hotels, pacific NW

Fairmont Empress Hotel - Victoria

This morning we're headed to Victoria.  Literally right next door, the departure pier for the Victoria Clipper is a very easy walk from the Edgewater Hotel, even if you are dragging luggage. The Clipper offers high speed travel to Victoria’s Inner Harbour along with some impressive sightseeing along the way through north Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Departing at 8:30, we arrived in Victoria at 11:15. 

From the arrival pier in Victora it’s a fairly easy walk (again with luggage) around to the Fairmont Empress Hotel.  The Empress, the “grand-dame” of Victoria occupies the premier location at the top of the inner harbour. 

Hotel Rating:
Overall: Very Good (4 out of 5)
Amenities: Very Good (4 out of 5) beautiful views of Victoria’s Inner Harbour, classic Tea serviced on the casual outside terrace or inside, nice casual/breakfast and dining areas
Location: Excellant (5 out of 5) perfect location for exploring Victoria
Rooms: Very Good (4 out of 5) – a bit small, these charming rooms capture the age old elegance of this hotel
Service: Excellent (5 out of 5)
Value: Very Good (4 out of 5) expect to pay for the classic style and location that the Empress offers.

This evening we had arranged to see the Buchart Garden’s Fireworks.  If you’ve never been to Buchart, plan on spending at least a half day wandering through the beautiful gardens and landscaped lawns.  Arriving by transfer coach about 7pm, we were too late to see much of the grounds before the crowd started gathering for the fireworks.  which were an impressive, mostly ground level display.