I had the extreme pleasure of staying at the Executive House Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia for five nights and days to attend a seminar on ICE (on how to break frozen ice on the sea with ice-breaking vessels rather than anything to do with mixing drinks) and fell immediately in love with the place.

As the Victoria town council prohibits buildings taller than twenty floors to be erected the Executive House Hotel stands high above the town (built before the "tall" prohibition entered into force). It boasts 360 degree views for miles around and includes Victoria's Conference Center, famous Inner Harbour with its spectacular sunsets and of the town of Victoria itself. Enviably located just steps away from the harbour sea plane and local ferry terminals, forty minutes away from the Victoria International Airport and Vancouver ferry it is without doubt the 'place to stay when in town.

A mouse or a Mountie?

Advertised as offering European boutique comfort and ambience I would agree.

As rooms go, warm and comfortable

The hotel is 'oldish' yet extremely comfortable and warm, the rooms: spacious and clean and with a balcony, air-conditioning or heating for whatever the weather is doing and a percolator for fresh coffee in the morning. The staff; very friendly and helpful with a 'nothing is too much for us' style attitude! What amazed me the most was the price for one night stood at only seventy five Canadian Dollars, although a quick visit to their website does suggest slightly higher prices for those not attending ICE courses! A room for that price in Singapore, Hong Kong, London or New York would serve up a small, damp cubby hole - a shared dormitory or for the hour with a girl of the night (the girl not part of a package deal)! NB: The average room consists of two separate bedrooms as suitable for a family. The more expensive rooms boast private Jacuzzi atriums, living rooms and dining rooms with balconies and fireplaces! Ideal for anything about sums it up.

The Hotel boasts many a dining and drink establishment ranging from the Berkley's Steak House and Polo Bar, the D'Amoro Cafe and Doubles Oyster Bar to the British style Bartholomew's Bar and Rockefeller's Grill (with heated outdoor patio for the smokers). This last seemed to be for the usage of half of the population of Victoria never mind the hotel guests; with an excellent atmosphere, friendly and helpful bar staff and food fit for a king it was a wonderful placed to spend time in. Efan Nelson the evening barman sadly did not see the funny side of the bottle of shampoo that had been dumped into the fountain outside the door; Efan thereafter referred to as "bubbles"! He did say that this was not the first time that the fountain had been abused in such a fashion and probably would not be the last time either! Bubbles, it wasn't me!

The other bar staff; Jack, Amanda and Kate! Jack was the daytime guru who knew everything from mixing cocktails to cement for the front porch and who held his own seminars on a daily basis! The bar had this sort of extended box and Jack would stand behind polishing glasses and on three sides would be his customers, long-time residents of all shapes and sizes who sipped beer in the afternoons and watched re-runs of the Jack-is-live show. New entrants to the bar always greeted with "beer boss"? From home life to the deplorable state of the wine growing industry in Italy, from Victoria politics to the best spirit to use in a martini it was all there as Jack held house! Nothing was too much for Jack, a true star of the bar. He was ably helped by his two shining lights, Amanda and Kate who attended to all the running around as Jacks thirsty guests demanded replenishment but both took time out to smile, to laugh and talk and again nothing was too much for them.

Upstairs the Polo Bar and Steak House provided yet again another venue for Victoria residents and hotel guests alike and provided a more austere atmosphere for romance, meetings or get-together of family and friends. A small bar first for drinks and then slowly move onwards to the restaurant to be served a dazzling array of scallops in wine sauces to pasta to last but not least the enormous steaks that defy gravity!

View of Victoria Harbour and the Empress Hotel

Downstairs from the lobby and ground floor are a number of rooms available for seminars or meetings. The room used for our ICE course was cozy and suitably decorated with shelves of old books that might have been worth something has somebody not stuck large six inch nails through their centers to keep them from falling down! And at the height of it all a fitness center made up of two workout rooms a whirlpool and steam room and a sundeck; the latter more of a summer thing as the zero degree temperatures of the winter do not attract the bronzing addicts!

The Executive House Hotel provides an extremely warm and comfortable place for any lone traveler, family holiday-go'er or business traveler alike. It is centrally located in Victoria town center; only five minutes walk from the main harbor and tourist attractions, near to the nightlife and bars, the shops and the restaurants and just simply a wonderful place to stay when in town.

I thank the staff, owners and managers of the Executive House Hotel for such a pleasant and welcome stay and I hope that one day I have the privilege of staying there again.