Vancouver/Victoria--hotels--need pet friendly advice
 

We are planning a 3 week road trip next summer from Denver north to Banff, Vancouver/Victoria, Seattle and end up in Oregon before beginning the drive back to Colorado. We had such a successful 21 day trip with our dog, that we are eager to begin planning a new one which will include her.

We learned from our stay in Portland, that we need a hotel with grass nearby. So many downtown hotels are usually surrounded by blocks and blocks of concrete.

Can you recommend an area of Vancouver which is central and with grass. From what I have read on other posts, usually the West End is recommended--is this a good area for us? We won't be able to take public transportation either, so we're hopeful that we can find pet friendly actitvites. Any ideas?

I was thrilled to learn that dogs are permitted in Butchart Gardens. Does the ferry from Vancouver allow dogs? We would like to spend a few days in Victoria so I presume we should take our car?

Is it possible to take a ferry from Vancouver to Victoria and return to Seattle?

Hi JudyADenver,

As a dog owner myself I am well aware of what you mean about hotels surrounded by blocks and blocks of concrete when it comes to excercising your 4 legged friend. In Vancouver may I suggest the Sylvia Hotel www.sylviahotel.com. It is situated in the west end of Vancouver right across the street from a wonderful seaside walk along English Bay. It is a boutique type hotel with lots of good restaurants nearby and is dog friendly.
In Victoria there are lots of dog friendly hotels and all are near residential areas or parks that you shoud have no trouble finding a nice place to stay. In taking into coconsideration their locations, here are some hotels for you to consider:
Admiral Inn - www.admiral.bc.ca/accom
The Coast Victoria Harbourside - www.coast hotels.com
Days Inn Victoria - www.daysinnvictoria.com
Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort - www.delta.com
Harbour Towers Hotel and Suites - www.harbourtowers.com
Inn at Laurel Point - www.laurelpoint.com
They all say they allow pets, but you probably need to contact them just to make sure.
The ferries from both vancouver and Washington State allow dogs, but they must stay in your vehicle for the voyage. If you are travelling with a dog, I think you will have to bring your car to the Island.
As for ferries, you can take the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria www.bcferries.com, and if you are travelling in the summer, a reservation is very wise. From Victoria to Washington State, you can take the Coho ferry www.CohoFerry.com from Victoria's inner harbour to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula, or you can take Washington State Ferries from Sidney, about half an hour north of Victoria, to Anacortes which is about a one and a half hour drive to Seattle.www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
Hope all this helps in your planning

Wow! Thanks so much amygirl. I really didn't know where to begin and you answered all of my questions in just one post. We had such a great time in Portland because I found the RiverPlace Hotel, right on the right in the middle of a park. It made life so much easier with a dog.

Whereas the Sylvia looks well located, I was hoping to find something more like the Four Seasons or the Fairmont? Have any more luxurious ideas in the same area?

I wasn't sure about your luxury factor when I posted the earlier info, and as I am more familiar with Victoria than Vancouver, I could better direct you in Victoria. As for Vancouver, the only reason I suggest the Sylvia Hoel is because it is pet friendly, and there is good dog walking nearby. If you are looking for more upscale in Vancouver, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver allows pets (call for details) www.fairmont.com/hotelvancouver, as does the Vancouver Marriott Pinacle Downtown www.vancouvermarriott.com,also the Fairmont Waterfront(they even have a resident dog that guests can take for a walk) www.fairmont.com/waterfront, Sutton Place Hotel www.suttonplace.com,Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel,Shangri-LaHotelVancouver,www.shangri-la.com,....I can go on and on if you would like to see more upscale hotels in Vancouver that accept pets, but they are all surrounded by blocks and blocks of concrete and I am not sure even though they allow pets, where all those pets go to the bathroom!!!!!!!!! The Sylvia Hotel probably on it's website shows it's ivy covered facade, but it also has a more modern side to it as well. Sorry, but if I was coming to Vancouver, wanted to be near downtown with my beloved dog in tow, I would opt for the Sylvia as it is close enough to downtown, but gives me the opportunity to give my dog a good walk on the park across the street.......and Stanley Park is but a stone throw away from this locale.

In Victoria, the Fairmont Empress, the Queen of Victoria Hotel's also allows pets if I am not mistakened.

"<i> they are all surrounded by blocks and blocks of concrete and I am not sure even though they allow pets, where all those pets go to the bathroom!!!!!!!!!</i>"

Quite agree-downtown Vancouver is almost 100% concrete.

Apart from the Sylvia there's a well positioned Holiday Inn in North Vancouver that pet owners gravitate to can't remember the details it's late here it close to the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge and some great dog trails.

I wonder if the Opus in Yaletown takes pets it's not far from a park and the loverly seawall.

http://www.opushotel.com/vancouver.html

Incidentally-the dog stays in the vehicle while on the ferry but it's only a 90 minute ride either way-if not less.

The Opus is VERY dog friendly--no fees at all. Know anything about the Westin Bayshore?

The entire downtown peninsula is dog friendly - almost everyone has a dog, there are doggy boutiques, dog parks, and what have you. Everybody is always out walking their dogs. I wouldn't be too concerned, whether you're in the West End or Yaletown - you'll be in a dog-friendly city.

How many days would you recommend in Vancouver and Victoria? I was thinking or either 2 or 3 nights in each city. With a dog, we are quite restricted. We will have a car but parking is such an issue in cities that we prefer to walk.

re:The Bayshore-arguably the best location in the city and you'll love walking around Stanley Park seawall with mutt in tow.

Vancouver has more '<i>city</i>' things to do but nature is close- OTOH nature is even closer in Victoria.

Does your dog like to run beside a bike-because there are a number of great cycling trails around Victoria, Lochside and Galloping Goose come to mind.

When I worked in Vancouver my clients with dogs used to stay at the Rosellen suites [West End], right next to Stanley Park. Short stays are ok and your dog has some space to move around. Nothing fancy, but a good area to have your feet in both worlds. Quiet enough for the dog, but not too far out for you to get to some nice restaurants.

Rosellen Suites
http://dogsvancouver.com/listing/rosellen_suites.html

Vancouver & North Shore Dog Friendly Trails
http://www.vancouvertrails.com/regio...lter=dogs#list

I'm a North Shore gal myself, much quieter where you can get the wilderness feel.

If you have a small dog, for high-end I would also say the Westin Bayshore Hotel would be something to look at. I'm sure there's a scrap of grass outside [check tho']. Also, they have some nice rooms overlooking the marina and north shore mountains.

One other possibility in the Victoria area, although it's not anywhere near downtown, would be the Quality Inn Waddling Dog, near the airport. They actually have a resident dog who lives/"works" there, behind the front desk. He's a Basset Hound named John. I think the current John is probably about the third or fourth successor to the original one, but he's very sweet. Guests who didn't bring their own dogs can take John for walks if they want. There's a grassy area behind the hotel where dogs can walk or play.
The area itself is certainly nothing special, but it's near the airport and the ferry docks. The hotel, unlike many Quality Inns, is very pleasant indeed and the price of the room includes breakfast.
Our experience driving across Canada with our cat, when we moved from Toronto to Victoria, was that most Best Western hotels allowed pets. They say that you have to keep the pets crated while they're in the hotel room, but we never did (don't tell anybody!) and there was never a problem.
The Sylvia in Vancouver is a wonderful place. We were just there a couple of weekends ago. You can't beat it for location. True, the rooms are old and not luxurious like many of the newer hotels, but we wouldn't stay anywhere else in Vancouver. We just love it.

A great place to stay if you have a car and don't need to be right downtown is the Comfort Inn http://www.comfortinnvictoria.com/

They are dog friendly but what is wonderful there is that you are located on the gorge which is an inland waterway. Across the little bridge from the motel is an incredible walkway along the water. It is a favourite spot for dog owners and everyone else. You can walk forever on sidewalks with grass either side - benches and great views. We take our dog there all the time and it is just a few minutes from the downtown area. Here is a website with pictures http://www.quenet.org/Gallery/Vancou...nary/Image/47/