Sonora Resort: Part One

After our short stay in Vancouver, we made our way to the ultimate destination for our trip – Sonora Resort, on Sonora Island. We spent four fantastic days at this resort and there was so much to see, eat, and do. Accordingly, I’ve split my review into two parts. I hope you enjoy.

From Vancouver, Sonora Island was only a short 45 minute trip away – by helicopter ride, that is! The resort operates its own helicopter flights through London Air, and these were the largest helicopters I had ever been on.

Checking the weather forecast one more time.

The view of Vancouver from the air – wow! This trip convinced me that I need to see all my favorite cities from the air, you appreciate them in a whole different way.

As we flew on, we saw the landscape gradually shift into just nature – there was so much vibrant green everywhere.

And then, the resort came into view.

We landed, and were greeted by the staff as soon as we exited the aircraft, and taken to the main lodge for a short introduction while our luggage was taken to our rooms.

The main lodge, where we ate all of our meals, was huge! There was a formal dining room, casual places to relax and play board games/read a book, and a bar as well.

There was also a casual games room…

…and a place for us to practice our golf swing (I’m terrible and resorted to cheating within the first 15 minutes).

After our introduction, we took a short walk through the stunning grounds to our room. It was our first time really walking around the resort – wow! The colors and landscaping were breathtaking, and the gardens were perfectly maintained.

Our room itself was lovely and fit in perfectly with the surroundings. Everything was new and sparkling clean. The bathroom toiletries were Molton Brown.

The best part of room however, was the view! Stunning, unrestricted views of the beautiful landscape and water. It was so relaxing just to sit in our room and enjoy the surroundings and view.

Our first morning, we woke up and had an early breakfast. Sonora had amazing breakfasts and each day we enjoyed waking up for our early AM meal.

After breakfast, we set out for our activity – a boat tour of the area through the local water passages. Sonora boasts a large fleet of its own boats, so we met our guide at smaller one (as it was just us three), and set off.

Zooming away from the resort…

…but not too far, as just a little ways out, was a small island, where seals were gathered at one tip…

…and bald eagles on another (if you can’t tell, it had started raining). This guy looked a little wet and miserable!

Enjoying the view! The resort dressed us in puffy overalls and these huge life preserver jackets each morning, which kept us toasty.

Our wildlife guide for the day, Aaron.

Our local scenery included natural waterfalls (the water we learned was yellow from tree bark and dirt).

Centuries old native drawings on the rocks that our guide Aaron found.

We took a small detour into a little inlet, frequented by loggers. Apparently quite a few would come here while waiting for the tide to turn – and in their boredom started to put up their signs on the trees.

More seals swimming in the water…

…and of course, more bald eagles. Having grown up in the U.S. and hearing that these were highly endangered, I was always very interested whenever we saw a bald eagle. By the end of the trip however, I was almost bored of them – that’s how many of these magnificent birds there were at Sonora Island. You could never get too close though…and they flew by in a flash!

After a very relaxing few hours on the water, we headed back to Sonora.

We spent the rest of the day hiking around and exploring the property (more on that in my next post), and when evening came we were ready for a big dinner!

Sonora is a Relais & Chateaux property, so we knew that the resort would have good food. Good is an understatement however…the food was fantastic. We enjoyed our first dinner immensely and after that, we knew we were in for some good eating! Dinners started with an amuse bouche, and then appetizers.

Second courses…

…and then the main entrees.

And of course, dessert! When we had made our reservations, I had booked the “Honeymoon” package, and thus for a while the staff thought we were on our honeymoon. When they found out it was just a regular holiday, they still made us a “Congratulations!” card for being married, as well as a dessert.

And with that, I’ll conclude the first part of my trip report for Sonora Resort. Thank you for reading, and I can’t wait to share part two with you next time!