Dashwood Manor

With elegant grace and charm, Dashwood Manor B&B sits at the edge of the world, overlooking the beautiful Juan de Fuca Strait on British Columbia's Vancouver Island. 

Riff and I have been wanting to visit Victoria for quite some time now.  It is only a few hours from our home on the Oregon coast, so we decided that the long memorial day weekend was jut the opportunity that we had been looking for.  We decided that we wanted to stay at a Bed and Breakfast, somewhere nice so that we could spend leisurly quiet time there as well as exploring the city.  A year ago we had thought about taking this trip and I had searched the internet then for B&B's.  I had found Dashwood Manor and had fallen in love, so immediately headed back there.  Riff and I oohed and aaahed over the rooms, then got down to business and picked our three favorites so that we would have a back-up plan in the instance that our first choice was already booked up. 

 

Our first choice was the Kensington Room.  We looked at the booking schedule and of our three choices, it was the only one available. Yeah!  (The light was fighting with me, but if you go to the Dashwood Manor site and click into the rooms tab, you can see a spectacular picture of it.)  Three big windows look out onto the sea.  The paved path that runs along the beach line just happens to be a leash-free area right here, so any given moment you can look out and see dogs frolicking off leash with their owners.  Very fun. The room itself has the most comfortable four-poster bed you will ever sleep in with lavish linens and lots of pillows.  Ahhhh!  A loveseat sits in the corner and is just the perfect place for some light reading and napping when you are enjoying some quiet time in the room.  A gas fireplace adds just a touch of ambiance and the old-fashioned radiater brought me joy.  I love stuff like that.  Our room also had a private bath, which is something I always want.  Shared baths are for the birds!

(this picture was abducted from the Dashwood Manor webpage)

Our hosts, Dave and Sharon, were welcoming, warm and genuine.  Upon our arrival, we were greeted at the front door and shown into the foyer where we were immediately made to feel at home.  Dave gave us some background on the house and told us about the neighborhood, as well as tips on getting around Victoria and places to see while we were visiting. 

The manor is a 1912 English Tudor, built by Arthur Lineham, a prominent businessman, as a family home for Arthur, Eleanor and their children.  A wonderful, fascinating history of the manor can be found here.  The house is in the historic Fairfield neighborhood.  Riff and I, the first evening that we were there, took the opportunity for a long walk around the neighbordhood.  Dave had told us that there were many Character houses within just a few blocks and we were not disappointed.  Beautiful old homes with lovely gardens and very very few in disrepair.  It is definately a neighborhood that takes pride in itself. Beautiful to see. 

Breakfast at Dashwood Manor is a delightful thing!  I failed to get any pictures of either the incredible food or the light and airy breakfast room, but believe me when I say that it's to die for.  Coming into the breakfast room, we were greeted by Dave, who had just brought in fresh fruit accented with a dollop of creamy yogurt and glasses of juice.  We were to help ourselves to coffee or tea.  The tea is called Silk Road and is specially blended by a lady in Victoria.  The first morning I choose a blend, (that I don't recall the name of), of lavendar, spearmint, and jasmine.  It was incredibly good.  Light and not overpowering with it's florals.  Next we were served light, buttery croissants with slices of brie.  Mmmm....and then, oh my! French toast with a raspberry filling.  Absolutely incredible! 

Morning two's breakfast consisted of fresh strawberries, apricot ginger scones and mushroom quiche.  Just as wonderful as day one.  An absolute delight.

                                                                       

               This incredible stained glass window greets you at the landing on the staircase. Gorgeous!

Dashwood Manor is just a few steps away from Cook Street Village, where we found Beacon Pub, a great little local hangout with wonderful food, and our hosts directed us to a pizza place that cooks in an authentic wood-burning oven. The pizza was incredible!

The manor is also a very easy and leisurly walk to downtown Victoria, but also far enough away from the hub-bub of the city that it is a quiet and relaxful place to be.
                      

A huge thank-you to our hosts, Dave and Sharon.  We are looking forward to visiting again and will recommend Dashwood Manor to anyone visiting your beautiful city.

(I will be posting more on our time in Victoria.  Dashwood Manor was so beautiful that I thought it deserved a post of it's own!)