Vancouver Hotel
 

Hello everyone. My partner and I will be visiting Vancouver in August, travelling form Australia via USA. It will be a first time for me and I am very excited, however we have been booked into the Sandman Hotel but on looking up the feedback I have found it to be very negative. Have any Forum members had first hand experience of this hotel? We are a 'late' middle aged couple and would not want our holiday spoiled because of the accommodation.
Also we would appreciate any suggestions for the two days we will have there.

Which is the one you were looking at--the downtown one at W
Georgia, the one on Broadway or the one in Richmond (a suburb of Vancouver)? The Sandman is a very basic hotel/motel type of accommodation and would be my VERY last choice for a stayover. None of the locations I have mentioned are particularly nice nor close to very much. I personally have never stayed at these 3 but I did use to live in Vancouver and never was impressed with the outside looks (I am just turned 60 and a good hotel is a must when we travel). If you can let us know your budget or other special requirements maybe we can steer you in the right direction to find another place. Have you put a deposit or paid in advance for the room?

Thanks decee, it is the W Georgia we are booked into and we have payed in advance, on line. We are looking to pay up to $250.00AUD.

That is the equivalent of approx $270 CAD. There are other very nice hotels in that price range but are you able to cancel if we suggested some other hotels?

$250 AUD is actually less in Cdn than what traveller69 has quoted - it's around $230 Canadian. (The Aussie dollar is typically worth a bit less than the Cdn one).

There are still decent options at the $230 Cdn mark though... are you able to cancel your booking at the Sandman (which we call the Sandbox)? BTW it's not gross or anything, and there's a decent chain restaurant there (Moxie's) but the Shark Club is downstairs and can be a bit noisy... plus it is close to the sports venues and library, but a bit far from most of what you'd want to see downtown. Within walking distance, but not that close.

Sorry I did the math in reverse!!

The Westin Bayshore is a lovely hotel in the perfect area for you and right now depending on your dates in August their rates are from $197CAD plus taxes. http://www.westinbayshore.com/

Is the rate 250AUD per night? If you are really not comfortable with this hotel and can get your money back then let us know your dates and criteria for location etc, and maybe we can help you find another hotel. For example there is a Delta Suites hotel on West Hastings that has rooms starting at $219 CAD. A few years back when we were in town for a family wedding and had our adult son staying with us we stayed at a place called Times Square down on Denman (a few blocks from the start of Stanley Park). It is a suite (apartment) style hotel and we had 2 bedrooms as well as a kitchen and laundry facilities. I haven't checked the rates recently. We stay at the Fairmont Waterfront when we stay in Vancouver. I think downtown Vancouver has almost every hotel chain that there is so there is lots to choose from.

Since this is your first visit to Vancouver, a stay at the Westin Bayshore Hotel would be perfect! On the harbour front, views of the mountains, next to Stanley Park and the vibrant shopping and restaurants of Robson Street, all easy walking from the Bayshore. If you have a rental car, you may want to take a drive through Stanley Park over the Lions Gate Bridge to the North Shore and take a scenic drive along the Upper Levels Highway or the lower road "Marine Drive" in West Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay. Whistler is about an hour's drive, or a bit more - I can't remember - but you might not have enough time for Whistler with only two days in Vancouver.

BTW - if you can't get yourself out of the Sandman Hotel, look to see if you're able to transfer over to the Sandman Suites on Davie - a much nicer property in a fantastic location (on Davie Street in the West End, just up the hill from English Bay and Sunset Beach).

Wow, I would certainly rather not go to Vancouver than stay at this hotel. Just curious, why do you book and pay (!!) before you do your research?

KarenE - That comment is a little harsh to say the least. The hotel is not that bad and the area isn't either its just that there are better accommodations for that money. Just because nerriga paid in advance doens't mean that its not refundable and no lecture is needed - we are here to be helpful not judgemental.

The location of this hotel is fine. Ideally, you would want a location closer to the core of downtown, or even better, facing the mountains to the North. But the advantage of this hotel would be an easy walk to the neighborhood of Yaletown with lots of eateries; in another direction, during the day, you could walk to Chinatown. And in the third direction, you could walk to the downtown core.

I live in Vancouver, so I've never stayed at the hotel, but it's a reputable chain so it can't be that bad. As the above posters said, there are alternatives for the same price range. The most important thing is you're in this beautiful city and I'm sure you will enjoy your visit.

Thankyou everyone for your thoughtful replys and forgive me for not answering you all sooner. Unfortunately we had to leave home for a few days unexpectedly and for family reasons our plans have had to change,now sadly we will not get to try the Sandman or any other hotel in Vancouver this time. Next time we will indeed do more research KarenE.

Thanks again everyone.