Vancouver Island provides opportunities to golf and ski over the March Break -- and on the same day. (Courtesy of Crown Isle Resort and Oceanside Tourism Association)

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PARKSVILLE, B.C. -- Think about a late-winter golf vacation and you're likely to settle on Myrtle Beach or Florida.

Think about staying in Canada for your holiday and you're probably planning a ski trip.

But what if you could do both -- golf and ski -- and on the same day?

Then think Vancouver Island, the real golf-and-ski Shrangri-La.

It may be a bit further than Florida but you won't be skiing in a swamp and you won't have to worry about gators in the pond by the 18th green.

In fact, you can fly from Toronto or Hamilton to Comox, B.C., and be on the slopes of Mt. Washington by just after noon B.C. time.

Enjoy the powder again the next morning, turn in your skis and drive down the mountain to the verdant valley below for a round of golf at the Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community.

The following day you can venture to the next stop on the renowned Vancouver Island Golf Trail at Morningstar in Parksville, little more than an hour drive south on the Island Highway.

Here you will find another beautiful piece of "Super, Natural British Columbia."

Morningstar director of golf Cory Betz is the poster boy for golf and ski.

The Saskatchewan native set out for the mountains several years ago, taking his skis and golf clubs with him and hoping to make a life doing the things he loved to do.

Today he can hardly hide his glee.

"I'm spoiled," Betz says. "Being able to play most of my golf on one of our country's best tracks can do that to you."

His comments came as he was heading out the door of his pro shop to the ski season opener at Mt. Washington Alpine Resort in early December.

"Our drill is to post the day's estimated conditions on a blog we have set up (morningstar proshop.blogspot.com). Skiing and golfing on the same day is best done in late February and March as December and January lack the daylight for both."

If you really want to check out conditions at the course, go to morningstar.bc.ca to find the live webcam for a view of the first tee. On a sunny winter day you'll be green with envy as you watch players hitting the course.

On rainy days, you'll be a smug easterner -- but you'll still see a few players teeing off!

Betz says winter golf in the Comox Valley is comparable to conditions in the Oceanside region around Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

"When it's all said and done by winter's end I'd give us 10 to 15% more in playable days."

And what a place to play.

A Les Furber masterpiece, Morningstar's 18 holes of championship golf wind through a memorable blend of terrain that starts out on links-style fairways before plunging into forests of cedar and pine.

There's water on several holes, including the signature par-five 9th with ponds off the tee and all the way to the green. Watch out for the eagles nesting atop a lone tree to the right of the 5th fairway.

Morningstar was host to the 2007 B.C. Men's Amateur Championship and it was a longtime stop on the Canadian Tour Qualifying School circuit. As tough as it is for the best players, it's a delight for the average golfer too. Excellent practice facilities include new state-of-the-art dry range covers.

Furber has another fine course at Fairwinds in nearby Nanoose Bay, which joins Pheasant Glen in Qualicum Beach to give Oceanside a golf triple threat.

"All golf all the time here on the Island," Betz can't help bragging.

Many Oceanside residents boast the region is "Canada's Riviera." They cite warmer winter temperatures (well, warmer than, say, Toronto), low annual rainfall, year-round outdoor pursuits and 19 km of sandy beaches.

It's also the fastest-growing retirement destination in Canada, with a wide range of accommodations, resorts, restaurants, theatres and vibrant community services. Bustling Nanaimo is just a 25-minute drive south of Parksville.

All you have to do is get your winter-weary self to this Canadian, yes Canadian, island paradise.