Best Western Plus downtown vs Hampton Inn downtown

What are the Pros and cons for the Best Western Plus downtown vs Hampton Inn downtown in Vancouver?

We have the Hampton booked, but can get the Best Western for almost half the cost.

Looking for:

- a hotel that has reasonable price restaurant in it or within a couple blocks.

- clean, updated hotel with comfortable bedding.

My wife has limited mobility and needs to keep walking to short distances. Trying to decide if the extra money is worth it.

Location wise... hampton is a better. But both are a little remote.

How does Blue Horizon or the Empire Landmark compare for your dates... Robson street opens up your eating options.

Best Western Downtown has a White Spot restaurant located within it. http://www.whitespot.ca and they will shuttle you to the port. I know that the Best Western has just had a renovation - I live within 2 blocks of it and have seen the old mattress etc being taking out and I know from eating at the White Spot that this hotels attracts lots of cruisers.

Is your stay only one night and then to the ship or were you planning to spend more than one night in town.

Hampton Inn is on the edge of Yaletown and there are lots of eating places. I don't think that the Hampton is remote at all - right by the Stadiums, Public Library, Civic Theaters and historic Yaletown.

The Best Western is a little more remote in that it is at the top end of the downtown core but still only a little over a mile to the cruise terminal - it is also closer to Granville Island.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

Dennis

Best Western Downtown has a White Spot restaurant located within it. http://www.whitespot.ca and they will shuttle you to the port. I know that the Best Western has just had a renovation - I live within 2 blocks of it and have seen the old mattress etc being taking out and I know from eating at the White Spot that this hotels attracts lots of cruisers.

 

Is your stay only one night and then to the ship or were you planning to spend more than one night in town.

 

Hampton Inn is on the edge of Yaletown and there are lots of eating places. I don't think that the Hampton is remote at all - right by the Stadiums, Public Library, Civic Theaters and historic Yaletown.

 

The Best Western is a little more remote in that it is at the top end of the downtown core but still only a little over a mile to the cruise terminal - it is also closer to Granville Island.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

We are coming in 2 nights prior to our cruise and site see for 1 day. Also considered the St. Regis hotel.

Realistically you're going to be walking, cab, or transit to tourist sites from both hotels. Hampton has a free downtown shuttle but just one, so it might be very inefficient to use it unless you get lucky and other want to go where you do at the same time.

Given the recent renos Dennis mentions, it's probably a wash in terms of comfy bed - so while I think the Hampton is better-located for walking, unless your wife can manage 1/2mile at a time on foot, plus steps, it's going to be hard to walk into Chinatown or Gastown.

If you can save half the price at the BW+, that pays for a lot of cab rides, aquabus ferries, bus tickets etc. to get around while minimizing walking for your wife. Under the circumstances I'd go with BW+ and budget the difference for transport.

If you can save half the price at the BW+, that pays for a lot of cab rides, aquabus ferries, bus tickets etc. to get around while minimizing walking for your wife. Under the circumstances I'd go with BW+ and budget the difference for transport.

Totally agree

Sounds like I need to plan on taxis and busses. With that being said what are your thoughts of staying by the airport then and taking a taxi in for the one day visit?

Sounds like I need to plan on taxis and busses. With that being said what are your thoughts of staying by the airport then and taking a taxi in for the one day visit?

• The subway station is across the street and you are downtown in 25 minutes. You can get a $9.75 day pass.
  http://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and-Passes/DayPass.aspx
  
• When you are ready for the ship... $35 for a cab carload.
  
• 3 supermarkets surround the hotel
  
• lots of restaurants... especially if you want explore to Asian foods. It's like a free ticket to the Orient. Even more choices when you include the convenient subway to get around.
  

Sounds like I need to plan on taxis and busses. With that being said what are your thoughts of staying by the airport then and taking a taxi in for the one day visit?

My thus-far-yet-to-be-wrong-in-terms-of-$-spent opinion on taxiing to & from airport hotels is that it is a terrible idea. I've never found a date that you cannot find a downtown 3* or better hotel for under $70 more than an airport hotel of equivalent rating - since taxi is going to run $70 total both ways (including tip; possibly more if traffic is bad since fixed fare cabs only go from the airport itself inbound) you are therefore wasting time and often also spending more total funds staying at the airport.

Unless you are willing to use transit - which depending exactly which hotel you are in could be as quick as a cab - or renting a car to go to Steveston or other out-of-downtown locations, there is simply no point in staying out at YVR as you give up on all the time-saving and vastly greater choice of restaurants that staying downtown brings but without saving money.

The only exception would be if you planned dinner in one of the better Richmond restaurants that day so you'd need to transit back & forth from a downtown hotel anyway.

Info on Vancouver from a local!

My favorite must do attractions are

1) Grouse Mountain – http://www.grousemountain.com – this is a wonderful scenic mountain only about 15 mins from downtown Vancouver. Ride the airtram to the top for lots of fun activities that include a loggers show, birds of prey show, 2 movies (1 about the Vancouver area and 1 about the 2 Grizzly Bears who make their home on Grouse Mtn) ride a chair lift higher up the mountain to visit the wind turbine that generates approximately 30% of the power required for Grouse Mountain Resort and visit with 2 live Grizzly Bears. Thrill to a 2 hour Zip Line Tour. Enjoy a meal in any of the restaurants. Caveat only spend the money to go up on a clear day.

2) Capilano Suspension Bridge – http://www.capbridge.com – this is Vancouver’s oldest tourist attraction and I still enjoy visiting it! Located on Capilano Road just before you reach the Grouse Mountain parking lot. Walk across a suspension Bridge over the Capilano Gorge, wonder the trails thru the rain forest, walk thru the treetops on the new Tree Top Adventure, traverse a Cliff Top walk, visit the trading post for a huge selection of souvenirs, watch native weavers and/or carvers at work.

3) Capilano Fish Hatchery is also located on Capilano Road and is a great place to view salmon jumping up the fish ladders to get around the Cleveland Dam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capilano_River_Regional_Park

4) Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge – http://www.lynncanyon.ca - is also located in North Vancouver and is much less touristy than Capilano but it also is not as spectacular. The bridge is slightly higher above the water but much shorter in span. Located in a Provincial Park this bridge comes with some nice hiking trails and you will find an ecology centre in the park as well as picnic tables and a food concession outlet. Should you choose to enjoy the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge always cross the suspension bridge first and then hike down the trail to the lower (Twin Falls wooden) bridge to cross back over the Lynn Valley River and return to your car – that way you are hiking downhill rather than uphill. It is also free to visit this suspension bridge!

5) Stanley Park – http://www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/ - is the crown jewel of Vancouver's parks. As one of North America's largest urban parks, covering over a 1000 acres and offering an abundance of activities. Enjoy the totem pole collection near the Brockton Point Light House, hiking trails, beaches, water parks for the kids (young & old), rose gardens, miniature train, petting zoo, aquarium –http://www.vanaqua.org – many view points, and several restaurants.

6) Vancouver Aquarium – http://www.vanaqua.org – is Canada’s largest aquarium and is committed to the conservation of marine life and education. Located in Stanley Park this is a fun place for the family to visit.

7) Fly Over Canada incorporates state of the art technology in an Imax theatre to show you supernatural Canada, Fly from coast to coast taking in breath stealing views of Niagara Falls, Lake Louise, The Rockies & more. Spectacular! http://www.flyovercanada.com

8) Gas Town – the location where Vancouver originated. The name is derived from a very colorful character named Gassy Jack who was one of the first settlers in the area and a salon keeper – while in Gas Town don’t miss your photo op with the statue of Gassy Jack and by the Steam Clock.

9) At the start of Gas Town is the Harbor Centre Tower http://www.vancouverlookout.com a great spot to start your tour of Vancouver with a birds eye view of the city. Either take the elevator up to the lookout level or go to the top and enjoy a meal in the revolving restaurant.

10) China Town is only about 6 blocks over from Gas Town and is the largest China Town north of San Francisco. While in China Town enjoy a visit to the Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Gardens http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com and also make sure you visit the world’s thinnest building it is only 6’ wide!

11) Granville Island – http://www.granvilleisland.com – is a huge public market area which not only sells fruit & veggies but you can also buy frozen fish to be shipped to your home. Many artists make this their home and you can watch them at work in their studios – making this a great place to buy unique souvenirs. The Granville Island Brewery is also located here and you can stop in for a free tour & tastes. There are theatres for live performances and many fine restaurants. A fun way to get to Granville Island is via the Aquabus – http://www.theaquabus.com

12) Burnaby Village Museum – http://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca – is an open air museum with over 30 restored homes, shops, school, church and a 1912 carousel situated on 10 acres

13) Gulf of Georgia Cannery – http://www.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com – is a restored fishing cannery located in the historic fishing village of Steveston (part of Richmond). Here you see exhibits that showcase the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia. Once finished in the museum it is great fun to walk along the fishing docks and see the fishing boats which are selling their catch. There are also some excellent restaurants located here.

14) The Vancouver Maritime Museum located on the shore of English Bay is fun for the whole family with lots of hands on exhibits for the kid in all of us. Here to you will find the ship St Roch which the RCMP sailed from Vancouver to Halifax via the Northwest Passage and then completed the return journey in 1944. You actually get to tour this ship. http://www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com

15) Queen Elizabeth Park http://www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/queenelizabeth The 130 acre (52 hectare) park is one of the most beautifully maintained public parks in the world. Second only to Stanley Park in annual visitations, it receives nearly 6 million people a year who marvel at its superior standard of garden plantings.

The park was originally quarried for its rock which served to build Vancouver's first roadways. In 1929 the Board proceeded to acquire the property which had become an abandoned eyesore but still served as the site for two holding reservoirs for the City's drinking water. Dedicated as a park by King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the present Queen's mother) on their much lauded visit to Vancouver in 1939.

16) Fort Langley is the restored wooden fort built by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post. It is the origin of British Columbia and was the first capital. This Fort is operated by the Federal Parks Board. http://www.fortlangley.org

17) If you are a wine lover you might want to rent a car and spend a day visiting a few of the many excellent wineries located in the Fraser Valley only about a 1 hour drive from your hotel. Almost all of the wineries offer free tastes & tours. Two of the wineries have excellent restaurants on the premises. This makes for a very fun and relaxing day. Check out the Fraser Valley Wine Association web site for a map of winery locations and a brief description of each winery http://www.fvwa.ca

18) VanDusen Botanical Garden is a scenic 55- acre garden of international renown – a living museum of plants collected from around the world and artistically displayed amidst rolling lawns, woodlands and five tranquil lakes, all in the heart of Vancouver and just 15 minutes from downtown.

Due to Vancouver’s mild climate, plants bloom at the Garden year-round. This same climate creates a unique environment where plants from varying climate regions thrive and grow – at VanDusen you will see plants from the southern hemisphere, tropical areas and the high Arctic tundra along side native species. The Elizabethan Maze (one of only six in North America) provides year-round fun.

19) UBC Botanical Garden located at the University of British Columbia covers 110 acres and includes an Alpine, Asian, Native, Food, and Japanese Gardens. http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org There is also a treetop walk which is great for “fit” explorers who are not afraid of heights – however I would not recommend it for anyone who has any mobility issues. Also these gardens are not as well maintained as I would expect a botanical garden to be!

20) Enjoy a FREE walking tour of Vancouver. The Gastown tour starts in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the statue of Gassy Jack in Gastown. The Downtown tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Olympic Cauldron. The China Town tour starts at the Vancouver Art Gallery and ends at the Chinese memorial statue. All of these tours start at 11am. The Granville Island Tour starts at 3pm at the bus stop just at the entrance to Granville Island. Check these tours out at http://www.tourguys.ca The Tour Guys have added an afternoon walking tour of Granville Island and 2 evening tours….

21) A new addition I have just found for the FOODIES in the gang! Check out 2 companies that offer food tasting tours http://www.foodietours.ca and http://www.offtheeatentrack.ca – both offer an excellent tour http://www.foodietours.ca visit much more high end restaurants in the heart of the west end of Vancouver while http://www.offtheeatentrack.ca concentrates on more casual eateries in the historic original section of Vancouver! (Gastown)

I just enjoyed Foodietours “Guilty Pleasures Gourmet Tour” and was very impressed with the organization, quality of restaurants & refreshments, guides knowledge of foods and the eateries we were visiting as well as the area we were walking in. Felt it was excellent value for the money provided you did not spend the extra $20. For the alcohol! This company also offers a tasting tour on Granville Island Public Market and of the Vancouver Street Food Carts.

As for Off the Eaten Track - this company offers culinary tasting tours of various areas of Vancouver. This company has now expanded and offers a brunch tour and a dinner tour. I did the Railtown Urban Eats tour and it was Fabulous! This tour would blend well with the free walking tour offered by http://www.tourguys.ca … you could easily do the free walking tour and then meet up with this tour company for this tour for your lunch - the food is plentiful & wonderful you will not leave this tour hungry!

Vancouver has a bunch of hop-on hop-off buses

http://www.vancouverpinkbustours.com/

http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tours/hop-on-hop-off

http://bigbus.ca/home/