Hotels

Victoria has been welcoming visitors for more than a century, so it knows how to do so with style. You'll find a wide choice of fine accommodations in all price ranges, most in the Old Town, in downtown, or around the Inner Harbour and within easy walking distance of the city's main attractions (except for Butchart Gardens). But you don't have to limit yourself to Victoria proper. A 20-minute or half-hour drive north, east, or west takes you to all manner of marvelous resorts and inns, some on the ocean, some next to quiet bays and harbors, and some perched on mountaintops. You'll find information on the hotel choices in Brentwood Bay, Sooke, Sidney, Bear Mountain, and Malahat in the "Outside the Central Area" section, later in this chapter.

Spas are now an almost essential part of big hotels in Victoria -- so much so that the Inner Harbour has been dubbed Spa Harbour, with major spas at the Delta Ocean Pointe, The Fairmont Empress, and the Hotel Grand Pacific. You can get fine spa treatments at all three and also at Brentwood Bay Lodge, Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, and the new Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa; at the Laurel Point Inn, the spa services are all in-room. Check the hotel websites for special spa/accommodations packages.

Speaking of websites, it's always a good idea to check them out because you'll usually find much cheaper promotional rates or seasonal rates than the rack rates listed here.

You'll save big time if you schedule your holiday from October to May. When the high summer season starts in June, rates tend to skyrocket, especially at the finer resort hotels.

Reservations are essential in Victoria June through September. If you arrive without a reservation and have trouble finding a room, Tourism Victoria (tel. 800/663-3883 or 250/953-2022) can make reservations for you at hotels, inns, and B&Bs. It deals only with establishments that pay a fee to list with them; fortunately, most do.

Prices quoted here don't include the 10% hotel room tax, the 7% provincial accommodations tax, or the 6% goods and services tax (GST).

The Best Bed & Breakfast Registry

If you prefer to stay at a B&B other than those listed in this guide, the following agency specializes in matching guests to the B&Bs that best suit their needs:

Canada-West Accommodations Bed & Breakfast Registry, P.O. Box 86607, North Vancouver, B.C. V7L 4L2 (tel. 800/561-3223 or 604/990-6730; www.b-b.com).

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Maps

• Where to Stay in Victoria

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Vancouver & Victoria 2008 Author: Donald Olson Pub Date: December 26, 2007 Price: $17.99				Related Titles: Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies For Dummies, 2nd Edition Frommer's Algonquin Provincial Park, 2nd Edition Frommer's Banff & Jasper National Parks, 3rd Edition