Where to stay · Hornby Island (Tribune Bay)
Ford's Cove Marina cottages
Waterfront cottages beside the general store, where mornings smell of fresh baking and evenings of pizza.
what it is
waterfront cottages & camping (budget/solo)
the damage
from ~$165/night (winter); ~$210 shoulder
rated
★ 4.0 (104)
from Vancouver
~1.5-hr Tsawwassen-Duke Point ferry + ~1 hr drive + two ~10-min island ferries
Ford's Cove is Hornby's working corner: a marina, a campground, and a row of fully self-contained waterfront cottages on the island's southwest tip, all facing the mountains of Vancouver Island and a sunset that performs nightly. The deluxe one-bedrooms come with a king bed and a freestanding fireplace, which covers most human needs.
The general store next door bakes fresh goods in the mornings and turns out homemade 16-inch pizzas from 4 pm, so your cottage's convection oven becomes weirdly optional. Inside you get a full kitchen, flat-screen TV, Bluetooth radio, linens, and free WiFi, and the cove sits away from any busy road, so the loudest thing at night is the tide.
Winter runs $165 a night and shoulder months $210, with weekly rates for the committed; summer pricing means a phone call to Ronaldo or Matthew at the marina, because this is a place that still books by phone and email. Open year-round, pets welcome, sunsets free of charge.
The setting
At Hornby Island's southwest tip on Central Road, beside the marina and general store; the beach is about a two-minute walk and the Shingle Spit ferry dock is a short drive away.
Getting there
The usual two-ferry shuffle from Vancouver: Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay (reservable), Highway 19 north to Buckley Bay, the cable ferry to Denman, a 10-minute drive across, then the second ferry to Hornby and a few minutes south to the cove. About five to six hours. Cyclists ride it as foot passengers; Hornby's hills will audit your fitness.
good to know
Why it works
- Freestanding fireplaces in the deluxe one-bedroom cottages
- Store bakes mornings, makes pizza from 4 pm
- Sunsets over the Vancouver Island mountains
- Marina at the door for launching kayaks
- Open year-round and pet friendly