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Wickaninnish Inn Review

A review of the Wickaninnish Inn, a rustic and sophisticated luxury resort in Tofino, British Columbia

There are visceral parallels between nature’s fury and great literature. Both make you feel small and powerless, yet completely engaged in the present. The Wick, whose owner Charles McDiarmid is credited with convincing people to don slickers and watch giant Pacific waves pound into the rocks on Vancouver Island’s west coast in winter, tapped into the connection a few years ago by launching the popular Writers Inn Residence Series.

In November, Tofino’s original luxury resort will host its most notable lineup yet when Margaret Atwood and her husband Graeme Gibson read for guests from November 27 – 29. The high-end value-add is consistent with The Wick’s rustic sophistication, where rooms adorned with reused lumber and textured granite maximize ocean views from almost any angle (yes, even the soaker tubs).

As revered as the elements are, it’s the library and its impressive collection of Tofino’s enigmatic past that anchors the resort as if it has always stood on the rocky outcrops above North Chesterman Beach. The original proclamation signed by King George III—the one that launched Captain George Vancouver’s historic 1792 expedition to the Pacific Northwest—hangs unassumingly. There’s also a model of his good ship, Discovery, and the first edition of Vancouver’s three volumes documenting his voyage. Even dining on local cuisine and sipping rare B.C. wine in the panoramic, oceanfront Pointe Restaurant is a history lesson, where just beyond the bobbing surfers lies the sunken remains of the Tonquin, one of Vancouver Island’s most storied shipwrecks.

Also new for this storm season is an aboriginal-inspired spa treatment at the property’s Ancient Cedars Spa, gleaned from traditional cleansing ceremonies of the West Coast’s indigenous people. Think seaweed, basalt stones and local waters. It’s as humbling and invigorating as the elements just outside the cedar door.

With rates starting from $280.