Vancouver 2 nights -where to eat what to do?

[Bimmie Girl]

We will be disembarking in Vancouver and scheduled to stay a couple of days there. We have a tour planned right off the ship. Taking a tour and hike through Stanley Park the large suspension bridge and then to our a Hilton hotel close to Stanley Park. Where should we go for dinner or what should we do with our 2 evenings there?

 

The following day we have tickets to Victoria, Arboretum/B. Gardens and back again so another night in Vancouver with no plans yet. The date if it matters is August 17-19. We like everything but enjoy local or memorable. Do not want to dress up too much, I usually wear a dress anywhere we go to dinner and DH slacks and casual shirt (dressy casual-casual)

Edited April 19, 2016 by Bimmie Girl

[K.T.B.]

I wholeheartedly suggest getting over to Granville Island for day. I thoroughly enjoyed it the last time I was there.

[Kamloops50]

We will be disembarking in Vancouver and scheduled to stay a couple of days there. We have a tour planned right off the ship. Taking a tour and hike through Stanley Park the large suspension bridge and then to our a Hilton hotel close to Stanley Park. Where should we go for dinner or what should we do with our 2 evenings there?

 

The following day we have tickets to Victoria, Arboretum/B. Gardens and back again so another night in Vancouver with no plans yet. The date if it matters is August 17-19. We like everything but enjoy local or memorable. Do not want to dress up too much, I usually wear a dress anywhere we go to dinner and DH slacks and casual shirt (dressy casual-casual)

 

 

First I would this question on the Vancouver thread.

Here is the link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2203845

 

My thought is that Victoria is a very long day unless your flying one way or both . Alot of time spent on the bus and ferry for a few hours of sightseeing .

There are at least three beautiful maybe more ( some are free) and easily

visited via public transit .

[Putterdude]

I think the moderator will move this thread. However, I am confused a bit about the Hilton being close to Stanley Park. Hilton doesn't have a property anywhere downtown Vancouver let alone close to Stanley Park. They do have a Hampton Inn which is downtown but nowhere close to the park. I think if you cleared that up dinner venues would be forth coming.

 

Some posters get all in a knot about people spending a day in Victoria....I don't, particularly if you have given some thought to it. Granted, it's a long day, at least 12 hours but that is part of the adventure. The ferry trip to and from Vancouver Is. is about a picturesque journey you can enjoy, there are spots that you will pass going thru the Gulf Islands that you will feel that you can reach out and touch. Victoria and the scenery coming and going is unique and if you have thought it out....then go and enjoy your day and don't listen to the naysayers hundreds of people do each day.

[martincath]

And I'd be one of those knotted people;-)

 

In all seriousness - if you've been to Vancouver before, have seen the sights in and around the city, and have Butchart on your bucket list, by all means have at it. But it's along and expensive day - which can only be shortened byt throwing more money at it (i.e. flying one or both ways, or perhaps combining a whale-watch one way so at least your hours on the water have more than simply enjoying the admittedly very pretty scenery).

 

OTOH if by visiting Butchart you are choosing to opt out of a day in Vancouver without having seen the sights, it seems simply prudent to point out that for far less time and money you can visit a wide variety of gardens that are in many cases superior to Butchart's elements. I'm also of the opinion that even with flights both ways, the length of time you spend in the gardens and in Victoria is simply not enough to fully appreciate either. Plus, your dinner options on that day will consist of a cafeteria type meal on a ferry unless you want to eat very late or fly back!

 

On the Vancouver things to do and eat front, first dress codes do not exist here - even the fanciest restos in town have no such thing, and would never bring them in for fear of scaring off the many celebrities in town filming who are more likely to be in jeans & T-shirts than some designer gown on their nights off. There are many excellent places to eat - but without some idea of what you love and hate to eat and a vague budget it's hard to recommend anywhere ideal for you. Sending a couple of vegans to Wildebeest for a nose-to-tail dining experience, or recommending the best sashimi in town to folks who hate raw fish, is not going to help you much!

 

Granville Island is a nice spot to purchase quirky souvenirs, assemble your own picnic lunch (or buy excellent premade sandwiches and the like) then sit outside and watch the buskers. If you're not gardened-out after the day before, Queen Elizabeth Park offers some beautiful free gardens with the best views in the city - it's at the highest point and overlooks all of downtown, English Bay, across to the mountains etc. Seasons in the Park is a good spot to eat with lots of glass and outdoor seating to take in the views. A tad pricey because of the views, but one of the more tolerable markups!

 

Walk or bike the Seawall - if your Stanley Park 'tour' is part of a post-cruise one, you will stop at very few points in the park so revisiting that is probably a good plan too.

 

I'll second PDs puzzlement over Hilton placement and recommend you double-check the booking! Being stuck out at the airport or Metrotown are not ideal for wandering our downtown streets...

[Putterdude]

I knew the knotted ones would be out there. :rolleyes: There is a lot more to visiting Victoria then food that you will eat on the ferry vs. the restos in Vancouver. What some people can't get by is the fact that getting to Victoria is all part of a scenic experience and as a native Vancouverite I can assure you that while there are certainly nice gardens in Victoria there is nothing that compares with Butchart Gardens...my advice is if you have done your research and you want to go to Victoria .... then get on with it, it's an experience you wont forget.

[xlxo]

We will be disembarking in Vancouver and scheduled to stay a couple of days there. We have a tour planned right off the ship. Taking a tour and hike through Stanley Park the large suspension bridge and then to our a Hilton hotel close to Stanley Park. Where should we go for dinner or what should we do with our 2 evenings there?

 

The following day we have tickets to Victoria, Arboretum/B. Gardens and back again so another night in Vancouver with no plans yet. The date if it matters is August 17-19. We like everything but enjoy local or memorable. Do not want to dress up too much, I usually wear a dress anywhere we go to dinner and DH slacks and casual shirt (dressy casual-casual)

Thoughts....

• if you can confirm your hotel location, we can make dinner suggestions close to that location. Hampton Inn? Yaletown restos like be scoring high.
  
• mid-August? Daylight will be til 8:45pm. Good stroll the neighborhoods around your hotel
  
• Fly-Over Canada at the cruise terminal is open til 9pm. Cactus Club is popular near the cruise terminal. Bella's for an award gelato dessert finale?
  
• La Casa w/ a cab ride offers 218 flavours... you might need more than one night go to through all the flavours. Open til 11pm.
  
• Lookout Observation deck has a restaurant while you absorb the harbor around you.
  

Edited April 20, 2016 by xlxo

[martincath]

I knew the knotted ones would be out there. :rolleyes: There is a lot more to visiting Victoria then food that you will eat on the ferry vs. the restos in Vancouver. What some people can't get by is the fact that getting to Victoria is all part of a scenic experience and as a native Vancouverite I can assure you that while there are certainly nice gardens in Victoria there is nothing that compares with Butchart Gardens...my advice is if you have done your research and you want to go to Victoria .... then get on with it, it's an experience you wont forget.

If OP has done their research, and decided that Butchart/Victoria offers a better experience than Vancouver for them - great. But I would still always say that if you want to actually do justice to Victoria - and Butchart, I've never said it isn't worth seeing only that there are alternatives without the travel time from Vancouver! - that staying at least one night on the island is the way to go. Our own first trip to Victoria was one day - and even with the floatplane both ways, there simply were not enough hours in one day, and every trip since then we have spent two nights or more (except for PVSA compliance cruise stops of course).

 

As well as spending longer at the sites, and being able to see more of them, you'll be in much better shape to appreciate the views on the way back instead of napping because you've already spent ten hours on bus/ferry/bus/garden/bus/a bit of shopping/bus... and it is a beautiful route if the weather cooperates. Doing a night or two on the island and arranging your own transport lets you choose your ferry schedule too - e.g. ensuring one leg has a sunset while you're on the boat...

[Coral]

Here is very good pub food that is on the water:

 

http://mahonyandsons.com

 

It is right near Canada Place. Very casual and reasonable.

[Dunfer]

We spent two nights there after our Alaskan cruise last August. Had dinner one night at "Top of Vancouver". A little pricey, but the food was excellent and the views---- amazing!!

[Putterdude]

We spent two nights there after our Alaskan cruise last August. Had dinner one night at "Top of Vancouver". A little pricey, but the food was excellent and the views---- amazing!!

 

It's not a place that we locals would recommend but the fact that you enjoyed it is all that matters and yes, on a clear night the view is spectacular. Thanks for sharing with your CC friends.:)

[lynncarol]

Four of us spent 2 days in Vancouver prior to our Alaskan cruise. We had a wonderful lunch at the 'Seasons in the Park', located in Queen Elizabeth Park. As the highest point in Vancouver, there are spectacular city views as well as an overlook of a gorgeous rock garden (which reminded me of a miniature version of Buchard Gardens in Victoria). Although we didn't have a reservation, it might be well to get one as the place seemed very popular with locals. We used local transportation plus a short walk to get to the Park.

[Putterdude]

Four of us spent 2 days in Vancouver prior to our Alaskan cruise. We had a wonderful lunch at the 'Seasons in the Park', located in Queen Elizabeth Park. As the highest point in Vancouver, there are spectacular city views as well as an overlook of a gorgeous rock garden (which reminded me of a miniature version of Buchard Gardens in Victoria). Although we didn't have a reservation, it might be well to get one as the place seemed very popular with locals. We used local transportation plus a short walk to get to the Park.

 

Glad you enjoyed it, I have had some wonderful meals there both lunch and dinner. I don't think its every been mentioned on these boards and shame on us:o....it's just that there are so many excellent restaurants downtown Seasons gets overlooked.

 

https://www.vancouverdine.com/seasons/

[martincath]

Glad you enjoyed it, I have had some wonderful meals there both lunch and dinner. I don't think its every been mentioned on these boards and shame on us:o....it's just that there are so many excellent restaurants downtown Seasons gets overlooked.

 

https://www.vancouverdine.com/seasons/

Some us feel less ashamed than others, considering we mention Seasons fairly regularly - and most recently in Post 5 of this very thread...

[Putterdude]

Some us feel less ashamed than others, considering we mention Seasons fairly regularly - and most recently in Post 5 of this very thread...

 

Sorry it was such a long post, it was very easily missed however I have gone back and found it.:o

Edited April 23, 2016 by Putterdude

[TheSecondSister]

Oh Vancouver is such a foodie paradise. Two (well three, since we've eaten at Five Sails twice) of the top 5 meals in my life were in Vancouver.

 

First up, the Five Sails at Canada Place, with panoramic views of the harbor and Stanley Park: http://www.fivesails.ca/. The duck breast with foie gras was ... well, I'm out of superlatives. This is the top of my list.

Photos and description on my travel blog: https://twocruisingsisters.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/diet-busting-begins/

 

And Cactus Club Cafe (the one English Bay): http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/. I love butternut squash soup and this was the best I've ever had.

Photos and description on my travel blog: https://twocruisingsisters.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/a-day-in-vancouver-bc-2/

 

Hmmm.... a trip to Vancouver may be sooner than I think :)

[xlxo]

Oh Vancouver is such a foodie paradise.

Agreed... perhaps with an emphasis on looking for local flavours/opportunities....

• seafood
  
• Oriental food? Dim Sum brunch is like Asian high tea.
  
• JapaDog for Miso Mayo
  
• Bella's and/or La Casa for dessert?
  http://www.marthastewart.com/909325/visiting-la-casa-gelato-and-tasting-flavors#909325
  

 

[YOUTUBE]AhuNhqaABmg[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]ky8bouLbbB8[/YOUTUBE]

[marshhawk]

I am jumping in here, sorry OP, because we are in Vancouver for one night, staying at the Holiday Inn, and I notice a lot of walk up window restaurants on line, but we would be looking for seafood, (cooked, not sushi) We are south of Canada Place, north of the airport, and will be probably walking. What would you recommend as a decent fair priced seafood restaurant? And how safe is walking around the city in that area at night?

[poss]

Lisa-Ann (or anyone who knows): Does FiveSails require jackets for men?

 

The prices are more expensive than what we like to spend-- but, oh, my, the menu looks fantastic. I know that often hotel restaurants are expensive, but I'd hope that the quality of the food and the excellence of the preparation make the splurge worth it. (I know that for many people it wouldn't be a "splurge" at all.)

 

Thank you.

[Putterdude]

Lisa-Ann (or anyone who knows): Does FiveSails require jackets for men?

 

The prices are more expensive than what we like to spend-- but, oh, my, the menu looks fantastic. I know that often hotel restaurants are expensive, but I'd hope that the quality of the food and the excellence of the preparation make the splurge worth it. (I know that for many people it wouldn't be a "splurge" at all.)

 

Thank you.

 

No, smart casual will be fine.

 

I have forgotten where you are staying, if its the Bayshore that you asked me about then I wouldn't come to the Five Sails but instead the LIft which is only a few yards from the Bayshore and has excellent food and views.

[Putterdude]

I am jumping in here, sorry OP, because we are in Vancouver for one night, staying at the Holiday Inn, and I notice a lot of walk up window restaurants on line, but we would be looking for seafood, (cooked, not sushi) We are south of Canada Place, north of the airport, and will be probably walking. What would you recommend as a decent fair priced seafood restaurant? And how safe is walking around the city in that area at night?

 

I assume you are at the Holliday Inn on Howe St. so I would recommend Joe Fortes which is a little expensive but if you stay away from the drinks and wine its not bad and JFs has been around for 25 years turning out terrific meals. Or the Fish Shack on Granville St. that also does a great job.

 

Both are only a few block from the Holiday Inn and Vancouver is an extremely safe city to walk around in....you may run into a few homeless people looking for a handout but a polite, firm NO sends them on their way.

 

http://www.joefortes.ca/

 

http://www.glowbalgroup.com/fish-shack/#

[poss]

Thanks, Putterdude. In fact, I've actually made reservations for one night at The Lift, but I will say that nothing on Lift menu (except maybe the halibut) interests me as much as more than half a dozen things do on Five Sails menu. Still, I suspect we'll stay with Lift, since hopefully we'll be tired from lots of pleasant site-seeing all day.

[marshhawk]

thank you putterdude, both look great, and I was thinking in American dollars not Canadian dollars when I first looked at the prices. So I am over the shock.

 

also, I heard that there were a lot of homeless in Vancouver, as there are in Atlanta, but in Atlanta, they might be a little rougher. there are certain sections of town, we do advise folk not to go into.

[Urban trekker]

The downtown eastside is the worst of the areas in the City for homelessness, drug use etc yet while unsightly it is still pretty safe - most assaults are between the locals.

 

Unless you are planning on going from Chinatown to Gastown you aren't likely to be anywhere near this part of our city.

 

Just do as is mentioned above when the pan handlers approach you - living downtown I experience this every day - I just keep walking - with one exception because I know the guy I don't strike up a conversation with the street people.

 

Having done some volunteer work with the City of Vancouver in regards to the homeless count many of the people outside prefer to be there as they don't trust government and the social service agencies.

 

Hope this helps answer your question and hope you enjoy your visit.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[xlxo]

thank you putterdude, both look great, and I was thinking in American dollars not Canadian dollars when I first looked at the prices. So I am over the shock.

 

also, I heard that there were a lot of homeless in Vancouver, as there are in Atlanta, but in Atlanta, they might be a little rougher. there are certain sections of town, we do advise folk not to go into.

Thoughts....

• give yourself a 20% discount to adjust for the currency.
  
• Don't be surprised about a 5% tax added to the bill. Servers expected another 15 to 20% tip.
  
• a lot of credit cards like add a 2.5% currency surcharge.
  
• for larger groups.... pay attention to the bill. They may have added a tip to the bill already. A good server will warn you.
  

Edited April 25, 2016 by xlxo