Vancouver Suggestions
 

Hi,

We are heading to Vancouver in May for a weekend and have never been there. Can any of the locals give me recommendations for a hotel in a central location? Do we need to rent a car? Suggestions for restaurants and attractions?

Thanks!

Mitch

BTW - we will be getting off a cruise there at the port and then flying home a few days later.

Ive shot in most of the hotels here in Vancouver. Theres the Pan Pacific that is right near where you'd get off for the cruise, pretty standard business class type hotel, though it's not in the heart of downtown, it'd be a couple minute cab to downtown.

L'Hermitage Vancouver is right in the heart of downtown and i always preferred that one because the rooms have nice full kitchens and its well priced

You definitely do not need to rent a car if youre only here for a few days.

Sandman on Davie Street is surprisingly pretty nice, no kitchen but they have rooms with a good view of the city, jacuzzi kind of in the living room, I definitely recommend the jacuzzi room and its pretty good priced. The room i got was reaal high up so it had a real nice view, maybe all the jacuzzi rooms do, not sure but try to request it to make sure. Its lobby is attached to a little restaurant i believe and its very central as well. Davie street is the gay stretch but its just one road of downtown, takes a few minutes to get back onto the main road and actually. And to be honest, its one of the more enjoyable areas/strips in DT vancouver

If you dont care about price quite that much and just want a nice room and jacuzzi doesn't matter. shangri la vancouver is top choice actually. pretty pricey though. yeah actually i definitely have to say go with this one

Shangri-la or Fairmont waterfront for hotel

Granville street are where all the nightclubs are

Gastown are where all the bars/pubs are

Stay away from east hastings (skid row)

Restaurants of interest: Coast, Kobes, Rodneys (for oysters), Black and Blue (for steak), Joe Fortes

When clubs close, hop in a cab and avoid going to the pizza places unless you want to get into a scrap.. don't linger outside on granville after everything closes

Vijis for some of the best Indian food in the world. Great sushi spots as well.

Grouse mountain zip lines. Imagine being at the top of a mountain, looking a quarter mile away at the top of another mountain. A few hundred feet below you are the tops of forest trees. Now imagine flying over that like Superman.

Maybe it's not a quarter mile...but the longest leg of the trip seemed that far.

Once in a lifetime chance. Do it.

"Zip lining" is a once in a lifetime chance? LOL what a joke.

Youre the same type of guy who rents a mustang and posts selfies with it on FB.

I hope the weather is nice for you!

I second almost all stated in the quote. If however you have some plans to explore then you will need a car rental.

I also would go for the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver smack in the middle of everything....shopping, restaurants, sight seeing....and all. Once you get off the boat, Pan Pacific is too far from everything.

I just came back to Europe after visting my home town and also ( because my flight was leaving at 11 AM ) I have moved from Fairmont Hotel Vancouver to Fairmont at Vancouver airport for the last night stay. Also very nice and you get to watch the planes land and take off and boarding gates are just down the elevator. Also only 2 sky train stops to the biggest casino in Lower Mainland....if you are into a bit of late night gambling.::thumbsup

The punchline you will have a great ( and safe) time regardless where you stay.:2 cents:

Go away little man.

That statement is as wrong about me as you could get. I don't like muscle cars and I'm not on Facebook.

But I know that you're a dork of small physical stature who tries to act like a big man on the internet, because no one respects you in real life. This isn't an insult. It's just the obvious truth.

I was entertained at Brandi's. Never saw a strippper before light the stage on fire

There's nothing really in Vancouver other than a few parks ,take a hike on the Grouse grind or drive up to Whistler to do some skiing

O man the best part is your "like Superman!". Where do I buy your novel!? Are you in the Amazon section for stay-at-home dads? :1orglaugh

Someone asks you what to do in a major city and you come up with zip lining!? Sounds like a bad family vacation. :1orglaugh

You called zip lining a "once in a lifetime chance" like it was watching a volcano explode in person after being dormant for 3000 years. At least your wife gave you permission to zip line though. :1orglaugh :thumbsup

the grand union hotel.

Number 5 Orange ;)

Vancouver Washington is awesome and I highly recommended Motel 6.

i stay here when i'm in Vancouver, really nice boutique hotel, central location too...
Downtown Vancouver Luxury Boutique Hotels in British Columbia BC Canada | Hotel Le Soleil Vancouver

Thanks for all of the advice everyone!!

Mitch

check out the granville island hotel.. 3 star, but the location is very nice

I agree its nice and cheap, but completely isolated. Once you saw the market and the few attractions on the island, you need to get the water taxi in and out, and got forbid you would try to get a taxi at night once the little boats stop running....:2 cents:

Mitch has the dough, he can stay at Fairmont :1orglaugh

fair enough, i grew up there and don't find isolation issues. Generally the fact it's a 10 minute very nice walk from major vancouver beaches, while not being locked downtown, struck me as one of vancouvers best kept secrets

Holy shit are you still in here being an asshole? You only make me laugh, and not in the good way. You're sad.

Why don't you stop your charade and act like yourself for a while? The big man act is getting old.

Kind of disappointed by some of the advice in this thread :Oh crap

I would recommend the Fairmont Pacific Rim 100% as best hotel for a first time tourist. Can't beat those views.

You won't need a car unless you are going to Whistler or something. Be warned though, we are the only major city without Uber, so you will have to use our smelly cabs :( The only attractions outside of downtown you'd probably end up seeing are Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension bridge which would be $30 each way in a cab, also not worth the hassle of renting a car.

Must eat at restaurants: Hawksworth, Chambar, Tojos if you're a sushi geek. Lift for views. If you don't mind cabbing out of downtown ($10-15) Yolks for breakfast, Oakwood for brunch. Water street (gastown) for bars, gastropubs, cocktails, etc.

:1orglaugh at the people who think Mitch is looking for budget accomodation

Anywhere near Hastings and Main. :)

Enjoy!

it's about the same price as your suggestion, more i think

For hotels, def somewhere in Coal Harbour area :)
Vancouver itself can be done in couple of days if it is your first time. Enjoy my ex-home town Mitch!! x

Thank you!!