A couple of thoughts:

Tofino isn't really that much colder than the rest of Vancouver Island, and there is no pass to drive over, perhaps just a little bit of an elevation.

And going all the way to Vancouver to catch a ferry is really the long way around, you are much better off driving to Olympic Peninsula and taking Coho Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria.

As for a place to stay, the Harbor House in Sooke comes to mind, not too far out of town but definitely more remote than Victoria.