Just walk around and have fun. The Royal British Columbia Museum is awesome but that is going to use up a big portion of your day so you should save it for a future trip.
Taking in the city is our plan. I was hoping to book a suite at the Empress, but sadly I missed my opportunity.
The Maritime Museum is also very cool. But like Sly says, just walk around. There's a ton of shit to gawk at. Be sure to do fish and chips at Barb's on the wharf, and also have dinner at Pagliacci's. Those two places are Victoria institutions and well worth any hassle. There's also the Spinnaker Brew Pub just across the Blue Bridge. Great beer, good food and excellent views (and an easy walk from wherever you're staying). Then treat yourself by encouraging the missus to keep on looking/shopping while you slake your thirst at Garrick's Head Pub. Fun place to schmooze with both locals and fellow tourists. Murchies is also a great place for morning tea/coffee and a light breakfast. And the restaurant in Swan's Hotel is the place to find a heartier breakfast. The street entertainers and artists are all licensed and vetted by the city and deserve your time and attention. And DO take the harbor ferries, even if you don't have a particular destination in mind. They're a fun ride and the people driving them are always very entertaining and informative. No matter what, you and your fiancée ' will love the place and probably want to stay longer.....and in general, the people up there really seem to like Oregonians for some reason (or at least they did five years ago), so you have that going for you........You're going to have a kick ass time and I genuinely envy you. Victoria rocks!
For some reason the entire hotel (https://goo.gl/maps/v4LDXf8at1KrQ9QVA) was booked out that weekend. I talked to the on site reservation specialist and there are only two room available. The Royal Suite and the other suite. Want to know how much they're charging for a single night???? Not cheap. Semi-related: What is the most you've ever spent for a single nights stay? This is mine, when I was 12 years old. My dad was so mad https://goo.gl/maps/6zBLYq2eZzCEkf3HA
The hotel we stayed at over the weekend in Vancouver, the single-night rate was about $600/night. We got it cheaper through Expedia or some shit, I forgot how much we paid, maybe $250. If it was me paying, I dunno, maybe $300-400? Edit: I'm thinking $450 + fees. I booked at the Adolphus Hotel in Downtown Dallas the night before wedding. For work, paid $1500 a night for a suite at the St. Regis in Mexico City (stayed a whole week). on Honeymoon in Barcelona, I booked with points at the Claris Hotel. They upgraded me to a suite that had two floors. Shit was wild.
You could check out the Inn at Laurel Point. It's a step up (but less than the Empress) and in a good location. We stayed there on our first trip to Victoria and lucked into some special deal. It was a wonderful place to stay, especially with a large balcony overlooking the harbor. It's worth looking into.......
So it costs me $58 to get it back to me via UPS. I should get them both on Wednesday and that includes the UPS store going to the hotel to pick up my goods, packing and shipping. Not too bad.
I've got a freezer full of trout that weren't caught being "stuck on the farm".....and people pay big bucks to vacation in places not nearly as nice as my "farm" ...owning your food source and water source is true wealth. In the words of Thomas Jefferson....Americans don't care about gold...if they have gold they'll use it to buy more land, more seed and more tools and more livestock...that's the true American value system. When you've found a home...you have found paradise...good luck with your search.
