3 Days Vancouver, 3 Days Victoria
 

Hello there,

First let me thanks those of you who answered my thread asking where to rent a house on Vancouver Island this summer. Since our parameters for this trip have now changed (no teens, 3 days in each place instead of a week on the island), I'm starting a new thread instead of topping the other. I've read some guidebooks, have done a little more research, and discussed it with the family, but still have some questions that I know can be answered by Fodorites.

This will be in early August, and will be DH, myself, and MIL (75yo and visiting from Germany)

1) We would like to fly into Vancouver and fly home from Victoria (from/to LAX). The airfares are not much different, however the car rental situation is giving us a problem.

My thought was to not use a car at all while in Vancouver, just rent one in town at the end of our 3 days there to get over to Victoria. (We did this in Toronto/Niagara Falls and it worked out well for us) However, the websites for all of the car rental places keep telling me that is not possible. My next step will be to call, but I would like to know if anyone has experience doing this, and can offer any advice. I realize that it will be more expensive, but thought it might be worth it not to have to spend a good part of a day getting back to the Vancouver airport from Victoria.

2) Ferries - The fastest way seems to be the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay? However, we would consider taking a ferry into Nanaimo, if the drive to Victoria is pretty enough to compensate for the extra time it would take. Any comments? Also, how far in advance should we book our ferry passage?

3)Hotels/location in Vancouver. Since we are not planning to have a car there, we would like well-located to restaurants. We also would like a nice view from our rooms. I don't think that I want to be too close to the cruise terminal (Pan Pacific, Fairmont) unless someone advises me otherwise. Budget, under $250/nt - suggestions welcome.

4) Hotels in Victoria - same basic parameters-- good location and views. We like boutique hotels (Kimpton group, for example), but not B&B's or super-fussy, antiquey-type places.

In Vancouver, we would like to do a lot of walking, Stanley Park, Granville Island and sample many different cuisines.

In Victoria, a whale watch and Butchart Gardens are definitely on the itinerary.

I welcome any and all suggestions. Sorry this is so long winded. Thanks!

WHy not wait until you get to Victoria to rent a car? Pacific Coach LInes runs buses on every ferry from downtown Vancouver right to downtown Victoria. Very easy to use and no worries about finding your way through Vancouver to the ferry. There are lots of hotels/motels in the Inner Harbour area of Victoria. One that I have stayed at is the Best Western Inner Harbour - ask for a room on the top floor facing the harbour. It is a block away from the harbour, but you can get a bit a view and certainly within walking distance to everything (except Butcharts). Plus you can get a kitchen unit if you wanted. Rethinking the rental car - you really could do without one in Victoria. If you're not planning on travelling up Island, everything is readily available via walking or public transportation (even Butcharts).

I agree with the previous poster--it'll probably be easier and less expensive to take PCL rather than do the one way rental and pay the ferry crossing fares.

What sort of room configuration are you looking for, for the 3 of you? Two queens? A suite? Connecting rooms? That may affect your choice of hotel.

There is a Kimpton hotel in Vancouver, the Pacific Palisades, that has 1 BR suites and nice views from the upper floors.

In Victoria, I really like the Laurel Point Inn--great views and nice location--close enough to walk to everything but a little out of the main tourist fray.

You might save money by flying RT to Seattle. You can rent a car in Seattle, drive to Vancouver and then drive to Victoria returning the car at the Seattle Airport.

Flights into and out of Victoria tend to be pricey. I would make certain to look at all the options before locking in.

By the way, I home exchanged on Vancouver Island a few years back and, after doing research, we all used the Seattle Airport and saved a bit of money. I picked up the Canadian car at SEATAC and then returned it to them there as well.

You should book car passage in advance to Nainamo but should less problem with Swartz Bay. Most people just drive up there and join the queue. I would ask BC Ferries about the need for a car reservation in the summer. When I did this I had a reservation going over to Nainamo but got there too late to use it. I just waited for the next ferry and there was no problem getting on. It was in April. I returned from Swartz Bay after spending a couple of days in Victoria at the end of the trip.

By the way, try the great gelato place while you queue for the ferry in Tsawwassen (or however that one is spelled). As I recall there were at least 60 flavors!

You probably will not be able to rent a house for less than a week, by the way, so I would look at some hotels that have suites or something like that.

Thanks for the responses, so far. Very helpful.

Just to clarify a few things: Our budget is $250 per room/per night. We will NOT be sharing a standard hotel room with my MIL. I do like the idea of suites with little kitchenettes (but 2 separate suites ;) ) We are no longer looking to rent a house. (That was the previous thread, when the kids were going to come on this trip.)

Re: Seattle - realistically, considering traffic, how long is the drive, and how bad are the immigration/customs lines at the borders? The thought of flying into Vancouver and out of Victoria was to save time, not necessarily money. I'm now thinking that it might just be easier just to take the ferry back into Vancouver.

The bus sounds interesting, and we probably would consider it if we were traveling without MIL. DH & I can pack light, but I'm not sure I want to be schlepping her luggage on and off public transit.

Thanks also for the hotel recommendations. I've looked at the Pacific Palisades, and it is currently a bit more than we want to spend. I'm on Kimpton's emailing list, though, so will look out for any specials. The other place that looked interesting (and reasonable) is the Club Intrawest suites which sit on top of the Sheraton. Any comments?

I will look into Laurel Point Inn. So far, the place that looks the most attractive is the Grand Pacific, just because of the balconies. I'm a sucker for balconies, especially when there is a great view. :)

I love the Grand Pacific. Great location,nice hotel. I block from Grand is the Harbour Towers Hotel, it is cheaper and maybe not as fancy, but a great location for the price. You are close to the oceanside walkways, short walk to parks and 1 block from inner harbour. I don't remember if it is A/C or not, may be an issue (rarely a problem in Victoria)

The bus from Vancouver to Victoria (Pacific Coach Lines) is NOT public transport. Think Greyhound; you go to the depot; luggage gets loaded under the bus; you don't worry about it until you arrive at your destination.

You might try Sutton Place in Vancouver and see what sort of rates they are offering.

The Laurel Point definitely has balconies--if your budget permits, the south wing studio suites are the nicest, IMO.

When I arrived in Seattle I picked up the Canadian car and then headed for the border. I did not time it but the traffic was never bad. There was almost no queue going into Canada. I picked up the ferry to Nanaimo and drove from there to my exchange house at Qualicum Beach. I believe the ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo is a couple of hours by itself but please check the BC Ferries time table because this was awhile ago and I am not 100% certain.

Coming back, I spent two days in Victoria and then took the ferry from Swartz Bay to Tswwassen. There was a wait at the border to get back into the US but it wasn't bad--maybe 20 minutes.

I then drove down to the hotel where I would be staying near the Seattle Airport. I then picked up the Canadians and gave them back their car. They drove me back to the hotel where I caught up on email and relaxed. I took a shuttle from the hotel to the airport the next day and flew home.

Please cost out all of the airfare options before deciding how to structure your trip. I saved maybe $400 over an itinerary that would have flown in to Victoria (and then Nanaimo would have been a 2 1/2 hour drive from the Victoria airport and I was staying NORTH of there in Qualicum Beach). Seattle might work for you or it might not. You also need to check if an American rented car will be allowed over the Canadian border--a "wrinkle" I did not have in my itinerary.

Another option if you want to include Seattle in your itinerary would be to take the fast ferry from Seattle to Victoria. It's a catamaran and takes about 2 1/2 hours, I think (again check). You could use the bus from Victoria to Vancouver. Just a thought. There are lots of options.

I'll chime in with the folks that are suggesting the Pacific Coach Lines bus between Vancouver and Victoria. You catch the bus downtown; the bus driver will load your luggage into the baggage compartment of the bus, and it stays there until you arrive in Victoria and he unloads it for you. It's not a matter of schlepping anything - there are professional schleppers involved! You can easily find a taxi at the bus terminal to take you to your hotel.
The Laurel Point Inn is a great idea. I also know people who have very much enjoyed the Royal Scot Hotel; it has suites with kitchenettes. I'd look into it quickly if you're interested, because it tends to fill up fast in the summer. It's also close to the Inner Harbour and within walking distance of just about everything downtown.
The drive between Victoria and Nanaimo is, indeed, quite pretty, but I'd do the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay ferry anyway. You can do a day trip up the Malahat to Duncan if you like; it's only an hour or so and you'll get all that nice scenery.

Thanks for the additional info. I was laying out all of the options to DH and his response was: "Isn't there some kind of helicopter ride we can take over there?" So that's where my research is going next....

United is having a "Canada Sale" right now, so the money we save on airfare, might just go to helicopter fare. :)

There's also a float plane option between Vancouver to Victoria. Be aware that there are luggage weight restrictions however--I think it's 25 lbs per person on float planes and probably similar on helicopters (although I don't know that for sure as I've only taken the float plane).

i too am a Kimpton fan as they contribute to Trust for Public Land on whose board i served. literally around the corner from pacific palisades is the Blue Horizon which is usually less expensive and has very nice large rooms