The breathtaking beauty of BC’s Pacific Rim

This is the continuation (Part 2) of British Columbia’s Pacific Rim (Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet) getaways. This week will take you to two destinations, the best, most acclaimed hotels/restaurants in North America as selected and voted by leading Canadian and American travel writers. Some writers refer to the two hotels either as a coastal or country inns.

* WICKANINNICH INN & POINTE RESTAURANT – This almost hidden stylish inn is anchored on the jagged rocks overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The rooms are all tastefully decorated and the giant glass windows show-off a stunning two-directional 240 degree ocean view of the pounding Pacific Surf.

The stay here is a truly memorable world class experience, unequalled by any coastal inn from Mexico to Alaska. It’s best described as rustic elegance on nature’s edge but with all the modern facilities and amenities, a masterpiece of natural stones, wood, oak and glass.

The Pointe Restaurant is well known to a discriminating clientele. Elegance, subdued table settings set the stage to experience new cuisine that showcase fresh coastal food, local ingredients and regional wines. And while dining you can enjoy the spectacular panorama of the Pacific Ocean.

The Inn is also close to Tofino, a relaxed home to the famous landscape painter Mark Hobson. In Tofino, you can see the drama of a winter storm and giant waves or appreciate the beauty and silence of nature.

* SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE/HOTEL RESTAURANT GALLERY SPA is in Whiffen Spit Road in Sooke, only 40 minutes to Victoria by car. There are only 28 rooms, all exceptional. To get a booking, one must reserve at least six months in advance. There’s a long waiting list and I was fortunate to be accommodated due to a US cancellation. All the guest rooms feature wood burning fireplaces, private decks and stunning ocean views. There’s even a soaking tub near the bedroom.

Nature is respected here and can be seen in every detail of the subdued decor which includes a high art tree sculpture on the bedroom ceiling. The end result is the creation of a supremely original and imaginative atmosphere without the use of plastic and frigid minimalism that’s associated these days with up-market boutique venues.

Created 23 years ago by Frederique and Sinclair Philip, Sooke Harbour House is now a mecca for serious gastronome, an award-winning culinary destination because of the couple’s passion for locally available meat, fish and produce. Fresh flowers, vegetables and herbs are grown in the garden only steps away from the restaurant to accentuate Canada’s regional cuisine. Organic food is abundant and some of the flowers are edible.

The husband and wife team insists on locality and seasonality which means that only plants and animals from the Pacific Northwest will be served on the dinner table. The menu changes every night.

Travel and Leisure Magazine is one of the many prestigious publications who have raved about Sooke House. They were unanimous in praising its combination of relaxation, romance and restoration of body and soul in the hotel’s basement spa and the innovative Pacific Northwest cuisine. Meanwhile, Gourmet Magazine named it as one of the five best country inns in the world. It is truly a taste of paradise, Canadian style.

Imagine this for your main course – Pumpkin Seed Crusted Silvergray Rockfish with crust juice Houttuynia corn oil and beet juice emulsions, with braised green cabbage and turnips, with Yukon Gold potato, caramelized onion blue cheese pave.

This place is perfect for those who really want to relax (without television). Breakfast is served when you want it in your spacious room and a picnic basket is prepared for you to take to the nearby beach.

Still on the subject of tourism and places to visit, The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) established an office in Toronto recently to promote the Philippines in Canada as a tourists’ destination. The new office will provide an archive of literature and promotional materials on various destinations in the Philippines. The tourism office signals the importance of RP tourism to the growing Canadian and other tourism markets to visit the Islands.