This Kayaking Sweet Spot of the World is a must for the advanced kayaker! The services of Lannie, Ralph & Albert are top class and the surrounding Discovery Islands, Surges Narrows, Desolation Sound, Toba Inlet, etc., the wildlife, sea mammals, birds, etc. are out of this World spectacular!
This is the absolute, quintessential west coast experience (coming from a west coast gal). We have been a couple of times now and most recently with a large group of friends from Europe. Between us we basically booked out the lodge and had it to ourselves. The lodge itself is fabulous...a gorgeous lodge with out of this world views. The rooms are basic but clean, comfortable and very attractive (and most have views). Incredible value, I would say. You will feel off-the-Grid and come away relaxed and refreshed. Oh, and the kayak tours are fantastic. We had experienced, friendly guides, and I seem to remember fresh baked cookies...so good. We can’t wait to go back!
The other reviews pretty much say it all. I just want to confirm that they are all still accurate and a bit more detail.
On our trip, I found the lodge to be kept cleaner than most of the hotels that we have used.
The staff is great. Friendly and helpful. If you are a well experienced kayaker, then you will be comfortable heading out on your own. The guides will tell you what you need to know about Surge Narrows so that you can play in them or avoid them as you need.
Breakfasts we tasty and hearty.
The one thing you should be aware of is that they are a 40 min drive from the closest grocery store or restaurant so plan to bring your own food. They have 5 small fridge bins to keep your food cool. You only get one. We needed our own cooler for some extra food storage. This was not an issue.
Enjoy your trip.
Thanks for the kind words Jay. It was great to meet you, and we hope we see you out this way to paddle again soon.
My wife and I are avid kayakers and have been to the Discovery Islands Lodge twice. A major attraction for us is location, only 10 minutes away from Surge Narrows and a well-placed base for kayaking to campsites in the Discovery Islands. Kayakers of all abilities from novice to expert can find nearby places to paddle and the lodge routinely offers day trips. The kayak fleet is excellent and ranges from very solid Current Design and Seaward kayaks to high performance Romany and NDKs. Another big plus is that Discovery Islands Lodge is well off the beaten path, so that when one sits on the veranda to enjoy the view, it is utterly peaceful. The people working at the lodge are very friendly, professional and interesting. The lodge is very clean and has a well-stocked and highly organized communal kitchen with a powerful propane stove and oven as well as beautiful long communal table perfect for meeting other folks. The breakfasts are consistently nourishing and delicious. Some suggestions: get fresh seafood at Crabby Bob's in Campbell River, get gas in Campbell River or at the Gas N' Go in Quadra Island so you don't worry about running out of gas when leaving the lodge, and take advantage of the limited wifi and cellphone access and relax. Finally, the Discovery Islands Lodge is a family run operation who renovated a fish processing building from the ground up and their love of the place and attention to detail shines throughout.
Thanks for the kind words David! It was nice to get to know you two, and we hope to see you again soon!
Lodge is very clean, food all homemade and delicious. Kayaking was wonderful. Saw lots of marine life like sea urchins, sea lions, starfish. Kate was a pleasure to be with and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this experience.
