29 March 2012
We stayed here for two nights, and the setting was amazing. There is a beach you
can walk to in about 2 minutes and the views are just great. We stayed in the
upper room facing the water. The quietness of the location, the hospitality of
the hosts made this a great trip. Our room was also clean and spacious, and we
had a large bathtub sitting outside the bathroom which was a nice way to soak it
up and relax.
Sooke itself is a change-of-pace from the Victoria, the town is much smaller and
quieter. Highly recommend it and highly recommend this B&B!
Guest Reviews Ocean Wilderness Inn B&B Victoria
28 March 2012
Isolated location in a big beautiful house. Clean and cozy.
If you want a chilled romantic time with your partner at an affordable price
this is it. Unfortunately our experience ended after 15min.
Lori (one of the owners) seemed surprised with my 7 month old baby girl.
Facts:
If you have kids you can only stay in the cheaper rooms that face the garden.
(we paid for the room upstairs facing the ocean)
Kids are strongly discouraged from being upstairs (according to the insurance
company) because there are stairs and it's a liability plus it disturbs guests
downstairs.
The second sentence coming out of our potential hostess was: "I was not adviced
that you were bringing a kid, we prefer not to have a kid upstairs."
If you're a parent... How would you feel about this sentence???
She "kindly" agreed to waive the $25 charge for a kid. After we left our two
dogs with my sister in law so that we didn't pay $25 per dog I guess waiving
that fee removed my baby from the same category than my dogs. However, why would
you charge $25 for a baby???
Our potential hostess seems displeased, surprised and generally uncomfortable
with my baby's presence. If this was not her intention, it was at least our
perception and hence reality.
We left because we simply didn't feel welcomed and we felt, regardless of which
room we were going to be put in, we would be a nuisance. It's not what she said
it was how she dealt with the situation. She mentioned that kids running and
crawling around upstairs was disturbing and coming up and down the outdoor
stairs was not really safe with baby stuff. Although valid points... Our baby
doesn't even crawl yet, we didn't bring any of her things that would require us
to go up and down and there was no one else booked downstairs for the next two
dates of our potential stay.
Guest Reviews Ocean Wilderness Inn B&B Victoria
November 22, 2011
We had such a lovely time at the Ocean Wilderness. The warmth of the hosts, Lori
and Andy, was a true delight, and the inn itself is beautiful. It is NOT a
rustic cabin, nor is it a hotel. It hits the perfect "sweet spot" between. We
stayed in the Pacific Panorama, which has a fabulous view overlooking the ocean
(but through the garden). The bathroom was lovely and had a shower, but the tub
(large) was in the bedroom, with fluffy robes and huge towels.
The breakfasts were not only tasty, they were clearly prepared with a lot of
caring and desire to make "breaking fast" an actual experience rather than a
plonking down of a few dishes and juice and hoping everyone's happy. We also had
a mead tasting (mead from Tugwell Farm and delicious) with cheese and some
completely yummy granola on our departure. I don't think anything was left out
of it. Loved the chocolate bits and, seriously Lori, were those wasabi peas???
There is a guest kitchen too for ambitious souls to make something with the
local produce.
During our 4-day stay, we came back one dark and windy night to find Lori and
Andy holding storm lanterns and obviously quite concerned for our safety. They
escorted us to our room, left the lantern and made sure the candle was lit. Lori
came back with a flashlight and water. How very thoughtful...and that's what
this place is all about—thoughtfulness.
Loved the pod coffee and tea maker in the hallway/library. We took advantage of
this many times over our stay. We also recommend the EdGe for lunch and/or
dinner. It's a funky-looking place serving absolutely wonderful food. My husband
raved over the pork chop dish (looked more like an elephant chop) and my Arctic
char was just brilliantly prepared. The dessert - apple spring roll with black
tea jellies - was mouthwatering. The EdGe is in Sooke.
Back to the Ocean Wilderness Inn: Throughout the year, they run workshops and
concerts and this is worth checking out on their website. They have a FB page so
you can see what's happening. I am so happy we found this place. Had we not
received a Living Social email featuring it, weI might never have known about
it. And that would have been a very great loss!
Pacific Panorama and The Captains' Quarters are upstairs. We looked at some of
the downstairs rooms as well during our stay. They were all lovely with
individual themes.
Guest Reviews Ocean Wilderness Inn B&B Victoria
October 17, 2011
Found Ocean Wilderness Inn via a LIvingSocial deal and are glad of it. Stayed 4
nights in their 3 Cedars Suite and enjoyed every bit of it. Rooms are
immaculate, beds were firm and comfortable, bathroom is enormous (to allow
plenty of room around the jacuzzi tub). The inn is situated just off the main
road so, at first, I was concerned about road noise at night. Didn't need to be.
It was quiet and peaceful as can be. Hosts Lori and Andy are delightful friendly
people who know how to care for their guests. Breakfasts were served family
style around a beautiful old (and gigantic) wooden table and were very tasty.
Pancakes with berry compote, frittata with bacon, grilled peaches with ricotta.
The inn is alittle bit (8 miles?) outside Sooke so yes, you do need to go into
town for other meals but there is much to see and do in that area. Excellent
kayaking in Sooke Basin or its many coves and bays! Several lovely beaches where
you can just sit and watch the waters of Strait of Juan de Fuca. Note: Traffic
through Victoria during rush hour is terrible so, if you can time your trip to
avoid it, do. Otherwise, know that it's worth it because the inn is well worth
the traffic to get to. And, when you leave, Lori & Andy will give you a bag of
their custom blend Trail Mix which may be the best I've ever had.
Guest Reviews Ocean Wilderness Inn B&B Victoria
September 22, 2011
We went to this B&B through a LivingSocial deal, which made it a great value for
the money. For full price we might not stay there, though if you can afford it
it's really nice. It's out of town, so you may have to do a bunch of driving
around depending on outdoor activities planned (and definitely for restaurants).
But this also means that right outside your room door there's a tree where bald
eagles nest and a stair path to a fossil beach (mind the slugs :)). There's also
a pretty little garden with chairs to rest and enjoy the ocean view framed by
the lush forest. In the evening we used the binoculars in the room to watch
lit-up cruise ships pass by. Hosts friendly, good hosts, entertaining guests for
breakfast, which was cooked and served fresh, something different every morning.
Guest Reviews Ocean Wilderness Inn B&B Victoria
September 16, 2011
After a long trip we were very pleased to find such a friendly place to rest.
The B&B is a bit far from any town center and restaurant but this is what we
were looking for. We appreciated the quality of the home, the warm welcome of
the hosts as well as the surrounding nature.
Guest Reviews Ocean Wilderness Inn B&B Victoria
September 13, 2011
The owners are very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. The breakfast is
a pleasant sit-down affair at a large table with the other guests. The rooms are
clean but a little tacky. You have to drive to town to find a restaurant.
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