A Vancouver Getaway

One of Canada’s most beautiful cities offers breathtaking scenery with many outdoor activities to experience.

During our 48 hours stay, we enjoyed many highlights including Granville Island, historic Gastown, and Stanley Park.  There’s also Vancouver Aquarium, totem poles, Native American Art, and beautiful rose gardens.  Don’t Miss!  A ride on a horse-drawn carriage through Stanley Park or a gondola ride to the top of Grouse Mountain for phenomenal views of the city and surroundings.

Sharing our list of favorite places to go, stay and dine!

What to Do?

  • Fly Over Canada:  This is a perfect way to introduce yourself to the majestic country of Canada, so head to the newest Vancouver attraction – Fly Over Canada!  Located at Canada Place, this 30-minute simulated helicopter flight through the panoramic views of the mountains, valleys, glaciers and cities of Canada.  Our senses were awakened by a slight mist when we flew over Niagara Falls, and scents of grain and grass heightened the experience when flying over the wheat fields and lush green valleys.  An exhilarating ride for children and adults!
  • Vancouver Art Gallery:  The Vancouver Art Gallery is one of the largest art museums in Canada, with permanent collections of great artists, and exhibitions with international contemporary artists.
  • Walk the Waterfront:  We enjoyed walking the waterfront promenade from Stanley Park to the Convention Center.

  • Gastown Walk:  Gastown is one of Vancouver’s oldest neighborhoods, and is home to the iconic Gastown steam clock powered by a steam engine, chimes on the hour, and whistles every quarter hour.  We walked the brick alleyways and tree-lined streets of this historic section of town.  There are cafes, art galleries, shops, and even a maple store where you can try maple syrup tastings.  Gastown is located on Water Street, few blocks north of Canada Place.

  • Shop Robson Street:  Stroll along Robson Street, Vancouver’s permier shopping destination for clothing, shoes, unique home accessories or souvenirs for your trip.
  • Visit Granville Market where there are many shops and cafes.

Where to Stay?

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver:   This hotel is known as the ‘Castle in the City’ and reflects timeless luxury and style.

Located in a prime location, just minutes away from city attractions, guests are welcomed by the Fairmont’s canine pet ambassadors and a Concierge team.

In 2019, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver celebrated 80 years of iconic moments, with the unveiling of a historic $75 million restoration inspired by the hotel’s rich history.

Showcasing a new lobby and Notch8 restaurant, 557 new elegant guest rooms; including the Fourteenth Floor Heritage Suites, Fairmont Gold guest rooms and lounge.

There are two grand ballrooms and 63,000 square feet of event space.  The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is a classic choice for meetings, weddings and social events.

This historic icon is the proud recipient of a 2019 Forbes Travel Guide ‘Four Star’ rating and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Where to Dine?

  • Hawksworth Restaurant:  This well-known restaurant has been recognized as one of the best fine dining restaurants in Canada and North America.

Set in a glamorous dining room, award winning Chef David Hawksworth masterfully blends fresh organic ingredients from the local area and presents inventive Canadian cuisine.   The attentive dining staff provides incredible service and ensures each dish is paired with the perfect glass of wine.  Our server Claude noted, “Every meal is uniquely created and delivers an explosion of flavors that wake up new tastebuds.”  

Each plate presented was rich with locally sourced organic and oceanwise ingredients.  Highlights from this amazing menu — included Parsnip Velouté with mussels and cucumber, the Pacific Halibut Crudo dressed with tomatillo, the Korean Glazed Ling Cod with rice and orange lassi, the Peace Country Lamb Rack on couscous, chermoula, pomegranate yogurt.  Don’t Miss!  Truffle fries.  Some dessert favorites:  dark chocolate chantilly raspberry, almond or meyer lemon custard  orange, jasmine.

  • Botanist:  Located at The Fairmont Pacific Rim, this high-end restaurant presents modern Canadian cuisine, wine & cocktails. Executive Chef Hector Laguna presents a menu of 22 locally foraged Island botanicals from the cocktail and mocktail lab.  Laguna’s dishes are inspired by the culinary abundance and botany in the Pacific Northwest – fresh produce, sustainably sourced seafood, organic agricultural methods used by backyard suppliers.

Many dishes stood out including the Grilled Beet Salad with burrata and kale with pistachios, the Butter Poached Lobster decorated with green mole, roasted celeriac, cipollini onions.  The 20 day dry-aged Duck Breast with mustard spaetzle, turnips, burgundy truffles, parmesan jus, and the Mustard Crusted Chicken Breast are other favorites.  The grand finale was a shared dessert of Apricot sorbet, cocoa tuile, nib brittle, pistachio sponge, and the ESMERALDA CRÉMEUX.  Don’t miss!  fresh house-made fougasse bread

  • Vij’s the word is out!  Vij’s is known as one of the best Indian restaurants in North America.  Unless you want to wait up to two hours, be sure to beat the lines that form long before the doors open for the nightly dinner.   Doors open at 5:30 pm and they don’t take reservations – first come, first serve, and everyone wants a table in this small dining room.  Vikram Vij, owner greeted us, “I’m inviting you into my home, where we enjoy drinks on the patio or in the lounge, get to know each other over wonderful conversation, and then welcome guests into my dining room.  I want my guests to feel like they are at my home.”  We started with curried chickpeas and sweet potatos, and a platter of jackfruit in black cardamom with cumin curry, and another plate of coconut grilled kale with paprika lemon juice mixed with pearled barley pilaf and decorated with fresh pomegranate seeds.

Acknowledgements: 

We would like to thank the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for hosting our stay and Restaurant Hawksworth and Botanist for hosting our meals.  

All opinions and recommendations in this article are our own.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.