Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Lunch in Victoria




A couple of weeks ago when I spent a few days at Mom's house decluttering and painting we had to make a quick drive into Victoria for her Doctor's appointment with a specialist.  We ended up arriving much earlier than necessary so decided to drive down to the waterfront and have lunch, Mom's treat.  We ate at the Flying Otter Grill where the food is very good and you can watch float planes take off next door.  Victoria is really a lovely city, and even if you only have a few hours, fun to explore.

A shot of the Empress Hotel.  They have afternoon tea here every day if you want to partake, something I have never done.  A couple of years ago we stayed nearby in early December and really enjoyed how they decorate both the hotel and the harbor for Christmas.

At one time Victoria was on our radar for possible places to live, but due to the much higher price of real estate (about twice as much as further north on Vancouver Island) and congestion due to tourism in the summer we decided to cross it off our list.  It is still a wonderful place to visit though.
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8 comments:

  1. ChyMay 7, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    I love to visit Victoria for about a day, lunching at our favorite Irish pub, walking along the harbour and shopping in some of the small, unique shops. But after a few hours, the noise and crowds get to me. Until I introduced dh to SSI, he used to say "we should move to Victoria!!"

    So happy I changed his mind.

    Would love to have tea at the Empress one day as well. We stayed at the Banff Springs 2 years ago in the upper turret and it was a fantastic experience. I'm sure the Empress is just as grand.

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    1. CheapchickMay 8, 2013 at 2:19 PM

      And both hotels are "haunted"! I find all old hotels intriguing. Cheers!

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  2. LiliMay 7, 2013 at 12:29 PM

    Victoria is so beautiful! that's nice that it's close by enough to drive there for appointments and lunch. Oooh, that's nice to know about Christmas decor. It would be a fun Christmas-y thing to do.

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    1. CheapchickMay 8, 2013 at 2:20 PM

      We even caught a Christmas light parade- it was quite fun. From our house it is a 3 hr drive but from Moms about 45 minutes over the Malahat Mountain.

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  3. JayneMay 7, 2013 at 12:39 PM

    Thanks for the memories and photos -- I was just in Victoria about 10 days ago for a work conference. One of my favourite places. Thanks too for mentioning the Flying Otter Inn. I never heard of it before. I'll have to check it out.

    I have been very fortunate to experience afternoon tea a the Empress. Very decadent and pricey but if you go in March, it's a bit cheaper. And there are several other places that serve a similar version of afternoon tea, with a lower price point.

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    1. CheapchickMay 8, 2013 at 2:21 PM

      Yes, Victoria is definitely cheaper pre-May. I tend to like going when the Cruiseships are not in port though, way too many tourists.

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  4. Judy YMay 7, 2013 at 3:14 PM

    Thanks for the memories! We were there a few years ago, unfortunately staying at the Empress was not on our tour :( But it was lovely to wander around the city and have a look. We stayed nearby and wandered down to the Legislative building (I can't recall exactly what it's called) to take photos at night when it was lit up. Looked beautiful, which was just as well as I took a tumble on our way down there in the dark! Cheers Judy xx

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    1. CheapchickMay 8, 2013 at 2:22 PM

      Year round the lights are fantastic. And the flowers!

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