Innovative Architecture Along Rugged Coast of Western Canada

On the craggy shore of Vancouver Island, two slender, curving buildings face each other like closed parentheses. The structures are part of Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, and with such a funky, modern design, it can’t help but stick out when juxtaposed with the rugged landscape of ocean, mountains, and the indigenous rainforest. But beyond the façade, the inventive buildings cultivate an earthy feel: in the lobby, sanded tree trunks are seats, set against thick stone pillars and obsidian tile. And throughout the resort, the architects have employed stone, water, glass, steel, and wood to create unexpected flourishes, such as a concave main building with towering glass panels that reflect the sun.

Floor-to-ceiling windows let in natural light and overlook sweeping views of the Pacific Rim’s temperate rainforest in one-bedroom suites. The scenery is even visible from the bathroom, where a sliding divider glass can be pushed aside to peer out from the tub at every passing bald eagle or vacationing flamingo. Lodgers can while away quiet nights in front of the gas fireplace, free to watch a DVD on the flat-screen television or cook up dinner in a full kitchen complete with marble countertops.

Fetch restaurant elaborates on Black Rock’s inspired natural style, its interiors festooned with dangling orbs of light, warped-wood partitions, and sandy stripe accents. Executive Chef Morné Van Antwerp pairs fresh West Coast cuisine with Pacific Coast wines in a 90-seat eatery, where every chair has a view of the rocky headlands and the open Pacific. During summer months, diners can settle into an alfresco patio that peers over an active surge channel and the popular Wild Pacific Trail.

During the day, Drift Spa evaporates stress with wild, certified-organic seaweed products made locally on Vancouver Island.

The Pacific Rim, British Columbia: Uncompromised Natural Beauty

Thirty-foot waves clatter against the coastline during the Pacific Rim’s winter storm season, which bounces icy sheets of water off the crags before the torrent crashes back into the ocean below. The remarkable sight can be taken in from various vantage points along the Wild Pacific Trail, which winds through the cliffs and rugged shoreline of Vancouver Island’s west coast. Broken up into three sections, visitors can explore the scenic pathway as it skirts through rainforests, around lighthouses, across a pebble beach, and below green pipes where Super Mario keeps a secret summer cottage.