Card? Check. Flowers? Check. Same ole, same ole predictable gift? Yawwwn.
This year, think outside the Valentine’s Day box and up your gift-giving game with a thoughtful present that is sure to leave your sweetie grinning from ear-to-ear. Save the candy for Halloween and give them one sweet ride on the Victoria Clipper V for a fun getaway to beautiful Victoria, BC. Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for your significant other or best friend, we’ve crafted the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift guide for all the travel-loving people in your life.
1. Celebrate Your One and Only
Give that special person what they really want – time alone with you! Situated in the heart of the city, the stately Hotel Grand Pacific is just the ticket for a special occasion getaway in Victoria.
Spoil them with all the ingredients of the ultimate escape – the two of you, stunning vistas, a bottle of bubbly and chocolates at your side. Sweeten the evening with expertly crafted cocktails in the intimate 14 seat Clarke & Co. bar. The icing on the cake? An excellent breakfast in bed! The perfect excuse to stay cozied up in your room a little longer.
2. Celebrate Your Sisterhood
You text them any time of day, they offer an honest opinion and never hesitate to give you a hug or pep talk. Why not celebrate the leading ladies in your life with a weekend of gal pal pampering at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel?
Charm their socks off with spa side cocktails at the hotel’s luxurious Boathouse Spa & Bath. Accompany them with an array of ahhh-mazing massages, facials, manicures and pedicures along with a soothing soak in the steaming hot seaside mineral pool. Tranquil, serene and simply breathtaking, this oasis-like setting is the perfect place to renew heartfelt friendships.
3. Charm the Men in Your Life
While the latest tech-toys and fine whiskey are classic ways to show appreciation for your favorite guy, you’ll get extra points sending him up north on a guy’s trip to Victoria, BC. Chock-full of bustling bars and walkable streets, Victoria is the perfect place to put all the time he’s spent sampling Seattle’s craft-brew scene to good use on a big brew adventure.
He and his crew will join Vancouver Island’s brew experts on a three-hour tour that will transport them to three of our favorite breweries. They’ll sample suds, get a look behind the scenes and learn about the brewing process from seasoned pros. Book this tour with Clipper, learn more.
4. Spend Quality Time with the Kiddos
Want to share the love with your little ones? After all, Valentine’s Day is all about spreading loving vibes to everyone you care about. Calling all prince and princesses! Treat your pint-sized travelers to the chance to live like royalty for the day with the quintessential Victorian tradition of afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress.
The kiddos will delight in the chance to dress up in their finest duds, tiaras optional, (A little insider tip: Grandparents love it and it also makes for a great photo op!). The fun continues with a specially crafted kids’ menu boasting yummy bites, such as finger-sized PB&J sandwiches and rainbow sprinkle-covered chocolate chip cookies. The best part? You’ll get to unwind and relax while you enjoy your own three-tiered platter of savory and sweet treats as well as deepen your connection with the kiddos during some quality family bonding time.
5. Toast to Your Wine Lovers
Opt for a different take on rosés and bouquets and warm the body and soul of your favorite wine lover with a trek to the heart of Vancouver Island’s wine country on a Cowichan Valley Wine Tour. While away the day sipping on delicious vintages at three award-winning vineyards, capped by a farm-to-table lunch and cider tasting at Merridale Cidery. Combined with incredible vistas of the vineyards, it is hard to think of anything more awe-inspiring.
6. Show Your First Loves Your Appreciation
They taught you how to bike, shuttled you between your friend’s houses, kept Fido and Fluffy fed and were simply there for you all while working from 9-5. Show Mom and Dad how much you appreciate all those years of juggling the family social calendar by whisking them away on a well-deserved spa and gardens getaway! They’ll spend an afternoon tip-toeing through 55-acres of floral splendor inside the world-famous Butchart Gardens. With vibrant tropical plants and orchids bringing the Spring Prelude Indoor garden to life, it will be just like having their own fragrant bouquet…times a million!
Next, pamper them with a fabulous spa treatment and time to unwind during an overnight stay at the five-star Brentwood Bay Resort. Spoil them even further with two nights at the rustic Tigh-Na-Mara Spa and Resort. If the chance to detoxify in the Grotto Spa or the chance to choose from the full slate of spa treatments, doesn’t leave them relaxed and rejuvenated, we don’t know what will!
7. Ignite Your Photophile’s Passion
With lush emerald green forests and sapphire blue oceans, it’s easy to fall in love with the PNW. Yet after a while, even the most ardent PNW photographer can feel like they’ve seen, eaten and done it all.
They’ve trod a well-worn path around the two cities, but have they ever thought about what their beloved PNW might look like as they soar high above the land on a Kenmore Air float plane? Or imagined seeing the magnificent shoreline from a sleek Victoria Clipper catamaran? Rekindle their romance with the region with a magical sea to sky adventure that will allow them to reexamine their environs through a different lens. They might fall in love with the PNW all over again.
8. Indulge Your Foodies
They say the way to foodie’s heart is through their stomach. And when the intended vibe is romance, it doesn’t get better than dinner at the Q at the Empress. Feast on a three-course dinner paired with a glass of BC wine or pint of local beer hand-picked by the talented Empress culinary team. If you want to step it up a notch, book the Empress’ Romance Package for the opportunity to take the elevator home for the evening. Cozy up in your posh guestroom and indulge in a full bottle of Bottega prosecco, macaroons, Pate de fruit, breakfast in bed and a late checkout.
9. Treat Yourself
Sure, Valentine’s Day is all about showing your favorite people how much you care about them, but don’t forget to show a little love to the most important person in your life – YOU! Stop waiting for your travel partner or friends and treat your busy, hardworking self to some compassion and solo serenity. Gift yourself with a trip to one of Conde Nast’s Top Resort Spas in Canada, the Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Empress.
Melt all your worries and concerns away in a matter of minutes with the Willow Stream’s unique Spa Ritual (A combination of time in their steam inhalation room and Finish-style sauna as well as a soothing soak in their thermal mineral bath). Then revitalize with an indulgent 60-minute massage, facial or mani-pedi.
Round out your day with a visit to the Q Bar and make a new friend or two chatting up the regulars over cocktails. Or find a quiet corner to cozy up in with a good book and watch the sun set on the Inner Harbour through the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Come morning, there’ll be no need to feel guilty over sleeping in for a day of leisurely perusing Johnson Street boutiques or jumping out of bed early for a run through Beacon Hill Park. You get to choose. This weekend is all about you!
10. Give Them Whatever Their Heart Desires
Struggling to figure on what exactly will tickle that special someone’s travel fancy? Take the pressure off yourself and purchase a Clipper gift card and give them the freedom to pick whatever makes them happy. Whether it’s a romantic getaway or rest and relaxation at the spa, the gift of travel opens up a world of exploration. Sit back and rest easy knowing Clipper’s travel experts are at the ready to help guide them to the best possible options for an exceptional trip. Ta-da, Valentine’s Day gift buying done and done.
Don’t spend another year scrambling to find something special to impress your loved ones. Victoria, BC has got you covered with a variety of giftable escapes that will leave you wishing Valentine’s Day came around more than once a year!
Feature photo: Kimberly McCalder