Nature retreat centre on Vargas Island

Cedar Coast Centre is an off-grid, boat access retreat centre with amenities and accommodations for groups of up to 24 people. Just 15 minutes from Tofino by boat, our beautiful 45 acre oceanfront property provides a perfect balance of remoteness and accessibility. Our main lodge houses the dining hall, kitchen, library, gymnasium, bathrooms and living rooms. Accommodations are in Canvas and Cedar tent cabins with private en-suite bathrooms. Hot tub, gardens, shower house, games and books.

The space:
The Centre is situated on the rugged coastline of Vargas Island, in the Clayoquot Sound Unesco Biosphere reserve. The property is bordered by the Pacific ocean shoreline to the east, and the Vargas Island Provincial Park to the West where you will find remote white sand beaches and breaking waves. Upon arrival at our private dock, you will follow a meandering path through old growth forest to the main lodge.

The main lodge has a bright, open feel with skylights and 25 ft ceilings. The dining tables and kitchen counters were milled on-site from salvaged ancient cedar logs. The gymnasium can house games of basketball, volleyball, badminton, four square, and yoga. The mezzanine library is well stocked with a mix of fiction and non-fiction books. The Lodge has wrap around covered and uncovered outdoor decks. The surrounding grounds include the food and flower gardens, the shower house, the shoreline deck and the tent cabins.

The gardens at Cedar Coast are small and productive, with kale, lettuce, spinach, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, beans, and more. Each group will receive a box of fresh produce from the garden upon arrival!

The open-air shower house contains 4 separate shower stalls with private change rooms. The shower house also contains 4 sinks that look out over Father Charles Channel and the Coast Mountains in the distance.

The shoreline Deck is a 1250 square foot deck built at the waters edge using locally salvaged red cedar. The Deck has a wood-fired cedar hot tub and steps that lead directly into the pacific ocean for high tide swims. We also have fishing rods for guests to fish for Salmon right from the shoreline deck steps.

The tent cabins combine a traditional canvas wall-tent with a cedar entryway and en-suite bathroom. Beds are ultra plush organic latex and wool mattresses on custom salvaged wood frames. Our beds have been designed to provide flexible sleeping options, as they can be configured as kings, singles, or bunk beds. Other interior furnishings in the tent-cabins combine vintage and custom salvaged wood furniture. En-suite bathrooms have flush toilets, sinks, and face and hand towels. Tents have electricity with interior and exterior lighting, and outlets throughout.

Our facility is run by state-of-the-art off-grid systems including food gardens, solar electricity, rainwater catchment and filtration, hydronic heating, and waste treatment.

Guest access:
Guests have access to the main lodge and it's many amenities, as well as the shower house, tent-cabins, shoreline deck, private dock, gardens, and trails, including a 1 hour hike that goes across Vargas Island to the white sand beaches and breaking waves of Ahous Bay.

Other things to note:
- Being a boat-access facility we offer offer round trip transportation between Tofino and Vargas Island for a fee.
- Guests are encouraged to plan ahead and organize what they need in terms of food and clothing well in advance of the departure date.
- We do have a cat on site but unfortunately cannot accommodate any other animals due to local wildlife.
- Lodge activities include basketball, volleyball, badminton, four square, bocce ball, campfire, reading, gardening and art making.
- On rare occasions poor weather may affect our ability to transport guests safely to and from Tofino, which could lead to canceling or modifying your stay. We will notify you to let you know ahead of time if this happens.
- The main lodge contains office space that may be used by staff and/resident biology researchers during your stay. You will not have to share living, dining, cooking, bathing, or sleeping spaces with these people.