Victoria’s Butchart Gardens – Keep Calm and Wander

Butchart Gardens - Keep Calm and Wander

At Butchart Gardens in Victoria (British Columbia), the flowers will happily welcome you. This is one of Canada’s largest gardens with a designation as a National Historic Site. As you can guess from its name, there are gardens within this huge garden that was made possible by Jennie Butchart, wife of a Canadian businessman who manufactured Portland Cement. Today, the garden receives one million visitors every year and these pictures below will tell you why.

Taking a bus to Butchart Gardens

On a beautiful Spring day, I spent my whole morning strolling from one garden to another. From downtown Victoria, I took a bus early to avoid the heat that was predicted that day. It took me around 45 minutes to arrive there. Though the bus won’t stop at the gate of Butchart Gardens, the bus driver was kind to drop me off at the exact stop/location and walked from there.

Before coming here, it is better to check out the gardens’ virtual tour on their website. If you want to be surprised, then avoid doing it. However, once you arrive and pay your entrance fee, remember to get a map so you will be guided on where to start and go. The dominant flowers here were tulips of different colours.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Southern Vancouver Island Gay Travel Resources

Victoria for Gay Families in BC – 2TravelDads

Victoria for Gay Families in BC - 2TravelDads

There are so many great things to do in Victoria for gay families or just as adults. It’s one of our favorite Canadian cities and I know you’ll love it too!

The capital city of BC is our go-to destination for fun and easy weekend trips around the holidays and in spring when the weather is getting nice. Yes, we go there often, but it’s because we love it so much! We’ve figured out our top favorite activities and tips for visiting Victoria with kids and get ready, because we’ve got 18+ things for you to do to have an unforgettable trip.

Victoria for Gay Families – Getting There

This charming Canadian city is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, just north of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and just west of Vancouver, BC. It’s a fairly large city and is situated on a harbor, the Inner Harbour, and then stretches out to its suburbs of Saanich, Sidney, and Sooke. Getting there is fairly easy and doable on nearly any budget.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Victoria Gay Travel Resources

Victoria for Gay Families – 2TravelDads

Victoria for Gay Families - 2TravelDads

Victoria BC is our go-to destination for fun and easy weekend trips around the holidays and in spring when the weather is getting nice. Yes, we go to Victoria often, but it’s because we love it so much! We’ve figured out our top favorite activities and tips for visiting Victoria with kids and get ready, because we’ve got 18+ things for you to do to have an unforgettable trip.

Victoria for Gay Families – Locale

Victoria BC is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, just north of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and just west of Vancouver, BC. It’s a fairly large city and is situated on a harbor, the Inner Harbour, and then stretches out to its suburbs of Saanich, Sidney, and Sooke. Getting there is fairly easy and doable on nearly any budget.

We have written about Victoria before and have a lot of details around transportation to the city here, in our article highlighting a great 3 Day Victoria itinerary. Here’s a recap though and top tips for getting to Victoria with kids. By ferry, you can depart for Vancouver Island from either Vancouver (Tsawwassen terminal) or Port Angeles. Both sailings are approximately 1.5 hours so which you choose depends on your starting point, travel schedule and budget. Check out the map to see which makes sense for you. You can also take the passenger-only Victoria Clipper from Seattle, which is a great option for those adding Victoria with kids to their family trip to Washington.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Victoria Gay Travel Resources

Victoria’s Royal BC Museum – 2TravelDads

Victoria's Royal BC Museum - 2TravelDads

There are very few museums that we’ve gone back to several times, but the Royal BC Museum in Victoria is one of them. Located just off the Inner Harbour, it’s an easy addition to a Victoria BC weekend getaway or even just a day trip. And the Royal BC Museum with kids is wonderful too. This is both our review and our guide to the museum and should answer any questions you’ve got about planning a visit.

Getting to the Royal BC Museum

Victoria is an easy place to get to, either from Seattle, the Olympic Peninsula or Vancouver. Living in the Seattle area, the Victoria Clipper is a great option for us. Catching the Clipper from Pier 66, there is overnight parking nearby or it’s a short Lyft ride from anywhere in the downtown area. The ride from Seattle to Victoria is a little less than three hours, and riding the Clipper is really relaxing. It’s a great way to start a Victoria weekend getaway.

Other options for getting to Victoria include the Blackball Coho ferry from Port Angeles, WA; Washington State Ferries to Sidney from Anacortes, WA; BC Ferries from Tsawwassen, BC to Sidney; or the V2V boat from Vancouver, BC (seasonal).

Depending on your overall travel plan, any of these can be booked on relatively short notice and at a variety of price points. Also, seaplane flights from Seattle’s Lake Union or Vancouver’s waterfront are available, but at a much higher cost.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Victoria Gay Travel Resources

Victoria With Kids – 2TravelDads

Victoria With Kids

Hopefully you followed along as we were exploring Victoria BC with kids… or on our own… or during Christmas or Valentines Day. Yes, we go to Victoria often, but it’s because we love it so much! We were asked by the destination to share our top favorite activities and tips for visiting Victoria with kids and get ready, because we’ve got 18 things for you to do to have an unforgettable trip.

Locale of Victoria BC

Victoria BC is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, just north of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and just west of Vancouver, BC. It’s a fairly large city and is situated on a harbor, the Inner Harbour, and then stretches out to its suburbs of Saanich, Sidney, and Sooke. Getting there is fairly easy and doable on nearly any budget.

Transportation to Victoria

We have written about Victoria before and have a lot of details around transportation to the city here, in our article highlighting a great 3 Day Victoria itinerary. Here’s a recap though and top tips for getting to Victoria with kids.

By ferry, you can depart for Vancouver Island from either Vancouver (Tsawwassen terminal) or Port Angeles. Both sailings are approximately 1.5 hours so which you choose depends on your starting point, travel schedule and budget. Check out the map to see which makes sense for you. You can also take the passenger-only Victoria Clipper from Seattle, which is a great option for those adding Victoria with kids to their family trip to Washington.

By Rob Taylor – Full Story at 2TravelDads

LOCATION Gay Travel Resources

 

Gay Melbourne – Keep Calm and Wander

Gay Melbourne

Located on the southern coast of Australia, where it’s the capital of the region of Victoria, Melbourne is a beautiful and adventurous city to visit. It’s known to those who have traveled there for a great many things, but the all-encompassing way to put it is that it’s simply a very fun city. It’s not all about sights or museums, pub-hopping or a national park – it’s simply a multi-faceted destination in one of the most fascinating places on Earth.

Still, it helps to have some specific motivation to go to a place, so here are a few particular reasons why you might want to visit Melbourne one day.

The Coffee Is World Class

Coffee might not seem like the most logical place to start, but this isn’t just any coffee. Back in 2014, Melbourne was actually voted the world’s best place for coffee, beating out more traditional hot spots like Rome and Vienna, not to mention some popular production places such as Colombia. As you might imagine, coffee that good isn’t just tucked away in a few little shops. Rather, it’s spawned a lovely café culture that exists throughout the city, such that one of the most charmed experiences you can have is simply finding a cheerful, trendy venue and sitting down for a hot mug.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Gay Melbourne Travel Resources

Ocean Road Tours – Victoria, Australia Gay Tour Operator

Ocean Road Tours

Ocean Road Tours is the result of decades of experience visiting the Great Ocean Road and 16 Years of Tour Guiding around Australia.

When designing the tour we put ourselves in your place and asked ourselves “would we be happy with that?”

We had a look at the existing tours and decided to start at the beginning and every time we set up something new we asked ourselves, “would we be happy with that?”

Our tours are all about giving everyone the best possible day tour you can have. We believe there can be no half measures when you are visiting us for a once in a lifetime experience.

I would want the best affordable service I can get, so why shouldn’t you expect the same?

See the Ocean Road Tours Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Victoria Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

 

Gay Vancouver Island for Romance – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Vancouver Island for Romance - The Nomadic Boys

Vancouver Island is a fabulous place for a romantic weekend getaway in British Colombia – Canada’s westernmost province. Despite the name, it’s actually far from Vancouver downtown and involves either a short plane ride, or car/ferry ride to reach it. We came here for a weekend retreat during our trip in Vancouver and completely fell in love. There are many highly rated restaurants, beautiful sceneries to explore, and even a few wineries to check out. Yup – Canadian wine is a thing!

Following our trip, we’ve put together our 5 favourite romantic things to do in Vancouver Island, which we hope will inspire your trip. Please note the island is huge, and we only saw a glimpse of it, so there are of course many many more things one can embellish this list with!

The Hydropath at the Pacific Mist Spa

One of the most relaxing things we did as a couple on Vancouver Island is the Hydropath circuit at the Kingfisher hotel. We chose it because every local we asked for tips on what to do in Vancouver Island, suggested this. This is a guided circuit in what feels like an underwater sea cave. The circuit took us around various wellness pools including a mineral massage pool, waterfall massage, steam cave, tidal bath and more. Our favourite was the final bath, which included a sand and seaweed body scrub, presented on a large scallop shell.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Vancouver Island Gay Travel Resources

Hung Homo Homestay – Gay Victoria Accommodations

Hung Homo Homestay - Victoria, British Columbia

Hung Homo Homestay (or Hung’s for short) offers select accommodations for gay/bi men who are looking for affordable but luxurious accommodation in Victoria, British Columbia.

There are two types of accommodations available:

Priapus Accommodations: A large bedroom with attached private ensuite and sitting area, flat screen television and since this type of room does not have cooking facilities it is equipped with mini refrigerator and coffee maker. Special features of this room include 2 large skylights and a sitting area on a private patio overlooking the gardens.

Adonis Accommodations: This is a 1 bedroom apartment which has a separate ensuite, a fully equipped kitchen and large bedroom with queen sized beds and ample closet and storage space. Enter this suite through french patio doors through the front of the house, completely separate from the hosts’ and other guests entrances.

Guests in both types of accommodations can enjoy keyless locking systems for enhanced security, wifi in rooms, a large selection of dvd’s to chose from and laundry facilities.
The unique feature of Hung’s is that it has a large sex spa, equipped with a sling, a red “fucking bench”, many padded benches, an assortment of sex toys, vacuum pumps, and dvd’s for the flat screen television. Hung’s guests can reserve the facilities for their own private parties or can use it free of charge during the orgies which are held 3 times per week and are generally attended by 20 + likeminded men.

In addition, Hung’s is located 4 blocks from the cruisy trails of Beacon Hill Park and a short drive from a number of “clothing optional” beaches surrounding the beautiful city of Victoria. A city truly named after an “old queen”.

See the Hung Homo Homestay Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Victoria Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Albion Manor B&B – Victoria, British Columbia

Albion Manor B&B

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:

Welcome to Albion Manor B&B – Victoria’s Victorian Jewel. We want your stay at Albion Manor to be the crowning touch to your stay in charming Victoria.

Albion Manor Bed & Breakfast is ideally located just 5 minutes from the Clipper, Victoria Express and Port Angeles Ferries, the ocean, downtown and Victoria’s major attractions and shopping.

Albion Manor B&B is surrounded by a beautiful, private garden, and features spectacular architectural details both inside and out.

Enjoy modern bathrooms (some with Jacuzzi tubs), private entrances, fireplaces, balconies and patios all in a superb heritage building tastefully decorated with antique furnishings.

Or relax on the covered veranda, in the Peacock Sitting Room or the garden after your gourmet breakfast at Albion Manor.

Coming to Vancouver Island for your next vacation? Stay with us at Albion Manor in the heart of Victoria.

See the Albion Manor B&B Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in Victoria