APRIL 16TH, 2009
Viva Victoria
Our foodie tour of Vicatoria will make for a well-fed weekend.
stay
If a weekend in Kyoto is out of the question, get your Zen moment at Victoria's lush Inn at Laurel Point. Chill out by the waterfall in the hand-tended Japanese garden by the sea, watch the harbour action from the chaise lounge in your sleek Arthur Erickson Wing room, and check out the museum-quality art lining the hallways. Yes, that really is a Henry Hunt sun mask in the lobby. Spring rates from $130, 680 Montreal St., Victoria, 800-663-7667, www.laurelpoint.com
eat
All those micro-produced island wines you haven't yet sampled are at the sleek, waterfront Aura restaurant. The menu leans local, from sea asparagus garnishes to the Zanatta Damasco by the glass. Chef Brad Horen's surf and turf is a good reason to hop that ferry. Aura at the Inn at Laurel Point, 680 Montreal St, Victoria, 250-414-6739, www.aurarestaurant.ca
do
Eat. Walk. Eat. On a Travel With Taste urban culinary walking tour, local foodie Kathy McAree reveals Victoria's food and drink secrets, from the inside scoop on tea blending to where to find the best banana bread in town. Bonus? You get to meet the experts behind the city's booming dining scene. Travel with Taste, 250-385-1527, www.travelwithtaste.com
shop
Fort Street's Antique Row is morphing into Eco Row, with several great eco-tiques. Two faves: Not Just Pretty, with its sustainable, sweat-shop free frocks, tees and and The Good Planet Company, which stocks practical organic bedding, bio-degradable dog toys, muffin tins, and compostable dishes made from fallen palm leaves.
Not Just Pretty, 1036 Fort St., Victoria, 250-414-0414, www.notjustpretty.com
The Good Planet Co., 764 Fort St., Victoria, 888-590-3505, www.goodplanet.com
