Links

Where to Stay

Hotels:

• The Somass Motel and RV is a pleasant, family-owned hotel with kitchenettes by the Somass River in Port Alberni.
• The Riverside Motel is another pleasant privately owned hotel.
• The Hospitality Inn is one of the best hotels in town with a nice restaurant, a pub and a heated pool & sauna.
• The Best Western Barclay Hotel is similar but larger and has several meeting meeting rooms.
• Here's another useful site: Canadian Hotel Guide Discount hotels in Canada with eco-friendly options and no booking fees
  

Bed and Breakfasts:

• The Cedarwood Lodge has a superb lodge atmosphere on a large lot and with a lounge and a library located on River Road by the Somass River.
• The Hummingbird Guesthouse is a wonderful luxury Bed & Breakfast with large rooms and a beautiful property across the road from the Somass River.

• The Roses is another very attractive and popular B&B on the edge of town
• By the Quay B&B is located within easy walking distance of the harbour in an heritage home.
• Cedar Hill Bed & Breakfast is situated on the shore of scenic Sproat Lake, a large and popular lake 15 minutes from Port Alberni
• The Consulate on Fifth Avenue is centrally located in an older home near Harbour Quay and the Lady Rose. They are new to town but not to the B&B business.

Campgrounds, and Resorts

• Lake Shore Campground & Cottage has RV parking, a little beach, and a place for your boat. Nice place!
• Arrowvale Campground I located in a quiet location beside the Somass River. There is also has a very nice luxury cottage. Both are on a working farm.
• There are two Provincial Campgrounds in the area as well. Sproat Lake Provincial Park & Stamp River Provincial Park.

Hostels

• The Fat Salmon Backpackers Hostel is just the thing for travelers on a budget. A friendly, hip, and progressive place. Check 'em out!  

For more hotels, lodges and Bed and Breakfasts go to the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce website.

Things to do on Vancouver Island

• Port Alberni is the Salmon Capital of the World. So here's a link to Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing, one of the leading salmon fishing charter companies here.
• The McLean Mill National Historic Site is a restored, fully-functional old steam-driven sawmill that used to cut the big logs from the forest around the Alberni Valley.
• Batstar offers kayak and bike tours in the valley as well as extended kayak trips elsewhere on the Coast of British Columbia.
• For those of you who like strenuous hikes on your own try Island Hikes. Quagger has hiked most of the tallest mountains on Vancouver Island and has some wonderful pictures.
• Aboriginal Journeys is based in Campbell River. They offer wildlife tours to see Killer Whales, and Grizzly Bears. They do ATV tours too.
• A British Birder in British Columbia Writes about his experiences mostly around Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

Other Relevant Links

• http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com/index.htm  For guided birdwatching tours anywhere in the world.

• Buy Kayaks For Fishing Online At kayakshed.com, you can buy kayaks for fishing online & that too at cheaper rates. Buy your kayaks online now!!!

• Vingo.ca is a hand-indexed directory linking the very best in Vancouver Island arts, culture, accommodation, Vancouver Island resorts, family fun, shopping, services, attractions and outdoor links for tourists and residents alike.

When to come

All year 'round! It depends on what you want to do.

Spring is full of promise and blooms. The birds are returning and new migrants show up almost
on a daily basis. The early spring flowers start in April and are wonderful right through to June.
For birders, the peak shorebird season is early May but migrants start showing up in late March.
The weather can be great or terrible from one hour to the next.

Summer is when the heat hits. The Port Alberni area is the hottest area on the Island with more
days in July and August over 30 C (86 F). It is also the windiest time of year for us. Obviously, it
it’s the busiest time of year for us. For birds, summer is the time when the young are about and they are learning their calls. Mid August is when the shorebirds are heading south, the adults first. This is also when salmon fishing is in full swing. Sockeye appears in June/July, Coho in July/August and the big ones, the Chinook show up in August at September. So there are Salmon in the river all summer.

Fall is a time for slowing down a little. The season shifts from hot to warm. It is when the birds
of summer leave and the birds of winter arrive. October is the best time to see Salmon in the
rivers! It is also the best time to find mushrooms. The West Coast is renowned for the variety and
shapes and sizes of mushrooms. The colours start showing up too. We do have colour in the fall,
but not as much as in Eastern Canada. The winter rain begins later in the season.

Winter is a moody time when mists and fog lies heavily on the land. The days are short and the
winter storms bring spectacular waves to the western beaches and rocky shores. Generally there is snow for around 8 days each year, but for much longer in the mountains. The mountain views are spectacular when there has been a fresh snow on a clear day. The winter birds have all arrived. They have migrated from the prairies and the north. They mostly consist of ducks grebes and gulls. But there are a few raptors and sparrows as well.