Victoria Weekend Getaway with the all-new Buick Envision
Victoria is one of the most beautiful cities in British Columbia especially in Autumn with vibrant Fall colours. Thanks to Buick Canada, we got a chance to explore Victoria in style in the all-new Buick Envision. The Buick Envision is a sporty, fun-to-drive compact SUV built for everyday adventures.
We drove the 2022 Buick Envision Essense in sleek Satin Steel Metallic with a luxurious, ebony leather interior. Its equipped with a Sport Touring package, panoramic moonroof, 20″ aluminum wheels, rear camera mirror, head-up display, adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking, enhanced automatic parking assist and enhanced LED headlights.
The cabin is all about comfort and luxury with premium, soft-touch materials and comfy, perforated leather seats. The next-gen Buick Infotainment System has Amazon Alexa built-in to play your music, get directions, place calls, check your calendar or to-do lists and control your smart home. All control by your voice by using the steering-wheel voice-command button or Alexa icon on the 10-inch touch screen. It was super easy and intuitive to use.
We packed our bags and road trip snacks into the Envision. It’s very roomy for a compact SUV with generous cargo space – 714 L (25.2 cu. ft.). There is plenty of head and legroom for both front and rear passengers.
During the road trip and ferry ride, the Envision turns into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. It gives you a fast, reliable connection for up to seven devices so your passengers can stream Netflix movies, watch YouTube videos and post on your adventure on Instagram. Plus, you can access the vehicle’s Wi-Fi from up to 50 feet away. It was awesome to stay connected and get some work done without being reliant on our iPhone’s data plan and battery.
A good soundtrack is essential for a memorable road trip. Buick vehicles come with a 3-month SiriusXM trial subscription. There are over 150 channels with ad-free music, sports, news, talk and comedy. Beyond the audio entertainment, SiriusXM gives you access to a suite of safety, security, and convenience services like enhanced roadside assistance and turn-by-turn navigation.
During our weekend getaway, we stayed at The Oak Bay Beach Hotel – a luxury boutique resort that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It was voted Canada’s #1 hotel by Condé Nast Traveler 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards.
For lunch, I highly recommend the FARO at Oak Bay Beach Hotel. They served up delicious wood stone pizza featuring fresh and local ingredients. My favourites are The Whole Beast, Quatro Formaggi and Funghi.
The Oak Bay Beach Hotel is known for its award-winning spa and iconic hot hubs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Soaked up during sunset for that Instagram-worthy views.
Victoria has one of the most beautiful harbours in the world. The Inner Harbour scenic waterfront promenade is filled with music, street food vendors and walks away to Parliament Buildings, Fairmont Empress Victoria and Royal BC Museum.
Victoria is home to the second oldest Chinatown in North America after San Francisco. A historic piece of Chinatown is Fan Tan Alley which holds the record for the narrowest street in Canada – just 0.9m wide (about 4 feet) at the narrowest point.
Victoria has a vibrant and exciting culinary scene. Plus, a mild climate that is perfect to grow and harvest fruits and vegetables year-round. 10 Acres Bistro is one of the restaurants that led Victoria’s farm-to-table movement. It served up the freshest ingredients that Vancouver Island has to offer.
One of their signature dishes is Duck Confit which the beets are grown from their own 10 Acres Farm.
Malahat SkyWalk is the newest attraction on Vancouver Island, which opened on July 15, 2021. Located 35 minutes north of Victoria, Malahat SkyWalk is a 10-storey spiral tower with a 600-metre-long elevated walkway through an arbutus and douglas fir forest leading to the tower.
At the top 250 metres above sea level, you get an amazing 360-degree view of Finlayson Arm, Saanich Inlet, Saanich Peninsula, Gulf Islands, San Juan Islands, Mount Baker and the Coast Mountain range.
We had an amazing time exploring Victoria and Vancouver Island. The all-new 2022 Buick Envision is a fantastic, luxury SUV. It’s super fun to drive while making you feel confident on the road with its innovative safety technologies like lane change alert with side blind zone alert and rear cross-traffic alert. The spacious refined cabin and generous cargo space make it a practical everyday SUV.
