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Moerin78
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The Pan Pacific was booked as were many of the hotels near the cruise port. The port is next to the convention center so the hotels can book up quite early. And, there is the surge pricing phenomenon when rooms in short supply go for a premium rate. There were several conventions in town when we were there and rooms were tough to get downtown and this was 6 months out. We found the Carmana Plaza Hotel on Alberni St. off Robson. It was a great find and the rooms were all suites. I would say it was less than a mile from the port and the Taxi was around 10$ CAD plus tip (they like to put the $ after the digits). Although the Taxis take credit cards, they can be vocal that they don't like to.

 

Definitely spend a few days in Vancouver. It is a fabulous city. The people are great. Tim Horton's rocks. The money is made out of plastic. Chinese food is great. With a favorable exchange rate, it is also a bargain. Mass transit is very efficient and the Skytrain very fast. The train travels through different zones. Make sure you have the right ticket for the train because fines are quite stiff if you go into a different zone. We went to Pleasant Restaurant featured by Guy Fieri and it was great. Since the train tickets are timed, we took the train to and from on 1 ticket.

 

You can take the ferry to Victoria which is another gem. Beautiful gardens and great restaurants abound. The list goes on.

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The Pan Pacific was booked as were many of the hotels near the cruise port. The port is next to the convention center so the hotels can book up quite early. And, there is the surge pricing phenomenon when rooms in short supply go for a premium rate. There were several conventions in town when we were there and rooms were tough to get downtown and this was 6 months out. We found the Carmana Plaza Hotel on Alberni St. off Robson. It was a great find and the rooms were all suites. I would say it was less than a mile from the port and the Taxi was around 10$ CAD plus tip (they like to put the $ after the digits). Although the Taxis take credit cards, they can be vocal that they don't like to.

 

Definitely spend a few days in Vancouver. It is a fabulous city. The people are great. Tim Horton's rocks. The money is made out of plastic. Chinese food is great. With a favorable exchange rate, it is also a bargain. Mass transit is very efficient and the Skytrain very fast. The train travels through different zones. Make sure you have the right ticket for the train because fines are quite stiff if you go into a different zone. We went to Pleasant Restaurant featured by Guy Fieri and it was great. Since the train tickets are timed, we took the train to and from on 1 ticket.

 

You can take the ferry to Victoria which is another gem. Beautiful gardens and great restaurants abound. The list goes on.

 

I love your post - I am always boasting about Vancouver - but I had a "Huh??" reaction to the part I bolded. Not sure who "they" is but it ain't true!

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You're welcome. No Uber locally - long story short, provincial government is reviewing the whole 'sharing economy' incl Uber and AirBnB to see if they should be made legal, so who knows how long that will take! Taxis are all metered at a pretty fair rate - anywhere within downtown core is likely within a CAD$10 ride as we're a very compact city. Since you mentioned being willing to take transit too, I'll suggest a couple of outside-the-downtown-core spots too.

 

The grand-daddy of locavore cuisine, John Bishop, still runs his eponymous resto in Kits. 004/007/014 Bus or $15-20 cab from the Delta. Very frequently changing menu, superbly-handled seafood.

One of the best alums from Bishops, Andrea Carlson, now has her own hyper-seasonal spot - Burdock in Mount Pleasant (003 bus or $15 cab). Tiny kitchen with the bar in the same area - we like to sit at the bar to watch the ballet of staff managing to glide around each other despite the close quarters. If you're around Chinatown during the day, you can sample her noodles in her other venture, Harvest Community Foods. MAD hard-working!

The next three are all in and around Gastown, in order of distance from Delta:

Cinara (about 300yards) is our current go-to celebratory spot - it's always a good sign when a big restaurateur decides to focus on the kitchen again (as long as they haven't forgotten how to cook!). Fortunately Lucais Syme is kept in line by his better half - a husband & wife kitchen team makes for either marital bliss or good headlines involving knives, and so far it's the former here;-)

Wildebeest (about 500 yards) is a seasonal-but-not-super-seasonal place, very focused on meat. 'Nose to tail' eating, with usually at least three or four offal dishes on the menu, it has continuously improved and is good at promoting staff from within so very consistent in style. We were rather underwhelmed the first year, but it has now become a place we would have no second thoughts about booking - unless you're vegantarian!

L'Abattoir has been a staple of the Gastown scene for many years now - not quite as rapidly-changing a menu as some of the above, but that's good as it means we don't have to burn down the restaurant if they took away our Sweetbreads! These and a few staples tend to stay on the menu, but it does rotate around as the seasons come & go. It's about a half mile if you go the nice way along Water Street - I never recommend visitors walk along Blood Alley as we inevitably see at least one spaced-out junkie and a couple of rats.

 

Less than 10mins walk, opposite the VAG, is Hawksworth, arguably the best kitchen in the city and hands-down the closest to truly old-school Euro fine dining service - at a price. Sommeliers on floor, ninja waitrons who refill glasses without being seen, napkins matched to a lady's dress colour - if you want to be treated like a pretty princess (and who doesn't want that on occasion!?) this is where it will happen. The menu is aggressively protein-forward, but they will make custom dishes to suit anyone without any issues - this is one of our veggie friends' favourite spots. One downside - romantic sweet nothings are hard to whisper, as the resto is always full and on the loud side. Ask for a table in the back room, near the old staircase for the best chance at quiet.

Similarly-pricey, with even better fish, is Blue Water in Yaletown - 3/4 mile walk, maybe $7 by cab. Full Raw Bar, big seafood towers, and truly excellent cooking. Popular celeb-spotting place, vast array of fish - including many 'unsung hero' bycatch fish not normally served most places - but minimal vegetarian offerings and probably not worth visiting unless you can spare $150pp.

 

Oh, even the fanciest spots in town have no dress code, we're super casual on the Wet Coast. Shirt, Shorts & Shoes is about as picky as anywhere gets unless you're invited to a private club.

 

Great info on a great city! (except for the Canucks and those two 'green guys' ;)) Thanks!

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Last time we stayed at the Shangri La (DEFINTELY NOT a moderate hotel, but I had a sweet deal, so I grabbed it). Seriously, for a moderate hotel there is a Residence Inn by Marriott (but not managed by Marriott - but overall not bad) not too far from the port. The hop around even stops there and it is very close to another nice area in Vancouver (2 blocks, I think?).

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You're welcome. No Uber locally - long story short, provincial government is reviewing the whole 'sharing economy' incl Uber and AirBnB to see if they should be made legal, so who knows how long that will take! Taxis are all metered at a pretty fair rate - anywhere within downtown core is likely within a CAD$10 ride as we're a very compact city. Since you mentioned being willing to take transit too, I'll suggest a couple of outside-the-downtown-core spots too.

 

The grand-daddy of locavore cuisine, John Bishop, still runs his eponymous resto in Kits. 004/007/014 Bus or $15-20 cab from the Delta. Very frequently changing menu, superbly-handled seafood.

One of the best alums from Bishops, Andrea Carlson, now has her own hyper-seasonal spot - Burdock in Mount Pleasant (003 bus or $15 cab). Tiny kitchen with the bar in the same area - we like to sit at the bar to watch the ballet of staff managing to glide around each other despite the close quarters. If you're around Chinatown during the day, you can sample her noodles in her other venture, Harvest Community Foods. MAD hard-working!

The next three are all in and around Gastown, in order of distance from Delta:

Cinara (about 300yards) is our current go-to celebratory spot - it's always a good sign when a big restaurateur decides to focus on the kitchen again (as long as they haven't forgotten how to cook!). Fortunately Lucais Syme is kept in line by his better half - a husband & wife kitchen team makes for either marital bliss or good headlines involving knives, and so far it's the former here;-)

Wildebeest (about 500 yards) is a seasonal-but-not-super-seasonal place, very focused on meat. 'Nose to tail' eating, with usually at least three or four offal dishes on the menu, it has continuously improved and is good at promoting staff from within so very consistent in style. We were rather underwhelmed the first year, but it has now become a place we would have no second thoughts about booking - unless you're vegantarian!

L'Abattoir has been a staple of the Gastown scene for many years now - not quite as rapidly-changing a menu as some of the above, but that's good as it means we don't have to burn down the restaurant if they took away our Sweetbreads! These and a few staples tend to stay on the menu, but it does rotate around as the seasons come & go. It's about a half mile if you go the nice way along Water Street - I never recommend visitors walk along Blood Alley as we inevitably see at least one spaced-out junkie and a couple of rats.

 

Less than 10mins walk, opposite the VAG, is Hawksworth, arguably the best kitchen in the city and hands-down the closest to truly old-school Euro fine dining service - at a price. Sommeliers on floor, ninja waitrons who refill glasses without being seen, napkins matched to a lady's dress colour - if you want to be treated like a pretty princess (and who doesn't want that on occasion!?) this is where it will happen. The menu is aggressively protein-forward, but they will make custom dishes to suit anyone without any issues - this is one of our veggie friends' favourite spots. One downside - romantic sweet nothings are hard to whisper, as the resto is always full and on the loud side. Ask for a table in the back room, near the old staircase for the best chance at quiet.

Similarly-pricey, with even better fish, is Blue Water in Yaletown - 3/4 mile walk, maybe $7 by cab. Full Raw Bar, big seafood towers, and truly excellent cooking. Popular celeb-spotting place, vast array of fish - including many 'unsung hero' bycatch fish not normally served most places - but minimal vegetarian offerings and probably not worth visiting unless you can spare $150pp.

 

Oh, even the fanciest spots in town have no dress code, we're super casual on the Wet Coast. Shirt, Shorts & Shoes is about as picky as anywhere gets unless you're invited to a private club.

This is AWESOME!

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I stayed at the Metropolitan. In relation to other hotels in the area it was moderately priced (two nights was just a few dollars more than one night in the Pan Pacific). It does not have a shuttle but it is very close to Canada Place (less than ten minutes and I walk slowly). The taxi was only a few dollars.

I'll second Metropolitan Hotel. We've stayed there 4 times and will again in May. Across the street from Four Seasons and half the price. We enjoyed a meal at Yew Seafood & Bar in the 4 Seasons. Expensive, but absolutely delicious. We also enjoyed lunch at The Flying Pig on Water St. (in Gastown)

Edited by shrimp56
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Just to clarify for visitors - while I totally agree on the nice views and restaurants (don't forget the many breweries!), the Uptown is at least 1.2 kilometres or 3/4 mile from the nearest SkyTrain station, which might be a challenge for many folks with suitcases.

 

Broadway-City Hall station is at least on the Canada Line so the cases will work just fine on the train, but even if traveling light you can't transfer from the bus to the SkyTrain any more (need to buy a new ticket) so do factor in a cab ride from hotel to pier ($15-20) or to SkyTrain (~$7-8) plus a $2.75pp ticket.

 

Good point but it is only about a ten minute walk down 10 th to the station with suitcases and I am retired. Or a cab right from the airport is well under 50$.

As the OP was looking for a moderately priced hotel I thought it is a good option. :)

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Good point but it is only about a ten minute walk down 10 th to the station with suitcases and I am retired. Or a cab right from the airport is well under 50$.

As the OP was looking for a moderately priced hotel I thought it is a good option. :)

No disagreement about the value - but since buses lost their transfer rights and SkyTrain is over a klick I felt it needed mentioned. Generally-speaking I feel the Uptown is fairly discounted compared to downtown BWs, and if you're a big fan of craft beer it is literally the best-located hotel in the city with three popular breweries within a few blocks, and also three bars with wide selections even closer.

 

Cabs from airport are actually just $28 fixed rate - many cabbies will ask for $31 arguing it's on the opposite side of Kingsway so in Downtown not Central, but the official rules are that both sides of the boundary streets pay the lowest rate (first iteration of the fare zones had Kingsway & Knight with 4 different fares for 4 different corners, ridiculously overcomplex...)

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No disagreement about the value - but since buses lost their transfer rights and SkyTrain is over a klick I felt it needed mentioned. Generally-speaking I feel the Uptown is fairly discounted compared to downtown BWs, and if you're a big fan of craft beer it is literally the best-located hotel in the city with three popular breweries within a few blocks, and also three bars with wide selections even closer.

 

Cabs from airport are actually just $28 fixed rate - many cabbies will ask for $31 arguing it's on the opposite side of Kingsway so in Downtown not Central, but the official rules are that both sides of the boundary streets pay the lowest rate (first iteration of the fare zones had Kingsway & Knight with 4 different fares for 4 different corners, ridiculously overcomplex...)

 

Thanks for the info on the cabs! And all the earlier restaurants! Our son lives nearby so we hit all the wonderful ethnic restaurants and great vegan at the Acorn. Love Main Street and Toishis for Japanese. Love the Dosa restaurant on Kingsway, all the sushi and dim sum! Glad we visit often!

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Thanks for the info on the cabs! And all the earlier restaurants! Our son lives nearby so we hit all the wonderful ethnic restaurants and great vegan at the Acorn. Love Main Street and Toishis for Japanese. Love the Dosa restaurant on Kingsway, all the sushi and dim sum! Glad we visit often!

It's a very undersung area for tourism, glad you're enjoying it. I miss dosas - since I found out I was diabetic it's much harder for me to eat many Asian dishes and unfortunately a huge piece of bread just isn't on the cards any more:(

 

Try the Wallflower next trip - not just vegan, but a truly inclusive menu covering GF, veggie, ethical meats, you name it. Lots of vegantarian options at Palm Tree (middle eastern) too. Carp Sushi behind Kingsgate Mall gets raves, much closer than Toshi but also much smaller so go early.

 

There's also been a recent explosion of enticing Western restos at Kingsway & Fraser - Osteria Savio Volpe, Crowbar, Los Cuervos on top of the already excellent Faux and Sal y Limon. Plus of course more good Vietnamese than you can shake a stick at right along the 'Little Saigon' part of Kingsway.

 

Did your son take you to Dude Chilling Park yet?

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Thanks again martincath! So many great places! Too bad bout the dosas, I guess I thought they were made of chickpeas! We did try a vegan Vietnamese that was very good on Kingsway I think.

What is the dude chilling park?

Dosa are normally made with a blend of roughly 4:1 ground rice and 'black lentil' (actually a bean) rather than gram flour. A lot of dosa batter then has more rice or flour added before cooking - and the sheer size means a metric buttload of easily-digested carbs. They're often cooked in ghee BTW, since you mentioned a couple of vegan places that's something to watch out for if you actually try to keep to vegan dishes.

 

Viet vegan... probably Dharma Garden, I think all their dishes are at least veggie. The similarly-named Dharma Kitchen is fully vegan, every dish.

 

Dude Chilling Park is a now-permanent art installation in Guelph Park - a local artist made a fake park name sign because another piece of outdoor art there looks like a person sitting/lying and relaxing. It was so popular that when the city removed it thousands signed a petition to bring it back - and they did, now with official blessing. These quirky little neighbourhood things are some of the reasons I love this city!

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I would say it was less than a mile from the port and the Taxi was around 10$ CAD plus tip (they like to put the $ after the digits). Although the Taxis take credit cards, they can be vocal that they don't like to.

 

I love your post - I am always boasting about Vancouver - but I had a "Huh??" reaction to the part I bolded. Not sure who "they" is but it ain't true!

 

As a British Columbian who lives an hour's flight away from Vancouver, I'll second Lizzie's sentiments. The only folks who I am aware of using the dollar sign AFTER the price are in Quebec. The rest of us in Canada place the dollar sign before the price.

 

Wherever you got your information from, it is incorrect.

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I love your post - I am always boasting about Vancouver - but I had a "Huh??" reaction to the part I bolded. Not sure who "they" is but it ain't true!

 

I also had to laugh at that! I have never seen the $ sign placed anywhere but first, just like in the USA. Vancouver is our Canadian treasure.....probably one of the top 10 cities in the world.

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Thanks martincath and xlxo! Now I know! ;)

Martincath, you are a wealth of information! Too bad you burst my bubble, uh, dosa, lol! I am not vegan but my son was a vegetarian for a few years and still tries, but the fish in Vancouver is just too good!

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As a British Columbian who lives an hour's flight away from Vancouver, I'll second Lizzie's sentiments. The only folks who I am aware of using the dollar sign AFTER the price are in Quebec. The rest of us in Canada place the dollar sign before the price.

 

Wherever you got your information from, it is incorrect.

Yes, definitely most common in Quebec. When writing in French, whether in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada, the dollar sign generally follow.

 

This Government of Canada document covers it pretty well:

 

http://www.bt-tb.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/btb.php?lang=eng&cont=075

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Fairmont Waterfront is perfect as is Pan Pacific.

Avoid the Four Seasons it is overpriced and disappointing.

JC

 

Hi,

 

I have stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront twice during the past year (September 2015 pre-cruise and May 2016 post-cruise) and highly recommend this hotel. It is located directly across the street from the cruise terminal. The hotel offers excellent views of the harbor and there are many dining choices within a close walking distance.

 

Chuck

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I see a lot of people saying Pan Pacific Hotel is nice, I looked it up WOW so gorgeous! I can't afford the price! We are staying two nights at the end of our trip. I found The Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver, any ideas if this is a good location and hotel? I really would want to pay no more then 250 US for a room.

Edited by Daisyvip24
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I see a lot of people saying Pan Pacific Hotel is nice, I looked it up WOW so gorgeous! I can't afford the price! We are staying two nights at the end of our trip. I found The Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver, any ideas if this is a good location and hotel? I really would want to pay no more then 250 US for a room.

Sutton Place is 275 CND which would fall under your limit. It's a nice location, but a bit further from Canada Place than our choice, Hotel Metropolitan, which for our dates is 252 CND.

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August 12 2017
Sorry.... did not see your response until now.... Here's some hotel rate ideas based on availability and staying the night before on booking.com in USD.

  • $182 Hotel BLU
  • $185 Rosedale
  • $225 St. Regis
  • $230 Hampton Inn & Suites
  • $240 Metropolitan
  • $241 Delta
  • $248 Century Plaza
  • $248 Pinnacle Harborfront
  • $255 Residence Inn by Marriott
  • $258 Auberge
  • $302 Sheraton Wall Centre
  • $341 Marriott Pinnacle
  • $356 Opus
  • $362 Westin Grand
  • $395 Hyatt Regency
  • $407 Shangri-La
  • $434 Rosewood Hotel Georgia
  • $457 Westin Bayshore
  • $496 Fairmont Vancouver
  • $563 Four Seasons
  • $574 Fairmont Pacific Rim

 

My fav budget Richmond Raddison is $201 by the airport across from the subway station.

 

@Moerin78: What's your nightly budget? My vote goes to Rosedale for budget travelers. Hampton is popular with budget Hilton point collectors.

Edited by xlxo
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for our September 2nd sailing on the Celebrity Millennium, we're slumming it at the HI Vancouver Central. CAD $420 for four nights for a double room/bath.

 

We like seeing & talking to the backpacker types that frequent these hostels.

 

We picked this one because it's closer to the ship terminal than the others. The onsite kitchen is not very good compared to the other hostels we have stayed at, so we'll be doing mostly restaurant meals.

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We have stayed at the Sutton Place several years ago and liked it. Also there is a Denny's right across the street.

It must indeed be a while since you visited - that Denny's closed about seven years ago. The nearest is still less than a kilometre away on Davie Street just in case anyone traveling to Vancouver can't live without a Grand Slam to start the day! I can confidently say that there are MANY better brekkie options nearer though...

 

Sutton Place is very convenient for Robson shopping, VAG, plenty of restos within three blocks and if you don't mind a half-mile on foot you can eat in just about any style of food and price-point you want. It's basically about as close as you can get to dead centre of the downtown core, so if you plan to spread your touring evenly among Stanley Park, English Bay, Yaletown, Gastown Chinatown, Granville Island etc. it's close to perfect. The only downside is it's about equally far from the Seawall in both directions!

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