Wondrous Weekend In Vancouver Trouble with Hotel And Airbnb Save

---

If you only have a couple of days to spend in Vancouver, here are a few ideas to help you along the way.

With just two days to spend in Vancouver before our cruise departed for Alaska, we opted for the best of everything for a family holiday of a lifetime for my father’s 60th.

Our first stop was the Fairmont Waterfront hotel downtown. The reviews before our visit put this hotel on the top of every travel writer's luxury list of places to stay. Well, that list has changed now, since we actually could not stay there due to a system mix up. Long story short: we decided not to deal with it after the manager offered us a room but with 4 hours of waiting time for check-in. So we decided to look through Airbnb (they had promo) and we found a perfect apartment nearby.

The apartment was ideally located opposite the cruise ship terminal, a convenient stopover for those continuing onto a cruise. Centrally located to all the tourist hotspots, it has breathtaking views not only from the bedroom but also from the roof terrace swimming pool, where we relaxed in the evening sunshine looking out to a backdrop of stunning sea and mountain views.

Just in case we didn’t see them in Alaska, we had an excellent back-up plan, a surety of getting up close and personal to grizzly bears with an excursion to Grouse Mountain on day one. A short 20-minute journey to the mountain, we took our very first sea bus ride and then an eight-minute gondola ride to the top of the mountain - another chance to see the wondrous Vancouver skyline.

Spoilt for choice on arrival, we went straight to our personal main attraction – two resident grizzlies, who seemed to enjoy their audience – and certainly each other’s company as they rolled around in the snow. Getting so close to these amazing animals was a magical moment, as was the rest of the mountain’s offerings from hiking, Zip Line Adventures, lumberjack shows, skiing and snowboarding, among many other activities as well as several different dining venues – there was certainly something for a family of all ages.

On the way back from Grouse Mountain, we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Capiliano Suspension bridge, another conveniently located attraction, just 10 minutes from downtown Vancouver.

The bridge is suspended at 450 feet (137m) across and 230 feet (70m) above the Capilano River, offering fantastic photo opportunities of the river beneath it. For those who prefer not to walk the line, the park also offers 27 acres of nature, history and culture as an alternative. There was even a fantastic folk band playing outside the cafe area to enjoy while stopping for lunch.

Trying to squeeze into a weekend all the amazing places to see is certainly why a trip to Vancouver warrants longer than a weekend. But I would certainly put these two attractions at the top of the to do list – as well as a trip to Stanley Park, which we experienced on day two, an equally enjoyable day.

We walked along North America's third-largest park, taking a healthy stroll along the Seawall path that runs along the water on the park's perimeter - another excellent opportunity to take in the sea and mountain views as well as the buzzing atmosphere of the vibrant city. Moreover, it was an opportunity to explore trails among the park's 1,000 acres, which also house an aquarium, where we got up close to Beluga Whales and dolphins.

The trip would not have been complete without finishing it off with a visit to the oldest part of Vancouver. We strolled through Gastown in awe of its beautiful Victorian-style architecture. The Steam Clock, which dates from the 1800s, was also a famous centerpiece we ticked off our list of things to see.

There were lots of excellent restaurants, historical buildings, galleries and plenty of gift shops - making it a perfect final stop before going home and planning our next trip- back to Vancouver.

---