We had the pleasure of having permission to photograph the dinner service for Friday, the 9th of January, 2009. It is always exciting to see what delectable cuisine comes out in to our dining room, but it was a special thrill to have permission to photograph our Chef de Cuisine Edward Tuson and his team at work.

Read on for the pictures, and the menu. Perhaps you can glean some tips for your own cooking as you see them assemble their artful delicacies. Bon appetit!

(Don't forget that our kitchen team would gladly prepare vegetarian dishes, as well as any other concerns!)

Click Full Story for pictures! Click the pictures and explore the entire Flickr gallery, many more goodies hide in there that are not posted with-in.

Explore our gallery and gift shop for some of the best and most unique Christmas gifts on Vancouver Island!

Find our gallery of pictures here!

Read more inside for thumbnails from the gallery.

"The 21st annual Readers' Choice Awards is not only an award for the destinations, lodgings, and modes of transportation that exceed expectations, it is also a credit to the worldly expertise of Condé Nast Traveler readers."

Our little white inn by the sea was recently honoured by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler as the #3 hotel in Canada with an aggregate score of 90.4, judged on 5 categories: Food/Dining, Location, Overall Design, Rooms, and Service.

It is very exciting for our 28 room inn to be considered worthy of the company of Oberoi, Four Seasons, and Rosewood hotels not to mention heralded unique boutique spots like the Inn at Little Washington while stilling holding on to our authentic taste of Vancouver Island.

Whether you come to visit our amazing chefs (who ensure you can stay ten nights and not eat the same meal twice), or to enjoy the majestic view across the Juan de Fuca strait and the Olympic mountains of Washington State, or to explore our expansive art gallery that exclusively features the museum quality works of local artists, or to soak by the fireplace in your lavishly appointed room (none of which are the same; we offer 28 reasons to visit us again and again), you can finally be assured that you will be taken care of by Vancouver Island's finest staff from our knowledgeable sommeliers to our courteous and empathetic front desk and concierge staff and of course our hardest working colleagues in the housekeeping department who would love to surprise your significant other by sneaking in to your guest room during dinner to perform our Romantic Turndown service. Naturally, nothing sets the mood for your special occasion better than silken-rose petals, lit Sooke Harbour House aromatic candles, and bubbles on ice, especially when taken as a surprise.

We really do look forward to welcoming you to our little white inn by the sea as a member of our own family.

Don't forget to pick up a copy of the 2009 Vancouver Magazine Eating and Drinking Guide to catch up on all of your BC favorites including, of course, your good friends at the Sooke Harbour House.

Visit our latest Photosynth of our Featured Artist: Linda Skalenda.

Our latest Flickr™ gallery for some of our favorite sights: the sun-rising over the Juan de Fuca strait and the Olympic Mountains, as well as our most entertaining guests in the form of a pack of river otters.

Do you recommend any local kennels for our dog(s)?

No! All 28 guest rooms at the Sooke Harbour House are pet friendly for a nominal fee. Your furry and four-legged friends deserve a vacation too, you know. Why not share the gardens, trails, and fresh sea breeze of Southwestern Vancouver Island with all of the beloved members of your family?

For $40.00 per night we furnish your best friend with a basket containing:
Doggy Blankets and Towels,
Doggy Beds,
Organic treats made by our chefs,
Food and Water bowls,
Guide Books for Southwest Vancouver Island's best Dog-Walking Trails,
and some plastic bags for, well, you know.

Of course the rooms on the ground floor with garden access are just about perfect for our furry friends.

We think you'll find this a much nicer option than a dog prison. Sorry! I meant to say kennel.

We are certified by Pets Can Stay, who you can visit at http://www.petscanstay.com/.

(Our only caveat is an 11:00am check-out. This allows our housekeepers the additional time they need to perform a stringent cleaning protocol to prepare for our guests in the future that might suffer from allergies.)

As seen from the dining room at the Sooke Harbour House on Tuesday, September the 2nd, 2008.

Amongst the many visitors to the hotel are the creatures of the sea and harbour that frequently entertain themselves and our guests. This mercurial creature was captured by one of our guests in August, 2008.

Photo by Erin Kelly.

Our Victor Newman Long-house is one of our largest, warmest, and brightest rooms that is also perhaps are most culturally intriguing accommodation. The Victor Newman Longhouse is unique in the hotel for many reasons. The Victor Newman Longhouse is decorated in museum quality coast Salish First Nations art, features vaunted ceiling with two sky-lights, through which you can star-gaze from the 4-poster King sized bed. The Victor Newman Longhouse also features a unique double-sided fireplace, which can be enjoyed from both the seating area which also has a Queen-sized pull-out hide-a-bed, as well as from the luxuriously deep soaker tub.