Afternoon Tea in Victoria

[ccheng6401]

Our port time in Victoria will be 12pm-12am. I have visited Victoria twice before in summer time and it was wonderful.  I had afternoon tea at Buchart Garden and it was such a great experience. The view from the outdoor seating was so nice and the afternoon tea was really tasty. I want to do it again but the cold weather in end of April worries me.  I did book a rental car in case we decide to go to Buchart Garden.  

 

My other options are Fairmont Empress and Pendray Inn Tea House not far from the cruise terminal.  My travel partner has never been to Victoria before. We could just walk around the inner harbor/China town/Fisherman's wharf and have the tea nearby without getting a rental car. 

 

Would you recommend visiting Buchart Garden in end of April even when it is cloudy/rainy/cold? 

   

 

 

[martincath]

If the weather is crappy enough that you would not enjoy walking around outside for a couple of hours, skip Butchart - and since you're already clued in enough to have found Pendray, do that instead of the Fairmont. I cannot think of a single person who has taken tea at the Empress and also elsewhere without sharing the same opinion - certainly nice, but far too gosh durn expensive for what you get at the Empress!

 

In general though when it comes to temps, if you could survive a visit to a garden or other outdoor space in Portland in April, Butchart should be fine unless it just happens to be bucketing down on the day you visit - the quarry makes for a much less windy microclimate, all the trees left intact around the perimeter likewise, so even though it's a bitty further north we find the temps much more Portlandy than Vancouvery in spring and fall. The gardeners do a sterling job of ensuring there's things to look at all year round, there's force-grown smaller plants from greenhouses that get put out, and April is peak tulip season which povides plenty of colour.

 

 

[ccheng6401]

On 4/16/2024 at 4:45 PM, martincath said:

If the weather is crappy enough that you would not enjoy walking around outside for a couple of hours, skip Butchart - and since you're already clued in enough to have found Pendray, do that instead of the Fairmont. I cannot think of a single person who has taken tea at the Empress and also elsewhere without sharing the same opinion - certainly nice, but far too gosh durn expensive for what you get at the Empress!

 

In general though when it comes to temps, if you could survive a visit to a garden or other outdoor space in Portland in April, Butchart should be fine unless it just happens to be bucketing down on the day you visit - the quarry makes for a much less windy microclimate, all the trees left intact around the perimeter likewise, so even though it's a bitty further north we find the temps much more Portlandy than Vancouvery in spring and fall. The gardeners do a sterling job of ensuring there's things to look at all year round, there's force-grown smaller plants from greenhouses that get put out, and April is peak tulip season which povides plenty of colour.

 

 

Looking at the weather forecast, we decided to have the afternoon tea at Pendray Inn Tea House. They are running a 15% off promotion through the end of the month too.  I agree with you that summer time is more enjoyable to visit Butchart Garde. I actually don't care about what flowers are blooming. Ultimately, good weather is more important after I really think about it.  

 

I read some reviews and saw the food pictures of Empress. I don't think it is worth the money. I am sure the vibe is good but I think we will be happy with Pendray Inn Tea House.