Vancouver Hotel Recommendations - with 17 & 20 yr old?
Jul 16th, 2005, 04:35 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vancouver Hotel Recommendations - with 17 & 20 yr old?
We will be in Vancouver for 2 days, while my daughter checks out UBC. Looking for a comfortable hotel in a nice area of shops, cafes, populated in the evening. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I don't know anything about West Vancouver, but hear it is very nice...would that be a choice? We will have a car.
Jul 16th, 2005, 06:55 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,944
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
West Vancouver is a wonderful place, but it is about as far as you can get from UBC.
It's at the wrong end of the Lions Gate Bridge.
Hotels along Robson, or the Westin Bayshore, would appeal to older teens, and their parents.
BAK
It's at the wrong end of the Lions Gate Bridge.
Hotels along Robson, or the Westin Bayshore, would appeal to older teens, and their parents.
BAK
Jul 16th, 2005, 11:46 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 615
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You didn't mention what price range you were looking for. In fact there are literally dozens and dozens of mif priced hotels along the Robson/Davie/Denman area otherwise known as the West End which is the most densely populated area of North America outside Manhatten so you can count on there being lots of shops, restaurants and late night activity. There's so many hotels that singling one out would be difficult and i think the main choice would be based on price.
UBC is a good half hour from the West End but unfortunately the Point Grey area of Vancouver, (where UBC is located), has virtually no hotels and only a couple of Youth Hostels.
The Broadway Corridor, between Cambie and Oak is quite a bit duller than the West End though it's about ten minutes closer and directly accessable to UBC along Broadway and 10th Avenue. There's lots of restaurants and shops and even a small Casino in the Holiday Inn but after 9PM it's pretty quiet. Beside the Holiday Inn there's also a Ramada and I think one other similar hotel. The only reason I would choose the Broadway area over the West End is to avoid the traffic in and more complicated routing from the West End.
UBC is a good half hour from the West End but unfortunately the Point Grey area of Vancouver, (where UBC is located), has virtually no hotels and only a couple of Youth Hostels.
The Broadway Corridor, between Cambie and Oak is quite a bit duller than the West End though it's about ten minutes closer and directly accessable to UBC along Broadway and 10th Avenue. There's lots of restaurants and shops and even a small Casino in the Holiday Inn but after 9PM it's pretty quiet. Beside the Holiday Inn there's also a Ramada and I think one other similar hotel. The only reason I would choose the Broadway area over the West End is to avoid the traffic in and more complicated routing from the West End.
Jul 16th, 2005, 12:34 PM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 916
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As a currently UBC student myself who currently lives in downtown Vancouver.
West Vancouver is the most expensive residential community in Greater Vancouver and likely all of Canada. It's nice in terms of beaches and large mansions on mountainsides, but not really what you're looking for if you want hotels nearby shops and cafes which are populated in the evening... and a relatively short drive to UBC.
I would suggest staying in downtown Vancouver, either in the West End (the western half of the downtown peninsula), somewhere along Robson Street or along Denman Street. Downtown Vancouver is small and compact, and has hundreds of restaurants and shops no matter where you are. However, Robson Street will provide you with shops that tend to remain open until 9pm every night, lots of big names (The Gap, American Eagle, Bebe, Zara, Banana Republic, etc), which might be a hit with your daughters. There are also many popular restaurants on Robson, from general North American cuisine at places like Earl's, Milestone's, The Cactus Club, or Moxie's, to ethnic and fusion cuisine like Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian, Greek, French, and whatnot. One of my favourite restaurants, Hapa Izakaya, (like a Japanese tapas bar) is located on Robson Street.
Denman Street intersects Robson Street at the western end of downtown Vanccover and has more of a local feel. If Robson Street is dominated by lots of clothing stores, Denman Street predominantly has lots of great restaurants... every kind of cuisine imaginable - Russian, Ukrainian, French, Japanese, Quebecois, Greek, Mexican, Chinese, seafood, steak, pizza, gelato, burgers, etc. In the summer months, Denman Street is a great stretch for strolling... especially since English Bay beach is at the southern end, and provides a great place for watching sunsets or catching a few rays.
For something more higher end and super trendy, you can stay in Yaletown, which is in the south-east corner of downtown. My dream hotel at that age (17 & 20) would be the Opus Hotel, in Yaletown... it's a really fun place, and a hotel where a lot of celebrities tend to stay. The last time I was there (for brunch), I happened to see the whole band of REM there. Previously when I was there, the singer Sting was checking out. The nice thing about Yaletown is that there are many popular and trendy restaurants which are open late into the night, and most of them have patios. As well, there are many independent designer boutique clothing shops in Yaletown - unlike Robson Street, shops you can't find elsewhere in the world.
It takes 30 minutes to take a bus from downtown Vancouver to UBC. It takes about 20 minutes to drive from downtown to UBC, assuming rush hour hasn't made traffic gridlock.
Also worth noting is that a lot of downtown Vancouver is residential, so it remains populated through the night and offers a nice, safe, vibrant environment.
West Vancouver is the most expensive residential community in Greater Vancouver and likely all of Canada. It's nice in terms of beaches and large mansions on mountainsides, but not really what you're looking for if you want hotels nearby shops and cafes which are populated in the evening... and a relatively short drive to UBC.
I would suggest staying in downtown Vancouver, either in the West End (the western half of the downtown peninsula), somewhere along Robson Street or along Denman Street. Downtown Vancouver is small and compact, and has hundreds of restaurants and shops no matter where you are. However, Robson Street will provide you with shops that tend to remain open until 9pm every night, lots of big names (The Gap, American Eagle, Bebe, Zara, Banana Republic, etc), which might be a hit with your daughters. There are also many popular restaurants on Robson, from general North American cuisine at places like Earl's, Milestone's, The Cactus Club, or Moxie's, to ethnic and fusion cuisine like Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian, Greek, French, and whatnot. One of my favourite restaurants, Hapa Izakaya, (like a Japanese tapas bar) is located on Robson Street.
Denman Street intersects Robson Street at the western end of downtown Vanccover and has more of a local feel. If Robson Street is dominated by lots of clothing stores, Denman Street predominantly has lots of great restaurants... every kind of cuisine imaginable - Russian, Ukrainian, French, Japanese, Quebecois, Greek, Mexican, Chinese, seafood, steak, pizza, gelato, burgers, etc. In the summer months, Denman Street is a great stretch for strolling... especially since English Bay beach is at the southern end, and provides a great place for watching sunsets or catching a few rays.
For something more higher end and super trendy, you can stay in Yaletown, which is in the south-east corner of downtown. My dream hotel at that age (17 & 20) would be the Opus Hotel, in Yaletown... it's a really fun place, and a hotel where a lot of celebrities tend to stay. The last time I was there (for brunch), I happened to see the whole band of REM there. Previously when I was there, the singer Sting was checking out. The nice thing about Yaletown is that there are many popular and trendy restaurants which are open late into the night, and most of them have patios. As well, there are many independent designer boutique clothing shops in Yaletown - unlike Robson Street, shops you can't find elsewhere in the world.
It takes 30 minutes to take a bus from downtown Vancouver to UBC. It takes about 20 minutes to drive from downtown to UBC, assuming rush hour hasn't made traffic gridlock.
Also worth noting is that a lot of downtown Vancouver is residential, so it remains populated through the night and offers a nice, safe, vibrant environment.
Jul 17th, 2005, 02:28 PM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks so much for the great advice. Any specific restaurant recommendations for some special dinners for the four of us? Something different than we'd find in Toronto...more West Coast, perhaps?
Jul 17th, 2005, 03:08 PM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,944
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The cAnnery, which requires a cab ride from downtown, is one of the great restauanrts of our fine nation, and there's nothing like it in Toronto.
www.canneryseafood.com
Take lots of money, but this is a very special place.
If you have a lunch time free, go to Granville Island and buy food from the market and have a picnic outside. You can buy everything you need, and you'll have food left over for snacks. Smoked salmon, fresh fruit, cream cheese, buns and breads, etc. It's a whole different world than St. Lawrence.
BAK
www.canneryseafood.com
Take lots of money, but this is a very special place.
If you have a lunch time free, go to Granville Island and buy food from the market and have a picnic outside. You can buy everything you need, and you'll have food left over for snacks. Smoked salmon, fresh fruit, cream cheese, buns and breads, etc. It's a whole different world than St. Lawrence.
BAK
