Apologies on the US posting of a question about Canada, but I've had no success on this topic on the Canada forum. We'll be travelling to Vancouver, BC for a week in July with our 4 year old. We're looking for a family-friendly hotel, ideally with suites and an indoor pool. Good possibilities we've seen on this post and elsewhere include the Westin Grand, Rosellen Suites, Delta Vancouver Suites, and the Blue Horizon. Can anyone offer first-hand experiences with any of these? We won't have a car, and we're looking to spend as close to $100 US per night as possible. Thanks!!

Not sure about Westin Grand?
Not sure about Blue Horizon

Delta Vancouver Suites - very modern, very new - right down town - catered for business - not particularly nice area.

Rosellen Suites - I had clients stay there and I've looked around. Very nicely situated - furniture is ok not as trendy or as new as the Delta suites. However, you are near the water - next to Stanley Park - lots of things for kids to do - residential area - safe. Near Robson and Denman Street - nice restaurants. Downtown would be a fair walk with a 4 year old -Downtown say Gastown, the shops and the like ~ 30 minute walk.

Try this site:
http://www.findfamilyfun.com/
This family has put a tremendous amount of work into putting together a complete guide for what to do with the Kids in Vancouver...

To be honest - Vancouver downtown or even if you stay at the Rosellen you are in a city. The North Shore which you can reach by bus (over the Lions Bridge) or sea bus (Gastown) has some really good recreation centres ands is more geared to kids. One good place is in Lynn Valley - the Magnussen Centre(you can take the seabus from Gastown to Lonsdale and then get a bus from Lonsdale bus terminal) ~ 10 minutes on the bus - It has an indoor wave pool - baby pool etc. Also lots and lots of activities for kids - nature trails etc. etc.

Check this site out for more details:
http://www.northvanrec.com/

Forgot to mention..

Also if you click for other properties a the Rosellen suite site you can check out:

1188 Howe Street & Conference Plaza
Again right down town in business area.
However both have pools attached to the hotel. Suites are somewhat small and remind me staying in a basic holiday inn (the nicer pictures are of the penthouse suites.

http://www.home-suite-home.com/apartments-howe.html

http://www.home-suite-home.com/apartments-conference.html

The Westin is a good standard hotle with amenities and, maybe important , access to a service of bonded baby-sitters. I took my little one there while on business some years ago and although we didn't end up needing the service it was a nice touch. For interest, check out Grenville/ Granville (?) Island: Kate was quite taken with it at 5 as I recall: a bit of a festival atmosphere going on, stalls with interesting things to look at and good outdoor restaurants (always a plus with kids!)

The Westin Grand is a great hotel, near Stanley Park (for the 4 year old) and downtown. And they have great indoor pool. I stayed there last summer. Can't remember the price, but you'll get lot of bang for your US dollar i'm sure.

Lena is thinking of the Westin Bayshore, which is very close to Stanley Park, not the Westin Grand, which isn't within walking distance with a 4 year old.

Thank you all for your recommendations and knowledge of Vancouver's layout. I'll spend some time checking out suggested websites this weekend. However, having now glanced at the findfamilyfun.com site, I found a wealth of wonderfully rich information about Vancouver activities from a family that actually lives there. After looking at their site, I'm ready to move to Vancouver. I float a cyberspace thank you out to this family.

I have made reservations for this July at the Days Inn - Vancouver Metro - 92.65 canadian (plus tax)

Just an update on the great choices we ended up with on our Vancouver trip with our 4 year old. We stayed for several days at the Westin Grand. It is centrally located, all the rooms are well-appointed suites, the views from the many windows and patio were stunning, the staff was extremely helpful, and we had access to a "jogger stroller" for free. Weekday prices were reasonable, and we were able to use our "entertainment book" discount. While downtown, we walked or took the bus - both of which were extremely easy.
We then stayed several days in West Vancouver - just over the bridge from Vancouver proper, but a world away. We were at the Beachside - a bed and breakfast right on the ocean that accepted children. The room was large, with fridge, microwave, and fold-out couch - and opened up onto a beachfront patio. A great location as a jumping off point for local hiking and other outdoor activities. The breakfast was a bit meager, but a small complaint in an otherwise wonderful stay. Overall, i would highly recommend Vancouver - and our lodging choices - as a family travel destination.