Canada—my “home and native land”—is a pretty peaceable place known for its natural beauty … and most of the year, I like it that way. But come October, I’m ready to shake things up a bit by trading the natural for the supernatural. Luckily (or not, depending on your point of view), this country has loads of certifiably spooky spots to vacation in—including lodgings that boast resident apparitions. The disturbances they make mean I might not rest in peace. Then again, a ghostly encounter is always guaranteed to lift my spirits. So this Halloween, I’m skipping the tricks and treating myself to a night in one Canada’ most haunted hotels.
Victoria’s Secrets.
Some visitors to Victoria, British Columbia, choose the Bedford Regency (doubles from $89) because of its convenient Bastion Square location or enticing amenities like roaring fireplaces and fluffy duvets. But many are drawn by the boutique hotel’s otherworldly assets. Its assorted ghosts include a cigar-smoking barfly named Brady who was murdered on the basement stairs in the 1960s. His dearly departed girlfriend (identifiable by the pungent smell of her cheap perfume) also reappears regularly around Room 49, where she once lived.
Their presence is to be expected. After all, Victoria is considered to be Canada’s most haunted city and the hotel fronts on a prime piece of unreal estate. In fact, John Adams, author of Ghosts and Legends of Bastion Square, says, “almost every building in the vicinity has a ghost or two.” For instance, an eerie organ player haunts the Custom House Currency Exchange; a wraith rattles around Pounder’s Restaurant; and a notoriously nasty 19th-century judge reportedly still hangs out at the Maritime Museum, located in an old Supreme Court building.
Adams, who has been offering Ghostly Walks ($12) since 1970, will point out neighborhood hotspots along with other paranormal attractions in Old Town and Chinatown. He also organizes dinner programs in Victoria’s haunted eateries where creep-seeking connoisseurs can hear about the venue’s history and learn how to detect supernatural presences. Die-hard golfers, however, may prefer the sessions he devotes to Doris Gravlin at the Victoria Golf Course. Her shadowy figure appears both on the 7th fairway (site of her 1936 strangulation) and the nearby beach she was buried on.
