It’s a remote lodge on Canada’s Vancouver Island. And now, an Australian couple will own and operate it.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort has just been bought by Australian luxury lodge operator Baillie Lodges.
The remote Vancouver Island luxury camp has been renamed to Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge to align with Baillie Lodges’ other property names and will get a refresh ahead of its opening next year.
James and Hayley Baillie, owners of Baillie Lodges, also run Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, Longitude 131° at Uluru- Kata Tjuta and Silky Oaks Lodge in Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest. This is their first international property.
The luxury camp, on the shores of Clayoquot Sound, is only accessible by seaplane, helicopter or boat. Guests pass the time with horse riding, bear-spotting and canyoning in Vancouver Island’s wilderness, as well as scenic helicopter flights.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort closed for the 2020 season early due to COVID-19. But it will reopen as Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on May 13, 2021. The new owners will spruce up the insides of all 25 luxury tents, giving them a more refined, contemporary style. They’ll also install new king beds and locally made furnishings.
What they won’t be changing are the views: each tent looks out over the deep blue waters of Clayoquot Sound.
New faces and returning favourites at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge
Clayoquot General Manager Sarah Cruse will remain as the head of the team. Former Baillie Lodges staff members Asher Blackford and Kate Hollick will fill the positions of Executive Chef and Assistant General Manager respectively. Blackford previously won wide acclaim for his celebration of local seafood at Southern Ocean Lodge.
Reservations are currently available for the lodge’s 2021 season, which runs from 13 May to September 30, 2021.
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