Granville Island Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel in Vancouver BC, situated on False Creek. Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s immaculately clean, safe, walkable, and aesthetically over the top gorgeous. One of my favorite things to do when I visit Vancouver is to hop on a water taxi and head over to Granville Island. It’s a bright, cheery place that has an intimate village vibe. What a treat to actually stay there and just enjoy the area.
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Location
Granville Island Hotel has the coveted distinction of being the only hotel on the island. It’s only about 15 minutes by taxi from the train station or a quick jaunt in the Aqua Bus from the opposite waterfront in downtown Vancouver. This location is extremely family friendly and relaxed. The food here is wonderful with numerous restaurants, cafes, and pubs to choose from. I especially enjoyed Edible Canada, Off the Tracks Cafe, and Granville Island Brewing. You also have the famous lively Granville Island Public Market which offers all types of food and local treasures.
If you like bringing home unique souvenirs from your travels, Granville Island has shops with locally made items that are completely unique. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so many hand crafted, locally focused shops in one place. In general, it’s very artsy and brimming with creative energy.
You cannot beat the access to wonderful things and the magnificent views available at the Granville Island Hotel, so be sure to book a room that offers the best views. It was pouring down rain our first night and the views were still outrageously gorgeous, and it made our room feel extra cozy.
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Locally Brewed Beer
In keeping with the local theme, Granville Island Hotel produces their own microbrew right there in the hotel. On our way to and from our room, we passed by the big stainless beer vats which were on our floor. It’s not often you see that in a hotel, and I can vouch for the Porter which has a delicious, rich caramel flavor.
Lobby
Granville Island Hotel definitely has that boutique vibe. It’s a comfortable hotel with a family-run feel and welcoming staff. Dreamy silver wallpaper with velvet embossed flowers and an airy atmosphere give the lobby a nice flow.
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Room
We stayed in a Superior Room and loved it. It’s a large room with a sofa that is a pull-out bed. There is a mini bar with a sink, coffee maker, and my favorite–a tea kettle. I travel with my own organic black tea and it’s really nice to brew it right in my room.
It’s nice to have a living area with a sofa. We prefer that to two beds because we spend a lot of time in our hotel rooms and for us it’s just more comfortable that way. The coffee table provides a great space to spread out loot from the market and enjoy a snack.
High end bed linens, a shimmery headboard and stacked metal lamps give the room a modern aesthetic. The bed faces the windows with those amazing views, so you can sip your morning tea while soaking in this incredible location.
Bath
The bath is contemporary and spacious with shiny black granite counters, and a huge shower offers a spa-like rain shower head. There is plenty of space for more than one person to get ready for a night out.
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Kayakers
I was fascinated to watch the kayakers from the window. They went out at night–especially at night, even in the rain and even after dark. They wear headlamps. They look so cool out there and I love that they don’t let the rain or dark stop them. It made me want to go kayaking there too, and see the area from that perspective. I know from taking the water taxis and from a Sea Vancouver tour that the views from the water are also spectacular and I’d love to experience it while paddling. There is an entire eco system out there and it is mesmerizing to watch.
Dockside
The hotel restaurant, Dockside is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner ranges from appetizers like Fried Spring Rolls to entrees like Halibut or Wood Fired Pizza and desserts like Coconut Cheesecake. This restaurant goes out of its way to accommodate any sort of special dietary needs, many of which are already listed on the menu.
Dockside has an award winning patio. Unfortunately it wasn’t yet open due to weather but I will definitely return to enjoy it some day. There are fire pits, and comfortable modern seating that takes full advantage of the amazing panoramas. If you dine inside, you will still have access to the scenery via floor to ceiling windows in a spacious, open environment with fireplaces and a 50ft aquarium.
Good To Know
- Dog Friendly
Granville Island Hotel is dog friendly. I didn’t bring my dog on this trip, but it would have been really convenient, with lots of great dog walking areas right out the door.
- Taxis are not necessarily reliable
Though there is parking available, this is an entirely walkable destination and for me that makes it all the more desirable. However, Vancouver does not have Uber. Shocking, right? I always forget that because it’s such modern and bustling city, it’s hard to imagine no Uber. So if you don’t drive yourself, be very mindful when it’s time to leave because when it’s busy, your taxi might not come. Allow plenty of time to make it to the train station or airport. I also heard that it’s tough to get a taxi on weekend nights. Personally, I wouldn’t leave Granville Island while staying here because for me that’s kind of the point, but if you do enjoy a night out on the town, allow for that.
- Knowledgable, friendly staff
We relied on the recommendations of the front desk staff for our food and activity choices and they were spot on. If you tell them what you are looking for, they will guide you to exactly the right thing to enhance your time there.
Granville Island Hotel Bottom Line
As many times as I’ve been to Vancouver and stayed in wonderful hotels, I felt like I was seeing it for the first time by staying on Granville Island. I strongly recommend this hotel to really hone in on this special location and have a more intimate, slow-travel experience of the area. There is more than enough to do to keep you busy for a lovely weekend or even longer. Find out more on the Granville Island Hotel website.
- We were guests of Granville Island Hotel, opinions are my own.
- Patio image courtesy of Granville Island Hotel.
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