Paradise Acres Ranch
Paradise Acres Ranch
4.5
Equestrian Trails • Hiking Trails • Eco Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours • Horseback Riding Tours
Read more
Full view
About
Trail rides up into the Arbutus Groves in Top Bridge Park or other trails! Rides include a lesson and are adjusted to the level of the rider - so everyone has fun! There is always some trotting and climbing; Horses will make you look like a pro! Longer, faster rides also available plus Ranch Vacations!Everyone will enjoy! Riders say 'Best trail ride they have ever had!'
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Features animals
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2022
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingSimilar Experiences
Paradise Acres Ranch
Booking unavailable on Tripadvisor
Want other options you can book now?
Show optionsTravelers talk about
(15 reviews)
(3 reviews)
(3 reviews)
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
69 reviews
Excellent
53
Very good
9
Average
0
Poor
5
Terrible
2
Dana R
1 contribution
Nov 2022
We had a fantastic time! Our guide, Abby, was super friendly, helpful, and shared knowledge about the horses and property along the ride. The horses were very sweet and calm - we had Storm and Stormy. The grounds were very well kept as well. Cannot wait to go back!
Written November 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meg M
Toronto, Canada8 contributions
Aug 2022
Stayed for 6 nights...every morning beautiful! My daughter got to pet the horses everyday and went on a 2 hour trail ride which was wonderful. Our guide Angie was great! With my 12 and 15 year old, we booked the Mountain View room and got to use it with it's ensuite bathroom and the main room with epic foosball games and billards. Comfortable living space. Outside kitchen was great BBQ and inside basic supplies and full size fridge was perfect. The sink is a bit small and counter space limited but we made it work.
There is a swim spa and hot tub which we used a few times and loved it. Great location to explore the East Coast of the Island. Family friendly and Luna and Soliel the two farm dogs are lovely.
Our host Bev and Gerd were friendly and kind and love their ranch. Gave some good suggestions of things to do in the area. We loved swimming in Englishman's Creek!
There is a swim spa and hot tub which we used a few times and loved it. Great location to explore the East Coast of the Island. Family friendly and Luna and Soliel the two farm dogs are lovely.
Our host Bev and Gerd were friendly and kind and love their ranch. Gave some good suggestions of things to do in the area. We loved swimming in Englishman's Creek!
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer O
4 contributions
May 2020 • Family
Our family had an absolutely perfect trail ride and stay here! With appropriate safety precautions and social distancing in place we were able to enjoy an amazing 2 hour trail ride adventure on some great horses with awesome personalities thanks to our host and guide. We then settled in for a most relaxing overnight stay in a spacious and comfortable family suite complete with games room and the most beautiful views. Our little holiday was topped off by the surprise of a spectacular gourmet breakfast of delicious pumpkin pancakes with choice of fresh rhubarb compote, chocolate sauce, maple syrup and cream served al fresco! After these past many weeks of social isolation and cancelled plans, it was just the rest and relaxation we needed to celebrate a birthday and Mother’s Day! Can’t wait to go back!
Written May 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda P
1 contribution
Sep 2022 • Friends
I didn't enjoy the ride. The start seemed very disorganized and took a long time to get going. There were too many people, about 15 which included 3 guides. The horses were almost touching they were so close together in a single file line. Half of the 2 hour trail ride was going along side roads and in ditches. I wouldn't go again.
Written September 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hannah G
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Couples
I’m seeing a lot of really wonderful reviews here so perhaps we showed up on an off day. But unfortunately my experience was really disappointing. When you sign up for a two hour trail ride they ask for your height, weight and your riding experience. Both myself and my boyfriend have ridden horses before and are comfortable with them. I thought perhaps that the experience information was used to place you in a certain level for the trail ride, but that was certainly not my expectation. Although l would have loved a challenge and a faster pace that was not what I thought it would be. I’ve been on plenty of trail rides before and my assumption was that this would be like any other; typically there is very little skill involved (that new riders will be fine) and that we will be at a walking pace with horses that are well trained and have done the route 100 times. Usually there’s great views and kind staff. I was just planning on sitting on a horse and looking around at trees.
However the information for skill level and experience was used to place you with horses that had more challenges, which is fine with me. The horse that I was placed with was incredibly lovely but there were rules surrounding which horses she could be around without the other horse having a negative reaction and my boyfriends horse would kick if another was too close. So although we went on the trail ride together I tried to keep my distance from him.
With these rules in place we wanted to respect these beautiful animals and tried our meet all of their needs. However the trail ride was not split up in skill level, we were on the trail ride with younger individuals and individuals who had never been on a horse in their life. Which is absolutely fine, however these individuals weren’t receiving any feedback from guides during the ride so they would be pulling on their reins suddenly stopping in small spaces or not increasing there speed when we were all getting bunched up. This is normally fine for trail ride horses because they are used to beginner riders. However as I expressed earlier, my boyfriend and I were placed with horses that had rules regarding spacing so there was a lot of incidences where my horse could have been kicked by his and I spent a lot of the time feeling stressed about my spacing. We spent the majority of the time at a walking speed or stopped as we waited for first time riders to catch up.
Perhaps this was an off day and the situation called for it (maybe for brand new riders?), but I was expecting scenic views like the photos shown on the Ranch’s website but we spent the majority of the ride on the side of paved roads with cars going by.
Overall we had the most magical trip to Vancouver Island and we were lucky enough to do a lot of fun excursions. This was the event I was most excited for and was the most expensive but unfortunately we were so disappointed. My feedback would be to have divided trail groups based on experience or exclusively use horses that are ready for beginner riders because regardless of who’s on them they are effected by first timers, and lastly have photos that are reflective of the actual trails riders are taken on.
There were just so many other activities that were so much more affordable in such a gorgeous place! Enjoy your vacation!
However the information for skill level and experience was used to place you with horses that had more challenges, which is fine with me. The horse that I was placed with was incredibly lovely but there were rules surrounding which horses she could be around without the other horse having a negative reaction and my boyfriends horse would kick if another was too close. So although we went on the trail ride together I tried to keep my distance from him.
With these rules in place we wanted to respect these beautiful animals and tried our meet all of their needs. However the trail ride was not split up in skill level, we were on the trail ride with younger individuals and individuals who had never been on a horse in their life. Which is absolutely fine, however these individuals weren’t receiving any feedback from guides during the ride so they would be pulling on their reins suddenly stopping in small spaces or not increasing there speed when we were all getting bunched up. This is normally fine for trail ride horses because they are used to beginner riders. However as I expressed earlier, my boyfriend and I were placed with horses that had rules regarding spacing so there was a lot of incidences where my horse could have been kicked by his and I spent a lot of the time feeling stressed about my spacing. We spent the majority of the time at a walking speed or stopped as we waited for first time riders to catch up.
Perhaps this was an off day and the situation called for it (maybe for brand new riders?), but I was expecting scenic views like the photos shown on the Ranch’s website but we spent the majority of the ride on the side of paved roads with cars going by.
Overall we had the most magical trip to Vancouver Island and we were lucky enough to do a lot of fun excursions. This was the event I was most excited for and was the most expensive but unfortunately we were so disappointed. My feedback would be to have divided trail groups based on experience or exclusively use horses that are ready for beginner riders because regardless of who’s on them they are effected by first timers, and lastly have photos that are reflective of the actual trails riders are taken on.
There were just so many other activities that were so much more affordable in such a gorgeous place! Enjoy your vacation!
Written July 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bcbaby40
Vancouver30 contributions
Aug 2020
I spoke to Bev to book a trail ride for two for the next day. She took all our information (credit card, height/weight, age etc). When we arrived, there were a lot of people there and no one to greet us nor take our names. We were eventually just sent over to sign a waiver and get helmets/boots. Once we were geared up and waivers signed, we waited for awhile longer, only to find out that they had no reservation for us. Bev had no recollection of having spoken to me the day before. The gentleman at the ranch was quite unfriendly, saying that there was nothing that could be done. We then spoke to a young lady, who said she was the assistant manager and that there was no record of our reservation, nor credit card information. We were told there was space for an evening ride if we wanted (it did not work with our schedule). Of course, when we got back to our hotel, my credit card had been charged, so I had to contact Paradise Acres for a refund. Bev was very apologetic and immediately issued the refund. I discovered later (through an email confirmation) that she had booked us on the wrong day. While I understand that mistakes happen, the way it was handled was a huge disappointment. They need a better system for greeting their clients and keeping track of reservations.
Written August 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello: It is sad when things don't work out but it can happen to anyone. You did make a reservation and it was entered on the day requested as far as we know. You showed up a day early - (but actually late for the ride... when we were in the middle of getting the actual riders organized and moving forward) You arrived for a ride that was 'full' and we could not manufacture any additional horses no matter how much we wanted to... We offered you the later 'three-hour ride' at no additional cost and were prepared to offer you the 'Glamourous Camping Glass Tent' experience if we could have had the opportunity to fit in any words between you and your daughter's attack... Once we were able to go into the office we discovered what had happened and immediately took the initiative and called you and refunded the charge. Not much more we could do...
Written August 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stephanie C
1 contribution
Aug 2022 • Family
What a wonderful experience. My daughter and two nephews went on a one hour trail ride. Their guide was Kat. Kat was a fantastic teacher and guide and genuinely enjoyed her job. Great attention was paid to each rider and it was an excellent experience all around. Highly recommend!!
Written September 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lori W
Nanaimo, Canada1 contribution
Sep 2021 • Couples
I am not sure, how anyone else felt in our group trail ride, but my husband and I had a great time. It was a nice comfortable ride through some trails in the area. The guide was fairly knowledgeable and made sure to talk to everyone on the ride, give out encouragement and accolades when needed. We had several different skill sets riding so everyone seemed to be doing great. Will definitely be back, as we love going on trail rides and Paradise Acres is nice and close to home. Thank you for having us! Even with a super gassy Storm lol
Written September 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe
Kelowna, Canada5 contributions
Jul 2021
Our group was the one after the 2 little girls got injured. I have to say that the staff did not help the family at all.
When we arrived, nobody said where we have to sign in, nobody even said hi. So we asked people waiting to ride, to see what we are suppose to do. The horses were a bit on the untrained side. The 1 hour trail ride was only about 20 minutes, the rest of the time went by with the staff getting people on their horses. There was a lot of staff, but they just weren't doing much. The trail was very narrow for both the horses and riders. People got scratched by the tree branches.
I will not be back and would not recommend it.
When we arrived, nobody said where we have to sign in, nobody even said hi. So we asked people waiting to ride, to see what we are suppose to do. The horses were a bit on the untrained side. The 1 hour trail ride was only about 20 minutes, the rest of the time went by with the staff getting people on their horses. There was a lot of staff, but they just weren't doing much. The trail was very narrow for both the horses and riders. People got scratched by the tree branches.
I will not be back and would not recommend it.
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katrina A
2 contributions
Jun 2021
I purchased this as gift for a friend who hasn't rode a horse. Bev, our guide and instructor, was knowledgeable and gave good trips that made my friend feel at ease and she enjoyed the experience - just what I wanted! The area we rode through was lovely and the terrain gave interest to the ride.
I am thinking of heading up again with my family!
I am thinking of heading up again with my family!
Written June 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
