Victoria BC Accommodation – Tips on Where to Stay & How to Save the Most!

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Victoria Accommodation –

Tips on Where to Stay & How to Save the Most on Your Hotel

If you’re thinking of heading to Victoria, BC, I’m sharing some tips on where to stay, what to consider about the locations you pick, and ways that you can save on your hotel stay! Many people go up to Victoria for just a night or two, but there really is so much to see & do that you could make it a mini vacation for 3-4 nights if you found a great, affordable Victoria BC hotel & really take advantage of all that Victoria has to offer.

Tips on Where to Stay in Victoria:

On our stay in December, we stayed at the Inn at Laurel Point, which was a great hotel during the Christmas season, as they hosted the Gingerbread Showcase. The day we were there was also a special Santa Claus Brunch several times during the Christmas season. Families got to enjoy brunch & then as kids were ready, they could go greet Santa & sit in his lap as he was stationed in the main room. It looked very relaxed & fun when we peeked in there & the view was simply gorgeous from their restaurant, situated right on the Inner Harbor.

Photo Credit 

But more importantly, the hotel had an ideal location for us. It was on the Inner Harbour, right at the point of entrance actually which was cool to see all the boats/ferries come in. Plus it was just one block to the Victoria Clipper & Coho Ferry terminals and just a few blocks from the Empress hotel & downtown, so we felt it was the prime location.

When looking at lodging, some of the important factors to consider are:

Proximity to the downtown area for easy walking around (which I would think would be key if you’re going with kids). Make sure to try to look at a map so you can see how far the hotel is from the key locations around Victoria – the Empress, Parliament buildings, and the popular downtown street – Government Street.

Harbour Side or in Downtown area – We also were leaning towards a hotel on the water just because we knew the views would be beautiful, especially at Christmas.  However, you want to think about which side of the harbor. Some of the hotels on the North side of the harbor did require going over a bridge which would not have been as easy to get to/from the downtown area, so I’d stick with the south side of the harbor (the Parliament side), if you want to be on the water or call & ask first about how far of a walk it is to the downtown area.

Check reviews on Trip Advisor – We always, always check the reviews out on Trip Advisor just to see what people are staying as it could look like a great hotel, but there may be something that a number of people have commented on as an issue that may bug you. So always look here, but just remember that some people will complain about things no matter what, so you need to be able to discern what may be real issues versus just people who are wanting to complain but at least it gives you a little more heads up about hotels.

Affordability – I’ll share some ways to save below, but with the costs of traveling to Victoria, along with lodging, food, attraction prices & more, it’s definitely important to consider affordability. For us, we decided that we wanted to go with a lower rate room thru Priceline as we knew there were so many Christmas activities we wanted to take advantage of, so we wouldn’t be spending much time in the room, so the view wasn’t important to us. {However, after staying at a hotel with an amazing view, my husband was wishing we’d paid to upgrade so we could have a view of that gorgeous harbor, but those are things you learn. :) } You’ll want to consider all the factors that I’ve mentioned to find the best place for you.

If you really want to save, then there are some good, affordable options outside of the main downtown or into the suburbs and you can either use your car to get into Victoria (just remember to check out parking rates/availability of parking garages – I saw a few but not a ton) or just ride the bus. When my husband and I went here when we were first married, we stayed outside of the main city & then rode the bus in the 2 days we were there for just $5/day each & it was still a great vacation but more affordable for us! {Make sure your hotel is on the bus line or ask if they have a shuttle to downtown, too}

Ways to Save on Lodging in Victoria:

Package Deals – As I mentioned in my post about traveling to Victoria, there are some really good package deals that you can find that include both the ferry & the hotel.  This honestly may be your best bet in finding a Victoria BC hotel deal, although you can check out the other options I will suggest too, just to be sure you’re finding the best one.

Here are the packages available for each of the ferries:

Victoria Clipper

Coho Ferry

BC Ferries

There are some great package rates on each of these sites. The BC Ferries has some very affordable packages, including a deal for round-trip ferry trip for 2 adults + 1 car and 1 night hotel stay (with free parking) at the Inn at Laurel Point (our hotel) for $130 total. The Grand Pacific, right next to the Parliament building, is also $130 for a similar package.

Use Priceline for lower rate – The way that we found our hotel was to use Priceline with their Express Deals. With the Express Deals, you don’t know which hotel you will be getting, but you can narrow it down (we’ve always been able to narrow it down to the actual hotel) by looking at the star reviews, location, etc. This is how we found the Inn at Laurel Point (we paid $90 thru Priceline). Now with Priceline, you do have to remember that you may get a lower level, non-view room, which is what we did get. They did give us the option to upgrade for $20-30, but we wanted to save that money to use on activities & dining in Victoria. Honestly, now that I know more about all the different packages with the ferries, I think we’ll look more into that next trip, but this was kind of a spur of the moment trip with only a few days notice.

Choose Off-Season to Visit Victoria – The most popular times to visit Victoria are in the summer and around Christmas time. Winter and early spring as well as the fall are some really good times to find discounted rates. The weather may not be the best during those seasons (it is the Northwest after all, so they do still get rain, although when we left & arrived back in Seattle, it was dreary, but beautiful skies in Victoria, so it could be different weather). You may also miss the gorgeous flowers that Victoria is known for in the summer, but overall, all the rates are less expensive during those seasons at Butchart Gardens, the museums, the transportation/ferry rates, and definitely lodging! There is still SO much to see & do in Victoria any time of year, so it’s a great time to be able to visit without the crowds, too and really get to know the city & all the wonderful restaurants, museums & more!

Walk-In Rates – As we walked around Victoria, we saw a number of hotels that had signs for their Walk-in Rates which were frequently under $100 for some nice-looking hotels. You could try calling some of the hotels you see rated high on Trip Advisor or after researching to ask what their walk-in rate is or if they’d give you that walk-in rate with a reservation. But otherwise, you may just need to chance it, which could be a bit of a gamble but it could be a fun adventure to see where you end up!

As far as daily deal sites, occasionally I will see discount accommodation Victoria  on Travelzoo, but not regularly. Every now & then, Groupon or Living Social will have discount hotel vouchers, but not often. I’d recommend signing up for their sites, though, just in case (even out of Vancouver, BC).

Hotels to Check Out:

As I mentioned, we stayed in the Inn at Laurel Point, which we really enjoyed.  However, we also saw some hotels as we walked around that also looked very interesting to us & I noticed they are also included in many of the package rates.  Many of these are also offering some great rates in their Deals section, so make sure to always check that out on their website!

Chateau Victoria – This is another hotel that we walked by & it was in the downtown area, but just a few blocks up from the Empress hotel, so another great location to everything downtown! It looked like a nice hotel & it was our 2nd choice hotel if we hadn’t stayed at the Inn at Laurel Point (I think it also came up on Priceline, too). It looked affordable & got good reviews!

Hotel Grand Pacific – This hotel is in the prime location – literally right next to the Parliament buildings and just a block from the Empress hotel, while still being basically on the Inner Harbour (it is across the street but no tall buildings to block the view of the rooms). We walked by this hotel every day & it looked very nice & as I said, the location can’t be beat!

Delta Ocean Pointe Resort – This was a resort that we saw from the Victoria Clipper arriving & departing from Victoria and it caught our eye as a cool place. It is right on the Inner Harbour, but on the north side. It is included in several of the package rates & it looks very family-friendly with milk & cookies & a story time every night at 7pm, kids 6 & under eat free off the Children’s Menu & they also offer cribs in addition to highchairs/booster seats, etc. It’s also pet-friendly. I think it is on the other side of the bridge, so you just may want to call & find out how that works if you’re walking into the city & how long it takes, how easy it is with kids over the bridge, etc.

Huntingdon Manor & Gatsby Mansion – This is not one we have seen as part of the ferry package deals, but this hotel & Bed & Breakfast (the Gatsby Mansion) were right next to the hotel we stayed at so we walked by it numerous times & just fell in love with it {we never had time to go inside, but it looked so charming & romantic for a couple’s getaway}. It’s also right on the Inner Harbour (well, right across the street, but nothing blocks the view) with a prime location to the Parliament Buildings, Empress Hotel & downtown, as well as ferry terminals.

Right now, they are offering a special rate of buy 2 nights as low as $109/night & get a 3rd night free, which works out to around $73/night! I did look at reviews & it does get slightly lower reviews based on the condition of rooms as people remarked that the rooms feel older, but the hotel management said that the rooms are getting remodeled right now to be completed by March 2015, so keep that in mind as that is most likely why they have an awesome special (there might be some remodeling work going on). We spent very little time in our room though as there was just so much to see & do in Victoria.

Empress Hotel Victoria BC – The most renowned and popular hotel of course is the Empress Hotel. It is a fancier hotel, but they have some great specials on their Specials page – 20% off + Free parking for Northwest residents (from WA, BC or Alberta); they also have AAA discounts as well as a Buy 2, get the 3rd night free discount available during the off-season right now in the winter. Make sure to check out the ferry packages I listed above as well, as several of them offer Empress Hotel packages and Kenmore Air has a package deal too.

Bed and Breakfast Victoria BC – If you’re looking for something a little different for a couple’s getaway, Victoria also has some great options for Bed & Breakfast locations. Check on specials during the off-season to find some great rates. Just remember to find out the location of the B&B to find out about how to get into the city, to make sure to factor that into your budget.

Check out more posts about Victoria, BC & other popular Northwest Travel destinations::

• Tips for Visiting Victoria BC – What to See, How to Get Around & more
• Restaurants in Victoria BC
• Accommodations in Victoria BC – Where to Stay & How to Save the Most
• Travel to Victoria – Tips & the Best Ways to Save
• Butchart Gardens at Christmas
• Victoria at Christmastime
• Northwest Travel Page – information about lodging (including hotel reviews), restaurants, activities & attractions for an area & more for Portland, Mt Hood, Seattle Staycation Tips, Leavenworth & more!
• Disneyland Tips & Ways to Save

If you’ve been to Victoria, we’d love to hear your suggestions & tips on where to stay! What have been your favorite places to stay in Victoria!