Boomerang Ski Lift

Like many British Columbians, Painters Lodge holds a distinctive place in my travel mind. I think their position is, or was, "luxury fishing". That is a somewhat unique market position that was created over decades and is still celebrated inside the hotel with the pictures of Hollywood A-listers from the 40's and 50's holding up giant Chinook salmon on the dock. But it appears that ownership now believes that "luxury fishing" is too narrow a position (and perhaps the fishing isn't as good as it once was) and they are trying to reposition the hotel into a "destination spa" facility. The problem is that it is a heavily competitive category - where you are competing with the heavyweights in Tofino, Victoria and other places. And to do that, you need a large lift in all aspects of the hotel. As it stands, Painters Lodge is a perfectly adequate hotel. But due to the "bones" of it's contruction from decades ago, the rooms have picture windows, not floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors. The glamorous main dining room sat unused when we were there, looking like a reminder of glorious days past. The only dining option now is a pub - and not a gastropub that celebrates NW cuisine - but a pub that you would find in many strip malls in the Lower Mainland. Adequate, but not memorable. The property is wonderful, the view is still amazing, and this is a decent place to stay. It will be interesting to see which way they take it in the coming years.

Excellent

Enjoyed our stay