Why a Romantic Weekend Getaway?...With over 25-years of marriage, I have found that spending quality time together with my wife, Maria, is needed to grow and enhance our relationship.
For this romantic treat I surprised my wife with a romantic weekend getaway to Victoria Canada. We've visited Victoria in the past, toured the numerous historical and exciting attractions; however, this time our focus was "us"...simply spending quality time together without disruptions. We were not on any time schedules, no job related deadlines to meet and no kids pulling us this way or that. We were "Free" to follow our "hearts desire".
This was an excellent choice for my wife and I to have the opportunity to experience a romantic weekend getaway together, away from the routines of life. Before embarking on this wonderful occasion, we organized the babysitting for our four kids, finalized various weekend projects and easily arranged our transportation with accommodations to Victoria Canada.
Getting to Victoria Canada couldn't be any easier. You can choose your mode of transportation, either airplane or boat; we chose to travel by boat aboard the famous Victoria Clipper. It's fast, comfortable, convenient and provides an appealing atmosphere traveling across the water. Life couldn't be any easier. The Victoria Clipper also offers all-inclusive getaway packages including: transportation, accommodations and even sight-seeing opportunities.
Getting to the "Clipper" is effortless. We simply had a relative drop us off at the Clipper dock located on Pier 69 along Seattle's waterfront, 2701 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121 (206) 448-5000. If you're driving and need parking, that's simple too, check out the parking facility the Clipper recommends.
We arrived an hour before the scheduled boarding. This gave us ample time to check-in our bag, pick up our boarding passes and proceed through security. Be sure to bring the appropriate identification. Check with the Victoria Clipper before leaving your home if you have any questions regarding acceptable identification. You don't want to miss the boat!
Once you've gone through all of the check-in procedures, boarding the vessel is a simple process. Boarding is based on a first-come, first-served basis. If you're one of the first passengers through check-in, you'll likely board first. The benefit?...You get to pick your seat. There are no assigned seats for this romantic weekend getaway, you pick what's right for you.
Once we found seats, most appropriate for us, we simply relaxed as the boarding process continued for the remaining passengers. We checked out the small "Duty-Free Shop", purchased a breakfast basket and visited the self-service complimentary coffee bar. With our food and drinks in hand, we nestled back for a relaxing voyage up Puget Sound to Victoria Canada, the beginning of our romantic weekend getaway.
The trip takes approximately 2½ hours; however, time goes very quickly. We were easily engaged in conversation with the Clipper's crew, explored the aft outside deck and occasionally visited one of the several restrooms. I was especially impressed with the stability of the vessel. It was smoother than flying most commercial airliners. If you're anxious about boarding a vessel, the Clipper will most likely take all of your anxious feeling away. Most of the time, you will not even know you're moving.
Arriving into Victoria is exciting. Peering through the windows as we entered the port area created a magical sensation. After all, this was our destination for a romantic weekend getaway. We waited patiently in anticipation as we disembarked the Victoria Clipper, collected our piece of luggage, passed through customs and gingerly left the dock as the city of Victoria unfolded before our eyes.
The prominent landmarks caught our attention as we walked from the Clipper Dock. The Parliament Buildings and the Royal B.C. Museum were like a guiding light showing us the way into the heart of Victoria. Our venue of romance was all around us as we further entered into our romantic weekend getaway.
Traveling with one piece of luggage made our ten minute walk to the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour Hotel a breeze. To the suggestion of my wife, we utilized a compact over-night travel bag on wheels. This is the way to travel, light with ease, no heavy bags slung over the shoulder.
The Marriott is easy to find. You can walk, as we did, or take a taxi. We preferred walking, it added to the magical mystery of exploring this romantic setting. Pick up a free map from the Clipper and you'll find the Marriott just behind the notable Fairmont Empress Hotel, 728 Humboldt Street.
The Marriott offers some fabulous accommodation packages, ask the hotel for more specifics, 250-480-3800. Of course, we chose the Romantic Package, and the Marriott delivers! After our brief check-in, with the help of the courteous hotel staff, we pursued to our Romantic Suite on the 14th floor overlooking Victoria's Inner Harbor.
Wow!!! What an elegant suite, all prepared with the romantic touch, adding the essentials to our romantic weekend getaway.
We were especially impressed with the elegant furniture, beautiful decorations, accompanied with a gorgeous picturesque back drop of Victoria's Inner Harbor added a sensual suggestion. The surroundings were just the needed touch to create the proper romantic atmosphere for us.
We were mesmerized by the romantic affect with the room's preparation. A waiting chilled bottle of wine consorting with chocolate covered strawberries only amplified the romantic setting.
We took a moment to savor the time as we melted away on the relaxing couch gazing across Victoria's Inner Harbor. The adjacent large bedroom's soft, warm bedding simply added to the romantic environment, providing our romantic weekend getaway with a stimulating touch. The Marriott had prepared it all, even the Romantic Aroma Therapy Soaps.
We found it very appealing to simply enjoy the romantic arrangement; there was no rush to engage in the typical tourist activities, just relax in the wonderful romantic Marriott surroundings.
The weather wasn't the most conducive for thoroughly exploring Victoria, but that didn't matter to us, we could spend quality time together in a lush romantic setting, right in our hotel suite. It was simply wonderful.
We also relished time together soothing ourselves in the Marriott's hot tub and pool. This was a great opportunity to simply kick back and relax. Adjacent to the pool is the exercise room. Here we got our blood flowing with the use of the new exercise equipment. I was thoroughly impressed. The amenities throughout the Marriott are clean, fairly new and inviting.
After several hours of relaxation in our magnificent room we headed out to explore the romantic wonderlands of Victoria. Strolling hand-in-hand along the waterfront, looking at the glistening Victoria lights dance on the waters reflection, made for the most favorable romantic occasion. We ambled up and down the streets of Victoria, no hurry, no worries, just enjoying each other's company.
Our meandering through Victoria's streets put us at the front door of a local restaurant, The Tapa Bar. The restaurant's outside looked very appealing and inviting. We couldn't resist exploring this cultural delight. Tapas are small assortments of food, typical in Spain, and mouth watering.
We decided to order the "Tapa Platter For Two", fully loaded with a broad assortment of Latin spice, Spanish influence, and a dash of Cuban, South American and Mexican delight. The food was prepared by the specialty chef, Armanda, in the spacious open kitchen. We were caught in amazement watching Armanda prepare the dish with such delicacy. And even more so, the food was delicious, a highly recommended treat for the romantic adventurer and adding the specialty spice to your romantic weekend getaway. You can find the restaurant in the historic Trounce Alley, just off Government Street.
For those who want to sliver away, catch a glimmering view of the Lighted Government Buildings from your romantic suite, you can! AND, instead of venturing out into the heart of Victoria, the Marriott provides elegant meals directly to your suite through their astounding "Fire & Water Fish and Chop House Restaurant".
You have the ability to enjoy each others company, romantic style, eating a fabulous meal without venturing anywhere. And, you'll find the menu items are very affordable. A highly recommend treat, and added touch to your romantic weekend getaway.
As time would have it, our romantic weekend getaway could not last forever, we had to make the return voyage back to Seattle aboard the Clipper. Our departure time was late in the afternoon so we had ample time to check out of the Marriott, stroll the streets of Victoria and pick up a few gifts for the kids.
Upon boarding the Clipper for your departure to Seattle, it's recommend to arrive an hour early. Similar to your departure in Seattle, you'll check in your luggage, pass through customs and board the Clipper. It's a pretty simple task, just abide with all the security rules.
Our voyage back to Seattle allowed time to recount our romantic time together. The moments we shared in Victoria was like "time in a bottle", it was priceless and appeared endless. Our short time away seemed like days, for we had ventured miles together into a Magical Romantic Wonderland.
We've found it's easy to get caught into the "circle of life" without "smelling the roses". Our time on this planet is short; therefore, it only makes sense to appreciate all that is around us, especially those we love. So, we stopped and "smelled the roses" with our romantic weekend getaway, what about you? Mark Twain says it best;
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor...Explore. Dream. Discover."
Contact us about your Romantic Weekend Getaway in Victoria, we'd like to hear your comments.
To Your Romantic Weekend Getaway,
Craig Dahl - Senior Editor
Return to Northwest Travel Tips
We're also the Senior Editors for Love Quotes For You and Luxury Romantic Vacations; we've brought the Best of both worlds together, Love & Travel.
