Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The cellar is almost as renowned as the food—it holds more than 10,000 bottles. Reserva-
tions are essential at this restaurant, which opens daily at 5pm.
For a simple, old-fashioned diner-style meal, head to
Mom's Café
(2036 Shields Rd.,
250/642-3314, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner $10-14), where breakfasts are all un-
der $10 and halibut and fries is $13. Turn right onto Shields Road one block west of the
Petro Canada gas station.
The
17 Mile House Pub
(5126SookeRd.,250/642-5942,11am-11pmdaily,$13-25)is
acharmingrelicfromthepast.ItdatesfromanerawhentravelersheadingtoSookewould
stop for a meal 17 miles from Victoria's City Hall. The walls are decorated in a century's
worth of memorabilia, and there's still a hitching post out back. The rotating nightly spe-
cials haven't changed for years, but no one seems to mind, especially on Saturday when a
prime rib dinner is served for $20. One thing that definitely wasn't on the menu 100 years
ago is a delicious jambalaya.
The road west from Sooke takes you past gray pebbly beaches scattered with shells and
driftwood, past
Gordon's Beach
to
French Beach
(about 20 kilometers/12 miles from
Sooke). Here you can wander down through a lush forest of Douglas fir and Sitka spruce
to watch Pacific breakers crashing up on the beach—and keep an eye open for whales and
eagles. It's a great place for a windswept walk, a picnic, or camping ($15 per night, pit
toilets provided). An information board at the park entrance posts fairly detailed maps and
articles on area beaches, points of interest, plants, and wildlife.
Continuingwest,thehighwaywindsupanddownforestedhillsforanother12kilomet-
ers (7.5miles) orso,passing evidence ofregular logging as well as signposted forest trails
to sandy beaches. Along this stretch of coast are two great accommodations. The first,
located 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) beyond French Beach, is
Point No Point Resort
(10829
WestCoastRd.,250/646-2020,
www.pointnopointresort.com
,
$215-280sord),whichfea-
tures 28 cabins, each with ocean views, a full kitchen, and fireplace. Explore the shore
out front, relax on the nearby beach, or scan the horizon for migrating whales, with the
Olympic Mountains as a backdrop. The in-house restaurant serves lunch daily and dinner
Wednesday-Sunday (mains $26-29).
Some2kilometers(1.2miles)fartherwest,highuponoceanfrontcliffs,
Fossil Bay Re-
sort
(11033 West Coast Rd., 250/646-2073,
www.fossilbay.com
, $239 s or d with a two-
night minimum on weekends) offers six modern cottages, each with a hot tub, private bal-
cony, wood-burning fireplace, king-size bed, full kitchen, and Wi-Fi Internet.
