Vancouver Y construction?

[Niagarawine]

Hi I am coming here in the first week of May, went to the YWCA site to book and they said the hotel is under construction. I was just wondering how long this would take and whether to book.

[martincath]

May 2020 I assume? Should be fine - the bulk of the construction is already done (they were literally building a second tower nextdoor), so even if what's left runs egregiously over time it should be finished months before you arrive.

[Niagarawine]

Thanks very much! I will book the Y. We are taking the Canadian train back after our cruise on Eclipse because my husband is a huge train fanatic.

[martincath]

Then the Y is also pretty much the closest hotel to the train station, as well as the best value!

[Niagarawine]

Oh that’s great! I have a good friend in Nanaimo we might visit if she is not travelling, last time we met for dinner here she was talking about Tofino and how gorgeous it was. She left here after high school and became a professor at the university there. Newly retired so maybe we can have a nice visit. I have been on the east coast many times even to Newfoundland which was spectacular but never to the west so it’s time to head on over there. 

[martincath]

Tofino is indeed gorgeous (friends got married on the beach there), but it's a major pain-in-the-patootie to get to without a car unless you're willing to pop for flights. Nanaimo's quite feasible on the cheap though, you can get to either ferry terminal on local transit if you're just taking a small bag (leave your suitcases at the Y, since you'll have to return to board the train anyway) and foot pax pay <$18pp for the boat, so barely over $20 if you ride the bus to Horseshoe Bay or take SkyTrain/bus to Tsawwassen on a weekend.

 

Hopefully your friend could come collect you on the other end and drive you around a bit (Nanaimo itself is a pleasant enough little town, not exactly a tourist mecca but well-located to see Cathedral Grove and for the road over to Tofino - though that's another 3 hours drive away, very long for a day trip, so an overnight is definitely the way to go).

[Niagarawine]

Thanks very much for all the info. We were thinking about a car rental to go around Vancouver island if she is not available. Her mom is quite frail and she comes here quite often to care for her. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.