OverviewLocated on Belleville St., next door to the Victoria Ferry Terminal, this non-smoking hotel is popular with guests who want to be able to explore Victoria by foot. On-site amenities include a heated outdoor pool (open seasonally) and a covered outdoor jacuzzi (open year round).
Guests can choose rooms with different bed types (double, queen or king), some of which have a kitchenette. In all rooms, guests can expect free WI FI, bottled water, a 37-inch flat screen TV, a hairdryer, a coffeemaker and an iron and an ironing board. Pets are welcome at this hotel for $10/day. There is free parking available on site.
There are a number of restaurants within walking distance, but guests can choose to have drinks or dine on site for lunch and dinner at the Swiftsure Restaurant and Lounge, open Monday-Saturday from 11:30am-1:30am and open on Sunday from 11:30am-12:00am. Food service is offered daily until 11:00pm.
This hotel is located within a short walk to a number of Victoria's main attractions, including the Inner Harbour, BC Whale Tours and the BC Maritime Museum - all less than a 15 minute walk away. The downtown Victoria area is slightly farther away, about a 17 minute walk. Butchart Gardens, another popular attraction, is about a 28 minute drive away. Guests travelling by air should budget about 31 minutes to travel the 27.8km between the hotel and Victoria International Airport (YYJ) (distances and driving time estimates: Google Maps).
Check-in is at 3:00pm, while check-out is at 12:00pm.
Confirmed with a front desk agent: WI FI, parking, pet policy (call date: June 13, 2012).
The GoodGuests of this hotel were impressed with the convenience of its central location and praised several elements that were on site, including some amenities and the rooms.
Guests appreciated the ability to walk to access a number of Victoria's tourist attractions. They were also pleased to be able to leave their cars in the complimentary hotel parking so that they could explore the city easily by foot. Guests also commented on the views of the Harbour from many of the rooms in the hotel.
Staff received favourable comments from many guests, who used words like "responsive", "friendly" and "welcoming" to describe them.
The rooms were very clean, according to a number of guests. One guest said that their room was "spotless".
There were some additional comments on things like the quality of the food in the restaurant and comfy beds. A few guests also enjoyed using the pool.
The Bad
While most comments used for this analysis were favourable for this hotel, there were a few common complaints, including some issues in the rooms themselves.
Some guests felt that the rooms were small, and there was particular mention of the bathrooms and the showers. A few guests also made comments that the decor and the furniture in the rooms was ageing, and needed updating.
A few guests found their rooms hot and stuffy, and were disappointed that there was no A/C available. One guest had difficulty getting his heating system to shut off.
There were some peripheral comments, centring on things like spotty WI FI connections and street noise.
Confirmed with a front desk agent: WI FI, parking, pet policy (call date: June 13, 2012).
Booking.com guest reviewers rated this hotel 8.7 out of 10, or "fabulous", based on 188 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviewers rated this hotel 4.1 out of 5, or "excellent", based on 102 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviewers rated this hotel 4.1 out of 5, based on 68 reviews. 90% of guests would recommend this hotel.
