We started with a bear watching tour and had such an amazing experience we came back for a whale…read morewatching tour 2 days later! Caleb is an excellent guide and provided so much local knowledge about the island. I had never even heard of bear tours before coming to Vancouver Island and it didn't disappoint! We saw 4+ black bears along the beautiful shores of the Broken Islands. It was such a peaceful trip and wonderful way to see the island. During the whale watch tour we saw harbour seals, sea lions and then two humpback whales! A mother and cub swimming side by side- it was truly magical! We even saw a breech! I highly recommend both tours - it was the highlight of our time in Ucluelet

I have spent nearly a month now touring Vancouver Island and there are many fabulous sights and…read moreactivities, but #1 without question has been the cruise with Archipelago. In fact, their cruise is both #1 and #2 in my book as I went on the tour twice. Both times the scenery and wildlife were incredible; both times Alan & Toddy did a top-notch job as guides and hosts; both times the cruise provided a connection to the natural surroundings and to fellow travelers that you just don't get on the other tours. If you make it to the area, Archipelago should be #1 on your list (and #2).

Al and Toddy were great hosts. They are passionate about their lifestyle on the water and were…read moreanxious to share their knowledge of Ucluelet, it's history and wildlife. The boat is pretty luxurious, well maintained and very clean. Within five minutes of launching, we saw a bear, bald eagles and then sea lions. Later in the Broken Islands, we saw a couple of whales, harbor seals and lots of marine birds. I highly recommend taking this cruise, we saw so many things that we would never have seen if we didn't venture out into the waters of Barkley Sound.

As an offshore fisherman in NC, and as a person whose been fishing my entire life, I want to…read morerecommend this charter to anyone who wants have a great time on the water, be educated on what's going on, and most importantly, catch fish! Captain Patrick was amazing and by far, the most experienced and awesome captain. We caught our limit in huge salmon in only a few hours and had so much time left that we went for halibut! Best fishing charter I've ever been one. I will be taking my family back. Thanks again!

My family enjoyed an amazing day of salmon and halibut fishing with Captain Patrick. We caught 12…read moresalmon! Captain Patrick was professional, patient with our two boys and explained all about the area and fisheries. It was an experience we will cherish. If you're looking for a fishing charter, this is the company to use.

West Coast Fish Expeditions is set up for you to have a fun and successful time on a guided ocean…read morefishing trip! We set up a family vacation to head to BC from Oregon and spend 3 days deep sea fishing. They have a great crew of guys and vessels that are sure to accommodate your parties needs. We were lucky enough to be blessed with calm seas and an awesome captain! After 3 days, our group of 4 was able to reach our limits of Coho, Chinook, and Halibut. Even better than the delicious freezer full of fish was the memories that our family will take with them forever. Thank you WCFE. I wish you all the best until our next trip!!

I would highly recommend West Coast Fish for your salmon and halibut charter. Matt has a sixth…read moresense for finding salmon and halibut. This was my third trip fishing with Matt. He gets into the fish quickly and the four of us had our limits of Chinook, Coho and Halibut in three hours and he was nice enough to stop on the way back from Big Bank and spent another 3 hours getting ling cod and black sea bass. All four of us had a great trip and enjoyed spending the day with Matt and Salish, his Chesapeake retriever. All of the fish were cleaned and ready to drop off at the processor.

A wonderful family run establishment that treats you as one of their own!! The pool is nice, but…read moresmall. Rooms are comfy and they provide a gas grill (no cost) for cooking all of your local catch or a warm summer night! Rates are reasonable and there are plenty of great hiking trails and shops nearby.

This is a family-owned hotel in a really stunning town on Vancouver Island. They have an indoor…read morepool, which was great since we visited in April and otherwise it would have been too cool to swim. The rooms are large and comfortable and have kitchens and sofabeds, so they're good for families. The owners are friendly and helpful, and the rates are very reasonable.

This is a great compromise between a zodiac tour and a big boat tour. The MV Blackfish is small,…read morenimble, and powerful like a zodiac: it can cover a lot of water quickly and can go in pretty close to shore. But like a big boat, it is covered and has a bathroom (which was a spousal requirement). It has a decent cockpit at the back for sightseeing when the boat is going slow. Captain Cam took us out a couple of days after stormy weather in late October. When I booked the trip, he checked the forecast and told me that there would be 2-meter swells but that we'd be fine. We went from Ucluelet through the Broken Islands to Bamfield, where we watched some Orca for a while. This part of the trip was relatively calm. Then we headed through some rougher water at the outer edge of the group to a big rock covered with sea lions and spray. But the Blackfish was up to it and its experienced skipper read the water well. It was an exhilarating trip. The Broken Group is something else again and I'm glad that he gave us a good tour through it.

We arrived at Tofino just in time for a couple of (much needed) days of rain. We wanted to go whale…read morewatching, but few of the tour operators had covered boats available at times that worked for us. We checked out an ad in a coffee shop for Beachcomber Ocean Tours and I spoke with Cam MacPherson, the tour operator. We had a tour the same day, and it couldn't have been better. Cam is both knowledgable and personable, and not only did we see whales, but eight of us had a whale of a good time.

Graham is a great captain and fisherman. We had so much fun together on our half day trip. He found…read morea great spot and we got some really big salmon. It was great chatting with him. Both my teens connected with him as well, which isn't always easy at their age. I would definitely recommend him to anyone.

We were very fortunate to have booked a trip with Graham on January 28; the weather was…read moreexceptional. The boat and gear are fantastic, he's professional and just a great guy to spend time on the water with. He got us into the action early, we kept 2 nice 10-11 lb springs and a good feed of crab, it was the highlight of our time in Tofino.

A set of rooms and cabins with varying views and settings along a secluded beach looking out into…read morethe Pacific Ocean in Ucluelet. The exact feel and view varies a lot depending on where you stay, but the place is really well situated to explore the Wild Pacific Trail and other hiking around Ucluelet and then up toward Tofino. We stayed two nights in the Oceanfront Cabin 12 and three nights in the Nest cabin. The Oceanfront cabin was very modern throughout, almost to a fault. There are three levels. The bottom level had a bathroom, bedroom with a king bed, and laundry as well as a small mudroom. The Middle level was a kitchen, dining space and living room area with a balcony looking out at the ocean. The top level was a loft (open stairs leading down to the kitchen) with a king size bedroom and big bathroom with a huge shower and soaking tub. Despite the fact that the cabin was big, the space was laid out not as well as we'd have liked for a family of four. Only one bed in the bottom bedroom meant that we needed to use the couch bed in the living room and then meant that the upstairs bedroom wasn't secluded as it was open to the kitchen and living room. Also, the outdoor lights from the adjacent cabins reflected off the cedar trees, which meant that at night you had no ocean view to see only the bright trunks of cedars immediately out your window. The whole space also felt drafty and a bit cold and the WiFi was spotty on the top level. The Nest was a much nicer cabin for us even though it was smaller. The space was much more homey and lived in, but definitely not modern and arguably a bit run down. Still it had a much nicer view diagonally across the small bay out to the ocean and was better laid out for a family of four. Two bedrooms on the lower level one with a queen and one with two twins meant that everyone was sleeping in a bedroom and left the upstairs living space available after people had gone to bed. There was also a couch bed in the living room, so if you wanted you could have slept another set of people. It was also further from all the lights of other cabins (despite being nested in with many cabins) so that the view of the ocean was even there at night. Arguably the best part about the cabins is the location. You can walk directly to the Ucluelet lighthouse loop on the Pacific Wild Trail, which is an amazing 2.5-3 mile loop from the cabin out around the peninsula. You can also arguably walk the full Pacific Wild Trail up, but it's nice to drive to the Ancient Cedars trailhead and do the hike there with the Artists' Loops rather than hike the whole way up and back.

We stayed at the Lodge last week for our honeymoon. We spent three nights at the Lodge - the staff…read morewas incredibly friendly. The room was beautiful - skylights so we could see the stars at night from our bed, a lovely balcony overlooking Terrace Beach, and a very comfortable and spacious room. You really do feel like you are part of the forest and it's such a beautiful and serene environment. We had beautiful weather while we were there - sunny and warm every day. It's a little out of the way to get to Ucluelet but totally worth it for a three-day trip. It was very romantic and secluded - perfect for a honeymoon. My only negative would be that if you're expecting maid service to make your bed every day or you want fresh towels, your wastebasket emptied daily and clean coffee mugs, that's not going to happen. I was a little disappointed (mostly about having someone make my bed - it's always a treat to come home after a busy day to a freshly-made bed) :). I saw staff cleaning rooms but I think that was for guests checking out. Fortunately, my husband and I are used to reusing our towels and we took our own garbage and recycling out daily - there are bins located outside the lodge for this purpose. Also, the Lodge doesn't have a ice-maker so make sure to bring plenty of ice (the mini-fridges do come equipped with ice cube trays, however).