7 BC Retreats Where Solo Travellers Can Find Inner Peace and Wellness

Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort, Parksville

Settle in for some quality alone time at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort, where each cottage and ocean-view room features its own fireplace and patio. Take a dip in the indoor pool, or dive into the ocean. The resort has access to three kilometres of sandy beach, perfect for long, lingering walks, and the surrounding area boasts countless hiking trails through lush forests. In summer, rent a mountain bike or paddle board and explore even farther.

At the resort’s newly renovated Grotto Spa, disconnect from digital distractions while embarking on a self-directed two-hour wellness journey through the mineral pool (designed to mimic a natural stone grotto), whirlpool, waterfalls, showers, cedar-barrel saunas and fireside lounging chairs. Add on a treatment such as a massage, facial, manicure or pedicure. Then stay in your bathrobe and sandals while feasting on a nine-course chef’s tasting menu at Treetop Tapas and Grill.

 

Free Spirit Spheres, Qualicum Beach

Contemplate the interconnectedness of all things from inside a spherical treehouse—its ceiling, walls and floor all merge into one. Free Spirit Spheres has created this whimsical forest hotel consisting of cozy spheres suspended a few metres off the ground and tethered to nearby trees in a way that doesn’t harm the trees. Choose from the wooden Eryn sphere, the fibreglass Melody or the luxurious Luna. Each one has electricity, heating, a speaker system and other comforts you wouldn’t normally expect in a treehouse, making this the perfect West Coast rainforest getaway for a solo traveller channeling the spirit of Peter Pan. 

Try forest bathing, or venture further afield to wander through the small towns of Cumberland, Coombs, Qualicum Beach and Parksville. Nearby attractions include a zipline, a river hatchery, a walking and hiking trail, and Horne Lake Caves, for anyone curious to try spelunking.

 

Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, Great Bear Rainforest

Immerse yourself in nature at Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, reachable only by water or air. What started out as a simple fishing lodge is now a luxury resort focussed on wellness, wilderness adventures and fine cuisine. Six of its nine cabins are located along the waterfront, while the other three are nestled next to the waterfall. In addition to looking stunning, the waterfall provides hydro energy and clean drinking water.

Enjoy stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, beachcombing and hiking, or head inside to the yoga studio for some downward dog and savasana. Climb aboard a helicopter for an aerial view of the surrounding glaciers, old-growth forests, lakes and rivers. Feast on Pacific Northwest fare prepared by the chef, and be sure to join in a group “snorknic”: snorkelling followed by an in-ocean picnic. For the max in relax, visit the floating sauna or the floating wood-burning hot tubs.

 

Mountain Trek, Ainsworth Hot Springs

A health retreat aimed at resetting physical, emotional and mental health, Mountain Trek has packed the daily schedule with wellness activities: sunrise yoga, guided hikes, picnics, fitness classes, health talks, nourishing gourmet meals, after-dinner nature walks, spa treatments and nightly guided relaxation sessions. This highly structured week-long health retreat is challenging but rewarding. What you won’t find here? Caffeine, alcohol, sugar—or guests who just want to snooze by the pool all day.

Indoor activities take place in a beautiful timber-frame lodge, tucked away in the mountains. The fireside lounge features comfy couches, ideal for curling up with a book. The spa area has a steam room and infrared sauna, while outdoors a hot tub and cold-plunge pool await. All meals are designed by a nutritionist to be delicious while also boosting the metabolism, balancing energy levels, reducing inflammation and stabilizing hormones.

 

Echo Valley Ranch and Spa, Clinton 

Leave televisions and cellphone service far behind at Echo Valley Ranch and Spa, a 160-acre eco-luxury ranch nestled in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region. Four distinct geographic zones converge here—Marble Mountains, Fraser Canyon, Cariboo Plateau Boreal Forest and Cariboo Grasslands—ensuring an array of stunning natural backdrops in every direction. Find stillness within, far away from the noise and light pollution of the city. 

Activities include yoga, hiking, mountain biking, guided nature walks, fly fishing, archery and marksmanship. Horse Harmony is a half-day program focussed on connecting human and horse—starting in the riding arena, followed by a slow guided ride through the forest—while Survival Spirit is a half-day course in wilderness survival techniques. Echo Valley’s spa offers both Western and Thai treatments, such as massages, wraps and scrubs. Meals feature ingredients sourced from the ranch itself, and solo travellers are welcome to dine either alone or at a communal table. Unlike many places, Echo Valley does not charge a single-supplement room fee.

 

Sparkling Hill Resort, Vernon

The adults-only Sparkling Hill Resort is an oasis of peace and tranquillity in the Okanagan. Complementing the natural beauty of the great outdoors—sweeping views of the mountains and lakes truly are mesmerizing—3.5 million Swarovski crystals sparkle inside. (The resort was envisioned and developed by Gernot Langes-Swarovski of the famed crystal family.) Surrounding the resort are 25 kilometres of hiking trails, perfect for solo exploring, and in the summer solo travellers can join guided hikes.

An array of retreat packages are available, including a five-night retreat focussed on whole-body wellness and relaxation, and a seven-night retreat aimed at improving overall energy, mobility and vitality. Each retreat includes meals, fitness classes and spa treatments. The heart of the resort is the 40,000-square-foot KurSpa, which boasts seven saunas and steam rooms, a heated outdoor pool and services ranging from massage, reflexology and reiki to volcanic mud wraps, maple-sugar body scrubs and the Cryo Cold Chamber treatment. This whole-body cryotherapy involves spending three minutes in a room that’s 110 degrees below Celsius, which is said to give the nervous and circulatory systems a boost, reduce anxiety, help with insomnia and more.

 

Hollyhock, Cortes Island

Nestled on 48 acres of serene West Coast rainforest, Hollyhock offers retreats aimed at nourishing and transforming the mind, body and soul. Register for a program such as Coastal Foraging Adventure (May 8 to 12), Tapping the Stream: A Spring Writing Retreat (June 23 to 30), Ebb and Flow: Kayak and Yoga Immersion (July 7 to 12), Body, Breath and Nature (Aug. 9 to 14), The Art of Resting Well (Sept. 27 to Oct. 1) or Eldering in Times of Transformation (Oct. 6 to 10).

Accommodations range from charming cabins to beach houses to tent sites in the woods, and all come with three meals a day made from local, sustainable ingredients, many picked fresh from the on-site garden. Relax with a massage, acupuncture, acupressure or reflexology, and delve deep into your psyche with a tarot reading or astrology session. Soak in an ocean-view hot tub, or work up a sweat in the sauna. Garden tours, yoga classes and guided nature walks are offered weekly, and activities such as kayaking, sailing and stand-up paddle boarding are available nearby.