Vibe: Rustic comfort rules at Tofino Resort + Marina, which opened in July 2017. The five main buildings are simple but slick, lots of white and natural wood, with a pared-down Canadiana vibe. This is a rubber-boots-and-jeans kind of playground for any age and any size of wallet. The typical guest is the adventurer who just wants to spend the entire day on the ocean fishing, sight-seeing or surfing, crash right after dinner, and then do it all over again the next day.

Rooms: Frill-seekers need not apply—the focus here is on essentials only, the idea being if it’s not useful, it’s gone. (Bye-bye throw pillows.) That said, the 63 rooms are comfortable, with simple bathrooms, everything done in black and white and gray. Many of the kitchenettes from a previous incarnation have been turned into a second bedroom. Rooms on the second and third floors sport balconies with plastic Adirondack chairs.

F&B: At the sunny 1909 Kitchen, ingredients are sourced and foraged from Tofino’s oceans, shoreline and forests. Wood-fired pizza and fresh seafood rules, complemented by an assortment of small dishes, including wild mushrooms and wood-roasted vegetables. The kitchen will also happily prepare any fish you catch. Breakfast is hearty and healthy, the menu including a BELTCH—bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato and cheddar on a house bun. The rustic Hatch Waterfront Pub is the only bar in town where the locals actually hang out with the tourists.

TASTE TO TRY: TAKE A FOOD TOUR

Extras: The Adventure Centre is a big draw, setting you up with fishing charters, whale- and bear-watching tours, cultural tours and sight-seeing to all the nearby islands, forests and inlets. Go for surf lessons, crabbing excursions, scenic flights, free diving, sky diving or yoga. A water taxi can take you to hike the hilltops or swim in a secluded cove. The marina is the only full-service dock in town, accommodating boats of up to 130 feet. Harbour Air also docks here, its float planes bringing in guests directly from Vancouver Harbour. As the resort co-owners are NHL hockey players, a big state-of-the-art gym is equipped the best of everything and a hit with the locals, too.

Off-Site: Tofino is just north of a magnificent string of surf-worthy beaches and the rugged wonder of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, a three-hour drive from Nanaimo, B.C., and a 45-minute flight from Vancouver Harbour. The resort is a five-minute walk to the centre of Tofino, with all its restaurants, surf shops and artisan boutiques. The Tofino-Long Beach Airport is a 20-minute drive south.

Rate: $$

Book Now

The post Tofino: Tofino Resort + Marina appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Outdoor adventure resort Northern Outdoors in central Maine has full-day whitewater rafting (and a brewery) on the Kennebec and Dead Rivers every day. You can also fish, hike, kayak and canoe, or tear around on ATVs. The resort lodge is cozy and kitted out, with rooms there or cabins to rent, including open-loft “logdominiums.” I just like saying “logdominiums.”

In the state’s Western Mountain region, Maine Huts & Trails is a non-profit that runs a world-class system of backcountry trails and eco-lodges for what they refer to as “people-powered” recreation. There are four interconnected huts (quite near Sugarloaf) that you can hike, mountain bike, and paddle between, staying in the lodges and huts. This is the great outdoors, but with way better food.

And if sailing is your thing, Maine Windjammers has nine sailing ships leaving from Rockland or Camden for three to six nights touring Penobscot Bay. These schooners are like works of art, with home-cooked meals and daily shore excursions. Look at it as camping at sea. Swim, tour around in a dinghy, visit lighthouses, eat a ton of lobster, and hike among puffins. Did we mention lobster?

VISITMAINE.COM
MAINETOURISM.COM

The post Maine appeared first on TravelRight.Today.

Lush and green despite being made up of 1,766 volcanoes, The Azores is an autonomous region within the Portuguese state that has made great gains since the 1970s, when it was still a relatively low-key fishing outpost.

Island life in the Azores teems with opportunities for visitors to sail, dive, go deep-sea fishing and explore more than 120 geotourism sites—everything from volcanic caves and ravines to hot springs. This is one of the main reasons the destination is on so many ecotourism-friendly lists. Surfing, yachting, paragliding, too.

The whale-watching is phenomenal, as the Azores is one of the world’s largest whale sanctuaries, boasting visits from 20 different kinds of whales. April to October is the time for this, depending on what kind of whales you want to see. (Like, any old whale would certainly do me.)

THINGS TO DO: IN THE ALGARVE

The best time to go is really August and September when the rain is down, and both the air and ocean temperatures are high. We realize these are busy months at home and at our cottages, but maybe it’s time you broke with tradition just this once. These people could use a little tourism right now.

VISITAZORES.COM
VISITPORTUGAL.COM
SATA.PT

The post Portugal: The Azores appeared first on TravelRight.Today.