Trip report: Seattle, Olympic NP, Victoria, Vancouver
Sep 22nd, 2007, 02:24 PM
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Trip report: Seattle, Olympic NP, Victoria, Vancouver
Got back last week from the Pacific Northwest and had a great time. Seattle was a nice place and Olympic NP was pleasant, but we LOVED Victoria and Vancouver.
The weather was absolutely perfect! We had some light rain showers while in Olympic NP (which is expected, of course, especially in the Hoh Rainforest), but the rest of the trip was full of sunshine and warm temps (mid/upper-70s). Here's a short recap of our trip and our general impressions:
Seattle:
Sightseeing:
Pike Place - nothing special, just your normal farmer's market
Museum of Flight - my husband really enjoyed seeing all the aircraft, especially the Concorde, AirForce One, and SR-71 Blackbird
Space Needle - we bought tickets for the observation deck, and it was very nice up there. It was a clear day and you could see for miles and miles ... Mt Rainier in the distance, float planes taking off and landing from the water below.
Kerry Park - great view of the downtown skyline and Puget Sound. Even though you're not as high up as when you're on the observation deck of the Space Needle, this view was nice since the Space Needle itself was in sight
Food:
Dahlia Lounge - we didn't have a reservation and it was Saturday night, so we had to wait until 9:30 for a table. We had a crab appetizer with chili paste, which tasted wonderful, but the rest of the meal wasn't as good as it started. The waiter really built up his description of the main course of crab cakes, but we thought it tasted average. For dessert, I was asking the waiter about the "sampler" dish that included some melon drink, a crepe, and homemade chocolates. I told him I just wanted the single crepe order (not the sampler anymore), but he ended up getting my order wrong and brought me the sampler (which turned out to taste pretty disappointing). Since it was too late to correct the order, he said he'd charge us for the single crepe order, which was cheaper than the sampler, even though he brought out the sampler. My husband wanted to try their famous donuts, but they were sold out for the night, so he ordered the creme caramel which was better than average. When the bill came, the waiter hadn't adjusted the dessert charge like he said he would, but we didn't complain anymore since it was really late already and it was only a few dollars difference. Overall, the service was a bit slow despite the fact we were there late and it wasn't that crowded anymore, and for the price you pay for average quality food, we weren't impressed. We wouldn't recommend this restaurant and would not go back there.
Chandler's Crabhouse - great view of the lake and the food was alright. We could tell the seafood was very fresh, but the recipes were nothing special.
Hotel: We stayed at the Sheraton and were pleased. We had a view of the Puget Sound from the 22nd floor and the staff was courteous and helpful. The location of the hotel was convenient - within walking distance of Pike Place, restaurants, shopping. We would stay there again.
---
Olympic National Park:
Sights: We had a rental car and drove from Seattle south towards Tacoma, and around the Puget Sound. Mileage-wise it was longer than taking a ferry across the Sound, but the drive was pleasant (no traffic and didn't have to bother with waiting for a ferry). We arrived in Port Angeles in the early afternoon, so we had time to drive to Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent. HR was pretty - we took a short hike and saw a half dozen deer along the way. It started raining on the way back down the mountain, so we were just in time to catch the views while we were up there. It continued to rain as we drove around LC, so the lake had an eery look to it, but it made for some great photos.
The next day we saw Rialto Beach and Hoh Rainforest. It was a long day of driving, but the rainforest was the nicest part of the Park. We were lucky with the weather - very light sprinkles which made it easy to walk around the trails that were slightly muddy. If it were heavier rain, we would've been slipping and sliding. Everywhere you looked, it was different shades of green. The moss and ferns covering all the huge trees was something special.
Food: We ate at Cafe Garden (seafood) and Bushwacker's (steaks, seafood). The people were friendly and the food was decent, but nothing really notable about the local restaurants in Port Angeles.
Hotel: We stayed at the Best Western Olympic Lodge. It looked like the fanciest lodging in town and we had no complaints about it. It was clean, the service was fine, and we would stay there again if in the area.
---
Victoria:
We dropped off the rental car in Port Angeles and took the Victoria Express passenger ferry to Victoria. The ferry was pretty small since it was only a passenger ferry and the water was a bit choppy, so unfortunately the ride wasn't very smooth. If you tend to get seasick, I would try taking the Coho ferry since it's bigger/takes vehicles.
Sights:
Parliament building - took the self-guided tour inside, but not much to see since most of the doors and hallways were restricted to employees. At night, the exterior is lit up and makes for a nice photo op.
Empress hotel - nice gardens and exterior facade, but not much to see inside if you're not a guest
Butchart Gardens - beautiful place!! We took the Evening Illuminations tour with Grey Line and got to see the Gardens right before sunset and on into the late night. It was a little hazy that afternoon, so even though we still had sunlight when we arrived, the sky wasn't that bright and some photos didn't turn out looking as spectacular as the Gardens looked in person. Seeing the Gardens lit up at night was unique. The only word of warning - if you don't want to eat a very early dinner before the tour, you have 2 options: eat at the Gardens (one sit-down restaurant is there that closes at 8, even though the Gardens are open until 10; otherwise, you're stuck eating at their snack bar), or find a restaurant that's still open in town when you return from the tour. We actually had a filling lunch, so we weren't that hungry for dinner. We were happy to just grab a sandwich and hot dog from the snack bar at the Gardens.
Food: We had a fabulous meal (for lunch) at Nautical Nellie's. Hubby had mussels and a locally brewed beer and I had their signature lobster sandwich. Everything was extremely tasty, the prices were reasonable, and the service was great. The weather was so nice that we sat outside on their little patio. We would definitely eat there again and recommend it to everyone.
We also found some great sweets/bakery items to snack on at the Dutch Bakery on Douglas/Fort Streets. The place was busy and you could tell it was mainly locals that frequented it. Highly recommended!!
Hotel: We chose the Best Western Inner Harbour for its proximity to the ferry. We didn't have a rental car, so when we got off the ferry, we needed to carry our suitcases easily and the BW was two blocks away. There are fancier places to stay in Victoria, but for what you pay at the BW, we had no complaints. A free breakfast was also included in the price.
Other than getting to/from Butchart Gardens, downtown Victoria is small and you can get around/see all the touristy places without a car.
---
Vancouver:
We purchased Grey Line tickets from the bus depot in Victoria and traveled to Vancouver Int'l Airport, where we picked up a rental car. It was convenient to take Grey Line since 1) their bus depot was within walking distance of our Victoria hotel, and 2) they took care of everything for the ferry ride across to Vancouver, including handling our luggage. There was the option of getting dropped off directly at the downtown Vancouver bus depot, but we took the one to the airport so we could pick up and drop off the rental car at the same location.
The ferry ride itself was better than the one from Port Angeles to Victoria since the waters were a lot calmer and the ferry was huge. We saw some sea otters along the way.
Sights:
Stanley Park - very peaceful place to take a stroll and lots of photo ops along the seawall. There's also a free trolley that circles around the park, but it was also nice to walk around some of the interior trails.
Canada Place - not much to see except for the massive cruise ships. One ship was preparing to leave soon, so we got to watch all its passengers on deck practicing how to put their life vests on and lining up to get emergency instructions.
Capilano Suspension Bridge - admission was extremely overpriced! It was funny to go across the swaying bridge, but what a rip off. Ticket prices should've been half of what they were charging. Parking was $3, too.
Food:
GoldFish Pacific Kitchen - One of the best restaurants we've eaten at (in general, not just during this trip). Can't say enough fabulous things about GoldFish. We were there on a Thursday night and it was packed, but luckily we had reservations. We started off with a great grilled shrimp appetizer that was presented on a sugar cane skewer. We ordered king crab legs for the main course, which was served "family style" so it was enough to share, but it was a la carte, so we had to order some side dishes of bacon fried rice and some spicy corn dish. Every bite was heavenly! The service was superb, too. Every so often, someone on the wait staff would stop by to offer to help us crack open the crab legs. My husband had a bucket with ice set up next to him for the wine bottle we ordered, and at one point when he was about to pour himself another glass of wine, suddenly, one of the waiters was there to offer to pour it for him. It was like they didn't want us to lift a finger. Dessert was unbelievably delicious: chocolate "sushi." It was sweet coconut rice with bits of fruit in the middle (like mango, strawberry, and kiwi), wrapped with a thin layer of chocolate to look like a piece of sushi. It came with lychee syrup as a dipping sauce. The combination of flavors in their recipes was just so perfect. The entire meal was very expensive, but it was worth every penny. We highly, highly recommend this place and would return to Vancouver just to eat here again!
Rekados Grill (Filipino cuisine) - very tasty food with traditional dishes. A lot of locals were eating there, so we could tell right away it was a good place, plus I had read beforehand some great reviews. Another highly recommended restaurant!
Imperial Chinese - we ate so much food here that we thought our stomachs would explode ;P What a great place for authentic Chinese food. I lost track of how many courses they served us, but the most notable was one of the duck dishes. It was similar to a lettuce wrap, and the filling was shredded roast duck with a tangy sauce. We would definitely eat there again.
Bin 941 - a very tiny tapas place with better than average dishes. We arrived there shortly after it opened for dinner, and were lucky enough to get the last table available. Otherwise, we would've had to wait for quite a while since they only have a handful of tables. The tables are very close together so you have to really squeeze in between tables to get into the booth to sit down. The food was alright, but we've been to better tapas restaurants in the past that this place didn't impress us too much. I don't know that we'd go there again since Vancouver has so many other great restaurant choices.
Hotel: We were at the Westin Grand - great location right on Robson Street. There was some construction in the front of the hotel, so when we first arrived, we missed the entrance and had to circle around the block again. Other than that, the construction wasn't a problem. We had a grand suite with a nice view. We were very pleased with the Westin and would stay there again.
Hope these reviews come in handy for anyone else who may be planning a trip to these areas.
The weather was absolutely perfect! We had some light rain showers while in Olympic NP (which is expected, of course, especially in the Hoh Rainforest), but the rest of the trip was full of sunshine and warm temps (mid/upper-70s). Here's a short recap of our trip and our general impressions:
Seattle:
Sightseeing:
Pike Place - nothing special, just your normal farmer's market
Museum of Flight - my husband really enjoyed seeing all the aircraft, especially the Concorde, AirForce One, and SR-71 Blackbird
Space Needle - we bought tickets for the observation deck, and it was very nice up there. It was a clear day and you could see for miles and miles ... Mt Rainier in the distance, float planes taking off and landing from the water below.
Kerry Park - great view of the downtown skyline and Puget Sound. Even though you're not as high up as when you're on the observation deck of the Space Needle, this view was nice since the Space Needle itself was in sight
Food:
Dahlia Lounge - we didn't have a reservation and it was Saturday night, so we had to wait until 9:30 for a table. We had a crab appetizer with chili paste, which tasted wonderful, but the rest of the meal wasn't as good as it started. The waiter really built up his description of the main course of crab cakes, but we thought it tasted average. For dessert, I was asking the waiter about the "sampler" dish that included some melon drink, a crepe, and homemade chocolates. I told him I just wanted the single crepe order (not the sampler anymore), but he ended up getting my order wrong and brought me the sampler (which turned out to taste pretty disappointing). Since it was too late to correct the order, he said he'd charge us for the single crepe order, which was cheaper than the sampler, even though he brought out the sampler. My husband wanted to try their famous donuts, but they were sold out for the night, so he ordered the creme caramel which was better than average. When the bill came, the waiter hadn't adjusted the dessert charge like he said he would, but we didn't complain anymore since it was really late already and it was only a few dollars difference. Overall, the service was a bit slow despite the fact we were there late and it wasn't that crowded anymore, and for the price you pay for average quality food, we weren't impressed. We wouldn't recommend this restaurant and would not go back there.
Chandler's Crabhouse - great view of the lake and the food was alright. We could tell the seafood was very fresh, but the recipes were nothing special.
Hotel: We stayed at the Sheraton and were pleased. We had a view of the Puget Sound from the 22nd floor and the staff was courteous and helpful. The location of the hotel was convenient - within walking distance of Pike Place, restaurants, shopping. We would stay there again.
---
Olympic National Park:
Sights: We had a rental car and drove from Seattle south towards Tacoma, and around the Puget Sound. Mileage-wise it was longer than taking a ferry across the Sound, but the drive was pleasant (no traffic and didn't have to bother with waiting for a ferry). We arrived in Port Angeles in the early afternoon, so we had time to drive to Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent. HR was pretty - we took a short hike and saw a half dozen deer along the way. It started raining on the way back down the mountain, so we were just in time to catch the views while we were up there. It continued to rain as we drove around LC, so the lake had an eery look to it, but it made for some great photos.
The next day we saw Rialto Beach and Hoh Rainforest. It was a long day of driving, but the rainforest was the nicest part of the Park. We were lucky with the weather - very light sprinkles which made it easy to walk around the trails that were slightly muddy. If it were heavier rain, we would've been slipping and sliding. Everywhere you looked, it was different shades of green. The moss and ferns covering all the huge trees was something special.
Food: We ate at Cafe Garden (seafood) and Bushwacker's (steaks, seafood). The people were friendly and the food was decent, but nothing really notable about the local restaurants in Port Angeles.
Hotel: We stayed at the Best Western Olympic Lodge. It looked like the fanciest lodging in town and we had no complaints about it. It was clean, the service was fine, and we would stay there again if in the area.
---
Victoria:
We dropped off the rental car in Port Angeles and took the Victoria Express passenger ferry to Victoria. The ferry was pretty small since it was only a passenger ferry and the water was a bit choppy, so unfortunately the ride wasn't very smooth. If you tend to get seasick, I would try taking the Coho ferry since it's bigger/takes vehicles.
Sights:
Parliament building - took the self-guided tour inside, but not much to see since most of the doors and hallways were restricted to employees. At night, the exterior is lit up and makes for a nice photo op.
Empress hotel - nice gardens and exterior facade, but not much to see inside if you're not a guest
Butchart Gardens - beautiful place!! We took the Evening Illuminations tour with Grey Line and got to see the Gardens right before sunset and on into the late night. It was a little hazy that afternoon, so even though we still had sunlight when we arrived, the sky wasn't that bright and some photos didn't turn out looking as spectacular as the Gardens looked in person. Seeing the Gardens lit up at night was unique. The only word of warning - if you don't want to eat a very early dinner before the tour, you have 2 options: eat at the Gardens (one sit-down restaurant is there that closes at 8, even though the Gardens are open until 10; otherwise, you're stuck eating at their snack bar), or find a restaurant that's still open in town when you return from the tour. We actually had a filling lunch, so we weren't that hungry for dinner. We were happy to just grab a sandwich and hot dog from the snack bar at the Gardens.
Food: We had a fabulous meal (for lunch) at Nautical Nellie's. Hubby had mussels and a locally brewed beer and I had their signature lobster sandwich. Everything was extremely tasty, the prices were reasonable, and the service was great. The weather was so nice that we sat outside on their little patio. We would definitely eat there again and recommend it to everyone.
We also found some great sweets/bakery items to snack on at the Dutch Bakery on Douglas/Fort Streets. The place was busy and you could tell it was mainly locals that frequented it. Highly recommended!!
Hotel: We chose the Best Western Inner Harbour for its proximity to the ferry. We didn't have a rental car, so when we got off the ferry, we needed to carry our suitcases easily and the BW was two blocks away. There are fancier places to stay in Victoria, but for what you pay at the BW, we had no complaints. A free breakfast was also included in the price.
Other than getting to/from Butchart Gardens, downtown Victoria is small and you can get around/see all the touristy places without a car.
---
Vancouver:
We purchased Grey Line tickets from the bus depot in Victoria and traveled to Vancouver Int'l Airport, where we picked up a rental car. It was convenient to take Grey Line since 1) their bus depot was within walking distance of our Victoria hotel, and 2) they took care of everything for the ferry ride across to Vancouver, including handling our luggage. There was the option of getting dropped off directly at the downtown Vancouver bus depot, but we took the one to the airport so we could pick up and drop off the rental car at the same location.
The ferry ride itself was better than the one from Port Angeles to Victoria since the waters were a lot calmer and the ferry was huge. We saw some sea otters along the way.
Sights:
Stanley Park - very peaceful place to take a stroll and lots of photo ops along the seawall. There's also a free trolley that circles around the park, but it was also nice to walk around some of the interior trails.
Canada Place - not much to see except for the massive cruise ships. One ship was preparing to leave soon, so we got to watch all its passengers on deck practicing how to put their life vests on and lining up to get emergency instructions.
Capilano Suspension Bridge - admission was extremely overpriced! It was funny to go across the swaying bridge, but what a rip off. Ticket prices should've been half of what they were charging. Parking was $3, too.
Food:
GoldFish Pacific Kitchen - One of the best restaurants we've eaten at (in general, not just during this trip). Can't say enough fabulous things about GoldFish. We were there on a Thursday night and it was packed, but luckily we had reservations. We started off with a great grilled shrimp appetizer that was presented on a sugar cane skewer. We ordered king crab legs for the main course, which was served "family style" so it was enough to share, but it was a la carte, so we had to order some side dishes of bacon fried rice and some spicy corn dish. Every bite was heavenly! The service was superb, too. Every so often, someone on the wait staff would stop by to offer to help us crack open the crab legs. My husband had a bucket with ice set up next to him for the wine bottle we ordered, and at one point when he was about to pour himself another glass of wine, suddenly, one of the waiters was there to offer to pour it for him. It was like they didn't want us to lift a finger. Dessert was unbelievably delicious: chocolate "sushi." It was sweet coconut rice with bits of fruit in the middle (like mango, strawberry, and kiwi), wrapped with a thin layer of chocolate to look like a piece of sushi. It came with lychee syrup as a dipping sauce. The combination of flavors in their recipes was just so perfect. The entire meal was very expensive, but it was worth every penny. We highly, highly recommend this place and would return to Vancouver just to eat here again!
Rekados Grill (Filipino cuisine) - very tasty food with traditional dishes. A lot of locals were eating there, so we could tell right away it was a good place, plus I had read beforehand some great reviews. Another highly recommended restaurant!
Imperial Chinese - we ate so much food here that we thought our stomachs would explode ;P What a great place for authentic Chinese food. I lost track of how many courses they served us, but the most notable was one of the duck dishes. It was similar to a lettuce wrap, and the filling was shredded roast duck with a tangy sauce. We would definitely eat there again.
Bin 941 - a very tiny tapas place with better than average dishes. We arrived there shortly after it opened for dinner, and were lucky enough to get the last table available. Otherwise, we would've had to wait for quite a while since they only have a handful of tables. The tables are very close together so you have to really squeeze in between tables to get into the booth to sit down. The food was alright, but we've been to better tapas restaurants in the past that this place didn't impress us too much. I don't know that we'd go there again since Vancouver has so many other great restaurant choices.
Hotel: We were at the Westin Grand - great location right on Robson Street. There was some construction in the front of the hotel, so when we first arrived, we missed the entrance and had to circle around the block again. Other than that, the construction wasn't a problem. We had a grand suite with a nice view. We were very pleased with the Westin and would stay there again.
Hope these reviews come in handy for anyone else who may be planning a trip to these areas.
Sep 22nd, 2007, 05:54 PM
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I read your trip report with interest as my DH and I would like to do a similar trip in a couple of years, sans Olympic NP.
If you were going to travel to just Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver again, how much time would you allot to each place?
If you were going to travel to just Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver again, how much time would you allot to each place?
Sep 23rd, 2007, 03:41 PM
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mah1980 -
We arrived in Seattle in the late afternoon/early evening, so by the time we got to our hotel, we only had time for a quick stroll near the waterfront before dinner. The next day was all sightseeing and shopping, and the following morning was when we drove to Olympic NP. If you just want to see the typical tourist spots, but not spend a lot of time at each place, we were able to do it all in one (long) day.
In Victoria, we arrived in the afternoon and had some time for sightseeing before taking our bus tour to Butchart Gardens. The following day we went to Vancouver, but we still had some time in the morning to go around town. We really liked Victoria, so next time we would go, it would be for an additional day (not just overnight like we did this time). There may not be as much to see in Victoria compared to Seattle, since Victoria is smaller, but I would just want the extra time to soak up the atmosphere. It's really such a quaint place. Some people do a quick day trip to Victoria from Vancouver, but I would recommend at least staying overnight.
We were in Vancouver for 3.5 days which was sufficient for the sights we saw and shopping we did.
We arrived in Seattle in the late afternoon/early evening, so by the time we got to our hotel, we only had time for a quick stroll near the waterfront before dinner. The next day was all sightseeing and shopping, and the following morning was when we drove to Olympic NP. If you just want to see the typical tourist spots, but not spend a lot of time at each place, we were able to do it all in one (long) day.
In Victoria, we arrived in the afternoon and had some time for sightseeing before taking our bus tour to Butchart Gardens. The following day we went to Vancouver, but we still had some time in the morning to go around town. We really liked Victoria, so next time we would go, it would be for an additional day (not just overnight like we did this time). There may not be as much to see in Victoria compared to Seattle, since Victoria is smaller, but I would just want the extra time to soak up the atmosphere. It's really such a quaint place. Some people do a quick day trip to Victoria from Vancouver, but I would recommend at least staying overnight.
We were in Vancouver for 3.5 days which was sufficient for the sights we saw and shopping we did.
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