Born to be Wild

We found paradise in our own (B.C.) backyard. —Kelsey Klassen

stay. Tucked away amongst BC’s remote chain of Discovery Islands, the award-winning Sonora Resort is the destination. Surrounded by virtually uninhabited mountainous terrain, the tastefully appointed Relais & Châteaux-brand luxury eco-lodge—located 45 minutes by air from Vancouver—marks the moment that dense coastal rainforest meets the sea. Playing off its awe-inspiring natural bounty, the resort smartly marries a veritable buffet of outdoor adventure activities with priceless R&R. Between spirit-salving tours and hikes, take in sweeping water views from your suite or private villa, pamper yourself with the in-house spa and mineral baths, test your skills on the heated indoor tennis court, or watch whales, eagles, seals and sea lions dive for lunch as you dine à la carte on the terrace. Stays range from $1,005 to $12,680 a night during the high season.

see. Like a well-planned meal the helicopter (or sea plane) ride up to the resort presents a tantalizing first course. As you make your aerial approach, steep-walled islands erupt out of the Strait of Georgia, hinting at a destination shrouded in thick evergreen forests and kissed by licks of jade, viridian and hunter-green seas. Meanwhile, as sail boats and pleasure crafts carve across the waves below, coastal cities such as Gibsons and Powell River flow by, providing a salient reminder of the bustling world you are about to leave behind.

do. The fast-flowing, glacier-fed waters around Sonora are renowned for their salmon fishing, and experts and first timers alike can try their luck from the comfort of the lodge’s sleek fleet of fishing vessels. Ask the kitchen to pack a continental breakfast to go, and then spend a day on the water with a private guide, learning about the area’s unique fjord-formed ecosystems and impressive natural features (some areas of the inlet reach 2,100 feet deep) while scouting out lavish Hollywood summer homes and awaiting that exciting first catch.

eat. Back on land, Lukas Gurtner, the lodge’s confident new executive chef, is a talent you’ll know well by the end of your stay. His six-course tasting menus and a la carte creations swing nimbly from Cortes Island oysters with slices of blood orange and foraged kelp, to hearty handmade Fraser Valley rabbit agnolotti with wild ramps. The cuisine (included in the price of your stay) is so integral to the experience that some guests were planning their imminent returns just to see what he was cooking up next. And, while the bar’s cocktails are inventive and on point, there’s something special about how somm Shane Lobsinger’s BC-centric wine list plays with the restaurant’s Pacific Northwest sense of place. Allow his wine cellar, stocked with Calliopes, Blue Mountains, Foxtrots and Haywires, to take you on a journey through our terroir, while elevating every morsel.

don’t miss. Wildlife interacts with every inch of the Discovery Islands, but you won’t truly see it just watching from your porch. Hop aboard a zodiac cruise to get up close and personal with the waterway’s playful harbour seals, sea lions and eagles, and shy black bears and humpback whales. Close encounters of the herd, and furred, kind. sonoraresort.com