Vancouver Hotels

Although the city is quite compact, each area has its distinct character and accommodation options. All our recommendations are within easy reach of transit that will take you to the major attractions, though if you choose to stay outside of the downtown core, a car will still be the easiest way to tour neighborhoods on the West Side or North Shore. Hotels with a water view are coveted and get booked up well in advance, as do some of the heritage bed-and-breakfasts you'll find in the more fashionable neighborhoods such as the West End. The "downtown Eastside" is the poorest postal code district in Canada, and not a place for nighttime strolls unless you want to witness a drug deal in a back alley—which is why we don't list any hotels in the area. Most of the Eastside's population stay put though you will certainly notice panhandlers on street corners, most of whom are harmless and are usually chased away by authorities before the day gets under way.

Be aware that the city is gearing up to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, which means there's a fair amount of construction. This includes the waterfront where there's an expanding convention site and other developments. Most of the heavy machines that go clunk at 7 AM will be long gone by the time you read this, but because work is still in progress, so are some of the photo-perfect views—at least for the time being.

Although 2010 is slowly changing the face of Vancouver, the city is managing to retain, and make the most of, some of its defining characteristics. For example, the city's proximity to nature makes Vancouver a very outdoorsy community so hotel amenities could easily include free bicycles and free ski storage. Many hotel concierges can put you in contact with hiking and running groups who welcome visitors, and since one in four Vancouver households owns a boat, they're likely to know of someone looking for experienced crew members; if that's your thing, your sailing know-how is a definite plus. The city is also extremely pet friendly, especially when it comes to dogs, as evidenced by the number of dog-friendly services in hotels and around town—specialty dog delis (we're talking all-natural dog cookies, not hot dogs), doggie beaches (Ambleside in West Vancouver being the top one), special dog stay overs (www.petsinthecity.cc), and the packs of dogs you'll see parked outside a Starbucks while the professional walker grabs a java. Not only can you bring your pet with you to many of these properties, some even let you borrow their dog for a walk.

The local penchant for living a healthy lifestyle has also given rise to a number of specialty shops for outdoor and fitness gear, as well as top-quality spas. The latter are surprisingly diverse and reflect the cultural mosaic of the city with services covering the spectrum of indigenous practices from, say, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi to therapies incorporating Traditional Chinese Medicine, European treatments, and everything in between. In the hotel industry, it's become a question of "have a spa or lose a guest," and Vancouver hotels have certainly risen to the challenge.

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