h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We're currently considering a permanent move, perhaps to Canada and most likely to Vancouver. We want to spend a couple of weeks in the area and see if it's somewhere we could live.

What do you know about different neighbourhoods in Vancouver itself? Whats a reasonably priced area? What areas should we avoid? I know you mentioned that East Van is not so great.

Thanks in advance,

Mat

Burnaby is a suburb; I'd only recommend it if you were staying near a Skytrain (tube) station. Kitsilano is great but expensive, very trendy with lots of shops and tree lined streets. North Vancouver is where I live, I like Lower Lonsdale a lot and the Seabus A5325455 is handy to get to downtown. West Vancouver is very good, but again fairly expensive. Richmond, Coquitlam, Surrey, Port Moody and New Westminster are all suburbs that are quite far away from downtown so I wouldn't recommend them either. English Bay and the West End are very good, they're next to Stanley Park.

http://www.vancouverhomes2buy.com/picts/greater-vancouver.jpg

I would google *vancouver accommodation* and look for Bed and Breakfast or apartments to rent. Keep in mind that any time around the 2010 Olympics will be booked solid and much more expensive.

My absolute favourite place to stay is the Sylvia:

http://www.sylviahotel.com/

Old but comfortable and a fantastic location.

Thanks CL.

Lots of useful tips there. I remember Kitsilano being a cool area with the beach front and nice restaurants although that was 15 years ago.


Have just found a reasonably priced airline that flies direct from Manchester, UK to Vancouver. Canadian Affair - strange name but half the price of some bigger airlines. Just hope it doesn't go bust like Zoom.

Have seen a few nice B&B places dotted around and that might be an option. May well be eating Nanaimo bars on Robson St in early May.



Cheers,

Mat

The Sylvia Hotel looks great. Nice to see a place with a bit of history behind it.

Here's the best map I could find for the Skytrain:

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.reed.edu/~reyn/Skytrain.map2.GIF&imgrefurl=http://www.adventurelandtravel.com/SubwayMaps.htm&usg=__4oKvjPhAor55BlkQO9HCTOc5iOE=&h=377&w=985&sz=62&hl=en&start=5&tbnid=XZKpNB_EeK6SzM:&tbnh=57&tbnw=149&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dskytrain%2Bmap%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

It reminded me that one neighbourhood you might enjoy is Commercial Drive, known locally just as *The Drive*. If you could get a B&B there I think you would enjoy it.

http://www.thedrive.ca/events.shtm

That first one should be this:

http://johomaps.com/na/canada/bc/vancouver/transit1.jpg

Thanks again!