January welcomes the new year with some of the most spectacular storms and rhythms of weather. With its king tides and high storm surges, this time of year can see a heavy rain suddenly turn into pelting hail and then moments later, a warm southern-pacific wind can clear out the sky and leave a fleeting rainbow - or two. When all of these shifts can happen in the span of thirty minutes, dressing for the weather can be tricky, but a few select layers will always work! It’s extraordinary to see the sheer power of the January tides, with the pounding surf re-arranging the ancient driftwood so that it is newly strewn along our expansive shores. I am excited, as always, to see the ways our familiar beaches will be re-decorated by Mother Nature! For all its wild swings in weather, January is a quieter time in our little town, a time of respite for many of those that call this place home.

While The Pointe Restaurant can be the perfect spot for viewing the sometimes twenty-to-thirty-foot waves covering every last inch of shoreline, few will see this from the Inn this month as we are currently in our Annual Closure and taking advantage to renovate, deep clean, and renew the Inn. An industrious and dynamic time of year filled with projects great and small, some in the front of the house, others in the heart of house. No matter what they are, no detail is too small while improving and preparing the Inn for another exciting year. Led by Mark Shaw, our Chief Engineer, a small yet mighty team executes it all. This year’s exciting projects include lots of painting, wood refinishing and preventive maintenance. A few more apparent projects have included adding five new charging stations for electric vehicles, a new covered location with power to store guest bikes and finally, the addition of new ceiling fans to all our Pointe building guest rooms to ensure they remain comfortable during those rare Tofino heat waves.

I am also thrilled to welcome Suzi-Mona Milne as our Restaurant Manager for The Pointe Restaurant. Suzi joined us in December from the United Kingdom and was with us through the bustling festivities of the holiday season. I look forward to all the ways that Suzi, in collaboration with Ike Seaman, our Food & Beverage Director, will continue to foster our spirit of excellence and commitment while creating and sharing our exquisite west coast culinary experiences.

A little further afield, yet within our great Canadian borders, we are thrilled to welcome a new entrant into our Relais & Chateaux family, StoneHaven Le Manoir, a true jewel of the Laurentians located amid the mountains, forests, and lakes of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. This recently renovated 51-room property, originally built in 1908, is recognized for its lush natural setting in the Quebec countryside, as well as its excellence in the natural elegance and unique historical character of its accommodation and its outstanding gastronomic cuisine

While we wish that after nearly two years we were past the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to learn that the pandemic is not entirely done with us as yet. Nevertheless, despite the rise of the Omicron variant and its unprecedented surges this January, I am heartened by the continued efforts to keep each other and our communities safe and hopeful that we are moving through one of the last remaining chapters in this time. In our continued efforts to safeguard our team, community, and guests, our team is fully vaccinated, and we look forward to welcoming all fully immunized travellers and require all visitors (11 years of age and up) to present government-issued proof of full immunization on arrival to the property.

In the way that this time of year is a new beginning, full of energy and promise, we at the Inn are looking forward to re-opening in a few short days to provide you, our guests, with the very best experience possible. We are looking forward to welcoming you very soon, and until then, we wish you all the very best in this new year 2022.

Charles