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Best Hotel Bets
Best Historic Hotel: She's a grande dame, no doubt about it, and she sits on Victoria's Inner Harbour like an Empress on her throne. For sheer showoffy splendor the Fairmont Empress, 721 Government St. (tel. 800/441-1414 or 250/384-8111), has no peers.
Best for Business Travelers: The Magnolia, 623 Courtney St. (tel. 877/624-6654 or 250/381-0999), sits in a convenient location right downtown and features business-friendly amenities. The views are nothing to write home about, but the rooms are comfortable and the bathrooms surprisingly luxe.
Best Place to Pretend You Died & Went to Hollywood: Perched above a fjord, the Aerie, 600 Ebedora Lane, Malahat (tel. 800/518-1933 or 250/743-7115), is famed for its over-the-top splendor. Some find it a bit too too-too, but others love it for just that reason. The restaurant is one of Vancouver Island's best, and the possibilities for pampering are endless.
Best Hotel Lobby: The two-story, plate-glass windows in the lobby of the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa, 45 Songhees Rd. (tel. 800/667-4677 or 250/360-2999), provide the best vantage in Victoria for watching the lights on the Legislature switch on. The comfy chairs and fireplaces also make this a great place to warm up.
Best for Families: Honest, thrifty, and down-to-earth, the Royal Scot Suite Hotel, 425 Quebec St. (tel. 800/663-7515 or 250/388-5463), is great if you have kids in tow thanks to the in-suite kitchens and communal pool, game room, and arcade.
Best B&B: With rooms double the size of those in other B&Bs and every possible need taken care of, the friendly innkeepers at the Haterleigh Heritage Inn, 243 Kingston St. (tel. 866/234-2244 or 250/384-9995), do themselves proud.
Best Inexpensive Hotel: While the rooms in the main hotel are just okay, the next-door suites and cottage operated by the James Bay Inn, 270 Government St. (tel. 800/836-2649 or 250/384-7151), are a veritable steal.
Most Romantic Hotel: Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa, 849 Verdier Ave. (tel. 888/544-2079 or 250/544-2079), is a small luxury resort overlooking a pristine fjord. Every detail in the rooms and bathrooms is perfect, from fabrics to fireplace.
Most Environmentally Conscious Hotel: Sooke Harbour House, 1528 Whiffen Spit Rd., Sooke (tel. 800/889-9688 or 250/642-3421), wins hands down in the go-green department: It has its own bioreactor to reprocess wastewater, which is then used to water its gardens, and it has a green parking lot. Incidentally, this hotel also has the best hotel restaurant and the best oceanside location.
Best Alternative Accommodations: The Boathouse, 746 Sea Dr. (tel. 866/654-9370 or 250/652-9370), is a real (converted) boathouse, with a private dock and a rowing dinghy. Built in a secluded cove, the tiny cottage is a perfect spot for those seeking privacy and a glorious outlook right on the water.
Best Location: Swans Suite Hotel, 506 Pandora Ave. (tel. 800/668-7926 or 250/361-3310), is chock-full of heritage, history, and original art, and it's above Swans Pub, Victoria's best brewpub.
Best Spa: Two spas in the city and two about a 20-minute drive from downtown qualify in this category. Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa, 45 Songhees Rd. (tel. 800/667-4677 or 250/360-2999), is a calm, contemporary, Zen-like facility. More traditional, and completely luxurious, is the Willow Stream spa at the Fairmont Empress, 721 Government St. (tel. 800/441-1414 or 250/384-8111). The Essence of Life spa at Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa, 849 Verdier Ave. (tel. 888/544-2079 or 250/544-2079), has the most impressive hydrobath in British Columbia, and offers massage treatments for couples. Nonsurgical skin treatments (such as Botox and microdermabrasion) are available at the new Santé Spa at Bear Mountain in the Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort & Spa, 1999 Country Club Way (tel. 888/533-2327 or 250/391-7160). All four spas offer complete skin and body treatments, aesthetics, and aromatherapy treatments to pamper the body and spirit.
Best View: Score a newly redesigned and redecorated suite in the South Wing of the Inn at Laurel Point, 680 Montreal St. (tel. 800/663-7667 or 250/386-8721), facing the harbor and you may never want to leave. Outside of town, the Aerie, 600 Ebedora Lane, Malahat (tel. 800/518-1933 or 250/743-7115), offers private terraces with views across tree-clad mountains to a long blue coastal fjord.
The Best Splurge Hotels
- The Aerie (600 Ebedora Lane, Malahat; tel. 800/518-1933 or 250/743-7115; www.aerie.bc.ca): A red-tiled villa high atop Mount Malahat, this luxury accommodation features hand-carved king-size beds, massive wood-burning fireplaces, Jacuzzis, and a famed restaurant. Private terraces offer views across forested mountains to a long coastal fjord.
- Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa (849 Verdier Ave.; tel. 888/544-2079 or 250/544-2079; www.brentwoodbaylodge.com): Every detail in the rooms and bathrooms is perfect at this small luxury resort overlooking a pristine fjord 20 minutes north of Victoria (plus the food is great). You can get treatments for two at the fabulous Essence of Life spa.
- Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa (45 Songhees Rd.; tel. 800/667-4677 or 250/360-2999; www.deltavictoria.com): The glass-fronted hotel lobby and harbor-facing rooms provide the best vantage point in Victoria for watching the lights of the legislature switch on. This comfortable hotel offers a host of services, including a calm, contemporary, Zen-like spa.
- Hotel Grand Pacific (463 Belleville St.; tel. 800/663-7550 or 250/386-0450; www.hotelgrandpacific.com): The rooms in this high-rise luxury hotel beside the harbor come with a full array of amenities, and the fully equipped fitness center offers aerobics classes, a 25m (82-ft.) ozonated indoor pool, a separate kids' pool, a weight room, sauna, whirlpool, and massage therapist.
- Inn at Laurel Point (680 Montreal St.; tel. 800/663-7667 or 250/386-8721; www.laurelpoint.com): With panoramic vistas of the harbor and an elegant, Japanese-influenced decor, this is the place for design junkies and aficionados.
- Sooke Harbour House (1528 Whiffen Spit Rd., Sooke; tel. 800/889-9688 or 250/642-3421; www.sookeharbourhouse.com): In the little town of Sooke, just west of Victoria, this famed oceanside inn offers quiet West Coast elegance and an exceptional restaurant.
The Best Moderately Priced Hotels
- Admiral Inn (257 Belleville St.; tel. 888/823-6472 or tel./fax 250/388-6267; www.admiral.bc.ca): Located on the edge of the Inner Harbour, the Admiral provides friendly service, free bikes, and the most reasonably priced harbor view around.
- The Boathouse (746 Sea Dr.; tel. 866/654-9370 or 250/652-9370; www.members.shaw.ca/boathouse): If you're seeking tranquillity, privacy, and a memorable location, check out this one-room cottage created from a converted boathouse. Built in a secluded cove on Brentwood Bay, within rowing distance of Butchart Gardens, it features its own private dock and dinghy.
- The Magnolia (623 Courtney St.; tel. 877/624-6654 or 250/381-0999; www.magnoliahotel.com): With its central location, elegant lobby, well-designed rooms, and large desks and dataports, the Magnolia is Victoria's best spot for business travelers and those who want understated luxury at a reasonable price.
- Royal Scot Suite Hotel (425 Quebec St.; tel. 800/663-7515 or 250/388-5463; www.royalscot.com): This family-friendly hotel occupies a converted apartment building and offers spacious suites that'll make you and yours feel comfortably at home. The suites come with fully equipped kitchens, and a video arcade and playroom are in the basement.
- Swans Suite Hotel (506 Pandora Ave.; tel. 800/668-7926 or 250/361-3310; www.swanshotel.com): In the heart of the Old Town and just a block from the harbor, this newly refurbished boutique hotel is right above Swans Pub, one of the most pleasant restaurant/brewpubs in the city.
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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