Westin Bayshore

Can anyone tell me whether the cruise terminal is in easy walking distance from the Westin, or does one take a taxi? I assume that if taxi, it's a very short, inexpensive ride?

 

I'd like to use Starwood points for our 3-night pre-cruise stay, but not if there are real drawbacks to this hotel. We're elderly and early-to-bed people, but do enjoy being able to walk to restaurants for dinner. Are there some very good Asian restaurants near by? Or excellent seafood?

 

Thank you.

Can anyone tell me whether the cruise terminal is in easy walking distance from the Westin, or does one take a taxi? I assume that if taxi, it's a very short, inexpensive ride?

 

I'd like to use Starwood points for our 3-night pre-cruise stay, but not if there are real drawbacks to this hotel. We're elderly and early-to-bed people, but do enjoy being able to walk to restaurants for dinner. Are there some very good Asian restaurants near by? Or excellent seafood?

 

Thank you.

It is about 7 blocks away from the cruise port . Taxi will be about $20 fare.

Vancouver??

 

I'd walk it, no problem, BUT, depends on you. :)

 

There aren't a lot of nearby restaurants, any would be an extended walk.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Budget Queen

Looks like its close to a mile. Not a bad walk but I wouldn't schlep my bags that far pre-cruise.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Glaciers

I wouldn't carry my bags that far. The last 2 blocks are uphill. It isn't flat from the Westin Bayshore to the cruise pier. If cloudy and damp definitely a taxi.

Another vote for a cab. 18 minute walk if you don't have luggage....

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/The+Westin+Bayshore,+Vancouver,+Bayshore+Drive,+Vancouver,+BC/Cruise+Ship+Terminal,+Canada+Place,+Vancouver,+BC/@49.2898536,-123.1302917,15z/data=!4m15!4m14!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867188a23819af:0xaf6eaf737c65b77f!2m2!1d-123.1298959!2d49.2921142!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867182d1b1ee03:0x586bef2fc335e218!2m2!1d-123.1131351!2d49.2879678!3e2!5i1

 

5 minute walk South to Robson will yield the most choice in restaurants.

 

10 minute walk from Bayshore is Hon's.... a popular budget Asian eatery...

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/The+Westin+Bayshore,+Vancouver,+1601+Bayshore+Drive,+Vancouver,+BC+V6G+2V4/Hons+Wun-Tun+House,+Robson+Street,+Vancouver,+BC/@49.2898053,-123.1346605,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867188a23819af:0xaf6eaf737c65b77f!2m2!1d-123.1298959!2d49.2921142!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867187407e94bb:0x7d8c34849b84f11b!2m2!1d-123.1291029!2d49.2875748!3e2

 

I haven't had chance to check out this popular place.... Dinesty.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/The+Westin+Bayshore,+Vancouver,+1601+Bayshore+Drive,+Vancouver,+BC+V6G+2V4/Dinesty+Dumpling+House,+Robson+Street,+Vancouver,+BC/@49.2910303,-123.134585,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x54867188a23819af:0xaf6eaf737c65b77f!2m2!1d-123.1298959!2d49.2921142!1m5!1m1!1s0x548671880c47d9cf:0x17c048691beb06d5!2m2!1d-123.134067!2d49.2907812!3e2

 

Note.... Japanese? Korean? Chinese? South Asian? Vancouver has lots of Asian choices. Vancouver is also known for "fusion" foods.

 

fyi.... If you are choosing a hotel with some isolation.... the Bayshore was Howard's fav place....

http://www.westinbayshore.com/howardhughes

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/31353159.html

Edited January 27, 2016 by xlxo

The Westin Bayshore is located in a very nice location. My daughter used o live right across the street from it. There are a few places to eat around it but they are mostly up a hill. I would also nt r ommend walking there with your luggage due to the hills but would suggest a taxi to the terminal. It is a very easy walk to Stanley park and there is also a good walk along the bay to the convention center. Enjoy yourslf.

The hills, such as they are, can be avoided by walking along the delightfully-scenic Seawall from right outside your hotel all the way to Canada Place (OK, the last little bit at the convention centre still has a slope, but you can take an elevator up to the Olympic Torch level from the Seawall - which means you get to see the torch, and the Lego Orca, and then have a downhill slope instead of the biggest uphill part). If you travel with typical cruise luggage then you're probably best taking a cab - but if you pack light I wouldn't hesitate to walk it.

 

While really good Asian is a little further on foot (to the above already mentioned I'd add Kirin and Kingyo) there are two decent seafood joints, both with nice views across the water, very close to the Bayshore - Lift and Carderos. IMO the latter coasts more on it's rep/location than the former, but they'll both fed you nice fresh fishy goodness.

 

You also can't beat the Bayshore for convenience to Stanley Park - it's a nice walk the other direction on the Seawall, and this entrance is the one where the horse & carriage rides are based, most bike rentals are found, and the Totem Poles and Aquarium closest to.

Very grateful for these replies.

 

As we're elderly, clearly it'll be a taxi for us to the cruise terminal ($20 for less than a mile?? Ok, whatever....)

 

I sure hope to be able to find some good restaurants that aren't an extended walk. E.g. a nice 15-20 min. walk to dinner would be fine, so long as the weather cooperates. (Not sure what BQueen means by "extended.")

 

Last time we were in Vancouver (maybe 10 years ago), we stayed at the Fairmont Bayshore. Enjoyed it very much. (LOVED Vancouver.) But really would like to use points for this stay. We love Stanley Park (that's the main kind of thing we like to do), so it's lovely that we'll be even closer than before. I need to zero-in on which restaurants would be a pleasant short walk. Obviously, there's plenty of time, but it's fun to start planning now. And we definitely aren't interested in taking taxi or other transit to dinner. Would almost rather eat in the hotel (which we'd prefer not to do) than have to get a ride.

 

Thanks again.

Edited January 27, 2016 by poss

White Spot restaurant is a short walk from the hotel. http://www.whitespot.ca - about 2 blocks - you want the Georgia Street location.

 

Cardero's is almost next door to the Bayshore.

 

The other regulars will be along with their suggestions as well.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Edited January 27, 2016 by Urban trekker

Also many of the eating places are not like here in the states. They are much smaller and more numerous. Many eating are about 3 blocks up a hill past the White Spot. Check with the hotel for places nearby that might meet your requirements.

There are numerous restaurants along Denman St. within a few minutes' walk of the Bayshore.

 

In case you didn't know, Howard Hughes lived in the Bayshore for some time, never seen outside his room.

As we're elderly, clearly it'll be a taxi for us to the cruise terminal ($20 for less than a mile?? Ok, whatever....)

$20 would be the very highest end of the scale, assuming a generous tip, lots of traffic, and a busy and slow entry to the pier itself (cabs get caught in a bottleneck here). The actual metered fare to the pier, without traffic, would be more like $10 (Canadian!).

 

I sure hope to be able to find some good restaurants that aren't an extended walk. E.g. a nice 15-20 min. walk to dinner would be fine, so long as the weather cooperates. (Not sure what BQueen means by "extended.")

Depending how slow you walk, you'll have a choice of maybe a dozen to a hundred restos. Check how your pace compares to googles default - map your own neighbourhood, then time yourself walking a few blocks. Google uses average pedestrian walking pace, and does include delays for road crossing, slower pace uphill and faster down modifiers, so it's actually pretty accurate for average walkers.

Even if you walk REAL slow (half the speed of the average person), 20mins would easily get you to Kingyo which I mentioned above. You'll pass a couple of dozen other eateries on the way, Denman is packed with small restos.

Edited January 28, 2016 by martincath

Thanks to all.

And to martincath especially-- you've been terrifically helpful. Being a technological troglodyte, I am totally unaware of (and probably could not figure out how to use) the nifty site like the one you introduced here. Really helpful! Kingyo sounds fine and dandy. Btw, what did you mean in an earlier post when you mentioned "really good Asian" being farther on foot? I.e. if distance were no object, what are the "really good" Asian restaurants? (We prefer Japanese and Chinese, but also enjoy great Thai and Korean.)

Edited January 28, 2016 by poss

If you want to use Starwood points you could also consider the Sheraton wall centre. Will be closer to shops and dining but further back from the water. Still a nice hotel and about $10 to cruise port from there

Thanks to all.

And to martincath especially-- you've been terrifically helpful. Being a technological troglodyte, I am totally unaware of (and probably could not figure out how to use) the nifty site like the one you introduced here. Really helpful! Kingyo sounds fine and dandy. Btw, what did you mean in an earlier post when you mentioned "really good Asian" being farther on foot? I.e. if distance were no object, what are the "really good" Asian restaurants? (We prefer Japanese and Chinese, but also enjoy great Thai and Korean.)

The two I mentioned already are the 'really good' I refered to - Kirin and Kingyo, walkable just more than a few blocks. If you're willing to walk longer, other very good downtown options include Shuraku on Granville, or my personal best value sushi spot Kaide on Richards. Dynasty on Broadway has also been racking up a lot of awards for seafood and dim sum especially - they're a ~$15 cab ride away.

 

If you don't mind a rather modern take on Asian food, then there are two stellar options a short cab away - Bao Bei in Chinatown and Bambudda in Gastown. Both could be classed as cocktail bars with small plates; the former uses a predominantly Shanghai & Taiwanese flavour palate, the latter Cantonese; both have many custom and classic cocktails. I'd give the edge in overall food quality to Bao Bei, but it's just a bit too busy these days. Bambudda is a bit slower-paced, Ray the manager is an outstanding FOH and the barstaff also give tremendous craic.

 

But for lots of choice, with several high-end restos competing against each other for nearby trade and to push the quality level ever-higher you really need to go to Richmond - the neighbouring city where the 'Vancouver' airport is. A lot of Richmond 'hoods are basically like visiting a Chinese city in terms of demographics, so the food tends to be more consistently authentic rather than the gwei-loh'd versions of some downtown places.

 

Branches of Kirin and Sun Sui Wah, Fishermans Terrace all tend to consistently place very highly in all kinds of reviews - local foodies, press, awards, etc. On the Japanese front things are actually much better downtown - Richmond is vastly dominated by Chinese expats rather than Japanese, and while there are Japanese restos all over the place frankly ALL the best ones are in Vancouver proper.

 

Depending on your preferred style of Japanese food, there are three consistent standouts - Tojo's on Broadway for old-school omakase & sushi; Miku right by Canada Place for aburi (flame-scorched) sushi; Zest out west in Dunbar/Arbutus for a more broad-based Japanese menu (still plenty of sushi options). Octopus' Garden in Kits is also a very well-regarded sushi spot.

 

Scattered all over downtown are also Izakayas - I mentioned Kingyo, but both Hapa and Guu are small local chains which folks love. They do a bit of everything, but the general vibe is best described as a 'Japanese Tapas Pub' - you can order lots of little things.

 

Budget Asian food is well represented in Vancouver - especially noodles. My personal favourite is a very Japanese styled place (they even hire Japanese students, and walking in they will speak to you in Japanese) - Ramen Jinya on Robson, near the central library. Everyone I know locally has their own fave for a cheap bowl of tasty noodles - Kintaro at Denman & Robson is probably the one most people name as their fave, but a few recent openings specifically focusing on really good noodles have popped up all over Chinatown recently.

 

I'm loathe to recommend any of the new spots as I'm not familiar with them personally - since my diabetes diagnosis I had to really cut back on noodles and other carby food, so I'm well behind the curve on good pizza and noodles if they opened in the last 3 years...

 

Oops - sorry, meant to add that I can't really help on top-notch Thai & Korean food. I like them both, but was never into either enough to really get in deep. Quite a lot of sugary dishes in both cuisines too, so now I very rarely eat much of either.

Edited January 29, 2016 by martincath
Thai & Korean

and WOW again!

If you haven't heard.... Vancouver has lots of immigrants who have brought their Orient talents to showcase at many eateries. Combined with fresh local ingredients... the city is slowly becoming a dining destination for international travellers. You need multiple days to eat your way across the city.

http://chineserestaurantawards.com/

http://chineserestaurantawards.com/award-winners/

 

[YOUTUBE]XyCwVVEVWAw[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]AhuNhqaABmg[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]wWLhrHVySgA[/YOUTUBE]

 

If you are looking for a reasonably priced price Chinese... get a cab or ride the subway to the Peaceful Restaurant to try out their handmade noodles! I love the cumin lamb noodle. Dinner can mean a lengthy line outside the door as they don't take reservations.

 

[YOUTUBE]dDsigJmAldk[/YOUTUBE]

 

If there is a large group of you (6 to 10)... check out how Vancouver perfected Alaskan King Crab. No frozen dead boil 'n butter crab here. Click the link and scroll down to see the multi-course presentation!

 

http://www.followmefoodie.com/2014/04/dynasty-seafood-restaurant-alaskan-king-crab-dinner-vancouver/

Edited January 30, 2016 by xlxo

Scattered all over downtown are also Izakayas - I mentioned Kingyo

I was in the area yesterday and decided to try Kingyo for the first time... There was a long line to get in on a rainy Saturday 11:30 opening. First tip.... make reservations.

 

Sat down and looked at the menu. Let's try the Bento box..... sold out! Huh? I heard other tables inquiring about it too.

 

Second tip.... have a look at the menu and if you want the Bento boxes.... see if you can make a reservation for it too!

http://www.kingyo-izakaya.ca/lunch/

 

Need to make another future visit for this popular and mysterious bento box.

http://dinehere.ca/vancouver/kingyo

I'm also staying here on my pre-cruise night. I'll be looking for seafood restaurants, and possibly lunch if my flight arrives on time.

I'm also staying here on my pre-cruise night. I'll be looking for seafood restaurants, and possibly lunch if my flight arrives on time.

Of the restos close by, my pick is Lift - right out on the water, one of the best by-the-glass wine lists, and plenty of seasonal seafood as well as other options. If you're on the later side arriving, perhaps Happy Hour nibbles at the bar would fit the bill - some pretty good discounts, some dishes almost half price.