Luxury dog-friendly hotels in Vancouver Island, Canada

With whales swimming just off the coast and bald eagles soaring overhead, Vancouver Island can feel more like a National Geographic advertisement than a chunk of land just off the coast of bustling Vancouver. A large swathe of the island is protected parklands, including a central mountain range, old-growth forests, beaches and rainforest. Naturally, the best way to experience is by heading out into the thick of it: this westernmost chunk of British Columbia is quite popular as a hiking, biking and kayaking destination in summertime. But it’s not all rugged wilderness; the island is home to a smattering of charming coastal cities, including Victoria, the European-influenced capital of British Columbia. Vancouver Island is also home to an exciting dining scene focused, as expected, on local, natural ingredients, including salmon and trout from the local waters. It’s an entire universe on one green island.