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Location ? Vancouver - Times Square Suites vs YWCA


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We are staying in Seattle and taking the Amtrak up to Vancouver. Our plan is to spend 2 nights in Vancouver before sailing. I'm budget conscious and am looking at Times Square Suites and the YWCA. They are really on different ends of downtown and I wondering if there is any benefit to one of them in terms of location.

 

We will be using public transportation while we're there, and I'm sure at some point will rent bikes. Not sure if it would be better to be down by Stanley Park or better to be closer to downtown.

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Times Sq Suites are close to the park and English Bay. Shopping & restos too of course, as is anywhere downtown, but in terms of the other stuff you'll likely be visiting YWCA is closer to many, many more things (it's in Yaletown, an easy walk into Gastown & Chinatown, half a klick nearer the pier, has more bus routes and SkyTrain stations close by, a mile nearer Athlete's Village, a lot closer to ferries to Granville Island, and you have a local bike rental place - Simons - that does not have the park-proximity price hike that Spokes and their ilk apply to gouge impulse-riding tourists). It's also better-reviewed across every site I've ever seen.

 

Overall I'd do YWCA in heartbeat - we did when we came to visit before moving here, it's hands-down the best value option in the entire region. Unless you only want to focus on Stanley park, it's an extremely easy decision - YWCA for the win!

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Times Sq Suites are close to the park and English Bay. Shopping & restos too of course, as is anywhere downtown, but in terms of the other stuff you'll likely be visiting YWCA is closer to many, many more things (it's in Yaletown, an easy walk into Gastown & Chinatown, half a klick nearer the pier, has more bus routes and SkyTrain stations close by, a mile nearer Athlete's Village, a lot closer to ferries to Granville Island, and you have a local bike rental place - Simons - that does not have the park-proximity price hike that Spokes and their ilk apply to gouge impulse-riding tourists). It's also better-reviewed across every site I've ever seen.

 

Overall I'd do YWCA in heartbeat - we did when we came to visit before moving here, it's hands-down the best value option in the entire region. Unless you only want to focus on Stanley park, it's an extremely easy decision - YWCA for the win!

 

Thank you so much - very helpful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Overall I'd do YWCA in heartbeat - we did when we came to visit before moving here, it's hands-down the best value option in the entire region. Unless you only want to focus on Stanley park, it's an extremely easy decision - YWCA for the win!

My husband and I spent two nights in Vancouver post-cruise with the intention of evaluating the city for a possible move now that my husband has retired. I am interested in learning more about why you moved here, pros and cons etc. We loved our visit! If you are so inclined, perhaps we can chat offline.

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My husband and I spent two nights in Vancouver post-cruise with the intention of evaluating the city for a possible move now that my husband has retired. I am interested in learning more about why you moved here, pros and cons etc. We loved our visit! If you are so inclined, perhaps we can chat offline.

You're welcome to drop me an email (cruisecriticmarty@gmail.com) since this topic really isn't useful info for the majority of visitors. Wealthy retirees are definitely the kind of folks Vancouver works very well for - if you're also outdoorsy types then you're a perfect match for the city!

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Thanks to Martincath's various helpful posts, we've selected the Y for upcoming stay early September prior to boarding the Radiance to bring her home to Australia. Happy to post a comment after our stay if it's of any interest.

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Thanks to Martincath's various helpful posts, we've selected the Y for upcoming stay early September prior to boarding the Radiance to bring her home to Australia. Happy to post a comment after our stay if it's of any interest.

 

Please do. We are booked in a double/double with private bath for 2019. Martincath has provided some extremely valuable information on these boards and I have no doubt at all that the Y is a great place to stay, but I like to hear everyone's take on a place :) I'm also wondering if the double beds are actually double beds or are they queen?

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Not sure how big the beds are, so my wife and I booked a double/double with private bath pre-cruise for next year. Especially after reading reviews on both here and trip advisor. Can’t beat the price.

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Please do. We are booked in a double/double with private bath for 2019. Martincath has provided some extremely valuable information on these boards and I have no doubt at all that the Y is a great place to stay, but I like to hear everyone's take on a place :) I'm also wondering if the double beds are actually double beds or are they queen?

You're welcome - the Y are pretty straight-shooters, when they say double they mean double (same standard size as the US, ~53" x 75" mattress size, so about an inch narrower but the same longer than standard Aussie sizes for the Antipodeans on the thread).

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We went ahead and booked the Y as well - interesting that our booking is listed as a triple - with a double and two twins. I checked and double checked because everywhere on their website it always lists the triples as 3 singles, but this specifically says double and two twins - and I had to pay extra for the 2 kids as they are considered "adults" so it is very clear there will be 4 of us in the room. Best rate we found in the area even with paying the extra adult charge.

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^Hmmm - if I read you correctly, you have 4 people and 2 of them are being charged extra for? That only makes sense if you are in a room that assumes 2 people normally stay in it - double, twin, or double-double rooms - and have added 2 extra occupants. Plus, the Y says they only charge for age 16+ occupants.

 

It sounds to me like what you have is a 'double double' category room but with 2 single beds replacing one of the doubles (i.e. three total beds, but a 2 person base occupancy). Triple rooms should only incur a charge for the 4th+ occupant - the base cost covers up to 3 people, just like the Quint rooms cover up to 5, but lots of couples book a double double room just to have more space each. Almost every hotel I've ever seen with 2 double/2 queen rooms does assume it's 2 occupants by default in terms of room charges (i.e. this is not a weird Y-only thing).

 

If your kids are under 16, or you actually booked a Triple room as the category, contact them as either way they are overcharging you based on the posted rates! You can always cancel (free) up to 2 days before your booking.

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You are, of course right, I was going off of memory and confused my Seattle hotel with my Vancouver hotel. The Seattle hotel considered 2 people as standard occupency and everyone over 12 was charged as an extra adult.

 

I double checked my email and it is listed as a triple, but both kids are listed as free - and I was only charged the $230+tax Canadian that is the normal price listed for that room. I clearly have let all of this planning get me all confused.

 

It does still have that odd thing - where in the room descriptions it always lists the triples as 3 twins, but then offers the choice that we booked for our group of 4 and labels it as a Triple. No worries, I'm sure they know what they're doing, clearly more than I do at the moment!

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No worries, I'm sure they know what they're doing, clearly more than I do at the moment!

Too much planning can do that... I forgot I'd already booked my wife's birthday dinner this week and ended up with two resos in the same place at the same time;-)

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Spent three nights at the Y in August. Double with private bath. It is a double bed, but since we didn't have a dog in bed with us, there was plenty of room. Great location. You could walk to the pier, if you were ambitious, or spend $10 on a taxi. Believe the reviews, it is clean, and everyone is friendly. Plenty of pubs in the neighborhood. There is also an IGA grocery store about four blocks away.

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As promised earlier, I can comment now from a personal experience. The Y is an excellent choice. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of a fancy hotel but it absolutely is a fantastic choice. We've walked everywhere and taken the hoho buses. We have a double bed and private bathroom. It is small but for the price (especially compared to other hotels) can't be beat. You won't be disappointed. If we could just find a breakfast venue that offers healthy choices - pizza bacon n eggs yuk - :D

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PS just reread the comments about the bed size. Yes, it's only a double. We sleep in a king at home so it's a bit of a challenge. In hindsight we would have got a better nights sleep if we had selected 2 singles. The Bed itself and pillows were just fine. There's no road noise incidentally. And being able to do your laundry is fantabulous!

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As promised earlier, I can comment now from a personal experience. The Y is an excellent choice. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of a fancy hotel but it absolutely is a fantastic choice. We've walked everywhere and taken the hoho buses. We have a double bed and private bathroom. It is small but for the price (especially compared to other hotels) can't be beat. You won't be disappointed. If we could just find a breakfast venue that offers healthy choices - pizza bacon n eggs yuk - :D

Glad you're enjoying the Y! If you still have a breakfast or more to go on your stay and do actually want a healthy option, you could just pick up some cereal and milk, oatmeal, bread etc. (IGA on Robson is your closest Western supermarket) and whip up your own in the kitchens at the Y.

 

If you'd rather double-down on tasty, you're only a very short walk away from Medina for the best brekky in the city!

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Martincath, where were you 3 days ago? Median was just right, thank you. IGA had a lovely fresh fruit stall outside. Vancouver Tourist Bureau should give you a medal! Thanks again.

Portland - but I've managed to log in every day or two anyway;-)

 

Thanks for the kind words - enjoy your cruise, hope it's at least ALMOST as good as spending time in Vancouver!

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