WOODS on Pender

My husband and I spent 2 nights on Pender at a vacation rental on the Southern tip of the island, and kept driving by this place to and from the grocery store. We decided to stop at Coffee Kitchen for lunch on our way back to the ferry, and were blown away not only by the rustic/​hipster/​modern vibe of the place, but also the quality and style of the menu offerings, as well as David’s natural ability to make his guests feel genuinely taken care of. My husband had the Wild burger, and I tried the mac and cheese. Both were exceptional, and it showed that the owners sourced fresh, local ingredients. We shared an Affogato Baileys for dessert, which also surpassed all expectations, and ended up buying a pound of the Fernwood coffee they used for their espresso as a result.
After lunch, we toured the accommodation sites, and agreed that when we return next year, perhaps we’ll take a crack at staying in an Airstream. We hope the business survives the hot-​and-​cold island tourism industry, because Woods on Pender seems like a great little hidden jewel.

Spent the weekend in one of their cabins! Had an absolutely great time & the owner, Curtis, did everything for us (literally even picking us up from the ferry). He was seemingly understaffed for the weekend because his worker was away, but I never felt that we weren’t being paid attention to. Curtis very obviously cares about his establishment & we will certainly be going back as well as suggesting it to people we know. They have fantastic food (I can’t stress that enough), allow pets on the resort, & really treat their guests well. The space that they have has a little trail on the back of the property & we really felt like we had a run of the place.
The single reason that they get 1 less star is because there were some beer cans in front of our cabin, a bit of a mess on the side of our cabin & plastic broken furniture in front of our cabin on the lawn. Also, while we were staying at the hotel there was a wasp problem! (All of which I’m sure is temporary.) I feel bad writing that even anything was not up to 5 stars on our stay because I had such a good time.

We had a lovely chat with Curtis, the owner of the new Woods on Pender. They’ve done a great facelift to the property and with nice, clean Scandinavian décor. We came back for dinner that evening and enjoyed a really tasty meal. We had the Ribs with Mashed potatoes, the «Big Salad», which included lots of local veggies, and also the Gnocchi with prosciutto and basil. Menus change often to use fresh ingredients. All of the food was well-​seasoned and served in small cast iron skillets on beautiful handmade wooden boards, great wines on tap (Okanagan) and lots of beer and good cocktail choices as well. This is a wonderful addition to Pender Island for both locals and visitors! Thanks Curtis and team for investing in the island!