Canada - Victoria, Vancouver Island

Back in 2014, when we lived on the West Coast, we were in the Seattle area for business and decided to spend a long weekend in Victoria on Vancouver Island. We enjoyed it so much we went back for New Year's Eve that year.  The ferry runs from Port Angeles or Anacortes, Washington. We have taken both routes to downtown Victoria. Traveling to Victoria from Washington by ferry is easy and enjoyable.

On our first trip we stayed at The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa for one night. The resort is beautiful with mountain views. There is a huge terrace, along with private terraces, for wining, dining or just relaxing. Although in our case, it was a place for working that first day! 

 As much as we enjoyed the resort and the suite that was enormous, the location is pretty far from downtown Victoria. It is perfect for golfers and families.

What we were looking for was a central location from which to explore the city on foot. Luckily we had scheduled the next two nights at Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour. We had a corner room with a nice city view. We booked the same room our full stay there for the second trip.

We love Victoria for its people, its charm and its walkability. You feel as if you are in an old European city. It is also very safe. During our explorations we found amazing watering holes with views of the harbour and seaplanes, Cuban cigars, and of course steak!

In a small out of the way place on Trounce Alley, we wandered to The Tapa Bar. The staff was warm and accommodating. The menu has a wide array of items sure to please any diner and we tried several items! Our favorite (no surprise) was by far the New York Steak served with salsa fresca and pickled onions.

They grill the steak to the perfect medium rare. We tried it with white wine garlic butter sauce and the chimichurri sauce. Both were excellent and our usual order was one of each so we could share - the way tapas are meant to be! I also tried it with shrimp, which was great! We fell in love with this place and ate there every day.  The sangria is made fresh and met all expectations. Even when we tried to venture out, we would wind up back on Trounce Alley. If you love tapas, you should try The Tapa Bar and prepare to be transported to Spain.

If you love steak, you can't miss The Tapa Bar if you are in Victoria.