Travel Insights - Guide: Vancouver

Travel Guide: Vancouver

Accommodation

Vancouver is my favourite city. Sure, London and New York are ultra-groovy and I have yet to make it to Sydney. But Vancouver has a special place in my heart. Shame it is such a long flight from Europe. And shame that accommodation is expensive. Fear not - Travel Insights to the rescue. Here are my lists of hotels and B&Bs, and a couple of directories. Thanks to its popularity, Vancouver has an amazing range of accommodation - from the university conference centre to the swankiest of five-star hotels.

A few tips:

Location matters; especially if you are staying at a B&B and don't have a car. Public transport is good, but the city is quite spread out.
Downtown addresses command a premium, but that is where much of the nightlife is.
Rooms with views are always more expensive; but the city slopes away from the water, so a B&B higher up may have better views than the penthouse suite of a downtown hotel.

Vancouver does get busy in the summer. Off season it is not such a problem, but advance booking is recommended.

Vancouver Hotels
Century Plaza & Spa	Downtown luxury at (just) affordable prices
Dufferin Hotel	Quieter downtown budget hotel
Hampton Inn & Suites	Looks nice, location is not as great as it might seem
Holiday Inn	On lively West Broadway but with free shuttle service downtown
Pacific Palisades	Ultra-trendy all-suite hotel downtown. Stayed here and loved it
Quality Hotel	Idiosyncratic offering from this value-oriented chain. Have heard positive reports
St Regis Hotel	A Vancouver landmark, in a permanently upcoming bit of downtown. Great value off-season
The Sylvia Hotel	Another Vancouver icon. Fantastic location near the beach. Artistic background, and even had a song written about it
Vancouver B&Bs Bold = recommended
Douglas/Windsor Guest House	Friendly, excellent value, great location. Stayed here (Windsor) twice, both times were great
English Country Garden	Good value, good location (trendy Kitsilano)
A TreeHouse B&B	At the plush end of the B&B market, but suburban location keeps price reasonable
Pillow & Porridge	Suites in three separate houses outside downtown
UBC Conference Centre	Either budget B&B hostel, or swish conference suites. All good value, and on a beautiful campus

Vancouver Accommodation Directories
In Vancouver	Monster list of B&Bs
Funtastik Vancouver	Major discount hotel directory. I've booked Palisades hotel through this

Eating & Drinking

Vancouver's Asian influence is prominent in the city's wide range of restaurants. Best hunting grounds are downtown, naturally, and W.Broadway, although good food is never hard to find.

Vancouver Restaurants
Backstage Bar & Grill	Arts Club Theatre 1585 Johnston St, Granville Island 604-687-1354	The best patio in the city, and very friendly staff
Cloud Nine	1400 Robson 604-662-8328 in the Empire Landmark hotel	A drink in this revolving bar/restaurant is a must
La Crêpe Bretonne	795 Jervis St 604-608-126	Great crêpes in this small West End restaurant
Zin Restaurant	1277 Robson St. 604-408-1700 www.zin-restaurant.com	High quality food in trendy chic setting

Getting Around

The locals grumble about the transit system. In the summer of 2001 it was the victim of North America's longest running transit strike. But, when it is up and running it is mighty impressive. Combining bus, boat and the SkyTrain, the system extends across the Lower Mainland and is invaluable. Long-distance services are also available.

The city transit site is very comprehensive.
Harbour cruises are great come rain or shine.
From North Vancouver, BC Rail runs a wide range of services aimed at tourists.
If you want to go further still, hop on a Greyhound or on Pacific Coach Lines. PCL runs the only scheduled service to Victoria.

Miscellaneous

With so much to see and do, the problem is cramming it all in, especially if you don't have much time.

Start, as usual, with the Tourist Office.
In the summer, acquaint yourself with Vancouver's famous architectural heritage on a walking tour.
Everyone heads for the parks in good weather - Stanley Park is the largest urban park in North America (yes, including Central Park).
Fewer people get on the #4 or #10 bus from downtown and head to UBC's astounding Museum of Anthropology. You should explore the rest of this beautiful campus too; it has other hidden treasures.
If you are in a heritage mood, then investigate the V2K Project. Vancouver's millennial idea is a fascinating oral history complemented by plaques around the city.
If you still have energy in the evening, check out The Georgia Straight for weekly listings, reviews and well-informed comment. If you don't catch it online, fear not. It's free and available at almost every coffee shop in town.

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