How many of us added furry family members in the past couple years? Scout, our yorkie poo pup joined our family in May 2020 and our travel life has not been the same since. Thankfully, Vancouver BC where we we grew up is only a 3 hour road trip from Seattle and as of October 2022, the borders are open and easy to travel across again. We use our passports and make sure we have Scout’s rabies’ shot information. We’ve heard from Canadian family and friends that sometimes coming back into the United States, dog food needs to be in the container we bought it in but we haven’t been asked yet (and because I just wrote this I bet now we will) We often stay with family but we’ve also stayed at many Vancouver hotels with and without our pup over the past couple years so I’ve included some of our favorites below.
The hardest part about traveling to Vancouver with a pup and staying in a hotel is that most restaurants don’t allow pups to eat on the patio and so most of the meals that we get are takeout. On non-rainy days we like to grab something from Miku or Stepho’s and sit on a bench near English Bay and it’s one of our favorite spots in the city. We also spend a lot of time eating outdoors at Granville Island too.
The Fairmont Waterfront
We love the Fairmont Waterfront for its pool and location (especially at Christmas time-it’s right near the Christmas market). I think the best rooms here are the terrace rooms because they open up to a rooftop patio but these ones are NOT pet friendly so don’t book these rooms if you have your pup in tow. The last time we visited there was no pet fee for our pup but the Fairmont in Whistler charged $50 so I was expecting to pay that here as well. The Canadian dollar is not the same as the US dollar so check the exchange rate before you go to see how to convert prices from Canadian to US. We use our credit cards in most places but also carry a bit of Canadian cash-you can often exchange for some Canadian money at your bank. We usually book using American Express fine hotels but it’s also good to google “Washington State Residents rate” for this hotel and they often have deals like this one I recently found.
The Sheraton Vancouver Wall Center
We stayed here a few years ago in a club level room before we had Scout and before the pandemic. The room was spacious for our family-we booked one with two bedrooms and gorgeous Vancouver views. It also included breakfast and snacks in their lounge which was really convenient. We’ll be visiting again soon in one of their double rooms and we found out that Scout can stay for free. This hotel is convenient to the hockey stadium and Robson street and Fat Mao noodles near the lobby is absolutely delicious as well. The pool is a bit awkward-it’s outside the hotel and in a nearby gym. They currently have a Washington resident’s rate too. There is now a really cool park and coffee shop within walkable distance from the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Center too: Kafka’s coffee has an excellent playground nearby.
Granville Island Hotel
We book this hotel because of its location. The Granville Island Hotel is the only hotel on Granville Island and it is so dreamy to wake up and wander around the market before all the crowds. But the rooms here aren’t the greatest-they are very tight and a little dated. I always book a balcony room (and we’ve stayed here a handful of times now). The balconies are also extremely tiny but it’s really nice to be able to step out with a cup of coffee and see the water and feel the fresh air. When we stayed the dog was a $35 dollar fee. We booked our room on Expedia and it came with a $35 credit to the Dockside restaurant which would have been unusable if the restaurant hadn’t kindly made a once only exception and let us use it for room service.
Westin Bayshore
The Westin Bayshore is another hotel that often has a Washington Resident’s Rate but I couldn’t find one when I was researching this list. What I did find was that the Westin Bayshore does have a AAA rate that comes with parking and it has free cancellation 3 days before the stay begins which is also very helpful in these still covid-affected days.
Dog-friendly places to eat in the Vancouver area
(we know of very few so please comment below or send me ideas via email if you know of any more)
We had our guys birthday at a restaurant called Float 30 in Port Moody. They have really amazing fish and chips and other food items and dogs are allowed on their patio.
I also recently heard of a cool Game Center called Industry Arcade in New Westminster that looks fun and you can bring your own food and drink if you book a 60 minute to 2 hour rental and it sounds like on the site that you can even bring your pup too.
Also if you’re traveling to Vancouver with kids I have a list of my favorite places here as well.
(And if you want an idea for a beautiful place just a wee bit farther than Vancouver or Whistler, you might try Tofino at this fabulous resort too)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)