If you’re looking for a quick getaway from the city, we’d highly recommend Bowen Island. It’s the perfect blend of nature and food. There’s plenty to do no matter what your activity level is – hiking, kayaking, and of course great little spots to eat. On occasion, you’ll find some great events happening on the island as well. Here are our favourite places to visit while on Bowen Island:

1. Doc Morgans – A friendly pub with a beautiful patio overlooking the park. Service is fast.

2. The Snug – A cute café with an Instagram-worthy patio of yellow umbrellas and plants. They get extra points because they sell “SnugLife” T-Shirts. We cannot accurately review this place other than the fact that they were our haven of delicious iced Americanos on an insanely hot day and packed one of their power bars for our hike. The server was extremely helpful and polite, and the service was fast.

bowen island candy in the cove

3. Candy in the Cove – They have a huge selection of European candy, their licorice and bon bons being the sizeable collection of imported goods. One that stuck out to me was they sold licorice root, apparently brought in by doctors since it has good health benefits, for eg those with low blood sugar may benefit from the root. She also had a delicious licorice from Belgium that was more savoury than sweet. Our spoils are pretty basic – I love mixed fruit candy to take with me travelling and Josh loves his wine pastilles. We bought the rest as a souvenir for our family, buying a bag of licorice and assorted European bon bons.

bowen island ruddy potato

4. The Ruddy Potato  – A small whole foods market that sells quality name brands with an emphasis on organic and local. If you find the coffee vendors closed on the island, you can come here to purchase a host of quality coffees from Bowen and the surrounding area. They also have a quaint café that serves possibly the best baked goods in the immediate village area.

bowen island- happy isle cannabis

5. Happy Isle Cannabis – A very new addition to the island and not without a little bit of notice. I do not know if this is true or not, but apparently the owner of the Pub opened (helped open) this shop told to us by local banter. If you’ve been to the Donnelly’s Group cannabis shops, the vibe is familiar. Set up like an Apple Store or a Saje, the displays are clean, minimalist and the accessories for cannabis are the newest tech on the market.

bowen island marina parlour

6. USSC Marina Ice Cream Parlour – This was the perfect thing to have after hiking up to the lake. There’s something charming about getting ice cream through a heritage building’s window. Josh got Cookies & Cream and I got the Mocha Almond Fudge, both highly recommend.

bowen island- copper spirit distillery

7. Copper Spirit Distillery – A new addition to the island, they will soon have food and more drink selection. We went in for a tasting of their spirits and their cocktails. We loved their Verity Rye Spirit and brought a bottle home.

8. The Island Pub – We had fish tacos and beer after being in the sweltering sun. Their happy hour is pretty legit for having two rounds of beer.

bowen island-snug cove general store

9. Snug Cove General Store – Just a tip about getting stocked/sunblock/hydration, come here. Their prices are reasonable. That or go to the Pharmacy near The Ruddy Potato to stock up on supplies.

bowen island-barcelona spanish tapas bar

10. Barcelona Spanish Tapas Wine Bar – We met a friendly lady atop a rock while we were hiking. We asked for local recommendations. She asked us where we ate so far and we said Doc Martens and she shook her head and said, “I’m so sorry. Go to Barcelona Spanish Tapas and Wine Bar.” She was not wrong. It was the best food we ever had hands down.

For more information on Bowen Island, check out their website here: https://www.tourismbowenisland.com/