Destination: Vancouver B.C. - Part 3

THE PLACES: ACCOMMODATIONS AND SITES

Vancouver truly is stunning. But it is a big city, so you can expect the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown area. We were really happy with our stay at The Victoria Hotel. We found the price for two nights to be reasonable even with prices going up around the city for Memorial Day weekend. The hotel is older, but we had nothing to complain about there. The recent renovations made for a comfortable stay. The freshly painted exterior and Victorian architecture is beautiful. While the rooms were comfortable and relaxing, the staff was not incredibly friendly. The customer service was in my opinion, lacking. 

The location was great. Right in the heart of downtown, most everything we wanted to see/do was in walking distance. Only a few blocks from the popular Robson street and Gastown. Staying in the city has its downsides though, there was quite a bit of noise outside of our window and since it was business as usual on Monday in Canada, we woke up to garbage truck noises outside. 

One great amenity is that breakfast is included. Many of the hotels we looked at in the area did not include breakfast in the price. It was nothing special -- crossaints, fresh fruit, yogurt & granola, coffee. But it was nice to just roll out of bed and not have to worry about paying for one more meal for the day. My only complaint was that breakfast ended at 9, not allowing much time to sleep in.

   
We originally planned our trip to get some much-needed rest, but we tried to squeeze in a little bit of site-seeing while we were there. Our first stop was Robson Street. Right in the heart of downtown, it is a major attraction for those wanting to shop or grab a bite to eat. We window shopped with Matt and Sam and ate dinner on the strip. 

TRAVEL TIP: Anyone who lives in or has visited a big city knows that parking can be a headache. If you are planning to drive anywhere in the downtown area, be aware that you will have to pay for street parking (every day of the week). Canada still uses traditional meters, but they do accept U.S. quarters. Instead of having to worry about estimating how much time you'll spend in one place and scrambling for change, I would suggest downloading the PayByPhone App. It was SO helpful for touring the city. You simply register your car and credit card information so that when you park you just have to enter the location number, confirm the cross streets and voila! You will even get a text reminding you that your parking is going to expire and you can add more time right there on your phone. It's pretty much amazing. Parking in Vancouver is....challenging. About what you'd expect from a big city. Which is why I'd recommend staying somewhere near the city center and just walking everywhere.

 

The majority of our time was spent in Gastown, which I have to admit did not seem very appealing when I was looking around for things to do in Vancouver, but it ended up being one of the best parts of the trip. Some of the highest rated restaurants are located in Gastown, and the streets are lined with cute boutiques, furniture stores and coffee shops. It was pouring down rain when we were there, but despite the weather, we had a blast walking around, window shopping, and dining. As you would expect from specialty boutiques, the shopping was not cheap, but even if you're on a limited budget it is still a fun area to explore.

Braving the Rain in Gastown

I was amazed by how many people were out and about the entire time we roamed the streets of Vancouver. The night life there was one of the most lively I've seen. Our plans were foiled several times when we tried to grab a bite to eat but the wait was over an hour. Being that it was the weekend it wasn't too surprising that we had a hard time finding late night bites on Saturday and brunch on Sunday morning, but if you do visit during a weekend (and a holiday at that) know that you are going to be competing for a seat at some of the hottest restaurants and bars in town. 

We didn't leave Gastown until midnight on Saturday and the activity didn't slow down at all. People were out and about well after we went back to our hotel and there were several night clubs in the area with lines wrapped around the building. It wasn't a crazy atmosphere though. We felt safe walking the streets at night.

The final and most beautiful part of the trip was Stanley Park. We weren't sure what to expect on our last day because it was supposed to be rainy, but I was so happy when we woke up to clear skies on Monday. After checking out of our hotel we headed to Spokes Bicycle Rentals  and rented a couple of one-speed bikes. Now this was a big deal for me because I hadn't ridden a bike in over a decade and was a little hesitant to ride along the narrow pathway that was over 4 miles long. 

I am so glad we made the time to see the park, though because it was INCREDIBLE. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It turned out to be the perfect day for it and we had a blast.  

The park is right up against the water and has breathtaking views all along the way. I would recommend biking and stopping every so often to take in the scenery. The 4-mile long radius of the park only takes about an hour to ride around with a few stops factored in. This was honestly one of the most affordable activities of the entire trip and it was definitely one of the most memorable. 

My Studly Husband Navigating

On our way out of the city we made a stop at Granville Island to enjoy the live music and the market. It was a lot like Pike's market in Seattle and so we didn't stay for long since we frequent Pike's quite a bit. If you wanted to visit the island you could pick up some produce to munch on for the day, grab a bite to eat and take your pick of live music street performers.

Besides stopping at a local burger place on the way out, that was the extent of our adventures. While we didn't get as much down time as we were hoping I'd call the trip a success overall and I am definitely planning for future trips to Canada.


Have you had any notable travel experiences in Canada?  Do you have any additional insights/tips for anyone wanting to travel to Vancouver BC? Let me know about it in the comments below.