“I think I just saw a whale!” exclaims my mom over the phone from her top-floor balcony.

The funny thing is, we’re both staring at the same patch of ocean—from separate balconies and separate rooms at the same resort—but I’ve yet to see one, as much as I’ve been yearning to spot an orca leaping out of the water.

Two days before, we’d landed at Victoria Harbour via helicopter, where a van picked us up and shuttled us over to a quieter part of the Island: Sooke, home to the legendary (and legendarily revitalized) Sooke Harbour House.

The town is a one-hour drive from downtown Vic, passing through Saanich and Langford. We asked our driver, Levi, if we could make a pit stop for a bottle of wine enroute. He asked us, casually, what we like—I’m partial to a sweet B.C. white and my mom is into a dry but juicy red—as if those notes would determine which liquor store close to Sooke we should stop at. Not so. Levi asked the question because, in addition to being our driver for that day, he is also Sooke Harbour House’s restaurant manager, and he’s got a quick line to the resort’s wine cellar.

Newly re-opened, the spot, now owned by Krystal Growth Partners and Vancouver-based Catalog Hospitality Group—the team behind Fred’s Restaurants, Sechelt Inn and Café Crema—has had a revival. It’s been open for just five months post-reno when I visit, after a nearly five-year closure between 2020 and 2025.

SUITE ESCAPE: Exterior view of Sooke Harbour House. Photo by Ward Bastian Photography

Levi and the hotel’s rooms division manager, Antoine, are both longtime employees of the luxury Pacific coastal resort—they stayed along for the ride when the property underwent a $14-million upgrade under its previous owners and then was sold to Krystal Growth Partners and Catalog.

The 28-room resort is a mansion of sorts, boasting large-format waterfront suites with decks. Winding corridors, butler’s staircases, hidden enclaves and gables that point every which way on the ocean-facing, 33,000 square-foot build remind me of what I think the house in The Secret Garden probably felt like: preserved heritage woodwork, English manor-style stacked storeys.

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On the main level, just beyond the front doors, an entertaining room separates two different dining spaces: the casual Garden Café and Bar, where one can snag appies and cocktails in front of a roaring fireplace, and the more elegant Sooke Harbour House Restaurant dining room, with its heritage hardwood floors and 180-degree view of ocean and the Whiffin Spit, where locals and visitors go on nature strolls and walk their dogs. From this particular corner of Sooke, it feels like you’re at the edge of the world—nothing between your spot in the universe and infinite sea and sky.

Each of the palatial-feeling rooms is bespoke in design. The three-storey hotel boasts lofted suites on the top floor, each with their own aesthetic touches (think: stained glass, or polished branches running up the walls to mimic a tree).

The Victor Newman Suite. Photo by Ward Bastian Photography

Me? I’m staying in the Victor Newman Deluxe Suite on the second floor: a breezy, spacious room designed in collaboration with local Kwakwaka’wakw artist Victor Newman, featuring a double-sided fireplace (fire logs for which you can snag at the front desk) and original carvings, including a carved formline baseboard that wraps the bottom of a mirror set in place beside an oversized inset soaker tub.

That tub, by the way, faces the double sliding doors to the patio, which overlooks the Juan de Fuca Strait (where one could—allegedly—spot orcas playing in the waters).

READ MORE: Local B.C. Getaway Guide: Hidden Gems on Vancouver Island’s East Coast

It’s not lost on me, the quiet luxury of being able to savour a coffee while I look out the window in search of seals and loons. Other times of the year, one might watch for storms with a glass of wine in hand.

But in here, I’m not sure if the luxury comes in gazing outside at the creations of nature, or gazing inside at the creations of humans. You could spend an entire long weekend here and not have to set foot outside the property once—food, wine, scenery, nature, stargazing and local art are all part of the program at Sooke Harbour House.

Surrounding gardens leading to the Garden Café. Photo by Kim Bastian

Upcoming plans for the three-acre property include an outdoor spa, but, for now, the resort—like most things on the Island—remains a remote-ish escape from the city. It feels like a secret I’m in on—especially given that I’ve been allowed a peek at the basement wine cellar, which doubles as a private dining area. B.C. wines (among others) line the stone walls, and I spot a couple of the bottles Levi had handpicked for my mom and me the night before.

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We’re here in November, but by summer, I imagine this place will be buzzing with locals and tourists alike, people dining on the outside patios and enjoying sips of wine from their double-wide balconies overlooking the ocean, hoping to spot orcas playfully jumping across the edge of the world.

For now, I’ll just enjoy the quiet beauty of this place.

STRAIT SIGHT: From the waterfront-facing balconies of Sooke Harbour House is a view of the Juan de Fuca Strait, where onlookers can watch for storms and the occasional orca.

Getting Here

Photo by Shutterstock/Ceri Breeze

Via Helijet

Anyone flying commercial in coach with a toddler will know all too well the specific hell of being a parent in public—but I was relieved when my four-year-old kid was lulled into quiet snores, wedged between me and my own mom as we crossed the Georgia Strait via helicopter, getting an aerial view of Stanley Park and several small, rocky islands on our way to Vancouver Island. The comfort, views and 35-minute trip from shore-to-shore is worth the ticket price (and kids under 13 fly free with the purchase of an accompanying adult ticket). $499 from Vancouver Harbour to Victoria Harbour

Other Spots in Sooke to Watch for Wilderness

Photo by Shutterstock/Russ Heinl

Sooke Potholes Provincial Park

Locals use the millions-of-years-old cavernous polished rock pools carved into bedrock as swimming holes during summer months, but the park also boasts hiking trails along the Sooke River. Access via Sooke River Rd.

Sooke Harbour Boardwalk at Ed MacGregor Park

Walk a 1,100-foot wooden boardwalk along the Sooke shoreline with woodland walking trails, access to a public pier and oceanfront green space (the last of which is host to many of the town’s local festivals and events). 6761 Sooke Rd.

Photo by Shutterstock/Chase Clausen

Sheringham Point Lighthouse

It’s 100 years old and it can be reached by a short walk from the parking lot or by strolling its 3.4-kilometre trail. 1 Sheringham Point Rd., Shirley

Photo by Shutterstock/Mark De Stephanis

Mount Manuel Quimper

Catch views from this mountain in the Sooke Hills via its summit hikes (coastal panoramas come into sight once you get to the top). Trailhead at Harbourview Rd.

Kristi Alexandra

Kristi Alexandra

Kristi Alexandra is the managing editor, food and culture, at Canada Wide Media. She loves food, travel, film and wine (but most of all, writing about them for Vancouver Magazine, Western Living and BCBusiness). Send any food and culture-related pitches to her at [email protected].