Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Your Clayoquot Wilderness Resort adventure starts as soon as you board your scenic 45-minute float-plane flight from Vancouver.

After flying over the beautiful Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island mountains, you will descend in the remote Clayoquot Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Alight at Clayoquot’s dock and transfer - by horse-drawn wagon - to the wilderness retreat, where there are 25 luxury safari-style canvas tents. The interiors are decorated with antique furniture in a quintessentially ‘outpost’ style and feature hand-crafted wooden beds with deep mattresses and luxury linens and duvets. The accommodations are scattered across the hillside at the river mouth, in the forest and along the banks of the secluded Bedwell River.

The heart of this wilderness retreat is at the mouth of Clayoquot’s estuary, comprising the glass-encased Ivan Hoe Lounge, a collection of lounge tents and a vast hand-built log cookhouse, which is the retreat’s hub. As with all Relais & Châteaux properties, not only will you enjoy luxurious accommodation, but you’ll also experience gourmet dining. Meals are prepared in the open kitchen and served at your table or along the counter, where you can interact with the chefs and staff; on cooler days, lounge on the sofas by the roaring log fireplace on the cookhouse porch. The adult-orientated Ivan Hoe Lounge sits on the edge of the estuary, with incredible views of the wilderness through the floor-to-ceiling windows or from the rooftop sundeck. Outside the Cookhouse, find a series of luxury canvas tents housing intimate dining rooms used for private dinners and small groups, as well as a games room with a saloon-style sofa and antique furniture. You’ll also find lounge tents where you can relax with a good book and be transported back to a bygone era.

Although luxury accommodation and gourmet dining plays a big part in your Clayoquot Wilderness Resort experience, it’s the inclusive adventures that are the main attraction. With six different categories of adventure on offer, your three, four or seven-day package will include equestrian, marine-based, land-based, restorative and fishing adventures, as well as heli-ventures (for a supplement). Ride through the wilderness on horseback, on anything from 30-minute to 6-hour rides, or head out on the water for river or ocean kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding or whale and bear watching. Land activities include archery, hiking, tree-climbing and rappelling or rock climbing. Or, of course, you can choose to simply relax and take in the vast remote-wilderness from one of the retreat’s hot tubs, or enjoy a riverside massage at the spa.

Clayoquot is a unique wilderness experience and would be a highlight of any Canada holiday. The property is open between late May and mid-September. The resort can be accessed by boat from Tofino for those on a Vancouver Island self-drive holiday.