Julia and I arrive at OH Victoria Hotel at Victoria by the Sea, P.E.I. Photo by Julia Simmons
By Galen Simmons
It didn’t take long for Julia and I to fall in love with P.E.I.
In fact, I think it was about five minutes after driving onto the island off Confederation Bridge when I turned to Julia and said, “So when are we moving here?” It was only a joke, but now, having spent two days on the island, that joke’s little kernel of truth has popped into something more.
And a big part of that was the quaint seaside charm of Victoria by the Sea and the OH Victoria Hotel, where we stayed for two nights.
The building in which OH Victoria Hotel now operates is more than 126 years old, having been built in 1900 as The Orient Hotel and designated as a historic landmark in 2006. OH Victoria only opened this year after what neighbours told us were extensive renovations.
The care and attention put into the hotel is immediately apparent, even before opening the front door. It is painted bright yellow, similar to the other brightly coloured homes and businesses in the village and across P.E.I. The expansive front porch offers a beautiful place to sit and relax while watching your fellow tourists stroll down the tree-lined Main Street, popping into the local businesses that depend on seasonal tourist traffic from late spring to early fall each year.
In fact – and this may be dangerous for anyone with a sweet tooth like Julia and I – the hotel is located right next to The Sweet Spot by the Sea candy store, owned and operated by AJ and his family, transplants from Ontario who visited P.E.I, loved it and decided to move there permanently to run a candy shop. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty sweet to me.
Back at the hotel, the main floor includes a beautifully renovated and nautically decorated communal living room and a huge communal kitchen and dining room, equipped with laundry facilities, a coffee bar and more. We arrived at the hotel around 5 p.m., so the living room at the front was lit with the late evening sun streaming through the front windows, bringing even more brightness into the space.
The OH Victoria Hotel is three stories tall, and the only public access to the second and third floors is a staircase leading up from the front entranceway. There are a total of five two-bedroom suites on the second and third levels of the hotel, each named after local places and landmarks. Our suite was on the third floor – a bit of a trek upstairs with suitcases and groceries in hand – and it was called the Valley Pearl Suite.
Not only was it wonderfully decorated with artwork and photography featuring boats and other seaside images, but the suite was both comfortable and roomy. It includes two spacious bedrooms – one with a Queen-size bed and another with two bunk beds – a full kitchen and dining table, a cozy living room, a big bathroom and a balcony overlooking the picturesque P.E.I countryside.
While both Julia and I appreciated the extra room to move around after spending a few nights in much more cramped quarters in Montreal, we both agreed the suite would be perfect for a family. This hotel would also be perfect for a larger group of families travelling together, with plenty of space on the main floor for games or a movie night, and communal breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
But don’t spend your entire visit in the hotel; there are plenty of restaurants, cafes and quaint little shops to peruse in Victoria by the Sea, whether it’s Island Chocolates for a Factory Coffee (coffee and rich chocolate) and a treat or the Lobster Barn for a fresh lobster roll and abowl of scrumtious seafood chowder on the wharf with spectaular seaside views on all sides.
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