“ 1001 HOTELS AROUND THE WORLD ”

General Info:

The approach to Parksville from the south is promising, taking you through lovely wooded dunes, with lanes striking off eastwards to hidden beaches and a half-dozen secluded campsites . Four kilometres on is the best of the beaches, stretched along 2km of Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park . In summer this area is madness - there's more beach action here than just about anywhere in the country - and if you want to lay claim to some of the park's camping space (summer $18.50, winter $8) expect to start queuing first thing in the morning or take advantage of the provincial park reservations service . The public sand here stretches for 2km and sports all the usual civilized facilities of Canada's tamed outdoors: cooking shelters, picnic spots and walking trails.

The dross starts beyond the bridge into Parksville and its eight blocks of motels and garages. The worst of the development has been kept off the promenade, however, which fronts Parksville Beach , whose annual Sandfest draws 30,000 visitors a day in July to watch the World Sandcastle Competition. The beach offers lovely views across to the mainland and boasts Canada's warmest sea water - up to 21A°C (70A°F) in summer. Though busy, it's as immaculately kept as the rest of the town - a tidiness that bears witness to the reactionary civic pride of Parksville's largely retired permanent population. You'll see some of these worthy burghers at play during August, when the town hosts the World Croquet Championships.

For local information , Parksville's Chamber of Commerce is clearly signed off the highway in downtown at 1275 E Island Hwy (daily 8am-6pm; tel 248-3613, www.chamber.parksville.bc.ca ). Ask especially for details of the many hiking areas and other nearby refuges from the beaches' summer maelstrom, and fishing , which is naturally another of the region's big draws.

If you must stay , camping offers the best locations. There are a multitude of cheapish Identikit motels in town and "resort complexes" out along the beaches, though summer vacancies are few and far between. South of Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, try a pair of cottage resorts that look onto the sea: the big Tigh-Na-Mara Resort Hotel , 1095 E Island Hwy (tel 248-2072 or 1-800/663-7373, www.tigh-na-mara.com ; $80-240) with log cottages and oceanfront apartments, forest setting, beach, indoor pool and self-catering units; or the smaller and slightly cheaper Graycrest Seaside Resort , 1115 E Island Hwy (tel 248-6513 or 1-800/663-2636, www.graycrest.com ; $175-240), which has considerably lower rates off-season. More upmarket still is the Beach Acres Resort , 1015 E Island Hwy (tel 248-3424 or 1-800/663-7309, www.beachacresresort.com ; $175-240), set in 57 acres of woodland with its own pool, sandy beach, and forest or ocean-view cabins. Much cheaper is the Sea Edge Motel , 209 W Island Hwy (tel 248-8377 or 1-800/667-3382, seaedge@parksville.net ; $125-175), with its own stretch of beach. If you're after one of the cheapest motels, try the Skylite , 459 E Island Hwy (tel 248-4271 or 1-800/667-1886, skylitemotel@bctravel.com ; $60-80).

More Parksville travel guides (each guide contains specific sub-sections):

Parksville

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