Hi,
I'm moving to Vancouver for a while in Feb and I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of the areas, as I'm wondering where to live. I'm looking for somewhere close enough to the city centre but I'm on a travellers budget so cheap is necessary too! I'd like to live somewhere with a lot of life and I'm not too picky about noise and the like.
Thanks!
You are right, you definitely want to stay where everything is close by and where all the action is - which is downtown Vancouver (best pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, public transit, shopping malls, etc). If you are looking for a "budget" hotel try the Best Western, Howard Johnson Hotel, Quality Hotel - Inn at False Creek, Ramada Inn, Century Plaza Hotel and Comfort Inn. You want something near the Granville Street area. Take a look at this website:
www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/accommodation/
Places to avoid - any addresses that states East Hastings or East Broadway. Those areas start to become a bit dodgy especially at night. Now if you want something even cheaper like the local hostels, check this website out: http://www.hihostels.ca/PM/en/vancouverhostel_downtown.aspx?sortcode=2.3
If you like pubs, nightclubs and restaurants - hey, they are available all year round! And, we have some really good restaurants and cafes here - various cuisines from all around the world. If you like shopping the best places are downtown on Robson and Granville Streets, historic Gastown, or 4th Avenue and West 10th Avenue in Kitsilano (southern Vancouver). Here are some websites you may like to look at:
www.vancouverattractions.com/index.html
www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/visitors.htm
I hope this helps. If you have more questions, please feel free to contact me.
Petra M, Vancouver BC Canada
Thank you! That's great. I'm actually looking for a place to rent. And I meant what area I should rent in?
Ah, renting in Vancouver can be quite expensive even during the winter months. Best place to rent if you wish to be in the city centre is the West End area where there still are older buildings with cheaper rents. Or, in Kitsilano or South Granville area where you can find a suite in a house.
Here are a few websites to check out:
http://www.vancouver-bc.com/Classified/PropRent
http://www.cyberrentals.com/Vancouver/s/6437/fa/find.squery
http://www.ownerdirect.com/lodging/canada/britishcolumbia/greatervancouver.htm
I have a friend who travels a lot and loves using this international rental website: www.rentalo.com
Good luck!
Petra M, Vancouver BC Canada
You can also look at this site for rentals:
http://vancouver.craigslist.org/apa/
It depends on how much you're willing to spend for rentals, the closer to city center, the more expensive it is. If you don't mind commuting, the area between Cambie and Granville in Vancouver is pretty good. You might want to consider somewhere near W.Broadway.
How long are you staying in Vancouver for? Ski season is the best during Feb. You should definitely hit the mountains during that time!
Thanks a million. I'm not too worried about a commute as long as public transport is decent enought. How long would these commutes be? What are the areas I should def avoid? I'm sure I'll be able to spot them from the suprisingly cheap rent but at the same time its good to know in advance!
hi my daughters going for 10 months at the end of march and we have found that greigs list is very good for accomadation she is looking at sharing ahouse with her own room