Want To Find Vancouver Island’s Best Coastal Cuisine? Just Ask This Boutique Hotel

Tucked between Vancouver Island’s pristine waterways, lush forests, and rugged wilderness is some downright delicious coastal cuisine. Chefs, distillers, and purveyors here rely on locally grown ingredients to infuse their creations with the flavors of the destination itself.

But to find these gourmet gems, you have to know exactly where to look—or, in this case, where to stay. Enter the Magnolia Hotel & Spa.

The award-winning boutique hotel in British Columbia’s charming capital city of Victoria is putting Vancouver Island’s tastiest bites on the map (literally!) with its new Sooke Flavour Trail guide. Available exclusively to Magnolia Hotel guests, the handheld map and itinerary highlights key points of interest for culinary-minded travelers as they explore the Vancouver Island’s coastal communities. It’s the newest addition to the hotel’s vast collection of curated trail maps.

No restaurant, distillery, or attraction can buy their way onto the map—it has to earn it. Each listing on the Sooke Flavour Trail guide is a top pick from the hotel’s concierge and staff who have personally visited each spot and fell in love with it as a local.

In other words, following the guide is a sure-fire way to have an incredible local experience on Vancouver Island.

Here’s a taste of what you can experience on the Sooke Flavour Trail from the Magnolia Hotel, along with other ways to make the most of your trip to Victoria.

Sooke Flavour Trail: Savoring Vancouver Island’s Coastal Communities

Follow the Magnolia Hotel’s recently released Sooke Flavour Trail map to explore the natural beauty and foodie scene of three coastal communities in Southern Vancouver Island: Sooke, Metchosin, and Langford. Everything on the itinerary is located within an hour’s drive of the hotel, which makes it an easy day trip from Victoria.

Your trip can start out on a blissful note in the picturesque lavender fields of Bilston Creek Farm. The historic farm, which dates back to 1851, has a quaint shop filled with products made with the French and English lavender it grows and harvests throughout the summer. Snap some photos in the purple fields (in bloom from late June through early September), then stock up on lavender-infused products, like simple syrup, rose tea, honey, and hot chocolate, to take home.

You could also consider grabbing some takeout from Metchosin mainstay My Chosen Cafe—another favorite on the Sooke Flavour Trail—and enjoying a picnic back at Bilston Creek Farm.

Then, drive another 15 minutes for something sweet at Sea Chest Ice Cream. This seaside nook is known for its innovative ice cream sandwiches, like fig leaf praline with chewy oat cookies, butterscotch swirl on cardamom sugar cookies, and scoops of salted caramel ice cream smooshed between peanut butter cookies. If the frigid treats weren’t enough to cool you down, follow the Magnolia Hotel’s next recommendation and visit Sooke Potholes Park, where you can soak in natural pools of crystal-clear water.

That’s just the beginning, though. Other highlights on the Sooke Flavour Trail include Sheringham Distillery, where you can sip award-winning gin made with locally harvested kelp; Shirley Delicious to try the most sought-after sandwiches on Vancouver Island; and Stoked Pizzeria for cheesy pies as the sun sets over the Juan de Fuca Sound.

Magnolia Hotel: What to Expect During Your Stay

If you want the full details of the Sooke Flavour Trail, you’ll need to book a stay at the Magnolia Hotel—but that’s far from the only reason to make this property your home base in Victoria.

The award-winning boutique hotel was designed to look like it was a century old, yet immaculate, when it opened in 1998. You’ll feel like you’re in a storied spot steeped in history and heritage the moment you step into the warm, gently lit lobby with a crackling fireplace.

The hotel carries its heritage-style design through each of its 64 rooms, all of which feature recently renovated bathrooms with deep soaker tubs or oversize showers, two-poster beds piled with feather pillows, and cozy seating areas. View-seekers, take note: The Signature Corner Rooms are decked out with floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls to offer vistas of the Parliament Buildings and Inner Harbour.

Even if you plan to hit every stop on the Sooke Flavour Trail, you’ll want to save some time (and appetite) to dine at the Magnolia Hotel’s on-site restaurant, the Courtney Room. It offers local ingredient-driven meals that celebrate seasonality and the bounty of the West Coast. The Chef’s Feast or Chef’s Seasonal Tasting Menu are events in and of themselves, but if you only have time for a quick snack, opt for the buttermilk fried mushrooms sprinkled with hot sauce powder. You’ll be dreaming of crispy, spicy shrooms long after your trip to Victoria has ended.

Top Things to Do in Victoria

The Magnolia Hotel is within walking distance of some of the top attractions and things to do in Victoria, British Columbia. You’re just steps away from the majestic Parliament Buildings and Inner Harbour.

From there, you can book a whale watching adventure with Prince of Whales. It gets travelers out on 12-passenger Zodiacs for up-close views of orcas and humpback whales on three-hour wildlife viewing tours. The experienced guides keep such close tabs on where to find the whales, they guarantee you’ll catch a glimpse of the massive mammals any time of year.

Craving some relaxation? Head to Ritual Nordic Spa. It packs a robust spa circuit into a surprisingly petite space, complete with an outdoor zen zone. Sweat it out in the Finnish sauna or steam room, take a Nordic bucket shower, then brave the cold plunge before taking in the restorative air of the salt lounge.

Finally, don’t miss the chance to explore Victoria’s famous Chinatown. It’s the oldest Chinatown in Canada (and the second oldest on the continent, after San Francisco) and it’s filled with character. You can walk down the Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest commercial street in North America, where gambling dens operated from the 1800s until 1968. Learn about the history of the community at the Chinese Canadian Museum. Or, get to know modern Chinatown and how the neighborhood’s cuisine has evolved in recent years on a food tour with Off the Eaten Track. Expect to taste a bit of everything, from fried dumplings to French pastries.