A Weekend in Victoria

A couple weekends ago Ben and I headed to Victoria for a little getaway. I haven’t felt like travelling afar while pregnant (the thought of a long haul flight or even just a flight for that matter is a hard “no” for me), so anything that requires a ferry and/or car is just perfect. I always enjoy time in Victoria and it had been several years so it was fun to revisit favourite spots and discover new ones. The mix of old Victorian buildings, coastal roads and quaint shops is just my cup of (English) tea. In the past we’ve stated at hotels or airbnbs downtown but this time I wanted to try somewhere a little quieter and different. I had heard of the charming B&Bs near the Craigdarroch Castle and we totally lucked out with the perfect spot. We stayed at Fairholme Manor, a magical Victorian home with the loveliest host, best homemade breakfast and darling visitors (be sure to scroll down for photos). Complete with gardens on the property and in the surrounding neighbourhood, it was the perfect place to relax in between outings. With 3 nights and 2.5 days to explore, our weekend in Victoria was a lovely way to kick-start the summer. Scroll down to read and see what we got up to :)

Day 1
We took the very civilized 11am ferry over to Swartz Bay, reading on the upper deck and taking in the islands as we passed. We even got to see a pod of orcas in the distance. When we docked we drove straight to Fish O Chips near Sidney to fill our bellies with battered cod and salty fries. We made our way over to “downtown” Sidney and strolled the shops for a bit (Nest and Nook was a fav). Since Friday was going to be our best day for weather and we were hoping to get some beach time in, we stopped at a little beach on the way into the city and enjoyed some drinks (hello 0% coronas) and fresh strawberries we grabbed at a farm stand off the highway. Sticky and sun-kissed we drove the rest of the way into Victoria and to the Fairholme Manor where the lovely Sylvia greeted us. After dropping our bags we walked next door to the Government House gardens to stroll and admire the roses. A quick freshen up later and we headed downtown for dinner at Il Terrazzo. While the food wasn’t anything to write home about, the service, atmosphere and interior made it a lovely evening.

*Exploring the rose gardens at Government House*

Day 2
Saturday morning we woke up and only had to walk a couple steps outside our room for breakfast on the veranda. The host, Sylvia, is a pastry chef and makes all of the delicious breakfast offerings. Trays of scones and pots of tea were passed around, followed by homemade granola and berry parfaits, garnished with pansies no less. Little saucers of homemade strawberry jam were the perfect accompaniment. The “main course” was egg blossoms - pastry shells filled with poached eggs and served alongside ham or smoked salmon.

After breakfast we headed out and drove along Beach Drive, passing through neighbourhoods and admiring the coastal views. We ended up in Oak Bay for lunch, coffee and a little meandering. We neighbourhood-hopped over to Cook Street but not before ducking into Pigeonhole Home Store. The sun came out as we made our way to Cook Street and we decided to stop for a drink or two at the Beagle Pub. Before leaving the neighbourhood, I popped into Kay’s Korner and Surroundings for some vintage home decor browsing.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent reading in the gardens back at Fairholme. For dinner we headed back downtown to Wind Cries Mary, a highly recommended spot and it was lovely indeed.

*Our breakfast spot on the veranda at Fairholme Manor*

*The resident pup at Surroundings - the sweetest girl!*

Day 3
Another morning with another lovely breakfast was had before we packed up. But in between we were lucky to spot a mama deer and two fawns prancing about the gardens before making their way over to our bedroom window, along with a young buck who we’d said hello to the day before. This might very well have been the highlight of the trip for me :) Our bedroom was right beside the kitchen and it didn’t make us long to put two and two together.

For the rest of our time in Victoria, we wandered the shops downtown only having been down there in the evenings so far. Notable favourites are Amelia Lee, Fan Tan, Paboom and Munro’s Books. We stopped for coffee at Hey Happy where I had their signature horchata slushie that I would certainly go back for. Before making the drive back to the ferry, we stopped into Crust Bakery to pick up some provisions for the road.

My Feel-Good List

Summer Edit

ABOUT SHOP CONTACT