Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa
849 Verdier Avenue,
Victoria, British Columbia,
V8M 1C5, Canada
250.544.2079 |
1.888.544.2079
brentwoodbayresort.com
Visited: September 2015
What I liked...
- The view! The marina just out front with all of the boats, the quiet view of the bay and the pier with cars and locals lining up for the ferry. There is always something to watch while sipping your coffee on your patio or veranda.
- Rooms were pretty luxe. Our first room was on the 1st floor with a small patio that connected to a pretty walkway down to the pool. The floors of the bathroom were heated just enough to be pleasant, the modern stone fireplace beckoned for a cool evening, the robes were a luxurious waffle weave, there were little drawers and cubby holes in the bathroom to stash your toiletries.
- The Brentwood Bay / Mill Bay ferry is only a 5 minute walk from the resort. Instead of having our driver take us all around the peninsula, we had him drop us off so we could take the 10 minute ferry ride back. There is no better view of that area than from the water!
- There are several wineries and distilleries that are within a 30 minute drive from the resort. This makes it easier to hop on a short tour or even take taxis or other private transportation for an afternoon tasting tour.
- The airport is only about a 20 minute drive away. Considering that the downtown heart of Victoria is another 30 minutes south of the resort, I was glad that I chose one that was mid-way to give me more options for touring the area without going broke on taxi rides.
- Wifi was well-organized and consistent. Each room has its own private login and password as well as the lobby & Dining Room.
What I didn't like so much...
- We later requested a room on a higher floor to get a better view of the bay and although the room was supposedly the same size, some of the luxurious details I enjoyed downstairs were missing. The tiled floors were no longer heated, the robes were older terry cloth ones, there was much less storage in the bathroom and the layout was a little different, but I think the room was a bit smaller in square footage.
- Service in the Dining Room was terribly slow - especially in the morning. Although the service staff seemed to be experienced, they seemed either unorganized or a little flustered if there were more than a handful of tables. One morning, my husband and I ordered a bowl of oatmeal, an omelet with a side of bacon and the spoon was delivered almost 40 minutes after we were seated and the oatmeal and omelette arrived 10 minutes later. My side of bacon arrived, unfortunately, 10 minutes after I finished my omelette. Our server apologized and discounted the price on our bill, which was a nice gesture. From what I could tell from my vantage point, the kitchen is slow preparing the orders and the servers are slow getting the plates out when they are ready. Soft-poached eggs do not like sitting in the pass too long.
- Food was OK in the dining room. It was well-presented and seasoned alright, but it just didn't have any WOW factor - especially for dinner. I think I was expecting more from a restaurant in a 5-star resort of this caliber.
- For a 5-star resort, I would have like to have seen a shuttle service to the airport or the BC Ferry Terminal.
- Check out is at 11am which is a bit early considering that most flights are either very early in the morning or later in the day. The front desk staff was nice to allow us a late checkout (1pm) but I am guessing that we aren't the only ones who requested it over the years.
Overall, I would recommend the resort to anyone visiting the Island for a couple of days of luxurious relaxation.
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