We did the afternoon tea at the Fairmont after hearing people say it was a must do in Victoria, BC…read more The cost is pricey but the experience is one of a kind. First, you pick your tea flavor. Each person only gets one tea selection the entire experience, but you get a large teapot. So, we were recommended to each get different flavors for our group to share. Of the finger foods for the tea, we loved the beef sandwich and the biscuits!

Didn't stay at the hotel, but paid a visit to the hotel lounge. Beautiful view, historic building…read moreand excellent service (the host went above and beyond to make sure we got the seating we liked in order to watch a sports game. Thank you for the accommodation.!) Two complaints 1) lounge was understaffed. Between services. there were not enough cleaning, and the couch and the table were greasy and dirty. 2) I didn't enjoy the cocktails. Didn't like the gin & yuzu cocktail (too strong and lacked flavor) or the leechy cocktail (too sweet and heavily syrupy). It was a pity that I tried two out of five signature cocktails, and wasn't happy with any of them and they were pricey.

This hotel is beautiful. It's decorated beautifully especially Christmas time. The hotel staff were…read morevery helpful and friendly. I always love when a hotel accommodate for early check-in and that you can leave your luggage with them after check-out if you're not leaving the area just yet. The rooms could be a little more spacious but it's manageable. I say no more than 3/4 people in a double bed. Two comfortably. The bathroom is a little tight as well, no more than one person at a time. There are two restaurants in the hotel. One is located on the 18th floor. And yes we did check it out. The food is good but you'll have to see the separate review for that :). We only stayed for one night as our time was limited. But I'd come back here again. It's walking distance to coffee shops, restaurants, and local business shopping. Overall the experience was great.

Stayed here for my birthday and it was great. Staff is super friendly. Location is just a few…read moreblocks from downtown shopping. It included parking which was nice. Room is on the smaller side... but it was clean. Nice indoor pool! Would stay here again!

I am sitting on the bed in room 22B, and I'll tell you...I am pleased as punch. It is clean, and…read moretastefully, sparcely decorated with an IKEA meets World Market vibe. Now if you know me at all, you KNOW I love fresh air. At many hotels, I 100% loathe the act of desperately sucking my "fresh air" through some dusty window air conditioner thingy, but in 22B, glory be! I can open fully an old-wood-framed window and lay here gazing at the green leaves of a tree swaying in the breeze as I inhale copious lungfuls of the oxygen I love so much. In addition to free air, free breakfast is also promised, which is pretty normal in hotels, but get this...drumroll...FREE DINNER and a drink! We, unfortunately went out and wasted our money on bad food at a restaurant (Dosa Paragon...read the review), so don't know how the free dinner was here. My expectations are reasonable, so if they have coffee and bread at breakfast, we are good! If they have a waffle spinner,that would be typical but surprising here. Yes, it's a little noisy, but not as much as I feared for being in the heart of a bustling downtown. Stay here and get room 22B! Update: Excellent breakfast and there is a communal kitchen! No waffle spinner.

*BED BUGS* Stayed in Room 17K and left early because the…read moreroom was gross -- hairs in the bed, dirty counters, and a small red bug in the sheets that I *hoped* wasn't a bed bug. Spoiler alert: it was. The air freshener under the sink was so strong it made me nauseous. When I tried to check out early, instead of asking "How was your stay?" or trying to help, the front desk just said, "No refund for you!" -- which is a great way to make a guest feel unwelcome, not valued. They say they don't want to greet guests that way, but that's exactly what happened. Management says they "need to be advised at the time" to fix issues, but how was I supposed to report bugs at check-in when I hadn't even been in the room yet? And when I tried to raise concerns at checkout, I was cut off. So, no chance to fix things on site -- which they say is why they won't refund me. They admit their "high standards of quality" weren't met -- the hairs and dirty counters prove that -- and that the "nauseating air freshener" is a love-it-or-hate-it thing they could have removed or even moved me to another room, but none of that happened. They claim they found no evidence of bed bugs but will "treat it as such" because it's a serious complaint. I have photos of the bites I woke up with at home, and I saw a similar bug in my own apartment later. Seems pretty connected to me. Finally, they say they won't refund me because I "threatened" to leave negative reviews -- except I'm just sharing my honest experience, which any traveler deserves to hear. They offered a discount for a future stay, but after this, I won't be going back. If you want a clean, safe place with guest service that actually listens, look elsewhere.

We had a good stay at Helm's Inn in Victoria…read more It is in a great location, right beside Beacon Hill park and near the legislature. It is easy walking distance to the harbour, fisherman's wharf and downtown Victoria. Parking is $20.00 a day. When we arrived at 1:00 our room was not ready but they gave us a parking voucher so we were able to park our car and explore Victoria. The staff were all very friendly. There are coffee and newspapers available in the lobby and they have a nice little courtyard outside the lobby but there were only 2 tables available. The room was clean but our room was very small and backed onto the main road. I had trouble sleeping because of traffic late and night and early in the morning. The air conditioning unit was also very loud so getting a good nights sleep was difficult. The price was reasonable for high season in Victoria. If we stayed again we ask for a room that does not face the main street.

Really felt this was a great location and very nice price. Many room options and lots was very…read morenice. It was a suite with a kitchenette and worked great for us. We explored downtown and then into the park.

tl;dr: great rooms, incredible views…read more I was pretty nervous coming into this place - if driving you go down an alley to a half-broken intercom where you ask to be let in. Then you take an elevator with flickering lights up to a small lobby... was not getting good vibes about this place. But wow, when you walk into one of their waterfront suites it's like another world - incredible views of the harbor. The room itself was also really nice and felt new, other than there being compact fluorescent bulbs in the lamps rather than LEDs. Staff was really nice and efficient. Water pressure and temperature in the shower were great. Kitchen was fully equipped, but didn't come with oil or spices. The insulation on the windows and balcony doors was really good, you could barely hear the float planes taking off. Every restaurant we had reservations at was within a short walk of this hotel. All in all, a great place to stay in Victoria.

Been here for a few days to experience the holidays in Victoria, my second visit to the city just…read morethis year. This hotel was not my first choice but it will be on my next trip. It's close to everything and so much is just a short walk away, easy onsite parking (however space is a bit limited) friendly staff, beautiful room, very clean, and helpful staff. Very pleased with my experience here and will certain return on my next visit to Victoria.

First time visiting Victoria and this was the perfect stay for us. We took the Clipper ferry from…read moreSeattle to Victoria BC and this hotel was literally right across the ferry station. So convenient and check in was a breeze, they were able to give us a room at 11:30am when we arrived vs the normal check in time at 4pm. Customer service was excellent, the restaurant Fathom was nice as well. Clean facilities and daily parking was $34 per night. The hotel is located right next to the Parliament and Government st, everything was within walking distance. You wouldn't really need a car. We would love to stay here again in the future.

A beautiful hotel! The restaurant, Fathom, is great for breakfast and dinner! Great views if you…read moreget a harbor view suite - watch the seaplanes come in to land. Rooms are on the older side but still feel modern and refreshed. Amazing place to stay in Victoria: cheaper than the Fairmont Empress, great service and amenities, and a short walk to Government Street, the main drag.

My mother and I took the Clipper to and from Victoria for Mothers Day weekend and loved it. It ran…read moreon time both ways and the staff was very friendly and seating was comfortable. Much of their amazing staff has been let go with sailings cut due to the current political situation reducing ridership which is a shame. Also the terminal location in Victoria is quite confusing to be dropped off at as it is temporary and not well marked. Looking forward to riding the Clipper again.

I've taken the ferry numerous times over the years and it's been wonderful. Easy travel and…read morefriendly staff. But this past trip was a complete nightmare. The date of my trip was changed due to a miscommunication on behalf of the agent. The manager at the Seattle terminal did not offer any alternatives. There was no email or phone confirmation about the change and did not find out until I arrived at the terminal. I made the trip weeks later and had to change my departure return twice. The first agent did not tell me that the ferry left at an earlier time on Thursdays. I did not receive a confirmation email and the only reason I found out about the earlier time was that I went to check my seat selections. I called again and the first representative I spoke to, Dana, was incredibly rude on the phone. I requested to change my departure date and she replied, "Do you have a booking number or what? What do you want me to do with this?" I asked for a different agent and she said I could call again. I ended up speaking with Gail, who was rudcondescending and kept interrupting. I'm not sure if these agents are overworked or not getting paid enough but they need a refresher on their customer service skills. It's a shame because I used to recommend the Clipper and looked forward to these trips which I usually take 2-3 times a year. But this past experience has made me hesitant and might consider using an alternative route.

Not a bad way to go if you plan on visiting Victoria BC. We booked an 8 am departure and grabbed…read moresome window seats. Voyage took about 3 hours but seemed to go by fairly fast. Check-in was simple and going through Customs in Victoria was painless. Ferry does have an on-board cafe for snacks and drinks.

Who wouldn't want to take a fast ferry to another country? Start your morning in Seattle and end up…read morehaving an early lunch in the Victoria harbor with on the Victoria Clipper. We just did one upgrade to get window seats in the economy area, which was totally worth it. The boat was less than half full - if it had been fuller I would have gone for more of an upgrade as the seating in economy is a bit narrow if someone is near you. Staff were friendly and on and off boarding was easy. Food looked edible and it was nice to have servers come through the cabin - they also passed out motion sickness pills - although our ride was smooth. Nice views of the water and mountains all the way there and back. I wouldn't recommend parking in the Bell Street Garage. Although it was ten bucks a day we ended up locked in the garage upon return for more than an hour due to a broken machine and limited staffing. Clipper was not responsive or helpful when we offered feedback on this partnership, which makes me dock a star.

Paid a premium for the agent to commit massive, expensive and very stressful blunders only to be…read moretold "oh but we have amazing reviews on google". So if you want to pay a couple hundred dollars for the stress of almost missing your international connecting flight in the 4th largest Canadian airport- don't worry the professional agent who booked said flight on one of the busiest travel days of the year will just tell you "I did nothing wrong, the connection time is legal, just tell people to let you cut in line. Calgary international is a small airport...". Poor customer service, poor organisation, poor planning, and genuine lack of professionalism. Save yourself the hundreds of dollars and stress and procure another travel agency or just do it yourself with sky scanner- you'll probably have a more efficient and reliable itinerary that way

The flight I was enquiring about was for 1 adult and one child. the total was $348 . This company…read morewanted $75 each for a booking fee, an additional $150 dollars, half the flight cost. Would never recommend these people. Outrageous.