Where to stay · Sunshine Coast (Roberts Creek & Gibsons)
Rockwater Secret Cove Resort
Canvas tenthouse suites on stilts above Georgia Strait, with heated floors and a soaker tub inside the tent.
what it is
oceanfront tenthouse suites
the damage
from ~$121/night (lodge rooms; tenthouses cost more)
rated
★ 3.8 (613)
from Vancouver
~40-min ferry from Horseshoe Bay + short drives
Rockwater sits above Secret Cove near Halfmoon Bay, about as far up the lower Sunshine Coast as most weekenders bother to drive. Its signature trick is the Tenthouse Suite: a canvas tent perched on a boardwalk over the water, which sounds like camping right up until you step inside and find heated floors warming your bare feet.
The tent, and this is the part that quietly undoes the word 'tent', comes with a king bed, a fireplace, a rainfall shower, and a soaker tub aimed straight at the Strait. There are also lodge rooms and cabins for anyone unconvinced that canvas and January belong in the same sentence. The oldest tents date to 2009, so read recent reviews before you commit.
Dinner is at TuBird, the resort restaurant, and there is a Rockwater Spa plus a seasonal outdoor pool for the warmer months. Kayaks and paddleboards wait at the water for guests who like to earn their soaker tub. Reviews run hot and cold on housekeeping, so set your expectations and then go stare at the islands.
The setting
Secret Cove, near Halfmoon Bay on the shoreline northwest of Sechelt, with tents and rooms looking straight out over Georgia Strait and its scatter of islands.
Getting there
Roughly a two-hour trip from downtown Vancouver all told: drive to Horseshoe Bay, cross to Langdale by ferry (about 40 minutes), then drive up the Sunshine Coast Highway through Sechelt to Secret Cove. Book the summer ferry ahead. This far up the coast a car is effectively required; parking is on site.
good to know
Why it works
- Canvas tenthouse suites over the water
- Heated floors, fireplace, and a soaker tub
- TuBird Restaurant and Rockwater Spa
- Seasonal outdoor pool, kayaks, paddleboards
- Unobstructed Georgia Strait views