Klahoose Wilderness Resort is located in Homfray Channel. Photo courtesy Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Indigenous B.C. wilderness resort recognized as one of best new hotels in the world

April 11, 2023 // by Alistair Taylor

Share this:

One of the world’s top 15 new hotels is run by the Klahoose First Nation, according to prestigious travel brand AFAR.

The Klahoose Wilderness Resort on B.C.’s south coast northwest of Vancouver got the nod from the travel website’s Stay List 2023 as one of the top 15 new hotels in the world alongside a lodge in Tanzania’s legendary Serengeti region and a villa on Italy’s famous Lake Como.

The AFAR list is not just focused on ritzy hotels, its authors “think deeply about what makes a hotel experience truly extraordinary.”

It says the hotels they love don’t just wow them with their outstanding locations, design, and service. They’re continually looking to reduce their carbon footprint, benefit communities in meaningful ways, and connect guests to biodiverse landscapes.

The 15 properties on their list are vetted by a network of editors, writers and travel advisors and range from an idyllic farm retreat in upstate New York to a palatial, locally run hotel on Italy’s Lake Como.

According to the list on AFAR’s website, one of the biggest assets of Klahoose Wilderness Resort is its location, a 60-minute seaplane ride from Vancouver or 45-minute boat ride from Lund, B.C.

“The resort is surrounded by more than 2,500 acres of Klahoose territory that the community has protected for centuries. Here, glacial waterfalls plummet down snowcapped mountains and evergreens border the Homfray Channel. The four lodge rooms and three cedar cabins all face the sea, where guests might glimpse humpbacks blowing at sunrise. Activities include Indigenous-led grizzly bear tours, wood-carving lessons from Klahoose interpreter Klemkwateki Randy Louie, and – perhaps the most meaningful experience – a participatory smudging and brushing ceremony around a fire,” writer Kathryn Romeyn says.

The only other Canadian property on the 2023 list is the Muir Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Plan your adventures throughout the West Coast at westcoasttraveller.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thewestcoasttraveller. And for the top West Coast Travel stories of the week delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Armchair Traveller newsletter!