Beach Blog

June 7 to 9 marks the 11th Tofino Food & Wine Festival, an annual destination weekend event celebrating BC’s bounty of food, award-winning wines and more. The main event on June 8, Grazing in the Gardens, is at the magical Tofino Botanical Gardens; a 12 acre stage of foodie fun surrounded by rainforest trees, flowers, ponds and boardwalks. It’s sort of like “Alice in Wonderland” meets Tofino…with a glass of wine and a smorgasbord.

Tofino’s surf culture continues to surprise and delight warm water surfers as profiled in this CNN iReport video. Check out travel reporter Tracy Bymoen’s candid interviews with locals to get the scoop on what makes Tofino’s surf scene so special.

Pacific Sands is turning 40 and we’re celebrating food and the friends and family that have shared memories around the table here for generations. Hot off the press, Flavours of Tofino brings our finest chefs and eateries together with a collection of over 40 recipes featuring food imagery so mouth-watering, you’ll want to lick the pages. More than a cookbook, this spectacular keepsake commemorates a slice of history, telling the story of Pacific Sands and the legendary love that built it.

According to Hallmark and the tradition of Valentine’s Day, ‘tis the season for a little extra romance. At the risk of sounding overconfident, when you’re as stunningly beautiful as Tofino, it’s romantic every single day here. But out of respect for Saint Valentine’s philosophy and the magic of love, we thought we’d shine a spotlight on just how amorous it gets with the following 10 romantic things to do in Tofino (in no particular order):

“Epic vertical”, “dropping in”, and “sick waves”… surfing lingo you might hear if you happen to find yourself floating in the spectacular waters around Tofino waiting for the next swell. As Canada’s surf capital, Tofino is renowned for its year round surf-appeal, miles of sandy surf-able beaches, world-class waves, and top teaching expertise including Surf Sister; a cool crew of accredited, female instructors that specialize in fun.

Easter comes early this year and while we can’t guarantee bunnies at the beach, we’re rolling out a red carpet of fun April 5 to 8 including our FREE Easter Kid’s Camp. We make dinner easy too with ready-to-serve Easter Ham Dinner delivered to your door.

Since 1982 when Jamie Bray formed the first whale watching tour company on the west coast of Vancouver Island, he’s been blazing trails and boat wakes. With 20,000 grey whales now showing up on queue for their annual migration, boat tours are buzzing with excited whale watchers heading out to spectacular Clayoquot Sound for a closer look. We’re excited too! For Spring Break, we’ve teamed up with Jamie’s Whaling Station for an exclusive Pacific Sands 2 for 1 offer.

Thanks to cool old western movies, Juan Valdez, the allure of European cafes, and cups called Starbucks, Tim and Joe, coffee is deeply entrenched as our favourite habitual social drink. We’ve been weaned on caffeine-fuelled culture that wakes us up and brings us together. Coffee’s especially big on the west coast, probably because it goes well with beach walks.

As our legacy of guests will attest, part of the adventure of coming to Tofino is the road-trip. From check-lists and packing to travel logistics, it takes some pre-planning. But with value-added bonuses like our new BC Residents’ Bonus Package, it doesn’t have to be an Amazing Race episode.

It’s all about big waves and girl power this week with the kick-off of the 2nd annual Queen of the Peak women’s surf competition. Presented by Surf Sister and Shelter Restaurant, the short and longboard competitions are set for Oct 15 & 16. With $1,500 cash and a spanky new surfboard up for grabs, it’s a celebration of Tofino’s unique women’s surf culture including fun festivities for competitors and surf fans all week long.

How great would it be to know your summer vacation next year is covered? That all you have to do is pick your dates, travelling compadres, pack, and enjoy the ride to Pacific Sands. That’s the idea behind our Win a 2012 Summer Vacation Contest. Stay with us between August 25 and October 6, 2011 and you’ll be automatically entered to win a 5 night vacation next summer for up to 6 people in a 2 bedroom Beach House.

The only thing better that the slap, sizzle and smell of a BBQ is enjoying it at the beach! Add to that someone ELSE doing the cooking (and clean-up) for you and your family so you can relax, watch the surf and enjoy a refreshing libation… and you’re now in the range of BBQ nirvana. Staying with us during FEAST! Tofino-Ucluelet? We’re celebrating with Catered Beach ‘n BBQ’s on Wednesday May 18 & 25 at our beachfront Gazebo.

What do you get when you combine a renowned, regional hotbed of seafood and a month-long marathon of fun foodie events? Introducing FEAST! Tofino-Ucluelet… a culinary celebration and collaboration of local chefs and restaurants, fishermen, activities and accommodation from May 8 to June 4.

March is a celebration of many things… the arrival of spring, more daylight, new blooms, and all-things-fresh. It’s when Mother Nature takes her coat off and exhales a deep, warm breath. In these parts, March is also all about whales… lots of them actually because March is when we celebrate the arrival of over 20,000 grey whales as they migrate north from the Baja Peninsula, up our coastline on their way to Alaska.

Nothing against Hallmark but it’s Valentine’s Day every day at Pacific Sands. We offer our Pacific Romance Package year round for a reason. Day after day love stories unfold here, and it’s been that way for decades. So hopeless romantics that we are, we decided to have a “Tell Us How You Met Your Sweetheart Contest” on Facebook. We invited fans to post their story… the “most-liked” story with the highest number of votes would win a 2-Night Romance Package.

Some might call the torrential winter rains that come with a rain forest downright nasty. Others might say getting caught in a winter storm is unlucky. Talk to a Tofino local or seasoned tourist and you’ll see eyes get wide with anticipation. In fact, storm watching is an attraction in these parts. A natural phenomenon you truly have to see to believe.

When do you know it’s time for your family to head to the beach? a) You double book play-dates; b) You haven’t had a mom/dad date in…?; c) You’re texting the kids in their bedrooms from the kitchen; d) Your dinner table is starting to feel like a reality TV show; or e) All of the above (?) The good news is family time is reality at Pacific Sands where quality down-time is as routine as it is downright therapeutic.