natural beauty surrounding the Fogo Island Inn.
Sitting high up above the rocks, this hotel is every solitude hunter’s dream. Partially built on stilts for an elevated view, this modern home from home is an architect’s dream. Made in whitewashed wood with massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the design encompasses everything you would expect from a deluxe hotel.
All suites have interior design touches in soothing white, and all have stunning ocean-facing views. The hotel has left nothing to chance. It has a rooftop hot tub with panoramic views, and delicious meals served in the over-hanging dining room.
Built with local people in mind and an eye on sustainability and environmental responsibility, Fogo Island Inn has everything the modern traveller desires. Surrounded by scenery so breathtaking you have to see it to believe it.
Just a ferry ride away or a short helicopter journey, and you’re on the edge of the world just in time for lunch. Don’t fancy Iceberg spotting, then try hiking in Alberta.
Explore the Canadian Rockies, Alberta
The Canadian rocky mountains are legendary; you can’t call yourself Canadian if you don’t know that they are a range of mountains that span from the prairies to the Pacific coast. As a result, the Rockies make up a natural boundary between Canada and America.
With landscape this vast, the best way to explore is on foot. So hiking is definitely in order for the entire family. Why not combine the vacation with a helicopter ride and take part in heli-hiking, the new way to explore, start from the top and descend. There’s nothing like it. Arrive by helicopter to a vehicle’s inaccessible location and check in to your cabin.
The cabins sound a bit rustic at first but think about wood and stone-built luxury vacation homes, open fires, and outdoor hot tubs. The stay includes incredibly high-standard service as well as locally sourced homemade food that would impress even the most well-travelled individual.
The next day the real experience begins. A helicopter flies you and your team over the mountains to take in the view and drops you in a secluded spot. And so your adventure begins. Every expedition is accompanied by a professional guide who leads the way. The guide knows everything there is to know, every trail, incline, rest stop, and stunning view.
By the end of this trip, life will never be the same again, perspectives have altered, and you will have made memories that will last a lifetime.
Glamping at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort – Vancouver Island
The Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is situated on the edge of the UNESCO heritage site of the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Natural Reserve, Vancouver Island, on the coast west of British Columbia. The resort is sounded by a diverse ecosystem that allows wildlife and natural beauty to flourish.
Arriving at the resort is an adventure in itself; a seaplane from Vancouver is the best way to travel. You’ll be greeted on arrival by a chauffeur, who delivers you safely to the resort via a horse-drawn wagon.
The resort boasts 25 large canvas glamping tents, each with a private terrace or deck sitting neatly on the lake edge surrounded by the rainforest; the alternative is as far away from city life as it could be.
Each tent has highly polished wooden floors with locally weaved rugs to add warmth and comfort, a double bed, cabinets, and an armchair. There’s an ensuite bathroom that has heated floors and even a private outdoor showering facility. The decor is old explorer meets antique collector, oil lamps, and an iron stove add to the authenticity.
The Wilderness resort’s main building takes advantage of the surroundings with floor-to-ceiling windows and a rooftop look-out point. There’s a spa with everything you would expect from a luxury resort, saunas, massage rooms, and a cedar-clad hot tub.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort offers as much excitement or relaxation as you need, go hiking, horse riding, whale watching or mountain biking or don’t. You choose; if you want to sit and read, it’s up to you. The well-trained staff are only too happy to oblige.
No matter where you go, staycation in style and enjoy your luxury vacation right here at home in Canada.