Paradise Acres Ranch
Paradise Acres Ranch
4.5
Equestrian TrailsHiking TrailsEco ToursHiking & Camping ToursHorseback Riding Tours
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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
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Paradise Acres Ranch
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
94 reviews
Excellent
71
Very good
11
Average
5
Poor
5
Terrible
2
Deanna F
3 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Of all the places we have been trail riding this far surpasses every one of them. The ranch is fantastic. All horses are cared for and definitely living the best life. The trail ride leader was by all means the best we have ever had. She is an expert at riding, matched us perfectly with our horses based on our experience. I highly recommend booking a ride at the ranch wether you are a first time rider or an experienced rider. We will definitely be returning soon.
Written June 2, 2023
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.
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.
Robert S
Victoria, Canada1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Couples
I booked a two hour trail ride to surprise my wife on her birthday. We were greeted warmly by all the staff we encountered. After being paired up with our horses, we were taken to a paddock area where we were given clear instructions on the basic maneuvers required to turn, stop and go. We then had several minutes to ride around getting some practice and pointers. Our guide Abby also told each rider the tendencies and quirks of the horse they were riding. I found this very informative. We then headed out to the trails. Abby was very attentive to everyone in the group, and told us stories and also asked us questions. She was very professional and pleasant. It was an enjoyable experience and I would highly recommend Paradise Acres to anyone.
Written October 23, 2023
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.
Muntona
Sorrento, Canada8 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
The guides were fabulous, informative and helpful and always keeping an eye out for the riders and what their horses may or may not have been doing. The horse I had was beautiful and for the most part, cooperative. Those parts of the experience were great. What I didn't like was the amount of time spent waiting for everyone to be assigned their horses, the amount of time spent in the arena waiting for everyone to be aided in mounting their horses and then having to ride around in circles until we were all ready. I understand that having everyone ride around in circles gave necessary practice for the riders and horses to get to know the riders. I have no issue with that, but had there been even one more guide helping the process would have been much faster. The trail itself was not as expected. Most of the time we were either on the side of a road (in a small ditch a lot of the time) or in the woods on a trail that was not user friendly. The trail was very narrow with a lot of overgrown brush and branches. It felt a bit like bush wacking on horse back. There was not much to look at in terms of scenery unless you counted the properties we passed along the road. I would have expected to ride to a specific spot with some sort of beautiful view and/or water source for the horses to drink.
Written August 5, 2023
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.
jasminejazz_2014
Grande Prairie, Canada88 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
It's a pass for me. My family of 4 and I did a 1 hour ride for just over $500.00 canadian. Unfortunately for the cost I didn't find it worth it. The staff was friendly and it was a lovely ranch but I found it a touch disorganized. There was no one to greet us when we arived. We had to make our way down only to find a padio table with a sign that said wait here. When someone appeared with a horse they started to saddle up the horse without saying anything to us, so we just kinda stared awkwardly. The ride it self felt less like riding and more like following the leader. The guid kept giving me riding tips the entire time included prompting me to close the gap between me and the horse infront of me who had terrible gas so keeping 2 meters between us seemed like a reasonae thing to me. Between the forced small talk and lack of diversity in the ride I sadly say skip this one and go for bike rentals instead a fracture of the cost and better water views to enjoy along the cost.
Written May 5, 2024
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
2 contributions
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
Vancouver34 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.
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.
Do you host riders in February?
Written January 17, 2017
Yes we definitely do. All of the information is on our website Garden the ride as well. Will you be staying with us? We have wonderful bed and breakfast rooms.
Written January 17, 2017
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.