Summer Vacation Simplified
Family vacations are the fuel for “what I did over summer break” essays, the content that fills photo albums and picture frames, and the moments that create lifelong memories, but they also take a lot of preparation and planning to ensure those memories are happy ones. Family holidays can easily become stressful and overwhelming, which cancels out the whole point of a vacation. Skip the stress altogether with a little bit of planning and a helping hand from a handful of local pros.
Step One to a Successful Family Vacation: All About Accommodation. Don’t spend the entire week crankily cramped in a tiny hotel room sharing a bed with a turbulent two-year-old suffering from night terrors. The suites at Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina offer separate bedrooms, a fully-equipped gourmet kitchen, a living room, in-suite laundry, and more. Gone are the days of over-spending on eating out and packing a week’s worth of dirty laundry to haul home. Our resort provides the perfect home-away-from-home-base for a comfortable, luxurious travelling experience.
Step Two: What To Do. When you’re on the island, do as the islanders do. Head to the ocean. Sooke Harbour Resort and True Key has partnered with a number of companies to help guests fill their vacation with fun-filled family activities on the open ocean.
Not sure where to start? Adventures by H.I.P. offers a number of options for families and groups looking to test the waters. H.I.P. offers a selection of tours perfect for people of all ages and groups of all sizes. Their routes are geared toward ocean wildlife exploration and sightings of humpback whales, orcas, dolphins, sea otters, sea lions, seals, and more.
Back on shore (almost) and conveniently located at Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina, guests can explore H.I.P.’s Floating Art Gallery, which displays a range of images and artwork that capture the breathtaking natural beauty of Vancouver Island.
Ready to take the plunge? Check out West Coast Outdoor Adventures and Tours for a range of guided kayak and paddleboard tours, perfect for beginners and great for older children and teenagers. Depending on the tour, lunch or snacks may be included, so you and your loved ones can spend the entire day on the ocean without a care in the world (except keeping an eye out for sleeping otters and not tipping over). Kayak and paddleboard rentals are also available for those looking to conduct some self-guided exploration.
Skip after-dinner boredom and set sail with True Key Adventures for an evening harbour tour to soak in the beauty and history of the area. Enjoy the comfort of a private vessel with a fully-equipped bathroom and a stereo to set the scene with some musical ambience. Passengers can take in the sights and watch for wildlife as one of our knowledgeable guides shares local First Nations history, the role of the logging industry, and explains the balance between the ecosystem, the aquaculture, and the crucial impact of Sooke’s salmon. Both exciting and educational, the tour is a fantastic way to infuse a little bit of learning into the space between the school years.
After so much ocean exploration, spend the day (slightly above) dry land at AdrenaLINE Zipline Adventures. Tour Vancouver Island by air through over a hundred acres of coastal temperate rainforest, seeing the island from a bird’s eye view. AdrenaLINE also offers a rainforest hiking tour, or a combination of both for an entire day of fun-filled forest frolicking, sure to be a crowd-pleaser no matter how tough the crowd.
At Sooke Harbour Resort, we know planning can be a pain; let us help. Our Guest Services Agents can assist in booking a range of activities and events for your family, so all you have to do is show up. It’s summer vacation made simple – Sooke-style. Book your summer vacation now!
