Strathcona Hotel of Victoria

Eh.
The drinks were average and the service was eh. The rooftop is cool and the volley ball court is fun!
It is a cool place after hours for a younger crowd. Had to go see the rooftop and left after one drink.

Always dependable, they always deliver the same experience. I’ve been to the sticky wicket over many years and it’s still a great resto-​pub-​bar. Food is decent, beer is perfectly poured and service is fast for a place its size. If you are in Victoria, it’s a sure thing.

It was tricky to decide between 3 and 4 stars for this place, as it is quite an average hotel in terms of the room but fantastic in terms of location and very good in terms of value. All in all I would very much recommend this place to people looking to get away for a fun weekend in Victoria!
Our room was very clean and the bathroom looked like it had been recently updated. The furnishings were in need of an update, as they were starting to look pretty worn. The bedding was spotlessly clean but again, just looked a little dated.
The real draw of this place is the location. First off, the building itself contains a fantastic liquor store and several pubs and clubs. We really enjoyed hanging out in Big Bad John’s — great place for cheap drinks and meeting fun people! You are just steps away from the harbour, The Empress and the legislative building, as well as Government Street. It couldn’t be in a better spot.
Breakfast is served 7.30 to 10.00 am and was pretty standard — bagels, muffins, waffles, cereal, coffee, juice etc. The only complaint would be that the bagels were a little frozen and had to be toasted. Still, pretty good that breakfast is included!
The staff on reception were friendly and helpful.
All in all, this is a great little building full of entertainment. Next time I’m looking for a fun weekend in Victoria, I will return!

The Strathcona is a hundred year old building, and has the chance to be a first class establishment. Originally, I was surprised at their excellent pricing: $ 55 — $ 89 per night plus $ 10 parking per night. For a downtown Victoria, that’s great! And indeed, the central location was the single biggest pro for the Strathcona.
We started off with the $ 55 dollar room. My wife had booked it, and it seemed like a good idea at first. Until we saw the room. Again, granted, the hotel is 100 hundred years old, and the building itself is ancient. That does

I’ll admit that I can see what some Unilocalers (and other review sites) say are the negatives of the Strath, but maybe this is the key: if you are over about 27 years old, go during the off season and it is a great value. We just got back from a 3-​day weekend (internationally well-​traveled 40+ couple), and while we were twice the age of almost everyone there, it was a nice stay and worth every penny of the modest $ 45/​night + $ 9/​day parking that we paid, for sure.
We did get a 4^th floor (5 total in the hotel) deluxe queen room on the back side of the hotel; actually right about in the middle, looking directly over the rooftop beach volleyball and bars. The good news: the roof was closed for the winter, so entirely quiet. Granted, with no A/​C in the rooms, if it was summer and you had to open the window for air, this would likely be a noisy room, to — but it was great last weekend!
Other things that the room did not have: a whole lot of space, but it was very clean and everything worked and was of decent décor and quality. A hairdryer (but they sent one up in literally 4 minutes from a call), in-​room coffee (but it’s free at breakfast and the downstairs restaurants during the day for guests), a big TV (so what, there are about 30 in the 4 bars downstairs), a fridge (OK, that might have been nice, but oh well), soap or shampoo (but they at least have the squeeze stuff hanging in 2 places), thick towels (but again, they delivered an extra set in about the same 4 minutes), morning paper (but there is a stack for guests at the front desk). So what it all really comes down to is: do you need more than that for the best price in town?
What the hotel does have: super-​nice staff, in every location where we talked with any one of them. Helpful, friendly, willing to do big hotel type courtesies. A huge selection of bar/​restaurant/​pub options right there in the building. A very nice wine and beer shop — I am in the wine business and this is a dandy little store. Excellent location, 2 to 4 blocks to everything, it seems. A fast elevator; I know that seems odd, but single elevator older Euro-​style hotels can be frustrating. Free Breakfast — yes, it’s cereal and bagels, muffins and juice, tea and coffee… but all of the desperately hungover 20-​somethings that were grappling for carbs and caffeine at 10 am did not seem to mind, nor did we with a newspaper and comfy seat looking out the window.
Go with the right expectations, and you will be pleased as we were. Go as a single 25 year-​old, and you’ll probably REALLY love it.