Salt Spring Island Artsy Romance: Ganges & the Saturday Market

A tiny Jewish deli on Fulford-Ganges Road where the Montreal smoked meat is cured in house and routinely sells out by afternoon, which locals treat as a civic emergency. The matzo ball soup buys you deliberating time. Lunch hours only (closes 4pm); the smoked meat often runs out daily

The dining room is a terrace and the roof is a spreading plum tree, which sounds like a zoning violation but is in fact the loveliest seat in Ganges. Live music every summer night, halloumi optional. Live music nightly in summer; expect waits on market Saturdays

Weekday mornings half the village queues on McPhillips Avenue for the breakfast bun, a roll loaded with fluffy eggs, bacon and avocado that single-handedly justifies the ferry fare. Go early, the cinnamon twists do not linger. Open weekdays roughly 7am-3pm; closed weekends

A harbourside pub where float planes taxi past the heated patio and the duck wings have quietly achieved legend status. Order the chowder as well, then discover you meant to catch a later ferry all along. Patio seats over Ganges Harbour go fast on summer evenings

A Relais and Chateaux manor above Ganges Harbour where Swiss chef Marcel Kauer cooks whatever the island's farms handed him that morning. The seaside terrace runs June through September. Bring your serious trousers. Reservations essential; seaside terrace open June-September only

Fireplaces, Tempur-Pedic beds, onsite spa and Manor Dining with ocean views - the island's romantic flagship. Seasonal (mid-March-early Nov); 50% deposit.

Right in Ganges, walk to the market and restaurants - mid-range and central for a car-light weekend.

Walk-in sites on Swanson Channel; 10 walk-in + 4 RV sites reservable via BC Parks, rest first-come - go early on weekends.