At a ‘rustic luxury’ island resort in Canada, even the wildlife show is first class

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On a trip to British Columbia, our guide promised us bears. Seeing them was overwhelming.

We’re not long in our seats, and our guide, from British Columbia’s Homalco First Nations people, is explaining how crucial salmon are to the local ecosystem when one of our party exclaims: “Oh, look, a bear.”

And, sure enough, it is. A full-grown male grizzly, sitting chest-deep in the river, eating a salmon. The minibus pulls over and we alight, phones front and centre, filming until the bear swims off downstream.

We get back onto the bus, more slowly than we got off it, and our guide continues his chat. I miss his first name when he introduces himself and his colleague, Wilson. “But my ‘government name’ is Dude,” he tells us in his soft Canadian accent, smiling and gesturing to a name tag which, from my seat, I’d assumed said “Guide”.

This bone-dry humour illuminates Dude and Wilson’s intimate knowledge of their country as they emphasise that the salmon spawning run (and subsequent carnival of salmony death) provides much of the nutrients that power the entire ecosystem; we’ve already watched bald eagles and a golden eagle tucking into the dead fish littering the river (and, to be frank, you can hardly miss the smell).

Later, as we’re crossing a bridge, Wilson suddenly pulls over. On the bank beneath are a mother bear and her two-year-old cub. It’s a fitting climax to an astonishing morning, and though we’d been told confidently by our hosts at Sonora Resort, located on its own island between Vancouver Island and the mainland, that we would see bears, it’s almost overwhelming to get so close to these magnificent animals.

Sonora, accessible only by boat, seaplane or helicopter, is the epitome of rustic luxury. Part of the Relais & Chateaux group, it’s almost as spectacular as the nature that surrounds it. As well as stunning views, there are spacious rooms (all with binoculars, so you can watch the seals and sea lions from your room), a spa and gym, guided fishing, myriad hot tubs, minigolf and even archery.

The day after our close encounters with grizzlies, resort…

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