Honeymoon to Vancouver + Whistler - Places to visit?

[Lliandra]

So, as the thread title states, myself and my Fiance' are getting married in Feb and we're going on honeymoon to Vancouver and Whistler for some relaxation and snowboarding fun. We're from England and haven't really been to a 'proper' snowboarding resort before (We've been to Aviemore, Scotland but the snow isn't too reliable there, or hasn't been when we've visited) so are really looking forward to it.

I was wondering if there are any interesting/fun places we should particularly seek out while we're there? I really wanted to catch an NHL match as my team (Dallas Stars) are playing the Canucks but they play the day we fly home I've seen suggestions of the cable car ride between Blackcomb and Whistler which looks good but I think i'm looking for places that only the locals would know about. 'Secret' places to grab some nom would be good too.

Defo want to Ice Skate while we're there as I'm taking my boots so if there are rinks that we can go to pls share :D

Fully excited! Hope to see some fun suggestions Cheers all!

[Alolbont]

I went about 2 years ago. The town is in the middle of absolutely nowhere. That being said it has a lot of stuff. The big deal with whistler is they are really protective about what businesses can come in, due to their whole aesthetic look of the town. So most of the restaurants are one offs or small chains. The only fast food restaurant in the town is a single mcdonalds I believe.

There really isnt a locals spot because the town is so small and not near anything. Every place we did eat was pretty awesome though. There are several high-end steak places and pizza places along with some just normal grub places. Everything is located near the base of the mountain so you can ski down eat and ski back out if you want.

My recommendation is to pick a mountain and ski it till you've skied everything then take the gondola across to the other one. The gondola is pretty crazy, you'll like it.

Other then that just ski/board your brains off. Most of the night clubs will have a line to wait outside in, and a no coats policy. If you enjoy getting high, its pretty easy to score some excellent stuff up there since its not exactly illegal.

Thats all I can remember for now.

Edit: I dont remember if there was an ice rink or not, but i believe there was a small one near the middle of everything. All the ski towns ive been to kinda blend together sometimes for me.

[Ddz]

I live in Washington, and I LOVE visiting Whistler for snowboarding. The village is just wonderful and, like the previous poster said, in the middle of nowhere and completely secluded and surrounded by nature. The mountains are just gorgeous, and massive. Make sure you bring a camera! Once you get to the top, you will want to take in the surroundings and make the journey down a nice long adventure. I find it to be a little piece of heaven. The village has a nice string of bars for a decent night life as well as some high-end shopping. Enjoy! If you have time, you may want to visit Seattle; there is another thread with suggestions here: Anyone near Seattle?

[vagus]

First off, welcome to Canada! Whistler wise check out Araxi. It's the Gordon Ramsay restaurant that was selected for season 6. 21 Steps is casual dininer and has a great menu. Whistler is a resort town so restaurants are expensive. Also the weather in BC is very random. It could be cold then snowy then a down pour of rain. Lots of people will be roaming the streets so make sure you put on your gear and just walk around.

How much time are you planning to spend in Vancouver? If your plans involve Vancouver, i can post most places to check out. DT Vancouver has alot of stuff to do.

[Mazmaz]

There's an ice rink at UBC open to public skate if you decide to come down to Vancouver during that time.

Oh yea, Gas town is nifty.

[Skjie]

Whistler is great for boarding, night clubs and expensive dining. I would totally recommend spending time in Vancouver before/after going there.

[Lliandra]

Wow thanks for the great responses guys :D We've got ski passes to both mountains so we'll defo be doing the "board the shit out of one, gondola over to the next" plan! I'm buying my fiancé a DSLR camera for his wedding gift so he'll defo be taking an enormous amount of pictures. We've also got a GoPro camera to film our escapades on the journey

We'll be staying 8 days in Whistler and 4 days in Vancouver so some ideas for the city would be great! Defo wanna go to that suspension bridge over that lake? I forget the name lol, and pay a visit to Victoria if possible. We're staying at the Shangri La too which looks pretty central. We won't have a car but are not adverse to the idea of renting one for a few days if needed.

Once again thanks for the responses! Wanna get the most out of this fabulous country while we're there I'ma look for jobs too lol. Would love to get the hell out of England and move somewhere like Canada.

[Mazmaz]

Capilano Suspension Bridge? I'm not sure if it's open in winter, not sure though. Gonna try and think of what stuff you guys can do in winter in Van (I usually just hibernate cause of the shitty weather lol).

[Blarg]

Since no one has mentioned it I should probably tell you that up here in Canada we shake hands with the left hand. If you use the right hand by accident you should apologize as it's a great offense to us.

[Skjie]

Don't go to Victoria if you only have 4 days in Vancouver. The ferry is a bitch and the only really good thing to see is museums. If you are into that, http://www.moa.ubc.ca/ is my favourite of any I have been to, and it's a 10 minute drive from downtown or on the city bus loop.

[Mazmaz]

Don't go to Victoria if you only have 4 days in Vancouver. The ferry is a bitch and the only really good thing to see is museums. If you are into that, http://www.moa.ubc.ca/ is my favourite of any I have been to, and it's a 10 minute on the city bus loop.

more like 40.

[vagus]

Shangri La is a nice location. Not having a car does limit yourself to central Vancouver. However the transit system is much better then most. Not as good as the Tube mind you. Lol. Stay away from Victoria, since you're limited to 4 days. Here are some things to check out.

Robson Street : High end shopping and some really good Japanese restaurant. I suggest Ebisu or Guu.
Granville Street : Clubbing District, lots of clubs and bars to check out.
Gas Town : Some artisan clothing stores and some nice bars and Italian coffee bars.
Pacific Center : D/T mall
Davey Street : Lots of small artisan shops, Gay Central for the lower mainland
Metro Town : Biggest mall in BC, 15min skytrain ride from D/T.
Commercial Street : Little Italy
Chinatown : Experience a bit of Hong Kong in Vancouver.
-----
Mount Plesant Area : small shops
Kitslano : small shops
Richmond : Hong Kong, except in Vancouver. lots of asian restaurants and near the airport.
Stanley Park : Huge park along the water. Trees, trees, trees.
Capilano Suspension Bridge : Canyon Lights is up and it's amazing! Check the website to see if it'll still be showing when you arrive. (http://www.capbridge.com/). This location is in north vancouver and you'll need a car to get up here.

Those are the most popular places. Avoid fast food and check out the huge variety of places to eat. If you have an Iphone d/l Urbanspoon app. Any type of food you want you'll be able to find it in Vancouver. Besides sit down restaurants there are over 100 high end food carts. Some suggestions for places to eat.

Fritz : Makes the best poutine in Vancouver. Poutine is a Canadian thing.
Vera's Burger shack : Insanly good burger joint
Guu / Ebisu : Japanese
Kirin : High End Chinese Dim-Sum
Italian Kitchen : High end Italian
Meat & Bread : Exactly what it is, meat and bread.
Mac Shack : All they make is Mac & cheese.
Mom's Grill Cheese Food Truck : More cheese.
Roaming Dragon Food Truck : Chinese / Vietnamese fusion and was featured on Eat Street Food network TV Show.
Havana's : Cuban food and the best place for pitchers of mojito.
New Amsterdam Café : Hookah Bars and "other" stuff.

Hopefully that's enough stuff. Just past Chinatown is Main & Hastings. Avoid this area as it's the largest concentration of crack heads in North America. It's sad. Other then that, smoke a J, eat some amazing food and enjoy the company of Vancouverites.

[Mazmaz]

You're really underselling the transit system. You don't need a car to get to North Van, since I go from North Van to UBC and back every day.

Nice post though.

[vagus]

There limited to 4 days and waiting for a bus burns up time. Also standing in the rain/snow isn't great. Skytrain however is a different story.

[Mazmaz]

Bus going to North Van from Downtown comes every 15 mins.

[Lliandra]

Rah that's an epic post Vagus, thanks very much for putting that together :D I'm a Japanese food lover so those restaurants will totally be getting nailed. The Skytrain sounds amazing! Ill be referring to your posts throughout our visit for sure Am looking forward to trying Poutine. The concept of chips, cheese and gravy over here makes people go o.Oa so I'm intrigued!

Totally wish I could have caught an NHL match while we were there won't get another chance for a while but nvm would like to get another jersey at least Do sports shops over there sell all teams or just local ones? Tried to find one when I was in Miami a few years back but they seemed more geared to basketball.

Again thanks for all the input! Be nice to go there and have a good idea of stuff to look for

[vagus]

Can check out the Vancouver Giants (WHL), they play in the old Canucks stadium. Roger's Arena is where the Canucks play. Across the street, BC Place just got renovated. It's an amazing looking arena. Not many cities have a sports arena in DT. Vancouver has 2. Lol. O i forgot to suggest Science World.

[Skjie]

stuff

Granville St but not Granville Island?

[Elesirdur]

As someone who lives in Victoria, I would say stay away too. Nice place in the summer if you want to do more outdoorsy things, but tourism's dead in the winter here (cheaper hotels though).

+1 to going to Gastown and bar/restaurant hopping if you're feeling spendy. Beware though, go anywhere East of Columbia St and it's pretty freaky. Not really that dangerous per se, but unless you really want to see the devastation drug abuse and addiction wreaks on a human just stay West of Carrall.

Main St. south of Broadway to about King Edward Bvld is kind of interesting for shopping and crafts stuff if your lady is into that.

Ah, and wanted to support Skije's post about the UBC Museum of Anthropology. It's got an amazing collection of exhibits, and probably some of the best examples of West Coast and Canadian aboriginal arts and aertefacts.

[Thoronas]

Vagus covered most of the good place downtown but missed a couple really good ones.

Hapa Izakaya is also another good japanese place, about on par with Guu. Both are highly recommended
Medina Cafe is ridiculously good breakfast food. Everyone that goes there recommends that place so check it out.

Also if you want to try what I consider the best poutine in the city try out Oakwood in Kitsilano. They throw smoked meat on top of the poutine and their gravy is ridiculously good. Both the smoked meat and the gravy are made in house.

Edit: if you or your fiance love really really good beer go to the Alibi Room downtown or St Augustine's on Commercial Drive.