Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Food
At any time of day, the best place to find something to eat is down at Alberni Harbour
Quay, where you'll find several small cafés with outdoor seating. At
Starboard Grill
(5440 Argyle St., 778/421-2826, lunch and dinner daily, $14-26), you'll find a large out-
door patio with uninterrupted views across the harbor.
At the entrance to the quay is
Blue Door Café
(5415 Argyle St., 250/723-8811, from
6am daily), a small old-style place that's a real locals' hangout. Breakfasts are huge; an
omelet with all the trimmings goes for $7-9, and bottomless self-serve coffee is an extra
buck. The clam chowder ($6) is also good. Through downtown to the west, the
Westwind
Pub
(4940 Cherry Creek Rd., 250/724-1324, $9.50-17) is a nautical-themed bar with a
good selection of reasonably priced meals.
Information
Ontheriseabovetowntotheeast is
Port Alberni Visitor Centre
(2533RedfordSt.,250/
724-6535 or 866/576-3662, 8am-6pm daily in summer, 9am-5pm Mon.-Fri. the rest of the
year). This excellent facility is a great source of local information, as well as details for
Pacific Rim National Park, transportation options to Bamfield, and all west coast attrac-
tions. The best source of pre-trip planning is the
Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce
website
(
www.albernichamber.ca
)
.
One of the island's most remote communities, this tiny fishing village lies along both
sides of a narrow inlet on Barkley Sound. Most people arrive here aboard the MV
Frances Barkley
from Port Alberni, but the town is also linked to Port Alberni by a rough
100-kilometer(62-mile)loggingroad.It'swellworththetripouttogofishing,explorethe
seashore, or just soak up the atmosphere of this picturesque boardwalk village. Bamfield
is also the northern terminus of the
West Coast Trail.
Accommodations
On the boardwalk, but across the channel from the road side of the village,
Bamfield
Lodge
(250/728-3419,
www.bamfieldlodge.com
, $100-250 s or d) comprises self-con-
tained cabins set among trees and overlooking the water. Sleeping up to five people, each
has a kitchen and barbeque. Rates include boat transfers from across the channel. The
lodge owners also operate a waterfront restaurant and a charter boat for fishing and wil-
derness trips.
