StarwoodGuy: January 2016

I just had another quick work trip to Vancouver, BC and stayed at the Sheraton Wall Centre once again. The hotel is still undergoing large renovations, now with the entire South Tower (containing all of the suites) closed. The exception to the South Tower closure is the temporary Club Lounge which is still located in the South Tower on the Third Floor. Though there are no complimentary drinks at night, the food offerings in the morning and evening are quite good, as is the service. Once the renovations are complete the Club Lounge will be upstairs again offering some of the best views of the city.

The North Tower was only built in 2001 and remains one of Vancouver's tallest buildings, but despite this relatively young age the rooms in this tower have now been recently renovated very nicely. Though not as large as the suites in the South Tower, some of the rooms on the upper floor of the North Tower are spacious and offer panoramic views out over English Bay and the city. The standard sized rooms in the North Tower are curved along the shape of the building and are quite nice, but noticeably on the small side.

The location of the hotel remains one of its strong points. With the current low Canadian dollar the prices for a stay in a major city are so much less in comparable to the average US city currently. At around 70 cents to the US dollar everything from the room price itself to dinner or drinks seems like a steal.

After finishing work the trip consisted mainly of shopping on Robson Street, in the new impressive Nordstrom (formerly Eaton's and briefly Sears), at Pacific Centre shopping mall, and at Holt Renfrew. The prices for many items have yet to be adjusted to the swift collapse in the Canadian currency and many goods were much less then back in Seattle.

After this it was Happy Hour drinks at the Cactus Club on English Bay for the stunning views out over the water with my favorite sunset sodas (vodka and a splash of blended bellini) at only $2.50 US. After a walk back to the hotel and a quick workout I met up with friends for dinner in Yaletown at the Flying Pig, one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It is currently Dine Out in Vancouver with many restaurants offering exceptional dining deals.

http://www.dineoutvancouver.com/

Now is the time to go to Vancouver for shopping, skiing, dining or other tourist sights!