A Stylish Stay @ Rosemead House

In October 2024, I was invited for an exclusive media sneak peek inside a not-yet-opened Edwardian heritage property on Vancouver Island, then in the midst of being reimagined as a boutique hotel. Now, more than a year later, the doors are officially open—and I returned to experience Rosemead House in all its fully realized glory.

And glorious it truly is.

Built in 1906, this heritage home sits on Esquimalt’s Saxe Point, just minutes from downtown Victoria. Family-owned Aragon Properties acquired the property in 2015 and spent years working alongside design architect Paul Merrick to painstakingly restore and transform the home into a strikingly intimate hotel.

With just 28 guest rooms—each designed entirely differently from the next—there’s not a trace of cookie-cutter, boring-beige hotel décor here. Every piece of vintage furniture, original artwork, floral William Morris wallpaper, lighting fixture, and charming objet d’art was hand-selected by Aragon owner Lenny Moy. The result is the very definition of a labour of love—and a masterclass in taste.

I stayed in Room 9, a cozy pied-à-terre where my husband and I spent two nights. Aside from long seaside walks nearby, we never left the property. Why would we?

Not a single design detail felt wasted on this writer of design-driven lifestyle content. Every choice felt intentional and indulgent. A maximalist sensibility flows throughout the lobby from the moment you check in, with shared spaces bursting with saturated colour and unapologetic opulence. There’s a dreamy chandelier strung with oversized glass beads, lavish floral arrangements (gloriously over the top, in the best way), velvet vintage chairs placed back-to-back, French tiled floors, and a chic bar that also serves the complimentary breakfast each morning.

And then there are the lobby restrooms.

Yes—the water closets. I never thought I’d be writing about toilets, but the hand-painted commodes here are genuinely beautiful and entirely worthy of mention.

Rosemead House is just the beginning of a larger vision from Aragon Properties, which also includes 179 privately owned condominium residences currently underway on the same site. These share access to the property’s European-inspired gardens, majestic Garry oak trees, and luxury hotel amenities.

Among those amenities is the much-buzzed-about Janevca Kitchen & Lounge, helmed by Chef Andrea Alridge—fearless mistress of wood-fire cooking and alumna of Vancouver’s CinCin. The dining room design must be seen to be believed: bold, brave colour combinations; richly tactile fabrics and finishes; and a dramatic canopy of leaves overhead that changes with the seasons.

Just opened this month is Phase One of Salt & Ivy Spa, with Phase Two—including a hydrotherapy circuit—set to follow in late 2026. Entering the spa feels like stepping into your own Wonderland. From the salt-block check-in counter beneath a cherry blossom tree, the sense of “curiouser and curiouser” is immediate. Guests select their robes and slippers from vintage suitcases, then drift off into treatment rooms.

I experienced the Glacial Gloss Cryotherapy Facial, which uses advanced cooling technology to calm inflammation and refresh skin texture. While my body was cocooned under heated blankets, the cooling wand moved across my face—initially startling, then deeply relaxing. The result was skin that felt refreshed, toned, and lifted, all without invasive procedures.

Salt & Ivy is poised to become a go-to medi-spa destination for locals as well, offering advanced skin diagnostics, personalized skincare tracking, and big plans for what’s to come. As a self-confessed spa product enthusiast, I was delighted to see Canadian brands Céla and Skwálwen Botanicals available for purchase.

Stay local—and book a stay at Rosemead House soon. —Catherine Dunwoody