Yet Another Vancouver Hotel Plea for Help
 

Hubby and I are going to be in Vancouver in about 3 weeks. This is a very special trip for us as it will be the first time visiting Vancouver together since we lived there the first year we were married (1968). We lived in the West End on Alberni Street, so we want to be close to that so that we can recapture our evening walks around Lost Lagoon and through Stanley Park. We are visiting our daughter and granddaughter who live in the West End on Barclay Street.

I thought that picking a hotel would be an absolute no-brainer. I have almost always stayed at the Listel on Robson, which I adored because of its "low-key", boutique hotel appeal. But - yikes! They've gone completely no smoking (please - no flaming the nasty, dirty smokers). Now I'm really pressed.

I'm currently booked into the Pacific Palisades in a 1 bedroom suite, but I'm starting to have second thoughts after reading some posts about the rooms not having been renovated in a long time, poor AC units and noise. Trust me - the cost for the suite is not low! I don't mind paying the prices asked if the rooms are refurbished and quiet. But I really resent paying top dollar for crap.

What we are looking for is:
- a suite
- spacious balcony with a good North West view of Grouse Mountain, the yacht club, etc. (same as we had in our apartment in 1968)
- easy walk to Stanley Park and to Barclay street (easy for a mother with a toddler and several times a day - we ruled out locations like the Hyatt and the Wedgewood because the uphill trek from the West End is much harder than it looks on a map!)
- on Robson Street or just off it
- small, cozy feel (please don't recommend the Pan Pacific. I've stayed there. Nice hotel, but you could be in a major hotel anywhere in the world - it's not the West End magic that I know and love)
- indoor pool

Please help. Have I made a mistake booking the PP?

Linda

Your requirement for an indoor pool really limits your choices.

I can't give you any specific info about Pacific Palisades except to say its meeting facilities are not as deluxe as four or five other nearby hotels at which I have attended meetings.

I presume you don't want the Westin Bayshore either? You would have a couple blocks uphill to Robson.

You have probably ruled out the Marriott Pinnacle and Renaissance due to the uphill issues.

The Coast Hotel and Suites is on Denman Street, and about an easy four-block walk to Robson. It's also close to Stanley Park. Apparently it has an indoor pool too. I think you'd really like that area.

Hi WillTravel,

We could, in a pinch, do without the pool (but we both love the water so we'd prefer one if possible). I did check the Westin, even though it's a fair hike to Barclay Street for a toddler. The best they could do for me was a 1 bedroom suite with a "partial" harbour view (God knows what kind of neck craning that means!) at $350 a night!

Have you stayed at the Coast? I did consider it and it hasn't been ruled out entirely!

Thanks,

Linda

No, I haven't stayed at any Vancouver hotels, because I live here! I do have to go to meetings booked in various hotels, but haven't attended any at the Coast. The Coast is close to Barclay Street. If star ratings mean anything, I suspect the Coast is a 3* and the other hotels you mention are 4*, but I don't know for sure.

Based on the TripAdvisor reviews, the Coast Plaza has A/C issues as well. That said, if you will be here in three weeks, A/C is extremely unlikely to be a concern (whether at Pacific Palisades, Coast, or wherever).

I agree that wanting a hotel with a pool is definitely limiting your choice.

You may know that there is a large public swimming pool in the West End: the Aquatic Centre, at the corner of Beach and Thurlow. It has 50m lanes. Most of the day and evening it is open for public swimming (though sometimes a few lanes are closed off for swimming lessons).

Have you checked the Sylvia Hotel? I live on Barclay St. and it is an easy walk from our apartment to that Hotel.

www.sylviahotel.com

You could also try the Buchan Hotel, which is even closer to Barclay St. I don't know whether either of these hotels allows smoking. They are both low-key, cozy, family-style hotels on quiet residential streets in the West End and both are just about 100m from Stanley Park.

My husband and I stay at the Pacific Palisades when we are in Vancouver and just love it. Our room has always been very nice--large and nicely decorated and the staff is great. We always ask for a room on the upper floors and have never had a problem with noise. There is a wine tasting every night. The location is superb especially for walks around the lagoon and stanley park. They have the largest indoor swimming pool for a hotel in Vancouver and hot tub. We are taking our family there in November and really looking forward to it.

Thanks cece. Your response is very timely as we leave tomorrow. I decided not to change the reservation as I could not find everything I wanted in any other hotel. We're booked into a suite with a good harbour view, which I assume will be upper floor. I'll report back on our findings when we return!

OK.

Just back last night and here's the synopsis on the Pacific Palisades Hotel.


The Good: Pacific Palisades has absolutely great suites. Small, but quiet. Good bathrobes. Starbucks coffee for the coffee maker. Great beds. Feather pillows (even the couch cushions). Extra pillows and an extra duvet (nice for curling up on the couch. Wonderful friendly staff. (Can't stress this enough). Great pool with 2 lap lanes and lots of room for just foolin' around in the water. Lots of relaxing space around the pool under a glass atrium roof. Good hot tub and sauna. And - location, location, location! Wonderful restaurants anywhere you turn. Stanley Park and good shopping, rental car outlet close by; ditto - liquor store, mini-markets etc. Zin, the restaurant is good but very pricey in comparison to nearby places. Pet-friendly too if that's important to you. Ken at the front desk is a sweetheart! Minibar has all the spirits on the counter, leaving lots of room in the fridge for milk, restaurant take-out, etc. Masseuse on call (Anika) is terrific.

The bad: Bathroom is quite "Motel 6" in decor. Furniture is downright cheap arborite quality and the "South Beach" decorating scheme photographs much nicer than what it really is. I will check out the Blue Horizon next nime for a comparison. The view is diminished by the new growth of apartments in the Coal Harbour area (not the hotel's fault obviously). Mind you, our nightly view of a nude transvestite dressing and making up for the evening in a nearby apartment rather compensated for this! There is a coffee maker and micro-wave, dishes for 2 - but no paper towels. Starbucks coffee, but the same old breakfast tea every day. One replacement coffee and 2 teabags. It's a 25 storey tower with only one ice machine (parking garage level). No tuck/gift shop and no pop or vending machines (we did find a pop machine in the pool/health club comlex - but no one seemed to know about this when we asked). Nickled and dimed to death on phone calls ($1.50 for each local phone call - and we made plenty). And - the biggest peeve was parking - $25.00 per day parking charge! We ended up renting a car daily and returning it to the rental lot at the end of the day. At $280.00 a night, they could have better furniture and not ding you for the local calls and parking so seriously! But, all in all, we'd still probably stay there again because of the people.

Linda