Coho Ferry
Port Angeles is the PERFECT place to set out on a trip to Canada. We have the Coho ferry docked right here in PA. The Blackball Ferry line makes it extremely easy to travel over to visit our Canadian neighbors. If you want to plan a trip to Victoria, please consider staying in Port Angeles and then take the Coho Ferry over - you will be so glad you did.
https://cohoferry.com
You can purchase tickets online or in person at the ticket counter. We decided to drive our car on this trip so that we could easily travel to Sooke and also so that our sweet dog, Jasmine, could travel in style. The Coho ferry offers car + passenger tickets as well as walk on ferry tickets. If you are planning on visiting only the inner harbor area of Victoria, you will do just fine with a walk on ticket. The shopping area of Victoria is within walking distance, but there are also pedi-cabs and taxis available right at the ferry terminal. Often, we like to drive up the island when we travel to B.C. And as we had made reservations at the Sooke Harbour House for Thanksgiving dinner, we thought it would be very easy to drive ourselves.
The Coho Ferry makes it a pleasure to travel with a dog. They have a section of the ferry which is designated for passengers who bring their furry friends along for the adventure. We LOVE how friendly people are when we have Jasmine. She seems to bring out the best in human beings. Everyone wants to pet her and, of course, she is certain that everyone should greet her and love her. She is very good with strangers.
Enhanced Driver's License
The trip across the water takes a mere hour and a half. Once you arrive in Victoria, you will disembark the boat and go through customs. Be sure to fill out the paper work ahead of time and have your passport or your enhanced driver's license ready to go. Customs goes much faster if you are prepared. If you are planning a trip to Canada, you might consider the enhanced driver's license option.
http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_edl.html
Hotel Grand Pacific
We have been many times to Victoria. We find ourselves drawn to the Hotel Grand Pacific. We love the accessibility from the ferry terminal - it is directly across the street. We love the views of the inner harbour and how easy it is to walk to everything.
The Hotel Grand Pacific has a beautiful swimming pool and a gym with weights and aerobic equipment. They also accept dogs. We are always on the look-out for pet friendly hotels (as you have read in our past posts). The price is very competitive and the front desk is extremely accommodating and helpful.
Sooke Harbour House
Our traditional family Thanksgiving dinner is truly amazing. We spend hours and cook our hearts out! But, quite often, we are exhausted afterward. This is one of the reasons that we decided to go out for dinner this year. Because we love really good food, we didn't want our Thanksgiving Dinner to be ordinary or pedestrian. This led us to the Sooke Harbour House. Years ago, we were drawn to their international reputation for being having one of the finest restaurants on their premises. Conde Nast has ranked them as having one of the top restaurants in the world. They always use local, fresh, and sustainable ingredients. They are located on the water on Whiffen Spit. We plan to go early so that we can walk on the spit which provides a beautiful view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains.
http://www.sookeharbourhouse.com
Sooke is a 45 minute drive from Victoria and is a very quaint little town. The Sooke Harbour House is nestled among beautiful evergreen and deciduous trees. It is a wonderful place to stay as well. The rooms come complete with fireplace (the fire is already laid and ready to light), outdoor tubs, and they always have a decanter of port to greet you upon arrival.
As you prepare for dinner, don't miss out on the breathtaking sunsets.
We chose a 7 course diner complete with wine pairings. The Sooke Harbour House Chef designs the menu and each course is unique in respect to its ingredients, flavor and presentation. The sommelier is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The mystery of choosing wines is eliminated as the sommelier does the work for you. Questions about the wine are met with delight. The sommelier will help you to understand why the wines go so well with each course and educate you about the wineries and growing regions in British Columbia. All wines served at Sooke Harbour House come from British Columbia.
Although we missed our sons and the traditional Thanksgiving, we were treated to a relaxing and gastronomically delectable dinner for which we were truly thankful.
Musical Pairing: Thanks to Bing Crosby for recording this song! The Black Ball Ferry Line! Just remember it isn't in Seattle - it is in Port Angeles!
Next post: The Sleeping Lady Resort in Leavenworth, Washington!!
I learned many things about British Columbia I didn't know, the photos are beautiful. I may have to make another trip to BC .
ReplyDeleteBev Dalton