We were extremely pleased with this property. Highly recommend. Didn’t see one of similar size/location online that measures up for our personal criteria.
We are a retired couple from Calgary, traveling alone and we stayed 18 October nights, departing Halloween Sunday morning.
Firsty the property. Ocean Pearl is an excellent unit. It’s perched on the bluff with unobstructed north facing views of Port San Juan and Pacheedaht Beach. It’s a corner unit so more windows + more light, skylights, high ceilings, very nicely decorated and well equipped kitchen, good gas fireplace, w/d, dishwasher and wifi. The deck has a great little fire table and serviceable bbq. For two people on a longer stay it was perfect. This entire development is relatively new and located within walking distance to the restaurants, market, gas and trash/recycling depot.
The owner/manager Lynda is very pleasant and responsive. For our long-stay cooking/storage needs the kitchen was lacking upon arrival. Her local cleaner stopped by the first day with more supplies and Lynda made the trip out to PR the next day to restock more useful items. That was impressive and appreciated.
Port Renfrew is as beautiful as it is remote. The local market is great but not intended to stock your visit. Definitely meal plan ahead and bring your groceries from wherever you land - Nanaimo or Victoria. Both have Costco and lots of grocery options. We online-ordered grocery in advance for pickup in Langford to save time. Supplemented larger items by visiting the Langford Costco, bread from Cobs and beverages from Liquor Planet. It’s all right there then you just jump onto the highway toward Sooke and PR.
Restaurants in PR: Our preference was the Renfrew Pub. Nice menu (chowder, pasta and fish/chips all great), good beer selection, nice staff and lots of Tv sports. Coastal Kitchen was closed for the season, we didn’t try Bridgeman’s at the Marina and only had coffee (very good) at Tomi’s. *Tomi does serve real espresso drinks but not when the power is out and she’s on generator*
No cell service in PR yet. Wifi and generators at all businesses which is important to note because in the fall/winter power outages are the norm. During our second half of the stay here was more blustery weather and we lost power from morning until dinner 4 days. Unfortunately those days were planned “home-days” versus hike, beach, sightseeing days out. Good news is the Ocean Pearl gas fireplace works even with the power out so we stayed cozy, read books and played cards and Yatzee (which Lynda had in the unit).
Activities in Port Renfrew will meet anyone’s needs. Access to the renown West Coast Trail, Juan de Fuca Trail, Botanical Beach, Botany Bay, so many additional trails and beaches to explore. For longer stays, daytrips to Cowichan, Nanaimo, Sooke* and Victoria are easily do-able. Jordan River surfing is daily and very entertaining. We didn’t get to Tofino - next time. *For families with small children and dogs Whiffin Spit in Sooke is a wonderful pathway walk with views and beach if you need a change of pace from PR* For beer fans Vancouver Island has a Tasting Trail and a very cool structure to climb called the Malahat Skywalk.
No wonder Lonely Planet’s 2022 List of top 10 regions to visit worldwide includes Vancouver Island.