Stay & Play
Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort, B.C.
Article and photography by Steve Gillick
Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, sits on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Known as the Garden City, Victoria’s sights, sounds, walkability, and calm demeanor defy the stereotype of a busy, fast-paced capital. Its Inner Harbour is the main venue for sightseers, outdoor enthusiasts, photographers, adventurers, ramblers, joggers, bicyclists, and those who just want to chill out.
For many visitors, the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort is the ideal place to stay. It sits across from the Inner Harbour in a park-like setting, and when guests enter the lobby, where views of the harbor are front and center, they begin to settle into the city’s wow factor.
From my King Water View Club Room, the harbor was before me: water taxis, float planes, the legendary Fairmont Empress Hotel, the Royal BC Museum, and the Legislative Assembly building, all framed by the Olympic Mountains, rising beyond the Strait of Juan de Fuca in neighboring Washington State.
My room, one of the 240 recently renovated guest rooms, was spacious and exceptionally comfortable, with warm contemporary décor. It had a sizable work desk with ample charging outlets and a spacious bathroom with a shower and plush towels. The Club Lounge was equally pleasing, with its tasty breakfast, availability of cold drinks throughout the day, and relaxing outdoor deck. The hotel’s Ocean View patio on the main level provides another venue to bask in the scenery
Adventures begin right outside the hotel. The West Bay Walkway curves around the harbor toward Esquimalt. It’s been described as “a superb walk with stunning views”. Alternately, guests can cross the Johnson Street Bridge, which leads to the oldest Chinatown in Canada (and the 2nd-oldest in North America), or head to Government Street, which features a lively collection of souvenir shops, bars, and restaurants. Around the corner is Harbour Street, which leads to the boats, ships, and floatplanes docked in the Inner Harbour, hanging flower baskets, the Fairmont Empress Hotel, the architecture and manicured grounds of the Legislative Assembly, that include a bronze sculpture of Queen Victoria, after whom the city was named in 1843, and the striking, colorful Knowledge Totem, carved by Cowichan Tribes artists Cicero, Darrell, and Doug August, symbolizing lessons from the past and hope for the future.
Victoria is located on the traditional and ancestral territories of the Coast Salish people. One way to appreciate the bounties of the area is to cross the harbor in a water taxi directly from the Delta Hotels Wharf to Fisherman’s Wharf. Along with colorful floating homes, tempting seafood eateries, and the mandatory visit to Jackson’s Ice Cream, visitors can enjoy whale watching with Eagle Wing Whale and Wildlife Tours. Our boat passed the Ogden Point breakwater and headed west into the Salish Sea. We saw over a dozen Humpback Whales and one Minke Whale just south of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, and then in the Reserve itself, Harbour Seals wallowed on the rocks and in kelp forests, while a few rock- islands away, a Steller Sea Lion snoozed in the afternoon sun.
Further afield from downtown Victoria are the world-famous Butchart Gardens. Nearby, Church & State Wines offers terroir tours of its vineyard-on-a-slope and wine cellar, along with tastings of 18 varietals. The 2020 Blanc de Gris sparkling wine is inspirational!
And then we returned to the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort to relax and reflect on the harbor scenery. With location and comfort as the main criteria for choosing a hotel, add ambiance, appearance, and attentive staff, and you have a winning combination.
