Real Victorian charm. Our Heritage Guesthouse was originally constructed in 1884, 100 years before the opening of Spinnakers Brewpub.
In the late 1990s, Charlie Middleton, who ran a woodworking shop called Tools and Space out of the building near the corner, now occupied by the TREK Store, called to tell us that Mrs. Nugent, the elderly lady who had lived in the heritage registry house next door, was moving out. He went on to suggest that we should buy the house and turn it into a B&B. As we had a regular patron who ran a 5 star B&B across the harbour, we were able to tap into his insights over a few pints and the idea for the guesthouses was born.
We knew that Spinnakers was a destination for people tapping into the emerging craft brewing renaissance as we had patrons like Jan from Salt Lake City who made frequent pilgrimages to Victoria for a few days of R & R built around pints of Spinnakers ales. The opportunity to provide travellers with accommodations as well as a few pints and accompanying fare lead to the decision to extend our welcoming neighbourhood pub vibe to overnight guests and lead to restoring and redeveloping the first of our guesthouses, one we now refer to as the Heritage Guesthouse.
Originally constructed in 1884, 100 years before the opening of Spinnakers Brewpub, Mrs. Nugent’s house, originally the home of the Jenkins family was given a complete restoration, from new foundations to new roofing with the walls stripped to the outside skin and completely rebuilt with hew plumbing and electrical along with the installation of public safety systems such as sprinklers and fire alarms. The finishing woodwork was disassembled, stripped of old paint and reproduced as necessary to enable a few new doorways enabling the house to become 5 rooms, all with fireplaces and ensuite bathrooms and period furnishings.
The guesthouse became an instant home for Spinnakers’ patrons from outside of Victoria and for some of our neighbours seeking additional shelter for visiting friends and relatives. With its 5 luxuriously appointed rooms, guests are able to move in and make Spinnakers their “local.”
The guesthouse model may seem a little unfamiliar at first but there are a couple of ways to think about it. Its rather like a B&B except that one has more freedom in not feeling underfoot as one does when staying in somebody else’s house. With full breakfast served in the waterfront restaurant, there is a greater selection of dining options whist perusing the local paper in front of the fireplace or on the patio depending upon the season. On the other hand the guesthouse is like an inn, but done Spinnakers style is seriously deinstitutionalized.
With the success of the Heritage Guesthouse came the development of other adjacent properties, with the addition of the GardenSuites in 2001 and the Bungalow in 2008. More like a VRBO experience, these are like taking up residence in a fully furnished and equipped house or a condo with the distinct advantage of having a full service brewpub/restaurant next door complete with concierge services to assist and direct you to get the maximum out of your stay.
Our private, meticulously maintained rooms and suites are nestled in one of the most beautiful residential areas in historic, Victoria, BC., a fifteen minute walk along the waterfront to Old Towne. When you choose Spinnaker’s Guesthouses you get comfort, history and a quintessential Capital City experience. The best part is that it really is possible to crawl home and not wear out the knees on you pants.