Listen. I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels. Some were fancy. Some were weird. One had a mysterious stain in the mini-fridge I still think about with concern. But Chateau Victoria? That place hit different. I miss it. Unironically.
I know that sounds dramatic. Who misses a hotel? That’s like saying “I miss that DMV” or “I miss the breakroom at my old job.” But the Chateau Victoria didn’t feel like a hotel. It felt like a secret, beautiful, low-key apartment I didn’t have to clean.
And get this: it was actually affordable. No, not “we’ll split the room with three other people and sleep in shifts” affordable. I mean “this makes more sense than an Airbnb and doesn’t come with a passive-aggressive list of cleaning chores” affordable.
📍 Where Is This Magical Place?
Right in the heart of downtown Victoria, British Columbia—a charming, walkable city full of flowers, tea, and people who apologize when you bump into them. The hotel’s location is ideal:
- 5-minute walk to the Inner Harbour
- 10 minutes to the Parliament buildings
- Close enough to a Tim Horton’s to feel Canadian without trying too hard
🛏 The Suite Life (Not Just a Catchy Disney Channel Title)
Let’s be real: the suite I stayed in was not a “hotel room.” It was a full-blown one-bedroom apartment masquerading as short-term lodging.
🛋 What’s Inside:
- Living Room: With an actual couch, real armchairs, a coffee table, and even room to stretch out your legs and your problems.
- Dining Area: A table for two, perfect for breakfast, laptop time, or pretending you’re hosting a tasting menu (I did three different flavors of take out, thank you very much).
- Kitchen: Full-sized fridge. Stove. Microwave. Sink you can fit a pan in. Utensils. Actual wine glasses. It had me googling “how to legally declare residency in a hotel suite.”
- Private Bedroom: With. A. Door. You don’t realize how luxurious that is until you’ve spent a night sleeping six inches from someone snoring through a Marriott-branded pillow.
- Bathroom: With water pressure strong enough to change your life. Shampoo that didn’t smell like institutional sadness. A hairdryer that didn’t feel like a breathy whisper.
I even started naming the rooms, like I lived there. “I’m heading into the kitchen,” I’d say. Not “I’m grabbing something from the kitchenette.” No, the kitchen.
👯♀️ Could I Live Here? Yes. Yes I Could.
I stayed with my partner and it never felt cramped. We cooked. We hung out in separate rooms. We made tea and argued about who left the mug in the living room. It was a full domestic fantasy, and I loved it.
We both had the same weird moment about two days in where we looked around and went, “Wait… could we just live here?” And we weren’t joking.
It had the right layout, the right space, and the right vibes. There’s something so comforting about a hotel that doesn’t just feel like somewhere to crash, but somewhere to exist.
🍸 Bonus Points for the Rooftop Bar
Oh, did I mention there’s a rooftop cocktail lounge? Yeah. It’s called Vista18, and it’s giving moody sophistication. Grab a Negroni, take in the city view, and practice your “I could totally work remotely from here” monologue.
TL;DR (Too Long; Definitely Recommend)
If you:
- Want a hotel that feels like a very stylish crash pad for a cool Canadian friend who’s out of town for the week
- Appreciate walkability, good cocktails, and not being crammed into a shoebox with a mini-fridge
- Would like to experience what it’s like to live in an apartment without paying rent or signing a lease
Then Chateau Victoria is your new best friend. I miss it. You’ll miss it. And that’s not weird—it’s just what happens when you stay somewhere that makes you feel like home… but better.
*This is an update of a previous post
