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LAT & LONG: THE CHARM OF LADNER VILLAGE » E3
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TRAVEL
Paris
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from
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INCLUDES roundtrip airfare.
Conditions apply, see main ad for details.
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E
E1
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from
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SATURDAY, JUNE 23 | 2012 | EDITOR CARALYN CAMPBELL 604.605.2784 | [email protected]
VANCOUVER ISLAND
getaway
supersized
generations
A The
for the
BOB HERGER/SPECIAL TO THE SUN
Surfers of all ages challenge the churning
waves of Cox Bay.
Kids, parents, grandparents enjoy
getaway in Tofino’s coastal community
TOFINO
t’s the stuff of British sitcoms, Hollywood movies and cynical laments,
and according to reports, multi-generational vacations are one of the hottest segments in the Canadian travel
industry.
For the past decade, travel providers have seen a steady increase in the
number of multi-generational bookings — that would be parents, kids and
grandparents holidaying together. As
is the case with so many 21st century
trends, baby boomers are at the root
of it all.
“Geographically, families live farther away from each other than any
time in history, and millions of post
I
CONTINUED ON E2
RAEFF MILES/SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The multi-level beach houses at Pacific Sand Beach Resort beach provide unparalleled views of Cox Bay.
ONLINE
INSIDE | E4
INSIDE | E7
Dresden revisited
Bombed into rubble during
World War Two, the German
town is reborn, at www.
vancouversun.com/travel
Reader Postcard
A one-day boat excursion to the
Ningaloo reef off the Western
Australian coastline brings reader
nose to nose with whale sharks.
Ports and Bows
A blinged-out piano bar (at right) is
just one of the over-the-top features
on the just launched Carnival Breeze,
the last in the Dream series of ships.
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September in Paris
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Includes air, hotel,
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InCLudes aLL Taxes & Fees
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Good riddance to the stress of looking
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BC V6G 1C3 BC Reg: 1204-0
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fr
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Lowest fare shown & subject to availability. Flights with Air Transat. Prices include all taxes & surcharges. Fares are available
for selected dates in Jun - Aug 2012. Terms & conditions apply. Reg in BC #2454
VAN01092839_1_17
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all-in pricing round-trip flights starting at
glasgow
899 949
$
$
899 949
$
july & ocTober
augusT
includes all Taxes & fees
frankfurt
1099 949
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july
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includes all Taxes & fees
airtransat.ca
manchester
$
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july & ocTober
augusT & sepTember
includes all Taxes & fees
amsterdam
1149 899
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$
july
augusT & sepTember
includes all Taxes & fees
london*
$
july & ocTober
augusT & sepTember
includes all Taxes & fees
paris
1099 1049
$
$
july
augusT
includes all Taxes & fees
contact your travel agent
Departures from Vancouver. Prices are based on round-trip in economy. Fares shown are valid from June 23 to 25,
2012, from $899 to $1199 for departures on selected dates in July, August, September or October 2012. Fares may
vary according to destination and departure dates. Prices are valid on new individual bookings only. Taxes and fees
(ATSC, airport fees, insurance, fuel surcharges) where applicable, are included. Limited seats available at the prices
indicated. Flights operated by Air Transat and sold by Transat Tours Canada Inc BC reg#2454. *Gatwick airport.
ANDREW
McCREDIE
50s are trading briefcases for roller
bags,” the Huffington Post recently
reported. “With time, health and disposable income on their hands, they
are taking the kids and the grandkids
along.”
Of course, multi-generational travel
has been around for centuries in the
form of family reunions. But given the
ever-expanding distances between
grandparents and parents and children, such reunions are increasingly
things of the past.
The story also cited top destinations
for multi-generational travel, including Orlando, San Diego, Las Vegas,
Quebec City and our very own Vancouver. Cruises also made the list.
All great places for families to visit
together, to be sure, though the idea of
a multi-generational cruise trip leaves
me a little queasy before I’ve even left
the dock.
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E2
|| travel
BREAKING NEWS: VANCOUVERSUN.COM | Saturday, June 23, 2012
from E1
Not making the story’s top destination list was Tofino, however the
coastal community, along with Whistler, is arguably the top destination for
Metro Vancouverites’ multi-gen holidays. My family did just that over an
extended weekend last month, and
while we’ve often vacationed with my
wife’s parents, this multi-generational
trip proved special.
Why? Well, as anyone who has been
there will tell you, Tofino is special.
It’s scenery is second to none; it’s
beaches go for kilometres and are
ringed by rock outcroppings and tidal
pools that provide hours of entertainment for kids of all ages (you actually get somewhat bored with discovering yet another cluster of big and
beautiful star fish); and its laid-back
vibe encourages you to take off your
watch when you arrive and put it back
on only for the drive back home (“We
gotta catch that last ferry!”).
And despite decades as a tourist
destination, the kitschy development
that so often ruins a special place has
been held at bay (hello Banff). That’s
not by accident, as the business and
political leaders of Tofino have kept
the franchise wolves at bay, instead
creating an environment where small
businesses can flourish and foster that
Tofino vibe. The Common Loaf Bakery is a shining example of that, and is
just one of the unique businesses that
thrive during the tourist season.
Another well-established business
is the Pacific Sands Beach Resort,
our choice of accommodation for the
multi-generational trip.
Built by two dairy farmers from
Alberta 40 years ago on a 40-acre
parcel of land on the Cox Bay waterfront, Pacific Sands has grown from
a few cabins into a high-end resort
featuring 1,000 feet of beach-front
V I C T O R I A
B C
|
Bob Herger/Special to The Sun
A mother and child fly a kite on Cox Bay as the sun goes down.
accommodations and a wide range of
suites and beach houses.
The three-bedroom beach house
we stayed in proved ideal, as its main
floor bedroom served the needs of the
grandparents, one of whom has a bad
hip. On that note, the entire resort is
interconnected with wide and wellmaintained paths, and access to the
beach is easy for the stair-challenged.
Likewise, Cox Bay beach has hard
sand that allowed my mother-in-law
and daughter to go for long strolls in
search of sea dollars and shells.
For the more mobile, there’s a wonderful boardwalk on the property that
winds through dense rainforest to
emerge on a rocky point of Cox Bay,
providing a great vantage point to
watch the ever-present surfers carving up the ever-present breaks.
A big part of multi-generational
travel is mealtime, when parents can
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show off the exquisite manners of
their children (yeah, right), and grandparents can achieve the satisfaction of
being showered with praise from their
grandchildren on their cooking prowess (again, yeah, right).
Our fully kitted beach house kitchen
had all the amenities for my father-inlaw, the undisputed chef when we all
get together, to feel right at home, and
the prerequisite crab fest turned into
surf and turf thanks to the communal
propane barbecues situated just outside our beach house door.
Pacific Sand’s resort director Stephen Peters wasn’t surprised to hear
our positive feedback about our stay.
“The whole resort is built with families in mind,” says Peters, adding in
the past few years he’s noticed a generational transfer taking place within
his clientele. “People who were here in
the ’70s as children came back in the
late ’90s with their own children. And
now their children are coming here.”
Peters adds much of that strength
was created years ago: “(The original
owners) built a phenomenal reputation with families and couples.”
The resort currently sees about a
45-per-cent return rate of guests, and
says Peters, many guests book their
next year’s stay when they check out.
He sees the uniqueness of the Tofino
area as the main drawing card, but
also a maturing of the town as playing
a major role. Particularly in dining.
“In the last five years there’s been
a phenomenal evolution of restaurants in Tofino. Some fantastic talent,” he notes, adding that food festivals and the recently opened Tofino
Brewing Co. underscore that foodie
atmosphere.
To that end, we enjoyed a sensational dinner at Shelter Restaurant. Multi-generational dining
often comes down to a compromise
Raeff Miles/Special to The Sun
Pacific Sands’ firepit is a great place to spend the night with the family.
If you go
Getting There:
With one road out and one road in,
driving to Tofino doesn’t take a great
deal of navigating (which is ideal given
three generations of back seat drivers
in the car). From Vancouver, catch a
BC Ferry for Nanaimo, head north on
the Island Highway (#19), hang a left
at Parksville onto the Alberni Highway
(#4), stay on #4 through Port Alberni
(where it changes to the Pacific Rim
Highway) and in just over an hour turn
right at the Pacific Ocean and you’re 10
minutes from the town of Tofino. For
ease of mind, make reservations for the
ferry, particularly when heading back
to Vancouver.
For that extra-special trip, catch a flight
to Tofino airport with one of the airlines
that provide service from the mainland.
Pacific Sands Beach Resort has a shuttle
van to get you to and from the airport,
in addition to getting you into town
and elsewhere.
Staying There:
No shortage of accommodation
options to suit all tastes, budgets and
sizes of multi-generational families.
Visit www.tourismtofino.com for a
good overview. Pacific Sands Beach
PNG files
Shelter Restaurant is ideal for a multigenerational meal.
Resort offers a number of specials
and packages that cater specifically to
multi-generational travel. Check out
www.pacificsands.com
Eating There:
Finding the right place to satisfy the
taste buds of three generations is a
challenge at the best of times, but
Tofino has a wide range of restaurants
with wide ranges of menu options.
Fish and chips is standard fare at most
establishments, as is the local delicacy,
crab. And before you head out for
home, grab some of the amazing tacos
served up at the TacoFina food truck
(1184 Pacific Rim Highway). Expect a
lineup, but it’s well worth the wait.
for someone — either at the kids’ or
adults’ expense — but Shelter’s broad
menu and accommodating kitchen
made for a memorable multi-generational meal. The wine list is outstanding, the fish preparation rivals that of
any Vancouver seafood haunt, yet the
laid-back atmosphere of the attentive staff and friendly patrons was in
stark contrast to your typical Big City
restaurant. And best of all, the adults
all enjoyed an extra glass of wine, as
a Pacific Sands shuttle van provided
transportation to and from Shelter.
The evening capped a fantastic trip,
and one that among all the multigenerational trips we’ve done really
stands out.
Great scenery, great accommodations and great food.
Throw in the sight of grandparents
and grandkids sharing time together
without the pressures and stresses
of the big city, and you’ve got all the
makings of a memorable and unique
multi-generational vacation.
(For more on multi-generational
ADVERTISING
holidays, look for Sun columnist ShelINFORMATION
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ley Fralic’s story in next Saturday’s
Travel section about her trip to Cars
sunprovince.com Land with her grandchildren.)
g like seeing
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