About Vancouver Island Bed & Breakfasts

There are so many accommodation options to choose from on Vancouver Island, that sometimes travelers can get confused. Fortunately, bed and breakfasts offer a clear choice: a home away from home.

According to Wikipedia, B&Bs in North America date back to the end of World War II. As travel to Europe become more ubiquitous, home owners from the New World discovered bed and breakfasts, which had been commonplace in Europe for many years. In a classic case of entrepreneurship, Canadians and Americans came home from their European travels and began to create small accommodation businesses with their spare bedrooms, serving breakfast in the tradition that they had learned during their travels. This post-war surge in home accommodation businesses coincided with a desire to preserve and showcase historic buildings, which were occasionally eligible for grants or tax incentives.

There was a tremendous boom in bed and breakfast businesses throughout the 1980s and different styles emerged: self-contained suites with en-suite bathrooms and private entrances, homes with shared kitchens and bathroom facilities and completely autonomous vacation rental homes. Today, we tend to categorize B&Bs as a home with a room or rooms for rent that include a private bathroom with breakfast served and included with the price. The breakfast may be served and delivered to the room on a tray, or often there is a communal breakfast each morning with the owners' in the home's kitchen.

Do your research

Sometimes home-based accommodation terminology varies from location to location. For example, a rental may refer to itself as B&B but not actually serve breakfast. Because of this large array of bed and breakfast styles, be sure that you research your choice of accommodation on Vancouver Island -- often times folks will expect breakfast delivered to their bedroom door, only to find that a meal is not included in their stay. As always, buyer beware and most importantly, buyer be informed!

Cost of B&Bs

As you have likely observed, there is a huge range of accommodation prices on Vancouver Island. Usually, the most affordable option is a hostel or an inexpensive motel. Bed and Breakfasts are usually one step above this in the range of price options, sharing the mid-range room-rate with large hotel chains.

Often times B&Bs will have three different rates based on the season. The most expensive accommodation season on Vancouver Island is late June into early September. The shoulder seasons are usually during the spring and fall, with a mid-range price. If you are travelling in the midst of winter, then you will likely be able to find incredible accommodation deals on Vancouver Island, with rates starting well below $100/night.