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Practicalities
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Laidlaw (tel 385-4411 or 1-800/318-0818,
www.victoriatours.com
) runs five
buses
daily to and from Nanaimo, with the terminal on Victoria Quay at 5065 Southgate (though the bus company is based at 4541 Margaret St). Jump off at the 7-Eleven, one stop earlier, to be nearer the centre of town. The same company runs connections from here on to Ucluelet and Tofino in Pacific Rim National Park. Western Bus Lines (tel 723-3341) run two services weekly to Bamfield (Mon & Fri; $17 one-way) as does the Pacheenaht First Nation Bus Service (tel 647-5521). Several other companies from Victoria
make connections to Bamfield for the West Coast Trail
. For help and information on fishing charters, hiking options, minor summer events, or tours of the two local pulp mills, call in at the
infocentre
, unmissable as you come into town at 2533 Redford St, RR2, Site 215 Comp 10 (daily 9am-6pm; tel 724-6535,
www.alberni.net
), off Hwy 4 east of town - look out for the big yellow mural.
Given the 8am departure of the MV Lady Rose , there's a good chance you may have to stay overnight in the town. For accommodation there are the usual motel choices, though for a good central hotel you might be better off with the Coast Hospitality Inn , 3835 Redford St (tel 723-8111 or 1-800/663-1144, www.alberni.net/coasthi/ ; $125-175), not cheap, but probably the town's best bet. The Best Western Barclay , 4277 Stamp Ave (tel 724-7171 or 1-800/563-6590, www.bestwesternbarclay.com ; $100-125), with outdoor pool and the smaller Somass Motel & RV , 5279 River Rd (tel 724-3236 or 1-800/927-2217, www somass-motel.bc.ca ; $60-80), are also both reliable choices. Cheaper, and 14km west of town on the lakefront off Hwy 4 at 10695 Lakeshore Rd, is the Westbay Hotel on Sproat Lake (tel 723-2811 or 1-800/358-2811, www3.bc.sympatico.ca/westbay ; $60-80). The infocentre has a list of the constantly changing B&B outlets: an excellent first choice is the Edelweiss B&B , 2610-12th Ave (tel 723-5940; $80-100), which is not particularly central, but does have very welcoming hosts. For camping , best bets are on Sproat Lake , or you can try the small, reasonably central and wooded Dry Creek Public Campground , 6230 Beaver Creek Rd at 4th Avenue and Napier Street (tel 723-6011; $8-19; May-Sept): ask at the infocentre for directions as it's hard to find. Further afield is the bigger 250-site China Creek Marina and Campground , Bamfield Road (tel 723-2657; $12-25), 15km south of the town on Alberni Inlet, which has a wooded, waterside location and sandy, log-strewn beach. Camping at Sproat Lake is excellent, but busy in the summer.
Eating
possibilities are numerous. For coffee down by the dock before jumping aboard the MV
Lady Rose
, try the
Blue Door CafAŠ
. For lunch, make for the
Swale's Rock
, 5328 Argyle St (tel 723-0777), and for
seafood
check out the waterfront
Clockworks
, Harbour Quay (tel 723-2333). The
Canal
, 5093 Johnson St, serves good Greek food, and for cheap lunches there's the
Paradise CafAŠ
, 4505 Gertrude St, and several deli-bakeries. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Canada,
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