Very Vancouver

We had to circle around the block to find the entrance to the parking garage for the downtown Hampton ($13/night/parking), but the hotel itself was easy to locate. Later we discovered we could walk to many neighborhoods of interest such as Chinatown. Granville Island was also within easy reach.

Inside the hotel: On one wall in the lobby were pictures of some of the hotel's famous guests, one of which I recognized as the Canadian figure skater, Elvis Stojko. Service proved to be quick and efficient. We also found our room in good order. While the size was only adequate, our room contained a small microwave and fridge, which proved to be useful.

Hotel features worth noting: Take the elevator up to the rooftop. There my son was delighted to find a small rec room with a ping-pong table and foos ball. I was impressed with the spa features---a whirlpool surrounded by glass windows---a sauna, a small fitness center, and locker rooms. The outside balcony with its stone tables provided an awesome view! A great place to sip coffee and decide where to go first... I also noticed a laundry room with coin operated machines.

The free breakfast at this hotel is first rate. In addition to the expected bagels and coffee that are available, there are items like scrambled eggs, fresh fruit and sausages. Everything is served buffet style.

Bottom line? The Hampton lives up to its brand name. Comfortable and reasonable. I'd stay there again.

The Pacific Palisades is a modern, chic boutique located in the heart of... well... everything. Just a hop and skip from the park, I loved being able to wake up and go on a nice run beside the water without having to drive anywhere.

Inside the hotel: The front lobby is an explosion of color, from the geometric patterns painted on the walls, to the beautiful vases on the glass shelves behind the front desk, to the lobby phones covered in decorative jewels... I always enjoy a hotel with a personality.

Our room itself was actually a suite accented with lime and lemon yellow. My husband and I threw our suitcases into the master bedroom. My son would end up sleeping on the fold out couch in the living area. Though we didn't use our kitchen, we broke into the mini-bar's Twizzler licorice while deciding what we wanted to do in Vancouver. If you're traveling with kids, you'll appreciate the two televisions and the Playstation... both nice features for "downtime." We also had a small balcony with a nice view of the city.

Other hotel features worth noting: Don't miss the giant indoor pool at this hotel. You can relax in the whirlpool while your children splash out their extra energy. (How I wish someone could figure out how to bottle that!) In this spa center, you can also make an appointment to get a massage.

The on-site restaurant, Zen, provides a decadent breakfast. I also enjoyed getting drinks here one evening with a group of friends.

Tip: If you want another place to get drinks, you might walk over to the Cloud 9 Restaurant and Lounge in the Empire Landmark Hotel (1400 Robson.) Minors aren't allowed here, but if your party is all adult, you'll find gorgeous views of the city to orient you to what Vancouver has to offer during your visit.

Zin is attached to the Pacific Palisades Hotel, so we dined here twice for breakfast. The swirls on the walls made me immediately think of Van Gogh's painting Starry Night, though the restaurant’s color scheme consisted of deep pinks and burnt orange. There's certainly an international flavor as well, but an Asian influence seems to me to have touched all things Vancouver.

In the morning, the restaurant was fairly empty. The first time we ate here, the service was awesome. The second time, we had a different waitress and... well... Regardless, both meals were yummy. The presentation of the food itself was worthy of an artist! The peach waffles, served with heavy whipped cream and maple syrup--a hint of lavender flavor added--were culinary perfection. I also enjoyed ordering fresh fruit with scrambled eggs.

If you skip breakfast and end up at Zin later in the evening, expect the same high quality of food. Choices range from a balsamic chicken breast to an ahi tuna entrée, butter curry scallops or coconut crab cake tapas.

The bar is also a good place to grab a drink late at night...especially if you're staying at the Pacific Palisades. I walked down here from my room and met some friends one evening for a zintini.

Open until 1am on weekends. Closed Mondays.

I am a great fan of walking tours. I love to hear the little details I might otherwise miss on my own. A guide can be a wealth of information. How else could I have known that all the colors in Chinatown have significance? That the red on the streetlights actually serve as boundary markers? That the Chinese were horribly exploited in Vancouver? Our guide would deadpan, "Yay Canada," when pointing out how the government imposed unfair practices on the Chinese population, such as an inflated immigration tax on the women. (Canada only wanted the male workers to migrate, not the "baby machines.")

With that said, the day we took our walking tour was drizzly, gray, and cold. Our particular guide lacked the enthusiasm of a good story teller. A younger man, he seemed almost embarrassed of his position as our group's leader. Early on, his presentation made me think of a biography about Napolean that I could never quite finish... How does a writer make Napolean into an uninteresting character? How in the world does a guide make a tour of Vancouver Chinatown--a place rich with history, conflict, and culture--almost too dry to enjoy?

At times, the guide would want to talk a lot--like in the museum where the tour started. Yet here I would have rather read the information myself because we could have moved quicker. Then, when we were outside where there were no signs, the guide would get quiet!! Hmmm...

Still, there were moments of interest. The tour did offer some information that I found very interesting. The surname "help" societies that the guide pointed out are a good example. Apparently, if you have a certain last name and you move to Chinatown, there might be a "help" society that will give you aid until you're settled!

In truth, I believe our group in general was a bit let down by the guide. Here I remember thinking whomever said Americans are rude should reconsider. I believe most of our stoic bunch followed the guide to the bitter end out of a sincere sense of good manners.

Bottom line? This tour might be better with a different guide, but not on a rainy day. Maybe our guide just had the mood of the sky against him.

According to the owner the summertime is very, very busy. It's best to get there early and secure your rental. However, we visited Vancouver in September, when we could walk up to the Granville Island Boat booth and get what we wanted early in the afternoon. The fact that the sky was overcast probably helped us out, too. It was certainly chilly when we pulled into the harbor, the cool wind blowing across our cheeks. But it wasn't too cold. And it was wonderful having a lot of the water to ourselves.... In fact, this is a great way to see the city.

Our small boat puttered under the bridge as we looked at the twinkling Vancouver skyline. We waved at people running through the park as we began to pick up speed and go farther out. Beyond the tall buildings, orange construction cranes dotted the shoreline. They looked like giant toy giraffes to me, with their necks reaching up to the sun. We went past shrimp boats draped in nets until mountains rose on one side of us, tufty clouds balancing on top of their crowns like Russian fur hats. We stopped for a moment to soak the sun into our skin, and the water looked as black as oil to me until the light cut as fast as diamonds through an underbody of swirling greens. A seal poked his nose up from the depths and stared at us for a moment until satisfied we weren't very interesting. We floated on a sea of glass.

A boat rental makes for a very pleasant afternoon. If you go with friends and split the rental, it's not too expensive. The owner at Granville is full of tips and obviously enjoys his job. He frowns upon alcohol in his boats, but you can get intoxicated on the views here. This activity is worth the money.