- Story by Susan Lundy

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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Charles McDiarmid loves to tell a good story, and heB次元官网网址檚 relishing this one.

As the managing director and co-owner of the , he is recalling his quest back in the B次元官网网址�80s to build a prestigious Relais & Ch芒teaux hotel on an outcropping of rocks owned by his family in Tofino.

He tells the story with the same exuberance and charm exhibited while showing me around me around his beautifully appointed inn B次元官网网址� an exquisite destination hotel and restaurant on the edge of Vancouver IslandB次元官网网址檚 wild west coast.

In British Columbia we are blessed to have five Relais & Ch芒teaux properties, and I set out this summer to experience two of them. And while the Wickaninnish and the Wedgewood may seem polar opposite in experience B次元官网网址� one built in remote and the other sumptuously revealed in a grand downtown building B次元官网网址� they meet in their expression of the Relais & Ch芒teauxB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渇ive CsB次元官网网址� of charm, courtesy, character, cuisine and calm.

Founded in France in 1954, Relais & Ch芒teaux represents the highest benchmark in hotel accommodations and fine dining, and includes a worldwide group of more than 540 privately owned hotels and restaurants. Each must pass an anonymous review process every two years in order to maintain the designation. The concept grew from the vacationing traditions of upper-class French society, who travelled to a variety of B次元官网网址渞elaisB次元官网网址� (lodges) and B次元官网网址渃h芒teauxB次元官网网址� (castles) which, while different in architecture, scenery and cuisine, presented consistently high standards.

Years ago, when Charles was learning the ins and outs of the hotel industry working at the Four Seasons, most hotels were structured to serve the business traveller. However, over the years Charles heard a consistent theme: visiting businessmen would say, B次元官网网址淲hen my wife and I want to get away, we go to a Relais & Ch芒teaux.B次元官网网址�

Charles began exploring these boutique hotels, noting they were all small, family-owned and highly regarded.

B次元官网网址淭hat became my goal,B次元官网网址� says Charles, whose family dreamed of constructing a hotel on their land that hugs TofinoB次元官网网址檚 Chesterman Beach. B次元官网网址淚n my mind, thatB次元官网网址檚 what we wanted to beB次元官网网址� that was the pinnacle.B次元官网网址�

The goal to build a Relais & Ch芒teaux hotel in Tofino began to take shape, but before Charles could set planning in motion, he wanted design standards for the prestigious association.

B次元官网网址淚 wondered things like B次元官网网址� do we need to install a bidet in every bathroom?B次元官网网址�

So he started making phone calls, and over the next two years, tried to obtain a set of Relais & Ch芒teaux standards by calling myriad people in cities all over the world, leaving messages, sometimes phoning in the middle of the night to accommodate differing time zones. Charles finally got his answer from a heavily-accented woman in France B次元官网网址� and he laughed for two days afterwards.

B次元官网网址淗ow do you become a Relais & Ch芒teaux hotel?B次元官网网址� he asked.

B次元官网网址淲ell, monsieur B次元官网网址� either you are or youB次元官网网址檙e not.B次元官网网址�

Today the standards for Relais & Ch芒teaux are a little more exacting, says Charles, adding, B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e gone out and looked at others and discovered each is eclectic B次元官网网址� Each property is its own unique experience.B次元官网网址�

He says: B次元官网网址淚t strikes a chord these days. Travellers want to feel that a place respects its location. ItB次元官网网址檚 an experience of the destination B次元官网网址� not an imposing of it.B次元官网网址�

Charles, who wanted to B次元官网网址渄ance on the tableB次元官网网址� when the Wickaninnish received its designation soon after opening 1996, adds, B次元官网网址淭o me it is the pinnacle of my dream to be welcomed into the family of Relais & Ch芒teaux.B次元官网网址�

As I stood at the window of my room at the Wickaninnish, looking out over the length of sand and pounding surf that is Chesterman Beach, I thought, B次元官网网址淪peaking of pinnacles B次元官网网址� this is my dream vacation.B次元官网网址� True to its honouring of the B次元官网网址渄estination,B次元官网网址� the Wickaninnish is a celebration of West Coast art and culture. Every single detail B次元官网网址� from the exquisite yellow cedar table in the brand new wine cellar and tasting room to the remote-controlled curtain above the bathtub in my room B次元官网网址� speaks to extraordinary thoughtfulness and sumptuous luxury.

Cuisine at The Pointe Restaurant is nothing short of miraculous, with the same care and attention to detail going into every dish, served in a spectacular, ocean-edged, art-infused room with floor-to-ceiling windows. This is the wild West Coast at its very finest.

In a seemingly different experience, the Wedgewood unfolds as a luxurious oasis in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Greeted at the entrance by sharply dressed valets, visitors step off of Hornby Street and enter a lavish-yet-cosy, chandelier-lit lobby that oozes with rich colours and provides a stark contrast between inside and out.

Everything from the golden-hued antiques and stately furniture to the artwork on the walls in our expansive king suite and the fine china (Wedgewood Fine Bone China!) in the stunning Bacchus restaurant gently evokes a sense of B次元官网网址済rand English manor.B次元官网网址�

The has been a member of Relais & Ch芒teaux since 2008, and general manager Glenn Eleiter says the designation B次元官网网址渆nsures our clients will experience something wonderful when they walk through our doors. It is confidence-inspiring for guests and staff alike.B次元官网网址�

Indeed, as my husband and I sat on the private balcony of our suite, sipping glasses of ros茅 and enjoying the sights and soothing sounds of a park and water feature below, the experience is definitely wonderful. While the Wedgewood easily expresses all of the Relais & Ch芒teaux five Cs, we were almost speechless at the level of service (courtesy) provided by the staff. Every need was met, often before we knew we needed it.

Glenn concurs. Of the five Cs, he says, B次元官网网址淭hey are all important and it is difficult to place one ahead of another, but we receive accolades from our clients for our warm, authentic welcome and the attentiveness that we provide at every encounter, so B次元官网网址榗ourtesyB次元官网网址� is one of our strengths.B次元官网网址�

He adds, B次元官网网址淏ut, I [also have to mention] the cuisine in Bacchus that our Executive Chef Montgomery Lau prepares with his culinary team B次元官网网址� we are a culinary-forward hotel with Bacchus being at the very heart of the property.B次元官网网址�

Our two meals at Bacchus B次元官网网址� dinner and breakfast B次元官网网址� were simply spectacular.

The restaurant/lounge at Bacchus is rich and romantic with antique furniture, warm, dark cherry wood and Murano crystal fixtures. A large painting of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine and revelry, presides over the lounge.

The night we dined there, the large, street-facing windows were open to the warm night air and a pianist gently set a backdrop of familiar tunes. We supped on a range of delicately presented seafood, sampling poached steelhead salmon, halibut, pan-roasted scallops and lobster linguine, and sipped sparkling ros茅 and later a Ch芒teaux La Gorce from the restaurantB次元官网网址檚 superb Bordeaux selection.

And like the Wickaninnish, the Wedgewood is family owned and operated, with the daughter of founder Eleni Skalbania B次元官网网址� Elpie Marinakis Jackson B次元官网网址� currently the co-owner and managing director.

Eleni Skalbania founded the Wedgewood in 1984, when she purchased and re-worked an old apartment hotel, transforming it into its current glory.

B次元官网网址淲e strike the perfect balance between world-class amenities and product with sincere and caring people providing personal service at the highest of levels,B次元官网网址� says Glenn.

Indeed, my experience sampling just two of BCB次元官网网址檚 has me fired up to check out the others.