Drive 45 minutes west of Victoria and the scenery shifts fast: forest replaces suburbs, rocky coves replace beaches, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca opens up with Washington State's Olympic Mountains sitting on the horizon. That's Sooke, a small harbour town on Vancouver Island where the Prestige Oceanfront Resort has built itself directly over the water.

The hotel is a curious design choice that works. Its white façades and verandas borrow from Waikiki's historic Moana Surfrider, dropping a slice of Hawaiian surf-hotel architecture onto a BC coastline with a surf scene of its own. The property belongs to family-run Prestige Hotels & Resorts and is affiliated with WorldHotels Luxury under BWH Hotels — so you earn points through Prestige Rewards or WorldHotels Rewards without staying in a cookie-cutter international brand.

There are 122 rooms and four suites across five floors, and the view is what you're paying for. Water-view rooms look over Sooke Harbour, Sooke Basin or the coastline; Premium Water View categories add balconies and space. The fifth-floor Prestige Level throws in a daily breakfast credit, bath salts and upgraded amenities. At the top of the tree, the Beverly Hills Penthouse runs past 1,900 square feet indoors — two primary bedrooms, two en-suites, a gas fireplace — plus roughly 1,700 square feet of outdoor terraces, a rooftop putting green and a hot tub.

What sets the place apart is how tightly it's wired into the water and the town. Free kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and e-bikes are available seasonally, walking trails start nearby, and the on-site marina handles everything from recreational boats to floatplanes. After a day out, there's a heated indoor pool, hot tub, gym and the harbour-facing Coastal Tides Day Spa.

Eating is sorted without leaving the building: West Coast Grill does BC wines and Pacific-inspired plates with the harbour in view, Vault Lounge covers pub fare and screens, and Island Tarts Café is the grab-and-coffee-and-a-tart stop before a day out.

Sooke itself earns the several-day stay. Sooke Potholes Regional Park has sculpted rock pools for swimming along the Sooke River, East Sooke Regional Park offers miles of forest and coastal trail, and French Beach faces the open strait. Keep heading west and you reach the Juan de Fuca Trail and some of the island's most dramatic shoreline. Fishing charters, whale watching and cycling can fill the gaps.

For travellers, the appeal is simple: a full-service resort with spa, ballroom and penthouses that never walls you off from the reason you came. It works for couples after a coastal escape, active types who want kayaks and trails on the doorstep, and even meeting groups — there's over 5,000 square feet of event space, including a 4,170-square-foot ballroom for up to 350. If you want Vancouver Island's wilder side without giving up comfort, this is an easy pick.

Review via Global Traveler.