# Aviawest Vancouver Review



## i39249 (Apr 8, 2009)

Aviawest Vancouver aka Rosedale on Robson

We checked into the timeshare last Saturday.  This was an exchange thru RCI with our HGVC points.  Aviawest shares the same building as the Rosedale on Robson Hotel in downtown Vancouver at the corner of Hamilton and Robson.  One can’t check in at the hotel lobby.  The Aviawest check in counter is in a small office adjacent to the hotel.  Underground parking is available for $11 a day.  After checking in, one has to go to the hotel lobby and pay for parking at the front desk.  You can pay with cash or credit card and they will issue you a parking pass.   Parking spaces are tight and one morning, we saw that the car next to us had a smashed window.  Homeless and bums are a problem in downtown Vancouver.  

We stayed in a 2 bedroom / 1 bath on the 13th floor.   The bedrooms are decent size, however the living area and bathroom were small.  The rooms were clean and the suite was recently remodeled.  Each room had a TV with over 50 channels and the living room had a DVD player.  Construction workers were working in the hallways.  There was new carpet and paint.  

The tiny kitchen consists of a small sink, 3 electric burner top and a microwave.  There is a small oven, however you can’t cook a turkey in it.  The refrigerator is a dorm size maybe 3  to 4 square feet.  You really can’t cook anything.  There was no room and besides, there were no pots and pans anyways.  On the other hand, there are many good restaurants in Vancouver.  Downtown Vancouver is easy to walk and navigate.  

There are 3 elevators and waiting for an elevator was never an issue.   There is a mid size indoor pool with Jacuzzi.  There is also a sauna and steam room.  The sauna was not warm enough, however the steam room was plenty hot.  It was nice to have an indoor pool, while it was cold outside.  There were no towels in the pool area.  You have to bring your towels from your room.  There is a tiny work out area that consists of 2 old treadmills, 2 stair climbers and a recline bike.  

When we checked in around 4 PM, the cushion covers in the living room sofa was missing.  After I called twice and returned to the room after 7:30 PM from dinner, the covers had been put back on.  I suppose who ever had the room before thrashed the covers and it needed to be cleaned.  The remote for the living room TV was also missing.  I called and the lady who checked us into the room came up right away and gave us a replacement.  Most of the staff was friendly.  

Midweek cleaning was offered. Halfway through our stay, the toilet handle broke.  I called around 3 PM and the maintenance person came around 5 PM to fix it. 

Wifi is available through TELUS for $25 a week.  TELUS is a Canadian telecommunication company.  You sign up and make the payment online.  There is also a free internet computer in the Aviawest office if you just want to check your emails.  Free DVD rentals and daily newspapers are available in the Aviawest office as well as tour information.  No owner’s activities were offered.  

Vancouver is a wonderful destination with many activities available.  Aviawest was a nice home base for exploring the area.  Not quite Hilton or Marriot quality, but definitely  gold crown RCI.  

On a side note, the light rail connecting Vancouver Airport and downtown Vancouver is almost up and running.  Supposedly the ride will take 25 to 30 minutes.  Traffic is horrible in Vancouver, so this will help.  They are still getting ready for the 2010 Winter Olympics.


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## Cathyb (Apr 8, 2009)

Gosh, I have a few  questions:  Did you take the ferry to get to Vancouver?  Are you close to the Worldmark, The Canadian/Vancouver on Hornby near Pacific St?  We'll be there in August.  What activities are you planning to do while there?  We are assuming the driving is the same as in the States?  In other words they drive on the right hand side like us? Are you using the local buses to get around?  Are you using Canadian money or U.S.?

Any insight on Vancouver is really appreciated as it has been 10 yrs since we visitied there.  I was a little alarmed by your statement of a car in your private timeshare garage had been broken into.  Thank you!


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## ricoba (Apr 8, 2009)

Cathyb said:


> Gosh, I have a few  questions:  Did you take the ferry to get to Vancouver?  Are you close to the Worldmark, The Canadian/Vancouver on Hornby near Pacific St?  We'll be there in August.  What activities are you planning to do while there?  We are assuming the driving is the same as in the States?  In other words they drive on the right hand side like us? Are you using the local buses to get around?  Are you using Canadian money or U.S.?
> 
> Any insight on Vancouver is really appreciated as it has been 10 yrs since we visitied there.  I was a little alarmed by your statement of a car in your private timeshare garage had been broken into.  Thank you!



Cathy, May I humbly suggest you (and many many Americans) go online or buy a book about Canada and take time to learn about Canada?  Our nations lack of knowledge of our good neighbor to the north is kind of embarrassing 

Yes, they drive on the same side of the road as us, but you will find they drive much slower in Vancouver than we do here in CA (as does much of the world!  ).  They also use the metric system, so signage will be in KM.  They also speak the same language, but do have two official languages, English and French, though in Western Canada English is the primary language.  They also hold many of the same customs and cultural identities as we from the US and you get more US news in Canada than you get Canadian news in the US. 

You do not get to Vancouver by ferry.  In fact there are no ferries that serve Vancouver, except the SeaBus(a commuter ferry between North Van & Downtown and the Granville Island Ferry, which is a tourist type small boat taking about a dozen people from Granville Island to the Yaletown District) You drive to get to the city of Vancouver.  Downtown Vancouver (where you will be) sits on a peninsula between Burrard Inlet and English Bay/False Creek.  The ferry that goes to Vancouver Island (Victoria) goes from either the city of Tswwassen or the town of Horseshoe Bay.  Both of these towns are a good 45 minutes or so from Downtown Vancouver.

And no, do not use the US $, use the Canadian $, exchanging at a bank here in the States or Canada (which is easier than exchanging US to Canadian at least here in California).  You will not get a good exchange rate at merchants in Canada, just like you would not get a good exchange rate here in the US if they accepted Canadian Dollars.

Vancouver is a remarkably diverse and culturally interesting city, that has many of the same problems as many large US cities.  It's with sadness that I note that Vancouver, is now more like the US with regard to violent crime than it was 20 years ago when I called it home.

I am quite sure you will have a lovely lovely time in BC.  But you can have an exceptional time if you take the time to acquaint yourself about the people, places, customs and history of Vancouver and Canada.


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## Bill4728 (Apr 8, 2009)

> And no, do not use the US $, use the Canadian $, exchanging at a bank here in the States or Canada (which is easier than exchanging US to Canadian at least here in California). You will not get a good exchange rate at merchants in Canada, just like you would not get a good exchange rate here in the US if they accepted Canadian Dollars.



The only thing about driving in Canada is that Canada is fully metric. So the speed limits and distance signs are all in kilometers


We always use our ATM card at one of the many credit unions while in Canada to get Canadian $$. The exchange rate is so very much better doing that than getting money from the bank.  

PS when driving thru the border, we always told the kids that they had to remove their socks because Canadians don't wear socks.  :hysterical:


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## falmouth3 (Apr 8, 2009)

One thing we noticed that was different when we were in Canada in May a couple of years ago is that all the TVs in bars, lobbies, etc. were tuned to the Stanley cup playoffs.  We got home in time for the finals and our news didn't even mention the score of the first game.  :annoyed:  I wrote a letter to the sports director of my favorite local news channel and he acknowledged that it was an oversight that they would remedy.


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## i39249 (Apr 9, 2009)

*Reply*

Did you take the ferry to get to Vancouver? 

Yes.  We took the BC Ferry from Swartz Bay (Victoria) to Tsawwassen (Vancouver).

Are you close to the Worldmark, The Canadian/Vancouver on Hornby near Pacific St? 

I think that address is 10 to 12 blocks away from where we stayed.  You can google map it.

What activities are you planning to do while there? 

We visited the public market on Granville Island.  Drove to N. Vancouver and took the tram up to Grouse Mountain.  There was snow up there and people were ice skating and skiing.  But in summer, I don't think there will be any snow.  There however were advertisements for zip lines and one can go hiking.  The view of downtown Vancouver and beyond is magnificent.  On the drive up the mountain, one can also visit Capilano Suspension bridge.  If one has time, a 2 hour drive up to Whister is also warranted, although we didn't do that this time.  We visited Stanley Park and spent a whole afternoon there.  There is a good aquarium there that took 2 hours to tour.  There are dolphin shows and animal acts.  In the summer, they will also have a children zoo at the park as well as minature train rides.  Also Vancouver has good shopping.  Shop, Shop, Shop.  Help contribute to the global economy.  If money is not an issue, you might also consider a float plane ride.  There is also a scenic train ride from N. Vancouver to Squamish.  On the way back, you can take a scenic boat ride or vice versa.  Its about 1 1/2 hours each way.

We are assuming the driving is the same as in the States? 

Yes.  

Are you using the local buses to get around? 

We had a rental car, but only used it when we left downtown.  We walked mostly.  The city is very walkable.  Taxis also were plenty.  We saw plenty of buses and people on them, but we didn't use them. 

Are you using Canadian money or U.S.?

In the downtown area on Granville Street (Main Drag) there were several money exchange businesses.  The rates I got were Canadian $ 1.23 to One US dollar.  This is a lot better than last year, when it was almost one to one.


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## i39249 (Apr 9, 2009)

You don't need to buy a book.  I got a travel guide at the local AAA office and borrowed several books at the local library.  I also used tripadvisor.com and the internet for my searches.  When you drive up north, take a GPS with you.  It will help.  When you get to Victoria or Vancouver, all the hotels (timeshares included) and visitor centers will have local walking or driving maps.


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## Karen G (Apr 9, 2009)

i39249, thank you for that great review.  Please copy and paste it into the review form for the TUG Resort Reviews so that it will be readily available to other Tuggers who will search the Canada reviews in the future. Just click on 'TUG Resort Databases' on the red bar at the top of the page, log in, and go to the Resort Reviews and submit your review.


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## Cathyb (Apr 9, 2009)

Rick: You are right I should read up on Canada and I apologize on my ignorance; however we travel to so many places every year that time to read in detail on one area is almost non-existent.  As an example, this one trip from San Diego to Canada and return involves 14 stops overnight which I am trying to use Marriott points, Worldmark credits,  Evergreen Club, etc. to keep the costs down.  Add my age (71) to that and maybe you'll see why I ask so many questions .  I truly appreciated yours and the other answers and comments and have a thick file of notes forming for this trip.


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## BevL (Apr 9, 2009)

falmouth3 said:


> One thing we noticed that was different when we were in Canada in May a couple of years ago is that all the TVs in bars, lobbies, etc. were tuned to the Stanley cup playoffs.  We got home in time for the finals and our news didn't even mention the score of the first game.  :annoyed:  I wrote a letter to the sports director of my favorite local news channel and he acknowledged that it was an oversight that they would remedy.



Welcome to our world when we travel in the US.  Hockey scores are buried in the sports pages somewhere next to the donkey race results from an obscure Himalayan village.


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## ricoba (Apr 9, 2009)

Cathyb said:


> Rick: You are right I should read up on Canada and I apologize on my ignorance; however we travel to so many places every year that time to read in detail on one area is almost non-existent.  As an example, this one trip from San Diego to Canada and return involves 14 stops overnight which I am trying to use Marriott points, Worldmark credits,  Evergreen Club, etc. to keep the costs down.  Add my age (71) to that and maybe you'll see why I ask so many questions .  I truly appreciated yours and the other answers and comments and have a thick file of notes forming for this trip.



While I was surprised about your question about which side of the road do Canadian's drive on, what really troubles me is how ill informed many US citizens are about Canada.

Canadian's can be quite sensitive to the fact that they learn so much about the States and we learn so little about Canada.

For them it's kind of like the dilemma of "the mouse" living next door to "the elephant". Even though they are geographically much larger than the US, their population is very small at about 33,000,000 people.  So their uniqueness is sort of blurred by the fact that they live right next door to the USA.

For a good read that often highlights the historical differences between the US & Canada, Pierre Berton's books are excellent and are easy reads.  I can easily recommend, _Klondike, The National Dream and The Last Spike_.

As well, I have also enjoyed the books of W.P. Kinsella (whom I have had the privilege of meeting). (His novel _Shoeless Joe Jackson_ was adopted for the movie Field of Dreams).  But the books of his I like are his stories about life on Native American Reserves in Alberta, _Dance Me Outside and The Moccasin Telegraph and Other Stories_  Both give a good lesson in Native American/Aboriginal life from the Canadian perspective.

Another place of course to learn more about Vancouver is online at The Vancouver Sun or The Province. 

You can also listen online to Vancouver's major talk radio station CKNW and, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Hopefully this helps you and others learn about Canada, from a proud American who lived for over a decade as a Landed Immigrant in Canada and  who is married to a Canadian woman and who has two Canadian born children.


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## Cathyb (Apr 9, 2009)

Rick:  Friendly question:  OK I have to ask -- why are you now living in the States and not Canada?  My question about driving on which side stems from Canada being under the rule of Queen of England (hope I'm right here)hence the small possibility that their driving rules were like England. We live about 50 miles from Mexico and honestly I don't know a whole lot about their history either.  History was not my favorite subject in school -- I was a Business major and graduated with honors in that field.  Again I appreciate everything you wrote and wish I enjoyed reading as much as you do.


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## aptiva (Apr 9, 2009)

*Bill  Canadians don't wear socks????*

Must be a western thing!!


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## BevL (Apr 9, 2009)

Cathyb said:


> Rick:  Friendly question:  OK I have to ask -- why are you now living in the States and not Canada?  My question about driving on which side stems from Canada being under the rule of Queen of England (hope I'm right here)hence the small possibility that their driving rules were like England. We live about 50 miles from Mexico and honestly I don't know a whole lot about their history either.  History was not my favorite subject in school -- I was a Business major and graduated with honors in that field.  Again I appreciate everything you wrote and wish I enjoyed reading as much as you do.



We are not under the rule of the Queen of England.  We are part of the Commonwealth but we've been independent for a year or two now.  That being said, while you're in Victoria, you will see a huge British influence there.

Please don't take offence.  You're not alone among Americans who know very little about us - which strikes us as odd as we know everything about you.    It really was the driving on the same side of the road remark that prompted some responses.  

I for one have enjoyed your questions and being involved in your trip planning and I know you'll enjoy your time north of the 49th.

Bev


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## ricoba (Apr 9, 2009)

Cathyb said:


> Rick:  Friendly question:  OK I have to ask -- why are you now living in the States and not Canada?  My question about driving on which side stems from Canada being under the rule of Queen of England (hope I'm right here)hence the small possibility that their driving rules were like England. We live about 50 miles from Mexico and honestly I don't know a whole lot about their history either.  History was not my favorite subject in school -- I was a Business major and graduated with honors in that field.  Again I appreciate everything you wrote and wish I enjoyed reading as much as you do.



Bev answered the question about the right side of the road.  But I can understand the misunderstanding since Australia and India drive on the left as well.  And you are correct, I assume since this is a probably a British influenced thing. 

But as Bev states while Canada is a member of the Commonwealth, Canada has its own constitution and is not ruled by the Queen, though she is the Queen of Canada along with the Queen of England as well as Australia etc...along with a lot of other Commonwealth countries.

My wife and children are dual citizens, my wife acquired Canadian citizenship through application when she moved from the Philippines, and when we moved here she acquired US citizenship through application as well.  My children acquired both Canadian & US citizenship by being born in Canada of a US parent (me).  I am the only uni-citizen in our household.

I lived in Canada from 1980 to 1993 as a legal Landed Immigrant with Social Insurance Number (same as our Social Security).  We moved back to the USA, for various reasons, but mainly to find some new opportunities.

While I am a proud American, I still love Canada and still can sing "O Canada" and feel pride when I hear it played.


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## Cathyb (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks Rick.


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## Cathyb (Apr 9, 2009)

Bev:  Thank you    We also hope some year to visit Quebec and it appears that the French influence is quite strong there.  We stayed in Toronto a few years back and it reminded me so much of my home town San Francisco.  Loved the culture there!


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## ricoba (Apr 9, 2009)

Cathyb said:


> Bev:  Thank you    We also hope some year to visit Quebec and it appears that the French influence is quite strong there.  We stayed in Toronto a few years back and it reminded me so much of my home town San Francisco.  Loved the culture there!



I have to giggle a bit about this , but saying that the French influence is quite strong in Quebec is an understatement. 

On more than one occasion French Quebec Separatists have tried through referendum to leave Canada.  The French language and Quebecois culture is the dominating influence in Quebec.

You know Cathy, if you keep asking questions, I bet you will be able to apply for Canadian citizenship!   The only problem with living there is you would have to give up the warm pleasant climate of Carlsbad.


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## i39249 (Apr 9, 2009)

*Ref:  Driving on the other side of the road*

Don't know if this is true or not, but heard it from a teacher.  In the UK and Japan, they drive on the other side of the road because of their medieval history.  The horseman always rode on the left side of the roadway.  Why?  Because when they draw their swords to defend or attack, it is easier to slash right, thus the swords were always secured on the left side of the hip.  It is hard to pull a sword from the left hip and slash left, when you are charging on a horse.  Same theory with Jousting I think.  

In America we don't carry swords.  We carry guns/rifles.   We hold guns on our strong hand, which is right for most people.   Most people are also right eye dominant.   When you are holding a rifle, there is a natural tendency to point to the left.  So when you ride, its easier to ride on the right side of the road and shoot towards left.  

Any other theories out there?


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## ricoba (Apr 10, 2009)

i39249 said:


> Don't know if this is true or not, but heard it from a teacher.  In the UK and Japan, they drive on the other side of the road because of their medieval history.  The horseman always rode on the left side of the roadway.  Why?  Because when they draw their swords to defend or attack, it is easier to slash right, thus the swords were always secured on the left side of the hip.  It is hard to pull a sword from the left hip and slash left, when you are charging on a horse.  Same theory with Jousting I think.
> 
> In America we don't carry swords.  We carry guns/rifles.   We hold guns on our strong hand, which is right for most people.   Most people are also right eye dominant.   When you are holding a rifle, there is a natural tendency to point to the left.  So when you ride, its easier to ride on the right side of the road and shoot towards left.
> 
> Any other theories out there?



Seek and you will find. 

Here is the web page I used for resource when I answered Cathyb's question.

It's an interesting and fun read to learn the customs.

I didn't know the following about Canada.

For example, some Canadian Provinces, did drive on the left until the 1920's when they all joined the majority in Ontario & Quebec who were always right side of the road Provinces.


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## Cathyb (Apr 10, 2009)

that was cute Rick


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## northpole (Apr 10, 2009)

Being within walking distance to Canada Place would be great, however, it is the most expensive place in the city to stay.

On labour day, the new Skytrain line is opening up between the Vancouver airport and Waterfront Station (canada place).  It will take 22 minutes to travel from the airport to Canada place.  This also means that you could stay anywhere along the skytrain line, and still be only minutes from downtown (for walking and visiting).  The skytrain line will run north/south along Cambie street, and there are quite a few hotels near 12th street and Cambie, and Broadway and Cambie that are much more reasonable than the downtown hotels. 
Here is the link for the new skytain line called the Canada Line http://www.canadaline.ca

Having said this, if you wait until the last minute, then you might get good deals on downtown hotels.

About our History (I live near Vancouver) we basically share the same history as the United States, only we didn't have a war of independence like you.  Think of it as if you never fought for independance, you'd still have the same British roots as we do... Contrary to other posts on the board, our head of state is still the Queen of England and thus we are still officially governed by her... However, if she ever tried to actually use that power, we would probably become a republic over night!  But she is on our money, she is the head of state, and every law in Canada has to be signed by her representative, the Governor-General, before it becomes law.  

I hope that you enjoy your stay up here, it's a great place!  We spend about 3 weeks a year vacationing in the US, so it's great to have Americans come up North and vacation in Canada!  

Most if not all stores will accept US Dollars, but they won't give you as good an exchange rate. But if you're short on Canadian cash, just pull out US cash and you can get by.  The exception to this is American coins are always accepted, but at the same value as Canadian coins, you'll never get an exchange rate on American coins.

September is a great time to come, the weather is usually good and the city is a bit more quiet than in August.  If you can stay longer, there are other great things to see, a day trip to Victoria is well worth it as well as a day trip to Whistler (home of the Winter Olympics next year), it actually attracts more people in the summer than it does in the winter.  It's a beautiful mountain village with shopping, dining and golfing about 2.5 hours from Vancouver with many bus lines doing a dozen or so trips per day.

Hope this helps,


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## ricoba (Apr 10, 2009)

northpole said:


> ... Contrary to other posts on the board, our head of state is still the Queen of England and thus we are still officially governed by her... However, if she ever tried to actually use that power, we would probably become a republic over night!  But she is on our money, she is the head of state, and every law in Canada has to be signed by her representative, the Governor-General, before it becomes law.



Being one of those who mentioned the Queen's place in Canadian matters of state, I simply did not want to mention that while the Queen is the head of state, she is not the head of the government, while I understood the difference, I wanted to simplify it and not give another civics lesson.   

But you did an excellent job of explaining the Queen's position/role in Canada. 

Now please go on and explain the parliamentary system, the term "Ridings" and the role of the various Lieutenant (pronounced Lef-tenant) Governor's!


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