Vancouver Travel Tips |
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Is it Loonie to visit Canada this summer? Not with these tips If the surge keeps up, the Canadian dollar, now worth more than ever, wiping out the discount that has made Canada an attractive travel destination for Americans. ''We're not the bargain we used to be for Americans,'' says Rick Boyd Past President of the BC Hotels Association. Like many Canadian Resorts and Hotel operators, they have not raised there rates this year, yet a room priced at $160 Canadian now costs $150.40 in U.S. dollars compared with $141 last year. The U.S. dollar has weakened against almost all the world's currencies, but the effects have been particularly noticeable in Canada over the past several years due to its higher interest rates and strong economy. In 2003, when the Canadian dollar, known as the loonie because of the loon pictured on the $1 coin, was worth just 72 cents, a hotel room priced at $160 CAN would have cost just $115 U.S. ''It's extremely challenging for Tourism, many travel partners counts on American visitors for 50 percent to 60 percent of her business in the summer season. Making travel more costly was the federal government's recent decision to eliminate the rebate on a 6 percent (GST) tax on lodging and other goods and services. Tourism officials fear that the strong loonie coupled with a U.S. plan to require passports or new identity cards at land border crossings as early as next January could add to what's been a 34 percent drop in U.S. travelers to Canada since 2000. What should you do if you've got your heart set on taking the family to Canada this summer? While no longer cheap, a Canadian getaway can still be affordable, but you'll have to work to make your dollars stretch. Here are some ideas: • Shop for hotels. Not many bargains this time of year, but it still pays to shop around. Most hotels don't include taxes in their initial rate quotes, so be sure you're getting the bottom-line price. In Whistler, Vancouver and Victoria, taxes add another $16 per night onto the price of a $100 room. Check the ''SAVE RATES'' offered by Allure Hotels at www.allure-hotels.com . Consider budget hotels, but make sure you're familiar with the location, and find out what other travelers have to say before booking. Check out Hotels that include breakfast or free telephone or internet access included in your Hotel rate. • Avoid weekend travel. Not only will you wait less crossing the border, you might snag midweek discounts on hotels and transportation. • Use public transportation or ask at the hotel front desk many will provide a courtesy shuttle. Avoid high gas prices and hotel parking fees. If you are staying in a Hotel in Downtown Vancouver most attractions, Restaurants, theatres and Tours are all within easy walking distance. In Vancouver, B.C., for example, get around town with a day pass ($7.50 U.S.) for the Skytrain light-rail system (which has a stop right across the street from the train station), buses and the Sea Bus to Lonsdale Quay and Vancouver's north shore. See www.translink.bc.ca. • Head to ski areas. The best defence against higher prices is to travel off-season. October through April is generally the best time to find deals, but seasonal bargains right now are in Whistler, B.C.'s premier ski resort. Hundreds of luxury hotel rooms go begging in summer, and there are plenty of warm-weather activities such as glacier skiing and hiking, mountain biking, golfing, rock climbing or just relaxing by one of the pools. • Extra Travel fees. You might not think of Canada as a foreign country, but banks do, which means extra fees are applied to ATM withdrawals and credit-card charges. Check with your bank on its foreign transaction fees -- usually 1 percent on ATM transactions (some banks charge an additional withdrawal fee) and from 1 to 3 percent on credit-card charges. Larger banks tend to charge higher fees than credit unions and small banks. • Border crossings. Canada road-border crossings may be more congested than ever this summer with higher security and more Canadians coming to the United States in search of bargains. Check out this web site for border crossings. |
Here are some of the
Hotels in
Downtown Vancouver that
offer Great Value based on location. Best Western Chateau Granville Quality Hotel Downtown Vancouver |