Remote BC Waterfront Log Lodge: "Home of the Orca"

We offer no TVs or phones in the rooms, no generators outside, no traffic whizzing by, no loud music or hustle and bustle of people coming and going.* Here, there is a sense of calm and stillness. With a wide variety of books, and trunk full of board games, the lodge helps people to rejuvenate their spirit by being an enjoyable place where guests can be taken care of and rest.

Built as a church in 1961, the lodge is cedar log in construction with 14’ arched cedar ceilings supported by massive cedar beams. Situated on one acre, the lodge sits atop a knoll and looks south. The building has a commanding presence, as the eagles know well who nest in our backyard.

The dining room, once the pulpit, has front and centre views of Johnstone Strait and the Vancouver Island Mountain Range. From the Great Room, conversation nooks on the west and east sides also overlook the ocean and mountains. With the exception of the dining room, all rooms are on one floor. The four bedrooms are in the rear of the lodge, close to the forest.

Our guests often talk about the quiet and being able to hear themselves think for once, instead of reacting to the distractions around us. Talks around the fire are often soulful which seems appropriate being that it was once a church. There is not one story to tell, but a common story of people coming together to get to know someone new, talking face to face, sharing a conversation, a laugh and above all love...things that money can’t buy but at the lodge they are included.

Johnstone Strait is home to one of the largest populations of orcas in North America. Other marine life includes orcas, Minke and Humpback whales, sea otters, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Steller Sea lions and many sea birds. Whales can be spotted off our deck. In the stillness of night, one can sometimes hear them spouting and splashing.

Guests come to Alert Bay to go on wildlife expeditions for whales and grizzlies bears and experience Alert Bay’s thriving Indigenous culture. Cormorant Island is five kilometres long, has a population of about 900 and is serviced six times daily by BC Ferries (a 35-minute voyage from Port McNeill). The Village includes a grocery store, a hardware store, a pharmacy, a liquor store, two sit-down restaurants, a credit union and an RCMP station.

*Please note: our one concession to technology is free Wifi.