Canada’s Beautiful Beaches

January 16, 2009 | By admin In Uncategorized |

We’ve been covering the world over down south, but the northern part of the North American continent, which by the way is bigger than the U.S. by far, has many many beautiful beaches. Here are a few:

British Columbia - Qualicum Beach and Parksville are side by side. I don’t know how to describe adequately the beauty of this area, the color of the water, the 800 year old trees, the mountains in the same panorama. The Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville is the most well-loved provincial park in British Columbia. You can walk on the ocean floor after the tide recedes a kilometre at low tide. If camping is your choice of vacation mode, then book your campsite well in advance, and I mean well in advance. On April 1, 2009, the camp reservation office will open, their new policies will be posted on their website - discovercamping.ca and the fact that they post 7 am Pacific time as the hour they open on April 1 must be an indication they are extremely popular and people are keeping their eye on the calendar for that special camp experience. 1-800-689-9025 will get you on their international phone line. You can also print off a brochure from their site at any time of the year. The campsites are all about a 5 minute walk to the beach which stretches over 2 kilometres. Old Douglas Fir trees tower majestically. If you want to get off the beach and out of your campsite for a jaunt, head to The Boot at Paradise Adventure Golf in Parksville. There are two miniature golf courses at the same site, with a fully designed pirate galleon, a treasure cave, Victorian mansion, village church, lighthouse, water mill, water falls, fountains, a zillion flowers, and many more golf attractions to putt through.

Qualicum Beach is famous for the four kilometre sandy beach on Vancouver Island. Everything has been established for the comfort of not only those seeking tans but also those who want to join in the outing but with not the same sun-soaking intensity. There is a paved promenade with picnic tables, umbrellas, bathroom/showering facilities, lots of parking space, and food close by. The cheapest motel I’ve found on Qualicum beach is the Westerlea Motel which during summer season starts at 80.00 and some rooms go up to 300.00. This motel apparently has fabulous views from any room you book. The ocean is across the road. Call 1-877-757-8682 for more info on that motel on Island Highway, Qualicum Beach. The Lighthouse Motel on the same Island Highway W (Hwy 19A), has really good rates in summer also, starting at 90.00 and going up to 175.00. These rooms can be cottages or one bedroom units or apartments. All rooms have a view of the ocean. There is an outdoor fireplace and a seawall. There are kitchen units. Call them and ask for details at 1-888-757-8765 for this seaside escape, 15 km from Qualicum Beach. Some other ones to look up are: Arbutus Grove Motel, Captains Inn Motel, Casa Grande Inn, Ocean Crest Motel, Ocean Sands Resort, Old Dutch Inn, Qualicum Bay Resort, Sand Pebbles Inn, Sea Edge Motel, Seaview Beach Resort, Pacific Shores Resort & Spa and many more.

If you are seeking more solitude, less population, keep going to Lighthouse Country at the northend, 21 kilometres past Qualicum Beach. Look for Deep Bay, and Bowser, quiet communities of Lighthouse Country. More rock, less sand, more hermit crabs scurrying around for your wonder, sea lions, the odd sighting of killer whales, world famous caves, bed and breakfast accommodation, campgrounds, vacation homes, two light houses, rock climbing, you can be as athletic or as subdued as you want.

Directions to Parksville and Qualicum Beach: From Victoria Island, which you hopefully flew to, start up your rental and drive north on Hwy. 1 to Nanaimo, then take exit for Hwy. 19 and the North Island. Or if you are coming from Vancouver International Airport or South Vancouver, take Hwy. 10 and 99, take the B.C. ferry terminal in Tsawwassen, take the ferry going to Duke Point (south Nanaimo). Go north on Hwy 1 and exit to Hwy. 19 and Parksville. Or you can catch a flight on a smaller plane from Victoria to Qualicum Beach, Comox and Nanaimo. B.C. Ferries – 1-888-724-5223.