My TripAdvisor Review No.504: Bare Bones Fish and Chips Restaurant, Port Alberni, Canada.

Fabulous Fish Food.

After alighting from the Tofino Bus at Port Alberni we went straight for lunch to the Bare Bone Fish and Chips restaurant. It was a five minute walk from the bus stop. We liked the ambience of the restaurant which is set in an old rehabilitated church with a high sloping roof ceiling. It was a bright and well decorated casual dining place and quite crowded even on a weekday.

We ordered the grilled Salmon fish English style with traditional batter garnished with a generous amount of finger chips, coleslaw salad and two sauces. We asked for two pieces of fish and the serving was large enough for both of us.

The grilled fish was delicious and the service was warm and friendly. We would definitely come back if we happen to visit Port Alberni again.

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Date of visit: July 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.503: Sproat Lake Provincial Park, Port Alberni, Vanc-Island, Canada.

Serene Lake For The Great Outdoors.

The park is located about 10 km west of Port Alberni and can be accessed by the Pacific Rim Highway on the way to Tofino via Port Alberni. The fresh water Sproat Lake is a favoured location for swimming, boating, fishing, water-skiing and when the wind is up, wind-surfing.

There are two campgrounds where people can reserve space and come and enjoy some camping in their RV and trailers. Others can enjoy a picnic in the day use area where they can do some sun-bathing by the lakeside.

There are many short trails leading into the forests. One such trail leads to the eastern end of the lake which has some ancient prehistoric petroglyphs, the rock carvings probably depicting some ancient mystical monsters of the lake.

There is a big parking lot for the day picnickers and a number of picnic benches in the open areas. Pit toilets are available in addition to the flush toilets in the day use area. Showers rooms are also there, as well as an area for boat launching.

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Date of experience: July 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.501: MacMillan Provincial Park, Vanc-Island, Canada.

Rare And Dignified Trees.

MacMillan Provincial Park is a forested area on Highway No.4 connecting Nanaimo to Port Alberni. The highway runs through the park and the core area is known by the older name of ‘Cathedral Grove’. You can park on either side of the road and enter the grove to view the ancient and giant trees of Douglas Fir, Red Cedar and Bigleaf Maple. It is situated just after Cameron Lake as you drive towards Port Alberni.

The biggest and oldest of the Douglas Fir trees is an 800-year-old tree, 76 meters tall and 9 meters in circumference. It was over 300 years old when Christopher Columbus first came to North America. Many of the trees are so old that they have fallen down during wind storms and now lie there providing life and succor to the newer trees and plants. They are known as the ‘Nurse Trees’.

The walk around the park can take between half an hour to over two hours, depending on how much time and interest you have. At the end of the north side are the banks of the Cameron Lake.

There are wheelchair accessible trails that wind through the park, but there are no benches or picnic tables here. Camping is not allowed and smoking is absolutely prohibited in the park. There are two pit toilets outside along the parking lot on either side of the road.

It is like an enchanted forest, only disturbed somewhat by the noise of the highway traffic.

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Date of experience: July 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.500: Cameron Lake, Vanc-Island, Canada.

Beautiful Place For A Picnic.

We passed by this lake a number of times traveling between Nanaimo and Port Alberni, not knowing what we were missing. It lies just before the MacMillan Provincial Park, on the way to Port Alberni, with it’s giant Douglas Firs and Red Cedar trees.

The MacMillan Provincial Park abuts the south west edge of the lake and we did get a glimpse of the pretty lake from the park boundary.

The waters of the lake look very calm and soothing surrounded by the towering hills around it. We saw quite a few RVs and caravans parked at some of the better picnic spots and some kayaks and boats on the lake.

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Date of experience: July 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.499: Orestes Greek Kouzina, Port Alberni, Vanc-Island, Canada.

Greek Fine Dining.

This is probably one of the best fine dining restaurants in Port Alberni. The décor is nice and there are three large size dining halls. The restaurant is family run and the service is very homely and courteous with the owners themselves taking care of all the guests. There is a personal touch with great attention to detail.

We started off with some of us having the Greek drink Ouzos which is made from aniseed. We ordered some crispy bread, Tsatsiki, with a cucumber yogurt dip as starters. We had a Pizza with spinach, onions, olives and feta, and a Caesar Salad. For the mains we ordered a Fish Platter which had Salmon, Halibut, Prawns, Calamari, Rice, Roast Potato and some Greek Salad. The quantity in the Fish Platter was sufficient for the three of us, and was excellent in taste.

We quite enjoyed our meal and would definitely come back if we visit Port Alberni again.

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Date of visit: August 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.494: Lady Rose Marine Services, Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC.

Fascinating Cruise.

We boarded the small ship ‘MV Frances Barkley’ at Port Alberni Harbour Quay after buying our tickets from their onshore office. It sailed into the waters of the Barkley Sound towards the Pacific Ocean at 8 am sharp for a four hour mini cruise to Bamfield, a small fishing hamlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The ‘MV Frances Barkley’ is a working ship owned by the Lady Rose Marine Services Company which supplies goods and freight to the remote towns located along the west coast of the island. It also takes on tourists and passengers who get a chance to view the fascinating scenery of the rain forests of beautiful British Columbia.

We could walk about the ship both inside and outside. There were some benches on the outside decks where we could enjoy the sunshine or cold sea breeze, or occupy the inside seats if the weather became too intimidating. The kitchen and dining room was down in the galley and we had a breakfast of bacon, egg and cheese muffins followed by coffee. Cold drinks, beer and wine was also available.

This ship also delivers mail to the remote coastal villages. When we stopped at the floating post office at Kildonan, the postmaster’s dog started barking and we saw a black bear prowling in the trees about two hundred meters behind. We made some more stops along the way where freight was off-loaded.

About 10 minutes before docking at Bamfield, near Tzartus Island, the Captain spotted a humpback whale and we clearly saw the tail fluke coming out and quickly go back in. It was too fast to take a picture.

We reached West Bamfield around 12.15 pm and were received by our hostess from MacKay Bay Lodge, where we stayed for a couple of days. ‘MV Frances Barkley’ goes further in to East Bamfield and returns to the West Bamfield docks in about an hour and a half to start the return trip to Port Alberni. Most of the tourists have lunch at Bamfield, do some sight-seeing and return back to Alberni by 6.30 pm.

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Date of experience: August 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.463: Cathedral Grove, Port Alberni, Canada.

Giant And Ancient Trees.

Cathedral Grove is located on Highway No.4 in Vancouver Island, very near to the town of Port Alberni. It straddles both sides of the highway and there is limited parking space outside the Park area. It is also known as MacMillan Provincial Park.

The wonders of this park are the giant Douglas Fir trees which inhabit this forest like silent sentinels from the past. The leader among them is an 800-year-old tree, 76 meters tall and 9 meters in circumference. It was over 300 years old when Christopher Columbus first came to North America. Other species of trees in this forest include the Western Hemlock, the Western Red Cedar, and the Bigleaf Maples.

The walk around the park can take between half an hour to over two hours, depending on how much time and interest you have. At the end of the North side are the banks of the Cameron Lake.

There are no benches is the park, but you can catch your breath sitting on the broad fencing or tree stumps of the old and fallen trees along the way. There are functional restrooms outside along the parking lot.

It is like an enchanted forest, only disturbed somewhat by the noise of the highway traffic.

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Date of experience: July 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.460: Della's Cafe, Port Alberni, Canada.

Refreshing Cafe On The Highway To Tofino.

Dellas Café is a nice pit stop on the highway from Nanaimo to Tofino at Port Alberni. One can stop here for some snacks and coffee while driving down either way. It is located about halfway between both Nanaimo and Tofino, right next to the Sproat Lake Landing Resort just outside Port Alberni.

We had some tasty Indian Samosas with Vegan and Tandoori Chicken fillings served with a piquant pickle. Other items on the menu included cakes, pastries, ice creams, cold drinks, a variety of coffees and hot chocolate.

Some cute little gift items are also available to carry as souvenirs for friends and family.

There is a nice lawn with some colourful tables and chairs and one can sit out in the open and relax for a while next to the lake. Kids can exercise their legs and the parents can stretch their limbs before driving on.

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Date of visit: July 2019

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