Victoria Real Estate Blog

What can you Expect at The Fairmont Empress During the Winter?

During the holiday season, the Fairmont Empress has transformed into a beautiful winter wonderland that is the perfect place to take the family to have a little fun and make some memories that will last a lifetime. The Fairmont Empress has opened a new ice skating rink right on the front lawn of the hotel.

If you live locally, you can drop by for a few hours just to skate on the rink between the hours of 5pm and 9pm on weekdays and 11am to 9pm on the weekends. They offer several special holiday events on the ice, such as Skating with Santa on Sundays and Skating with the Elves on Christmas Eve.

You can also enjoy a nice hot cup of hot cocoa or apple cider to keep you warm. The Fairmont Empress also offers group skating packages so if you would…

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What are the Best Family Christmas Activities Found in Victoria, CA?

If you’re looking for some fun family activities to do to get you in the Christmas spirit, there are many activities to choose from in Victoria. Christmas is approaching quickly and before you know it, it will have come and gone, so the more memories you can make this holiday season, the better.

Live Nativity

Between December 21st and 23rd, you and the family can head over to Topaz Park to watch the Livre Outdoor Nativity Pageant in the evening hours. This event is free to attend and it’s an excellent way to experience the true meaning of Christmas that often gets overlooked and overshadowed by shopping, gifts, and parties.

Ferris Wheel

On weekends up until Christmas, you can head over to Centennial Square and take a ride on the Ferris…

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How to Escape the Holiday Season Stress

While the holidays are a magical time of year, they truly bring on a great deal of stress. You have to get everyone on your list the perfect present, there are extra events going on and the weather isn’t always great. It can be expensive, overwhelming and of course stressful.

When you have a scheduled packed with holiday parties, malls packed with too many people and you feel like there’s no end in sight, try one of these activities around Victoria to relieve the stress and take a break.

Get Active

One of the most underused forms of stress relief is exercise and yet it’s one of the most effective. Rather than picking up another Christmas cookie and turning on another Christmas movie, try getting a workout to release some endorphins. Victoria…

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Upcoming New Year’s Events in Victoria

Get ready Victoria. New Year’s Eve is around the corner and that means it’s time to celebrate. Once Christmas has passed you don’t want to be worrying about how you’re going to celebrate New Year’s. Get your plans made now because there are going to be some really exciting celebrations going on around town.

From galas to restaurant events, there is going to be something for all to enjoy. Here are the best celebrations going on in Victoria this December 31st.

Blue Crab Seafood House – 146 Kingston Street, Victoria

Check out the New Year’s Eve celebration at The Blue Crab Seafood House in Victoria. It’s a dinner and dance with special menu features. It starts at 7pm until 1am and will feature salmon, lamb rack, ahi tuna tartar, roasted duck…

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Restaurant Spotlight: Camille's Fine West Coast Dining

Camille’s Fine West Coast Dining is a restaurant located in Bastion Square in the heart of Old Town Victoria. It’s an intimate dining experience in a historic building of Victoria built in 1898. You’ll experience not only a cozy atmosphere, but fine dining in a casual environment.

Their menu remains diverse and keeps up with the seasons. They use fresh and local produce in their menu. Enjoy a candlelit restaurant playing soft jazz with a friendly staff offering you some of their fine wine. Here is a look at Camille’s Fine West Coast Dining.

Recognition in the Community

Camille’s has been recognized as “Best Restaurant Cooking Local” in Victoria for 2012 and 2013. They’ve also been called “Best Farm to Table” in 2012 and given a Lifetime…

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Will Victoria get a New Downtown Bus Terminal?

Victoria’s Tourism Industry officials are saying that any replacement for the bus terminal should stay in downtown Victoria. Since the bus lines at 700 Douglas Street are being given 18 months’ notice to move, options are being considered of what should happen next.

The downtown terminal currently serves thousands of arriving tourists each year and continuing to have them dropped off here is the goal of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. Their tourism consultant thinks that even dropping the passengers off on the sidewalk downtown is better than not dropping them downtown at all. Here is a look at the downtown bus terminal discussion in Victoria.

What is happening to the current bus terminal?

The Fairmont Empress Hotel is hoping to…

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City of Victoria Wins a Few More Awards!

Victoria is winning a few awards by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler and those of the 2014 Best of the City awards. They won 3 awards from one publication and one award from another publication this year. The city of Victoria is being recognized for the quality it offers its residents living here.

They were recognized for the Best Free Fun, Best Place to Spot a Ghost and Best Place to Spot a Celebrity by the 2014 Best of the City awards, while being recognized #3 for the friendliest cities in the world. Here is a look at how Victoria was chosen and how it competes against other cities.

Condé Nast Traveler Award

Victoria was chosen as number 3 in the category of the world’s friendliest cities. Condé Nast Traveler readers were asked to rank…

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The Best Dining Found Throughout Victoria

Some of the restaurants in Victoria provide plenty of excellent choices for your dining pleasure. Whether you're searching for a new place or you need a place for excellent seafood, you can find it throughout the city. Here are some of the best choices in the city.

Best Seafood

Two restaurants come to mind when you're searching for excellent seafood in the city, Pescatores Seafood & Grill and Red Fish, Blue Fish. These are both excellent choices and provide plenty of delicious entrees.

Pescatores is located at 614 Humboldt Street and has been voted as the best seafood restaurant in the city for multiple years. With plenty of local fish, grilled meats and seafood entrees, you can find the right dish to pair with one of the many wines on their…

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Escape to the Outdoors with These Four Choices on the Saanich Peninsula

It's no secret that the Victoria area is full of great outdoor places to enjoy. From parks to lakes and everything in between, this area of Canada is known for the outdoors. The Saanich Peninsula is full of great outdoor escapes and here are four of the best choices.

Mount Work Regional Park

Found near the Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, this Regional Park provides one of the largest in the area. It features the Durrace, Pease and Fork fresh water lakes, which are perfect for fishing, boating and swimming. Along with the lakes, you can enjoy the many kilometers of trails, mountain bike areas and so much more.

John Dean Provincial Park

Some of the best views of the Saanich Peninsula are found from this park, along with views of the Cascade…

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Introduction to the Highlands

The Highlands is one of the most sought after rural districts with plenty of lakes and parklands. This area of Victoria is full of beautiful views and natural areas for all to enjoy. If you're relocating to Victoria or the Vancouver Island area, the Highlands should be at the top of your list.

As one of the West Shore municipalities, Highlands is in the same group as Colwood, Metchosin, View Royal and Langford. All of these areas are located to the west of Victoria and are known as Western Communities. Covering the area from Esquimalt Harbour to Rocky Point, these communities are found on the shoreline of the Juan de Fuca Strait.

About 2,100 people live in Highlands, which gives it a small town feel with Victoria just down the road. It's located…

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