Where to stay w/late arrival into Victoria Airport? One that won't delay us too much for next day's plans... ;-)
 

Okay...here's the scoop! ;-)

We arrive 10pm into Victoria's airport on a Friday evening. First inclination would be to head in for a night in Victoria itself...Inner Harbor even, to gain a little local colour.

But the rub is, we're supposed to get to Telegraph Cove/Port McNeill by nightfall the following day.

As best I can estimate w/zero stops this drive could take 7 hours! I'm guessing a couple of extra hours if weather nice & we make any stops.

So, we really should be on our way by 10am at the latest or so. (don't want to deal w/wildlife on the hwy north of Campbell River...or hitting any once it's dark)

By staying in downtown Victoria, I'm guessing we'd be easily delayed & hanging around & not hitting the road.

So, considering staying outside of town, but where? Heard about a place called Miraloma in Sidney itself, but hubby says that seems out of the way. (is almost due east & a tad north of airport)

But it got rave reviews on Tripadvisor...
sounds pretty nice. Just a place to sleep I suppose but thought staying in a decent spot if prices similar to less unique lodging might help us realize we're actually commencing a REAL getaway!! :-)

Anyone stayed at the Miraloma? Is it worth the potential extra drive we'd be leaving for ourselves Saturday morning/noon?
Better to stay further down the Peninsula to avoid Victoria traffic Saturday?

I know we don't want to go as far as Malahat that night as would prefer to see it in daylight. (and we'll be tired too
after working Friday & getting up to Victoria from Calif)

Appreciate any recommendations for fave places or places that make sense along this route.

Also saw recommendations for the Waddling Dog Quality Inn south of airport a bit.
Maybe that's more prudent?

Btw, Miraloma almost sounds nice enough that it TOO might cause delays in us getting out...perhaps better to just stay very basic, huh? ;-) I did get a decent AAA rate, however.

Ooo...meant to add that we have been to Victoria itself before & Gulf Islands. Just never to Northern Island nor West Coast. (this trip's plans)

When we return, if weather iffy or even if not, probably WILL stay in Inner Harbour then for the final night of our trip. Might do tea that day before departing from airport in late afternoon.

Heard tea at the Empress now costs an arm & a leg, however. So maybe not...

Anyway, just wanted to add that tidbit lest you think I absolutely need to squeeze in Victoria upfront. ('course always some risk WON'T stay there last night if we'd opt for some other spot on our drive back from Tofino) But I'm guessing it will be Victoria. Thanks again!

Our trip is almost all there, now!
Have most pieces in place. :-)
(thanks to all of you & your advice)

There is a Howard Johnson Hotel at Royal Oak and you can take Royal Oak the next morning which is a shortcut to the highway going up Island. The hotel is relatively new but I haven't seen the rooms. If time is of the essence to you I would recommend staying there. The Waddling Dog is on the hwy into town if you stayed there it is only 20 mins from there to the Royal Oak cutoff so wouldn't cost you much time in the morning.

Not quite clear how Royal Oak is a shortcut to the hwy going up-island
but I'm just trying to judge from tiny map on Howard Johnson's website.

Guess I need to find a real map of Vancouver Island soon! (vs. tiny ones in books)

Sometimes it almost looks like there's a ferry (from maps I see) going from peninsula to main highway.

Looking again, I see there is a
Mill Bay/Brentwood Bay ferry?
Is this a timesaver over to the main road heading north? Or only perhaps slower.

Have to study things more, I guess.

The Mill Bay ferry is a gentle experience unto itself, but you loose the airial views from the Malahat lookouts. It is not actually a timesaver.
There is nowhere in Victoria that is more that one hour away from somewhere else in Victoria.
This is part of why I love it here.

Hi Daydreamer

There is a ferry that crosses the bay but it isn't really any faster. You have to drive to Brentwood Bay and by the time you wait for the ferry and hopefully get on (depends on the time etc). I have used it but found it faster to drive.

Regarding the route from Hwy 17 to Hwy 1. Royal Oak runs into Wilkinson Road which in turn takes you to Helmcken Road. Wilkinson branches off and you stay on Helmcken (sounds confusing but it is the main route and easy to see). Helmcken runs into Hwy 1 just past the hospital. This saves a lot of backtracking and if you stay at the Howard Johnson they will certainly give you the directions. It is easy to follow though. I used to do this drive from North Saanich to Qualicum Beach every week for a couple of years and certainly tried every route and this one was definitely the quickest. If you get a Victoria map it is very obvious so you won't have any trouble I am sure. Good luck. If you have any other questions - just ask.

Miraloma, ex-Shoal Harbour Inn, isn't that far out of the way but I don't know if you'd get much benefit from staying there if you're just dashing away the next morning. Ditto the pricey Brentwood Bay Lodge if staying by the Brentwood Bay ferry dock was a thought. As traveller69 said, that ferry trip cuts out some driving but perhaps not much time when you consider ferry line-up and crossing times.

You have to drive toward Victoria in order to get off the peninsula. The first route, without being a slower convoluted one is Wilkinson Road as mentioned, which is near the Howard Johnson in Royal Oak. Royal Oak has restaurants and shopping malls with grocery stores.

Did you rule out just flying into, say, Comox instead of Victoria?

Oops, I just saw icithecat's post. True, if you wanted to drive from Victoria to see the scenery, it wouldn't make sense to cut out the drive over the Malahat by taking the ferry.

Thanks guys!

Re: flying into Comox....
just too expensive for our dates.

Appreciate the advice...sounds like skipping ferry makes sense. 'TIl later... :-)

The Victoria area is quite compact - staying near the airport vs closer to downtown won't make a huge difference.

We've made it from the Telegraph Cove boardwalk to a friends home in Victoria in about 5 hours, although I would plan for a bit more than that.

Where did you finally decide to stay in the Telegraph Cove area?

Jerry

Hi, Daydreamer - the Waddling Dog recommendation came from me, on one of your other posts, and I would strongly recommend it. There will be traffic in and out of Sidney the next morning, not a lot, but some. I've been to the Howard Johnson at Royal Oak and it's not great - not horrible, but not great. I guess I just have a lot of affection for the Dog! They do have an actual waddling dog, by the way. He's a basset hound and lives behind the counter at the front desk. His name is John; he's actually John the Third, having been hired a couple of years ago to replace an aging John the Second. He poses for photos, and can be taken for walks.

One clear advantage in staying there is that when you arrive late, and you don't know your way around all that well, it's extremely easy to find. One traffic light south of the airport; a left turn off the highway, and you're there.

The Royal Oak shortcut is a bit of a mixed blessing. We do this occasionally, but the Mackenzie exit (the one that has the signage indicating that it's the route to Highway 1) isn't far south of the Royal Oak exit, and there are only 2 or 3 traffic lights on Mackenzie between the Pat Bay highway (the one you'll be on) and the main highway. Royal Oak/Wilkinson/Helmcken has one really slow intersection that can hold you up for as long as 5 minutes, probably not that long on a Saturday morning but it might be a little frustrating. It works well when you're in a line-up of traffic that just got off the ferry heading into Victoria, because it gets you off the Pat Bay highway a few minutes sooner. We've just had a guest staying with us this past week, and there have been various trips to and from the airport and the ferry, so I've had lots of recent practice in making these decisions!

Wow! Again,
thanks everyone!! Fabulous advice & feedback from all!

Truly, truly appreciate it. :-)
Just insiders' knowledge is a GEM here on the Fodor's Board.

To have access to such help...a lifesaver at times!
(depending on the circumstances
or seriousness of the situation, but you know what I mean!) :-D

Anyway, will get good maps & finalize the rest soon.

As far as Telegraph Cove...thanks so much Jerry for that input on drive time! So I'll count on not too much more than 7 hrs for us w/generous stops for lunch ,etc, which helps to know. Was wondering how much beyond that, I'd need to figure. So great to know it can be done more quickly!

Some mention a slower beachfront hwy vs. express near Nanaimo in books I have. Will have to see how much taking the 'slower' more scenic way slows things down.

As far as where to stay near Telegraph Cove...I believe we're going w/Hidden Cove if they still have space when I call this weekend. You & someone else think so highly of its setting, so I think we'll 'go for it'. :-)

Am mostly concerned w/how much of a drive it is from town/village, but since you say the setting & chance to see wildlife is reallly good there...I think we're game! :-)
We adore time spent observing wildlife. Now I know nothing is EVER guaranteed, so will keep our fingers crossed. By early October...may be fewer animals around, but one never knows. Thanks again everyone!! :-)

Oops! Meant to write:

SUCH insiders' knowledge is priceless! (not "just")

I'll take insiders & visitors' experience equally! :-)
Both are a gift.

Just noted some strong recommendations for the Prior House & Fairholme Manor.

Could keep this in mind for our final night in area on way back home, if these spots make more sense than being down in the Inner Harbour area. (my original preference...maybe at the Empress if I can find a good off-season rate for mid-October weeknight)

However, also wondering now...
would going to such a place if it ends up costing less than let's say the Miraloma in Sidney delay us much for getting out in the morning for a longish drive to Telegraph Cove area?

If anything, the earlier forced breakfast time might just get us going earlier! ;-)

Anyway, I'm guessing to consider & Bed & B even if rates great this time of year would be unwise. Probably just not the 'pace' we should be keeping.

And altho' they show jetted tubs and the like, actually more likely to be able to use one if needing it for an aching back from packing/rushing to airports...at the larger, less personal lodging choices, I guess. (if splurging at all, I mean)

I don't think the Waddling Dog has any....but Miraloma does.

Thanks again! Just curious if anyone here loves the Prior House or similar.
(as we could use ideas on this area vs. Inner Harbour for our final night in B.C. too)

If you want to stay at a B&B with jetted tub that is closer to the inner harbour I can recommend Marketas I think it is probably a little less expensive than Fairholme and Prior House and is easy walking distance to the harbour area.
http://www.marketas.com/index.shtml
If you want to get up and get going on your drive up island maybe the B&B way isn't the way to go because you might like to just relax and enjoy the place in the morning. Maybe you should save the B& B until the last night on your return. There are so many great B& B's in the area.

I think you'd be better off staying by the Inner Harbour on your final night, since it is only for the one night.

Thanks you guys! You're right.
And we when leave don't have to get to airport 'til 3pm, so might even have time for tea somewhere in town.

Appreciate the feedback. :-)

If you want to do tea Murchies Tea room is the best. It is half the price of the Empress and twice as good. They are on Government St just a couple of blocks from the inner harbour but reservations are a good idea as they just do a couple of sittings. I highly recommend them. Believe me I have done every tea room in Victoria more than once with all the company we get and it just can't be beat.

Funny thing about the Empress. You're quite right - Murchies does a lovely tea; so do the White Heather Tea Room, Point Ellice House (our favourite, but just in the summer), Point no Point, and Four Mile Pub. We always suggest to people that they avoid tea at the Empress because it's pricy, the other options are just as good if not a lot better, and the only people you see at the Empress are busloads of tourists. Despite this, people insist on going there. I have no idea why.

Meetshare - I know it is really unbelieveable that people would pay $55 for afternoon tea. They hear about it and think that it is the thing to do - good marketing job I guess. The one thing I tell people though is to walk through the Empress it is a beautiful old building but my favourite spot there is the Bengal Lounge. The curry buffet is really good and it is such a delightful spot to eat or have a drink. About the teas - I agree White Heather has excellent food but the atmosphere isn't great. I hate being shoved up against another table with no room to move. For tourists Murchies is in such a good location and the food is so good there. I buy special occasion cakes there (of course lots of other goodies too) The Windsor tea room also had a great tea but the last time we went there it was no longer in existance but I think maybe someone else might open a tearoom there or perhaps already has. The building that is now the Rosewood at Michigan and Government was the Holland House and they also had a wonderful tea. Point Ellice is good as you say but they lease out the tea room and gift shop and so the quality changes when the lease changes.