Can anyone recommend a place to stay - a reasonably priced, furnished apt.in a safe area close to downtown Vancouver ...Also looking for ideas on what to do & see in & around Vancouver. We'll be there for 1 week this summer. Thanks

We are staying at the Listel Hotel on Robson Street in June pre-Alaska cruise. Rates are $219 CAD on the Forrest Floor. Rooms look very nice and it is right downtown close to walking around and trolley. I wish I had a week, I only have 2 days! Good Luck, JO

Hi Ann, <BR> <BR>We're booked to stay at the Oceanside Hotel on Pendrell St. It's all suites, so you get a fully equipped kitchen along with your room. A good friend of mine recommended it and she's quite fussy, so I figure it must be ok! The website is www.oceansidehotel.com.

Thank You Jo & Island Girl for the info. I just wanted to check if you or anyone else knows of or has stayed at one of the "Suite Deals" apartments - 380 East First Street & 357 West Fourth Street. Their web site photos/& weekly rates appear to be a little too good to be true...Is it a "good" part of Vancouver..Can we drive across to downtown Vancouver? Thanks <BR> Ann

Ann the address is wrong as printed. <BR>"380 EastFirst Street & 357 WestFourth Street." <BR>Streets are North-South, numbers increasing going South. <BR>Avenues are East-West with Ontario Street (i think) being the dividing line, numbers originate at Ontario and increase going either east or west depending-does this make sense? <BR>Give us the URL and we'll critique the address in any case. <BR>Vancouver is a compact place, parking Downtown isn't great it's best to Bus downtown and see what there is to see on foot, helps to deal with the stress of travel IMO.

Thank you Carl..the site is www.suitedeals.com <BR>Ann

Suite Deals is in North Vancouver - another poster was asking about it recently and my brother-in-law took a drive past the East 1st building and was unimpressed - apparently a very old building. I haven't lived in North Van for years, but my relatives do and wouldn't recommend the east side of Lower Lonsdale.

Doesn't look all bad to me. <BR>North Van is a quiet place, too quiet for some. <BR>Certainly it's convenient to everything Downtown, the Sea Bus is great that way. <BR>The looming presence of the now unused Shipbuilding industry on the Waterfront doesn't add anything to the neighborhood ambience true. <BR>But 'Lower Lonsdale' is home to thousands and thousands of people some of them my friends and they rarely have anything negative to say about their 'hood, crime rates are among the lowest in all the Lower Mainland. <BR>Lonsdale Quay, the Market development close by the Sea Bus, is a great little place lots of interesting small shops upstairs.

Don't stay in North Van, stay in the West End (downtown), where walking is a pleasure...English Bay, Stanley Park, Granville Island (couple minute boat ride), shopping, Canada Place, good restaurants.