atHOME Victoria Issue 1 Feb. 2015 | Page 70

TRAVEL CLOSE TO HOME WICKANINNISH INN TOFINO, B.C. 68 “Growing up in Tofino, as a family, we always marveled at the sheer power of Mother Nature as we viewed the crashing waves below our home. Later in life, our father had a cabin built near Chesterman Beach on a point of land just beyond where the Wickaninnish Inn would eventually be.” - Charles McDiarmid, President & Managing Director BY: CHELSEA FORMAN he familiar gray of Canada’s West Coast prowls across the sky marking winter on the Pacific Rim. Vancouver Island’s open coast braces itself for the fury of nature, where waves thrash, clouds menace and rain is so relentless, we toy with the idea of punishment from above. Storm watching season is in full swing. T One of the islands most renowned retreats for storm watching is Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn. Offering unprecedented luxury and comfort, the Inn is perched on a pristine point of land over the sea. Completely exposed to nature’s wild elements, it divides the rain forest and the wild Pacific Ocean.