Victoria bed and breakfast for Seattle travelers

Posted on September 4, 2009 by Linda Vernon

Guests at our Victoria bed and breakfast naturally are most often from Washington State (WA) or British Columbia (BC) for geographic reasons. Seattle and Vancouver account for many travelers here, being an easy drive away. And we are a very short, and pretty, drive from the magnificent Butchart Gardens.

Seattle WA to Victoria BC map

Seattle WA to Victoria BC map

Ferry crossings are about 90 minutes and the BC Ferries route is hourly at peak times so you just need to estimate driving time to the ferry and add about 20 minutes once on Vancouver Island to reach our Victoria bed and breakfast.

We recommend Seattle travelers drive north on I5 and enter Canada on that highway, which becomes #99 in British Columbia. After passing through immigration there it is an easy 45 minute drive to Tsawwassen for the lovely crossing through the Gulf Islands. This may not seem as obvious as crossing from Port Angeles but there ferries are infrequent and it is a slow road to reach it via a further ferry.

So, since it is neither lengthy or difficult to travel betweem Seattle and Victoria you can plan to relax perhaps for a romantic getaway or weekend break. Our Victoria bed and breakfast is ideal for these – in a quiet yet central location. Choose from a secluded garden cottage or elegant manor house rooms, all with high quality decor and amenities. Relax in our acre of glorious gardens, visit the 50 acres at the Butchart Gardens, have soothing massage treatments, savour fine dining, wander in parks, on beaches or downtown. There’s so much to do (or not to do!). We hope to welcome you on your next trip from Seattle, or wherever home may be, to  beautiful Victoria BC.

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The Gazebo

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Linda Vernon
The gazebo at the bed and breakfast

The gazebo

The Gazebo Bed and Breakfast was an obvious name for our B and B in Victoria when we opened way back in the last century (it seems like that, as indeed it was). The house had been used as a tearoom for the previous 19 years, named The Gazebo Tearoom. We remember bringing friends here for lunch naturally not realising its future role in our lives. At that time there was an octagonal wooden gazebo in the gardens housing a large bird cage.

This gazebo was probably built no later than 1979 so after 30 years exposure to the elements it was well past its prime. With some reluctance, we tore it down this spring though not until we had purchased a satisfactory replacement which fitted the concrete foundation very nicely. We wanted something open and welcoming. Two chairs and a small table are inside along with plant containers giving a splash of colour. Its metal frame is still a little stark but two clematis and some roses are climbing up it and a new flower bed next to the gazebo will soon mature. It will be a nice spot to enjoy an evening glass of wine or a good book.

After all, the Gazebo Bed and Breakfast could not exist without a gazebo!

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Butchart Gardens bed and breakfast

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Linda Vernon

Visitors to the Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC go to see…well, the magnificent gardens, what else? It is therefore very gratifying when guests tell us at breakfast the next morning that they actually preferred our gardens here at our bed and breakfast. This happened this morning, not for the first time.

Perhaps we should call ourselves the Butchart Gardens Bed and Breakfast!

Seriously though, we can not compare. For one thing we have an acre rather than 55. For another, we fit in gardening when there’s a spare hour or two whereas the Butchart Gardens have about 50 gardeners. So you will see weeds here!

Gazebo Bed and Breakfast cottage gardens

Gazebo Bed and Breakfast cottage gardens

Instead of massed plantings we have more delicate displays in many beds. These settings include a cottage garden, nursery and cuttings area, woodland shrubs including dozens of rhododendrons and hydrangeas. There are waterfalls, a terrace, lawn, fruit trees – all quiet spots for relaxation and a stroll. But if you want to hunt for weeds, be our guest!

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The Butchart Gardens

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Linda Vernon

The Butchart Gardens are clearly the leading attraction to visitors to Victoria, British Columbia. We are fortunate in being located so near the Gardens so nearly all our guests visit them during their stay.

To help visitors plan their time their we have recently added new Butchart Gardens pages to our website. These include three pages devoted solely to certain areas.

The Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC, Canada

The nearby Butchart Gardens

There is the famed Sunken Garden whose carefully staged entrance always creates oohs and aaahs with its dramatic view over the former limestone quarry.

Our favourite is the Japanese Garden, especially in the late summer evenings when it is illuminated. After over one hundred years it is both mature and fresh. If you enjoy Japanese Gardens then also visit the very different Takata Garden at nearby Glendale Gardens.

Then there is a page combining two areas, the Rose Garden and the Italian Garden with the nearby Star Pond.

You will see why a lengthy visit is necessary, especially if you plan to enjoy afternoon tea there – the Butchart Gardens is one of the best two venues for a Victoria high tea in our view (along with the White Heather Tea Room in Oak Bay).

During the summer months you really should see the gardens lit at night after listening to the concert on the lawns. (Fireworks are only on summer Saturday nights). So there’s much to do there.

Incidentally, and we think this is very important, please do not visit Victoria for just one night in order to only visit the Butchart Gardens. There is SO much more to do: see itineraries suggestions.

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Bed and breakfast gardens

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Linda Vernon
Victoria Bed and breakfast gardens

Our Bed and breakfast gardens

Our bed and breakfast gardens have been getting a lot of attention recently. After a chilly Spring the air suddenly warmed in mid-May. Plants were about three weeks behind their usual state of growth but they’ve been catching up fast.

With the help of Linda’s sister Pam and her husband George much has been accomplished. Guests’ comments have been just part of the reward.

The pavers laid two years ago have been cleaned and sealed in the main areas. That sentence does not do justice to the task since we laid 15,00 – 18,000 of them. Container pots have new annuals so that the bed and breakfast gardens have lovely little displays. Moss has been cleaned off four roofs and weeds are in the constant process of being removed in that constant battle.

Another big project was to take up all of a moss-grown lawn which never received enough sun for the grass, dig up the sprinkler system (you wouldn’t believe the directions the pipes took underground: a baffling invisible maze) and replace it with an environmental drip system. Then 12 yards of soil was moved into place before planting could begin for what promises to be a charming garden through which a bark mulch path winds. Ah, yes, and then there were the other paths which needed bark mulch, 12 yards of it. Finally, a leaning retaining wall was taken up and re-built vertically.

Phew, that’s exhausting just to write about! Come and see our Victoria gardens if you can. Everything is bursting into bloom. The photo above shows the pristine path under the wisteria looking towards the front entrance.

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Royal BC Museum exhibit

Posted on May 5, 2009 by Linda Vernon
Royal BC Museum

The Royal British Columbia Museum

The Royal BC Museum exhibit “Treasures: The World’s Cultures from the British Museum” has just opened in Victoria. It runs until 30th September 2009. Accompanying it is an IMAX film “Journey to Mecca”. We have had the opportunity to preview both and heartily recommend them to you.

The exhibit is one of the best at the RBCM for several years. Its 300 artifacts present over a million years of history. Like all exhibits at the museum it is very well presented. You can buy tickets online or at the museum.

The IMAX cinema always has several films being played over the summer with one having top billing: “Journey to Mecca”. Ibn Battuta has been described as “the traveller not of an age but of Islam”, having travelled 75,00 miles! He began these in 1325 with the journey to Mecca shown in the film and then kept going, on and on.

Do visit them both. (By the way, the mammoth above is part of one of the Royal BC Museum’s permanent exhibits which range from the Ice Age to pioneer days in Victoria).

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Easter in Victoria

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Linda Vernon

Easter in Victoria looks like being beautiful after our unusually long winter. I suppose any journalist with a regular feature to write runs dry of ideas. This was true for this blog post until the day dawned with wonderfully warming sunsine. At last Spring can begin. Our tulips are barely buds but that may change by Easter.

Tulips in Victoria BCVictoria in the Spring is delightful. As well as floral beauty there are charming walks (four guests went for a hike on Whiffen Spit today and loved it). There are easter church services, a chess festival, easter egg hunts, a performing arts festival, an exhibit about the Vikings, live jazz as well as all the usual places to explore: see the Victoria Attractions page on our website.

By Easter Sunday we hope for a little resurrction of our own here. The old gazebo had to be dismantled and a new one will replace it. As our namesake, we really did have to ensure that it remained in one form or another. Maybe a photo of it will appear next time.

Until then,
Happy Easter.
Linda and Martin.

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New Victoria Spa Package

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Linda Vernon

The new Spa Package is the latest addition to our range of packages.

Massages in Victoria BC

Victoria spa packages

We see packages as a convenience for our guests who wish to have a selection of activities and goodies pre-arranged. This we are happy to do. Other people prefer to have just one or two elements of the packages and we can help them plan this. Then, others like to discuss possible options with us after they arrive. The choice is yours.

If a bed and breakfast spa package appeals, then you will enjoy two (one apiece) endless relaxation full-body massages (I can verify that they are wonderfully soothing), a fruit and cheese tray with sparkling wine or apple juice, local Victoria chocolates, fresh flowers and a selection of Silk Road spa products to take home. The current total cost is Cdn$310 + 5% GST, in addition to your room rates. A two night minimum stay applies.

Others on our website include two romance packages, a gardens package and a whale-watching package.

If you prefer just to have a massage or other treatments then take a look at our Victoria massages page – there are two massages, body scrubs, facials, manicures and pedicures from qualified therapists. Please remember to book ahead so that we can arrange an appointment with them. If you take a massage we suggest you plan a relaxing couple of hours afterwards to savour the deep calming you will be enjoying.

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Breakfast at a bed and breakfast

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Linda Vernon
Victoria B&B breakfasts

Breakfast at Gazebo B&B

Breakfast needs to be set up very soon in the Morning Room where our bed and breakfast guests will enjoy the break from their fast tomorrow morning. So before doing this I thought a quick breakfast blog entry was in order.

Attending a trade show last weekend I stayed in a hotel for its convenient proximity. Overnight parking cost $12 and the breakfast was over-priced. Oh to be in a bed and breakfast with free parking and a free full breakfast!

So before I load our dining table with all the accoutrements that make our breakfast table so elegant I thought a little background might be of interest.

The Morning Room (read Dining Room) receives the morning sun so, poetically, one might describe rays of morning sun glancing across the table but I will refrain from that. The furnishings are a blend of antique Canadian heirlooms and more contemporary items like botanical tapestries. Elegant glass and silver add sparkle. Flowers vay according to the seasons. All this is set up the previous evening and necessary preliminary kitchen preparations made.

In the morning Linda and I silently (always) enjoy our coffeee, toast and marmalade (what else for an Englishman?) before turning to the baking, blending, cooking etc. You can see a sample of typical results on the breakfast page of our B&B website. It is tasty and nutritious, “setting up” our guests for the days excursions. A few recipes are also on the website including our favoured Fruit Fool which also makes for a quick yummy dessert.

We hope you will be able to enjoy it soon too!

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2009 – stay in a BnB

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Linda Vernon
Victoria B&B guests

Some of our B&B guests relaxing

To stay in a BnB affords extra value at a time when everyone is taking extra care with personal expenditures. We wrote about this in a recent blog and it was re-inforced by an advertisement being placed in the WestJet flight magazine by three Victoria bed and breakfast associations.

The advert speaks of the many complimentary services offered by bed and breakfast accommodations rather than hotels but also rightly wrote that “personal service, comforts and extra efforts are always included”.

We are reminded of this when we look through the comments written in our guest books last year and in the preceding ten years. It is a heart-warming experience to read of such appreciative comments. It’s also an encouragement to realise that we have personally contributed to making their stay in Victoria a memorable one.

So as we approach the 2009 BnB season we do so with some apprehension, not expecting last year’s record occupancy rates, yet with the knowledge that we will be providing our guests with a wonderful break from their daily lives. We look forward to meeting our 2009 guests!

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