A popular B.C. resort with a host of signature spa services has been named the "hotel of the year."
Located on Vancouver Island in the Comox Valley, The Kingfisher Resort & Spa offers spellbinding views of the Strait of Georgia from its luxury guest rooms and suites.
Offering a quintessential luxury Pacific Northwest experience, the resort's spa incorporates natural, therapeutic ingredients from the ocean. For example, guests can pamper themselves with the "pacific mermaid" treatment, where they are wrapped in a "cocoon of rich marine ingredients" that exfoliate, firm, and restore their skin, leaving them nourished from "head to fin."
One of the resort's most popular offerings, the Pacific Mist Hydropath, features an eight-element path, which begins with the Swiss shower, where jets rinse and warm the body. Afterward, guests journey into the mineral massage pool, where jets progress up to their shoulders, relaxing tense muscles. In the "waterfall massage," cascading water help relax muscles in the shoulders and scalp, while the "steam cave" soothes the lungs and clarifies impurities through perspiration.
After they get steamy, guests take an invigorating stop at the "glacial waterfall." The next stop is the "river walk," which incorporates warm and cool water while jets provide a targeted leg massage that improves circulation. The "Sea Mineral Soak" contains 104 trace elements, while the single-person tidal bath includes a signature sea salt scrub.
Guests complete their experience by stopping in the relaxation lounge, which offers sweeping ocean and mountain views. The experience takes roughly an hour to complete.
The resort's Ocean7 Restaurant focuses on "West Coast seafood, grain-fed meats and fresh organic produce from local, sustainable growers and suppliers" in a fine dining atmosphere with panoramic ocean views. In contrast, the Aqua Bistro & Wine Bar offers a more relaxed experience as a first come, first serve venue offering casual plates paired with fine wines and signature cocktails.
The BC Hotel Association Awards recognized the resort at its ceremony in Kelowna on May 2, naming it the "Best Hotel of the Year 2023" for its "elevated standards" and the "creative talents" of its executive management and teams.
"We are extremely honoured to receive such an award and be recognized amongst a list of exceptional properties," said Kingfisher Resort Owner William Brandes. "I am proud of the achievements and our team, who are the heart and soul of the Kingfisher."
Lindsey Gabrysh, Director of Finance, attended the event to receive the honours with Richard Benson, Executive Chef, who was also a finalist for the “Heart of Hospitality” award.
