Vancouver Info if needed

[ArubaGal]

Putterdude, thanks for reply. Staying 3 nights in Vancouver. Any sightseeing and restaurant suggestions also appreciated. Husband also loves breweries

[xlxo]

Another vote for Blue Horizon for location.

 

Sand's is a good choice for late July firework competitions.

[martincath]

Blue Horizon is definitely the better-located hotel (and if you check Tripadvisor, Expedia etc. reviews rated better across the board than the BW Sands).

 

On the brewery front - unless you're going to let him spend a couple of days wandering around drinking beer, choices need to be made! Does DH have a particular style of beer he prefers? Do you join him in partaking but like different beers - i.e. would anywhere I recommend have to do multiple beer styles well to be a winner for you? Is visiting multiple breweries on the cards, or just one?

 

Personally I prefer to visit a bar with a wide variety of local brews - once you've done a tour a couple of times, it's the same old, same old with limited choices from only that particular brewery whereas a good bar will let you sample the craft of many different brewers in one spot. From BH, I'd say that Tap & Barrel at the convention centre is the optimal spot - lots of local BC beers and wines on draft, one of the best patios in the city if sitting outside with nice views is of interest, and pretty decent grub.

 

If hubs is very serious about his beer though, then the Alibi Room is basically the best beer bar in Western Canada - a few might claim to have more beers, but usually they just have a hundred different macro lagers whereas Alibi is all craft, all the time (and a reliable spot for cask-conditioned ales every day of the week).

 

Restaurants we have a LOT more of then breweries. Again, some info to narrow down the best fit for you would be helpful. Types of foods loved/hated, pricepoint, distance willing to travel?

 

I'll throw out some of my favourites near BH with links so you can check pricing and menus - come back with more specifics if these don't cut the mustard (all within 1km/<15min walk):

Cheap Cantonese: Hons

Cheap Szechuan: ChongQing (have the Ginger Beef)

Cheap Dumplings: Dinesty (they sell more than just dumplings but that's what most people go for!)

Fancy Chinese: Kirin

Izakaya (Japanese Tapas Pub): Guu

Real Brit Pub Grub: Fat Badger (MUST try the Black Pudding)

Value Steakhouse: The Keg

Locavore PNW: Forage

Chain Fine-ish Dining: Cactus Club Cafe (one very near you, but same price to eat in Convention Centre or English Bay locations with a view)

Super-swanky but so worth it: Hawksworth

[Putterdude]

Here is a link to a list of micro breweries and brew pubs in the city. The closest to downtown would include the Yaletown Brewing and Steamworks. In inexpensive breakfast can be had at the Tim Hortons around the corner from the Blue Horizon. Seafood restaurants within walking distance of the hotel would include Joe Fortes and The Fish Shack.

 

 

 

http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2014/03/28/big-list-of-downtown-vancouver-craft-breweries-and-brew-pubs/

http://www.glowbalgroup.com/fish-shack/#about-section

http://www.joefortes.ca/

[cheeseclan]

Just found this thread and started to read but it is so long and it is very late right now.

We are going on Coral Princess next May and I was just checking out downtown hotels for the pre cruise stay. Of course they are not cheap, but i did find a good deal at the Georgian Court hotel.

Does anyone have any info about this one?

 

Thanks

[Putterdude]

Just found this thread and started to read but it is so long and it is very late right now.

We are going on Coral Princess next May and I was just checking out downtown hotels for the pre cruise stay. Of course they are not cheap, but i did find a good deal at the Georgian Court hotel.

Does anyone have any info about this one?

 

Thanks

 

The Georgian Court is a bit of sleeper only because it is on the eastern edge of the downtown core. Nothing wrong with the location, well managed and operated. If there is a negative it would be that it is located across the street from BC Place Stadium and if there is a concert being held there during your stay it could be a bit noisy for up to an hour pre and post concert. Other that there are many restaurants in close proximity, close to trendy Yaletown and Robson St. shopping. About a $12 taxi ride to Canada Place. I am sure that you will be happy with it.

[cheeseclan]

Thanks Putterdude,

 

I did see that it is near the stadium. Maybe it will be great music:D As far as the ride to the pier, they have a free shuttle to anywhere in the downtown area, so that is a plus. They also have a separate one bedroom and a sitting area with a sofa bed. Another plus.

We also do not mind walking.

 

Any restaurant recommendations: we really like seafood. We are in landlocked Colorado so we miss the fresh stuff.

[martincath]

Any restaurant recommendations: we really like seafood. We are in landlocked Colorado so we miss the fresh stuff.

If cost isn't a factor, life is easy - Blue Water in Yaletown. You can't beat the quality and variety on offer, from raw to chilled towers to cooked fish.

 

On the 'still seafood focused but a value proposition' end of the scale, the Fish Shack is well worth visiting. As long as you stick to simple prep - shucked, steamed, grilled or fried items without anything froo-froo - they do a great job.

 

Pretty much every non-veggie resto in Vancouver offers a few fish dishes - halibut & chips is a staple on just about every pub menu. For a decent pricepoint and great views, try Cactus Club Cafe at Coal Harbour or English Bay. All the 'raw' dishes (ceviche, tataki, carpaccio) are great and I just love the prawn ravioli dish - starter or main course size, I order it every time I eat in a CCC.

 

If views aren't important, local minichain Flying Pig also offers some good value fishy dishes - especially in 'Appy Hour (though the beef carpaccio is the best deal at $6). The same folks run Wild Tale, a seafood joint in Yaletown, but while it's fishier-focused I prefer the original Pig.

[Planning is Half the Fun]

Thank you for sharing about the Cactus Club Cafe - will absolutely be checking that out. The food looks great. It's hard to wrap my head around a chain of tiny fancy restaurants.

[Putterdude]

Thanks Putterdude,

 

I did see that it is near the stadium. Maybe it will be great music:D As far as the ride to the pier, they have a free shuttle to anywhere in the downtown area, so that is a plus. They also have a separate one bedroom and a sitting area with a sofa bed. Another plus.

We also do not mind walking.

 

Any restaurant recommendations: we really like seafood. We are in landlocked Colorado so we miss the fresh stuff.

 

Rather a touchstone in Vancouver dining for some 30 year is Joe Fortes, they have moved over the years from a steak and chop format to one of the better seafood restaurants in the city.

 

Thanks for the reminder of the shuttle, the GC is probably only 1 of 3 hotels in the downtown core that offer the shuttle.

 

http://www.joefortes.ca/

[CruiseNewby47]

Hello. I was here asking about going to Whistler last month. We are also entertaining possibly going to Victoria for 2 days/2 nights and possibly cutting Whistler to just a day trip.

 

My questions are:

1) If we go to Victoria, we will go there directly after disembarking. From the port, where do we go to catch the ferry to Victoria?

 

2) Upon our return to Victoria, we have a hotel booked in the downtown area. What would be the easiest way to get tour hotel from the ferry? And what would be the least expensive option?

 

3) I see recommendations to get Canadian dollars to use -- does that also apply to hotels? Carrying that much cash seems a bit worrisome. How much (%-wise) would I lose if I were to use a credit card vs paying cash? I'm thinking our 2-night hotel stays in each place will be around $1,000 Canadian dollars.

 

Thank you so much for your help!

[martincath]

Hello. I was here asking about going to Whistler last month. We are also entertaining possibly going to Victoria for 2 days/2 nights and possibly cutting Whistler to just a day trip.

 

My questions are:

1) If we go to Victoria, we will go there directly after disembarking. From the port, where do we go to catch the ferry to Victoria?

 

2) Upon our return to Victoria, we have a hotel booked in the downtown area. What would be the easiest way to get tour hotel from the ferry? And what would be the least expensive option?

 

3) I see recommendations to get Canadian dollars to use -- does that also apply to hotels? Carrying that much cash seems a bit worrisome. How much (%-wise) would I lose if I were to use a credit card vs paying cash? I'm thinking our 2-night hotel stays in each place will be around $1,000 Canadian dollars.

 

Thank you so much for your help!

3) first - no need to pay hotels in cash! Pay with credit card, in advance through Expedia, Priceline or whomever and you should be able to get USD rates. If you pay hotel directly they will Bill in CAD - how much you'll lose on the conversion depends on your own C Cards Foreign Transaction Fee. Check your terms & conditions. Many hotels will offer to Bill in diff currencies - this costs you approx 4% in my experience, which is usually a worse deal than a CC RTF rate.

 

1) & 2) Tsawassen ferry terminal is the usual route to Victoria from Vancouver. In a cab is the simplest, but kaching. Could go over $100 each way (taxifarefinder . Com gives accurate estimates - I'm on my teeny tablet so can't post the route link easily). You also have to get from Swartz Bay terminal into Victoria.

 

Rental car would be my recommendation. I posted to your earlier query about looping on the island, coming back via Horseshoe Bay to link in with the Sea to Sky drive.

 

Other options are public transit (actually comparable speed, as no need to show up early like in a car, but a major hassle with luggage...) or a packaged bus & ferry ride to Victoria from BCFConnector . Com who run buses from downtown to downtown for approx $130pp return, with pickup at the cruise terminal. If you just want to see Victoria itself, or Butchart gardens, you can easily live without a car in Victoria.

[CruiseNewby47]

3) first - no need to pay hotels in cash! Pay with credit card, in advance through Expedia, Priceline or whomever and you should be able to get USD rates. If you pay hotel directly they will Bill in CAD - how much you'll lose on the conversion depends on your own C Cards Foreign Transaction Fee. Check your terms & conditions. Many hotels will offer to Bill in diff currencies - this costs you approx 4% in my experience, which is usually a worse deal than a CC RTF rate.

 

1) & 2) Tsawassen ferry terminal is the usual route to Victoria from Vancouver. In a cab is the simplest, but kaching. Could go over $100 each way (taxifarefinder . Com gives accurate estimates - I'm on my teeny tablet so can't post the route link easily). You also have to get from Swartz Bay terminal into Victoria.

 

Rental car would be my recommendation. I posted to your earlier query about looping on the island, coming back via Horseshoe Bay to link in with the Sea to Sky drive.

 

Other options are public transit (actually comparable speed, as no need to show up early like in a car, but a major hassle with luggage...) or a packaged bus & ferry ride to Victoria from BCFConnector . Com who run buses from downtown to downtown for approx $130pp return, with pickup at the cruise terminal. If you just want to see Victoria itself, or Butchart gardens, you can easily live without a car in Victoria.

 

Thank you again, Martincath, for all the info! You've been very helpful and I really appreciate it!

[SactoSteve]

Hello,

 

We are booked on a cruise departing from Canada Place. It's a Sunday departure and it is one of those 3-ship days. We're staying at Hotel Le Soleil, which appears to be a fairly short walk from Canada Place. Our thought is to start on the early side with a walk to the terminal, drop off the luggage and then head someplace reasonably close for brunch and whatever other activities might fill the morning, returning to board closer to 2pm. I've seen suggestions for Medina for brunch. That looks fantastic. Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[martincath]

Hello,

 

We are booked on a cruise departing from Canada Place. It's a Sunday departure and it is one of those 3-ship days. We're staying at Hotel Le Soleil, which appears to be a fairly short walk from Canada Place. Our thought is to start on the early side with a walk to the terminal, drop off the luggage and then head someplace reasonably close for brunch and whatever other activities might fill the morning, returning to board closer to 2pm. I've seen suggestions for Medina for brunch. That looks fantastic. Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Closer to pier you could try De Dutch for BIG pancakes; if you are walking around Gastown then Catch122 does an excellent brunch (and takes resos via OpenTable).

 

Be aware that dropping bags will delay your start to the day - odds are slim you'll be able to get them accepted before 10am, possibly as late as 10:30. I would leave them in the hotel instead as returning from anywhere via Le Soleil will be a minimal detour.

[SactoSteve]

Closer to pier you could try De Dutch for BIG pancakes; if you are walking around Gastown then Catch122 does an excellent brunch (and takes resos via OpenTable).

 

Be aware that dropping bags will delay your start to the day - odds are slim you'll be able to get them accepted before 10am, possibly as late as 10:30. I would leave them in the hotel instead as returning from anywhere via Le Soleil will be a minimal detour.

 

martincath - Thanks for the recommendations. All look good. Leaving the bags at the hotel does seem like the best option. I think Medina's menu looks the most interesting but Gastown & Catch122 may make for a more interesting morning.

[AAAG]

We are on the Disney Wonder, disembarking Monday Aug 22. We are then planning to pick up a rental car from Thrifty on Seymour St and take the ferry over to Victoria.

Questions:

- on a Monday morning in August, do you think we need to pre-book the ferry to Victoria? Or if we just show up, are we likely to get a spot?

- Which ferry (ie what time) do you think we might reasonably be able to make? Assuming we walk off the ship around 7:45 am, clear customs, get rental car and drive in Monday morning traffic.

Thanks!

[trophy_23]

I don't think it is necessary to reserve. The ferry runs every hour on the hour. It really depends on how smoothly everything goes, 11 or 12 ferry most likely you'd be on. If you are already hungry and missing the buffet, the buffet on the ferry is very good!

Edited July 11, 2016 by trophy_23

[martincath]

The big issue that time of day is the bottleneck of the tunnel being a single lane (inbound commuter traffic gets three of the four in rush hour). The theoretical ~50min trip could be 50% longer. Leaving downtown 9am or later will make for a much shorter trip, so I would concur that 11am ferry is the earliest definitely doable option. No reso is the way to go as if you do get through customs, rental etc super-quick it's possible you could end up on the 10 am.

[xlxo]

pick up a rental car from Thrifty on Seymour St and take the ferry over to Victoria.

Think about how you are getting there...

 

Taxi's are convenient, however if you don't mind dragging your luggage for 10 minutes.... you can walk to Thrifty's if the taxi lines are long.

 

It's the same distance others walk to the Canada Line.... however the last two blocks are uphill to the rental office.

[xlxo]

fyi..... one of my fav attractions is offering a new adventure opportunity. Who wants to SURF THE SKYRIDE! Passing the towers will give riders a whole new experience!

 

 

https://grousemountain.com/skyride-surf-adventure

[CruiseNewby47]

Wanted to thank you all again, esp martincath and Putterdude, for all the info. I went back and re-read martincath's first response to me about taking the Nanaimo ferry back to Horseshoe Bay.

 

I think our new plans are to pick up a car as soon as disembarking (Thank you, AAG and xlxo for the exchange; I booked a Thrifty car there as a result) and spend 2 nights in Victoria (Friday and Sat) -- then do the Sea and Sky gondola on Sunday, and maybe just do a drive around Whistler. Then spend Sun and Mon night in Vancouver, with an early Tue evening flight out. I think this way, we will get to see the 3 places, with enough time in Victoria and in Vancouver. No bike ride but can't be helped since the boys are hesitant to rent bikes because they think their personal bikes are such a "perfect fit" for them that they think they won't enjoy the ride as much without.

 

Thanks again!!! Wheels up in less than 2 weeks for us! Can't wait to see BC for the first time as I missed out on family trips/drive up from So Cal when I was younger.

[SherriM]

 

Pretty much every non-veggie resto in Vancouver offers a few fish dishes - halibut & chips is a staple on just about every pub menu. For a decent pricepoint and great views, try Cactus Club Cafe at Coal Harbour or English Bay. All the 'raw' dishes (ceviche, tataki, carpaccio) are great and I just love the prawn ravioli dish - starter or main course size, I order it every time I eat in a CCC.

 

Thank you so much for this suggestion. Can't wait to try CCC when we are in the area in September!

[peymas]

Reading about all of this food, I wondered what we would do for breakfast in Vancouver. We are taking the 6:30 a.m. train to Seattle and it will be 5:00 a.m. when we leave for the train station. That will be too early to get something to eat at our hotel. Is there some place near the train station to get something to eat.

 

I think I read where we need to be there by 5:15 or so. Correct???

[Putterdude]

Reading about all of this food, I wondered what we would do for breakfast in Vancouver. We are taking the 6:30 a.m. train to Seattle and it will be 5:00 a.m. when we leave for the train station. That will be too early to get something to eat at our hotel. Is there some place near the train station to get something to eat.

 

I think I read where we need to be there by 5:15 or so. Correct???

 

There is an A&W in the station but not sure that it is open that early. Adjacent the station is the Main St. Station of SkyTrain that has a Starbucks which opens at 0530 weekdays and 0600 on weekends. There is a car on the train which sells coffee and light breakfast items. An arrival between 0500 and 0515 will work just fine.