Vancouver pre-cruise for solo woman

[Need-a-vacation]

I'm trying to evaluate options for Vancouver hotel before cruise. 

 

Are there any areas of the core downtown Vancouver area to avoid? I'd like to be where I can walk to simple food, maybe some shopping  and sightseeing,  access to public transit or easy Uber to core areas. And preferably not a creepy ghost town after 5pm on a Tuesday.  I'm basically reviewing the area between Gastown and  Stanley Park, possibly as far south as the Greenville Bridge.

 

 

Any thoughts on any of these options: 

Quality Inn & Suites on Greenville

Grand Park hotel on Granville 

Days Inn at Pender and Hornby

Sandman Suites on Davie

Sandman hotel downtown (near BC Place)

Times square suites on Denman.

 

I'm also intrigued by some of the places near English Beach, but I worry that services or transit could be sparse. 

 

Thanks!

[Milhouse]

Quickly jotting down some thoughts before I head to the airport to start my cruise vacay!  🤓

 

I don’t feel there’s any place in Vancouver that is unsafe per se (like I know I'm going to get mugged).  The only place I’d really recommend avoiding is just outside the downtown core around Hastings Street by Chinatown and the eastern edges of Gastown which is complete street disorder.  Gastown can get occasionally sketchy (eg I was waiting for some take-out when some guy walked by screaming his head off) but there are lots of people around.

Beyond that, there are supportive housing and supervised usage sites here and there that can lead to pockets of sketchiness and disorder here and there.  One pocket is near south Granville by Helmcken.  Another is near Pender and Richards.  Again, not unsafe per se IMO but can feel a bit sketchy.  

 

My thoughts on your list (location-wise, not quality of stay):
Quality Inn on Granville:  You’re kind of on the corner of Granville and Davie, both which overall have a lot of retail and eateries.  But this area is not my favourite.  There’s a supportive housing building down the block.  The 7Eleven two blocks away apparently has to lock its refrigerators due to theft.
Grand Park on Granville:  Similar thoughts to the Quality Inn but you are a little further south on Granville.  You’re closer to the bridge.  It’s a bit quieter for pedestrian traffic.  
Days Inn at Pender & Hornby:  It’s likely going to be fairly quiet at night in the immediate vicinity.  However, you can walk a few blocks north along Burrard to Canada Place/seawall which is typically hopping with tourists (and locals if there’s an event happening or south along Burrard to get to Robson street which will be livelier.
Sandman on Davie:  Davie street is fairly lively with a lot of eateries.  You can walk a few blocks south through residential to the beach/seawall or you can walk west along Davie to get to English Bay and Denman.  
Sandman near BC Place:  The area is fine.  You’ve got a few restaurants in the vicinity.  Easy access to the eastern end of Robson street which you can use to launch deeper west into the downtown core.  Somewhat easy access to the seawall along False Creek.  Generally quieter at night (particularly on Georgia street) unless there’s some event happening at the arena or stadium but it’s lively as you get further west on Robson.  Note also:  @martincath usually recommends the YWCA around the corner.  
Time Square on Denman:  Very good location.  It’s behind/above the Starbucks I frequently go to for walks in the morning.  Easy access to Stanley Park.  Easy access to retail/eateries on both Robson and Denman.  Quiet in the morning but a fairly busy area later in the day.

English Bay:  The area is nice.  Easy access to retail and eateries on Denman and Davie.  

[martincath]

14 hours ago, Need-a-vacation said:

I'm trying to evaluate options for Vancouver hotel before cruise. ...

Thanks for tagging me in @Milhouse - your summary above doesn't seem to need any further input from me!

 

For all solo travelers especially I do indeed recommend the YWCA Hotel - it's virtually the only hotel with single rooms, so odds are even better than normal that the price will be lower, and it's  a significantly-better hotel than any other budget option in shiny-newness, facilities, and reviews. Despite the name, it's a real hotel not a hostel - no dorms, but they do have big shared kitchens and laundries, and if you're the kind of person who likes to chat to fellow travelers you might meet a potential buddy or two in the shared spaces to hang out with while in town. The only noise issue there is from BC Place - which has tight limits on how late shows run, so even worst case of a bit concert the last of the crowd will have left the stadium before midnight, and if it's any kind of Sportsball event much earlier than that.

 

I'd also recommend contacting Stroll Buddy - no guarantee that anyone will be available on your date, but if they are you get a free (no tips expected even) local guide to show you around town, which should help get you comfortable with navigating the city.

 

If you'd feel more comfortable wandering with another person or group, posting on your cruise roll call to see if perhaps there are any other folks pre-cruising that you get a decent vibe from and might want to hang out with might be a good option too - although as a solo you will find it easier to get into most 'hot ticket' restos as a walk-in so sometimes it's good to be on your own!

[Need-a-vacation]

@Milhouse @martincath  Thank you both for such detailed responses!  That's exactly the kind of information I wanted.  I was suspicious that the area on south Granville might be possibly less desireable since the rates were noticeably lower than others.

 

I'm intrigued by the YWCA option - does it normally serve cruise travelers?

 

I think I need to settle my mind on if I'm going to try and intentionally have a day in Vancouver and pay for another hotel night (which means a careful balance between price and convenience), or if I'm just going to arrive sometime the afternoon before and kill time until I need to go to Canada Place (which means anyplace safe and access to a meal and an uber will do).

 

Thanks again for so much help!

[martincath]

39 minutes ago, Need-a-vacation said:

@Milhouse @martincath  Thank you both for such detailed responses!  ...

 

I'm intrigued by the YWCA option - does it normally serve cruise travelers?

The Y operates like any other hotel, no restriction on type of traveler - their regular double en suite rooms sell out consistently on summer nights.

 

The only other place I can think of that might be cheaper for a solo would be the Panda Pod hotel out in Richmond, where rates even in summer can be <$100 per night (I just checked a last-minute booking for 2 nights this weekend - total incl tax just under CAD$200). You do get a locker for one big suitcase included in the rates as well as your 'bed in a box' for sleeping - and can pay $5 per extra big bag per night.

 

If you're someone who plans to be on the go your whole trip and literally just sleep in your hotel it could be ideal, although each trip downtown & back would be about 40mins (hotel is ~600yds from Richmond-Brighouse, then a close to 30min ride to Waterfront) if a train is waiting, up to an extra 20mins if you just miss a train late in the evening when frequency is low.

[Need-a-vacation]

Thank you @martincath .  I would fully expect they'll accept anyone -- more wondered if I'd be some glaring misfit as a middle-aged woman going on a cruise!

 

Quick check shows the YWCA would be about $225 (US) + tax for the nights I need. 

 

I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest option, just wanting to be prudent and spend the money how and where I'll appreciate it.  Which is best definitely depends on if I want to explore Vancouver, or if I just need a decent place to sleep and get a meal for 18 hours before heading to port. For the latter, I'd probably just find an airport hotel and get a cab in the morning.

[sfaaa]

Granville street and Chinatown are a zoo full of homeless and pass out junkies on the sidewalks. Stay away. 

[martincath]

23 minutes ago, Need-a-vacation said:

I would fully expect they'll accept anyone -- more wondered if I'd be some glaring misfit as a middle-aged woman going on a cruise!

Haha, no, you'll be fine; the last couple I met there to take on a Stroll (I'm one of the local Buddies) were recently-retired folks staying before a cruise, and when I walked into the lobby they were neither the oldest nor the most cruise-y looking people in the room (I held the door for a multi-generational family group leaving, who had already put their cruise tags on their suitcases!)

 

The YWCA Hotel always has a decent spread of ages, lots of kids as they have some of the very few good family rooms in the city too (the closest thing to a dorm they have are 5 single bed rooms, and their paired 'Jack and Jill' 2 person rooms sharing one bathroom are ideal for families), it's really just the actual hostels in town that run young - although even then there are exceptions, I have a friend in his 70s who still prefers to stay in 'youth' hostels whenever he travels!

[Need-a-vacation]

@martincath

On a map, the YWCA looks like it's really close to Chinatown.  Is that a concern at all since Chinatown has been mentioned a couple times as a sketchy area. 

 

Thank you.

[Need-a-vacation]

I went ahead and booked 2 nights at the YWCA hotel. That will give me one full day in Vancouver to do some sort of sight seeing.  I'm likely to just try one of the HoHo buses.  

 

The site mentions a 48-hour cancellation policy. I'm guessing that's 48 hours before arrival?

[torringtonwyo]

my wife and i are also arriving early due to the cancellation of the prior 2 day cruise so we arrive on the 8th and plan to see Vancouver .. we are staying at the pinnacle at the harbor .. we have found a couple of tours for the first days then we will wander I'm sure others will be going in precruise maybe we could form a tour group??

[martincath]

19 hours ago, Need-a-vacation said:

@martincath

On a map, the YWCA looks like it's really close to Chinatown.  Is that a concern at all since Chinatown has been mentioned a couple times as a sketchy area. 

 

Thank you.

Close is relative - compared to most cruise ports, everything in Vancouver is close! However, despite the name of the SkyTrain station up the street from the Y, it and everything else west of the stadium feels strongly isolated from Chinatown because of the viaducts. It's not much of a vertical drop, but unless you go down toward the coastal edges of the little peninsula that the downtown core sits on, you only have Georgia and Dunsmuir which both run across a bunch of greenspace (although the grass is all fake on the Sportsball fields, there's a fair bunch of real trees).

 

Chinatown is well east and below the Y, even the lower part of the SkyTrain station is in Crosstown, but our stations named after a neighbourhood rather than the street they are on tend to be a bit woolly; the Olympic Village station on the Canada Line is not only not in the village, it's further away from it than the pre-existing Main St/Scienceworld station is! Stadium/Chinatown is better - it nails the Stadium part, but arguably Main St is yet again closer to the core of Chinatown (which is centred on Keefer & Main).

 

I see you already booked the Y - so yes, 48hr cancellation means do so at least that much time before your planned arrival and you should not be charged, in case you find a better deal.

[Need-a-vacation]

Thank you @martincath for all your detailed information on Vancouver. It's been so helpful. 

 

The cancellation would more likely come into play if I decide to change what day I arrive.

 

Am I close to estimate between 60-90 minutes from the time my flight lands until I would arrive at hotel?  I'm a US citizen flying in from the US.

 

 

[martincath]

5 minutes ago, Need-a-vacation said:

Thank you @martincath for all your detailed information on Vancouver. It's been so helpful. 

 

The cancellation would more likely come into play if I decide to change what day I arrive.

 

Am I close to estimate between 60-90 minutes from the time my flight lands until I would arrive at hotel?  I'm a US citizen flying in from the US.

No worries; in terms of timing the biggest variable is how many other folks land about the same time as you do but a ballpark time of an hour to get through customs/immigration after landing (it can be quite a long walk from some gates!), then 30-45mins to downtown, is a pretty reasonable estimate most of the time.

 

SkyTrain doesn't worry about traffic so is very consistently ~24mins (and the <10min walk from Vancouver City Centre station, the closest to the Y, is slightly downhill along well-populated sidewalks so should feel safe even if you arrive in the evening) while cabs mean door-to-door convenience but unless it's a late evening flight some traffic delay so they're probably a wash in timing, but much pricier for a solo (fixed rate CAD$37 to the Y, Uberlyft might save $5 if no Surge) compared to at most CAD$9.65 (weekday arrival, before 6:30pm - weekends/evenings a Senior 65+ pays only $7.15).

[Need-a-vacation]

On 8/26/2024 at 10:38 AM, martincath said:

Vancouver City Centre station, the closest to the Y, is slightly downhill along well-populated sidewalks so should feel safe even if you arrive in the evening)

So I took a look and it seems like it's about a half mile from the metro station to the YWCA hotel. Does that seem about right?  That could be a long ways dragging any luggage.   I'll be arriving late morning. 

[martincath]

2 hours ago, Need-a-vacation said:

So I took a look and it seems like it's about a half mile from the metro station to the YWCA hotel. Does that seem about right?  That could be a long ways dragging any luggage.   I'll be arriving late morning. 

I think you must have correctly input the relevant station, because I get 700metres walk on Google maps (which by the time you actually leave the platform to get up to street level, is going to be pretty much bang on a half mile). You know you, your suitcase(s), how heavily you pack 'em, and how good the wheels are so you'll have to decide whether the extra cost of a cab door-to-door, or maybe trying to flag a cab/call an uberlyft from the station for the short ride to the Y, is worth the extra expense/time compared to just walking from SkyTrain.

 

Unless you get a porter at YVR, you'll likely cover at least a quarter mile from baggage carousel to the taxi queue or SkyTrain - and many airports are bigger than YVR, so you may already be used to schlepping your bags further than you think! It is an easy walk as walks with luggage go, wide sidewalks in good condition, slightly downhill - I'm a big fat fatty in far from great shape and I have walked from my place (just shy of 1.5miles) to the ship or vice versa multiple times, sometimes dragging two suitcases on the way home as my missus has managed to go straight to work off a cruise a few times...

 

Certainly any daytime arrival, even fairly late evening, there should be plenty of folks out and about - if your flight gets delayed until after dark, Robson will likely feel most comfortable to walk along - plenty restos right along it to the Beaty end, so more pedestrian activity and eyes on the street - but even Georgia should have folks around to make it feel like a perfectly safe walk even as a solo, so it really is just factoring in whether more money but less effort for a cab wins over less money and some leg-stretching by SkyTraining downtown.

[Musigurl]

I've stayed at the YWCA twice and I'm about to make it a third time. Great location -- walking distance to restaurants and very close to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre where you can catch a touring production of a Broadway show. The hotel is clean, staff are very friendly.