Cottage is just one of the many lodges guests can choose from

Escape to Salt Spring Island
The getaway was perfect. From the dock at Vancouver’s floatplane base, we surveyed the sun-drenched waters of Burrard Inlet. Moored sailboats, awaiting their weekend occupants, swayed gently at anchor, and only a handful of seagulls broke the stillness of the morning air.

I expected travel in Canada to be relatively laid-back, but this scene was positively placid. Airport security amounted to an exchange of smiles with the Harbour Air agent who noted our names and pointed out the complimentary coffee in the waiting area. Then, right on time, another congenial person helped us board the seaplane and buckled himself into the pilot’s seat.

While the six-passenger Beaver taxied toward take-off, I counted our suitcases in the row behind us. My husband and I have never been accused of traveling light and this trip was no exception. However, Harbour Air had an easy solution — and buying an extra seat for the luggage was far less expensive than paying excess baggage charges on most carriers. (800/665-0212, www.harbour-air.com)

The pilot pulled an easy U-turn over the white, sail-like roof of Canada Place, then followed the coast of Stanley Park past the city’s iconic Lion’s Gate Bridge. In a few minutes, the lighthouse on the tip of West Vancouver was below us, and soon we were treated to the first breathtaking view of the Gulf Islands.

Located in the Strait of Georgia between the British Columbia mainland and the east coast of Vancouver Island, the Gulfs consist of over a dozen large islands and islets. They are heavily wooded, sparsely populated, and enjoy a mild Mediterranean climate. Like their U.S. counterparts, the San Juan Islands, the Gulf Islands have long been popular with boaters. In fact, when we reached our destination — Salt Spring Island — the pilot had to maneuver around a gaggle of sleek sailboats in Ganges Harbour in order to tie up at the dock.

My husband was anxious to make arrangements for sailing, kayaking, and whale watching, but I couldn’t wait another moment to reach our lodging. For years I’d heard and read about Hastings House Country Estate and now it was close at hand. Close at hand — but not what I’d imagined. Everyone had raved about the food and the service, but I clearly had missed the big picture.

In 1937, Warren Hastings, a naval architect, and his bride moved to Salt Spring Island from Sussex, England. Because he loved the sea, he bought land overlooking Ganges Harbour and built a manor house that resembled the 11th-century one they’d left behind. The rocks for the Tudor style fireplace were quarried from the estate, and the local blacksmith made the iron hardware for hinges on the doors and the iron window frames. This handsome structure joined existing buildings on the property, including a circa 1900 farmhouse, a barn, and the island’s first Hudson’s Bay trading post. In 1980, Hastings sold the working farm, and the new owners converted the buildings into spacious guest accommodations. Subsequently, proprietors Bonny O’Connor and Jerry Parks have added seven luxurious Hillside Suites, bringing the total to 18.

It was the size and the setting of the property that surprised me the most. I’d seen photos of the decor, but I didn’t realize that Hastings House consists of 22 acres of forest, sheep pastures, manicured lawns, and glorious gardens perched above the harbor. It was all much more than I’d expected. (250/537-2362, www.hastingshouse.com)

The first thing we did was climb the wooden stairs up through the forest, where we found a pair of perfectly-positioned Adirondack chairs with a great view of the marina. It was quiet and peaceful — a perfect escape for the over-worked and world-weary.

Now I was beginning to understand why Hastings House qualifies for membership in Small Luxury Hotels of the World, was named Best Canadian Resort by Zagat in 2004, and received a AAA Four Diamond Award in 2006. Immaculately groomed, it manages to offer a sense of rustic elegance.

Our two-room suite in the Greenhouse had a sunken living room with large windows overlooking the garden. All quarters offer either English country or provincial furnishings, botanical prints, a fireplace or wood stove, cozy down comforters on big beds, fluffy robes, over-sized towels, and imported toiletries. Having said that, it’s still the pampering that makes Hastings House special. Guests, whether lodged in the Post, Barn, Farmhouse, Churchill Cottage, Manor House, or Hillside Suites, awaken to a basket of muffins and thermos of hot tea or coffee on their doorstep. Complimentary afternoon tea is served in front of the stone fireplace; spa treatments are available on the premises; and fireside suppers can be served in suite.

Celebrated dinners feature regional gourmet cuisine, including Salt Spring Island lamb, fresh seafood, local goat cheese, and herbs and produce grown steps from the kitchen. Sample appetizers include curried Salt Spring Island mussels, garlic croutons, and herb cream; and dungeness crab and white truffle risotto, wilted Swiss chard, and lemon-thyme beurre blanc. Favorite entrees: herb crusted West Coast sablefish, sweet pea and golden tomato couscous, grilled zucchini, and basil vinaigrette; and braised shank of Salt Spring Island lamb, caramelized shallot potato purée, and green and yellow beans with porcini jus.

Many regional foods can be purchased at the Salt Spring Saturday Market, which takes place in Centennial Park from April through October. This is one of Canada’s best known arts, crafts, and farmers market, and many shoppers arrive by ferry and floatplane from the mainland.

By the time we left the island, more than my luggage was overweight, but the good guys at Sound Flight pretended not to notice. Instead they cheerfully carried us from Ganges Harbour, over the San Juan Islands to Seattle. Along the way, we admired the spectacular scenery and watched for pods of orcas. When we splashed down in Lake Washington, a single Customs officer greeted us on the dock — and I knew the great escape was over. (866/921-3474, www.soundflight.net)
— Elizabeth Hansen, photography by Adams/Hansen Photography