Can you stay at Virgin River? How to visit Snug Cove, real life setting of Netflix series - and best hotels

Virgin River has proven one of Netflix’ most popular romantic dramas and the fifth season is about to land on the site.

The series follows Melina Monroe, a woman who trades in her busy LA life for quiet living in an idyllic northern California town. Whilst the series is actually filmed in western Canada, the show’s setting remains as enticing to viewers as it is to Mel.

With the show now about to return with more beautiful scenic shots, viewers are sure to be envious of Melina’s new life at Virgin River.

And for those wanting a slice of the simpler lives themselves, the good news is that you can stay at the very spot where the series is filmed - the tranquil Snug Cove.

Places to stay at Snug Cove

There are several hotels and hostels available to stay at in or around Snug Cove, so Virgin River fans can overnight at the real-life idyllic spot featured throughout the series. Snug Cove is located on Bowen Island, a small Canadian island with a permanent population of around 4,200, about two miles west of the mainland.

You can get to Snug Cove via a ferry from the mainland and once there you will have your choice of plenty of places to eat and drink. Among the choice of eateries around Snug Cove are Tell Your Friends Cafe, Doc Morgan’s Pub, The Snug, and Bowen Island Pub.

The hotels closest to Snug Cove are Bowen Island Lodge, and four star hotel Artisan Suites. The lodge is also available to book as a wedding venue, and for corporate and wellness retreats.

For something a bit different, there is the Union Steamship Marina Resort, which offers dockside cottages of one to five beds with views across the marina.

There are many more hotels on Bowen Island further out from Snug Cove, but as the entire island is 7.5 miles long and less than four miles wide, none of the properties on the island will be too far away from the iconic locations featured in Virgin River.

Other popular properties include Libellule Cottages and Suite Above the Sea on the south of the island, and Kitoki Inn and Sea Lion Bay further north.

More Virgin River locations you can visit

Hardcore fans of the series can even visit the very spot where Jak and Mel first met - Jack’s Bar.

The real life bar is The Watershed Grill in Squamish, British Columbia The exterior shots of the bar were filmed there, and as it is a functioning bar and grill, you can stop by for a meal yourself.

Unfortunately another popular spot from the series, Mel’s cabin, is not available to stay at. It is a real place, located in Murdo Frazer Park, North Vancouver. However, the cabin is inhabited as the park’s caretaker lives there. As a private property, it is not open to the public.