Top 10: the best five-star hotels in Vancouver
An insider's guide to the best five-star hotels in Vancouver, including the top places to stay for Michelin-starred restaurants, sumptuous spas, stylish interiors and luxurious rooms with great views, near Vancouver Art Gallery, Robson Street, the City Centre Canada Line and Yaletown.
The Pan looks like a great ocean liner, with soaring ceilings and picture windows; it also commands killer views over the North Shore mountains, city skyline and Stanley Park from its perch on Canada Place. Once you’re through the cavernous entrance, complete with an ornate totem pole, sail up the escalators and prepare to be wowed by the towering ceiling and vast glass lobby. Rooms boast impressive views: by day watch the helicopters and seaplanes soar over the water and at night see the lights from Grouse Mountain twinkle.
? The best hotels in Vancouver
Think part French country house, part ski lodge, with a twist of leather-seated Gentleman’s Club thrown in. Sip cocktails on the suntrap patio, or swim in the saltwater pool at this sophisticated downtown urban oasis. All but eight of the 60 rooms have a soothingly realistic electric fireplace, and many have a balcony or patio with chairs and table, or a solarium room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Marble bathrooms and Nespresso machines come as standard. The one- and two-bedroom suites offer up a home-from-home experience with full kitchen.
Ever since King George VI and Queen Elizabeth opened the hotel in 1939, this has been the preferred choice of the rich and famous. With its doormen dressed in long frock coats and hats, wide corridors and rooms full of old-fashioned comforts, this hotel epitomises a grande dame. Sleeping quarters are furnished like an English country house hotel, and even the smallest are comfy with armchairs, beds with firm mattresses and marble bathrooms. Book ahead for Tea at the Top up on the 15th floor: dainty sandwiches, scones and pastries, plus a bird’s-eye view of the city.
Art Deco luxury soaked in a glamorous history; former guests include Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and Nat King Cole. The saltwater pool has a fun illuminated floor. Other facilities include a gym, and spa treatments are available too. The Twenties vibe continues in the bedrooms, which also feature oversized marble bathrooms. The hotel is home to one of Canada’s most celebrated restaurants, Hawksworth, where chef David Hawksworth and team whip up beautifully plated food with a twist of Asian flavours and innovative techniques.
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Five-star luxury in the heart of the city with a peaceful garden oasis and Vancouver’s only swim-out pool. Join glamorous locals for barrel-aged cocktails at the bar and then dive into sustainable seafood at the funky YEW restaurant, which mixes classic French cuisine with the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. You won’t get an ocean view in your room here but you’ll be wowed by the city skyline and mountains soaring beyond. The bathrooms are a definite plus here: all have a bath and shower. The hotel also has a gym, a massage suite, and blow dry bar.
Gleaming designer fixtures and fittings mesh with a hipster vibe to create a very Vancouver kind of stay here: think laid back yet stylish. In true west-coast fashion, an activity programme, WanderFIT, is offered to connect guests with local cycling and trekking guides for a full cardio workout in the great outdoors. The second floor houses a well-equipped gym, spa suite, infrared sauna and green space with a reflecting pool and mini-waterfall. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedrooms offer peek-a-boo views over the North Shore mountains.
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A glittering glass tower on the water’s edge overlooking soaring mountains. The PacRim may have an uncompromisingly modern exterior but inside there’s a traditional warm welcome. The Owner Suites rank among the sexiest in the city, with jaw-dropping mountain and ocean views, vast soaker tubs and cool features such as a customisable vinyl collection and record player. The Willow Stream spa is one of the city’s finest, with a full raft of services, including wine-based vinotherapies, and treatments with Canadian ingredients.
A top-hatted doorman greets those seeking discretion as well as old-school luxury here. In the bustling downtown, it is a pleasant surprise to find what feels like a country-house retreat, where classic decoration is matched by the latest technology. Movers and shakers frequent the restaurant and bar. Who needs minimalism when you can have wood panelling, chandeliers, thick carpets and hunting prints? Let alone the ritual of afternoon tea. The Bacchus Lounge looks like a gentlemen’s club. Relax and think of it as an escape from modern-day living.
From the moment you step into the reception area, you know this Yaletown establishment is not your average boutique hotel. Along with the buzz that has attracted celebrities such as Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga, expect rooms that are bright and colourful, and showcase, large, dramatic artworks. The hotel lends complimentary iPads to guests, and has its own (free) limousine for getting about. The recently revamped restaurant does northern Italian dishes and the new OPUS bar is hopping, with cocktails, music and socialising. File under 'fun'.
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It was built with guidance from a Feng Shui master and blessed from roof to foundations by monks. Think moneyed opulence rather than glitzy bling at this five-star retreat, which boasts the city’s most luxurious spa, and an outpost of Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Market restaurant. Even the smallest of the 119 rooms and suites is pleasingly spacious and has a Nespresso machine, and many come with their own balconies high over West Georgia street. There’s also a 24-hour gym with yoga and Pilates, and a small outdoor pool and hot tub.
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