A magical stay at the Castle on the Coast: Fairmont Empress Festive Stay Review
Growing up in Victoria visiting the Empress at Christmas time was always a family tradition. The hotel is always elegantly decorated. The hotel used to host the festival of trees competition. Different businesses around town would decorate a tree and we would be able to vote on our favourite. The competition has now moved locations but I still cherish these memories. I remember getting dressed up to go for dinner at the hotel followed by walking around after to view all the competition entires.
To this day I love a festive visit to the Empress.
About the hotel
I have done a review of the Empress previously. Please refer to my prior post for details on the hotel.
We stayed in a Fairmont Golf Harbour View room during this stay. Views of Victoria’s inner harbour are always special however at Christmas with the lights on the Legislature building and the harbour boats it is truly a magical view.
Address: 721 Government Street, Victoria
Phone Number: (260) 384-8111
Website: Fairmont Empress
Check-in Time: 3:00 PM
Check-out Time: 11:00 AM
The Gold Floor
The Gold Floor at The Empress was renovated last year. Their Gold Floor is one of my favourites. Is it spacious with gorgeous harbour views. I love that there are so many different seating areas in the lounge to try out.
The lounge is the perfect spot to unwind for a snack and drink. A glass of bubbly amongst the festive decor definitely puts you in a happy holiday mood. A fun touch in the lounge currently are disposable cameras with different fun glasses and items you can use to take photos with.
The patio is in use when the weather is nice. It was closed during our stay but the staff were nice and opened it up for us. Although chilly you get views of the Legislature Building and harbour boats with all the Christmas lights.
Festive food
Afternoon tea
Afternoon tea at the Empress is always a fun affair. I love that so many guests dress up for the experience. The feature of the afternoon tea room is a large stunningly tree decorated in shades of purple and blue.
Our tea started with a glass of Laurent Perrier Champagne (a personal favourite Champagne). Shortbread cookies were then served as a small snack.
For tea I chose the Orange Vanilla tea. I prefer fruity teas and while light this tea was flavorful . The color of the tea was stunning. I wasn’t expecting the vibrant pink hue.
For tea we started from the bottom tray to the top. We started off with raisin scones. The scones at the Empress never disappoint. For savory offerings I liked the cucumber and turkey sandwiches. I don’t often like turkey but this turkey sandwich was delicious.
For the sweets I loved the mini versions of holiday classics. The mini Bouche Noel and Christmas cake were my two favourites. I know the holiday season is quickly passing by but if you get the chance for afternoon tea at the Empress before it is over I definitely recommend it.
Q Restaurant
On our first night at the Empress we had dinner at Q restaurant. It was the perfect way to end a travel day down to the hotel. The staff were amazing and the food was delicious. We started our dinner off with some cocktails. I got a martini using the Empress gin. I love their classic gin and use it at home.
In my opinion oysters are the perfect way to start a meal, and that is exactly what I did. We indulged in oysters, foie gras and a Cobb salad to start. Although on the large size these oysters were not too briney. If you like foie gras you need to try the one at Q. It is served with pear which is a nice pairing to the rich foie gras. I would definitely order this again. The dressing on the Cobb salad was nice and light. The grapes and apples in the salad were fresh giving a nice crunch. It was the perfect way to round out the rich foie gras.
For our mains I got the crab cappelletti. Although a pasta dish this was not heavy. The broth for the pasta made it the perfect dish for a chilly night. I loved the crunch and saltiness from the sea asparagus. And you really cannot go wrong with crab and truffle. My friend had the short rib which as you can imagine was delicious, warm and hearty.
We ended the meal with a chocolate cake. If you like chocolate this is the dessert for you. The cake is rich and dense.
A glass of bubbly was the perfect way to end the night.
Q Bar
If you have followed me for a while you know that I love a good cocktail. More than food I love sipping on a well crafted beverage. Q bar has never disappointed me. They currently have a menu with festive cocktails.
The bar has a Korean inspired cucumber salad which is 10/10. Spicy but fresh it compliments cocktails well. We also had the truffle short rib poutine. The flavors in this dish were delicious.
Visiting Q Bar at night was truly a magical experience. The trees decorating the restaurant and bar were all white which reflected well in the dark bar space. If you want to treat yourself or a special someone to a magical night out this is your place!
We did not try the gin flight while there but if you love gin you should give it a try!
What to do
Via a Vis and Pennyfarthing pub
Although Oak Bay is a bit of a drive from downtown Victoria I love the stores, bakeries and restaurants there. I love that Vis a Vis has a dog friendly heated patio and they are always so welcoming when I go. We found out during our visit that Pennyfarthing pub has the machine that can print images on a Guiness so we had to get one! We tried this last at the Guiness factory in Ireland. The restaurant can actually print an image onto any drink with a foam top. To stick with the holiday spirit we printed a Santa. Since I had little Penelope with me I couldn’t resist getting her printed as well.
Rabbit Rabbit
Rabbit Rabbit is a new wine bar in downtown Victoria. As a sparkling wine/ Champagne lover I had to visit. We just had glasses of wine and tried out the Champagne they had by the glass. We were still full from dinner but we did give the mushroom lo bok go and scallion milk buns a try. The food was delicious and I would go back to try more. I loved the bubbly we tried called Kir Yianni. The atmosphere was fun and I loved the lounge seating space where we sat. Definitely recommend a visit.
Butchart Gardens
If you have rented a car a trip to Butchart Gardens at Christmas time is always worth it. The gardens has a 12 days of Christmas theme and when we were kids we always loved trying to find all the days.
The lights at the gardens are magical and every year they add to the lights.
Last year we celebrated my Dads birthday at the gardens restaurant. I thought given that the gardens is rather touristy the meal could be disappointing. I was impressed. The food was truly delicious. The meal was pricey but well worth it. The restaurant’s decor was also gorgeous. We sat in an atrium room overlooking the garden lights.
I hope you are all having a fantastic holiday season! If you are visiting Victoria I definitely recommend a visit to the Empress!
xx Samantha
Photos: my own and Hayley Alice Photos
