Hello fellow travelers,
Doing an Alaska cruise and then staying three nights in Vancouver. We are six active seniors looking for a place to stay. Recommendations? Is Airbnb or VRBO a good option or would hotel be better? We’d like to be centrally located near restaurants and transport. Thinking of renting a car as well. Any guidance would be much appreciated.
You don't want a car if you're staying in the city. AirBnB is a good choice for a large group. Kitsilano is a nice area that has a lot of AirBnBs, plus restaurants, etc. If you want to be downtown, you're probably looking at a hotel or three apartments in the same building. The classic Vancouver hotel is the Sylvia in English Bay by Stanley Park. It's been a long time since I stayed there, but it was very nice, and it's in a good location. You can rent bikes (likely including ebikes) nearby. That would be a great way to explore Stanley Park. Another area to check out is Coal Harbor, the waterfront area northwest of Canada Place. The Seawall Walk is a very pleasant strolling route.
We’re also staying in Vancouver after a cruise. We found Airbnb’s to be less common there. This is due to the city cracking down on them and requiring them to be owner occupied. So you will often find people who rent out their basement, or live in the basement and rent out the upstairs. I’m sure you’ll also find some illegal rentals.
We found hotels to be ridiculously expensive. Like $300+/night at a Comfort Inn. We’re staying 1 night in a hotel before the cruise and 2 nights in a rental afterward.
Air B and B type accommodations are considered “iffy” here in Vancouver now.
There has been a crackdown on them in recent years.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/information/visitors
I wouldn’t chance it.
There are hotels that have apartment-type units.
Be aware that in cruise season, hotel rates are astronomically expensive here.
Have a look on booking.com, but be aware that apartments advertised there will still be subject to the short term rentals rules.
You don’t need a car in Vancouver!
Throughout the years, we've stayed at a number of places in downtown Vancouver but the last 15 years we've always stayed at the Worldmark Vancouver. They are apartments and, though they are part of a timeshare, you don't have to be a member to rent. It's convenient to everything, including restaurants, the water foot ferry to Granville Island, shopping, museums and is a short drive to Stanley Park, Gastown or the harbor. I've always had a car in the city. Traffic is a beast but it's fine driving. I would just make sure where ever you chose to stay that parking is included if you decide to rent a car.
You want a car. With 6 you would need, at least, 2 separate taxi's or the equivalent. rent a van or large SUV. I say this because some of the best things around the city really are not close by the "downtown" area. And places like Stanley Park are so big you need a car to see them unless you're walking multiple miles. Bikes are also popular. And with a car you could actually take a day and ferry over to Victoria, which might be good for an overnight.
Do go see the anthropology museum at UBC. Do go to Stanley Park, Do go to Granville Island for the market.
The last couple times I've stayed in Vancouver (it's been 2 years since the last) I used the Delta Hotel and found it well situated.
As with anything on the internet (or in life, for that matter), it's buyer beware on AirBnB, Booking.com, etc. Read the reviews. Only communicate with the host via the platform. For Vancouver, look for the registration number. The sky isn't falling. AirBnB is still an option in cities with very appropriate regulations like these.
You do not want, or need, a car in Vancouver. Finding parking is difficult and expensive. Public transit is terrific, and will get you everywhere you will likely want to go. Do be careful if you decide to book an Air b&b or VRBO, as others have mentioned, there has been a crack down on them, but there are still some illegal ones out there. Someone mentioned staying in the Kitsilano area. It is a nice area, but your options for transit would be limited to bus routes so I would check how close a place is to the bus routes, first. Also, if you are close to a train station, you can purchase a day pass from the ticket machines, but can’t purchase one on a bus. Some retailers do sell them, but you will have to find one near you. A day pass costs about $12, and is good on the bus, Skytrain, and Seabus, but if you purchase a ticket on a bus, you can’t use it on the train.
Hotels in Vancouver are expensive, and there is a shortage of them, especially when the cruise ships come in. If you don’t mind being a little out of town I would suggest looking at the Riverrock near the airport. It is directly connected to the Skytrain. It takes about half an hour to get into Vancouver from there, but you can also get off along the way to connect to a bus that will get you to other places. Another option might be to look for something in North Vancouver near the Seabus terminal. It only takes 15 minutes to ride the Seabus from Waterfront station (right beside Canada Place) across to Lonsdale Quay on the other side, and there is a nice public market there, and buses that will get you to Grouse Mountain and the Capilano suspension bridge, two very popular places for tourists.
Here is the link for transit https://www.translink.ca/
Again, what Anita said: those of us who actually do live here and drive here would not recommend renting a car for only three nights, which really is only two days.
We never drive into the city from where we live, but take public transport.
Parking is very expensive, if you can find it.
A lot of central areas require an app to pay with your phone for parking spots and meters.
They don’t take cash.
Walk, take buses, SeaBus and SkyTrain, rent bikes for Stanley Park.
We have taxis, and we have Uber here too.
Here’s the site for public transport:
https://www.translink.ca/
Also, get the CityMapper app and/or the Moovit app for getting around.
Did you find accommodations?
@KimberlySEA how can i book it? Doesn't seem to be anything for reservations on their website, and when I google it all i get is third party booking sites. Thanks for all the helpful info to all of you!
Hi Trvlgrma,
It isn't the Worldmark site where you book (that's reserved just for their owners.) It is a 3rd party website that Worldmark uses for their properties.
No booking just yet. Taking into account all comments and digging in deeper today. Sadly Wordlmark is sold out ( I checked a few third party sites).
Thank you also for all the great recommendations of places to see and things to do.
Thinking of renting a car as well.
Not required. Once you discover the Aquabus in False Creek, you'll want to take that virtually everywhere. You could do Granville Island Public Market for lunch every day. There are also buses to some of the bigger tourist destinations like Capilano Suspension Bridge that leave from Canada Place. If you wanted to try some of the awesome Asians restaurants in Richmond, the Metro goes there. In other words, plenty of non-car options.
I would recommend a bike tour around Stanley Park. It's relatively flat, relaxing and offers amazing views.
I used to live in Vancouver, and you definitely do not need a car. The public transit is fantastic! We had a car, but we only used it for weekend jaunts out of town or to load up on groceries. You can easily use the Skytrain and buses to get around the city. In fact, the Waterfront station for the Skytrain is very close to Canada Place, which is where your cruise will embark/disembark.
There are a lot of rules about short-term rentals, and illegal ones are quickly shutdown. In our condo building, someone was running one, and it didn't last long.
When we initially visited the city for my husband's job interview, we stayed at this Holiday Inn on Broadway. My parents stayed there as well when they came up to visit us. It's a good location with easy access to the Skytrain. Also, you can walk to many places - Olympic Village, Seawall along False Creek, Granville Island.
You only have a small amount of time, so I wouldn't recommend leaving the city. Stanley Park has already been mentioned. Our favorite park was Pacific Spirit Park, which is near the UBC campus. It's heavily wooded and peaceful. We found it more relaxing than dealing with the crowds at Stanley Park. You would need to take a bus to get there. Queen Elizabeth Park is nice but much smaller. It has a rose garden, fancy restaurant, and conservatory. You can reach this via the Skytrain. Some fun neighborhoods are Commercial Drive and Main Street. Be sure to check out both the coffee and brewery scenes.
We stayed 3 nights in Vancouver last summer and enjoyed the Best Western Plus Sands hotel. It is 5 minute walk to Stanley Park entrance and 5 minute walk to English Bay. No car needed. Rented bikes for scenic ride through Stanley Park. Enjoy.
Last year, we stayed in North Vancouver and absolutely loved it. You get the views of Vancouver, but the enjoyment of a quieter location. There were some great restaurants, and you are a short 12-15 minute ferry ride to Vancouver and the cruise port. We stayed in a VRBO, but there are hotels right on the water as well. We even walked to Granville Island from the ferry dock at Canada Place and had an enjoyable day (we are also seniors).
Another vote for The Museum of Anthropology at UBC. It was closed for a retrofit but I see it has reopened. Also, Granville Island is a favorite.
Good luck with your lodging search. I looked at pricing and was surprised! North Van might be a good option.
Ok people--Worldmark and Best Western Sands are sold out.
Choices that we are considering are:
Holiday Inn Express Vancouver-Metrotown (Burnaby) By IHG
Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport Richmond by IHG
Delta Hotels by Marriott Vancouver Delta
Inn at the Quay
What do you all think?
City center is quite pricey. We would still consider renting a car, as we have really 4 full days (we arrive off cruise earl morning, and depart late evening) there are options to fit all 6 of us at a reasonable cost, and all but one of these hotels has free parking.
If any of you has any information on the availability of public transport near these hotels I'd love to hear about it.
Thank you all so much. I have a big to-do/to-see list thanks to you all and it is much appreciated. I really feel this is a city we can get around and see the sights on our own, as opposed to setting up tours with guides.
I came back from Vancouver and Victoria almost two weeks ago. Yes Vancouver hotels are expensive.
Stanley Park is beautiful - there are many trails through the park and many companies that rent bikes near the park entrance.
Highly recommend going to the Capilano suspension bridge park= it's so beautiful to be up close to the trees of the rain forest.
The Dr Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden is beautiful too - it's small and in a not very nice neighborhood- poverty and many homeless people but you will see homeless people even in the downtown core.
Also enjoyed several hours at the Granville market- there is the Aqua bus and the Granville St. bus that will get you there - you can tap your credit card to pay for the fare.
Although it is probably booked and is definitely pricey, the Sylvia Hotel is a gem. We did not stay there but had drinks and dinner there overlooking English Bay near an entrance to Stanley Park. Check it out.
We haven’t been into downtown Vancouver since pre-COVID, but years ago husband commuted into downtown Vancouver daily. I would not stay at the hotel in Delta due to its location south of the Fraser River. And it’s quite far from downtown Vancouver, as is The Inn at the Quay.
Looks like the hotel in Burnaby is quite near a SkyTrain station and a 15 minute trip into downtown.
The hotel in Richmond is in a pretty busy area and Highway 99 is the main arterial into Vancouver from the south.
You also might check out the Gage Suites at UBC. Great location and an 8.7 Excellent rating on booking.com.
Another forum poster recommended Times Square Suites Hotel to me last year. We stayed there completely satisfied. It was less expensive than most. Our place had kitchen, separate bedroom and sofa bed in main area. Close to Stanley Park. About a mile to cruise port. Safeway store across street. They have secure covered parking for additional fee.
Book directly on their website.
Note that on their website, room rates are CAD, so less in USD.
Warning...the cruise port embarking was horrible. Hours in line. Learned later that experienced cruisers get in line long before the time your ship suggests. If you want more info on that, private msg me.
The one at Metrotown is right beside the mall, and Skytrain into Vancouver will take about 20 minutes, I would not call it a picturesque area, but not terrible, and the Skytrain station there is one of the busiest. The Richmond hotel is not convenient to transit at all, it would be better for people who are planning to drive to the ferry for the island. The Delta hotel may be in downtown Vancouver, it’s hard to tell because there are several with similar names, but if it is, it’s quite expensive. If it isn’t, it’s the furthest from downtown. The inn at the Quay is in New Westminster, which is further out than Metrotown, and will require you to walk to Skytrain, then about half an hour to get downtown. This is also not the most convenient location.
Glad to see Anita’s comments. Vancouver is a very large, cosmopolitan area.
Again, a car is really a hindrance unless you want to go somewhere there is no public transportation.
Thank you @Anita that is precisely what I needed to make the decision!!
