HotelTonight – Sooke, BC Hotels
Before I started traveling there for work, I used to think that British Columbia was basically Vancouver and a bunch of small towns. While a look at the population and how it's spread out does reinforce that theory to an extent, the problem with that thinking, as I found out, was that it glossed over so much more that BC is about. I've been traveling there pretty regularly for years now, and I've gotten to see much of what this enormous and wondrous province has to offer both inside and outside of Vancouver. There is one place in particular that I had heard about quite a few times over the years but never gotten to see: Vancouver Island. "The Island," as it's referred to by the folks in BC, is not easy to check out, as you have to cross the Strait of Georgia to get there. That's why I never had time to do it. That all changed on my last business trip, though, as I found myself with about 36 hours of time to myself. I was going to see The Island. I was going to visit Sooke, and I'd use HotelTonight to book a Sooke hotel room when I got there.
The Ferry
Crossing the Strait of Georgia, the body of water between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island, requires a ride on the BC Ferry. You drive your car right onto a massive boat, park it down below deck and can move around on interior and/or exterior decks on the upper levels. I took the ferry from Horseshoe Bay near Vancouver to Victoria, which is just under two hours in duration. I had a nice breakfast while on the boat and spent the rest of my time reading the local newspaper and gazing at the gorgeous little rocky islands that dotted the water along the way.
The Outdoors
Sooke is on the southern part of Vancouver Island, sitting between the protected eastern coast and the wilder, open western coast of the land mass. I wanted to see this landscape, so I spent time at two of the local parks there and drove around a bit along the coast. What you see in this part of the world is stunning. The trees look like they've been there for thousands of years, completely untouched. The canopy of greenery can make it seem dark in the middle of the day. The rocky, jagged coast is something out of a fine work of art.
The Dining
After all of that traveling and then walking around, I was quite hungry. A nice local lady told me about a place that had been there for years serving high-end food. It didn't look like it when I got there, as the cafe looked more like a tavern, but the salmon they served was fantastic. It was crusted with almonds and a marinade that added a lot of tang to it, and the BC wine they served with it was the perfect compliment to the entire dish.
HotelTonight – Sooke, BC Hotels Near You
It had been a fun-filled and active day, and I was full and tired. I opened my HotelTonight app and booked a Sooke, BC hotel room in a few swipes. I couldn't wait to crash out in a comfortable bed, thrilled that I had finally seen The Island for myself.
