will be there just one night, but looking for a nice recommendation downtown... trying to keep it around $200-250 since its just one night and we'll barely be in the room except for sleep anyway.

ideally would be central in location to downtown and relatively close to both the airport and cruise ship terminals at the port.

thanks!

What's more important to you kumazam in terms of location, as the airport is south of Vancouver (about 30 mintues, can vary drastically depending on traffic) while the cruise port is at the northern tip of downtown.

actually, whats most important is a desirable location since we won't have a car... a location where we can walk around and enjoy the city or have short cab rides... im not really planning on seeing anything of significance, more just enjoying the city for that day before we leave again.

im assuming traffic wont be as bad as midweek, since we're arriving Saturday and departing for the ship Sunday. the proximity to the port and airport are nice conveniences and best case scenarios - i dont want to be 30 min away from both, but at the same time, if theres locations in the city you'd recommend that are necessarily closer to one then than the other, no biggie. like i said, id rather be somewhere "we can walk right out of the hotel."

thanks again!

I think I know what you're going for. So don't be concerned about being close to the airport, since as mentioned its about a 20-30 minute drive from downtown on a weekend.

Vancouver is a great city for walking around, its not particularly sprawled out and the cruise port is only blocks away from the main shopping areas. Room rates can vary significantly based on the month and day you're looking for, but do tend to be somewhat pricey.

If you keep an eye on somewhere like Expedia you should be able to get at around $250 any of the big chains, Fairmont, Hyatt, Pan Pacific, all in the downtown core.

For the money though its tough to beat Hotel Le Soleil, great location downtown close to the port, quaint and well kept, and best of all you should be able to get in for $200-$250.

thanks Dunder,

i think right now the Pan-Pacific is looking like its going to be it, found a rate for around $200/night, and looks relatively close to Gastown and Robson St

quote:

Originally posted by kumazam:
thanks Dunder,

i think right now the Pan-Pacific is looking like its going to be it, found a rate for around $200/night, and looks relatively close to Gastown and Robson St

Pan Pacific at that rate is a slam dunk, top end hotel connected to the port and a 5 minute walk to everything.

This was asked last year. My reply was pretty much the same as Dunder's excellent recs.

Can't get a much easier walk to the cruise ships than from the Pan Pacific. Their 5 Sails Restaurant is very good, as well.

I think it was the Pan Pacific where I stayed a few years back and found it very cool to look down from my hotel room window onto a huge cruise ship docked next to the hotel.

If you have a little extra money, for just one night I would suggest staying at the Fairmont Empress. I got a good discount at the Empress because I am a Fairmont club rewards member, and it is truly an amazing place. Whether you choose this place or not, if in the area, by all means go to Royal Tea at the Empress, it is every bit worth it.

A couple of places I would recommend going to if you have the time for nice clothing items:

Out of Ireland
WJ Wilson
Alpine Pro

These are just a few of many outstanding places for good quality clothing.

For some real good food at reasonable prices:

The Stickey Wicket - highly recommended!!!
Swans - very good
Irish Times - very good.
M Cafe Vieux Montreal - superb!!! If you go there for breakfast, their pastries are outstanding and their eggs benedict is very different but just superb!!!

If you are looking for a huge and high quality selection of tea then Special Teas and Murchies are musts to stop in at.

Make sure you take the 1/2 tour of the Parliament building, it is so worth it. And a walk across the Johnson bridge is something you will truly enjoy.

I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Victoria BC, and without a doubt I plan on spending at least 2 weeks there next time I visit. It is a wonderful place and the people are very friendly, courteous, respectful and polite. Just a few suggestions, when going there, forget you are an American, no professional sports teams hats, jersies etc., and manners and courtesy are a defininite plus when going there.

If you are only going to be there a short time, you will not be able to cover everything I suggested. But when you leave, there is a good chance you will feel like I did when leaving, in that you can not wait to go back again!

Let me know how it goes, I am curious!

Good post PSF, however I believe in this case kumazam is going to be in Vancouver (the major city), not to Vancouver Island. The island is beautiful though as you mentioned and the Empress is certainly an icon.

correct, i will be in the city of Vancouver, not Vancouver Island... i have been to The Sticky Wicket, and Legends, and Darcy's, and... we ate a Greek place called Millos that was excellent too...

anyway, i missed out on that $200 rate for the Pan-Pacific... right now its between there, Le Soleil, the Sheraton (hoping we could get an upper floor room for views of the city), possibly either of the Fairmonts'...

possibly maybe my sister and i could meet up with some of the Vancouver folk for an OL but not quite sure on the itinerary yet... will be flying up Friday now staying for 2 nights, leaving Sunday. but i dont have my flight information yet and like i said, see how my sister feels and what she wants to do.

thanks!

Whenever I'm in Vancouver, I invariably stay at the Four Seasons. A word of caution, however: the Vancouver Four Seasons is a "low end" Four Seasons. It's one of the original properties in the chain and seems a bit tired compared to both some of the other recommendations above and other Four Seasons around the world.

So, why do I stay there? Well, it's cheap. With my corporate discount, I pay something like $130/night. And I still get a fine experience in an excellent location. Great value.

Darn, when I saw B.C. for some reason I was thinking of the island. I just got back from there a few days ago and I truly enjoyed every second of it. I am already making plans to go back and can hardly wait. I will probably spend 4 days in Seattle and then take the Clipper to B.C. and stay at least 2 weeks and hopefully get in some good fishing as well.