Vancouver Hotel Recommendations- August 2022

[Cruising to Retirement]

Looking for ideas on hotels in downtown Vancouver- coming in the morning before we cruise to Alaska- Looking for indoor pool, hot tub, cruise shuttle?  Any ideas are welcome- Thanks... 

[martincath]

5 hours ago, Cruising to Retirement said:

Looking for ideas on hotels in downtown Vancouver- coming in the morning before we cruise to Alaska- Looking for indoor pool, hot tub, cruise shuttle?  Any ideas are welcome- Thanks... 

Well this one's dead easy - there is not a single hotel that meets your criteria!

 

Cruise shuttle is the trickiest one believe it or not - there's a grand total of one hotel downtown definitely still operating a shuttle, the Hampton Inn, and that is not a cruise shuttle... while it will drop you at the pier, you are fighting for seats with every guest who wants to anywhere in downtown, so expect very limited time options and a milk-run around various drop sites. Hot tub, sauna yes - no pool though, so if you can live without that it could work.

 

Fancy hotels (Fairmont Waterfront across the street, Pacific Rim two blocks down) and the Pan Pacific literally on top of the pier render shuttles pointless - while they actually have swank towncar to drop you off around town at the Pac Rim, it's literally quicker to walk given traffic at the single entryway to Canada Place!!! The Pac Rim also has hot tubs, so if you ignore the shuttle it checks all boxes - the PP I think only has an outdoor pool, but it's heated (salt water too) and has a heckuva view, and if overall quality of hotel is a bigger factor L'Hermitage has been consistently rated in the top 2 or 3 hotels in the city since they opened, they have a fantastic deck with an infinity pool - but the views are down onto Robson Street rather than out across the harbour like the PP.

 

Given cab fare to the pier from at least fifty downtown hotels will cost you under US$10, the shuttle angle really is not worth worrying about - Blue Horizon is much more mid-range, very tall skinny tower so every room is a corner and anything high up has great views, they do have pool/hot tub, a pretty good selection of restos and shops within a couple of blocks, and both Capilano shuttle and the local HOHO have a stop right outside.

 

In general the cost of land downtown, with water on three sides, means pools tend to be very modest in size as few hotels have a large enough floorplate to handle anything big - if you're a lap swimmer rather than a lounger, or want water slides for the kids or similar, you'd need to get well out into the 'burbs to find properties with big pool facilities... or just use one of our public pools.

[bbstx]

Gee, this answer may be too late, but I hope not.  The last time we sailed out of Vancouver (2019) we stayed at the Fairmont Waterfront.  The hotel bell staff took our luggage to the pier.  It was a short, very easy walk from the hotel to the pier.  IIRC, there is an underground tunnel from the hotel to Canada Place.  

[Yehootu]

Can't beat the Pan Pacific, pricey but sure beats the hassle of bags.

[Cali Viajera]

Just stayed at the Metropolitan Hotel on Howe st. Pulled our luggage up 3 1/2 blocks, easy peasy! 
Nice boutique hotel and centrally located to port, Gastown, and Robson st.

[YVRteacher]

Sutton Place is excellent.  So is the Hyatt.

[barbienj]

We're staying at the Blue Horizon.