The Maq Hotel

This is a great facility but definitely geared to the stripped downs, young surfer crowd. Room was recently renovated (great shower!) with a modern flair, but small and not deluxe: no bath tub, no microwave or coffee maker, no phone, no alarm clock. Has a camp cooler instead of a fridge! But it was comfortable and clean and close to everything with a bit of a harbour view. Great base for exploring all that downtown Tofino has to offer. During the busy season however, it would be noisy, with thin walls and a pub and outdoor restaurant underneath. Not a place for families or those who love quiet, unless you go midweek and in the off season.

The hotel itself is excellent. It is a modern building with good architecture (shaped like a square U) which is well-furnished and decorated. The hotel staff is super friendly and will bend over backwards for you. They sent me a text greeting and as I texted questions or requests back to them, they responded and accommodated. There is a coffee bar on the main floor which is very convenient. It has a very young-person feel to it as the staff and guests are mainly in their 20s with some in their 30s. It is fantastic on all accounts. There is only one problem with it and that is the noise level. The coffee bar plays music from 7am to 10am which can be heard in almost every hotel rooms. It will vary from muffled base-thumping to having the side tables in your room vibrate. On the weekends, there is a pub/grill in the basement which will play music until 1am as well. In fairness to them, they did what they could to help in offering me earplugs, a white noise machine, and even to move me to a different room. If you can comfortably sleep through this sort of thing or don't mind being confined to these sleep hours, this is a fantastic place. (I was travelling with my niece in her 20s and she really enjoyed the hotel.) If you have small children or like taking afternoon naps or are travelling from a different time zone, this may be a problem for you. You may want to put some thought into whether or not this is the type of hotel for you. If it is, you will really enjoy it.