Empress Hotel

This is a fantastic place to go with girlfriends, or your mom, or your grandma. It took the three of us three hours to eat five tiny little sandwiches, drink four pots of tea, and spend $120. Good times. Expensive times, but good times…

If you are in Victoria,tea at the Empress is a must. It is a bit expensive,but when will you get the chance again? Three of my friends and myself spent 10 days in Victoria. This hotel was marvelous. Walk into the Bengal Lounge and look around. It’s like being back in the 1800’s. A person could get used to living like this quite easily. Don’t go in jeans…this is a dress-up place. There is a lot to do in Victoria. The inner harbor reminded me of Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. There were a bunch of street performers, all doing something different. Plaster Man was the best. A one man band, someone juggling, a balancing act, too many to describe. We went to Craigdarroch Castle. It had been turned into a girls school many years back, but had the good fortune to round up most of the antiques that had been removed. Take your time, there is a lot to see there. Oneof the days we took the train to Nanaimo. About a 2-2 1/2 hour trip. Great scenery. also took the ferry to Vancouver. While there we went on a street car tour of the high points of the city. Buchart Gardens was fantastic. There was something to do every minute.The House of Miniatures and the Butterfly Garden are right behind the Empress Hotel.

You just have to have tea at the Empress. nuff said

When I was about 20 my girlfriend and I made a trip to Victoria and of course we had to see the Empress. I remember the feel of the place was very formal and fancy. My friend and I sat for a while on sofas in the lobby area watching people go by.

I was wearing jeans and carrying a denim “jeans” bag with a bunch of my stuff in it. I was trying to be nondescript and hoping not too many people would notice us as I felt I wasn’t dressed quite well enough for this place.

One of the things in my bag was an alarm clock. The thing was having a problem working right and sure enough, the alarm went off right there in the lobby of the Empress. I was mortified and we decided the best course of action was to leave immediately. I felt lucky my friend didn’t disavow knowing me right then and there.

We had seen the Empress before from the outside, but had never been in there before, so we decided to give it a try.

We walked in through the side entrance. I guess we looked respectable enough. Nobody gave us any trouble.

The hotel inside if very beautiful. There is a lot of ornate woodwork. The shops inside are a bit on the expensive side and carry a lot of high-end merchandise.