Where to stay · Salt Spring Island (Ganges)
Hastings House Country House Hotel & Spa
A 1939 Tudor manor on a waterfront estate where the muffins arrive before you do.
what it is
luxury country inn (romantic splurge)
the damage
from ~US$463/night (roughly CAD $630), double occupancy
rated
★ 4.7 (139)
from Victoria
~35-min ferry from Swartz Bay + short island drives
The manor house was built in 1939 by a British naval architect named Warren Hastings, who evidently looked at the Sussex countryside, then at Salt Spring Island, and decided the two should be introduced. The result is a wood and stone estate of lawns, gardens and orchard sloping to Ganges Harbour, with 18 suites scattered through the manor, the old farmhouse and various dignified outbuildings.
The suites come with fireplaces and Tempur-Pedic beds, and the daily routine has the gentle absurdity of a country novel: fresh muffins delivered to your door each morning, cut flowers from the garden in your room, a full made-to-order breakfast, and evening turndown. The spa lives in a renovated barn, because on this property naturally it does.
This is a Relais and Chateaux house, which is French for bring a second credit card, and dinner in the Manor dining room is the island's dress-up event. The whole estate sits a short stroll from Ganges village, so you can wander to the Saturday Market and back before anyone notices the bathrobe is missing.
The setting
On Upper Ganges Road at the edge of Ganges village, its lawns and gardens running down to Ganges Harbour, a short walk from the shops, galleries and the famous Saturday Market.
Getting there
From Victoria, drive about 30 minutes up Highway 17 to Swartz Bay, sail 35 minutes to Fulford Harbour (non-reservable, roughly eight sailings a day, load in arrival order), then drive 15 minutes to Ganges. Free parking on site. Car-free genuinely works: walk on the ferry, ride the BC Transit bus to Ganges, and the hotel runs a complimentary arrival and departure shuttle.
good to know
Why it works
- Fireplaces and Tempur-Pedic beds in all 18 suites
- Morning muffins and garden flowers delivered to your door
- Wellspring Spa in the renovated barn
- Waterfront estate a stroll from Ganges village
- Relais and Chateaux dining in the 1939 manor