Something new on the block!

It’s a pretty safe bet that most of us had a bit more time on our hands than usual during the COVID shutdowns over the past 2 years. Our favourite hangouts were not available to us and we may have dove into make-work projects that had been brushed aside in our more familiar day-to-day regimes of balancing life, work and play.

What about those who worked and thrived in bustling service hubs who were no longer able to share memorable exchanges with guests and teammates throughout these times?For Chateau Victoria’s longstanding bellman, Glenn Waddingham, his answer to spending the idol hours at home was to recreate Victoria’s beloved landmark toe-to-tip with over 62,000 LEGO pieces sourced from around the globe!

Vista 18 Restaurant + Lounge, Chateau Vic’s crown jewel, has been recreated in particular extraordinary detail, from its lit-up wine fridge and bartender-in-action to several tableaus indicative of real-life scenes: VPD regulars in uniform enjoying a coffee, a marriage proposal in its popular Harbour Room event space, and long-time service staff custom remodelled Minifigures.

Vista 18 Restaurant + Lounge sits atop Victoria locals’ favourite hotel, the Chateau Victoria. It’s perch on the 18th floor has offered a bird’s eye perspective of Victoria’s inner city and bustling Harbour since 1976. Thanks to Glenn’s ingenuity and sense of nostalgia, we can now enjoy a reciprocal perspective of being able to voyeur from the outside in.

Waddingham has worked for the Chateau Victoria for over 18 years and has come to know every nook and cranny very intimately.

“I’ve worked at the hotel for a long time, and I always thought that it was a neat building; it’s not just a box,” said Waddingham, pointing to the pandemic as the push to put his skills to the test.

Vista 18 is open for breakfast and dinner daily, with happy hour 3:30-6pm. New summer cocktails are slated to hit the bar menu later this week and its popular breakfast buffets are now offered daily! Make sure to stop in the lobby on your way up to check out this LEGO replica!