Hidden Gem on Vancouver Island

Best Things Nearby:
Pacific Shores Nature Resort has the benefit of not being "near" anything, yet isn't too far away from a town with activities. The property is on the beach with a variety of coastal wildlife you can see even from your condo. If you have access to a car, you can go into Nanoose Bay and visit other beautiful beaches, play mini golf or go to the fantastic community park. This is a great way to vacation with naturalistic themed activities without having to camp.

Best Things About the Resort:
This timeshare was one of the better trades we've made. Since we were travelling with three generations -- including our two-year-old son -- it was especially important we have enough space not to drive each other nuts. Our unit was a combined one-bedroom and a hotel/kitchenette unit with an adjoining door. This allowed us to have our space as individual families as needed.

My personal favorite amenity was the heated tile floors in the bathrooms. What a luxury! The jacuzzi tub was pretty nice too. Our living areas were very spacious with the exception of the very small kitchen. More than one person cooking was two too many.

They also have a new mineral spa outdoors in addition to the jacuzzi spa on the peninsula. This one is composed of three hot tubs, two of which are joined by a kid's slide. We spent quite a bit of time here!

Resort Experience:
A Northwest gardener's paradise. They offer tours of their gardens and have hiking paths placed throughout the resort. The website has some fantastic photos of the gardens.

The main building was under construction for a major remodeling of the reception area and fitness center. They plan to offer additional spa related amenities in the future. Even through the construction, we had most of the amenties available.

The beach front and coast line is spectacular. Canoes and kayaks are available as part of your resort activities. We were able to canoe out and have sea lions frolic right off the bow of the canoe. One word of warning however: if they ask if you really want to take a boat out, check if the tide is coming in or going out. The tides have a DRAMATIC level difference. We had to carry the canoe over the rocks back into the dock for quite a distance!

This is one resort I would love to visit again.

• Unit Type: Other
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

We were starving after our Sunday ferry ride, and all we had for a dining direction was one of the free newspaper flyers from the tourist racks. We stumbled upon Christos when the restaurant we were trying to visit was CLOSED!

Since we were travelling with our two-year-old, the first glance inside wasn't exactly what we were looking for. The atmosphere inside included candle lit tables, white and green table linens, and a fantastic romantic atmosphere. But the food smelled great and we were hungry.

We were greeted, seated and drinking fresh water with a lemon twist in what seems was one minute. Our personal host and waiter that evening was the owner, Chris Rounis. He suggested that we order immediately for our son and placed his order while we were deciding on the adult dinner fare. He brought bread to the table immediately, took our order, then returned with my son's spaghetti! It was specially prepared for him including making the noodles "kid friendly" and with utensils his size. I have never seen adults battle for a taste of something off the kids' menu before! It was delicious.

Just as my son finished eating, our four adult dinners arrived. If you are a parent, you recognise the "uh oh" moment as it arises: full, bored kid just as you are getting to eat. We didn't even have a chance to think of who's turn it was to entertain kiddo because Chris invited him on a tour of the kitchen and then loaded him with a bowl of spumoni ice cream (parent permission aquired first, naturally). In the meantime, we were enjoying the likes of seafood linguine, chicken marsala, lasagna, and vegetarian cannelloni. One word -- YUM!

Christos is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner only. It was obviously a light evening when we were there, but be prepared to wait for a table (if you don't have reservations) Friday and Saturday nights. In addition to their regular menus, they also have a take-out menu, senior menu, and kids' menu. Catering is also available.

Lunch entree prices range from C$7-$10 and dinner entrees between C$12-25. If you have only one place to go, make it Christos!

Our drive through the country toward the Tiger Lily Farm was one of the most rewarding outings on our trip. We read about the farm in the "Kid's Guide Victoria & Vancouver Island" pamphlet we found on the ferry.

Open daily 10am to 4pm, March through October, the farm is a family run, friendly kid place. We were greeted by the farm Australian Sheppard Willy and a three-week-old lamb, Wiggles. The admission fee was very reasonable and included a pony ride.

We arrived at the height of farm baby season, so we saw calves, lambs, chicks, and the baby goats were only 72 hours old! Activities included a kids' stamp pamphlet to complete as animals were visited and we were also there during goat milking time. The owners Cecil and Joan Mercer are kid friendly and very generous in their time and patience. The visiting kids were encouraged to help milk the goat, feel the warm bucket, and help use the milk to bottlefeed Wiggles, the orphaned lamb. The owners also recognised and called season pass-holding children by name. It was a fantastic way to spend an hour or so in the morning.

For more information, Tiger Lily Farm can be found on the web.

The town of Duncan was where my in-laws honeymooned years ago. Since we were close by, we thought we'd take a look.

Located in the heart of Cowichan Valley, Duncan has a nine-block walking tour of totem poles on display. The town has almost 80 totem poles on display in various location, with 41 of them can be seen on the self-guided tour. The tour is conveniently marked with painted foot prints on the sidewalk starting at the Cowichan Valley Museum. The museum chronicles local history including an example of a turn of the century (1900s) dentist office! Not for the faint of dental heart. Museum entry is a donation of your choosing. Duncan is also home to the World's Largest Hockey Stick. We were unable to visit the BC Forest Discovery Centre as it wasn't open until May, but it looked interesting with its steam train tour of the 100 acre property.

For more information, visit the City of Duncan website.