Are you looking for Brentwood Bay Resort Reviews?
I’m here to help! I recently spent a few days exploring the Brentwood Bay area and wanted to share all the insights of what it’s like to stay at this little boutique resort (Spoiler alert: it exceeded my expectations!)
Brentwood Bay Resort sits on the traditional and ancestral land of the WSANEC People, tucked into a cove on the Saanich Inlet about twenty minutes north of downtown Victoria. It is an intimate, adults-only boutique property that has been quietly offering one of the most beautifully understated resort experiences on the West Coast since 2004.
And it has just been nominated for the 2026 Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards — which and once you’ve experienced its easy to understand how they earned this recognition!
First Impressions: A Place That Belongs to the Land
Pulling up to the understated entrance, there’s an essence of simplicity and grace that is unique to The Brentwood Bay Resort. Nestled into the landscape as if she was always there, this boutique property exudes a West Coast welcome in her sophisticated simplicity.
Inside a 5-foot-tall totem pole stands next to a grand piano, both quietly setting the scene for your transition from the outside world to the seaside calm. A quaint front desk with welcoming staff offers to check you in, all while answering all of your questions. I’ll be honest, I had a lot, as there was so much to explore and I wanted to see it all.
What caught my eye first, though, was the beautiful Arbutus Restaurant with its huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Brentwood Bay. I ditched my bags and ran over to take a camera, which wouldn’t be the first time I dropped everything to capture the beautiful views!
The Rooms At The Brentwood Bay Resort
I stayed in an Ocean King room, and I had it entirely to myself. Which, for a busy Mom and entrepreneur, was its own kind of luxury.
The king bed sits overlooking the huge wall-to-wall windows, with doors opening onto a patio overlooking the Brentwood Bay marina. I’ve always felt at home when I’m on the ocean, so looking out over the Saanich Inlet, watching the boats come and go, put me quickly at ease. I quickly changed into my Brentwood Bay Resort robe and sandals and snuggled in on the patio for a sun-soaked afternoon on the deck.
The room itself is exactly what you’d want after a long day — warm, well-appointed, with multiple places to lounge in. While the patio was calling, I also wanted to explore the huge soaker tub, the fireside lounge chairs, and of course, dive into that luxurious king-size bed.
The details are thoughtful throughout — Tyneham spa amenities made from over 95 percent natural ingredients, complimentary parking, and complimentary WiFi. Every element of the guest experience has been curated with intention, and I was already regretting that I was only there for one day!
The Brentwood Bay Spa: Moving at Your Own Rhythm
The Brentwood Bay Spa is tucked into the lower level of the resort, steps from the pool and right at the water’s edge. Guests can book treatments, including massages and facials, either for themselves or as a couple’s treatment. The Spa features Tyneham, La Biosthétique, and Eminence products, with their Summer Siesta series offering mid-day treatments designed specifically for warmer weather.
The New Thermal Circuit Session At Brentwood Bay Resort
I was invited to experience the new Thermal Circuit Session at Brentwood Bay Resort and couldn’t say yes fast enough! I love hot and cold plunging (well, to be honest, I HATE the cold part but I love the feeling when I’m done), and a 90-minute self-guided hot and cold sequence sounded like the perfect way to start off my stay at Brentwood Bay Resort.
Designed to support circulation, recovery, and overall well-being, this experience is a simple sequence that encourages you to go at your own pace. You begin in the sauna, allowing the body to warm gradually and the breath to slow. When you’re ready — and only when you’re ready — move to the cold plunge. Keep the first immersion brief. (I started at 30 seconds and progressed to 2 minutes over time) Then you sit out, either on the seaside deck or in one of the lounger chairs, allow your body to warm up from the cold, hydrate at their water station, and then return to the heat when your body asks for it.
Complimentary green tea and water are available throughout, or you can pick up a kombucha to sip between rounds. There are shared indoor and outdoor spaces to rest between cycles — quiet spots where the body settles, the muscles soften, and the nervous system recalibrates before you go again.
If you’re new to contrast therapy, shorter sauna stays and brief cold plunges are the right starting point. More experienced guests can stay longer in each phase. The only rule is to listen to your body and prioritize comfort and recovery over endurance.
For me, coming in as someone who wears a lot of hats and rarely slows down, this was the most intentional 90 minutes I’ve spent in a long time. You move at your own rhythm. You listen to your own body. You stay as long as each phase feels right. It is deeply, quietly restorative — and it’s the kind of experience that’s hard to find in a world that tends to schedule everything.
The Brentwood Bay Pool & Hot Tub
This picturesque oceanside pool surrounded by arbutus and willow trees gives off quintessential West Coast vibes. The heated pool and hot tub are open daily from 7 AM to 11 PM — whether you want a sunrise swim or a late-night soak under the stars, they’re yours.
Dining Options at Brentwood Bay Resort: From Refined to Relaxed
The Arbutus Room
The Arbutus Room is the resort’s signature dining experience, and it earns that designation from the moment you walk in.
Floor-to-ceiling windows run the length of the restaurant, and they place you directly inside the landscape — the Salish Sea, the mountains, the evening light moving across everything. When my server offered to lower the blinds because the sunset was shining directly in my eyes, I declined immediately. I wasn’t about to trade that view for comfort. (But I did notice that the guests at the table next to me brought their sunglasses, clearly not their first visit!)
The menu celebrates seasonal West Coast flavours with locally sourced ingredients, and the sommelier’s wine program — recognized at the 2026 Wine Program Excellence Awards with a list of over 90 options — is exceptional.
For those like me who don’t drink, the alcohol-free beverage program is one of the most thoughtful I’ve encountered anywhere. I ordered the Indigo Tide — Empress 1908 Zero-Gin, lemon, lavender syrup, and Mionetto Sparkling Zero — and it was light, summery, and utterly delicious. This is not an afterthought mocktail menu where they were looking to easily add some options. It’s a full program with alcohol-free wines, sparkling teas, ciders, and creatively crafted cocktails that rival anything with alcohol.
For dinner, I had the chicken and corn gnocchi for dinner, which was good, but what made the meal truly memorable was an encounter I hadn’t planned for. I spotted the head chef, Ross, in the parking lot while I was trying to take a photo out front. He stopped, offered to help me get the shot, and then we ended up talking for twenty minutes.
He’s cooked in Dubai and the Maldives. He’s traveled the world. And now he’s here, at Brentwood Bay, because of the place itself — because of what it feels like to cook with this view and this land and these ingredients. Knowing that the hands that made my food love this place that much made every bite better.
He invited me back. I’ll be taking him up on that.
The Arbutus Room is open daily for breakfast from 7:30 AM to 12 PM, and Wednesday through Sunday for dinner from 5 to 9 PM. Reservations are highly recommended for dinner, as are sunglasses if you’re visiting during sunset hours!
The Lodge Kitchen and Bar
If the Arbutus Room is where you go for a special evening, the Lodge Kitchen and Bar is where you go to feel like a local.
I knew immediately when I walked into the Lodge that I was in a neighborhood-approved bar. Construction workers in steel-toed boots. Neighborhood grannies catching up over lunch. The kind of easy, lived-in atmosphere that only happens when locals genuinely choose a favourite place to retreat to. This is not a restaurant that exists solely for resort guests. It belongs to the community.
The menu is comfort-forward — burgers, sandwiches, island-inspired pub classics, sushi, and wings. I ordered the spicy yam fries, which I would go back for specifically. The Lodge has ocean views and a relaxed vibe that I could easily see myself settling into with my husband for a long, unhurried evening watching the sunset over the water.
The Lodger is open daily from 11:30 AM to 10 PM, with weekend and holiday Monday brunch from 11:30 AM to 2 PM.
Brentwood Bay Resort Marina
Located at the end of the ramp is the Brentwood Bay Marina – A place for visitors to arrive by boat and take advantage of the resort’s amenities. Boaters can use the bathroom and showers at the top of the ramp, or even book a stay at the resort if they are looking for some time on land. I loved that all the rooms looked out over the marina, and I could watch the boats come in and out.
Also, when you’re down at the marina, be sure to check out all of the unique boats that are anchored on buoys in the bay… man, if those ships could tell stories…
The Brentwood Bay Resort Boat Tour: A VIP Entrance to Butchart Gardens
One of the most unique amenities at Brentwood Bay Resort is the marina and the exclusive boat tours it offers.
Guests can book a private boat tour at the front desk, and I opted for a tour as well as a pick up and drop off from the neighboring Butchart Gardens. My captain took us out through the Saanich Inlet, navigating through the sheltered waters toward Finlayson Arm. The highlight for me was Todd Inlet — a quiet, protected cove where a handful of sailboats sat anchored in the stillness. A bird estuary sits at the end, although the locals hadn’t started nesting for the season. I think it would be quite the experience to see it in full summer, full of birds.
And then came the best part: instead of driving over to Butchart Gardens and searching for parking like every other visitor, our boat pulled directly into Butchart Cove at the back of the grounds. We stepped off the dock and walked straight into one of the most famous gardens in the world through its private entrance.
It felt like arriving somewhere through a secret door. Which, essentially, it was. Read more about my first visit to Butchart Gardens here. (I know, how have I never been here before?)
And when I was done with my visit to Butchart Gardens, I texted my captain and was picked up on the dock for my 7-minute commute home. Well, it was supposed to be 7 minutes, but we had two seals come up to visit us, so of course we had to stop and wave hello and snap a few photos of them before finally making our way through the waters home.
Boat tours are available daily from 2 PM to 7 PM, and tours can be customized to your specific interests. I loved going to see the Malahat Skywalk from the water below! The boat shuttle to Butchart Gardens runs daily — book through the front desk at 250-554-2079 or the marina at 250-652-3151.
Nearby: What to Do Beyond the Resort
Brentwood Bay Resort’s location puts you within easy reach of some of the Saanich Peninsula’s best experiences.
Butchart Gardens is five minutes away by boat — one of the most spectacular gardens in the world, and a destination worthy of its own article.
Church and State Winery is a seven-minute drive, offering estate-grown BC VQA wines in a stunning vineyard setting with a bistro and tasting bar.
Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse is a ten-minute drive, with award-winning traditionally fermented ciders, panoramic Salish Sea views, and year-round tours.
Gowland Tod Provincial Park is five minutes away by car — a beautiful one-kilometer forest walk that opens onto a white sand beach suitable for swimming.
Sidney by the Sea is twenty minutes away — a charming waterfront town with bookstores, boutiques, cafes, galleries, and the Shaw Ocean Discovery Center.
The Brentwood Bay Ferry departs steps from the resort, offering a 25-minute scenic sailing to Mill Bay — your gateway to the Cowichan Valley’s renowned wineries and farm-to-table dining.
Who Is Brentwood Bay Resort For?
Brentwood Bay Resort is an adults-only property, which makes it ideal for couples, solo travelers, and anyone seeking a retreat from the noise of everyday life. There’s no rushing here. No itinerary to keep. Just the water, the mountains, the food, the spa, and the kind of genuine human connection that happens when a place is small enough that the staff actually know your name.
I’m a boutique hotel person through and through, and Brentwood Bay confirmed exactly why. The chef is helping me take photos in the parking lot. The way the trees lean into the rooms. The sauna with no one telling you when to move. The sommelier who has memorized 90 wines. These are not the experiences of a big resort. They’re the experiences of a place that is small enough to care.
If you live in BC and haven’t been — and I say this as someone who just visited for the first time — I’m kicking myself for waiting this long. This is world-class hospitality in our own backyard.
Candid Brentwood Bay Resort Reviews
What I loved:
From the description above of my experience, you can probably tell that I loved my stay at the Brentwood Bay Resort and highly recommend it. I loved that each room had a view out over the ocean. I loved the pool that felt like it was right on the cliff overlooking the beach. I loved the luxury and attention to detail. And I especially loved the gluten-free, dairy-free lemon cake dessert!
But the best part was the people.
Hands down, stewards of the land and executors of your experience, it was clear that each staff member I encountered was passionate about ensuring you had the best possible visit, and, like me, would leave wanting more.
Mission accomplished, team. It’s clear you love where you work and wear your passion on your sleeve!
What I’d change:
Duration of Stay
It’s easy to say that one day isn’t enough, and that is obvious when there’s a perfect combination of things to do and downtime to just relax and restore. So, while I had an amazing day there, I wish I could have stayed for another day. (So don’t make the same mistake I did!)
Connection to Community
I would have loved a physical map at the front desk with local walking trails or local shops worth exploring. While I didn’t have time, I would have loved to find some great trails to explore or Mom-and-Pop-style shops to support local.
I know that’s not a long list of things I’d change, but honestly, this hotel really hit a home run with me and exceeded my expectations in every way.
FAQ’s
It’s about a 20-minute drive from the ferry terminal, making it a perfect place to stop and unwind after arriving on Vancouver Island.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), children are not allowed as this is a 16+ property.
Absolutely, four-legged family members (well, not cats, sorry!) are invited to stay in one of their pet-friendly rooms. An additional fee of $30 will apply for pets. Pets – be sure to keep your owners on a leash at all times.
Practical Information
- Address: 849 Verdier Avenue, Brentwood Bay, BC
- Check-in: 4 PM guaranteed. Check-out: 11 AM.
- Accommodation types: Ocean King rooms, ocean view suites, and various room categories.
- Dining: The Arbutus Room (breakfast daily, dinner Wednesday through Sunday), The Lodge Kitchen and Bar (daily 11:30 AM to 10 PM), in-room dining, and poolside dining.
- Spa: Open daily 10 AM to 6 PM. Call extension 5111 or visit in person on the first floor.
- Pool and hot tub: Open daily 7 AM to 11 PM.
- Marina and boat tours: Daily, 2 PM to 7 PM. Call 250-652-3151.
- Best for: Couples, solo travelers, adults seeking a quiet coastal retreat.
- How to book: brentwoodbayresort.com
