Vancover Hotel Recommendation

We are doing our first Alaskan cruise in August. Will be flying into Vancouver a day early. Looking for hotel recommendations

TIA

You will find more info if you look on the West Coast Departures or Canada (West Coast) boards.

Just be aware that downtown Vancouver is expensive in general and especially this Coming August. Because it is the 8th month of 2018 it will be a busy market for Asian weddings. 8 is a lucky number. I know personally as we are attending one on 8/18/2018 and hotels were out of this world .

It would help to know your requirements (how much do you want to spend, how close to restaurants and the port do you want to be). Do you require a 4 star or do you prefer a cheaper type hotel.

I too would post this on the Canada Board found here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=39

There are lots of choices in Vancouver so when you post if you can give price range that would be helpful.

Keith

As a family of 4 we stayed at the Sandman. Great location and huge room. Ours had 2 queen beds with more than enough room to spread out and repack 4 suitcases with no problems! Huge bathroom as well and lots food places places around. Sorry I can’t remember the price but it wasn’t very pricey

We stayed at the Sandman Suites on Davey street prior to our cruise a couple years ago. It's not as central as some people might like but only about a 5-10 minute cab ride from Canada Place. What I liked about the place is that we had a 1-bedroom suite that also had a small kitchen and a washer/dryer - both could be handy but we didn't use either. The place was immaculately clean. It was also a lot less expensive than the hotels closer to the ship. The neighborhood was great in that there was a multitude of restaurants up and down Davey street. Across the street was a large drugstore and on the next block was a large supermarket - both great for last minute items you might need. We paid $186.01 USD total - though if the above info is correct about Asian weddings in August...

It's a splurge for us but we stay at the Pan Pacific. Figure it's truly the "start" of our vacation, lovely hotel, a terrific location and just a single cab-ride from the airport, rather than going to a hotel and then taking a cab to the pier (ok, that's rationalizing it a bit, but works for me). Simply taking the hotel elevator down to the cruiseport if wonderful.

It's a splurge for us but we stay at the Pan Pacific. Figure it's truly the "start" of our vacation, lovely hotel, a terrific location and just a single cab-ride from the airport, rather than going to a hotel and then taking a cab to the pier (ok, that's rationalizing it a bit, but works for me). Simply taking the hotel elevator down to the cruiseport if wonderful.

The Pan Pacific hotel is ideal because it is above the terminal and the bellman will deliver your luggage to the port for you. The price for breakfast can be a shock but there is an underground mall across the street with lots of shops and cheaper restaurants. Here is my photo review of the Waterfront Mall (there is also an H&R Block to pay your US taxes):

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/canada/vancouver-bc/waterfront-mall/

You will find more info if you look on the West Coast Departures or Canada (West Coast) boards.

It would help to know your requirements (how much do you want to spend, how close to restaurants and the port do you want to be). Do you require a 4 star or do you prefer a cheaper type hotel.

+1 to these (and Keith's post) - there are tons of threads in all three boards mentioned (incl this one). Unless you have a truly unique set of requirements - in which case you absolutely need to clarify what they are - you WILL find relevant recommendations even if you have not mastered the Search function on CC. Just look at thread titles and scroll down - I'll be shocked if you don't find a few threads within 2 pages of browsing.

Literally ANY downtown hotel is close to the pier, close to dining, close to shopping, close to tourist sightseeing spots (or shuttles to them). We're not ashamed of our pier - it's in the heart of downtown, and is beautiful! Use a map - there are multiple cities called Vancouver, with sometimes confusingly-similar named hotels that are found in more than one of them (e.g. Pinnacle - 3 hotels, in 2 different cities) and 'Vancouver' airport and all-but-one of it's corresponding hotels are actually in Richmond, a different city again.

If you want to splurge, check TripAdvisor for reviews and go wild. Don't need a fancy place? Book the YWCA Hotel - you 100% will not find a better deal anywhere. If you find any hotel purporting to be cheaper - it's a literal fleapit and to be avoided!

 

... Book the YWCA Hotel - you 100% will not find a better deal anywhere. If you find any hotel purporting to be cheaper - it's a literal fleapit and to be avoided!

I want to emphasize martincath's point about the really cheap hotels you may see advertised. I got excited about one place that was well-located and very low-cost. It had a "shared bathroom" that seemed to be shared with the entire floor :eek:

I want to emphasize martincath's point about the really cheap hotels you may see advertised. I got excited about one place that was well-located and very low-cost. It had a "shared bathroom" that seemed to be shared with the entire floor :eek:

Could have been worse - some of the SRO buildings actually rent rooms on EXPEDIA these days (the Patricia for example). At best these are marginally-safe, let alone clean, operations - at worst they are involved in 6+ digit fines from the city and are being forcibly closed for engineering work so they do not collapse (e.g. the Cobalt - which shares a common wall with an otherwise-fine hostel). There are some OK budget shared-bath hotels - YWCA offers a choice of those or private, as well as 'Jack and Jill' two rooms joined by a bathroom that can be ideal for a group; the Victorian hotel has some shared baths too, and the Buchan down near Stanley Park too - this last one is the only hotel I can think of with rates sometimes lower than YWCA that I would send a friend or family member to (and even then with major caveats).

We stayed at the Auberge Vancouver Hotel, a couple blocks from the cruise terminal, in 2016. We had a wonderful suite overlooking the harbor. We are staying there again, but there were no sites facing the harbor left. The breakfast that comes with the price is a bit to be desired, so we just went across the street to Starbucks for breakfast sandwiches. The breakfast was a lot of starchy things-cereals, croissants, pastries, yogurt, but they had hardboiled eggs.

martincath, sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I consider the YWCA hotel as a good choice.

martincath, sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I consider the YWCA hotel as a good choice.

No worries - I grokked you, just tried to clarify that even a shared bathroom 'real hotel' has worse alternatives!!! I really wish they'd force all the SROs to remove the word Hotel from their names just to ensure there's a clear separation between 'somewhere a tourist wants to stay' and 'OK, you are not sleeping on the streets but if you were there would probably be fewer rats & roaches'

We are staying at the Auberge also. Glad to hear that there is somewhere close to get coffee. When I checked to see if my room rate had reduced for August, there were not many choices left.

'OK, you are not sleeping on the streets but if you were there would probably be fewer rats & roaches'

Thank you for that evocative description :D (y) It's probably too-close-to-the-truth in accuracy.

We've stayed twice at the Best Western Granville. Reasonable accommodations, price is more reasonable than right at the cruise terminal. Wifi is a bit unique and challenging (and awfully designed, but it does work). Too far to drag suitcases to the terminal so grab a taxi, and certain nearby areas can be a bit sketchy, but a nice variety of stuff nearby as well (you can go to Tim Horton's and get Canada's favorite form of coffee, a Latt-Eh!, or go to Blenz and get a killer mocha).

We reserved an Air BNB as the hotel prices were pretty outrageous! Our Air BNB is $179 Canadian dollars a night. It's 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. We are a family of 4 three nights at a Mariott Residence Inn was $380. While I realize we could have found a cheaper hotel, the Residence Inn provides a bit more room, free breakfast, and a kitchen so we felt the difference in cost between Residence Inn and a traditional hotel room was justified.

Of the hotels I have stayed at, in terms of preference (and not price), my favorites in order are:

1. Fairmont Pacific Rim (this hotel blew me away)

2. Pan Pacific

3. Fairmont Waterfront

4. Renaissance

5. Hyatt

I had the hardest time figuring out a hotel for Vancouver, for my family, plus my aunt and grandma who really want a hotel with breakfast included. We decided on the Radisson Park Inn. We're going in July, so haven't stayed there yet, but I feel good about the decision, trying to balance quality and price. It is apparently near public transit for an easy trip to the airport and appears to be near restaurants, a Tim Horton's, and Whole Foods.

I had the hardest time figuring out a hotel for Vancouver, for my family, plus my aunt and grandma who really want a hotel with breakfast included. We decided on the Radisson Park Inn. We're going in July, so haven't stayed there yet, but I feel good about the decision, trying to balance quality and price. It is apparently near public transit for an easy trip to the airport and appears to be near restaurants, a Tim Horton's, and Whole Foods.

I like that location - but for a short pre- or post- cruise stay you'll find you spend quite a bit of time on transit or in cabs as it's on the 'wrong' side of False Creek. Great dining along Broadway, but buses to downtown have limited options without transferring; SkyTrain is 4 blocks away and probably your most efficient way to downtown tourist sights. It's one of the Canada Line stations, so getting between hotel and airport is easy as long as you avoid commuter times (since this is not a terminus station, there will always be people on it already so traveling from here with suitcases can be a hassle as you're not supposed to stand in the aisle with luggage).

Wins (aside from Broadway's food) include having a fairly easy walk down to Granville Island (but coming back, it's a steep hill so consider a cab!), a straight shot along to Main Street brings you very close to several of our new breweries, and if you wanted to visit Queen Elizabeth Park, Steveston, or any other attractions south of the core you're that much closer.

Save On Foods is across the street from Whole Foods and most stuff is significantly cheaper, unless you need artisanal asparagus water;-) There's also a liquor store, City Square Mall, one of our biggest hospitals all within a few blocks in case you do try to walk back up the hill and collapse;-)

We will be staying at Lord Stanley Suites on the Park in August. We are family of 5 and my mom (age 72) is traveling with us. We have a daughter with a wheelchair and a son with celiac disease and prefer to make breakfast and sandwiches in our room instead of eating out all the time. Each suite has a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and "living room" with a sofa that makes into another bed. We are spending 2 nights in Vancouver before we cruise and needed both the space and the flexibility. We will split the kids up when we arrive and 1 or 2 will sleep in Nana's suite. Cost per suite was $289 CAD when I booked at the end of September 2017. I hope we picked a good place!

We will be staying at Lord Stanley Suites on the Park in August. We are family of 5 and my mom (age 72) is traveling with us. We have a daughter with a wheelchair and a son with celiac disease and prefer to make breakfast and sandwiches in our room instead of eating out all the time. Each suite has a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and "living room" with a sofa that makes into another bed. We are spending 2 nights in Vancouver before we cruise and needed both the space and the flexibility. We will split the kids up when we arrive and 1 or 2 will sleep in Nana's suite. Cost per suite was $289 CAD when I booked at the end of September 2017. I hope we picked a good place!

It doesn't get any better for visiting the park, or Denman Street for various eateries, and there's a Safeway just a couple of blocks away on Robson for groceries. The downside is you'll probably need to take a cab with at least some of your party for the sites at the other end of the downtown core - Chinatown, Gastown, Yaletown, Granville Island - as it's a 2 mile walk to these.

There's one other condo hotel much closer to the other end - Rosedale on Robson - with similar apartment setups that is more convenient for these sites, but correspondingly less so for the park. Getting multiple rooms at the YWCA Hotel would likely be a decent saving, but as their kitchens are shared it will be more challenging prepping food for your son without risking cross-contamination. Basically depends where you choose to spend your time as to whether your location is ideal or just OK for you.

If your daughter is wheelchair-bound instead of it just being occasionally helpful (criteria are that the person is unable to use regular transit buses without help), you can sign up in advance for the local accessible transit service, HandyDART, which will do door-to-door drives for the price of a regular transit ticket ($2.85pp) and even includes a free attendant if needed. Assuming the rest of you can handle walking, this is a very cheap way to get the whole group between places - but you do need to book by phone, with as much advance notice as you can as the fleet is small. Cabs are more flexible, and won't be pricey, plus no extra charge for wheelchair cabs if needed for DD - expect to be paying $10 or less on the meter for any downtown core site to any other.

We chose the Pan Pacific right on the Cruise Pier for it's convenience. It's a taxi ride from the airport (so is everywhere else) or if you don't mind schlepping your bags, take the train right to the door of the hotel.

We booked the Cruise Special which includes breakfast, late checkout (2pm) and bag transfer to the port. It cost $393 CDN which is $306 at today's rates. A bit pricey but not bad when you consider the location and what you get.

Harry