Recommendations for a One night stay in Vancouver

[Oskial]

Just wondering if anybody has a recommendation for a hotel in downtown Vancouver that is close to the pier and won't cost more than the cruise.  TIA.

[Rina155]

We stayed the the St Regis boutique hotel.  It is so comfortable and within walking distance to most of the city. We did walk to the port a few times, but day of sailing chose to use a taxi.

[bnurick]

Hotel in airport. We really liked it and afternoon tea.

[JoePDX]

We stayed at Sutton Place Hotel.   Nice hotel in good downtown location.   Lots of restaurants nearby.    Easy walk to Canada Place to see the ships.   Quick cab ride on embarkation day with luggage.   
 

Joe

Edited August 13, 2023 by JoePDX

[Northern Aurora]

We also have stayed at Sutton Place and also liked it.  

 

More recently we have stayed at the Pan Pacific which is located actually in/above Canada Place.  The bellmen collect your luggage from your hotel room and deliver it to the porters.  Convenience is incredible.

 

We also like the Auberge.  We have stayed there both before their renovation and after.  Lovely hotel with great staff.  Very easy walk to Canada Place.  Very manageable with luggage.

[martincath]

YWCA Hotel is almost always the cheapest good hotel in the entire metro area. If your cruise is next year, good chance of rooms being available - this year, very likely sold out as they often do.

 

Don't mind schlepping your bags upstairs (no elevator), AC etc. and there are a couple of options - the Buchan in the West End downtown is about as cheap as it gets while being in a decent area, clean, safe etc.

 

Some seriously dodgy SRO 'hotels' try to part tourists from their money by selling through Expedia etc. - there is not a single hotel on Hastings Street EAST (West Hastings does have several) in Vancouver that's worth considering for a tourist, no matter how cheap you will regret such a booking!

 

Given the ever-smaller number of hotel rooms and demand being back up the deals on hidden hotels via Priceline and similar bidding concepts may not be as good as they used to be - but given how compact our downtown core is you can 100% guarantee that the 'secret' hotel will be in a great location if you restrict bids to the core and 4* or better. There are some 3* and 3.5* hotels which are perfectly nice, but in our entertainment zone (i.e. drunken buffoonery happens every night in the wee small hours, especially weekends) along Granville St - if you're hard of hearing or comfortable sleeping in earplugs expand your search to 3* and up and you'll be fine, the party zone isn't dangerous just annoyingly loud!

[marys350]

We enjoyed our one night stay at Blue Horizon Hotel, a boutique hotel on Robson Street. Walking distance to a variety of restaurants, stores, pharmacy, and liquor store. $10.00 CAD for taxi to cruise terminal.

https://www.bluehorizonhotel.com/

[em-sk]

YWCA Hotel is usually a good deal.  Profits made from the hotel go to the non-profit that owns the hotel if that makes you fell good.

 

If your looking for low cost, clean and well maintained hotel that is fairly basic, then the Days Inn on West Pender is walking distance to the pier.  The rooms are small and the views are limited, no parking being a 100 year old build.  

 

I usually stay at the Sandman Hotel.  It is close to YWCA Hotel.  Both of those a longer walk from the pier.

 

 

[Amy G]

We stayed at the YWCA and it was nice. We walked to Gastown and enjoyed the shops there.

[Milhouse]

Just to toss out a general tip:  If you work for a megacorp or government, maybe check to see if your employers has corporate hotel rates that can be used for personal travel.  

[jbcallender]

We were frankly disappointed in the Pan Pacific.  Needs a renovation, understaffed and felt staff is a little mechanical and rushed.  Worst TV system in a hotel i've seen.  Convenience to terminal and baggage handling is the only plus in my opinion.

[Oskial]

Thanks everyone for your tips and advice.  I will bring these up with our travel companions and we will have a better understanding of what we want to do in May.  

[SybilUnrest]

St Regis was comfortable and walking distance (with luggage) to embarkation. 
 

 

[brunello22]

We are booked for 1-night next week at Moda Hotel.  We got a super deal on Hotwire.

[Oskial]

On 8/13/2023 at 6:49 PM, martincath said:

YWCA Hotel is almost always the cheapest good hotel in the entire metro area. If your cruise is next year, good chance of rooms being available - this year, very likely sold out as they often do.

 

Don't mind schlepping your bags upstairs (no elevator), AC etc. and there are a couple of options - the Buchan in the West End downtown is about as cheap as it gets while being in a decent area, clean, safe etc.

 

Some seriously dodgy SRO 'hotels' try to part tourists from their money by selling through Expedia etc. - there is not a single hotel on Hastings Street EAST (West Hastings does have several) in Vancouver that's worth considering for a tourist, no matter how cheap you will regret such a booking!

 

Given the ever-smaller number of hotel rooms and demand being back up the deals on hidden hotels via Priceline and similar bidding concepts may not be as good as they used to be - but given how compact our downtown core is you can 100% guarantee that the 'secret' hotel will be in a great location if you restrict bids to the core and 4* or better. There are some 3* and 3.5* hotels which are perfectly nice, but in our entertainment zone (i.e. drunken buffoonery happens every night in the wee small hours, especially weekends) along Granville St - if you're hard of hearing or comfortable sleeping in earplugs expand your search to 3* and up and you'll be fine, the party zone isn't dangerous just annoyingly loud!

Looking at your signature, it looks as though you are living in Vancouver.  If so, maybe you can help us on a choice that was just made yesterday.  We have booked 3 rooms (three couples) at the UBC campus Carey Centre.  The price was great but it does put us about 20 minutes by cab away from the port.  Any thoughts on our decision?  Just wondering if we made a good one or not.  I see that there isn't much in the way of restaurants in the area but we done't need anything fancy or high end.  Any advice?  

[martincath]

1 minute ago, Oskial said:

Looking at your signature, it looks as though you are living in Vancouver.  If so, maybe you can help us on a choice that was just made yesterday.  We have booked 3 rooms (three couples) at the UBC campus Carey Centre.  The price was great but it does put us about 20 minutes by cab away from the port.  Any thoughts on our decision?  Just wondering if we made a good one or not.  I see that there isn't much in the way of restaurants in the area but we done't need anything fancy or high end.  Any advice?  

It's not where I'd choose to be for either convenience to the pier or most sightseeing, though it does have the obvious benefit of being close to several on-campus attractions! The Japanese, Rose, and Botanic gardens are all top-notch; and while the jewel in UBCs museum crown (MOA) is closed for extensive renovations the Beaty Biodiversity and Pacific Museum of Earth are both worth a visit if you're into bones & stones.

 

You're actually more like a half hours drive to the pier as there are no routes from UBC that do not clog up with traffic pretty much any time during the day. Food out there is a mix of mostly-local chains, but every now and again something unique opens there - literally just in the last few days the first Sports Illustrated Resto opened for example, although personally that's my idea of hell! UBC isn't a notorious 'party school' but everything about SI just screams frat-boy ****-baggery - so my view is that it might actually improve the vibe at all the other campus eateries if it pulls that particular demographic in!

 

I'd be inclined to leave campus for any serious eating - there's some decent Greek and Japanese food particularly as you pass through West Point Grey into Kitsilano - but there's more on campus than you might suspect because many of the better options are hidden inside the various food courts! It's very rare I eat on campus, but every now and again there's an event at Thunderbird Arena I attend and the good parking choices fill up early so I might have an early dinner pre-game. Biercraft is by far the best place for a beer on campus, unsurprisingly, but their food's not bad; however for a cheap & tasty meal almost next door is Wesbrook Village food court which has a branch of Chef Hung Beef Noodles. Nobody disagrees that the best Chef Hung is the original in the Aberdeen Centre, but UBC entices enough foreign students from Asia who pay a fortune compared to locals to attend that Asian food in general there is decent, so this is probably the second most consistently good branch.

 

If you've visited Vancouver before and done the main sites for tourists, UBC could be a pleasant change of pace from downtown hotels - there's just a massive expanse of green space around, ocean views, etc. that mean if you don't need to go anywhere else it's great... but if you're planning to do things downtown, or especially the North Shore attractions (Grouse, Capilano, Lynn) your commute time back & forth will add significant time and hassle to your day - airport hotels are a much better bargain on that front thanks to SkyTrain, which at least avoids traffic so has a very consistent travel time. Until the UBC SkyTrain extension eventually opens the rather limited roadways are just as bad a bottleneck as the bridges to the north shore are for regular workie commuter types - even 'Summer School' season is pretty busy at UBC, although you might find it a little easier to find seats on buses.

[Oskial]

1 hour ago, martincath said:

It's not where I'd choose to be for either convenience to the pier or most sightseeing, though it does have the obvious benefit of being close to several on-campus attractions! The Japanese, Rose, and Botanic gardens are all top-notch; and while the jewel in UBCs museum crown (MOA) is closed for extensive renovations the Beaty Biodiversity and Pacific Museum of Earth are both worth a visit if you're into bones & stones.

 

You're actually more like a half hours drive to the pier as there are no routes from UBC that do not clog up with traffic pretty much any time during the day. Food out there is a mix of mostly-local chains, but every now and again something unique opens there - literally just in the last few days the first Sports Illustrated Resto opened for example, although personally that's my idea of hell! UBC isn't a notorious 'party school' but everything about SI just screams frat-boy ****-baggery - so my view is that it might actually improve the vibe at all the other campus eateries if it pulls that particular demographic in!

 

I'd be inclined to leave campus for any serious eating - there's some decent Greek and Japanese food particularly as you pass through West Point Grey into Kitsilano - but there's more on campus than you might suspect because many of the better options are hidden inside the various food courts! It's very rare I eat on campus, but every now and again there's an event at Thunderbird Arena I attend and the good parking choices fill up early so I might have an early dinner pre-game. Biercraft is by far the best place for a beer on campus, unsurprisingly, but their food's not bad; however for a cheap & tasty meal almost next door is Wesbrook Village food court which has a branch of Chef Hung Beef Noodles. Nobody disagrees that the best Chef Hung is the original in the Aberdeen Centre, but UBC entices enough foreign students from Asia who pay a fortune compared to locals to attend that Asian food in general there is decent, so this is probably the second most consistently good branch.

 

If you've visited Vancouver before and done the main sites for tourists, UBC could be a pleasant change of pace from downtown hotels - there's just a massive expanse of green space around, ocean views, etc. that mean if you don't need to go anywhere else it's great... but if you're planning to do things downtown, or especially the North Shore attractions (Grouse, Capilano, Lynn) your commute time back & forth will add significant time and hassle to your day - airport hotels are a much better bargain on that front thanks to SkyTrain, which at least avoids traffic so has a very consistent travel time. Until the UBC SkyTrain extension eventually opens the rather limited roadways are just as bad a bottleneck as the bridges to the north shore are for regular workie commuter types - even 'Summer School' season is pretty busy at UBC, although you might find it a little easier to find seats on buses.

Thanks for all the insightful ideas and advice.  We are cruising next May 26th (Sunday) so I would expect the traffic Might be a little lighter.  Does the new extension to the Sky Train plan to be complete by next year?  Anyway thanks again for the information.  

[martincath]

4 minutes ago, Oskial said:

Thanks for all the insightful ideas and advice.  We are cruising next May 26th (Sunday) so I would expect the traffic Might be a little lighter.  Does the new extension to the Sky Train plan to be complete by next year?  Anyway thanks again for the information.  

By 2026 the new extension should be operating - but that will still be far short of reaching UBC, who seem weirdly resistant to allowing access to their land despite demand from the students!

 

Yes, weekends are quieter so both transit and cars should be a bit quicker moving.

[Langoustine]

On 8/13/2023 at 6:49 PM, martincath said:

Some seriously dodgy SRO 'hotels' try to part tourists from their money by selling through Expedia etc. - there is not a single hotel on Hastings Street EAST (West Hastings does have several) in Vancouver that's worth considering for a tourist, no matter how cheap you will regret such a booking!

On our first trip to Vancouver in 2009, I had booked one of those places (you know the one; it's at 403 East Hastings Street) and took your advice, cancelled the reservation, and booked something else. Later, out of morbid curiosity, I looked at the property in question and was horrified at the neighborhood (and I live two blocks from Times Square in Manhattan).

[martincath]

42 minutes ago, Langoustine said:

On our first trip to Vancouver in 2009, I had booked one of those places (you know the one; it's at 403 East Hastings Street) and took your advice, cancelled the reservation, and booked something else. Later, out of morbid curiosity, I looked at the property in question and was horrified at the neighborhood (and I live two blocks from Times Square in Manhattan).

Pat's is now owned by the province, having been bought a couple of years ago to ultimately become low-cost (but theoretically clean and safe!) housing - ironically this was probably the least bad of its ilk, as the prior owners had tried to turn it into a 'real' hotel rather than an SRO and the pub on the ground floor was actually pretty popular (in theory Hastings Mill Brewing is even still in existence and looking for new premises!), but there's only so much a surface reno can do to bones that have been abused for decades... I recall it being briefly used for housing some quarantining folks during the Pandemic who were NOT happy with the accommodations!

[kayehall]

I just cancelled the Marriott Pinnacle and was able to confirm the Westin Bayshore.  Did I do the right thing?  Can I still walk to the cruise terminal?  How much would a taxi be?  I am thinking that if the taxi takes you right down to the luggage drop off area, it would be worth it.  

I am also considering the Fairmont YVR day room for the day of departure.  Flight leaves at 10:25p.  Thinking lunch, couple of cocktails and nap before a red eye.  Is it worth the cost?  Thanks

[martincath]

1 hour ago, kayehall said:

I just cancelled the Marriott Pinnacle and was able to confirm the Westin Bayshore. 

Did I do the right thing? 

Depends! Plan to spend time in the hotel pool? or Stanley park/Denman St/English Bay? Probably... Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown, and pier proximity have all decreased though

Can I still walk to the cruise terminal? 

Depends! How far can you walk with your bags? If it's at least a kilometre easily, yes.

How much would a taxi be?  I am thinking that if the taxi takes you right down to the luggage drop off area, it would be worth it.  

Depends a bit on traffic - probably $10 on the meter when you arrive at Canada Place, but if there are a lot of ships the last hundred yards to get underneath could add another $5!

I am also considering the Fairmont YVR day room for the day of departure.  Flight leaves at 10:25p.  Thinking lunch, couple of cocktails and nap before a red eye.  Is it worth the cost? 

Depends! It's hella pricey for just a few hours if you ask me, especially in comparison to just booking a lounge (which would include food), but then I'd also never take a nap before a red-eye as then there would be zero chance of sleeping on the plane for me. I think this is also a lost opportunity for a full day of sightseeing if you are not already familiar with Vancouver...

 

[kayehall]

12 minutes ago, martincath said:

2 hours ago, kayehall said:

I just cancelled the Marriott Pinnacle and was able to confirm the Westin Bayshore. 

Did I do the right thing? 

Depends! Plan to spend time in the hotel pool? or Stanley park/Denman St/English Bay? Probably... Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown, and pier proximity have all decreased though

Can I still walk to the cruise terminal? 

Depends! How far can you walk with your bags? If it's at least a kilometre easily, yes.

How much would a taxi be?  I am thinking that if the taxi takes you right down to the luggage drop off area, it would be worth it.  

Depends a bit on traffic - probably $10 on the meter when you arrive at Canada Place, but if there are a lot of ships the last hundred yards to get underneath could add another $5!

I am also considering the Fairmont YVR day room for the day of departure.  Flight leaves at 10:25p.  Thinking lunch, couple of cocktails and nap before a red eye.  Is it worth the cost? 

Depends! It's hella pricey for just a few hours if you ask me, especially in comparison to just booking a lounge (which would include food), but then I'd also never take a nap before a red-eye as then there would be zero chance of sleeping on the plane for me. I think this is also a lost opportunity for a full day of sightseeing if you are not already familiar with Vancouver...

 

Thanks.

Probably not hotel pool.  Stanley Park sounds nice.

Taxi fare is reasonable and prevents standing in line to check in baggage.  Thinking hubby would not like the walk with luggage. (But put him on a golf course, carrying a bag and he can be out there all day!!!  LOL)

I have a terrible time sleeping on a plane whenever.  But I can be VERY cranky if I don't get some kind of down time.  

Hubby likes life to be seamless, which rarely happens.  

 

I have another question please.  If we decide on the Fairmont YVR, what time should we check out to give time for security/customs before the flight.  Would want to be at the gate at least 1 hour prior to flight time.

 

 

[martincath]

44 minutes ago, kayehall said:

Thanks.

Probably not hotel pool.  Stanley Park sounds nice.

Taxi fare is reasonable and prevents standing in line to check in baggage.  Thinking hubby would not like the walk with luggage. (But put him on a golf course, carrying a bag and he can be out there all day!!!  LOL)

I have a terrible time sleeping on a plane whenever.  But I can be VERY cranky if I don't get some kind of down time.  

Hubby likes life to be seamless, which rarely happens.  

 

I have another question please.  If we decide on the Fairmont YVR, what time should we check out to give time for security/customs before the flight.  Would want to be at the gate at least 1 hour prior to flight time.

A flight that late has no Pre-clearance, so one less thing to do here, plus fewer pax all around. You will of course be much-delayed at your first US airport as that's where CBP will do your immigration and customs - so hopefully it's a non-stop all the way home for you or you have a nice long connection, because I've yet to find any US airport well-staffed with CBP in the wee small hours!

 

Even without any security-expediting pass (e.g. 1st class, Global Entry) I would be surprised if you cannot get through security in <15 mins (this late, the Express prebooking service does not even operate because queues very rarely get longer than about 10mins); if you check-in using Hotel WiFi or from the ship should mean just a few minutes to figure out where your bag check is (even if you want a paper boarding pass, the kiosks rarely have much of a queue) so unless your airline's policy on bag check cutoff is really long (most seem to be one hour for foreign-bound flights) you should be able to walk out of the Fairmont ~80mins before your flight.

 

However, not only do Fairmont day rooms have a cap of 8 hours - longer than that they want a full 24hr rate paid - their availability is also capped to 7pm at the latest. So even with an 8 hour booking, you cannot go straight to YVR from the pier and check in, nor can you wait in the room until you are ready to head to your flight. In short, you're forking over a pile of cash (many other hotels are cheaper for an entire overnight booking!) but would still need to supplement it with an airport lounge if you don't want to just hang out in the cheap seats with everyone else 😉

 

Personally, even if I were able to nap, I'd be inclined to spend the day Doing Fun Stuff downtown then just book one of the YVR lounges that has a Nap Room!

Edited August 25, 2023 by martincath

[RedbirdFLCruiser]

We stayed at the Days Inn that's only 3 blocks from the port and thought it was great. Our organization has a Wyndham corporate discount, but it still wasn't cheap (about $275 USD). But it was less expensive than other hotels near the port. The breakfast buffet was pretty good and the room was clean and comfortable. We took a taxi to the port, but only because it was raining. We would have walked had the weather been better.