Victoria and Vancouver: Glorious West Coast Gardens

Parts of the trip were excellent. Once we only were allotted 15 minutes to see one garden. Another time we only had 45 minutes to see one of the best gardens on the trip. I think maybe visiting fewer sites would have been beneficial. IMHO you could skip the Chinese garden in Vancouver, it was a bit run down. I liked the UBC botanical garden, but other ones were even better. Let's talk about the accommodations. In Vancouver they were top notch! I was super impressed with the hotel. But our hotel was switched on us in Victoria and it was ancient, run-down, and didn't have A/C. My room was on the sunny side of the hotel where the sun beat down (it was quite hot the first day) and my room was probably 85 degrees. There was poor airflow as well, so my room never really cooled down until the next day. There was a big window, but no screen, so the bugs had easy access to my room. Not everyone had rooms as uncomfortable as mine. They gave me two fans, almost as old as the hotel, to make up for the lack of AC, but blowing hot air around just doesn't cut it. For some reason about 5 of our meals had almost identical pre-fix menus. I got pretty tired of the same choices over and over. A nice hotel had been booked but they switched us to the ancient and decrepit Royal Scott. No refund or compensation for what was probably a money saving move. If they hadn't done the bait and switch on the hotel and had given us a bit more variety in menus, I would've been much happier with the trip. The leader was fine, the lectures were good -- some even great by my reckoning. Most of the gardens were really awesome.

I live close enough to travel to Vancouver by myself, but I saw many more gardens than I would have on my own. And the garden experts they arranged for really made the gardens become more meaningful.

Even a non-gardener will enjoy this trip. Nice mix of lectures and gardens. Fantastic friendly group of tour members. Julia was a great tour leader.

A trip to cherish - Glorious Gardens of Vancouver and Victoria Tour!

This was a wonderful trip to a beautiful place. Our Guide, Sharon, was great and the group was great too. We saw many beautiful gardens and learned so much. I would highly recommend this trip.

As a Road Scholar newbie, this trip made a delightful first impression. The gardens were all top notch and curated to each offer something different and unique. The tour leader and local guides shared great stories about each location, making the garden and history theme flow right on through. Logistics were well managed, leaving time to enjoy each stop without having to sweat the details. Tour members were all great company, making each day more fun and interesting than the day before. While I usually travel independently, this tour relieved me of the usual travel responsibilities without having to sacrifice sightseeing opportunities. I actually saw and learned more in less time than if I had traveled on my own.

The gardens are every bit as wonderful as you anticipate...Maybe more so. The cities of Vancouver and Victoria are treasures, and definitely fun to explore. Well conceived and organized programs.

Great program. I loved both hotels. ALL the gardens are worth visiting but Butchart gardens ranks among the most beautiful I have ever seen. Vancouver is a great city to visit but I was charmed even more by Victoria.

Our program was accurately described in the Road Scholar materials. The level of physical activity described in the brochure was exactly what we experienced on our trip. Our Group Leader and all of our Instructors were professional and approachable. This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We will come back to Road Scholar for more adventures !!

You will be kept on your toes, thinking about gardens that range from showstoppers to backyard roosts. The vexing history of gardens on the Pacific Coast and the present-day social pressures that shape this environment are a big part of the story. Our guides were great story-tellers. They easily held our attention, taught everyone a lot, and never fell into the role of local boosters.

This was a nice trip. The travelers on the tour were really nice and we enjoyed the trip more because of them. However, the guide was just going through the motions and seemed very disconnected with the participants. Having been on other RS tours with wonderful guides, it was notable. Julia was nice enough, just not interested in getting to know our names or anything about us. She was competent but appeared to not have a sense of humor, which helps a lot. The gardens were very nice. Buchart gardens was lovely, particularly the sunken garden and the Japanese gardens were peaceful and serene. I really didn't need to know the name of every flower and leaf in every garden, but did come away knowing more than before. The guides at each site were great. The first hotel in Vancouver was excellent but the second in Victoria was old and weird, with tons of furniture in each room. It didn't feel very clean and there were silverfish running through periodically. The meals were good except we had to wait for our meals, sometimes over an hour. This was strange, because we ordered way ahead of time and were the first ones in the restaurants (at Finns) The breakfasts were fine. Over half of our group, out of 23, got COVID, and we have been really sick, in spite of being vaccinated. Unfortunately, this puts a cloud over the whole trip and we wish we would have stayed home.

Canadians love to garden and this trip tours several lovely and unique gardens in a beautiful part of the world!

You will be amazed by the beauty of the flowers and landscapes in Vancouver and Victoria. If you love gardening or the outdoors, this is the tour for you.

Great leader, well organized, and was exposed to a lot of great and beautiful gardens.

Great gardens in a great setting. Optimal experience.

Really fantastic trip! we went to numerous interesting and beautiful gardens, all of which had great, knowledgeable guides. Hotels were comfortable, clean and near the main areas of interest. If i were asked to improve this trip I would prefer to get up for breakfast at 8 instead of 7. I know they wanted us to eat before the other travelers came in, but that schedule was just too tiring. Maybe pick a hotel with a bigger dining area?

Many wonderful activities in addition to touring beautiful gardens (but you don't need to be a master gardener to appreciate this trip!) I really gained a deeper understanding of First Nation culture.

The cities of Vancouver and Victoria were just gorgeous. As interesting and lovely as the gardens themselves. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and thoughtful. Both of the lodgings were nice with great locations. I would love to visit the cities again.

This program offers a tour of many gardens, and in Vancouver/Victoria, they are especially terrific. Accommodations were good, food was plentiful and delicious and usually varied, time was well proportioned. I learned interesting and enlightening information about the Japanese and Chinese gardens in Vancouver. Free time was ample and allowed me to walk miles in Vancouver and Victoria. You don't have to know about individual plants in order to appreciate the esthetics of gardens, their blend of colors, textures, and even aromas.

My bucket list dream trip that exceeded expectations. I want to do it again in a different season.

Enjoyed visiting all the Botanical and Rose gardens in Vancouver & Victoria BS. Well worth the price of the trip. A must see tour.

This program is wonderful. The gardens are superlative, the organization of the trip is excellent, and I greatly enjoyed getting to know the other participants.

If the weather cooperates, this program can be highly recommended.

If you love gardens, this trip is for you.

Be wary of a Covid infection and the complications it can cause when traveling internationally.

Touring the beautiful gardens of Vancouver and Victoria was a delight to the eyes and spirit. Every single day we were treated to unbelievably beautiful gardens, led by knowledgeable, friendly tour guides. I want to go back for more!

Road Scholar is a wonderful educational traveling experience. Well organized, friendly and knowledgeable guides. The West Coast Garden experience in Vancouver and Victoria is an experience I will cherish. Thank you!!

If you love gardens and being by the ocean, great food and interesting fellow-travelers, then this program is for you.

A great program if you are a gardener and would enjoy seeing many diverse gardens. Docents at all gardens except Butchart Gardens where you have 3 hours on your own. An intense experience as you are doing 2-3 field trips every day. Also a chance to enjoy Vancouver and Victoria.

Victoria and Vancouver: Glorious West Coast Gardens was as wonderful as I had hoped it would be. While Butchart Gardens might be the star everyone has heard about, numerous other stars became part of our tour. It was a visually, intellectually, socially stimulating week. Very glad I attended.

The tour of Vancouver and Victoria is perfect for any garden enthusiast. I had no idea there were so many gardens. I loved learning about the gardens, especially from instructors who were so knowledgeable.