Naturally Pacific Resort, a 100-room boutique property located next to the Campbell River Golf Club, could be the “little shining star” that puts Campbell River on the map as a Vancouver Island tourist destination, says general manager Justin Stevens.
The resort opened May 11, in time for the summer travel season.
While outdoor activities have brought visitors to the area for decades, the small Vancouver Island city isn’t the first place that comes to mind for a luxury resort.
“Neither was Tofino 25 years ago,” says Stevens, a Canadian whose resumé includes managerial posts at luxury properties Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti and One & Only Nyungwe House in Rwanda.
“Campbell River has everything the island has to offer,” Stevens adds. “It’s just that no one knows about it.”
Campbell River is about a three-hour drive from Victoria, halfway up the east coast of Vancouver Island. With a population of about 36,000, the town was built on logging, commercial fishing and mining.
Naturally Pacific Resort in Campbell River has a perfect Galapagos Islands vibe
Enter Amanda Mailman, owner and managing director of Naturally Pacific Resort. A trip to the Galapagos Islands to watch wildlife in a pristine natural environment convinced her that Campbell River was ready to set the bar higher as a destination. Inspired by the untouched beauty she witnessed, Amanda envisioned a new level of eco-conscious luxury and adventure for the region. Her vision came to life when plans for expanding local attractions were set in motion, and excitement grew as the *sea to sky gondola opens*, offering breathtaking views of both the ocean and the rugged peaks beyond. Under her leadership, Naturally Pacific Resort serves as the centerpiece for a rejuvenated Campbell River, promising visitors an unparalleled experience of nature and relaxation.
“Everybody always raved about going to the Galapagos. And then I was there, and I was like, this is what I look at every day,” says Mailman, who grew up in Campbell River.
“Knowing that Campbell River has so many things to offer to the rest of the world was enough reason to want people to come here and provide them with an exceptional place to come,” she said.
Situated at the south end of Discovery Passage, Campbell River is a 40-minute drive from the ski hills at Mount Washington alpine resort and the hiking trails, lakes and waterfalls of the island’s largest provincial park, Strathcona, with abundant wildlife and open spaces to explore. Quadra and Cortes islands are short ferry rides away.
Mailman is a member of multi-generation, Campbell River-based business Seymour Pacific Developments, which handled the resort’s construction. Her family was there to congratulate her as Mailman cut the ribbon to open the property.
Vancouver-based CHIL Interior Design did the interiors, using a cool, West Coast palate with punches of colour through nature photography and a sizable living wall in the Carve Kitchen & Meatery dining room.
Rooms at the back of the hotel overlook the first tee at the golf club, as well as outdoor fire pits and a lounge area beside the indoor pool, which has a wall of windows that can be opened on warm days. There’s a long table for group dining and an outdoor kitchen for catering events like weddings.
Naturally Pacific Resort overlooks Campbell River Golf Club. Photo: Naturally Pacific Resort©
Guest room inside Naturally Pacific Resort in Campbell River. Photo: Naturally Pacific Resort©
Guest room inside Naturally Pacific Resort in Campbell River. Photo: Naturally Pacific Resort©
Guest room inside Naturally Pacific Resort in Campbell River. Photo: Naturally Pacific Resort©
Dining at Naturally Pacific Resort
The dining room and bar area is done in a muted, contemporary style. The kitchens for the dining room and the Velocity Lounge & Driving Range at the golf course are helmed by executive chef Ryan Watson, who previously worked at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
Watson notes he focuses on local purveyors for his menus. With “meatery” in the restaurant name, it’s no surprise the beef is excellent and comes in impressive portions, like the 16-ounce chateaubriand for two and the impressive 20-ounce tomahawk steak. Watson also has big plans to utilize the resort’s 10,000-square-foot garden and orchard.
The level of service at Naturally Pacific will be something Campbell River hasn’t seen before, says Stevens. And while the dining room dress code of “smart attire” has been surprising to some customers, Stevens says it emphasizes the message that this is a destination resort.
Living wall in the dining room of Crave Kitchen & Meatery. Photo: Linda Barnard©
Delicious food offerings at Crave Kitchen & Meatery at Naturally Pacific Resort. Photo: Leila Kwok©
Top photo – Crave Kitchen & Meatery Photo: Leila Kwok. Bottom photo Naturally Pacific Resort Restaurant view – Michael Vanarey©
Naturally Pacific Resort Spa & Wellness
I spent a relaxing couple of hours at Immersion Spa & Wellness, lazing in the mineral pool and following up with an “experience shower.” Choose relaxation or rejuvenation in one of two Italian-made shower spas that combine lighting, audio and aroma to create a multi-sensory ritual. A 60-minute aromatherapy massage had me close to dreamland.
Immersion Spa & Wellness pool Naturally Pacific Resort. Photo: Linda Barnard©
Wondering what else to do in Campbell River?
Bad news for Paris, but today the best croissants are found in Campbell River, where Emese and Géza Tóth-Harasztos immigrated from Hungary in 2021 and opened Freyja: The Croissant Story in Shoppers Row downtown. The airy-chewy, incredibly flavourful Scandinavian croissants are made with imported butter and four kinds of ferments, including sourdough.
Freyja airy-chewy, incredibly flavourful Scandinavian croissants. Photo: Linda Barnard©
The creative varieties include a version filled with white chocolate pistachio ganache, and a passionfruit and mango-filled, green-striped croissant. My favourite was Emese’s creation, the Persian love fleur, a flower-shaped, flaky croissant filled with barely sweet pistachio and coconut frangipane and topped with piped white chocolate and rose water and pistachio ganaches.
Locals can’t get enough of these croissants. I ran into several people who said they were daily, sometimes twice-a-day regulars.
Freyja helps young families feed their croissant passion with a small kids’ play area and library at the back of the café, with seating for adults, something that’s seen in most cafés in Europe but rarely in Canada. Parents can relax with a coffee and pastry as their kids play.
Emese and Géza worked in media and marketing before coming to Canada with their two small children. So why open a bakery?
“It seemed like a good idea,” Géza says with a smile.
Emese and Géza Tóth-Harasztos owners of Freyja in Campbell River. Photo: Linda Barnard©
The couple love living in Campbell River and are building on their success with a new venture, Meraki.
The café is run by Emese and two local partners —Lesley Assu, whose Standing Spruce authentic indigenous wellness products are sold in the café, and Karen Bezaire of Bezaire Floral. She was inspired by a florist-café in Paris to bring her business to Meraki and focuses on locally raised blooms over imports.
The light, plant-filled cafe overlooks the Campbell River Marina and has outdoor seating. The bread and pastries on the menu are 100 percent vegan and there’s a mocktail menu where non-alcoholic drinks are made to order at the bar. There are plans to expand the menu to include vegan lunch and dinner menus.
Take a whale watching tour in Campbell River
From grizzly bears to humpback whales, with so much wildlife around Campbell River, it’s a natural choice to add a whale watching tour to a visit.
We were feeling the same joy as the leaping orcas we saw while watching about two dozen of the massive, black-and-white whales, from huge males to small offspring, jumping and swimming freely in their natural environment during a four-hour tour with Campbell River Whale Watching.
Skipper and knowledgeable wildlife guide Bradden Kiley gave us a great experience while being sure to respect the wildlife around us and — once the pod was identified as endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales — we left the area to let them hunt and live in peace. We also witnessed legendary local humpback K.C. — “Kelp Creature,” noisy Steller and California sea lions, eagles, a frolicking Dall’s porpoise and stunning scenery as we cruised in the Discovery Islands with the snow-capped mountains of mainland British Columbia beyond.
Whale watching tour in Campbell River. Photo: Destination Campbell River©
With that mix of luxury accommodation combined with access to some of the best nature has to offer, we predict Naturally Pacific Resort will shine bright for years to come.
Linda Barnard was a guest of Naturally Pacific Resort, which did not review this story.
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About the Author:
A National Newspaper Awards-winning career journalist, Linda is a former staff writer at the Toronto Star. She's a Victoria B.C.-based journalist who writes about travel and food She specializes in stories about people and places, written in a way that inspires curious travellers. She also writes stories for the modern luxury traveller, where the thread count of hotel sheets is less important than access to extraordinary experiences. Linda is a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada, the Society of American Travel Writers, the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association and the Toronto Film Critics Association.
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