Bowen Island is the best day trip because it only costs $10/per person round trip and $30 to bring your car on the ferry. And there’s so much to do!
We had breakfast at The Snug Cafe as soon as we got off the ferry. Depicted are their breakfast bowl and daily special. The bowl has two poached eggs, chorizo sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, salsa and sour cream on hash browns.
This gives you enough energy to start exploring the island. (But we went to Tell Your Friends cafe for some second breakfast. Their coffee and treats are SOO good)
We came exceptionally early to beat the ferry traffic, so we wandered the coastline sightseeing while things opened back up in the village. You can pretty much get to one end of the island to the other in 15 minutes or so. We saw the lighthouse and a handful of beaches. We wanted to check out the iconic lake, but there wasn’t parking left so we went to the Artisan village.
There we went shopping at boutiques like Wren and Rapunzel.
We stopped by Cocoa West Chocolatier Chocolate Shop. I bought some chocolates for myself, Amy, and Josh and a mocha of course to waken me from walking. My favourite chocolate was their domino shaped ones, not depicted because it was eaten very fast!
We went back to the main area and went to Copper Spirit Distillery first. We enjoyed a couple cocktails and I am just in LOVE with their new dark cherry rye. It is like liquid candy, but its not overly sweet and very, very smooth. I enjoyed Not in Manhattan, which features their unaged rye and smoky Lapsang Souchong tea.
After the Distillery, we went to the pub because we couldn’t have more than 3 mini cocktails at the Distillery! I ordered a mug full of cocktail, the lavender lemonade. It is made with Empress 1908 indigo gin, lemonade, fresh lemon, lavender bitters. I love that Empress gin – if you know me, I’m not a fan of gin but it is one of the few I will drink! (Probably for its aesthetic)
Our alcohol crawl was hardly over. We went to Doc Morgan’s Pub & Restaurant next and enjoyed some oysters and rose. Sitting on their patio, absorbing the sunshine and soaking in the alcohol was the peak of the day in terms of enjoyment. This area is such a beautiful spot to look at the mountains, and the ferries come in over the sea.
After lunch, we had second lunch at Branch on Bowen. My top taco is the Nuni – their candied Wild Haida Gwaii smoked salmon is the best part and I wish I could get that just in a bag please. The other toppings on it are rhubarb relish, chevre goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, cabbage, onions, fermented coconut nectar aioli, cilantro. I enjoyed some matcha ice cream after.
Definitely will be back – its is an easy trip to manage for a day or a weekend. And for those still cautious of travel, go very early in the morning and there won’t be as many people on the ferry. (The boat is small, so there can’t be as many as on a bigger one) I am generally cautious, and I can say this is a good first step in the water if you want out of your home from the pandemic.
