English Country-Style Resort with Lush Gardens Overlooking Harbor

The centerpiece of Hastings House Country House Hotel's property is The Manor House, an 11th-century Sussex-style villa that overlooks the marina at Ganges Harbour. It's built with native wood and natural stone quarried from the hotel property. Accented with midcentury antiques and iron hardware forged by a local blacksmith, it exemplifies the mix of country charm and luxury that marks the 22-acre property.

The Hastings House presides over a sprawling seasonal garden. Here, you can find sheep grazing in a meadow as well as a sculpture garden lined with art installations and benches. Every day, guests can also enjoy a complimentary breakfast and afternoon tea.

The onsite spa incorporates fine Decléor products for its luxurious body and facial treatments, and Gehwol products accent its foot treatments. The Fragrant Rose hand-and-foot treatment ($90) is designed to relieve pain and tension in appendages using deep-moisturizing butters, massage, and acupressure.

Guests of the hillside suites receive a complimentary wake-up hamper of coffee, tea in their room, and freshly baked muffins delivered to their door every morning. The six suites each feature heated tile floors, a hearth fireplace, and a private porch balcony that looks out to the sea. They're also embellished with locally crafted woodwork, wide picture windows, and details from the nearby barn's shake roof.

Saltspring Island, British Columbia: Whale-Watching Tours, Art Galleries, and Botanical Gardens near Vancouver

Hastings House Country House Hotel sits on Saltspring Island, the largest of the Southern Gulf chain in British Columbia. It's home to a distinguished art community; the unincorporated village of Ganges, a 10-minute walk from the property, features eclectic art galleries and farmers' and craft markets. You can learn about traditional and contemporary native art at the Pegasus Gallery of Canadian Art.

The Salt Spring Marina, right next door to Hastings House, offers daily whale-watching tours. The boats are outfitted with on-board hydrophones so passengers can listen to the resident orca whales as naturalists elucidate the mammals' lifestyle and natural habitat. You can also take a special wildlife tour, where you might see dall's porpoises, harbor seals, bald eagles, or sea lions.

The world-famous Butchart Gardens—located on Vancouver Island, an hour outside of Saltspring Island—features 55 acres of seasonal flowers, shrubs, and trees. The Gardens cover five seasons of rotating botanicals and retain much of the landscape's original 1904 Victorian design. Just a short drive up Benvenuto Avenue you can find the Victoria Butterfly Gardens, a 12,000-square-foot indoor facility where more than 3,000 tropical butterflies and moths fly freely.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.