Eating Near Westin Bayshore

[OldCodger73]

We were able to get a decent price on Priceline at the Westin Bayshore for our stay the night before our July 5 Volendam cruise. I realize that the Bayshore is full service and has two restaurants, but we’ve often found that breakfasts at hotels like this are usually overpriced with mediocre quality. Are there any places near the Bayshore where one can get a decent breakfast at a reasonable price? How about a place nearby where one can get some good pastries?

 

For dinner the night before we’re looking for Italian and have decided to try Ciao Bella Ristorante, which sounds OK from the AAA guide, is nearby and has on-site parking. Has anyone eaten there?

[redbeulah]

Hi, we just got back from a trip in Vancouver-for breakfast near the hotel, the "WhiteSpot" served up a pretty good meal and was as reasonable as it gets in Vancouver! We did try them for dinner as well, but I was not as impressed with dinner--we ate at Mary's Burgers in Davey village-It was one of the best burgers that I ever had-great shakes too! It is about 9 blocks from the hotel-but walkable-we're in our late 50's-but keep in mind that Westin does offer a shuttle bus from the hotel to downtown areas. We had a beautiful room with Bay views-hope yours is as nice! Enjoy!

[Sandy R]

Wish I could think of the name of the restaurant near the Westin Bayshore... it was along the boardwalk by the water, accessible from the hotel. It wasn't a long walk from the hotel... the equivilent of a block or two. It was large structure (wooden I think), with a varied menu. The food was good, not expensive, very casual and no reservations necessary. We were walking toward Stanley Park, came upon it, hadn't eaten lunch, so we stopped. Since we were boarding a cruise in a few days, we didn't want anything fancy. Ask the Bayshore concierge, they might be able to help you.

[NancyIL]

There are lots of restaurants on Denman - which is just a few blocks from the Westin Bayshore. We had a car when we were there 3 summers ago, so these might be quite a hike - but hubby loved the sushi at Tanpopo (1122 Denman) and my kids and I loved Death By Chocolate (1001 Denman).

 

For breakfast we walked a few blocks to the nearest McDonald's!

[Chenega]

The restaurant's name is Carderos. They specialize in fish and are very popular locally.

 

The White Spot Restaurant nearby is very similar to a Denny's restaurant. Also extremely popular.

[TylerMan]

We were in Vanouver the end of May pre-cruise and ate at the White Spot for breakfast. I will agree with the other poster that it was good for breakfast but the dinner menu did not look that good to me. We ate at BoJangles which is just a block or two facing the boardwalk. They have good sandwiches and is reasonably priced ($6-$8 pp). We also ate at Cardenos and thought it was very good but a little higher priced. ($12-$20 pp). We ate one meal at the restaurant in the hotel and we thought it was not very good and very overpriced ($12-15 for a burger).

 

The conceriege (sp) at the hotel was very helpful and informative. She helped us book an all day excursion and instructed us on the public transportation system in Vancouver. It was our first time to ever take public transportation anywhere and were a little apprehensive but we were able to handle it and actually enjoyed it. Note: The trolley, buses and/or shuttles only take canadian money and most of the other establishments will take american money but will only give you canadian money back. We used a credit card whenever possible.

 

We booked our room through Priceline.com and read on another board that the Westin puts their Priceline guests in the older rooms that are not very nice. I called a couple of days before checkin and requested a "tower" room facing the bay and was told it would be $30 per night upgrade. We took it and we glad we did. The room was very nice and the beds truly are heavenly. My son slept on a roll away and we could not believe the comfort of that bed as well. Nice quiet hotel, nice location and nice employees.

 

One more thing: We ordered a cab to take us to the cruise terminal and was told by the bellman it would be about $5.00 and about a 5 minute ride. It is actually walkable but we had too many bags. We had $12.00 in canadian money to pay the cab driver and when he dropped us off he told us the fare was $15.00. My husband told him the hotel said it would be about $5.00 and all he had in canadian money was $12.00 (which would have given him a $7.00 tip) and he took it.

 

I know this is much more than you asked but....I like to share information when I can.

 

Have a great cruise.

[grouchy]

The Bravo Bistro and The Lift are right by the Hotel. Also Denman Street

is full of restaurants and a great place that makes cupcakes! Yummy.

Cafe De Paris has incredible French Bistro.

[grouchy]

http://www.martiniboys.com/stew/Toronto/articles/Sun-Soaked-Sits:-Best-Patios-in-Vancouver-64.html

[Sandy R]

Chenega... Thanks. Carderos is exactly the restaurant I was describing. How I love this board! Doing a search of Carderos will actually get you to their extensive menu and let you see the surrounding marina view.

 

Have a great time in Vancouver and a great cruise...

[OldCodger73]

Thanks for your replies. The White Spot sounds exactly what we're looking for for breakfast. One question though, from the Bayshore is it towards Canada Place or towards Stanley Park?

 

While Carderos sounds nice I think we'll stick with Ciao Bella Ristorante for dinner.

[winncove]

Tyler Man: I appreciate any & all info here! You threw me for a loop on the Canadian money for public transportaion tho. We're planning on the on/off trolley but haven't made plans for the Canadian money! Had only read that places took USD. Is there a ticket booth where you can put the tickets on your CC or do we have to get the correct currency before we go? LOL about the cab driver and overcharge. Seems we get that every place we go, regardless of the "laws"!

[snie]

Most places (esp tourist ones) in Vancouver will take USD, but you will probably get a stinky exchange rate.

 

You'll be able to use your credit cards (have the CC do the exchange for you), or use an ATM machine here in town to get some CDN cash. As long as you have an ATM card on one of the same networks (Cirris or PLUS, usually) you can get cash. Beware of the fees though!

[Bluenose Sandy]

Tyler Man: I appreciate any & all info here! You threw me for a loop on the Canadian money for public transportaion tho. We're planning on the on/off trolley but haven't made plans for the Canadian money! Had only read that places took USD. Is there a ticket booth where you can put the tickets on your CC or do we have to get the correct currency before we go? LOL about the cab driver and overcharge. Seems we get that every place we go, regardless of the "laws"!

 

Most public transit systems not only won't accept other currencies, they require exact change! However, the on/off trolley isn't public transit... it's a private company catering to tourists and you can buy tickets at hotels and at their ticket booths as well as from the bus driver. I'm sure you can use a credit card to buy tickets, though maybe not directly from the driver.

 

About the cab Tylerman took... wasn't the meter running?? I would never get into a taxi without a meter and the driver's cab license displayed... I know, some places drivers will always try to gouge the tourists, but you shouldn't put up with it in a city like Vancouver, where the taxi industry is highly regulated and licensed.

[winncove]

Quite a while ago I read some place on CC that you should be sure your USA cards are charged in Canadian $$ but no reason given. Can anyone enlighten me on that? TIA