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For my birthday in April 2025, my partner and I planned a trip to the Sunshine Coast, BC with our little dog, Olive, in tow. It was our first time there and it quickly became one of our favourite trips within British Columbia. It was just what we needed, a quiet getaway from the city where we could relax and unwind. Keep reading to see what we got up to during our two days in the Sunshine Coast!
Table of Contents
GETTING THERE
To get to the Sunshine Coast from Vancouver, we rented a car and took the ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Langdale. It was a quick ferry ride, just 40 minutes! From Langdale, it’s a short drive to Gibsons, where there are lots of options for restaurants and shopping. We stayed at the Painted Boat Resort in Madeira Park for two nights, which is an hour drive from Langdale. The Painted Boat is pet-friendly, so we had our little dog, Olive, in tow.
DAY 1
SEA MONKEY COFFEE CO.
Our first stop after the ferry was Sea Monkey Coffee Co., a plant-based coffee trailer that can be found at Sunday Cider Fridays to Mondays. We grabbed a matcha latte with oat milk and some vegan baked goods to snack on later that evening. It was a beautiful space with lots of grassy areas for Olive to run around in. She even made a friend! We really enjoyed sipping on our drinks in the sun here.
GUMBOOT RESTAURANT
After our matcha lattes, we drove a short distance to Gumboot Restaurant in Robert’s Creek for lunch. There were lots of vegetarian and dairy free options, which is what enticed us. My boyfriend had the chicken burger and I had the Bombay Bowl. The portions were quite generous and filling. We definitely left feeling satisfied! The restaurant has a large yard patio which is dog-friendly!
DAVIS BAY
To slowly make our way towards downtown Sechelt and walk off our lunch, we drove 10 minutes to Davis Bay for a nice stroll along the coastline. There was ample free parking, which was much appreciated. Olive really enjoyed this walk!
E.B.’S ICE CREAM SHOP
We were killing time before checking into the Painted Boat Resort, so we took some time to walk around downtown Sechelt. I saw that E.B.’s Ice Cream Shop had a dairy-free London Fog flavour, so I had to try it. The ice cream shop has ice cream for pups and young ones too. Before leaving downtown Sechelt, we made a stop at local pet store, All For Pets, to grab some treats for Olive.
BUDABING BURGERS
Being on vacation and walking around all morning made me really hungry, so by the afternoon my stomach was grumbling and I was on the lookout for a pre-dinner snack. At this point we had driven another 30 minutes and had landed in Madeira Park. We stopped at the IGA for some toiletries and grabbed a bite at Budabing Burgers across the way. We shared the burger joint’s best-seller, the Sunshine Burger, which was delicious!
THE LAGOON RESTAURANT
After checking into the Painted Boat Resort and getting settled in our villa, we had dinner at The Lagoon, the resort’s only restaurant on property. Thankfully we made reservations in advance, as we found out after that the an entire floor of the restaurant was booked for a private event. My boyfriend had the Painted Boat Bowl with fried tofu (vegan) and I had the Lingcod (dairy-free). I preferred the bowl, as my lingcod was a bit overcooked. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed dinner as we had the most beautiful water view and watched the sun set while we ate.
DAY 2
SMUGGLER COVE MARINE PROVINCIAL PARK
We started our second full day on the Sunshine Coast by making breakfast in our villa at the Painted Boat Resort. Then we drove about 20 minutes from the resort to Smuggler Cove for a hike. This dog-friendly hike took us about 45 minutes each way. It was relatively easy, but there are some steeper areas and lots of mud, so we had to carry Olive through some spots. The views are quite beautiful, so it was definitely worth the trek! I would definitely recommend going earlier, as the parking lot was starting to fill up as we were leaving.
BRUNCH AT JUNO
We were starving after our hike, so we drove into downtown Sechelt for brunch at Juno. This was such a cute spot and there were lots of vegan/dairy-free options. We shared the meatball shakshuka, which was delicious. I ordered the Juno Salad, which made me feel like a brontosaurus chomping on greens. I probably wouldn’t order that again, but there were tons of other delicious sounding items on the menu.
PAINTED BOAT RESORT SPA
We booked a pass to the Spa Serenity Garden at the Painted Boat Resort to unwind and make use of the amenities. The pass was $50 for two-hour access (advance reservations required). This included a sauna, cold pool (which wasn’t too cold actually!) and hot tub. There were refreshments like tea and spa water. It was a great experience and I was able to watch eagles soaring in the sky from the hot tub.
DINNER AT AQUI ES MEXICO
For dinner on our second day in the Sunshine Coast, we went to Aqui Es Mexico in Madeira Park, which was recommended by a few locals we met during the trip. The restaurant is a very short drive from the Painted Boat Resort, or a 15 minute walk. My boyfriend had the Mexican burger and I had two tacos. The flavours were really good and the restaurant was able to make everything dairy free for us. We left full and satisfied!
GOING HOME
MOLLY’S REACH
On our way to the Langdale ferry terminal, we stopped at Molly’s Reach in Gibsons for a quick lunch. It has a prime waterfront location and a patio where we enjoyed our meal in the sun. We both had matcha lattes, and shared a lentil soup and muffin.
We loved our time on the Sunshine Coast, and it easily became one of our favourite trips within British Columbia. We look forward to returning and exploring more of what the Sunshine Coast has to offer.
