The camp sits on the banks of the sound among the old-growth forest of the Bedwell Valley, inside a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve. Black bears forage on the shoreline for barnacles and crabs, and otters, sea lions, whales and bald eagles are seen from the lodge.
The 25 white canvas tents line the ocean shore and dot the forest, with custom furnishings and contemporary comforts, and a tribute to the prospectors of the early twentieth century. A central outpost holds the restaurant, bar, rooftop deck and cedar hot tubs on the water.
Breakfast is flexible, with Eggs Bedwell and local crab and buttermilk pancakes by the stack, and lunch is a daily changing bistro menu. Dinner shows one star ingredient at a time, among them rib-eye from Pemberton Meadows, grilled sablefish from Kyuquot-Checleseht First Nations and slow-cooked Canadian rangeland bison shoulder. Ingredients are foraged or harvested from Vancouver Island and British Columbia, and drinks, wines and local craft beers are included in the tariff.
The Healing Grounds Spa has three treatment rooms, a meditation room, cedar hot tubs and a sauna, with a waterfront massage tent. Yoga, forest bathing and cold-water immersion in the Bedwell River are included. The lodge arranges canyoning in the glacier-fed river, heli-hiking, horseback riding, paddling and wildlife cruises in the sound, and helicopter flights that land on a mountaintop for drinks and canapes.
Guests fly by seaplane from Vancouver or take the boat from Tofino, and the tariff is inclusive, with packages that allow extended stays and extra benefits. Clayoquot suits adventurous couples and families who want a remote camp with good food.
