Spring comes early to Victoria and to Abigail's Hotel. Abigail's Hotel

By Alison Gardner
Travel with a Challenge Editor

Amazing art collections, scrumptious "slow breakfasts" and creative spa offerings are all rolled into the menu of possibilities!

When traveling almost anywhere in the world, you just have to say that you come from Victoria on Canada’s west coast and the conversation quickly turns to two attractions: Butchart Gardens and the ever-so-British “high tea” at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Presiding over the small capital city’s picturesque inner harbor for exactly a century, this grand old lady of hospitality is indeed an Edwardian landmark the size of a respectable royal palace in Europe, and well worth a stroll through the maze of public spaces and intriguing shops dotted along the venerable corridors of two lower floors.

However, when it comes to wheeling my suitcase to a reception desk and laying my head on a pillow for a memorable night’s sleep, I downsize to three far more intimate crown jewels within walking minutes of all the city’s downtown holiday highlights. These boutique accommodations – The Magnolia Hotel & Spa , Swans Suite Hotel and Abigail’s Hotel – are a special pleasure to call home during any visit to Victoria. I have stayed in each one and shared their stories and services with staff, owners and other guests. I am delighted to have such creative gems to highlight in my resident city.

Swans Suite Hotel, www.swanshotel.com, has so many original features it is hard to know where to start. As a 100-year-old granary and feed store with train tracks running through its ground floor on Victoria's Store Street waterfront, it was converted to an elegant 29-suite hotel in the late 1980s while still retaining much of its historic life story. Thus it was transformed from Victoria’s ugly duckling into a beautiful swan.

From an unlikely background of British teenage immigrant sheep herder and rural dog kennel owner, Michael Williams turned heritage land developer in middle age. In earlier days, he had regularly journeyed into Victoria to buy farm supplies from the warehouse, and his acquired developer eye saw potential in its building lines, pioneer history and its strategic location. Today, Swans Suite Hotel reflects his powerful sense of historical integrity with the original oak and brick prominently integrated, an artistic flare for comfort and design, and his passion for art collection which took place over a period of two decades until his untimely death in 2000.

Both the self-catering suites and the hotel’s relaxing public spaces, such as the Brew Pub and the deliciously intimate Wild Saffron Bistro, are abundantly decorated with examples – small, medium and enormous – of what became the largest private art collection of commissioned and collected works in Western Canada. With a creative range of its own micro-beers, Swans Brewpub was awarded the coveted National Brewpub of the Year prize in 2006, just one of many honors during its 19 year history. Live music, singing and dancing happen every evening enlivening the pub's traditional surroundings.

Unusual for such a small property, the hotel also maintains its own florist who creates art in her own right with fresh arrangements in a seemingly serendipitous fashion that colorfully complements the art and fills spaces you hadn't even noticed. Guests who use the hotel’s thoughtfully-prepared brochure to take themselves on a self-guided tour of the art collection will experience many floral surprises as well.

When Michael Williams died unexpectedly in his early seventies, he left his very considerable estate to the University of Victoria in the city he loved. The university’s mandate has been to carry on his style, vision and dedicated sense of hospitality as though he were still the man in charge of the hotel that he considered to be his "home". His dynamic presence and personality continue to live in all aspects of this unique property. How many crown jewels do you know that belong to a university?

Abigail's Hotel, www.abigailshotel.com, a 23-room historic gem of Tudor transformation from the 1930s, nestles in a quiet residential setting just ten minutes walk downhill to the Empress herself! Fresh flowers in every room, luxurious jacuzzi bathrooms, one-of-a-kind beds and furnishings, and cosy fireplaces are the norm. The personal signature of owner, Ellen Cmolik, is everywhere in the hotel in terms of the style of service, the brilliantly cosy spa tucked away upstairs, the staff you want to take home with you, and a creative, humorous spirit that lifts the soul. It sets you wondering about managing your own small hotel, but try it until you stay at Abigail’s. It is a lot harder than Ellen makes it look!

Two daily events have a lot to do with Abigail’s unique hospitality and both of them make your mouth water! "This is the best breakfast I ever had. Can I come back?" the man at the table next to mine called out to the chef buzzing around his open-design mini-kitchen. Another guest at a table across the room got into the act, "It may be lousy weather, but, WOW, this breakfast makes up for it!" I particularly paid attention because men don’t usually get on public soapboxes about food.

Abigail's prides itself on Slow Breakfasts with every ingredient carefully selected, custom ordered and combined in a demonstration of artistic as well as culinary wizardry. Because of the intimate nature of the hotel, the chef admits he can be whimsical, often printing off the menu, complete with the day's weather forecast, just as the tables are being set. "There is no formula rotation of menus," he frowns to make his point. I tried to flatter him out of his recipe for turkey, duck and cranberry sausage, but it didn't work.

Same chef [there is only one], eight hours later ..... complimentary hot apple cider and gourmet snacks are served from 5 to 7 p.m. each evening in the hotel's inviting library with ceiling-to-floor polished wood bookcases stuffed with reading, viewing and listening material for a decade of enjoyment, a fire crackling and the scent of leather furniture as seems fitting for a room designed in the 1930s when a library room was still an element of every civilized household. Wine and beer for a modest cost are available from one of those cabinets, further enlivening this opportunity for guests to mingle and share their best vacation discoveries of the day.

The Magnolia Hotel & Spa, www.magnoliahotel.com, within sight of the Empress Hotel, the stunning provincial legislative buildings and the strollable Inner Harbor, is a modern crown jewel with 64 rooms on seven floors. It cleverly gives the impression of being a well-entrenched historical renovation among the most Edwardian heartland of this capital city. The Magnolia’s interior attention to detail is, perhaps oddly, more European than North American. It seems natural to lower one’s voice within public spaces that anticipate old world aristocracy. Could a crown prince be passing through the relaxing yet elegant lounge at any minute?

The staff at every level of service is unusually relaxed and friendly, like you are staying at their house. "Help yourself to coffee, fresh fruit and homemade cookies while we share some ideas for your day, let me go find you an umbrella, or I’ll point out on the map the best place to walk your dog.” Yes, the hotel is pet friendly too! But don't take my word for it, years of Conde Nast Traveler reader surveys have named The Magnolia as one of Canada's top three hotels, citing its unique holistic approach to travel.

Spa Magnolia, already garnering many international awards over the years, completed a radical expansion in May 2009, reflecting an ever-increasing demand for its services from both Victoria residents and out-of-town guests. This oasis of tranquility has nearly doubled in size, with seven treatment rooms and a spacious lounge. Every treatment is customized to the individual’s specific needs using the power of touch, the cornerstone of Aveda spa philosophy.

For lunch or an evening meal, there is no better spot than the hotel’s three-level Prime Steakhouse & Lounge that, despite its name, has a wide-ranging menu of seafood and chicken dishes as well as ably-prepared red meat items, including six cuts of steak. Myself being a perennial pushover for seafood, the generous Alaska King Crab cocktail made a splendid starter, followed by a Canadian lobster linguini whose mingled flavors were perfectly balanced to enhance the ample chunks of lobster -- truly a delight to have a seafood meal embracing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, prepared and presented with flare! Topped off by the best Key Lime Pie that has ever tantalized my taste buds, I was -- by the end of this meal -- quite prepared to abandon my kitchen altogether and embrace a "dine out" lifestyle for the rest of my days.

With its moderate climate and year round roster of indoor and outdoor activities, festivals and attractions, here is a trusted destination that appeals equally to Americans, Europeans and fellow Canadians without reservation. Check Tourism Victoria’s website to see what this small but abundantly-blessed vacation city has to offer, www.tourismvictoria.com.

Also in our web magazine’s feature article collection, enjoy other richly-illustrated articles: Victoria's best known garden in an unfamiliar season, The Winter Face of Butchart Gardens; and easy, accessible ways for families and senior travelers to get very close to the local marine wildlife and marvel at the colorful underwater environment near Victoria, Pacific Coast Marine Encounters.

Whether it's a rainy day that calls for a little indoor diversion or just a case of traveler's sore feet, IMAX Victoria Theatre is the perfect prescription for all ages. Presenting a variety of award-winning educational documentaries or a current first-run movie, the theatre's six-storey-high screen and wrap-around sound system will leave you dazzled! Located on Victoria's Inner Harbour next to the acclaimed Royal BC Museum. www.imaxvictoria.com.

Alison Gardner is a travel journalist, magazine editor, guidebook author, and consultant. She specializes in researching vacations throughout the world, suitable for people over 50 and for women of all ages. She is also the publisher and editor of Travel with a Challenge Web magazine, www.travelwithachallenge.com.
Email: alison@travelwithachallenge.com.