Birds of a Feather

Virtually sound-proof, quiet, luxurious and affordable furnished private RRU condo residences with wi-fi for RRU faculty and students. Birds of a Feather B&B and Vacation Rentals in Colwood is located on the same foreshore of the Esquimalt Lagoon as our neighbour Royal Roads University.

We built these units in 2006 specifically with RRU accommodations in mind. No one is walking on the floor above your head, no loud children - no loud anything - you won't be disturbed in any manner, and you'll come home each day to a welcoming and study-friendly environment. Please take a moment to read some of our RRU student and faculty reviews.

RRU Accommodation Rates

• Free Parking | wi-fi and broadband | laundry facilities | sound-proof rooms
• Student Rates are based on single occupancy; add 15% for extra student, or $25.00 per night for family member staying with you.
• Room 2 and Room 3 each have an extra twin bed in the lofts making them ideal for 2 students sharing a room and splitting the cost.
• Room 4 is an extra room offered here as our most affordable accommodation. Please note this room is one of our original B&B suites downstairs (where we live) from before the 2nd story was added in 2006. It too has it's own private ensuite bathroom. It is not as spacious as the new rooms, however, you also have complete access to our kitchen and a beautiful waterfront office in which to do your homework.

All Rooms include:

• Wi-fi plus dataport for broadband internet connection
• full ensuite private bathroom with heated floors
• queen or king bed; rooms 2 and 3 also have extra twin beds in lofts
• study desk and chair, wardrobe
• telephone, clock radio, iron and ironing board
• free parking and private entrances
• Widescreen TV and DVD player
• gas fireplace and radiant floor heating
• lots of windows for natural light
• kitchenette fully equipped, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, kettle
• iron and ironing board and common area laundry facilities
• privacy and safety assured
• weekly maid / cleaning service
• no smoking property
• 25% Discount Card for local White Spot restaurant

We are within walking / biking distance to the University. You can also use one of our canoes or kayaks to go dock-to-dock from our B&B to Royal Roads University. Courtesy mountain bicycles are also available to our guests. RRU has one of the most beautiful campuses in Canada. Overlooking the majestic Olympic Mountains, Hatley Park is designated a National Historic Site by the federal government.

If you are attending Royal Roads University (our neighbour) or,  Q College then you are entitled to the rates posted above.

RRU Private Residences
Phone: +1 (250) 391-8889
Toll Free: 1-800-730-4790
victoria@birdsofafeather.ca

RRU is the only public university in Canada with an entire mandate that exclusively encompasses applied and professional programs and applied research - and offers learning (both in content and delivery) specifically designed for people focused on their careers through applied and professional programs. Most programs are at the master degree level, although we also offer leading-edge undergraduate completion programs in commerce, science, justice studies, and applied communication, as well as an increasing number of graduate diploma, graduate and executive certificate, and professional development programs. RRU's programs are based on our four founding themes: entrepreneurship and management, leadership and learning, environmental sustainability, and conflict resolution.

RRU was founded in 1995 with the proclamation of the Royal Roads University Act. "Accreditation" is not a term that generally applies to universities in Canada. Royal Roads is authorized to grant degrees as a public university by the Province of British Columbia through the Royal Roads University Act. The university is a member institution of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Most master's and undergraduate degree programs offer on-campus residency study periods, which vary from two to five weeks.

Royal Roads University is committed to providing quality services that create a supportive learning community. These include a fully integrated Learning Resource Centre, computer labs, student counselling, career services, and a full range of fitness and recreation facilities. Learners are encouraged to join academic, recreational and social associations and clubs on campus.

Royal Roads was originally conceived as an English country manor. The original residence, Hatley Castle, survives along with old growth forests and extensive gardens. The old military college dormitory and classrooms are in full use but inadequate. By teaching most of the MBA program remotely, and by cramming two years of undergraduate instruction into one, RRU is able to teach 2,000 students a year in a facility designed for a tenth that number. But not easily. The university is hoping the province will fund a new classroom building. As for the 193 dorm-style rooms, most without private bathrooms, these are not adequate for RRU's MBA students, many who are executives or middle and senior managers from the rest of Canada and the world.

Royal Roads Tourism

A new tourism and outreach division was created by Royal Roads in 2005 to generate revenue to maintain, restore and enhance the natural and cultural assets of Hatley Park National Historic Site on the shores of the Esquimalt Lagoon. The university's lease charges Royal Roads with educating the public about the site as well as maintaining and preserving the 565-acre property's heritage assets. Those assets include all the buildings, Hatley Castle, 10 formal gardens, and trails through some of the most distinctive old-growth forest on Vancouver Island. A study by the Department of National Defence identified the need for $20 million in restoration activities, with a minimum of $9.5 million required over the next decade.

"Our mandate is to both care for and share the magnificent natural and heritage assets of this site," said Nancy Arsenault, director of the tourism and outreach division. "We have to find innovative ways to do so because we don't receive government funding. Given the university and the historic site share a mandate for public education, Royal Roads has a unique opportunity to evolve Hatley Park into a world-class attraction – one that will complement the tourism industry in Victoria and Vancouver Island."

While 2005 marks the start of RRU's tourism services, Arsenault says the new line of business will really go into high gear in the summer of 2006 when international tourism operators – who plan their services a year in advance – pick up on Hatley Park's offerings. In the meantime, RRU is working with local tour bus operators, private groups and independent travelers. The university is also offering corporate customers a series of team-building workshops that include geo-caching, boating, murder mysteries and Hatley Park's version of an eco-challenge.

The tourism division also manages other external services offered by Royal Roads, such as conference and event bookings, weddings, festivals and filming. In addition, the division is working with RRU's academic divisions to develop tourism industry training and professional development, as well as undergraduate and graduate programs in international hotel management.

"We're going into Tourism Week with a new staff of experienced tourism professionals," said Arsenault. "We're also collaborating with the local tourism industry. We're on our way to making Hatley Park a world-class destination while at the same time generating the resources required to preserve the site for future generations."

Seven guided tours are offered daily between 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and a series of garden workshops will be offered every Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning. For more information on services and schedules call 250-391-2666, or toll free 1-866-241-067