There’s nothing like a 72-hour golf getaway help you escape to island time and leave your worries behind. Luckily, Campbell River is a great option as a golf destination. Get all the tips on courses to play and places to stay, along with hidden gem restaurants and activities, and then get ready to book your 72-hour golf escape!
Day One: Arrive & Set Island Time
The first day of your 72-hour golf getaway starts with a flight into Comox Valley Airport (YQQ), which serves major hubs including Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton with quick connections to Toronto, or a smaller plane flight into Campbell River Airport (YBL) from Vancouver. Pick up a car from National Car Rental and head North along Highway 19A for a laid-back ocean drive.
If you’re coming from the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, simply hop aboard a BC Ferry to Nanaimo and take Highway 19 north up the coastline. Campbell River is about an hour and a half from the Departure Bay terminal.
Once you arrive in Campbell River, your first stop on an island getaway should be seafood! Satisfy your culinary cravings by stopping at Crabby Bob’s Seafood Inc . The name might be funny, but they are dead serious about their seafood, with a restaurant right in the marina and ingredients come fresh off the boat.
Make your way to the Comfort Inn & Suites and experience Campbell River’s newest hotel, or take the time to explore Campbell River’s incredible forests and trails with a hike or bike through the nearby Snowden Demonstration Forest , or go for a walk along Elk Falls Suspension Bridge for dramatic views, nail-biting heights, and tumbling waterfalls.
For dinner, make your way into town and choose from many amazing restaurants . Whether it’s fish and chips served dockside in a marina or surf and turf platters in a comfortable pub or restaurant, the area’s rich history and cultural diversity provide the basis for a checklist of tasty options.
Day Two: Fins & Skins
Campbell River, dubbed the Salmon Fishing Capital of the World, is home to some of the best salmon fishing anywhere! So, as they say, when in Rome…one must be sure to add some “fins” to your “skins”. Fortunately, Campbell River is a legendary fishing destination where guests can stroll from their room to a guided fishing charter in mere moments. Golf groups can even arrange to barbecue their catch of the day, and subtract your weigh-in from your golf score for the ultimate bragging rights competition.
If fishing isn’t your choice of morning activity, head out on a wildlife, bear-watching, or whale-watching adventure tour (depending on the season).
Energized, it’s time to tee it up for 9 holes at Quadra Island Golf Club . Right from Campbell River, you can take a convenient water taxi across the Discovery Passage to April Point Resort on Quadra Island, where your free shuttle to the golf course awaits. Gotta love designated drivers by car & by boat! Enjoy the tranquility as you take in views of the BC coastal mountains amid lush forests, however one must keep their focus as this 3,219-yard course tree-lined course will take some game!
Return to April Point Resort on Quadra Island and dine oceanside on fresh oysters, prosciutto-wrapped halibut, or seared tuna on their massive wraparound deck, while you watch an amazing sunset and cruise ships journey by on their way to and from Alaska. When you’re ready, return to Campbell River via water taxi for a nightcap and bed.
Day Three: Birdies & Brews
Now that you are settling into playing on island time, it’s time for a full 18 holes of golf at Storey Creek Golf Club , so start with a good breakfast. Ideal Cafe is rated Campbell River’s #1 breakfast location, and you’ll soon see why. Try their smoked salmon eggs benedict, it seems the reviews speak for themselves!
At Storey Creek, the stunning Les Furber designed course is set amongst an old growth forest where you’ll have the opportunity to see wildlife including deer, and if you’re lucky a glimpse of a bear. Take in the surroundings while you tackle this 6,699-yard course and find out why Storey Creek is recognized as one of the top undiscovered golf courses in British Columbia.
After your game, take time to explore some of Campbell River’s culinary options such as Campbell River’s first craft brewery, Beach Fire Brewing & Nosh House , where you’ll find locally-crafted beer, appys, and mains. Follow your meal up with a walk down to Discovery Fishing Pier where you are welcome to try your luck fishing off the dock in the world’s salmon fishing capital!
It’s your final day and we’ve saved the newest for last- the Campbell River Golf Club . Completely redesigned from the soil up by golf course architect Graham Cooke and opened in the summer of 2018. Campbell River Golf Club promises a unique experience including a licensed practice facility with Toptracer technology for some additional golf fun, as well as après-golf dining in Velocity Lounge .
Naturally Pacific Resort is a 93 room boutique hotel to be opened in the fall of 2023. Sharing a site with the Campbell River Golf Club, this destination resort will offer one of the premier hospitality experiences on Vancouver Island complete with extraordinary dining, a luxury spa, a hip outdoor pool space, as well as spectacular golf.
Get your last taste of the island on your way home with a stop at Shelter Point Distillery . Sample handcrafted spirits made from locally-grown ingredients, and don’t forget to take some home as a memento of your island golf getaway to Campbell River.
Campbell River: 72-hours, 3 rounds of golf, 1 fishing or wildlife viewing excursion, 1 spectacular oceanfront resort, and as much seafood and local libations as you can handle. Now that’s playing on island time.
For more information on activities, attractions, and visitor information, visit Destination Campbell River . If you need assistance in organizing your own golf vacation to Campbell River, or any of the other amazing destinations on the Vancouver Island Golf Trail, our Golf Vacation Specialists would be happy to help.
May 14, 2018, by: Golf Vancouver Island