The Gulf Islands Guide

Gulf Island Wallpaper Calendars

Kevin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:23:24 +0000

We have produced a new line of 2010 Calendar Wallpapers with some of our favourite images of the Gulf Islands. Enjoy a photographic background year round on your computer. A new monthly calendar is sent out with our Gulf Islands newsletter. You may sign up here.

Salt Spring Island Aerial Photographs

Kevin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:41:30 +0000

Salt Spring Islands is stunning from the air. Unlike many of the other smaller islands, Salt Spring Island has numerous lakes, a number of fine sandy beaches and massive valleys. Here’s a sampling of this beautiful island. For additional Salt Spring Island aerial photographs please visit the Gallery.

The large town of Ganges is of course the hub of the island. While Ganges seems busy from the narrow streets, from the air one notices that it is quite small and actually very picturesque. Ganges must truly be one of the prettier little towns in British Columbia!

Ganges, Salt Spring Island Aerial Photographs, British Columbia, Canada.

The Fulford Valley at the south end of Salt Spring Island is a picturesque farming community. Mount Maxwell looms over the valley, for an aerial view of Fulford Valley without hiring a helicopter drive to the top of Mount Maxwell and enjoy the spectacular vista.

Fulford Valley and Mt. Maxwell, Salt Spring Island Aerial Photogaph

Walker Hook is likely the most noticeable landmark on Salt Spring Island when flying over the area. The sandy beach is a very pleasant area to spend an afternoon.

Aerial photo of Walker Hook, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

St. Mary Lake is the largest lake on Salt Spring Island and has been a popular resort area for years.

Aerial photograph of Saint Mary Lake, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Poets Cove Resort & Spa – Accommodations

Kevin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:46:26 +0000

Poets Cove Resort & Spa – Accommodations
9801 Spalding Road
South Pender Island, British Columbia V0N 2M3 CANADA
Tel: 1-888-512-POET (7638) or 250-629-2100
Fax: 250-629-2105

Poets Cove offers a mix of pristine wilderness and elegant sophistication, with a total of 46 units – 22 rooms in our main Lodge, 15 Cottages, and 9 Villas (a total of 74 bedrooms).

Our Lodge is handsomely designed in the Arts and Crafts style, using simple, natural materials and paying close attention to every detail. Here you can stay in one of 22 beautifully presented rooms, each with a fireplace, balcony and stunning views of the ocean.

Or choose one of our intimate Cottages or Villas featuring the same exacting standards of comfort and craftsmanship as our main Lodge, and have two or three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, fireplaces, en-suite laundry, full kitchens, BBQs, and ocean-facing decks.

Whether you’re planning a family holiday, a romantic weekend for two, a corporate retreat, or the perfect wedding, we will ensure that your stay here at Poets Cove is comfortable, luxurious and memorable.

Poets Cove Resort and Spa – Dining

Kevin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:18:04 +0000

Poets Cove Resort & Spa – Restaurants
9801 Spalding Road
South Pender Island, British Columbia V0N 2M3 CANADA
Tel: 1-888-512-POET (7638) or 250-629-2100
Fax: 250-629-2105

Poets Cove has numerous food and beverage options for your stay at the resort on Pender Island. Pop into Moorings Cafe for a grilled panini and a latte or get the kids an ice cream. Pick up a nice bottle of wine, spirits or beer from our great selection of beverages at the Moorings Liquor Store. Enjoy fine, contemporary West Coast cuisine at our Aurora Restaurant, or relax with classic comfort food and seasonal specialties at our more casual Syrens Bistro. Or, host your wedding or corporate event in our fabulous Seaglass Ballroom with its French doors opening onto a terraced garden on the waterfront.

Aurora Restaurant at Poets Cove

The Aurora Restaurant offers outstanding contemporary regional cuisine in an inspired setting overlooking Bedwell Harbour. Our chef sources the best local and seasonal ingredients to create innovative West Coast dishes.

Syrens Bistro at Poets Cove

Relax in our casually elegant Syrens Bistro with our great selection of local and international beers as you take in the beautiful ocean view. Our chef will tempt you with classic comfort-food with a Gulf Island twist.

Seaglass Ballroom

A great open room with a stunning venue for banquets and receptions for up to 120 guests with lots of customizable options to make your event special and spectacular. View our Meeting and Events section for information about Corporate Events, Weddings, Elopements or other group functions.

SUSURRUS SPA – Poets Cove Resort & Spa

Kevin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:02:03 +0000

Poets Cove Resort & Spa – Susurrus Spa
9801 Spalding Road
South Pender Island, British Columbia V0N 2M3 CANADA
Tel: 1-888-512-POET (7638) or 250-629-2100
Fax: 250-629-2105

Susurrus means a whispering sound or murmur, and Susurrus Spa offers six quiet, spacious treatment rooms in its 3,500 sq. ft. space. The interior is bathed in soft colours of sage and olive green. Outside there’s a sandstone steam cave beneath a waterfall, and an oceanview hot tub at the base of the waterfalls.

Our professional therapists provide a full range of spa services, including facials, body wraps, body exfoliations, manicures, pedicures, massages and beauty treatments – all in a soothing atmosphere of relaxation and indulgence.

At Susurrus, we love to utilize nature’s best in regards to spa treatments. Our hand made Eminence products from Hungary contain organic fruit, vegetable juices and plants. We offer seasonal treatments using ingredients that are in season.

Our locally made Susurrus Signature Oil blend contains lavender that is grown and harvested locally, and oils stemming from herbs that are therapeutic and nourishing.

Russell Island, Gulf Islands National Park

Kevin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:09:08 +0000

Russell Island was first settled by Hawaiians around 1886. Located at the entrance to Salt Spring Island’s Fulford Harbour, Russell Island is a very photogenic spot with a rocky shoreline and a number of shell beaches. Douglas fir, arbutus and Garry oak forests cover the island, very typical of the Southern Gulf Islands landscape. Pine trees are growing in a number of areas on the coastline. During the spring spectacular displays of wildflowers may be viewed in the meadows. An old house on the island dates back over 100 years.

Russell Island is accessed by water only and no overnight camping is allowed.

Aerial photograph of Russell Island, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada, Southern Gulf Islands

Russell Island, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada, Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia

Wildflowers on Russell Island, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada, Southern Gulf Islands

Mount Maxwell Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island

Kevin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:34:16 +0000

Mount Maxwell Provincial Park contains one of the highest points on Salt Spring Island The views are superb with Vancouver Island looming to the west, the surrounding Gulf Islands and the mainland of British Columbia and Washington State in the background. The lower portion of the park has stands of old-growth Douglas fir, Garry oak meadows and salmon bearing creeks.

The view from Mount Maxwell looking south down the Fulford Valley, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

The view of Burgoyne Bay from Mount Maxwell, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Skunk Cabbage, Mount Maxwell Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Ruckle Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island

Kevin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:59:30 +0000

Ruckle Provincial Park is a stunning park overlooking Swanson Channel. From the rocky shoreline you can watch ferries and pleasure boats ply the waters while enjoying one of the most spectacular camping spots in the Southern Gulf Islands. Orcas and sea lions are often seen and the 7 km of rocky shoreline is great to explore.

The park is named after Irish emigrant Henry Ruckle who homesteaded here in 1872 and married Ella Anna Christensen in 1877. Most of the property was donated to the province in 1974 but the Ruckle family continues to farm on private land near the entrance to the park.

Old farm buildings at Ruckle Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Ruckle Provincial Park from the water, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Sheep in the old orchard, Ruckle Provincial Park, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island

Kevin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:13:13 +0000

Burgoyne Bay is both accessible by land from a turn off in the Fulford Valley as well as water as there is a government dock and good moorage in the area. The tree lined roads to the bay are very picturesque with many old farm buildings and funky fences. This road is also incredibly dusty!

The area around Burgoyne Bay was recently acquired and is now Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park. The park contains wooded Douglas fir forests, a beautiful Garry oak forest, a number of old farm buildings and a native archaeological site.

Tree lined roads near Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

The public wharf at Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

The rocky shore at Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Walker Hook, Salt Spring Island

Kevin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:59:33 +0000

Walker Hook is located on the north end of Salt Spring Island and was named after schooner captain Edward Walker. The area has been used for fish farming in recent years and is also one of the largest archaeological sites in the Gulf Islands. This beautiful spit is well worth a visit.

Aerial photograph of Walker Hook with Wallace Island in the background, Salt Spring Island, BC

A boat at Walker Hook, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia