Hampton Inn Vancouver Guest Recommendations

Here are some things we did while staying in the city that you may want to try:

-Yaletown  - we found this area to be the most suited to our tastes (older 20-somethings to younger to mid 30-somethings). Upscale restaurants, great bars, good scenery and people watching. We ate lunch at Milestones in Yaletown, which was great. I know they have a deal for every day of the week. I think Wed was date night where all bottles of wine are $5 off. We also ate at Earl's (great patio with heat lamps and blankets if you want one!), Yaletown Pub & Brewery, and another tapas/sushi place whose name escapes me. Definitely check out the rooftop patio at The Keg - we loved this place. The drinks aren't cheap but they didn't seem to be cheap anywhere. The staff was incredibly friendly (and good looking!!), and the views from the roof were fantastic.

-Comedy Mix  Comedy Club - went on a Saturday night. This is located at a Century Plaza Hotel  downtown . I found it very funny and enjoyed the "different' humor. We're from the States so the jokes some of the comedians cracked about Canada and Vancouver sometimes went over our heads, but for the most part it was very entertaining. Make a reservation in advance if you want to visit.

-Granville Island  - we went kayaking through EcoMarine for 2.5 hours (creek tour). Fun time - not cheap. Also, take note that if you make a reservation in advance, if you need to change days (we did due to rain on the initial day we booked), they charge you $10 if you're 48 hours from your original booking. Seemed silly but we paid it and enjoyed it. The shops are cute to visit - we didn't eat at the market since it was so crowded to walk through. Instead we went to Go Fish, this little stand that was recommended by our kayak instructor. The BEST fish and chips we had out there. We also tried the tomato soup and the sesame crusted tuna sandwich. The line for this place was super long, as I've heard it always is, and the wait to get your food after you order takes about 15-20 mins, but it was delicious and not all that expensive! Highly recommended.

-Stanley Park - we rented bicycles and rode the seawall. I don't ride often so I was a bit nervous, but it was easy riding and gorgeous scenery. The food at the park was very expensive so we didn't eat there but I heard people packing picnics. Try that! Also, if you rent a bike, make sure to shop around. We found a place that was cheaper than some others, but didn't offer flat tire service in case you get a flat while you're out in the park. We took the risk and everything was fine so we ended up saving some money.

-Granville Street Entertainment District  - many bars and clubs on this street that are hot on Friday/Saturdays, but we're not much into the clubbing scene so we decided to walk around the street to check out what goes on there. Since the drinking age is a bit younger in Canada than home for us, there seemed to be many younger people (18-early 20's) totally wasted wandering the streets. In just the 2 blocks we walked, we witnessed a girl almost puke, two guys being broken up from getting into a fight, people drinking in the streets, and girls with dresses so short and tight that I was amazed they could breathe. Interesting to walk through, but Yaletown felt less wild and crazy to us. Totally a personal preference and I'm sure the club scene is a lot of fun, but it was definitely wild :-) Was fun to check out though!

Aside from that, we spent a lot of time at the English Bay beach and some of the parks in the area. I highly recommend laying on a blanket and just relaxing out there, or bringing picnic food and staying to watch the sunset. Just beautiful.

Hampton Inn Downtown Vancouver
111 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC

TOLL FREE 1-866-676 -7078 Promo Code: HBC 3386