VANCOUVER -- The sad truth about vacationing in Vancouver is this: There are tons of hotels, but no real stunners and very few standouts.
Sure, the city is home to several high-end properties (if you don't mind the ordinary eighties décor), some serviceable chains (which charge luxury rates in peak season), a mixed bag of boutiques (again, often pricey), and plenty of scary hovels in the Downtown Eastside.
For a young, modern city bursting with creative types, well-heeled visitors and drop-dead gorgeous natural splendour, the dearth of interesting places to spend the night is actually downright appalling. So when a budget hotel on the bad side of town tries to rise above the mediocrity with one-of-a-kind art installations, the effort is worth applauding -- even if the renovated rooms are still really rough around the edges.
SHOESTRING
DOMINION HOTEL
If a hotel advertises "no curfew" on its website, you'd be wise to wonder about its past. When the Dominion Hotel first opened in 1899 at the corner of Abbott and Water Streets, its brick façade and soaring arched windows added a touch of European flair to the bustling cobblestone streets of Gastown. In recent years, the city's former downtown hub has become better known for its dilapidated storefronts and nightclub shootings.
The neighbourhood is rapidly gentrifying, however, now that the condo developers, fashion boutiques and trendy cafés are moving in. And the Dominion Hotel -- once home to monthly renters and squatters from the Woodward's housing protest -- has become something of a cultural hot spot since new operators took over last year. It's kind of like Toronto's Gladstone or Drake hotels, without the pretension.
With its high ceilings, pressed tin and exposed brick walls, the Dominion's Lamplighter pub is a faded beauty. The young hipsters who come for the live music, alternative DJs, magazine launches and gallery opening after-parties have displaced the student rowdies who once congregated here for cheap draft and now add an extra element of exoticism. The hotel boasts two galleries for contemporary art exhibits that change every three weeks. The shows are curated by Wesley Cameron and Matthew Robertson, both members of the Butcher Shop, an underground artist-run centre on Main Street.
Travellers with a conscience will be pleased to discover that only the hardest-to-handle monthly renters have been kicked out. The rest have been moved into a separate wing. Mind you, more pampered guests might be alarmed when they run into some of the shiftier-looking characters in the hallway. Andrew, the burly night manager, is a comforting presence who seems to keep security well under control.
The new wing, opened just last month, features 17 art-concept rooms, custom-designed by 28 of the city's well-known street artists and recent graduates from the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design.
Michael Goziamen's Wonderlust suite has black walls, a red bathroom and a surreal Christmas-light sculpture hanging over the bed that looks like a canopy of cinnamon hearts when you view it through 3-D glasses. The hot-pink Red Feast For the Senses room has glittery floors, twinkling lights and 1,000 silk butterflies hanging from the ceiling.
The art rooms range from shoebox to spacious, but have all been outfitted with new comfortable beds, crisp white linens and closet-sized bathrooms with stand-up showers. The walls are solid and surprisingly soundproof. And, as an bonus, the Dominion Essentials Card will also get you discounts at several nearby stores and restaurants. including the cozy Brioche café and swellegant Chambar bistro.
This probably isn't a hotel you'd recommend to your mom, but if you're on a tight budget and willing to forgo certain luxuries (strong water pressure, for example, or windows that open), a night at the Dominion is quite the experience.
Dominion Hotel: 210 Abbott St., 604-681-6666 or 1-877-861-1666; http://www.dominionhotel.ca. Room rates range from $49 to $89.
MID-RANGE
THE SANDMAN SUITES ON DAVIE
The Sandman Suites on Davie is not to be confused with the Downtown Sandman Hotel, which is part of the same Western Canadian chain, but much less impressive. This high-rise hotel, which opened last year after extensive renovations to the old Park Hill hotel, is an undiscovered gem that offers unparalleled amenities for the price.
The location, smack dab in the middle of Vancouver's residential West End, can't be beat (and I say this with confidence, given that I live right around the corner).
The hotel is within walking distance of the Seawall, False Creek Aqua Bus, Stanley Park, Yaletown and Robson Street. From here, you'd actually be hard-pressed to spend more than $7 on a cab to go anywhere downtown.
Although this particular stretch of Davie Street has become a bit shabby in recent years, the panhandlers are polite, the streets are safe and the Sandman has brought a number of new businesses to the area, including several clothing retailers, a second Starbucks, bakery and organic grocer.
The hotel's 200 rooms are all one-bedroom suites that come equipped with modern, full-sized kitchens, outdoor balconies, sofa beds in the living rooms and -- best of all -- an in-suite washer-dryer. The higher-level superior suites have wood-parquet floors and stunning views of English Bay.
The penthouse apartments will be opening this summer, along with a spa, fitness centre and outdoor pool.
Room service is not available, but there are loads of restaurants, cafés, bars and fast-food places nearby, not to mention a Super-Value and Shoppers' Drug Mart that are open 24 hours.
Moxie's Classic Grill, the Sandman's branded restaurant chain, recently opened on the lobby level.
It's fine for pizzas and margaritas, but for fabulous food at excellent prices head straight to the funky and always fun Bin 941, or the new Bravo Bistro.
Sandman Suites on Davie: 1160 Davie St., 604-681-7263 or 1-800-726-3626; http://www.sandmanhotels.com; Room rates range from $109 to $189.
HIGH-END
FAIRMONT WATERFRONT
Vancouver boasts a large number of high-end properties. Some, however, have been coasting for several years because of the lack of serious competition. For consistency of quality, the best of the bunch is the Fairmont Waterfront. Granted, some people might have trouble believing that it was recently voted the No. 1 Canadian hotel in the Condé Nast readers survey for the second year in a row. It's certainly a nice place to stay -- but that nice?
The Fairmont Waterfront's portside location, overlooking the cruise-ship terminal and North Shore Mountains, is its biggest draw. Business guests will appreciate the Fairmont Gold concierge service and kids will love the outdoor heated pool, open year-round.
Accommodation choices range from the standard Fairmont Room to the split-level Royal Suite, where Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II stayed during her Royal Jubilee visit in 2002. There are a multitude of options in between.
All rooms are airy, elegantly appointed in soft pastels, include spacious bathrooms, plush robes, high-speed Internet service, mini-bar, cordless telephones, windows that open to the outside and the hotel's amazingly efficient air-exhaust system. Special touches include two K-9 ambassadors, Morgan and Holly, who greet guests at the front entrance and are available for walks.
Herons Restaurant and Lounge features seasonal menus with fresh herbs and garnishes grown in the hotel's expansive herb garden. Other nearby dining options are Gotham Steakhouse, always popular with the Hollywood crowd, or Cassis, a cozyFrench bistro.
Fairmont Waterfront: 900 Canada Place Way, 604-691-1991 or 1-800-257-7544; http://www.fairmont.com; Room rates range from $269 to $429, suites from $429 to $1,699.
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