From Government Street, stretching out to Chinatown, about 8 blocks away, you will find the primo shopping district of Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Kicking off the shopping right at Government Street, is The Bay Centre, which had been previously known as the Victoria Eaton Centre. It is the start point of the main shopping drag. From The Bay, the landmarks of the Harbour: The Royal BC Museum, the Provincial legislative Buildings, the Empress Hotel, Undersea Gardens, and more are in clear view and easily walkable.
The surrounding streets are often filled, with street musicians and vendors, as well as locals and tourists relaxing, enjoying a meal and enjoying the sights in between their ‘museum-ing’ and their ‘shopping’. A must stop when you are visiting Vancouver Island.
The Stores of The Bay Centre
The Bay Centre offers world class and diverse shopping opportunities. The more tourist oriented stores will offer what is referred to as the ‘3M’s’, which are Moose, Mounties and Maple Syrup, in numerous different incarnations. You will find classic stores like the local Munro’s Books, and Roger’s Chocolates, which has 7 stores across Canada. You’ll also find chain stores like Aldos, Coles, Esprit, Guess, Crabtree & Evelyn and Payless, and Marble Slab, a ColdStone Creamery type ice cream emporium, filling the 4 floors of The Bay Centre.
The bright and airy feeling Mall has high glass ceilings which is part of its inviting nature and a glass elevator, which has been described as ‘rad’. With more than 90 shops, you can find a little of everything, including, Department stores, Electronic Stores, numerous Apparal and Footwear stores, Children’s stores, Jewelry and Specialty stores like Photography and Personal Care, as well as Restaurants, Cafes and also a Food Court. Underground parking is always convenient and its also free after 6 p.m.
The Guest Services Department believes in high quality service and will bend over backwards to be of help. This is a high quality shopping environment where you will find great brands, great food and great service.
For more information on The Bay Centre:
Victoria Accommodations – Inner Harbour
There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts to pick from including our sponsors, Best Western:
A great hotel in Victoria, with the best location, right at the Inner Harbour/downtown Victoria and a short walk to major attractions, restaurants, shops, and oceanside paths.
Enjoy complimentary extended continental breakfast and free parking. Our beautiful rooms, spacious one-bedroom suites and luxurious penthouse apartments are 100% non-smoking and each include a private balcony, fridge, microwave, free Wi-Fi and in-room movies. Ideal for extended stays, we also have kitchen studios and suites available for weekly & monthly stays.
Popular nearby Victoria attractions include the Royal British Columbia Museum, Parliament Buildings, Undersea Gardens, the Empress Tea Room, Miniature World, the Bug Zoo, Horse-drawn carriage tours, Beacon Hill Park, departures for whale watching tours (seasonal) and all the entertainment the Inner Harbour has to offer.
Contact info: Best Western Plus Inner Harbour
412 Quebec Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V 1W5, CA
Toll Free: (888) 383-2378 Phone: (250) 384-5122 Fax: (250) 384-5113 Email: info@victoriabestwestern.com
Come and enjoy Vancouver Island and please tell your friends about us.
Re-published from www.amazingvancouverisland.com under creative commons license.
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When I first heard Roger’s Chocolates Mission Statement – To enrich people’s lives by creating cherished memories – one chocolate at a time! – I was touched. First of all, I’m in favour of enriching peoples’ lives, by any means, and creating memories, but to be honest, it really is the ‘one chocolate at a time’ part that most piqued my interest. The more I’ve learned about this ‘yummy’ company, the more I can tell you, it’s pretty much a ‘Cocoa- Nirvana’.
Roger’s Humble Beginnings on Vancouver Island
This Vancouver Island company is celebrating their 125th Anniversary this year. Created by Charles ‘Candy’ Rogers, in the back of his grocery store in 1885, just a short 6 years later he moved the chocolate company to 913 Government Street, into the very storefront they occupy today on the Inner Harbour. Government Street is a bustling and charming location, home to street performers, souvenir shops, and cafes, Munros’ Books, and fine restaurants.
Known as one of Canada’s premier chocolatiers, Roger’s Chocolates has expanded to include 7 retail stores, which include locations in Sidney, Oak Bay and Whistler, has merchandise carried by hundreds of outlets and ships orders worldwide.
Victoria’s Place for Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate
Rogers’ offers a very full complement of chocolate treats: Milk, Dark, White Chocolates, Creams, Mints, Truffles, they Organic and no-Sugar Lines, Baking & Fondue and Dessert Sauces and more. They also celebrate Canada Day with maple flavored chocolate.
Don’t see exactly what you want to take home? You can pick and choose and Build Your Own Box of Chocolates. Need to find a special present? Try one of Rogers’ Gift Collections, maybe the Canadian Art Collection (a combo Art Souvenir as well as taste-treat). Looking for the perfect something for someone who works for you or a client?
Have a special occasion or event you’re planning? Orders both small and large are easily filled and the company seems to have a never ending pool of creativity when it comes to cocoa, including a monthly Tasting Club – I can hardly wait for the Hazelnut Creams in January.
Rogers Chocolates
Chocolate with a Conscience
Rogers’ Chocolates also seem to have a heart. They share Recipes for items like Fondue and Truffles. They advise on the care of Chocolate so that anything you don’t eat in the store can be stored and kept in their best condition for devouring at a later time.
Most impressively they lend support to numerous not-for-profit organizations with ‘in-kind’ chocolate donations, which helps raise money for worthwhile causes, in both the U.S. and Canada. See all the good chocolate can do?
I think Rogers’ is a company that takes their Mission Statement to heart – and so do I – one chocolate at a time. Yuuuuummmmmmm!
To visit Roger’s Chocolates at Victoria’s Inner Harbour: http://www.rogerschocolates.com/stores.php#victoria
Inner Harbour Victoria Accommodations:
There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts to pick from including our sponsors, Best Western:
A great hotel in Victoria, with the best location, right at the Inner Harbour/downtown Victoria and a short walk to major attractions, restaurants, shops, and oceanside paths.
Enjoy complimentary extended continental breakfast and free parking. Our beautiful rooms, spacious one-bedroom suites and luxurious penthouse apartments are 100% non-smoking and each include a private balcony, fridge, microwave, free Wi-Fi and in-room movies. Ideal for extended stays, we also have kitchen studios and suites available for weekly & monthly stays.
Popular nearby Victoria attractions include the Royal British Columbia Museum, Parliament Buildings, Undersea Gardens, the Empress Tea Room, Miniature World, the Bug Zoo, Horse-drawn carriage tours, Beacon Hill Park, departures for whale watching tours (seasonal) and all the entertainment the Inner Harbour has to offer.
Contact info: Best Western Plus Inner Harbour
412 Quebec Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V 1W5, CA
Toll Free: (888) 383-2378 Phone: (250) 384-5122 Fax: (250) 384-5113 Email: info@victoriabestwestern.com
Come and enjoy Vancouver Island and please tell your friends about us.
Re-published from www.amazingvancouverisland.com under creative commons license.
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There are numerous attractions filling Victoria’s Inner Harbour; museums, gardens, shops. I love this attraction because it has some of it all. It’s a museum and it’s a garden, and it has a gift shop. It’s also underwater to boot: the Pacific Undersea Gardens: an interactive museum of marine animal life, which exists 15 feet under the surface of the Harbour. Located at the south west entrance of the Inner Harbour you board the vessel and find the Pacific Undersea Garden and marine animals swimming and playing in their natural environment.
There are numerous exhibits that are part of Vancouver island’s Undersea Gardens, which showcases more than 5,000 different species of the marine life of British Columbia, which include Sea stars, Sea Anemones, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, various beautifully colored and shaped fish and crustaceans, as well as showing the life cycle of the salmon (complete with laying eggs and giving birth to their young). Wolf Eels and the largest Giant Pacific Octopus in the world, named Armstrong are also an important part of the undersea festivities, and I understand Armstrong is quite the star.
The sea animals live safely in aquariums which are attached to the Pacific Underwater Garden vessel and are observed through large viewing windows. I like to think they know we’re there and that they enjoy putting on a show for us. Speaking of which, there is an underwater theatre stage where a marine dive show runs all day with each of the kinds of sea creatures being featured, some by the human divers.
The underwater dive show runs about 20 minuutes. You can tour the facility enjoying the views and the interactive areas as long as you like. There is a sea pool area, which is similar to a “petting zoo” for marine life and there’s also a seal pup rehabilitation tank. One could rush through this exhibit in short order, but I think you might be shortchanging yourself and the exhibit. On average, it takes about 60-90 minutes to really see and enjoy this attraction and to get to know the critters. Rescuing and rehabilitating seal pups is a project that the Pacific Undersea Gardens is deeply committed to and at first glance into the eyes of one of these sweet little creatures , one can understand why.
Clearly this is a great place to bring the whole family and after you go through the exhibits, you can hit the The Treasure Cove Gift Shop and pick up marine-related toys and souvenirs for the folks back home.
Anyone for petting a seal pup?
For more information on Pacific Undersea Gardens
http://www.pacificunderseagardens.com
Inner Harbour Victoria Accommodations:
There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts to pick from including our sponsors, Best Western:
A great hotel in Victoria, with the best location, right at the Inner Harbour/downtown Victoria and a short walk to major attractions, restaurants, shops, and oceanside paths.
Enjoy complimentary extended continental breakfast and free parking. Our beautiful rooms, spacious one-bedroom suites and luxurious penthouse apartments are 100% non-smoking and each include a private balcony, fridge, microwave, free Wi-Fi and in-room movies. Ideal for extended stays, we also have kitchen studios and suites available for weekly & monthly stays.
Popular nearby Victoria attractions include the Royal British Columbia Museum, Parliament Buildings, Undersea Gardens, the Empress Tea Room, Miniature World, the Bug Zoo, Horse-drawn carriage tours, Beacon Hill Park, departures for whale watching tours (seasonal) and all the entertainment the Inner Harbour has to offer.
Contact info: Best Western Plus Inner Harbour
412 Quebec Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V 1W5, CA
Toll Free: (888) 383-2378 Phone: (250) 384-5122 Fax: (250) 384-5113 Email: info@victoriabestwestern.com
Come and enjoy Vancouver Island and please tell your friends about us.
Re-published from www.amazingvancouverisland.com under creative commons license.
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Located inside the landmark Fairmont Empress Hotel, seated royally at the entrance to the Victoria Inner Harbour, lives the magically-tiny Miniature World.
Filled with miniature dioramas (small scale models that create historical or fictional scenes for education and entertainment), doll houses, moving cars, and trains, pieces of history re-created, and fantasies come-to-life.
There are over eighty amazing dioramas all made beautifully with intricate details of each scene depicted. Vancouver island’s Miniature World is a great place to get to know more about Canada and it’s history as well as just have some fun and marvel at the amazing size, scope and quality.
In the first exhibit, Space 2201, you’ll see space from the observation deck of a Starcruiser; peek out the portals, and check out the Astroidal Mining Base – don’t be surprised if a teeny-tiny miner hands you a pick to help out with the daily mining.
Fields of Glory takes you to detailed depictions of some well-known battles, the Battle of Britain, WWII, and the battle for Canadian Independence are exemplary. From cannons to airplanes and tanks, horses to hand-guns, they impart the harsh reality of combat.
The Canadian railroad history is a fabulous set up. Through the construction of the railroad across the country you really get a sense of the vastness and diversity of the terrain and sensibility of Canada. From Pacific coast Vancouver to Atlantic-side Halifax there are running trains.
Experience miniature replicas of 12 of the most well-known European castles; Fantasy abounds with the Travels of Gulliver, Santa’s Castle and Snow White; Approximately 30 Doll-houses excite every little girl’s heart with the variety of dining at an exquisite dinner party, dancing at a ball, attending a church, and visiting an artist’s portrait studio, just for a start.
With over 20,000 figures, flashing signs, and lighting that changes from day-to-night, Circus World, is a showpiece of the first order, where the Big Top comes to life, with clowns and elephants, horses and lots of animated rides. There are even buttons you can push and partake in making things move – very cool!
Learn about logging, learn about London, Dickens, the Frontier life, and how to survive should you be shipwrecked like the Swiss Family Robinson as part of some of the other exhibits.
With such great detail and heart built into these teeny-tiny universes, you can’t help but learn as you enjoy the journey, making this a great trip for the kids of all ages.
For a bit more reality Miniature world go to:
http://miniatureworld.com/
Inner Harbour Victoria Accommodations:
There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts to pick from including our sponsors, Best Western:
A great hotel in Victoria, with the best location, right at the Inner Harbour/downtown Victoria and a short walk to major attractions, restaurants, shops, and oceanside paths.
Enjoy complimentary extended continental breakfast and free parking. Our beautiful rooms, spacious one-bedroom suites and luxurious penthouse apartments are 100% non-smoking and each include a private balcony, fridge, microwave, free Wi-Fi and in-room movies. Ideal for extended stays, we also have kitchen studios and suites available for weekly & monthly stays.
Popular nearby Victoria attractions include the Royal British Columbia Museum, Parliament Buildings, Undersea Gardens, the Empress Tea Room, Miniature World, the Bug Zoo, Horse-drawn carriage tours, Beacon Hill Park, departures for whale watching tours (seasonal) and all the entertainment the Inner Harbour has to offer.
Contact info: Best Western Plus Inner Harbour
412 Quebec Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V 1W5, CA
Toll Free: (888) 383-2378 Phone: (250) 384-5122 Fax: (250) 384-5113 Email: info@victoriabestwestern.com
Come and enjoy Vancouver Island and please tell your friends about us.
Re-published from www.amazingvancouverisland.com under creative commons license.
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In the mood for something elegant, something genteel, something that takes you back to a time that was more refined, more social, and definitely slower than the average instantaneousness of texting? Then you will be happy to know that right on the Inner Harbour, in the Lobby of the Fairmont Empress, is a true Victoria ‘don’t miss’ experience: an amazing traditional Afternoon Tea.
The Tradition of the Afternoon Tea in Victoria
The lore that has sprung up around the start of the traditional English Afternoon Tea goes like this: By the early 19th century, lunch was served at 12 noon, dinner was not served until 8pm, and the Duchess of Bedford (a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria’s), would experience a faint, light-headed feeling around five in the afternoon.
She soon found the solution that would tide her over until dinner-time, and being a social sort, the Duchess began to invite a few friends over for the ‘meal-ette’, which consisted of tea (considered a very hip drink at the time, Darjeeling being her usual choice), some bread & butter and small cakes (which of course have come to be known as ‘tea cakes’).
The afternoon tea events became quite popular amongst ladies of leisure – and a tradition was born, which quickly filtered through to the upper and middle classes of England, where it has remained a staple of reminding us of a traditional Victorian England.
Afternoon Tea on vancouver island at the Empress delivers this fine tradition as if an art form. Served in several different rooms at the Empress, the most traditional location to enjoy the Tea is in the Tea Lobby, a large and grand Victorian space. Fabulous views regale you by way of the large bay windows which run the entire length of the room.
The Tea of the Afternoon Tea
There are eight fabulous teas on the menu, selections of which include: Earl Grey, a Green Jasmine, an herbal, fruity Berry blend, and more, but the pies de resistance is The Empress blend; nine high quality teas come together, a combination of Assam (thick malty and full bodied), Kenya (floral-like), South India (superbly fruity), Ceylon (airy, almost piquant), and China (burgundy with oaky notes) – creating a tea lover’s nirvana.
The Food of the Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea has come a long way since the day of the Duchess, an exquisite silver service appeared, filled with fruits and finger sandwiches filled with cucumber, smoked BC salmon, carrot and ginger with cream cheese, open-faced shrimp mousse and curry mango chicken salad. Next were Scones, with strawberry preserves and clotted cream, which were followed by an assortment of pastries, including chocolate truffles, fresh berry and lemon tarts, green tea cheesecake, and rose-petal shortbread cookies.
They are able to accommodate people with food allergies and special dietary needs, Including diabetics and those who are gluten sensitive, and they’ve even created a Prince and Princess Tea for the kids, which I think is very cool.The Afternoon Tea seating begins at 11:30am daily. Due to its popularity I recommend you make a reservation at least a week prior to your visit and plan to arrive a few minutes early, as reservations are only held for 15 minutes past the time of your booking and the place is always full.The Dress code,: casually elegant, no ripped jeans, short shorts, cut off pants, beach wear, flip flops or baseball caps.
The Tea Room has a policy: (which I love) ‘For the comfort of all guests, it is requested that cell phones be turned off during Afternoon Tea.’ Oh yes, a truly genteel environment harkening back to a more elegant, relaxed, time period – like pre-texting 1999.
It is not an inexpensive Tea, but the quantity and quality are abundant, (some people skip dinner that day or ask for a ‘doggy bag’) and for most of us it is a once in a lifetime amazing moment in time.For more information about Afternoon Tea at the Empress
Inner Harbour Victoria Accommodations:
There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts to pick from including our sponsors, Best Western:
Best Western Plus Inner Harbour Victoria Hotel
A great hotel in Victoria, with the best location, right at the Inner Harbour/downtown Victoria and a short walk to major attractions, restaurants, shops, and oceanside paths.Enjoy complimentary extended continental breakfast and free parking. Our beautiful rooms, spacious one-bedroom suites and luxurious penthouse apartments are 100% non-smoking and each include a private balcony, fridge, microwave, free Wi-Fi and in-room movies. Ideal for extended stays, we also have kitchen studios and suites available for weekly & monthly stays.
Popular nearby Victoria attractions include the Royal British Columbia Museum, Parliament Buildings, Undersea Gardens, the Empress Tea Room, Miniature World, the Bug Zoo, Horse-drawn carriage tours, Beacon Hill Park, departures for whale watching tours (seasonal) and all the entertainment the Inner Harbour has to offer.
412 Quebec Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V 1W5, CA
Toll Free: (888) 383-2378 Phone: (250) 384-5122 Fax: (250) 384-5113 Email: info@victoriabestwestern.com
Come and enjoy Victoria and please tell your friends about us.
Re-published from www.amazingvancouverisland.com under creative commons license.
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