We’re not long in our seats, and our guide, from British Columbia’s Homalco First Nations people, is explaining how crucial salmon are to the local ecosystem when one of our party exclaims: “Oh, look, a bear.”
And, sure enough, it is. A full-grown male grizzly, sitting chest-deep in the river, eating a salmon. The minibus pulls over and we alight, phones front and centre, filming until the bear swims off downstream.
We get back onto the bus, more slowly than we got off it, and our guide continues his chat. I miss his first name when he introduces himself and his colleague, Wilson. “But my ‘government name’ is Dude,” he tells us in his soft Canadian accent, smiling and gesturing to a name tag which, from my seat, I’d assumed said “Guide”.
This bone-dry humour illuminates Dude and Wilson’s intimate knowledge of their country as they emphasise that the salmon spawning run (and subsequent carnival of salmony death) provides much of the nutrients that power the entire ecosystem; we’ve already watched bald eagles and a golden eagle tucking into the dead fish littering the river (and, to be frank, you can hardly miss the smell).
Later, as we’re crossing a bridge, Wilson suddenly pulls over. On the bank beneath are a mother bear and her two-year-old cub. It’s a fitting climax to an astonishing morning, and though we’d been told confidently by our hosts at Sonora Resort, located on its own island between Vancouver Island and the mainland, that we would see bears, it’s almost overwhelming to get so close to these magnificent animals.
Sonora, accessible only by boat, seaplane or helicopter, is the epitome of rustic luxury. Part of the Relais & Chateaux group, it’s almost as spectacular as the nature that surrounds it. As well as stunning views, there are spacious rooms (all with binoculars, so you can watch the seals and sea lions from your room), a spa and gym, guided fishing, myriad hot tubs, minigolf and even archery. Not to mention the excellent Tyee dining room and bar, serving a mix of classic dishes and more innovative fare, all with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients. (There are also unlimited snacks scattered throughout the resort, ensuring no guest will ever go hungry.)
The day after our close encounters with grizzlies, resort guide Robynne, who’s already demonstrated impressive boat-handling skills in the swirling tidal rapids on our way back from the bears, takes us at high speed around Sonora Island in a Zodiac boat as we search for a pod of orcas that have been spotted. After a teeth-chattering, high-speed ride we emerge from a bank of thick, low-hanging fog to find about 15, including a recently born calf, just a few hundred metres from the boat.
It’s this mix of luxurious amenities and unspoilt nature that makes Sonora special. While it can cater to almost every need, I love that you can walk five minutes in any direction from your room and find yourself in cool, lush forest, or on an otherwise deserted headland watching seals and sea lions hunting and playing. Not to mention the way nature comes right into the resort: as we’re eating dinner one evening, an adorable critter – it turns out to be a pine marten – pushes its nose against the windowpane, delighting everyone.
The gateway to all this natural splendour is Vancouver, and it’s well worth a few days of your time. My base in the city before heading to Sonora is the original Fairmont Hotel, in the centre of downtown (though some might prefer its newer, flashier harbourside sisters, Fairmont Waterfront and Fairmont Pacific Rim). Opened in 1939, the Fairmont is classic late-period art deco, with a copper roof, gargoyles and all the amenities you’d expect in a top hotel. I make a second home in its Notch8 restaurant, where I enjoy everything from moules frites at the bar to a full chef’s tasting menu.
The latter is just one of a string of memorable meals in Vancouver, including fantastic fresh sushi at Miku Waterfront, great bistro fare at industrial-chic Nightingale and, best of all, an extravagant tasting menu at the Michelin-starred Published on Main, one of the top restaurants along Vancouver’s “Michelin mile” – Main Street in Mount Pleasant. Here we’re served plate after delectable plate, all showcasing local ingredients, many of them foraged, accompanied by equally fine local wines.
With all this culinary temptation, it’s lucky Vancouver is an excellent walking city; on my first day in town, anxious to stave off jet lag, I stroll to Canada Dock, then around the waterfront, and do half a lap of the enormous Stanley Park. And there are other distractions. While I’ve never truly been sold on the benefits of cold-water swimming, the prospect of sharing the water with seals and dolphins is enough for me to be talked into hopping aboard High Tide Sauna’s floating facility, where bouts of sweatiness are interrupted by plunges into Vancouver Harbour (even at the end of summer the water’s a crisp 14 degrees). Afterwards I feel so energised I take myself straight to the Fairmont’s Spa Solea for a hot-stone massage.
Even in downtown Vancouver, as urban as it is, nature is never far away. An hour out of town is the Sea to Sky Gondola, where we enjoy mountain-top yoga followed by a gentle guided walk through Squamish Canyon, both led by ex-Sydneysider Nicki, of Wild Vedas. The mountain-top yoga has views to match the moves, and the canyon boasts beautiful mature trees, a spectacular waterfall and lots of cute furry animals – squirrels and chipmunks mostly – and a spectacular waterfall. But no grizzly bears. For that there’s always Sonora.
The writer was a guest of Destination Vancouver and Sonora Resort.
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