Location

Sealbourne is located on the outskirts of the charming village of Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, well-known for its gorgeous beaches, hikes and walks, swimming, ocean and lake fishing, and wonderful golf courses to name just a few of its attractions. It is the perfect place to either relax and unwind, or to take advantage of the numerous activities, sports and attractions which the area has to offer.

Vancouver Island is part of the province of Beautiful British Columbia, some say the most scenic place on earth. The island is over 280 miles long and offers the visitor a multitude of things to do and experience. It has a peaceful East coast, facing mainland B.C., with fabulous views over the famous Inside Passage to the snow capped mountains beyond. In contrast the rugged, and sometimes wild, West coast, with its many inlets and islands, looks out over the raw Pacific Ocean.

Vancouver Island’s mild climate allows spring to come early, crocuses appear in February, daffodils in March, and tulips in April. Fall continues well into the latter part of the year. During winter you can ski in 30 ft. of snow at Mount Washington, with no sign of snow on the coasts. Vancouver Island’s unique climate makes it a place worth visiting any time of year. In November 2001, Readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine rated Vancouver Island as the second best Temperate Island in the world. This news followed on the heels of Travel and Leisure readers rating Vancouver Island number one, as best Island Continental United States/Canada.

Some visitors are surprised at the vast size of Vancouver Island. It is the largest island in the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand and is about the size of Belgium. However, at time of writing, Belgium has a population of approximately 10.5 million yet Vancouver Island has only 700,000 people, the majority concentrated around Victoria on the southern tip. Take a giant island like ours, stir in a relatively small population, and the result is SPACE, SPACE, SPACE, for most of the island!

Address

1141 Butterball Drive
Qualicum Beach
Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Canada
Tel: 1 250 752 0393

How to get to Sealbourne

You have several choices of how to get to Sealbourne. There is a tiny airport in Quaicum Beach but no car rental company, and you will need a car on Vancouver Island because of the distances. There is a Budget Car Rental in the neighbouring town, so something could be arranged if you chose this option. The local airport is mainly used by locals and a small operator KD Air.

The three most popular routes are:

• Fly Air Canada from Vancouver International Airport to Nanaimo-Cassidy, then rent a car at the airport in Nanaimo and then drive the 40 minutes north to Sealbourne. (If you are flying Air Canada into Vancouver Airport you can usually just connect with this flight and by-pass Vancouver City). You can also fly into Comox airport from various Canadian airports using carriers such as Westjet, and Comox is about the same driving time from Sealbourne as Nanaimo-Cassidy.

• Take a float plane from the harbour in Vancouver City to Nanaimo harbour – Rent a car in Nanaimo and then drive the 40 minutes north to Sealbourne. This avoids airports and usually offers great views. Be careful about excess baggage though as the planes are small so the have baggage restrictions. Harbour Air is one of the two operators.

• Rent a car in Vancouver City and take the ferry (BC Ferries) to Nanaimo from Horseshoe Bay, just north of Vancouver City, or from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo south of the city. This is usually a pleasant and leisurely experience.

Driving Directions from Nanaimo

Coming from Nanaimo, take the Island Highway north.

After about half an hour of travel on the Island Highway north, come off the highway at the second Parksville exit, follow the signs to Parksville. When you come to a traffic light where you must turn right or left (a Chevron gas station is on your right) turn left.

You are now on the Old Island Highway. Continue for several kilometres. You will pass a mall on your left with a supermarket called ‘Save on Foods’, then a Shell gas station on your right, then a Home Building Centre on your right. The first turn after that is Johnston Rd., and just beyond, around a slight bend is Yambury Rd.

Turn right at Yambury. Continue until you reach a stop sign. Go straight ahead and down the hill. You are now on Butterball Drive. Don’t turn, just go on until you reach the second last house on the right – 1141, which is your target: SEALBOURNE.

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