Arbutus Inn

We were looking for a one night stop in Victoria before we picked up a car and headed north. Arbutus Inn was chosen and paid for well in advance and proved to be perfect for our needs. Reception were friendly, welcoming and helpful. The room was clean and comfortable. There is an excellent cafe (Spoons) across the road that does great coffee and breakfast. We had already booked our hire car from another provider but had we booked the accommodation first we could have used National desk located in the lobby.

There are no dining facilities on site (Dennys and Spoons nearby). It is a 45min walk with cases to the bus depot. We shoiuld have called a cab! The price we paid was very high compared to what we could have paid in the day. That's the price of certainty that we had somewhere to sleep, I guess.

The whole Inn seems to be renovated and it is better from inside than our looks from the outside.

They didn't accept the same card I used to make the reservation (a KOHO card) for some strange reason that I've never heard of before (I was on a road trip, and I used this same card in all bookings without any problems), something about the card not being an actual credit card, what it is not a valid claim as I use it everywhere, even overseas. I had another card with me, so I had to use it , but by doing that, I missed the rewards I would get from the partnership between KOHO and Booking.com

The friendliness and helpfulness of the Arbutus staff was astounding. Whether it was smiling and greeting me warmly at check-in, helping me with a medical emergency, calling me at the hospital to check on my welfare and satisfaction, or extending my stay at the last moment, the Arbutus Inn staff was absolutely fantastic. Claudio, David, and Joseph are wonderful people, as is every other staff member I met. My room was spacious and comfortable, and had everything I needed to prepare simple meals over the course of nearly one week. I will ALWAYS stay at the Arbutus Inn when visiting Victoria. On a five star scale, I award six stars.

The suite included a microwave, coffee maker and fridge which is a great deal considering the price of stay.

A couple of improvements would be more bath towels as there were only two large towels for the four of us. The bottom sheet coving the box spring or mattress was not tucked in and touching the floor. The worry here would be just easier access for bugs to climb up the bed if there were any. Lastly if they had complimentary slippers something like the ones you get on an airplane would be a wonderful plus.

Location was excellent as it 25 minutes leisurely walk from the city centre of Victoria. Bus stops to/from downtown is a couple of steps from the hotel. Wasn't noisy. Suite was spacious, clean, upgraded bathroom with Kohl products. King/Queen sized beds with thick mattresses and excellent pillows, sparkling white bed linens. Kitchenette had adequate crockery, large coffee mugs, cutlery and pots and pans. Fridge was full sized. Tea and coffee were provided. Staff were very helpful. Plus point the National Car Rental is in the premises and their rates were very reasonable.

For the price, everything was good.

The room I thought I rented was not what I got when I arrived and that was my fault when booking , Joseph at the front desk was able to upgrade my room almost immediately at such short notice. It made a huge difference for me to have a Soaker tub I'm very tall and had been camping for two days and much need that deep soak. The location is perfect especially if you do not drive , your right in the middle of uptown and downtown , can walk or bus. The staff were so helpful , the room was clean,hallways weren't noisy. Extremely comfortable.

No washer or dryer but there are places close if needed.

I liked that we had a mini fridge, microwave, and two beds in our room. There were no extra pillows or blankets in the room, but the staff happily gave us 4 extra pillows and an extra throw blanket to make our stay more comfortable.

I wish the coffee/tea selection in the room was better--especially since there is no breakfast on site. Otherwise, I don't have much for complaints.

The room was quiet and comfortable. The hotel was perfectly located for my work at the Vancouver Island Dragon Boat Festival -- it was less than 10 minutes walk. And although wildly expensive, it appears to be the best price in town.

The only thing is the cost, but that is not specific to this hotel. It was actually the least expensive that I could find, but almost $500 for a weekend? Wow.

Staff were helpful and responsive. I had a coffee maker, and small refrigerator. I had a great location; bus system and close Tim Hortons. Spooner Diner cross the street was fantastic. I was close to walking distance of a shopping mall and nature walk.

I was not informed that I could have plastic cutlery. A few more amenities in the refrigerator would have been better. The doors were not closed when people left their rooms so a ringing sound went on too long and the staff did not respond quickly. It was resolved.

Very clean, comfortable and friendly feeling. The staff was uniformly kind, patient & professional. I really felt welcomed and enjoyed my interactions with all the staff. Bathroom was spotless and bedroom was comfortable and well appointed. Night clerk Liam was particularly delightful and engaging.

The furniture for putting stuff away was a bit lacking. Could have used a bit more accessible drawers and a bit more storage ledge in bathroom. A better chair for a tired back would have been nice. Otherwise comfortable and pleasant.