Vancouver Island Reviews and Information

I try to take a more positive approach to life and instead of whining about bad service (we've all experienced that!) I like to talk about the GREAT customer service I've experienced. Recently we asked our Facebook followers "Have you recently had a GREAT customer service experience? What business WOWed you recently?" and here were some responses! Janice Armstrong ‎ Manhattan Home has awesome customer service. I bought a bracelet there and after about a month the pin on the hinge fell out. I took it in to see if they could get a NEW PIN...so I could fix it. They took it back no questions asked and ordered a new one! Can't beat that! They also price match on all their kitchen stuff. I love supporting independently owned small local business! Kimberly Plumley Smashing Glass in Parksville. They always treat me well. Today, I could not get there, so my kids ran in to get our goods - they treated them equally wonderfully and honoured them for

What better way to spend a Sunday then taking a leisurely drive from Nanaimo to beautiful Courtenay! We recently did a survey and our followers/readers voted on who they felt had the best breakfast on Vancouver Island . After a week of voting, Atlas Cafe was the overwhelming winner. We made reservations for 11am (a perfect time for brunch in my opinion) but we were much too leisurely on our drive and didn't make it to Courtenay until 11:30, at this point the restaurant was stuffed full and our reservation had been given away. The wait staff apologized profusely, but of course this was entirely OUR fault and we waited patiently until a table opened up for four. We barely waited 10 minutes and then we were quickly seated by the window in a bustling atmosphere. Atlas Cafe has a wonderful relaxed, fun, quirky feel - accommodating to youth, seniors, family and everything in between! Our server was very attentive, yet relaxed and we settled in to check out the menu. During weekdays bre

Some cool and interesting events happening this weekend on beautiful Vancouver Island! Feel free to e-mail me if you have an event coming up in the near future! Parksville Uncorked (Wine & Food Festival) Feb 23rd - Feb.26th, Together in the common cause of fine wines, decadent edibles, and great company, Parksville's finest beach resorts are proud to sponsor the 4th annual Parksville Uncorked Wine & Food Festival. Mid-Vancouver Island's Premier Wine and Food Festival A once a year opportunity to savour and sip while you mingle, mix and learn from renowned chefs, sommeliers, vintners and restaurateurs' from all over British Columbia. Kick off the event at Parksville Untapped , then enjoy the signature gala tasting event, Swirl, to fascinating Winemaker Dinners and sizzling after-parties, Parksville Uncorked offers something for both the experienced gourmet and those seeking to better appreciate the epicurean delights of wine and food. Now celebrating its fourth yea

Island Beer Festival 2012 , Victoria, B.C Saturday February 25 at The Strath. Come try amazing local island beers, over 25 beers to sample! 1-7pm $20 p/p via @Driftwoodbeer Comox Valley to host farmers at annual conference - with a year round farmer's market, the Comox Valley was picked to host the 13th annual for the BC Association of Farmer's Markets. It will take place March 2-3 - via @Playinvictoria Tofino is now getting recognized as a top-notch foodie destination. - via @tourism_tofino

Emily Carr was born in Victoria B.C in 1871. She was buried in Ross Bay Cemetery (also in Victoria) . She was a Canadian artist and writer heavily inspired by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast . The Canadian Encyclopedia describes her as a "Canadian icon". Photo Credit: Wild Coast Magazine: Della Falls The tallest waterfall in Canada (arguably) is Della Falls , located in Strathcona Provincial Park. . Nanaimo Bars actually originated in Ladysmith and were called " Mable Squares" ..... they were sold in many coffee shops along Commerical Street in Nanaimo, where US tourists on cruise ships came to call them " Nanaimo Bars". Either way they are delicious and from Vancouver Island! In 1986, Nanaimo Mayor Graeme Roberts, in conjunction with Harbour Park Mall, initiated a contest to find the ultimate Nanaimo Bar Recipe. During the four-week long contest, almost 100 different variations of the famous confect

Victoria Spoken Word Festival 2012 (Feb 23-26) : via @VicExplorer ( http://www.victoriaexplorer.com ) The 2nd Annual Victoria Spoken Word Festival is taking place on Thursday, Feb 23rd through to Sunday, Feb 26th at several locations around Victoria. Enjoy some of the best and brightest poetry from 12 Canadian Poets, including Vancouver’s own Chris Masson is this year’s Poet of Honour. All tickets are available at the door, see link above for a list of events and location details. What's going on in the tunnels under Victoria B.C ? Read the blog article from @yourcopeland to find out more! Copeland Communications Blog . Linda Blair visits BC SPCA in Victoria ( best known as her role as the possessed child in The Exorcist)

Live music this week - check out our listings and go check out some music! Monday February 20 - Michael Schenker "Temple of Rock" Reunion Tour with Rob McAuley with opening guests...TBA Monday, February 20, 2012 Club 9ONE9 919 Victoria, BC Doors 8pm - Show 9pm - "EARLIER SHOW" Tickets: $25 Advance / $28 Door - TICKETS ON SALE JAN 10 Available at: Online at http://www.hightideconcerts.net/ Lyle's Place 770 Yates St., (250) 382-8422 Ditch Records 784 Fort St. (250) 386-5874 Strathcona Hotel 1414 Douglas St. (250) 383-7137 Facebook Event Info Lola Parks (from Victoria, B.C) playing at Bard & Banker Located on the corner of Fort St and Government St downtown Victoria. Event Page Tuesday February 21 - RAEKWON of The Wu-Tang Clan live in Victoria at Club 9ONE9 - (9pm-2am) Facebook Event Page Friday February 24 - Sunday February 26 at Nanaimo Centre Stage Located at 25 Victoria Rd Vancouver Island Chamber Music Festival Facebook Event Page

I am no means a lottery/gambling type person but for some reason lately I've had the urge to buy a lottery ticket. I've seen a few numbers come up quite frequently lately and decided to play them. I have also decided to involve my loyal readers and following in my soon-to-be lottery win. The jackpot is 20 million dollars, here is what YOU can do to have a piece of my win. Share this article or ANY other article on our blog - then comment "shared" under the one you shared. Re-tweet us on Twitter That's it! The person who shares or re-tweet us the most I will give them a share of my winnings!! Here is the ticket: Let the sharing and re-tweeting begin!

(A hot falafel roll-up; pictured) It's a funky, high energy restaurant/deli that screams personality, which translates into a fun and exciting atmosphere at Delicado's. Eye catching décor, excellent service, great music and wholesome reasonably priced food have made Delicado's famous. Our food is prepared fresh daily on the premises serving a delicious variety of flavorful, colorful and healthy southwestern food. The menu includes mouth watering items such as roll-ups(wraps), southwest burritos, enchiladas, tortilla pies, baked polenta, homemade soups, salad dressings and much more. Specialized ingredients such as a wide variety of different hot sauces, BBQ marinades,fresh home-made salsas, and serveral varieties of oil free Humus, just to name a few, can be found in our mini-market right in the restaurant. So if you are looking for a Fun and Healthy alternative, Delicado's

Vancouver Island Music Awards announce awards nominees : Artists with multiple nominations: Ryan McMahon : 5 Nominations Mike Edel: 4 Nominations Lindsay Bryan: 3 Nominations Lola Parks: 3 Nominations Shane Philip: 3 Nominations Francesca Belcourt: 2 Nominations Handsome Distraction: 2 Nominations George Millar (Irish Rovers): 2 Nominations Spaceport Union: 2 Nominations Naked Bungy Jumping at Wildplay Element Park in Nanaimo - conquer your fears and raise funds for the BC Schizophrenic Society . Happening Feb.25-26. Ladysmith celtic rock band Skellig advances to the next round of the Hard Rock Rising competition in Toronto

Deciding where to buy real estate on Vancouver Island depends on a variety of factors. Victoria(345,000), Nanaimo(84,000) and Campbell River(31,000) are the largest cities. Victoria was 2nd on the Money Sense magazine's Best Places to live in Canada list. (Average single family home: $589,000) Victoria is a big bustling city that still offers the laid back style us Vancouver Islanders love. I love Victoria, but the housing prices will have to adjust, as they have just become too expensive for the average family (as I predict they will in Vancouver) Sooke and Langford have become two of the quickest growing cities on Vancouver Island - both provide the amenities of being very close to Victoria, but providing a slower pace of life. Nanaimo appeared 36 on the same list. Being a central city that boasts a wonderful waterfront, a bustling university and housing is a bit more affordable. The average single family dwelling sells at about $340,000. An average single family home in Court

Photo and article by David Hillier of dhp images Nanoose Beachcomber Park is one of those little gems, that for the locals is a place of tranquility just a few steps away out there front door. For Nanaimoites on the other hand, a 20 to 30 minute drive (depending on how heavy your foot is) Take 19a north until you hit Northwest Bay Rd ( at the Petrocan ) and follow it until you come to Claudet Rd, then just follow your nose for about about 5 minutes and you will see it on the left. Once you're parked and walking the trail it will lead you down towards the water through Douglas Firs, Garry Oaks, and Arbutus trees. A longtime resident pointed out a very large Arbutus and called it the "thousand year old Arbutus" , I am not to sure whether it is that old or not but for sure it is one BIG Arbutus! Once you are at the beach you will be treated to amazing views of Mt Arrowsmith and the surrounding landscape across Craig Bay (West), look to the right (North) to the Main

Fish Farm Protestors in Campbell River outside of a Marine Harvest office. Vancouver Island (Ladysmith) musician Stef Lang jams at the Rusty Gull North Vancouver. She will be doing a tour, check her out at http://www.steflang.ca for tour dates. Vancouver Island's Blues musician's (Nanaimo' David Gogo & Victoria's Bill Johnson ) nominated for Juno awards...

We are on the search for some delicious breakfast joints around Vancouver Island (come on now, it's the most important meal of the day!) and what is more satisfying than a wonderful Sunday breakfast/brunch?! Now here is the fun part: we've taken some suggestions from our followers on Twitter and Facebook and compiled them here, our readers will vote and the place with the most votes we will go visit! Cedar Room at Tigh-Na-Mara - Parksville Willie's Bakery & Cafe - Victoria 2 Chef's Affair - Nanaimo Modern Cafe - Nanaimo Floyd's Diner - Victoria Dolphin's Resort - Campbell River The Pointe Restaurant - Tofino Dino's Grill - Duncan John's Place - Victoria Longwood Brew Pub - Nanaimo Atlas Cafe - Courtenay Sunny Side Cafe - Esquimalt Over the next week we will be taking votes on which of these wonderful breakfast places we will be visiting next for a review! Thanks everyone! Tweet us, facebook us or leave a comment and let us know which one Y

Robin Tomlinson recently took some time out of her busy schedule running her clothing store in downtown Nanaimo to do a little e-mail interview with us regarding her business, downtown Nanaimo and what it's like to be a small business owner. Catwalk Fashions is located at 13 Commercial Street in Nanaimo. The clothing store is mainly Funky Fashions for Fabulous Females from around the world - Numph, Motel Rocks, Coupe, Dereon, !iT jeans, Foxy, Traffic People, Lipsy, Evil Twin, Mink Pink, Papillon among others. Here is our e-mail interview with Robin! 1:Hi Robin, where do you live on Vancouver Island and what is your favourite thing about your city? A:I live in Nanaimo, BC and my favorite things about this city is the size and proximity to the ocean. It has a small town feel with all the benefits of a larger city. Oh, and we have the best downtown on the island! 2:Tell us what your business is all about and where you are located (i.e how long you've been in business, target mar

Vancouver Island's own Stef Lang performed on Global BC's Morning Show. Read my article on her from 2009, HERE . Stef is from Ladysmith.

2012 Tide Table for Comox - 2012 tide table and solunar charts for Comox for planning your fishing expedition Windhorse Organics Certified Organic Grass-fed/finished Red Angus Windhorse Farm is a certified organic beef farm located in Glenora, part of the beautiful Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. The farm is dedicated to raising the finest beef while stewarding the health of the whole farm. Vancouver Island chanteuse Stef Lang's star is rapidly rising. Her debut album 'The Underdog' was nominated for Pop Recording of The Year at the 2011 Western Canadian Music Awards; her first single "Mr. Immature" rose to #5 on the Billboard Canadian Emerging Artist chart, and her follow up single, "Slave2Love" was the #1 most added song on Canadian Radio upon release. With a coveted S.L. Feldman Showcase at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, 2 nominations and a live performance at the 2011 Canadian Radio Music Awards (CHR and HOT AC) - Stef Lang is definitely a na

Gift From The Heart - via @lifetimesmileDH On Saturday February 11, 2012 Registered Dental Hygienists all across Canada will open their hearts and clinics to provide oral health care to the public who may be financially unable to receive dental hygiene care or who have difficulty accessing dental hygiene treatment; at no cost. A Victoria Independent Practitioner is offering services: Focus On Dental Hygiene /Cheri Wu 141 Menzies Street Victoria, BC V8V 2G4 250.590.1931 toothfairy@focusondh.com A flash mob breaks out in the Bay Centre in Victoria (via @SusanJones ) - students from Vic High break out in song & dance with appearances from Hollywood lookalikes. This is a promo for Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commissions Feb. 26 2012 Red Carpet Gala Black pioneers helped shape Nanaimo's history (via @NanaimoDaily ) - February is black history month a time to revisit the stories of those long gone black pioneers who crossed the "colour line" and helped shape t

Nanaimo's Bowen Park nominated for Great Places in Canada The Rock Cod Cafe on the Food Network "You Gotta Eat Here": Watch Here Our visit to The Rock Cod Cafe A Vancouver Island Winter Video

Neck Point Park can be found on the north end of Nanaimo off of Hammond Bay Road, at the end of Morning side Drive. MAP HERE . The 36 acre park has some stunning ocean views from many look out points and a lot of history. It is also recognized as an environmentally sensitive area. There are many rugged rock cliffs to explore, natural beauty and a varied amount of hiking trails. Apparently the park is also popular as a dive site . You can view many many underwater photos by this diver - it's amazing what is beneath the surface! Video by Robots4farms We happened to visit Neck Point Park on a particularly sunny February afternoon and shot these photos.

The rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island is home to many fantastic accommodations, one wonderful place we visited recently is Reef Point Cottages . Vancouver Island's hidden gem, Reef Point Cottages offer an exciting, intimate and self-indulging experience for those who want to explore what British Columbia’s most spectacular and natural landscape has to offer. With clean fresh air, idyllic scenery and breathtaking activities, the Reef Point Cottages are casually situated in the middle of raw nature. The Reef Point Cottage staff are very pleasant and are very knowledgeable in regards to things to see and do in the area. The cottage we stayed in was the luxurious two bedroom Cottage F, which is a 2 storey, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom waterfront cottage. It had a master bedroom with a king bed and another bedroom upstairs with a double as well as a pull out in the living room. It came equipped with a full kitchen, a TV, marble, slate and hardwood flooring. Oh yeah and I can't forge

Workplace Health - Stretches to Go - via Victoria Wellness Professionals. Victoria Wellness Professionals is a privately owned, centrally located strength training facility that offers personalized fitness services. Established in 2001, our gym offers innovative equipment and spa-like amenities, and our clients are a community of individuals who are serious about making a long-term commitment to improving their lives. Do You Have Fitness Goals? Are you looking for Results? Victoria Wellness is here for you! Whether it be personal coaching or group strength training classes, the Victoria Wellness Coaching Team are here to make this the best hour of your day – guaranteed! Someone in Victoria has won 1 million - via The Times Colonist . via Kim Chalmers