Sooke: The Cutest Vancouver Island Family Getaway
Join me on day 1 of my family getaway with three generations of our family in Sooke, a small seaside town on Vancouver Island. Since my grandma is visiting, I wanted to show her more of British Columbia’s beautiful scenery and local delights. We explored this quiet, scenic spot with delicious food, small local businesses, and plenty of time to simply explore and slow down. From oceanside boardwalks to super cute forest cabin cafes, Sooke was the perfect seaside family getaway!
Sooke: Quiet Coastal Family Getaway
Sooke is a small coastal town about an hour outside of Victoria, surrounded by forests, mountains, and the ocean. To get there, we drove in 2 cars from Vancouver, took the ferry through Sidney, and drove another hour to Sooke. I feel like whenever people visit Vancouver Island, they usually spend most of the time in Victoria. But Sooke is perfect when you want to escape the busy city, spend more time in nature, and just enjoy a slower family vacation, which was exactly what we needed.
This trip, my grandma and aunt got to experience quite a few firsts, from the first ferry ride in Sidney to first board game. I feel like one of the biggest lessons my grandma has taught me is that you’re never too old to experience something new. She is always curious, always willing to try something new, and always excited to be included. Watching her enjoy all these little first moments has honestly been one of the most special parts of having her here this summer.
Shirley Delicious
If there’s one restaurant from my Sooke family vacation that you have to visit, it’s Shirley Delicious. This is the cutest little cafe tucked away in the forest. Today, we slept in soundly until 11:00 AM, then headed to this little forest cafe for my grandma’s first ever brunch. The moment you walked in, it feels like you stepped into a cozy cabin from a story book with freshly baked treats everywhere. The whole place was warm and welcoming, especially being greeted by the delicious smell of coffee and warm hearty soup.
Their food menu includes sandwiches made with homemade focaccia, rotating daily soup options, and yummy brunch dishes. We started with iced Americanos and lattes, and ordered a little bit of everything to share. Obviously, that is the best way to enjoy restaurants when it comes to traveling in groups. Here’s what we ordered:
- Breakfast Burrito: Smokey Beans, Bacon, Cheese, Scrambled Eggs, Salsa Fresca ($13.90)
- Sgarabatolo: House made foccacia, Tuscan ham, capicola, Harvard cheese, caramelized onions, spiced mayo, Dijon mustard ($14)
- Daily Soup: Turkey Pot Pie Soup ($5), but flavors change daily
- Conversano: House made focaccia, roasted eggplant, leeks, peppers, zucchini, Brie cheese, herb mayo, avocado spread ($14)
- Coolangatta: House made focaccia, turkey breast, Brie cheese, housemade cranberry chutney, caramelized onion mayo, tomato ($14)
Everything tasted homemade, very comforting, exactly the kind of breakfast you want before a full day of exploring. We really took our time here, drank our coffee, sipped on our soups, saw lots of really cute dogs here, and enjoy a slow, relaxing afternoon together. After filling our stomachs, we headed out to explore more of Sooke. If you’re ever in Sooke, or around Shirley, you NEED to stop at Shirley Delicious for brunch. It was busy for a reason!
Artisan’s Garden
Then, we popped into a cute little cafe called Artisan’s Garden, which ended up being one of the favorite stop this trip. This spot is a little more than just a cafe. It also has a nursery, a greenhouse, a souvenir shop, and a book store downstairs. This is truly a community space that supports local craftsmanship. The greenhouse often hold workshops led by local artist. The shop also sells local crafts and all sorts of artisan goods from candies to body products, made by small businesses all over Vancouver Island.
My favorite part is the garden around the area, which not only is beautiful, but is a perfect spot to relax and just take in the beautiful Sooke scenery. We loved it so much, we actually came back on a different day to enjoy their food! They have off-street parking as well as street parking, and is super dog friendly as well!
Terrier Books
Downstairs from the cafe of Artisan’s Garden, there’s also Terrier Books, a cute little book store. If you’ve seen my book reviews, you know how much I love to read. This is an independent bookstore that has a broad mix of secondhand, new, and discounted overstock books. I honestly can stay here all day! They also have an area that features Pacific Northwest and local authors too!
The shop is pet-friendly and wheelchair accessible, with an accessible bathroom available. It’s a small shop, so is perfect as a stop for browsing and discovering new titles!
Sooke Marine Boardwalk
Next, we headed to Sooke Marine Boardwalk along Sooke Harbour. This boardwalk has the perfect view of Sooke’s mountains and ocean view. We started the walk at Ed Macgregor Park, and leisurely walked our way towards Rotary Pier Walkway. The walk itself was really peaceful, super easy, which made it perfect for our group. There were beautiful views on the harbor, fishing boats in the distance, and tons of wildlife to spot along the way.
Along the boardwalk, there were lots of places to sit whenever grandma needed a break. Although, if I’m being honest, she barely needed any at all. Somehow at 86 years old, my grandma still has more energy than all of us combined. I used to think that traveling had to mean a pack itinerary and constantly rushing from one place to another. But now, some of my favorite moments are simple ones like this: walking beside the water, taking family photos, and enjoying fresh air,
Sooke Oceanside Brewery
Apparently, drinking beer by the ocean is also part of my favorite moments with Grandma. Yes, you heard that right. We are off to Sooke Oceanside Brewery. This was a very exciting stop because it was my grandma’s first time ever visiting a brewery to try craft beer. This casual taproom is a part of the Greater Victoria Ale Trail, and has both an indoor seating area and an outdoor patio. They have a wide selection of craft beers, with a core line-up of brews that are made in-house.
We ordered 2 tasting flights with everything from pale ales and ciders to stouts. So, there’s a few different options for everyone to taste. Grandma was such a good sport. She tried every single one, gave us her very honest opinion, and even found her favorite! If you’re ever in Sooke, I’d highly recommended trying some delicious craft beers after a stroll on the boardwalk. They also sell growlers ($7) of your favorite craft beer on draft, so you can enjoy them at home!
Homemade Dumpling Night
I’m super excited for dinner tonight because we’re having fresh dumplings! We brought some wrappers over from Vancouver, and made some fresh fillings. It was really fun for everyone to show us their dumpling wrapping skills. My grandma uses a squeezing technique, while my aunt wrapped them with pretty plates perfect for gyoza. We even taught Daryl how to wrap his first dumpling! When you’re wrapping with your family or friends, chatting and laughing around the table, time flies by so quickly. Within 30 minutes, we somehow wrapped over 300 dumplings.
You might ask, isn’t it a lot of work to make dumplings on vacation? But after today, I’ll be bringing dumpling wrappers on every family trip from now on. Having homemade dumplings on vacation was seriously such a game changer. You really only need to prepare the filling because you can usually find all the ingredients at local grocery store. After that, it basically turns into one big wrapping party.
British Columbia Weekend Getaways
