T+L’s Hotel Review of Fawn Bluff in Bute Inlet, British Columbia

My jaw dropped in the backseat of a helicopter over British Columbia’s Coast Mountains as we climbed toward a granite cliff edge before nosediving over its back wall, fast. To the tune of whirring rotors, pilot Bastian Fleury of operator 49 North Helicopters smiled as he leveled out over a glacial formation that looked like hundreds of giant icicles strung together. Soaring over peaks shaped by volcanic activity and glaciers from the Ice Age, I heard Fleury’s voice crackle over my headset. “I see you,” he said to someone on the ground. “I’ll land beside the ice axe.”

He set down on a snow-white plateau beside a picnic setup complete with blankets and thermoses of hot coffee, deftly orchestrated by the hosts at Fawn Bluff, a new wilderness lodge that sleeps 18 and will be available for private buyouts beginning in spring 2026. Swiss-born Fleury flipped into chef mode, stirring up a Vacherin-Gruyère fondue into which I swirled chunks of apple and focaccia. After my last bite, I strapped on crampons, roped up alongside the group signed up for the adventure, and learned from Fleury how to use an ice axe before falling in step behind a seasoned mountain guide. Then, I crunched up to a viewpoint at 7,700 feet under a bluebird sky.

One of the wilder days of my life was just another morning at Fawn Bluff.

Set upon Canada’s wild west coast and accessible only by plane or boat, this exclusive-use private lodge, named after the perennial fawn lilies native to the area, sits at the meeting of two pristine wonders: the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest, our planet’s largest intact temperate rainforest, and Bute Inlet, a glacier-fed fjord teeming with sea life. This corner of the world is also the unceded territory of the Homalco First Nation, known as “the people of the fast-running waters” and the ancestral stewards of this land. Two places of cultural importance surround Fawn Bluff: a view of Estero Peak, where Homalco ancestors are said to have survived a great flood by tying canoes to its summit, and Leask Lake, the lodge’s private lake, believed to have an underwater passage through which whales traveled. This significance is not lost on Paris-based entrepreneur David Tuchbant, who purchased Fawn Bluff in 2023.

Tuchbant first visited British Columbia to see transient orcas, but he ended up buying property. He says that the purpose of the lodge is to help the Homalco and “to build together for the future.” To that end, Tuchbant initially pledged 5 percent of sales and 100 percent of profits to the Homalco community, but has since released extra funding and resources to support a day treatment center for addiction. The long-term goal is for Fawn Bluff to become a fully non-profit hybrid hospitality project that will serve as an asset of the Homalco First Nation.

The lodge was built from Douglas firs in the mid-2000s by the previous owners, actor Michelle Pfeiffer and her husband, producer David E. Kelley, who vacationed here a few times a year. During construction, Kelley lived in a trailer from the set of the TV show Ally McBeal, which he created and produced; the trailer still sits near the helipad.

Today, Tuchbant’s vision for Fawn Bluff emphasizes warmth and coziness in the wild. “There’s something in luxury hospitality where we lose connection,” he says. “It’s cold, too perfect.” Fawn Bluff is the opposite—raw and real, with rewilding woven into its bones. The once-manicured gardens have been returned to their natural state, and Tuchbant removed all the hot tubs because they clashed with his clean power goals. (Hot tubs use a lot of energy to heat and circulate water.) The dozen on-site staff at Fawn Bluff also double as wildlife safety pros: every time I was outside, they were with me, armed with red canisters of bear spray in case one of the area’s six resident black bears were to cross our path.

When night fell and the staff headed back to their quarters, a deep quiet descended. I traded doomscrolling for thumbing through a copy of “Plants of the Pacific Northwest,” and peaking out to see the bright stars unhindered by light pollution before bed.

Read on for my full review of Fawn Bluff.

The Rooms

With accommodations spread across two log buildings, Fawn Bluff is geared toward large groups or families seeking luxurious comfort in the wilderness. The oceanfront Main House sleeps 14 (up to 10 adults and four children) in five bedrooms, and the Lake Cabin sleeps four, a 10-minute drive away on the edge of Leask Lake. Both have stunning water views and are decorated with Indigenous carved paddles, masks, and paintings, curated by Tuchbant.

The Main House, with its indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and sweeping deck, is the central gathering place for dining and relaxing. It also houses a kitchen, an open bar, and the family room—a cottagecore fantasy complete with couches, books, games, and a writing desk that gazes out over the water.

My suite on the ground level was outfitted with cotton bedsheets, organic toiletries from Tofino Soap Company, and a Dyson hairdryer. The ocean view tempted me out onto the patio, but Jonathan Clarke, director of operations and maintenance, affectionately known as “Mr. Safety,” reminded me to keep the door shut. “You don’t want a bear in your room.”

Food and Drink

I was sitting cross-legged on a pillow by the crackling fire after a lake swim, sipping a gin and tonic made with local Empress 1908 violet-hued gin, when a duo of sauteed spot prawns appeared before me; a sweet delicacy pulled from the ocean a few miles away. It was an amuse-bouche that culinary director Kwin Marion served on the coffee table rather than rushing us to the dining room. Like everyone at Fawn Bluff, Marion is well-versed in reading the room and changing plans—a moveable feast, if you will. Family-style meals are relaxed, and the no-shoes-inside policy also meant I was usually dining in supplied grey wool slippers.

“My food explores the idea of ‘What is Canadian cuisine?’” says the Calgary-born chef, whose ethos draws from the local terroir and his Michelin-starred resume (San Francisco’s Quince, Bangkok’s Gaggan). Here, the bounty of the season reigns supreme: coho salmon and fresh-cracked Dungeness crab, Canadian-grain risotto, as well as fruit and wine from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. One morning, I opened the fridge and saw a dozen multicolored heirloom eggs from nearby Quadra Island, destined for brown butter omelets.

One afternoon, we sidestepped banana slugs as Marion guided me past moss-covered hemlocks, Sitka spruces, and a 300-year-old tree while learning about the 60-ish plants he forages nearby. Pre-bud salmonberries are fermented into capers, cedar tree pods are blended with sumac to create a faux lime juice, and haskap berries gave my morning kombucha its vermillion hue. One evening, a white tablecloth appeared for Marion’s tasting menu, which started with two wild bites: a fermented confit Sitka spruce cone and a seasoned baby tomato. The food—served to classical music, an ode to the classics played 24/7 at Fawn Bluff’s greenhouse—was worthy of a standing ovation.

Experiences

Wilderness and bucket-list excursions abound thanks to the lodge’s far-flung locale. Guests spend their time salmon fishing, swimming in the lake, watching humpback whales, orcas, and grizzlies in their natural habitat, as well as engaging in cultural activities guided by Homalco community members.

Among my favorites was a helicopter tour to experience the glaciers three ways: by kayak, by cold dip, and on foot. Dropped beside the opaque turquoise water of a remote lake, I slipped into a blow-up kayak to paddle past icebergs as big as cars. On occasion, the glacier audibly groaned—a sign that it’s shifting at, well, a glacial pace. Within the crystalline quiet, the remoteness set in, as did the realization that these glaciers may melt in my young daughter’s lifetime. I pushed my limits and took a frigid cold dip before departing. No other tour operators land at this lake, so guests are more likely to see a grizzly bear than another human.

I did see grizzlies later in the week, albeit from a safe distance, with Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours near the Orford River, where the bears love to feast on autumn’s spawning salmon. To the cry of seagulls, we climbed a two-story gated viewing platform and waited. As I scanned the riverbanks, our guide pointed out a silvery-brown blur in the river. “There,” he whispered, and then, “Two!” Behind a big mama grizzly bounded a months-old cub. It jumped up onto the bank only to slip off, paws flailing—I know toddler dinnertime energy when I see it.

Returning to Fawn Bluff by boat in the magic hour light, someone spotted a fin. We cut the engine and waited for nature to take the lead. Five minutes passed before the fin appeared again right next to our boat, and a humpback tail followed in its sparkling wake. 

Accessibility and Sustainability

Fawn Bluff has a van available to transport guests from the docks to the guesthouses, and a master bedroom that does not require stairs to access.

Tuchbant is actively working toward a clean power vision for the property, which currently runs on a hybrid system of solar, hydroelectric, and diesel generators. Drinking water comes from the lake, and the greenhouse is being expanded to grow more food on-site.

Fawn Bluff is working with the Homalco First Nation on social, medical, and artistic programs, including funding a local group to train in a longhouse building in the Haida Gwaii archipelago, and commissioning cedar carvings by Derek Georgeson for the property.

The members of the Homalco Council have all visited Fawn Bluff, as have other groups for therapeutic and cultural excursions, such as canoe journeys. On my last day, I met with Homalco chief Darren Blaney to learn about his experience as a residential school survivor and the power of the land. “Nature is part of our healing,” he says. “And touching base with our land and culture gives us resilience.” 

Family-friendly Offerings

The lodge is very family-friendly and well-suited for multigenerational trips. It caters to little ones with touches like kid-sized Fjallraven backpacks, house-made honey-sumac gummy bears, and even a hollowed-out tree, transformed into an elf house, complete with tiny felt hats.

Location

Fawn Bluff might seem like it’s at the end of the world, but it’s also about an hour from an airport and an excellent fishing spot.

The lodge is accessible via helicopter or float plane from Vancouver—both take about an hour—or by a 35-minute twin-engine flight from Vancouver to Campbell River, then by boat. I traveled the latter route home and was treated to two oceanic rewards: a humpback sighting and a local sea urchin fishing boat docked in Campbell River, filled with hundreds of the still-moving spiny orbs. One was sliced open for us so we could sample the electric-orange uni inside. 

Book Now

Fawn Bluff opens for bookings in spring 2026, with stays available from June 1 to October 15. Nightly rates for a full property buyout start from 26,250 Canadian dollars ($18,825), which includes dedicated staff, all meals prepared by a private chef, a selection of wines and spirits, and guided activities. The rate excludes transfers and helicopter excursions.