Cabana Desolation Eco Resort and Desolation Sound is a great place for family kayak tours, offering incredible opportunities for parents to experience the wonder of the British Columbia coast with their children in a comfortable and unique setting.
That said, there are certain questions that are invariably asked by parents when planning a family vacation. Here we have attempted to compile the most common questions we are asked about Cabana Desolation and it’s suitability for family groups:
Sleeping Arrangements
We are a small resort with a maximum of 10-12 guests at a time. These sleeping arrangements consist of 4 double occupancy cabanas with queen beds, and one cabana with two rooms with double beds, intended for families or solo travellers, which we have named the ‘duplex’ cabana!
Both sides of this ‘duplex’ cabana has its own on-demand hot water shower and sinks, and is located near a resort washroom.
Families of three or four are able to stay in either side of this cabana and be close to each other during the evening, while families of five or more have enjoyed using this ‘duplex’ for the children while staying nearby in the adjacent ‘double’ cabana and all the luxuries that entails.
As a bonus, families of four staying in the ‘duplex’ cabana together will all receive our ‘best’ package rate! See below for details.
The Ultimate, Private Desolation Experience
With our small capacity, an enticing option for families is to invite another family or group of friends to join them for a private and exclusive island experience.
If booked early enough, two or three families can effectively take over the resort! What better environment to not only connect with your family, but to share great conversation and experiences with close family friends!
As a private and all-inclusive experience, family groups can simply enjoy the relaxed and intimate atmosphere of this uninhabited island based eco resort.
Guided Kayaking
There are many great routes from the resort for families to explore on their daily excursion that offer different glimpses into the culture and history of Desolation Sound.
An interesting and educational day could be spent making the short paddle over to the authentic boardwalk community of Refuge Cove to learn about a unique piece of coastal British Columbia history.
A more adventurous excursion might be to paddle the short distance to Feather Cove on the mainland, and hiking a section of the Sunshine Coast Trail to a viewpoint bluff or warm freshwater lake.
While a more relaxing and interpretative experience could include a low-tide circumnavigation of Kighorn Island to view all the colourful and intriguing intertidal marine life living just below the sea.
Engaging by Sea
Our Experiences pages probably say it best, but there are always new and wonderful perspectives to be shared and discovered when exploring the natural world with children.
Paddling a kayak or a paddle board is an adventurous way to learn a new, active skill and visit different areas and ecosystems for further exploration.
Cabana Point is a great spot for adults and young guests to cool off after a hot day of exploration by jumping into the warm waters of Desolation Sound.
Snorkel gear and wetsuits – provided for all our guests to use – can enhance this activity even further and allow you and your children to discover all manner of sea life just below the surface – from colourful sea stars and spiny urchins to slimy sea cucumbers and delicate anemones.
Return at night and witness an even more surprising display – the magic of microscopic, phosphorescent organisms dancing beneath the waves!
Engaging on Land
On land, there are plenty of options for experiencing the area, from family friendly hikes to warm freshwater lakes, to exploratory adventures beneath ancient forests where you don’t know what to expect around each corner.
Kinghorn Island is home to a number of small trails leading from the resort, and is itself lightly wooded and easy to explore on foot away from trails, with groves of huge trees, mossy bluffs and remnants from old logging operations waiting to be found.
Further afield, a short paddle from the resort leads to a trailhead for the Sunshine Coast Trail, which can take adults and children in one direction to a bluff overlooking the sound, and in another to a lake seldom visited by other visitors to Desolation Sound.
In the end however, perhaps the most rewarding thing for families at Cabana Desolation Eco Resort is the opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones in a beautiful, natural setting – away from the distractions of the modern world – and to do so in a relaxed and safe environment.
Attentive and engaging staff help to take the stress out of your vacation, allowing you to relax and enjoy your time instead of feeling there is always something else to be done or accomplished. Instead of fretting over creating a meal from scratch or cleaning up after everyone eats, instead imagine watching your children immerse themselves in the natural environment under the tutelage of our knowledgeable and professional guides. Such experiences can light the spark that transforms a young child or teenager into a budding marine biologist or create life long bond with the coast, the forest, and this outdoors.
As we say, “you don’t get wifi out here, but you can’t beat the connection” … and in over 20 years of running kayak tours in Desolation Sound it is this connection with each other in the natural world that children and adults alike truly remember for years to come.
