Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite

[Urban trekker]

Remember if you get on the Canada Line at the airport you have to pay the $5.00 surcharge - getting on at either Bridgeport or Aberdeen you won't get charged the $5.00.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

Remember if you get on the Canada Line at the airport you have to pay the $5.00 surcharge - getting on at either Bridgeport or Aberdeen you won't get charged the $5.00.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

 

Excellent point Ut, to which me thinks the shuttle driver is going to expect a tip no matter which station you go to. Then you have the the (in)convenience and the luggage schlepping aspect; in my book taking a taxi from the hotel looks good. From observation they don't have a cab line at the hotel but there is usually one waiting across the street in the morning and if there isn't one then it's 5 mins away.

[Kartgv]

We arrive into YVR late in the evening the day before our cruise. We are staying at the Westin Wall Center YVR. There is a shuttle from the airport to the hotel....B

 

Are you by any chance staying there because of its affiliation with Sheraton? If so, check and see if you can switch to the Westin Bayshore - also a Sheraton affiliate with lovely views and a great location. We woke up early and were able to watch our ship arriving into the harbor. We took a cab to the pier for under $10, but I don't think there's a shuttle from the airport Actually, we stayed at the Sheraton Wall Center twice and didn't have a airport shuttle there either - maybe they've added one recently, but double-check.

[Putterdude]

Are you by any chance staying there because of its affiliation with Sheraton? If so, check and see if you can switch to the Westin Bayshore - also a Sheraton affiliate with lovely views and a great location. We woke up early and were able to watch our ship arriving into the harbor. We took a cab to the pier for under $10, but I don't think there's a shuttle from the airport Actually, we stayed at the Sheraton Wall Center twice and didn't have a airport shuttle there either - maybe they've added one recently, but double-check.

 

To that list you could add the Westin Grand on Robson St., which is closer to Canada Place than the Bayshore. However, to my knowledge with YVR being a 30 to 35 min. drive from downtown no downtown offers a free shuttle.

[bellebaby]

Are you by any chance staying there because of its affiliation with Sheraton? If so, check and see if you can switch to the Westin Bayshore - also a Sheraton affiliate with lovely views and a great location. We woke up early and were able to watch our ship arriving into the harbor. We took a cab to the pier for under $10, but I don't think there's a shuttle from the airport Actually, we stayed at the Sheraton Wall Center twice and didn't have a airport shuttle there either - maybe they've added one recently, but double-check.

 

Yes, we're using Starwood points for the stay. However, our flight gets in very late and we won't make it to the hotel until well past midnight. We decided to stay close to the airport and make the trip downtown the next day. We may very well change our plans.

 

Speaking of.. are either of the other Starwood hotels a more convenient choice? Sheraton Vancouver Airport or Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport?

 

We have sailed from Canada Place quite a few times and have typically stayed in a club room at the Hyatt Regency. They don't have frequent guest rooms available for our stay. We're hoping it may open up as the date gets closer. The Westin Grand is relatively close to the Hyatt?

 

Or, as you pointed out, we could stay at one of the Starwood properties downtown/Westin Bayshore.

 

Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

B

Edited March 4, 2015 by bellebaby

[Putterdude]

The Westin Grand is going to put you much closer to Canada Place than the Bayshore but not nearly as close as the Hyatt Regency. As for the two airport Sheratons either will place you about 4 blocks from a Canada Line station. If I was arriving late in the evening and wanted to stay in Richmond at a Starwood property then my first choice would be the Weston Wall Centre, if I wanted to come downtown then my first choice would be the Westin Grand, followed by the Sheraton Wall Centre and then the Bayshore. The Bayshore is a lovely property but it is about as far from Canada Place and you can be in the downtown core....if you wanted to go to Stanley Park first thing in the morning for walk, jog or bike ride then that is where you want to go.

[bellebaby]

The Westin Grand is going to put you much closer to Canada Place than the Bayshore but not nearly as close as the Hyatt Regency. As for the two airport Sheratons either will place you about 4 blocks from a Canada Line station. If I was arriving late in the evening and wanted to stay in Richmond at a Starwood property then my first choice would be the Weston Wall Centre, if I wanted to come downtown then my first choice would be the Westin Grand, followed by the Sheraton Wall Centre and then the Bayshore. The Bayshore is a lovely property but it is about as far from Canada Place and you can be in the downtown core....if you wanted to go to Stanley Park first thing in the morning for walk, jog or bike ride then that is where you want to go.

 

Right now our plans are to stay at the Westin Wall Centre near YVR and take a cab to Canada Place the following day.

 

If Hyatt opens up Gold Passport availability, we may decide to switch.

 

I'd love to stay at the Westin Bayshore, but this time we're opting for convenience over amenities. We won't be at the hotel except to sleep pre-cruise.

 

Planning is half the fun and makes the experience much easier. Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

 

B

Edited March 4, 2015 by bellebaby

[5soccer9]

Four of us will be in Vancouver in July and would like some recommendations for a restaurant for us to go to. We will be staying on Robson Street. We are not looking for anything fancy but some place that has good food and a good time. Thank you for any suggestions that you can give us.

[xlxo]

Right now our plans are to stay at the Westin Wall Centre near YVR and take a cab to Canada Place the following day.

 

I'd love to stay at the Westin Bayshore, but this time we're opting for convenience over amenities. We won't be at the hotel except to sleep pre-cruise.

B

if you are arriving late.... it may be FASTER to get downtown via cab than waiting over 20 minutes for an airport shuttle. Traffic downtown is very light after 9pm. When looking at a map... Vancouver is a very compact city.

 

I stay by the airport for cost savings.... I would stay downtown for convenience.

Edited March 9, 2015 by xlxo

[vino100]

there will be 3 couples travelling together so would a van be the best way to get from the airport to Canada Place? if so, any suggestions for such a service would be appreciated. sorry if this has already been answered.

[martincath]

Four of us will be in Vancouver in July and would like some recommendations for a restaurant for us to go to. We will be staying on Robson Street. We are not looking for anything fancy but some place that has good food and a good time. Thank you for any suggestions that you can give us.

Robson Street is pretty long - depending on which hotel you're in, one or more of these should be walkable and provide non-fancy grub on or very close to Robson (NB: since you didn't specify any particular genre I've covered a few different types including several Asian eateries).

Kintaro Ramen

=&distance[search_distance]=20&distance[search_units]=km"]White Spot (Georgia at the West end, Dunsmuir at the East end)

Guu with Garlic (or Original on Thurlow)

Hons on Robson

Earls on Robson

Milestones on Robson

Joey on Burrard

The Railway Club

More bars than you can shake a stick at on Granville St - my pick near Robson would be the Lennox as one of the least tacky

Ramen Jinya - their premium pork broth makes for my fave noodle bowl in the city

Back Forty Saloon

 

If you're near the middle of Robson or can handle a bit of a walk, then the Tap & Barrel at the convention centre offers decent pub grub and views.

 

There are also plenty of burger/pizza/fastfood joints if you just want to grab a bite before heading elsewhere for the Good Times. A better definition of what you want for the latter would help too - a dance floor? trendy DJs? live bands? good craic from staff/other punters? cheap booze? good local beers? good imported beers? good whisk(e)y? good cocktails? strippers?

[martincath]

there will be 3 couples travelling together so would a van be the best way to get from the airport to Canada Place? if so, any suggestions for such a service would be appreciated. sorry if this has already been answered.

Unless you want to hire a limo service independently and pay the statutory minimum of $75 an hour for at least an hour, your car/van options from YVR are twofold: get two cabs, or an SUV/Limo from Aerocar (they have exclusive walkup car service at YVR).

 

Good news is prices are fixed, so you can compare where your hotel is on the YVR Taxi Zone map to the 6 or 8 pax vehicle price from Aerocar (if you plan to go straight to the pier, that's the Canada Place zone for $35+tip per cab or $66+5%tax+Tip for 6 pax Aerocar - NB: these may not have enough room for your suitcases if you all travel with big bags, so an 8 pax might be needed).

 

There's also transit - certainly the cheapest and arguably just as fast, but of course you need to be able to schlep your own bags around a bit. If you can walk 3 short, level blocks then it's a very viable option. With six of you it would be practical to buy a ten-pack of FareSaver tickets from the 7-Eleven in the airport and just give away the remaining 4 tickets - if you're arriving offpeak (holidays, weekends or evenings) you only need 1 Zone tickets for a whopping $21 to get you all downtown; peak (weekdays) you need to pay $31.50 for 2 Zone tickets. If you're actually staying on or returning to Vancouver you can also use the remaining tickets of course.

[5soccer9]

Robson Street is pretty long - depending on which hotel you're in, one or more of these should be walkable and provide non-fancy grub on or very close to Robson (NB: since you didn't specify any particular genre I've covered a few different types including several Asian eateries).

Kintaro Ramen

=&distance[search_distance]=20&distance[search_units]=km"]White Spot (Georgia at the West end, Dunsmuir at the East end)

Guu with Garlic (or Original on Thurlow)

Hons on Robson

Earls on Robson

Milestones on Robson

Joey on Burrard

The Railway Club

More bars than you can shake a stick at on Granville St - my pick near Robson would be the Lennox as one of the least tacky

Ramen Jinya - their premium pork broth makes for my fave noodle bowl in the city

Back Forty Saloon

 

If you're near the middle of Robson or can handle a bit of a walk, then the Tap & Barrel at the convention centre offers decent pub grub and views.

 

There are also plenty of burger/pizza/fastfood joints if you just want to grab a bite before heading elsewhere for the Good Times. A better definition of what you want for the latter would help too - a dance floor? trendy DJs? live bands? good craic from staff/other punters? cheap booze? good local beers? good imported beers? good whisk(e)y? good cocktails? strippers?

 

Thanks for the info. We are ar the Hampton if that helps. Looking for maybe more burger or seafood or local fare if there is such. Place with lots of different beer and maybe local brews. Thanks again.

[martincath]

Thanks for the info. We are ar the Hampton if that helps. Looking for maybe more burger or seafood or local fare if there is such. Place with lots of different beer and maybe local brews. Thanks again.

I'll refocus onto pubs then - all will have burgers, fish & chips and the like. Seafood is hard to find outside the basic fried fish form without paying fancy money for - sashimi is actually the best value way to experience it IMO, as you're not paying much of a markup from market prices, but a lot of folks won't do raw fish. If you do feel like trying it, Vancouver is a great place for it - try Shuraku at Robson & Granville.

 

You will tend to find at least one salmon dish on even in pubs, and halibut is very common as the fish in fish & chips too - still pricier than other fish despite our decent local stocks and even halibut farms, but personally it's worth paying a couple of bucks more for. The Fish Shack on Granville isn't too far from the Hampton, and offers the best selection of Western-style simply-prepared fish at a reasonable price IMO.

 

Local in the sense of 'grown nearby' is almost a requirement in Vancouver; it's a very locavore food scene. Local as in 'unique to the city' is almost non-existent - Japadog being one quirky exception, and their sit-down resto is nearby the Hampton (it's not somewhere you can party hearty though, more of an 'eat and get the hell out' kind of place).

 

As well as Back 40 from before, you're close to the Library Square pub (part of the Donnelly chain, a bit soulless but with a decent range of taps and food) or a block further to the Kingston Taphouse.

 

A tad further afield into Yaletown offers several choices like Yaletown Brewing (one of the oldest brewpubs in town, a new brewmaster came on about a year ago and has begun revamping the selection - pizzas are particularly good) as well as local branches of Milestones & Earls; a Keg steakhouse (hard to beat the value, decent steaks at a fair price and if anything isn't perfect they'll fix it or comp it); another Donnelly Pub (New Oxford); Subeez.

 

I'll also offer the Devil's Elbow despite not having visited yet because the brews are from Howe Sound, an outstanding local brewery. If the food sucks don't blame me though!

 

For me, hands-down the finest burger in town is found Upstairs at Campagnolo - the somewhat off-puttingly termed Dirty Burger (40 day dry aged beef, fried in grease atop an old-school griddle and put into a likewise-fried Scottish Bap). Upstairs is well-known to local hipsters already unfortunately, but it's worth tolerating the horde of identically-dressed 'individual' twenty-somethings for the old-school whiskey cocktails and bar snacks (who makes real pork scratchings these days!?) as well as access to downstairs' outstanding but off-menu Foie Gras pizza as well as anything else from the regular menu. It's also the only place you can get the house beer on tap - a nice citrusy pale ale that's filtered through charred pig bones...

 

If you like the sound of that, access is via the door marked with a hobo sign just to the right of the main restaurant entrance. I suggest walking via the Seawall rather than the more direct but thoroughly crappy walk along one of our viaducts breathing commuter gas fumes.

[bellebaby]

if you are arriving late.... it may be FASTER to get downtown via cab than waiting over 20 minutes for an airport shuttle. Traffic downtown is very light after 9pm. When looking at a map... Vancouver is a very compact city.

 

I stay by the airport for cost savings.... I would stay downtown for convenience.

 

We've switched to the Sheraton at the airport. The Westin shuttle's last pick-up is at 12:30 a.m. As our flight's scheduled arrival is at 11:55 p.m., I don't think we'll make it. The Sheraton has pick-ups 24/7.

 

Plus, the Sheraton has reduced their point requirement to 3,000 for our date of arrival. The Westin and Four Points at the airport are charging 7,000 points. The downtown Starwood hotels charge 10,000 points. We'll only be there for about 8 hours. We need a bed, bath/shower and coffee.

 

I guess we're staying at the airport for cost savings, too. I understand it won't be as upscale as other properties, but that's OK. Hopefully we'll get an updated room.

 

B

Edited March 10, 2015 by bellebaby

[scottbee]

Thanks for the info. We are ar the Hampton if that helps. Looking for maybe more burger or seafood or local fare if there is such. Place with lots of different beer and maybe local brews. Thanks again.

 

Actually right across Robson from the Hampton is Back 40. While I would recommend any of martincath's recommendations over Back 40, it's right there if you're not feeling up for a walk; and it's certainly better than the chain restaurants. The food is decent (certainly an improvement over the previous owners), and the beer selection isn't horrible.

[5soccer9]

I'll refocus onto pubs then - all will have burgers, fish & chips and the like. Seafood is hard to find outside the basic fried fish form without paying fancy money for - sashimi is actually the best value way to experience it IMO, as you're not paying much of a markup from market prices, but a lot of folks won't do raw fish. If you do feel like trying it, Vancouver is a great place for it - try Shuraku at Robson & Granville.

 

You will tend to find at least one salmon dish on even in pubs, and halibut is very common as the fish in fish & chips too - still pricier than other fish despite our decent local stocks and even halibut farms, but personally it's worth paying a couple of bucks more for. The Fish Shack on Granville isn't too far from the Hampton, and offers the best selection of Western-style simply-prepared fish at a reasonable price IMO.

 

Local in the sense of 'grown nearby' is almost a requirement in Vancouver; it's a very locavore food scene. Local as in 'unique to the city' is almost non-existent - Japadog being one quirky exception, and their sit-down resto is nearby the Hampton (it's not somewhere you can party hearty though, more of an 'eat and get the hell out' kind of place).

 

As well as Back 40 from before, you're close to the Library Square pub (part of the Donnelly chain, a bit soulless but with a decent range of taps and food) or a block further to the Kingston Taphouse.

 

A tad further afield into Yaletown offers several choices like Yaletown Brewing (one of the oldest brewpubs in town, a new brewmaster came on about a year ago and has begun revamping the selection - pizzas are particularly good) as well as local branches of Milestones & Earls; a Keg steakhouse (hard to beat the value, decent steaks at a fair price and if anything isn't perfect they'll fix it or comp it); another Donnelly Pub (New Oxford); Subeez.

 

I'll also offer the Devil's Elbow despite not having visited yet because the brews are from Howe Sound, an outstanding local brewery. If the food sucks don't blame me though!

 

For me, hands-down the finest burger in town is found Upstairs at Campagnolo - the somewhat off-puttingly termed Dirty Burger (40 day dry aged beef, fried in grease atop an old-school griddle and put into a likewise-fried Scottish Bap). Upstairs is well-known to local hipsters already unfortunately, but it's worth tolerating the horde of identically-dressed 'individual' twenty-somethings for the old-school whiskey cocktails and bar snacks (who makes real pork scratchings these days!?) as well as access to downstairs' outstanding but off-menu Foie Gras pizza as well as anything else from the regular menu. It's also the only place you can get the house beer on tap - a nice citrusy pale ale that's filtered through charred pig bones...

 

If you like the sound of that, access is via the door marked with a hobo sign just to the right of the main restaurant entrance. I suggest walking via the Seawall rather than the more direct but thoroughly crappy walk along one of our viaducts breathing commuter gas fumes.

 

Thank you so much for all the wonderful information. We are really looking forward to our time in Vancouver. We plan to see some of the Olympic sights and then ride bikes in Stanley park. I did see information on a suspension bridge you could go across, that park of me says do it but I am afraid that I would start and be scared to death. Anything else that you might be able to suggest that we should not miss? If hockey season was still on we would have loved to take in a hockey game while we were there. Again, thanks for all the wonderful information. I am sure it will be a day, and night to remember.

[5soccer9]

Actually right across Robson from the Hampton is Back 40. While I would recommend any of martincath's recommendations over Back 40, it's right there if you're not feeling up for a walk; and it's certainly better than the chain restaurants. The food is decent (certainly an improvement over the previous owners), and the beer selection isn't horrible.

 

Thank you so much. I am saving all of these wonderful suggestion so we have them when we visit. Thanks again.

[Semi Retired]

We like Boathouse and Cactus Club...both on the beach @ English Bay

Then there's Red Robin Gourmet Burgers @ Robson & Thurlow.

And the best for last....Memphis Blues Barbeque House, on Robson, between Richards & Homer. Great food, share platters, and decent prices.

[xlxo]

We've switched to the Sheraton at the airport. The Westin shuttle's last pick-up is at 12:30 a.m. As our flight's scheduled arrival is at 11:55 p.m., I don't think we'll make it. The Sheraton has pick-ups 24/7.B

If the shuttle makes you wait.... jump in one of the waiting cabs. My sleep is too important.

[xlxo]

We are ar the Hampton if that helps. Looking for maybe more burger or seafood or local fare if there is such.

Just west and down the hill by one block is Costco. Don't need a membership to enjoy the $1.50 polish dog 'n drink. Edited March 10, 2015 by xlxo

[martincath]

Thank you so much for all the wonderful information. We are really looking forward to our time in Vancouver. We plan to see some of the Olympic sights and then ride bikes in Stanley park. I did see information on a suspension bridge you could go across, that park of me says do it but I am afraid that I would start and be scared to death. Anything else that you might be able to suggest that we should not miss? If hockey season was still on we would have loved to take in a hockey game while we were there. Again, thanks for all the wonderful information. I am sure it will be a day, and night to remember.

Whether it was Capilano (convenient 'free' shuttle included in the ~$30pp entrance fee) or Lynn Canyon (free, but lengthy by Transit if you don't hire a car) I simply can't recommend visiting either bridge if you aren't confident you can handle wobbly bridges. Without the bridges, you don't really get much more of an experience than you would in Stanley Park, which has plenty of big trees and quiet areas you can just about escape from the rest of humanity (or at least pretend to for a little bit).

 

I always recommend people have a Plan B focused on indoor options - it rains here a lot, and while we've had three very sunny summers in a row it just takes one day of rain on the day you allocated to sightseeing to put the proverbial damper on things. Should the weather cooperate, which it probably will July/August, then if you get through your Plan A things quicker than expected you can also hit your Plan Bs - you don't have to wait for a rainy day to enjoy the Aquarium, Science World, our various Museums or Galleries.

 

If you're biking, a great shortcut is to take the ferry across False Creek south of Stanley Park - that gets you over to the Granville Island & then Kitsilano sections of the Seawall without going all the way around the shore. Even if you want to see Science World or the Athlete's Village, you can always cycle one way and ferry the other.

 

Aquabus have dedicated 'cyquabus' boats that you can roll your bikes on and off very easily, but False Creek Ferries go right to the Maritime Museum - personally I'd opt for the latter as it cuts even more distance off on one leg, and the views back across to downtown from the seawall near Vanier Park (where you can also do the Space Centre and City of Vancouver Museum, plus Bard on the Beach if you're a Shakespeare buff) are great.

 

Here's a Google Map showing what I mean about the distances - if you take the ferry you go from A to B via E, instead of the entire loop via B & C. There are nice views, and some of the best patios in the city, along the south shore of the creek though so it is worth doing one way - especially if you want to see our Olympic legacy, as the village is the biggest part of it. Hinge Park (locally more often referred to as Beer Island) is worth wandering onto - entirely man-made, but very natural-looking, to replace the shoreline that was lost when the village was built (the original waterfront was under the Salt building, which now houses Craft an Albertan alehouse which I do NOT recommend - hit the Tap & Barrel across the square for bigger and better value beers as well as better food and the best patio).

[scottbee]

Thank you so much for all the wonderful information. We are really looking forward to our time in Vancouver. We plan to see some of the Olympic sights and then ride bikes in Stanley park. I did see information on a suspension bridge you could go across, that park of me says do it but I am afraid that I would start and be scared to death. Anything else that you might be able to suggest that we should not miss? If hockey season was still on we would have loved to take in a hockey game while we were there. Again, thanks for all the wonderful information. I am sure it will be a day, and night to remember.

 

Well; given your screen name; and the fact that BC Place Stadium is across the street from your hotel, have you considered an MLS game?

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/schedule?month=all&year=2015&competition_type=all&broadcast_type=68&op=Search&form_id=mls_schedule_form

[scottbee]

If the shuttle makes you wait.... jump in one of the waiting cabs. My sleep is too important.

 

The downside to grabbing a taxi at the airport and heading to one of the airport hotels in Richmond is the taxi flat rates conspire against you. $20 for a 2 mile journey...

[5soccer9]

We like Boathouse and Cactus Club...both on the beach @ English Bay

Then there's Red Robin Gourmet Burgers @ Robson & Thurlow.

And the best for last....Memphis Blues Barbeque House, on Robson, between Richards & Homer. Great food, share platters, and decent prices.

 

Thanks. I like the Memphis Blues place. That looks great. Thanks.