Newsletter – Spring 2008

Spring in Victoria!

This Issue:
- What’s Happening at Abigail’s
- Events Around Town
- Pearl Spa Spring Special
- Chef’s Secret Recipe
- From Our Guestbook

The holidays have come and gone, so what are your plans for the Spring? Having spent a lot of time with family and friends you may not have had time for yourself. So why not a romantic getaway or wellness spa weekend for you and your loved one?

What’s Happening at Abigail’s Hotel

Staff Update

Congratulations to our head chef Ray Elrick and Laurie Mackenzie on the birth of their baby boy Joseph Blair Mackenzie Elrick on February 12th at 7lbs. 14 ounces.

The countdown! Just 3 months until the Innkeepers, Russ and Ellen Cmolik will be participating in The Great Race around the world starting May 2008. This motorsports event marks the 100th Anniversary of The Great Race - an auto race around the world from New York City to Paris, France, in 1908. The 2008 Great Race will depart New York City on May 30th, 2008 and finish in Paris, France on August 2nd. A total distance of 35,000 km (22,000 miles).
For more information, visit www.greatrace.com. We wish them luck!!

January 8th was the Abigail’s Hotel staff party. Everyone had a wonderful time at the Magic Show at the Royal Theatre and dinner at the Med Grill. Congratulations to Carlo Schluschen for winning the Kenmore float-plane trip for 2 to Seattle and to Cory Moore for winning the 2 nights stay at the 108 Mile Health Ranch.

From March 3rd to 5th Abigail’s Hotel was host to the annual Unique Inns meeting. Everyone had a wonderful time. We would like to thank everyone who made the event possible.

Butchart Gardens Getaway Package

Experience the charm of Abigail’s Hotel and the beauty of Butchart Gardens with the Butchart Gardens Getaway Package. Includes a one night stay at Abigail’s Hotel and 2 tickets to the Butchart Gardens. Rates starting at $225.00 CAD + taxes.

Free Spirit Getaway Package

Abigail’s Hotel and the Royal BC Museum proudly present the “Free Spirit – Stories of You, Me, and BC - A History of British Columbia”. At Abigail’s Hotel you will enjoy a one night stay in a cozy guestroom, along with a History of BC themed appetizer tray which features items like traditional candied salmon, apple tartlets with rum syrup, a selection of British Columbia cheese and more. In addition, you also receive 2 tickets to the Royal BC Museum’s “Free Spirit” exhibit. Rates start at $275.00 CAD + taxes.

Let us help you plan your next getaway to Abigail’s Hotel on beautiful Vancouver Island. Dining, wild-life tours, theatre events, concerts or spa services at our Pearl Spa are just some of the activities that we can help you plan to make your spring getaway one to remember. Call us toll-free at 1-800-561-6565 or visit our website www.abigailshotel.com to make your reservation!

Events Around Town
February 1st to April 30th - River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia - a Royal BC Museum, special photographic exhibition. Over 60 vintage photographs taken by leading photographers during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries show the wildness and beauty of the ever changing Columbia River, from its source at Canal Flats in BC to its mouth nearly 2000 kilometres away near Astoria, Oregon.

March 13th, 2008 to January 11th, 2009 - The Royal BC Museum proudly presents their latest exhibit “Free Spirit”. This 10,000-sq. ft. exhibition showcases more than 400 artifacts, specimens and documents. Free Spirit documents the story of British Columbia as seen through the eyes of ordinary and extr aordinary British Columbians, glimpses into the lives and locations that have shaped this province. The exhibition celebrates the province through the stories of BC’s First Peoples to its newest citizens, from the early European surveyors to today’s high-tech visionaries, and from the pillars of the province to its legendary eccentrics. In the Mighty 90 Drive-In Theatre, a giant 1950s carbon-arc drive-in projector will flicker to life with movie travelogues from the 1940s to the 1970s. Actors and storytellers interact with visitors to animate the exhibition through words, music and demonstrations.

April 24th to 27th - Come and see the 17th Annual B.C. Yacht Brokers Floating Boat Show. New and preowned power and sail boats will be on display as well as a huge assortment of Marine products. This is the largest floating show in Canada.

April 27th – Victoria 10 km Marathon. Approximately 10,000 runners and walkers will participate in this annual race through the streets of downtown Victoria.

May 17th & 18th - The new Celtic Festival along with the 71st Highland Games will feature dance, bagpipe and drum competitions, pipebands, caber throwing, a heavy event championship, historical display, entertainment, and Celtic food.

May 19th – Victoria Day Parade. This is Victoria's largest parade event with marching bands, floats, clowns, etc. Over 120,000 spectators watch this popular annual event in person and on television. Lots of fun for the whole family.

May 24th to 26th –. The 65th Swiftsure International Yacht Race promises to be a celebration including a return of some of the classic racing yachts from the 1950s and 60s and many land-based activities for the whole family around Victoria's Inner Harbour. The Swiftsure International Yacht Race is one of North America’s most challenging overnight offshore competitions. The Juan de Fuca Strait’s daunting combination of occasional fog, unpredictable winds, strong tides and tricky currents tests seamanship, strategy, stamina, tactics, and teamwork.

May 28th to June 1st – The Save on Foods Memorial Centre is host to the world famous Cirque du Soleil – “Saltimbanco” - from the Italian 'saltare in banco', which literally means 'to jump on a bench'-explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. Saltimbanco is a Cirque du Soleil signature show inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colorful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual vocabulary, the show's eclectic cast of characters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope.

Pearl Spa at Abigail’s Hotel
Spring Spa Specials

Perfect Pedicure with Deep Hydrating Paraffin for Feet and Hands $55

Step Lightly: Ion Cleanse Foot Detox Treatment, Reflexology Session, Perfect Pedicure with Polish. $115

Chef’s Secret Recipe for the Spring

Brioche Rolled with Banana & Almonds

Ingredients:
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
3 ¾ cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons dry active yeast
2 tablespoons salt
3 large eggs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup almonds
3 whole bananas

1 cup of butter

Preparation:
Beat 1 egg and add 1 tablespoon water to glaze. Place water, milk and yeast in mixer bowl then stir until yeast dissolves. Place dough hook on mixer, add flour, almonds, salt to bowl. Mix on low, beat in 3 eggs then add sugar. Increase speed to medium, and beat for an additional 3 minutes. Slowly add butter and let dough continue to mix for 5 minutes. Cover bowl with clean towel and let rise at room temperature overnight. Next day roll out dough, roll in banana and brush with glaze. Let proof 2 hours. Bake at 400F with fan off for 30 minutes.

From Our Guestbook

This is another of many weekends that we have spent at Abigail’s in our ‘home away from home’ in Victoria. It is, as ever, a perfect place to stay even in the light snow which gave us an excuse to spend a couple of hours reading by our own fireplace. The breakfasts are wonderful, the staff more than just attentive, they are friends too.

Vancouver, B.C. – December 2007
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Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality and warm welcome! We had such a romantic weekend starting from our arrival and ending with a cozy breakfast in bed. A definite recommendation and we will be back soon.

Vancouver, B.C. – December 2007
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WOW! Great stay! Excellent! Glad we stayed in the most beautiful B & B ever and we’ve stayed all over the world. Location, Location, Location Close to Victoria BC’s highlights and everything! Wonderful!

Oregon – February 2008
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Thank you so much for a wonderful stay. Everything was perfect. We definitely plan to return. Hopefully next time our visit will be longer.

Campbell River, B.C. November 2008
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Our first vacation without the kids!! Thank goodness for Abigail’s. It was just what we needed, a cozy, romantic getaway with great food, and superb staff. Now we just have to learn how to cook like Abigail’s at our home.

New Mexico – November 2008

Abigail’s Bed & Breakfast Boutique Hotel is rated five stars by Canada Select and has recently won several awards, including Victoria’s best small hotel by Frommers, and “The #1 B & B and #1 Boutique Hotel– Best of the City” by Victoria News Group readers’ poll. Abigail’s Hotel is pet-friendly.

Phone: (250) 388-5363 or 1-800-561-6565
Fax: (250) 388-7787
Email: innkeeper@abigailshotel.com
Web: www.abigailshotel.com
Abigail’s Hotel - 906 McClure Street – Victoria – British Columbia - V8V 3E7