What to do in Vancouver Island towns of Parksville, Qualicum Beach

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“Are you ready for your next adventure?”

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That question, coming before each exquisite food and wine pairing from a delightful Berlin-born restaurant manager-server by the name of Stephan at the Qualicum Beach Cafe proved thematically correct during a three-night stay exploring two neighbouring British Columbia beach towns on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

The answer was an enthusiastic “Yes!” given the culinary and otherwise adventures that awaited us in Parksville, about a 40-minute drive north of the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo, and the divinely beautiful Qualicum Beach next door.

Situated in a surreal setting of ocean, mountains and old-growth rainforest, nature is the healing force here as you find yourself blissfully slowing down and marinating in the entire experience.

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After flying from Toronto into Vancouver, where I rented an Avis car at the airport, I made the half-hour drive from the city’s downtown core to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. From there, BC Ferries took me and my now Seattle-based high school pal Julie across the Salish Sea’s Georgia Strait to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island where sightings of dolphins and whales are not uncommon during the hour-and-40-minute ride.

Before we check into the 149-room Beach Club Resort in Parksville, we head about 10 minutes inland to Coombs for a quick coffee and ginger cookie pickup at Creekmore’s Coffee and then stop at Goats on the Roof which are the big draw at the grass-roofed Old Country Market that is filled with foodstuffs from all over the world plus interesting gifts ranging from Mexican wrestling masks to strings of porch lights in the shapes of animals.

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Sadly, it’s too early in the season for the goats to be on the roof so we visit them in a back enclosure where they roam freely before taking up their occupancy on the roof all summer long.

Also worth checking out while you’re at the Old Country Market are the sweet-smelling soaps at Zolena, the goodies at Billy G’s “world famous” donuts, and the clothes, sneakers, surf boards and skateboards at the WabiSabi Boardwear shop.

Next stop is checking into the Beach Club Resort, where we chow down on a supplied charcuterie and drink a surprisingly subtle Pender Island wine, a blanc de noir called Sea Star, on our fourth-floor room deck with breathtaking views of the beach, ocean and mountains on the mainland.

In the morning, we walked a good 15 minutes until we hit the ocean for a swim as the tide in May goes way, way out.

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That experience is only topped by a pre-dinner indoor swim and soak at the hotel’s pool and jacuzzi followed by a delicious seafood meal outdoors at the on-site restaurant Pacific Prime of local Fanny Bay oysters (sourced about 30 minutes up island), sable fish, scallops, and a shrimp and Dungeness crab cobb salad served at our table underneath an oceanside canopy where a striking cherry blossom tree made up of paper leaves is the artful centrepiece.

Our lovely server Laura also provides us with the Vancouver Island-sourced Thunderbird Spirit Water, which is so refreshing and invigorating we also drink it in our room for our entire three-night stay.

The next morning we walk five minutes over to Pacific Brimm Cafe on Parksville’s must-see Craig Street for lattes in the sun on their patio, followed by peeks in such stores as Shades of Green (eco-conscious), Petal & Kettle (flowers, tea and so much more), and Mystic Lotus (think crystals and buddhas).

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That’s followed by room service-ordered eggs Benedict back at our Beach Club Resort balcony where we fortify ourselves before a stop at Little Qualicum Cheeseworks with such fun-named artisan cheeses as Hot Jill and Tipsy Jill and cows, goats and lambs that can be visited on the property.

Because we are coffee addicts, we choose to have our second lattes of the day at French Press Coffee Roasters in Qualicum Beach that has plenty of outdoor seating and cheese scones to tempt us.

There’s also good shopping on Qualicum Beach’s main drag of Memorial Avenue in both Alcove and Englishman’s Interiors next door and the art gallery at The Old School House about a block away where you can watch artists work in their studios.

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From there we drive about a half-hour north to the Denman Island Ferry Terminal to head down the steps to visit both the Fanny Bay Oysters seafood store for some must have salmon candy and the unique store next to it known as Weinberg’s (there’s also a store in Qualicum Beach) where you can get everything from shoes to candles to clothes to deli meats to gourmet potato chips.

Once we get back to our deck at the Beach Club Resort, we break out the salmon candy and drink the rest of the Sea Star wine before heading to the Qualicum Beach Cafe, taken over in 2021 by the same folks who brought you Vancouver’s Water Street Cafe, for a five-course wine-and-food pairing presented by the aforementioned Stephane.

We start with house-made forno-baked focaccia bread with parmesan butter, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar paired with a 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from Mission Hill’s Family Estate in the Okanagan Valley on the mainland.

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That’s followed by a burrata caprese salad with baby heirloom and roma tomatoes, basil, salsa verde, white balsamic glaze and sun-dried tomato pesto served with a 2022 Hillside un-oaked Pinot Gris from the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley.

Tuna Crudo, which featured line-caught albacore tuna, shaved fennel, raisins, toasted walnuts, microgreens, orange, olive oil vinaigrette, is paired with 2017 Chardonnay from Church & State wines in the Okanagan Valley.

And finally, the dish of the night was the lobster risotto that included shimeji mushrooms, broccolini, cherry tomatoes, green peas, crispy chorizo and chili flakes and was served with Black Sage Vineyard’s 2011 Pipe red wine also from the Okanagan Valley.

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Unbelievably, we finish all of that off with three desserts — a lemon tart, tiramisu and orange creme brulee cheesecake — and some mint tea to help us digest.

It’s hard to believe we could eat any more, and yet, we did the next day — our last full one on the island.

After a hearty lunch of shrimp, crab and avocado sandwiches at the Sandbar Cafe in Qualicum Beach where we meet another high school pal Diane, a farmer on the island (check out Fitzgerald Farms produce), we head to a two-hour signature soak at the Grotto Spa in the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre in Parksville.

In between dips in the mineral pool, whirlpool and cool splash waterfall, we head outdoors in our white robes to bask in the sun on the sauna garden patio around a stone fire table with a cocktail in hand.

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We are so comfortable not even the four cedar barrel saunas nearby can tempt us for a sweat.

Then, to top it all off, there’s a nine-course Chef’s Tasting Menu tapas meal (salad, soup, salmon, scallops, tuna, mushrooms, beef, cheese and dessert) at Treetop served by yet another memorable and expressive server named Coco.

Reserved exclusively for spa guests, Treetop sees us dine in our robes and sandals overlooking the surrounding forest until we are bursting at the seams.

There is literally not enough space to go into the ingredients of each dish but the standouts prove to be the celeriac and apple soup with toasted pumpkin seed, leek oil and horseradish crema and the sous vide tenderloin with spinach puree, elderberry demi-glace, foie gras foam and asparagus.

Adventurous? Definitely. Will we back for more? If we’re very, very lucky.

IF YOU GO

FLY: aircanada.com

DRIVE: avis.com

FERRY: bcferries.com

STAY: beachclubbc.com in Parksville

EAT: Pacific Prime at the Beach Club Resort in Parksville, the Qualicum Beach Cafe, and Treetop Tapas and Grill at the Grotto Spa in Parksville.

RELAX: The Grotto Spa at in the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre in Parksville.

RESOURCE: visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com

jstevenson@postmedia.com

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