Bayside Condos Overlooking Sunshine Coast Mountains

Just outside Ocean Sands Resort, you can see 3 miles of open sand at Rathtrevor Beach, the waters of the Strait of Georgia, and the Sunshine Coast Mountains. Nearly everywhere you go in the resort, too, you're reminded of the outdoor landscape: the dining-room tables, for instance, are set beneath large windows that look out on the glassy sea. Even the rooms themselves are painted with the dramatic colors of the world outside: the pinks of sunset skies, deep purples of the rocky archipelagos, and the golden sand of the beach.

The rooms have a balcony or patio that overlooks the bay and mountains; the rooms also have easy access to a ramp that leads to the beach. Each studio and two-bedroom condo is individually decorated. Unit 216 has two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and plush brown couches circling a stone fireplace. Meanwhile, on the ground floor, unit 310A has a studio layout and a jacuzzi tub in one corner.

Nearby, the resort also has its own indoor hot tub, and a sauna.

Parksville, British Columbia: Mountain Landscape Across the Bay from Vancouver

Parksville lies on Vancouver Island’s eastern shores, just across the bay from Vancouver. The community is known for its spectacular mountains, lakes, and beaches that stretch for a mile wide. The golden, hard-packed sand is ideal for sand-castle building; each year the city hosts a sand-sculpting competition, where artists carve their masterpieces over the course of three days.

Giant douglas firs line Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park, some of them standing at more than 250 feet (75 m) tall and more than 29 feet (9 m) in circumference.

It’s easy to make a day trip to Vancouver from Parksville. Ferries pick up visitors in Nanaimo, about a 30-minute drive south.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.