Vancouver is the perfect city for a Summer vacation in Canada. Picture perfect beaches? Check. Great food and tourist locations? Check. Fun activities to keep you active? Yes! And most importantly, a great balance between fast and laidback city life? Check! My friend Alma (@thealmachronicle) and I spent five days (4 nights) in Vancouver, and we had a lovely time. To help you plan your next visit, here's what we got up to and some recommendations to make the best of your stay.
THINGS TO KNOW | Travel Vancouver
- No passport is required if you are within Canada or from the U.S.! You will need a valid passport or national I.D. for the airport. If you are coming from outside Canada and the U.S, check out travel requirements to Canada here.
- With the current COVID-19 pandemic, you will need to take extra precautions while travelling. Visit Transport Canada for updates on measures and guidance for your trip. Bring a mask with you and some hand sanitizers.
- You do not have to rent a car if you plan to stay within the city; Downtown, Yaletown, Gastown. We "ubered" for most of our trip, and the uber rates were very affordable in the town. We also took the Skytrain and it was very affordable at $3.00 for the Waterfront zone. However, if you plan to explore the beaches and hiking trails beyond the cities, a car would be best.
WHERE TO STAY
- We stayed at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver hotel on my first two nights in the City. The location was great, easily accessible with a lovely view of the docks from my suite on the 6th floor. The interior design was modern and screamed luxury. The staff was friendly and took extra care to ensure everyone was following COVID safety guidelines to minimize exposure.
It had everything we needed to unwind and relax in the City. With four restaurants on-site, running from breakfast to dinner hours and a spa center on the 17th floor with a hot tub and a view I was obsessed with. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop by for a visit if only to have a drink at the Honey Salt Bar & Cafe or dinner at The Victor restaurant - it will be worth your time!
- We also stayed at the EXchange Hotel for our last two nights in the city. The hotel is located on the corner of Howe and Pender Street in the heart of Downtown’s Central Business District. The interior design was modern, and I especially loved the marble walls in the shower. The beds were cozy, and we had a pleasant view of the downtown area. We did not have many opportunities to try the food onsite as their kitchen hours were limited, and the staff was a bit hard to reach and order in-room service. All in all, we had a decent stay.
WHERE TO EAT
Apart from the Honey Salt Bar & Cafe which had a lovely "Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich" that was quite tasty, we explored a couple of other restaurants in the city that are worth checking out.
Cocktail hour at the Honey Salt
- Lobby Lounge & Raw Bar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel is a must-try. With a rich menu ranging from breakfast to lunch and cocktail hour, there's something for you on the menu. We were gifted a cocktail hour experience where we tried out their new Sushi Nori Tacos, which are sushi rolls in seaweed "shells" but eaten handheld like a taco. I loved it.
- We had the "Spicy Albacore Tuna Taco" and "Nova Scotia Lobster Taco." Other items on the menu that we tried out include:
- The Wakame Salad
- Raw Bar Platter
- Sable Motoyaki Roll
- Lobster Prawn Cocktail (I could eight about ten of this)
- Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House an award-winning fine dining restaurant and Oyster bar. They're known for their oysters and seafood platters but my favourite thing on the menu was their mini lobster rolls. Worth a try!
- Other restaurants we explored include; The Cactus Club (Yaletown), L'abattoir and The Flying Pig.
BEACHES & PARKS TO VISIT | Travel Vancouver
We were running out of time, so we couldn't visit the beaches outside the City. We did see two of them and got some excellent recommendations for when next we visit.
- Sunset Beach which is beautiful but more of a waterfront than a beach. To me, it's perfect for quiet strolls but not for putting on a swimsuit and getting in the water.
- Kitsilano Beach was more beach for me! The setting was great, the view was very calming, and the water was deep enough to swim in. Boats were coasting through the water and a view of the City I'll never forget. You can visit the beach and enjoy lounging by the water, doing yoga in the soft sand or eating street food from the food vendors or restaurants on site.
- Somebody suggested Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge, and I regret not visiting before leaving the City. But from what I hear, it has a lovely view and worth the visit.
- Stanley Park needs no introduction. The park is one of Vancouver's famous landmarks, which I regrettably didn't have time to visit. But I recommend you do it. It's huge, and you're better off driving or "ubering" around from what I hear. Lots of great lookouts.
WHAT WE GOT UP TO
On our first full day, my friend Ife (@iife_i )showed us the city. We walked from our brunch spot at The Cactus Club, taking photos around Yaletown; we found this lovely Ice Cream Truck (Sweet Spot), where we shared an ice cream cone and indulged in lots of pictures. We also took the Skytrain for only $3.00, headed to Waterfront and then we walked to Gastown to see more of the city. We even encountered the historic Steam Clock while we were out there; it was a sight to behold.
Although our time in Vancouver was short, I must say that I fell in love with the City (even though I swore to a friend I wouldn't). I am planning a second and longer visit because it was that good, but I plan to explore a lot more than the restaurants and hotels in the City. To see more videos of what we got up to in Vancouver, check my Instagram Highlight.
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For more travel recaps, check out my Christmas in Banff post and watch it in motion on YouTube. Subscribe to my newsletter to see where next I visit.
See you soon!
Love,
Auneetuh
