vancouver hotels
 

for 7 nites in april we are considering staying at metropolitan, wedgewood,fairmont waterfront or 4 seasons. want to be in walking distance of shops, parks etc. also want a taste of luxury and pampering. suggestions?<BR>actually we would be grateful for all suggestions to help us maximize the joys of the visit...we are not much for nightlife but otherwise like all sorts of things: museums, wandering off as well as on the beaten path,just &quot;poking&quot; around,coffee breaks, good local restaurants where the residents eat, parks and nice scenery..this is to be a non-hectic respite from our normal lives. we have been reading several guide books and will keep doing so but will welcome guidance from those of you who are &quot;in the know&quot;. thanx [and merry christmas].

dick: We did a similar thing this last August. Just wanted a kick-back vacation with no specific thing we had to do (we have been to Vancouver several times). We stayed at the Listel on Robson primarally because of it's location, but it is a very nice little hotel as well. We, too, are &quot;walk-and-pokers&quot; and and like to discover little restaurants, cafes, shops, etc. We once left our hotel near the Eiffel Tower one morning, walked to the Rodin Museum, over to Montmartre, up to the American Church, over to the Trocadero, across the Seine and back to our hotel in one day. Collapsed in our bed that night, but thoroughly enjoyed the day. Anyway, we had gone to Vancouver with a list of fine restaurants gleened from this travel board. We did the up Robson jaunt and found that the once sophisticated uptown avenue had become somewhat seedy. Lot's of fast food, pizza and t-shirt shops. Still some good stores, but overall ambience has suffered. <BR>The next day we walked to Granville Island (taking one of the little harbor skimmers across the harbor) for a really enjoyable morning at the market. What an amazing collection of food produce, bakery, candy, fish, poultry, etc., stands. We picked a good Asian stand for lunch (I believe it was Thai, but what an assortment to choose from). We then took a harbor cruise right from the pier at the Market and when we got back from the cruise, we &quot;skimmed&quot; across the harbor again and walked along Queen Anne (harbor side) almost up to Stanley Park. We cut up to Robson (lower Robson at the harbor end) and found what we like best; every mannner of ethnic shop, restaurant, cafe, etc., in the area and a great market right on Robson. We quickly abandoned our list of chi-chi restaurants and chose a Korean Restaurant for that evening. We were the only Caucasians in the place, but the Air Force Recruiter next door said there was always a line of people waiting to get in and we had a wonderful meal. The restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall, but we had a fantastic Korean Seafood and Vegetable Crepe (it was huge) and a great pork neckbone stew with lots of vegetables which is cooked at table-side. They provide a variety of condiments to go with dinner, some we liked and some we didn't, but the kimchee (sp?) was very good. They treated us very well.<BR> The next day we wandered Stanley Park for most of the day (we were impressed with the &quot;Watch for Cougars&quot; sign) winding up in the same part of lower Robson and chose a Hungarian restaurant, Europa Cafe. The food was fabulous. We have been to Hungary and have some feel for the authenticity of the food. Again, they were very pleasant. <BR>The third night we went with reservations to a pretty little French Restaurant we had seen the day before, The Carpenter and the Chef, right on Robson and had a wonderful country style French dinner. The waiter/owner was very friendly and helpful. We were impressed when we ordered pate and he politley wouldn't serve it because it had been made that day and he didn't consider it &quot;ready&quot;. Good wines; we had a Chateau Nuef du Pape which I love.<BR><BR>The area had Russian, Ukranian, Mexican, Salvadoran, Vietnamese, Cambodian, etc., and I haven't begun to list the variety of restaurants, bakeries, cafes and shops we saw. The Market I refered to on Robson was mostly organic and had some very interesting items. We really enjoyed this area. Have a great trip.

I have stayed at the four seasons and it is beautiful and extremely comfortable. I prefer Sutton Place, also luxurious with a better location because it is 1/4 of a block from Robson where there us lots of shopping. The four seasons is attached to the Pacific Mall but the mall is also proximate just a couple of blocks from Sutton Place.<BR>The spa at the Fairmont is wonderful especially the hot rock massage. I have heard that the Wedgewood is a lovely boutique hotel.<BR>Dim Sum on Sunday would be a wonderful local experence, also biking in Stanley Park.

Every time there's a hotel-related query I throw in a plug for the Wedgewood. It's a lovely hotel - small, boutique-style, with a very attentive staff and a terrific restaurant. If you're looking for a bit of pampering, this would be the place. <BR> My favourite place to spend a day is Granville Market. You can catch the water taxi at the foot of Hornby Street; if you're staying at the Wedgewood it's about a 15-minute walk at most. I think the previous poster has summed it up well. You might also enjoy a morning or afternoon in Kitsilano; there are shops and restaurants to poke around in and it's an easy walk to the beach. Have a great trip!

We just returned from a 3 night stay at the Opus Hotel, newly opened in Yaletown. Very trendy, W-like hotel with smallish but very well designed rooms. Ours even had a fireplace! The bathrooms are large, some with separate 2-person showers and soaking tub. The restaurant, Elixer, served great breakfast and French bistro-style meals. Since it was rainy and cold (it was late December), it was nice to come back to the fireplace and tub. Very accommodating staff. Yaletown has trendy shops and restaurants but it is a walk to Robson and Granville Island. We had a car, though, and I'd recommend one, especially to travel to the various shopping areas in Vancouver like South Granville Street, 4th Avenue, Davie Street, etc. Parking is not a problem as pay parking is reasonable (except on Robson). The shopping areas I've mentioned are not geared for tourists but locals so lots of neat places to poke around, coffee houses, etc. You can find more information about the Opus at http://www.opushotel.com. We'll stay there again.

Dick,<BR>Stayed at the &quot;Sutton Hotel&quot; five days after a cruise. Love it. Close proximity to trendy Robson St. shops. The Sutton puts on a fabulous Sunday Brunch. Not to be missed. Next time would love to stay at the Wedgewood Hotel as recommended by friends. Took a walk-through and this will be the place we stay next time around. Small and intimate, balconies included. Just a block or few from the Sutton, right in town.<BR>For dinner one night you might want to try &quot;Cin-Cin&quot; restaurant on Robson St.

many thanx to all for the thoughtful and detailed suggestions...very much appreciated. have looked at the sutton website [as well as the others i mentioned]..am torn between it and wedgewood. wedgewood is offering a one bedroom suite [600 sq.ft.] for around 230 cdn a nite--a great temptation to which i am on the verge of succumbing! i will continue to welcome all ideas...thanx again..