BLANKETY-BLANK Hotel Fees!!

Enter the Nelson House B & B garden and you are now in a "fee-free zone". Enjoy!

 

This week, a Reuters story carried by major newspapers worldwide, revealed the dirty little secrets of the hidden fees charged by hotels. "Hotels watch occupancy trends and change prices - and fees - constantly....Overall, nearly a quarter of hotels charge for in-room Internet access, according to a 2012 survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association."

 

Downtown locations appear to gouge the most. "Common fees include resort usage, airport pickup, parking and gym visits along with charges for room service. Some of the more surprising charges include a fee for moving items around in the minibar (not actually consuming any), a bellman (whether you use one or not), the room safe (even if you don't stash valuables in it), checking out early, checking in early and upgraded amenities...."

 

The biggest problem with fees is not disclosing those that are mandatory. Last fall the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to 22 hotel booking companies for leaving details out of the price projection when consumers shopped for hotels.

 

Bed and Breakfasts really are a better way to stay. This short funny video shows you why!

 

Boating in Vancouver

One of my favourite recommendations to our guests is to see Vancouver from the water. First-time visitors quickly discover that Vancouver's downtown is an arrowhead-shaped peninsula with water on three sides!

To get out on a boat and look back at the city's face gives one a whole new perspective. This is true on any of Canada's waterways but in Vancouver, BC, it is especially easy and especially pleasurable. Why drive to Granville Island Market when the colourful Aquabus will deliver you to it's dockside for as little as $3.25?

If you want to check out North Shore attractions like Capilano Canyon's suspension bridge or nearby Grouse Mountain, the scenic route is not by car but by taking public transit's SeaBus across Burrard Inlet. When looking back on downtown Vancouver from the SeaBus terminal or taking a tourist cruise on the paddle-wheeler Constitution, you might think that you were gazing at the Manhattan skyline.


If being Captain of your own "ship" is more your style, Vancouver offers easy rentals of anything from kayaks to sail and motorcraft of every description. Be responsible, obtain a boat licence. It's easy and it's the law.

Vancouver Marathon

Vancouver loves to run. And running in Vancouver is a beautiful thing. It's like spring. It gets your juices flowing.

First up is The Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, April 15. It is the run for absolutely anyone at any level of fitness. Last year, it attracted over 49,000 happy runners, walkers and strollers. Vancouver's cherry blossoms will be in full bloom and along with the endorphins, sure to put a smile on every face!

Next is the Vancouver Marathon and Half-Marathon on Sunday, May 6.  Last year was it's 40th anniversary run. It is your chance to test your mettle against the world's running elite. Many out of towners are already in training for this one and the runs attract many thousands of foreign visitors. Quite an experience - book early!

Last of the really big runs is Scotiabank's Half-Marathon and 5K Run on Sunday, June 24. This popular run benefits some fine local charities and attracts the best of the amateur running community.

All three runs are laid out along some of the world's most scenic shorelines. Vancouver's fresh spring air is just one more reason to breathe deep.

Stay with us in our downtown West End location and you will be within easy walking distance of all three runs' Start and Finish lines. If you miss out on our jacuzzi-equipped Shangri-La Suite, be sure to let us know if we can help to arrange an after-run professional massage. No kidding!

Vancouver 2010 Olympics Accommodation

Love the Olympics? A true sports fan? Still looking for a room for the Vancouver Games? Please see the google map for our great, downtown, West End location. From here, you can easily walk or take transit to all Olympic venues.

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The photos above are of our last remaining room still available for the 2010 Olympics. Our spacious "Vienna" room overlooks the front garden. The European, antique brass bed is queen-sized. Old-fashioned ceiling fan, mahogany desk, vanity, rockers & other furnishings complete the ambience. Vienna is also more budget conscious, with a lighted mirror & vanity sink in the room and a hallbath shared with one other room.

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For any bookings that overlap the 17 night, Feb. 12-28th(inclusive) period of the Games, we are charging our regular 2010 High Season room rate of CAD.$138(+ 15% tax)/nt for single occupancy or CAD.$148(+)/nt for double. Rates include full breakfast, free local calls, wireless internet and offstreet parking!

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Here's the catch: Due to excessive demand, Olympic bookings must be for the minimum 17 nights mentioned above. No shorter-term reservations will be taken.

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Payment will be by Visa/MasterCard – 50% at time of reservation and 50% at check-in. No refund of either payment will be made under any and all circumstances. Maximum double occupancy. No sub-letting or substitution of guests. We recommend private trip cancellation insurance to minimize the risk of cancellation.

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Please make Olympics room bookings IN WRITING using the RESERVATION REQUEST FORM on our website(sorry- no phone bookings) but feel free to email or call if you have any questions. We look forward to welcoming the world!

Vancouver welcomes the Dalai Lama!

Photo of the Dalai Lama courtesy of the Vancouver Sun.

I have to mention "energy" conservation of a different kind. No doubt about it, the Dalai Lama loves Vancouver. It has just been announced that His Holiness will visit us for the third time in five years, this Sept. 26 -29, 2009. Last time he was here, in 2006, he spoke at our downtown hockey arena selling out 30,000 tickets in a matter of hours. This September, the event is dubbed the Vancouver Peace summit.

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The Dalai Lama's Peace Summit will search for ideas for change. You can join in discussions of education and peace activism with His Holiness, five other Nobel Peace Prize laureates(!), Vancouver's Eckhart Tolle and other remarkable human beings such as Mary Wilson, former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was compelled to resign her post after she criticized violations by the Bush Administration.

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The Sept. 26th edition of the Vancouver Sun will be given over to the Dalai Lama as its guest editor. The theme will be "educating the heart". Panel discussions and workshops will be open to the public.

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This all reminds me of when I moved to Vancouver after living five years in Texas. I had grown familiar with a southern, Christian vocabulary that permeated everyday conversation. Texans commonly used churchy words like "share" and "witness." In Vancouver, those words disappeared to be replaced by "energy" and "being open". I quickly met locals who were convinced that Vancouver sat at the crossroads of some global, metaphysical meridians. This powerful and benign flow of energy enabled a great potential for both personal spiritual realization and worldwide advancement. Perhaps, there is something to it.

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On his last visit here, the Dalai Lama opened the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education. This 2009 visit is part of a commitment he made then for a continuing series of "Vancouver Dialogues". You have to ask yourself - Why Vancouver?

Nelson House Bed and Breakfast- 2010 Olympics

Image courtesy of VANOC & CBC

Yes! Nelson House B & B has ONE LAST ROOM still available for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Our "Vienna" room is only CAD.$148 (+ 15 % tax)/nt. However, it MUST be rented for the MINIMUM 17 NIGHTS of the games from Feb.12 to Feb.28th (inclusive). Please see our website for details on the room and the rental procedure.

The Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) today revealed their month-long transportation plan affecting downtown Vancouver and the highway corridor to Whistler. The map above indicates red security zones, yellow parking restrictions, blue 24 hour Olympics lanes for approved transit only, the closure of major roads such as Expo & Pacific Boulevards and the Georgia Viaduct. As well, most of Robson St., Granville & Beatty will also be closed to all vehicles to create pedestrian-only throughfares. The goal is to remove 30 to 50% of the normal downtown traffic. Needless to say, they are laying on lots of extra public transit options... a brand new Skytrain line from downtown to Richmond & the Airport, extra Skytrain cars on all other lines, a third Seabus, 180 new city buses....

See the mauve star on the map? If you were staying at Nelson House B & B, you could walk anywhere, enjoy the people-watching and forget the traffic hassles!