BayView Bed and Breakfast — Hotel in Area A (Mill Bay / Malahat)

I am rating this B&B based on the experience we had 18 hours before we arrived. My husband booked a reservation for a 3 night stay & booked our reservation 2 months out from our arrival date. Over the 2 months time, there was never any mention of any "renovations or future renovations" being done that could affect our stay.||||(We had to leave Thursday 11/07 at 3 am to be at our airport to catch a 5:40 am flight for BC). The Wednesday, late morning before we were to leave, I received an email from the owners telling us "due to a glitch in their renovation schedule, they were no longer able to accommodate us", cancelled our reservation and transferred us to another B&B (that was less expensive, but they would pay for), gave us a link and asked if this would work. We had less than 24 hours to research the new B&B as we were both at work. We quickly looked over the other B&B photos and told them it was OK. (It really wasn't, but we didn't have much choice at the time). I was VERY miffed at the situation, but decided to work with what we had since we were leaving in 15 hours.||||We arrived at the other B&B and were appalled with the conditions of the home. It looked nothing like the photos listed online. It was old, smelled funny, was extremely cluttered and not somewhere we would be comfortable. The towels were dingy looking, stains on the carpet, dust on the ceiling fan, I could go on and on. I would never allow my own home to be kept like this, so we weren't going to PAY MONEY to stay in a place like this!! We quickly decided this wasn't going to work for us and we told the owner we were sorry, thanked her, left and spent the next few hours trying to find a hotel room that was available for the next 3 nights (as there weren't many available under $150-200/night). It also put us in a VERY awkward and uncomfortable position to have to tell the owner of the B&B, that their home wasn't going to work for us, that this wasn't our choice, etc.||||By the time we located a place to stay, found it and checked in, our first day in BC was ruined, with not much daylight time left to get out and explore. We had planed to go visit some sites, but instead, ended up scrambling to find a place to stay and get check in. We were both extremely tired and frustrated by the end of the day and still needed to work on plans for our fishing trip the following morning at 6 am.||||We understand things happen, etc., but feel the situation should have been handled in a better, more efficient manner by CALLING US right away, not emailing at the last minute!! Especially when it is less than 24 hours away. Not all people look at their email every day. Then we could have discussed what solution would work best for us, rather than springing a cancellation on us at the last minute and having to take the one option they gave us.||||I'm sure this is a nice place to stay, but due to our first time experience, I can't recommend anyone staying at this location after our experience. I am not sure I will ever want to stay at a B&B again. There were a lot of unintended consequences to this short notice cancellation that caused us to lose an entire nice day of our vacation, only to spend it frustrated and wanting to just go home. I will take a cold, boring hotel room knowing I will have a room, rather than wasting an entire day filled with the stress of trying to find another place to stay, driving all over town and being exhausted...

First let me say that Bev and Brian were absolutely fantastic!! We had stayed here from Mid-March to May 10th. We had sold our place on the Mainland and moved here to buy a new place on Vancouver Island. We were booked for a month and after not finding a place and having a hard time to find another B&B to stay. Bev and Brian did some re-arranging of there schedule to have us stay with them until we had moved into our new home. My wife, son and Dog Barley can not say enough good things about them and also very nice to talk to and get information about the area and what's happening around town. Mill Bay is a great place to stay, nice local malls, beach is 5 minutes away for nice walks. A little park very good if you have kids. A great pub Brian recommended was the Cobble Stone and it ended up being one of our favorite places to eat and have a drink unfortunately it had a fire and being restored. The place we stayed in was very clean. Great Bathroom, Bedroom area and a little kitchenette and TV sitting area. You have use of your own washer & dryer, free wifi and all the fresh eggs you can eat from there very own chickens. You have your own entrance, patio with chairs and key code to get into your suite. Bev and Brian even allowed use to use our own full size barbeque to cook our dinner meals. Our dog Barley had fun there and even got along with their dog Buddy. I would recommend staying here for a nice relaxing time, if you're staying for a couple of weeks or more ask them about the area they have great recommendations for things to see and do....

There are guest houses and B&Bs that go the extra mile because their owners manage them with a large chunk of soul, and this is one of them! I was delighted with my weekend stay. The large B&B is in a scenic, quiet suburb of Mill Bay, it is signposted, and the driveway and entrance are well lit. Less than a 3-minute ride down the road is a well-sourced and well-stocked shopping centre where you can get all the supplies needed. Juliette is a warm, insightful, caring host who pays close attention to her guests’ needs. For example, on the nights I arrived late, she came down to meet me to ensure that all the lights were on and that I had arrived safely. She took the trouble to make a delicious gluten-free breakfast. One morning, I observed her assisting other guests with expert knowledge of the local area, routes and attractions. The place is spacious, spotlessly clean, with a refreshing, laid-back atmosphere. There is a large kitchen, which she leaves open to her guests with a selection of tea and coffee. It was excellent value for money and well worth the trip off the beaten track ( the area is excellent for nature lovers), but within a comfortable 60-minute drive to Sidney or Victoria. I highly recommend you go visit. I hope to take my entire family there...