VANCOUVER, British Columbia The newest hotel in Victoria, B.C.,
does not boast a prominent waterfront location or an imposing
lobby. Tucked away on a side street in the provincial capital, you
might miss The Magnolia Hotel & Spa if you weren’t looking for
it. But the Magnolia proves there’s a lot to be said for quiet
elegance.
Floor-to-ceiling windows in each of the 63 rooms and gas
fireplaces in rooms on the top two floors are the hotel’s showiest
features. But it also boasts small luxuries, such as baskets of
apples and premium chocolates in every room.
The hotel, which opened in 1998, is ideally situated a few
blocks from Victoria’s inner harbor and the provincial parliament
building, and some rooms offer an impressive view of both. The
rooms at the front of the hotel, however, don’t have the view and
are a bit too close to a lively pub downstairs, so request a room
away from the street for clients.
Marble bathrooms with soaker tubs and separate showers are
stocked with Aveda toiletries, which are also featured in the
hotel’s spa. In addition to standard spa treatments, it offers
hydrotherapy baths, a 20-minute treatment in which vigorous jets of
water pound different areas of your body. You emerge fragrant and
relaxed, with the odd sensation that you’ve had an intense massage
by unseen fingers.
Even on a busy weekend, the staff was friendly and attentive. A
complaint about a minor plumbing problem was quickly taken care of,
as was a request for extra hypoallergenic pillows. However, a room
provided by the hotel during a hosted visit proved to be
unacceptably noisy the bed was close to the wall shared with the
adjacent bathroom. Only the rooms at either end of the hallways
appear to have this problem, so clients should avoid them.
The hotel has a well-equipped exercise room and two meeting
rooms with state-of-the-art media equipment. Business travelers
will appreciate the large desks and multi-line phones in all of the
guest rooms.
The Magnolia is affiliated with Ocean Properties Ltd. Hotels and
Resorts of Delray Beach, Fla., and it pays commissions.
