One of the iconic hotels in the world! Moved rooms thank you E**** B! Loved breakfast in the…read morenewly reopened Bengal Room. During Christmas week it was refreshing to have such rich hot cocoa in the lobby during the afternoons. The worst thing though was a very large powerful English mastiff which came out of their room near the elevators on the second floor and began barking ferociously. Frankly, dogs shouldn't be allowed if this place is upscale. Overall, loved the Victorian spirit of this iconic hotel.

I'm really curious what the other good reviews are about because the two times we've stayed here…read moreit's been a pretty nightmarish experience for the most part. I will say however the location is excellent for walkability, exterior is gorgeous and the stunning colorful tulips in the spring are a highlight for anyone stopping by. Very slow/painful check in process, rooms were not ready over after supposed check in time, long wait times for breakfast at The Bengal etc. The ONLY silver lining in our experience was the wonderful hotel manager who saved the day and truly made sure we were well taken care of this second time around when things went wrong - if not for him, we would've written this hotel off completely. We do like the pool and hot tub, the Le Labo amenities and the Harbor View rooms are great for the view. Skip the Willow stream spa- the services were mediocre at best and the mineral pool was totally lukewarm; even the hot tub in the general pool area was better. Best part about the spa was the snack area with the yummy PB oat brownie bites and iced lavender + butterfly pea infused water! That said, it's definitely still a hotel with "old bones" despite the recent remodel and it shows when it gets very noisy with street traffic and buskers on the weekend, even at night. Sound insulation in the hallway is next to non-existent so you will inevitably hear the drunk Bachelorette party girls making their way down the corridor to their rooms late at night, and screaming kids in the daytime. Something to consider if noise is something that you care about during vacation. Other than historic charm and solid breakfasts at The Bengal, I'm not sure what else the hotel has going for it unless you spend a fortune on the Gold experience perhaps!

Excellent, so friendly, clean, restaurant in 18 floor fantastic food, reasonable price, world class…read moreviews, defiantly will be back

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.

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.

Really nice experience at this hotel. Amazing location - directly across the street from the…read moreClipper. Really nice staff - they were able to check us in earlier than we thought and went out of their way to be discreet about a surprise wine and chocolates plate I bought for our anniversary. Lovely view - every room has a balcony and ours had a peekaboo view of the water. And we had the best night's sleep I think I have ever had in a hotel bed. The hotel is a bit older and more dated than some other hotels around, but it's got character and fun quirks. I would definitely stay again.

Stayed over the BC day long weekend. My sisters and I took up 3 suites on the 7th and 8th floors…read more One suite had a big balcony with incredible views of the Empress hotel, Harbour and parliament building. The other suites were right on top of each other and had views of the fireworks. Definitely recommend harbor view room for a place as picturesque as Victoria. Love love love that they accept fur babies here. However, our room wasn't supplied with the doggo food/bowl/bed as noted on their website. Didn't bother to ask as we brought our own food and they slept on the bed anyway. The underground parking is quite tight. Beautifully located next to the parliament building. Enjoyed the pool and hot tub. The shower head was terrible.. was shooting water in every direction all at once. The shower gel and shampoos smelled divine. Service was good. Enjoyed our stay and would stay again.

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.

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.

If you can, this is the way to go to Victoria B.C. from Seattle. It's so convenient and not…read moreexpensive, relatively speaking. They have great package tours or you can just get the boat trip. You do pass the into Canada and have to go through customs. Also the leave time in the A.M. can be quite early if you're not a morning person. In the terminal they do have plenty of seating as well as food and beverages while you are waiting to board. You get off in a fairly convenient location in Victoria, pretty walkable to most spots and to hotels. Why not five stars? The experience just wasn't as "nautical" as I was hoping. I felt like I was on a bus - the interior of the vessel gives that impression.

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.