Savouring the flavours of a Nanoose Bay getaway
With the earthy, fruity taste of a rich Chianti on our tongues, we’re sitting on a cushiony outdoor couch, watching a fire-table flame dance in the dimming light. Cards and a crib board sit untouched between us, and a conversation about our stunning weekend here in Nanoose Bay remains unspoken; instead, we are silenced, captivated by the drama of the darkening sky and the activity of the Fairwinds Marina below us.
Our accommodation is a beautiful, thoughtfully curated suite with a full kitchen, spacious sitting area and natural light flowing through floor-to-ceiling windows, all set in the lower level of Fairwinds Residences. But it’s here, outside on this deck, that we’ve found our happy place, watching dogwalkers, anglers and boaters traverse the dock, while otters play in the water below them. The only sound is the soft metallic clang of halyards bouncing against masts in the marina. It’s mesmerizing.
This is my third time staying at Fairwinds Residences, which offers everything you need right at your doorstep, but it’s also the perfect jumping-off spot to explore Vancouver Island’s Oceanside region. Located between Nanaimo and Parksville, Nanoose Bay is an unexpected haven of rural farmland, parks, forested trails and the expansive Fairwinds development, which includes upscale homes, a sprawling golf course, two restaurants and a wellness centre.
During my first trip here, one of my adult daughters and I embraced all the activities available to Fairwinds residents and guests, playing in the pool and games room at the wellness centre, hiking the area’s unexpectedly large trail network and renting e-bikes to explore further afield. We’re not golfers, but the lush green course beckoned. A few months later, I stayed with my other daughter. She had just announced her first pregnancy, so our time was punctuated by arm-in-arm walks along the oceanside pathway in Parksville, and shopping for maternity clothes and babywear in the town’s charming commercial centre.
This trip, with my husband, is different again. We’re delving into the culinary side of a Fairwinds stay, as well as exploring the Ten Amazing Places Project—a program that identifies 10 ecologically and culturally significant spots in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region. (See related story.) Nanoose Bay sits at the northern end of this region, and all the “amazing places” are within a 30-minute drive.
During the past three days, we’ve witnessed rushing waterfalls at the Little Qualicum and Englishman rivers, walked a suspension bridge, basked in the beauty of historic Milner Gardens and strolled among tall trees at Heritage Forest and Cathedral Grove. Visiting these places has been a testament to the many, many things there are to do in this area.
And then there is the food. Located at street level in the Fairwinds Residences building is Nanoose Bay Café, where a waterfront restaurant and bar serves top-notch, Asian-influenced food prepared by Chef Todd Bright. There’s also a market and café, where you can grab coffee, bakery goods and even frozen meals for takeout.
Our dinner at Nanoose Bay Café includes a delicious tangy marinated bean curd salad with pickled shimeji mushrooms; my divine Surf and Surf entrée (seared albacore tuna, tiger prawns, broccoli and warm potato salad) and Bruce’s seafood-stuffed gnocchi dish.
As we savour the flavours, we meet owner Eli Brennan—a true BC food-industry mover and shaker. The Nanoose Bay Café plus Fairwinds’ newly opened Greenview Taphouse are the latest additions to Brennan’s restaurant collection, which includes Vancouver’s Water St. Café and 2nd Floor Gastown, the Qualicum Beach Café and Deez Bar & Grill.
Brennan’s Moments Hospitality Collective runs the Fairwinds accommodation and restaurants for Seacliff Properties, a Vancouver-based development and management company that owns several large-scale projects, including Fairwinds.
Our final meal unfolds on the multi-level patio of Greenview Taphouse, where we sit facing the lush golf course, and watch a deer family graze on the greens. The fare here is more casual but equally delicious, specializing in Italian-style pizza, which Bruce devours, while I feast on a succulent salmon burger.
And so it is that we spend our last evening here on our peaceful, marina-facing patio, satiated and invigorated—but ultimately relaxed. We take another sip of our Chianti and toast the end of a spectacular trip.