Vancouver 1 night after cruise-hotel recommendations

[1153rsmith]

We are sailing into Vancouver on Princess Cruise Lines on 9/10/14 and spending the night to take advantage of better flights the next day.

 

Can someone recommend some reasonably priced (less than $180 a night) hotels that are near places to eat or something to do? Free airport shuttle would be great as would a free breakfast, but not deal breakers. I have heard mention of the light rail so near there to do a little sight seeing would be fantastic. It sounded like the Canada line went to the airport.

 

There will be 8 of us so trying to get around with taxi's is going to get expensive.

 

We just mainly need something clean and safe where we have access to something to eat without taking out a mortgage or having to travel great distances.

 

Considering we will have most of a day to look around, what would you suggest doing after we settle into our hotel?

 

Any advice is appreciated.

[Urban trekker]

You might want to try the Best Western downtown - it has a white spot restaurant on site http://www.whitespot.ca and is very popular with cruisers.

 

http://www.bestwesterndowntown.com/

 

It has a number of packages including breakfast at that restaurant.

 

I haven't check their prices but they are in the moderate range by Vancouver Standards

 

While they are at the upper end of the downtown core they are still only about a mile from the port - you are about six blocks from the Canada Line to the airport and only a short distance to the little ferries over to Granville Island.

 

Some of the other locals will be along with their recommendations - try doing a search for Vancouver Hotels and see what comes up in your price range and we will be able to provide you with our thoughts of those hotels.

 

Not sure that hotwire or priceline will work that well for you since you have 8 in your party.

 

Hope this helps get you started

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[DaveOKC]

You might also try the airport area. We stayed at the Marriott in Richmond plus there was a Hilton and Sheraton next door. These all share a free shuttle to the airport. There is not much in the area to do (at least I do not think so), except for a large indoor shopping mall.

 

Getting there is either by taxi or you can take the Canada Line subway/skyway. Cost is less than $3 each. Of course you have to be able to handle your owns bags.

 

DaveOKC

[Putterdude]

Free shuttles out to the airport just don't exists. Given that there are 8 of you and maybe some sharing could or may be done then you may care to consider The Rosedale on Robson St. It is a suite hotel, well situated, about a $10 cab ride from the Canada a Place cruise terminal (you will need two van-cabs) and about a 5 block walk to the Vancouver Centre Station of the Canada Line that will take you out to YVR for $4 per adult. The location is safe and there are a number of modestly price eateries in close proximity including Rosie's which in the hotel. If you are motivated by a free breakfast then there is the Hampton Inn on Robson which is very close to the Rosedale.

[Gunner22aa]

$150 plus tax = $180 will get you a hotel downtown but not within reasonable walking distance of Canada Place where you will dock and it will not include a shuttle service to the airport for free. No downtown hotels including the top end ones offer that service to my knowledge.

 

As to cabs, with your party you will need a minimum of three maybe four depending on your amount of luggage. Cabs in Vancouver are Toyota Pirus size. Each will be approximatly 30-40 dollars depending on time of day and the subsequent traffic.

[cruiseryyc]

Another option would be to stay at a hotel near the airport, almost all of them offer free shuttle service to the airport. You would have to take the Sky train or taxi from port to the hotel; but once you've dropped your bags, hop on the Sky train back into downtown to wander about.

[1153rsmith]

Another option would be to stay at a hotel near the airport, almost all of them offer free shuttle service to the airport. You would have to take the Sky train or taxi from port to the hotel; but once you've dropped your bags, hop on the Sky train back into downtown to wander about.

 

I am beginning to think this may be our best bet. Now, I just need to research ones that are near a variety of restaurants.

[martincath]

I am beginning to think this may be our best bet. Now, I just need to research ones that are near a variety of restaurants.

If budget is your number one consideration, airport hotels are a solid bet. But at best you will spend at least an hour and a half getting to & from to checkin then to your hotel again to sleep (and that would be assuming you are in one of the hotels right next to Skytrain, not one that you need to go to YVR then call a shuttle bus to come get you - the majority of hotels you'd have to add another 30 minutes minimum to the time for shuttling back & forth).

 

Frankly, time has always been most important to me for these sort of situations. Priceline/Hotwire will get you a decent, 3* or better hotel downtown for $180 if you're not picky about exactly which hotel, chain etc. you use. If you do need the comfort of knowing just where you'll be, an Expedia search today for Sep 10th (1 night, 4 rooms with 2 adults per room) is showing several options, including the Moda (a pretty trendy hotel on the edge of Yaletown) at $149 a night with FREE cancellation.

 

Personally I'd jump on that rate right now, then keep looking for a better deal and cancel if you get one... it's six minutes walk from City Centre Skytrain station and there are more restaurants than you can shake the proverbial stick at nearby. Their in-house resto, Cibo, and winebar, Uva, are also top-notch.

[1153rsmith]

Does anyone know anything about the Best Western Plus Uptown Vancouver at 205 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia ? Is it a good area? How close to Sky Train and Port? Looks like a pretty good rate.

[martincath]

Does anyone know anything about the Best Western Plus Uptown Vancouver at 205 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia ? Is it a good area? How close to Sky Train and Port? Looks like a pretty good rate.

That's in my 'hood, very close to a bunch of little restos & boutiques on Main Street, Broadway & Kingsway. Kingsgate mall is next-door with supermarket, liquor store & pharmacy. Almost equidistant (just over 2 miles, $12-15 cab fare) to either pier, Canada Place or Ballantyne.

 

Skytrain is not an option unless you travel very light - nearest station is just under a mile away but quite a steep slope and not friendly to rolling suitcases (lots of construction and generally old pavement). Good bus connections though - the 19 goes right by the door and takes you through downtown and into Stanley Park.

 

I'd take it over any airport hotel location-wise, but it is still a slightly gritty area - plenty of families live around here though, so it's certainly not bad but it's much lower-rent than downtown proper, West End etc. Roving packs of hipsters are about the scariest thing you'll see on the streets;-)

[Putterdude]

Does anyone know anything about the Best Western Plus Uptown Vancouver at 205 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia ? Is it a good area? How close to Sky Train and Port? Looks like a pretty good rate.

 

With all due respect to my fellow Vancouver poster, in October I had reason to be in the neighbourhood so I drove by it 4 times trying to figure out why anyone would want to stay there. In my view it is in the middle of auto dealers, automotive orientated businesses an some light industrial users. Kingsgste Mall is at best a 3rd tier neighbourhood shopping facility. IMO, the reason the rate is so good is that is all the market will bear. I would recommend watching Hotwire for a 3*+ downtown area hotel, I don't know what you expectations are but it would be far from my first choice.

[Mr_Astro]

You might consider the River Rock Casino and Resort. It's right on the Canada Line in Richmond and if you book 90 days or more out, the room rate is 176/night based on double occupancy.

Go here: http://www.riverrock.com/hotels/ for more information.

[Mr_Astro]

Does anyone know anything about the Best Western Plus Uptown Vancouver at 205 Kingsway, Vancouver, British Columbia ? Is it a good area? How close to Sky Train and Port? Looks like a pretty good rate.

 

Kingsway is too far from anywhere to be of use to you. You'll spend your savings on taxis.

[Urban trekker]

I lived within two blocks of that hotel for more than 30 years and where it is today - a vibrant neighbourhood - and it was Vancouver's first real neighbourhood - undergoing a renaissance compared to the gritty, run down area when I first moved there - the mall has had a major makeover and a much better selection of shops etc.

 

The Mt Pleasant neighbourhood where the hotel is located has one of the largest collection of craft breweries in the city. It was also the site of some of the earliest breweries in the city - Brewery Creek flows under the street - in fact a corner of my old condo building has a creek buried adjacent to it and the creek can now be seen flowing down in to the False Creek flats at the foot of Brunswick street.

 

I do agree that it is too far removed from the main city attractions and while well served by transit all of the transit routes serving the area are running at nearly capacity, pass overs are common.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[martincath]

Unlike a couple of recent posters, I was trying to pay attention to OPs stated criteria and responses to other suggestions (e.g. Hotwire/Priceline already having been suggested; airport hotels already having been listed as a then-current 'best pick' by OP; a Yaletown hotel with a freely-cancelable rate of $149 per night and availability for the whole party having been suggested).

 

While I don't know what rate OP is seeing at BW Uptown, I at least give him/her enough credit to assume that they would only be looking at this neighbourhood if the downtown core was not showing hotels at the right price for their party and for whatever reason they are not comfortable with the bidding sites. I stand by my assertion that compared to an airport hotel, this is a more convenient location.

 

Dennis - no need to defend Mount Pleasant! I'm more than happy for other locals to continue overlooking this and many other parts of town, because it means less competition for seats in some fantastic local establishments;)

[1153rsmith]

Thanks for all the information so far, it is very helpful. Maybe a little more information would help you assist me. Our party of 8 ranges in age from 13-72 and we are saving about $180 per airline ticket to spend the night in Vancouver as opposed to flying out the same day we dock. I am trying not to use up all that savings on hotels and airport transfers.

 

I would like to have us somewhere near things to see and do, and a safe area to walk in. None of us drink, so local breweries are not an issue for us. We are hoping to use the day we are in Vancouver to try to see part of the area.

 

I am not opposed to using a Priceline or other bidding site, as long as I can be pretty sure I am not going to get stuck somewhere I don't want to be. Not knowing anything about the area, it is really difficult for me to look at the maps on the various booking sites and determine what will be our best option.

 

If we decide to do a hotel in the low $200's would you recommend the Pan Am or the Delta Vancouver Suites?

[SilkySal]

Thanks for all the information so far, it is very helpful. Maybe a little more information would help you assist me. Our party of 8 ranges in age from 13-72 and we are saving about $180 per airline ticket to spend the night in Vancouver as opposed to flying out the same day we dock. I am trying not to use up all that savings on hotels and airport transfers.

 

I would like to have us somewhere near things to see and do, and a safe area to walk in. None of us drink, so local breweries are not an issue for us. We are hoping to use the day we are in Vancouver to try to see part of the area.

 

I am not opposed to using a Priceline or other bidding site, as long as I can be pretty sure I am not going to get stuck somewhere I don't want to be. Not knowing anything about the area, it is really difficult for me to look at the maps on the various booking sites and determine what will be our best option.

 

If we decide to do a hotel in the low $200's would you recommend the Pan Am or the Delta Vancouver Suites?

 

We will be staying at the Blue Horizon on Robson Street, downtown, for 2 nights post-cruise. Close enough to most attractions and restaurants, and a short cab ride to Amtrak, which we will take to Seattle. I think I paid around $130 per night.:cool: Looks like a great hotel! No A/C if that matters to you.:rolleyes:

[Putterdude]

Because of the size of you party do you what some suites or do you want double rooms?

 

If you want room then Pan Pacific is top-drawer but you are going to pay for it. Delta Suites is well located for getting out to see the sights of the city and should come in a little less pricy than the PP and is convenient to the Canada Line at Waterfront Station. A suite hotel that cruisers have thanked me for suggesting is Rosedale on Robson; everything quite walkable with perhaps the walk from Canada Place for a 72 year old with luggage.

[Putterdude]

And I am not trying to belittle the emerging Mt. Pleasant neighbourhood, however when I look at the BW Uptown's location within the neighbourhood and I see a Tireland, a Funeral Home, a Honda dealership, a Speedy Auto Glass and a Toyota Dealership .....I find myself asking who would want to stay there, maybe someone with business in neighbourhood but it's hardly a tourist mecca.

[martincath]

Our party of 8 ranges in age from 13-72 and we are saving about $180 per airline ticket to spend the night in Vancouver as opposed to flying out the same day we dock.

 

I would like to have us somewhere near things to see and do, and a safe area to walk in.

 

I am not opposed to using a Priceline or other bidding site, as long as I can be pretty sure I am not going to get stuck somewhere I don't want to be.

Thanks for the further info - since you're OK with the bidding site concept, life becomes simple. There's no such thing as a bad 4* hotel anywhere in downtown Vancouver - as the maps do vary slightly between sites, what you're looking for is the peninsula with Stanley Park at the end (looks a bit like a thumb pointing left & up from a hand).

 

Downtown is small enough that any hotel in the West End is close to Stanley Park/Aquarium no matter where the site puts the boundary at; with 4* criteria you should miss out on the potentially-loud hotels on Granville (our main entertainment district) which are in the 3*/3*+ bracket in the downtown core and all hotels in this part will be close to the Art Gallery, Gastown, Chinatown.

 

Virtually everywhere in Vancouver is safe to walk, especially in comparison to other large North American cities. We do have a relatively large homeless population due to our mild climate and various more complex socio-political reasons, but your interactions with them will consist of mostly-very-polite-panhandlers unless you get off the beaten track.

 

Personally I would still look to grab a cheap cancelable rate at a confirmed hotel (e.g. the Moda I linked to before if rooms for 2 are OK by the whole party; PDs suggestion of the Rosedale is probably going to work out best for larger suite-style accommodation at a reasonable price). That way you can take your time researching the best bid levels - there are sticky threads on CC about bidding sites, but there is much more detailed info (right down to lists of 'if you see all the following criteria on list A, none of list B, then this is the exact hotel you are bidding on') and data about successful bid rates on other less-cruise-specific travel websites.

 

Even if you did use cabs to get around, once your luggage is dropped off you will fit 4 passengers in each (I'm pretty sure the minivans only seat 7 max so you will still definitely need 2 if you're all traveling together). Going around downtown it's hard to get the meter much over $10 unless you're traveling from the park all the way to Gastown in rush hour.

[Urban trekker]

"because it means less competition for seats in some fantastic local establishments"

 

Good point!

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

For hotels with suites you could also try the Landis and Mariott Residence Inn on Hornby - both next to each other - they share parking and things like the pools etc.

 

Agree with Priceline or Hotwire that any 4**** hotel will be okay and also further to the panhandlers - my best advice and I get pestered by them everyday is to ignore them and keep walking - while there are couple and one lady in particular who don't understand the word NO but they finally give up as soon as they see another person coming.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis