Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
within Gulf Islands National Park. It offers a range of accommodations, but other services
are limited (no banks or bank machines) and ferries only stop by a couple of times a day.
Fromtheferrydockat Lyall Harbour, theisland'smainroadloopseastandthensouth
along the coastline for 14 kilometers (8.7 miles), ending at East Point Regional Park.
Here you can go swimming or simply admire the sweeping views across the border to the
San Juans. Before the park, Winter Cove is another picturesque diversion.
Accommodations and Food
Overlooking Boot Cove and also within walking distance of the dock is Saturna Lodge
(130 Payne Rd., 250/539-2254 or 866/539-2254, www.saturna.ca , May-Oct., $129-169 s
or d includes breakfast). Right on the water, this modern accommodation offers six guest
rooms, a hot tub, a lounge with fireplace, and extensive gardens. Saturna Island Family
Estate Winery (8 Quarry Rd., 250/539-5139, 11am-5pm daily May-Oct.) sources pinot
gris, pinot noir, merlot, and chardonnay grapes from a variety of island vineyards. Stop by
the barn-shaped cellar door for tastings and a tour.
Off East Point Road, at Saturna Café (Narvaez Bay Rd., 250/539-2936, 9am-6pm
daily, lunches $8-13.50) you can expect simple home-style cooking, a casual ambience,
and friendly service.
Nanaimo and Vicinity
Nanaimo (pronounced na-NYE-mo) sprawls lazily up and down the hilly coastal terrain
between sparkling Nanaimo Harbour and Mount Benson, on the east coast of Vancouver
Island 110 kilometers (69 miles) north of Victoria. With a population of 84,000, it's the
island's second-largest city and one of the 10 largest cities in British Columbia. It's also
a vibrant city enjoying a rich history, mild climate, wide range of visitor services, and a
direct ferry link to both of Vancouver's ferry terminals.
The Nanaimo Parkway bypasses the city to the west along a 21-kilometer (13-mile)
route that branches off the original highway 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) south of downtown,
rejoining it 18 kilometers (11 miles) north of downtown.
Five native bands lived here (the name Nanaimo is derived from the Salish word Sney-
Ny-Mous, or “meeting place”), and it was they who innocently showed dull, black rocks
to Hudson's Bay Company employees in 1851. For most of the next century, mines in the
area exported huge quantities of coal. Eventually, oil-fueled ships replaced the coal burn-
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