I live by the reviews on Tripadvisor, so if this helps sway one person's decision towards staying at the Black Rock Resort, I will be a happy person. I have never felt so incredibly welcome and utterly relaxed during a 2-night stay before staying at this resort. I'll start at the beginning (this could be long, so get comfy!) and note, I AM IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH THIS RESORT. Just a VERY satisfied customer!

My fiancé and I booked a weekend at Black Rock via Groupon for my birthday from 2/4-2/6, and while Groupon offered an already incredible deal, the unbelievable staff enhanced our stay with incredible customer care, providing amazing extra touches. Check in is at 4pm, and upon our early arrival at 2pm, I mentioned to a VERY patient Melissa at the front desk, that my fiancé and I are considering the resort for our impending nuptials. Melissa was so sweet, said that it was fine that we were early AND proceeded to let us choose from two different rooms. She mentioned as luck would have it, a wedding was starting in 15 minutes, that we should follow the trail she outlined for us, watch the nuptials, and our room would be ready when it was over. Due to my choice of room, they had to switch around the amenities and we were still in our room before 3pm!

Our sanctuary (The Room): W-O-W. Picture jaw dropping, awe-inspired beauty. Now, times that by 10 and it MIGHT come close to how beautiful it was. We were in building 23 on the second floor in a one-bedroom suite with an unimpeded, unobstructed blissful view of the ocean with the sound of waves crashing against the black rock; so close, in fact, that it felt as though we were in a bure in the middle of the ocean. Upon entering, we found our bottle of wine c/o Groupon, and a note with birthday wishes c/o the wonderful personnel, as well as an “island wedding” booklet – it was such a nice touch! The room was spacious, with every kitchen amenity one could need, and decorated modernly (although lovely, takes a backseat to the floor to ceiling windows with the ‘to die for’ view!). As other reviews mentioned, the HUGE slate bathroom is marvelous, including a massive soaker tub with a peek-a-boo window with sliding doors that you can keep open to view the ocean while you soak. The SPA shower with rock floor feels like a massage for the feet, all whilst being sprayed with light kisses of water from the rain showerhead on the ceiling. The slate floors were heated, and again, amenities for days (sham/cond, body lotion, gel, makeup remover wipes for the ladies, q-tips, hair dryer, & my fave – bath robes!). After sitting outside on our wrap around deck, watching the sunset, enjoying a cocktail in the unseasonably warm weather, we made our way in front of the fireplace to listen to some music, easily plugging our iPod into the state of the art speaker system under the beautiful Samsung flat screen (note they even had an iPod compatible alarm clock!). After several attempts to light the fireplace, we phoned guest services at 10pm and they sent someone to our room within 20 minutes to fix it (SO NICE!). As for the bed, extremely comfortable, AMPLE extra pillows and blankets, and a beautiful view from the bedroom, as well.

Our bliss (the Drift Spa): My fiancé didn’t think to book the spa in advance, so he called and left a message late Saturday night for availability on Sunday. They returned our call promptly on Sunday morning, offering utter flexibility around our schedule, so the both of us were able to get treatments! Upon entering, we were led to our respective locker rooms, changing into our comfy robes and flip flops. We then sat in a waiting area, filling out paperwork, enjoying a glass of refreshing cucumber water, whilst overlooking the ocean through floor to ceiling windows. There is a hot tub and pool right outside the spa with that same dramatic view, as well. My fiancé had his massages with Nicole, whom he thought was wonderful; very courteous, taking cues on pressure, focus areas, etc. When I saw him afterward, he was in a complete glorious DAZE! I had my treatments with Jill (mini-facial, body wrap, and exfoliation) and if you are lucky enough to work with her (or smart enough to REQUEST her!), you WILL NOT BE DISAPOINTED. She was attentive, knowledgeable, professional; simply fabulous. After my treatments, my skin glowed, I was relaxed, and she left a skin moisturizer sample for me! It’s no wonder this spa was rated #13 of the top 100 spas in 2011 – if you want total peace, serenity, and relaxation, you MUST book with them during your stay. You will NOT be disappointed.

The eats: As part of our Groupon, we had a $50 gift cert that we applied to the Fetch restaurant in the hotel. We made the reservation in advance via the hotels online concierge, which was great! The Hostess was so charming upon greeting us, wishing me a “Happy Birthday!” We were promptly seated, and she even recommended I sit facing the window so I could “get a good view of the moon.” Again – W.O.W. Our server was attentive and he made several wonderful recommendations. The food was quite tasty, and although on the pricier side, was worth it based on the beyond fresh ingredients, lovely presentation, and perfectly cooked food. We started with an oyster appetizer, which were sumptuous. He had the bison sirloin (delish!), I had scallops (more delish!!). We did skip desert, but not because the choices didn’t look sinful and delicious (they had a white chocolate croissant bread pudding – mmm!). They also have quite an extensive wine list, for those “winos.”

Last but not least, after a long/day night of consuming cocktails and staying up late on Super Bowl Sunday (GO GIANTS!!), the resort was kind enough to give us a late check-out on Monday morning (and this may not be all that important to anyone else, but I find it quite amazing as they need to turnover the room).

We had THE most fantastic time taking hundreds of photos, walking the trails on the premises (and in town), and trying some of the local fare (UKEE DOG IS A MUST & Jigger’s if you’re a fish n’ chip lover!). People in Ukee are incredible!

THANK YOU Black Rock Oceanfront Resort for making our weekend so special! After this visit, I believe I have found my wedding destination.

S.B. from Nanaimo