A Journey to the Edge ~ The Wickaninnish Inn
The west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is where the four elements meet and you find yourself connected and belonging to each. The only thing you can predict about your stay is that your spirit, your physical being and your sense of wonder will be ignited. Sometimes all at once. The Wickaninnish Inn and Ancient Cedars Spa help to enhance and accelerate this process.
A three-hours’ drive due west of Nanaimo (on the island’s eastern coast), Tofino is a rustic coastal town that hosts surfers, celebrities and “recreationados” alike. They all come to experience the same thing: to feel local, grounded, and as if they are part of the secret magic so evidently held in the town’s pocket. In the words of American poet Edgar Lee Masters (Spoon River Anthology), they seek to catch a “little whiff of the ether / Reserved for God Himself.”
The Wickaninnish Inn is Tofino’s jewel, set on coastal cliffs within the towering trees of an old-growth rainforest. Native wisdom is the firmament of this land, teaching us to use nature with reverence and balance. Accordingly, the McDiarmid family–run Wickaninnish Inn “brings the outside in.” Earth’s raw materials and ancient lore run through every aspect of the inn’s architecture, design and service.
Two native carved eagles dance beak to beak marking on the main cedar door entrance, a prominent aesthetic statement congruent with every detail throughout the award-winning destination. Winding driftwood staircases, pressed seaweed art and cedar beams arching overhead enchanted me as I ventured to the Ancient Cedars Spa—a bridge between the grounded and the ethereal. This Aveda spa is true to the inn’s natural and holistic credo. The staff exuded warmth and genuine care as they guided me to a cedar-lined changing room with every amenity. An invigorating session in the steam room had me breathing total peace and relaxation as I gazed at swaying treetops.
Our couples massage therapy duo greeted us in the lounge with friendly smiles, tea, and a little chat about our needs and essential oil preferences. As we sat round a copper fireplace, buttered in its warmth, personal aromatherapy blends were prepared for our copper-bucket foot soaks, with glass marbles on the bottom to massage our tender toes.
Down a little outdoor path we reached the Cedar Sanctuary, a hobbit house of luxurious warmth and quietude. Melting into the sound of the waves and the wind, we were led by our expert knot-kneaders into full-body rebalancing and restoration. Side by side, they intuitively erased any concept of the outside world, its heavy weight and time pressures. It all lifted, carried somewhere into a wave’s crest.
My private facial was again a marvel of paradise in the Cedar Sanctuary. My chosen aromatherapy blend carried me into a dreamlike state as my friendly therapist mixed ingredients of earth and sea. The facial brought rejuvenation not only to my face, for I experienced a nearly “full body” treatment, encompassing foot, hand, torso, face and scalp massage! Afterwards I was presented with my own personal oil blend to take home.
Beside our treatments, we enjoyed a flawlessly fresh seafood meal at the Pointe Restaurant. Just feet away, the panorama of Chesterman Beach was backlit by a brilliant sea storm, waves crashing onto rocks as in an epic film. Our spacious suite also fronted on Chesterman Beach, which captures the essence of the Pacific Northwest. The large but homey room provided modern charms, grounded in rustic comfort and graced original art. The luxurious heated tiles, stonework showers and huge soaker tub with its captivating view left me wondering why I should even leave the suite.
Wellington boots and rain outfits wait for those with a taste for a saltwater experience and spritzy walks in tidal pools. The outdoor adventure possibilities are endless, with every detail provided for. There’s even a unique post–beach walk dog wash station complete with towels for their frizzy legs!
There are morning yoga classes and popular group hikes for those who like to be active. Or you can curl up in the Lookout Library—an elegantly cozy and inspiring nook of historical interest. Those captivated by the artful carvings on display can walk to master carver Henry Nola’s carving shed and talk to the artists in residence. Or one can simply sit in the main-floor coffee lounge with other guests and drink in the ocean scene.
A visit to the Wickaninnish Inn and Ancient Cedars Spa captures the essence of a real journey: surpassing expectations and standards, reaching into idealism, and touching the extraordinary. Here is a world of distinguished natural beauty, mixed scents of green cedar and salt spray permeating in the air. I may just have to stay.
Ancient Cedars Spa, Wickaninnish Inn
Things to know before you go:
Vancouver Island is accessible from Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen) http://www.bcferries.ca and Washington State: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
Canada–United States border news and updates are available at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/
~ Alexandra Staseson, Spas of America
