Never been, no nothing about the place and I will be there for a week this summer.
Anything I absolutely must go see while I'm there?
May spend a night on the island, any restaurant, hotel, B&B recommendations?

Thanks.

On the Island? Are you referring to Victoria on Vancouver Island? Just asking because I have not heard it referenced that way. Was not sure if you were referring to a smaller island?

I don't know, that's how it was described to me in the only advice I've received.
~"take the ferry to the island (I assumed there is a Vancouver Island), stay in a B&B. There are alot of things to see over there".

I'm going with people that know their way around and have been there so I won't just be wandering aimlessly around. Just curious if there were opinions on cool stuff to do there that I might want to add to the itenerary.

could try out a hooker

FYI

Vancouver Island is over 12,000 square miles. It is a big island. It is probably the size of all of the New England States combined. But most of it is forest. Basically Victoria and bunch of wilderness that they overcut for lumbering. I think it is over 250 miles long.

Victoria is a beautiful city, has a definite European feel to me.

That's a great idea. Thanks for the help.
I guess I'll go over to the General Board for a comparatively intelligent answer.

edit: in response to the asshat above you Colorado. Thank you for your input.

[This message has been edited by cstxag90 (edited 4/23/2009 3:21p).]

We did a ski trip to Banff. Nothing like Vancover. However, this is what I remember about Canada.

* Air Canada was first rate.
* People know how to drive.
* You get your speeding tickets in the mail.
* Order the darkest beer they have and it will be an amber.
* Its f'n cold in the winter.
* Its not that different than the US.
* Back when we went the exchange rate was very good to us.
* We filled out a tax refund form and Canada refunded all our lodging tax, around $600 U.S. I think they still do this so, check it out.

Sorry, that is not much help and probably nothing you didn't already know. I do hope to do some summer trips there when the kids get older.

In Vancouver you will want to stay close to Stanley Park and the Water. Try to get a view of the Mountains if that is an option

Downtown Vancouver is absolutely beautiful. Definitely spend some time at Stanley Park and check out the aquarium. Also, take a walk around Granville Island and check out the Farmer's Market. From there, you can take a water taxi to the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

Lots of good nightlife in that city as well. You can choose from quite a few bars in Yaletown. Also, you can catch a CFL game at B.C. Place and visit the casino next to the stadium, both of which are a fairly short walk from Yaletown.

This guidebook should help as well:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/weaver/vcovg108/

Go to Burchard gardens.

I remember a long wooden bridge over a gorge. Is that in Vancouver or nearby?

walk stanley park

If you get a chance take the drive up to Whistler. The drive on the way is absolutely beautiful. Plus, Whistler is amazing as well. I would recommend downtown, we stayed in the Fairmont downtown when I went back in '02 and it was real nice. Also, take the ferry over to the Vancouver Island and also go to the park.

quote:

---

We filled out a tax refund form and Canada refunded all our lodging tax, around $600 U.S. I think they still do this so, check it out.

---

How is this done? I've always heard you could do something like this as well as get your sales tax back or something to that effect. I've never done it in any of my travels to Canada thus far or even know how to do it.

Found this in a search:

GST176 Application for Visitor Tax Refund

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/gst176/README.html

I also found this apparent change in 2007:

quote:

---

Visitors to Canada The goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) may apply to various goods and services you purchase during your stay in Canada. The GST rate is 5%, and the HST rate is 13%.
The Government of Canada has eliminated the GST/HST Visitor Rebate Program and announced the introduction of the Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program. For more information,

---

I'm not real clear on what the changes are but, it appears there is still some kind of refund program. I don't have time to check it out at the moment.

One more:

http://www.visitorstocanada.com/visitortaxrefund.html

[This message has been edited by HECUBUS (edited 4/29/2009 11:14a).]

I lived in Vancouver for 2 years, so I know most of the things to do.

Definitely take the trip up to Whister and spend a day or two if not more. The drive up there is beautiful and there are several waterfalls you can stop at on the way up. You will most likely also see some bears on the drive up. While up there, definitely stay in Village North or Upper Village. You can get a nice condo for the same price as a hotel room in Whistler Village.

http://www.whistler.com/accommodation/
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/accommodations/index.htm

As far as activities, that depends on your likings. I would recommend mountain biking. They have all levels of trails and it's a good way to see the mountain. An ATV tour is also fun. You could also try zip lining. Glacier skiing is open well into summer also.

http://www.whistler.com/activities/summer
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/todo/summer/index.htm

While in Vancouver proper, definitely stay in downtown. All of the below are walking distance or a short (10 minute) drive from downtown.

1) Indian Arm luncheon boat cruise
http://www.boatcruises.com/indian.html

2) Horseshoe Bay Tour
http://www.sewellsmarina.com/safari.html

3) Granville Island - Walk the market and rent a boat for an hour or two to explore further.

4) Drive up Cypress Mountain to lookout point - You can see all of downtown Vancouver and beyond from this view.

5) Chinatown - Very interesting on weekend days. Lots of shops.

6) Grouse Grind - Very aggressive hiking path up Grouse Montain if you are into that. You can grab lunch and some beers when you get to the top.

7) The Yale - Pick a night when Brickhouse is playing. They are a great jazz funk band but do not come on until around midnight.

8) White Boots - Stroll down Seymour Street to the Hemlecken intersection after 11pm to see Vancouver's sex trade workers. They all wear white knee high boots to identify who they are. They are actually very very good looking.

9) Stanley Park - Rent a bike and bike around Stanley Park.

10) Downtown neighborhoods - Rent a bike and bike around the various downtown neighborhoods.
- Gastown
- Yaletown seawall
- West End (English Bay, Davie Street)

11) Vancouver Fly n' Dine - Take a float plan trip tour from downtown Vancouver to one of many area restaurants on the water.
http://www.bcpassport.com/vancouver-local-flights/float-plane-flydine/fly-dine-adventure.aspx

If you have any specific questions, let me know.


[This message has been edited by PlanoAg98 (edited 4/29/2009 1:06p).]

[This message has been edited by PlanoAg98 (edited 4/29/2009 1:07p).]

Thanks for the info. I go skiing in Canada every year and always hear about doing this but haven't done nor know what I need to do in order to get any money back. I'll check out the site when I have the chance. Thanks again.

Pet a mountain lion or black bear. Just kidding, I like both and the island has a lot of both.

Thanks for all the ideas. We did a few, but ended up going a bit different direction. My wife is Canadian and has several family members in that area. We opted to stay in Tsawwassen and commute daily 10 minutes to a beachfront on Boundary Bay in Point Roberts that her family rented for a month. We drove into Vancouver a couple of times for sushi, dim sum, and family get togethers.

A bunch of pics can be found here.
http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=1450536&forum_id=34

Again, thanks for all the input.