Like father, like son. In the 1880s, coal-mining magnate Robert Dunsmuir built Craigdarroch Castle; 20 years later, his son James built his own wee shack, Hatley Castle, on a vast waterfront estate about 25 minutes from Victoria. His instruction to architect Samuel Maclure was, “Money doesn’t matter, just build what I want.” The bill came to more than C$1 million—about what the government was paying for the new Parliament Buildings. The design is a gorgeous hybrid Norman-Tudor fantasy built of local stone, with beautiful wooden interiors. (No furniture, though—it’s mostly at Craigdarroch Castle.) The castle entry fee is a bit high for the experience, even with the guided tour; you might prefer to explore the castle and its beautiful heritage gardens from the outside.
- Frommer's Staff