Tea-time martinis, artisan cheese and lunch-and-learn cooking classes: the new Victorian culinary scene in a nutshell. Our tour:

shop
Skip the clothing boutiques and explore the great artisanal shops that feature a tasty of array of goodies to take home (or eat on the ferry ride back). Scoop up charcuterie goodness from Choux Choux and samples cheeses at Hilary's Cheese Shop. Pick up some of the the St. Clair brie (from $7). Best brie ever.

cook
Hone your cooking skills with a culinary class at The London Chef. British-expat and Chef Daniel Hayes can show you a thing or two in the kitchen. Prefer not to get your hands dirty? Opt for a lunch-and-learn class where you watch a cooking demo then reap the rewards in the form of a delicious meal shared with your classmates at the communal dining room table.  The London Chef, 953 Fort St., Victoria, 250-590-1865, www.thelondonchef.com

dine
Cafe Brio, a long-standing Vic establishment, offers modern West Coast cuisine. Not sure what to order? Choose the Brio Family Meal a selection of six dishes chosen by the chef all served family style. Don't miss the Olive Ascolane, meat stuffed olives made by the owner's Italian mother, it's the olive for those who don't like olives (trust me!).  Cafe Brio, 944 Fort St., Victoria, 250-383-0009, www.cafe-brio.com

drink
Hit up the Bengal Lounge at the Fairmont Empress and sip the Empress 1908. This tea-infused martini that comes with a mini scone is the hotel's contemporary take on their traditional afternoon tea. Turn a couple drinks into a night out during the Bengal Affair which takes place the third Thursday of every month when the lounge reveals its wilder side. Bengal Lounge, The Fairmont Empress, 721 Government St., Victoria, 1-866-540-4429, www.fairmont.com

stay
Old world opulence paired with top-notch service sums up the Fairmont Empress Hotel's Gold rooms.  These luxe suites include access to the Fairmont Gold Lounge with delectable sweets straight from the Empress' stellar pastry chefs (macarons, tarts and more), complimentary breakfast and hors' oeuvres served daily from 5pm till 7pm. The Fairmont Empress, 721 Government St., Victoria, 1-866-540-4429, www.fairmont.com

do
Take advantage of Victoria's emerging culinary scene Dine Around where Victoria's top restaurants offer three course meals for $20, $30 and $40 per person. Bonus: all meals are paired with BC wines!
—Kelsey Mulyk

Dine Around Stay In Town runs until March 16, www.tourismvictoria.com/dine

Sunny months have left us with some unwanted freckles, and it’s possible to turn back the clock and correct the damage.

Kerstin Florian’s ‘Correcting’ line is set to do just that, infused with the almighty vitamin C, which provides antioxidant protection and boosts collagen production. Correcting Serum C+ Infusion ($89) helps fade those excess freckles, while the peptides in the Correcting Brightening Eye Crème ($69) are key to looking fresh. Follow it up with a Correcting Rescue Crème ($69), ideal for cold winter days. Or for a quick perk up, indulge in a 90-minute age-correcting facial ($219) at the Willow Stream Spa. —Anya Georgijevic

Willow Stream Spa, Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, 604-695-5300, www.fairmont.com/pacificrim

Learn more about Kerstin Florian in our Q+A with Vice President Charlene Florian on our Editors’ Diary.

Our latest visit to BC's capital city uncovered the best new places to, eat, drink….and shop.

Shop
The neighbourhood of Oak Bay is home to a brand new women’s store Public, stocked with eye catching jewellery by Giles Brother (modeled after the designers’ grandmother’s estate collection), fine cashmere sweaters from England’s John Smedley, and Tibi New York. After, head next door to the new Vis-à-Vis winebar for a charcuterie plate. Public, 201-2250 Oak Bay Ave., Victoria, 250-590-6405, www.publicboutique.ca

(Let’s Hear it) For the Boys
Public’s sister store, Citizen, carries-carefully curated menswear and accessories like Filson bags, handmade shoes, reams of silk ties, Denham jeans and retro bicycles for the dapper man about town. Citizen Clothing, 2541 Estevan Ave., Victoria, 250-590-6716, www.citizenclothing.ca  

Do
Renting bikes from Cycle BC will get you to Oak Bay along the oceanfront in no time. Start at Beacon Hill Park, do the seaside route, and return via the Empress Hotel Veranda for a glass of rosé. Cycle BC, 685 Humboldt St.
, Victoria, 250-380-2453, www.cyclebc.ca

Spa
What’s a getaway without a spa stop? The boutique-size Spa at the Grand does a top-notch pedicure (while you recline on a bed) and the RMT massages were both therapeutic and relaxing. Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville St., Victoria, 250-386-0450, www.hotelgrandpacific.com

Dim Sum
A surprising discovery was the Ocean-Wise Dim Sum at The Pacific with locally-sourced ingredients. Order off the Asian tea menu (we loved The Philosopher Brew) and start with the BC Seafood Congee ($12) which is light and delicious. Cowichan Valley Springrolls ($8) and Qualicum Scallop Dumplings ($8) are a modern spin on locavore fusion—and a great idea, we might add. Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville St., Victoria, 250-386-0450, www.hotelgrandpacific.com

Fly
Helijet’s 25-minute harbour-to-harbour flights are the preferred mode of island hopping for those (like me) who hate to wait. The aerial views of porpoise pods? Bonus. www.helijet.com

Dine
Open daily with no reservations, the new 200-seat Zambri’s is truly an international-level restaurant in the shiny-new downtown Atrium building. Would saying it was the best meal of our year be too much? I think not. Dish after sublime dish—vegetable-forward and ultra-progressively Italian—was a delightful surprise. House-cured meats pushed appies up (bread dumplings with ground salumi wrapped in spec, do you hear me?) and silky, egg-y pastas roll off the tongue like the romance languages. Zambris, 820 Yates St., Victoria, 250-360-1171, www.zambris.ca

Dine Again
Ulla’s proprietors are a young couple who honed their skills at Vancouver’s Cibo among other fine dining establishments. On the edge of Chinatown, it’s a loft-y space with a formidable cookbook collection (try the Momofuku chicken wings, an ode to New York’s David Chang). A $7 glass of Cava sets the tone for a fun evening and pairs perfectly with the octopus salad ($12). Ulla, 509 Fisgard St., Victoria, 250-590-8795, www.ulla.ca —Sarah Bancroft

Read more about our Victoria trip in our Editors' Diary.

Head to Victoria for festive cheer while the Parliament buildings are decked from copper top to bottom in Christmas lights. Herewith, our weekend picks:

spa
Get your nails done while you sail to Swartz Bay. BC Ferries’ new onboard C-Spa offers manicures, pedicures and massages. They take you to a room away from it all, provide gossip magazines and pamper—you walk off polished. From $20, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. sailings, Thursdays through Mondays, www.c-spa.ca

stay
We didn’t know Abbeymoore Manor was the top-ranked inn in Canada on TripAdvisor before our visit, but now we know why. Among many things it’s their breakfasts fit for a foodie (how’s a piping hot poached egg atop a crab cake drizzled with chipotle hollandaise sound?) and the cozy common room outfitted with jazz radio, port wine for the taking and crackling fire. But it’s the generous hospitality that’s warmest of all. From $129, www.abbeymoore.com

sup
Opt for the Abbeymoore’s Epicurean Escape package and you get two nights, a gourmet basket of goodies and a gift certificate for one of three restaurants. We opted for nearby Paprika Bistro and suggest you do that same. Their dynamic dishes belie the quaint, quiet neighbourhood the bistro resides in. Sourcing local fare like Cowichan Bay duck and Qualicum Beach scallops, Chef Anna Hunt’s plates are perfection. www.paprika-bistro.com

shop
Over the last few years a bevy of hip shops catering to the fashion set have popped up downtown. To that list, add Charlie & Lee. The Wharf Street storefront is brick and beautiful, carrying a who’s cool of labels, like The Reformation, Factory and Something Else. Just don’t chide yourself for gifting yourself a little something. www.charlieandlee.com

Our foodie tour of Victoria will make for a well-fed weekend.

stay
If a weekend in Kyoto is out of the question, get your Zen moment at Victoria’s lush Inn at Laurel Point. Chill out by the waterfall in the hand-tended Japanese garden by the sea, watch the harbour action from the chaise lounge in your sleek Arthur Erickson Wing room, and check out the museum-quality art lining the hallways. Yes, that really is a Henry Hunt sun mask in the lobby. Spring rates from $130, 680 Montreal St., Victoria, 800-663-7667, www.laurelpoint.com

eat
All those micro-produced island wines you haven’t yet sampled are at the sleek, waterfront Aura restaurant. The menu leans local, from sea asparagus garnishes to the Zanatta Damasco by the glass. Chef Brad Horen’s surf and turf is a good reason to hop that ferry. Aura at the Inn at Laurel Point, 680 Montreal St, Victoria, 250-414-6739, www.aurarestaurant.ca

do
Eat. Walk. Eat. On a Travel With Taste urban culinary walking tour, local foodie Kathy McAree reveals Victoria’s food and drink secrets, from the inside scoop on tea blending to where to find the best banana bread in town. Bonus? You get to meet the experts behind the city’s booming dining scene. Travel with Taste, 250-385-1527, www.travelwithtaste.com

shop
Fort Street’s Antique Row is morphing into Eco Row, with several great eco-tiques. Two faves: Not Just Pretty, with its sustainable, sweat-shop free frocks, tees and and The Good Planet Company, which stocks practical organic bedding, bio-degradable dog toys, muffin tins, and compostable dishes made from fallen palm leaves.
Not Just Pretty, 1036 Fort St., Victoria, 250-414-0414, www.notjustpretty.com
The Good Planet Co., 764 Fort St., Victoria, 888-590-3505, www.goodplanet.com

Ever heard of Orca Air? When a reader tipped us off to their Vancouver-Victoria flights for just $29 each way (yes, $29) we immediately bookmarked it for our next puddle hop to the Island.

Lunch at Zambri’s anyone?

www.flyorcaair.com

We’ve raved about dining at Zambri’s and shopping at Graciela and now it’s time to report on Victoria’s newest, chicest offerings, in this, our third dispatch.

shop
Muffet & Louisa
It may just be the swishest home shop in B.C., with its beautiful Savon de Marseille in modern glass bottles, massive French tablecloths that will have you believing you’re picnicking in a field of lavender in Arles, and beautifully packaged gourmet food items. Shop online at www.muffetandlouisa.com

eat
The Rosemeade Dining Room at the newly renovated English Inn Resort (10 minutes from downtown) is the latest reason Victoria’s culinary scene is getting national raves. The modern room with beautiful views of the manicured gardens boasts a contemporary fireplace and lounge. A three-course prix fixe ($55) began with a sumptuous celery root and Jerusalem artichoke soup topped with buttermilk-fried squid. Cowichan Valley organic chicken comes with buttermilk apple spaetzle, and even cabbage and parsnip become delicacies. View menus at www.englishinnresort.com

sleep
Swan’s boutique hotel is housed in a heritage building but has just been completely refurbished, including brand new beds. Pluses include an adults-only policy, original art in every room, kitchens, harbour views and room rate specials starting at $119 with breakfast. Take a virtual tour at www.swanshotel.com

fly
Consider Harbour Air’s 35 minute float plane flights from Vancouver Harbour to Victoria Harbour. For marginally more money than the ferry and a 4-hour time saving, you can take in breathtaking views and experience unparalleled service, plus free newspapers, Internet connection and breakfast (now if they only flew to Toronto…). Book flights at www.harbourair.ca