Magnolia Hotel & Spa

It’s only a century and a half old, but this town goes out of its way to show its age. Fans of modern architecture and towers in green glass will feel more at home in mainland Vancouver — Victoria, on Vancouver Island, is something of a throwback to the era with which it shares its name, the sort of place that puts the British back in British Columbia. And a block from the scenic Inner Harbour is the Magnolia Hotel & Spa, a lodging that, for all its newness, is equally at home in the 21st century and the 19th — which means that, for this timeless town, it’s perfectly contemporary.

And in spite of a slight tinge of grand-hotel formality, the Magnolia is a modern boutique through and through. With sixty-four rooms it’s kept to a personable scale, and the service is pure West Coast charm. The décor is classic, never breaking the spell that’s cast by the views of the historic downtown, and the bathrooms stick with tradition as well — deep soaking tubs are a highlight. In fact indulgence, in one form or another, is what the Magnolia is all about: the Spa Magnolia cements the hotel’s status as a getaway destination, and The Courtney Room, just off the lobby, would have suited the Victorian Victoria just as it does the modern one.