Victoria's boutique hotel in BC's capital city of Victoria. Located in the residential neighbourhood of James Bay, The
Oswego Victoria Hotel is just two blocks from the Inner Harbour and the magnificent Legislative Buildings. The Victoria downtown core is a 5-minute walk away, making our unique boutique hotel convenient for both business and pleasure.
I liked the location, just minutes from downtown, yet in a quiet area. The hotel is only a year old and very contemporary design. I would strongly recommend this hotel. Our 1 bedroom suite was very spacious and we had a full kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave, dishwasher, pots, pans, etc. and granite counter tops and slate floor. We had 2 LCD TV's with full cable and a internet connection.
Hotwire Car Rental
About 3 weeks before departure, I searched for car rentals online. I decided not to book the car rental with WestJet as their website was not clear (to me) on whether "all" taxes are included in the quote. The 4 major car rental companies online quoted between C$32.95 and $54.95 per day for a compact car. With gasoline at $1.30 per liter (about $5.00 per US gallon), we didn't want a gas guzzler.
I checked various other websites and found Hotwire.com
quoted $26.95 per day (in US funds but the dollar is at par and I have a US dollar credit card). Hotwire clearly states all the taxes and itemizes them. About a week before departure, I notice that hotwire.com has lowered it quote to US$23.95 per day. I wonder how much lower they will go? 2 days before, I decided to book the car and now the quote is $21.95 per day, local taxes and fees add another 35%. One of the other companies has increased their price from $32.95 to $56.95 per day.
Hotwire.com booked our car with Avis and the counter is inside the airport and picking up the car is easy and fast. Before you go, check with your own car insurance agent and see if you can add "rental car insurance". You can usually add this for $25 to $35 per year. Purchasing the insurance from a car rental agency is about $10,000 per year (if you rented 365 days). Check with your insurance agent what you are covered for, or get the extra insurance from the car rental company. My insurance only covers value to $50,000 in case of a write off, so I only rent compacts or mid-size cars.
You may also want to check with your credit card provider to see if you already have rental car insurance coverage.
Visit our Vancouver Island photo galleries to see pictures of our trip.
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Oasis Cruise & Travel Stories
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