I was so lucky to have found this room with Troy and his family from which to launch my new life in Victoria. You won't find a better priced room in the area. More so than ever, it's great to have a local connection in a new city hosted by people who truly care. Troy and his family have friends from all over the world through their education, travels and AirBnB hosting experiences. They go out of their way for friends, family and their AirBnB guests and you won't meet better people. No one has had a wonderful year, but the thing is that Troy and his family always find room to give of their time and love to others, despite the challenges and sorrows of life. The light in their family always shines through. You will come away from a stay here a better person than when you checked in.What hotel could offer that?I highly recommend getting to know them if you get a chance. Pet Max for me.
Esquimalt is a growing community with new buildings and condos going up this year. Families are moving to the area for the affordability, nature and location. You can walk right down Esquimalt Road- passing pharmacies and a few restaurants as you head right down to the inner harbour- an easy walk. Near the harbour you'll find grocery stores and other conveniences. On your walk into town you'll find places to enjoy on the Vic West side of the water like Spinnakers pub and the Boom and Batten. The Delta Hotel apparently has a lovely patio restaurant as well, but I just enjoyed the lockdown experience of enjoying a snack outside in the Cherry Blossom garden. You don't always have to cross the bridge to find beauty. Even on complete lockdown I was able to walk all over and find everything I needed. Now the water taxis are back up and running and you can hop on to go over to the other side even more quickly. I highly recommend Saxe Point park. It's stunning in the spring with the Magnolias and then the rhododendrons in bloom. You can walk through a lovely forest path and then find yourself on a small beach cove, or travel a little further to a larger park where families picnic and fly kites. It's an excellent spot to watch a moon rise over the ocean.The family lives on a very safe street with some really fabulous and quirky properties you'll see as you walk down the hill to Memorial Park. Directly behind the house is High Rock Park where bluebells line the path on magical spring days, and deer were a frequent sight at dusk. Before I left my family said, "Don't go! It's ridiculous to go through with your move during a pandemic" But ..sometimes in life we get lucky, and I was fortunate to have a lovely little home base from which to make my first attempts at establishing myself. Not always a success, I could still come back to my safe comfortable room at night and try again the next day, the family so kind and easy to get along with. You'll have enough space in your room for reading on the soft chair, working at your computer at the desk or just watching TV on a quiet evening. The kitchen is great for small meals and breakfasts and the bathroom looks out on a lovely garden back yard. You'll have all the privacy you need and a separate entrance to to the suite so you can maintain social distancing. The family's strength, friendship, and authentic caring personalities gave me the inspiration to put one foot in front of the other and get out there in the beauty of each day in the Greater Victoria area whether you're going out to buy some pandemic snacks, or enjoying the sights in better times. Travel can always help remind you what's truly important, and I can tell you for sure, it's not about who has the best decorations- but that's for you fellow travellers to find out for yourself.