Bowen Island Day Trip

My boyfriend and I wanted to go on a two night trip to the USA on our days off but due to unforseeable circumstances (aka. pesky old work), our time was cut short. So instead we opted to head over to Bowen Island for the day and then decide whether to stay the night once we got there. We got up in the morning, packed an overnight bag and took off to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. This is definately a better trip to take on a sunny day and lucky for us the weather was on our side. Upon arrival at the ferry terminal I realised that the ride was a little more expensive than I last remembered. For two adults and the car it was 48.00 but unlike the other ferry rides this one includes your return trip. Taking the car over is not necessary because there is lots to do in immediate walking distance from the Snug Cove terminal on the other side. If you are planning to spend a day or two there a car is better to get to one of the many B&B's located around the island. After less than what seemed to be a 20 minute ride we got to the other side and decided to on a pub lunch at one of the two Pubs in Snug Cove, The Bowen Island Pub.

Side note:
Contrary to what you (and we) may have thought Bowen Island beer is not brewed on Bowen Island. We realised this when we were served Big Rock's brew instead of what we expected to be their local beer at the pub.

We sat on the patio and for lunch split fish and chips and a bowl of homemade vegetable soup which was fantastic. My boyfriend had beer and I had a pint of cider which were on special for 4.75. After lunch we took a few hours to look around the little shops in town. We checked out the organic food grocer, chocolatier, bakery (can you tell we love food..)as well as some local artists. Unfortunately the info center is only open Thursday to Sunday so we got a map at the marina. There is no road that circumnavigates the entire Island that is why a map comes in handy. The marina rents out cottages right in town that are fairly inexpensive but the only one left was a floating cottage that ran 150 dollars a night and was a little steep for our budget. Upon learning the last ferry ran at 10 pm that day we decided to leave that night. Plan set, we grabbed some snacks and head for the beaches on the other side of the Island. It only take about 10 minutes to drive to the other side of the island and we decided on Bowen Bay beach. When we first got there we were the only ones but the beach filled up with many visitors during the day. The water was warm enough that my bf took a swim to the floating dock to lay out but I was not as brave and went in only to my knees. We spent a relaxing day laying on the beach reading and tanning and enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean and the neighbooring islands. Once we were thoroughly roasted, the mosquitos started to bit and the tide had almost reached the end of our blanket we took it as a sign that our beach day had come to an end. We headed back to the ferry teminal lineup, parked and finished the day with an icecream.

Info: http://www.bowen-island-bc.com/

Cost: 48.00 ferry
Spending money (packed lunch or portable BBQ are always an option)

Time: Full day or two