Rating:	Recommended
Price:

A grand Tudor mansion built during the glory days of Victoria's "ye-olde-Englande" shtick, the Oak Bay also just happens to sit perched on the edge of Haro Strait overlooking the San Juan Islands. The place as a whole hovers in that middle-zone between quaintly antique and old and musty. There's an atmospheric common room -- all wood and beams, with a fireplace -- but the carpets are frayed and the furniture's worn. The rooms here are still stodgily "English," and not what you'd call glamorous. Priced according to size and view, some offer bay windows and private balconies overlooking the waterfront. The second-floor fireplace suites are the best choice. In the past few years, the Oak Bay has begun to make better use of its oceanside location, and outdoor adventure trips -- many on the sea -- are now an integral part of the experience of staying here. Guests can enjoy moonlight kayaking trips, guided hiking or mushroom hunting trips to nearby Chatham and Discovery Islands, whale-watching trips, and guided cycling trips to the wineries or cheese dairies of the nearby Cowichan Valley.

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