Romantic Getaways in British Columbia | Romance is in the Air

There’s no better place to throw yourself into romance than at the recently renovated Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa in Courtenay. Start your day together with some partner-yoga at the Starfish Yoga Studio, then move on to the Pacific Mist Spa. For a unique experience, try the signature hydropath treatment where, except for a guide who will appear periodically to keep you hydrated with lemon water, you will feel like it’s just the two of you who have been shipwrecked on a West Coast shoreline and have discovered sandstone sculpted steam caves, mineral pools, glacial waterfalls, tidal baths and river walks.  

For a unique bonding experience, take a drive to nearby Parksville to meet Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours for some forest bathing. Different than a mere walk in the woods, forest bathing will take you on a journey that has you interacting with an old growth forest in a meaningful way, tuning into all of your senses and being totally present—what better gift to bring to your relationship?  

Finish off your day back at the hotel with a candlelit dinner at Ocean 7 Restaurant, then when it’s time to watch the sunset, move into the serenity garden with a glass of wine and cozy up together around the fire bowl or go for a stroll hand-in-hand on the beach right in front of the hotel.  

To experience secluded luxury, head to Canada’s rugged, most westerly location, Tofino. At the Wickaninnish Inn, a Relais & Chateaux property, it will feel like there’s no one else in the world, but the two of you. Every room boasts an ocean or beach view, so after you check in, call room service for a bottle of wine and settle in on the balcony to check out the amazing seascapes.  

Next, take an intimate bath-for-two in the soaker tub, then cozy up in bed in front of the flickering flames of the fireplace and listen to the pounding of the waves which roll in from Japan, (the storm watching here from November through March is phenomenal).  

Experts say learning a new activity together is good for your relationship, so perhaps a surf lesson in front of the hotel is in order, or a SUP yoga class to strengthen your core on the waves. Chances are you won’t want to leave the Wickanninish, but if you do venture out, nearby Tofino has you covered. Despite its smallness, it is a surfers’ hangout and has cosmopolitan offerings like a distillery, brewery, art galleries, boutiques, and award-winning restaurants.  

Just minutes away from the Wickaninnish is the Pacific Rim National Park, where you can explore windswept beaches and numerous hiking trails. If you’re boardwalk lovers, catch the Rainforest Trail. This is actually two loop-trails that will take you through a lush, mossy old-growth rainforest.

For a luxurious and romantic ending to your day, indulge in a Hishuk Ish Tsawalk Awakening Treatment, at Ancient Cedars Spa, for a spa experience inspired by the traditional techniques of the West Coast indigenous tribes in a little hut on the beach.    

Back in Victoria, Vancouver Island’s largest city and the capital of British Columbia, stay at the luxurious Fairmont Empress Victoria. Opened in 1908, the setting and architecture of this hotel is so Victorian that it will be easy to channel your inner Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Focus on your relationship by taking time out to indulge in activities like high tea, which has been served here since the hotel’s opening in 1908, or a seaweed spa treatment at the Willow Stream Spa.

The Empress makes the perfect base to explore nearby tourist attractions, like the BC Parliament buildings, the Royal BC Museum and Chinatown, the second oldest in North America, after San Francisco. Just up the street is the 190-acre Beacon Hill Park, which culminates on the rugged coastline where, on a clear day, you can see across the strait to Washington. For a taste of nature and wildlife, book a whale watching tour with an operator like Prince of Whales, where you can hold hands and marvel over these incredible creatures.

To learn a lot about the city in a short time, book with one of the local tour companies, like Off the Eaten Track, a foodie tour company that loves to showcase the local cuisine that makes Victoria special, or a cycling tour with The Pedaler, who will show you the iconic landmarks.    

No setting is more romantic than at Lizard Creek Lodge, nestled amongst the overwhelming beauty of the towering Rocky Mountains. Located on-site at the local ski resort, in this nature setting you can keep your contact with others to a minimum.

Take the chairlift up the mountain and go for a long walk in the forest, then make time to explore nearby Fernie, an old mining town with iconic historical buildings dating from the early 1900s. The town’s main street is filled with cool and interesting boutiques, sports shops and art galleries (even the garbage dumpsters are painted). For a small town, there are fabulous dining and drinking options like Nevados, with its long, cool tequila bar and Latin American tapas, where you can tuck into tasty specialties like pork belly tacos and patacones.  

Finish your day back at the hotel, with dinner at Cirque—so romantic with its soaring open-beamed ceilings and windows overlooking the mountain.  Be sure to visit the Ice Bar a sub-zero room where walls, bar, glasses and everything are sculpted from ice (it’s one of only a few in the world), a great memory to talk about for years to come. Don’t worry they have parkas to keep you warm, but really, once you get back to your room you can spoon under the covers beside the blazing fireplace to warm-up, right?

The Sun Peaks Grand Hotel is a luxury mountain resort located at the tiny Sun Peaks Village. The nearest city, Kamloops, is 45 minutes away, so Sun Peaks is the ideal destination for the nature-loving couple.

During the off-season there are so many outdoor activity options it’s hard to choose: canoe, kayak, fly fish, stand-up paddleboard, horseback ride, golf (Sun Peaks is BC’s highest elevation golf course). The resort is also a mountain biking and hiking mecca. Be sure to check out the trail through the sub-alpine groves and wildflower bowls to the Top of the World lookout, where on a clear day you can see four mountain ranges:  Coastal, Caribou, Selkirk and the Monashees.

If you’re not that energetic, while your day away beside the mountain-side pool, then enjoy dinner beside the crackling fireplace at Mantles Restaurant before you head out to explore the village. There’s a chocolatier around the corner—remember chocolate increases serotonin and puts you in the mood for love.  

If you’re a see-and-be-seen couple, then the big city and all it has to offer is the perfect place to tune into amour. At Pan Pacific Vancouver, you can experience the best of both worlds with the waterfront with stunning vistas of the mountains on one side and exciting downtown Vancouver on the other.

Spend some time at the rooftop pool and lounging on the sundeck at this luxury urban property before you go for your VIP suite treatment at the Roman-style Spa Utopia, the largest in British Columbia, with its towering pillars and cascading waterfalls. The VIP treatment gets you your own private hostess, Jacuzzi, and a fireplace where you can enjoy dinner for two after your massage.  

And later? Well, it’s totally up to you—downtown Van offers everything, but an intimate stroll through Stanley Park, just a few blocks away, or a sunset cruise on the harbour will help keep the fire lit.

For the best lake view sunsets, stay at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan in Kelowna. Book a suite with a fireplace, overlooking the sparkling blue Okanagan Lake, and you won’t need to leave your room.  

If you do want to get out for some air, go for a specialty cocktail at the long bar or on the patio at the on-site Oak & Cru restaurant, which specializes in local ingredients and serves cocktails made from local spirits, or head out the front doors and stroll the lake path and watch the sunset.

Nearby RauDZ Regional Table restaurant is another great choice for farm-to-fork cuisine and its unique community table atmosphere. Sample the signature house martini, made with local fruits that have been pureed and preserved for year-round use.  

Kelowna is well known for its vineyards, so be sure to catch a limo-wine tour to have someone else drive you around to the local wineries, while you get tipsy and feel like a VIP with your partner.  

Just two hours north of Vancouver, you will find Whistler, one of Canada’s favorite year-round destinations. When you stay at Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel, you’ll be right in the heart of the village, steps from Whistler and Blackcomb ski resorts. Here you can cuddle in bed and gaze at the flickering fireplace, or sip wine on the balcony overlooking the village and Coastal Mountains.  

Because rooms have kitchenettes, you won’t have to leave your room, but when you’re ready to go out there’s Elements Urban Tapas Parlour, known for serving the best breakfast in Whistler (think half & half eggs benedict or stuffed French toast). For more options, just head out the lobby doors—Summit Lodge is located in Whistler’s Food District, where you can find anything from Indian to classic North American and even a brewhouse. A good choice for an aphrodisiac is the Champagne Bar at Bearfoot Bistro, where you can indulge in champagne and oysters served on the half shell (need we say more?).

Back at the hotel, spend some time at the natural cedar sauna, then finish your day at the outdoor pool and hot tub, where you can watch the sun setting over the mountains. To experience the only authentic Javanese spa in Canada, try a treatment for two at the Taman Sari Royal Heritage Spa (perhaps the Sensual Royal Rose Pamper treatment will put you in the mood?).  

To really wow your lover, book a heli-picnic with Blackcomb Helicopters. You will fly over icy glaciers and rugged backcountry before landing by a pristine glacier-fed lake (oh, the emerald-blue color) where you will then dine on a gourmet-catered lunch.