James Bay Inn, Victoria

I reserved tht cottage for two nights in June I had read other reviews, and was concerned when several stated they reserved the cottage but got a old room on the third floor in the hotel no elevator, and we were traveling with two seniors and 3 teens young adults. Sooooooo I called and checked on my reservation about a month before we were due in Victoria and guess what? no cottage but two connecting rooms on the second floor no elevator. I cancelled and went to the Admiral Inn.

I was disappointed with the hotel and it's procedures. I had made reservations for the James Bay Cottage in August, before I made the reservations for the Clipper. I called again Thanksgiving weekend to re-confirm our stay and was assured that we were correctly listed for the cottage. I had requested that because Mark, who would have just celebrated his fortieth birthday, was going to accompany us for this vacation and the suite would be perfect for us. The inn must have had a better offer – one which would bring them more revenue – because when I signed in I was informed that “some of your party have arrived already... oh, I'm sorry, the cottage is already occupied.” They apologized profusely and when I quoted back my booking number they said, “yes, that is correct, you requested a queen sized bed and a pull-out.” I had never mentioned that combination. Sensing my disappointment (how could they not – I was furious) they offered me adjoining rooms (318 and 320) on the top floor. I guess they thought my unhappiness would abate by the time I hauled all the luggage up three landings but when we arrived at the top we discovered that the shower and toilet facilities were accessed through our room instead of being shared between the two rooms. Fortunately, the James Bay Inn is old and quaint, similar to many smaller but better hotels we have stayed in Europe. They had a “public bath” down the hall and Mark used that facility during his stay. Unfortunately, that was not the only problem with our rooms. We could not regulate the heat! Both rooms were stifling. There were no handles on the bathroom radiator or the floorboard heater in room 320. There was a control on the radiator in room 318. We opened windows in each room and in the bathroom to cool down the place while we were out discovering Victoria. Upon our return we found the rooms were still hot. I managed to take a wine opener and force the control off on both heaters of our room but even with the windows open in 4° C we were still quite hot through the night. By the second evening we had the temperature down to normal. Now two of three problems with our stay were “adjusted.” The last problem was never solved. The seal between the water closet and the commode was failing. Every time you flushed the toilet a trickle of water would flow from the tank over the back of the seat an onto the floor. Folding a towel and laying it between the toilet and the shower stall did prevent one having to step barefoot in water at night. And in the hotel's defense, the maid did change out the floor towel each day. It was not a good solution but all the management would have done is “ apologize profusely” anyway.

We had a great time in Victoria. The James Bay Inn has a nostalgic feel with a relaxed staff. The cafe was good and the bar was ok. But there is no shotage of Bars in this City. There are these neat clean shared bathrooms we used while on the shared balconies. Next time I want to cook my own food because the produce at the market is great. We were with another couple and we all enjoyed ourselves.