Vancouver Hotels

[Sea Island Lady]

Laurie - That's alright. We just diodn't want to bid on Priceline and end up with the smoking hassel. I don't have a problem if smoking is allowed in the hotel.

 

critterchick - you will like the Westin Bayshore. We had a room that looked out over the water and the seaplanes were landing right in front of us. Very pretty!

Could you please elaborate more on the Grand? I have heard it is wonderful! Yet again, I have heard people complain that the living area and the bedroom areas are real small...as is the kitchenette area. We planned to get a Deluxe suite.

[baseballmom]

Hi Critterchick -- Yes, I believe it was the Listel that advertised itself as totally non-smoking.

 

Hi Debandbill -- Thanks for the brief tutorial on Priceline. I'll check out biddingfor travel and find out what this is all about. You're right -- since it's only for one night I think it's worth taking a chance (besides, I did hear that they offer a $5 cancellation fee, so if I don't like the choice we can always cancel and go elsewhere). My plan was to wait until 2 months prior to bid on a room, for the very reason you stated -- if the hotel is underbooked for that one precious night, we'll get a better rate. I may also make a reservation somewhere else just to have a backup. Seems silly to fret over one night, but since it's only my son and I, I do want to be in a decent place in a decent neighborhood. Bidding on a 4-star hotel through Priceline will hopefully give me the same successful results you and others have had. Thanks again for your help!

 

Laurie

[critterchick]

SeaIsland lady, the Westin Grand was originally built to be an apartment building. It only has 2 elevators, although we were there during a conference & didn't find that we had to wait very long. We were upgraded to a Deluxe Suite & it was small for a "deluxe," but still was a very nice room. The kitchenette consists of a minifridge, microwave, coffeemaker and dishwasher, all on one wall behind a door. There may have been a toaster. There were utensils, plates, etcs. I wouldn't think of having a meal there - there isn't a real dining area, just a standard living room configuration. You wouldn't really want to make a meal there, just have some coffee & go, IMHO. There was a Starbucks catty corner to the hotel that was jammed, but there was an independent coffee shops 3 doors down that was nice & quiet. I hope it survives.

 

The bedroom area was quite small - I think the TV swivelled from the LR to the BR, but we never tried it. But it had that glorious Heavenly Bed & a nice view from the upper floor that we were on (25 or so, as I recall). The bathroom was nice - a single sink, separate tub & shower enclosure with a Heavenly Shower. The bathroom was by the door, so if you had a late night run to the loo, you had a bit of a trek in the dark. The layout didn't make a lot of sense.

 

All in all, it was a very comfy room & we enjoyed it. The hotel is right across the street from the Vancouver library & is easy walking distance to Yaletown & Gastown, 2 trendy areas. We walked to Stanley Park, although the front desk fellow thought we were nuts. We made a day of it - stopped for breakfast at a little coffee shop, went through the Aquarium, had lunch at the Stanley Park Fish House (OK, but not a rave), did a little smoked salmon & wine shopping on the way back.

 

The fitness center is small, but there was nobody using it. The pool is good for lap swimming, about 40-50 ft long. Again, I had it to myself.

My biggest complaint was the nickel & diming - if you consumed more than the 1 regular & 1 decaf coffee, they charged you extra. Or if you wanted more than 3 teabags. The hotel restaurant was very good. We had to keep reminding ourselves that the prices were Canadian dollars, so it translated well.

 

I would recommend the Grand, but I'm looking forward to the Bayshore. Then I'll know which I prefer!

 

-Jean

[Sea Island Lady]

Thank you so much for the review. Let me get this straight...the bathroom is located outside of the bedroom area? So, you have to go through the living area to get to it?

[xpcdoojk]

We stayed at the Hotel Listel for one night before our cruise in 2001. It is on Robson avenue, perfectly located for shopping and eating. They had the best breakfast I have had in years. We paid less than $150 us for a room for 4. The view, from the hotel was only average, but the hotel itself was very nice.

 

It was less than a 5 minute cab ride to the ship at Canada place.

 

jc

[baseballmom]

Thanks, xpcdoojk! I believe the Serenade leaves from Ballentyne Pier. Just so I get this straight, is the pier located at Canada Place or are they two different locations?

 

Laurie

[Merion_Mom]

baseballmom:

 

I'm not going to Alaska until NEXT summer, but I can answer that! I remember reading that those are TWO DIFFERENT PIERS. :-)

 

I am reading this thread with great interest so that I can plan a nice two-day pre-cruise for us next August.

 

Keep those hotel descriptions coming!

 

Carol

[xpcdoojk]

There are two different piers. Canada place is the nicer area of town, next to the Pan Pacific Hotel. I don't think either are a significant distance from the downtown area.

 

Vancouver is lovely. If you have time go early and visit Victoria too.

 

jc

[baseballmom]

jc and Carol: Thanks for the clarification. I would love to spend more than just a day in Vancouver, but my son's school and baseball schedules rule our lives and I'm just grateful to have one non-sports week next summer! We will cram in as much sightseeing as we can during the afternoon and evening, knowing that we can relax once we're on the ship. Maybe I should start another thread entitled "If you only had 8-10 hours to spend in Vancouver, what would you do?" :)

 

Laurie

[Merion_Mom]

Laurie: I'm headed over to the Ports of Call board to learn more about Vancouver.......I'll bet THEY have postings on that very topic already!

 

(yeah, my ability to schedule a cruise has to work around my kids' summer activities, too :D)

 

Carol

[critterchick]

SeaIsland Lady: yes, the bathroom in our suite was on the left as soon as we walked into the room. To get there from the bedroom you have to go through the living room. Not that it's a long walk, but it's a strange room and there are coffee tables & chairs waiting to trip you!

 

-Jean

[kindacrazytwo]

Hi all. I live in the Vancouver area and have stayed at many of the hotels in downtown Vancouver. Here is my 2 cents..... The Hotel Vancouver is fabulous. It is a heritage building that has been re-done recently. It has a beautiful pool area, a great spa and the dining is wonderful. It is also right in the heart of the shopping and tourist areas. I have always found the cheapest way to book for most hotels in Vancouver with the Entertainment Card. The Delta Pinacle is also very nice and it a new hotel. I agree with whoever said the Pan Pacific is overpriced. It has a wonderful view if you manage to get a harbour view room but if not it is just your standard hotel room. The four seasons is also nice but is showing it's age a bit. The Coast Plaza is nice and where a lot of foriegn dignitaries stay when they are in town. If you are looking for trendy then The Opis in Yaletown is the place for you. Let me know if you need any other info!

 

Sarah

[momtobradley]

HI!

Could you give us the places not to miss while in Vancouver... We will be there for only two days before our cruise in the month of September. Favorite places to dine that we wouldn't find in the states?

Thanks! :)

[kindacrazytwo]

There is so much to do in Vancouver, where to start! Stanley Park is a must. It is a huge beautiful old-growth park in the heart of the city. Definatley worth a bus ride around just to see it. It does have an excellent aquarium in the park as well but not sure if that type of thing tops your "must see" list. For some it does, for others it doesn't. Robson Street is the place to shop and has a lot of trendy restaurants and small shops. As for dining, the nice restaurant at the Hotel Vancouver is wonderful (the name excapes me at the moment) and the buffet at Griffins is great too - west coast cuisine. Joe Fortes on Robson is good. Is there a specific type of dining you are looking for? Seafood, steakhouse, etc? The North Shore is another good spot to see. There is a great restaurant to the top of Grouse Mountain with an amzing view at sunset. The tram to the top can be pricey but the last time my DH and I went it was free if you had reservations at the restaurant. The Capalano Suspenion Bridge is another great thing to do. Let me know if you need other help. we are also sailing on sos in September. Are you sept 26 to Hawaii?

 

Sarah

[pyrrhus]

Critterchick: You walked to Stanley Park from the GRAND!!!!!!!!! :) I think you are nuts also :)

 

 

Sea Island Lady: I actually used the homesite to the Westin Grand to book. I noticed the prices are much higher now then even the last time I stayed there on Business. $175 Cdn will = about $135 US. I just booked on my CC, so that was the rate I got. I am also a Starwood Platinum member so I got a really nice suite with ahuge Living Room, Bath and Bedroom. I have stayed in one of their regular suites (usually not hard on weekends since this hotel seems to cater more to business and conventions, correct me if I am wrong) and it had seperate living and bedroom areas with seperate TV's and a nice kitchenette, but not really for meal preparation. I have stayed at a few other places and the Grand is my personal preference because of Area (conveinent to most of the area's of Vancouver I like and my friends there) and I like the Decor of that Hotel (grant it most Westin Rooms are pretty similair now), and of course I prefer to stay at starwoods anyway since that is the chain my company pays for so I rack up the points.

 

 

Michael

[Merion_Mom]

pyrrhus:

 

I just had to tell you - I LOVE your CC screen name.

 

Carol

[pyrrhus]

Most people have no clue what it means. It was given to me in 6th grade Latin class by a teacher who thought it fit my personality (sad part is, it does). I have been using the same nick for 20 years now :)

 

Michael

[critterchick]

Michael, we had 3 days of Diamond Princess cuisine to work off! My dogs were tired, I must admit, but it was a great way to see the city. We walked straight down Robson St, so we saw all the trendy shopping stuff, which was fun. We visited the Aquarium, arrived early enough that we weren't jammed in - it must be a zoo (pun intended) during the summer cruise season (we were there in early May). Apparently there is a free shuttle that does the park perimeter, but it wasn't running yet, so we didn't get really far into the park. We ate at the Stanley Park Fish House (did I already say that?), which was nice enough, but wouldn't have been worth walking all that way.

 

Vancouver has become my favorite North American destination city. The Kitsilano district (we stayed at the Pennyfarthing Inn, a B&B last time we were there) is very funky and fun, a University town. We took the bus around there, couldn't quite walk all those distances, and the buses are easy (this is an LA girl talking, we don't do public transportation here). There's a very nice botanical garden, the Van Dusen. The bus will drop you off right out front. Not quite on a par with Buchart in Victoria (what is?), but still quite lovely.

 

If Quattro on 4th is still in business, it's a wonderful Italian restaurant. The waiter hooked me on an Italian red wine that we can't get in LA, so I make sure I use my duty-free to lug a couple of bottles home every time.

 

You can also take a ferry to North Vancouver, but if you're already going on a cruise, the ride itself isn't a thrill, it's a commuter boat. We did a BC Rail excursion dinner train from N. Vancouver that was really nice, except for the jerk across from me who tried to hog all the foot space. The waitress had to break us up, LOL!

 

Ramblin' on...

 

-Jean

[baseballmom]

Hi Sarah -- thanks for the tip re Hotel Vancouver. I'll definitely check it out.

 

Carol and Michael -- after that last exchange I immediately looked up Pyrrhus. When I read the heading "Fool for Hope" and "could never finish what he started before getting distracted by a new project" I just had to laugh. Until I realized that description applies to me, too. :o

 

Laurie

[pyrrhus]

Critter, I agree Vancouver is the best. If they would hire American Lawyers up there, I would be there in a second. I walk most of the city, but have friends from college and some friends I met from an Alaskan Cruise up there, so walking is never an issue ;) I must admit I am a Yaletown Person, but also love Granville Isalnd. There are some negatives to Vancouver though, like my wife insisting that she get to open her own cupcake shop after seeing the one there :)

 

 

Michael

[kindacrazytwo]

Someone had mentioned a BC Rail dinner train. It was called the Starlight Dinner Train and it was excellent. It was bought up by a private company last year and has since closed. :( It was a very sad day around here. There are talks about someone starting a similar thing but nothing yet.

 

Sarah

[pyrrhus]

Carol and Michael -- after that last exchange I immediately looked up Pyrrhus. When I read the heading "Fool for Hope" and "could never finish what he started before getting distracted by a new project" I just had to laugh. Until I realized that description applies to me, too. :o

 

Laurie

 

 

Actually the part that fits me best is who Pyrrhus is named for and the pyrrhic victories. I will often get into arguments to win the battle, but forget that there is a war to fight and lose the war or do serious damage to myself, but by goodness I won my point ;) Maybe thats why I became a lawyer.

[Merion_Mom]

Michael/Pyrrhus:

 

I think that it's great that your Latin teacher could peg you way back when! So, you became a lawyer? She must be SO disappointed in you! ;) :D

 

(Guess what I do?)

 

Carol

[pyrrhus]

Ahhhhhhhh :0

 

Actually it was a He and he had a law degree from Chicago and was a priest who preferred teaching. I was always the one willing to argue about anything (of course this was Latin and you can only argue about the case of a verb so long) and could always tell when I realized I was wrong because I would start to argue tiny points to sway the focus away from my ignorance.

[BrianNC]

Love Vancouver here! Just an all-around excellent city any time of year. I like both the Hyatt Regency and the Four Seasons.

 

Have a great time,

Brian