Lady Victoria, Eh?

I’ve noticed a (relatively) new billboard in town these days in Seattle. You can see it as you drive south on Highway 99. It’s sponsored by Clipper Vacations (and also currently on its website).

It features a sky blue … well, sky … and a Victoria Clipper vessel.

In large, highlighter yellow letters is the phrase “VICTORIA’S CHEAP.”

Then, underneath those words, you have another sentence, approximately a quarter of the size and in white letters as well as parentheticals: “(BUT SHE’LL SHOW YOU A GREAT TIME.)”

I love this ad, because it makes its readers smile (or should, at least). But I wanted to ensure my dear hedonistic voyeurs that the Lady Victoria’s integrity is still intact – she’s not pimping herself out. Both frugal and fiesty – as well as traditional and teasing – the Lady Victoria IS indeed worth a visit. Granted, in this (still) tough economic climate it’s tough to justify a trip anywhere; however, folks are still taking vacations. The type of vacation these days? It seems somewhere between the staycation but less than across the globe. Thus, if you crave international travel, try British Columbia – it’s a quick trip north, it’s in another country, and it’s truly a fabulous destination.

But back to the billboard. Of course, the Clipper folks hope that you book them for a jaunt to Vancouver Island. And they DO have good deals – especially once you weigh in the cost of gasoline these days – so as to make a Clipper ride less costly and stressful than driving north to the Mainland B.C. region (that said, the Mainland B.C. is still very much worth a visit, and Clipper Vacations offers trips to Seattle,  Victoria, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the San Juans (there are even romance & spa packages, too).

Full disclosure here: your Hedonista has strong ties to Canada, in particular B.C., so is of course more than a little biased. She’s also just returned from a Clipper over to Victoria (on a media/industry rate no less), so the price was indeed right. But even if you’re not traveling in the media circles these days, it’s really an affordable trip to Vic, with fares that can be as low as $85 return, complete with literally bevies of vacation packages to choose from (see above).

And don’t you DARE think for one minute that Lady Victoria has cut back on the quality of the many high-end experiences available to frenetic foodies, ecstatic enophiles, and happy hedonists alike, for the Lady Victoria has something for every budget and taste. Over the next week or so, expect updates on what’s up with Lady Victoria these days.

In other words, get ready and brace yourself for some vicarious good living, dear hedonists.

Then book yourself some time with Lady Victoria.

(Just be sure you get the happy ending, eh?)

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable coverage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.