Imagine, arriving in a float plane “Fantasy Island” style, reminiscent of the 70’s TV show with Ricardo Montalbon greeting you with the famous line; “Welcome to Fantasy Island!” But instead of a suave Spaniard, you are greeted by a down to earth, attractive, couple in their 50’s dressed in stylish blue jeans and cowboy hats. John and Adel Caton, meet your plane at a deserted dock in a remote part of Clayoquot Sound, with a warm smile and firm hand shake. Accompanied by the their staff, you are then loaded onto a horse drawn rig, where you follow a gravel road along the islands shore to a beautiful waterside campsite, with camp dogs running in tow, barking to announce your arrival. You are quickly deposited at an outdoor living room, complete with red velvet couches, chairs and blazing majestic rock fireplace, where champagne cocktails and fresh sushi appetizers await. John then gives his welcome speech and gives you the lay of the land (including copious warnings about bears and not keeping food in your tents). Yes, you are in a very remote part of BC Canada, and wild animals are abound.
The camp is expertly designed with beautiful canvas tents joined by cedar wood walkways intertwined through a big cedar forest opening to the lovely Clayoquot Sound. It’s like an upscale camping safari – but western style. Our tent was complete with unimaginable creature comforts including a big 4-poster king size bed, soft bamboo sheets with down feather pillows, a leather couch, wood flooring, antique rungs, antique armour, as well as electricity and a gas lit stove. We also had an attached bathroom with ambient lighting, heated floors and outdoor shower with high-end Grohe rain shower fixtures. Our nephews stayed in a double tent just as lovely, but smaller and no attached bath. Their facilities although unattached, also every nice, are free standing and within short walking distance to their tent.
This experience actually has a name, it’s called “Glamping” short for glamour camping. I discovered this new trend, after meeting an upscale travel agent on a trip to Utah a few years ago. The idea is, you get a very authentic outdoor camping experience in one of the world’s most beautiful and remote areas, while still having a most exceptional luxury experience. I’ve stayed at many 5-star hotels (Mandarin, Aman, Four Seasons), and this place is right up there! Important to note, it’s not stuffy or snooty. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about everything from hiking, kayaking, fishing, shooting, boating, horse riding, mountain biking and more. This is the ultimate outdoor experience! They also have an exquisite spa area with outdoor cedar soaking tubs (overlooking the Clayoquot sound), and beautiful cedar spa cabins with excellent massage therapists. And more importantly, massages offered until 10PM, so you have time for dinner and a massage before bed. The staff makes it easy to get treatments, makes sure to schedule around any excursions may have planned during the day.
John and Adel have thought of everything to make you feel special. The meals are prepared by a gourmet chef, accompanied by attentive table service, as well as an experienced wine Sommelier. But be prepared, most of wines are Canadian (Canada is not friendly to wine imports). As experienced Canada travelers, we brought our own stash of wine to be served with our dinners and the staff were more than happy un cork the bottles. After dinner arrive home to your tent, to find turn down service with candles and oil lamps warmly lit to greet your arrival.
In the morning, you’ll awake to find a small cooler outside your door, filled with a freshly brewed coffee craft, cream sugar and coffee cups. At breakfast in the shore side dining room, you can order any array of gourmet breakfast choices from omelets, bacon, sausage, crapes, oatmeal, or have them pack a quick breakfast burrito for you to go. For your back pack, they have an abundance of candy, cookies and snack bars self serve. All excursions include pre packed lunches.
The excursions are very varied and your allowed to decide the night before what you want to do for the next day. John comes to your table during dinner, with clip board in hand, to schedule your next day’s activities. This is great, because if you change your mind, you can adjust your schedule as you go. We stayed for 5 days, and had every day packed full of adventures. The first morning we had an exciting whale watching boat ride into the pacific ocean. We then went to a nearby island where we took a “walk on the wild side” – accompanied by our knowledgeable guide (with a degree in environmental science) and his guide dogs Annie and Rango (a 4 month black lab in training). The days followed with riffle shooting, skeet shooting, paintball, whitewater kayaking and mountain biking. The excursions can be mild or very challenging, depending on your level of experience. We are very experienced hikers, and found some of the hikes are very challenging. But the whitewater kayaking was the most challenging and exhilarating excursion (yes its very cold and you will overturn in your kayak).
The camp is populated with over 19 dogs, all trained to guard the camp from bears and other critters, as well as accompany you on hikes and trail rides. If you’re lucky, you’ll actually witness the dogs chasing a bear through camp. We had the pleasure of hiking with 3 awesome dogs during our trip, as the guides are allowed to bring their dogs, if they are well trained and can get along with other camp dogs. These are the best of the best dogs (all different breeds), the Dog Whisperer would be proud!
Last year we had our first “glamping” experience at PawsUP near Missoula Montana. While we enjoyed that experience, Clayoquot is a far superior. PawsUp also has very nice accommodations (including first rate tents, beds, sheets etc.), in comparison lacks the warmth and special service touch of Clayoquot. PawsUp is run by a corporation, and thus feels a bit cold and undetached (we also encountered some disgruntled employees), while Clayoquot has proprietors who own and operate their camp, so they touch and feel the operation daily. All the employees we encountered at Clayoquot were professional, highly trained and happy to be there (many returning multiple seasons). Important to note, Clayoquot is much more expensive in comparison to PawsUP, but worth every penny!
- Clayoquot Wilderness Hotel
