Hotel Grand Pacific Victoria
byThe Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria welcomed John and I as their guests when we were in town for WordCamp earlier this month. I’m a big fan of many of the accommodations in Victoria, from resorts, to boutique hotels, and B&Bs and have walked by the Grand for years.
Conveniently located along Victoria’s inner harbour, the hotel sits next to the legislature and across from the Washington State ferry and former wax museum. Home to two restaurants, a cafe, fitness facility, spa, shops, and conference meeting rooms, it’s a fully inclusive facility. They even offer their own ‘Westcoast’ Afternoon Tea with a twist on the Victorian tradition.
The upholstered furnishings in the room were very classic but were accompanied by very modern amenities that tech-savvy travelers like ourselves truly appreciate.
iPod dock alarm clock, plenty of power outlets, tag-less ‘do not disturb’ system, doorbell, two LCD televisions, in-room coffee, and complimentary internet (although a cable connection, we bring our Airport with us whenever we travel to create our own WiFi).
There was even a vile of bath salts which may seem like a very basic perk, but you’d be surprised how often hotels with nice bath tubs do not even supply bath bombs, bath salts, or bubbles.
The morning we checked out we had dim sum in the hotel’s Pacific Restaurant. Turns out the national ice skating championships were going on that same weekend so Patrick Chan was having the same delicious experience at the next table.
The teas were all from Silk Road Tea and our server explained everything from the type of leaves or blossoms, to why they use the traditional gaiwan.
We had to run to catch a ferry so we missed our third course however the seafood congee, dumplings, steamed buns and leaf-wrapped rice patties were a delectable start to our day.
Since our experience was cut short, the Hotel Grand Pacific has put together an amazing Chinese New Year prize package for one of my readers to enjoy as well. This includes:
There will also be a lion dance on February 4th at 8pm in the main lobby.
As the prize is for this coming weekend the contest will be fairly quick. I will draw one winner Wednesday, February 2nd at 12:00pm. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Fine print: The contest winner will need to claim their prize within 24 hours of email notification on Wednesday otherwise a new winner will be drawn. The elements of this package cannot be claimed separately as they are part of a full package deal exclusive to the Grand Pacific giveaway with Miss604.com.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/2 Like many out-of-town WordCamp speakers, we received a complimentary hotel stay while in Victoria.
Update The winner is @Kickpleat – Kickpleat. Congratulations and have a great time this weekend!
220 Comments — Comments Are Closed
Would love to explore the waterfront of Victoria; never been before.
I love the bunnies at UVic and the breakwater!
My favorite thing about Victoria is Roger’s Chocolates! They’re delicious and it’s so much fun to walk through the shop!
I love the museums in victoria
I would like to go see the bunnies at UVic!
I’ve only been once when I was super young, so I’d love to go back and explore!
We love spending a night downtown, enjoying the sights and lights!
I love the gardens and, or course, tea at the Empress!
I’ve never been to Victoria, and would love to explore the city!
I love the drive along Dallas Road in Victoria. Beautiful houses and beautiful scenery!
I love the beautiful view of the water.
Playing soccer at UVic.
I love Victoria’s harbourfront – it’s always busy and interesting.
Victoria’s waterfront is so quaint and lovely, would love to stay there!
Love walking around harbor.
I love all the old shops and storefronts in the downtown. Victoria is awesome and I’d love to win 🙂
Fave thing about Victoria are the restaurants! Pig, Hernandez, Red Fish Blue Fish just to name a few!
I love Victoria anytime of the year! I have friends who scoff at going because they think it’s such a sleepy, boring place, but there are so many hidden treasures there – from the restaurants, to Chinatown, to the BC Museum, Tea at the Gables, Craigdarroch Castle, Butchart Gardens, and so many other things to do! I love it there!!
i LOVE victoria to death. my favourite thing is trolling government, eating at all the yummy restaurants, and hiking at thetis lake. XO
The people! A very friendly, laid back town.
fancy
I love the harbour area of Victoria! It’s has that great historic feeling.
Beautiful hotel but haven’t been there for years.
I would love to visit the museums and the flower garden. sounds like soo much fun!
I’d love to try High Tea at the Empress in Victoria.
The very walkable and historic downtown
A weekend away, walking through Butchart Gardens, would be most pleasing after spending 2 weeks at work undergoing changes 🙂 Thanks!
I love Miniature World! There are so many great things about Victoria but I haven’t been to Miniature World in YEARS!
I like going to Victoria every once in a while to visit family there.
wow, awesome giveaway! my favourite thing about victoria is the lovely oceanfront. i like walking from beaconhill park to the waterside and picking up cool stones.
I like to walk around the inner harbour exploring shops and restaurants.
The Royal BC museum is the top of my list!
i love playing tourist everytime i visit victoria checking out the museums, the gardens and the harbourside! i have never gone there by plane though so that would be awesome to try! =D
I’m a big fan of the restaurants and walking around the city without any real destination.
Lesser traffic!
Love taking out of town guests to Victoria! It’s so compact it’s easy to get around.
The Victoria Bug Zoo!!! Heard so many things about it but never been there. Would be creepy fun!
I love wandering around downtown, checking out Chinatown and then finishing up at the Royal BC Museum
my favorite thing about Victoria is the sum of all its parts…island life, Emily Carr, not the prairies in winter, inner harbour, downtown, Butchart Gardens, laid-back mellowness, Royal BC Museum, beach/ocean gazing, green-ness and gardens, tea, coffee, regional treats, seafood, cowichan knitting, chinatown, backroads, Brentwood Bay, neighbourhood pubs, Beacon Hill Park, Beehive Woolshop, Dig This, early spring blooms, scenic walks, scenic drives…did i mention not the prairies in winter?
I love the the relaxed vibe and strolling Oak Bay Village.
I love walking along the water in Beacon Hill park and gong in to cook street village for coffee!
Checking out the boats at the Inner Harbour.
Been to Victoria once, many years ago and the long weekend wasn’t enough. Of the little we did … loved the architecture, english charm, the museum and restaurants.
I really would like to discover Harbour Air 🙂 Sure it’s an impressive experience!
My wife and I love our too infrequent mini-adventures in Victoria. For me, it is a day starting with a run along Dallas Road and Beacon Hill Park, followed by some bird and street photography and concluding with a quaff or two at Spinnakers. For the missus, the day starts well with a fine breakfast at the Blue Fox, outdoor photography with me, a leisurely browse at Munro’s bookstore followed up by some excellent pizza at Prima Strada. The trick is combining all that in one visit…we are always up for the challenge!
I haven’t been to Victoria in a long time! Would love to take my mom on this trip and show her the waterfront, as she’s never been to Victoria at all.
I love the provincial museum and walking around Beacon Hill park.
I actually haven’t been to Victoria since I was 9, but I would love to visit the monuments and places of history that Victoria has to offer!!
I really love Silk Road spa in Victoria – totally relaxing!
I have LOVE the Royal BC Museum ever since going there as a kid!
I’ve only been to Victoria once about 10 years ago with my mom, but I would like to go to the Royal BC Museum again for sure!
I used to spend a lot of time in Victoria but have only been a handful of times in recent years. I love that its such a walkable city – nice to be able to go a weekend without getting in the car.
I love the government buildings! They give me so much patriotic joy 🙂
I love the government buildings! They give me so much patriotic joy 🙂
Oh, my husband and I could really use a weekend of non-work-related relaxation! We love Victoria, it’s so peaceful.
I have not been to Victoria for a while, this would be awesome. I’d love to take photos of all the buildings and streets 🙂
I would LOVE to have tea at the Empress, I hear good things. I love Victoria but have never had time to explore it. Thanks for holding the contest!
I’d love to wander around downtown and do some shopping and enjoy the architecture.
I love the waterfront
I would like to do the Victoria trip! Haven’t been in over 10 years because of the Ferry cost (and I’ve never flown in a small plane).
Happy new year! I like the Royal BC museum.
I’ve never flown into Victoria and love taking walks through downtown streets and along the waterfront while the Legislature is lit up!
I love Victoria’s human scale, historic Chinatown and integration with nature. I want to go over there to explore the LEED Platinum Dockside development and go hiking on Mount Douglas. A little shopping and eating on Yates and Government Streets would also be a great time!
Not technically just Victoria, but I love the Galloping Goose trail. We used to take our bikes over on the ferry and bike into Victoria – just a gorgeous trip. Must try to do that again this summer.
Would love to win this!!!
I love the historic Royal Roads University campus as well as the waterfront at Christmas time. The Christmas lights on the boats in the harbor always rekindle my Christmas spirit! Beautiful sunrises year round over the ocean are like nothing else.
I haven’t been to Victoria since I was a child! I’d love to check out the government buildings. Wander around the legislature for a bit. Good times 🙂
Do they still have the wax museum? That was my favourite thing to see.
Love walking down by the harbour.
My fave thing about Victoria is the beautiful scenery and the rockin Bug Museum!!
Victoria waterfront is always a favourite, that and exploring downtown.
wow! wat a fun weekend getaway! i’ve never been to victoria (sadly), but if i was to go i would like to visit a few friends that have just moved over there ^^
I like going to Buchart Gardens when in Victoria.
I love the tranquility of Victoria.
I love walking around the harbour and parliament building at night. A prime example of Beautiful BC!
I love the European feel of the town. Reminds me of the “old country”
Noodle box!! Nom Nom Nom. Haha. Lived therefor two years for uvic! Noodle box is all I miss! 😛
I’d want to try the High Tea at the Empress!!!
I would love to visit Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria’s legendary landmark, and it is only a 20-30 minute walk from Victoria’s Inner Harbour with interesting antique shops and services along the way. (@ngaloppo)
I love that Victoria was my first home and now it’s my home away from home!
I love Victoria and haven’t been back for a couple of years now. I would love to revisit again:)
Victoria has some fantastic antique shops to explore!
I would love to visit Bouchard Gardens and the provincial building!
I love walking around Victoria’s inner harbour! I used to live in Victoria, so there is a lot about it that I love! My boyfriend has never been though–so I’d love to win this trip and show him Victoria in style!!
Can’t not like the harbour in Victoria! But I love spending a sunny and relaxed day just lazing about the harbour area.
I love Munro’s Bookstore on Government Street. A great place to browse for great reads!
My Favorite thing about Victoria would have to be the pure beauty of the city. Not only does Victoria have some of the most beautiful garden displays around, it also offers stunning beaches, fantastic trails, including the galloping goose and the trails around Mary Lake, and stunning views of the city especially at night in downtown Victoria from establishments like Vista 18 and even from the Empress hotel it’s self.
I haven’t been to Victoria in ages. I would love to visit there again.
That hotel looks amazing! My husband has never been to Victoria since he has gotten his permanent residence, it would be an amazing thing to be able to show him all the tourist jaunts! 🙂
Would love a free trip to my hometown! Also retweeted. 😀
I would LOVE to win this getaway as money has been tight for me I could imagine nothing better then an amazing getaway to Victoria I would love to explore Victoria on foot and find some yummy local places to eat. My spouse has been away for work and it makes me have butteflies to imagine surprising him with this! I would like to eat some goodies from the bakery mentioned in the lonely planet and love to do some shopping down antiques row. Please please please! 🙂
My two favorite things about Victoria (besides the scenery!): Rogers Chocolates & The Sticky Wicket!
Would love to go to the White Heather Tea Room for high tea!
My favourite things about Victoria are Beacon Hill Park and the Royal Museum.
I love Victoria! Of course, I’m a bit biased because I was born there – but I moved to the Lower Mainland with my folks when I was two so I’d love the chance to get back there and do some exploring.
This is awesome. Pick me!
My favourite thing about Victoria is the wax museum! I used to go to summer camp in Victoria and that was always the highlight of my summer! I would love to go back again!
It would be a nice getaway to Victoria and I’m embarrassed to say that I have never been even though I’m born in Vancouver. It would be good to finally stroll around the famous Butchart Gardens and have high tea at the Fairmont Empress. A tour around UVic would also be ideal.
I lived in Victoria for a VERY short time in my early 20’s and LOVED it so much. I lived just a few blocks over from the Parliament buildings and one of my favorite things to do was to ride my bike along the water on Dallas road into where the most beautiful homes and properties are. I would just sit by the water and stare out into the ocean. Years later I returned for some time as I went to Royal Roads University, and was amazed at the absolutely stunning grounds and rich history. LOVE IT.
i would love to see the parliament building
i love the many dining options in victoira– fave’s being rebar, the vegetarian restaurant, and red fish blue fish, the fish n chips shop on the wharf!
I always wanted to see The Butchart Gardens in Victoria.
I’ve never been to Victoria. I would go there just to see Royal BC Museum.
I love Victoria!
My favourite thing about Victoria is Becon Hill Drive through, they seriously have the BEST chocolate milkshakes I’ve ever had.
British Columbia Legislative Assembly lit up at night.
Hands down the best thing in Victoria is the Royla BC Museum. Always something worthwhile there to see and the IMAX theatre, too. I have also had my best killer-whale watching experiences on tours that started in Victoria.
I would love to go to the Royal Museum, the parliament building and to see the Butchart Garden. I’ve never been to Victoria before so I’m excited to see the city and it’s surroundings in general!
Everything is amazing in Victoria! However in the summer Butchart Gardens and concerts are a favorite and winter the restaurants and shops!!! This would be an amazing birthday gift for my daughter. I think she was five 1994 when Chinese New Year was on her birthday! She never forgot getting the little red envelope! Good luck to all of us!
It’s the city away from the city. You still get the fun atmosphere of the city but the peace and tranquility of the ocean and island life. They have great restaurants too:) Ok now I need a trip over there, it’s been too long.
Chinatown
I would love to have a getaway with my husband and take him on a walk downtown. I love the gardens and the museums. I haven’t been to Victoria in almost 20 years.
i love beacon hill park and the windy runs along dallas road. get me out of this itty bitty town, i need some city time 🙂
My favourite thing about Victoria, is Everything…I just love the city.
We love the waterfront area and walking along Dallas Rd.
We went there just over a year ago for our honeymoon and it would be awesome to go again!
Strolling and people-watching around the Inner Harbour, and fabulous food at Rebar. There, I gave you two favourites!
I love the Royal BC Museum! I haven’t been to Victoria in over 7 years, so this would be great!!
Love the gorgeous castles in victoria, so much history
My favourite thing about Victoria is its architecture. Of an era where quality and excellent stone and brick work came first, rather than glass and concrete and leaky condos.
The Royal Victoria Marathon! Ran it in 2009 as my first ever marathon and it’s the reason I fell in love with the city.
Victoria has ‘old world charm’ with amazing homes and gardens. It is as if you are visiting England.
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you so much for this INCREDIBLE giveaway! Silk Road Tea is one of my favourite places to visit when I am in Victoria and I noticed that The Grand Pacific has Silk Road Tea available, which is awesome. I also really enjoy the horse drawn carriage rides. You can see some pretty sights, while galloping thoughout the city of Victoria.
I stayed there in April 2009, it was lovely. I unfortunately would not be able to make it for Chinese New Year.
Hi Rebecca,
I tweeted about this giveaway at: Twitter.com/sunsetstarlet
My dear friend Clare! And Chinatown.
I love the scenic inner harbour!!!
i’ve been to Victoria numerous times in my life, but i’ve yet to experience Afternoon Tea at the Empress…. thats something i’d like to do the next time i am in town!
Id so wanna walk on the jetty that protects the victoria harbour! On nice days you can see seals feeding on the fish!! Such a beautiful place!
I wanna go to all the Irish pubs they have over there!
This looks amazing, I would love to vacation here!
I love how quaint it is. The museums are so cool.
My favorite thing about visiting Victoria is getting a chance to sit and have tea at Murchies!
I love that you can walk everywhere in the downtown core.
Victoria is a very pretty city and is a nice change of pace from the craziness of the Lower Mainland.
The thing I love about Victoria is that little bit of English charm. I love that.
I love just wandering around seeing what kind of fun things there are to do. Victoria is very special to me, as it’s where I first met my husband.
Spaguetti Factory. I like the Parliament building at night with the lights on.
I enjoy walking from beach to beach along Dallas Road then stopping for coffee in Cook Street Village.
Running along Dallas Road, puttering around downtown and dinner at one of the amazing restaurants!
I love going to the Royal B.C. Museum and then taking a walk along the harbour, stopping for some great fish ‘n’ chips.
Walking around downtown is the best
I would love to take my wife for a romantic weekend getaway.
I love people watching along the Inner Harbour and exploring all the neat little shops.
In the summer time, I love listening to the buskers play music in the Inner Harbour and Government Street. Showcases a lot of different talents.
I love the eclectic Capitol Iron, at their 1893 building on Store Street.
I like the flowers on the waterfront!
Since it is Chinese New Year, I would love to win this contest so I can go back home and visit my family. I have stayed at the Grand Pacific before and it is a gorgeous property located right on the inner harbour.
that’s one of my dream city. . .wish to go anywhere js like Oak Bay, Butchart Garden, and the museum.
I love Victoria because it reminds me of my childhood. A large majority of my family lives there and I’d love to go back! My boyfriend has never met the entire clan and I’m sure he’d love to be surrounded by water and my beautiful family 🙂
I love the Vancouver Island brews at the pubs!
I love Pagliacci’s Restaurant in Downtown! Victoria is so beautiful 🙂
I heard that the town is great and people from the island keep ranting about how much warmer it is than Vancouver…I need to experience this for myself!
I’ve never been but would love to see Victoria!
I love the art scene in Victoria. The town in general just seems so much more culturally accessible to me. 🙂
My favourite thing about Victoria is that I walked my first half marathon there with the Arthritis Society’s Joints in Motion Training Team in October 2006. This was practice for when I walked the full marathon in Honolulu in December 2006, again with the JIM Training Team.
Having a coffee while hanging out on the waterfront watching the people, planes and boats or spending time in the Royal BC Museum.
Ive been quite a bit, but there is one thing i’ve never done and that is to check out the butterfly gardens. My fave thing is probably getting a coffee and wandering around the harbour checking out street artists and performances in the summer.
Galloping goose trail
I’ve never been to Victoria. I remember reading about a couple of great tea places I would love to visit!
Ya gotta love the pubs!
I want to try the wannawafel I saw on dragons den that is featured on Victorias groupon today! I’ll bring you back one?
I love walking across the Johnston Street Bridge and taking the path along the water all the way to Spinnaker’s, where a cold microbrew awaits.
I love the wax museums there!
I love it there.
Love the Inner Harbour and exploring Oak Bay!
if you are looking for a relaxing weekend, it’s the place to go.
I want to go by Emily Carr’s former house. I hear it’s haunted!
I love Beacon Hill Park!!
Brasserie Lecole! Best restaurant around!
I love the walk on Beach Dr, so beautiful to see the mts. I hope that I win, maybe I’ll have extra luck as it’s my b-day today 🙂 Thanks in advance for putting this great contest together!
Favourite thing to do in Victoria is visiting Beacon Hill Park and try to spot peacocks from the Petting Zoo on top of tall tree branches while experiencing all seasons within one day.
Beacon Hill Park is a great place to spend time with the family after a visit to the museum!!
i love strolling around the Inner Harbour, especially with an ice-cream in hand on a nice summer day!
A trip to the museum and tea at the Empress!
I want to see the museums and parliament. I’m a history major, yet I have never had a chance to see the city. It’s so disappointing.
I’d love to visit Victoria.
When I lived there about 10 years ago, I loved the Inner Harbour, the tourists mingling with the “natives”, the buskers both musical and magical, and the United nations of languages swirling around you as you strolled the length on a lovely summer evening…
The bunnies at UVic! Also finding strange sea creatures on the beach.
The wax museum!
Mu guilty pleasure in Victoria is miniature world! I also like the museum and strolling the harbour.
I’d say high tea at the Empress. I’ve visited Victoria before when I was a student, so was too poor to indulge at the time.
The harbour! So beautiful!
Afternoon tea at the Empress. Who doesn’t love that?
I love the atmosphere there. It’s so lay back and relaxing. Oh, and those carriages too. 🙂
I used to live in Victoria, and I love everything there. Would love to visit museum again.
Would love to explore the waterfront of Victoria; never been before.
I miss living in Victoria!
I miss walking along the beach from Clover Point to Ogden Point.
I miss living in Oak Bay. I miss the Oak Bay Tea Party (and parade) at Willows Beach.
I miss the haunted-lantern tour.
I miss the BC Mueseum.
I miss the “Bird Cages”.
I miss seeing the Princess Margaret moored next to the Coho in the Inner Harbour.
I miss Gyro Park.
I miss the petting-zoo at Beacon Hill park.
I miss the Fisgard Lighthouse
I miss seeing the various Naval ships decked out in Christmas lights in Esquimalt.
All the things I miss, I love 😉
I miss eating Fish and Chips at The Galley on Estevan in Oak Bay
I miss walking around downtown Victoria checking out all the little nooks and crannies.
I could continue 😉
I miss Mayfair Mall.
I want to check out the huge Walmart they have now.
Is it wrong to say Rogers’ Chocolates?
I love the Royal Museum
The two things I miss about living in Victoria is Rebar restaurant and Pic-a-flic video. The Noodle Box used to be on the list, but Vancouver has one now.
THE best 4 years of my life were in Victoria as a student at UVIC. I would love to go back and be a tourist in my former town!
Victoria is a place my bf and i like to go to unwind and just relax – it was our first vacation here and it definitely won’t be our last.. we love eating at this place called PIG – it’s delicious!
Visiting Butchart Gardens in Victoria is an absolute highlight. Partaking in afternoon tea at the gardens is an experience all British Columbians should have. Even my macho, burly husband loved the finger sandwiches and delicate sweets!
My favorite thing is driving down to Victoria from Nanaimo
I loved the wax museum, I think they will be relocating it at some point.
I would love to check out the harbour, museums and be a “tourist”! 🙂
Haven’t been for atleast 10 years! Would love to go on a photo adventure around downtown Vic!
I have always wanted to ride on a seaplane over the islands. Visiting Victoria is like riding back in time in present day – and who can say no to afternoon tea!
My favorite thing about Victoria… the Value Village!!! I’ve spent hours upon hours in there searching for treasures and I NEVER leave disappointed.
I like strolling the inner harbour
Watching the old English ladies at high tea at the Empress. Was quite a site in its day.
I love the breakwater. Walking out to the point. I went to uvic for a year. It’s beautiful in Vic.
I did my undergrad at UVic, so I’m partial to the bunnies; but, the best thing is the wind.
i went to victoria on a class field trip a few years back. i would love to go back and just walk around DT
I love the bottom walkway on the seawall. I found a really awesome artist last time I was there some 15 years ago and would love the opportunity to go back and explore more of BC’s talents!
I love the people of Victoria.
My favorite thing to do in Victoria is to walk around the streets of downtown checking out all the quaint little shops.
Dim sum in Canada’s first Chinatown!
Best thing about victoria is walking downtown on a nice summers day!
You know when you buy a lottery ticket and actually think you are going to win the lottery? Thats how I feel about this contest. If I win I promise I will get you 100 more followers and send you pictures of me “jumping” in front of all things awesome in victoria! I’m so excited!
You know when you buy a lottery ticket and actually think you are going to win the lottery? Thats how I feel about this contest. If I win I promise I will get you 100 more followers and send you pictures of me “jumping” in front of all things awesome in victoria! I’m so excited!
My favourite spot in Victoria would be the Craigdarroch Castle, as it is rich in history and how many times does one say they’ve been to an actual castle?! Very beautiful, and a unique experience.
http://www.craigdarrochcastle.com/
Victoria is one of my favorite get aways!
Feeding the seal at Fisherman’s Wharf while enjoying a treat from the Mocha House is a relaxing fun memory.
This would be AMAZING! Dinner at Paggliachi’s is always good too!
WOULD LOVE TO WIN THIS PRIZE!
It’s been a while since I went to Victoria. I should visit again!
again would love to take my mama to this 🙂
i’ve been to victoria a couple of times. some as field trips and some with family. i love the view and people of the place! very friendly environment XD