Something you hear repeatedly is that top-notch Vancouver restaurants are far cheaper than their foreign counterparts. Ditto for accommoda¬tion. A recent survey by a US consulting firm showed that Vancouver is one of the cheapest destinations in the world when it comes to high-end hotels — an average of US$187, compared with US$430 and more for a similar room in London or New York.
The 207-room Westin Grand (433 Robson Street, Downtown, 604-602-1999) has many delights, not the least of which are the Voda nightclub, an intrepid manager in Stephen Darling, and a claim to be the most wired hotel in Canada. The TV screens serve as computer terminals; the hotel offers three Internet delivery options, along with wireless access in the Aria Restaurant; and it uses software that reduces energy costs by heating or cooling a room from the front desk when the guest checks in.
Also in the trendy, high-end category is the new Opus Hotel (322 Davie Street, Yaletown, 604-642-6787). This “sensuous sanctuary of contemporary design” will cost you, but the location is stellar. Another high-end option is the Listel Vancouver Hotel (1300 Robson Street, Downtown, 604-684-8461, www.listel-vancouver.com). Its art collection and chic decor set it apart.
For those with health issues, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport (Richmond, 604-207-5200) offers an entire floor of hypoallergenic guest rooms. Adjacent to the international terminal, the hotel also offers facilities for a massage, swim, or workout between flights.
Is your budget a little more limited? A jewel of a hotel in a superb location is the diminutive Buchan Hotel (1906 Haro Street, West End, 604-685-5354, www.buchanhotel.com). It’s within a few blocks of Stanley Park (and Lost Lagoon) and Denman Street, and not far from English Bay. Summer rates for a single (if you’re willing to share a bathroom) begin at $69 and go to $135 for double occupancy.
I also recommend the Sylvia Hotel (1154 Gilford Street, West End, 604-681-9321) to friends or acquaintances who are looking for inexpen¬sive accommodation. The brown-brick, creeper-covered Sylvia was built on English Bay in 1912 as an apartment building. It still lacks the latest technology and doodads, but it’s almost always fully booked: it’s coveted for its rates, homey ambiance, bar and restaurant, views, and proximity to the beach, seawall, and Stanley Park.
Not only do patrons from around the world return again and again, but the 100-room hotel once had a cat that stayed — and stayed. That story is told in the successful children’s book Got to Go: The Cat Who Wouldn’t Leave and its sequel, Mister Got to Go and Arnie. Both books are available at the hotel. And the story continues. Sylvia Goldstein Ablowitz, who grew up on the beach and for whom the hotel was named by her developer father, died in Vancouver in 2002, at age 102.
Other inexpensive reliables include the YMCA coed residence (955 Burrard Street, Downtown, 604-681-0221 , www.vanymca.org), with the bonus of excellent fitness and recreation facilities, and the YWCA hotel-residence (733 Beatty Street, Downtown, 604-895-5830, 1-8oo-663-1424, www.ywcahotel.com). The yw, with private and family rooms, with or without bath, is well located near the public library. According to a Japanese guest, it’s “the best-kept secret in Vancouver.” The modern vw fitness center is at 535 Hornby Street (Downtown, 604-895-5800).
The Vancouver International Hostel at Jericho Beach (1515 Discovery Street, Westside, 604-224-3208, 1-888-203-4303, www. hihostels.ca) is a full-bore destination in its own right, nicely (if somewhat remotely) located on Burrard Inlet between Kitsilano and UBC. Amenities include private rooms, a rooftop patio, and licensed summer café. Getting there cheaply from downtown or Kitsilano means catching the #4 UBC bus. Take it along 4th Avenue to North-west Marine Drive, then walk 400 yards northward to Discovery Street and a huge white building (a former air-force headquarters). The hos¬tel also runs a free shuttle van to and from the Pacific Central Station (the train and bus depot), marked “Hostelling International.” HI also operates a hostel called Vancouver Downtown (1114 Burnaby Street, West End, 604-684-4565, 1-800-203-4302). It’s not far from Davie Street and English Bay.
The Greenbrier Hotel (1393 Robson Street, Downtown, 604-683-4558) isn’t fancy, but it’s conveniently located near Coal Harbour, and suitable for long stays (weekly rates are available). Similarly, the Barclay Hotel (1348 Robson Street, Downtown, 604-688-8850) is moderately priced and boasts a good location.
I mention the Del Mar Inn (553 Hamilton Street, Downtown, 604-662-3282) because it’s an odd case (this is by no means a recommen¬dation). The owner ofthis budget walkup had a long dispute with BC Hydro over his slice ofthe city block now occupied by the provincial power giant. In short, he refused to sell and remains where Hydro does (or did) not want him. A neatly hand-printed sign says: “This property is not for sale and has not been sold.”
Over the portico, in seven-inch bronze letters, are the words “Unlim¬ited Growth Increases the Divide.” This piece oflisted public art was installed, says creator Kathryn Walter, both as a statement on globali¬zation and as “a witness to the various power-plays that constitute normal business in the world of real estate development.”
The nearby budget Victorian Hotel (514 Homer Street, Downtown, 604-681-6369) bills itself as a “heritage guest house.”
Those who feel comfortable wandering off-the-well-heeled-path into a rougher neighborhood might try the nicely tarted-up Patricia Hotel (403 East Hastings Street, East Vancouver, 604-255-4301, www.budgetpathotel.bc.ca).
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