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When Eliza Livingston decided to open a bed and breakfast in Victoria, B.C., she got some decorating advice.
“You’re in Victoria, you have to make it Victorian,” a friend pontificated.
The 19th century theme is a well-trodden path in the quaint capital, which prides itself upon emulating Britain. It might even be safe to say that resting in a four-poster bed flanked by doilies and floral wallpaper is the norm rather than the exception.
But Livingston, a world traveller who once lived in Iran, has a taste for greater spice. And so intrepid explorers who venture deep into Victoria’s posh Rockland neighbourhood will be rewarded by a surprisingly exotic find: Villa Marco Polo Inn.
While the exterior of the 1923-built home is distinctly Italian Renaissance, the interior is a journey through the faraway lands that are near and dear to Livingston’s heart.
Highlights include a middle-eastern mushrabiya (a screen used in harems so women could see out but couldn’t be seen), a Chinese gentleman’s traveling trunk that belonged to her great grandfather, a rubbing of Shah Abbas done by her father in Persepolis, and an ancestral painting that hangs over the fireplace.
“It’s an experience out of normal time and place,” she says. “The kind of person that comes here is looking for something a little unusual, a destination unto itself.”
There are but four suites: Zanzibar, Silk Road, Persia and Alexandria. Each is lavishly decorated for maximum romance. In-room iPods are loaded with elegant music (set the alarm and you can wake up to the sound of angels), fireplaces and dual showers.
Also, there are bidet hoses attached to the toilets (“they’re very common in the middle east,” assures Livingston. But warming up with a few toilet-ward practice sprays is highly recommended before turning the device upon oneself). A less intimidating pampering experience might be had in the upstairs Hammam spa.
Livingston taps into Marco Polo’s lust for newness by offering a feast of comestible experiences.
In the summertime, lemonade flows in the Italianate garden, whilst a samovar is perpetually percolating an intriguing new loose tea in the Tuscan room. Those who seek something a little stiffer might saunter up to the elegant library, where a sweet Italian wine awaits.
And the breakfasts – well, they’re a fine dining experience. Whether it’s pineapple-ginger baked grapefruit, apricot anise bread French toast or Livingston’s signature lemon, lime and limoncello soufflé, the eats are worth rising for, no matter how early.
Villa Marco Polo is posh, indulgent – regal, even. But if you think a place like this is above your station, take a cue from Nanaimo garbageman Murray Babcock, who made his own discovery there.
Over beet and Yukon Gold potato rosti with B.C.mushrooms, egg and hollandaise sauce, he confided that his wife dragged him to Villa Marco Polo. He had never been to a B&B, and had always thought they were packed with hoity-toity snobs picking away at miniscule portions.
But a few forkfuls in, Babcock trashed those preconceptions.
“That’s going to go down as the greatest breakfast I’ve had in my life!” he bellowed.
IF YOU GO
Villa Marco Polo Inn
1524 Shasta Place, Victoria, B.C.
www.villamarcopolo.com
(250) 370-1524
Rates: $190 - $235 per night
Extravagant special: Stay for three nights and have an oil portrait done with the villa as a backdrop. Package includes two sittings with North American painter David Goatley and a massage for two. $2, 250.