We were in Nanaimo for three days and two nights and our accommodations for those two nights would be the Best Western Dorchester. An older hotel, conveniently located in the heart of downtown Nanaimo, allowing us to walk to majority of our planned destinations.
Parking is available across either of their two adjacent surface lots. They are also available for public parking until 5pm, and after it restricted solely for hotel guest staying the night.
There are two entry points on either ends of the building. One requires a walk upstairs and has you greeting the front desk. The other feels like the backside with no stairs and has you passing through the in-house restaurants.
There is only one elevator to get you to any of the four floors with rooms. It is also smaller in size which means expect a wait, especially during checkout. The hotel has only a few facilities to take advantage of. There is a small, basic gym; no swimming pool or hot tub; and a visible rooftop patio, but no apparent way to get to it. There was a gift shop of sorts. This was an independent boutique, but you could access it through the hotel’s foyer. It sold apparel and accessories with a sprinkling of jewellery and souvenirs. All this was just as well, as we spent most of our time exploring the city centre anyways and less in the room.
We were travelling as two girlfriends, so got our own queen size bed in a shared larger suite that included a desk, flat screen television, and cozy chair in the corner. The beds were comfortable enough and on the firmer side with fluffy duvets and down pillows.
Being a fan of not wasting food and collecting leftovers, I was especially excited to see a mini fridge hidden under the cabinet. Above it was a coffee centre with coffee maker a couple of pods to use with it, and some tea satchels. Ice was available on the third floor, should we have needed it.
I was less impressed by the washroom. The hot water dial was installed in corrected. Hot is cold and cold is hot, a lesson learned the hard way. And when using warmer water, the older pipes made a creaking, shrinking sound. This lasted the duration of my shower. I was also not a fan of their complimentary toiletry products. I did not enjoy the unified scent of their hand wash, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. It was intended to be coconut, but had a very chemically manufactured scent. It was to the point that I used my face wash to clean my body and avoided washing my hair. This was just as well, considering that the hairdryer only blowed cold air, and it felt impossible to dry my hair with it.
But the view almost made it all bearable. Our suite had a lovely view of the harbour with the water in the background. We would leave the blinds open to be awakened by the sounds of the sea and the light of the sun.
Impressively, the Best Western Nanaimo hotel has three different restaurants and we would try two out of the three. The first was Top Notch Burger, and we had had one meal here. This was a casual restaurant that served hotel guests and customers walking in on their lunch breaks. There was nothing outstanding about them, they were just a solid option for a quick and easy grab and go meal. Burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, and the possibility of a later brunch, which I took advantage of.
I was in need of something vegetal so ordered the Crisp Tofu Benny, with my choice of bready base, how I wanted my eggs prepared, and the desired side to it all.
Crispy fried tofu with brussel sprouts, pumpkin puree and wild mushrooms on a pressed croissant. Each side was topped with a soft runny poached egg, and finished with classic hollandaise and a sprinkle of feta. The hollandaise lacked any flavour outside of salt, it was also so runny that I originally thought it was my egg yolk that had popped. I liked the benny for its individual parts. I got lots of mushroom umami for a vegetarian option. The eggs weren’t soft and runny as requested, but coagulated, however still tasty. The tofu was definitely the most substantial part of this, whereas I was hoping for more brussels sprouts, which ended up being the least. I did at least enjoy the seasoning on the sprouts, but like the tofu fry, thought it could be crispier. Although the hash was the most memorable given how evenly crisp it was.
My guest got one of their burgers and was also able to customize it with her choice of bread, side, and sauce or dip. She went for the Chicken Southern Comfort burger. Fresh free-range chicken grilled and topped with double smoked bacon, brie, apple cranberry chutney, leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, and finished with a roasted garlic aioli. She had it with a Cobs made sesame bun, a side of Greek garden salad, and truffle aioli. Her main complaint was that the chicken breast was hard and fibrous in overcooked chunks. Luckily all the extra sauces helped inject some moisture and flavour.
We also shared a bowl of the Chef’s Seafood Chowder that was a blend of prawns, halibut, scallops, clams, bacon, and a medley of vegetables in a herbed cream. The soup was runny with faint herbal notes. I appreciated the amount of seafood, but wished I could taste it all better. I usually never use the table available seasonings, but I did today and it helped.
The other on property restaurant we tried was Embers. This was a newer restaurant, and they advertise themselves as such with one of those inflatable flailing air men. This is a charcuterie and wine bar with a very romantic vibe. It was dark and definitely one of those spots that you end the night at.
It was a Tuesday night when we visited so we’re surprised by how busy the space was. We were also curious as to why it took so long for orders to go through. The cocktails were a wait due to the traffic back up. However, the 45 minute wait for two charcuterie boards seemed excessive, especially considering they aren’t cooking anything but only assembling.
If you get a choice, I recommend visiting on a Monday to take advantage of their date night menu. You get two beverages with alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, your choice of speciality charcuterie board, and a sweets board for dessert, all for $55.
However we were hungry so each got our own board of grazing bites. This was like having an adult cheese and cracker lunchables for dinner.
For boards you are basically choosing between a meat, cheese, or fish one. We both didn’t feel like seafood, so got The Church Street and The Bastion, named after spots in Nanaimo. The Church Street is more meat heavy with Extra Old Cheddar, Canadian Maple Cheddar, Rosemary Chicken Sausage, Prosciutto, Weekly Tapenade, Assorted Nuts & Dried Fruits, and Assorted Crackers & Crostini. Whereas The Bastion is cheese centric with Cashel Blue, Double Smoked Cheddar, Truffle Trove, Grana Padano, Marinated Warm Mixed Olives, Weekly Hummus, Assorted Nuts & Dried Fruits, and Assorted Crackers & Crostini. There are no substitutions on any pre-set boards, but you are able to ask for additions, and pay extra for them.
And tonight’s Sweet Board was a slice of Nanaimo bar and a berry cheese cake with some fruit on the side. It was a sweet way to end our meal and a little too much sugar on my end.
Overall, this was a nice, light snack, but not enough to carry us a meal.
Best Western Dorchester Hotel
70 Church St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5H4
+1 (250) 754-6835
bestwestern.com
