Transportation recommendations - Vancouver airport to Auberge Hotel

[jennaja]

Looking for transportation options/estimated prices between the Vancouver airport and the Augerge Hotel downtown.  We're going on a 14 day cruise, so will have 2 largish suitcases and 2 carryons between us.

Although we have been to Vancouver many times, I don't remember this particular hotel. 

[neeuqdrazil]

If you're comfortable on public transit, the Canada Line train will take you to the Waterfront station. If you exit from the Hastings St. exit, the Auberge is a very quick less than 2 block walk along Hastings. The fare (including the $5 YVR fee) is less than $10/person, and how much it is depends on when you're travelling. I did this last spring, and it was quick and convenient in the middle of a weekday. 

[martincath]

Personally I'd do SkyTrain as well; but if you're tired and don't feel like the walk a cab from YVR will cost exactly CAD$34 - although note that since Hastings St is the zone boundary on that block, a weaselly cabbie will tell you it's inside the $38 pier zone. This is explicitly not true, both sides of all boundary streets are charged at the lowest applicable zone price and this has been the case for years, so if the cabbie does ask for $38 do not tip!

[Northern Aurora]

We stayed at the Auberge last September and just took a taxi.  Easy peasy.  

 

We have stayed at the Auberge in 2018 and then again last September.  The hotel is in the middle of the block which is why our OP may not remember it.  It was remodeled since we stayed there in 2018; it was lovely then but is even nicer now.  

 

The walk from the Auberge to Canada Place is very easy.  Leave the hotel, turn left and walk half a block along level sidewalks.  Then left again and one block along a slightly downhill incline to Canada Place.  The incline is not that steep so no concerns about having to really hold onto the suitcase handle to avoid an escaping suitcase racing down ahead of its owner.

[Sigyn]

This is a very helpful post. We, too, are staying at the Auberge before our cruise this summer. 

[jennaja]

3 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

We stayed at the Auberge last September and just took a taxi.  Easy peasy.  

 

We have stayed at the Auberge in 2018 and then again last September.  The hotel is in the middle of the block which is why our OP may not remember it.  It was remodeled since we stayed there in 2018; it was lovely then but is even nicer now.  

 

The walk from the Auberge to Canada Place is very easy.  Leave the hotel, turn left and walk half a block along level sidewalks.  Then left again and one block along a slightly downhill incline to Canada Place.  The incline is not that steep so no concerns about having to really hold onto the suitcase handle to avoid an escaping suitcase racing down ahead of its owner.

Thank you for this info!  We usually try to stay at the Pan Pacific for the convenience, but got a relatively good price on the Auberge using a Price breaker deal.  The description says it's about 2/10ths of a mile from the pier, so I feel like I should remember it.

[neeuqdrazil]

11 hours ago, jennaja said:

Thank you for this info!  We usually try to stay at the Pan Pacific for the convenience, but got a relatively good price on the Auberge using a Price breaker deal.  The description says it's about 2/10ths of a mile from the pier, so I feel like I should remember it.

 

The Auberge is not terribly well signed - it took me a bit to find it when I stayed there last spring. If you're not specifically looking for it, you probably won't see it. (It also shares a lobby with a condo (I think) and some businesses. 

[martincath]

2 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

The Auberge is not terribly well signed - it took me a bit to find it when I stayed there last spring. If you're not specifically looking for it, you probably won't see it. (It also shares a lobby with a condo (I think) and some businesses. 

It was originally a hotel linked to the private members club below, and known as various combinations of The Hotel At Terminal City Club, Terminal City Club Hotel etc. which due to worldwide links to other swanky clubs needed available nice rooms for out-of-town members but also rented rooms to Joe Q Public when not needed. Rebranded to Auberge several years ago now and became a little more advertised, fewer rooms held back for members and more available for tourists, but still remains deliberately a smidge under the radar to avoid enticing too much riff-raff in to share a building with club members!

 

It's not a 'stuffy' place like the stereotypical London club, but you'll see a much higher proportion of be-suited locals than is normal for Vancouver, where dress codes anywhere except private clubs pretty much consist of "Duuuuuuuude! Skiboots? At least clean them before you come in!" rather than Jacket and Tie Required 😉

[quillwercruisers]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but can the taxi's carry 4 adults plus luggage? Also, is the cost higher?

 

Thanks in advance.

[jennaja]

5 hours ago, martincath said:

It was originally a hotel linked to the private members club below, and known as various combinations of The Hotel At Terminal City Club, Terminal City Club Hotel etc. which due to worldwide links to other swanky clubs needed available nice rooms for out-of-town members but also rented rooms to Joe Q Public when not needed. Rebranded to Auberge several years ago now and became a little more advertised, fewer rooms held back for members and more available for tourists, but still remains deliberately a smidge under the radar to avoid enticing too much riff-raff in to share a building with club members!

 

It's not a 'stuffy' place like the stereotypical London club, but you'll see a much higher proportion of be-suited locals than is normal for Vancouver, where dress codes anywhere except private clubs pretty much consist of "Duuuuuuuude! Skiboots? At least clean them before you come in!" rather than Jacket and Tie Required 😉

I do recall seeing a  Terminal City Club Hotel years ago - didn't pay much attention to it though.

[martincath]

4 hours ago, quillwercruisers said:

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but can the taxi's carry 4 adults plus luggage? Also, is the cost higher?

 

Thanks in advance.

Cost is the cost; 1 person with no bags, or a trunk full and bums on all seats, the same. The problem is that an overwhelming majority of local cabs are various models of Prius - because in a set-by-law-price environment the biggest contributor to better profits is lower running costs! All those batteries do make for less luggage space... 4 adults traveling light, no problem. 4 adults with a carryon/backpack on their laps, you may still not have enough room in the trunk for 4 suitcases...

 

Minivans make up ~17% of the fleets - but only because by law, Accessible vehicles for wheelchair users have to make up this proportion of the fleets. Instead of the middle bench or rotating cabin chairs, there's an empty space with wheelchair tiedowns (or else only a middle bench, with the rear bench removed to allow a chair or scooter to be rolled up a folding ramp into the back). Either way, this means virtually every van taxi still only has 4 pax seats - but they're ideal for folks with a ton of luggage!

 

The issue is no guarantee which cab will roll up at YVRs 'first come first served' queue - and the karmic issue that if you get lucky with a van cab, but behind you there's a little old lady in a wheelchair with all the other visible cabs in the approaching line small Priuses, do you do the nice thing and step aside to allow the person who MUST use a van cab get 'your' one?

 

Personally, unless everyone packs light, if you want to avoid SkyTrain I'd be inclined to book an Uber - as with those you can specify an XL, which should easily fit four even with loads of bags. It will be more than a cab, even without Surge - regular Ubers only save a handful of bucks on the airport-to-downtown route, and I think XLs attract a 20-30% premium - but at least you'll know that your vehicle will fit you all and it should be a fair chunk less than two cabs.

 

But if the SkyTrain avoidance is more down to just not wanting to schlep bags around, then loading 3 of you and ALL the bags into a cab would work - and whoever volunteers to ride the train can do so without their bags, making life nice and easy... and probably being at the hotel before the cab folks to help unload it!!!

[Sigyn]

On 4/25/2023 at 10:52 PM, jennaja said:

Thank you for this info!  We usually try to stay at the Pan Pacific for the convenience, but got a relatively good price on the Auberge using a Price breaker deal.  The description says it's about 2/10ths of a mile from the pier, so I feel like I should remember it.

Same for us. I had booked the Pan Pacific but then snagged a deal on Priceline that was $600 and change for two nights at the Auberge vs. $500 and change for one night at the Pan Pacific. Well worth the switch. 

Edited April 27, 2023 by njsmom