Hi
Will be traveling to Vancouver again this summer.
Was wondering if anyone out there can recommend outstanding hotels/ eateries that your average traveler would not be aware of. We are in the moderate budget range and are looking for great places without huge costs.
We are traveling with two kids.
Anybody have good recommendations for accomodations/eating/activities.
Thanks in advance.
There’s way too many good restaurants in Vancouver these days.
Do you have a particular cuisine you’re thinking of? ethnic food?
Off the top of my head, you should visit:
Granville Island: it’s a market place. Lots of stalls selling produce, meats, maple syrup (souvenir). Above all, try Duso’s. It’s a stall selling pasta. Their tortellini is fantastic. I also mix their white garlic sauce with their red clam sauce to make the perfect pasta sauce. There’s also very good restaurants on the island. Bridges comes to mind. A tad expensive, but try their breakfast.
The Naam: it’s a vegetarian place not far from Kitts and UBC. (2724 W 4th Ave., Vancouver). great food and dessert.
Vancouver has the best Japanese and Chinese and S.E. Asian food in N. America IMHO. The Greek food is pretty damn good too.
On Broadway, near MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop, it’s like REI), there’s a fantastic Malay/S.E. Asian place called Banana Leaf or something.
Another interesting place is:
Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe - 2095 W 4th Ave. Quite famous for it shakes. nearby to the beach, you can bring your kids there for lunch, then head over to the water.
I seem to remember good restaurants on Commercial Drive. dunno.
I don’t recommend Earl’s.
I like White Spot’s. Famous burger joint. Their burger and manhattan chowder are great. A BC landmark I suppose. Like the In and Out of California, the White Castle of Jersey??
Another slightly pricey, but has great views in QE Park is Seasons.
On Denman Street, there’s tons of restaurants perfect for summertime.
you might do better if you pick an area that you want to stay in in terms of getting your info. also, will you have transportation, or walk/bus/skytrain?
also, you say you’ve been there before - if you know the city quite well, it’s easier to get around …
maybe then we can help more. have fun - been two years since i was “home”, and summer is beautiful … 
Thanks for the wonderful replies. We will be walking. No transport. Do not know the city well.
Will be there only for 2 full days and 3 nights.
Thanks again for the wonderful replies.
[quote=“Jack Burton”]There’s way too many good restaurants in Vancouver these days.
Do you have a particular cuisine you’re thinking of? ethnic food?
Off the top of my head, you should visit:
Granville Island: it’s a market place. Lots of stalls selling produce, meats, maple syrup (souvenir). Above all, try Duso’s. It’s a stall selling pasta. Their tortellini is fantastic. I also mix their white garlic sauce with their red clam sauce to make the perfect pasta sauce. There’s also very good restaurants on the island. Bridges comes to mind. A tad expensive, but try their breakfast.
The Naam: it’s a vegetarian place not far from Kitts and UBC. (2724 W 4th Ave., Vancouver). great food and dessert.
Vancouver has the best Japanese and Chinese and S.E. Asian food in N. America IMHO. The Greek food is pretty damn good too.
On Broadway, near MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop, it’s like REI), there’s a fantastic Malay/S.E. Asian place called Banana Leaf or something.
Another interesting place is:
Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe - 2095 W 4th Ave. Quite famous for it shakes. nearby to the beach, you can bring your kids there for lunch, then head over to the water.
I seem to remember good restaurants on Commercial Drive. dunno.
I don’t recommend Earl’s.
I like White Spot’s. Famous burger joint. Their burger and manhattan chowder are great. A BC landmark I suppose. Like the In and Out of California, the White Castle of Jersey??
Another slightly pricey, but has great views in QE Park is Seasons.
On Denman Street, there’s tons of restaurants perfect for summertime.[/quote]
We are thinking about staying at the Manor House B&B. Anyone heard of it?
Are there any dangers or annoyances to be aware of while in Vancouver? Any “bad” neighborhoods?
[quote=“fruitcake”]Thanks for the wonderful replies. We will be walking. No transport. Do not know the city well.
Will be there only for 2 full days and 3 nights.
Thanks again for the wonderful replies.
[quote=“Jack Burton”]There’s way too many good restaurants in Vancouver these days.
Do you have a particular cuisine you’re thinking of? ethnic food?
Off the top of my head, you should visit:
Granville Island: it’s a market place. Lots of stalls selling produce, meats, maple syrup (souvenir). Above all, try Duso’s. It’s a stall selling pasta. Their tortellini is fantastic. I also mix their white garlic sauce with their red clam sauce to make the perfect pasta sauce. There’s also very good restaurants on the island. Bridges comes to mind. A tad expensive, but try their breakfast.
The Naam: it’s a vegetarian place not far from Kitts and UBC. (2724 W 4th Ave., Vancouver). great food and dessert.
Vancouver has the best Japanese and Chinese and S.E. Asian food in N. America IMHO. The Greek food is pretty damn good too.
On Broadway, near MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop, it’s like REI), there’s a fantastic Malay/S.E. Asian place called Banana Leaf or something.
Another interesting place is:
Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe - 2095 W 4th Ave. Quite famous for it shakes. nearby to the beach, you can bring your kids there for lunch, then head over to the water.
I seem to remember good restaurants on Commercial Drive. dunno.
I don’t recommend Earl’s.
I like White Spot’s. Famous burger joint. Their burger and manhattan chowder are great. A BC landmark I suppose. Like the In and Out of California, the White Castle of Jersey??
Another slightly pricey, but has great views in QE Park is Seasons.
On Denman Street, there’s tons of restaurants perfect for summertime.[/quote][/quote]
The YMCA downtown is really nice and probably the most economical place in the downtown Vancouver area. I’m sure they have a website you can locate for more info.
[quote=“fruitcake”]We are thinking about staying at the Manor House B&B. Anyone heard of it?
Are there any dangers or annoyances to be aware of while in Vancouver? Any “bad” neighborhoods?[/quote]
Steer clear of East Vancouver…there’s a lot of hard drugs and homeless people so the area is unsafe most of the time. That’s East Hastings.
Other sites to see might include a walk through Gastown and a visit to Science World, the latter being on the boardwalk attached to the seawall. Really quite pleasant.
And a REAL cheap thing for the whole family is a ride on the Skytrain from Vancouver to Surrey Station and back. You get to see the lay of the land so to speak, and it’s a very inexpensice “tour” of greater Vancouver.
For beaches, I would recommend English Bay and Jericho Beach. (English Bay is walkable from the West End, a trendy shopping district also worth a look). Both have lovely sunset views and at Jericho (also called Locarno Beach), you can see the Vancouver skyline. There’s also a very inexpensive restaurant called the Jericho Sailing Club, which welcomes everyone but few people know that. You can have tasty fish and chips or burgers or whatever at a VERY reasonable price and eat it on their deck.
If you have time, take the Seabus from the main terminal near Gastown to the North Vancouver landing and check out the Lonsdale Quay. Tons of shops and an eclectic waterfront recently gentrified. You can get on the Seabus with your Skytrain ticket, which you have bought for the tour…remember? 
I think you can buy roundtrip ticket for the Skytrain but you’ll have to pick up a tourist info book to be sure. You can get them free at the airport. 
Oh yeah…check out the Granville Mall (not to be confused with Granville Island). The mall is pedestrian zone in downtown Vancouver and there’s a variety of funky clothing stores, small restaurants, sidewalk vendors and theatres. The infamous Commodore Ballroom is here, and other such Vancouver landmarks.
Have fun. 
Take this advice seriously, especially with your kids. This area is appalling.
On the other hand if adventure tourism is your thing, try taking a stroll through this neighborhood on “Welfare Wednesday”. It’s not really that dangerous, but it can be a shock.
If you have enough time (two days doesn’t seem like a lot!) go check out Steveston (the fishing village in Richmond). Richmond is a bridge away from Vancouver. From downtown Vancouver it’s about 20 minutes. However if you are taking public transport, you’d have to change buses, which is annoying.
Keep Steveston in mind, though. Applesolutely wonderful old-cannery-area-turned-nouveau-seaside community. Great for sunbathing. I was looking in that area for townhouses and boy oh boy…
Steveston is famous for fish and chips and RAW OYSTERS baby. You can watch the fishing boats come in, and take nice walks along the boardwalk.
I’ll see you there!
Added: I looked up Manor House B&B and the location is pretty nice. You’re (you’re on Cambie and W 13 Ave) two big streets south of Granville Street, the chic hip neighborhood BEFORE the bridge. Downtown’s Robson Street and Davie Street would be the chic hip neighborhoods AFTER the bridge.
Granville Street is nice, pricey salons and stuff. Good for people watching and cafe sipping and outdoor patio chatting and RAW OYSTERS. You might see Goldie Hawn getting her face done there. Literally.
Rugby Beach Club Grille (just Rugby’s) is cheap, good, wholesome food. No reservations, but has a hippish atmosphere, kids will love it too. And they have great RAW OYSTERS. Did I mention cheap? It’s great when you want good, cheap food in a good atmosphere, and don’t mind waiting for a table. Best time to go is 5 PM on a weeknight. It’s on 950 W Broadway, second floor. Phone: 604.736.2438. Outdoor seating too. They got kick ass deals like $1.99 lobster tails from 4.24-4.59 PM or something like that, I remember.
In Vancouver, when you eat out in the summer, outdoor seating is a MUST!
I’m heading there for work at the end of this week, working and staying in Richmond.
Most of the recommendations/info I have read relates to SUMMER activities. Does Vancouver shut down over the winter?
Any suggestions of what to do? I have got 3 days of exploring up my sleeve.
Cheers.
[quote=“Truant”]I’m heading there for work at the end of this week, working and staying in Richmond.
Most of the recommendations/info I have read relates to SUMMER activities. Does Vancouver shut down over the winter?
Any suggestions of what to do? I have got 3 days of exploring up my sleeve.
Cheers.[/quote]
The skiing is world class.
[quote=“Truant”]I’m heading there for work at the end of this week, working and staying in Richmond.
Most of the recommendations/info I have read relates to SUMMER activities. Does Vancouver shut down over the winter?
Any suggestions of what to do? I have got 3 days of exploring up my sleeve.
Cheers.[/quote]
Richmond!?!?!
Oh, right, airport, you’re going for work.
You’ll feel right at home.
There’s a Taiwanese market.
Are you staying at the Raddisson?
Because it’s owned by President, you know, the juice company.
Do you have a rental?
Like the Samoan sez, public transport to/from Richmond is a drag.
You got to get over at least one bridge to see anything cool, except for the fishing area mentioned.
Just about the first thing you see when you come into Richmond from the airport is a hotel/motel with a place used to be called The Sky Bar in the parking lot.
Awesome peeler joint.
Vancouver is famous for the best peelers in N. America.
Wreck beach. You can sleep on the beach and then wake up and have hot dogs for breakfast.
Yes, they take it all off for you in 'couver.
Yes, they take it all off for you in 'couver.[/quote]
Yeah, it’s all legal.
You can have a fully naked silicone-injected cocaine-addicted common-law wife to a career criminal rub her diseased naughty bits all over you while you drink.
But you can’t smoke.
Yeesh.
Yes, they take it all off for you in 'couver.[/quote]
Yeah, it’s all legal.
You can have a fully naked silicone-injected cocaine-addicted common-law wife to a career criminal rub her diseased naughty bits all over you while you drink.
But you can’t smoke.
Yeesh.[/quote]
Ever been in to some of the dives in the east end where they have signs above the toilets that say “Please don’t flush your needles?” LOL
Too bad I’m not going home on a visit right now. I’d take Truant slumming.
More seriously, Whistler mountain is definitely worth checking out. It’s touristy and expensive, but for good reason. More nearby is Grouse mountain. It has a reasonable priced skyride that will take you above the snowline and give you some really nice views. Skiing. Think skiing.
On a mundane note: take your raincoat. I was just home for 6 weeks and got MAYBE 3 days of sunshine.
jabloney - you must have left just before we did - we managed a week of dry weather.
the skyride is a bit pricey if you’re not going to ski … $30 cdn for a glorified elevator. 
the views are supposed to be good though.
take in a hockey game … if you don’t wanna pay a couple hundred for the 'nucks (post olympics), see a junior game.
if the weather clears, get outside. we had some beautiful days at stanley park (of course), seymour mountain, and various locales.
commercial drive is way cleaner than it used to be, and has some really good (albeit pricey) restaurants worth checking out. i don’t knwo too much about what to see in richmond proper - we were only there to land and take off. oh, and one day of shopping at a mall there where we watched three people get stabbed …
For a real west end experience, The Elbow Room (Davie Street, east of Burrard) is a must for breakfast. Bring your appetites. Another great experience on The Drive (Commercial) is Cafe Deux Soliels (2096 Commercial Drive, 5 minute walk from Broadway skytrain), where the kid friendly environment is only surpassed by the large portions and cheap prices.
Truant, with 3 days to explore, you should really try to get up to Whistler/Blackcomb. It really is a world class resort. See why it’ll be co-host to the 2010 Olympics.
Thanks everyone for their responses. I always ruv it when people’s patrioti, patriat, patri…love of their home town comes thru.
I am taking my boarding gear fer sure. Now. Best way to get from Van to Whistler? Rent a car or are there rots of buses n shit?