Mayne Island Highlight
Content Editor: Alice On
Farm Gate Store
The natural foods grocery store on Mayne Island. They carry ingredients that can’t be found elsewhere. I love the farm fresh eggs, kale, local in-season fruits, and veggies, plus all the pantry goods made by Farm Gate. I accidentally bought a Vegan chocolate cookie and accidentally ate all of it without sharing.
Bennett Bay Bistro
A favourite of Alexis’ for celebrations like wedding anniversaries, Bennett Bay Bistro is part of the Mayne Island Resort. Well-reviewed for their exceptionally fresh sea-food what I will perhaps remember most is the server bursting up to me asking “did you see the sheep?” shortly after I was seated. I thought surely I had misheard, but there really was someone's sheep running around the hotel. There was such a charming novelty in the bustling woman asking me to wait, so she could ask all the other guests if they had seen it, so they could help the creature find its way home.
The fare was styled in the traditions of American oversized portions. I would recommend sharing between two people, as my the dinner on the second day became breakfast on the third day! Be sure to order the Mussels to taste the incredible freshness of the island’s seafood!
#OutdoorSeating The view of Bennett Bay is stunning, despite the chill! I can only imagine how easily it would be to pass summer days away on the expansive deck!
OPEN DAILY 11:30am
494 Arbutus Drive, Mayne Island, BC ,V0N 2J1, Canada
The Springwater
Fun fact, Springwater Lodge at Miners Bay is the oldest continually open Lodge/pub in B.C. open since 1892! It has a nice view of the Active Pass and you can watch all the action of ferries, sea-planes and other wildlife active around the bay.
To enjoy said view, I’d finished my hike at about 3:30pm which left me ravenous, having missed lunch. Opening at 4 o'clock on weekdays, so I ordered the moment I opened the SpringWater doors! Although the closing time is quite early, it seemed a great place for simple, good food, drinks, and chatting up old friend and new ones alike.
Dashing out after my meal to catch the five o'clock Ferry, I didn’t have long to enjoy it, but for those interested, there is the SPRINGWATER LODGE cabin to extend your stay!
Wednesday- Friday: 4pm – 8pm
Saturday: 12pm – 8pm
Sunday: 12pm – 5pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
400 Fernhill Rd, Mayne Island, British Columbia ,V0N 2J0
Fernhill Road
If you don't know where to go, you can drive along Fernghill road to hit most of the island’s shops, post offices, grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants. It takes about 6 minutes to drive from the eastern edge to the west of the 21-square-kilometre island on this road. One of my favourite stops was the Thrift store, run by Agricultural Society volunteers, they accept donations from the community and reselling the mishmash of treasures at a low cost to raise money to support the maintenance of the Agricultural Hall, the Mayne Island Lock-up Museum and other community initiatives. Another gem was The Mayne Island Community Library, a quaint construct made entirely of timber that was cut and milled on the island by local volunteers. Built to capture the beautiful views over Miner’s Bay Park, go to read a book or enjoy the free wifi!
Visiting many of the neighbourly shops, there are lots of organic products to choose from. I was also tempted by the work of local artists displayed everywhere by finally I settled for a fantastic locally made skin maintenance lotion.
The Fishery Afloat @Miners Bay
On the first day, Alexis excitedly announced fishing boats selling fresh Tuna and canned food had the docked in Miners Bay, an uncommon occurrence, and we simply must check it out. It was almost dusk when we arrived, and the sunset on the rippling waters of Miners Bay Pier was breath-taking. An older lady nearby had just bought a huge portion of tuna. I’d never cooked tuna before so I said " Its my first time, how do I cook tuna?" The boss gave me a look that could’ve only meant "how have you never cooked tuna?"but simply replied “the quality of the fish is sashimi grade - it can be eaten raw”.
In addition, we also bought canned Tuna, which made a delicious breakfast the next day.
#Things to do if you want to live like a local
When Alexis first made the recommendation, I had already fashioned in my mind a “salmon boat”, which has already been in my bag of tricks for a while, as salmon is simply and frequently cooked in my kitchen. Only later was it revealed it was a “Tuna boat”, and with the fisherman’s enthusiastically recommendation of the Atlantic bluefin tuna, I simply couldn’t refuse. So I rolled up my sleeves and tuned into one of my favourite youtube cooks Jamie Oliver’s for tuna steak guidance!
With fresh product some red in the middle of the #Tuna Steak is fine. Mine didn’t quite turn out, so I can’t show you but I wish you better luck with yours! Just follow along with his video and let me know how it turns out!
Georgina Point Heritage Park And Lighthouse
We checked in at 2pm and with the coming 4pm winter night fall and no street lights on the island, we found a stretch to walk along in the fading dusk. There’s a red lawn chair and some striking scenery perfect for a DaisyCode style photoshoot.
There’s pathways and hikes around the lighthouse with wildlife all around. Our Airbnb host, Alexis, recommended these trail because “otherwise you might wind up hiking into someone’s back yard” on the small island. As a beginner level hiker, the sparse trail markers made it was a bit challenging to stay on track.
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Mayne Island BC,Canada
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