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Side by side · Fishing Lodges

Moutcha Bay Resort vs Newton Cove Resort

Two fishing lodges side by side from their own published tariffs: Moutcha Bay Resort from $1,829, Newton Cove Resort from $6,079 per person, with seasons, what is and is not in the price, deposit and cancellation terms, and the transfer from the gateway.

How this page is made. Every figure is from the two operators' own published tariffs and booking pages, as recorded in their Ledgers, last read 14 September 2026. The sentences under "Which one" are rules over those figures, not opinion; where an operator publishes nothing, the row says so and the rule stays quiet. Ben has stayed at both.

The record

Side by side

Fact Moutcha Bay ResortNewton Cove Resort
From, per person From $1,829 per person for 3 nights (Bronze, self-guided), Summer season (May to September), 2026 tariffFrom $6,079 per person for 3 nights (Fully guided), Summer season (July to September), 2026 tariff
Per night about $610 per person per night, the Bronze, self-guided rate divided by its 3 nightsabout $2,026 per person per night, the Fully guided rate divided by its 3 nights
All in, with tax about $1,920 per person for the shortest stay, with GST at 5%about $6,383 per person for the shortest stay, with GST at 5%
Stays sold 8 packages of 3 or 4 nights2 packages of 3 or 4 nights
Priced for Double, two to a boat; Quad, four to a boat; Triple, three to a boatDouble, two to a boat; Quad, four to a boat
Season Summer season, May to SeptemberSummer season, July to September
In the price
  • On a fishing package: a Signature Cedar Yurt for two or a Luxury Cedar Yurt for three or four, a continental take-away breakfast, an artisanal packed lunch and a three-course dinner at the Conuma Grill each day
  • Gold: full days on a 32-foot North River with a certified guide, 10 hours dock to dock, gear and tackle, lunch aboard. Silver: one guided day and the rest self-guided on a 24-foot ABD. Bronze: self-guided days on an 18-foot Quay Craft
  • Provincially regulated fish processing on Gold, Silver and Bronze: filleted, vacuum-packed, flash-frozen and boxed for departure day
  • The Anglers Academy, at no extra charge on any guided boat
  • On a unit booked by the night: dine-in or continental take-away breakfast with the lodge suites, yurts and chalets; breakfast for two with a Forest Cabin; parking for one vehicle
  • On a campsite: water and 30-amp power, washhouses with flush toilets and hot showers, parking for a vehicle and boat trailer, the boat launch, a fire ring, wifi
  • Barbecues around the resort for anyone, and private ones at the yurts and chalets
  • The playground and zipline in the Highland campground
  • A private suite for two with a private washroom, two twins or a king, with plush robes, rainfall showers and deluxe linens
  • Hot breakfast, an artisan boxed lunch, fireside appetisers with select beer and wine, a four-course dinner with select beer and wine, and a 24-hour snack bar
  • 30 hours of guided fishing on a 32-foot North River with a certified guide: two half days and two full days on the 3-night package, three full days on the 4-night
  • Gear, tackle, a boxed lunch aboard, and rain gear if the weather turns
  • Provincially regulated fish processing: filleted, vacuum-packed, flash-frozen and boxed for your departure day
  • Daily housekeeping
  • The guide-boat transfer from Moutcha Bay Resort
  • The Anglers Academy, at no extra charge on any guided boat
  • Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, the guest lounge, pool and poker tables
Not in the price
  • GST at 5% on everything, including campsites, and PST at 8% on lodge suites, chalets and yurts
  • Extra guests aged 12 and over beyond a unit's base count, $100 each per night
  • Pets, $25 per pet per night in the pet-friendly units (chalets, yurts 1 to 4, select Forest Cabins; free on campsites)
  • A tidal waters fishing licence with the salmon conservation stamp, bought before you arrive
  • Gratuities: the resort suggests $70 to $100 per guest per day for the guide and 20% of your stay for the shore staff
  • Drinks, and lunch and dinner on a stay booked by the night (the Conuma Grill is licensed and a la carte)
  • Fuel and bait on a rental boat, and moorage, fuel and bait for your own boat at the marina
  • Firewood, $10 a bin, delivered to your campsite
  • Kayaks and paddleboards on a unit stay (the Rates page prices them from $35 for two hours as a non-guest rate)
  • GST at 5% on everything, and PST at 8% on the accommodation share, which the resort does not break out
  • A tidal waters fishing licence with the salmon conservation stamp, bought before you arrive
  • Gratuities: the resort suggests $70 to $100 per guest per day for the guide and 20% of your stay for the shore staff
  • Drinks beyond the select beer and wine at appetisers and dinner
  • Getting to Moutcha Bay Resort, or a seaplane to the dock (the 2025 sheet bundled Seattle flights for about $2,100 more per person; the 2026 sheet gives the schedule without a price)
  • The albacore tuna surcharge on a guided day, when conditions allow in late August and September
  • The single-occupancy upgrade, available but not priced
Deposit 10% of the booking when you reserve, charged to the card on file10% of the booking when you reserve, charged to the card on file
If you cancel
  • More than 90 days before arrival: 10% of the booking; the rest refunded
  • 90 days or fewer before arrival: full payment forfeited
  • More than 90 days before arrival: 10% of the booking; the rest refunded
  • 90 days or fewer before arrival: full payment forfeited
Getting there Road from Gold River (the resort, on Head Bay Road towards Tahsis, about 6 km past the Conuma hatchery): about an hour from Gold River on Head Bay Road, gravel with 15 and 18% grades, not in the price. Timing partly our estimate.Boat from Gold River (Moutcha Bay Resort, where you park; the resort takes guided guests on by guide boat): an hour by road from Gold River to Moutcha Bay, then a guide boat to Esperanza Inlet, or Air Nootka from Gold River to the dock, in the price. Timing partly our estimate.
Sleeps 100 guests24 guests
Region Nootka Sound, British ColumbiaNootka Sound, British Columbia
Source 2026 tariff, read 14 September 20262026 tariff, read 14 September 2026

"From" is the lowest adult double rate in the newest tariff, per person for the shortest stay sold; the all-in line adds the tax the calculator adds. Anything marked "our estimate" is ours, not the operator's.

Which one

What the record says

On price, Moutcha Bay Resort is the cheaper way in: from $1,829 per person for 3 nights against $6,079 for 3 nights at Newton Cove Resort, both before tax, a gap of $4,250 a head on the shortest stay each sells.

Moutcha Bay Resort has the longer season, May to September against July to September at Newton Cove Resort, about 22 weeks to 13.

Newton Cove Resort lists more in the price, 9 items to 8; both lists are in the table.

Moutcha Bay Resort is the quicker to reach: about an hour from Gold River on Head Bay Road, gravel with 15 and 18% grades. Newton Cove Resort is an hour by road from Gold River to Moutcha Bay, then a guide boat to Esperanza Inlet, or Air Nootka from Gold River to the dock (the timings are partly our estimate).

Newton Cove Resort is the smaller place, 24 guests to 100.

Which of those matters is yours to weigh; the pages behind each place have the rest, and the calculators price a stay for your own party.

From the Journal

A story that covers both

Answered from the record

Which is cheaper, Moutcha Bay Resort or Newton Cove Resort?

On price, Moutcha Bay Resort is the cheaper way in: from $1,829 per person for 3 nights against $6,079 for 3 nights at Newton Cove Resort, both before tax, a gap of $4,250 a head on the shortest stay each sells.

What is included at Moutcha Bay Resort and at Newton Cove Resort?

Moutcha Bay Resort lists 8 things in the price, starting with on a fishing package and gold. Newton Cove Resort lists 9, starting with a private suite for two with a private washroom and hot breakfast, an artisan boxed lunch. The full lists, and what each leaves out, are in the table on this page.

How do you get to Moutcha Bay Resort and to Newton Cove Resort?

Moutcha Bay Resort: Road from Gold River (the resort, on Head Bay Road towards Tahsis, about 6 km past the Conuma hatchery): about an hour from Gold River on Head Bay Road, gravel with 15 and 18% grades, not in the price. Timing partly our estimate. Newton Cove Resort: Boat from Gold River (Moutcha Bay Resort, where you park; the resort takes guided guests on by guide boat): an hour by road from Gold River to Moutcha Bay, then a guide boat to Esperanza Inlet, or Air Nootka from Gold River to the dock, in the price. Timing partly our estimate.