Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa

After a long time without a holiday, we were enveloped by the peace and grace of the Kingfisher Resort and Spa on Vancouver Island. We had a second floor partial ocean and full garden view room in a wing that has been completely updated. A very good size with a king bed, lovely ceramic panelled bathroom with a no barrier, heated floors, large shower (no tub) and a good size balcony with comfortable chairs and small table. The bed and pillows were very comfortable, the flat-screen TV was large and on the wall with access to Amazon TV and other apps. Lighting in the room is thoughtful and well done. Floors are blessedly free of the often worn out, musty carpet in many other resorts/hotels. Kingfisher opted for easy care laminate in the room and heated tile in the bathroom. There is air conditioning which can be adjusted, it was a little noisy at times. The small fridge in the room was handy, but could have been set a bit colder. The spa is well appointed, quiet with a great selection of divine treatments. The changerooms, pool and hot tub and deck were quite well appointed and clean. The Spa shop had a nice selection of upscale products as well as some clothing incl. swimsuits. The gardens in the centre of the resort wings are calming, well tended and had individual spots scattered throughout with a gas firebowl, comfortable chairs and small side table. The calming sound of the babbling brook water feature, some small waterfalls and quiet spa music piped inobtrusively throughout the gardens and spa further relaxes guests. We loved these spots to relax and reconnect. The Bistro and fine dining restaurant are both great with very good menus and seating with partial ocean views. There is an outdoor dining patio for the bistro. Service throughout the resort is excellent. The front desk and spa desk are accommodating and pleasant to deal with. The resorts' in house cat can be seen lounging around the gardens and reception building. There is quite a good fitness room, if a bit out of the way on the same level as the Ocean Suites. The beach is large, not sand, but smooth rock. Walkable but challenging if you have mobility issues. Could do with proper stairs down to the beach. Do not be fooled by the somewhat rustic car park near the road entrance, all the charm is on the inside! Will definitely be back! Thank you Kingfisher for a memorable stay.

We stayed two nights to visit the area. Room had waterfront view with large glass windows. Peacefull and really enjoyed our stay. Nice bar and restaurant. Did not use the spa facilities or exersize room. Easy parking. Very comfortable beds and Pillows. Would stay here again.

We stayed at the King Fisher for 5 nights. The location is quiet and the grounds are very nice. We booked a beachfront Suite (Eagle) which was well appointed and clean. What was disappointing was that there was a designated smoking area directly in front of our unit. So if you’re sitting on your patio you had no privacy, and sometimes you could smell the smoke wafting up depending on the wind. Seemed a strange place to put a smoking area. We also did the Spa Cave experience, which was nice and unique, but felt rushed as you could only spend 10 minutes in each cave. It was part of a package, so we didn’t pay full price for it, but I don’t think I would spend the $200+ that it normally costs to do it. The lounge area when you arrive had dirty white leather seats, and the relaxation lounge upon exit was filled with outdoor deck chairs that looked very overused and worn, definitely not a spa like feel. We chose not to use it. Aqua 7 Bistro – Nice setting on the patio, however the food choices were not what I would call casual, more fine dining options for what you would expect for a bistro. Not a lot of healthy or allergy friendly choices that you might expect at a spa resort. The happy hour only gave you a choice of red or white wine, and not the wines on the menu, cheaper wines that were in my opinion not great. Ocean 7 – We ate here on our last night. We tried to book for 6pm, but told it was full. We got there for our 7pm reservation and were offered to sit outside on the patio (bistro) and could have the same menu as the Restaurant, so why we couldn’t come at 6pm was a mystery as the restaurant only had two other tables occupied. The food was just ok. I honestly think they should just make the whole place one restaurant and have both casual and fine dining options on the menu. Trying to be two different things in the same spot and everyone is casually dressed anyway.