This place rocks for a party! Great venue, great owners! We have rebooked for next year already…read more Looking forward to it again!

From the owner: The 4o7 is Victoria, B.C.'s boutique waterfront events venue. With 2100 square feet of indoor space…read moreand one of Victoria's most sought-after waterfront patios, The 4o7 is the perfect venue to host corporate or government training sessions, company receptions, charity fundraisers, music shows, and a host of other events.

This place has it all, excellent service, great facility, small touches that are too numerous do go…read moreover and, to top it off, the quality of the product was hands down superior to the tea at Empress. The small setting brings something to this place too, hard to explain but it makes it nice. We taxi'ed from downtown for just a few bucks and walked back, easy stuff. We can't recommend this place more highly. Go!! The gardens are not spectacular at the moment due to the time of the year but we could see that when in season, it would be amazing. GO! What are you waiting for.

The gardens were fantastic! Well maintained with close in trails that give it a very close in…read moresecret garden feel. There is also a trail suitable for wheelchairs and other assistive devices. This is not a really large garden, but very well designed and laid out. The variety of species is fantastic and the flowering blossoms are everywhere. The tea itself is a different story as I'm a bit of a tea snob. There are no menus or choices for sandwiches or type of tea. I found the tea sandwiches to be dry and stale bread. Being a tea snob, I also prefer private seatings instead of 8 strangers at a table all reaching into the same tower of sandwiches for choices you didn't get to make. Non Europeans just don't understand the finer points of tea. This 'European seating' of strangers sharing a table works for western ideas of pubs, not for an afternoon tea. Five stars for the garden. 2 stars for the stale sandwiches and tepid unknown tea with no cozies or leaves strainers or spoons or choices...

Great event venue. The hospitality of Elizabeth and the team was fantastic. I'd recommend the VEC…read moreto anyone looking to host an event or attend a show.

I was here for Upstairs Downstairs a production from a local improv theater company. It was lovely…read more A whole bunch of fun in a beautiful castle!! Wow! This place is cool! I recommend a visit here if you can swing it. So nice! Lots of history of course. When it was built, the tower was the highest place anyone could stand in Victoria.

Such a beautiful castle! We enjoyed every minute of our visit. The billiards room was my favorite…read morebut there's so much to see! I didn't expect to find a castle in Victoria, Canada but I'm so happy we did! You should definitely go!

norway house: a jewel in Victoria's crown…read more hop in a viking longship and go for a ride

Attended an event here. Unfortunately the owner has refused to refund the organizer's deposit for…read morethe event (due for return within 7 days). The reason? "I don't have the money." That's theft.

From the owner: Designed for creators, communities and causes, Sunset Labs is the Island’s most capable multimedia,…read morelivestream & virtual event production centre. Sunset Labs is a capable, flexible and specialized homebase for creating events and media. Our team manages all of the technical and studio elements for your production, and provides design, strategy and workflow support throughout. WE focus on production, so that YOU can focus on content & connection. Equipped in ways few boutique studios are, Sunset Labs offers dual gigabit internet, Pro Sony cameras, Blackmagic switchers, Sennheiser mics, Yorkville sound system and an array of professional studio lighting. We’ve got your needs covered and will make sure you look and sound great. Sunset Labs is built to help content creators share their work with the community, and the world. The studio is primarily designed for the production of virtual, hybrid and remote online events, and we have an array of related services to support you in your pre & post production as well. Are you ready to explore working together on your next big vision? Reach out, we'd love to learn more about what you're up to. and how we can help.

We were so excited to be able to visit the Fairmount Express. We arrived by Uber from the Queen…read moreElizabeth and were greeted by the Door Man. He made us feel so welcome. The hotel overlooks the Harbor. It is one of the city's oldest and most famous hotels. It opened in 1908, the building is a classic example of turn-of-the-century architecture where countless celebrities and royal visitors elected to stay here over the years, and we could see why when we stepped inside. The hotel is steeped in history and elegance. The Fairmont Empress pairs Edwardian architecture with a polished, contemporary sensibility, anchored by a Reception Lobby dressed in gold, charcoal, and lavender. The centerpiece of the hotel is marked by a jaw dropping massive, hand-cut crystal twill-flower custom designed chandelier consisting of 250,000 crystals modernizes the airy entryway to the hotel while still allowing the structure's Edwardian bones to shine through. We actually sat down to take it all in. The Fairmont Empress is grand and impressive. Grand, as in really big. Not only are there 464 guest rooms but plenty of places to sit and sip and people watch. We walked around to look at the different spaces. The Lobby Lounge was an inviting space. It looked like something you would find in the Bahamas with its whitewashed walls, coffered ceilings and palm trees. It's where Empress afternoon tea is served, but there's also a bar plus a piano that gets plenty of regular action by featured performers almost daily. We were able to see the Palm Court, which is an airy atrium-like space with a stained-glass dome ceiling and Italian marble flooring. What is interesting is that this stained-glass dome had been covered up because it collapsed on New Year's Eve in 1968 during an unusual heavy snowstorm. The Tiffany-style-stained glass was covered up and later rediscovered. It was restored during a Royal Restoration in 1988. The glass dome never has the same colors; colors of the dome change dependent on the weather. The acoustics in the Palm Court is so sensitive that if one whispers on one side of the room, the conversation can be picked up on the other side, just by whispering! We were glad it was restored as it is gorgeous. They have an avenue of lovely shops that lead to the Victoria Convention Center. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Empress.

I'm really curious what the other good reviews are about because the two times we've stayed here…read moreit's been a pretty nightmarish experience for the most part. I will say however the location is excellent for walkability, exterior is gorgeous and the stunning colorful tulips in the spring are a highlight for anyone stopping by. Very slow/painful check in process, rooms were not ready over after supposed check in time, long wait times for breakfast at The Bengal etc. The ONLY silver lining in our experience was the wonderful hotel manager who saved the day and truly made sure we were well taken care of this second time around when things went wrong - if not for him, we would've written this hotel off completely. We do like the pool and hot tub, the Le Labo amenities and the Harbor View rooms are great for the view. Skip the Willow stream spa- the services were mediocre at best and the mineral pool was totally lukewarm; even the hot tub in the general pool area was better. Best part about the spa was the snack area with the yummy PB oat brownie bites and iced lavender + butterfly pea infused water! That said, it's definitely still a hotel with "old bones" despite the recent remodel and it shows when it gets very noisy with street traffic and buskers on the weekend, even at night. Sound insulation in the hallway is next to non-existent so you will inevitably hear the drunk Bachelorette party girls making their way down the corridor to their rooms late at night, and screaming kids in the daytime. Something to consider if noise is something that you care about during vacation. Other than historic charm and solid breakfasts at The Bengal, I'm not sure what else the hotel has going for it unless you spend a fortune on the Gold experience perhaps!

I wasn't sure what to expect. It was my first experience with a Cabernet show. The description when…read morewe bought tickets gave very little details only that it may contain a variety of acts and some political humor. What we got to see was nothing short of brilliant. The sketches were done with simple costumes and lighting, yet the presentation was really well played out. We laughed our way through and even had moments of sad reflection that made you feel as if they knew exactly what we needed to see and hear in order to leave feeling a little lighter because someone else understood your pain. It was a cathartic experience and one that well rounded out our exciting adventure into Victoria. Don't be disappointed when you pull up and see the front entrance to the location. It doesn't carry curbside appeal, but trust me the act is worth seeing. We bought VIP ticket seats, which didn't prove to be much better than the regular. But we were lucky to have a comfy sofa to sit on.

If you are fortunate enough to catch a show by Atomic Vaudeville, your visit to Victoria will have…read morereached its sure climax. Expect brilliant sketch comedy, gutsy up close and personal chats with God (who is - of course - a transvestite) and musical reenactments of anything you never thought could be done as a musical. To enjoy you should have seen Flash Dance and have a fairly good working knowledge of Canadian political figures (or be willing to laugh anyway). Rebel Rebel (585 Johnson) usually has tickets which tend to sell out quickly.