REVIEW: Langara Island Lodge, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada

We had an absolutely wonderful time at Langara Island Lodge in Haida Gwaii, British Colombia.  While the weather wasn't great, and the fishing was very average, the stay was memorable and we will be back. 

Booking

The booking process was fantastic.  Email responses came morning, afternoon, or night, and were very fast.  I originally booked Langara Fishing Lodge, but soon upgraded to Lagara Island Lodge which is the most luxurious Lodge in Haida Gwaii (and one of the best in Canada).  They have the same owners, but for a small premium ($500-700pp), if you are going all the way up to Haida Gwaii, you might as well stay at the best lodge  That being said, it is priced accordingly.  For two people on a 3 night/4 day trip, it was about $15K CAD for room and a boat with guide.  After gratuities, licences, etc it works out to about $18K CAD, from Vancouver. The 4 night / 5 day trip is only slightly more expensive, so if I did it again I would do the longer trip, but we were time constrained on this trip. 

Arrival: 

We arrived in Vancouver the night before and stayed at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport.  In the morning, we woke up and made our way to the South Terminal, which is a small airport, for a 9:30 departure.  The plane was a private chartered Dash 8 or Q400 type plane, with lots of leg room and very comfy seats. They fed us some snack food, but I would reccomend eating breakfast prior. It was a 2 hour flight to Masset.  Upon arrival in Masset, we went into the small terminal building and had some snacks while we watched the helicopter safety video.  About 20-25 minutes after arrival in Masset, we were in the chopper on our way to Haida Gwaii. 

The helicopter flight is approximately 20 minutes long, with stunning views of a beautiful part of the world.  Upon arrival, you land on the docks beside the fishing boats, with the staff awaiting to greet you.  You hop off the helicopter, and head up the cable cart to the lodge.   Helicopter is truly the only way to arrive at a luxury fishing experience :) We never touched our bags, and they were in our room after we finished lunch. 

Once we met the staff, our host, our servers, etc. we were fed a huge lunch, which was top notch, and then headed to our rooms to change and head out fishing. 

We were a group of 2, and most small groups are put in the Chinook Lodge, with a stunning common area, two fireplaces, a snack kitchen, and lots of comfy seating areas.  In the evening, you have dinner with everyone else staying in Chinook Lodge. They have other lodges which are generally used for private groups, and you rarely see those people. (I borrowed a few pics online)

Food: 

The food was simply amazing.  High quality, gourmet food.  You were never hungry.  In fact, as with any fly in resort, you generally over ate.  

Breakfast was served buffet style, whenever you decided you wanted it.  We were generally up around 7:30 to eat and on the boat for fishing by 8:30. 

Lunch offered a few options.  Either you could have lunch brought to you while you were out on the fishing boat.  Burgers, Fish and Chips, sandwhiches, etc.  They also had a boat out on the water at all times that would deliver snacks, drinks (alcohol and non alcohol), and anything else you might need.  The other option was to come back to the lodge for lunch and they would feed you to your hearts content.   Some people did this, and had a break in the hot tub, or had a massage. 

Dinners were group dinners that didn't start until 8:30, but before that, they offered up appetizers and drinks. Many people stayed out fishing until 7, others came in early and enjoyed massages, steam rooms, or hot tubs.  The dinners were very good.  Halibut, Salmon, Venison, Duck, Bison, Steak, etc.  All amazing meals.  If you couldn't decide, they would make a half order of each. 

EVERYTHING was included,  I really enjoyed the lack of nickle and diming. All alcohol, and food was included.  High end, low end, it didn't matter.  There were no extras except for the massage treatments. 

Facilities/Rooms: 

The rooms were very well appointed, with 2 beds, very comfortable. 

Furniture and finishes were cozy log cabin type feel. Not a square inch of drywall in sight - which I always love.   The bathrooms were brand new and the shower was a great rain shower.   There were multiple out door hot tubs you could use at any time.  After a cold day on the ocean, a warm hot tub while being served drinks by the staff was perfect.  In addition, a brand new building that included an amazing steam room, infrared sauna, well appointed gym, and spa area for spa treatments.  The common areas were very grand and it was very enjoyable to sit and enjoy drinks before dinner while getting to know fellow guests who were visiting from all over the world.   There was a games room on the lower level with a pool table, darts area, and cable TV which made watching the NHL Playoffs lots of fun.  The booze was flowing, the stories were being shared, and the laughs were constant. I only wish I had more time to hang out in the lodge - but alas, we were there to fish. 

Service: 

This was EASILY the best service I have ever received outside of Asia. It wasn't quite Aman level, but it was pretty close.  According to our guide,  Langara Island Lodge is the creme de le creme of luxury fishing lodges to work at.  As he put it, "for fishing lodges in Canada, there is nowhere to go from here. This is it."  It is very evident that the staff are well trained in casual, but luxury service.  The staff to guest ratio must have been 1:1, and it was evident. In the mornings, as you sat down for breakfast, drinks were poured and coffee was served.  While that was happening, staff would ensure that they put whatever drinks you wanted for the fishing boat in a cooler.  They even made us breakfast ceasers (bloody mary's) in a 1 gallon jug so that we could have it on the boat since we may have indulged a bit too much the night before. Everyone was so genuinely nice.  They became an extension of the group, engaging in conversation and embracing the casual but elegant atmosphere of the lodge.  In the evenings, our glasses were never empty, and the word no was never used.   We wanted scotch, and they found a rare bottle in the basement for us.  We wanted French wine, and they came up with a case of it for the time we were there.  Literally anything we asked for, they made happen.  Someone in our group had recently had a baby and on the last day there was a baby onesie on his bed to take home.  Lots of little touches throughout the week.  Kudos to the staff - they were a shining star of the trip. 

Fishing: 

While Langara Island is known for its world class fishing, we had a tough go.  The lodge supplies amazing gear to ensure you are not wet or cold on the boat, which is great because it was cold, windy, and rainy while we were there.  For the entirety of our trip we had a private 24' boat (with toilet), with our own guide who was at our whim.  Whatever we wanted to do, he did for us.  Early mornings, late nights, salmon, halibut, you name it.  We toughed it out and put 12 hour days on the water, and because of this, we were rewarded some of the best luck of all the guests.  In the end we had 4 Chinook, 8 Ling Cod, and 2 Halibut.  It was long, cold, hard days to get these fish but we had some success.  Our guide was simply amazing, clearly frustrated by the tough fishing, but also determined to get us our fish.    He had been guiding for 20 years and clearly loved his job. They did say it was rare to have fishing this bad in early June, however if I went again, I would go in July or August for better fishing and better weather.  You have to book very far in advance to get the prime summer months.. The fish were flash frozen, filleted, vacuum sealed and packed in Styrofoam coolers for travel home. Again, included in the price. 

Admittedly, when I say long, hard days, it is all relative.  We had a constant drink in our hand, whether it was beer, wine, scotch, or anything else we wanted.  There were food and snacks being delivered to our boat all day.  There were bald eagles soaring overhead, and killer whales swimming beside us every day.  So it wasn't like we were running a marathon or anything. 

Overall: 

This was truly a magical trip.  Putting aside the poor weather and OK fishing, everything was first class.  Haida Gwaii is a stunning part of the world, and a magical place in Canada.  I would recommend everyone visit.  There are numerous other lodges on Langara Island, but this is the indisputable best and most luxurious.  The lodge and facilities were incredible, the staff was amazing, and I can't wait to go back.